After the Straight Male Incubus Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 38

Liang Wenle went alone to his parents’ residence, insisting on getting engaged to Ye Lin before winter. Not just once, but twice: once domestically and once abroad. Ye Lin knew he could not stop the young master once he started acting out, so he simply ignored it. He had originally intended to go to the hospital to settle scores with Gu Zhe, but after being worn out by Liang Wenle all morning, he lacked the energy and chose to rest at the villa instead.

After resting for about three days, he finally regained his vitality and prepared to go out. However, as soon as he reached the entrance, he saw the courtyard filled with people carrying various tools and discussing things. Ye Lin felt it was strange; Liang Wenle had not notified him of any party at the house.

At that moment, a man in a business suit approached Ye Lin, giving a polite smile. “Excuse me, do you live here?”

Ye Lin nodded. “What is going on? Are you all guests invited by Liang Wenle?”

The man chuckled softly. “It is like this. This villa has been listed for sale by Mr. Liang. Please move out within the day.”

Ye Lin was stunned. He quickly took out his phone to call Liang Wenle, but after ten attempts, the calls remained unanswered. He could only explain, “Wait a moment. Let me ask Wenle when he sold it.”

The man corrected him, “It was not Liang Wenle; it was his father. This property belongs to Mr. Liang Senior.”

Hearing this, Ye Lin felt that something was wrong. He rushed back into the villa, first gathering all the small valuables, and then ran to the parking lot. The parking lot, which should have been filled with twenty or thirty luxury cars, looked as if it had been looted; not a single one was left! Fortunately, the butler was near the parking lot, so Ye Lin ran over to ask.

The butler nodded politely upon seeing Ye Lin. “Mr. Ye, Mr. Liang Senior did not agree to the young master’s engagement request, so he has locked him up and confiscated all assets under his name. Please tally your belongings and leave as soon as possible.”

So that was why! This meant Liang Wenle would never see him again! Ye Lin felt a surge of joy and quickly asked, “So, did Mr. Liang Senior offer any token of appreciation for me breaking up with Wenle?”

The butler asked calmly, “What kind of token?”

Ye Lin rubbed his thumb and forefinger together. The butler shook his head, signaling he did not understand. Ye Lin did not just rub his fingers this time; he also winked frantically in a heavy hint. The butler still did not react. Finally, Ye Lin sighed in frustration. “Oh, come on! Give me some benefits, and then I will break up with Liang Wenle.”

The butler sneered. “Mr. Liang Senior says you may take all the valuables inside the room. I will inform the young master of the fact that you two have broken up.”

Damn! This old man was truly stingy. He wanted to force a breakup without paying a cent? No way! Ye Lin, unable to contain his anger, confidently declared, “Go tell Mr. Liang Senior that Wenle and I have a bond as strong as gold! It is impossible for us to break up!”

The butler did not say more and turned to leave. After leaving the villa, Ye Lin went to Shen Shao’s residence, piling his things haphazardly on the coffee table while venting his anger at Liang Wenle and his father.

Exhausted from cursing, he lay on the sofa and called Shen Shao. “I am hungry. Come back and cook for me.”

“Are you at my house?”

“Yes, I am starving. Hurry up.”

“I cannot. I still have work. Order takeout yourself.”

“Shen Shao, you are crossing the line! I am your boss! Come back right now!”

“Even the boss does not get special treatment.” Before Shen Shao could finish his sentence, he was already closing his work software, preparing to leave the office.

“I do not care! I want to eat your cooking right now. If you do not come, I will go to the company and cause a scene!”

“How will you cause a scene? By throwing yourself into my arms and crying in front of the employees?”

“Shut up! Are you coming or not?”

“I am coming. What do you want to eat?”

Ye Lin felt satisfied and rattled off a list of dishes before happily hanging up. No wonder they said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. If Shen Shao were a woman, virtuous and capable, Ye Lin would have married him long ago, coming home on time every day to kiss his wife.

