No one could be happy about being jolted awake like that.
Gu Wang opened the door to find Shen Zhao and Song Zhiyan standing outside with their arms around each other's shoulders. Although they looked energetic, they had dark circles under their eyes and pale faces. One look told him they had stayed up all night.
"Were you two up all night?" Gu Wang let them in. As soon as they entered, one collapsed onto the bed and the other onto the couch.
"We met this guy at the internet café last night. He was really interesting. We battled him for hundreds of rounds..." Shen Zhao gestured wildly, clearly in that brief burst of excitement that followed an all-nighter.
Song Zhiyan interrupted him. "Get it straight, Shen Zhao. Was I fighting, or were you? What can you do besides yell?"
Song Zhiyan was telling the truth. Shen Zhao was terrible at games and usually had someone carrying him-either Gu Wang, Song Zhiyan, or both of them together.
Gu Wang poured each of them a glass of water. "Get some sleep. We'll leave when you wake up."
Shen Zhao jumped off the couch. "Leave? Why? Aren't we going to school tomorrow?"
He looked full of energy.
Gu Wang smiled at him. "Have you finished your homework?"
Shen Zhao said, "..."
Studying was nothing short of a death sentence to Shen Zhao. At Gu Wang's words, all the energy seemed to drain out of him in an instant. He flopped heavily onto the couch, rolled over, and buried his face in it. "Can I sleep until tomorrow?"
After that brief commotion, all three of them were sleepy and fell asleep one after another. When they woke again, they could hear the muffled sound of rain beyond the thick cream-colored curtains.
The room was dim. When Gu Wang woke, he felt as though a lifetime had passed.
He switched on the lamp on the nightstand and leaned against the headboard to browse his phone.
It was already one in the afternoon. The forecast showed heavy rain that would last for three days.
He exited WeChat, which had no new messages, and was about to read an English newspaper when a new unread message popped up at the top of his screen.
It was from He Qinghuan. He had sent only two simple words: Open up.
Gu Wang said, "..."
What kind of cheat was He Qinghuan using? How did he know he was awake?
Gu Wang pressed his phone's button, planning to pretend he had not seen it again.
Before the screen went dark, He Qinghuan sent a second message: Wangwang, open up.
Unlike before, his tone carried none of the threats and warnings that sent an involuntary chill through people.
What came to Gu Wang's mind was He Qinghuan in his pajamas last night, looking completely harmless and gentle. After hesitating for a long time, Gu Wang put down his phone, lifted the covers, and quietly went to open the door.
Afraid of waking Shen Zhao and Song Zhiyan inside, and afraid they would read too much into it if they saw, he opened the door only a crack. Less than half his face showed, a few tufts of unruly hair poking through the gap, his eyes still hazy from sleep.
"What do you want?" Gu Wang asked. His conflicted expression, wary yet seeming to think the other person might not be bad, made He Qinghuan want to laugh, but also left him rather annoyed.
Gu Wang seems like he's guarding against you.
Yue Feng's words from last night suddenly echoed through He Qinghuan's mind.
He Qinghuan lowered his eyes to Gu Wang and held out what he was carrying. "Breakfast."
Gu Wang's fingers unconsciously tightened a few times against the door. He blinked and refused at once. "I don't want it. I don't like it."
He had said no without even knowing what it was.
He had clearly not been like this last night. He Qinghuan slowly tapped the hand holding his phone against his thigh a few times, a thin layer of gloom gathering in his eyes.
Still scared?
He Qinghuan wore a cream-colored sweater today. The pale color gave him a gentle air. No one could have associated him with the ruthless heir to the He Family.
Gu Wang's refusal only made gloom flicker through his eyes. He raised a hand to brace against the door and coaxed him patiently. "Take a look first."
He Qinghuan was too good at pretending for Gu Wang to tell the difference at all. He knew he needed to keep his distance from this person, but the person before him always had a way of drawing him back.
By any means necessary.
Gu Wang opened the door a little wider and reached a hand out. "Give it to me."
Gu Wang really was very obedient. He Qinghuan especially liked that about him.
As He Qinghuan passed over the paper bag, his other hand suddenly slipped through the gap, caught Gu Wang's arm, and pulled him out.
