Chapter 19 Published
When Gu Xiuyi returned home, Ji Ruan was on a video call with Han Xiaolin. There was a notebook on the table, and the big red words of the title caught Gu Xiuyi's eyes directly -
A list of must-have items for living on campus!
The words were too big, too red, and too dazzling. Gu Xiuyi felt dizzy for a moment.
The culprit, Ji Ruan, was sitting on a chair in his pajamas, with messy hair, blinking his big eyes with a confused look on his face.
"Why are you back?"
Ji Ruan stood up and walked to Gu Xiuyi, and poked his arm with a finger, as if to confirm whether the person in front of him was real.
Wow, the muscles are so hard and the body is great.
Gu Xiuyi grabbed the prospective college student's limp fingers and took them away: "You want to live on campus?"
His expression and tone were the same as usual. Ji Ruan didn't notice anything special and smiled brightly: "Yes."
“…”
I don’t know what the unique attraction of campus life is, even the kids’ dimples are filled with honey.
Gu Xiuyi opened and closed his lips twice, and suddenly became speechless.
Ji Ruan's messy hair was very noticeable. Gu Xiuyi glanced at it several times but couldn't completely ignore it: "You haven't combed your hair yet?"
As he spoke, he reached out and pressed down the few strands of hair that were sticking up, but the hair was so soft that it was so stubborn that he couldn't press it down.
"I washed up right after I got up," Ji Ruan felt that he was being ignored, and took a step back unsatisfiedly: "But there's nothing I can do about my hair getting curled up after sleeping..."
Gu Xiuyi: “…”
Never mind, hair isn't the point right now.
He looked at Ji Ruan's complexion and saw that his lips were dull and lifeless, and it was obvious that he was hungry again.
But getting up early and not eating but making video calls with classmates?
Gu Xiuyi tapped the table and raised his chin towards the phone: "What's so important that we have to talk about it now?"
Ji Ruan looked over and saw Han Xiaolin's face, who was watching their conversation with a sly look on his face, on the screen. He quickly turned his phone over and said, "Han Xiaolin has a lot of experience living on campus, so I'm going to ask him for advice. But he's still in military training, and the time is tight and the task is heavy, so it makes sense for me to cooperate with him."
“…”
Great, we're back on topic.
Gu Xiuyi propped up the table with one hand, turned the phone back, and said briefly to Han Xiaolin, who looked like a spirited young man in camouflage uniform: "Student Han Xiaolin, I'm going to take Ji Ruan away now, you go to military training."
After saying this, he didn't wait for the dazed Han Xiaolin to react and directly cut off the video. When he lowered his head, he inadvertently glanced at some details of Ji Ruan's boarding school list.
This guy has even chosen the right color for the washbasin!
Gu Xiuyi took Ji Ruan downstairs without saying a word, and held his little hand for fear that he would feel dizzy halfway up the stairs.
Ji Ruan followed behind, confused: "Do you have anything to say?"
Gu Xiuyi said in a deep voice: "We need to have a good talk."
Two minutes later, at the dining table.
Gu Xiuyi and Ji Ruan sat on each side. President Gu did not have time to take off his suit. He leaned back on the chair with his legs crossed. With his years of meeting experience and strong aura, he forced the beautiful marble dining table into a negotiation table.
His negotiating partner, a college-age student with curly hair and surnamed Ji, had round eyes focused only on the big meat buns and soy milk in front of him. That was his breakfast.
Ji Ruan swallowed and reached out to take the bun, but as soon as he touched the skin, he was burned and pulled his hand back. It turned out that the bun had just come out of the steamer.
He blew on his fingertips and looked at Gu Xiuyi: "Why don't you speak first."
Better have it done in a minute before I start.
Gu Xiuyi sat up straight, clasped his fingers together and placed them on the table, and began to exude his aura: "Why do you want to live on campus?"
Ji Ruan was somewhat puzzled by his serious behavior, and for a moment thought that this man came to discuss a contract with him.
He blinked and said, "Everyone is like this. Didn't you live on campus during your freshman year?"
"That's different." Gu Xiuyi's expressionless double standard rejected the first reason.
Ji Ruan didn't understand, and tilted his head with a smile: "What's different?"
Gu Xiuyi took the coffee handed over by Aunt Zhao and gently placed it on the table: "You are not in good health, and it is not safe to live in the school."
Ji Ruan frowned, not agreeing: "Why is it unsafe?"
"University dormitories have beds and desks, and you have to climb stairs. What if you get dizzy and fall?" Gu Xiuyi appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him, "Besides, you have a special blood type. If you get injured and bleed, the situation will be very serious."
