Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
After spending this time together, Ji Su thought he was no longer afraid of Gu Zhao.
But now, being pinned firmly against the sink and that overwhelming sense of oppression returned.
Ji Su was forced to meet those dark, deep eyes with his heart pounding with panic as he stammered, "N-no, I didn’t say that…"
"Didn’t you say it yourself?" Gu Zhao rubbed the soft skin behind Ji Su’s ear with his thumb. "You like someone more dominant."
"I did say that, but…" Ji Su grasped the key point in his chaotic thoughts. "I didn’t say I liked overbearing female leads."
It was Wang Mingzhe who had made that summary, not him. He had never explicitly said he liked overbearing female leads.
"Oh, really?" Gu Zhao smiled again, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Then what type do you actually like?"
"I don’t know… I was just talking nonsense earlier." Ji Su’s rationality slowly returned, and he leaned his head back. "Gu Zhao, can you let me go first?"
Instead of releasing him, Gu Zhao tightened his grip and his handsome face moving even closer. "Are you really that unwilling to be alone with me?"
Ji Su instinctively retorted, "That’s not true."
Gu Zhao’s voice was low and cold: "I just wanted to have a meal with you, but you invited so many people."
Ji Su was slightly taken aback: "I thought… it would be more lively with more people."
Gu Zhao let out a cold laugh: "Do I seem like someone who enjoys liveliness?"
Only now did Ji Su belatedly realize the real reason for Gu Zhao’s anger.
Originally, it was supposed to be a meal just for the two of them, but it had turned into a group gathering that made it seem like Gu Zhao wasn’t important at all.
"I’m sorry…" Ji Su softened his voice and his gaze unconsciously softening as well. "I didn’t consider your feelings. Can I treat you to a meal alone next time?"
Before Gu Zhao could respond, a sudden "bang bang" sound came from behind them.
Then, an unfamiliar male voice called out: "Is anyone there? Why is the bathroom door locked?"
Ji Su was startled and instinctively pushed against the person in front of him.
But Gu Zhao remained firmly planted between his legs and not budging an inch.
Ji Su: "…"
Why was this happening? Was he really that weak?
"Gu Zhao," Ji Su whispered urgently, "someone’s here. Let me go!"
Gu Zhao gave him a deep look, then released his hand and stepped back.
Ji Su immediately jumped off the sink and moved to open the bathroom door.
Gu Zhao turned around then took a few large strides past him, and opened the door first.
The middle-aged man standing outside was startled: "Oh, someone's in here?"
"Sorry, it's all yours." Ji Su apologized with a smile before signaling Gu Zhao to leave quickly.
The two returned to the private room one after the other, just as the waiter was serving the dishes.
Gu Zhao pulled out a chair then waited for Ji Su to sit down, and took a seat beside him.
"Damn!" Wang Mingzhe exclaimed after tasting a dish, "As expected of Brother Gu's meticulous selection, the flavor is absolutely amazing!"
Gu Zhao picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and placed it in Ji Su's bowl: "Try it."
Ji Su softly thanked him: "Thank you."
"Wow, wow, wow!" Wang Mingzhe started his antics again, "Brother Gu, why are you only serving Ji Su? I want some sweet and sour pork ribs too!"
Gu Zhao glanced at him: "Even the best food can't shut you up."
"Here, Old Wang, I'll serve you." Zhou Yang mediated before picking up a piece of ribs and handing it over, "How's that? Not worse than the one Brother Gu served, right?"
Qiao Jin joined in the fun: "Me too, me too!"
The table was filled with familiar faces, and everyone chatted and ate in a lively and relaxed atmosphere.
Ji Su was continuously fed by the person next to him so his mouth never stopped to eat and too busy to talk.
Gu Zhao reached out again to pick up a piece of fragrant and tender pig's trotter and placed it in his bowl.
"That's enough, that's enough..." Ji Su turned his face and whispered, "It's too much, I really can't eat anymore."
They were sitting close, shoulder to shoulder, and when he tilted his head, he almost leaned against Gu Zhao's cheek.
A warm, fragrant breath brushed past his ear, and Gu Zhao's hand gripping the chopsticks tightened suddenly, then relaxed as if nothing had happened before placing the pig's trotter into his own bowl.
After dinner, seeing that it was still early, Wang Mingzhe suggested they all go to a bar for a while.
"A bar?" Ji Su casually asked, "Are you going to drink?"
