Chapter 20: Seat Swap and Secret Bonds
“Change seats?”
Gu Tang blinked in confusion. “Change to where?”
Gu Qinian raised a hand and pointed out the window. “How’s the view here?”
“Pretty good!”
The fourth row was by the window. Outside was the school’s greenbelt and a beautiful fountain. At a glance, the scenery was much better than their first row seats by the corridor.
The moment he said that, young master Gu looked at him with an expression that clearly said, Now you get it.
Gu Tang hesitated. “…Move here?”
Gu Qinian nodded seriously. “The view is nice.”
Gu Tang: “…”
So this was what they meant by a young master?
So after staring out the window all morning, he had actually been studying whether the scenery was nice or not?!
Setting aside that extremely unreliable reason, Gu Tang really did want to be deskmates with young master Gu.
But the teacher had already arranged the seating. Even if he applied for a change, it might not work. Gu Qinian’s current deskmate might not agree, and the teacher might not approve it either.
Feeling uneasy, Gu Tang walked into the office.
There was already a little boy standing in front of their homeroom teacher. It was none other than Gu Qinian’s current deskmate.
The child was very cute and chubby, but for some reason he was crying so hard he kept hiccupping, and even his little belly trembled along with him.
As soon as Gu Tang walked closer, he heard the little boy crying to the teacher.
“Wuwuwu, I want to change seats…”
Gu Tang: “?”
The teacher was also full of question marks. “Why?”
They had only been sitting there for one morning. Why did he already want to move?
The little boy looked aggrieved. “Gu Ji-nian won’t talk to me!”
“It’s Gu Qinian,” Gu Tang could not help correcting him, and as a result, the little boy cried even harder.
Only when the boy opened his mouth did Gu Tang realize why his speech was unclear. The child had not finished the tooth-changing stage yet, just like Gu Tang a while ago—his front teeth leaked air.
In a new environment, of course children wanted to make friends as quickly as possible. For first-grade elementary students, the people who usually became friends first were their deskmates.
Being treated coldly by his deskmate gave the little boy a helpless sense of being isolated, so he anxiously ran to the teacher to ask for a seat change.
He did not want to sit next to the cold and icy Gu Ji-nian!
The teacher was also in a difficult position.
But the seats had already been assigned, and there was no suitable person to switch with.
“Teacher, I’m willing to sit with Gu Qinian.”
Gu Tang suspected that young master Gu had ignored the boy on purpose, all to get his seat changed. Seeing that the teacher was still hesitating, he took the opportunity and said, “Gu Qinian is my younger brother.”
The homeroom teacher was overjoyed. “So you two are brothers! That’s wonderful. Then you can move over there next class.”
Just like when they were in kindergarten, the Gu family had concealed the two children’s identities so they would not receive special treatment and would be able to adapt to school life properly. So it was only normal that the homeroom teacher did not know.
Now that he had achieved his goal, Gu Tang did not explain further. He simply nodded obediently. “Okay.”
When it came time to switch seats, both Gu Tang and the original owner of the seat were very happy. The little chubby boy hugged his schoolbag and ran joyfully toward Little Glasses, while young master Gu—the true mastermind behind this—acted as if none of it had anything to do with him.
The only one protesting loudly was Little Glasses.
Little Glasses had a very upright and proper name: Duan Zhengyu.
Duan Zhengyu raised his voice in accusation. “Why should the seats be changed?”
“Gu Tang and I were sitting together perfectly fine! They don’t get along, so why should we be separated?!”
Duan Zhengyu was so angry that his little glasses were crooked. Gu Qinian shot him a cold glance, and Duan Zhengyu shrank his neck in fear. Then he tugged at Gu Tang and asked in a small voice, “Why did you agree? Did he force you?”
Gu Tang patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. Even if I move over there, we’re still good friends.”
Duan Zhengyu sniffled, looking pitiful, like someone whose beloved had been taken away. “…Then during break time, you have to come study with me.”
Gu Tang had just been about to agree when his shoulder suddenly sank.
Young master Gu’s slightly low child’s voice sounded beside his ear. “Why study during break time?”
Gu Tang was practically dragged over to the fourth row. He did not even carry his own schoolbag.
Gu Qinian set his bag down on the desk. “You’re so slow.”
Gu Tang: “…”
He should think about who caused all this trouble in the first place.
Of course he had to say goodbye to Duan Zhengyu!
