Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
"Okay... wait!" Ji Su had just agreed when he belatedly realized, "What punishment?"
Gu Zhao didn't answer, only asked, "Will you accept the punishment?"
That exquisitely beautiful face was cradled in his palm while being forced to tilt upwards and the plump, crimson lips slightly parted, looking as if they were begging for a kiss.
Gu Zhao rubbed the corner of those red lips with his slightly rough fingertip as his Adam's apple bobbing and his throat felt parched.
Ji Su's heart skipped a beat under his intense gaze and stammering, "Y-you tell me first, what's the punishment?"
Gu Zhao pinched the sharp chin before pulling it closer to himself until their high-bridged noses almost touched.
The scorching breath enveloped him like a tightly woven net, making Ji Su hold his breath in nervousness.
The distance between their lips was mere millimeters, and in that split second, Ji Su's blank mind suddenly sounded an alarm.
The next moment, he raised his hand and forcefully pushed away the chest pressing against him.
Caught off guard, Gu Zhao was pushed back for the first time and took several steps back before regaining his balance.
"Are you okay?" Ji Su panicked as he jumped down from the cabinet in the entryway but did not dare to approach to check.
Gu Zhao narrowed his dark eyes and something dangerous flickering in their depths.
Ji Su leaned against the edge of the cabinet and was ready to flee at any moment: "I didn't mean to..."
Gu Zhao's lips curved into a faint, ambiguous smile: "Why so nervous?"
Ji Su nervously replied, "I'm not nervous."
"Choose one of two punishments." Gu Zhao walked back to him before placing his hands on the cabinet on either side of Ji Su and easily trapped him again. "First, get spanked three times by me."
Ji Su: "?"
He couldn't believe his ears: "What did you say?"
"If you do something wrong, you get spanked." Gu Zhao said leisurely, "It's not like I haven't spanked you before."
Ji Su was incredulous: "When did you ever—"
Halfway through his sentence, a few unfamiliar scenes suddenly flashed through his mind.
He was only wearing a pair of underwear, was pulled out of the bathtub by Gu Zhao, placed on his lap, and spanked on the buttocks...
His fair cheeks instantly flushed red, and Ji Su felt his head spinning again.
Gu Zhao's deep eyes stared at him: "Remember now?"
Ji Su snapped back to reality but firmly stated, "I choose the second option!"
"Oh?" Gu Zhao seemed to have anticipated this, "The second one is simple, call me 'good brother.'"
Ji Su: "..."
Calling him 'brother' was one thing, but 'good brother'?
"What?" Gu Zhao looked down with a smile, "Or do you prefer getting spanked by me?"
"I don't." Ji Su immediately denied, both embarrassed and annoyed, "You always bully me, how are you good?"
Gu Zhao took his slender, pale fingers and lightly bit them: "Tell me, how have I bullied you?"
"You, you..." Ji Su shivered from the bite and unable to help but accuse, "You're bullying me right now."
Gu Zhao's gaze hooked onto his face, his tone inscrutable: "Is this bullying you?"
This is just the beginning.
Seeing that he couldn't get out of it, Ji Su bit his lip and his voice as small as a mosquito's hum: "Good brother..."
Gu Zhao leaned in while tilting his ear closer: "Call me what?"
"Good brother, good brother!" Ji Su closed his eyes while shouting twice as if throwing caution to the wind, "Is that enough now?"
Gu Zhao subtly clenched his back teeth but finally let him off the hook: "Alright."
Ji Su cautiously poked his sturdy arm with a finger: "So, is this matter over now?"
Gu Zhao snorted when he straightened up, and walked into the living room.
Ji Su pressed his palm against his warm cheek and followed: "Gu Zhao, I think we should still go to the hospital."
"No need," Gu Zhao stood by the dining table to pour a glass of warm water, and handed it to him. "I'm fine."
Ji Su was still worried: "Are you really not feverish anymore?"
"I am," Gu Zhao looked at him, "but it's somewhere else that's burning."
Ji Su asked, confused: "Where?"
Gu Zhao smirked: "Do you really want to know?"
Although he didn't understand what Gu Zhao meant, Ji Su instinctively felt it wasn't something good and shook his head: "No, I don't want to know."
Gu Zhao looked at him for a few seconds, then averted his gaze: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Ji Su then remembered they hadn't had dinner yet and volunteered: "I'll cook tonight. What would you like to eat?"
Gu Zhao was still sick, and it seemed too much to ask the patient to cook for him.
"No need," Gu Zhao opened the fridge, "I'll do it."
"Alright," Ji Su knew he couldn't win this argument and could only compromise. "How about noodles for dinner? I feel like having soup noodles."
"Okay," Gu Zhao agreed, "You go play for a while."
Ji Su obediently walked to the sofa, sat down, and opened his phone to check messages.
Qiao Jin: [Su Su, where have you disappeared to again?]
Qiao Jin: [If Gu Zhao has kidnapped you, give me a signal!]
