Chapter 21 "I'm Not Gay"
The air seemed to have stopped.
This development was so dramatic that no one expected there was a vending machine not far away.
Even the players who are usually the least perceptive stopped talking.
Should it be given to Gu Lin first?
Almost everyone had the same first reaction.
Old Qi was the first to come to his senses. He took out his phone and sent a text message to the logistics team, saying that there wasn't enough water and asking them to bring two more cases.
Old Qi was worried that Ji Tong would be embarrassed, and was about to walk over and sit on the bench when suddenly the person moved.
The scene would have stunned anyone for a long time, but Ji Tong only paused for a moment when he saw that there was only one bottle of water left. He quickly reacted, blinked, and took out the bottle of water naturally and casually, as if he had no psychological burden at all.
Ji Tong raised her hand and handed the bottle of water to Gu Lin.
The people around: Just as expected.
Old Qi addressed Duan Pei, saying, "Duan Pei, learn..."
Ji Tong slightly tilted his hand to the left, past Gu Lin's forearm, and stretched it directly towards Duan Pei, who was a step behind him: "Senior, water."
"??????"
"…………"
Even Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang were stunned.
Duan Pei looked down, stared at the bottle of water being offered to him for a moment, then glanced at Ji Tong before raising an eyebrow slightly. He took a step to the left, then stepped forward, moving from half a step behind Gu Lin to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Give it to me first," Duan Pei said, taking the water from Ji Tong's hand. He then turned his head and smiled at Gu Lin, seemingly apologetic, "I'm sorry, junior."
Ke Tongguang: "..."
The aroma of tea is overflowing, senior.
Gu Lin didn't speak.
The atmosphere became somewhat strange for a moment.
When Li Yuan and the others handed the last bottle of water to Duan Pei, they didn't think much of it at first. After all, he was a senior, and it was only right to be polite. But after hearing "Give it to me first" and "Sorry, junior," for some reason, their alarm bells went off.
After giving it to Senior Duan Pei, what happened next? Why didn't you say anything to Brother Lin?
The three of them thought that Ji Tong would get up and buy Gu Lin a bottle of water, but Ji Tong remained seated on the bench.
He sat in the chair without even glancing at Lin Ge, his head down as if searching for something.
"Tongtong." Li Yuan couldn't help but tug at Ji Tong's sleeve.
Help.
Please look up and look at Brother Lin's face, okay?
It's almost as black as his jersey.
"Wait a minute," Ji Tong ignored Li Yuan, "help me look for it..."
The last word was too soft for Li Yuan to hear: "Looking for what?"
Ji Tong: "Bag".
Cui Mingying asked Li Yuan to help her look, and then stood up first: "Brother Lin, sit for a while. I'm a little thirsty too. I'll go over there and buy a drink, and I'll buy you one too—"
"No need." Ji Tong finally found the backpack covered by clothes in the empty seat next to Chen Yongjie. He took the bag and placed it on his lap.
Everyone looked at him.
Ji Tong unzipped his jacket, rummaged around under his clothes, and took out a thermos. He handed it to Gu Lin and said, "Mint tea. I just took a sip, and it's still a little hot. Blow on it before you drink it."
Duan Pei: "..."
Ke Tongguang: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Duan Pei tightened his grip on the water bottle.
Ke Tongguang's lips moved slightly.
Tu Jing rubbed her temples.
The group of people had different expressions, their gazes shifting between Ji Tong and Gu Lin, and occasionally glancing at Duan Pei.
Ji Tong was so focused on finding her bag that she looked up and noticed a group of people gathered around her.
"What's wrong?" Ji Tong asked.
"N-nothing, haha."
"Is there not enough water? Do you want me to help carry some?"
"I'll go too."
The surrounding area scattered like birds and beasts.
Gu Lin had already taken the thermos. He took a sip and sat down next to Ji Tong. He leaned forward, his long legs spread apart, his elbows casually resting on his knees, looking down at the ground. It was a very common resting posture, but his knees were intimately pressed against Ji Tong's.
"Senior, please sit down. There are still ten minutes left in the competition," Ji Tong said to Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang.
The two nodded and sat down next to Chen Yongjie.
After Gu Lin finished drinking, Ji Tong took back the thermos, put the lid on, and placed it aside. Looking at Gu Lin's posture, she was a little worried: "Did you hurt your back?"
Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang stopped moving.
Gu Lin was quiet for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "A little."
"You pooped?" Ji Tong frowned, raising his hand to circle his back to check: "Where? Here?"
Gu Lin: "Mm."
Duan Pei: "..."
Ke Tongguang: "..."
