Chapter 079 – This Miserable Stepfather – “Normal reaction, Normal reaction” (02/08)
Xie Chenyang picked up his coat, slipped it on, and stepped out the door.
Gu Shiyu was boiling noodles in the kitchen. Spotting him, he only glanced at him indifferently before lowering his head.
That single look sent a tingle through Xie Chenyang’s heart: [Holy shit, this little brat is actually my lover!]
You Huang fell into an odd silence: “Then this lifetime might be tricky for him. Even though he’s not the original Gu Shiyu, in the memories he’s absorbed, you’re like his stepfather—and a pretty dumb one at that.”
[…I can handle it.]
Xie Chenyang watched Gu Shiyu’s ears turn red from the cold and, feeling tender, took off his coat and draped it over him.
Gu Shiyu stepped back, pushing the coat back. “I’m not cold. The noodles are done. Let’s eat and hurry back to the city.”
This mud-brick house in the village was bitterly cold. It had poured heavily yesterday evening when they were leaving after paying respects, making it inconvenient to travel, otherwise they wouldn’t have stayed the night here.
The house had been unoccupied for so long that it lacked everything. Even the noodles, pots, bowls, and firewood were borrowed from the neighbors early that morning.
Xie Chenyang put his coat back on without insisting.
After they finished eating, Gu Shiyu washed the pots and bowls clean and returned them to the neighbors.
Few people traveled into town during this season. Neither of them had a car, so they walked back to the county seat. The walk took them over forty minutes.
All the way, Xie Chenyang discussed with the system how to deal with Gu Wenyi.
This county town was quite remote and economically underdeveloped. Although most streets and shops now had surveillance cameras, there were very few monitored areas in the county two years ago.
Moreover, even if surveillance proved Gu Wenyi had left and re-entered the city, it wouldn’t hold much weight as evidence. After all, there were no cameras where Song’s parents had died.
Nor was there any proof they’d ever crossed paths.
You Huang: “It’s actually quite simple. Done in minutes.”
[Please teach me, Dad!]
You Huang: “I once taught you how to extract a person’s soul. Do you remember?”
[Yes.]
“If you could learn that, you can certainly learn other things.” You Huang was sure Xie Chenyang already knew these minor techniques; now that he was being taught again, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to pick them up.
[You’re the best, Dad!]
“…I’ll show you how later.”
[Got it!]
Two years ago, Song Yang had only a few thousand yuan left. With Gu Shiyu’s education and living expenses to cover, buying a house in the county town was out of the question. So they settled for a long-term lease on an ordinary house.
A one-bedroom apartment.
Gu Shiyu naturally didn’t want to share a bed with Song Yang. Teenagers craved their own space. Thus, Gu Shiyu slept in the bedroom while Song Yang made do on the living room sofa.
The moment he got home, Xie Chenyang covered his mouth and coughed several times.
Gu Shiyu paused in his steps, changed into his slippers, and went to boil water. “Go take a hot shower and change your clothes.”
Xie Chenyang nodded in agreement while coughing. He grabbed a change of clothes from the wardrobe and headed to the bathroom. Gu Shiyu also went to his bedroom to get a change of clothes, intending to take a shower next.
Having stayed in the village last night, they naturally hadn’t bathed. After such a long journey, they were sweaty, and without washing, catching a cold would be easy.
When Gu Shiyu came out to the living room later, he saw Xie Chenyang slumped listlessly on the sofa. He was bundled up in a cotton sweater, his towel draped around his neck, yet his hair was still dripping wet.
Gu Shiyu: “…Go dry your hair.”
Xie Chenyang lowered his gaze; his voice was slightly hoarse. “I feel dizzy. I don’t want to move.”
Gu Shiyu’s heart skipped a beat.
In his memory, Xie Chenyang had always positioned himself as the elder, treating him as the junior. In front of him, he always presented a reliable image. Even when he was uncomfortable or unhappy, he never showed it in front of him.
“Ahem—”
Gu Shiyu frowned slightly. “I’ll dry it for you.”
In his mind, he was certain that after saying this, Xie Chenyang would force himself to get up and insist he was fine.
Xie Chenyang immediately replied, “Sure.”
Gu Shiyu fetched the hair dryer, plugged it in, and moved behind him, drying his hair with a puzzled look.
Was he genuinely feeling too unwell this time? Couldn’t muster the strength to get up?
Well, he was only two years older than him.
It seemed sleeping in the old house last night had genuinely chilled him to the bone.
Xie Chenyang’s hair wasn’t long, and the dryer’s powerful air quickly dried it. Gu Shiyu put it away, then filled a thermos with hot water and placed it on the coffee table.
Xie Chenyang smiled as he clutched the thermos.
[He’s so thoughtful.]
You Huang: “But you just called him stupid.”
[I was talking about the old Gu Shiyu.]
Watching him stare blankly at the thermos and refuse to let go, Gu Shiyu couldn’t help but reflect: Why had he been so grateful yet so inconsiderate toward him before?
Now, even handing him a thermos moved him this much.
His heart softened, his voice growing gentler. “I scouted around my school during the break. There’s a neighborhood with a nice environment and reasonable prices. The only downside is the transportation—but with a bike or electric scooter, it’s only twenty minutes to campus.”
Xie Chenyang snapped back to reality.
With Gu Shiyu’s academic record, he could’ve gotten into a better university. But to stay close to him, he chose a local university within the province.
“Do you want to study in City B?”
Gu Shiyu’s eyes flickered. “Why do you ask?”
Xie Chenyang: “Just tell me honestly—do you want to or not?”
