After Picking Up the Rival Boss, It Smells Really Good - Chapter 13

“……”

Qin Gou glanced at Lu Lian before walking out of the kitchen and heading straight to the rooftop. “Are you alright?”

“Not really.” Ye Wan’s voice trembled with grievance. “I injured my head, and it’s wrapped in thick, thick bandages.”

Qin Gou suddenly felt the urge to smoke, though he had nothing on hand. He rarely had any cigarette cravings, only occasionally taking one when socializing with friends. “How did it happen?”

“Aircraft accident.” Ye Wan whispered softly. “Have you seen the news? Mr. Lu’s aircraft malfunctioned. I almost thought I was going to die!! If the rescue team hadn’t found the escape pod.”

Ye Wan slowed his tone: “Maybe I would never have seen Brother Gou again!”

“……”

“My head has never bled so much before! At that moment, I felt like my head was going to break! I was so, so scared – what if I couldn’t remember Brother Gou anymore.”

“Ye Wan.” Qin Gou interrupted the boy. He took a deep breath and looked out at the dimming sky. “There’s no need to say these things.”

“……” Ye Wan paused briefly, then seemed to grow anxious, his voice trembling as if on the verge of tears. “You know I had no choice. My family was suffocating me. I truly had no other option but to leave you.”

“It was your decision. As long as you’re happy.”

“I’m not happy!” Ye Wan said urgently. “I’m not happy here at all. They pressure me every day. Now that Lu Lian is missing, they keep interrogating me, suspecting me. Brother Gou, I miss you so much.”

Hearing Lu Lian’s name from Ye Wan’s lips made Qin Gou inexplicably more irritable. He took two steps forward and leaned against the balcony railing, trying to let the evening breeze soothe his emotions.

“Brother Gou, I have no choice.” Ye Wan finally pleaded with grievance. “Could you help me find Lu Lian? I heard the last trajectory of his escape pod was heading toward Gorgona Island.”

“You called for this reason, didn’t you.” Qin Gou rested his arm on the balcony railing, leaning his head on his hand as he watched geese flying overhead. “Is it possible that he’s already dead.”

“No! Brother Gou.” Ye Wan raised his voice calling him. “I’m so scared, please help me.”

Qin Gou remained silent for a long while. After an extended pause, just as Ye Wan seemed about to speak again, Qin Gou spoke first: “Rest well and recover from your injury.”

After saying this, he directly hung up the call.

Qin Gou looked at the Communicator and took a deep breath before returning to the living room. Lu Lian had just emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming cup. Hearing Qin Gou return from the balcony, he didn’t turn his head.

Watching Lu Lian calmly sit back on the sofa, Qin Gou was the first to speak: “It was Ye Wan’s call.”

Hearing this, Lu Lian slowly looked up at him. Seeing that Qin Gou wasn’t continuing, he gradually raised an eyebrow: “?”

Qin Gou stared at his nearly expressionless face: “That’s your only reaction?”

Lu Lian asked curiously: “What reaction should I have?”

“Isn’t he your lover?” Qin Gou couldn’t help running a hand through his hair. “He called, urgently asking me to find you. He’s so worried about you.”

“I thought that went without saying.” Lu Lian said, “We made a deal – you wouldn’t reveal my whereabouts to anyone.”

“But he’s worried about you, he’s your.” Qin Gou paused, then continued, “He’s so concerned about you, and you haven’t given him any response?”

“What response does he need?” Lu Lian blew softly across his cup. “He’s just a qualified lover I selected, nothing more.”

Qin Gou choked with anger: “You…”

“Are you jealous?” Lu Lian seemed unable to comprehend why Qin Gou was so inexplicably furious. After some thought, he finally found a reason for him, though still somewhat puzzled. “From what I understand, you two never established a romantic relationship. Why do you have such deep feelings for him?”

“How deep my feelings are doesn’t matter.” Qin Gou watched him sitting there completely at ease, and inexplicable rage surged in his heart. He couldn’t help but rebuke his indifferent reaction. “What’s more important is that your heart is truly cruel enough.”

