Hearing the other person exclaim "Holy crap!" and as the footsteps faded into the distance, Xiang Yu's tense nerves gradually relaxed.
"Let's go... um... let's go back."
Xiang Yu seized the opportunity when the other person took a breath and whispered.
"Okay." Gu Chen released his hand from Xiang Yu's head and moved it to his waist, leaning back to examine the other's face.
Xiang Yu's eyes were slightly moist from the flow of physiological tears, and her cheeks were flushed with a beautiful red. Her neck and ears were also tinged with the color of desire, especially her tightly pursed lips, which were slightly red and swollen from the intensity of the previous encounter.
Gu Chen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly felt his mouth go dry again, so he leaned closer to his deskmate once more.
Seeing that he was about to do it again, Xiang Yu immediately reached out and blocked the other person's face.
Gu Chen smiled, took the other person's hand in his own, and said, "No more kissing, no more kissing, next time."
After saying that, he kissed the other person's palm and the back of their hand, and then gave Xiang Yu several kisses on the forehead, nose, mouth and cheeks.
"Hey..." The other person's action was like a large dog cuddling with you, and Xiang Yu was covered in drool.
"I'm so happy, my deskmate." Gu Chen gently kissed the other person's forehead again, smiled when he saw the other person blushing and shyly not saying anything, pushed open the stall door and led him out, wet a tissue under the sink faucet and wiped the other person's face.
"Let's go back."
"Um."
He nodded in surprise.
When the two returned to the private room, Wang Zehao and Yang Shuhuan were holding microphones and singing the classic song "Friends" with their arms around each other's shoulders. Zhang Boyuan and Zhang Zitong below cheered and applauded enthusiastically while they sang. Jiang Wensong was already sprawled out on the sofa next to them, fast asleep.
"You're back." Xu Youqing sent her location to the family driver, telling him to come pick her up later. When she saw Gu Chen and Xiang Yu return, she looked up and greeted them. Then, in the dim light, she noticed the redness and swelling on Xiang Yu's lips with her keen eyesight. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "So fast?"
"..." Xiang Yu knew what the other party was referring to, and her face, which had finally calmed down, flushed red again.
"Yes, when two people are in love, their feelings run deep and they can't help themselves."
The singing over there was so loud that only the four people on this side could hear Gu Chen's reply.
"What do you mean, 'can't help myself,' sister?" Xu Youluo, who couldn't hold her liquor, was half-asleep and heard someone say something while resting her head on her sister's shoulder. She looked up and saw Gu Chen and Xiang Yu standing beside her.
Suddenly remembering Wang Zehao's comment about pairing his sister with Gu Chen, Xu Youqing immediately hugged Xu Youqing tightly and shouted at Gu Chen, "My sister is mine, Brother Chen, you can't take someone else's love!" Then, recalling what she had just heard, she added, "Even if you can't help yourself! Hold it in!"
"Get off me." Xu Youqing patted Xu Youluo on the lap when he was about to sit on her lap. "Right away."
Xu Youluo pouted and let go of her sister's hand, continuing to rest her head on her sister's shoulder as before, muttering something under her breath.
"How did everyone get so drunk?" Gu Chen glanced around, pulled his deskmate's hand and sat down on the sofa. He looked at the time; it was already past ten o'clock. Considering he had to go to school tomorrow, he felt a headache coming on.
“We have class tomorrow, how can they do this?” Gu Chen glanced at the empty wine bottles scattered on the table. “I told them not to order wine, but I couldn’t persuade them otherwise.” He then rested his head on Xiang Yu’s shoulder.
"Hey deskmate, what should we do?"
Since this was the first time they had encountered such a situation, Xiang Yu candidly suggested, "Why don't you go to a nearby pharmacy to buy some hangover medicine?"
"I had the driver bring some; I'll give them some before they get on the bus," Xu Youqing added promptly after hearing this.
