Chapter 50 Safety Precautions
The call was abruptly disconnected.
Hearing the busy tone, Gu Lin pressed his index finger against his brow bone twice.
…I forgot we slept together, and answered the phone without thinking.
"Whose call was that?" Ji Tong asked, half asleep and half awake, buried in the blanket.
Gu Lin took a while to answer.
"Uncle."
Ji Tong responded with an "Oh".
Two seconds later, he yanked the blanket off.
"Uncle?"
"He called you? What did he say?"
Does he want to ask you out?
The last time her uncle met with Gu Lin alone, the result was "to send him back to Germany." Ji Tong was still terrified.
Gu Lin remained silent for a while, then raised his hand and pinched Ji Tong's earlobe: "It was for you, I answered it."
"That's all." Ji Tong's alarm bells suddenly went off, like a light bulb being suddenly switched off. She closed her eyes, lay down, and pulled the blanket back over herself, only halfway covering herself—
"Should I return the call?" Gu Lin asked softly.
"Did my uncle say anything? Is it important?" Ji Tong's voice was muffled under the covers.
It should be fine.
But it's really dangerous.
"The cup broke," Gu Lin said.
Ji Tong: "?"
Ji Tong originally wanted to stay in bed a little longer, but upon hearing this, she stretched out a hand from under the covers and made a grabbing motion in the air like setting off fireworks, signaling Gu Lin to put the phone up.
But what was placed on the table was not a cell phone, but Gu Lin's palm.
Just as Ji Tong was about to laugh at his childishness, his hand cupped his fingers and pulled them towards Gu Lin.
Ji Tong was like a small fish attracted by bait and hooked out of bed.
Ji Tong: "?"
The room is heated, but the temperature is never as warm as a warm bed in winter.
"Wake up before you fight?" Gu Lin said.
“You can still make calls under the covers,” Ji Tong argued. “It’s not like there’s no signal.”
"cannot."
"Why?"
“Your uncle’s health isn’t good,” Gu Lin said calmly. “He gets easily inflamed.”
"?"
Gu Lin didn't give him any more time to think. He took the small blanket from the foot of the bed, draped it over Ji Tong, and lifted him up in his arms.
It was the same familiar way of holding him.
Ji Tong's chin drooped over her collarbone, and because she was relaxed, the little soft flesh on her chin piled up in a slight curve.
For some reason, he suddenly chuckled.
Because their chests were pressed together, Gu Lin's chest also vibrated a few times.
Gu Lin looked at him: "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing," Ji Tong said, raising her hand to play with the ends of Gu Lin's hair. "It just feels a little different from before."
The guest room didn't have a bathroom, so Gu Lin carried him to the living room, saying, "What's different about it?"
"I can't quite put my finger on it," Ji Tong said, feeling a fullness in her heart, "I feel so close to you."
Gu Lin paused almost imperceptibly, then hugged the person even tighter.
After brushing their teeth and washing their faces, Ji Tong returned to the master bedroom and finally called Song Zhenshu back.
Song Zhenshu, who usually answers instantly, only picked up the phone this time after it rang four or five times.
Before Ji Tong could speak, Song Zhenshu's voice came first.
His voice was still a little weak.
Song Zhenshu: "Where?"
Ji Tong replied, "Apartment."
Song Zhenshu: "When did you go back?"
Ji Tong answered without hesitation: "Last night."
Song Zhenshu: "Ji Tong, I remember calling you at 7:30 last night, and you were still in your dorm."
“Hmm,” Ji Tong said, completely oblivious to the danger signal in Song Zhenshu’s words. With the phone on speakerphone, she continued searching for her coat in the closet. “I came back later.”
"Didn't my uncle say that I could go back to the peninsula once I've thought things through?"
"I've thought it through."
“I took you back to school on Saturday afternoon, and yesterday was only Monday, so it’s only been a little over two days,” Song Zhenshu’s head was about to explode. “You’ve already figured it out in just over two days? You need a week to think about the New Year’s Eve dinner menu!”
Song Zhenshu originally thought he could at least endure a week.
But who knew that he wouldn't even make it through three days?
"What have you figured out?" Song Zhenshu asked.
Ji Tong's voice was excited and joyful: "I'm gay."
Song Zhenshu: "..."
Song Zhenshu took three deep breaths before he could barely steady his voice.
"Tell your uncle how you came to this conclusion."
It wasn't until this point in the conversation that Ji Tong awkwardly opened her hand holding her coat, as if she had just realized that it was a little embarrassing to talk about this in front of her elders.
He turned his head to look in the direction of the gate.
