Chapter 54: A Strange Woman at the Gate
The person who had come was an investor. Thinking of himself as some all-powerful sugar daddy, he had not expected that after coming over to ask a young artist to have a drink with him, his wrist would end up being pinned.
The other man’s grip hurt so much that the investor immediately flew into a rage.
Although he had not invested in this film, he had come tonight precisely to discuss future film projects with Xinglin Media. Forget asking some little artist to drink with him—if he wanted that artist to wait in his hotel room tonight, Gu Lin ought to at least show him some respect.
It was just an artist, after all.
Fueled by alcohol, the investor bellowed, “What’s a little actor acting so high and mighty for?!”
Hearing that, Yu Yang laughed again, but this time his smile looked even faker than usual—a smile that reached skin but not bone. “What was that? I didn’t hear you clearly.”
“How about you say it one more time?”
The investor, of course, was not about to be intimidated by an entertainer. In his mind, he was the money man. Without even thinking, he opened his mouth again. “Isn’t it just asking some little actor to accompany me for a drink—ugh!”
Before he could finish, a sharp pain exploded in his stomach.
He had not even seen how the punch came. Before he could understand what had happened, he doubled over and vomited with a loud retch.
At once, the stink of alcohol and vomit mixed together and spread through the air.
Yu Yang reacted quickly, hauling Gu Tang out of the way before the mess could reach him.
The people around them all covered their mouths and noses, secretly pointing and whispering about the investor’s disgraceful state.
Staff from the Gu family hotel arrived immediately to clean up the mess, and two strong young security guards pinned the investor in place.
Still thinking they had come to help him, the investor looked up and saw the boss lady of the Gu family—Movie Queen Shen—walking gracefully toward him.
Feeling like he had finally found backing, the investor panted and complained to the actress, “That brat hit me! Help me call the pol—”
Before the word “police” could leave his mouth, a cool voice cut in.
“Throw him out.”
Shen Ningqing spoke with icy calm.
“Yes, ma’am!”
The investor’s two-hundred-plus-pound body was abruptly lifted off the ground by the security guards.
The investor: “???”
Only then did he truly sober up.
Of all people to offend, he had offended the Gu family!
The investor was not stupid. Realizing that the young artist probably had some background, he pasted on a flattering smile and tried to explain to Shen Ningqing, “I just thought the kid was cute and was teasing him a little. I didn’t know he was some new talent the Gu family is backing. I was too presumptuous.”
Then he turned to Gu Lin, hoping he would smooth things over. “Second Young Master Gu, look, this is all just a misunderstanding.”
“Idiot.”
Gu Lin did not usually swear. This was special treatment reserved for trash. “Are you too stupid to even ask what his surname is?”
The investor: “?”
He had only tried to hit on a little artist—why would he care what the boy’s last name was?
Gu Lin let out a cold laugh. “Let me make this clear. He’s not some new artist the Gu family is backing. He’s one of the Gu family.”
Shen Ningqing stopped behind the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was calm, yet carried undeniable force. “Allow me to introduce him. This is my child, Gu Tang.”
Some of the people in the room who had not known Gu Tang gasped in surprise.
So he was from the Gu family.
No wonder he was so outstanding.
Then Shen Ningqing turned her dark eyes toward the investor.
“You disgusted my child. You can forget about doing business with the Gu family from now on.”
The investor: “!!!”
He was finished. He had kicked an iron plate.
He had fought hard to get an invitation to this banquet because he wanted to talk business with Xinglin Media, and if he could get on the Gu family’s good side, even better.
Now it was all over.
If he offended the Gu family and ended up blacklisted by them, forget cooperation—they probably would not even let him keep standing.
Thinking that his future with the Gu family was gone, and with alcohol still clouding his head, the investor tried to save a little face by going full scorched earth. “I-it’s not like the Gu family is the only one worth working with. The Yu family has also been expanding lately. Don’t push people too far…”
Before he could finish, Gu Lin started laughing.
The exact same fake laugh Yu Yang had worn when he had pinned the man’s wrist earlier.
