Chapter 31
Editor: Princess
Yu Pei didn’t remember where he had read about it, but regarding the emotion humans called “love”, scientists explained it using dopamine.
Dopamine was one of many neurotransmitters stored in the brain’s center. The brain continuously secreted this neurotransmitter when a couple developed feelings for each other. Under the influence of this neurotransmitter, people felt the happiness of love, and that, was how love was born.
However the human body couldn’t withstand the stimulation of this neurotransmitter forever, just as a person could never remain in a state of accelerated heartbeat. Hence the brain would gradually reduce dopamine secretion, allowing those chemical components to metabolize naturally. Therefore, the “fervor” produced by love usually only lasted from one and a half to three years.
However there were both fickle people and devoted ones in this world. Some people could fall in love multiple times, while others might stay with their first love until old age.
And such love couldn’t be explained by dopamine.
Yu Pei believed that his feelings for Luo Changzhou certainly couldn’t be explained by dopamine either.
Because he had been taking antidepressants, and unfortunately, paroxetine hydrochloride inhibited the reuptake of adrenaline and dopamine.
Both neurotransmitters controlling human sexual desire and love were suppressed, yet he still harbored such passionate feelings for Luo Changzhou. How could his love be explained by dopamine?
He didn’t want to miss out on his love.
Previously, when he liked Qi Wenqiang, he chose to silently admire from afar. But now that he liked Luo Changzhou, he found that he could no longer choose to like silently.
Because true affection couldn’t be hidden.
Ones eyes and heartbeat would betray them, both filled with ones fondness for that person. Even an unintentional small gesture would reveal ones deep care. And he was no longer content to remain silent about the affection in his heart.
He wanted to tell Luo Changzhou that he liked him, very much.
But when actually facing Luo Changzhou, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Because although there was only one word difference between liking and not liking, the meaning they represented was worlds apart.
He couldn’t bear to lose Luo Changzhou’s current gentleness toward him. He was afraid of losing Luo Changzhou. By not speaking, they could continue being friends. But if he expressed his feelings and Luo Changzhou didn’t reciprocate, the worst outcome would be that they couldn’t even remain friends.
Even if they could still be friends, it definitely wouldn’t be as natural as before.
Yu Pei worried about this, but he had never dated before, let alone had feelings for someone of the same gender. He couldn’t possibly ask Uncle Zhuang or Yu Qing. However, he thought perhaps he could ask Gu Zheng, his best friend who had dated many times, who would keep his secret and who would definitely know what to do.
Speak of the devil—Yu Pei was just thinking about calling Gu Zheng after dinner tonight when, after arriving home, he was immediately enveloped in a big bear hug.
“Ah Pei!”
Yu Pei had never been particularly close with people. Even Uncle Zhuang and Yu Qing, the closest people in the Yu family, wouldn’t make such enthusiastic gestures toward him. So when he was suddenly hugged, he froze for a moment.
Fortunately, Gu Zheng released him quickly, gripping his shoulders excitedly as he shouted, “God, it’s been so long, and you’ve become even more handsome!”
“Ah Zheng.” Yu Pei steadied himself and looked up at the young man before him.
Gu Zheng actually resembled Luo Changzhou quite a bit. Both were tall with attractive appearances and looked more mature than others their age. However, he was slightly shorter than Luo Changzhou, standing about 5’11”, which was only half a head taller than Yu Pei.
“But you’ve lost weight.” Gu Zheng said after his initial excitement, frowning with displeasure. “Didn’t we agree when you were discharged from the hospital? You need to gain some weight.”
“I’ve been trying hard to eat more.” Yu Pei was also happy to see his childhood friend. “But for some reason, I just can’t gain weight now.”
“Ah Pei’s back?” Yu Qing also walked over from the living room sofa, smiling at Yu Pei. “Didn’t you always want to see Gu Zheng? Now that he’s here, are you happy, Ah Pei?”
Yu Pei nodded with a smile, “I am.”
Yu Qing smiled, “Alright, dinner has been ready for a while. Why don’t we talk while we eat?”
Hearing this, Gu Zheng immediately took Yu Pei’s backpack, “Ah Pei, let me carry your bag!”
“Thank you.” Yu Pei didn’t stand on ceremony with him. After sitting down at the dinner table, he first ladled a bowl of soup that Gu Zheng loved.
Gu Zheng immediately gulped down the entire bowl of soup, then wiped his mouth and sighed, “Ah, such a nostalgic taste. I haven’t had this dish since I left for Hua City.”
Yu Pei served him more food while saying, “If you like it, have more.”
“Mm-hmm.” Gu Zheng had been hungry for a while and so shoveled rice into his mouth hurriedly, however he didn’t forget to put food on Yu Pei’s plate too. “Ah Pei, you eat more too. You’re really too thin.”
Seeing Yu Pei rarely smiling so happily, Yu Qing was also pleased and spoke gently to Gu Zheng, “Ah Zheng, I’ve already taken care of your transfer procedures. You’ll be in the same class as Ah Pei. I’ve already called and spoken with your homeroom teacher. You can start school tomorrow.”
