Chapter 83: Our Little Home
Most of the buildings near Hua University were old residential apartments. The one Gu Tang bought was not especially old, but it still had a history of more than ten years.
The neighborhood had no property management, only one elderly gatekeeper.
Parking depended entirely on the old man judging space with his eyes.
Gatekeeper: My eyes are the ruler!
When he saw a top-tier supercar slowly driving into the compound, the old man’s eyeballs nearly popped out.
He did not recognize the brand, but just from the car’s streamlined shape and glossy shine, he knew it needed a lone, fate-of-destruction parking spot.
No one would want their car parked next to this one.
One little bump, and even selling the apartment might not be enough to cover the damage!
But parking spaces in old neighborhoods were scarce to begin with, so finding an empty spot was not easy.
Gu Tang watched the old gatekeeper wander all around the courtyard just to help them find somewhere to park, only returning after making a full round and cautiously guiding the car over.
Feeling bad about it, Gu Tang gave the old man all the snacks in his bag and sweetly thanked him, which made the man beam with delight.
Once the old man went back to the gatehouse to continue reading his newspaper,
Gu Tang turned around, looked at Young Master Gu’s black streamlined supercar, and muttered, “Isn’t it a bit too eye-catching?”
Gu Qinian instantly understood what he meant. “I’ll change it later.”
A top-level supercar was already enough to attract attention, but the young pair stepping out of it were even more unreal-looking.
The residents coming and going in the neighborhood could not help stealing glances at them, whispering among themselves.
They thought some big celebrities had arrived in the compound to film a movie, and while gossiping, they kept looking around for hidden cameras.
Gu Tang really had acted in movies before, and in a very popular one at that.
Even now, plenty of fans and casual viewers online still remembered him, urging Xinglin Media to let Xiao Jiu come back out and do promotions.
Afraid he might be recognized, Gu Qinian quickly put a hat on Gu Tang and led him into the building.
The old building had no elevator, though luckily it only had five floors.
Compared to Young Master Gu, Gu Tang was a little shorter, but he was still 180 centimeters tall, with long legs himself. Climbing this kind of stairway was easy for him—he could take two or three steps at a time and get to the fifth floor effortlessly.
Once they bounded upstairs and stood in front of the apartment door, they looked at each other.
And both of them burst out laughing.
Gu Tang took off the hat. “Sneaking around just to go home. It’s all because Niannian’s car is too conspicuous.”
Gu Qinian smiled brightly. “I’ll change it tomorrow.”
“But the thing of mine that stands out even more is you, and that can’t be changed.”
With his hands on his hips, Gu Tang protested, “I’m not a thing!”
Then he paused after blurting it out.
Something felt wrong. It sounded like he had just insulted himself.
Young Master Gu wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Sorry, I said it wrong. You’re my little boyfriend, and that can’t be changed.”
“Hey, keep your voice down.”
Gu Tang looked around nervously.
This old neighborhood did not have good soundproofing. There were four households on every floor, and if you spoke too loudly in the corridor, the neighbors might hear.
It was not that he was afraid of their relationship being found out. The main thing was… he was shy.
Seeing the boy fumbling with the key in a fluster to open the door, Gu Qinian deliberately lowered his head and kissed his ear.
Click—
Gu Tang turned the lock, pushed open the door with one hand, and lifted a foot.
Then he kicked the flirtatious Young Master Gu inside.
Gu Tang dusted off his hands. “In you go.”
Although he had bought this apartment, all the contact before this had been online through the agent, so this was actually Gu Tang’s first time here.
The place still kept the decoration left by the previous owner.
It was simple and plain, but full of lived-in warmth. It was easy to see that the former owner had cherished this home very much.
Gu Tang loved places that felt inhabited. Actually stepping into the little apartment felt even warmer than looking at photos and videos online, and he immediately felt he had bought the right place. He confidently grabbed Gu Qinian’s hand.
“Niannian, let me show you around!”
“Our place is on the top floor, and we even have a big terrace!”
Excited, Gu Tang pulled him along—and then immediately brought him straight into the bathroom.
Gu Qinian raised a brow. “A big terrace?”
Gu Tang: “Sorry, wrong way!”
