Don't Bait Me Anymore! - Chapter 12

Gu Zhiyi arrived surprisingly quickly.

Sheng Yan had just seen off three of his subordinates as they got into their cars. The designated driver for the youngest female Vice President hadn’t even arrived yet.

Yet Gu Zhiyi was already standing at the entrance of the nightclub.

He’d taken a taxi tonight. As the car pulled over and the door swung open, the first thing Sheng Yan saw were Gu Zhiyi’s impossibly long legs.

When he saw Gu Zhiyi’s whole figure, Sheng Yan raised his eyebrows in amusement.

Gu Zhiyi was dressed in an unusually student-like manner tonight.

A neatly pressed white shirt was layered under a gray hoodie, only the collar of the shirt peeking out. This instantly diminished the shirt’s usual air of aloofness, instead giving him an air of “good boy” charm.

His black trousers had been replaced with simple jeans, paired with pure white sneakers.

This outfit was almost too innocent, creating a slight contrast with Gu Zhiyi’s sharp, striking features, yet it didn’t clash.

Unsurprisingly, he immediately drew the attention of the young men and women gathered at the nightclub entrance.

Perhaps because his attire made him seem less unapproachable than usual, bold boys and girls started calling out to him with playful shouts—

“Handsome guy, all alone? Come party with us! We’re just one person short!”

“Hey, handsome! I’m alone too! We could share a table!”

“Handsome…”

The calls of “handsome” rose and fell in a chorus, and even Vice President Zhou, who was clearly already drunk, exclaimed, “Wow, where did this pure and innocent university guy come from? Is he trying to get himself killed by being this good-looking? Young people these days have it too good, boohoo!”

Sheng Yan found it amusing. He didn’t rush to greet Gu Zhiyi, but his gaze hadn’t left Gu Zhiyi since he stepped out of the car.

His gaze was more brazen and direct than anyone else’s, yet it also held strands of lingering, intoxicating allure.

Gu Zhiyi, of course, was also watching Sheng Yan.

The moment he got out of the car, he locked onto the tall, slender figure, tuning out all the blatant calls around him.

Without looking left or right, he strode directly toward Sheng Yan.

After a moment of eye contact, Sheng Yan’s playful mood took over. He deliberately took two steps forward before Gu Zhiyi arrived, stopping directly in front of him. Then, with a deliberately flippant gesture, he lifted Gu Zhiyi’s chin and adopted the tone of the young people at the door. “Handsome, alone? Want to come with me?”

His tone was full of teasing, and his eyes held the same playful glint.

Gu Zhiyi stared at Sheng Yan for two full seconds before nodding in response, replying with a single, proud word: “Good.”

The crowd of onlookers immediately erupted in cheers and catcalls—

Unaware of their history, they assumed this was their first meeting.

Both men were strikingly handsome, and their mere presence together was a feast for the eyes.

Sheng Yan couldn’t suppress a smile. Remembering something, he leaned close to Gu Zhiyi’s ear and whispered, “Why are you dressed so… proper today?”

As he drew near, the scent of brandy mingled with a faint, masculine cologne, swirling into Gu Zhiyi’s nostrils.

Gu Zhiyi’s body tensed momentarily. Instead of answering, he murmured, “Do you think I look good, brother?”

Sheng Yan, catching the implication, raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Did you dress up specifically for me?”

Caught off guard by Sheng Yan’s bluntness, Gu Zhiyi faltered. He avoided Sheng Yan’s gaze and shook his head slightly. “No… I just threw this on.”

His voice lacked conviction.

After saying that, he couldn’t help but purse his lips and ask again, “So… do you think it looks good, brother?”

The anticipation in Sheng Yan’s voice was so palpable it practically dripped, yet Gu Zhiyi remained blissfully unaware.

Sheng Yan, of course, saw through Gu Zhiyi’s stubborn facade and grew even more mischievous, wanting to tease him.

Instead of answering “Is it good-looking?”, Sheng Yan deliberately replied casually, “It’s not for me to look at anyway. Why should my opinion matter?”

