SFBF CH63

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Shen Qing said that the Cullinan had been driven over by Mr. Gu’s bodyguard to protect him. Everyone connected this to when they had first driven into the courtyard—that car had indeed followed right behind Shen Qing, parked right next to his sports car, and the people inside still hadn’t gotten out.

Putting all these pieces together, it did indeed look exactly like the situation Shen Qing described.

The people in the car were his bodyguards.

But… what kind of family was this? Even the bodyguards drove Cullinans??

Then why did Shen Qing only drive a car worth a little over a million?

Some people didn’t drive luxury cars to keep a low profile.

…But Shen Qing, in their memory, wasn’t low-profile at all. He used to love showing off…

Everyone wore expressions of incomprehension, harboring deep suspicions.

Shen Yuan, on the other hand, directly believed Shen Qing’s explanation about bringing a bodyguard. He smiled, looking thoroughly gratified, and said with profound meaning: “Then it seems President Gu treats my Qingqing truly well. That’s great~”

Saying that, he patted Shen Qing’s shoulder again.

Afterward, Shen Yuan called everyone back to their seats.

In their little clique, whatever Shen Yuan said went, so everyone swarmed back to the large table they had booked in advance.

Because it was the afternoon, there weren’t many people in the restaurant. Only a few tables were occupied, and theirs was by far the liveliest.

Although Shen Qing arrived late, when it was time to sit down, Shen Yuan still dragged him to sit right next to him. Shen Yuan even enthusiastically and proactively poured him a drink.

Shen Qing didn’t stand on ceremony and took it directly.

As he raised his hand, the watch on his wrist was exposed. Even Shen Yuan paused for a moment. He couldn’t help but hold Shen Qing’s wrist to examine it carefully before saying, “…Nice watch.”

Shen Qing looked at his own wrist and remembered that President Gu had put this on him before he left the house, saying it matched his outfit’s vibe perfectly.

A smile couldn’t help but spread across his face.

—It was nothing much, just that this watch was also seemingly worth seven figures.

And the Big Boss had just directly given it to him.

Hahahahaha!

Shen Yuan was someone who knew his stuff, and a few others present did too, but the rest couldn’t see what the fuss was about.

After all, the watch was still on Shen Qing’s wrist, and the people sitting further away couldn’t clearly see the logo on it, nor did they know what made it special.

So everyone began asking Young Master Shen exactly why this watch was so nice.

Shen Yuan: “If I remember correctly, it should be the global limited edition released by BUT the year before last… Although the retail price back then was only around seven or eight million, it should be worth well over ten million now.”

“…” Everyone fell silent.

The eyes looking at Shen Qing all turned green with envy.

Shen Qing also fell silent.

Okay, he only knew it was seven figures, but a seven-figure number starting with a one was very different from a seven-figure number starting with an eight…

Not to mention, this was a commemorative collector’s edition; it would appreciate in value!…

Shen Qing couldn’t help but suspect: when the Big Boss put this watch on him right before he left, was it to give him face and back him up?

…During lunch, after learning that today was actually a family gathering and that many people besides Shen Yuan would be there, President Gu’s eating speed had noticeably increased.

Before that, he had looked entirely like he had no appetite.

It felt like he only took tiny bites each time, and chewed forty or fifty times before swallowing!…

Shen Qing now knew that Gu Huaiyu chewing so meticulously wasn’t to savor the flavor, but mostly because it was hard to swallow.

The Big Boss truly had anorexia.

But after hearing about the nature of the gathering, President Gu’s eating speed picked up, finally returning to a state of swallowing after thirty or so chews.

Then, after Shen Qing casually mentioned that most people at the gathering targeted him because of Young Master Shen Yuan’s “favoritism,” President Gu took him upstairs and brought out this watch to put on him.

…Gu Huaiyu had previously given him a watch, but that one was too precious. A bigshot like President Gu could wear it as an everyday item.

But Shen Qing, who had been a regular commoner for over twenty years, didn’t dare wear it out no matter what.

It wasn’t fear of losing it.

It was just feeling that wearing tens of millions on his body made him feel a bit unworthy.

