Since the two of them had cleared the air a few days ago, Bo Yu never forgot to fulfill his duties as a suitor every single day.

Given that they had started the “lovey-dovey couple spending hours on the phone” phase before even getting married, and since Bo Yu was currently in Country Y and couldn’t rush back for a romantic date with Gu Qichi, he had to resort to sending gifts daily to please him.

Although the gifts were varied, Bo Yu had excellent taste. Every item landed perfectly on Gu Qichi’s aesthetic preferences. Even though Gu Qichi was indifferent toward jewelry, he admitted they were beautiful. In a rare moment of active interest, he even commissioned a designer to create a pair of couple’s cufflinks.

Aside from this, Bo Yu never forgot to send Gu Qichi a bouquet of flowers every time—a massive, vibrant, and delicate bunch.

White roses, eustomas, hydrangeas, and baby’s breath had all been delivered, but eustomas were the most frequent.

Whenever it was mentioned in conversation, Bo Yu would always say: “Eustomas are very like you.”

Pure as snow.

Gu Qichi would smile and say nothing more. He simply removed the wrapping, trimmed the excess stems, placed the bouquet in the glass vase by his bedside, and fell asleep to the scent of flowers.

However, over the phone, the things Bo Yu hinted at were definitely not the items displayed on the kitchen island.

He was referring to the box of messy “toys” Gu Qichi had kicked aside.

But seeing them didn’t mean he had to acknowledge them. Gu Qichi cleared his throat, his eyes unconsciously drifting to the box under his feet, and spoke slowly:

“I saw them. They are on the island. The eustomas, the Cartier bracelet, the Patek Philippe watch… there seems to be a pink diamond sent from an auction house, too. And why is there a new car key?”

Gu Qichi listed them roughly in order, his brows knitting together unconsciously. “Bo Yu, you bought too many things. It’s too wasteful.”

Before he could finish, the man abruptly interrupted him: “You know those aren’t what I’m talking about.”

Gu Qichi’s voice went hoarse again.

Bo Yu continued, “Why did you contact Bai Heng to help you block me from seeing your magazine photos?”

Gu Qichi had a headache. He had expected he couldn’t hide it from Bo Yu for long, but he really hadn’t anticipated getting caught after just one afternoon.

The man on the other end had a face as cold as frost, his gaze burning as he waited for an explanation. Helpless, Gu Qichi could only explain slowly, “Because the photos didn’t turn out well…”

Bo Yu laughed out of anger. The excuse Gu Qichi found was truly clumsy.

Although he wasn’t in the country, Bo Yu had been thinking about this magazine shoot for a long time. Lately, he had stayed up late quite a bit, learning from Gu Qichi’s fans how to boost data and sales volume, practically turning himself into a “big fan” within the fan groups.

When he woke up today, Bai Heng tried every method to stop him from logging into Weibo. Bo Yu didn’t even need to think hard to guess whose idea this was.

The moment he saw Gu Qichi’s magazine cover, Bo Yu, far away abroad, could no longer suppress his anger. He cursed directly. His displeasure seemed to materialize, invading the surrounding air inch by inch, startling Bai Heng beside him.

Adhering to the high vigilance of a top-tier employee, Bai Heng opened the “Big Eye” app (Weibo) on his phone. He was nearly blinded by the screen full of comments like “Wifey is so hot” and “Wifey, come top me,” along with a series of other obscene remarks. Cold sweat broke out on his back.

Before Bai Heng could speak, Bo Yu had already stormed off to catch the culprit.

…

The temperature in Country Y at this time of year was much higher than in East City, and there was a time difference. While it was already dark for Gu Qichi, it was still daytime for Bo Yu.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Bo Yu pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Gu Qichi, tell me, what part of it doesn’t look good?”

The atmosphere froze into ice. Gu Qichi’s gaze fell on Bo Yu’s face. At some point, A-Ci had jumped down from upstairs and was arching her back, playing around Gu Qichi’s trouser legs.

Sometimes, Bo Yu was easy to coax; give him a little sweetness, and he would be the bigger person and let things slide. But other times, Bo Yu was like an impartial, iron-faced official—impervious to reason.

Although Gu Qichi had wanted to test Bo Yu’s reaction before, he knew he wouldn’t feel good if he actually enraged the man.

