Hope You've Been Well

别来无恙

hope-youve-been-well

A Distant Relative is Truly Not as Good as a Close Neighbor

Zhuang Fanxin was exhausted. Luckily, he had no class tomorrow and could sleep in. At night, he was curled up under the covers playing on his phone. He had just added Gu Zhuoyan as a contact and was now engrossed in Gu Zhuoyan's feed.


 He had originally opened it casually, just to take a quick look, but unexpectedly, he couldn't pull himself away. The bedroom was pitch-black, with only the light from his phone screen illuminating it, as Zhuang Fanxin's index fingertip tapped and swiped nonstop.


 "Wow..." He tapped open a photo and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.


 If he wasn't mistaken, the photo was of some castle in the South of France, famous for its beautiful gardens. Zhao Jianqiu had once gone there for a designer conference. Zhuang Fanxin thought for a moment but really couldn't remember the castle's specific name. By the time he opened the next picture, the location had already shifted from the South of France to South America.


 Gu Zhuoyan's footprints were all over the globe. After scrolling through everything, it was as if Zhuang Fanxin had traveled the world from under his covers.


 Besides travel photos, Gu Zhuoyan also had many photos from his daily life: playing sports, playing the guitar, and there were also some photos of Gu Baoyan interspersed among them. Zhuang Fanxin was quite surprised; he hadn't expected Gu Zhuoyan to be someone who enjoyed sharing his life.


 Gradually scrolling to last year's posts, Zhuang Fanxin noticed three faces that appeared repeatedly; they were probably Gu Zhuoyan's good friends. One photo among them was the best: four boys dressed in equestrian outfits, all smiling at the camera together from horseback.


 He couldn't help but recall that from the moment Gu Zhuoyan had appeared, getting out of the SUV, to when he turned away after returning the test paper tonight, he didn't seem to have ever truly smiled. As shown in the photo, with a few teeth showing and his deep-set eyes curved slightly, you could feel the vibrant energy of youth even through the screen.


 Zhuang Fanxin shook his head regretfully, wondering when this new neighbor would cheer up and show such a smile again.


 Continuing to scroll down, whether it was exotic scenery or daily life, Zhuang Fanxin was interested in every photo. However, Gu Zhuoyan only posted one picture each time, as if merely to state where he had been and what he had done, sharing a bit stingily.


 Suddenly, he came across the only set of photos—there were four in total.


 Zhuang Fanxin tapped them open. In the photos were two people in fencing suits, and judging by the environment, it seemed they were in a competition.


 The pure white fencing suits were sharp and form-fitting, revealing the body's silhouette completely. Zhuang Fanxin's gaze was drawn to the person on the right. That person was slightly taller, with broad shoulders and long legs. With a physique like that, it wouldn't matter even if his looks were just average.


 After admiring the first one, he swiped to the next. In the second photo, the tips of the swords were a blur; the two had their knees slightly bent, in positions of offense and defense. The match must have been very intense when the photo was taken. By the third picture, the victor had been decided. The taller one held his sword in a controlling position, and behind him, you could see the audience standing and cheering.


 Zhuang Fanxin swiped to the last photo, and his breath hitched.


 This was a solo shot. Gu Zhuoyan was in the white fencing suit, holding his sword in one hand and his removed helmet in the other, his whole posture that of a relaxed yet upright victor. He was walking toward and looking at the camera. Unlike the one on horseback, his smile at this moment was calm and reserved—the contentment that comes after a surefire victory.


 Zhuang Fanxin slowly exhaled and sighed, "So handsome..."


 Before he knew it, it was already past midnight. Zhuang Fanxin gradually finished looking through all the photos on Gu Zhuoyan's feed. He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, feeling like a bit of a pervert.


 He slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking up. Zhuang Xianyang and Zhao Jianqiu had both gone to work, so there was no one and no food at home.


 Zhuang Fanxin nibbled on a piece of toast to fill his stomach. He was quite well-behaved, dutifully holing himself up in the study to do his homework. After finishing two chemistry worksheets, he moved to the massage chair to memorize his texts. After turning on the full-body massage, he was so comfortable that he started groaning for no reason after memorizing just the first paragraph.


 If it weren't for a sudden, urgent honk from outside, Zhuang Fanxin would have almost fallen asleep. He went to the terrace to look and saw a small truck drive up to the Xue Family's entrance. When the main gate opened, the German Shepherd took the opportunity to run out.


