The discomfort made Gu Qichi gasp.
The man on the floor was fast asleep, not even waking up, which saved Gu Qichi a lot of trouble.
Clothes were scattered all the way from the doorway to the bed, a chaotic mess. Gu Qichi pursed his lips into a straight line and frowned at the man’s ripped shirt.
“You bastard,” he muttered.
After rummaging through the floor, he finally found Bo Yu’s intact clothes. Gu Qichi quickly put them on, then pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and placed it on the bedside table.
The meaning was clear. They were all adults. After last night, they would leave each other alone.
Having done all this, he picked up his forgotten phone from the carpet, dusted himself off, and left. He hadn’t considered the man’s reaction upon waking, nor cared whether he had clothes to wear.
He had ignored it all night, and the moment he turned on his phone, countless bright red missed calls appeared. Most of them were from Gu’s father.
Out of sight, out of mind, Gu Qichi swiped and deleted them, then called a car to the hotel. As soon as he got into the car and his butt touched the cushion, he frowned sharply, trying to find the most comfortable position.
“Just get to Tianjiao Apartment.”
Gu Qichi didn’t live at the Gu family home. The warmth and harmony of the four Gu family members clashed with his own, so he rented a small apartment near his company to live alone. This suited their wishes perfectly.
He had been filming on set these past few days and hadn’t been home in a long time. As soon as he entered, before he even turned on the lights, something soft silently wrapped around his trouser leg.
The silver tabby’s sweet meows echoed in the small room. Her nails scratched at his trouser leg.
Gu Qichi bent down, scooped her into his arms, and turned on the light. The apartment was fairly clean; he had hired a housekeeper to come regularly to feed the cat and clean.
“Meow~” The silver tabby rubbed against him, her silvery-white fur flying everywhere.
Gu Qichi pinched the soft spot on her chin. “A-Ci, you’ve gotten quite fat while I was gone.”
The silver tabby seemed to understand him; her ears drooped and she let out a soft meow.
A-Ci was an abandoned cat, thrown out after a young couple broke up. Only a few months old, she was forced to wander the streets until Gu Qichi rescued her from a film set.
Back then, she wasn’t as soft and adorable as she is now. She was filthy, her fur tangled and matted, so thin she was practically skin and bones. Abandoned, A-Ci was very wary and unfriendly to humans.
But she was different with Gu Qichi.
The young man was bent over, his clean white shirt tucked into his trousers, making his waist look extremely narrow. His pupils were amber-gold, and when he smiled, his eyes crinkled, bathing him in light, making him appear warm and gentle.
The moment A-Ci saw him, she stared expectantly, waddling after him with her short legs, her long, soft meows echoing behind her, yearning for him to turn around and take her home.
But Gu Qichi never turned around — until one rainy day. A dirty little kitten, soaked to the bone, its lake-blue eyes misting over, huddled shivering under the film crew’s trailer. If Gu Qichi hadn’t spotted her and pulled her out, she might have perished under the wheels of a car.
That day, the silver tabby who liked to stage accidents with Gu Qichi finally had a home and a name. She was no longer a stray, nor would she be abandoned again.
The overhead light was blinding. Gu Qichi placed her on the ground, his voice betraying his weariness: “Go play by yourself for a while, okay?”
A-Ci rubbed against his palm and obediently squatted beside him.
The phone, which had been silent, rang again, buzzing incessantly. Gu Qichi sank into the soft bed, expressionless, but still answered.
Gu’s father’s anger seemed to travel like an electric current: “Gu Qichi, where were you fooling around again last night? Xiao Ning said you…”
A dull pain shot through his chest. Gu Qichi closed his eyes, his voice hoarse: “I’m in the apartment. I didn’t go anywhere. You can come and see for yourself if you don’t believe me. Dad, are you satisfied now?”
Gu’s father’s emotions calmed slightly, but he remained aggressive: “Why don’t you come home? Why insist on living in this shabby apartment?”
Even after experiencing so much hurt, the original owner still longed for his father’s love. Gu Qichi knew these were emotions left behind by the original body — he was heartbroken.
Unfortunately, Gu Chengtian didn’t know this body had been inhabited by a different soul. “Gu Qichi” would be heartbroken, but he wouldn’t.
