Chapter 60: A Test, a Donor, and a Family Bond
“What?!”
“Didn’t that bastard Yu Yang say he wasn’t the younger brother?!!”
With a sharp smack, Gu Lin slammed his chopsticks onto the table.
That weekend, Gu Tang came home and told the family that the Yu family wanted him to take a DNA test. Everyone at the dinner table paused mid-bite, and the whole table instantly fell silent.
The sound of the chopsticks hitting the table became especially loud.
Su Mei turned her head and glanced at Gu Lin. “Where are your manners?”
Gu Lin hurriedly set the two chopsticks down neatly side by side.
Then Su Mei asked, “Who is Yu Yang?”
Gu Lin ladled himself a bowl of fish soup and drank it with his head lowered, making a determined effort to improve his picky eating habits.
Su Mei looked suspicious. “Why do I feel like the name Yu Yang sounds kind of familiar?”
After thinking for a moment, Gu Quan said, “Strange, I think it sounds familiar too.”
But the Gu family had no business dealings with the Yu family for now. He only knew that the current head of the Yu family was named Yu Xiao, but he did not know Yu Yang personally.
Shen Ningqing had a good memory and reminded her husband and mother-in-law, “Isn’t he the one who sent red envelopes to the two children in the group chat before and called himself ‘little auntie’?”
Gu Lin gulped down the rest of his fish soup, wiped his mouth, and got ready to make a run for it.
“Hold it right there.”
Gu Quan, Shen Ningqing, and Su Mei all turned to look at him at the same time. “What exactly is your relationship with Yu Yang?”
Gu Lin stiffly turned back around, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces before finally landing on Gu Tang and Gu Qinian in a silent plea for help.
In that instant, Gu Tang saw countless save me’s in his little uncle’s eyes…
His heart softened, so he nudged Young Master Gu with his elbow.
Gu Qinian was already irritated at the thought that the Yu family might take Gu Tang away, so he had no interest in dealing with Gu Lin’s personal mess. But if Gu Tang wanted him to help, that was different.
“What relationship Yu Yang has with Uncle isn’t important.”
With his eyes lowered, Young Master Gu said quietly, “What matters is that the Yu family may want to take Gu Tang away.”
With just that one sentence, the entire family’s attention snapped right back.
“No. I object.”
Su Mei spoke without even needing to think. “I raised this good little cub myself. On what grounds should they be allowed to take him away just because they want to?”
Gu Tang quickly explained, “Grandma, that’s not it. It’s just for a DNA test.”
Shen Ningqing cared more about what Gu Tang himself wanted. “What do you think, good little cub? Are you willing to go?”
If he was unwilling, then even the Yu family could not force their child.
Gu Tang nodded. “Mm. The Yu family said that if I go do the test, they’ll donate a building to Tang Tang Orphanage.”
From the head of the table, Gu Quan spoke in a deep voice. “Just one building. Do you think our Gu family would care about that?”
“But building up the welfare home needs support from all sectors of society.”
Gu Tang gently soothed the elders of the family as he said warmly, “Our Gu family’s money didn’t just blow in on the wind either. Papa Gu and Shen Yiyi work so hard, and Nian-Nian and Little Uncle have it hard too. Since the Yu family wants to donate a building to the welfare home, there’s no reason not to take it.”
In every line, he clearly separated our Gu family from their Yu family.
Gu Quan instantly felt much better.
Seeing his expression soften, Gu Tang immediately pressed the advantage. “Papa Gu already spends a lot on charity all the time. Let the Yu family share some of the burden.”
Gu Quan felt thoroughly pleased now and laughed. “Then we’ll do as our good little cub says.”
Su Mei still felt a bit uneasy and hesitantly asked, “Good little cub, are you trying to find your family?”
“No.”
Like a little butterfly, Gu Tang fluttered over to Su Mei’s side and linked arms with her. “My home is right here, by Grandma’s side.”
Su Mei tapped the tip of his nose. “You really know how to sweet-talk people.”
Gu Tang curved his eyes into a smile.
He even rubbed his fluffy head against Grandma’s shoulder.
Su Mei had always been vulnerable to this exact move. She lifted a hand and rubbed Gu Tang’s head. “As long as you’re doing this willingly, Grandma supports you.”
