FIMA Ch144: Milk Tea

Seeing his massive reaction, Gu Siyuan’s sword-like eyebrows shot up. Displeased, he asked, “You don’t want to write it? Are you trying to slack off?”

Slack off? How does he even have the nerve to say that out loud?!

Xie Fengqing gritted his teeth. Of course he didn’t want to write it; right now, all he wanted to do was escape.

“Aren’t you taking things a bit too far…” Xie Fengqing wanted to shout and reprimand him, but the moment he looked up and met Gu Siyuan’s strict, cold face, he involuntarily lost a bit of his nerve. His voice softened, “Is it really okay for you to do this? We are young, outstanding youths. We can’t just indulge ourselves like this. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; lust is emptiness, emptiness is lust…”

Gu Siyuan lazily lifted his eyelids, cast a glance at him, and started walking toward him.

“…” Xie Fengqing.

Is he going to use force?!

Xie Fengqing’s heart completely panicked. His body trembled, and he unconsciously began to back away.

Gu Siyuan’s expression didn’t change. As if he were just teasing a caged bird, he continued taking slow steps forward.

Xie Fengqing was forced to retreat step by step. This continued until Gu Siyuan had completely backed him into the wall, leaving him with nowhere else to go.

“Ah, stop, stop,” Xie Fengqing cried out softly. His back was pressed against the freezing wall. He reached out his hands to press against the man’s chest, trying to stop him from getting any closer.

Gu Siyuan let out a soft scoff.

In the next instant, his large hand directly gripped Xie Fengqing’s chin, forcing the young man to lift his head. His voice was freezing cold: “Tell me, what exactly is running through that two-ounce brain of yours?”

The flesh of Xie Fengqing’s cheeks squished under Gu Siyuan’s grip. He puffed his cheeks and mumbled, “What do you mean, what am I thinking? If you’re capable of doing it, why are you afraid of me thinking about it?”

Gu Siyuan: “What did I do?”

Xie Fengqing glared at him: “You tricked me into coming to your house, you…”

Where do we even begin with this?

Gu Siyuan exerted a little force with his hand, pulling the person even closer, and deliberately lowered his voice: “Oh? How did I trick you? Didn’t you deliver yourself to my door on your own initiative?”

“…” Xie Fengqing.

Alright, it’s true that I actively followed him here.

But can you really blame me? Gu Siyuan was dressed so charmingly today and acting so sneakily. As a good youth of the new century, isn’t it normal to care about my classmate?

Gu Siyuan scoffed: “Classmate Xie, I hope you know that this is your own fault.”

Xie Fengqing stiffened his neck: “No, it’s still your fault.”

The hand gripping his cheeks tightened slightly. Gu Siyuan said coldly, “I helped you revise your essay, tutored you on it, provided you with a computer, and provided you with a place to work. And now, it’s somehow my fault.”

“Of course it’s your…” Xie Fengqing, despite being entirely at the other’s mercy, refused to bow his head, speaking with fierce momentum.

However…

Halfway through his fierce retort, his head snapped up and he frowned: “Helped me revise my essay?”

Gu Siyuan sneered: “Classmate Xie really managed to forget something that happened a mere five minutes ago.”

“Uh…”

Xie Fengqing’s eyes darted around as a startling realization hit him—he might have wildly misunderstood something.

He secretly peeked at Gu Siyuan: “You mean… you want me to re-type the essay you just revised right now?”

Gu Siyuan spoke as if it were a matter of course: “Otherwise what? With your meager academic foundation, could you possibly draft an entirely new thesis topic on the spot?”

“…” Xie Fengqing.

Even if that’s the truth, you could have phrased it a bit more tactfully! Sigh…

Gu Siyuan lightly patted his cheek: “Stand here and face the wall to cool your head for a bit. After that, go write your essay.”

With that, he released his chin and walked into the widely opened bedroom nearby.

Xie Fengqing rubbed his chin and cast a few sideways glances, finally realizing that he had actually been backed right next to the bedroom door.

Thinking of something, he immediately stretched his neck, sneaking stealthy peeks into the bedroom.

Then, his face instantly flushed red.

Standing beside the bed with his back facing the door, Gu Siyuan was methodically unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. After taking the shirt off, he casually tossed it onto the bed. With the movement of his arms, the smooth, powerful muscle lines across his back and waist were put on full display.

