GT chapter 7

You should call me uncle.

Luo Jin’s words kept echoing in Duan Xingchi’s head. It wasn’t until Luo Jin called him for dinner that he snapped out of it, realizing they didn’t actually spend much time together aside from meals.

“You don’t go to the office on weekends?”

“No. I can work from home on weekends — though I’ll go in if there’s something urgent.”

Duan Xingchi glanced at the table. Besides noodles, there were also teriyaki chicken and beef in tomato sauce. “Why’d you make so much just for noodles? It’s too much trouble for you.”

The young master must have grown used to being around Luo Jin; he was talking more than usual — and every word was thoughtful. Luo Jin even felt a bit flattered.

When he lived alone, he never bothered to cook properly — just tossed whatever ingredients together in a single stir-fry. Hardly ever something you could call a real dish.

“It’s fine. You’re still growing; you should eat well.”

Duan Xingchi thought back to his latest physical checkup — his height: 192.8 cm.

He didn’t think he needed to grow any taller. In fact, he wouldn’t mind being a bit shorter.

And as for other parts… he definitely didn’t need them to grow any more either.

“I don’t need to grow anymore,” he said. “I’m already good enough.”

Luo Jin asked without thinking, “Good enough in what way?”

The moment he said it, he realized how dumb that sounded — who even asks that kind of question?

But Duan Xingchi still answered, “Good enough in every way.”

At first, Luo Jin didn’t think there was anything strange about that reply. But when Duan Xingchi lifted his leg, the tip of his foot brushed against Luo Jin’s bare calf. Luo Jin froze instantly — that brief contact sent tingles through his whole body. His calf burned, and a strange, involuntary reaction stirred deep inside him. His brain scrambled to shift focus, wondering whether Duan Xingchi’s words had another meaning.

But when he looked up, Duan Xingchi had already withdrawn his leg and was calmly eating his noodles again, sitting properly — as if it had really just been an accident.

Luo Jin told himself he was overthinking. It was just two men accidentally brushing against each other — what was there to think about? He shook his head to clear it and quietly went back to eating.

From the corner of his eye, Duan Xingchi noticed the faint blush spreading over Luo Jin’s ear. He hid his smile behind his chopsticks.

That night, Jiang Yiming called Duan Xingchi for a video chat, so he went upstairs early. It was already pitch dark in G City, while it was noon back in Country Y.

The temperature in Country Y around March was perfect — nothing like the unbearable heat of G City.

Since arriving in G City, Duan Xingchi hadn’t gone out much. It was just too hot. In Country Y, he probably hadn’t experienced such weather even once a year. He wasn’t used to it. The air conditioning in his room was far more comfortable. Seeing Jiang Yiming outdoors in the breeze on screen made him feel a little envious.

Jiang Yiming, of course, had to touch the sore spot. “Duan-ge, it’s super hot over there, right?”

“Yeah, way hotter than Country Y.”

As Duan Xingchi spoke, he tossed his phone onto the bed and tugged off his home shirt.

Once his upper body was bare, he instantly felt cooler. Adjusting the air conditioner, he heard Jiang Yiming shouting through the camera, “Duan-ge, where are you?”

Duan Xingchi picked up the phone again. “Right here.”

Jiang Yiming stared at him with gossip practically written all over his face. “Last time you didn’t tell me — come on, what’s the deal with that guy?”

“What deal? I just came back to China and I’m temporarily staying at his place.”

“No way!” Jiang Yiming wagged his finger, looking triumphant. “You can’t fool me. Be honest — you’ve got a thing for him, don’t you?”

Duan Xingchi cleared his throat, deliberately dodging the question. “You’d better shut up and focus on how to win over Victoria instead of gossiping about me.”

At the mention of her, Jiang Yiming’s expression turned gloomy. Victoria was their classmate — a tall, striking Chinese-British girl who’d been modeling since she was 14, walking runways for big brands. Jiang Yiming had secretly liked her for years, only confessing after graduation — and getting rejected every single time. She only saw him as a friend.

“Come on, we’re brothers! My love life’s a disaster — at least one of us should have a happy ending.”

“I hope so too.”

“Then—”

“Stop asking.”

“Fine.” Jiang Yiming sighed, disappointed he couldn’t get any details. But it wasn’t that Duan Xingchi didn’t want to tell him — it was just that his feelings toward Luo Jin were still unclear.

He could admit one thing, though — Luo Jin’s looks were exactly his type. That’s why, at their first meeting, he’d immediately tried to figure out whether Luo Jin was straight.

Luo Jin was definitely straight — Duan Xingchi was more certain of it with each passing day. Yet he couldn’t help wanting to tease him, subtly, quietly. It was entertaining.

At first, he’d held back since they hadn’t known each other long — just the occasional lingering glance, which Luo Jin never seemed to notice. But now, he found himself wanting more — a little more closeness, a little more touch.

……

Luo Jin found the movie that night a little boring. Halfway through, he turned off the TV and went to take a shower. After what happened last time, he’d already prepared towels and a change of clothes in the downstairs bathroom.

When he finished and went upstairs, he was drying his hair, head lowered. 

Duan Xingchi was about to go downstairs to watch the movie with Luo Jin, but when he saw Luo Jin coming up, he stopped at the staircase landing to wait. His soft-soled slippers made no sound, and since Luo Jin was looking down, he didn’t notice him.

