This matter gave Gu Lao a headache all night. He wanted to discuss it with the Gu Cheng couple, but he worried about leaking Zhou Chiyu’s privacy. If too many people knew, it might make the child depressed. Zhou Chiyu was right in the middle of puberty, with intense emotional fluctuations. If anything went wrong, it would be disastrous.
He held his book, unable to figure out no matter what why Zhou Chiyu liked boys. He planned to find time to talk with Gu Yuan and have Gu Yuan counsel Zhou Chiyu.
As Zhou Chiyu’s birthday approached, the entire Gu Family bustled with preparations for the coming-of-age banquet. Gu Lao attached great importance to it and planned to make it grand, inviting relatives and friends to celebrate Zhou Chiyu’s birthday together. Zhou Chiyu had loved excitement since he was little, so it suited him perfectly.
Looking at the gifts coming in and out, Zhou Chiyu felt a bit embarrassed instead. When Gu Yuan had his coming-of-age ceremony in the USA for treatment, this one seemed like picking up scraps in comparison.
It was said that Gu Lao took this very seriously. Just the invited band performances and singers had cost a fortune.
He worried that he was taking too much of Gu Lao’s love, which would be unfair to Gu Lao’s other descendants.
He hadn’t noticed such things as a child, but as he grew older, he became more sensitive to them.
“Little Fish, send the list of friends you want to invite to Old Chen.”
“I haven’t invited any friends yet.”
Zhou Chiyu had just returned from walking the kitten and sat on the carpet brushing its fur. The kitten was now thirteen years old, considered elderly among cats. Although Zhou Chiyu had given it to Gu Yuan, he basically took care of it himself.
Gu Yuan gave him the feeling of a deadbeat dad who never came home.
He stroked the kitten’s head and secretly scorned Gu Yuan.
“Why not?” Gu Lao frowned, wondering if Zhou Chiyu wanted to invite the boy he had a crush on to celebrate his birthday at home but got rejected, leaving him in no mood.
His Little Fish was so outstanding—how could he get rejected?
Shouldn’t a bunch of boys be lining up to pursue his grandson?
Or maybe that boy wasn’t in this city?
“In my opinion, the more friends, the livelier it is.”
Zhou Chiyu nodded. “I haven’t had time yet.”
These days, he had been troubled by the exposure of his sexual orientation and hadn’t had time to think about it.
“I’ll invite everyone right away.”
That evening, after showering, Zhou Chiyu video-called Gu Yuan. His hair wasn’t dry yet, making him look like a damp little puppy as he sat in front of the camera writing his paper.
Gu Yuan was in the laboratory preparing for a competition, with bright light behind him. Zhou Chiyu could hear intermittent discussions; there were probably others in the laboratory.
They weren’t new to this kind of video call.
Before Zhou Chiyu’s college entrance exam, they had done this almost every day.
Although they didn’t get to talk much, a glance at each other in spare moments was enough.
In the video, Gu Yuan kept his eyes down on the computer screen, sometimes answering classmates’ questions, occasionally pausing to rest his chin on his hand as he sorted out his thoughts.
Zhou Chiyu rubbed his damp curly hair and secretly watched Gu Yuan’s every move.
As time passed, the light from the window swept over Gu Yuan’s beautiful eyebrows and eyes, plating his aloof features with a layer of gentle filter.
The other seemed to encounter some difficulty and gently undid the top button of his shirt collar. Stray bangs fell on his fair forehead as he recorded, carrying a sense of aloof abstinence.
Gu Yuan was too stunning.
At that moment, Gu Yuan slightly raised his eyebrows and caught Zhou Chiyu’s sneaky, puppy-like gaze. He smiled. “Little Fish?”
Zhou Chiyu gripped the fountain pen and stammered, “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Gu Yuan’s slender fingers lightly tapped the keyboard. “You’re so cute.”
Zhou Chiyu’s ear tips flushed red. “I’m not cute.”
Just then, a handsome blond boy approached Gu Yuan for help with a problem. Gu Yuan asked him to wait a moment and took the boy’s notebook.
The boy clearly idolized Gu Yuan. After getting helpful advice, his expression lit up with undisguised admiration in his eyes.
Zhou Chiyu propped his cheek on his hand, realizing that Gu Yuan was an incomparably dazzling existence in everyone’s eyes.
If they couldn’t end up together, plenty of people would pursue Gu Yuan. He certainly wouldn’t stay unmarried forever.
With that thought, a sour feeling bubbled up in Zhou Chiyu’s heart.
