After the Straight Male Incubus Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 41

After Liang Wenle got home, he saw a small mountain of boxes piled up in the living room and realized that Ye Lin had not finished trying on the clothes at all. He had only tried on five outfits and sent the photos to him.

Yuanyuan navigated through the layers of gift boxes, tongue lolling, and ran toward Liang Wenle. It rubbed its fluffy white paws against his pants, begging for a hug.

Liang Wenle crouched down to hug Yuanyuan, stroked its head, and whispered, “Yuanyuan, has Ye Lin been home these past few days?”

Yuanyuan barked and rubbed against Liang Wenle’s hand, hoping for a treat.

Liang Wenle took out a treat and fed it. “Yuanyuan, no strangers came to the house, right? I am really worried that Ye Lin might run out to look for someone else.”

Yuanyuan did not understand; it just kept rubbing against Liang Wenle, wanting to go out and play. It loved running around outside far too much.

Liang Wenle checked the time and saw it was already afternoon. Ye Lin must not have walked the dog today, which was why Yuanyuan was being so unusually affectionate. If he did not walk the dog in the morning, where had Ye Lin gone?

Liang Wenle coaxed Yuanyuan to wait downstairs and ran up to the second floor to look for him.

He found Ye Lin fast asleep in the bedroom, hugging the duvet. The pillow had left a mark on his cheek, and he looked incredibly soft. Liang Wenle reached out to touch his face. His gaze traced down to the neckline, but he did not find any marks. He then unbuttoned the shirt to check further; still, nothing.

“Hmm.” Ye Lin felt a chill and squinted his eyes open. When he saw it was Liang Wenle, he was startled completely awake. “W-Wenle, why are you back?”

If he had spent the night with another man, there should have been marks. Since there were none, the probability was much lower.

Liang Wenle’s gaze fell on the dresses on the floor, and he said nothing.

Seeing the clothes, Ye Lin immediately reacted and apologized hurriedly. “Wenle, there are too many dresses. I could not finish trying them all in one day. Can I take my time?”

Liang Wenle gave a cold snort. “You only tried on five outfits yesterday. What on earth were you doing that you slept until now, and did not even walk Yuanyuan?”

He had been tangled up with Shen Shao until 3:00 AM last night; he could only catch up on sleep after returning, so how could he have the energy to walk the dog? Fortunately, Shen Shao knew his boundaries and did not leave any marks. He had thought Liang Wenle would be abroad for a long time; he did not expect him to return today. It was completely unexpected.

If Liang Wenle tried to get intimate with him now, he would surely be discovered. He had to find a way to cover it up.

Ye Lin thought for a moment and feigned weakness. “Wenle, I think I caught a cold after trying on the clothes yesterday. My head hurt so much, so I took some medicine and went to sleep early, which is why I slept until now.”

Thinking of how Ye Lin had been hospitalized with a high fever just recently, Liang Wenle felt a wave of guilt. Hearing that Ye Lin had a headache, he panicked, hurriedly helping Ye Lin get dressed, insisting he lie down to rest, and turning up the air conditioning.

“How are you feeling now? Are you any better? Does it still hurt?”

“I am a little dizzy, and I felt cold just a moment ago.”

As soon as Ye Lin finished speaking, he began to sneeze, skillfully masquerading as someone suffering from a cold.

Liang Wenle had no interest in interrogating him anymore. He immediately called the family doctor to check on his condition, feeling deeply remorseful that he had checked on him earlier, blaming himself for causing Ye Lin to catch a chill.

The doctor arrived and examined Ye Lin, only to find that his body was healthy and his nutrition balanced; he did not have a cold at all. The doctor reported this truthfully.

Liang Wenle refused to believe the doctor. He repeatedly asked about Ye Lin’s health, his brow furrowed in worry. “Then why is Ye Lin coughing and feeling miserable? He even feels headachy. Does he need to be transferred to the hospital for checks?”

The doctor looked at Ye Lin, hesitant to speak. It was not his first time acting as a family doctor for the wealthy, helping wives hide things from husbands or daughters-in-law from fathers-in-law, so he simply brought out a harmless nutritional supplement. “Has he been ill before?”

Liang Wenle recounted the incident where Ye Lin had a high fever in the rain, his heart aching. “Is this a sequela from that high fever? Has Ye Lin’s health been ruined ever since?”

