Chapter 63: Slap

When Yu Xi rang the doorbell of the Gu family villa, it was Gu Chuanzhou’s assistant who opened the door.

They had only met once or twice, exchanging simple greetings, and the total number of words spoken didn’t exceed the fingers on one hand.

Yu Xi had merely formed a cordial impression of an elite in his mind, but relatively speaking, Gu Chuanzhou’s assistant knew far more about Yu Xi.

After all, very early on, under Gu Chuanzhou’s orders, he had conducted a deep investigation into Yu Xi’s past.

Those criminal records regarding Yu Xuelin had been prepared long ago, and in the end, they indeed came in handy. Because he performed exceptionally well, he even received a massive bonus.

Add to that Yu Xi’s innate magic of causing people to feel good about him at first sight, Gu Chuanzhou’s assistant had an exceptionally great impression of Yu Xi.

Of course, he couldn’t express it, otherwise, if it aroused his superior’s wariness, his job wouldn’t be preserved.

“Young Master Yu Xi, you’ve arrived! CEO Gu is just waiting for you,” seeing Yu Xi was like seeing a savior to Gu Chuanzhou’s assistant, immediately welcoming him inside.

Yu Xi was puzzled: “Waiting for me?”

“Yes, he…”

Before the assistant could finish his sentence, Gu Chuanzhou’s icy voice drifted down from the stairs, “Didn’t I tell you to leave? Who did you let in?”

The assistant stood straight instantly, his speech trembling slightly: “G-CEO Gu.”

Gu Chuanzhou stepped down the stairs. Seeing Yu Xi standing behind the assistant holding New Year goods, the stern coldness on his face vanished in a split second, a trace of panic even flashing through his eyes: “Xixi, why did you come…”

“CEO Gu, I’m heading back to the company right now to rush the proposal, I’ll come back tomorrow!” The assistant turned around, leaving a rapid sentence for Yu Xi, “Young Master Yu Xi, everything depends on you.”

With no one paying attention to the fleeing assistant, Yu Xi knitted his brows and stared at Gu Chuanzhou. Meanwhile, Gu Chuanzhou revealed a rare hint of guilt, avoiding eye contact and subconsciously shifting his body sideways to cover his wounds.

However, Yu Xi had already seen it—Gu Chuanzhou had gauze taped over his brow bone, and his right hand was wrapped in bandages.

“How did you get these?” Yu Xi asked, his expression unusually serious, the smile on his small face completely gone.

Gu Chuanzhou let out a soft smile, but as he was about to speak, Yu Xi added: “I want to hear the truth.”

“…”

Thus, Gu Chuanzhou could only swallow his prepared excuse, telling the truth as it was: “My family planned to arrange an alliance marriage for me.”

The words “alliance marriage” caused Yu Xi’s heart to skip a beat, freezing for two seconds before asking: “And then?”

“Regardless of who the other party was, I refused.”

“…Mm.” This outcome was within Yu Xi’s expectations. “You refused, so they hit you?”

“That’s only the smallest reason,” Gu Chuanzhou pulled Yu Xi to sit by the sofa, then poured water for him. “Most importantly, I teamed up with several major shareholders to completely strip my parents of their authority, and I prepare to send the old man to a nursing home. The alliance marriage was merely a pretext they used to make a fuss.”

Cough! Yu Xi nearly choked on the water.

Gu Chuanzhou patted his back: “My grandfather couldn’t contain his rage, so he threw a teacup at me. With him hitting me like this, I have an even more legitimate reason to send him to a nursing home.”

Yu Xi nodded: “Then what about your hand?”

“When they were forcing me into the alliance marriage, I was cutting the window grilles I planned to give you. Losing control for a moment, I cut my thumb web.”

What Gu Chuanzhou didn’t mention was that his parents had also uttered words like “dizzy and disoriented from being bewitched by a fox spirit from the countryside” at the time, which was the real reason behind his rage.

At that moment, blood poured profusely from his thumb web, yet he slowly pulled up the corners of his lips, revealing a spine-chilling smile.

