Gu Jiqing paused slightly as he watched Zhou Cibai’s reaction.
What do these two sentences from Zhou Cibai mean?
He said that he didn’t dislike him and also wanted to stay in his room for the night again as well?
But doesn’t he has homophobia?
Seeing Gu Jiqing’s puzzled expression, Zhou Cibai remembered his previous harsh words. He lowered his eyelashes and whispered, “What I mean is that I don’t dislike you. Lu Ping, Chen Ji, Wang Quan, and others also like you, so you are already worth being liked. There is no need to compromise in front of those who are not.”
Although his ears were red and he didn’t dare to look at Gu Jiqing, his words were sincere and resolute, making it difficult for anyone to not be convinced by his words.
When he finished speaking, he lowered his eyelashes even more sheepishly. “And I don’t think I have homophobia, I just have a little psychological shadow. Now it seems that I’m almost good; otherwise, last night I wouldn’t be…”
He was so embarrassed that he couldn’t continue with the rest of the words, so he could only hold the small pork ribs tightly and stand in place, feeling uncomfortable and cramped all over his body.
Gu Jiqing could even see his toes nervously gripping the ground through the hotel’s disposable slippers.
Then he roughly understood.
Zhou Cibai may have realized after last night’s incident that he doesn’t have homophobia. After all, someone who truly has homophobia should not be able to continue a second or third time after the first one.
Plus, he felt guilty towards him from before, so he thought that they could still get along.
Then he learned about his situation in the Gu family, and such a legitimate person naturally couldn’t bear to see him suffer such injustice, so he said those words just now.
“But you can’t stay in the room alone because you’re afraid?” Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but ask.
Zhou Cibai, who was just looking for an excuse to keep Gu Jiqing: “.…..”
After a brief pause, he turned his head away and rubbed his neck, then reluctantly said, “En.”
Gu Jiqing: “……”
It’s really an unexpected contrast.
“So do you still want to go?” Zhou Cibai didn’t continue the topic, he just pursed his lips and whispered, “If you don’t go, I’ll spend the remaining hour of Christmas with you.”
Gu Jiqing didn’t know why, but he could vaguely see some grievances and expectations from Zhou Cibai’s words.
Just like a big dog that is afraid of being left alone by its owner and strives to prove its cuteness.
When Gu Jiqing thought of this metaphor, he lowered his head to smile.
Coincidentally, his phone rang again.
[Princess]: But Zhi Zhi ya. If you’re feeling unwell and don’t want to come, remember to tell Mom right away. Mom will explain it to Dad and Grandma, and your brother will speak for you too. Don’t push yourself.
[Princess]: Our Zhi Zhi has been working hard this year. Mom asked Santa Claus to give you a present, so make yourself happy, okay?
[Princess]: Seeing that you have made a very good friend, Mom is also very happy. If Xiao Zhou has time, Mom would like to invite you and him to have a meal together
Gu Jiqing’s fingertips paused slightly.
He can hardly remember the last time Yin Lan told him not to push himself.
And Yin Lan also told him that he had made a very, very good friend.
So in the afternoon, when he fell asleep, their moral role models must have done something that deserves credibility.
Gu Jiqing looked up at Zhou Cibai.
The tall and handsome boy was holding a plate of steaming small pork ribs, standing awkwardly in place, unsure of what he was thinking. His lips were tightly pursed, and his ears were red, as if nervously waiting for an answer.
At that moment, Gu Jiqing suddenly thought that sweet and sour small pork ribs would not taste good if they cooled down.
Zhou Zhou was also unhappy whenever he was left alone at home.
And he was also very tired from last night.
So perhaps it’s not a big deal for him to occasionally slack off just once.
After all, Gu Jue was so guilty about him on the phone today, he shouldn’t make things difficult for Yin Lan.
And he didn’t want to disappoint the person in front of him either.
So he looked at Zhou Cibai and said in a warm voice, “So how do you want to celebrate Christmas?”
“Ah?” Zhou Cibai raised his eyes in a daze, as if he hadn’t reacted.
Gu Jiqing looked up at him seriously. “I don’t want to go out, so there is still one hour left. How should we spend it?”
Gu Jiqing sat cross-legged by the bed, blinking as he looked at him, like two children seriously discussing how to celebrate the holiday.
Zhou Cibai: “……”
A straight man of steel who, from childhood to adulthood, has never experienced such a holiday that he considers purely consumerist brainwashing, except for the ones that his family is supposed to celebrate. So suddenly, when asked this question, he was stunned for a moment.
However, it was just a brief lag, and he immediately thought of something. He put the small pork ribs down and casually picked up a coat: “Wait for me first, I’ll be back soon.”
After speaking, he walked out the door with his two long legs and didn’t look back.
Gu Jiqing, who was left in the room, sat by the bed, blinking before he thought of a question.
If Zhou Cibai can’t go back because of the door access, should he help Zhou Cibai open a room?
