Chapter 39
“Childhood?” Gu Yang subconsciously asked, “Preschool?”
By this time, the noodles were cooked, and Lin Xiaoran used chopsticks to lift some into a bowl, serving one to Gu Yang before taking another for himself. He seemed not to care much about Gu Yang’s question and responded after a while, “Kindergarten.”
“Kindergarten?” Gu Yang held his chopsticks, forgetting to taste the noodles as he looked at Lin Xiaoran sitting across from him. “How old were you then?”
“Five or six years old, I think,” Lin Xiaoran replied with a mouthful of noodles, slightly unclear in his speech.
Five or six years old? Who isn’t five or six years old in kindergarten? But why would a five or six-year-old cook noodles by themselves? Gu Yang couldn’t fathom it. While he wasn’t naive enough to disbelieve that some children might have to do these things due to special circumstances in some places or families, Lin Xiaoran didn’t seem to fall into that category.
Gu Yang’s lips moved, but the question at the tip of his tongue seemed to get stuck. Lin Xiaoran, sitting across from him, didn’t seem to mind the question, focusing on eating his noodles just as he normally did.
Was he overthinking it? Gu Yang wondered.
But that question remained unasked as he lowered his head to eat.
With each bite, he found himself pausing. What… what taste was this?
It wasn’t that it tasted bad; it was just that there seemed to be all sorts of flavors, and there was even a hint of sweetness. Did Lin Xiaoran put sugar in the noodles?
Gu Yang had thought the noodles would taste good when he saw Lin Xiaoran add various seasonings earlier, but now he realized it might not have been standard practice. Even though he couldn’t cook himself, he knew that each dish had its own set of seasonings, and it seemed strange to put everything in.
Could it be that Lin Xiaoran simply didn’t know how to cook?
But watching him wash vegetables, cook noodles, and even beat eggs, it was evident he did.
And…
Gu Yang couldn’t help but glance again at the person sitting opposite him, still eating with his head down as if nothing was different.
How could this be? Was there something wrong with his sense of taste?
Gu Yang took another bite and confirmed that there was still a slight sweetness. He was about to ask Lin Xiaoran when Lin Xiaoran’s phone, placed on the counter, rang.
An unknown number.
Lin Xiaoran glanced at it and answered, putting it on speakerphone while continuing to eat noodles, “Yes?”
“Sorry to disturb you so late. I… I wanted to apologize to Senior for what happened today. I didn’t think it through at the time. I just wanted to express myself and let Senior know my thoughts, so I did it. Now that I think about it, I completely disregarded Senior’s feelings and made a big fuss, making Senior feel awkward, right?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Lin Xiaoran replied calmly after finishing his noodles, putting down his bowl and chopsticks.
“Senior, I know you’re mature enough not to hold it against me, but I still want to apologize sincerely. Senior, I’m sorry, it was my fault today.” Even over the phone, Jiang Chen’s tone sounded sincere.
Gu Yang couldn’t help but smirk with a mouthful of noodles, thinking to himself: this guy really knows how to blow things out of proportion! Was Lin Xiaoran implying he didn’t care about the incident earlier? It seemed Lin Xiaoran was saying he didn’t even think about it, let alone feel awkward. How could Jiang Chen not understand this? Why bother calling then?
Despite being the one receiving the apology, Lin Xiaoran didn’t seem to hold any grudges. Although Jiang Chen indeed misunderstood his intentions, Lin Xiaoran didn’t bother explaining further and simply accepted the apology, “It’s okay.”
Jiang Chen sighed with relief, sounding genuinely happy, “Thank you, Senior.”
“Anything else?” Lin Xiaoran asked.
“Um…” Jiang Chen seemed caught off guard by Lin Xiaoran’s directness and hesitated before continuing, “There’s something else. Well… Senior, even though you rejected me today, I haven’t given up. I still want to pursue you. I was thinking…”
“Hmph!”
Before Jiang Chen could finish his sentence, a cold snort came from Gu Yang’s end. He paused, unsure, and asked Lin Xiaoran, “Is there someone else with you, Senior?”
