The truth and guilt

"The floor is cold. Why are you still sitting there?"

Gu Nian'an stared blankly at the man behind him, then suddenly came to his senses and jerked free of his hand.

His entire face reddened visibly as he stammered, "I, I was watching the cat and spaced out."

The person he had just been thinking about had suddenly appeared before him, and in such a way, too. Gu Nian'an couldn't help rubbing his fingers together in embarrassment.

Fu Xiuyuan seemed not to notice his unease and asked calmly, "Have you met your manager? What is she like?"

Gu Nian'an froze for a moment, then nodded gently, pressed his lips together, and said softly, "Yes. Shuxue is very nice. Thank you. Thank you, sir."

Seeing the boy's wandering gaze and flushed cheeks, an almost imperceptible smile flickered in Fu Xiuyuan's eyes.

But then he remembered how many times the boy had been hospitalized, and his temples began to throb. After glancing at the cold tiled floor, he said gravely, "I'll have someone put down a rug in the house another day. The floor is cold. Don't sit directly on it."

For some reason, Gu Nian'an felt his face grow even hotter at those words. He was about to speak when the man continued.

"I'll be very busy these next few days. Make sure you eat properly at home, and call me if anything comes up."

Gu Nian'an immediately nodded in agreement.

Looking at the well-behaved boy before him, Fu Xiuyuan's eyes held a smile.

He thought of what he had recently discovered about the incident at the last banquet. All the clues had originally pointed to the boy, and his habits of so many years had also led him to instinctively assume the boy had drugged him.

But after seeing the boy like that, he had investigated more thoroughly. Through one of the servers, he had uncovered his eldest uncle's involvement, only then realizing who had been behind it.

Thinking of his attitude toward the boy that day and the boy's pale face, the man couldn't help feeling a trace of guilt.

His voice softened as well. "I investigated that incident again. It really wasn't you. I'm sorry. I was in the wrong that day. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

Gu Nian'an stared blankly at the man before him. Seeing his eyes filled with remorse, his eyelashes trembled, and he said gently, "It's all right. As long as it's been cleared up."

Seeing him like this, Fu Xiuyuan couldn't help feeling another surge of guilt, along with an inexplicable emotion.

The boy was always like this, as though he never lost his temper. Even when Fu Xiuyuan misunderstood him, he only defended himself quietly, and even when he was sick and suffering, he didn't dare tell him.

And now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, he still wouldn't blame him, as though he swallowed all his grievances rather than speak of them.

For a moment, the man was at a loss for words, unsure what to say, and silence settled between them.

Gu Nian'an secretly looked up at him. Seeing his guilty expression and how he seemed unsure what to say, he couldn't help feeling apprehensive.

But his body reacted faster than he did. Somehow, he instinctively stepped forward and gave the man a gentle hug.

Feeling the contact against his chest, Fu Xiuyuan jolted and instantly went rigid.

Then he heard the boy's muffled voice from his arms. "I don't blame you, sir, and I'm not upset either. You only acted that way before because you hadn't found out the truth. I understand. I've always been very grateful for how you've looked after me, so you don't need to blame yourself."

As he finished speaking, the boy tipped his head up slightly, his eyes shining as he gave the man a radiant smile.

Fu Xiuyuan instinctively swallowed, feeling as though a feather had brushed lightly against his heart, leaving it terribly ticklish.

That night, the boy tossed and turned in bed, recalling everything that had happened over the past few days.

Suddenly, his phone chimed with a notification, and he picked it up to look.

There was a friend request on WeChat from someone with the username Solitary tower and an ocean-wave profile picture.

Gu Nian'an instinctively accepted and sent a question mark.

The other person soon replied.

"It's Yu Songqing."

Gu Nian'an paused. Remembering how the other man had left the show in a hurry before they could exchange contact details, he had thought they wouldn't have much contact afterward. He really hadn't expected him to take the initiative to add him.

[Happy kitty.jpg]

"Hi, Songqing! When you left the show last time, I didn't even get a chance to get your contact details."

Another message soon came.

"Sorry. There was an emergency at home, and I didn't have time."

Thinking it over, Gu Nian'an could no longer remember the plot details about Yu Songqing's family in the original novel.

[Kitty head pat.jpg]

"It's fine, it's fine. How have you been lately, Songqing?"

The typing indicator appeared intermittently for over ten minutes before a message finally arrived.

"Pretty good."

"That's good. Want to go out for a meal together sometime?"

Another ten-odd minutes passed before the other person replied.

"Sure."

"Then I'll look forward to hearing from you. No backing out when the time comes."

Gu Nian'an liked having Yu Songqing as a friend very much. He remembered that when he had read the novel, the other man's personality had been well liked, and he had been very popular.

And then there was everything he had done for him on the variety show.

Gu Nian'an couldn't help smiling. It really felt nice to have a friend care about him.

Elsewhere, Yu Songqing slowly opened his eyes as he sat on the sofa.

Everything lately had weighed on him so heavily he could barely breathe. Thinking of his mother...

The look in Yu Songqing's eyes kept shifting, but in the end, he only sighed softly.

He glanced again at the cat stickers the other person had sent on his phone, and a shadow flickered through his eyes.

After leaving the show, he shouldn't have continued associating with Gu Nian'an, but... but the boy's figure kept flashing through his mind, and in the end, he had obtained his contact details from the company.

Gu Nian'an had approached him first, so no matter what, he wanted to draw close to this sun. Just being close was enough. He only wanted to feel the sun's warmth...

Elsewhere, having just finished a meeting, Fu Xiuyuan opened his phone and saw the messages the boy had sent.

"I had braised chicken with rice for lunch today. Make sure you eat properly at the office too, sir."

[Kitty eating fish.jpg]

He didn't know how long it had been since anyone had cared about his health. Seeing the messages, a ripple stirred in Fu Xiuyuan's eyes.

He then replied.

"All right. Take good care of yourself at home."

The other person quickly sent one back.

[Kitty nodding.jpg]

Seeing the cat sticker on the screen, he somehow thought of the boy's gentle smile. He lost himself for a moment, then shook his head, put down his phone, and went back to reading his documents.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Over those two days, Gu Nian'an spent his time playing with the kitten every day, going out to bask in the garden with it at noon, and occasionally sending the male lead a message to see how he was doing.

He also chatted with Yu Songqing and the others from time to time, leading a wonderfully carefree life.

Fu Xiuyuan had been busy with an acquisition these past few days and could barely get home before two or three in the morning, so apart from the mornings, the two hadn't seen each other at all over those two days.

The company hadn't arranged any new work for him either.

Reclining in a chair and feeling the breeze brush his cheeks, Gu Nian'an couldn't help reflecting that he really was gradually becoming a slacker.

The kitten beside him darted out of the flowers and leaped into his lap, rubbing against his thighs without stopping and tickling Gu Nian'an until he giggled.

Lifting the kitten aside, Gu Nian'an watched the sun gradually sink toward the horizon and sighed softly.

As time passed, he had gradually come to accept the fact that he had transmigrated.

He gently stroked the kitten's head. Compared with his previous life, everything now seemed so wonderful.

If this is a dream, let it last a little longer. He hoped he would never wake up...