The pajamas Gu Yansheng was wearing had an adorable, cute little kitten pattern on them, while the pajamas Xuan Chiyi was wearing featured a cute little puppy biting a bone.
Gu Yansheng liked these cute cats and dogs; after all, he was still young and fond of these healing, cute animals.
With his petite figure, wearing such cute pajamas didn’t look out of place at all; instead, it made him look even more adorable. However, wearing such cute pajamas gave Xuan Chiyi a somewhat comical appearance.
Xuan Chiyi had a tall, imposing build and an ascetic-looking face, so wearing such kawaii pajamas and slippers looked completely out of place no matter how one looked at it.
Last night, Gu Yansheng hadn’t seen Xuan Chiyi wearing his pajamas at all, and when he woke up in the morning, he had only glanced at him briefly.
So seeing Xuan Chiyi standing at the doorway now, Gu Yansheng froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Yes, this was the first time he had ever looked at Xuan Chiyi and smiled from the bottom of his heart.
He suddenly found Xuan Chiyi looking like this quite funny, seemingly rather cute, and not nearly as terrifying anymore.
However, Gu Yansheng quickly suppressed the upward curve of his lips and said coldly to Xuan Chiyi, “Hurry up and put on your own clothes.”
Xuan Chiyi glanced at Li Hui, then went to the bathroom to change back into his own clothes.
Only then did Gu Yansheng ask Li Hui, “Brother Hui, why are you here?”
Li Hui walked into the room and brandished the breakfast he was holding. “I saw someone selling your favorite fried dough sticks and soy milk outside this morning, so I brought them over for you.”
He glanced toward the bathroom door and asked Gu Yansheng with some concern, “Sese, why is he here? You guys, he didn’t bully you, did he?”
Gu Yansheng didn’t know how to explain his relationship with Xuan Chiyi to Li Hui.
He hadn’t expected Li Hui to bring him breakfast early in the morning. “I’m fine.”
Clearly, Li Hui did not believe him.
Clearly, just yesterday Gu Yansheng had made this man pretend to be his boyfriend because he was obviously trying to hide from him, yet this man had actually slept at Gu Yansheng’s house. What on earth had happened later that he didn’t know about?
Li Hui asked, “You two…”
Gu Yansheng answered, “We had a bit of a misunderstanding. Now that it’s cleared up, he shouldn’t come looking for me anymore.”
“When did we have a misunderstanding?” Xuan Chiyi walked out after changing his clothes and snatched the fried dough sticks right out of Gu Yansheng’s hand. “Eating these has no nutrition, they’re too greasy. You’ll end up throwing up again in a moment. I’m taking you out for breakfast.”
Gu Yansheng glared at him. Xuan Chiyi cast a glance downward at Gu Yansheng’s stomach and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that right? Who was the one throwing up so miserably last night?”
Fearing that Xuan Chiyi would say anything further, Gu Yansheng directly stuffed a piece of fried dough stick into his mouth. Only then did he realize that doing so seemed quite impolite, and he wondered if Xuan Chiyi would get angry.
However, Xuan Chiyi didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he smiled at Gu Yansheng, pulled the fried dough stick away, and asked, “I won’t say anymore, but are you going to come out with me for breakfast or not?”
Gu Yansheng hurriedly agreed, afraid that Xuan Chiyi would start spouting nonsense again.
Amidst Li Hui’s look of shock and incomprehension, Xuan Chiyi whisked Gu Yansheng away, and out of Gu Yansheng’s line of sight, he even flashed a provocative smile at Li Hui.
Li Hui stared in absolute shock.
Gu Yansheng had thought that when Xuan Chiyi said he was taking him out for breakfast, it would just be a simple morning meal.
Yet looking at the dozen or so types of breakfast dishes laid out before him now, Gu Yansheng realized he had still underestimated Xuan Chiyi.
Xuan Chiyi had brought him straight to the most famous five-star hotel in Jiangcheng.
He directly ordered more than ten varieties of morning delicacies and, finally, specifically asked the waitress if there was anything among them that pregnant women shouldn’t eat.
The waitress thought for a moment, pointed at a plate of crab roe mini soup dumplings in front, and said, “Sir, these contain crab meat. Crab meat has a cold nature and isn’t suitable for pregnant women. Everything else is fine.”
Xuan Chiyi instructed the waitress to clear away the crab roe mini soup dumplings.
Meanwhile, looking at the feast before him, Gu Yansheng secretly swallowed hard; he had never eaten breakfast so lavish and appetizing in his life.
Just as he was wondering which dish to start with, Xuan Chiyi picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and placed it on his plate. Through the translucent dumpling skin, the plump, large shrimp filling was clearly visible.
Gu Yansheng took a bite, and his eyes instantly lit up. The savory, fresh shrimp and crisp vegetables were simply too delicious, and Gu Yansheng ate two in one breath.
When he ate, his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster, looking completely adorable. Xuan Chiyi’s heart fluttered repeatedly from how cute his eating mannerisms were.
