Wednesday afternoon, gym class.

Several of the guys had been playing basketball the whole class period and when the dismissal bell rang, He Hao volunteered to buy everyone drinks.

Lin Feiran tossed the basketball in his hand to Gu Kaifeng and shook his wet hair. Still all sweaty, he walked to the steps at the side of the court and sat down, pulling the hem of his gym shirt up to wipe his face... revealing his pale soft stomach!

Seeing this, Gu Kaifeng swiftly tugged Lin Feiran’s gym shirt back down.

He was deathly afraid someone else would see! Very petty!

Lin Feiran: “......”

Gu Kaifeng held out a tissue, but Lin Feiran did not even glance at it, instead diving head-first into his embrace. He took the hem of Gu Kaifeng’s gym shirt and wiped himself down.

They were so lovey-dovey, as if everyone else around was dead.

Wang Zhuo rode this wave of lovey-doveyness and walked over, grinning. “Sis-in-law, come over for a little. I have something to ask you.”

Lin Feiran got up without another word. Gu Kaifeng held onto his wrist and warned, “What can’t you ask in front of me?”

Gu Kaifeng still remembered that after Lin Feiran had performed admirably at the arts festival last term, Wang Zhuo had helped a girl from a different class ask for Lin Feiran’s WeChat handle.

He was good at holding grudges!

“I’m not introducing sis-in-law to potential partners.” Wang Zhuo immediately understood Gu Kaifeng’s intentions. “Am I so morally bankrupt that I’d help other people sabotage you?”

Gu Kaifeng let out a cold snort.

Wang Zhuo said loudly, “Last time, I didn’t know! Who knew you’d already had your eye on sis-in-law at that time.”

Various students around them now looked over.

Gu Kaifeng waved a hand dismissively. “Go, go, go.”

Wang Zhuo happily went, Lin Feiran following behind him. They walked to a place Gu Kaifeng could not hear, then Lin Feiran asked curiously, “What’s the matter?”

Wang Zhuo uncharacteristically beat around the bush. “Guess.”

Lin Feiran smiled, both embarrassed and proud. He asked quietly, “You like He Hao?”

Wang Zhuo’s reaction was as if a mine had suddenly gone off underfoot. He jumped three feet into the air. “Damn it!”

“If you like him, then tell him. I think he likes you too,” Lin Feiran said frankly.

“No, no.” Wang Zhuo, with his face like a baboon’s butt, waved his hands around. “I was going to ask you, were you born gay or did it happen later?”

Lin Feiran thought about it for a moment then said, “Probably born this way, but I didn’t notice it until later.”

“How did you notice? Tell me.” Wang Zhuo clearly wanted to know.

Lin Feiran scratched his head and murmured, “We’re both guys, so I don’t need to go into detail, surely. Just like that.”

Wang Zhuo nodded in understanding. “Ohoh. I got it.”

If he had certain impulses towards members of the same sex, then he was gay.

Wang Zhuo’s eyes were a little blank. He seemed to be thinking about something. Gradually, even his ears reddened.

“Right.” Lin Feiran suddenly remembered that Wang Zhuo had been possessed by the infant’s spirit and asked with concern, “How have you been over the last few days? Has the little ghost possessing you emerged again?”

“Last Sunday it came out while we were passing by the theme park, but over the last few days, nothing. I think it’s gone.” Wang Zhuo waved his hands around very optimistically.

Lin Feiran nodded. “That’s the best case.”

If the infant’s spirit was still in Wang Zhuo’s body, Lin Feiran could not see it. But Lin Feiran felt that Wang Zhuo’s Yang energy had gotten stronger in the last couple of days, very much stronger than last week when he had first been possessed by the infant’s spirit. The change in his Yang energy, along with Wang Zhuo mentioning the spirit had not come out during the last two days, led him to deduce that the spirit had very likely left.

Wang Zhuo hemmed and hawed a little longer and asked, “Just now, why did you ask if I liked He Hao?”

“Don’t you like him?” Lin Feiran’s eyes widened a fraction, as if not believing his conclusion could be wrong. “The way you joke around all day... watching you, we observers think you like each other and your jokes are how you suss each other out... right?”

Wang Zhuo froze like a wooden chicken for a moment. “......”