Perhaps caught off guard by his response, Gu Zhiyi suddenly looked up, his thin lips parting as if to defend himself. But before he could speak, a woman’s voice cut in, “Um, President Sheng, the rideshare I called has arrived! I’ll be heading out now. You two enjoy the rest of your conversation!”

The female Vice President had long realized that the “pure college guy” she’d mentioned earlier was none other than Sheng Yan himself, whom he’d called to pick up.

Recalling her earlier remark about “eating too well,” she now glanced between Gu Zhiyi’s face and Sheng Yan’s. The Vice President could barely contain her excitement, wanting to shout, “So I was the one eating too well! This is too perfect!” Her mind raced with gossip to share with the three colleagues who had left earlier.

Sheng Yan was unaware of Gu Zhiyi’s inner thoughts. He simply nodded and reminded him, “Be careful. Let us know when you get home.”

After watching Vice President Zhou get into his car, Sheng Yan turned his attention back to Gu Zhiyi.

He noticed Gu Zhiyi looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Sheng Yan cleared his throat deliberately to mask the smile he was struggling to suppress. Pretending not to notice, he said, “Alright, we can go now.”

With that, he turned and walked ahead.

After a few steps, the tall figure behind him finally caught up.

After what seemed like a long internal struggle, Gu Zhiyi blurted out, his voice faster than usual and tinged with a tone of resignation, “I actually dressed like this specifically for you, brother. Because Zhao Da… my roommate, said you might like this style.”

The last part caught Sheng Yan off guard. That roommate of Gu Zhiyi’s is quite good at guessing people’s tastes, he thought. But what he said aloud was, “It looks good on you. But mostly, it’s because you’re good-looking. I’d find anything you wear attractive.”

This was also true—

After all, Gu Zhiyi’s outfit itself wasn’t particularly special; it was just particularly youthful and student-like.

It was all thanks to his handsome face and good figure that he looked so striking.

Finally getting the answer he wanted, Gu Zhiyi feigned composure and maintained his cool demeanor, letting out a casual “Oh.”

But the faint blush on his ears betrayed him completely.

Sheng Yan smiled silently.

After walking two more steps, as if suddenly realizing something, Gu Zhiyi hesitated before asking, “Brother didn’t drive here?”

Sheng Yan chuckled. “Xiao Gu, did you really think I called you over so late to be my designated driver?”

Gu Zhiyi paused, then shook his head. “No…”

Remembering something, he added in a low voice, “By the way, brother’s suit… I’ve already washed it clean, but I was in such a hurry to leave just now that I forgot to bring it…”

This kind of absentminded behavior was rare for Gu Zhiyi, but today it had truly happened.

After Sheng Yan mentioned meeting in their video call, Gu Zhiyi had completely forgotten everything else.

Only after getting into the taxi did he remember.

Sheng Yan was genuinely surprised. “You actually washed it?”

Gu Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I say I’d wash it clean earlier?”

He asked this with genuine earnestness, the confusion in his tone completely sincere.

After a moment’s careful consideration, Sheng Yan sighed with a wry smile. “My mistake… I misunderstood you.”

He recalled the burning intensity in Gu Zhiyi’s eyes when he’d asked for the clothes that day. Sheng Yan had assumed he actually wanted to keep them.

Sheng Yan’s ambiguous phrasing took a moment to register with Gu Zhiyi. When he finally understood, he blurted out as if he’d been electrocuted, “I’m not a pervert!”

His usually calm voice suddenly trembled with agitation.

Sheng Yan felt even more guilty.

It seemed Gu Zhiyi was even purer than he’d originally thought.

Unbeknownst to him, Gu Zhiyi was thinking:

Those things were mine, not Sheng Yan’s…

Keeping traces of myself like that… wouldn’t that make me a pervert?

As they spoke, they entered the hotel lobby.

The same one as last time.

The topic came to a temporary close.

Sheng Yan, familiar with the routine, addressed the front desk girl, “A suite, please.”