He waved both hands dramatically in front of Young Master Gu’s face like a little cat making magic with fluffy paws. “Abracadabra! Everything you just saw is erased. Let’s start over!”
Gu Qinian: “…”
For the sake of how adorable the boy looked, he decided to cooperate.
Once Gu Tang had finished his spell, he took Gu Qinian’s hand again as if nothing had happened, turned around, and pushed open another small door.
This time he had the right one.
Outside was a terrace of more than thirty square meters. It was not even as big as the small balcony at the Gu residence, but for a ninety-square-meter practical apartment, this kind of terrace was absolutely luxurious.
The previous owner had hung some little lights there, and there were still traces of where flowers and plants had once been grown, with several flowerpots left in the corner.
Gu Tang excitedly bounced onto the terrace. “We can barbecue here! Later we can invite Xie Qian and Zhu Xu and the others over to play!”
Even though they were not all attending the same university, most of their high school friends had still ended up in the same city, so meeting up for a meal on weekends would be easy.
In fact, if Gu Tang had already told them he bought an apartment, those few probably would have squeezed themselves in today already.
“Okay.”
Gu Qinian stepped forward and caught hold of the bouncing boy.
If it had been up to him, he would only have wanted time alone with Gu Tang. But Gu Tang liked his friends, so he liked them too.
As long as it was something Gu Tang liked, he would support it without condition.
“Niannian, we can plant flowers here too.”
Gu Tang pointed at the round flowerpots in the corner and, without even thinking, named his favorite plant. “I want to grow a huge pot of fuzzy kalanchoe!”
Gu Qinian said, “You like that fleshy grass that much?”
“It’s not called fleshy grass. It’s called a succulent.”
Gu Tang corrected patiently.
Young Master Gu curled his lip dismissively. “It’s all grass anyway.”
Imagining the feel of the fuzzy leaves, Gu Tang happily narrowed his eyes. “I like it because it feels just like Niannian’s ears—soft and fluffy…”
The very next second, both of his hands were lifted.
And they landed on two things whose texture was even better than the leaves of a succulent.
“Aren’t I right here?”
Young Master Gu was actively offering up his ears, just to create more presence for himself in front of the boy. “Touch them all you want. Why go touching plants?”
He could not accept being replaced by some green little plant.
The more he thought about it, the more unlucky it sounded.
Gu Tang: “…”
Had Young Master Gu’s condition already worsened this far?
Was he seriously jealous of a plant now?!!
Seeing the boy just stare at him without moving, Gu Qinian pressed his lips together and fixed his eyes on Gu Tang’s mouth—but before he could lean in and plant a kiss, he felt a tug on his ear.
Gu Tang found it very easy to grab hold of his ear, so he simply led him by it. He used very little strength though, making sure not to hurt him.
“Come on, let’s keep touring the place!”
“…”
On the very first day of moving into the new home, Gu Qinian got his ear pulled by his own little boyfriend.
Ding—
[Congratulations, Host, you have completed the hidden achievement “Pull the Male Lead’s Ear”! Reward: 20 life points, 2 plot coins!]
The system suddenly popped up with a notice.
Gu Tang was baffled. “Pulling his ear counts as an achievement too? That’s so random.”
[Strictly speaking, any action by the cannon-fodder fake young master that suppresses the male lead can potentially trigger a hidden achievement!]
[Why don’t you try beating the male lead up sometime? Maybe that would trigger one too!]
Gu Tang: “…”
You could really tell.
The system truly disliked his Young Master Gu.
Gu Tang muted the little system and continued happily showing Gu Qinian around the apartment.
The little apartment was small enough to take in all at once the moment you entered.
Even the bathroom had no room for a bathtub, only a shower area.
But the two of them were still very happy exploring it, because unlike the Gu residence or the Yu residence, this was a home that belonged only to the two of them.
—A place for only the two of them.
Gu Qinian followed behind Gu Tang, looking at the small but cozy nest and at his lively little boyfriend bouncing in front of him. His heart felt warmly full, and the corners of his lips remained lifted the whole time.
Until they reached the bedroom—
“Two rooms?”
