Chapter 26: Sharing the Joy

The blue wrapping paper was dotted with tiny white daisies. A blue ribbon, tied into a butterfly bow of the same color scheme, rested quietly on top of the box.

Gu Shiying propped his chin on his hand and stared at this hot-potato gift. A part of him desperately wanted to know what was inside, while another part knew he shouldn’t have accepted it at all.

From Fu Huan’s perspective, he was secretly pursuing Gu Shiying.

If Gu Shiying didn’t have his mind-reading ability, he would have accepted the gift with a clear conscience. He might even be happily scrolling through shopping apps right now, looking for a thank-you gift in return.

A back-and-forth would start, they’d become friends, then really close.

Damn, Fu Huan was playing the long game.

What now?

He felt a bit at a loss. The distance between him and Fu Huan had shrunk without him even realizing it.

To outsiders, he and Fu Huan were just roommates with a good relationship. Hanging out together seemed normal. But only he knew the true nature of Fu Huan’s feelings.

Before, Fu Huan had kept himself in check, maintaining the boundaries of a regular roommate. Now, he was already thinking about actively pursuing him. His mindset was shifting, little by little.

What had Gu Shiying even done to make Fu Huan go from a silent crush to wanting to openly chase him? He’d undo it if he could!

He had to refuse. He had to create distance between them. They couldn’t keep doing things together.

He could plan this in two phases:

Short-term plan: Grandma Lin could handle Guoguo’s appointments herself. Gu Shiying could disappear from that. As for the chili sauce, he could pick it up himself and promote it with Zhang Zhi’s help. That would effectively cut Fu Huan out of the picture, wouldn’t it?

Long-term plan: He could apply for a dorm room change and move out of 504 next semester!

But… since he’d already accepted the gift, maybe he should just open it and see what it was?

Otherwise, it would keep tempting him like a little goblin.

Would Fu Huan even know what he liked?

He opened it.

The moment he saw the logo printed on the packaging, Gu Shiying couldn’t help but curse out loud.

“Damn, is Fu Huan sick? He got me this!”

He wasn’t cursing because it was a bad gift. He was cursing because it was too perfect.

It was a GoPro—a camera he’d been wanting for ages!

He’d been saving up all year to buy one, planning to snag it during the 618 sales if the price dropped. If not, he was going to get a used one on Xianyu for a while.

Fu Huan was making it bloody impossible to dislike him. What was he supposed to do?

Could Fu Huan just not like him? Just be friends. Good friends would be fine.

Could he accept this gift?

Damn, damn, damn!

It was freaking perfect.

Even knowing Fu Huan’s family was well-off, could he really accept such an expensive gift?

Gu Shiying scratched his head and tugged at his hair alone in the dorm. A moment later, he was up, bouncing on his heels, utterly unable to tear his eyes away from the GoPro. He was dying to take it out right then and shoot some video.

With a GoPro, his future video content could be so much more diverse and expansive. He’d always wanted to run his own personal channel, and now he could actually start. He even had a theme in mind.

Sigh.

But if he accepted this gift, could he ever truly distance himself from Fu Huan?

Maybe… he could just stay roommates with him for now. As long as he could pretend not to hear his inner voice, it wouldn’t be a big problem.

Accepting a gift from a friend wasn’t completely out of line, was it? He could give Fu Huan his cut of the chili sauce profits, or use the money he’d saved to buy Fu Huan a gift in return. Or he could treat him to a few more meals. After a few times, wouldn’t that offset the cost of the gift? He’d just consider it an installment plan!

As for his short-term plan… he could postpone that for a while.

There was only about a month left until summer break anyway. Two months apart during the summer, then switch dorms—putting distance between him and Fu Huan would be a piece of cake, right?

While Gu Shiying was agonizing over whether to use the GoPro or let it gather dust, Fu Huan was sitting down for a meal with his parents.

The home decor was very much in line with his parents’ generation: dark-toned Chinese-style furniture, a traditional round dining table.

Despite the large table, only three people sat around it. The only sounds were the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks.

Fu Huan just ate, saying nothing.

He Qi, her hair in an elegant updo, set down her chopsticks gracefully. “Huan’er, how have things been at school lately?”

Fu Huan continued eating, replying mechanically, “Same old.”

Fu Yuandong couldn’t stand his half-dead attitude and slammed his chopsticks down heavily.

He glared. “Is that how you talk to your mother?”

Fu Huan had lost his appetite too. He put down his chopsticks. “Just say whatever you want to ask.”

Fu Yuandong let out a cold snort.

He Qi: “Don’t talk to our son like that.”

Fu Yuandong: “Every time he comes home, it’s this same dead look. Like I owe him from a past life.”

