Chapter 72

Chapter 72

After the Lunar New Year, Xie Ci and his father Xie Qian visited their grandmother in the countryside. Apart from that, they didn’t have many relatives to visit, so it was quiet. They stayed home, playing games with a group of affluent middle-aged and elderly folks on the forum.

The gaming group started with just five members, but after several rounds of games, it grew to thirty members as people invited others. After losing to Xie Ci, a bunch of old men kept calling him "Dad." They’d gripe in the group every day, pushing Xie Ci to start the next round, eager to hear him call them "Dad."

A couple of them slid into Xie Ci’s DMs, asking if he was interested in helping manage their assets.

But Xie Ci wasn’t rushing. He wasn’t even eighteen yet, and he didn’t have any professional credentials. He had all the time in the world to wear these small fry down.

Messing around wasn’t cutting it. To win these rich folks’ trust, he’d need to be either close or powerful.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, known as "Po Wu," it was when Jiang Chenyu and his crew had planned a group outing.

Xie Ci woke up early, and his dad Xie Qian dropped him off at the meeting spot. The bus was waiting in a corner of the square, and Jiang Chenyu and a few others were on the garden steps, getting their gear ready.

"Captain Xie’s here!"

Shen Qiuya waved to them, "Where’s Gu Yufeng? He didn’t come with you?"

"He’s not here yet?" Xie Ci looked around and walked over to the steps to ask Jiang Chenyu, "Did he say he’d come?"

"You’re asking me?"

Jiang Chenyu was surprised, "Shouldn’t you know best?"

Xie Ci: "We haven’t talked in days."

After a quick meetup on New Year’s Eve, they hadn’t been in touch since. Gu Yufeng was likely either being dragged around by Gu Yongnian to see relatives or still tied up with work.

That guy would dive headfirst into work when he got busy. It was always like that.

Jiang Chenyu: "I called him on the third day of the New Year, and he said he would come."

Xie Ci: "Did he say anything else?"

Jiang Chenyu: "He only asked if you were coming. I said yes, and he said he would come too. He’s still so indulgent with you."

Xie Ci: "..."

Indulgent?

They were heading to the Yulin Snow Mountain Resort, over two hundred kilometers away. At high altitude, the outdoor ski resort would be open during this season. Jiang Chenyu had spent days planning and rented a vacation villa at the foot of the mountain with enough rooms for everyone.

About twenty people arrived one after another, some from the basketball team and some from the soccer team. Xie Ci glanced around; most of them were familiar faces.

Listening to these kids excitedly discussing their upcoming plans, Xie Ci felt somewhat indifferent.

In his previous life, he wouldn’t have wasted time on such things. He would have preferred sitting at home listening to those old men call him "Dad." But perhaps his mindset was different now, and he could view people and things more calmly.

Still, it would be even better if Gu Yufeng were here.

Just before departure, a Land Rover pulled up by the roadside. Xie Ci watched as the rear door opened, and Gu Yufeng stepped out in sportswear. His face was calm, showing no emotion, though there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, which he masked well.

Zhang Ruochuan, standing beside Xie Ci, nudged him with his elbow and whispered with a laugh, "Does it suddenly feel more fun now?"

Xie Ci turned to him, "...Why do you ask?"

"More people, more fun."

Zhang Ruochuan pretended not to understand and turned to Fang Size, "Isn’t that right, Lao Fang?"

Fang Size, holding a beef stick given by Jiang Chenyu, nodded, "Lao Gu can look after Lao Xie. I’m glad he’s here."

Xie Ci: "..."

Do I look like someone who needs to be taken care of?

"What’s up?" Gu Yufeng signaled Robertson to leave and walked over to them.

Zhang Ruochuan chuckled, "Good thing you showed up, or else what would Lao Xie do?"

Gu Yufeng looked at Xie Ci, "Did some nasty relative give you a hard time at the start of the year? Feeling down?"

Zhang Ruochuan cut in before Xie Ci could respond, "Exactly! He’s been sulking all this time, only perked up when he saw you."

Gu Yufeng laughed, "Really?"

Xie Ci: "Of course, he’s just messing with you."

Once everyone arrived, they all got on the bus.

