Chapter 43: Insatiable Desires - You Wish.

He Gu said, "So you've finished? Once you're done, I'll..."

With his injured hand, Lou Dongzang grabbed He Gu's forearm, interrupting, "I'm not finished. There's more."

"Hence, I can't hide it from you."

"When I see you, I want to touch you. Once I touch you, I want to kiss you, and even that kiss won't be enough."

"I can't even..."

Before he could finish, He Gu had already filled in the rest in his mind.

Lou Dongzang's desires are indeed insatiable.

And it's deliberate.

He knows He Gu won't shake him off, so he purposefully clings to him, making him listen to every word.

He Gu wondered, "When did I become so bound by him?"

This man held onto him with an injured hand, yet he didn't even think of pulling away.

Lou Dongzang admitted, "The table being crowded is true, but not to that extreme."

He Gu responded, "...So what?"

Lou Dongzang explained, "I just didn't want you to see me struggling to reach for food."

He Gu retorted, "...Isn't that inconvenient? What's the big deal? Why are you still like this now?"

Lou Dongzang asked, "Haven't you ever liked someone?"

Confused as to how the conversation shifted to him, He Gu nodded and uttered, "Mhm."

A genuine smile lit up Lou Dongzang's face.

It was arguably the most sincere smile He Gu had seen from him. Caught off guard, he asked, "Is it so funny that I've never been in a serious relationship?"

Still laughing, Lou Dongzang shook his head, "No, no... I'm just genuinely happy..."

His laughter intensified, almost making him lose his grip on He Gu.

He Gu tried to pull away, but his fingers were caught and entwined.

With a slight movement to break free, he found himself ensnared even tighter.

He never once bested Lou Dongcang in these situations.

Only when Lou Dongcang had his fill of laughter, holding his hand, did he say, "That's not what I meant."

He Gu asked, "Then what do you mean?"

Lou Dongcang replied, "I care about you, so I don't want you to see my vulnerable side. I can feed myself, I somewhat recognize everything at home. I'm okay."

He spoke lightly, eyes wide and laughing, appearing no different from anyone else.

Unknown from when, whenever He Gu was home, Lou Dongcang would keep his eyes wide open.

Even if he couldn't see, he wanted to present a complete and normal image to the one he adored.

He Gu took a long time to respond.

Lou Dongcang urged, "Comfort me."

He Gu replied, "Even so, I can't... I can't accept your feelings."

Lou Dongcang gently caressed his hand, "Why? Can't you pity me?"

He had noticed earlier; He Gu resisted holding hands but seemed to enjoy this rhythmic, frequent touch.

He Gu frowned, intentionally ignoring his last words, "Why does rejecting a confession feel like taking a test, needing to explain my reasons?"

Lou Dongcang remarked, "Can't help it. You got to know someone problematic like me."

He Gu wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but Lou Dongcang seemed to have grown a thicker skin since the confession.

He Gu said, "I miss the you who spoke only a word or two."

Lou Dongcang teased, "Hmm... If you sleep with me, I'll remain silent, promise."

He Gu retorted, "In your dreams."

A smile played on Lou Dongcang's lips again.

He Gu queried, "What's so funny? I don't get it. Why do you smile as if I've said yes?"

Lou Dongcang replied, "The current situation is enough to make me laugh awake, really."

He Gu, puzzled, "What?"

Lou Dongcang explained, "I thought you'd say you prefer girls, giving me no chance. Now, it just seems you don't realize you have feelings for me, which makes me happy."

He Gu looked at him incredulously, "...Today, for the first time, I learned you're quite the optimist."

Lou Dongcang: "Thanks to you."

The prior words were mundane, but this one struck a chord with He Gu. Upset, he pulled away and left without hesitation.

Lou Dongcang sat on the sofa without following him, asking, "So, I truly can't sleep with you?"

He Gu: "Stay up till dawn, and stop bothering me."

Lou Dongcang: "But won't that give me even more time to annoy you?"

As a reply, He Gu slammed the door shut.

Lou Dongcang leisurely picked up and finished the remaining water on the table. Even though he knew the door was closed, he insisted on heading to the guest room.

However, he never found the door.

It wasn't closed.

Or rather, after He Gu had shut it, he opened it again for some unknown reason.

The bed in the guest room was positioned differently from the master bedroom, being adjacent to the wall.

He Gu, clutching the quilt, rolled to the corner of the wall. Hearing movement, he said, "Come in and close the door. It gets windy at night."

Lou Dongcang: "... He Gu."

He Gu: "Hmm?"

Lou Dongcang: "Aren't you afraid I might do something to you?"

He Gu, expressionless: "Wrap yourself in your blanket and sleep. Touch me, and I'll chop off your hand. If your chatter makes me late for work tomorrow, I'll have a robot blare at you with a loudspeaker for an hour during my commute. Besides, you promised to be silent."

The man at the door took several minutes to process.

Wrapped in his quilt, He Gu was about to drift off when he heard the door close, followed by the sound of someone lying next to him.

He groggily turned over, burying his face in the quilt.

His sighs naturally absorbed into the bedding.

What else could he do?

Just get some sleep for now.

*

The next morning, as the alarm rang, He Gu struggled to open his eyes.

For the first time in days, he woke up grumpy, hair tousled, breathing heavy, reaching out to grab his phone.

"So noisy..."

Initially unable to find it, He Gu tried to sit up, only to realize he was restricted by arms enveloping him.

Held from behind, the two arms wrapped around him, rendering him immobile.

Groggily, He Gu said, "Lou Dongcang, let go, I need to get up."

