“Grandmother has been waiting for you for a long time.”
The study was dim, as if the lights had never been turned on. Bo Jianyan stepped forward and felt around for the switch. “Grandmother, why are you sitting in the dark?”
As soon as the light flickered on, he saw his grandmother sitting in her chair, looking at him with a smile. “Xiao Yan.”
Hearing that nickname, Bo Jianyan’s suspicions deepened. His grandmother rarely called him that; it usually didn’t portend anything good.
She signaled for him to sit down. “Good child, I know this matter wasn’t entirely your fault, but everyone’s eyes are focused on you. If I don’t handle it, it will be hard to convince the others.”
“I raised you myself; you understand the gravity of these matters. Do not blame Grandmother.”
Bo Jianyan arched an eyebrow. “Grandmother, what are you saying? I have nothing to blame you for. If I made a mistake, I’ll bear the consequences.”
The old lady stood up, looking at him with a charitable expression. “Xiao Yan, I’ve discussed this with your older brother. The branch in Hangzhou is currently in its opening phase. I want you to go there on a business trip for a few months.”
“As for the position, the treatment will be the same as it is here.”
Bo Jianyan frowned. Leave the capital? This was the first time they had asked him to stay away for so long. If it were before, when he had no attachments, he might have accepted without hesitation. But now, the thought of being separated from Gu Huai was unbearable.
Bo Jianyan’s voice remained calm. “Grandmother, I’m afraid I’m not up to the task.”
The old lady seemed to have expected this, her expression remaining unchanged. “Is that so? Xiao Yan, you must understand, Grandmother is doing this for your own good. Besides, Hangzhou isn’t far. If there’s an emergency, you can always fly back.”
Seeing her unyielding attitude, Bo Jianyan knew the matter was already set in stone. He had no room to refuse. But he felt a sense of bewilderment—why the sudden transfer? Was something about to happen?
Ultimately, he softened his tone. “I understand. But I must come back at least once a month.”
The old lady smiled. “As you wish.”
Bo Jianyan returned to the room and saw Gu Huai still sleeping. He couldn’t resist ruffling the boy’s hair, feeling a deep reluctance to leave. They were both about to be very busy; the days they could see each other would be even fewer. The thought made him feel quite dejected.
Gu Huai woke up and, seeing Bo Jianyan beside him, let out a yawn. “Brother Bo, is something wrong?”
Bo Jianyan told him about the arrangements made by his grandmother and brother. Gu Huai fell silent for a moment. “Does that mean we won’t have many chances to meet for a while?” An inexplicable feeling of sadness washed over him.
Bo Jianyan held his hand. “No, it’ll only be three months at most. Baby, you have to chat with me every day and video call me.”
Gu Huai nodded.
“If anything happens, find me. Don’t let yourself be mistreated again.”
When Gu Huai returned to Xie Wenye’s house, his head was spinning. Just now, when Bo Jianyan sent him back, he had kissed him under the streetlights. It was a real kiss—one where both of them were fully awake and conscious.
The deep, lingering exchange had left them breathless, their heartbeats heavy and synchronized. It was a comfortable feeling, but Gu Huai’s mind was a mess, and his ears turned red instantly.
Are Brother Bo and I… dating now?
The thought of that kiss was incredibly embarrassing. Gu Huai spent a long time fixing his appearance before going inside, terrified that Xie Wenye would notice something was off.
As soon as he walked in, Xie Wenye spoke in a sinister tone, “Oh, if it isn’t Young Master Gu? Finally decided to come back? I guess once you’re married, everything is different. You don’t even care about your brothers anymore.”
Feeling guilty, Gu Huai kept his head down. “No, I don’t.”
Xie Wenye didn’t even need to look twice; those lips were so red he’d change his last name if they hadn’t been kissed. He couldn’t be bothered to battle with Gu Huai today. “By the way, the things you mentioned—Brother Shen and I have already arranged them. What about your end?”
Gu Huai nodded. “Brother Yunsui and I have everything set up. Gu Chong is already starting to lose his cool.”
Xie Wenye looked like he was venting his anger. “Serves him right. At his age, he’s still pulling those pathetic stunts.”
Gu Huai remained expressionless. Ji Chen had already sent him the pickup time for tomorrow. Thinking of the packed schedule ahead, he felt a headache coming on. Brother Bo’s flight was also tomorrow; he didn’t know when they’d see each other again.
Gu Huai was called up early the next morning. Their filming location was in a deep forest, and Ji Chen arrived early to pick him up. As soon as he got into the business van, Ji Chen shoved a script into his hand. “Memorize this. It’s a long drive; don’t just sit there idle.”
Knowing Ji Chen’s style, Gu Huai took the script and began reading while eating breakfast. A message from Bo Jianyan arrived at that moment: [Baby, I’m about to board. If anything happens, message me; I’ll check it when I land. You absolutely must message me.]
Gu Huai couldn’t help but smile at the text. [Alright.] He even took a photo of his breakfast and the script on his lap to show him. [Brother Bo, I’ve set off too.]
Assuming Bo Jianyan had already boarded since he didn’t reply instantly as usual, Gu Huai silenced his phone and focused on the script. The mountain roads were difficult to navigate, especially after the rain from two days ago. Halfway there, the car broke down, forcing the group to get out.
Ji Chen called the production team for help, saying they were stranded. The production team hadn’t expected such an accident and told them to rest in place while waiting for a rescue vehicle. Gu Huai took a photo of the situation and sent it to Bo Jianyan.
[The car broke down halfway. Waiting for rescue.]
After waiting for over half an hour, the rescue finally arrived. The noon sun was suffocatingly hot. Gu Huai sent Bo Jianyan a “real-time report” of his progress, acting as if he were checking in. Once they reached the actual filming site, he took photos of everything to show him.
Ji Chen, who had been following him, found it strange. “Xiao Huai, since when did you love taking photos this much?”
Hearing this, Gu Huai silently put his phone away. “Just recording. The scenery here is great.”
The staff from the production team perked up. “Right? we specially scouted this location.”
Gu Huai continued sending photos and explanations to Bo Jianyan. The moment Bo Jianyan connected to the internet, he saw that his top contact had sent him nearly twenty messages. For Bo Jianyan, it wasn’t much, but for Gu Huai, it was the most he had ever sent.
Bo Jianyan finally replied, not wanting to miss a single one. He even treated every emoji as if Gu Huai were talking to him. Seeing so many messages, he praised Gu Huai with satisfaction: [Baby is so good. You do exactly what I say.]
Gu Huai felt his face heating up again. Bo Jianyan always said things that were hard to respond to.
[Baby, do you miss me?] [It’s okay if you don’t miss me, but I miss you a little.]