After the bus started moving, Xie Ci looked at Gu Yufeng sitting beside him, "Rough night?"

"I was up all night," Gu Yufeng took off his coat and relaxed against the seat.

Seeing that Gu Yufeng was about to sleep, Xie Ci reminded him to fasten his seatbelt.

Gu Yufeng slumped, "Can’t be bothered."

Xie Ci had to reach for the seatbelt tucked behind him, and as he looked up, he met Gu Yufeng's gaze.

Gu Yufeng didn’t shy away, being so close, his eyes lightly scanning Xie Ci's face and landing on his lips, giving Xie Ci the illusion that this guy was holding his face and kissing him, the warm and soft sensation on his lips almost turning real.

Gu Yufeng might not have much experience in romance, but he had plenty in bed, with him.

He was getting better and better at flirting.

After buckling up, Xie Ci draped his coat over him.

Gu Yufeng leaned over and rested his head on Xie Ci's shoulder, "Your eyes just totally got me."

Xie Ci: "Shut up and sleep."

He heard a couple of soft chuckles, and then it was quiet. Xie Ci tilted his head to look, the person leaning on his shoulder was already asleep.

The bus drove into Yulin Snow Mountain and pulled up in front of the dormitory courtyard. They planned to drop off their stuff, grab some lunch, and then hit the slopes.

There were plenty of rooms, so they could pick whichever they wanted.

Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng chose a room on the second floor.

Once inside, Xie Ci set down his backpack and turned to ask Gu Yufeng, who had followed him in, "Are you gonna crash here, or come with us?"

"I’ll come with you. It’s not often we get to go on a trip like this."

Gu Yufeng sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing his slightly dizzy head.

"If you’re not feeling up to it, don’t go," Xie Ci walked over, gently moved his hand aside, and started massaging his head.

Gu Yufeng instinctively wrapped his arms around Xie Ci's waist, resting his head against him, nuzzling lightly.

"If you stay with me, I won't go."

"Alright," Xie Ci agreed readily.

Gu Yufeng thought for a moment, "Let's go. We're here already."

At the meal, Gu Yufeng was still a little out of it, but once they hit the slopes, he was more energetic than anyone.

Xie Ci kept a close eye on him, afraid he might do something reckless.

Wang Hao and the others, taking private ski lessons, saw the two of them in their ski suits and goggles, racing down the slopes, and started hollering.

"Wow! So cool!"

"Lao Xie and Lao Gu are at it again, haha! Their athletic skills are unmatched."

"Is there anything they can't do?"

"I thought I could be as good as them, but I ended up flat on my back."

By around 3 PM, the sky turned cloudy, and the venue warned it might snow, so they’d close the slopes early, and all visitors were told to head to the rest area.

While Xie Ci was exchanging a few words with Fang Size and the others, he turned around, and Gu Yufeng was gone.

The crowd was thick, and Xie Ci scanned the area but couldn't spot him. He pushed through the crowd, speeding up, and found him near the escalator.

Two others in ski suits were holding Gu Yufeng by the shoulders on either side. Xie Ci’s face darkened as he ran over, grabbing one guy’s wrist and pulling Gu Yufeng close with an arm around his waist, "What are you doing?!"

The person whose wrist was grabbed was startled and looked at Xie Ci in panic, "I was just helping him up."

Xie Ci’s expression was cold as his gaze swept over the other person, a woman in her thirties, who also looked surprised and was eyeing him warily.

"Xie Ci?"

Gu Yufeng steadied himself and, seeing Xie Ci's troubled expression, explained, "They were just helping me up."

But Xie Ci wasn't convinced.

Seeing that Xie Ci was Gu Yufeng's friend, the woman added, "My daughter accidentally knocked your friend over. I'm really sorry."

Only then did Xie Ci notice a little girl, about four or five years old, standing in front of Gu Yufeng.

After the family of three left, Gu Yufeng turned to Xie Ci, who was still frowning, "Was it necessary to be so tense?"

After asking, Gu Yufeng suddenly remembered that this wasn't the first time this had happened.

At the gathering at home, when he was led into the dance floor by Gu Churan's friend, Xie Ci had also been overly tense, wary of everyone approaching him, completely unlike his usual self.

"Xie Ci."