Gu Quan and Shen Ningqing also made their positions clear: they respected Gu Tang’s wishes.
Shen Ningqing pulled him over and smoothed down the hair Grandma had mussed up. “If our good little cub really does want to look for family, we’ll help too. Don’t carry all this by yourself, understand?”
As she spoke, she gently pulled him into her arms and patted him on the back.
“We will always be one family.”
Gu Tang’s nose stung, and he hugged her back.
Not even his biological mother in his previous life had ever said those words to him.
—We will always be one family.
[Congratulations, Host! Achievement unlocked: “Loving One Big Family with the Male Lead’s Family”! Reward: 50 Life Points, Plot Coins x5!]
The system announced it with great enthusiasm.
Whether it was because his life points had gone up or because he was being loved by family, Gu Tang felt warm and cozy inside, so comfortable that it was almost unbelievable.
In his previous life, he had died of congenital heart disease, and never once had his chest felt so warm and at ease.
When Gu Qinian saw his mother embracing Gu Tang, he did not interrupt for once. He let the two enjoy their parent-child moment.
Young Master Gu thought to himself that if he did not have enough charm or enough reason to keep Gu Tang by his side, then his family would do it for him.
Gu Tang was soft-hearted and especially filial toward elders.
As long as his parents and grandmother were there, even if Gu Tang wanted to fly away from home, he would never get too far.
Like a little kite in the sky.
No matter how far it flew, there would still be a string tied to it.
Having lived through two lifetimes, Gu Qinian was, for the very first time, sincerely moved by how wonderful and how precious it was to have family.
Once everyone sat back down and resumed dinner,
for some reason, Gu Quan suddenly said, “If our good little cub really is a child of the Yu family, and if he were a girl, then maybe our two families would end up joined by marriage, hahaha—”
The hearty laughter had just begun when it stopped abruptly.
Under the table, Shen Ningqing had stepped on her husband’s foot.
Gu Quan: “?”
As the saying went, when one side went dark, the other side lit up. His wife clearly disapproved, but Papa Gu’s biological son had, in contrast, given him an approving look.
In an exceedingly rare moment, Gu Qinian gave his father a slight smile that clearly meant approved.
Although, the condition his father had mentioned was unnecessary.
He liked Gu Tang for being Gu Tang.
It had nothing to do with whether he was male or female.
He just wanted Gu Tang.
That night, after showering, Gu Tang ran into Young Master Gu’s room.
“Nian-Nian, where’s my little bear?”
He wanted to sleep, but then suddenly remembered that the little bear had been taken abroad by Young Master Gu. Since Young Master Gu had returned in such a rush and gone straight to school, he had not had time to unpack yet, and the little bear still had not been returned to him.
Without Young Master Gu to hug, and without the little bear to hug, his days had been miserable.
His only sleep aid had been rubbing the tiny leaves on Qianye Rabbit’s ears.
But the moment he asked, he saw Young Master Gu’s back stiffen.
A bad feeling rose in Gu Tang’s heart. “Did you lose my little bear?”
“No.”
Young Master Gu’s voice came out a little hoarse as he pointed. “It’s in the bathroom.”
Gu Tang: “???”
Wearing his little bear slippers, he pattered over to look.
There on the bathroom sink sat a little basin, and inside it, his little bear floated wrinkled and limp in the water, bottom sticking up.
Since the bear was not lost, Gu Tang let out a sigh of relief.
Then he turned around and teased Young Master Gu, “Nian-Nian really stays true to his cleanliness-obsessed image. You even gave the little bear a bath?”
With a hint of guilt, Gu Qinian let out an “Mm.” “It got dirty outside, so I washed it before giving it back to you.”
The truth was that whenever he missed Gu Tang too much, he would grab the little bear and sniff it…
The plush little bear was covered in Gu Tang’s scent.
It had accompanied him through those past six months.
But no matter how one explained that behavior, it would sound a little perverted.
So Young Master Gu made a choice—he said nothing.
Gu Tang reached out and poked the bear’s round little tail. “Why didn’t you ask Butler Uncle to wash it?”
