Childhood Friends – IF Route
1: Kindergarten
Four-year-old You Wen, a middle-class kindergartener, really liked his new classmate Fu Mingchuan. Every day, he would share his snacks with Fu Mingchuan, and even though Fu Mingchuan never accepted them, You Wen persisted tirelessly.
One day, You Wen brought two strawberries. He couldn’t resist eating one on the way to school. When he arrived and couldn’t find Fu Mingchuan, the little glutton couldn’t help but bite off the tip of the remaining strawberry.
Just then, Fu Mingchuan appeared with his usual cold expression. You Wen immediately offered him the remaining part of the strawberry: “Big brother, have a strawberry!”
Fu Mingchuan looked at the bitten strawberry with disdain and stepped back slightly: “No thanks.”
You Wen pushed the strawberry closer to his mouth: “Eat it, big brother, eat it!”
Fu Mingchuan raised his hand, and the delicate You Wen fell to the ground crying. The little one cried harder and harder, and even when the teacher picked him up, he reached out calling “big brother,” insisting only his big brother’s hug would do.
Fu Mingchuan pretended not to see and walked away.
That evening, when Chen Jiyu came to pick them up from kindergarten, You Wen hugged her leg complaining that big brother had bullied him. It took Chen Jiyu half an hour of consoling and a promise to discipline Fu Mingchuan at home before the stubborn You Wen finally stopped crying.
The next day, Fu Mingchuan brought an entire box of strawberries. Several children watched longingly, but Fu Mingchuan simply tucked the box into You Wen’s small backpack.
Before half the lesson was over, the carefree little You Wen had already wiggled his way to Fu Mingchuan’s desk like a silkworm. Thinking the teacher couldn’t see, he leaned close to Fu Mingchuan’s ear and said loudly: “Big brother, the strawberries you brought me are so sweet!”
Fu Mingchuan pushed the little glutton away slightly: “My mom brought them for you, not me.”
The little glutton happily replied “Oh” and added: “Thank you, big brother!”
2: Elementary School
During the last afternoon class, Fu Mingchuan was solving problems when his deskmate suddenly nudged him: “Your little brother’s here.”
Fu Mingchuan glanced out the window, then returned to his work, completely unfazed.
You Wen was leaning on the fourth-grade classroom windowsill, staring at Fu Mingchuan with puppy-dog eyes, like a dog eyeing meat.
As usual, the teacher eventually invited him in and had him sit next to Fu Mingchuan’s desk, asking him to stay quiet.
You Wen was hot from just finishing PE class, his forehead covered in sweat. Every two minutes, he’d wipe it off, only to repeat the process again.
Finding it unbearably hot, You Wen wrote on Fu Mingchuan’s notebook asking if he had any spare scratch paper to fan himself with. The next moment, Fu Mingchuan pulled out a cooling patch from his pocket and handed it to him.
You Wen drew a big smiley face on his notebook with the words: “Thank you, big brother!”
Fu Mingchuan ignored him. After a while, You Wen wrote another message. When Fu Mingchuan wouldn’t look, You Wen nudged his leg under the desk and stepped on his foot.
Fu Mingchuan looked down to see written: “Brother, shall we go eat fried skewers at the school gate later?”
Fu Mingchuan wrote back: “Be quiet.”
After school, they ended up eating fried skewers anyway. The picky Fu Mingchuan only ate one, while the rest went into glutton You Wen’s stomach.
The little glutton carried the food with both hands while Fu Mingchuan helped carry his backpack. You Wen only needed his mouth free to chatter endlessly: “There’s a new sausage stand at the school’s east gate, it’s really delicious. Can we go buy some tomorrow?”
“New Sheng’s store got a whole new set of cards, but I can never complete the collection. You have good luck, you must come with me to buy some tomorrow.”
“Did auntie buy you any new game cartridges? Can I come play at your house this weekend?”
After chattering non-stop for half an hour, You Wen finally noticed Fu Mingchuan hadn’t responded at all. He turned to look at him innocently: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Fu Mingchuan replied: “I thought your questions didn’t need answers, since you’ve already decided everything for me.”
