Zhuang Fanxin was stunned. 'Could it be that Gu Zhuoyan was just trying to cheer him up?'

The bell for the end of class rang. The surrounding students packed their bags and left the classroom. He put his phone away and secretly glanced back. Gu Zhuoyan had just put down his pen and was slowly folding his test paper, seemingly in no hurry to leave.

Zhuang Fanxin also slowed his movements, only getting up with his schoolbag on his back after most people had left the classroom. He lingered by Gu Zhuoyan's desk, reaching out to fiddle with the screw cap on the corner of the desk. Unable to move it, he asked, "Were the cookies good?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "Don't buy them next time. They're sickeningly sweet."

"Oh," Zhuang Fanxin responded, the message still on his mind. "During study hall, were you trying to cheer me up?"

Gu Zhuoyan stood up, pushed his chair in, and without a word, grabbed his schoolbag and walked out. He didn't want to answer Zhuang Fanxin's question. Even though Zhuang Fanxin would be moved by the answer, right now, he was being stubborn about his pride.

Zhuang Fanxin hurried to catch up. The other guy, over 1.8 meters tall, strode with his long legs, while he, with his falsely reported 1.75 meters, had to scramble to keep up. He caught up in the hallway and reported in a fawning manner, "I'm happy now!"

Gu Zhuoyan said stubbornly, "It has nothing to do with me."

Zhuang Fanxin said, "It does!" Turning down the stairs, he chased after him. "Rainy Alley is a text from the first year of high school. You made a fool of yourself just to cheer me up. How could you—"

Before he could finish chattering, Gu Zhuoyan stopped short, turned around, and halted on the steps. Caught off guard, Zhuang Fanxin reached out to steady himself on Gu Zhuoyan's shoulder and slowly finished his sentence, "How could you be so good to me?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "I'm not good at all." He looked at Zhuang Fanxin quietly. "Actually, I saw Teacher Xia when he entered the classroom."

He was confessing, admitting that it was because he hadn't warned him that Zhuang Fanxin's tattoo was discovered, leading to him being scolded in public. He indeed had no obligation to warn him, but among classmates, this was a kind of unspoken, spiritual agreement called "loyalty."

Zhuang Fanxin clearly hadn't expected this. "Why?" he asked.

Gu Zhuoyan answered truthfully, "I didn't want you showing off like a peacock for others to see."

Zhuang Fanxin was even more hesitant. He asked again, "Why?"

Gu Zhuoyan blurted it all out, "I don't know why. Anyway, I was unhappy when I saw you unbuttoning your shirt. Pulling down your collar made me even more uncomfortable. And you baring your shoulder for others to take turns looking at, with some meddlers even reaching out to touch it. I saw it and I wasn't happy, very unhappy."

Once he started, he couldn't stop. He grabbed the wrist of the hand Zhuang Fanxin had placed on his shoulder and scolded Zhuang Fanxin along with everything else, "You just can't keep it under wraps? You get a tiny heart tattooed and you have to show it to this person and that person. If you'd gotten a green dragon or a white tiger tattooed, would you be wandering the streets shirtless all day? Do you feel bad if you don't show off?"

Zhuang Fanxin was stunned by the scolding and said aggrievedly, "Because no one else has one... I was just a little proud."

"What are you proud of?" Gu Zhuoyan was furious. "You're not proud of a cabinet full of trophies, you're not proud of getting a perfect score in English, but you get a non-mainstream heart tattooed with a few simple strokes and you're proud of that?"

Zhuang Fanxin's eyes widened. "You're the non-mainstream one!"

Gu Zhuoyan's rationality returned slightly. He let go of his hand and let out a particularly frustrated breath. He could have not confessed. Making a fool of himself to cheer Zhuang Fanxin up could have even moved him. How did he lose control and make it like this?

In order not to let the favorability score drop too much, after baring his heart, Gu Zhuoyan tried to salvage the situation, saying against his conscience, "Mainstream aesthetics aren't necessarily superior, and non-mainstream isn't necessarily ugly, right?"

