Never Learning a Lesson

Yu Yaochen had been plied with alcohol by Gu Yuechen and was sprawled over the table, impossible to wake no matter how they called him.

Gu Yuechen stared expressionlessly at Yu Yaochen, caught in an internal struggle.

Should he take Yu Yaochen to a hotel right now?

Sleep with Yu Yaochen, take pictures of him in bed, then anonymously send them to the Pei Household.

But Gu Yuechen truly did not want to touch Yu Yaochen's body. He feared he would not be able to get past that mental hurdle and would ultimately fail at the last moment.

Or perhaps he could just pull someone out of the bar, have that person fuck Yu Yaochen while he took photos, then spread those pictures around.

That was what he thought, but Gu Yuechen remained seated without making any move.

Before he could make a choice, someone's arrival disrupted all of Gu Yuechen's plans.

"Chenchen." Xie Wangchi appeared from who knew where, his face full of concern as he gently shook Yu Yaochen's shoulder. "Why are you in a bar? And how did you drink yourself into this state?"

The instant Gu Yuechen saw Xie Wangchi, his expression flickered with panic, but he quickly regained his composure. Inside, he cursed Yu Yaochen's knight in shining armor for being such a nuisance. He had nearly managed to ruin Yu Yaochen's engagement.

"He's drunk. You won't be able to wake him." Gu Yuechen's tone was indifferent.

Xie Wangchi immediately looked up, his gaze shifting from gentle to sharp.

"You deliberately got Chenchen drunk?"

Gu Yuechen laughed mockingly. "He's an adult. He can decide whether or not to drink. Who could force alcohol down his throat?"

Xie Wangchi said nothing, staring at Gu Yuechen without blinking.

Gu Yuechen met his gaze without backing down, though his hands quietly clenched the corners of his clothes. He worried that Xie Wangchi might see through his vicious plan.

The two remained deadlocked for a long time. Then Yu Yaochen suddenly moved, apparently because his arm had gone numb from being used as a pillow. He shifted positions and continued sleeping.

Xie Wangchi's gaze left Gu Yuechen's face and settled on Yu Yaochen.

"Chenchen, don't sleep here." Whenever Xie Wangchi spoke to Yu Yaochen, his voice became soft and gentle. "I'll take you back to your parents' place."

Yu Yaochen was sleeping deeply and naturally could not hear Xie Wangchi's voice.

Xie Wangchi pressed his lips together, pulled him upright, slung his arm over his shoulder, and carefully supported him as they walked outside.

His plan had been ruined by Xie Wangchi's appearance. Gu Yuechen gritted his teeth and unwillingly followed after them.

Xie Wangchi placed Yu Yaochen in the back seat and fastened his seat belt.

When he shut the car door, he saw Gu Yuechen's face.

"Xie Wangchi, don't you like him? This is your only chance..."

Slap—

Gu Yuechen's face was struck to the side, his eyes filled with stunned disbelief.

The slap was so hard that Gu Yuechen could practically taste blood in his mouth. After the sharp pain, his cheek went numb, as though it had lost all feeling.

Before long, half of Gu Yuechen's face had swollen up.

"If you dare do anything to Chenchen again, next time it won't just be a slap."

The car sped away, while Gu Yuechen remained standing where he was.

It was all his fault.

He should not have hesitated in the bar for so long. A moment of softness had cost him his last chance.

Gu Yuechen stood by the roadside, letting the cold wind blow over him for a long while. Then, with trembling fingers, he took out his phone and called Xu Rui.

"Xu Rui, are you asleep?" Gu Yuechen tugged at the corner of his mouth, his eyes hollow and numb. "Sorry, could you... take me in for the night?"

Half an hour later, Gu Yuechen arrived at the location Xu Rui had sent him.

Xu Rui had been waiting downstairs for some time. When he spotted Gu Yuechen, he happily waved his arm.

"Yuechen, I'm here!"

Gu Yuechen walked toward him. When he was less than two meters away, Xu Rui cried out in surprise and hurried over.

"What happened to your face?" Xu Rui asked anxiously. "Did someone hit you? Let's report it to the police right now."

