Chapter 40 seems to be the wrong chapter.

Jiang Luo scrambled off Cheng Jiashu in a flustered manner. Just as she was about to speak, Cheng Jiashu's cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket.

Cheng Jiashu let out an impatient groan, frowned, and rummaged around in his pockets. He accidentally hung up the phone. The ringing stopped, and Cheng Jiashu, with his eyes closed, tossed the phone carelessly into a crack in the sofa.

The phone rang again. Jiang Luo pulled his phone out from under the sofa and glanced at the screen—it was Lin Yu calling.

Gu Shiyue turned his head and asked Jiang Chen, "Where's the restroom?"

Jiang Chen pointed in the direction of the restroom.

Jiang Luo looked up and realized Gu Shiyue was no longer there, so she quickly followed. Her phone was still ringing, and Jiang Luo was anxious to explain to Gu Shiyue, but she couldn't ignore the call. In her haste, she simply blocked Gu Shiyue's path.

Jiang Chen looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"Cheng Jiashu is drunk, he's acting crazy," Jiang Luo explained. "Senior, I need to take this call, can you wait for me a bit?"

Gu Shiyue glanced down at the phone in his hand and hummed in response.

Gu Shiyue went to the restroom, and Jiang Luo answered the phone.

"Where did you run off to?" Lin Yu's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Lin Yu, this is Jiang Luo. Da Shu is at my house. He's drunk."

Lin Yu was taken aback: "Drunk? How is he now? Is he sober?"

Jiang Luo glanced at the person on the sofa: "Half-drunk and half-awake, your mind is all muddled. You were just acting crazy, but you're asleep now. You two... had a fight?"

Lin Yu smiled helplessly: "We didn't argue, I made him angry. Could you send me your location on WeChat so I can go pick him up?"

"no problem."

Gu Shiyue simply went to the bathroom to wash his hands; he didn't close the door. Jiang Luo saw the door was open, went straight in, and gently closed it behind her.

Gu Shiyue turned off the tap, shook the water off his hands, and looked up at the person in the mirror.

Jiang Luo walked over, picked up a washcloth from the shelf, and handed it to him: "Senior, please wipe your hands."

Gu Shiyue didn't actually show any obvious emotion about what had just happened, nor did he say anything. Regardless of whether he misunderstood or not, Jiang Luo definitely had to explain.

Before Gu Shiyue could speak, Jiang Luo said again, "Let me wipe you." As he spoke, he took out a washcloth, put the washcloth box aside, and grabbed one of Gu Shiyue's hands.

Jiang Luo wiped the water off Gu Shiyue's hands with a washcloth and explained, "What Cheng Jiashu said just now wasn't directed at me. He was drunk and mistook me for someone else... the person who called just now."

Gu Shiyue didn't misunderstand; he just didn't like Jiang Luo having physical contact with other people.

Gu Shiyue gently pinched Jiang Luo's chin with his other wet hand and repeated what Cheng Jiashu had just said: "Your heart is the hardest in the whole world—whose heart? Isn't it yours?"

"Of course it's not mine!" Jiang Luo couldn't help but laugh. "I already told you he mistook me for someone else."

With Gu Shiyue still holding her chin, Jiang Luo pouted and leaned over to kiss Gu Shiyue on the lips: "My heart isn't hard. My heart is very soft, especially for you."

There were still people outside, so Jiang Luo only gave her a quick kiss and didn't dare to be too presumptuous.

Gu Shiyue gently wiped the water droplets off Jiang Luo's chin with his thumb, his gaze tracing his face.

"I miss you," Gu Shiyue said softly.

Jiang Luo was stunned for a moment, then grabbed his hand, tilted her head, and rubbed her cheek against his palm.

Lin Yu arrived quickly. After his drunken outburst, Cheng Jiashu had been sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Lin Yu walked to the sofa, bent down, and called to him, "Cheng Jiashu."

He had barely uttered a sound when Cheng Jiashu opened his eyes and stared blankly at him.

"Lin Yu..."

"It's me," Lin Yu said. "I'm home."

