Gu Wen recognized that it was indeed the painting he had torn. The repair marks were heavy, and at a glance, it was obvious it was not done by a professional. Any elementary school student could have used tape to stick the fragments together like this.
The difficulty lay in the fact that the fragments were too small, and piecing them together required a considerable amount of time.
The more Gu Wen looked at it, the more his heart felt itchy, as if someone were lightly stroking it with their fingertips.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped on Zong Xian’s chat window, thinking that this time he had to bite the bullet and say something unpleasant. “The painting can’t be repaired anymore. It’s worthless trash, so there’s no need to send it back to me.”
After a while, Zong Xian replied. “Oh.”
“Don’t you want it? Then I’ll buy it from you, and it will become valuable.”
Gu Wen’s heart felt as if it had been scratched once more.
Zong Xian added another sentence. “Don’t misunderstand. It’s just that it was rare for me to successfully repair a painting, and it would be a pity if the fruits of my labor were thrown away by you again.”
Gu Wen uncomfortably touched his ears and found that they were hot. “Forget it, I’ll give it to you. I left it downstairs.”
The system did not give any notification of a change in the aversion value, so why had Zong Xian suddenly become so gentle with him?
Gu Wen decided to unleash his ultimate move. When he and Zong Xian were sharing a car back to the company, he tugged directly at the other’s hem and complained about the school cafeteria, saying that the nearby takeout wasn’t delicious either.
Zong Xian was flipping through documents in his hands, but he didn’t ignore him. “I’ll have the chef prepare food and send it over at noon. You can let me know in advance if there’s anything specific you want to eat.”
Refusing to give up, Gu Wen went on to complain that his painting tools were no longer good to use and had become worn out from being used for too long.
“Buy new ones.” Zong Xian pulled out his phone and transferred a sum of money to him on the spot.
“Is it true that you’ll agree to whatever I say?” Gu Wen figured he was deploying his finishing blow. “Let me be your spouse, and I’ll have a share in the Zong family’s assets too.”
This time, Zong Xian showed no reaction whatsoever and didn’t reply at all.
“Can’t take a joke?” Gu Wen touchingly stroked the back of the other’s hand.
“Yan Guanbai, I’m only managing these trivial matters for you out of consideration for your parents,” Zong Xian said with a flat tone, though the hand that was being touched didn’t pull away. “Don’t push your luck.”
“Didn’t you tell me to show some real skill and make you like me? How can I do that without pushing my luck?” Gu Wen reached up and slipped his hand into the cuff of Zong Xian’s suit jacket.
“You’re still far from it.” Zong Xian allowed Gu Wen to grope around freely while his other hand calmly continued flipping through documents. “We’re here. Get out of the car.”
Stepping out of the car, Gu Wen felt somewhat relieved upon seeing that Zong Xian still maintained his cold and aloof attitude.
It seemed he didn’t need to overthink things.
As Gu Wen returned to his dormitory, he overheard his roommates gossiping about a certain young master Jiang from their same grade who was reportedly dropping out and preparing to go abroad.
It was better if he left. Even though the campus was huge, there was no telling when they might cross paths, so this would eliminate any future troubles, Gu Wen thought to himself while organizing his teaching materials.
He didn’t give the matter another thought, but his social media feed insisted on pushing related information right into his view.
Rumors circulated that the Jiang family had ruined their reputation domestically and was planning to try their luck developing overseas.
Gu Wen clicked “Not Interested.”
Putting his phone away, he grabbed his materials and headed to the professional lecture hall. When the class concluded, he went straight to the opposite side of the school gate as usual to board Zong Xian’s car.
“I’ll be away for a while.” Zong Xian was flipping through the documents in his hands. Gu Wen cast a casual glance at him. Recently, Zong Xian had constantly been working inside the car, appearing to have numerous matters to handle, whereas he usually wasn’t this busy.
“Where are you going?” Gu Wen naturally inquired.
