Clapping
Su Zesui sat alone at a quiet corner table in the cafeteria, happily enjoying his lunch.
When he looked up, he noticed that out of the three “brothers” who had gone to get food, only two had returned.
“Uh… Your brother Ji Yuxing had an emergency. He took a call and had to leave,” Gong Chuang rubbed his nose awkwardly. “So it’s just us three for now.”
Su Zesui nodded and scooted over to make space beside him for Mr. Gu.
But instead of sitting next to him, Gu Yilan took the seat across from him.
Su Zesui opened WeChat, wanting to send Mr. Gu a message. But before he could even finish composing a sentence, someone else messaged him.
Lately, for some reason, people had been reaching out to him more often.
Which was strangeohe barely had any contacts on WeChat.
[。：What are you doing?]
Uncle Period was like a walking check-in machine. Su Zesui didn’t feel like replying. He went back to his chat with Mr. Gu, still frowning in thought.
But it seemed Mr. Gu heard the vibration from his phone. “Someone messaged you?” he asked.
Su Zesui froze, chewing his food, and gave a soft “Mm,” hoping to brush it off as nothing important.
But things never went the way he hoped. Mr. Gu calmly offered a piece of life advice: “If they’re a friend, it’s polite to reply in a timely manner.”
Su Zesui thought to himself, he’s not really a friend, but still obediently responded with a “Okay.”
Uncle Period always used formal punctuation after every sentence—so stiff and exact, unlike everyone else. It was a clear sign of using voice-to-text. Su Zesui guessed he was probably some old man in his fifties.
[(o^^o)：Eating lunch]
[。：Just now, your energy felt unstable. What happened?]
Uncle Period was very skilled in the metaphysical arts—and had nailed it again.
[(o^^o)：Someone came up to talk to me just now. I was really scared.]
[。：I see. And what were you thinking at the time? How did you plan to handle it yourself?]
[(o^^o)：I didn’t need to handle it! My brother showed up right away to help me! The moment he appeared, everyone backed off. He was so cool. I like him so much.]
[。：Brother?]
[(o^^o)：The one who registered our marriage with me, my… husband.]
“Want some tea? I’ll grab you a cup while I’m up. Uh… what’s with that face?” Gong Chuang stood up, puzzled at the strange expression on the man beside him.
In the instant Gong Chuang looked over, Gu Yilan immediately suppressed all visible emotion. One hand typed on his phone while his face stayed cold and unreadable. “No,” he said flatly. “Don’t want any.”
Gong Chuang slinked away in defeat.
[。：I think you should start learning to be more independent. That guy doesn’t sound like a good person. He doesn’t seem like he genuinely cares about you. Don’t get too close to him.]
——Ugh, here we go again, Su Zesui thought.
Even though Uncle Period had badmouthed Mr. Gu countless times, Su Zesui still got angry every time. He set his spoon down, held his phone with both hands, and typed out a reply just to spite him—
[(o^^o)：My husband’s calling me over for a kiss. Bye-bye, Uncle.]
Gu Yilan’s phone was in Do Not Disturb mode, with anti-peeping protection turned on. From Su Zesui’s angle, he could only see that Gu Yilan suddenly raised his hand and quickly turned the screen off. His dark eyes became even more unreadable.
“Brother, what’s wrong?” Now that he’d shaken off the burden of Uncle Period, he was finally free to chat with Mr. Gu.
Gu Yilan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the boy’s soft lips. “There’s been news lately,” he said. “Some people have been mouthing off and acting indecent on WeChat, and they’ve been arrested by the police.”
Su Zesui: ?
Gu Yilan pressed on relentlessly. “Didn’t you also say something inappropriate in the conference room last time? You’re coming with me to apologize later.”
Su Zesui didn’t want to go. He pouted and acted spoiled, saying, “I’m scared. Brother, apologize for me.”
Gu Yilan was unmoved. “I’m the victim.”
Ever since Gu Yilan had given him a little lesson the night before, Su Zesui hadn’t uttered any of those age-inappropriate remarks again. This apology was meant to strike while the iron was hot—completely correcting the crooked thoughts Gong Chuang had led him into.
When they returned to the tenth floor of the lab building after lunch, the professor happened to be in the lab guiding students rather than in the office.
Gong Chuang slipped inside and blended into the “students being instructed” group.
Gu Yilan leaned against the doorway, watching as the people nearby turned to stare at them. The boy, meanwhile, was inching forward, head down, fingers pinching the hem of his shirt, each step slower than the last.
For some reason, Su Zesui’s condition came and went. He seemed to be slowly overcoming his social anxiety—but the moment Gu Yilan wasn’t around, it came back worse than before.
This didn’t match the usual pattern of psychological development.
