Light cascaded from above, slicing into fragmented shadows that landed softly upon the man’s profile.

Bo Yu’s inscrutable gaze collided head-on with the teasing mirth in Gu Qichi’s eyes.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.

Gu Qichi’s hands were clasped, his ten fingers pale and slender with well-defined knuckles. Resting casually together, they possessed a unique aesthetic allure.

Bo Yu’s features were deeper set than most. When he looked at you with that heavy, sunken gaze, it created an intense, beast-like sense of oppression. Combined with the sharp, straight lines of his face—the clean cut of his nose bridge, the exquisite jawline—he truly resembled the unsmiling, ruthless villain from a novel.

But Gu Qichi liked this face very much; it was sexy.

While waiting for Bo Yu’s answer, the young man’s mind drifted, involuntarily recalling details from that night.

His black hair, soaked with sweat, had been gripped by Bo Yu, forcing his head back.

Their eyes had met then, just as they did now.

Sweat had slid from Bo Yu’s forehead to the tip of his nose, finally splashing a tiny blossom of water onto his waist.

Gu Qichi was a great beauty himself, and having struggled in the entertainment industry for years, his standards were incredibly high. It wasn’t that he was arrogant, but simply that very few people could catch his eye.

Bo Yu was one of the few who did. Gu Qichi thought aimlessly, President Bo is actually very suited for the movies.

The big screen is the harshest critic of an actor; it magnifies facial flaws without mercy.

But for someone truly suited to the silver screen, it is merely a stage for display. A face like his, a gift from God, would become his sharpest weapon, branding his virtues and charm into the depths of the audience’s hearts, bit by bit.

Never to be erased.

“No need.”

Bo Yu spoke abruptly, cutting off Gu Qichi’s wandering thoughts.

Since President Bo said no need, he should save him some face. Gu Qichi gave a noncommittal smile, then spread his hands with a sincere expression.

Gu Qichi: “Can we go now?”

He glanced up at the waning lights outside the window, his meaning clear: It’s time. You said you’d take me home, so I need to go home.

Ah Ci wasn’t home today, which saved him the trouble of feeding the cat and cooking for her.

Bo Yu closed his eyes painfully for a moment, then opened them and said, “I’ll drive you.”

Gu Qichi nodded in satisfaction.

It was the same dim alley, the same Maybach, and inside sat the same two people: Gu Qichi and Bo Yu.

Only tonight, there was no rain. The great beauty was well-fed and hydrated, with no fear of getting wet or suffering from stomach pain.

Actually, before Bo Yu had come to find him at the seaside, Gu Qichi had drunk a few cans of beer—not too many, not too few, exactly five cans—mixed with a cocktail.

It was the passing line for maintaining his sanity.

Perhaps the meal tonight was too delicious, or perhaps Bo Yu’s reaction was just too interesting.

The alcohol kicked in belatedly, the faint intoxication nibbling away at his reason.

He was thin, and wearing a T-shirt with a wide neckline. As he leaned forward slightly to get closer to Bo Yu, a shallow hollow formed naturally at his collarbone, the pale, delicate skin exposed beneath Bo Yu’s eyes like fine mutton-fat jade.

Bo Yu lowered his gaze unconsciously, wanting to see more.

Gu Qichi leaned in a few inches closer, his peach-blossom eyes narrowing slightly, glistening with water, looking completely harmless.

In reality, he was very young, only twenty-two. At an age that should have been full of vitality, he was always heavy-hearted, like a withered old man, devoid of life.

Bo Yu stiffened, not daring to move, unable to figure out what Gu Qichi was trying to do.

Warm breath sprayed onto his shoulder. Gu Qichi pressed closer, speaking excitedly as if he had discovered a treasure: “Bo Yu, there’s a tiny red mole on your Adam’s apple.”

Bo Yu retreated slightly, turning his body sideways. His Adam’s apple bobbed at the young man’s words, and he let out an unnatural sound.

“Mn.”

It was a small birthmark Bo Yu had had since he was born. It was just that usually, no one dared to get this close to him, and not many dared to scrutinize him.

