Yearning was a film that had swept the Best Actor and Best Actress awards at last year’s White Camellia Awards, and it was also a classic urban family education drama.

The protagonist, Lin Jing, is a student at Dongcheng First High School, as well as an art student who deeply loves painting.

It could be said that Lin Jing’s talent for painting is outstanding, even breathtakingly brilliant. He wholeheartedly wants to walk the path of art, but conflict is quietly and soundlessly spreading.

Lin Jing lives in a single-parent family. His mother’s demands of him are extremely strict, and she is an absolute grades-supremacist. Because his father died early, Lin Jing has grown up under his mother’s high-intensity scrutiny his entire life.

He has to get perfect scores on exams, rank first in his class, and constantly attend various competitions and extracurricular classes. He doesn’t even have a moment of free time during the winter and summer holidays.

During his sophomore year of high school, because Lin Jing wants to take the art college entrance exam, the conflict with his mother completely erupts, and the story unfolds from there.

This type of realistic genre isn’t like Pale Moonlight; it is mainly deeply loved by middle-aged audiences and middle and high school students who can personally relate to it.

The script reading took place at four o’clock in the afternoon. The daylight was still brilliant, and the orange-red clouds dyed the horizon in bright colors, piercing through the transparent glass in a blaze of glory.

Gu Qichi sat with his legs bent, holding a colored pen in his hand, listening attentively to Han Hao’s explanation.

Sitting next to him was the popular young actress Yu Sheng. For some reason, she kept secretly sizing him up during Han Hao’s pauses.

However, Yu Sheng’s gaze was clear—purely curious—and didn’t make him feel annoyed.

“Lin Jing is played by Gu Qichi. The biggest difficulty of this role is to properly grasp the entanglement of a high school student facing the conflict between his ideals and his family.”

“As for the mother, I will go find Teacher Yi Zhiyin; the schedules on both sides should be able to be coordinated.”

“Yu Sheng will play Lin Jing’s classmate, Luo Mingjia, and Su Ming will play his academic rival, He Lang.”

The character of Lin Jing actually wasn’t hard to figure out. Compared to Xia You, its biggest advantage lay in the character’s explosive emotional power, though it lacked some of the traits that made audiences’ hearts ache for him.

Han Hao looked up and sized up the few people sitting in front of him. Gu Qichi and Yu Sheng were the youngest, both 22 years old. Su Ming and another actor were also quite young, fitting their roles well.

He couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at them. “Good thing there’s a homeroom teacher role in this script. Otherwise, if you made a forty-something-year-old guy like me play a high school student, I’d probably be flamed to death by netizens.”

Yu Sheng was young and lively, taking over the conversation with a giggle, “Not at all! Senior Brother Han Hao looks so young. If you put on a school uniform, you’d look just like a graduate student senior on a university campus.”

“You have a super academic research vibe.”

Both she and Han Hao had graduated from the Dongcheng Film Academy, so calling him “Senior Brother” wasn’t out of line. It wasn’t deliberately currying favor, but it appropriately closed the distance between them.

Yu Sheng unconsciously shifted closer to Gu Qichi, her tone carrying a bit of inquiry, “Teacher Gu, did you attend a school related to acting before?”

She deliberately didn’t ask which university Gu Qichi attended and avoided the word ‘university’. After all, the entertainment industry was currently crawling with ‘nine-year compulsory education dropouts’ (illiterate celebrities); it wouldn’t be good if she accidentally picked out a flaw.

Gu Qichi glanced at her and shook his head, “I majored in finance in college.”

Actually, speaking of it, Gu Qichi and Lin Jing shared some similarities. They were both young men eager to chase their dreams, eager to create their own world. They always had the courage and confidence to recklessly hit the south wall and refuse to turn back.

Lin Jing was like this, and so was Gu Qichi.

Back then, Gu Qichi had wanted to study literature or architecture, but in the end, Gu Chengtian forcibly intervened, changed his application, and enrolled him in the finance department.

If he remembered correctly, this seemed to have been the fuse that made him desperately want to move out of the Gu family back then.

