Chapter 36: Confession

Gu Shiying resisted the idea with every fiber of his being, but a mischievous impulse seized him. What was the worst that could happen if he pressed Fu Huan’s leg? It was broad daylight.

Fu Huan had already moved the blanket aside, his pajama pants the same style and color as Gu Shiying’s.

“Alright, I’m pressing it.” He placed both hands directly on Fu Huan’s solid thigh. “Does it feel like TV static?”

Fu Huan’s leg wasn’t actually that numb anymore. The moment Gu Shiying’s hands touched his thigh, a slight tremor ran through his entire body, and he instantly pulled his leg back.

Fu Huan hugged his right leg. “Seems fine now. I’m going to wash up.”

Gu Shiying feigned a sudden realization. “Oh, so it’s better already.” Served him right, trying to take advantage.

Watching Fu Huan flee with the tips of his ears burning red, Gu Shiying collapsed onto the bed, muffling his laughter.

He knew Fu Huan couldn’t handle him getting too close. That was the conclusion he’d drawn recently. Fu Huan wanted to be close to him, but he never crossed a line. Sometimes, Gu Shiying couldn’t resist teasing him.

They had planned to watch the sunrise the next morning, but neither had set an alarm, so they missed it.

However, they did wake up early. To make up for last night’s mishap, the landlady had specially prepared breakfast for them.

The breakfast was quite lavish: steamed buns, youtiao, sweet potatoes, seafood congee, pickled vegetables, and small baked flatbreads.

During breakfast, the landlady enthusiastically recommended fun local attractions.

“Handsome boys, what are your plans for today? You’re here to have fun too, right?” the landlady asked.

“More or less. Is there anything fun to do around here?” Gu Shiying asked.

“It’s all coastline around here. The best sight is the offshore wind turbines. Not sure if you’ve been yet.”

“We went to see them yesterday,” Gu Shiying said.

“Then you could hike Immortal Mountain. There’s an Immortal Temple up there that’s especially efficacious. You can pray for blessings for your family and friends. And there’s a Matchmaker’s Temple that’s incredibly effective. All couples who visit end up getting married and staying together for life. Last year, they even reported on an eighty-year-old couple who came specially to offer incense.” The landlady was really selling it.

Gu Shiying’s first thought was: maybe he should skip the Matchmaker’s Temple. That was terrifying.

“Is it really that effective for praying for family and friends?”

When Fu Huan had come, he had only been thinking about helping Gu Shiying get good footage. He hadn’t considered they could pray here; he had never been much of a believer.

But hearing the landlady’s words, he was tempted.

Fu Huan immediately looked up guides. “Since we’re here and have nothing else to do today, let’s go take a look. It’s on the way back, so we can play as we go.”

“Alright.”

Gu Shiying realized that when he was with Fu Huan, he didn’t have to use his brain at all. It was practically like having everything handed to him on a silver platter. Still, he helped out where he could. In the car, when Fu Huan was thirsty, Gu Shiying would unscrew a bottle cap and pass him water. Afraid Fu Huan might get drowsy, he’d talk to keep him engaged.

The Immortal Temple was about twenty kilometers from where they had stayed the night before. The entire route ran along the coast, and the scenery was visually soothing, opening up the mind.

But right now, Gu Shiying squinted at the blazing sun overhead and asked Fu Huan, “Can’t we just drive up the mountain?”

Fu Huan tilted his chin, gesturing for him to look at the security checkpoint ahead. “Probably not. The road ahead is blocked. The landlady said you have to climb to the Immortal Temple for the prayers to be effective. The path is shaded. Gu Shiying, you can climb. Don’t be lazy.”

Gu Shiying protested, “When have I ever been lazy?”

Fu Huan asked, “No? Want me to list examples?”

Gu Shiying jumped out of the car. “Go ahead, list them. When have I ever been lazy?”

Fu Huan took a backpack from the back seat and loaded four bottles of water into it.

As he was packing, he said, “Sleeping in on weekends. Does that count?”

Gu Shiying considered it. “No. Weekends are for resting.”

Fu Huan’s eyes held a smile. “Then what about those times you were hungry but didn’t want to go to the canteen, so you ate chips as a meal? Does that count?”

Gu Shiying froze. He rarely ate chips. It was true that occasionally, when he didn’t feel like trekking to the canteen, he’d substitute a meal with snacks.

He stiffened his neck and said, “…Of course not. I wasn’t hungry then, just had a little snack. Don’t you eat snacks?”

Fu Huan didn’t eat many snacks. “And also…”

Gu Shiying hurriedly cut off the person standing on the other side of the car. “Stop! Don’t say any more. You win. Let’s go up the mountain!”

Fu Huan turned his head, the corner of his lips lifting. “Then up we go.”

Gu Shiying’s heart pounded like a drum. He didn’t hear Fu Huan’s inner voice, but the message conveyed in Fu Huan’s eyes told him very clearly: whenever Gu Shiying was being silly, doing silly things, Fu Huan was always watching him.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel like throwing a shoe at Fu Huan this time.

The path up the mountain was gentle. Neither Gu Shiying nor Fu Huan found it any harder than walking on flat ground; they weren’t tired at all. It took them less than an hour to reach the summit, and that was only because they had slowed their pace. Gu Shiying stopped to shoot footage whenever he saw a beautiful view.

Throughout the journey, Fu Huan was looking after Gu Shiying. Whenever they stopped, he would pass him water without even asking. Every time Gu Shiying finished drinking, he’d realize how natural Fu Huan’s gesture had been. How did he know if he was thirsty or not?

