Chapter 45. Obeying the reassignment.

Cheng Jiashu came to Jiang Luo's house drunk that day, completely out of his mind. He didn't notice Gu Shiyue was next to him at all, and was completely unaware that Gu Shiyue had been at Jiang Luo's house for the past few days.

So he didn't understand why Gu Shiyue was in Jiang Luo's room, and why Jiang Luo was wearing pajamas and clinging to him like a koala.

Was he dreaming, or was he still drunk from that day?

Cheng Jiashu slammed the door shut and then quickly opened it again.

It's not a hallucination.

There were indeed two people inside the room, and the other person was indeed Gu Shiyue!

"Holy shit!" Cheng Jiashu, realizing what was happening, took two steps back in shock, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Jiang Luo had only been awake for a short while and was still dazed. He was startled and quickly jumped off Gu Shiyue.

Gu Shiyue remained calm, but he was slightly displeased that Cheng Jiashu was freely entering and leaving Jiang Luo's room.

It's not about boundaries. The main thing is that he can just barge in so casually, which means he's used to coming in like this, and it's Jiang Luo's tacit approval.

"...Why are you here?" Jiang Luo was a little embarrassed, her ears turning red.

Cheng Jiashu's brain was still racing. He looked at Jiang Luo, then at Gu Shiyue: "You...you guys...never mind, I'll just go out first, you guys continue."

After Cheng Jiashu finished speaking, he closed the door, letting out a "Fuck!" from the depths of his soul as he did so.

Jiang Luo sighed, "I was so scared I couldn't even fall asleep."

Gu Shiyue didn't speak, and Jiang Luo turned to look at him.

Gu Shiyue picked up the loungewear jacket from the bay window and helped Jiang Luo put it on without saying a word, his face expressionless.

Although Gu Shiyue usually has very few expressions on his face, Jiang Luo is quite sensitive to his emotional changes.

"Senior, what's wrong?" Jiang Luo asked softly. "Why are you unhappy?"

Gu Shiyue was buttoning his shirt when she heard this. She looked up at him and said indifferently, "He seems to know his way around your room quite well."

Jiang Luo was taken aback for a moment, then immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him two quick kisses on the lips, coaxing, "Before he went to university, he sometimes stayed at my house and got used to coming into my room. He probably didn't know you were here and just walked in today. From now on, I'll lock the door when I sleep and won't let anyone in..."

Gu Shiyue looked down at him: "Stay at your house, sleep with you?"

Jiang Luo paused, not daring to lie, but also not answering directly. She pouted and softly pressed her lips to his, saying indistinctly, "From now on, I'll only sleep with you..."

Gu Shiyue pressed down on the back of his neck, lowered his head and bit his lip.

Jiang Luo let out a soft "hmm," feeling no pain, and even a little pleasure. He hummed softly twice and stuck out his tongue to lick Gu Shiyue's lips.

When the two came out of the room, Cheng Jiashu was still sitting in the living room, contemplating life, motionless and expressionless, as if he had entered a meditative state.

Jiang Luo went to the bathroom to wash up. Halfway through, Cheng Jiashu came in, closed the door, and asked, "What's going on? You? You two?"

Cheng Jiashu gestured in the air, his speech slightly disordered: "You two have started talking?"

Jiang Luo rinsed her mouth, then lowered her head and spat out the foam: "Ah."

"...Holy shit." Cheng Jiashu had finally recovered, but he was still a little shocked to hear Jiang Luo admit it himself.

Actually, upon reflection, many details reveal the truth. It's just that Cheng Jiashu has a straightforward, male-centric mindset; he couldn't perceive the subtle atmosphere between Gu Shiyue and Jiang Luo, nor did he feel that Gu Shiyue's "special treatment" of Jiang Luo was anything wrong.

"No... how long have you two been together? To the point where you can sleep together?"

"What's wrong with sleeping together... We're already together, can't we sleep together? What kind of feudal thinking is this..."

