So, was this his lesson? He had nearly cost himself his life.
Xie Yizhou glanced at the young man who had already climbed onto the shore. He raised his hand to put his hearing aid back in his ear and stepped over the water stains ahead, walking toward the bank.
Gu Yulan had a dark expression on his face. As he opened the car door, he casually stripped off his soaked clothes; the sticky, clammy sensation made him extremely uncomfortable.
As he pulled the door open, he looked sideways at the boy who had reached the shore. A trace of irritability rose between his brows, and he shouted urgently, “Hurry up! Are you trying to freeze me to death?”
Xie Yizhou heard a faint sound through the wind. Perhaps because he was too far away, he could not clearly make out what the other man was saying.
It was not until he got closer that he noticed Gu Yulan had already taken off his clothes at some point. He was bare-chested, his hair messy and dripping with water. Cool droplets rolled down his collarbone, across his sturdy chest, and over his abdominal muscles before disappearing into his dark jeans.
The lines of his muscles were robust without being exaggerated; every inch was filled with a sense of powerful beauty.
“Have you seen enough?”
A low, eerie voice drifted down from above.
Xie Yizhou was slightly stunned and retracted his gaze. He looked up only to see Gu Yulan’s blackened face, then he nodded somewhat hesitantly.
He actually had the nerve to admit it. Gu Yulan’s expression instantly darkened further.
However, when his gaze swept over the boy’s sharp chin and landed on his body, he suddenly paused. The wet cotton fabric clung tightly to the boy’s skin. His collarbones protruded, and his ribs were clearly visible, rising and falling with his breath like a thin, weak little animal.
The sarcastic words he intended to say instantly got stuck in his throat. Forget it; he did not intend to bicker over such small matters. After all, the boy was probably just envious. Looking at that frail frame, he was even a bit curious where the boy found the strength to drag him out of the sea.
He met those clear eyes, his throat bobbing as he said dryly, “If you eat more, you will be like me in the future.”
“Do not just stand there. Get in the car.”
Soon, Xie Yizhou was hurried into the vehicle.
“If you are uncomfortable, take your clothes off. I have turned on the air conditioning.”
Hearing the voice beside him and feeling the rush of warm air, Xie Yizhou could not help but place his hand over the vent. Feeling the warm wind pass through his fingertips, he let out a faint smile and then took off his soaking wet clothes.
Gu Yulan’s eyes caught the smile at the corner of the boy’s mouth. He could not help but find it amusing.
“Silly goose.”
He thought about how the boy had actually jumped into the sea for the sake of a broken hearing aid. That behavior was indeed quite foolish.
Hearing the voice, Xie Yizhou looked over curiously. His eyes, with their distinct black and white, were incredibly clear.
Gu Yulan had been caught red-handed speaking ill of someone behind their back. His smile instantly vanished, and he said solemnly, “I said you are too thin, like a rack of ribs. I am telling you to eat more.”
Hearing this, Xie Yizhou nodded seriously. To him, eating more was considered a pretty good blessing. Seeing the boy’s serious expression, Gu Yulan tried hard to press down the corners of his mouth, fearing he might accidentally burst into laughter.
0377: (It wondered if it should tell the host the truth.)
Forget it; better to avoid unnecessary trouble. 0377, having witnessed everything, chose to remain silent.
Not long after, the two returned to the Gu residence, where the family doctor was already waiting. The butler watched in surprise as the two got out of the car, both bare-chested. The scene was indeed quite startling.
Gu Yulan’s expression remained unchanged. “We went for a swim in the sea today. Uncle Zhang, please prepare two sets of clothes for us.”
The butler immediately went to get the clothes.
After Xie Yizhou showered and changed into clean clothes, he went to the living room and saw Gu Yulan beckoning him over. As he approached, he heard the conversation between Gu Yulan and the doctor.
“When does a person’s strength suddenly increase?”
Doctor: “It is hard to say; there are many reasons. It could be when encountering danger or during moments of tension and excitement. The secretion of adrenaline in the body can trigger an explosion of incredible strength.”
Gu Yulan’s gaze fell on the boy, sizing him up from top to bottom. It seemed he was finding a suitable explanation for the monstrous strength the boy possessed. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the back of the boy’s hand.
On the originally cold, white skin, there was a startling patch of red. Compared to the normal skin tone nearby, it looked particularly frightening.
“What happened?”
Xie Yizhou looked down and was surprised to see a large red patch on the back of his hand. He shook his head, unsure of how it happened. His constitution was unique; even a slight bump would leave a noticeable mark. Furthermore, his pain nerves were not very sensitive, and since it did not feel painful, he did not know when it occurred.
Gu Yulan suddenly remembered that earlier today at the company, the boy seemed to have used his hand to block a teacup that was meant for him. The cup had shattered on the ground, and the tea inside had been scalding hot. Perhaps he was burned then, and the trip to the sea afterward made the injury more severe.
“Does it hurt?”
Xie Yizhou shook his head, lowering his eyes. It truly did not hurt at all. Watching the boy shake his head, Gu Yulan became somewhat irritable.
“What kind of nonsense is that? How could it not hurt!”
If it got infected, it would be no small matter. Gu Yulan did not believe him at all. Seeing that the boy did not seem to care, he frowned slightly. He grabbed the boy’s wrist and pulled him over. “Take a look at this. Does he need to go to the hospital?”
