Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Gu Lin hurriedly took the elevator to the underground parking lot and immediately spotted Boss Chu’s gaudy pink car.

It was a new purchase by Chu Gege. Back when she first bought it, Gu Lin had curiously asked about the price—the number of zeros at the end was more than on a lottery ticket.

"Boss, really appreciate the ride," Gu Lin said as he got into the car, panting as he thanked her.

Chu Gege, as stunning as ever, rested her hand on the steering wheel and chuckled at his rushed appearance. "No need to rush—I just pulled up."

Gu Lin fastened his seatbelt. "I didn’t want to keep you waiting. Can’t afford to be late."

As Chu Gege drove out, she caught sight of Pei Sheng in the rearview mirror and asked, "Did you tell Pei Sheng where you’re going?"

"Nope. He’d ruin the surprise."

Chu Gege teased, "Not sure if he’ll be surprised, but after today’s shopping spree, you’ll definitely be flat broke."

The mention of spending made Gu Lin’s heart ache a little, but Pei Sheng had given him so much—he absolutely had to buy that watch for him!

"Nah, I still have Pei Sheng’s salary card. I won’t starve."

"Oho! What’s the balance on his salary card?" Chu Gege asked curiously.

"Eight grand," Gu Lin replied without checking. Pei Sheng had said it was eight thousand, so he assumed it was.

"Eight grand?" Chu Gege let out a light laugh.

"Boss, why do I feel like I’m reading between the lines with you?" Gu Lin sensed something off in her tone.

"Not me, not Zhou Shaoran," she smoothly deflected, changing the subject, slick as ever. "Why didn’t Pei Sheng buy you a car?"

"Oh, he gave me his Yadi e-bike to ride." During winter, Pei Sheng mostly drove him around, so he hadn’t used it much.

"That janky little e-bike of yours?"

"What’s wrong with it?" Gu Lin retorted, then silently reconsidered—given the kind of car Boss Chu drove, she could probably trade it for who knows how many Yadi e-bikes. It wasn’t janky at all.

"If you’re not after his cash or his abs, are you just after how good he is to you?" Chu Gege glanced at Gu Lin’s head-over-heels look and bet he’s just hooked on Pei Sheng’s sweetness.

"Can’t I be after his wasp waist, mile-long legs, and being good in bed?"

Chu Gege burst out laughing at his rebuttal. "Wow, you’re the real playboy here—only in it for the sex."

"Of course not. Love and desire aren’t separate. I only crave him." Gu Lin spoke earnestly.

"Don’t guys usually screw around without feelings?"

"Not this guy." Gu Lin had never believed the two were separate.

He liked Pei Sheng—that’s why he wanted to cuddle up to him.

After being questioned so much, Gu Lin grew curious too. "What about you, Boss? What did you go after with your first boyfriend?"

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, lingering faintly at the corners of her lips. "Dunno. Probably the same as you back then."

Gu Lin noticed the shift in her expression and suddenly remembered Zheng Wei’s comment—that Boss Chu’s first love had been gone for years.

He realized he’d put his foot in his mouth.

But he had never personally asked Chu Gege about this matter, so he feigned ignorance, lowering his head to glance at his phone and saw a message from Pei Sheng.

Fei L: What’s up? In such a hurry?

This was the first time Pei Sheng had inquired what he was doing.

LL: Out with the Boss.

Pei Sheng sat in his car, debating whether to personally check what his younger boyfriend was up to or just wait for him at home.

Now, looking at Gu Lin’s reply, he couldn’t figure out what the two of them could possibly be doing—making bubble tea or playing haunted house NPCs together?

Fei L: A proper boyfriend should learn to share where he's really going (smile).

Fei L: [Forwarded WeChat article—These six signs indicate you’re experiencing emotional neglect.]

Fei L: [Screenshot]

Gu Lin opened the screenshot and saw a red line highlighting "not reporting one’s itinerary."

Gu Lin was cracking up at these messages. Pei Sheng could be such a weirdo sometimes, and who knew where he scrounged up this stuff.

LL: Stop learning from boomers by forwarding WeChat articles to young people!

LL: I really am just going out to have fun (dogs being sincere.jpg). I’ll bring you some goodies later! I’ll get you a slice of cake.