Jiang Luo and Cheng Jiashu were not on the same wavelength; the "sleep" they were talking about did not mean the same thing.

Cheng Jiashu was not only not feudal in his thinking, but he was also full of adult ideas. He leaned over and asked Jiang Luo, "Which of you two is on top?"

Jiang Luo spat out a mouthful of water, then laughed and pushed his head away: "I'm really impressed by you."

“We…didn’t do that,” Jiang Luo said, her ears turning red. “Ugh, you’re so annoying.”

Cheng Jiashu scoffed, "I knew it. I really thought you slept with him."

Cheng Jiashu spoke without restraint, bluntly and embarrassingly, and Jiang Luo couldn't stand it anymore: "Get out, get out, you're so annoying."

Cheng Jiashu shrugged and chuckled, saying cheekily, "Brother Yue doesn't look like the one on the bottom, what should we do, Teacher Luo?"

Jiang Luo never wanted to be in that position, and of course, he couldn't say that to Cheng Jiashu. He simply replied, "I'll accept the assignment."

Cheng Jiashu burst out laughing.

Jiang Luo squeezed some facial cleanser into her palm, rubbed it, and applied it to her face.

"Xiao Chen knows about this too?" Cheng Jiashu asked him.

Jiang Luo nodded.

"What was his reaction?" Judging from Jiang Chen's expression, he seemed to accept it well.

“Anyway, I didn’t react as strongly as you. Our Jiang Xiaochen is so calm, unlike you, who jumps around like that.” Jiang Luo said while rubbing her face.

"You two appeared in front of me so passionately, and you still have the nerve to say I was startled? Who knew you were hiding your husband in a secret place? Damn it, I was almost speechless with fright just now."

Jiang Luo dried her face and suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, what are you doing here? Why are you at my house so early in the morning?"

"It's almost ten o'clock, it's still early." Cheng Jiashu crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "I originally wanted to stay at your house."

"Seeking lodging? What do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says, what else could it mean?"

It's still because of Lin Yu.

Cheng Jiashu hadn't recovered yet; he still didn't want to see Lin Yu, not because he was angry with him, but because he felt ashamed of being drunk that day and didn't want to face him.

Unfortunately, Lin Yu lived right next door to him, and their parents were on good terms. Whenever Lin Yu was free, she would come to visit him, so he couldn't avoid her even if he wanted to.

He was thinking of staying at Jiang Luo's house for a few days, as long as he could get away from Lin Yu.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Jiang Luo glanced at him helplessly: "How come I never noticed you had an avoidant personality before?"

"What?" Cheng Jiashu frowned. "I'm not. Tsk, you're even using academic jargon..."

"Didn't I tell you to have a good talk with him?"

"I can't talk to him. Just looking at his face makes me angry; I just want to vent, I don't want to talk."

Jiang Luo chuckled: "You still say it wasn't out of spite... so did you two talk about it afterwards?"

"No, I didn't see him at all."

How could that be?

"I came here first thing this morning." Cheng Jiashu didn't see Lin Yu last night either. Lin Yu came to his house after returning home and looked for him, but he just locked the door and pretended to be asleep.

“He’ll be coming here to find you soon,” Jiang Luo said as she walked out of the bathroom. “What use is it for you to stay here?”

“I’m not planning to lend it anymore.” Cheng Jiashu glanced at the restaurant, where Gu Shiyue and Jiang Chen were having breakfast. The two handsome men, one tall and one short, made for a pleasing sight. “They’re both taken. There’s no place for me here. I won’t disturb your lovemaking. I’ll leave in a bit.”

Where are you going?

"A hotel."

"Hey, really... are you planning to hide until he goes back to school?"

We'll see.

Cheng Jiashu didn't make it to the hotel—Lin Yu arrived at Jiang Luo's house half an hour later and took him away.

This time, the person was sober, so bringing them back wasn't as difficult as last time.

Lin Yu calmly and gently warned him, "If you run off again, I'll just sleep in your room."

