Chapter 27 is gay!

Not long after Uncle Kang hung up the phone, just as he was about to go and arrange for a car, "snap!" the young boss rushed in from the doorway in his slippers.

It looks like...a rush.

Uncle Kang: "I'll be right there..."

"Uncle Kang, wait a minute." Ji Tong walked past him and continued walking briskly forward.

Uncle Kang thought he was going upstairs, but when he passed the sofa, he made a sharp turn and went into the kitchen.

"Aunt Yang—"

Ji Tong's voice echoed softly in the villa.

Aunt Yang wiped her hands with her apron and hurriedly came out of the kitchen: "Coming, coming... Hey, hey, don't go in, there's still morel mushrooms and pork ribs stewing in the casserole, it's steaming a lot, don't burn yourself."

Ji Tong ate very little tonight; the morel mushroom and pork ribs were a late-night snack prepared by Aunt Yang.

"Aunt Yang, is there any more boat congee?" Ji Tong asked with a droopy face.

Ji Tong got tired of eating porridge at his maternal grandfather's house today, but Ji Yuanfeng didn't get any. When he got home and heard that his wife and son had eaten boat porridge, he got a craving, so Song Jiahe asked Aunt Yang to cook a pot.

"Hungry? There's more, there's more. Just say you want some porridge, why did you come in here?"

"Go sit in the kitchen first, Aunt Yang will serve you some."

"The pork ribs are stewed too, shall I serve you a bowl?"

As Aunt Yang spoke, she turned to ladle out the porridge, and a fainter voice came from behind her—

"Pour a pot of it."

Aunt Yang: "?"

Twenty minutes later, Aunt Yang stood blankly at the villa entrance, watching Ji Tong drive away in his car with a pot of morel mushrooms and pork ribs, half a pot of boat congee, and four freshly stir-fried small dishes.

-

In the car, Uncle Kang looked at Ji Tong in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

The child had a tense expression, still in pajamas and slippers, staring at the phone as if trying to stare into a hole, and unconsciously pressed down on the accelerator a little.

After sending the message "You did this on purpose," Ji Tong didn't reply. He stared at his phone.

[The ward: What did you mean by "intentionally"?]

[Time: 22:12]

[The child under guardianship: What's wrong?]

[Time: 22:20]

[Child under guardianship: Are you going to sleep?]

[Time: 22:27]

[The ward has refused to initiate a video call]

[Time: 22:39]

[The ward has refused to initiate a voice call]

[Time: 22:45]

Ji Tong didn't reply with a single word.

But it was rejected instantly.

[Guardian: ?]

[Time: 22:47]

Uncle Kang heard two cold "ding" sounds in a row. They were familiar; they were the sounds of WeChat rejecting calls.

Uncle Kang: "?"

-

The holiday is already halfway over, but traffic in Anjing remains heavy.

The car arrived at the West Gate of the Peninsula at 11:46 PM.

Aunt Yang was worried that the porridge would taste bad if it got cold, so she packed it in a refrigerated foam box.

Uncle Kang was worried that Ji Tong would be carrying a heavy bag, so he carried Ji Tong and the box to the elevator before stopping.

"Will Uncle Kang take it upstairs for you?" Uncle Kang asked.

Ji Tong took the box: "It's not heavy, no need. Uncle Kang, be careful on your way back, drive slowly, and send me a message when you get to the villa."

"Okay, okay," Uncle Kang pressed the button for the 21st floor for him. "Don't worry about me, come upstairs quickly."

When the elevator reached the 21st floor, Ji Tong carried her suitcase and walked quickly to room 2104. The moment she pressed her fingerprint onto the keypad lock, her face fell.

He started yelling as soon as he opened the door.

"Beep," the door unlocks.

Ji Tong strode into the living room in two quick steps: "Gu Lin, are you...?"

Ji Tong's voice was stuck in her throat.

Nobody's here.

The living room light was on, and the jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table was much more complete than the one he had on the 30th. Next to the puzzle was his teacup, the tea was almost gone, and Jiang Taigong was fishing for the tea bag in mid-air.

Ji Tong casually placed the insulated box on the island counter and then went to open the door to the guest room.

The guest bedroom was pitch black, the curtains weren't even drawn, and the room was so clean it looked like no one lived there.

Where are they?

Ji Tong was puzzled when he vaguely heard the sound of running water. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and it didn't seem to be in the living room or bathroom, but rather in the next room.

The apartment has two bathrooms in total, one in the living room and one in the master bedroom. Since Ji Tong started sleeping in the master bedroom, Gu Lin has basically been using the bathroom in the living room.