Xie Fengqing quietly sucked back his drool.

So handsome… how did he train to look like that?

The next second, Gu Siyuan turned around, meeting his gaze. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly: “Didn’t you just say ‘form is emptiness’ (lust is emptiness)? Then what exactly are you doing right now?”

Like an elementary school student caught misbehaving, Xie Fengqing immediately snapped his hands to the seams of his pants, standing ramrod straight: “Reporting to Professor Gu: nothing at all! I was absolutely not peeking at you changing clothes.”

Gu Siyuan let out a scoffing laugh. Still bare-chested, he opened the wardrobe to find some loungewear.

Xie Fengqing made a face at his back, then boldly and brazenly stared at that beautiful, broad back and strong waist for a while longer before reluctantly shifting his gaze to the rest of the bedroom.

The bedroom wasn’t large, only a dozen or so square meters. Aside from the bed, the wardrobe, and a desk, there was absolutely nothing else. It was incredibly neat, clean, and minimalist.

“…”

Xie Fengqing’s heart, however, was filled with shock.

There’s absolutely no one hiding in here?!

So… so Gu Siyuan wasn’t actually ‘keeping a mistress in a golden house’?

He didn’t want to have a three-person free-for-all?

He didn’t want to record a spicy video?

He literally just wanted to teach him how to write an essay?!

I must have looked like a complete idiot just now, didn’t I?

No, not ‘looked like’… I AM an idiot…

Xie Fengqing’s expression shifted endlessly, more dramatic than the weather in June. His entire worldview had been turned upside down.

Gu Siyuan pulled on his loungewear and turned around, immediately catching sight of the guy at the door wearing an utterly foolish expression. He raised an eyebrow.

Meeting his gaze, Xie Fengqing awkwardly forced a smile: “Professor Gu, you’ve finished dressing…”

Gu Siyuan looked at him with a half-smile: “Are you feeling regretful? Haven’t stared enough?”

If it were any other time, Xie Fengqing would have definitely puffed out his chest and replied flirtatiously: Yeah, so what?

However, because of his wildly inappropriate imagination from earlier, he was currently experiencing the most embarrassing moment of his life.

Gu Siyuan: “You seem very interested in my bedroom.”

“No, no.” Xie Fengqing hurriedly shook his head, then asked: “Professor Gu, do you live here alone?”

Gu Siyuan shot him a sideways glance and said coldly, “Who else would there be? What on earth is going through your head?”

Xie Fengqing naturally didn’t dare say it out loud, so he continued asking: “So on New Year’s Eve, you came here too? When did you rent this place? Have you moved out of the dorms now?”

“Mm.” Gu Siyuan nodded. “Classmate Xie Fengqing, you are very gossipy.”

“…” Xie Fengqing. Alright, fine.

Gu Siyuan took large strides out of the bedroom. As he passed the person at the door, he turned his head and said coldly, “Come here.”

“Oh.” Xie Fengqing immediately trotted after him obediently.

Tsk…

After sitting down on the sofa, he couldn’t help but pout. Why am I acting like Gu Siyuan’s little puppy dog?

Gu Siyuan pointed at the laptop on the coffee table: “Sit here and finish the essay. You can only leave after I’ve reviewed it. Understood?”

“Understood,” Xie Fengqing nodded, looking utterly devoid of the will to live.

Gu Siyuan turned and walked over to the long desk against the wall and sat down. There was a desktop computer set up here—one he had specifically built after moving in, as it was much better for writing software and coding programs.

For the entire winter break, he had been preparing for his startup. The business registration and office location had already been finalized. This morning, he had his final negotiation with the investors. Once the funds arrived, he could officially begin marketing, promotion, and operations. Right now, he was doing the final approval checks.

Whether it’s working or studying, once you truly immerse yourself in it, time flies by.

However, for Classmate Xie Fengqing, things weren’t quite so easy.

After making two trips to the bathroom as an excuse to stretch, he once again stopped typing and rubbed his wrists.

Writing essays is sheer torture…

Just then, he watched Gu Siyuan stand up from his chair and walk toward the kitchen. The kitchen had sliding glass doors, so sitting in the living room, he could clearly see what was happening inside.