"Didn't you warm up properly just now?" Ji Tong frowned, massaging him with the heel of her palm. "I already told you—"
Duan Pei stood up with a water bottle in his hand: "My clothes are a bit wet, I'm going to wipe my sweat."
"Tongtong, water, thank you."
Ji Tong looked up: "Hmm? Oh, you're welcome. The water was also prepared by the student council. You go ahead and do your work, senior."
Ke Tongguang also stood up: "Old Qi called me, so I'll go over there too."
Ji Tong nodded in agreement.
Duan Pei disappeared from the field, while Ke Tongguang, who said he was going to find Lao Qi, stood in the exit tunnel.
"You can't even beat Duan Pei to a bottle of water, and you want to compete with Gu Lin?" Tu Jing's voice came from afar.
Ke Tongguang leaned against the wall and looked at the person who came in: "Sister Jing, let's keep things separate. Where did I fight with Senior Duan Pei for water? I have water in my hands."
“I know,” Tu Jing nodded. “What I mean is, even if you didn’t have water back then, that one bottle probably wouldn’t have been yours.”
It's not about water, it's clearly about people.
Ke Tongguang remained noncommittal.
"I only reminded you because I consider you a friend," Tu Jing said.
Ke Tongguang: "I know."
The referee on the field had already blown the preparatory whistle, reminding everyone that there were still five minutes left in the break.
"So, is this 'white' still going to be sued?" Tu Jing asked.
Ke Tongguang took a sip of water: "Go ahead and sue."
Tu Jing: "?"
Ke Tongguang: "If Ji Tong agrees, wouldn't I be making a huge profit?"
Tu Jing had a look on her face that said, "Are you thinking about eating pee?"
Ke Tongguang smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that. Even if I refuse, I won't lose out."
"If I can't be the one to take the first bottle of water, being the first to confess my feelings isn't bad either."
The two teams began to assemble on the field.
"Anyway, I'm not the one who's going to run into a wall. I've said everything I could to persuade you, and if you can't change my mind, then so be it," Tu Jing sighed. "Let's go, let's call for help."
Ke Tongguang grunted in agreement and strode toward that direction.
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention, there's one more thing."
Tu Jing stopped and looked at him.
Ke Tongguang patted Tu Jing on the shoulder and raised an eyebrow: "I don't think this junior, Gu Lin, is very happy about it."
"I'd be happy to cause him some trouble."
"Sister Jing, you know I'm very petty."
The referee blew the second whistle.
Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang walked over from different directions, and Gu Lin also got up from the chair in the rest area.
The three walked towards the stadium.
The players from both sides started running to warm up. As they passed Gu Lin, they leaned against each other, and Gu Lin's body tilted slightly, causing his shoulder to collide with Duan Pei's.
The force wasn't great, but it was, after all, an adult male body, so the impact was unavoidable.
Gu Lin turned his head to the side, his gaze sweeping over Duan Pei's shoulder, and calmly said, "I'm sorry, senior."
Duan Pei: "No..."
Ke Tongguang burst out laughing.
Duan Pei was stunned for two seconds before he realized that Gu Lin had returned the phrase "I'm sorry, junior" to him.
Duan Pei: "..."
That's really true...
Where did this evil spirit come from?
The second half was still dominated by power, violence, and aesthetics. The temporarily formed teams had an amazing matchmaking system. Because the teams were evenly matched, various jumps, positioning, and passes were all highlights.
The scoreboard kept changing, and with each point added, cheers and screams erupted from the court. When the last ball fell and the final whistle blew, the basketball arena almost exploded, with applause and cheers rising and falling. My social media feed was flooded with posts about tonight's basketball game.
"How are the next team supposed to compete if you guys fight like this?" Old Qi handed the freshly arrived water to Ke Tongguang and the others.
"Senior, this is mainly your fault too," someone said to Lao Qi.
"You're studying finance, don't you even understand the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket? Look at Gu Lin, Senior Ke, and Senior Duan, you should have split these three faces into three separate rounds, or just saved them for the grand finale. Who plays their trump card right from the start?"
"That's right, that's right."
"There's no other way, we can only field Tongtong for the next match."
The group burst into laughter.
After waving to the stands with a flamboyant air, Ke Tongguang chatted with Duan Pei as they left the court. It had been a long time since he had played such an intense game since the last basketball league. He was covered in sweat, and the towel he used in the first half was nowhere to be found. Ke Tongguang simply lifted his jersey to wipe his sweat.
With this lift, the defined abdominal muscles were clearly revealed.
Duan Pei felt hot and also lifted his jersey to wipe his sweat.