"Hmm..." Ji Ruan lowered his eyes, as if he was beginning to seriously consider Gu Xiuyi's words.
The bun was no longer hot, so he wrapped it in oil paper and ate it slowly. The big meat bun was as big as half of his face.
"But I&￥%..." Ji Ruan spoke unclearly and stopped as soon as he opened his mouth.
His family teachings had always taught him not to open his mouth to speak when he had something in his mouth, so he covered his mouth slightly with his fingertips, lowered his eyes and chewed slowly, with his cheeks bulging a little, like a small bun.
Gu Xiuyi couldn't take his eyes off Ji Ruan's face. He was eating in such a gentlemanly manner.
He pushed the soy milk towards Ji Ruan: "Swallow it first."
But what he didn't expect was that Ji Ruan would chew each bun for a very long time. By the time he finished swallowing and licked his sparkling lips, Gu Xiuyi was almost at enlightenment.
"But I haven't felt dizzy these two days," Ji Ruan pressed his lips with a tissue, "and didn't you buy me some candy?"
Gu Xiuyi was unresponsive: "Not only will low blood sugar cause dizziness, but anemia will also cause dizziness. Your anemia has not improved yet."
Reason for rejection 2.
"Is it that exaggerated..." Ji Ruan bit the straw and said, "Doesn't our school require freshmen to live on campus?"
Gu Xiuyi took a sip of black coffee and said, "If you have a legitimate reason, you can apply to study as a day student."
Ji Ruan held the soy milk cup and thought for a while, thinking about the various reasons given by Gu Xiuyi, and finally asked a soul-searching question:
"But I'm going to school, not joining the army."
The school is not a dangerous place, so why can't I go there?
Gu Xiuyi paused, facing Ji Ruan's big eyes full of doubt, he was unable to refute the third reason immediately.
He hesitated for a moment, then turned his head and fixed his gaze on Aunt Zhao who was humming a little song beside the kitchen counter: "Aunt Zhao, what do you think?"
He believed that Aunt Zhao would definitely stand on the same front with him and help him persuade Ji Ruan.
"Ah? Are you asking me?" Aunt Zhao smiled while holding the rag. "Why are you asking me?"
Ji Ruan also turned his body to look at Aunt Zhao and said solemnly, "I really need your advice."
Aunt Zhao’s status suddenly improved and she became the dominant party in the negotiations, which made her a little overwhelmed for a moment.
"Uh... well," she thought for a moment and looked at Ji Ruan with a smile: "Does Ruan Ruan really want to live on campus?"
Ji Ruan sat very straight, like a primary school student being questioned, and his tone was a little melancholy: "Yes, a little bit, mainly because I have never lived in a dormitory, and I also want to experience it once..."
Aunt Zhao couldn't stand this kind of look. Her maternal love overflowed immediately and she waved the rag: "Hey, Xiao Gu, look, Ruan Ruan himself said he wanted to go. College life is so important. It will become a beautiful memory in life in the future. Let him go."
“…”
Gu Xiuyi was suddenly left alone and helpless. The old aunt who had lived with him for twenty years actually sided with Ji Ruan, who had only taken care of him for two months, just because the child would release his pity anytime and anywhere.
Gu Xiuyi still didn't show it on his face. He didn't say yes or no. He pointed at the table and said to Ji Ruan: "Eat another bun."
Ji Ruan leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach: "I can't eat anymore."
He was listless again, it was like this every time. If something went wrong he would just lean against it listlessly, and his lips were not as pink as before!
Gu Xiuyi was upset. He couldn't reason with others and he couldn't be mean to them. He also couldn't tell Ji Ruan that he was going to move back.
If I say this at this time and don't let Ji Ruan leave, wouldn't that be tantamount to forcing Ji Ruan to live with me?
Gu Xiuyi couldn't do this, and felt like a huge stone was blocking his heart.
If he didn't agree, Ji Ruan would continue to lie listlessly on the chair, as if he was trying to see who could last longer.
I really found a living ancestor.
"Okay, okay..." After a while, Gu Xiuyi compromised: "Go ahead, move, move, move."
He has never won a confrontation with Ji Ruan.
"Really?" Ji Ruan's eyes lit up and he felt better instantly.
He immediately picked up the bun and started to eat it. It was not cold yet and still tasted delicious. Ji Ruan squinted his eyes happily: "Thank you, Boss Gu."
