Gu Xuanze had always known that a devil resided in his heart! With “love” as a cage, he selfishly trapped Lu Youze in his own world! He said that he would never let Lu Youze suffer again and that he would bring him happiness, but as soon as Lu Youze tried to escape, he would forever imprison him, even if it meant tormenting each other; he wouldn’t let go.

Lu Youze’s expression changed. He looked at Gu Xuanze thoughtfully, as if he had suddenly made up his mind. His face leaned closer to Gu Xuanze’s, and their faces almost touched. He pointed at his own face, took a deep breath, and then spoke, his voice suddenly calming down: “Ah Ze, I’ll ask you one more time—before and after amnesia, who do you prefer?”

Lu Youze had asked this question once when he was struggling with whether or not to be with Gu Xuanze. At that time, he had received the answer he wanted. But now, he wanted to ask again, and he knew very clearly what answer he wanted.

He was also afraid—afraid that Gu Xuanze wouldn’t give him the answer he desired.

When Lu Youze asked this question, Gu Xuanze’s gaze changed. It was a complicated emotion, completely unreadable. However, it was so quick that Lu Youze didn’t notice. If he had been more observant, he might have seen some clues. After all, he was an excellent actor, highly sensitive to others’ emotions.

Gu Xuanze was also keenly aware. The ruthlessness of the business world was no joke; he was not only sharp but also knew how to seize opportunities, as the business world changed rapidly. Seeing Lu Youze like this, Gu Xuanze felt a glimmer of hope and expectation. He decided to take a gamble. After all, the worst outcome had already been anticipated, and in the end, he would never let go.

Gu Xuanze tightly hugged Lu Youze’s waist. Lu Youze froze for a moment but didn’t push him away. This “implicit consent” gave Gu Xuanze more confidence, making him bolder. He suddenly exerted strength with the arm around Lu Youze’s waist, pulling him into his embrace and tightly trapping him, self-deceptively thinking that this way, Lu Youze would never leave.

Lu Youze said nothing, did nothing, and just allowed Gu Xuanze to hold him. He looked calm, as if he didn’t care about the answer at all. But the slight trembling of his shoulders revealed his true emotions.

The two stayed in this embrace for several minutes. Ultimately, it was Lu Youze who couldn’t hold back first. Though he didn’t push Gu Xuanze away, his tone was full of displeasure and impatience: “Gu Xuanze, answer my question!”

Lu Youze’s urgency only confirmed some things for Gu Xuanze. His gaze shifted again, because his head was resting on Lu Youze’s shoulder, and Lu Youze missed the complex emotion in his eyes once more. But soon, all those emotions transformed into tenderness…

Gu Xuanze thought to himself that he already had an answer in his heart to Lu Youze’s question.

“Youze,” Gu Xuanze’s voice was gentle yet firm, like a warm breeze blowing in winter, making people feel inexplicably safe and comfortable. “What I like more is the you now. The you now, who no longer only has Yu Li in your eyes, who cares about the people around you. And most importantly…”

Gu Xuanze paused for a moment, took a deep breath, then slightly pulled away from Lu Youze, enough to look into his eyes. Sure enough, Lu Youze’s eyes were full of his reflection. He smiled, his eyes seeming to glow.

“Most importantly,” Gu Xuanze pointed at Lu Youze’s eyes, his voice growing even gentler, like a river that wanted to drown Lu Youze in its tenderness, “The you now, whose eyes have me in them.”

Lu Youze felt a bit uncomfortable, though he couldn’t explain why. Clearly, this was the ideal answer he wanted, but his chest felt as if it were holding in a breath that couldn’t be released, making him even more frustrated.

“It sounds like you prefer me now because I respond to you?” Lu Youze said irritably. He knew he was being unreasonable. In a TV drama, his line would sound like he was jealous of his ex, but in others’ eyes, the “ex” was himself, which made no sense. He wouldn’t make such a low-level mistake, yet he was still so particular.

