Chapter 37: Third Place and One “Brother”
The autumn wind brushed past, and a few ginkgo leaves drifted down.
Gu Qinian raised a hand to brush away the fan-shaped leaves. In that brief moment of distraction, Gu Tang’s light, lively little figure had already run far ahead.
Out of his line of sight.
Gu Qinian narrowed his long eyes and fell into thought.
Although Gu Tang had obediently stayed with the Gu family these past two years, Gu Qinian had not forgotten for even a minute that Gu Tang had once said he wanted to leave.
Rationally, he knew very clearly that growing up was always accompanied by separation.
Even family members could not stay stuck together forever.
Just like Gu Lin—once he became independent, he hardly came home anymore. Sooner or later, he and Gu Tang would also go their separate ways. To be exact, he could not even be certain which university Gu Tang would apply to after graduating from high school…
The moment he thought about this, an unpleasant feeling of helplessness rose inside him, leaving him irritable and restless.
The sports field was bright with sunshine and full of noise, but Gu Qinian stood alone in the shade cast by the ginkgo tree.
In his arms, he held the jacket that had just been taken off Gu Tang.
It still carried that fresh, warm scent, like sunlight falling on grass after rain.
Gu Qinian lowered his head, buried his face in it, and took a deep breath as though possessed.
Only then did the irritation in his chest ease a little.
When he looked up again, he suddenly caught a flash of light from the corner of his eye.
Gu Qinian turned toward the source of the flash, frowning.
“Ah—!”
The person secretly taking pictures suddenly made eye contact with Gu Qinian through the lens. Stung by that sharp gaze, he nearly dropped the camera from fright.
He hurriedly clutched it to his chest and patted his heart shakily.
“That scared me to death. There’s no way he could really see me from that far away, right…?”
“The student council president’s glare is terrifying…”
The cameraman no longer dared continue. He carefully put away the camera, pulled up his hood, and vanished into the crowd.
[Congratulations, Host. You completed the plot task “Cause the Male Lead to Feel Anxious and Uneasy,” reward: 30 life points and 5 plot coins!]
The moment he stepped onto the rubber track, the system reported the completed mission to him.
Gu Tang was stunned.
It was only a 3000-meter run.
Why was Niannian feeling anxious and uneasy over that?
The thought made a tiny secret bit of happiness bubble up inside him.
“I knew Niannian cared about me.” Gu Tang felt smugly pleased.
Little Gu Qinian looked cold and aloof, but in fact he had a conscience. He had not spent all this effort raising the male lead for nothing. At the crucial moment, the boy still always had him in mind.
[It’s fine, I guess. It only added 30 life points.]
The system did not like saying nice things about young master Gu. Its electronic voice carried a faintly sour tone.
Anyone competing with it for the host could not possibly be a good person.
It always felt that the male lead was dark and sly, always pretending to be well-behaved in front of the host. Absolutely annoying.
Gu Tang suddenly remembered something important. “If I use life points while running, does that count as cheating?”
[Of course not. Physical stamina naturally differs from person to person. Some people are born with great strength, while others are born with weaknesses. Does that mean all strong people are cheating?]
Hearing that, Gu Tang relaxed. “That makes sense.”
After all, those life points had been accumulated little by little by him.
There was no harm in using some.
[Wait, Host! Are you planning to burn life points to sprint?!]
“No.”
Gu Tang answered decisively.
The system had just breathed a sigh of relief when he continued, “I’m using them the whole way.”
[???]
Gu Tang narrowed his eyes and rubbed his hands together. “If I place in the top three, Niannian has to call me brother.”
Life points could always be earned again.
But a chance like hearing young master Gu call him brother—if he missed it, it was gone forever!
[…]
The system was speechless.
Why was its host so deeply obsessed with being the male lead’s older brother?!
Ten minutes later, the 3000-meter race was about to begin.
This was the grand finale of the morning session, and the school placed great importance on it. The field suddenly quieted down, and all the cameras recording the sports meet turned toward the track.
The contestants took their places in their assigned lanes and crouched into starting position.
In the stands—
Zhu Xu looked at the runners on the track and whispered to Xie Qian in terror, “We’re doomed… I saw several members of the track team here. There’s no way Tang Tang can beat them.”
