GRMFBS CH35

Zhen Hua was a little slow to catch on. “You two know each other?”

Zhan Yan replied, “We were college classmates.”

Zhen Hua suddenly understood. She pushed up her glasses, a glimmer flashing behind the lenses. “Nice! That’s great! Do you have any other classmates? Bring them in for a trial too!”

[Zhen Hua thinks: If your class produced two people who passed the test, maybe it can produce three! Four! The more the better!]

Zhan Yan said, “…I’ll ask around.”

Back at his desk, Zhan Yan held back for a bit, then lowered his voice. “You really did surprise me.”

He hadn’t expected to see Gu Jiancheng here.

Considering how hard it was to get hired by Zhenke News Agency, the chances of getting in weren’t high. And… Gu Jiancheng was a bit too confident! He hadn’t even checked with him before applying. What if he guessed wrong?

Shouldn’t the normal process have been to confirm the guess first?

Gu Jiancheng gave him a smile and reached out to tap the piece of gauze on Zhan Yan’s face, mirroring its position on his own. “What happened?”

[You think it’s stupid to tell your boyfriend you walked into a door, so you don’t want to say it.]

Shut up! Zhan Yan snapped back in his head.

But Gu Jiancheng was still looking at him, finger still tapping gently at the spot, a trace of concern hidden in his dark eyes.

Fine, fine.

“I bumped into the door this morning when I got up,” Zhan Yan said flatly. “It’s nothing.”

He quickly changed the subject. “How did you get hired?”

Gu Jiancheng explained the written test he took—it was different from Zhan Yan’s, but along the same lines.

His acceptance also meant he passed the mental stability test—he was a firm materialist.

As Zhan Yan listened, his eyes drifted to Gu Jiancheng peeling the egg. The egg he had carried around all morning was tapped lightly against the desk, and Gu Jiancheng’s long fingers slowly peeled away the shell, revealing the soft egg white.

“Why aren’t we going public anymore?” Gu Jiancheng asked quietly.

Zhan Yan also lowered his voice. “I was worried they wouldn’t allow office romances.”

He wanted to ask something else, but when he saw Gu Jiancheng had finished peeling the egg, he stopped and began organizing his files. As usual, Zhan Yan opened the gossip system and clacked away on his keyboard, but he couldn’t resist sneaking glances at Gu Jiancheng.

Gu Jiancheng was quietly eating the egg with great focus.

At first, Zhan Yan’s impression of Gu Jiancheng had just been that he was a classmate and roommate. They’d picked the same electives and joined the same clubs, but that wasn’t unusual. Plenty of classmates did the same. And the two of them hadn’t spoken much—Zhan Yan suspected it was because he had overheard one of Gu Jiancheng’s overly dramatic speeches when they first met.

In their sophomore year, Zhan Yan once overheard other students talking about Gu Jiancheng.

It was sports meet season, and the class sports rep was stressed, grabbing whoever passed by to ask if they’d sign up. There was still a spot left in the 5000-meter men’s race that no one wanted.

“Have you asked everyone? No one left?”

“Everyone’s been asked. Who’d want to do it? 5000 meters—it’ll kill a man.”

“What about… what’s-his-name?”

“Gu Jiancheng? You ask him then. Anyone brave enough?”

Silence.

Zhan Yan had signed up for the 800-meter and long jump. Hearing their cautious tone, he got curious. “What’s the matter? You’re not close?”

“No, we’re not.”

“Zhan Yan, you’re his roommate, right? What’s he like?”

Zhan Yan thought about it. “We’re not really close either.”

They’d barely spoken.

The sports rep sighed. “Knew it. He’s got that aura—who dares talk to him?”

Zhan Yan: Huh?

“Yeah, I get nervous just meeting his eyes.”

“I dropped my pen next to him once and didn’t dare pick it up.”

Zhan Yan: Huh? Huh?

“He must come from a powerful family! Is he mixed race?”

