Chapter 27: The Duet Before Opening Ceremony
Gu Qinian, who had suddenly been pinned against the wall: “…”
Gu Tang was anxious, and even his speech sped up. “Niannian, at your age, that fluttery feeling in your heart is just a teenage crush, just hormones reacting. It’s all fake!”
Because of momentum, the boy who had suddenly rushed over was practically pressed against him.
Gu Qinian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.
Although he had no idea why Gu Tang was suddenly telling him all this, when he looked into those bright, round eyes, he still nodded slowly.
“There, that’s better.”
Gu Tang felt a little more relieved. He let go of young master Gu and turned to walk back toward the bed.
The moment the boy stepped away, the weight against him suddenly vanished. Gu Qinian subconsciously touched his own chest.
There was a strange sense of emptiness and loss.
…A teenage crush?
Gu Qinian pondered it for a few seconds, then started walking after Gu Tang.
At that moment, Gu Tang suddenly turned around.
Gu Qinian had too much on his mind and was distracted. The two of them nearly crashed into each other.
“No!”
Gu Tang lifted his face and stared into young master Gu’s eyes with a frown. “I’m still not at ease!”
In his previous life, he had not had any romantic experience either. He only understood relationships vaguely. But even so, Gu Tang still felt that he knew much more than little Gu Qinian did.
While young master Gu was still confused and ignorant, he had to lay down a restriction first.
Gu Tang straightened his little chest and lifted his chin. “Listen carefully. I’m the older brother, and you’re the younger brother. There’s an order between elders and juniors. You’re not allowed to date early. Only when I start dating can you date. Did you hear me clearly?”
Gu Qinian frowned.
Gu Tang instantly felt something was wrong and asked in a small voice, “You can’t have… already started dating, right?”
“No.”
Gu Qinian looked into his eyes and answered seriously.
Satisfied, Gu Tang nodded. “Good. Then swear it. If I’m not dating, you’re not dating.”
Gu Qinian hesitated.
Gu Tang widened his eyes. “Hm?”
Gu Qinian could only nod helplessly.
After receiving a definite answer, Gu Tang finally felt much more at ease. He yawned, stretched, and walked toward the bed.
The boy’s frame had grown longer, and beneath his loose short sleep pants were two slender, pale legs. The ankles inside his little bear slippers were so thin they looked like they could be wrapped in one hand…
Gu Qinian stared for a while, then suddenly seemed to realize something and hurriedly looked away.
His ears turned red again for no reason.
Fortunately, only one bedside lamp was on in the bedroom, and the lighting was dim, so it could not be seen clearly.
Gu Tang knew none of this. He peacefully flopped onto the bed in a starfish shape and closed his eyes in comfort.
[Host! You’re just going to sleep like this? Can Gu Qinian’s promise really count?]
So strange.
It had been fine as long as the host did not ask questions about romance, but the moment he asked about the male lead, the system had seen several romance plot points involving the male lead light up in the sea of plot.
Just look at this sea…
So many tiny pink lights were faintly surfacing.
It looked like the whole sea was full of love-colored jellyfish…
The system was worried sick.
Could it be that the male lead would act one way in front of the host and another behind his back? He might agree to the host’s face, then secretly go date someone!
“No, he won’t.”
Without even opening his eyes, Gu Tang said lazily, “I know Niannian. He definitely wouldn’t lie to me. If he promised, then he definitely won’t start dating early.”
“We have to trust him.”
[Fine, then let’s put that matter aside for now…]
[Host, hurry and think about how to complete the main plot mission ‘Conceal the Male Lead’s Brilliance.’ There are less than forty-eight hours left on the countdown!]
Before the system could finish, it heard a steady, even sound of breathing.
Gu Tang: “Zzzz…”
[…]
As expected of its host!
The system was so anxious it did not dare go off duty. It could only curl itself into a ball inside Gu Tang’s consciousness.
After lying down, Gu Qinian could not sleep either.
The moment he thought about Gu Tang dating someone in the future, he felt irritable and restless.
