Chapter 40

Lu Si applied ointment on the corner of his bitten lip. The ointment felt cool and had a faint bitter smell of traditional Chinese medicine.

Gu Fang squeezed out some more ointment and applied it to Lu Si's shoulders and neck, which had been bitten badly, regardless of whether it was useful or not.

Lu Si patted the back of his hand, signaling that enough was enough: "Turn around."

Gu Fang turned his back sullenly. Lu Si swallowed slightly, his Adam's apple barely noticeable. He didn't move any further and whispered in Gu Fang's ear, "How can I wipe it if you don't untie my clothes?"

Gu Fang then began to unbutton his clothes. His pajamas fell off, revealing his snow-white back covered with scratches, some horizontal, some diagonal, and some vertical.

Lu Si had originally thought it wasn't serious, but upon seeing this, he couldn't help but gasp. Feeling guilty and distressed, he gently stroked the wound with his fingertips, "Does it hurt?"

Gu Fang turned his head away, his chin slightly raised. "It doesn't hurt. My physique is just like this, it easily shows marks."

He looks quite proud.

"Does it really not hurt?" Lu Si asked.

"It really doesn't hurt." Gu Fang replied.

Lu Si squeezed out the ointment in a bad mood and rubbed it onto the scratches on his back and the tooth mark on his shoulder. His fingertips and the ointment felt a little cold, and Gu Fang couldn't help but shiver. "Don't be too hard..."

Suddenly, Gu Fang felt a slight weight on his right shoulder which had not been bitten.

Lu Si rested his forehead against his shoulder, "I'm sorry..."

Gu Fang pursed his lips, his eyelashes drooping: "I was also too much, so I should also say sorry..."

Lu Si's faint smile reached my ears: "Why should we both apologize for this?"

"You said it first," Gu Fang said, a smile flashing in his eyes. "If I don't apologize along with you, it would seem like I have a bad temper."

Lu Si kissed his earlobe and said in a hushed voice, "I feel bad."

Gu Fang fell silent and rubbed his palms: "I feel bad too."

Lu Si reached out and hooked his chin, making him turn his head. The smile in his eyes was playful and mischievous, yet very seductive: "Call me brother, and this matter will be over."

Gu Fang kissed his fingertips and tilted his head: "Why am I the only one screaming?"

Lu Si raised his eyebrows in a disdainful manner: "Because I am two months older than you."

He deliberately raised two fingers and shook them in front of Gu Fang to show how long these two months were.

"Give me a kiss," Gu Fang tilted his head, poked a dimple in his cheek with a finger, and smiled beautifully with his eyes curved. "Give me a kiss, and I'll scream."

Lu Si leaned over and gave the disappeared nest a kiss very readily.

As if pressing a switch, Gu Fang curved his lips, a smile as bright as moonlight, and called out, "Brother."

He spoke briskly and fluently, which made Lu Si's ears numb instantly.

Lu Si kissed her again.

Gu Fang called out obediently, "Brother."

One more kiss.

"Brother Lu Si."

Keep kissing.

"Brother Lu."

Then give her a kiss.

"Brother Si."

…

Lu Si held his waist, and they fell back onto the soft bed. His hair, wet with sweat, stuck to his forehead. Lu Si narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows full of joy.

"Why are you so cute?"

Gu Fang glanced at the bite marks on his shoulder and neck, trying not to press them, and said lightly: "How am I cute?"

Lu Si nodded in self-affirmation, "Lovely and adorable."

Gu Fang smiled and rubbed his face affectionately, tracing the corners of Lu Si's eyes and eyebrows with his fingertips, and finally kissed the tip of his nose, "Brother Lu Si, you are also lovable."

The next day, Lu Si took Gu Fang to the town market.

Because of the Chinese New Year, there are many more people in the town, and the streets are blocked by vehicles returning home to celebrate the New Year. The festive red color can be seen everywhere, and there are shops selling couplets, lanterns, firecrackers and everything else.

Xiao Yuanshan, Xie Ziyao, and Mo Ji were at the agreed market intersection, waving at them from afar: "Hey! Over here!"

The band members are from Shiquan Town, so TS's nickname is Shiquan Town Sweet Country Music Band.

Lu Si told Gu Fang that he and Xiao Yuanshan had known each other since kindergarten, but they lost contact after he went to the city for elementary school. When Lu Si returned to Shiquan Town in junior high school, he ran into Xiao Yuanshan again and they became familiar with each other again.

Xie Ziyao and Mo Ji were classmates in junior high school.

Because of the band, the four of them are closely connected.

At noon that day, we went to a skewers hotpot restaurant on the street for lunch, and then we went shopping for New Year's goods on the street together.