Gu Qichi’s fingertips rubbed against the paper for a long time. Looking at the distinct black-and-white name on the title page, a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart.

This rebirth felt as if the world was deliberately trying to make up for something it owed him.

The ruined reputation after being drugged, the TV drama and fashion resources snatched away by Gu Yuning, and his astonishingly growing number of fans…

Even this script for this variety show…

In Yearning, he would become Lin Jing, and he would also become a bird flying freely, breaking free from his parents’ constraints.

……

After the script reading ended, everyone was packing their bags. Gu Qichi got up to get a bottle of water. When he came back, he found someone else sitting where he had just been.

It was Yu Sheng, who had been staring at him.

Seeing him approach, Yu Sheng took a few large strides and stood right in front of Gu Qichi, the distance between them less than a foot.

Seeing this, Gu Qichi involuntarily wanted to step back, only to see Yu Sheng narrow her eyes, sizing him up from head to toe, and then suddenly speak up.

“Are you gay?”

Gu Qichi: “?”

Gu Qichi: “…”

He had only met Yu Sheng briefly a few times. The script reading just now was the first time they had actually communicated.

So in private, was she always this blunt?

Gu Qichi stiffened slightly. Before he could react, he saw Yu Sheng cross her arms, ponder for a moment, and then nod forcefully.

“You’re definitely gay.”

The next second, Yu Sheng took a step back, as if she just remembered to act a bit reserved and not be so aggressive.

She turned her head away, coughed lightly, and put on an act: “Teacher Gu, do you hold a grudge against Gu Yuning?”

Yu Sheng’s pitch was high, her tone filled with unstoppable conviction, her eyes sparkling. She didn’t even need Gu Qichi to answer; she had already confirmed the answer herself.

But the topic shifted so fast that Gu Qichi didn’t know which one to reply to for a moment.

He had no choice but to sigh and say, “I am gay…”

Just as he was about to continue explaining that he didn’t really hold a ‘grudge’ against Gu Yuning, but it was just due to some special factors, Yu Sheng heard his answer and could no longer suppress her inner excitement. She directly tried to grab Gu Qichi’s hands. After he seamlessly dodged her, she didn’t mind, just waving her hand grandly, her eyes shining:

“I knew it!”

“Wifey Chi Chi—ah no, Teacher Chi Chi, give me a chance, let me be your sister starting today!”

“I also have a grudge against that white lotus, Gu Yuning.”

Gu Qichi: “???”

Sister?

Wifey Chi Chi???

But looking at the other party’s enthusiastic face, Gu Qichi really couldn’t say any words of refusal, so he just stiffly nodded.

…………
…………
…………

Because the actors in this group were quite worry-free, without anyone harboring malicious intentions or trying to slack off like Lou Shao or Xiao Meng from before, the progress was exceptionally smooth.

In just two days, everyone had finished memorizing their lines and had run through the scenes twice.

The only slight hiccup was that, compared to the others, Gu Qichi found it much harder to enter the state of a high school student.

The most fatal problem was that the character Lin Jing had to face the dual pressure of the college entrance exam and his family. He acted exceptionally smoothly when running lines with Teacher Yi Zhiyin, but when rehearsing with Han Hao, he just couldn’t find the right feeling.

Gu Qichi was also a bit helpless.

It had been too long since he was a student. He found it hard to recall what he was like back then.

His fingertips curled. In his mind, only the memories of being bullied at school by Gu Yuning remained.

His backpack and school uniform being thrown in the corridor and trampled on at will, his textbooks being maliciously torn, his exam papers and workbooks always missing his copy the moment they were distributed…

His high school life actually wasn’t very beautiful.

Gu Qichi tilted his head back, stretched his sore neck, and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Teacher Han, it’s my problem.”

Han Hao was also helpless, but when he associated it with Gu Qichi’s reason for rejecting Jiang An back then, he couldn’t help but fall silent.

Gu Qichi’s high school life was probably really difficult; otherwise, he wouldn’t be unable to muster a smile regarding this aspect.

