Volume 1 - CH 2

In which some sexual harassment (?) happens. Beware sharp wine bottles, kids!

Some sex also happens in this chapter.

Volume 1, Chapter 2

On a television program half a month later, the Miss Tang Anna with a beautiful smile cleared up her sex scandal with a certain person, while also conveniently promoting her new upcoming album, sufficiently proving that the earlier gossip was just promotional hype.

The Gu Yan who still hadn’t lost favor was nestled on the sofa, waving the remote and saying, “There wasn’t much skill in that.”

Qin Zhiyuan had just put on his suit and came over to kiss him on the face. “We just need the sales, so what’s the point in being more skillful about it?”

Gu Yan grabbed his necktie and returned an even more burning kiss before asking with a smile, “So you sacrificed your beautiful self for the sake of more sales?”

“It was purely for work.” Qin Zhiyuan still gave the same canned response. He straightened his tie, his appearance once again refined. “I have a dinner party tonight, but I still came to accompany you.”

Exactly who was accompanying who?

Gu Yan didn’t bother correcting him and waved his hand, saying, “Take care then, young master.”

Qin Zhiyuan smiled as he left.

Gu Yan sank deeper into the sofa and continued watching TV. He had just finished shooting his last series a few days ago, and his new work hadn’t yet begun, so he had been spending the past few days lazing around at home. It wasn’t until noon that he picked up a call from his manager who said that the previously-discussed spokesperson deal was moving forward and told him to go do a screen test over the weekend. Before hanging up, the manager even specially told him how much effort President Qin had gone to, such as inviting the producer out to eat several times and so on.

Gu Yan then understood that this was Qin Zhiyuan’s reward for his attentive services.

The goods had been paid for in full.

Speaking of which, he knew that Qin Zhiyuan had always been this generous.

Gu Yan smiled out of habit before he remembered that Boss Qin wasn’t around, so he didn’t need to fake a smile.

If he didn’t smile, he had only the one expression. With that one expression, he watched an entire afternoon of TV before he finally remembered when night fell that he should thank Qin Zhiyuan. If his dinner party had ended, then he could even be urged to hurry back, and of course in that case, an even more direct way of expressing his thanks could be used.

When he called, it took a long time for anyone to pick up — and it wasn’t Qin Zhiyuan’s voice.

“Hello, who is it?” It was a very clear masculine voice, tone neither too high nor too low, a voice that was both relaxing and pleasant to hear.

If he’s anything like his voice, Gu Yan thought, then he’s definitely good-looking. He understood Qin Zhiyuan’s tastes too well, and he could just about detail the other’s features. But who could know? Maybe this person was just a waiter at the restaurant.

In this period of distraction, the one on the other end had asked again a few more times.

Gu Yan hurried to laugh and say, “Is President Qin too busy to pick up the phone right now?”

“That’s right, how do you know…”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing, I dialed the wrong number.”

Gu Yan calmly hung up the phone and, after throwing it aside, sat alone in the dark for a while. Then, he pushed a button on the remote and returned to watching TV as if nothing had happened.

That night, Qin Zhiyuan didn’t appear. It was only two days later that he invited Gu Yan out to eat lunch. He didn’t mention the phone call that day, and so Gu Yan naturally also feigned ignorance.

Yes, he still had at least this much professional courtesy.

On the weekend, he went to the screen test as planned.

Actually, everything had already been decided, and he was going only as a formality. Gu Yan changed styles a few times and spent a while posing in front of a camera; because there was no need to act, everything went very smoothly.

During the interval when they stopped to fix his makeup, Xiao-Chen ran back and forth to provide him water, having not fixed that bad habit of talking too much. “Yan-ge, I heard that the producer is very satisfied with how you look, so it looks like everything’s in the bag this time. Even though this brand isn’t super famous, their designs look very modern, and they also suit your style very well, Yan-ge, I think…”

“Jacky!”

Right as he was speaking, Xiao-Chen’s long-winded report was suddenly interrupted by a feminine voice. The female model who was doing the shoot with Gu Yan ran towards the entrance in high heels, throwing herself into the arms of a young man in a suit and tie.

“I knew you’d come today!”