Maintaining a calm expression, he continued placing food onto Gu Yansheng’s plate.
Whatever was placed on his plate, Gu Yansheng ate.
However, when a carrot-filled pastry was placed before him, Gu Yansheng paused his chopsticks. He hated eating carrots, so he raised his eyes to peek at Xuan Chiyi.
Xuan Chiyi asked, “You don’t like eating this?”
Gu Yansheng nodded. Without a second word, Xuan Chiyi transferred that piece of carrot pastry onto his own plate, wolfed it down in three or four bites, and asked softly, “Is there anything else you don’t like to eat?”
Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and whispered, “Coriander, garlic, carrots, bell peppers, towel gourds, eggplants.”
As he spoke, Gu Yansheng abruptly shut his mouth. Why was he telling Xuan Chiyi all this?
Wait, why did he automatically follow Xuan Chiyi’s lead and answer him? How strange.
Gu Yansheng suddenly felt that he was acting more and more strangely. Last night, he had actually dared to let Xuan Chiyi sleep at his house, and today he was even going out to eat with him. Was he losing his mind too?
Xuan Chiyi silently memorized everything Gu Yansheng disliked eating.
Soon, Gu Yansheng was full and let out a small burp. He immediately covered his mouth with his hand, looking at Xuan Chiyi in embarrassment.
Xuan Chiyi chuckled. “Shall I send you home?”
Gu Yansheng shook his head. “No need, I still have to go to work.”
Xuan Chiyi’s brows knitted together. “Work? You’re going to work while pregnant?”
Suddenly, Xuan Chiyi no longer wanted to cater to Gu Yansheng’s wishes. “Gu Yansheng, I am also the father of this child, so do I not have a right to decide on the child’s future?”
Gu Yansheng looked at Xuan Chiyi nervously. Did he not want this child?
Xuan Chiyi pleaded with him word by word, “Gu Yansheng, please keep this child, okay? I will definitely take good care of you both. Come home with me.”
Xuan Chiyi continued, “Gu Yansheng, even if you won’t think of yourself, you should think of the child in your belly. I know you want to keep this child too, and you want this child to have a better life, right?”
Gu Yansheng fell silent. After a long while, he raised his head to look at Xuan Chiyi. “Will you really treat him well?”
Gu Yansheng knew that given his current circumstances, he simply couldn’t afford to raise this child. But Xuan Chiyi was different; Xuan Chiyi could give the child an exceptionally bright future.
Moreover, it seemed Xuan Chiyi genuinely liked children; whenever he mentioned the child, an indescribable tenderness surfaced on his face.
Gu Yansheng felt somewhat moved and emotional. “Let me think about it, okay?”
After all, the contents of the book had left a deep impression on him. He didn’t know what kind of outcome awaited him if he really went away with Xuan Chiyi.
He remembered that in the novel, the original host had first seduced Xuan Chiyi, attracting Xuan Chiyi’s attention, and then naturally entered Xuan Chiyi’s side.
Later, it was revealed that the original host had been sent by Xuan Chiyi’s business rival.
That was why Xuan Chiyi had treated the original host with such madness later on, because he deeply loved the original host, only to be betrayed by him. That mixture of deep love and betrayal was what drove Xuan Chiyi to become crazy and obsessive.
Yet the current course of events was completely different from the book, so wouldn’t the outcome be different from the book as well?
Not receiving an immediate answer from Gu Yansheng, Xuan Chiyi didn’t get angry either; after all, Gu Yansheng had asked for time to consider.
Of course, going to work today was out of the question; Xuan Chiyi firmly refused to let him go.
Gu Yansheng had no choice but to call his boss to ask for leave, claiming he had caught a cold. The boss told him to rest well at home.
Gu Yansheng discovered that the bosses he had encountered since coming here were all quite decent.
After sending Gu Yansheng back, Xuan Chiyi went to find Yang Ao. Although Gu Yansheng had agreed to think it over carefully, Xuan Chiyi also had to prepare for the possibility that Gu Yansheng might not want to leave this place immediately.
Buying a house was an urgent matter; he wished he could find a satisfactory house within the next couple of days and move out with Gu Yansheng.
Putting aside the fact that the apartment Gu Yansheng was currently renting was a bit small, just looking at the way that landlord named Li Hui gazed at Gu Yansheng made his skin crawl. He had to take Gu Yansheng away from that place.
On the other side, Yang Ao was finally able to corner Xuan Chiyi and demand clear answers.
Over the past few days, he had felt like he was floating through a hazy dream. First, Xuan Chiyi told him that the guy he was searching for was pregnant with his child, and now Xuan Chiyi wanted him to help buy a house.
For an ordinary person, these two events would be completely normal, but placed upon Xuan Chiyi, they looked mismatched from every angle.
Because this whole setup felt like a march toward marriage.
Wondering what kind of magical charm this young man possessed to make Xuan Chiyi act this way, Yang Ao desperately wanted to see the fellow with his own eyes, but Xuan Chiyi blocked him.
