Chapter 75

Chapter 75

For months now, Gu Yufeng had a nagging suspicion that Xie Ci had other plans. Whenever they broached the topic of the future, Xie Ci would deftly steer the conversation elsewhere, never giving a straight answer.

On a rational level, he understood that they both had bigger priorities than their relationship at this point. But when Xie Ci went ahead with the "practical" choice, it still stung.

Xie Ci stayed so level-headed, while Gu Yufeng was the one drowning in emotions, unable to pull himself out.

In the end, he wasn’t the chosen one, the one who got the special treatment.

"Am I really that insignificant to you?"

Gu Yufeng pulled Xie Ci's hand away and turned around, his voice calm but laced with suppressed emotions, "What’s the harm in losing your cool for me just once?!"

Seeing the fury in Gu Yufeng’s eyes, Xie Ci felt his own emotions flare: "If I were still thinking straight, I wouldn’t be making the same old mistakes!"

Gu Yufeng froze, caught off guard.

"This isn’t some fling. I’m in this for the long haul with you."

Xie Ci brushed his fingers against Gu Yufeng’s cheek, his voice low and soothing, "Take a breath and think it over. We’ve got plenty on our plates."

Noticing Gu Yufeng’s stony expression and silence, Xie Ci ventured cautiously, "Still upset? Want me to send you a '520'?"

Gu Yufeng let out a laugh, torn between irritation and amusement.

By now, his anger had mostly faded, but the idea of a long-distance relationship still gnawed at him.

"Or how about a '1314'?" Xie Ci teased.

"Save it for your plane tickets."

Gu Yufeng seized Xie Ci’s chin and kissed him hard, channeling his frustration into the act.

Xie Ci chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around Gu Yufeng as he leaned back against the desk, intensifying the kiss.

In the cafeteria, Fang Size and the gang were mid-meal when Xie Ci showed up alone, immediately raising eyebrows.

"Where’s Old Gu?" Fang Size asked.

"He headed back," Xie Ci said, taking a seat.

"Did you guys fight? No reconciliation yet?" Zhang Ruochuan whispered.

Xie Ci recalled Gu Yufeng’s sulky expression as he walked away, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, "He’s stubborn. He’ll come around on his own."

After the competition, there were still loose ends to tie up at school, and Xie Ci found himself constantly bouncing between home and campus.

In early March, Gu Yongnian suddenly contacted him, saying he wanted to have a chat.

Xie Ci got into the car sent by Gu Yongnian and arrived at the high-end club owned by the Gu family, a place Gu Yongnian used for entertaining guests and not open to the public.

Inside the quaint, elegantly decorated building, Xie Ci followed Lin Ying through a wooden corridor and entered a room where Gu Yongnian was already seated, sipping tea and reading at the tea table.

Before the conversation began, Gu Yongnian dismissed everyone and personally poured tea for Xie Ci.

"Xiao Xie, word is you’re seeing my Xiao Feng?"

Surprised by Gu Yongnian’s directness, as he usually preferred to ease into conversations, Xie Ci met Gu Yongnian’s probing gaze and calmly asked, "Who told you that?"

"It’s about my wife."

Gu Yongnian’s expression stiffened as he recalled the incident. "She called me out of the blue in the middle of the night and chewed me out for over half an hour, blaming me for not keeping an eye on our son. Did this really happen?"

Xie Ci could have easily denied it all, but since Catelyn already knew, it was likely she had talked to Gu Yufeng. Knowing Gu Yufeng’s personality, this matter was probably out in the open.

"It’s true," Xie Ci calmly admitted. "I have feelings for Yu Feng."

After he spoke, silence fell between them, and the atmosphere in the tea room became tense.

Xie Ci braced himself for Gu Yongnian’s reaction. Whether Gu Yongnian hit or scolded him today, he was ready to take it.

"Your relationship is non-negotiable. I will never approve, and I’m sure you know that."

Gu Yongnian let out a soft sigh as Xie Ci nodded. "Even if Xiao Feng weren’t my son, my stance would be the same for any boy. I see great potential in you. Don’t let the fleeting passions of youth trap you in this small world. The world is vast, and that’s where you belong."

