Above the sea, the fog was hazy, the tide rose and fell, and the waves surged.
The dense water vapor dispersed, the steaming heat making one’s head dizzy.

Gu Qichi was caught in the boundless tide, floating weightlessly. His slender, pale fingertips couldn’t grasp anything solid, pulling taut enough to reveal several blue veins. Even his knuckles were flushed pink by the steaming heat.

The Little Prince sank to the bottom of the sea. High in the sky hung a full moon, its light cold and clear. The evening breeze was intoxicating, carrying a faint, floating fragrance.

In a daze, the Little Prince opened his eyes. His amber pupils were veiled with a glistening layer of watery light. Amidst the misty expanse, the seawater churned up white foam.

The Sea Siren’s song swayed endlessly from the ocean floor, light and ethereal, weaving a gorgeously magnificent illusion.

The cunning Sea Siren surfaced, a smile curving the corners of his lips. His utterly seductive voice bewitched the Little Prince’s mind as he produced three items from the bottom of the sea.

“My dear Little Prince, did you drop something?” he asked softly.

Then, he shook the items in his hand, his gaze dark and obscure, making his expression difficult to read.

“Did you drop this strawberry?”
“Or this apple in my hand?”
“Or perhaps, this orange at the end?”

The Sea Siren held up the three items one after another, displaying them unhurriedly to the Little Prince. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he stared at the Little Prince submerged in the seawater with an unreadable expression.

The Little Prince tilted his head, his vision obscured by the water mist woven by the Sea Siren. The mist spread, and the bright moonlight scattered silver radiance across the ground. Faintly, the flickering snow-white light in the midair could be seen, casting shifting shadows that struck at his chaotic mind.

What the Sea Siren spoke of was the fable of the River God that had been passed down for centuries.
Those who lied must be punished, while those who were honest would be rewarded.

But with the options before him, no matter which one the Little Prince chose, it would be extremely advantageous to the Sea Siren.

The waves swept over them once again, the steaming, hot water vapor wrapping around the Little Prince’s entire body. There was a sleepy confusion in his eyes, the corners of which were flushed a peach-blossom pink. Wanting to rid himself of this unfamiliar, warm current, he shakily reached out to grab the Sea Siren’s hand, gently shaking his head.

The honest Little Prince was about to melt into this pool of warm currents. His lips trembled as he tried his best to maintain his sanity to answer the Sea Siren’s question: “None of them. None of them are mine.”

The unparalleled, handsome Sea Siren raised an eyebrow. An ancient chant drifted across the sea. Under the shallow moonlight, his voice was low, hoarse, and magnetic. The distinct emotions hidden within it were hard for the Little Prince to fathom—as blurry as a patch of sea fog, yet as thick as this sunless night.

The cunning Sea Siren pulled the Little Prince into his embrace, his thumb gently swiping the corner of his eye to confirm whether the pink hue there was a real peach blossom petal.

Yet the Little Prince still looked at him with clear eyes. His mind had been thoroughly bewitched by the Sea Siren, handing over all his trust and relying on the other with his entire being.

“My dear Little Prince, as a reward for your honesty, the noble Lord Sea Siren shall bestow upon you a precious gift.”

The Little Prince looked up at him blankly: “What is it?”

The Sea Siren’s fingers threaded through his raven hair as he lowered his head, almost reverently.

“The strawberry, the apple, and the orange that fell into the sea—I will give them all to you, alright?”

These were all scarce resources at the bottom of the sea, yet the Sea Siren was actually going to give them to him. The Little Prince’s gaze flickered, his eyes brimming with a dazzling starlight. His water-red lips curved into a happy smile as he answered: “Okay, as long as it’s given by you, I like it all.”

The seawater slowly coiled around them. Danger quietly descended, but the Little Prince remained completely oblivious.

---

The rain fell exceptionally hard tonight. It was a long time before Gu Qichi finally regained a shred of consciousness. Tears slipped uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes, wetting his eyelashes and sticking them together in clumps.

His knuckles were taut, yet Bo Yu held his hand, their ten fingers intertwined and locked tightly together, refusing to loosen even a bit.

His head was heavy. It took all his strength to find the digital clock emitting a faint glow in the massive room—
3:50 AM.

