Look When You're Told

Gu Luo instinctively licked the wound on his lip, the pain mingling with the lingering sweetness from the girl’s lips. The faint metallic tang of blood was wrapped in the strawberry scent of her lip balm, like a candy held in the mouth—sweet to the point of bitterness before being abruptly crushed.

The clamor from the basketball court downstairs drifted up through several floors, blurring into a distant backdrop of noise, while the small world on the rooftop was so quiet that the mismatched heartbeats of the two could be heard.

Gu Luo watched as Gu Ximan twisted her fingers in the fabric of her skirt, knowing that the fierce bite had been punishment, resentment, and above all, a question—Why can you open your heart to the Luo sisters, yet keep your feelings for me so ambiguous?

He pressed a hand to his chest, where his heart was pounding violently, tangled with complicated emotions for Luo Shuning, guilt toward Luo Shuhe, and now, facing Gu Ximan, the deep-rooted love that had been forcibly exposed.

The cold tea-brown-haired girl sitting beside him, fanning her flushed cheeks with small hands, was like a sudden beam of light piercing through the clouds, forcing him to confront the feelings he’d deliberately ignored.

Even now, Gu Luo wasn’t entirely sure whether his love for Ximan was mixed with the passions of adolescence or if he simply saw her as the most cherished little sister in the world.

Just then, the girl beside him stole a glance at him, then quickly averted her eyes as if shocked.

Gu Luo noticed the slight tremble of Gu Ximan’s reddened earlobes before she began inching toward the edge of the bench, until only half of her was barely perched on the seat—as if ready to bolt at any moment.

The sunlight gilded her cold tea-brown hair with gold dust, the strands brushing lightly against her flushed cheeks in the breeze. The hem of her pleated school skirt fluttered, revealing the top of her knee-high socks, her slender legs pressed together neatly, glowing like pearls under the sun.

Youthful.

Beautiful.

Sweet.

So captivating it was impossible to look away.

Gu Luo stared, momentarily entranced, his pulse accelerating uncontrollably. Something roared in his chest, like ice cracking over a long-frozen river—

He’d once convinced himself that his favoritism toward Ximan was just an older brother’s instinct, that the forceful kiss in his midnight dreams was just adolescent confusion, that defining this overwhelming affection as “most cherished little sister” was enough.

"What are you staring at? Keep looking and I’ll hit you!"

Gu Ximan’s knees weakened under Gu Luo’s scorching gaze. Her little black leather shoes scuffed the ground, her raised fist hovering mid-air, fingertips trembling faintly. Her lashes fluttered like startled butterfly wings, yet she widened her eyes in a feigned glare, her nose scrunching up in a way that made Gu Luo’s heart feel like it had been gently clawed by a kitten—softening into mush.

Only then did he realize he’d been staring too long. He hastily averted his gaze, the back of his neck flushing red.

His eyes skimmed over the ivy at the edge of the rooftop, but his mind stubbornly replayed the scene—the sunlight caught in her cold tea-brown hair, the fine down on her cheeks visible in the light, the teasing glimpse of her sock’s edge beneath the pleated skirt...

He had to admit, if he stripped away the lens of their relationship, Gu Ximan had long become someone who turned heads across the entire school.

In just two months, the love letters secretly stuffed into her desk drawer had piled up higher than Situ Wenyao’s stack of exam papers, and her popularity among first-years rivaled even Shuling, who dominated Guangya High’s popularity rankings.

And also... Ximan had really grown up...

Gu Luo’s throat bobbed unconsciously at the thought.

His gaze drifted downward against his will—the delicate collarbone peeking from her blouse, the exaggerated curves outlined by the fabric, no longer the frail girl he once carried to the hospital.

That glance lasted no more than 0.25 seconds, but Gu Ximan caught it instantly.

Though embarrassed, she straightened her back with a hint of pride, mentally letting out a triumphant "Hmph!"

Basking in the sunlight, she deliberately accentuated the perfect curves of her chest, the pleats of her skirt fanning out at her waist like a blooming camellia.

"......"

Gu Luo’s breath hitched. He quickly turned his head toward the distant school building.

Was it his imagination, or did he hear the faintest, mosquito-like hum from beside him—a mix of smug triumph and bashfulness at being caught?

The sunlight cast long shadows between them, the slender silhouette beside him secretly shifting half an inch closer to the center of the bench.