Xie Ci was taken aback by his reaction. After a moment’s thought, he said, "I’ve already talked to Yu Feng. I’m heading to the U.S. to study, and he’s going back to Germany for his studies. As for our relationship—"

Xie Ci ended with a bitter, helpless laugh.

This was enough to give Gu Yongnian the wrong idea.

"It’s best if you both see things clearly."

Gu Yongnian sipped his tea and relaxed slightly. "I called you here today for a different reason."

"So this isn’t about breaking you two up?" Xie Ci was puzzled. "What else is there?"

"I heard you’ve been recommending a lot of investment projects to Lei Qiliang?" Gu Yongnian’s expression became more serious than before.

Xie Ci had been in touch with Lei Qiliang privately, so of course he knew. Ever since the Xie family tipped him off, he’d been keeping tabs on things.

Recently, Lei Qiliang’s Feihong Group had been making frequent moves, and their investment vision had suddenly improved, becoming more acute. For example, the land in the old city district and the recent acquisition of a tech company developing smart car chips were both projects he had previously been interested in.

Given Feihong Group’s past actions, he didn’t believe this transformation had nothing to do with Xie Ci.

"Lei Qiliang indeed has courage and ability, but his resources are limited. You’ll be constrained if you follow him."

Gu Yongnian dangled the bait. "What you lack most right now is capital. I’m right here in front of you. Aren’t you considering leveraging that?"

Xie Ci brought the tea to his lips and paused slightly upon hearing this. He raised his eyes and met Gu Yongnian’s gaze.

The old man still loved to set the stage.

This sentence was the real focus of today’s conversation.

"Why would you trust a high school student so much?" Xie Ci put down the teacup, genuinely puzzled.

"I don’t trust you. I trust my own judgment. When I was your age, my mind worked just as quickly."

Gu Yongnian continued, "Besides, I’ve always been interested in autonomous vehicle technology. The tech company Feihong is planning to acquire is also on Gu Group’s shortlist."

Xie Ci remained silent for a moment. "I’m sorry, but I don’t plan to invite you to participate in this project."

Gu Yongnian was taken aback by Xie Ci’s direct refusal. "Is it because I don’t approve of your relationship with Xiao Feng?"

Xie Ci shook his head. "More accurately, Gu Group cannot be involved in any form."

Seeing Gu Yongnian’s confusion deepen, Xie Ci gently turned the teacup in his hand and chuckled. "There are plenty of good projects out there, as long as you’re interested."

Gu Yongnian was intrigued by his confident demeanor and became interested, pouring him more tea: "Go on, tell me."

"Let me make it clear upfront, I don’t come cheap," Xie Ci said half-jokingly.

Gu Yongnian waved his hand: "The greedy God of Wealth—word’s already out."

Xie Ci: "..."

What circles?

Soon it was March 22nd, Xie Ci's 18th birthday. The Xie family somehow got wind of it and wanted to throw a big celebration, announcing Xie Ci's identity at the birthday banquet.

Xie Ci declined the Xie family's offer and returned to the countryside to eat his grandmother’s homemade longevity noodles.

That night, after showering at his cousin’s place, Xie Ci saw the missed call from Gu Yufeng and called back, but he was on another call.

It wasn’t until almost midnight that Gu Yufeng called back. They talked about everyday life and work stuff until past one in the morning before hanging up.

"Happy birthday."

Before hanging up, Gu Yufeng still brought the topic back to the birthday, "If you hadn’t sent me away, I would be celebrating your birthday with you now."

Xie Ci: "You’re the one who said you needed space."

Gu Yufeng: "But you didn’t stop me."

Xie Ci: "I wouldn’t dare."

Gu Yufeng: "You had the guts to sleep with me, what else wouldn’t you dare?"

Xie Ci: "..."

Xie Ci wanted to say, wasn’t it you who came onto me first? But he bit his tongue.

If he really asked that, it would just make him angry again.

The next day, he and his father returned to the city. Yang Le said someone dropped off a gift box yesterday, a birthday present for him.

Xie Ci opened it to find a watch inside, with a small card bearing Gu Yufeng's messy but stylish handwriting.

