Chapter 40: Winter Streets and Shared Warmth
Jiang City had four distinct seasons, and winter was truly cold.
Once December arrived, a snowfall came.
Young Master Gu had always run a little cold, and he had never liked winter. The moment the weather turned chilly, he stopped even going to basketball practice.
His reason was that there was no heating, and changing into a basketball uniform was too cold.
“Niannian, you’re such a delicate baby.”
Gu Tang stuffed a freshly bought hot milk tea into his hands, then pulled his down jacket collar snug around him and wrapped a thick scarf around him too.
He bundled Gu Qinian up like a rice dumpling.
In past winters, Young Master Gu had been able to exercise properly because the Gu house had heating running twenty-four hours a day, keeping everything as comfortably warm as spring. But school obviously didn’t have those conditions.
Today, the heater in the student council office had broken, and by coincidence, it was the president’s turn to be on duty.
So Gu Qinian had no choice but to endure the cold and sit motionless in the high-backed office chair.
If he moved, all the warmth would escape.
The Young Master was buried in his thick down jacket, his lower face hidden behind the scarf, showing only his sharp, beautiful brows and eyes and his high, straight nose. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent.
As he breathed, white mist drifted from his mouth and nose, and even his long lashes were coated with a faint layer of moisture.
He looked dreamlike and beautiful.
Gu Tang sat across from him admiring his beauty for a while, then smiled and said, “Niannian is really pretty.”
“Pretty and delicate too, just like a little princess.”
The very first time he had seen him as a child, he had thought the pale-skinned, red-lipped little Gu Qinian looked like Snow White. All these years later, although Young Master Gu had grown taller, he was still just as beautiful…
No! Even more beautiful!
Being stared at so directly made Gu Qinian feel a little uncomfortable.
He lifted his eyes and glanced at Gu Tang.
The boy had an innocent, adorable baby face, and his eyes curved as he smiled, bright and cheerful like a little sun that gave off heat.
Just looking at him felt warm.
Without needing to think any further, Gu Qinian set down the milk tea cup and reached out to pull Gu Tang into his arms.
Unlike him, Gu Tang had always run warm since childhood, all nice and toasty.
In summer, Gu Tang used him as an ice pillow. In winter, he used Gu Tang as a hand warmer.
It was perfectly fair.
Gu Tang let out a few “hey, hey, hey” protests, but he didn’t struggle. He was wearing a fluffy sherpa jacket, and when the tall Young Master held him in his arms, he looked like a stuffed toy at first glance.
Gu Qinian slipped his hand inside the fluffy coat and rested his chin in the crook of Gu Tang’s neck.
Doing everything he could to absorb his body heat.
Gu Tang didn’t feel cold at all.
Instead, he felt even hotter.
His cheeks inexplicably heated up.
It felt like they were on fire.
He blankly rubbed his face, not realizing there was anything wrong with the way he and Young Master Gu were positioned. He just felt that today, Young Master Gu seemed especially quiet—so quiet it could even be called… a little gloomy.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Gu Tang raised a hand and poked his face.
Even though Young Master Gu’s facial structure looked perfect, like it had been sculpted, and seemed like it ought to have no softness at all, it still dented a little when you poked it.
And it was soft.
But only Gu Tang knew that.
After all, not even Papa Gu dared poke Young Master Gu’s face.
Gu Qinian said nothing, only shook his head lightly.
He hated winter intensely—not only because he was afraid of the cold, but also because of the experiences he had before being reborn.
For the children in the orphanage, winter had been the hardest time to endure. It was bad enough that they didn’t have enough food or warm clothes, but on top of that, that black-hearted orphanage had somehow taken on laundry work in the dead of winter in order to make money, forcing the children to do it.
The weather was freezing, and the cold water cut like knives. Their small hands were covered in chilblains and cracks.
Even if the wounds were oozing, those hands still had to be plunged into icy water until the work was done.
And if they failed to finish their tasks, they would be thrown outside to stand as punishment in the freezing night.
