He hadn’t actually drunk that much, yet upon waking, he still felt the throbbing headache of a hangover.

Gu Qichi’s soft, jet-black hair rubbed against the fluffy, snow-white pillow. His entire face was buried within it, and he had wrapped himself into a ball like a giant silkworm chrysalis. After a long while, he remained motionless.

The sound of the doorbell came from the entrance. The subtle, trifling noise finally disturbed the person wrapped in the quilt. Gu Qichi yawned and slowly sat up.

He didn’t recall anyone scheduled to come over today. Wen Xi had clearly agreed to pick him up in the afternoon.

The feeling of being interrupted from his daze was unpleasant, and the young man’s rare “morning temper” leaked out. His raven hair stuck up from his restless tossing, revealing a full, smooth forehead, a high nose bridge, and plump lips.

It was just that the air around him seemed a bit low-pressure.

Gu Qichi was, in fact, angry.

He dragged his slippers, making clack-clack sounds on the polished floor, throwing a silent tantrum.

But if anyone saw him now, they certainly wouldn’t think he was angry. If anything, Gu Qichi just looked overly pitiful.

The blackout curtains hadn’t been drawn, so the room was as dark as ever. His loose T-shirt exposed most of his chest, his thin collarbones forming sharp, winding hollows. He was pale to the point of overexposure, but having buried himself in the quilt for so long without enough oxygen, a cluster of rich red had bloomed on his cheeks.

Like rosy clouds kneaded into snow, spreading out—indescribably beautiful.

His long, thick eyelashes were dampened by the saline of sleepiness, moist and trembling as they tangled together. His peach-blossom eyes were clearer than usual, looking exceptionally lovely with his red lips and white teeth.

The apartment door was yanked open from the inside, and most of the great beauty’s face was bathed in the encroaching golden sunlight.

Stung by the light, Gu Qichi narrowed his eyes slightly and raised a hand to shield them. His long, slender arm was glowing white, the faint blue veins beneath the skin visible.

The delivery guy unconsciously opened his mouth wide, rendered speechless by the beauty before him, making no sound for a long time.

It wasn’t until Gu Qichi regained his senses, leaning lazily against the doorframe, lifting his eyelids to ask languidly, “Is something the matter?” that the delivery guy snapped out of his trance.

He wasn’t old, likely just out of college entrance exams and forced by his parents to work a summer job. A layer of unnatural blush dyed his young, vibrant face as he handed the takeout to Gu Qichi.

Gu Qichi was a bit surprised. He raised an eyebrow slightly and didn’t reach out, instead asking, “Did you deliver to the wrong place? I didn’t order takeout.”

The delivery guy scratched his head awkwardly. “I don’t think so. Are you Mr. Gu Qichi?”

Seeing Gu Qichi nod reservedly, the guy sighed in relief and continued, “Mr. Bo filled in your address. A meal is to be delivered every twenty minutes. If no one answers the door, we deliver the next round.”

Bo Yu?

Fragmented memories of last night’s drunkenness flooded Gu Qichi’s mind. His hand, resting casually, stiffened slightly, and he lowered his eyes uncomfortably.

Only then did he see how many takeaway boxes were piled up behind the delivery guy, outside his door.

Big and small, various types, spread out on the floor like a restaurant buffet.

Fighting his headache, Gu Qichi’s brow twitched. He raised his eyes and asked, “What time did you start delivering?”

Judging by the formation on the ground, it must have been early.

As expected.

Delivery guy: “Started at seven this morning. Since you hadn’t woken up by eleven, lunch was added…”

Gu Qichi: …

He didn’t have his phone on him, but luckily his eyesight was excellent. He read the time directly from the watch on the other person’s wrist.

12:47.

From 7:30 to now, an interval of five hours and seventeen minutes. By Bo Yu’s instructions of every twenty minutes, there must be…

A full twenty portions…

Fuck.

Even someone as indifferent as Gu Qichi couldn’t help but curse internally. After waking up, the embarrassment of “flirting” with Bo Yu completely dissipated, leaving only a wave of speechlessness.

What was Bo Yu doing? Raising him like a pig?

Taking a deep breath and trying to maintain a polite smile, Gu Qichi reached out and took the takeout.

“Thank you, just give it to me.”

The delivery guy hesitated but eventually asked, “Do you need me to help dispose of the ones on the ground?”

The packaging was high-end and classy, obviously expensive. Gu Qichi glanced at it—it was food from Zuixianju. He frowned imperceptibly. If he remembered correctly, this restaurant didn’t offer delivery services.

Back then, when Gu Yuning was sick, he had cried and clamored for their mutton soup. But the Gu family lived far away, it was the middle of the night, and they couldn’t buy it at all. Moreover, Zuixianju not only didn’t deliver, but every dish also had a daily quantity limit.

He really hadn’t expected that the thing Gu Yuning had cried all night for would be sitting at his door like piles of junk.

The gloom in his heart dissipated significantly. Gu Qichi rubbed his brow and glanced at the untouched food on the ground.

Gu Qichi: “If you haven’t had lunch, take a few portions with you. I’ll handle the rest.”

The delivery guy thanked him with a blushing face, carried the food to the elevator, then doubled back.

He fidgeted for a while before asking, “Are you a celebrity?”