After all, a good portion of the things Bo Yu sent back were meant to “torment” him; they took up half the box…

The veins on Gu Qichi’s forehead throbbed. Feeling deeply that he might be played to death, he took a breath, swallowed the words he intended to say, and changed his tune: “I saw them clearly, Bo Yu. That box… of gifts. I saw them all clearly.”

In the video call, the young man’s eyelashes trembled slightly. The crystal chandelier overhead refracted dazzling light, overexposing half of his face in the frame, leaving only his reddish lips opening and closing. Staring at Gu Qichi, the anger in Bo Yu’s heart gradually subsided, though he was still displeased.

He hadn’t even seen Gu Qichi wearing a skirt yet, but so many others had. And he was among the last to know.

But Gu Qichi was someone who responded to softness, not hardness. The darkness in Bo Yu’s eyes suddenly dissipated, his furrowed brows relaxed, and a layer of melancholy washed over his face. Half-truthfully, half-fake, he said, “Wife, why didn’t you want me to see? You hid it from me that day, and today you conspired with others to deceive me.”

“Everyone saw it, except for me.”

His voice was low and slightly husky, pleasant like an elegant cello. With just a slight manipulation of his tone, he could easily make people lower their defenses.

“Wear those for me alone this time, okay?”

In his life, Gu Qichi had faced unspoken rules and had been treated as an unattainable “little gold master.” Although those suitors couldn’t compare to someone as wealthy and powerful as Bo Yu, they were still considered quality choices in the circle with resources, connections, and money. In the past, plenty of people had been sent to his bed.

Those people tried hard to please him, acting coquettish or obedient. They even fabricated earth-shattering tragic backstories to beg for Gu Qichi’s pity. Unfortunately, Gu Qichi was naturally cold. In matters of love, he seemed to be missing a wire; with a cold look in his eyes, he sent them all away.

He didn’t expect to lose to Bo Yu today.

Even Gu Qichi found it funny.

Although Bo Yu’s words were a plea, his face showed none of it. Instead, he looked like a hungry wolf, desire surging in his eyes so thickly it was impossible to fathom. He stared dead at him, his gaze sweeping from top to bottom like a hooked sword, wanting to strip Gu Qichi bare.

It was self-evident what he was thinking. Gu Qichi glanced at him, his tone not cold, but lacking its usual sparse smile: “Bo Yu, if I remember correctly, you are still pursuing me.”

The implication was that he hadn’t succeeded yet, so he shouldn’t think about things that weren’t there.

After all, no couple did that in the early stages of courtship. Bo Yu was too impatient. But actually, if one really thought about it, the relationship between Bo Yu and Gu Qichi was entirely rushed—from the accidental drugging in the summer to getting their marriage license later, the speed was like a rocket shooting into the clouds.

Too fast wasn’t necessarily good. It wasn’t that Gu Qichi insisted on Bo Yu chasing him, but if things moved too quickly, the freshness would inevitably be lost over time, leading to regret later.

While Gu Qichi was thinking this, Bo Yu refused to let go. He lowered his eyes, his lashes drooping to cover most of the expression in them. “Chi-chi, have I not been performing well lately?”

“Hm?”

Gu Qichi picked A-Ci up, holding the phone in one hand and stroking A-Ci’s back with the other.

Truthfully, calling Bo Yu a male vixen wouldn’t be an exaggeration. He knew very well how to use the advantages of his appearance and voice to push forward step by step in front of Gu Qichi to achieve his goals.

If Bo Yu weren’t in Country Y right now but by his side, Gu Qichi could imagine the scene—

Bo Yu would definitely lean in to kiss him. After kissing him dizzy, he would hold him in his arms, turning his head to lick and bite his earlobe. His hands wouldn’t stay still either; perhaps resting on his waist, or perhaps holding the back of his neck. Half-coaxing, half-pitiful, he would help him put on those clothes and do whatever he wanted.

“Meow~”

A-Ci rolled over on his lap, exposing her soft belly. Her front paws held onto Gu Qichi’s arm, and her tail curled up repeatedly.

Gu Qichi looked down at her. His train of thought was broken, but he suddenly felt A-Ci’s current behavior looked exceptionally familiar. Wasn’t this exactly how Bo Yu usually acted—spoiled and arrogant because of Gu Qichi’s indulgence?

Gu Qichi: “Your performance is good, but it’s still too fast. Bo Yu, normal people don’t date like this.”