“…”
Although he knew that Ji Ruan's weakness just now was not real, Gu Xiuyi still found it a little hard to accept seeing him recover to full health so quickly, and the stone in his heart became more and more blocked.
He stared at Ji Ruan's lips for a moment and said coldly, "Blue."
"Hmm?" Ji Ruan raised his head while chewing on a bun. There was something in his mouth that didn't want to speak, and he made a sound with a wavy ending.
Gu Xiuyi unconsciously stroked the ring on his ring finger: "For your wash basin, choose a blue one."
Ji Ruan was stunned for a moment, then realized that Gu Xiuyi must have seen his list of goodies.
In this family, Gu Xiuyi still needs to have some say, even if it's just a washbasin. Ji Ruan understands this very well.
"No problem," Ji Ruan smiled generously, "I can listen to you on this."
His smile was exceptionally bright, like the roses that bloom in the yard outside the window in early summer, and also like the rice balls with fermented rice that Gu Xiuyi had eaten as a child, with the dimples filled with a sour and sweet taste.
Gu Xiuyi's dull and stagnant mood was suddenly smoothed out by this smile. He felt that he was becoming more and more like a chameleon recently, and all his emotions changed in a moment.
And ninety percent of this thought was because of Ji Ruan.
This clear realization made Gu Xiuyi's heart skip a beat.
·
A few days later, on a sunny weekend, the freshmen of Peking University finished their military training.
Ji Ruan went to the dormitory first with empty hands to check out the place, and Gu Xiuyi took Song Ling to help him move the luggage.
"bite--"
When the elevator door opened, a spacious dormitory corridor came into view. Although it was a boys' dormitory, it was much cleaner and fresher than I had imagined.
"Not bad," Song Ling said beside Gu Xiuyi, "This is now equipped with an elevator. When we were in school, we had to rely on our legs to move."
Gu Xiuyi looked gloomy and seemed to be in a bad mood. He knocked on the door of Room 601 and said, "What's the use? There are only two elevators for so many students on one floor. It will definitely be crowded during the peak hours."
If Ji Ruan's small body can squeeze in, let Ji Ruan take his surname.
Song Ling looked at Gu Xiuyi's drooping lips and shook his head. The boss's mouth corners have been like this these days. A walk around the company would scare the entire top floor half to death, and they all worry about whether the company is going to go bankrupt.
Song Ling has been asked by countless people in a roundabout way about the company's recent financial situation.
Who would have thought that the boss's Sima face was just because his young wife was going to live on campus? Song Ling couldn't spread such family matters to others, so he could only pretend to be profound and laugh it off, but the employees seemed to be even more scared.
Song Ling sighed in his heart and fully demonstrated his professionalism, "Boss, you are right."
There was a sound of footsteps behind the door, and the next second it was opened with a "click".
Room 601 is in the corner of the corridor. It has a slightly larger area than other dormitories and better lighting. Ji Ruan's face appeared in front of him with the bright natural light, and a small breeze blew behind him.
He had fair skin, crescent eyes, fluffy hair, and a soft halo surrounding him. He looked like a little angel fluttering towards him. Even Song Ling found him pleasing to the eye, let alone Mr. Gu.
Mr. Gu has already been warm and gentle, so what was the gloom before? It didn't exist.
Song Ling pushed his luggage in. All his roommates were there. Several of them were sitting around a small table with a shuffled deck of playing cards on it. They looked like they were playing a game.
"Let me introduce them to you," Ji Ruan pulled Gu Xiuyi's sleeve and said with a smile, "My roommates, Li Yu, Qin Shan, and Han Xiaolin, you know them."
Li Yu from the Fine Arts Department and Qin Shan from the Finance Department, a little fat guy wearing glasses, were both stunned when they saw this scene.
Ji Ruan still smiled gently and spoke very naturally: "This is my husband, his name is Gu Xiuyi, and the handsome guy next to him is his good friend and assistant, Song Ling."
Song Ling greeted everyone in a very friendly manner.
Gu Xiuyi was greatly pleased by Ji Ruan's "Sir", and a smile appeared on his face naturally. He put a few exquisite packaging bags on the small table:
"Hello, it's our first meeting. I don't know what you like, so I brought some snacks. Ji Ruan is not in good health, so I'll trouble you to take care of him in the future."
After all, he was a well-known figure and a legendary alumnus of the school. The two new roommates were very reserved and fidgety.
"Hello, Mr. Gu!"
"Mr. Gu, you're welcome!"
"Mr. Gu, please take a seat!"
Gu Xiuyi smiled and said, "No need. I'll help Ji Ruan pack up and leave. You won't feel comfortable if I'm here."
