Your Boyfriend is Great! He's Mine Now - Chapter 21

Shen Xubai took off his rimless glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Brother Shen, didn’t you sleep well last night?” Zhu Xue asked with concern as she came over to deliver some files, noticing his poor complexion.

“A little bit.”

“I’ll make you a cup of coffee to wake you up.”

Zhu Xue reached for the cup on the desk, but Shen Xubai took it from her first.

“I’ll go myself. I’ve been sitting for too long; I’ll take the chance to stretch my legs.”

Zhu Xue didn’t think much of it. “Alright, then I’ll go back to work. Just call me if you need anything.”

Shen Xubai nodded and headed toward the breakroom.

“Yuanyuan, let’s go on a shopping spree at the Gold Foil Mall after work! There’s a bag I’ve had my eye on for ages, and it’s finally on sale these few days. I have to get there early, or it’ll be sold out.”

“Sure, but it’s not a holiday or anything, why the sale?”

“Don’t you know? The Gold Foil Mall is a Gu family property. Gu Chengzhuo’s wife has a birthday tomorrow, so they’re holding a huge promotional sale.”

“I really didn’t know. What kind of discounts are they offering?”

“Depends on the item, but everything starts at fifty percent off, and some have even bigger discounts…”

Shen Xubai had only just finished making his coffee, but that was all the gossip he heard. His chair was barely warm before Xu Jun called him into his office.

“President Xu.”

“Xiao Shen, congratulations.”

Shen Xubai was confused. Xu Jun arched an eyebrow. “You don’t know yet? Those clients who canceled their orders earlier have all come back, and they’ve specifically requested you by name.”

Shen Xubai really didn’t know he hadn’t checked the company intranet yet but since Xu Jun said so, it was one hundred percent certain.

“It seems the misunderstanding between you and the Xiao family’s son has been resolved. That’s good. We’re just employees here; there’s no sense in going against money.”

“President Xu is right.”

However, Shen Xubai didn’t believe it was Xiao Yu’s doing; he had gained a new understanding of Xiao Yu’s character recently.

“By the way, has Young Master Gu’s deal been finalized?”

“Not yet.”

“Where is it hung up?”

Shen Xubai paused. “He’s away on a business trip, so he likely hasn’t had time to look at it.”

Xu Jun gave him a meaningful look. “You’re a smart person. Do you really believe such a flimsy excuse?”

Seeing that Shen Xubai remained silent, Xu Jun stood up, patted his shoulder, and spoke earnestly, “Xiao Shen, although the previous holes have been filled, you could be undermined by others at any time. If you can’t secure this major account, the position of Chief Consultant at the end of the year will likely slip through your fingers.”

Shen Xubai lowered his eyes. “I understand. I will work hard.”

Parking the car, heading to the garage, going upstairs. Shen Xubai took a shower with a distracted mind. After thinking it over, he decided to send a WeChat message to Gu Linyuan.

Knock, knock, knock—

It was so late, who could it be? There was nothing to see through the peephole; the person was likely pressed against the door. The knocking resumed.

Shen Xubai pulled the door open, and a figure slumped forward, relying on his support. As he instinctively steadied the person, he was hit by a wave of alcohol fumes that made him frown in disgust.

“Xiao Yu?” Shen Xubai’s brow furrowed. “What are you doing here?”

Xiao Yu’s eyes were bloodshot, and his face was deathly pale. He looked at him with dissatisfaction. “Why did you change your door code?”

“This is my home. I can change it whenever I want.”

Xiao Yu stared at him for a while, then said in a pathetic, aggrieved tone, “Xiaobai, my head hurts so much. Please make me some hangover soup.”

It was that same tone, the one that mimicked acting spoiled, which only served to remind him of the days he had been treated like a fool. Shen Xubai’s gaze turned icy. He said in a deep voice, “Get out.”

Xiao Yu had been drinking himself into a stupor for days. He couldn’t understand why Shen Xubai hadn’t come to find him; there hadn’t been a single word of explanation.

