After registering at various departmental stations, new students were required to attend a general assembly on the sports field.
Gu Xiuyi held Ji Ruan's hand as they walked over, drawing quite a few astonished looks.
He was used to all sorts of gazes by now, but he wasn't sure if Ji Ruan could handle it. Lowering his head, he observed Ji Ruan's expression, “Does this make you uncomfortable?”
Ji Ruan didn’t particularly mind other people’s stares. He just didn’t like being surrounded up close, as it made him feel dizzy.
In the academy’s gift bag, there was a folding fan, a piece of campus merchandise with the school motto inscribed on it and a blue tassel hanging below. Ji Ruan opened it and gently fanned himself, looking at Gu Xiuyi, “I was just feeling a bit dizzy earlier.”
Gu Xiuyi’s expression tightened, “Do you want to go home first?”
“No need,” Ji Ruan shook his head with a smile, “I’m fine now, I was just feeling a bit stuffy earlier.”
Gu Xiuyi pursed his lips slightly, didn’t say anything, but also didn’t insist on taking Ji Ruan home.
He stood with Ji Ruan on the field for a while. When Han Xiaolin ran over and he was sure Ji Ruan was safe with his good friend, Gu Xiuyi went to sit in the stands designated for family members.
Han Xiaolin watched Gu Xiuyi walk away, then slung an arm around Ji Ruan’s shoulder, eyes wide open, “What’s going on with you two?”
Ji Ruan wiped the sweat from his nose, “What do you mean?”
“This!” Han Xiaolin pulled out his phone and opened Weibo, eyes sparkling, “How did you end up in Gu Xiuyi’s arms? And holding hands? And walking such a long way together!”
Ji Ruan quickly leaned over to look. In just a short while, the news was out!
“Close-up photos revealed! Today, the chairman of the Gu Group attended his alma mater’s celebration with his lovely wife, who is actually a first-year student at a prestigious university. Hugging and holding hands, how intimate!”
The accompanying photos showed Gu Xiuyi holding him outside the multi-functional hall, the two of them walking hand in hand to the field, Gu Xiuyi looking down at him as he spoke—all unedited phone pictures.
To be honest, they did look a bit like a newlywed couple.
“What is all this?!” Ji Ruan’s face scrunched up as he quickly turned off the screen and shoved the phone back into Han Xiaolin’s hands, feeling like his face could catch fire if he looked any longer.
“What kind of news headline is that? Nonsense! Truly terrible media!” Ji Ruan stammered, his tongue tying up in knots, never imagining that media could still come up with such old-fashioned gossip headlines these days.
Han Xiaolin put away his phone, taking Ji Ruan’s fan to cool himself off, “Though the wording is a bit sensational, they’re just seriously describing what they see in the pictures.”
He raised an eyebrow at Ji Ruan, “Otherwise, how about you, the person involved, tell me the real story?”
Ji Ruan’s mind was full of that headline and the hugging and holding hands photos, feeling both embarrassed and awkward, his ears turning red, “It’s all nonsense! There were just a lot of people earlier, and I felt a bit dizzy, so he helped me out, that’s all!”
Han Xiaolin didn’t believe it at all, smiling slyly, “Oh?”
The number of people in the stands were no less than those in the audience. Many of them were parents who had come to accompany their children.
Next to Gu Xiuyi sat a slightly chubby middle-aged man, who had a blessed-looking face and a constant smile. He held a DSLR camera and occasionally waved to the crowd below, appearing to be a father who didn't want to miss any moment of his child's life.
The two made eye contact, and Gu Xiuyi politely nodded in greeting.
The man was very enthusiastic. After giving Gu Xiuyi a once-over and thinking he looked too young to be a father, he assumed he was either an older brother or an uncle. He immediately put an arm around Gu Xiuyi's shoulders and said, "Hey, buddy, are you here to accompany your kid too?"
It had been many years since anyone had called Gu Xiuyi 'buddy'. He nodded politely and said, "Yes, and you?"
"Of course," the man laughed heartily, pointing to the crowd below. "My child is the one standing next to the national flag, the round-headed one that looks a lot like me!"
Gu Xiuyi glanced in that direction but couldn't recognize anyone. Keeping a straight face, he said, "What a handsome man."