Ji Tong was worried that she had misheard, so she left Gu Lin's room, glanced at the living room and bathroom, and then walked back towards the master bedroom.

The moment the doorknob was pressed down and pushed open, light streamed out through the gradually opening crack in the door.

Ji Tong was taken aback.

Compared to the dark guest bedroom, this place is noticeably more "messy".

The room was lit, a black nightgown was casually draped at the foot of the bed, a corner of the sheet was lifted, and three papers and a pen were stacked on the bedside table, with a pair of glasses on top of the papers.

A computer and a tablet were propped up on the desk against the wall. The computer was still lit up, and the screen was frozen on a problem about executing code using a two-dimensional array.

Ji Tong stood there, stunned.

Has Gu Lin been sleeping in the master bedroom these past two days?

Just then, the sound of water beside Ji Tong stopped, followed by footsteps, growing closer and closer—

“哢”.

The moment the bathroom door opened, even though there were several steps between them, the accumulated steam seemed to come alive, rushing towards Ji Tong's feet.

Their gazes collided through the humid, steamy air.

They were all stunned for a moment.

Gu Lin wasn't wearing a shirt; his upper body appeared to have been hastily wiped down, leaving watermarks on his shoulders, neck, chest, and lower abdomen. He was wearing pajama bottoms, but they were pulled down rather low, revealing the lines of his lower abdomen as they gradually disappeared into the loose fabric. His whole being exuded an indescribable...

Ji Tong couldn't describe it.

Mingming had been applying medicine to Gu Lin for more than half a month, and during the days when the wound was bleeding, she applied it three times a day. Every time she looked at Gu Lin, he was half-naked, and Ji Tong didn't feel uncomfortable. But today, for some reason, Ji Tong turned her face away.

He thought that perhaps it was because he hadn't seen her for four days and his brain hadn't adjusted yet.

Gu Lin remained standing in the same spot, without moving an inch or changing his posture.

Ji Tong spoke first.

"What are you standing there for?"

Gu Lin's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he walked over step by step, stepping through the still-warm steam, and stopped in front of Ji Tong.

The scent of mint shower gel mixed with orange grove fragrance made Ji Tong feel a little hot today, even though Gu Lin's body temperature is usually low.

Half of the light in front of him was blocked by Gu Lin. Ji Tong raised his eyes, about to start cursing, when his right pinky finger, which was hanging by his side, was suddenly hooked.

Ji Tong was slightly taken aback and lowered his head.

—It was Gu Lin's hand.

Gu Lin kept his expression reserved, touching her only briefly, a fleeting touch, like touching a fragile bubble.

Then he slowly exhaled.

On the desk, the computer, having not been commanded for a long time, automatically switched to a flip clock screensaver. Ji Tong's pinky finger, touched by the screensaver, felt slightly warm. She clenched her fist and glanced at the screensaver clock.

23:59.

Gu Lin opened his mouth as if to speak, but Ji Tong suddenly raised his hand, placing the heel of his palm against Gu Lin's chin, and spoke rapidly—

"One minute until midnight."

"You still have two speaking quotas left for today."

"Think it over before you speak."

It's best to immediately explain why you bought him so much food, and why he's eating soaked oatmeal.

After Ji Tong finished his warning, he let go.

The moment he let go, Gu Lin lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Ji Tong's eyebrows, nose, and bridge, before landing on his shoulder.

"I told you it was getting colder, why are you out in your pajamas? Aren't you cold?"

Ji Tong: "..."

This person is really...

Why did he ask that?

Don't think you can avoid getting scolded this way!

Ji Tong's tongue felt a little numb. She forced a smile and turned her face away, her gaze aimlessly falling on the clock on the computer screensaver.

“It’s not cold… there’s only one sentence left,” Ji Tong emphasized again, “think it through before you speak.”

31 seconds remaining.

26 seconds remaining.

20 seconds left.

Ji Tong counted down with the second hand of the screensaver.

Why aren't you saying anything?

"If you won't tell me, then I'll..."

Are you still leaving?

Ji Tong's voice mingled with Gu Lin's, overlapping each other.

A voice was muffled, and Ji Tong didn't hear it clearly. He turned to look at Gu Lin: "What?"

Gu Lin slowly took a step closer, and the distance between the two suddenly shortened.

Ji Tong looked up and met Gu Lin's gaze.

The screensaver clock finally turned the page, "swishing" back to zero from 23:59.

Gu Lin's voice rang out in the very first second of the second day.

Are you leaving again tomorrow?

Gu Lin raised his hand and touched the back of Ji Tong's hand, his eyes gently lowered as he asked softly.

