Thousands of people disliked them, but after being reborn and correcting their mistakes, they regret

Xu Fan was undoubtedly grateful to Gu Linyuan for helping her out of the predicament.

From childhood, he had become accustomed to the prejudice and malice of others. He silently endured the ostracism from his new high school classmates, ignoring it and refusing to look or listen.

But this classmate, his new deskmate, didn't look down on him; he treated him just like any other normal person.

As high school life begins, Gu Linyuan discovers through his interactions with Xu Fan that Xu Fan is not as he initially perceived her to be.

Xu Fan was not sloppy at all. Although his clothes were made of poor material and had some patched marks, they were not dirty at all and were clean. Although Xu Fan's hair looked very long and had not been styled, it was not greasy at all and had a faint fragrance.

His books were all neatly arranged, he was always very serious about his studies, and Xu Fan treated him very well.

Xu Fan would hand him a bottle of soda when he was tired, and would hurriedly look down when he looked over. She would help him organize his books and materials. In the summer, the classroom was crowded and the air conditioning wasn't very effective. He would always be sweating profusely while doing his homework, and Xu Fan would fan him with a small fan.

Gu Linyuan thought Xu Fan was a friendly person.

It's very comfortable to be around someone like that. They'll always think of you in everything, and they have a very good and gentle temper. No matter how much other classmates verbally attack or ostracize them, they won't get angry; they'll just ignore them.

However, Gu Linyuan, who considers himself and Xu Fan to be good brothers, can't stand seeing others attack Xu Fan, so he always speaks up for him and fights back against those who speak ill of Xu Fan.

The two studied together and made progress together. Xu Fan had many questions about his studies. Gu Linyuan had always been a good student since childhood, so Xu Fan was too embarrassed to ask. He would observe silently and take the initiative to explain to Xu Fan which question he spent the most time on.

Xu Fan thought his high school life would pass by peacefully. He was happy and content because someone didn't look down on him and was even kind to him and spoke up for him.

Until that day, Gu Linyuan returned from outside, his eyes filled with a coldness and disgust he had never seen before.

He was radiating anger as he walked step by step toward Xu Fan. Xu Fan didn't know why someone who had been perfectly fine just moments before had turned into this. In the months since the start of the semester, he had never seen Gu Linyuan like this before. Gu Linyuan was always gentle and smiling when he was with him.

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Xu Fan stood up shakily and asked somewhat nervously.

"You still have the nerve to ask!" Gu Linyuan roared, kicking over Xu Fan's desk at the same time.

The sudden commotion in the quiet classroom drew all the students to come and see what was going on. They formed a circle, their various gazes fixed on Xu Fan. Xu Fan lowered his head helplessly, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands. He really didn't know what he had done wrong.

Seeing Xu Fan's expression, Gu Linyuan sneered, "Still pretending? Xu Fan, are you gay? So all this time you've been so attentive to me, that's what you're after! You disgust me!"

Upon hearing these words, Xu Fan abruptly looked up and met Gu Linyuan's gaze. He was eager to explain that he had no ulterior motives and that he was not gay.

However, he did fantasize about Gu Linyuan liking him and treating him better than he does now, but that was just a fantasy. In real life, he only hoped that he would treat Gu Linyuan better, and that Gu Linyuan would treat him better, nothing more.

So, the words of explanation stuck in his throat, and he could only shake his head in a panic, unable to utter a single word.

His silence was interpreted as an admission by Gu Linyuan.

"Oh, I see!"

"Gu Xueba is too kind-hearted; he's really unlucky to have gotten involved with Xu Fan."

"Looking like that, how dare you like Gu Linyuan?"

"Yeah, it's really disgusting..."

The voices of the students came from all directions, like knives stabbing into Xu Fan. Xu Fan felt as if he were a prisoner being executed.

The teenagers' malice came suddenly and inexplicably. Before, they only disliked him, but now it turned into complete disgust. Some of them simply thought homosexuality was disgusting and considered Xu Fan a freak.

