Gu Shiying snatched his arm back from Fu Huan’s hand at lightning speed. In that single instant, he completely lost all interest in the sweet, juicy grapes.
The grapes were now tainted!
The awkwardness hanging in the air was shouldered by Gu Shiying alone. He quietly clenched his fist.
With a smile that was all skin and no warmth, he said, “I can wipe myself.”
“Mm.” Fu Huan nodded. He tossed the tissue away, then, as if nothing had happened, grabbed his clothes and walked into the bathroom without so much as a backward glance at Gu Shiying.
Gu Shiying felt that if he’d held out just two seconds longer, he might not have been able to stop himself from throwing a punch at Fu Huan.
Was there seriously no Daoist priest who could come and capture this lecherous devil Fu Huan?!
Before bed, Gu Shiying made a firm resolution: no more physical contact with Fu Huan. Ever!
Monday, sunny. Today’s temperature: 28~32 degrees Celsius.
Two days had passed. Gu Shiying’s arm wasn’t as agonizingly painful as the first day, but because it was in the scabbing phase, he still couldn’t bend his elbow.
Naturally, he himself refused to bend either.
Early in the morning, he dug a long-sleeved shirt—a spring/autumn weight one—out of his closet and wrapped himself up airtight, leaving no skin exposed.
During class, Zhang Zhi kept observing him on and off. After class, he finally couldn’t hold back. “Aren’t you hot in all that? Or are you catching a cold?”
Gu Shiying: “Didn’t catch a cold. Just felt like wearing a jacket. Felt a bit chilly this morning.”
Zhang Zhi pointed at his forehead. “You’re sweating.”
Gu Shiying: “…”
Zhang Zhi: “Why not just take the jacket off? It’s not like the person with the crush on you is gonna give up just because you added an extra layer of clothing.”
Gu Shiying, stubborn as a mule: “No.”
Zhang Zhi: “Seriously? The person who likes you isn’t even worthy of seeing your arms?”
Gu Shiying gritted his teeth. “Yeah. They’re not worthy.”
His buddy had absolutely no clue what kind of torment he’d been through the past couple of days.
Zhang Zhi assumed he was still dodging some girl’s secret crush.
“Meeting a cold-hearted guy like you is that poor girl’s misfortune. You’re gonna die alone with that attitude.”
Truth was, Gu Shiying was indeed hot. “You don’t get it. Forget it. Let’s not talk about this.”
Any more talk and it would just be him stewing in his own rage.
For the next several days, Gu Shiying dodged Fu Huan like the plague. Other than inevitably running into each other at night in the dorm, Gu Shiying simply refused to go back the rest of the time. Even when he did return, he made sure to climb into his own bed and play on his phone before Fu Huan got back, eliminating any chance for Fu Huan to touch him.
Gu Shiying coasted through several comfortable days. With the added pressure of coursework, the impact Fu Huan’s earlier actions had on him slowly began to fade.
Every day, there was new gossip at school. Gu Shiying’s brave act was eventually buried under fresher news. The wound on his arm was also healing nicely day by day. He could slowly move it, manage things fully on his own. Everything was trending in a good direction.
Another Friday arrived.
Zhang Zhi once again wanted to send Liu Wenqing milk tea and, this time, even work up the nerve to ask her on a weekend date. But the WeChat communication today didn’t seem to go well. Gu Shiying suspected he’d been rejected.
Gu Shiying asked him: “Liu Wenqing reached out to you, so why the long face? Last week you were over the moon.”
Zhang Zhi looked so depressed he could barely eat. “You saw last week. Our club has activities every other week. She always used to come, but this week she said she’s busy and can’t attend.”
Zhang Zhi had met Liu Wenqing through the club and had since fallen head-over-heels, hopelessly, tirelessly pursuing her for half a year. But it seemed the girl just wasn’t interested. As his best bud, Gu Shiying could only silently support him.
“So… are we still sending the milk tea or not?”
Gu Shiying had a great appetite. He popped the hard-won red-braised pork into his mouth, cheeks bulging.
Zhang Zhi, with zero appetite, poked dejectedly at his white rice. “No. I feel like she really does like someone else. She’s not into me that way.”
Gu Shiying knew the truth of it. He gently tried to steer his buddy away. “Then stop being a desperate simp. Let’s go meet some new girls.”
Zhang Zhi clenched his fist. “Alright, brother. Let’s go meet some girls together!”