Xiao Yuanshan and the other two were each responsible for their parents' instructions. They had to take a list and buy what they needed, and then they had to report the bill when they got back.

Gu Fang felt that he and Lu Si were really trying to cover up something that was only making it more obvious.

While eating, Xiao Yuanshan frequently looked at them and gave them an ambiguous smile.

Even someone as slow as Yaoyaozi would frown and eat a skewer while glancing at the two of them.

After finishing the meal and paying the bill, Mo Ji came over and sighed deeply: "Brother Lu, you are not honest. You didn't tell the brothers honestly."

Lu Si originally planned to keep it a secret from them, but Gu Fang went back to the countryside with him. They went shopping together, ate next to each other, and bought things shoulder to shoulder. He almost had the words "We are dating" written on his forehead.

There was no point in hiding it from them. Lu Si and Gu Fang looked at each other and nodded.

"It's just what you think."

He took Gu Fang's hand and raised it slightly.

"Wow, it's true—" Xie Ziyao gave a thumbs up, "Two A's! You two are the best!"

Mo Ji kicked Xie Ziyao and said to Lu Si seriously, "He's crazy. Anyway, I support you two with both hands and feet!"

Xie Ziyao protested: "You're talking like I don't support it!"

Xiao Yuanshan sighed softly: "Anyway, it's your business. As long as you are happy, it's none of our business as outsiders."

"By the way, where are the parents?" Xiao Yuanshan, always worried, asked, "Have you figured out how to get past the parents?"

Gu Fang glanced at Lu Si and said, "Let's keep it a secret for now. Once we can handle the pheromone issue, we can tell the parents."

Xiao Yuanshan gave a cheering gesture and suggested, "Don't tell me before the college entrance exam. Once you're done, you can do whatever you want."

Lu Si originally thought so too.

At least wait until the college entrance examination is over before expressing your feelings to Gu Fang, or at least wait until they are older and have the ability to prove to their parents that you are serious before pursuing Gu Fang.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. The more I think about it, the heavier the burden of this feeling becomes, and the more I need an outlet.

Now, I have reached a point where I cannot let go easily, and I am reluctant to let go. In fact, the more I get, the greedier I become.

Before returning home, Lu Si received a battle report from Lu Qi from the front line.

-Brother! Dad is back! Hope you can cover it up well.

Xie Qinghe arrived home in the afternoon. The house had already been cleaned by Lu Si and others, but he still couldn't sit still and mopped the floor up and down again.

After taking a shower, changing clothes and going downstairs, I saw Lu Si coming back, accompanied by her brother and friend who was also an Alpha as Lu Qi mentioned.

This child is really good-looking.

Xie Qinghe couldn't help but be amazed. This was his first impression of Gu Fang. His delicate and beautiful features resembled an Omega. As he got closer, he realized he was quite tall, barely taller than Lu Si, and his figure wasn't frail or slender at all.

It’s just because his eyebrows and eyes are too soft and beautiful, and beautiful things always give people the illusion of fragility.

Lu Si called out "Dad," and Gu Fang followed suit and said, "Hello, Uncle."

"Well, you too." Xie Qinghe took out a red envelope from his pocket and smiled gently, "Xiao Gu, keep it. Xiao Qi said you will go home before New Year's Eve, so I won't be able to give you a red envelope then. So keep it now. I hope you have good health and safety in the new year."

"Thank you, uncle." Gu Fang accepted it graciously and smiled. "You too, I wish you good health and happiness in the new year."

Xie Qinghe's smile wrinkled the corners of his eyes: "I'll give you my good wishes."

"Xiao Si, you've never brought friends home before, so you have to take care of Xiao Gu these few days."

Xie Qinghe gave Lu Si another instruction.

After Lu Si nodded, Xie Qinghe didn't say anything more polite and naturally took Gu Fang into his home. He didn't take extra care of him, nor did he deliberately distance himself from him.

Because Xie Qinghe had returned home, it was not possible to continue yesterday's experiment that evening.

Gu Fang watched a movie with Lu Qi downstairs, then went upstairs to take a shower and go to bed. As he was walking up a few steps, he suddenly heard Lu Si's voice coming from the second floor.

"……I know."

Xie Qinghe's voice continued, "Also, don't go to any bars to perform next semester. Adults should leave their affairs to adults. The money has been returned to them recently. Now you just need to concentrate on preparing for the college entrance examination."

"……I see."

"My part-time job has to be cancelled too. Now that I'm back, I'm not planning on leaving. I'll be responsible for taking care of you and Xiaoqi. Don't worry about your living expenses anymore, okay, Xiaosi?"

"But……"

"This is my responsibility. Your responsibility now is to study hard, understand?"