There's another group of people who aren't intolerant of homosexuality; they can only accept good-looking homosexuals. Someone like Xu Fan, a gloomy and slovenly rat, is simply not worthy of liking anyone, let alone someone as handsome and outstanding as Gu Linyuan. It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat.

He rushed into the group of classmates, desperately trying to explain. When the classmates saw him coming, they seemed to have encountered something dirty and scattered back to their seats, but the discussions and insults never stopped.

It's over, it's over...

Xu Fan knew that explaining was useless; what good would it do if he did? Would anyone believe him anyway?

It turns out that Gu Linyuan saw his behavior as harassment and deliberate flattery.

Xu Fan returned to his seat, straightened the desk, and then slowly squatted down to pick up his books one by one and place them on the desk.

Seeing that he still had the nerve to come to this seat, Gu Linyuan became even angrier. He shoved the book that Xu Fan had just picked up and said to Xu Fan in an icy voice, "Get out. You are not worthy to sit next to me. Don't let me see you."

Xu Fan squatted down again to pick up his books, carried his desk away from the spot, and before leaving, he bowed his head and said to Gu Linyuan, "I'm sorry to have bothered you..."

This sentence became the last thing Gu Linyuan and Xu Fan said to each other before they reunited.

Gu Linyuan sat in his seat without looking at him, but when Xu Fan really carried the desk away, he couldn't help but look at Xu Fan's back.

Xu Fan's back looked very thin. The school uniform he bought was a size too big. He was afraid that he would have to buy a new one when he grew taller, so he bought two sizes too big. The uniform hung loosely on his body, making him look so lonely and pitiful.

It's all his own fault! Gu Linyuan forced himself to turn his head back and concentrate on his studies.

Xu Fan carried his desk and slowly walked around the classroom. He looked at the students who had empty seats next to them, but when they saw him, they shrank back and then began to laugh at him without any attempt to hide it, talking to the people next to them.

Sure enough, no one wanted to sit at the same table as him.

Xu Fan stopped looking at the classmates with empty seats next to him, and instead lowered his head, carrying the desk step by step to the last row of the classroom.

To his surprise, the students sitting in the last row all looked down on him. When they saw him walk by, they said to him fiercely, "Hey! Stay away from me!"

Xu Fan had no choice but to move back again, sitting in a seat near the very back of the classroom, far away from all the other students, as if they were from two different worlds.

After moving the table, Xu Fan carefully returned to Gu Linyuan's side to move his own stool. Gu Linyuan noticed Xu Fan out of the corner of his eye, but he did not turn around.

Xu Fan moved the stool to the table, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly.

Why does he always mess everything up? He shouldn't have such unrealistic fantasies, but he can't help himself when Gu Linyuan is nice to him. He never even thought about fulfilling those fantasies. Maybe for someone like him, even fantasies and being nice to others are not allowed or accepted...

After a long while, Gu Linyuan couldn't help but turn his head again to look at Xu Fan sitting in the distance. He was slumped over the table, and judging from his shoulder, he must have been crying.

Gu Linyuan felt a slight pang of pain in his heart, but it quickly disappeared.

You could have been my friend, why did you do this? You deserve all of this!

During the break just now, he went to the restroom. He usually likes to use the toilet stalls. Just as he was about to leave, he heard his classmates talking outside.

"Hey, that Xu Fan is always fawning over Gu Linyuan like a dog. Do you think he's gay?"

"Now that you mention it... it's true! That Xu Fan is like a ghost all the time. I've never seen him talk to anyone else, but he's so nice to Gu Linyuan. He'll fan him, rush into the convenience store to buy him soda as soon as get out of class is over... tsk tsk tsk."

"I think it's not just Xu Fan, Gu Linyuan is a lesbian too! Everyone else doesn't want to talk to Xu Fan, but he explains problems to Xu Fan every day and doesn't allow others to say bad things about Xu Fan. But his taste is really bad. He should at least find someone good-looking. I really don't understand why the girls in the class like him so much."

"Both of them are disgusting! Hahaha, they're a disgrace to us men!"

After they finished speaking, they washed their hands and left the restroom together.

