Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Gu Jingchi’s heart pounded, his entire chest vibrating.

No one had ever described him like that before.

Uncontrollably, his mind flashed back to Song Yuan, sick and clinging to his arm, acting cute.

The memory grew clearer. In this half-formed embrace, Gu Jingchi could feel the other’s heartbeat, and his mind conjured up some unwelcome thoughts.

Song Yuan lowered his head, his eyes blinking rapidly like tiny brushes.

Though separated by clothing, the sensation beneath his hands was vivid—Gu Jingchi’s body temperature was searing hot, seemingly capable of burning skin.

He felt a little nervous.

Gu Jingchi wouldn’t get angry, would he?

But it didn’t matter. They were at the hospital entrance. Even if Gu Jingchi truly lost his temper and slapped him hard enough to cause internal injuries, he could still, with sheer willpower, crawl into the hospital.

Yet, Gu Jingchi didn’t lash out.

Gu Jingchi pressed his lips together. “Stand properly.”

“Oh…” Song Yuan obediently let go, then stood before him like a chastened student.

Guiltily, he lifted his gaze, stealing a glance at Gu Jingchi’s expression.

His brows and eyes remained cold, his gaze distant. When he stared at someone expressionlessly, all one could read was indifference.

How strange… Gu Jingchi wasn’t supposed to be straight, was he?

He had just clung to and hugged Gu Jingchi, yet the other remained so composed, showing no reaction at all.

Not even a hint of anger!

Song Yuan pondered—had he ended up in the wrong story? Why was this unfolding so differently from what he’d imagined?

Gu Jingchi suddenly spoke. “Wait here for me.”

Song Yuan didn’t understand. “Aren’t we going back together?”

“I’ll bring the car over.” With that, the other left, seemingly in a hurry.

Though unsure why he couldn’t go along, Song Yuan obediently waited where he was.

After a while, a black car pulled up in front of Song Yuan.

He opened the door and got in smoothly, turning to look at Gu Jingchi. The man’s face was as cold as usual, but his suit shirt’s tie was loosened, and the top button undone.

Song Yuan was puzzled. The bitter winter cold had just ended, and the spring chill hadn’t even arrived—why was Gu Jingchi so hot that he had to unbutton his shirt?

The impact from earlier had been strong enough to dislodge Gu Jingchi’s watch strap. Song Yuan reached out to adjust it.

His fingertips brushed against the wrist, touching the thinnest layer of skin. The contact sent a jolt through Gu Jingchi, and his fingers tingled uncontrollably. He reflexively grabbed Song Yuan’s wrist.

Startled, Song Yuan’s eyes widened slightly. Softly, he said, “Your watch strap was crooked. I was fixing it.”

Gu Jingchi stared into Song Yuan’s eyes. After two seconds, he released his grip. “Don’t move around while I’m driving.”

Song Yuan obediently sat back.

The black car drove forward smoothly.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the residential complex.

Gu Jingchi lifted his gaze, scanning the surroundings briefly.

It was quiet.

The last time he’d come, it had been nighttime, but he hadn’t expected it to be this serene during the day either.

“Then I’ll head back now!” Song Yuan waved at him.

Gu Jingchi watched as the other’s figure disappeared into the building, a growing restlessness in his chest.

Over the past few days, he’d realized that Song Yuan had an unusual level of dependence on him—always wanting touches, closeness, hugs. The boy was like molten caramel.

At first, he’d thought Song Yuan’s behavior was just a passing whim. Only later did he realize—Song Yuan genuinely liked him.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: Song Yuan didn’t take their contract seriously. He thought they were in a real relationship.

Once this thought took root, Gu Jingchi's agitation grew.

He tugged at his collar, undoing another button.

Song Yuan wasn’t at fault. At just twenty years old, it was indeed the age for romance.

But Gu Jingchi wasn’t.

The only reason he’d agreed to the arranged marriage was to avoid becoming like a certain former head of the Gu family—someone who abandoned integrity and reneged on contracts. From start to finish, he’d never intended to marry, let alone fall in love.

He had planned to tell Song Yuan directly, to make him give up his illusions early.

From the hospital parking lot to the doorstep of the residential complex, there had been countless opportunities to draw a clear line. Yet, as if possessed, he hadn’t spoken up.

*

When Song Yuan got home, he found the medicine cabinet empty—not even a thermometer inside.

This wasn’t working.

He put his shoes back on and headed to the pharmacy to stock up.

After paying, Song Yuan stood at the pharmacy entrance checking the receipt when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure.

Across the street was Song Shenyu!

What a coincidence!

Song Shenyu had also noticed him, his gaze fixed on Song Yuan as if he wanted to approach and say something. Yet, he made no move to do so.

Song Yuan found the other’s stare odd but didn’t dwell on it. After packing his medicine, he headed home.

By the time he returned, a package had arrived.

Excited, Song Yuan tore open the box. The moment he saw the doll inside, he couldn’t help but gasp.

No wonder the original owner had taken out a loan to buy this—it was truly stunning!

But it was also ridiculously expensive.

After paying the second installment, Song Yuan's bank balance took a nosedive.

With this additional debt, he was feeling the pinch.

Fortunately, though the shop owner with the octopus logo had taken his money, they’d also brought good news.

—A studio had expressed interest in commissioning design work from Song Yuan. Since the batch was large, they were willing to pay a high price for the designs.

…Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand!

The studio was offering him a five-figure commercial deal! Overjoyed, Song Yuan agreed without hesitation.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

That meant his divorce plans couldn’t fall behind either.

Honestly, he hated bumping into the brothers. Their presence was a constant reminder that he was nothing more than a pawn the Song family had bartered away.

The feeling was unpleasant.

He urgently needed to end this ill-conceived arrangement.

Thinking back to their earlier embrace, Song Yuan realized Gu Jingchi’s reaction had been too muted—not a good sign.

He now had strong reason to suspect that Gu Jingchi’s tolerance threshold had been raised by his actions.

This wasn’t working.

No more gentle approach—he needed to turn up the intensity!

He opened his chat with Gu Jingchi and started hammering out messages.

“Peeking emoji”

“Reply to me, reply to me, reply to me~”

“What are you doing?”

The chat header changed to “Typing…”

Song Yuan sent another message before Gu Jingchi could respond.

“I miss you~”

“Mwah~”

Then, he spammed a series of adorable stickers.

Seeing the messages, Gu Jingchi thought, Song Yuan was being clingy again.

He didn’t want to foster the illusion that they were dating. He drafted a reply but held back, deciding to send it five minutes later.

As Gu Jingchi’s responses grew slower, Song Yuan assumed he’d gotten busy with work.

He turned back to admire the doll, liking it more by the minute.

The life-sized replica was perfect—the sharp jawline, pale skin, and even the subtle muscle definition.

So handsome!

Especially when dressed in the outfit he’d designed.

He felt a surge of pride—the pride of realizing his own worth.

He opened the camera and took a photo of the clothes.

“Image”

“Check it out~ My new design”

“What do you think?”

“Puppy eyes emoji”

Song Yuan opened the image, admiring his creation.

Then, he froze.

There, partially visible, was an arm with perfectly sculpted muscles.

—The doll’s arm.

“!”

Realizing he’d accidentally captured something that shouldn’t have been in the shot, Song Yuan quickly deleted the image.

But in the chat, Gu Jingchi, who'd been silent until now, sent a message.

“Who is he?”