Chapter 6: Just Ignore Him

Fu Huan let go of Gu Shiying’s left hand. As he looked down, he noticed Gu Shiying’s eyes and ears were flushing red.

“Is it really that painful?”

Gu Shiying was mentally cursing Fu Huan. Was it pain? He was furious.

Swallowing the rage simmering in his gut, he said, “Why don’t you try getting injured and see how it feels?”

Fu Huan pressed a hand against Gu Shiying’s retreating shoulder. “Let me apply the ointment for you.”

Right now, Gu Shiying truly couldn’t find anyone else. He had no choice but to let Fu Huan do it. It just hurt too damn much.

Fu Huan pulled his own chair over and sat next to him, picking up a fresh cotton swab and dipping it into the ointment.

Gu Shiying placed his palm flat on the desk, slightly rotating his arm so the wound faced Fu Huan. Seeing the cotton swab edge closer, he instinctively sucked in a large breath. The little bit he’d managed to apply himself earlier had hurt so bad he wished he was dead. He could only hope Fu Huan would handle this more gently than his inner thoughts suggested!

Fu Huan’s cotton swab hovered right over the wound. “That nervous?”

Squinting one eye shut, Gu Shiying retorted, “Afraid you’ll actually try to murder me.”

Fu Huan seemed amused by his timid yet defiant demeanor, the corner of his lips curving upward: “Mm, there’s a possibility.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Shiying felt the cool ointment make contact with his injured skin.

Yesterday, they’d first cleaned the wound and then he’d gotten a tetanus shot. Everything had ached all over. But now, as Fu Huan applied the medicine and then gently fanned the area with his hand, the wound didn’t produce that fiery, searing pain. Instead, a soothing, icy coolness enveloped it.

Gu Shiying slowly opened his tightly scrunched eye. The transparent gel ointment was already evenly spread over the injured area. The wound looked ugly, but it didn’t actually hurt that badly. At least, nowhere near as bad as when he’d tried to do it himself.

Why did it not hurt when Fu Huan applied the ointment, but hurt like hell when he did?

Fu Huan discarded the swab and looked up. “All done. I’ll wrap the gauze in a moment.”

Gu Shiying nodded, giving Fu Huan’s technique genuine credit. “How come it doesn’t hurt at all when you do it?”

Fu Huan met Gu Shiying’s eyes. “My technique is good.”

Meeting another guy’s gaze like this in the past, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Maybe he’d even study whether the guy had washed his face properly. But now, he saw clearly into the dark eyes beneath Fu Huan’s messy bangs. It felt like being pinned by a hunter’s stare.

Forcing himself to stay calm, Gu Shiying averted his gaze and looked at his wound. “Still better to wrap it in gauze. It’s so ugly.”

Fu Huan’s gaze didn’t linger on Gu Shiying’s face. He began winding the gauze around the arm.

The smile on his lips was very faint, unnoticeable unless one looked closely. “Very ugly indeed.”

Gu Shiying had a sudden thought. “Still, this is a badge of a man’s bravery. I can brag about this to anyone I want from now on.”

With gentle movements, Fu Huan finished wrapping the gauze and secured it with medical tape. He held Gu Shiying’s right wrist in his palm, looking at it for a moment.

“Getting nearly stabbed like that is definitely something to brag about for a lifetime.”

Gu Shiying: “…” Always bringing that up.

He tried to pull his hand from Fu Huan’s grasp. He didn’t want to hear Fu Huan’s inner thoughts.

But the inner voices were insidious. Any touch lasting more than a second, and they forced their way in.

【Such a slender hand. Would it even have any strength to be… useful?】

No, wait?

What did Fu Huan want his hand for? What did he mean, “have strength”?

What exactly was Fu Huan planning to do with his hand?!

Gu Shiying was practically numb from the torment. After a brief moment of stunned silence, it clicked.

They were both guys. Of course, he understood!

Inwardly, he unleashed a mental combo attack against Fu Huan: Fuck! Fu Huan, you seriously never break character! Why, just by looking at his HAND, does your mind go to such crazy places?!

Some people have a face that screams disinterest and detachment, but deep down, their minds are just one color: yellow.

For the first time ever, Gu Shiying loathed his own ability to instantly grasp such implications.

Even with the ointment applied, Fu Huan hadn’t yet moved his chair away. Gu Shiying started to rise, wanting to put distance between them. But Fu Huan, having just treated his wound, had his long legs spread wide to the sides, effectively bracketing Gu Shiying’s chair in place.

