Not going to the military training was indeed a very correct decision for Ji Ruan. He discovered that he seemed to be in conflict with the sun, feeling listless the entire day after coming back from the open day.
Of course, it might also be that he wrongly blamed the sun and it was purely a problem with his own constitution, as he often felt dizzy for no reason.
One afternoon, when the sun was particularly strong, Ji Ruan woke up from his nap feeling hungry and wanted to find something to eat. Everything was fine until he went downstairs and a beam of light from the treetops outside the window dazzled his eyes. He just raised his hand to block it, and suddenly everything went black.
What followed was a strong wave of dizziness.
Ji Ruan tried to grab the handrail but missed. Before he fell, he instinctively hugged the railing, thus avoiding a disaster.
However, he seemed to have slid down a few steps, his tailbone hurting intensely. His vision recovered a bit, but he saw stars and couldn't see anything clearly.
Aunt Zhao had taken half a day off, and he was the only one left in the whole house.
Ji Ruan's body was so weak that he couldn't stand up. He could only cling to the railing like a lifeline, cold sweat pouring out, his heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat, making him feel like vomiting.
It seemed that Gu Xiuyi came back not long after.
Luckily, it was him who came back.
Ji Ruan was lying on the stairs, unable to move. Someone was patting his face and calling his name. His nose brushed against that person's shirt, a very familiar scent.
Ji Ruan, feeling cold and dizzy, instinctively leaned over to draw warmth.
Gu Xiuyi picked him up. Ji Ruan, powerless and frightened, used all his strength to clutch the other's clothes.
When his vision cleared, he was already lying back in his own bed, his face pressed against the belly of a stuffed bear, with Gu Xiuyi having fed him more than half a cup of sugar water.
"It's okay now," Gu Xiuyi said, his palm pressed to Ji Ruan's ear, his fingertips very warm. "It's hypoglycemia."
Ji Ruan was still a bit dizzy, looking up with half-closed eyes. He could only see Gu Xiuyi's sharp jawline; his collar was very disheveled.
"Thank you..." Ji Ruan said weakly. "Luckily you came back."
Gu Xiuyi pulled the chair from the desk over to the bedside and sat down. "Are you very hungry?"
Ji Ruan's eyelashes trembled, and he nervously pinched the stuffed bear's belly with his fingers, his voice lacking confidence. "Almost fainted from hunger..."
Gu Xiuyi: "..."
Ordering takeout would take too long. Seeing the sweat beads on Ji Ruan's pale face, Gu Xiuyi's mind short-circuited for a moment.
The little one's mix of slight weakness and genuine frailty captivated Gu Xiuyi, so he decided to cook himself—he went downstairs to make noodles.
This was also his first time cooking.
Ten minutes later, Ji Ruan was sitting obediently at the dining table.
In front of him was a bowl of noodles that looked decent enough. The noodles were noodles, and the broth was broth, neither clumpy nor overcooked.
Under Gu Xiuyi's calm gaze, Ji Ruan timidly picked up a small bite with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
"…"
The taste was strange.
Uncertain, he swallowed it first.
"…"
It was really unpalatablatable.
He couldn't pinpoint why it was bad, but it was definitely awful.
It felt like the seasonings used were some special ingredients from outer space, not suited for the taste buds of earthlings.
Ji Ruan's mouth twitched, and he glanced at Gu Xiuyi.
The man sat opposite, unperturbed, and Ji Ruan couldn't tell if he was aware of his cooking skills.
But since it was Gu Xiuyi's first time cooking, Ji Ruan picked up another noodle, trying to be polite. However, as the noodle reached his lips, he couldn't muster the courage to eat it.
After a while, Ji Ruan gently set down his chopsticks and looked at Gu Xiuyi with guilt.
"Sorry."
"…"
The air was silent for a few seconds.
Gu Xiuyi’s expression was flawless. “It’s okay.”
He moved the bowl of noodles away from Ji Ruan and placed it aside, speaking in a very rational and objective tone. “If it doesn’t taste right, don’t eat it. Otherwise, you might upset your stomach again.”
