Bo Yu had his classes suspended and rested at home for a week. In truth, it wasn’t actually that serious, but although Grandpa Bo usually had a sharp tongue, when it came to matters like this, his grandson’s well-being was always his top priority.

On the third day, Bo Yu wanted to return to school but was firmly pinned to his bed by Grandpa Bo, not even allowed to go downstairs.

Bo Yu was left utterly speechless, largely because Gu Qichi wasn’t by his side—he hadn’t been separated from Gu Qichi for this long since they were kids.

But more than that, with Gu Qichi absent, Bo Yu was able to calmly reflect on what had been off about him lately.

When did it start?

Bo Yu twirled his pen between his fingers, continuously reminiscing.

Probably after they developed gender awareness, Gu Qichi stopped letting him call him his “child bride.” Once they got a bit older and he understood that not just anyone could be a child bride, Gu Qichi also voided all their previous agreements where kisses were used as punishments. None of it counted anymore.

Bo Yu had even thrown a fit with Gu Qichi over it back then, but Gu Qichi had a stubborn streak. No matter how much Bo Yu fussed, he never agreed to reinstate those rules.

Although Bo Yu was angry, there was nothing he could do. After all, he knew you couldn’t just kiss people casually—especially since he had been young back then and had gone more and more overboard, not just kissing Gu Qichi on the cheek, but also on the lips.

Although young Gu Qichi had been angry at the time, bound by their agreement, he obediently let him kiss him, as cooperative as could be.

Gu Qichi began consciously avoiding Bo Yu after a certain biology class in their first year of middle school.

Bo Yu had forgotten what that lesson was about; he only remembered that a few days later, Gu Qichi brought up a series of principles about how males shouldn’t be overly intimate with each other and forced Bo Yu to comply.

Bo Yu had tried to resist back then, but after having a wet dream involving Gu Qichi’s face, he felt incredibly ashamed facing him, so he readily agreed to Gu Qichi’s conditions.

Actually, when Bo Yu first realized he liked Gu Qichi, he had considered moving out of Gu Qichi’s bedroom to sleep alone and stop pestering him.

During that time, he couldn’t sleep night after night, his mind entirely filled with thoughts of how to keep his distance from Gu Qichi.

He tried many methods—deliberately avoiding him, finding others to distract himself, and even taking advantage of Gu Qichi’s absence to pull out the pornographic videos stuffed to him by classmates to watch, attempting to find any possibility of liking girls.

But it was no use. Before the video could even progress anywhere, Bo Yu had already closed his phone in frustration.

He had no interest in girls, nor did he have an interest in boys.

He was only interested in Gu Qichi, and would only ever like Gu Qichi.

When he woke up in the dead of night, Bo Yu’s mind was filled with Gu Qichi’s face—crying, laughing, angry, pleasantly surprised… He couldn’t bring himself to distance himself from Gu Qichi, nor could he ignore him. That was the person he had carefully held in the palm of his hand and cherished since he was five years old. Giving up overnight was simply impossible.

So when Gu Qichi intentionally avoided him in certain ways, Bo Yu knew it perfectly well, but kept playing dumb and never brought it up.

But clearly, the current situation had exceeded his expectations…

If Gu Qichi truly felt disgusted by his touch…

Bo Yu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his gaze was dark and filled with gloom.

He couldn’t bear to imagine that possibility. Just the thought of it caused the heart beneath his ribs to contract violently, blood squeezing and bursting forth, filling his chest with an aching bitterness.

…………
…………

Meanwhile, at school, Gu Qichi was twirling his pen, zoning out while staring at Bo Yu’s empty desk for the umpteenth time.

Last time, the class representative had asked him if he didn’t get sick of sitting next to Bo Yu for so long. Although the answer was no, Gu Qichi had pondered the question before.

Would he really never get sick of it?

He lowered his eyes, the tip of his pen scribbling endlessly on his test paper. It took him a long time to realize that he had filled the entire page with Bo Yu’s name.

Gu Qichi let out a bitter laugh, tossed the pen aside, and found an English passage to do grammar analysis on.

Turns out, he really wouldn’t get sick of it…

He thought fuzzily, tilting his head up to glance at the clock on the wall, wishing for class to end early for the first time in his life.

Because he wanted to go home earlier to see Bo Yu.

The bell rang and faded. Sheng Qing from the front row turned around, trying to strike up a conversation.