When he and He Hao joked around, from a subjective point of view, they really did not think that much. But now that Lin Feiran mentioned it, Wang Zhuo recalled those times and had to admit that every time he made a joke that might have overstepped, he was a little afraid. He worried that He Hao would think him disgusting. After observing that He Hao was not only not disgusted but even played along with him, Wang Zhuo would let out a breath in relief and then do it again next time.

Thinking about it more closely now, this was indeed rather insane. Initially, he had not been able to understand it, either, but...

Sussing each other out.

These words struck Wang Zhuo’s consciousness like a bolt of lightning.

He Hao came back with drinks. In each hand, he held three bottles of cold drinks in different flavors, and began distributing them to the guys who had played basketball. Gu Kaifeng picked a sugar-free tea drink then pointed at Wang Zhuo and Lin Feiran. He caught hold of He Hao and said something.

He Hao glanced over at them and did not walk over. He drank his beverage as he talked with Gu Kaifeng. As they talked, Gu Kaifeng glanced at Wang Zhuo, then smiled and slapped He Hao’s shoulder lightly. He Hao glanced up at Wang Zhuo, too, then looked down and started laughing with Gu Kaifeng.

The laughter made Wang Zhuo’s hair stand on end. He pricked up his ears trying to hear what they were saying.

“Do you want to know what they said?” Lin Feiran watched with interest as Wang Zhuo clearly wanted to know but pretended to be calm.

Wang Zhuo rubbed his nose to hide it and said loudly, “Ah.”

“I’ll go ask later.” Lin Feiran patted his chest and took this task upon himself.

Wang Zhuo then pestered Lin Feiran for a while longer, asking about his internal experience when he discovered he was gay. Then he walked uncomfortably back to He Hao and reached out to get his drink.

He Hao had two bottles in his hand. One he had drunk from, the other was new.

He Hao pushed the bottle he had drunk from into Wang Zhuo’s right hand.

Wang Zhuo: “......”

Then He Hao twisted open the unopened bottle, gulped down some of it, then pushed it into Wang Zhuo’s left hand. “Two flavors. Alternate between them.”

Wang Zhuo said shamelessly, “Ritian, look at you. Insisting on an indirect kiss, are you?”

He Hao admitted, “Can’t help it. You don’t let me kiss you directly.”

Wang Zhuo laughed roguishly. “If I let you, will you do it?”

He Hao went silent for a moment, then suddenly moved toward Wang Zhuo. Wang Zhuo swallowed and did not dodge. But He Hao looked up at the group of their schoolmates

surrounding them and stopped dead.

The class bell rang, disrupting the strange mood drifting in the air between them.

“Let’s go to class.” He Hao ruffled Wang Zhuo’s hair.

Wang Zhuo smiled and ran toward the classroom, as if nothing had happened at all.

He had cracked too many jokes and was reaping the consequences: he could not tell which of He Hao’s words were true.

During the fourth class period, Wang Zhuo could not pay attention. From time to time he glanced backward at Lin Feiran and winked at him. After hinting at him in this way several times, he finally received a text from Lin Feiran.

Lin Feiran: Below is their conversation

Gu Kaifeng: Little Zhuo-zi went to look for my wife. They’re going to join hands against you.

He Hao: Against me? For what?

Gu Kaifeng: Do you think we’re blind?

He Hao: What?

Gu Kaifeng: The way Wang Zhuo is, if you don’t like him, could you have endured him for so long? Drop the act.

He Hao: Mm... I like him.

Wang Zhuo stared at the words ‘Mm... I like him’ on the phone screen for a long time, his heart pounding like a drum.

After a long time, Wang Zhuo replied to Lin Feiran, red-faced, “Wait! What does Kai-ge mean by ‘the way Wang Zhuo is’?! Wang Zhuo is very good, isn’t he?!”

Lin Feiran held back a laugh and replied, “The way you can’t take care of yourself. When we went to H City on vacation, you stayed in bed in the morning and wouldn’t get up. He Hao washed your face and fed you, and then there’s all the things you do every day... I’ll save you some embarrassment, all right?”

Wang Zhuo: “If other people criticize me, that’s fine, but you say I can’t take care of myself? I won’t stand for this!”

Gu Kaifeng’s wife clearly could not take care of himself either!

A paper wad flew over from the last row and landed accurately on Wang Zhuo’s head.

Wang Zhuo opened it. It was from He Hao.

Study properly. Get off your phone. Papa.

Wang Zhuo: “......”

Damn it, he had actually signed off as Papa!