Assistant Architect

Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

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“Sleep, sleep onthe couch!” Zhang Siyi blurted out without hesitation.

“OK” Gu Yunodded and went upstairs to get a blanket for him. Zhang Siyi felt that he hadmade the right choice. He isn’t so familiar with Gu Yu. As a guest, who would sleepin the same bed as the owner on the first visit? That would be tooembarrassing!

When he brought out asummer quilt, Zhang Siyi balked: "That blanket!?"

Gu Yu: “One is notenough?”

Zhang Siyi: “Doyou have more?”… Shit! It’s such a cold day. Gu Yu wants to freeze him!

Gu Yan raised hiseyebrows: “I live alone so I don’t have extras.”

Zhang Siyi hurriedly followedup: “But you invited me to stay over knowing you only had this!?"

With conviction, GuXiao answered him: “I didn't think you would mind staying with me. Howwould I know your skin is so thin?" And then, full of ridicule, Gu Yu expelleda "heh".

Riled up, Zhang Siyi isabout to freak out, but suddenly a thought popped into his head. He and Gu Yuare straight men so why can't they sleep on a bed? He used to sleep in a bed togetherwith Fu Xinhui when they traveled so why is this any different? That's right!Zhang Siyi, you have a rock for a brain!

Narrowing his eyes andpuffing his cheeks to make a” who is afraid of who ” expression,Zhang Siyi clenched his fists and exclaimed: “I’ll sleep with you!" Oncehis mind accepted his own logic, he was a little enthusiastic. He finally cameto Gu Yu's home. Of course, he is curious about Gu Yu's house and bedroom. Hisfemale colleagues will all be so jealous!

Gu Yu hadn't yet putthe quilt down before hearing Zhang Siyi change his mind. He turned and said:"Come with me."

Zhang Siyi picked uphis backpack and followed him. Gu Yu asked: “Do you want to take ashower?”

Zhang Siyi defensivelyreplied: “No, I washed at home.”

Gu Yu chuckled, andalthough he said nothing, the laughter made Zhang Siyi nervous. His emotionsare getting all mixed up again. "But I have to wash my face and brush my teeth.Is there a bathroom?”

Pointing, Gu Yureplied: “Yes, there.”

The first thing ZhangSiyi saw when he got to the top of the stairs was the treadmill at the end ofthe corridor facing a small window inlayed with a wooden lattice. Behind him,he saw an open floor plan similar to the one downstairs, however, thesimilarities ended there. The floor was raised on a platform with tatami stylemats covering it. Through glass doors next to it, there was a small open-airgarden. Resting on the mats was a long, wooden antique table and on the tablewas a chessboard. With only a glimpse, Zhang Siyi recognized how elegant Gu Yulifestyle must be.

Indeed, there were onlytwo rooms upstairs. The door to one of the rooms was shut, while the other wasajar. Between the rooms was a bathroom. Still holding the quilt, Gu Yu walkedinto one of the rooms and Zhang Siyi slowly followed. With eyes forwardscanning the area left and right, like a snail that stretched its tentacles to probethe space in front, collecting information, Zhang Siyi tentatively passedthrough the threshold into Gu Yu's bedroom.

The bedroom is quitebig, at least thirty or forty square meters, with a double bed about one meterwide centered against a wall. On one of the side walls, there is a large whitedesk covered in felt with neatly placed calligraphy brushes and pens in a rackon the desktop.

Just as Zhang Siyi wasturning his head, he caught sight of something familiar. The stark contrast ofthe pumpkin lantern was quite eye-catching in his room. Not only the brightcolor, but also the crazy face carved into it was vastly different from thequiet elegance of his surroundings.

Gu Yu put down thequilt and turned around to notice that Zhang Siyi was staring at the pumpkin.He smiled and said: “That is the one you carved.”

Of course, he knew thatthis is what he did, but it has been more than three months, and even the best ofpumpkins would be rotten by now! Looking at the brightly colored pumpkinlantern, Zhang Siyi was as shocked as if he saw a dead body that was buried inthe ground for three months unchanged!

“How? Why it not rotten!?" He droppedhis bag to look closer and found that the jack-o-lantern was locked in atransparent acrylic sealed box.

……buteven so, it's just a pumpkin! It's not supposed to be like that!

Gu Yu explained:“I applied an anti-corrosive paint on the surface of the pumpkin and askeda friend who studied chemistry to seal it in a box with nitrogen in thelaboratory."

Zhang Siyi wassurprised: “This box is filled with nitrogen?”

Gu Yu: “Hmm."

Zhang Siyi mood is inturmoil: “Is this necessary? It's just a pumpkin!"

Gu Yu asked: “Iwant to cherish the things I like. Why is it unnecessary?”

Zhang Siyi:“…” Although Gu Yu's “like” is with regards to thejack-o-lantern, he gets the feeling that he is also "cherished". This illusionmakes his heart surge madly, both happy and afraid.

Gu Yu looked at ZhangSiyi in the eyes and smiled. “You gave it to me so it's mine now. I wantto know how to do it, ok?"

Zhang Siyi:“…” What do you mean, “how do you want to do it?” Youmake it clear to me!