Xie Yizhou suddenly felt the force on his wrist as he was pulled over. His hand was held; a dry, warm sensation radiated from that patch of skin. He looked sideways at the irritable young man. He felt that Gu Yulan did not seem as annoying now as he had before.
The doctor was also a bit surprised to see the large area of redness. However, after checking that the skin was not broken, he disinfected it, applied ointment, and performed a simple bandaging.
“If there is no fever today, it should not be a big problem and there is no need for the hospital. Just do not let it touch water for a while.”
Hearing the doctor say this, Gu Yulan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Did you hear the doctor’s orders?” he asked, looking at the boy. “Then take good care of your injury these next few days.”
He emphasized the instructions once more. Xie Yizhou nodded, indicating he had heard.
Thanks to the injury on his hand, he, who already had nothing much to do, now had absolutely nothing to do.
By the time everything was handled, it was already very late. Since they had returned so late, they ate dinner together. Tonight’s dinner was very lavish. Of course, it was not just this one meal; the food at the Gu family was always abundant.
Seeing so many dishes he had never tasted before, Xie Yizhou’s eyes instantly lit up, and he soon began eating happily. Seeing how heartily the other ate, and combined with the fact that his own physical energy had been depleted quickly today, Gu Yulan ate more than usual that evening.
Soon, his eyes widened as he saw the boy’s appetite. It was already the third bowl of rice. He was curious how that small frame could hold so much food. Was he a bottomless pit?
Xie Yizhou suddenly felt a gaze on him. He looked up in surprise and saw Gu Yulan staring straight at him. What was wrong?
Gu Yulan shook his head. “It is nothing. Keep eating. If it is not enough, I will have them make more.”
Looking at the table that had been cleared out, he even suspected the boy usually did not get enough to eat. Thinking of the boy’s frail build, he frowned. “I will have the butler prepare more food. You will dine with me from now on.”
Xie Yizhou was slightly stunned by these words. Because he had consumed too much energy today, he had eaten quite a bit. Realizing this, he gave a shy smile. He did not refuse Gu Yulan’s suggestion; after all, he was the one benefiting.
The next day.
Not long after Xie Yizhou woke up, he was roused by a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw an impatient Gu Yulan, who still seemed to have a trace of morning grumpiness about him.
“Get up. Come running with me.”
Running? When was this ever mentioned? Xie Yizhou looked on in surprise.
Gu Yulan looked at the boy’s thin arms and legs. With a stern face, he raised his eyelids and said, “Were you not envious of my good physique?”
Xie Yizhou looked shocked. He had never said such a thing.
“Hurry up. I do not have much patience to wait for you.”
Under Gu Yulan’s prodding, Xie Yizhou finally yielded. He quickly got dressed and started running behind the other man.
And so, it continued for several days.
During a meal, Gu Yulan suddenly noticed that the boy’s sharp chin seemed to have gained a bit of flesh. He nodded in satisfaction. Xie Yizhou keenly sensed the gaze that suddenly landed on him, and his eating movements paused.
He felt that Gu Yulan had been a bit strange these past few days. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment but could not figure out why, so he looked up in surprise.
Gu Yulan gave a light cough. “It is nothing. Keep eating. I have other things to attend to.”
Just then, his phone rang. He took the opportunity to go upstairs. During this period, he had been dealing with the person responsible for starting those rumors.
After finishing his meal, Xie Yizhou planned to go home once to pack some things. After returning home, he found a stack of books in his room, packed a few into his bag, and took some clothes for the change of seasons.
On the way back to the Gu residence, Xie Yizhou keenly sensed that something was wrong. He felt a faint, lingering gaze spying on him from behind. He suspected he was being followed. However, when he turned his head, he found nothing. Everything around him was normal.
0377: “Impossible. I specifically arranged this identity for you. In the original text, he only appeared once and has no complex social network.”
The interpersonal relationships of this body were very simple. Xie Yizhou suppressed the doubt in his heart and returned to the Gu family. Perhaps it really was just his imagination.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
In a skyscraper that reached into the clouds, a slender figure stood by the window. The polished glass reflected the man’s handsome face.
“After a period of investigation, we found the boy named Shen Shuyi. He is deaf and mute. During this time, he has been staying at the Gu residence and rarely goes out. Even when he does, he is almost always with Gu Yulan and has never come out alone. It was only this afternoon that he went to the outskirts by himself. He is very alert; we were almost discovered by him. Should we continue tracking him?”
Zhou Yichen tapped his fingertips on the desk and said in a deep voice, “Continue tracking. Tell me when he goes out, where he goes, who he meets; as long as it is something you can see, tell me everything that happens.”
“Good.”
A few days later, Gu Yulan received a call from an unknown number.
“Young Master Gu, it has been a long time since we have seen you. Why do you not come out and play? It happens to be my birthday today. Give me some face. Do not forget about that matter with Su Jianyang last time; I helped out a lot.”
These people were thugs from the area where Su Jianyang’s family lived. He had given them some money previously to keep them quiet for a while.
“We heard you have a newcomer by your side recently. Do you not plan to bring him out so the brothers can get to know him?”
Hearing this, Gu Yulan looked at the boy running not far away. He lowered his eyes, hiding a trace of coldness in them.
“Of course.”