The same scene, the same street, the same Gu Qianxing sitting beside Yu Ju in the back seat, working on his laptop.

So Yu Ju couldn’t, for the life of him, figure out how he had—again, again and again—ended up in Gu Qianxing’s car.

Getting in the car was one thing. But now he was even going to his place.

And he looked completely willing, too.

Bad mood, plum wine, comfort, a breakup—Gu Qianxing had actually managed to string all that together into a convincing excuse.

Gu Qianxing was tapping away on his laptop, while Yu Ju turned to look out the window at the passing scenery.

And began to reflect on himself.

It must be that Gu Qianxing was just too good at lying.

A fox is a fox, after all.

Suddenly, a ringtone rang out inside the car. Yu Ju turned his head on instinct and saw that Gu Qianxing’s phone was ringing.

The phone was sitting between them, in the middle of the seat, so with just one glance, Yu Ju saw who was calling.

Gu Qianxing also looked up and saw the name on the screen. The moment they recognized it, the two of them looked up at the same time and locked eyes.

It was a call from Zhang Qiye.

Gu Qianxing didn’t hesitate for long. He tapped the volume button to mute the ringtone, then flipped the phone over.

Yu Ju didn’t say anything about this action. He simply turned his head and continued looking out the window.

Zhang Qiye.

Zhang Qiming.

Those names hadn’t appeared in Yu Ju’s life for a long time.

Ever since Gu Qianxing reappeared, Yu Ju hadn’t thought about those two brothers in ages.

But now, memories from that summer vacation suddenly crashed into his mind—so vividly that he could recall the exact moment he got into a fight with Zhang Qiming. The memory of kicking Zhang Qiming in the stomach, and the way Zhang Qiming had cried and laughed at the same time, came rushing back.

Sigh. Nothing worth remembering. Why was he even thinking about this now?

Yu Ju curled his lips in annoyance.

Just then, his phone started buzzing like crazy.

A flood of WeChat notifications came in—one after another, noisy enough to drive anyone mad.

Yu Ju muted his phone first, then opened the app. Turned out Zhao Yi had added him to a new group chat, and everyone inside was busy welcoming him.

As soon as Yu Ju saw “Little Cutie,” he knew exactly what kind of group chat this was.

The zoo.

Someone tagged him.

Magpie: [@fullstop Little Cutie, are you with Fox Gu right now?]

Yu Ju turned his head. “They’re asking if I’m with you right now.”

Gu Qianxing must’ve guessed what Yu Ju was doing. His expression didn’t change at all. “Up to you.”

Yu Ju thought about it and figured there wasn’t really anything to hide. [Yeah.]

Magpie: [I knew it! I knew it!]

Zhou Jinye: [What the hell, and here you said you were heartbroken. Heartbroken my ass—you just didn’t want to hang out with us.]

Gu Qianxing was in this group too, but he wasn’t on his phone at the moment.

Yu Ju wondered, if Gu Qianxing saw that message, what would he say?

Yeah. So? Got a problem?

He hadn’t expected that Gu Qianxing told them he was heartbroken too.

Yu Ju thought for a moment, then exited the chat and opened Zhao Yi’s WeChat.

He asked: [Does Gu Qianxing often use the ‘heartbroken’ excuse?]

Zhao Yi, ever reliable and perfectly in sync with Yu Ju, went straight to the group chat and asked on his behalf.

Copy, paste, slight edit: [Does Mr. Gu often use ‘heartbreak’ as an excuse?]

Magpie: [Not really.]

Magpie: [Though I think he did use it once before.]

Magpie: [When was that again? It’s been a while.]

Zhou Jinye chimed in: [I think it was right after we graduated from college.]

Zhou Jinye: [Yeah, I remember now. It was the year we graduated—September, around the start of the school year.]

Zhou Jinye: [We asked him to join us for some games, and he wouldn’t come. Said he was heartbroken]

Mouse: [Well, maybe back then our dear Fox Gu was actually heartbroken.]

Zhou Jinye: [Heartbroken my ass.]

Zhou Jinye: [He just didn’t want to hang out with us. We invited him several times, and every time he said he was heartbroken. I ended up inviting some freshman instead.]

Zhao Yi: [???]

Magpie: [Oho~ Then go on, tell us which freshman you’re talking about.]

Zhou Jinye: [Not a boyfriend or anything, just a regular freshman. Played a few rounds of games with him, then stopped—dude was terrible.]