“Huan’er, we just wanted to know if at school, you… ” He Qi paused, looking a bit awkward.

Fu Huan finished for her. “Have a boyfriend?”

He Qi: “Yes.”

Fu Huan: “Not at the moment.”

Fu Yuandong: “What do you mean ‘at the moment’? Either you do or you don’t. Or are you fooling around out there like those other homosexuals? If you dare to be so reckless… “

He Qi: “Old Fu, you’re getting more and more ridiculous. Huan’er has discretion; he wouldn’t do such things!”

Fu Yuandong huffed.

“Don’t listen to your father’s nonsense.” He Qi finally steered toward her intended topic. “It’s like this. Your father and I have also learned a bit about… that community. It can be quite complicated, and we only want what’s best for you. Sometime ago, your Uncle Lin mentioned that his son also shares your… orientation, and he’s around your age. How about you two meet and have a chat? Getting to know people within the community is better than not knowing anyone, right?”

She looked at Fu Huan with a hint of appeasement.

Fu Huan’s face turned ice-cold. He stood up. “If you want to get to know him, do it yourselves.”

With that, he got up to leave the dining room.

Fu Yuandong: “Fu Huan, every time we bring this up, you walk away.”

Fu Huan: “Then talk about something more appetizing.”

He Qi: “Huan’er, I gave your WeChat to Uncle Lin’s son. Please approve it when he adds you. Whether you like him or not is a separate issue. Just meet him once. What if it works out?”

Fu Huan rolled his eyes. “I already like someone. I won’t add him, and I won’t meet him.”

He Qi: “You stubborn child. Meeting someone won’t cost you anything.”

Fu Huan didn’t want to hear another word. He turned and went upstairs to his room.

Just then, a man as tall as Fu Huan walked in, dressed in a casual suit, his features bearing some resemblance to Fu Huan.

Fu Qin: “Dad, Mom.”

He Qi: “You’re back? Have you eaten yet? We made a very rich old hen soup today. Want some?”

Fu Qin: “Sure. Where’s Fu Huan?”

He Qi served him a bowl of soup. “He just went upstairs. We were introducing him to a young man, but he wasn’t interested. Can you go talk to him?”

Fu Qin nearly snorted his soup, laughing. “Introducing him to a boyfriend?”

Fu Yuandong said coldly, “We can accept his orientation and even find someone for him, and he dares to be picky!”

Fu Qin: “Aren’t matters of the heart a bit more complicated than that?”

He Qi: “Actually, I’ve seen that young man. He’s very clean-cut and polite. We asked around about his private life; he’s not promiscuous and has never been in a relationship. I think Huan’er would like him. Can you persuade him? That circle is so messy, better to find someone stable and settle down, right? He’s your little brother. Put some effort into this.”

Fu Qin drank his soup to the tune of his parents’ worrying about his little brother.

He noticed a jar of chili sauce on the table, looking completely out of place among their four dishes and a soup.

Fu Qin: “Fine, I’ll go up and talk to him in a bit.” He opened the chili sauce, dipped a bit to taste. “This chili sauce is quite fragrant. Where’d it come from?”

He Qi: “Your brother brought it.”

Fu Qin: “Doesn’t he not eat much spicy food?”

He Qi: “I don’t know. My stomach can’t handle trying it. Is it good?”

Fu Qin: “Yeah, it’s pretty good.”

“Let me try.” Fu Yuandong picked up a serving chopstick and put a bit in his bowl. “It really is quite fragrant.”

Their house had four floors. Fu Huan lived on the fourth floor entirely by himself.

At this moment, he was lounging sideways on the sofa, tossing a basketball toward a hoop. His posture was lazily indulgent, but also carried a sense of utter boredom. After tossing the ball, he looked down at his phone, scrolling through WeChat Moments. He liked the post Gu Shiying had just made and wanted to comment something. But after a moment’s thought, he let his fingers relax.

Anything he said seemed wrong. Would Gu Shiying be happy with the gift he’d given him?

Fu Qin: “You finally came home; why not eat a couple more bowls of rice?”

He’d seen it just now—Fu Huan had left half a bowl of rice uneaten.

Fu Huan: “I’d barely taken two bites before they were eagerly trying to set me up with a boyfriend. Are you here to lecture me too?”

Fu Qin: “I don’t have that kind of free time. But they have been worrying about this for a while now.”

Fu Huan: “Then what are you here for?”

Fu Qin: “Haven’t seen you in a bit, came to check in. Can’t I? But… I do have some business with you.”

Fu Huan: “What business?”

Fu Qin: “That jar of chili sauce you brought back is pretty good. We’re developing a new product line, and I’ve taken a liking to it. If we could buy this recipe, it could save us some trouble.”

