My mom and Cố Hoài’s mom were the closest of friends. After the two families got married and moved into the same neighborhood, they seriously discussed arranging a childhood engagement for us.
But later, when they found out we were both boys, the engagement… went up in smoke.
Ever since he was little, Cố Hoài had been the cool, aloof type, always giving off an “I don’t want to deal with strangers” vibe.
Even though he was very easy on the eyes, Cố Hoài’s mom worried he wouldn’t make any friends.
I was the complete opposite. I’d been a crybaby since I was little—fussy, full of tricks, quick to cry and throw a fit, and more delicate than a girl.
Whenever my mom brought up my childhood, she’d grit her teeth in frustration.
But Cố Hoài was the only one who could put up with all my little antics.
Back then, Cố Hoài was like my own personal ATM. Almost all his allowance ended up in my pocket.
When Cố Hoài’s mom found out, she didn’t stop me. She just smiled knowingly and said:
“Go ahead and take it. You’re little Cố Hoài’s wife, so of course he should spend his money on you.”
When I was little, I saw my dad give money to my mom all the time, so I thought that was what every married couple did.
So I got even more confident about marching over to Cố Hoài’s house, shamelessly taking all his allowance, and giving him a perfectly good reason:
“I’m going to marry you someday, so it’s only right that I hold on to your money.”
When I got older and understood what “married” meant, I was so embarrassed that I avoided Cố Hoài for three whole days.
Who would’ve thought… after all this time, he still remembered!
I was speechless.
“You really hold a grudge. I only swindled you out of your allowance for a decade or so, didn’t I? I apologized later, too.”
“Then where’s the money?”
Cố Hoài gave me a knowing smirk.
“Not happening! Thanks!”
I wriggled out of his arms and pretended I needed to use the bathroom to escape.
When I came back, Cố Hoài had put his shirt on and was staring at his phone with a really strange look on his face.
Unable to resist my curiosity, I leaned over to peek. I didn’t get a clear look, but it seemed like… a photo?
“What are you looking at?”
Cố Hoài looked at me like I was an alien.
“What do you think? It’s because you got drunk last night and caused all this trouble!”
Confused, I reached under the pillow, fished out my phone, and turned it on.
The screen was immediately flooded with messages.
They were all from the alumni group chat, plus a few private messages from old classmates.
Confused, I opened them to see what was going on.
【Trình Ngôn, get on the school forum and look!】
【Trình Ngôn, you and Cố Hoài are famous now!】
Judging by the messages packed onto my screen, something big had happened.
I hurried onto the school forum.
As soon as I logged in, I saw the hottest post at the top:
【ID: Fudanshi Tiểu Thiến】
“Can anyone understand me!!! I went on a blind date with a friend last night, and we happened to run into a real-life couple straight out of a novel: ‘pretty, soft uke × chaste, loyal-dog seme.’
We were in the same elevator and saw them making heart-eyes at each other with our own eyes!”
Attached below was a secretly filmed video. Through the blurry footage, I could see myself dead drunk, face bright red and mind all foggy, clinging to him and writhing around.
Cố Hoài lowered his head, his bangs falling to partly hide his long, narrow, inky-black eyes.
He stood amid the crowd. Everything around him was loud and lively, but he seemed completely apart from it all, quietly soothing the person in his arms.
The camera shook as the crowd surged forward. Then, in a sudden moment, someone shoved me, just as I looked up…
—and my lips crashed straight into Cố Hoài’s.
A flood of comments popped up beneath the post:
【Holy crap! Isn’t that our school’s top student and its beauty?!】
【Oh my god! That collision was so worth it! Please move this to an app where we can get a sequel!】
【You get it! Give me your ID and I’ll add you!】
【Oh my god, this uke is the real deal! What school is this? I want a taste…】
【6…】
【I knew it, I knew it! They’re in the same class, and they’ve been childhood friends forever!】
I froze, staring at the chaotic mess of comments on the forum.
I spun around to face Cố Hoài and grabbed his collar.
“What do we do? It’s over! You really won’t be able to get a girlfriend now!”
Cố Hoài was absorbed in reading the fujoshi comments, even happily scrolling through them one by one. He grabbed my wrist, then lifted his other hand to stroke my head. A barely noticeable glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
“I wasn’t planning to get a girlfriend.”
I immediately pushed his hand away. Feeling a little guilty, I quickly changed the subject.
“But… my first kiss is gone! Drinking ruined my purity!”
As I spoke, I touched the corner of my mouth. It was still sore.
Cố Hoài casually touched his own lips too, his voice lazy.
“That was my first kiss, too. You didn’t lose out, did you?”
Hearing Cố Hoài say something so undeniably gay, I immediately felt that something was off.
Could it be… I was overthinking things?
But judging by the way he looked like he was “reminiscing”…
I suddenly clenched my butt, testing the waters.
“You’re not into men, are you?”
Cố Hoài looked at me with an inscrutable expression and said, one word at a time:
“What if I am?”
I stared at him, unable to believe it.
“This isn’t funny!”
I grabbed my collar and instinctively took two steps back.
