Chapter 192 Extra 2 (11)
Extra 2 (11)
Ding Pingzhou didn't recognize Gu Jiangkuo at first - after all, he was still a little kid when they met last time - he just felt that this boy was tall, strong and fierce, and not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, he caught him deceiving the little boy, and he was so scared and embarrassed that he didn't even dare to refute him.
Gu Jiangkuo had originally wanted to find an excuse to pick another fight with Ding Pingzhou, but he didn't expect him to be so cowardly. He had no choice but to threaten him instead: "You stinking pervert, if you say a word to Nuonuo again, just try it."
Ding Pingzhou lowered his head, not daring to meet Gu Jiangkuo's gaze. "But, we have to rehearse the show together, so we can't not talk."
Gu Jiangkuo stepped forward and kicked him, "That's your problem!"
"Anyway, if you dare talk to my Nuonuo, I'll fucking beat you up every time I see you!"
Ding Pingzhou was kicked so hard that he curled up, his back hunched like a shrimp, and didn't get up for a long time. This time it wasn't because he was embarrassed, but because he really couldn't get up from the kick - that big guy couldn't be an athlete, right? How could he have such strength? He almost kicked him to death with one kick.
Gu Jiangkuo still regretted: the kick just now was too hasty, and he didn't use 80% of his strength, so it was not a good performance, alas!
"Nuonuo, are you not scared?" Gu Jiangkuo asked softly.
Jiang Nuo shook his head: "No."
He said no, but he looked obviously frightened, and Gu Jiangkuo felt very distressed.
Jiang Nuo still couldn't calm his turbulent emotions. Ding Pingzhou's words were still echoing in his mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother Dajiang, when did you come? Did you hear what he said just now?"
"..." Gu Jiangkuo said honestly, "I heard it."
Jiang Nuo suddenly felt helpless as if his secret had been exposed, and even more ashamed.
Moreover, he did not deliberately hide this shocking secret from Gu Jiangkuo, but, he himself just found out that he actually liked boys!
After a suffocating silence, Gu Jiangkuo mustered up the courage to ask, "So what do you think? I mean, do you agree with him? Is it the same as what he said..."
Jiang Nuo blushed and answered quickly: "No!"
"I'm different from him, I'm normal!" After saying that, he ran away quickly.
It's not Jiang Nuo's fault for overreacting. Any teenager who just found out about his or her sexual orientation would not accept himself or herself so calmly, let alone admit it in front of his childhood sweetheart who was as close as a brother.
However, Gu Dajiang, a teenager who was also ignorant, could not understand and thought that Jiang Nuo was telling the truth. He stood there as if struck by lightning.
"It's over, he's not."
"But I am."
Gu Jiangkuo said to himself.
.
In the end, the two of them became deskmates as they wished. The total scores of the first few subjects were only three points apart. In the last subject, biology, Gu Jiangkuo scored 92 and Jiang Nuo scored 95. Miraculously, the two of them equalized their average scores and tied for first place.
Tied for third in the grade.
Teacher Liu, the head teacher, was overjoyed. Their grade had 19 classes, and since the junior high school didn't have any experimental classes, the level of each class was pretty much the same. And this time, two of the top five students were from her class! How could she not be happy?
The rumors among students are even more outrageous. If you go to the bathroom or the public platform during class breaks and listen carefully, you can hear such "rumors":
"I heard that Class 6 has two geniuses who can control the scores!"
"If it weren't for the point control, they would definitely be first in the grade."
"I know Gu Jiangkuo and Jiang Nuo, the two most handsome boys on campus. One is a tall and athletic boy, the other is a bookish and handsome young man. They are also old friends. Both were born into a wealthy family."
"Wow!"
"Hey, tell me, if both of them pursue you, how will you choose?"
"I like tall guys. Gu Jiangkuo looks so handsome playing basketball!"
"I like good-looking guys. If Jiang Nuo were my boyfriend, and we had a fight, I'd just take one look at his face and my anger would subside!"
Of course, there are also different opinions: "Old friends, childhood friends, both are academic geniuses, both are young masters, one is dark and strong, the other is fair and soft and beautiful, why do I feel that the two of them are a good match, hehehe."
"Hey, hey, there's something wrong with you."
.
Gu Dajiang got his wish and became deskmate with Nuozi, but he was not as happy as he expected.