“This is a public space, so mind your manners.” The man impatiently took a step backwards, his tone cold, carrying an innate arrogance. “When do you get off? I’ll take you out to play.”

“Soon, soon, just one last set of photos to shoot.”

They didn’t hide themselves as they spoke, and so the Xiao-Chen who loved gossip looked and eavesdropped for a while before coming back and poking Gu Yan in the arm, quietly saying, “Yan-ge, it’s President Qin’s younger brother.”

Gu Yan started and raised his head, looking through the windows; it really was Qin Feng, no mistake about it. He was a year younger than Gu Yan, tall and skinny, very handsome in appearance, but as arrogant as could be, always looking at people askance, appearing the very image of a spoiled child.

He was completely different from the elegant and refined Qin Zhiyuan.

Every time Gu Yan met him, he always felt like sighing over the mystifying results of genetics.

But Qin Feng had always been stubbornly interested in him, so the moment their gazes met, he threw aside that slender, well-endowed young model and walked over in large strides to greet Gu Yan.

For the sake of courtesy, Gu Yan had to greet him with a nod. “Mr. Qin, long time no see.”

“You’re working?”

“Yes, I’m almost done.”

“Then we should go eat dinner together.”

Gu Yan glanced at the young model nearby and asked, “Wouldn’t I be disturbing Mr. Qin and his girlfriend’s date?”

“We’re simply regular friends.” Qin Feng didn’t even blink.

Now, this kind of excuse was the same as his older brother’s.

Gu Yan found it funny but still refused, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time tonight.”

“Then tomorrow night.”

“I’m very busy every single day. I’m afraid that Mr. Qin might have to book an appointment.”

Qin Feng’s expression immediately turned ugly.

Gu Yan pretended he didn’t notice. Luckily, at that moment, the photographer called for him to continue the shoot, and he said a word of half-hearted apology before getting up to leave. He had walked only a step forward when he heard Qin Feng’s voice echo behind him, “Recently, my brother has been busy pampering a new lover, so he probably hasn’t found the time to come see you, right? Why are you wasting your time for his sake?”

Gu Yan’s steps paused, and he said, “If you’re talking about Miss Tang…”

“Tang Anna’s just a pretense. The truth is, who doesn’t know that my brother has been enamored with a certain newly-debuted newcomer? But that little fox really is quite good-looking, and even his voice is enticing. My brother’s been taking care to hide him and, for the sake of guarding him from reporters, even threw out Tang Anna as a smokescreen.”

Gu Yan was silent, not saying a word.

Qin Feng walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, throwing out even more new bait, “In the past few days, my brother’s often gone to ‘Night Song’ to eat, and I was planning on going tonight. Are you interested?”

Night Song was an exclusive, members-only, private club, and Qin Zhiyuan really did go there often.

Gu Yan thought for a moment. He reckoned that Qin Feng’s words just now were most likely seventy percent true, thirty percent false, and so slowly counted to three in his heart. When he reached the final number, he had a smile ready on his face, as he turned around to say, “Of course.”

As he spoke, he shifted, unobtrusively avoiding Qin Feng’s hand, and said, “I’ll go finish the shoot first.”

Qin Feng waited on the side, arms crossed. The young model knew that he had changed the date at the last minute and was naturally unhappy at first, but Qin Feng simply had to frown and she became too scared to complain.

It was coincidentally nightfall when work ended.

Gu Yan exchanged a few words with Xiao-Chen before following Qin Feng into his new sports car. While the car was good, they unfortunately left right at rush hour, and the car was barely able to move at all in downtown; they were stuck in traffic for most of the trip.

Qin Feng had a young master’s disposition, so anything that made him the slightest bit unhappy showed up all over his face. It wasn’t until they reached their destination that his expression started looking somewhat better.

All the employees at Night Song were very familiar with him and welcomed him the moment he entered, bringing the two to a reserved private room. His family’s dishes were all very ordinary and weren’t particularly fresh; where they succeeded was in looking delicate and adorable, all placed one-by-one on small little saucers, appearing particularly appetizing.

Gu Yan had always spoken little while he ate, and he didn’t mention Qin Zhiyuan’s name once.

