However, Zhou Cibai believed that his IQ was much higher than that of large dogs. When he saw the scene in front of him, even if he was slow, he realized that something was wrong.
He looked at Su Yuebai, and Su Yuebai quickly raised her hand to assure: “Ge! I swear, I didn’t say anything! I really, really didn’t say anything! Grandpa and the others saw through it themselves!”
After saying that, Grandpa leaned on his cane and snorted, “Does this still need people to say? You are my grandson, whom I personally raised. Don’t I know what you are thinking? It’s just that you still want to hide it from me. You are so naive!”
His sister-in-law also smiled gently and said, “That’s right, Xiao Ci, if you don’t want us to find out, at least be a little more restrained. Since you came home, your eyes have been on Xiao Gu and haven’t moved away.”
Zhou Zhenbai’s answer was even simpler: “You don’t even allow Zhou Xiaoyue to kiss him.”
Zhou Cibai: “……”
Is it really that obvious?
Mrs. Zhou looked at her son standing on the ladder and couldn’t help laughing: “Silly boy, who among us hasn’t been in love? How can a couple in love hide themselves? And do you like Xiao Gu this much? You like him so much that you have to climb over the wall to see him after being apart for one night?”
Zhou Cibai retracted his gaze, came down the ladder, stood in front of his parents, and let out an “En” seriously and firmly.
He no longer intends to make excuses or escape and seems to be ready to face everything.
Mrs. Zhou raised her hand to tidy up his hair, which was messed up by the night wind. She found it a bit difficult and then realized that her little son had grown into such a big adult without her knowing.
She asked softly, “But when you came back from Nanwu in junior high school, didn’t you secretly tell me that you met a girl you liked? Why do you like boys now?”
Zhou Cibai lowered his eyelashes, as if he were a little embarrassed but also a little proud: “Gu Jiqing is that girl in junior high school.”
“……” Mrs. Zhou couldn’t help laughing. “Okay, it seems my son is really a fool, there’s nothing I can do about it. Fortunately, Xiao Gu is smart, and you should be able to live well in the future.”
The meaning of the words couldn’t be more obvious.
Zhou Cibai raised his eyes in surprise: “Mom, you guys…”
“What about us? We are going to break the couple up?” Mrs. Zhou glared at Zhou Cibai. “You ah, you are just too concerned. When has our family ever really interfered with your choice? Your life is yours. Not to mention that Xiao Gu looks like a good kid. Even if we don’t understand him at all, as long as you are willing, you can bear all the consequences and responsibilities by yourself. What does that have to do with us?
“Life is something you have to walk on your own. We, as parents, cannot live your whole life for you. You know your own feelings, and as long as you have a clear conscience, that’s enough. Mom was just angry that you couldn’t understand this. What? It must be painful not being able to love someone openly and honestly, right?” Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhou Cibai with a teasing smile.
Zhou Cibai realized that he was indeed confused because he cared about Gu Jiqing too much, was too afraid of losing Gu Jiqing, and was too afraid that Gu Jiqing would be hurt, so he couldn’t understand such a simple truth.
“Not only are you stupid, you’ve also made Xiao Gu stupid too.” Zhou Zhenbai held a folded piece of paper between his index and middle fingers and handed it to Zhou Cibai. “Take a look for yourself.”
Zhou Cibai took it and unfolded it.
On the paper was a very detailed form, which detailed Gu Jiqing’s current income source, income method, income level, his own study and development plan for the next few years, career plan, and expected income level, and then made a detailed repayment plan and career plan.
“This is what Xiao Gu and I were talking about in the study today. He said that you would definitely not ask him to pay back the money, but the money belongs to the Zhou family, and he must return it to me. So I agreed.” Zhou Zhenbai put his hands in his pockets and spoke slowly.
Zhou Cibai quickly said, “But…”
“I know this is your own savings, and our Zhou family doesn’t lack it, but why is such a smart and calm kid talking to me about this so nervously today? Isn’t it because he was afraid that if you two confess in the future, our family will not agree or worry that he was after money? So the kid wants to be with you for the rest of his life. I will take this money first, and when you two succeed, I will triple it and return it to you in a red envelope.”
Zhou Zhenbai smiled at him and said, “What? Or do you just not have the confidence to reach that day?”
Of course, he has.
Zhou Cibai looked at the form in his hand, feeling indescribably touched.
He once asked Gu Jiqing seriously what he wanted and what his future plans were, but at that time Gu Jiqing just said in a gentle, casual, but indifferent manner, “Let’s talk about the future later.”