 Zhuang Fanxin hurried downstairs and stopped the unruly dog in front of his house. He looked towards the end of the lane but didn't see the unruly dog's owner.


 Having no other choice, he had to take the German Shepherd back. He went up to the second floor and saw Gu Zhuoyan sitting on the living room sofa while Gu Baoyan was bent over the coffee table, drawing. The dog had run out, yet this pair of siblings was here, enjoying a moment of peace and quiet.


 Gu Zhuoyan heard him and looked over, saying without much enthusiasm, "Sit wherever."


 Zhuang Fanxin said, "If you don't like this dog, why not sell it to me?"


 Gu Zhuoyan was very generous: "I'll even give you two thousand. Just take my sister away too."


 Gu Baoyan suddenly lifted her face. "I have no objections."


 Zhuang Fanxin truly couldn't get mad. He even snorted with suppressed laughter. He walked over and sat on a small stool in front of the sofa, facing the other boy, one sitting high and the other low.


 A truck was parked downstairs, and there were sounds of construction coming from the bedroom. He asked, "What's going on?"


 Gu Zhuoyan said, "Renovations."


 'They're pretty fast.' Zhuang Fanxin felt a sense of accomplishment and looked forward to seeing what the room would look like after the changes. Lowering his head slightly, he glimpsed a box by his feet and asked, "What's this?"


 Gu Zhuoyan sliced open the packing tape and pulled a black guitar out of the package. Zhuang Fanxin found it familiar and blurted out, "Is that the one from the photo in your feed?"


 Gu Zhuoyan looked up. "You saw it?"


 Zhuang Fanxin smiled sheepishly and admitted, "Actually, last night I was looking at your feed... I didn't get to sleep until after midnight."


 Gu Zhuoyan was a little surprised. He lightly strummed a string and said, "They're just some photos, nothing much to look at."


 His tone didn't sound like he was showing off; on the contrary, it held a precious air of disdain for such things. Zhuang Fanxin was the one who truly disliked posting on a feed, so he questioned, "If you don't like it, then why do you post them?"


 "I know," Gu Baoyan piped up. "Big brother posts them for our grandpa to see."


 Xue Maochen lived alone and loved his freedom, but he also missed his grandson and granddaughter. Gu Zhuoyan had no interest in taking pictures wherever he went; it was only to relieve the old man's longing, so he could always know how they were doing.


 Zhuang Fanxin hadn't expected that to be the reason and said, moved, "Rong City has many beautiful sights too. Now that you're living with Grandpa Xue, you can take pictures to send to your parents."


 Gu Zhuoyan lowered his eyes. "No need."


 The coldness in that instant was impossible to hide. Zhuang Fanxin was slightly taken aback, then tactfully changed the subject. "It's fine not to take any. I don't like taking pictures either," he said, trying to smooth things over. "But it's good to look around. Since you're already here, right?"


 Gu Zhuoyan looked down and strummed the strings, unmoved.


 Zhuang Fanxin quickly tapped Gu Zhuoyan's knee and coaxed, "Don't be unhappy. How about you play a song for me?"


 Gu Zhuoyan, however, mistook it for Zhuang Fanxin acting cute. 'Fine, I'll play then.' He tuned the strings, took a pick, and started playing. After a short segment, he noticed the emotion in Zhuang Fanxin's eyes.


 He asked, "You like it?"


 Zhuang Fanxin nodded with longing. His family's artistic talents were all in fine arts; they were somewhat congenitally deficient when it came to music. Since he was little, he had always envied people who could sing well or were good at playing instruments.


 Tempted, he asked, "Is the guitar hard to learn?"


 Gu Zhuoyan said, "If you're smart, nothing in the world is hard to learn."


 Zhuang Fanxin stammered, "A lot of people have called me smart since I was a kid..."


 This was his roundabout way of asking to try. Gu Zhuoyan didn't consider himself a hard-hearted person. If the dog wanted a bone or his sister wanted snacks, he would basically satisfy them. Now, Zhuang Fanxin was eagerly looking at him, wanting to play the guitar. He tilted his head. "Come over and try."


 Zhuang Fanxin was a little shocked. He and Gu Zhuoyan weren't familiar at all; their knowledge of each other was limited to just their names and genders—they probably didn't even know each other's ethnicity. Besides, Gu Zhuoyan was the type who would only reply when yelled at. He never expected him to proactively offer to teach him guitar.