Lu Lian calmly took a sip from his cup.

“Forget it.” Seeing him like this, Qin Gou suddenly felt there was no point discussing this topic with him. “I’m going out. Make yourself at home.”

He really couldn’t bear to see Lu Lian’s cold, unfeeling appearance. Combined with thoughts of his relationship with Ye Wan, it made him inexplicably more irritable. He simply went out.

With a “bang,” the door slammed shut.

Lu Lian didn’t even glance toward the loudly closing door. He leisurely finished the somewhat burnt milk in his cup and took it to the kitchen.

He placed the washed cup beside the fireplace. On the fireplace simmered a small pot of ginger soup, which Lu Lian had at some point adjusted to a low flame – just enough to keep it warm without burning.

Lu Lian glanced at it and turned off the weak flame.

Qin Gou arrived at “Weeds” and handed the experimental materials and logs he had obtained to Bai Xianzhe. Then he ordered a vodka at the bar. The strong liquor his throat as it went down, making his heartbeat faster than usual.

He had once lost a long period of memories. When he woke up in the hospital bed, he discovered he had inexplicably lost his once-proud Core Inhibitor. The blank spots in his memory and the loss of his pride made the 15-year-old him anxious and afraid, like a lost young bird that had lost its way.

Alone in the ward filled with the smell of disinfectant, he couldn’t help shouting and struggling, pulling at his wounds until fresh blood flowed from his abdomen.

That’s when the door opened, and a well-behaved, beautiful boy looked at him with concern, like light in a swamp.

Qin Gou took another drink. Not only had the young Ye Wan discovered him unconscious in a deserted alley and brought him to the hospital, but he had also accompanied him through those darkest days.

But…

The glass emptied. Qin Gou’s eyes darkened as he signaled Dean for another drink.

“Good wine is good, but don’t overindulge.” Dean smiled faintly like a fox. “Mr. Qin, you’ve had enough to drink today. Should I mix you something with lower alcohol content?”

Qin Gou didn’t respond. Dean pretended to sigh and refilled his vodka. “It seems my treasured vodka can’t escape your magical hands.””

“Beep” The Communicator sounded. Qin Gou rested one hand on his glass, lightly tapping the rim with his finger, while opening the Communicator with the other.

It was a photo sent by Ye Wan.

Qin Gou’s fingers tapping against the glass suddenly stilled, the liquid in the wine glass ceasing its sway.

In the photo, the young man wore a patient gown that seemed a size too large. He had turned his back, allowing Qin Gou a clear view of the thick bandages wrapped around the back of his head.

He appeared to have just showered, his hair still damp with moisture. A trickle of water trailed from the ends of his hair down his neck, disappearing into the loose collar of his hospital gown.

For some reason, Qin Gou was reminded of another scene: gray hair clinging wetly, Lu Lian completely drenched, water tracing a path that mingled with a faint streak of blood from a wound on his cheek. It traveled along the cold steel bite inhibitor, condensing into a droplet that passed over his chin and Adam’s apple before seeping into the thoroughly soaked white dress shirt. The shirt clung to the man’s skin, and that droplet of moisture merged into it, vanishing without a trace.

The man lifted his head, revealing a face with strikingly deep contours. Those gray eyes, as if misted over, had their calm shattered, shimmering with ripples of disturbance.

“Tch.” Qin Gou downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp.

After sending the photo, Ye Wan waited for 15 minutes without any response. His delicate brows furrowed, and just as he was about to get up from the bed to fetch his phone, the hospital room door opened.

A brown-haired man wearing black-rimmed glasses stood there, his complexion pale to an eerie degree. Lu Yunwen entered holding a bag of fruit, his gaze fixed on Ye Wan.

Ye Wan flinched, settling back onto the hospital bed and lowering his head, unwilling to meet the other’s eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Lu Yunwen adjusted his glasses and sat down with an air of refinement, pulling on gloves as he prepared to peel an apple. “Of course, I came to see if you’re feeling better.”