Lou Dongcang, equally drowsy, murmured, "Can't we sleep a little longer?"

Lou Dongcang's morning voice was husky. It was He Gu's first time hearing him like this, sending a tingle down his spine.

He Gu's voice took on a stern edge, "I have work. I'll sleep in the car. Let go."

Lou Dongcang obediently released him.

He Gu shared breakfast with Uncle Yue. After eating and seeing Lou Dongcang descending with his plate, he casually greeted him before leaving.

It seemed like nothing was amiss.

His nonchalance left Lou Dongcang feeling slightly unsure, prompting him to follow He Gu to the door.

Noticing his pursuit, He Gu playfully confronted him, "You didn't come out to greet me yesterday, why bid farewell today?"

Lou Dongcang: "..."

He Gu continued, "Is it that coming to the door requires some affection boost? Is it that hard, young master Lou?"

Lou Dongcang began, "I..."

Cutting him off, He Gu asserted, "I treat you like family, and you treat me like a romantic interest, right? Whenever you're upset, you lash out. Who's spoiling whom here? You think I won't call you out?"

Lou Dongcang: "..."

Indeed, the past always catches up.

By day, He Gu's assertiveness doubles, coupled with a clarity boost. Lou Dongcang stood no chance.

Moreover, Lou Dongcang had no intention to retort.

At best, his words seemed indifferent; at worst, ungrateful.

Even if he had ulterior motives the night before, He Gu's choice to simply sleep in a different room without an outburst was considerate enough.

Still, He Gu ended up sharing a bed with him during the night.

Now refreshed, He Gu didn't acknowledge Lou's confession and clearly stated his stance:

He didn't question whether his previous actions were excessive; in He Gu's eyes, he did nothing wrong.

He was set in his ways, and Lou Dongcang should never expect to change him.

As long as he's true to himself, it matters not what Lou Dongcang thinks.

It's none of his concern.

Want to pursue him?

By all means, give it a shot.

This is the real He Gu.

If he were easily swayed by Lou Dongcang and simply agreed, it wouldn't be like him.

Lou Dongcang: "He Gu, you are the best. It was my fault for saying those words."

He Gu paused briefly: "Indeed, I am."

Seeing him take a step forward, He Gu warned, "Don't come any closer. I'm leaving."

Without any hesitation, he turned and walked away.

Aware of his vulnerability to Lou Dongcang's physical proximity, He Gu wouldn't let him get close easily.

On the way, He Gu dozed off in the back seat.

However, he hadn't forgotten last night's grievance. He activated his video robot and placed his phone near the driver's seat, screen down.

Du Junyan loved to drive with the windows down and even a light honk was deafening.

Unbeknownst to him, He Gu was acting rather childishly, seeking petty revenge. He threw the phone aside and dozed off until he was awakened upon arrival, only then fetching his overheated phone which had been monitoring continuously.

It was scorching, much like a hot potato.

Picking it up, he saw Lou Dongcang obediently sitting in front of the camera, seemingly "punished."

The video was automatically uploaded to the cloud. He Gu skimmed through it at eight times the speed, and aside from Lou Dongcang taking a sip of water midway, he genuinely sat in front of the camera for an hour listening to traffic updates.

Truly being disciplined.

Engrossed in the video, He Gu found something amusing, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth, until Du Junyan called out to him.

Looking up, he inquired, "What is it?"

He Gu followed Du Junyan's gaze.

The general manager had a designated parking spot in Star Domain, conveniently located near the underground elevator.

Now, that spot was occupied by a striking blue convertible Lexus.

While He Gu hadn't seen many Lexuses recently, he could easily guess to whom this one belonged.

Such a drama queen, just like the car owner.

He Guan instructed, "Just park anywhere convenient. I'll head up and settle the score with that brat."

Du Junyan gave him a puzzled look but quickly acknowledged, "Understood."

The boss was usually so composed. Why was he acting like a pampered rich heir today?

Shaking off the thought, Du waited for the boss to exit the vehicle, then proceeded to find an alternative parking spot in the underground lot.

Exiting the vehicle, He Guan spotted the elevator door just opening and approached the emerging figure, "Yan Xu, has Lou Junduo arrived?"

Yan Xu responded, "Yes, Chairman Lou—"

He Guan raised his hand to interrupt, "Not 'Chairman Lou.' Just Lou Junduo. He's about to be a former employee. No need for formalities."

With utmost flexibility, Yan Xu reported, "Mr. Lou Junduo is already by your office door."

He Guan responded, "Alright, there's nothing of concern in the office. Allow my assistant to let him in. No need to obstruct him, lest we have to endure his temper tantrums later."

Yan Xu nodded in acknowledgment, "He hasn't been stopped."

Such reactions from He Guan only further convinced Yan Xu to withhold information from Yan Fengqing.

Even though he'd only met Lou Junduo a few times, He Guan seemed to understand him thoroughly, exuding confidence.

Moreover... he seemed to be in a bad mood today.

Though not as overtly upset as yesterday, there was a certain passive-aggressiveness to his demeanor today.

Unable to discern his superior's intentions, Yan Xu's thoughts took a speculative turn.

Perhaps the boss had an ongoing tiff with his spouse for two days and they hadn’t reconciled?

It must be noted that Yan Xu's intuition was quite sharp.

He Guan gave a nod, waited for his phone to cool down, and began to ascend, lost in thought as he walked.

He was upset, and conveniently, Lou Junduo presented himself.

What a coincidence!

A note from the author:

The working class creates value through labor. (Incantation.)