FSGOR Ch67

Jiang Tian never expected the fallout from his relationship being exposed to be this dramatic.
He had simply accompanied his boyfriend to a wedding, offered their blessings, gone through the motions, and returned home—only to discover that he had been dug up online down to his metaphorical underwear.
The internet was flooded with talk about him and Chu Xuyu, to the point where it overshadowed even the famous actor and his rumored girlfriend who also attended the wedding.
“God, their looks are unbeatable!”
“No wonder this is trending harder than the movie star’s romance!”
“With that kind of face, even billionaires would fall at his feet!”
“The way they look at each other—no one’s even daring to call it ‘sugar baby’ behavior!”
“Wait a sec, they look familiar! Where have I seen them before?!”
Since Chu Xuyu rarely appeared in public, introducing Jiang Tian as his partner was practically an open declaration of marriage plans.
The groom at this wedding happened to be a powerful figure in the entertainment industry, drawing massive attention online—so naturally, their appearance sparked an explosion of speculation and coverage.
Netizens dug up everything about the two of them. Real estate agents revealed that a certain CEO had bought a luxury villa for love; a high-end jewelry studio exposed that a tall, wealthy man had commissioned a custom birthday gift. Life, it seemed, always had eyes on them.
But none of it was malicious. Anyone with eyes could see their love was real. These little rumors, instead, became witnesses to their relationship’s growth.
Afterward, even though Jiang Tian was just a regular student, dating a young billionaire CEO who was the talk of the town, it hadn’t affected his real life at all. His academics were untouched, and the earlier online rumors were effectively self-debunked.
Still, Jiang Tian was naturally introverted and uncomfortable in the public eye. Chu Xuyu, on the other hand, always seemed calm and unaffected—as if internet drama was beneath his notice.
Even though this “official announcement” was less a post and more like detonating a nuclear bomb.
Then someone online recognized the two of them from a cosplay convention, recalling how they had dressed as the “Wolf Ge and Puppy” characters and taken a bunch of photos with fans.
That was like throwing fuel into an already raging fire—even Chu Xuyu couldn’t stay composed.
The “Wolf Ge and Puppy” cosplay blew up, topping trending charts for days. CP fans gushed: “They must’ve built their love on roleplay!”
Since Jiang Tian had an interest in anime and cosplay, he had previously warned Chu Xuyu about fandom etiquette. Now that their coupledom was trending ridiculously, they had to keep an eye out—online scrutiny was no joke, and they didn’t want to stir up drama or get the fandom police involved.
The two of them were curled up on the couch when Chu Xuyu got home from work. Still in his suit, he leaned over Jiang Tian’s tablet.
And saw… fanfiction. Smutty fanart. Embarrassingly explicit comments.
They stared at the screen in silence, feeling like they’d just tried to show a little affection at a wedding and accidentally blew up the planet.
Even the official Match Rate 200% account tried to contact them through a public post, begging them to send over an official “Wolf & Puppy” gift set.
Apparently, there were over ten designs for the puppy ears.
“……”
The one thing their house had in abundance was puppy ears.
Their emotional rollercoaster went from calm to shock to “eh, whatever.” They eventually adopted a zen mindset.
In reality, their hearts remained grounded. Chu Xuyu was busy with end-of-year company matters. Jiang Tian had exams. Life was hectic.
But Jiang Tian hadn’t forgotten who started all this: the disgraced counselor.
When he learned that Zhuang Zhe had resigned from Peking University, he was stunned. He didn’t even get a chance to confront him. But he quickly realized: Chu Xuyu had likely handled everything behind the scenes.
This wasn’t the first time something like that had happened.
Jiang Tian tried to ask his boyfriend directly, but Chu Xuyu always brushed it off with a “just work stuff,” as if those efforts were nothing at all.
That made Jiang Tian feel guilty. He had always hated burdening others, but ever since falling in love with Chu Xuyu, he’d experienced so much quiet support and indulgent love.
He wanted to do more. Amidst his busy studies, he tried to make time—giving thoughtful gifts, cooking meals they both liked, creating memories that were theirs alone.
He hadn’t seen any signs of Chu Xuyu’s heart condition flaring up recently. Jiang Tian wanted to stay by his side as things got better. Naturally, their love only deepened.
When Chu Xuyu went on a business trip abroad, Jiang Tian finally finished a big lab report. With a bit of free time, he visited his childhood friend in Jin City.
After eating a deluxe jianbing guozi set with Lu Qiao, they biked around the riverside plaza. Now they sat by the Haihe River, chatting in the chilly late autumn wind.
“That counselor just quit and vanished?” Lu Qiao sipped milk tea, incredulous. “Didn’t we even track a company under his name? That’s definitely him, right?”
Jiang Tian, watching the river flow under a dusky sky, replied softly, “The company’s shareholders were all changed too.”
Lu Qiao clicked his tongue. “Seriously? How many times is this going to happen? Why do people keep picking on you? Don’t they know how protective Chu-Ge is?”
Coming from Lu Qiao, the comment made Jiang Tian laugh.
But his expression wasn’t entirely relaxed. His brows furrowed slightly, something still nagging at him—something he couldn’t quite explain.
He couldn’t voice those doubts to Chu Xuyu, so he told Lu Qiao with feigned calm: “I honestly don’t understand why Mr. Zhuang did all this.”
“We didn’t have any bad blood. It wasn’t worth risking his job over…”
He trailed off, resting his chin on one hand, deep in thought.
Lu Qiao gulped down the last of his milk tea and made a perfect shot into a nearby trash can. “Come on, Tian-Ge, don’t overthink it!”
“Your counselor probably had a crush on you and got pissed when he found out you had a boyfriend. What other reason could there be?”
Lu Qiao had always been blunt and carefree, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d been a huge help during the rumor investigation too.
Jiang Tian trusted him. Maybe he was overthinking it, caught up in too many internet conspiracies.
“Maybe you’re right. I’m overthinking.”
He turned to Lu Qiao and asked, “What about you? How’ve you been? Did anything happen with that girl from last time?”
“!!!”
Lu Qiao almost choked on a tapioca pearl, coughing and blushing furiously. “I guess… something did happen?”