Gu Yuechen turned his face slightly, hiding the swollen side in the darkness. "I got into a fight. It's nothing. No need to call the police."

Xu Rui felt that someone with Gu Yuechen's personality would not deign to get into a fight. He must have been bullied.

But Gu Yuechen refused to say anything, so Xu Rui could not press him further.

"I'm really sorry to bother you so late." Gu Yuechen said, "I'm worried my family will be concerned if they see me, so I wanted to stay here for a few days until the swelling goes down. Is that okay?"

Xu Rui smiled. "Of course! Stay as long as you want. I live alone anyway, and I've been worrying that the place is too quiet."

Gu Yuechen's lips curved slightly as well. "Thank you."

Xu Rui was about to say something else when he suddenly smelled alcohol on Gu Yuechen.

"You drank?"

"Mm." Gu Yuechen nodded. "I got into the fight at the bar."

Xu Rui sighed, then asked, "Are you hungry? Do you want some late-night food?"

"I'm not hungry. I'm a little tired and want to rest early."

"Okay." Xu Rui led the way ahead, then looked back and said, "With your face like that, it won't be easy to go back to work. Why don't you take a few days off?"

"I'll ask for leave in the morning."

"That works too."

Xu Rui lived in a studio apartment. Though it was not large, it had everything one could need, furnished with all kinds of furniture and appliances.

"Oh, right, wear my clothes." Xu Rui immediately went to the wardrobe to get pajamas. "We're about the same height, so they should fit."

Gu Yuechen's body was covered in the smell of smoke and alcohol from the bar. Not changing would only trouble Xu Rui more, so he stopped refusing. After thanking him, he took the clothes into the bathroom to shower.

After he finished showering, he came out to find Xu Rui fussing with the sofa, putting a blanket on it.

Gu Yuechen consciously went over to help.

"Hey, you don't need to do that. Go lie down in the bed."

Gu Yuechen paused, puzzled. "What about you?"

"I'll sleep on the sofa."

Gu Yuechen frowned and shook his head in disapproval.

"That won't do. You're the owner here. How can you sleep on the sofa?"

"It's fine. I sleep on the sofa all the time." Xu Rui smiled generously. "Go sleep in the bed. If you need anything, just call me."

Gu Yuechen glanced at the bed behind him and said, "If it really comes down to it, we can sleep in the bed together. Your bed is pretty big. It can fit two people."

The moment he said that, Xu Rui's cheeks turned red, and he hurriedly waved his hands.

"It's... too crowded... I'd better sleep on the sofa..."

After staring at the suspicious blush on Xu Rui's cheeks, Gu Yuechen said nothing and went back to lie on the bed.

Once Xu Rui had finished and turned off the lights, he could not help speaking up.

"What's going on between you and the boss lady now?"

Gu Yuechen pressed his lips together, his tone somewhat cold.

"Nothing. We've cut ties."

After Xie Wangchi sent Yu Yaochen home, he drove to a villa near the Yu Household.

He sat in the bathtub, recalling what had happened today, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

Tonight, an acquaintance at the bar had recognized Yu Yaochen and called Xie Wangchi to tell him that Yu Yaochen was being plied with alcohol by a man.

Xie Wangchi had originally been in bed with a substitute. The moment he heard the news, he ignored the man's attempts to keep him there, pulled on his pants, and rushed straight to the bar.

If he had not shown up in time, Gu Yuechen would probably have caused trouble again.

One slap really was not enough.

The punishment had been too light. Gu Yuechen would not learn his lesson.

Xie Wangchi sneered and closed his eyes. Suddenly, Gu Yuechen's stunned and helpless expression after being slapped surfaced in his mind.

His eyes had been veiled with mist, staring at him in a wretched, pitiful manner.

"Fuck!" Xie Wangchi immediately opened his eyes and gritted his teeth. "What a slut. He's even trying to seduce me."

Xie Wangchi's breathing grew somewhat heavy. A moment later, he picked up the phone on the rack and called a friend.

"Does your company... have anyone who looks innocent but is rotten and slutty underneath..."