Gu Qinian: “…”
Because he was too embarrassed, of course!
How was he supposed to explain to the housekeeper why Gu Tang’s little bear had turned all wrinkly?
“Nian-Nian, something’s off with you.”
Gu Tang suddenly leaned in closer to look at him.
The distance between them shrank in an instant. Gu Qinian tried to avoid the teenager’s clear gaze, but there was nowhere to hide.
So he simply turned and headed back into the room.
Gu Tang trotted after him like a little tail.
“Tell me, what did you do to my little bear?”
“…”
Gu Qinian firmly refused to admit it, and he absolutely could not admit it. So he forced himself to say, “Nothing.”
His legs were long and his stride was large, so Gu Tang almost had to jog to keep up. “You’re lying. Otherwise why are you running?”
Being hit right on the mark made Gu Qinian’s ears turn red.
And yet, despite that, he could not help entertaining an unrealistic hope.
If Gu Tang found out how he really felt, what would happen?
Gu Tang had always indulged him.
Could it be that…
While he was tangled up in these thoughts, his shoulder suddenly sank—Gu Tang had jumped onto his back.
“Did you secretly beat up my little bear while you were abroad?”
“If you don’t answer, I’m taking that as a yes!”
Clinging to Young Master Gu’s back, Gu Tang squinted at the two reddened ears in front of him and found them extremely suspicious.
He licked his lips. “I’m going to get revenge for my little bear—”
Then he went nom and bit down on the other boy’s right ear.
Gu Qinian’s whole body jolted.
With practiced grappling moves, he pulled Gu Tang off his back and tossed him onto the bed.
Young Master Gu’s breathing was already uneven, and a flush spread over his porcelain-white skin. “…What are you doing?”
The boy on the bed smiled like a mischievous little cat.
The mattress was soft, so being thrown down did not hurt at all. On the contrary, Gu Tang bounced happily on it.
A few days ago, Young Master Gu had bitten his ear to get revenge for what happened when they were children.
Today, he was getting revenge for the little bear by biting Young Master Gu once.
Totally fair!
And besides, he had been generous about it. Unlike Young Master Gu, who had toyed with his earlobe, Gu Tang had only bitten lightly once and then let go immediately.
“Who told Nian-Nian to bite me and beat up my little bear?”
As Gu Tang muttered this, he stretched out a foot and rubbed it against Young Master Gu’s leg.
He had only meant it playfully.
But Gu Qinian’s eyes turned red from the teasing. He suddenly grabbed the boy’s ankle, his palm so hot it was almost shocking.
“Stop fooling around.”
He said stop fooling around, but he did not let go.
Gu Tang struggled hard, but still could not free his little hoof from the other’s grip.
How strange.
There was a saying that arms could not twist against thighs.
Fine, maybe his wrist could not break free from Young Master Gu’s grasp. But how was it that even his ankle could not?
While Gu Tang’s thoughts were wandering, Gu Qinian finally let him go and climbed up onto the bed.
Both arms braced on either side of the boy’s body.
By the time Gu Tang came back to himself, he was already pinned beneath him.
He felt like a piece of meat that had been dragged back to the den by a strong young lion—thrown there, waiting for the lion to take a bite at any moment.
That sense of pressure once again stirred up Gu Tang’s entirely unnecessary competitive streak.
Although his strength and skill were both inferior to Young Master Gu’s, when he thought back over the past, if the two of them had ever clashed, had he really ever lost?
So Gu Tang boldly grabbed the other boy’s collar, wrapped both legs around his waist, and clung to Gu Qinian like a little koala. “Come on, let’s fight!”
Which, in his language, basically meant the same thing as Come on, let’s play!
When they were little, anytime he wanted to mess around with Young Master Gu, he would throw himself onto him just like this.
Anyway, Young Master Gu would never really fight him.
He always went easy on him.
And Gu Tang himself could not bear to hurt Young Master Gu either. At most, he would bite his little ear or kiss his chubby angry little bun face.
The instant Gu Tang clung to him, Gu Qinian quickly reached a hand down and hoisted him up a little, so that Gu Tang would not accidentally touch anything he should not.
But Gu Tang only hugged him tighter.
“Nian-Nian, let’s wrestle!”