Seeing their expressions again, he paused for a moment and asked, "Are you two getting on the bus later?"
"Huh?" Gu Chen asked, puzzled.
"Um... are you two going home tonight?" Xu Youqing asked tactfully.
Xiang Yu was stunned for a moment before suddenly realizing what the other person was referring to. Her already flushed face turned even redder. Gu Chen, on the other hand, was still puzzled, not understanding why the other person was asking this question. "If we don't go home, where will we go?"
Then, as if she had just thought of something, her eyes lit up, and she suggested to Xiang Yu, "Hey, let's walk home together later." Since they didn't live in the same neighborhood, she added, "I'll walk you home."
How romantic, the two of them walking hand in hand on the dimly lit street at this time of day.
"Okay, sure."
You two are really something, going for a walk at this hour. Xu Youqing was too lazy to say anything.
The boys over there took turns singing songs, until they finally couldn't sing anymore and sat back down on the sofa.
Yang Shuhuan looked at Gu Chen and felt like she had forgotten something. After thinking for a while, she clasped her hands together and said, "Haven't we given Brother Chen a gift yet?"
"Damn, I forgot." Zhang Zitong grabbed the backpack that had been forgotten in the corner and took out the size 43 shoebox from it. The corner of the box was dented because he had stuffed it in too hard.
But it doesn't matter, Gu Chen has never cared about these things.
Happy birthday, Brother Chen!
"Hey?" Gu Chen took the shoebox, opened it, and saw a pair of running shoes in his size, even in his favorite blue color. He smiled and said, "I'll wear them tomorrow!"
"Mine, mine!" Wang Zehao hurriedly handed the razor set to Gu Chen. "Brother Chen, my dad uses this brand. You'll definitely need it in the future!"
"Wow." Gu Chen looked at the razor and touched his chin. "This is definitely the first razor I've ever used in my life."
"This is mine." Yang Shuhuan handed over his gift, and Gu Chen was delighted to see it.
"Huanhuan, you really like Pokémon."
“It’s Pokémon,” Yang Shuhuan corrected him.
"Okay, okay," Gu Chen said with a smile. "I already have the Pikachu power bank and Squirtle lamp that you gave me, and a Poké Ball. That's it."
"Me, me, me, and mine too." Zhang Boyuan took out a Bluetooth headset and rattled off a bunch of technical terms, leaving the few people who didn't understand the technology completely confused. In the end, they all came to the same conclusion.
These headphones are awesome!
"Awesome!" Gu Chen exclaimed.
"Here you go." Xu Youqing handed over a box. "This is a gift from Xiao Luo and me. Happy birthday."
"Thanks." Gu Chen opened the watch and was stunned. "It's too valuable."
"It's not expensive now." Xu Youqing estimated it roughly, "It'll be a few times more expensive. We'll make the most money when we sell it later."
"Wow." Gu Chen was astonished by her financial resources.
"Song'er?" Zhang Zitong tried to wake Jiang Wensong, but failed, so he simply took his backpack and handed it to Gu Chen.
"This is from Song'er." After saying that, she took out a stack of calligraphy practice books and a fountain pen. "Song'er said she hopes you can practice your handwriting well, because good handwriting will not be a disadvantage in the college entrance examination."
Gu Chen laughed, "Alright, I completely understand Song'er's feelings."
Before I could even show off the gift, the driver called.
Just then, it was time to leave the private room. The group packed up their things and left the karaoke bar. Gu Chen was carrying a bunch of things, which he handed to Wang Zehao after they got into the car.
"Mouse, take this home for me."
Wang Zehao had just dragged the fast-sleeping Jiang Wensong into the car when he heard this and asked with a puzzled look, "Brother Chen, where are you going?"
"Hey, my deskmate and I are a bit full, let's walk back to digest."
"So late?" Wang Zehao took a step forward. "Then I have to stay with you two. What if we run into bad guys?" He lost his footing and had to be helped into the car by Gu Chen.
