Chapter 77: Love-Struck

Chapter 77: Love-Struck

In the following days, Cen Wu felt that the Cen family's attitude towards him was strange—full of pity, guilt, and heartache, as if they were lamenting why their precious child had to encounter someone crazy.

Guan Xingxue and the others were one thing, but even Cen Junshan seemed hesitant when facing him, eventually giving him an extra hundred thousand yuan in pocket money.

Cen Wu: "..."

Cen Wu was so overwhelmed that his social anxiety kicked in. At night, he shook Xie Guiluan's shoulders vigorously, demanding to know what he had done. Xie Guiluan, taking advantage of his distraction, grabbed his butt and lifted him onto his lap.

Then, he lifted the hem of Cen Wu's pajamas and buried his head inside, causing Cen Wu's clothes to bulge out.

"Xie... Xie Guiluan!" Cen Wu was tightly hugged around the waist by Xie Guiluan, who pressed against him, forcing Cen Wu to lean back, his waist sinking and his pale, slender chest thrust forward.

Xie Guiluan didn't do much, just held him obediently, but even that was already quite perverse.

Cen Wu's ears turned red instantly, and he gritted his teeth, demanding, "Are you done yet?!"

Xie Guiluan, buried under his clothes, felt his throat tighten. He really wanted to lick him, but he knew that if he provoked Cen Wu too much, the slap would definitely hurt. In the end, he restrained himself and didn't dare to lick.

Cen Wu's hands were trembling as he pushed Xie Guiluan's head away, telling him to get out. Xie Guiluan reluctantly emerged, his thin, crimson lips curved in a mischievous smirk.

"I want to hug my brother," Xie Guiluan said, hugging him and leaning back, causing Cen Wu to fall on top of him. Before Cen Wu could get up, Xie Guiluan flipped him over, pinning him down with his legs.

Even though Xie Guiluan was lean, he was still a tall, 190 cm boy with abs. His weight pressed down on Cen Wu, leaving him unable to move, like a doll being manipulated.

Cen Wu's face went blank again as he futilely kicked Xie Guiluan, only to have his ankle grabbed by Xie Guiluan's cold, hard fingers, sending a shiver through him.

"Let... let go," Cen Wu said, his face red and his body trembling.

Xie Guiluan's dark, intense eyes looked over, a smile on his lips, showing no intention of letting go. Cen Wu had no choice but to hug him back and plead, "Brother, let... let me go."

We can each call each other brother, okay?

Xie Guiluan didn't dare to push Cen Wu too far. If Cen Wu really ignored him, it would be hard to coax him back, so he let go.

Cen Wu quickly tucked his legs under the blanket. His eyelashes trembled, glistening with moisture, and the soles of his pale feet were flushed red. He could still remember the feeling of those hard veins.

Xie Guiluan hugged him again, pinching the soft flesh of his cheeks and kissing him gently. Every night, he had to kiss Cen Wu a few times before going to sleep.

Cen Wu was pressed under the blanket, kissing Xie Guiluan back. Xie Guiluan wasn't always out of control; sometimes he kissed very tenderly.

Cen Wu almost got swept away by the kiss, his heart softening, nearly falling for the damn ghost's beauty trap. Then he suddenly remembered what he had been asking Xie Guiluan.

"I said I want to marry you," Xie Guiluan said, not getting up even after being pushed by Cen Wu. He sucked on Cen Wu's wet, red tongue and declared confidently, "Then I'll follow you and add my name to your household register."

Xie Guiluan licked Cen Wu's lips, leaving his mind in a daze. It took him a moment to process what Xie Guiluan was saying.

Cen Wu: "……………………………"

Crazy guy.

Cen Wu didn't know whether to complain about Xie Guiluan deciding to get married without consulting him or about turning himself from a biological son into a son-in-law. He had no idea what Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue were thinking—they probably woke up in the middle of the night, shocked by the filial piety.

Cen Wu's face went blank again. When Xie Guiluan reached out to hug him, he obediently allowed it. When Xie Guiluan tilted his pale chin up and kissed him, he let it happen.

But when Xie Guiluan tried to crawl under his blanket, shamelessly saying he wanted to sleep with his brother, Cen Wu finally couldn't take it anymore. He lifted his leg and kicked Xie Guiluan, his ears red with anger as he shouted, "Get out!"

Every night, Cen Wu felt utterly exhausted from sleeping, having to fight Xie Guiluan first before he could get any rest.

After Xie Guiluan revealed the matter, he became even less restrained. Whenever he was with Cen Wu, he would make physical contact.