He was afraid Yang Ao might scare Gu Yansheng.
Yang Ao stared in disbelief.
Yang Ao protested, “Do I look that terrifying?” Although he didn’t possess Xuan Chiyi’s striking facial features, his appearance was upper-middle tier among crowds, a handsome guy, really. How could he possibly frighten Gu Yansheng?
No matter what Yang Ao said, Xuan Chiyi simply refused to let him see Gu Yansheng. Gu Yansheng already felt scared of him sometimes; add a complete stranger into the mix, and he couldn’t risk letting Gu Yansheng get frightened enough to run away from him all over again.
Seeing how fiercely protective he was of Gu Yansheng, Yang Ao dropped his persistence. “Fine, I won’t see him. Whenever you decide you’re ready to let me meet him, I will, okay? Say, have you made up your mind yet? Those residential complexes we looked at earlier are the most famous in Jiangcheng, equipped with top-tier facilities, and you can’t just buy in there with money alone. Which building do you want?”
After thinking it over, Xuan Chiyi purchased two separate villas in two different neighborhoods. When he had time, he would bring Gu Yansheng over to see which one he liked best, and they would live in that neighborhood.
Processing the paperwork would take some time.
Xuan Chiyi didn’t go back immediately, but at noon, he ordered takeout from the five-star hotel and had it delivered to Gu Yansheng’s home.
Fortunately, Gu Yansheng was very obedient and didn’t sneak off to work while he was away.
Looking at the lavish midday meal spread across the table, Gu Yansheng was left torn between laughter and tears.
Just because he had mentioned in the morning that the breakfast from this restaurant was delicious…
Xuan Chiyi had gone ahead and ordered lunch from this exact same restaurant.
He also knew that Xuan Chiyi was doing all this primarily because the person carrying his child was inside this belly.
Thinking along those lines, Gu Yansheng felt slightly better, at least Xuan Chiyi genuinely cared about this child.
Xuan Chiyi had ordered far too many dishes, and Gu Yansheng couldn’t finish them all. There were plenty of leftovers, which could easily serve as another meal tonight.
With so much food, he certainly couldn’t bear to waste it.
In the past, these were things he could never have imagined or eaten; during his poorest days, Gu Yansheng had even gone hungry.
After finishing his meal, Gu Yansheng went to take an afternoon nap.
Outside the small apartment, a few sneaky shadows appeared.
“Are you sure? The one upstairs is that little person’s home.”
“Boss, I’m sure. It’s right upstairs. I’ve been watching for several days. Normally Gu Yansheng goes out every day, but for some reason he’s actually home today. Plus, right now there’s nobody else around, and the landlord isn’t here either. If we make our move now, even if Gu Yansheng screams his lungs out inside, nobody will come to save him.”
“Alright, got it. Hurry up and do it! Make sure you block the door from the outside later so he can’t get out.”
“Big brother, are we really going to do this? Will we get caught?”
“Who told him to offend someone he shouldn’t have? Rest assured, nobody saw us, hurry up. Once this job is done, we’ll get a big payout. Be quick and nimble with your hands and feet.”
Gu Yansheng was jolted awake by a choking sensation. In his hazy state, he dreamed that he was surrounded by a massive fire, and the fright shocked him completely awake.
Catching the choking scent of smoke, Gu Yansheng initially thought he was still trapped in a dream within a dream, and closed his eyes to go back to sleep. However, the choking odor grew increasingly thick, and smoke began filling the room.
Gu Yansheng scrambled out of bed. This wasn’t a dream, the apartment was on fire.
He rushed out of his bedroom, only to find the outside already billowing with thick smoke, shrouding the entire room. Flames flickered everywhere, making it nearly impossible to see the path beneath his feet.
Gu Yansheng dashed into the bathroom, soaked a towel with water, pressed it over his nose, and bolted straight toward the front door.
However, when he reached the door and felt around, he discovered that the door wouldn’t budge no matter what. It seemed to have been locked from the outside by something, preventing it from opening.
Gu Yansheng tried pushing it several times, but to no avail.
The fire inside the apartment was growing larger and larger.
Gu Yansheng lived on the eighth floor.
He hurriedly dashed back to find his phone to call the police.
The fire inside was intensifying furiously. Gu Yansheng felt surrounded by blazing fire; the temperature inside the apartment soared, and breathing became increasingly painful. He wondered if he could hold out until the firefighters arrived.
A sudden thought flashed through his mind: if he died here, would he truly and completely perish?
Perhaps due to the approach of death, hallucinations began to form. He heard voices talking outside the door, the sounds of someone calling emergency services, and the sound of someone kicking fiercely against the door.
Gu Yansheng curled up tightly into a corner, his vision growing blurrier by the second.
Before losing consciousness entirely, a tall figure charged right through the wall of flames.
“Gu Yansheng! Gu Yansheng!”
The man scooped him up and rushed outward. Gu Yansheng tightly grasped the man’s hand, parted his lips to speak, but before any words could escape, he passed out cold.