Love Notebook of a Reclusive Beautiful Boy - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jiang Sheng had just stepped out of the car when a gust of freezing wind blew directly against him.

He tucked his scarf tighter and stood by the wrought-iron gates.

Dongbin Road… was the territory of the rich in Jingang.

The land here cost at least three hundred thousand per square meter; it was so expensive that even the ground beneath one’s feet felt different to tread upon compared to anywhere else.

Waiting with a bit of boredom, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Shielding the wind with his hand, he struck a match. A few seconds later, he lit the cigarette and took a puff. The smoke slowly drifted out from his nose and mouth. Amidst the swirling vapor, he saw a maid walking toward him in a great hurry from the distance.

He took a few more puffs, then hurriedly threw down the cigarette and stepped on it with his foot, extinguishing the spark.

She was a British woman with poor Mandarin and a very strange accent. “You are Mr. Jiang, yes? Sir and Madam have been waiting for you for a long time. Please, come in.”

Du Yanyu was in the living room reading a newspaper—a standard financial paper, the kind of thing wealthy people love to read.

The living room was spacious. There were five or six Filipino maids dressed in uniform, busy with the tasks in their hands; not one dared to be slack.

As soon as he entered the living room, Du Yanyu saw him. “Jiang Sheng?”

“Hello, Mr. Du.”

Du Yanyu exchanged simple pleasantries. “Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

Du Yanyu nodded. “Then come with me.”

He put down the paper, took off his glasses, and led Jiang Sheng upstairs.

The villa was a four-story European-style aristocratic mansion. Du Yanyu led him all the way to the top floor.

It was a simple little attic.

The door was locked; Du Yanyu called a maid to open it.

The area inside was not large. Compared to any other room here, it appeared particularly shabby.

There were no decorations—white walls, wooden floors, a bed, and a desk. Besides these two items, there was nothing else.

The room was very dark. There was only a square window on the wall next to the bed, but it was sealed with adhesive tape.

Du Yanyu walked a few steps inside, and only then did Jiang Sheng discover someone was sitting by the bed.

It was a youth with delicate features, a pale face, and thin limbs. It was still February, yet he wore only a white short-sleeved shirt. He sat by the bed holding a photo frame, his hollow, spiritless eyes staring out the window.

Du Yanyu’s voice was intentionally lowered, carrying a smile and a friendly tone.

“A-Yu, why did you take your coat off again?”

As he spoke, he picked up a black cotton jacket from the bed and tried to dress him. “Come, put it on.”

From beginning to end, the youth did not say a single word. There seemed to be no focus in his hollow eyes; his gaze toward the window did not show a hint of reaction. His whole being was as if time had frozen right there.

“A-Yu, give me your hand…”

Du Yanyu gently pulled his arm, wanting to put it through the sleeve, but the youth clearly did not cooperate—or rather, it wasn’t that he was uncooperative, he simply had no reaction, holding the photo frame and staring out the window.

Du Yanyu could only smile in compromise. “If A-Yu doesn’t want to wear it, then don’t.”

Simply draping it over him like that, Du Yanyu withdrew his hand.

He turned his face to look at Jiang Sheng and said, “This is A-Yu. I am handing him over to you. From now on, you must protect him with your life.”

Jiang Sheng glanced at Du Yu by the bed. “Rest assured, Mr. Du. In the future, Jiang Sheng will certainly keep Young Master Du safe and sound.”

Du Yanyu nodded with satisfaction. “I know your capabilities. However, when necessary, you must remember clearly: even if you die, you cannot let anything happen to him.”

Although Du Yanyu’s words were slightly cold-hearted, Jiang Sheng understood the logic.

Since he was to be a bodyguard, it was natural to place the employer’s life before his own.

He used to be a policeman and had charged through mountains of knives and seas of fire many times; he had long since grown indifferent to such matters.

“Rest assured, Mr. Du.”

Du Yanyu continued, “Also, in front of him from now on, just call him A-Yu. There is no need to call him ‘Young Master.’ You will be following him so closely; if you call him ‘Young Master,’ he won’t hear you.”

Although Jiang Sheng did not know the reason behind this, he was not inquisitive. He replied silently, “Jiang Sheng understands.”

“In addition, regarding the matter of money, I already settled that with you over the phone yesterday. If there are no problems, sign the contract.”

