Chapter 58 Part 2

“Nothing.”

Zhou Chiyu found a comfortable spot and leaned gently into Gu Yuan’s embrace, his gaze never leaving Gu Yuan for a moment. He actually really wanted to ask Gu Yuan why he had jumped in to save him back then. Gu Yuan had only been nine years old, completely incapable of saving a little fatty who had been tied with stones and thrown into the water. But he knew the answer in his heart very well—no matter if he could save him or not, Gu Yuan would have jumped in. Just like that night he had been trapped in the cave; no matter what happened, Gu Yuan would come to save him.

“Brother.” He suddenly asked, “These years coming to the USA for treatment—did it hurt every day?”

His intermittent, choked voice mixed with sobs. Uncontrollably, Zhou Chiyu hung his head, hiding his reddened eyes. “I just feel heartbroken for you.”

“I know.” Gu Yuan wiped away Zhou Chiyu’s tears. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”

In the silent car, only Zhou Chiyu’s faint sobs remained.

Gu Yuan gently stroked Zhou Chiyu’s hair and smoothed out the wrinkled hem of his clothes that he had clutched. “I’ve always known how good you are to me.”

“So I hope you’ll accept my kindness to you openly.”

Zhou Chiyu raised his eyes, his vision blurred by tears. “Brother.”

“No matter if we can be lovers or not, I’m still your brother.”

Scattered flecks of light fell on Zhou Chiyu’s face. He stared up at Gu Yuan in a daze, and the fingertips holding Gu Yuan’s gradually warmed.

Was this love?

…

That evening, all of Gu Yuan’s checkup results came back. The doctor said that aside from some minor issues, Gu Yuan’s body was very healthy.

There were four days left until their return to China. Gu Yuan wanted to handle some school matters and planned to go back to campus the next day.

As one of the world’s top universities, Zhou Chiyu also wanted to check it out, so he got up especially early and followed Gu Yuan to school like a little tail.

These days, he had gradually gotten used to the weather here. Though he couldn’t eat Chinese food, the meals Gu Yuan made tasted pretty good.

After picking up some assignments from the professor and handling a few group projects, Gu Yuan was finally done. Once everything was finished, he asked, “Our club has a party tonight. Do you want to join?”

Gu Yuan usually turned down such club invitations, but Zhou Chiyu liked excitement, and he guessed Zhou Chiyu definitely wanted to go.

“Of course!”

He had known early on that the Programming Club Gu Yuan was in had many big shots, maybe even some quirky math geniuses. Getting to know more friends like that filled him with anticipation.

“Brother, what do you guys talk about when you chat?” Zhou Chiyu was animated. “Do you share your latest research, like stories, animations, or games?”

“Yes.” Gu Yuan replied warmly. “Tonight, they’re planning to hold a Hackathon.”

Zhou Chiyu: “Hackathon?”

“Yes, developing a project through group collaboration within a set time limit.” Gu Yuan brushed some floating lint from Zhou Chiyu’s hair. “Most of them require pulling an all-nighter, so it’s called a Hackathon.”

“Do you want to participate today?” Zhou Chiyu was very eager. “I can help by fetching tea and water for you on the side.”

“We can be a team.” Gu Yuan parked the car outside a hotel and led Zhou Chiyu inside by the hand.

Though Zhou Chiyu was eager to try, he worried that not knowing programming would drag Gu Yuan down, so he said, “Being on your team would hurt your score.”

“How could you drag me down?” Gu Yuan pinched his cheek. “Don’t worry. The tasks assigned to you will be ones you can handle.”

“That’s good then.” Zhou Chiyu had always been interested in new things from a young age. Competing with a bunch of programming experts was a rare opportunity. “If we win, is there a reward?”

Gu Yuan: “Yes.”

They stepped into the panoramic elevator. Gu Yuan smiled. “The party’s on the top-floor Terrace, but I need to give you a heads-up first. These people get pretty wild when they play—risqué games—but don’t worry, I’ll help you turn them down directly.”

Zhou Chiyu didn’t mind. “A bit wild is fine. I’ll join in the fun. Don’t worry, I won’t chicken out.”

“You’re sure?” Gu Yuan raised his handsome eyebrows. “Then don’t come crying to me for rescue later.”

Zhou Chiyu: “No problem!”

The closer they got to the Terrace, the louder the classical jazz music became. Zhou Chiyu pushed open the door, and a grand carnival met his eyes. The lights flickered on and off, but his attention was entirely on the three Robot Dogs competing.

“That’s so cool.”

He looked up and saw a few boys leaning against the railing, discussing how to get the robot’s mechanical arm back to normal.

“Look who it is!”

The first to spot Gu Yuan was a boy in a blue hoodie. Seeing Zhou Chiyu, he excitedly raised his brows. “Who’s this Little Sweetheart?”

The boy’s voice and gestures drew everyone’s attention to Zhou Chiyu. As more and more gazes turned his way, Gu Yuan took Zhou Chiyu’s hand and hesitated for a moment. “My crush.”