Thinking about the young master Liang Wenle, who needed constant serving, and the idiot Gu Jiazhi, who had forgotten him, Ye Lin suddenly felt that the considerate and meticulous Shen Shao looked much more appealing. Shen Shao also spoke well, always hitting the right notes to say things that satisfied him. He was not as annoying as he was at the start; he deserved a better attitude.

Twenty minutes later, Shen Shao entered with a large bag of ingredients, only to find his meticulously tidy home turned into a mess by Ye Lin. Boxes of various colors were piled on the table, shoes were strewn about the entrance, and even the sofa pillows were on the floor. Meanwhile, Ye Lin was lying there playing on his phone, completely indifferent.

Shen Shao sighed. After setting down the ingredients, he silently arranged the shoes at the door and picked up the pillows from the floor, placing them beside Ye Lin.

Ye Lin felt the pillow and looked up at Shen Shao. “Is the food ready? I am so hungry.”

Shen Shao looked at the boxes on the table. “What are all these?”

Ye Lin opened a box at random, revealing a gemstone ring. “These are all gifts from Liang Wenle. Take them all and exchange them for cash for the company. Do not ask me for money for a while.”

Shen Shao opened several boxes; every single one was worth tens of millions. He immediately understood how heavy Liang Wenle’s love for Ye Lin was. Beautiful gemstones were not easy to collect; they required a lot of time and money. These were Liang Wenle’s treasures, and he had given them all to his lover. Compared to the gems, Ye Lin was his true treasure.

Shen Shao closed the box. “The company is not short of money for now. If you sell all the gems Liang Wenle gave you at once, he will be furious.”

Thinking of Liang’s father, Ye Lin flared up. “Do not talk about it. I am almost dying of anger because of them.”

Shen Shao had heard about Liang Wenle’s engagement stunt. “Liang Wenle wants to be engaged to you. Do you want to?”

Ye Lin looked at the gemstone rings on the table. “I did not really want to at first, but since his father will not even give me a breakup fee, I want to now!” He thought a wealthy family like the Liangs would easily give him three or four hundred million as a breakup fee. He did not expect them to be so stingy! Then he would insist on the engagement just to spite that old miser!

Shen Shao saw through his intentions and sat down beside him. “Then, after you are engaged, will you still come to see me?”

Ye Lin tilted his head, meeting his gaze. He felt a sense of resentment in Shen Shao’s eyes. “Of course. I am the boss of Fanxing. I have to come and supervise your work.”

Shen Shao asked again, “Is it only because of the employee and boss relationship?”

Ye Lin felt a strange sense of guilt under his gaze. “Well, your cooking is delicious, so I have to come to eat. And I have to complain about Liang Wenle to you.”

Shen Shao’s tone was calm, but his eyes were fixed firmly on Ye Lin. “Liang Wenle is a possessive person. Being stupid now does not mean he will be stupid forever. If you two truly get engaged, our relationship might not remain hidden.”

Ye Lin instinctively avoided the main point. “What relationship do we have? We are just employee and boss. We are clean and innocent.”

Shen Shao emphasized the words clean and innocent, leaning in to kiss him. He asked in a low voice, “Is this being clean and innocent?”

This guy was like a poison; one touch and all of Ye Lin’s strength vanished. How could Ye Lin resist? He instinctively fell backward, his wrists pinned down.

“No, no! Liang Wenle just went crazy a few days ago. I have not recovered yet.”

“How did he go crazy?”

“Like this?”

“Or like this?”

Shen Shao had never imagined he would feel jealous over someone as fickle and irresponsible as Ye Lin. But emotions cannot be controlled. He would repeatedly ask Ye Lin about the difference between himself and Liang Wenle. Even though he had no status or title, and this apartment was just a temporary resting place for Ye Lin, their relationship was precarious. He still strove to hear how he was superior to the original partner.

Ye Lin felt as if he were being swallowed by a vortex, his consciousness blurring. “Shen, Shen Shao, you,” As soon as he spoke, his hands were pressed together beside him. “Wenle would not be this gentle, would he? He surely never considers your feelings and only cares about his own pleasure.”