While Cen Wu sat on the sofa petting the dog, Xie Guiluan leaned on his shoulder, asking Cen Wu to pet him too. When Cen Wu dawdled along with the old butler to shovel snow, Xie Guiluan would grab his hand.

When Cen Wu went out for a late-night snack, Xie Guiluan cooked him some wontons and insisted that Cen Wu feed him one.

His clinginess was almost unbearable.

On a hazy winter night, Cen Junshan returned home to find Cen Wu and Xie Guiluan had just arrived as well.

Xie Guiluan carried both his and Cen Wu's backpacks, reaching out to help Cen Wu remove his scarf. Cen Wu's nose and cheeks were red from the cold, and Xie Guiluan cupped his face with his palm to warm it.

As the year-end approached, the deep winter in Huaijing was particularly cold. Cen Wu was wearing thick pants, which made it difficult for him to bend over. Xie Guiluan had him hold onto him while he bent down to help Cen Wu take off his shoes.

Cen Wu pushed him a few times but couldn't break free, his pale ears turning red with embarrassment. He awkwardly lifted his leg, and after Xie Guiluan finished changing his shoes, he suddenly lifted him by the hips for a quick hug.

It was all about seizing the moment.

Cen Junshan felt a tightness in his chest, his face growing darker with each moment. When Xie Guiluan went upstairs to put away the backpacks, he called Cen Wu over and said with frustration, "If you don't like it, why don't you scold him?!"

Cen Wu: "..."

Cen Wu's pale face looked tense, and he shrunk his neck, appearing particularly timid.

Cen Junshan suspected that Cen Wu had found out half a year ago that he wasn't their biological child, so for the past six months, he had been afraid of upsetting them and didn't dare to throw tantrums anymore.

As parents, they couldn't bear to see their child suffer. He would rather Cen Wu had a bit more temper than be like this, as if he could be abandoned at any moment, always watching their expressions.

"You used to be quite feisty," Cen Junshan said, growing angrier. "Scold him, do you hear me?!"

Cen Junshan and Guan Xingxue had both imagined what it would be like when Xie Guiluan first called them "Mom" and "Dad." Just thinking about it brought tears to their eyes.

But now, they couldn't shed a tear. The father-son relationship was just like this—utterly infuriating. Xie Guiluan seemed to have a natural talent for ruining the mood.

Cen Wu: "..."

Fatherly love and filial piety.

Cen Wu stammered, "He... he he, treats me quite... quite well." After saying this, Cen Wu felt something was off and quickly added, "He's not always like this."

Cen Wu: "..."

Even weirder.

It was like those love-struck individuals who, when told their boyfriend is no good and they should break up, would defend him by saying he's usually very good to them, and others just don't understand.

"If you don't want to sleep with him," Cen Junshan frowned, "then make him move out."

Cen Wu really didn't want to, feeling like he and Xie Guiluan were acting like casual partners. What should they do if this continued? Yet, when Cen Junshan asked, he hesitated.

Xie Guiluan's claim of being scared was undoubtedly a lie.

But Xie Guiluan had no feelings for Cen's parents. If he were eight, he might still want to see his biological parents, but now that he was eighteen, he didn't care about them at all.

Xie Guiluan was also lonely in the Cen family. He just didn't say it, and while he didn't care, it didn't mean he wasn't lonely.

If he left, that would be it, but since he was still in the Cen family, Cen Wu wanted to keep him company. Otherwise, he would feel heartbroken.

Cen Wu shrunk his neck again, not daring to say more, and hurried upstairs. Cen Junshan had no choice but to let him go.

"Dad, just let it be," Cen Xiao said with the air of someone who knew it all, trying to persuade Cen Junshan. "Xie Guiluan is the type who, with just one look from Cen Wu, would already have names picked out for their future children. He wouldn't dare to bully Xiao Bao."

He meant to say that Xie Guiluan was a love-struck fool who would surely spoil his wife, so why bother worrying about it.

If Cen Wu really didn't want it, Xie Guiluan would let go on his own.

...Probably?

As soon as he finished speaking, Cen Junshan's frown deepened, and he said unhappily, "Why can't we think of names? I had Wu Wu's name picked out before I even got married."

The first time he saw Guan Xingxue was on a film set during a misty winter. She glanced at him, and he immediately knew what their child should be named.

But when Cen Xiao was born, Guan Xingxue named him, and he never brought it up again until Cen Wu was born.

Cen Xiao was speechless: "..."

So you're a love-struck fool too.

After the argument between Cen Xiao and Cen Junshan, their father-son bond was hanging by a thread, and they avoided each other, each going their separate ways.