Lin Xiaoran, who was looking at Gu Yang in surprise, couldn’t understand why he suddenly spoke up. Even if he did, why the disdainful snort? Was he dissatisfied with Jiang Chen?
At that moment, Jiang Chen asked, and Lin Xiaoran was about to respond out of politeness when he found himself interrupted. Even though his mouth opened, no sound came out. Gu Yang had finished his noodles and pointed to Lin Xiaoran’s bowl, saying, “I’m still hungry. Can I have some?”
Lin Xiaoran: “…”
What’s wrong with Gu Yang? There’s nothing left in his bowl!
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Chen finally understood what was happening and asked in surprise, “Yang-ge? Senior, are you still out?”
“I’m home.”
Without giving Lin Xiaoran a chance to speak, Gu Yang responded with a smile, then proceeded to take Lin Xiaoran’s bowl and began eating, saying, “You’re done, right? I’ve finished mine.” With that, he started eating from Lin Xiaoran’s bowl as well.
Lin Xiaoran stared at him, feeling puzzled. This guy seemed abnormal.
Meanwhile, Jiang Chen’s mind was reeling. It was almost midnight, and as an omega, Lin Xiaoran being with an alpha at this hour was enough to make anyone think too much. And now, Gu Yang had dropped the bombshell that they were home together.
What chance did he have left?
While Jiang Chen was grappling with this realization, Gu Yang seemed surprisingly content. He went about his chores efficiently, though he hadn’t washed the dishes. Humming a tune, he tidied up the kitchen.
Seeing Lin Xiaoran’s door open upstairs, Gu Yang leaned against the doorway and greeted him, “Still up?”
Lin Xiaoran, who had just finished playing a few rounds of solo games, was about to call it a night. “Going to bed,” he replied.
Gu Yang glanced at his computer, surprised. “You play Seventh World too?”
After spending some time together, Gu Yang had realized that Lin Xiaoran wasn’t the bookish nerd he’d thought he was. But he hadn’t expected Lin Xiaoran to play the same game as him.
Lin Xiaoran had seen Gu Yang play it before and wasn’t surprised. He simply nodded. “Yeah.”
“How about we team up for a dungeon one day?” Gu Yang was curious about Lin Xiaoran’s gaming skills.
“Not interested.” Lin Xiaoran wasn’t keen on dungeon runs. “If you have a high ranking in the arena, you can solo.”
Gu Yang chuckled. Was being ranked first on the server considered high?
But before he could voice this thought, he remembered something and swallowed his words. “Too bad, I don’t play much in the arena.”
Lin Xiaoran shrugged, walked over, and said, “Going to bed,” before closing the door.
Gu Yang rubbed his nose and stared thoughtfully, not sure what he was thinking. After a moment, he turned and headed back to his room, logging into Seventh World on his computer. Immediately, a message popped up from Moving Stars, inviting him to the arena.
Glancing at the time, it was an hour ago.
Lin Xiaoran probably wasn’t available now, right? Gu Yang thought, but he couldn’t resist sending a message anyway: Still there? Arena.
After waiting for a while without a response, he sighed softly, exited the game, and picked up a book to read. But soon, he froze. Did he finish both bowls of noodles just now? Not only that, he even ate what was left in Lin Xiaoran’s bowl.
How did he manage that? How did he not notice the peculiar sweetness of the noodles at the time?
Strange!
Jiang Chen was indeed relentless. Even after learning that Lin Xiaoran was living with Gu Yang, Jiang Chen was deeply affected. He had a sleepless night, but after two days, he rallied and resumed his pursuit of Lin Xiaoran.
His actions weren’t excessive. He would approach Lin Xiaoran during lunch break, pretending to seek help with difficult problems, appearing as a diligent student. Then, during breaks or after school, he would use the excuse of Lin Xiaoran’s assistance to buy bubble tea or other treats and deliver them, leaving before Lin Xiaoran could refuse.
