Gu Yuan met Wu Chen’s smiling face without the slightest retreat.
“I’m not worried.”
Gu Yuan carried a hint of scrutiny: “I just want to go find him.”
“Relax, let’s chat.” Wu Chen showed no anger at all and chuckled: “Brother, are you interested in sea fishing? It’s not the fishing ban period right now, and this area allows it. We can head out to sea tonight and fish.”
“Mm.” Gu Yuan noticed Xu Moting glancing back and forth at him, so he stood up and headed toward the stairs.
Once he was far away, Xu Moting frowned slightly: “Gu Yuan, he—”
Worried his guess might be off, he paused for two seconds: “I hope Xie Lin succeeds.”
“Whether he succeeds or not depends on Zhou Chiyu.” Though Ming Ji hadn’t spoken much, he’d observed Gu Yuan the whole time. He’d heard about the recent internal strife in the Gu Family, including Gu Yuan’s illness. “My dad said that after Zhou Chiyu came of age, he wouldn’t be under Old Man Gu’s care anymore, but looking at the brothers’ relationship, it seems really good.”
Seeing Xu Moting hesitate to speak, Wu Chen picked up a glass of mojito: “Let’s see how it goes.”
This past year, Xie Lin had frequently expressed his admiration for Zhou Chiyu in their friend group chat, even secretly collecting news about him. As Xie Lin’s friends, they naturally hoped he would succeed.
In the room, Zhou Chiyu marveled at the lamp fixture sculpture Xie Lin had given him.
“This fish is so elegant.”
The “fish” fixture hanging from the ceiling took on an graceful S-shape, about 2 meters long, with scales as thin as cicada wings made of copper-red precious metal. From afar, it looked like it swam freely in mid-air, its beautiful pose carrying a shocking modern industrial vibe.
“It’s actually a lamp?”
“It must look great when lit up.”
Xie Lin watched the delight on Zhou Chiyu’s face and gently touched the goldfish fixture’s upturned tail.
The internal lights suddenly brightened, and the Goldfish Lamp Fixture seemed cloaked in a layer of fiery light, the glow flowing slowly along the scales.
“When I attended an art exhibition back then, I saw this lamp fixture and liked it a lot, so I decided to buy it to give to you.” Xie Lin smiled shyly: “It symbolizes good fortune—it’s also my blessing to you.”
Zhou Chiyu’s lips curved up slightly as he looked at Xie Lin a bit embarrassed: “I really like your gift, but I haven’t given you one yet.”
Xie Lin’s eyes shone brightly: “No worries. I’m thrilled that you like my gift.”
Zhou Chiyu clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes brightened by his smile: “I like it a lot.”
In his peripheral vision, a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared.
Zhou Chiyu tilted his head slightly and trotted over to Gu Yuan with excited steps: “Bro, come take a look. Doesn’t this lamp fixture look great installed in my bedroom?”
Gu Yuan met Xie Lin’s gaze and nodded in thanks: “Thank you for the gift. It looks like my brother really likes it.”
For some reason, Xie Lin always felt that Gu Yuan didn’t like him. But since the other was Zhou Chiyu’s brother, he still needed to get on good terms.
“Do you like this style of lamp fixture?” Xie Lin smiled: “I’ll give you one too.”
“Thanks, but I’m not really interested.” Gu Yuan thought for a moment: “Give me your address. To show my thanks, I’ll have someone send you some gifts another day.”
“No need, no need.” Xie Lin said casually: “The point of giving Little Fish this was to make him happy, not to exchange gifts.”
“Thank you.” Zhou Chiyu ran back to the lamp fixture, fondling it curiously before standing sideways under the hanging fish fixture: “Take a photo for me.”
“Sure.”
Both Gu Yuan and Xie Lin agreed at the same time, but Xie Lin moved faster and started directing Zhou Chiyu’s pose ahead of Gu Yuan.
“Little Fish, lift your chin a bit.”
“Smile bigger—you look especially good when you smile.”
Zhou Chiyu’s brows and eyes curved in a smile, his unreserved grin pure and clean. Compared to when he was little, it held a bit more restraint, but his expressions and movements were almost identical.
Gu Yuan held his phone and quietly watched their interaction.
Xie Lin’s personality was indeed great; he knew how to make Zhou Chiyu happy.
“Wu Chen said we’re doing BBQ on the cruise ship this afternoon, along with some sea fishing.” Xie Lin watched Zhou Chiyu as he headed toward the door: “Time to get ready.”
Zhou Chiyu took a step after Xie Lin but looked back at Gu Yuan, who had stopped in place: “Brother?”
Gu Yuan let out a “Mm” and silently followed behind them.
Zhou Chiyu and Xie Lin’s rapport had clearly grown closer; they chatted and laughed while discussing school club matters.
“You’re interested in roller skating too?”
Roller skating was one of the few sports Zhou Chiyu enjoyed, so he’d specially joined the Roller Skating Club and prepared for a long time to pass the interview.
“Mm, my family has a Roller Skating Club. They hold lots of competitions and events regularly. If you’re interested, we could go play together next weekend.”
Xie Lin hadn’t just learned of Zhou Chiyu’s hobby now—inviting him to roller skate was all part of his plan.
“Sure! Can I bring my brother too?” Zhou Chiyu kept looking back for Gu Yuan. “I want to bring Bro along to play.”
Gu Yuan seemed off today, lacking his usual enthusiasm.
“Bro.” Zhou Chiyu deliberately slowed to wait for Gu Yuan and hooked his arm: “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No.” Gu Yuan curved his lips in a faint smile. “Just thinking about something.”
Worry flickered in Zhou Chiyu’s eyes. Though Gu Yuan’s illness had been cured, he always feared something might go wrong.
“Good as long as you’re not.”
…
An hour later, the group boarded the Cruise Ship to head out for sea fishing.
Wu Chen enjoyed horror movies and played a classic after which he chatted idly with everyone.
Gu Yuan wasn’t talkative and only responded occasionally to questions. He pulled out his phone to search online for several models of Roller Skates, preparing to place an order.
“Bro, what are you doing?”
