Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Gu Yihong couldn't believe his eyes!

Just half an hour ago, he'd been mocking Yu Li for his slow progress. Now, Yu Li had advanced to the point where Gu Yubai was actively touching him.

Gu Yihong: "......"

It had to be that shameless scoundrel seducing his elder brother!!!

He was like a madman in an empress's tale, banished to the cold palace, tearing out his hair and eating lice—completely unhinged, convinced that a shameless vixen had seduced the emperor. He utterly ignored the clear fact that it was Gu Yubai's hand resting on Yu Li's chest.

He rushed towards Gu Yubai.

Gu Yihong approached with aggressive momentum.

Gu Yubai, recalling how overly attentive this guy had been since his rebirth, suddenly felt a headache coming on.

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind—to cut through the mess decisively.

No more hesitation, no more pursuit, no more waiting. Since he liked Yu Li anyway, rather than letting Gu Yihong meddle in his romantic life, he might as well give it a try with Yu Li.

Gu Yubai felt no guilt whatsoever. He smiled at Yu Li and reached up to straighten his collar.

His tone was light: "Since President Yu doesn't mind being my teacher in matters of the heart, I naturally shouldn't take advantage and then play dumb."

A flicker of surprise appeared in Yu Li's eyes.

Gu Yubai chuckled softly: "From today onwards, President Yu is my boyfriend. Boyfriend, we'll have to look out for each other from now on, alright?"

Yu Li abruptly seized Gu Yubai's hand, staring straight at him, so excited he wanted to kiss Gu Yubai on the spot.

"I... I will naturally... wholeheartedly take care of my boyfriend."

At this moment, Yu Li's eyes twinkled with countless stars, brimming with joy as he instinctively leaned closer to Gu Yubai.

Only to... be pushed away by Gu Yubai for the second time.

But this time, it wasn't because he disliked physical contact—it was for another reason.

Gu Yubai was amused by Yu Li's reaction. He said, "Be good, you go first."

Gu Yubai lowered his gaze, tilting his head slightly with a hint of discomfort, his tone softening.

"Didn't you say you had work? Then go ahead. Don't get mixed up with Gu Yihong. Otherwise, he'll start spouting nonsense again."

Even if Yu Li had a million things to say, they all melted away at Gu Yubai's single word—"be good." He felt sweet all over, as if soaked in honey, exuding a sugary aura.

Yu Li tilted his head slightly: "Alright, then... I'll come find you at school tonight."

Gu Yubai lifted his head, then turned away as if nothing had happened.

He quietly said: "...Okay."

----

"Wait, don't go! Let's get this straight once and for all!"

Gu Yihong stormed over angrily, but Yu Li had already turned to leave.

He roared, he shouted, he wanted to chase after him and force a confrontation—only for his collar to be sharply pulled back by Gu Yubai.

"Stop making a scene. If you have questions, ask me."

Gu Yubai got into the car, glancing at Gu Yihong, who immediately obediently took the passenger seat.

Gu Yihong's mind was a mess: "Brother, what's going on between you and... President Yu?"

Gu Yubai drove to refuel first, his lips curling slightly at the question. His tone was unhurried.

"Exactly what you saw."

Gu Yihong's eyes widened abruptly.

Gu Yubai: "Don't call him President Yu anymore. Next time you see him, remember to call him Brother Yu. Be polite."

Gu Yihong's face instantly fell into a pout.

"Brother, I'm not the most important person in your heart anymore..."

Gu Yubai didn't respond, but in the next second, Gu Yihong consoled himself.

"Fine, I'll listen to you. I'll be polite to Brother Yu from now on."

But he had been right to suspect earlier.

Lin Xuyan had seemed like a threat, but Yu Li was not to be underestimated either! In the blink of an eye, while he wasn't paying attention, Yu Li had gone from being mocked for his slow progress to officially becoming part of the picture.

Suddenly, Gu Yihong sensed something off. He pressed further: "Then what's the deal with Lin Xuyan? Brother, you're not two-timing, are you?"

Gu Yubai shot him a sidelong glance: "When have I ever been with Lin Xuyan?"

Gu Yihong: "Then why were you being secretive when you took his call during breakfast? You looked suspicious as hell. And before the semester even started, you were going to Mingcheng University every day. Your social media feeds were full of photos of you and Lin Xuyan."

Gu Yihong raised an eyebrow, a rare hint of teasing in his smile.

"Brother, even if you were playing both sides, I wouldn't tell on you. In fact, I'd help you handle it."

Gu Yubai couldn't help but smile: "No, really, there's nothing like that."

Gu Yihong's face instantly darkened. Abandoning his earlier playful tone, he started muttering complaints again.

"Brother, am I still a stranger to you? If you don't like Lin Xuyan, then why share pictures with him every day? Every time I call you, you're with him—doesn't that prove you actually like him?"

Gu Yihong eyed Gu Yubai sideways, pleased to see a hint of irritation on his face. He lowered his gaze and continued.

"We've always been open with each other. If you didn't like Lin Xuyan, you wouldn't let him get so close. You know how much I care about you. Ever since Uncle fell into a coma, you're the only family I have left. And yet, even you're hiding things from me. Brother, I'm really devastated."

"Brother, if you don't like Lin Xuyan, then are you hiding something from me?"

