Chapter 60

Chapter 60

In the attached bathroom, Gu Jinglan was helping him wash his pants, especially the slightly damp ones that had gotten dirty during their earlier League of Legends session.

Half an hour ago, Gu Jinglan had held him, stroking him with his hand. It didn’t take long before he came. Qi Yanyu had no self-control—if he were the top, Gu Jinglan wondered with amusement, would he finish way too quick?

So that’s why you don’t top?” Gu Jinglan teased.

Qi Yanyu’s face flushed red and then paled. “...You—” He couldn’t stand others doing this kind of thing for him, so he couldn’t hold back almost immediately.

After taking a few deep breaths, Qi Yanyu finally asked, a little unhappily, “Have you… done this for other guys before?”

Who would help another guy like this? Gu Jinglan scoffed but answered honestly, “No.” Hadn’t he always acted straight enough? Qi Yanyu actually suspected he’d been with other men.

Qi Yanyu found it hard to believe—how could a straight guy like Gu Jinglan get turned by him?

He lowered his eyes, hiding what he felt. He wanted to ask further, *Then have you done this with girls?* But just the thought made his heart ache faintly.

Because it felt unequal. He felt he liked Gu Jinglan more than Gu Jinglan liked him. But he was already grateful enough.

Gu Jinglan washed his pants, gently scrubbing them with detergent. After finishing, he took them outside to hang.

Qi Yanyu had never had a friend wash clothes for him before. He stared at the closed door for a long time until Gu Jinglan returned. Afraid of revealing too much—how could he act “obsessed” when the other hadn’t even fully pursued him yet?—he averted his gaze.

Pretending to check out the new League of Legends skins, he mindlessly scrolled through them, buying a few without hesitation—ones he’d never buy if he were thinking straight.

Gu Jinglan was about to leave for the guest room to sleep when he said, “Stay with me. I won’t do anything.” The latter half was his way of holding back.

So Gu Jinglan stayed in the same room with him. And earlier, when he’d called himself Qi Yanyu’s “man,” Qi Yanyu hadn’t flat-out refused.

Was Qi Yanyu just a pushover? Gu Jinglan mused, equal parts amused and tempted to hug him.

Eventually, Qi Yanyu fell asleep. In the darkness, Gu Jinglan waited a long time, wondering. *He hasn’t agreed to be with me yet. Is hugging him too much?*

Probably not. When he’d held Qi Yanyu earlier while playing League of Legends, the other hadn’t refused his help at all.

So he reached out, pulling Qi Yanyu—who was sleeping near the edge—closer, letting his hand rest lightly on Qi Yanyu’s waist. But worried he might press too hard on his stomach, he shifted to holding Qi Yanyu’s hand instead, fingers intertwining.

Qi Yanyu smelled faintly of Gu Jinglan’s papaya-scented body wash.

It smelled nice. Gu Jinglan had always liked the fragrance, and now it clung to Qi Yanyu too.

Gradually, with their fingers entwined, Gu Jinglan also drifted off to sleep.

At around six in the morning, Qi Yanyu was woken by the sound of the nanny’s early-morning opera music.

Gu Jinglan, a light sleeper, woke up and noticed Qi Yanyu sitting up dazedly, looking like he wasn’t fully awake. Amused, Gu Jinglan teasingly poked his cheek. “Can’t sleep?”

Qi Yanyu mumbled sleepily, “I was sleeping.”

Gu Jinglan guessed it was his nanny’s opera music. She didn’t know he’d come home last night, so he went downstairs to greet her. When he returned, the music stopped.

Qi Yanyu was still sitting on the bed, head bowed, still half-asleep.

“Whenever you want breakfast, I’ll make it for you,” Gu Jinglan said, teasingly poking his cheek again.

Only then did Qi Yanyu ask foolishly, “Are you gonna go back to sleep later?” He’d slept all morning yesterday, then slept through the movie that night, so now he couldn’t fall back asleep.

Gu Jinglan humored him. “What do you wanna do? Wanna go out?”

Qi Yanyu knew Gu Jinglan had only slept for a few hours. He didn’t immediately reveal his feelings, but Gu Jinglan got up anyway. "Let’s go then," he said.