Probably because everyone had partied too hard during the sports meet a few days ago, the barriers and distance between them had suddenly vanished quite a bit. Sheng Qing spoke without much reservation, his tone very familiar.

“Hey, Gu Qichi, when is Bo Yu coming back to school?” He slumped entirely over the back desk, staring at Gu Qichi curiously while peeling a tangerine, stuffing pieces into his mouth.

“Our class got first place this time, and the Iron Rooster actually announced he’s treating us to a barbecue place this weekend. The only one missing is Bo Yu, our big hero. Everyone is waiting for him…”

Gu Qichi looked at his face, then at his own test paper, suddenly feeling inexplicably irritable.

Frowning, he circled a word starting with ‘b’ in his passage, paused for a long while, and finally said, “I don’t know either.”

Seeing that his spirits weren’t very high, Sheng Qing didn’t dare eat any more of his tangerine. He looked at him hesitantly for a good while before turning back around.

Today was Saturday. Dongcheng No. 1 High School didn’t really give much of a break, only leaving students with Saturday night and Sunday daytime to rest before requiring them to return on Sunday afternoon for evening self-study. The clock ticked the day away. The sun rose in the east and set in the west, and the golden glow of the sunset spilled across the ground before vanishing silently, giving way to the night.

Outside, the weather had turned bad at some point. The wind swept through the overlapping leaves, making a distinct, rustling sound.

The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, their cold white light somewhat harsh. It was only when Gu Qichi looked up and out the window that he realized it had started to rain.

It wasn’t heavy at first—just sparse raindrops dampening the leaves. But gradually, the drops connected into lines, soon weaving into a curtain of rain that poured down from the roof of the teaching building.

With sharp eyes, Gu Qichi spotted a sparrow darting onto the edge of the windowsill, thoroughly drenched by the rain. Water droplets dripped from its tail feathers, soaking the books placed on the sill.

The homeroom teacher walked in at some unknown point. For once, he hadn’t tucked his T-shirt into his pants; instead, he had changed into a new button-up shirt, looking quite refreshed.

Homeroom Teacher: “We have the night off tonight, and since we rarely all have time, I’m treating you guys to the barbecue we agreed on last week. It’s on me.”

The previously silent classroom instantly erupted into cheers. Even Sheng Qing couldn’t resist whistling, cheerfully remarking, “The Iron Rooster is finally willing to pluck a feather today.”

Fortunately, his voice was low and wasn’t heard by the teacher.

Amidst the cheering, Sheng Qing quickly remembered something. He carefully leaned back, glanced at Gu Qichi, and asked tentatively, “So Brother Yu can’t come then?”

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, pulled his phone out from his desk, opened his chat with Bo Yu, and double-tapped on his profile picture.

[You patted Bo Yu’s head and said, “Gu Qichi, how come you look so good?”]

He didn’t know when Bo Yu had changed this “pat” message, but it looked entirely unserious, not at all fitting Bo Yu’s usual style.

He was amused, and the displeasure in his heart dissipated a bit.

Gu Qichi sent Bo Yu a message:
[Chi]: The homeroom teacher just said he’s treating you heroes to a make-up celebration banquet tonight. Do you want to come?

Bo Yu didn’t reply.
Five minutes passed, and still no reply.

Gu Qichi unconsciously picked at his hand, ignoring whether the dean would catch him or not, just staring at the phone in his desk.

Bo Yu still hadn’t managed to reply to him.

The school bell rang very quickly. Almost instantaneously, the classroom descended into chaos—some looking for umbrellas, others grabbing their backpacks, and some contacting their parents saying they’d be home late, only to receive a reply that they already knew.

Sheng Qing hovered by the door with an umbrella in hand for a while. Looking at Gu Qichi inside the classroom, he felt an inexplicable sense that the other boy looked especially lonely right now.

He hadn’t felt this way before. When did he start thinking this?

Sheng Qing pondered it over and over, finding his answer at the desk next to Gu Qichi.

It started from the very first day Bo Yu wasn’t there.

On the first day, Gu Qichi was still doing okay, but over the last two days, anyone could tell that Gu Qichi was unhappy.

Sheng Qing sighed, realizing belatedly that he might have accidentally stumbled onto something, though he couldn’t just go casually talking about it to others.