 He sat down next to Gu Zhuoyan. They had to sit close, and their hands touching the strings were also close. He strummed a few times without any rhythm, then Gu Zhuoyan positioned his fingers, leading him like a marionette.


 After haltingly playing half a song, Gu Zhuoyan finally understood why music teachers charged so much. He was exhausted. He turned his head and asked, "Had enough fun?"


 Zhuang Fanxin replied, "Mhm, I'm satisfied."


 He enunciated the words heavily, sounding especially sincere. After replying, he kept staring into the other's eyes. Through those eyes, the photos he had seen last night flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.


 He said, "I also want to learn how to ride a horse."


 Gu Zhuoyan was a little speechless. "Go ask your dad."


 Zhuang Fanxin said, "I also want to learn fencing."


 'Give this guy an inch and he takes a mile.' Gu Zhuoyan silently glanced at the German Shepherd at his feet, thinking, 'This is all your fault.' But he still had to maintain his politeness and composure. He gave a perfunctory reply, "Is there anything else you'd like? Please, don't be shy."


 Zhuang Fanxin paused. "I also want to see you smile."


 Gu Zhuoyan froze, unsure what expression to make for a moment. He turned his head to the other side, pretending not to have heard. Zhuang Fanxin saw Gu Zhuoyan's awkwardness and, fearing he had offended him, quietly scooted to the other end of the sofa.


 He changed the subject, saying, "...Actually, what I most want to see is what your little sister is drawing."


 Zhuang Fanxin leaned over the coffee table to watch Gu Baoyan draw and didn't look up for a long while. He had originally intended to use the kid to defuse the awkwardness, but in a daze, he ended up drawing along with her.


 There were over a hundred watercolor pens. Gu Baoyan disliked the black one the most, so Zhuang Fanxin used it to doodle. His technique was extremely skilled; he finished a drawing in just a few minutes and then, out of habit, wrote his name at the bottom of the page.


 Gu Baoyan asked, "Brother, when did you start learning to draw?"


 Zhuang Fanxin answered, "When I was three."


 Gu Baoyan said regretfully, "Then it's too late for me."


 Zhuang Fanxin encouraged the little sister for a bit, then remembered he still hadn't memorized his texts. So he stood up and promptly left.


 After the footsteps faded, Gu Zhuoyan realized Zhuang Fanxin hadn't taken his drawing. He picked it up and saw that it was a drawing of a pair of hands with well-defined knuckles. The lines of the left hand were bold and sharp, while the right hand's were soft and natural. Under the palms ran six extremely fine lines—the six strings of a guitar.


 Gu Zhuoyan took the drawing and walked out onto the balcony. Looking down, he saw Zhuang Fanxin's figure walking away. He took out his phone and dialed. Zhuang Fanxin stopped in his tracks and looked back up, then answered the call.


 "You didn't take your drawing."


 Zhuang Fanxin said, "It's a gift for you."


 Gu Zhuoyan asked, "Why are the two hands different?"


 Zhuang Fanxin turned back around, showing his back to the other. He said as he walked, "The left hand is the present, and the right hand is the future. You're not very happy at the moment. I hope you'll be happy in the future."


 As if struck, Gu Zhuoyan asked, "What do you mean?"


 "I don't know why you came to Rong City, but I hope you can come to like it here," Zhuang Fanxin said very gently. "Right now, your hands hold a dog leash and play the guitar. Maybe in the not-too-distant future, you'll be able to put an arm around a friend's shoulder here, or even hold the hand of someone you like."


 Gu Zhuoyan's heart stirred. He quietly gazed at the back of Zhuang Fanxin's head. He had to admit that people in the arts were indeed more romantic, and he also had to admit that at this moment, he found Rong City very beautiful.


 A few seconds passed. He spoke, "Neighbor, turn your head again."


 Zhuang Fanxin stopped again and looked back at the balcony. He saw a smile slowly spread across Gu Zhuoyan's face. Although he wasn't showing his teeth, it was a genuine smile.


 He smiled too, his lowered hand lightly brushing against his pants pocket.


 'Why is it so flat?'


 "Neighbor, stop smiling," Zhuang Fanxin said. "...I didn't bring my keys."


 This time, Gu Zhuoyan smiled, showing his teeth, and said in a pleasant voice, "Then come on up. We can continue playing."

Hope You've Been Well

Hope You've Been Well

Chapter 3 - A Distant Relative is Truly Not as Good as a Close Neighbor

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