Zhuang Fanxin asked, "Then what counts as a mainstream tattoo?"

Gu Zhuoyan thought for a moment. "Serve the country with utmost loyalty."

Zhuang Fanxin snorted with laughter. In that case, he'd rather choose non-mainstream. The two of them lingered on the stairs for a long time before jogging out of the school. Zhuang Xianyang was already waiting impatiently by the side of the street.

On the way home, they still sat in the back seat. Zhuang Fanxin stared silently at the windshield, still not quite understanding Gu Zhuoyan's words. Why was Gu Zhuoyan unhappy that he was showing off like a peacock?

On second thought, Gu Zhuoyan came from a superior family background and had more things than others since he was a child, but this tattoo was something he had, and Gu Zhuoyan didn't.

Zhuang Fanxin had a sudden epiphany. He leaned over and whispered, "Are you jealous that I have a tattoo?"

Gu Zhuoyan had a "what the hell" expression on his face. He was scared now, defeated. "Let's just say I am."

Zhuang Fanxin became proud again. As he reveled in his pride, he promised, "I'll take you to get one another day. It doesn't hurt."

Gu Zhuoyan gave a vague "en" and felt a bit of a headache. Zhuang Fanxin's mood brightened. He hadn't eaten during the break and now his stomach was rumbling with hunger.

He asked, "Dad, what's for dinner?"

Zhuang Xianyang looked at the wind and rain outside, felt the chill, and said, "How about we have beef hot pot at home?"

Zhuang Fanxin approved with both hands. He called home to ask what ingredients they needed to buy so they could stop by the supermarket on the way. Zhuang Xianyang glanced at Gu Zhuoyan in the rearview mirror and took the initiative to ask, "Xiao Gu, have you had the hot pot here? It's not spicy."

Gu Zhuoyan replied, "Not yet."

Zhuang Xianyang invited him, "Then come to our house for dinner. Give it a try today."

"Thank you, Uncle, but I'll eat at home." Gu Zhuoyan politely refused. Bumming a ride and then a meal, he wasn't raised that way. But Zhuang Fanxin leaned over and nudged him, saying, "Come on, I happen to have a question I want to ask you."

Gu Zhuoyan couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. He only knew that it was dim inside the narrow car, and the flashing neon lights shone in, illuminating Zhuang Fanxin's face as he looked at him with expectant eyes.

His heart began to beat uncontrollably fast again, the thumps traveling through his bones to his ears. He was afraid Zhuang Fanxin would hear it too, so he changed his mind and agreed.

Halfway there, the rain stopped. Not far from their home was a large supermarket where they needed to buy a few things. To save time, Gu Zhuoyan and Zhuang Fanxin went to the supermarket to shop, while Zhuang Xianyang went home first with Zhao Jianqiu to prepare the hot pot.

The two of them strolled along with a shopping cart, heading straight for the refrigerated section. Zhuang Fanxin expertly selected different cuts of beef from the display case. Gu Zhuoyan waited to the side with the cart, and out of boredom, he saw a man and a woman, arm in arm, discussing which kind of steak to get.

The girl acted cute while the boy coaxed her; they were being very lovey-dovey even in public.

He secretly sighed at the unfairness. 'Life is so much easier for heterosexuals.'

Zhuang Fanxin placed a few boxes of beef into the shopping cart, and when he looked up, he noticed Gu Zhuoyan was distracted. Following his gaze, he also saw the clingy young couple.

He understood at once. 'Gu Zhuoyan must be missing his ex-girlfriend.'

Zhuang Fanxin didn't know how to comfort him and was afraid he would say the wrong thing, so he walked closer and gently put his arm around Gu Zhuoyan's waist. Gu Zhuoyan stiffened slightly. The heterosexual couple had already given him goosebumps, why was this clueless guy adding to the chaos?

He turned his head to look at Zhuang Fanxin and asked quizzically, "What's up?"

