Chapter 108

Chapter 108

After getting ready, Gu HuaiZhang asked Chi Ya, "What would you like to eat?"

Chi Ya replied, "I want... to go back."

Gu HuaiZhang glanced at him, seemingly piercing through his panicked desire to escape.

Chi Ya pursed his lips, turning his head to avoid the man's gaze.

"Don't worry, we'll eat with the Qin brothers," Gu HuaiZhang paused, then said, "Weren't you just worried about Qin San?"

After a moment of hesitation from Chi Ya, Gu HuaiZhang wrapped an arm around his shoulder: "Then let's go."

Huh?

Before Chi Ya could react, he was whisked away without further discussion.

Gu HuaiZhang called Qin Yuchuan, then took Chi Ya to the hotel. The manager ran over to accompany them, personally operated the elevator to the top floor, and led them into the restaurant, calling a waiter to take their order.

Gu HuaiZhang asked him, "What would you like to eat?"

Chi Ya glanced at him, then browsed through the menu, ordering in a flurry, "This, this, and this... also this, and this."

All spicy dishes.

Gu HuaiZhang sat beside him silently, just watching him with a smile.

Chi Ya pursed his lips: "Why are you, why are you smiling?"

Gu HuaiZhang said, "You ordered so much, I can't finish it all."

"Who, who ordered for you?" Chi Ya, feeling slightly guilty, shifted his gaze away, stammering, "I myself, want to eat them!"

"That's too bad," Gu HuaiZhang said, "I was happy for nothing."

Chi Ya looked bewildered, muttering under his breath, "What is there, what is there for you to be happy about..."

"I thought you were specifically remembering the things I don't like to eat," Gu HuaiZhang casually remarked, fingers playing with the corner of the menu, "Naturally, I'm happy."

Chi Ya: "…………"

"Since you remember what I dislike, you must also remember what I like," Gu HuaiZhang turned his face towards him, smiling slightly, "Right?"

Chi Ya's face reddened, and he slapped the menu shut: "Wrong! I don't remember!"

Gu HuaiZhang gazed at him steadily for a few seconds, then said, "Oh."

Chi Ya: "?"

"Oh"??

Damn it, why suddenly feel like there's an unjustified frustration of being unable to clear oneself even if jumping into the Yellow River!

But Gu HuaiZhang had already averted his gaze, and Chi Ya sneakily peered at him, seeing that he didn't order anything, then closed the menu, saying indifferently, "How is the potency of the new wine brewed by Boss Li?"

The manager, who had been standing by, halted his wild thoughts and quickly responded, "Not strong. It's made from the best batch of green plums picked this year, perfect for whetting the appetite. Our boss used an ancient method, producing only twenty jars in total. Shall I open one for Mr. Gu to try?"

Gu HuaiZhang nodded, and the manager immediately turned to leave.

Soon, the plum wine was served, and the Qin brothers entered.

Qin Yuchuan walked in front, followed by Qin Yuze with a cold face, wearing a flashy wine-red shirt. He usually liked to show off his chest muscles with unbuttoned shirts, but now, the shirt was buttoned up tightly, collared neatly against his throat.

Qin Yuze also looked at him, their eyes meeting briefly. Qin Yuze's face turned even paler, and he sat down opposite him without a word.

Gu HuaiZhang’s gaze swept over Qin Yuze and turned to Qin Yuchuan across the table, a handsome and upright man who shifted his gaze from his brother to nod at his friend.

Qin Yuchuan ordered a few more dishes, and the waiter stepped away, leaving them to their space.

But no one spoke at first.

Chi Ya was twisting his head, staring out the window in a daze; Qin Yuze simply crossed his arms, ignoring everyone. The other two men exchanged a glance, Qin Yuchuan showing a hint of helplessness, while Gu HuaiZhang pursed his lips and took a sip of tea.

After a few minutes, Qin Yuchuan started discussing official matters with Gu HuaiZhang. However, as soon as he began, Qin Yuze abruptly stood up: "I'm going out for a smoke."

Saying this, he looked at Chi Ya, "Are you coming along?"

Chi Ya pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Yes."

The two left their seats one after the other, with Chi Ya following Qin Yuze past several tables to the restroom.

Qin Yuze pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placed one between his lips, and was about to light it when Chi Ya approached, extending his hand, "I'll have one, too."

