Chapter Fifteen: Memories That Flew By

“I wasn’t hungry just now, but it seems my appetite showed up as soon as I smelled Auntie’s cooking.” Gu Yan felt a bit embarrassed.

Yu Sheng lowered her head with a small laugh. “Hurry up and eat!”

The moment Song He saw the food arrive, he quickly stuffed the last of his little bread into his mouth, stood up, and took the meal from Gu Yan, setting it down on the dining table. With the air of a host, he arranged the bowls and chopsticks properly.

“I’ll head back to eat then?” Yu Sheng waved at Gu Yan.

“Alright, be careful,” Gu Yan said, gazing wistfully at Yu Sheng’s departing figure.

“Oh, come on, your eyes are about to fall out. She’s just going upstairs, you don’t need to be so worried.” Song He teased as he started eating.

Gu Yan closed the door and shot Song He a glare. “You really don’t treat yourself as a guest, do you? I haven’t even started eating yet.”

“Don’t be so formal, we’re good brothers, what’s the point of fussing over such things?” Song He replied, waving his chopsticks.

“Hey! Leave me a chicken wing!”

Gu Yan hadn’t expected Song He to be such a shameless freeloader back in high school. As soon as he finished eating, Song He sprawled out on Gu Yan’s bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Ah, if only I’d known, I wouldn’t have agreed in the first place! Gu Yan sighed.

He hadn’t expected anyone to come stay over, so there was only one set of bedding. With Song He taking his bed, Gu Yan was left to sleep on the sofa, which was a bit lumpy and hard.

When Song He woke up, he found the place empty. Checking his phone, he saw Gu Yan had left him a message on WeChat.

Gu Yan: Our school has evening self-study, so I won’t be back until after ten tonight. If you can’t wait, just head home! If you want to stay over, you’ll have to get dinner on your own—and no takeout! The key is on the table.

After reading the message, Song He smiled with satisfaction.

Aww, Gu Yan is all sharp-tongued but soft-hearted; he really does care about me.

Although Gu Yan did care about Song He’s well-being, by the time he was at school, he’d already forgotten all about him.

That evening during self-study, the homeroom teacher wasn’t around, so the class monitor watched over things. Being a top-tier high school, most of the students were disciplined, quietly working on their assignments.

While working, Gu Yan kept glancing up at Yu Sheng or watching her back intently.

“What’s with you?” Chen Ke’an asked, puzzled by his odd behavior.

“Nothing, just thinking about a problem,” Gu Yan replied awkwardly, lowering his head.

He was indeed thinking, but not about assignments—he was thinking about Yu Sheng.

Song He had said today that she already had feelings for him, but why couldn’t he feel it? No matter how boldly he tried to flirt with her, she never seemed to react.

For some reason, Yu Sheng had felt a chill down her back ever since self-study began.

Has the temperature dropped today? Yu Sheng wondered.

“Did you solve the third problem in the math workbook yet?” Yu Sheng whispered to Lin Ning.

“Oh, come on, if even you can’t do it, how could I?”

“Alright then,” Yu Sheng pouted.

“But the two geniuses in our grade sit right behind you. Why not ask them?”

Yu Sheng nodded but, remembering her little crush on Gu Yan, felt too embarrassed.

She decided to ask Chen Ke’an instead.

Yu Sheng turned around, skipping right past Gu Yan. “Chen Ke’an, did you solve problem three?”

Chen Ke’an looked up. “I did. Need me to explain it to you?”

Just as Yu Sheng was about to say no, Gu Yan spoke up.

“I finished it too, do you want my help?”

“Uh, no, I just want to look at the solution process,” Yu Sheng answered awkwardly.

“I’ve finished all my math problems; you can look at mine if you like,” Gu Yan added, glancing at Chen Ke’an.

Chen Ke’an didn’t say anything, simply handed over his workbook too.

Yu Sheng stared at the two workbooks in front of her, completely at a loss. Whose should she take? Either choice would be awkward.

She nudged Lin Ning with her foot. Lin Ning was grinning, but at Yu Sheng’s signal, quickly wiped the smile off her face and came to the rescue.

“Oh, I can’t solve this one either, and since both of you are done, I’ll just borrow one to look at.” With that, she took Chen Ke’an’s workbook.

Seeing Lin Ning take Chen Ke’an’s, Yu Sheng naturally reached for Gu Yan’s.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me anytime,” Gu Yan said.

Yu Sheng nodded obediently and turned back, unaware that her little act had been witnessed by someone with ulterior motives.

After evening study, Yu Sheng originally wanted to walk home with both Chen Ke’an and Gu Yan, but as she was slow packing up, she found Chen Ke’an had already left, leaving only Gu Yan leaning lazily against a desk, waiting for her.

Once she finished, Gu Yan greeted her with a gentle smile.

“Got everything?”

“Yes, all my assignments are done. I just brought some books to review,” Yu Sheng replied.

“Let’s go then.”

Yu Sheng nodded and walked beside him.

“Why do I feel like you’ve been quieter lately? Was it because you didn’t enjoy our last outing?” Gu Yan asked.

“No, am I usually talkative?”

Have I always been noisy before?

Sensing her mood, Gu Yan quickly explained, “No, not at all.”

“You’re not talkative, just normal.”

