His White Moonlight

"It's actually a man." Xu Rui looked surprised and muttered, "When they said fiancé, I thought it was a woman."

The moment he said it, Xu Rui regretted it.

He cautiously glanced at Gu Yuechen. Seeing that Gu Yuechen showed no reaction and merely kept his head down as he ate, he let out a long sigh of relief.

That was so awkward.

He would rather not have discovered that his colleague had a crush on their boss.

So gossip really could not be consumed carelessly.

Quite a few colleagues gathered around to greet Pei Huanyi's fiancé, including Xu Rui, who had just been eating with Gu Yuechen.

Gu Yuechen knew he should go over, offer a toast, or say a few kind words to bless the two of them.

But he simply could not bring himself to do that. He stayed on the sidelines and quietly ate.

His gaze remained fixed on the man beside Pei Huanyi, scrutinizing him from head to toe with dark, jealous eyes.

Unlike Pei Huanyi's gentle courtesy, the man's expression remained cool and detached. He occasionally offered a faint smile in response to whoever spoke with him.

Perhaps the enthusiastic colleagues had begun to annoy him. He suddenly linked his arm through Pei Huanyi's and leaned close to whisper something in his ear.

Then Pei Huanyi smiled at the colleagues surrounding them. "We haven't eaten yet. Let's continue chatting later."

The colleagues tactfully dispersed, and Pei Huanyi led the man to the table the servers had reserved for them.

Gu Yuechen stared unblinkingly at the man. Then, as though sensing his gaze, the man lifted his eyes and looked in his direction.

Their gazes unexpectedly met. It lasted only a second before Gu Yuechen guiltily looked away first.

Once Gu Yuechen had calmed his flustered, chaotic emotions and looked over again, the man was no longer watching him. He was talking with Pei Huanyi.

Pei Huanyi courteously cut the man's steak for him, the tenderness and affection in his eyes nearly overflowing.

Gu Yuechen had never seen Pei Huanyi like this. From their usual interactions at the pet hospital, he had thought Pei Huanyi was a reserved person, always indifferent to everyone.

So that was only how he treated insignificant people like them. When he met someone he truly liked, he did not hesitate to show his feelings.

Gu Yuechen could not help tightening his grip on the cake in his hand. Cream smeared onto his fingertips, but he did not notice.

"Yuechen, one of our colleagues recognized that person."

At some point, Xu Rui had returned to Gu Yuechen's side, excitement written across his face.

Gu Yuechen pulled himself from his thoughts and turned to look at Xu Rui.

"What?"

"Our boss's fiancé is actually the only son of the richest family in our city. Have you heard of Cloud Gate Group? A few years ago, when the southern region suffered a disaster, they donated one hundred million and even appeared on TV. Didn't you see it?"

Gu Yuechen shook his head. "I rarely watch the news."

"A lot of media outlets reported on Cloud Gate Group back then. They practically dug up everything about the Yu Household. It's really enviable. Both his parents are only children of their families, so Yu Yaochen will inherit both sides' assets in the future. He's practically the male lead of a wish-fulfillment novel."

Xu Rui suddenly thought of something, paused, and smiled. "Come to think of it, what a coincidence. Both of your names have the character chen in them."

Gu Yuechen's original name had been Lin Yan, chosen by his mother.

Later, his grandmother thought it was too unlucky, so she took him to change it. He also took his grandmother's surname, becoming the Gu Yuechen he was now.

A coincidence?

Rather than a coincidence, it only made the contrast in his life all the more glaring—rotting and stinking away in a gutter.

Gu Yuechen tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing out a strained smile.

"It is a bit of a coincidence. But he seems so aloof. Maybe he doesn't like us going up to make conversation."

"Probably not." Xu Rui did not notice anything unusual about Gu Yuechen and continued, "The young master of the Yu Household is actually quite nice. When the media reported on the Yu Household, they mentioned that Yu Yaochen often participated in charity events. He's also a genius painter. He often auctions his paintings at charity galas and donates all the proceeds to patients in need."

Gu Yuechen was instantly unable to say a word.

"Ah, enough about him." Xu Rui changed the subject. "Don't just keep eating desserts. You need to eat the seafood! Eat all the expensive stuff! We don't come to places like this often."

Gu Yuechen set down the misshapen cake in his hand and smiled faintly. "I'm going to the restroom."

"Okay, go and come back quickly."

To leave the banquet hall, Gu Yuechen had to pass Pei Huanyi and Yu Yaochen's table. Not wanting to hear their sweet nothings, he could not help quickening his pace.

Gu Yuechen stayed in the restroom for a long time.

He bent over, cupped cold water in his hands, and repeatedly splashed it over his face.

After doing so again and again, a large patch of his collar was soaked. The mirror reflected his disheveled appearance and inferiority.

The phone in his pocket rang. Gu Yuechen took it out, and after looking at the screen, his tone softened.

"Grandma, you don't need to wait for me. Get some rest early."

"Okay, I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't worry about me."

After ending the call, Gu Yuechen took a deep breath and left the restroom.

On his way back to the banquet hall, he ran into Xie Wangchi.

The instant Xie Wangchi saw him, he frowned.

"How did you end up looking like a drenched rat?" Xie Wangchi was as sharp-tongued as ever. "It's not even raining outside."

Gu Yuechen did not like Xie Wangchi, but considering that this man was Pei Huanyi's friend and could persuade Pei Huanyi to fire him at any time, he greeted him with a faint smile.

"Hello, Young Master Xie."

Xie Wangchi found it boring and did not spare him another glance. He stretched out his long legs and left ahead of him.

Gu Yuechen watched Xie Wangchi's retreating back, suddenly thought of something, and quickened his pace as well.

Like him, Xie Wangchi also liked Pei Huanyi.

Even for a boring employee dinner like this, Xie Wangchi had been willing to make time to rush over. It was obvious how much he cared, as though he wished he could cling to Pei Huanyi every moment of every day.

And Yu Yaochen happened to be here too. There should be a good show to watch.

Whether Xie Wangchi ended up frustrated or Yu Yaochen was embarrassed, Gu Yuechen would find it interesting.

But when Gu Yuechen entered the banquet hall and saw the scene before him, the secret delight on his face vanished without a trace.

The normally arrogant and overbearing Xie Wangchi was now sitting beside Yu Yaochen like a big dog trying to please its owner.

A shy expression appeared on Xie Wangchi's handsome face, and he spoke softly, as though afraid of disturbing the person before him.

So Xie Wangchi had said Gu Yuechen was unworthy of Pei Huanyi not because he wanted Pei Huanyi for himself, but because he was chasing away everyone who tried to seduce Pei Huanyi for the sake of his white moonlight.

Gu Yuechen let out a soft laugh.

He did not know whether he was mocking Xie Wangchi or himself.