Gu Yu had always known about events like this. He had no reason to judge other people’s tastes, but no one had ever dared to mention such things in front of him, much less invite him. So when he appeared at the party, the room fell completely silent.
There was surprise, shock, understanding, and even mockery, as if to say: even one with the reputation of a gentleman cannot escape the baser instincts of men.
This was a small gathering, with no more than twenty people. Each guest was a regular on magazine covers, and there were also well-known “devoted husbands” among the businessmen present.
The attendees were all societal elites, and when they came to socialize with Gu Yu, their conversation didn’t revolve around business deals like at ordinary banquets. Three out of every three sentences hinted at male privacy and desire, and their tone carried the arrogance of experienced hands testing a newcomer.
Gu Yu’s brows and eyes were like snow resting on a cedar mountain, cold, shallow, and utterly calm, as still as an ancient well.
Previously, they would have seen him as a “high mountain flower.” Now, appearing here, they couldn’t help but label him as “putting on a show.”
Who here didn’t have their own niche tastes? Standing here meant he was no different from them. Why pretend?
Gu Yu remained unmoved like a mountain, effortlessly deflecting all subtle or blatant tests aimed at him.
The air was thick with fragrant scents that made some guests feel dizzy.
Soon, women dressed as scantily-clad bunny girls entered. With a few elegant, perfunctory lines, they easily livened the atmosphere. The dim, suggestive lighting combined with provocative language gradually coaxed the socially proper elites to reveal the deepest parts of their desires.
Before long, a dozen or so young men and women with elaborate makeup and revealing outfits entered through a side door in single file. They laid out food and drinks for the guests, while a large screen at the front of the rectangular dining table was drawn aside. Two performers stood on stage entertaining the crowd.
Gu Yu lowered his eyes. He didn’t watch the performance, nor did he touch the food.
“Why isn’t Gu Yu moving? Doesn’t like the taste?” the organizer asked anxiously, stepping forward. Even those somewhat familiar with the circle had heard of Gu Yu’s reputation. They knew him as a man of strict self-discipline: his company and home routines were meticulous, he attended only formal banquets, and for private entertainment, he only socialized with the heirs of the Xu and Zhou families.
They had assumed that at his core, he was truly like a cedar: pure, aloof, and refined. Yet here he was.
Indeed, even the most elegant and refined gentlemen cannot escape the baser nature of men.
Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, wiped his hands with a clean silk scarf, and, with a faint smile that somehow commanded respect, said, “I’m going to the restroom.”
The organizer’s heart skipped a beat but dared not refuse. He quickly had a servant waiting by the wall lead the way. As the servant turned, the outfit was surprisingly cut out, revealing large swathes of skin.
Once Gu Yu left, the organizer immediately sought out Manager Wu to inquire about Gu Yu’s preferences.
Manager Wu’s main task today was also to keep Gu Yu at the party, and he had been paying close attention. He ruffled what little hair he had left and muttered, “Do you think Gu Yu suspects these people aren’t clean?”
The organizer rubbed his left palm with his right hand. “Makes sense! Someone like him would definitely have that concern. Hey, I just happen to have a few clean new ones today! When Gu Yu comes back, I’ll let him take a look.”
About half an hour later, Jiang Yumo felt the car jerk, then the engine cut off and the vehicle stopped. Almost immediately, the car door opened, and he was hoisted over someone’s shoulder, head down.
Jiang Yumo dutifully played the role of someone who had been knocked out, hearing the faint, scattered sound of footsteps.
The system suddenly panicked: 【Oh my god! Why is the male lead’s sister… wait, host, the reason you just sent the location is because you wanted to—】
Jiang Yumo gave an innocent look. “What are you talking about?”
The system covered its mouth, already feeling pity for Gu Youyou.
It watched helplessly as the suited man walked toward the pillar where Gu Youyou was hiding, easily knocking her out and hoisting her over his shoulder as she fumbled with her phone, probably trying to call for help.
“Who’s this? Skinny, dark, and scraggly, why are you grabbing her?” asked the man in the leather jacket.
Suit-wearing man said, “She saw us and tried to call the police. You want to just let her go?”
Leather-jacketed man: “No way. Looks like this, nobody would want her anyway. She’s just unlucky.”
Meanwhile, Gu Yu entered the restroom. He locked the outermost door behind him, turned on the golden faucet, washed his hands thoroughly, then dried them with a paper towel.
He took out his phone and checked Jiang Yumo’s schedule for the day.
Much like the past few days, he had performed a number of good deeds, big and small. The boy in the footage smiled brightly and warmly, showing not a hint of reluctance.
Gu Yu often woke in the middle of the night, wondering if everything from his previous life had been a dream, or if his own rebirth had caused a butterfly effect, because after he was reborn, the trajectory of this life had completely changed.
If the Jiang Yumo of his past life was a venomous demon in the underworld, the Jiang Yumo of now was a crystal-clear spring, exuding a faint white glow all around him.
Gu Yu’s veins throbbed, and the pain made him instinctively press his palm to his forehead.