Cheng Jiashu knew that Lin Yu meant what he said, so he couldn't get angry and could only obediently go home with him.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner. Gu Shiyue has been away from home for the past few days, and Gu Hong called him two days before the New Year.

Gu Shiyue was shopping at the supermarket with Jiang Luo and Jiang Chen when his phone rang. He took out his phone and glanced at it.

Upon hearing the ringtone, Jiang Luo turned her head and caught a glimpse of the words "Gu Hong" on the screen.

"Is it your...dad?" Jiang Luo asked.

Gu Shiyue hummed in agreement and said to him, "You guys go ahead and shop, I'll take this call."

Jiang Luo nodded: "Okay."

The supermarket was always bustling with people before the New Year, noisy and crowded. Gu Shiyue found a quiet place and answered his father's call.

His father rarely calls him, and he doesn't have the habit of refusing other people's calls.

Besides, his dad would call sooner or later, and he would have something to say to his dad anyway.

"Are you still out of town?" Gu Hong asked on the other end of the phone.

"Um."

Before Gu Shiyue came here, he entrusted Miantuan to the family's nanny to take care of. Gu Hong only found out that Gu Shiyue had been away from home for the past few days when he saw the cat at home.

"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner. When are you coming back?"

"I'm not coming back for the Chinese New Year."

Gu Hong frowned: "What?"

In previous years, Gu Shiyue's family would spend Chinese New Year with Qi Xueying's family. After Gu Shiyue's mother passed away, Liang Siheng's relationship with Gu Hong plummeted. He never came to the Gu family home for the New Year, and this year he went abroad. He had just video-chatted with Gu Shiyue a couple of days ago. Liang Siheng was used to being free and easy, and he didn't have a concept of family. Whether he spent the New Year or not, or who he spent it with, didn't matter to him.

In contrast to Liang Siheng, Gu Hong has a very strong sense of family.

Ironically, such a person has never known how to take care of his family.

"If you're not coming back for the New Year, where are you going to spend it?" Gu Hong's voice turned cold. "What's wrong with you that you're not even coming home for the New Year?"

"I'm spending Chinese New Year at my boyfriend's house."

Gu Hong was stunned, thinking he had misheard: "...What did you say?"

Gu Shiyue told him, "I'm in a relationship, and the other person is a boy."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone. A moment later, Gu Hong's voice, laced with suppressed anger, came through the speakerphone: "You, come back here right now."

"I've said what I needed to say, that's all." Gu Shiyue hung up the phone after saying that.

In previous years, Jiang Luo and Jiang Chen would go to their uncle's house for New Year's Eve dinner, but this year they didn't go and spent the New Year at home with Gu Shiyue.

Jiang Luo's family was small, so the Lunar New Year was always quiet and deserted. Cheng Jiashu would come to his house every Lunar New Year's Eve to play and organize all sorts of entertainment. He was a playful person by nature, and wherever he was, it was always lively and bustling.

On New Year's Eve, not long after Jiang Luo and the others finished their New Year's Eve dinner, Cheng Jiashu arrived at their door. However, to Jiang Luo's surprise, he actually came with Lin Yu.

Although Cheng Jiashu would always bring Lin Yu when he came before, this year's situation is a bit special, and the two of them had a falling out just a few days ago.

Jiang Luo blinked at the two people outside the door: "You two... you've made up?"

Cheng Jiashu walked into the room: "No, it's saved."

Jiang Luo looked puzzled.

Cheng Jiashu explained, "It's the Lunar New Year, so let's leave that aside for now."

Jiang Luo understood.

Cheng Jiashu said he was just putting things on hold for now, but actually he wanted to pretend that nothing had ever happened, to start removing himself from Lin Yu's life in advance, and to get used to the future without him.

The save file can conceal their conflicts. As long as they don't load the save file, he and Lin Yu can maintain the current balance.

There's no need to act like you care so much; just act as usual.

But Lin Yu knows him better than anyone else.