The same went for the jewelry President Gu had given him before; at most, he’d wear them at home for a couple of days to admire himself before storing them away in the cabinet to treasure them.

…The disease of poverty couldn’t be cured in a day or two.

Shen Qing’s current mindset was still that no matter how much he liked them, in his eyes, the main value of those treasures lay in the amount of money they represented, rather than the treasures themselves.

But even knowing his true thoughts, Gu Huaiyu had still personally put this watch on him.

The Big Boss didn’t mock his commoner mentality; he merely told him he must keep this watch on at all times, saying, “If you wear this out, no one will dare to look down on you.”

At the time, Shen Qing had a similar thought—because the original owner was cowardly and introverted by nature, the family members generally looked down on him and were used to bullying him.

Even the original owner’s mother felt he could only live by clinging to Young Master Shen Yuan and acting as his lackey… So it felt like the Big Boss putting such an expensive watch on him was to back him up.

Now, seeing everyone’s expressions, Shen Qing confirmed this thought.

But then Shen Yuan added: “The price isn’t the key point. The main thing is the name of this watch. It’s called ‘Eternal Guardian’.”

Everyone once again: “…”

Gazes swiveled in unison from Shen Qing’s watch to Shen Qing’s face.

Shen Yuan also looked at Shen Qing, his face full of gossip as he asked, “Where did this watch come from? You couldn’t have bought it, right?”

Shen Yuan was asking when he already knew the answer.

—The watch was released the year before last, and Shen Yuan knew exactly how poor Shen Qing was back then.

Furthermore, he recently learned how poorly Shen Qing had fared in the entertainment industry. Shen Yuan had always felt guilty about this; after all, he was the one who brought Shen Qing into the industry, but he hadn’t paid any attention to him afterward.

But figuring that Shen Qing hadn’t done well in showbiz, he definitely didn’t have much money.

So this watch…

“Oh, my husband gave it to me,” Shen Qing said rather calmly.

Compared to the special meaning behind the name “Eternal Guardian”, he leaned more toward the idea that the Big Boss just thought this watch could help him act cool, so he gave it to him.

Shen Qing wore an expression of ‘this is completely normal’: “Mainly because President Gu really has a lot of watches like this. Too many.”

He roughly gestured the size of the watch cabinet in their walk-in closet: “A cabinet this big, one whole side is filled with watches. It felt like he just casually grabbed one…”

“No way,” Shen Yuan, who loved world-famous watches, said. “How could someone who loves watches not remember its series and name? And someone who doesn’t love watches wouldn’t collect so many.”

Shen Qing: “…”

He was suddenly rendered speechless.

He was directly convinced by Young Master Shen.

The key was President Gu’s memory… he definitely remembered this watch’s series and name.

So did President Gu purposely pick out this specific watch for him?

‘Eternal Guardian’… was he trying to tell others that he would protect him, so the Big Boss was certain that as long as he wore it, he wouldn’t be bullied today.

And not just throwing out ten million bucks to let him flex?

Shen Qing was a bit dazed.

Shen Yuan added, “And a watch like this wouldn’t be given away casually either. I remember there were only five watches in this series worldwide at the time… President Gu is truly generous.”

By the end, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but sigh emotionally.

He was the young master of the Shen family, but his allowance didn’t reach the level where he could casually drop seven or eight million on a watch.

Plus, for these limited editions, before they were even released, invitations would be sent out to tycoons on the rich list first. By the time they officially launched, they were basically all spoken for internally.

So it wasn’t just a matter of money… With the Shen family’s power, they might not even be able to secure a reserved spot, let alone Shen Yuan individually.

Looking at that watch, Shen Yuan was practically drooling with envy.

Let alone everyone else.

The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became quiet. For a moment, no one made a sound.

Of course, the most silent one was still Shen Qing.

He was pondering: had he underestimated the Big Boss’s wealth again?

Or rather, the extent of his husband’s doting on him?

…Thinking it over, it was probably because Gu Huaiyu’s movements were just so casual when he brought out this watch.

Without a hint of hesitation.

That was why Shen Qing hadn’t realized its value at all at the time.

…If Gu Huaiyu had hesitated even slightly, or explained the meaning and value of the watch a bit more, he wouldn’t have felt it was so casual!

