FSGOR Ch41part2

“Did you need something?”

Normally, with Chu Xuyu’s personality, he would’ve replied, “Would I call you if I didn’t?” But today, he sounded different.

“Mm.” Chu Xuyu’s voice was slightly hoarse.

“Haven’t met up with your sister yet?”

“No,” Jiang Tian replied.

“She’s still on the way.”

His sister had left her car at the 4S shop for maintenance, so she was taking the subway. She would arrive in a few minutes—just enough time for a short chat with Chu Xuyu.

After all… their relationship was a bit too unusual.

In the spacious living room—

Chu Xuyu stretched out his long legs lazily, tapping his fingers on his knee. Picking up on the hesitation in the boy’s voice, he instinctively asked: “Jiang Tian.”

“When do you plan to tell Jiang Jing?”

Jiang Tian immediately choked, coughing twice before stammering: “W-What?”

Caught off guard.

He normally wasn’t like this, but when it came to romance—especially one so unusual as dating Chu Xuyu—it was easy to get flustered.

“Hmm?”

Chu Xuyu saw through his act and pressed: “Tell your sister that we’re dating.”

“I…”

Jiang Tian thought, How can I tell her that? That would be total chaos—especially since he and Chu Xuyu were still in the early, uncertain stages.

 “I just… need more time.”

Silence stretched on the other end of the line.

Eventually, Chu Xuyu let out a deep breath, his tone laced with reluctant compromise.

“Fine.”

“…”

Was he… upset?

Before Jiang Tian could ask, out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar figure push open the glass door. Looking over instinctively, he saw his well-dressed sister smiling at him.

“Little bro.”

“Who were you on the phone with?”

“…”

Jiang Tian instinctively hung up, his performance flawless.

“Just someone from a tutoring center I worked part-time for.”

“Jie, what do you plan to buy?”

The siblings sat down to chat. Meanwhile, on the other end, Chu Xuyu looked dumbfounded.

‘Did he just hang up on me… without a word?’

 “???”

Thankfully, just over ten seconds later—

A message popped up from the boy, full of guilt. He even sent a puppy-eyed apology sticker.

KIRA: My sister just arrived at the café

KIRA: Sorry, I didn’t mean to hang up on you—I just panicked and acted without thinking.

KIRA: [Border Collie puppy crying.jpg]

Chu Xuyu read it silently. “…”

‘Alright then.’

Acting cute was clearly his strong suit. What else could he do but forgive him?

While his sister went to order drinks, Jiang Tian sneakily texted Chu Xuyu again. Seeing that he wasn’t mad, Jiang Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew full well that what he did wasn’t right—but he also couldn’t reveal this first love of his.

From what he knew of his sister, even if she believed Chu Xuyu was a rare and respectable boss, she would still worry—because Jiang Tian was her only soft spot.

Since they were kids without parents, their uncle had treated them poorly. That made Jiang Jing grow up fast, taking on responsibilities early—worried he’d be bullied at school, beaten at home, or harmed during exams…

Jiang Tian always felt like he was the reason his sister developed anxiety.

So—

Even if Chu Xuyu someday got tired of him or toyed with his feelings, Jiang Tian could accept that.

But he didn’t want his sister to know. It might worsen her condition, which was already tied to emotional stress. That wasn’t something he wanted to risk.

***

Later, outside the café—

The gorgeous sibling duo carried coffee cups as they walked up to the second floor to browse women’s clothing stores.

Jiang Tian, used to this routine, carried his sister’s bag and took pictures for her. He was the kind of brother every girl dreamed of—top grades, good looks, and a flawless personality.

Because of her picky taste, even Jiang Jing’s friends didn’t have the patience for this, but Jiang Tian walked with her for three full hours and remained totally patient.

Once she finished shopping, they rested in the mall atrium. Across from them was a new men’s boutique—one of the most popular mature men’s brands lately.

“Little bro,” Jiang Jing said, “Want to go in and buy a couple of outfits?”

“…”

Jiang Tian glanced over and instinctively refused. He knew his sister just wanted to spend money on him again.

“You’re starting school soon,” she insisted.

“You should try wearing something other than sporty clothes for once!”

Jiang Tian admitted she had a point—but the store’s vibe reminded him too much of Chu Xuyu’s style.

‘Wait.’

He suddenly recalled that night walking through the alley, when Chu Xuyu ruined his shirt saving a drowning puppy. The shirt had been so dirty it was thrown away.

