Chapter 18 – 018

“Go and try this set again.”

“Aahh—” Gu Xian collapsed on the sofa in the lounge without any grace, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Why the hell are you so damn picky!”

He had already tried on over a dozen sets, back and forth!

Xie Yunjing wasn’t in any rush. He set down the suit in his hands and sat beside Gu Xian. “You’re the one who invited my grandfather. If you don’t present yourself properly, both you and I are going to get scolded.”

“Ugh—” Gu Xian let out another long, pained groan.

Flailing like a fish out of water, he raised his hand and pointed at the suits he had already tried on. “Then tell me, what’s the difference between these suits? Surely your grandfather isn’t going to grab a magnifying glass to inspect the fabric patterns and calculate the exact percentage of each material, right?!”

“My grandfather has sharp eyes.”

“…” Gu Xian grabbed a throw pillow and covered his face, breaking down. “I don’t care! If you want to try, you try! Pick whatever set you want!”

Xie Yunjing stood up, grabbed his arm, and forcibly pulled him up. “I’ll help you change.”

“I’m not going—let me go—” Gu Xian tried to break free, but his waist was firmly held.

As Xie Yunjing dragged Gu Xian toward the fitting room, he spoke to the sales assistant, who was trying hard to hold back her laughter. “I’m sorry, could you please help me grab the clothes?”

“Of course, of course.” The sales assistant, a young woman, smiled so sweetly that it made Gu Xian lose all hope.

There was no way he could actually let Xie Yunjing help him change clothes.

Gu Xian stood in the fitting room and, in the end, started undressing himself. He shot a glare at Xie Yunjing, who was standing nearby keeping watch. “Who was it back then that said I couldn’t streak? Now you’re watching me undress—pervert!”

“Special circumstances require special measures.”

As Xie Yunjing watched Gu Xian put on the shirt and button up the jacket, he suddenly reached out his hand, prompting an exasperated and emotionally charged “Damn it!” in response.

Ignoring Gu Xian’s resistance, Xie Yunjing gave his stomach another firm squeeze, frowning in mild confusion. “You’ve clearly got plenty of fat here. How come it doesn’t show when you put on clothes?”

Gu Xian, unable to push away even one of Xie Yunjing’s hands with both of his own, was so furious he wanted to grab a knife and end it once and for all. “You’re so annoying! I’m about to start working out, okay?!”

Xie Yunjing gave his stomach one final squeeze before casually turning around. “Let’s go, let’s see how it looks outside.”

Gu Xian ground his teeth in frustration, then suddenly reached out his hand.

“Gu Xian!” Xie Yunjing whipped his head around, his face filled with utter disbelief.

How dare this guy squeeze his butt!?

Gu Xian stuck out his tongue mischievously, made a silly face, and dashed out of the fitting room without hesitation.

Xie Yunjing chased after him, just about to pick a fight with Gu Xian, who was pretending to examine himself in the mirror.

“Gu Xian?”

“Li Yuqiu,” Gu Xian turned his head, then looked in surprise at the person standing next to Li Yuqiu. “Isn’t this Han Rui’s He Xincheng? What are you two doing together?”

Li Yuqiu quickly explained, “Isn’t Han Rui’s birthday coming up? Xiao He wanted to surprise him but didn’t know what would be appropriate, so he asked me to help give some suggestions! You know me, I’m straight. Straight as can be, straighter than Sun Wukong’s golden staff!”

He cleared his throat, his gaze flicking back and forth between Gu Xian and Xie Yunjing. “Are you two out shopping together?”

Gu Xian, already annoyed, groaned. “It’s all because of tomorrow night’s banquet! This guy insists I dress properly and has made me try on over a dozen outfits without deciding on one.”

“Oh, oh,” Li Yuqiu said as he introduced them to He Xincheng. “This is Gu Xian, a good buddy of mine and Han Rui’s. And this one is, uh… Gu Xian’s—”

Gu Xian cut him off with a look of disdain, finishing the sentence himself. “Friend.”

Xie Yunjing leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Since when did I become your friend?”

Gu Xian glared at him.

Are you deliberately looking for trouble?

“!”

Xie Yunjing almost lost control of his expression. Forcing a fake smile, he grabbed Gu Xian’s hand, which had once again tried to attack his butt, and firmly held it in place, leaving no chance for a third attempt.

“Hahaha,” He Xincheng suddenly laughed. “You two are a couple, right? There’s no need to be embarrassed about it.”

“A couple?!” Gu Xian looked as if he had suffered a grave injustice. Unfortunately, with his hand firmly restrained by Xie Yunjing, he couldn’t even put distance between them, making his protests sound weak.