Gu Wang wore a white short-sleeved shirt. Having just gotten out of bed that morning, he was dazed and soft, and he froze for a moment when He Qinghuan pulled him out.
"Scared of me?" Now that Gu Wang was fully in front of him, He Qinghuan had no intention of doing anything to him. He only wanted to look at him, yet Gu Wang insisted on hiding cautiously behind the door.
He Qinghuan suspected that if breakfast could be pushed through the peephole, Gu Wang would not even have opened the door.
Gu Wang had not quite calmed down inside, but he shook his head almost instinctively. "No."
Gu Wang was clever. He knew what the person before him wanted to hear; otherwise, he would not have asked. Yet that docile look only deepened the gloom in He Qinghuan's eyes.
He Qinghuan rubbed his fingertips together, his hand itching a little.
He Qinghuan reached out to pinch Gu Wang's cheek.
Just then, Shen Zhao's voice came from inside. "Wangwang, where did you go?" He had just woken up, opened his eyes, and found Gu Wang missing and the door open. He put on his slippers and was about to come out looking for him.
"Keep the breakfast for yourself. I'm going home in a bit." Before He Qinghuan could react, he slipped away from in front of him, darted into the room, and shut the door with a bang.
Even sealed inside its packaging, the breakfast sent warmth rising through the paper bag, but the hand He Qinghuan held it with felt ice-cold.
There was a trash can in the corridor. As He Qinghuan passed, he raised his hand and tossed the paper bag inside without any hesitation.
Yue Feng and Old Ma, who shared a room, clung to their doorframe. Yue Feng offered a sincere assessment. "Gu Wang really is pretty brave."
Old Ma clicked his tongue twice. "For some reason, I feel a little sorry for He Qinghuan."
Yue Feng glanced at him. "What's there to feel sorry for? Gu Wang will be his sooner or later. Don't you know what He Qinghuan's like? Even flowers have to bloom to his liking. If there's one petal too many, he'll tear it off."
Now Old Ma stammered. "B-but... liking someone isn't the same as flowers, is it?"
Yue Feng said flatly, "There's no difference. To He Qinghuan, it's all the same."
"Why won't that kid Gu Wang get a clue?" Old Ma slapped his thigh, sounding exasperated at his failure to shape up.
Yue Feng said, "It's not that he doesn't get it. He pursued He Qinghuan before, but He Qinghuan ignored him. Then things turned into what you see now."
Old Ma gaped. "What are these two doing? Playing house? Chasing each other back and forth."
Yue Feng rolled his eyes at him. "Pretty confident mocking them for someone who's single."
Old Ma said, "Aren't you the same?"
Yue Feng said, "..." I'm not the same as you. At least I'm already asking for a WeChat contact, even if I haven't gotten it.
That afternoon, Gu Dazhi called Gu Wang to ask whether he was coming home or going straight to school tomorrow. Relatives were coming over.
Gu Wang said he was coming home and could probably reach the city around four or five.
Rain poured outside, shrouding the still lush, dense forest in mist. Even in such terrible weather, there was no obvious decrease in the stream of people coming and going.
The chandeliers in the lobby glittered. Within this forest scenic area, the resort seemed like a jewel in a black box.
Gu Wang and Shen Zhao stood at the entrance, waiting for Song Zhiyan to bring the car around from the parking lot.
He Qinghuan, Yue Feng, and the others also came out of the lobby. He Qinghuan had a backpack on, as did Yue Feng. They looked ready to leave today too.
They had brought a driver, but still had to wait for the moment.
Yue Feng's stare made Shen Zhao's scalp prickle, and he hid behind Gu Wang. Gu Wang frowned and looked at Yue Feng.
Now Yue Feng was looking at Gu Wang instead.
When he had been looking at Shen Zhao earlier, He Qinghuan had been gazing at the torrential rain outside without a ripple in his eyes. Yue Feng had thought he was lost in thought. Now, after less than five seconds of eye contact with Gu Wang, He Qinghuan turned to look over, his gaze scraping across Yue Feng's face like a knife.
Old Ma tilted his head up. He knew nothing. He saw nothing.
Yue Feng chuckled twice and took the initiative to greet Gu Wang and Shen Zhao. "Want to come with us?"