When the old nanny saw Qi Yanyu coming downstairs, she was both surprised and delighted—likely because Gu Jinglan rarely brought classmates home. She chuckled warmly, "Look who’s back!"

"Morning, Nanny," Qi Yanyu greeted politely.

The nanny had originally prepared a small breakfast for herself, but upon seeing his classmate there, she started thinking about making more. Gu Jinglan told her they wouldn’t be eating breakfast—he was taking his classmate out instead.

It was a weekday, and they should have been in class, but both he and Gu Jinglan had taken the morning off.

Medical students were usually swamped with classes, and now that they finally had some peace and quiet, they decided to skip class for a date.

Qi Yanyu browsed through a restaurant review app and picked a fancy restaurant halfway up a scenic mountain. Gu Jinglan drove him there.

To make sure Qi Yanyu was comfortable, he drove a spacious Land Rover Range Rover SUV.

Qi Yanyu treasured and looked forward to every outing alone with Gu Jinglan.

The mountainside restaurant was located near a temple. Even though it was near a tourist attraction, its high prices meant fewer people visited on non-holidays.

Back when they were studying at Kan Medical University, people joked that anyone who got a girlfriend had to treat the whole group—partly for the steep prices, partly for the supposedly amazing food.

Since it was still chilly at 7 or 8 a.m., the drive took about two hours. Qi Yanyu passed out in the passenger seat. He hadn’t been able to sleep at Gu Jinglan’s place, but as soon as the car started moving, his eyelids grew heavy.

At a red light, Gu Jinglan glanced at the dead-to-the-world guy beside him. He thought of unbuckling to plant a quick kiss on his cheek.

But that’d be taking advantage. If he wanted to kiss him, he should wait until Qi Yanyu agreed properly.

So instead, he automatically reached out and gently cupped the side of Qi Yanyu’s head, tilting it back against the seat to keep it from drooping forward.

"Some insomniac. Out like a light now."

Gu Jinglan gazed at him intently, the more he looked, the more he wondered how he ever thought Qi Yanyu was plain. Now, he found him unassuming but oddly charming.

He had elegant eyes, slightly downturned at the outer corners, his brows lightly arched but neat.

His hair was dark, a basic student cut. The back was kept short, but if he didn’t trim the front in time, a few strands would escape onto his forehead when he lowered his head.

His face was small, his head petite. He had a faint, kinda sickly pallor, but when he wasn’t ill, that pale tone suited him perfectly.

At one point, Qi Yanyu woke briefly, and Gu Jinglan teased, "Hungry, piglet? We can pull over and grab you something to eat."

What did he just call him? Qi Yanyu stared at Gu Jinglan in a daze, as if floating in some sugar-drenched dream—even his breaths felt hazy and sweet.

Gu Jinglan kept chatting, but when he realized Qi Yanyu wasn’t fully awake, he flicked his cheek playfully.

Qi Yanyu suddenly remembered last night—how Gu Jinglan had tried to kiss him, but he kept saying he was "afraid of getting reported," leaving Gu Jinglan with no chance.

Was he really that uptight? He didn’t even let Gu Jinglan kiss him?

Despite his silent lament, Qi Yanyu drifted back to sleep. They pulled up to the restaurant just after ten.

Lately, Qi Yanyu had been sleeping so much because, in the first half of the semester, he barely had time to rest—he’d crammed nonstop for midterms.

Then, after recovering from his illness, he returned only to see Gu Jinglan and Xia Yiyi’s ambiguous interactions, sending his emotions into turmoil. Between that and his usual coursework, he hadn’t gotten proper rest.

Now that the tension and pain he couldn’t shake off before had finally eased, he often slipped into deep, comforted slumber—something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Before getting out of the car, Qi Yanyu was gently roused by Gu Jinglan. "Gently," because Gu Jinglan first called his name softly, and when that didn’t work, he parked the car in the mountainside lot and just sat there, waiting for him to stir.

While waiting for him to wake up, Gu Jinglan had already undone his own seatbelt. If not for fear of waking him, he would have already poked and prodded at Qi Yanyu's pallid complexion with teasing pinches and strokes.

Qi Yanyu woke up, surprised to find the car had idled in the parking lot for some time. "Why... didn’t you wake me?"

