Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 23

Gu Congnan reached out to grab Xiao Tingbai’s wrist, but several years of imprisonment had long since sapped him of his former strength. He could do nothing but let the other man manipulate him.

During the first year, Xiao Tingbai had almost never let him eat his fill, often providing only one meal a day. He continued this until Gu Congnan was malnourished and his physique became slender, stripping him of the power he once possessed.

Xiao Tingbai abruptly whipped the covers back. Gu Congnan was wearing nothing but one of Xiao Tingbai’s dress shirts; his thin legs were a startling, pale white.

A chain was clamped firmly around his ankle. Although the interior of the shackle was lined with cotton cloth, the inner side of his ankle still bore raw, red chafing marks. Looking further up, from his neckline disappearing into the shirt down to his thighs, his skin was covered in vivid red marks.

“We are returning to Country Z. You can finally leave this place. Aren’t you happy?” Xiao Tingbai’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“The house in Country Z was finished long ago. You used to have trouble sleeping every time you changed beds, so I specifically had the place decorated to look exactly like this one.”

Xiao Tingbai loosened his grip on the other man’s jaw and gently stroked his cheek.

“Zhou Yi told you to go,” Gu Congnan said coldly, his voice slightly raspy.

“You don’t need to know too much. No one in Country Z knows you; perhaps I can take you out for a walk.” Xiao Tingbai sat on the edge of the bed and tidied Gu Congnan’s stray strands of hair.

The loathing on Gu Congnan’s face was palpable. He turned his head away in fury. Even though they had been inseparable for years, he still detested Xiao Tingbai for everything he had done to him.

“How much longer will it take for you to get bored? When will you finally let me go!” Gu Congnan said with a savage expression.

The smile instantly vanished from Xiao Tingbai’s face, and his refined mask shattered. His powerful hand suddenly clamped around Gu Congnan’s throat, pinning him down onto the bed.

His expression was cold as he watched Gu Congnan struggle. His grip wasn’t heavy enough to impede breathing, yet it kept the man firmly under control.

“You are already dead, A-Nan. Dead people shouldn’t reappear. Don’t even dream of leaving me. Even in death, you will be with me.”

The future half-owner of the Pei family?

Gu Nian held his book, but he hadn’t managed to turn more than a few pages all afternoon. Pei Jichuan’s words had undoubtedly sent massive waves through his heart.

To marry an ordinary man who couldn’t bear children, and to give him half of his fortune? If their positions were reversed, Gu Nian admitted to himself that he wouldn’t be able to do what Pei Jichuan was doing.

Zhou Yi was coming next week. Gu Nian decided he couldn’t leave with him just yet; he had to investigate everything clearly first to ensure he left with no regrets.

Gu Nian’s gaze shifted covertly toward Pei Jichuan, who was currently working.

Truthfully, this man was very much to his taste. Gu Nian had spent the first half of his life struggling to survive, and later he was busy covertly overthrowing Gu Congnan. He never had the time for romance, so he didn’t even know if he preferred men or women.

But with a face like Pei Jichuan’s, it would be hard for anyone—man or woman—not to like him.

Gu Nian absentmindedly turned a page. He seemed to think of something else, and his brows furrowed imperceptibly.

That second young master of the He family had investigated quite a lot. Fortunately, due to “illness,” Gu Nian hadn’t made many public appearances in the last two years. Furthermore, because of the soul-transmigration, he had been afraid his appearance might change significantly and make it difficult to return to Black Crow, so Zhou Yi had deliberately hidden his features and forbidden any photos from being circulated.

However, Xiao Tingbai… he was actually returning to the country. If he came back, he would definitely bring that person with him. If that man escaped, it would be a huge problem. Although Gu Nian had spent years hunting down and killing Gu Congnan’s loyalists, there was no guarantee that some hadn’t slipped through the cracks.

After all, the Gu family in Country F was an ancient triad clan. As the seventh-generation head, Gu Congnan was only a few years older than Gu Nian, but his ruthlessness far surpassed Gu Nian’s. He was the kind of person who could kill his own kin without blinking an eye.