Gu Wang was about to refuse when Shen Zhao poked his head out from behind him. "We have a car."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Zhiyan's car broke through the curtain of rain and pulled smoothly to a stop outside the lobby. Gu Wang opened his umbrella, intending to let Shen Zhao get in first.
Shen Zhao reached for the car door, but before he could touch it, it opened on its own. A girl in a long-sleeved dress jumped out and threw herself straight into Gu Wang's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Wangwang, did you miss me?"
Gu Wang froze. Who is this?
Gu Wang held the umbrella in one hand, unsure where to put the other. The girl hugging him lifted her face, her smile blooming like a flower. "Tell me, Wangwang. Did you miss me? I was gone so long, and you didn't even call?"
He had a rough idea who she was. Song Zhiyan and Shen Zhao had only mentioned her to him yesterday.
Gu Wang pulled the arms around his neck down. He had to start pretending to be a scumbag again. "Who are you?" he asked coolly.
Mei Li froze, then said incredulously, "I'm Mei Li. Are you still angry with me?" Back then, he and Gu Wang had been in the honeymoon stage, but she had gone abroad for her future. In the end, she had not made much of a future for herself. She regretted it quite a bit; after all, Gu Wang was rich, handsome, and knew how to sweet-talk her, so she had come back.
But she had not expected Gu Wang to be so cold.
The girl's distressed appearance drew glances from passersby.
Beside them, Yue Feng inwardly swore. He turned to exchange a look with Old Ma and saw the same disbelief in his eyes.
Who would have guessed? Gu Wang looked so well-behaved, but he really kept things under wraps. They sneaked another look at He Qinghuan.
He Qinghuan stood a few meters away beneath a black umbrella. His expression was calm, showing nothing unusual. His soft cream-colored sweater even made him look gentle and approachable, but Yue Feng understood He Qinghuan better than anyone.
The angrier He Qinghuan got, the calmer he became.
Just as before a storm, the sea's surface showed only faint ripples, yet when the storm arrived, it could overturn enormous ships.
Author's note: He Qinghuan: Candy from my wife.
Gu Wang: A hundred yuan for a sackful.
Chapter 35
Mei Li was clingy. If she failed to get what she wanted or things did not go her way, she clung to Gu Wang and refused to let go.
Shen Zhao tugged at Mei Li's sleeve from the side. "Mei Li, you don't look pretty like this. Let's talk in the car."
He did not care whether anyone looked pretty. He just did not want to see Wangwang in a difficult position.
Mei Li's voice stopped abruptly. She touched her face. "Okay." Then she quickly climbed into the car.
Everyone said, "..."
Gu Wang closed his umbrella. There was a small gap between the car and the canopy, so no matter how fast he moved, he was bound to get a little wet. He did not mind such minor details.
Just as he was about to dash into the rain, a shadow fell over his head.
Gu Wang looked up first, seeing the black canopy and ribs of an umbrella, then looked at the person holding it.
He Qinghuan's gaze was faint, veiled in an ink-dark layer that obscured it and hid its depths. He smiled. "See you tomorrow."
Gu Wang paused and looked away. As he got into the car, He Qinghuan's umbrella never shifted away from him. Gu Wang did not get wet at all, while a section of He Qinghuan's sleeve was visibly soaked as he held the umbrella.
Gu Wang reached for the car door. His fingers gripped the handle, and after hesitating for two seconds, he quietly thanked him.
When the back of the car disappeared into the pouring rain and mist, He Qinghuan withdrew his gaze. The spectators beside him coughed awkwardly a few times and began talking about how nice the weather was today.
In the car.
The car remained silent for a long time. Yue Feng was the first to give in, asking in a deliberative tone, "He Qinghuan, what do you think?"
He Qinghuan leaned back against the seat, his eyelids half lowered. His languid, weary, indifferent expression made people afraid to raise their voices.
He seemed not to have heard, but that only made Yue Feng more nervous.
Objectively speaking, Yue Feng thought Gu Wang was pretty good, and not just because he was attractive. He had seen more attractive people than he could count. He thought Gu Wang was clean.
Among people like him, He Qinghuan, Old Ma, and Dada, Yue Feng himself had things relatively better. His family did not have all those messy illegitimate children. Although the He Family had plenty of illegitimate children and He Qinghuan's father liked to fool around, he still knew what mattered. He Qinghuan's position as heir was unshakable; as for Old Ma-