Gu Zhuoyan stayed at his grandpa's house until the last day of the vacation, taking a flight back to Rong City on the afternoon of the 7th. The old man personally saw him and Gu Baoyan to the airport. After getting their boarding passes, the three of them, grandfather and grandchildren, exchanged a few words of temporary farewell, as they wouldn't see each other again before the New Year.

Ladies first. Gu Baoyan spoke first: "Grandpa, I'll miss you."

Gu Pingfang said: "Don't miss me too much, thinking of me once every half a month is enough. No one's supervising you in Rong City, so take the chance to play and run around more, and pester your maternal grandpa more to seek knowledge and clear up doubts. That old man knows a lot of things."

After chatting with his granddaughter, it was his grandson's turn. Gu Pingfang patted Gu Zhuoyan's shoulder and said: "As for you, I've never had to worry much about you since you were little. You're reliable when it comes to serious matters. As for other things, whether you take an unorthodox approach or go against the grain, you can figure it out for yourself."

Gu Zhuoyan joked: "Aren't you afraid I'll cause trouble?"

Gu Pingfang said with a smile: "Following the rules is for the mediocre, it's boring." He rubbed his palms together, "By the way, you came back this time, and our in-law didn't have you bring back a greeting?"

Gu Zhuoyan answered truthfully: "My maternal grandpa said there's no need for two old widowers to be so chummy."

Gu Pingfang didn't like hearing that—old widowers need more humanistic care, right? He said magnanimously: "Then when you get back to Rong City, say hello to Old Xue for me. Make your words proud and cold, don't make it seem like I'm too eager."

It was getting late, and the comings and goings of people could easily lead to collisions. Before leaving, Gu Zhuoyan covered Gu Baoyan's ears, leaned close to the old man, and confirmed: "Grandpa, my parents' side, have you taken care of everything?"

The old man shot him a look: "Even if you don't believe in universal gravitation, you should believe in your grandpa."

Gu Zhuoyan was completely at ease. He gave a hug that nearly snapped Gu Pingfang's old bones, then led Gu Baoyan into the departure hall. The knot in his heart was untied, and even his steps were much lighter than when he had arrived.

Outside the cabin, thick clouds rolled by. There was no signal, but he couldn't help but keep looking at his phone.

Zhuang Fanxin would call occasionally, talking about trivial, frustrating things, or reporting good news after advancing. Gu Zhuoyan was simply like a customer service agent, on standby twenty-four hours a day. When Zhuang Fanxin was unhappy, he offered comfort; when Zhuang Fanxin was happy, he celebrated along with him. His way with words was also getting better and better.

The view gradually cleared. After spotting the familiar patch of colors, the plane began its descent. Xue Maochen came to pick them up. Saying goodbye to their paternal grandpa and welcoming their maternal grandpa, Gu Zhuoyan and Gu Baoyan accompanied the old man home, one on his left and one on his right.

Xue Maochen said: "I was afraid you two would be reluctant to come back."

Gu Baoyan pressed her face against the car window: "How could we? I think Rong City is better. The mountains of gold and silver at home can't compare to the green mountains and clear waters of Rong City."

Gu Zhuoyan said: "I'm really craving Sister Hu's cooking."

The siblings had clearly become southerners in spirit. There was no end to the large banyan trees along the way. As they turned into the old alley, the German Shepherd rushed out in a hundred-meter dash to welcome them, and Sister Hu also poked her head out of the kitchen to call out to them.

There was a stack of newspapers in the entryway. Gu Zhuoyan asked: "Selling these for recycling? I happen to have some old test papers to get rid of too."

Xue Maochen said: "Those are the Zhuang family's newspapers. It's perfect that you're back, you can start collecting them for him tomorrow."

It had to be said, the three members of the Zhuang Family truly loved to read books and newspapers. Morning and evening papers, gardening magazines, design journals—the mailbox had something in it almost every day. Gu Zhuoyan agreed. Every morning, he would collect the newspapers while walking the dog. When he forgot the garbage bag, he even secretly used the newspaper to pick up Bond's poop.

Gu Zhuoyan took a gardening magazine to school. During the first period, Physics class, he sat at the last desk, engrossed in the magazine. It turned out there were hundreds of varieties of roses, and the kind planted on the streets in the north was the ugliest one.

Suddenly, the teacher stopped and called a name: "Qi Nan?"

Everyone looked towards the third row. Gu Zhuoyan looked up, but inevitably saw Zhuang Fanxin's empty seat first. Qi Nan, who had been dozing off, jolted and stood up from his seat, saying voluntarily: "Teacher, I'll stand."

The teacher said: "Did you go crazy during the vacation? Today's the first day of school, you should have gone to bed early last night."

Qi Nan scratched his head and stood until the end of Physics class. During the break, he slumped onto his desk with a thud to catch up on sleep. The Class Monitor moved to Zhuang Fanxin's seat and said annoyingly: "Is the classroom for you to sleep in? Why didn't you go to bed early last night?"

