He paid no mind at all to the grotesque dream or the minor cold. After eating, he launched into a set of Five Animals Play right on the spot. His neck and back seemed to have been bitten by mosquitoes, tingling and itching, but he didn’t think to take off his clothes and check his back in the mirror. He waved a hand, telling Feng Huan to keep bugs away from the window sill, and left without a trace of gloom.
Feng’en and Feng Huan had been ordered not to mention Su Mingya’s visit the previous night. They could only pray that Gu Xiaodeng would figure things out on his own, ideally making his way to the Bamboo Courtyard later, to smooth over the ruffled Young Master Su—who was uncharacteristically angry—lest he suffer some other “lesson” later.
Gu Xiaodeng knew nothing of this. He simply headed straight for the training grounds with his study companion. Days of continuous spring rain hadn’t cleared, so riding wasn’t an option. Fortunately, Vast Marsh Academy had expanded with an indoor training hall three years ago. He wanted to work up a great sweat before his cold got worse, to avoid the trouble of getting sick.
This year, the academy wouldn’t start classes until the second month. Some students, having achieved a Scholarly Honor in last autumn’s exams, wouldn’t be returning. New students would be moving in. The male academy still had a total of twenty-five students; the female academy had grown, doubling its first-year numbers to host thirty-four young ladies.
Although Gu Xiaodeng had stayed the longest in the student dormitories, he was always the least informed. The only news he knew was that this year, his fifth younger brother by blood, Gu Shouyi, would be entering to study.
Gu Shouyi was just twelve this year, the same age Gu Xiaodeng had been when he first entered.
This news had been told to him by Gu Jinyu.
Information still needed brothers to supply it.
Gu Xiaodeng rubbed his nose and thought this cheerfully, his sleeves fluttering wildly as he rushed to the training hall. Classes hadn’t started yet, and few students lived at Vast Marsh Academy. The huge training hall was completely empty.
Gu Xiaodeng started with the bow, practicing his arm strength. He hadn’t originally had this awareness, but before the New Year, he had stayed overnight at Gu Jinyu’s courtyard. He saw his good brother in only his sleepwear; the arm muscles under the thin garment were distinct and clear, looking capable of knocking out two and a half of him with one punch.
This was simply too outrageous!!
Most people were growing taller and sturdier, their features deepening, noses growing straight. Muscular frames exuded a sense of safety. And yet, only he, Gu Xiaodeng, had grown crooked!
As he drew the bow, Gu Xiaodeng fueled his sense of crisis. He was already seventeen, and his height still wasn’t impressive. He was only a bit taller than his Second Sister, Gu Ruhui—who, of course, was quite tall and slender.
The Gu family had no short people; he alone was the exception. Five years ago, he was small and thin; five years later, he was still slight. Back then, Zhu Mi had said stretching his bones could make him taller, but it ended up being completely useless. Gu Jinyu could scoop him up with one arm, and he couldn’t even overpower Gu Jinyu’s left hand with both of his own. It was absolutely absurd.
Having felt the increasingly ridiculous gap from his good brother during the New Year’s period, Gu Xiaodeng also wanted to bulk up like them, like an inflated balloon. He’d work hard to puff himself up. Even if his body was limited and couldn’t swell, having a fuller brain would also be good.
As for Su Mingya… his birthday hadn’t arrived yet. He had to resist seeing him.
Soon. Just six more days.
Thinking of his beautiful, sickly young master, Gu Xiaodeng’s dimples formed a smile. He controlled himself for a good while to stay calm, continuing to draw the bows according to their weight. He was already tired by the time he reached the fourth from the last bow, so he swung his arms widely, loosening them.
As he was swinging his arms comfortably, a few people arrived at the training hall. A somewhat familiar voice said in a mocking tone: “Why is there a windmill spinning here?”
He was the only one sweating buckets in the training hall. Gu Xiaodeng knew the speaker was mocking him. He’d heard so much of it over the years that he couldn’t be bothered to care. He continued on as if no one else was there, becoming a little windmill, his arms swishing and swooshing.
When he finished, those people had also approached. Gu Xiaodeng wiped off his sweat, thinking about what kind of “dog-shit candy without the candy” had arrived. He turned his head and met the eyes of three young masters in student robes.