Before the words of refusal could leave his mouth, they were blocked by Bo Yu.

“Baby, don’t look over there. Look at me.”
“Just looking at me is enough.”

He wanted Gu Qichi to have eyes only for him.
Forever, only for him.

When Gu Qichi regained consciousness again, his gaze was somewhat unfocused. He merely stared blankly at the empty ceiling, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Or rather, he had completely lost the ability to think.

A faint sliver of light peeked through the gap in the blackout curtains—very light, very shallow. The rain seemed to have stopped; only the sparse sound of the wind could be heard.
It seemed it was already morning.

Realizing this, Gu Qichi fell completely into a deep sleep.

When he woke up again, he had absolutely no idea what time it was.

Bo Yu had probably taken his preferences for the room into account and changed the bedroom curtains to thick, heavy blackout ones. The room was pitch black, making it impossible to see any light.

Gu Qichi struggled a bit on the bed, lifted his eyelashes, slowly surveyed his surroundings, and then closed his eyes again.
He had cried for far too long last night; his eyeballs felt sore and ached terribly.

His limbs were tightly confined by something, rendering him completely unable to move. Gu Qichi experimentally stretched his arms and legs, only to be met with a wave of aching weakness. He honestly settled down and stopped moving.

Sensing that he had woken up, the man behind him buried his face into the crook of his neck, his fluffy, soft hair rubbing back and forth.

Holding the great beauty, Bo Yu felt incomparably satisfied inwardly.
His body was entirely covered in his scent.
It was the scent of his usual body wash.
A cool, woody fragrance lingered around the young man, like a forest just after the rain—dead silent, as the sunlight illuminated the earth, evaporating the damp moisture. It was cold and detached, yet carried an almost imperceptible warmth.

The side of his neck tickled. Following Bo Yu’s movements, Gu Qichi was flipped over, meeting Bo Yu’s gaze perfectly.

In the dim, dusky light, Bo Yu’s silhouette was outlined clearly and distinctly.
The sharp, cold edge of his features had been diluted somewhat. His long, narrow phoenix eyes were slightly lowered, his long, straight eyelashes shielding his gaze. His nose bridge was straight, and his naturally thin lips were somewhat swollen from prolonged biting, looking inexplicably plump.

His upper body was exposed without any hesitation, the eight-pack abs distinct and the muscle lines smooth and beautiful. He lay there lazily, his Adam’s apple rolling up and down as he let out an ambiguous, muffled hum.

He looked exactly like a wild beast that had eaten and drunk its fill, lazily stretching its limbs under the warm, gentle sunlight, licking its fur. Slightly lifting its eyelids, its gaze was languid, the aura of satiation around it so thick it was practically overflowing.

Bo Yu shifted. He was in an excellent mood and wanted to lean in to kiss Gu Qichi, but the great beauty kicked him away.

Gu Qichi shrank back, closed his eyes, and returned the words Bo Yu hadn’t heard at the hotel that day:
“Bastard.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Qichi realized his voice wasn’t right—it was hoarse, dry, and unbearably fragile.

Gu Qichi: …

Regarding what happened last night: being drunk was part of the reason, wanting to indulge Bo Yu was another, and his own desire was the third. A three-pronged approach.
Rather than waiting for Bo Yu to cause some sort of mess after being teased, he figured he might as well take the initiative and keep the upper hand.

The great beauty’s ideals were very full, but reality was exceptionally bony.
He never could have imagined Bo Yu could go this crazy…

Gu Qichi silently turned back around and curled himself into the blanket. His head was still a bit groggy, and his lower back was a mass of aching soreness, feeling as if it were about to snap.

Enduring the discomfort in his throat, the great beauty forced himself to speak: “Bo Yu, I want water.”

Seeing the young man roll himself up like a silkworm pupa, Bo Yu propped himself up slightly, kissed his exposed earlobe, and then backed away.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Boss Bo silently poured a glass of warm water and handed it over. He rubbed the young man’s head and untangled him from the bundled-up blanket.

“Chichi, drink some water.”