The news agency, always eager to stir things up, seized the opportunity and immediately zoomed in with their camera.
So, the stands, which had just quieted down after the first basketball game, looked up and saw what was happening on the panoramic screen—
Cheers erupted again.
"Hahaha, I knew it."
"I deserve to save it for last."
"The news agency's cameras are still so good at taking pictures."
"It's impossible to guard against, hahaha."
"Who said this shot was bad? This shot is absolutely perfect."
"Senior Ke Tongguang flipped it up, Senior Duan Pei flipped it up, who's next???"
Amidst the sudden cheers, Ji Tong looked up at the large screen.
Within seconds, Ji Tong knew the source of the cheers.
Just a few seconds later, the news agency's camera, seemingly responding to "public opinion," slightly shifted its focus, shoving the lens at the waist and abdomen of Gu Lin, who was standing next to Duan Pei.
Ji Tong: "..."
Laughter erupted from the audience, with some boys even shouting, "Brother Lin, give it a lift!"
The camera froze, and just as the audience was waiting for tonight's MVP to put on a show, a clean, white hand suddenly appeared in the frame.
"Wow—wait a minute, is this hand position wrong?"
"It's not that the direction is wrong, it's that the hand is wrong! Gu Lin is drinking water, where did that hand come from to lift his clothes?!"
"so……"
The photographer seemed taken aback for a moment, the camera pausing briefly before turning in the direction of the hand—
Ji Tong's striking face appeared on the big screen, his hand gripping Gu Lin's clothes tightly at the waist.
Ji Tong smiled but said nothing; his actions clearly conveyed the answer: he wouldn't let her see.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds later, the stadium erupted in an unprecedented roar.
"Laughing to death, upholding good male virtues is everyone's responsibility, hahaha."
"Today, we are enjoying the meal made with my products. Please rest assured, our motherland."
"Whether he is a classmate or a gay man, I can tell the difference myself."
The news agency is well-versed in the art of generating traffic. In the next two entertainment matches, although Gu Lin and his friends did not play, the camera frequently focused on the rest area, successfully capturing a large audience.
The cheers in the stadium continued until nearly 10 p.m.
The rain stopped just as the game ended.
"That was awesome! I felt like I was playing in the NBA." The players came off the court shoulder to shoulder, as if they hadn't had enough. "Hey bro, a few girls from my junior class just said I'm handsome."
"Wake up, are they talking about you?"
"After this match, I even look more handsome."
"Gu Lin, you're awesome, junior! Let's add each other on WeChat and play basketball together sometime."
...
After finishing a phone call, Tu Jing walked in through the north gate. The basketball court was almost empty, with only a small group of people still gathered in the rest area.
"They were scattered all over the place when we gathered, but they were quick to leave when it was time to go," Tu Jing said.
Gu Lin and his group stayed late, and because they didn't like being covered in sweat, they took a quick shower in the changing room.
Ji Tong handed the backpack to Gu Lin, glanced down at her phone, and said, "Wait here for me, I'm going out for a bit."
Gu Lin took the bag: "What's wrong?"
Ji Tong: "Senior Ke said he needed to talk to me about something and asked me to go to the small playground."
Tu Jing and Duan Pei stopped moving at the same time.
Gu Lin lowered his eyelids, seemingly expressionless: "What is it?"
"I don't know," Ji Tong shook his head. Today he planned to finish the galaxy puzzle. It was already ten o'clock, and after returning to the peninsula to wash up, there would only be one hour left. Ji Tong planned to finish quickly, so he instructed Gu Lin: "My bag isn't packed yet. Can you fix it? The thermos is in there too. There's only a little tea left. If you're thirsty, drink it. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, Ji Tong turned and ran out of the stadium.
He didn't even turn his head.
The stadium was empty, but the row of lights in the center of the stadium were still on, blindingly bright. Gu Lin bent over, tidying up the clothes in his bag. His wet hair was still damp, and water droplets gathered as he moved, teetering on the verge of falling.
With a "plop," the water droplet fell, and Gu Lin let go of his hand, turned around, and walked outside.
Duan Pei took a sip of water and looked at Tu Jing beside him: "What is Ke Tongguang going to do?"
Tu Jing sighed: "You already guessed it, why are you asking me?"
Duan Pei put down the water with a sullen face and walked away.
"I'm speechless." Tu Jing massaged her temples for a full half minute before grabbing her phone and running outside.
-
The rain had stopped for almost half an hour, but the wind was still blowing outside. Ji Tong walked towards the small playground, stepping on the fallen flowers and leaves.