However, Bo Yu could hear the hesitation in Gu Qichi’s voice. He didn’t push further but changed his tone, his voice mixing with the electric current and drilling straight into the ear with a slight rasp: “Wife, then when I get back, give me a few more chances to perform, okay?”

A-Ci suddenly let out a yelp. Gu Qichi looked down and realized he had accidentally used too much force and hurt her.

But when he looked up again, he found the man in the video smiling casually, looking as if he had victory in hand.

Only then did Gu Qichi realize, in his moment of distraction, he had already agreed.

---

During the program recording over the next few days, Gu Qichi rarely lost his temper.

Lou Shao’s repeated provocations yesterday hadn’t really bothered Gu Qichi much, but perhaps because Lou Shao started it, Xiao Meng in the same group also began to put on airs.

The roles were assigned by Mentor Yi Zhiyin according to character personalities. Lou Shao got his wish and took the male lead, while Gu Qichi got the “Drunken Immortal” swordsman he was interested in.

Wen Che’s role was a challenging dual-sided character, which was difficult and gave him quite a headache.

Before 8:00 AM, Gu Qichi arrived at the rehearsal room to familiarize himself with his lines. Wen Che also arrived promptly at eight.

The group had been too busy and chaotic yesterday, so he hadn’t managed to add Gu Qichi on WeChat. Early in the morning, he had his phone’s QR code ready, waiting eagerly like a pitiful puppy.

Laughing at him, Gu Qichi added him on WeChat and chatted casually for a bit.

Gu Qichi: “Why do you look so listless? Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

Wen Che mumbled a sheepish “Mm” and explained, “It was just a special situation yesterday. Qichi-ge, I’m not usually like this. I definitely won’t drag you down!”

Wen Che didn’t tell the truth. He had spent the entire night arguing with a moron in Gu Qichi’s fan group.

The other person was probably obsessed with being a “wife fan” of Gu Qichi. They had directly muted several young girls in the group who called Gu Qichi “wife” and kicked out anyone making lewd comments about him.

Wen Che, who was also an admin, couldn’t stand this person’s behavior and immediately went to argue with them.

The other person didn’t really argue back; they were like a sealed gourd, which angered Wen Che to death. In the end, they decided the winner of this confrontation would be determined by who boosted the sales of Gu Qichi’s magazine more.

If the other person lost, they would step down as admin and apologize to the muted girls. If Wen Che lost, the girls in the group would no longer be allowed to call Gu Qichi “wife.”

Wen Che yawned, secretly complaining about where such a weirdo came from. But glancing at Gu Qichi’s face, he blushed a little and whispered in his heart: You can’t blame Gu Qichi’s fans for wanting to call him wife. Even as a grown man, I want to call him that too.

Besides, the magazine shoot yesterday was genuinely beautiful. Even without that smelly idiot, he would have boosted sales for Gu Qichi anyway.

Gu Qichi didn’t know what he was thinking. Seeing the worried look in his eyes, he turned his head and asked, “Is it still because of the food delivery job? If you’re short on money, I can lend you some.”

He lowered his voice and specifically covered his microphone with his hand to prevent the staff on site from hearing or recording it. Wen Che was stunned.

He wasn’t poor at all; in fact, he was a half-baked young master. The reason he was reduced to delivering food during the summer vacation was that his parents, seeing him hanging out at internet cafes all day after the college entrance exams, got angry and cut off his financial support, telling him to go experience real life.

It was called experiencing life, but it was incredibly easy. The restaurant was owned by Wen Che’s grandfather. They hadn’t even offered delivery service before; Bo Yu was the first order, and the only order Wen Che ever delivered.

But judging by Gu Qichi’s expression, he must have mistaken him for some pitiful, hardworking student striving to improve himself.

Comparing the two personas—the “pitiful, hardworking student” and the “idle, spendthrift son”—Wen Che’s brain spun fast. The words of clarification stuck in his throat and he swallowed them back down, looking at Gu Qichi with puppy eyes.

Wen Che: “Qichi-ge, you are so kind. But I believe I can rely on my own two hands to live a good, tenacious life.”

Gu Qichi: “…”

Why did this kid’s speech suddenly turn so tragic and melodramatic?

However, for the entire day, Gu Qichi and Wen Che simply ran through the lines for the scene and sorted out the general plot, but they never saw Lou Shao or Xiao Meng.

Not just today. For the next two days, those two seemed to have vanished into thin air, nowhere to be found.