This Mind-Reading Technique Is Useless. - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Shame. No, he just wore it like that? …

Gu Shiying could certainly guess why Fu Huan was stunned for a moment.

Considerately, he kept silent, instead breaking the silence with a playful remark.

“It’s not a particularly expensive gift, so you can’t dislike it.”

Fu Huan replied eagerly, “I won’t dislike it.” He would treasure it forever.

Fu Huan’s hands trembled slightly. He wanted to see what the gift was, but he was afraid Gu Shiying would notice something was wrong.

“What is this?”

Gu Shiying didn’t dare meet Fu Huan’s intense gaze. He looked away. “You play basketball a lot, right? Wrist guards and knee pads. I thought you might need them.”

Fu Huan: “Yeah, I’m just in need of wrist guards.”

Gu Shiying: “As long as you like them.” Feeling awkward, he quickly found something to do. “Then wear whatever you want.”

He slipped back to his desk, opened his phone, and flipped through the footage he’d shot that day. But he was at a loss for words; he couldn’t focus.

Could Fu Huan please stop turning his head? Did he think he hadn’t noticed?

Gu Shiying felt all over his body, as if he were allergic, uneasy.

After all, Fu Huan was still pleased by his gift.

The slightly awkward atmosphere dissipated when Yang Shuheng returned with his guitar.

His gossip sources were always timely: “Brother Huan, did you and Ying’er go out to do good deeds again tonight?”

Gu Shiying was taken aback for a moment: “Good deeds?”

Yang Shuheng: “Yeah, didn’t you send that drugged boss to the police? And you posted on the forum telling everyone not to eat fried rice from Wang Ji Fried Rice and to take it to the police station for identification.”

“That’s right.”

Gu Shiying had almost forgotten about this incident. It must have been Du Zhihan who posted it. She had taken the matter over and didn’t bother with it anymore. Besides, the police would also communicate with the school. He was just a bystander in the process.

Yang Shuheng: “Hey, you two are famous again.”

Gu Shiying was also curious about his own excitement. Zhang Zhi had just sent him a forum post. He clicked on it and took a look, finding several related threads.

Du Zhihan’s post had become a popular one. Alumni were actively looking for classmates who had bought fried rice. Everyone was helping each other, and the campus atmosphere was very friendly. There were a few comments criticizing the mobile stalls, but they were quickly suppressed.

Meanwhile, another thread was also very lively.

[Seeking the contact information of the tall, handsome guy who did good deeds at Boss Wang’s fried rice stall tonight!]

Original Poster: [Image] I want to hook up. I want him to be my boyfriend. Any girls have his WeChat? Please recommend!

-What? And the handsome guy I missed?

-Holy crap, that pose is so cool. Is he a sophomore?

-How can he be so low-key? I’m a junior and I’ve never seen him like that. His height proportions are too good. Damn, if you didn’t know him, you’d think he was a celebrity.

-Isn’t this the handsome guy who always posted amazing pictures during last year’s military training?

-The guy with the amazing pictures above, please elaborate!

-His name is Fu Huan, a handsome guy from the Finance Department, and he’s very low-key. During freshman military training, he was often pulled out by the coach because of his height and looks. He posted a lot of amazing pictures, and many girls often posted them on the forum. Later, it seemed that this handsome guy’s life was disturbing, so he reported and deleted all related posts. Friendly reminder to the poster: this classmate Fu Huan is very aloof and not easy to approach. During our military training, many girls boldly asked for his WeChat, but they were basically all rejected.

Gu Shiying’s military training was very fulfilling every day, so he didn’t pay much attention to this kind of thing. Especially since he and Fu Huan were in different departments, maybe the girls would talk more, but the boys would hear more about where the girls were, especially Zhang Zhi, who told him about it every day.

Was Fu Huan really that popular back then?

Posted on the forum was a picture of Fu Huan pinning Boss Sun to the ground. His movements were smooth, his techniques well-learned, and his eyes were sharp, a stark contrast to his usual lack of interest.

“Damn, Brother Huan, that move of yours is so cool! Did you learn it?” Yang Shuheng had also seen the forum post.

Gu Shiying had just finished reading the forum post and looked up at Fu Huan. He wanted to know the answer, too. He hadn’t seen him pin the boy down last time, but his ability to defeat him with a single move was truly enviable, a source of envy from a straight man.

Fu Huan looked at Gu Shiying before saying, “I’ve practiced a little before.” He didn’t specify what he practiced.

Fu Huan had a physique that looked thin when he was dressed, but muscular when he was out of it. To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie. He’d seen it clearly in the pool: his physique was distinct, his lines graceful, and every muscle perfectly formed. Any less and he’d be too skinny, any more and he’d look muscular. They both ate in the school cafeteria, so how could they be different? It seems he still doesn’t exercise enough.

Yang Shuheng was curious about Fu Huan, but his indifferent face kept the conversation from going anywhere.

There were people who really lost the desire to chat.

Yang Shuheng gave up.

When he gave up, Gu Shiying asked Fu Huan, “What are you learning?”

Fu Huan’s voice was much softer than when he answered Yang Shuheng: “Sandu. Do you want to learn?”

Gu Shiying shook his head: “I can’t do it.”

Indeed, as Fu Huan said, his limbs were not coordinated enough. Even though he wanted to learn to work on his abdominal muscles, he couldn’t learn from him.

