Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
The old Gu family residence was located halfway up the mountain.
In the dead of night, the entire garden was in deep sleep.
Only in a certain bedroom on the second floor, strange sounds could be faintly heard.
Ji Su's legs were long and straight, and his fair thighs pressed together, leaving only a narrow gap.
The inner thighs were the softest and most tender part of the body, and as elastic as jelly that even if pressed deeply, they would quickly bounce back.
The room was air-conditioned, but Ji Su's body temperature continued to rise.
He was drenched in hot sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water. His thighs were thoroughly soaked, becoming increasingly wet and slippery, so much so that they could hardly stay together...
After what felt like an eternity and long enough for him to think he might be scorched, the large hand gripping his waist suddenly tightened.
Gu Zhao bit the slightly protruding bone at the back of his neck with his scorching breath spraying onto the skin, making his soul tremble.
Like a lamb caught by the neck by a beast, there was nowhere to hide and no way to escape.
After a while, Gu Zhao grabbed his wet chin and turned it back to kiss him then his tongue licking the fine beads of sweat that had seeped out on his face.
Ji Su's eyes and brows were tinged with an abnormal redness, and he could only let out pitiful whimpers from his throat as he was kissed...
That night, even in his dreams, Ji Su felt as if he was being embraced by a human-shaped furnace.
Especially since there was an extremely terrifying poker inside that furnace...
…….
The next morning, when Ji Su woke up, he was the only one left in bed.
He lay in bed for a while to gather his thoughts, and was about to get up when he felt a slight stinging pain on the side of his leg.
Ji Su paused before instinctively looking down at his leg.
Although he had applied medicine last night, upon waking up, the inner side of his thigh was still red and swollen, even the skin was broken...
While he was lost in thought, Gu Zhao pushed the door open: "Awake?"
Ji Su immediately closed his legs but used too much force, and winced in pain.
Gu Zhao walked to the bedside and leaned down: "Let me see."
"It's nothing." Ji Su shook his head, refusing his inspection.
Gu Zhao chuckled softly: "We've already touched, and now you won't let me see?"
Ji Su's face flushed, and he grabbed a nearby pillow to throw at him.
Gu Zhao caught the pillow with a laugh, set it aside, and then held Ji Su's tender knee before spreading his legs to examine carefully.
Unaccustomed to being watched like this, the flesh of his thigh trembled slightly, and the red mole on the side of his leg seemed to become even redder.
"The skin is chafed." Gu Zhao's eyes darkened, speaking in an indescribable tone, "So pitiful."
Ji Su shrank back: "It's all because you were too—"
Gu Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly: "Too what?"
Ji Su refused to say: "Move aside, I need to go wash up."
Gu Zhao turned and opened the bedside drawer, taking out a tube of ointment: "Let me apply some more medicine for you."
"No." Ji Su reached out to grab the ointment, "I'll do it myself."
Gu Zhao took the opportunity to press him down onto the bed and tried to kiss him.
Ji Su covered his lips with his hand: "I haven't brushed my teeth yet."
"It's fine, you smell nice." Gu Zhao continued to kiss the back of his hand, then moved his kisses to his ear.
Early in the morning, the two of them frolicked in bed for a while, and in the end, Ji Su, out of strength, had his legs spread and the ointment applied.
Because the skin on the side of his leg was broken, when he put on his pants, the fabric rubbed against it, causing a stinging pain as he walked.
"If it were just the two of us at home, you could wear a skirt." Gu Zhao said leisurely, "A skirt wouldn't cause friction."
Ji Su glared at him: "I'm not wearing a skirt. If you want to wear one, you can do it yourself."
Gu Zhao chuckled ambiguously: "Oh?"
After tidying up, the two of them went downstairs to the front hall together.
As soon as they entered, Ji Su noticed that everyone was seated neatly around the dining table.
He immediately felt embarrassed and whispered, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Gu Zhao reached out and pinched his waist before replying in a low voice, "I thought you were tired from last night and wanted to let you sleep a bit longer."
Ji Su: "..."
He swatted away the unruly hand and quickly walked forward while apologizing, "I'm sorry, I got up too late."
"It's fine. You young people sleep soundly, and that's a blessing," Master Gu said with a smile. "When you reach my age, you won't be able to sleep even if you want to."
"That's right, we just got up not long ago too." Gu Chen chimed in. "Don't just stand there, Xiao Ji. Come sit down and have breakfast with us."
