Just as their eyes met, Zong Xian immediately withdrew his gaze, lowered the black baseball cap on his head, and quickly walked away in the opposite direction of the teaching building.
Although he could not clearly explain the reason, Gui Wen had a gut feeling that it was crucial for him to chase after the other man downstairs.
It felt as though if he missed this encounter, he would never see Zong Xian again.
The elevator was slow to arrive, so Gui Wen simply ran down the stairs, finally stopping breathlessly in front of Zong Xian. “Brother Zong Xian, it has been a long time.”
“Mn.” Zong Xian’s gaze lingered on Gui Wen’s face for quite a while before forcing himself to look away. “Is something the matter?”
“Can’t I look for you if there is nothing the matter?” Gui Wen frowned imperceptibly. He had not caught his breath yet, speaking while still panting.
Zong Xian let out a cold laugh. “Ridiculous.”
“The ridiculous one is you, suddenly coming to the bottom of my teaching building.” Seeing that Zong Xian seemed to be turning to leave, Gui Wen reached out and grabbed the corner of the other’s shirt.
Zong Xian did not answer, instead pulling out a pack of paper tissues and stuffing them into Gui Wen’s hands. “Wipe yourself clean.”
Gui Wen knew he had sweat a lot from running all the way, but now was not the leisure time to wipe away sweat. Realizing he could not extract any useful information from Zong Xian, he deliberately decided to act annoyingly just to gross the other person out: “Could it be that you wanted to see me?”
Zong Xian’s temple twitched slightly, and he avoided the other’s gaze even more deliberately. “Self-righteous.”
“It wouldn’t be strange for me to think that way, since Brother Zong Xian even kissed me on the boat.”
Zong Xian raised his hand and tightly grabbed Gui Wen’s collar. “I said it before, it was a dream.”
“Then what did you dream about?” Gui Wen leaned half a step closer to Zong Xian. “Someone you used to like, or me?”
“Go back.” Zong Xian’s tone instantly turned icy, loosening his fingers from Gui Wen’s collar.
Unable to persuade him, Gui Wen had to return to the classroom to finish his half-completed artwork. Before doing so, he used the paper tissues Zong Xian had given him to wipe the hot sweat from his forehead. A nearby classmate came over to gossip, asking about his relationship with the man downstairs.
“He is my older brother,” Gui Wen answered with composed poise. “He happened to pass by and came to check on me.”
The classmate did not think much of it, simply marveling at how good their brotherly bond was.
Landing the final brushstroke, Gui Wen packed his painting tools, washed the paint off his hands, and left the classroom with his backpack. Just as he stepped out the door, his phone vibrated in his pocket, indicating an incoming message.
Pulling it out, he discovered it was from Zong Xian, who hadn’t contacted him in over a month: [The car is parked. Waiting for you across the school gate.]
[There is business.]
Zong Xian’s car was indeed parked in the old spot as the message stated. Gui Wen opened the rear door and saw Zong Xian sitting on the opposite side in a black suit, his appearance clearly groomed with care, as if he were attending an important occasion.
“What is the business?” Gui Wen asked instinctively, looking at the person sitting in the back seat.
“Get in the car first.” The driver started the vehicle, turning at the intersection into another street. Gui Wen didn’t pay attention at first, his gaze drifting indifferently out the window until he noticed the unfamiliar street views rarely seen on his usual routes. He snapped back to attention and focused on Zong Xian, realizing the other person had a navigation app running, clearly heading toward an unfamiliar destination. “Aren’t we returning to the villa?”
“Tonight, I need you.”
Zong Xian finally parked the car near an upscale shopping mall. Gui Wen followed him out and stepped into a branded apparel store inside the mall. “Choose a suit you like.”
“Is the occasion this formal?” Gui Wen nervously pinched his fingers.
“A charity auction, and you are my date.” Zong Xian didn’t spare Gui Wen half a glance. “Instead of bringing other scions or young ladies from prominent families, I might as well bring you, my nominal younger brother, to spare others from idle gossip.”
Zong Xian motioned for Gui Wen to pick something from the racks. Gui Wen didn’t have much objection to being used as a tool, but attending such an upper-class banquet for the first time made him understandably nervous. Taking advantage of Zong Xian’s inattention, he quietly took a few deep breaths to relax.
Gui Wen seriously examined every suit in the store. The price tags displayed amounts far beyond what he could afford in reality, and even though he knew Zong Xian was rolling in wealth, he somehow hesitated to splurge. Besides, Gui Wen couldn’t tell the difference in quality between the suits, delaying his decision.
Sensing Gui Wen’s hesitation, Zong Xian walked over and pulled a black suit from the rack. “Try this?”
Gui Wen took the suit from Zong Xian and entered the fitting room. Once changed, he stood in front of the full-length mirror, and Zong Xian materialized behind him: “Suits you.”
“Let’s go with this set, it’s quite nice.” For some reason, although black suits were common, Gui Wen felt that his outfit looked unusually similar to Zong Xian’s.
Zong Xian paid at the counter, and Gui Wen walked out of the store wearing the newly bought suit, returning to the back seat of the car. Just like on the way there, Zong Xian sat on the far side while Gui Wen leaned against the opposite window, leaving a seat empty between them.
