Chapter 49 Part 1

Gu Yuan’s cold gaze was tinged with momentary surprise as he gazed slightly at Zhou Chiyu amid the night.

Zhou Chiyu had once mentioned this line on a postcard.

The original text was “The caged bird longs for the old forest, Chiyu misses Guyuan.”

“Didn’t you think this poem suits us perfectly?” Zhou Chiyu slowly drew closer to him. “Guyuan is the environment suited for a fish to live in, where the fish can feel happiness and tranquility.”

A faint ripple stirred in his bottomless eyes. Gu Yuan’s icy voice carried a trace of anticipation. “So? Compared to ‘Yu,’ it doesn’t seem like a good character.”

Zhou Chiyu didn’t know why Gu Yuan minded him praising the auspicious meaning of He Zhao’s name, but he was willing to coax him.

“No, it isn’t.”

“I’m the fish, Brother is the abyss. Being with you makes me feel happy.”

“How could a character that brings happiness not be a good one?”

He had first heard this poem when Gu Yuan introduced himself at kindergarten. He believed Gu Yuan understood even better what he wanted to express.

“Your interpretation—” Gu Yuan reached out and took an Osmanthus Crisp from the plate Zhou Chiyu held, putting it into his mouth. “I’m barely satisfied with it.”

Zhou Chiyu scrunched up his face. “Brother, you’re really hard to please.”

Gu Yuan raised a brow and smoothly sat down on the bench by the flower bed entrance. The faint scent of chrysanthemums filled his nose.

“Mm, indeed hard to please.”

His distinctively jointed fingers lightly tapped the wooden bench twice. He looked at Zhou Chiyu, gesturing for him to come over.

Zhou Chiyu narrowed his eyes and scooted to the spot closest to Gu Yuan, asking suspiciously, “Brother, can you tell me why you got mad just because I said He Zhao’s name sounds nice?”

“I wasn’t mad.” Gu Yuan kept his usual aloof expression and drawled, “I just thought you were a bit lustful.”

“Lustful?” Zhou Chiyu bit into a Dragon Whisker Crisp and complained softly, “Brother, couldn’t you say it nicer? This is called being face-con.”

“Isn’t face-con just lustful?” Gu Yuan countered.

“If you insist on putting it that way, sure, it could be called lustful.” Zhou Chiyu’s eyes sparkled slightly as he focused on enjoying the Rose Lychee Egg Tart. “But since my character is pure and noble, I just appreciate beauty purely and never flirt recklessly.”

“Why?”

Gu Yuan’s heart raced, yet he maintained a nonchalant facade, eagerly awaiting Zhou Chiyu’s answer.

“Just to feast my eyes.” Zhou Chiyu chewed on the tart, his slender Adam’s apple bobbing lightly with each swallow. “Admire the flowers without picking them—picking flowers means taking responsibility.”

“So, you don’t want to take responsibility?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to—it’s that I don’t like them.”

Zhou Chiyu’s serious expression made Gu Yuan’s breathing hitch. He stared at Zhou Chiyu, his low voice wrapped in a barely perceptible tremor. “You don’t like them?”

“Mm. Brother, haven’t you heard?” Zhou Chiyu flashed him a sly smile. “Why flirt if you’re not going to marry?”

Gu Yuan fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Then do you understand what ‘like’ means between lovers?”

“I don’t quite get it yet.” Zhou Chiyu sighed dejectedly. “But I know that my feelings for that person would have to at least match how much I like you, Brother.”

A gentle breeze slipped into Gu Yuan’s throat, making his breath tremble faintly. The burning sensation in his chest grew ever stronger.

If such a person really appeared, he didn’t know if he could face Zhou Chiyu calmly anymore.

“But I think it’s probably impossible now.”

Zhou Chiyu’s voice was bright, like fireflies in summer, the first faint glow in the darkness. “That night, I was thinking—what kind of person could make me love them more than you? Could such a person even exist? Our bond is so deep; no one else seems to compare.”

Gu Yuan’s fingers curled slightly. His calm gaze stirred hidden waves in the night.

He parted his lips and, as if possessed, grasped Zhou Chiyu’s hand.

“Brother.” Zhou Chiyu teased him. “Why are you still so childish, just like when we were little?”

Otherwise, why would he get upset over his own name not getting praised?

Gu Yuan stared straight into those eyes and lowered his voice. “No.”

“Brother, you’re so cute.” Zhou Chiyu, delighted, stuffed all the little pastries from his plate into Gu Yuan’s and his own mouths. “Let’s go; it’s getting a bit cold now.”

“Mm.” Though Gu Yuan’s mouth was stuffed full of the sweets Zhou Chiyu had shoved in—making his cheeks bulge and ruining his image—he didn’t mind at all. He just silently chewed them.

Zhou Chiyu had crumbs all over his mouth too. Seeing Gu Yuan’s comical look, he laughed mischievously twice, like a cat that had successfully stolen dried fish—naughty and smug.

Gu Yuan reached out, wiped the crumbs from his mouth, and flicked Zhou Chiyu’s forehead when he wasn’t looking, just before pulling his finger away.

Zhou Chiyu clutched his forehead fiercely and glared at Gu Yuan indignantly.

Gu Yuan smiled faintly and quickened his pace into the hall.