[Bo Yu’s Perspective]

From the moment Bo Yu was born, he was the envy of everyone.

He was the eldest legitimate grandson of the Bo family in Dongcheng, and his mother was the precious daughter of the Ruan family in Nanlin. With such a lineage and background, it could be said that as long as he didn’t commit a crime, Bo Yu could spend his entire life doing whatever he pleased under the protection of the Bo family.

However, Bo Yu’s father happened to be an incompetent man—not only was he a profligate womanizer, but he wasn’t particularly bright. Fearing that his grandson would be ruined by such a father, Old Master Bo took Bo Yu to his side as soon as the boy was old enough to understand things, raising and educating him personally.

From learning to read to attending school, the Old Master guided him by the hand, caring for him with meticulous detail.

Seeing that her son was being taken care of and that her pathetic husband never came home, Ruan Xian was happy to be free. She simply took Bo Yu’s sister, Bo Song, to travel the world and enjoy life.

In truth, she had wanted to take Bo Yu back to live with her, but at the time, Bo Yu was still very young. He would sit there holding a tattered ancient book like a little scholar. When young Bo Yu heard that Ruan Xian wanted to take him home, he looked happy for a moment, but then paused and withdrew his hand.

Ruan Xian was confused and a little hurt. She knelt down and asked him gently, “Xiao Yu, don’t you want to go home with Mommy?”

Young Bo Yu’s face, still holding a bit of baby fat, showed a maturity beyond his years. He said quite seriously, “Grandfather said I must study hard with him. That way, if bad people come in the future, I can protect Mommy and Big Sister.”

Ruan Xian’s expression froze. Tears fell as she pulled young Bo Yu into a tight embrace, her voice choking, “Silly child, Mommy should be the one protecting you and Song’er. You’re so small, how can we let you protect us?”

Bo Yu shook his head. “No, I am a little man. When I grow up, I will protect Mommy and Sister. Grandfather also said that I will get married to someone I love in the future, so I have to learn how to protect the person I love in advance.”

His face was full of innocence. Though he was at an age where he should have been ignorant of the world’s ways, he acted like a little adult. He stood on his tiptoes, patted Ruan Song’s head, and coaxed his mother gently, “Mommy, take Sister and go play. I’m going back to study.”

Having said that, young Bo Yu went back to his tattered book, stumbling through the words as he read.

---

Time passed day by day, and Bo Yu grew up. Unfortunately, the good times did not last. Old Master Bo had suffered too many injuries on the battlefield in his youth; his body was not as hardy as others, and he passed away early.

At the same time, Bo Yu’s absurd father took over the position and began to shamelessly bring his mistresses and illegitimate sons into the house. At that time, Bo Yu was still young and his wings had not yet fully grown. Ruan Xian, filled with loathing and disdain, did not deign to fight for such things. Consequently, those calculating illegitimate sons found openings to exploit.

When Bo Yu was eighteen, his father’s health was heavily depleted, showing signs that his days were numbered. The illegitimate sons around him became even more audacious, not only bullying classmates at school but even harassing female students. One of them, particularly favored by the father, dared to provoke Bo Yu. Bo Yu broke the boy’s leg in response. The boy then played the victim and complained to the father.

Although he was Bo Yu’s biological father, the man did not like his son. Old Master Bo had doted on Bo Yu and left his shares to him. Furthermore, Ruan Xian was “uncooperative”; relying on the power of the Ruan family in Nanlin, she never gave him a good look.

Thus, when Bo Yu looked at him with cold, mocking eyes, the father suddenly saw a reflection of Ruan Xian—the woman who had married him with a face full of loathing. That gaze, which treated him like a piece of trash, stung the father’s heart. Slumped in his wheelchair, he ordered Bo Yu to kneel and admit his mistake. Bo Yu only gave a mocking laugh. In front of the man’s face, he kicked his favorite illegitimate son in the chest, sending the boy sprawling to the ground in painful convulsions.

In a fit of rage, the father sent men to bind Bo Yu and ship him off to Country Y (the UK), cutting off all his financial resources. He wanted Bo Yu to suffer and crawl back to admit his mistake. He never expected that Bo Yu would stay there quietly for three years, doing every kind of dirty and exhausting job imaginable, but never once asking him for a single cent.

In Bo Yu’s fourth year in Country Y, news of a tragedy came from Dongcheng. To Bo Yu, however, it wasn’t a tragedy—it was a surprise.

While flirting with a new young mistress, the father suffered a stroke in bed. By the time the mistress’s screams brought him to the hospital, his mouth was crooked, his eyes were slanted, and he was unable to speak.

If the first three years were the beginning of the internal power struggle in the Bo family, then the fourth year saw that invisible war turn into a full-scale battlefield. The illegitimate sons back in Dongcheng even joined forces to hire assassins, desperate to block any possibility of Bo Yu returning to the country.