Helpless, Han Hao compromised and came up with a solution: he would give them a day off tomorrow, telling them to return to their alma maters or visit nearby schools to reminisce about their lost youth.

Gu Qichi also noticed that his condition was very off. In order not to delay the entire group’s progress, he quickly agreed.

When Bo Yu rushed back from abroad, for once, he didn’t find Gu Qichi in the bed of the second-floor bedroom.

He was prone to laziness, and since it was winter, his favorite thing to do was nestle in the blankets and pet the cat. If Bo Yu hadn’t asked the auntie to urge him to eat his three meals on time, it would be hard not to suspect he’d stay in bed fasting like a hibernating animal until the end of time.

Bo Yu’s house had three floors in total. The entire third floor had been knocked through, with no rooms or doors, making it one massive, expansive study.

Bo Yu usually worked here, and occasionally read or wrote here to relax.

Who knows how many rustic solid wood bookshelves were placed there, each neatly categorizing different types of books.

Worried that A’Ci would pull and bite the books, Gu Qichi had specially left her in the bedroom and didn’t bring her up.

It was dusk, the fading light shimmering with colors. The golden beams of light refracted onto the layers of bookshelves, and the rustic, profound history circulated between time and the pages.

Gu Qichi paused in front of a certain bookshelf.

This bookshelf neatly displayed the works of calligraphy masters from various dynasties. The books on the top shelf had clearly been carefully studied, even the covers curling slightly.

One book among them was heavily worn, and it was placed horizontally on top of the other vertically standing books.

Gu Qichi tilted his head up, squinting to see the blurry words on it.

The gold-stamped font reflected the light, and amidst the blurry light and shadows, he could vaguely make out what was written—

Lishi (Explanations of Official Script).

His pupils trembled uncontrollably.

The setting sun at dusk was a brilliant gold. The heating was on full blast across the entire third floor. Gu Qichi was wearing a sweater, and with the sunset sinking behind him, his entire back was enveloped in a diffused halo of light, giving even his hair a fluffy texture.

He reached out for that book.

These shelves were all custom-made according to Bo Yu’s height, and the books were organized by Bo Yu himself in his free time.

The placements were all over the place; only he himself could find them.

So the location of that copy of Lishi was exactly where Bo Yu could easily reach it, but for Gu Qichi to reach that book on the top, he had to stand on his tiptoes and stretch his hand out.

A’Ci had followed Bo Yu up to the third floor. Seeing Gu Qichi, she excitedly darted toward him, wanting to hug his leg.

Caught off guard by the bump, Gu Qichi had just touched the copy of Lishi when he nearly lost his footing, almost crashing into the bookshelf and falling.

“Careful!”

Seeing Bo Yu pop out of nowhere and stride forward to catch him in his arms, Gu Qichi, holding the book, stared at his face and involuntarily smiled.

“Why are you back so early? Didn’t we agree you’d come back tomorrow and I’d pick you up at the airport?”

With his waist embraced by Bo Yu, Gu Qichi buried his head into his shoulder, smelling the deep, woody cologne on him. Like a cat, he took a deep sniff and happily narrowed his eyes.

His tone carried a bit of reproach, but if it weren’t someone extremely close to him, they wouldn’t notice this subtle change at all.

But Bo Yu could hear it.

“Because I missed you too much, and there happened to be a flight on the earliest plane,” Bo Yu explained calmly.

Actually, it was because he heard from Bai Heng that Gu Qichi wasn’t having a smooth time filming the variety show. Knowing he was unhappy, Bo Yu rushed back on short notice.

Probably having learned his lesson from last time, Bai Heng was smarter this time. He didn’t directly ask for instructions on whether Gu Qichi needed care, but straightforwardly sent someone to monitor Gu Qichi’s mood.

Once they noticed anything wrong with the ‘Madam’s’ mood, the people there would report to Bai Heng immediately, allowing Bai Heng to ask Bo Yu for instructions at the first possible moment.

It sounded a bit absurd, but Bo Yu was very satisfied and even gave Bai Heng a year-end bonus.

This successfully raised Bai Heng’s attention to Gu Qichi to an entirely new level.

