Things like wet dreams were not a strange occurrence for high school boys; on the contrary, they were an incredibly normal physiological phenomenon.

Back in middle school, everyone had been educated many times in health class to view this matter with an ordinary mindset, and even more so, to correctly understand the physiological changes during puberty.

At the time, the boys in the class squealed and hollered, winking at each other. Gu Qichi stared at the anatomical diagrams in the textbook, feeling somewhat bored and disinterested, completely unable to understand why that group of boys was hollering endlessly like monkeys.

It was just that Bo Yu, who was sitting next to him at the time, didn’t look quite right. A hint of embarrassment showed in his eyes and brows, and even the tips of his ears were quite red.

Gu Qichi couldn’t hold back at the time and even teased him a couple of times.

That very night, as if brought on by Gu Qichi’s teasing, Bo Yu welcomed the desires of puberty that solely belonged to him.

When Gu Qichi woke up amidst a flurry of rustling sounds, he saw Bo Yu frowning and vigorously scrubbing his bedsheets. His brows were tightly locked, his entire face was blushing to the point of explosion, and he didn’t say a single word.

He later jokingly asked Bo Yu who he dreamt of. Bo Yu only stiffly replied “No one,” and then gave him the cold shoulder for three days.

At the time, Gu Qichi was a bit speechless at Bo Yu’s reaction, but didn’t say anything more.

As for himself, he had absolutely no worldly desires whatsoever.

Probably because of his congenital heart disease and poor health, combined with the fact that he was entirely devoted to his studies year-round, Gu Qichi had no thoughts on this matter.

Bo Yu had even come to him frowning once, asking exactly when he would have this kind of reaction, saying it wouldn’t be normal if it happened any later.

After being coldly kicked away by Gu Qichi, Bo Yu thought about it again and again, then leaned over to negotiate with him—

“Chichi, if you ever really do have one of those, can you tell me who you dreamt of?”

Gu Qichi mercilessly shot back at the time: “Why don’t you tell me who you dreamt of?”

Bo Yu dumbly shut his mouth, lowered his eyelashes, and didn’t speak.

…………

…………

But now, the person having the dream had become himself, and the situation in the dream was an absolute mess. Gu Qichi bit his lip, his mind recalling Bo Yu’s appearance in the dream.

Cold, unreasonable, and habitually arrogant.

But when he lowered his eyes to look at him, there was an added sense of deep affection.

The Bo Yu in his dream said he liked him, that boys could also like boys…

Gu Qichi closed his eyes. His ears, which had just cooled down, began to burn again, before quickly recovering their clarity.

He couldn’t like Bo Yu; he wouldn’t allow himself to, and Grandpa Bo wouldn’t allow it either.

Gu Qichi stayed in the bathroom for a long while. Eventually, he rummaged through the cabinet under the sink and found a black plastic bag. He stuffed his underwear inside, and only then did he stealthily open the door and tiptoe out.

On the large bed, the bedside night lamp had been turned back on. Afraid that he might bump into something in the pitch-black darkness, Bo Yu had struggled to press the switch earlier before finally falling asleep with peace of mind.

Gu Qichi looked at the person on the bed with complex eyes, slowly stretched his legs, stepped over Bo Yu, and got under his own covers.

Bo Yu struggled to wake up again, pulled him into his arms, and mumbled: “Why did you take so long?”

Gu Qichi looked down, glanced at the forearm resting on his waist, and was just about to try moving it away when Bo Yu tightened his arm even more.

His head leaned over, buried into the crook of Gu Qichi’s neck, unconsciously rubbing against it: “Hurry and sleep.”

Gu Qichi gripped his cuff, his eyes wide open in the darkness. It was a long time before he exhaled, gathered his drowsiness again, and attempted to fall asleep, though it was somewhat difficult.

He didn’t know when it started raining outside. Through the heavy curtains, he could faintly see the shadows of lightning tearing through the night sky. The flash of light startled Gu Qichi, and he blankly opened his eyes.

The rain grew heavier, pattering against the leaves of the parasol tree outside, splashing up droplet after droplet of water.

The sound of the rain was clamorous. Although noisy, it quelled the dry heat of the summer, yet completely overturned the states of mind of the two people inside the room.

Gu Qichi closed his eyes again in a daze.

That night, neither of them slept well, resulting in them waking up much later than usual the next day.

