The next morning, Xie Yizhou did not wake up until after dawn.
He had been busy all night. Perhaps because of his harmless appearance, he had managed to sell more than half of the ninety-nine roses. When the crowds finally thinned out, he sold the rest at a discount or gave them away, earning a total of 658 yuan.
He brought the remaining roses back home. His current savings totaled over 2,700 yuan, which made him feel much more affluent and allowed him to buy some food he had been craving. However, last night was a special case; he only earned that much because it was Valentine’s Day and luck was on his side.
A sudden text message brought Xie Yizhou back to his senses. He saw the sender was labeled “Uncle Zhang.” Uncle Zhang. The face of the butler instinctively appeared in his mind. He quickly opened the message and, upon seeing the content, raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Gu Yulan asked me to come back.”
0377 spun around happily in his mind.
[Host, hurry up and agree! Now that we have a stable meal ticket, who wants to go pick up that broken trash!]
It had not forgotten the small fortune he made the night before, even if it was not through picking up actual trash. Xie Yizhou shook his head helplessly at the cheers of 0377 and, urged by the system, quickly replied.
The butler told him he could come to work today. The salary was the same as before, and lunch was included. After breakfast, the butler drove over to pick him up, greeting Xie Yizhou with a kind smile.
“Are you wearing a hearing aid today?”
Xie Yizhou nodded.
The last time, the youth had forgotten his hearing aid at home, so the butler had not said much. This time, remembering the previous warnings of Gu Yulan, he felt it was necessary to reiterate the rules to the deaf-mute boy.
“There are some rules I must explain to you.”
Xie Yizhou tilted his head to listen, his expression extremely serious. Seeing such a focused look, the butler’s favorability toward him increased.
“First, the Young Master likes quiet; you are not to enter his room without permission. Second, the Young Master is a germaphobe; do not touch his things randomly. Third, do not lie; the Young Master dislikes being deceived. There are only a few people in the Gu family, mostly old folks, so you can be a bit more relaxed otherwise.”
Xie Yizhou nodded to show he understood.
“You do not need to do anything strenuous,” the butler added, worried about the health of the boy. “If you are free, you can help weed the rose garden.”
The garden of the villa was massive, filled with various plants and flowers. These were personally planted by the late Madam. The Young Master cherished them deeply and always arranged for people to maintain them.
Gu Yulan stood on the balcony, holding a glass of warm milk. He spotted the youth reappearing in the garden and could not help but marvel at the efficiency of the butler. To think he had brought him back so quickly.
Xie Yizhou began working diligently in the garden. Suddenly, 0377 whispered in his mind, [Host, Gu Yulan is watching you!]
He froze for a moment and turned around. Sure enough, he saw a slender figure on the balcony.
[You two have basically buried the hatchet. Hurry up and say hello!] 0377 said excitedly. [Build a good relationship so we can finish the mission faster!]
Xie Yizhou glanced at the floating 0377. To express his goodwill, he raised his hand and waved at the figure.
Gu Yulan had just been spaced out when he saw the deaf-mute youth waving enthusiastically at him from the garden. He nearly spat out his milk, doubling over in a fit of coughing.
Is the intuition of deaf people this sharp? Can he detect my position with a single glance?
Gu Yulan wiped the liquid from the corners of his mouth, his brow furrowing slightly. Faced with the warmth of the youth, he felt uncharacteristically awkward. He did not want the boy to think this meant he would not hold a grudge over what happened before.
The face of Gu Yulan suddenly went cold. He downed the rest of the milk, pretended he had seen nothing, and strode back into his room.
“Noisy!”
Seeing Gu Yulan leave, the hand of Xie Yizhou hung in the air for a second. It was strange. He slowly lowered it and bent back down to continue his work.
The rose bushes were full of thorns. Though he was careful, his skin was still scratched. It did not hurt, but each scratch left a thin red mark. By the time he finished, even Xie Yizhou was startled by his own appearance. He frowned; his skin was likely just too thin. It would probably fade in a few days.