The bodies crushed and shredded under a car, a friend drowned drunk in a bathtub, Youyou driven to suicide by depression…
Gu Yu narrowed his eyes.
Jiang Yumo was like a rotten apple, smooth and beautiful on the outside, but blackened and moldy at the core. Anyone else might have a chance at reform, but him? Absolutely, absolutely impossible.
Gu Yu repeated this in his mind. It wasn’t so much stating a fact as it was constantly convincing himself: Jiang Yumo was as vicious as in the previous life. He mustn’t waver just because of what he saw after rebirth.
Gu Yu noticed that Jiang Yumo had gotten into the silver sedan, but when he got out at the other end, someone carried him off the car.
Head bodyguard: “Boss, should we call the police?”
Gu Yu narrowed his eyes and lightly tapped the side of his phone with his finger. No one could tell what he was thinking; he simply watched quietly without giving any instructions.
Outside, the attendant had already started knocking on the door. After a few knocks, the door opened, and the attendant tried to display his best smile, the one he had practiced in front of the mirror, while lightly touching the chest of the man’s navy suit. His smile was charming, his voice winding in eighteen turns: “Mr. Gu, I…”
Gu Yu misstepped, causing the attendant’s hand to miss. The attendant froze. Gu Yu curved his lips slightly, nodded subtly, and walked back without a word. The moment he turned, the smile vanished, and he flicked the area the attendant had tried to touch twice with his hand.
Returning to the banquet hall, as soon as he entered, the organizer hurried forward with a sly grin. “Mr. Gu, I understand your concerns. Don’t worry, I have brand-new arrivals here! Guaranteed clean!”
Gu Yu’s eyes briefly scanned the floor. Anyone who knew him a little would recognize this as a sign of impatience. He glanced around at the increasingly unsightly scene and said, “Right here?”
The organizer hurriedly replied, “Of course not! Please follow me.”
They left the banquet hall. The corridor was covered in a thick red carpet.
The space felt a bit like a duplex. After walking along a circular corridor, they climbed a short flight of steps to the upper floor. Just ahead and to the side, two men emerged from an elevator, one in a leather jacket, one in a suit, each carrying a person on their shoulders. Both the figures and their clothing were extremely familiar.
Gu Yu: “…”
Sensing the pause in footsteps, the organizer looked over. “Oh, those are people the big boss wants.”
The organizer seemed to realize something from Gu Yu’s calm yet unwavering gaze. He thought to himself: Gu Yu actually liked this type, young, but flat all over. What’s so interesting about that?
It wasn’t the organizer’s preference, but he had received instructions from the big boss to please Gu Yu. After settling Gu Yu, he went to consult the big boss.
If it had been someone requested by other guests, the organizer could have coordinated on his own. But when it came to the big boss’s people, he had to get approval first.
Gu Yu was in the lounge. Just a glance was enough for him to spot at least three pinhole cameras.
He pretended not to see them, instead resting his fingers on the arm of the sofa and closing his eyes to relax.
When the organizer reached the big boss’s room, the man in the leather jacket and the man in the suit were handing a phone to the programmer on the sofa wearing glasses. The programmer immediately began working to hack the device.
On the shaking bed, the sounds of a man’s heavy breathing mixed with a woman’s pained pleas could be heard.
Hearing the organizer’s question, Qian Sheng got off the bed and swaggered over to the sofa, pouring himself a drink. “Anyway, Jiang Yumo’s useless. Gu Yu spotting him? He’s just lucky.”
Qian Xin lifted his head from the bed, annoyed, shouting, “Brother! I already figured out how to teach him a lesson!!”
Qian Sheng said, “If you get involved with Gu Yu, there’ll be ten Jiang Yumos for you. If you mess this up, I’ll break your legs!”
Qian Xin had been fearless since childhood, but he feared Qian Sheng. No matter how much he resented it, he dared not say a word.
“I’ve finished my part. I’ll be going now.” The leather-jacketed man and the suited man were about to leave when the suited man suddenly remembered, “Oh, right. Just now in the underground garage, there was a woman who saw us, so we tied her up too.”
Qian Sheng waved his hand irritably. “Take her downstairs, see if anyone wants her. If not, just get rid of her.” He didn’t even ask who she was, there was no need. In A City, there were only a few players he couldn’t control, and how could any of their people randomly appear in the underground garage?
With clear instructions, the organizer immediately elevated Gu Yu’s importance to the maximum and, with a fawning smile, led him to another room in the VIP area.
The room’s walls were covered with an array of props, some smooth, some spiked. The bathtub and toilet were outdoors, completely exposed, with no barriers, and mirrored surfaces on the sides and opposite walls reflected everything in the room.
A young boy was hanging on the wall, arms outstretched. His eyes were blindfolded, his feet ten centimeters off the ground. His hair hung down with his head, revealing a long, pale nape.
“Hehehe,” the organizer rubbed his hands together, a lecherous grin on his face, “Take your time. I won’t bother you.”
【Holy crap! The male lead is here?!】
Hmm?
Jiang Yumo’s heart skipped a beat. He loosened his tightly clenched fists and, in an instant, completely changed his plan.