Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Ignoring Xie Ci's warning look, Gu Yufeng remained unmoved, his hushed voice brimming with excitement: "For example, stripping you naked and hanging you up—"

Xie Ci's tone was cold: "Like a roast duck?"

Gu Yufeng: "Tying you up with a rope as thick as a finger—"

Xie Ci: "Like steaming a crab?"

Gu Yufeng: "Then flipping you over and over—"

Xie Ci: "Like pan-frying a fish?"

Gu Yufeng fell silent, giving Xie Ci a long, meaningful look: "Are you really that hungry? Didn’t you get enough to eat at dinner?"

"I didn’t eat much."

Xie Ci, as if completely unaware of ruining the mood, spoke seriously, "Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten a stomachache from not eating."

Gu Yufeng tightened the tie in his hand, gripping Xie Ci’s chin: "Cut the crap. Do you really think I didn’t notice you were faking it?"

Xie Ci retorted: "If you noticed, why’d you still hand me stomach meds?"

Gu Yufeng spoke slowly: "So that box was actually full of aphrodisiacs. It’s not your stomach that’s the problem, it’s your kidneys."

"..."

Seeing Gu Yufeng’s unapologetic expression, Xie Ci was both annoyed and amused, "Carrying around aphrodisiacs, does Mr. Gu have such high needs?"

"You just figuring me out now?" Gu Yufeng didn’t deny it at all.

"That kind of medicine doesn’t work on me." Xie Ci hinted.

"Figured as much."

Gu Yufeng unbuttoned his trousers with one hand, looking down at Xie Ci, "For someone as far gone as you are, mild meds won’t cut it."

Xie Ci watched as Gu Yufeng knelt on top of him, his eyes filled with desire, touching himself and letting out soft, needy sounds.

"Do you always do this?"

Gu Yufeng: "What’s the fun if you’re not watching?"

Bold move, provoking him now. Xie Ci raised his hand, the tie still in Gu Yufeng’s grip, pulling him closer.

Taken by surprise, Gu Yufeng was pulled over, barely catching himself on the backrest, watching as Xie Ci bit open the knot of the tie. In a whirl, he was pressed into the sofa.

Looking up at Xie Ci’s aroused expression, he smiled and wrapped his arms around him, deliberately asking: "The show’s just starting, and you’re already done watching? Not good enough?"

"It’d be a shame to rush through it."

Xie Ci ran his hand over Gu Yufeng’s abs, trailing kisses down his neck, his voice lower than usual, "We’ll save the rest for next time."

Clothes were thrown onto the carpet one by one, the living room growing hotter by the second. The two on the sofa were past joking around.

Suddenly, the ringing of a phone snapped the two out of their moment.

Gu Yufeng realized it was his phone ringing, and conveniently, it was within his reach. He glanced at it—it was Robertson.

He grabbed it and turned it off, but before he could put it down, it rang again. He answered impatiently, "What’s up?"

Robertson: "Just received news that Esther has started investigating your past with President Xie, as well as the Dolphin system."

This was exactly what he expected and not something worth paying special attention to. Gu Yufeng’s tone turned even more annoyed, "What else?"

Robertson: "The old man’s secretary just sent over the updated lending regulations. I've forwarded them to you."

Gu Yufeng’s relaxed expression instantly hardened. He shoved Xie Ci aside and stood up, grabbing the notebook from the other end of the sofa and casually placing it on his lap to open it. He asked Robertson over the phone, "Did they say anything else?"

Robertson: "The regulations will be presented and voted on at the board meeting tomorrow morning..."

Xie Ci watched helplessly as the person he was holding slipped away. The same person who had just kept him from answering the phone was now holding a notebook and starting to work, completely disregarding his well-being.

After hanging up the phone, Gu Yufeng opened the file. Hearing soft footsteps behind him, he turned around to see Xie Ci standing like a mountain, backlit, behind him. Xie Ci was holding a tie, glaring down at him with a dark expression.