He found Ji Ruan's empty bed, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and wiped the bed and the table with Song Ling. He also helped him put the bedding including the curtains neatly in place.
Ji Ruan only had to tidy up his desk, take out the lucky cat and candy jar and put them in place, distribute candy to his roommates, and feed one to Gu Xiuyi and Song Ling each.
Of course, Song Ling failed to feed the pill, as Gu Xiuyi grabbed Ji Ruan's wrist and intercepted him halfway, and Song Ling took it and put it into his mouth himself.
After they had almost packed up their things, Gu Xiuyi took Ji Ruan to the corridor and chatted for a while. After the room was empty, the roommates breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Yu pushed up his glasses and took a look at the snack bag: "Wow, they are all expensive imported brands. These bags must cost several thousand..."
Qin Shan lay on Han Xiaolin's shoulder, his expression distracted: "Brother Han, is that really Boss Gu...the Boss Gu I see in the financial news every day?"
Han Xiaolin, who had seen them more times than the two of them, suddenly became Brother Han and put on airs: "Look at you guys who have never seen the world. What happened to Boss Gu? Boss is also a man, and men should get married. In the future, learn more from me, stay calm in the face of changes, and get used to it."
Several people chose a bag of snacks and opened them to share. Li Yu sighed, "But I see that Mr. Gu treats Ji Ruan very well. It's a little different from what I imagined."
Qin Shan felt the same way: "Yes, yes, yes. I went to listen to Mr. Gu's speeches before. He was always very serious. I didn't expect that he was quite approachable in private."
"Maybe it depends on the person. If it weren't for Ji Ruan, how could we see what he looks like in private?"
“That makes sense.”
Han Xiaolin was one of the few people who knew about Ji Ruan's marriage agreement. After thinking about it, he felt that if it was discussed privately all the time, it might be inconvenient for Ji Ruan. After considering it for a moment, he said in a half-joking tone:
"But let's not mention Mr. Gu anymore in the future. You don't know that Ji Ruan is thin-skinned and gets shy when he's mentioned. It's hard to deal with him. Let's just get along normally."
"Of course," Li Yu said, "We won't say anything outside."
Qin Shan agreed: "Listen to Brother Han."
"Good brother," Han Xiaolin smiled with satisfaction and raised the snack as a wine glass: "Cheers!"
·
The sun was scorching in the corridor. Ji Ruan lowered his head and squinted his eyes. Gu Xiuyi pulled his wrist and moved him to the shade.
Gu Xiuyi crossed his arms and remained silent for a while, but he couldn't help but remind her a few words: "You must pay attention to your safety when you live on campus, okay?"
Ji Ruan nodded.
"If you feel dizzy when you wake up in the morning, don't rush to get out of bed. Eat some sugar to slow down. Make sure you are completely awake before getting out of bed."
Ji Ruan smiled and nodded.
"If you feel sick and need to go to the school hospital, and you can't walk, ask your roommate to help you. Don't be afraid to trouble others. I will thank them on your behalf. Walk slower--"
"——Mr. Gu."
Gu Xiuyi's train of thought was interrupted, and he was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Ji Ruan leaned against the wall and smiled: "Did Aunt Zhao teach you these words?"
Gu Xiuyi put his hands in his pockets: "I thought of it myself."
Ji Ruan's eyes curved, and her dimples appeared again. She smiled without saying anything.
Gu Xiuyi then realized that the child disliked him for talking too much.
"..." Gu Xiuyi calmly put down his sleeves and buttoned up his cuffs: "Okay, that's it for now, I'm going back."
Ji Ruan called him: "Don't you want to eat together?"
Gu Xiuyi walked halfway and turned his head: "No, I have a meeting. You and your roommates can have dinner together to bond. Come in quickly, it's too hot outside."
Ji Ruan pursed his lips: "Okay then."
He waved to Gu Xiuyi and smiled brightly: "Bye."
Gu Xiuyi just nodded slightly and entered the elevator with Song Ling.
·
In the evening, Ji Ruan and his roommates went to eat hotpot together.
Including his life before he traveled through the book, Ji Ruan had eaten only a handful of hotpots.
They went to a very famous old restaurant that has been open outside the school gate. It is said that it is a must-visit place for every freshman to check in. Only after eating hot pot in this restaurant can one be considered to have truly stepped into the door of Peking University.
The decoration in the store is nothing special, just simple and lively. It is a store that was expanded by connecting several storefronts together, so the area is quite large.