“My uncle’s a cop, and even he doesn’t have that scary a stare.”

“He looks like someone who’s seen blood…”

Zhan Yan: Huh? Huh? HUH?

How was this getting so ridiculous? Wasn’t Gu Jiancheng just a late-blooming drama king? His acting had just spooked everyone?

“Zhan Yan, it must be hard rooming with him, huh?” said the one with the cop uncle, giving him a sympathetic look.

“Not really.” Zhan Yan felt the need to defend his roommate. “Aren’t you guys overthinking this? I think he’s pretty nice—just a bit cold-looking. He’s helped me carry my hot water bottle before.”

The others immediately looked impressed.

Their other roommate, Bao Qingshan, happened to walk by. Zhan Yan pulled him over as backup. “Do you think Gu Jiancheng is scary?”

Bao Qingshan blinked. “Huh?” He scratched his ear. “He’s alright, I guess. His personality’s a bit aloof, and his eyes can be intense sometimes, but he’s never done anything scary. I wouldn’t say he’s frightening.”

The others exchanged looks.

Maybe they’d overreacted? Maybe Gu Jiancheng just looked cold on the outside, but wasn’t that hard to get along with once you got to know him?

The sports rep made up his mind. “Alright, I’ll go ask him!”

They were all classmates—nothing to be afraid of!

When Gu Jiancheng arrived, the rep draped an arm over Zhan Yan’s shoulder to psych himself up, holding the registration sheet in his other hand. “Um…”

The moment he met Gu Jiancheng’s eyes, the rep spun around and shoved the sheet into Zhan Yan’s hands. “You ask him. I’ll treat you to ice cream later!”

Zhan Yan couldn’t help laughing. Was he really that scary?

“Sure.” He took the form.

It was just one question, right? And maybe it would help the others see Gu Jiancheng in a better light—they were imagining him as some foreign assassin.

As Gu Jiancheng walked over, Zhan Yan held out the form. “Gu Jiancheng, there’s an open spot in the 5000-meter race for the sports meet. Want to sign up?”

Gu Jiancheng looked down at the form. “What did you sign up for?”

Zhan Yan joked, “I’ll be the one on the sidelines handing out water and cheering.”

“Sure.” Gu Jiancheng took the form and started filling it out. “I’ll run the 5,000 meters, and you cheer for me.”

Zhan Yan was stunned.

Before he could react, Gu Jiancheng had already put down the form and found a seat nearby to sit.

Zhan Yan turned to look at him. Gu Jiancheng’s expression was calm and indifferent, just like always.

It was from that moment on that Zhan Yan vaguely realized—Gu Jiancheng did seem to treat him a little differently.

…

Gu Jiancheng suddenly looked up at him. His eyes curved into a smile as he mouthed, “If you keep looking at me like that, our office romance won’t stay a secret.”

Zhan Yan’s face flushed. He blinked and simply asked, “How long do you plan to work here?”

“Not long,” Gu Jiancheng replied. “School starts in a little over a week.”

Zhan Yan wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

He was just an ordinary person, and there was a risk of information contamination at the Zhenke News Agency. Zhan Yan didn’t want Gu Jiancheng exposed to that danger.

Gu Jiancheng noticed his expression and suddenly smiled. “When you stop working here, I’ll stop too.”

Zhan Yan nodded in relief. “Then let’s both resign after work today.”

Zhen Hua, who had just walked out of the office: ???

Zhan Yan noticed the subtle shift in Gu Jiancheng’s expression, turned around, and saw their boss staring at him in stunned sorrow.

Zhan Yan: “…Uh, I mean, school’s starting next week.”

Zhen Hua: “…Oh.”

What an unarguable reason…

Work, clock out, and go on a date.

Gu Jiancheng looked at Zhan Yan with sparkling eyes.

Zhan Yan: “There’s a park nearby. Let’s go work out.”

Gu Jiancheng: “…Okay.”

Zhan Yan dragged him to the park.

