Out Of Control All The Way - Chapter 10

When Jiang Muzhou walked over, Gu Yubai had already moved everything into the storage shelves in the lounge.

Hearing the sound of Jiang Muzhou entering, he asked, When did you hook up with him?

Jiang Muzhou laughed in amusement. Look at your choice of words. What do you mean by hooked up?

Seeing that Gu Yubai was still staring at him, waiting for an answer, Jiang Muzhou continued, Do you remember when my bike crashed into a Rolls-Royce?

Gu Yubai nodded.

That was his car. And later, didn’t you take me to meet Zhang Ning? He was there too.

Gu Yubai knew about both incidents, but he couldn’t figure out how their relationship had suddenly gotten so close.

They had spent an entire afternoon playing video games right here. Given Shang Shixu’s schedule and interests, he didn’t seem like the type of person who would waste a whole afternoon playing games.

Does he even like gaming? Does he even have the time for it?

Recalling Shang Shixu’s gaming proficiency after just a bit of learning, Jiang Muzhou said with certainty, He actually has a tiny bit of gaming talent. Besides, he’s human, he can’t work all the time, people need rest and entertainment too.

He didn’t have time to play games? Then who was the one playing on a level 388 account?

Seeing that Jiang Muzhou didn’t care at all, Gu Yubai said, Actually, I met him when I was a kid.

Jiang Muzhou looked over at Gu Yubai. His curiosity was genuinely piqued now, not about Shang Shixu, but about Gu Yubai.

He had mentioned before that he and Zhang Ning were friends as kids, and now he was saying he had seen Shang Shixu back then too. Was Gu Yubai from a privileged background as well?

Catching Jiang Muzhou’s probing gaze, Gu Yubai explained, I lived close to their crowd when I was little, so I saw them often, and we went to the same elementary school. Back then, I hung out more with Zhang Ning. I wasn’t very familiar with Shang Shixu, I only knew my dad told me to stay far away from him and avoid offending him.

Your family used to?

Gu Yubai took a deep breath. My dad used to be just a low-ranking section chief, but later he ran into some trouble and quit.

Sensing that mentioning past events made Gu Yubai’s expression unnatural, likely due to bad memories, Jiang Muzhou stopped asking.

Don’t worry, I have no reason to offend him anyway. My studio is funded by him, so it’s normal for him to drop by and take a look.

If it was just a visit from an investor, that would be normal, but Gu Yubai asked again, There’s no other relationship?

Jiang Muzhou wasn’t good at lying, but to keep his friend from worrying, he answered, Of course not.

Seeing that Gu Yubai stopped bringing up Shang Shixu, Jiang Muzhou shifted the topic to their recent riding trip.

Is Zhang Ning used to it, riding that far for the first time?

Hearing Zhang Ning’s name, Gu Yubai sighed. He got caught in the rain and ran a fever by the third day. Coincidentally, someone in the group had a family emergency back in Beijing, so he just brought Zhang Ning back along the way.

Jiang Muzhou wasn’t one to pry into others’ affairs, but hearing this, he asked out of curiosity, Why is he latching onto you anyway?

Gu Yubai took a sip of water, seemingly unsure of how to start.

He is gay.

Jiang Muzhou was somewhat surprised. He likes you?

Gu Yubai wore a speechless expression. I originally thought he came looking for me because of our childhood friendship. I never expected him to harbor those kinds of feelings.

Jiang Muzhou didn’t have any strong biases regarding homosexuality; there were all sorts of things in the world, and such matters were hardly uncommon.

Still, judging by Zhang Ning’s attitude toward Gu Yubai, it certainly didn’t look like a spur-of-the-moment thing. The seed of it had likely been planted deep in his heart since childhood.

What’s your stance then? Did you make it clear to him?

Drifting along like this indefinitely wasn’t going to solve the problem.

Gu Yubai grew agitated. I’ve made it crystal clear to him that I like women, but he simply refuses to believe it. I don’t care whether he believes it or not, I could never, ever like a man.

The mere thought of Zhang Ning leaning against him gave Gu Yubai goosebumps all over, making his hair stand on end and leaving him thoroughly uncomfortable.

This was Jiang Muzhou’s first time encountering such a situation. He also felt like romance between men lacked any appeal. How could it ever compare to women? Although he had never dated a girlfriend, he still harbored romantic aspirations, having cherished an ideal goddess during his youth.

Maybe he’ll let go after a while, Jiang Muzhou offered by way of comfort.

Gu Yubai nodded. I hope so.

Jiang Muzhou glanced around his studio. Just a moment ago, he had felt that his bad luck had finally lifted: his studio had secured funding, the game was in production, and future sales channels were backed by a major company’s marketing network, putting everything smoothly back on track.

Yet looking at it from another angle, things didn’t seem quite so simple.

Gu Yubai was being pestered by a wealthy guy, Tong Hui was being chased by a wealthy girl, and as for himself, he was hanging out as a friend with a wealthy tycoon.

Of course, that word friend needed quotation marks, he wasn’t even sure if he and Shang Shixu could truly be called friends, or if they were just drinking buddies who occasionally shared a meal, a drink, or a chat.

After all, Shang Shixu didn’t seem short on friends at all.

What on earth were all these messy complications?

Gu Yubai didn’t stay long before hopping on his bike and leaving.

He had mainly dropped by to deliver local specialties to Jiang Muzhou.

He just hadn’t expected to run into Shang Shixu while he was there.

On the ride back, buffeted by the wind, he debated whether or not he should tell Jiang Muzhou about Shang Shixu’s family background. Since Jiang Muzhou’s studio was funded by Shang Shixu, he worried that knowing the truth would pile an overwhelming amount of pressure onto Jiang Muzhou.

So, when the words reached the tip of his tongue, he swallowed them back down.

He could only hope that Jiang Muzhou wouldn’t get too deeply entangled with Shang Shixu.

His father’s warning still echoed in his ears. Stay far away from connections you aren’t qualified to climb toward. Especially here in Beijing, where officials are everywhere, you have to be cautious at every step. There are countless examples of city gate fires dragging down innocent fish in the moat.

As evening fell, Jiang Muzhou locked up the studio doors, pulled out a sheet of blank paper, and began sketching out a rough draft with a pen, finishing it after a good while.

Then he turned on his work computer and began grinding through overtime.

When Ellie pushed open the studio doors the next morning, he was startled to find Jiang Muzhou working diligently in front of his computer.

Jiang Muzhou looked up at him, greeting him with dead, hollow eyes. Morning.

Boss, didn’t you sleep last night? Ellie scrutinized Jiang Muzhou’s complexion closely.

The other employees trickled in right on time.

Seeing them arrive, Jiang Muzhou perked up a bit. He waved a hand at a female staff member. Zhu Zhu, perfect timing. Can you rush this specific section for me right away?

Art designer Zhu Zhu had just set down her bag, and upon hearing this, her face turned a mask of sheer terror. Boss, our game isn’t in that much of a rush, is it?

No, it’s for something else.

Oh, you scared me to death. Zhu Zhu patted her chest. If he had asked her to rush the game currently in development, it would have cost her her life trying to finish it.

However, after taking the concept art and plot outlines from Jiang Muzhou’s hands, she frowned and fell silent.