You Wen blinked his big eyes at Fu Mingchuan, seemingly not understanding his meaning. After a while, he cautiously asked: “So… are we still going to eat grilled sausages tomorrow?”
After a long pause, Fu Mingchuan gave a soft “Mm-hmm.”
The little glutton immediately brightened up: “Then we’re still playing games at your house this weekend!”
3: Middle School
After entering ninth grade, You Wen, who had been an above-average student, started skipping classes to play games at internet cafes with his new friends. His grades plummeted. Instead of contacting You Wen’s parents, the teachers approached Fu Mingchuan, asking him to have a serious talk with You Wen.
Actually, Fu Mingchuan had already tried to talk to You Wen several times, but You Wen kept avoiding him. This time, Fu Mingchuan went straight to You Wen’s classroom at the beginning of the last period to intercept him, and finally succeeded.
The boys with You Wen didn’t dare to confront Fu Mingchuan. They just called out to You Wen to hurry up. You Wen responded, “You guys go ahead, I’ll be there soon.”
Only Fu Mingchuan and You Wen remained in the corridor. Fu Mingchuan asked coldly, “Where are you going?”
You Wen stood with his hands in his pockets, his beautiful eyes fixed on the railing, voice tinged with displeasure: “Got something to do.”
“What thing?” Fu Mingchuan’s gaze fell on You Wen’s face. As they grew older, You Wen’s features had become like an pearl that couldn’t be hidden by dust—wherever he was, people’s eyes naturally gravitated to his face. Fu Mingchuan was no exception.
You Wen still wouldn’t look at him, voice stubborn: “Just something.”
After a moment of silence, Fu Mingchuan said in an unreadable tone: “Then go ahead.”
You Wen’s expression immediately crumpled as he turned to leave. Perhaps it was Fu Mingchuan’s imagination, but he thought You Wen looked thinner.
Fu Mingchuan walked to the end of the corridor and smoked a cigarette in the darkness before heading downstairs. As he turned the corner on the staircase, he found You Wen standing at the bottom.
Hearing Fu Mingchuan’s footsteps, You Wen glanced up at him before turning away, no longer looking at him—clearly waiting to be coaxed.
Fu Mingchuan’s heart softened. Walking closer to You Wen, he asked in a low voice: “Want to go play?”
You Wen remained silent, unlike his usual chattery self.
Fu Mingchuan tugged his arm: “Come on, I’ll take you.”
You Wen still didn’t speak but silently followed beside him, going wherever Fu Mingchuan led.
Fu Mingchuan actually took him to an internet cafe where they played games all night, then brought him home. They showered together, and Fu Mingchuan helped dry You Wen’s hair.
Lying in bed, You Wen hugged the blanket and asked Fu Mingchuan: “Why are you being so nice today?”
Looking at You Wen’s innocent expression, Fu Mingchuan’s lips curved: “Is it more fun playing when I take you out, or when they take you out?”
You Wen gave an ambiguous answer: “Both are fun.” But his expression clearly showed he preferred going out with Fu Mingchuan.
Fu Mingchuan didn’t call him out on it: “From now on, when you want to play, come find me. I’ll take you.”
This was the conclusion, though every serious talk eventually felt forced to Fu Mingchuan. However, this time You Wen objected: “But you’re not always free to take me out.”
Then, as if dissatisfied, he added: “Don’t you have to take others out too?”
Fu Mingchuan was confused: “Who?”
You Wen puffed up his cheeks and wouldn’t answer. Fu Mingchuan pinched his cheek: “Speak.”
“That Wang person. Aren’t you taking them fencing and horseback riding?” You Wen blurted out, then got angry before Fu Mingchuan could respond, “You’re such a bad friend, never taking me to do those things.”
Fu Mingchuan seemed to take a moment to recall who You Wen meant, then asked puzzled: “I barely know him. Why would I take him out?”
The troublemaker You Wen immediately poked his head out: “Barely know him? How is that possible? I saw you two fencing together and horseback riding! You’ve never taken me to do those things!”
“His father asked my father to let him use my instructor. We just happened to take a few lessons together.” Fu Mingchuan explained while pinching You Wen’s face, “Starting tomorrow, you’re coming to lessons with me. No more being lazy or making excuses!”