Lin Yu stood behind Cheng Jiashu and reminded him, "Don't just save the game without loading it."

With his thoughts exposed, Cheng Jiashu immediately lost his composure, stiffening his neck and remaining silent, his eyebrows furrowing.

Jiang Luo felt a strange urge to laugh.

Lin Yu changed her shoes and came into the house, continuing, "I know what you're thinking, so I'm just giving you a heads-up."

Cheng Jiashu closed his eyes, took a breath, and returned to his previous state, casually saying "Oh".

Cheng Jiashu held a bottle of dark green, unidentified liquid in his hand. It was inside a wine bottle, and he didn't know what it was.

"What are you holding in your hand?" Jiang Luo asked him.

"Alcohol," Cheng Jiashu said, raising an eyebrow. "My special New Year's Eve cocktail. Whoever loses at cards later will drink this."

Jiang Luo knew he was up to something, and asked with a smile, "What did you put in there?"

"You can judge for yourself in a moment."

Gu Shiyue and Jiang Chen were in the living room when Cheng Jiashu went over to greet them and introduced them to Gu Shiyue: "Brother Yue, this is my childhood friend, Lin Yu."

“This is Gu Shiyue, and Jiang Luo—” Cheng Jiashu paused, unsure how to introduce Gu Shiyue to Lin Yu.

"Boyfriend," Jiang Luo replied, smiling at Lin Yu.

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly a little surprised.

Gu Shiyue and Lin Yu nodded to each other in greeting.

Cheng Jiashu brought alcohol and playing cards. Tian Haoyu arrived shortly after he arrived.

Jiang Chen was called by Tian Haoyu to set off fireworks by the river, while his four older brothers stayed home to play cards and listen to the Spring Festival Gala.

Jiang Luo lost the first round, but was fortunate enough to be the first to taste Cheng Jiashu's "New Year's Eve Special".

Cheng Jiashu took a small wine glass, filled it with wine, and excitedly handed it to Jiang Luo: "Drink up, drink up."

Jiang Luo took the wine glass and smelled it. He couldn't quite make out what it smelled like. It tasted like a mixture of various vegetables, with a bitter note and a faint hint of alcohol.

It's so green it's almost black, it really looks like a witch's poison.

"You're like a Breaking Bad guy." Jiang Luo glanced at Cheng Jiashu.

Cheng Jiashu said happily, "Don't worry, it's guaranteed to be non-toxic, and the raw materials are all very healthy."

Jiang Luo pinched his nose and drank it all in one gulp. The taste wasn't as unbearable as he had imagined, but it was still quite strange. The only thing he could taste was cilantro.

Gu Shiyue handed him a glass of water, and Jiang Luo quickly took it and drank a sip.

Cheng Jiashu laughed wildly on the sidelines, but he lost the next game.

Fortune's wheel turns, and Jiang Luo smiled as she held the wine to his lips: "Please drink."

Cheng Jiashu took a deep breath, downed the whole thing in one gulp, and almost threw up his New Year's Eve dinner afterward: "Damn, this tastes awful..."

Jiang Luo couldn't stop laughing: "Didn't you try it yourself after you finished mixing it?"

Cheng Jiashu turned to look at Lin Yu beside him: "I should have let him try it first."

Lin Yu chuckled: "Using me as a test subject?"

The "New Year's Eve Special" contained a juice made from cilantro mixed with various unknown vegetables. Gu Shiyue doesn't eat cilantro. Jiang Luo originally thought that if Gu Shiyue lost, he would drink it for him. However, in the end, Gu Shiyue didn't lose a single round, but Jiang Luo himself lost several rounds.

This stuff gets more and more intoxicating the more you drink it. Although it's made with alcohol, the alcohol flavor is very weak. Jiang Luo didn't feel anything at first, but after a few cups, he felt a little dizzy, and the effects gradually kicked in.

Jiang Luo appeared normal, but he had actually fainted. He went to the restroom halfway through, and when he didn't return for three minutes, Gu Shiyue went to look for him.

