Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Gu Jingchi’s face remained impassive; he offered no reply to the question.

“Introducing yourself is the most basic social etiquette before inquiring about another’s name.”

He Zongnian froze for a moment, then a smile returned to his face. “My apologies for being so forward. I am Xiao Yuan’s friend, and a doctor here.” As he spoke, he gestured towards the seat Song Yuan had occupied moments earlier.

“Half an hour ago, we agreed to meet again soon.”

He deliberately emphasized “we” before asking Gu Jingchi, “And you are…?”

Gu Jingchi’s expression showed little change, his gaze calm, deep, and unfathomable.

“I am his fiancé.”

He Zongnian was stunned.

Fiancé?

So this was Gu Jingchi.

He Zongnian subtly observed the other man.

When he first learned that the object of his sudden affection was named Song Yuan, he already knew the man had a fiancé—none other than the chairman of the Gu Group.

But what did that matter? Arranged marriages were common in affluent circles, and few ever truly lasted. Besides, Song Yuan and Gu Jingchi were only engaged.

He wasn’t out of the running yet.

“He has a fiancé? Oh, yes, I think I’ve heard that. But Xiao Yuan never mentioned it to me.”

Gu Jingchi’s reply was concise: “Nor have I heard him mention having a doctor friend.”

At these words, He Zongnian’s smile faltered slightly, but only for a few seconds before he resumed his gentle expression.

“Perhaps he just didn’t tell you. You wouldn’t know, but last time at the shooting range, when he hurt his shoulder, I was the one who examined him. A few days ago, when he came to the hospital for an IV, we met again.”

He Zongnian suddenly chuckled. “He’s more independent than I imagined. Even when he’s sick, he comes to the hospital alone.”

His words carried subtle implications.

His smile and tone seemed to remind Gu Jingchi that he had been present during all those important moments Gu Jingchi had missed.

But Gu Jingchi had no intention of engaging with the provocation. “Dr. He.”

He Zongnian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Gu Jingchi to address him so formally.

“The medicine you recommended was quite effective. After just one night of application, the bruise faded almost completely.”

He Zongnian’s expression shifted slightly.

“You’re right. He is very independent, not delicate, and very sensible.” Gu Jingchi remained composed, delivering the final blow to the clueless challenger. “That night when I gave him the medicine, he was very cooperative.”

He Zongnian’s expression changed completely.

Gu Jingchi’s tone was cold. “Dr. He, if you two are truly friends, you could have simply texted Song Yuan to let him know you were coming to see him. That would be more efficient than wandering the hospital halls. After all…”

“You don’t know if he has other plans tonight—whether he might be having dinner with his fiancé. Don’t you agree?”

Gu Jingchi’s presence was overwhelming, completely intimidating He Zongnian.

The warning delivered, Gu Jingchi said expressionlessly, “Song Yuan went to get disinfected. He’ll be back soon. Feel free to keep waiting for him.”

Before He Zongnian could respond, footsteps sounded behind him.

“Gu Jingchi, I’m back~”

After having his wound treated, Song Yuan returned to Gu Jingchi’s side and noticed someone else had joined them.

He was surprised. “Dr. He, did you want to see me?”

“…Yes.”

Song Yuan instinctively glanced at Gu Jingchi.

Gu Jingchi raised an eyebrow and took a step back, gesturing with a polite “Go ahead.”

The provocation was unmistakable.

He Zongnian: “…”

Song Yuan asked, “Dr. He, what is it?”

Though at a disadvantage, He Zongnian wanted to maintain his composure and appear more natural. “Are you free on the day of W University’s Arts Festival?”

He had chosen his topic carefully—something Song Yuan would undoubtedly be interested in and likely outside Gu Jingchi’s usual sphere.

“I return to my alma mater for the Arts Festival every year, and this year is no exception.” He glanced at Song Yuan. “But as you know, W University moved to a new campus last year. I haven’t had the chance to visit, so I’m not familiar with the layout.”

He looked at Song Yuan with genuine sincerity. “Will you be free during the Arts Festival? I’d like to ask you to be my guide.”

Gu Jingchi suddenly stepped away to take a phone call.

Song Yuan glanced at Gu Jingchi before replying to He Zongnian, “Sorry, I won’t be free that day. I might be helping out at the department booth and won’t be able to leave.”

He Zongnian looked disappointed. “I see…”

Song Yuan nodded. “There are volunteers at our school. You can ask them for directions.”