Before his rebirth, Gu Qinian had not even reached eighteen. He had no dating experience and had never been curious about this sort of thing, so he did not really know what people did when they were in a relationship.
But that only made it worse!
Thinking about Gu Tang being touched by someone else.
Thinking about Gu Tang treating someone else even better than he treated him.
…
Gu Qinian’s eyes slowly darkened.
[!!!]
The system suddenly shuddered.
What was going on?
Why had the pink sea of plot suddenly darkened?!
[This is bad! The male lead has blackening tendencies!]
But once Gu Tang fell asleep, not even thunder could wake him, let alone the system’s faint little cries.
In his sleep, Gu Tang smacked his lips and unconsciously turned over.
As usual, his arms and legs climbed onto young master Gu’s body.
His fluffy head burrowed into young master Gu’s neck and rubbed around, finding the most comfortable position before going still.
To the system’s shock, after Gu Tang treated the male lead like a body pillow, the sea of plot slowly shed its blackness and calmed down again.
This kind of situation was not even in the training materials its senior had given it!
The system was worried out of its mind and decided to step away for a moment.
It needed to go ask a senior for advice!
After hugging young master Gu, Gu Tang slept even better. He had a sweet dream, with the corners of his lips curving upward, and he mumbled something indistinct in his sleep.
Gu Qinian could feel the boy’s breath puffing lightly against his neck again and again.
He pricked up his ears, wanting to know what little sleep-talk Gu Tang was murmuring.
But it was all sticky and slurred and impossible to understand.
After a long while, one line finally became a little clearer.
Gu Tang mumbled, “Hehe… little bear Niannian… so short…”
Gu Qinian: “…?”
What was short?
Once the weekend ended, it was time for the official military training report day and the opening ceremony.
That morning, all the teachers and students of Jiang City No. 1 High School stood in formation on the sports field, waiting for inspection.
The student council formation was in charge of the flag-raising ceremony.
Standing among the arts class formation, Gu Tang looked toward the distant student council formation with some concern.
They had gotten up early today. Young master Gu seemed not to have slept well again last night. The faint shadows under his eyes had deepened a little, and he had even brought back some of the morning grumpiness he had long outgrown. Even in the car, he had been gloomy the entire ride.
It was like he was surrounded by a low-pressure cloud of negativity.
Could he really march properly with enough spirit like that?
Gu Tang himself, on the other hand, had slept very well.
Last night, he had dreamed of Gu Qinian as a child!
It was their first meeting. Young master Gu had been wearing a fluffy little bear onesie, showing only a soft white bun-like face, and the fluffy little tail behind him had been short and stubby.
Hehe, so cute!
Thinking of the young master Gu from his dream, Gu Tang’s lips curved upward from being charmed.
“Wow, Gu Qinian is the flag representative!”
Zhu Xu, standing behind him, suddenly exclaimed in amazement.
Gu Tang lifted his eyes to look. Young master Gu stood tall and straight, the flag in his right hand, the fingers of his left hand together at his side, standing at the very front of the student council formation.
“Our school has never had someone from the middle school division serve as the flag representative, right?”
“Isn’t that obvious? The flag ceremony is handled by the student council, and the student council never used to recruit from the middle school division. What do you think?”
“He’s so tall! Standing in a formation full of high school students, and as a first-year middle schooler, he doesn’t lose out at all in height!”
Other students nearby were whispering, and the topic was entirely young master Gu.
Gu Tang perked up his little ears and listened happily.
His Niannian was really outstanding!
“They’re moving, they’re moving! They’re about to start!”
Zhu Xu was excited like a live commentator.
Ever since learning that Gu Qinian and Gu Tang were family, he had started treating Gu Qinian like one of his own brothers. And when your brother looked that imposing, who would not feel proud?
And once young master Gu began moving—everyone understood even more clearly why the student council had chosen a middle school student to lead the way this time.
That marching step—was way too handsome.
His long legs were perfectly straight, and each step struck the ground with force.