Gu Xiaodeng was quite calm. Seeing the leader was Guan Yunji, he knew it was him who’d just mocked. Seeing two unfamiliar youths behind him, he thought it must be Big Goose Guan leading some goslings.
He wiped his sweat and politely greeted Guan Yunji first: “Young Master Guan, good morning. You’ve also come to train?”
Guan Yunji had been half a head taller than him five years ago; five years later, that went without saying. Gu Xiaodeng glanced at the top of his head and silently wept rivers of noodles in his heart, beating his chest and stamping his feet: How is it that everyone, even Young Master Su, is taller and broader than me? Damn it!
Guan Yunji and the two youths behind him were all silent for a long moment before Guan Yunji spoke first: “…Early in the morning, what are you showing off here for?”
Gu Xiaodeng hadn’t seen him for a month either. Hearing him open his mouth, it was the same old High-and-Mighty Guan. Smiling, he decided not to engage him further. He tilted his head to look at the two youths behind him: “Are you the new students for this year?”
The youth on the left had a lovely yet striking appearance, spirited and vivacious, even a bit shorter than Gu Xiaodeng. The one on the right wore an arrogant expression. His features somewhat resembled Guan Yunji’s, but lacked Guan Yunji’s bearing. He had the pride of someone who looked down on the world, but none of the awe-inspiring nobility, his air even a little sleazy.
“Yes… I’m new.” The youth on the left raised his hand blankly to introduce himself, his voice also sweet and clear. “Worthy Brother, hello! My name is Su Xiaoyuan, I’m fifteen this year. I’m stupid by nature, so as classmates, I hope you’ll be patient with me!”
“Your surname is Su?” Gu Xiaodeng perked up, his eyes brightening. “My name is Gu Shanqing. I’m two years your senior.”
Su Xiaoyuan’s expression grew even blanker, looking at him with a mix of envy and embarrassment. “Oh, so it’s Worthy Brother Gu. I’ve long admired you, long admired you.”
Guan Yunji cut in with a strange expression. “You don’t know him?”
Gu Xiaodeng looked up at him. “What?”
Guan Yunji felt his chest tighten. Gu Xiaodeng glanced up at him, his face showing a faint pink flush from exercise. Warm, damp sweat trickled slowly down from his slightly disheveled temples—splashing, scattering, teasing at random.
He paused, delayed for a moment before adjusting his thoughts, grinding his teeth as he looked away. “Su Xiaoyuan is a distant relative of Su Mingya’s. By seniority, he’s his nephew. What, did he not tell you?”
The last sentence, “Aren’t you two very close?”, he truly couldn’t bring himself to say. Saying it made him angry; thinking about it made him choke.
Back when Gu Xiaodeng was bullied by everyone in the academy, he’d thought Gu Xiaodeng, who was always cozying up to him, would probably come to him for help. Who knew this guy had run straight to Su Mingya’s Bamboo Courtyard instead.
Even more absurdly, that arrogant invalid Su Mingya had actually taken him in. It had vexed Guan Yunji so much he’d suffered insomnia for half a month.
So be it, he’d been taken in. Guan Yunji and others then thought that, given Su Mingya’s unfathomable and haughty nature, he’d probably just taken Gu Xiaodeng for amusement. Many waited for him to get bored and toss him back down to the bottom. Unexpectedly, nearly four years later, Su Mingya still held him in great “favor”.
But perhaps that was only natural. Gu Xiaodeng had looked good when he first entered; now he was even more eye-catching. His bone structure and flesh were also perfectly proportionate. Although he hadn’t grown very tall, his proportions were just right. No matter how you looked, his limbs were long and slender, his waist thin, legs long. When he wasn’t grinning foolishly, his bearing was incredibly elegant. More eye-catching was that unpolished, rough, wild, bright spirit, still preserved in his bones, unlike the template of aristocratic scions all carved from the same mold.
Many people’s interest in Gu Xiaodeng hadn’t faded but increased with each passing day. A few more young masters with a taste for men had appeared. But in a place as large as Changluo, searching from noble children down to the little courtesans of the Pleasure Quarter, it wasn’t easy to find someone with a face comparable to Gu Xiaodeng’s. Finding one with his temperament was also hard. Finding one that perfectly combined both was even harder.