From time to time, Qin Feng stopped eating and shot him a few glances. He endured and endured but, in the end, wasn’t able to endure it and so asked, “You don’t want to know about my brother?”

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow and returned with, “I’m here to eat with Mr. Qin. What does this have to do with President Qin?”

Having been rebuffed, Qin Feng was choked for a moment before stuffily saying a long while later, “If he brings that little fox here, someone will come notify me.”

Gu Yan nodded and said, “The food here is pretty good.”

Qin Feng had originally wanted to provoke him, but who knew that he’d be completely unmoved and so no chance could be found to act. As such, the only thing Qin Feng could do was call for a few bottles of foreign wine, changing his tactics to get Gu Yan to drink, his attitude entirely ‘I want to get you drunk’.

Gu Yan wasn’t someone particularly quick with his words and didn’t refuse Qin Feng’s offers of wine, easily drinking it down every time.

Qin Feng naturally also drank quite a bit. He had an ordinary alcohol tolerance, and so when he became somewhat drunk, he lowered his head to play with his cigarette lighter — “click”, “clack”, opening and closing and opening it again. It wasn’t until someone outside knocked on the door that he suddenly raised his head.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

That noise rang only three times before things turned quiet again.

Gu Yan guessed that this was the so-called “notification”, but he still didn’t ask a word and waited for Qin Feng to speak first.

As expected, Gu Feng couldn’t keep it in. After shooting a few glances at the door, he suddenly grabbed Gu Yan’s hand and said, “You look much better than that little fox.”

Gu Yan wasn’t the least bit modest and immediately thanked him.

Qin Feng then moved even closer, his hot breath spraying into the other’s ear. “My brother’s always had a bad habit of getting bored with the old and becoming enamored with the new, so why should you be so dead-set on him?”

Gu Yan sighed and said, as if thinking out loud, “Who doesn’t get bored of the old and become enamored with the new? If the old hasn’t been thrown away yet, it’s just that they haven’t met anyone better.”

Qin Feng didn’t hear what he said very clearly and simply continued to move closer and closer before reaching out a hand to stroke Gu Yan’s face. “I’ve always liked you. If you’re willing to be with me, then it’ll definitely be better than being with my brother.”

“OK, wait until I break up with President Qin, and you’ll definitely be the first person I consider.”

“You…!” Even without alcohol, Qin Feng got angry easily. Now, with the addition of wine, the smallest thing set him off. “Stop being so shameless! You’re just a pair of old shoes that my brother is tired of playing with. He could throw you away at any time, so why can’t I play with you?”

The moment he finished speaking, he ferociously initiated a kiss.

It was full of the heavy taste of alcohol, and Gu Yan once again wanted to sigh.

Why was Young Master Qin so bad at kissing when he spent all day chasing those young models and singers?

His right hand was held tightly by Qin Feng, so he could move only his left hand. Slowly, he moved it up Qin Feng’s shoulders and even took the initiative to respond. With his eyes half-closed, he fervently deepened the kiss, even tangling their tongues together.

At the beginning, Qin Feng thought it felt good, and then he started feeling out of breath, and still later even his knees started going soft, making him practically unable to hold onto Gu Yan’s hand. In the midst of this haze, he suddenly heard a “crash” resound — it was the sound of a bottle being smashed.

Qin Feng had somewhat sobered up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Gu Yan smiling at him while holding a half-broken wine bottle. The sharp edges of the glass reflected an ice-cold light.

He couldn’t help but back up a step, but a wall was behind him, and Gu Yan’s hand was still holding him by the neck, pulling him into another kiss. The hotter his lips got, the closer that wine bottle got, swaying to and fro right in front of his face, looking extremely frightening.

Qin Feng really wanted to struggle, but he had just drunk, and his arms and legs weren’t listening to his instructions, so the only thing he could do was shout, “What are you doing?”

“Doesn’t Young Master Qin want to play with me? This is me playing with you.” As Gu Yan continued the kiss, he also used his knees to target a certain delicate place beneath; he didn’t even seem to be acting, as the expression in his eyes were captivating regardless.

Qin Feng simply felt cold all over, watching that wine bottle in Gu Yan’s hand also getting lower and lower, and hastily shouted, “Stop messing around! If you dare to continue moving, I’ll call someone over!”