“If you slander him once more, I will use these scissors to stab you directly. I don’t mind becoming an evil person who commits parricide.”

After hearing the whole story, Yu Xi felt aggrieved on Gu Chuanzhou’s behalf: “They are very bad.”

A genuine smile appeared in Gu Chuanzhou’s eyes: “Yet I haven’t done anything good either. They often say I’m a cold-blooded, unfeeling, rebellious, and unfilial white-eyed wolf.”

Yu Xi shook his head: “You’re not. They were bad first.”

From the fact that when they were children, the Gu family parents had grounded Gu Chuanzhou for an entire winter without asking for reasons just because he had a fight with Meng Liang, it was evident how strict and controlling they were.

Such an educational method indeed raised a teenage genius, yet before reaching adulthood, Gu Chuanzhou lived a life unimaginable to his peers. No entertainment, no self, no choices.

Such a upbringing experience paradoxically created a Gu Chuanzhou who was as detached as ice yet as paranoid as madness.

Precisely because of this, even when discovering that terrifying secret room, it was hard for Yu Xi to truly feel resentment toward Gu Chuanzhou.

“Sigh…” He let out a gentle sigh, taking Gu Chuanzhou’s hand to examine it closely, then asking the man to lower his head to look at his brow bone.

However, since it was already bandaged, nothing could be seen.

“Is the wound deep?”

Gu Chuanzhou answered: “Not deep, it will heal after resting for a few days.”

“If I hadn’t come to find you, and your assistant hadn’t opened the door, were you planning to keep hiding it from me?” Yu Xi looked straight at Gu Chuanzhou. “Why didn’t you play the pity card with me this time?”

He used all kinds of tricks to play pitiful and make his heart soften, yet when it came to something that could truly be used to win his sympathy, he tried every possible way to hide it.

“When is the doctor coming tomorrow?” Yu Xi asked.

“Eleven o’clock in the morning.”

Yu Xi nodded: “I’ll come find you tomorrow. Tonight, you… be careful yourself.”

It was getting late, and his mother was still waiting for him at home, so he didn’t stay long before heading back.

Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Yu Xi brought things to find Gu Chuanzhou again.

Gu Chuanzhou had guessed he would come, but hadn’t expected him to arrive so early. His expression could not conceal his happiness, telling Yu Xi that next time he came, he could unlock the door directly—the password was his birthday. He then asked: “Has Xixi eaten breakfast? Mine was just delivered.”

“I ate, but I brought you other things too,” Yu Xi took out the food from the thermal container and set it on the dining table alongside the rest.

Although he said he was full, Gu Chuanzhou still brought him a set of utensils, telling him to eat a bit more if he felt like it.

“You’re not going to the company these few days, right?” Yu Xi asked.

Gu Chuanzhou nodded: “The company’s New Year break lasts until the seventh day. Why?”

“Nothing, just do your work, don’t mind me.” Yu Xi took several books and a tablet out of his bag, setting them up on the living room coffee table.

At Gu Chuanzhou’s place, he used to really like the wool carpet laid out in the Gu family living room; sitting cross-legged in the gap between the coffee table and the sofa felt very comfortable, the height was just right, and when he got tired of sitting, he would lie down on the sofa to watch television.

Every time Gu Chuanzhou snapped back from his work, he could turn his head to see Yu Xi in different postures.

However, such interactions ceased entirely after Gu Chuanzhou exposed his feelings; Yu Xi always avoided being alone with him.

Today, Yu Xi took the initiative to come to his door, seemingly intending to stay for quite a while. This sudden happiness made Gu Chuanzhou feel as though he were dreaming.

Seeing Gu Chuanzhou standing nearby staring at him without blinking, Yu Xi clicked on an online course video on his tablet while saying: “Do you have no work to do today?”

He did. As the pillar of the Gu Corporation, Gu Chuanzhou worked almost year-round without rest. Those in the industry called him a machine monster who needed no rest, until Yu Xi appeared… only then did he begin adding more free time.