Gu Linyuan, who was in the toilet stall, turned extremely pale upon hearing this, as if he was about to lose his breath.

Xu Fan is gay? And likes him? Recalling Xu Fan's various behaviors towards him, Gu Linyuan confirmed this view in his heart.

Thinking about how the two boys had said he was gay and made disgusting remarks, Gu Linyuan felt nothing but endless anger.

From childhood to adulthood, he has always been an excellent student. Teachers admire him, and classmates are eager to be his friend. When has anyone ever called him disgusting?

All of this is because of Xu Fan. If it weren't for Xu Fan, he would never have been associated with the words "disgusting homosexuals".

So he rushed into the classroom to question Xu Fan, and after believing that Xu Fan had tacitly agreed, he drove Xu Fan away.

The two boys who were gossiping in the restroom earlier were also present. After hearing Gu Linyuan berate Xu Fan in the classroom, they whispered among themselves.

"You still say Gu Linyuan is gay? How could that be? Look at him, how could he be gay?"

"I was just kidding! But I didn't expect Xu Fan to actually be gay."

Their conversation did not escape Gu Linyuan's ears, and upon hearing this, Gu Linyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually, those two boys were just talking nonsense. They didn't have any evidence; they just didn't like Gu Linyuan and Xu Fan. But Gu Linyuan's attack on Xu Fan in the classroom confirmed that Xu Fan was gay.

The news spread quickly, and many students from other classes peered out of their windows after class, wanting to see what the shameless gay man looked like. Xu Fan also received many unfriendly stares as he walked down the street.

High school classes continued, and Xu Fan's sitting in the last row of the classroom quickly attracted the attention of the homeroom teacher.

He inquired with the class leaders he trusted and found out that no one liked Xu Fan. The homeroom teacher was also unwilling to worry about it. He didn't like the child very much either, as his grades were below average and he wasn't very proactive.

For three years, Xu Fan sat in the last row. He could never see the blackboard clearly, but he knew from a young age that studying was the only way out. He went to his homeroom teacher to ask to change seats, but the teacher told him to talk to his classmates, so he had no choice but to give up.

Xu Fan obtained a lot of school materials from the aunt who collected recyclables, many of which contained detailed notes. The aunt liked him very much and gave him all the materials for free. After three years of study, Xu Fan achieved excellent results and was admitted to Beijing University.

……

As the recollection ended, Gu Linyuan watched Xu Fan interact amicably with other guests on the variety show, and a strange anger welled up inside him.

During his studies abroad, there were many homosexuals at his school. Every time Gu Linyuan saw them holding hands on the street, he felt extremely uncomfortable and avoided eye contact, pretending not to see them. However, they were very open and honest, and no one around them looked at them strangely.

Later, Gu Linyuan saw more and more same-sex couples on campus. After learning more, he realized that this was a very open country where any love would be blessed.

Sometimes when he sees those couples, he feels dazed, and the image of that thin, frail figure vaguely comes to mind.

I never imagined that after so many years of not being back, not only abroad, but also in China, things would become so open.

During his time studying abroad, he had grown accustomed to this same-sex relationship. When he tossed and turned at night, he would always think of the time when he chased Xu Fan away in high school. He sat in the last row for three years, enduring the gossip of his classmates for those three years.

He began to wonder if he had made a mistake. He no longer had any prejudice against homosexuals. He did what he did in high school because he thought homosexuals were disgusting, and because of Xu Fan, he had become an object of hatred and ridicule. Now that he thought about it, wasn't revealing Xu Fan's sexual orientation in front of everyone a form of bullying?

He just wanted to get rid of the stigma as soon as possible. By doing this, the people in his class could see his disgust for homosexuals and would no longer think of him as gay.

When he saw Xu Fan a few days ago, he was blinded by anger, his mind filled with thoughts of Xu Fan using his grandfather to get close to him. His grandfather was his only family, and he wouldn't allow anyone to use him. All the guilt and remorse he felt towards Xu Fan vanished, and he blurted out some harsh words.