“Gu Qichi, let’s go. I’ll walk with you. The homeroom teacher already called cars for us.”

Gu Qichi turned his head, glanced at Sheng Qing, turned off his phone screen, and slowly walked out the door carrying his umbrella.

If the homeroom teacher had notified the parents in the class group chat beforehand, Uncle Zhao must have seen the message and wouldn’t be coming to pick him up.

The rain had lessened quite a bit from before, but it still pattered incessantly against the umbrella canopy without a moment’s pause.

Gu Qichi lowered his umbrella and cast his eyes downward, zoning out as he watched the puddles splashing at his feet.

Suddenly, a car beside him flashed its hazard lights. Accompanied by the sound of a window rolling down, someone shouted his name loudly through the noisy curtain of rain—

“Gu Qichi—look back!”

Gu Qichi lifted his umbrella. Raindrops fell in strings from the ribs of the umbrella, splashing up flower-like bursts of water. Through the rain and the half-lowered car window, he saw Bo Yu limping across from him. Without even holding an umbrella, he was trying to open the car door to come find him.

Gu Qichi hurriedly stopped him: “Bo Yu! Stop moving around!”

As he spoke, he didn’t care if running would splash the puddles onto his pant legs, sprinting toward Bo Yu as fast as he could.

Up ahead, Sheng Qing also turned his head just then, giving Gu Qichi a meaningful look.

The Gu Qichi who had just been listless and spacing out now looked like a completely different person. His whole body radiated a different kind of vitality, sweeping away his previous sluggishness. His eyes and brows were filled with laughter, making him look exceptionally lively when he smiled.

Sheng Qing tsked twice, thinking again of Yu Sheng, who howled over her phone in front of him every day.
He silently sighed with emotion—Yu Sheng, you’ve stumbled upon a real ship!

…………
…………

Dongcheng No. 1 High School was a key city high school, so the teachers’ salaries were relatively more generous compared to other schools.

Gu Qichi’s homeroom teacher was often cursed at for being an “Iron Rooster” (stingy), but for this gathering, he was uncharacteristically generous.

He found a barbecue spot outside the school, verifying its environment and hygiene from all aspects, making everyone feel very assured.

Everyone arrived at the venue in groups of twos and threes. Gu Qichi and Bo Yu were a bit slower, still chatting in the car.

“Why did you come out today? Is your leg going to be okay?”

Even though the rain had lightened, there were still deep puddles on the ground. Bo Yu’s foot hadn’t fully recovered yet, and he was worried he might trip and fall again later.

Bo Yu looked at his joyful expression, his tone filled with irrepressible concern, and let out a slight breath of relief.

“The homeroom teacher contacted me and asked if I had time. I’ve been staying home every day; I’m practically growing mold…”

He complained jokingly, grabbing two tissues from the car to help wipe him down. “Weren’t you holding an umbrella? How did you still get drenched? Drink a bowl of ginger soup when we get back tonight so you don’t catch a cold again.”

Gu Qichi obediently hummed his agreement.

When the two arrived at the barbecue restaurant, almost all the dishes they ordered had been served. Sheng Qing had saved seats for them next to him, and as soon as he saw them, he waved them over.

After taking his seat, Gu Qichi noticed that Sheng Qing had hidden a case of cocktails under the table.

Catching his gaze, Sheng Qing shot a shifty look toward the door, then leaned in with a cheeky grin to chat up Gu Qichi and Bo Yu. “Brother Yu, want a drink? I specifically went to the supermarket to buy these.”

Bo Yu had no interest in alcohol, and neither did Gu Qichi.

But the people at this table were all here for a good time. With one person saying this and another saying that, they persuaded Gu Qichi until he couldn’t tell north from south. Instantly, two cans of cocktails were placed in front of him.

An alcohol content of 5.6% wasn’t considered high, and it was fruit-flavored. Gu Qichi weighed the can in his hand, thinking that he hadn’t had alcohol before, and couldn’t help feeling a bit curious.

Back and forth, he didn’t refuse. Instead, he simply and decisively pulled the tab and started drinking sip after sip.

Shine Muscat Vodka?

It actually tasted pretty good, without a strong alcohol burn, leaving a refreshing sweetness unique to grapes spreading between his lips and teeth.

Gu Qichi ate his barbecue while picking up the can beside him. Unknowingly, he had already finished two cans.