As he spoke, he even foolishly tried to force him over.
As if that were possible.
Did he not know his own weight class?
Gu Qinian very easily pinned Gu Tang back onto the bed. Licking the tip of his tooth, he said in a voice so hoarse it barely sounded human, “Be good. Stop messing around. Otherwise you’ll get hurt, and you might even cry.”
The moment he heard that, Gu Tang got unhappy.
Even though he was clearly in the weaker position and pinned to the bed, he still raised his little chin high, with absolutely no sense of danger.
Gu Tang huffed, “Who are you looking down on? I definitely won’t cry!”
“Oh really?”
Young Master Gu raised a brow.
Seeing that unconvinced expression on his face made Gu Tang especially displeased.
No matter what, he was still a boy.
He had even won third place in the 3000-meter race at the school sports meet before!
And his life points were totally full too!
In terms of stamina, he might not lose to Young Master Gu at all.
As for fighting ability…
A harmonious society did not advocate violence!
As long as Young Master Gu did not hit him with his fists, he was not afraid. He definitely would not cry.
Gu Tang was extremely confident. “If you don’t believe me, then try it!”
Because of that little scuffle just now, two buttons of Gu Tang’s sleepwear had come undone. The collar hung open, and the hem had ridden upward, revealing a slim section of his waist.
With each breath, his lower abdomen rose and fell faintly.
It made Gu Qinian involuntarily think of the little mermaid that so often appeared in his dreams.
The scales on the little mermaid’s tail only covered the body below the lower abdomen, and when he cried, he looked exactly like this, that creamy white little stomach trembling softly.
It made one ache to cherish him.
And it also made one want very much to do things one absolutely should not.
Gu Qinian felt as though his throat were burning dry.
He took a deep breath and only with difficulty forced down the desire surging inside him, then let Gu Tang go.
“Go back to your room. I’m going to sleep.”
He deliberately used a cold tone.
But the hoarseness in his voice still carried something unusual.
Gu Tang did not hear it, nor did he have the slightest sense of danger.
He was like a small herbivore that had accidentally wandered into a beast’s lair.
He was practically hanging at the edge of the beast’s fangs, yet still gathered himself up and hopped cheerfully straight toward its mouth.
“But I want to sleep here.”
Gu Tang’s fingers hooked around the edge of Young Master Gu’s sleepwear. “It’s been so long since we slept together.”
The last time they had slept together had been more than half a year ago!
In this lifetime, they had never been apart for that long before.
Gu Qinian could not stand watching those slender white fingers winding around the hem of his clothes. Closing his eyes briefly, he casually came up with an excuse. “You didn’t bring a pillow.”
“I have one.”
Gu Tang reached out and pulled Young Master Gu’s arm over. Seeing that he did not resist, he dragged him to his side and, with complete naturalness, rested his head in the strong crook of his arm.
The little “animal” tilted his face up and smiled at the “beast.”
“See? I have a pillow.”
Gu Tang wriggled his head a bit, finding a comfortable position, then grinned foolishly up at Young Master Gu. “Hehe.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
In that moment, the dating advice taught to him by the basketball captain suddenly floated into his mind.
You have to do something more intimate than usual.
Only then can you break through the old relationship pattern…
Gu Qinian had no idea when Gu Tang’s little wooden-fish brain would ever finally wake up. It was also his first time liking someone. It was already impressive enough that he could understand his own feelings—he had absolutely no idea how to guide anyone else.
So in desperation, he could only cling to a useless hope and trust the basketball captain’s unreliable advice for once.
“Gu Tang,” he called in a hoarse voice.
“Mm?”
The boy answered softly.
That voice, little more than a murmur, made self-control even harder.
Gu Qinian turned onto his side and looked down at the boy in his arms. “If you don’t leave now, do you know what I want to do to you?”
Gu Tang looked blank. “?”
“You’re really not leaving?”
Gu Qinian leaned closer.
His raven-feather lashes cast strange shadows beneath his eyes, and his ink-dark pupils were like a bottomless deep pool, as if they could swallow someone whole.
As the other boy came closer and closer, Gu Tang could feel a different sort of aggression radiating from him, unlike anything usual.