“…”
Xie Qian was so nervous he was chewing on his hand, until Zhu Xu smacked it away.
Zhu Xu said, “Your hands are insured! Chew them a couple times and that’s millions of dollars!”
“Then why are you hitting me?!”
Xie Qian had no choice but to clench his hand into a fist. “I’m just scared!”
Out of the nearly twenty participants on the field, Gu Tang stood out at a glance—
the softest-looking, palest, most easily bullied-looking one in the crowd.
No matter how you looked at him, he did not seem like someone who could run 3000 meters.
“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”
Zhu Xu stared at Gu Tang, and it was impossible to tell whether he was comforting Xie Qian or comforting himself. “Tang Tang said it himself, right? Gu Qinian’s been training him lately. It’ll be fine. It should be fine…”
At the mention of Gu Qinian, Xie Qian looked around and gave a huff. “How heartless. The race is about to start, and he still hasn’t come to look.”
“How do you know he didn’t come?”
Song Chen walked over and sat down in the empty seat beside Xie Qian.
Several nearby students immediately turned around and greeted him, “Hello, Vice President Song.”
Song Chen nodded in response.
Over the years, the old student council members had gradually graduated, and Gu Qinian had quietly replaced the entire student council.
After the former vice president Cheng Shu had his authority stripped, he was so angry that he failed the college entrance exam and ended up going to university in some small city. The vice president position had remained vacant ever since. Then once their class reached the first year of high school, Gu Qinian directly pulled Song Chen in to take the role.
At the time, Song Chen had been surprised. He had always assumed Gu Qinian would save that position for Gu Tang.
So he had curiously asked why.
And Gu Qinian had given him only one sentence—
“It’s too tiring. It doesn’t suit him.”
Well then.
So in other words, Gu Qinian had dragged him in as free labor.
Still, the position of student council vice president was very good training, and it would be an excellent line on his résumé for future university life and career opportunities.
So Song Chen agreed readily.
It was only after actually becoming vice president that he realized just how unprecedentedly stable Gu Qinian’s “rule” over the student council had become.
The only reason a vice president was needed at all was because Gu Qinian did not want to keep spending so much time in student council work now that he was in high school.
To put it plainly, he wanted to go spend time with Gu Tang instead and had no time for anyone else.
Song Chen: “…”
So how could a “foolish ruler” whose entire world revolved around Tang Tang possibly fail to come watch Gu Tang run the 3000 meters?
The only issue was that the student council president did not need to report his whereabouts to him, so Song Chen did not know exactly where he was.
But he was definitely somewhere that gave him the closest possible view of Gu Tang.
On the field, Gu Tang was looking around everywhere.
His eyesight was good, but even so, trying to find one specific person among the packed stands was not easy.
He squinted and searched for quite a while. He even found Xie Qian, Zhu Xu, and Song Chen, yet he still did not see young master Gu. Looking around again, there was still no sign of him anywhere…
[Host, stop looking. Men’s mouths are full of lies. He definitely isn’t here!]
[I’m the one who’s always with you!]
The system seized every possible opportunity to gain favor.
Gu Tang pierced its delusion in one sentence. “Don’t you still get off work?”
[…]
The system choked.
It really wasn’t always with the host when it got off work…
Wuwuwu, it had a private life too, okay!
After searching everywhere and still failing to find young master Gu, Gu Tang could not help feeling a little disappointed. He muttered softly, “He came all this way, and he couldn’t even stay to watch me finish…”
Back when he had leaned against the windowsill in his hospital room, watching the students running outside on the school track—he had often seen two people running side by side, shoulder to shoulder, together beneath the sun.
It looked so youthful, so energetic.
At the time, he had been close to dying. Seeing something so full of life had made him extremely envious. More than just wanting to run himself, he had also envied those students for having companions who ran with them.
He had lived in the hospital for years and never had the chance to go to school. He did not have a single friend.
So when Gu Qinian had said he would stay with him, Gu Tang really had been delighted, full of expectation.
Now that he could not see him, there was no way he would not feel a little disappointed.
“Forget it. It’s okay. I can still run on my own!”