Under the gaze of the entire school, Gu Qinian marched all the way up to the flag platform, swiftly and neatly attaching the national flag, the city flag, and the school flag to the poles. Accompanied by the national anthem, the three flags slowly rose and fluttered in the wind.
Gu Qinian lifted his head, and beneath the brim of his cap, his delicate, refined jawline was revealed.
He looked like a graceful young man drawn in a manga.
Then he snapped to attention and saluted.
Like the freshest green bamboo in the forest, carrying morning dew, facing the rising sun, growing with vibrant life.
This was what a young man ought to look like.
The whole school stood at attention as well and saluted the red flag flying above.
Gu Tang looked at that tall, straight figure on the flag platform.
For some reason, he felt a strange sense of accomplishment, like my child has finally grown up.
His little green bamboo Gu was the very best!
At that moment, the three flags reached the top.
After fastening the ropes, Gu Qinian turned his head and looked toward the rows of teachers and students.
That gaze only stopped after it found one person.
Gu Tang’s eyes met his.
Even from so far away, he could still see those eyes clearly.
The morning sunlight poured into the boy’s dark pupils, making them look like black obsidian studded with tiny flecks of gold, so beautiful they hardly looked real…
A young master Gu like this—no one could conceal his brilliance.
It was a tradition at Jiang City No. 1 High School.
Flag-raising in the morning, opening ceremony in the afternoon.
The opening ceremony would be held in the indoor auditorium. All teachers and students were seated by class, while the students performing went backstage to prepare.
Gu Tang, dressed in a black tailcoat, was standing in front of a mirror tying his bow tie.
The tailcoat accentuated the boy’s waist and made him look especially elegant. Even though backstage was busy, everyone passing by could not help sneaking an extra glance his way.
Who did not like a delicate, beautiful little prince?
Especially when this little prince also had a lovable baby face, and if he caught your eye in the mirror, he would even smile politely at you.
Cute to death.
After smiling at the people who had come to admire him for the one hundred and eighth time, Gu Tang lowered his head and continued struggling with his bow tie.
He was really bad at this sort of thing.
In his previous life, he had only worn hospital gowns, so there had been no need for it. In this life, all the little accessories on his clothes had always been arranged by Grandma Mei and Butler Uncle. As a result, something like a bow tie—which was complicated to wear and not often used—was something he simply could not figure out.
Ugh, just how was this knot supposed to be tied?
Originally, when he said he was not good at it, Xie Qian had puffed up and said to leave it to him. For the piano prince, who had attended countless competitions, tying a bow tie was child’s play.
But after lunch, Xie Qian had vanished somewhere and could not even be reached by phone.
Their four-hand piano performance was the final act, and it would be up soon. Gu Tang could only figure out the bow tie himself.
“So unreliable…”
He muttered softly.
The moment the words left his mouth, a pair of slender hands reached in from behind and moved to his neck.
“Xie Qian, you—”
Gu Tang turned around, only to crash into those beautiful obsidian-like eyes. He froze for a moment, then curved his lips into a smile.
“Niannian!”
“Mm.”
Young master Gu answered and took the bow tie from Gu Tang’s hands.
He unfolded the tangled mess Gu Tang had made, draped it back around the boy’s neck, and with a few deft movements of his long fingers, a neat bow shape quickly began to appear.
Gu Tang tugged lightly at one of the straps. “…Looser.”
He had never liked wearing things around his neck.
It felt uncomfortable.
Standing behind him, young master Gu said nothing, but after hearing that request, he slipped his fingers into the collar and gently widened the bow tie outward.
Young master Gu naturally ran cool, and his fingers were colder than most people’s. Gu Tang’s neck, meanwhile, was very sensitive.
He instinctively shrank his neck a little. “So cold…”
“Mm.”
Young master Gu still only responded with that single syllable, but he did not pull his fingers away immediately. His fingertips even lingered for a moment on Gu Tang’s collarbone.
Gu Tang: “?”
