This Mind-Reading Technique Is Useless. - Chapter 18
Chapter 18 Gifts. Giving gifts to someone so soon? Love-brained…
What’s wrong with a birthmark on his waist?
Gu Shiying didn’t know what had touched Fu Huan’s nerves. Was this even worth expressing his feelings?
Ever since he realized that the voices he heard reflected a person’s most pressing and intense desires at the moment, he couldn’t look Fu Huan in the eye anymore.
Is there nothing else Fu Huan could do? He had become his most powerful desire.
Fu Huan had no idea that Gu Shiying had gone through a tremendous mental journey in just two seconds. He calmly wiped the water from his face, and he had no idea that Gu Shiying’s sip of water was his strongest reaction to hearing his voice. He simply assumed he had just drowned and his face had turned red.
In reality, Gu Shiying had been coughing for a long time from the water, his face half red from coughing and half from shame.
“Cough cough cough!”
Seeing he was still coughing, Fu Huan pulled him ashore.
Gu Shiying sat by the pool, his body covered in water droplets. He drooped his head and wiped the water off his face, quietly moving away from Fu Huan, maintaining a certain social distance.
Fu Huan asked him, “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah,” Gu Shiying nodded. His throat was sore from choking, and he took a few sips of water, feeling a little nauseous.
Fu Huan pressed his towel against Gu Shiying’s shoulders. “You went into the deep end before you learned how to swim. You’re taking your chances.”
Gu Shiying wiped the water droplets off his face with the towel. “I just didn’t notice I went into the deep end.”
Fu Huan: “Do you understand now?”
Gu Shiying knew he was playing tricks on her again, but it was truly her fault.
“Got it.”
Fu Huan glanced at him, unable to bear the slight, and softened his tone. “Be more careful next time. If you really want to learn, I can teach you. At least it’s safer than swimming on your own.”
Gu Shiying instantly recalled the moment he’d heard his father’s words. “I don’t really want to learn. I’m just trying to cope with the final exam. As long as I can swim, that’s all.”
Fu Huan always had a sense of propriety around Gu Shiying. “Practice more often in the pool. Ask Zhang Zhi to follow you.”
“Okay.” Gu Shiying nodded rapidly. Otherwise, Fu Huan would lecture him again. Every time he did something stupid, he’d run into Fu Huan, and he had nothing to say. Wouldn’t he be caught during his own moments?
Gu Shiying choked on the water several times, nearly experiencing a near-death experience. He didn’t want to stay in the water any longer. Still a little dazed, he took Fu Huan’s towel and headed back to the locker room, completely forgetting he was still in physical education class.
It was class time, and the locker room was deserted. Before class, it was filled with boys changing clothes, but now, the only people left were rows of lockers, and then there was him, and Fu Huan, who had followed him in.
The air around them grew strangely tense and anxious, and Gu Shiying felt his breathing grow heavier.
Normally, he could change in front of Zhang Zhi, but now, he couldn’t do that!
What should he do?
There was a bathroom in the dorm, but the shower area was just a partition with no door. He was afraid of Fu Huan.
Fu Huan’s gaze dropped for a second, landing on Gu Shiying’s lower back. “Aren’t you going to shower?”
“Right now.” Gu Shiying feigned casualness, resting the back of his hand on his waist, barely covering the birthmark.
Fu Huan’s locker was right next to his, and his gaze lingered for a second on the birthmark on Gu Shiying’s waist.
His gaze, though discreet, was still noticed by Gu Shiying, who was becoming increasingly sensitive to Fu Huan.
Having observed Fu Huan so often lately, even the most obtuse Gu Shiying could tell that Fu Huan’s pupils dilated when he looked at him. Instead of a lazy, bored expression, his eyes held a certain emotion not usually seen, like excitement.
Gu Shiying lingered in front of the closet, dawdling until Fu Huan found a random shower stall. He then went to the furthest one, showering as quickly as possible, before even drying himself off before putting on all his clothes.
