Reluctantly Willing

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

“How about Guo Guo sleeps in the middle and we sleep on either side?” Gu Jun suggested. “This way, we won’t touch while sleeping.”
This was a compromise. An Xiaoyan didn’t say anything. He turned his back to Gu Jun and started sleeping.
Only Guo Guo snored that night. The two on either side didn’t feel like sleeping.
An Xiaoyan thought back to today and realized that he had let many things slide. For example, he’d voluntarily suggested that Gu Jun stay before Gu Jun had even said anything. He’d also accepted Gu Jun’s gift as if it were normal. He’d acted strangely.
Gu Jun turned and looked in An Xiaoyan’s direction. “Guo Guo said that he came to watch a movie with you.”
After An Xiaoyan heard, he agreed.
Gu Jun glanced at the moonlight streaming in from the window. “Guo Guo really likes you.”
“I know. I like him too.”
“Can I get closer to you?”
There was no reply. There were rustles and Gu Jun turned as well. Whenever he got an inch closer to An Xiaoyan, he would get pushed even further away.
The next day was Wednesday—An Xiaoyan’s off day.
As soon as Guo Guo woke up, he wanted to go to the movies. An Xiaoyan prepared breakfast and promised to take him after they ate.
The trio went out again.
Guo Guo held both his dad and Uncle An’s hands. The three walked under the sunlight to the theater.
It wasn’t the weekend, so there weren’t many people. The upcoming screenings still had a lot of tickets.
“Guo Guo, what do you want to watch?”
“That one.”
Guo Guo pointed at an animation. It was Dinosaur Zoo. It was a foreign movie, but it had a Chinese version.
Gu Jun might not be interested in this kind of movie, An Xiaoyan asked for his opinion.
“Guo Guo has wanted to see this for a long time, so let’s watch it. I’ll go get two buckets of popcorn.”
After getting their tickets, they still had 20 minutes until the movie started. An Xiaoyan brought Guo Guo to the waiting area.
A while later, Gu Jun came back with two buckets of popcorn. “Wait. There are still three cups of soda.”
After getting the drinks, Gu Jun explained, “If you buy a large bucket of popcorn, they give a small for free. I’d wanted to buy two larges, but then I felt like one large and one small is enough.”
Guo Guo naturally took the small. This meant that Gu Jun and An Xiaoyan would share the large bucket.
After checking their tickets, the three went to the center of the theater. Guo Guo was going to sit in the center, but he wanted to sit on the side so his uncle and dad could eat the popcorn. An Xiaoyan ended up in the middle.
The movie soon started. An Xiaoyan was very interested, just like Guo Guo. Gu Jun sat on the side and thought about An Xiaoyan. He wasn’t that interested in the movie.
The movie was basically about a dinosaur egg that was lost in the wilderness. After it was born, it searched for its family and finally returned to the dinosaur paradise.
At the climax, the dinosaur was bullied by some other dinosaurs. An Xiaoyan seemed totally into it. Gu Jun carefully put a kernel to his lips. A second later, An Xiaoyan ate it.
Immersed in the movie, An Xiaoyan wasn’t even aware of what just occurred. Gu Jun kept feeding him. After the climax, An Xiaoyan relaxed. When he felt the popcorn in his mouth, he realized that something had happened.
His face instantly turned beet-red. He didn’t know when Gu Jun started feeding him, but his mouth felt salty. He must have eaten a lot.
Looking back at the bucket, he saw that it now was half empty. An Xiaoyan wanted to bury himself in a hole.
He stole some glances at Gu Jun. The man was staring at the screen. Things should be fine.
Overall, the movie was spectacular. An Xiaoyan was satisfied after watching it. Guo Guo was still young, so he just found it fun.
It was already noon as they exited the theater. Guo Guo cried that he was hungry. The theater was on the fourth floor and there were restaurants on the third floor. An Xiaoyan suggested that they eat here. Going home to make food would take too long.
Before coming out in the morning, he’d made sure to fill up the cats’ bowls. It was okay to go home a bit later.
The most common restaurants in food centers were hot pot joints and buffets. Gu Jun chose a buffet. An Xiaoyan naturally had no complaints.
To outsiders, they were a family of three. There was nothing happier than watching a movie and then eating lunch.
After spending a year with Gu Jun, an Xiaoyan had experienced many firsts. For example, he’d taken care of kids, gone camping, and driven for the first time.
He thought a lot after leaving Gu Jun. Now, he suddenly had another thought. If Gu Jun wouldn’t marry and was truly willing to be with him, he could move past the obstacles in his heart. They might really work out.
The hatred had faded with time. He wished that Gu Jun could truly treat him well and see him as a man and significant other, instead of a lover or bed-warmer. As for Guo Guo, he needed a family. Before Gu Jun finds someone better, An Xiaoyan could fill in.
It was early in the afternoon by the time the trio finished their lunch. It was time for Guo Guo to take a nap, so the three went back.
An Xiaoyan put Guo Guo on the bed and softly closed the door. Gu Jun was playing with Yippy in the living room. He tossed the ball and Yippy would bring it back, tail wagging.
“Gu Jun, let’s talk.”
An Xiaoyan’s expression was a bit strange. Gu Jun put down the ball and placed Yippy on his leg. He waited for An Xiaoyan to talk.
“What’s your attitude towards me now?”
“I still want you to be with me,” Gu Jun answered without hesitation.
This was expected. “If it’s for Guo Guo, I can be your friend,” he replied indifferently.
Friends were better than strangers. Gu Jun let go of Yippy. He stood up and hugged An Xiaoyan.
There was the familiar body and scent. It was the first time An Xiaoyan dared to touch him after leaving.