It was during that time that Bo Yu met Gu Qichi.

What was the eighteen-year-old Gu Qichi like?

He wasn’t as gloomy or negative as he thought he was. Instead, he was like a sprout tentatively reaching out to the world. At that time, he had just escaped the man-eating cage of the Gu family. He held a vast interest in everything, and his clear eyes were full of inquiry and curiosity about the world.

Gu Qichi was there as an outstanding student representative, accompanying his mentor to Country Y for an academic exchange seminar. In front of the student apartments arranged by the mentor, there was a stylish flower shop that also served afternoon tea. Gu Qichi loved that place and visited every day.

There, he saw a very handsome Chinese man with deep-set features, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. Most importantly, the man had a great physique. Gu Qichi never approached him to talk, but every time, he would steal a few extra glances.

At that time, Gu Qichi had just reached adulthood. His features were exquisite—a breathtakingly captivating look that was softened by his youthful aura, making him exceptionally moving. Many locals tried to hit on him, but he rejected them all with a distant politeness.

Three days before he was due to return home, that handsome man proactively approached Gu Qichi.

Gu Qichi was picking out flowers in the shop. Just as he picked up a bunch of light green Lisianthus (Eustoma), a shadow suddenly loomed behind him.

“These Lisianthus just arrived today.”

Gu Qichi’s hand paused. He turned around, holding the large bouquet, and looked straight at the man. The corners of his eyes curved up, revealing a sparse, flickering smile. He looked much better when he smiled than when he was expressionless.

Bo Yu was momentarily dazzled by him.

The youth’s hair was a bit long, tied into a small bun at the back. Two strands of hair fell loosely across his forehead. Although his face still held a hint of boyishness, his beauty was soul-stirring. When his “peach blossom eyes” looked at you in a relaxed manner, a glimmer of light would skip across them, giving off a gentle and affectionate feeling.

Gu Qichi smiled at him. “I know. This bouquet is very fresh.”

A rare smile touched Bo Yu’s cold face. He didn’t know what to say, so he picked a random fact: “The language of the Lisianthus is very nice. It means ‘unchanging love’.”

“Would you like a cheese latte?” he suddenly asked.

The change of topic was clumsy—an obvious attempt at a pickup line. Gu Qichi was stunned, seemingly surprised by Bo Yu’s bluntness or perhaps his lack of concealment. Over the past few days, many people had wanted to buy him coffee or give him other things, and Gu Qichi had rejected them all instantly.

But this time, for no reason, Gu Qichi didn’t want to refuse the man in front of him. He tilted his head, his tone light and slightly teasing, “Will you make it yourself?”

Bo Yu nodded. “I am an employee here.”

Gu Qichi let out a long “Oh.” He naturally knew Bo Yu worked there; otherwise, he wouldn’t have come lingering around every day.

Gu Qichi wasn’t the type to believe in love at first sight, but for some reason, when he saw Bo Yu, he felt as if they had met before—as if they had met many, many times. He always trusted his intuition, so for once, he didn’t put up his guard.

Bo Yu made him a cheese latte and carefully wrapped the Lisianthus for him, but he didn’t speak to him again. Only when Gu Qichi walked out of the shop did Bo Yu say, “Welcome back next time.”

Cold and distant.

But Gu Qichi could feel that Bo Yu actually wanted to get to know him. However, he was returning to China with his mentor the day after tomorrow. Looking at his attire, Bo Yu seemed like a student studying abroad; there was likely no chance for them to meet again.

Gu Qichi thought that perhaps they simply lacked the “fate” (Yuanfen).

But to his surprise, fate arrived exceptionally fast.

That evening, a fine, dense rain fell, forming a curtain of water. The climate in Country Y was cold and damp; when it rained, the chill would seep into one’s bones. Gu Qichi feared the cold, so he particularly disliked rainy days there.

He had just delivered some documents for his mentor and was rushing back to his lodgings under an umbrella. In a narrow alley near his apartment, under the dim yellow streetlights, he found a man collapsed on the ground. Beneath him was an indistinguishable pool of dark red.

When he got closer, he realized he had just seen this man—it was the handsome man from the flower shop.

Gu Qichi hesitated for a moment before hauling the man to the hospital. After confirming the injuries weren’t fatal and that he just needed rest, Gu Qichi had no choice but to bring Bo Yu back to his cramped apartment. Since Bo Yu was unconscious, Gu Qichi didn’t know where he lived.

He took care of Bo Yu all night, nearly oversleeping and missing his seminar the next morning. When he returned to the apartment with food that evening and saw Bo Yu still lying on the bed, he let out a sigh of relief.

At least he didn’t run off.

But Bo Yu must have moved, for the wound had reopened. Dark red seeped through the gauze, looking quite startling. Gu Qichi had no choice but to laboriously help him up and clumsily re-wrap the wound with medicine.