“Call what?” Gu Yan asked as if it was a joke. “Sexual harassment?”

Qin Feng angrily glared at him, doing the utmost to put on a fierce expression even as his body was trembling.

Gu Yan then tsked and said, “So it turns out that Young Master Qin isn’t capable of playing.”

He carelessly threw aside that wine bottle and then carefully tidied up Qin Feng’s wrinkled suit. After touching the young master all over, he blew into the other’s ear and said softly, “Learn from this. Now this is sexual harassment.”

Qin Feng was too angry to speak, his face cycling from red to white, looking quite brilliant.

Gu Yan regretted that he hadn’t brought a camera to take a picture as a souvenir. Having also drank quite a bit, he actually felt somewhat dizzy now, and pushing himself to his feet with the help of the table, he began walking, step by step, towards the doorway.

The door had been left slightly ajar for who knew how long, and the moment Gu Yan opened it, he bumped right into the Qin Zhiyuan who was standing outside. Boss Qin was in a well-trimmed suit, his hair immaculately neat, as if he had just come out from a business meeting, his face still carrying that same gentle smile as always.

Gu Yan had long already expected that he’d come but still asked, “When did you get here?”

“Not too long ago, just in time to see how you sexually harassed my younger brother.” Qin Zhiyuan replied very calmly, looking not the least bit angry.

Gu Yan leaned his head against the doorway and reached out a hand to grab the other’s necktie, asking, “Does President Qin also want to try?”

“You’re drunk.”

“Yup, and that’s why I dared to commit assault with the power of alcohol.”

By the time he finished saying those last few words, he was already falling forward.

Qin Zhiyuan handily supported him by the waist and said, “This place isn’t very suitable.”

“I bet…” Gu Yan licked his lips, staring incessantly at Qin Zhiyuan’s Adam’s apple, wishing that he could just take a bite. “That the bathroom is empty right now.”

“And what if you’re wrong?”

Gu Yan pressed his lips forward. “I’ll let you punish me.”

Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes deepened just a bit, and he gently pressed down on the other’s head before speaking a few words to the Qin Feng who had just come out.

At this point in time, the alcohol Gu Yan drank finally made itself known, and so he wasn’t able to hear what they said. It was only that, when Qin Feng left, he gave Gu Yan quite a few ferocious looks. But although his expression was fierce, his eyes were still somewhat red, looking a bit like a small rabbit, making Gu Yan break out into laughter.

It was only after he finished laughing that he realized he was being pulled away by Qin Zhiyuan.

His steps felt as light as a feather, as if he was walking on cotton, and the moment they entered the bathroom, he didn’t even check to see if anyone was around before pressing Qin Zhiyuan firmly against the door.

Qin Zhiyuan seemed to let out a bitter laugh and said, “Drink a bit less in the future.”

Gu Yan said a word of ‘yes’ before using his lips to stop Qin Zhiyuan’s mouth.

They made love in that narrow cubicle.

The greater the chances of discovery, the greater it aroused their desires. Qin Zhiyuan entered Gu Yan from behind, ramming into his body again and again. Gu Yan trembled uncontrollably, one hand holding onto the wall for support, the other covering his own mouth.

But low gasps still managed to escape, adding even more to the decadent atmosphere.

Within that fiery heat, upon reaching his climax, Qin Zhiyuan couldn’t help but turn Gu Yan around to kiss him. Gu Yan’s back twitched, and he also quickly followed in reaching the peak of his pleasure, letting out a large cry that he could no longer suppress.

In that moment, he felt as if his own soul was about to fly away.

Dying just like this seemed like it would be quite a happy death.

Afterwards, Gu Yan leaned against the sink to rest, catching his breath while he thought.

Qin Zhiyuan had already finished tidying his necktie and moved past the mirror to look directly at him, saying, “Are your legs too soft? Go to my room to sit then.”

Although Gu Yan had come for precisely this reason, right now, he still insisted on putting on a show of retreating and asked, “Wouldn’t it be an inconvenience?”

Qin Zhiyuan had long already seen through the little trick he was playing and gave his waist a pinch, the laugh lines around his face looking especially charming as he said with a smile, “Asking something you already know the answer to.”

