The Silly Shou Transmigrated Into a Book - Chapter 18

Kou Huai hadn’t expected to be branded an idiot by a genuine idiot. He was a bit heated, but thinking of Gu Qiuyi’s face, he couldn’t stay angry. Perhaps it was an illusion, but although he thought Gu Qiuyi was good-looking during their first meeting, it hadn’t reached a soul-stirring level; yet seeing him again today, he truly felt that Gu Qiuyi was becoming more and more beautiful.

Likely it was a matter of age; that heavy youthful aura always added a layer of filter as thick as a city wall.

Kou Huai couldn’t stay mad at Gu Qiuyi, and his “wicked heart” refused to die. He coaxed: “Then ‘Gege’ will wait for you for a year? We’ll talk again once you get into college?”

Gu Qiuyi asked curiously: “Will you be looking for a partner during this time?”

Kou Huai sent an emoji of a face wearing sunglasses and grinning. “Gege is so excellent—187 cm, six-pack abs, and a huge hottie. Finding a partner is practically an act of charity, and I happen to love charitable causes… Gege can only promise you that if I find other partners, I won’t sleep with them.”

Gu Qiuyi: “…” Gu Qiuyi: “So Gege is actually a Bodhisattva dedicated to public welfare.”

Kou Huai said modestly: “It’s good that you understand Gege’s painstaking efforts.”

Gu Qiuyi didn’t reply again.

Kou Huai: “? Gu Qiuyi? Where are you?”

Despite the constant calling, Gu Qiuyi had vanished again. This wasn’t the first time he had been stood up by the boy. Kou Huai looked at his phone, finding the experience quite novel.

Usually, no matter what kind of partner he wanted, he just asked directly, and they almost never hesitated to agree. Even if one or two tried to play “hard to get,” Kou Huai was usually just acting on a whim; if they didn’t agree the first time, he’d just find another target. Perhaps because his reputation had spread, almost no one refused him anymore.

Kou Huai was quite generous to his partners. Even if he only held hands or took small advantages, he would buy them whatever they wanted. A boyfriend he had dated for half a year had even received a sports car worth several million for it. Because of his generosity, he had many men and women around him, but the older he got, the pickier he became. The turnover rate for his recent partners was quite high.

He had to admit that Gu Qiuyi was different from everyone he had met before. He was indeed becoming more and more interested in him.

Perhaps it was because he had never dated an idiot before? Or perhaps because Gu Qiuyi was the first person to be unmoved by his money and looks?

In short, Kou Huai decided he was going to tame this wild horse.

Gu Qiuyi had no idea what he was thinking. He ignored Kou Huai’s messages and continued chatting with Chu Yueguang.

Perhaps it’s just human nature: Gu Qiuyi clearly knew Chu Yueguang’s temperament—how he loved to act reserved, likely seeing messages immediately but refusing to reply right away to maintain an air of nonchalance—yet Gu Qiuyi was simply more willing to chat with him. Kou Huai, on the other hand, was too eager, which made him dislike chatting with him.

After chatting with Chu Yueguang for a few sentences, Gu Qiuyi saw it was getting late. He said goodnight to Chu Yueguang, and while waiting for a reply, he checked Kou Huai’s messages.

Kou Huai: “Where are you? In the bathroom? (187, 6-pack, 9/10 looks, 18cm)” Kou Huai: “Tomorrow is Sunday, want to come out and play? I’ll treat you to a hot spring hotel? (187, 6-pack, 9/10 looks, 18cm)” Kou Huai: “If we don’t date, we can at least be friends, right? Come out tomorrow and Gege will give you a big Red Envelope. (187, 6-pack, 9/10 looks, 18cm)” Kou Huai: “Are you constipated? Still not finished? (187, 6-pack, 9/10 looks, 18cm)” Kou Huai: “Man, keep your pride, don’t make your Brother Kou Huai wait? Promise me, OK? (187, 6-pack, 9/10 looks, 18cm)”

Gu Qiuyi: “Sure (Not going).” Gu Qiuyi: “Brother, I’m not in the bathroom. Little immortals don’t go to the bathroom. (Not going).” Gu Qiuyi: “Goodnight, Brother Kou Huai (Not going).”