After listening, the doctor realized that had happened over ten days ago, and Ye Lin’s current physical state was undoubtedly stronger and healthier than before. This was clearly not a sequela; it was just Liang Wenle being overly worried. However, since the employer loved the patient so much that he saw a problem in the slightest discomfort, the doctor knew he had to handle the situation with emotional intelligence.

The doctor looked at Ye Lin. “It is likely that the previous fever weakened his constitution, and since the patient enjoys staying at home rather than exercising, he is prone to fatigue. He should be fine after a few days of rest. If it is really bad, he can take some medicine.”

Liang Wenle relaxed, fearing he had caused Ye Lin to get sick again, and hurried to tuck the quilt around him. “Then he should go to the hospital to recuperate. He used to have such a healthy body.”

The doctor was silent for a moment, then tactfully advised. “No need, it is not a major issue. You just need to spend more time with him.”

Ye Lin felt guilty after hearing this and did not dare to speak. His health was fine; the whole thing was an act. Though he did not know why the doctor was helping him, he had to go along with it. “That is right, Wenle, I just need to rest for a few days, I do not need to go to the hospital.”

The doctor nodded and packed up, rolling his eyes as soon as he turned around. He felt like his entire visit was just a part of the young couple’s romantic games.

Liang Wenle had guarded the hospital for two days and two nights last time, seeing Ye Lin’s bloodless face and extreme weakness; he had felt heartbroken. He had never seen Ye Lin so fragile, which was why he panicked whenever he heard Ye Lin was unwell.

“Are you really okay? Does it hurt here?” Liang Wenle reached out to touch his forehead, speaking softly, afraid of startling him.

“I am fine, I will be better after resting for a while. It must be because I took medicine yesterday and rested early that I did not get a worse cold.” Feeling the warmth of Liang Wenle’s palm, Ye Lin’s heart rate accelerated, and he felt incredibly nervous.

“It is a good thing I did not cause you to catch a cold. I should not have been like that earlier.” Liang Wenle was full of self-reproach, his tone somber as he regretted not being more rational.

“It is okay, I did not get sick, so please do not blame yourself, Wenle. By the way, are you done choosing the flowers?” Ye Lin was relieved that Liang Wenle was not suspicious, so he took the opportunity to comfort him.

“Not yet. I… I just came back because I was worried about you.” Liang Wenle regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth; he felt he should be honest with his partner. Lying now would surely lead to disaster later.

“Really? But I feel like you have something you want to ask me?” Ye Lin was too familiar with this young master; he could not hide anything. His panicked eyes and hesitant tone had already betrayed his doubts. Instead of waiting for Liang Wenle to doubt him, it was better to give him the chance to speak first to maintain the initiative.

“Honesty between partners is the only way to last. If you have anything to say, Wenle, just say it. It is okay.”

“I do, but let us wait until you are feeling better. I just…” Liang Wenle struggled for a moment, then could not help but ask. “I discovered that you and Shen Shao co-founded a company called Fanxing. Why?”

Ye Lin’s brain froze for a moment, then he quickly began to analyze the situation. Shen Shao was Liang Wenle’s first love, and he was Liang Wenle’s boyfriend. A first love and a boyfriend should be enemies, yet here they were co-founding a company; it looked highly suspicious. Liang Wenle did not care about money; he only cared about feelings. Since he could bring up Fanxing, he must be questioning the purity of their relationship.

Why did Liang Wenle doubt him and Shen Shao’s relationship? Was it the earlier tailing? Was that private investigator sent by Liang Wenle? It does not seem like it. Liang Wenle does not have the brains for that; he can usually be fooled. This sudden accusation must have been incited by someone else.

Since he was incited, his focus should be on playing the pitiful, innocent victim. Liang Wenle liked him, not whoever had instigated this. As long as he managed the situation well, he could turn the tide.

After analyzing it, Ye Lin already had a solution. With a calm face, he lied. “Wenle, do you remember when Gu Jiazhi left the Gu family to start a business?”

Liang Wenle nodded. He had once joked with Ye Lin that he thought Gu Jiazhi was acting abnormally.

Seeing his blank expression, Ye Lin felt confident. “Actually, it is not that I am co-founding a company with Shen Shao, I am just doing a favor for Gu Jiazhi. When I heard you talk about it back then, I felt like Gu Jiazhi was struggling. Later, he came to me for help. It turns out he started a small company called Fanxing with Shen Shao, but they were having cash flow difficulties and desperately needed money.”