The bowl of noodles sat alone in the corner of the marble table, gradually cooling down. Gu Xiuyi probably knew how bad his cooking was.
He didn’t even bother to try a bite.
In the end, it was Aunt Zhao, who returned from her half-day leave just in time, who made a bowl of plain noodles for each of them. Gu Xiuyi got a large bowl, and Ji Ruan got a small one.
Despite using the same soy sauce and vinegar, Aunt Zhao seemed to work magic, making every bite so delicious it felt heavenly. Ji Ruan even finished the broth.
Later that evening, after taking a bath and before going to bed, Gu Xiuyi suddenly came to see him, not in pajamas but dressed in a suit.
Ji Ruan looked him up and down and hesitated. “You’re...?”
“Going on a last-minute business trip.” That wasn’t Gu Xiuyi’s main point, as he handed something to Ji Ruan. “Take this.”
Ji Ruan was suddenly handed something and instinctively held it with both hands. It was a fairly large glass jar, quite heavy, filled with candies and chocolates.
Ji Ruan looked up. “?”
He had just taken a bath, his cheeks were flushed, and he was wearing a loose-necked pajama top, his collarbone looking almost pink.
Gu Xiuyi pursed his lips. “Eat these when you feel dizzy in the future.”
Ji Ruan was taken aback and then noticed that all the candies and chocolates in the jar were wrapped in twist-off wrappers. He didn’t need to tear them open, which could indeed be difficult for someone with low blood sugar.
Ji Ruan said happily, “Thank you, I’ll eat them well.”
Candy was great, much better than having Gu Xiuyi cook noodles again.
Gu Xiuyi tapped the jar. “But don’t eat them before bed. They’ll give you cavities.”
"Got it," Ji Ruan said, shaking the jar. Suddenly, he had a thought. "Are there any cherry-flavored ones?"
Fruit candies are everywhere on the market, but cherry-flavored ones are relatively rare among all fruits.
"..." Gu Xiuyi noticeably hesitated for a moment. "Probably not. Do you like them a lot?"
Ji Ruan smiled, the glass jar reflecting tiny points of light onto his lower eyelids, making his smile extraordinarily beautiful. "I was just saying."
Perhaps it was the warm yellow light in Ji Ruan's room that was too gentle, but Gu Xiuyi's expression seemed to soften considerably for a moment. "Hmm."
Someone called him, and after answering, Gu Xiuyi nodded at Ji Ruan. "I'm off. You get some rest."
"Okay, bye-bye," Ji Ruan said, waving with a smile.
Gu Xiuyi went downstairs and suddenly noticed there was still light underfoot.
The lights in the living room and hallway were off, but looking back, the warm light from Ji Ruan's room spilled out, spreading like a river of stars to his feet and scattering forward.
Ji Ruan stood at the doorway, hugging the jar of candies. When their eyes met, he smiled again, a smile as warm as the light.
"Boss, boss—?"
The voice on the other end of the line brought Gu Xiuyi back to reality.
"What's wrong?"
"…Nothing. Go ahead."
Gu Xiuyi turned around and, with the light left for him by the young man, walked away step by step along the river of stars.
---
On the second night of his business trip, Gu Xiuyi received the first message Ji Ruan had ever sent him during a meeting.
[Picture.jpg]
Gu Xiuyi opened it. It was a picture of a bright red candy wrapper, laid flat on a desk.
[There really is a cherry-flavored one]
[I thought it was strawberry at first. Only after eating it did I realize it was cherry—slightly sour, slightly sweet, very tasty]
[But there was only this one. Just showing you the wrapper~]
The barrage of messages from Ji Ruan made Gu Xiuyi feel a bit dizzy, almost as if he could taste the sweetness of the candy even without eating it.
Ji Ruan only showed him the wrapper, but he looked at it several times.
Then, he opened the contact notes, hesitated for a moment, deleted Ji Ruan's name, and replaced it with a cherry emoji from the input method.
"…President Gu?"
The employee in front of the projection screen was nervously holding a pen. "Why are you laughing... Did I do something wrong with my presentation?"