But thinking carefully about it, the Big Boss never hesitated when giving him things, and always looked very nonchalant…

Thinking of this, Shen Qing subconsciously clutched his chest again.

What to do, today was another day of being moved by the Big Boss!

Without exaggeration, Shen Qing felt he was someone who knew how to cherish his blessings and be grateful. Generally, whoever treated him well, he would remember and think of ways to repay them.

But Gu Huaiyu did things so low-key.

His kindness to him was so traceless, without demanding the slightest bit of repayment…

Ah, is this the damn charm of a mature man?

In the past, Shen Qing had been surrounded by people who, if they did even one slightly nice thing for their partner, would sound the gongs and beat the drums, wishing the whole world knew about it, and absolutely had to emphasize what they did in front of the other person.

To be honest, Shen Qing really disliked that type of person.

And someone like Gu Huaiyu… was just the other extreme…

But what could he do, the Big Boss was just too profound; he constantly felt charmed by his coolness.

Plus, the Big Boss treated him so well, he felt he could never fully repay him!

The heart that had been a little panicked since he decided to attend the banquet was now starting to pound uncontrollably.

This made Shen Qing wonder: was his heart racing because he had social anxiety, or was it racing the moment he thought of Gu Huaiyu?…

The first time he felt panicked was because he thought about how if he agreed to Young Master Shen’s lunch banquet, he wouldn’t be able to have lunch with the Big Boss and the cubs.

He didn’t have to worry about the cubs; Duo Duo and Ao Zai were great eaters, as long as it wasn’t milk or carrots, they ate without any issues.

But the anorexic President Gu was a different story.

That was why Shen Qing told Shen Yuan he was busy at noon and could only meet in the afternoon.

After pushing off the lunch gathering, his heart had calmed down a lot.

Until now, when it started pounding again…

Continually pressing his chest, Shen Qing was suddenly pulled over by Shen Yuan throwing an arm around him.

In terms of height and build, Shen Yuan was about the same as him.

The two’s appearances each had their own merits—Young Master Shen also belonged to the handsome and elegant type. Both of them were the type that looked good at first glance and could withstand careful scrutiny.

Just in comparison, Shen Qing’s skin was a bit whiter, due to him rarely going out and getting sun.

But sitting together, the two were still extremely eye-catching.

People from other tables kept looking over.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Shen Yuan raised the wine glass in his hand and said, “Come, let’s toast to Qingqing, wishing him a happy life!”

The others followed suit and raised their glasses.

Shen Yuan asked Shen Qing if he wanted to switch to alcohol. Although Shen Qing missed the days of drinking with his friends, it was still the afternoon, and he felt weird drinking alcohol now, so he politely declined.

Shen Yuan didn’t force him; it looked like he was just asking casually.

Everyone gathered together and chatted for a while, the topics mostly revolving around Shen Yuan.

Listening to their chatter, Shen Qing learned that Lu Jingyi was also currently in Huacheng, but because he had work today, he hadn’t tagged along.

—After Shen Yuan officially came out of the closet to his family and fled the arranged marriage with the Gu family, the current romance progress between the male lead gong and shou was that the Shen family all knew of Lu Jingyi’s existence, but the Shen family patriarch still didn’t agree to them being together.

Even if Lu Jingyi was a Best Actor now, glamorous with a massive fanbase, to a wealthy family like the Shen family, no matter how glamorous he was, Lu Jingyi was just an actor.

Not to mention that Shen Yuan had rejected the Gu family marriage for him. Now, although the Shen father and son had reluctantly reconciled, the Shen family patriarch blamed Lu Jingyi for this mess and still forbade Shen Yuan from associating with him.

Unfortunately, Lu Jingyi was a perverse and paranoid fierce gong; he wasn’t the type to back down just because the Shen family patriarch disagreed.

Not only would he not back down, but he would also slap the faces of those who looked down on him.

His return to Huacheng this time was partly for work, but more so to challenge the Shen family.

Shen Yuan was very troubled by this. He was originally the obedient young master type. If his father hadn’t forced him into the arranged marriage, he never would have fallen out with his family. Now, with his father and his lover in a tug-of-war, being caught in the middle was very tiring for him.