He never knew his jealousy could be so strong.

Lu Youze cupped Gu Xuanze’s face with both hands, his eyes fiery and fierce, as if threatening to fight Gu Xuanze if the answer wasn’t satisfactory.

He rarely expressed his emotions, often playing the perfect idol, composed and poised. But in front of Gu Xuanze, he always exposed his truest self. Though their time together wasn’t long, love was the hardest thing to grasp, and Gu Xuanze was the first person he had ever loved.

Once he had a hold of him, he never wanted to let go.

Lu Youze stared at Gu Xuanze’s eyes more intensely, as if flames were burning within him, making Gu Xuanze, who was usually so cold, feel suddenly hot all over.

So—

Love me more.

Gu Xuanze’s lips curled up again. He pulled Lu Youze back into his arms, his lips brushing against his ear. His voice was low, sensual, and alluring: “Youze, before your amnesia, your eyes would never have had me! So, that assumption doesn’t exist.”

After speaking, Gu Xuanze lifted his gaze to look at Lu Youze. His face, usually expressionless and often jokingly called “deadpan” by Ye Xing, suddenly changed through several expressions, but his gaze remained gentle and focused: “Youze, the you after amnesia is completely different from before. The only thing that’s the same is your seriousness and focus when acting—that was what first attracted me. But the old you, just like the moon in the sky, was cold and proud, with only Yu Li in your eyes. In your eyes, I probably wasn’t even as good as the garbage on the street.”

After saying that, Gu Xuanze chuckled self-deprecatingly.

But strangely, he didn’t feel any heartache. Perhaps it was because Lu Youze was looking at him with such intense passion.

Gu Xuanze selfishly thought of the post-amnesia Lu Youze as “his,” someone who no one could take away, belonging solely to him. He had only dared to think about it before, but Lu Youze had given him the courage and confidence to believe it.

“Hmph.” Lu Youze snorted angrily and reached up to touch Gu Xuanze’s face. “Only someone who values trash like Yu Li would be so blind.”

“Youze, you’re insulting yourself.”

Lu Youze’s face turned a little red, and he was angry: “I’m not like him.”

“Mm.” Gu Xuanze nodded, his hand covering Lu Youze’s hand that was touching his own face. The tension in his body, which had been tight since earlier, seemed to relax. Since the biggest secret had already been revealed, he decided to be honest about his true feelings. He vaguely sensed that this might be what Lu Youze wanted to hear. “I also think you’re different.”

Lu Youze gave him a strange look, as if he was startled, but quickly calmed down. It was hard to believe that a person could be exactly like him in a book. Unless someone had experienced it firsthand, no one would believe it.

“Ah Ze, why do you say that?” After calming down, Lu Youze still couldn’t help but ask.

“Youze, although this may sound strange, after interacting with the you who lost your memory, I actually treated the you before and after your memory loss as two different people. But I love the current you more. To give an inappropriate example, even though I was attracted to my twin brother, I ended up falling in love with my younger brother. If I had to choose, I would choose the younger brother. I even thought, what if you never regained your memory? Although I also fear that you might regret and hate me after you remember, the most important thing is that I really love the current you. You seem much happier like this.”

He carefully observed Lu Youze’s reaction. Although he had expected this reaction, Lu Youze’s response was still beyond his expectations.

Lu Youze suddenly burst out laughing. He knew he shouldn’t laugh like this, but he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. The frustration that had been building up inside him disappeared. He knew what answer he wanted, but didn’t expect that Gu Xuanze would give him the perfect one.

“Ah Ze,” Lu Youze patted Gu Xuanze’s shoulder and smiled, “Congratulations, you’ve passed.”

Gu Xuanze was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what had happened.

Seeing the usually sharp CEO looking somewhat foolish was quite amusing. Lu Youze regretted not taking a picture right then.

“Youze, does this mean you forgive me?”