The man was even more pleased and slapped his thigh, saying, "It's not just about looks. These kids who got into Beijing University are the pillars of our nation! My kid scored 681 this year! 681! Haha, the Wang family's ancestors must be smiling down on us to have produced such a talent!"
He nudged Gu Xiuyi's elbow and asked, "What score did your kid get?"
Gu Xiuyi raised an almost imperceptible eyebrow and coughed lightly to cover it up. "We got in on a guaranteed admission."
"Oh wow!" The man was astonished and quickly gave a thumbs up. "That's impressive, your family must have done a great job educating him!"
"No, no," Gu Xiuyi modestly waved his hand and said humbly, "He worked hard on his own."
The man praised him a few more times before turning to take photos of the crowd below. "Tiger, Tiger! Dad's here! Hahaha—"
Gu Xiuyi quietly sat for a while and noticed that many parents in the stands had brought cameras. Those who hadn't were using their phones to take pictures. He stood out, arms crossed, looking like an odd one out.
After a moment's hesitation, Gu Xiuyi decided to follow the local customs. He took out his phone, opened the camera, and zoomed in on the direction where Ji Ruan was standing.
Swipe—
Ji Ruan's brilliantly smiling face appeared in the lens. The picture was a bit blurry from the zoom, but Ji Ruan's bright eyes and round dimples were clearly visible.
Caught off guard by the close-up shot of the beautiful face, Gu Xiuyi's heart gave a heavy thud, hitting his chest so hard that it made his eardrums ache.
Then, magically, the burning blood gradually flowed through all his limbs, making even his fingertips inexplicably hot.
Han Xiaolin seemed to be really good at telling jokes, always making Ji Ruan laugh heartily, his big eyes curving into crescent moons.
Gu Xiuyi stood there holding his phone, watching for a long while.
As if driven by some unseen force, he adjusted the zoom to the right level and gently pressed the photo button, following the rhythm of his heartbeat.
·
After the ceremony ended, Han Xiaolin left first, and Gu Xiuyi found Ji Ruan waiting for him under the shade of a tree.
Ji Ruan seemed to be in good spirits, but his face was already looking a bit off. His cheeks were flushed, but his lips were pale.
Gu Xiuyi gave him a light, supportive touch. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Ji Ruan licked his lips, frowning. "It was just too sunny earlier."
He took out a small thermos from his shoulder bag. It was bought for him by Aunt Zhao and contained pear water with rock sugar. He couldn't drink anything cold yet, and this was perfect for soothing his lungs and preventing low blood sugar.
Ji Ruan sat on the steps and took a few sips before slowly standing up with Gu Xiuyi's help. "Let's go home."
They had walked to explore the campus earlier, but on the way back, Gu Xiuyi took Ji Ruan on a sightseeing cart.
As the cool breeze blew, Ji Ruan's muddled mind finally cleared up a bit. He turned to Gu Xiuyi and asked, "We're going to have military training in a few days. Can I..."
"You don't have to go," Gu Xiuyi said, scanning the QR code to pay the fare—two yuan for both of them, allowing them to ride across the campus from the playground to the main gate.
He turned off his phone screen and looked at Ji Ruan. "Your health isn't suitable for military training. I've already arranged for you to be excused."
"Really?!"
Ji Ruan's eyes lit up, sparkling like beautiful gems in the sunlight.
Gu Xiuyi couldn't help but glance at him a couple more times. "That happy?"
"Of course."
Ji Ruan smiled and lowered his head to message Han Xiaolin, informing him that he wouldn't be attending the military training and would arrive at the dormitory a few days later. Satisfied, he put away his phone.
"Are you hungry?" Gu Xiuyi asked again.
"A little..." Ji Ruan touched his small stomach and gazed at the leaves by the roadside, lost in thought. "I want sweet and sour ribs..."
Suppressing a smile, Gu Xiuyi lowered his brows and softly said, "Tell Aunt Zhao yourself."
Upon hearing this, Ji Ruan lowered his head and started typing messages, his dimples looking truly adorable as he pursed his lips.
Gu Xiuyi turned his head to hide his lips and could no longer suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
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The author has something to say:
Gu Xiuyi: You're so happy about not having military training. If I move back to stay with you, won't those dimples come out again?
Ruan Ruan: I'm going to live on campus, so happy~
T/N: I've been really busy from last month. Updates will be a bit slow in coming but it will come, bear with me till second week of this month.