Gu Qichi felt as if he were about to melt.

His saliva was scorching, his blood boiling.

Even though the high fever had faded, his temperature couldn’t stop rising.

When the dishes were served, Gu Qichi was impossibly limp, panting as Bo Yu held him in his arms, shielding him from any prying eyes.

His eyelashes were incredibly wet, crystal-clear teardrops hanging from them before trembling and falling, leaving a water trail across his crimson face.

After the waiter left, Bo Yu straightened Gu Qichi’s head from where it had been buried in the crook of his neck. Gu Qichi’s eyes were unfocused, his watery red tongue extended slightly as he panted softly.

Bo Yu was simply too fierce.

He thought aimlessly.

His hands sank into the thin fabric of Bo Yu’s suit, crumpling the material. Bo Yu took Gu Qichi’s hand again, interlocking their fingers firmly, refusing to loosen his grip even a little.

Bo Yu turned his head to kiss Gu Qichi again, sucking away the tears on his face bit by bit, then pecked his bright red lips, pulling back with a hoarse voice: “Chi-chi. What should I do? My mouth is swollen.”

Shameless.

He lowered his eyes, his deep sockets not looking fierce at all in this moment, but rather overflowing with a gentle attachment mixed with hot, sticky desire.

Gu Qichi said nothing, letting his pale fingertips be held and toyed with by Bo Yu.

Even without looking in a mirror, he could guess that his own mouth must be even more swollen than Bo Yu’s. He had long since experienced Bo Yu’s sharp teeth.

And now the man dared to make a countercharge.

Once he had caught his breath and his respiration returned to normal, Gu Qichi blinked, forcing the mist from his eyes. His clear amber pupils looked like a tranquil lake, thorough and bright.

His throat was raspy from the kissing, and his voice trembled slightly as he said ungraciously, “Then don’t kiss next time.”

Bo Yu tightened his grip on his hand, while his other hand quietly moved down to clasp his waist, giving it a light pinch.

Gu Qichi’s body immediately reacted as if electrified. He felt a numbness, like an electric current, shoot from that patch of thin skin straight to his cerebral cortex, and he went soft uncontrollably from that spot.

The young man was held in his arms, his dark hair soft and smooth, a flush spreading from the corners of his eyes to his brows, his whole body dyed with Bo Yu’s scent. The silver sapphire bracelet on his wrist sparkled brilliantly under the light, echoing the diamond ring on his ring finger.

His cervical vertebrae protruded slightly, cold white and lustrous like jade. The line of his spine was slender, his waist so thin that Bo Yu could wrap one arm around it—resilient and addictive to the touch.

It feels so good, Bo Yu thought.

It was as if Gu Qichi had been branded with his mark.

But the person in his arms was truly too thin. Bo Yu exercised his compassion at the right moment; he had to fatten him up so his health would improve.

And so they could do it for longer without him fainting so easily.

Especially since there was physical labor to be done tonight; he couldn’t let his wife go hungry…

His thumb pressed against Gu Qichi’s lips, rubbing them very lightly.

Bo Yu: “I can’t not kiss you. I would be heartbroken.”

He set Gu Qichi upright, then rolled his shirt sleeves up to the crook of his arm. His firm muscles cast natural shadows under the light as his chopsticks moved quickly to fill Gu Qichi’s bowl with his favorite dishes.

The pearl-white rice grains were round and emitted a faint fragrance. The pineapple sweet and sour pork was covered in a layer of crystalline sugar glaze, sweet and tart. The boiled fish was sealed with red oil, sprinkled with a layer of Sichuan peppercorns, and doused with hot oil to maximize the numbing and spicy savory flavor, making one drool…

The bowl was filled quickly. Gu Qichi had just recovered when Bo Yu stuffed him with a towering bowl of food. Although it was all things he loved to eat, there was an indescribable weirdness about it.

Gu Qichi: “…”

He slowly poked at the finely sliced fish fillet wrapped in gleaming red oil. The next second, Bo Yu had already peeled a crab for him and arranged it neatly on a small plate.

Gu Qichi sluggishly turned his neck and finally realized the source of the dissonance—

He felt like a lamb on a chopping block waiting to be slaughtered, waiting for the butcher to fatten him up so he could dig in directly.

Under the light, Butcher Bo’s shadow was stretched very long. He smiled kindly, turned his head, and asked, “Why aren’t you eating?”

Gu Qichi let out an “Ah,” didn’t eat first, but pulled at Bo Yu’s sleeve and leaned in very close.

“Bo Yu, are we going to do it tonight?”

His eyes were bright, possessing the natural sincerity of a small animal.

Bo Yu’s hand paused in peeling the crab. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he turned to look. His eye color was deep and dark, the emotions within obscure and unreadable.

