As soon as the call connected, Gu Qichi’s stunning face appeared before him again. Bo Yu, holding the silver tabby cat, felt a bit lightheaded and unconsciously tightened his grip, prompting A’Ci to give him a dissatisfied scratch.

Since he was at home, President Bo wasn’t wearing a suit. He had changed into loungewear, with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of his forearm with smooth muscle lines.

A’Ci had a reputation for being fierce since she was young and liked to scratch people. She only acted cute and well-behaved in front of Gu Qichi. With that one swipe, three blood-stained scratches instantly appeared on Bo Yu’s firm, slender arm.

Seeing the scratches, Gu Qichi’s face showed a hint of bewilderment, then his expression darkened as he looked at the silver tabby in the video. The cat obviously sensed his displeasure and sheepishly retracted the claws that had scratched someone, curled the tip of her tail, and let out a pitiful meow.

“A’Ci’s health is guaranteed; she hasn’t missed a single vaccination. She used to be a stray cat and was abandoned. She was also pelted with stones by children living nearby at the time, so she’s very wary. I forgot to tell you beforehand.”

Under the cool white light, Gu Qichi’s face was clear and fair, his amber eyes revealing a look of 懊恼 (annoyance/regret).

“Having just arrived in an unfamiliar environment, she might not be used to it. She didn’t mean to scratch you. If it’s troublesome, just send her back to my agent, Wen Xi. A’Ci is somewhat familiar with her…”

“Gu Qichi…” Bo Yu suddenly spoke.

His voice was deep and his tone calm, betraying no emotion.

Gu Qichi paused and looked at the man in the camera, not knowing what he was going to do.

“This isn’t your fault. You don’t need to apologize to me.” Bo Yu steadily placed A’Ci on the ground, then slowly straightened up. His expression was serious as he said slowly, word by word, “From now on, no matter what you do, you don’t need to apologize to me. You just need to do what you want to do.”

Gu Qichi closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, giving a very soft “Mn,” sounding like a muffled hum from his throat.

For no reason, he thought of a clause Bo Yu had drafted in the marriage agreement.

During the agreement period, Bo Yu will be responsible for Mr. Gu Qichi’s personal safety and will strive to maintain Mr. Gu Qichi’s personal interests.

Actually, there were many parts of that agreement that weren’t quite reasonable. For example, some places said “Bo Corporation,” while places like this said “Bo Yu.”

The marriage agreement must have been carefully drafted by Bo Yu; there was absolutely no way there could be typos or omissions.

Gu Qichi was a smart person and naturally could see the difference between these two words at a glance, but he didn’t ask. Sometimes, knowing too clearly isn’t a good thing.

Moreover, Bo Yu had personally promised him that he would never do anything to him, nor would he attempt to get anything from him.

Gu Qichi twisted the corner of his clothes, lowered his eyelashes, pressed his lips into a straight line, and couldn’t restrain himself from asking, “Why?”

His voice fluctuated a bit, carrying a confusion he was completely unaware of.

He didn’t believe that there would be anyone in this world who would treat him well for no reason.

Gu Chentian loathed him because Gu Qichi, after being framed, had become a completely useless pawn, valueless to him. Geng Tingxun disliked him because Gu Qichi was uncouth; not only could he not bring her honor, but he would also make her lose face time and again. Gu Yuan’an disliked him because he couldn’t learn Gu Yuning’s cute and lovable ways, acting like a hard, prickly hedgehog, unapproachable. Gu Yuning was disgusted by him and jealous of him because Gu Qichi’s existence was a ticking time bomb to him; as long as he didn’t die, he could never be at ease.

Even Wen Xi, who had always treated him well, initially did so because Gu Qichi’s face could help her make money.

Trapped in the original owner’s body and forced to accept all this unfair treatment, Gu Qichi often wondered if he was a person or a commodity with a clearly marked price.

Because only commodities have value, yet commodities wouldn’t be discarded at will like him.

From the beginning, when Bo Yu approached him, Gu Qichi was resistant. He took it for granted that Bo Yu was coming to ask him for something, but Bo Yu didn’t. Not only did he not, but he also used the identity of the Bo Corporation to pressure the Gu family, using the marriage alliance to try and pull him out of that fire pit.