Fu Huan nodded and said nothing. He unwrapped the wristband he had been holding and tried it on.

Yang Shuheng stopped gossiping and packed his clothes to take a shower. As he passed by Fu Huan, he saw a wristband he had never seen before.

“Brother Huan, the color of your wristband is quite pretty. Where did you buy it? Send me the link. I’m going to play basketball with friends this weekend.”

Fu Huan slipped the blue and white wristband onto his wrist. “Does it look nice? A friend gave it to me. I don’t know the link, or I can ask for it for you.”

Yang Shuheng’s collecting habit kicked in: “Okay.”

Gu Shiying stared silently at the material on his phone, not really taking in anything.

Why hadn’t he noticed Yang Shuheng’s gadget collecting habit before?

Fu Huan took off the wristband and placed it in a prominent spot on his desk, then picked up his phone to send a message.

Buzz.

Gu Shiying saw the message Fu Huan had sent him.

[Fu Huan: Did you hear that? Yang Shuheng wants the link to the wristband.]

[Gu Shiying: I’ll send it to you.]

[Fu Huan: The wristband fits perfectly. You have good taste.]

Gu Shiying found the link and sent it to him. He replied to Fu Huan in a distant tone.

[Gu Shiying: [Thank you for the compliment.jpg]]

Fu Huan’s previous conversations with him hadn’t been long; he was very concise, but now they were over ten words long.

It felt strange. Something they could have said face to face had become a private conversation. And there was an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if he was secretly dating one of his friends behind their backs.

Gu Shiying realized that his thoughts were being distracted by Fu Huan again, and he quickly shut down. It was all Fu Huan’s fault for always thinking about romance.

He quickly finished reviewing the footage and went to sleep.

For the next two days, Gu Shiying was busy with his group project. The subsequent filming went smoothly, and they didn’t encounter anyone like Boss Sun again. They spent two nights shooting good footage.

The assignment was due on Sunday night, so Gu Shiying didn’t go anywhere on Saturday. He spent the rest of the day editing the footage with Zhang Zhi in his dorm room.

Zhang Zhi cut a version and showed it to Gu Shiying: “What do you think?”

Gu Shiying: “It’s good overall, maybe a few details could be added. Look at the interaction between the mother and daughter in the second video. How about you include the moment when the mother takes the time to tie her daughter’s hair? It would highlight the relationship between food and people. The coexistence of warmth and deliciousness would make the video more down-to-earth and more relatable for viewers.”

Zhang Zhi: “Okay, I’m really moved just watching that.”

As the two were discussing, there was a knock on the door behind them.

Gu Shiying and Zhang Zhi were the only ones in the dormitory, and they both looked towards the door.

A tall figure blocked the light from outside. It was Fu Huan.

Fu Huan: “Gu Shiying.”

Gu Shiying: “What’s wrong?”

Fu Huan: “I called you, but you didn’t answer.”

Gu Shiying then realized that his phone was dangling on Zhang Zhi’s desk, and it was muted.

Gu Shiying: “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. I was doing my homework. What’s wrong?”

Fu Huan: “Do you remember Guoguo?”

Gu Shiying: “Yes. What happened to him?”

Fu Huan: “We left Grandma Lin’s number when we left. Someone from her community just called me and said she fell and twisted her ankle.”

Gu Shiying: “Is it serious?”

Fu Huan: “It’s a little bit affecting her life. I don’t know the details. They asked me to go check on her. Do you want to come?”

Gu Shiying didn’t hesitate: “Yes.”

Fu Huan: “Then let’s go.”

Gu Shiying patted Zhang Zhi: “Old Zhang, I have something to do. You can ask other people for advice on the rest.”

Zhang Zhi: “It’s not a big deal. Go ahead and do your thing.”

Gu Shiying and Fu Huan left.

After they both left, Zhang Zhi belatedly realized that he hadn’t known anything about what they had just said.

He scratched his neck: “Oh, that’s not right? There’s something I don’t know? Who is Guoguo?”

A few minutes later, Gu Shiying was in Fu Huan’s car. He slowly realized he shouldn’t have agreed. Why was he alone with Fu Huan again?

Fu Huan drove diligently the entire time, his expression remaining calm.

As long as he didn’t touch him, he couldn’t hear his inner voice, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Gu Shiying took a second to calm himself down.

Fu Huan asked, “Have you finished your group project?”

Gu Shiying: “Almost there. Just need to finish editing.”

Fu Huan: “I’ll like and save your video after it’s published.”

Gu Shiying replied to the group message and turned his head to Fu Huan, “Hmm…”

He noticed Fu Huan was wearing a blue and white wristband on his right wrist, resting on the steering wheel.

No, he just wore it like that?

Gu Shiying’s calm, which had just been restored, wavered again.

A strange sense of shame washed over him.

“Help me get some tissues. They’re in the box in front of you.”

Gu Shiying took the tissue and handed it to him. Fu Huan had a broad palm and long fingers, so he easily grasped his hand.

Again?

[Gu Shiying hands me my wristband.]

[Gu Shiying hands me my wristband.]

[Gu Shiying hands me my wristband.]

Gu Shiying: “…” He seemed to hear the joy beneath Fu Huan’s calm face.

Author’s Note:

———————-

Fu Huan: [Dog-headed rose] Important things should be said three times.

Gu Shiying: [Laughing and crying]