Fu Huan immediately shifted from his half-sprawled position and sat up straight.

He knew his older brother ran his own company in the food industry, with an in-house R&D team and decent annual revenue.

Fu Huan: “You’re not kidding?”

Fu Qin: “No.”

Fu Huan: “How much are you planning to pay for this recipe in licensing fees?”

Fu Qin had rarely seen him take such an active interest in something. “A chili sauce recipe can be reverse-engineered and replicated; it shouldn’t be too expensive. Depends on how they negotiate with us. You know the person?”

Fu Huan: “I do. But you need to offer a good amount.”

Fu Qin: “Hold on, Fu Huan, are you siding with outsiders against your own brother?”

Fu Huan: “The chili sauce was made by the grandmother of a child with autism. The kid’s parents died in a car accident. It’s just the grandmother looking after him now. Shouldn’t you pay a bit more?”

Fu Qin: “Okay, I’ll consider it charity. I’ll make sure the offer is generous.”

Fu Huan: “When the time comes, don’t mention I’m the one wanting to buy it. Contact someone else.”

Fu Qin: “Why make it so complicated?”

Fu Huan: “A classmate of mine. He’s helping Grandma Lin promote her chili sauce.”

Fu Qin looked at his brother with amusement. “Fu Huan, your relationship with this classmate isn’t exactly ordinary, is it?”

Fu Huan avoided his brother’s probing gaze. “He’s my roommate. Just lending a hand.”

Fu Qin: “So you want the credit to go to him. Fine, I won’t show up personally. I’ll have Assistant Hu contact him.”

Fu Huan: “Mm.”

Fu Qin suddenly grinned. “Oh, right. Are you sure you don’t want to go meet Uncle Lin’s son that Mom and Dad mentioned? I’ve seen him once. He really is quite fair-skinned, and around your age. Who knows, you might actually take a liking to him.”

Fu Huan: “Impossible.” He had someone he liked.

Fu Qin: “I’ve never seen you date anyone. How do you know it’s impossible?”

Fu Huan: “Stop teasing me.”

Sunday morning. Gu Shiying had just woken up when his phone rang. The caller claimed he’d accidentally tasted the chili sauce Gu Shiying had brought to school and wanted to purchase the recipe.

Gu Shiying: “Huh? You’re not trying to scam me, are you?”

Assistant Hu: “We’re a legitimate food company, registered and everything. Our products are sold nationwide. We follow proper contract procedures. Student, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Gu Shiying: “Okay, I’ll add you on WeChat. This chili sauce is sold on behalf of someone else—an elderly lady.”

Assistant Hu: “Then I might need you to introduce me to her. When would Student Gu be available?”

Gu Shiying: “I have classes during the day. Usually free after school.”

Assistant Hu: “Then how about next Wednesday? You can discuss it with the elderly lady in the meantime.”

Gu Shiying: “Sounds good.”

The two added each other on WeChat.

Gu Shiying first called Grandma Lin to inform her about this development. She was open to selling the recipe for her chili sauce as long as the price was fair.

“Grandma, when it’s time to sign the contract, do your best to negotiate a satisfactory deal and price.”

“Thank you so much, Xiao Gu. Guoguo truly is blessed to have met you. Eight lifetimes of good karma.”

“You’re too kind.”

After hanging up, Gu Shiying was bursting with excitement and wanted to share the joyous news with someone. After running through a list in his head, the most suitable person to share it with seemed to be… Fu Huan.

But he absolutely could not tell him.

Sunday evening, Fu Huan returned to school from home, bringing a box of lychees.

He’d never done this kind of thing before and wasn’t quite used to it, but handing them out to Gu Shiying felt surprisingly natural.

“There’s too many at home; they’ll go bad. Help yourselves if you want some.”

Gu Shiying eyed the lychees, which practically covered one whole desk. “They look great. You don’t have to put so many here.”

Fu Huan: “They spoil fast.”

Gu Shiying: “…”

Yang Shuheng: “Whoa! We have lychees! I want some, I want some!”

Guan Yu: “Brother Huan is so generous.”

Gu Shiying ate the lychees Fu Huan had brought back. The sweet juice stuck to his hands, and his heart was increasingly filled with a sense of guilt.

Late at night, Fu Huan was again the last one to shower and get into bed. He went to turn off the lights.

As he passed by Gu Shiying’s bed, Gu Shiying suddenly poked his head out, eyes sparkling brightly. He said to him, “Fu Huan, guess what. Someone wants to buy Grandma Lin’s chili sauce recipe, and they contacted me about it. I checked—it’s a legitimate company!”

Fu Huan looked at Gu Shiying’s eyes, bright as if filled with starlight, and thought to himself that his effort to swindle his own brother hadn’t been in vain.