Your Boyfriend is Great! He's Mine Now - Chapter 23

Shen Xubai quickly shifted his gaze, already contemplating buying a new phone. Gu Linyuan knew he wouldn’t come to take the phone back, but he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise his ears were already turning red at just this level of interaction?

His grip on the steering wheel tightened abruptly. Gu Linyuan dared not look or think too much, so he shifted the topic. “What would you like to eat, Senior?”

“You decide. I owe you a meal from last time, so I’ll treat you today.”

“Since you came to Haicheng for me, I’ll be the host today. We’ll put that meal you owe me on hold.”

Shen Xubai pretended not to hear the suggestive remark. Since his phone was in Gu Linyuan’s hands, he had no say in the matter anyway.

“Is Chinese food alright, Senior?”

“That works.”

With his Chinese palate, he naturally wouldn’t refuse. They found a Hunan restaurant. Shen Xubai told him to order, and Gu Linyuan didn’t hesitate, tapping a few times on the tablet. When the dishes arrived, Shen Xubai was a bit surprised; every dish Gu Linyuan ordered happened to be to his taste just like that time they reunited, and the time before that.

Shen Xubai remarked as if by chance, “I didn’t realize our tastes were so similar.”

“It’s not just our tastes.”

?

Gu Linyuan added nonchalantly, “I am suitable for you in every aspect, Senior.”

Shen Xubai lowered his cool, clear eyes and didn’t respond. Gu Linyuan chuckled softly and placed a piece of yellow beef into his bowl. “Remember to give me serious consideration every night before you sleep, Senior.”

Since the conversation had reached this point, Shen Xubai offered another reminder: “I don’t intend to date.”

“Then let’s get married.”

“…”

Such a monumental and serious matter was spoken of so lightly. Shen Xubai could barely hide his astonishment, and the look he gave Gu Linyuan was filled with absurdity.

“Stop joking.”

Gu Linyuan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth in a measured manner, and said solemnly, “Senior, you have your ID card with you, right? As long as you nod, we can fly abroad to register immediately.”

Shen Xubai tried to find a hint of a joke, timidity, or impulsiveness in his expression but there was none. In Gu Linyuan’s eyes, aside from a deep affection that Shen Xubai found inexplicable, there was only anticipation and excitement. As for anything else, he couldn’t see it.

Shen Xubai avoided his eyes, feeling an inexplicable panic. “I don’t want to build an intimate relationship with anyone again.”

Don’t want to…

Gu Linyuan couldn’t help but think of the events of the previous night. Shen Xubai had lost control a person who was usually emotionally stable and appeared so indifferent had actually laid hands on his ex-boyfriend. Only when you care do you react that way. When he was crying, he hadn’t even dared to turn on the lights.

Heartache and jealousy suffocated Gu Linyuan. Masking all his emotions beneath his lashes, Gu Linyuan smiled faintly. “Senior, you can’t condemn yourself to death just because of one failed relationship; that’s not fair to me.”

Shen Xubai’s gaze sank.

“And that incident wasn’t your fault, Senior. Don’t deny yourself because of someone else.”

Shen Xubai didn’t feel that Xiao Yu’s cheating was his own problem, but he still felt a tremor in his heart at these words as if a landslide had followed an earthquake, grand and tumultuous.

When the car stopped at the entrance of the five-star hotel, Shen Xubai sat motionless.

“Senior, we’re here.”

Shen Xubai looked at him calmly. “Give me my phone.”

“Senior, I’ve already had someone open a room for you right next to mine.”

“The star-rating reimbursed by the company does not include five-star hotels.”

“Ah, how pitiful.” Gu Linyuan flashed him a consoling smile. “It’s fine; I can reimburse it on my end.”

Shen Xubai crossed his arms, his gaze cold and still. Gu Linyuan crumbled under that calm, resistant stare, offering repeated assurances that he would never overstep boundaries or disturb him.