"To: My 18-year-old baby"

"Unlimited cuddles card"

"This card is non-transferable and non-destructible"

"Only valid with Gu Yufeng"

Xie Ci imagined Gu Yufeng writing the small card and laughed.

"Only you would think of something like this."

After his birthday, Xie Ci started sorting out his passport, visa, and driver’s license, first flying to M country to open his own account, and caught up with his old online buddy, Nock.

He picked a random coffee shop on the street, sitting on the small terrace outside to soak up the sun and enjoy the foreign yet oddly familiar streets. Not long after, Nock arrived on time.

At this time, Nock wasn’t bald yet, a towering white guy, nearly two meters tall, 38 years old, with a full beard. After resigning from a large institution, he stopped caring about his appearance, walking around like a sloppy uncle. Who could tell this man was actually a Wall Street elite.

"You're really a high school student?!" Nock exclaimed, calling on both heaven and God upon seeing Xie Ci.

Xie Ci: "You look older than I expected."

Nock: "Being tormented by my one-year-old son every day, keeping up like this is a miracle."

They quickly got into talking about the stock market, then about what’s going on in different industries and their investment returns. Before they realized it, two hours had flown by.

Before parting, Nock asked Xie Ci about his school information.

"You're more knowledgeable than I expected. My friends will definitely like you. Let's meet again after you start school."

Xie Ci nodded in agreement.

A good first impression was key to any future collaboration.

In mid-May, Xie Ci finished his domestic driver's license test, and the forum’s ‘son group’ grew to over 300 members, while his startup funds had grown several times over.

One day, Xiang Haibin called him, asking if he was free to come to school next Wednesday for graduation photos.

On Wednesday afternoon, Xie Ci drove his father's Maybach to the first high school.

It wasn’t time for their class to take photos yet, and everyone was studying in the classroom.

Seeing Xie Ci arrive, the once-quiet class suddenly came alive, even Yang He and the others who’d never been fond of Xie Ci joined in the excitement.

Even though it had only been two or three months since they last saw him, Xie Ci seemed to have suddenly grown up, becoming more mature and steady, creating a sense of distance between them, the feeling of looking up to him grew stronger.

"Lao Xie! You finally showed up!"

Jiang Chenyu rushed over excitedly, "The college entrance exam is right around the corner, I'm so anxious, I don’t know who to turn to for help with the problems I’m stuck on."

Zhang Ruochuan: "Is Lao Gu coming?"

"He should, I told him," Xie Ci replied.

Zhang Ruochuan was somewhat sad: "Back at Yulin Snow Mountain at the start of the year, we said we'd go again next time, but you and Lao Fang graduated early, and Lao Gu went back home. We thought we had half a year left, but it’s all ending so fast..."

A student came over with a test paper, saying it was a golden opportunity, and asked Xie Ci to help explain the problems.

Since Xie Ci had time to spare, under the group’s eager eyes, he took the paper and went to the podium: "Which ones are giving you trouble?"

The group: "We’re stuck on the big problems at the end!"

Xie Ci: "..."

Meanwhile, Xiang Haibin walked in from the back door of the classroom with a thermos cup, sat in Xie Ci's old seat, watched Xie Ci focused on explaining the problems and the first class students listening attentively, and smiled, his eyes crinkling.

Xie Ci noticed Xiang Haibin out of the corner of his eye and nodded in acknowledgment. His gaze inadvertently swept over the empty seat next to him, and for a moment, he could still see Gu Yufeng lazily propping his chin, flashing him a flirtatious wink.

At this moment, he realized very clearly that high school life was over.

The once tough and frustrating seventeen-year-old, because of Gu Yufeng's intervention, had given him many things worth remembering.

Gu Yufeng arrived late, finally making it before the photo session.

Xie Ci borrowed two school uniforms, threw one to Gu Yufeng, and they both put them on, standing in the last row of the group.

"All students, look at the camera, ready, cheese!" The photographer guided from the front.

At an angle unseen by everyone, Xie Ci secretly held Gu Yufeng's hand, which was almost immediately reciprocated, their long fingers interlocking, holding hands tightly.

Both of them smiled at the camera at the same time, and the moment was captured forever.