Gu Qichi had seen too many people of all kinds. They coveted his appearance, wanted to tarnish his soul, imprison him in a cage, trap him in a tiny space, and make him a canary with its wings forever broken.

Gu Qichi had thought through all the dirty and sordid intentions that might be revealed in that marriage agreement before arriving at the hotel and meeting Bo Yu. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought a stun baton to the appointment.

But it was too clean. Apart from protecting him and taking him under Bo Yu’s wing for shelter, that agreement proposed no conditions, nor did it ask him to pay any price.

It was as if Bo Yu was forcefully suppressing his beastly instincts, suppressing the desire to swallow him whole, and offering a clean heart to Gu Qichi.

Gu Qichi’s throat was dry and hoarse, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he waited for Bo Yu’s answer.

It was terribly quiet inside the Bo residence. No one ever dared to approach Bo Yu on their own initiative; only the sound of A’Ci rubbing against his pant leg could be heard.

The light was dim. Bo Yu lowered his eyes, the mottled light and shadow flickering, casting indistinctly on his chiseled profile. His gaze fell on the young man’s gently trembling long eyelashes, then moved to his eyes that seemed to contain a mist of water. His Adam’s apple rolled very slightly.

“Because you are Gu Qichi, so you just need to be Gu Qichi. As long as you want to do something, then that thing is correct. You don’t need to apologize to anyone, especially me. Because my existence is to protect you.”

“Even if you are wrong, I will still think you are right.”

The wound on his arm didn’t hurt; it just left a very slight small cut.

Gu Qichi was actually very much like the cat he raised. Not knowing what he had experienced, he maintained a listless attitude towards everything, sensitive and vigilant, highly wary of everyone and everything that approached him, yet craving warmth, craving love, looking forward to finding a home that belonged to him.

When Bo Yu reached out his hand, Gu Qichi would be like A’Ci, bluffing by showing his claws, attempting to use force to block his approach. After scratching him, a little guilt would well up in his heart, and he would silently peek out from the corner to secretly observe Bo Yu’s reaction.

A’Ci‘s claws landed on his arm, but Gu Qichi’s claws landed on his heart.

Not heavy, but they left a deep and indelible mark on his heart.

Gu Qichi’s tense body suddenly relaxed. The soft cotton fabric was tightly gripped by his hand, and when slowly released, it became a wrinkled ball.

Even if he did wrong, he would still think it was right.

This sounded very unreasonable, as if Bo Yu was a fatuous ruler who would call a stag a horse for a beauty.

Thinking of this, the corners of Gu Qichi’s lips curled up a little. His peach blossom eyes outlined the shape of a crescent moon, slightly upturned, wo can (lying silkworm/undereye area) puffing up, like golden amber melting with the first snow, clear and warm.

Bo Yu’s voice was low, hoarse, and magnetic, a great boon for voice lovers. Gu Qichi forgot what they talked about in the end. Like the previous few days, he fell asleep under Bo Yu’s gentle coaxing, one sentence after another.

Surrounded by mountains, the nature reserve was lush green. At night, a round moon hung on the branches, stars shone brightly, and the night breeze was gentle and warm. Accompanied by faint cicada chirps, Gu Qichi slept sweetly in this tranquility.

The past few days had been exceptionally pleasant, so much so that when he saw Song Zhian suddenly appear on the set, Gu Qichi’s face stiffened rarely.

One protagonist shou, Gu Yuning, had left, and another protagonist gong, Song Zhian, had been sent. Who knew what kind of ill-fated relationship this was.

Seeing Gu Qichi, Lin Shuangyi, who was explaining the scene to Song Zhian, brightened up and beckoned him to come forward.

Helpless, Gu Qichi had to walk to his side, his face displaying its usual indifference.

Today he was wearing the red python robe Shen Qingye wore when he was a treacherous official. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with bamboo leaf borders woven with silver thread, and a majestic four-clawed python was embroidered with gold thread. At his waist was a vermilion belt with white jade. Black long boots wrapped around his calves with smooth lines, infinitely magnifying his proportional advantage, making him look even more dashing and elegant.

Red eyeshadow was smudged upwards, outlining the shape of his peach blossom eyes particularly clearly. It lacked Gu Qichi’s inherent gentleness and clarity, adding a bit more of the bewitching quality belonging to the treacherous official Shen Qingye.