Zhao Yi: [Oh.]

Magpie: [Hahahaha.]

What followed next was Zhou Jinye trying to coax Zhao Yi.

Seeing that there wasn’t much of real substance going on in the chat, Yu Ju turned on Do Not Disturb and exited the group.

A little while later, Gu Qianxing’s phone rang again—it was Zhang Qiye, calling once more.

Just like before, Gu Qianxing muted the ringtone and flipped the phone over.

Yu Ju asked him, “Why aren’t you answering?”

Gu Qianxing replied, “Because you’re here.”

Yu Ju paused for a moment.

When the phone screen finally dimmed, Yu Ju said softly, “You can answer it if you want.”

Gu Qianxing had probably just finished working—he closed his laptop and set it aside.

Gu Qianxing gave a simple explanation: “He’s come to A City.”

Yu Ju: “Oh.”

Gu Qianxing added, “Xiao Ming’s here too.”

Yu Ju still responded with just: “Oh.”

Gu Qianxing asked him, “Do you still hate them?”

Yu Ju didn’t answer.

Gu Qianxing continued, “Do you know why I wanted to drink with you?”

Yu Ju remained silent.

It seemed Gu Qianxing understood what Yu Ju was thinking.

And yet, he still insisted on saying the things Yu Ju didn’t want to hear.

“I want to talk to you about that incident.”

Yu Ju was quiet for a long time before finally asking, “Do we have to talk about it?”

Gu Qianxing: “I need to.”

Yu Ju let out a laugh. “You want to rip open my wounds?”

Gu Qianxing replied, “This isn’t your wound.”

There was a brief silence.

Yu Ju asked him, “Why?”

Gu Qianxing said, “Because I don’t want you to keep avoiding me like this.”

——

Gu Qianxing’s home arrived quickly. This time, Xiao Chen drove straight to the basement and then left.

From their conversation earlier until now, neither Gu Qianxing nor Yu Ju had spoken a word.

The silence continued all the way until they got out of the car, took the elevator, and arrived at the door of Gu Qianxing’s apartment.

Yu Ju knew he could leave at any moment. He believed that if he just said, “I want to go home,” Gu Qianxing wouldn’t make it difficult for him.

But Yu Ju didn’t say it.

The words were stuck in his throat, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to speak them.

It seemed that deep down, he also wanted to talk to Gu Qianxing about this.

It seemed that deep down, he hoped Gu Qianxing would try to persuade him.

As long as he didn’t bring it up, he could forget about it. But once it was mentioned, it became impossible to ignore. Zhang Qiming had always been a knot in Yu Ju’s heart.

Because of Gu Qianxing, Yu Ju had to face it once again.

“Do we have enough alcohol?”

The first thing Yu Ju asked after entering the house was this.

Gu Qianxing turned to look at him, his expression as if to say, Why ask such a silly question about alcohol?

Gu Qianxing: “We’ve got enough.”

Yu Ju asked again, “What if I drink too much?”

“Then I’ll either send you home or let you use the guest room,” Gu Qianxing said before asking, “Do you trust me?”

Yu Ju: “I trust you.”

Even after their brief encounters, Yu Ju still unconditionally trusted Gu Qianxing.

Yu Ju: “Why do we have to drink?”

Before Gu Qianxing could respond, Yu Ju quickly added, “Don’t say it’s because you’re heartbroken. I don’t believe that.”

Gu Qianxing chuckled: “What if I really was heartbroken?”

Yu Ju: “Do you even have a girlfriend?”

Gu Qianxing answered without hesitation: “No,” and then added, “Why don’t you ask if I have a boyfriend?”

Yu Ju paused for a moment, his voice caught: “Do you have… a… boyfriend?”

Gu Qianxing responded just as quickly: “No.”

Yu Ju: “…”

Yu Ju inexplicably let out a sigh of relief: “Then what kind of heartbreak are you talking about?”

Gu Qianxing helplessly nodded: “You’re right.”

Gu Qianxing’s expression conveyed a sort of sigh, well, I guess you just don’t get it feeling.

Yu Ju hadn’t thought too much about it, but for some reason, his mind flashed back to his conversation with Zhao Yi earlier in the restaurant, about him having someone he liked.

What’s your problem, Yu Ju!

Why are you even thinking about that?

Yu Ju quickly shifted his gaze away.

Gu Qianxing’s home was large, and the entire style of the house was a perfect match for him—complete with that distinct cold, minimalist “single designer” vibe.