Gu Yan splashed some ice-cold water on his still-heated face, feigning ignorance as he moved over.

Qin Zhiyuan didn’t press him, simply leading him by the hand outside. It wasn’t until they reached the other end of the hallway that Qin Zhiyuan pushed open a certain sliding door. This room was significantly bigger than the one Qin Feng booked. On the right-hand side was a pool table, while on the left-hand side was a table with a tea tray. Upon the tea tray was a pot of Tieguanyin[1].

And that little fox whom Qin Feng spoke of was, at this very moment, nestled on a sofa reading a script.

This person was a very young boy, eyes dark and bright, wearing a low-collared T-shirt, his pale white neck faintly discernible beneath his black hair, and he had the unique air of one caught between his youth and his adult years. While he had originally been half-lying down, the moment he saw people come in, he immediately straightened up just like a little elementary schooler, his eyes blinking twice, looking extremely adorable.

Of course, there wasn’t the slightest bit of ambiguous atmosphere.

Qin Zhiyuan was that much of a perfectionist, so he definitely wouldn’t have allowed anyone to obtain any evidence of an affair.

He walked over and patted that boy’s shoulder, making an introduction with a careless air, “This is Zhang Ji, a newcomer who the company has been recently trying to promote. He’s too shy, so I took him out to gain some experience. In the future, you should also help him out a bit.”

When he finished, he pointed at Gu Yan and said to the boy, “I shouldn’t have to introduce this famous celebrity to you, right?”

That boy nodded and immediately stood up, walking quickly towards Gu Yan and sweetly calling out, “Yan-ge.”

Gu Yan had some vague recollection of him, remembering that his career path was that of an idol singer. His voice was apparently quite good, and he looked delicate and pretty, really easily attracting the love of young female fans.

“Yan-ge, can I shake your hand?” With wide eyes, he looked at Gu Yan and said cautiously, “I’ve seen the movies you were in. I-I’m your fan.”

Gu Yan wasn’t interested in finding out if he was saying the truth or not and simply sized him up a bit, discovering that, when he smiled, he’d tilt his head just the slightest bit so that his dimples would be on full display.

This was definitely his signature move. It was just like how Gu Yan had practiced to perfect that fake smile countless times; he knew exactly how to reveal his most charming aspect.

He was still this young, yet he already had quite a bit of skill.

Gu Yan thereupon agreed to shake his hand.

He had always admired those with ability, no matter if it’s ability in or out of bed.

Zhang Ji looked very happy, appearing both somewhat excited as well as somewhat nervous. In the end, it was Qin Zhiyuan who pulled him back onto the sofa and said, “Let’s sit and talk.”

Thus, Gu Yan also had to walk over and sit down.

He was somewhat regretful. If he had known that this was going to turn into a business meeting, he wouldn’t have tried pulling this trick. Well, there’s no helping it; Boss Qin had always been good at thinking up new ways to torment him.

Zhang Ji really knew how things stood and immediately poured him some tea[2] before then sticking to him and asking a bunch of things about acting.

How could Gu Yan respond? He had never really acted; he was a flower vase through and through. No matter how much he acted, he still had only those few expressions. If they were speaking of the experience of being scolded by the director, then he had those in spades.

Qin Zhiyuan could see his impatience and so took the initiative to explain, “This little rascal just got a role in a drama, so he’s been showing off everywhere. You don’t need to pay attention to him.”

Zhang Ji hurried to say, “I’m just in a small supporting role, that’s all.”

Qin Zhiyuan stretched out a hand to pat his head, tone not at all ambiguous but still intimate all the same, “There will definitely be a time when you’ll be the lead.”

Zhang Ji’s eyes immediately brightened, and his entire face seemed to light up with a smile; he really looked like he was glowing with happiness. If there hadn’t been someone else around, then he might’ve actually even directly moved to sit in Qin Zhiyuan’s lap.

Gu Yan was tired of watching this and simply yawned from the sidelines. But as he listened to these two people talk, he discovered that Zhang Ji really was quite young as expected — only just having turned twenty. No wonder this person’s expressions were so bright, every bit lively and energetic, making even him want to reach out and touch.

