AITFYMIBP Chapter 64.1

TL: Hua

On the last day before the New Year, Lin Yanran finished recording his program and boarded the plane home.

Just like last time, he left in the morning and arrived home around five in the afternoon.

After returning, Lin Yanran did not immediately contact Gu Siye. Instead, he went home and took out his brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

He took up the brush and, with a flourish, wrote the two lines of poetry that Gu Siye had asked him to write last time on rice paper.

“The mountains have trees, the trees have branches, my heart rejoices in you, yet you do not know.”

This time, there was no hesitation, and the writing was done in one smooth flow.

After signing his name and while waiting for the ink to dry, Lin Yanran opened his phone.

He was just about to text Gu Siye to ask when he would be free, only to see that the other person had already sent him a message half an hour ago, inviting him to his house.

He had been too focused on writing just now and hadn’t noticed the message at all.

Once all the freshly written characters had dried, Lin Yanran carefully rolled up the script and headed over to the other man’s house to pick up Ultraman.

“Teacher Gu, Happy New Year in advance.”

Upon meeting, Lin Yanran presented the gift he had prepared and the finished poem to Gu Siye.

Gu Siye accepted them with a smile.

“Thank you. You finished writing so fast?”

Lin Yanran recalled that when the other man had asked him two days ago, he’d said it wasn’t ready yet.

While bending over to change into indoor slippers, he explained to Gu Siye, “I felt particularly inspired today.”

Lin Yanran straightened up and realized that the size of the slippers at Gu Siye’s house fit him perfectly.

“Do you mind if I open it and take a look now?”

Gu Siye asked Lin Yanran, holding the calligraphy in his hand.

Lin Yanran shook his head, indicating he didn’t mind.

“Brother Gu, you can open it whenever you like.”

Gu Siye carefully unrolled the script, his gaze slowly sweeping over every character, and then he met Lin Yanran’s eyes.

“Huixue was right; it’s really well written.”

“Just something I wrote randomly.”

“Do you know what this poem means?”

Lin Yanran raised his eyes slightly and uttered a confused single syllable, “Hmm?”

“Are you talking about ‘The Song of the Yue Boatman¹《越人歌》is an ancient song from the Spring and Autumn period (around 528 BCE) about a Yue boatman singing a love song for the prince. The poem that Lin Yanran wrote is the last verse of this song, “山有木兮木有枝，心悦君兮君不知.” It is often cited as one of the earliest and most beautiful expressions of unrequited love in Chinese literature. He’s so dense T_T’?”

Gu Siye smiled but didn’t elaborate further, stopping the topic in a controlled manner.

He spoke while pointing towards the second floor, “Ultraman is upstairs, go see it.”

Lin Yanran’s thoughts were actually still on the previous question. He carefully looked at Gu Siye, and only after seeing that the other man’s expression was as usual did he nod. “Okay.”

Gu Siye’s house was very large, a duplex structure.

The decor was simple and elegant. As Lin Yanran walked along, he felt the style looked familiar.

Soon, he followed Gu Siye to the second floor.

From a distance, Lin Yanran saw the little house he had bought for Ultraman.

It was obvious that Gu Siye had taken care of it since moving it back.

The little house was much cleaner and tidier than when it was outside, exposed to sun and rain.

However, Ultraman wasn’t there at the moment; it had run off somewhere.

Seeing Lin Yanran staring at the little house, Gu Siye explained, “When I brought it back, I wanted to get a new doghouse, but it wouldn’t allow it. So, I had someone go back and move this small house over.”

After hearing Gu Siye, Lin Yanran noticed that indeed, all the items inside Ultraman’s house, including the toys, were the ones he had previously bought.

He recalled the staff of the production team complaining to him before that Ultraman was only affectionate with him, and for things other people bought for it, it would only eat the food and reject everything else.

Just as Lin Yanran thought of this, he heard Gu Siye evaluate Ultraman: “Ultraman is very opinionated.”

Lin Yanran nodded; it was more than just opinionated.

“Sometimes, watching its reactions, I wonder if it has gained special powers.”

“Animals aren’t allowed to gain special powers after the founding of the PRC,” Gu Siye chuckled, taking over Lin Yanran’s sentence, “but it is allowed to be smart.”