Bo Yu slipped his arm under the crook of Gu Qichi’s knees and swept him up into a princess carry. Staring into his eyes, he couldn’t hold back and leaned in to kiss his eyelids.

A dry and warm kiss landed, bringing a tingling sensation.

Gu Qichi gripped the book in his hand tightly, just in case he lost his grip and dropped it.

Bo Yu, however, seemed to notice the object in his hand. He quickened his pace and carried Gu Qichi directly to the office area behind the bookshelves.

He was set down on the office desk by Bo Yu. At this height, Gu Qichi was actually still a bit shorter than Bo Yu.

He tilted his head up slightly to look at Bo Yu. Under the light, his clear pupils were like flowing golden amber, the corners of his eyes turning up, his peach-blossom eyes shimmering with moisture, looking languid and affectionate.

“What made you suddenly think of coming to the study?” Bo Yu reached out, pressing his index finger against the side of Gu Qichi’s ear, his thumb rubbing over his eyelid, and asked casually.

His touch was a bit heavy. Gu Qichi’s eyelashes fluttered involuntarily, the long, raven-feather-like lashes sweeping across the webbing of Bo Yu’s hand, stirring up a lingering itch.

Gu Qichi pursed his lips, held up the book in his hand, and explained, “I wanted to read some books to find the feeling of going to school back then.”

“Oh right, Bo Yu, I might not be able to keep you company tomorrow. I have to go back to Dongcheng First High School to take a look.”

Hearing the familiar place name, Bo Yu slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Dongcheng First High School?”

Gu Qichi nodded and said casually, “I went to school at Dongcheng First High School before.”

Although some memories he worried about weren’t beautiful, Gu Qichi remembered that his teachers back then were very friendly to him, so he wasn’t very averse to going back for a visit.

Bo Yu, however, leaned in closer, his scorching breath brushing against his face, intertwining. Their gazes collided, mixing with the dazzling orange light. The ambiguous atmosphere climbed accordingly, spreading silently like vines.

“I’ll go with you.” Bo Yu’s hand moved, landing on Gu Qichi’s earlobe, rubbing it gently. The skin there rapidly turned red. He added slowly, “That’s also my alma mater.”

He didn’t expect there to be this layer of connection between them. This time it was Gu Qichi’s turn to be surprised, but thinking carefully, with Bo Yu’s family background and status, it wasn’t strange for him to be at Dongcheng First High.

After all, land there was worth its weight in gold, and the limited premium educational resources were provided precisely for this group of precious young masters.

He leaned back a bit, his tone intimate, the end of his voice hooking upward, and called out softly in front of Bo Yu: “Senior.” (Xuezhang)

Bo Yu retracted his smile, his gaze very deep. The hand originally beside his ear had moved down at some point, slipping past his thin waist and abdomen to land on his tailbone, pressing down lightly.

He asked hoarsely, his Adam’s apple rolling heavily: “After last time, does it still hurt?”

As for where it hurt, the two of them naturally knew perfectly well.

Gu Qichi quietly blushed and turned his head away with a guilty conscience.

It had been so long; how could it still hurt?

The meaning behind Bo Yu’s words wasn’t asking if they could do it, but asking if they could do it a few more times.

Shameless pervert.

Gu Qichi silently cursed.

But he hadn’t completely forgotten the book in his hand. He backed away a bit more, a blush spreading across his face, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Bo Yu, I want to look at this book.”

His tone took on a bit of seriousness.

Anyway, he wasn’t in a rush to enjoy the grand feast at this exact moment. Real men never bickered over such trivial matters. Bo Yu backed away tactfully, straightened up, lifted his eyelids, and looked at what Gu Qichi was holding.

It was Hong Kuo’s Lishi.

This booklet was one he often used for tracing when he was young. Since so much time had passed, the pages were naturally old and worn.

But within a few seconds, with his fingers flipping through, Gu Qichi successfully found what he wanted.

It was the most worn page in the book. The bottom edge of the page was no longer square; it had been dampened by sweat, curled slightly, and was even a bit tattered.