Only when he saw the puzzled look in the boy’s eyes did Gu Qinian seem to suddenly snap back to himself.
He withdrew his hand.
The warmth of Gu Tang’s body still lingered on his fingertips.
Gu Qinian tucked his hands behind his back, rubbing his thumb and forefinger together unconsciously.
That little movement had made Gu Tang feel a bit ticklish, so he scratched at the spot casually and did not think much of it. Lifting his face, he asked, “Is your brother handsome?”
Gu Qinian: “…”
The fingers rubbing behind his back stopped.
When he did not answer, Gu Tang’s shoulders slumped. “Tsk, you didn’t fall for it.”
If Gu Qinian had just complimented him for being handsome, then would that not have been an indirect way of calling him older brother?
What a pity…
The boy was cute, but mischievous.
Gu Qinian had very little way of dealing with him. He sighed and reached out to smooth down Gu Tang’s collar. “You look very good.”
“Really? Really?”
Gu Tang beamed happily.
When other people said he looked good, it never had as much value as when young master Gu said it.
Because young master Gu was handsome!
If a handsome person said you looked good, then it meant you really looked good!
Gu Tang turned back toward the mirror to admire himself again. At the same time, he saw young master Gu reflected behind him, a full head taller.
“How strange… how exactly did you shoot up so much?”
The moment Gu Tang started like this, Gu Qinian knew he was about to begin the old topic again of “what to eat and do in order to grow taller.”
Young master Gu, who did not like talking, quickly cut him off and changed the subject. “You’re about to go on stage.”
“Yes!”
Gu Tang’s round eyes sparkled. “Tell me good luck!”
Gu Qinian said, “The school anthem isn’t difficult for you.”
Gu Tang puffed out his cheeks.
Before he could pout enough to hang an oil bottle, young master Gu said, “Good luck.”
“Thank you!”
Gu Tang’s eyes curved with happiness, and he grinned, showing eight little white teeth.
Gu Qinian glanced around. “That guy still isn’t here?”
He meant Xie Qian.
Since it was a four-hand performance, neither of them could be missing.
Gu Tang was getting worried too. He checked the time. “There are only a little over ten minutes left before we go on. Even if Xie Qian comes now, getting changed will still be rushed. I have no idea what he’s doing…”
“This is bad, this is bad!”
Just as the two of them were talking, a familiar person came running into the backstage area.
Zhu Xu was panting so hard he could barely catch his breath. “Xie Qian… Xie Qian can’t make it!”
When they went out for lunch at noon, Xie Qian had been in a little accident. He was not seriously hurt, but his hand had been injured, and he had already been sent to the hospital. The exact situation was still unclear.
“Song Chen went with him to the hospital. I came to tell you!”
Zhu Xu finally managed to steady his breathing.
Gu Tang turned to Gu Qinian. “What do we do?”
“Report it to the dean first.”
“If there’s no other way, change it to a solo performance.”
After hearing the news, the dean first made sure that Xie Qian was indeed all right. Only then did he begin worrying about the performance.
Of course the arts class had more than just Gu Tang and Xie Qian who could play piano. But first, the others might not necessarily be skilled enough, and second, they had not practiced with Gu Tang, so their coordination would be poor. Who knew what kind of mess the school anthem would turn into?
Grinding his teeth, the dean gave the same solution Gu Qinian had. “Change it to a solo.”
But the problem was that the introduction had already been announced.
It had clearly been presented as a four-hand duet.
If one person suddenly disappeared from the finale, the whole audience would certainly be confused.
After hesitating for a moment, Gu Tang asked, “Teacher, could Gu Qinian perform with me?”
Gu Qinian looked at him in surprise.
The dean froze as well. “Student Gu Qinian can play piano too?”
Gu Tang nodded. “He can.”
Even Gu Qinian’s narrow eyes widened. “?”
But the dean did not doubt Gu Tang for a second. This child was sincere and adorable. If he said Gu Qinian could play, then he definitely could.
