From the time Gu Zhuoyan came out until now, it was the first time the father and son had been alone together, face-to-face, peacefully. Even on the day before Gu Zhuoyan was sent to Rong City, they had argued down to the last second, even smashing a vase.

After spending two months in Rong City, he hadn't expected to actually be able to sit down and drink coffee together. It seemed the saying "distance makes the heart grow fonder" was very true. Gu Zhuoyan stirred the liquid in his cup, his eyes lowered to stare at the swirling vortex. It would be a lie to say it wasn't awkward.

If it weren't for Zhuang Fanxin praising him for being reliable, he wouldn't have impulsively called out "Dad." After calling out, he felt a bit of regret, afraid Gu Shibo would flatter himself into thinking he was giving in.

"Ahem." Gu Shibo was equally reserved, making a sound with a fake cough. "How have things been in Rong City?"

This opening was both versatile and cliché. A colleague returning from a business trip, a divorced couple, an old friend getting out of a detention center—this line could be used as a greeting for all of them upon reunion. Gu Zhuoyan put down his spoon and said, "It's been good."

Gu Shibo said, "The air is good there, and the city's environment is much better too."

Gu Zhuoyan hummed in agreement, "The old architecture is quite nice too."

To prevent the conversation from dying, they talked for a long time about Rong City's merits, as if they knew more than its mayor and party secretary. After they finished, it became even more awkward. After a moment of silence, Gu Shibo said, "It's not hot anymore, try the coffee."

Gu Zhuoyan took a sip. It was bitter, not as good as Yinan's milk tea. He began to zone out. Summer's First Love was already out of season. What was Yinan's current specialty? 'I'll go try it with Zhuang Fanxin when he gets back.'

"What are you thinking about?" Gu Shibo asked.

"Nothing," Gu Zhuoyan replied. "Just suddenly thought of something about school."

Gu Shibo found a topic. "Is there still any problem with that fight from before? The other party didn't come looking for trouble with you later, did they?"

Gu Zhuoyan shook his head, ending the new topic in a second.

At that moment, Gu Shibo had the absurd thought that it would be better if his son caused a bit more trouble at school, so they wouldn't run out of things to talk about so quickly. But reason quickly took over. Although the number of troubles he caused wasn't large, the quality was outstanding—enough to send someone to the ICU with anger.

"Oh, right." He thought of something else. "That time you called and said you wanted to go to Class 3, was there any reason?"

Gu Zhuoyan naturally wouldn't tell the truth. He fibbed to his own father, saying, "No reason, I was just looking for an excuse to call you."

Gu Shibo clearly hadn't expected that, and his heart was instantly soothed, his eyes behind his lenses revealing a trace of emotion. Gu Zhuoyan couldn't stand that look. He took a big gulp of coffee to calm his nerves and started calculating what time it was in Los Angeles.

He was suffering from a mild case of lovesickness when Gu Shibo asked, "After the exam, are you going to hang out with Lu Wen and the others for a few days?"

Gu Zhuoyan replied, "Yeah, it's National Day."

"Then go have a get-together, relax after the competition," Gu Shibo said. "How are you getting along with your classmates at the new school? You didn't scare anyone with the fight this time, did you?"

Gu Zhuoyan's alertness was as sharp as an eagle's. He said impassively, "The new classmates are all nice, and I get along with them very well."

After a few seconds of silence, Gu Shibo asked, "Do you have any particularly close friends?"

Gu Zhuoyan's defensive instincts immediately kicked in. He recalled how when he first came out, Gu Shibo and Xue Manzi had investigated everyone around him as if trying to catch a secret lover. Su Wang and the others had all been prime suspects.

His attitude soured. He said bluntly, "You held back for so long and finally asked. Aren't you just trying to ask if I've been fooling around? If I make a particularly close friend, what then? Are you going to immediately suspect me of being gay?"

Gu Shibo's face darkened. "Don't be a brat with me."

"How am I being a brat? Weren't you the one who asked first?"

The father and son started shouting again. Xue Manzi heard the commotion and came over. She stood behind Gu Shibo and patted his back.

"Since you're both here, I'll make a solemn declaration," Gu Zhuoyan said. "I like men, and I'm destined to be gay. If not at seventeen, then at twenty; if not at twenty, then I'll definitely do it at thirty. As for when you two will accept it, I won't interfere. However, I tolerate your backward thinking, and I hope you will also respect my emotional orientation. After all, you two can get married, there's no reason I should have to be a bachelor for life."

Gu Shibo slammed the table with a "thwack," staring wide-eyed at Gu Zhuoyan, looking like he wanted to smash the cup as well. Gu Zhuoyan never lingered in a fight. He pushed back his chair and stood up, saying, "The competition is tomorrow, I'm going back to pack my things."

Gu Shibo said angrily, "What are you packing? Don't you dare use the exam as an excuse to pull this stunt!"

