Chapter 71

Zhou Chiyu immediately pulled his hand back and glanced casually at Professor Lin. Seeing no reaction from him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Yuan, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened. “It’s pretty good.”

“Mm.” Zhou Chiyu hid the embarrassment in his eyes and smiled at Professor Lin. “You should try some too.”

Professor Lin nodded. “Sure.”

During the rest of the meal, the three of them mainly talked about Zhou Chiyu’s preparations for the preliminaries. Professor Lin asked, “Little Fish, it seems you haven’t had much exposure to music before. Did you participate in singing competitions in the past?”

“I have no competition experience.” Zhou Chiyu took a bite of salmon and propped his cheek on his hand. “But I’ve liked singing since I was little.”

At that moment, Gu Yuan went to the restroom.

Zhou Chiyu quietly told Professor Lin, “Actually, the reason I joined the Top 10 Singers is to get credits…”

After Zhou Chiyu explained the whole story, Professor Lin was quite surprised. “It’s good that Little Fish wants to go to the USA. Is it just that you can’t bear to leave your brother?”

“It’s not that I can’t bear to leave.” Zhou Chiyu stirred his soup, his words tinged with embarrassment. “But going to school with my brother would definitely be very happy.”

Professor Lin smiled, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

“You seem very attached to your brother.”

“Mm.” Zhou Chiyu smiled until his eyes narrowed. “We don’t have blood ties, but we’re closer than real brothers.”

Professor Lin nodded, his calm and wise eyes still thoughtful. “Does your brother have a girlfriend?”

“No.” A flash of guilt crossed Zhou Chiyu’s face. “He doesn’t have anyone he likes.”

Professor Lin silently watched Zhou Chiyu’s flustered behavior, then lowered his eyes with a smile. “It seems your brother is very picky.”

“Yes, the person my brother likes must be excellent.”

Zhou Chiyu felt ashamed of this self-praise, but he didn’t think he was wrong. Someone as excellent as him was pretty rare.

Zhou Chiyu felt that he was worthy of the most perfect person.

His little scheme was completely exposed in front of Professor Lin, who understood and said no more.

After dinner, the Gu Family driver took them home. The brothers didn’t expect that Gu Lao was still waiting for them so late.

“Grandpa.”

Zhou Chiyu saw several rows of clothes laid out in the living room and curiously stared at the unfamiliar man beside Gu Lao.

The man introduced himself. “I’m the exclusive Stylist for Little Young Master’s singing competition. I’m here today to design outfits for you.”

Gu Lao had watched Zhou Chiyu bustle about preparing for the competition these past days. Wanting to do something for his little grandson, he had asked Bai Wenran to invite the Stylist to the house to custom-make several performance outfits for Zhou Chiyu.

“Thank you, Grandpa. I was still thinking about what to wear today.”

Zhou Chiyu hugged Gu Lao’s arm and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder, saying sweetly, “How is my grandpa so great?”

Gu Lao was already used to Zhou Chiyu’s sweet talk and even raised his brows at Gu Yuan. “Little Yuan, learn from him.”

Gu Yuan held a water cup and curled his lips. “I can’t compare.”

After receiving the song list for Zhou Chiyu’s competition, Trust Me, the Stylist thought for a moment. “Little Young Master’s entry is in an R&B style—cheerful and free. We can try a retro vibe.”

Based on Zhou Chiyu’s natural attributes, he tried several styles on the tablet and finally showed his favorite one to Zhou Chiyu. “How about this? Slightly curly golden-brown short hair would suit you perfectly!”

It had to be said that the image above was eye-catching enough: a waist-cinched beige tweed suit paired with a sea-blue Oxford cloth shirt, the overall style elegant and roguish yet fresh—perfect for his age.

Worried that Gu Lao might think the golden-brown hair was too flashy, Zhou Chiyu cautiously looked at Gu Yuan. Understanding, Gu Yuan praised it too. “This hair color is great for the stage. It’ll look good when singing and taking photos up there.”

Gu Lao narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding young people’s tastes, but he didn’t interfere much. He just said, “Up to you all.”

…

The entire evening, Zhou Chiyu practiced his competition song.

Though the room was well soundproofed, Gu Yuan’s bedhead was only a wall away from Zhou Chiyu’s, so he could hear it clearly enough.

Zhou Chiyu occasionally had little cracks in his voice, which sounded very cute. Gu Yuan didn’t mind the white noise and fell asleep slowly while reading.

