Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 190: Honesty

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The reason why it was so easy to identify Zhang Siyi’s phone was because his phone case was rather unique; Luffy from One Piece.

Yuan Zhicheng didn’t react much: “Maybe he dropped it here?”

Bi Lele’s mind was churning. She didn’t think that was possible because a persons’ phone was very private. If Zhang Siyi had dropped it, Gu Yu would be the first to give it back. Bi Lele wasn’t one-hundred percent sure. It was possible they used the same case. However, thinking about it further, Bi Lele thought it was even more unlikely because that would mean they had a matching case, like couples do.

Bi Lele shook her head to snap out of her imagination and placed the file back over the phone. For a while, the phone continued to buzz. After five-minutes, Gu Yu stepped back into his office. Bi Lele spoke up: “Boss, your phone just rang.”

Glancing in the direction of Zhang Siyi’s phone, Gu Yu made a ‘hmm’ sound and didn’t reach for it. His calm response made Bi Lele feel embarrassed.

After talking about the project, the two of them left Gu Yu’s office. Just as Bi Lele was about to close the door, she suddenly remembered something and turned back. She caught a glimpse of Gu Yu’s movement that seemed strange. He had taken the phone buried underneath the file, opened his desk drawer, and threw the phone into it.

Without change, Gu Yu calmly asked: “Was there something else?”

“Before the Design Institute’s involvement, the client had other designs. Do we want to find out more about the preliminary plans?” Bi Lele asked.

Gu Yu replied: “No need. They are seeking a different solution. If you look at other’s design ideas, they might inadvertently affect your own ideas. It is better to start fresh.”

Bi Lele: “Ok then. I understand.”

Bi Lele returned to her desk and thought about what she had just witnessed. The likelihood of Zhang Siyi’s phone ‘falling’ in Gu Yu’s office seemed impossible. She turned to look at Zhang Siyi who was head down, concentrating on his work. She couldn’t stop herself from imagining different scenarios……

From the drawer, Gu Yu reached for Zhang Siyi again. There was a strange number listed on the caller ID with an earlier time-stamp. At the same time, there were two recent messages sent in WeChat.

Bai Rui: “You can’t fool me.”

Bai Rui: “What two people? Why didn’t you pick up when I called you?”

Laughing and snorting, Gu Yu immediately turned off the phone and put it back in the drawer.

When the work day ended, Gu Yu took out Zhang Siyi’s phone and scrolled through the log. During the afternoon, Bai Rui attempted to make one phone call, sent one text message, and three messages on social media.

Bai Rui: “Are you ignoring me?”

Bai Rui: “I’ll come to your office to find you.”

Bai Rui: “What time do you get off work?”

Alarmed, Gu Yu raised his brow. The directedness with which Bai Rui pursued Zhang Siyi, was surprising. Was Bai Rui that anxious to meet Zhang Siyi when they hardly know each other? It was a vast contrast to his own pursuit of Zhang Siyi.

Gu Yu quickly replied: “I don’t have time to go out to eat dinner and don’t come to my office. I hardly know you and it would be inappropriate for you to come meet me at work.”

Bai Rui: “…”

As usual, Gu Yu met Zhang Siyi at their usual meeting place in the subway station. At the area near the twelve-car door, it was farthest from the stairwell. The chances of colliding with colleagues was slim. At peak times, even the last section of the car was crowded.

Looking out for Gu Yu like a hawk, when Zhang Siyi saw him, he excitedly rushed through the crowd to catch up to him. He put his hand out: “Mobile phone.”

After Gu Yu returned his phone, Zhang Siyi read through the chat record. He started to panic: “He called!?”

Gu Yu: “Well, I didn’t answer. Today, Bi Lele almost saw your phone on my desk so you should keep it with you now.”

Zhang Siyi: “What should I do if I get another message from Bai Rui?”