He didn’t flush when drinking, and his behavior was exceptionally normal. Bo Yu had been observing his reaction the entire time. After a long while of noticing nothing unusual, he didn’t speak up to stop him and let him continue drinking.

It was only when Gu Qichi was picking up food with his chopsticks that Bo Yu realized something was wrong with him.

Gu Qichi couldn’t hold them steady; he kept dropping everything, yet he stubbornly kept trying to grab the food.

Bo Yu helped him pick up a fish ball. He turned his head very angrily and interrogated Bo Yu: “Why did you pick this up for me?”

He hadn’t drank before, so Bo Yu had never seen what he was like drunk. Finding it novel, he began observing his reactions.

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Gu Qichi became relentless: “Why aren’t you answering me? Was it secretly bitten by you, and that’s why you’re giving it to me…”

After speaking, the more he thought about it, the more he felt it made sense. He began repeatedly inspecting the fish ball but couldn’t find any bite marks on it.

This undoubtedly left Gu Qichi even more confused.

Bo Yu looked at him with amusement, while the others only had time to be shocked, genuinely not expecting Gu Qichi to have this side to him.

But they didn’t get the chance to watch any longer, because Bo Yu took him home.

…………
…………

Bo Yu had also drank two cans of the 5.6% cocktail with absolutely no reaction, but for Gu Qichi, it was more terrifying than a flash flood or a fierce beast.

Gu Qichi was heavily drunk. Like a little child, he clung tightly to Bo Yu’s arm and refused to let go.

Fortunately, Bo Yu’s ankle was mostly healed, and he was completely capable of carrying him. In the entire Bo household, only Grandpa Bo firmly believed that a bone injury needed a hundred days to heal, insisting that Bo Yu rest. He carried Gu Qichi into the washroom to help him wash his face. Gu Qichi shifted to hugging his waist, burying his head in his chest, and asked him groggily:

“Bo Yu, why are you here? Didn’t Grandpa say you have to stay at home?”

Bo Yu fully recognized Gu Qichi’s unfathomably low alcohol tolerance. He wiped his face clean while squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

“Be good, open your mouth.”

Gu Qichi opened his mouth, accepted the toothbrush, and brushed slowly, but still stared blankly at Bo Yu, waiting for him to answer.

Bo Yu lowered his eyes, gazed at him gently, and replied, “We are at home right now.”

Gu Qichi let out an “ah,” then an “oh,” spat out the foam, rinsed his mouth, and turned back to hug Bo Yu again.

“Bo Yu, I miss you so much.”

With his brain paralyzed by alcohol and his rationality gone, Gu Qichi stopped suppressing his emotions for the first time, uttering what he wanted to say without any burden.

“I really miss you so much…”

His voice grew quieter and quieter, like an unconscious mumble.

Bo Yu poked his cheek, sat him down on the chair in the washroom, and teased him, “You miss me a lot?”

Gu Qichi looked up at him. His amber eyes were exceptionally crystal clear under the light, a pure cleanness without the slightest impurity.

He poured out all his thoughts: “Miss you a lot.”

Bo Yu was very satisfied with his current appearance. Temporarily abandoning the idea of washing up, he decided to play an honest Q&A game with him.

“What did you do when I wasn’t at school, Chichi?”

“Just doing test papers… Oh, and secretly missing you…”

A drunk Gu Qichi was extraordinarily honest, answering almost every question asked. At first, Bo Yu just did it for fun, wanting to tease him, but by the end, his eyes darkened, and he could barely control the despicable thoughts in his heart.

He wanted to ask Gu Qichi why on earth he was avoiding him.

But asking under these circumstances was undoubtedly taking advantage of him.

Gu Qichi stared straight into his eyes, his reflection mirrored in their depths, looking completely trusting and dependent.

Like a lure, Bo Yu’s voice was very soft. He didn’t ask him why he was avoiding him; instead, he switched to the question he wanted to know the answer to the most right now.

Bo Yu leaned over, gripped his shoulders, met his eyes levelly, and spoke with a somewhat strained tone: “Gu Qichi, tell me, do you have someone you like?”

Unlike any scenario he had imagined, Gu Qichi’s face didn’t show coldness, nor did it show any joy; instead, he suddenly became panicked.

Like a frightened cat, he subconsciously wanted to flee, but Bo Yu clamped down on him tightly, not allowing him to move an inch.