Gu Tang steadied himself and turned all his attention back to the track.
Compared to the athletes around him, he did not really have any advantages. But over the past two years, he had grown taller too, so at least in terms of leg length, he was not at a disadvantage.
At that moment, the gates to the sports field opened.
The referees entered.
Among the referees, one stood out especially strongly.
The young referee in black athletic wear strode in on long legs, a starting pistol in his hand. He wore a pair of sunglasses that covered almost half his face, leaving visible only his cold, pale pointed chin, his high elegant nose bridge, and his crimson lips pressed into a line.
Gu Tang’s eyes lit up instantly.
He happily waved at him.
Naturally, the runners around him noticed the little motion.
Good thing this was only a school sports meet. Otherwise, people might have suspected that this cute-looking contestant was deliberately trying to charm the referee.
And, damn it—he had succeeded.
That merciless black-clad referee who looked like a cold-blooded killer had, upon seeing the waving boy, actually let the line of his lips curve upward.
After greeting Gu Qinian, Gu Tang’s heart felt sweet.
He knew it.
Young master Gu would not lie to him!
He just had not expected the other boy to accompany him in the role of referee.
That way, he could watch him run the entire race, and he could even wait for him at the finish line.
Gu Tang took a deep breath, set himself in position, and fixed his eyes firmly on the track.
“Ready—”
That familiar deep voice rang out.
The black-clad referee raised his arm, starting pistol in hand, and pulled the trigger.
Bang————
At the gunshot, the runners shot forward like arrows leaving a bow.
Gu Tang had warmed up well earlier, and right now every part of his body was in excellent condition.
He remembered what Gu Qinian had told him: do not rush too hard at the beginning.
“Forget about the people around you. Just watch the track.”
“Like during training, keep your attention on your own rhythm and movement. Don’t lose control of your pace, no matter what.”
Gu Tang repeated young master Gu’s words over and over in his head as he ran at an even pace among the others, keeping himself in the middle-to-rear portion of the pack.
One lap of the track was four hundred meters. Three thousand meters meant almost eight laps.
For the first two laps, Gu Tang ran using only his own physical strength. He did not use life points at all. But after those two laps, his hands and feet gradually began to weaken. His chest felt like it had a block of lead pressing on it, and even breathing became harder.
“The first 800 meters are usually the hardest part. Once you push past that first limit of your stamina, your body will start adapting again.”
During training, young master Gu had told him exactly that.
Gu Tang gritted his teeth and kept going forward.
He was nearing the starting area again.
From far away, he saw that black figure.
Young master Gu had broad shoulders and long legs, with a very narrow waist tightly outlined by the black outfit. His proportions were like a supermodel’s, but because he was dressed entirely in black and naturally carried such a cold aura, he looked like a blade stuck into the earth—something people would not dare approach.
When he saw Gu Tang getting closer, the “blade” took off his sunglasses.
From far away, those dark deep eyes stared at him.
There was not much visible worry in that gaze. It was calm as always, as though this was not an official race at all but simply one more of their ordinary training sessions.
Their eyes met.
Instantly, Gu Tang felt like he could keep going again.
He adjusted his breathing the way young master Gu had taught him and forced himself onward through a few more laps.
Then came the final lap.
To his surprise, Gu Tang discovered he still had a bit of strength left. He was not completely drained yet.
He quickly judged his position—right now, he was around tenth place.
Getting into the top three looked dangerous.
[Host, is it time to start?]
“Mm.”
Gu Tang swallowed. His throat hurt as if it had been sliced by knives, and the pain spread all the way into his chest.
He could not speak. The moment he opened his mouth, his breathing rhythm would fall apart.
So he clenched his teeth and quickened his steps.
His life-value bar began to slide downward.
As his speed increased, it fell faster and faster.
The inside of his mouth began to taste of rust, like blood.
His vision also started to blur.
[Host! No, no, no, it’s almost empty—]
Gu Tang ignored the system completely.
Or rather, at this point he could no longer see the people around him, nor hear the sounds around him. In his eyes, there was only that black figure.
Young master Gu was waiting for him at the finish line.
As long as he reached Gu Qinian—that was enough.