"Alright, take the hangover medicine and go back to sleep. You have class tomorrow."
“That’s true.” Wang Zehao glanced at Xiang Yu behind Gu Chen: “With my dad’s fighting skills, he’s not afraid of bad guys.”
"Stop joking around." Gu Chen smiled as he looked at the group of people in the car. Xu Youqing seemed the most sober, so he habitually instructed, "Make sure you all get home safely." He then said to the rest of the group, "Send me a message when you get home."
"No problem, squad leader!" the whole bus shouted.
Only after watching the van drive away did Xiang Yu dare to open his backpack.
"This is a gift for you." Xiang Yu took out the gift box.
Watching Gu Chen open the gift box made her feel inexplicably nervous, just like when her sweetheart lifts her red veil.
"This is my first time knitting, and it's not very good."
He hadn't thought the knitting was bad before; Xiang Yu was even happy to have successfully knitted a scarf. But now that they were in a relationship, he suddenly felt that the scarf was a bit off.
Gu Chen froze when he opened the gift box, solemnly took out the scarf, and stared at it in silence.
"Should I take it back, unravel it, and re-knit it?" Xiang Yu suggested softly, noticing that her scarf was irregularly shaped and had uneven gaps at the beginning.
"No need." The scarf was nearly two meters long. Gu Chen took it and draped it around his and his deskmate's necks, wrapping the ends around their necks twice.
Looking around and seeing that there were hardly any passersby, he pressed a heavy kiss on his deskmate's lips, and then, not satisfied, kissed him several more times.
Tonight felt like a dream. Xiang Yu's head was still spinning, and the blush on her face hadn't faded.
"What do you mean by re-knitting? This is the first scarf my deskmate ever knitted." Gu Chen pressed his forehead against Xiang Yu's and chuckled softly, "I love it. I'll wear it every winter from now on, okay?"
Xiang Yu's ears turned bright red from his light laugh, and she nodded blankly.
"good."
[Author's Note: Gu Chen: Why aren't you going home tonight?]
Chapter 46 Goodnight, Gu Chen, Boyfriend
Chapter 46 Gu Chen: Goodnight, boyfriend.
The two walked hand in hand down the deserted street. The dim yellow light shone through the sparse sycamore branches, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
They stood very close to each other, both wearing the same white and blue scarf around their necks. Gu Chen's scarf was wrapped around the very beginning of the stitching, with gaps of varying sizes. As the cold night wind blew, the chill seeped through the holes and blew against his neck.
The fallen leaves of the sycamore trees covered the ground. The two did not exchange a word and just walked along the roadside. The only sounds they could hear were the meows of stray cats passing by and the crisp sound of footsteps on the fallen leaves.
The cold wind cleared their heads, and most of the alcohol fumes from the private room had evaporated. They were tablemates before entering the karaoke bar, but became a couple afterward.
It feels unreal.
Xiang Yu's fingertips pressed against Gu Chen's hand, exuding a chill. Gu Chen changed the way he held Xiang Yu's hand, turning the interlocked fingers into a one-sided grip on Xiang Yu's hand.
Xiang Yu's left hand was in his pocket, while the other person held his right fingertips in their hand, and the temperature gradually rose.
"Are you still cold?" Gu Chen asked him softly.
Xiang Yu shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together, her face flushed so much she wanted to bury it in her scarf.
Gu Chen smiled when he saw him like that.
"I'm so happy, deskmate." Gu Chen looked at the other person with eyes as gentle as a clear spring. "This is my first time dating, so I'm actually a little nervous."
Who hasn't done it for the first time?
Xiang Yu looked at him, recalling the other's intimate gestures, and said, "I didn't realize it."
"Really." Gu Chen stopped and stared at the other person, and Xiang Yu stopped with him.
Gu Chen reached out his right hand and touched Xiang Yu's face, his thumb gently stroking the other's lips.