Very tired, Shen Yuan rested his chin on his hand. His face was pointed right at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing couldn’t help but comfort him, saying, “Don’t worry, your dad will accept Best Actor Lu soon.”

—In a while, Lu Jingyi’s identity as the true young master of the Lu family would be exposed. After that, he would return to the Lu family and slay everyone in all directions, and the Shen family patriarch would naturally agree to them being together.

“Really?” Hearing his words, Shen Yuan suddenly perked up and asked Shen Qing, “Did you hear some news?”

Shen Qing: ?

Him asking so suddenly, like he was digging for intel, made Shen Qing unaccustomed to it—if it came to news, Young Master Shen definitely knew more.

No one knew that he had transmigrated into a book and knew the plot, so why was Shen Yuan asking him if he had any news in reverse?

The others also looked at Shen Qing again; their surprise and doubt lay in the exact same thing. When it came to industry connections, this entire circle of people couldn’t compare to a single Shen Yuan, so why was Shen Yuan asking Shen Qing for news now…

Shen Yuan blinked at Shen Qing: “Did your President Gu leak any news?”

Shen Qing: “…Ah?”

He was even more baffled, because it was obvious that Gu Huaiyu had seemingly never paid attention to Shen Yuan and Lu Jingyi’s love story…

Ah, he had mentioned it once, saying Shen Yuan already had someone he liked, and telling him to give up as soon as possible and find someone else to like.

But no matter how you listened to it, the subject of that sentence wasn’t Shen Yuan, but himself.

So what could President Gu possibly know?

Shen Qing didn’t understand, and could only say: “No, President Gu didn’t say anything, I just guessed. After all, your love with Best Actor Lu is stronger than gold; I’m sure given time, your dad will understand.”

“…Oh.”

Shen Yuan looked slightly disappointed, and merely muttered softly, “I heard the Lu family is a complete mess right now because Lu Jing angered President Gu, I thought…”

Shen Qing: “?…”

Shen Yuan winked at Shen Qing again and said, “It’s nothing.”

Later, someone suggested going to play snooker. Shen Yuan didn’t go; instead, he pulled Shen Qing aside to sit at a small bar counter for a while. That was when Shen Qing learned that yesterday, when they were at the family restaurant, Lu Jingyi had also been there.

As the true young master who was swapped at birth and hadn’t yet been recognized by his wealthy family, Lu Jingyi had a sister and a nephew in the Lu family.

His sister had passed away early, and this nephew was basically raised by Lu Jingyi. Later, this child also became the adopted child of the male leads, meaning one of the important main characters of the novel’s second volume.

But this second-volume protagonist was only five years old right now, and no matter how strong his protagonist halo was, Shen Qing wouldn’t have recognized him.

And yesterday at the family restaurant, Shen Qing had completely failed to notice anyone who looked like the grand Best Actor.

Shen Yuan said, “Jingyi has some history with the Lu family… I can’t tell you about this right now, but in short, because the eldest Young Master Lu offended your President Gu, Lu Jingyi is very happy about it.”

Shen Qing: “…”

The ‘history’ was likely about Lu Jingyi being the true young master of the Lu family; so Shen Yuan already knew about it at this point.

And hearing him say this, it must mean that yesterday’s incident not only caused Lu Jing to trip up, but also flapped a butterfly wing, inadvertently helping Lu Jingyi out…

Lu Jingyi’s path to returning to the Lu family naturally had a lot of resistance, and Lu Jing refusing to let him return was one of those obstacles.

After all, Lu Jing was short-sighted and lacked the big picture. With a swapped biological younger brother suddenly popping up—one who looked to have both looks and brains—vying for the family inheritance, it would be a miracle if the eldest Young Master Lu agreed to it.

However, Shen Qing still corrected him: “Lu Jing didn’t offend President Gu yesterday. It was his family’s child who bullied our cubs.”

Hearing this, Shen Yuan was still a bit puzzled, because he felt there shouldn’t be any difference. The essence was that Gu Huaiyu got angry, and once President Gu lost his temper, it directly caused Lu Jing’s weight in the Lu family patriarch’s heart to drop significantly.