Gu Siyuan walked over to the cabinet and took out an exquisite tin canister. This was Keemun black tea gifted to him by a business partner. He was quite fond of it, especially for making milk tea. It was both refreshing and an excellent energy booster.

Craning his neck, Xie Fengqing saw him grab the black tea and then pull milk from the fridge. He immediately jumped up excitedly from the sofa and bounced over to the kitchen: “Gu Siyuan, are you making milk tea? Do you want me to help? The milk tea I make is super delicious…”

Gu Siyuan raised his eyes and cast a glance at him: “Have you finished revising your essay?”

“…” Xie Fengqing paused, saying guiltily: “Just a little bit left.”

The corners of his mouth, which had been turned upward in a smile, slowly sank.

Gu Siyuan lowered his head, his hands continuing their work, acting as if he didn’t even see the person there.

Filled with despair, Xie Fengqing pressed himself against the kitchen door, staring pitifully for a while before slowly shuffling back to the sofa. Sitting cross-legged, he glared resentfully at the tall, slender figure in the kitchen.

He gets to stop working and play around brewing milk tea, but he’s this cruel to me?!

Once Gu Siyuan smelled the fragrance of the black tea emanating from the pot, he poured in a large carton of milk. Now, all he had to do was wait for the milk to boil.

Turning around, he met Xie Fengqing’s glaring gaze and narrowed his eyes.

Xie Fengqing shrank back slightly, but couldn’t resist raising his chin to say: “Gu Siyuan, have you ever even cooked before? Is your milk tea even drinkable? That black tea looks like high-quality stuff, don’t ruin it.”

Gu Siyuan sneered: “Even if I ruin it, it’s mine. What does it have to do with you? Your only business is that essay.”

“…”

Xie Fengqing was left speechless.

Essay, essay, all he knows is the damn essay…

There is a living, breathing, gorgeous beauty sitting right here! Does this guy Gu Siyuan just have zero aesthetic taste, or is his ‘equipment’ just broken?!

The milk tea in the pot began to bubble.

Gu Siyuan asked Xie Fengqing, “Do you want some?”

“No,” Xie Fengqing said stubbornly.

Hmph, it’s too late to try and bribe me now.

“Alright, understood,” Gu Siyuan replied coldly.

“…” Xie Fengqing.

Understood?! That’s it?!

You aren’t even going to try and persuade me one more time? Is this how you treat a guest you invited to your house?!

Gu Siyuan reached out, turned off the gas stove, poured the milk tea into a ceramic mug, and took the pot to the sink to wash it clean.

Watching him wipe down the counter and prepare to walk out, Xie Fengqing immediately sat up straight, shifted his gaze to the computer screen, and projected an aura of absolute indifference.

It’s just milk tea, right? Normally, even when other people beg to treat me, I won’t even drink it.

He stared intently down at the computer screen.

Yet, he couldn’t block out the sound of Gu Siyuan’s footsteps drawing closer and closer, until—clink—a soft sound came from the coffee table.

His head snapped up. He looked at the gently steaming cup of milk tea beside his hand, then tilted his head back to look at the man standing beside him: “You…”

Gu Siyuan looked down at him from above, his expression as stern and cold as ever: “Careful, it’s hot. Have the essay finished by seven o’clock.”

With that, he picked up the other mug and turned to walk back to his long desk.

“Okay!” Xie Fengqing’s lips curled up, and he called out brightly to the man’s retreating back.

He reached out, pulled the cup of milk tea into his hands, and leaned in to sniff it.

Smells amazing. It’s almost as good as my own handiwork. Hehe…

Catching his actions out of the corner of his eye, Gu Siyuan’s sword-like eyebrows arched slightly.

Young people nowadays are truly dishonest.

Two hours later.

The sky gradually darkened, and the city lights belonging to the night began to switch on.

Gu Siyuan reviewed Xie Fengqing’s revised essay and nodded: “Acceptable. It passes for now.”

Xie Fengqing immediately let out a long, smug laugh: “Hah, look who you’re dealing with.”

Gu Siyuan just stared at him.

Xie Fengqing sheepishly added: “Of course, Professor Gu and that cup of milk tea played an indispensable role.”

