Chapter 48: Downtime
The dark gray Porsche merged smoothly into the evening traffic. With the windows tightly closed, shutting out the clamor of the outside world, the interior was filled with the faint scent of cologne and a profoundly unreal silence.
Gu Xu sat in the passenger seat, his body straight, his seatbelt neatly buckled. His hands rested on his knees, his fingertips unconsciously curled and trembling slightly. His gaze was fixed on the street scene that flew by outside the car window. The neon lights were just coming on, and the light and shadows flowed across the windshield like a colorful river, but it seemed that none of them reflected in his pupils.
His entire body, both physically and mentally, was in a rare state of "downtime".
His mind was blank, not the sleepy kind, but rather the buzzing, vacant vacuum left by a sudden burst of ultra-high-frequency electricity. Chu Yan's remarkably clear voice still echoed in his ears—"This is my boyfriend, Gu Xu." Each word was like a hammer, hammering down on the walls of his cognition, leaving him dizzy and dazed.
What did Chu Yan say? Boyfriend? He just dragged Chu Yu out of the underground and into the sunlight without any warning?
What was Chu Yu's reaction? Gu Qi tried to recall, but only a blurry fragment of the image came to mind: Chu Yu's icy face, frozen in time, seemed to have lost all expression. In those deep, piercing eyes, disbelief and astonishment flashed, followed by a surge of icy anger. And then what? What did Chu Yan say? How did Chu Yan get him into the car? He had no recollection of it.
He was like a computer whose memory was instantly filled up and whose CPU was completely burned out. All programs stopped running, leaving only the futile hum of the host fan.
In the driver's seat, Chu Yan held the steering wheel with one hand, his posture relaxed, even a touch of the laziness of someone completely relaxed after an exam. He glanced at Gu Xu, who seemed to be petrified beside him. Seeing him, a rare sight, completely stripped of all his elite pretense, leaving only pure dullness and bewilderment, he couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The laughter was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, finally causing a slight ripple in Gu's frozen system. He very slowly turned his head and looked at Chu Yan. His eyes held an almost innocent confusion, as if silently asking, "What are you laughing at?"
Chu Yan's smile deepened, his eyes and eyebrows tinged with the warm gold of the sunset, dazzlingly beautiful. He shook his head, "You're so cute, Mr. Gu." His tone was full of undisguised teasing, "Your reaction...is not what I expected."
He paused, as if recalling something, and continued teasingly: "When we first met in the bar, who was so at ease, acting like an elite who could make things happen in the love field and had seen a lot? How come a mere public identity has blown you up like this?" His voice was magnetic, and it was particularly clear in the closed compartment, and every word struck Gu Xu's confused heartstrings.
Gu Xu opened his mouth, but his throat seemed blocked, unable to utter a single sound. He certainly remembered their first encounter. Back then, he'd been possessed by a desire for control, approaching this uniquely gifted young man with a mindset of curiosity and conquest. He'd believed he had everything under control, convinced he was the unflappable chess player. But who could have imagined that in just one year, with his offense and defense shifting, he'd become the idiot, easily shaken by the opponent's slightest move?
The contrast was so great, so great that even he himself found it ridiculous, yet damn sweet!
The car parked steadily in a temporary parking space near the hot pot restaurant. The hot pot restaurant's sign shone an alluring red light in the twilight, and the noisy voices and tempting aromas drifted faintly across the street. Chu Yan pulled the handbrake and turned off the engine.
The car was completely silent. Chu Yan turned sideways, calmly observing Gu Xu, who was still half asleep. He extended his hand, gently waving his bony fingers in front of Gu Xu's eyes, with a hint of joking, "Hey, Xu? Come back to your senses! We're at the hot pot restaurant. My classmates are waiting for me."
The waving fingertips seemed to possess a magical power, finally and completely severing the persistently humming string in Gu's mind. He took a sharp breath, his scattered pupils suddenly focused, and he stared directly into Chu Yan's eyes, which were filled with smiles and inquiry.
"Ayan..." Gu Xu's voice was hoarse. He grabbed Chu Yan's hand, which was still shaking in front of him, and squeezed it tightly with astonishing strength, "You...you just said..."
He spoke incoherently, and his brain processor seemed to have just restarted and was still struggling to load the data packet.
Chu Yan let him hold his hand, feeling the warmth and subtle trembling of his palm, scorching with excitement. He gently patted the back of Gu Xu's hand with his backhand, smiling gently and confidently, "Yes, I said, 'This is my boyfriend, Gu Xu.' It was crystal clear in front of Brother Yu."
"Why?" Gu Yu finally regained some of his language ability. His voice still trembled, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He locked his eyes on Chu Yan, as if he wanted to find even a trace of a joke on his face. "Why now? Why so suddenly?" He had imagined countless public scenes, perhaps after a romantic dinner, or at a celebration party for a successful project, but he had never imagined it like this, at the school gate after the college entrance examination, under Chu Yu's almost murderous gaze, so suddenly.
Chu Yan raised his eyebrows, his smile carrying a hint of cunning and self-righteousness: "I promised you, we would only have a secret relationship for half a year. The college entrance examination is over, and my high school career is completely over. Doesn't this mean I've been 'released from prison'?" He deliberately used a light-hearted and teasing tone to dilute Gu Xu's nervousness that was about to overflow.