A line of text was recorded on it—

“Wen yan bin yu, yuan ran shen shi, ke ran zhi shou, gong jie bing xue.” (Literary brilliance and refined elegance, profound and deep knowledge, rigorous adherence to principles, and a pure, unblemished personal conduct like ice and snow.)

Among them, the character ‘Yu’ (彧) was heavily circled with a red pen.

Gu Qichi reached out and gently rubbed the page.

Too much time had passed, and the ink stains on it had long dried; it absolutely wouldn’t rub off onto his hands.

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, staring at this sentence in a daze, “Bo Yu, is this the origin of the ‘Yu’ in your name?”

Bo Yu took his hand, glanced at it, and nodded.

He actually hadn’t seen this calligraphy copybook for many years. Because it was from so long ago, he couldn’t really recall what it looked like back then.

He only vaguely remembered his elderly grandfather supporting his trembling hand, smiling warmly: “Our Little Yu writes so well, not a bit worse than Grandpa.”

“Wen yan bin yu, yuan ran shen shi, ke ran zhi shou, gong jie bing xue.”

“Our Little Bo Yu’s name is good, and his character is good. In the future, he’ll definitely be a formidable master calligrapher, even more formidable than Grandpa.”

Little Bo Yu only knew to laugh when looking at that line of text. He was too young to understand the meaning at all, but Grandpa had explained it many times, so Little Bo Yu at least knew it was praising him.

“No way, Grandpa is the most formidable!”

The him back then could probably be said to have been surrounded by love. At least at that time, he hadn’t yet witnessed so much of the ugliness of human nature.

Bo Yu’s fingertips traced across this line of text, warmth rippling in his eyes. His gaze became distant; looking closely, he was reminiscing about something.

Bo Yu: “It comes from here. My name was given to me by my grandfather. He also taught me calligraphy stroke by stroke when I was little…”

“He was a very kind man. It’s a pity you can’t meet him…”

His voice was very light, his tone shifting from sparse laughter at the beginning to a faint loneliness. The fluctuation of his mood at this moment could easily be detected.

Gu Qichi looked at him, reached out, and rubbed his head.

His tone was gentle: “Bo Yu, next time during the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, you can take me to see him. I think Grandpa would also be very happy to see you now, so successful in your career.”

Their foreheads touched. The book was tossed aside. Bo Yu’s previous sorrow was cast away, and he leaned in to kiss him.

“I’ll take you to see him next time. He will definitely be very satisfied with you, his grandson-in-law.”

He pressed Gu Qichi right against the edge of the desk, sweeping the originally neatly arranged books and documents into a messy pile.

The back of his neck was gripped, and his lips were bitten until they stung. All the air in Gu Qichi’s chest and lungs was plundered by Bo Yu.

In the quiet, empty air, only the continuous sound of wet kisses could be heard.

It was quite penetrating.

Gu Qichi’s heart gave a heavy thump. Bo Yu’s tongue pried open his teeth, tangling with his relentlessly, sucking heavily and urgently. Clear saliva slid down the corner of his mouth, only for Bo Yu to turn his head and lick it away.

Rolling waves of passion spread through his limbs and bones. Gu Qichi was kissed until his head spun. He had originally wanted to ask him—he hadn’t said this phrase in front of him before, so how did he himself know to look for it?

But his mind was willing while his body was weak. Bo Yu tightly locked his hands, their index fingers intertwined. His boiling blood clamored, and the fingertips disrupted all his thoughts, casting this matter to the back of his mind as well.

Layers of mist gathered in his beautiful eyes, and his stunning features were dyed with an alluring flush.

In the distance, A’Ci widened her round cat eyes, the swaying arc of her fluffy tail making one really want to pet it.

Two dim night lights were turned on the desk, the light thin but warm.

A’Ci was hiding in some corner secretly gnawing on Bo Yu’s books, but Bo Yu didn’t care in the slightest. He had more important things to do.

The thin sweater Gu Qichi was wearing was padded on the desk. Bo Yu hugged him, his voice low and hoarse, laced with a different kind of emotion:

“Baby, call me senior one more time.”