Kou Huai: “…” Very well, man. You’ve piqued my interest even more.

Gu Qiuyi exited the chat with Kou Huai and saw that Chu Yueguang had finally sent a “Goodnight.” Satisfied, he set down his phone and fell into a sweet, dark slumber.

On this Sunday, Gu Dancheng returned home from his university in the West District to pick up some seasonal clothes.

Liang Rong grumbled: “Why bother picking up seasonal clothes? Just buy new ones.”

Gu Dancheng didn’t speak. His eyes scanned the room as if searching for something. Liang Rong noticed and asked: “What is it? What are you looking for?”

Gu Dancheng said flatly: “The house seems a bit different.”

Liang Rong laughed happily. “You noticed! I thought the house was too dull, so I had someone change the light-colored carpets and wallpaper. Look, even the crystal chandeliers were replaced—this one cost several hundred thousand.”

Gu Dancheng asked: “Where’s Dad?”

Liang Rong: “Still at the company.”

Gu Dancheng followed up naturally: “Is Gu Qiuyi not here?”

His tone was cold and faint, like a casual question with no emotional color.

Liang Rong’s face immediately showed a look of loathing, which she didn’t hide at all in front of her elder son. “Why mention that unlucky thing? Your father heard from his teacher—his grades have plummeted. In a garbage school like Qinglin, he actually ranked 1,000th in the whole school. I remember they don’t even have that many students there; 1,000th is basically the bottom. Your father, me, and you all have excellent grades; how could he be so worthless? I’m starting to wonder if he was switched at birth.”

Gu Dancheng had heard this kind of talk since he was small. He hid the look in his eyes and said: “He looks very much like you.”

Liang Rong hugged her arms, feeling disgusted. “If he were a daughter, that face could at least be useful. He wouldn’t even need to be outstanding. President Zhang from Zhongzheng Group just lost his wife; if Qiuyi were a girl, marrying him would have helped our family. But he’s a son—what use is it to look that good? He can’t show off anything, he’s nothing like you, Dancheng. Why was I so unlucky to give birth to such a thing?”

President Zhang of Zhongzheng Group… if he remembered correctly, the man was about 47 or 48 this year, and his son was already in college.

Gu Dancheng reached out to cover his abdomen. Liang Rong saw this and asked nervously: “What is it? Stomach pain again?”

Gu Dancheng hummed. Liang Rong immediately raised her voice and yelled: “Auntie Jiang! Hurry and bring Dancheng his stomach medicine!”

Auntie Jiang, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, quickly answered. She frantically found the medicine and poured a glass of warm water.

After taking the medicine, Gu Dancheng said lowly: “I’m going to rest. Don’t make lunch for me.”

Liang Rong said: “How can that be? Your stomach hurts, you can’t skip meals. Go rest first, I’ll have Auntie Jiang bring it up to you later.”

Gu Dancheng gave a noncommittal response and turned to go upstairs. Passing Gu Qiuyi’s room, he paused and leaned slightly toward the door to listen for movement inside.

Silence.

Gu Dancheng reached out to knock, but just before his hand touched the wood, he stopped and slowly pulled back. He went to his room and lay down. After a long while, he sat up and opened his phone to find Gu Qiuyi’s number—he had gotten it from a middle school classmate.

They didn’t even have each other on WeChat. Just like this household—a strange, deformed sibling relationship.

In truth, many people didn’t believe Gu Qiuyi’s score of 157. The gap was simply too large. Gu Qiuyi’s performance over the last two years hadn’t been “exceptional,” but it was definitely middle-to-upper tier, usually ranking in the top 20 of his class. To suddenly drop to dead last… the previous “dead last” student was ecstatic, even sending Gu Qiuyi a “congratulatory banner” for claiming the throne of the bottom seat.

Gu Qiuyi suffered in silence. In reality, he had only just started the 10th grade; he had only had a few lessons in Physics and Chemistry before jumping straight to the 12th grade. Scoring 157 was a miracle, mostly achieved through random guessing. If he had done it “seriously,” it might have been even lower.