Adorably so.

The situation now was this: Gu Luo knew that Gu Ximan knew that he knew she knew he’d peeked at her chest.

Gu Luo suddenly realized that when it came to matters of the heart, Ximan had always been decisive—whether it was the forceful kiss in the café or the one earlier, she was far bolder than him.

But here was the problem: This was really awkward now.

It was like childhood friends who knew each other inside out suddenly becoming lovers, only to find themselves flustered and tongue-tied—except their relationship ran far deeper than that.

The two sat side by side on the bench, their eyes occasionally flickering toward each other, yet neither knew how to break the silence.

"...... Ximan."

"...... Stupid Gu."

They spoke almost simultaneously, then both fell quiet again.

Gu Luo cleared his throat awkwardly. "You go first......"

"Oh......"

Gu Ximan twirled a lock of hair around her finger, then puffed out her pink cheeks, her nose wrinkling like tiny dumpling folds, her voice laced with faux fierceness:

"Stupid Gu Luo, you have to take responsibility for me!"

"......"

Gu Luo blinked, momentarily stunned.

Take responsibility? Wasn’t this moving a bit too fast?

Then Gu Ximan pulled out her phone, opened a hidden album, and tapped on a photo—a picture of two pale, full moons, covered in red handprints.

"......"

Gu Luo barely glanced at it before jerking his head away, covering his eyes in a panic. "This isn’t appropriate...... Why are you showing me something like this......"

"Just look at it!"

Burning with embarrassment, Gu Ximan scooted right next to him, prying his hand away from his eyes and shaking the phone in his face.

"Look! Look properly!"

Look?

Properly?!

Was this really something to be looking at right now?

Was "taking responsibility" code for "look and then marry me"?

If so, then in some ways, Ximan was even more domineering than Shuhe.

His thoughts in chaos, Gu Luo squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head vehemently.

"...... This really isn’t good...... Ximan, girls should be a bit more reserved. Calm down a little......"

"You...... you...... you...... Ugh!!"

Gu Ximan was so furious she could’ve bitten him to death. This made it seem like she was throwing herself at him!

Though she was indeed being shameless, Gu Ximan wasn’t so bold as to force that idiot Gu Luo to look at such private photos in broad daylight.

Even if he were to see them, it’d be under the covers at night, wouldn’t it...

“Are you looking or not?!”

“No.”

“Are you seriously not looking?!”

“No.”

“Fine, fine! So you’re really not looking, huh?!”

Gu Ximan was clearly furious. She immediately bit down on Gu Luo’s neck.

Then she sucked hard.

!!!!!!

Gu Luo shuddered violently, goosebumps shooting up his spine to the crown of his head. He hurriedly surrendered: “I’ll look! I’ll look! Just let go already!”

If she left a hickey, and later someone saw it when they went downstairs together—

The consequences would be unimaginable.

The rumor mill would explode.

No one at school knew the true nature of their relationship.

“Hmph!”

Only then did Gu Ximan release him, curling her lips in disdain.

She wasn’t completely thoughtless—she’d bitten the lower part of his neck, almost near the collarbone.

“You…”

Gu Luo wiped away the lingering saliva, shaking his head helplessly before turning his gaze to the phone screen.

Then he froze.

His brows furrowed deeply.

The photo was covered in red marks from rough handling.

“Ximan, what’s this about?”

Gu Luo’s expression was deadly serious, his tone laced with murderous intent.

Seeing his misunderstanding, Gu Ximan quickly seized the opportunity. “What do you mean? Someone bullied me, that’s all.”

“Who?!”

Gu Luo’s rage peaked, his voice rising sharply, his face twisting.

Images of Gu Ximan being mistreated flooded his mind.

“You’re that angry?”

Gu Ximan secretly thrilled at Gu Luo’s furious, protective reaction. She loved feeling his concern like this.

“Who?!”

Gu Luo forced the word through gritted teeth.

“You.”

“......”

The answer left Gu Luo’s mind blank.

His fury vanished instantly. Pointing at himself in disbelief, he stammered:

“M-me?”

“Yes, you! You stupid, perverted Gu Luo!” Gu Ximan zoomed in on the photo, shoving every detail in his face:

“See what you did last time? Aren’t you going to take responsibility?”

............

............