Seeing Gu Xu's still dazed expression, Chu Yan leaned in closer, close enough to see Gu Xu's slightly trembling eyelashes and his own reflection in his eyes. He lowered his voice, a hint of mischief in his smile, his warm breath brushing Gu Xu's ear. "Besides, if I don't make it public, someone will continue to be so jealous that they'll almost become pickled. I'm afraid that one day they'll really die of jealousy. Wouldn't that be a huge loss for me?"
The word "jealous" struck a chord with Gu Xu. He recalled the bitterness he'd felt when he saw Chu Yu at the oath-taking ceremony, the annoyance he'd felt when he saw Chu Yan and Chu Yu standing side by side on the playground, the countless times he'd felt a sense of crisis because of Chu Yu's excessive attention to Chu Yan... All that hidden jealousy he'd forcibly suppressed was now gently revealed by Chu Yan. Far from embarrassing him, it was like being gulped down by a large glass of warm honey water, so sweet that it made his heart tremble, and all his grievances and anxieties vanished.
It turns out he knew everything. He knew all my weird thoughts!
Gu Xu's cheeks were completely burning. He couldn't refute Chu Yan's teasing, but just held Chu Yan's hand tightly. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise up, and finally he smiled an extremely bright, even a little silly smile. The elite style and hypocritical mask that he carefully maintained on weekdays were completely shattered, leaving only the joy and satisfaction of a man in love.
"I'm very happy, Ah Yan." Gu's voice was still a little hoarse, but full of sincerity. Every word seemed to come from the bottom of his heart. "I'm really very happy."
Seeing his unabashed expression, Chu Yan's smile deepened, tinged with a hint of genuine tenderness. He reached out his other hand and naturally ruffled Gu's meticulously combed hair, ruffling it a bit. His gesture was intimate and doting, "That's enough. Just be happy."
Gu Xu didn't care about his messed hair. He just tilted his head back and looked at Chu Yan with sparkling eyes, as if he couldn't see enough. He just wanted to freeze time at this moment forever.
"Okay," Chu Yan withdrew his hand and unbuckled his seat belt, "I really have to go in, otherwise those hungry wolves will snatch all the meat." He pointed to the brightly lit and bustling hot pot restaurant.
Although Gu Xu was filled with reluctance, he also knew that he couldn't delay Chu Yan's reunion with his classmates. He nodded, but his eyes followed Chu Yan's movements reluctantly.
Just as Chu Yan was about to push the door open and get out, Gu Xu suddenly seemed to remember something and leaned over to the back seat. After a rustling sound, he handed Chu Yan a large bouquet of flowers.
A bouquet of pure, elegant white roses. Their petals, plump and layered, resembled the purity and flawlessness of fresh snow. Under the soft light from the car's ceiling, they exuded a delicate fragrance. Each flower had been meticulously selected, flawless. Wrapped in light green matte paper and elegant satin ribbon, the bouquet exuded a subtle yet refined elegance.
"I almost forgot," Gu Xu's voice was a little annoyed and nervous, and he looked at Chu Yan expectantly, "Congratulations, A Yan. The college entrance examination is over, and it's a new beginning." He paused and added, "White rose, I think it suits you very well." Pure, dazzling, and with a nobility that cannot be desecrated.
Chu Yan stared at the bouquet of white roses, seemingly glowing in the dim light, startled for a moment before a flicker of wonder crossed his eyes. He accepted the bouquet, heavy with care and affection. He lowered his head, nuzzling the cool, soft petals, the refreshing fragrance permeating his heart.
"It's very beautiful, thank you, Brother." Chu Yan raised his head, and his smile looked particularly charming against the backdrop of the bouquet.
He held the flowers in one hand and supported himself on the chair with the other, leaning slightly forward and moving closer to Gu Xu, who was still holding the flowers. Before Gu Xu could react, a kiss as soft as a feather, with the cool fragrance of a white rose, landed on Gu Xu's slightly parted lips.
Like a butterfly briefly landing on a petal, leaving behind a fleeting, heart-pounding numbness.
"See you tonight." Chu Yan's voice was filled with smile as he whispered in Gu Xu's ear. Then he pushed open the car door decisively, holding the bouquet of eye-catching white roses, and stepped out of the Porsche with his long legs.
The car door closed with a soft "bang", blocking out the noise and heat outside.
The car instantly returned to silence, leaving only Gu Xu, the lingering cool yet hot touch on his lips, and the rich scent of white roses in the air.
Gu Xu froze in place, maintaining his slightly forward lean. After a few seconds, he extremely slowly, as if in slow motion, raised his hand and gently touched his lips with his fingertips. The soft, slightly cool touch of Chu Yan still lingered there.
He leaned back suddenly into the leather seat, covered his hot cheeks with his hands, and let out a low, uncontrollable groan from the depths of his throat.
[What are you thinking?] The system couldn't understand the complex emotions of humans, but it opened its mouth, and Chu Yan happened to be not a stingy person.
"I've told you before that brave people should be rewarded." Chu Yan walked slowly towards the hot pot restaurant, flowers in hand. "Besides, I've already finished the college entrance exam, so it shouldn't be illegal to have a relationship, right?"
[…Why did you admit it in front of Chu Yu? ]
[Ah...bad taste]
[I lied to you. I wanted to provoke Chu Yu and make him figure out who I really am to him.] Partner, family, or even an unspeakable lover. Chu Yan stepped into the hot pot restaurant and casually added, "He's so good at deceiving himself. If he keeps going like this, he'll probably really think all his brothers and sisters are like us."
"Chu Yan, over here!" Someone noticed Chu Yan looking at the door and shouted loudly.
Chu Yan turned and walked towards the crowd.
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