The bathroom door was open. Jiang Luo stood in front of the mirror, her head hanging down, her hands supporting her on the sink. The back of her neck was noticeably red.

Gu Shiyue walked over.

Jiang Luo had just splashed water on his face; his eyes were closed, and water droplets clung to his long eyelashes. The alcohol had dulled his mind, and he hadn't noticed Gu Shiyue's footsteps as he entered.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" Gu Shiyue patted the back of his neck.

Jiang Luo's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. Turning around, she buried her face in Gu Shiyue's shoulder and said in a soft, husky voice, "I think I'm a little drunk."

It's not just a feeling, he's really drunk.

Jiang Luo's alcohol tolerance was average to begin with, and he drank the most today. Cheng Jiashu's liquor was something he just grabbed from his father's liquor cabinet. Although it was diluted a lot after mixing, it still had a strong aftereffect.

Cheng Jiashu, unaware of the situation, came over to check and asked, "What's wrong? Are you drunk?"

Jiang Luo seemed perfectly normal just now, but now, leaning against Gu Shiyue, her ears and neck are very red, clearly showing signs of drunkenness.

"My goodness, this baby can really hold his liquor." Cheng Jiashu chuckled.

Jiang Luo felt listless; he didn't want to move or talk, and just wanted to stay close to Gu Shiyue.

"Your drink has a strong aftereffect," Lin Yu said from behind Cheng Jiashu. "He drank quite a bit today too."

"Hey, I just grabbed it from my dad. After I finished, I couldn't even smell the alcohol anymore, but who knew it would still be so strong."

Jiang Luo was clearly unable to continue playing cards, nor could he participate in any other recreational activities. Cheng Jiashu was perceptive; he and Lin Yu shouldn't stay any longer in this situation, so he immediately called Lin Yu and left.

"Why did you run away so fast?" Lin Yu asked Cheng Jiashu with a smile in the elevator.

Cheng Jiashu put his hands in his pockets, chuckled coolly, and said, "Why not just stand there as a third wheel?"

Lin Yu stared at him quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "When do we load the save file?"

Cheng Jiashu stiffened, his cool demeanor crumbling. He turned his face away and said curtly, "It depends on my mood."

Lin Yu straightened his crooked hood and said, "Okay."

Gu Shiyue and Jiang Luo were still in the bathroom. Gu Shiyue put his arm around Jiang Luo's waist, wanting to carry him back to the room to sleep.

Jiang Luo was still half asleep when she looked up at him.

"I'll carry you back to your room," Gu Shiyue whispered in his ear.

"I want to take a shower first."

"Then I'll go get your clothes."

"Okay." Jiang Luo nodded obediently.

Jiang Luo's head was getting dizzier and dizzier, and he couldn't stand up at all without something to lean on. When Gu Shiyue came back with the clothes, he saw Jiang Luo sitting on the ground with his legs bent, his head hanging down, and his head resting on his knees.

"Luo Luo." A familiar voice came from beside her, but it was muffled. Jiang Luo woke up a little and looked up.

With Gu Shiyue's handsome face inches away, Jiang Luo squinted and smiled incoherently, "Senior, what did you call me?"

He definitely couldn't take a bath by himself in his current state; he would faint halfway through. Gu Shiyue picked him up by the waist and carried him to the bathtub.

Jiang Luo wrapped her arms around Gu Shiyue's neck and whispered in his ear, "Why aren't you saying anything... Did you just call me Luo Luo...?"

"Mmm." Gu Shiyue turned his head and kissed him.

Jiang Luo's mouth was hot, and his tongue was soft. Gu Shiyue's kiss made his head spin.

As Gu Shiyue bent down to carry Jiang Luo into the bathtub, Jiang Luo snapped out of her daze for a moment: "I don't want to bathe in the bathtub."

Jiang Luo is not used to using a bathtub; he usually takes a shower.

“I want to wash standing up,” Jiang Luo said.