He rarely spoke in this tone—ethereal, lukewarm, yet carrying his usual nonchalance—leaving Ji Tong somewhat bewildered: "Go? Go...where to?"

"Go back to Haiyuan."

"I won't reply."

"Who brought you here?"

"Uncle Kang".

"Do your aunt and uncle know you're back here?"

"have no idea."

"Sneaked out?"

"No, Mom went to Barcelona. Her flight is tonight, she should be on the plane now. Dad went with her too, he's there to discuss an artist's agency with..."

no--

Ji Tong replied in a daze for a long time before snapping out of her daze as if waking from a dream.

Wasn't he the one who came to question Gu Lin?

How did it become Gu Lin investigating him?

Ji Tong suddenly reached out and pinched Gu Lin's chin: "Who told you to ask?"

Gu Lin chuckled softly, his warm breath landing on Ji Tong's hand.

Ji Tong's fingers twitched, and he quickly withdrew them, then a few seconds later awkwardly put them behind his back.

Gu Lin's gaze swept over the hidden hand, and he smiled slightly, lost in thought.

“I won’t ask anymore, you ask,” he said.

Ji Tong wanted to ask.

Along the way from Haiyuan to the Peninsula, there were probably at least eighty or a hundred people you could ask, but right now, Ji Tong can't remember a single one.

My thoughts were like being dragged into a trash can, cleared out with a single click, and all my nerves were focused on the back of my hand.

…Gu Lin's minty scent was too strong, and he got dizzy from inhaling it. Ji Tong raised his hand, pressed it against Gu Lin's shoulder, and pushed him away.

"Let's talk after we finish our late-night snack."

He paused for a moment.

"...Put your clothes on."

After saying that, Ji Tong turned and left.

Their pace quickened.

Gu Lin watched his flustered movements, then lowered his eyes to look at the skin on his neck and shoulders that the other person had touched. He raised his hand and pressed it very lightly, as if exchanging body heat.

Gu Lin turned around, put on his pajamas, and walked outside.

-

Ji Tong walked silently to the refrigerator, opened it, took out a bottle of ice water, unscrewed the cap and took a sip. Feeling it wasn't enough, he pressed the bottle side against his face and stood in front of the refrigerator for more than ten seconds before the dizziness disappeared.

Ji Tong raised his hand and touched his forehead.

No, why is he panicking?

Shouldn't Gu Lin be the one panicking?

Ji Tong patted her face, snapping out of her daze. The refrigerator was open, so she decided to check what Gu Lin had been eating these past few days.

I flipped through it for a while.

It seems like they're missing some fresh wontons.

Forget about cooking the other dishes, we still haven't finished the grilled eel and cold beef salad.

After Ji Tong finished checking the accounts, he walked out with a stern face and placed the porridge and dishes on the table. Halfway through, Gu Lin came over and took over.

Everything else then naturally fell to Gu Lin.

He fetched bowls and chopsticks, a small bowl, ladled porridge, took a cup, heated milk, poured milk, and Ji Tong simply sat in his seat like an emperor.

After fiddling around for about ten minutes, Gu Lin sat down.

The two sat facing each other at the dining table.

After Gu Lin finished a bowl of porridge, Ji Tong stepped on his foot under the table and began to address him: "What have you eaten these past two days?"

Gu Lin patiently listed the three meals a day.

When Ji Tong heard "oatmeal" for the second time, he couldn't help but kick it instead of stepping on it.

Gu Lin's calf was lightly kicked.

"Oatmeal, oatmeal, there's so much stuff in the fridge, and all you give me is oatmeal."

"I'll throw your can of oatmeal downstairs later."

—That can of oatmeal was indeed not bought by Ji Tong; the oatmeal had "moved into" this apartment a little earlier than him.

"Why didn't you eat any of those cooked dishes? You said the grilled eel was delicious last week."

Gu Lin said slowly and deliberately, "We ate together last week."

Ji Tong: "?"

What kind of twisted logic is that?

The taste hasn't changed.

Gu Lin ate his porridge with a normal expression: "There's too much; one person can't finish it all."

Ji Tong: "..."

Ji Tong wasn't hungry to begin with, so he ate a small half bowl and leaned back. When he turned his head, he happened to be looking directly at the can of "oatmeal".

Ji Tong: "..."

One-third of the oatmeal has already been used.

Ji Tong was certain that it was the energy he had used up before he moved in.

What are their habits?

Is this how they eat in Germany?

What about in Jiangcheng?

Just because you're young and healthy doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, right?

Ji Tong suddenly remembered something.

After a long while, he turned his gaze away from the can of oatmeal, picked up his chopsticks, and in a show of feigned modesty, placed a piece of pork rib on Gu Lin's plate. Then, he casually asked, "Is the boat congee alright?"