At that time, Gu Jiqing was someone who could do everything well but didn’t care about anything. It was as if he had never thought about the future or thought about striving for anything. He just lived day by day.
But now Gu Jiqing would be so nervous about their affairs that he would become a little silly, and he would also think seriously and rationally about planning their future, and in this future, there are many, many more of him.
Zhou Cibai didn’t know whether he should feel sorry for Gu Jiqing’s silliness, be happy about Gu Jiqing’s change, or be grateful that he could meet such a good little fool.
After rubbing his fingertips on the form for a while, he finally raised his head and said to Mrs. Zhou, “Mom, can you guys do me a favor?”
Gu Jiqing had no idea what was going on. He just vaguely felt that his human heater went away and came back. He didn’t think much about it and slept until dawn while hugging the heater.
The next few days also became easier.
After all, everyone in the Zhou family is a busy person.
After the third day of the Chinese New Year, Zhou Zhenbai returned to work. Mrs. Zhou and Chairman Zhou were busy with social engagements all day long. Grandpa Zhou accepted visits and wedding banquet invitations from his former subordinates one after another. Even Zhou Xiaoyue was accompanied by his sister-in-law to take equestrian and fencing classes.
He and Zhou Cibai were the only two idle people left in the entire Zhou family mansion.
It can be said that he is not completely free because he has to tutor the girl from Tsinghua High School every day, and Zhou Cibai is responsible for picking him up and dropping him off.
When the two of them were alone at home during the day, he would curl up on Zhou Cibai’s bed, reading books and drawing cute cartoons, while Zhou Cibai would tinker with his architectural model homework in the study less than five meters away from him.
When all the family members come back in the evening, they gather around a table and eat dinner in a lively and noisy atmosphere.
With Mrs. Zhou’s persistent feeding of five meals a day, Gu Jiqing’s overly pointed chin gradually became more graceful.
So much so that Gu Jiqing sometimes sat cross-legged on the carpet, looking at Zhou Zhou, who was becoming increasingly plump after coming to the Zhou family, then lowered his head and touched his own belly, and began to worry whether he would still be able to wear his dancing dress in two years.
So he took the initiative to apply to work out with Zhou Cibai.
However, he was used to being a lazy cat, so every time he worked out, Zhou Cibai would sweat profusely while doing push-ups, while he would leisurely sit on Zhou Cibai’s waist and eat the snacks that Zhou Xiaoyue secretly stuffed into his hands.
Finally, Zhou Cibai took him into the shower room and started a strenuous exercise, training a different part of the body each time.
Sometimes it’s the waist, sometimes it’s the thighs, sometimes it’s the arms, sometimes it’s the knees, and sometimes even the cheeks.
After all, after each exercise, Gu Jiqing no longer worried about gaining weight but just thought weakly that he should eat more.
The days just pass like this, one by one.
When the holiday was about to end, on his last day as a tutor, even the girl he tutored couldn’t help asking, “Teacher, are you in a relationship recently?”
Gu Jiqing paused while marking the papers, turned his head, and blinked. “Is it obvious?”
“Of course it’s obvious!” The girl’s eyes sparkled. “Although teacher used to be very beautiful and good-tempered, I always felt that you were unhappy. You had a very mysterious and melancholy temperament. But now you look so happy. And you often smile after reading messages on your phone. Your smile is very gentle, as if… En… yes! It’s like there are stars!”
The girl is just sixteen years old, an age when she is most sensitive to and full of yearning for the beautiful things in the world.
Gu Jiqing followed her line of sight and looked at himself in the mirror. He had the same smooth black hair, the same skin that was a little too white, the same slender and slightly upturned eyes, and the same inauspicious teardrop mole. However, he looked completely different because of the warmth and relaxation in his eyes.
Is it really that obvious?
Just as Gu Jiqing was thinking, the cell phone on the table rang.
[Gu Xiaomao’s Zhou Dagou]: Is today’s tutoring over? I’m already here.
Gu Jiqing tilted his head to look out the window. Sure enough, there was a familiar Hummer parked at the end of the road in the villa area. Zhou Cibai was standing against the car door, fiddling with his mobile phone in one hand and holding a bag of baked sweet potatoes in the other.
But there is still half an hour before the class ends. Why did Zhou Cibai come so early today?