He fixed his eyes on him and only him.
He did not even know how he crossed the finish line.
By the time Gu Tang truly became aware again, he was already in the other boy’s arms.
Gu Qinian caught him and gently patted his back. Only then did Gu Tang’s hearing begin to recover a little. Through the ringing in his ears and the shouts around him, he heard young master Gu leaning close to his ear and saying:
“You were amazing.”
Young master Gu almost never praised people. And even when he did, his tone was always as cool and plain as this.
But the breath against Gu Tang’s ear was very hot.
It felt like the other boy’s lips had brushed against his ear.
That was not such a big deal.
The two of them had grown up together. Gu Tang had bitten young master Gu’s ears countless times. It was just that the other boy had never bitten his. Suddenly being touched there felt a little unfamiliar, that was all.
That was what Gu Tang told himself.
Maybe the aftereffects of the run were just too strong. A moment later, he began to feel very hot, as if all his blood had surged back up into his head. His ears and cheeks were burning.
“Your face is this red? Hot?”
Gu Qinian unscrewed a bottle of water and fed him some, then pressed his hand to the back of the boy’s damp neck. “Come on. You can’t stop right after running. Walk with me for a while.”
Young master Gu’s palm was slightly cool and felt nice against his neck.
Gu Tang nodded, then suddenly realized something. “But you’re a referee. You can’t leave the field…”
Gu Qinian let his lips curl slightly. Patting the starting pistol at his waist, he said, “I only handle the gun.”
The 3000-meter race obviously had more than one referee.
Gu Qinian had specifically applied to be the starting referee only so he could accompany him for the run. Everyone else knew the student council president was busy, so no one had assigned him any extra responsibilities.
Only then did Gu Tang nod in relief. He hooked an arm over young master Gu’s shoulder and let the other boy guide him along.
Before they shifted into that position, they had still been hugging.
The moment Gu Tang moved, there was suddenly another flash from a very close distance.
He immediately turned toward the source.
This time, he caught the person red-handed.
A figure in school uniform hurriedly turned and ran away.
“Someone was taking pictures of us. Judging from the uniform, they’re in first year of high school.”
Gu Tang told young master Gu what he had discovered.
Gu Qinian nodded to show he understood. He paid no attention to the fleeing person and simply supported Gu Tang as they slowly walked along the edge of the track.
The two of them leaned into one another.
That made Gu Tang think of those two students he had once envied, running together.
He lightly bumped his shoulder against young master Gu’s chest. “Niannian, I finished the run.”
“Mm.”
Gu Qinian pulled him a little tighter.
Gu Tang’s lips almost lifted to the sky. Being held so tightly, he could not really bump him anymore, so instead he rubbed his shoulder against the other boy’s chest. “Was I amazing?”
“Mm.”
Gu Qinian’s Adam’s apple moved slightly.
Gu Tang was not satisfied. He reached up and poked that protruding throat. “You only know how to say ‘mm.’ Can’t you say anything else?”
Who would have thought that one poke would make young master Gu react so strongly? He jerked backward.
Even the tips of his ears turned red along with it.
Anyone who did not know better would think he had run the race himself.
Gu Tang laughed. “Niannian is still as ticklish as ever.”
Gu Qinian lowered his eyes and looked at the brightly smiling boy. Then, with a slightly helpless breath, he said nothing.
Gu Tang had a lot of misunderstandings about him.
For example, he did not actually like pink.
And for another example, he was not ticklish at all.
After the 3000-meter race ended, the results were announced on the spot.
Gu Tang had come in fourth.
“Great, great! That’s already amazing!”
Zhu Xu was so excited he could hardly talk straight. The way he looked at Gu Tang was like looking at a promising grown son. “Tang Tang, even if you had come in fourth from the bottom, I’d still think you were amazing!”
Xie Qian wanted to give Gu Tang a hug, but under Gu Qinian’s glare he did not dare. So he settled for grabbing Gu Tang’s hand instead. “Exactly! This is fourth in the entire school!”
Song Chen watched Xie Qian’s hand holding Gu Tang’s with great interest.
And sure enough, the next second—
Smack—
That heavily insured hand got slapped away.
