Zhuang Xianyang went to the study to find some materials. When he reached the entrance, he heard the non-stop sound of a phone's notification tones coming from inside, it was quite lively. He decided not to knock and pushed the door open directly, catching Zhuang Fanxin in the act.

Zhuang Fanxin shuddered in fright, quickly covering the phone on his desk with a book, and asked with a smile, "Dad, are you looking for a book?"

Zhuang Xianyang said, "Stop pretending, I could hear it clearly from outside the door." He walked to the desk and glanced at him, still not giving him a pleasant look. "So you've recovered from your illness, yet you're not even serious about doing your homework."

After two days of IV drips, Zhuang Fanxin had recovered his spirits. He argued craftily, "I'm writing with all my might, I'm not slacking off." But he lacked confidence, his voice trailing off as he spoke. Being thin, he seemed to shrink in the large leather chair, his presence diminishing.

Zhuang Xianyang said, "Summer vacation is almost over, you'd better not take it so easy."

Zhuang Fanxin nodded repeatedly, bending over the desk and pretending to do his homework. As soon as Zhuang Xianyang found his materials and left the study, he immediately pulled out his phone. In just a few short minutes, his messages had exploded, with over two hundred unread notifications.

Once summer vacation started, Zhuang Fanxin had been rushing between the art studio and cram school, so he hadn't really rested at all. In the classmate group chats, he was practically a missing person. If not for everyone's insistent calls, he would have stayed silent until school started.

The main class group chat had teachers and girls in it, but this was a pure boys' group. After finishing reading the nearly two hundred messages, he sent one: "Have you guys finished your homework?"

His deskmate Qi Nan: "That came out of nowhere. I thought the class teacher had joined the chat."

Zhuang Fanxin: "I've finished my chemistry homework, do you want it?"

Qi Nan: "I've finished chemistry too. Are you done with math?"

Zhuang Fanxin: "Working on it, ugh."

Everyone started clamoring, 'you want chemistry, I want biology,' like it was a second-hand trading group. As per the old rules, the Class Monitor stepped up to make a decision: meet at Creative Park No. 3 Cafe in the afternoon to rush their homework together.

Zhuang Fanxin flipped through his math worksheets. They were almost done, with only a few difficult problems he had circled left blank. He thought, 'A group of people chattering away would just be a waste of time. It would be better to find a good teacher to help me solve these difficult problems.'

He steeled himself and replied amidst a chorus of agreement: "My fever just broke, so I won't be going."

"For real?" The Class Monitor didn't believe him. "Start a video call. Look me in the eyes and say it again."

Zhuang Fanxin replied: "Qi Nan knows."

Qi Nan reacted lightning-fast: "Right, he got heatstroke while sketching on Gulangyu Island."

Gulangyu Island, what a great excuse. Zhuang Fanxin managed to bluff his way through. Afterward, he made a deal with Qi Nan in a private chat: he would lend him his math homework after finishing it, and they would meet at the small intersection in the afternoon.

After chatting nonsense for a while longer, Zhuang Fanxin put down his phone and went through the blank questions from the beginning. He solved some of them, but a few remained that he really couldn't figure out. He carried his worksheets to look for his free tutor, a.k.a. Gu Zhuoyan. After the full-score incident and that afternoon of tutoring, he had developed a bit of respect for him.

He turned out of his house and headed straight for the Xue Family's house at the end of the alley. The first person Zhuang Fanxin saw upon entering was Gu Baoyan, who was engrossed in taking pictures with a camera in her hands. Seeing him, she called out enthusiastically, "Brother, I've been watering the flowers every day, come and see!"

Zhuang Fanxin walked over. One of the pots was nearly drowned. He was too embarrassed to say so directly and asked, "Little sister, why is your hair all messy?"

Gu Baoyan hadn't had a nice hairstyle since coming to Rong City; she looked like a rock star. Zhuang Fanxin glanced towards the house and asked again, "Is your brother home?"

"No." Gu Baoyan replied, "When I woke up, Grandpa and my brother were both gone."

Since Gu Zhuoyan wasn't home anyway, Zhuang Fanxin played with Gu Baoyan. He took photos of her, and after they were done in the garden, they went to the small path outside. A German Shepherd stood majestically under a banyan tree, and he seized the opportunity to press the shutter.

Sister Hu came out of the house, "Don't get heatstroke again. Come inside and have some fruit."

The lychees were cold and sweet. Zhuang Fanxin ate them one by one, then realized half an hour had passed. He asked, "Sister Hu, where did Grandpa Xue and Gu Zhuoyan go?"

Sister Hu said, "They went to the hospital for a check-up."

'Who goes to the hospital for no reason?' Zhuang Fanxin asked with concern, "Is Grandpa Xue not feeling well?"

Sister Hu said, "No, he took Zhuoyan for a check-up. He's been fasting all morning, hasn't even had a sip of water."