"Going to a bar doesn't necessarily mean drinking; you can also dance and party." Wang Mingzhe paused, then exaggeratedly said, "No way, Ji Su, you haven't been to a bar before, have you?"
Ji Su: "Hmm..."
"Old Wang, you're right, Susu really hasn't been to a bar, hahaha!" Qiao Jin laughed heartily, "Every time I try to drag him to a bar, he refuses."
"Little scholar, life isn't just about studying; there are many exciting things out there," Wang Mingzhe got a bit carried away as he reached out to hug Ji Su, "Perfect timing, come with us tonight and see the world!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large hand appeared out of nowhere and slapped his arm down heavily.
Wang Mingzhe yelped: "Brother Gu! Are you trying to kill your roommate?"
Gu Zhao's gaze was icy: "Go by yourself if you want to."
Wang Mingzhe felt a chill down his spine and instinctively shrunk his neck: "Alright..."
"Su Su, are you really not interested in checking out the bar?" Qiao Jin, oblivious to their exchange, excitedly urged, "Come on, you don't have to drink."
Zhou Yang chimed in: "Yeah, with us around, it's safe. Don't worry."
Not wanting to dampen everyone's spirits, Ji Su agreed: "Alright, I'll go and see the world too."
Gu Zhao frowned slightly as the words on the tip of his tongue swallowed back.
"Are just the four of us going?" Zhou Yang confirmed again, "Brother Gu, are you really not coming?"
Gu Zhao: "I'm going."
"Wait—" Wang Mingzhe immediately jumped up, "Brother Gu, why did you change your mind again?"
Gu Zhao: "Any objections?"
"No, no, who would dare to object?" Zhou Yang smiled and took over the conversation, "Let's go, let's go out and hail a taxi."
The group left the private room, and Ji Su quickly walked to the front desk before politely saying, "Hello, I'd like to settle the bill."
"Hello," the receptionist smiled warmly, "May I ask which private room you'd like to settle the bill for?"
Ji Su gave the name, and the receptionist checked before replying, "Hello, this room has already been settled."
"Huh?" Ji Su turned around, "Gu Zhao, did you settle the bill?"
Gu Zhao stepped forward and explained calmly, "I have a VIP card here, the bill is charged to the card."
Ji Su slightly frowned: "Didn't we agree that I would treat?"
"Next time." Gu Zhao raised his arm before loosely wrapping it around Ji Su's slender shoulders as they walked out, "Next time, treat me alone."
Ji Su: "Alright..."
It seems Gu Zhao really cares about whether he's being treated to a meal alone, so it's better not to argue with him over this meal.
About half an hour later, the group arrived at a nearby bar.
When Ji Su and Gu Zhao walked into the bar side by side, almost everyone around turned their gaze towards them.
Wang Mingzhe skillfully opened a booth and ordered a few bottles of wine: "It's not too crowded now, but it'll get lively later."
Ji Su sat down on the sofa, and Gu Zhao naturally sat down beside him.
Sure enough, after a while, the bar became more and more lively.
Wang Mingzhe eagerly squeezed into the dance floor, and Qiao Jin also pulled Zhou Yang to go dancing.
Ji Su didn't like to join the hustle and bustle, so he picked up a glass of wine from the table and took small sips.
The wine that somehow mixed, tasted sweet with a hint of fruity aroma and not spicy at all.
"Drink less," Gu Zhao reminded, "This wine has a high alcohol content."
"Really?" Ji Su unconsciously licked his upper lip, "I think it's fine."
The lighting in the bar was dim, but Gu Zhao's vision was excellent as he clearly see the pink tongue peek out and lick the wine off the lips.
His Adam's apple moved slightly but he calmly withdrew his gaze before leaning over to pick up a glass of wine.
"Hello!" Suddenly, a boy holding a glass of wine greeted them, obviously heading straight for Ji Su, "Hi, would you like to have a drink together?"
Ji Su was stunned: "Huh?"
Almost at the same moment, a deep and cold voice sounded: "He's with me."
The boy's gaze met Gu Zhao's icy eyes, and he inexplicably shivered: "S-sorry, my mistake!"
For the rest of the time, no one dared to come up and flirt.
Gu Zhao sat there expressionless with one arm resting on the back of the sofa behind Ji Su, his posture seemingly casual, but anyone who met his gaze would involuntarily back off.