“Shen Qingye” walked from the distant bamboo forest. The bamboo leaves rustled, drifting to the ground, and were carelessly crushed into fragments by him. The snow-bright long blade at his waist reflected cold light and shadows, refracting onto Gu Qichi’s rich and beautiful face, like a blood-colored datura blooming amidst cold blade shadows.

Even the bones seemed soaked in blood until they rotted.

Song Zhian’s breathing suddenly quickened. Not only him, but people on the set who saw Gu Qichi were covering their mouths and screaming silently.

Even Lin Shuangyi, a die-hard fan of Shen Qingye, had to sigh with emotion that Gu Qichi was simply too suitable for this role. It was simply like Shen Qingye had been plucked out of the book.

Seeing the admiring gazes of those present, Lin Shuangyi coughed lightly, calling back Song Zhian’s wandering thoughts.

“Song Zhian, this is the actor playing Shen Qingye, Gu Qichi.”

“Qichi, ah, this is the newly selected male lead, Song Zhian.”

Song Zhian reacted quickly, the corners of his lips hooking up into a smile. He extended his hand and introduced himself to Gu Qichi, “Hello, I am Song Zhian, current leader of the boy group Scalding.”

Gu Qichi didn’t reach out to respond. His eyes were silent as he quickly scanned Song Zhian and spoke lazily, “Gu Qichi.”

The scene was suddenly a bit silent. Song Zhian’s hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, then he withdrew it.

Song Zhian looked at the other’s face again, scoffing lightly in his heart. Gu Qichi was a bit too unappreciative. He was currently a top star, heavily promoted by the capital behind him. Gu Qichi dared to embarrass him in public today; tomorrow he could make the capital behind him replace Gu Qichi.

Seeing the atmosphere was wrong, Lin Shuangyi quickly came out to smooth things over: “Xiao Song, ah, Qichi is a bit slow to warm up. It’ll be fine once you interact more.”

Song Zhian nodded and smiled, while only Gu Qichi remained silent.

He was truly disgusted by Song Zhian, a disgust both mental and physical. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t afford the penalty for breach of contract, he might want to take off his costume and leave right now.

In the following filming schedule, unless it was a necessary scene together, Gu Qichi would silently hide to the side alone, refusing to meet Song Zhian.

There were many fight scenes during this period. Even with the martial arts teacher protecting him on the side, Gu Qichi inevitably got injured.

His ankle was sprained, swollen like a steamed bun, making it difficult even to walk. Lin Shuangyi showed great mercy and gave him a day off.

That night, Gu Qichi started having nightmares again. Since seeing Song Zhian, he hadn’t slept well for a single day.

In the boundless dreamscape, he seemed to be pulled back into the experiences of countless rebirths, sinking into a dark swamp, entangled by dirty water and sludge, finally sinking, never to see light again.

When he woke up with a start in the middle of the night, Gu Qichi’s whole body was trembling. He accidentally touched the chat window with Bo Yu.

Uncontrollably, he dialed Bo Yu’s number. Listening to the ringing tone, his heart contracted beat by beat.

But it was 3:36 now; the other party had probably been asleep for a long time.

Gu Qichi’s fingers clutching the phone were ice-cold. Just as he wanted to hang up, the call was suddenly connected.

“Gu Qichi? What’s wrong?” Bo Yu had obviously been woken up, his voice still heavy with sleepiness.

Blood flowed back, warmth returning to his limbs. Gu Qichi hugged himself into a ball and spoke with a hoarse voice, “Nothing, just had a nightmare.”

“Sorry to disturb your sleep.”

Rustling sounds came from Bo Yu’s end. Hearing Gu Qichi’s words, he frowned unhappily: “I said, at any time, you don’t need to say sorry to me.”

The young man curved his eyes and softly agreed.

Perhaps accustomed to Bo Yu’s company and coaxing, Gu Qichi slept very peacefully this time, no longer entangled by nightmares.

When he woke up the next day, two new messages appeared abruptly on his phone.

Bo Yu: 【Gu Qichi, open the door.】

---

Author’s Note:

Bo Yu: I want to walk into wifey’s heart step by step (peacock spreading its tail.jpg)

Baby Qichi: A bad thing with ulterior motives

Bo Yu: Wifey open the door, wifey open the door quickly!