Ji Su responded, "Okay."
Gu Zhao walked over and pulled out a chair for him.
After breakfast, Gu Chen and Gu Xueyao went to work, while Old Master Gu called Gu Zhao into the study for a private conversation.
Madam Gu, worried that Ji Su might feel bored alone, offered to take him for a stroll in the garden.
Ji Su didn't want to decline her kindness and agreed with a smile, "Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law."
The two of them walked through the garden, one after the other.
Madam Gu spoke softly and gently, embodying the grace of a woman from the south of the Yangtze River, patiently and meticulously introducing everything to him.
As they chatted, the topic eventually turned to Gu Zhao.
"Actually, when we saw Xiao Wu bring you home this time, we were all very pleasantly surprised." Madam Gu said with a smile. "Given his personality, we all thought he would remain single forever."
"Gu Zhao…" Ji Su hesitated for a moment, "Has he always been like this since he was a child?"
Madam Gu fell silent for a while before asking, "Su Su, do you know about Xiao Wu's parents?"
"I've heard a bit from Gu Zhao," Ji Su replied honestly. "I only know that his parents passed away when he was young."
Madam Gu sighed, "That's true, but it's far more than that."
Gu Sheng, the only daughter of the Gu family, was captivating enough to charm half the city over twenty years ago.
Among the countless suitors vying for her attention, it was a poor, unknown young man who won her heart—Gu Zhao's biological father.
But this wasn't a story of a wealthy heiress and a poor boy. Just as Master Gu was about to give his approval, the young man was tragically killed in a car accident and unable to be saved.
At that time, Gu Sheng was already pregnant with Gu Zhao.
Devastated, Gu Sheng fainted multiple times from grief. Fortunately, Zhou Junning, whom she had known since childhood, stayed by her side, supporting and encouraging her through those difficult times.
A few months later, Gu Sheng gave birth to Gu Zhao.
Zhou Junning treated the child as his own and took care of everything personally, even more attentively than a biological father would.
Gu Sheng noticed every little thing he did, and since the child indeed needed a father, she agreed when Zhou Junning proposed to her again.
Who could have known that it was all part of Zhou Junning's scheme and facade?
A few years into the marriage, Zhou Junning obtained what he wanted and began to neglect Gu Sheng and unable to hide his disdain for Gu Zhao.
Gu Sheng finally realized, belatedly, that she and her child were nothing more than pawns in his game.
The more devastating blow came when Gu Sheng accidentally discovered that the car accident that had taken her lover's life years ago had also been orchestrated by Zhou Junning.
Under the weight of these dual blows, Gu Sheng's spirit completely shattered. She wanted to take Zhou Junning down with her, but fate had other plans. She lost her life, while Zhou Junning continued to live unscathed.
"That man was too good at pretending; he fooled everyone." Madam Gu recalled with a shiver, even to this day. "At that time, the Old Master and Old Mistress were so consumed by the grief of losing their daughter that they didn't have the chance to look after their grandson. That's when he started tormenting the young Xiao Wu."
Ji Su suddenly remembered something and felt a pang of reluctance to hear what came next.
"That beast abused Xiao Wu and locking him in a pitch-black basement." Madam Gu's voice grew more indignant as she spoke. "By the time the Old Master remembered to bring him back, he was already skin and bones, and barely clinging to life."
Ji Su felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his heart, the dull pain making it hard to breathe.
"Don't waste your energy trying to please those who don't like you."
The young Gu Zhao must have also gone to great lengths to please his so-called father, only to be met with more disdain and abuse.
"I'm used to sleeping with the lights on."
How terrified and helpless he must have felt when he was locked in that dark, sunless basement...
After a while, Ji Su and Madam Gu retraced their steps and happened to run into Gu Zhao, who had come looking for them.
"Just separated for such a short while, and Xiao Wu is already looking for you?" Madam Gu teased warmly. "Truly a couple in the throes of love."
Gu Zhao reached out and wrapped his arm around Ji Su's waist before replying calmly, "Sister-in-law, you and Eldest Brother have been married for so many years, and your honeymoon phase hasn't ended either."
"Having a partner really changes you; even your words sound sweeter." Madam Gu laughed. "Alright, I won't disturb you two anymore."
After watching his sister-in-law walk away, Gu Zhao turned to Ji Su: "What did my sister-in-law tell you?"