“I’m sorry, I… last time…” In front of so many people, Su Zesui could hardly bear it. Each word felt squeezed out of a throat someone was holding shut.
Thankfully, the professor was understanding. He ruffled the boy’s hair with a kind smile. “It’s fine, we didn’t take it to heart. Don’t be nervous. Who hasn’t done a few silly things when they were young?”
Gu Yilan pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth.
According to psychotherapy theory, exposure therapy works by placing a patient in a feared situation, letting them experience high anxiety, and then combining it with muscle relaxation to quickly desensitize them.
But somewhere along the way, something in Su Zesui’s process was… off.
And honestly, it wasn’t just Su Zesui—Gu Yilan himself often felt tight-chested and short of breath, as if thick, turbulent emotions were swirling in his chest, pressing down so hard he couldn’t breathe.
Like now—seeing the boy surrounded, with the professor’s hand on his head—he felt an inexplicable irritation.
It was a familiar irritation, but this time it was laced with something else.
He tried to follow that thread of emotion back to its source, to find the cause.
But before he could figure it out, the boy—unable to hold it together any longer—suddenly turned, broke free of the professor’s loving pat, and threw himself into Gu Yilan’s arms.
“Brother… scared,” he mumbled into his chest.
The irritation inside Gu Yilan vanished instantly, slipping away before he could even catch its tail.
“Finished apologizing? Alright, let’s go.” He wrapped an arm around the boy and turned to leave.
“Brother, why did we have to come?”
“Exposure therapy,” Gu Yilan replied simply.
Su Zesui froze for a second. He’d heard that term before… in his previous life.
With a mix of admiration and gratitude, he said, “Brother, how do you know so much… about psychological treatment?”
Gu Yilan didn’t answer. Instead, he changed the subject. “You just hugged me. That means for the next three days, related services are unavailable.”
. . . . .
In the lab, seeing the two leave without a word, the professor scratched his head and chuckled. “Alright, let’s continue.”
Ji Yuxing, still confused, lowered his voice to Gong Chuang. “Gu Yilan’s really planning to set the kid up with someone else?”
“How could he? Didn’t you see how happy he looked when he was hugged?” Gong Chuang said. “It’s just couple’s banter. We’re just the tools in their game.”
Ji Yuxing thought for a moment. “Makes sense.”
. . . . .
The thing Su Zesui had wanted to say at lunch didn’t get the chance to come out until they were in the villa’s living room having dinner.
He pointed at the phone on the man’s side, signaling him to check his messages.
[(o^^o): Brother, there’s a musical at A University tonight. I heard there’s a private box for just two people on the second floor. Want to go see it?]
Gu Yilan’s eyes lingered on the message for a long time, his fingertips tapping silently on the table.
“Brother?” Su Zesui thought he hadn’t seen it and reminded him.
Gu Yilan looked up at him, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Something came up at the lab tonight. I can’t make it. If you want to go, take the butler with you.”
“Oh.” Disappointment flickered across Su Zesui’s face. “Forget it.”
He had just wanted to spend time with Mr. Gu.
After a pause, he asked, “When will brother be back?”
“A bit late,” Gu Yilan said. “Do you need something from me?”
Su Zesui nodded. “I have some questions… I wanted to ask you.”
“You know, there are a lot of apps that can solve problems online,” Gu Yilan said after a moment. “And plenty of people willing to help for free. You don’t have to wait for me on purpose.”
Su Zesui, used to his “science lessons,” said he understood—but had no intention of actually changing.
After dinner, Gu Yilan picked up his car keys and left. He drove to A University… but not to the lab building.
The truth was, he hadn’t planned anything for tonight.
But deep down, his subconscious told him—he couldn’t let himself sink any deeper. Otherwise, the only thing awaiting Su Zesui might be getting swallowed whole by his darkness.
Gu Yilan had always treated Su Zesui as a younger brother. A purely younger brother. No hidden intentions, no demands for anything in return, and certainly no inappropriate feelings.
He parked his car at A University’s front gate, then walked through a narrow alley beside the campus under the glow of the evening sky.
Lately, he’d been needing more and more time alone to cool his head.
…Why?
During summer break, the crowds around campus had noticeably thinned. The old alleyways were quiet, with only the occasional street vendor selling jianbing guozi1—most of them now sitting down for a rest.
Gu Yilan stopped at a stall with a freezer and bought a bottle of cold water.
“What’s wrong, young man? Something on your mind?” The stall owner, an old man, wiped the condensation off the bottle as he spoke with warm concern.
“No.”
Lowering his eyes, Gu Yilan took out his phone and typed a message—using a black-avatar alternate WeChat account—asking Su Zesui to send him the problems he couldn’t solve.
But the other side was quite rebellious—
[(o^^o): My brother said he’d teach me. I won’t trouble you, uncle.]