Looking back at Little Glasses’ lonely little profile, then seeing young master Gu’s former deskmate happily sitting beside Little Glasses and starting to talk to him, Gu Tang finally felt a little more at ease.
Hopefully the two of them would get along well.
In the end, the homeroom teacher still was not quite reassured.
So she specifically came over to check again. And naturally, she saw Little Glasses still looking reluctant to part with Gu Tang. The teacher was very skilled at education, so she used this as a lesson for young master Gu. “See? Your brother gets along so well with his deskmate. From now on, you also need to work hard and interact more with your classmates.”
Gu Qinian’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but then he smiled and said, “Okay.”
“That’s right.”
The homeroom teacher was very satisfied and walked away with her hands behind her back.
Right about what?
Young master Gu was clearly fake-smiling!
Gu Tang understood him very well. He pouted, thinking that Gu Qinian was probably sulking about something again.
As soon as the teacher left, Gu Qinian turned back to him with a stiff, dark expression. “You told the teacher you’re my older brother?”
Gu Tang answered, “No!”
Gu Qinian raised a brow, clearly not believing him.
Gu Tang grinned. “I said you’re my younger brother.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
After that, young master Gu did not speak to him again. He treated him even more coldly than he had treated his former deskmate.
But that was not a big problem.
Gu Tang was not bothered by this act of his at all and sat down openly and confidently.
Just when his bottom was about to touch the stool, he suddenly remembered something, slammed on the brakes, and called for the system.
[Hey! I’m here! Host, did you call me?]
The system’s voice was bright and cheerful. At first listen, it was obvious it had been living a pampered life.
Keeping himself half-squatting in midair, Gu Tang hurriedly asked, “If I become deskmates with Gu Qinian and make him angry, doesn’t that count as a plot point?”
What plot point?
The true and fake young master becoming deskmates… the story had already become such a mess. Was there really still a plot point to be found?
[But I’m a professional! Don’t panic, host. Let me search the database!]
Let’s see whether there was any plot it could forcefully connect this to!
[Found it! There’s a mission called ‘Occupy the Male Lead’s Territory.’ Reward: 20 life points and 3 plot coins. Does that work?]
Gu Tang said, “Yes, yes, yes!”
He was exhausted.
Now he could finally sit down in peace.
The moment his butt touched the stool, the system notification sounded.
[Congratulations, host, mission complete! Rewards have been delivered immediately! Pew pew pew—sending love hearts your way, love you~]
Excellent hosts would all take the initiative to complete missions!
Never before had there been a host who made the system feel this worry-free!
The system was deeply moved and resolved to follow Gu Tang wholeheartedly, clinging to him sweetly for the rest of its life!!!
Gu Tang: Thanks for the offer, no thanks.
He just wanted to save up more life points, grow up healthy, and live to a ripe old age. In any case, he absolutely could not end up like in his previous life, lying in a hospital bed, bored to death.
Let him see what fun things elementary school had to offer!
Gu Tang flipped through the newly issued student handbook and discovered that he could also sign up for interest classes.
Every Wednesday and Friday, school ended early in the afternoon, and the remaining time was for children to freely choose hobbies and interests. But there were also required classes, such as swimming.
Swimming was a survival skill. At critical moments, it could save lives.
The Gu Group Affiliated Experimental Elementary School had abundant funding and excellent facilities. It had specially built an indoor heated swimming pool for the children, so swimming lessons were completely unaffected by the seasons.
Gu Qinian did not like swimming.
To be more precise, he did not like water.
That cold liquid, deep enough to cover the neck, suffocating and oppressive… it made him remember the unpleasant experiences from before his rebirth.
Being thrown into a reservoir in the dead of winter, then crawling out half-dead, with a layer of ice practically hanging from his body.
Gu Qinian’s eyes darkened. Standing in the shadowy corner of the changing room, his fingers clenched the edge of his clothes so tightly that the joints turned white.
At that moment, a milky-white little body wobbled over in front of him, both hands still holding up a pair of little swim trunks.
“Niannian, these pants seem too big…”
Gu Tang lowered his head and held onto his waistband as he asked for help. The baby fat had not yet faded from his cheeks, and they drooped slightly, making them look especially pinchable.
Interrupted just like that, Gu Qinian forgot what he had been thinking about. His fingers loosened, and he absentmindedly rubbed them together.