When Fu Huan emerged, he was a bit surprised by Gu Shiying’s speed.
“Are you in a hurry to reincarnate? You didn’t even dry yourself off.”
Gu Shiying tossed his towel to Fu Huan and turned away, not daring to look at the naked figure standing before him. Second Brother Fu was too much of a jerk.
Damn!
What was there for a straight man like him to care about? This thing was being used by Fu Huan’s future boyfriend, so it was his concern, not his.
Gu Shiying made up a random excuse: “I’ll go back to the dorm and wash again. There’s no soap here, so I can’t get it clean.”
“Oh.” That was indeed an excuse.
Fu Huan wiped himself slowly, and only started getting dressed after Gu Shiying was fully dressed.
Just then, a group of people rushed into the locker room, including Zhang Zhi.
Thanks, brother, for showing up in time!
Fu Huan showed up so quickly when Gu Shiying nearly drowned that few people knew about it; not even the security guards noticed he’d already emerged from the water.
Zhang Zhi, with a cheerful face, chatted with him about the diving competition he’d just had.
Gu Shiying saw Fu Huan finishing up his diving from the corner of his eye. Seeing Zhang Zhi enter, Fu Huan said nothing and left with his sports backpack.
Zhang Zhi: “Ying’er, why did you get up so quickly?”
Gu Shiying: “I’m tired.”
Zhang Zhi: “Do you know how to swim? How about I teach you this weekend?”
Gu Shiying thought about how Zhang Zhi was always drawn to something fun, so he decided to give up.
He said confidently, “It’s okay. I’ll find time to come and learn on my own this weekend.”
I just drowned, and I’m still a little scared. I don’t want to go back to the pool. I’m so worried. What will happen to the final exam? I have to get a good grade in this elective course, too.
Swimming is a physically demanding sport. Gu Shiying and Zhang Zhi had dinner in the cafeteria. As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Yang Shuheng started to nudge him.
Yang Shuheng: “Ying’er, are you free this Saturday?”
Gu Shiying: “What’s wrong?”
Yang Shuheng: “I want to go shopping with you and buy you a gift.”
Gu Shiying: “A birthday gift?”
Yang Shuheng: “No, no, you guys helped me last time, and I was going to treat you all to dinner, but we had too much fun that day, and our brother Huan ended up footing the bill. So I thought I’d prepare a gift for everyone, and I’m asking you to give me a bigger gift as a reference.”
Gu Shiying: “You have to be so polite? We’re brothers, so that’s not the norm.”
Yang Shuheng: “No, that’s not right. My mom taught me. You always have to thank people for their help!”
Gu Shiying didn’t insist. He could refuse, but he couldn’t accept a favor.
Saturday morning, they slept until they woke naturally. Before lunch, they left, and Yang Shuheng took Gu Shiying in a taxi to the city’s largest shopping mall.
As an ordinary college student, Gu Shiying never imagined he’d find himself in a shopping mall where he could see major international brands at a glance.
He was shocked by Yang Shuheng’s financial resources: “What are you buying? Aren’t these brands expensive?”
Yang Shuheng hesitated: “I usually go shopping with my mom. She buys skincare products as gifts. What should I give to a boy?”
Gu Shiying was even more confused: “I don’t know either. Why don’t you look up some guides?”
Yang Shuheng grabbed his arm and rushed into the mall: “No need to look. Let’s buy whatever we like.”
Ever since Yang Shuheng separated from the band, he’s been spending more time in the dorm, interacting more with Gu Shiying. Gu Shiying has come to understand Yang Shuheng’s personality to some extent.
In the past, Yang Shuheng was usually tired after practice and would always fall asleep immediately after showering. He also had a small, pointed, idol-like face, so people thought he was a cool and aloof future idol.
Gu Shiying’s thoughts were understandable. He had a former classmate whose parents had set up a social media platform for him since he was young. He spent hundreds of thousands of yuan annually on private dance and music lessons from a teacher. He also had a cool demeanor and his own team. He was always picked up by his agent after class. Gu Shiying had barely seen him since graduation, let alone exchanged visits.