Gu Siyuan ignored the flattery: “Alright, pack your bag. Prepare to go home.”

“Go home?” Xie Fengqing froze slightly.

Gu Siyuan pointed outside: “It’s seven o’clock. I’ll walk you downstairs.”

“Oh,” Xie Fengqing finally reacted.

This entire afternoon passed by so quickly…

Suddenly, looking at the two computers, he blinked and offered: “Gu Siyuan, to thank you for your guidance and the milk tea, how about I carry you through a dungeon run?” As he spoke, he was about to lunge toward the desktop computer.

Gu Siyuan reached out a large hand and grabbed him by the collar. “It’s too late, you need to go home first. Besides, it’s inconvenient to log into that account right now; the inbox is full of nothing but people cursing me out.”

Xie Fengqing struggled against his grip: “Then… the past is the past! I’ll just go into the game and clarify things for you. I’ll say it was a misunderstanding and that you aren’t a scumbag anymore. How about that?”

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained icy: “Even so, wait until you go home and log in on your own computer to clarify.”

“…” Xie Fengqing.

This guy Gu Siyuan truly is hopeless.

The two walked side-by-side downstairs. The night sky was like a deep blue curtain dotted with stars, and the streetlamps throughout the residential complex had all lit up. The magnolia flowers downstairs looked vivid and beautiful in the dark. Accompanied by a gentle breeze, they retraced their steps, walking toward the complex gates.

Looking at the handsome side profile of the man beside him, Xie Fengqing suddenly remembered a quote he had read somewhere: The most romantic thing in this world isn’t kissing, or even making love, but simply taking a walk together.

Gu Siyuan naturally felt his gaze: “What do you want to say?”

Xie Fengqing licked his lips, feeling a bit parched: “Nothing.”

Gu Siyuan didn’t press the issue. He continued walking him outside, waiting until a taxi arrived, and casually memorized the license plate number.

Xie Fengqing felt a bit reluctant to leave: “See you tomorrow.”

Gu Siyuan nodded: “I’ll send you a few books and open courses later. After you finish reading and watching them, write another essay.”

As long as he’s immersed in studying, he won’t have time to mix with the protagonist shou, and he won’t fall into that doomed romance trap.

“…” Xie Fengqing.

On such a dark, windy night, during such a tender moment of parting, do you really have to bring up essays?!

Gu Siyuan: “Get in the car.”

“Fine…” Xie Fengqing grumbled, dragging his legs into the taxi.

Gu Siyuan is a completely unsalvageable blockhead.

For the next several days, Xie Fengqing was forced to immerse himself in studying.

However, he never visited Gu Siyuan’s apartment again. In fact, even his chances to see Gu Siyuan at school dwindled. Gu Siyuan was incredibly busy during this period—so busy that he even requested leave for several of their university classes. Getting a leave of absence approved in their department was notoriously difficult; who knew what kind of magical abilities Gu Siyuan used to get it done.

Lying on his desk, Xie Fengqing thought bitterly: If I had known that parting that day would lead to this result, I should have just shamelessly crashed at his place for the night…

The night he went home, he kept his promise and logged onto the game to clarify things for Gu Siyuan, stating that the “scumbag” incident involved some misunderstandings. He originally thought that from then on, the two of them could go back to how things used to be, with him continuing to carry Gu Siyuan through dungeons.

Who could have predicted he wouldn’t even catch a glimpse of the guy’s shadow?

Qiu Yu peeked at his best friend: “Hehe, are you missing our handsome Mr. Gu? You haven’t seen him in days, right?”

Since the start of this semester, Qiu Yu had officially changed Gu Siyuan’s nickname from “Scumbag” to “Handsome”. The world of face-judgers was simply that unreasonable.

Xie Fengqing’s expression tightened, and he said haughtily: “What nonsense are you spouting? Do I look like the kind of horse that eats the grass it already walked past?”

Qiu Yu rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head: “Then why are you so obedient to him? He tells you to read, you read. He tells you to write an essay, you write an essay.”

“Cough cough…” Xie Fengqing paused, coughing lightly: “This is an opportunity for self-improvement. It’s a good thing, and I should be doing it anyway. It has nothing to do with him.”