Before he could think of an answer, the door was knocked again.
He stood up slowly, stepping on the carpet with his barefoot, and opened the door.
There was no one outside the door, only a small robot from the hotel. There was a gift box placed on the tray of the robot, and the card outside the gift box wrote: [Gift for Zhi Zhi]
Gu Jiqing picked it up and opened it, it was a pair of exquisite cashmere gloves.
There is no logo, it was woven by oneself, and the size is just right for Gu Jiqing’s hands.
For as long as he can remember, Yin Lan would weave a pair of gloves for him every Christmas. He remembered the year when he was the sickest, his family no longer had the money to buy good woolen. Yin Lan took off her favorite sweater and made him a pair of small gloves and a new piece of clothing.
That was the earliest love he could remember learning—to sacrifice oneself for others.
He didn’t know if it was the right kind of love or if it was the only kind of love, but what he has learned is this kind of love.
He lowered his eyelashes, solemnly put the gloves away, then took out a delicate small box from the coat pocket on the hanger and placed it on a tray. He entered Yin Lan’s room number and closed the door.
He thought that since the world had invented a profession like Santa Claus and he only worked one day a year, perhaps it was to give a brief break to the exhausting love between parents and children.
Even though it was a rejection too small to be worth mentioning, he surprisingly felt a rare sense of relief.
And he always felt as if there was something to reassure him.
Gu Jiqing turned off the lights, sat cross-legged on the sofa, turned on the TV, and casually selected a horror movie that he most wanted to watch. He leisurely ate the small pork ribs on the table.
So when Zhou Cibai came back while carrying a tree and opened the door, he was greeted by a female ghost with her mouth wide open and her eyes dangling as she was about to crawl out of the TV. It frightened him and made him gasp for breath.
Upon hearing the commotion, Gu Jiqing calmly turned around and saw a 1.9-meter masculine man carrying a colorful Christmas tree, standing stiffly at the door.
He paused and asked, “Are you afraid?”
“I didn’t.” Zhou Cibai quickly stiffened his face and walked back to the room with a very cold and arrogant attitude. He placed the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room and seriously hung up a few newly bought socks from the supermarket.
And the female ghost next to him is trying to eat a child.
The scene was eerie and out of sync.
Gu Jiqing tried to hold back but couldn’t. “May I ask, where did it come from?”
Zhou Cibai listened to the terrifying sound effect in his ears and tried to control his expressionless expression. “Ask one of the stores downstairs and buy it.”
“How much?”
“Five thousand.”
“.”
Sensing Gu Jiqing’s speechless silence, Zhou Cibai quickly explained, “These things are not for sale, and there are many decorations. The salesperson was originally unwilling to sell them, but I think since it’s Christmas Day and everyone else has a Christmas tree, if you don’t have…”
It would seem like a loss.
The more Zhou Zhibai defended himself, the more he felt like a fool with too much money. He simply shut his mouth, even his movement of tying a sock on the Christmas tree seemed awkward.
Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but bend his lips slightly.
He feels like he’s been in a good mood all day today, even the female ghost in the horror movie looks cute to him.
He whispered, “Thank you.”
Then Zhou Cibai immediately became even more flustered, and without paying attention, he tore open a branch of a Christmas tree.
With a loud bang in the middle of the female ghost’s wailing and whimpering.
Zhou Cibai stood stiffly in place, holding onto the tree branch that was worth at least two hundred yuan.
Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but bring a smile to the bottom of his eyes.
He casually exited the horror movie and opened a pure love movie with a similar temperament to Zhou Cibai. He stood up and said, “Let me do it.”
“No need, it will be done soon.” Zhou Cibai quickly tied on the last sock, “Just come and choose the gift.”
After finishing speaking, as if he felt that his kindergarten children’s house-like way of celebrating Christmas was too childish, his ears reddened a little in a not-so-good way.
Gu Jiqing looked at the Christmas tree very seriously and asked, “I can only choose one gift?”
“No.” Zhou Cibai hurriedly said, “You can choose as many as you want.”
After finishing speaking, he busily went to the table and lit the aromatherapy candles that were said to be essential for Christmas.
Anyway, he did all this to make Gu Jiqing happy.
Those gifts were all meant to tell Gu Jiqing that he didn’t dislike him at all and hoped he would stay.
So the first new sock Gu Jiqing unwrapped contained a little card that said: [Sweet and sour pork ribs order coupon, validity period: up to university graduation, usage: WeChat order]
The second new sock: [Invitation coupon for Zhou Zhibai’s birthday party on 31st, it comes with a free gift coupon]
The third new sock: [Ticket to the first row of Zhou Cibai’s basketball game on the 31st, come with a free cheering horn]
Gu Jiqing couldn’t help but curl his lips when he thought of how Zhou Cibai was writing down these words reluctantly and at the same time with his cool and handsome face.
He knew that Zhou Cibai was just trying to make him feel that he did not dislike him.
But how could someone be so clumsy yet so cute?
