Chapter 7 of His Red Box

With this mindset, I swallowed a handful of sleeping pills.

“Did you know? When those pills go down your throat, they don’t even taste bitter.”

I opened my mouth, said “Ah,” and then smiled nonchalantly.

“But I still succeeded. In the end, they gave up on me, and I don’t want them anymore.”

At this point, I felt a little proud.

“Gu Yongge, how about it? I succeeded.”

The Gu Yongge in front of me had bloodshot eyes. His shoulders seemed to tremble slightly, and several times, he tried to raise his hand to touch my cheek.

His brows furrowed deeply, and his voice was hoarse, laced with suppressed grief.

“Azhuo, enough.

“Let’s not talk about the past, okay?

“It’s hard for me to bear.”

He pulled me into his embrace. That familiar warmth made my eyes well up with tears.

“You once said that if you had to start over in another city, it would definitely be in a place by the sea.

“So, after I cut ties with my family, the first place I thought of to build a new life was here.

“But I never expected to run into you again.

“I made the right bet, Gu Yongge.

“Can we… start over?”

He held his breath, his heartbeat thundering, nervously awaiting my response.

Actually, I hadn’t told Gu Yongge this, but on my days off from live streaming, I’d often hang out at the hospital.

When Xu Lie asked me why, I told him I liked the smell of disinfectant. Later, after drinking too much, I accidentally let it slip that my ex-boyfriend was a doctor, and he understood the real reason.

It was simply because I wanted to run into Gu Yongge again.

“Alright.”

Suddenly, I felt a wet sensation on my neck as his arms tightened around me.

Gu Yongge whispered softly into my ear:

“Azhuo.

“This time, we’ll never be apart again.”

---

When the unexpected visitors arrived at the hospital, I was sitting in Gu Yongge’s office, reviewing my university courses.

My streaming career was thriving, and Gu Yongge encouraged me to return to school to complete my degree.

After discussing it, we decided I’d study while continuing my live streams, gradually getting life back on track.

Everything seemed to be moving in the right direction.

Li Guo suddenly burst through the door. His face, once familiar, now looked much older. Behind him was a similarly worn-out lady.

I gripped my notebook tightly.

“…Dad, Mom.”

Gu Yongge stood up and placed himself between us. His expression was stern, devoid of any trace of warmth.

“Good day to you both. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

---

It was clear that Gu Yongge was angry. His thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his gaze was cold.

Li Guo sized him up slowly, then spoke:

“So, you’re… my son’s senior?”

Gu Yongge, emotionless, replied:

“Thank you for remembering me. My name is Gu Yongge. But I’m not Li Zhuo’s senior, I’m his partner.

“Let me remind you, my sexual orientation is no longer a secret here, so you can’t use that to threaten me anymore.

“I just hope you stop hurting him.”

Li Guo was silent for a moment before sighing.

“We found out about you two online… After Li Zhuo ran away from home, we’ve been secretly watching his live streams. We’ve even seen the recent videos you two posted.

“He smiles a lot more when he’s with you. You both seem… happy.

“We made a mistake sending that anonymous report back then. Young man, I’m sorry.”

His voice grew quieter as he spoke.

My mother’s eyes welled up with tears. She walked over and hugged me.

“Son, your father and I know we were wrong.

“We didn’t realize back then that this wasn’t something to be cured.

“It’s something you’re born with, as natural as any human instinct.

“It’s our fault for not understanding you sooner, for pushing you both this far. We deserve the blame.

“Mom won’t oppose your relationship anymore. I’ll never force you to be with those girls again…”

She covered her mouth, sobbing.

“Will you… forgive me?”

---

That night, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost time to end my stream, but Gu Yongge still hadn’t come home.

The comments in the stream were lively as always:

[So where’s Dr. Gu tonight?]

[Where’s hubby?]

[No couple content tonight, huh?]

I patiently explained, “He went to a team-building event after work and hasn’t come back yet.

“Goodnight, everyone. I’m signing off now to make some soup for hubby.”

Amid their playful teasing, I ended the stream and headed to the kitchen to make the soup.

After a while, I heard the sound of the front door opening. Smelling of alcohol, he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head, rubbing affectionately.

I couldn’t help but feel puzzled. I’m 6 feet tall, but next to 6’3″ Gu Yongge, I always felt small.

Damn, it’s frustrating.

“I love you so much, Azhuo.”

With a drunken smile, he suddenly returned to the living room.

When I brought the soup over, his face was flushed, and he had laid out a bunch of Ultraman figures.

He grinned sheepishly at me.

“Your favorite.”

Then, he pointed at the figures and then at himself.

“Which one do you like the most?”

I chuckled and said nothing, ordering him to drink the soup. As he tilted his head back, I asked:

“Were you upset today?

“My parents came to see me, and you thought I’d leave with them.”

Gu Yongge shook his head vigorously but held my hand tightly:

“Never.”

He was clearly scared I’d leave.

“I’m not going anywhere with them.”

I held his hand just as tightly.

“You promised we’d never be apart again.”

---

I haven’t forgiven my parents. They once destroyed Gu Yongge’s dreams.

But because Gu Yongge is strong and lucky enough to rise again, he’s become the man he is today.

I also don’t have the right to forgive them on his behalf.

Then, he suddenly said:

“Azhuo, forgive them.

“I thought about it today. At least they brought you into this world, allowing me to meet you. I don’t hate them.

“I was an orphan, raised by my aunt, always living under someone else’s roof, constantly tiptoeing around people’s feelings.

“It was you who told me that even if you’re living in someone else’s house, you should always leave yourself a little room to breathe.

“You said I didn’t have to cater to others to become the person I wanted to be.”

To my surprise, he remembered my words so clearly.

Drunk Gu Yongge is definitely more lovable than usual.

He took my hand in his, entwining our fingers.

“Because of you, I grew a real heart.

“So, I don’t want you to feel torn between me and your parents.

“I just want you to be happy every day.”

I took a deep breath.

This man really knows how to get sentimental during confessions.

I patted his warm face.

“When I go abroad for grad school, let’s get married, Gu Yongge.”

His eyes lit up.

“What did you say?”

“I said we’ll get married one day—the legal kind. And then we won’t come back…”

He suddenly sat up, excited, and leaned in to kiss me.

I pushed against his chest.

“Wait, I haven’t finished. There’s one condition.”

In his dazed state, he didn’t even remember to take off his glasses.

“Hmm? What condition?”

I protested:

“This time, I’m on top!”

…

Well, protest denied.

But I still felt happy and content.

Because I could see it—the future where, under a rainbow flag, we’d kiss and hold hands.

At the end of our love is freedom.

-The End-

Author: Sweetheart Tough Guy