The ringing of the alarm clock echoed in the spacious room, sharp and piercing. It wasn’t until Bo Yu slammed his hand down on it and tossed it onto the wool carpet that peace was restored.

In Bo Yu’s arms, Gu Qichi was so sleepy he was somewhat delirious; even opening his eyelids was difficult.

He couldn’t even remember what time he fell asleep last night, only recalling that when he did, even the rain had lessened considerably.

Gu Qichi’s fingers curled inward. Just as he was about to close his eyes again, the events of last night suddenly leaped back into his mind.

Crap, I haven’t disposed of yesterday’s stuff yet.

Gu Qichi’s eyes widened in astonishment, his drowsiness instantly vanishing completely. He jumped up from the bed, frantically wanting to rush to the bathroom.

Bo Yu was also woken up by his movements. He frowned and grabbed the boy’s wrist: “Why are you in such a hurry, where are you going?”

Pulled by him, Gu Qichi fell back onto the bed, landing right on top of Bo Yu’s thigh. Most of Bo Yu’s sleepiness also fled, and he couldn’t hold back a hiss of pain.

“I’m going to the bathroom, wait a bit before you come in.”

As soon as his voice fell, he shook off his hand and rushed into the washroom like a whirlwind. Bo Yu looked at Gu Qichi’s retreating back, feeling the strangeness beneath him, his face alternating between green and red. He had no choice but to kick the blanket twice and bury himself inside, lest Gu Qichi notice anything when he came out.

The entire morning was spent in utter chaos. The two of them each harbored their own guilty conscience and didn’t have the time to notice the other’s odd behavior. Gu Qichi successfully avoided Bo Yu and threw the black plastic bag into the trash can outside the door, and Bo Yu successfully avoided Gu Qichi and let his ‘brother’ obediently quiet down.

Sitting at the dining table eating breakfast, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief in unison, yet still found it somewhat hard to swallow their food.

Seeing that something was off with the two of them, Grandpa Bo picked up some noodles from his bowl, glanced at Gu Qichi and Bo Yu, and slowly said: “What’s wrong with the both of you? Are the noodles not good today?”

“Doesn’t Little Chi love eating old hen chicken noodle soup the most? No appetite today?”

A layer of oil floated in the bowl before them, covered with a layer of golden-fried shredded chicken. Beneath that were noodles that had soaked up the broth; one bite would be chewy and springy, with layers of aroma overflowing—it could truly whet anyone’s appetite.

If it were the usual Gu Qichi and Bo Yu, they would have long since slurped the noodles clean, but today…

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing unspeakable awkwardness in each other’s eyes.

Gu Qichi was the first to break the silence, finding an excuse to brush it off: “I’m going to participate in a competition in a couple of days. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, so I don’t have much of an appetite.”

A look of understanding appeared on Grandpa Bo’s face. He picked up a poached egg, put it into his bowl, and scolded gently: “Little Chi, I’ve never demanded that your grades have to reach a certain level, or that you have to be overwhelmingly excellent. Your health is the most important thing. As for the competition, just try your best.”

Gu Qichi nodded obediently as told, took a bite of the poached egg Grandpa Bo gave him, and sweetly said, “Thank you, Grandpa.”

Grandpa Bo retracted his gaze in satisfaction, then turned to look at Bo Yu: “Little Yu, if you’re not going to eat, hurry up and give your noodles to Uncle Zhao, he probably hasn’t eaten yet either.”

Hearing this, Bo Yu speechlessly poked the noodles in his bowl: “Grandpa, you’re way too biased.”

Gu Qichi over there got both care and poached eggs, but when it came to him, it was giving his noodles away for someone else to eat…

Grandpa Bo picked up some side dishes for himself, smiling happily: “Did you sign up for a competition like Little Chi?”

Bo Yu forced a smile and said grumpily: “I did, it’s just a different one from his, and the competition date isn’t anytime soon.”

Grandpa Bo dragged out his tone, slowly saying: “Oh—so that’s how it is. Then when it’s time for your competition, I’ll have Nanny Song fry poached eggs for you every day.”

Gu Qichi burst out laughing: “Grandpa, stop teasing Bo Yu.”

As he spoke, he picked up the last poached egg and put it into Bo Yu’s bowl.

The three of them looked at each other and all started laughing, washing away the silence and awkwardness of the entire morning.

It was 6:40 when they arrived at the classroom, ten minutes before morning reading.

