Online Dating Fiasco with the Campus Heartthrob (DATING)
The phone camera shifted upward again, and Gu Zhao asked knowingly, "Why is your face so red?"
Ji Su, blushing, urged softly, "Hurry up and put on your clothes."
Gu Zhao chuckled and retorted, "Why bother putting on clothes when I'll just have to take them off later?"
Ji Su blinked in confusion, "Why?"
"For sleeping," Gu Zhao replied while lowering the camera again. "I prefer sleeping naked. Didn't you know that?"
Ji Su: "..."
That wasn't for sleeping naked; it was for making things more convenient...
On the other end of the screen, Gu Zhao changed the subject, "Are you hungry?"
Ji Su touched his flat stomach, "A little, but not too much."
"I ordered you some takeout; it should be arriving soon." Gu Zhao said as he sat down on a chair. "Can delivery get into your area?"
Ji Su was taken aback, "How do you know my address?"
"I guessed," Gu Zhao laughed, then explained, "When your half-brother came to school that time, you told the taxi driver your detailed home address."
Ji Su widened his eyes slightly, "You remember that?"
Gu Zhao replied earnestly, "When it comes to you, my memory is always good."
Ji Su looked at the person on the screen with his nose tingling with emotion.
On one side were his so-called family who didn't even remember his allergies, and on the other was his lover who kept every detail about him in his heart. Such a stark contrast made it all the more unbearable.
At that moment, the delivery person called.
Delivery personnel couldn't enter the villa area, so Ji Su quietly went downstairs to the gate to get the takeout.
Fortunately, it wasn't far, and he soon returned with the food.
Just as he reached the second floor, he ran into Ji Chen.
"Brother, you're still up?" Ji Chen asked before his gaze falling on Ji Su's hands. "What's that in your hand? Takeout?"
Ji Su nodded, "Yes, it's takeout."
"Right, you probably didn't eat much at dinner," Ji Chen paused and with a puzzled tone, he asked. "But if you didn't eat enough, why didn't you ask Zhang Ma to make you something else?"
"I didn't order it," Ji Su didn't want to explain too much. "I'm going back to my room now, you should rest early."
He walked straight back to his room, closing the door and shutting out Ji Chen who tried to follow him in.
Ji Su placed the takeout on the table, set up his phone, and redialed the video call.
Gu Zhao answered instantly, "Did you get the takeout?"
Ji Su held up the takeout to show him, "Yes, I'm about to eat it now."
"Good," Gu Zhao responded. "I'll watch you eat."
Ji Su started his eating broadcast for the phone camera. His eating manners were elegant and pleasant. Revealing neat white teeth when he opened his mouth, with a hint of a pink tongue, and his lips turned even redder.
Gu Zhao watched for a while, then suddenly complimented, "Very beautiful."
"Huh?" Ji Su lifted his eyelashes, "What?"
"Your teeth are beautiful, your tongue is beautiful and your lips are also beautiful," Gu Zhao replied slowly. "It would be nice if you could eat something else."
Ji Su swallowed the food in his mouth before sticking out his tongue to lick the corner of his lips, "What else?"
Gu Zhao's dark eyes were filled with a smile as his handsome face kept leaning closer to the screen before his thin lips parted clearly to utter four words.
The words were undeniably crude, but when spoken in that deep, magnetic voice, they inexplicably carried an irresistible allure.
"Gu Zhao!" Ji Su covered the phone screen with his hand, "If you keep this up, I'm hanging up!"
"What's wrong?" Gu Zhao propped his chin with one hand with a teasing smile on his lips, "I've already tasted yours, don't you want to taste mine?"
Ji Su struggled for a few seconds before finally spitting out two words: "No, thanks!"
"Oh." Gu Zhao's smile remained unchanged as he asked, "Are you full?"
Ji Su nodded instinctively, "Yes, I'm full."
He got up, cleaned the table, threw the takeout boxes into the trash, washed his hands, and then returned to the table.
Gu Zhao hadn't hung up the video call yet as he leaned against the headboard and watched him.
Ji Su picked up his phone and lay down on the bed before touching his slightly bulging stomach, "I'm so full."
"Too full?" Gu Zhao narrowed his dark eyes slightly, "Want to do some exercise together to help digest?"
"Through the phone screen?" Ji Su asked innocently, "What kind of exercise? Is it hard?"
"Not hard." Gu Zhao chuckled, "You just need your hands."
Ji Su sat up from the bed, "How do we do it?"
Gu Zhao's gaze lowered before landing on the exposed fair skin on his chest, "First, take off your clothes."
Ji Su was a bit confused, "What kind of exercise requires taking off clothes?"
