Chapter 45 Part 2

“Nope, but he’s better to me than a real brother.” Zhou Chiyu swallowed his last bite of meat and sent a voice message to Gu Yuan: “Dear Brother, how many minutes until you get to the cafeteria?”

Chen Qixuan frowned and joked: “You two brothers are so sappy.”

“By the way, Little Fish.” Wang Chong suddenly remembered something. “I heard that the Department Belle from the Decorative Arts Department confessed to your brother this morning, and he seemed to accept.”

“Huh?” Zhou Chiyu smiled in surprise: “Really?”

“Yeah, my buddy from the Art Department told me. Your brother even exchanged contact info with her.” Wang Chong sighed: “Sure enough, no guy can resist a pretty girl.”

Zhou Chiyu had never known Gu Yuan to like anyone in all his life.

“I’ll have to ask Brother about it later.”

“But if your brother starts dating, he probably won’t have time to hang out with you anymore.” Chen Qixuan said: “My buddy’s like that—once he got a girlfriend, he vanished completely.”

“My friend too; after dating, he stopped showing up to gatherings.”

As everyone chattered on, Zhou Chiyu slowly froze: “But Brother still has to go back to the USA. If he starts dating, won’t it be long-distance?”

“Your brother’s rich; flying is like taking a cab for him?” Chen Qixuan raised an eyebrow: “Probably comes back once a month to see his girlfriend.”

“Brother did say he’d come back once a month.” Zhou Chiyu’s voice grew quieter: “But back then, he said it was to see me.”

Wang Chong replied casually: “Now that he has a girlfriend, he’ll probably stop by to see you on the way.”

Zhou Chiyu’s pupils suddenly contracted, and he quietly gripped his chopsticks tighter.

He didn’t know how to describe his feelings at that moment—like his heart had plummeted into a frozen lake, his whole body turning cold bit by bit.

“Look at you saying that—Brother isn’t the type to ditch friends for a girl.”

A complex, conflicted glint flashed in Zhou Chiyu’s eyes: “Besides, I’m not his friend; I’m his family.”

“You don’t get it.” Chen Qixuan spoke like an experienced person: “Once you have a wife, even parents take a backseat, let alone a little brother?”

Zhou Chiyu frowned at him, a flicker of contemplation passing through his pretty almond eyes.

“Wait till you get a wife, and you’ll know the feeling.” Chen Qixuan’s thinking was very pragmatic. “To keep a girlfriend happy, sometimes people will do anything.”

“My brother…”

Zhou Chiyu’s expression was off: “He’s not like that. He values family a lot.”

Just then, Gu Yuan hurried in.

“Little Fish, sorry, I’m late.”

Gu Yuan sat down and saw Zhou Chiyu wasn’t in high spirits. Thinking he was sulking from waiting too long, he explained apologetically: “Right after class, I ran into a classmate and chatted with her about some things.”

The girl was the girlfriend of one of his classmates from the USA, who had asked him to deliver a birthday gift.

“It’s fine; the food’s still hot.”

Zhou Chiyu got up to fetch a bowl of hot soup for Gu Yuan, handing it over with drooping eyes: “It’s a bit chilly outside today. Drink something hot; it’ll soothe your stomach.”

Gu Yuan placed his hand over Zhou Chiyu’s on the bowl’s edge: “Okay.”

During the meal, Gu Yuan noticed Zhou Chiyu was indeed different from usual. After carefully picking the bones out of the fish, he gently placed it into Zhou Chiyu’s bowl: “Little Fish, not feeling hungry today?”

A flicker of surprise passed through Zhou Chiyu’s dark eyes.

How did Gu Yuan notice?

“No.” Zhou Chiyu smiled leisurely: “I just ate too much for breakfast.”

“Stuffed?” Gu Yuan took out two Digestive Tablets from his schoolbag—the kind Zhou Chiyu often ate. “Then eat less at lunch; don’t let it build up and cause a fever again.”

He tore open the packaging and placed them on a clean saucer: “Hawthorn flavor—your favorite from when you were little.”

Zhou Chiyu paused, then curved his eyes in surprise: “Brother, you carry these with you?”

He used to overeat as a kid, so indigestion was common. But he hated medicine, so the family company developed these special Digestive Tablets that tasted like sweet beans. Zhou Chiyu loved them.

“Mm, in case you get indigestion.” Gu Yuan looked up, meeting Zhou Chiyu’s gaze. The hidden affection in his eyes nearly overflowed: “What’s wrong?”

Sunlight stretched Zhou Chiyu’s shadow long, making his eyes warm and bright: “Nothing.”

He popped the tablets into his mouth, chewed, and squinted at the sweetness: “I really loved sweets as a kid.”

Gu Yuan smiled gently: “Just figuring that out?”

Zhou Chiyu frowned, pretending to be indignant as he stared at him: “And whose fault is that?”

Gu Yuan didn’t refute; he just glanced at Chen Qixuan and the others sitting nearby. Chen Qixuan immediately buried his head in his food, pretending not to eavesdrop on the brothers.

“Mine.”

Gu Yuan chuckled lowly: “I admit it.”

…

After lunch, they returned to their respective classrooms for afternoon classes.

Gu Yuan had training in the afternoon, so Zhou Chiyu planned to buy some Durian Pastries after class, then pick him up at the Gymnasium to go home.

In the evening, couples dotted the campus everywhere.

Zhou Chiyu carried the Durian Pastries, and without realizing it, he thought back to what Chen Qixuan had said at lunch. He’d forgotten to ask Gu Yuan about it.

“Does dating really make people grow distant from friends?”

Zhou Chiyu typed the question into an AI model, hesitating as he awaited the answer.

The AI’s response was much like what Chen Qixuan and the others had said: in short, time spent with friends would decrease, with most energy going toward the partner.

Lost in thought, he bought two bottles of mineral water from a vending machine on the way—for Gu Yuan later. At the Gymnasium, he quickly spotted Gu Yuan on the basketball court.

With a sharp, handsome fadeaway shot, Gu Yuan landed gracefully, his back arched in a smooth, upright curve that drew waves of applause.

“Amazing!”

Zhou Chiyu clapped along enthusiastically. After the whistle blew, he jogged down the steps, ready to hand over the mineral water.

It was his first time watching Gu Yuan play basketball—he was super cool.

Thud. The mineral water bottle slipped from his grasp and hit the ground.

Halfway there, he saw an elegant, tall figure had appeared beside Gu Yuan at some point. The girl with long, jet-black hair was holding a bottle of water and talking to him.

His heart tightened, and his steps faltered.