Zhuang Fanxin rubbed his back. "Let's go over there and buy some meatballs."

The two were very close. To be precise, Gu Zhuoyan was being held by Zhuang Fanxin. A 1.84-meter-tall person being walked around with an arm around him by someone who was a falsely reported 1.75 meters tall—it would be strange if he wasn't uncomfortable. Gu Zhuoyan raised his arm and put it around Zhuang Fanxin's shoulder, turning the tables, and with a slight turn of his body, it was as if he was holding Zhuang Fanxin in his arms.

There were many types of meatballs. The salesclerk had just cooked a plateful and was enthusiastically inviting customers to have a taste. That young couple from before came over again. The boy speared a fish ball with a toothpick, blew on it, and fed it to the girl to try.

Gu Zhuoyan glanced over, thinking to himself, 'Will you two ever stop?'

Zhuang Fanxin was the oriole watching from behind. He saw Gu Zhuoyan's expression clearly. He guessed that maybe Gu Zhuoyan used to shop in the supermarket with his girlfriend like this, with the sweetness of feeding each other.

He looked up and said in a low voice, "Don't look at them anymore."

Gu Zhuoyan thought his staring was too obvious, so he lowered his eyes.

Zhuang Fanxin remembered the instructions Su Wang and the others had given him at the airport: spend more time with Gu Zhuoyan, that in Rong City, Gu Zhuoyan was depending on him. Since he had promised, he couldn't let them down. He said, "You still have me."

Gu Zhuoyan's heart tightened. 'What does Zhuang Fanxin mean?' However, before he could ask, Zhuang Fanxin had already speared a fish ball and held it to his lips, as if imitating a boyfriend feeding his girlfriend.

Gu Zhuoyan's heart hammered like a drum as he bit into the fish ball. He lowered his head, then raised his eyes, meeting Zhuang Fanxin's gentle and affectionate gaze. He was instantly bewildered. The hug just now, the feeding at this moment, and that ambiguous sentence—was Zhuang Fanxin trying to hint at something?

Knowing that he's gay, he should know that excessive intimacy would make someone overthink.

Gu Zhuoyan was already uncontrollably overthinking. He forced himself to suppress his emotions and continued shopping. They bought some vegetables and snacks, then paid and left. Treading through deep and shallow puddles all the way back to the Zhuang Family's home, the soup pot on the dining table was steaming.

Zhuang Xianyang and Zhao Jianqiu were busy in the kitchen. Zhuang Fanxin had Gu Zhuoyan wash his hands and take a seat, and mixed a dipping sauce while they waited. As the broth gradually came to a boil and all the ingredients were prepared, it was time to eat.

The atmosphere was different with parents around. Zhuang Xianyang said, "Fanxin, you need to entertain your guest."

Zhuang Fanxin knew. After the first slice of beef tongue was cooked, he picked it up and gave it to Gu Zhuoyan. It was Gu Zhuoyan's first time eating this kind of hot pot. The broth was light and clear, but it was unexpectedly delicious and fresh.

Zhao Jianqiu asked, "Xiao Gu, what do your parents do?"

Parents all loved to ask these kinds of questions. Zhuang Fanxin focused on eating his own food, paying no mind. Gu Zhuoyan answered, "My parents work together in real estate."

He answered vaguely, and Zhao Jianqiu didn't press further. She turned to another topic of concern, "Xiao Gu, I think your name sounds very nice. Zhuoyan. Usually, parents hope their children will be eloquent. Is there a meaning behind your name?"

Zhuang Fanxin looked up from his bowl, blinking his big eyes as he listened in. He was also a bit curious. Gu Zhuoyan chuckled. "My maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather chose my name together."

"Really?" Zhuang Xianyang said. "I heard Uncle Xue used to be a prominent lawyer. Why would he choose the name 'Zhuoyan'?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "My maternal grandfather is a lawyer, and my paternal grandfather was a diplomat who spoke four languages. Both of them spent half their lives dealing with people using their words. They said the more articulate a person is, the more tricks and traps they encounter, so they named me 'Zhuoyan'."