Gu Qichi paused, looking up at him in confusion, not understanding why he asked.

He pondered for a moment, then continued lifting the takeout, replying slowly, “I suppose I barely count as one.”

Delivery guy: !

Delivery guy: “You are really good-looking. You’ll definitely be a big hit in the future. Could I please ask for your autograph?”

“Huh?”

He really hadn’t expected such a request. Gu Qichi drawled in a confused tone.

The original host had actually always wanted to be a good actor. He worked diligently and conscientiously, filming in hopes of gaining public recognition and fans’ love, to find something to support him in living happily.

But everything was ruined by Gu Yuning. He stole the happy family that belonged to Gu Qichi, and then used him as a stepping stone to climb up.

Gu Yuning used many methods—

He framed Gu Qichi for putting glue in his contact lenses, secretly put razor blades in his shoes on set, and tampered with the wires during wire-flying scenes to deliberately make him fall from a height…

Besides that, he framed Gu Qichi for seducing Song Zhian, the ‘top’ whom Gu Yuning liked, to climb the social ladder. He accused him of being kept by a sugar daddy and used maliciously edited photos and ‘ugly’ pictures to spread rumors that he had plastic surgery…

Such incidents were countless. Gu Qichi had tried to explain, but it was useless. Gu Yuning’s “fans” used photos they took to accuse him, standing on the moral high ground like reapers harvesting lives at will, ruining his reputation with the general public completely.

His Weibo DMs were filled daily with abuse from Gu Yuning’s fans, with no shortage of people telling him to die.

The external oppression and the coldness of his relatives were like invisible straws, pressing down bit by bit on the young man’s thin shoulders, crushing his spine and plunging him into boundless grayness.

Just like that, Gu Qichi unknowingly developed depression. But he hid it well, and since no one cared about him usually, no one noticed.

But the final straw that truly crushed Gu Qichi came from the Gu family—

Some meddlesome paparazzi exposed the fact that Gu Qichi and Gu Yuning had been maliciously switched at birth. The news of the real and fake young masters was hyped sensationally, and their names hung high on the trending search list for a whole day. At that time, Gu Yuning was incredibly popular, with high-end endorsements and movie resources in hand, while Gu Qichi was still holed up in this small apartment, hands trembling as he scrolled through those unbearable private messages one by one.

“Why haven’t you died yet?”

“Serves you right that no one likes you.”

“Was it really a switch? Gu Yuning looks more like a young master of the Gu family in every way. Gu Qichi, are you playing tricks again?”

“No wonder the Gu family only wants to acknowledge Gu Yuning. If I were Gu Chengtian, I’d find Gu Qichi disgusting too…”

The difference between the two was heaven and earth; one accepted the adoration of thousands in the clouds, while the other fell into the mud to be trampled at will.

And Gu Chengtian and Gu Yuan’an didn’t care about Gu Qichi’s feelings at all. That night, the trending topic was forcibly taken down, and the Gu Group’s official Weibo released a statement:

The only young master of the Gu Group. Wishing you a life of brightness and brilliance. @Gu Yuning

Gu Qichi became a complete joke, a massive joke.

The number of vicious curses and abuse in his inbox reached an unprecedented level, becoming almost tangible, pressing down on Gu Qichi until he couldn’t breathe.

Before his eyes were clawing vengeful spirits and screaming demons, all reaching out their claws in an attempt to drag him into hell.

Unknown days later, Dongcheng welcomed the first snow of the winter.

The winter sun on the horizon was pale, outlining a blurry halo. A thin layer of fresh snow settled on the eaves, and fine snow continued to rustle down outside the window.

Fine snow tapped on the umbrella surface, leaving wet traces. With the sound of whistling wind in his ears, Gu Qichi’s fingertips moved slightly, and he finally decided to go out.

Amidst the falling winter snow, the young man held a plain black umbrella, wandering alone on the bustling street. His clothes were thin, his face haggard, and his eyes were cold and desolate. He looked bony and gaunt, like a piece of dead wood drained of life.

The dead wood was extremely unfortunate. Rooted in barren soil, it couldn’t sprout new leaves no matter how hard it tried to grow, and in its precarious state, it withered completely.

On his way home, Gu Qichi encountered a heinous fugitive. In a panic, the fugitive took a child of only five or six years old hostage. The blade was cold, drawing a line of blood on the child’s tender neck. The child cried pitifully, and the mother knelt on the ground, begging and weeping.

The police hadn’t arrived yet, and the surroundings were in chaos.

Gu Qichi’s heart softened. His fingers trembled, and his pale lips pressed into a faint smile as he voluntarily offered to exchange places with the kidnapped child.

He saved the child, and he saved that happy, perfect family.

The moment the police successfully arrived, the knife at Gu Qichi’s neck pressed harder.

No one expected what the fugitive was carrying.

The instant the explosion occurred, flames rose up, and thick smoke billowed, dyeing the entire sky crimson. Gu Qichi’s eyes felt hot; only his fingertips could still feel that scorching temperature.

Tongues of fire recklessly devoured everything. Within the hazy red glow, Gu Qichi only had time to think: Ah Ci will be upset if she waits too long for me.

The dead wood died completely. It was burned to ashes in the fire, leaving not even dregs behind.

…

Author’s Note:

President Bo has initiated the ‘Raising the Wife’ mode.