“But he thinks they’re still in the ambiguous stage. Just some hand-holding—no kissing yet.”

Jiang Tian narrowed his eyes slightly. “……”

Lu Qiao: “W-What’s wrong?”

Jiang Tian didn’t answer. His gaze toward him wasn’t exactly calm. A phrase Dou Ya had once said flashed through his mind. He feigned indifference and asked, “Is he in the same major as you?”

“Yeah,” Lu Qiao rubbed his nose, “We’re in the same program.”

Jiang Tian: “Same dorm?”

“No way!”

Lu Qiao responded so quickly he didn’t even realize the slip. “He’s in the dorm next to mine—how could we possibly be in the same—”

He trailed off mid-sentence.

Lu Qiao realized something was off—his childhood friend was baiting him. He immediately stood up and awkwardly rubbed his face. “I-I meant he’s in another building… the girls’ dorm…”

Jiang Tian smiled gently. “So you’ve fallen for a guy, huh?”

He wasn’t bothered by Lu Qiao hiding it. He’d already guessed. Lu Qiao always declared himself a ‘steel-straight guy,’ clearly just too embarrassed. “You’ve been keeping this from us, huh.”

“Ah-Hao actually suspected it too,” Jiang Tian added, “He once asked me if I’d seen a picture of your boyfriend.”

The word “boyfriend” made Lu Qiao scratch his head like crazy. “Damn, even Ah-Hao noticed?! Was it that obvious…”

He hadn’t meant to keep it a secret. The story was just so ridiculous it made him seem like a complete clown.

“I honestly thought he was a girl at first.”

Lu Qiao rubbed his earlobe, clearly lacking confidence. “He’s into anime and cosplays female characters. When I asked for his WeChat, I even called him ‘miss!’”

Jiang Tian: “……”

Yeah, that sounded like something his friend would do.