What he didn’t know was that Bo Yu had woken up the moment he entered the room. Every muscle in Bo Yu’s body was tense, prepared to deliver a fatal blow to an enemy, but the moment he saw Gu Qichi’s face, he relaxed his hand and closed his eyes to feign unconsciousness again.

Gu Qichi’s flight was at 9:00 AM the next morning. He had been worried about where Bo Yu would go after he left and even tried to contact the landlord to see if Bo Yu could stay for a few days. But at 5:00 AM, Bo Yu left on his own.

When Gu Qichi woke up, he found himself sleeping in the bed rather than on the narrow sofa from before. Bo Yu had left nothing behind, nor had he told Gu Qichi his name.

They were like two strangers destined to miss each other, crossing paths briefly before disappearing into the crowd and forgetting one another.

Gu Qichi soon forgot about the incident. Meanwhile, after falling victim to another wave of inhumane cyberbullying, he developed severe depression. He began to intentionally avoid his painful memories, closing himself off to protect himself.

As for Bo Yu, after that incident, he returned to Dongcheng with an irresistible force and had “friendly exchanges” with each of his father’s illegitimate sons. By the time he had completely taken control of the Bo Corporation with his swift and ruthless methods, a year had passed.

During that time, he sent people to look for Gu Qichi countless times, but with no success. He knew nothing about that beautiful youth, except for hearing a neighbor call him “Gu” while he was semi-conscious.

“Gu.”

Was that his surname, or a character in his name?

Bo Yu deeply regretted not asking Gu Qichi for his name back then. Day after day, he searched for a trace of him, but Gu Qichi’s face gradually faded in his memory until, finally, it blurred into nothingness.

Sometimes, when Bo Yu woke up from a dream, he would wonder if he had ever actually met Gu Qichi, or if he had truly been saved by him. If such a person existed, why was the only thing he could recall a blurry mass of light and shadow?

As time went on, Bo Yu eventually forgot the fact that a youth had carried him on his back through a rainy night and cared for him. He felt lost, and even more so, confused. With his memory, it was impossible to forget something so important.

But this was an exception.

Bo Yu stubbornly searched for anyone whose name contained the “Gu” sound, trying to trigger his memory. He felt that this wasn’t the first time; that long, long ago, he had also desperately searched for a person named “Gu.” He had never found them then, but he had never given up.

So, this time, Bo Yu would not give up easily either.

He was only 26. The rest of his life was long. He had enough time to uncover the question that haunted his heart and find the person he always wanted to see. Bo Yu thought that perhaps this “Gu” he was searching for so bitterly would be the answer to his entire life.

---

This year, Dongcheng was exceptionally sweltering. The rain refused to fall, offering no relief to the summer irritability. Bo Yu had also been particularly agitated lately. The frequency of his dreams was increasing; he constantly saw a youth whose face he couldn’t see, smiling at him. Bo Yu knew that was the person he was looking for.

Just then, Bai Heng finished his duties and came to the CEO’s office to report. Bo Yu pinched the bridge of his nose and let him in. Bai Heng carefully observed Bo Yu’s expression and, after some thought, said respectfully, “President Bo, we recently found another person. It’s the Gu family’s young master, Gu Yuning. He also went to Country Y when he was eighteen.”

Bo Yu lifted his eyelids. Although he didn’t say anything, Bai Heng knew this was a sign to continue.

“The Gu family will take Gu Yuning to a cocktail party tonight at the Yunting Hotel…”

“Then we’ll go take a look,” Bo Yu said without a hint of hesitation.

The weather tonight was even more stifling than usual. When Bo Yu arrived at the hotel, he glanced at the sky. The heavy, piled-up clouds and the airless atmosphere signaled an impending storm. Bo Yu had an intuition: today, he would find his answer.

At the party, people moved back and forth with hypocrisy; the forced smiles were irritating. Bo Yu glanced at Gu Yuning and immediately determined that he was not the one he was looking for. Impatiently, he picked up a glass of champagne and drained it, but he soon realized something was wrong.

Someone had drugged the wine.

Bo Yu’s frown deepened. He contacted Bai Heng and headed up to a suite in the Yunting Hotel.

When the elevator doors opened with a ding, the string of logic and restraint in Bo Yu’s mind snapped completely.

The young man in the elevator, with a flushed face, seemed to have pierced through time and space to split his heart open. Bo Yu’s heart began to thud wildly.

In the next second, Gu Qichi, inside the elevator, lifted his eyes and crashed straight into Bo Yu’s gaze.

In that instant, Bo Yu was certain: he had found his answer.

Even though four years had passed.

At Bo Yu’s age of 22, he met Gu Qichi for the first time.

At Gu Qichi’s age of 22, he reunited with Bo Yu.

It had been four years, yet it felt like seventeen lifetimes of bitter, fruitless searching.

Finally, Bo Yu had his heart’s desire.