Chapter 87: Extra Story 1
The first thing to do after getting together was to make it official so everyone would know.
Leaning lazily in Song Yinxing’s arms, Gu Yang tapped on his phone and posted on his Moments. Song Yinxing was still thinking that things might be moving a little too fast. Just as he hesitated and wanted to say something, Gu Yang had already pressed send.
So fast.
Song Yinxing thought in shock.
Gu Yang sometimes had a mysterious obsession with efficiency in certain matters.
Still, deep down he secretly felt a little pleased.
With that post, it was like announcing to everyone that Gu Yang completely belonged to him now.
Song Yinxing didn’t say anything aloud, but he responded with his actions. Sitting cross-legged, he wrapped his arms around Gu Yang’s waist and held him tightly in a sticky, intimate embrace.
Gu Yang vaguely thought:
Has he gotten taller again?
During the final period of senior year, Gu Yang himself hadn’t changed much. His height had been stuck at 178 centimeters. With shoes on he could confidently claim 180 to others.
But the height difference between them, which already existed, had grown even more obvious because of Song Yinxing’s one-sided growth.
Wasn’t he supposed to be the novel’s protagonist shou?
Was it really appropriate for him to grow this tall?
Maybe it was because the plot had already gone off track.
Still, everything seemed to be moving in a better direction now.
According to the original story, the summer after the college entrance exams this year would have been a nightmare for many people.
Thinking of that, Gu Yang opened his eyes.
How strange.
He actually found himself reflecting on such things now.
In the past, matters about other people’s futures would have meant nothing to him.
It seemed that after experiencing so many things, he had grown a little.
Gu Yang closed his eyes again, burying his thoughts beneath the rare quiet moment.
But before long—
The door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang without even a knock.
Gu Qingxu walked in, his face dark with anger.
The first thing he saw was the two of them hugging each other, clearly far beyond ordinary social distance. On the large projection screen nearby was a paused scene that looked extremely ambiguous.
“You…” His voice trembled with anger. “In broad daylight, what exactly are you two doing?”
“Gu Yang! What the hell is that thing you posted on your Moments? I need an explanation!”
Song Yinxing had never seen Gu Qingxu like this before. Unable to read any clear emotion from the twisted, gloomy expression on his face, he quietly shifted his body and positioned himself protectively between Gu Yang and Gu Qingxu.
It turned out that when someone became speechless enough, they might actually laugh.
Gu Qingxu’s lips twitched. He looked down coldly at Song Yinxing, wishing this annoying person would get out of his house so he could properly talk to Gu Yang.
“Wait,” Gu Yang spoke first, sounding puzzled. “How did you even see my Moments? Didn’t I block you a long time ago?”
Once, during a late-night emotional moment when he couldn’t sleep, Gu Yang had posted a poetic status update.
Gu Qingxu had immediately replied with sarcasm: Stop listening to depressing music at midnight.
At the time, Gu Qingxu had been working late in the company office. After finishing a stack of documents, he leisurely sipped coffee prepared by his secretary and casually replied to the post.
He could already imagine Gu Yang sitting cross-legged on the bed, wrapped in a blanket like some gloomy little mushroom.
Just thinking about ruining his brother’s pretentious mood made him laugh out loud in the empty office.
Outside the door, a secretary who had come to request early leave heard the sudden laughter and froze in fear.
He couldn’t understand how Young Master Gu could be laughing so happily while working overtime.
After laughing for a while, Gu Qingxu opened Gu Yang’s Moments again to check for replies.
But all he saw was a gray dividing line.
Gu Yang had blocked him.
In that instant, Gu Qingxu’s composure shattered.
Gu Yang dared to block him?
In the end, he had to use a small alternate account to add Gu Yang again.
After all, as someone who also held inheritance rights to the Gu family company, he had the duty to keep an eye on things.
Of course, he would never tell Gu Yang that.
“A friend sent me a screenshot of your post,” Gu Qingxu said lightly. “Thanks to you, I’ve completely lost face. You might not care about your reputation, but I do.”
Gu Yang nodded in understanding.
Gu Qingxu had always loved socializing.