Though politely turned down, He Zongnian didn’t show his disappointment. He smiled gently. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you.”

Unsure what he had done to earn that praise, Song Yuan felt the compliment didn’t quite fit. “Oh, no, not at all.”

Not far away, Gu Jingchi was on the phone, his expression cold as he stared at He Zongnian.

Some smiles were pleasant, while others grated on his nerves.

Like the one on the man standing too close to Song Yuan.

Whether it was his imagination or not, Gu Jingchi suddenly realized he harbored an innate dislike for He Zongnian. He knew himself well—he wasn’t fond of conversation, but he was usually tolerant. Rarely did he feel this petty and impatient.

Song Yuan had a good personality, and many people enjoyed being friends with him. That was normal.

But He Zongnian wasn’t normal.

Gu Jingchi was certain.

This man had ulterior motives toward Song Yuan.

Though he had no intention of developing any relationship with Song Yuan beyond their contract, that didn’t mean he would tolerate someone trying to sabotage it during their engagement.

The voice of his secretary came through the phone. “President Gu, the North American Economic and Trade Conference will proceed as scheduled in Manhattan the day after tomorrow. If there are no other arrangements, we can prepare to depart for New York tomorrow.”

Gu Jingchi lifted his gaze to Song Yuan in the distance.

“President Gu?”

Gu Jingchi withdrew his gaze. “How many days?”

The secretary replied promptly, “Three.”

It would end before the weekend, just in time for W University’s Arts Festival.

“But over the weekend…” The secretary hesitated.

“What is it?”

The secretary said, “Mr. Gu Senior called. He hopes you can return to the family home this weekend to discuss… some details regarding the engagement.”

Mr. Gu Senior—Gu Jingchi’s grandfather, the former head of the Gu family.

As Gu Jingchi had expected, the old man had heard about his engagement from the extended family and would inevitably seek him out. This time, however, it was sooner than he’d anticipated.

“Ignore it,” Gu Jingchi said tersely. “I have other arrangements this weekend.”

The secretary glanced at the empty schedule for the weekend and broke into a cold sweat.

When had work been scheduled for the weekend? Had he missed something?

This was bad.

“Apologies, President Gu. That was an oversight on my part. Let me double-check your weekend schedule immediately.” On the other end, the secretary frantically flipped through work emails.

“It’s not work.” Gu Jingchi asked, “Is the invitation from W University still there?”

The secretary paused. “Y-yes, it is.”

W University sent an invitation to the Gu Group every year for their Arts Festival, but their president had never attended.

“I’ll be going to W University this weekend. Contact me via message or email if anything comes up.”

*

When Song Yuan glanced for the third time at Gu Jingchi, who was taking a call outside the floor-to-ceiling window, Gu Jingchi had just hung up and met his gaze.

Soon, Gu Jingchi walked over to Song Yuan.

Song Yuan asked if it was about work.

“Yes, I’m leaving on a business trip tomorrow.”

Song Yuan blinked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. “You’re so busy. I was going to ask if you’d be free to come to our school’s Arts Festival.”

To his surprise, Gu Jingchi nodded. “I will.”

“But I might be late. I’ll still be in North America for a meeting on Friday. It’ll take some time to get back.”

That was fine.

The fact that Gu Jingchi would attend W University’s Arts Festival already made Song Yuan happy. He began calculating whether he could finish his booth duties in the morning and spend the afternoon showing Gu Jingchi around.

He Zongnian suddenly spoke up. “Your fiancé is so meticulous, even calculating the time to visit the school. Not like me—I’m so casual that I even need to ask for directions when returning to my old school.”

Song Yuan: “…”

Whether it was his imagination or not, Song Yuan didn’t like the way He Zongnian spoke. He wanted to change the subject.

The superficial and childish games were tiresome to Gu Jingchi, but He Zongnian didn’t seem to realize it.

Gu Jingchi lifted his gaze and looked at He Zongnian calmly. “Perhaps it’s because I’m a special guest at W University.”

“Not the same as an ordinary visitor.”

*

Dr. He was called away by a colleague.

As dusk fell, Song Yuan and Gu Jingchi walked toward the parking lot.

That Gu Jingchi was a special guest at W University surprised Song Yuan. But then again, the butler had mentioned that Gu Jingchi had funded the construction of W University’s new campus. It made sense that he would be a guest at the Arts Festival.

Moreover, Gu Jingchi was a W University alumnus.