"You looked so peaceful—I didn’t have the heart. Better to let you sleep a little longer."

Gu Jinglan’s unexpectedly gentle attitude made Qi Yanyu think that if it were anyone else, they would’ve been annoyed and complained by now. Like his childhood friend, or even his own brother. They’d never tolerated him—if he made them wait, they’d probably want to skin him alive.

Qi Yanyu got out of the car with him and entered Yiya, an elegant restaurant with exceptionally refined vistas.

The mountain views, gardens, and architecture were all perfectly balanced—elegant and serene.

A few branches of unknown flowers arched gracefully across the courtyard.

The restaurant’s design blended modern and classical Chinese styles, with layered structures requiring passage through long corridors and inner courtyards.

They passed a pond filled with hulking, jewel-toned koi fish, and Qi Yanyu wanted to play with them. Gu Jinglan told him he’d go get a table ticket first. After securing it, Gu Jinglan bought some fish feed from the restaurant and returned to Qi Yanyu’s side, passing him the feed.

With the feed in his hand, Qi Yanyu glanced at Gu Jinglan, who was looking at the fish before turning back—his face luminous like dawn mist.

"Not feeding them?"

Qi Yanyu stared blankly. "I will." Gu Jinglan then guided his hand into the wooden bowl of feed. Scooping up a small handful, he scattered it into the pond.

The fine fish food fell like raindrops on the water’s surface, refracting elusive prismatic glimmers under the afternoon light.

Ripples spread, drawing the plump, colorful koi to compete for the food.

Gu Jinglan stood behind him, so close their backs were barely two or three centimeters apart—almost as if embracing him. His fingers wrapped around Qi Yanyu’s hand, enveloping it entirely.

His touch was warm, like sunlight, cradling Qi Yanyu’s hand and soothing his erratic pulse.

After feeding the koi, Qi Yanyu felt content. He washed his hands and took a seat in the restaurant.

Gu Jinglan sat across from him. Qi Yanyu gazed beyond the railing at the lush, rolling greenery of the hills below. A gentle breeze drifted from afar, making his chest grow tender in that moment.

Just as Qi Yanyu was about to ask Gu Jinglan which of two classical Chinese dishes to choose, a group entered the restaurant.

Among them appeared to be bodyguards, and one person in particular walked with a stride Qi Yanyu recognized, heading straight for a private room deeper inside.

Since Gu Jinglan hadn’t made a reservation in advance, he—who usually preferred private rooms—had to settle for a semi-private booth today.

Qi Yanyu watched as that person approached from the side. He immediately turned away, hunched sideways and lowering his face toward the scenery outside.

Gu Jinglan noticed his reaction and assumed he’d run into a classmate. Just as he was about to tease Qi Yanyu, he saw him frantically glance back to check if the group had entered the private room.

"Run into someone you know?"

Before Qi Yanyu could even settle in, he stood up and said to Gu Jinglan, "I’ll be right back." As if afraid the group’s bodyguards or entourage might spot him, he added, "Until you see me again, don’t call or message me, okay?"

Gu Jinglan didn’t understand but agreed anyway.

Qi Yanyu hadn’t gone far from the table when Qi Muyao’s executive aide approached him. "Mr. Qi, CEO Qi demands your presence."

The aide smiled amiably, though his eyes didn’t.

But Qi Muyao might not be so kind.

With two bodyguards flanking the aide, Qi Yanyu looped around, steering clear of Gu Jinglan’s table as he headed toward the private room.

Qi Muyao was waiting for a client to arrive for dinner.

While waiting, he saw his assistant bringing back the person he had glimpsed earlier—someone who looked like Qi Yanyu.

It was indeed Qi Yanyu. He looked paler, his eyes downcast, as if looking tense.

Qi Muyao glanced at him and asked, "Shouldn't you be in class today? Who did you come out with?"

Qi Yanyu kept his gaze lowered, wondering if Qi Muyao was pretending to be in a good mood and refraining from acting out because he had a client to meet. He replied, "Just came to eat by myself."

"Isn’t that your friend over there?" Qi Muyao pressed.

