Chapter 44. Jiang Xiaochen wouldn't let me sleep in his room. ...

Jiang Luo paused for a few seconds, then slightly opened her mouth: "I—"

Jiang Chen stared at him without blinking.

Jiang Luo neither denied nor concealed it; he nodded frankly, "Yes, that's right."

Jiang Chen's expression was calm: "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jiang Luo explained, "I originally planned to tell you next year when you turn 18. I didn't mean to hide it from you."

"Is there any difference...?"

“Yes,” Jiang Luo smiled. “The difference is that once you’re an adult, you’re a grown-up.”

“Adults and children aren’t distinguished by age.” Jiang Chen hugged a cushion to her chest and muttered, “You’re dating a boy now, but your thinking is still so traditional.”

Jiang Luo chuckled.

Jiang Luo himself knew that doing this was unnecessary. Jiang Chen was already seventeen, not seven, and he had his own ability to discern things. Perhaps he still had a bit of an older brother's mentality. As an older brother, he hoped that his younger brother's world would be as pure and simple as possible. The line of eighteen was like a boundary line. Once crossed, he could then be allowed to perceive the world on his own.

Jiang Chen rested his chin on the cushion and asked, "Are you afraid I won't be able to accept it?"

Jiang Luo shook his head: "You won't. You're my brother, Jiang Xiaochen."

Jiang Chen hugged the pillow, shook his head slightly, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

On another note, Jiang Luo asked Jiang Chen, "Was your fight today related to this?"

Jiang Chen remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

Jiang Luo was very puzzled: "What's going on?"

"Zhao Yi saw you and Brother Gu at the movie theater." Jiang Chen glanced at him.

Jiang Luo was taken aback: "He knows me?"

Jiang Chen nodded.

Jiang Luo frequently visits Jiang Chen's school. He's also very handsome, and many of Jiang Chen's classmates have seen him and are impressed by him.

"And then he told you we were dating?" Jiang Luo found it absurd. "He told you?"

"Hmm...that's about right."

Jiang Luo and Gu Shiyue went to the largest cinema in the nearby shopping mall to watch a recently popular movie. It wasn't surprising to run into Jiang Chen's classmate there, but what was surprising was that this classmate actually turned around and told Jiang Chen that he and Gu Shiyue were dating. He thought to himself that he and Gu Shiyue hadn't done anything intimate at the cinema; they had just watched a normal movie.

"You two started fighting just because of that?"

“I hit him because he talked about you.” Jiang Chen frowned.

What did you say about me?

"I don't want to talk about it."

Jiang Luo blinked, then smiled and said, "Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

"Your classmate's name is Zhao Yi?" Jiang Luo asked Jiang Chen.

"Um."

Jiang Luo nodded: "I'll go to school to find him when you start school."

"Why are you looking for him?"

"He keeps bothering you for no reason, so I have to go after him."

"He's just a paper tiger, don't pay him any mind."

Zhao Yi hadn't bothered Jiang Chen for a long time. He had already witnessed Jiang Chen's ruthlessness during the conflict in PE class, and had been well-behaved for a long time afterward. Today, he probably wanted to deliberately bring up the fact that his brother was "gay" in front of Jiang Chen, hoping to use his brother's situation to mock him. So he threw the ball to deliberately provoke a fight, otherwise, who would pay attention to him?

He had been so fiercely fighting with Jiang Chen that he was completely stunned by Jiang Chen's attack, never expecting that Jiang Chen would throw a punch without saying a word.

"You started it today, didn't you?" Jiang Luo asked Jiang Chen.

"Yeah. He was hurt worse than me," Jiang Chen said, trying to comfort his brother. "I didn't suffer any losses."

"Your face is all messed up and you still haven't suffered any loss." Jiang Luo poked his forehead.

Actually, we almost suffered a loss if Gu Shiyue hadn't arrived in time.

“Brother Gu helped me,” Jiang Chen explained. “He didn’t let me suffer any losses.”

Jiang Luo was a little surprised: "He made a move too?"