Fei L: Okay (smile).

Gu Lin stared at the smiling emoji at the end, which Pei Sheng always used to mean "noted, but annoyed."

Gu Lin sent him a kiss emoji in response.

Pei Sheng read it and replied with a ‘smile.’

Gu Lin could practically picture Pei Sheng’s stone-faced expression—definitely chomping down on some chips or bear-shaped cookies after ripping into a bag.

Pei Sheng sat in the car, opening a pack of cookies Gu Lin had bought for him during their last supermarket trip, leaving a few in his car.

He debated whether to give his cute boyfriend some freedom or just haul him back.

After all, what could Chu Gege and Gu Lin possibly be doing together? It’d be better if Gu Lin were with him instead.

Pei Sheng finished a small bag, wiped his hands, and drove off.

*

Chu Gege led the smitten Gu Lin into the mall.

Gu Lin hurried after her and asked, "Boss, what do you want to drink? My treat."

Chu Gege waved him off. "No need, it’ll mess with my appreciation of hot guys."

At first, Gu Lin didn’t get what she meant—until they reached the watch section and saw seven or eight hot sales guys, their eyes practically glowing at the sight of Chu Gege.

He remembered the first time Boss took him to a male model club—those models had looked at her the exact same way.

Truly, Boss was a big spender wherever she went.

"Xiao Song, looking even hotter," Chu Gege flashed a wink as soon as she entered, making Gu Lin feel like her bodyguard.

She tugged him to a counter. "Gu Lin, quit eyeing the eye candy and come look at the watches."

Gu Lin was simply stunned by the lavish setting—he’d never set foot in a place this fancy.

Hearing Chu Gege call him, he hurried over and whispered, "I wasn’t checking anyone out."

"True, none of them are as good-looking as Pei Sheng," Chu Gege, a total looks-obsessed person, was totally sold on Pei Sheng’s looks.

Feeling the clerk's gaze on him, Gu Lin quickly changed the subject, pointing at a watch inside the display. "Which one? This one?"

He indicated a watch with a pitch-black face and bright white hands, very similar to the one Chu Gege had shown him before.

"That’s the one," Chu Gege signaled the clerk to take it out. "Try it on?"

Gu Lin extended his wrist. His slender frame made the watch look delicate, but it would undoubtedly look way classier on Pei Sheng.

"Pei Sheng would probably suit it better. Should we get this?" Chu Gege noticed Gu Lin’s fondness for it.

"Yeah," Gu Lin took the watch off. "This one, please wrap it up."

He pulled out his bank card, which held his savings of 100,000 yuan.

Watching the penny-pincher prepare to part with his entire fortune without batting an eye, Chu Gege rested her chin on her palm and teased, "What if he dumps you?"

Gu Lin sat down as well. "Maybe. But this is my birthday gift for him."

The last lesson he learned in his earlier days was that if you want to give a gift, just do it.

Because on the day his mother passed away—Mother’s Day—he’d walked past a flower shop and thought of buying her a bouquet of carnations. But he hesitated and walked away.

So in the end, he never got another chance to give her anything.

Seeing Boss’s smirk, Gu Lin quickly added, "If that happens, I’ll come running to you! I’ll sling boba by day and haunt your horror house by night!"

Chu Gege looked at Gu Lin and realized, deep down, that he truly got what it meant to cherish someone. Most folks don’t get it till they’ve lost someone.

She thought of the one she’d lost—the words she wanted to say, the gifts she wanted to give—all held back by pride and doubts.

Her staring made him uneasy. "What’s wrong? I’m still your sidekick, right?"

Chu Gege chuckled. "Gu, help me pick another."

"Who’s it for?" Gu Lin knew Boss had many boyfriends around her.

"My first love," Chu Gege said. "He had similar taste to you."

Gu Lin froze. "Your first love?"

"Yeah. Zheng Wei and the gang must’ve told you—he died years ago." Chu Gege had once hated talking about him, but with Gu Lin, she felt no resistance. She could sense that Gu Lin, too, had lost someone irreplaceable in his heart.

Gu Lin, awkward with words, fumbled. "I don’t know how to comfort you, but I understand your pain."

"And I understand yours," Chu Gege said, taking his card and handing it to the clerk. "Charge it."