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

Shen Xubai didn’t understand what he was asking for, nor did he want to speak to him. He said coldly, “Young Master Xiao, please see yourself out.”

“Shen Xubai!”

Xiao Yu suddenly exploded, grabbing Shen Xubai by the collar. “Don’t you owe me an explanation regarding Gu Linyuan?!”

“Let go!”

Shen Xubai didn’t know what kind of madness had taken hold of him, nor did he believe he owed Xiao Yu any explanations.

“Shen Xubai, you act like such a chaste, righteous person in front of me, but behind my back, you’ve long since been—”

—BANG!

With a flurry of motion, Xiao Yu was knocked flat on the floor by a punch. He stared up in disbelief.

“This punch is for your filthy mouth.”

BANG!

Another punch landed.

“And this one is for the insolence you showed at the restaurant last time.”

Having taken two hits in a row, a piercing ringing filled Xiao Yu’s ears. His limbs curled inward, his expression dazed, and even the slippers on Shen Xubai’s feet began to look blurry to him.

“This punch is for you saying that I—”

The fist hung in mid-air. Shen Xubai bit his lip, his jaw clenched tightly, a burst of hatred erupting in his eyes.

“Hahahaha…”

Xiao Yu stared at him, suddenly breaking into a frantic, manic laugh. Tears mixed with blood from his nose streamed down his cheeks, and a few drops splashed onto the floor. He laughed uncontrollably, even beginning to pound the floor. As his gaze drifted upward, his unfocused eyes clearly registered only the disappointment and hatred on Shen Xubai’s face.

The third punch did not fall.

“Get out.”

Silence returned to the home.

Shen Xubai leaned against the shoe cabinet for a while, then suddenly reached out to click off the lights. He covered his face, and as his strength failed him, he slowly slid down against the wall.

Suppressed, intermittent sobbing drifted into Gu Linyuan’s ears.

Everything was pitch black, except for those eyes, bloodshot and filled with jealousy and hatred.

It’s too twisted. It’s too ugly. How can it be this ugly?

Gu Linyuan threw his laptop violently to the ground and cursed, “Why is it so ugly! Why is it so ugly!”

“Older brother doesn’t like ugly things… Older brother doesn’t like ugly things…”

“Ugly thing, get out!”

“Medicine, my medicine, where is the medicine…”

“Oh, it’s right there…”

Gu Linyuan stuffed the white pill into his mouth. The bitterness instantly assaulted his taste buds, and his stomach lurched. Fighting back the urge to vomit, he grabbed a bottle of mineral water and gulped it down. His Adam’s apple bobbed continuously as the cold water soaked his robe and flowed down his heaving chest.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, it’ll be fine once I take the medicine.”

“It’s okay…”

The phone on the sofa kept ringing, sounding like a death knell. Shen Xubai slowly raised his head and stumbled as he stood up, his legs numb. He moved forward to see an unknown number. He stared at it until it automatically hung up, only for it to ring again, and then again.

“Who is this?”

There was no answer from the receiver, only continuous, ragged breathing like a caged beast struggling in silence.

Shen Xubai didn’t hang up. Right now, at this moment, it didn’t matter who it was, as long as he could hear the sound of someone breathing.

“Senior.”

The voice on the other end was hoarse. This “Senior” didn’t sound affectionate, mocking, or sincere like it usually did… Instead, it sounded pained.

Yes, pained. Shen Xubai thought it must be his own subjective projection.

“Senior.”

The voice called to him again.

“Gu Linyuan, what do you like about me?”

“Everything.”

Shen Xubai felt a bit dazed. Gu Linyuan’s answer hadn’t required a second of thought, just like when he said he trusted him.

“I’m very damaged.”

The person on the other end chuckled. “Senior, don’t question my taste.”

Shen Xubai fell silent. In the quiet, dark night, he said, “I’m sick.”