Originally, he was satisfied with just sitting with Nuonuo and being able to spend time with her day and night. But now, after being "enlightened" by Ding Pingzhou, he couldn't help but study it. He became more and more certain of his orientation and more and more certain of his feelings for Nuonuo. He was not satisfied with just being a deskmate.
Gu Jiangkuo: "Alas, humans are such greedy animals."
"?" Jiang Nuo nudged him with his elbow. "What are you mumbling about? There's a parents' meeting tomorrow. Did you hear it?"
"Oh." Gu Jiangkuo said listlessly, like a large dog that had lost its dream. "I heard. Who's coming to your house tomorrow?"
"My mom." Jiang Nuo, "If I do well on the test, it's my mom who'll do it. If I don't do well and need to be scolded, that's definitely my dad's job."
"It's the same at my home." Gu Jiangkuo said dejectedly, lying on the table.
Jiang Nuo leaned on his elbows and also lay down, and said to his new deskmate face to face: "I won't go to your house to play this weekend."
Gu Jiangkuo jumped up: "Why?!"
Jiang Nuo hooked her finger, motioning him to lie back down. "Don't be so startled. I'm going to the hospital with my dad for a checkup this weekend. One of his physical report indicators isn't looking good. The doctor recommended regular checkups, but he's reluctant to go. He says he knows his body well. My mom has something going on, so she sent me to monitor him. I have to watch him go for the checkup myself."
"Do you need help?" Gu Jiangkuo said immediately, "I'll accompany you."
"No need." Jiang Nuo, "The driver and assistant are also following."
"Okay, then call me if anything happens." Gu Jiangkuo no longer insisted. He suddenly came up with another plan: if he didn't play with Nuonuo on the weekend, he might take the opportunity to have a man-to-man talk with his father - Gu's father had always hinted, intentionally or unintentionally, that he was an open-minded parent and that he could talk to him openly about anything.
Gu Jiangkuo was a little moved.
.
On the weekend, in the Gu family villa, in Gu Dad’s office study.
"That's how it is." Gu Jiangkuo concluded with these words, ready to die.
Gu Min: “…”
Gu Jiangkuo looked at his father's expression and said with some disappointment, "Dad, don't you understand this?"
"Who said I don't understand?" Gu Min patted Gu Jiangkuo's thigh. "I, your dad, have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice! Isn't it just homosexuality? I saw it when I was young. What's the big deal?"
"!" Gu Jiangkuo said nervously, "Dad, do you think I'm abnormal?"
"How could that be? You don't steal or rob, so it's abnormal for you to like boys? Besides, as a human being, why should you be so normal? It's only a few decades." said Gu's father.
Gu Jiangkuo thought his father would beat him up, and even if he couldn't beat him anymore, there would be a big quarrel. He never expected this result, and he was a little touched.
"But..." Gu Min said hesitantly, "You said you like Nuonuo?"
Gu Jiangkuo, still feeling touched, nodded: "Yeah."
Gu Min: "But he's not gay?"
Gu Jiangkuo: "It doesn't seem like it..." After all, he admitted it himself, and he had observed that when he slept with Nuonuo in his arms, he would accidentally have that kind of dream and dirty the sheets, but Nuonuo seemed to have never had that, so it shouldn't be the case.
"Then you shouldn't have any more illusions about him." Gu Min became serious, "Son, you need to keep your distance from Nuonuo."
Gu Jiangkuo looked up in shock, his voice rising an octave: "Why?!"
Father Gu said calmly but seriously, "If he doesn't like boys, your kindness to him will only become a burden. Are you willing to watch Nuonuo bear such pressure?"
Gu Jiangkuo: “…”
Father Gu said, "Dajiang, you have to understand that unwanted attention is harassment. Nuonuo is a good child. He might give in to you out of softness and because we've grown up together for so many years. But if he does that, he'll be very upset. Do you want him to feel bad?"
"..." Gu Jiangkuo said dejectedly, "I don't want to."
Father Gu: "What's more, if you pierce this window paper and don't get the answer you want, your friendship of so many years will be over. Are you willing to let it go?"
“…” Of course I’m reluctant to do so.
"Let's put it this way," Gu's father patted his son's shoulder. "At your age, the most important thing is actually studying. Especially for Nuonuo, whose mind isn't as mature as yours, she's like a child. Keep this admiration to yourself for now. Wait until you both grow up and see what kind of person Nuonuo will be attracted to. Also, take a look at yourself and see if you still feel the same way in a few years. Maybe you're just misjudging things now. You're not even 15 yet. Life is so long, and many things are still uncertain."