He automatically ignored the second half of the sentence. After years of living with Gu Qingxu, he had developed the passive skill of only hearing what he liked.
But Song Yinxing couldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard it.
He frowned and looked at Gu Qingxu coldly.
Gu Qingxu had never taken this person seriously before. Seeing him look at him like that now irritated him.
Just imagining that this person might someday sit at the same dinner table or live under the same roof with him—
Gu Qingxu’s face showed unconcealed disgust.
“What can he give you?” he asked coldly. “Can he even support you? Or do you plan to suffer with him in some rented apartment, cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes every day?”
Song Yinxing replied calmly.
“I can’t decide where I was born, but I’ll work hard to improve our life.”
“As for cooking and cleaning, I can handle those myself. You don’t need to worry.”
At the end he added lightly:
“These are our own matters.”
In his mind, he suddenly remembered the bowl Gu Yang had accidentally broken when visiting his house before.
Yes.
For the sake of the kitchenware at home, he would absolutely never let Gu Yang step into the kitchen again.
“We.”
The word made Gu Qingxu’s thoughts twist into countless interpretations.
So many hidden meanings.
He had never noticed before.
This seemingly quiet and cold boy actually had quite a few tricks.
He had seen many people like this at high-society banquets.
Only Gu Yang—who rarely attended social events—could be fooled by such small tricks.
His competitive spirit suddenly flared up.
“Oh? Why doesn’t it concern me?”
“I’m his younger brother. With the Gu family and the Gu Group behind me, who else has the right to interfere with his matters if not me?”
Song Yinxing frowned even more.
No matter how much he disliked Gu Qingxu’s attitude, he was still Gu Yang’s brother. He couldn’t cause trouble for Gu Yang.
“Alright, alright,” Gu Yang interrupted casually, waving his hand dismissively. “Go play somewhere else. Someone who still lives off pocket money shouldn’t be giving orders here.”
That sentence hit the sore spot perfectly.
Although Gu Qingxu looked powerful in the company, he actually still received monthly allowance money.
Even worse, the money wasn’t even sent directly by his father—it was handled through the family butler.
Compared to that, Gu Yang lived like a spoiled ancestor.
Sometimes their father would even send him extra money.
“Fine,” Gu Qingxu said coldly. “Since I can’t decide this matter, only Father can.”
Before leaving, he added in a dark tone:
“You’re asking for trouble.”
After he left, Song Yinxing still looked worried.
“Gu Qingxu will definitely complain to your father. If Mr. Gu gets angry… don’t argue with him because of me.”
Gu Yang’s family situation was complicated. Song Yinxing originally planned to reveal their relationship slowly.
“But when people start dating, meeting parents is normal, right?” Gu Yang said casually.
“I wonder how Mom will react.”
Song Yinxing, who had been secretly imagining dramatic scenes of Gu Yang being disowned and running through heavy rain, answered instinctively:
“She’ll probably… accept it well.”
In fact, she had even encouraged him to pursue Gu Yang properly.
Although the steps felt strange, Gu Yang clearly had his own rhythm.
Soon after, they visited Gu Yang’s mother, Lan.
Just as expected, she showed no surprise at all.
She simply held Gu Yang’s hand warmly, her face full of gentle affection.
That hurdle was the easiest to pass.
Later, encouraged by classmates, Gu Yang arranged a dinner to formally introduce Song Yinxing.
Everything went smoothly.
After all, none of them intended to break the couple apart.
Except one person—
Gu Qingxu.
Recently he had been bombarding everyone with questions.
Strangely, the person reacting most strongly to Gu Yang’s announcement was him.
He kept asking everyone who knew Gu Yang:
“What do you think about this relationship?”
“They had feelings for each other for a long time already. I think it’s great.”
“I support them.”
“Wish the couple happiness forever.”
“I’m not here for your blessings!” Gu Qingxu finally exploded.
“He’s a man!”
Why was no one reacting to that point?
Two men!
Yu Yu looked at him cautiously.
“…I know. Is there a problem?”
Xie Wu rolled his eyes.
“So what if he’s a man? You’re not the one dating him.”
Ying Jiayi glanced at him calmly through the mirror while her hair stylist worked.