The classroom was as messy as a pot of porridge. Everyone was running around everywhere, and the air was filled with the smells of various types of food.

Just in the circle around Gu Qichi, it included but was not limited to the smells of hot dry noodles, instant noodles, chive pockets, and pan-fried buns. Mixed together, it gave people a bit of a headache.

Gu Qichi fished out his physics competition booklet from his desk and flipped through a few pages casually. The next second, a streak of soup from a pan-fried bun descended from the sky, flying straight towards Gu Qichi.

The people around quieted down for a second, staring dumbfounded as that bit of soup flew through the air. The owner of the pan-fried bun, Sheng Qing, cursed outright and frantically tore off two paper towels, wanting to remedy the situation.

Gu Qichi turned his body sideways to dodge, but couldn’t evade it in time.

The chair next to him suddenly scraped back, making a harsh screech against the tiled floor. Bo Yu reached out and used a test paper to block it for him. The remaining scattered drops of pan-fried bun soup splashed onto his school uniform, wetting a small patch of fabric.

Sheng Qing looked at the tissue in his left hand, then at the pan-fried bun in his right, and cursed himself bitterly.

Oh man, who told you to eat pan-fried buns early in the morning? Now you’ve provoked two big shots at once, this is fatal.

He thought it over, apologized a few times, and then a slip of the tongue rolled out of his mouth: “Brother Yu, let me see your physics paper…”

Bo Yu’s hand, which was wiping his clothes, paused. He glanced at his physics paper, now soaked in pan-fried bun soup, and tossed it to Sheng Qing without mercy.

Gu Qichi helped him wipe it for a long time, but there were still a few oil stains on it that wouldn’t come off no matter what.

Bo Yu was a germaphobe. Looking at this bit of dirt on his clothes, his brows knitted so tightly they could crush a fly.

Gu Qichi glanced at Sheng Qing, who didn’t dare make a peep, sighed, and tossed his own paper to Sheng Qing as well: “Help the two of us hand in our homework. He and I are going to wash his shirt.”

Sheng Qing numbly said okay.

Taking advantage of the fact that the class bell hadn’t rung yet, Gu Qichi took Bo Yu and rushed to the washroom.

With class approaching, compared to the chaotic noise in the classroom, it was actually quite peaceful here.

The lemon aromatherapy placed on the sink emitted a faint scent, and a bottle of hand soap sat next to it. Gu Qichi looked at the hem of Bo Yu’s shirt, feeling a bit troubled, not knowing whether to have him take it off or just wash it like this.

Bo Yu wasn’t as conflicted as he was. He simply took off his shirt, squeezed some hand soap onto it, and rubbed it under the faucet.

“Have you been avoiding me these past two days?”

While rubbing the shirt, he looked at Gu Qichi in the mirror and asked out of the blue.

Gu Qichi panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down. He looked back at Bo Yu in the mirror: “That spot by the third button isn’t washed clean.”

“Why are you so weird today, why would I avoid you for no reason?”

Bo Yu didn’t say anything, just quietly looked at him. Only when the shirt was more than half soaked and the oil stains were finally washed clean did he turn off the faucet, shake off his hands, wring the shirt dry, and say ‘it’s nothing.’ “I must have felt wrong.”

The conversation between the two came to an abrupt halt, and the atmosphere was indescribably strange.

The bell for morning reading rang. Bo Yu threw his shirt on, enduring the damp and sticky sensation. He turned back to glance at Gu Qichi and said calmly, “Let’s go, back to class.”

Gu Qichi’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice. Following behind Bo Yu, he didn’t speak either.

This unsettled atmosphere continued until they returned to class. Sheng Qing, who sat at the desk in front of Gu Qichi, kept turning his head to look at the back door so often his neck was about to snap.

“Some students, stop thinking about playing all day long. Class has already started and your mind still isn’t on your studies. Sheng Qing! I’m talking about you! Can’t you pull your neck back?!”

As they approached the door, Gu Qichi heard the homeroom teacher’s voice drift out from the classroom. Even mixed with the morning reading sounds from the class next door, it was exceptionally clear.

Sheng Qing had originally been leaning back in his chair, tilting the chair legs up, enjoying the thrill of sneaking peeks accompanied by a wobbly sensation. Suddenly being called out by name, he was scared half to death and slammed onto the ground with a thump, making a huge noise.