Without suspicion, the dean patted young master Gu on the shoulder. “Excellent, young man. Handsome, good grades, and you can play piano too.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
The arts teacher standing nearby was going mad.
He can play my foot!
Dean, did you not see what happened when he came to audition for the arts class back then?
Did you forget why he got rejected?
With that face, if he could play even a bit of piano, would the arts class have let him go to the experimental class?!
The arts teacher felt utterly miserable, but in front of the dean, he did not dare say a word. He could only frantically signal Gu Tang with his eyes, begging him not to talk nonsense.
Seeing his own teacher’s twitching mouth and blinking eyes, Gu Tang soothed him, “Teacher, don’t worry. Gu Qinian really can play.”
Even Gu Qinian himself could not listen anymore. He grabbed Gu Tang’s arm. “I can’t.”
The arts teacher finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, at least one of them still had a clear head…
Gu Tang turned to look straight into young master Gu’s eyes, his gaze firm. “You can.”
Gu Qinian pressed his lips together. “…Fine. I can.”
Arts teacher: “???”
No, student, where are your principles?!!
“Teacher, there are only ten minutes left. Time is tight. Please let me talk to Gu Qinian alone for a moment.”
With that, Gu Tang pulled young master Gu away.
The arts teacher looked miserable, but the dean stood with both hands behind his back, utterly at ease. “Ah, youth is wonderful. Looking at these two children reminds me of when I was just as youthful, just as passionate, just as bright and cheerful!”
As he spoke, he even stroked his own old face and deliberately added, “And just as handsome!”
Arts teacher: “…”
He was a teacher. He did not want to swear.
But could every single one of these people please have a little self-awareness?!
From a distance, he watched the two children run over to the piano. The moment Gu Tang said something, Gu Qinian from the experimental class leaned down and tilted his ear toward him, their heads close together as they whispered.
That kind of tacit understanding…
Maybe it really would be fine?
“Students and teachers, next we have a four-hand piano performance of our school anthem, To Us, by Gu Tang from Class 1 Arts and Gu Qinian from the Experimental Class!”
The host stepped off the stage, and the dark red curtain slowly drew open.
A beam of light snapped down from above.
It gathered the two boys standing on stage into the center.
Beside the white grand piano stood two spirited young men shoulder to shoulder.
The prepared tailcoats had fit perfectly on the original performers, but Gu Qinian could not fit into Xie Qian’s clothes, so Gu Tang had simply taken off his own as well. The two of them went on stage wearing only simple trousers and dress shirts.
Gu Qinian wore a black shirt with black trousers, while Gu Tang wore a white shirt with white trousers.
It was not as flashy as the tailcoats, but it suited the school atmosphere much better.
The two boys were both striking. Even in simple shirts and trousers, they stood out vividly. One was exquisitely beautiful, almost unreal, while the other was lively and adorable enough to soften anyone’s heart. Each had his own distinct charm.
For a moment, the audience did not even know which one to look at.
The two boys sat down together on the piano bench, the one in white on the right, the one in black on the left.
Gu Tang and Gu Qinian placed their hands on the keys at the same time, moving with such perfect coordination that it was like looking into a mirror.
The auditorium fell silent.
In the very front row, the arts teacher had a layer of sweat on his forehead.
Beside him came the dean’s concerned voice. “Why are you so nervous?”
The teacher stubbornly replied, “I’m not nervous.”
The dean asked, “Then why are you gripping my hand?”
“…”
“I’m sorry, Dean!”
Jiang City No. 1 High School had invited the famous Xinglin Media to handle the filming of the opening ceremony.
As the boss, Gu Lin had long known that the final program was Gu Tang performing a four-hand piano duet with a classmate. He had calculated the time in advance, settled into his boss’s chair early, opened the live feed sent over by the camera crew, and casually forwarded it to the family group chat.
So the whole family could watch the good little darling’s performance.
Like all family group chats, even a wealthy family’s chat was no exception and had a very tacky name.
Gu Lin opened the chat called Loving Gu Family.