Qi Nan said: "It's all fucking because of Zhuang Fanxin!"

Gu Zhuoyan happened to hear this as he passed by to get water and couldn't help but glance over.

Qi Nan yawned and complained: "I got into bed at ten last night, planning to play games for an hour and then sleep, but Zhuang Fanxin started chatting with me. The kid's away from home, I couldn't refuse him, so we chatted. Damn it, he pestered me to chat until almost twelve. By the time I finished my game, it was already one!"

Gu Zhuoyan quickly extracted a few pieces of information: Zhuang Fanxin actively sought out Qi Nan to chat, pestered him, and they talked for a full two hours. He took a gulp of water. What could they possibly talk about for two hours? Analyzing the US economic situation wouldn't even take that long. Besides, why did he look for Qi Nan, and not him?

The Class Monitor said: "Fanxin must miss you."

Qi Nan hmphed, "It's not me he misses."

The Class Monitor said chivalrously: "He must be under a lot of pressure during the competition, so he called you to relax. You unlucky thing, you're so inconsiderate of your classmates."

Gu Zhuoyan raised his eyebrows. Under pressure and seeking to relax? Then shouldn't Zhuang Fanxin have called him instead? They had an agreement. He returned to his seat, gradually unable to hear the conversation between the Class Monitor and Qi Nan, nor did he really want to listen.

Although he and Zhuang Fanxin had not yet tied the knot, why did he feel like Zhuang Fanxin was already cheating on him?

Unexpectedly, Qi Nan came over to find him. Yawning, he asked if he wanted to play ball during the fourth period P.E. class. They always played, so Gu Zhuoyan nodded. After P.E. class, they went straight to the cafeteria for lunch. Just as Gu Zhuoyan took out his meal card, Qi Nan came over again to invite him for lunch.

Two servings of steamed beef dumplings, mung bean sweet soup, sitting face to face.

After eating for a while, Qi Nan threw out an opening line: "You and Zhuang Fanxin are neighbors?"

Gu Zhuoyan replied: "Yeah, same alley."

Qi Nan asked: "You two have a good relationship?"

'Why ask these things for no reason?' It was as if he was interested in someone and was first probing the person close to them. Gu Zhuoyan didn't look up and said: "It's good."

"While he's been abroad, have you guys been in contact?"

'What, you want to show off that Zhuang Fanxin pestered you and contacted you for two hours?' Gu Zhuoyan chewed on the very springy fish ball, his tone also becoming thoroughly provocative: "Of course, we talk almost every day."

He used a bit of exaggeration, which was harmless.

Qi Nan showed a surprised expression, thinking about how much the phone bill must be. Gu Zhuoyan felt a little satisfied seeing that expression. 'Scared stiff, are you? Don't think you're the only one in contact with Zhuang Fanxin. No matter how close a deskmate is, can he be closer than a soon-to-be boyfriend?'

After that, Qi Nan peacefully drank his sweet soup and didn't ask anything else. Gu Zhuoyan believed he had already nipped the third party in the bud. After lunch, he returned to the classroom to rest. Gu Zhuoyan put on his headphones, intending to take a short nap. Just as he was looking for a song, Qi Nan came over and put down a bag of cookies.

Gu Zhuoyan asked: "For me?"

"Yeah." Qi Nan had a lollipop in his mouth. "I brought them this morning, but I was too sleepy and forgot."

Gu Zhuoyan said: "You eat them, I'm not hungry."

Qi Nan said: "Then eat them during evening self-study. My mom baked them. Low sugar, no filling. Don't you dislike things that are sickeningly sweet?"

Gu Zhuoyan was a bit dumbfounded: "You brought these for me specifically?"

Qi Nan replied: "Yeah, do you like milk tea? I'll treat you to milk tea after school."

This time, it was Gu Zhuoyan's turn to look surprised. Only Zhuang Fanxin knew he didn't like cookies that were too sweet. For Qi Nan to be like this, it meant he had asked Zhuang Fanxin about his tastes.

But why?

Gu Zhuoyan couldn't help but go over it. Qi Nan had needlessly sought him out to play ball, proactively eaten lunch with him, brought him cookies specifically, and even wanted to treat him to milk tea after school. Thinking back to their conversation at lunch, Qi Nan had been probing his relationship with Zhuang Fanxin. But if he were interested in Zhuang Fanxin, he'd had a whole year as his deskmate to fall in love.

Gu Zhuoyan stared at Qi Nan. Could it be that the one Qi Nan liked wasn't Zhuang Fanxin at all, but him?

This isn't good!

Gu Zhuoyan pushed the cookies back and said clearly: "Don't think about me, it's not appropriate."

"What's not appropriate about it." Qi Nan pushed them back again. "From today on, I'll be thinking about you properly."