It was confirmed that Gu Lin was not there.
She whispered, "We kissed."
Song Zhenshu: "..."
Ji Tong's voice was even lower: "Twice."
Song Zhenshu: "…………"
Song Zhenshu silently repeated twice in her mind not to scare the child, and said with a force that seemed to break her teeth, "And what else? Why did Gu Lin answer your phone this morning? Did you sleep together last night?"
Ji Tong didn't think there was anything wrong with saying it, and answered quickly, "Mm."
The person on the other end of the phone suddenly became more labored.
It felt like half a century had passed.
Song Zhenshu let out a long breath and said helplessly, as if resigned to his fate, "Keepsafe."
Song Zhenshu deliberately used a more formal expression.
"Hmm? I'm fine in the apartment..." Ji Tong finally realized something was wrong and understood what Song Zhenshu was talking about—
"No, no, I didn't do anything else, just like before!"
Same as before?
So you used to sleep together a lot?
That's even more ridiculous.
Song Zhenshu wasn't comforted much at all: "There's no such thing as 'best,' but in any case, you must pay attention to safety measures. People your age are the most..."
Ji Tong couldn't listen anymore.
"Okay, I have class later, so I'll say goodbye now, Uncle."
I hung up on Song Zhenshu for the first time.
…What is all this?
Ji Tong interrupted Song Zhenshu's voice in one breath and shouted in his heart.
What kind of image does he have in his uncle's heart?
Gu Lin is so serious, does he seem like the kind of person who would think about this?
Ji Tong inevitably recalled Gu Lin's words at the time: "I have normal physiological needs, including sex."
Although Gu Lin said it, his expression was calm and upright when he said it. Rather than expressing desire, it was more like he was giving a popular science lecture on physiology. He didn't seem like someone with worldly desires at all.
Besides, they've shared a bed so many times, and physical contact is commonplace, yet Gu Lin hasn't shown any... unusual reaction.
Ji Tong's ears were still burning hot. She grabbed a water glass from the bedside table to cool them down and push away those messy thoughts.
Gu Lin was always self-possessed and would never think about such things.
Her ears had cooled down, but Ji Tong still felt it wasn't enough, so she went into the bathroom to wash her face again, and only came out after her heartbeat had completely returned to normal.
-
Although Ji Tong returned to the Peninsula last night and said she would stay there from now on, the impact of her uncle bringing her back to the dormitory with his suitcase a couple of days ago was too great. Li Yuan and the others didn't really feel that the two had "made up" until this morning, when the bell rang for the last class and Gu Lin's figure appeared at the back door of the classroom, and Ji Tong quickly packed her books and ran towards him. Only then did the three of them finally feel at ease.
Li Yuan had no idea that eating in the cafeteria with five other people was such a happy thing.
Although the food at the club was so delicious that you'd want to lick the plate clean, the stomach is, after all, an emotional organ. How could they possibly enjoy their meal when Ji Tong was in a bad mood?
Li Yuan was marveling at how clear the sky was in the liberated area when Cui Mingying suddenly touched his hand.
“Look at Tongtong and Lin Ge.”
"What are you looking at?"
"Don't you think Tongtong's relationship with Brother Lin seems to have gotten better since she went back this time?" Cui Mingying said.
"Better?" Li Yuan said, "Is there room for their relationship to get even better?"
Cui Mingying: "..."
"Don't you feel anything?" Cui Mingying said seriously. "Ah Tian felt it."
Li Yuan took a bite of the hot pot: "How can it be 'better'?"
Choi Myung-young: "If I could explain it, would I be asking you? It just... feels sticky and gooey."
“Aren’t they always so lovey-dovey?” Li Yuan said. “But it’s normal for them to be even more lovey-dovey.”
Cui Mingying: "?"
Li Yuan shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Li Yuan was sitting next to Ji Tong, and his voice wasn't particularly quiet. Ji Tong vaguely heard a few words: "'Don't' what?"
Li Yuan: "Yingzi just said that you and Lin Ge are feeling like you're newly married after a short separation."
Cui Mingying: "..."
Who said that?
Ji Tong: "..."
When Li Yuan saw Ji Tong pause with his chopsticks, he laughed twice, put down his chopsticks, and patted Ji Tong's cotton-padded coat: "I know, I know, it's a matter of loyalty and brotherhood."
Ji Tong: "..."
It was indeed him who replied.
If Li Yuan hadn't brought it up, Ji Tong would have almost forgotten about it. He secretly raised his eyes, wanting to observe Gu Lin's reaction, but as soon as he raised his eyes, he met Gu Lin's gaze directly.