Ji Ruan and Li Yu from the Academy of Fine Arts couldn't eat spicy food, so they ordered a shabu-shabu hotpot and then got together to chat.
The other three people arrived more than half a month earlier than Ji Ruan and had already known everything about the school.
Qin Shan pointed at the street outside the window. His fingers were chubby. "That's the snack street behind. There's a restaurant that sells delicious snail noodles. Xiao Ruan, why don't we go there next time?"
Li Yu frowned when he heard it and pushed his glasses: "You're still eating it? You've been eating it for a week straight, aren't you tired of it?"
Han Xiaolin held his chin up with a look of disillusionment: "Before he invited you, we had already accompanied him to eat until he wanted to vomit. Otherwise, with you looking like you can survive on just drinking water, do you think he would have invited you?"
Ji Ruan drank a sip of watermelon juice and said, "Then I won't go."
He pretended to be enlightened: "It turns out that I am just a spare tire."
"No way!" Qin Shan said anxiously, "I'm not that kind of person. Xiao Ruan, don't listen to their nonsense. I am sincerely and warmly inviting you... Hey, Senior Sister Zi Zhang!"
Xiaopang suddenly changed the subject, his eyes almost popping out as he followed the beautiful figure in front of him: "She is really beautiful...Do fairies also eat hotpot..."
Ji Ruan followed his gaze and felt that the girl looked familiar.
"Why can't we eat it?" Li Yu said, "Even the Jade Emperor would have to surrender when he saw a hot pot, let alone fairies."
Han Xiaolin moved closer to Ji Ruan and said, "Cheng Zizhang, our school beauty. She is also from the Chinese department. She is your senior."
After Han Xiaolin pointed it out, Ji Ruan suddenly remembered: "It turned out to be her."
Qin Xiaopang is an absolute fan of Goddess Cheng, and he immediately became excited: "Xiao Ruan, do you know Senior Sister Zi Zhang?"
“Not really knowing each other…” Ji Ruan scratched the tip of his nose and smiled: “I just checked in with her on the day of the mobilization meeting. I even added her on WeChat at that time, but we never chatted.”
"Fuck," Qin Shan was shocked and murmured, "As expected, beautiful girls just like to play with handsome guys. You can add the goddess on WeChat as soon as you enter school..."
But although Qin Shan was envious, he knew his limits and did not ask Ji Ruan for the goddess's WeChat.
The pot was boiling, Ji Ruan casually picked up a piece of lotus root to eat, and said jokingly in a gentle tone: "It doesn't matter to me, I am a man, I have a male orientation, and I am married, it won't affect your pursuit of the goddess."
Qin Shan immediately laughed: "That's right, with your appearance, it's a good thing you like men, otherwise what would we have to do in the road of choosing a mate?"
The other two were amused by him and started to put food into his oil dish.
"Shut up you psycho."
"Eat quickly."
Li Yu ate two mouthfuls of tripe and said, "But I heard that Senior Sister Zi Zhang has a boyfriend. He's the senior named Bai from the School of Mathematics and Computer Science next door?"
Qin Shan was about to eat the duck intestines, and raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Bai Angge?"
Li Yu nodded: "Yes."
"Come on," Qin Shan sneered, "He's not even as good-looking as our little Ruan."
He said, taking care of Ji Ruan who didn't understand: "As for our current school hunk, many girls say he's handsome, but to be honest, he's not as good-looking as you."
"I don't think they are of the same style," Li Yu analyzed rationally: "Xiao Ruan is pretty and quiet, while Bai Angge is definitely a straight girl."
"But it may not be the case in the future." Li Yu glanced at Ji Ruan: "Xiao Ruan's fame has already surpassed Bai Ang's, right?"
Qin Shan nodded in agreement: "I think so. There is a barrier between the most influential people."
The topic suddenly turned to himself, and Ji Ruan laughed: "I am also a celebrity, huh?"
"You are so impressive." Li Yu sighed.
Qin Shan added: "You are the top student in our school!"
"Ahem!" Han Xiaolin, who had been silent the whole time, poured a glass of beer and seemed to have something important to say: "It's a rumor."
Han Xiaolin has recently been dubbed the father of gossip among freshmen. He is known for his ability to keep an eye on all directions and there is no piece of news in the entire Peking University that he does not know.
Li Yuqinshan immediately came forward.
Han Xiaolin raised his hand to cover half of his mouth and whispered, "I heard that Bai Ang also likes men."
"Fuck, is this true?" Li Yu covered his mouth in shock.
Qin Shan was stunned for a second, then immediately laughed: "That must be true, hahahahahaha——"
He filled his glass of beer: "I am one step closer to the goddess, it's great."