Cheng Jiashu wasn't fully awake yet. He raised his hand and shoved Lin Yu away, saying, "Go home my ass! Get the hell out of here. You want to leave? Then leave now."

Cheng Jiashu sat up, trying to stand up while holding onto the sofa, but as soon as he stood up, he felt a strong dizziness and lost his balance, so he sat back down on the sofa.

He had his head down and was breathing heavily.

Lin Yu squatted down in front of him and asked in a low voice, "Do you want to come home with me?"

Cheng Jiashu uttered two words: "Get out."

Lin Yu frowned: "How can we communicate like this?"

Cheng Jiashu looked up, his eyes red, and his voice choked as he spoke: "Who the hell wants to talk to you? I told you to get the hell out of here." He turned his head and sniffed, then raised his arm to rub his face. Actually, he had already been crying; his eyes and the tip of his nose were red.

Lin Yu cupped Cheng Jiashu's face and made him turn his head so that his face was facing her: "Didn't I tell you that the immigration next year is only tentative and hasn't been finalized yet?"

Is there a difference?

"have."

"What a load of rubbish."

"If I say it's there, then it is," Lin Yu said gently. "Let's not talk about that now. Come back with me first."

"I don't want to." Cheng Jiashu turned his face away.

Lin Yu stared at him silently.

Cheng Jiashu pushed his hand away and stood up unsteadily: "Leave me the hell alone..."

Lin Yu didn't waste any more words with him, and simply bent down and picked him up.

"Damn!" By the time Cheng Jiashu realized what was happening, Lin Yu had already hoisted him onto his shoulder, head down, feet dangling in the air.

The two were about the same size, but Lin Yu carried him with ease. Lin Yu knew Cheng Jiashu well; he was a stubborn mule who wouldn't listen to reason, so this direct and forceful method was the only way to get him away.

"Jiang Luo, could you please open the door for me?" Lin Yu said to Jiang Luo while carrying Cheng Jiashu.

Cheng Jiashu is just a brute; only Lin Yu can handle him. Jiang Luo suppressed a laugh and said, "Are you going to carry him like this?"

Lin Yu smiled and said, "What else can we do?"

"Damn it... Lin Yu, are you out of your mind?! Put me down right now!" Cheng Jiashu slapped Lin Yu's back hard.

Lin Yu turned her head and glanced at him: "I can't even talk to you properly. Why is your temper so bad?"

"You son of a bitch..." Cheng Jiashu gasped for breath, his head drooping backward, his face flushed red. "Where's my temper? You think you're in the right to leave... You bastard..."

Lin Yu carried Cheng Jiashu to the entrance. Jiang Luo opened the door, and Cheng Jiashu looked up and shouted at him, "Help me!!!"

Jiang Luo patted the back of his head: "He's taking you home, not selling you. You two should talk it out and not fight."

"Damn..." Cheng Jiashu was mostly sober now, and even felt a bit of a brain hemorrhage.

“I’ll go down with you,” Jiang Luo said to Lin Yu. “I’m afraid he might fall halfway down, so I’ll help him.”

Lin Yu smiled and said, "It won't fall."

Jiang Luo eventually went downstairs with Lin Yu. Luckily, he lived on the third floor, and they took the elevator down in no time.

Lin Yu drove there and parked his car in a temporary parking space downstairs in the residential area. He threw the drunk Cheng Jiashu into the back seat, got in the car, locked the door, said goodbye to Jiang Luo, and drove away.

The three people in the family didn't eat until 7:30.

They ate out. Jiang Luo had booked the restaurant in advance. He would have liked to have Gu Shiyue eat at home, but he wasn't a good cook, so they had to eat out.

It was almost nine o'clock when Jiang Chen got home after dinner. He went to bed early, so as soon as he got home he went to his room to get his pajamas and take a shower.

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue sat in the living room for a while when the doorbell rang.

It was Tian Haoyu who came; he was Jiang Chen's classmate and lived in the same neighborhood as them.

Tian Haoyu walked in as if he were in his own home: "Brother, where's Chen'er?"

"Inside the house."