Yu Sheng was the kind of person who, once she knew someone liked her, would become a little self-conscious, overthinking things and reviewing her past actions to make sure she hadn’t done anything embarrassing.

To steer her away from these thoughts, Gu Yan changed the subject.

“I wonder if Song He’s left yet.”

“Is he an old friend of yours?” Yu Sheng asked with interest.

“He’s the one I mentioned who helped me out before.”

“So it’s him! I should properly thank him.”

“No need, I already thanked him for you.”

“Alright then,” Yu Sheng nodded.

Thinking of the moment earlier with the math problem, Gu Yan was reminded of the past. Before they got together, Yu Sheng would be too shy to ask him questions herself and would have her deskmate do it. He remembered telling her, on the day they became a couple, “From now on, you can ask your boyfriend questions anytime you like.”

Thinking of this, Gu Yan turned to her and said, “By the way, if you ever have any questions, just ask me directly, there’s no need to be embarrassed.”

Having her little secret pointed out made Yu Sheng’s face flush.

Now, Yu Sheng just wanted to hurry home, so she quickened her pace.

As they rounded a corner, Yu Sheng nearly bumped into someone, but Gu Yan reacted quickly and caught her.

“Why are you still here?” Gu Yan asked when he saw Song He.

Song He pouted, putting on a pitiful look. “I was worried you two might run into trouble, so I came to pick you up.”

Gu Yan said nothing and continued walking with Yu Sheng.

“Don’t you have classes?” Yu Sheng asked.

Song He scratched his head. “Our classes are so boring, and I’m in the international program—there’s really nothing new for me to learn.”

Gu Yan sighed. “At least your parents know you’re here, right?”

Song He didn’t answer, just looked at Gu Yan with puppy-dog eyes and smiled.

“No way, man—your parents don’t even know? Did you just run away from home?” Gu Yan was dumbfounded. So he’d just snuck out.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I hardly ever see them anyway. Honestly, if I died, they might not find out for a month.”

Yu Sheng watched Song He joke around with a forced smile and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

“How long do you plan to stay here?” she asked.

“Let’s see. Depends on what fun things you have here!” Song He replied as they walked.

“Alright, if you really insist on staying, then call your parents right now, tell them you’re safe, and then go book yourself a hotel!” Gu Yan said.

“Aww,” Song He complained.

“Aww what? I only have one set of bedding, and I had to sleep on the sofa at noon!”

“It’s alright, Gu Yan. I have an extra quilt at my place. I can lend it to you,” Yu Sheng offered.

“Wow, Shengsheng, you’re so kind. Love you!” Song He blurted out, startling both Gu Yan and Yu Sheng.

When Yu Sheng walked ahead, Gu Yan dragged Song He aside and hissed, “Who said you could call her Shengsheng? And watch your mouth—just because you’re my friend doesn’t mean I won’t do something about it!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t say it again,” Song He promised, waving his hands.

As soon as Gu Yan let him go, Song He straightened his clothes.

“Hmmph, choosing love over friendship!”

Yu Sheng turned to see the two of them wrestling and couldn’t help but giggle.

“What’s so funny?” Gu Yan walked over to her.

“It’s just, ever since you got here, this is the first time I’ve seen you so happy. And now that Song He’s here, you seem more lively than before.”

Gu Yan smiled. “I was just busy before, and that time at the beach, I twisted my ankle and we didn’t even get to have any fun.”

“Then this weekend, you should take us out!” Song He chimed in to Yu Sheng.

“Isn’t it you who wants to go? Don’t drag me into it,” Gu Yan retorted.

“Well, do you want to go, Gu Yan? If you do, I’ll take you both,” Yu Sheng said.

At that, Gu Yan immediately changed his tune. “I want to go!”

Song He patted Gu Yan’s shoulder, giving him a meaningful look.

“Don’t look at me like that, as if you’re not interested in going yourself.”

Initially, Gu Yan hadn’t wanted to trouble Yu Sheng’s mother by having her prepare food for Song He; he’d planned to have Song He eat out. But when Wei Yabo heard about it, she insisted it was no trouble—eating out wasn’t healthy anyway. So during his stay, Song He ate at Yu Sheng’s house, just like Gu Yan.

That night, Yu Sheng brought over the bedding for Gu Yan.

“This quilt is new, never used. Don’t worry, it’s clean,” Yu Sheng said as she placed it on the sofa.

The apartment Yu Sheng’s family rented to Gu Yan was two bedrooms and a living room, but Gu Yan had only bothered to set up one room, figuring no one would come stay. Because of Song He, he now had to prepare another room.

“Thanks, Sheng—uh, Yu Sheng!” Song He caught himself, sneaking a glance at Gu Yan, nearly slipping again.

“Need help cleaning up?” Yu Sheng asked Gu Yan.

“No, you should go and rest. Song He can manage on his own.”

Yu Sheng smiled. “Alright, I’ll head out then.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t we both going?” Song He protested.

“Man, it’s just making a bed. Do it yourself. You’ve got nothing to do tomorrow anyway, so a late night won’t hurt,” Gu Yan said, yawning.

“Good night.” With that, Gu Yan flopped onto his bed and didn’t move.

Song He was left alone, staring at the bedding with tears in his eyes.

I have no idea how to make a bed! Someone, please tell me what to do!

The pampered Song He let out a silent cry for help.