“But he is proud and embarrassed to ask you, so after much trouble, he found me and hoped to borrow money to help with the turnover. I did not want to help Gu Jiazhi, but he was truly pitiful at the time. His family cut off his funds; he had to fly economy class, sold his car, and only had a few tens of thousands left. Thinking of him as your good friend, I lent him a few tens of millions to help Fanxing get back on its feet.”

“He even begged me to keep it a secret because he was afraid you would look down on him, and he did not want to lose face in front of an old friend. He wanted to wait until Fanxing developed before he felt comfortable asking you to join. Wenle, you saw it yourself, he and Gu Tuo fought and ended up in the ICU. Because Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu were biased toward Gu Tuo, they gave all their resources to him and none to Gu Jiazhi. He was forced into this startup; it really was not easy for him. I invested in Fanxing in your name to help Gu Jiazhi, not to help Shen Shao.”

After listening, Liang Wenle felt everything clicked into place. Gu Jiazhi was hurt by Gu Tuo and went to start a business, living a miserable life, not even daring to tell him. Later, when they fought, Ye Lin just happened to be there to break it up and sent them to the hospital. He was also a prideful person; he knew his friend Gu Jiazhi’s concerns. If he had gone to start a business and was doing poorly, he would not dare tell Gu Jiazhi either; that would be too embarrassing. So, Ye Lin had kept the secret about Fanxing all along just to save Gu Jiazhi’s face and help his good friend.

But why does it always feel like Ye Lin and Gu Jiazhi’s relationship is a bit ambiguous?

Liang Wenle held Ye Lin’s hand, feeling uneasy. “You really did it for my sake, to help Gu Jiazhi, not because you have a secret affair with him?”

Ye Lin felt a wave of panic and hurriedly explained. “Wenle, you know that Gu Jiazhi is a straight man, and Uncle and Aunt Gu would not accept homosexuality. Even if I wanted to have an affair with him, he would not dare.”

Liang Wenle gritted his teeth, feeling aggrieved. “I just feel like you are too good to Gu Jiazhi. Let him be poor, why did he not come to me instead of you?”

Ye Lin subconsciously leaned into Liang Wenle’s arms, gently squeezing his wrist and whining pitifully. “You clearly know Gu Jiazhi was embarrassed to ask you, which is why he asked me. Besides, I want to ask you something, Wenle: do you still like Shen Shao now?”

Liang Wenle looked down at him, noticing his drooping eyes and aggrieved expression. “Why are you asking this?”

Ye Lin wrinkled his nose, thought of all those people who acted out of jealousy, and complained in a crying voice. “Your friends all say you have had a crush on Shen Shao for over ten years and have remained pure for him. At the beginning, you even made me sign a love contract. Of course I would be concerned. Think about it: your boyfriend has a first love he has liked for over a decade. Of course I would feel insecure and afraid that he would rekindle his old feelings and stop loving me.”

Liang Wenle gently flicked his nose and asked triumphantly. “Are you jealous?”

Ye Lin made a small fist and gently hammered Liang Wenle’s chest, replying coquettishly. “Of course! I like you, so I care about your first love! I even used the excuse of investing in Fanxing to find out where Shen Shao lived and kept an eye on him, just to make sure he would not come and ask you for help secretly. If you two got back together, my heart would be broken.”

Liang Wenle grabbed his hands, leaned down to kiss him, closed his eyes in satisfaction, and sighed sincerely. “When we signed that contract, who knew I would end up falling for you? Fate truly plays tricks on people!”

Ye Lin hated that he was not the type to cry easily; otherwise, a few tears would have made his performance even better. He snorted, grabbed Liang Wenle’s collar, and whispered. “Do you really like me, and not Shen Shao anymore? If you like Shen Shao, do not get engaged to me. I do not want that kind of impure love.”

Liang Wenle loved this side of him, his jealousy and could not help but hold him and kiss him for a long time, only letting go when his eyes were moist. He rubbed his brow. “When I was young and naive, I mistook my competitive spirit for liking. Actually, I did not want to date Shen Shao; I just wanted to beat him. I really do like you. I care about where you go and who you are talking to. I worry about you when you are sick. Every time I send a gift, I am always worried that it is not good enough; I want to give you the best.”