Upon seeing Gu Shiyue sitting on the sofa, Tian Haoyu abruptly stopped in his tracks. Jiang Chen happened to come out of the room with pajamas in his hand. He glanced at Tian Haoyu and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I've come to get the test paper from you." Tian Haoyu jogged towards him, glancing back at Gu Shiyue.

Tian Haoyu pushed Jiang Chen into the bedroom, closed the door, and asked, "Who's that sitting in the living room?"

"My brother's friend."

"He's so handsome."

"I'm going to take a shower," Jiang Chen said.

"Paper test, paper test." Tian Haoyu rubbed his little hands together, his eyes shining.

"No copying allowed." Jiang Chen refused outright.

"I haven't even mentioned the test paper yet."

"You're not allowed to copy any of them."

"Ah..." Tian Haoyu's face fell. "Why are you like this? You used to let us copy..."

“That was then…” Jiang Chen was too easy to talk to before, but now that he’s in his second year of high school and will be a senior next year, he can’t spoil Tian Haoyu like that anymore. “This is now. From now on, if you have any questions you don’t understand, just ask me directly. No more copying.”

I want to cry.

"Cry."

Jiang Chen and Tian Haoyu were still talking in the room when Jiang Luo pushed Gu Shiyue's suitcase into his bedroom and said to him, "You'll be sleeping in my room for the next few days. I've changed the sheets and blankets for you."

Jiang Luo's room has a transparent display case filled with figurines, standees, badges, plush toys, and cards of all sizes. This small corner brings the room to life, and the little things in the case are as adorable as their owner.

"And you?" Gu Shiyue asked Jiang Luo.

“I’ll share a room with Xiao Chen.” Jiang Luo turned around and glanced at the door. He moved closer to Gu Shiyue, just about to do something, when Jiang Chen suddenly called out from outside, “Brother.”

Jiang Luo was startled and almost bit her tongue.

"Hey," Jiang Luo poked his head out the door and answered, "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Jiang Chen said. "I thought you went out."

"I'm talking to Brother Shi Yue. Where's Xiao Yu?"

"I'm leaving." Jiang Chen picked up his pajamas and walked towards the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower first."

"good."

With a minor at home, it's inconvenient to do things that adults do. Jiang Luo harbors those messy thoughts, but Gu Shiyue doesn't seem to. He maintains a proper distance and boundaries when interacting with Jiang Luo in front of Jiang Chen, and when alone with Jiang Luo, he doesn't actively show any desire to do anything with her. Almost every time they get close, it's Jiang Luo who takes the initiative.

Jiang Luo had said that he wanted to wait until Jiang Chen came of age before telling him about his relationship with Gu Shiyue. Gu Shiyue respected his wishes, which is why he deliberately kept his distance from him.

That night, apart from that kiss in the bathroom, they didn't have any other physical contact, not even touching hands.

Jiang Chen was already asleep, and Jiang Luo could hear his even breathing beside her. She put down her phone, turned to look at him, and softly called out, "Xiao Chen?"

There was no response.

Jiang Luo put down his phone, threw back the covers, and tiptoed out of bed. He didn't even put on slippers; like a thief, he opened the door barefoot and went out.

The living room was pitch black. Jiang Luo didn't turn on the light and groped his way to his bedroom door from memory. Not a ray of light came through the crack in the door. Jiang Luo knocked gently, but no one answered.

Nevertheless, Jiang Luo boldly turned the doorknob.

Jiang Luo's eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He saw Gu Shiyue lying on his back on the bed, breathing very lightly, but not at the frequency of someone asleep.

He knew that Gu Shiyue was awake.

Jiang Luo lifted a corner of the blanket and crawled under it. The blanket arched up in a distinct curve, like a small, moving mountain—Jiang Luo climbed onto Gu Shiyue.

Gu Shiyue was a light sleeper, and he woke up when Jiang Luo opened the door and came in. Jiang Luo, radiating coldness, lay limply on top of Gu Shiyue.

"Did you go to the wrong room?" Gu Shiyue asked with his eyes closed, his voice low and hoarse.

Jiang Luo pressed her face against Gu Shiyue's chest and said with a smile, "It seems we've gone to the wrong place."