Who wouldn’t like such a fresh, young thing like this?

Said another way, men were also creatures ruled by instinct — when twenty, liking eighteen-year-olds, when forty, still liking eighteen-year-olds, and even by the time they turned sixty, their tastes still wouldn’t change.

When he thought of this, Gu Yan raised a hand to press against his lips, thinking that he really had gotten old.

In two more years, he’d be thirty, and he definitely couldn’t compete with these newly-twenty-year-old boys. If he wanted to keep his position, then he probably needed to expend some more effort and learn how to do his job even better.[3]

As he pondered this, he couldn’t help but shoot Qin Zhiyuan a glance.

Surprisingly, Qin Zhiyuan was also looking at him, a smile in his eyes. Even while Qin Zhiyuan was flirting with Zhang Ji, this person was reaching under the table and firmly grabbing his hand.

What was this? Did he want to have both at the same time?

Gu Yan put some thought into it, inwardly thinking that he might have decided on a three-way and then naturally began considering just what the most suitable positions were.

However, contrary to expectations, they really didn’t do anything but chat for the entire night as Qin Zhiyuan said.

The bored Gu Yan simply dozed off, which also led Zhang Ji to fall asleep leaning against the sofa — he was good-looking even while sleeping, with that defenseless face, delicately pretty and fair, long eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings.

Gu Yan felt a bit regretful.

Qin Zhiyuan was able to see through his thoughts and pressed him against the sofa for a kiss. Pressing their foreheads together, Qin Zhiyuan asked, “You aren’t full from what we did in the bathroom just now?”

“I thought that President Qin wanted some more exciting play.”

“It wasn’t exciting enough when you sexually harassed me?” Qin Zhiyuan let out a low laugh before continuing to kiss him. “This is already enough.”

Gu Yan was kissed until he was out of breath, though he still didn’t quite understand what ‘this is enough’ meant. His body twisted, pressing down on Zhang Ji’s leg, and he discovered that Zhang Ji body was moving slightly.

Hah, so this rascal had just been pretending to be asleep.

Gu Yan thought this was quite fun and so said to Qin Zhiyuan, “You should send Xiao-Zhang home first.”

Actually, even if he hadn’t said so, that was definitely what was going to happen. After all, sleeping beauty couldn’t be made to sleep out on the streets, right? Regardless, having already lost the first move, if he couldn’t act gentle and generous right now, when would he be able to?

Qin Zhiyuan’s breath was still circling his ear, and it took a while longer before he sat up, asking, “How are you getting back?”

“I’ll call a taxi.”

“All right.” Qin Zhiyuan nodded, fished out a cell phone, and said, “Then I’ll call the chauffeur to send him home, and I’ll take the taxi with you.”

Gu Yan startled, somewhat surprised.

But the big boss always did what he said, and who could argue with his decisions?

No matter what Qin Zhiyuan said, Gu Yan had always been very obedient. It was only that, when they were about to leave, he shot a glance at the Zhang Ji who was still feigning sleep and thought it was a pity that this person had wasted his efforts.

Taking a taxi home at night was quite easy, and with no traffic on the road, it didn’t take long for them to reach home. Qin Zhiyuan would also stay at Gu Yan’s house overnight like this sometimes, without actually doing anything to vent their desires, purely holding him to sleep.

But on this night, Gu Yan found himself especially unable to fall asleep.

Like many other sleepless nights before, he pulled open the window and then turned on the desk lamp, watching as many moths flew over to the light, throwing themselves against the lampshade one-by-one.

Right as he was happily watching, Qin Zhiyuan was awoken by the light and crawled up to hug him by the waist, asking, “Why are you watching this again?”

Gu Yan answered without even turning his head, “It’s fun.”

“Sleep.” Qin Zhiyuan rubbed his chin against his face before turning off the light, holding him to lie down as before.

Gu Yan didn’t protest.

Because even in the darkness, he was still able to conjure up the image of those moths throwing themselves into the flames.

Sssss…

He could practically even hear the sound of the flames burning those bodies to ashes.

Gu Yan quietly laid in Qin Zhiyuan’s arms and slowly closed his eyes, thinking that this sound truly was nice to listen to.