Inside the Gu family villa, Gu Congjue…having changed out of his formal attire and grabbed a quick bite…was glued to his bed, anxiously staring at his phone.
“Call me,” he muttered to the fully charged battery and full signal bars. “Come on, call!”
Naturally introverted and terrible with words, Gu Congjue was definitely not the type to enjoy phone chats.
In fact, he absolutely loathed taking calls or listening to voice messages. The feeling of having to drop whatever he was doing to listen to someone else talk felt like a hostile takeover of his personal space. Because of this, his phone stayed on Do Not Disturb almost year-round.
Aside from his family and his nanny, Auntie Rong, he never picked up calls from unknown numbers. Last time his grandparents were traveling abroad, his grandmother wanted to buy him an English geology encyclopedia and dialed him from an international number. He hadn’t hesitated for a single second before tapping Decline.
The poor old lady had to take a massive detour, calling Auntie Rong first just to reach her own grandson.
Yet tonight, solely to wait for Shen Yanxing’s call, Gu Congjue had proactively turned off both Do Not Disturb and silent mode!
Just as he was about to wear out his eyes staring at the screen, the phone rang. It was a private number from Beijing…the format didn’t look like spam.
The young master’s heart leaped. He immediately sat bolt upright from his lying position, cleared his throat, and answered, “Hello?”
It was hands-down the most polite, gentlemanly opening line he had ever uttered in his life. He congratulated himself…Was that gentle enough? Would it leave a good impression on Shen Yanxing?
Instead, a woman’s voice came through the speaker: “Hello, Student Gu Congjue. This is Teacher Chen from Kaiming Tutoring Center. We’ve just launched a new elite program for top-tier students—”
Before she could finish, Gu Congjue hung up.
And promptly added the number to his permanent block list.
“Wasting my time.” Gu Congjue’s face went dark, his fantastic mood thoroughly ruined. “If you just cost me Shen Yanxing’s call, I’m suing your organization for illegally selling private information.”
He was starting to regret leaving his number instead of taking the lead. He should have been more assertive tonight and demanded Shen Yanxing’s phone number instead!
What if the slip of paper was lost? What if, for whatever reason, Shen Yanxing had no intention of reaching out to him?
Before his anxieties could spiral further, the phone rang again. Since it came so quickly after the last one, Gu Congjue naturally assumed it was another tutoring sales pitch.
“Are you people ever going to stop?” he snapped irritably into the receiver. “How many of your numbers do I have to block?”
Silence hung on the line for three or four seconds. Then, a hesitant, anxious, and deeply familiar voice filtered through the speaker.
“…Didn’t you leave me your number and tell me to call if I had trouble?”
Gu Congjue shuddered as the realization hit him like a lightning bolt…that was Shen Yanxing’s voice!
Shen Yanxing actually called him!?
“I—I’m sorry!”
Overjoyed, Gu Congjue scrambled off the bed and began pacing frantically back and forth across his room.
“I just took a telemarketing call, so I thought…”
His limited communication skills left the young prodigy completely tongue-tied. Deciding to skip the explanation phase entirely, he cut straight to the chase.
“What happened? What kind of trouble are you in?”
The voice on the other end remained hesitant, stammering out short sentences: “I… I don’t have anywhere to go right now. Something happened at home, so I can’t…I can’t go back.
“You live near the Cha’an district, right? Are you familiar with this area? I was hoping you could help me find a place to stay for the night…”
Shen Yanxing seemed like he wanted to explain the context further after stating his request, but Gu Congjue had no patience for backstories right now. He immediately cut in, “Where are you?”
“At—”
The voice paused again; Shen Yanxing was likely setting his phone down to check nearby signs.
“Outside the gala venue tonight. There’s a small park with greenery nearby…I’m right next to the park’s directory sign.”
“Okay. Stay right where you are, find a place to sit, and don’t wander off.” Gu Congjue ripped his phone off the charger, grabbed a windbreaker jacket and his wallet on the fly. “I’m taking a cab to pick you up right now.
“My phone is fully charged with full signal. If anything comes up, keep calling me!”
Hanging up, Gu Congjue pulled on his coat and headed for the door. Auntie Rong happened to be coming up to bring him fresh cut fruit, nearly colliding with him head-on as he swung the door open.
“Where are you rushing off to at this hour?” Auntie Rong looked in shock at the teenager charging out like a hurricane. “Weren’t you feeling under the weather? Why are you going out?”
“Emergency!” In the blink of an eye, Gu Congjue was already down on the first floor, waving at his nanny on the second floor with a bright, radiant smile. “I’ll be back late tonight, but I might not come back at all!”
Auntie Rong froze on the spot. It was the very first time she had ever seen Gu Congjue smile so brilliantly. “W-What kind of emergency is that urgent? Take it easy! How about I drive you?”
“No need!” Gu Congjue sprinted out the front door, his excited voice echoing back from the courtyard. “I’m going to meet the person I love!”
“The person he…?”
Auntie Rong was so startled she nearly dropped the fruit tray, dissecting every single word her young master had uttered before leaving.
Good grief. The young master has someone he loves? How was it that she, his primary caregiver who barely left his side, was only finding out now?
“Ah, I’ve failed at my job,” Auntie Rong felt a pang in her heart, feeling like the distance between her and her raised child had suddenly stretched miles apart.
Shaking her head, she picked up the untouched fruit salad and turned back, sighing with every step.
“They really grow up and leave you behind…”
Just past nine in the evening.
Twenty minutes had passed since the call ended. Shen Yanxing stared at the time on his lock screen and the steadily dropping battery percentage in the top right corner, feeling his anxiety mount.
