"Qin Gang!" Xiang Yang, drunk and disorderly, called out to him with his eyes wide open.

Qin Gang put him on the bed, moved the electric fan a little further away, turned it on to the lowest setting, and let it blow on him. "Why aren't you calling me 'Uncle Qin' anymore?"

Xiang Yang kicked his leg and stubbornly called out to him, "Qin Gang!"

Qin Gang went over, straightened his outstretched arms, and then brought a pillow, supporting his neck as he rested it on his head. "You really don't want to call me Uncle Qin anymore?"

Xiangyang shook his head and said, "You're twenty-seven, and I'm twenty-two!"

As he spoke, Xiangyang counted on his fingers for a long time, "I'm five years younger than him, so I can't call him uncle."

Qin Gang brushed the hair back from his forehead, revealing his face completely, and then asked him, "If not Uncle, then what should I call you?"

Xiangyang blinked her moist, soft eyes and mumbled, "You're not going to kick me out."

"..." Qin Gang seemed to understand what he meant. "If I don't kick you out, you won't call me 'Uncle' anymore? You won't call me 'Dad' either?"

"No!" Xiangyang burped.

Qin Gang's eyes darkened. "If you won't call me, do you still want to live with me?"

Xiangyang looked at him with a wronged expression, not wanting to call out.

"I'm not doing loan sharking anymore," Qin Gang could only say these things when he was drunk. "Would you like to be with me?"

"Huh?" Xiangyang looked confused.

Qin Gang leaned down and kissed him, then propped himself up on either side of him and said, "You and your brother are a good match."

Xiangyang blinked, turned his head, looked at the electric fan, and said, "It's hot!"

Qin Gang narrowed his eyes, then sighed, smiled helplessly, and turned the fan up a bit.

Qin Gang got into bed but didn't touch him.

Xiangyang's eyes were wide open, but his mind wasn't very clear. He couldn't quite understand what Qin Gang was saying, so he gave up and just fell asleep.

Seeing that Xiangyang had fallen asleep so carefree, Qin Gang couldn't resist any longer. He turned over and pulled him into his arms, saying, "Hey kid, what are you doing here?"

Xiangyang hummed, "Little darling..."

Unable to understand what he was humming, Qin Gang could only pat him on the back to coax him to sleep more peacefully.

Xiangyang woke up later than Qin Gang, who had already gone to school.

The fan was still whirring, so Xiangyang stepped on the ground and turned it off.

Xiao Guai suddenly spoke up: "...Xiangyang, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

Xiang Yang paused, then withdrew his hand and said, "What, you want me to offer myself up?"

Little Guai poked her finger and fell silent.

Xiangyang: "How many of these tasks do I need to complete?"

Xiao Guai: "...Ten. If you lose one, you get three penalties. If you lose three, you're done for."

“Oh,” Xiangyang scratched his head, “Okay then.”

Xiao Guai: "Then... Xiangyang, can you offer yourself?"

“It depends on the situation,” Xiangyang said as he walked outside. “Maybe we don’t need it… Honestly, what is Qin Gang thinking… I’m so unlucky.”

After complaining, Xiangyang added, "Qin Gang isn't gay, is he?"

Xiao Guai: "...The data doesn't show it, but it might be an error."

Xiangyang yawned and went to school.

If not, then that's perfect.

Xiangyang didn't have class until 10 a.m. When he passed by that construction site, he whistled at Qin Gang. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was being a pervert.

Passersby all looked over.

Xiang Yang waved to Qin Gang again.

Zhang Yu hesitated, but could only wait for Xiang Yang to speak.

Xiangyang didn't go over; he waved goodbye and left.

Taking advantage of a lull in the crowd, Zhang Yu casually asked, "Xiangyang, what exactly is your relationship with this Qin Gang?"

Xiangyang felt that his words were not quite right, so he squinted at him, as if to say that he should speak more clearly.

Zhang Yu sighed and said softly, "I don't think your 'father' is straight."

Xiang Yang stopped abruptly and said, "You're saying he's gay?"

Zhang Yu: "...I guessed."

"..." Xiangyang looked at him, taking a step forward, "Then, you wouldn't have realized that he has even the slightest bit of a crush on me, would you?"

Zhang Yu was shocked. "You knew?"

Instead of answering, Xiang Yang asked, "How did you figure that out?"

“At first I didn’t notice anything, and I didn’t think about it in that way,” Zhang Yu said. “But yesterday, I felt that the way he looked at you wasn’t quite innocent.”

“Be careful,” Zhang Yu reminded him again, “He doesn’t seem like a nice guy.”

Xiang Yang retorted, "Didn't he have even the slightest bit of kindness in his eyes?"

Zhang Yu frowned: "Are you kidding me?"

Xiangyang smiled.

Zhang Yu advised him, "Get a girlfriend."

Xiangyang: "I don't like any of them."

"Xiangyang!" Tang Xi ran over and waved to him.

Zhang Yu raised his chin slightly. "But someone likes you!"

Xiangyang: "Don't talk nonsense."

Zhang Yu didn't argue with him, but deliberately said, "I'm leaving first."

"Hey!" Tang Xi patted him on the shoulder, "Your uncle is actually a construction foreman!"

Xiang Yang could tell that Tang Xi's impression of Qin Gang had changed significantly.

"Impressive, right?" Xiang Yang said, even with a hint of pride.

Tang Xi followed him and walked forward together. "Amazing! Amazing! But just now, when I passed by that place, I glanced at him, and the look he gave me was terrifying."

Xiang Yang frowned and smiled, "Huh?"

Tang Xi didn't seem to care much about it. She smiled and invited Xiang Yang, saying, "It's my birthday this Sunday. Why don't you come to my house for a party?"

Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "...Okay."

Tang Xi sensed something was amiss and asked suspiciously, "You agreed so readily?"

Xiangyang: "It's your birthday!"

Xiangyang never mentioned what happened that night, and Qin Gang assumed he had forgotten. The two would occasionally meet up to eat at the cafeteria, and Xiangyang would always greet him whenever he passed by.

On Saturday, Qin Gang, covered in mud, walked up to him and offered to go home with him, but Xiang Yang said he wasn't going home this week.

Since it's a classmate's birthday on Sunday, and we're going to their house to celebrate tomorrow, I might as well just stay at school.

Qin Gang narrowed his eyes: "Male classmate or female classmate?"

Xiangyang: "Female classmate."

Qin Gang's throat tightened, his eyes filled with irritation, and his gaze towards Xiang Yang was chillingly cold: "Now that you're familiar with me?"

The last time Qin Gang asked him if he would get a girlfriend in the future, Xiang Yang said that he hadn't even gotten to know his classmates well yet.

What about now?

Xiangyang said, "Yeah, I've gotten to know most of my classmates pretty well."

Qin Gang stood in front of him, his clothes covered in mud, his shoes, which looked unbearable, and his helmet, all of which made him look extremely ridiculous.