Ye Lin laughed and gently poked Liang Wenle’s heart. “You have already given me the best; I do not need anything else. As long as I am the only one in your heart in the future, then I will be the happiest person in the world!”

Liang Wenle caught his hand and warned him in a low voice. “Stop flirting with me, or I will not care if you are sick and will just have my way with you.”

Ye Lin pretended to be shy and hid inside the duvet. “I… I need to rest, I will not give it to you!”

Liang Wenle watched him like a little rabbit hiding in its burrow, his expression softening and his mood lifting.

Ye Lin hid for a while, then poked half his face out, testing the waters carefully. “You should not doubt that I have an affair with someone else; I am the one who should be suspicious of you!”

Liang Wenle saw his bright eyes and could not help but lean in to kiss him. Ye Lin hurriedly closed the duvet, like a clam closing its shell in danger, refusing to let the villain succeed.

Liang Wenle stopped teasing him and went downstairs to handle the engagement banquet arrangements. Hearing the footsteps fade away, Ye Lin finally poked his head out to breathe. He admired his own quick-wittedness; if he had gotten the order wrong, Liang Wenle would likely have discovered the truth. As long as he let Liang Wenle believe he was jealous of Shen Shao, he could rest easy. As for Gu Jiazhi, that kid had lost his memory, so there was no one left to confront him.

Thinking of this, Ye Lin was also relieved that Gu Jiazhi had amnesia. This way, if Liang Wenle went to cross-reference his story, there would not be any issues.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Yuanyuan, taking advantage of the master’s distraction, ran up and burst into the bedroom. It stuck out its tongue, tilted its head to look at Ye Lin on the bed, and rested its paws on the edge of the bed. Ye Lin stroked its head and wanted to go downstairs to walk it. But thinking that he still needed to pretend to be sick, he had to suppress his heart and whisper to Yuanyuan. “Go find Wenle, I cannot play with you for now.”

Yuanyuan drooped its ears in disappointment and squatted nearby, keeping Ye Lin company, tail wagging gently. Ye Lin held back as long as he could, but by the evening, he went downstairs to walk the dog. No one could resist the pouting of a “smiling angel” Samoyed, and he was no exception.

Liang Wenle was on the sofa in the living room looking at documents regarding Fanxing. According to the data, Fanxing was indeed started by Shen Shao, and Gu Jiazhi joined later. Usually, Shen Shao managed the company, while Gu Jiazhi handled the socializing. Ye Lin had indeed invested tens of millions, staying completely behind the scenes. It was consistent with Ye Lin’s story, but it could not 100% prove their innocence. Unless he pulled every employee of Fanxing to ask them one by one and investigated the company’s surveillance, there was no way to prove it.

But looking up, he saw Ye Lin in loose home clothes, leading Yuanyuan downstairs, and he hallucinated a sweet post-marriage daily life. They were almost engaged; doubting his partner over such baseless things was not worth it.

Liang Wenle stood up, walked to Ye Lin’s side, and accompanied him to walk the dog. He did not dwell on Fanxing anymore, only asking that Ye Lin not invest in Fanxing again in the future.

Ye Lin agreed on the surface, though he would still call Shen Shao privately; they just rarely met in person.

Four days later, they went to the hospital together to visit Gu Jiazhi.

After the rain, the sunshine filtered through the transparent glass, making the hospital ward exceptionally bright; one could even see the artificial blue lake outside. However, the curtains in Gu Jiazhi’s ward were drawn tight, and he was lying there using a controller, watching a game projected on the ceiling.

The ward was dark, filled with the attack sound effects from the game. When he heard the door open, Gu Jiazhi assumed it was Ye Lin and subconsciously scolded. “Did you not say you were not coming? Why are you here!?”

Liang Wenle heard this and loudly questioned. “Gu Jiazhi, who are you talking to?”

Gu Jiazhi put down the controller, noticed Liang Wenle and Ye Lin behind him, and immediately suppressed his anger. “Oh, so it is Wenle. I thought it was some liar.”

Hearing his words, Ye Lin immediately met his gaze, angry but silent, and grabbed Liang Wenle’s hand tightly.

Liang Wenle walked over and pulled back the curtains. “Why are you closing the windows? It is better to get more sun. Look how blue the lake is outside, and how beautiful the sunshine is.”

Gu Jiazhi rolled his eyes helplessly. “Oh, I have been staring at this stupid lake for a long time, it is boring. I closed the curtains to play games.”