After the transaction, Gu Lin checked his bank notification—his balance now stood at 10.31 yuan.

*Enough for a meal at Shaxian*, he thought.

Then another deduction came through—a 9.9 yuan "Pay Later" charge from Pinduoduo.

Eyeing his pitiful 41 cents, Gu Lin glanced at Boss, who was still splurging like crazy.

Their suffering isn’t even comparable!

Absolutely not!

After Chu Gege finished buying the watches, she received a phone call: "Dad, okay, I'll head back right away!"

She hung up and said to Gu Lin, "Something came up at home. Mind taking a taxi back alone?"

"Sure, be careful on the way." Gu Lin couldn't help but remind her worriedly, "Hit me up when you arrive."

Before leaving, Chu Gege shoved one of the bags into his hands and said, "Here’s a New Year’s gift for you."

"Oh, and back then, I pretended to be broke to get close to my first love. And your style seriously reminds me of his."

With that, Chu Gege dashed off in her high heels.

Gu Lin watched her leave, thinking Boss was just as weird.

He didn’t even care how she’d met her first love.

He tossed both watches into his backpack, wandered around the mall for a bit, and bought some desserts and small cakes from a bakery that looked delicious.

Of course, he used Pei Sheng’s salary card—his pitiful 0.41 yuan balance wouldn’t even buy him air.

When he’d finished shopping, he planned to take the subway back.

But this mall didn’t have a subway link.

Following the navigation, he turned a corner only to find his path blocked, and something sharp pressed against his waist.

Ice shot down Gu Lin’s spine—he could tell it was a fruit knife.

"Come with me," the masked, capped figure said, dressed in plain gray.

Gu Lin placed the voice—it was the same person who had forced him to take Li Chunhua’s call at the cinema.

"What do you want?" Gu Lin asked calmly.

"Move." The man’s narrow eyes burned with threat.

Gu Lin’s shoulder was gripped, the knife still pressed to his side.

He broke into a cold sweat, but despite the overwhelming fear, his thoughts were weirdly sharp.

Did Li Chunhua want to see him?

Would he finally recover the five million yuan?

Gu Lin guessed this person probably wouldn’t hurt him—they still wanted that card’s password.

After being taken to a secluded spot with no cameras, the gloved hand clenched his throat, and the phone was pressed to his ear again.

"Gu Lin, looks like you’re doing a damn good job pleasing Pei Sheng—520,000 yuan hitting the account every few days. Your ass is clearly priceless." Li Chunhua’s voice made Gu Lin sick.

Yet Gu Lin was floored—520,000 yuan hitting the account every few days?

So Pei Sheng kept funneling money into it.

But he’d already figured out it was Li Chunhua. Someone that smart should’ve known she had the card.

So what is he doing behind my back?

"You've got Pei Sheng hooked on you now. How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" Gu Lin asked calmly.

"Give me the password for this card, and I'll delete all the evidence I've kept."

"What evidence do you have?" Gu Lin wanted to know if Li Chunhua had anything that could threaten Pei Sheng.

"Show him."

The man restraining him flipped open his phone to a photo.

Gu Lin looked at the picture—it was from when Pei Sheng had taken him to school last time, with him sitting on Pei Sheng's lap kissing him.

It was very clear, fully capturing Pei Sheng's profile.

"This proof enough for you?"

Gu Lin's heart turned to ice: "Enough. But I want to make the exchange in person."

"Prove your sincerity first. I've never worn a six-figure watch." As soon as Li Chunhua finished speaking, the man yanked at Gu Lin's backpack.

He realized this guy had been following him all along.

The man pulled so hard that one of the backpack straps snapped. Gu Lin struggled violently: "The hell with your sincerity!"

He went for a kick to the groin, but the guy was quick—his foot missed, hitting only his thigh.

Still, it bought him a split-second of distance. Gu Lin grabbed his backpack and tried to run, but the man grabbed his shoulder in a flash. Gu Lin instinctively raised his arm to block.

The blade cut into his forearm, the searing pain locking him in place. The man tried to grab his throat again.

Gu Lin ducked, slamming into a beat-up dumpster nearby. He lurched sideways, still off-balance.

A blur of movement—the man was hurled back like a ragdoll, slamming into the pavement.