Du Yanyu led Jiang Sheng into the study. The secretary had already prepared the materials and said respectfully, “Mr. Jiang, this is the contract. Please look it over. What I need to emphasize to you is that you are signing an indefinite term with our President Du. That is to say, unless President Du dismisses you, you cannot leave Young Master Du. This is a simple explanation for you; if there are no other questions, please sign here.”

The contract was long with many clauses. Jiang Sheng didn’t have the heart to read it word by word; he took a quick glance and signed his name.

The contract was in duplicate. After the secretary collected the contracts, Du Yanyu spoke.

“I have already had someone arrange a bed in the attic. Starting tonight, you will sleep there. Tomorrow A-Yu has to go to school. I have already made arrangements at the school. A-Yu, he…”

At this point, Du Yanyu gave a long sigh.

Regarding the matter of Du Yu going to school, it actually could have been solved by hiring some tutors at home.

But Du Yanyu went to great lengths to have him go to school and specifically hired a bodyguard to protect him, simply hoping the child could see more people and speak more with others.

He was already seventeen. After his birthday next month, he would be eighteen.

Yet he was still like that, not speaking a single word.

It had been ten years. Thinking of the child’s future, Du Yanyu would rather take the risk and let him go out to study.

“In short, you must talk to him more.”

After a long sigh, Du Yanyu said this.

…

Jiang Sheng pushed open the door to the attic. Du Yu was still maintaining the same posture as before, motionless.

Doesn’t he get tired like that?

From Du Yanyu’s appearance, Du Yu had been in this state for many years.

The young master of a wealthy family—why would he turn out like this?

Jiang Sheng couldn’t figure it out.

He figured it was likely some secret matter of the wealthy; if Du Yanyu didn’t mention it, he shouldn’t ask.

The maid had already made the bed. It was across from Du Yu’s bed. He walked over in a few steps and sat on the edge of the bed.

The atmosphere was silent. Only Jiang Sheng and Du Yu were in the small attic.

Jiang Sheng was the first to speak.

After all, from now on, their lives were tied together.

“Are you… cold?”

It was purely making conversation for the sake of it.

Du Yu had no reaction; he didn’t even turn his eyes to catch a glimpse of Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng suddenly remembered he hadn’t called him by name.

So, he immediately called out softly, “A-Yu?”

It carried a bit of hesitation.

He rarely called someone so intimately.

However, once the words were out, there was a long period of silence.

Du Yu did not acknowledge him.

He was so thin, Jiang Sheng thought. Du Yanyu said he was nearly eighteen, but he felt he didn’t look like an eighteen-year-old at all.

Eighteen is a vivid age.

Jiang Sheng thought of his own eighteen. At eighteen, he was still in high school, messing around all day with people like Song Jiahao. He didn’t expect that seven years had already passed in a flash.

He lowered his head and smiled, then looked up at Du Yu again.

He was clutching the photo frame, his gaze fixed out the window. The most beautiful part of his delicate and gentle features was that pair of eyes, yet it was as if someone had snatched away his soul, and they had lost their color.

What is he looking at? Jiang Sheng wondered.

He followed Du Yu’s gaze and glanced out. The window was small, but one could see outside clearly.

It was a modern garden. The flowers and grass in the garden were trimmed beautifully. In the middle was a glass flower house with lights on; servants were busy inside.

“What… are you looking at?” Jiang Sheng asked him softly.

No reaction.

Jiang Sheng remembered he hadn’t used his name, so he asked again, “What is A-Yu looking at?”

Still no reaction.

Jiang Sheng was a bit helpless. Du Yanyu said one had to call his name for him to hear, but calling it or not clearly made no difference; there was no reaction either way.

There was a knock on the door. It was the old woman who took care of Du Yu, Qi Fang; everyone called her Aunt Fang.

Du Yu recognized people; if a newcomer were brought in, it would probably take a long time to get familiar, so the Du family had never replaced her.

Jiang Sheng turned his head to look at her. She smiled politely in greeting. “Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Sheng nodded.

Aunt Fang walked up to Du Yu and said softly, “Does A-Yu want to wash his face?”

It took a long time before he turned his head. The range of the turn was very small, and his eyes, having gathered focus, looked at Aunt Fang.

Those were a pair of clean and clear eyes—pure, without a single impurity.

His voice was low, a result of rarely speaking for years; the cadence of his words was a bit strange. “Yes…”

Aunt Fang waved her hand, signaling two maids behind her to enter.