"Nothing much," Ji Su blinked innocently, countering, "Or is there something you're afraid I might find out?"
"Nothing." Gu Zhao pinched the soft, tender flesh of Ji Su's cheek. "If you want to know anything, just ask me."
Ji Su locked eyes with him for a few seconds, then suddenly stood on his tiptoes and planted a kiss on the corner of Gu Zhao's mouth.
The sound of the kiss was so loud that it made Ji Su blush.
Gu Zhao stood still, clearly caught off guard by the kiss.
Ji Su found his hand and slipped his own into it: "After lunch, are we going home?"
Gu Zhao snapped out of his daze, tightened his grip on Ji Su's hand, and repeated in a low voice: "Yes, after lunch, we'll go home."
…….
After lunch, Gu Zhao drove them back the same way.
By the time they arrived home, it was already evening. Ji Su received a sudden notification and went to his room to open his computer and work on some rendering images.
When he emerged from the bedroom, Gu Zhao was already preparing dinner.
Ji Su walked over in his slippers before resting his chin on Gu Zhao's broad shoulder, and asked softly, "What are we having for dinner?"
Gu Zhao turned his head and kissed him: "You."
Ji Su's ears turned slightly red, but he didn't pull away: "I'm being serious."
Gu Zhao nuzzled him with his tall nose bridge and replied, "I'm being serious too."
After dinner, Ji Su went to take a shower first.
When Gu Zhao finished his shower and came out, he saw the person sitting on his bed while just wearing a loose shirt that covered down to the upper thigh and with the black underwear faintly visible underneath.
Two long, snow-white legs were crossed, and the marks on the inner thighs were still there, looking even redder.
Ji Su looked up at the sound: "You're done?"
"Yeah," Gu Zhao responded with his deep gaze falling on Ji Su's legs. "Why aren't you wearing pants?"
Ji Su's ears turned red as he softly explained, "Wearing pants still hurts when it rubs..."
"What should we do then?" Gu Zhao walked to the bedside while still looking down at the area. "Should I help you reduce the inflammation?"
Ji Su asked in confusion, "How would you reduce the inflammation?"
Gu Zhao chuckled, "With saliva."
Ji Su: "..."
He knew this guy wouldn't say anything decent!
"Why did you agree to come to my room tonight?" Gu Zhao sat on the bed, the soft mattress sinking slightly. "Aren't you afraid I'll eat you up?"
At this, Ji Su still felt a bit scared with his soft voice sounding almost like a whimper, "My legs still hurt..."
"Such a delicate one," Gu Zhao laughed softly. "Come here and let me kiss you."
Tonight, Ji Su was unusually compliant as he kept letting Gu Zhao kiss him however he wanted, appearing obedient and willing to give whatever was asked.
Gu Zhao knew why he was like this, but there were still some things he didn't know.
The little boy locked in the basement didn't have it that hard because there was a small window connecting to the neighbor's house.
In the darkness, he could always hear that piano piece, the only sound in his silent world.
Until the day his grandfather took him out of the basement, as the car passed by the neighbor's house, he saw the small figure sitting by the window and tirelessly playing that piano piece.
Later, he tried to go back and find the little girl who played the piano, but found out that the neighbor's family had immigrated, leaving no trace.
Years later, he still vividly remembered every detail from that fleeting glance—the little girl with shoulder-length hair, skin as white as snow, doll-like big eyes, and lips as beautiful as petals.
So much so that when he first met Ji Su at school, he couldn't help but take a few extra glances.
It was just that Gu Zhao hadn't initially realized that the little girl in his memory was actually a little boy, who had long hair that year because his parents were too busy with their divorce to take care of him, so they sent him to stay with his grandmother for a while.
A spark ignited in Gu Zhao's dark, bright eyes as his well-defined fingers parted the wet, red lips, asking in a hoarse voice, "Is this okay?"
Ji Su was already dizzy from the kisses, was coaxed into taking a little bit then spitting it out before whimpering and burrowing into Gu Zhao's embrace.
Gu Zhao clenched his teeth but was ultimately unable to bring himself to force anything.
He tightened his embrace and murmured, "You saved me long before you even knew me.”
The gears of fate finally clicked into place more than a decade later.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
Advanced chapters are now available up to chapter 61 (End of Main Text) on my Ko-fi page!
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•