But Shen Qing said, “Of course it’s different, because even without President Gu, if anyone dares to bully my cubs, I’ll make the other side apologize and pay the price.”

Hearing his words, Shen Yuan was stunned for a long while before reacting: “…It seems that is indeed the case. The essence is that the children were bullied, and it really doesn’t seem to matter who the adults are…”

After saying that, he fell silent again.

Still pondering why he hadn’t considered this point earlier?

When Lu Jingyi told him that Lu Jing had provoked Gu Huaiyu and that the eldest young master of the Lu family was in deep trouble, his only thought was that it was fantastic. After all, that Lu Jing had previously explicitly stated that Lu Jingyi was not welcome back in the Lu family.

…But he hadn’t paid any attention to the cause of the incident at all, which was because two children were bullied.

And what surprised him even more was that Qingqing, who used to be very timid and weak, could actually say something like this today.

Yesterday, Lu Jingyi had also told him that Gu Huaiyu didn’t seem as cold as the rumors made him out to be; he seemed to care very much about the two children beside him, and also cared a lot about Shen Qing.

When Shen Yuan heard that, he just thought it was great, at least Qingqing wasn’t being bullied over there.

But looking at it now…

“Qingqing, you’ve really changed so much! Is this the power of love?” Young Master Shen suddenly looked at Shen Qing, practically overflowing with pink bubbles.

Shen Qing: “Huh?”

He realized Young Master Shen’s train of thought jumped quite a bit too.

Young Master Shen: “…You used to intensely dislike kids. Let alone standing up for them, you probably wouldn’t even want to raise them… Ah, don’t blame me for speaking harshly, because I don’t like kids either.”

Shen Qing expressed understanding. After all, he originally didn’t like kids either.

Young Master Shen was only 25 now, the same age as he was in his previous life, so Shen Qing understood his thoughts on not liking cubs.

It was probably just like parents not wanting their kids to keep pets; once they brought them home to raise, perhaps the pets would become more important in the parents’ hearts than the kids… Only someone who had experienced it firsthand could understand.

Shen Qing said, “It’s mainly because my cubs are too cute. You haven’t met my Duo Duo and Ao Zai, if you met them you’d really like them too, and wouldn’t allow anyone to bully them.”

Sure enough, Shen Yuan looked like he half-understood. The key was that Lu Jingyi also had a nephew by his side, and that kid fought against Shen Yuan every single day; he truly didn’t see what was so great about kids.

So Shen Yuan just grabbed onto what he was interested in and said: “But I feel like your changes are really huge. This must also be due to President Gu’s credit.”

The romance-brained Young Master Shen gave him a ‘we all know’ look and said, “Don’t pretend anymore, Lu Jingyi saw everything yesterday. You and your President Gu have a very good relationship, constantly making eyes at each other, it’s the scent of love!”

Shen Qing: “…?”

Having a good relationship was true.

But making eyes at each other, the scent of love—what was that?

I’m a straight man, okay!

Shen Qing had no choice but to say, “Cough, President Gu and I are not relatives, but we’re closer than relatives.”

Young Master Shen laughed: “Haha, it evolved into familial love so quickly? Makes sense, getting married is different after all; you’re lovers but also family.”

Shen Qing: “…”

Whatever, you’re the young master, whatever you say is right.

Shen Yuan continued: “You know, when I first heard that the person you were entering an arranged marriage with was that President Gu, I was scared to death! I heard that person had a terrible temper and an eccentric personality, making him hard to get along with to begin with. If you married someone like that…”

Shen Qing interrupted him, saying, “Actually, Gu Huaiyu’s temper isn’t bad at all.”

…Alright, although he knew President Gu didn’t care what outsiders said, Shen Qing couldn’t help but speak up for him:

“And marrying him will only make a person happier. There are endless benefits.”

Shen Yuan recalled the watch on Shen Qing’s wrist and felt that perhaps the situation really was as Shen Qing described.

He couldn’t help but jokingly ask him: “Then what other things has he given you? Is there anything more valuable than this watch?”

Shen Qing raised his eyes, thought for a moment, and didn’t immediately answer.