However, to squeeze out free time, the price paid was that his schedule on workdays became packed even tighter.

So even during the Spring Festival and being injured, Gu Chuanzhou would still work from home.

Yu Xi’s arrival made him forget about this matter.

After watching for a while longer, Gu Chuanzhou followed Yu Xi’s orders and began working, moving his location from the study to the living room.

Sitting at a position to Yu Xi’s side, he opened his laptop.

At times like this, they wouldn’t disturb each other, except that Gu Chuanzhou would occasionally space out and lift his head to glance over, or stand up wanting to fetch some hot drinks, fruits, or snacks for Yu Xi.

Usually, Yu Xi wouldn’t be distracted, but this time, like an alert cat, his ears twitched, and he snapped his head up: “What are you doing?”

Gu Chuanzhou said: “I want to toast a piece of cheese bread for you, or do you still want it slathered in peanut butter?”

“Sit down, I’ll go myself,” Yu Xi pulled Gu Chuanzhou’s uninjured right hand, making him sit back down while he went to the kitchen himself.

However, the moment he opened the refrigerator, Gu Chuanzhou appeared behind him.

“Why are you following me? I know where things are in your house, and I know how to toast bread.” Yu Xi took out cheese and bread for two portions, then preheated the oven.

Because during the summer, Gu Chuanzhou saw that he liked it and often made it for his afternoon tea, he had learned it after seeing it so many times.

“Put the plate down!” Yu Xi saw Gu Chuanzhou’s movement and gave him a serious glare, “I don’t need your help.”

Then he used his shoulder to nudge Gu Chuanzhou aside, not letting Gu Chuanzhou touch a single task.

Gu Chuanzhou stood on the side and pondered for a moment: “Is Xixi still blaming me for hiding things from you?”

When Yu Xi first returned, he wasn’t quite used to always being taken care of; whenever others did something for him, he felt he had to do something in return to feel at ease. As time went on and he received more care from Gu Chuanzhou and others, he learned to placidly accept the kindness of others without feeling pressured by it. Acting like this right now—refusing to let Gu Chuanzhou help—seemed somewhat abnormal.

“No, don’t overthink it, go back to work.”

With Yu Xi saying so, Gu Chuanzhou had no other recourse.

For most of the remaining day, Yu Xi did many more things at Gu Chuanzhou’s place.

For instance, when the private doctor came to change the dressing, he watched without blinking and asked about the proper usage of various medications; for instance, at lunch, instead of letting Gu Chuanzhou cook or order food, he quickly finished eating after returning to the Pei residence and brought a portion back for him; for instance, he stopped Gu Chuanzhou from drinking black coffee or tea, swapping it for simple warm water; and for instance, whenever Gu Chuanzhou was about to stand up to do something, Yu Xi would immediately lift his head to inquire.

Having understood by now, Gu Chuanzhou had long lost his heart for work, his mood feeling as if it were soaked in honey: “The last time you cared about me like this was when I had a high fever in the apartment.”

Yu Xi felt gloomy: “You still dare to bring that up.”

After that incident, he had suspected whether Gu Chuanzhou had deliberately used a bitter flesh trap to lure him over; Gu Chuanzhou was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

“If I had known earlier, I should have just let you burn into an idiot in that apartment,” Yu Xi said pouting.

Gu Chuanzhou let out a low laugh, lowering his head wanting to say something. At that exact moment, Yu Xi lifted his head upward, the distance between the two suddenly becoming very close.

The moment their eyes met, both froze for a second.

Gu Chuanzhou’s eyes instantly darkened, his gaze unconsciously landing on Yu Xi’s slightly parted red lips, attempting to draw closer.

“Xi…”

Slap!

A slap landed completely out of nowhere, stopping the words Gu Chuanzhou was about to speak.

It wasn’t heavy, just a gentle tap; clearer than any sting was the fragrance on Yu Xi’s hand.

An unprecedented sensation of heat and numbness spread outward with the slapped spot as the center. Gu Chuanzhou was stunned, but he was stunned with pleasure.

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