Xie Qian clutched his hand in pain and looked at Gu Qinian in grievance. “Why’d you hit me?!”
“Haven’t I told you before to keep your hands to yourself and only talk?”
Young master Gu’s face was dark as he took out a wet wipe and started wiping Gu Tang’s hand. He wiped each finger one by one, extremely carefully.
Never before in his life had the piano prince’s hand been treated with such disgust. Xie Qian looked even more wronged. “He thinks I’m dirty!”
Song Chen raised a hand and patted Xie Qian on the head. “Our president has germophobia. Be understanding.”
Understanding, my ass!
Then why could Gu Qinian always touch Gu Tang all over however he wanted?!
Xie Qian wore a look of jealousy, grievance, and silent fury all at once. His whole face twisted.
Everyone was happy that Gu Tang had placed fourth in the 3000-meter race.
Except for Gu Tang himself.
He slumped with drooping shoulders. “I didn’t make the top three. No one has to call me brother now, wuwuwu…”
Gu Qinian gave a slight smile. “Do you know what this is called?”
Gu Tang lifted his face to look at him.
“This is fate.”
Young master Gu sounded positively cheerful as he continued carefully wiping Gu Tang’s fingers.
As if Xie Qian’s hand had been some kind of giant bacteria.
“Special announcement, special announcement—”
Suddenly, the loudspeaker for the school sports meet blared several octaves higher.
Everyone had been ready to pack up and go eat lunch. But hearing a special notice, they all stopped and listened.
“After verification, in the 3000-meter race just now, the second-place student committed a false start. Their ranking has been adjusted, the original third-place student has been moved up, and first-year student Gu Tang, who originally placed fourth, has now been promoted to third place. This is the official notice! Congratulations to them!”
The field went silent for a moment.
Then a huge uproar broke out. Gu Tang’s classmates cheered wildly, while the class of the original second-place student broke into cries of despair.
Gu Tang stood frozen for two seconds, then suddenly reacted. He grabbed young master Gu by the collar. “Niannian, what was it you said just now?”
“This is fate!”
“Hurry up and call me brother!!!”
Gu Qinian: “…”
When young master Gu said nothing, Gu Tang puffed out his lips and urged him, “Call me brother!”
The flush from running had not yet faded from the boy’s cheeks. They were still red and apple-like, irresistibly cute. His slightly pouting lips looked like a ripe, vividly colored berry.
Gu Qinian’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked away.
Still silent.
“You’re going back on your word!”
Gu Tang waited and waited, but that long-awaited “brother” never came. He immediately became unhappy.
Gu Qinian himself could not quite explain what was lodged in his chest, but he simply did not want to say it. In a muffled voice, he muttered, “I never agreed in the first place.”
For once—very rarely—Gu Tang did not say a word.
Gu Qinian glanced at him from the corner of his eye, uneasy.
The boy’s face had turned even redder from anger. It was still cute, but seeing it made Gu Qinian feel guilty.
He was just about to say something to smooth things over when suddenly Gu Tang’s classmates rushed over and lifted him into the air with cheering.
For teenage boys, celebration was simple—they raised the winner high up together.
Treating him like a king!
The boy who had won third place was surrounded by classmates, trophy in his hands, shining like a little sun, radiant and dazzling.
Gu Qinian looked at Gu Tang in the middle of the crowd, his gaze deep.
At that moment, one sudden thought rose in him.
He wanted to snatch him back and hide him away…
In the afternoon, the biggest event of all arrived: the basketball exhibition match.
This was the event the whole school had been looking forward to most.
The reason was very shallow—there were handsome boys to watch!
Gu Qinian wore a red basketball jersey that made his skin look even colder and fairer. A black headband circled his forehead, revealing his smooth brow and his sharp, almost dangerously beautiful features.
Even among a whole group of tall basketball players, young master Gu stood out the most with his perfect proportions.
And he was not just a pretty face either.
He secured the game’s MVP with his precise shooting.
Even Xie Qian, who usually could not stand him, could not help exclaiming, “Holy crap, he’s so handsome!!!”
Gu Tang crossed his arms and huffed. “He doesn’t keep his word. He’s not handsome at all.”