“Gu Er, the way you look right now is really ugly.”
Those calm words nearly twisted Gu Qingxu’s face with anger.
Finally, he went to find He Ming’an, his last hope.
Through his social network he obtained He Ming’an’s location.
A bar.
Though it was only a quiet lounge bar, Gu Qingxu still sneered inwardly.
So after graduation he stopped pretending.
He Ming’an sat at the counter drinking alone.
Without caring about his mood, Gu Qingxu bluntly asked what he thought.
He Ming’an slowly swirled the drink in his glass.
The large ice sphere reflected the lights in soft glimmers.
He looked at Gu Qingxu with a strange expression.
“What do I think?”
??Sometimes Gu Qingxu really hated how quickly he understood things. His mind instantly connected everything together, and once he figured it out, he no longer wanted to ask He Ming’an anything else. With a messy expression, he hurriedly left the place.
Today’s record: not only had he failed to solve the problem, he had also discovered a new one.
Although they didn’t interact much with Song Yinxing before, they still knew more or less about the relationship between him and Gu Yang. Now that lovers had finally become a couple, it was naturally a good thing.
More importantly—
Song Yinxing had ranked ninth in the entire province in the college entrance examination.
What a proper and positive young man.
For people who were still students, good grades were indeed a very persuasive thing.
The atmosphere at the dinner table was extremely harmonious. After all the earlier chaos, the odd one out had already been kicked away, and the people left were all normal.
However, since they hadn’t had much contact before, sometimes the people from Class Eleven would start chatting about class matters among themselves. He Ming’an kept smiling as he skillfully guided the conversation, occasionally throwing topics toward Song Yinxing so that he wouldn’t feel left out.
Xie Wu even asked the waiter to bring wine. He said that since they had graduated, drinking a little was fine. After filling his own glass, he enthusiastically tried to pour wine for everyone else.
Ying Jiayi pushed the glass away slightly with some disgust and reminded them to make sure at least one person stayed sober.
“What’s the problem?” Xie Wu grinned at her. “Just treat it as celebrating our graduation. Tonight we drink until we’re drunk—”
“Who wants to drink until drunk with you? If you collapse later, I can’t carry you,” Ying Jiayi said, though she still clinked her glass with him using her drink instead of wine. “Forget graduation happiness. I’ll just wish you stay alive and happy.”
“Hahaha.” Xie Wu burst out laughing. “Then I wish you happiness after getting rid of that scumbag.”
“Lu Ji.” He turned and hooked his arm around the person beside him. “Congratulations on getting rid of that unlucky trash.”
Lu Ji held his filled wine glass but said nothing. He simply clinked glasses lightly with him.
He no longer paid much attention to Lu Ran’s situation—perhaps he should now be called Huo Ran. But it was only a surname change. He wasn’t the type to obsess over it.
The pampered young master raised in luxury ultimately couldn’t withstand the malicious hostility that had fermented for years among people from the lower classes. The money Lu Ran had saved over the years in the Lu family ended up falling into the hands of that trash father from the Huo family and was quickly squandered.
Of course, Lu Ji had interfered behind the scenes.
Originally he planned to simply send the trash father to prison, but Lu Ran insisted on exposing their secret to Gu Yang. So Lu Ji decided to let evil people deal with each other.
He glanced at Gu Yang sitting across the table and finished his drink.
“As for me, I’ll just celebrate staying away from old men,” Cheng Zishi said with a self-mocking tone. Though he joked lightly about the past, there was still an unmistakable cold edge hidden beneath his words.
This immediately aroused the curiosity of those who hadn’t been there before. Xie Wu leaned over and nudged him with his elbow, teasing him to spill the gossip, while Yu Yu also joined the teasing.
The atmosphere was quickly dragged into another lively direction.
Amid the noisy laughter, He Ming’an pulled the wine bottle toward himself and filled a glass, turning it toward Song Yinxing with a smiling expression.
“Then let me toast you, Xiao Song.”
“I hope you’ll treat A-Yang well.”
Song Yinxing looked up and met those long, dark eyes.
He said nothing. Instead, he raised his glass with both hands and gently clinked it in the air.