Qin Yuze glanced at him, raising an eyebrow, "Do you really smoke?"

Chi Ya replied, "Otherwise, why would I, why would I come here."

"Thought you were here to laugh at me," Qin Yuze clicked his tongue, handed him a cigarette, and lit them both with his lighter.

Qin Yuze's cigarette was strong; Chi Ya took a puff and coughed twice, saying, "What's there, what's there to laugh at..."

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He looked at the cigarette in his hand, a foreign brand, unfamiliar to him.

This immediately reminded him of Gu HuaiZhang's mint cigarettes, light and gentle, not harsh or choking, perfectly suiting his taste.

Speaking of which, he often found himself in sync with that man…

The two smoked in silence for a while, then Qin Yuze turned his eyes towards him and spoke, "Aren't you curious about what's going on between me and Qin Yuchuan?"

"There's nothing, nothing to be curious about," Chi Ya muttered, "After all, you're not blood-related, it's just, just that kind of thing."

He had plenty of his own troubles to deal with, no time to gossip about others.

"Not blood-related?" Qin Yuze raised an eyebrow again, "Who told you that?"

Chi Ya glanced at him, "Gu, Gu Big Brother."

Qin Yuze clicked his tongue, "Didn't expect the King of Hell to be so nosy."

Chi Ya, not quite liking his tone, couldn't help but retort, "That's not, not being nosy..."

He paused, then added, "He's not, not the King of Hell."

Qin Yuze looked up at him, his gaze enigmatic.

Chi Ya pretended not to see, taking another drag of his cigarette.

Qin Yuze silently observed him for a moment before asking, "Are you troubled by something?"

Chi Ya glanced at the nearly finished cigarette in his hand and retorted, "Don't you have your own worries?"

"I'm damn near at my wit's end," Qin Yuze scoffed coldly, "The Qin family wants to remove me from their household registry."

Distracted, Chi Ya replied casually, "They can't do that, they have no right to remove you."

Qin Yuze: "..."

Qin Yuze: "Damn it!!"

Angered by a particular word from Chi Ya, he grabbed the cigarette from Chi Ya's hand, exclaiming, "Can't you speak properly?!"

Chi Ya looked up innocently at him.

"What are you looking at?! That's my cigarette!" Qin Yuze, irritable as a cat whose tail was stepped on, spewed a faceful of spit at Chi Ya.

Chi Ya closed his eyes briefly, wiping his face with a tissue, silently observing Qin Yuze without a word.

"I knew it! You're just mocking me, aren't you? Stop being hypocritical. You and Gu aren't any cleaner!" Qin Yuze paced anxiously, pointing at him and sneering continuously, "Don't think I'm blind. Didn't I see you being picked up by a woman and then taken away by Gu? If there's nothing between you two, why would he look so downcast, like a cornered loser? I know exactly what's going on!"

Chi Ya's face reddened with embarrassment, retorting sarcastically, "Oh, is that so? But when Brother Qin took you away, your image wasn't exactly grand either."

"Damn it!" Qin Yuze cursed loudly, "I've really hit rock bottom, damn it!"

After the outburst, the two who had inexplicably started pointing out each other's flaws fell into an equally inexplicable silence.

The air was dead silent. After a while, the sound of flushing came from one of the stalls, followed by a man emerging with an embarrassed yet curious expression.

Chi Ya: "..."

Qin Yuze: "..."

Chi Ya was so embarrassed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into, while Qin Yuze stared coldly at the man, catching his sneaky glances. He scoffed, "Constipation or kidney problems? Been in there so long your legs went numb? Is gossiping that fun for you? Why don't you stand here and I'll tell you all about it, maybe even make some notes for you!"

The vacation resort had a prestigious reputation. Those who came here were either real power players like Gu Huai Zhang and Qin Yu Chun, or the laughing, playing sons and daughters of wealthy families by the pool, or those who found a way in to network with the big shots. Judging by this man's attire and demeanor, he likely belonged to the latter.

The man, knowing he couldn't provoke this imperious young master, hurriedly looked away and tried to flee, but Qin Yuze grabbed him by the collar, his face grim with threat: "If I hear even a whisper of this outside, I'll take your life!"

The man scurried away, tumbling and stumbling. Qin YuZe glanced at Chi Ya, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but sneer, “Thought you had the guts to mess with Uncle, but just someone overhearing you around the corner scares you this much.”