“Senior, I’m here…” Ji Tong was sending a voice message to Ke Tongguang when she turned her head and saw Ke Tongguang standing under a street lamp at the corner of the small playground, holding a bouquet of… flowers.
Ji Tong's gaze lingered on the flowers for only a second, without even bothering to discern what was inside the bouquet. He neither cared nor paid attention.
With no one else around, late at night, a bouquet of flowers, a private meeting—the outcome was obvious.
Ji Tong stopped and withdrew his voice message. When he looked up again, Ke Tongguang was already walking towards him.
"Senior, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. Gu Lin is still waiting for me."
Ji Tong knew Ke Tongguang, and he also knew about Ke's sexual orientation.
They were both adults, and he was an older student, so he didn't want to make things too explicit.
But some people clearly don't think so.
"I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked, so I bought one of each: red rose, white rose, lisianthus, jasmine, and lily of the valley. Take a look, is there anything you like?" Ke Tongguang handed over the colorful bouquet.
Ji Tong didn't answer, his voice still quite normal: "Sorry, senior, I don't really like flowers."
Ke Tongguang seemed unsurprised and took back the bouquet: "Then what do you like?"
Ji Tong said, "Mint."
Mint.
Ke Tongguang subconsciously recalled the thermos that Ji Tong had handed to Gu Lin, which seemed to contain peppermint tea. His smile faded slightly, but quickly returned to normal: "Oh, okay, then I'll bring you peppermint tea next time."
"No need to trouble you, senior. My family has someone to take care of me," Ji Tong said.
"Home? Which home?" Ke Tongguang chuckled. "The peninsula?"
Ji Tong frowned and finally looked at Ke Tongguang seriously.
Ke Tongguang glanced back.
A figure stood not far behind Ji Tong. Because of the lack of light, the person was shrouded in a smoky gray shadow, and it seemed that only darkness surrounded him.
One, two, three...
A secret pleasure swept through him. Ke Tongguang's gaze swept over Duan Pei, but finally settled on Gu Lin.
"Ji Tong," Ke Tongguang said, controlling his voice to ensure "everyone" present could hear him, as he took a step closer to Ji Tong, "I like you. I've liked you since the first time I saw you. You don't like flowers, so next time I'll bring you the ones you like..."
Ke Tongguang omitted the word "Mint" and continued, "Would you like to be my boyfriend? If not now, can I pursue you?"
Ji Tong's brows remained furrowed.
Gu Lin was still inside waiting for him.
We need to get back quickly.
Ji Tong didn't want to waste time with Ke Tongguang.
"I don't want to, I can't."
"I'm sorry, senior, I'm not gay."
Ji Tong said it, but then felt that the word "homosexual" sounded a bit harsh, so she changed her words and said, "I don't like boys."
"Is that so?" Ke Tongguang's smile widened.
As Ji Tong looked at the curve of Ke Tongguang's lips, a strange feeling welled up in her heart.
It was as if he didn't regret being rejected at all, but rather... felt a sense of relief?
But whatever his emotions were, they were irrelevant to him, so Ji Tong nodded: "Yes, I think I've made myself clear. I'm sorry, senior, I'll go first..."
"And what about Gu Lin?" Ke Tongguang suddenly spoke up, interrupting Ji Tong's answer and taking a step closer.
"Gu Lin?" Ji Tong's mind went blank for a second. "What happened to Gu Lin?"
Ke Tongguang's voice rang out again, deep and ghostly: "You're not gay, then is Gu Lin?"
The next second, Ke Tongguang saw that the person who had no reaction to receiving flowers or being confessed to, and who even changed to gentler terms like "likes boys" because he was worried that the word "homosexual" was too direct and would hurt him, suddenly turned cold just because he mentioned Gu Lin.
“He’s not.” Ji Tong’s lips tightened into a straight line.
Ke Tongguang was stung by Ji Tong's expression. He turned his head to look at the person behind Ji Tong and sneered, "Are you sure?"
Ji Tong: "I'm sure."
Ke Tongguang took half a step back and looked directly into the eyes behind Ji Tong.
Gu Lin.
Did you hear that?
He said he wasn't.
He said you aren't either.
A large breath of stale air was exhaled from Ke Tongguang's body.
He looked down at the bouquet of flowers in his hand.
While choosing a bouquet in the afternoon, Ke Tongguang noticed a bee coiled around the center of a flower.
The stinger on a bee's abdomen is connected to its venom glands and internal organs. When it pierces human skin, the barbs at its tail will firmly hook onto the skin. When it is pulled out, the internal organs will be pulled out along with the stinger, and then the bee will die.
Ke Tongguang felt like a bee now.