Considering Jiang Chen’s previous bold confession to Lin Xiaoran, his intentions were obvious — he still wanted to pursue Lin Xiaoran, and even a blind person could see that.
But Jiang Chen never explicitly stated his intentions. Moreover, whenever Lin Xiaoran grew impatient and wanted to clear things up, Jiang Chen would immediately say, “I didn’t mean anything else, Senior, don’t overthink it,” and then leave.
However, Lin Xiaoran didn’t take this to heart, as Jiang Chen didn’t actually spend much time seeking him out.
It was Gu Yang who had been increasingly displeased with Jiang Chen lately.
If asked why, Gu Yang couldn’t pinpoint what Jiang Chen had done to upset him. He couldn’t understand where his anger was coming from.
“Damn it! Jiang Chen is going too far!”
Returning from lunch with Chen Hongqiang and others, Gu Yang found Jiang Chen once again sitting in his seat, watching Lin Xiaoran with an infatuated expression as Lin Xiaoran did his homework.
Gu Yang’s smile vanished instantly, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Chen Hongqiang couldn’t contain his anger and began to scold, “Doesn’t that guy have any regard for you, Yang-ge? Daring to snatch people you like? And you, Yang-ge, just putting up with it? Also, what’s with Lin Xiaoran? Isn’t it clear what kind of person he is? Why don’t you just beat him up?”
Gu Yang was taken aback and looked surprised by Chen Hongqiang’s words. He had been considering whether to ask his buddies for help to teach Jiang Chen a lesson, but suddenly, he was shocked by what Chen Hongqiang said. However, upon reflection, Gu Yang had indeed mentioned to them before that he and Lin Xiaoran weren’t in that kind of relationship. After all, they had been getting close lately, and besides, Lin Xiaoran turned out to be an omega.
But with Gu Yang’s temperament, if Lin Xiaoran were truly his omega, he would never stand idly by while Jiang Chen openly pursued Lin Xiaoran. So, it seemed they really weren’t dating.
“In that case, it’s not surprising that Lin Xiaoran doesn’t beat up Jiang Chen,” Chen Hongqiang muttered to himself, as if he had suddenly realized something.
“Oh? Why?” Gu Yang asked casually.
“Then he must have some interest in Jiang Chen! Yang-ge, think about it. With Lin Xiaoran’s strength, if he really didn’t like Jiang Chen, would he let Jiang Chen hang around in front of him? He would have acted long ago. I think… Although Lin Xiaoran publicly rejected Jiang Chen last time, he probably didn’t understand Jiang Chen well. With more interaction recently, Lin Xiaoran may have seen some merits in Jiang Chen. Besides, many people on the forums support Jiang Chen and Lin Xiaoran, saying they make a good pair, talking about how Jiang Chen is like a puppy in love. Yang-ge… Yang-ge…”
Chen Hongqiang analyzed the situation so astutely that Gu Yang suddenly left him and walked straight to his seat.
His posture seemed like he was about to start a fight.
Chen Hongqiang wanted to follow him to see what was going on, but he was still processing the fact that Lin Xiaoran was an omega. For a moment, he didn’t dare to get too close to Lin Xiaoran, so he could only stand by the back door and look inside.
Of course, Gu Yang wasn’t going to fight. He usually avoided fights at school.
He just walked straight to his seat, hands in his pockets, and looked down at Jiang Chen with an air of superiority. “Get lost!”
In an instant, the entire classroom fell silent. The curious gazes of the onlookers all focused on them, each one secretly shouting in their hearts: It’s starting, it’s finally starting! The duel for love is finally beginning.
During this time, the entire school had been paying attention to Gu Yang’s actions, wondering when the school bully would finally explode.
Was it today?
However, Jiang Chen didn’t resist at all. He looked up at Gu Yang, obediently stood up, greeted Lin Xiaoran, and left.
Everyone: “…”
Disappointed.
What’s wrong with these two?
How come they’re not passionate at all?
Nonchalant Gu Yang sat down next to Lin Xiaoran, took out a piece of paper, and began writing with a pen.