Lunchtime arrived quickly. The Gu family had dedicated domestic help who prepared three meals a day. They had prepared a portion specifically for Xie Yizhou. After finishing his work, he went to the kitchen to collect his meal.
The tray held distinct, soft white rice, beautiful shrimp with asparagus, and plum-braised ribs that radiated a mouth-watering aroma. The smell immediately stirred the hunger in the stomach of Xie Yizhou, and he could not help but swallow hard.
Xie Yizhou took his tray to the artificial garden. It was quiet here, and currently, the hydrangeas were in full bloom. Large clusters of blue-purple and pink-purple flowers crowded the corners, looking adorable.
Surrounded by the scent of flowers and food, he could not wait to dig in. After the first bite, his body froze slightly, and his eyes lit up. He had never eaten anything this delicious!
Gu Yulan leaned against the balcony, his gaze falling on the transparent sunroom. The posture of the youth was upright, and his eating habits were not uncouth, yet watching him eat made the food seem incredibly “fragrant.” Seeing that look of pure satisfaction, Gu Yulan almost thought the boy was dining on some legendary delicacy.
Gu Yulan raised an eyebrow. Was lunch really that good today?
Driven by a hint of curiosity, Gu Yulan accidentally ate an extra bowl of rice. When the butler noticed, he was somewhat surprised and reminded him, “Young Master, your stomach ailment has not fully healed. The doctor suggests eating smaller, more frequent meals.”
Gu Yulan paused while drinking water, the tips of his ears hidden beneath his dark hair turning inexplicably hot. He set the glass down, gave a brief “Mhm,” and left the table with a stiff posture.
As he crossed the living room and looked through the window, he saw the youth in the garden again. He narrowed his eyes, watched for a few seconds, and then went upstairs with a cold expression.
Several days passed peacefully. Xie Yizhou was waiting for the next plot point to occur.
In the original story, Gu Yulan discovers that Su Jianyang was not actually in a relationship; that excuse was fabricated specifically to get rid of Gu Yulan. Enraged by this news, Gu Yulan went to A University to confront Su Jianyang.
When Su Jianyang saw Gu Yulan again, he felt a mix of surprise and guilt. He was terrified that Gu Yulan would find out he had slept with a stranger, and he feared the man would seek revenge out of spite. At the same time, he felt angry and aggrieved. It was only when he suffered malicious verbal abuse from the fans of Chen Yufei that he learned about the “new romance” of Gu Yulan.
He had not expected Gu Yulan to forget him so quickly and find a small-time star who looked somewhat like him. He concluded that rich young masters were never loyal; they only played with feelings before discarding people. He felt lucky he had stood his ground and not succumbed to the temptation of money. To him, this ending was for the best; they owed each other nothing.
However, Gu Yulan did not believe Su Jianyang. He felt he was being lied to just to be pushed away, leading to a heated argument.
Luo Yu came to the Gu house to find Gu Yulan.
Gu Yulan was slightly surprised. “What are you doing here? I said I would be staying home these few days and going nowhere.”
Luo Yu shook his head, looking excited. “No, Brother Lan, listen to me. I got a secret tip. The roommate of Su Jianyang said he has been alone at school lately, going to and from class by himself. He does not look like someone with a boyfriend at all. I suspect he is lying to you!”
The brow of Gu Yulan furrowed. “Why would he lie to me?”
Seeing the expression of Gu Yulan darken, Luo Yu hesitated. “How would I know? It could not be because he is afraid of you. Let us just go ask him. With all the resources you have given him over the years, unless he is blind, deaf, or mute, how could he not know you have feelings for him?”
“Aside from everything else, the clothes and shoes you have sent him over the last two years probably add up to hundreds of thousands. We do not lack the money, but who can stand giving their heart to a dog? If he had refused everything from the start, I would have respected him. But now he acts like a victim while taking the benefits? There is no logic in that.”
Seeing the silence of Gu Yulan, he struck while the iron was hot. “Brother Lan, you cannot be a ‘love-brain.’ If word gets out that someone with your ‘playboy’ face is trying to do ‘pure love,’ you will be a laughingstock in the circle! These days, anyone who does pure love is a fool!”
