Chapter 18: Gift

What was so strange about having a birthmark on his waist?

Gu Shiying had no idea what had set Fu Huan off, but was it really worth an inner voice broadcast?

Ever since he’d realized the inner voices he heard were people’s most urgent, most intense desires in the moment, he could no longer look Fu Huan straight in the eye.

Didn’t Fu Huan have anything else to do? How had he become Fu Huan’s most intense desire?

Fu Huan, at that moment, had absolutely no clue Gu Shiying’s mind had traveled a hundred thousand miles in two seconds. He calmly wiped the water droplets off his face, even less aware that Gu Shiying’s mouthful of sprayed water was the strongest physical reaction to hearing his inner voice. He simply assumed Gu Shiying’s flushed, coughing face was from nearly drowning.

In truth, Gu Shiying’s face was half red from coughing, half red from sheer embarrassment.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Seeing him still coughing, Fu Huan pulled him up onto the poolside.

Gu Shiying sat on the edge of the pool, dripping wet, hanging his head listlessly as he wiped his face. He quietly scooted away from Fu Huan, maintaining a certain social distance.

Fu Huan asked him, “Feeling better?”

“Yeah.” Gu Shiying nodded, his throat sore from choking. He’d swallowed some water and felt a little nauseous.

Fu Huan pressed his own towel onto Gu Shiying’s shoulder. “Headed for the deep end before you even learned how to swim? Got a death wish?”

Gu Shiying took the towel and wiped his face. “I just didn’t notice I’d drifted into the deep end.”

Fu Huan: “And now you know?”

Gu Shiying knew he was being sarcastic, but this really was his own fault.

“I know.”

Fu Huan glanced at him, couldn’t bear to scold him further, and his tone softened considerably. “Be more careful next time. If you really want to learn, I can teach you. At least it’ll be safer than you swimming on your own.”

Gu Shiying was instantly transported back to the moment he’d heard the other’s inner voice. “I don’t really want to learn that badly, just need to pass the final exam. As long as I can swim, it’s fine.”

Fu Huan had always had a sense of boundaries around Gu Shiying. “Practice more at the pool normally, and bring Zhang Zhi with you.”

“Yeah.” Gu Shiying nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Otherwise, Fu Huan would lecture him again. Every time he did something a little stupid, he always seemed to run into Fu Huan. He had no retort. Couldn’t he just, for once, not be seen during his less-than-glorious moments?

Having choked on several mouthfuls of water and nearly experienced the terror of drowning, Gu Shiying didn’t want to stay in the water any longer. His head was still a little fuzzy. He took Fu Huan’s towel and headed back to the locker room, completely forgetting he was still in the middle of PE class.

It was class time, so the locker room was mostly empty. Before class, it had been full of guys changing, but now only rows of lockers remained—and him, along with Fu Huan, who had followed him in.

The surrounding air inexplicably became restless and heated. Gu Shiying felt his own breathing grow heavier.

Normally, with Zhang Zhi around, he could change clothes openly without a second thought. But now? He couldn’t do it. Not one bit.

What now?

In the dorm, there was at least a separate bathroom stall. But the shower area here was only divided by partitions, no doors. He was afraid of Fu Huan.

Fu Huan’s gaze dropped for a second, landing on Gu Shiying’s lower back. “Aren’t you going to shower?”

“In a minute.” Gu Shiying pretended to casually rest the back of his hand on his lower back, just barely covering the birthmark there.

Fu Huan’s locker was, of all places, right next to his. His gaze lingered on Gu Shiying’s waist birthmark for a single second.

His glance was discreet, but Gu Shiying, who had become increasingly sensitive to Fu Huan, still caught it.

He’d been observing Fu Huan more often lately, and even if he was slow, he’d noticed that Fu Huan’s pupils would dilate when looking at him. His eyes weren’t just lazy and bored anymore; they held emotions Gu Shiying normally wouldn’t see, like excitement.

Gu Shiying dawdled in front of his locker until Fu Huan randomly picked a shower stall. Only then did he choose the one farthest away, showering at top speed. He didn’t even dry off properly before pulling all his clothes on.