As soon as he asked, he belatedly realized what was going on.
Gu Zhao's voice deepened, "Baby, do you want me to help you take them off?"
Ji Su's face visibly reddened, "No, I don't..."
Gu Zhao's gaze pierced through the phone screen as he stared straight at him, "Then take them off yourself."
Ji Su bit his lip, hesitantly raised a hand, and clumsily unbuttoned one button.
"Good boy." Gu Zhao praised, "Keep going."
Despite the overwhelming shame in his heart, Ji Su gradually lost control under the patient guidance from the other side...
Gu Zhao clenched his teeth until the veins bulged on his temples and beads of sweat dripped onto the screen with a crisp "tap."
Through the phone screen, Ji Su seemed to shiver as if burned...
That night, Ji Su fell asleep holding his phone with the familiar breathing sound in his ear making him feel incredibly at ease.
…..
The next morning, when Ji Su woke up, he found that his phone had run out of battery and automatically shut down.
He got up, plugged in his phone to charge, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
Ji Su went downstairs for breakfast, where only Ji Zheng Hai and Aunt Qin were at the table, chatting and laughing as they ate.
He walked over and greeted them, "Good morning, Dad, Aunt Qin."
Ji Zheng Hai looked at him, "What time is it? Just getting up now?"
Ji Su didn't respond and instead asked indifferently, "Where's Xiao Chen?"
Ji Zheng Hai frowned, "How old is he, and how old are you?"
"Ah, Su Su is still young too." Aunt Qin's smile stiffened slightly as she gently mediated, "It's normal for kids to like sleeping in."
Ji Zheng Hai wanted to say more, but Aunt Qin's look stopped him.
Ji Su pulled out a chair and sat down then started eating a few bites perfunctorily before heading back upstairs.
At lunchtime, he came downstairs again and noticed that a few of the usual seafood dishes were missing from the table.
"Brother!" Ji Chen ran over to hug his arm and proudly said, "I specifically told Zhang Ma not to make any seafood for lunch today!"
Ji Su remained silent for a few seconds before softly replying, "Thank you."
After lunch, just as Ji Su was about to suggest returning to school, a guest arrived at their home for a visit.
Uncle Fang was someone Ji Zheng Hai had business dealings with, and he brought along his daughter, who was the same age as Ji Su.
At first, Ji Su didn't think much of it, until everyone sat down at the dining table.
"Ji Su, Xiao Yuan is also a university student like you." Ji Zheng Hai said with his tone unusually gentle. "Xiao Yuan is studying dance, right?"
"Yes, Uncle Ji, I'm studying dance at university." Fang Yuan replied with a smile, then turned to Ji Su and asked, "Ji Su, what are you studying?"
Ji Zheng Hai answered for him, "He's studying architecture, but he'll eventually join the company."
Ji Su pursed his lips and lowered his gaze without speaking.
Uncle Fang chimed in, "Studying architecture is great! You'll never have to worry about unemployment, haha!"
"The real estate industry has been in decline for a long time. What future is there in that?" Ji Zheng Hai waved his hand dismissively. "Besides, do you really expect him to work on construction sites?"
"Dad," Ji Su raised his eyes and said expressionlessly, "There are many career paths for architecture graduates. Even if I do end up working on construction sites, it's an honest job, and I don't feel ashamed."
From a young age, Ji Su had grown accustomed to being dismissed by Ji Zheng Hai. Everything he did was deemed useless in his father's eyes. Even getting into A University didn't earn him a word of praise; instead, he was criticized for choosing a major with no future.
Because of these repeated dismissals, Ji Su had once fallen into self-doubt, questioning whether he was truly that inadequate and whether he was even worthy of love.
Until he met Gu Zhao.
This was the first time Ji Su had ever contradicted Ji Zheng Hai.
His tone wasn't aggressive, but it felt like a slap in the face to Ji Zheng Hai.
Ji Zheng Hai's face darkened, but with so many people at the table, he held back from lashing out.
The meal continued, but everyone's thoughts were elsewhere.
After a while, Fang Yuan had to leave early.
Ji Zheng Hai ordered, "Ji Su, see Xiao Yuan off."
Ji Su refused directly, "I'm sorry, Miss Fang, but I have other things to attend to."
"You—" Ji Zheng Hai scolded, "What could you possibly have to do? Go now!"
"Uncle Ji, I can leave on my own," Fang Yuan said politely. "I'll visit again when I have the chance."
After spending the evening together, Uncle Fang also realized that Ji Su wasn't interested and stood up to leave. "Old Ji, I just remembered I have a meeting to attend. I should head back too."
After the guests had left, Ji Zheng Hai called Ji Su into the study and finally exploded as he shouted at him, "You ungrateful child! Are you trying to drive me to an early grave?"