Instinctively, he shrank back a little.
Gu Qinian stopped immediately. “Scared?”
Gu Tang looked at him with wide, frozen eyes, like a little animal that had been startled silly.
The beautiful corners of Gu Qinian’s eyes drooped, and he let out a faint sigh through his lips before lifting a hand to gently stroke the boy’s hair.
So this was the furthest he could go…
And yet—Gu Tang was destined to be killed by his own curiosity sooner or later.
The moment he sensed that the threatening aura around Young Master Gu had vanished, he relaxed again, large-hearted as ever, and foolishly asked, “What were you just about to do?”
Gu Qinian’s lashes trembled, his gaze burning hot. “If I only do a little, will you be angry?”
“…”
Gu Tang thought about it. Young Master Gu knew he was afraid of pain, so no matter what, he would never really beat him up.
As long as it did not hurt, then there was no problem.
So with complete innocence, he shook his head. “If it’s Nian-Nian, anything is fine.”
“Oh really?”
Young Master Gu lifted the corner of his eye and gave him a smile with a hint of wickedness in it.
Bad—but attractive.
Gu Tang was dazzled by that rare smile.
It felt like his soul had been hooked right out of him.
By the time he realized it, the distance between them was already so close that their breaths had begun to tangle together.
Faced with Gu Tang’s obedient expression, even Gu Qinian hesitated a little.
He had no experience and no sense of proper limits. It was like being faced with the most delicious feast imaginable, yet having no idea where to begin.
After all, it was his first time tasting.
And the silly Gu Tang even went so far as to remind him!
“Do you want to bite my ear?”
Gu Tang suddenly asked in a very small voice.
There was a tiny bit of caution and uncertainty in it.
When Gu Qinian did not answer, Gu Tang lowered his eyes in grievance. “…Nian-Nian really is getting revenge. So stingy.”
Gu Qinian did not understand. “What?”
Pouting, the boy began muttering his complaint. “Is it because I bit your ear when we were little, so now you’ve been wanting to bite me all the time lately?”
“A few days ago in the dorm, you bit me too…”
“…”
Gu Qinian had to work hard just to find his voice. “You thought that… was revenge?”
Gu Tang looked indignant. “Wasn’t it?”
“…”
Gu Qinian was speechless for a moment.
Then he took a deep breath, shut his eyes, lowered his head, and gave Gu Tang a fierce kiss right at the corner of his mouth.
Not the kind of kiss that merely brushed like a dragonfly skimming water.
It was a firm kiss.
And he deliberately made a loud, ringing mwah.
Just so this little fool would remember it.
Gu Tang’s round eyes went enormous. He covered his cheek blankly and looked at Young Master Gu in confusion.
What was that for?
“This is revenge too.”
After kissing him, Gu Qinian got out of bed and went over to the drawer of the desk, rummaging noisily through it.
Not long after, he returned to the bed with a small item in hand.
Then he tossed it to Gu Tang to look at—
It was an old-style children’s smart watch.
The kind they had used in kindergarten.
Gu Tang’s own had long since been lost somewhere, but he had never expected Young Master Gu’s to still be around.
“It still has battery?!” Gu Tang cried out in surprise when he saw it could still light up.
Gu Qinian sat beside him with his arms folded. “Check the photo album. The last photo.”
Following his instructions, Gu Tang opened the pictures.
There, in the final low-resolution, almost blurry image, little bun-faced Young Master Gu was leaning close to a mirror, and on his cheek there was a very obvious round bite mark.
“…”
Gu Tang remembered.
That had been when he was changing teeth as a child and had been so excited to discover his front teeth coming in that he had rushed into Young Master Gu’s room and chomped him right on the face.
Gu Tang pointed at the photo in disbelief. “You even kept this?!”
He simply could not believe it!
His Nian-Nian was such a petty little thing!
“You were the one who said it should be kept as a souvenir.”
Gu Qinian snatched the children’s smart watch back, shut it off, and carefully put it away again, clearly intending to continue preserving it properly.
As the culprit, Gu Tang nervously rubbed his hands together. “Biting you was wrong, but the little Nian-Nian back then was just too adorable…”
“Oh.” Young Master Gu raised a brow. “So you don’t bite me now because I’m no longer adorable?”
