Chapter 16 – 016

“Gu Xian.” Xie Yunjing gritted his teeth and flung his hand away. “Can you at least, be a little mindful!”

“It’s not written in your nagging ‘Gu Xian Behavior Manual’ that touching is prohibited!” Gu Xian retorted confidently. “Besides, aren’t abs trained for people to touch?”

“This is sexual harassment!”

“Touching once won’t kill you!”

…Fine.

Xie Yunjing felt a throbbing pain at his temple. To prevent any future sudden harassment, he had no choice but to get to the bottom of it: “You…what exactly do you want from touching me?”

Gu Xian clicked his tongue in irritation. “I’m planning to start working out. I need to check how abs feel first, don’t I?”

Was this because he was still bothered about being pinned down by Ke Silin this afternoon? Xie Yunjing couldn’t help but laugh, his anger dissipating. He leisurely asked, “So, how did it feel?”

Gu Xian was probably rolling his eyes again. “I only touched for a second before you grabbed me. How would I know?”

“Then I’ll give you another chance.”

Gu Xian looked at him suspiciously. “Since when are you this generous?”

Faced with his hesitation, Xie Yunjing, who had just been emphasizing “this is sexual harassment,” suddenly became open-minded: “What? Are you scared?”

Gu Xian, fearless of anything under the heavens, would never back down from Xie Yunjing’s provocation. He immediately straightened up, reaching out while mocking, “So shameless, better watch out, or your grandpa will throw you into the pig cage!”

“F*ck!” Gu Xian suddenly yelped, “You bastard, I knew you were up to no good!”

Xie Yunjing tightened his grip. “You touch me, I touch you. It’s only fair.”

“F*ck you!” Gu Xian also increased the strength of his hand.

The soft little belly felt like jelly, clinging to his fingers with a teasing, elusive sensation. If they lifted the blanket and turned on the overhead light, they would even see faint red marks streaking across it.

Xie Yunjing found himself inexplicably drawn in. Ever since he had lightly pinched it in passing that afternoon, he couldn’t stop thinking about it—until Gu Xian suddenly let out a startled gasp: “Mm!”

That sound carried an unsettling hint of ambiguity, snapping Xie Yunjing back to his senses. Gu Xian himself, however, remained completely unaware, still enthusiastically attacking Xie Yunjing’s abs.

Even though these abs belonged to the person he hated the most, he had to admit that the firm, flexible muscles did have an undeniable allure.

Xie Yunjing steadied his breathing and mocked, “Finally decided to get rid of that layer of fat, huh?”

Gu Xian immediately flew into a rage. “What fat?! This is the body’s normal fat storage, a defense mechanism to protect the internal organs! Apologize to the body’s brilliantly designed self-protection system!”

“You sure know a lot,” Xie Yunjing replied, the pinched belly still faintly warm. Restraining himself, he withdrew his hand. “I think my defense mechanisms are a bit more advanced than yours.”

Gu Xian retaliated with a firm grab.

Xie Yunjing pinned his hand down and moved it away.

“So, what do you think? How does it feel now?”

Gu Xian, clearly saying one thing but meaning another, replied, “It’s just barely acceptable.”

Xie Yunjing teased him, “Better than a small watermelon?”

“F*ck you!”

Xie Yunjing laughed even more cheerfully. “So, have you decided whether to start working out?”

Gu Xian wrapped himself in the blanket and turned to face the other side. “None of your damn business!”

*

With the “insider” Gu Xian and Ke Silin’s assistance, Wei Wenxian was caught red-handed during the “concubine selection” event. When the criminal police team made the arrest, they also apprehended several wealthy and influential figures, some of whom even had good public reputations. The news media swarmed in immediately, and even though they couldn’t extract concrete details from the police, they still churned out a slew of sensational and ambiguous reports, causing a citywide uproar.

As the source of the controversy, Guangyao Media was naturally thrust into the spotlight. The media swarmed the company’s doors, creating such a commotion that Gu Xian had no choice but to wave his hand and give the entire company a holiday. Though, of course, most of Guangyao’s employees were taken away for questioning, so the holiday made little difference.

Gu Xian flipped through Guangyao’s various documents and rosters of artists, reading until his head throbbed in pain.

It wasn’t that Gu Xian didn’t want to be a salted fish, but on the day he announced the holiday, Guangyao’s cleaning lady pulled him aside with a worried face, asking if the company was going bankrupt and if she was about to lose her job. Moreover, artists like Ke Silin, who had been coerced, also needed proper arrangements. He couldn’t just abandon the mess at Guangyao and leave everyone to fend for themselves.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Gu Xian picked it up, only to be met with a barrage of scolding: “Gu Xian! Is this how you manage a company?”

Gu Rongcai’s roar was so loud it could be heard five meters away without needing speaker mode.

Gu Xian waved a hand at Uncle Kang, signaling him to carry on with his tasks. “That was Wei Wenxian’s mess, not mine. I wasn’t even involved.”

“Are you an idiot?!” Gu Rongcai sounded even angrier. “You don’t know how to cover it up, don’t know how to smooth things over? Do you have any idea how much damage this exposure has caused to the Gu Group? And those bosses, do you know they were about to sign contracts with us? Now that they’ve been arrested, do you have any idea how much money the Gu Group is going to lose?!”

“…Huh?” Gu Xian blinked slowly.

“Huh, what huh!” Gu Rongcai sounded utterly exasperated. “You useless fool! You’re like mud that can’t stick to the wall, completely unreliable! Do you at least know which little wretch reported this to the police?”

“…”

“It was me.”