Shen Yuan: “…Is it that hard to think of?”

Shen Yuan grew confused again. Since there were so many benefits, he could just casually name a few; did he really need to think that hard about it?

Shen Qing said, “I was just trying to think if there was anything less valuable than this watch… and ultimately realized that there doesn’t seem to be.”

Shen Yuan: “???”

Shen Qing then rattled off the list of gifts he had recently received, as if enumerating his family heirlooms.

From the real estate worth hundreds of millions that the Big Boss gave him at the very beginning because he was afraid he’d starve to death while slacking off, to the diamonds, jewelry, watches later on, as well as blank checks and massive villas…

Thinking carefully about it, it seemed like this watch was genuinely the cheapest thing.

“…”

A stunned Shen Yuan: “…If I had known, I should have gone through with the marriage myself back then!”

After saying that, he immediately hugged Shen Qing’s arm, grinning: “Don’t misunderstand, I’m just joking around~”

Shen Qing naturally knew he was joking. How could Young Master Shen Yuan, who had been materially affluent since childhood, sacrifice his love for a mere few hundred million… no, a few billion in “pocket change”?

So Shen Qing didn’t mind at all, still wearing a bright smile, his eyes enchanting like silk.

Then Shen Yuan exclaimed in even greater amazement: “Qingqing, you can even take a joke now! Sure enough, having love makes everything different!”

Shen Qing: “…”

Although he knew the original owner used to be quite unable to take a joke, which was why he gave off a very gloomy vibe, and even Shen Yuan had been a bit afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting him (which was why they contacted each other less and less in the later stages of the novel, basically having no interaction)—

But attaching everything to love, Young Master Shen, do you really have to be this romance-brained? …

He truly is a straight man!

Just a straight man with a great personality, that’s all!

But regarding the reason for his personality change, Young Master Shen Yuan had already figured it out for him: it was because of love.

Shen Qing could only tacitly accept it.

Otherwise, it would really be hard to explain how he became so cheerful and lively. After all, the people in the Shen family were different from Gu Huaiyu; they used to be very familiar with the original owner. With him suddenly changing so much, it would be impossible for them not to notice the anomaly.

Now that Young Master Shen Yuan had helped explain it away—everything was because of love—it could be considered an unexpected delight.

Shen Yuan was still hugging Shen Qing’s arm, looking a bit clingy: “Actually, I already know. You telling my father you would marry into the Gu family was all for my sake.”

Feeling Shen Qing’s personality change, Shen Yuan suddenly wanted to be close to him very much. He stopped holding it in and directly blurted out what he had always wanted to say but felt too embarrassed to: “I’ve been feeling very guilty all this time. It was because of my capriciousness that you were pushed into the Gu family… I know saying anything is useless, just watch what I do, Qingqing. I will try my best to compensate you! But it’s so great, knowing you’re living a happy life puts my mind at ease.”

“…”

Shen Qing paused, recalling that back then, Shen Yuan had simply run away to escape the marriage, and the Shen family patriarch had furiously wanted to drag him back. Then, “Shen Qing” actively stepped up to take his place.

“Shen Qing” truly loved Shen Yuan. To keep the young master from feeling guilty, he even told Shen Yuan over the phone that he actively sought the marriage because he thought it was a good opportunity to climb the social ladder, and that it had absolutely nothing to do with Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan was probably in a panicked state of mind back then. Hearing that “Shen Qing” was willing to take the marriage and that his father agreed, he immediately and excitedly agreed as well.

So how did he know now that the original owner did it for him? …Could it be he knew the original owner liked him??

Just as Shen Qing was about to pull his arm out to ask him this question, he heard Young Master Shen add: “I really didn’t expect it. You’re usually quite timid and don’t speak up much, but at a critical moment, you’re so fiercely loyal! Fortunately, the result is good. You have no idea how happy I was when I heard you were doing well!”

Shen Qing: “…”

Turns out Young Master Shen still didn’t know the original owner used to have a crush on him, and just thought the original owner was being loyal to a friend.

Then Shen Qing felt much more relieved.