Gu Zheng choked on his food the moment he heard this.
And knowing his childhood friend’s temperament well, Yu Pei couldn’t help but laugh.
“Uncle Gu is also looking forward to you studying well in South City, so Ah Zheng, work hard. It’s senior year now, you can’t disappoint your father.” Gu Zheng, who had originally planned to play for a few days and start school next week, wanted to protest, but Yu Qing wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and with just one sentence, Gu Zheng dared not say another word.
So after dinner, Gu Zheng was dejected.
He sat in Yu Pei’s room for a while and said, “Sigh, I thought I could play for a few days.”
“Stop playing.” Yu Pei advised him to reform. “It’s senior year, study hard.”
“Study? Study my ass!” Gu Zheng was a genuine underachiever, so hearing this, he said immediately, “Oh come on, I’m just not cut out for studying. My dad has already decided to send me abroad for college.”
“But going abroad is good too.” Gu Zheng rubbed his chin and said, “Foreign women have great figures. I like that.”
Yu Pei: “…” Alright, he shouldn’t have expected Gu Zheng to fall in love with studying.
“By the way, Ah Pei, when we go to school tomorrow, can I ask the homeroom teacher to arrange our seats together? Heh—Ah Pei, wait, let me reply to this text.” Halfway through his sentence, Gu Zheng’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen, declined the call, then typed and sent a text message. After doing all this, he put down his phone and looked at Yu Pei expectantly. “What do you think? It would be great for us to sit together. We used to be deskmates before.”
If it had been before, before Luo Changzhou appeared, Yu Pei would have unhesitatingly agreed with Gu Zheng. But now…
“Ah Zheng… actually I…” Just as Yu Pei was about to tell Gu Zheng everything about Luo Changzhou, Gu Zheng’s phone rang again. He frowned and declined the call again, but a few seconds later, his phone vibrated once more.
“Damn it!” Gu Zheng cursed, looking like he wanted to smash his phone.
After being interrupted like this several times, Yu Pei had forgotten what he had prepared to say. He asked Gu Zheng, “What’s wrong? Is it your father’s call?”
“No.” Gu Zheng’s expression was very impatient. “It’s my girlfriend.”
“Then answer it.” Yu Pei thought girlfriends were important and was puzzled as to why Gu Zheng wouldn’t answer. “Why won’t you pick up?”
“Why should I? I told her yesterday that I was coming to your house, and I just texted her that I’m talking with you and will call her back when I get to my room. But she doesn’t believe me. She thinks I’m out fooling around and insists that I video chat with her.” Gu Zheng held his phone in front of Yu Pei, showing him his girlfriend’s text messages.
“What’s the big deal?” Yu Pei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Just video chat with her. Who told you to have such a bad track record?”
“What bad track record do I have?” Gu Zheng protested. “I may change girlfriends frequently, but I’ve never cheated.”
“Alright, alright.” Yu Pei urged him. “Hurry up and video chat with her.”
“Fine.” Gu Zheng pressed his phone a few times, and as soon as the call connected, he said, “My little ancestor, look, look, I’m really just chatting with my childhood friend.”
From the other end of Gu Zheng’s phone came a coquettish female voice: “Show me around the room.”
“There, satisfied?” Gu Zheng rolled his eyes at this request but still held up his phone and turned in a circle, giving the girl a cursory view of Yu Pei’s room.
Gu Zheng had the call on speaker, so Yu Pei could hear that the girl’s tone had improved somewhat, though she still sounded a bit unhappy: “But it’s been so long, and you two still haven’t finished talking?”
“I haven’t seen Ah Pei in ages, but we just separated yesterday.” Gu Zheng was genuinely upset now.
Worried they might start arguing, Yu Pei stepped in to mediate, saying to Gu Zheng, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Ah Zheng. You’re going to be living here anyway, we can talk tomorrow.”
The girl on the other end agreed: “That’s right, you’ll have plenty of time when you get to school tomorrow.”
“I—”
Gu Zheng clearly disagreed with what they were saying and opened his mouth to object, but Yu Pei smiled and pushed him out by his shoulders: “Alright, alright, you two go talk first. Girls need to be treated well.”
“But this isn’t the first time.” Gu Zheng’s eyebrows were tightly knit, but then he felt it wasn’t appropriate to argue with his girlfriend in front of Yu Pei, so he said, “Fine, then we’ll talk more at school tomorrow, Ah Pei.”
“Mm-hmm.” Yu Pei nodded.
After Gu Zheng left, Yu Pei realized it was already evening, and he hadn’t done his homework yet. By the time he finished his assignments, it was quite late. He hurriedly sent a goodnight text to Luo Changzhou: [Changzhou, my childhood friend transferred to our school! He’s in our class, his name is Gu Zheng, and tomorrow he’ll come to school with me. Goodnight =3=]
Luo Changzhou, who had been without contact from Yu Pei all evening, finally received his text just before bed. However, when he saw another person mentioned in the message, his eyebrows shot up—
Childhood friend? Gu Zheng?