What was originally just a normal dinner stretched on for a long time because of all the joking and chaos. By the time they finally left, it was already quite late.
Xie Wu had drunk too much and needed help walking.
In the middle of the messy situation, Gu Yang went to the front desk to pay the bill but was told it had already been settled.
When he turned back, He Ming’an was standing behind him, smiling slightly.
“There’s no need to rush to pay in this situation.”
“What’s the problem?” He Ming’an replied with a smile. “Everyone had fun.”
Behind them the others were still noisy. Xie Wu had already thrown his arm around Song Yinxing’s shoulders like they were brothers, mumbling something unclear.
He Ming’an watched quietly for a while before asking:
“Are you happy being with him?”
Gu Yang’s eyes widened slightly. Then he turned his gaze away. After that unconscious evasive gesture, he gave an awkward little hum.
“So that’s how it is,” He Ming’an said softly.
“That’s good.”
“Let’s go back.”
“…Okay.”
Xie Wu’s drunken behavior was surprisingly terrible. At the moment he was pulling Song Yinxing down by the shoulder and threatening him vaguely.
“Top student… you have to treat Gu Yang well in the future. Don’t make him sad… otherwise we won’t let you off!”
“You don’t know what he means to us…”
The last sentence sounded almost like sleep talk. Yu Yu quickly covered his mouth in case he said something he shouldn’t.
Yu Yu himself hadn’t drunk anything and was completely sober.
Cheng Zishi hadn’t drunk much either, but his alcohol tolerance was poor. He also joined the nonsense.
“Yes! Otherwise Gu Yang, I’ll still force—damn—mmph!”
Yu Yu quickly covered Cheng Zishi’s mouth too and gave Song Yinxing an awkward smile.
“They’re drunk… they’re always like this.”
Because they were worried that paparazzi might capture a video of the drunken celebrity causing trouble, Ying Jiayi first contacted his manager and then called the Xie family to send someone.
“Have you met the parents yet?” Ying Jiayi asked calmly while typing on her phone.
“I’ve already faced off with Gu Qingxu,” Song Yinxing replied.
“Gu Er? That guy has problems in his head. He says nasty things, and Gu Yang can’t get any advantage from him.” Ying Jiayi kept her eyes on her phone. “But I’m actually asking about Gu Yuhui.”
“Not yet…”
“Is that so? Then good luck. After all, Gu Yuhui is the key.” After sending the message, she put away her phone. “But he might not make things difficult for you.”
Song Yinxing didn’t understand what she meant and assumed she was just comforting him. He simply nodded.
Gu Yang had a dream.
In the dream he walked through a gray world. After walking for a long time, he realized he was standing in a cemetery.
He quickened his steps and finally pushed through the fog.
A figure stood before him.
When the person turned around—
It was Song Yinxing.
Song Yinxing held a bouquet of white daisies. The wrapping paper from the bouquet had been untied and placed lightly over Gu Yang’s head like a bridal veil.
He took the flowers from him, cupped his face, and placed a cold kiss on his forehead.
Gu Yang woke up in that kiss.
The curtains hadn’t been closed the night before, and sunlight spilled into the room. He rubbed his eyes and pulled the blanket closer.
“You should get up soon.”
A steady voice sounded beside him.
Gu Yang squinted and saw the figure sitting at the edge of the bed.
“I’m going to visit your mother today,” Gu Yuhui said. “Do you want to come with me?”
Gu Yang was silent for a moment.
Then he pulled the blanket over his face.
“Get out first.”
They went to a cemetery located in a rather remote place, where maintenance fees were very expensive.
People regularly came to take care of it, so visiting was mostly just for remembrance.
The grave was spotless. Not a single weed or speck of dust could be seen.
Fresh flowers still carried dew.
On the tombstone were simple words:
Grave of Fu Wensheng
Nothing more.
No titles or additional relationships.
That was good.
She was just herself. Even after death, she was not tied to anyone else.
Of course, Gu Yuhui probably hadn’t been thinking so nobly. He likely just couldn’t tolerate another man’s name engraved beside hers.