The smile on Gu Qinian’s face froze, and he turned to stare at Gu Tang.
Gu Tang scratched his head. “Mm-hmm…”
Back when he had bought the place, it was only a few days after his eighteenth birthday.
At the time, he had still thought of Young Master Gu as a younger brother. He had no idea that only half a year later, he would be kissed breathless in Young Master Gu’s room.
Of course brothers were supposed to sleep in separate rooms, and Gu Tang had even paid the agent extra to help set up both bedrooms.
Who could have guessed that later on he and Young Master Gu would actually become boyfriends…
But two rooms were good too.
Gu Tang simply could not sleep in the same room with him now.
The reason was: he was shy!
At this point, all it took was Young Master Gu brushing against him a little and Gu Tang’s whole back would go numb. If they really slept together every single night, what would become of him?
Vaguely, Gu Tang said, “Our class schedules are different anyway, so isn’t sleeping separately actually kind of nice?”
“…”
Gu Qinian said nothing, but he clearly looked sullen.
Gu Tang naturally knew why he was unhappy, but he could only pretend not to notice.
The two of them ate dinner together, then each went back to their own room to make the bed.
The agent had already bought new bedding in advance, so all they had to do was spread it out.
Gu Tang was still slowly smoothing the bedsheet when he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom outside.
Young Master Gu was showering.
Because the apartment was small, everything the other person did could be heard clearly.
For no reason at all, Gu Tang’s heart began pounding, and his body started to feel a little warm.
He lowered the air conditioner temperature by two degrees and climbed into bed.
Without Young Master Gu beside him, Gu Tang’s ability to fall asleep instantly was weakened. Besides, all his attention was fixed on the sound of water running in the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of the water stopped.
Young Master Gu had finished showering…
Gu Tang thought silently.
Just as he was assuming the other would obediently go back to his own room, his bedroom door creaked open.
Then the blanket was lifted.
A large body carrying damp warmth slipped right in beside him.
Gu Tang: ?!!!
He turned his head and glared at the invader of his “territory.”
“Young Master Niannian, your room is next door.”
Gu Qinian remained perfectly calm. “The AC is broken.”
Gu Tang did not believe him. “Really? Then I’ll go look—”
Since he dared tell the lie, he naturally had no intention of letting Gu Tang get up to verify it.
With a smooth turn, Gu Qinian rolled over on top of him. “You wouldn’t know how to fix it anyway. Looking won’t help.”
Gu Tang narrowed his eyes. “Niannian, are you tricking me?”
Young Master Gu did not respond directly. Instead, he changed the subject. “Shouldn’t we talk about what in this house is too old or unusable and needs replacing? And if anything is missing, we should buy it too.”
The moment the topic turned to setting up the house, Gu Tang perked up.
He had never arranged a home of his own before!
Without any defenses at all, he shifted closer toward the other boy.
His eyes sparkled, and not the slightest trace of sleepiness remained. “What do we need to buy?”
Quietly, Gu Qinian looped an arm around his waist and drew him into his arms. “A lot…”
Completely without noticing, Gu Tang had already ended up curled in his embrace. He lifted his small face and listened earnestly.
“You like sleeping in, so your room needs blackout curtains. And here—”
Gu Qinian indicated the space by the bed with his chin. “We need a small cabinet there.”
Gu Tang did not understand. “What for? That would just take up space.”
The room was not that large to begin with.
“To hold certain necessities.”
Young Master Gu answered tactfully.
Gu Tang still did not get it. “What necessities do you need while sleeping?”
Rubbing the innocent boy’s head, Gu Qinian leaned down to his ear and said meaningfully, “You don’t need them if you sleep alone. But if two people sleep together, then you do… those kinds of necessities.”
As he spoke, his long fingers slipped under the hem of the boy’s pajama top.
“Mmph…”
His fingers were slightly cool, and Gu Tang trembled instantly from the touch.
His face and neck burned scarlet.
He vaguely understood now what sort of necessities Young Master Gu meant…
“You like strawberry, so we’ll buy more strawberry-flavored ones. Are there any other flavors you’d want?”
Young Master Gu’s fingers kept lighting little fires across his body, but his tone remained calm to the point of ascetic, as if he were discussing something totally ordinary.