When Gu Nian first met Gu Congnan, the latter was merely an instructor in the rainforest. His father had focused on grooming his elder half-brother; with so many siblings, Gu Congnan had no voice in the family. Gu Nian had followed him, witnessing Gu Congnan slaughter every one of his relatives until he finally secured the throne.

Then again, that was essentially a family tradition; every generation of the Gu family had ascended the throne that way.

But this “Instructor Gu,” the man who had trained Gu Nian, was eventually overthrown by Gu Nian—one of his own. The myth of the seventh generation of the Gu family ended there.

But who could the traitor be? Faces flashed through Gu Nian’s mind as he compiled a mental list. Once he met Zhou Yi, he would have to make him investigate this thoroughly.

“There’s a banquet next week. Come with me.”

Pei Jichuan had walked over at some point. His sudden voice startled Gu Nian, causing his fingers to twitch.

Gu Nian looked up with feigned confusion. “A banquet? What kind of banquet?”

Pei Jichuan stopped in front of Gu Nian and dropped to one knee, taking Gu Nian’s hand.

“It’s the birthday banquet for the youngest daughter of the He family. In name, it’s a birthday party, but in reality, it’s a place for the various wealthy and powerful families to scout for partners. All of City A’s elite will be there.”

Pei Jichuan reached into his pocket. It was only then that Gu Nian noticed a subtle ring on Pei Jichuan’s finger.

Pei Jichuan pulled out a small velvet box and slowly opened it. Inside was a ring identical in style to the one on his own hand. He took Gu Nian’s hand and slid the ring onto his finger.

“I want to introduce you to everyone.”

Hiding someone away in secret wasn’t true protection. Only by openly declaring to the world that Lin Nuo was Pei Jichuan’s partner would the “rats” hiding in the shadows be deterred.

Even though it wasn’t the first time he had heard such sentiments, Gu Nian found it hard to hide his shock. He stared blankly at the ring, realizing it carried the full weight of Pei Jichuan’s affection.

Gu Nian steadied his chaotic thoughts. He hesitated before speaking, his voice a bit husky.

“I’m just an ordinary person. We aren’t a good match. I can’t bring any profit to the Pei Group. People will talk behind your back, criticize you… and then there’s the Pei family…”

“Lin Nuo.”

Pei Jichuan interrupted him. He squeezed Gu Nian’s hand, looking at him with clear, resolute eyes.

“Look into my eyes. You are the most unique person in this world. You are the inextinguishable starlight in my long night. I have wanted you for as long as I have known you. I am strong enough now; I can protect you. No one can take you away from me. I want you to walk by my side for the rest of our lives.”

In all his long years, this was the first time Gu Nian had heard a confession from someone else. This wasn’t a flirtatious tease or a joke; it was a solemn invitation for Lin Nuo to be his partner for life.

Yes, it was for Lin Nuo, not Gu Nian.

Gu Nian blinked, his gaze clearing. He quickly weighed the pros and cons and accepted solemnly.

“I hope you don’t break your word.”

A game of love… this is indeed very interesting.

“I never will.”

Since Gu Nian had agreed, Pei Jichuan’s heart began to race like a drum, the thumping echoing in his ears. He stared at Gu Nian’s lips, suddenly wanting to claim a kiss, but Gu Nian’s next words interrupted his train of thought.

“If you keep this up, you’ll spoil me. I’ll become very arrogant.”

Although Gu Nian had been quite well-behaved lately, he certainly hadn’t been the “gentle” type before. He practically wore arrogance on his forehead; after all, no one else had ever cracked President Pei’s head open with an ashtray—an incident so severe the family doctor almost resigned out of fear.

“It doesn’t matter. You can be as arrogant as you like,” Pei Jichuan said with a light chuckle. As the partner of the head of the Pei Group, what did it matter if he was arrogant? Pei Jichuan would be there to clean up any mess.

“Oh, okay. Then I want to eat crispy roasted pork belly. With lots of chili.” Gu Nian said with a serious, deadpan face.

“Huh? Er… fine. No problem.” Pei Jichuan’s expression froze.