“I do.”
In Gu Shiyu’s memories, he’d studied relentlessly ever since childhood. He’d dreamed of one day taking his mother to live in a big city, of making something of himself so she wouldn’t have to struggle anymore.
But his mother didn’t live to see any of it.
Still, he wanted to.
If there was a better path, who would choose to settle for mediocrity?
It wasn’t that his current university was inferior, but its faculty resources certainly couldn’t match those in City B.
Xie Chenyang’s lips curved upward. “Then transfer to City B next semester. With your grades, it’s no problem.”
Gu Shiyu hesitated. “But…”
“Don’t worry. I never mentioned it before, but from now on, I’ll definitely earn enough to support you!”
Xie Chenyang’s heart swelled with ambition. He would earn well, provide generously for his beloved, and never again live this frugal, stumbling existence.
Gu Shiyu saw the light in his eyes—so different from the dull, forced cheerfulness of these past two years. Now he radiated confidence and brilliance.
If he could pull himself together, forget that fraud Gu Wenyi, then striving for City B sounded worthwhile. During breaks, he’d take on part-time work to supplement their income.
Both lunch and dinner were prepared by Gu Shiyu. Throughout, Xie Chenyang remained listless and unmotivated, fully committed to his act of feigning illness.
You Huang: “A ploy to win sympathy?”
[I don’t want to sleep in the living room.]
You Huang: “…” It’s only the first day, and he already wants to sleep together?
As night fell, Gu Shiyu asked, “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? It’s been a whole day, and you’re still not better.”
“No need. I’ll wait for it to pass naturally.”
Gu Shiyu glanced at the folded blanket in the corner of the sofa. “Then you can sleep in the bedroom tonight. I’ll take the sofa.”
“No.” Xie Chenyang shook his head, his eyes filled with tenderness. “The living room gets cold at night without air conditioning. You should sleep in the bedroom.”
In this apartment, only the bedroom had air conditioning.
“But you’re sick.”
“Right now I’m the only one who’s sick. If you sleep in the living room, we might both wake up sick tomorrow.”
Gu Shiyu was speechless for a long moment.
Xie Chenyang murmured softly, “How about… we both sleep in the bedroom?”
Gu Shiyu lifted his eyes to look at him.
Xie Chenyang tilted his head slightly, looking slightly embarrassed. “It’s winter, you know. Two people… it’s warmer.”
You Huang: “…” Unbearable to watch.
Gu Shiyu: “…”
Xie Chenyang: “I don’t have any bad sleeping habits. I look the same when I wake up as I do before I sleep. Really.”
Seeing he seemed a bit anxious, Gu Shiyu’s eyes held a faint, gentle smile. “Alright.”
He’d just been a bit surprised. After all, during their first winter here, Song Yang (Xie Chenyang) had suggested sharing the bedroom, but he’d refused.
Gu Shiyu assumed it was because he disliked men and wanted to avoid suspicion. Since he hadn’t seen him sick, he never brought it up again.
Both had showered and changed into fluffy animal pajamas before lying down on the same bed.
One rabbit, one wolf.
A store had been discounting animal pajamas, and Song Yang had bought them after hearing they were warm. Though Gu Shiyu disliked them, he understood their financial situation and chose the wolf set.
In the dim room, Xie Chenyang discreetly slid his hand to the rabbit tail at his back—a small, fluffy tuft.
[Honestly, lying flat with that tuft pressing against you, wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?]
You Huang: “You could trim the tail and leave a hole.”
Xie Chenyang’s eyes lit up.
Dad had given him a brilliant idea. He could trim Gu Shiyu’s wolf tail!
Just as Gu Shiyu was drifting off, an arm suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
His heart skipped a beat. “Song Yang?”
Though Song Yang considered himself an elder, he always addressed him by name. Xie Chenyang didn’t respond.
Warm breath tickled the back of his neck, making Gu Shiyu slightly uncomfortable. He grasped the hand, intending to push it away.
Xie Chenyang, however, clasped his hand tighter, drawing him closer and rubbing against him.
Gu Shiyu: “…” What was this guy’s deal?
What happened to sleeping soundly and waking up unchanged?
He pulled his hand away. “Song Yang, wake up.”
Not only did Xie Chenyang not stir, he muttered softly, “Cold.”
Cold my ass! The heat was on, and he was wearing a fluffy pajama set.
Yet he couldn’t break free.
For a moment, Gu Shiyu wondered if he was faking sleep to take advantage. But that seemed impossible.
If Song Yang truly harbored feelings for him, he wouldn’t have gone two years without noticing.
Maybe he was just sleeping too deeply from illness?
After struggling for ages to dislodge Xie Chenyang, Gu Shiyu gave up, resignedly maintaining the position until he drifted off in a haze.
Early the next morning, Gu Shiyu awoke feeling something pressing against his back. He thought, Why is the tail of this pajama top so stiff?
The moment he realized what it was, his face darkened and he shoved Xie Chenyang away.
Xie Chenyang rolled off the bed and sat up, bewildered. “What’s wrong?”
You Huang watched the scene unfold. “Your acting has improved.”
[Flattery, flattery!]
Gu Shiyu studied his expression, feeling his reaction seemed a bit excessive. But that was a normal reaction, wasn’t it?
It was just the awkward position that made it so embarrassing.
Gu Shiyu offered no explanation, rising to head to the bathroom.
Xie Chenyang’s sharp eyes noticed the difference, his gaze brimming with amusement.
[I knew it. I wouldn’t fail to win him over.]
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
