Secretly Liking Him - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After Gu Xun returned from registering at school, he was chased by the young girl from next door (who was in her first year of junior high) and asked if there was a big handsome guy in Class 1, Grade 10.

Gu Xun said, “There is.”

The girl immediately perked up and asked, “What’s his name!”

Gu Xun, being completely shameless, said directly: “He’s called Gu Xun.”

The little girl: “…”

“Brother Gu Xun, you really are shameless.”

Gu Xun was unhappy now. Pointing at his own face, he asked, “What’s wrong? Where am I not handsome! You tell me!”

The little girl was very direct: “You aren’t my type! And also…”

Gu Xun waited for her to finish. The girl “tsk-ed” and said in a very knowing and thorough tone: “And also, Brother Gu Xun, you are too ‘poor’ (talkative/glib). You don’t have any ‘handsome guy aura’ at all. You’re like a cross-talk (Xiangsheng) performer.”

Gu Xun asked, “Do you want me to perform a segment of Kuaiban (bamboo clapper talk) for you?”

The little girl saw that his expression wasn’t right and consciously said, “No! I’m going back to finish my homework! My summer homework isn’t done yet!” Then she turned and ran.

Gu Xun let out a “cheh” at the girl’s retreating back, thinking to himself that she didn’t have a single aesthetic cell in her body. How could a lively, cheerful, healthy, and upright young man like him be like a cross-talk performer!

Gu Xun’s mother poked her head out from the kitchen door and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Gu Xun replied casually, “Performing cross-talk!”

Gu Xun’s mother, who was already able to completely ignore her son’s “train-wreck” mouth (nonsense talk), said directly: “Come over and help carry the dishes.”

Gu Xun grinningly drilled into the kitchen to carry dishes for his mom, his mouth still not idle: “Mom, I’ll perform a segment of Kuaiban for you. When those bamboo plates strike—”

Gu Xun’s mother couldn’t help but be amused. She glared at him and said, “That’s enough! Laughing too much causes wrinkles! Stop teasing me all the time!”

Gu Xun immediately leaned in, pretending to stare intently at his mother’s face: “Let me see… Hey! It seems like…”

His mother suddenly became nervous. She even put down the spatula in her hand and raised a hand to touch her face: “What is it? Are there more wrinkles?”

Gu Xun’s expression was heavy, with a look of hesitation.

His mother was startled by his expression and was ready to go to the bathroom to check the mirror to see how many wrinkles had appeared for her son’s face to turn out like that.

Gu Xun said, “No wonder…”

His mother’s heart was in her throat: “No wonder what?”

Gu Xun instantly became radiant: “No wonder your son is so handsome. It turns out Mom is too beautiful—it’s good genetics! Tsk tsk, too beautiful!”

His mother immediately knew she had been played by her son. She raised her hand as if to strike him: “You want to die!”

Gu Xun leaped two steps away, carrying the dish plate and running out: “Dad! Mom wants to hit me!”

Gu Xun’s dad was on the balcony changing the water for the family’s goldfish. Hearing this, he replied unhurriedly: “Your mother’s hands are tender; don’t let her hurt her hands hitting you.”

Gu Xun shuddered all over, almost dropping the plate in his hand: “I go! (Holy crap!) Dad! You are so cheesy!”

Gu Jingyuan didn’t even look up as he scooped the fish with a small net and put them into the tank, saying: “How can that be called cheesy? This is called the ‘Way of Husband and Wife.’ You, kid, have a lot to learn.”

Shen Lan came in carrying a dish herself: “What nonsense are you talking again? What are you saying randomly to the kid.”

Even though she said that, Shen Lan’s cheeks were a bit red.

Gu Jingyuan looked up and smiled at Shen Lan: “This matter must be discussed early. Build a good foundation so this stinky brat doesn’t bully other people’s daughters in the future.”

Shen Lan glared at Gu Jingyuan, but there was really no force behind it: “Hurry up, it’s time to eat.” Her tone softened quite a bit.

The “stinky brat” Gu Xun, who was left out in the cold, felt that at this moment he was a thousand-watt searchlight-grade “electric light bulb” (third wheel).

…

After finishing the meal, Gu Xun went to visit his buddy’s house and complained about this.

Wang Xiaosong rolled his eyes hard: “Give it a rest. Isn’t this great? I couldn’t even get that if I were jealous.”

Wang Xiaosong’s parents both had fiery tempers. It wasn’t that their relationship was bad, but they got “heated” easily while talking; even when not arguing, it sounded like an argument. Wang Xiaosong wished he could swap with Gu Xun.

Gu Xun thought about the situation at Wang Xiaosong’s house and felt he might indeed be suspected of “stinking showing off,” but he still insisted on complaining: “The two of them are like they’re acting in a Qiong Yao drama. Doesn’t that make me look super redundant?”

Wang Xiaosong patted his shoulder and said in a world-weary tone: “Brother, you have to learn to grow up…”

Gu Xun: “…”

Wang Xiaosong: “What the hell are you talking about! Didn’t we agree to go play ball!”

Gu Xun: “I didn’t say I wasn’t going!”

Wang Xiaosong hurriedly rushed to the telephone to call the others to see if they had left yet.

Once they knew everyone else was out, the two of them also hurried to the court.

On an August day, it was so sunny and hot that anyone you could make a date with to play ball was basically a life-and-death friend.

A group of them labored under the sun all afternoon, each one tanned like a monkey. Only Gu Xun had a white base; at this moment, he still looked somewhat like a person.

Gu Xun immediately dared to boast that he was “born with natural beauty that is hard to discard,” only to be despised by Wang Xiaosong and the others: “The brothers have been tanned all summer, and you’ve only been out in the sun a few times!”

