Haki Yao

The sunlight filtered through the wispy clouds like a sheer veil, and a gentle breeze drifted through Guangya, carrying the intoxicating fragrance of September blooms.

Gu Luo and Shen Yue walked side by side to a quiet corner of the playground near the garden, far from the clamor and playfulness of their classmates. Here, only the soft rustling of grass in the wind and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard.

Shen Yue reached up to smooth her wind-tousled bangs, hesitating before she spoke:

"Gu Luo... is it really okay for you to call me that in front of others...?"

She was genuinely worried that Gu Luo might become the subject of gossip.

Especially since he was the most popular heartthrob in school.

Every move he made was under the watchful eyes of countless admirers.

"You don’t mind if I jokingly call you 'Mama Yue,' right?"

Gu Luo chuckled casually before plopping down onto a stone bench.

"Of course not!"

Shen Yue blurted out, her voice involuntarily rising a few notches.

But then, just as quickly, her tone softened to a near whisper. "But... I’m afraid people might talk about you..."

Hearing this, Gu Luo patted the empty space beside him on the bench and smiled. "Do you remember the first time we ate together in the cafeteria?"

Of course Shen Yue remembered.

It was a moment she would never forget.

—"Shen Yue, we’re friends, right?"

—"Then take back what you just said."

Their true friendship had begun with those two sentences.

Like a seed planted in the heart, it took root, sprouted, and gradually grew into a towering tree with lush branches.

"Um... Gu Luo..."

After sitting down, Shen Yue unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, hesitating for a long moment before speaking. "You must like cute, pretty girls like other guys do, right? Like the Luo Shuning sisters, for example..."

Gu Luo blinked in surprise, then nodded without hesitation, his gaze sincere. "Yeah, I do."

"I see..."

Hearing his straightforward answer, Shen Yue actually laughed, her voice light. "I thought you’d say something like 'inner beauty is true beauty' just because of me."

If he had, it would have hurt her instead.

People who carried insecurity were often hypersensitive to others’ words and gazes.

And those seemingly noble sentiments were the most painful—like a soft knife, gentle yet deeply cutting.

"I’m not a saint. Of course I’d naturally be drawn to pretty girls." Gu Luo turned to look at Shen Yue, studying her face for a moment before smiling warmly. "But Mama Yue, your features are really nice too. You’re just a little chubby. If you slimmed down, you’d definitely be a knockout."

"It’s not just 'a little'..." Shen Yue no longer hid her weight around Gu Luo, replying with a bitter smile. "I wasn’t like this when I was little... But once, when I went back to the countryside, I got lost and almost starved to death in the mountains..."

"I was really that close to dying."

"After that, I started binge-eating. It was the only thing that made me feel safe..."

"I’ve tried to lose weight since then... but I just can’t control it. If I don’t eat, I panic... The doctors said it was severe psychological trauma. I saw so many specialists, but nothing worked. Eventually, I just gave up."

"It was worst in elementary and middle school. I’d snack between every class—sometimes even during lessons... The way my classmates looked at me... They gave me awful nicknames..."

The painful memories of being mocked flooded back, making it hard for her to continue.

Hearing this, Gu Luo’s heart ached.

Now he understood why Shen Yue, despite coming from a wealthy family, still struggled with self-doubt.

"Mama Yue, how about I be your mukbang partner from now on?"

Gu Luo suggested softly. "Whenever you feel the urge to snack, just feed me instead. You know what they say—when a son eats, it’s like the mother’s eating too."

Shen Yue immediately pictured the scene in her mind.

She saw herself happily handing Gu Luo all kinds of snacks while he ate with relish, his face glowing with satisfaction.

Feeding Gu Luo would be the happiest thing ever!

"R-really? Can we do that?"

Her heart raced as she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Of course."

Gu Luo nodded, then added with a playful shift in tone, "But... there’s one condition."

"I accept!" Shen Yue agreed instantly, her voice trembling with excitement.

She wanted to lose weight. She wanted to wear pretty dresses and feel beautiful.

If it could really be of help, not just one condition—even ten or a hundred—he would agree.

"That's good." Gu Luo let out a relieved sigh, then added somewhat awkwardly,

"The reason I asked you here, Yue Ma, was to confess something to you."

"What is it?"

"Actually, Luo Shuning is my sister."

"Ah... huh?!" Shen Yue's mouth fell open in shock.

Her mind buzzed, her brain nearly short-circuiting.

Gu Luo then proceeded to explain in detail how they were part of a blended family and why he had kept it from her at first.

Shen Yue listened, nodding repeatedly, feeling no resentment over the deception—only understanding and acceptance.

After all, they hadn’t been close back then; their relationship wasn’t as strong as it was now.

This also explained why Luo Shuning had teased Gu Luo so much during the club recruitment fair,

and why Luo Shuling had so casually leaned in to whisper in his ear.

Turns out, they were stepsiblings, living under the same roof.

Once Gu Luo finished speaking, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Unless absolutely necessary, he hated lying.

Now, all he had to do was wait for Shen Yue to process it.

After what felt like forever, Shen Yue snapped out of her thoughts, suddenly reaching out to gently pat his head. Softly, she said,

"You’ve had it tough. From now on, Yue Ma will have your back."

Her voice was filled with tenderness.

The moment she imagined Gu Luo growing up without a mother’s care, her maternal instincts surged like a tidal wave, compelling her to make up for the warmth he’d missed.

Gu Luo froze.

He had expected Shen Yue to be shocked by his relationship with Luo Shuning and the others.

He had expected her to laugh it off and say she understood.

He had even expected her to be upset that he’d kept it from her.

But he never imagined her biggest concern would be his upbringing—whether he’d received enough love.

At first, "Yue Ma" had just been a joke.

Yet, without realizing it, the nickname had become an emotional bond between them.

After ruffling her "good son’s" hair for a while, Shen Yue sighed. "Still, I never would’ve guessed you and Shuning were stepsiblings..."

Then, with a smile, she added, "That means Auntie Luo will definitely take you to this year’s charity gala. In that case, I’ll go too."

"Charity gala?"

Just as Gu Luo was about to ask for details, a familiar voice cut in.

"Gu Luo! Finally found you."

It was their class’s P.E. representative—a tall, dark-skinned guy with a robust build.

"What’s up?" Gu Luo asked curiously.

After catching his breath, the P.E. rep said helplessly, "The P.E. teacher wants us to play a friendly match against Class 12’s guys."

"...Then let’s play?"

Gu Luo didn’t get why a friendly match was such a big deal.

It was just a casual game for fun, a way for everyone to relax.

"No... this isn’t like usual. Haji Yao took a bunch of guys to Class 12 and trash-talked them... Their P.E. teacher is pissed."

Gu Luo’s lips twitched. "...It’s just students talking smack. The teacher wouldn’t get mad over something that small, right?"

He knew Situ Wenyao’s character well—after all, as a member of the public service club, he wasn’t the type to say anything outright offensive. Probably just some playful taunting.

...Okay, maybe it was a little obnoxious.

Hearing this, the P.E. rep covered his face, nearly in tears.

"But Haji Yao was trash-talking their P.E. teacher..."

Haji Yao had led the group to mock...

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