The next day, when Zhou Chiyu woke up, he felt a velvet box beside his pillow. Still bleary-eyed, he opened it and found a Rose Necklace inside.

［Good morning. I hope my Little Sweetheart does well in the competition.］

The Rose Necklace was golden.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, the diamonds seemed to awaken suddenly, flowing with a silky glow. Zhou Chiyu leaned closer and saw that the golden rose petals were engraved with hollow star and moon patterns—exquisitely crafted.

Suddenly thinking of something, he ran to the dressing room and held it up against the ironed performance outfit. They matched surprisingly well.

He understood Gu Yuan’s intention.

At that moment, someone knocked on his bedroom door. He trotted over excitedly and opened it. Seeing Gu Yuan, he held up the necklace high. “Brother! When did you buy this?”

“This morning.” Gu Yuan wore a simple apricot sweater, looking cozy and at home. He gently fixed Zhou Chiyu’s messy bedhead and explained, “This outfit pairs best with a few simple accessories.”

“So pretty.”

Zhou Chiyu’s eyes curved as he hugged Gu Yuan’s waist and rubbed his cheek against it. “Brother, why are you so good to me?”

Gu Yuan glanced lightly behind him, leaned down to peck the back of Zhou Chiyu’s ear, then closed the bedroom door. “You’re my only brother, and my boyfriend too. If I don’t pamper you well, what if you run away someday?”

The morning light filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, outlining Zhou Chiyu’s lazy, relaxed silhouette.

Too excited, he hadn’t changed yet and wore a white silk robe with a loosely open collar, revealing glimpses of his slender collarbone.

“I won’t run.”

As Zhou Chiyu moved slightly, the hem of his robe swayed gently. That section of pale, slender wrist hugged Gu Yuan tightly, like a morning white rose—pure and bright.

Gu Yuan gazed down at the delight in Zhou Chiyu’s eyes, his gaze finally settling on those smiling lips.

His heartbeat grew hot in his chest. He kissed Zhou Chiyu’s trembling lashes, his thumb rubbing that soft ear.

All his senses urged him closer. Zhou Chiyu’s arms wrapped gently around Gu Yuan’s neck before his mind caught up, their pounding hearts drawing nearer.

Gu Yuan picked Zhou Chiyu up and gently pressed him onto the sofa, deepening the kiss.

…

On Monday evening, the Top 10 Singers preliminaries officially began.

When Zhou Chiyu appeared at the venue in this outfit, Chen Qixuan and the others were stunned, then erupted in whistles and gasps.

Bai Zhiqi watched Zhou Chiyu from afar, gripping his guitar tightly.

“Not bad for the Young Master. This getup makes him look like a star.”

“Next, contestant number five from the Economics Department, Zhou Chiyu.”

The stage lights dimmed, then blazed bright again.

Under the pouring spotlight, Zhou Chiyu’s eyes were like a lake fallen into starlight—bright and captivating.

Professor Lin had rushed to the venue before the competition to cheer him on. Gazing at the dazzling, youthful golden-haired boy on stage, he seemed to see the Apollo God, symbol of music and light, exuding pure, innate allure.

Zhou Chiyu’s temperament was unique—clean, lively, gentle, yet with stubbornness and strength in his bones. It seemed no difficulty could affect him. Perhaps it was this contrast between outer and inner that made Zhou Chiyu so attractive.

He quietly appreciated it, another figure floating into his mind.

“Want to ask you, do you trust my love~” (TL: Lyrics from “Trust Me”)

The smooth, upbeat R&B spread through the venue. Zhou Chiyu’s clear, transparent voice brushed the microphone, ringing out almost translucently and silencing the lively atmosphere.

He was very nervous, but thinking of Gu Yuan watching from below eased his tension.

Murmurs of amazement and discussion rose endlessly. Zhou Chiyu lifted his smiling eyes and waved lightly toward the left-rear of the audience seats, drawing curious gazes from everyone in that direction.

Through the live recording screen, Gu Yuan’s expression froze, then he gazed mesmerized at the starlit figure on stage, a faint smile on his brows.

Zhou Chiyu was waving at him.

At the same moment, the voting system opened, and Zhou Chiyu’s votes surged ahead, topping the leaderboard.

After voting, Gu Yuan saw dissenting voices under the official account.

［I want to report that contestant Zhou Chiyu in this competition is suspected of buying votes.］