"roll."
"roll."
Ji Ruan smiled quietly.
The whole hotpot restaurant was bustling with people. The college students had a lot to talk about and no table was quiet for a moment. The topics of their conversations were mainly gossip and games; no one talked about studying. This was common to all schools across the country.
After dinner, Li Yu and Qin Shan each made an appointment with friends to go out and play. Han Xiaolin was full, so he pestered Ji Ruan to accompany him for a walk in the playground for half an hour, and then the two slowly moved back to the dormitory.
All the dormitories at Peking University have private bathrooms and there is no time limit for hot water. When Ji Ruan finished his shower and went to bed, the other two also came back at the time when the curfew was set.
Ji Ruan's sheets, quilt covers and bed curtains are all in the same blue colour. Even the small table lamp at the bedside is the same colour, with some darker and some lighter. The combination looks like an ocean that is about to recede.
These were all chosen for him by Gu Xiuyi.
Ji Ruan himself has some difficulty in making decisions and is always undecided about some small things when moving to the dormitory.
When he was sitting on the sofa and worrying, Gu Xiuyi was right next to him, neither watching TV nor playing with his phone. He looked very eager to try, but he always kept a straight face and refused to speak.
Ji Ruan was too lazy to worry about it, so he might as well satisfy Gu Xiuyi's desire to be the master of the house and give him the decision-making power.
That night, Gu Xiuyi personally decided on the details of the bed sheets for Ji Ruan, and his smile was upturned until he woke up the next day.
Ji Ruan pulled back the quilt and snuggled into the bed. The mattress was also chosen by Boss Gu, it was soft and comfortable. Ji Ruan squinted his eyes in enjoyment and took a photo of the dark blue tent top for Boss Gu while lying down.
Almost in the next second, the other party made a video call.
Ji Ruan fumbled for the headphones and plugged them in before pressing the connect button.
Gu Xiuyi should be sitting in front of the computer. The lights were not on, but half of his face was reflected in the blue light of the computer screen. He was wearing pajamas and a pair of half-frame glasses on his nose. Although his facial features looked sharper, his temperament was inexplicably softer, with a different charm from usual.
Ji Ruan judged the background behind him in the dim light, and it was a place he had never seen before: "Are you in the apartment where you usually live?"
"Um."
After agreeing to let Ji Ruan live on campus, Gu Xiuyi's plan to move back to the villa was shelved, turning it into a plan that was once passionate and persistent but came to an abrupt end, with no one knowing about it.
Gu Xiuyi didn't continue talking about the apartment. He adjusted the frame of the mirror with his index finger and asked Ji Ruan, "Is the bed comfortable?"
"Very comfortable," Ji Ruan smiled, "The quilt smells good too, thank you."
His chin was hidden under the quilt, with only a little pink bead of his lips showing. His black hair was scattered on the pillow. His eyelashes were reflected by the small lamp on the bedside, making them long and thick, and his eyes were sparkling.
He really is a perfect match for blue, the bed is like the ocean and he is like the little mermaid in the sea.
Gu Xiuyi looked at Ji Ruan on the screen, and his eyes softened unconsciously: "What did you eat tonight?"
"Hotpot," Ji Ruan said, "It's the Li Ji Old Hotpot outside the main entrance. It's said to have been open for many years. You should know it, right?"
Gu Xiuyi thought about it and it seemed that there was such a place: "Is it the legendary restaurant that students must eat at when enrolling at Peking University?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Ji Ruan laughed in surprise: "So this saying has existed since your time?"
"More than that," Gu Xiuyi recalled, nodding his chin, "Seniors who were several years older than me all had it before they entered school. I have no way of knowing when it was first spread. What do you think it tastes like?"
Ji Ruan turned over, hugged the quilt and smacked his lips as he savored the taste: "It's delicious, but it doesn't seem as good as the rumors say. Maybe it's because I'm not crazy about hot pot anyway?"
"Yeah," Gu Xiuyi nodded, "probably half is real word of mouth, and half is publicity effect."
"But Han Xiaolin thought it was delicious," Ji Ruan adjusted his headphones and continued, "He ate so much that he almost had indigestion, so I gave him a box of digestive tablets."
He has a slightly hoarse voice and speaks softly and slowly. It is a real pleasure to chat on the phone with him for a long time.
Gu Xiuyi also slowed down his speech: "What about you? Are you feeling well?"
Ji Ruan curled his eyes and said, "No, I am very restrained. Besides, I only ate the clear soup of the shabu-shabu pot we ordered."