Truthfully, he didn’t have much drive to study. But having grown up under the influence of his uncles, aunts, and teachers in the village, he still had a longing for university. Once he confirmed he couldn’t be a rich second-generation, he decided to stand up bravely.

Jiang Hansa spent every class break trying to teach Gu Qiuyi middle school knowledge. He was on the verge of a breakdown. “Why can’t you even use quadratic functions or equations fluently?? Are you playing with me?”

Gu Qiuyi: “…Can you be gentler? You’re scaring me, waaaaah.”

Jiang Hansa gritted his teeth. “…I’m being gentle enough. If it were anyone else, I’d be throwing books by now.”

Xu Muqing couldn’t watch any longer. “Let me teach him.”

Jiang Hansa moved aside and questioned Gu Qiuyi: “I really want to ask—has your soul been swapped with a pig’s?”

Gu Qiuyi was dumbfounded and said aggrievedly: “Brother Hansa, how can you say that about me?”

Jiang Hansa: “Kill someone in your past life, and you’ll have to teach a pig in this one.”

Gu Qiuyi: “…” Gu Qiuyi snapped back in rage: “You’re the pig! You’re the pig! YOU’RE THE PIG!”

Jiang Hansa calmed down, wiped his face, and self-reflected. “It’s because I’m not good at teaching. Let Xu Muqing teach you.” He then said to Xu Muqing: “You tutor him, and I’ll cover your three meals.”

Gu Qiuyi said to Xu Muqing: “Not worth it. You have to add money.”

Jiang Hansa: “GU QIUYI!!!”

Gu Qiuyi’s shoulders shook. He said aggrievedly: “Why are you so fierce to me today? You are the one whose soul was swapped!”

Jiang Hansa also felt he was acting a bit strange. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Gu Qiuyi stood up. “Me too.”

Jiang Hansa glared at him. “Straight men and gay men shouldn’t be intimate. I’ll go first, you go after.”

Gu Qiuyi sat back down and muttered: “Acting like I’m so desperate to see your ‘hardware.’ I’m not that kind of person.”

Jiang Hansa: “…” He walked quickly out of the classroom with small, rapid steps.

Xu Muqing looked at him. “You are… gay?”

Gu Qiuyi said shyly: “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone.”

Xu Muqing: “…Mm.” He looked at Gu Qiuyi’s soft, beautiful face and asked lowly: “You and Jiang Hansa… do you like him?”

Gu Qiuyi was shocked. “How is that possible!?”

Xu Muqing: “Then why is he so good to you?”

Gu Qiuyi said with a face of bashfulness: “Because I’m cute.”

Xu Muqing: “…”

Gu Qiuyi said with conviction: “Tough guys have no resistance against cute things. You have to understand.”

Xu Muqing looked at Gu Qiuyi’s fair, slightly flushed face and was vaguely convinced.

Gu Qiuyi: “You’re working so hard to teach me, just covering meals isn’t enough. As long as my grades go up, spending some money is only right. The national policy doesn’t allow official tutoring anymore, so only you can help me. I’ll give you a labor fee, don’t refuse.”

Xu Muqing truly needed money. Hearing this, he nodded. “Okay.”

When Jiang Hansa returned from the bathroom, Gu Qiuyi said to him: “Brother Hansa, let’s give Brother Muqing a salary. I talked it over with him: 2,000 yuan a month plus three meals. Isn’t that a great deal?”

Jiang Hansa: “…Am I paying?”

Gu Qiuyi cupped his face and looked at him. “Would you have the heart to make me pay? I’m so poor.”

Jiang Hansa: “…” Jiang Hansa let out a sigh. “Am I your father? I provide food, housing, an allowance, and now I’m paying for your tutoring.”

Gu Qiuyi hesitated for a second, then changed his address: “Dad?”

Jiang Hansa: “…” He should have known. This person purely follows whoever provides the milk and calls whoever has money ‘Father.’ He truly has no lower limit.