Gu Zhifeng had no choice but to get up and open the door, his face looking terrible.
The assistant was there to deliver documents. As she handed the documents to Gu Zhifeng, she secretly glanced at Gu Zhifeng’s desk and saw a person vaguely curled up on their boss’s chair. She couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, is this our lady boss?”
”Don’t be so gossipy.” Gu Zhifeng glared at him, then grinned as if he had thought of something: “Yeah, from now on, call him sister-in-law.”
Assistant Xiao Chen thought for a moment: “Does Sister Zhang know?”
”Whether she knows or not is none of your business.” Gu Zhifeng rolled his eyes. “Do I have to report to her about my dating life?”
Knowing her boss’s unpredictable moods, the assistant didn’t say anything more and made an excuse to leave.
Gu Zhifeng closed the door and turned around to see Xu Juexi wrapped in his clothes, looking at him speechlessly.
Xu Juexi: “When did I start dating you?”
”Is that not allowed?” Gu Zhifeng asked him, “We’ve done everything we should. If we get caught, we’ll just say we’re doing this for publicity. I am just letting us ride on my coattails for free, and you’re not losing anything.”
In this respect, they certainly don’t suffer a loss, but it’s hard to say about other aspects.
Xu Juexi twitched the corner of his mouth, naturally disagreeing: “Don’t keep talking nonsense to others.”
“How can this be considered nonsense?” Gu Zhifeng said shamelessly.
He laid out the two documents in front of Xu Juexi: “Termination of contract documents. Sister-in-law, will you sign them or not?”
Xu Juexi, not wanting to suffer a loss, said: “Sign.”
He reached for the pen on Gu Zhifeng’s desk, uncapped it, and was about to sign it when Gu Zhifeng pressed the paper down, saying, “Wait a minute.”
Xu Juexi looked at him questioningly, asking what he was up to now. Gu Zhifeng replied, “Once this is signed, my sister-in-law will owe me a favor. Is that alright?”
How childish. Xu Juexi twitched his lips, thinking that it wouldn’t make a difference: “Fine, fine, fine.”
”Then sign it,” Gu Zhifeng said.
Xu Juexi frowned, somewhat uneasy. Mainly because Gu Zhifeng didn’t seem trustworthy, he hesitated, “There won’t be any problems with this contract, will there? A contract of servitude? Are you going to cheat me?”
Gu Zhifeng exploded: “Xu Juexi, how can you be so heartless? Do you really think I’m that kind of person? Why would I need to trick you over something so trivial?”
Although Xu Juexi’s former manager, Wang Zhe, wasn’t exactly a saint himself, he was still backed by a major agency. While Gu Zhifeng didn’t personally handle everything to get Xu Juexi out unharmed, he still put in considerable effort and spent a lot of money.
He offered Xu Juexi the best possible deal, essentially giving him resources for free and asking for a share of the profits. When he presented the contract to Xu Juexi, he seemed to be trying to take credit. When he failed to get what he wanted, Xu Juexi questioned him without even looking at it. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t upset.
Xu Juexi shrank back as he yelled at him: “…How would I know if you are?”
He noticed that Gu Zhifeng was a little unhappy, but he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
The first impression the other party left on me was really bad, and even now, our relationship is half coerced, so it’s normal to speculate.
But seeing Gu Zhifeng’s unhappy expression, he softened and tugged at the other’s sleeve: “Okay, okay, thank you.”
Gu Zhifeng was just angry for a moment. Upon reflection, he realized that he hadn’t left a good impression on Xu Juexi, so he couldn’t blame him for questioning him.
He quickly seized the opportunity to back down: “Then I’ve been wronged. Shouldn’t my sister-in-law write me a letter of compensation?”
Xu Juexi had just finished signing the document when he heard him change the subject, and he wondered what kind of trick this man was planning to pull now.
He lifted his eyelids: “What are you up to now?”
”Give me a kiss,” Gu Zhifeng said.
Xu Juexi felt a little confused, but the conditions were still acceptable. Without saying anything, he stood up, propped himself up on the table, and tiptoed to touch Gu Zhifeng’s lips.