My reaction seemed to anger Cố Hoài a little. He pressed his lips together and looked at me seriously.
“Do you hate the idea of two guys being together?”
Flustered, I saw the hurt in Cố Hoài’s eyes and hurried to say:
“I’m not prejudiced… I just never thought about dating a guy…”
Cố Hoài took a step toward me, closing the distance between us.
Close… so close.
Close enough that I could see my reflection in his eyes—
embarrassed, panicked, and a little pitiful.
So… that was what I looked like right now.
Cố Hoài’s breath suddenly drew near. A warm sensation brushed my lips.
It was… Cố Hoài’s lips.
My eyes widened as I stared in disbelief at the face filling my vision.
Cố Hoài… was kissing me.
He gently took my lips between his, touching them tenderly, as though I were a treasure—something so precious he hardly dared to taste it.
A kind of tenderness…
I’d never seen from Cố Hoài before.
4
“Do you hate it when I kiss you like this?”
Cố Hoài let me go, amusement in his eyes. He looked just like a cat that had stolen a fish, though there was also a hint of tension in his gaze, as if he were testing my reaction.
I raised a hand to touch the lips he’d just kissed, my mind still hazy.
“I… I don’t hate it, exactly… I guess… it’s not bad?”
I had no idea what I was saying anymore. My face felt like it was about to catch fire, and my heart was sprinting, pounding so wildly it might burst out of my chest.
Cố Hoài shamelessly stepped even closer and dropped a bombshell:
“If you don’t hate it, then… Trình Ngôn, why don’t we give this a try?”
I started to wonder if Cố Hoài, not me, had been the one drinking last night.
“Do you even know what you’re saying? Stop joking around like this. We’re best friends, for crying out loud. Have you been single so long it’s messed with your head?”
Cố Hoài lowered his eyes and looked at me seriously.
“I’ve never joked around about this. You know that.”
I was speechless. I racked my brain until I finally managed to blurt out:
“You’re so smart. I’m not good enough for you… What if it affects the next generation?”
Cố Hoài was clearly at a loss for words. He looked completely confused.
“I don’t care about that… Besides, you can’t have kids anyway. What’s there to worry about?”
I wanted to bang my head against the wall and die. What on earth was I saying!?
Somebody get me out of this drama!!!
I hurriedly shook my head and waved my hands around, putting myself down without mercy:
“No, no, no! That’s not what I meant! I mean… you should find a pretty, fair-skinned girl who’s both beautiful and smart to date. I’m no good—I’ve got nothing going for me except my looks!”
Cố Hoài lowered his head, took my hand, and pressed it against his chest.
“It’s not like I just met you yesterday. I’m not interested in those girls, either. Trình Ngôn, I’m serious.”
In Cố Hoài’s deep, dark eyes, I could see my reflection clearly. Outside the window, the breeze stirred softly, and the waves inside me stirred with it.
Damn it… whenever Cố Hoài looked at me like that, I couldn’t bring myself to turn him down.
I bit my lip without thinking. The hand Cố Hoài was holding began to tremble slightly. We’d grown up together; it would be a lie to say I didn’t have feelings for him.
Truth was, I could tell: Cố Hoài was cold to everyone else and gentle only with me.
Whenever I got sick, he was even more frantic than my parents. Every time they went on a business trip, Cố Hoài stayed by my side like a young dad—cooking, doing laundry, taking care of everything.
Nine-tenths of my “helplessness”… was something Cố Hoài had cultivated.
Honestly, if Cố Hoài had a girlfriend… would I really not care?
As I wrestled with myself, my phone suddenly rang.
It was my mom.
“Ngôn Ngôn, it’s Mom. Where are you? Grandma’s in the hospital. Come right away.”
I froze. As soon as I understood what Mom was saying, I panicked.
“Which hospital is she at? I’m coming right now!”
Grandma loved me more than anyone else in the family.
Cố Hoài hurried along with me, leading the way to the hospital. By the time we arrived, Grandma had already been moved to a patient room.
Mom told me Grandma had slipped on the stairs. At her age, a fall like that could be very dangerous. Luckily, my oldest uncle had gotten off work early and happened to pass by. Otherwise, the consequences could have been serious.
Grandma was in good spirits. She held Cố Hoài’s and my hands while scolding my oldest uncle.
“I’m fine. I just slipped while watching a livestream on the stairs. There’s no need to make such a fuss. Tiểu Hoài, Ngôn Ngôn, I must’ve scared you two, huh? I’m all right.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
The doctor said she needed to be monitored for a few days.
“Ngôn Ngôn, can you stay home by yourself tonight? I’m staying here with Grandma, and your dad’s away on a business trip…”
Mom looked at me hesitantly. Even though I was all grown up, she still worried about leaving me alone.
I pouted.
“Mom, I’m all grown up! I’ll be fine!”
She still treated me like a kid…
“Besides, Cố Hoài lives right next door. It’ll be fine.”
Cố Hoài nodded.
“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll take care of Trình Ngôn.”
Only then did my mom feel reassured enough to let us leave the hospital.