Gu Yu: “It is better if you don’t reply to him at all. The more you care about him, the more influence he has on you and the more you get swept away by his rhythm. If you don’t care, he becomes nonessential. I took your cell phone away before to prevent you from being distracted at work.  Your emotions are too susceptible to suggestions and your mood is easily stimulated by others.”

Gu Yu’s lecture was right! Opening and closing his fist, Zhang Siyi felt like he was being led around by Bai Rui by his nose. However, when he looks at the dialog between Gu Yu and Bai Rui, Gu Yu is the one with the upper hand.

Gu Yu clapped Zhang Siyi on the back with his hand, laughing: “In short, learn to control it.”

Zhang Siyi clenched his fist and said: “Teach me!”

Since it was Zhang Siyi’s turn to pick up Gu Yao today, he parted ways with Gu Yu after two subway stops. Gu Yu continued on the train to go home and make dinner. Just as he left, Zhang Siyi felt his phone vibrate.

Bai Rui: “What is wrong with having dinner together?”

Zhang Siyi: “…” Ignore him…. hold back.

Bai Rui: “I’m confused. Are you afraid of me?” [Smiles]

The veins on Zhang Siyi’s forehead are popping out …. Endure!

Bai Rui: ” Are you afraid that I will poison you? Or, are you afraid that I will eat you?” [Smiles]

Zhang Siyi: “…” Don’t reply! Hold back!

………… Aah, aah! I can’t help it!  (╯‵□’)╯(┻━┻

Zhang Siyi: “Who is afraid of you!!!”

Now that he broke his resolve, Zhang Siyi began to regret his impulsiveness.

As Zhang Siyi was scratching his head, Bai Rui sent a long message: “Zhang Siyi, I really think you are a very interesting person. I sincerely want to become friends with you. I don’t have ulterior motives. I’ve tried to reach out many times, but you just ignored me, which make me feel frustrated. If you aren’t afraid of me, do you hate me?”

Staring at the phone, Zhang Siyi tried to convince himself to simply ignore him, but putting his thoughts into action proved more difficult. He couldn’t control his own nature especially when he saw how sincere Bai Rui was being.

After an inward struggle, Zhang Siyi finally gave in and frankly replied: “You are annoying.”

Bai Rui: “Why? Because of the two hundred dollars of coffee?”

Although his original ordeal with the coffee was irritating, Zhang Siyi certainly didn’t mean to admit that.

Bai Rui: “Do you think I was deceiving Ren Mengyu’s feelings?”

When Zhang Siyi saw his text, he immediately was filled with righteous indignation: “You knew it was cheating!?”

Bai Rui: “So, that’s the reason.”

Zhang Siyi: “…..”  Since he ran to Zhang Siyi for a hook up while dating Ren Mengyu…… isn’t that proof that Bai Rui was a jerk?”

Bai Rui: “I didn’t intend to deceive her in the beginning. I really wanted to try dating her seriously.”

Zhang Siyi was a little confused. Can he really be with Ren Mengyu if he was gay?”

Bai Rui: “Before I met Ren Mengyu, I’ve dated one woman and two men.”

Zhang Siyi: “…… ” The criminal record exposed! (=_=)

Bai Rui: “The first girlfriend made me realize that I am not purely heterosexual and my first boyfriend helped me understand homosexuality correctly. The third relationship…. Well, I thought we would be together for a lifetime, but not long ago he left me to get married ans soon afterwards I met Ren Mengyu. I was earnestly trying to start a new relationship with her to get back on the straight path.”

Reading Bai Rui heartfelt words, Zhang Siyi knew he wasn’t really a bad person. Zhang Siyi sighed. The defensive barrier he kept up dropped instantly and he lowered his guard.

Bai Rui continued: “During this time, I’ve tried my best to cater to all her needs. I’ll admit that I used her to get over my previous relationship, but I also knew she was using me. She liked the image of a good boyfriend I created for her. I’ve tried to share my hobbies with her, but she didn’t seem to care. Our interests didn’t really match so I couldn’t devote myself into the relationship, but most of all, I still couldn’t forget about my ex until now.”