And the result was, Gu Xiaodeng belonged solely and exclusively to Su Mingya.
Guan Yunji was sick to death of it.
“Nephew?” Gu Xiaodeng could sense Big Goose Guan’s foul mood. He quietly shifted half a step away to look at Su Xiaoyuan, finding it amusing. “So do you need to call him little uncle?”
Su Xiaoyuan let out an “Uh,” scratched his nose, and answered sheepishly, “Our kinship isn’t that close. Now that we’re in the academy, we should just follow the customs of classmates, right?”
“Oh, oh.”
Gu Xiaodeng thought it was a real pity. Su Mingya had such a young, handsome face; it would be so fun to see a half-grown youth shout “Uncle, Uncle” at him in that crisp voice.
Thinking this, he lowered his head and chuckled to himself.
Just then, Guan Yunji suddenly reached out, his face grim, and smacked the back of the head of the youth on his right. The slap instantly scattered the boy’s lecherous expression.
Guan Yunji naturally knew what obscene thoughts were running through this idiot’s mind. After all, he was that lecherous father of his’s rotten seed.
“This is my half-brother from a concubine, also fifteen. Guan Yunxiang.” Guan Yunji stared at him coldly. “Meeting a senior, your attitude should be proper. Entering the academy, you should devote yourself single-mindedly to the righteous path, only then would it be worthy of your mother using every trick to stuff you into the Gu family’s private school.”
Guan Yunxiang was afraid of this legitimate eldest brother. He quickly bowed his head meekly to Gu Xiaodeng in greeting. “Your foolish younger brother Yunxiang greets Worthy Brother Gu.”
Gu Xiaodeng returned a few words of greeting. Thinking Guan Yunji had his hands full with two new juniors, he waved and turned away to train elsewhere.
Guan Yunji also turned his head. He was purely following his father’s insistent orders, bringing his half-brother along out of a sense of shared family honor. Su Xiaoyuan had been met by chance. He hadn’t wanted to engage with him, especially knowing why the Su family had produced such a person. Seeing him just made him sick.
But his half-brother, seeing the person was good-looking, sleazily launched into a “public sharing of brotherly resources” campaign, desperate to drag Su Xiaoyuan along to tour the academy.
And now he’d run into Gu Xiaodeng, the origin of that sickness, making him even more choked.
Choked as he was, he still pretended not to care, sneaking a few glances in Gu Xiaodeng’s direction.
“So that elder brother was Cousin Young Master Gu Shanqing…” Su Xiaoyuan whispered in admiration. “He’s so beautiful. So there really is someone in this world that lovely. I’ve truly broadened my horizons.”
“He is good-looking, so fair and bright.” Guan Yunxiang agreed, then oily and smooth, he leered at Su Xiaoyuan. “But you’re not bad either. When you’re seventeen, who knows, you might be even prettier.”
Su Xiaoyuan shyly rubbed the back of his head, shaking it vigorously. “How could I? I’m just a country bumpkin…”
Guan Yunji thought, full of sarcasm, that when Gu Xiaodeng first arrived at the Gu family, hadn’t he also been a dark-skinned, dried-up bean sprout, a little country bumpkin, a little farmhand-slave? It was precisely the Gu family’s ability to train people that had molded him into what he was now. Young as he was, he’d latched onto the Su surname.
But no matter how well he’d latched on, several years had passed. Now the Su family was “restocking” themselves, bringing out one of their own to divert Su Mingya’s attention. He, Guan Yunji, would sit back with his legs crossed and enjoy the show from now on, waiting for Gu Xiaodeng to drag himself back down into the dust.
Even thinking this, his gaze drifted over again. Gu Xiaodeng had wandered to a closer spot, a wooden sword in his hand. Mid-swing, he pulled a small lock of hair caught in his collar free. His fingernails were very pink, his knuckles clear and elegant. Not a single flaw could be found in his entire person.
His demeanor was light and carefree to the point of being out of place—so light it was hard to tell if it was simple joy or deliberate flirtation. His every movement seemed to be flirting with any object in the world.
He was a creature of sentiment, fickle and alluring, who would also demand sentiment in return.
Guan Yunji was thoroughly sick of it.
Tonight was destined for insomnia.