Gu Lin: "Mm."

Ji Tong didn't look at him and continued, "Aunt Yang made it, but she learned it from my grandfather."

"Um."

"I only stayed at my maternal grandfather's house for one day this time."

"Um."

Ji Tong: "..."

What "poop monster"?

Ji Tong: "Grandpa originally wanted me to stay a few more days, but he had to go to the welfare home yesterday afternoon and came back here in the evening, so I said, wait... during the winter vacation, I'll stay a few more days."

Gu Lin: "Mm."

After many twists and turns, the true face of Mount Lu is revealed.

Ji Tong: "So, are you going to Germany during winter break?"

Gu Lin had just put down his spoon when the ceramic spoon bumped against the ceramic bowl with a clinking sound.

Ji Tong's heart skipped a beat.

"It depends," Gu Lin said, "we might continue to stay here."

Ji Tong: "..."

He dared to handle just one National Day holiday like this, what about a whole winter break...?

Why is this person so difficult to deal with?

Five minutes later, Ji Tong, with a stern face, unlocked her phone and opened a familiar blue-green app.

Click into the category, then click into home improvement, then click into smart home, then click into cameras, select, and place an order.

-

0:42.

"Unicorn" 24-hour self-operated store, "Poverty Alleviation and Harmony as One Family" chat group:

[Xiang You Xin Sheng: Remember that 3000 yuan order I delivered a couple of days ago? The one about "don't open the door randomly during couples' play." I take back what I said last time. Although I was part of their play, the couples in the city are too generous. Tonight's order, a camera was delivered, and the "guardian" lady tipped me 200 yuan. There's no reason for them not to be happy.]

The young deliveryman walked happily to the door of 2104 and rang the doorbell with joy.

The door opened slowly and happily.

"Mr. Gu, hello, this is an order placed by your 'guardian' at 'Unicorn'."

The deliveryman's breath hitched.

It's not Mr. Gu!

Another one?

Does this "guardian" lady change boyfriends so quickly?

The deliveryman took another closer look.

Wow! This one looks awesome too!

"Who are you talking to?" Gu Lin asked as he came out of the bathroom after washing his hands.

The deliveryman was taken aback: "?"

Ji Tong took the bag from the deliveryman: "I ordered some things."

Deliveryman: "??"

Gu Lin walked over: "What did you buy?"

Ji Tong placed the bag on the shelf by the door: "Mind your own business."

Deliveryman: "???"

"Thank you, you must be tired so late," Ji Tong said with a smile as she faced the deliveryman. Seeing that the deliveryman did not move, she reached out her hand first, as if she knew the procedure well, "Pen, I'll sign for it."

"Oh, oh, excuse me, sir, may I ask who you are...?" The deliveryman hurriedly opened the delivery app and stared at the customer with wide eyes.

Damn, the recipient tonight is the "guardian" himself!

"Unicorn" always keeps customer information highly confidential. Only during anniversaries or events will the customer service department handle the distribution of related gifts. At their level as "dedicated deliverymen," they have no access to customer information at all, regardless of age or gender. Their interface only shows the contact number and the nickname left by the other party, which have been hidden.

The deliveryman stammered, "Sir, are you... are you the 'guardian'... sir?"

"Hmm?" Ji Tong paused for a moment. "Didn't I change it back after I set it last time? I forgot."

"Yes, that's me."

The deliveryman's soul left his body.

In the few seconds that the "guardian" took the pen, he stood at the door, looked at the "guardian's" pajamas, and then at the same pajamas worn by "Gu Lin" behind the "guardian," who was not allowed to open the door to strangers.

Deliveryman: "..."

Ji Tong was about to sign the document with a pen in hand when a delivery person was at the door and Gu Lin was behind her, blocking some of the light.

So he nudged backward with his elbow and said in a familiar and affectionate tone that anyone could hear, "Move aside, you're blocking my light."

Deliveryman: "…………"

After signing the form, Ji Tong handed it back, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. Be careful on the road."

Deliveryman: "...Okay, okay."

The deliveryman took the pen, walked blankly down the corridor, and the moment he stepped into the elevator, he couldn't hold back any longer. He pulled out his phone, pressed the voice message button, took a deep breath, and unleashed another torrent of messages in the "Poor, Humble, and Harmonious Family" group chat, his voice even more hoarse than the first time:

"Holy crap! The 'guardian' is a man! A man! A man who's just as incredibly handsome! Two men wearing matching pajamas!! They're gay!! 'Unicorn,' your VIP client is gay!! Did you know that?! He's gay!"