“I’m taking a trip abroad and will be back in half a month,” Zong Xian answered without any intention of hiding it. “Handling some business issues.”
Gu Wen once again deployed his low-tactics skill. “Zong Xian-ge, aren’t you going to take me with you?”
“Don’t you have classes?” Zong Xian let out a light chuckle, seemingly finding Gu Wen’s proposal quite laughable.
“I can ask the school for a leave of absence,” Gu Wen said, practically pressing his entire body against Zong Xian. “If I don’t have classes, you’ll be able to bring me along.”
Zong Xian glanced at him sideways. “Nobody randomly drags a piece of baggage along when they’re negotiating business. You’re staying right here to study.”
“Then I won’t be baggage. I can go as your fiancé.” Gu Wen curved his lips into a playful smile.
“You always have a comeback for everything I say,” Zong Xian remarked as if completely out of options. “Let’s drop the subject. I’m not taking you with me, no matter what.”
“What should I do then? I won’t be able to see you for half a month.” Gu Wen inched even closer to Zong Xian.
Zong Xian’s demeanor remained icy cold. “That has nothing to do with me.”
“Zong Xian-ge.” Acting coquettishly, Gu Wen reached out to grasp Zong Xian’s hand, but this time, the other person ignored him entirely.
Just when he assumed the matter was closed, Gu Wen unexpectedly received a WeChat message from Zong Xian.
Zong Xian hadn’t specified the exact time of his departure, and Gu Wen hadn’t cared either, until he walked downstairs and noticed the absence of Zong Xian in the back seat, which finally made it click.
Before he even reached the campus, the phone in his pocket vibrated, and pulling it out revealed a red notification dot on WeChat.
True to form, it was a message from Zong Xian, beginning with a string of numbers. “This is my overseas phone number. I don’t check WeChat when I’m busy, so don’t call unless it’s an emergency.”
“If everything goes smoothly, I’ll return a week early.” Attached was his location data, narrowed down only to the city level.
“Don’t follow me over here, or I’ll have people haul you back immediately.”
Gu Wen let out an imperceptible sigh. Zong Xian had no obligation to report his itinerary to a nominal younger brother with whom he shared no closeness.
With the aversion value stuck at 35 percent, Gu Wen decided to stop pondering it altogether and simply treat Zong Xian’s absence as a personal vacation.
Yet the system chose that exact moment to pop up and ruin the mood. “I’m sorry, Host, but now is definitely not the time for a vacation.”
Gu Wen spoke mentally. “What?”
System 000 reported to him with utmost seriousness. “The mission target is transporting a batch of important cargo originating from the sea, and the target is currently aboard that very cargo ship.”
“The Host has unlocked a new mission. Rescue the target and break the world.”
Gu Wen failed to grasp the significance until the system elaborated further.
“The mission target’s cargo ship has been tampered with. You must locate the target and get him off the ship before the countdown expires; otherwise, the target will perish, and the Host will fail to max out the aversion value, resulting in all tasks in this world ending with the lowest possible rating.”
Gu Wen’s heart felt as though it had been struck by a heavy blow.
The system projected a coordinate map into his mind, clearly displaying the cargo ship’s current position alongside a ticking three-hour countdown.
Coincidentally, his only scheduled class for the day was a massive lecture course, so Gu Wen simply skipped it and immediately instructed the driver to turn the car around.
Merely traveling from Gu Wen’s current location to the coastal area devoured nearly an hour of time.
The coordinate marker within the system continued moving relentlessly. Stranded on the shore, Gu Wen grew frantic with anxiety, not knowing what to do until System 000 informed him that the docked speedboat was available for unrestricted use, prompting him to leap aboard instantly.
Since Gu Wen had no idea how to pilot a speedboat, the system automatically engaged a buffering skill, allowing him to speed off furiously in the direction of Zong Xian’s location.
He almost suffocated from breathlessness at first, only managing to regain his composure thanks to the system’s comprehensive assistance.