The whole classroom was startled by his actions for a moment. The sound of morning reading paused, and Gu Qichi’s footsteps also froze at the door, not knowing whether he should go in.

The homeroom teacher’s roar would probably arrive right on schedule the next second; this was truly a tough choice.

Sheng Qing obviously thought of this too, and his face fell.

At the critical moment, Bo Yu stepped one foot inside the doorframe and called out “Report” with complete lack of situational awareness.

The homeroom teacher’s face visibly worsened a bit, but after seeing the two faces clearly, it recovered slightly.

“Why are you two late?”

Hearing this, Bo Yu took another step forward, completely shielding half of Gu Qichi’s body while exposing his own wet shirt, and explained to the man: “There was a little accident, we went to the washroom to deal with it.”

The homeroom teacher scanned the two of them a few more times and nodded his noble head: “Report earlier next time, come in.”

Gu Qichi and Bo Yu said ‘okay’, walked through the back door into the classroom, and sat at their respective seats.

Interrupted by them, the homeroom teacher was too lazy to blow up over Sheng Qing’s messy business again. He rolled up the book in his hand and knocked on the podium.

“Liven up, everyone! Don’t doze off. Whoever is sleepy, take the initiative to go stand at the back, stand straight. If you’re still sleepy like that, then roll back home to sleep, don’t stay here anymore.”

“Also, before class starts, I will spot-check the dictation of the text we covered yesterday. Anyone with more than five incorrect words, copy the text twenty times tomorrow and hand it in to my office.”

“Did you hear me?!” Muffled, indistinct grumbles echoed in the classroom, quickly replaced again by the sound of reciting.

Once the homeroom teacher’s figure disappeared from sight, Sheng Qing reluctantly picked up the book in front of him and muttered quietly: “Why is he having an episode again, who the f*ck can memorize that many words early in the morning…”

“And we’re not allowed to make more than five mistakes…”

As he spoke, he cautiously peeked at Bo Yu and Gu Qichi behind him. Catching sight of the other’s wrinkled, wet shirt, he couldn’t quite maintain his smile and turned his head back apologetically:

“Um, Brother Yu, sorry, I really didn’t mean to.”

Sheng Qing: “I’ll never eat that stuff in the classroom again…”

Bo Yu lifted his eyelids, cast a cold glance at him, and didn’t really want to engage.

He was always a man of few words and usually had a grumpy face. Gu Qichi was used to it, so he spoke to Sheng Qing on his behalf.

Gu Qichi: “It’s nothing, just don’t splash soup on him next time.”

Gu Qichi: “Oh right, did you help hand our homework to the subject rep?”

The security camera at the front of the blackboard moved imperceptibly. Sharp-eyed, Sheng Qing immediately sat up straight, using his textbook to shield his face, leaving only his eyes exposed to observe the situation.

Covering his mouth, he pretended to be reciting earnestly, but his back was actually leaning against Gu Qichi and Bo Yu’s desk as he mumbled:

“Handed both in for you guys. I already explained to the physics teacher for Brother Yu too, that I accidentally messed up his paper like that…”

Bo Yu glanced at him somewhat surprisingly, rarely feeling that this person wasn’t so stupid.

The camera stopped moving, fixing on a certain spot. About three minutes later, the red light inside stopped reflecting, and Sheng Qing finally felt safe to expose his mouth.

“Oh right, Brother Yu, I have a clean shirt over there. How about you go change into it after class? Wearing wet clothes like this is pretty inconvenient…”

Bo Yu didn’t have the habit of wearing other people’s clothes and refused without a second thought.

“No need, the weather is hot, it’ll dry by the end of first period…”

The weather was indeed hot. By eight o’clock, the temperature started soaring. The sun hung on the treetops, and waves of heat spread out in circles, scorching the earth.

It really wouldn’t take long to dry.

Sheng Qing was used to making conversation out of nothing, so he didn’t feel awkward either. He hadn’t interacted with Gu Qichi and Bo Yu before; he only knew they didn’t like to talk and weren’t very fond of socializing. But after exchanging a few words, they weren’t as hard to get along with as other people claimed.

Thinking of this, he remembered something else he forgot to remind them of, and immediately spoke up: “The homeroom teacher came by just now to announce something. There’s going to be a sports meet after the mid-term exams, he said all the boys have to sign up for an event.”

“Don’t forget to go to the Class Monitor after class.”

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