It was a duplex, and Yu Ju couldn’t help but wonder how Gu Qianxing could live alone in such a big house. Didn’t he feel lonely?

But Yu Ju didn’t dwell on it for long. Gu Qianxing led him to the living room, and Yu Ju followed, sitting on the couch as directed.

As for the reason why Yu Ju had been avoiding Gu Qianxing, well, that was a long story. But to sum it up, Yu Ju’s father had been caught cheating—by none other than Gu Qianxing himself.

The person his father was having an affair with? Zhang Qiming’s mother.

Yu Ju’s father was the same “ugly and poor” man the group had mentioned earlier.

Even now, Yu Ju couldn’t help but curse a hundred times in his mind.

Yu Ju couldn’t remember exactly when it all started, but he and Zhang Qiming had been best friends for as long as he could remember. They went to the same kindergarten, the same elementary school, and the same middle school, inseparable to the point that teachers often separated them into different classes to prevent them from talking too much and distracting their studies.

But everything changed during the summer of their senior year of high school.

It was a pleasant afternoon, and after a long gaming session, they were both too tired and decided to lie down in the living room to watch a movie.

There were two lying on the couch, two on the carpet, and all the curtains in the living room were drawn, making it wonderfully cozy and comfortable.

As the movie neared its end, a sound came from the front door.

They both looked over, and through the door, Zhang Qiming’s mother entered, walking backward, followed by Yu Ju’s father.

After some hesitant movements, Yu Ju’s father pushed Zhang Qiming’s mother against the wall…

Yu Ju’s thoughts snapped back to the present, and he let out a slow breath.

Turning his head, he saw Gu Qianxing standing there, holding a bottle of alcohol and a glass, not sure how long he’d been standing there.

“Hmm?” Yu Ju asked in confusion.

Only then did Gu Qianxing walk over.

Yu Ju asked, “What were you just looking at?”

Gu Qianxing sat down on the single chair beside him, his tone calm: “Looking at you.”

Yu Ju raised an eyebrow: “Looking at me? For what?”

Gu Qianxing replied, “Looking at you sitting on my couch.”

He didn’t elaborate further on his words.

Yu Ju thought about asking him what was wrong with sitting on the couch, but before he could speak, there was the sharp sound of the bottle opening.

A familiar plum fragrance soon filled the air.

Yu Ju glanced at the bottle. “Why do you have plum wine?”

Gu Qianxing casually answered, “I bought it.”

Yu Ju: “…”

Good answer!

“What were you thinking just now?” Gu Qianxing asked Yu Ju, “You had such a serious expression.”

Yu Ju replied, “I was… thinking… about throwing up.”

Gu Qianxing paused for a moment, then looked up at Yu Ju. Yu Ju immediately smiled: “It’s not that I was looking at you thinking about throwing up.”

Gu Qianxing also smiled and lowered his head to pour the wine.

Gu Qianxing was holding two transparent glasses. As the wine was poured in, the irregular shape of the glasses made the liquid quickly turn a light orange, which looked very beautiful.

Yu Ju looked at the beautiful color and said, “That incident back then—every time I think about it, I want to throw up.”

Gu Qianxing let out a short “mm.”

Yu Ju gave a slightly self-deprecating smile. “You probably don’t know this, but I really did throw up that day. Threw up the whole night.”

Threw up until his stomach was empty, yet he couldn’t eat a single thing.

Gu Qianxing didn’t respond to that. Instead, he poured half a glass of plum wine for Yu Ju. “Try it.”

Yu Ju picked it up and took a sip, then smacked his lips. “Not bad.”

Gu Qianxing asked, “How does it compare to your grandma’s?”

Yu Ju replied, “You still remember my grandma used to make this too.”

Gu Qianxing said, “I remember everything you’ve told me.”

Yu Ju pressed his lips together, then picked up the glass and started drinking with a noisy slurp.

During that time, Gu Qianxing told him, “Slow down.”

Yu Ju turned a deaf ear.

And Gu Qianxing didn’t stop him either.

Yu Ju did need something like alcohol—otherwise, he had no way of numbing his emotions.

He set the glass down, just as Gu Qianxing asked, “Does seeing me remind you of what happened back then?”

Yu Ju blinked lightly and pushed the glass over.

“More,” he said.

Gu Qianxing poured him another.

Just as the glass was about halfway full, Yu Ju said, “Yes.”