“It was… it was you?!” Gu Rongcai’s voice nearly cracked. “Why did you call the police?! Do you even know where your daily loafing-around money comes from? It’s bad enough that you’re no help, but now you’ve caused such a huge mess and inflicted such a massive loss on the company! Are you trying to make me die of anger?!”

“But Grandpa Xie saw it.”

“Grandpa Xie… saw it?!” Gu Rongcai was incredulous. “How could he have seen it?”

Gu Xian continued flipping through the artist roster, taking advantage of the fact that Wei Wenxian was already in custody and Gu Rongcai couldn’t question him directly. He casually made up an excuse: “Grandpa Xie came by with Xie Yunjing to visit me, and they happened to catch Wei Wenxian trying to send someone my way. Grandpa Xie was furious, so I had to prove my innocence. What else could I do but call the police?”

He even put on an act, muttering, “How was I supposed to know he wasn’t just sending someone to me?”

“…”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, followed by Gu Rongcai’s tone shifting faster than flipping a page in a book. His voice became calm and composed: “You’re saying the old man, your Grandpa Xie, came to visit you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Why?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?!” The calm tone was merely a façade; Gu Rongcai was still clearly annoyed. “Not even a wedding, not even a meal together. Can you blame people for overthinking it? They’d assume your Grandpa Xie has objections to your marriage with Yunjing.”

Then his tone shifted. “But since the old man came to see you, that clearly isn’t the case!”

Gu Xian listened with an indifferent expression as Gu Rongcai’s voice gradually took on an excited edge. “Next weekend, the Gu Group is hosting a banquet. Invite your Grandpa Xie and Yunjing to attend.”

“Oh.”

The perfunctory tone in that single “oh” was so obvious that even the least perceptive person could hear it.

Gu Rongcai emphasized, “If the old man is willing to attend, negotiating partnerships for the Gu Group will be much easier. If you still want to live your carefree life of eating, drinking, and having fun every day, then you absolutely must get your Grandpa Xie and Yunjing to come. Do you hear me?”

“I hear you.”

“Alright, alright, I’ve got things to do. I’m not going to waste time talking with you. And about Guangyao, don’t cause me any more trouble!”

Before Gu Xian could even manage an “oh,” Gu Rongcai hurriedly hung up the phone.

Uncle Kang, who had stepped away earlier, returned and placed a fruit platter in front of Gu Xian. “Young Master Gu?”

Gu Xian speared a piece of cantaloupe with his fork. “My dad said there’s a banquet at the Gu Group next weekend. He wants to invite Grandpa Xie.”

Uncle Kang asked him, “Is the melon sweet enough?”

Gu Xian frowned disdainfully but still picked up another piece. “It’s a bit too sweet.”

Uncle Kang chuckled. “Got it. I’ll let the master know.”

*

When Xie Yunjing came home from work, he glanced at the fruit platter, now only half full, and then at Gu Xian sprawled out on the sofa.

“You’ve just been lying around at home these past few days?” He strode over to the sofa, looking down at Gu Xian from above.

Gu Xian, scrolling through his phone, casually grabbed a random document from the pile covering him and waved it in front of Xie Yunjing. “I am working, okay?”

Xie Yunjing took the piece of paper being waved in front of him and found that it was indeed a report, with problematic sections neatly marked.

The annotations on the report were concise and precise, as perfect as Gu Xian’s full-score exam papers from back in the day.

Xie Yunjing placed the document on the coffee table.

“Dammit!” Gu Xian suddenly shot up, sending the pile of papers on his body cascading to the floor with a loud rustle.

Xie Yunjing lifted Gu Xian’s shirt and gave his stomach a slap, then glanced meaningfully at the fruit platter. “Looks like you’ll soon be able to produce and consume all on your own.”

Gu Xian pulled his shirt back down. “Are you insane?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to start working out?” Xie Yunjing, seemingly unable to tolerate the mess on the floor, bent down to pick up the scattered papers as he asked, “Why don’t I see you moving around more?”

“Are you trying to steal our company’s secrets?” Gu Xian snatched the papers from Xie Yunjing’s hand and joined in cleaning up. “I was just considering it, okay? Considering, understand?”

“Have you finished considering?”

“…”

“Which gym do you train at?” Gu Xian asked with perfect composure, as if the stubborn denial from moments ago had nothing to do with him. “Recommend it to me.”

Xie Yunjing began sorting the documents into categories. Gu Xian glanced at him and cooperatively placed the different types of documents in their respective spots.

With the two of them working together, the chaotic mess of papers was quickly organized and neatly stacked in a row on the coffee table.

Xie Yunjing stood up and finally answered Gu Xian’s earlier question: “Follow me.”

“?” A question mark might as well have appeared above Gu Xian’s head. “I just asked for a recommendation, not to go right now!”

“No leaving the house.” Knowing that words alone wouldn’t work, Xie Yunjing simply grabbed Gu Xian and dragged him along.

“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? It’s late, and I haven’t even had dinner yet!” Unable to break free, Gu Xian’s resolve to start working out became firmer—but that didn’t mean he wanted to start tonight.

It wasn’t until Xie Yunjing opened a door Gu Xian had never seen opened before and gave him a shove inside.

“…What the f*ck.”

Gu Xian stood there, stunned, staring at a room full of fitness equipment.

“Setting up the soundproof mats and moving in the equipment took some time. You can work out here from now on,” Xie Yunjing said, clearly pleased with Gu Xian’s expression. “I’ll be your trainer.”

Author’s Note:

Shocking! Two grown men are actually in the same bed…

They’re just discussing whether or not to work out! It’s as harmless as watching a glow-in-the-dark watch together under the covers! Give the author a chance to play with this joke!