Liang Wenle took out a red, gold-stamped invitation and handed it over. “Ten days from now, my engagement banquet; you have to come! I came to deliver the invitation to you personally!”

The moment Gu Jiazhi took the invitation, his eyes fell on Ye Lin, his mouth opening to speak, but he hesitated. Seeing he had no reaction, Liang Wenle thought he was in a bad mood. “What is wrong with you? Who angered you, and why are you taking it out on me?”

Gu Jiazhi shook his head and put the invitation on the table. “No one, just annoying relatives. Wenle, marriage is a major life event. Are you really sure?”

Liang Wenle sat down and boasted triumphantly. “Yes, I have decided. I am going to spend my life with Ye Lin. You were the one who convinced me to sign a love contract with him back then; you are basically our matchmaker, so you must attend the engagement banquet!”

Gu Jiazhi froze, his eyelid twitching. “Huh? I… I convinced you to sign a love contract? I am your matchmaker?”

“Oh, you forgot? Back then at the bar, I brought Ye Lin to hang out with the brothers. At the time, I wanted to pursue Shen Shao, and Ye Lin suggested I get involved with someone to make Shen Shao jealous. I wanted to ask you, but you were such a straight-laced guy, you would not hear of it and recommended Ye Lin instead. Since then, I have been entangled with Ye Lin, and our fake romance turned into the real thing!”

“I… did I do something like that?”

“Yes, Ye Lin and I both remember it. You are our matchmaker.”

Liang Wenle wrapped his arm around Ye Lin’s wrist and winked at him. Ye Lin cooperated and smiled, looking at Gu Jiazhi, suddenly feeling the word “straight man” was quite ironic. “Yes, at the time you kept saying you were a straight man and even helped set us up.”

Images suddenly flashed through Gu Jiazhi’s mind: a flushed Ye Lin laughing at him after drinking, “Gu, you are the most normal person here tonight, let us be friends!” And Ye Lin eating ice cream, his lips red, skin fair, eyes glistening; looking pure and seductive.

Seeing Gu Jiazhi lost in thought with no response for a long time, Liang Wenle reached out and waved his hand in front of his face. “Hey! If you cannot remember, do not force it, or you will get a headache and start screaming again!”

Gu Jiazhi looked at Ye Lin, his eyes inexplicably stinging, countless emotions churning in his heart. “We met at a bar?”

Facing him, it was hard for Ye Lin to feel much emotion anymore. He stated calmly. “We met for the first time at the bar. Liang Wenle brought me, and you were his good friend.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiazhi glanced at the invitation aside, feeling an inexplicable sense of pain. He had initially thought that losing a portion of his memory was not a big deal, but now he felt as though his heart was hollowed out, and he was deeply lost.

Liang Wenle, thinking of the word “good friend,” pointed at Gu Jiazhi’s brow and questioned. “You and Shen Shao opened a company outside, and when you hit a snag, you did not look for me, you went to Ye Lin for help. Are you not treating me as a friend!?”

Gu Jiazhi had no memory of this and asked casually. “What stupid company? How come I do not remember?”

Ye Lin replied calmly. “Fanxing.”

The moment he heard the word, Gu Jiazhi felt a splitting headache, as if he wanted to saw his head in half. His whole body began to break out in a cold sweat. It was too painful; spreading from his head to his limbs. Then, his heart felt like it was being scorched by a fire, repeatedly twisting and curling, as if being burned dry.

“It hurts!” Gu Jiazhi did not know whether to clutch his head or his heart. His face turned paper-white, and he instantly became listless.

Liang Wenle was so frightened he hurriedly pressed the call button for the doctor, begging him to stop thinking about it. Ye Lin was also worried about his condition and quickly retreated behind Liang Wenle to avoid being seen by Gu Jiazhi, lest it trigger more memories and cause further pain.

After the doctor arrived, he advised them to leave so he could administer specialized treatment.

Gu Jiazhi’s vision blurred. He vaguely saw Ye Lin’s silhouette drifting away and subconsciously reached out to grab, but he grasped only air.

He could not understand it. Liang Wenle had only come to announce the engagement and invite him, his nominal good friend, to attend. How could he feel such emptiness and regret? What was he empty about? What was he regretting? And why did he feel physically disgusted when he heard the word “matchmaker”?