No sooner had Gu Siye praised Ultraman than the dog came running out of another room.

Seeing the sudden appearance of Lin Yanran, Ultraman paused for a moment, then stopped and tilted its head, staring at Lin Yanran for a few seconds.

“Ultraman, long time no see.”

Lin Yanran squatted down, stretching out his hands and clapping them.

Seeing this familiar gesture, Ultraman immediately ran excitedly to Lin Yanran’s hands.

Perhaps it was too happy and lost its head this time, or maybe it ran a little too fast.

When Ultraman reached Lin Yanran, it couldn’t brake and slid forward a short distance, bumping into Lin Yanran’s foot.

“Brother Gu just praised you for being smart. How did you suddenly become clumsy?”

Lin Yanran laughed and stepped back, reaching out to stroke Ultraman’s head.

After a few days apart, Ultraman had become much more handsome.

Its coat had been carefully groomed, black, shiny, and glossy.

The puppy, who hadn’t seen its owner for days, began vigorously rubbing its head against Lin Yanran’s palm, just like before.

After rubbing for a while, it rolled around on the floor.

After a few rolls, Ultraman dangled its four short legs in the air, showing the wound on its belly.

It tilted its head towards Lin Yanran and made a faint sound.

It seemed to be acting coquettish or complaining to Lin Yanran.

Lin Yanran couldn’t see it clearly through the video before, but now he could finally see Ultraman’s wound with his own eyes.

The wound had already begun to scab, with congealed blood that looked a bit gruesome, as if a piece of skin had been deliberately cut off with a knife.

“Does it still hurt?”

Lin Yanran didn’t dare to touch Ultraman’s wound for fear of infection, so he massaged its head and ears reassuringly.

Ultraman made a few “woof-woof-woof” sounds, and after its little display of affection, it immediately flipped over, jumped, and spun a few times in front of Lin Yanran, seemingly telling him that it was fine.

After performing these actions, Ultraman dashed into the other room.

Lin Yanran stood up and looked at Gu Siye. “That wound looks a bit strange.”

Gu Siye also nodded. “It looks a bit like it was man-made.”

When he had called Lin Yanran before, he spoke vaguely, partly because he was afraid Lin Yanran would worry and partly because he had this suspicion.

“I privately checked the surrounding surveillance footage, but Ultraman’s area is a blind spot, and many people pass by there every day. I haven’t been able to capture any other evidence yet.”

Since there was no evidence, he didn’t dare to jump to conclusions easily.

However, after Gu Siye finished speaking, he and Lin Yanran exchanged a look.

It was clear that they both believed this was not an accident.

“Thank you, Brother Gu.”

Lin Yanran’s word of thanks was because he understood that the reason Gu Siye was so anxious to take the dog away was not just because it was injured, but because he was afraid that if it stayed there, someone might abuse it again.

Only by taking it home could its safety be ensured.

No sooner had Lin Yanran spoken than Ultraman, who had just disappeared, reappeared, holding a small toy it had newly discovered at Gu Siye’s house.

It was holding a fountain pen in its mouth.

After placing the fountain pen in front of Lin Yanran, Ultraman squatted down and looked at him expectantly.

Lin Yanran understood what it meant, so he threw the pen a few meters away.

Sure enough, Ultraman happily retrieved it and brought it back to him.

Looking at the expensive fountain pen in his hand, now Ultraman’s toy, Lin Yanran suddenly felt a bit like the parent of a “naughty child.”

No, a naughty dog.

“Ultraman, you’re a bit mischievous,” he said, then looked at Gu Siye. “Has it caused any trouble in the house? It must have given you quite a few headaches these past two days.”

Gu Siye watched the man and the dog playing with the pen and laughed, “No. The pen was broken anyway; it’s fine.”

After playing a few rounds with Lin Yanran, Ultraman walked over to Gu Siye’s feet.

It gently placed its little paw on Gu Siye’s slipper, then looked up at him.

After a few days of spending time together, Gu Siye could tell what it was thinking with just a glance.

He explained to Lin Yanran, “Ultraman is reminding me it’s feeding time.”

He then turned and headed downstairs. “I’ll go get its dinner; it’s already prepared.”

Soon, Gu Siye came back up carrying a small bowl of dog food.