Shen Shao’s intelligence showed in many ways; he could master anything and apply it. For instance, he spent far less time with Ye Lin than Liang Wenle did, yet he had practiced his skills to a masterful level. Every breath, every hand movement, and every downward glance was preset in his mind to be just right.

If Liang Wenle was a chaotic gale that left a great tree swaying and only occasionally stopped, then Shen Shao was a gentle and delicate spring rain, granting the withered tree its deserved vitality, continuous and long-lasting.

“Fuck!” Ye Lin was both ashamed and angry. He reached out to scratch, leaving long red marks. “I said, I said,”

“Wenle would not let you scratch like this, would he?” Shen Shao kissed his brow tenderly, his eyes triumphant. “Only I, only I can make you this happy.”

Ye Lin was speechless. He felt submerged in waves; there was a brief sense of suffocation but a long period of comfort. It was addictive. Even if he got angry during the process, the result was always satisfying, and he would not blame Shen Shao for it.

Shen Shao picked him up and walked toward the bathroom, asking, “So, can Liang Wenle be as good as me?”

Ye Lin glanced at him with feigned anger. “You already know the answer, yet you keep asking! Of course he cannot compare!”

Satisfied, Shen Shao leaned in to kiss the tips of his hair.

Lunch was indeed a feast. Several dishes were Ye Lin’s favorites, and he felt bloated after eating. Shen Shao suggested going downstairs for a walk to aid digestion. Ye Lin looked at the weather outside; the sun was not too strong, and the greenery in the neighborhood was good, so it was a nice time for a stroll.

In the morning, the neighborhood was mostly empty. There was a patch of monthly roses blooming passionately in pale pink. They were dense and looked like clouds from a distance. Seeing these common roses, Ye Lin suddenly thought of the roses he saw on the island a few days ago, finally being able to tell the difference in quality. The roses in the neighborhood could not compare to the ones Liang Wenle gave him.

Shen Shao noticed he was distracted. He put an arm around Ye Lin’s shoulder, intending to ask what he was thinking, when he suddenly felt a gaze from behind. He immediately turned to look. In the nearby greenery, a grey figure flashed by; it seemed someone was taking secret photos.

“Let us go back. The sun will be too strong soon.”

“Alright. There is not much to see here anyway.”

As they entered the apartment building, Shen Shao felt that familiar gaze again, and he had a bad premonition. Over the next few days, Shen Shao still felt that gaze, but whenever he looked, he could not catch anyone. The gaze would appear in the evening when he and Ye Lin went for a walk, or on his way to buy groceries, but it never appeared inside the apartment building.

It was likely a professional private investigator. It felt as if they were not after him, but after Ye Lin.

During dinner, Ye Lin was complaining about Liang Wenle again, but Shen Shao did not respond, clearly lost in thought. Ye Lin tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, complaining dissatisfiedly, “What is wrong with you these days? You are always spacing out!”

Shen Shao snapped back to reality and looked at the dishes. “What? Is the food not good?”

Ye Lin continued eating, speaking with his mouth full. “You were not listening to me just now. I was clearly cursing Liang Wenle to you.”

Shen Shao suddenly thought of the detective following them. “Then what will you do next? Just wait here?”

Ye Lin thought seriously for a moment. Staying with Liang Wenle offered far more benefits than leaving, but he did not want to go to the Liang family home. “I will just wait. Liang Wenle is so pampered; they will let him out after a while.”

Shen Shao envisioned the near future and asked, “Then, what if one day Liang Wenle discovers our relationship? What will you do?”

Even if Ye Lin did not admit he and Shen Shao were lovers, in the eyes of outsiders, they were in an improper relationship. If Liang Wenle found out, Ye Lin expected to be beaten to death, especially since Shen Shao was Liang Wenle’s first love.

“What else can I do? I will just break it off with him. You will be fine; I am the one in trouble!”

“That might not be the case. I think you should be prepared.”

“Tch, stop jinxing me.”