After a whole night like that, their bodies would be as cold and stiff as frozen sticks, cold seeping from their very bones.
Gu Tang had no idea what he was thinking. He only saw the Young Master’s lashes tremble slightly, and his thin lips press into a straight line.
He could feel the arm around his waist tighten, holding him a little more firmly.
Young Master Gu seemed very afraid of the cold…
As he gently poked that handsome face, Gu Tang slowly said, “Actually, I kind of like winter.”
Gu Qinian lifted his eyes to look at him, and there was a faint trace of annoyance in them.
As though he were asking: I don’t like it, so why do you like it?
Gu Tang laughed at the childish look in his eyes. “Of course it’s because our birthdays are in winter.”
He raised his wrist and shook the chubby white jade gourd in front of Young Master Gu’s eyes.
“Our birthdays.”
“Mm.”
Gu Qinian’s lips curved slightly.
His mood improved a little.
That was exactly why, over all these years, winter hadn’t seemed quite so hateful.
After all, he still had to celebrate his birthday with the little brat.
Over the years, because Gu Tang was cheerful and because the Gu family was harmonious, he had lived in such warmth that the memories from before his rebirth had actually blurred more and more.
Sometimes he even felt as if it had all just been a nightmare, not something real.
But this winter was damp and cold.
The piercing damp chill seeped into his body and made him remember some things he didn’t want to remember.
In his last life, it had also been during high school, in a gloomy, damp winter like this.
He had finally been found by the Gu family and was about to be taken back to the Gu house.
But on the way back, a car accident happened.
The car flipped, burst through the roadside guardrail, and rolled into an icy river. That suffocating feeling of being submerged, that despair of being swallowed by freezing water, and that biting cold…
Even after being reborn, he would never be able to forget it.
So he didn’t like winter, and he didn’t like water either.
The only reason he had learned to swim was because of Gu Tang.
The little brat was hopelessly useless; he could lose his swim trunks while learning to swim. Luckily, that time had ended without danger, but that didn’t mean there would never be danger in the future.
He absolutely didn’t want a day to come when Gu Tang really fell into the water, flailing and needing rescue, while he could only stand on shore watching helplessly because he couldn’t swim.
What he had gone through, he didn’t want that useless little brat to go through too.
Gu Qinian lowered his lashes. His hand moved inside Gu Tang’s coat, sliding from his waist to his stomach.
The stomach was warmer, and softer.
He had learned to swim for the little brat, so what was wrong with using the little brat’s belly to warm his hands?
Young Master Gu was completely outrageous.
And completely justified in his own mind.
Gu Tang wasn’t particularly afraid of the cold, nor was he unwilling to warm Young Master Gu’s hands. He was just ticklish.
Although Young Master Gu’s hand had only gone inside the outer coat and was still separated from his skin by several layers of clothing, the way his hand moved over his waist and belly was still too ticklish!
“Stop that, it tickles!”
Gu Tang whined, but the other had no intention of letting go.
Instead, he went even further, trying to slip his hand under the thermal shirt.
“That’s too much!”
Gu Tang suddenly twisted around and retaliated in kind by shoving his own hand into Young Master Gu’s down jacket. “Then let me feel too! You haven’t exercised in forever—have you grown any extra flab?!”
Gu Qinian wasn’t prepared for that, and Gu Tang really did manage to get his hand inside.
“Hiss…”
Gu Tang sucked in a breath.
He had confirmed it—Young Master Gu’s empire was still intact—his abs were hard as stone!
Before he could fully enjoy the feeling, his wrist was caught and forcibly pulled back out.
Gu Tang himself only had one little soft belly, no extra fat, but it was white and soft and he was always particularly envious of people who had such clearly defined abs. They felt so satisfying to touch.
He wanted to keep touching, but Young Master Gu refused.
“This is the office. Stop fooling around.”
Gu Qinian’s voice had gone a little hoarse, and the tips of the ears sticking out were flushed red too.