Ji Su remained calm, "So you called me back just to set me up on a blind date?"
"How old are you? Isn't it time for you to start dating?" Ji Zheng Hai slammed the table. "If you had a girlfriend, would I need to worry about this?"
"Is this really about me finding a partner, or is there something else?" Ji Su asked. "Are you trying to arrange a business marriage for me?"
Ji Zheng Hai, embarrassed and angry, retorted, "What business marriage? What nonsense are you spouting?"
"What if it were Ji Chen?" Ji Su stared unblinkingly at him. "Would you also be willing to let Ji Chen give up the person he loves and marry for the sake of the company?"
Ji Zheng Hai shouted sternly, "I'm talking about you! Why are you dragging your brother into this?"
Ji Su spoke word by word, "Because you're too biased."
"Because I look too much like Mom, so my existence constantly reminds you of that utterly failed marriage and I understand why you don't like me," he continued without giving Ji Zheng Hai a chance to speak. "But was my birth something I chose?"
A flash of astonishment crossed Ji Zheng Hai's face, leaving him momentarily speechless.
"Although the debt of birth and upbringing is greater than heaven, I ask myself honestly, all I've received from you over the years is money, not love." Ji Su took a card out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. "This card contains my savings over the years, totaling two hundred thousand. I will transfer money into it every month until I've repaid the debt I owe."
"Are you settling accounts with me?" Ji Zheng Hai, furious, grabbed a thick book and hurled it at him. "Are you cutting ties with your own father?"
Ji Su didn't dodge and just let the book hit his forehead, leaving a distinct mark. He replied calmly, "For you, having Ji Chen as your son is enough, isn't it?"
"Fine... fine! Very well!" Ji Zheng Hai slammed the table several times. "You've grown wings, you're so great! Get out of here, the farther the better! Once you step out of this door, never come back to the Ji family!"
Ji Chen, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, couldn't hold back any longer and pushed the study door open. "Brother! Don't be impulsive!"
Ji Su walked towards the door. "Step aside."
"I won't!" Ji Chen blocked the door firmly. "If you don't like that woman, fine, but why make such a scene with Dad?"
"You don't understand why because, from childhood, everyone in this family has always indulged you," Ji Su looked up at him. "So, you could never understand how I feel."
Ji Chen stared with wide eyes, stammering, "Brother, I... I'm sorry..."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Ji Su lowered his gaze. "It's just that, in the end, we are not the same."
Ji Zheng Hai roared, "Let him go!"
Ji Su repeated, "Let me out."
Reluctantly, Ji Chen stepped aside.
Ji Su walked a few steps, then added, "By the way, the password is Ji Chen's birthday."
After saying this, he left the study without looking back.
Ji Zheng Hai slumped back into his chair with his face pale and breathing heavily.
Ji Su returned to his room, packed the few belongings he had, put everything he could take into his bag, and then sent a message to Gu Zhao.
Ji Su: [Gu Zhao, I'm coming back tonight but I might be a bit late.]
There was no reply from the other side, probably busy with something else.
Ji Su took one last look at his room, shouldered his backpack, and walked out the door.
The study was filled with the sound of things being thrown around, but he walked down the stairs indifferently and past Ji Chen who was watching him eagerly, step by step out the front door.
He walked out of the cage that had both nurtured and imprisoned him for so many years.
Ji Su walked to the roadside, intending to hail a ride using an app.
But at that moment, he inadvertently looked up, and his heart skipped a beat
Under the streetlight, a black Audi was parked by the roadside, and a tall, long-legged young man leaned casually against the car door.
His posture was relaxed and his expression calm, as if he had been standing there waiting for him all along.
Their eyes met, and Gu Zhao took long strides toward him.
Ji Su's mind went blank for a few seconds. It wasn't until the man stood before him that he managed to find his voice. "You... why are you here?"
Gu Zhao opened his arms and replied in a low voice, "I came to take you home."
In an instant, the grievances Ji Su had buried deep in his heart surged forth. He dropped his backpack and threw himself into the warm, broad embrace.
Like a lost child who had finally found his way home after countless hardships, all the pretense he had been holding onto crumbled completely.
Ji Su buried his face in Gu Zhao's shoulder, and the tears that welled up in large drops quickly soaked the black shirt.
Gu Zhao slowly tightened his embrace, holding him firmly and his voice slightly hoarse. "It's okay now. I'll take you home."
Ji Su's throat tightened. He opened his mouth but could only manage one word. "Okay..."
At this moment, he suddenly understood—
The meaning of home is not a house, but the people.
As long as there are people who love you, anywhere can be home.
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