Ye Lin was dismissive. Since Liang Wenle had not discovered anything between him and Shen Shao for so long, he would not discover it in the future either. They did not discuss the topic further, but instead went out for a walk, bought daily necessities at a nearby supermarket, and came back to watch TV.

Shen Shao had strong self-discipline; when the time came, he would enter the study to work, leaving Ye Lin outside to play on his phone. The living room was limited in size, not spacious like Gu Jiazhi’s home with beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the night view.

Thinking of Gu Jiazhi, Ye Lin went to the hospital again. Since moving into Shen Shao’s home, he frequently inspected the company, and the number of times he went to the hospital to prank Gu Zhe had decreased. Gu Zhe remained the same, ignoring all provocations and pranks as if he did not see them, making things increasingly dull.

Ye Lin first went to Gu Jiazhi’s ward and found him watching a movie. The white bandages on his face were illuminated in various colors by the light from the film. Hearing footsteps, Gu Jiazhi sighed helplessly. “Why are you here again?”

Ye Lin sat down beside him and thoughtfully helped him adjust the playback device. “I came to see when you would return to normal.”

Gu Jiazhi felt he could not have a normal conversation with Ye Lin. Thinking of the rumors he had heard recently, he asked, “I heard Liang Wenle was locked up by his family because he wanted to get engaged to you. Are you planning to break up with him now and then board my ship?”

Ye Lin rolled his eyes, saying disdainfully, “I told you already, I am not after your money. We are just friends. Besides, how much money does your Gu family even have? It is barely half of Liang Wenle’s net worth.”

This was the truth. Liang Wenle was publicly recognized as the wealthiest and most powerful second-generation heir in the circle, which was why everyone was willing to accommodate him. Gu Jiazhi felt uncomfortable hearing this and snapped back, “You insist on comparing me to Liang Wenle. You are just treating me as a backup boyfriend. You only care about money. Who would ever like you!”

Hearing him say care about money, Ye Lin slammed the table in anger, pointing at his forehead. “I do not need your affection! I am just caring for a friend. Also, how do you have the nerve to call me a gold digger? Do you have a hundred million in cash? Do you have a dozen luxury yachts in your name? Do you have a villa worth a billion? Only those who aim for luxury cars, mansions, yachts, planes, and billions in cash deserve to be called gold diggers, okay! That bit of pocket change worth millions; can that even be called gold digging?”

Gu Jiazhi could not produce a hundred million in cash, had no luxury yachts, and certainly had no villa worth a billion. At most, he could give Ye Lin a few million. So in Ye Lin’s heart, Gu Jiazhi could not compare to Liang Wenle.

For some reason, even though he did not like Ye Lin, hearing these words made him feel awful. It was like he had swallowed a lemon; he felt sour from his teeth to his nerve endings. His whole body felt numb, and his heart ached. When a man’s defenses are broken, anger easily surges. He could not help but shout, “It is Liang Wenle who has money, not you! You have the nerve to show off in front of me? What are you? Just a powerless illegitimate child!”

Ye Lin had come out of kindness to see him, yet he was called a gold digger and an illegitimate child. He really could not take it. His cheeks flushed red as he stood up and questioned in disbelief, “How dare you curse at me like that? You are definitely not Gu Jiazhi!”

Gu Jiazhi snorted coldly. “Why can I not curse at you? You were the one who first mocked me for being inferior to Liang Wenle!”

Ye Lin frowned and pouted, his expression aggrieved. “I was stating the truth! You are not as rich as Liang Wenle. Is there something wrong with saying that?”

Gu Jiazhi’s eyes were red with rage, wishing he could crush his teeth. “Then what I said is also the truth. You are an illegitimate child of the Ye family. You have no power or influence and can only rely on men.”

“You retard!” Ye Lin could not help but kick the hospital bed and walk toward the door. “I am never coming to see you again! Remember to transfer my thirty million back after you recover. You do not deserve it!”

Because the hospital bed shook, Gu Jiazhi let out a cry of pain. Hearing the sound, Ye Lin instinctively turned to look. Only after confirming he was fine did Ye Lin leave, not even slamming the door.