Gu Tang pouted unhappily. “You started it.”
Young Master Gu didn’t explain. He simply held both of Gu Tang’s wrists in one hand so he couldn’t move, then used his other hand to flip open the materials and begin handling student council work.
Gu Tang was restrained on the student council president’s chair like a little chick.
He couldn’t escape, and he couldn’t move.
Gu Tang: profoundly aggrieved.
Neither of them knew that the sight of them sitting on the same chair, all clingy and tugging at each other, had just been captured in a camera frame.
Smack—
Song Chen slapped the back of Fang Chi’s head. “You again!”
The moment he walked in, he had seen that little brat Fang Chi crouched there with a camera, sneakily taking pictures of Gu Tang and Gu Qinian again.
“Are you mentally ill or something? Do you physically suffer if you don’t secretly photograph people?!”
Song Chen finally snapped and cursed him out.
Fang Chi hurried to explain. “I wasn’t taking pictures! I was just focusing the camera!”
Song Chen didn’t believe him at all. “Why would you use them to focus your camera?!”
“Because they look good…”
Fang Chi scratched his head. “Don’t you think so? When the little director and the student council president are together, they have this really special atmosphere.”
His dream was to become a photographer, so he was naturally very sensitive to mood and composition.
He just felt that whenever the little director and the student council president were together, no matter how you framed it, it looked like a painting.
If it weren’t because they looked so good together, he wouldn’t have thought of sneaking pictures of Gu Tang and Gu Qinian to make money in the first place. After all, the whole point of shipping a couple was the atmosphere.
“But I really won’t do it again!”
Fang Chi obediently handed the camera over to Song Chen for inspection.
Since Song Chen didn’t trust him, he took the camera and checked through it carefully. Only after confirming that there was nothing inside did he hand it back.
With a stern expression, he warned, “Don’t forget—you’re still in your reformation phase. If you break the rules again, it’ll count double.”
Fang Chi nodded repeatedly. “I know, I know!”
Ever since the secretly photographed incident before, the little director and the student council president not only hadn’t blamed him, they had even helped him apply for hardship assistance. And when he worked for the student council, he also got a little extra pay.
On top of that, if he followed the rules and took proper photography jobs, he could make money on his own too.
As long as he didn’t spend carelessly, it was enough to live on.
Song Chen gave a light snort. “It’s hard to go from luxury back to frugality. You could afford a camera before, and now this little allowance only covers survival. Can you really promise you won’t go back to secretly photography?”
“This camera of mine didn’t cost much!”
Fang Chi held his precious camera close. “I found it broken in the secondhand market and fixed it myself.”
Song Chen looked a little surprised. “You’ve got skills like that too?”
Fang Chi grinned. “One more skill means one more way to survive. I can also fix phones, fix computers, apply screen protectors, and clean range hoods.”
Poor kids naturally had to learn as many ways to make money as possible.
Song Chen felt a little sorry for him after hearing that, and patted him on the shoulder. “Alright then. I misunderstood you. Don’t take it to heart.”
Fang Chi was pretty generous about it. “It’s fine!”
Song Chen smiled. “Then later on, check over all the student council’s old computers and electrical devices too.”
Fang Chi: “……”
The vice president was becoming more and more like the president in certain ways!
That capitalist face was getting clearer and clearer.
Still, Fang Chi was very willing to work. If he did maintenance for the student council, he got paid for it. The little director and the student council president had both said that since they’d have to spend money if they invited outside technicians anyway, it was better to keep the money in-house.
Hehe, he wasn’t “outside”…
That meant the little director and the student council president already considered him one of their own!
Fang Chi was delighted, and worked especially hard because of it.
Thinking about those two, he couldn’t help muttering, “I always feel like the little director and the president don’t really seem like brothers…”
Song Chen knew that Gu Tang and Gu Qinian weren’t blood-related.
But he didn’t feel the need to tell Fang Chi.
He only reminded him, “Do you know why Xiao Ming’s grandpa lived to be a hundred?”