You Wen shouted: “Ow ow ow, I’ll go tomorrow, okay? Okay?”
Fu Mingchuan had thought You Wen was being led astray and had planned to talk to those boys, but now knowing the real reason, he felt relieved. He urged the troublemaker to sleep, but even late into the night, he couldn’t escape You Wen’s pestering.
The troublemaker deliberately woke him up: “What does that Wang person really want? Why is he being so nice to you? He’s so weird.”
Fu Mingchuan closed his eyes: “…Go to sleep.”
4: High School
During the summer of their second year of high school, You Wen was sent to a closed training camp by You Fan to build up his physical fitness. Fu Mingchuan didn’t think much of it at first, until You Wen called him a week later asking what he was doing.
Looking at his endless course schedule, Fu Mingchuan replied, “Studying.”
Then he asked You Wen, “How are things there?”
After a pause, You Wen said, “Just okay.”
Fu Mingchuan sensed something was wrong. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, he gathered some useful information:
The camp had minimal rest periods, strict training, bland food, and no entertainment.
Moreover, they were only allowed one phone call per week to the outside world, and You Wen had used his to call him, his tone noticeably off.
You Wen wasn’t really having a terrible time; he’d just never been away from home this long, constantly under supervision, and was struggling to adjust.
Especially after intense physical training, he would sit quietly alone for long periods, unable to muster enthusiasm for anything, feeling almost abandoned.
The coach, concerned, asked if he needed a break during training the next day. When You Wen nodded, the coach let him rest under a tree for ten minutes.
You Wen was looking around listlessly when suddenly his gaze fell on an approaching figure in the distance. Someone else was with them, carrying luggage, but after watching briefly from afar, they were led away to the dormitory.
As soon as training ended, You Wen ran to the dormitory, checking room after room until he finally found someone sitting on his bed in his own room.
He stopped in the doorway, staring at Fu Mingchuan—who was a head taller than him in his white T-shirt–as he walked over. His nose instantly started tingling. Before Fu Mingchuan could speak, You Wen buried himself in his embrace, asking in a muffled voice, “Why did you come?”
Fu Mingchuan didn’t push him away, just patted his back: “Is someone bullying you?”
You Wen stepped back somewhat embarrassedly: “No, I’m just not used to being alone here.”
He’d always been surrounded by people taking care of him; coming here suddenly, with no mental preparation, had been difficult.
“Have you eaten?” Fu Mingchuan asked.
You Wen’s spoiled nature emerged: “The cafeteria food is terrible.”
Fu Mingchuan took out food he’d brought for You Wen: “Let’s eat.”
The pampered one immediately brightened up, eating while chattering: “Didn’t they check your luggage? How did you bring this in? You don’t know, they don’t even use oil in their cooking, barely any salt either. It’s awful.”
Fu Mingchuan sat watching the spoiled one eat. Though You Wen had tanned a bit, he still ate like he did as a child, making everything look delicious: “They said we could bring one thing we wanted, so I brought you food.”
You Wen looked at him, and hearing roommates returning, leaned in to whisper: “Thank you, big brother.”
Fu Mingchuan patted You Wen’s head: “Eat up.”
Seeing a newcomer, the roommates gathered around. Fu Mingchuan answered all their questions until they were puzzled: “Good grades, good physique, good body, no bad habits–why are you here in prison?” They jokingly called the closed training ‘prison’ and themselves ‘inmates’.
Many were there to lose weight or build strength. You Wen was special–You Fan had sent him to cure his spoiled nature.
Fu Mingchuan glanced at You Wen: “I was worried about him being here alone, so I came to keep him company.”
His words earned immediate praise: “Now that’s a good brother, showing real loyalty!”
The boys were boisterous, quickly becoming rowdy, but as soon as the lunch break bell rang, everyone immediately went to bed. Fu Mingchuan saw You Wen’s gesturing and lay down too.
Perhaps because Fu Mingchuan was nearby, You Wen fell asleep quickly, but when the end-of-break bell rang, he jolted awake within three seconds. Fu Mingchuan thought he was startled and came over to pat his back, but You Wen said, “It’s fine, it’s like this every day here.”
