Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Qi Yanyu paused, stunned. "I just went out with him to record a show and grabbed a bite to eat."

Gu Jinglan couldn't even look at him. Seeing how dishonest he was, he had nothing more to say.

As he packed his things, Qi Yanyu stepped in front of him. "You think I went out to sleep with him?" His eyes were wide open, desperately looking for that old softness in Gu Jinglan’s gaze.

He stared at Gu Jinglan, and Gu Jinglan stared back—seeing in his face the same sharp angles Jiang Tiyan had sent: those half-lidded eyes, the photo of him in a chokehold.

"Didn’t I tell you to check in with me? Why didn’t you?" Gu Jinglan asked coldly.

"Because he threatened me! He said he’d out me to my brother about us dating," Qi Yanyu’s vision blurred. "What was I supposed to do?"

"So his threat was to turn you into his fan?"

"He just wanted to mess with me." Tears came pouring out—like always. He was always such a crybaby.

He wound up in this damn novel, one that felt just like his shitty real life. He knew it well—whether in fiction or reality, that bastard he grew up with only wanted to see him crash and burn.

"Wanted to watch me lose everything..."

"He have some grudge against you?"

"He hates you, yet he invites you out?"

"Cut the crap, Qi Yanyu. If you really gave a damn about me, you wouldn’t have gone with him."

Tears were coming hot now. "Then what the hell do you want me to say?"

Should he tell Gu Jinglan "Everyone hates me"? That Gu Jinglan was the only one who didn’t?

His family hated him. His roommate hated him. Even his so-called friends...

At first, Gu Jinglan had hated him too...

Should he bring up his past? How he never measured up to his half-brother—the golden child brought back home?

Should he admit how that bastard blackmailed him for money, how he wanted to see him suffer and die?

That his family never respected him—that their 'care' was just another leash?

What did Gu Jinglan want him to say? All of that?

"What do I have to say for you to forgive me?" Qi Yanyu was sobbing now. "Or... what do you want to hear?"

If Gu Jinglan truly loved him, he'd have his back.

If he didn't believe him, then he must not have given a damn about him at all… right?

Qi Yanyu's chest felt like it was being wrenched apart, his breath sharp with pain. "Why didn’t you ask me after seeing my phone? Why just ghost me like that? Did you never really care? Was I just some joke to you?"

Gu Jinglan asked, "So why did he send you those things? Why go out with him?"

"I told you—if I didn’t, he’d have ratted me out to my brother—"

"So the guy’s just that bored?"

Qi Yanyu's vision blurred as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Did you never like me? Were you just... toying with me too?" All he wanted was to hear that one sentence.

He needed to know—was Gu Jinglan the same as his childhood friend, playing games with him, mocking him, waiting to see him fall apart?

Watching him sob, chest heaving, Gu Jinglan pulled out a tissue and handed it to him. "Sit down. Try to calm down."

Sit down and talk? Probably just worried he’d have a heart attack. Qi Yanyu didn’t sit, nor did he take the tissue. "Just leave. Pack up and get out." He forced his voice to sound steady and clear, even as tears streamed down his face.

Gu Jinglan simply watched him cry.

Seeing Qi Yanyu’s chest rise and fall more violently, Gu Jinglan reached out and touched his arm. "Your arm numb?"

Though his tone remained somewhat cold, Qi Yanyu didn’t want to cry anymore. Dying heartbroken in some random place would be too humiliating—though he’d racked up plenty of embarrassing moments in his life already.

Rubbing his back, Gu Jinglan pulled over a chair and gently pressed him into it. Qi Yanyu tried to steady his breathing.

But the thought that Gu Jinglan had never truly liked him made his heart ache. He couldn’t tell if it was grief or the warning signs of another cardiac episode.

Gu Jinglan went to fetch his medicine while Qi Yanyu attempted to calm himself, though tears still streamed down uncontrollably. "What time’s your flight? You should go back."

He was a burden. People dumped him because they were afraid his heart would give out far from home—too scared to end things cleanly.

"Yeah," Gu Jinglan said, handing him the meds. "Calm down first, then talk."

He poured water and passed it over. Not wanting to be a nuisance, Qi Yanyu took the water, swallowed the medicine, and obediently tried to steady his breathing.

Qi Yanyu sat in the chair while Gu Jinglan took a seat on the bed across from him.

It took nearly two hours for him to calm down. Throughout, Qi Yanyu cried until his eyes were swollen. He blinked hard, trying to stop the tears, but fresh ones quickly replaced them. He feigned composure, nails biting into his palms, head bowed as tears continued to fall.

Gu Jinglan watched him the entire time. When he finally seemed somewhat stable, he said, "Let’s grab something to eat."

True. Even after a breakup, you don’t just ditch someone in an unfamiliar place—too much liability if things go south.

Qi Yanyu rubbed his eyes and nodded.

They headed downstairs to grab food. Gu Jinglan hailed a ride-hailing car, and the two sat in silence during the ride.

The driver, bubbly and talkative, asked, "Here for vacation? That inn you stayed at is tough to book—super expensive too."

"Oh?" Gu Jinglan replied, thinking about how Qi Yanyu had meticulously planned this trip—booking hotels, arranging meals, waiting patiently at the inn while he competed.

"Super hard to get. Money doesn’t guarantee a spot. It’s a government-backed heritage homestay—bookings sell out instantly," the driver explained enthusiastically. "Where are you headed this afternoon? Been to XX Scenic Area yet? Or taken the bamboo rafts at Kong Lake? Wait, no—if you’re staying at that inn, you must’ve planned everything already."