When Gu Jiqing was thinking, the girl next to him had already leaned on the desk and looked out, then immediately turned around with excitement: “Teacher! Is that your boyfriend? Oh my God! So A, so handsome ah!”
Gu Jiqing: “……”
Are girls nowadays so well-informed and receptive?
What he didn’t know was that girls nowadays are not only well-informed and receptive but also extremely helpful and love to pair other people up. She immediately took her own test paper and the reference answers, compared them a few times, quickly ticked a few boxes, and said, “Teacher, look, I got all the answers right today, so why don’t we end the class early today?”
“But…”
“No buts. Today is Valentine’s Day. If we go any later, it will be rush hour. Don’t make your boyfriend wait any longer. Besides, it’s the last day. Please give me a break. I want to sneak out with my boyfriend to watch a movie. Is that okay?” The girl acted coquettishly and looked at him pitifully.
Gu Jiqing just realized that today is February 14th, Valentine’s Day.
No wonder Zhou Cibai got up this morning and was about to kiss. After giving him a casual kiss, he seemed a bit uncomfortable and unhappy. It turned out that he, the big “straight” guy, forgot to say Happy Valentine’s Day.
Thinking that the remedial lessons had indeed been completed and the results were very ideal, and that the child had indeed worked hard recently, Gu Jiqing smiled, gave a few more instructions gently, then packed up and went downstairs.
As soon as Zhou Cibai saw him, he hurried over to him and said, “Why did you come down so early today?”
Gu Jiqing answered seriously: “Because my student thinks that my boyfriend is too handsome, so she is not in the mood to attend class.”
Zhou Cibai’s ears turned red instantly. He lowered his head to take Gu Jiqing’s backpack, then turned around and got into the driver’s seat.
Still so thin-skinned.
Gu Jiqing lowered his head and smiled, then sat in the passenger seat.
Zhou Cibai handed him the peeled sweet potato and fastened his seat belt for him.
Gu Jiqing took the sweet potato and asked casually, “But why did you come to pick me up so early today?”
Zhou Cibai answered naturally, “There was no traffic jam today, so I arrived a little early.”
Not bad, your lying skills have improved.
Gu Jiqing lowered his head and ate the sweet potato, pretending not to notice. Even when they passed by a square with a large wall of roses, he pretended to be blind.
However, what surprised him was that the vehicle did not drive towards a restaurant but went straight back home.
When they stopped in the garage, Gu Jiqing blinked in confusion. Didn’t Zhou Cibai plan to spend Valentine’s Day with him alone?
Zhou Cibai obviously didn’t intend to explain. He just said a sentence to him, “Wait for me in the garage,” and got out of the car and went upstairs.
Maybe he forgot to take something, Gu Jiqing didn’t think much about it either.
Sure enough, Zhou Cibai soon sent a WeChat message: [Gu Zhizhi, come in for a moment, there is something I can’t move by myself]
Gu Jiqing slowly got out of the car, but when he opened the door, he paused.
The house was empty, no one was there, only red roses were winding up the stairs.
In such an old-fashioned and romantic way, one can tell who did it at first glance.
It turns out that he can’t have too much hope for the aesthetic taste of a certain “straight big dog.”
But even though the decoration is so rustic, as long as he thinks of the clumsy and serious thoughts of a tall boy like Zhou Cibai, it seems to become cute again.
Gu Jiqing followed the direction indicated by the roses, walked up step by step, then pushed open the door to the terrace, and was greeted by a whole sunroom full of roses growing wildly.
These are not roses that have been cut and carefully packaged, but roses that are still rooted in the soil, with thorns, and full of vigorous vitality. In the middle of the roses is a dining table, on which are carefully cooked steaks, a bottle of expensive red wine, two wine glasses, and an exquisite and elegant silver candlestick.
Zhou Cibai was sitting at the dining table in a formal suit. His broad shoulders and narrow waist made him look more mature and handsome.
Gu Jiqing tilted his head to look at Zhou Cibai and suddenly felt that those catwalk models didn’t look as good as his boyfriend in suits.
Zhou Cibai felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. He lowered his head and put his knuckles on his lips, coughing lightly: “Well, Zhou Xiaoyue was sent to Su Yuebai’s house, my brother and sister-in-law went out to celebrate Valentine’s Day, my mom and dad went to commemorate their first love on campus, and my grandpa went back to the old house to accompany my grandma. They won’t be back tonight, so… so can I invite my lover to spend Valentine’s Day with me?”
Zhou Cibai said this, raised his head, put one hand behind his back, and stretched out the other hand to Gu Jiqing.