Cen Xiao turned his head and saw Cen Wu peeking out from the stairs, eavesdropping on their conversation. When Cen Xiao looked over, Cen Wu ducked back like a little gray mushroom hiding in the shadows.

Cen Wu.

Cen Xiao couldn't help but smile, softly calling his name in his heart. He always felt that Cen Wu was meant to have this name. The child had eyes like mist, perhaps it was fate.

Cen Wu would be his younger brother.

There were only three days left before the final exams. This year, the New Year came early, and the exams were less than two weeks before the holiday.

Cen Junshan didn't bring up making Cen Wu scold Xie Guiluan again, nor did he mention having Xie Guiluan move out.

Cen Wu focused on his studies. These days, Zhang Yuanzhou's deskmate was sick and didn't come to school. Zhang Yuanzhou couldn't stop talking; he would die if he didn't have someone to chat with, so he begged Lu Wang to sit with him for a few days.

Then Lu Wang went to sit with Zhang Yuanzhou, and Xie Guiluan temporarily became Cen Wu's deskmate. They switched seats, with Xie Guiluan sitting on the aisle side of Cen Wu's original seat, effectively blocking him.

Cen Wu let out a small sigh of relief. Their back row was next to the water dispenser, and every day after class, many students would come to fill their bottles. Whenever someone passed by him, he would tense up.

Having Xie Guiluan block him made him feel at ease.

It wasn't just that. No matter how bad things got, just thinking of Xie Guiluan's name could save him, but when he looked up and met Xie Guiluan's gaze, his heart would skip a beat.

Xie Guiluan had crocheted a red wool cover for Cen Wu's green dinosaur thermos. Cen Wu didn't kill him purely out of indulgence.

Cen Wu was busy preparing for the final exams, but the school was buzzing with unrest these days. After the scandal about the fake young master broke out, Xie Shangjing hadn't come to school, only showing up just before the exams.

Xie Shangjing had a delicate and handsome appearance, but he had lost a lot of weight, and his face looked even more sinister. The few rich kids who hung out with him at school, seeing his foul mood, didn't dare to make a sound.

The Cen family and the Xie family had completely fallen out, and it seemed like Huai Jing was about to undergo a major upheaval, with everyone feeling the unrest.

Someone whose family ran a small business, unaware of the conflict between the Cen and Xie families, only knew that Xie Shangjing was in a bad mood, so they came to flatter him, saying, "Young Master Xie, how about we grab a drink with the second young master."

The people around instantly felt their scalps tingle, lowering their heads, not daring to look at Xie Shangjing's expression.

"The second young master?" Xie Shangjing raised his head, his delicate face carrying a vague yet decadent corruption. He sneered and said, "He's not even a real member of the Cen family. What kind of second young master is that?"

This statement was earth-shattering.

Even the other classmates in the room were shocked, unable to help but turn their heads and whisper among themselves.

Xie Shangjing leaned back in his seat, tugging at the corner of his mouth and said, "Why are you all looking at me? Haven't you heard about a wealthy family switching babies?"

Xie Shangjing utterly despised Cen Wu. Cen Wu must have known all along that he was his real brother, yet he never told him, letting him foolishly fall in love with his own brother.

The Xie family was in complete chaos. He thought Cen Wu would also be expelled from the Cen family, but to his surprise, Cen Wu was still staying with the Cens, and Cen's parents could tolerate Cen Wu's previous humiliation of Xie Guiluan.

He knew it all along—why would Cen Wu rather hang out with that freak Xie Guiluan than love him?

Cen Wu must have known he was his brother, which is why he didn't dare to like him. Staying with Xie Guiluan was just to provoke him.

Xie Shangjing's face was dark and twisted, unsure of whom to hate. But no matter what, the ones causing him this pain were Cen Wu and Xie Guiluan, and he would never let them off easily.

The news gradually spread throughout the school. Cen Wu felt like people were always staring at him, and some classmates glanced at him more often. Cen Wu kept lowering his head more and more.

Xie Guiluan sat beside him with a cold expression, so no one dared to cause trouble for him.

Except for Lu Wang, many people seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Finally, Zhang Yuanzhou mustered up the courage, scratching his head as he said to Cen Wu, "The second young master, a lot of people have been talking about you these days..."

The school was still a simpler place. Most classmates just felt that Cen Wu might be upset. After all, anyone would feel terrible discovering they weren't their parents' biological child.

They didn't know who Cen Wu had been switched with, but if the other party couldn't accept Cen Wu, he might not be able to stay with the Cen family.