In the corridor, he felt a chill coming from the window at the end. The sky outside had turned completely dark. Ye Lin, still angry, entered Gu Zhe’s room. He still could not believe that his former good friend, Gu Jiazhi, would turn into such an ugly person because of amnesia.

Gu Zhe noticed his presence. His heart was as still as water and his eyes were vacant, prepared to ignore him. But in the next moment, the hospital bed was kicked, which affected his muscles and made him groan in pain. Gu Zhe gasped from the pain. “Do you want to murder me and go to jail?”

Seeing his reaction, Ye Lin laughed happily. “Serves you right! This is your karma!” If not for Gu Zhe, how could Gu Jiazhi have turned into that hateful person? He would surely still be working diligently at Fanxing, coming with Ye Lin to Shen Shao’s house for a meal before returning to the apartment to play games.

Gu Zhe saw his expression and knew it was because of Gu Jiazhi. “Could it be that you truly like Gu Jiazhi? He forgot you, so you are unhappy and came to torture me?”

Ye Lin explained in a panic, “I do not like him! I just feel our relationship used to be very good, and now it is not. Of course I blame you.”

Gu Zhe mocked, “Your relationship was never good. Gu Jiazhi always looked down on you in his heart; he was just good at faking it. But now that he has amnesia, he forgot to pretend, so you think he is hateful and like a stranger.” He and Gu Jiazhi were twin brothers; at certain times, he could sense things. Gu Jiazhi likely disdained Ye Lin at first and only gradually fell for him later. Now, with his memory gone, his true face was revealed. Ye Lin would surely hate Gu Jiazhi more and more; it was impossible for them to love each other.

Ye Lin reached out to poke his face. “You are talking nonsense! That is not it!”

Just as Gu Zhe was about to find a reason to argue back, he saw Mrs. Gu appear at the door. Seeing Ye Lin’s actions, Mrs. Gu rushed over to grab his hand and questioned loudly, “How did our Xiaozhe offend you for you to torture him like this?”

Ye Lin pulled his hand away and quickly explained, “Auntie, you misunderstood. I just came to visit Gu Zhe. I had no intention of torturing him.”

Mrs. Gu looked down at Gu Zhe’s bandage-covered face, tears of heartache falling. “I heard recently that you are Liang Wenle’s boyfriend and that you have a good relationship with Jiazhi. That is why you came here to torture Xiaozhe, right! I knew gay men were the scariest. You were slandering our Xiaozhe before, were you not? He did not actually mock Jiazhi!”

Ye Lin regretted that he should have been more cautious. “Auntie, I just touched him a little. I did not mean to torture Gu Zhe. And I was telling the truth; it was Gu Zhe who mocked Jiazhi first.”

Mrs. Gu stood up and pointed at his forehead. “You are lying! I saw the look in your eyes just now; it was clearly wrong. You were taking advantage of others’ absence to bully Xiaozhe. I am going to check the surveillance footage right now to see how many times you have come here secretly!”

Check the surveillance? There was actually surveillance? Then would he not be finished! Ye Lin froze in fear, his brain racing.

Gu Zhe suddenly spoke up to stop Mrs. Gu. “Mom, Ye Lin did not torture me. You misunderstood. Because I said I was afraid of being disfigured, he was helping me by touching my face and comforting me that it would be fine.”

Mrs. Gu sat back down, looking worriedly at Gu Zhe. “Is that so? I see you are such a good child. Could you be being bullied in secret?”

Gu Zhe shook his head and smiled. “No, Mom. I really was not being tortured by Ye Lin. You know I have few friends and not many people come to see me. He is one of them, which is quite rare. Also, he cares about my health and often comes to see me, comforting me and telling me to look on the bright side.”

Mrs. Gu still did not believe it. “That cannot be right. He also said you mocked Jiazhi. How could you be friends?”

Ye Lin quickly added, “Auntie, actually, I am a good friend to both of them. Otherwise, when they fought, I could have just helped Gu Jiazhi beat Gu Zhe to death. Why would I have tried to break it up and called the ambulance?”