He had been so sleepy that morning that he only did half his usual routine. Time to make up for it.

Last time, after running just over 3,000 meters, he twisted his ankle and needed his brother to carry him. Another time, he dragged his dad to run and nearly killed them both. Then he found out his sister was even stronger than him!

Zhan Yan was seriously concerned. Was his fitness level really that bad?

But during the university sports meet, he did fine in both running and the long jump. Maybe it was just that his family was unusually strong?

The park had some workout equipment. The two of them picked an empty pull-up bar.

An elderly man with gray hair and a workout tank top strolled over, grabbed the bar, and started doing pull-ups.

Zhan Yan did five and was already running out of energy.

He glanced at the grandpa doing them effortlessly, gritted his teeth, and managed three more.

The grandpa was already on his tenth.

Got it. His fitness really was garbage.

Zhan Yan hung limply from the pull-up bar, feeling like a dried salted fish.

The grandpa chuckled. “Young man, you’ve still got to train!”

Zhan Yan looked at the solid muscles in the man’s arms and sincerely admired him. “How do you train like this? Amazing!”

Pleased by the praise, the grandpa showed off a “space walk” on the pull-up bar, earning a chorus of gasps from onlookers.

Seeing the admiration in Zhan Yan’s eyes, Gu Jiancheng wanted to show off too.

It was still hot in the summer afternoon, and just a bit of exercise was enough to work up a sweat. Gu Jiancheng had unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt for mobility, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Sweat had soaked parts of the fabric, clinging to his skin and faintly revealing its color underneath.

Zhan Yan unscrewed his water bottle and took a sip, gaze drifting toward him. His throat moved as he swallowed.

Just as Gu Jiancheng was about to show off, Zhan Yan gave him a hand gesture and turned to walk away.

Gu Jiancheng: …

A few minutes later, Zhan Yan returned carrying two ice creams.

Gu Jiancheng dropped down from the bar: “I can do it too!”

Zhan Yan was tearing open the wrapper, realized what he meant—the space walk—and muttered angrily, “I can’t!”

Gu Jiancheng opened his mouth to explain, but a popsicle was shoved into it.

The two sat side by side and finished their ice cream. As the sky darkened, Zhan Yan prepared to head home.

Gu Jiancheng tugged at his sleeve, brows furrowed like a sulking dog. “I don’t think working out in a park counts as a date.”

He pulled out two amusement park tickets, eyes blazing as he looked at Zhan Yan.

Zhan Yan took the tickets and smiled. “So you’ve been planning this all along, huh?”

Gu Jiancheng clutched his hand and wouldn’t let go. “Let me walk you home?”

“No need, I’ll just take a cab.”

Zhan Yan looked down as he tucked the tickets away, so Gu Jiancheng could only see the slightly curled top of his hair.

He bit the inside of his lip. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Zhan Yan suddenly looked up. Gu Jiancheng’s unwilling expression made him look pitiful.

Zhan Yan smiled and gave him a hug. “We’ll see each other tomorrow anyway.”

Ten seconds, twenty, a minute… Zhan Yan tried to move.

Gu Jiancheng didn’t let go.

Alright then. Zhan Yan thought indulgently. He just missed me too much. A bit longer is fine.

Two minutes, three…

Passersby started glancing their way.

“Hey!” Zhan Yan tapped his back. “How long are you planning to hold me? We’ll see each other tomorrow!”

Gu Jiancheng’s face was buried in his neck. His voice was muffled. “But I looked for you for so long.”

“Everyone’s staring! We can be together all we want before school starts.”

Gu Jiancheng took a deep breath, nuzzled his face into Zhan Yan’s neck one last time, then reluctantly let go.

Zhan Yan thought of the golden retriever next door, always leaping and nuzzling when excited.

When there weren’t any people nearby, he quickly tugged Gu Jiancheng’s collar and gave him a kiss.

Gu Jiancheng blushed red.