"Okay, Dad." Gu Jiangkuo agreed solemnly.
But I secretly and stubbornly denied it in my heart: No matter how long life is, I can only like Nuonuo.
.
After that day, Mr. Gu took the initiative to renovate the bedroom at home, moving out the extra bed and creating a large guest room for Nuozai to use as a bedroom.
When Jiang Nuo saw this scene, he didn't say a word of objection and agreed obediently.
In the past, the clear-minded Nuozi would have acted coquettishly to Gu's mother and asked for the super cool big bed back, but now, he felt "guilty" and knew that his orientation was not right, so he dared not sleep in the same bed with brother Dajiang anymore.
Seeing that Jiang Nuo didn't object, Gu Jiangkuo was relieved, but also a little disappointed. Before going to bed, he ran over thoughtfully and started to talk: "Uncle Jiang, how did the follow-up examination go?"
"They found a little problem, but it's nothing serious. Thankfully, we caught it early," Jiang Nuo said. "I've scheduled a minor surgery next week to remove the tumor. I'll be fine then."
In fact, it was far from as simple as Jiang Nuo's brief words. The doctor said that the prognosis for surgery was very good and there was no need to worry. But it was also thanks to the timely medical treatment. If it had been a few months later, the condition would have worsened and even a god would have been unable to save it.
Father Jiang was also a little scared. He held his wife's hand and sighed: If you hadn't forced me to see a doctor, I might have died young!
.
After that, Jiang Nuo and Gu Dajiang gradually adapted to sleeping in separate rooms. Except for sleeping, the two were still inseparable, going to school together, going home together, and sitting at the same table in school.
The junior high school curriculum was not difficult at all for the two young boys. They competed with each other in multitasking: doing math homework in English class, doing Chinese exercise books in math class, and memorizing English words in history class. After a whole day, they had basically no homework to do when they got home.
When the adults are not at home, the two of them will play video games together, and they will also go to bookstores together, pick out some difficult exercise books, and compete to see who has the highest accuracy rate.
No one mentioned the "enlightenment education" that Ding Pingzhou talked about that day.
The remaining one and a half years of junior high school seemed to have torn off the hazy ambiguity, leaving only pure friendship. When they were promoted to the third year of junior high school, they heard that Ding Pingzhou failed the college entrance examination and decided to review for another year.
When both boys were admitted to the high school department of Yanlin No. 1 Middle School, they heard that Ding Pingzhou failed the college entrance examination again.
"It is said that the Ding family originally wanted to send him abroad to study at some fake university, get a diploma, and come back to deceive people." Father Jiang was chatting with Father Gu.
Upon hearing the news about Ding Pingzhou, the two children pretended to come over casually and pricked up their ears to listen to the gossip.
Gu Min: "I also heard from Wei Hong that this idea was vetoed by Ding Yansheng. He said that now that the company is gone, it's useless to have a background as a returnee. Even if you have a good background, you won't be able to enter the management level. It's just a joke. It's actually quite a pity. The child didn't do as well in the exam this year as last year, so he can only go to a low-tier second-tier university."
Father Jiang: "Yeah, that child was quite smart when he was young, how could he be raised like this?"
“…”
The fathers didn't know Ding Pingzhou had once coveted their children, and they even expressed their regret for him. But Gu Jiangkuo was very happy to hear this. A scumbag like Ding Pingzhou deserved to have a hard life.
But he had only harassed Nuonuo once and hadn't caused any real harm, so Gu Jiangkuo couldn't find a reason to beat him up again.
.
After entering high school, there was even less news about Ding Pingzhou, but occasionally he heard from his elders that he had failed too many courses in school and might face repeating a grade and not getting a degree certificate, which made Ding Yansheng very worried.
Gradually, Nuozi and Dajiang no longer had the energy to listen to these gossips. High school classes were becoming increasingly busy and not as easy as junior high school where they could study while playing.
At the 100-day oath-taking ceremony for senior high school students, Jiang Nuo, as a student representative, went on stage to deliver a speech.
As expected, the forum was discussing senior Jiang Nuo's stunning beauty that day, and a group of fangirl girls left messages and cheered below, which made Gu Jiangkuo very unhappy, but he didn't dare to show it.
——He has kept his father’s words in mind over the years and has not disturbed Nuonuo.