“All right, nevermind that. Come wash your face.” Gu Yu said and went out.

Zhang Siyi had no timeto think about it longer. He hurriedly followed and pulled out his owntoiletries from his bag. Gu Yu showed him how to turn on the hot water. He saw ZhangSiyi pull out several bottles from his bag and questioned "What are those?"

Startled by hisquestion, Zhang Siyi flatly responded: “Face cleanser, toner, facecream…”

Gu Yu frowned: “Youneed all that to wash your face?”

Zhang Siyi lifted aneyebrow and thought his comment was strange: “You don't need them?"

When he was in college,most of the guys with money were using skin care products. Unless it wassomeone who didn't care at all about his personal care and image, they used facialcleanser as much as shaving. He learned a lot from Fu Xinhui.

Gu Yu pointed to asingle tube of "Dabao" on the shelf and said, "My sister bought it for me. Idon't use it very much."

Zhang Siyi shocked:“You don't regularly use facial products…… Why is your skin so good!?"

That's not scientific!These days you can't compare yourself to a male TV star because they areapplying facial masks more diligently then women are. Even if Zhang Siyi has agreat foundation, he has never stopped using skin care products since going tocollege, especially in the city areas, where a layer of dirty film gets on hisskin. Can you wash oil clean with water?

He turned to inspect GuYu's smooth skin and couldn't find anything wrong. Zhang Siyi was suspicious.He absolutely did not believe Gu Yu did nothing!

Gu Yu's thin lipsslightly opened to give him two words: “Natural beauty.”

Zhang Siyi:“…”

Taking a tube of facialcream from Zhang Siyi's hand, Gu Yu looked at it then looked at Zhang Siyi andtaunted: “Washing your face is so complicated. No wonder you look like apretty boy."

Now provoked, ZhangSiyi grabbed his things from Gu Yu's hands and forcefully pushed him out of theroom: "Get out! I want to wash!"

Laughing, Gu Yu walkedaway.

Feeling irritated,Zhang Siyi rubbed his cheeks and told himself in the mirror, you are a man!

While waiting for ZhangSiyi to finish washing in the bathroom, he laid the quilt on the bed. He openedthe air conditioner and said to Zhang Siyi: "Since I have to go downstairs tofinish cleaning up and then take a shower, go to sleep first. I'll be awhile."

With a "mmmmm", ZhangSiyi bowed slightly as Gu Yu leisurely exited the room. He went over to the bedin a trance and inspected it. The whole bed is covered with a thick blanket onthe top and underneath there are two lighter weight quilts with a division inthe middle. Ah! Great!

Zhang Siyi took off his sweater and pants and put it on the bedside table.He picked a side of the bed and trying not to mess up the bedding on bothsides, he gently got under the covers.

After he had laid down and packed the covers around him like a cocoon, hewas afraid to move.

Since Gu Yu is absent, Zhang Siyi curiously looked around the room for awhile. He saw the cactus lamp that he gave to Gu Yu on the bedside table on theopposite side of the bed. Also, there were two moleskin black sketchbooks thathe commonly saw Gu Yu use.

With great determination, Zhang Siyi suppressed his urge to peek at thebooks. Trying to convince himself to sleep, he shrank deeper into the quilt. It'salready nine and a half and only five and a half hours left to sleep…

Go to sleep, go to sleep… aaaaahhhhhhh… I can’t sleep at all! o////o

He can't stop his thoughts: Gu Yu's room. Gu Yu's bed. Gu Yu's quilt.Ohohoh…. All parts of Zhang Siyi are getting excited. Why would that happen!? AmI subconsciously adoring Gu Yu? Yes, that’s right! It must be like this! Gu Yuis the idol figure in high school! That’s why he’s so excited! The age ofyouthful worship has passed. Think of Gu Yu like an ordinary person, aneighbor, a big brother…. Bro, what are you excited about? Get down there!

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……

About half an hour later, Gu Yu returned to the room after bathing. On oneside of the bed, half of a fluffy head was revealed. It seems like Zhang Siyi wasalready asleep. He softly walked to the bed with a light foot and looked at thesketchbook on the bedside table. He paused for a minute and sighedincomprehensibly. Sitting on the bed, Gu Yu was preparing to fold back thequilt to get under the covers when he suddenly found the half-revealed head shrinkinginside the quilt further.

Gu Yu: “…” He laid down on the bed under the covers and askedin a low voice: “Are you still awake?"

Zhang Siyi, who is pretending to sleep "……" Why is the sheep he countedfor a long time still so excited!

Gu Yu asked again: “… Asleep?"

Zhang Siyi: “…” What to do! Pretend not to hear him? Continuecounting sheep? After a few seconds, there was a gentle, regular snoring on theside.

Gu Yu: “………”

Except for Zhang Siyi's "snoring", the room was quiet for a long-time.

When he thought there was no more movement next to him, he gently stoppedhis "snoring" and slowly stuck his head out from under the quilt and sucked intwo deep breaths. Shit! It was so suffocating under there.

With a sensuous voice suddenly sounding low in Zhang Siyi ear, Gu Yu said:"I knew you were pretending to sleep."

Zhang Siyi: “…”

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