I'll Paint You

Although Yu Yaochen had said the house was a little messy, when Gu Yuechen walked in, he saw no sign of clutter at all. It was obvious someone cleaned regularly.

Gu Yuechen looked around, his gaze landing on the ashtray on the coffee table, overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Has Doctor Pei been here?"

Following his gaze, Yu Yaochen smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"I smoked those." Yu Yaochen walked over and dumped all the cigarette butts from the ashtray into the trash. "When I'm painting, I can't help smoking."

He did not know what he was trying to conceal. After taking out the trash, Yu Yaochen found his own behavior rather amusing and could not help curling his lips.

Yu Yaochen put the ashtray back. When he turned to look at Gu Yuechen, he found him staring at the stairs.

"Do you want to go upstairs?"

Gu Yuechen snapped back to himself and nodded slightly.

He could not help wondering what Pei Huanyi would do to Yu Yaochen if he came here.

Would they lose themselves in a kiss in the first-floor living room, or head straight for one of the small rooms upstairs, strip each other's clothes, and do all sorts of absurd things in bed?

Or perhaps in the studio...

Gu Yuechen tortured himself by imagining one scene after another. No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, Yu Yaochen and Pei Huanyi were now engaged and would become husband and wife sooner or later. At their age, with passion running high, kissing and sleeping together was perfectly normal.

Yu Yaochen brought Gu Yuechen a pair of slippers. "Put these on."

Gu Yuechen looked down at them. Thinking that Pei Huanyi might have worn them before, he happily changed into them.

"Would you like something to drink?" Yu Yaochen asked again.

"No, I'm not thirsty right now."

Yu Yaochen nodded and led him upstairs.

The studio carried a woody fragrance. It was not unpleasant. Several pencils and paint boxes lay scattered across the floor, while an easel stood in the middle with an unfinished painting on it.

Yu Yaochen suddenly stepped in front of Gu Yuechen, a flush spreading over his handsome face.

"Don't look yet. It's not finished."

This was the first time he had brought someone into his studio while a painting was still unfinished.

Having someone see an incomplete work made Yu Yaochen both nervous and shy.

He somewhat regretted bringing him upstairs.

Gu Yuechen had not been interested in his artwork to begin with. From the moment Yu Yaochen blocked his view, he stopped looking around.

"You seem never to have painted people?"

Yu Yaochen had not expected that question. His expression froze for a moment before he slowly gave a soft acknowledgment.

"Not even Doctor Pei?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Yu Yaochen did not know how to explain it to Gu Yuechen. To him, painting someone's portrait was an extremely intimate thing.

He and Pei Huanyi had not reached that point.

But the next second, Gu Yuechen said something that caught him completely off guard.

"Then can you paint me?"

Yu Yaochen was stunned. After a moment, he shook his head helplessly.

"No, I can't agree to that." Yu Yaochen said, "It wouldn't be good if someone saw it."

That was exactly Gu Yuechen's goal. Especially if Pei Huanyi saw it—he hoped it would make Pei Huanyi remember him.

"Why? Aren't we friends?"

"We are friends, but not this." Yu Yaochen's tone was unusually firm.

Gu Yuechen looked up at him and suddenly felt it was pointless.

He had known Yu Yaochen for some time now, yet Yu Yaochen guarded against him in everything. This was not allowed, that was not allowed. After watching the musical, he had not even given him a return gift and had simply vanished off the face of the earth.

He could not see Pei Huanyi here either. The round trip took nearly four hours, and the fare was not cheap. It could have bought him and his grandmother a meal.

Was there really any need to keep spending time with Yu Yaochen?

Gu Yuechen felt there was not. He might as well shift his target to Xie Wangchi.

Though that guy had a sharp tongue, there was genuinely a chance he could help him see Pei Huanyi.

"Forget it. I'm going home." Gu Yuechen said, "I'm sorry for suddenly coming over and disturbing you today. I won't come again."

Gu Yuechen shed the act he had kept up all this time, his expression turning cold. He gave Yu Yaochen one look as though he were a stranger, then headed toward the stairs.

By the time he reached the entrance of the little western-style house, Yu Yaochen finally caught up and grabbed his wrist.

"I'll paint you."

There were other unfinished works in the studio, so Yu Yaochen could not paint Gu Yuechen's portrait right away. The two arranged to meet next week instead.

Gu Yuechen walked around the place once. After finding nothing suspicious, he headed to the door in satisfaction, ready to leave.

"Won't you stay for dinner?" Yu Yaochen raised his hand to look at his watch. "The housekeeper will be here soon. She's an excellent cook and can make anything."

"No."

Gu Yuechen still had a long bus ride home and truly did not want to waste too much time here.

"Alright, see you next week." Yu Yaochen smiled and waved at him.

Gu Yuechen gave a quiet "Mm," then turned around. The smile on his face vanished instantly, annoyance with Yu Yaochen surfacing in his eyes.

The moment he stepped out of the little western-style house, he ran into someone unexpected.

Xie Wangchi leaned against a sports car, smoking. When he saw Gu Yuechen's face, his expression blanked for a moment before he immediately frowned deeply.

"Why are you here?" Xie Wangchi tossed away his cigarette, crushed it beneath his foot, and strode toward him.

"Littering isn't a good habit." Gu Yuechen said unhurriedly, "Yu Yaochen invited me over."

"Hah? Stop joking!" Xie Wangchi stared at Gu Yuechen with contempt, as blunt as ever. "Chencheng never wants to see anyone when he's painting. How could he possibly invite you inside? You liar, do you think I'm as easy to fool as Pei Huanyi?"

When he heard Xie Wangchi belittling Pei Huanyi, Gu Yuechen's gaze changed, a trace of sinister gloom flashing through it.

Xie Wangchi caught the change in his expression and raised a brow.

"Did I hit the mark? You really are a liar."

Gu Yuechen stared coldly at Xie Wangchi.

Xie Wangchi said nothing either, returning the look with a provocative gaze.

Yu Yaochen's appearance broke their standoff.

"You forgot something." Yu Yaochen came out and handed Gu Yuechen his phone.

Only after Gu Yuechen accepted it did Yu Yaochen notice Xie Wangchi.

"Xiaochi, why are you here?"

The moment he saw Yu Yaochen, Xie Wangchi immediately put on a different face, smiling obediently.

"I happened to be passing by and was going to come in to see you."

"I'm busy painting, so I won't be able to entertain you. Another day."

Yu Yaochen politely declined him. Xie Wangchi's expression did not look too good, and Gu Yuechen nearly laughed aloud.

Serves you right.

Pathetic lapdog.

All that licking for nothing.

Xie Wangchi feared neither heaven nor earth. Yu Yaochen was the only one who could keep him in line.

Thinking that, Gu Yuechen hooked his arm around Yu Yaochen's in front of Xie Wangchi and said intimately on purpose, "Don't forget our appointment next week."

Yu Yaochen looked at his hand. "Alright."