Falling from the clouds into the mud can happen in an instant.

"Uh... yeah," Cen Wu didn't deny it and said, "It's... it's true. I'm not their biological child."

Zhang Yuanzhou was momentarily stunned, wanting to comfort Cen Wu but not knowing how. He handed him a few walnuts.

He had recently bought them to boost his brainpower.

Cen Wu: "..."

Lu Wang wanted to give Cen Wu money, but Cen Wu declined. Lu Wang cried for a long time, saying that even if the Cen family didn't want Cen Wu, it didn't matter. Cen Wu could come to his house, and he would share half of his money with him.

Xu Lingling had just found out about this. Earlier, Cen Wu had said he would cover her grandmother's medical expenses and told her not to go filming. She thought it was the Cen family's money, but it turned out to be Cen Wu's own.

Cen Wu had sold a script. With no fame or experience, selling it for thirty thousand was already a decent price.

He transferred twenty thousand to Xu Lingling.

Xu Lingling couldn't say she didn't want Cen Wu's money—she really needed it. She knitted a pair of gloves and gave them to Cen Wu.

Cen Wu accepted them, understanding her good intentions, but he didn't dare to wear them. Xie Guiluan would surely be upset again.

Xie Guiluan didn't stop him from interacting with others, but he preferred Cen Wu to care about him the most. Even if he couldn't be the only one Cen Wu cared about, he had to be the most important. Cen Wu couldn't wear someone else's gloves.

Cen Wu was just afraid of people looking at him, which would trigger his social anxiety. He didn't really care about what others said.

In his past life, before and after death, he had faced countless slanders. It didn't matter; it was all irrelevant.

He only cared about the people he loved.

After stuttering, Cen Wu almost disappeared from the media's sight for half a year. Some rumors claimed he had developed depression from being criticized. Cen Wu could struggle out of bed in the middle of the night, log into his main account, and confront the gossip account, saying, "I don't care about you at all, stop being delusional. You don't even like me anymore, so why should I care if you die?"

Then he would be chased and cursed by others.

Cen Wu was only worried that if people talked about him, Xie Guiluan would be unhappy and might actually kill Xie Shangjing.

Cen Wu nervously clutched his red-and-green dinosaur thermos, juggling his studies and keeping an eye on Xie Guiluan, finally finishing his final exams.

Xie Guiluan's grades remained stable, unaffected by anything. Cen Wu ranked fifteenth in the class this semester, which was also quite good. After they went to school to get their report cards, Zhang Yuanzhou stopped them, "Second Young Master, Brother Xie, want to go eat grilled fish?"

They didn't usually gather after final exams, but they were worried that Cen Wu might not have a good New Year, so they wanted to take him out for a meal.

Meng Liangping was also concerned about Cen Wu. Amidst the school's gossip, he sponsored them three hundred yuan. Almost all the classmates went, and Zhang Yuanzhou and the others ordered a few bottles of beer.

Cen Wu sat in the corner, holding a bottle of beer. His snow-white cheeks were flushed red from the heat. Xie Guiluan picked lychees from the grilled fish for him. Cen Wu ate one and grinned at him.

"Drunk?" Xie Guiluan looked at him, also curling his lips, hooking his little finger and giving it a gentle tug.

Who are you underestimating?

Cen Wu shook his head, indicating he wasn't drunk. They ate until past nine in the evening, and the classmates gradually dispersed to go home. Zhang Yuanzhou and a few other boys stayed a bit longer. Cen Wu ordered another bottle of beer and drank it on his own.

"Sweetheart," Xie Guiluan coaxed him, reaching for his beer bottle, "No more drinking, let's go home, okay?"

Cen Wu looked up, his eyes misty from the alcohol, his eyelashes fluttering. His skin was cold and pale, his lips a thin red. When drunk, he always grinned foolishly, making him dazzlingly beautiful.

Cen Wu didn't give the bottle to Xie Guiluan. He hid it in his arms, pushed Xie Guiluan's hand away, and then pointed to a stall outside the grilled fish shop, mumbling incoherently, "I want to eat."

Xie Guiluan looked over and saw it was a grilled squid stall. He had no choice but to pat Cen Wu's head and say, "It's too cold outside. Wait here for me, okay? I'll go buy it for you."

"Mm!" Cen Wu's voice was soft as he nodded.

Xie Guiluan's dark and cold peach blossom eyes lowered, and he couldn't help but pinch Cen Wu's cheek before going out to buy it.