Gu Tang sounded pitiful. “I can’t even let go, or the pants will fall down.”
The swim trunks had been bought by Madam Su Mei. They were covered in little round-faced bears and were very cute, but apparently she had bought a size too big.
Gu Qinian took out his own swim trunks to show him.
The two pairs were exactly the same, even the size.
There was no way to swap.
“What do we do?”
Unlike young master Gu, Gu Tang actually wanted to play in the water.
In his previous life, he had never had the chance to learn how to swim. He had always been especially envious of those people who frolicked around in the pool like fish, and he often fantasized about going to a water park someday. Now he could not get into the water just because of oversized swim trunks. It was too tragic.
Gu Qinian thought for a moment, then suggested, “Tighten them.”
He took a small pair of scissors, snipped open the waistband, pulled out the elastic string inside, and tied a knot, which tightened the waist.
While he was working, young master Gu’s cool fingers brushed against Gu Tang’s little belly.
Gu Qinian thought it felt soft. Gu Tang thought it felt ticklish.
He could not help laughing. “Hahaha, it tickles so much—”
“Don’t move.”
Gu Qinian pulled him back and held him still. “Behave. There are scissors. Wriggling around is dangerous!”
Gu Tang did not dare move anymore and endured the ticklish feeling while letting the other boy fix it.
Young master Gu’s fingers were nimble, but they still touched him from time to time. Gu Tang bit his lip, and his eyes even became watery.
After young master Gu’s round of handiwork, the overly loose swim trunks became perfectly fitted.
Gu Tang twisted his little body in front of the mirror and looked himself over. “They fit! Niannian is amazing!”
He had only learned some handcraft skills before, back when he had been forced to work at the orphanage.
Who would have thought they would actually come in handy now…
Gu Qinian had no intention of telling the little milk dumpling about that. He tossed him a small T-shirt instead. “Put it on. Don’t catch cold.”
“Okay!”
Gu Tang was always very obedient. If someone told him to wear something, then he wore it. He pulled on the little T-shirt, hiked his swim trunks up as high as possible, and walked out in his little slippers with pattering steps.
When it was time to line up, they ran into the Jiang siblings.
They were not in the same class, but by coincidence the two classes had swimming together.
Jiang Yiyi grabbed her brother and waved enthusiastically at them from far away. “Tangtang! Look, is my swimsuit pretty?”
Other little girls had swimsuits decorated with tiny strawberries or candies, but Jiang Yiyi’s was covered with cartoon drumsticks. It stood out especially much in the swimming hall, but she felt there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and boldly showed it off to Gu Tang.
A drumstick swimsuit was beautiful because of confidence!
Gu Tang cupped his little hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted back, “It’s pretty! Very much the style of a fashion icon!”
Jiang Yiyi became even prouder and puffed out her little belly, as if she had really eaten her fill of drumsticks.
Duan Zhengyu also came over and pushed up the little glasses on his face. After seeing Gu Tang and Gu Qinian’s clothes clearly, he said enviously, “Your swim trunks are exactly the same…”
Gu Tang lifted his little chin. “We bought them together!”
Duan Zhengyu’s envy immediately turned into jealousy. “Why didn’t Tangtang buy with me?”
Gu Tang shrugged. “Because our grandma bought them.”
Duan Zhengyu: “?”
Seeing that he did not understand, Gu Tang had no choice but to explain softly, “He’s my younger brother.”
Was he really?
Through his glasses, Duan Zhengyu looked Gu Qinian up and down. Although the other boy’s glare at him was very sharp, his eyesight was bad, so he could not see it clearly!
Little Glasses carefully looked at Gu Qinian, then at Gu Tang.
After quite a while, he shook his head. “You’re lying.”
How could brothers look that different?
Not only did they look different, their temperaments were completely different too.
Gu Tang had round eyes and a round face. He looked likable and adorable. Gu Qinian had long, narrow eyes. He was pretty, but also cold and distant, and even looked a little fierce…
This was the first time Gu Tang had ever run into someone who did not believe him. He angrily planted his hands on his hips. “We really are brothers!”
“No, you’re not.”
Little Glasses was extremely certain.
His eyesight was bad, but his instinct was excellent!
Behind his lenses, Duan Zhengyu narrowed his eyes. “I can conclude that the two of you definitely have some kind of secret relationship!”
***
Author’s Note:
Gu Qinian: Seeing Little Glasses in a whole new light.