Fortunately, there are people who are suffering more than him.
Ke Tongguang gave a wry smile: "Ji Tong, in some ways, Gu Lin and I are the same kind of people."
“He is not.” Ji Tong said firmly.
Ke Tongguang had already retreated to a safe distance, but was taken aback upon hearing this. Ji Tong, however, approached step by step.
"Senior, I respect your sexual orientation and the way you treat relationships."
"But I don't know what gave you the wrong impression that Gu Lin is the same kind of person as you."
Ji Tong took another step closer, until he was almost touching Ke Tongguang. It was a fairly intimate distance, but Ji Tong's fierce aura overshadowed it. Ji Tong raised his hand, grabbed Ke Tongguang's collar, and squeezed it tightly: "I assure you, he is not."
“So, please,” Ji Tong said, her face as cold as ice, “don’t make any moves on him.”
Ke Tongguang: "...?"
Duan Pei: "...?"
Tu Jing: "...?"
Gu Lin: "..."
"Wait—" Ke Tongguang grabbed Ji Tong abruptly. The words he had just heard were so bizarre that Ke Tongguang thought he was hallucinating after being rejected. "No, Ji Tong, wait, tell me...who am I after?"
Ji Tong broke free.
Ji Tong had heard others mention Ke Tongguang more than once, and he knew how quickly Ke changed boyfriends, but he never thought that this person would confess to him and be rejected, and then turn around and set his sights on Gu Lin.
I shouldn't have brought Gu Lin to play basketball tonight.
His mistake.
Ji Tong only wanted to go back immediately and take Gu Lin away. He didn't listen to another word Ke Tongguang said, turned around and left, but as soon as he turned around—
The moment Ji Tong saw Gu Lin, her heart almost stopped.
What are you doing here?
Ji Tong paused for two seconds, then, as if realizing something, asked nervously, "Did Dean Ke Tongguang send you a message to come out?"
Ke Tongguang: "..."
Duan Pei: "..."
Tu Jing: "..."
Gu Lin closed his eyes.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ji Tong spotted Duan Pei and Tu Jing again.
Ji Tong: "?"
"How come Duan Pei and his senior are also... never mind, we'll talk about it next time."
Many questions remained, but Ji Tong couldn't care less. At this moment, she had only one thought: to prevent Ke Tongguang from seeing Gu Lin again.
"Let's go home." Ji Tong pulled Gu Lin away quickly.
Ji Tong walked quickly, as if someone was chasing him from behind.
The three on the playground didn't come to their senses until Ji Tong and Gu Lin's figures completely disappeared.
Even Tu Jing, looking at Ke Tongguang's pale face, couldn't say anything sarcastic.
"Damn it." Ke Tongguang threw the bouquet onto the track.
Duan Pei glanced at him: "You have a great reputation, so it's no wonder Tongtong is upset."
Ke Tongguang gritted his teeth: "Senior, I'm in a really bad mood right now, you'd better not mess with me."
Duan Pei: "You want to fight? Fine, I'll play along."
Tu Jing picked up the bouquet from the ground and threw it back into Ke Tongguang's hands: "Alright, it's been a whole night, isn't that enough for you guys? Let's go."
Ke Tongguang had a look on his face that said, "I won't rest until we have a fight today."
Tu Jing said coolly, "Fine, go ahead and hit her. When Tongtong comes out with her bag and sees you standing with Duan Pei, she'll misunderstand and think you're after Duan... Hey, you two, don't walk so fast."
-
The two returned to the peninsula at 10:30.
Ji Tong forgot about the jigsaw puzzle and pulled Gu Lin into the house. The moment the door locked, she shoved Gu Lin against the wall: "You knew Ke Tongguang before?"
They don't even call him "senior" anymore.
"I don't know him."
"Is this the first time we've met tonight?"
"Um."
Ji Tong's mood improved slightly, but he still felt uncomfortable. He stared at Gu Lin's eyebrows and eyes for a while: "From now on, you are not allowed to see him in private, you are not allowed to chat with him alone, not even on WeChat... and you are not allowed to play ball with him, understand?"
Gu Lin was enveloped by a huge sense of helplessness. He felt both angry and amused, relieved and hopeless. He kept adjusting himself in the process of self-confrontation and balance, so that his voice could still sound relatively calm.
"And you."
"What about me?"
Ji Tong paused for a moment, then realized that Gu Lin was referring to him and Ke Tongguang.
Ji Tong recalled everything that had happened tonight.
When Ke Tongguang talked about liking him and being rejected, his reaction was very calm, even indifferent. But when he talked about Gu Lin, his emotions changed...
Ji Tong found it increasingly strange.