"Packing my documents, stationery, and I also need to sharpen my pencils." Gu Zhuoyan added with emphasis, "The 2B ones."

After speaking, he left, striding away from the main building. The small villa he lived in alone was separated from the main building by two lawns. He went back and packed his schoolbag and clothes. His anger still hadn't subsided, so he simply grabbed his bag and walked further away.

Xue Manzi came looking for him and ran into Gu Zhuoyan walking out at the building's entrance. She asked, "Where are you going? Are you that angry with us?"

Gu Zhuoyan retorted, "Are you guys finding it that hard to accept?" He silenced her with one sentence. Remembering how Zhuang Fanxin had once comforted him, he added, "Let's just give each other some more time. I'm going to a hotel."

Gu Zhuoyan went to the Sofitel Hotel and got a room. He didn't tell Lian Yiming. After calming down, he studied in his room until ten o'clock at night. The competition started the next day, so he rested early.

On Monday morning, Gu Zhuoyan brought his credentials to the designated floor to compete. He followed the organizers to be reassigned a room and took the exam in the conference hall at ten o'clock sharp. The competition lasted for three days, closed-door style, with all meals and accommodation provided within the hotel.

Su Wang rushed over wearing a mask. His cold had gotten a little better, but he still seemed listless. Gu Zhuoyan got a cup of water and brought it over, asking, "Can you manage like this?"

"I'll just muddle through the exam," Su Wang said, slumping in his chair. "What room are you in? Are you gonna cram questions tonight?"

Gu Zhuoyan cherished his life. "You cram on your own. Don't infect me."

The exam began. After seeing the questions, Gu Zhuoyan thought of Zhuang Fanxin. Zhuang Fanxin had told him that it was okay even if he didn't do well. He lowered his head and smiled, his mindset more peaceful than ever before.

The competition ended on Wednesday afternoon. There would be two days to tabulate the results, during which the contestants were free to do as they pleased. Gu Zhuoyan and Su Wang returned to their room. Su Wang said, "Ming-zi and Lu Wen are coming over tonight after school."

The four of them had been in the same city for several days without having a proper get-together, which was inexcusable. Gu Zhuoyan said, "Let's go to my room then."

It was just five o'clock. Su Wang said, "I'm going to the eighteenth floor for a spa first, hehe."

Gu Zhuoyan didn't want to go, so he went to the nearby mall to buy a gift and then met his tutor for a meal. By the time he left the restaurant, the city lights were just coming on. On his way back to the hotel, he happened to run into Lian Yiming and Lu Wen at the entrance.

The two of them had just gotten out of school, carrying their backpacks and wearing their school uniforms. They were playing Fight the Landlord on their phones as they walked. The two of them were teaming up against Su Wang. They doubled, then redoubled, then revealed their cards and doubled again, and then they were quickly defeated by Su Wang.

"Fuck," Lu Wen said, exiting the game room. "This sucks. That bastard never knows how to be nice to his bros."

"We'll crush him later," Lian Yiming said. Entering the elevator, he threw an arm around Gu Zhuoyan. "How'd the test go? If you get first place and get directly admitted to a top university, you're not going to ditch us and go off to college, are you?"

Gu Zhuoyan smiled lazily, "I'll take that as a good omen."

The room arranged by the organizers wasn't large, and it was a bit crowded with the four of them inside. Gu Zhuoyan and Lian Yiming leaned against the headboard together, while Lu Wen and Su Wang sat at the foot of the bed. This arrangement kept their IQs relatively balanced.

After his spa, Su Wang was glowing and refreshed, and he seemed more energetic too. "It's so boring waiting for the results. What should we do for fun these next two days?"

Lu Wen said unhappily, "It's not break time yet, go to school!" After saying that, he remembered his own habit of skipping class. "Zhazha needs to set up the concert venue. Why don't you help me supervise?"

Su Wang was disgusted and refused to go, pushing the task onto Lian Yiming, whose family owned a hotel. Lian Yiming said, "I don't even strut around my own family's hotel to show off. You want me to go to someone else's clubhouse to shine and contribute? Am I Lei Feng?"

The three of them bickered with each other. After a while, they realized Gu Zhuoyan hadn't said a word, as if a quiet young maiden was sitting amidst a pile of shrews. There's a saying, "A young girl's heart is always full of poetry." The three shrews exchanged a look and slowly gathered around the maiden.

Su Wang asked, "Yanyan, what's on your mind?"

Gu Zhuoyan got goosebumps all over. "Nothing's on my mind, I just feel like nothing's interesting."

"Oho!" Lu Wen became dramatic. "You've returned to your hometown, and you think it's not interesting? Your three bros are with you, and you think it's not interesting? Go find whoever is interesting then."

Gu Zhuoyan said, "Then I'd have to go to the USA to find them."

This "the man's heart has changed" act was too cold-hearted, but it also showed he was truly thinking about someone. Gu Zhuoyan had said before that he wanted to pursue Zhuang Fanxin, so the three of them had a sudden realization.