Gu Tang: “?”
You were already this grown. What did adorable or not adorable have to do with anything?
Gu Tang corrected him, “Nian-Nian is handsome now.”
Young Master Gu gave a cold snort. “Then adorable was better.”
Gu Tang: “???”
Wait, did that mean he wanted to be bitten?
The expectant look in Young Master Gu’s eyes made Gu Tang realize that, somehow, he had actually guessed right!
“I really can bite?”
Gu Tang had always thought the other boy hated being bitten. After all, Young Master Gu was a neat freak, and though Gu Tang had bitten him so many times when they were little, he had never shown any such strange preference.
Gu Qinian nodded faintly. “Mm…”
Gu Tang: “…”
Since that was the case, he would reluctantly give him a small bite, then.
Gu Tang grabbed the other boy’s hand and lightly bit the tip of one finger.
After all, they were no longer little children. He was afraid of hurting him, so after biting, he even thoughtfully licked the fingertip gently.
“!!!”
Gu Qinian yanked his hand back at once.
Gu Tang had expected this all along. “See? I knew it. If I bite you now, you’ll hate it.”
“I don’t hate it.”
He said that, but the moment the words left his mouth, Young Master Gu used the blanket to cover him up.
By the time Gu Tang finally struggled his way out from under the blanket, he saw Young Master Gu already rushing straight for the bathroom with both ears bright red.
Gu Tang: “?”
Was Nian-Nian going to the bathroom kind of often lately?
Could it be… that the male lead had weak kidneys?!!
A little worried, Gu Tang padded after him in slippers, his hair still messed up like a little bird’s nest. “Nian-Nian, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
“No. Go sleep.”
“Oh…”
Only after hearing Gu Tang’s slippers patter away did Gu Qinian finally let out a long breath.
Then he lowered his head and looked at the obvious state he was in.
Young Master Gu viciously cursed himself—
Gu Qinian, you’re filthy.
A few days later, Gu Tang went to do the DNA test.
“Isn’t Little Uncle busy? How does he still have time to bring us?”
“Don’t mind him. He just wants to see that fish.”
“Oh, so Little Uncle wants to see Brother Yang…”
“Right.”
…
Gu Lin was driving in front while listening to the two little brats in the back discussing him.
“Don’t go too far. I can hear every word!”
But neither of them paid him any attention. The two of them simply kept whispering, only lowering their voices a little.
He really could not figure out how his good little cub had managed to make his taciturn nephew actually talk.
Then, thinking about how his little nephew felt about the good little cub, Gu Lin could not help sighing.
Tsk, difficult…
When they arrived at the testing facility, both Yu Xiao and Yu Yang were already there.
Gu Tang took the initiative to handle introductions. “Big Brother Yu, this is my little uncle.”
Yu Xiao and Yu Yang both turned to look at Gu Lin.
Gu Lin smugly curled his lips, fully displaying the advantage of seniority. “Come on, call me uncle.”
“I’m ready.”
Unfortunately, neither brother did as he wished.
Yu Xiao politely said, “Second Master Gu, I do not believe we are that familiar yet.”
Yu Yang, on the other hand, sounded like they were far too familiar. “Linlin!”
Gu Lin shuddered on the spot. “Dog bastard, shut your mouth!”
Yu Yang did not get angry. His peach blossom eyes fixed on him with blazing intensity. “Okay.”
Being stared at like that made Gu Lin uncomfortable, so he turned his head away.
Even if Yu Xiao had not been clear on their relationship before, at this point he understood several things already, and he could not help looking Gu Lin up and down.
Gu Lin had only just escaped Yu Yang’s gaze. The second he turned his head, he found himself face to face with Yu Xiao’s evaluative stare instead, making him even more uncomfortable. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing now.”
Having confirmed the nature of their dynamic, Yu Xiao curved his lips and turned away.
Leaving Gu Lin standing there baffled.
Gu Lin turned his head. “What was with your brother’s weird passive-aggressive attitude?”
Yu Yang kindly explained, “My brother confirmed that you’re the one getting plowed. Since he knows I haven’t done anything good and that I’m the guilty party, he left.”