He didn’t dare ask. The answer had been given to him long ago.

Damn it. Fu Huan was being terrifyingly good to him. Was he about to be corroded by Fu Huan’s sugar-coated bullets?

Before they even reached the summit, the thick scent of incense mixed with the sea breeze drifted down.

Gu Shiying stood on a step, raising his arms and leaning back slightly.

“We’re here! Fu Huan.”

Fu Huan placed a hand on his back to support him. “Don’t stand like that. You’ll fall. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh, oh, oh.” Gu Shiying hurriedly climbed a few more steps, reaching the summit.

Fu Huan had found another reasonable excuse to touch him. How infuriating.

There were two temples on the summit: the Immortal Temple and the Matchmaker’s Temple.

When Gu Shiying passed the Matchmaker’s Temple, he didn’t pause for a moment, but Fu Huan glanced at it several times. Gu Shiying pretended not to notice.

If he went in there with Fu Huan, he’d be an idiot. He’d rather die than go in there!

Gu Shiying quickly passed the Matchmaker’s Temple and headed straight for the Immortal Temple. Upon entering, a staff member handed him three sticks of incense. He went inside, bowed, and prayed for his family and friends.

When he lifted his head from the cushion, he saw Fu Huan prostrating himself devoutly on another cushion. It took him a long time to rise. Gu Shiying didn’t know what wish he had prayed for.

Their purpose for climbing the mountain was achieved.

Besides the Immortal Temple, there was also an internet-famous café at the summit.

Fu Huan asked Gu Shiying, “Hungry?”

Gu Shiying shook his head. “No.”

Fu Huan checked the time. “Then we’ll have lunch after we descend. We can try the local specialty fried rice noodles.”

Gu Shiying agreed immediately. “Alright.”

They wandered around the summit. Gu Shiying shot a lot of footage. Seeing the mountains meeting the sea purified his soul considerably.

After strolling around, they prepared to descend. Gu Shiying was hot and a little tired, so he randomly found a shaded stone bench to rest on. Fu Huan sat beside him and handed him an opened bottle of water.

As Gu Shiying tilted his head back to drink, he looked up and saw that the tree above them was covered with red cloth strips. A sign on the tree read: “Marriage Tree.”

Each red strip bore a different wish, but every single one was related to love.

Gu Shiying had thought it was just an ordinary wishing tree. He hadn’t expected, when he looked up, to have randomly ended up right in front of the Matchmaker’s Temple.

He withdrew his gaze from the wishing strips and screwed the cap back onto the water bottle. Fu Huan naturally reached out to put the water back into his backpack.

Gu Shiying paused. Wait, wasn’t Fu Huan being a little too natural about this?

This time, Gu Shiying didn’t hand it over, but Fu Huan’s hand still reached out, and coincidentally grasped Gu Shiying’s fingertips.

【Gu Shiying.】

【Gu Shiying.】

【Gu Shiying.】

Gu Shiying: ???

What the hell, say something! Why are you just calling my name!

For the first time, Gu Shiying hadn’t heard a clear inner voice when touching Fu Huan. Could it be that he had completely occupied his mind?

Damn, this was so annoying.

He could never go on a trip with Fu Huan again.

His head aching, Gu Shiying stood up. “Are you rested? Let’s go.”

Fu Huan nodded. “Yeah. Give me the water.”

Gu Shiying tightened his grip on the bottle, not daring to meet Fu Huan’s gaze. “It’s fine. I can hold it myself.”

The two descended the mountain. At a nearby place, they ate the local specialty cuisine. Mindful of maintaining distance from Fu Huan, Gu Shiying announced after eating that he needed to return to school to review; exam week started next week.

On the way back, Gu Shiying was tormented by Fu Huan’s inner voice at the Matchmaker’s Temple.

Why did he just keep repeating his name? What did he want to say?

It was as agonizing as being engrossed in a novel and suddenly learning the author had gone on hiatus. After all, he’d been “following the updates” of Fu Huan’s inner voice.

Damn, he had actually gotten used to hearing it. Not getting the full sentences was so unsettling.

Fu Huan played music in the car so the ride back wouldn’t be too dull.

Gu Shiying listened to a few songs. Almost all of them were about secret crushes or heartbreak—tinged with a certain melancholy.

They inexplicably evoked sadness. After all, a secret crush was a one-person emotional performance. The sweet moments were a solo celebration; the setbacks were a solitary sea of bitterness.

“Didn’t expect you to like this kind of love song,” Gu Shiying remarked.

“What do you want to hear? I can change it.”

“‘Good Luck Comes’?”

“Sure.”

Fu Huan summoned the voice assistant, and the song “Good Luck Comes” filled the car.

The trace of sadness that had been spreading in Gu Shiying’s heart dissipated instantly.

He laughed. “See, this is what college students should be listening to.”

Fu Huan glanced sideways at Gu Shiying, who was looking up at him. Something seemed to cross his mind, and he smiled.

“Indeed.”

They hit traffic on the return trip, so it was already seven in the evening by the time they got back to campus.

Gu Shiying unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for the door, but the lock didn’t open.

He looked at Fu Huan, whose hands were now off the steering wheel. “Unlock the door?”

Fu Huan didn’t move. He just turned his head to look at Gu Shiying, hesitant, wanting to speak.

Panic began to rise in Gu Shiying’s heart. He couldn’t quite smile anymore. It couldn’t be what he was thinking.

Don’t say it, Fu Huan!

But Fu Huan still spoke. “Gu Shiying, you know I like you, right?”