"Can you stand up straight now?" Gu Shiyue asked him.

"Yes." Jiang Luo kissed Gu Shiyue's ear.

Gu Shiyue carried him into the shower room. Jiang Luo hadn't intended for Gu Shiyue to help him take a bath, so when Gu Shiyue reached out to undo his belt, he was momentarily stunned.

In the brief moment of distraction, Jiang Luo's pants had already been taken off. He was only wearing a pair of cotton pajamas, and after taking them off, he was left with just his underwear. When Gu Shiyue lifted his shirt to help him take it off, Jiang Luo realized that Gu Shiyue seemed to really be going to help him take a bath.

"Senior..." Jiang Luo gently grasped Gu Shiyue's hand, "Will you... help me wash?"

Gu Shiyue looked up at him: "What's the problem?"

"Hmm...no problem..." Jiang Luo let go of his hand and obediently stood there while Gu Shiyue helped him take off his clothes, still feeling dizzy.

Actually, Jiang Luo was a little embarrassed.

Although he and Gu Shiyue had done very intimate things, it was always in dim lighting. He had never been so "open" with Gu Shiyue before, so it was impossible for him not to feel embarrassed.

After taking off all her clothes, Jiang Luo seemed to sober up a bit because she was too shy.

His skin was very fair, and a faint blush rose on his cheeks. He kept his head down, not daring to look at Gu Shiyue.

Gu Shiyue knew that he was most likely more awake now.

Gu Shiyue stripped Jiang Luo naked, but didn't take off his own clothes. He turned on the shower, adjusted the water temperature to a suitable level, and asked Jiang Luo to turn around.

Jiang Luo looked somewhat bewildered: "Senior, aren't you going to take your clothes off?"

Although Gu Shiyue said he was helping Jiang Luo wash, Jiang Luo implicitly agreed that the two of them should wash together, otherwise it would be too much trouble.

"No need," Gu Shiyue said.

Gu Shiyue didn't plan to shower with Jiang Luo. There were more than just him and Jiang Luo in the house. Although Jiang Chen hadn't returned yet, this wasn't his private territory, and he wouldn't do whatever he wanted in a place that wasn't his own.

Jiang Luo was gently pushed by Gu Shiyue to turn around.

"Lower your head," Gu Shiyue said.

Jiang Luo lowered his head, and Gu Shiyue used the showerhead to wet his hair.

The shower room was filled with steam, and Gu Shiyue's clothes quickly became damp.

After washing his hair, Gu Shiyue squeezed some shower gel onto the bath sponge, lathered it up, and gently rubbed it on Jiang Luo's body.

His hand never touched Jiang Luo's skin, but Jiang Luo seemed to be able to imagine the feeling of Gu Shiyue's fingers tracing across her body, even though there was something between Gu Shiyue's hand and her body.

Alcohol amplifies this imagination.

Jiang Luo seems to have lost her senses again.

The shower was running continuously, the sound of water constant. Gu Shiyue helped Jiang Luo rinse off the soap, the warm water flowing from his neck down his body, causing a subtle change in Jiang Luo's body. He suddenly turned around and, fueled by alcohol, hugged Gu Shiyue tightly.

Gu Shiyue dropped the showerhead in his hand, splashing water everywhere and wetting his trouser legs.

Jiang Luo wrapped her arms around Gu Shiyue's neck, stepped barefoot on his instep, and called out "Senior" in a sticky voice in his ear.

Gu Shiyue's change was more obvious than his; Jiang Luo could feel it as they pressed so close together. He knew Gu Shiyue was restraining himself, but he didn't want to restrain himself now.

Gu Shiyue pinched Jiang Luo's waist, turned his head to kiss his earlobe, and said in a hoarse voice, "How am I supposed to wash like this?"

Jiang Luo reached out to lift Gu Shiyue's waistband, but Gu Shiyue held his hand down, telling him to behave.

Jiang Luo kissed his lips and murmured, "No... I don't want to be good today."