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Join the ServerHe Ting stood at the doorway for a while, steadying his breathing.
Gu Qiuhang had left, and the whole world suddenly felt empty and silent.
It was a strange feeling. Normally, Gu Qiuhang wasn’t home often either, but the house never felt empty, because He Ting knew he would come back.
But this time, his heart felt hollow.
Leaning against the wall, he lowered his gaze and slowly sorted through the tangled thoughts in his mind. Only after calming himself did he push the door open.
The room was dark. The curtains billowed slightly in the wind, and someone was sitting on the sofa.
He Ting jumped in surprise and heard Meng Ling ask, “Brother, what were you going to say to Gu Qiuhang?”
He Ting turned on the light, frowning. “Why are you here? Who let you into my room?”
Meng Ling lounged lazily, squinting under the bright light. “You didn’t lock the door.”
Whenever He Ting dealt with Meng Ling, he always felt there was no way to communicate.
He sighed. “Do you need something?”
“Can’t I come if I don’t?” Meng Ling said. “I just finished swimming. Saw your door open and thought you were home.”
“There’s a pool in the west wing. Why come here?” He Ting frowned.
“But this pool is bigger, and the water’s better,” Meng Ling said. “Everything on Gu Qiuhang’s side is better.”
He Ting gave a helpless smile.
Meng Ling then asked, “Brother, has Gu Qiuhang not been coming back lately?”
He Ting looked at him sharply, one corner of his lips lifting knowingly. “Why are you asking about him?”
Meng Ling’s eyes lit up. “Brother, Gu Qiuhang is really handsome. His body’s great, and he-”
“So you’ve changed targets again? Now you’re setting your sights on him?” He Ting sneered, his gaze cold and sharp. “Meng Ling, you’re too greedy. One day you won’t even know how you died.”
Meng Ling felt insulted and shot to his feet. “What do you mean? Are you so successful? What right do you have to lecture me?”
“I don’t have the right,” He Ting said calmly. “You never listen anyway. So now, can you leave my room?”
Meng Ling glared, chest heaving, eager to regain ground. He blurted out recklessly:
“You couldn’t even win over Gu Qiuhang yourself, yet you cling to him and won’t let anyone near him. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous? And don’t you already have Su Bei? Or are you planning to play both sides?”
He Ting lifted his head, stubborn and defiant. “Yes. I’m clinging to him. I don’t want anyone near him. What are you going to do about it?”
Meng Ling’s face turned livid. He sneered, “Tang Xi, who’s the greedy one here? Are you even my brother?”
“And you? Do you treat me like one?” He Ting shot back coldly, lips pressed tight.
Meng Ling froze, then gritted his teeth and stormed out, slamming the door loudly behind him.
He Ting leaned against the sofa and closed his eyes.
He felt ridiculous, arguing over something so pointless.
But at the same time, it felt… good.
Something inside him loosened. Letting go of his hesitation and fear, choosing to move forward, it made him almost giddy.
The days without Gu Qiuhang passed painfully slowly.
A day was still twenty-four hours, but somehow, it felt completely different.
He Ting finally understood what it meant to miss someone so much it felt like years.
This was the first time Gu Qiuhang had been away for so many days.
Since he was still a student and had to focus on school, he usually delegated business trips unless absolutely necessary.
He Ting stayed at home, slowly finishing his homework and previewing the new semester’s materials.
Every morning, he cleaned Gu Qiuhang’s bedroom, but he never changed the sheets and bedding from before he left.
Perhaps because he had suppressed his feelings for so long, once released, they surged uncontrollably like a flood.
Even though he hadn’t confessed yet, even though Gu Qiuhang hadn’t responded, he still moved through the space as if it were his territory, full of quiet excitement.
Sometimes at night, he would go into that bedroom to study, only to end up staring blankly at the bed, lost in thought… and blushing without knowing why.
He also returned to the art studio he hadn’t visited in a long time.
Nothing much had changed, except for a few new paintings.
As he flipped through them, he unexpectedly found one of himself.
He hadn’t realized that in Gu Qiuhang’s eyes, he looked that beautiful. He couldn’t help but smile.
But when he noticed the added cat ears and tail, his face flushed red.
That night, he read in Gu Qiuhang’s room again. By the end, he was so sleepy he climbed onto the bed in a daze.
He buried his face into the pillow and blankets, breathing in the lingering scent.
His face burned.
Hesitant, conflicted, he gave in to his hidden desires in the dark, drifting into hazy fantasies.
That night, he slept unusually well.
At dawn, he was woken by a phone call.
It was Su Bei.
“Come out,” Su Bei said hoarsely.
Something sounded off in his voice.
He Ting hurriedly got up, only to realize he was lying on Gu Qiuhang’s bed. His face instantly flushed to the roots of his neck.
Fragments of the previous night rushed back, and he couldn’t understand how he had dared to do something so bold and embarrassing.
Scrambling to fix his clothes, he ran outside.
Su Bei’s car was parked at the gate. He looked inside, no one.
Then a hoarse voice came from behind, “I’m here.”
He turned to see Su Bei crouched in the corner by the wall, a pile of cigarette butts on the ground.
No idea how long he had been there.
He Ting rushed over. “What’s wrong, Su Bei? What happened?”
Su Bei’s eyes were red. He stood up slowly and pulled He Ting into a tight embrace, so tight it almost hurt.
He Ting was about to push him away when he felt something hot drip onto his neck.
He froze.
“What’s wrong, Su Bei?” he asked again.
Su Bei’s voice trembled as he forced it out,
“His chest… his back… the inside of his thighs… all covered in cigarette burns. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it so much!”
He Ting froze, gently patting his back. He knew he was talking about Zhang Xiaojing.
Su Bei’s voice turned cold with fury.
“When I find out who did it… I’ll make sure he pays with his life.”
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