“They can’t beat him,” Jiang Chen said. “They’ll behave themselves as soon as he arrives.”

Jiang Luo's eyes crinkled into a smile: "So handsome!"

Jiang Luo laughed for a while before his expression turned serious again: "Jiang Xiaochen, you're not allowed to fight anymore, and you can't get yourself into this state again."

Before Jiang Luo could finish speaking, Jiang Chen lay back down in bed and said, "I know, it won't happen again."

Jiang Chen pulled the blanket up and glanced at his brother: "Brother, I'm going to sleep. You can go out now."

He rolled over, moved to the middle of the bed, and turned the back of his head toward Jiang Luo: "I'm sleeping alone tonight."

Jiang Luo blinked and laughed, "Then what about me? Where will I sleep?"

Sleep wherever you want.

Jiang Luo deliberately said, "This is the place I want to sleep."

"If you can't sleep, then leave," Jiang Chen said.

Jiang Luo, having gotten the better deal, feigned innocence: "Alright, I'm leaving then."

When Jiang Luo went out, Gu Shiyue was sitting on the sofa looking at his phone. Hearing footsteps, Gu Shiyue looked up. Before he could say anything, Jiang Luo walked over and sat down next to him, her arm touching his arm: "Senior, I'll sleep with you tonight."

Gu Shiyue raised an eyebrow.

"Jiang Xiaochen won't let me sleep in his room." Jiang Luo didn't explain clearly, making it all mysterious.

"Why?" Gu Shiyue asked, following his lead.

"I don't know, but they just won't let me sleep."

Gu Shiyue hooked his index finger and rubbed it against his earlobe, asking, "Does he know about us?"

Jiang Luo laughed: "How did you guess it so quickly?"

When Jiang Chen asked Gu Shiyue if he and Jiang Luo had a good relationship, he had a pretty good idea. However, he didn't know what this had to do with Jiang Chen's fight.

Jiang Luo explained the whole story of Jiang Chen's fight to Gu Shiyue, and only then did Gu Shiyue understand what had happened.

The two of them slept together tonight. Jiang Luo, smelling of shower gel after taking a shower, slipped into Gu Shiyue's bed. Gu Shiyue was reading a book—Jiang Luo's comic book, which he had taken from the bedside table.

Jiang Luo asked with a smile, "Why are you looking at this?"

"Look at what you usually read." Gu Shiyue closed the comic book and put it back on the bedside table.

Jiang Luo pressed herself against him, her body warm: "Senior, how many days are you planning to stay here?"

Before coming, Gu Shiyue hadn't mentioned staying for a few days. At that time, Jiang Chen didn't know about their relationship, so Jiang Luo didn't expect Gu Shiyue to stay too long. Now that Jiang Chen knew, it didn't matter how long Gu Shiyue stayed. Jiang Luo also hoped he could stay a few more days.

"Are you spending Chinese New Year with your uncle and aunt?" Gu Shiyue knew that Jiang Luo had an uncle and aunt; Jiang Luo had mentioned it to him.

"We just went to their house for a meal and then came back," Jiang Luo said. "Actually, my family and my uncle's family don't get along. I don't like them, and neither does Xiao Chen."

Gu Shiyue patted the back of his neck: "Spend this year with me."

Jiang Luo was stunned for a moment.

"I'll stay and spend the New Year with you, and I'll leave after the New Year," Gu Shiyue said.

“Okay.” Jiang Luo sat up. “But what about your family…aren’t you living with your father?”

"Someone is there to keep him company."

"Won't he be unhappy if you don't go back?"

Jiang Luo wasn't worried about upsetting Gu Shiyue's father; he was mainly worried that if the father got upset, he would cause trouble for Gu Shiyue again.

“This is not something you should worry about.” Gu Shiyue pinched his chin.

“I have to worry about it.” Jiang Luo tilted his head back. “If he’s unhappy, you’ll suffer the consequences. I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

Gu Shiyue lowered her head and kissed him: "I won't be unhappy when you're by my side."