But his grandfather told him that his friendship with Xu Fan was just a coincidence, and he didn't believe it. To be precise, he dared not believe it and was unwilling to believe it.

Because of this, he had no reason to blame Xu Fan. Thinking back to what happened in high school, Xu Fan was just nice to him. Xu Fan hid himself very well and never revealed his feelings.

If Xu Fan didn't deliberately get close to his grandfather, then... Xu Fan didn't do anything wrong.

He was the one who was wrong. He launched a campaign against Xu Fan, subjecting Xu Fan to three years of bullying.

Gu Linyuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

He called his grandfather again, but the call was answered after a long time.

"You unfilial grandson! What kind of phone call do you want in the middle of the night? Are you trying to drive your grandpa crazy?!"

Gu Linyuan started watching the show as soon as he got off work. He only watched the parts with Xu Fan, and he watched until 2 a.m.

"grandfather……"

Gu Linyuan's voice was slightly hoarse: "Could you tell me how you and Xu Fan met...?"

"I don't want to tell you, and you wouldn't believe me even if I did!"

"Please, Grandpa, I believe you..."

He was, after all, his own grandson. Grandpa Gu sighed and said it anyway:

"I first met Xiao Fan at my barbershop. He didn't have much money on him at the time, but he wanted to get a haircut. I cut his hair for free. This kid is kind-hearted. After he earned some money, he brought 500 yuan to me and insisted that I accept it. I refused and said that I wanted to be friends with him. He cried and said that this was the first time someone had been willing to be his friend..."

"Who could possibly know where my barbershop is located in some obscure corner! And do you really think Xiao Fan has the ability to investigate? I'm not saying this to be mean, but you're so quick-witted when it comes to studying, how come you're so slow when it comes to thinking things through? Xiao Fan told me he felt bad for you, but I'm wondering how he felt bad? He was just trying to be good to you! Honestly, Xiao Fan couldn't even pick someone better, he chose you!"

Gu Linyuan's heart ached more and more as he listened. Yes, in today's society governed by law, Xu Fan was not a big shot. How could he possibly have found out his grandfather's address? Moreover, he didn't have any relatives, and Xu Fan couldn't possibly have learned from others that this old man was his grandfather.

He bullied Xu Fan, time and time again.

Old Gu continued, "It's good that you don't like Xiao Fan! I saw people on the show showing interest in her, and they're all handsome and talented, plus they're celebrities, much better than you! There are so many people online who like Xiao Fan; she's very popular!"

"……I see."

Gu Linyuan hung up the phone after speaking.

At that moment, the screen showed a close-up of Xu Fan standing up drunk.

Gu Linyuan paused, his hand trembling as he gently stroked Xu Fan's face.

When the misunderstanding was cleared up, Gu Linyuan felt a surge of apology and guilt.

At the same time, a hidden emotion also emerges.

In a foreign land, he thought back countless times to the time when Xu Fan moved to the last row of the classroom in high school, and he had a reason to steal glances at her so often.

He likes Xu Fan.

When did it start? Maybe it was when Xu Fan would smile and bring out a drink she had specially prepared for him time and time again during high school, or when she would quietly fan him while he was studying.

He would always return Xu Fan's smile and say thank you, and Xu Fan would lower her head a little shyly and say you're welcome.

Back then, everyone in the class said that Xu Fan was sloppy and ugly, but he thought he was cute.

For Gu Linyuan in his youth, face was more important than anything else. Because of his pride, Gu Linyuan bullied Xu Fan, who had always been kind to him.

Thinking of the harsh words Xu Fan had suffered because of him, he felt unbearable heartache and could only keep stroking Xu Fan's face on the screen.

He needs to apologize to Xu Fan. Xu Fan must still like him, right?

He has an advantage: he has known Xu Fan for so many years, and Xu Fan likes him. Who do celebrities and netizens matter back then!

Gu Linyuan had made up his mind. He would apologize to Xu Fan, and then... pursue Xu Fan. He could give her everything she wanted: a job, a house, a car.

He was also convinced that he would succeed.