The dog food wasn’t the kind sold outside; it was homemade, a mix of ingredients like chicken breast and beef.

Ultraman clearly loved it, and seeing its dinner, it happily fluttered over and began to eat.

Seeing how carefully Gu Siye was looking after Ultraman, Lin Yanran felt that any amount of thanks he offered would be insufficient.

“Brother Gu, you’ve gone to so much trouble.”

Gu Siye, however, smiled meaningfully, “Just borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddha²借花献佛 Using someone else’s property or resources to do a good deed or to show kindness, often to gain favor for oneself..”

‘Borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddha’?

Gu Siye paused for a moment, then vaguely added, “Xiao Huang helped make it.”

Lin Yanran thought about these two sentences.

But he felt that Gu Siye might not have meant exactly what he said.

After the two watched Ultraman diligently finishing its meal for a while, Gu Siye leaned back slightly, casually resting against the wall.

He looked at Lin Yanran, his lips curved into his usual smile. “Today is the last day of the year.”

Lin Yanran gave a soft “Mm.”

He knew Gu Siye had more to say.

A moment later, that deep voice rang out again.

The other party spoke, half-jokingly, half-seriously, “Yesterday, Teacher Yanran invited me to spend New Year’s Eve together.”

Lin Yanran withdrew his gaze from Ultraman and looked at Gu Siye in surprise.

Was he referring to the invitation made yesterday during the recording of the show as a task completion?

Seeing Lin Yanran’s surprise, Gu Siye joked in a playful, drawn-out tone, “Aren’t you going to fulfill it?”

As he said those words, Gu Siye’s expressive eyes lifted, and even the corners of his eyes held a smile.

He looked at Lin Yanran, his eye color light and faint, yet his expression was focused.

A little alluring and a little gentle.

No one could refuse Gu Siye like this.

“I will.”

Lin Yanran met his gaze for a few seconds, instinctively feeling that it wasn’t good to keep looking, and immediately shifted his eyes away.

Gu Siye, whose invitation was accepted, had a glint of fragmented laughter in his eyes. “Good.”

It was already dinner time, and because today was special, Lin Yanran wasn’t keen on eating out, so he said to Gu Siye, “If you don’t mind, Teacher Gu, how about coming to my place for dinner and New Year’s Eve?”

As he said this, Lin Yanran was about to open an app to order some fresh groceries for delivery.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Gu Siye’s voice beside him.

“We can eat here too.” The voice paused, then added, “I’ll cook.”

Lin Yanran wasn’t sure if it was because they were standing too close, but the voice sounded even more magnetic than usual.

He turned his head to look at Gu Siye.

“Are you saying you’re going to cook personally, Teacher Gu?”

Gu Siye shrugged casually, “Your expression is a little off. Do you think I can’t cook, or do you not trust my skills?”

Lin Yanran smiled. “I’m just quite surprised.”

Gu Siye led Lin Yanran toward the kitchen but said earnestly, “It’s not a big deal. Cooking is very simple; anyone with hands can do it.”

This was the first time Lin Yanran had heard someone describe cooking this way.

“Anyone with hands can do it?”

No matter how talented someone was, it shouldn’t be that simple…

But Gu Siye told him, “Call the hotel, then heat it up in the microwave.”

Lin Yanran: ??

Lin Yanran couldn’t help but look at Gu Siye.

Only after seeing the amusement in his eyes did he realize that he was teasing him.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived in the kitchen.

Lin Yanran quickly glanced at the storage area and saw it was already filled with various fresh vegetables, seeming to have been prepared long in advance.

“You go to rest for a bit. A full day of flying must be tiring.”

As he spoke, Gu Siye lifted the lid of the pot containing the simmering duck soup.

Instantly, the kitchen was filled with a rich aroma.

It wasn’t just “seeming to have been prepared”; it truly was ready in advance.

Lin Yanran shook his head.

He had originally wanted to treat Gu Siye to a meal, and now the tables were turned with Gu Siye cooking.

If he were to genuinely go sit in the living room and play with his phone now, he really couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I’ve been sitting all day. Both my shoulders and neck are a bit stiff. I’ll stand for a while. I can also help you prep; don’t mind me, Teacher Gu.”

“How could I dare to?”