Thinking about being in Bai Rui’s situation, Zhang Siyi can’t imagine how devastated he would feel if Gu Yu left him to marry a woman, or vice versa. Even thinking about it made his heart ache. He started feeling a little sympathetic towards Bai Rui.

Bai Rui: “It was just happenstance that I went to your friend’s reunion, because I was still hesitant with Ren Mengyu at the time and was thinking of breaking up. It was your talk to Su Yuan that let me reflect on my own cowardice.”

“Ah? Why?” Zhang Siyi was somewhat confused. He gave some advice about architecture so Su Yuan wouldn’t give up. What does it have to do with Bai Rui’s relationship problems?

Bai Rui: “Although you were talking about the pursuit of her career, I saw your determination to move forward despite any obstacles and your wholehearted attitude in everything. You said ‘we can’t change the world, but we can stay on our own path.’ I know this all too well and you persuaded Su Yuan with such passion that is was very touching.

Zhang Siyi: “…”

Bai Rui: “I didn’t think I would be schooled by the youngest person at the time, ha-ha.”

Zhang Siyi was a little embarrassed again. Wouldn’t it have been better if Bai Rui talked about these things sooner? Then Zhang Siyi wouldn’t have let his thoughts run wild.

Bai Rui: “I have already made it clear with Ren Mengyu yesterday. Although she is heartbroken now, we didn’t date for long so she will be able to get over it quickly. If she wants to later, we can remain friends.”

Sighing in relief, the weight Zhang Siyi felt on his shoulders was lifted.

Bai Rui: “When I added you in WeChat, I wanted to get your attention. I admit that I was thinking about teasing you because I am very curious about what kind of person you are.” [Smiles]

After listening to Bai Rui’s explanation, his ‘smiles’ doesn’t seem so annoying anymore.

Bai Rui: “However, after talking to you for a few days, I found that you were different. Any time I tried to chat with you, you were too clever and redirected my attempts at getting to know you. It was upsetting.”

After Bai Rui’s deluge of honesty, he didn’t have the heart to deceive him further and felt obligated to return the favor. He sighed and replied: “I’ll tell you the truth. It’s not just me you are chatting with. I have a boyfriend and sometimes he is talking to you.”

Bai Rui: “………”

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 189: Break Up

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After returning home, Gu Yu went to his Sister’s room and knocked on her door. For over an hour, the two siblings were in discussion. When Gu Yu came back to his own room, Zhang Siyi was waiting for him. Since he was in a good mood, he assumed Gu Yu had resolved the misunderstanding he had with his sister.

Before Zhang Siyi had time to ask, Gu Yu moved him to the bed and pressed him down affectionately. Their lovemaking was slow and tender. Afterwards he held Zhang Siyi cherished face and gently kissed him. The devotion that was reflected in Gu Yu’s eyes would make anyone’s heart melt.

Zhang Siyi muffled a laugh: “What are you doing? You are being weird today…”

Gu Yu buried his face in Zhang Siyi’s shoulders and gently sucked and kissed his neck.

“Uh…” Zhang Siyi shrunk his neck to ward him off: “Don’t. It tickles.”

Pressing his body close, Gu Yu wrapped Zhang Siyi in his arms in a tight embrace. For a while, he gave Zhang Siyi gentle kisses and caressed him tenderly before whispering in his ear: “I spoke with my friend today regarding Su Yuan’s matter. You can inform her of the open position.”

In Gu Yu’s arms, with the sudden change of topic, it took a moment for Zhang Siyi to register what Gu Yu said. Finally, he reacted and propped himself up on his elbow and said: “Really!? What company?”

Gu Yu reached out to knead his ear and replied: “Well, you already know who the man is.”

Zhang Siyi raised his voice in surprised: “I have? Who is it?”

Gu Yu: “Last year at the annual meeting, he is from the company that was hosting their party next door.”