Gu Zhuoyan's heart was in turmoil. He thought he himself was bold enough in love and hate, but he didn't expect Qi Nan to be even more daring and direct. He had to make things clear. He refused: "Don't be like this, I already have—"

"What do you have, don't you have Zhuang Fanxin?"

"...You know about this too?"

Qi Nan was still in a hurry to catch up on sleep: "I know you two have a good relationship. Since he's not here, he has already entrusted you to me."

Gu Zhuoyan was a bit dizzy: "What's going on?"

Qi Nan said: "Last night, Fanxin called me, saying that you transferred here not long ago, and during his absence, he's entrusting me to take more care of you. He even listed several things for me: you don't like cookies that are too sweet, to accompany you for lunch, treat you to milk tea, play ball together during P.E. class... Anyway, I promised him. He'll bring me a double portion of gifts when he gets back!"

Gu Zhuoyan was stunned in his seat. So, Zhuang Fanxin pestered Qi Nan on the phone for two hours just to have Qi Nan take care of him? Everyone else was on their lunch break, some studying, some sleeping. He looked at his watch. It was nine o'clock at night in Los Angeles. He pocketed his phone and ran downstairs at full speed.

He ran all the way to the little corner on the west side. Ever since the fight incident, very few people frequented this small piece of heaven and earth. Gu Zhuoyan's breathing hadn't yet settled, but he was already impatiently dialing the number, pacing back and forth at the base of the wall while waiting for the call to connect.

"Hello?" Zhuang Fanxin's voice came through.

Gu Zhuoyan stopped in his tracks, only then realizing he hadn't thought about what to say. Time passed, second by second. Zhuang Fanxin asked in confusion: "Hello? Gu Zhuoyan? Are you listening?"

"I am." Gu Zhuoyan was afraid the call would be disconnected.

Hearing the response, Zhuang Fanxin said: "Are you calling from school? Don't let the teacher who made you transfer find you. Did you know, I was really in a group with French people in the last round, but we advanced smoothly. I went back to my grandparents' house to get some things today. My grandma has a shepherd dog, I feel like it's much smarter than Bond! It brought me slippers as soon as I got home!"

Gu Zhuoyan listened to Zhuang Fanxin's chattering, as if he could see his lively expression. He leaned against the wall, finally knowing what he wanted to say, or perhaps it was as if his language nerves had lost control and the words slipped out—"Zhuang Fanxin, I miss you."

The phone went abruptly silent. Zhuang Fanxin responded slowly: "Are you a bit lonely at school? You can go hang out with Qi Nan, he's a very nice person."

A fallen leaf drifted down. Gu Zhuoyan bent down to pick it up, his gaze fixed on the veins of the leaf. He suddenly felt a bit unconfident. What did Zhuang Fanxin like about him? Was he worthy of Zhuang Fanxin's affection?

"German Shepherds are very smart too," Gu Zhuoyan said. "When you come back, let's train Bond together, okay?"

Zhuang Fanxin said happily: "Okay."

Gu Zhuoyan wanted to ask, 'When are you coming back then?' At least another month, he knew it clearly, but he couldn't stop the longing and worry. In the end, he held back from asking.

After school, Gu Zhuoyan bought a calendar at the stationery store by the school gate. He crossed off a square every day, waiting patiently. Perhaps because the competition got more intense towards the end, the number of calls from Zhuang Fanxin decreased. He only occasionally sent messages to tell him about his advancements.

At the end of the month, Zhuang Fanxin was about to have his finals. Classmates and teachers were all cheering for him in the group chat. Gu Zhuoyan mixed in and offered a word of encouragement.

It wasn't until the first Friday of November, during the first class in the afternoon. Gu Zhuoyan had just sat down after answering a question when his phone vibrated. He quietly opened it to see. It was a flight information message from Zhuang Fanxin. The plane would take off in half an hour.

"Fuck!"

The whole class turned around in shock. Xia Wei slammed his book on the podium: "Gu Zhuoyan, what's wrong with you?!"

Gu Zhuoyan's face was written all over with happiness: "Zhuang Fanxin is coming back!"

Xia Wei roared: "Why are you so excited that he's coming back?! And you're swearing in class? Take your book and go clear your head in the hallway!"

Gu Zhuoyan ran out to be punished by standing, but he kept smiling, which angered Xia Wei so much that he made him stand there until school was out.

After making it through to the next day, Gu Zhuoyan had the driver go to the airport early to pick someone up. He entered the terminal building alone, staring at the exit. At four in the afternoon, a batch of passengers came out one after another, like a slow tide.

In the crowd about a dozen meters away, Gu Zhuoyan saw Zhuang Fanxin.

He suddenly felt an urgency, a desire to lay bare the feelings that had been stifled for a month amidst the bustling crowd, a desire to vent the churning emotions in his chest, a desire to shout at that figure—

Zhuang Fanxin, I fucking like you.