Every inch Gui Wen leaned closer, Zong Xian moved another inch toward the window, dodging him as if repelling evil spirits.
Gui Wen couldn’t be bothered to make a fool of himself and simply amused himself with his phone.
The car navigation restarted, finally arriving at the charity auction venue. After the driver parked, Gui Wen followed Zong Xian into the hall. The moment they reached the entrance, the system in his mind chimed: [Host has triggered a new mission: Meet the protagonist and tie the romantic knot.]
The original novel’s protagonist shou made his debut at this auction.
The protagonist shou was burdened with massive, unpayable debt, eventually being sent by his creditors to this elite auction to become one of the lots.
In the original text, the Zong family held significant prestige. As a VIP among VIPs, Zong Xian’s suit was accidentally splashed with red wine by one of the fighting parties in the hall, prompting the staff to invite him to the backstage to provide a brand new emergency suit. It was precisely then that Zong Xian caught a fleeting glimpse of the protagonist shou backstage, falling in love at first sight, and ultimately outbidding everyone at the charity gala to keep the protagonist shou by his side.
In reality, the protagonist shou’s true identity was the legitimate young master of a wealthy family. After being found by his relatives and reclaiming his status, he married Zong Xian, forming a well-matched and perfect couple.
Everything unfolded as described in the original work. At the banquet, a business figure entered with his female companion, only to be ambushed by his model girlfriend who happened to be seeing him. Thus, a dramatic scene ensued: in a fit of rage, the model grabbed a glass of red wine from a table and hurled it toward the businessman, who dodged out of the way. Consequently, Zong Xian, who happened to be passing by, took the hit.
Gui Wen, who had narrowly escaped disaster right beside him, suppressed a laugh.
The staff reacted swiftly, stabilizing the situation and inviting Zong Xian backstage to change into a temporary emergency suit.
“Follow me.” Zong Xian turned back and signaled with his eyes.
“Me?” Gui Wen pointed at his own spotless suit. “Do I need to come too?”
“Don’t go stirring up trouble or meeting people you shouldn’t when I’m not around.” Zong Xian spoke in a near-warning tone. Fearing the other would bring up his adoptive mother to pressure him, Gui Wen obediently followed along.
Staff members led Zong Xian backstage, and Gui Wen was forced to walk alongside him as an accompaniment.
The system thoughtfully marked the location of the room where the protagonist shou was kept, and Gui Wen spotted a red dot glowing outside a certain door.
He watched with his own eyes as the staff member followed the original plot. Due to a momentary lapse in judgment, he pushed open the door to the room where the mission target was located.
Behind the ajar door sat a young man on the bed, his hands bound and a necklace with a birdcage pendant hanging around his neck.
Noticing someone, the youth’s gaze instinctively locked onto the doorway. “Who are you?”
The staff member hurriedly closed the door, bowing apologetically to Zong Xian. “My apologies, it must be the room across. It was my oversight.”
Zong Xian didn’t pay much mind to the slip-up, and Gui Wen silently observed his expression, finding no hint of interest in the protagonist shou. But Gui Wen didn’t dwell on it. After all, Zong Xian rarely wore his emotions on his sleeve most of the time, so failing to spot any clues was normal.
Zong Xian quickly changed into his spare attire and walked out of the room. The staff led the two back to the venue, where the charity auction officially commenced. Zong Xian brought Gui Wen to sit at designated seats. Gui Wen had an excellent view here, giving him a clear look at the entire auction stage.
Gui Wen’s attention was inevitably drawn to the items on display, though he couldn’t make head or tail of the jewelry, antiques, or calligraphy, simply appreciating them for their exterior beauty.
Zong Xian never touched the bidding paddle on the table, appearing completely uninterested in anything.
It wasn’t until an exquisitely crafted silver birdcage appeared on the stage that Gui Wen recognized it instantly. It was identical to the birdcage pendant on the protagonist shou’s necklace that he had seen backstage earlier.
His gaze immediately snapped to Zong Xian, who still maintained a detached expression, the bidding paddle resting coldly on the table. Unable to bear it any longer, Gui Wen lowered his voice and asked Zong Xian, “Not interested?”
“No.” Zong Xian answered concisely.
Gui Wen watched helplessly as the surrounding elite socialites and tycoons raised their paddles to bid, becoming increasingly restless for no apparent reason. Unable to hold back, he grabbed the bidding paddle from the table in front of Zong Xian and raised it.
Almost at the exact moment of his action, Zong Xian pinned down the hand with which he attempted to continue bidding: “This is not an ordinary auction item.”
“I know, it is very important to me, and I have to win it.” Gui Wen tried to break free from Zong Xian’s restraint.
Instead, Zong Xian gripped his hand tighter, his voice dropping an octave with heavy emphasis: “Very important?”
“Yes, and I’ll use my own money, so stop trying to stop me.” Gui Wen began pulling out various banking apps on his phone to check whether the combined balances of all his cards were enough to complete the purchase.
Zong Xian stopped Gui Wen from checking his funds and snatched the bidding paddle right out of his hand.