That explained it even more.

Song Yuan walked close to Gu Jingchi, unconsciously bumping into him—a habit left over from his high school days.

Their shadows overlapped on the ground, more intimate than their owners.

When Song Yuan pressed against him for the third time, Gu Jingchi was about to tell him to walk properly.

But Song Yuan didn’t give him the chance. He looked up, eyes bright, voice soft and gentle. “Welcome, President Gu, to our university.”

Then, Song Yuan frowned slightly. “But ‘President Gu’ sounds too formal. What should I call you then? Professor?”

Gu Jingchi: “…”

Song Yuan thought for a moment. “No, you’re my senior. I should call you ‘senior’!”

The close proximity compressed the space between them. Gu Jingchi felt enveloped by a warm, comforting scent. He subtly tried to create distance, but Song Yuan naturally closed the gap again, his voice light and obedient as he said, “Hi, senior.”

Gu Jingchi froze, his throat moving involuntarily.

He had noticed it before when administering Song Yuan’s medicine—his throat was sensitive. If the medicine was given too quickly, it would come back up. They said people with sensitive throats spoke softly, like a soft whisper.

Gu Jingchi was momentarily captivated by this “whisper,” allowing Song Yuan to draw closer without pushing him away.

In his vision, Song Yuan’s delicate beauty mark grew larger, closer. His scent—a mix of creamy and green notes—grew stronger.

In the dim light, Song Yuan’s youthful voice softened, while another sound grew louder.

Ba-dump—

Ba-dump—

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t you like what to call you?”

Thinking Gu Jingchi was displeased with the title, Song Yuan looked at him seriously. “Then what do you want to be called? Do you want to be ‘professor’? I can call you that.”

Unexpected images rose in Gu Jingchi’s mind, making him strangely restless.

He frowned. “Where did you learn all these strange ways to address someone?”

Song Yuan was puzzled. What was so strange about them?

“Are you angry?”

Gu Jingchi lowered his gaze to look at him.

Song Yuan’s appearance was misleadingly pure. Gu Jingchi wasn’t sure if Song Yuan realized how ambiguous his words could be.

Gu Jingchi replied evenly, “Why do you say that?”

Song Yuan said, “I don’t know, but I feel like you and Dr. He don’t get along. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I don’t like the way he talks to you.”

So it wasn’t about the same thing.

Almost instantly, Gu Jingchi came back to his senses. Once calm, he quietly stepped back.

Reason told him that after sending Song Yuan home, he needed to leave for his overseas meeting right away—putting as much physical distance between them as possible.

He didn’t want a repeat performance. Whether it was his dislike for a certain doctor or his discussion with Song Yuan about titles and emotions, it all felt impulsive, irrational.

Foolish.

What surprised him most was his decision to attend W University’s Arts Festival.

A vague annoyance spread through him, and he disliked the feeling.

Confusing feelings were the most troublesome.

Gu Jingchi’s voice was cold. “It seems Dr. He is very attentive to you. He even made plans to meet you during the Arts Festival. Not like me—too busy with work to be there earlier.”

Song Yuan found Gu Jingchi’s words odd and couldn’t help laughing. “Gu Jingchi, you…”

Behind them, a car sped past, its loud engine drowning out Song Yuan’s voice completely.

Gu Jingchi narrowed his eyes. “What did you say?”

Startled by the noise, Song Yuan tried to push Gu Jingchi to the side but accidentally tripped, falling right into him.

His face buried into Gu Jingchi’s chest, his entire body pressed against him.

Gu Jingchi couldn’t react in time and was knocked back a step.

Automatically, he wrapped an arm around Song Yuan’s waist—so slender he could span it with one arm—his heart pounding.

Even through layers of fabric, Song Yuan’s body heat seemed to burn through his clothes, testing his control.

Gu Jingchi’s mouth went dry. He wanted to put distance between them.

But Song Yuan was completely unaware.

Song Yuan thought this was the golden opportunity to measure Gu Jingchi’s wrist and waist!

If he could get these measurements, he could finally give Gu Jingchi his token of appreciation before their divorce.

Once he regained his balance, he surreptitiously positioned one hand behind Gu Jingchi’s waist and the other on his arm, maintaining this partial embrace.

Flustered, Song Yuan tried to fill the silence.

His face turned red, his voice soft—like a gentle touch, resonating with him.

“I said—”

“Gu Jingchi, you’re adorable.”