When Fu Huan came out, he was also a little surprised by Gu Shiying’s speed.

“Are you rushing to reincarnate? You didn’t even dry off.”

Gu Shiying tossed Fu Huan’s towel back at him and turned away, not daring to look at the person currently standing there stark naked. Brother Huan was way too bold.

Damn!

What did he, a straight man, have to care about? That… thing… was for Fu Huan’s future boyfriend to use. The worry belonged to someone else. It had nothing to do with him.

Gu Shiying randomly made up an excuse. “I’ll wash again back at the dorm. There’s no soap here, can’t get clean.”

“Oh.” That was a fair reason.

Fu Huan unhurriedly dried his body. Only after Gu Shiying was completely and utterly dressed did he start putting on his own clothes.

Just then, a group of people burst into the locker room, Zhang Zhi among them.

Thank the heavens for his brother’s timely arrival!

When Gu Shiying had nearly drowned, Fu Huan had appeared so quickly that barely anyone knew it had happened. Even the lifeguard hadn’t noticed before he was already out of the water.

Zhang Zhi, beaming, came over to chatter about a breath-holding contest he’d just had with someone.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Shiying saw Fu Huan finishing up. Fu Huan spotted Zhang Zhi come in, said nothing, grabbed his gym bag, and left.

Zhang Zhi: “Ying’er, why’d you come up so fast?”

Gu Shiying: “Got tired.”

Zhang Zhi: “Did you learn how or not? If not, I can teach you this weekend.”

Gu Shiying remembered how Zhang Zhi got distracted the moment something fun happened and decided against it.

He said confidently, “It’s fine, I’ll find time to come practice on my own this weekend.”

Having just nearly drowned, he was still a bit shaken and didn’t want to go back into the pool at all. It was so stressful. What was he going to do about the final exam? He needed to pass this elective, too.

Swimming was an energy-draining activity. Gu Shiying had dinner with Zhang Zhi in the cafeteria. The moment he got back to the dorm, Yang Shuheng pounced on him.

Yang Shuheng: “Ying’er, are you free this Saturday?”

Gu Shiying: “What’s up?”

Yang Shuheng: “Wanna go shopping with me? I need to buy gifts.”

Gu Shiying: “Birthday gifts?”

Yang Shuheng: “No, no. Last time you guys helped me out, I was supposed to treat everyone to a meal. But we got so hyped up that night, and in the end, our Brother Huan ended up paying the bill. So I want to get everyone a gift as thanks. I figured you could help me pick them out. I’ll get you a bigger gift.”

Gu Shiying: “Do you have to be this polite? We’re brothers, we don’t stand on ceremony.”

Yang Shuheng: “Nope, that won’t do. My mom taught me this: you absolutely have to thank people when they help you!”

Gu Shiying didn’t push back. He could refuse for himself, but he couldn’t reject gratitude meant for others.

Saturday morning, the two of them slept in until they woke naturally and headed out before lunch. Yang Shuheng took Gu Shiying straight to the biggest shopping mall in the city via cab.

As an ordinary college student, Gu Shiying had never imagined he’d step foot in a mall where he could see international luxury brands at a glance.

He was shocked by Yang Shuheng’s spending power. “What are you going to buy? Aren’t these brands really expensive?”

Yang Shuheng, however, looked conflicted. “I usually go shopping with my mom, and she buys skincare products for people. What do guys give as gifts?”

Gu Shiying was even more clueless than him. “I have no idea either. Why don’t you look up some guides online?”

Yang Shuheng grabbed his arm and charged into the mall. “No need to look it up. We’ll just buy whatever catches our eye.”

Since Yang Shuheng had separated from the band, he’d been spending more time in the dorm and interacting with Gu Shiying far more often. Gu Shiying had gradually come to understand Yang Shuheng’s personality.

Previously, Yang Shuheng would come back exhausted from practice, shower, and collapse into bed. With his sharp, small, idol-like oval face, Gu Shiying had pegged him as the aloof, future-idol type.