He had good manners and had learned etiquette very well. He had put aside the cute clumsiness that he usually had when in love and stood there in his neat and handsome clothes, looking like a young gentleman.
Gu Jiqing had no reason to refuse, so he handed over his hand with dignity and arrogance.
Even though he was only wearing the simplest camel coat, he still looked like a proud prince the moment he stretched out his hand.
Zhou Cibai knew that Gu Jiqing deliberately accompanied him to play the roles of a gentleman and a prince, and this sense of pride made his beauty suddenly look particularly attractive.
Zhou Cibai’s heart moved, he hugged his waist, lowered his eyes, and slowly lowered his head. In the flickering candlelight, it was the perfect atmosphere for a kiss.
Then, a shocking “Woof, woof!” came from outside the sunroom.
“……”
Zhou Cibai paused and then continued.
“Woof, woof, woof!”
Zhou Cibai paused again, then continued.
“Woof, woof, woof, woof!”
Zhou Cibai still didn’t care and continued.
“Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof…”
This kiss was totally unbearable.
Zhou Cibai closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Gu Jiqing finally couldn’t help laughing and pushed him away: “If you don’t take care of your son, believe it or not, he will rush in and dig up your flowers?”
Of course, Zhou Cibai believed it.
So he had no choice but to open the door with a sad face and let the big dog that could climb up to the third floor from the garden in.
The big dog immediately wagged its tail and ran towards Gu Jiqing. It raised its paw and pounced, causing a pot of roses to fall to the ground.
Zhou Zhou (The dog): “……”
Zhou Zhou (ZCB); “……”
“Gu Zhouzhou.”
“Awoo——”
Gu Zhouzhou immediately hid behind Gu Jiqing, leaving only an aggrieved head exposed.
Zhou Cibai was angry and wanted to catch it and give it a lesson, but Zhou Zhou quickly dodged and turned around. His claws accidentally hooked on a piece of red cloth next to him. He swung it hard and tore it open, revealing the glass cover inside.
There was silence in the sunroom for a moment.
Zhou Zhou, who realized that it had gotten into trouble again: “……”
Zhou Zhou, who realized that the surprise gift he had prepared was forced to reveal in advance: “……”
And the moment he saw the gift, Gu Jiqing was stunned: “……”
What was contained in the glass cover was not some expensive and luxurious gift, but a miniature manor.
The garden of the manor is surrounded by roses carved out of wood. In the middle of the roses is a large lawn with a swing. Next to the swing lies a Samoyed, and on the Samoyed lies a little orange cat. Not far away, a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever were playing around.
In the middle of the manor is a glass house with a solar roof. The general structure of the house is almost exactly the same as the preliminary model that Gu Jiqing constructed when he was doing mathematical modeling. It is just that the design is more refined, with more artistic sense and many small ideas.
For example, Gu Jiqing liked to sit cross-legged on the carpet lazily to read and bask in the sun, so there were no gaps or decorations on the glass of the bedroom, only a thick carpet in front of the glass.
For example, Gu Jiqing likes to watch the snow scenery, so he built a sunken courtyard in the middle of the house. The design is elegant and simple, and it must be very beautiful if it snows.
For example, Gu Jiqing liked the feeling of calculating formulas in the library, so there was an entire wall covered with bookshelves, and in front of the bookshelves were two desks facing each other.
Every detail can be seen clearly from the inside to the outside, and it is not difficult to see that it is all handmade bit by bit.
So this was the reason why Zhou Cibai asked him for a model of a solar hut.
And this was also the “architectural model assignment” that he had been working on without telling him these days.
Thinking about the small wounds that Zhou Cibai had been getting lately, Gu Jiqing called out softly, “Zhou Cibai.”
“Ah? I…well, actually…”
Zhou Cibai came back to his senses after being called by him, but in his panic, he had not had time to think about how to deliver the touching and emotional lines he had prepared because Gu Jiqing had already protected Zhou Zhou behind him.
“You missed Zhou Zhou’s childhood education, and now you want to cruelly abuse it?” Gu Jiqing asked calmly.
Zhou Cibai, who suddenly became a scumbag father: “?”
Gu Jiqing asked again: “I raised it by myself, how could you bear to let it starve and freeze outside while the two of us have a candlelight dinner inside?”
Zhou Cibai: “??”
“So are you willing to go to the rooftop with me for a drink?”
“??? No… En?”