What should I do? What should I do? At first, he was just stranded without a place to stay, but now his phone battery was running dangerously low.
He wanted to find one of those portable power bank rental kiosks…in a prosperous district like Cha’an, there ought to be plenty around. But this was a quiet park, and after doing a quick search in the immediate area, he hadn’t spotted a single one.
The park at night was tranquil. Because a fashion gala was being held at a stadium about a kilometer away, the echoing music drifted over from afar, making the park feel even quieter by comparison.
The chirping of cicadas and crickets sounded harsh, scaring Shen Yanxing away from the dimly lit bushes. He only dared to sit with his knees pulled up in front of a brightly lit vending machine.
Self-deprecatingly, he thought about just giving up and sleeping in the park overnight…at least he had the vending machine to keep him company!
Hugging his legs and burying his face against his knees, Shen Yanxing actually felt drowsiness creeping over him.
Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed through the quiet park, startling the sensitive boy. Before his hair could even stand on end from fear, a powerful shout revived his spirits.
“Shen Yanxing! Where are you?
“Shen Yanxing, answer me if you’re there!”
“I—I’m here!”
Like a castaway washed ashore on a deserted island, Shen Yanxing scrambled up in excitement, calling back to his personal rescue team.
“I’m over here! Right here!”
Following the voice, Gu Congjue took a shortcut, bursting right out from between the trackless bushes.
Though it was a bit inappropriate given the situation, seeing the guy covered head-to-toe in leaves actually made Shen Yanxing want to laugh.
“Are you alright?” Gu Congjue didn’t care about his own appearance at all, grabbing Shen Yanxing by the shoulders to inspect him for injuries.
“Pfft…” Shen Yanxing burst out laughing, pointing at the other boy. “I’m fine, I was just waiting for you. What about you…don’t you want to clean yourself up first?”
Gu Congjue had no bandwidth to worry about that. He grabbed Shen Yanxing by the hand, turned, and walked: “Come with me.”
He dragged the boy along, taking huge strides toward the main road where a taxi was waiting for him. But the faster he walked, the more leaves fluttered off him against the wind, shedding a trail of green all the way down the path.
Shen Yanxing had a hard time holding back his laughter. He suddenly felt that this young master wasn’t fierce or intimidating at all. As expected, his impression of him outside the venue earlier must have been a complete delusion, right?
The teenager pulled him into the back of a taxi and gave the driver the name of what sounded like a five-star hotel.
Shen Yanxing felt nervous…partly worried about the expense, and partly confused about the boy’s motives.
He was thrilled to have someone help him at a crucial moment, but why was he helping him? They had only met once, and Shen Yanxing was dead certain he didn’t know any wealthy young masters who tossed money around like this.
He didn’t even know the guy’s name yet! Why on earth was he helping him?
Shen Yanxing wanted to ask for a clear explanation, but the young master was far more cold and silent than he had imagined.
Aside from stating their destination to the driver when they got in, the guy didn’t say a single word the entire ride! The quiet was almost eerie, leaving Shen Yanxing without a single opportunity to strike up a conversation.
After holding it in the whole way, they finally arrived at their destination: The Ritz-Carlton.
Intimidated by the opulent decor of the hotel, Shen Yanxing blankly followed the young master inside. He watched as the boy pulled out his wallet, selected a lavishly patterned membership card from a stack of cards, and handed it to the front desk clerk.
Under the enthusiastic guidance of the staff, he followed the young master into the elevator, feeling like everything he was experiencing was a dream.
“You did the right thing calling me.”
“Huh?” Caught off guard while daydreaming, Shen Yanxing snapped back to reality. “What did you say?”
“I said, you did the right thing calling me,” Gu Congjue turned his head, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Minors under eighteen can’t check into a hotel room alone. They need a guardian with them.”
Shen Yanxing finally remembered that rule, looking back at him. “Are you eighteen?”
“No. I’m fifteen and a half.”
“Ah, you’re a year younger than me…” Shen Yanxing muttered under his breath. “You’re not eighteen either, so how can you check us in?”
“I used my dad’s membership card.”
Shen Yanxing: “…Oh. I see.”
With a ding, the elevator arrived at their floor. Gu Congjue looked at the opening doors and smiled. “We’re here. We can talk more once we’re in the room.”
If Gu Congjue hadn’t said that, Shen Yanxing might have stepped out, but hearing it made him hesitate.
“T-Talk about what?
“What do you need to talk to me about?”
He knew it! This young master had suspicious motives and needed to be guarded against! Look at that…his true colors were showing!
No wonder he was acting so nice, pulling him aside outside the venue to say he wanted to “be friends”! So by “friend,” he actually meant boyfriend?
Was he really being targeted by a younger, smooth-talking pervert?
“A lot of things,” Gu Congjue replied with utter righteousness, holding the door open button so the elevator wouldn’t close on them.
“You’re a year older than me…sixteen and a half…which means you’re graduating middle school this summer too, right?
“We’re both middle school graduates. We can exchange study techniques and academic tips.”
Gu Congjue was brimming with enthusiasm, his mind completely preoccupied with how Shen Yanxing had missed out on high school and failed to get a proper degree in his past life. Since he was going to save Shen Yanxing in this life, he had to start by tackling his education!
What better time to start grinding than this wonderful post-graduation summer break!
Shen Yanxing, however, was utterly star-struck with shock. Once his brain finally processed Gu Congjue’s words, his beautiful eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
“Exchange… study techniques??”
Shen Yanxing realized he had indeed run into a total weirdo…not a pervert, but an academic maniac.
The kind of person where while you’re thinking about romance, he’s trying to tutor you in Chinese, Math, English, Politics, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology…
An ultra-rare, hardcore academic maniac.