“I won’t see him either,” Ji Tong said immediately.
He wouldn't give Ke Tongguang the opportunity to get close to Gu Lin through him.
After a few seconds of silence from the person in front of him, Gu Lin had already guessed what he was thinking.
It's an extreme misunderstanding.
But he didn't care.
He wanted the result, he wanted that "I won't see you."
“Fine,” Gu Lin said, looking at him, “I won’t see him.”
-
Ji Tong didn't sleep well that night, and when she woke up the next day, she was not in a good mood when she received messages from Tu Jing and the others.
He glanced at it briefly and said to Gu Lin, "We had a great time playing the recreational match last night. My senior and her friends booked a villa for a party at 'Sunday Party' and invited us to come along for the night. We'll come back tomorrow afternoon."
Tu Jing and her group called out to many people, including the student council members, Li Yuan and his group, and Chen Yongjie.
—Ke Tongguang did not come.
Ji Tong knew that Tu Jing and the others had called Chen Yongjie because of him. If he and Gu Lin didn't go, Chen Yongjie would probably feel a little awkward.
"Do you want to go?" Gu Lin asked.
Ji Tong: "Go."
Gu Lin: "Okay."
The appointment was for 5 p.m. Ji Tong finished assembling the Milky Way tape at the apartment, and then assembled Mercury with Gu Lin before getting ready to leave.
When Ji Tong came out of the master bedroom, Gu Lin had already changed his clothes.
A thin black windbreaker jacket and matching trousers.
…It looks kind of nice.
Ji Tong stared at him for a while: "Go change into something else."
Gu Lin stopped what he was doing.
"What's wrong."
"...Nothing, I just don't like this one, I'll change to another one."
Gu Lin didn't say anything, went inside and changed into a navy blue oversized sports jacket.
Ji Tong: "Change into another one."
Gu Lin thought he didn't like the two colors, so he changed to a denim jacket that Ji Tong had picked out for him.
"Let's try another one... never mind, I'll pick one for you."
Ji Tong pushed past Gu Lin and went straight to the wardrobe. After picking and choosing for a long time, she finally chose a plain black hooded sweatshirt with no patterns.
Gu Lin didn't ask any questions. He took off his denim jacket, then took off his short-sleeved shirt with one hand and put on a black hooded sweatshirt.
Ji Tong: "..."
bother.
It's still very good-looking.
Ji Tong tiptoed slightly, and rather unhappily lifted the hood of her sweatshirt, letting the cover fall onto her head.
Why would someone be so good-looking if they had nothing to do with it?
"This is so annoying, I might as well lock him up," Ji Tong muttered.
-
"Sunday Party" is the largest chain party house brand in Anjing. Tu Jing and her friends booked one in the suburbs. It's a one-stop shop for eating, drinking, playing and staying. It has more than 2,200 square meters of space, a five-story detached villa, and has everything from a swimming pool to barbecue facilities.
When Ji Tong and Gu Lin arrived, the atmosphere was just starting to heat up. Li Yuan was in the living room with a microphone, ready to sing. Before he could even start singing, he announced, "Tongtong, Brother Lin! This, this, this!"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned towards the doorway.
Cui Mingying and Zhou Tian sat on the sofa, one to the left and the other to the right, leaving the middle seat empty.
After Ji Tong greeted Tu Jing and the others, he pulled Gu Lin to sit down next to Cui Mingying and Zhou Tian.
Everyone there was someone I knew, so the atmosphere was great.
"Where is Chen Yongjie?" Ji Tong searched around the living room.
Cui Mingying handed him a slice of watermelon, saying, "I'll have to wait a bit longer."
Ji Tong nodded.
Ji Tong took a bite of watermelon, found it quite sweet, and bent down to get a piece for Gu Lin as well.
Chen Yongjie arrived at just the right time, before the meal.
The meal was incredibly noisy, and afterwards there was a lot of board games and mahjong, but the back alley of the villa was very quiet.
When Tu Jing walked out through the back door, Gu Lin was leaning against the wall smoking.
He heard the commotion over there, but only glanced at it, his expression barely changing.
Tu Jing strolled over slowly and held out her hand to him: "Can I borrow a cigarette, junior?"
Gu Lin handed over the cigarette case along with the lighter.
Tu Jing knocked out a long cigarette, lit it, and leaned against the wall as well.
She took a drag and said, "I'll take the cigarette; you can't take it back anyway."
Gu Lin didn't say anything.
“I called Tongtong a few days ago, and he told me firmly that you don’t smoke,” Tu Jing chuckled inexplicably, twirling the cigarette pack in her hand. “That’s true, there are plenty of things he doesn’t know, so one more won’t make a difference.”
