Invitation

After coming over a few times, Gu Yuechen no longer treated himself as a guest at all. As soon as he entered, he took the initiative to grab a pair of slippers and change into them.

"Don't you get bored staying here every day?"

"I'm not here all the time." Yu Yaochen paused before saying, "Sometimes I go to the hospital to keep my mother company."

Gu Yuechen looked up at him. "How is your mother?"

"She's scheduling her next round of chemotherapy."

Gu Yuechen felt that the topic was too heavy, and he did not know how to comfort people, so he changed the subject.

"I think I saw Doctor Pei earlier. Did he come to keep you company?"

"Mm." Yu Yaochen nodded. "He came over this morning and had breakfast with me."

Gu Yuechen's smile stiffened slightly. "Good thing I didn't come over this morning, or it would have been awkward if I interrupted you two."

"It's fine." Yu Yaochen failed to catch the sarcasm in Gu Yuechen's words. "He wouldn't mind."

Gu Yuechen did not want to hear the details of their loving relationship. He got up and walked farther into the house, with Yu Yaochen following behind him.

"Don't paint today." Gu Yuechen sat down on the sofa. "Let's do something else."

Yu Yaochen sat down beside him. "What?"

Gu Yuechen's eyes shifted, and he suddenly pressed his body over Yu Yaochen's.

Yu Yaochen's jaw tightened. He deliberately softened his breathing, his arms raised stiffly as he did not dare let them fall onto Gu Yuechen.

"Did I make you unhappy?" Gu Yuechen deliberately leaned close, leaving only ten centimeters between their lips.

Yu Yaochen's Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, a trace of hoarseness in his voice. "No. Why would you ask that?"

"You've been so cold toward me lately."

Yu Yaochen looked stunned.

It was not that Yu Yaochen had deliberately been distant toward Gu Yuechen. Everything that had happened in the studio that day had been far too awkward.

He had thought Gu Yuechen would not come again. His reaction had been too obvious; anyone with eyes could probably understand it.

Besides, in a little over half a year, he would be marrying Pei Huanyi. He really should keep his distance from Gu Yuechen.

He himself did not mind. The innocent had nothing to fear, but Gu Yuechen was innocent and should not be dragged into gossip.

"Yuechen, get up first." Yu Yaochen seemed to have thought things through, and the tension between his brows faded.

Gu Yuechen frowned, but obediently sat properly.

"Yuechen, I wasn't deliberately being cold toward you." Yu Yaochen lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions in them. "I've just been busy lately."

"Busy with what?"

Yu Yaochen parted his lips. He had wanted to say that he was preparing for his wedding with Pei Huanyi, so Gu Yuechen would know to avoid suspicion.

But when he met Gu Yuechen's light-colored eyes, he could not help changing his words. "My birthday."

"Whose birthday?"

"Mine. Next Wednesday."

Gu Yuechen immediately looked displeased. "Aren't we friends? Why didn't you invite me?"

Yu Yaochen also felt that it had been rude, so he asked, "Do you want to come? Aren't you working on Wednesday?"

"Even if I am, I'll have to take leave. You're the first friend I've ever made."

Yu Yaochen looked surprised. "I'm the first?"

"Mm. From school until now, no one has ever been willing to be friends with me." Gu Yuechen lied without changing expression, continuing, "Maybe I'm just naturally unlikeable."

"That's not true." Yu Yaochen took his hand sympathetically. "I'm very willing to be your friend."

Gu Yuechen lowered his head to look at their hands, then suddenly smiled. "I only just realized that your hand is so much bigger than mine."

Less than a second after he said that, Yu Yaochen immediately released his hand.

"Sorry."

Gu Yuechen watched Yu Yaochen's flustered, helpless expression with great interest.

"Where is it being held?"

"At my house." Yu Yaochen said, "I'll send you the location in a couple of days."

"Will Doctor Pei and Xie Wangchi be there too?"

Gu Yuechen had wanted to ask about Pei Huanyi, but he was worried that his intentions would be too obvious, so he added the name of that annoying bastard.

"Mm, they'll both be there."

Gu Yuechen stayed in the little villa for a while before leaving.

When he went to work the next day, the first thing he did was ask his supervisor for leave. Since he usually had a good attitude at work, his supervisor approved it without saying much.

On Yu Yaochen's birthday, Gu Yuechen followed the address he had received. He first took a bus, got off at a stop two kilometers away, and chose to take a taxi to the Yu Household.

Only when he arrived did he realize that it had been completely unnecessary. All kinds of cars were parked outside the mansion, and elegantly dressed guests stepped out of them, the entire place dripping with luxury and indulgence.

No one noticed him in his plain clothes. Even if he had chosen to walk here, no one would have said anything.

Gu Yuechen tightened his grip on the gift in his hand. His appearance was somewhat out of place amid his surroundings, like a speck of dust that had accidentally wandered into a vibrant world.

He stood at the entrance for a while, then sharply noticed that every guest was holding an invitation and could only enter after the bodyguards confirmed it.

Gu Yuechen's face instantly burned red, and his empty hand awkwardly rubbed at the hem of his clothes.

Yu Yaochen did this on purpose, didn't he?

If he was going to invite me, why didn't he even send me an invitation? Did he deliberately ask me here just to humiliate me?

This was a villa district, and taxis were especially expensive.

It had only been two kilometers, yet he had spent over fifty.

Gu Yuechen gritted his teeth and cursed Yu Yaochen repeatedly in his heart when a familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Gu Yuechen, why are you here?"

Gu Yuechen turned and saw Xie Wangchi's punchable face.

Xie Wangchi had abandoned his usual casual appearance and dressed up carefully. He wore a sharply tailored suit, and his bangs had been fixed in place with hair gel.

The moment he approached, Gu Yuechen caught the scent of Xie Wangchi's perfume.

He wrinkled his nose.

It stinks.

"Yu Yaochen invited me."

"Invited?" Xie Wangchi's gaze dropped, landing only on the gift in Gu Yuechen's hand. He laughed. "Then where's your invitation?"

"I forgot to bring it."

"Did you forget it, or did you never have one in the first place?"

Xie Wangchi was not speaking quietly. Passing guests looked over and gave Gu Yuechen a thorough once-over.

Gu Yuechen lowered his head farther and farther, and his resentment toward Yu Yaochen deepened.

The more Xie Wangchi spoke, the more excited he became, the mockery in his eyes nearly overflowing.

"Even if Chenchen really did invite you, why are you dressed like this? Did you come here to embarrass him?"

"Yuechen!"

Yu Yaochen had appeared in front of them at some point, his gaze falling only on Gu Yuechen.

"You arrived but didn't tell me. I've been waiting for your message so I could come pick you up."

The young master of the Yu Household had personally come out to receive him, which changed everything. The guests' looks shifted from confusion to envy.

"Chenchen, you really invited him?" Xie Wangchi noticed Yu Yaochen's casual outfit and furrowed his brow. "What are the servants doing? Why didn't they prepare a suit for you in advance?"

Yu Yaochen smiled. "I dress formally every birthday. It's honestly too boring. I wanted to relax today."

"Come on." Yu Yaochen took Gu Yuechen by the wrist. "It's hot outside. Let's go in."

"Okay."

As Gu Yuechen walked, he looked back and met Xie Wangchi's jealousy-filled gaze.

He sneered and secretly raised his middle finger.

Already hurting?

This is only the beginning.

At the thought of how Xie Wangchi's carefully cherished white moonlight would one day be in his bed, begging him like a whore, Gu Yuechen became so excited he nearly laughed out loud.