The banquet hall was vast and empty, silent enough to hear a pin drop.

The rhythmic click of expensive leather shoes against the floor drew nearer, and with each step, Bo Yu’s face came into clearer focus before Gu Qichi.

His long, narrow eyes slanted upward, the lines of his brow sharp and cold, while the corner of his lips held a smile that screamed of inevitable conquest. A flicker of surprise crossed his gaze when he spotted the stun baton dangling from Gu Qichi’s right hand, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, returning to a natural expression.

“Are you satisfied?”

“With the person standing before you.”

Bo Yu came to a halt in front of him. The man’s shoulders were broad and tight, his limbs long, with fluid muscle lines hidden beneath his black formal wear. Staring at someone like this, he exuded a beast-like aggression and an overwhelming sense of oppression.

Perhaps it was because he had been stared at by Bo Yu so many times, or maybe he had simply grown accustomed to the man’s proximity. Unexpectedly, upon seeing him, Gu Qichi felt no desire to evade or any discomfort; instead, he relaxed.

The powerful aura around him quietly dissipated, replaced by his usual languid demeanor.

Under the dazzling, piercing lights, the young man’s skin was a cold white, resembling fragile porcelain. Gu Qichi lifted his eyelids, his gaze unreadable, and let out a soft tsk.

“Bo Yu?” He tilted his head, his long, thick lashes trembling slightly. He took a few steps forward, mindlessly closing the gap until they were almost close enough to kiss.

Their warm breaths mingled, lingering by each other’s temples, incredibly tender.

If anyone were looking in from the outside, they would surely mistake them for a deeply loving couple.

“The Second Young Master of Dongcheng, the one who specifically named me for this marriage alliance… so it was you all along.”

A soft laugh spilled from his throat, his chest vibrating. The rising current of air, mixed with a scorching heat, nearly brushed Gu Qichi’s soft lips against Bo Yu’s side profile before finally settling close to his left ear.

Bo Yu heard his clean, low voice sounding slowly beside his ear, like a hammer striking a drum—each beat heavy, shaking his heart into an uncontrollable frenzy.

“I am very satisfied, and very happy.”

As soon as the words fell, he pulled away, tantalizingly close yet far. Amidst the movement of his sleeves, Bo Yu caught the faint scent of camellia on him—

It was a new body wash Gu Qichi was using.

It was as if a spark had quietly landed on the wasteland of his heart, instantly igniting a wildfire.

Suddenly, a cold object was shoved into his hand. Gu Qichi looked at him with a faint smile, the meaning in his eyes explicitly clear—

Cool off.

Bo Yu lowered his eyes, looking at the long, black stun baton in his hand, unsure how to react.

Gu Qichi strolled past him leisurely and took a seat at the table. Seeing Bo Yu hadn’t moved, he tapped his fingertips on the table edge, making a knock-knock sound.

Gu Qichi: “A meeting gift for you. What, not satisfied?”

Bo Yu: “…”

If he hadn’t seen the “Anti-Wolf Special” sticker that hadn’t yet been peeled off the baton, he might have been able to convince himself this was a genuine gift from Gu Qichi.

But the sticker was glaringly obvious, and Gu Qichi had deliberately turned that side towards him. The meaning was self-evident.

Anti-Wolf… what kind of wolf?

A lecherous wolf.

There was no one else around, and Gu Qichi never cared about others’ opinions anyway. He stared at Bo Yu with a direct, unabashed gaze.

The way the man looked at him every time they met—like he wanted to swallow him whole—if that wasn’t a lecher, what was it? A hungry ghost of lust?

Gu Qichi thought about it; “lecherous wolf” suited Bo Yu better.

Having teased him enough, it was time to stop.

“Bo Yu, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day.”

His voice softened unconsciously. He didn’t mean to act spoiled, but for some reason, it made him sound like he was showing weakness.

From their very first meeting, Bo Yu had forced his way into his vision with a powerful posture. Gu Qichi had tested him time and again, only to have his attempts quietly diffused.

Moreover, Bo Yu was intentionally indulging him, allowing all his probes. Realizing this, Gu Qichi became even more unscrupulous, even harboring the absurd notion that as long as he made a request, Bo Yu would have to fulfill it.