The omega’s lips were a little cool, and the kiss was light and soft, with a hint of coaxing. When he got close, Gu Zhifeng could smell the faint but sweet scent of his pheromones, like being touched by a small animal’s wet, cool nose, making his heart itch.
Even though he had done far worse things, at this moment, even though he had only been kissed on the corner of his mouth by an omega, Gu Zhifeng’s heart was still pounding wildly.
He covered his mouth, feigning composure, and said to Xu Juexi, “Okay, good attitude, I forgive you.”
Xu Juexi found this person, though incredibly childish and annoying, surprisingly easy to appease. He mumbled a couple of perfunctory “uh-huhs” and then asked, “Signed? What’s next, boss?”
Gu Zhifeng was pleased with being called “boss,” but he still felt that Xu Juexi’s voice was softer and more pleasant when he called him “husband.”
He thought for a moment, then pulled Xu Juexi down from his seat and, under Xu Juexi’s puzzled gaze, pressed him back down onto his lap.
”What are you doing?” Xu Juexi asked him.
”Didn’t you not get enough sleep this morning?” Gu Zhifeng patted him and let him lie on top of him: “Sleep now.”
Xu Juexi was naturally happy to sleep on paid leave, but when he looked at the sofa on the other side of the office, he clearly preferred to sleep there.
”What are you looking at? Just sleep here.” Gu Zhifeng turned his head back and pressed it against his chest.
He put his arm around the omega’s waist and nuzzled his neck: “Employees have to listen to their boss, or you can forget about sleeping and go get to work.”
Xu Juexi gave in, turned his head to find a slightly more comfortable position to lean against the alpha, and closed his eyes.
Xu Juexi probably wasn’t wary, or maybe he was really tired, because he fell asleep quickly and nestled in Gu Zhifeng’s arms like a koala; he was also very light, like a pretty plush toy.
Gu Zhifeng stared intently at the omega in his arms, as if bewitched, his gaze glued to the other’s face.
Omega has a fair complexion, long eyelashes, and a perfect blush on his cheeks. When he closes his eyes, he looks quiet and obedient, which softens people’s hearts.
Gu Zhifeng watched for a while, then couldn’t help but lower his head and gently rub his lips against the omega’s forehead, leaning closer to smell the omega’s captivating scent.
Being able to sleep so comfortably in his arms, does the omega actually depend on him a lot? Does he like him?
Gu Zhifeng thought about it more and more and it seemed possible. Xu Juexi must like him, otherwise why would he be willing to be kissed and played by him?
Thinking of this, he felt like a child discovering a new continent, eager to verify it.
He gently shook the sleeping omega in his arms awake: “Hey?”
Xu Juexi had just fallen into a comfortable sleep when he groggily opened one eye and hummed in response.
”Xu Juexi, you like me, don’t you?”
Gu Zhifeng asked him.
Xu Juexi was still mostly in a dream and didn’t understand what Gu Zhifeng was saying. He just wanted to continue sleeping, so he rubbed his face against Gu Zhifeng as if he were a pillow and gave a perfunctory reply.
Gu Zhifeng’s mood brightened: “I knew it.”
He hugged Xu Juexi’s waist tightly, lingering for a while. Even though he knew no one could hear, he still lowered his voice and whispered in Xu Juexi’s ear, “I like you too.”
He really didn’t want to call him “sister-in-law” when he said this; it made him feel uncomfortable. So, he secretly called Xu Juexi “wife” again.
After he finished speaking, a flush rose on his face, and the tips of his ears turned red.
Even if Xu Juexi is sleep-deprived, he won’t sleep all day. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s just that sleeping too much will give him a headache.
He slept in Gu Zhifeng’s arms until noon, when Gu Zhifeng woke him up and asked him what he wanted to order for takeout.
The person’s legs were clearly numb from being pressed down on all morning. Xu Juexi found it somewhat amusing to look at the other person’s forced composure and mischievously poked the other person’s still-recovering thigh.
Gu Zhifeng gasped, “Xu Juexi, do you have any conscience?”
Xu Juexi didn’t know if he had a conscience, but he was quite happy to see the other person get the short end of the stick.