Gu Shiying: “…” Right now, he absolutely could not look at the space between Fu Huan’s legs without it being weird.

Shit!

No, his hand.

Ugh, I’m getting led astray again.

“I need to use the bathroom. Move your legs.”

Fu Huan didn’t move. Instead, he leaned lazily back against his chair, his gaze sweeping over Gu Shiying’s legs beneath his shorts. “Step over them yourself.”

Gu Shiying: “…” He knew exactly what Fu Huan’s subtext was. He desperately chanted a mental mantra: Don’t overthink this. Fu Huan is just joking around.

But his rational mind knew the mantra was useless. Fu Huan’s brain was definitely thinking about his legs again.

Gu Shiying was being driven to the brink of madness, completely hijacked by Fu Huan’s inner monologue.

He continued his self-hypnosis: Gu Shiying, just ignore him. Pay no attention. Pretend you heard absolutely nothing. You can do this. You can ignore it.

With great effort, Gu Shiying steadied himself. He extended his right hand toward Fu Huan. “What if I trip? My arm hurts. I don’t want to fall.”

Fu Huan actually did shift his long legs out of the way then, rising and carrying his chair back to his own desk. “Go ahead. Try not to pee on your pants.”

“You’re the one who pees on his pants!”

Gu Shiying gave him a massive eye-roll, then bolted into the bathroom at top speed and stood before the mirror over the sink, silently mouthing a string of national essences. If not for his injured arm, he’d already be banging his fists against the wall.

Fu Huan, you’re sick. Sick! Sick!

I’m straight, goddammit. Can you just clean out all that yellow, filthy garbage from your brain?! It’s burning MY brain cells!

After venting his spleen at the mirror inside the bathroom, Gu Shiying composed himself—pretending nonchalance—and returned to the main room. For the rest of the time, he kept his earbuds in, dodged Fu Huan in everything he did, and tried his absolute best to maintain distance, just like before.

A night passed. After sleeping on it, Gu Shiying’s mind finally settled. But even so, seeing Fu Huan still made him afraid of being touched. He’d developed a full-blown phobia.

Sunday afternoon, both his other roommates returned. Gu Shiying finally didn’t have to face Fu Huan alone anymore.

Zhang Zhi, who’d done the late-night hike the day before, had returned that morning and slept the whole day. By evening, his original plan was to swing by Gu Shiying’s dorm and drag him to the canteen for dinner.

Gu Shiying vetoed that plan. Instead, he grabbed his ointment, gauze, and cotton swabs and headed over to Zhang Zhi’s dorm.

Zhang Zhi immediately spotted the bag in his hand. “Ying’er, what’s all this? Is that bag of food?”

“All you think about is food! Think you could spare some concern for your old man here?”

Zhang Zhi chuckled heartily. “Whoa, you’ve been chomping on dynamite today with that tone. Which little bastard bullied you? I’ll go ask him exactly how he did it.”

Gu Shiying chucked the bag into his arms. “Get lost. Apply your old man’s ointment.”

Zhang Zhi wouldn’t refuse, of course. “This is hitting a blind spot in my knowledge base. How do I do this?”

Gu Shiying: “First, remove the gauze. Then, smear on the ointment. Then wrap the gauze again. Simple.”

Zhang Zhi looked at his own hands. “I won’t hurt you, will I? I feel like I’m not cut out for such a delicate task. Still, for my son’s sake, I’ll muster the courage to try.”

With that, he reached out to take off the gauze. Just as he peeled off a tiny piece of the medical tape, Gu Shiying yelped in pain.

“Fuck, careful! Don’t press on the wound!”

Zhang Zhi raised both hands in surrender, afraid to proceed. “Then what do we do?”

Gu Shiying: “Maybe… peel it slower? Yesterday, I managed to rip it off myself by just gritting through the pain.”

Zhang Zhi tried again. Gu Shiying howled again. This time, Zhang Zhi didn’t dare touch it anymore.

A few minutes later, Gu Shiying was sweating profusely from the pain, but the gauze was finally off.

Zhang Zhi: “Who did this bandaging last night? Wrapped it so professionally.”

Gu Shiying wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Fu Huan.”

Zhang Zhi: “That guy in your dorm with the ‘done-with-the-world’ face? I remember you two couldn’t even exchange words.”