Gu Qianxing’s hand paused slightly mid-pour.

But it was barely noticeable—just for a moment—before he continued pouring.

“So that means,” Gu Qianxing pushed the glass back toward him, “when you see me, you feel like throwing up.”

Yu Ju laughed at Gu Qianxing’s absurd line of reasoning.

He picked up the glass and, as if no one could stop him, tipped his head back and drank it down in one go.

“Is this the first time someone’s seen you and wanted to puke?” Yu Ju asked.

Gu Qianxing rested his elbow on his knee, looked at Yu Ju, and played along with his joke. “Yeah.”

Yu Ju let out a quiet chuckle. “What a shame, then. I didn’t either.”

So it’s a pity—still no one out there who feels like puking just from seeing Gu Qianxing.

Gu Qianxing asked, “You threw out everything related to Xiao Ming back then, didn’t you?”

Yu Ju: “Mm.”

Gu Qianxing: “Including me?”

Yu Ju paused for half a second. “Mm.”

Gu Qianxing asked again, “Did you ever think that you’d never want to see me again for the rest of your life?”

Yu Ju answered quickly, “I did.”

Gu Qianxing continued, “Was that how you felt back then, or…”—he paused—”do you still feel that way now?”

Yu Ju really wanted to say he still felt that way now, but the truth was, his actions didn’t match that sentiment.

Yu Ju said, “You’re friends with Zhang Qiye. Zhang Qiye is Zhang Qiming’s older brother.”

After hearing that, Gu Qianxing asked, “Do you still hate Xiao Ming?”

It was the second time he’d asked, as if he needed a clear answer.

But that word—”hate”—Yu Ju couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Gu Qianxing asked again, “Do you hate me too, because of him?”

Yu Ju still didn’t reply. He gave a small shake of his head—so slight, it was unclear if Gu Qianxing even saw it.

Then, once more, he pushed his glass over.

Gu Qianxing poured, and he drank.

Once finished, he pushed it over again. Gu Qianxing poured again, and he drank again.

He finished drinking and pushed the glass over again.

Gu Qianxing didn’t pour this time.

“You okay?” Gu Qianxing asked.

Yu Ju suddenly raised his voice: “I’m doing great!”

Gu Qianxing: “…”

It hadn’t even added up to two full glasses.

Maybe because Gu Qianxing was hesitating to pour more, Yu Ju got annoyed. He pouted, then snatched the bottle from Gu Qianxing’s hand and started pouring into his own glass—glug, glug, glug—until it was full, even spilling over the rim, and he didn’t even seem to notice.

Gu Qianxing quickly grabbed the bottle back.

Interrupted, Yu Ju looked up at once.

His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol, and his mouth was left a little open in surprise at having the bottle taken from him. His lips were still damp.

He looked a little dazed.

Gu Qianxing couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him.

“Little cutie,” Gu Qianxing said.

Yu Ju blinked.

His brain was telling him: Don’t respond to that nickname.

If he did, he’d be doomed.

So he just kept staring at Gu Qianxing with that same dazed, silly look.

Completely forgot that just a moment ago he’d been trying to snatch the bottle.

“Smile,” Gu Qianxing said again.

Yu Ju’s face remained blank.

Then Gu Qianxing added, “Your dimples.”

Yu Ju frowned a little, but quickly, his brain decided that this was a reasonable request.

After all, the person in front of him was gege—big brother—and if big brother wanted to see his dimples, then…

“Hei—”

Yu Ju broke into a wide, exaggerated smile. It was obviously forced—so forced it was almost comical—anyone could tell he was trying his best to hold back his dimples.

Which only made him look even more foolish.

Gu Qianxing’s expression softened. He raised his hand and gently brushed Yu Ju’s hair.

“You used to always beg me to let you drink,” Gu Qianxing said. “Today, you finally got to.”

Yu Ju looked like he didn’t understand what Gu Qianxing was saying, still trying hard to hold in his dimples.

A perfect example of a smile that looked worse than crying.

But Gu Qianxing didn’t call him out on it.

“Do you remember?” Gu Qianxing asked. “You asking me to let you drink.”

When there was a question, Yu Ju would always answer.

But what he said was, “What?”

Gu Qianxing let out a soft chuckle. He raised his hand again, resting it lightly on Yu Ju’s head.

“Yu Ju,” Gu Qianxing said, “I looked for you.”

“But you disappeared.”