"Well," Gu Xiuyi gently supported his forehead: "Good boy."
Ji Ruan has poor hearing, so when he chats with people he usually sends messages and occasionally makes phone calls. This is the first time he has ever had a long phone conversation with headphones on.
Gu Xiuyi's voice was clearer and more pleasant than usual. It came along with the electric current and seemed to burn Ji Ruan's ears.
Ji Ruan shrank into the quilt and laughed.
Gu Xiuyi saw Ji Ruan's dimple suddenly appear, but it was instantly buried under the quilt.
The little mermaid smiled and hid in the sea, but her eyes were still above the sea. Her smile was curved with many broken stars in it.
Gu Xiuyi raised the corners of his lips slightly: "What are you laughing at?"
"Hmm..." Ji Ruan blinked: "I don't know either."
He really didn't know. He thought about it carefully, but he couldn't explain why he was laughing. He just felt it was magical.
Ji Ruan has poor hearing and is not suitable for wearing headphones for a long time. Gu Xiuyi chatted with him for a few more sentences and then let him go to sleep, allowing the little mermaid to completely dive into the sea.
·
It was very busy when college just started. Ji Ruan had to go to classes every day, go out to play and eat with friends, and consider elective courses and clubs. He had never felt so fulfilled in his two lifetimes.
But for Gu Xiuyi, being busy is the norm.
The two of them only sent messages to each other occasionally, and even the number of phone calls began to decrease.
One day after class at noon, Ji Ruan surprisingly received a call from Gu Xiuyi, considering that noon was never the time for the two to communicate.
There were many people leaving get out of class and the stairwell was crowded. Ji Ruan carefully avoided the crowd and stopped in the corner of the corridor.
"Hello?"
Gu Xiuyi's voice reached Ji Ruan's ears after a long absence, and the words he said were very familiar: "Don't you have classes this afternoon?"
"Yes." Ji Ruan didn't know when Gu Xiuyi got his class schedule, so he answered honestly, "What's the matter?"
"It's not a big deal," Gu Xiuyi said in a light voice, with a hint of laziness: "A friend recommended a restaurant to me. It's famous for its French snails. If you don't have dinner plans, would you like to go with me to try it?"
Ji Ruan was a little tired of eating in the cafeteria these days and wanted to change his taste. He didn't dislike Western food, so he agreed without much thought: "Sure, what time?"
"I'll pick you up at the main entrance at half past five?"
The peak of get out of class was over, and the stairwell was empty. Ji Ruan held the handrail and walked slowly: "Okay."
Gu Xiuyi seemed to be busy again. Someone was talking. He covered his phone and said something. Then he said to Ji Ruan, "Go have lunch quickly. Come back to the dormitory and have a rest in the afternoon."
"Yeah," Ji Ruan nodded: "You are busy, I'm hanging up."
After lunch, Ji Ruan returned to the dormitory, sucked on a candy that Gu Xiuyi bought for him, and flipped through the promotional posters of various clubs.
The candy in his mouth tasted like grapes, and the sour and sweet taste bloomed on the tip of his tongue. Ji Ruan sipped it for a while, then looked up at the glass sugar jar on the corner of the table. He suddenly wondered if there were any cherry-flavored ones in it. He only found one last time, so maybe there were some that slipped through the net.
He cleared the table, poured out all the sugar and chocolate, spread them on the table and searched slowly.
The dormitory door was pushed open, and Han Xiaolin and Li Yu came back. Seeing Ji Ruan's table full of candies, they were stunned: "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Ji Ruan smiled, "Come and have some candy."
The two of them didn't hesitate and each picked one and peeled it and ate it: "Thank you."
Han Xiaolin sat down at his desk and looked at Ji Ruan: "There's a new chicken hotpot restaurant that just opened at the school gate. Let's eat together tonight?"
Li Yu also said: "Yes, I heard it tastes good and has a 40% discount, let's ask Qin Shan to come along."
Ji Ruan was still searching for cherry-flavored candies one by one. Hearing this, he pursed his lips and said, "I won't go."
"What's wrong?" Han Xiaolin sat up straighter.
Ji Ruan said casually: "Gu Xiuyi and I are going out to eat."
"Yoho~~~" The sour and joking voices of the two people immediately rang out in the dormitory.
Li Yu covered his ears: "It's scary to have a partner."
Han Xiaolin came over and hooked Ji Ruan's neck, looking up to the sky and sighing: "Is this the pride of a married boy like you?"