Since they went to KTV together, Zhang Siyi memory of him was clearer: “Liang from GB-Firm?”

Gu Yu: “Yes, his name is Liang Xueying. We worked together in the X-Firm.”

Zhang Siyi wondered: “Does GB-Firm specialize in small-scale architectural design? If my memory serves me right, I thought GB-Firm was similar to Borderless?”

Gu Yu: “In the past two years, the market has steadily declined and the once copious amounts of large-scale land development projects have significantly decreased. With his own resources, he left GB this past May to start his own company that specializes in small scale building and design. The type of work his company does and the type of clients who seek his help, don’t conflict with GB’s interests.

Zhang Siyi: “Ah! That’s how it turned out.”

Gu Yu: “You’ll have to explain to her ahead of time that her salary won’t be as high as Borderless. Your classmate would be treated with the same standard as a new student. Monthly wages are six thousand with additional bonuses based on the projects she worked on. Every day, the office closes at 5:30 and thus there is no overtime work. Since the firm is very small with a total of ten employees, the overall atmosphere in the workplace is relatively relaxed and there are often organized activities.”

Zhang Siyi didn’t think the lower wage would be a problem. The last time he spoke with Su Yuan, she told him that her salary contract was seven thousand, but the actual amount paid was less then five thousand. At least, a consistent six thousand a month salary was a little better. Without overtime, Su Yuan could utilize the time to write architectural reviews per Gu Yu’s suggestion for additional income.

Most importantly, Zhang Siyi’s impression of Liang Xueying was very good. At KTV, he was very social and easy to get along with. Certainly, working for a boss like that was better than Su Yuan’s current situation.

The next day at lunch, Zhang Siyi called Su Yuan and informed her of the great news. She was very grateful and exclaimed: “I don’t know how to thank you!”

Zhang Siyi smiled and said: “You’re welcome! It is the least I can do for my friend, but to be honest, I didn’t find the job for you. The director helped me and recommended it.”

Su Yuan: “Your director? The same harsh and strict boss you mentioned before?”

Zhang Siyi: “Well, that’s him……”  Not having said more about Gu Yu recently, of course her impression of him will be stuck at the time when he just started working and complained! (=_=)

Zhang Siyi was eager to overwrite the old impression she had of Gu Yu and quickly said: “In fact, he is actually a good boss to work for. Also, it turned out he is my High School alumni. Now we are close, that is, he is a good friend.”

Su Yuan: “I will have to thank him as well. When you have time, I’ll take you both out to eat.”

Zhang Siyi politely refused: “No. It’s alright and not needed.”

Su Yuan smiled: “Why not? Your director went out of his way on your behalf to help. What kind of person would I be If I don’t give thanks where a thanks is due? I also don’t want to make things difficult for you. In any case, my gratitude must be expressed so, if you don’t have time to come out for dinner, I will prepare a thank you gift instead.”

Zhang Siyi was in a tough situation, but he had to answer her: “Well, gifts aren’t necessary. I will let him know and we can go out for a simple meal.”

Su Yuan: “Even though it’s best to express gratitude in person, I won’t be available this week. I’m not sure when because Ren Mengyu broke up with her boyfriend and I expect I’ll have to lend a shoulder for her to cry on for a little while.”

This new information shocked Zhang Siyi: “What? She broke up? When?”

Su Yuan sighed: “Just last night.”

Zhang Siyi: “She didn’t say anything in the group chat did she?”

Su Yuan: “It is hard for her to admit she got dumped. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that she wanted to show off her relationship to Bai Rui with you and our friends.”

Zhang Siyi broke into a cold sweat. How can this be! Bai Rui can’t really believe his sexual orientation was discovered so he broke up out of guilt, can he?

“You know, I thought this was going to happen. From the beginning, I didn’t think their relationship would last, but at the time I didn’t say anything to her because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She was enamored with him and the attention.” Su Yuan sighed deeply. “I don’t want her to get mad at me for telling you.”