But when Gu Shiying woke up from his afternoon nap and checked WeChat, the first thing he saw was a message from his brother.
Zhang Zhi: [Milk Tea.jpg]
Gu Shiying: Fucking simp.
Zhang Zhi: [I can’t let go.jpg]
Gu Shiying had still been a bit sleepy, but seeing his bud stubbornly circling the simping drain instantly jolted him fully awake with sheer exasperation.
He washed his face. Coming out, he saw Fu Huan, who hadn’t been in the dorm at noon. It startled him. All those memories of inner thoughts flooded back instantly.
Facing Fu Huan’s gaze with water still dripping from his face, Gu Shiying quickly snatched up his backpack.
“I’m heading to class now.”
Fu Huan had barely managed a nod before Gu Shiying had vanished like a wisp of smoke.
Liang Qi poked his head in the doorway. “What are you standing there spacing out for? Time for class.”
Fu Huan: “Yeah.”
Liang Qi was a chatterbox and never held back around Fu Huan. Walking downstairs, he started rattling off some industry news he’d just read. Getting no response, he noticed Fu Huan’s gaze fixed on a young man dressed in a white shirt and jeans, radiating youthful energy. Standing in front of the boy was a very pretty girl. They seemed to be exchanging WeChat contacts.
Liang Qi let out a sly chuckle. “That guy your type?”
Fu Huan gave him a look. “That’s Gu Shiying. He’s straight.”
Liang Qi: “Alright, fine. Still, his little hero moment made him pretty famous.”
Fu Huan: “I guess.”
Liang Qi: “He’s actually pretty handsome. You’ve never been tempted?”
Knowing Fu Huan’s tastes, Gu Shiying’s looks should’ve been exactly Fu Huan’s type.
Gu Shiying had a refined handsomeness—a gentle, approachable look overall. He had these almond-shaped eyes that seemed to smile when looking at people, easily drawing others in. The thing was, he never deliberately styled himself up. Unless you looked closely, it was easy to overlook his finer points.
Fu Huan didn’t engage with Liang Qi’s topic. Instead, his expression turned chilly. He walked right past Gu Shiying and that girl, heading toward the lecture building, his strides long and fast.
Gu Shiying was indeed being asked for his WeChat by an unfamiliar girl. But the girl wasn’t interested in romance—she wanted his help finding her lost cat.
After getting his mind-reading ability, Gu Shiying hadn’t just tested it on classmates; he’d also tried it on cats and dogs. And he’d discovered he could even hear the inner thoughts of small animals.
Half a month earlier, near the school canteen, he’d found a myna whose flight feathers had been clipped by someone. The little myna was very friendly, waddling around at his feet, even trying to follow him back to his dorm.
He’d tried making contact with the myna and heard its inner voice.
The thoughts of small animals weren’t as clear as humans’, but the repeated content was enough for him to help the myna get home.
Using the clues from the little myna’s thoughts, he’d posted on the school forum. Within an hour, the myna’s owner had found him.
The girl standing before him now was a junior.
She’d just told Gu Shiying that her cat had slipped out of the dorm two days ago. She’d tried everything but couldn’t find it. Even her forum post had no responses.
Gu Shiying: “I can’t guarantee I’ll find your pet.”
The Senior Sister: “It’s totally fine if you can’t find her! I just… I have to try every last possibility. I’m so worried she’s having a hard time out there, afraid she’s being bullied by stray cats. Junior, I’m happy to pay you for your trouble. Really, thank you so much.”
Gu Shiying: “Alright, I’ll give it a shot. But I have class now. We’ll have to wait until after class.”
The Senior Sister thanked him repeatedly: “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”
After they added each other on WeChat, Gu Shiying ran off to class.
He didn’t mention the cat search to Zhang Zhi, because Zhang Zhi was completely distracted throughout the entire first afternoon class.
Gu Shiying, as his friend, naturally had to check in. “What’s wrong?”
Zhang Zhi: “She refused my milk tea.”
Gu Shiying: “She likes someone else. Isn’t it normal she’d refuse your milk tea? It’s not like this is new information.”
Zhang Zhi looked like he was about to cry but couldn’t. “I saw her carrying milk tea upstairs. It looked like she was delivering it to someone. I’ve never even had milk tea sent by her!”