Of the two maids, one held a basin and the other carried a tray with two towels inside.

After Aunt Fang took a towel and wrung it dry: “A-Yu, come, wash your face.”

Holding the photo frame, Du Yu obediently closed his eyes.

Aunt Fang carefully and seriously wiped his face. After cleaning it, she smiled and said, “Alright, A-Yu, you can open your eyes.”

Aunt Fang and the few servants stayed in the attic for a very short time. Soon, she waved her hand to signal the others to leave.

As she turned around, she accidentally knocked the photo frame out of Du Yu’s hands. The frame fell far, landing right at Jiang Sheng’s feet.

Jiang Sheng looked down to pick up the frame and took a glance. The photo was a few years old. It was of two boys; one looked a bit older, about thirteen or fourteen, and the other was about seven or eight.

It was taken in a photo studio; the two children were dressed very formally.

Just as he was about to look closer, he caught sight of Du Yu staring at him intently.

Jiang Sheng smiled and handed the frame back to Du Yu.

He didn’t speak. He touched the photo, then hugged it back into his chest.

In the empty room, only Jiang Sheng and Du Yu remained again.

Jiang Sheng pointed to the frame in his hand. “Your frame broke from the fall.”

After a long while, his hollow eyes slowly gathered focus. His gaze slanted toward Jiang Sheng. He didn’t speak; his expression was ignorant and confused.

Jiang Sheng reached out his hand. “Do you want me to fix it for you?”

After saying that, he pointed to the back of the frame, and then added his name: “A-Yu.”

Du Yu’s beautiful eyes looked at Jiang Sheng for a second. He lowered his head and took another look at the frame. The stand on the back was bent from the fall; he saw it.

He hesitated for a long time before he slowly, very slowly, loosened his arms.

Slowly, he prepared to hand it over, but he caught sight of the boy in the photo and, as if startled, hugged it back into his chest again.

His thin body curled up; the oversized short sleeves made his arms look very slender. He appeared both lonely and frail. There was a flicker of panic in his gaze, as if he wanted to pull the photo frame into his very body.

Jiang Sheng didn’t understand why he suddenly acted this way, only that he looked so fragile and sensitive.

Perhaps it was because he looked like this that he was truly pitiable.

Jiang Sheng softened his tone, speaking patiently and carefully, “Don’t be afraid, A-Yu. I won’t hurt you.”

He extended his hand a bit further, using a coaxing tone. “Come, give it to me.”

When Jiang Sheng was a policeman, he had encountered several people who wanted to commit suicide by jumping off buildings. A teammate who had studied psychology once said that people like them are almost extremely fragile, extremely sensitive, and very resistant to the outside world.

However, whether it was them or the Du Yu before his eyes.

One of the keys to gaining their trust is to make them deeply believe that you are on their side and that you will never hurt them.

Black eyes stared at him without blinking. Jiang Sheng kept looking at him, his hand extended, waiting until Du Yu was willing to hand him the photo.

Maybe it was because he looked upright, or maybe it was because he wanted the frame fixed.

In short, in the end, Du Yu still carefully handed the photo to him.

Jiang Sheng smiled and, with a few movements, fixed the part on the back of the frame that had been bent.

“There, here.” Jiang Sheng handed it back.

Du Yu took it and hugged it back into his chest.

He protected it very carefully.

Jiang Sheng was taller than him and was standing, so with a glance, he saw the people in the photo.

He pointed to the smaller one, the child whose features looked very much like Du Yu, and said to him with a smile, “The photo was taken very well. Is it you?”

He began to fall silent.

So silent.

Silent like a porcelain doll arranged in a cabinet.

No need to move, and even less need to speak.

Jiang Sheng looked at him; a clean and delicate face, yet his movements and demeanor all displayed his innocence and naivety.

A youth who had not experienced the ways of the world.

Was it that he had been protected too well, or was he just like this by nature?

Jiang Sheng had signed a lifelong contract with the Du family; in this life, he would probably die in the Du family.

In the life ahead, he would likely have to share joys and sorrows with the youth before him.

He followed Du Yu’s gaze and looked out the window. The moon of early February hung high on the branches. Under the shroud of dark clouds, the moonlight was plated with a thick layer of frost in the dark night. The silver-white moonlight fell toward the window with a deep chill.

The night was already deep.