With a lychee pit in his mouth, Zhuang Fanxin paused. 'Gu Zhuoyan went to the hospital for a check-up? Could he be sick? That shouldn't be possible. He was fine just a few days ago, he even took care of me. How did he suddenly end up in the hospital?'

Besides, for a minor ailment, a trip to the clinic would suffice. Going to the hospital was a bit worrying.

Zhuang Fanxin lost his appetite. He also felt too embarrassed to ask for help with his homework anymore, and felt even more apologetic for troubling him the other day. There wasn't much he could do. As a gesture of apology, he combed Gu Baoyan's hair for her.

Zhuang Fanxin went home with his worksheets in his arms. As he walked out of the small building and down the steps, he vaguely heard the engine of an SUV. When he reached the main gate, he happened to see Gu Zhuoyan getting out of the car a few meters away, holding a hamburger.

Eating as he walked, Gu Zhuoyan caught sight of Zhuang Fanxin standing outside his gate and thought for a moment he'd gone to the wrong house. When he got closer, he swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "Looking for me?"

Zhuang Fanxin said earnestly, "You shouldn't eat that kind of non-nutritious food."

Gu Zhuoyan retorted, "The person who got potato chips all over the bed is lecturing me about nutrition?" His post-meal tone was languid, sounding a bit sharp. He then added lightly, "I didn't eat this morning, just grabbing a bite."

Zhuang Fanxin took half a step forward, his gaze fixed on Gu Zhuoyan's face. There were slight dark circles under his eyes, his jawline was sharp. 'Has he lost weight?' He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but right now, no matter how he looked at him, he felt that the other was unwell.

"Are you not feeling well?" he asked. Fearing their relationship hadn't progressed to that stage, he tactfully added, "If it's inconvenient to answer, just pretend I didn't ask."

Gu Zhuoyan was bewildered. "I feel fine."

It was really stuffy outside, and he didn't have the patience to keep standing at the gate. Glancing at the workbook in Zhuang Fanxin's arms, he roughly guessed the reason he was here. He started walking inside. "Let's go in, or you'll get heatstroke again."

Zhuang Fanxin stood rooted to the spot. "Bye-bye, you should get some rest then."

Gu Zhuoyan stopped and turned around, looking at Zhuang Fanxin strangely. He could feel that Zhuang Fanxin's gaze was filled with pity, just like the look in Gu Baoyan's eyes when she buried the little chick she had raised to its death.

"What's wrong with you?" He took a breath. "Or is something wrong with me?"

Zhuang Fanxin said, "Sister Hu said you went to the hospital for a check-up. Are you ill?"

"Being ill" and "being sick" sound a bit different. A cold or a fever is just being sick, nothing major, but "being ill" sounds like you've developed cancer cells. Gu Zhuoyan finally understood. So this was why he'd been stammering for so long. He said helplessly, "It was just a check-up. All my indicators are normal, I'm perfectly healthy."

Seeing that the guy was still standing there like a post, the heat mixed with his own impatience got to him. He raised his voice to explain, "It's a physical exam for transferring schools."

After a few seconds of delayed reaction, Zhuang Fanxin finally understood and let out a long sigh of relief. "You should have said so earlier." He ran up to Gu Zhuoyan and familiarly patted his shoulder. "Let's go do homework."

The two of them walked into the house side-by-side. As they went up the stairs, Gu Zhuoyan's head was lowered, and he naturally saw that Zhuang Fanxin was wearing the sneakers he had given him. He couldn't help but wonder, 'Zhuang Fanxin seems to care about me quite a bit. Is it because of these shoes?'

Gu Zhuoyan cut straight to the chase: "What if I really were sick?"

Zhuang Fanxin immediately replied, "Then you'd have to get treated."

"Duh, you think I don't know I'd have to get treated?" Gu Zhuoyan stressed, "I'm asking about you."

Zhuang Fanxin thought for a moment. "I'd shave my head with you."

This implied a trinity of cancer, chemotherapy, and hair loss. Gu Zhuoyan had no more questions. He turned the corner on the second floor and saw Gu Baoyan watching TV in the living room, his camera tossed on the sofa.

The side hall was bathed in sunlight. Gu Zhuoyan and Zhuang Fanxin went there to do their homework. As the worksheets were laid out, Zhuang Fanxin suddenly perked up and asked, "You just mentioned a physical for transferring schools. Which school are you transferring to?"

Gu Zhuoyan answered, "Tianji High School."

"Tianji High School? I go to Tianji High School!" Zhuang Fanxin hadn't expected such a coincidence. After all, Tianji High School was hard to get into, let alone as a transfer student from another province. "So are you in the liberal arts or science stream?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "Science."

Zhuang Fanxin beamed, "I'm in the science stream too!"

Gu Zhuoyan gave a reserved "mm," his eyes falling on the title at the top of the worksheet—Second Year High School First Semester Summer Consolidation Paper. School was about to start for the second year, and they had just finished the previous semester's work ahead of schedule. At his old school, he had already completed the entire high school curriculum.