After driving at full tilt for over an hour, Gu Wen finally caught sight of the cargo ship’s silhouette out on the open sea. He hurriedly whipped out his phone and dialed Zong Xian’s number, which was picked up almost immediately. “Speak.”
“There’s something wrong with the cargo ship. You need to get off that vessel right now,” Gu Wen said, his voice tightening uncontrollably. “Believe me.”
“What is going on?” Zong Xian clearly failed to comprehend the situation.
Unable to explain the system’s warning, Gu Wen blurted out. “Don’t ask about that right now. My speedboat is right near your cargo ship, so hurry up and get onto my boat.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
“Believe me, don’t hesitate, there’s no time left, I’m begging you to believe me.” Gu Wen’s tone bordered on desperate pleading.
“Fine,” Zong Xian finally yielded an affirmative response. “Tell me your exact coordinates.”
Standing up on the pitching speedboat, Gu Wen managed to spot Zong Xian’s figure on the cargo ship. “Turn around, you’ll see me the moment you turn around.”
Zong Xian moved rapidly across the deck toward his direction and threw down a rope without a second thought, prompting Gu Wen to bring the boat closer to the hull.
“Careful.” As Zong Xian descended to the final step, Gu Wen reached out to steady him. “Is anyone else up there?”
“I’m the only person on this cargo ship.”
Gu Wen immediately prepared to steer the speedboat away from the area, but before he could even re-engage the engine, the system’s voice resounded abruptly in his mind. “Host, abandon the speedboat immediately.”
Gu Wen reacted internally. “What?”
Gu Wen’s face turned ashen. Aside from the rigged cargo ship, their surroundings consisted of boundless, open ocean; where else could he and Zong Xian possibly go?
“Yan Guanbai.”
Before Gu Wen could seek a way out, Zong Xian suddenly gripped his wrist tightly.
“Can you swim?”
Comprehending Zong Xian’s intention instantly, Gu Wen nodded.
Without a spare second to ponder how Zong Xian also knew the speedboat was unsafe, he plunged into the sea alongside him, guided by the other man to swim toward a specific direction.
Before long, a violent splash erupted across the surface of the water, the disturbance so massive it nearly startled Gu Wen out of his wits.
Both the cargo ship and the speedboat had detonated one after another.
Submerged up to his chest in seawater, Zong Xian noticed Gu Wen staring in a daze and patted his shoulder. “Don’t look back.”
After a prolonged interval, a rescue boat finally sailed over to pick them up, hauling both Zong Xian and Gu Wen aboard without exchanging a single word of greeting.
Evidently, Zong Xian had made prior arrangements in advance.
Instead of returning to the dock, the boat stopped near a secluded island. Retrieving an emergency supply kit from storage, Zong Xian handed a set of clean clothes along with a dry towel to Gu Wen. “Change into these.”
Watching Zong Xian rifle through the bag’s contents and realizing there was only a single set of clothing available, Gu Wen asked. “What about you?”
“Don’t worry about me. Someone will bring supplies later.” Zong Xian stripped off his soaked upper garments, instantly revealing his impeccably sculpted physique to Gu Wen’s gaze.
Averting his eyes quickly, Gu Wen hurried to change into the garments, though Zong Xian’s clothes hung slightly oversized on his frame.
He harbored a myriad of questions, such as how Zong Xian knew the vessel was compromised and why he hadn’t turned back earlier, but the words that slipped out of his mouth first were. “Aren’t you uncomfortable? You’ll fall sick like this.”
“I won’t.” Zong Xian seemed inclined to touch him, but realizing he was still drenched, he withdrew his hand instead.
Taking the initiative, Gu Wen used the dry towel he had just used to dab at Zong Xian. “I’m sorry, I already used it, but you’ll feel a bit better once you’re wiped down.”
He had barely grasped Zong Xian’s palm to dry it when the other man gripped his hand back in return.
“You should explain first why you came looking for me.”