I'll Help You Keep It Secret

"Yaochen." Yu Yaochen smiled politely yet distantly. "They all call me Yaochen."

Gu Yuechen naturally knew who "they" referred to—none other than Xie Wangchi and Pei Huanyi.

The thought of Pei Huanyi calling this person "Yaochen" in such an intimate tone drove Gu Yuechen mad with jealousy.

Gu Yuechen gritted his teeth. "Sure, Yaochen."

A faint change flickered across Yu Yaochen's cool features, but it vanished so quickly that it was impossible to catch.

Just then, Gu Yuechen heard the clerk call their number. He immediately stood up and went to the counter to collect their drinks.

"Here." Gu Yuechen placed the iced Americano in front of Yu Yaochen.

"Thank you."

Yu Yaochen looked at the straw on the iced Americano, a trace of struggle showing on his face.

Gu Yuechen saw it all and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

Huh?

Was there really a need to be this much of a clean freak?

After they got married, would Pei Huanyi have to constantly accommodate and take care of this person?

If that was the case, why not just marry Xie Wangchi instead? Given how much of a lapdog Xie Wangchi was, he would probably love nothing more than to personally handle every little thing for Yu Yaochen.

Though Gu Yuechen was displeased, he did not show it. He stood and said to Yu Yaochen, "Sorry, I couldn't help unwrapping your straw to make it easier to bring over. I'll get you a new one now."

Yu Yaochen tugged lightly on his arm. "There's no need to trouble yourself."

Gu Yuechen lowered his head and saw the fair, beautiful hand on his arm, unable to stop himself from frowning.

Yu Yaochen did not notice the disgust in his eyes. After letting go, he took a sip of the Americano and smiled faintly. "It tastes pretty good."

Gu Yuechen sat back down. His arm was in an awkward spot to wipe clean, and the cold, soft sensation lingering there made him increasingly irritable.

"Is that so?" Gu Yuechen said absentmindedly. "Then you can bring Doctor Pei here sometime."

"He wouldn't come here with me."

Gu Yuechen immediately smelled gossip and quickly looked up at Yu Yaochen.

"Why not?"

Yu Yaochen did not continue the topic. He merely pressed his lips together in a smile and lowered his head to take a sip of coffee.

Gu Yuechen wilted. He truly could not bring himself to like people who kept others hanging in suspense.

After a while, Yu Yaochen raised his hand to check his watch. "How much longer is your break?"

"Half an hour. It's about time for me to head back."

Yu Yaochen looked slightly startled. "You're not eating lunch?"

"No, I'll count this as keeping you company." Gu Yuechen winked at him. "Come on, we should go back. Doctor Pei has probably returned by now."

Yu Yaochen gave a quiet acknowledgment and took out his wallet from his pocket. "All right, I'll pay first."

Gu Yuechen mocked his ignorance inwardly. He had been raised so well by his family that he did not even know phones could be used to pay, nor did he know he should not drink things with strangers.

"I already paid." Gu Yuechen ushered Yu Yaochen outside. "Hurry up. If I'm late, you'll have to take responsibility."

Yu Yaochen had no choice but to put away his wallet and follow him out of the coffee shop.

When he and Yu Yaochen entered the pet hospital together, Xu Rui, who had been dozing at the front desk, was so startled he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Yuechen, why are you with..." Xu Rui hurriedly stood up, wiped his mouth, and respectfully greeted Yu Yaochen. "Hello, boss's wife."

The moment those words fell, both Gu Yuechen and Yu Yaochen frowned.

"Has Doctor Pei returned?" Gu Yuechen asked.

"Not yet." Xu Rui shook his head.

Gu Yuechen curled his lips and immediately turned to Yu Yaochen. "Yaochen, how about we add each other on WeChat? I'll keep you updated on Doctor Pei's whereabouts, so you won't have to make a wasted trip here in the future."

As if. He would only make sure Yu Yaochen could never see Pei Huanyi here again.

Yu Yaochen hesitated, seemingly struggling over whether to give it to him.

Gu Yuechen suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Yaochen, are you allergic to animal fur?"

Yu Yaochen's pupils contracted as he stared at Gu Yuechen in surprise.

"Don't worry, I'll help you keep it secret." Gu Yuechen tilted his head and smiled, like a witch from a fairy tale luring an innocent princess. "Just ask me beforehand whenever you come over in the future. You won't have to make a wasted trip and leave with an uncomfortable nose, either."

Yu Yaochen considered it, then took out his phone and opened his WeChat QR code.

Under Xu Rui's astonished gaze, Gu Yuechen also took out his phone, scanned the QR code, and added Yu Yaochen on WeChat.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself." Gu Yuechen smiled. "My name is Gu Yuechen. We both have the character Chen in our names. What a coincidence."

After Yu Yaochen left, Xu Rui hurriedly ran to Gu Yuechen's side and dragged him by the arm into the break room to talk.

He made sure to shut the door before daring to speak.

"Yuechen, what's going on with you?" Xu Rui looked as dramatic as if the world were ending. "How did you suddenly become so close to the boss's wife?"

Gu Yuechen frowned deeply. "They're not married yet, so he isn't our boss's wife."

"Oh, whether he counts or not, it's only a matter of time." Xu Rui waved a hand. "That isn't what matters right now. Why did you add the boss's wife on WeChat? What are you trying to do?"

Gu Yuechen did not answer. He picked up a clean cup and filled it one-third full with coffee from the machine.

Then he took a carton of whole milk from the refrigerator and poured it into the coffee.

He had not eaten lunch. If he did not drink something, the hunger would become unbearable.

"Gu Yuechen!" Xu Rui was nearly frantic. He snatched the coffee from Gu Yuechen's hand and set it on the table. "Don't tell me you're planning to ruin their relationship?"

Gu Yuechen's gaze darkened, and he suddenly let out a soft laugh.

"How could that be?" Gu Yuechen said. "If I really intended to ruin their relationship, I wouldn't have added that person on WeChat to help him keep an eye on Doctor Pei."

Xu Rui's expression paused.

That seemed right.

"But you don't seem like such an enthusiastic person." Xu Rui said skeptically. "You never want to participate in any of our usual activities, so why would you help with something this troublesome?"

In Xu Rui's eyes, Gu Yuechen only showed even the slightest sign of being alive around Pei Huanyi.

Normally, he was always distant. Though he seemed closest to Xu Rui, all their conversations revolved around Pei Huanyi.

Whenever Xu Rui wanted to talk about something else, Gu Yuechen would become perfunctory and distracted in his replies.

Xu Rui had always felt that something was off about Gu Yuechen, though he could never put his finger on exactly what it was.

"Yuechen, I know you really like Doctor Pei, but you mustn't do anything wicked. You'll suffer retribution."

Gu Yuechen lowered his eyes and stared at Xu Rui's face. After a long while, he smiled.

"Don't worry. I don't like Doctor Pei anymore. I just want to curry favor with the boss's wife and hope he'll help me get a promotion and a raise. If I really wanted to ruin them, I'd be trying every possible way to seduce Doctor Pei."

Xu Rui felt that Gu Yuechen's words made sense, and the tension immediately left his face.

He patted Gu Yuechen on the shoulder. "Sorry, I made it sound too serious just now. Let's forget about it."

"Okay." Gu Yuechen smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.