Gu Yang crouched down, his eyes level with the words on the tombstone, quietly greeting her in his heart.
Gu Yuhui seemed surprised.
He smiled slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening.
“When I brought you here before, you always stood far away and refused to come closer.”
He looked nostalgic.
“I thought you couldn’t face that day, so I didn’t force you. But if I didn’t bring you, you wouldn’t agree either.”
“You insisted on coming, yet once you arrived you still wouldn’t stand here and say a word.”
Gu Yang didn’t respond.
He felt a little uneasy. He stayed crouched there, looking at the tombstone but still keeping a distance.
Suddenly a gentle breeze passed by his face.
One of the flowers was knocked over.
Almost unconsciously, he moved forward, knelt down, and set the flower upright.
The wind stopped.
The woman in the black-and-white photo on the tombstone smiled at him gently.
The heavy stone in his heart finally fell.
A faint smile appeared on Gu Yang’s face—one that looked remarkably similar to hers.
Gu Yuhui was momentarily stunned.
They stayed for a while and then drove back.
While sitting in the passenger seat, Gu Yuhui asked:
“I heard from Qingxu that you got a boyfriend.”
Gu Yang nodded without hesitation.
“The boy who worked as your tutor before?”
Gu Yang nodded again.
“I see,” Gu Yuhui sighed.
Gu Yang asked directly:
“Do you want to meet him?”
“No need,” Gu Yuhui said calmly.
Gu Yang was surprised.
Not opposing and not supporting—what kind of reaction was that?
Through the rearview mirror, Gu Yuhui saw his rare expression of confusion and smiled.
“You young people fall in love passionately. But how many relationships actually last?”
“So there’s no need to meet him now.”
Being splashed with cold water at the very beginning of a relationship made Gu Yang slightly unhappy. The displeasure was obvious on his face.
Gu Yuhui had only been teasing him and quickly stopped.
“Let him achieve something first. Then meeting him won’t be too late.”
“To be the son-in-law of the Gu family, he should at least have that ability.”
“…Son-in-law.”
Gu Yang only corrected the wording.
As long as Gu Yuhui didn’t interfere too much, that was already the best result for him.
“I thought you’d give me a long lecture and try to control my life,” Gu Yang said while slowly sliding down the seat and looking up at the car roof.
“I originally planned to,” Gu Yuhui said with a faint smile.
His experience and status naturally made him view things with arrogance.
He believed he had the right to decide Gu Yang’s life.
The wealth he inherited from generations before him made him skeptical of poor boys achieving success through romance.
Compared to someone who appeared halfway through, he would rather find someone from an equal family background who could take care of Gu Yang.
Old obsessions still bound him.
But in the cemetery earlier—
When the wind knocked over the flowers, he seemed to see a familiar figure.
Wensheng… did you come back to see your child?
Year after year he had worshipped at the grave, but the cold stone never responded.
In the end he had to accept that some things could never be forced.
“Forget it,” Gu Yuhui said quietly. “If you want to date him, then try it.”
“Anyway, I can’t control everything.”
Gu Yang looked at the back of his father’s head.
His temples were already gray.
“You’re already old,” Gu Yang muttered. “You should retire soon. You’re not young anymore. Be careful you don’t die from overwork.”
That line wasn’t random—it came from the original novel’s plot.
“If I retire, who will run the company?” Gu Yuhui laughed. “Who will earn money for you to spend? Your little boyfriend?”
“Isn’t there still Gu Qingxu?”
“You really push everything onto him.”
While saying that, Gu Yuhui was already texting his secretary.
He decided to temporarily take back the dividends previously given to Gu Yuzheng and transfer them to Gu Yang, who had now turned eighteen.
When they returned home, Gu Qingxu immediately noticed the relaxed atmosphere between the two.
His heart sank.
After Gu Yang went upstairs, Gu Yuhui sat down with a cup of coffee prepared by the kitchen staff.
Gu Qingxu sat across from him.
“I already talked to him.”
“Just let him do what he wants. If he wants to date, let him try.”
“…But he’s dating a man.”
“Can someone please care about that?”
Gu Yuhui paused slightly.
“Oh? Seems like it.”