Even with psychological preparation, Shen Xubai couldn’t help but gasp when he actually swiped the card to enter it was too wasteful. He took a comfortable shower and then took his briefcase to knock on Gu Linyuan’s door.

Gu Linyuan seemed completely unsurprised by his arrival. “What would you like to drink, Senior?”

“Water is fine, thank you, President Gu.”

Gu Linyuan raised an eyebrow. “Is Senior entering work mode?”

“Yes, President Gu. That is my purpose for coming here.”

Gu Linyuan leaned against the refrigerator door and sighed, handing him a bottle of water. “No need to emphasize it repeatedly, Senior. I know you are dedicated only to work and have no private motives.”

Shen Xubai paused for a moment before calmly taking out his paper documents and laptop from his briefcase. Gu Linyuan didn’t even glance at them, throwing them carelessly to the side as he began to act up. “I don’t want to look at them.”

Shen Xubai knew it wouldn’t be this smooth. He showed no reaction on the surface, sliding his computer over. “Since President Gu doesn’t want to look, I will explain them to you.”

“Alright.”

Gu Linyuan seemed to find interest in this, sitting up straight. He listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions. Shen Xubai breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Gu Linyuan had finally adopted a professional attitude. He had come specifically to get those signatures, and terrified that the man wouldn’t understand, he chewed through the professional jargon to explain it in layman’s terms.

Shen Xubai, speaking eloquently, didn’t realize that his client had stopped responding. Shen Xubai’s confident and composed appearance was captivating, like he was glowing. Without the glasses, the sharp, severe aura about him was diffused. He had even come over after a shower, his hair unstyled and hanging down obediently, adding a touch of gentleness to his master.

Compared to him discussing business in a restrictive, professional suit, Gu Linyuan much preferred him discussing “business” in pajamas on a bed.

“President Gu, are you listening?”

Gu Linyuan’s eyes were fixed entirely on one spot, his pupils darkening. Shen Xubai felt a surge of tension. If he wasn’t mistaken, Gu Linyuan was staring at his lips. This discomfort made him purse his lips uneasily, and he spoke warningly, “President Gu!”

Gu Linyuan could have easily put on his mask then smiling gently with the unspoken decorum of adults and brushing it off. But he didn’t. Instead, with lightning speed, he pinned Shen Xubai against the sofa.

“Gu Linyuan!”

The corners of his eyes flushed with a faint red from sheer rage; the cold, untouchable snow on the mountain was quietly melting. Gu Linyuan propped his hands on the corners of the sofa, encircling him in his arms. It was a posture of extreme possessiveness; his arms and pectoral muscles bulged with the effort, his breathing becoming increasingly aggressive, making him look like a leopard ready to pounce.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Shen Xubai looked at him in disbelief, his pupils contracting violently. An unprecedented panic made his voice grow sharp.

Gu Linyuan lowered his eyes, staring at those pale lips, his voice raspy. “Senior, are you really here to discuss work?”

“What else would I be here for?”

The cold words, coupled with a cold face, should have brought the atmosphere to freezing point, but his master didn’t seem to realize that his ears were already turning red.

Thus, this posture and this question took on an inexplicable, amorous meaning.

“But you took a shower.”

So that was the source of the misunderstanding.

Shen Xubai breathed a sigh of relief. Although Gu Linyuan was unreliable, he had always kept it to words and never crossed the physical boundary. He pushed against Gu Linyuan’s chest. Failing to move him, he had to explain while in that position: “Apologies, I have a mild case of mysophobia. It’s a personal habit.”

Gu Linyuan, of course, knew that, but he deliberately misinterpreted it. “So, you’re like this with other clients too?”

Shen Xubai was confused. “Like what?”

“Taking a shower and dressing like this to knock on their doors.”

?

Like this? Like what?

Shen Xubai looked down at himself: a professional suit, buttoned up tightly. How was this “dressing like this”?