Chapter 50 Part 1

“Good.”

The roller skates inched forward slowly. Gu Yuan stared at Zhou Chiyu’s face, tentatively lifted his foot, and glided unsteadily for two steps.

“Impressive. You’re picking it up quickly.”

Zhou Chiyu raised his eyes, full of laughter. “Take it slow.”

Gu Yuan’s slender fingers gripped Zhou Chiyu’s wrist tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

After a moment, he said, “Little Fish, maybe I should find a coach to teach me.”

Zhou Chiyu looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

Gu Yuan lifted his gaze, landing it squarely on He Zhao. “I don’t want to hold you back from having fun. He Zhao’s still waiting for you.”

Zhou Chiyu blinked in confusion, then turned to He Zhao with an apologetic expression. “Zhao Ge, go ahead and skate on your own for now. I need to teach my brother some roller skating techniques.”

He Zhao glided over and stopped beside them. “I’ll teach with you.”

“No need.” Gu Yuan swayed clumsily in the breeze, nearly leaning against Zhou Chiyu. “I’m already sorry for taking up Little Fish’s time by myself.”

Zhou Chiyu nodded. “Once my brother learns, the three of us can skate together.”

He Zhao had a laid-back personality and agreed readily. “Okay, then I’ll go arrange our dinner for tonight.”

After He Zhao left, Zhou Chiyu looked up to adjust Gu Yuan’s helmet, worried the strap was too tight and uncomfortable.

“Brother, you—”

In mid-motion, he suddenly met Gu Yuan’s unwavering gaze. Those beautiful pupils contracted sharply.

Intense, intimate, tender…

And perhaps even—a hint of infatuation.

Zhou Chiyu hastily lowered his head and swiftly fastened the helmet. “Brother, let’s continue.”

“Mm.” Gu Yuan watched the tips of Zhou Chiyu’s ears turn faintly red. His slender knuckles trailed down the other’s wrist inch by inch before clasping that hand, which was a size smaller than his own, fingers intertwining tightly.

“Little Fish.”

Gu Yuan’s voice was low. “Just now, when you called He Zhao ‘brother,’ I almost thought you were calling me.”

A gust of wind suddenly blew across the flat rink.

He stumbled, his center of gravity shifting toward Zhou Chiyu, forcing the latter to retreat two steps.

Roller skates were already hard to balance on. Worried Zhou Chiyu would fall, Gu Yuan steadied his core and wrapped his right arm firmly around Zhou Chiyu’s waist as it tilted backward.

Zhou Chiyu’s fingers curled slightly, and his heart skipped half a beat.

“Mm…”

He dazedly lifted his head and realized how close he was to Gu Yuan.

His dangling bangs trembled faintly with his breathing. He said softly, “Should I distinguish between you two?”

Scattered soft light mingled with the autumn warmth, spreading through Gu Yuan’s eyes. He asked, “How?”

Zhou Chiyu grew flustered under Gu Yuan’s stare. “From now on, I’ll call him Zhao Ge and you Brother.”

Gu Yuan wasn’t entirely satisfied with that answer.

He controlled his breathing and tone, asking mildly, “And what about other older people? How do you address them?”

Gazing into those deep eyes, Zhou Chiyu paused, as if confronting a massive, oppressive question.

Even though Gu Yuan’s tone was so gentle.

“I’ll call others ‘X Ge.’ Only you are Brother.”

Zhou Chiyu tentatively licked his lips. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.”

Finally, Gu Yuan released Zhou Chiyu’s waist. “Let’s continue.”

“Okay.” The pressure around Zhou Chiyu vanished instantly, but he glanced at his hand, still nestled in Gu Yuan’s palm, and his heart raced even more.

He always felt something was off.

Two hours later, Gu Yuan had learned to roller skate, and the three of them glided leisurely along the track.

When He Zhao returned, he sensed an inexplicable atmosphere lingering between the two brothers—indescribable, but Zhou Chiyu seemed distracted.

“Little Fish, have you ever competed in roller skating?” He Zhao sped up to catch Zhou Chiyu and, seeing him perform a neat one-footed spin, couldn’t help but cheer. “You’re amazing. Just like a pro.”

“Really?” Zhou Chiyu had always loved praise since he was little, his tone full of pride. “I haven’t entered any competitions. I’m just an amateur.”

“You’ve got real talent.” He Zhao noticed Zhou Chiyu’s helmet pressing down hard and worried the stray hairs in front might block his vision and cause an accident, so he tapped the helmet. “Want to adjust it? Your hair’s a bit messy.”

“Messy?” Zhou Chiyu ruffled his hair casually. “My hair’s had its own ideas since I was a kid. It grows every which way.”

“Haha, Little Fish, you’re too cute.” He Zhao helped him remove the helmet and said sincerely, “I’d love a little brother like you.”

Zhou Chiyu grinned back. “No problem. I can be your little brother too.”

For some reason, He Zhao instinctively glanced at Gu Yuan upon hearing that, feeling like Gu Yuan might be upset.

But Gu Yuan merely watched them calmly and skated toward the obstacles ahead on his own.

“That’d be great.” He Zhao recovered his gentle smile. “I like you a lot too. I’d love to be your brother.”

“Deal.” Zhou Chiyu adjusted his helmet and turned to look for Gu Yuan. “Look at my brother. He’s getting better and better.”