Gu Xiu had just finished surgery and returned to his office. Before he could sit down, he suddenly received a call from Gu Chuyi.
“Bro, Xiao Chenchen and I are having a great time in Australia. Do you want me to bring you a gift?”
Gu Xiu rolled his eyes. Was she calling to show off or to mock him for being single?
“No need. Just have fun,” Gu Xiu firmly declined. When he found out that his beloved sister was hanging out with that brat Fu Chen, he was taken aback. When did these two develop romantic feelings for each other? Love is truly subtle.
As Gu Xiu was lost in thought, Gu Chuyi continued to chatter, jokingly asking, “Bro, I’ve already found a boyfriend. When are you getting a girlfriend?”
Gu Chuyi frowned. Was she out of her mind? When did she start worrying about her older brother's love life?
“Do I look like someone who lacks a girlfriend? I’m busy with work all the time. If I find a girlfriend, I’m afraid I’ll neglect her, so I think it’s best to forget it. But let me give you a warning—showing off your love in front of me less often would be wise, or else I won't be able to handle my own heart.”
“Tch, you don’t lack a girlfriend. Do you lack a boyfriend? Hahaha…” Gu Chuyi laughed heartily, doubling over with amusement.
Gu Xiu sat down and opened his computer, rubbing his temples. “Okay, I have to get busy. I wish you and Fu Chen a loving relationship and hope you have kids soon.”
“Don’t! I don’t want to have kids so soon. I haven't had enough fun yet,” Gu Chuyi pouted.
“Fine, suit yourself. I’m hanging up now.”
Gu Xiu ended the call and focused on handling work matters. After a while, he looked up at the clock on the wall, organized his things, and prepared to leave.
Meanwhile…
Xu Kaifeng was fiddling with a photo in his hand. He had found a wallet in the car, and while he returned the wallet to its owner, he secretly kept the photo inside.
He placed it in his own wallet, where the boy in the photo smiled sweetly, making one feel as if they were basking in spring. After a moment of silence, he pressed the button to dial out.
Beep—beep—
“Hello, Assistant Xu?” a voice with a hint of questioning came from the other end.
“Mm, are you off work?”
“Yeah.”
There was a moment of silence, and the air thickened with a different kind of atmosphere. Xu Kaifeng tightened his grip on the phone and finally spoke, “Want to go out for a drink?”
After a few seconds of contemplation on the other end, the response came, “Sure, see you soon.”
After hanging up, Xu Kaifeng sent him the location of the bar and drove there.
At the X Bar…
As he stepped into the bar, soothing music wafted through the air, and the lighting was dim, unlike the blaring music typical of most bars.
Guided by a waiter, Xu Kaifeng took a seat and ordered whiskey, red wine, white wine, and beer.
He lounged back, not as serious as he was at work, and his expression seemed to soften slightly as he propped his chin on one hand.
After a while, he heard a low voice say, “Sorry, I got stuck in traffic and came late.”
Xu Kaifeng turned his head to see Gu Xiu standing in front of him, his hair slightly tousled by the breeze from his hurried arrival. “It’s okay.”
Gu Xiu sat down, looking at the mountain of drinks in front of them, and couldn't help but frown. “Are we really going to drink this much for just the two of us?”
“Of course not. If you get drunk, I won’t be able to carry your one-meter-eight frame,” Xu Kaifeng replied seriously, a smile flashing in his eyes.
Gu Xiu nodded slightly, deep in thought. “So you called me out tonight just for drinks?”
“Otherwise? What do you want to happen?” Xu Kaifeng looked at him deeply, his gaze steady.
Gu Xiu was taken aback, thinking to himself: Why did Assistant Xu suddenly want to drink with him? Was it just for drinks? This was too strange.
Xu Kaifeng took a sip of his whiskey, then set it down and said, “I have a favor to ask you.”
Gu Xiu paused for a moment before quickly responding, “Sure, what is it?”
Xu Kaifeng thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t know why, but I’ve had a headache lately. I’d like to see you about it sometime.”
Gu Xiu smiled brightly at this. “Of course, that’s fine. Friend consultations are free, you know.”
Xu Kaifeng chuckled softly and raised his glass. “Here’s to our brotherhood.”
“Cheers.”
Just then, out of nowhere, a five or six-year-old child came rushing in, colliding with Xu Kaifeng and spilling drinks all over his shirt.
A woman’s scolding voice rang out, “Don’t run so fast! Be a good boy!”
The child, realizing he had caused trouble, hung his head in guilt and remained silent. The woman hurried over, full of apologies. She had only brought the child to meet a friend and regretted bringing him to such a place. “Sir, I’m so sorry. You need to hurry and let Uncle know you’re sorry. I’ll take care of you when we get home.”
“I’m sorry,” the child said timidly, too frightened to look up at the man in front of him.
Xu Kaifeng smiled gently and shrugged. “It’s okay; the child didn’t mean to.”
The woman sighed, her tone filled with regret. “How about you tell me how much dry cleaning costs? I’ll pay for it. I’m really very sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Xu Kaifeng replied, maintaining his graceful demeanor, showing no signs of anger.
The woman continued to apologize profusely before pulling her child away by the ear in frustration.
Gu Xiu watched the pair leave before turning his gaze back, pulling out a handkerchief he always carried and unconsciously moving closer to Xu Kaifeng, murmuring, “Kids can be so careless. It’s hard to clean up. Should we buy a new one? It feels uncomfortable being all wet…”
Gu Xiu suddenly looked up to meet Xu Kaifeng’s intense gaze, his heart skipped a beat. He tightened his grip on the handkerchief without realizing it and was momentarily at a loss for words.
Frowning, his mind went blank. What did that look mean?
“I can manage on my own,” Xu Kaifeng snapped back to reality, clearing his throat as he took the handkerchief from Gu Xiu’s hand.
Gu Xiu felt his ears warm up slightly, raising his glass and downing its contents in a bid to regain his composure. He thought to himself, why was he feeling so nervous? They were both men after all. He was straight as an arrow, with his first kiss still intact.
“It’s getting late; we should head back,” Gu Xiu casually suggested. If he stayed any longer, he’d probably feel suffocated from embarrassment. God knows how fast his heart was racing right now.
“Mm,” Xu Kaifeng agreed, his expression calm. “I’ll drive you back?”
“No, I drove myself here,” Gu Xiu quickly rejected.
Xu Kaifeng stood up, elegantly took the bill, and walked toward the front desk, with Gu Xiu trailing behind him.
Gu Xiu thought to himself, was he overthinking things? Why did he have such peculiar feelings about Assistant Xu? It seemed like Gu Chuyi’s suggestion was spot on; he really should find a girlfriend soon, or he’d go crazy at this rate.
At the entrance of the bar, Xu Kaifeng turned to him and said graciously, “Thank you for coming out. Goodbye.”
Gu Xiu mumbled an acknowledgment, not continuing the conversation, and then drove away.
Xu Kaifeng watched as Gu Xiu sped off, his gaze murky and unreadable. He took the wallet out of his pocket; the photo still smiled brightly. After a long moment, he closed the wallet and left the bar in a good mood.
=======
T/N: pretends to be shocked
========
Comments
Post a Comment