As for Ji Su, who was half encircled in his arms, he was completely unaware of the undercurrents around him and just happily drinking the sweet wine.
Qiao Jin took a break and returned to the booth for a drink: "Susu! Why aren't you dancing?"
Ji Su looked up with his cheeks flushed: "But I don't know how to dance..."
Qiao Jin exclaimed in surprise, "Susu, have you had too much to drink?"
"Not at all," Ji Su replied before attempting to stand up but sway slightly and nearly fall back onto the couch.
Gu Zhao's brow twitched, and he quickly stood up to reach out to steady him.
"Holy crap! Susu, you're really drunk!" Qiao Jin moved to help but was deterred by the cold glare from the side.
Gu Zhao spoke up, "I'll take him back first."
"This..." Qiao Jin hesitated for a moment, "Wait, I'll go back with you."
Gu Zhao looked up, "I'm taking him to my place."
"Ah? Your place?" Qiao Jin's mouth hung open, then he remembered that Ji Su had already stayed overnight at Gu Zhao's before, so he reluctantly agreed, "Alright, then I'll leave it to you."
Gu Zhao half-supported, half-carried Ji Su out of the noisy bar and stood by the roadside to hail a cab.
Ji Su, feeling dizzy, asked, "Gu Zhao, where are we going?"
Gu Zhao stopped a taxi, "To my place."
"But..." Ji Su tilted his head while sounding confused, "Don't you only have one bed at your place?"
"Mm," Gu Zhao raised his hand to shield Ji Su's head as he helped him into the car, "You can have the bed."
Ji Su looked at him with sparkling eyes, "Gu Zhao, why are you so good to me?"
Gu Zhao's lips curved slightly, "Just remember that.
The journey back wasn't far, and when the taxi stopped at Gu Zhao's residential complex, Ji Su seemed to still be conscious, though he couldn't walk in a straight line.
Gu Zhao simply wrapped his arm around him and guided him toward the elevator.
"It's so hot..." Ji Su, heated from the alcohol, squirmed uncomfortably in his arms, "Gu Zhao, you're so hot, like a little volcano..."
Gu Zhao controlled him with one hand with his voice slightly hoarse, "Be good, we're almost home."
Finally inside the apartment, Ji Su instinctively lay down on the sofa as his slurred voice trailing off, "Gu Zhao, why is your ceiling spinning..."
Gu Zhao walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out some honey before mixing a glass of honey water. He then crouched in front of the sofa, "Drink some water."
Ji Su lifted his upper body and drank from Gu Zhao's hand.
It was the first time Gu Zhao had fed someone water, and their coordination wasn't perfect.
Half the water ended up dripping down Ji Su's sharp jaw that wet his fair, jade-like neck and even the collar of his shirt.
Gu Zhao watched the scene before him with his eyes growing darker.
"No more..." Ji Su pushed his hand away before tugging at his wet collar, "It's so uncomfortable, I want to take a shower..."
Without waiting for a response, he got up from the sofa and stumbled toward the bedroom.
Gu Zhao followed closely behind and made sure he didn't bump into anything.
Despite having only been there once, the drunk Ji Su accurately found the bathroom and fumbled his way inside.
With a "bang," the bathroom door closed in front of Gu Zhao and nearly hit his tall nose.
He narrowed his dark eyes slightly, "Ji Su, are you sure you can shower by yourself?"
Ji Su didn't answer, and no sound came from the bathroom.
Gu Zhao stood at the door for a while, then finally turned the knob and opened it, only to find Ji Su pitifully curled up in the bathtub.
So thin, so frail with his slender limbs curled up and only occupying a small space. His crow-feather-like eyelashes fluttered uneasily, and his delicate brows were furrowed, looking very uncomfortable.
Gu Zhao walked over and bent down to pick him up, but was met with resistance.
"Don't touch me..." Ji Su grabbed the edge of the bathtub with his slender fingers, "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep..."
Gu Zhao coaxed softly, "Be good, I'll carry you to bed."
"No, I want to sleep here!" The drunken Ji Su became a bit spoiled and unreasonable, even reaching out to slap his hand.
But the force was negligible, like being patted by a kitten's paw.
Gu Zhao didn't indulge his willfulness. With a big hand, he scooped him up from the bathtub by the waist.
Ji Su struggled on his shoulder and his slender legs kicking, "Gu Zhao, let me go, I want to sleep in the bathtub—ah!"
With a "smack," a big hand landed on his plump buttocks.
