Everyone I Flirted With Says They Won’t Let Me Go (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 3

Xia Chengxi forced a smile that looked more pained than joyful. “Brother, what brings you here?”

Gu Chengxi approached him, pinching the thin fabric of Xia Chengxi’s jacket between his fingers. His brow furrowed slightly, and Xia Chengxi’s heart clenched in response.

“Wearing so little—aren’t you afraid of catching a chill?”

Gu Chengxi’s warm hands enveloped Xia Chengxi’s trembling ones, rubbing them gently until they grew warm. Only then did he introduce Chu Ran.

“This is Chu Ran. I suppose no introduction is necessary.”

The words carried a double meaning.

Xia Chengxi pressed his lips together, his hands trembling even more violently.

It’s so cold.

Gu Chengxi watched him closely. “Are you that cold? You’ve always had a weak constitution. You should head back early.”

Xia Chengxi had no intention of provoking him at a time like this. He lowered his gaze, obedient and compliant. But Chu Ran, who had gone to great lengths to find Xia Chengxi, was not about to let the matter rest so easily.

On his desk lay records tracing every detail of Xia Chengxi’s life over the past fifteen years. He was almost certain—no, he was absolutely certain—that the person standing before him was the childhood friend he had spent fifteen years searching for.

“I think a proper introduction is in order,” Chu Ran said with a smile, his eyes overflowing with undisguised tenderness. “My name is Chu Ran. I’m twenty-five years old, and fifteen years ago, I grew up in this very orphanage.”

Xia Chengxi felt nothing but disdain for Chu Ran.

Fifteen years of hellish suffering had forged Xia Chengxi’s aloof demeanor. He didn’t blame Chu Ran for his absence over those years. After all, everyone faced their own struggles.

But if Chu Ran had chosen to stay away for fifteen years, why return now, successful and accomplished, to seek out a childhood companion?

After so long, how much of their childhood bond could possibly remain?

Xia Chengxi considered himself lazy and slow-witted, too indifferent to bother pondering such questions.

“Mr. Chu, hello. My name is Xia Chengxi.”

As he spoke, he extended his hand.

“Mr. Chu?” Chu Ran’s expression fell, tinged with loss. “After fifteen years, have we really grown so distant?”

He reached out and grasped Xia Chengxi’s hand firmly.

Whether out of excitement or provocation, Chu Ran held on tightly, making it impossible for Xia Chengxi to pull away. Xia Chengxi’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening instantly.

Gu Chengxi stood to the side, silent and unmoving, offering no interference.

Yet Xia Chengxi could feel the chill radiating from Gu Chengxi’s presence, sending a shiver down his spine.

Such deadly jealousy.

“Mr. Chu, please let go!”

Chu Ran didn’t release his grip—instead, he tightened it.

Xia Chengxi grew irritated. “You’re hurting me.”

Only then did Chu Ran loosen his hold, allowing Xia Chengxi to pull his hand back.

“I’m sorry, I got too carried away. Did I hurt you?”

Xia Chengxi rubbed his palm and shook his head.

“Speaking of which, we owe thanks to Mr. Gu. If it weren’t for him, this orphanage would have long been reduced to ruins.” Chu Ran smiled as he expressed his gratitude, but Gu Chengxi responded with a cold, noncommittal nod.

Xia Chengxi froze, but Chu Ran continued chattering away, lost in nostalgic reminiscence. “Xiao Xi, do you remember this tree? We made a vow beneath it when we were kids. Do you remember?”

Of course, Xia Chengxi remembered that cringeworthy childhood pledge.

“Back then, I swore I would take you away from here one day, give you the best life possible, and ensure you lived happily, free from worries…”

Chu Ran trailed off, his voice choked with emotion.

Xia Chengxi couldn’t understand. Fifteen whole years had passed—not quite an eternity, but enough to turn the world upside down. The once one-meter-tall child had grown into a man of six feet; “Xiao Xi” had become Xia Chengxi. How could Chu Ran still remember?

“Fifteen years ago, I didn’t have the ability to protect you. Now that I’m back, Xiao Xi, are you still willing… to call me Brother Chu?”

Xia Chengxi felt it was necessary to clarify his stance now. Otherwise, if he let Chu Ran continue to slander him like this, Gu Chengxi’s sincerity score might drop into the negatives.

“Mr. Chu, I’ve never blamed you. Fifteen years have passed, and everything has changed. I think we should start as friends from now on.”

After saying this, Xia Chengxi looked up at Chu Ran, and his heart trembled violently.

Chu Ran was gazing at him with a melancholic and affectionate expression, his eyes filled with pity, as if telling Xia Chengxi, “I understand everything. You’ve suffered by staying by Gu Chengxi’s side, Xiao Xi.”

Xia Chengxi forced a strained smile.

Was he overthinking things, or was Chu Ran the one overthinking?

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. We’ll be friends from now on. I’ve waited fifteen years—what’s a little more time?”

Having witnessed too many partings and separations, Gu Chengxi didn’t take Chu Ran’s deeply emotional yet restrained demeanor seriously. He simply tightened his grip on Xia Chengxi’s hand, as if he hadn’t heard a single word of what had just been said, and smiled as usual. “Xia Xia, it’s time to go back. Stay home and wait for me to finish my work.”