Lu Si's voice was silent for a while, then lowered a little: "I know."

"Has Lu Jianye contacted you recently?" Xie Qinghe's voice turned cold.

"No." Lu Si's tone was also cold.

"Call the police next time you come here." Xie Qinghe paused, his voice softening slightly, "Or tell me."

"……Um."

Gu Fang was about to turn around and go back to the first floor when he saw Lu Qi standing at the bottom of the stairs. The little girl stared at him quietly, without blinking, and he didn't know how long she had been standing there.

Gu Fang paused and was about to say something.

Lu Qi held up the burnt orange in his hand and said, "I just roasted some oranges. Do you want some?"

"..." Gu Fang put on a faint smile, "Eat."

Back in the living room, Lu Qi put a few fresh oranges on the fireplace. Gu Fang peeled the warm orange with burnt skin, broke it in half and gave it to Lu Qi.

Lu Qi ate a few petals, then suddenly tilted his head and asked, "Are you serious?"

"What?" Gu Fang was concentrating on peeling the white silk threads on the orange, preparing to eat a few slices and give the rest to Lu Si. When he heard this, his eyelashes raised slightly, but he didn't react much.

Lu Qi glanced at him and added, "Just you and my brother."

Gu Fang lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, "...I don't quite understand what seriousness means, but if the definition of seriousness is responsibility, I think I really want to be responsible for your brother."

Lu Qi listened very carefully, paused for a moment, and asked softly, "But what are you responsible for?"

Gu Fang choked at the question—Lu Qi's maturity exceeded his expectations. A wave of complex emotions, including heartache, surged through Gu Fang's heart. He put a slice of orange into his mouth, chewing it slowly for a moment before swallowing it all away.

"I'll take charge of myself."

He said quietly, his eyelashes half covering his clear blue eyes.

"I want to share everything that belongs to me with Lu Si, but now there are too few things that belong to me alone, and there is too little I can give away. But I still have a lot of love——"

He paused, and the young man's clear eyes suddenly became gentle.

“If love can be shared, I would like to use my unreserved love to form an endless river to send my sweetheart to wherever he longs for.”

Lu Qi opened his eyes wide, Gu Fang’s answer was too unexpected.

Only a child who has grown up immersed in endless love can confidently say that he has a lot of love. And only an absolutely selfless and pure soul can vow to send his loved one to any place he longs for.

She thought Gu Fang's love was possession, but Gu Fang's answer was to let go.

She suddenly realized that Gu Fang seemed to have obtained something that many people in this world could not get, but he was full of pessimism about his own life.

"I was going to say that responsibility is both a good thing and a bad thing." Lu Qi smiled bitterly, "But it seems you understand it better than me."

Xie Qinghe taught them the importance of responsibility since they were young, because Xie Qinghe himself had a big fall in this regard.

She got pregnant before marriage in high school, gave up her studies, and resolutely followed her cool and handsome boyfriend whom she had a crush on early on to the big city, but what she got was a mess.

Lu Si came into this world in a confused state due to the irresponsibility of two young people.

Lu Qi followed closely behind. Because the two young people thought they were responsible, they came into this world in a daze.

Returning to the room late at night, he turned off the lights and lay on the bed. Gu Fang hugged Lu Si tightly, like a helpless little bird, leaning tightly on his shoulders.

Lu Si noticed his low mood, tilted his head slightly, and rubbed his cheek against his, like two little animals cuddling together to exchange warmth, and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

It would have been fine if he hadn't asked, but as soon as he did, Gu Fang felt a sour feeling in his nose.

"Nothing." He rubbed Lu Si's shoulders and neck and gave him a light kiss from behind.

Lu Si's heart softened at his slightly sore tone, so she simply turned sideways, held his face, and kissed his eyebrows, nose bridge, and cheeks from forehead down, comforting him carefully and gently.

Gu Fang held his jaw and licked it gently, sucking for a while, then slightly loosened his lips and said with a smile, "Are we too sticky?"

"No." Lu Si hugged him lazily, stroked Gu Fang's Adam's apple and earlobes, and finally kissed the top of his head. He took a deep breath in satisfaction, closed his eyes and prepared to sleep, "I think it's just right."

Gu Fang smiled and pecked at his Adam's apple again, pursing her lips until it turned red before releasing it. Her dense eyelashes hid the emotions in her eyes, and she asked again, "Are we too selfish?"

Lu Si suddenly opened his eyes at an angle where he couldn't see.

The inky black eyes narrowed slightly. Lu Si paused for a moment and kissed the top of his head again.

"No." His tone was still lazy. "Fangfang, you just came into my life a little earlier than I expected."

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