During his time with Yang Shuheng, Gu Shiying discovered that he was actually a lively, sometimes talkative, and simple-minded second-generation rich kid. He was completely different from his usual aloof future idol image, and he was truly lovable.
Today, he added another characteristic: he spent money without blinking, not even bothering to read the labels.
Gu Shiying saw him swipe his credit card when buying things, which was quite generous.
He helped Yang Shuheng carry a pair of trendy brand-name sneakers he had just bought. “Don’t you need to check the price?”
Yang Shuheng: “I did. My mom said you don’t need to ask her for anything under 10,000 yuan.”
Gu Shiying: “…”
Wow, that’s the financial resources of a young master.
Yang Shuheng asked Gu Shiying to pick what he liked, but Gu Shiying shook his head: “No, I don’t need anything.”
Gu Shiying wasn’t really materialistic; he was content with just enough and would buy more when it ran out. But today, he had a profound understanding of Yang Shuheng’s spending habits. No wonder his band spent his money while calling him a young master. He was a huge cash cow.
Yang Shuheng looked at the two men, their hands almost full. “Damn, I almost forgot I was here to buy gifts.”
Gu Shiying sighed helplessly, “You still remember?”
Yang Shuheng smiled sheepishly, “Hehe, let’s go buy gifts this time.”
While searching for gifts, they considered skincare products and even gourmet gift boxes, but those were too ordinary. Finally, they passed by a brand-name smartphone store.
Yang Shuheng suddenly had an idea: “Lao Guan’s Bluetooth headphones are broken. I’ll buy him a pair.”
Gu Shiying really didn’t feel like shopping and nodded casually: “That’s fine.”
Yang Shuheng seemed to have suddenly opened the floodgates: “Brother Huan likes to smoke, so we can buy him a lighter. Liang Qi doesn’t really know his preferences. I see he’s having acne, so we can give him a set of men’s skincare products. Ying’er, you really haven’t decided what to get yet?”
Gu Shiying: “I don’t need to buy anything. Just treat me to dinner.”
“No!” Yang Shuheng insisted, and stopped asking about his preferences. “I’ll open a blind box for you then. Whatever you get is what you get.”
Gu Shiying: “Alright.” Yang Shuheng was determined to give them gifts.
It took half an hour for Yang Shuheng to finish selecting all the gifts.
It was already eight o’clock when they returned to school. Gu Shiying was so exhausted that he collapsed on the bed, unwilling to move.
Fu Huan didn’t stay at school this week, but the three of them stayed in the dorm.
Yang Shuheng distributed the gifts for them. He opened a blind box and got a reasonably priced fitness tracker, which was within Gu Shiying’s price range.
After playing with his phone for a while and preparing to go to the bathroom for sleep, he glanced over and saw that Fu Huan’s bed was empty. He was a little uncomfortable.
He glanced at the gifts on the table and thought about how many times Fu Huan had saved his life recently. How about giving him a gift himself?
After a long struggle, Gu Shiying quickly bought a gift online. It wasn’t expensive, but it seemed sincere enough.
Two days later at noon, Gu Shiying received the package he had ordered before class.
He opened it.
He had discussed the gift with the store, but they only asked his gender, not the recipient’s. And surprisingly, they sent him a pink gift box.
Sh1t, this was like giving a gift to a girl.
It was almost time for class, so he stopped worrying. Zhang Zhi urged him on, and he simply put the gift box on his desk and went to class.
Fu Huan didn’t have a habit of napping. He’d go play basketball, come back, shower, and get ready for class. Passing by Gu Shiying’s seat, he saw a gift box with a large pink bow on his desk and paused.
Tsk, giving someone a gift so soon? Lovesick!
Author’s Note:
———————-
Fu Huan: [Breaking down in tears] Lovesick, huh!
Gu Shiying: [Question mark] Me?
—
It’s the end of the month, maybe Fu could use some white nutrient solution~ [Dog-headed rose]