"O-of course."
Gu Luo suppressed the fluttering in his chest, forcing his breathing to steady.
Yet the slight tremble in his fingertips betrayed his nervousness.
He took a deep breath and slowly rested his hand atop Luo Shuning's small head.
Gently, he began to tousle her hair.
His fingers threaded through her silky strands with deliberate care,
each stroke tender and cautious.
At that moment, only one thought filled Gu Luo's mind—he wished time would slow down, freeze even, so this sweetness could last forever.
Neither spoke. One was lost in the soothing motion of the caress, the other savoring the warmth beneath his fingertips.
Gu Luo's lips parted slightly as if to say something, but after a hesitant pause, he swallowed the words back down.
Don’t rush. Don’t rush.
Haste makes waste.
There’s plenty of time.
The future is long.
How long they lingered in that blissful moment, neither could tell.
Suddenly, a bright voice sliced through the kitchen’s quiet:
"Brother, is the food ready yet?! I’m starving—!"
At Luo Shuling’s call, Gu Luo and Luo Shuning jolted as if electrocuted, scrambling apart in a fluster. Their hands flew over ingredients and plates,
busy yet accomplishing nothing.
Luo Shuling yawned as she ambled to the kitchen doorway, tilting her head. "Brother, Shuning, why are you ignoring me?"
"Ah... almost done," Gu Luo feigned calm, wrestling his voice into steadiness while his heart still hammered wildly.
Beside him, Luo Shuning kept her head bowed, lips pressed tight. She dared neither speak nor glance at Luo Shuling,
her face burning crimson—whether from shyness or the sudden interruption, it was hard to tell.
Thankfully, her curtain of dark hair shielded most of her embarrassment.
"Keep at it, then! I’ll snack on some chips first." Unbothered, Luo Shuling breezed past them, plucked a bag of cucumber-flavored chips from the fridge,
and hummed her way out of the kitchen.
Only when her slipper-clad footsteps faded did the pair exhale in unison, tension draining.
Yet silence and awkwardness quickly reclaimed the kitchen. Neither knew what to say next.
Luo Shuning fidgeted, wondering if she should consult her "strategist" for advice.
She’d never dated, never really known how to act around boys.
Now, anticipation tangled with unease in her chest—hope for something more with Gu Luo, but mostly fear of missteps.
After another stretch of quiet, Luo Shuning finally spoke: "Brother, any plans today? With the school festival next week, we’re rehearsing at noon. Will you come?"
‘Yes.’
The word nearly leapt from Gu Luo’s tongue.
But he caught himself just in time—he’d already promised Luo Shuling his day.
Damn it!
This was the perfect chance to deepen things with Luo Shuning.
Yet a promise was a promise.
Gritting his teeth, Gu Luo shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, Shuning. I’ve got something else today..."
"No need to apologize."
Luo Shuning smiled, though a flicker of disappointment crossed her face before she quickly added,
"Hanging out with friends?"
Gu Luo stiffened, nerves coiling tight.
He hated lying to her.
But how could he explain this?
The truth about Luo Shuling was impossible to share.
Maybe honesty? The thought flashed and died just as fast.
No, no...
After today, he’d be "even" with Luo Shuling anyway.
She’d behaved lately.
Best to keep it quiet.
Handle it privately.
Sorry, sorry, my little angel...
Gu Luo mentally groveled before forcing out, "Just... a class dinner."
The same lie he’d told Gu Ximan.
Now recycled.
"That’s great! You’ll bond with everyone." Luo Shuning’s smile returned. "Shen Yue will be thrilled. She loves eating."
Oh no.
Gu Luo’s vision darkened.
He’d forgotten Luo Shuning knew Shen Yue.
"Ah... yeah, haha."
His laugh was pure awkwardness.
The words had barely left his mouth when Gu Luo regretted it so much he wanted to slap himself.
Damn it, damn it.
He should’ve said he went with other classmates.
If Luo Shuning and Shen Yue were to ask about it...
Ah—!!!
Gu Luo, are you an idiot?!
How could you not think of that?!
Gu Luo didn’t even dare to imagine Luo Shuning’s expression if she found out he’d lied to her.
But there was really no helping it—his mind had been too flustered at the time. It was a spur-of-the-moment lie, with no time to think it through.
Still, according to Shen Yue, she and Luo Shuning weren’t particularly close, so they probably didn’t chat much in daily life.
Even if they did, Luo Shuning likely wouldn’t bring up something like this.
But it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Maybe he should just come clean.
But how could he explain it?
If he admitted the lie, he’d have to explain why he lied in the first place.
And that would inevitably lead to another lie about ‘that thing.’
Luo Shuning had been bringing him warm milk every single day because of it.
Gu Luo’s mind felt tangled in a mess of threads, dizzy and throbbing the more he thought about it.
Was this the price of lying?
Now, all he could do was pray for the favor of Lady Luck.
Time ticked by, and just as breakfast was nearly ready, Luo Shuning smiled and said, “Brother, I’ll go heat the milk now.”
“Ah... okay.”
Hearing that, Gu Luo’s guilt only grew heavier.
What a piece of work he was.
No matter what, after today, he wouldn’t ‘owe’ Luo Shuhe anymore.
From now on, he absolutely couldn’t slip up with the names again—no giving that little demon an opening.
He could only hope everything would be resolved smoothly today.
............
............