The two were about to bump into each other when Duan Xingchi, leaning lazily against the railing, didn’t move aside.

Only when they were a fist’s distance apart did Luo Jin finally realize someone was standing in front of him. Startled, he tried to step back—forgetting that there were stairs behind him.

His expression froze for a moment. Luckily, Duan Xingchi reacted quickly, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward while stepping back himself.

Luo Jin fell straight into his arms.

Thump.

That was the sound echoing in Duan Xingchi’s chest. His free hand hovered mid-air, then came down instinctively before Luo Jin could react—wrapping him in an embrace.

The movement was fast, natural, like a reflex.

One had just taken a cold shower; the other had been sitting under the air conditioner. Neither of their body temperatures was particularly high, but the sudden closeness made the air between them heat up instantly.

It was burning—right to the heart. How troublesome.

Luo Jin was about ten centimeters shorter, and in this position, his lips brushed against Duan Xingchi’s neck.

What truly froze Luo Jin in place, though, was that in the moment they collided, his lower abdomen had hit a certain central part of Duan Xingchi’s body.

And even now, they were still pressed together. The shape was… clearly distinct.

Duan Xingchi had obviously noticed it too. Although a part of him wanted to wait until Luo Jin realized before pulling away, he was honestly afraid that if they stayed like this any longer, something unspeakable might happen.

He steadied Luo Jin by the shoulders and took a step back. “Be careful.”

“Thanks.” Luo Jin’s gaze darted everywhere, unsure where to look.

Breaking the awkward silence, Duan Xingchi said, “Go to bed early. Good night.”

“Okay. You too.”

After that, they each went back to their rooms. Lying on the bed, Luo Jin couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened.

It had lasted only a few seconds, yet when he recalled it, it felt unusually long.

He tried to imagine if the same thing had happened between Lu Zhiyan and Pei Xinan, they’d probably have joked it off without caring.

So why did everything feel so wrong when it was Duan Xingchi?

He realized he was overreacting. Even at dinner, Duan Xingchi had behaved completely normally. He should’ve been the same.

Enough thinking. Better to focus on how to secure that plot of land in City B.

…..

The next morning, the two of them coincidentally slept in.

The blackout curtains blocked all the light, and the room was pitch dark. Half-asleep, Luo Jin grabbed his phone, thinking it was around six or seven—but when he checked, it was already past ten. He wondered if Duan Xingchi was awake.

He closed his eyes again for a while, and when the drowsiness faded, he got up, washed, and opened his door—just in time to run into Duan Xingchi.

The young master looked like he’d been up for quite a while. There was no trace of sleepiness on his face. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, with yesterday’s clothes draped over his arm.

He’d sweated during yesterday’s nap and wanted to wash them.

Neither of them brought up last night’s incident—it wasn’t something worth revisiting anyway.

“You know how to use the washing machine?” Luo Jin asked, tilting his chin toward him.

“Yeah.”

“Good. It’s almost eleven. Are you hungry? If not, we can just wait and have lunch.”

“I’m not hungry. Let’s eat lunch together. I’ll wash these first.”

“Alright. I’ll go downstairs then.”

They brushed past each other in the hallway. When Duan Xingchi went downstairs later, Luo Jin was already in the kitchen.

He was staring into the fridge, debating what to cook. Just then, Duan Xingchi came in.

“Is there anything you want to eat? I can’t decide.”

He stepped aside so Duan Xingchi could see the ingredients inside.

“How about braised beef brisket with sweet potatoes?”

“Sure. What else?”

“Fried potatoes with sausage.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll help you.”

Duan Xingchi had been in the kitchen many times before while Luo Jin cooked, but this was the first time he’d offered to help.

Luo Jin turned to look at him, his expression openly skeptical. “You know how?”

Duan Xingchi sighed helplessly. “I’m a normal adult man, you know. Not that pampered.”

That was true, but since Luo Jin was a few years older, he still treated him like a delicate young master who’d never lifted a finger in the kitchen.

“Then you can slice the sausage, each piece about half a finger’s width, then cut each slice into four smaller chunks. Careful—don’t cut yourself.”

“Got it.”

While Duan Xingchi chopped the sausage, Luo Jin handled the beef brisket and loaded it into the pressure cooker. The kitchen was quiet except for the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board and the soft hiss of escaping steam.

When Duan Xingchi handed over the diced sausage, Luo Jin praised him like a kindergarten teacher, “Our little young master is really impressive.”

Duan Xingchi frowned at his exaggerated tone but couldn’t suppress a smile.

He went on to cut the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Once Luo Jin started cooking, though, there wasn’t much he could do except watch and try to memorize the steps.

The potatoes and sausage sizzled in the pan, the air filling with the sound of oil crackling.

Then Duan Xingchi suddenly asked, “Ge, have you ever had a girlfriend?”

Luo Jin didn’t catch it clearly. “What?”

So Duan Xingchi repeated, louder this time, “I asked if you’ve ever had a girlfriend.”

Just one short sentence, yet Luo Jin didn’t know whether he should be pleasantly surprised that Duan Xingchi finally called him “ge”, or astonished that Duan Xingchi could even ask such a question.

After all, he didn’t look like the kind of person who cared about other people’s love lives.