Gu Lin: “???”
A whole nest of dog bastards!!!
Hearing Gu Lin swear, Yu Yang pulled Gu Tang over to his side. “That’s not a very good thing to say. What if Tangtang really is one of my family? Then you’d be cursing him too.”
Gu Lin yanked Gu Tang right back. “Our good little cub was raised by my family!”
Yu Yang grabbed Gu Tang back again. “Blood is thicker than water.”
Gu Lin refused to let go. “The grace of raising him outweighs the grace of giving birth!”
Caught between the two of them and being tugged back and forth like in a tug-of-war, Gu Tang said, “Alright, stop arguing. We’re here to do the test.”
At once, both Gu Lin and Yu Yang stretched out a hand toward him—
“Come on, good little cub.”
“Come on, Tangtang.”
Gu Tang: “…”
He suddenly felt like a child of divorced parents who had no idea whom to follow.
If he took both hands, he was afraid the two of them would start another tug-of-war.
Just then, a slightly cool hand reached over and took hold of him, pulling him away from the other two.
Young Master Gu’s expression was calm, but his tone was very gentle. “Come with me.”
“Okay.”
Gu Tang smiled with curved eyes and obediently followed him away.
Gu Lin and Yu Yang were left where they stood, staring at each other.
Yu Yang’s hand was still hanging in midair, so he simply grabbed Gu Lin’s outstretched hand instead. “Let’s go too.”
Before Gu Lin had even fully processed what was happening, he had already been dragged forward two steps.
Once he came to his senses, he still could not shake off that dog paw.
Gu Lin: “Get lost!!!”
For the sake of accuracy, the DNA test results would take some time to come out.
In the meantime, Gu Tang returned to school to prepare for the anniversary fair.
There was no problem with inviting the children from the welfare home or organizing the charity auction.
The only thing that required advance preparation was that this year’s fair would also feature a large stage play based on one of Jiang City’s most famous folk legends.
— The Merman Immortal
According to legend, Jiang City once suffered through three years of drought. The people suffered terribly, and life became unbearable.
There was a kind-hearted merman immortal who could not bear to see the people in pain. He secretly diverted water from the river to bring blessed rain to Jiang City, but in doing so he angered the River God.
The River God flew into a rage and originally intended to kill him and then drown Jiang City beneath a flood. But after seeing the merman immortal, he changed his mind and told him that if he agreed to serve him for life, then he would bring rain to the mortal world.
The merman immortal resolutely agreed, and from that day onward he was imprisoned beneath the river.
To commemorate him, the people wrote the tale The Merman Immortal, and it has been passed down to this day.
Since they were going to perform it, the first order of business was choosing the main cast.
Jiang City No. 1 High valued student democracy, so they used an all-school vote among teachers and students, selecting actors from the top ten vote-getters.
Since it was a universal vote, naturally it was based mainly on faces.
Gu Tang, Gu Qinian, Xie Qian, and Song Chen all made the list.
Xie Qian had just returned with another piano grand prize and was feeling extra flashy. Sprawled across his dorm bed, he kicked one leg lazily and asked, “Do we get to wear fish tails?”
Zhu Xu eagerly joined in, reached over, and gave his flopping leg a squeeze. “Of course the Merman Immortal gets a fish tail.”
Xie Qian broke out in goosebumps all over. “Get lost!”
Song Chen looked at these two hopelessly straight guys, then thought of Gu Qinian and Gu Tang, and shuddered on the spot.
There really was a huge difference!
At that moment, Gu Qinian happened to return.
Song Chen casually asked him, “President, does the Merman Immortal have a tail?”
“…”
Gu Qinian’s face showed no expression at all. He looked as if his mind had drifted somewhere far away, almost like he had not heard the question.
As vice president, Song Chen had long since gotten used to that.
Seeing the president not answer, the others simply went back to chatting among themselves.
Young Master Gu had not ignored them on purpose.
The moment he saw Gu Tang’s name ranked first on the list of candidates for the Merman Immortal, his mind had become filled with the image of the little mermaid from his dreams…
***
Author’s Note:
Gu Nian-Nian: I’ve already designed the tail style in my head, and you’re asking me whether there’s a tail?