Qiu Yu sneered: “Oh really? Then why weren’t you this motivated before? If you had been this diligent early on, would that stepbrother your stepmother brought into the family ever have had the chance to squeeze you out in front of your dad?”

Xie Fengqing was struck speechless. He glared at him: “That was because I didn’t feel like it! Ugh, enough, enough. Why do you care so much anyway?”

“I can’t be bothered to care about you,” Qiu Yu pouted, then added, “Forget it, let’s discuss tonight’s event instead.”

Xie Fengqing frowned: “What’s there to discuss? It’s boring stuff.”

Qiu Yu smiled: “N City’s Influencer Gala is definitely boring, but whose fault is it that your family is one of the co-hosts? You have massive popularity from your game live streams, so your dad specifically ordered you to attend. And that stepbrother you hate so much will definitely be there too. You’d better hold your temper tonight and not cause a scene on the spot.”

Xie Fengqing shook his head, stating firmly: “I won’t.”

As long as that idiot doesn’t provoke me, I definitely won’t actively try to kill him. Just looking at him makes my eyes feel dirty.

8:00 PM.

Outside a certain commercial skyscraper in N City, a massive crowd of reporters had gathered. Shutters clicked and camera flashes went off incessantly.

Meanwhile, in a high-end restaurant on one of the upper floors.

Gu Siyuan had just finished a meal with several business partners, successfully closing a deal over drinks. He walked out of the private room.

Mr. Qi, one of his companions, looked at Gu Siyuan with eyes full of admiration: “Sigh, truly a young man of great promise. If my son had even half your capability, Siyuan, I could close my eyes in peace right now.”

“Hah, who wouldn’t wish for that? Siyuan’s ability to handle business and conduct himself is truly impeccable. Even when we were young, we weren’t half as steady as he is,” Mr. Zhao added generously.

The elevator doors opened.

The group chatted idly as they walked out into the lobby, only to be momentarily startled by the overwhelming bustling atmosphere on the first floor.

Mr. Zhao asked, “What’s going on here?”

The secretary beside him quickly replied: “It seems the banquet hall was booked out to host some sort of influencer event.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded without much further comment and continued walking toward the exit. In the current era of rapidly rising short videos, the influencer economy was highly lucrative. Although it was still relatively small compared to their massive capital enterprises, in terms of sheer cash flow, it could rival most publicly listed companies. In fact, their own companies had occasionally collaborated with top-tier influencers.

However, just as the group stepped out of the skyscraper’s main doors…

An abrupt uproar erupted from the direction of the banquet hall.

“Xie Fengqing, are you crazy?! …Are you trying to ruin this event?!” a male voice shouted harshly.

“F*ck off!” A crisp, icy male voice instantly retorted.

Gu Siyuan, who had just stepped out the door, suddenly paused his steps.

The businessmen with him looked at him: “What’s wrong?”

Gu Siyuan’s expression didn’t change as he said flatly: “It seems to be someone I know. Let me see you all to your cars first, then I’ll go back and check.”

The big bosses were all very good-natured and laughed: “What’s there to see us off for? We’re leaving now anyway, hurry up and go check it out!”

“That’s right! If you run into any inconveniences, just give us a call. We look forward to a happy cooperation from now on!”

Gu Siyuan also smiled: “Naturally.”

Inside the banquet hall.

“F*ck off.”

With a completely cold face, Xie Fengqing shoved aside Liao Haoran, who was blocking his path. He glared directly at the fat man he had just punched in the face: “Daring to put your grubby hands on your grandfather? You must be tired of living.”

The fat man was equally furious: “You think you’re so precious?! You’re just a lowly internet celebrity! Putting on an act in front of me… I’ll make sure a pretty boy like you pays the price today!”

Saying that, he lunged to attack Xie Fengqing.

Suddenly, in the next instant.

“Aaaaaah—!” A blood-curdling scream echoed through the banquet hall.

The fat man’s wrist, which had been reaching for Xie Fengqing, was seized from behind in a vicious grip. With a powerful heave, the fat man was tossed like a bowling ball, his entire body smashing violently onto the nearby banquet table.

Crash! Smash! Countless glasses and plates shattered to pieces.

In a split second, the gazes of everyone in the banquet hall were drawn over.

Then, their eyes slowly shifted to the cold, towering, and incredibly handsome young man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

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