Gu Xun: “I am ‘treasuring my life.’ If I didn’t know Song Xinxin’s dad wasn’t here today, I wouldn’t have come.”

Song Xinxin’s family lived right by the court. Once, Song Xinxin watched them play and got heatstroke. Afterward, her dad told Gu Xun that if he provoked his daughter again, he’d beat him up.

Gu Xun wished he could perform a “Grievance of Dou E” on the spot. Was this a joke? In three years of junior high, he and Song Xinxin hadn’t even said more than a few words; how did he provoke her!

But Song Xinxin’s dad was into boxing. Forget Gu Xun—even if Gu Xun’s dad came, it wouldn’t help. Gu Xun could only “treasure his life” and stay away from the court.

Wang Xiaosong and the others all laughed, and one mischievous kid shouted loudly: “Hey! Isn’t that Song Xinxin’s dad!”

Gu Xun rushed over and strangled the kid’s neck with his arm: “You’re looking for death!”

After fooling around for a while longer, the group felt that if they kept going, they would get heatstroke, so they agreed to gather at the small shop to eat popsicles.

Gu Xun had just taken two bites of his popsicle when he heard someone roar again: “Song Xinxin’s dad!”

Gu Xun got angry: “Again!”

Wang Xiaosong immediately pressed him down and stuffed him behind the ice cream freezer: “This time it’s for real!”

Gu Xun was originally being stubborn, but once he heard it was real, he immediately hid behind the freezer as well, while the others scrambled to cover for him.

When Song Yumin approached, he saw a row of “monkey brats” posing awkwardly to block the freezer.

Song Yumin: “…”

Song Yumin barked: “Move aside! What are you all blocking for!”

He was over 1.9 meters tall with a body full of muscle. When he roared, the kids immediately scattered obediently.

Song Yumin went over, pulled open the freezer door, took several ice creams, and didn’t bother talking to Wang Xiaosong and the others. He paid and left, and it was unclear if he had actually seen Gu Xun.

Gu Xun waited until the footsteps were far away before weakly asking from behind the freezer: “He… he’s gone?”

Wang Xiaosong: “Gone…”

Gu Xun scrambled up in one motion: “Hurry back, hurry back!”

Because they were afraid of running into Song Yumin, Gu Xun and Wang Xiaosong took a different road home—a bit longer, but safe.

Gu Xun gnawed on his popsicle and walked under the shade of the trees, chatting idly with Wang Xiaosong.

Passing by a small Western-style house, Wang Xiaosong suddenly said: “Hey! Someone is living in this house!”

Gu Xun was looking everywhere for where to throw his popsicle stick and replied casually, “What’s wrong with someone living there? Doesn’t every house need someone to live in it?”

Wang Xiaosong: “That’s not necessarily true. This house was renovated by my dad. I came to play when it wasn’t finished—it was beautiful inside. But after it was finished, no one ever came to live there.”

Fearing Gu Xun would think he was ignorant, Wang Xiaosong added: “Even my dad said he’d never seen anything so ‘particular’ (sophisticated)!”

Gu Xun finally took a proper look at the small building. Don’t mention it (sure enough), it really was beautiful. Not only was the house beautiful, but even the arrangement of flowers and grass was different from the other families in their town.

Gu Xun couldn’t quite explain why, but the whole building and the courtyard didn’t just look “good”; it gave off a feeling of having “class.”

Gu Xun summarized it: “Lush (Rich/Hao).”

Wang Xiaosong laughed after hearing that: “Isn’t it just ‘lush’!”

Gu Xun pointed at the flowers climbing a wall that looked like roses and asked: “What flower is that? Roses? They look better than the ones my family grows. I wonder what this family is like; let’s see if we can get a cutting. If I give it to my mom, she’ll definitely be happy.”

Wang Xiaosong didn’t recognize them either. When Gu Xun asked, he could only reply vaguely: “Should be, I guess. Want to ask?”

Gu Xun: “Ask who?”

Just as his voice fell, the door of the house opened.

While Gu Xun was startled, he also shouted “Wocao” (Holy crap) in his heart.

Walking out of the door was a teenager around their age. On a hot day, he was wearing long sleeves and long pants. Gu Xun wasn’t “Wocao-ing” at that, but rather—this person was way too white!

At first glance, Gu Xun only felt that under the sunlight, this person was so white he was almost dazzling, to the point where his features couldn’t be seen clearly.

Now he could finally see clearly, and then Gu Xun “Wocao-ed” again in his heart.

Gu Xun was already considered very shameless, but even so, he had to admit that the kid opposite him seemed just a little bit more handsome than himself…

The teenager stood on the steps, looked at Gu Xun and the others, and then walked over to the flower bushes. He took scissors from the flower rack and picked out a few branches to cut.

Gu Xun was debating whether to ask for one when he saw the boy walking toward them holding a bouquet of flowers.

In the moment Gu Xun was dazed, the teenager stood in front of them and handed the flowers through the iron fence of the perimeter wall.

He said: “For you.”

Gu Xun was a bit at a loss, and then hurriedly took them. He only then realized the flowers had been wrapped in a bit of newspaper.

the other said: “Be careful not to prick your hand.”

Gu Xun nodded foolishly and then finally came to his senses: “That… how did you know…”

The teenager pointed to the second-floor window and then said: “You kept looking, so I guessed you wanted them.”

Gu Xun let out a “hehe” laugh, showing him a mouthful of big white teeth: “Thanks! My name is Gu Xun. What’s yours?”

The teenager also smiled at him: “Shen Yanzhi.”

That smile was shallow, like ripples slowly spreading out; every detail was written with gentleness and clarity.

Gu Xun’s soul flew away, and he didn’t even know how he got back.