After dinner, Tu Jing came down from her room and, not seeing Gu Lin in the living room, she guessed what was going on.
I asked around and then followed the trail to the back door.
“I spent the whole night subtly probing you, and Tongtong said that you’ve been in a good mood since yesterday, and that Ke Tongguang’s matter hasn’t affected you. I thought you were so good at enduring things.”
So they were hiding here to smoke.
"It's annoying, isn't it?" Tu Jing said, lighting her lighter intermittently. "They keep circling around in front of you one after another."
Gu Lin remained silent.
Tu Jing chuckled: "Including me."
With a soft "click," the lighter went out—a barely perceptible sound, yet the entire backyard seemed to darken under the vanished flame, leaving only Tu Jing's voice.
"Gu Lin, you're really annoyed with me, aren't you?"
“He annoys me even more than Duan Pei and Ke Tongguang.”
"But because Tongtong likes me, I pretended very well."
Gu Lin flicked the ash from his cigarette with his long fingers, his expression indifferent and his voice even more indifferent: "Since you knew, why did you still come here, senior?"
Tu Jing laughed so hard her chest vibrated.
Why are you bothered by me?
Let me guess.
"Because when Tongtong was in her second year of high school, she said I was her ideal type?"
Ji Tong caused quite a stir when he entered the school in his first year of high school. Everyone, from his classmates to the senior students in their second and third years, knew the name "Ji Tong". Just when they had become somewhat immune to it, another student, Gu Lin, transferred in during the second semester of his first year of high school.
In those years, No. 1 High School cracked down hard on early romantic relationships.
In the prime of youth, when love is just beginning to blossom, people are least reluctant to talk about "love."
Seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boys sometimes talk about "the future" as dusk falls.
So Ji Tong thought and thought and thought, and said, "Marriage...maybe...like Senior Tu Jing?"
Li Yuan and the others burst into laughter.
At the time, they were in their second year of high school, and Tu Jing was a freshman in college. She would occasionally return to school, with long, black, flowing hair and a blue and white tie-dye dress. Eight out of ten boys considered Tu Jing their ideal type.
Upon hearing Ji Tong's answer, someone joked, "We definitely won't be able to win over the senior, but you might be different, Tongtong. You and the senior are such good friends, maybe she'll agree to be with you."
Ji Tong shook her head: "I like my senior, but it's just the kind of liking you have for a friend."
Li Yuan was surprised: "Isn't he my ideal type?"
Ji Tong: "Is there a conflict?"
Li Yuan: "So what do you like about your senior?"
Unlike before when he "thought it over and over," this time Ji Tong answered quickly. He smiled and rested his chin on his hand: "Eyes."
"Your eyes are very beautiful."
“Gu Lin,” Tu Jing slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, “Tongtong wasn’t lying. His feelings for me are just those of a friend, and you know that very well.”
Yes, Gu Lin understood this very well, which is why he never disturbed Ji Tong and Tu Jing's time together.
He took his anger out on Tu Jing because her existence constantly reminded him not to cross that line.
Ji Tong longs for a family.
Children who grow up surrounded by love, nurtured by their families, will yearn for their families and new life as they yearn for spring. When love is so abundant that it overflows, it will continue.
Every time Gu Lin heard Tu Jing's name from Ji Tong's mouth, he reminded himself of it.
Thus, the name "Tu Jing" became a sharp blade, a stinging thorn.
He knew it was despicable, but he couldn't control himself.
Tu Jing finished her cigarette and stubbed it out on the trash can next to her. She looked at the villa sign in the distance and said, "Gu Lin, has anyone ever said that we are similar in some ways?"
Gu Lin paused in his smoking, turned his head, and looked at Tu Jing for the first time tonight.
Tu Jing lit another cigarette for herself: "Someone told me that."
"The year we graduated from high school, he and I co-hosted our graduation party. It was the first time I met him, and the first time he met me. Guess what his first words to me were?"
"It wasn't a self-introduction, it was: 'Senior, you have beautiful eyes, they look just like my deskmate'."
Gu Lin hadn't smoked a cigarette in a long time. The long cigarette burned slowly, getting shorter and shorter, and the ash accumulated thicker and thicker. His index finger twitched very slightly.
The still-warm ash, like blackened snow, was blown away by the wind before it even hit the ground.
“He likes you,” Tu Jing said casually, rubbing her neck, “he just doesn’t understand yet.”
"I know." Gu Lin looked up, his gaze unfocused as it fell on the floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor of the villa.
He has eyes; he knows that person is different to him.