Gu Tang’s breathing gradually quickened. In a very small voice, he said, “Whatever you want…”
“Whatever I want again?”
Gu Qinian frowned slightly, then turned the little thing who had curled himself into a ball over onto his back. He held Gu Tang’s chin, making him look directly at him.
“This can’t be whatever I want. Your comfort matters more. If you have any preferences, you have to tell me.”
His gaze was serious. “I’ll satisfy all of them.”
Gu Tang felt so embarrassed he might explode.
It was not that he did not want to say—it was that he did not know how.
Two men together…
He only vaguely knew a little theory. He had absolutely no idea what people did in reality.
Faced with such blunt questions from Young Master Gu, Gu Tang could only shake his head helplessly. “I don’t know…”
Gu Qinian curved his lips and lowered his head to kiss the boy’s flushed cheek tenderly. “You don’t even know how to make yourself feel good, and you still dare say I can do whatever I want?”
If Gu Tang really let him do whatever he wanted, the boy would probably cry terribly…
No, he would not even be able to cry.
Gu Tang had no idea what kinds of dangerous desires the boy above him was hiding. As he was gently kissed, he only thought, in his obedient and kind-hearted way, that he should try to cooperate.
“…Th-then… what am I supposed to do?”
His pale hands lightly clutched at the clothes on the other boy’s chest.
Gathering his courage, Gu Tang asked in a tiny voice.
But the question he had worked so hard to ask did not receive a verbal answer.
Young Master Gu only looked at him deeply, then lowered his head and kissed him.
Gu Tang closed his eyes nervously.
Young Master Gu’s lips were soft, cool, and slightly damp as they slowly moved lower.
His actions were light and gentle.
Yet Gu Tang’s body still trembled involuntarily, his back drawn taut.
“Don’t be afraid…”
Young Master Gu’s voice came muffled from under the blanket. “This is just practice.”
Gu Tang was breathing hard, and before his mind could even process what “practice” meant, his whole brain went blank with a violent buzz.
His eyes flew open.
He could not believe what Young Master Gu was doing under the covers…
The boy’s hair spread out messily over the pillow, both cheeks flushed red like he were drunk, his slim body arched like a drawn bow, both hands clamped tightly over his own mouth.
Young Master Gu had gone insane!
How could he…
How could he do something like this…
Gu Tang shook his head desperately, but he was too weak to push the other away. All he could do was stare at the ceiling with eyes out of focus.
By accident, a small animal-like whimper escaped his throat.
Even with both hands pressed tightly over his mouth, those embarrassing sounds still slipped out through the gaps in his lips.
Then suddenly his mind went completely blank.
His pale feet tensed, his toes curled unconsciously, and they wrinkled the bed sheet he had just carefully smoothed flat…
By the time Gu Qinian emerged from under the covers, Gu Tang did not even dare look at him. He had turned his head to one side, and his chest was still rising and falling sharply.
“How did that feel just now?”
Young Master Gu pulled his still-faintly-shivering body into his arms and asked with serious attention, almost like he was collecting data. “Did it feel good?”
“…”
Gu Tang could not get a single word out.
After all that work and still getting no confirmation, Gu Qinian looked hurt. He reached out and turned Gu Tang’s face back toward him. “Look at me.”
The moment Gu Tang turned his head, his eyes landed on the corner of Young Master Gu’s mouth.
His heart clenched, and he stammered in accusation, “…Y-your cleanliness obsession is fake!”
Gu Qinian did not care at all. He licked his lips and continued pressing, “Was it uncomfortable? Did I do badly? What was bad about it?”
“Tell me, and I’ll improve next time.”
“There won’t be a next time!”
Gu Tang was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself in it.
Gu Qinian lifted a brow. “Why not?”
“There’s no why!”
Gu Tang turned his face away and refused to say anything more.
But a tear that had been gathering for a long time slid down from the corner of his eye.
He had not meant to cry. It had simply come out on its own.
Gu Qinian kissed away that tear.
“It felt good, didn’t it?”
Young Master Gu asked persistently, then seemed to consider the evidence before concluding, “Even your tears are sweet.”