But what came next shocked Jiang Tian even more. The deeper it went, the more it felt like a story ripped from a chaotic soap opera.

Turned out the guy Lu Qiao was dating… was actually an online fling from years ago. The one he ghosted when he found out the other person was a guy, vowing that he himself was “100% straight.”

“…………”

This is starting to sound like a fanfic, isn’t it?

Lu Qiao laughed bitterly, “Even online authors wouldn’t dare write something like this. Turns out he recognized me ages ago. Back then I never showed my full face, but we did video chat—he obviously remembered.”

“He dressed up as Rei Ayanami on purpose and ‘bumped into’ me in the cafeteria, just to lure me into adding him again and get revenge by making me fall for him, then dumping me!”

“Sounds familiar, huh?”

“Tian-Ge, I never thought your college drama would end up being my romance textbook!”

Jiang Tian, now eating melon seeds figuratively, leaned against his hand and asked curiously, “And then what?”

Lu Qiao continued his tale. Thanks to the investigation methods they used during the counselor incident, he had his suspicions and managed to trace the mysterious ‘ambiguous Miss’ account… and confirmed it was the ex he’d ghosted.

After that—

Lu Qiao arranged to meet him, and even though the guy showed up in drag, Lu Qiao cut straight to the chase: “You can wear men’s clothes to date me from now on.”

He’d long realized they were classmates. He apologized sincerely and said the other could punish him however he wanted—but that his feelings were genuine now. He promised to make it right.

Usually, Jiang Tian was the one having romantic drama. Laughing, he asked, “What did he say?”

“He was so shocked, I thought he was gonna pass out!”

Lu Qiao found it hilarious now, though he sighed again. “We’ve been in this weird push-pull ever since. Maybe I scared him with how intense I got—he doesn’t fully believe I’m serious.”

“We hang out, play basketball. He’s slim but has a nice core… suits my taste perfectly.”

At this point—

Lu Qiao realized he’d said way too much. His mouth ran ahead of his brain, nearly confessing to mutual ab-checking sessions.

He slumped in a corner, drawing imaginary circles on the ground. “Damn, this is so embarrassing…”

Jiang Tian laughed a lot. He didn’t find it embarrassing at all. He had always focused on school, sports, and repaying his sister. Romance was never a priority.

But after meeting Chu Xuyu, many of his thoughts had started to shift.

Even if his personality didn’t allow him to be as proactive as Chu Xuyu, he knew clearly what he wanted. Just being together—doing anything—was happiness in itself.

That thought prompted Lu Qiao to marvel again at Jiang Tian’s insight. No wonder he was the brainiac bestie—he even had unique takes on love.

“……” Jiang Tian chuckled. “It’s nothing special.”

Lu Qiao grinned and, since the cat was out of the bag, figured he might as well ask if his boyfriend wanted to hang out too.

“The three of us could grab a meal together.”

But then he hesitated. “Though he’s kinda shy… not sure if he’ll want to. I’ll go check!”

He stepped away to call, phone raised to his ear, back practically glowing with new-relationship sweetness.

Jiang Tian watched, smiling.

He knew Lu Qiao was outgoing and friendly, but since moving to a new city, he hadn’t found close friends like their old basketball squad. He used to visit Beijing just to unwind.

But now, his best friend had met someone who genuinely cared for him—sensitive and serious—and Jiang Tian was happy for him.

He sat quietly by the river, letting the autumn breeze ruffle his bangs. His eyes were soft, like misty rain.

Buzz.

His phone vibrated in his hoodie pocket.

Still wrapped in that gentle mood, Jiang Tian assumed it was his boyfriend texting after landing overseas. He smiled, ready to ask how the flight went and share Lu Qiao’s crazy love story.

But then—

He saw the screen.

A cold wind from the Hai River seemed to slip into his collar. His whole body went stiff, as if his blood had frozen solid.

A phone number from Ningcheng.

No contact name, no note. But even after all these years, Jiang Tian could recite it backward.

It belonged to the uncle who once took him and his sister in—and treated them with anything but kindness.