Fall in love with summer flamingos

Before he knew it, Gu Shiye had been home for over a week. He'd been living the same mechanical life day after day. He'd go downstairs for his usual silent dinner, then lock himself in his room during the day to do his homework. In the afternoon, when he felt sleepy, he'd spend an hour playing the piano. In the evening, he'd take two minutes to chat with Su Yangxia via video chat, explaining his homework and asking about his progress. They'd say goodnight to each other before going to bed...

Gu Shiye would occasionally act like a spoiled brat, insisting on bringing a stool in to help him with his homework. He would occasionally find some meaningless topics to chat with him, and the two of them would play boring quiz games. Twice in the morning, he even sneaked in and sat by his bed, staring blankly...

When he opened his eyes, he almost thought for a second that he was sleepwalking. Gu Shiye found an excuse to enter his room without permission, saying that he was afraid of disturbing his sleep. Knowing that he did his homework very late every day, Gu Shiye did not bother with him...

Gu Shiye spent his days counting the time until the day before New Year's Eve, when Li Mingfan sent him a message saying that he wanted to invite him to dinner. He had made an appointment with Li Mingfan a few days ago, but he said that he had something at home and didn't come out. He thought they would have to wait until after the New Year to see each other, but he didn't expect to see each other before the New Year.

So on the afternoon before New Year's Eve, after practicing the piano, he sent a message to Su Yangxia saying that he was going to meet a friend and was ready to go out.

As expected, Gu Shiye was blocking the door again, staring at him with his beautiful fan-shaped double eyelids and amber eyes blinking.

"Brother...are you going out to see Li Mingfan?"

Gu Shiye looked at him calmly and said, "Well, I can't take you with me today. I have something to tell Li Mingfan."

Gu Shiye looked at him curiously as if he had heard something incredible. "What do you have to say to him? Can't I listen?"

"No, it's Li Mingfan's private matter. He said I should go alone." Gu Shiye said.

Gu Shiye obviously didn't believe it. He took out his phone and held it up to look at him. "Then should I send a message to Li Mingfan and ask?"

Gu Shiye stared at him expressionlessly. "Sure... you can even call me."

Of course he was not afraid of Gu Shiye calling, he and Li Mingfan had already discussed it, so the result would be the same if he called.

He looked at Gu Shiye with cold and gloomy eyes and then said to him, "Don't you have your own friends? Why are you following me?"

Gu Shiye took a step closer to him. Gu Shiye's forehead twitched slightly and he took two steps back to look at him. "What are you doing?"

Gu Shiye took another step forward and approached him, then stopped and looked at him when he was only a fist away.

"I can always make appointments with my friends, but isn't my brother usually at home? Of course I want to go with him... I've always missed him... Doesn't he know? Or does he treat my messages as if they were transparent and he can't see them?

Gu Shiye avoided his sight and took a big step forward, then turned sideways to look at him and said, "I know, I don't miss you. You should know not to follow me. If you don't believe me, call me." He said and walked out.

"Of course I know... I don't care... Brother, you won't want to stop me from thinking about you, right?" Gu Shiye said loudly as he looked at Gu Shiye's back which was gradually getting farther away.

Gu Shiye paused for two seconds and said to him coldly, "It's up to you," and then left without looking back.

Li Mingfan came by car and parked nearby to wait for him. He walked forward about 200 meters before he saw Li Mingfan's car. A Hummer with double flashes was parked on the side waiting for him. Gu Shiye walked over, opened the passenger door and stepped in.

"Brother Mingfan, long time no see." Gu Shiye said hello to Li Mingfan while fastening his seat belt.

Li Mingfan leaned his arms on the steering wheel and tilted his head to look at him. "Xiao Ye, it's been a long time since we last met. You've become so aloof again. Why did you come out with frost on your face?"

Gu Shiye smiled and explained, "No, the weather is too cold and damp and I'm a little uncomfortable."

Li Mingfan laughed, "Alright... who are you kidding? I know what's going on. Xiaoye must be bothering me again..."

Gu Shiye felt a little embarrassed after being seen through. "Well... you've discovered my family's dirty laundry again."

"Xiao Ye, you have really changed a lot. You have become much more mature and lively. You can even make jokes now." Li Mingfan said to him sincerely.

"Shall we just sit in the car and talk?" Gu Shiye said.

Li Mingfan raised his hand to check the time. "It's only four o'clock now, it's still early. Let's chat in the car for a while. We'll leave for dinner at five..."

Gu Shiye looked at his car and then at the back seat. "Shall we sit in the back and talk? It's so spacious..."

Li Mingfan was startled by his sudden words and stared at him, "Xiao Ye... are you serious? If we go to the back and others see us, they will misunderstand, haha..."

Seeing him smiling so uninhibitedly, Gu Shiye also relaxed. "I was joking. I just wanted to ask you how you drove this car out."

Li Mingfan finally realized that he was joking seriously. "You really... have learned bad habits. My dad took the other two cars for maintenance. He said he wanted the family car to be clean for the New Year. He bought this car not long after he got out of the army. It's considered his old car. He has never been willing to sell it and keeps it repaired every year."

Li Mingfan carefully touched the old car for his father. "But it's also thanks to this car," Li Mingfan sighed and patted the steering wheel. "My father almost broke my leg two months ago."

Gu Shiye was curious and stunned for a few seconds. "Break the leg? What do you mean? What happened?"

Li Mingfan shook his head helplessly. "Don't mention it. It was a joke. There was a fair-skinned boy in school who wrote me a love letter. Then my two close classmates started to tease me and asked me to give it a try. They said that since we were both boys, no one would suffer. In the end, I tried it..."

Li Mingfan gave a bitter laugh and continued, "One time, after dinner, he came to hold my hand as we were walking down the street. My dad happened to be driving by and saw us. You wouldn't have known the look on his face when he saw me from the window. He almost wanted to crush me to pieces. But he managed to endure it all the way to the doorstep..."

Then my dad got out of the car, but I didn't. I even took out the key and locked the car door. Then my dad started yelling at me furiously outside. I guess he said all the most unpleasant things he's ever said in his life...

He couldn't bear to kick the car, but if it was the door at home, he would have kicked it open. Then I would have had to hide in the car until late at night, and only dared to go back after my dad calmed down a little."