Gu Tang was mortified. “Can you stop putting everything in your mouth! Go rinse already!”
“What does it matter? It’s yours—”
Before Gu Qinian could finish, Gu Tang kicked him.
Only he had no strength left.
The kick landed softly.
Gu Tang: “Go!”
Gu Qinian: “Oh.”
Watching Young Master Gu head toward the bathroom, Gu Tang buried his whole head under the blanket.
Ahhhhhhh—
Ding—
The system suddenly chimed, cutting straight through the screaming inside his head.
Gu Tang, irritated, snapped, “What now?!”
[Hehe, congratulations, Host!]
[You have achieved the hidden achievement “Make the Male Lead Suffer Humiliation Beneath the Waist”! Reward: 50 life points and 5 plot coins!]
Gu Tang: “…”
He might as well die.
The system, meanwhile, had no idea its host was currently ready to die on the spot. It had been blocked again just now and had seen absolutely nothing, meaning it had once again missed the brilliant moment when the host completed a hidden achievement.
So it asked curiously, [Host, how did you do it?]
Gu Tang: “…”
“Don’t ask. If you ask again, I’ll self-destruct!”
[???]
Gu Tang could not be bothered with the thoroughly confused little system.
The air felt unbearably hot.
He suspected the air conditioner in his own room was broken too. He grabbed the remote and mashed the temperature all the way down, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket.
At that moment, the phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.
Gu Tang grabbed it and glanced at the screen, only to find that Shen Ningqing was calling.
He panicked at once, hurriedly buttoned up his pajama top, then guiltily answered, “Auntie Shen, good evening…”
On the other end, Shen Ningqing heard how weak his voice sounded and became concerned. “It’s your first day staying in the university dorm. Is there anything inconvenient?”
Gu Tang looked around and answered honestly, “No.”
There was naturally nothing inconvenient about the little apartment he had bought himself.
That reassured Shen Ningqing a bit, but she still asked, “Are your new roommates easy to get along with? Is anyone bullying you?”
Biting his lip, Gu Tang said, “…No.”
Just now, he had been the one who felt good, while Niannian had ended up going to rinse his mouth.
If anyone had been bullied, it was Niannian.
Shen Ningqing relaxed a little more, but she still had her own son—the ticking time bomb—to worry about, so she asked again, “Have you run into Qinian at school yet? Your course schedules are different, so it can’t be easy to meet, right?”
What Shen Ningqing did not know was that while she was asking this question, her own son had already finished rinsing up, climbed into bed, and calmly pulled Gu Tang back into his arms.
The two of them were pressed together intimately.
Gu Tang had almost never lied before, and he was even less capable of lying to elders, so he could only answer vaguely, “Mm…”
At school, it really was hard for him and Young Master Gu to run into each other.
What happened once they got home was a different matter…
“If he does come looking for you, don’t indulge him too much.”
Over the phone, Shen Ningqing warned him indirectly. “Especially if he says strange things or does strange things, you reject him. Don’t pay attention to him, alright?”
Gu Tang obediently answered, “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
The moment he hung up, Young Master Gu’s voice drifted out from behind him in a gloomy tone. “What counts as strange things?”
“Like this?”
And with that, he leaned down as if to bite that pale stretch of skin at the back of the boy’s neck.
Gu Tang twisted his neck to dodge. “No more kissing.”
Gu Qinian answered, “I rinsed already.”
To prove it, Young Master Gu even opened his mouth for inspection.
The blush that had only just started fading from Gu Tang’s face rose again. “That’s not what I meant!”
“Anyway, there’s no more kissing tonight…”
He really could not handle any more.
They both had class tomorrow morning, and he was afraid he would wake up so weak he could not get out of bed.
“Fine. Then we’ll just sleep holding each other.”
Gu Qinian wrapped his arms around Gu Tang and lay down beside him. Thinking of Shen Ningqing’s call just now, he let out a long, faintly aggrieved sigh by the boy’s ear. “How is it that there isn’t even one person blessing us?”
Gu Tang lifted his face. “There is.”
Gu Qinian asked, “Who?”
Gu Tang curved his eyes and smiled brightly. “Me.”
