No Self-Control

Ye Qing jolted. Crimson spread swiftly from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, and even his collarbones took on a faint flush.

He could hardly be blamed. Gu Ze's voice was lovely to begin with, and his looks only made it worse. Besides, those words carried an unmistakable hint of innuendo.

Under the warm, dim light, the way Gu Ze looked at him seemed so full of affection that it was hard to blame Ye Qing for losing his composure.

Ye Qing's face burned. He was at a complete loss, with no idea how to respond.

Then he caught the teasing glint buried deep in Gu Ze's eyes, and his mind snapped back into place.

"Brother Gu, you're messing with me!"

Gu Ze's voice was lazy. "I'm not. You really can keep me, can't you, young master?"

Ye Qing looked at Gu Ze's chest, rising and falling slightly, and shot him an exasperated glare. "Who would dare keep you, Young Master Gu?"

With that, he pulled the covers over his head. "Sleep!"

Gu Ze leaned closer. "Are you angry?"

Ye Qing's muffled voice came from beneath the covers. "No."

Who would dare be angry with you?

Gu Ze chuckled softly. "Don't be mad. I was just trying to lighten the mood."

Ye Qing said nothing.

Who lightens the mood like that?

"All right, all right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have teased you like that."

Ye Qing ignored him.

Gu Ze had no choice but to keep coaxing him with sweet words. He was the one who had upset Ye Qing, after all. Even if it took tears, he had to make it right.

In the end, Ye Qing couldn't hold out against Gu Ze's sweet talk. He hadn't really been that angry with him anyway.

It was just that when Gu Ze said those words, an emotion he couldn't name had flashed through him. For that instant, he had genuinely begun considering Gu Ze's proposal.

He couldn't say exactly what he had felt. He only knew that, for no reason he could explain, he had been happy.

That was why, when he saw the teasing look in Gu Ze's eyes, he felt foolish for having taken it seriously. More than anything, he was angry with himself.

But he couldn't deny that Gu Ze's attempts to coax him made him happy. That was what Gu Ze was doing, right?

"All right, all right. Let's sleep."

After Gu Ze's teasing, Ye Qing's nerves had long since vanished.

He was also glad he had heard that something was off in Gu Ze's voice. Otherwise, there was no telling what might have happened tonight.

This AI really could be frightening sometimes.

As for why he hadn't seen what was going to happen today above Gu Ze's head, Ye Qing figured it was because everything had happened too suddenly.

Listening to Ye Qing's breathing beside him, Gu Ze let out a small breath of relief. Sharing a bed with Ye Qing hadn't been as easy for him as he had made it look. That was why he had said something so ill-timed.

I must have scared Ye Qing. Some things really couldn't be rushed, Gu Ze thought.

With that thought, Gu Ze slowly fell asleep too.

By the next morning, the distance they had deliberately left between them before sleeping was gone. Ye Qing was nestled against Gu Ze's chest, his head resting on Gu Ze's arm. Anyone who saw them would have taken them for a close couple.

Ye Qing woke first. When he realized how they were lying, he quietly edged away. How had they ended up like this overnight?

He moved with extreme care, not wanting to wake Gu Ze. There was another, even more awkward matter: sometimes, men woke up in the morning with an unavoidable problem.

And Ye Qing noticed he wasn't the only one. Still, he didn't want Gu Ze to know. One person feeling awkward was better than two.

As soon as Ye Qing went into the bathroom, Gu Ze opened his eyes.

He glanced down at himself and could only sigh helplessly. No self-control at all.

When they saw each other again, both pretended nothing had happened. With nothing else to do, they each went home.

The first thing Gu Ze did when he got back was write a post on Weibo. He asked everyone to support their idols rationally. He was just an ordinary person, and while he was grateful for their affection, he felt the best way to show it was to follow his work and respect his private life.

Gu Ze didn't say exactly what had happened.

But how could his fans fail to guess? These days, obsessive fans were impossible to guard against.

"Why do obsessive fans even exist?"

"I really hope they learn what it means to support someone normally."

"Ugh, I hate obsessive fans. Get lost!"

Fortunately, they knew Gu Ze hadn't been badly hurt, so after venting for a while, the fans let the matter drop.

When Xie Quan heard the news, he called Gu Ze specially. He only relaxed after confirming that Gu Ze was truly all right.

After all, he had encountered obsessive fans himself. Even now, thinking about it gave him goosebumps.

As for the hotel employee who had sold Gu Ze's information, the hotel management fired them without hesitation once they found out.

The crew of Darkness of Dawn moved quickly. It aired not long after filming wrapped.

It was a short series, with only twenty-six episodes.

As soon as it premiered, things looked promising. Gu Ze and Xie Quan were reliable draws for viewers.

Since this was Ye Qing's first proper appearance before the public, the Ye Family members did something rare: they turned on the television and sat down to watch.

Although Ye Qing said his scenes came later, they insisted on watching from the beginning.

After only a few episodes, the ratings were excellent. That wasn't just because of Gu Ze and Xie Quan; the original script and brisk pacing mattered even more.

The cases in the early episodes showed Mo Feng's integrity as a police officer, along with his courage and resourcefulness.

The moment Mo Hua appeared, he brought a vibrant energy to the screen.

Mo Hua and Lu Yan's first meeting even became a trending topic. Their looks alone were enough to turn heads, and the contrast between them at that first meeting drew in even more viewers.

"Ahhh, what do I do? I can already see the chemistry between them."

"You're not alone. I think they're perfect together too."

"This is Brother Gu's first time playing such a roguishly handsome character. So what's the point of this role?"

"I bet there's going to be a twist later."

On one side were gripping cases; on the other was Mo Hua and Lu Yan's everyday life together.

No matter which kind of story viewers preferred, they were hooked.

But everything came to an abrupt halt when Lu Yan kidnapped Mo Hua.

"Ahhh, my ship! How could this happen?"

"Lu Yan, how could you do this to Mo Hua?"

"I knew Gu Ze's character couldn't be just some rich young master. He's obviously the mastermind behind everything."