On impulse, Zhang Siyi almost blurted out the truth about Bai Rui’s recent behavior, but upon listening to Su Yuan finish her narrative, he clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t want to add any more reasons for Ren Mengyu to feel bad. As they say, a person in love can become irrational and he didn’t want to be the recipient of misplaced feelings.

After a few exchanges of pleasantries with Su Yuan, Zhang Siyi hung up phone in a panic. He quickly revisited the chat record with Bai Rui and Gu Yu and noticed it had been a few days since contact. He was inwardly relieved. Regardless, whatever is going on with Bai Rui, he had nothing to do with it.

Right as he was reviewing the chat log, unexpectedly, a new message popped up in the dialog box: “Are you free tonight? I’ll take you out to dinner.”

“…… ” Zhang Siyi’s eye’s widened in surprised. The shock almost caused him to drop his phone!

He stared at the screen. Unbelievable! Bai Rui texted right when he finished talking to Su Yuan. Was he telepathic? Fuck, this is too much of a coincidence!

Freaked out, Zhang Siyi forgot about Gu Yu’s instructions and asked him directly: “Did you break up with Ren Mengyu?”

Bai Rui: “Yeah.”

Zhang Siyi: “Why?”

Bai Rui: “Can’t you guess? [Smiles]”

Zhang Siyi: “…” Fuck! Shit! Fuck! Shit! Guess? Can he pretend not to know?

Unable to think of something witty to reply with, Zhang Siyi finally thought of Gu Yu. Taking advantage of his lunch break, he immediately went to Gu Yu’s office, gave the phone to him and quickly explained the circumstances.

Gu Yu raised his eyebrows: “He broke up with her? That guy had a little bit of conscience after all.”

Zhang Siyi felt troubled: “Why do you think he broke up with my friend? Is it because of me?”

Gu Yu calmly said: “If he is really gay, it is a good thing he broke it off with your friend early. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

Zhang Siyi: “…” That said, he just broke up with Ren Mengyu and has already contact me. In the end, doesn’t it really have everything to do with me? o(╯□╰)o

Gu Yu looked down and scrolled through the chat record. While talking to Zhang Siyi, Bai Rui had sent another message: “The fact is, when I met you, I wanted to becomes friends. I wanted to make you happy by giving you a cake, but unfortunately, you didn’t like it. Please, can I just take you out to dinner so we can talk?”

From behind, Zhang Siyi was looking over Gu Yu’s shoulder while he was reading the message. He said: “Quickly, reject him!”

Perhaps, because of the delay in a text response, Bai Rui had sent another message: “You know, I felt that the you in WeChat and the you in the real world are different.

Gu Yu typed in a question on Zhang Siyi’s phone: “Oh? What’s the difference?”

Bai Rui: “Well, I can’t say for sure, but the feeling you give in WeChat isn’t the same in reality. You feel like a different person.”

Hair standing on end, Zhang Siyi got goosebumps. Oh God, could Bai Rui really see through us?

Gu Yu didn’t care. He smiled mischievously and replied: “You are not wrong.”

Bai Rui: “What do you mean?”

Gu Yu: “Indeed, we are two people.” [Smiles]

Bai Rui: “…”

Not wanting to hurt Gu Yu’s ear, Zhang Siyi turned his face away and laughed out loud. From anxiety, to fear, to laughter; it only took a few seconds. He tried to suppress his laughter, pointed at Gu Yu and said: “You really told him! I bet his soul is shattered hahahahahaha!”

Noticing the time on the clock on the wall, Gu Yu looked at Zhang Siyi and became serious: “Ok now. Lunch is over.”

Zhang Siyi was reluctant to leave because he wanted to see how Gu Yu was going to bully Bai Rui. Why are things so different when Bai Rui is left in Gu Yu’s hands?

Watching Zhang Siyi’s eyes full of love and adoration, Gu Yu laughed: “It won’t be solved so quickly and I don’t have free time to play with him. I’ll show you the chat records later. Now, get back to work.”