The agreement between the two hadn’t been voided yet. In a certain legal sense, it was reasonable and lawful for them to exercise their marital duties. But on another legal level, he seemed to have broken the rules long ago; the things in his mind were completely illegal.

So Bo Yu lowered his brows, his voice very soft as if afraid of startling Gu Qichi, and asked, “Do you want to?”

The air gradually heated up, becoming scorching. The surrounding atmosphere was squeezed for no reason, pressing heavily on their bodies, giving the illusion of a giant net tightening.

Gu Qichi didn’t say he wanted to, nor did he say he didn’t. He smiled languidly, the airflow from his chest vibrating against Bo Yu’s ear, creating a crisp, numbing tickle.

“Be a little rougher tonight, okay?”

No one missed Bo Yu more than he did. His face, his scent, the damp sweat that rose when he sank into boundless desire, the slight tremor when it dripped down his high nose bridge onto Gu Qichi’s collarbone…

Everything about him.

Gu Qichi thought he was like withered grass in a dark swamp, sinking and submerging uncontrollably when he met Song Zhian and Gu Yuning. He had clearly planned to fall into the darkness, but then he met Bo Yu.

Bo Yu was the wind, the raging fire, the blazing sun. With his scorching love, he filled Gu Qichi’s hollow shell bit by bit.

If he had thoughts of ending it all with suicide before, they had now quietly dissipated.

Bo Yu was the light. He would grab his hand and lead him to escape that bottomless darkness.

He would run towards the light, possess the light, and become the light.

---

The Bo Corporation’s business chain was extremely extensive, encompassing most industries in the market.

Gu Qichi wasn’t surprised when he was taken to a five-star hotel owned by the Bo Group. He just waited silently for the receptionist to process their registration.

He was bundled up tightly from head to toe. His baseball cap and mask covered almost his entire face, yet they couldn’t block the gazes projected from all directions.

“President Bo, your room card. The room on the right corridor of the 25th floor has been reserved for you. I wish you a pleasant evening.”

Bo Yu took the room card, turned his head casually to help organize the messy stray hairs at Gu Qichi’s temples, and led him by the hand into the elevator.

People came and went in the hotel lobby. The lights were dazzling and blurry. In a hidden corner, a snow-white light quietly lit up—shadowy and indistinct, hard to see clearly.

Gu Qichi’s eyes flashed, and he subconsciously raised the back of his hand to shield them. Bo Yu leaned in, kissed his exposed palm, and asked softly:

“What’s wrong?”

Gu Qichi shook his head, lowered his hand, and looked back in the direction where the bright light had appeared. He could only see the lush green plants in the lobby, nothing else.

Gu Qichi shook his head again, assuming he had seen wrong.

“My mistake, it’s nothing.”

They went all the way up to the 25th floor. The night was already deep. The room card made a crisp beep upon contact, and the tightly closed door sprang open automatically.

Bo Yu was impatient. He hurriedly slotted the card into the power switch in the entryway without even turning on the main lights.

Two dim yellow night lamps were on by the bedside, their light sparse but warm.

Gu Qichi obediently let himself be tossed onto the large bed.

The snow-white bedding was warm and dry, fluffing up in an arc that looked very comfortable.

The mattress sank into a small pit. Gu Qichi bounced slightly, feeling a bit dizzy.

Immediately after, two pale, slender wrists were firmly pinned down with astonishing strength.

Gu Qichi tilted his head back, meeting Bo Yu’s gaze. His eyelashes trembled slightly as he called out again: “Bo Yu.”

While kissing him, Bo Yu answered in a low voice, guiding Gu Qichi’s hand to touch his own face, coaxing him gently: “Gu Qichi, I’m here.”

“I’m right beside you, I won’t run anywhere. So don’t worry, and don’t be afraid, okay?”

The hotel air conditioner turned on automatically upon inserting the card. In the summer heat, it worked hard to maintain a cool temperature, but it couldn’t withstand the steadily rising heat in the room.

Gu Qichi whimpered from the kisses. Sweat floated uncontrollably on the skin of his neck, damp and scalding.

The rustling sound of a wrapper being torn was heard. Gu Qichi looked up into Bo Yu’s eyes, falling into them with clear-headed abandonment.

Bo Yu was hot too. Sweat rose, dripping down his jaw and landing on Gu Qichi’s collarbone with a very soft thud.

It started raining outside the window again, though not as terrifying as the storms of previous days.

Amidst the overlapping heavy clouds, fine rain slanted down, lifting a curtain of water. Wind blew falling leaves, rain beat against plantain leaves, splashing up fresh green.

Raindrops pattered against the windowsill, splashing water. The night was heavy; not a single star could be seen.

