Chapter 121 Day 12 of Transmigrating into a Vintage CEO Novel

Chapter 121: Day 12 of Being Thrown into an Old-School CEO Novel

"...Gu Xinghui, let go of me! I want to go back! I want to go back right now!" Meng Nianwei's voice was choked with tears and resistance.

"Go back? Where? This is your home!" Gu Xinghui's voice was irritable and wasn't taking no for an answer. "Mom's just a little blunt, can't you just put up with it for a second? Why do you have to make such a fuss?"

"Put up with it? She said I'm... she said I'm only with you for the money! How am I supposed to put up with that?" Meng Nianwei was sobbing so hard she couldn't speak.

"Then prove it to her, then! Just stay by my side and behave, and the Gu family fortune will be ours. She'll shut up on her own!"

"You don't understand at all! That's not what I want. I just want you to trust me, to be on my side..."

"I'm letting you stay home, aren't I? Isn't that enough to show I'm on your side? Meng Nianwei, can't you stop being so ridiculous? Act your age!"

The argument faded, along with the sounds of a scuffle, as Gu Xinghui seemingly half-carrying, half-dragging Meng Nianwei upstairs.

In the studio, An Yi and Gu Mingzhi exchanged a glance.

The playful smile faded from An Yi's face, leaving only a faint, almost aloof gaze.

Gu Mingzhi furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly, clearly annoyed by the endless, pointless arguing.

Comments section:

"Here we go again! Daily quest: The main couple argues (1/1)"

"Gu Xinghui, did you borrow that mouth? You in a rush to return it? If you can't use it right, just donate it!"

"'Mom's just a blunt' — Classic scumbag line +1"

"'Just put up with it' — +10086"

"Put up with it? Like a Ninja Turtle?"

"'Suck it up' lol, if you're so good at sucking it up, why don't you just suck it up and not date?"

"Weiwei, run! This is a fire pit, you can't jump in!"

"Run? Next chapter she'll probably be forced into love and temporarily make up anyway (lights a cigarette)"

"Next door studio: extreme flirting tension; here in the living room: noobs duking it out. What a stark contrast haha"

"..."

"So damn noisy... so damn annoying," An Yi commented softly, his tone lacking sympathy, more like a complaint about the noise.

He picked up his brush again, dipped it in paint, trying to refocus on the canvas, but the argument clearly bothered him, his brushstrokes growing agitated.

Watching his slightly furrowed brow, Gu Mingzhi suddenly spoke, his voice much gentler than before: "If you don't want to hear it, just close the door."

An Yi paused, looked up at him, his eyes dark and deep. Then, without warning, he dropped the brush. Paint splattered onto the palette with a soft sound.

"Uncle," he said, tilting his head, a faint smile curving his lips. That strange glint flickered back into his eyes. "Want to go out for a walk?"

Gu Mingzhi watched his profile, softly outlined by the light. He straightened up, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity: "Is this... you asking me out?"

An Yi glanced back at him, a hint of a smirk on his lips: "Just don't want the noise interfering with my work."

He put on his coat and walked out of the studio first. Gu Mingzhi watched his back for a moment, his gaze calm, then followed.

After the snow, the garden was utterly silent. Moonlight spilled onto the pristine white snow, casting a cold, soft glow.

The air was cold and crisp, filling the lungs and lifting the spirit.

They walked side by side down the cleared path, silent for a while. Their footsteps on the snow made a soft crunching sound.

"Do they always argue like this?" Gu Mingzhi finally broke the silence, referring to Gu Xinghui and Meng Nianwei.

"Yeah," An Yi replied indifferently. "That's probably just the way they are. One thinks the whole world owes him, the other thinks the other person is always immature."

"Stupid," Gu Mingzhi said flatly.

An Yi turned to look at him. Under the moonlight, Gu Mingzhi's profile was sharp, carrying his usual coldness, but his eyes seemed softer than usual. "Uncle seems to look down on that?"

"Wasting time and energy on pointless emotional drain—isn't that stupid?"

Gu Mingzhi's tone was indifferent: "If you want something, go get it. If you can't, change direction. Simple."

"Oh?" An Yi raised an eyebrow. "And what if... the thing you want just can't be had, no matter how hard you try?"

Gu Mingzhi paused in his step and turned to look at him. Under the moonlight, An Yi's eyes were startlingly bright.

"Then it depends," Gu Mingzhi's voice unconsciously deepened, his gaze profound as he looked at him, as if not answering the hypothetical but responding to An Yi himself: "How much you really want it."

He paused slightly, stepping half a step closer, compressing the distance between them again. The cold of the snow and the heat of their breathing clashed fiercely: "And what you're willing to... pay... for that 'want.'"

His implication was practically out in the open, laid bare under the cold moonlight.

An Yi met his gaze without flinching, the corners of his mouth curving: "For example?"

"For example..." Gu Mingzhi stepped forward again, closing the distance.

"Letting go of some unnecessary pride, or... accepting some conditions you normally wouldn't."

An Yi suddenly laughed. He looked at this man, who was making a clumsy, direct gesture of compromise. It was even more interesting than he had expected.

"Sounds like you've got experience, Uncle?" An Yi drew out his words, his eyes like little hooks.

"I'm learning," Gu Mingzhi admitted, with surprising candor. His gaze fell on An Yi's curving lips, and his voice unconsciously softened. "And the feeling isn't bad."

An Yi finally couldn't help but laugh softly. The laugh was especially clear in the silent snow night, holding a hint of triumphant delight.

Gu Mingzhi watched him laugh. The face, usually distant or gentle, now blossomed into a nearly pure joy. Like snow melting, spring flowers blooming—breathtakingly beautiful.

For a moment, he was stunned, his heart skipping a beat.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his voice going a little hoarse, enchanted by that smile.

"Just laughing at Uncle..." An Yi stopped laughing, tilting his head to look at him, his eyes mischievous. "You learn fast, Uncle."

Gu Mingzhi caught on, feeling a mix of helplessness and pleasure.

He realized he didn't mind An Yi teasing him at all; instead, he enjoyed this unique, only-for-him kind of "intimacy."

"Uncle," An Yi suddenly sighed softly, his tone gentle. "Are you gay?"

Gu Mingzhi stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, looking at An Yi with utter seriousness, his deep gaze as if boring straight into his heart. His voice was especially low and clear in the snowy night: "I am."

"I am gay."