After Lin Yanran finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves slightly and began to help Gu Siye wash the vegetables.

Gu Siye didn’t stop him this time but cautioned Lin Yanran, “Leave the yam where it is, don’t touch it. I’ll handle it.”

Lin Yanran glanced at the yam not far from him, feeling a slight apprehension.

He really didn’t dare to handle yams; if he touched the yam peel, his hands and even other areas would become red and itchy.

For people with allergic constitutions like him, a single mistake could trigger dermatitis.

However, most people were not allergic to it.

Thinking of this, Lin Yanran looked curiously at Gu Siye, who had put on gloves and started peeling the yam. “Are you allergic to this too?”

Only someone who was allergic would usually give a warning like that beforehand.

But Gu Siye shook his head. “I’m not allergic.”

He looked at Lin Yanran. “I just have a feeling that you might be.”

The efficiency of two people cooking together was high.

Lin Yanran helped with washing and cutting vegetables, and soon, Gu Siye had already finished stir-frying one dish.

After bustling around in the kitchen for a while, Lin Yanran finally noticed the brand of the kitchen appliances.

Looking at the familiar brand, he suddenly realized that it was the same brand as the one in his own apartment.

Noticing the appliance brand, Lin Yanran then remembered the highly similar décor style between Gu Siye’s house and the one he was renting.

At this moment, Lin Yanran finally realized belatedly why he was able to rent an apartment in the same neighborhood as Gu Siye for such a low price.

No wonder Hong Huixue had so matter-of-factly told him to rely on Gu Siye for help.

As it turned out, it was Gu Siye who had kindly rented the apartment to him.

Just as Lin Yanran understood, he heard Gu Siye’s voice from above him.

“Are you hungry?”

Upon hearing Gu Siye’s question, Lin Yanran suddenly realized that he had only had one proper meal in the morning.

He hadn’t had much appetite at noon, ate briefly on the plane, and then rushed home so quickly that he didn’t even have time for a drink of water.

His stomach had been emptying for so long, and he was indeed a bit hungry.

Lin Yanran glanced at the potato in his hand and shook his head. “I’m fine.”

But no sooner had he finished speaking than his stomach, uncooperative, gave him away, rumbling loudly.

Lin Yanran chuckled softly, “Alright, I’m actually a little hungry.”

A pleasant, low laugh echoed in the air.

Gu Siye didn’t say anything else and turned to leave.

Lin Yanran thought he was going back to continue cooking, so he lowered his head and focused on slicing the potato into shreds.

He quickly sliced a piece of potato when he suddenly sensed a shadow beside him.

Gu Siye had come to stand next to him.

Lin Yanran instinctively turned his head.

His gaze immediately fell on the other man’s long, pale fingers.

But before he could properly see, the next second he realized that his lips had lightly brushed against the skin of the other man’s wrist.

The other man’s body temperature seemed a little higher than his; even a light brush of his lips allowed him to feel it.

The two were only inches apart. Gu Siye glanced at his wrist, a smile playing on his lips. In a good mood, he handed the soup to Lin Yanran.

“Taste it.”

He acted as if nothing intimate or ambiguous had happened.

Seeing Gu Siye’s composed expression, Lin Yanran felt he was being overly dramatic about his own heart skipping a beat due to the brief, intimate contact.

He lowered his eyes to conceal his embarrassment.

He put down the knife and the potato, washed his hands, and then took the bowl from the other man.

“Thank you.”

Gu Siye bent down and continued what Lin Yanran hadn’t finished doing.

With his back to Lin Yanran, he said softly, “Dinner will be ready in a few more minutes. Go and rest for a bit.”

Lin Yanran didn’t insist on staying this time, and carrying the duck soup Gu Siye had simmered, he sat down in the living room.

• 1
  《越人歌》is an ancient song from the Spring and Autumn period (around 528 BCE) about a Yue boatman singing a love song for the prince. The poem that Lin Yanran wrote is the last verse of this song, “山有木兮木有枝，心悦君兮君不知.” It is often cited as one of the earliest and most beautiful expressions of unrequited love in Chinese literature. He’s so dense T_T
• 2
  借花献佛 Using someone else’s property or resources to do a good deed or to show kindness, often to gain favor for oneself.