Zhang Siyi wrinkled his nose in protest before turning around and leaving Gu Yu’s office.

Less than three minutes later, Bai Rui messaged again: “You aren’t Zhang Siyi?””

Gu Yu: “[smiles]”

Bai Rui: “…”

This time, the phone remained silent for longer than three minutes. Busy with work, Gu Yu set Zhang Siyi’s phone aside. He he had no reason to continue talking with Bai Rui.

In the late afternoon, Bi Lele and Yuan Zhicheng went to Gu Yu’s office to report on a new project. Making them wait, Gu Yu left his office momentarily to get information about it.

After Gu Yu left, they heard the buzzing of a phone on silent mode that was covered by some documents.

Bi Lele and Yuan Zhicheng looked at each other: “Did Boss forgot to bring his phone?”

Moving the folder aside to reveal the phone, Bi Lele questioned: “Isn’t this Zhang Siyi’s phone?”

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 188: Sister-In-Law

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Zhang Siyi glanced at the chat history between Gu Yao and the man seeking her attention. Other then business related issues, she ignored any additional messages. Her attitude mirrored the way Gu Yu dealt with Bai Rui.

“Are you going to reply?” Zhang Siyi asked.

Gu Yao took her phone from Zhang Siyi’s hand and put it in her pocket: “I’m too lazy.”

Zhang Siyi: “…” To some extent, certain aspects of the two’s personalities were similar.

When they returned to their house in the evening, Gu Yu had dinner waiting for them. He requested an update on the day’s events. His suggestion to speak with the manager was quite effective.

On the following day, it was Gu Yu’s turn to drop off and pick up Gu Yao. When her colleagues saw a different, yet more handsome man with her, it triggered a round of gossip within the department and once again, the women went into a frenzy.

That night at meal time, Gu Yao excitedly relayed the days gossip: “Today, when my brother dropped me off at work, my colleagues were all excited. They wanted to know who he was, where he worked, and if he had a girlfriend…..”

Zhang Siyi came out of the kitchen and with curiosity he asked: “Did anyone gossiped about me?”

Smiling, Gu Yao replied: “Yes. Yesterday, I told them you were my second brother and today was my elder brother. They were very envious. Ha-ha-ha! Some people asked how it was possible to have two brothers.”

Zhang Siyi furrowed his brow in thought, Zhang Siyi also thought it was very strange. He turned to Gu Yu and asked: “How is it that your family has two children?”

Gu Yu grinned: “Didn’t I tell you she brought the food.”

Gu Yao shouted: “Hey!”

Zhang Siyi: “Don’t tease her. Seriously, family planning at the time only allowed for one child, so why does your family have two?”

Gu Yu glanced at him: “I don’t remember the details. Do you remember mentioning it to you once before? In order to have a second child, my family had to pay a fine of 20,000 yuan.”

Zhang Siyi: “I don’t remember. Only Twenty thousand? That’s all?”

Gu Yu laughed at Zhang Siyi lack of foresight: “That was years ago when the average monthly wage of urban workers was only thirty yuan. Thousands of yuan is equivalent to today’s millionaire.”

Zhang Siyi exclaimed: “Wow. Then how much is equal to twenty thousand now?”

Gu Yu: “Almost two million.”

Zhang Siyi stared at Gu Yao in shock, then joked: “Shit! An addition to a family turns out to be so expensive. What family can spend two million for grocery shopping?”

Gu Yao bowed her head silently. Although her family rarely mentioned it, she knew that her birth had brought a burden to her family and thinking about it, she felt sad. However, listening to Zhang Siyi teasing, she couldn’t help laughing out loud.

Touching his chin, Zhang Siyi turned to look at Gu Yu: “Since your family was able to pay the fine, you guys must have been rich!”

Gu Yu: “At the beginning, my family borrowed a lot of money. In order to pay off the debt, Dad went to Hainan for engineering work with the now chief of Borderless. During that time, construction was booming so he earned a lot of money and thus, the debt was paid off quickly.”