Lin Xiaoran glanced at him. Not sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Gu Yang was angry.
But there was nothing evident on his face.
Must be imagining things, right? Thinking this, Lin Xiaoran retracted his gaze and continued to work on the problem he hadn’t finished earlier.
“Do you like Jiang Chen?”
Huh?
Lin Xiaoran looked up, uncertain, towards the direction of the voice. Gu Yang was still focused on writing, seemingly engrossed in his test paper.
With a puzzled blink of his clear eyes, Lin Xiaoran thought he might have misheard and decided to ignore it.
Gu Yang’s voice came again, “Knowing his feelings for you, every time he comes to you, you never refuse. Does that mean you’re interested in him too?”
This time, Lin Xiaoran was sure he hadn’t misheard, but he was still confused, unable to understand why Gu Yang would think that way.
After a moment of hesitation, he handed the problem he was working on to Gu Yang and tapped it with the tip of his pen. “What do you think of this question?”
Gu Yang didn’t know why he suddenly asked this, but he still lowered his head to take a look and furrowed his brow. “It’s quite difficult. This level of difficulty shouldn’t appear in the college entrance examination.”
“Hmm?” Lin Xiaoran’s voice sounded like a half-smile as it reached Gu Yang’s ears. Gu Yang looked up and met those clear, beautiful eyes. At that moment, there was a hint of mischief in those eyes. The next second, Lin Xiaoran leaned in, whispering, “Gu Yang, how much have you been hiding your grades?”
Gu Yang paused for a second, pretending to be clueless. “What are you talking about?”
“Humph!” Lin Xiaoran knew he was going to deflect again, so he didn’t give him a chance. “Stop pretending. With your current level, you can’t even tell the difficulty of this question.”
Implied within his words, Gu Yang could see through it all, clearly pretending to be a poor student.
Of course, Lin Xiaoran didn’t just figure this out today. Ever since they made a bet on their college entrance exam scores, Gu Yang had been focusing on studying. He had been very diligent recently, asking Lin Xiaoran whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand. Lin Xiaoran noticed that the questions Gu Yang asked were all quite challenging.
No matter how smart Gu Yang was, if his previous grades were truly at the bottom, it would be like starting from scratch now. How could he surpass those basics in such a short time?
Just now, Lin Xiaoran wanted to test him on purpose.
At this point, Gu Yang certainly knew he couldn’t hide it anymore, but Lin Xiaoran didn’t care about Gu Yang’s grades anyway. He smiled and said, “Regretting betting on the college entrance exam scores now? Are you scared?”
“Tsk! Only by defeating you at your best would I feel accomplished,” Lin Xiaoran raised his eyebrows, giving Gu Yang a proud look.
“Sounds like you’re confident you’ll win,” Gu Yang was amused by him again. “If by any chance… Oh? No, don’t change the subject. You still haven’t answered my question. Do you…?”
Knock knock knock!
Gu Yang hadn’t finished his sentence when Lin Xiaoran reached over and tapped on the problem again. “He brought this over. I find it quite interesting, that’s all.”
After saying that, he took back the problem and lowered his head to continue working on it.
So, it’s just interesting in the question, not in the person, right?
Indeed, that’s Lin Xiaoran’s style.
A smile began to creep up on Gu Yang’s lips. The discomfort he had felt earlier was gradually dissipating.
He couldn’t understand why, but he did feel much better now.
When you’re in a good mood, even good news comes along with it. He was about to continue working on the problem when his phone rang. Surprisingly, it was a call from his grandparents who had returned from overseas treatment. They had already landed, and his grandmother missed him so much she wanted him to take a break and come home early.
After hanging up, the smile in Gu Yang’s eyes couldn’t be hidden. He was about to greet Lin Xiaoran and ask for leave from the class teacher when he changed his mind and said, “Why don’t you come back with me? After all, you’ll have to call them Grandpa and Grandma in the future. I think they’d like to see you this time, and they’re particularly lovely, you’ll definitely like them.”