Ji Ruan lifted his hand and couldn't help laughing: "Go away, you are sick."
He put the candies scattered on the table back into the jar one by one. There were indeed no more candies left. There was only one cherry flavored one, but he had already eaten it.
·
In the afternoon, Ji Ruan left the dormitory just after five o'clock. He walked slowly. They had agreed to meet at the school gate at half past five. Twenty minutes was just enough for him to walk there leisurely.
The sky today seemed a little darker than usual around five o'clock, and the wind was a little cold. Ji Ruan walked for a while in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, but instead of sweating, he felt a little chilly.
He looked up at the sky. The clouds were piled up and blocked out the sun. They looked a bit like... dark clouds?!
Ji Ruan had a bad feeling in his heart. The next second, bean-sized raindrops hit his cheek with a "pa" sound. Ji Ruan squinted his eyes due to the splash of raindrops.
What followed was heavy rain, lightning and thunder.
Ji Ruan was still a short distance away from the school gate, and there was no place to hide from the rain except big trees. Even children knew that they should not stand under a tree when it was thundering.
In just a few seconds, the heavy rain poured down, giving Ji Ruan no chance to think. He had to cover his ears instinctively and ran towards the security booth dozens of meters away.
It actually didn't take long to run a distance of dozens of meters, but in that short time, half of Ji Ruan's body was soaked when he ran to the awning outside the security booth.
The clothes stuck to his back, feeling sticky, and the wind made him shiver with cold. Ji Ruan's heart was still pounding from the sudden sprint, and he stood there with his mind a little dazed.
“Buzz——!”
Ji Ruan was startled by the sudden vibration of his cell phone.
The caller ID showed Gu Xiuyi.
Ji Ruan had been protecting his ears when it rained, and although the external unit was not completely soaked, it was still a little wet. At this time, the most important thing for Ji Ruan to do was to hang up the phone, reply to Gu Xiuyi's text message, and then quickly unplug the external unit and wipe it dry carefully.
But the thunder was loud and the rain was heavy, and Ji Ruan was a little scared. He looked at the flashing screen of his mobile phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally pressed the answer button.
"Ji Ruan?" Gu Xiuyi sounded a little anxious: "Did you bring an umbrella?"
"No..." Ji Ruan tried to steady his voice: "I'm in the awning outside the security booth."
There was a sudden silence over there. Ji Ruan thought his ears were broken again. He held the phone with both hands and asked nervously, "Hello?"
"It's okay," Gu Xiuyi sounded relieved, "I saw you, stand still."
Ji Ruan didn't see him.
He raised his head and looked around, his heart beating fast. He looked carefully and finally spotted the familiar license plate hidden in the blind spot of a huge old tree at the door.
Gu Xiuyi appeared from there.
He held up a wide black umbrella and walked towards Ji Ruan, avoiding the layers of shade from the trees.
Ji Ruan couldn't actually see his figure clearly. The rain was so dense that it turned into fog, falling rapidly like gray ink, and it caught the corners of his clothes and flew high up.
Ji Ruan tried his best to retreat to the center of the awning. The strong wind blew the raindrops and it still hurt his calves, but Gu Xiuyi took every step very steadily.
He had long legs and took big steps, so a distance that seemed far away was reached in just a moment. Only when he got closer could Ji Ruan see his face clearly. His expression was flawless and his collar was neat and tidy.
Gu Xiuyi folded his umbrella as soon as he entered the awning of the security booth. The rain poured down the ribs of the umbrella and wet his trouser legs.
Ji Ruan looked up at him, his thin eyebrows were furrowed, his hair and eyelashes were wet, his whole body was wet, and he looked extremely pitiful.
Gu Xiuyi pushed aside Ji Ruan's hair and looked at his delicate eyebrows and eyes. The skin under his palm was delicate and smooth, but it became slightly cold because of the rain.
Ji Ruan's temperature has always been very low.
"It's okay, don't be afraid."
Gu Xiuyi patted Ji Ruan on the back.
He looked into Ji Ruan's eyes and made sure that Ji Ruan had heard clearly before he raised his hand to take off his external machine and put it into his shirt pocket.
He felt a lightness behind his ears. When the small black external device was taken away, all the sounds were also removed at the same time. Even the sound of thunder and rain became blurred, as if he himself had been removed from this world.
Ji Ruan's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously took a step closer to Gu Xiuyi and closed his eyes tightly.
Gu Xiuyi held up the umbrella, put his arm around Ji Ruan's shoulders and pulled him into his arms, then lowered his head and whispered in his left ear, "It's okay, let's go home."
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