Xie Ci was only wearing a pair of long pants, the waistband undone, his broad shoulders and narrow waist, with beautiful muscle lines fully exposed.

Knowing he was at fault, Gu Yufeng steeled himself and said, "Five minutes is enough, wait for me."

But Xie Ci just stared at him, silent.

"Three minutes?... One minute?"

After a moment of standoff, Gu Yufeng realized there was no room for negotiation. He quickly turned back and began scanning the opened file.

But he was still too slow. He had only browsed halfway when a hand reached from behind and closed the notebook, tossing it aside.

"I just need to glance at it, I’ll be quick," Gu Yufeng said somewhat helplessly, reaching out to retrieve it.

Xie Ci grabbed Gu Yufeng's wrist, quickly tying his hands with the tie, his attitude firm, "Right now, nothing matters more than taking care of you."

That sounded familiar. Gu Yufeng: "Given how close we are, can you cut me some slack?"

"I will."

Xie Ci picked him up and carried him towards the bedroom.

Suddenly weightless, Gu Yufeng cursed under his breath, "Carrying a sack of potatoes?!"

Xie Ci pushed open the bedroom door and threw him onto the bed, grabbing Gu Yufeng's hands and raising them above his head, "Shall we try all your favorite things, one by one?"

"I meant using them on you, not letting you use them on me. Untie me!... Xie Ci!"

No matter how much Gu Yufeng struggled and cursed, Xie Ci remained unmoved. Fed up, he bit down on Gu Yufeng’s throat.

Gu Yufeng was forced to tilt his head back, a pained groan escaping his slightly parted lips. His hands instinctively moved but were bound and unable to do anything, leaving him at Xie Ci's mercy, being flipped over and over like a fish in a frying pan.

After a long time, everything returned to calm.

Gu Yufeng leaned against the headboard, casually bending one long leg. He pulled a slim cigarette from the pack and lit it. The hair on his forehead was damp with sweat, his shirt disheveled, one side of the collar slipping down to his elbow, revealing his collarbone and a large area of kiss marks on his chest. There were also a few marks on his wrists from being tied.

He exhaled a puff of white smoke and looked down at himself. Even the roots of his thighs had red marks. He looked utterly wrecked.

Xie Ci put on his pants and grabbed a bottle of water, twisting it open. He turned to ask Gu Yufeng, "Want me to grab your notebook for you?"

Gu Yufeng looked at him leisurely, "It's already dawn. We've wasted the whole night, a little more time won't make a difference."

Xie Ci walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling Gu Yufeng's hand to massage it, "Does it hurt much?"

Gu Yufeng glanced at the bite marks and scratches on Xie Ci. Knowing he was the one who left those marks felt more satisfying than seeing that old man Esther get humiliated.

"That was amazing. Let’s go again after this smoke."

Xie Ci: "Who was fighting back just now?"

"You’re really into this whole domination thing, huh?"

Gu Yufeng ran his fingers over the bite mark on Xie Ci’s shoulder, smiling mischievously. "The more I struggle, the more excited you get. President Xie’s got a thing for kinky stuff."

Xie Ci: "..."

Gu Yufeng leaned in closer: "So, how’s my medicine working for you?"

Xie Ci kissed him by the lips: "No one’s as wild as you."

"Who else could even compare?" Gu Yufeng followed up.

Xie Ci: "Just some randoms I meet at events."

The term "randoms" made Gu Yufeng feel good, and he joked, "So, I’m still your number one, huh?"

"Rock solid. No one’s taking your spot."

Under Gu Yufeng’s expectant gaze, Xie Ci spoke seriously.

Gu Yufeng nodded in satisfaction: "Since you dropped the act, you hardly ever say sweet stuff anymore. It’s worth another reward."

"No way."

Xie Ci took the cigarette from his hand and handed him the water bottle. "I ran the bath. Let’s soak for a while, and there’s still time to sleep."