Furthermore, he couldn't let Nuonuo know that he, a man of eight feet tall, was jealous of a little girl! That would be too embarrassing!
But just because he didn't say it doesn't mean Jiang Nuo couldn't see it.
"Playing on the phone again."
Jiang Nuo's voice suddenly rang in his ears. Gu Jiangkuo was startled and hurriedly put his phone away, saying superfluously, "I didn't see anything!"
Jiang Nuo: “…”
The news that the two male gods were good brothers had spread throughout the school, so when their high school class teacher met for the first time, he was very considerate and arranged for them to sit at the same table in the last row.
The high school department of Yanlin No. 1 Middle School has key classes. There are more than a thousand students in the whole grade, and the top 120 are divided equally into two classes, which are called "fast classes."
According to the annual enrollment situation, as long as you enter the fast class, admission to 211 is basically guaranteed. If you can maintain an upper-middle level, admission to a prestigious university is also secure.
Jiang Nuo has grown a little taller, but he is far from sitting in the last row. This is just to accommodate Gu Dajiang - Gu Dajiang has now grown to nearly 1.9 meters tall. He has been exercising for many years and has broad shoulders. If he sits in the front row, he will probably block the view of the students behind him.
Jiang Nuo actually enjoyed being blocked by Gu Dajiang. Every time he moved to the seat at the edge, he would have a natural barrier. Even if he didn't do anything to prevent the teacher from finding out, he still felt safe and it was more convenient for him to chat secretly.
"I didn't tell you what you were looking at." Jiang Nuo said lazily, "Why are you so nervous?"
Gu Jiangkuo: "Who's nervous?"
To say he was nervous might not be accurate; a more accurate description would be anger, or perhaps "jealousy." Jiang Nuo could clearly see that he was so angry that veins popped out of his forehead.
She also glanced at the posts about herself on his phone screen. They were probably girls praising his handsomeness and wanting his contact information, so Gu Jiangkuo got angry.
Jiang Nuo was a little happy.
"Hey." Jiang Nuo poked Gu Jiangkuo's arm and ordered, "Tell me about this physics problem."
Gu Jiangkuo is good at science, especially physics.
"Which one?"
"That's it." Jiang Nuo complained, "It's the little ball again. So annoying."
The most classic and difficult ball in physics test is tied to a rack with a thin line. Sometimes it is thrown from a high altitude, sometimes it is thrown into the water to calculate the buoyancy, and occasionally there is a damn thing to give it a lateral push. Who knows what the final state of the ball will be after suffering so much damage?
Gu Jiangkuo knew.
He analyzed things to Jiang Nuo very seriously, sometimes writing and drawing on paper, sometimes gesturing to him with his hands. He was very serious and more patient and meticulous than the one-on-one tutor that Jiang's mother hired at a high price.
However, Jiang couldn't help but get distracted while listening.
He looked at Gu Jiangkuo's strong and powerful arms gesturing, and suddenly remembered how he shot three-pointers on the court, with the sun shining on him and even the sweat splashing out of him looking crystal clear.
The jersey was lifted up because of the jump, revealing his well-defined abdominal muscles.
Every time this happened, there would always be girls screaming loudly, and some bold girls would even call him "husband". Although Jiang Nuo knew it was just a joke, she didn't know when she started to feel unhappy.
But he hid his unhappiness very well - unlike Gu Jiangkuo, whose unhappiness was all written all over his face - so much so that Brother Dajiang was still completely unaware of it.
Jiang Nuo couldn't remember when he first realized that "he liked Gu Jiangkuo".
Maybe it was last semester when he suddenly dreamed of kissing Gu Jiangkuo and discovered the next morning that he had stained the bed sheets; maybe it was last year when he attended the centennial celebration of the school and Gu Jiangkuo went against the flow of people to find him and single-handedly carried him down from the high stands; maybe it was even earlier when Ding Pingzhou first told him that he liked boys.
"Do you understand?" Gu Jiangkuo's voice brought him back to reality, and he even waved his big hand in front of Jiang Nuo's eyes, "Are you distracted?"
Jiang Nuo: “…”
Jiang Nuo came back to his senses, looked directly into Gu Jiangkuo's eyes, and said confidently, "I was distracted."
"..." Gu Jiangkuo was not angry at all, and said patiently, "It's okay, Young Master Jiang, let me tell you again."
"Let's talk about it later." Young Master Jiang said arrogantly, "Let's talk about it when we get home tonight. I think I need a whole block of time to sort out this knowledge point."