Gu Zhe took the opportunity to cooperate. “Yes. Actually, Ye Lin is a very upright person, honest and trustworthy. I was the one who mocked Jiazhi first, which is why he told you the truth.”

Ye Lin nodded frantically. “I did not want to see brothers turn against each other. I told the truth to make Gu Zhe reflect on himself. He has indeed reflected, and I am very happy. I was just caring for him just now. I really was not bullying anyone.”

Gu Zhe looked at Ye Lin, their gazes meeting, and their thoughts instantly connected. Their chemistry was excellent, just like the time he fought with Liang Wenle and wanted to leave halfway, and Ye Lin happened to stop Liang Wenle.

Mrs. Gu felt their words made sense. “Did I really get it wrong?”

Gu Zhe lowered his head. “Yes. Also, Mom, even if you do not accept gay men, there is no need to curse. Ye Lin is actually quite a good person.”

Mrs. Gu pampered Gu Zhe the most and always felt her eldest son was a clever genius, so she was very convinced by his words. Besides, Ye Lin was gay, but her son was not; it was no big deal. Mrs. Gu was instantly enlightened and immediately stood up to apologize to Ye Lin. “I am sorry. Auntie spoke too harshly just now. You are a good child. There is nothing wrong with liking boys.”

Ye Lin responded with a smile, “It is fine. Auntie’s concern for her son is understandable. I have things to do, so I will be going now.”

Mrs. Gu said goodbye to him, gave him a small gift, and invited him to their home. Ye Lin thanked her for the gift, exchanged a puzzled look with Gu Zhe, and left in a hurry.

After Ye Lin left, Mrs. Gu noticed her eldest son’s gaze was still fixed outside the corridor. She suddenly woke up. “Xiaozhe, I heard that Liang boy made a huge scene for an engagement and made his father have a heart attack. How scary! You must never follow his example and like boys, especially not Ye Lin!”

“Mom, do not worry. I will not like boys.”

“But Ye Lin likes boys, and he often comes to see you. And you have that look in your eyes; will you really not like him?”

“Mom, I really do not. There is pure friendship between boys.”

“Is that so? Well, I just saw that your eyes were almost glued to Ye Lin. It is not normal! Do not like him. Not only is he a boy, he has a boyfriend!”

“I really do not like him,” Mother and son discussed the topic of sexual orientation for several hours, but Ye Lin would never know about any of it. He took a taxi back to Shen Shao’s apartment, thinking about Gu Zhe’s intentions the whole way. Why did he not complain to Mrs. Gu? After being tortured for a month, he actually did not say anything and even helped cover for him? Did he have a change of heart? How strange.

Ye Lin casually checked his phone and found a friend request from someone named Chen Linyu. Chen Linyu was Liang Wenle’s cousin. Why was she adding him? No matter, he accepted it first.

“Ye Lin, go see Wenle! He has been on a hunger strike for four days!” “Hunger strike?” “Yes. My uncle did not agree to Wenle’s engagement, so he locked himself in his room and has not eaten for four days. My aunt is still abroad, and my uncle is stubborn. He simply locked the room and will not let anyone contact him. He is determined to fight him to the end. I am really worried something will happen.” “Alright. Send me the address. I will go and take a look.” “Great! Go quickly! Wenle has fainted from hypoglycemia before. My uncle is too forceful. Few people in the family dare to intervene, and others cannot be relied upon. Now only you can go and see him.” “Do not worry, cousin. I will ensure Wenle’s safety.” “Thank you!”

Chen Linyu was meticulous. She sent the address and also told him how to sneak in through a small path, as well as the security guards’ working hours, to facilitate his entry. After returning to the apartment, Ye Lin tidied up a bit, tucked an apple in his pocket, and went out on his motorcycle. Chen Linyu loved this cousin the most. For her to send such a message, the situation must be urgent and he had to go.

Although he did not like Liang Wenle, he did not want this stupid young master to starve to death or faint and go to the hospital. That would be too pitiful.