Before Luo Yu could finish, his mouth was covered by a hand.
Gu Yulan said displeasedly, “Would it kill you to say a few less words?”
He only let go once Luo Yu nodded. The face of Luo Yu was red from being muffled, and he took deep breaths the moment he was released. He figured his words had hit home. Is he really trying to do pure love?
Feeling a sense of despair, Luo Yu leaned against the wall to catch his breath. His gaze suddenly fell out the window, and he was startled to see a familiar figure in the garden. He knew the little mute had seriously offended Gu Yulan before and had not expected to see him here again.
“That little mute, did you not kick him out?”
Gu Yulan looked out the window and said calmly, “I picked him up again.”
Luo Yu sighed, thinking of something. “I do not know what kind of spell Su Jianyang put on you to make you so fixated. I think Chen Yufei is quite good, but you do not even look at her. Honestly, even that little mute outside is better than Su Jianyang. He is cute and obedient.”
Gu Yulan frowned, feeling irritable. He picked up a book from his desk and threw it at him. “What nonsense are you talking?”
Luo Yu dodged nimbly. The hard book cover hit the wall and fell heavily to the floor. The impact was loud, and the eyes of Luo Yu widened. “You are playing for keeps? My words are harsh, but good medicine tastes bitter!”
Gu Yulan remained expressionless, his eyes narrowing. Soon, Luo Yu saw another book flying toward him. He ducked to the side as it hit with a thud.
“The little mute might be young, but you could wait a few years. If it were me, I would rather raise a little mute than spend money on an ungrateful wolf! Oh! That hurts!”
Pained cries and the sound of clattering echoed in the study. The butler stood outside the door with coffee, looking surprised. Just as he hesitated to open the door, it swung open. The butler came face-to-face with a grimacing Luo Yu. He moved quickly to step back, narrowly avoiding spilling the coffee.
“What… what happened?”
“Nothing, Uncle Zhang. Is that coffee for me?”
The butler nodded. “It is.”
Before Luo Yu could take a sip, he heard a gust of wind from behind. He immediately set the coffee down and ran without looking back. “Uncle Zhang, keep it for me! I will drink it next time!”
When the butler entered the study, it looked like a battlefield, with things strewn everywhere. “Young Master, what happened?”
Gu Yulan did not answer. He simply lit a cigarette, leaned against the window sill, and silently watched the scenery outside.
Xie Yizhou noticed a figure running out of the villa at full speed without stopping. That was Luo Yu. What was Luo Yu doing at the Gu house?
However, a few days later, a scandal exploded.
[REBELLIOUS RICH HEIR’S ROMANCE WITH YOUNG STAR EXPOSED: PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION IN RESTAURANT AS FAMILY STOCK PLUMMETS!]
The massive, sensational headline was splashed across the front page of the newspapers, accompanied by a clear photo of Gu Yulan and several ambiguous shots. The explosive topic was enough to grab the attention of everyone.
In the kitchen, Auntie Chen cursed, “Damn those unscrupulous media! Writing such fabricated reports! Our Young Master is not as bad as they say!” She was so angry she nearly slipped into her hometown dialect.
When Xie Yizhou arrived, he saw Auntie Chen toss a newspaper into the trash. He walked over, picked it up, and carefully smoothed it out. Upon seeing the content, he froze. It was about the events of that day.
The phone of Gu Yulan was ringing off the hook, but he ignored every call, including those from his own father. The butler knocked on the study door and looked at Gu Yulan, asking cautiously, “Young Master, it is a call from the Master.”
Gu Yulan threw a dart and said expressionlessly, “I am not answering anyone’s call.”
“But… but,” the butler hesitated.
“No buts.”
Suddenly, his phone vibrated once. The brow of Gu Yulan furrowed. After throwing the last dart, he turned and left. He went to the basement garage alone, got into his red Ferrari, and drove away from the Gu house.