He began to reflect on how he came to think of Zhou Cibai as a flower that grows on a high mountain1Too high to reach.when he first met him, to the extent that he had a rare sense of playfulness in his heart.
“Zhou Cibai.” Gu Jiqing pinched the card from the third sock and turned sideways.
Just after lighting the candle, Zhou Cibai inserted the last rose he had snatched into the bottle. Upon hearing this, he raised his head. “What’s wrong?”
Gu Jiqing shook the card in his hand and said in a warm voice, “Do you know that the basketball match on the 31st is against our department?”
“……”
“So who do you think I should cheer for then?” Gu Jiqing looked at him and asked in a calm and serene manner.
Zhou Cibai, who realized what a stupid mistake he had made, his ears immediately reddened and he reached out to snatch the ticket back from Gu Jiqing’s hand. “This doesn’t count, you choose something else.”
Gu Jiqing, however, acted as if, when he was teasing Zhou Zhou at home, he hid the ticket behind him. “Why not?”
Zhou Cibai’s reaction was exactly the same as Zhou Zhou’s, he immediately rushed behind him.
Gu Jiqing habitually lifts it up.
As a result, he forgot that this Zhou Zhou in front of him was bigger than Zhou Zhou by an unknown number of circles. When he lifted it upwards, he happened to send it to the other party easily.
He didn’t think about sending this ticket back and hastily hid it behind him.
But Zhou Cibai was just ashamed and wanted to retrieve his foolish evidence, without considering anything else, he directly leaned forward to grab it.
Gu Jiqing was suddenly dragged back and fell onto the sofa.
Zhou Cibai fell down after him, one leg kneeling on the sofa, one leg supporting the ground, and his left hand followed and went behind him.
As a result, it happened to touch the most ticklish area around Gu Jiqing’s waist, and Gu Jiqing couldn’t control the softness of his waist.
Seeing that he was about to roll off the sofa, Zhou Cibai rushed to catch him. However, the leg that was kneeling on one knee at the edge of the sofa suddenly slipped, and his entire body fell straight onto Gu Jiqing.
The warm and soft body was completely enveloped by him, along with the familiar scent of body heat and the splotchy red marks on his collar, instantly evoking Zhou Cibai’s memories from last night.
He felt that his body suddenly warmed up, and he hurriedly tried to stand up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I forgot we were competing against the Science Faculty, so I…”
“So I will go and cheer you on.”
Before he could fully support himself, Gu Jiqing looked at him and, earnestly and gently, told him his conclusion.
Zhou Cibai remained in place.
Gu Jiqing lay under him, looking straight into his eyes, with a gentle but determined voice: “Because you’ve been on my side every time before, I’ll be on your side too.”
He doesn’t have a strong sense of collective honor and belonging.
He just wanted to be thankful for every effort and kindness he has given him, even if sometimes that kindness seemed a little clumsy and overwhelming.
He doesn’t like to owe others favors, and he also doesn’t like to disappoint them.
And with that, Zhou Cibai propped himself up, leaning above him, and watching the way Gu Jiqing said these words, his heart pounded uncontrollably.
He seemed to have never seen Gu Jiqing like he was today before, as if he had diluted the almost perfect tenderness and detachment, revealing the soft and relaxed side hidden by the shell.
The pair of innocent and seductive black eyes always reflected the flames jumping on the table, a warm color that he had never seen before. Even the moonlight and snow that leaked out of the window onto his face faded their original chill, only the red mole remained to sear Zhou Zhubai’s vision.
At that moment, Zhou Cibai suddenly felt a strong desire to kiss him.
Perhaps it’s not just a kiss.
For the first time, it wasn’t because of the physical stimulation that Gu Jiqing brought him, but simply because of the way he looked when he said those words, he just had that kind of desire.
The romantic movie playing on TV also happened to come on with the sound of the main characters hugging and kissing.
The atmosphere became ambiguous and hot in silence.
Zhou Cibai noticed a change in his body, and his fingertips, which were propped up on the sofa, began to curl tightly. His throat rolled uncontrollably twice, and he hesitated several times, not knowing how to ask for the kiss he wanted.
And Gu Jiqing also felt the strong hormonal atmosphere and burning desire enveloping the young man in front of him.
He knew the man in front of him had the finest male body, the most vigorous, and the purest need for desire.
Coincidentally, he also needed some indulgent and intense things to make him remember that he was still a living person.
So since he doesn’t hate the other party, and the other party didn’t hate him either, in the absence of any moral or ethical issues, he never felt that humans should stifle their desires.
So he looked at Zhou Cibai’s reddened ears, his tense Adam’s apple that rolled nervously, and the bulging veins in his neck, as well as the strange feeling of connection between their bodies.
He reached out and wrapped his arms around Zhou Cibai’s neck, his legs gently wrapped around his waist. The slightly red ends of his eyes lifted, and he asked softly, “Zhou Cibai, do you want it?”