Zhao Jianqiu nodded. The two casual questions she asked, after hearing the answers, told her that Gu Zhuoyan's family likely belonged to the upper echelons of the pyramid. And a family like that, which enjoyed the best resources in life and education, why would they bear to send their child to another city alone?

She asked curiously, "Why did you transfer schools?"

Zhuang Fanxin suddenly huffed, like a referee calling a timeout. "Mom, you keep asking questions. Are you going to let him eat or not?"

Zhao Jianqiu sensed something was up and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry, Auntie was being too abrupt." She served Gu Zhuoyan some food. "Eat more, try the Ribeye."

Gu Zhuoyan had a very pleasant meal. Zhuang Xianyang and Zhao Jianqiu were both kind people, who knew their limits but didn't put on parental airs. They could talk about anything, and he gradually understood why Zhuang Fanxin's personality was so likable.

"Oh, right!" Zhuang Fanxin said suddenly. "My tattoo was discovered by the teacher, and I got scolded today."

Zhuang Xianyang gloated, "They could discover it on your shoulder? Next time, get it tattooed on your butt cheek."

Zhuang Fanxin asked, "Then would you say getting a tattoo is a mistake?"

"I don't think so," Zhuang Xianyang replied. "You have the right to do what you want with your own body. A tattoo doesn't hurt anyone else, so it's not a mistake."

Zhuang Fanxin thought for a moment. "I want to exercise my right to get more allowance money. Is that feasible?"

"Not feasible," Zhao Jianqiu said. "That would hurt your dad and me."

Gu Zhuoyan listened and laughed. From the serious and harmonious topics at the beginning to the witty banter later on, he enjoyed listening to it all. After the full meal, it was getting late. He said his thanks and headed home, but not before Zhao Jianqiu stuffed a jar of her homemade peanut sauce into his hands.

The beef hot pot was very light. After returning home, Gu Zhuoyan wasn't in a hurry to shower and went to the terrace to enjoy the post-rain breeze. He hadn't been enjoying the peace for long when his phone started buzzing continuously. Lian Yiming and those other two brats were popping up in the chat.

Gu Zhuoyan lay in the rocking chair and scrolled through the chat. School had just started a few days ago, and the three of them were discussing how to spend National Day. Ten minutes later, the discussion fell apart. No one was willing to compromise, so they were at a stalemate.

After a while, it was Su Wang, with his high EQ, who changed the subject, "Zhuoyan, how have you been lately?"

Gu Zhuoyan replied, "Pretty good."

Lian Yiming asked, "Our grandpa and our little sister are also doing well?"

Gu Zhuoyan: "They're all doing well."

Lu Wen: "Our neighbor is also doing well?"

The conversation always managed to get sidetracked. Gu Zhuoyan didn't respond, but his silence was taken as a sign of guilt, and the three of them took the opportunity to wildly compose a "Golden Autumn Love Song."

Gu Zhuoyan stared at the scrolling screen, his mind replaying the scene from the supermarket: Zhuang Fanxin putting an arm around his waist, or being obediently held by him, feeding him a fish ball, looking up at him and saying gently, "You still have me."

'Even a considerate little lover wouldn't be like this.'

He didn't understand then, but now he seemed to.

Zhuang Fanxin had copied the couple's behavior towards him because he was afraid Gu Zhuoyan would feel down, afraid he would feel burdened by his own orientation. And for Zhuang Fanxin, knowing he was gay, to engage in physical contact and communicate in such a way, was undoubtedly an indication that he was willing to have that kind of intimate relationship with him.

In other words, the favorability score was maxed out!

Gu Zhuoyan analyzed it systematically, reasoning and verifying. Just then, a cool breeze blew, bringing him a moment of sudden clarity. He confidently and assuredly came to a conclusion—

Zhuang Fanxin was interested in him!

And he... had probably, truly, developed feelings as well.