Bo Yu’s heart sank to the bottom. His tone grew urgent as he practically forced an answer out of him: “Gu Qichi, tell me, who do you like?”

Gu Qichi kept his mouth shut, unwilling to speak.

Bo Yu let go of him, instantly understanding the reason for Gu Qichi’s resistance to his touch.

So it turned out it was because Gu Qichi already had someone he liked…

He sat down heavily on the floor, his face full of despair, looking at Gu Qichi with complex emotions.

If that was the case, he would definitely fulfill Gu Qichi’s wishes, maintain his distance from him, and ensure he no longer harbored those improper thoughts toward him…

He thought aimlessly, his mind a tangled mess, not noticing that Gu Qichi had stood up, crouched down halfway, and gently embraced him.

“Bo Yu, don’t be sad…”

His voice was very soft as he tried hard to comfort him. Although he was drunk, relying on his terrifying intuition, Gu Qichi miraculously understood the method to instantly comfort Bo Yu.

After struggling internally for a long while, he finally spoke slowly: “Bo Yu, I like you.”

The person in his arms immediately stiffened, throwing his head up in disbelief, staring intently at the Gu Qichi holding him.

Bo Yu gripped his hands tightly, repeatedly asking, “Say it again. Who do you like?”

Gu Qichi looked down at him, repeating it over and over: “Bo Yu, I like you.”

Bo Yu, I like you.

Because I like you too much, I was afraid, conflicted, and cautious, not daring to step out of line by even a fraction.

I didn’t dare to imagine what my life would become like if I lost you, nor did I dare to imagine seeing disgust or shock in your eyes.

If that day really came, where you distanced yourself from me because of my feelings, I think that day wouldn’t be much different from the end of the world.

Because my world would collapse in an instant, utterly reduced to ruins.

I just want to quietly stay by your side, wishing for the time I spend guarding you to stretch out infinitely, ultimately named eternity.

“Bo Yu, I like you.”

He repeated it once more.

Carrying a cautious probe, carrying the resolute determination of facing death unflinchingly, and also carrying hope and anticipation.

Like the scene that had played out countless times in his dreams, Bo Yu reached out and pulled him into an embrace. He used so much strength it was as if he wanted to brand him into his very bones and blood.

By his ear, Bo Yu answered him clearly and slowly, word by word: “Gu Qichi, I like you too.”

I like you too.

So you don’t need to be afraid, you don’t need to hesitate, and you don’t need to worry about being discarded by anyone.

Because I’ve been standing right behind you, having never stepped away for a single moment.

Bo Yu held the back of his neck and kissed him very, very lightly.

Because it was their first kiss, their movements were exceptionally clumsy.

Bo Yu tried hard to recall the movies he had watched in the past, parting his lips and sucking on Gu Qichi’s lower lip. It wasn’t until Gu Qichi uncontrollably opened his mouth that he tentatively darted out the tip of his tongue, prying open Gu Qichi’s tongue.

The taste of Shine Muscat vodka mixed with Longjing green tea spread between their lips and teeth. Bo Yu’s hand shifted from Gu Qichi’s back to his waist, suddenly tightening, forcing him to tilt his head higher.

The tip of his tongue explored deeper, hooking onto Gu Qichi’s tongue—which kept trying to hide—and began to suck.

The lights in the washroom were exceptionally glaring. The ambiguous sound of wetness echoed in the quiet space, so clear it made one’s face burn and heart race.

For a moment, Gu Qichi couldn’t distinguish the boundary between dreams and reality. Only the numbness at the root of his tongue and Bo Yu’s sucking and biting actions clearly reminded him that this was not a dream, but reality.

The fact that Bo Yu liked him was the realest thing of all.

But because their movements were too excessive—the two of them bumping into each other side-to-side—it only took a moment for both their lips to swell up.

Gu Qichi was somewhat dazed. He opened his hazy eyes and, in a trance, recalled that absurd agreement from the past. He asked tentatively:

“Bo Yu, is this a punishment?”

Because Bo Yu had said:
Kissing is the most unique punishment between the two of them.

Bo Yu pulled him into his arms, lifted his chin, and using that height, kissed him once again.

Before closing his eyes, Gu Qichi heard his answer:

“It’s not a punishment, it’s a reward.”

A kiss has always been the reward I’ve thirsted for the most.