[Nian Suian: Sorry, I accidentally dropped this photo album [Image]]
[Nian Suian: A photo of Zhijing fell out, I put it on the desk. I didn't open the album]
[Gu Junxing: It's okay, there's nothing in the album you can't see, you can open it]
[Gu Junxing: But you can also wait until I get home to look, I can explain it to you]
Seeing Gu Junxing's reply, Nian Suian smiled and responded: [Alright then, I'll wait for you to get home before looking!]
In the afternoon when Gu Junxing came home from work, Nian Suian was still reading in the study. She found Gu Junxing's chair more comfortable, and sitting there made her more focused on reading. If she sat in her own room, she would either want to play on her phone or lie down on the bed.
"This was taken when Zhijing was in fifth grade," Gu Junxing said as he walked into the study and stood next to Nian Suian, picking up the photo that had fallen out.
"He looks quite similar to now," Nian Suian remarked, looking at the cocky kid in the photo. "Though he was cuter when he was younger, with a rounder face." Now, he already had the look of an adult.
Most of the photos in the front of the album were of Gu Zhijing, from infancy to middle school.
"Haha, what's going on in this one?" Nian Suian asked laughingly. In this photo, Gu Zhijing was running in front, head tilted back and mouth open, clearly screaming.
Behind him was a large white goose.
"How did he end up being chased by a goose? Where was this?"
"This was during elementary school. His grandparents took him to a farm stay. He mischievously tried to touch the goose's behind, and ended up being chased for quite a distance before getting pecked."
Gu Zhijing was very naughty as a child. Even now, thinking about it made Gu Junxing shake his head. "If you had known him earlier, you probably wouldn't like him as much as you do now."
"In that case, I guess I'm quite lucky!" To have met him when he was already a polite, good kid - if that wasn't luck, what was?
The latter half of the album started to show photos of Gu Junxing, some solo shots and some of him holding Gu Zhijing.
"Tsk tsk, Mr. Gu, how come you've looked the same since you were twenty?"
"What do you mean?"
Nian Suian thought of a very appropriate phrase to describe Gu Junxing.
"Youthful appearance!"
"..."
"Hey! Wait, go back." Nian Suian pressed her hand on Gu Junxing's. He had just quickly flipped past a page. Nian Suian had glimpsed a photo of three children standing together, two boys and a girl, all looking about five or six years old.
She hadn't seen clearly who was in the photo, but Gu Junxing obviously didn't want her to see it, which made her even more curious.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, Gu Junxing resignedly turned back the page.
"This person... why does he look so familiar?" Nian Suian pointed at the boy on the left, feeling he was very familiar but unable to recall who it was.
"Is this crying one on the right you?" The child on the right looked very similar to Gu Zhijing when he was young, but judging from the color of the photo, it was clearly quite old, so it must be Gu Junxing.
Gu Junxing nodded, saying somewhat embarrassedly: "The one on the right is me. The one on the left... is Fang Anzhi."
"Oh, it's him, indeed-" Nian Suian was about to say indeed beautiful, but swallowed her words.
Although the child on the left was wearing boys' clothes and had short hair, his face was exceptionally delicate, like a porcelain doll.
Nian Suian instantly understood why Gu Junxing and Fang Anzhi were sworn enemies. It must be hard to feel balanced when your friend looks so good.
Nian Suian then pointed to the girl in the middle: "Who is she? Zhijing's mom?"
"No."
Nian Suian paused, a guess forming in her mind.
"This girl - could she be your legendary first love?"
"It's her- no, she's not my first love, that was just Fang Anzhi talking nonsense earlier."
Gu Junxing mentally cursed Fang Anzhi a hundred times, then explained: "I was crying indeed because of her. Her parents bought her the latest gaming console, and both Fang Anzhi and I wanted to borrow it to play..."
Seemingly feeling too embarrassed to continue, Gu Junxing trailed off.
Nian Suian guessed: "Don't tell me she was willing to lend it to Fang Anzhi but not to you, so you cried?"
"..."
"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"
"Stop laughing..."
"Hahahahahahahahaha *hiccup* hahahahahahahaha"
He knew it, he and Fang Anzhi were better off not being friends.
Nian Suian was laughing so hard she was nearly crying. She never expected Gu Junxing to have such an embarrassing history.
Nian Suian thought that if you looked at Gu Junxing's childhood photos alone, you'd think he was quite a handsome kid. But standing next to Fang Anzhi, he was immediately outshined. No wonder the little girl was more willing to lend her gaming console to Fang Anzhi.
"It's okay, you're not bad-looking either." Nian Suian patted Gu Junxing's shoulder to comfort him.
After all, not many people could grow up to look like Fang Anzhi. They were the ones who won the genetic lottery.
If one had to compare, Gu Junxing would be a human handsome guy, while Fang Anzhi was otherworldly.
Gu Junxing glanced at Nian Suian. The smile on her face was so bright that it made her consolation seem unconvincing.
Having a friend like Fang Anzhi who he'd known since childhood, Gu Junxing felt it was already good that he wasn't suffering from an inferiority complex.
He could only be thankful that Fang Anzhi didn't like the same type of girls as him, otherwise he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Oh come on, I'm serious. It's enough to be good-looking. Look at someone like Fang Anzhi, he'd always think he's better-looking than whoever he's with. Wouldn't that be a loss?"
"Indeed, in all these years, I've never seen him stay with anyone for more than three months."
He's just a playboy! Gu Junxing subtly badmouthed Fang Anzhi in front of Nian Suian.
But Nian Suian thought: "Dating someone that handsome, even three months would be worth it."
"..."
Gu Junxing thought to himself, it seems they need to put up a sign at home that says: Fang Anzhi Not Allowed.
As they were talking, Gu Junxing's phone rang.
"Hello, Chen Shu, what's the matter?"
"You're looking for Suian? She's right next to me."
"Chen Shu is looking for you." Gu Junxing handed the phone to Nian Suian.
Nian Suian took the phone, puzzled as to why Chen Shu would be calling her.
They had only met twice, once for a meal and once at the hospital, and they hadn't really talked much.
"Hello, this is Nian Suian."
"What?!"