As he spoke, he prepared to hand over his card.

Gu Zhiyi, however, beat him to it, saying tersely, “I’ll take care of it.”

Sheng Yan smiled and glanced at him, but didn’t intervene.

Last time, he had paid for the room. After all, he had been the one to “catch” Gu Zhiyi first, and at the time, Gu Zhiyi had seemed completely dazed, following him without question.

Later, Gu Zhiyi had tried to transfer money to him on WeChat, but Sheng Yan had refused.

In his view, he didn’t need the money for one night’s stay. What mattered was the experience, his own pleasure and satisfaction were paramount.

Besides, Gu Zhiyi was still a student.

But this time, Gu Zhiyi’s insistence on paying was understandable.

This wasn’t just polite formality. On the contrary, it demonstrated that in their current relationship, both of them were deriving genuine enjoyment from it.

Taking the room key, riding the elevator, walking down the corridor, entering the room…

The familiar surroundings even caused Gu Zhiyi to momentarily drift, as if he were reliving the night he first met Sheng Yan.

But tonight, he wasn’t as awkward as that first night.

Not only had he mastered the optimal rhythm, but he had even spontaneously learned to say something suggestive: “Brother, you said you missed me today. Are you looking for your reward?”

Reward.

This was the word Sheng Yan had used in a text message to Gu Zhiyi earlier:

I only rewarded you today. On Sunday, you’ll have to reward me properly.

And now, Gu Zhiyi was finally returning the word to Sheng Yan.

And he did it so perfectly, so aptly.

Sheng Yan raised his eyebrows. He didn’t answer directly, but the fingers gripping Gu Zhiyi’s hair suddenly tightened, as if deliberately mimicking the action of pulling a rein, or perhaps just an instinctive reaction. After a moment, he murmured softly, “Hmph… a little dog spoiled by favoritism…”

Hearing him say “miss you” and then using it to cleverly turn the tables at such a moment, wasn’t that the very definition of being spoiled by favoritism?

And so, Gu Zhiyi’s “reward” became even more intense.

The room was filled with an atmosphere of intimacy and the sounds of passion.

Suddenly, the phone Sheng Yan had casually tossed aside began vibrating repeatedly, the sound jarringly out of place.

He didn’t want to look, and he certainly didn’t have the time, but the incessant vibrations forced him to pause. He picked up the phone, intending to silence it.

Before silencing it, however, he glanced at the WeChat notifications, just in case there was something urgent.

He discovered the messages were coming from the work group chat with his four Vice Presidents.

Logically, a work group chat shouldn’t be this active at this hour.

Sheng Yan quickly scanned the rapidly popping-up messages and immediately understood why.

These four drunks.

Led by the female Vice President, they had likely mistaken the chat for their private gossip group. And they were actually talking about him:

It’s such a shame you left early! You missed the gorgeous guy who came to pick up President Sheng! So handsome, seriously so handsome! He’s like a walking anime character! Perfect match for President Sheng 1551…

The other three were clearly also quite drunk. Not a single one of them realized this was a work group chat, let alone that President Sheng himself was present.

Sheng Yan found it amusing. Of course, he had no intention of reminding them of the group’s purpose just yet. He was about to mute the group chat and put down his phone when a sudden sharp pain struck his collarbone—

Clearly, some big dog was expressing its displeasure at his distraction.

Sheng Yan instinctively drew a shallow breath, his fingers trembling slightly. In that moment, without meaning to…

He didn’t mute the chat. Instead, he accidentally tapped the latest voice message.

Vice President Zhou’s voice, slurred with drunkenness, blared out unexpectedly: “Wait, wait! The ‘President Sheng’ you’re talking about—the handsome one who’s coming to pick him up, is that the President Sheng who lost a dare and called saying ‘I miss you’?”

This was an unexpected turn of events even for Sheng Yan.

By the time he realized what was happening and tried to stop it, the message had already finished playing…

And Gu Zhiyi…

Gu Zhiyi had heard it too.