Jiang Luo gently licked his lips and murmured, "I will stay by your side obediently."

The next morning, Gu Shiyue woke up early according to his biological clock. He woke up early, while Jiang Luo was still fast asleep. After washing up, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Less than an hour later, Jiang Chen also woke up, walking out of the room with a dazed look on his face. He saw Gu Shiyue in the kitchen and greeted him, "Brother Gu."

Gu Shiyue hummed in response: "Good morning."

Jiang Chen gets up early for a morning run.

Now that it's cold, Jiang Luo no longer requires Jiang Chen to go for a run in the morning. Although Jiang Chen is a slow riser, the habit of exercising early in the morning is ingrained in him. No matter how late he wakes up, he never forgets to go downstairs for a run. He went to bed especially early yesterday, slept enough, and woke up early as well.

Jiang Chen yawned as he walked into the bathroom. As soon as he opened his mouth, he aggravated his wound and hissed in pain.

After Gu Shiyue finished making breakfast, he went back to the bedroom. Jiang Luo was already awake, lying on the bed humming and stretching.

"Awake?" Gu Shiyue sat on the edge of the bed and hooked his chin with his index finger.

Jiang Luo turned to the side, pressed her face against his palm, and said with her eyes closed, "Not yet."

Jiang Chen was brushing his teeth in the bathroom when he heard the doorbell ring twice. No one was outside. The doorbell kept ringing. Jiang Chen spat out the toothpaste foam, casually wiped his mouth, and went to the entryway to open the door.

Cheng Jiashu stood outside the door with his schoolbag in his hand and was startled when he saw Jiang Chen with an injured face.

"Damn, what happened to your face?" Cheng Jiashu stared at him.

"A fight." Jiang Chen asked in confusion, "Brother Jiashu, what brings you here?"

"I'm staying at your place." Cheng Jiashu changed his shoes and entered the house as naturally as if it were his own. He stared at the injuries on Jiang Chen's face. "It's not like this... who did you fight with and get like this?"

"classmate."

"Which classmate is it?" Cheng Jiashu threw his schoolbag onto the sofa. "Damn it, tell me, I'll back you up. Which one is courting death?"

"I'll show you next time we go to school," Jiang Chen said seriously.

Cheng Jiashu nodded: "Okay."

Jiang Luo lingered in bed for a while longer. Gu Shiyue didn't leave, just sat by the bed and let him rest his head on his hand.

Jiang Luo opened her eyes and glanced at him.

"Are you still sleeping?" Gu Shiyue asked him.

"I'm not going to sleep," Jiang Luo said with a smile.

"Go wash your face and have breakfast."

"Okay," Jiang Luo said, but he remained lying in bed without moving.

Gu Shiyue leaned down and gently touched the tip of his nose: "Stuck to the bed?"

"Hey, give me a tug?" Jiang Luo wrapped her arms around his neck.

Gu Shiyue scooped him up from the bed, and Jiang Luo wrapped his legs around Gu Shiyue's waist, hanging onto him. Gu Shiyue then lifted him up, supporting his buttocks in that position.

"Where's your brother?" Cheng Jiashu asked Jiang Chen in the living room. "Is he still sleeping?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jiang Chen hadn't washed his face yet, and he walked towards the bathroom as he spoke.

Cheng Jiashu walked to Jiang Luo's room and knocked on the door: "Still not awake? What time is it? You sleepyhead."

With a click, Cheng Jiashu turned the doorknob. Jiang Chen stopped abruptly, turned around and exclaimed "Hey!" Before he could stop him, Cheng Jiashu opened the door and went inside.

Cheng Jiashu frequently visited Jiang Luo's home; even before he went to university, staying at his house was a common occurrence for him. He entered Jiang Luo's bedroom as if it were his own, feeling completely at ease and at home.

When the door was opened, Jiang Luo was still clinging to Gu Shiyue.

Cheng Jiashu stood frozen in place, his mouth agape in shock.