“I don’t need your concern,” Ye Wan retorted irritably. “If it weren’t for you back then. uh…”

Lu Yunwen reached out with his gloved hand, gripping Ye Wan’s chin to cut off his words. “Ye Wan, you should know by now what should and shouldn’t be said, shouldn’t you?”

The delicate chin squeezed in his grasp, Ye Wan’s pretty face contorted and flushed red. He could barely breathe, tears welling in his eyes. “Let go of me.”

“Hmm?” Lu Yunwen pinched his fair cheek, his expression hidden behind the black-rimmed glasses, his tone still cultured. “Do you understand now?”

“Y-yes. I understand.”

Lu Yunwen watched his struggle for a moment longer before leisurely releasing him. He withdrew his hand and sat back on the stool, slowly continuing to peel the apple with a fruit knife. “Any news about Lu Lian?”

“Cough no.” Ye Wan couldn’t suppress a cough. “He might really be dead.”

“It seems even as his lover, you don’t know him well.” Lu Yunwen chuckled. “You underestimate Lu Lian too much. Until I see his corpse with my own eyes, I’ll never believe he’s dead.”

Lu Yunwen meticulously peeled the apple strip by strip. “I want to see him bleed out drop by drop, watch his body grow cold, and then rot.”

The final connecting strip of peel was severed, and a long, red apple peel fell to the floor.

The Communicator in the living room rang. Lu Lian walked over, glanced at the number, pressed answer, and remained silent.

“What a stroke of luck.” Dean chuckled softly on the other end of the phone. “It’s rare for Mr. Qin’s home to actually have someone answering. Friend, Mr. Qin has passed out drunk. Would you mind coming to pick him up? I’d rather not find Mr. Qin on the roadside tomorrow.”

Lu Lian raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

“Hello?” Dean called out several more times, still receiving no response, though he didn’t seem annoyed. “It appears you’ve received the message. I’ll hang up now then. Hope you can come collect Mr. Qin soon.”

“…”

Truth be told, Lu Lian rarely visited places like “Weeds” – bars barely existed in his daily life. As usual, he wore a face mask and checked the time on his Communicator: already 2 AM.

The bar was crowded and noisy. Under the flickering lights, Lu Lian scanned the area and quickly spotted Qin Gou slumped over the counter. Standing beside him was a delicate-looking black-haired boy – the same one Fang Wenyan had brought last time.

The boy glanced at the drunken Qin Gou, gently biting his lip. This might be his rare opportunity.

With that thought, he reached out his hand.

Just as he was about to touch Qin Gou, another pale, slender yet stronger hand grabbed his sleeve. Already feeling guilty, the boy turned in surprise to face a coldly handsome gray-haired man wearing a dark casual shirt.

“Mr. Yun Hui?” The boy’s eyes widened.

Lu Lian had no interest in acknowledging him. He glanced at the unconscious Qin Gou, frowned slightly, then grabbed him by the collar to haul him up, supporting him as he prepared to leave.

Another delicate hand pulled at Qin Gou. Lu Lian turned and looked down expressionlessly at the boy.

Gritting his teeth, the boy gathered his courage: “Young Master Qin… might not necessarily want to leave with you. I was here first.”

Lu Lian lifted his eyelids slightly. The boy instinctively retreated in fear and lowered his head. Just then, Qin Gou stirred on Lu Lian’s shoulder, showing signs of waking.

Seizing the opportunity, the boy quickly patted Qin Gou gently and asked urgently: “Young Master Qin, you decide – who do you want to go back with?”

Qin Gou slowly opened his eyes amid the shaking. He first looked at the boy without any particular reaction.

Then he turned and saw Lu Lian – his eyes suddenly widened, and he grabbed Lu Lian’s collar tightly!

Lu Lian raised an eyebrow, glanced down at his wrinkled clothes, then heard Qin Gou shout at him in an excited, drunken voice:

“Damn love rival!”