Fang Chi: “I know this one! Because he didn’t meddle in other people’s business!”
Song Chen smiled at him.
Fang Chi: “……”
Got it. Better to work more and ask less from now on if he wanted to live to a hundred.
“What are you two talking about?”
Gu Tang walked over and, noticing the strange atmosphere between Song Chen and Fang Chi, casually asked.
The moment Fang Chi saw Gu Tang, he shook his head like a rattle drum. “Nothing! The vice president was just teaching me something. Little Director, what instructions do you have?”
Ever since he learned that Gu Tang was the director of Tang Tang Orphanage, Fang Chi had become obedient in front of him like a golden retriever—point where you wanted, and he’d go there, not only obedient but respectful too.
It actually made Gu Tang a little uncomfortable.
The orphanage would only officially pass into his hands when he came of age. Right now it was still under Old Director Luo’s name and managed by the Gu family’s charity department. He was only a nominal director.
Gu Tang couldn’t really explain all those details clearly, so he could only say, “We’re classmates. Just call me by name.”
He had come to Fang Chi because there was something important he wanted to ask.
“The propaganda department needs to buy a batch of cameras. Do you know where we can get suitable ones, and what models we should buy?”
Gu Tang didn’t know much about cameras.
Young Master Gu didn’t understand this field either; all he had told him, in outrageously rich fashion, was: “Buy expensive ones.”
The most expensive were the best.
Very good.
That was exactly the same philosophy as Papa Gu.
But Gu Tang disagreed, and firmly forbade Young Master Gu from continuing to pay out of pocket. He said they had to stay within the budget approved by the school.
Which was why he’d thought of Fang Chi.
“I know a place!”
Fang Chi glanced at the budget Gu Tang showed him and said confidently, “With this amount, you can buy several secondhand ones there. Once they’re fixed up, they’re basically like new…”
But the more he spoke, the quieter his voice became.
With the Gu family’s status, would they really think highly enough of secondhand cameras that he repaired?
Fang Chi lowered his head awkwardly toward the ground.
Just then, he heard Gu Tang’s delighted voice—
“That’s great!”
“If we can save money, of course we should save money. Let’s go this weekend!”
Since he’d get to see the little director on the weekend, Fang Chi was so excited that he barely slept well all night.
Usually everyone wore blue-and-white school uniforms.
He had never seen the little director in casual clothes before!
Early in the morning, Fang Chi got himself all tidied up, combed his hair neatly, and put on a padded winter jacket.
Unfortunately, there was a hole torn in the back of the jacket.
He fiddled with it for a while, couldn’t fix it, and had no choice but to wear his school jacket over the top before going out.
The place they’d agreed to meet was the old commercial street in Jiang City.
This place had once been bustling and prosperous, but after the commercial center shifted elsewhere, the old district’s shopping street gradually declined. Now only some elderly shopkeepers were still hanging on there, and most of the passersby were middle-aged or elderly too.
But this was exactly the kind of place where you could still find good secondhand goods.
Fang Chi thought this kind of shabby place didn’t suit Gu Tang at all.
Yet he never expected Gu Tang to bring the even more refined and aristocratic Gu Qinian along too.
“W-why is the president here too?”
Fang Chi didn’t mean anything by it. He just felt that Gu Qinian’s entire aura was completely out of place with this street.
The moment he finished speaking, Gu Qinian looked at him.
Fang Chi instantly lowered his head.
Gu Tang smiled. “If he didn’t come, I wouldn’t have woken up this morning. Winter mornings are just too hard.”
So they really were brothers, and even living together at that.
Fang Chi sighed sincerely, “You two really are close. You even wake each other up.”
“Not really.”
Gu Tang smiled shyly. “When he wakes up, I wake up too.”
As if on purpose—or maybe not—Gu Qinian, who hadn’t been speaking much, suddenly added, “That’s one of the conveniences of sleeping together.”
Gu Tang nodded without a single thought. “Yeah!”