Gu Yihong studied Gu Yubai carefully, watching as the hint of a smile on his lips flattened instantly—proof that he had guessed right.

His brother would never cheat, so it had to be the latter.

He was using Lin Xuyan as a decoy, deliberately keeping something from him.

The address on the package flashed through Gu Yihong's mind. His eyes wandered, his heart already knowing the answer.

Today, he was set on making Gu Yubai tell the truth.

Had his... his apparently healthy eighteen-year-old elder brother... developed mental health issues after that car accident?!

Gu Yihong's heart clenched. So, the tragedy of his elder brother in the previous life had actually set the stage for disaster in fate long ago, when Gu Mingliang became vegetative after the car accident.

His... his poor elder brother! If he hadn't accidentally found the antidepressants Gu Yubai had forgotten at home, he wouldn't have known that his brother had been ill all along!

At this thought, Gu Yihong couldn't help but get misty-eyed.

His poor elder brother!

Waaah~

The moment a trace of pity appeared on Gu Yihong's face, Gu Yubai smoothly eased the car to the side of the road.

Inside the car, aside from the hum of the air conditioner, there was complete silence.

Gu Yubai seemed to have been cornered by Gu Yihong's questioning. After a long pause, he finally sighed.

“You found out?”

Gu Yihong couldn't hold back any longer. The brother-obsessed man burst into tears and tried to throw himself into Gu Yubai's arms.

He failed—because his seatbelt was still fastened, restraining his waist. Instead, Gu Yihong flailed his arms, grabbing onto Gu Yubai's shoulder and pulling him closer, clinging tightly to his arm.

Gu Yubai: “....”

It felt like being mauled by an overexcited husky pup—one that didn't think things through and couldn't stay serious for three seconds.

His little brother was still so adorable.

Had he left all his composure from his past life behind?

Mustn't laugh. It would give me away.

Gu Yubai lowered his eyes and sighed. “I didn’t mean to hide it from you. While you were traveling abroad, I suddenly started having nightmares—always dreaming about that day when the accident happened...”

He trailed off, his expression complicated.

Gu Yihong thought of their uncle, who was still in a vegetative state, and couldn't help but sigh as well.

He muttered, “Elder brother, don’t worry. Later... we got sidetracked.”

Gu Yihong paused.

He frowned slightly. “Even if you’re having nightmares, it shouldn’t have reached the point of needing medication. Who’s the psychologist treating you? Sounds like a quack.”

Gu Yihong cautiously tried to probe how bad Gu Yubai's condition really was.

“Then, elder brother... why don't I come with you to the hospital next time? I’m a little worried. I...”

Gu Yubai fell silent.

Gu Yihong hesitated for a long moment before sighing.

“Elder brother, I’ve also been hiding something from you.”

Gu Yubai’s lips curled slightly, his tone calm. “Go on.”

Gu Yihong lowered his eyes. “Elder brother, actually... I’ve been sick too. I wasn’t really traveling abroad before—I was using it as an excuse to see a psychologist overseas.”

Gu Yubai’s eyes widened abruptly, his face a picture of shock. “How could that be?”

*You don’t ask, I don’t tell. You ask, I act surprised. You ask again—how could this be?!*

Finally, he'd taken the bait. Fighting a smile, Gu Yubai forced a look of distress and urgency onto his face.

“What exactly is going on? Tell me.”

Seeing Gu Yubai’s anxious expression, Gu Yihong relaxed slightly.

He believed Gu Yubai had kept silent to avoid making him worry too much. But if he claimed to be ill as well, given how protective his big brother was, he would surely grow deeply concerned.

This way, it would be natural for both brothers to visit the psychologist together. Even if only for his little brother's sake, his elder brother would take treatment seriously.

Pain flickered in Gu Yihong’s eyes.

He didn’t dare say that his mental health problems had only arisen after Gu Yubai’s death in his past life. Instead, he claimed that he, too, had been traumatized by the car accident—couldn't sleep day or night, afraid that if he closed his eyes, he would see the image of Gu Mingliang being struck by the truck. He kept having nightmares that in that accident, even Gu Yubai had died too.

“...If I hadn’t recognized those pills, I wouldn’t have known you were hiding something so big from me.”

Gu Yihong’s face fell. He pulled out the medication he had kept for Gu Yubai from his bag and handed it over, then looked utterly sincere.

“Elder brother, let’s pick a day to go see the doctor together.”

Gu Yubai nodded. “Alright.”

They pulled back into traffic.

Gu Yihong finally relaxed completely. Now that he and Gu Yubai had talked openly about the meds, he had nothing left to worry about.

*Wait, I feel like I’ve forgotten something...*

As Gu Yubai drove, Gu Yihong was nodding off, still nagged by the sense he'd forgotten something important.

When the car stopped at a red light, Gu Yihong suddenly jolted awake.

He exclaimed, “Elder brother, you still haven’t explained—what’s going on with Yu Li?!”

“You... you told me to call him Brother Yu—does that mean what I think it means?!”

If he was well enough to date, was Gu Yubai really suffering from sleepless nights due to PTSD from the accident, as he’d claimed?

Gu Yihong suddenly felt like he’d been conned.

Had he just been played by Gu Yubai?

He’d admitted he was on meds himself just to comfort his beloved big brother!

Gu Yihong looked suspicious.