What could Gu Jiangkuo say? He always responded to Nuonuo’s requests with “yes, yes, yes”.
Jiang Nuo: "Then it might be a little late tonight, why not go to your bedroom to study."
"Okay—?" Gu Jiangkuo was stuck, a little nervous, "W-why?"
Jiang Nuo said righteously: "I'm tired after sitting in school all day. My back hurts so much. I want to lie down for a while, otherwise my spine will be broken!"
After entering the third year of high school, school ends later and later. After dinner at six o'clock, we study until half past eight. We have to sit for almost ten hours every day. Many students have back and leg pains. This is really a legitimate reason.
Gu Jiangkuo felt his heart pounding, but he tried to look as natural as possible and said, "Okay then."
This wasn't about what he was going to do to Nuonuo! This was a fair and honest topic!
.
In the last two self-study classes, Jiang Nuo went over all the relevant knowledge points by himself, and looked over the steps that Gu Jiangkuo had just written. In fact, he had already understood most of it.
But he had no intention of cancelling tonight's bedroom lecture.
He even took out his cell phone and slacked off in broad daylight - anyway, with Gu Dajiang as a natural barrier, the teacher wouldn't notice - Jiang Nuo opened the web page on his cell phone again and entered the school forum.
But he did not look at the hot posts about his speech at the "100-day oath-taking ceremony", but instead found a post from last year that had not received many replies from his favorites.
It was a secretly taken photo. When Gu Jiangkuo was in his second year of high school, the high school department held a basketball game. As the main player of their class, he naturally had to participate.
As a student committee member, Jiang Nuo was temporarily called to the teacher's office to help mark the papers.
He ran back and forth at the fastest speed and finally caught up with the basketball game. The first quarter had just ended. Taking advantage of the two-minute break, Gu Jiangkuo didn't even drink water. He took two steps at a time and ran to the iron fence at the edge of the basketball court to talk to Jiang Nuo across the mesh fence.
It happened to be secretly photographed by someone.
The black-haired boy in the painting tilted his head slightly, wearing a blue and white school uniform, with a smile on his face. The boy in the fence had a buzz cut, his wheat-colored skin was two shades darker than the boy's, he was sweating, and had a silly smile on his face.
Two smiling faces are frozen in time. Because it was a candid shot, the composition is not very beautiful, even a little blurry, but the breath of youth is overwhelming.
The student who took this photo posted it with a very unusual title: "Two of our school's most handsome boys, I'm hooked!"
The responses below were all full of jokes like, "The novel reflects reality, they're a perfect match!", "I love the body type difference, an athlete x a handsome young man!", "Get married right here!", etc. However, some reasonable students also warned, "Don't be a fan of the real thing, it will cause trouble to the person involved!"
I don’t know if this classmate’s advice worked, or if the photo was too blurry, but this post only has a few comments.
Jiang Nuo reviewed their wonderful past and did not exit the interface. Instead, he placed his phone on the table, stood up, and poked Gu Jiangkuo's shoulder, "I'm going out."
"Oh." Gu Dajiang stood up obediently, moved aside, and sat back down.
Boys get along with each other differently from girls. Girls can go to the bathroom hand in hand, but if boys do that, they will be laughed at - Gu Dajiang doesn't mind being laughed at, but Nuonuo is too concerned about being an idol and doesn't allow him to do that.
So Gu Jiangkuo had no choice but to stay alone in his seat.
Thinking about discussing physics problems with Nuonuo in bed at night, he felt both excited and nervous.
How long has it been since I've slept in the same bed with Nuonuo? Huh? Wait, Jiang Nuonuo forgot to take her phone. Even if it's in the last row, it can't be left so blatantly on the table! Otherwise, the teacher will definitely call Aunt Jiang, and Nuonuo will be scolded again.
Gu Jiangkuo naturally helped Jiang Nuo put away the phone, but when he saw the picture on the screen, he stopped.
At the same time, Jiang Nuo leaned outside the classroom door and did not go to the toilet at all.
The public toilet in the school has an indescribable smell, so he tries to go there as little as possible.
Jiang was just thinking: Did he see it? Gu Dajiang shouldn't be that stupid, could he understand his hint?
At the same time, Jiang was a little nervous. Was he mistaken? Dajiang, brother, must like boys. He must like me.
Anyway, if we choose more clearly, we should have the answer tonight.
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