Taking the phone from Gu Zhifeng that displayed the food delivery interface, Xu Juexi flipped through it. Not knowing whether these fancy options were good or not, he ordered a burger, fries, and cola—a safe bet.
Gu Zhifeng took the phone, glanced at it, and commented: “Junk food.”
“I won’t allow you to insult McDonald’s,” Xu Juexi said angrily. “You tasteless jerk.”
Gu Zhifeng shrugged in surrender, casually added a children’s meal to his order, and then paid.
Xu Juexi watched him operate the machine and asked, “What do you want to eat?”
Gu Zhifeng did not answer the question.
His takeout arrived quickly. The fast food restaurant wasn’t far from his company, and the fries were still fresh. Xu Juexi was quite satisfied with his meal.
His earlier doubts were quickly answered—Gu Zhifeng’s assistant brought up his lunch shortly afterward.
Xu Juexi glanced at him and asked, “Are you a vegetarian?”
Gu Zhifeng’s face darkened: “This is a weight-loss meal, don’t you have any manners?”
Xu Juexi apologized to him while laughing.
In the afternoon, Xu Juexi met with Gu Zhifeng’s agent, Sister Zhang. This person would likely remain his agent; she appeared to be a very capable woman, and her interactions with him confirmed this.
She decisively arranged an assistant for Xu Juexi and reorganized his debut persona.
Everything was progressing quite smoothly, except for some obstacles encountered when arranging the work.
Gu Zhifeng pointed to several times on his schedule: “Do I have variety shows during these times?”
Sister Zhang: “What do you want to do?”
“Let him come with me,” Gu Zhifeng said.
Sister Zhang was exasperated by this person’s unpredictable actions.
The kind of spot on a popular variety show like Gu Zhifeng’s isn’t easy to secure, especially for a newcomer like Xu Juexi who has little fame.
But Gu Zhifeng was so persistent that Sister Zhang finally had no choice but to give Xu Juexi a guest star spot, and told the two of them not to do anything reckless.
These past few days, Xu Juexi has basically been going back and forth between the company and the Gu family’s old house, while also managing his social media platform. During this time, he went through the process of auditioning for a pre-selected supporting role in a movie and took costume photos.
He was only busy for a few hours; he spent most of his time slacking off in the office.
It has to be said that the sofa in Gu Zhifeng’s office is really comfortable; Xu Juexi spends eighty percent of his time lying on it.
The second young master and the eldest young master have been very busy lately, and Xu Juexi has been communicating with them mostly on his phone.
Gu Fengying’s chats with Gu Xiaolin consisted of the same old “good morning,” “good afternoon,” and “good night,” while he would occasionally chat with him about his recent life and ask if he had eaten on time.
He would occasionally run into Gu Fengying at home, where he would be secretly hugged in a corner; as for Gu Xiaolin, he was never seen. According to the housekeeper, he seemed to be busy with a big project recently, flying back and forth between several cities, and simply couldn’t find the time to go home.
This seemingly peaceful life lasted for about a month, until the day Gu Xiaolin returned home.
That day, Xu Juexi helped Gu Zhifeng, who was drunk and clung to him after drinking with his friends, out of the car, and they bumped into Gu Xiaolin, who had been waiting at the door for who knows how long.
The weather in early January was still chilly despite the warming trend. A gentle night breeze rustled through the air. Gu Xiaolin stood at the front door, the lamplight shining down from above, making him appear somewhat gloomy.
His face remained expressionless, which gave Xu Juexi a bad feeling and made his heart pound.
Their eyes met, and Xu Juexi heard Gu Xiaolin ask, “Why are you back so late?”
Xu Juexi nodded somewhat guiltily.
Gu Xiaolin stepped aside to let Xu Juexi in: “Put him there, and come with me.”
Xu Juexi placed Gu Zhifeng on the sofa, turned to face Gu Xiaolin, and nervously clenched his fists.
Gu Xiaolin said, “Come up.”
Just as Xu Juexi was about to take a step, the person on the sofa suddenly moved, grabbed his hand, and mumbled, “Wife… don’t go…”
Xu Juexi suddenly froze.
He kept his head down, not daring to look up at Gu Xiaolin’s expression.