Fu Mingchuan hadn’t worried much about it until that night, when You Wen suddenly sat up in bed, startled awake. Fu Mingchuan, being a light sleeper, asked if something was wrong, but You Wen again said it was nothing.
The next night, when You Wen jolted awake again, Fu Mingchuan didn’t hesitate. He arranged for both their withdrawal papers, refusing to listen to anyone’s protests, determined to take You Wen home.
In the car ride back, sitting in the back seat, Fu Mingchuan asked, “Why didn’t you say you were scared at night?”
At seventeen, You Wen was too embarrassed to admit his fear: “I wasn’t scared, it’s just a conditioned response. They keep ringing bells suddenly, and it startles me.”
Seeing Fu Mingchuan watching him silently, You Wen half-knelt on the seat, leaning toward Fu Mingchuan’s side, then reached up to pull down the partition. Fu Mingchuan said, “Sit properly.”
You Wen refused, leaning in to bite Fu Mingchuan’s lip before pulling back to observe his reaction.
He didn’t know if Fu Mingchuan liked boys, but he wanted Fu Mingchuan to like him—to like him romantically.
Fu Mingchuan didn’t move or change expression: “Do you know what you’re doing?”
You Wen leaned in to kiss him again, this time with tongue, his puppy eyes fixed on Fu Mingchuan. After a moment, Fu Mingchuan took control, holding You Wen’s chin.
That night, You Wen spent the entire evening excitedly asking if they were together now, and Fu Mingchuan spent the entire evening responding with increasingly pleased “mm-hmms.”
That night, You Wen didn’t startle awake again.
5: University
You Fan wanted You Wen to study business, but after Fu Mingchuan had a two-hour deep conversation with him, You Fan agreed to let You Wen study his preferred major—early childhood psychology.
During their four years of university, You Wen spent three and a half years whispering in Fu Mingchuan’s ear about what pets he wanted. It wasn’t until they moved in together in their final semester that You Wen got his first pet—a Golden Retriever he named Tiao Tiao.
They lived in a duplex apartment near campus. Though Fu Mingchuan was already interning at his family’s company, he made sure to come home early to walk the dog with You Wen.
Compared to Fu Mingchuan, Tiao Tiao preferred You Wen more—listless when walked by Fu Mingchuan but instantly energetic with You Wen.
After Tiao Tiao ran ahead, You Wen complained to Fu Mingchuan, “This thesis is so hard to write. Help me look it over when we get home.”
You Wen planned to pursue graduate studies, and with few classmates competing, he secured a spot in the program. Fu Mingchuan supported his studies, telling him to study as much as he wanted.
“Professor Lin from W University called me too. He wants me to do my graduate studies at their school. I really like him, and his research direction matches my interests,” You Wen said, always sharing everything with Fu Mingchuan with childlike openness.
Before Fu Mingchuan could ask if he’d accepted, You Wen added, “I turned him down. I don’t want to be too far from you.”
You Wen always spoke directly, which Fu Mingchuan appreciated: “You can go if you want to. I’ll visit you.”
“I don’t want to,” You Wen refused flatly. “You’re already working so hard at your internship. I need to keep an eye on you.”
He added, “Nothing else is more important than you.”
Fu Mingchuan patted his head: “Studying locally is just as good. I’d worry about you being alone in another city.”
After the training camp incident in high school, Fu Mingchuan never let You Wen live alone away from home again.
Having reached an agreement, they returned home after walking the dog. Fu Mingchuan went to shower first. Halfway through, You Wen opened the bathroom door wearing only Fu Mingchuan’s shirt.
A moment later, Fu Mingchuan’s slightly restrained voice came from inside: “Do you know what you’re doing?”—the same words from years ago.
You Wen replied sweetly, “Yes, I do.”
What followed were uncontrollable gasps and moans.
The night was long, and their future even longer.
6: Working Life
Fu Mingchuan became a group director at just 27, earning praise as a young achiever. Especially noteworthy was his push into new energy two years ago—despite initial skepticism, the market had completely transformed in just a few years. Even the old shareholders who had opposed him now respected him deeply.