Qi Yanyu’s heart skipped a beat as he followed Qi Muyao’s gaze to a girl sitting at a table. It wasn’t the spot he had shared with Gu Jinglan earlier—thankfully, the booth’s window blocked part of the view, obscuring Gu Jinglan’s seat.

Qi Yanyu hesitated. "Oh... *just* a friend."

"Your friend? Then call her over to say hello." Qi Muyao always made unreasonable demands—even if it really were Qi Yanyu’s friend, he would have made the same request.

Reluctantly, Qi Yanyu walked over to the girl’s table. "Hello, could you do me a favor?"

The girl had shoulder-length hair—not too short, sleek and practical. She wasn’t the delicate, fair-skinned, internet-famous type but rather naturally pretty.

"Me?"

"What’s your name?" Qi Yanyu asked.

The girl told him her name was Dongfang Yuxiao.

When Qi Yanyu and the girl entered the private room, Qi Muyao’s gaze was curious. "Classmates? What are you two up to today?"

The girl wasn’t shy or timid. "Just grabbing lunch."

"How did you two meet?" Qi Muyao asked her, his eyes flicking back to Qi Yanyu.

Qi Yanyu tensed, his hands clenched stiffly against his pants.

"We met through mutual friends," Dongfang Yuxiao answered.

"Do you know his name?" Qi Muyao asked the girl.

"Qi Yanyu," the girl smiled.

Qi Muyao also asked for her name, university, and major. He even told her, "He’s smart and kind." Praise from him was rare; Qi Yanyu had never heard his elder brother say a single good word about him before.

The girl laughed. "Obviously. Otherwise, why would I come out with him?"

Qi Muyao’s gaze lingered on Qi Yanyu, who lowered his eyes.

"I’m his brother," Qi Muyao introduced himself.

The girl smiled faintly. "Figured as much."

"Have you eaten yet?" Qi Muyao asked her.

She glanced at Qi Yanyu—clever enough to catch on. "We already ate. I have class in the afternoon, so I should get going."

Qi Muyao seemed pleased with her and nodded. Dongfang Yuxiao said goodbye to Qi Yanyu and left their private room.

Qi Yanyu returned to his seat, but after a while, he saw her leave. Thank God, he finally relaxed.

But Qi Muyao forcibly turned Qi Yanyu around, forcing him to look him in the eye.

Qi Yanyu feared he might see through him and still clenching his fists. If Qi Muyao hit him, he could at least fight back.

Yet Qi Muyao only made Qi Yanyu sit with him for a while. While waiting for the client, he asked, “Why’d you skip class to take a girl out?”

“Just wanted to go out today.” Qi Yanyu couldn’t tell if Qi Muyao’s slight smile at that moment was genuine or not.

Qi Muyao asked, “You eaten yet? Stick around and eat with us later.”

Qi Yanyu said, “I’ll walk my friend out.”

“She said she was leaving. Weren’t you listening?” Qi Muyao chuckled, glancing casually at the old scabs on Qi Yanyu’s hands.

Qi Yanyu wasn’t actually seeing her off—he just wanted an excuse to leave.

Qi Muyao’s client arrived soon after, and they discussed business over the meal. Qi Yanyu sat beside him, quiet as a mouse, merely accompanying them.

The client left at two in the afternoon.

The restaurant wasn’t packed, but a few tables were taken.

Once the client left and the meal ended, Qi Muyao’s pleasant demeanor faded. His cold eyes fixed on the scars on Qi Yanyu’s hands.

He unbuttoned Qi Yanyu’s shirt casually, peeling it open without a trace of emotion. His cold eyes scanned the wounds from Qi Yanyu’s earlier cliff rescue.

In the past, Qi Yanyu would have resisted.

But today, he didn’t—which caught Qi Muyao off guard. Maybe there was some truth to “spare the rod, spoil the child.” But Qi Muyao was more inclined to believe that Qi Yanyu had matured, becoming much more obedient.

“You know Dongfang Yuxiao?”

“Huh?” Qi Yanyu was momentarily dazed.

“Wasn’t that your friend’s name just now?”

“Oh,” Qi Yanyu said, lowering his head. “Yes.”

Qi Muyao didn’t mince words. Observing the nearly healed wounds on Qi Yanyu’s body, now just faint scars, he asked, “How serious is it between you two?”