Ji Su: [Xiao Qiao, I haven't been kidnapped.]
Ji Su: [Gu Zhao is still sick, I'm taking care of him.]
Ji Su looked at the sent messages, then glanced at the figure busy in the kitchen and felt a bit guilty.
The current situation seemed like he was the one being taken care of...
At that moment, Qiao Jin sent another message.
Qiao Jin: [I don't believe it!]
Qiao Jin: [Gu Zhao looks strong enough to punch a cow to death, how could he get sick so easily?]
Ji Su: [Really, he had a fever.]
Qiao Jin: [A fever? More like he's being flirtatious!]
Ji Su: "..."
Qiao Jin: [I seriously suspect this is Senior Gu's ruse of feigned suffering!]
Qiao Jin: [Taking advantage of your soft heart!]
Ji Su: [No, Xiao Qiao, Gu Zhao isn't that kind of person.]
Qiao Jin: [Oh ho ho, already defending him, huh?]
Ji Su: [I'm just stating the facts...]
Qiao Jin: [Alright, then I'll admit I wronged the campus heartthrob.]
Qiao Jin: [But I still have to remind you, baby, be sure to watch out for your safety!]
Ji Su: [Don't worry, I will.]
Gu Zhao worked quickly, and soon brought out two steaming bowls of soup noodles.
Ji Su pulled out a chair and sat down before picking up his chopsticks. He noticed there was a poached egg in his bowl, while Gu Zhao's bowl only had vegetables and noodles.
"Auntie forgot to buy eggs, so there was only one left in the fridge." Gu Zhao noticed his gaze and explained indifferently.
Ji Su picked up the poached egg and placed it in Gu Zhao's bowl: "You have it, patients need more protein."
Gu Zhao put it back in his bowl: "You eat it."
Ji Su looked at the golden poached egg with his throat suddenly tightening.
Gu Zhao frowned: "What's wrong? Don't you like poached eggs?"
"It's nothing... I just remembered some trivial things." Ji Su replied with a forced lightness, his eyelashes lowered. "At my family's dining table, if there was only one fried egg left, it would always end up in my brother's bowl."
There were countless little things like this, and he thought he had long since stopped caring. But it turns out, they still come to mind easily.
Gu Zhao looked at him and his tone was calm. "With me, you'll never have to endure such grievances."
Ji Su pressed his lips together but said nothing. His dark, thick lashes like crow feathers quietly moistened by a hint of moisture.
Gu Zhao didn't press further. "Let's eat."
After dinner, it was time for the usual routine of bathing and sleeping.
After his bath, Ji Su quickly claimed the sofa. "Gu Zhao, you can't move me to the bed again tonight."
Gu Zhao leaned back against the headboard. "You slept so deeply that you didn't even notice when I carried you."
He even suspected that if he did something more daring, the person sleeping soundly in his arms wouldn't wake up.
"I just have good sleep quality," Ji Su protested softly. "But that's no reason for you to move me around."
Gu Zhao chuckled. "Then why don't you just sleep in the bed now?"
Ji Su politely declined. "No, I prefer your sofa."
That night, he repeatedly told himself before sleeping that he mustn't sleep too deeply tonight.
As expected, the next morning he woke up once again in the large bed filled with Gu Zhao's scent.
Ji Su secretly resolved that he wouldn't stay overnight again until Gu Zhao added a second bed to his home.
…….
The new week was busy with classes, but Ji Su managed to find time to rehearse with Han Meng for the stage performance.
Each time, Gu Zhao would appear like a ghost and silently stand behind him while watching their rehearsal intently.
Under all this pressure, the campus cultural arts festival finally opened as scheduled on Saturday afternoon.
Ji Su and Han Meng's performance was in the middle. After the host announced their act, the atmosphere in the auditorium suddenly became electric.
The red curtain opened, and on the dark stage, a beam of light shone down, enveloping the person sitting at the piano.
Ji Su wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, with his soft, dark hair naturally falling, and his long, thick lashes casting butterfly-like shadows on his eyelids. Under the light, he glowed like jade, pure as an angel.
Gu Zhao sat in the second row with his gaze firmly fixed on him, his eyes subtly suppressing a surge of emotions.
Slender, pale fingers touched the black and white keys, and the familiar piano melody flowed effortlessly.
At this moment, Gu Zhao could see no one but Ji Su at the piano, and hear nothing but the sound of the piano.
It was as if he was still trapped in that dark, sunless basement.
The piano piece and the solo dance were perfectly synchronized. When the last note faded from his fingertips, it took several seconds for everyone to come back to reality.
Ji Su stood up from the piano and bowed with Han Meng to the audience.
The audience seemed to wake from a dream, and the auditorium erupted in prolonged applause.
Ji Su retreated backstage before exhaling lightly, and said to Han Meng, "Good job."
"You did great too, senior." Han Meng said with her eyes sparkling. "Today's performance, we matched perfectly, didn't we?"
Ji Su nodded, "Yes, you danced even better than during rehearsals."