The mere thought of Fu Huan gave Gu Shiying a headache. He couldn’t exactly say that Fu Huan wasn’t exactly ‘unable to exchange words’ but rather harbored a secret crush on him—with all sorts of terrifying thoughts attached.

Gu Shiying recounted the story of how Fu Huan had saved him.

“The situation was insane and dangerous. Most people would’ve frozen up, but he still charged forward to save you. That proves he’s a solid guy. From now on, you’ve got to treat him like a real brother.”

Gu Shiying nearly choked on his own saliva. Fu Huan is gay! That ‘solid guy’ you’re praising? He’s gay! And he has designs on your own brother!

“Just help me put the ointment on first.”

The wound was in the scabbing-over phase. The clumsy handling just now had caused some pain, but fortunately, no fresh bleeding.

Zhang Zhi continued applying the medicine for Gu Shiying, but the whole process was so painful that Gu Shiying seriously considered cutting ties with his best friend right then and there.

Still, with Zhang Zhi around, Gu Shiying could at least go to the school canteen for a meal. He ordered the food; Zhang Zhi fetched it. Perfect.

They’d just sat down to eat when a new message arrived. It was from Liu Wenqing.

Zhang Zhi, eagle-eyed, spotted it instantly. “Fess up. I’ve only been gone two days. How’d you get so familiar with her?”

Gu Shiying: “Isn’t all this for your sake? With you getting nowhere in your pursuit, your brother here is helping you sound out whether she has someone she likes.”

Zhang Zhi: “Sorry, I wronged you. So, did you find anything out?”

Gu Shiying put on a mystery-novel-deep expression. “Some clues.”

Zhang Zhi: “So, does she have someone she likes or not?”

Gu Shiying: “I suspect she does.”

One second, Zhang Zhi was grinning like the sun. The next, his world collapsed.

“Nooo!”

Gu Shiying: “You still gonna chase her?”

Zhang Zhi: “Of course! I’m definitely more handsome and outstanding than whoever she likes!”

Gu Shiying: “…” Although Fu Huan’s inner mind was a bottomless yellow pit, Gu Shiying couldn’t deny—his own buddy’s looks and height simply couldn’t compete.

His eyes flicked down to Liu Wenqing’s latest message: Could you send me Fu Huan’s WeChat contact card? [Begging] [Begging]

Images of the utterly improper, hyper-yellow Fu Huan flashed through Gu Shiying’s mind, and he simply chose to ignore the message. Fu Huan was gay. He couldn’t let him ruin some girl’s life.

To avoid being alone with Fu Huan, Gu Shiying lingered in Zhang Zhi’s dorm, Dorm 701, for a good while before finally heading back. By then, his other two roommates had also returned.

The one who looked like an idol was Yang Shuheng. The one with the civil-servant vibe was Guan Yu. Each handsome in their own way.

Upon their return, their first order of business was to shower Gu Shiying with concern. Likely, they’d never imagined their roommate could be so courageous. Today, Male Dorm 504 was much livelier than usual.

Yang Shuheng, wearing his sleek silver headphones, peered at Gu Shiying’s arm again and again. “Will this leave a scar? How many stitches?”

Gu Shiying: “No stitches. The knife was blunt.”

Guan Yu: “I had class in that building on Friday, too. If I’d known, I would’ve come to help.”

Yang Shuheng: “Old Guan, spare me. You’d probably be the first to run.”

Guan Yu: “Don’t underestimate me. I helped little old ladies cross the street as a kid. Was a model student.”

Gu Shiying: “…”

Yang Shuheng and Guan Yu were on pretty good terms. They traded a few verbal jabs, and then Yang Shuheng brought out some imported grapes he’d brought back from his aunt’s to share with everyone.

Just as Gu Shiying was thoroughly enjoying them, his hands sticky with grape juice, Fu Huan, wearing athletic gear and carrying a basketball, walked into the dorm.

His gaze zeroed in immediately on the messily, crookedly wrapped gauze on Gu Shiying’s right arm. His voice was slightly low: “Did you wrap this yourself?”

Gu Shiying shook his head: “No. Zhang Zhi did it for me.”

Grape juice trickled from his wrist down toward his elbow. It tickled a bit, and Gu Shiying reached for a tissue, only to find the box empty.

Fu Huan plucked a tissue from Yang Shuheng’s desk and pressed it directly against Gu Shiying’s elbow.

Gu Shiying: “Tha…”

【Want to lick it.】