However, being young, handsome, powerful, and wealthy meant his private life drew attention. People tried to introduce potential partners to him, but strangely, none succeeded.
At one dinner party, a well-off young man came with his father. Though he’d known Fu Mingchuan for a while but couldn’t get close to him, he tried something underhanded—spiking Fu Mingchuan’s drink and getting physically close.
Fu Mingchuan pushed him away with a cold smile, stating clearly: “I have someone at home.”
The man wasn’t deterred, whispering in his ear: “No one needs to know…”
The next moment, he was thrown to the ground, chair and all. Fu Mingchuan stood up in disgust, looked at the embarrassed guests, and told the young man’s father: “I’m not interested in just anyone.”
He’d only come out of respect for his father’s old friend, but this was too much.
Without caring about their expressions, he excused himself and left.
Feeling unwell on the way home, he tried video calling You Wen, who didn’t answer. When he finally got home, he found You Wen playing with their dog in the garden.
A peacock wandered near You Wen, while a cat perched in a tree teasing birds. Fu Mingchuan felt a sense of déjà vu, and despite his discomfort, he stood watching the scene intently until You Wen noticed him.
You Wen ran over, leaving the dog: “Didn’t you have a business dinner? Why are you home so early?”
Fu Mingchuan looked down at You Wen. Over the years, he’d taken good care of him – You Wen still had a strong student-like innocence about him. Standing there in his suit, Fu Mingchuan felt almost like he was taking advantage of You Wen: “Finished early, so I came home.”
You Wen found Fu Mingchuan strange today – not just talking, but nuzzling his face, his tone different from usual, inexplicably intimate. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Fu Mingchuan stepped back: “Nothing. I’ll take a shower. Go play.”
At 27, You Wen didn’t mind being told to “go play.” He followed Fu Mingchuan, chattering about his day: “Zhou Hui invited me camping next week.”
“It’s at Deer Mountain. I looked it up online, it’s beautiful, but you need to take a cable car up.”
“There are lots of hibiscus flowers there, they say the whole mountain is covered in them, and they bloom for a long time…”
Before he could finish, Fu Mingchuan pulled him into the room and pressed him against the door.
Fu Mingchuan was unusually conflicted – not wanting You Wen to know what had happened, yet not wanting to go to the hospital. At this moment, he just wanted to be with You Wen, his body as honest as his heart.
Even the next day, You Wen didn’t know what had happened, only feeling that Fu Mingchuan had been somewhat wild that night. Angry at Fu Mingchuan’s lack of restraint, he followed him into the bathroom complaining: “If you do this again…”
Fu Mingchuan pinched his cheek: “I won’t do it again.”
You Wen gave up, mumbling: “You’re so annoying. I told you I have things to do at school today.”
“I’ll drive you to school,” Fu Mingchuan readily agreed. “I’ll pick you up when you’re done.”
“I’ll take you camping on the weekend.”
Then added: “Not to Deer Mountain with Zhou Hui. I’ll take you myself.”
You Wen smiled: “Okay!”
Birds pecked at the window, urging You Wen to feed them. Watching You Wen run off, Fu Mingchuan’s lips curved into a smile – how was it that after all these years, he was still so adorable?
Author’s Note:
Although it’s been a while since I last updated, I’ve written a lot this time (#^.^#).
I won’t write an ending note here; let’s meet again in the next book!
Some details in the main story have been revised, including the breakup explanation and the ending. There’s no “burning bridges” scenario1A “burning bridges” scenario is a metaphor that refers to actions or decisions that irrevocably sever a relationship, opportunity, or connection, making it impossible to go back or repair things. In the context of storytelling, a “burning bridges” scenario often refers to intense or dramatic fallout, such as irreparable conflicts, betrayals, or catastrophic consequences for characters., just a smoother resolution. You can decide whether to reread or not—it’s up to you.
This book was initially planned as a short story of 50,000–60,000 words, so there wasn’t much space for intricate plot development. Writing short stories still needs some practice, and I’ll aim to create something more complete in the next book. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but I’ll keep working hard to improve!
The next book might take a while before it’s released—I plan to save up more drafts first.
Translator’s Note:
The story ends here, thank you for following You Wen and Fu Mingchuan’s journey!
