He did not know why he had snatched the cigarette from Gu Yulan’s mouth. Perhaps it was simply because he disliked Zhou Yichen’s slander. If Gu Yulan was not a good person, then he was not much of a saint either.
Taking a puff, Xie Yizhou did not taste much of anything. It was neither filling nor delicious; he did not understand why Gu Yulan liked smoking so much. However, the surrounding atmosphere, with the faint scent of tobacco mixed with a familiar minty aroma, did not seem so repulsive. Instead, it gave him a slight sense of peace.
Gu Yulan watched the man before him with sharp eyes. A trace of lingering hostility remained on his body, and he could not help but crack his knuckles, making a crisp sound. Back in the private box, he had only just finished warming up. Previously, he thought he would not have the chance to strike because the old man had stopped him. Since the target had delivered himself into his hands today, he would not be polite.
Zhou Yichen took a deep breath. His years of cultivation prevented his expression from changing on the spot. He glanced at the ill-tempered Gu Yulan before finally letting his gaze rest on the quiet boy. He said softly, “Since it is a misunderstanding, I will take my leave.”
Clashing with Gu Yulan now served no purpose. If Gu Yulan were to get hurt, it would only incite the boy’s pity. He was not so foolish as to invite trouble upon himself. Moreover, he did not want to ruin his persona in the boy’s eyes. There would be plenty of time in the future; he was in no hurry. After saying this, Zhou Yichen turned and walked away.
Xie Yizhou watched Zhou Yichen’s departing back with a cold, distant expression, lost in thought. Because this plot point had never appeared in the original text, he did not understand Zhou Yichen’s motive. Had he simply, out of the goodness of his heart, told him that Gu Yulan was a bad person?
0377: (Based on the male lead’s persona in the original plot, it is possible. Zhou Yichen relied on his refined and gentle temperament to win Su Jianyang’s favor. He is also very compassionate. In the original text, Zhou Yichen spent a lot of time taking care of a stray cat Su Jianyang picked up. Their relationship went through many ups and downs, and their bond deepened because of that stray cat. So, Zhou Yichen doing something like this is consistent with his character.)
Xie Yizhou’s eyes darkened slightly as he recalled the way Zhou Yichen had looked at him earlier. That feeling, it was like the gaze of a predator, making him feel vaguely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was just his imagination.
“Misunderstanding?”
Gu Yulan narrowed his eyes and could not help but sneer. He thought the man had some backbone, but he turned out to be a coward! He glanced sideways at the boy’s fair profile. The image of the boy biting the cigarette filter earlier involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Now that the cigarette was gone, he felt as if something was missing. He licked his dry lips; the aftereffect of that cigarette was quite strong.
Gu Yulan’s breathing became a bit erratic. Seeing the boy staring ahead in a daze, he frowned and directly took the still-burning cigarette from the boy’s mouth. He pinched the small section of the filter, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke toward the daydreaming boy.
“Snap out of it. The person is already far away. No matter how much you look, it is useless.”
Before Xie Yizhou could react, he was caught off guard and choked on the smoke. He coughed a few times, tears pricking the corners of his eyes from the irritation. He looked up at Gu Yulan with an accusing glare.
“I told you before not to smoke, yet you insist on going against me, do you?”
Gu Yulan felt a surge of frustration in his heart. He did not know what was making him so irritable. Perhaps he did not want the other to follow his bad habits. He smoked because he was addicted; it was a hard habit to break. When he felt troubled, he would have a few.
Looking at the boy’s watery eyes, his heart softened instantly. His tone also became gentler. “Is the cigarette good?”
Xie Yizhou shook his head honestly. Aside from being irritating, it had no flavor. He licked the corner of his mouth; there was not much tobacco taste left, only a lingering hint of mint. He took out his phone, typed a line of text, and handed it over.
Gu Yulan stubbed out the cigarette butt. Looking at the phone handed to him, he hesitated for a few seconds before taking it expressionlessly. He wanted to see what kind of “good words” the little mute had to say.
[He spoke ill of you. I do not like it.]
The moment Gu Yulan saw this line of text, his expression froze. His tightly knitted brows instantly relaxed, and the irritability in his heart dissipated unknowingly. He stared into the boy’s clear eyes and could not help but ask, “Is that so?”
Was it true or false?
It is true!
Xie Yizhou nodded seriously with an extremely firm expression. He would definitely not lose the hard-earned trust he had gained from Gu Yulan over such a small matter.
“You actually did not defect.”
“No wonder that idiot’s face was so ugly.”
“He is not a good person. If you meet him later, remember to run as far away as possible. Do you understand?”
Gu Yulan arched an eyebrow, a smile creeping into his eyes. The corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably. Xie Yizhou also smiled and nodded.
Looking at the boy’s bright eyes, Gu Yulan could not help but reach out and ruffle the soft black hair. With a slight smirk, he said, “If he bullies you, tell me.”
His previous care had not been in vain. Xie Yizhou felt the wanton hand on his head. Although he was not used to it, he did not push it away since he saw that Gu Yulan was happy. He allowed the other to “behave recklessly” on his head.
After Gu Yulan had ruffled enough, he let go with satisfaction and walked forward. “Let’s go.”
Xie Yizhou was left behind. He suddenly remembered that Gu Yulan seemed to have something of his that he had not returned yet, so he quickly chased after him. Just as he reached out his hand, Gu Yulan suddenly picked up his pace.
While he was surprised, he saw Gu Yulan turn around and say to him, “If you catch up to me, I will give it back to you.”
Xie Yizhou: …
In the blink of an eye, a long distance had opened up between them. Watching Gu Yulan run off, Xie Yizhou wondered if it was too late to “defect” now. This guy was truly wicked to the core! His eyes darkened, and he immediately gave chase.
As Gu Yulan ran, he opened his palm. It was a disaster; just as he had suspected earlier, the hearing aid had snapped into two pieces in his hand. He must have accidentally crushed it while squeezing his fist. He did not know if it could still be repaired.
Hearing the boy’s footsteps following behind him, his forehead began to sweat. However, even after Xie Yizhou caught up to the car, Gu Yulan did not return it. Instead, he drove to the hospital.
Xie Yizhou looked around curiously. Gu Yulan gave a light cough. “I will give you a surprise in a moment.”
A surprise?
Confused, Xie Yizhou was taken into the hospital for an examination. Before long, a new hearing aid was placed on his ear. The style and the clarity of the sound were both better than the old one.
But why did Gu Yulan bring him to buy a new one? He had a faint suspicion in his heart.
Seeing the boy’s surprised gaze, Gu Yulan felt a bit guilty and said, “I saw that your old one had been used for a long time, so I thought I would bring you to get a new one.”
See? How thoughtful of me.