Rebirth: My Childhood Sweetheart Came into My Arms

When Xin Chuan arrived at the reed marshes on his motorcycle with Gu Chao, it was still daylight.

It had been a long time since the last time they came to the reed marshes. The weather was still a bit chilly after sunset. Xin Chuan lent his clothes to Gu Chao, and Gu Chao developed a fever that night.

After taking the fever reducer, Xin Chuan slept through the night covered in sweat under the covers. The next day, he secretly added a thermal undershirt under his coat and continued to take Gu Chao out for a walk as if nothing had happened.

He preferred being with Gu Chao to being bedridden and recovering from his illness.

After all, he knew that Gu Chaozhi was not in Yuecheng, and that a long separation would await them after the college entrance examination.

"Aren't we too early?" Looking at the scorching sun on the horizon, Gu Chao shielded his head with his hands and squinted his eyes.

Summer days are long, and night falls slowly. To see the true summer stars, you have to wait at least several hours.

Xin Chuan: "If you're bored, senior, we can go wander around somewhere else first."

Gu Chao shook his head upon hearing this.

"No need, let's just wait here. It takes too long to go back and forth, it's too much trouble."

"Let's find a cool place."

After a while, Xin Chuan and Gu Chao sat down under the shade of a tree.

In summer, there are many insects, especially near the reed beds. The mosquitoes are particularly vicious, and in no time, Gu Chao's fair skin was covered with several large welts.

Xin Chuan tried his best to shoo them away, but to no avail. The mosquitoes seemed to have eyes and only targeted Gu Chao.

"It's so itchy..." Gu Chao frowned, his exposed calves and arms covered with scratches.

"Look at my stupid brain, I forgot to bring mosquito repellent in the middle of summer." Xin Chuan saw that Gu Chao was in so much pain and wanted to help him, but he was at a loss.

After a moment of stalemate, Xin Chuan suddenly thought of something, stood up on the spot, and quickly took off his short-sleeved shirt, revealing his strong upper body without an ounce of excess fat.

The sudden sight of fresh flesh made Gu Chao involuntarily swallow. "What are you doing?"

Xin Chuan: "I'll draw their fire for you."

Gu Chao was both amused and exasperated.

"Mosquitoes are attracted to people with a fast metabolism. I sweat a lot, so I attract more mosquitoes..."

"Is that so? Then I'll run two more laps."

After saying that, Xin Chuan tossed his short-sleeved shirt to Gu Chao and started running energetically around the lake.

Under the scorching sun, the boy was drenched in sweat, yet a persistent smile lingered on his face...

Ten minutes later, Xin Chuan returned to the shade of the tree, panting.

"Is this alright?"

"Fool……"

Gu Chao muttered something, took out a tissue from his shorts, and got up to wipe Xin Chuan's sweat.

"Don't wipe it off! How am I supposed to attract mosquitoes if you wipe the bait away?"

"..."

Gu Chao ignored Xin Chuan, wiped his wet cheeks clean, and then wiped his neck and chest...

As they wiped, the atmosphere started to get a little awkward.

Xin Chuan had a great physique; his sweat-drenched, honey-colored muscles exuded strong hormones, making Gu Chao involuntarily recall the scene of their passionate lovemaking under the influence of alcohol that night.

Gu Chao's face flushed, and he subconsciously licked his lips.

Noticing this small detail, Xin Chuan's ears began to burn, and his eyes stared intently at Gu Chao, his emotions running high.

After that forced kiss with Gu Chao in the reeds, he never did anything that the other party was unwilling to do again, but that did not mean that he had lost sexual interest in Gu Chao.

On the contrary, the restless desire in my heart grew stronger and stronger.

"Senior..." Xin Chuan's chest heaved, and a thin layer of sweat clung to his high, straight nose. "I want to kiss you."

"..."

Gu Chao's breath hitched upon hearing this, and he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Given Xin Chuan's temperament, wouldn't he just go for it if he wanted to? This timid and hesitant manner of seeking advice is completely unlike his usual style.

Seeing that Gu Chao didn't react, Xin Chuan assumed that he had agreed. He reached out and lifted Gu Chao's chin, then bent down and leaned in. But before their lips even touched, Gu Chao reached out and slapped him on the face.

Xinchuan: "..."

Gu Chao: "There are mosquitoes!"

To prove he wasn't lying, Gu Chao opened his palm.

Sure enough, there was a big, fat mosquito lying inside, full of blood.

Xinchuan felt bitter...

Why did that damn mosquito have to come and cause trouble at such a crucial moment? If it had been any later, it would have already kissed him.

Gu Chao noticed Xin Chuan's distress, ruffled his hair haphazardly, and said, "I'm thirsty, help me pick some fruit."

"Fruit?"

"Like the kind that grows in trees."

Xin Chuan looked up and saw that there were indeed some round, green fruits growing on the big tree above him.

"Can you eat that stuff?" Xin Chuan asked.

"Of course you can. I used to eat this all the time when I was a kid in the countryside," Gu Chao said, handing the short-sleeved shirt back to Xin Chuan. "Put your clothes on first. There are a lot of weird bugs on the tree. If one bites you, we won't be able to see the stars tonight."

Upon hearing that he couldn't see the stars, Xin Chuan immediately put on a short-sleeved shirt.