“We’re just friends.”

“You like her?” Qi Muyao smiled faintly, pressing further.

“No, not like that. Just friends.” He emphasized it again, his words carrying a deliberate hint of deflection.

Qi Muyao felt that Qi Yanyu had taken his words to heart and made changes—pleased, he lifted Qi Yanyu’s lowered head slightly with his knuckles. “Finally growing up?”

“Now you’re out chasing girls.” He appraised Qi Yanyu’s still slightly pale face with approval. “If you’d done this earlier, you’d have saved yourself a lot of pointless trouble.”

So hitting him, yelling at him, forcing him—all that was just “pointless”? Qi Yanyu laughed mockingly in his heart.

Because he had gone out to eat with a girl, Qi Muyao was in an unusually good mood, studying Qi Yanyu’s downcast expression for a long time.

He figured he’d finally broken him in, perhaps even instilled some fear.

So, with his knuckles, he adjusted Qi Yanyu’s face slightly, making it easier to take in every nuance of his expression.

Qi Yanyu still kept his eyes downcast, not resisting at all, making Qi Muyao even more convinced that he was now completely obedient.

Feeling generous, Qi Muyao suddenly asked him, "Do you have enough money in your account?" In truth, he knew exactly how much was left—after burning through cash on hotels for over half a year, only enough remained for bare-bones living like meals and cigarettes. Yet he still knowingly asked.

Qi Yanyu didn’t say whether he was short of money or not, keeping quiet. But after Qi Muyao’s remark, he promptly transferred money to him.

Soon, Qi Yanyu received an instant text notification—a seven-digit sum had been deposited into his account. He blinked slightly but didn’t refuse.

Qi Muyao then asked solicitously, "Do you have enough clothes? What about your usual school expenses—do your classmates try to one-up each other?"

Looking away from the deposit notification, Qi Yanyu replied, "I'm good."

"Let Zhang Liu accompany you to buy clothes this weekend," Qi Muyao said, then remembered he had a day free from business trips that weekend and generously added, "I can go with you too."

Qi Yanyu responded, "Zhang Liu is enough."

That’s what he said, but he had zero interest in shopping with Zhang Liu.

"What about a car?" Qi Muyao had been drinking with clients. Whether it was the high alcohol content or his current inability to handle liquor, he was clearly buzzed.

Moreover, Qi Yanyu knew that when Qi Muyao was in a good mood, even a stray dog would catch his fancy.

Qi Yanyu blinked. "A car?"

Qi Muyao said, "Yeah. Don’t young people like supercars and luxury cars?"

Qi Yanyu accepted it all. "Then I’ll visit a dealership another day."

"No need for another day. Don’t you like Koenigsegg?"

He never thanked Qi Muyao. His reaction was only slightly surprised, but mostly, it was cool detachment.

"I’ll have someone import one this month."

Qi Yanyu neither refused nor agreed. These were just things Qi Muyao did in his drunken generosity—not something Qi Yanyu had begged for.

But what if Qi Muyao found out he was dating Gu Jinglan? He’d trash the car—maybe even take it out on Qi Yanyu.

But it didn’t matter. Trashing the car would only waste Qi Muyao’s money. Sometimes, he considered it petty payback.

Lifting Qi Yanyu’s face, though his breath smelled of liquor, Qi Muyao remained sharp-eyed and clear-headed. "Dongfang Yuxiao seems nice."

Qi Yanyu assumed Qi Muyao was overjoyed that he had finally "corrected" his sexual orientation—otherwise, why would he show such favor to a stranger? So he gave a noncommittal nod. "Yeah."

"Call out next Wednesday. We’ll go out for dinner that day." Qi Muyao seemed to recall something as he spoke to Qi Yanyu.

But Qi Yanyu was distracted. Qi Muyao noticed him staring at his phone.

Taking the phone from Qi Yanyu’s hand, Qi Muyao saw his nervousness—he was afraid Qi Muyao would go through it.

And Qi Muyao did intend to. He opened Qi Yanyu’s WeChat, and while waiting for the loading screen, he deliberately studied Qi Yanyu’s uneasy expression, smiling faintly. "Expecting a message?"