"We had plans, but never got around to them," Gu Jinglan said. "We’ll consider your suggestions."

He replied with the detached courtesy of someone keeping their distance, while Qi Yanyu remained silent beside him.

The restaurant was crowded. Gu Jinglan led Qi Yanyu around the nearby eateries until they found one with a shorter wait.

The low-key place turned out to have amazing food, while Instagram-famous spots were mostly overrated.

Qi Yanyu ate quietly, head down, picking at his food.

Gu Jinglan had booked a booth. Seeing Qi Yanyu eat through tears, Gu Jinglan hardly ate at all.

Qi Yanyu couldn’t hold back any longer—he broke down into louder sobs.

Finally, Gu Jinglan spoke again, unsure whether he was listening to his heart or his head: "Stop seeing him. Can you do that for me?"

The first time was confessing his feelings to Qi Yanyu.

Qi Yanyu stopped crying, lifting his glistening eyes.

He couldn’t tell whether the look in Gu Jinglan’s eyes came from lingering affection or just kindness.

He liked Gu Jinglan very much.

But he also realized he had made a mistake—he never should’ve gone out with Jiang Tiyan in the first place.

Anyone would think they were involved.

Gu Jinglan’s reaction and decision were only natural.

Qi Yanyu blinked. “I really don’t have… any kind of relationship with him…” Tears still falling, he kept explaining.

“Mm,” Gu Jinglan let it go. If it never happened again, perhaps they could still move forward together.

After two days, Qi Yanyu finally ate something.

The two went to Kong Lake to ride a bamboo raft, but there was still a stiffness between them.

Qi Yanyu’s voice was shaky and raw from crying: “You don’t have to force yourself…”

“What’s done is done,” Gu Jinglan didn’t want to hear about what had happened before. He gently pinched Qi Yanyu’s cheeks. “Stop crying. Decide where you want to eat tonight, and we’ll explore more tomorrow.”

Qi Yanyu froze for a moment. He realized Gu Jinglan had dropped the cold act, speaking to him with the same tenderness and softness as before.

“What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”

Qi Yanyu thought for a moment. “The Miao village.”

“Okay,” Gu Jinglan, sitting on the bamboo raft, took his hand. The boatman pushed the raft along as Kong Lake stretched out green and blue, calm and clear—nothing like the storm in Gu Jinglan’s heart.

Gu Jinglan felt as though his heart had fallen into some shadowy abyss at some point.

This place was strange. At first, it radiated a bone-deep chill, as if capable of freezing everything solid. But the longer he stayed, the more warmth he found in it. The more time he spent there, the more at peace he became.

Even in this pitch-black void, he felt traces of sunlight filtering in—perhaps invisible to the eye, or maybe obscured by illusions, but present nonetheless.

Later, he wondered: Had he fallen in love with Qi Yanyu?

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to leave Qi Yanyu. Why? Was it reluctance over something that ended before it truly began? Or was it the attachment formed from their time together? Or something else entirely? …

For the first time, Gu Jinglan couldn’t see his own heart clearly…

On the third day, the two visited the attractions Qi Yanyu had originally planned before flying back to school from the southwest.

They mostly returned to their usual dynamic, though Qi Yanyu felt a wall between them. Gu Jinglan acted the same as always, yet Qi Yanyu couldn’t shake the feeling that his heart had changed.

Perhaps Gu Jinglan was biding his time before breaking up.

So Qi Yanyu kept waiting for Gu Jinglan to say the words, but even after finals ended, they still hadn’t parted ways.

In the first two days after exams, Gu Jinglan accompanied Qi Yanyu on a short trip to a nearby city.

But as winter break began, Gu Jinglan had to leave for an internship at his family’s hospital.

So in the first few days back home, Qi Yanyu shut himself away in his room, avoiding any sight or sound of Qi Muyao.

Fortunately, Qi Muyao was still a somewhat responsible entrepreneur. Tied up with work, he hadn’t been home these past few days.

Apart from Qi Xizhi occasionally bringing him meals, Qi Yanyu had a mostly quiet time at home.

On the tenth day of the holiday, Qi Yanyu went out. He contacted an agent and sold the Koenigsegg supercar that Qi Muyao had given him for 40 million. When he transferred the money to Jiang Tiyan, Jiang was having dinner with the director and producer of his new film. Amid the director’s disapproval, Jiang answered the call.

“Why are you sending me money?”

Qi Yanyu replied calmly, “I don’t have 80 million. This is half of it—40 million. Stop messing with me.”

“Did a dog bite you? Did rabies fry your brain?” Jiang Tiyan stepped away from the rowdy restaurant with his phone in hand.

“Yeah. Quit blowing up my phone, and stop threatening to drag me out again,” Qi Yanyu spat out every word.

“Forty million—your side piece must be real special.”

Qi Yanyu laughed, but then forced himself to speak meekly: “If I’ve ever offended you, Brother Jiang, please cut me some slack. I messed up before, I—”

“Qi Yanyu, guess who I just saw?” Jiang Tiyan’s lips curled as his gaze fixed on someone in the distance.

Qi Yanyu’s breath froze. “Who?”

“Your dear older brother.” Jiang Tiyan watched a group exit the VIP room of the high-end restaurant—among them was Qi Muyao.

Qi Yanyu’s voice cracked. “Please, Brother Jiang. I already transferred the money to you.”