[。: I bet he’s not as kind as I am.]
The other sent a “bold” dragon meme—something he’d never sent to Gu Yilan’s main account. Clearly, Gong Chuang had been a bad influence again.
[。: Divorce him. Whatever he can give you, I can too. In fact, he hasn’t really given you anything.]
[(o^^o): You can’t!!!]
The boy must have been furious—he’d actually used three exclamation marks. Gu Yilan could practically picture him standing on the bed, hands on hips, cheeks puffed in anger.
[。: Just send me the problems. I’ll work them out for you tonight when I get home.]
That message sank without a trace—no reply came.
Noticing the man pocket his phone with a dark expression, the old man finally handed over the wiped-down bottle of cold water. “Hey now, young man, there’s no hurdle in life you can’t get over. Try to see things more positively.”
Unscrewing the cap, Gu Yilan lowered his gaze and said, “My little brother’s being disobedient.”
The old man was about to say more when he saw Gu Yilan’s Adam’s apple move as he tilted his head back and downed the entire bottle in one go.
Even in the sweltering summer, chugging ice-cold water like that was harsh on the throat. The chill layered over itself, and after the numbness passed, it left a sharp, stabbing pain that made speaking difficult.
And aside from the temperature—wasn’t that a huge bottle? Drinking it all at once… wouldn’t it be uncomfortable?
“Hey, listen to an old man’s advice—life’s short, happiness is what matters most,” the old man said. “My granddaughter told me A University is hosting some kind of musical tonight, open to the public. Why don’t you go relax? You know A University, right? That top-tier school just next door…”
Holding the empty plastic bottle in one hand, his throat chilled to the bone from the icy water, Gu Yilan asked in return, “Do I look unhappy?”
The old man studied his face, hesitated, then answered honestly, “You look… like you just got dumped.”
Gu Yilan’s grip on the bottle stilled.
. . . . .
[Brother Gong Chuang: You have no idea—when you hugged your brother this afternoon, he couldn’t even hide the smile at the corners of his mouth. It was killing me, hahaha!]
Lying on his bed, Su Zesui kicked his legs back and forth as he read the WeChat messages from Gong Chuang with a grin.
[Brother Gong Chuang: And at lunch, when someone tried to get your WeChat, Ji Yuxing and I both told him to give you a little space to handle it yourself. But he wouldn’t listen—went straight up and shielded you behind him. Ji Yuxing couldn’t take the PDA and just left.]
[(o^^o): (Little bunny clapping.jpg)]
[Brother Gong Chuang: He hasn’t told you because there’s still something weighing on his mind. I know a bit about it, but it’s his private business, so I can’t say.]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Besides, he once swore never to marry because of his parents’ unhappy marriage. And yet, didn’t he end up falling for you? This time won’t be any different—I believe in you.]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Also! If you study hard, you’ll get directly recommended for the physics competition next semester. Once you’re in college, you can enjoy rolling in bed with him guilt-free. By then, the rice will be cooked, and his heart—and his body—will be yours.]
Su Zesui already knew what phrases like “rolling in bed” meant. With a mix of anticipation and fear, he typed—
[(o^^o): Won’t it hurt?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Hurt? No, it’s called pleasure! The bigger and longer it lasts, the better—it feels amazing, you get me?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Just think about it—when you’re in bed, the two of you completely naked, nothing to hide, hot sweat sliding down his well-defined muscles and dripping onto your exposed lower abdomen. He’s holding your arms down, leaning over to kiss you while asking how it feels. Well? Doesn’t it seem less scary when you picture it like that?]
Not only did it stop feeling scary—Su Zesui had been teased until the flush spread from his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.
He silently memorized Brother Gong Chuang’s words in his head, then used up the last reply point he had left for the day—
[(o^^o): Are you guys done with your experiment? When can brother come home?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Huh? Him? I’m in the lab right now, the only one here, pulling an all-nighter to fix some ridiculous experiment data. The rest of the rooms are all dark.]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Your brother probably went to a company drinking event, right? Didn’t he tell you his schedule?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Wait—did he tell you he came to the lab?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Little brother? What exactly did he say?]
[Brother Gong Chuang: Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you still there?]
Su Zesui just stared blankly at the stream of WeChat messages popping up on his screen.
His brother… wasn’t in the lab at all…
Was busy… not at home…
Didn’t go with him to watch the musical…
Didn’t spend time with him…
Having run out of reply chances, Su Zesui felt as if his heart—which had been pounding wildly with heat—suddenly plunged into an icy abyss.
- is a traditional Chinese street food similar to crêpes. It is a type of bing generally eaten for breakfast and hailed as “one of China’s most popular street breakfasts.”
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Jiji, llegará el momento en el que Gu tiene que sufrir al perseguir a su pequeño esposo~? ^^