Fang Chi: “???”
Fang Chi: “!!!”
His pupils practically shook with shock.
Sleep, sleep together?!
What family had brothers this old still sleeping together??
Could a rich family like the Gus seriously not afford enough beds?!!
But he remembered Vice President Song’s words. If he wanted to live to a hundred, he definitely shouldn’t ask any more questions. So he simply led the way and took Gu Tang and Gu Qinian into the little alley.
The shops there all looked quite old, with faded, shabby storefronts and cracked cement outside the entrances. Luckily it wasn’t raining today, otherwise one wrong step and you’d be splashing into puddles.
Fang Chi felt the old commercial street didn’t match Gu Tang and Gu Qinian’s identities.
But when he glanced back, the two of them looked even more at ease there than he did.
Gu Tang had somehow already bought a box of snacks from somewhere and was crunching away while walking. When he noticed Fang Chi looking, he warmly offered him some too.
Fang Chi felt like the whole thing was bizarre and could only stiffly shake his head.
Then Gu Tang turned and fed some to Gu Qinian instead.
The two of them acted as naturally as if they wandered around here all the time.
In his previous life, Gu Tang had never gone shopping in the streets. In this life, he had only occasionally gone with Madam Su Mei to luxury stores. This kind of old commercial street full of real everyday life was something he’d been longing for forever, and yet had never visited.
Now that he finally got the chance to come once, of course he was going to enjoy the full experience—eating, drinking, and wandering all in one go.
He wanted a portion of every kind of street food.
He wasn’t worried about not being able to finish it, because he had two stomachs.
One was his, and the other belonged to Young Master Gu.
It was a habit formed since childhood: whatever he ate, he would split half with Young Master Gu.
He was so focused on eating, while his eyes were busy looking everywhere, that he didn’t notice anything unusual about the Young Master beside him.
Logically speaking, if this was someone’s first time here, they shouldn’t know the roads well.
But the whole way, Gu Qinian barely needed Fang Chi to lead them, almost as though he were already familiar with the area.
He had come here in his previous life.
Back then, the black-hearted orphanage had forced the children to scavenge for money, and any recyclable secondhand goods they found would be brought here in bulk to be sold.
Gu Qinian had come several times and vaguely remembered the place.
Every time he smelled the fragrance of street snacks by the roadside, he would pinch his nose shut and run past.
Because smelling it made him hungry, so he just refused to smell it. He would even imagine the food was disgusting.
If it was disgusting, then he wouldn’t want to eat it.
“Niannian, eat this! This one’s good!”
Something warm was stuffed into his mouth. Gu Qinian lowered his eyes and looked at the boy’s smiling face, eyes curved with delight.
The taste of the commercial street from his memories was overwritten.
It seemed like… maybe it wasn’t so disgusting after all.
Gu Qinian licked his lips and lightly nudged Gu Tang’s arm.
Gu Tang understood at once and fed him another piece. “Stinky tofu! Smells good, right?”
The name didn’t sound very nice, but it really did taste good.
Even the way Young Master Gu chewed food looked elegant and beautiful.
Gu Tang stared foolishly at the other’s mouth, thinking that Gu Qinian was incredibly suited to becoming a food streamer. How could even eating stinky tofu look so captivating?
It made the stinky tofu seem even more delicious!
“Awwm—”
Gu Tang stuffed another piece into his own mouth, chewing happily.
He ate this and that, completely unaware that there was sauce at the corner of his mouth.
Gu Qinian took one hand out of his pocket, pulled out a tissue, and wiped his mouth for him. “If you don’t clean it properly, it’ll be hard to explain when we get home.”
“Oh, right! Grandma mustn’t find out!”
Gu Tang quickly swallowed the last bite, then puckered his mouth up toward Young Master Gu’s hand. “Wipe me more carefully!”
Fang Chi had never seen “brothers” this close.
They even wiped each other’s mouths.
This wasn’t brotherhood at all…
It looked more like a father taking care of his son!