Zhou Cibai, who originally thought that Gu Jiqing was going to ask him soul-searching questions about education, paused.
Before he could react, Gu Jiqing had already put the basket of red wine in front of Zhou Zhou, and Zhou Zhou picked it up immediately.
Then Gu Jiqing picked up two goblets and said to Zhou Cibai, “Bring the steaks.”
Then he just walked out.
Zhou Zhou followed happily, wagging its tail and holding a basket of red wine.
Zhou Cibai also quickly brought the steak, picked up a thin blanket, and quickly chased after him.
After going out of the third-floor sunroom and walking up the stairs, one will find the rooftop on the fourth floor, which is only half the area of the third floor. Therefore, when sitting on the edge of the rooftop, they will have a clear view of the scenery in the sunroom under their feet.
With candlelight dancing among the roses in the room and looking down at the “manor”, it was a completely different feeling.
Gu Jiqing hung his legs and sat down on the edge of the rooftop. He poured two glasses of red wine and handed one to Zhou Cibai, saying, “When I was at the Gu family before, my favorite place to go was the rooftop.”
Zhou Cibai was afraid that he would fall, so he quickly took the glass with one hand and sat down next to him with the other hand around his waist.
Gu Jiqing felt very comfortable, as if he knew that with Zhou Cibai, he would definitely not let him fall. He held a red wine glass, swayed his legs, and asked, “Do you know that Nanwu is a mountain city? A high place could be very, very high.”
“En.”
Zhou Cibai wrapped Gu Jiqing and himself tightly with a blanket.
Gu Jiqing looked at the distant lake and said, “The Gu family’s old house was located on a very high mountainside. When I was young, sometimes I missed my father, wanted to hide, and would run to the rooftop. At first glance, there were countless houses with the light on, and I would start imagining where I would be if I had a home. I would choose a place and make up a story for myself. When I was satisfied with it, I would go back to sleep. This way, I would dream very well.”
Perhaps due to being soaked in red wine, Gu Jiqing’s storytelling voice was gentle, and his gaze towards the distance was also gentle.
“At that time, I often saw parents sending their children to school together, and when I saw the whole family bickering, I would be very envious. After a long time of envy, I began to have no attachment to home because I felt that thinking about things that were destined to be missing was meaningless. So when you first said you wanted to become my home, I didn’t know what it felt like, nor did I have too much attachment or expectation, but Zhou Cibai.”
“En?”
“When I sit here now and see so many houses with lights on, I suddenly don’t envy and don’t want to make up stories anymore.”
Gu Jiqing looked sideways at the person beside him, “Because when I saw the manor just now, I seemed to know what home was like. I could imagine that we were reading together on the swing, and Zhou Zhou was lying next to us. I could imagine that we were working together. When we were tired from work, we were sitting together and drinking a glass of red wine. I could even imagine that we were watching snow in the courtyard during the Spring Festival. Your mother came after us and asked if we were wearing long johns.”
“So, Zhou Cibai, let’s not break up in the future, okay? Otherwise, I won’t have a home anymore.”
Gu Jiqing looked at him, speaking very seriously and gently. His dark and warm eyes were filled with stars, sincere hope, and love.
So much so that Zhou Cibai’s prepared sweet words suddenly became useless, and he could only explain in a panic, “We wouldn’t have broken up in the first place, and we would definitely have a happier story. That model is just a model now, but I have already agreed with my dad that he will leave me a piece of land. After we graduate, we can expand the proportion to become real, and then it will be our wedding house. We will have many more dogs and cats… umm…”
Before Zhou Cibai could finish speaking, Gu Jiqing lightly kissed his lips.
The silky and smooth liquid was crossed into his mouth, which made him slightly drunk. Zhou Cibai held him in his arms. The red wine cup was knocked over and made breaking sounds. Zhou Zhou whined and quickly fled.
There was a breeze blowing in the distance, bringing the scent of spring. They exchanged a kiss and hid in the lamplight in an empty place. The roses beneath them were like scarlet clouds. If I didn’t express my love to you in a drunken state, how could I be worthy of such a lover and such scenery?
So Gu Jiqing gently raised his eyelashes and asked, “Zhou Cibai, did you know that your collarbone can actually hold wine?”
If cutting off all the roses cannot stop the coming of spring, then why can’t the awakening love be a little crazier——
The author has something to say:
[1] Adapted from a poem by Pablo Neruda: You can cut off all the flowers, but you can’t stop spring from coming