Jiang Tian had thought it was a pity at the time. Now, thinking about all the gifts Chu Xuyu had given him—and how he’d never given anything in return—he figured…

Maybe it was time to pick out a shirt for him as a gift.

“Jie.”

Jiang Tian suddenly stood up and picked up his sister’s shopping bags, the change in demeanor so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

“Let’s go look around some more.”

Jiang Jing: “???”

‘What the heck? Did my brother just get possessed by a ghost?’

***

Ten minutes later—

Jiang Jing stood stunned at the cashier counter of the menswear store, watching her brother confidently pay for a blue-and-white striped shirt.

It was one of the brand’s latest arrivals, and thanks to being the same style as one worn by a celebrity, the price had been marked up. Even after the discount, it cost 3,999 yuan.

She thought she was hallucinating. Her usually frugal brother just bought a pretty expensive shirt without hesitation—and insisted on paying for it himself.

More importantly, she recalled that President Chu seemed to own a similar one… Did her brother get seduced by his boss while interning at headquarters?

Honestly, that was the only explanation that made sense.

Though to be fair, Jiang Tian had himself to blame for planting that suspicion. Desperate to keep the relationship secret, he didn’t say the shirt was a gift. Instead, he claimed it was for formal occasions he might encounter once school started. That barely eased Jiang Jing’s doubts.

“…”

‘That was close.’

‘I almost got caught being bent.’

That was one of the reasons Jiang Tian chose to keep his relationship under wraps—after all, his sister had once unknowingly married a closeted gay man. For her brother to come out afterward would just feel like a cosmic joke.

He figured it was better not to let her know—for now.

***

As the mall neared closing time, the siblings took a cab home, arms full of shopping bags.

Back at the apartment—

Jiang Jing, exhausted from hours of walking, flopped onto the couch and tossed her bags everywhere, telling Jiang Tian not to clean up for her, then went off to shower.

But Jiang Tian knew she had to accompany her friend Lu Yang on a variety show shoot the next day, so he silently gathered her things, packed them into a folding bag, and placed everything neatly into her suitcase.

When he finished—

He spotted the unopened shopping bag, took it to his room, and gently placed it into a gap in the wardrobe, afraid it might get crushed under something else.

—It was the gift he’d bought for Chu Xuyu, using part of his scholarship savings.

For his current financial situation, that shirt wasn’t cheap. And honestly, from Chu Xuyu’s perspective, a shirt under 5,000 yuan might not be all that impressive. That made Jiang Tian uncertain—would he even like it?

But he still wanted to give it. He wanted to arrange a time to deliver the gift.

He plugged in his phone to charge it and saw a message Chu Xuyu had sent over ten minutes ago. He stared at it for a while.

Afternoon Tea: You home yet?

Afternoon Tea: Haven’t heard back from you.

Maybe because he’d been thinking about him, and now discovered that he’d also been missed, Jiang Tian’s cheeks flushed a faint pink.

Still not having showered, he sat cross-legged on the carpet, leaning against the bedframe and holding his phone to reply.

KIRA: Just got back.

KIRA: My phone almost died on the way.

KIRA: So I didn’t check your messages right away.

Jiang Tian had a sensitive nature, but not toward just anyone. If it had been someone else confessing their feelings, he wouldn’t even have replied.

And yet now, after sending his message, he just sat there hugging his knees, quietly waiting for a reply.

Ding.

Several message notifications buzzed in a row.

Afternoon Tea: Baby.

Afternoon Tea: I miss you.

Afternoon Tea: Wanna see me tomorrow?

Jiang Tian’s heart skipped a beat. His breathing quickened, even his eyelids burned with heat.

To his surprise, he didn’t feel awkward at the sweet words. In fact, before replying, he reread the messages twice, blushing.

Then—

He slowly exhaled and typed with both hands, doing his best to keep the reply looking calm and casual.

KIRA: Sure.

KIRA: I’m not playing soccer tomorrow.

Right after that—

He opened the football team group chat and told the few members who hadn’t locked in a time yet that something had come up, and he’d join them the day after tomorrow instead.

Switching back to his chat with Chu Xuyu, Jiang Tian—still a teenager at heart—couldn’t hold back his excitement. He messaged again:

KIRA: Ge.

KIRA: I have a gift for you.

KIRA: Let’s meet tomorrow.