Gu Yufeng stood in front of Xie Ci, looking at the silent man, "What's really going on with you?"

Xie Ci's mind was filled with images of Gu Yufeng being taken away in their previous life.

He knew it was all in the past, and dwelling on it only brought him distress, but he couldn't stop asking himself, if he had been more careful back then, or if he had handled his conflicts with Gu Yufeng better, would none of it have happened?

"Is there something you can't even tell me?" Xie Ci remained silent, and Gu Yufeng lost his patience.

Xie Ci waited until he calmed down before replying, "I just don’t like seeing others touch you."

Gu Yufeng looked at him deeply, knowing this wasn’t the full truth but also aware that pressing further would be futile. He went along with the conversation, "You’re so jealous. What if I have to go out for work events in the future? Will you just sit at home and cry?"

"Am I the only one who has work events?" Xie Ci retorted.

Gu Yufeng was momentarily speechless, "From now on, neither of us is going out. We'll just stay at home."

Xie Ci nodded slowly, "You better stick to that."

The two kept teasing each other all the way back to the rest area.

It was still early, and the group talked about hitting the hot springs.

Last time they went to the hot spring town, Gu Yufeng had injured his foot and couldn't soak.

A bunch of guys were in the big hot spring pool, chatting and laughing about the skiing earlier. Xie Ci casually responded to a couple of comments, but his attention was entirely on Gu Yufeng beside him.

Who could resist a wet ex-husband?

Xie Ci had previously joked about Gu Yufeng's childlike figure, but in reality, compared to the average high school student, his physique was quite good. Regular exercise had given him a lean, toned body, full of tension in his movements.

Seeing Gu Yufeng with his eyes half-closed, staring blankly at the water, Xie Ci asked, "Tired?"

Gu Yufeng sighed softly, "It’d be even better if it was just the two of us."

Xie Ci: "..."

With that serious look, was he really just thinking about that?

As the sky gradually darkened, they headed inside where there was karaoke, a media room, and a game room.

They opened a large game room, and a group of guys were there fighting over games to play, while others sat down to drink tea and eat.

Midway, Gu Yufeng's phone rang. The room was too loud, so he stepped outside.

Xie Ci waited for a while but didn't see him return, feeling on edge.

What he’d seen earlier that day was still bothering him, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something might happen to Gu Yufeng.

After waiting for five minutes, he couldn’t sit still anymore. Using the bathroom as an excuse, he left the game room and searched around, finally seeing Gu Yufeng still on the phone under the back veranda, arguing with someone in English, his tone sharp and angry.

"I've been proposing the acquisition of FA since half a year ago. You wanted detailed plans, and I revised them no less than five times. And now you give me this result?!"

Gu Yufeng's face was stern as he questioned sharply, "You shoot down my proposal and go after some no-potential tech company instead. What, has Qingfeng turned to collecting junk?... The board didn’t pass it? What do those old geezers on the board know?! All they do is complain and whine... I don’t care what your considerations are, FA must be acquired... You had to drag your feet until now, giving Derson the chance to complete the privatization!"

Gu Yufeng hung up the phone, sat down on the nearby sofa, and rubbed his temples, too furious to talk.

Xie Ci heard some of the words and could more or less guess what was going on.

More than a decade later, FA, controlled by the Derson Consortium, became the largest media company in Country D, long guiding public opinion to smear and suppress Qingfeng, using financial means to try to manipulate Qingfeng's stock price, causing Gu Yufeng a lot of headaches.

Xie Ci walked over and ruffled Gu Yufeng's hair, "Take it easy, don’t rush."

"It’s not about me being impatient—Derson’s already made their move on FA."

Gu Yufeng held his hand, looked up, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes, "Three months ago, I proposed an acquisition plan, but it was rejected by those old bastards on the board. All I could do was get someone to protect FA’s president, Sales, and also exposed some of the Derson Consortium's dirty deeds through the media, hoping to change FA's decision, but... I still couldn’t stop things from escalating."

Derson assassinated Sales, who opposed privatization, bribed FA's board members, and completed the privatization process.

Originally, Qingfeng had a chance to stop it.

Now, this result meant that all his work over the past six months was in vain.

At the end of the day, it was because he had no power in the current situation.