Not having the energy to correct Bo Yu’s sickeningly sweet nickname, Gu Qichi emerged from the blanket. Leaning against the snow-white pillows, he held the glass and took small sips.
The glass wasn’t insulated; his fingertips quickly turned pink. His palms were scalding hot, and the hot water slid down his throat all the way to his stomach, smoothing over the negative emotions brought on by hunger.

Bo Yu stood right beside him, his gaze dark. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pursed his lips, his inner thoughts extremely wicked.
Rubbing his fingertips against his palm, Bo Yu closed his eyes, his tongue silently pressing against the roof of his mouth.

The way Gu Qichi looked yesterday—in this lifetime, only he was allowed to see it.
A pearl under the shallow moonlight emitting a lustrous, soft glow; peeling away the exterior revealed a breathtaking, magnificent beauty that made it impossible to look away.

Not to mention an evil dragon that loved collecting jewels.
If anyone dared to covet the evil dragon’s treasure, its wings would blot out the sun, dark clouds would roll in, the earth would tremble, and mountains and rivers would collapse. It would definitely make those reckless thieves pay the proper price.
Its long claws would slit the thieves’ throats, splashing filthy blood, and it would crush their internal organs into the mud, leaving only a bloody mess guarding the outskirts of the dragon’s lair as a silent warning to any future coveters.

As for the evil dragon’s treasure…
If only it could be locked up…

The greedy evil dragon was thoroughly despicable; it would only possess the treasure all to itself and absolutely refuse to share it with anyone else.

After drinking two consecutive glasses of water, the dryness in his throat gradually improved. Gu Qichi put down the glass, yawned, and snuggled back into the blanket.

To tell the truth, Gu Qichi felt like he had nearly died on this bed yesterday.
So he had absolutely no desire to pay any attention to Bo Yu.

Unfortunately, a certain someone surnamed Bo lacked this self-awareness. He knew he had bullied the great beauty ruthlessly, so he was being exceptionally attentive right now.
Splaying his five fingers, he pressed down on the mattress, creating a small indentation.

The usually arrogant Boss Bo lowered his stance. With a deep, hoarse voice that could make ears pregnant, he floated the words around Gu Qichi’s ear. The nickname he called out was so cloyingly sweet it could give someone goosebumps all over.

“Chichi.”

Bo Yu paused; he also wanted to call him “Baby.”
His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, feeling somewhat restless. Actually, he wanted to hear Gu Qichi call him “Hubby” again even more, but seeing Gu Qichi like this, he figured it would be difficult.

Fortunately, Gu Qichi, finding him annoying, turned around. His eyes were placid, and he spoke with extreme coldness: “What exactly do you want?”

Bo Yu: “It’s already noon. Do you want to eat something?”

Having been dragged into exercising all night, the calorie expenditure was massive, and Gu Qichi was already starving.
His churning stomach repeatedly made noises, declaring its dissatisfaction and hunger to its owner. Gu Qichi pressed a hand against his completely empty stomach and decided to temporarily put aside his grievances with Bo Yu.

“I want to eat.” He glanced at Bo Yu, speaking slowly word by word: “Something hot. Chinese food. I also want to eat rice noodles.”

Bo Yu listened earnestly to him speak, not forgetting to open the closed curtains.
With the remote control in his hand, the curtains slowly drew back. The scorching summer sunlight poured in, the clear, golden rays weaving into a soft brocade that shimmered ethereally around the young man.

Tiny dust particles floated in the air. A layer of golden light radiated from Gu Qichi’s fluffy hair. His long, thick eyelashes curled up slightly, his gaze clear, and a gentle, shallow smile spilled from the corners of his eyes and brows.
His lips, moistened by the water, were coated in a shiny glaze, curving upward.
His skin was snow-white and delicate; the fine peach fuzz on his face was clearly visible in the light, yet not a single pore could be seen.

This was a face from which no one could pick out even a single flaw.
He must be an angel who fell to the mortal realm.
Bo Yu thought.

The man lowered his eyes, leaned in slightly, and unable to hold back, reached out to rub the top of his fluffy, soft hair. The glossy black strands slipped through his fingers with an excellent texture. Bo Yu gently gathered his hand into a fist, smiled with profound satisfaction, and then turned to go downstairs to prepare the food Gu Qichi wanted.