His puzzled gaze was far too obvious, and Gu Qinian caught him looking.
“What are you staring at?”
Gu Qinian’s voice was cool and flat, and as he spoke, he casually used the tissue in his hand to block Gu Tang’s entire face from sight.
Fang Chi also realized that staring straight at them was rude and hurriedly looked away. “Nothing, I just thought you two brothers are really close. Real brothers really are different…”
Gu Tang lowered the tissue that was covering his face, blinked his round eyes, and said, “Ah, actually, Niannian and I aren’t blood-related.”
“But he’s my younger brother!”
That part had to be emphasized.
After hearing about Gu Tang’s background, Fang Chi felt surprised, and also a little envious.
He himself didn’t know who his parents were, so being raised in a place like the Gu family… that really was wonderful.
“You were adopted by good people too.”
Gu Qinian said it in a cool voice. “Have you ever thought about what would have happened if Old Director Luo hadn’t given the orphanage to Gu Tang, and it had been taken over by bad people instead?”
At that, Gu Tang shot Young Master Gu a startled glance.
[Why did the male lead just say part of the original plot out loud?!]
Even the system was shocked.
After checking several times and confirming that the plot was still running correctly, the system relaxed a little and reminded Gu Tang:
[Host, absolutely do not tell the male lead about the plot!]
Gu Tang wasn’t crazy, and he definitely didn’t want to be treated like a lunatic, so of course he wouldn’t speak carelessly.
But he was curious.
“What happens if I do?” he asked.
[…]
The system said nothing, but Gu Tang could feel the little system shiver inside his mind.
That alone showed how terrible exposing the plot would be.
After hearing Gu Qinian’s words, Gu Tang felt a little uneasy, but Fang Chi suddenly seemed to figure something out.
“You’re right, I’m already doing very well now!”
Fang Chi smiled as he said it.
The orphanage had Old Director Luo before, and now it had the cute little Director Gu Tang, plus the Gu family’s financial support in the background. Orphans like him could grow up without worries and even go to school.
That was already very good.
With Fang Chi leading the way, they quickly bought the suitable photography equipment.
Gu Tang looked at Fang Chi’s school uniform and bought him a padded winter coat as thanks for guiding them.
Fang Chi refused to take it.
Gu Tang patted him and said, “Just take it. It’s not some big luxury brand, so don’t dislike it.”
How could Fang Chi possibly dislike a gift from the little director? Holding it in his arms, he excitedly said, “Thank you! I’ll wear it properly!”
On the way back, Gu Tang was still thinking about Young Master Gu.
According to the plot, before Gu Qinian was officially taken back by the Gu family, he would go through a car accident.
The book never wrote exactly how old he was when the accident happened, but judging by the plot before and after it, it was probably around high school.
Gu Tang couldn’t help feeling vaguely worried.
Because of his presence, Young Master Gu had never gone to the orphanage and had stayed with the Gu family the entire time.
So would that car accident plot still happen?
Suddenly, the traffic light ahead changed color.
Gu Tang’s heart jumped sharply with it.
He rushed forward and grabbed Gu Qinian by the sleeve. “Niannian, I’ll hold your hand while we cross!”
The boy’s hand looked soft and warm, and his amber eyes were full of concern.
Gu Qinian took his hand out of his pocket, slipped it into Gu Tang’s, and smiled at the corners of his eyes. “Okay.”
Holding hands while crossing the street made winter seem a little less hateful.
The two of them crossed the road hand in hand, while Fang Chi beside them stood there looking totally confused.
Just now, Gu Qinian had wiped Gu Tang’s mouth.
Now Gu Tang was holding Gu Qinian’s hand while crossing the road…
Fang Chi thought about it for a while, then suddenly understood.
Sure enough, this wasn’t just normal brotherly affection.
They were each trying to be the other one’s dad!
***
Author’s Note:
Fang Chi: It’s not brotherly love! It’s father-son love!
Gu Niannian: If you don’t want those eyes, donate them.