Chu Ran’s fists clenched abruptly. Xia Chengxi couldn’t wait to leave. Although reconnecting with Chu Ran was progress, there was no need to rush. After all, there would be plenty of time in the future.

“I’ll head back now.”

“Brother will have the driver take you.”

Gu Chengxi wrapped his arm around Xia Chengxi’s shoulder and escorted him to the car. As they passed Chu Ran, he shot him a disdainful glance out of the corner of his eye.

“Brother,” Xia Chengxi grabbed Gu Chengxi’s sleeve just before getting into the car, his dark, round eyes shifting uneasily. “I didn’t come out on purpose. I just…”

“I know,” Gu Chengxi reassured him. “It’s just that today is the fifteenth anniversary of your separation from Chu Ran. You had to come, didn’t you?”

In an instant, Xia Chengxi’s face turned deathly pale. He wanted to explain, but the car door had already been shut.

Of all days, why did it have to be the fifteenth anniversary?!

He pressed his face against the car window, watching Gu Chengxi, but only caught a glimpse of his tall, slender figure disappearing into the entrance of the orphanage.

For the first time, Xia Chengxi felt a wave of panic. [Little Green Hat, I’m going to die, aren’t I? When I get back, Gu Chengxi will definitely beat me to death. Beat me to death in the cruelest way!]

[Host, there’s no need to panic. Given Gu Chengxi’s 92% sincerity score toward you, he won’t beat you to death.]

Desperate for reassurance, Xia Chengxi asked, [Really?]

[At most, he’ll break your legs for running around, cut out your little lying tongue, gouge out your teary eyes, and then lock you up in a dark room, collect you, and keep you like a pet. But honestly, that sounds pretty awful.]

[…] In that case, being beaten to death sounded better.

Xia Chengxi spent half the night in anxiety, but Gu Chengxi never showed up by dawn. He thought about going to find him, but the two impeccably dressed bodyguards outside his door politely escorted him back inside.

In other words, he was under house arrest.

Xia Chengxi had never been one to panic over trivial matters, but there was always someone who could unsettle him. He could never quite grasp what Gu Chengxi was thinking, but he understood his temperament all too well.

Possessive, domineering, jealous, and intolerant of troublesome lovers.

[Little Green Hat, I haven’t eaten all day, and he still hasn’t come to see me.]

[Host, don’t be sad. The first target of your strategy has already started to stop caring about you.]

[Just now when I said I wanted to go out, that bodyguard even pushed me. Usually, the servants are all polite to me, but now even the bodyguard dares to bully me.]

[Host, here’s a hug. This must have been instructed by the first target. It’s highly likely that he has already found someone new.]

Xia Chengxi lay on the bed. It had already been five days, and he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Gu Chengxi. He had never been good at making a scene, and now he could only sob quietly, tears streaming down his face.

In the study, Gu Chengxi watched the surveillance footage of Xia Chengxi lying on the bed, silently crying, as he rubbed the ring box in his hand.

What a pity. Originally, this ring was meant to be slipped onto his finger five days ago.

There was a knock on the study door, and the Gu family’s elderly butler entered. “Sir, if you’re feeling distressed, why not go and see him?”

Gu Chengxi placed the ring box into a drawer. Though his expression remained stern, it softened slightly in the presence of the old butler who had taken care of him since childhood.

“Uncle Chen, go prepare some meat porridge. He hasn’t eaten all day and must be starving.”

Uncle Chen knew immediately that there was hope and hurriedly agreed to make the preparations.

Gu Chengxi stood up and headed toward Xia Chengxi’s room.

The door clicked open. Xia Chengxi, startled by the sound, looked toward the entrance with panicked eyes. There stood Gu Chengxi, his usual aloof and unreadable demeanor on full display.

Xia Chengxi was terrified, unsure whether Gu Chengxi had come to beat him to death or to beat him to death slowly.

In the past, whenever Xia Chengxi felt wronged, he would immediately bury himself in Gu Chengxi’s embrace. But today, he timidly shuffled backward, his eyes red and swollen from crying. Gu Chengxi sat down beside him, pulled him firmly closer, and carefully wiped the tear stains from his face.

“Do you still like Chu Ran?”

Xia Chengxi’s throat moved as he swallowed hard.

This was what frightened Xia Chengxi the most—he never knew what Gu Chengxi was truly thinking. Gu Chengxi seemed devoid of other emotions; even his smiles were cold, and when he looked at Xia Chengxi indulgently, his eyes still held a chilling intensity.

If it weren’t for the system, Xia Chengxi would have doubted how much sincerity lay behind Gu Chengxi’s words when he said, “I love you.”

After all, Gu Chengxi was a cold and detached person. In his childhood, during the family turmoil when his uncle seized power, the ten-year-old boy was forced to flee far from home. Ten years later, through painstaking effort and calculated performances, he made those who had humiliated him pay with their lives, all while smiling and chatting casually.

Such a person was suspicious, domineering, and possessed a maddening need for control.

It was fine if you were drawn to his power or wealth, but if you were drawn to the man himself, you were bound to be driven insane.

Tears blurring his vision, Xia Chengxi looked at him and whispered, “I… I like him.”