His first reaction to discovering this thought wasn’t avoidance or strangeness, but rather that it felt… natural.

As for the reason—undeniably, Bo Yu was special to Gu Qichi.

Hearing Gu Qichi speak, Bo Yu’s brows instantly knotted together. Disregarding what the stun baton in his hand represented, storm clouds rolled in his pitch-black eyes as his voice dropped low. “All day?”

“You didn’t eat a single bite of the food I ordered for you?”

Gu Qichi shook his head. His slightly long black hair swept across the back of his neck, a few strands falling near his collarbone.

“I ate a few bites, then got called here for the marriage arrangement. You know my house is far from here.”

After all, you just drove me home last night, you should know better than anyone.

Bo Yu took a deep breath, his disgust for the Gu family deepening. Gu Qichi had a fragile stomach, yet they wouldn’t even let him eat properly.

Dishes began to arrive on the table, all foods Gu Qichi hadn’t tried but was interested in.

The young man’s eyes lit up instantly, hiding none of his joy.

The initial repulsion and rejection of the arranged marriage dissipated significantly after a few bites. Gu Qichi ate while enjoying Bo Yu’s service of picking out fish bones and deboning meat, feeling zero guilt deep down.

When Gu Qichi finally put down his chopsticks, satisfied, Bo Yu’s gaze darkened as it swept over the young man’s slightly distended abdomen.

Gu Qichi’s abdominal lines were deep, his waist extremely narrow—he could wrap one arm around it. If he used two hands to pin him down tight…

His gaze shifted away quietly as he cleared his throat. “Aren’t you going to ask why I insisted on marrying you?”

Hmm?

Commercial marriages usually had two purposes: one was greed for money—Gu Qichi was broke, and listening to Gu Chengtian and Geng Tingxun, ten Gu families wouldn’t equal one Bo Yu in wealth; the second was greed for lust…

Unfortunately, “beauty” was the one thing Gu Qichi had in abundance.

But looking at Bo Yu’s past behavior, it didn’t seem like he just wanted a physical relationship based on looks. Gu Qichi felt a spark of interest; he raised an eyebrow, the tails of his eyes lifting, and spoke slowly: “I’m all ears.”

Bo Yu leaned forward slightly, hands clasped. The expensive watch on his wrist reflected a clear, cold patch of light, looking noble and sharp.

“I investigated. The Gu family doesn’t treat you well… one could even say it’s abuse. I have a way to get you out of that place.”

This kindness didn’t really touch Gu Qichi’s heart; he could leave that filthy, rotting place without Bo Yu’s help.

“And?”

He wanted to hear something more interesting—like what Bo Yu’s actual designs on him were.

“After the marriage, the Bo Corporation and I will be your greatest shield. No one will be able to bully you again, and I will protect you. You just need to be yourself and do what you like.”

He paused, trying to suppress the dirty, obscene thoughts in his mind, and continued, “As for that kind of thing, if you don’t want to, I absolutely won’t force you…”

Now that he had said this much, Gu Qichi was actually a bit surprised.

It wasn’t what he expected.

At the very least, he didn’t think Bo Yu could hold back. Recalling how ravenous the man had been that day—directly knocking him out and then waking him up again—he couldn’t help but doubt the veracity of these words.

“Are you sure?”

Can you actually hold back?

Bo Yu silently produced a prepared agreement. The clauses were clear, and every single one was extremely favorable to Gu Qichi.

Gu Qichi skimmed through them, finding the one clause he was interested in in the middle:

[During the agreement period, no actions harmful to Mr. Gu Qichi’s physical or mental health shall be taken against his will.]

Gu Qichi lowered his eyes, his thumb and forefinger rubbing against the blank corner of the page. Then, he tilted his face up and whispered, “I agree to marry you.”

As if that wasn’t enough to provoke Bo Yu, the corners of Gu Qichi’s lips lifted slightly. He spoke slowly, his voice gentle and lingering, like a hook scraping against Bo Yu’s heart, which was already in shambles.

“Husband.”

---

Author’s Note:

Gu Qichi: Husband.

Bo Yu: Saluting [Erection] Wifey~

Gu Qichi: Can you really hold it in?

Bo Yu: …Wifey, I am a red-blooded man.