Gu Qichi felt like a piece of cherry-flavored cream cake, the frosting on top about to melt from being held in the mouth.

It seemed that because of the perfume last time, Bo Yu’s memory of the cherry scent was magnified infinitely.

Bo Yu knew some simple cooking, like baking. Recently, when he made cakes, he liked to add cherries. Cherry-flavored cream was squeezed into the filling, and even the air was filled with this sweet, cloying scent.

Gu Qichi felt nothing else, only that he was about to drown in this sea of cherry scent.

His neck tensed uncontrollably, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down, his jaw and slender neck forming a beautiful arc. Heat steamed off him, his skin flushed a pale pink.

Gu Qichi really liked calling Bo Yu’s name at times like this—hoarse, broken, whispered, whimpering, a mix of tones. Bo Yu would kiss him gently, responding to him again and again without getting tired of it.

Every time, he would say:

“Gu Qichi, I’m here.”

“Gu Qichi, open your eyes and look at me.”

“Wife, say you miss me one more time, okay?”

“Gu Qichi…”

His words were gentle, but his actions were extremely fierce.

He perfectly implemented Gu Qichi’s request.

Even going far beyond it.

So far beyond that Gu Qichi couldn’t take it and tried to push him away. Bo Yu brushed aside his hair and kissed his reddened eyelids.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

His tone was hoarse, gentle, and magnetic, but there was no sign of stopping.

Gu Qichi had cried his voice hoarse, and his nose was stuffed up, speaking with a heavy nasal tone: “Bo Yu, I have work tomorrow. I have a magazine shoot.”

Bo Yu paid no attention at all, instead bringing up a specific example to refute him: “But when you were at the restaurant, you made a request of me. It was your first request, I must satisfy you.”

Bo Yu leaned down to bite the tip of his sweating nose. His voice seemed stuck together, wrapped in a layer of sticky syrup, even hoarser than Gu Qichi’s.

“Wife, stay with me a little longer, okay?”

“Hmm?”

Bo Yu grabbed him for another kiss, unwilling to waste a single second.

“I really missed you so much. We haven’t seen each other for over a month.”

Gu Qichi was too tired to speak. The back of his hand rested on his forehead, his eyes half-closed, hiding the moisture in them.

I was the one who teased him, and I was the one who made the request, Gu Qichi thought aimlessly. I definitely can’t do this next time.

If he was really late tomorrow, Wen Xi would definitely scold him to death.

Moreover, he was truly dedicated to his work and never wanted anything bad to happen.

Seeing him distracted, Bo Yu increased his strength, immediately forcing tears from the corners of Gu Qichi’s eyes.

The hand resting on his forehead was taken by Bo Yu again, fingers interlocking, the sweat on their palms pressing into clear lines, smeared evenly.

“Hurry up.”

Gu Qichi urged him.

Bo Yu smiled languidly. He didn’t agree, but changed the subject: “Gu Qichi, I didn’t break the rules, but you did. You didn’t eat properly and lost so much weight.”

“So you have to accept punishment.”

The air conditioner blew coldly, and the rain outside the window continued to fall, pattering, knocking on the eaves with a ding-dong sound.

Bo Yu went to bite his ear, grinding gently against it. His scorching breath wrapped around the ear, his voice fierce: “I am punishing you now. You have to be good and take it for me.”

Gu Qichi couldn’t refute and was plunged into a new wave.

---

When Gu Qichi was fast asleep, Bo Yu hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his head, and reached for the phone on the bedside table.

In the silent stillness of the night, the bright light of the phone screen illuminated his face. He opened the contacts list and found Luo Qianqian.

[Teacher Gu’s Exclusive CEO]: “Please inform me if anything has happened around Gu Qichi recently, especially anything that disturbed his mood.”

Below that was a transfer of 100,000 yuan.

The rain outside the window had stopped at some point, leaving only the desolate sound of the wind and the fallen leaves turned to mud on the ground.

Grand summer would eventually pass. One autumn rain brings one more chill; the cold winter would eventually arrive.

Sensing that the person in his arms was uneasy even in sleep, his body trembling unconsciously, Bo Yu lowered his head. The hand around his waist moved up to gently pat his back, stroke after stroke, until he fell into a deep sleep again.

Bo Yu kissed Gu Qichi’s hair. His gaze was heavy, thick ink wrapped in indescribable emotions. The profile of his face was cold and severe, like a frost-covered winter.

There were many mysterious things about Gu Qichi that needed to be uncovered. Bo Yu wasn’t in a hurry; he would wait for Gu Qichi to slowly open his heart and tell him what he was hiding.

But before that, if anyone dared to covet the dragon’s treasure, he would make them pay a painful price.