Having lived together for five or six years, Gu Changheng knew Zhou Li’s tastes and preferences well. After considering everything, he directed the driver to “Dahaoke”.
Gu Changheng led the way, with Zhou Li following closely behind.
As they approached the modern and cleanly decorated restaurant, Zhou Li touched his thin wallet. He had saved up for almost a year, managing to gather 200 yuan, which he hoped would be enough for a meal!
Zhou Li gritted his teeth and thought he would just go for it. At worst, this meal would wipe out all the 200 yuan.
For someone like Zhou Li, who was just starting the third year of junior high school and coming from a difficult family background, 200 yuan was a fortune.
Although he felt it was expensive and extravagant, having a meal with Gu Changheng made it worth it.
With this thought, Zhou Li quickened his pace and entered Dahaoke behind Gu Changheng.
Gu Changheng had dined out several times with his family during holidays and was somewhat familiar with the place. He directly requested a private room. When the server handed him the menu, Gu Changheng didn’t even glance at it before pushing it toward Zhou Li. “You pick what you want to eat!”
Zhou Li took the menu and saw that each dish cost around thirty to fifty yuan. His heart was shaken. He quickly pushed the menu back to Gu Changheng and said, “You… you order.”
“Okay.”
Gu Changheng didn’t hesitate. He took the menu and directly ordered three or four of Zhou Li’s favorite dishes. As he flipped through the menu, Zhou Li touched the two crumpled bills in his pocket, his palms sweating. “Just, just these. I’m not hungry. I can’t eat much.”
“Alright.” Gu Changheng handed the menu to the server and asked Zhou Li, “Do you want Sprite, Coke, peach juice, orange juice, peanut milk, or something else for the drinks?”
In their previous life together, Zhou Li had been very health-conscious and did his best to let Gu Changheng live a bit longer. He had always forbidden Gu Changheng from drinking sugary drinks, not even touching them himself.
Thus, Gu Changheng was unsure about Zhou Li’s preferences in drinks.
Zhou Li felt a strong urge to escape.
Under Gu Changheng’s gaze, Zhou Li steeled himself and said, “Mineral water.”
—Mineral water was cheap.
“Okay.” Gu Changheng told the server, “I want two bottles of mineral water. We can start with this, and if we need more, we’ll order again.”
Zhou Li nodded vigorously.
After the server left, Gu Changheng found himself at a loss for words. The immature Zhou Li in front of him seemed so much younger to him, lacking the ups and downs they had shared before. Although he wanted to shower him with kindness, he was unsure if Zhou Li had any feelings for him now. He feared that being too direct would scare him away.
Zhou Li grew increasingly tense as he sat there. His mind was occupied with the thought of counting money, trying to see whether the wrinkled 200 yuan in his pocket would be enough for what Gu Changheng had just ordered.
Just as Zhou Li calculated that the meal would cost around 180 yuan, he felt a strange sense of relief, and Gu Changheng asked, “Do you like boys or girls?”
Zhou Li was taken aback by the question.
Among junior high school students, discussions about sexual orientation were still quite new, especially regarding same-sex attraction. This was a shameful secret that couldn’t be told to others. Zhou Li had always thought he hid it well.
Seeing Zhou Li’s pale face, Gu Changheng hurriedly said, “I like boys.”
“I, I know.”
It wasn’t a secret at school. Zhou Li had also heard about Gu Changheng pursuing Zhao Yunfeng. He couldn’t deny that he felt a twinge of jealousy and envy toward Zhao Yunfeng.
Gu Changheng chose his words carefully and said, “There aren’t many boys who like boys. It is especially not easy to meet someone like you. I feel quite lonely, and I guess you do too!”