That was what he said, but his eyes never left young master Gu for a single second.
A quarrel was a quarrel. Missing Gu Qinian’s brilliant performance would be a terrible waste.
Gu Tang liked to think of himself as a mature adult.
He believed emotions and watching a game should be kept clearly separate.
Near the end, young master Gu even came over in front of him, spinning the ball on one finger to show off, but Gu Tang turned his head away. “I’m not looking!”
Anyway, he had already seen all the handsome parts earlier.
He did not care!
Back in the dorm—
Gu Tang sat on the top bunk with both legs dangling over the edge, gently swinging them as he flipped through the photos of young master Gu he had taken on his phone.
This one looked good.
This one was handsome too.
No matter how he went through them, none seemed worth deleting, so he decided to keep them all.
Anyway, Papa Gu had bought him a phone with plenty of storage.
When Gu Qinian came out of the shower, he saw the boy’s swinging legs come to an abrupt stop, and the smile on his face vanish instantly.
Towel in hand, he walked over and grabbed Gu Tang by the ankle. “Still angry?”
“Hmph.”
Gu Tang used his other foot to shove at young master Gu’s arm, pulled his ankle free, then turned around to sit facing the wall.
Leaving behind a very obvious “I’m not talking to you” back view.
He looked a little bit like a sulking little mushroom.
Gu Qinian curved his lips and climbed up the ladder after him.
“Go away.”
Gu Tang shoved at him unhappily.
Gu Qinian sounded helpless. “I can’t go away.”
“Why not?!”
“This is my bed.”
Gu Tang: “…”
“Fine then, I’ll go!”
He had been climbing into young master Gu’s bed for so many years that just now he had done it without thinking.
Ah, how embarrassing…
Gu Tang started climbing over from the head of the bed back toward his own, but suddenly the other boy caught hold of his calf.
The aftereffects of the 3000-meter race were still strong, and Gu Tang’s calves were still sore. That one grab sent a rush of numb aching weakness through him, and he collapsed face-first onto the bed.
Gu Qinian leaned over him from behind and lowered his head to his ear.
Gu Tang wanted to push him away, but then young master Gu said in a low voice, “Is being an older brother supposed to be this stingy?”
“Can’t you be a little accommodating to your younger brother?”
“!!!”
Gu Tang’s eyes instantly went round. He stared unblinkingly at the other boy’s face. “What did you say?”
“If you didn’t hear it, then forget it. I’ll give you a massage.”
There was a smile at the corner of Gu Qinian’s mouth.
Gu Tang’s ears were already completely charmed by that single “brother,” and he failed to notice the danger.
One minute later, he was being pinned face-down on the bed.
His whole body was still sore and aching from the race, and right now he could barely stand being touched.
Yet Gu Qinian kept pressing exactly on the most sore, numb places, and he was not being gentle either.
That kind of massage was indeed good for post-run recovery, but it was also absolutely unbearable.
Gu Tang flopped about on the bed like a fish out of water and let out a full-throated cry: “Ah————”
And still young master Gu would not let him go. On purpose, he asked:
“Is big brother doing okay?”
Gu Tang was practically on the verge of tears. He was not as strong as the other boy, and with his waist pinned, he could not escape even if he tried.
From his angle, young master Gu’s smile looked downright evil.
“Brother doesn’t need to be polite with me. This is what a younger brother should do.”
“No more!”
Gu Tang shouted as he struggled.
At that exact moment, the dorm door was pushed open.
Gu Qinian’s wicked hands stopped, and Gu Tang turned his tear-blurred eyes toward the door, only to find Xie Qian and Zhu Xu frozen in the doorway.
The next second, the two of them instantly shut the door again and walked right back out.
Inside the room, Gu Tang and Gu Qinian stared at each other in confusion.
Gu Tang: “Why did they leave?”
Gu Qinian: “No idea.”
“Want me to keep going?”
“Go away——”
Outside the room, Xie Qian and Zhu Xu looked at one another. For some inexplicable reason, both of them were blushing.
“Um… why did we come back out?”
“No idea either!”
***
Author’s Note:
Gu Niannian: Still want me to call you brother?
Tang Tang: Go away!!!