He turned to look at his sister and continued: “About the family joke… Dad mentioned it to me. He just didn’t want you to think you were a burden. Now listen to your elder brother, we love and treasure you. Although the Gu family isn’t rich, we weren’t short of money. We have watched you grow up into a fine, young women that knows real love from the heart. It is a relief to know that you won’t be easily seduced by shallow flirting.”

Feeling emotional, Gu Yao’s rapidly blinked her eyes to hold back tears: “Hey….”

Gu Yu added: “It’s time to find your own love and let me go. From a young age, you were always attached to me and I’m afraid being stuck to me has influenced you too much.”

Gu Yao muttered: “Who’s sticking to you?”

Gu Yu: “You aren’t stuck to me? There were three very good companies that recruited you and yet you chose the company close to here.”

Zhang Siyi was stunned. It turned out that Gu Yao moved in and lived with her brother not to save money, but to stay close to him!

Gu Yao face was red ear to ear: “So now I’m a hinderance to your life with second brother?”

Gu Yu snorted: “If I thought you were a hinderance; would I have let you live here? I say this to remind you; don’t be too dependent on us.”

Biting the chopsticks, Gu Yao remained silent. Her brother used to call Gu Yao a little sweet girl but now that he is with Zhang Siyi, it seems like, all her brother wanted to do was marry Gu Yao out in a hurry. Despicable brother!

Truth be told, Gu Yao worries aren’t without reason. Since her brother fell in love, she did have a strong sense of loss. Before, not only did he make sure his sister was well fed and happy, he also directed his jokes and teasing at her and as a result, Gu Yao felt like her brother belonged to her.

In contrast, Gu Yu gave 99% of his attention to Zhang Siyi and she was left with a measly one percent. She had to admit that she was jealous at first and there were some awkward feelings in private, but for the happiness of her brother, she had to accept reality. Slowly she realized that the absence of brotherly love she felt was compensated by Zhang Siyi. Overnight, she had two brothers and the feeling wasn’t so bad.

As a result of her self-introspection, the more time she spent with her brother and Zhang Siyi, the easier it was to use them as the standard to compare everyone else to. In the past, when her brother went out with friends, he often took her with him as a pretend girlfriend. She used to think that he caused the delay in finding someone to date. In reality, she discovered that there wasn’t anyone better than her brother. Even Zhang Siyi has taken second place in her mind as an excellent man.

Gu Yao sighed and forcefully said: “What about it? There are many people who don’t get married now!”

She turned to look at Zhang Siyi and joked: “How about I pretend marry Zhang Siyi. His parents like me anyway and If I marry him, I can cover for you for a lifetime.”

Zhang Siyi snorted and felt that her proposal was pretty good. If Gu Yao was willing, he and Gu Yu would be able to get through the difficulties of both parents in one go. Can the circumstance be better than that?

Unexpectedly, Gu Yu slammed his chopsticks on the table with a bang and forcefully shouted: “No!”

Startled, both Gu Yao and Zhang Siyi were shocked by Gu Yu’s reaction.

Gu Yu furrowed his brow and in an authoritative, serious tone he said: “I’m warning you now, do not think about it again. It is absolutely impossible.”

For a moment, Gu Yao sat on her seat stunned. The last thing she expected was her brother’s strong reaction. As her face drained of all color, tears fell from her beautiful eyes. In less then a minute, she felt both embarrassed and wronged. Placing her chopsticks down, she got up and ran upstairs.

Zhang Siyi dare not speak and the dinner table remained silent. It was the first time he witnessed Gu Yu fight with his sister.

Gu Yu remained at his seat stone-faced. He didn’t go comfort his sister and instead, continued to eat his meal.

Afterwards, it would have been Gu Yao’s turn to wash the dishes, but since she went upstairs, Zhang Siyi took it upon himself to take the responsibility of washing them. When he finished, he saw Gu Yu sitting quietly next to Townhouse, brushing him. Even the dog was motionless with his head bowed as if he felt the masters’ anger.