Lian Yiming slapped Gu Zhuoyan on the chest. "So, what's the progress with your little neighbor?"

They had finally hit on a topic Gu Zhuoyan was interested in, and he couldn't hold back a smile. He originally wanted to hide it from these broadcast station masters, but how could he possibly hold it in? "At the moment, it's mutual affection."

Su Wang looked shocked. He had egged him on before, but he wasn't sure about Zhuang Fanxin's actual situation. He said, "Your neighbor is really gay too? You better be sure, don't waste your infatuation on the wrong person!"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "He's rather shy, so he hasn't stated it explicitly." A faint layer of pride couldn't help but appear on his face. "But he's hinted that he's interested in me many times, and very strongly."

Lu Wen asked with yearning, "How do you gays hint at it?"

How could he share something so sweet and private? But his good bros were thirsty for knowledge; how could Gu Zhuoyan refuse? He first gave a hereditary fake cough and began, "Zhuang Fanxin, well, he burrowed into my clothes and held me just like that, skin to skin. To be honest, I was really shocked at the time. Another time, when we were shopping at the supermarket, he put his arm around my waist in public, clinging to me. He even acted like a young couple and fed me fish balls, saying in a particularly gentle and endearing voice—You still have me."

Lian Yiming was dumbfounded. 'No way? When we met him that time, Zhuang Fanxin didn't seem like that kind of person.' He sought the truth, "Can you not make this up? Do you think we'd believe you?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "Believe it or not, that's what happened."

"Holy shit, that's so exciting," Lu Wen said, swallowing. "I really couldn't tell the little neighbor was so bold and proactive. And then? After he hinted at it, did you tell him you were gay?"

Gu Zhuoyan chuckled softly. "He knew I was gay first, and only then did he feel secure enough to hint at it so boldly."

Su Wang latched onto the key point. "How did he know?"

Gu Zhuoyan's smile froze. Weren't these three the ones who blabbed the whole story about why he transferred schools? Just as he was about to ask, a dozen or so messages popped up one after another in the guys' group chat. He opened it and scrolled through. It turned out Zhuang Fanxin had surfaced, prompting everyone to come online and chat.

Lian Yiming was the first to lean over and peek at the screen. Lu Wen and Su Wang also squeezed in to watch, their gazes even more focused than Gu Zhuoyan's own. The four of them stared at the chat messages with undivided attention. After seven or eight messages scrolled by, Lu Wen asked, "Who's this Qi Nan? Why is the little neighbor always talking to him?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "His deskmate."

Another five or six messages went by. Su Wang asked, "He has time to 'hahaha' in the group chat, why isn't he having a private heart-to-heart with you?"

Gu Zhuoyan said, "He knows I have an exam, he's afraid I'm tired."

Another three or four messages passed. Lian Yiming spoke up, "You haven't said anything for a while, and he hasn't cued you either."

Gu Zhuoyan felt he was losing face a bit, and he also resented these guys for being so nosy. Plus, their prodding had left him feeling a bit unsettled. Just then, Zhuang Fanxin said he had to get busy and said goodbye to everyone in the group.

Lu Wen said urgently, "The little neighbor is about to log off, fucking say something already!"

Gu Zhuoyan tapped on Zhuang Fanxin's profile picture and typed, "I just finished the exa—" Before he could finish typing, Zhuang Fanxin cut him off and sent a message: "Did you finish your exam today? You haven't said anything in the group, so I guess you're still busy. Rest well after you're done."

Su Wang murmured, "So thoughtful, fuck."

All his lost face and feelings of being unsettled were recovered. Gu Zhuoyan replied, "Finished. Waiting for the results these next two days."

Zhuang Fanxin: "After the results are out, you'll be free, right? You can relax for a few days."

Gu Zhuoyan paused for a moment. "After the results, I'll be waiting for you."

"Oh my god..." Lian Yiming shivered. "You gays are fucking incredible."

The phone went silent. Zhuang Fanxin also paused and didn't reply, probably embarrassed. Gu Zhuoyan was always extremely patient at times like this. He waited quietly for five minutes to no avail, then he calmly broke the silence, "Go get busy. I'm going to take a shower and sleep."

Zhuang Fanxin obediently replied, "Have a good dream."

Gu Zhuoyan sent one last reply, "I want to dream of you."

He was by no means someone skilled at sweet talk. Every cheesy line was squeezed out by steeling his heart, stomping his foot, and gritting his teeth. After sending it, even he couldn't stand it, tossing the phone to the foot of the bed as if startled.

Lu Wen said, "What's wrong, is this love too hot to handle?"

Gu Zhuoyan shrugged and smiled, his elation mixed with a hint of helplessness. His heart was thumping away on its own. Love, so this was love. It made him a little dazed.

And as for how Zhuang Fanxin knew he was gay, he had completely forgotten to ask.