Ji Su was stunned for several seconds before asking incredulously, "You... you hit me?"
Gu Zhao sat on the edge of the bed then laid him across his lap, and slapped the round buttocks again.
Ji Su had just drowsily kicked off his pants, now only wearing a pair of boxer briefs. Under the thin layer of black fabric, the plump flesh of his buttocks jiggled like jelly.
Even the snow-white and delicate inner thighs trembled slightly and the small crimson mole on the side of his thigh faintly visible.
The sensation in his palm was too good, and the visual enjoyment was even greater. Gu Zhao's eyes darkened almost to the point of dripping ink and his voice completely hoarse, "Didn't you like it a bit domineering?"
Ji Su lay motionless on his lap, as if stunned by the spanking.
After a moment, Gu Zhao finally noticed something was wrong and turned him over.
Those clear and beautiful eyes were filled with a pool of spring water and on the verge of spilling over.
Gu Zhao, who had always been as steady as an old dog, panicked instantly, "Did I hurt you?"
"You hit me... why did you hit me?" Ji Su's voice was thick with tears as soon as he spoke, "I just pretended to be a girl to trick you into an online romance, and you spanked me?"
Gu Zhao was both angry and heartbroken as he retorted in a low voice, "After tricking me, you ran away, and you still have the nerve?"
"It's not like I wanted to, the senior was crying and begging me, how could I ignore her?" Ji Su pushed him as his big round tears rolled down, "I also want to refuse unreasonable requests, but what if after refusing, no one likes me anymore..."
Gu Zhao frowned while holding his hand, "Who said that?"
"I thought if I was just good enough and if I did well enough..." Ji Su's voice became more choked and sounded utterly aggrieved, "But why, even though I tried so hard... why do they still not want me..."
Mom said, Su Su, you need to be good, and when I'm settled over there, I'll come back to get you.
Dad said, Ji Su, you need to be obedient, so your new mom will like you.
He became a very good and obedient child, day after day hoping while waiting.
But later, mom never came back, and after the birth of his half-brother, the happy family of three became harmonious, and he became an out-of-place outsider.
Everyone was moving forward with big strides and only he was left behind while still stuck in that abandoned childhood.
The tears that fell were so large and scalding, each drop landing on Gu Zhao's hand and burning so intensely that his hand trembled.
In that instant, it felt as if an invisible hand had tightly gripped his heart, the pain so severe that he could barely breathe.
This sensation was too unfamiliar.
Gu Zhao clenched his brows tightly as his handsome face contorted in discomfort.
Ji Su raised his hands to cover his face while softly sobbing like a wounded animal licking its wounds alone.
He didn’t even dare to cry out loud.
Gu Zhao gently moved his hands away, his touch incredibly tender and his slightly rough fingertips softly wiping away the tears: "It doesn’t matter, none of them matter."
Ji Su lifted his wet, clumped eyelashes and his tearful eyes blurred as he stammered an apology: "I’m sorry, Gu Zhao, I just wanted… I just wanted to be liked a lot, I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to…"
"It’s okay, it’s okay," Gu Zhao replied hoarsely before cupping Ji Su’s face in his hands, "Stop crying…"
Ji Su, already feeling dizzy, cried until his head was spinning, and simply closed his eyes while leaning his wet face into the crook of Gu Zhao’s neck.
The skin on the side of his neck felt as if it had been scalded and an incredible heat rapidly penetrated the surface layer of his skin then transmitted through countless capillaries, finally converging at his heart.
It was as if a crack had appeared on the surface of a glacier that had remained unyielding for years, and then that crack, with an unstoppable force, split into countless dense fissures.
Until, with a "boom," it completely shattered.
Gu Zhao raised a hand as his palm resting on the soft hair before pressing the person firmly against his shoulder.
After an unknown amount of time, the breathing by his neck gradually calmed down.
Gu Zhao gently placed the person back on the bed with his gaze fixed on that face.
Even after crying so messily, he was still breathtakingly beautiful.
His nose was red from crying, and the corners of his eyes were also red, all looking pitiful. But Gu Zhao still had the wicked desire to make him look even more pitiful.
"Those irrelevant people don't matter," Gu Zhao murmured softly while using his fingertips to brush away the damp strands of hair from his forehead. "I'll give you everything you want."
"And what I want is only you."
Not just the body, but also that beating heart.
He wanted all of Ji Su.
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