He Xincheng walked over confidently, holding out a card. “Nice to meet you both. This is my business card. If either of you ever need any advertising or promotional services, feel free to contact me.”

Li Yuqiu looked as though he couldn’t bear to watch. “Hey, hey, hey, this is a bit much. Who tries to drum up business right after meeting someone’s buddy?”

He Xincheng responded confidently, “This is what I call professionalism.”

Under normal circumstances, Gu Xian would have treated this as nothing more than a joke. But now, he happened to need exactly this kind of resource. He Xincheng might just be an obscure, low-tier celebrity, but Guangyao Media was in no position to be picky these days.

Gu Xian accepted this unexpected opportunity with a smile. “It’s definitely professional.”

*

The banquet hall for the Gu family’s gathering was decorated with the utmost extravagance. Gu Rongcai, accompanied by his wife and children, made a grand entrance in formal attire, his ambition to restore the Gu family’s former glory written all over his face.

Although the guests had come at his invitation, many harbored private criticism of Gu Rongcai’s ostentatious display.

After all, everyone knew that the event’s liveliness was thanks to the hype of claiming that Old Master Xie would also be attending.

The Gu family’s eldest son had indeed married into the Xie family, but the marriage was sudden and hasty. Rumors even circulated that Old Master Xie was not at all in favor of the union. Whether he would actually show up tonight was still uncertain, making Gu Rongcai’s smug demeanor rather off-putting to many.

Still, when Gu Rongcai approached them with a beaming smile to exchange pleasantries, the guests who secretly criticized him remained polite. “Hello, Mr. Gu,” they greeted courteously.

The social interactions among the adults were filled with insincerity and pretense, while the exchanges among the younger generation were far more blunt and straightforward.

Gu Leyu found his usual group of friends, shedding all traces of the obedient and studious facade he wore earlier. Looking slightly annoyed, he loosened the tie around his neck and downed half a glass of whiskey in one go.

Someone next to him asked, “Leyu, why hasn’t your brother arrived yet? Don’t tell me Old Master Xie isn’t coming, and even the third young master of the Xie family won’t show up either?”

The teasing laughter around him made Gu Leyu even more irritated. “How would I know? It was that useless Gu Xian who made grand promises to my dad, saying he’d get the old man and Xie Yunjing to come.”

He sneered darkly, forcing out a mocking laugh. “You all know exactly what kind of ‘relationship’ Gu Xian and Xie Yunjing have. Who knows how he managed to ‘invite’ them? Maybe he’s still shaking his butt to ‘persuade’ Xie Yunjing to come.”

The uproarious laughter that followed lightened Gu Leyu’s mood considerably. He was about to add a few more cutting remarks when someone whispered, “The Xie family is here!”

The guests, who had grown somewhat bored, instantly perked up and surged toward the entrance, eager to be the first to strike up a conversation with the Xie family, whether it was Old Master Xie or Xie Yunjing.

Gu Leyu and his group, taking advantage of their youth and agility, managed to squeeze their way to the very front of the crowd.

Under the spotlight of countless gazes, Xie Yunjing stepped out of the car. However, the second person inside the car remained seated, showing no sign of getting out. Xie Yunjing said something to the person inside, then held the car door open and leaned down, extending his hand into the vehicle.

The scene looked very much like he was coaxing someone inside the car to come out.

Such an attitude was impossible to imagine being directed at Old Master Xie, but neither could Gu Leyu and his group believe that Xie Yunjing would bother coaxing Gu Xian.

Someone in the group maliciously joked, “Could it be that Gu Xian was worn out so badly he doesn’t even have the strength to get out of the car?”

Gu Leyu smirked gleefully, his lips curling in schadenfreude. “Serves him right!”

But, the next moment, his expression froze.

Gu Xian stepped out of the car, holding onto Xie Yunjing’s arm. He was wearing the exact same suit, cufflinks, and tie as Xie Yunjing, clearly and unmistakably announcing to everyone that they were in matching outfits.

Gu Xian’s tie was slightly crooked, and Xie Yunjing reached out to straighten it for him, only to have his hand impatiently slapped away. Xie Yunjing didn’t get upset; he even smiled and calmly continued fixing the tie for the sulking Gu Xian.

No matter what others thought, this was an absolute world apart from the miserable life Gu Leyu had imagined for Gu Xian!

Author’s Note:

Xiao Gu: Pervert!

Xiao Xie: Scoundrel!

Me: You’re both equally bad; it’s hard to see this ending without marriage… Oh wait, you’re already married. Never mind, carry on.