Zhang Yuanzhou and the others were also drunk, and no one was taking care of Cen Wu. Xie Guiluan was worried, turning his head occasionally to check on him. Once the squid was grilled, he had the boss pack it up and went back to Cen Wu.

Cen Wu was wearing a down jacket hood, lying on the table asleep, his long, thick eyelashes trembling with each breath.

"Sweetheart," Xie Guiluan called softly, "Let's go home to sleep."

Cen Wu covered his ears, feeling like someone kept calling him, which was annoying. And they called him "sweetheart," why? His eyelids were red, and he said unhappily, "Why... why are you calling me?"

Xie Guiluan patiently replied, "Because I like you."

"I... I don't like you." Cen Wu's eyes were blocked by the down jacket hood, and he looked up in the dark.

He tried to pull off the thing on his head, but it ended up covering most of his face. Unable to see who was talking to him, he mumbled, "I... I have someone I like. I've liked him for eight years."

Xie Guiluan, finding him cute, watched him struggle for a while before finally taking pity and reaching out to help. But just as he raised his hand, Cen Wu suddenly spoke.

Xie Guiluan was stunned.

"He's... better looking than you," Cen Wu slapped Xie Guiluan's hand away, not letting him touch him, "Better than you in every way."

Cen Wu thought a male model was pestering him, and Xie Guiluan wasn't around. He didn't want this person to hold him. Damn Xie Guiluan, not even keeping an eye on him.

Xie Guiluan's long eyelashes lowered, his throat feeling a bit sore. He was silent for a while, then reached out to hold Cen Wu again, his voice slightly hoarse as he coaxed, "Sweetheart, let's go home first, okay?"

Cen Wu struggled, but no one came to save him. He softly called, "Xie... Xie Guiluan."

"..." Xie Guiluan looked at him, his cold, hard fingers gripping his chin, forcing him to look up, "Want to be the top scorer again?"

Cen Wu didn't speak. Xie Guiluan's thumb pressed into the soft flesh of Cen Wu's cheek. Cen Wu stubbornly claimed he wasn't drunk, but his alcohol tolerance wasn't as good as before. Drowsy, he leaned on Xie Guiluan's hand and fell asleep.

Xie Guiluan nearly laughed out of frustration, his chest tight with emotion. He didn't know who Cen Wu liked, someone he had liked for so long.

They were only seventeen or eighteen now, meaning Cen Wu had liked that person since he was ten and still did.

Honestly, it's really enviable.

"Little liar," Xie Guiluan lowered his eyes, gently stroking Cen Wu's cheek, and asked softly, "Don't you like Xie Guiluan?"

Cen Wu was still upset that Xie Guiluan went to buy grilled squid for him but didn’t come to pick him up. It felt like Xie Guiluan had abandoned him.

Tears immediately fell from Cen Wu's eyes, not knowing why he felt so wronged. His pale cheeks were streaked with tears, his eyelashes wet, and he sobbed, "He didn't come to pick me up."

"I'm here to pick you up," Xie Guiluan was momentarily stunned, then quickly comforted him, reaching out to wipe his tears, saying, "Sweetheart, I'm here."

Cen Wu's eyelashes fluttered as he softly called out, "Xie Guiluan."

"Hmm," Xie Guiluan responded.

Only then did Cen Wu reach out to hug him, feeling extremely wronged.

Xie Guiluan held him close, soothing him. Cen Wu, for once taking the initiative, nestled into his embrace. Xie Guiluan pinched Cen Wu's cheek, looked at him, and suddenly called out in a deep voice, "Cen Wu."

Cen Wu almost immediately looked up, even though he was drunk, he was still very sensitive to his own name.

Although half a year could also make one accustomed, the instinctive reaction hardwired into a person still had subtle differences.

Xie Guiluan caressed his face, his deep eyes fixed on him, and then asked, "Sweetheart, how old are you this year?"

Cen Wu's math scores were very low, initially only scoring twenty or thirty points, but Xie Guiluan discovered that he knew a bit of calculus, which was almost impossible for a high school student with such poor math skills to have learned.

Unless Cen Wu had attended university.

Cen Wu heard him constantly calling him "sweetheart," like he was coaxing a child, but he knew he wasn’t a kid anymore, so he stammered, "T-twenty-one years old."

Xie Guiluan's lips tightened slightly, his heartbeat quickening a few beats, and he asked again, "Sweetheart, what about your parents?"

"T-they're gone," Cen Wu said.

Xie Guiluan pinched his cheek, forcing him to look up, and finally asked, "Who do you like?"

Cen Wu met his gaze, his mind foggy from drink, but he obediently called out, "Xie... Xie Guiluan."