…It's like they've been waiting there for a long time.
Ji Tong's heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Two seconds later, he picked out the prettiest piece of chicken from the plate, which looked like a benzene ring, and put it in Gu Lin's bowl.
As they walked out of the cafeteria, Ji Tong, using her down jacket as cover, tugged at Gu Lin's little finger.
Gu Lin lowered his head.
Ji Tong turned her phone screen towards him: "Look, I deleted it."
The comment "A bond of brotherhood based on morality" has disappeared from the comments section, leaving only a string of "Absence makes the heart grow fonder".
"Hmm," Gu Lin responded indifferently.
“'Hmm'? What does 'hmm' mean?” Ji Tong grabbed his little finger, her mind focused on Gu Lin, and she didn’t notice where she was standing.
Gu Lin grabbed his wrist: "It means to watch where you're going."
Both classes were full in the afternoon, with the second selection exam and the final exam approaching at the same time. Ji Tong didn't go back to Peninsula, but took Gu Lin to the library instead.
The two chose a quiet spot and sat at a table behind the bookshelves at the far end of the second-floor reading room.
Across from Ji Tong was a couple, very quiet, not saying a word, but their actions were quite intimate.
Ji Tong reviewed the weekend's test papers and organized her notes. She studied until 12:40, then used Gu Lin's scarf as a pillow and his cotton-padded coat as a blanket, lying face down for 25 minutes.
Ji Tong hadn't set an alarm; Gu Lin woke her up.
"Did you hurt your hand?" Gu Lin massaged his fingers a few times.
“It’s alright,” Ji Tong said, pulling her hand back and getting up from her seat. “I’m going to wash my face.”
There was warm water in the washroom. After Ji Tong finished washing up, she came out from around the corner, where the couple across the hall were sitting on the second-floor corridor, talking quietly.
"Do you know what the '20-minute supermarket effect' is? Just by going to the supermarket once, you can learn about your partner's taste preferences, lifestyle, spending habits, and attitude towards you."
“For example, someone who likes you will say things like ‘Buy it if you like it,’ ‘Okay,’ ‘This is sweet, try it,’ etc. when you’re shopping. But some people will coldly say ‘No,’ ‘You can’t,’ ‘You can’t buy it,’ and then you can’t continue the relationship.”
"How can life be the same no matter who you live it with?"
"Putting all other factors aside, grocery shopping is an intimate and romantic thing in itself. When I invite you, you should gladly accept, instead of saying you can order takeout. You're not romantic at all."
"Okay, wife, got it, wife, I'll go to you tonight."
Ji Tong passed by them, glancing at them thoughtfully.
While in the library, Ji Tong couldn't hear any other sounds. Only when she came out did she realize that it was snowing, and it was snowing heavily.
Gu Lin was worried that he was cold, so he stopped him at the door: "Put on your down jacket and hood."
Gu Lin didn't wait for him to put it on himself and started putting it on directly.
"It's snowing," Ji Tong said.
Gu Lin: "Mm."
"I want to eat hot pot tomorrow, at home."
"Um."
Ji Tong coughed slightly: "Shall we go to the supermarket together tonight?"
Gu Lin frowned upon hearing his cough: "Call Flash Delivery."
Ji Tong: "..."
Do you know what the "20-minute supermarket effect" is? Just by going to the supermarket once, you can learn about your partner's taste preferences, lifestyle, spending habits, and attitude towards you.
Putting all other factors aside, grocery shopping is an intimate and romantic activity. When I invite you, you should gladly accept, instead of saying you can just deliver it to me. You're not romantic at all.
Ji Tong repeated every word in his mind, but what he said aloud was—
"I want to go."
"I want to go."
"I want to go."
Gu Lin suddenly covered most of his face with his scarf: "I know."
"It's windy, close your mouth."
Ji Tong's face was completely covered by her cotton-padded coat, and her mouth was buried in her scarf. As she listened to Gu Lin's "cold" "call for Flash Delivery," she remembered the girl's words, "How can life be the same no matter who you live with?" and "angrily" spoke up.
"Yesterday it was 'open its mouth,' but today its mouth is closed."
Gu Lin gradually stopped tying his scarf.
As class approached, people came and went at the library entrance. The two stood at the entrance for a long time, their actions already intimate, and coupled with their "good reputation," all eyes were drawn to them.
Gu Lin seemed completely unconcerned, simply looking down at the person in front of him.
"Ji Tong".
The person whose name was called finally realized the danger and stubbornly asked, "W-what?"
Two seconds later, Ji Tong heard Gu Lin's calm and composed voice—
"Just say you want to kiss here."
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