Zhang Siyi walked over to Gu Yu and quietly said: “Let’s go and walk the dog together.”

Gu Yu led Townhouse to the foyer so the two of them could put on shoes. Outside, they walked quietly together for about a hundred meters before Zhang Siyi spoke. “Why were you so jealous?”

“I’m not jealous.” Gu Yu replied.

Zhang Siyi: “You’re not? With that reaction?”

Not answering him, Gu Yu remained silent.

Not knowing what to say, Zhang Siyi changed the topic: “If I had such a lovely sister, I would feel reluctant to let her get married.”

Gu Yu scoffed: ”Do you think I am pushing her away?”

Seeing Gu Yu finally relax somewhat, Zhang Siyi seized the opportunity and pushed him further: “Then why did you do that? I think she was just in a good mood and wanted to make a joke.”

Gu Yu hung his head and sighed softly. Another minute passed before he spoke: “I also contradict myself. I hope she finds someone to fall in love with, but I’m afraid her relationship won’t last and will make her unhappy. As her brother, I can protect her from being deceived, but I can’t offer her love like a man loves a woman for life.

Gu Yu: “Social values are still chaotic. Even now, that man regarded her as a thing and by sending her gifts, it was supposed to mean something? Is that all it takes to get someone to fall in love?”

Taking Zhang Siyi’s hand into his own, Gu Yu looked at Zhang Siyi and spoke: “You and I should know how beautiful love is. My parents are also deeply in love. She shouldn’t be running away from falling in love. If she can find true love, like we have, she will certainly be happier than now. Is it necessary to obliterate her possibility of finding happiness in order to not let her get hurt; let her sacrifice her own love for the sake of ours? Our existence doesn’t mean she should give up the burden of finding her own happiness….”

When he heard Gu Yu explain, Zhang Siyi realized it was for this reason that Gu Yu was angry. At the same time, he also felt guilty for his selfish moment. How could he let Gu Yao sacrifice her own happiness for his sake?

Gu Yu frowned and said: “Despite my worries and fears, she has to face the world herself. My sister is the one that has to experience life, fall down and pick herself up again. We can provide her a temporary respite from her emotional or physical troubles, but she can’t be dependent on us forever. Besides, we’re gay. Although I’ve always thought that love has nothing to do with gender. To be honest, I’ve been worried lately about the influence we have on her about her views of love. I didn’t think that our relationship is a good role model for her.”

Zhang Siyi: “If I hadn’t listened to your explanation, I would have continued to misunderstand you. I thought you were trying to get her out of the house and marry soon and since Gu Yao might have also interpreted things as I have, she probably felt abandoned. Then, she talked about a pretend marriage. I thought you were jealous.”

Gu Yu clutched Zhang Siyi’s hand. Of course, he will be jealous of anyone that wants to get close with Zhang Siyi. Zhang Siyi is his. Gu Yu was the only one allowed to marry him. He could never agree to a pretend marriage, even if it was done with good will.

Zhang Siyi continued: “Compared with the time you got angry at me for requesting help for Su Yuan, your attitude is much worse now. I bet your sister is very upset.”

Gu Yu is depressed: “I was?”

The corner of Zhang Siyi mouth twitched. Does Gu Yu not realize how fierce he can be?

He pulled at Gu Yu’s arm: “Let’s go back. You tell your sister what you just explained to me.”

Gu Yu snorted and resisted Zhang Siyi’s tugging.

Since Gu Yu was being difficult, Zhang Siyi pestered him more and said: “Come on! Now that I’m involved, you have to go explain it to her. What if you don’t? She is going to hate me later and we will have a sister-in-law problem!”

Zhang Siyi’s statement provoked Gu Yu into laughter. Gu Yu squeezed his hand reassuringly and said: “Alright, let’s go back.”

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T/N: The One Child Policy of China explained: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-child_policy

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