……

The tree wasn't tall, and Xin Chuan easily knocked the fruit down. Gu Chao wiped it with a wet tissue he carried with him and held it to Xin Chuan's mouth.

Xin Chuan didn't think much of it and took a bite.

The fruit was very hard, probably because it wasn't ripe yet, and the sour and astringent taste instantly filled my mouth.

"Holy crap, this is so sour! Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Xin Chuan spat out the remaining fruit in his mouth with a ferocious expression and hurriedly rummaged through his bag for bottled water.

He hates sour food the most. He mentioned this to Gu Chao when they were chatting, but Gu Chao probably doesn't remember.

After finally managing to suppress the sour taste with water, Xin Chuan looked up and found Gu Chao covering his mouth and chuckling.

"Oh, you knew it was sour, didn't you?" Xin Chuan went behind Gu Chao and hooked her arm around his neck. "I knew this fruit was green and hard, it didn't look appetizing."

"It doesn't look appetizing, why are you still eating it?"

"Of course I eat! You're the one who feeds me, why wouldn't I?"

Even if it were poison, he might swallow it without thinking.

Simply because he trusted Gu Chao.

Unconditional trust.

"Let go of me first, and I'll find you something that isn't sour." Gu Chao laughed until his stomach hurt, grabbing Xin Chuan's strong arms with both hands and pulling him down.

"You lied to me again?"

"No, fruits naturally have both sour and sweet flavors; the slightly softer ones are sweeter."

Seeing Gu Chao's serious explanation, Xin Chuan released him with some skepticism.

However, the next second...

"Hahaha, you think you can just put them down like that? You're such a fool! Actually, all these fruits are sour!"

Gu Chao gloated, running forward while turning back to make faces at Xin Chuan.

Xin Chuan feigned anger: "Gu Chao, if you're so capable, then don't stop!"

……

Time always flies when you're with the right people.

In the blink of an eye, night replaced day, and the weather gradually became cooler.

Gu Chao and Xin Chuan lay on the slope by the lake, looking up at the sky.

The starry sky on a midsummer night is indeed beautiful, with a dazzling array of stars hanging on a huge black canvas, like a dreamlike Milky Way.

A night breeze brushed against his face, and Gu Chao gently closed his eyes. Then he heard Xin Chuan ask, "Senior, have you decided where you want to go as your first choice?"

"I've made up my mind."

"Is it in Moon City?"

Gu Chao paused for a moment and said, "No."

The answer was as expected and did not upset Xin Chuan. Just as he was about to ask which city Gu Chao wanted to apply to, Gu Chao said, "I'm planning to apply to the Finance Department of Ocean University. Judging from the previous years' cut-off scores, I should have no problem."

Xin Chuan: "Ocean University? That's awesome. In the eyes of us academic underachievers, a university like that is like a star in the sky. You can't even reach it by moving a ladder, let alone by flying."

Gu Chao kept his eyes closed and didn't say anything.

"Does the senior plan to come back in the future?"

"I'm not coming back," Gu Chao said. "It has always been my parents' wish to settle down in Haicheng. Once I've established myself there, I'll bring them over to live with me in their old age."

Upon hearing this, Xin Chuan's eyes darkened slightly.

Compared to those prestigious universities that seemed unattainable, he felt that Gu Chao was even further away from him.

"Will you miss me, senior?" Xin Chuan asked, gazing at the twinkling stars in the sky, almost to himself.

What followed was a long silence.

Just when Xin Chuan thought Gu Chao had fallen asleep, he heard a very clear word in his ear—

"meeting."

For the past few months, Xin Chuan has been like a confessional, constantly receiving his negative energy.

Gu Chao felt that a large part of the reason he didn't lose his temper was because of Xin Chuan's companionship.

Without Xin Chuan, he might have really gone to extremes like some psychologically twisted perverts.

"Sometimes I really don't know what the meaning of my existence is." Gu Chao's voice was soft, tinged with an almost imperceptible somberness. "The school I have to attend, the major I have to study, the path I have to take... everything has been arranged for me, and all I have to do is follow the steps like a machine. To the point that now, I seem to have forgotten what I truly like and what I truly dislike."

The most tragic thing is not knowing what to resist, rather than failing to resist.

At least that's how Gu Chao felt.

"Who isn't confused during their youth?" Xin Chuan smiled. "At least we're still young and have plenty of time to continue exploring. Besides, who can say for sure what the future holds?"

Just like now, Gu Chao is so far away from him, but who can say whether the two parallel lines will intersect again in a few years?

……

The two lay on the slope and chatted for a long time. In the end, Gu Chao could no longer resist his exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.

Looking at Gu Chao's sleeping face under the moonlight, Xin Chuan couldn't help but reach out his right hand and gently stroke his eyebrows and eyes.

Then, she carefully propped herself up and moved closer to him.

Xin Chuan hadn't been able to kiss Gu Chao during the day, and he kept thinking about it. After all, the day of their separation was getting closer and closer, and he wanted to keep all his memories of Gu Chao in his mind.

However, just as he was about to kiss her...

Gu Chao actually opened his eyes.

Xin Chuan was stunned. A gentle breeze blew by, and Gu Chao looked up and kissed his lips.

……

The reeds swayed on the lake.

The trains carrying the destinies of the young people set off one after another, heading in different directions.

No one knows if they will meet again in the long river of fate at some point in the future.