It was a normal assumption. Gu Shiying had a former classmate whose parents had built up his social media presence since childhood, spending hundreds of thousands a year on private tutors for dance, music, and other courses. That classmate had also carried himself with an air of aloofness, even had his own team, and was whisked away by his agent after every class. Gu Shiying had barely seen him a few times after graduation, let alone talked to him.

But after spending time with Yang Shuheng recently, Gu Shiying discovered he was actually a rich second-generation kid with a lively personality, sometimes even a bit chatty and simple-minded. Completely different from his initial image of a cold, future idol. He was just… adorably cute.

Today, Gu Shiying discovered another trait: spending money without blinking, barely even looking at the price tags.

When Gu Shiying saw him swipe his card without hesitation, he was taken aback by his generosity.

He was helping Yang Shuheng carry a pair of trendy sneakers he’d just bought. “You don’t need to check the price?”

Yang Shuheng: “I did. My mom said I don’t need to tell her if the unit price is under ten thousand.”

Gu Shiying: “…”

Good lord. This was the financial power of a young master.

Yang Shuheng asked Gu Shiying to pick something he liked, but Gu Shiying shook his head. “No need, I’m not lacking anything.”

Gu Shiying’s material desires weren’t strong. He was fine as long as things worked, and only bought new ones when they wore out. Today, however, he had gained a profound understanding of Yang Shuheng’s spending habits. No wonder his bandmates had spent his money while badmouthing him as a “young master”—he was a massive, walking money tree.

Yang Shuheng looked at the bags filling both their hands. “Shoot, I almost forgot I came here to buy gifts.”

Gu Shiying sighed helplessly. “So you do remember.”

Yang Shuheng laughed sheepishly. “Hehe, come on, this time I’ll really buy the gifts.”

During the gift selection process, they ruled out skincare and gourmet food gift boxes as too ordinary. Finally, they passed by a branded smartphone store.

Yang Shuheng suddenly had an idea. “Old Guan’s Bluetooth earbuds are broken. I’ll get him a new pair.”

Gu Shiying, utterly sick of shopping by now, nodded casually. “That works.”

Yang Shuheng seemed to have a floodgate open. “Brother Huan likes smoking, I can get him a lighter. I don’t really know Liang Qi’s preferences, but I saw he’s got acne, so a men’s skincare set might work. Ying’er, have you really not decided what you want?”

Gu Shiying: “I really don’t need a gift. Just treat me to another meal.”

“No way!” Yang Shuheng insisted, and he stopped asking about preferences. “I’ll get you a mystery box gift then. You’ll get whatever you get.”

Gu Shiying: “Fine, I guess.” Yang Shuheng was dead set on giving them all gifts.

It was another half hour before Yang Shuheng finished picking out all the gifts.

By the time they got back to school, it was already 8 PM. Gu Shiying collapsed onto his bed, too tired to move.

Fu Huan hadn’t stayed at school over the weekend. The three of them were left in the dorm.

Yang Shuheng handed out the gifts. Gu Shiying’s mystery box turned out to be a reasonably priced fitness tracker, well within his comfort zone.

After playing on his phone for a bit and getting ready to use the bathroom before bed, he glanced sideways and saw Fu Huan’s bunk was empty. He felt strangely unaccustomed to it.

He looked at the gift sitting on his desk, then thought about how Fu Huan had saved his sorry hide multiple times recently. Should he also give him a gift?

After agonizing for a while, Gu Shiying quickly ordered a gift online. Not expensive, but it should be heartfelt enough.

Two days later, at noon, Gu Shiying received the package he’d ordered just before class.

He opened it.

He’d communicated with the seller that it was a gift, but they’d only asked for his gender, not the recipient’s. They had actually sent a pink gift box.

Damn, they thought he was giving a gift to a girl.

It was almost time for class, so he didn’t dwell on it. Zhang Zhi was hurrying him. He just placed the gift box on his desk and left for class.

Fu Huan didn’t have the habit of napping. He’d go play basketball, then come back for a quick shower before heading to class. Passing by Gu Shiying’s seat, he saw a gift box on his desk, adorned with a large pink bow. His steps faltered.

Tch. So quick to give someone else a gift. What a hopeless romantic.