It was his own fault for tossing the person around until dawn; now, he had to make up for it himself no matter what.
He had a conscience and guilt, just not very much.

Without the Great King of Hell Bo guarding the room, A’ci, who had kept Gu Qichi company by meowing all night, finally got the chance to dart inside.

The Silver Shaded cat looked immensely aggrieved. Her brows and eyes drooped, and even her whiskers hung down slightly. Her sapphire-like eyes were large and round, yet half-covered by her drooping eyelids. Her ears trembled pitifully, the fluff inside twitching along with them. Her meows were sorrowful and heartbroken.

Those who didn’t know better would think Bo Yu had abused her, or that Gu Qichi didn’t want her anymore and she was about to become a stray.
Only that could make her feel so wronged.

Gu Qichi extended his fingertips, first lifting her by the scruff of her neck and bouncing her slightly. He pursed his lips and softly scolded:
“You got fat again.”

He weighed her a few more times and continued his reprimand: “You’ve gained a lot of weight. I can’t even lift you with one hand anymore. Starting today, you need to eat less. It’s time to lose weight; being too fat is bad for your health.”

“Meow~ Meow~ Meow~” A’ci cried even more pitifully.

Gu Qichi ignored her, moving his fingertips to her chin. The Silver Shaded cat had gained a lot of weight over the past half-month. The soft flesh under her chin was bulging, almost overflowing, with silver-white fur accumulated within it. When Gu Qichi petted her, A’ci’s body went limp, her tail swishing back and forth as she began to purr in comfort.

She couldn’t stop moving her head, tilting her face to rub against Gu Qichi’s hand, her tail curling up, wanting to wrap around him.
By the end of the petting session, the entire cat was rubbing against Gu Qichi’s body. Her snow-white, soft belly was defenselessly exposed as her tongue, with its tiny barbs, licked Gu Qichi’s hand.

Gu Qichi’s hand was left wet, looking sparkly in the light.

“Meow~ Meow~ Meow~”
A’ci was still meowing.

Gu Qichi found it funny. A smile rippled across his eyes and brows, his peach-blossom eyes slanting upwards, the aegyo sal (under-eye bags) plumping up. He was covered in flying silver-white cat hair.

One person and one cat; it was a picture of peaceful, quiet times.

Wanting to record how A’ci looked right now, Gu Qichi glanced around casually, bent down to grab his pants that had fallen to the floor, and pulled his phone out of them.

Just as he opened the camera app and pointed it at the howling A’ci, he suddenly felt a scorching, burning gaze from behind him.
His brow twitched, the blue veins on his temples bulging. A very bad feeling welled up in Gu Qichi’s heart. He turned his head and locked eyes perfectly with Bo Yu’s gaze.

And—
His flashing camera lens.

The camera was pointed at A’ci—
And the Gu Qichi above her.

The great beauty’s upper body was only loosely wrapped in a blanket. The skin exposed to the lens was snow-white and delicate, but his shoulders and neck were covered in a smattering of deep and shallow marks; spreading downwards, there were too many to even count.

Seeing Gu Qichi follow the camera to meet his gaze, Bo Yu hurriedly put his phone away and coughed lightly. His throat felt a bit itchy, and so did his heart.

Bo Yu: “Qichi, lunch is ready. Come downstairs to eat.”

Hearing this, Gu Qichi didn’t make a sound. Too lazy to care about Bo Yu’s gaze, he blatantly tossed the blanket aside and sluggishly reached for his clothes, which had been ravaged into a crumpled mess.

Tsk.
What a mess.
There was no way he could wear them.

The great beauty glared fiercely at the culprit, balled the clothes up, and threw them at Bo Yu.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Bo Yu first picked out a few of his own clothes from the closet, handed them to Gu Qichi, and softly coaxed him:
“Rest a bit more after eating. Later, I’m taking you somewhere.”

Gu Qichi looked up, his brows still furrowed: “Where?”

“The Civil Affairs Bureau.”

---

Author’s Note:
Bo Yu: The happiest thing in the world is waking up in the morning to find my wife lying peacefully beside me.
Gu Qichi: Bastard.
Bo Yu: Wife (aggrieved.jpg)