"To receive such praise from you personally, Senior, I feel truly fulfilled." Han Meng took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for something important. "Senior, there's something very important I want to tell you."
Ji Su responded, "Go ahead."
Han Meng gestured, "Please follow me, Senior."
At this moment, everyone was gathered inside the grand auditorium, making the exit area quite peaceful.
"Senior, first, I need to confess something to you." Han Meng stopped walking, her tone straightforward. "Actually, I deliberately used this collaborative stage performance as a way to get closer to you."
Ji Su was a bit confused, "What do you mean?"
"Senior, you might not remember, but we've actually met before." Han Meng smiled at him with curved eyes. "On the day of the freshman orientation last year, I had an accident with my period and stained my pants. When you saw me, you lent me your jacket."
Ji Su thought back carefully and vaguely recalled the incident.
"For you, Senior, it was probably just a small, ordinary gesture, so it's normal you don't remember." Han Meng paused before her tone unusually became serious. "What I want to say is, I've liked you for a long time. If you don't have someone you like, could you consider me?"
Ji Su lowered his gaze and softly replied, "I'm sorry."
Han Meng sighed, "Senior, are you rejecting me so quickly?"
Ji Su then realized that his rejection might have been too abrupt.
"As far as I know, Senior, you're still single, so..." Han Meng tentatively asked, "Do you have someone you like?"
Ji Su was slightly taken aback.
Someone he liked?
He remained silent for a moment but did not directly answer, and just simply said, "I'm sorry, you'll meet someone more deserving."
Han Meng asked, "I'm a bit curious, Senior, do you treat all your suitors like this and not give them any chance?"
Ji Su nodded slightly, "Yes."
Han Meng's gaze inadvertently fell on a certain spot, "What about Senior Gu Zhao?"
Ji Su's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively replied, "He has nothing to do with this."
"Senior Gu Zhao likes you, I think it's obvious to anyone with eyes." Han Meng pressed on. "If you don't like him, why do you let him stay by your side?"
"I..." Ji Su was momentarily speechless and something fleeting through his chaotic mind, but it was too fast for him to grasp.
"Ji Su," at that moment, a deep, magnetic voice sounded behind him.
Ji Su shivered before turning around to meet those dark, profound eyes.
Gu Zhao walked towards him, raised his arm to wrap around his shoulder before pulling him into an embrace.
It was a gesture full of declaration and a strong sense of possessiveness emanating from it.
"I've said what I wanted to say, so I won't disturb you anymore, Senior." Han Meng playfully winked at Ji Su. "I'll remember what you told me, Senior."
Ji Su felt the large hand on his shoulder tighten momentarily, then quickly release its grip.
Gu Zhao watched Han Meng walk into the grand auditorium with an icy gaze, then dropped his arm and turned to walk away first.
Ji Su quickly followed.
The two walked one after the other in silence.
Until Ji Su suddenly bumped into a human wall, letting out a low exclamation as he barely steadied himself.
Gu Zhao turned around with his gaze heavy, "Is there something you want to say to me?"
Ji Su hesitated for a moment before softly asking, "What do you want to know?"
Gu Zhao took a step closer to him. "You knew very well that I would mind, yet you still chose to meet her alone."
"It's not..." Ji Su furrowed his brows. "It's not what you think."
Gu Zhao stared intently into his eyes. "Then what is it?"
Ji Su let out a light sigh and patiently explained, "Han Meng just confessed her feelings to me, but I turned her down."
Gu Zhao pressed, "And then?"
"And that was it." Ji Su replied, a bit helpless. "Do you think everyone is like you?"
Saying things like no matter how many times you reject me, ten or a hundred, I’ll never give up...
Gu Zhao continued to close the distance between them. "What about me?"
Ji Su instinctively stepped back, but after a few steps, his foot suddenly missed the ground.
Gu Zhao swiftly reached out and grabbed his waist to pull him back.
Ji Su collided into the familiar embrace. The cold, woody scent filling his nostrils, and his heartbeat uncontrollably quickened.
He instinctively wanted to break free from the embrace, but he noticed that the heartbeat against his chest was even more intense than his own.
Gu Zhao held him firmly against his chest: "I don't want to be like this either, but I'm scared."
Ji Su seemed to have hit the pause button as he stopped his struggle.
Scared?
Gu Zhao tightened his arms, his voice strained: "There are so many people coveting you. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, you'll be snatched away by someone else."
He was like a vicious dog holding a bone in its mouth. Despite being famished, he couldn't swallow it in one gulp and had to constantly guard against other dogs trying to steal it.
If anyone tried to take it from him, he would bite them all to death.
"That's not..." Ji Su buried his face in the solid chest, his voice muffled, "I'm not that easy to..."
Gu Zhao pulled him out of his embrace, before cupping his face with both hands: "What did you say?"
Ji Su's face was flushed, his eyes misty, and his voice soft: "Gu Zhao, give me a little more time, okay?"
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