He was fiercely unhinged within the Bo family, his methods ruthless; who knew how many people who tried to harm him had been retaliated against. The mansion was usually dead silent, the servants mute, not daring to lift an eyelid. The company was even quieter; whenever news of his inspection came, the employees looked as if they had lost their parents, wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

Therefore, Gu Qichi was one of the few people who knew there was a mole on his Adam’s apple.

The young man’s eyes curved in delight at his discovery, his gaze fragmented and revealing a hint of tenderness.

“Am I the first to discover it?”

No matter how obtuse Bo Yu was, he could tell the beauty in front of him wasn’t acting normal.

A faint scent of alcohol drifted from his breath to the tip of his nose. Bo Yu’s brow twitched as he asked tentatively, “Did you drink? When?”

He clearly hadn’t given him any alcohol.

The young man kept his mouth shut, quietly waiting for the answer he wanted.

He was being a bit stubborn.

One cannot reason with a drunkard, nor warn him that he needs to quit drinking for his gastritis. Bo Yu had no choice but to indulge him helplessly:

“Yes, you are the first.”

In the darkness, Gu Qichi’s eyes brightened a little more.

If he didn’t go back soon, something might happen. Having taken advantage of someone once, Bo Yu had no interest in doing it a second time.

He opened the car door and half-pulled, half-carried the tipsy Gu Qichi out.

Seeing no one around, President Bo considered the possibility of walking him back with an arm around his shoulder, but then logically followed his heart’s desire.

He scooped Gu Qichi up horizontally.

The classic ‘princess carry’ from the TV dramas.

Unexpectedly, Gu Qichi did not resist. Instead, he intensified the intimacy, wrapping his arms around Bo Yu’s neck and obediently resting his head in the crook of his shoulder.

Bo Yu: …

Bo Yu forced himself to take a deep breath and walked calmly toward the sixth floor.

The youth in his arms was very light, his collarbone rippling in a beautiful arc. President Bo used almost no effort, not even panting along the way, as they arrived smoothly at the sixth floor and he set him down.

The keys were in Gu Qichi’s side pocket. Bo Yu held him by the shoulder, still not making the move himself.

His eyes were long and narrow, the double eyelids deep, making his gaze appear even darker.

Bo Yu’s voice was husky: “Gu Qichi, we’re home. Find your keys.”

The keys were pulled from the pocket by the young man. He tried to insert them three times, but missed the alignment every time, always veering off a little.

For the first time in his life, Bo Yu felt a headache coming on. He snatched the keys from his hand, aligned the lock, and with a click, the door opened.

Gu Qichi straightened up extremely slowly, took the keys back from Bo Yu, and then sluggishly took off his shoes.

Bo Yu kept a hand behind him, worried he might fall due to his unstable center of gravity.

Shoes off, Gu Qichi leaned against the doorframe, staring at the man standing outside.

It seemed the fire hadn’t been stoked high enough; Gu Qichi was dissatisfied.

His mischievousness was stirring, scratching at his heart like a cat’s paw.

The great beauty decided to follow his instincts and challenge just where President Bo’s bottom line lay.

At the very least, he was genuinely curious.

Bo Yu had just managed to suppress the extraneous thoughts in his heart, feeling a sense of loss as he missed the trace of the slender butterfly bones against his palm.

Gu Qichi suddenly looked up, leaning in closer than ever before. His warm breath vibrated against the ear, sending a numbing sensation from the ear straight to the brain.

“I have a red mole on my thigh, too. Do you remember? Bo Yu, you’re the only one who has seen that mole, too.”

President Bo’s breathing became chaotic in an instant.

Before he could speak, the door in front of him slammed shut with a bang, stirring up a considerable gust of wind.

Bo Yu faced the empty door panel, as if all the charm and intimacy just now were merely an unrealistic fantasy.

Behind the door, the great beauty gloated, exceptionally satisfied with his performance, his eyes and brows brimming with laughter.

The moonlight was melting, and the stars overhead were shining brightly.

Gu Qichi went to sleep peacefully, leaving behind only a flustered and bewildered President Bo.