The original owner’s secret crush on Young Master Shen was a ticking time bomb. Maybe someday in the future, the jealous Lu Jingyi would blow up over it, and the loss would outweigh the gain.

Drawing a clear line with Young Master Shen as soon as possible was necessary.

But the original owner did genuinely go through with the marriage for his sake. Regardless of whether the result was good or bad, back then, he truly summoned up his courage and charged forward to protect Shen Yuan’s love, not because he wanted to cling to the Gu family himself.

Shen Qing wouldn’t comment on the original owner’s act of doing a good deed without leaving his name.

It was just that he wouldn’t do that.

So Shen Qing said, “It’s because you took such good care of me, Young Master Shen. You arranged my debut, gave me resources, and even arranged jobs for my parents… Mm, just consider it repaying those debts of gratitude.”

As he said this, Shen Qing gradually pulled his arm out, his tone straightforward and sincere.

Young Master Shen felt even more embarrassed hearing this: “That little bit I did for you isn’t even worth mentioning…”

Shen Qing then said, “It’s mainly because I really envy your love with Best Actor Lu. Besides, I didn’t have anyone I liked at the time. Mm, I hope you two can be happy forever.”

Hearing this, Shen Yuan’s eyes lit up again: “Thank you, Qingqing! Does this mean you really like President Gu now? Sure enough, people who have obtained love are just different!”

Shen Qing: “…”

He just said not to make wild assumptions about love.

And he is a straight man!

Perhaps it was because he had emphasized in his heart too many times that he was a straight man.

Later, on Shen Qing’s way to the restroom alone, he heard someone shouting loudly that they were a straight man.

That voice was very clear, startling Shen Qing so much he jumped. Following the sound, he saw two young men, who looked to be about the same age as the original owner. One of them had the other pinned against the wall, and the one being pinned was shouting: “What nonsense are you talking about, who likes you? I’m a straight man!”

Following that, the young man doing the pinning simply flashed an evil, charming smile and said: “You’re a straight man? You’ve kissed me so many times, and you didn’t feel any resistance in your heart, did you? The one clinging to me every day and hugging me to sleep is also you, right? Tell me, in what way do you resemble a straight man?!”

…

Shen Qing: …

Shen Qing didn’t listen to the rest of it.

Mainly because next, the young man doing the pinning simply used physical action to let the other party feel exactly how ‘straight’ he was…

The sounds got a bit frantic for a while.

Shen Qing felt too embarrassed to keep eavesdropping.

Of course, the bigger reason was because he suddenly realized…

It seemed that when he kissed Gu Huaiyu, he also didn’t feel any resistance or disgust?

And it also seemed like he and Gu Huaiyu slept hugging each other???

…

After leaving the restroom, Shen Qing returned to the small bar, immediately ordered a drink from the bartender, and took a sip without a word.

Afterward, he looked at Shen Yuan with some unease: “Let me ask you a question. So, I have this straight guy friend…”

Shen Yuan: “Hm? What’s wrong with you?…”

Someone had just come to toast, and having downed two martinis in a row, Shen Yuan was a little tipsy. He looked up, wanting to say that usually when someone asks this kind of question, “my friend” actually means “me.”

But seeing the person was Shen Qing—and it was obvious his Qingqing was nourished by President Gu’s love and wasn’t a straight man—Shen Yuan believed he really did have a straight guy friend, so he just asked, “What’s up with your straight guy friend?”

Shen Qing: “It’s just that he accidentally had an experience of hugging to sleep and kissing with his… one of his male friends, but he didn’t feel any resistance or disgust. Does that mean he’s not straight anymore?”

Shen Qing’s expression was very grave. He had pondered the whole way back. Recalling how he accidentally kissed the Big Boss last time, and how sleeping hugged together with the Big Boss didn’t make him feel any type of way…

He only worried about whether Gu Huaiyu would dislike it or feel uncomfortable.

But he hadn’t considered his own feelings at all.

This made Shen Qing start worrying that he had been assimilated by this BL world.

“Not necessarily,” Shen Yuan answered.

“Really?!” Shen Qing’s face revealed pleasant surprise.

“It’s also possible your straight guy friend only likes that specific male friend.”

Shen Qing: “???”