Perhaps it's because I like it.
But that's not enough.
He wants more than just liking.
Love must be absolute; it must be the same person he thinks of when he loves and when he thinks of dying. Once the arrow is drawn, there is no turning back; there must be no way out.
A faint, crimson dot flickered at Gu Lin's fingertip.
Grandpa was right about one thing.
In youth, under the deceptive influence of phenylethylamine and hormones, it is easy to mistake the novelty and illusions brought about by hormones for "love."
Grandpa said to give him time, but he was wrong. He was giving Ji Tong time to confirm that this was "love" and not just "a fleeting illusion."
Tu Jing looked at Gu Lin's lowered brows and eyes, which were filled with chilling emotions, and she choked heavily on the smoke.
a long time.
"Sigh, having a crush on someone with this face, I don't know if you're the one who's at a disadvantage, or Tongtong is."
Tu Jing glanced at her phone: "It's been almost half an hour since you came out. Once the smoke has cleared up, go back inside as soon as possible so he doesn't come looking for you."
Gu Lin glanced at his phone; there were no messages.
It has been quite a while.
He walked to the outdoor sink, washed his hands, rinsed his mouth, washed his face, took out a box of mints from his pocket, casually poured out two, and put them in his mouth.
Tu Jing watched as he quickly crushed the super-cold mint candy, swallowed it expressionlessly, and went inside.
Tu Jing: "..."
Tu Jing shuddered at the thought of the taste of mints.
Gu Lin and Tu Jing entered the villa one after the other, and finally understood why Ji Tong had been so quiet for the past half hour.
"Did you get him drunk?" Tu Jing looked at Ji Tong, who was half-lying on the sofa, her temples throbbing.
"No." Chen Yongjie and Li Yuan supported Ji Tong on either side.
Chen Yongjie didn't know why Ji Tong, who had been so lucid just five minutes ago chatting with him about whether the tomato and egg stir-fry at Jiangcheng No. 3 Middle School's cafeteria was sweet or savory, suddenly slumped onto the sofa five minutes later.
Tu Jing picked up the glass tap-shaped cocktail shaker on the coffee table and shook it: "He drank this?"
Chen Yongjie nodded.
Tu Jing's head throbbed even more: "This is what Lao Qi and the others left over from the bartending relay challenge before you arrived."
A bunch of living devils.
They kept adding vodka like crazy.
One cup is better than six cups.
Tu Jing rubbed her burning temples and looked at Gu Lin: "Let's take Tongtong to rest first."
Tu Jing pointed upstairs: "The room originally arranged for you and Tongtong was on the third floor. Do you want to move to the first floor now?"
Gu Lin: "It's noisy downstairs, he can't sleep well."
Tu Jing thought so too, and was about to ask if Li Yuan and the others should help carry the person upstairs when Gu Lin walked to the sofa, lifted Ji Tong up by the waist.
He held her naturally, and the person in his arms nestled in her arms naturally as well.
Fortunately, the villa has its own elevator, so it's not too much of a hassle.
Tu Jing led the way.
Although Ji Tong was drunk, he kept talking intermittently, and Gu Lin responded to him. There was too much noise on the first floor, and Tu Jing couldn't hear what the two were saying.
Until the elevator doors closed.
Ji Tong buried her head in Gu Lin's shoulder and neck.
"Gu Lin."
"Um."
Tu Jing listened intently.
"Jiangcheng is too far away, and Germany is too far away. Don't go."
Gu Lin remained silent.
"good."
"Swear it."
"I swear."
"You swear you'll stay in Anjing."
"I swear."
"You swore you'd stay with me for life..."
Because she felt unwell, Ji Tong coughed and didn't finish her sentence.
Gu Lin: "I swear."
Ji Tong: "You swear that you'll be best brothers for life."
Gu Lin did not answer this time.
Tu Jing didn't say anything either.
"Ding," the elevator has arrived.
Their room was at the end of the corridor, and Tu Jing walked quietly ahead of them.
Ji Tong didn't hear a reply for a long time, and struggled to look up—
“I swear,” Gu Lin said.
Tu Jing stopped in front of the door, paused for a second before continuing to use the room card to open the door and insert it into the card slot to charge.
"Beep," and the whole room lit up.
Tu Jing turned to look at Gu Lin and Ji Tong in his arms, a half-smile on her face.
"You really dare to post that, Gu Lin."
"Has anyone ever told you that deceiving a Bodhisattva is punishable by being struck by lightning?"
Gu Lin carried the person into the room and carefully and slowly placed them on the bed on the left, without even raising his head.
"Then let him be struck by lightning."
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