“Dad, if you really care about me, you could ask me what happened, instead of accusing me without investigating after Gu Yuning said I was fooling around.”
He hung up decisively, then buried his head in the pillow. He was too tired. The endless repetition had exhausted him, and last night’s frenzy had drained all his energy.
In the silent darkness, the young man’s soft hair and shallow breathing indicated he was sleeping soundly.
Unfortunately, his dream wasn’t good. He seemed to have returned to his old days, repeatedly walking the paths “Gu Qichi” had walked — like a soul trapped inside a doll, unable to cry out. Tears silently slid down his cheeks.
A-Ci tiptoed into his bed, her large eyes filled with questions. She licked away Gu Qichi’s tears, lay down beside him, and secretly resolved to skip two cans of cat food today.
When he woke up again, apart from the soreness in his lower back and thighs, the fatigue and gloom were gone.
The bathroom light was dim, steamy. White mist condensed into droplets on the mirror, which Gu Qichi wiped away. There was a cat paw print left by A-Ci on his left cheek, which looked rather comical.
But as his gaze moved downwards, things became intriguing. He sighed, his fingertips touching the reddened skin.
…That guy last night must be a dog…
The alarm clock rang; his agent, Wen Xi, called as scheduled. Ms. Wen was decisive and efficient, her voice quick and forceful: “Gu Qichi, wait for me downstairs in two hours.”
“Okay.”
He briefly recalled what was supposed to happen: Gu Yuning would bring Gu Chengtian to the hotel, see him disheveled and alone in a room with a strange man, slap him, and insult him as immoral and shameless. Before Gu Qichi could explain, Gu Chengtian would kick him out, almost severing their father-son relationship, and break his left arm with a golf club. He would miss today’s audition.
It was a film by up-and-coming director Lin Shuangyi. The male lead, Gu Yuning, became an overnight sensation after this film. Only Gu Qichi, because he missed the audition, was reprimanded by Wen Xi and spent over three months recovering.
Now that he thought about it, Gu Yuning was probably terrified of him going to the audition; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to frame him.
Gu Qichi’s long, slender, pale fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the sink. A smile played on his lips as he used concealer to cover the marks on his neck. His high-necked shirt concealed his figure, revealing only his narrow waist and long legs.
When Wen Xi arrived, Gu Qichi was waiting under a streetlamp. His oversized shirt billowed in the wind, outlining his slender frame.
As soon as he got into the car, Wen Xi glanced at him, noticing his good mood. “Why are you so enthusiastic today?”
Although Gu Qichi was handsome in the past, he always seemed to lack vitality — gloomy, like withered moss.
Today was different. For the first time, Wen Xi sensed happiness emanating from him.
Gu Qichi leaned back casually in the van. “I was just thinking about something interesting. Wen Xi, are you still holding the script? I want to see the third male lead’s copy.”
Wen Xi handed him the script. “You’re in good spirits today, keep it up. Smile more; your smile is much better than those heavily edited top stars.”
She was absolutely right. Gu Qichi was the most handsome person she had ever seen — red lips, white teeth, upturned clear eyes, like someone who had stepped out of a painting. Otherwise, Wen Xi wouldn’t have pestered him for half a year to sign.
Unfortunately, his constitution was somewhat mystical. Instead of becoming a sensation, he attracted countless haters. Words like “plastic surgery face” and “pretentious” were constantly used to describe him.
Wen Xi thought carefully, “Is your schedule too packed lately? Should I give you a break?”
“No need, Sister Wen. I just want to focus on filming right now. I really like the role of the third male lead. I’ll probably be quite busy from now on. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”
The van sped along, and upon arriving at their destination, Gu Qichi had already mentally reviewed the plot of Shen Qingye, the third male lead, and felt confident.
However, he hadn’t expected that the first person he saw upon getting out of the car wouldn’t be Lin Shuangyi, but Gu Yuning.
The other was clearly taken aback, his smile froze, but quickly returned to normal. He sported bright golden hair and ran up with a well-behaved demeanor.
“Brother, what brings you here?”
To anyone watching, it seemed like a scene of loving intimacy.
Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, a faint shadow falling across his long eyelashes. His gaze was light, yet icy. He leaned closer to Gu Yuning, his voice soft:
“Next time, make your act more convincing, Gu Yuning. You’re disgusting. Idiot, good luck.”