Hearing this, Gu Shiying conceded, this really was a blow. “So… maybe just let it go? Save the milk tea money.”
Zhang Zhi: “I’ve been dumped.”
Gu Shiying: “You were never together.”
This only made Zhang Zhi sadder. He hadn’t even gotten to date her!
Gu Shiying was about to ask if Zhang Zhi wanted to join him on the cat hunt, when Second Brother Jiang from Dorm 701 nearby chimed in: “There’s a same-city exchange mixer tonight, province-only. You going?”
Second Brother Jiang and Zhang Zhi were from the same city.
Zhang Zhi’s interest sparked instantly. In a split second, he snapped out of his heartbreak: “I’m there!”
And Gu Shiying, who’d been hoping to help his buddy get over it, was left hanging: “…”
Fine. Looks like he was on his own for the cat search tonight.
After class, Gu Shiying received several messages from the Senior Sister with photos of the missing cat. It was a spayed Silver Gradual layer, with heavier grey markings. The grey fur on its head formed a distinctive diamond shape—an easy cat to recognize. Its name was Youtiao.
Gu Shiying asked the Senior Sister for a towel carrying Youtiao’s scent. She delivered it directly to him at the canteen.
After dinner, Gu Shiying set off with the towel.
The Senior Sister asked him: “Will this really work? I even took the towel to find Senior Daju, but she didn’t respond to me at all.”
Senior Daju was their school cat, cherished and looked after by the entire student body and faculty. She even had her own video social media account, with a hundred thousand followers.
Gu Shiying: “My method might be a little different.”
The Senior Sister: “Should I come with you to search?”
Gu Shiying: “I’ll be faster on my bike. Let me try first. Do you have any cat treats with you?”
The Senior Sister: “Yes, here, take them all.”
With the towel and cat treats, Gu Shiying biked off to find Senior Daju. He located her sprawled on a long bench in the school Pavilion.
Senior Daju was very friendly. After countless pets from students, she’d just wiggle her increasingly rotund body a bit when humans came near.
He gave her a good, satisfying petting session, then touched her pink paw pads. Daju purred blissfully, sounding like a motorboat.
【Chicken freeze-dried treats.】
【Chicken freeze-dried treats.】
【Chicken freeze-dried treats.】
He rummaged through the snacks. There was a pack of chicken freeze-dried treats. He fed one to Daju, then put Youtiao’s towel under Daju’s nose. “Daju, have you seen a cat with this scent?”
【The scent of my kind.】
Gu Shiying waggled the chicken treats. “Find this kindred spirit, and this whole pack of chicken treats is yours.”
Daju lazily got up and stretched, glanced back at Gu Shiying once, then began trotting forward.
Daju was a cat. She wouldn’t stick to proper paths, only darting through the greenbelts. It was getting dark now. At times, Gu Shiying couldn’t even see her silhouette. Luckily, Daju was clever and would wait for him.
Gu Shiying chased after Daju all the way to the greenbelt outside the school’s outdoor basketball courts.
From within the bushes, he heard a weak meow. It was so faint, he wouldn’t have heard it unless he’d been listening carefully.
The school’s streetlights weren’t bright enough here. All the basketball court lights were focused on the court itself. Gu Shiying had no choice but to turn on his phone’s flashlight and get down on the ground to start searching.
“Youtiao? Is that you?”
In the undergrowth, he spotted a grey-and-white cat. It looked like Youtiao, but the cat wasn’t moving.
Gu Shiying wanted to crawl into the bush, but his arm still wasn’t fully healed. He could only reach in with his left hand.
The school’s greenbelts were lush and dense. Lying flat on the ground, Gu Shiying strained to reach in, but no matter how far he stretched, he couldn’t touch the cat. The further his hand went, the more the frightened cat shrank back against the protective wire mesh.
Suddenly, someone yanked his shirt from behind, scaring him so badly he shot upright. Looking up, he saw Fu Huan in basketball gear crouched right next to him, staring down at him.
Fu Huan: “What are you doing with your butt stuck up in the air?”
“I’m looking for—ow, ow…” Gu Shiying hadn’t knelt properly and suddenly tilted sideways toward the bushes. Fu Huan’s long arm shot out and caught him by the small of his exposed waist.
The scorching heat from Fu Huan’s fingertips nearly seared Gu Shiying’s skin.
【His butt is surprisingly perky.】
Gu Shiying: “…”