Gu Xiuyi steadied his laughter by holding onto a chair and carefully looked at the PPT. "The proposal is good. Keep following up on it."
This was the first time the employee had been praised since joining the company, and he was so excited that he clutched his work badge. "Thank you, boss! I'll do my best!"
Ji Ruan received Gu Xiuyi's reply after finishing his milk.
[Saw it.]
Just three words with no discernible emotion.
Ji Ruan, not surprised, pouted and pulled out his iPad to continue watching his drama.
---
Three days later, early morning at the airport.
Xiao Ya, dragging a suitcase, followed behind Song Ling, looking exhausted with dark circles down to her chin.
"What on earth is wrong with the boss?!" She held up five fingers. "Five days! He finished what was supposed to be a half-month trip in five days! I haven't slept for dozens of hours! Does the company compensate for death by overwork?!"
Song Ling pretended to be serious. "Of course, they do."
Before Xiao Ya could punch him, he quickly dodged and grinned. "Just kidding, just kidding. If he comes back early, we get a break sooner, right? It's called improving efficiency."
"Efficiency, my foot!" Xiao Ya’s ladylike demeanor was completely gone. Fearing that Gu Xiuyi in front might hear, she had to lower her voice. "We still have to hold meetings when we get back!"
"Just one more," Song Ling raised an eyebrow. "After that, it's vacation time, and there's a bonus too. Isn't the boss generous?"
Xiao Ya snorted. "Am I someone who bends for five buckets of rice? ... How much of a bonus?"
Song Ling clicked his tongue. "You'll definitely be satisfied."
In light of the money, Xiao Ya managed to regain her ladylike composure. She glanced at Gu Xiuyi’s tall figure ahead and sighed. "How does he not get tired? Who gets more energized the more they travel?"
Song Ling smiled mysteriously. "Exactly, there must be some motivation driving him to return early."
Xiao Ya didn’t quite understand.
"Song Ling," Gu Xiuyi suddenly turned around and said, "Have someone move my luggage back to the villa. I’ll start staying there from today."
Ji Ruan’s health issues, each individually minor, collectively turned him into a fragile crystal doll, liable to shatter at a touch.
Aunt Zhao, after all, was getting on in years. Even though Ji Ruan was thin, he was still an adult male. If he suddenly felt dizzy on the stairs again, Aunt Zhao might not be able to handle it.
Gu Xiuyi couldn't always be there by coincidence. Moving back was the wisest choice.
"Got it," Song Ling responded immediately. "I'll have it done before dinner."
Gu Xiuyi nodded in satisfaction. "Also, order some bed linens for me. The bed sizes at home are different from those at the apartment."
"Will do," Song Ling noted it all down.
"Oh, and," Gu Xiuyi emphasized, "order a few sets for Ji Ruan as well. I don't know what size his bed is."
Song Ling, taking notes, replied, "The dormitory beds should all be a standard size. I’ll check later."
Gu Xiuyi suddenly stopped.
Song Ling and Xiao Ya almost collided with each other, caught off guard.
"What dormitory?" Gu Xiuyi's expression suddenly became very serious.
Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Song Ling blinked and started speaking more respectfully. "Ji Ruan will be staying in the dormitory when school starts. He should be packing these days."
Gu Xiuyi seemed rooted to the spot, his face expressionless, but the tension in the air made Xiao Ya hesitant to approach.
He had completely forgotten.
It's customary for freshmen at Beijing University to stay in the dorms. He himself had defaulted to dorm living in his freshman year. But having graduated so long ago, he had forgotten this crucial detail!
Gu Xiuyi pinched his brow hard and then turned and strode away.
Xiao Ya hurriedly reminded him, "Boss! The meeting..."
Gu Xiuyi didn't break stride, his cold voice echoing through the empty hall. "Move it online."
--------------------
Buy Me Ko-fi~
The author has something to say:
President Gu: Thinking of staying in the dorms? Over my dead body
Ruan Ruan: ? Everyone else is staying there...
Thanks for the update 🤗 🤗
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