Gu Yufeng let Xie Ci extinguish the cigarette he had only taken one puff from and drank half the bottle of water: "Work’s not finished. Who has time to sleep?"

"Work never stops," Xie Ci retorted.

Gu Yufeng: "You’ve got some nerve lecturing me."

"We keep each other honest."

Xie Ci watched as Gu Yufeng sat up, a bit worried. "You good? Need me to carry you?"

"I’m twenty-three, not sixty-three. Chill out."

Gu Yufeng got out of bed, took two steps, and suddenly felt his legs go weak, as if stepping on cotton, and nearly fell.

Xie Ci had anticipated this and was ready. He scooped him up like a kid and carried him to the bathroom.

"You’ve wrecked me," Gu Yufeng complained.

Xie Ci: "You had it coming. Think you’ll try it again?"

Gu Yufeng: "You’re already planning the next round?"

Xie Ci: "..."

In the shower, Xie Ci helped Gu Yufeng wash up, checking he wasn’t hurt.

After the bath, they went to another bedroom. Gu Yufeng set an alarm. He was wide awake a second ago, but the moment he hit the pillow, he was out.

Xie Ci turned off the light and lay down beside him, wrapping both him and the blanket in his arms.

"Got anything on your schedule today?"

Gu Yufeng moved closer into his arms, finding a comfortable position for himself: "I need to meet up with my grandpa. I suggested he adjust the loan conditions, and it took nearly six months to get him to agree. Today, the board’s meeting to talk about the new rules."

Xie Ci got it right away from that one sentence: "Did they already come knocking?"

"One showed up, and I sent them packing."

Gu Yufeng's eyelids were too heavy to lift, his voice thick with exhaustion, "This one’s already gone to Derson Bank. I figure we’ll hear something in the next few days."

Xie Ci planted a kiss on Gu Yufeng's hair: "Get some rest."

"When are we gonna stop this long-distance thing?" Gu Yufeng's voice was soft in the dim space.

"It won’t be long now."

Xie Ci looked at the person who had fallen asleep in his arms, thinking about the financial crisis from their past life.

If it hits on schedule this time around, it’ll be our showdown with Derson.

They didn’t wake up until noon. Gu Yufeng had to go see his grandfather, and Xie Ci, not feeling like being alone, figured he’d stop by the M Country HQ first to clear the backlog before heading back home.

Before leaving, Xie Ci took out a crumpled piece of white paper from his pocket: "I can't fold a heart, help me fix it."

Gu Yufeng glanced at the writing on it, which he’d folded on a whim last night. It wasn’t fancy stationery, just a plain old A4 sheet.

"Why bother fixing it? Just toss it."

Xie Ci looked serious: "It’s the first love letter you ever gave me—it’s a keeper."

Gu Yufeng raised an eyebrow, took the paper, sat down, and started folding it while saying: "Didn’t peg you, a science guy, for having a romantic streak."

"At least I faked it for so long in our past life."

As soon as Xie Ci finished speaking, he was glared at by Gu Yufeng, who then added, "It wasn’t all an act."

Seeing Gu Yufeng's skilled movements, Xie Ci was curious: "Didn’t know you were into origami."

This didn’t seem like Gu Yufeng at all.

Gu Yufeng casually said: "After seeing the heart in your drawer that day, I secretly practiced for a long time."

So it was learned out of jealousy. Xie Ci found it amusing: "Why practice this?"

Gu Yufeng said calmly: "If others can give it to you, so can I."

Xie Ci: "..."

This twisted sense of competition and possessiveness.

Gu Yufeng placed the folded heart in front of him, smilingly asking: "I gave you a love letter, aren't you going to reciprocate?"

Xie Ci thought for a moment: "Stretch out your hand."

Gu Yufeng, not knowing what he was up to, opened his palm.

Xie Ci grasped it: "Here you go, my first love."

Gu Yufeng looked up in confusion: "When did you learn to tell cold jokes?"

Xie Ci: "..."