The car had overturned in a way he never saw coming.

Gu Zhiyi stopped.

He slowly raised his arms, using the difference in elevation to look down at Sheng Yan.

His thin lips parted, and he asked in a hoarse voice, “Big dare?”

After a pause, Gu Zhiyi asked, each word deliberate: “So… you didn’t really miss me today when you video called and said ‘I miss you’? You were just playing a game?”

His voice was still hoarse, tinged with lingering desire, and his tone was subtle, carrying a hint of pressure but more so a sense of grievance.

Sheng Yan didn’t answer immediately, his mind racing—

The question wasn’t difficult to answer. He could simply tell Gu Zhiyi that the truth or dare was real and that he truly wanted him. After all, that was the truth.

Yet Sheng Yan didn’t want to answer so plainly. In this context, such a straightforward response would inevitably sound like he was brushing him off.

After a moment of silence, he didn’t answer directly but instead asked softly, “If I say yes, what will you do?”

He was genuinely curious about Gu Zhiyi’s choice. Would he get angry about feeling deceived and stop, or would he…

Gu Zhiyi quickly made his decision.

After a brief hesitation, he resumed his advance, this time with unprecedented ferocity, as if he’d transformed from a puppy into a wolf in an instant!

Yet he still spoke in a tone that feigned vulnerability: “Then I’ll have no choice but… huff… to try even harder, to make sure that next time… I can make brother really want me.”

All the emotions—frustration, resentment, and more, poured into the rise and fall of his body.

He was now trying too hard, so hard that Sheng Yan unconsciously frowned and bit his lower lip.

Yet inwardly, he felt pleased.

He was satisfied, or rather, he admired Gu Zhiyi’s approach.

However…

Satisfaction and admiration were one thing; enduring it all was another.

Sheng Yan finally spoke, barely suppressing a gasp that threatened to escape, and said haltingly, “Have you ever thought… well, even though it’s just a game… but… there are so many people on my contact list, hiss… how come I ended up video-calling only you?”

Taking advantage of Gu Zhiyi’s ignorance of the specific rules of that “Truth or Dare” challenge—calling your most recent contact—Sheng Yan spoke with such brazen confidence that he felt no guilt.

And Gu Zhiyi was indeed fooled, visibly relaxing in response.

After all, he’d never really played games like “Truth or Dare” before.

He hadn’t had the chance before college, and after college, he’d had no interest.

When Sheng Yan said this, Gu Zhiyi didn’t immediately suspect there were any hidden conditions.

He couldn’t resist speaking quickly, his voice rising slightly beyond his control. “So… you’re saying you missed me too, aren’t you?”

At this point, Sheng Yan only needed to nod and give a simple affirmation to resolve the matter.

But Sheng Yan wanted more than just resolution.

He wanted to go further.

Instead of answering directly, Sheng Yan raised the hand that had been clinging to Gu Zhiyi’s back and placed it on the back of his head, pulling him closer.

They were so close they could see themselves clearly in each other’s eyes.

So close that it seemed their lips would touch with the slightest movement.

Yet Sheng Yan didn’t speak, nor did he kiss.

Instead, he gently rubbed his nose against Gu Zhiyi’s.

It was a very light touch, but coming from him at that moment, it felt extraordinarily intimate and intimate, carrying a certain indescribable quality that surpassed even a kiss itself.

Perhaps it was because the gesture conveyed a sense of vulnerability.

Sheng Yan was adept at this, knowing exactly when to assert control and when to strategically “show weakness.”

Gu Zhiyi’s eyes widened slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing conspicuously as his rough, deep breaths momentarily hitched.

Only then did Sheng Yan withdraw his hand, leaning back slightly to create a little distance.

Finally, he curved his lips into a smile and spoke, his voice softer and more tender than before. “So, can you be gentle with me now?”

He paused briefly, meeting Gu Zhiyi’s visibly softening, hesitant gaze. Sheng Yan’s smile widened, and with a slight lift at the end of his voice, he softly called out, “Darling?”

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