Chi Ya frowned, “It's not, not Uncle, I’ve told you, I broke up with Gu, Gu Er a long time ago!”

“Oh.” Qin YuZe looked at him, “So the focus of your defense is not on ‘messing around’?”

Chi Ya, stunned, suddenly blushed, “We didn’t mess, mess around!”

Qin YuZe lit a second cigarette with a snap, “It's just a matter of time, damn it.”

Chi Ya immediately retorted, “Then you being, being messed with by Qin Brother, isn’t that also, just a matter of time!”

Qin YuZe: “…”

Furious, Qin YuZe pointed at him with the hand holding his cigarette, “Don’t push me to hit you, damn it!”

Chi Ya was not intimidated at all: “Then you shouldn’t, shouldn’t be rude.”

Qin YuZe uttered what must have been his hundredth curse of the day.

The air fell into an inexplicable silence once again.

After a few minutes, Chi Ya saw a cigarette being offered from under Qin YuZe's eyelids. Qin YuZe coughed, “Let's stop stabbing each other with words here.”

It was just powerless rage, after all.

Chi Ya pursed his lips and accepted the cigarette.

Qin YuZe lit it for him, and the two stood face to face, quietly smoking.

In truth, neither held any grievances against the other; they were just irrationally venting their frustrations. Arguing senselessly like this somehow eased the pent-up discomfort.

Chi Ya glanced at Qin YuZe, who sharply met his gaze, “What now?”

“I won’t tell, tell anyone, and you shouldn’t tell, tell anyone either.” Chi Ya stuttered, “Not even to Gu HuaiAn… Thanks.”

“Tch.” Qin YuZe frowned, “As if I'd be crazy enough to tell others.”

Chi Ya felt relieved.

Qin Yuze then teased him further: "So, what's the situation with you and Brother Gu now? Is he pursuing you?"

"...Oh," Chi Ya mumbled vaguely, pausing before adding, "But I haven't, haven't planned to... agree."

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Flicking ash from his cigarette, Qin Yuze eyed him: "Are you really not planning to accept?"

Chi Ya almost nodded, but then hesitated.

Truth be told, he did feel a flutter in his heart for Gu Huai Zhang.

But... alas, he couldn't quite explain why, just a vague sense that they were not meant to be.

Was it his own insecurity? Or perhaps too much pessimism?

He didn't know.

The blood-red agate on his wrist slid down as he lifted his cigarette, rolling coolly and slightly itching against his skin.

Chi Ya expressed his frustration, "No choice, just have to take it one step at a time..."

After all, when Gu Huai Zhang sets his mind on something, there's no resisting him.

So he decided not to think about it, let things be. Maybe in time, Gu would lose interest in him.

Such a desirable man, wouldn't he find any number of attractive options? Why fixate on him, an insignificant 'weed'?

Anyway, he didn't believe it would happen.

As they walked out, enveloped in a cloud of smoke, Qin Yuze suddenly laughed, slinging his arm lazily over Chi Ya's shoulder, sighing, "Life is so unpredictable!"

Chi Ya glanced at him; Qin Yuze casually stroked his chin with his thumb, remarking, "I used to hassle you following old Gu, who'd have thought we'd end up in the same boat."

Chi Ya pursed his lips, a smile forming.

Indeed, life's unpredictability — who can foresee what the next moment brings?

Qin YuZe looked at him and smiled, holding back something he didn't say.

There was a moment, once upon a time, when he had felt a flicker of interest in this young man before him, tempted to flirt a little.

After all, Chi Ya was so good-looking, and it was amusing how easily he could be teased into tears.

Alas, before he could make a move, he was exiled by the Qins to mine in Africa.

Fate, it's damn frustrating.

Author's note:

Went out for drinks with a friend... Ah, I've fallen for 1664 at first sight.

Thanks to the angels who gave me their king's vote or nourished me with their support from 2023-10-13 05:45:17 to 2023-10-15 03:40:02~

Special thanks to the angels who nourished me: Xunxing 13 bottles; Sanhua Lizhi 10 bottles; Qianchen Buza 5 bottles; Mo Shang Wu, A Little Rabbit, and Wu Li each 1 bottle;

I'm truly grateful for everyone's support and will continue to work hard!