It was his own relationship. Of course he blessed it himself.
Gu Qinian stared at that smile on the boy’s face for a long while, his throat moving once.
Too cute…
“I take back what I said just now.”
Gu Qinian said, “I’d still rather kiss you to death.”
Gu Tang: “???”
The next day, before going to class, Gu Tang carefully checked every bit of skin that would show.
Especially his face and neck.
Thankfully…
Although Young Master Gu kissed as if there were no tomorrow, he still had enough decency to leave no marks where people could see.
That meant Gu Tang could still pretend he retained some trace of innocence in this world.
Gu Tang was majoring in fine arts.
For the first professional class, the professor arranged a lesson in the studio, using the most basic fruit still life to gauge the students’ level and see who had spent the two-month vacation doing absolutely nothing and letting their fundamentals rot.
The instant Gu Tang saw the prop banana placed in front of them,
his paintbrush stopped.
In his mind, the scene from last night of Young Master Gu helping him… flashed into view.
Gu Tang: face turning scandalously yellow.
This life was impossible to live!
After three hours of still life drawing, Gu Tang was mentally and physically exhausted from painting bananas.
Before he could even catch his breath, the professor, feeling merciful, said, “Students, you’ve worked hard painting. For art students, this is how it is—you have to be diligent, you have to persevere. But after hard work, you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
“The fruit we used today is very fresh. Go ahead and divide it up among yourselves!”
“Woohoo!!!”
The students were very happy. Gu Tang, meanwhile, very carefully avoided the bananas and slowly selected an orange to peel instead.
He was afraid he had developed psychological trauma around bananas…
Gu Tang noticed a familiar-looking person come over to grab a banana. After thinking for a moment, he remembered it was one of the dorm roommates he had met yesterday, someone named Zhou Ze.
He gave him a friendly little wave. “Hi there.”
Zhou Ze said hello too, but the way he looked at him seemed a little strange.
Gu Tang lowered his head and checked himself. His shirt buttons were all done up properly. He could not find anything inappropriate about his appearance.
Just then, another boy ran over and threw an arm around Zhou Ze’s shoulder. When he saw Gu Tang, he froze, then seemed to recall something. “Hey, aren’t you the one yesterday who got into that luxury car from the finance department—”
“Tan Mian, don’t talk nonsense.”
Zhou Ze cut him off and looked at Gu Tang with a frown.
But his voice was lowered a lot, almost as if he were deliberately trying to preserve Gu Tang’s privacy. “Gu Tang, what’s your relationship with the guy driving that luxury car?”
Gu Tang smiled shyly. “He’s my boyfriend.”
It was not that he was unconcerned about what classmates might say, but university was not high school. Adults’ relationships ought to stand in the sunlight.
He was only keeping quiet around family for now because he was afraid of causing them stress. At school, he did not think there was any need to hide it.
Since he dared to say it, he had already prepared himself to be talked about.
What surprised him was that Zhou Ze did not show any disgust at all. Instead, he asked seriously, “You’re serious about him?”
Gu Tang nodded. “Mm.”
“That’s good then.”
Zhou Ze turned and smacked Tan Mian on the shoulder. “I told you, Gu Tang doesn’t look like that kind of person. Stop talking nonsense in the future.”
Tan Mian chewed on his banana. “Yeah, yeah, got it.”
Gu Tang was a little delighted.
Zhou Ze seemed like a nice person.
Someone he could be friends with!
Beaming, Gu Tang broke his orange in half and shared one half with Zhou Ze.
At that moment, his phone rang.
After answering, Gu Tang immediately packed up his things and said goodbye to his new friend. “My boyfriend came to pick me up. He’s waiting outside the studio. See you tomorrow.”
Zhou Ze nodded at him. “See you tomorrow.”
However, a few minutes later, when Zhou Ze and Tan Mian stepped out of the studio, they watched with their own eyes as Gu Tang hopped into a dusty little beat-up car.
Zhou Ze: “???”
Tan Mian asked weakly, “…How many boyfriends does he actually have?”
***
Author’s Note:
Tangtang: Nice choice of replacement car!
Gu Niannian: I just got cheated on… by myself???