After finishing the explanation, Gu Yuan glanced at Zhou Chiyu’s indignant expression. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” Zhou Chiyu rubbed his head with the towel, messing up his hair even more. “You’re definitely coming back this weekend, right?”
“Yeah, definitely.” Gu Yuan set down his pen. “How could I miss my Little Sweetheart’s birthday?”
“Tch.”
It was getting late. Satisfied with the firm answer, Zhou Chiyu finally went to sleep contentedly.
Days passed one by one, and Zhou Chiyu felt his life was so bland it had no ripples. Even the club activities that usually interested him failed to spark his enthusiasm.
In the blink of an eye, the weekend arrived.
Friends invited to Zhou Chiyu’s birthday banquet arrived one after another.
Zhou Chiyu hadn’t planned to invite He Zhao, but He Zhao came with Grandpa He and brought some friends Zhou Chiyu didn’t know.
This level of banquet included adult socializing, so he understood. He enthusiastically greeted the strangers and led everyone to his exclusive Meeting Hall to chat.
The band and singers Gu Lao invited this time were quite famous, including Wu Chen’s favorite rock band on the list.
His roommates saw the star-studded lineup on the invitations and exclaimed in awe. “Little Fish, do you have any worries left in life?”
Zhou Chiyu served desserts to everyone. “Yeah, I do.”
He Zhao and Wu Chen both looked at him, as if asking what his worries were.
In everyone’s impression, although Zhou Chiyu had no parents, he had been doted on endlessly since birth. Today’s birthday banquet was proof enough of the Gu Family’s regard for him.
“My worry is probably—”
Before he finished, a news alert popped up on his phone.
“Due to Level 14 winds, multiple domestic airports suspended operations.”
“Probably…” Zhou Chiyu suddenly wilted. “Brother can’t make it to my birthday party.”
He checked, and nearby airports were all closed. Gu Yuan’s flight had a high chance of returning to the USA or diverting to a nearby country to avoid the hurricane.
If lucky, he’d arrive tomorrow.
“Your brother isn’t in the country?”
Ever since Zhou Chiyu’s accident at the beach last time, Wu Chen had felt guilty. For this birthday, he wanted to make up for it as much as possible and brought many gifts.
“Yeah, he was supposed to arrive domestically this afternoon.”
Zhou Chiyu held his juice and unintentionally noticed He Zhao looking at him. He deliberately avoided He Zhao’s gaze and sent Gu Yuan a WeChat message.
“No worries, your brother’s not here, but we’ve got your back to celebrate.”
Wu Chen had actually come with a mission this time.
Since their last parting, he didn’t know how the brothers’ relationship had progressed. He wanted to gauge their status so his friend could give up.
“Yeah, good thing everyone’s here.”
“Tch, that doesn’t sound sincere at all.”
Zhou Chiyu’s mood visibly plummeted, obvious to everyone present.
“Think of something happy.” He Zhao smiled and comforted him. “I heard the singers invited today are heavyweights. These must be Little Fish’s favorite singers, right?”
“Yeah.”
Zhou Chiyu’s voice was muffled as he kept unlocking his phone. Logically, Gu Yuan’s plane should have internet—why hadn’t he replied yet?
By evening, everyone gathered in the Meeting Hall to watch the performances.
Zhou Chiyu wore the Birthday Little Crown personally designed by Bai Wenran for him and a White Suit, sitting in the center like the Little Prince from a comic book, surrounded by stars as the undisputed protagonist.
This coming-of-age ceremony gathered almost all the big shots from the medical and real estate industries. Merchants wanting to build ties with the two Corporations naturally seized the chance to please Zhou Chiyu.
Gu Lao occasionally glanced at Zhou Chiyu’s expression.
Seeing his little grandson occasionally purse his lips and zone out, with a hint of worry on his face, it further confirmed Gu Lao’s suspicions.
“Next, I will present a special gift to everyone. This gift was made using 3D mapping technology.”
“It’s said that Little Fish’s brother prepared it for a year.”
“However, guests need to proceed to another Meeting Hall to view it and wear this Special Bracelet.”
“This is the gift Little Fish’s brother prepared for him.”
At the mention of Gu Yuan’s name, Zhou Chiyu jerked his head up and quickened his steps, following the host’s guidance to the adjacent Qiong Hua Hall.
When he pushed open the heavy door, it was as if he had passed through a wormhole into a dynamic floating galaxy.
In the center of the galaxy, countless stars flecked with fine silver glow enveloped a Ring.