He asked, "What should I explain?"

Zhuang Fanxin's excitement still hadn't settled. He asked curiously, "Then which class will you be in?"

"Not decided yet," Gu Zhuoyan said. "I'm going to the school for a test the day after tomorrow."

It was probably a placement test before school started. Zhuang Fanxin looked as if he understood everything. He felt this was too much of a coincidence and couldn't help but say, "Let me know once your class is decided, okay?"

Gu Zhuoyan agreed and began explaining the problems. These questions weren't as difficult as the ones from the advanced class; with a little guidance, Zhuang Fanxin could solve them. While waiting for Zhuang Fanxin to finish writing, Gu Zhuoyan took a sip of water, his lowered gaze framing Zhuang Fanxin's profile as he bent over the desk.

He was exceptionally quiet, and with his curly hair, he looked like a mannequin.

'Mannequin doesn't sound very nice. More like one of those dolls his sister plays with.'

'A doll is way too corny.' He looked away and took a few more sips of water.

His throat felt soothed, and his voice became clearer, gentler. Gu Zhuoyan moved his gaze back and asked, "Zhuang Fanxin, which class are you in?"

Zhuang Fanxin replied, "Science Class 3."

He didn't look up. "Our class teacher is the chemistry teacher. The people in our class are all nice, just particularly lacking in fighting spirit. Take the boys, for example. The boys in other classes often get together for basketball games or swimming, but the boys in our class only like to hang out in cafes, drinking beverages and eating cake. This afternoon, they're having a group study session at a cafe."

After that long string of muttering, Gu Zhuoyan listened and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you go?"

Zhuang Fanxin said, as if morally impeccable, "I wanted to study with you, didn't I?"

This was much more pleasant to hear than "I'd shave my head with you." Gu Zhuoyan was also more meticulous when he continued explaining the problems. The timing was perfect; as soon as Zhuang Fanxin finished, he hurried off to meet Qi Nan at the small intersection for the hand-off.

Gu Zhuoyan took the camera back to his room to charge it, took a nap, and when he woke up, the sky was already dark.

He leaned against the headboard and scrolled through the camera. The first few photos were all blurry and overexposed; he didn't need to guess to know it was Gu Baoyan's doing. When Gu Baoyan appeared in the photos, he guessed that Zhuang Fanxin was the one behind the camera.

He flipped through them one by one. The last picture was of the German Shepherd standing under a banyan tree, with spots of light filtering through the canopy-like green shade. Gu Zhuoyan imported this picture to his phone and set it as his background. While he was at it, he also set an alarm. He had to go to Tianji High School for his exam at 8:30 a.m. the day after tomorrow.

Gu Zhuoyan opened his contacts, tapped on "Dad," and made the call.

This was the first call he had made home since coming to Rong City, in a dark, unlit room. After four or five rings, Gu Shibo picked up, calm but hesitant, as if he hadn't expected Gu Zhuoyan to call him.

A few seconds later, Gu Shibo's voice came through, "Zhuoyan, how are things at your grandpa's place?"

Gu Zhuoyan answered irrelevantly, "I had my school entrance physical today."

Gu Shibo said, "I've already taken care of the school transfer. As long as you stop fooling around, I can grant any request you have over there."

The room was quiet, every word was exceptionally clear, like the words "fooling around."

A ball of pent-up anger surged in Gu Zhuoyan's chest. After enduring for so many days, he wanted to let it all out at this very moment. He hadn't come to Rong City voluntarily. He was sent here after publicly coming out, causing a sensation throughout the school, and having a massive fight with Gu Shibo and Xue Manzi.

Gu Shibo telling him to stop "fooling around," translated into plain speech, meant "don't be gay."

Unfortunately, it was too late. From transferring schools to leaving home, Gu Zhuoyan had been unhappy every single moment. He wished he could just get into a relationship right away to show Gu Shibo, to piss him off! And then he met Zhuang Fanxin, became his neighbor, and they appeared in each other's lives so often it was impossible to avoid one another.

They had known each other for less than ten days, and Gu Zhuoyan had taught Zhuang Fanxin guitar, accompanied him during his IV drips, played games with him, tutored him... He didn't have that kind of good personality at all. His unconscious, proactive advances were, in fact, subconsciously driven by an eagerness to develop an intimate relationship, purely as a way to retaliate against Gu Shibo and Xue Manzi.

To put it bluntly, they told him not to be gay, so he was determined to hook up with a guy.

And as it happened, he met Zhuang Fanxin. Zhuang Fanxin was good-looking, had a nice personality, could draw, loved to study, and could be considered completely outstanding. That was indeed quite attractive to a young, inexperienced gay guy of the same age like him...

Gu Zhuoyan took a deep breath and asked, "Really?"

"Really," Gu Shibo said. "As long as you behave yourself, I will arrange everything you ask for."

Gu Zhuoyan said, "Arrange for me to be in Science Class 3."

The author has something to say: I made up the school's name.