“Let’s first hug as friends.”
An Xiaoyan didn’t know if this was a friendly hug. No friend would wrap his arms around the other’s waist so tightly, but he didn’t object. Gu Jun had once been so violent. Faced with such a gentle Gu Jun, he could accept it.
Gu Jun didn’t let go until a long while later, but his eyes were still fixed on An Xiaoyan. He felt that An Xiaoyan had lowered his guard.
At dinner, the two worked together to feed Guo Guo. After showering, they let Guo Guo watch TV and play with the cats in the bedroom.
Gu Jun and An Xiaoyan sat at the dining table. There were some appetizers that Gu Jun had bought. He also produced a bottle of alcohol. He poured a bit for An Xiaoyan and a glass for himself.
“Your body isn’t well, so just drink a little. Today, forget about all our past conflicts. Pretend we’re just normal friends. In other words, let’s be like bros.”
The alcohol was baijiu. The proof wasn’t very high, but the fragrance was strong. It must be a very high quality bottle.
The two just ate and drank. Whenever they touched glasses, An Xiaoyan just sipped while Gu Jun emptied his glass. By the time An Xiaoyan finished one glass, Gu Jun was already red.
“Xiaoyan, I’m telling you, your words today made me really happy. Even if it’s for Guo Guo, I’m still happy. As long as you don’t hate me anymore,” Gu Jun said suddenly. He drank another cup. “Actually, you’re so pretty. If I wasn’t an *sshole, you wouldn’t be in this state. Whenever I think back, I feel like I was so stupid back then. I ruined you.”
Gu Jun said a lot of things. By the end, he was slurring, but An Xiaoyan wasn’t drunk at all. He helped bring Gu Jun to bed and washed him a bit with hot water. Just as he was about to leave, Gu Jun suddenly said, “Xiaoyan, come back to sleep. The sofa is too small.”
With a small smile, An Xiaoyan took a shower and obediently slept on the other side of the bed.
Tomorrow was a new day.
When Gu Jun woke up, his head was in pain. He only remembered that he’d drunk a lot and said a lot. He couldn’t remember what exactly he’d said.
Guo Guo had long woken up. He was playing in the living room with six cats and a dog around him.
Seeing him, Guo Guo said happily, “Daddy, Uncle An said that there’s something on the fridge that you have to look at!”
Gu Jun went to the fridge. There was a post-it note on it. Guo Guo has already eaten. Your breakfast is in the pot. I’m going to work. —Xiaoyan.
He tore the post-it off and went to the kitchen. There was pumpkin porridge, three steamed buns, and a small dish of vegetables. It was still warm to the touch.
The warmth traveled to Gu Jun’s heart. He suddenly found it enjoyable to be taken care of.
There was a new toothbrush in the bathroom. Gu Jun still smelled like alcohol. After showering, he wrapped himself in a towel and went to eat breakfast.
“Son, when did Uncle An get up?”
“I don’t know exactly, but earlier than Daddy. Daddy is so lazy.”
Gu Jun ate some porridge. “How can you say that about your dad? Even if I didn’t raise you, I still created you.”
He didn’t have anything to do after breakfast. An Xiaoyan probably wouldn’t come back at noon, so he decided to bring him lunch. Otherwise, he’d just waste the time away at home.
The Second Young Master obviously didn’t know how to cook, but he had money so he could buy it. The hospital had four people, so he would treat them all. This way, that Ji Lin would know they were on a different level.
“Son, let’s go send lunch to Uncle An.”
“We’re going to see Uncle An?”
“Yeah. It’s already ten o’clock. Let’s hurry and go!”
Gu Jun had the driver come. The group ordered takeout from a restaurant and went to the animal hospital.
Da Zhou was ordering food when Gu Jun went in with his food. “Xiaoyan, Guo Guo and I brought lunch for you.”
An Xiaoyan was giving a cat a checkup. When he heard Gu Jun’s voice, he thought he was hallucinating.
Lin Nian went over from the front and grinned at An Xiaoyan. “Come eat. We have a feast.”
Usually, they ate box lunches or noodles. It was all simple food. Gu Jun had ordered the trademark dishes from a restaurant and covered the sole table in the building with the plates.
“I thought that you’d all eat, so I bought the large portions. Plus, you’re all working hard.”
Excluding An Xiaoyan, the other three didn’t mind. They started eating without holding back. This made An Xiaoyan uncomfortable. He and Gu Jun were friends and today was only the first day. Wasn’t this too much?
Ji Lin put a crab in An Xiaoyan’s bowl. “Hurry and eat, or else that fatty Da Zhou will empty everything.”
An Xiaoyan glanced at Gu Jun before putting on his gloves to eat.
The king crabs had a lot of roe. An Xiaoyan picked some out with his chopsticks and put it to Guo Guo’s mouth. Guo Guo ate it without hesitation.
“Did Guo Guo eat?”
Guo Guo nodded. “I ate with Daddy before coming. Uncle, you don’t have to worry. Daddy said that Uncle likes eating big crabs. I chose it just for you.”
The kid’s voice made all the adults laugh. Sitting beside An Xiaoyan, Ji Lin prodded him with his elbow. “The kid’s not bad. The adult’s not bad either. How come you don’t get it?”
An Xiaoyan muttered at him to shut up and continued eating.
The meal ended happily. When Gu Jun left, An Xiaoyan saw him out to his car. The moment the car turned on, An Xiaoyan smiled gratefully at Gu Jun.
Under the warm summer sun, Gu Jun saw An Xiaoyan shine.
If this shine could last forever, it would be perfect. In reality, nothing was perfect. He could only behold this beauty in the moment.