After saying that, Shen Yuan burped, then added: “Liking someone has nothing to do with gender, you know. Just like how I only like Lu Jingyi the person, what does him being a man or a woman have to do with anything?…”

Shen Qing: “…”

At ten o’clock in the evening, the party ended early when Lu Jingyi personally came to take Young Master Shen away.

Having had some drinks, Shen Qing swayed slightly as he walked out of the hotel with everyone else. Pushing the door open and taking a breath of fresh air, someone patted him and said, “A-Qing, you’ve been drinking, you can’t drive. Get your bodyguard to pick you up.”

They still remembered Shen Qing saying the Big Boss sent a bodyguard for him, and a portion of them still didn’t believe it.

So everyone wanted to see if Shen Qing could actually summon a bodyguard.

After all, right now, the Cullinan that had been parked next to Shen Qing’s sports car, which he claimed was driven by his bodyguard, had vanished.

Replaced by a limited edition Rolls-Royce Phantom.

But before Shen Qing could speak, someone had already stepped out of that Rolls-Royce. It was a man wearing a suit, but his appearance and expression were both very cool.

The man walked straight up to Shen Qing, bowed his head, and said extremely respectfully, “Madam, you’ve finally come out. President Gu is in that car.”

“What?”

The man’s appearance was impactful enough on its own, but a person like this bowing and being so deferential to Shen Qing…

Everyone around them immediately gasped, subconsciously looking toward the car.

Shen Qing had been drinking, so his ears were ringing a bit. The key was that his drinking was related to Gu Huaiyu… Hearing the mention of President Gu right now made him feel a bit unnatural. He subconsciously asked again, “What did you say?”

Seeing the Madam not moving, Tian Yi had to explain in detail: “Cough, you and President Gu were supposed to go home at 8 PM, and it’s already 10 PM…”

Remembering the suffocating low air pressure inside the car, and the footage sent back by the bodyguards earlier, showing the Madam and Young Master Shen Yuan slinging arms over each other’s shoulders, drinking together, and even getting face-to-face with another man, almost kissing!…

Tian Yi only felt that the situation was serious, way too serious!

Also, the time had exceeded the limit by way too much. If President Gu hadn’t run out of patience and summoned Young Master Shen’s Best Actor Lu over…

He reported rapidly: “President Gu coaxed the young masters to sleep past eight, and then came out to wait for you. He’s been waiting for over an hour! Stop spacing out, let’s go quickly.”

Shen Qing was still a bit out of the loop, while the other “brothers and sisters” stood dumbfounded at the hotel entrance, watching a tipsy Shen Qing being guided to that Rolls-Royce by the bodyguard, watching the bodyguard swiftly open the back door for him and escort Shen Qing into the car…

Afterward, the Rolls-Royce drove away.

The Cullinan that had appeared during the day reappeared. A similarly suited bodyguard jumped out of it and drove away the sports car Shen Qing had come in.

After all, they had partied until 10 PM. The parking lot was mostly clean now, with few cars left.

Leaving only a group of people without drivers or bodyguards, shivering in the cold wind where they stood.

Inside the car.

The moment Shen Qing got in, he felt a chill on his face.

He had been drinking, so his whole body was hot and sweating; he hadn’t felt cold when he stepped outside.

But upon entering the air-conditioned car, goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

From the cold.

Gu Huaiyu’s handsome but pale profile appeared before his eyes.

Tian Yi returned to the front to drive, and the privacy partition inside the car went up. In the reasonably sized space, it was just him and Gu Huaiyu.

Remembering his shocking discovery from this afternoon, Shen Qing felt a bit unnatural.

He didn’t dare to look at Gu Huaiyu either.

After getting in the car, he subconsciously shrank into the corner.

Gu Huaiyu sat steadily in the car, his back still straight.

But at this moment, he was resting his head on his hand, tapping his temple, looking slightly exhausted.

Seeing the young man remain silent after getting into the car, and sitting so far away from him…

Gu Huaiyu, who had been staring straight ahead, finally spoke flatly: “What, saw Shen Yuan, and old feelings rekindled?”

His speaking pace was slow, his tone light and breezy.

Except, his pitch was excessively low.

__

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