“The Yu family…”
Gu Lin lifted a hand and pointed toward Yu Yang. “Why don’t you guess his surname too?”
The investor: “???”
Yu Yang had no intention of personally introducing himself to garbage. Crossing his arms, he said, “Unfortunately for you, I’ll be informing my older brother to blacklist you as well.”
The investor: “……”
Offend the Gu family and he would not survive in Jiang City. Offend the Yu family and he would not survive in most of China.
His only remaining path was probably to flee overseas.
Just then, Gu Tang suddenly felt a faint buzzing in his chest, as if he had heard young master Gu’s voice.
“Ah! Niannian!”
He had forgotten that young master Gu was still in his pocket.
Hurriedly taking out his phone, he said, “Niannian, something just happened over here…”
There was no need for Gu Tang to explain. Gu Qinian had heard the entire thing.
Young master Gu’s tone was not loud, but it was freezing cold. “That thing that bullied you? He’s finished.”
Gu Tang had read the original novel. He knew that once the future Boss Gu fully rose to power, he would become even more formidable than both the Gu family and the Yu family, and most of his business empire would be overseas.
Once young master Gu put someone on his little list, even fleeing abroad would not save them.
How miserable…
Just one drink had ruined his whole life.
Once they found a clean place and sat down again, Gu Tang pushed the wineglass beside him far, far away.
He was still underage, for one thing, and besides, anything that damaged the body and muddled the mind was something he would never touch in this lifetime.
His reason?
He treasured his life.
Seeing the small gesture, Yu Yang poured him a glass of juice. “Little kids should drink this. If you don’t like it, there’s yogurt too. Tell big brother what you want, and I’ll get it for you.”
As he spoke, he even rubbed Gu Tang’s head.
Another actor nearby teased, “Brother Yang, you really do treat Tang Tang like a little brother, huh? You protect him this much?”
Gu Tang noticed that when Yu Yang faced him, his smile seemed more genuine. But the second he turned to other people, it went right back to that fake smile.
“If I had that kind of blessing, that would be nice…”
Yu Yang said this with a smile, but the aura coming off him was similar to how he had looked that day on set when he lost control.
Gu Tang took a sip of the strawberry juice Yu Yang had poured for him.
Fresh strawberry juice.
Very sweet.
Yu Yang really did seem to remember his preferences.
Back on set, when Yu Yang bought him cake, at first he bought all kinds of flavors. Later on, though, strawberry became the most common. Perhaps afraid he would get tired of it, every few days Yu Yang would swap in cakes made from other berries instead.
He had quietly tested Gu Tang’s tastes over and over, very attentively.
“Brother, don’t be upset.”
Feeling grateful, Gu Tang saw the man looking as if he might cry and reached out to pat Yu Yang’s back in comfort.
Yu Yang’s pupils shrank suddenly as he whipped his head around. “…What did you call me?”
“Brother.”
Gu Tang smiled at him, his little face broadcasting pure friendliness. “Isn’t that what Xiao Jiu calls the Crown Prince in private too?”
The truth was, from the very first time he met Yu Yang at the ski resort, Gu Tang had already felt a favorable impression. For some reason, Yu Yang had seemed very familiar and easy to get close to.
Later, the reason Gu Tang disliked Yu Yang was because Yu Yang had bullied Gu Lin.
But now it was clear that his little uncle had not been forced and had not been bullied. In fact, the two of them had even exchanged some very suspicious looks from afar just earlier. They might actually be dating!
Since they might become family in the future, calling him “brother” ahead of time was not a big deal.
He surely could not really call him “little aunt-in-law” in public…
The moment Gu Tang stopped resisting him, Yu Yang’s mood improved. His whole body relaxed.
The smile on Yu Yang’s face turned more natural as he leaned back in his chair and chatted with Gu Tang casually. “That brat still hasn’t come back?”
Right after hanging up, young master Gu had gone straight back to work.
Taking small sips of his strawberry juice, Gu Tang answered slowly, “Niannian said he still has a while to go. It’ll be soon.”
Yu Yang let out a soft scoff. “If he stays away any longer, he won’t even be afraid of you being stolen away.”
Gu Tang looked up blankly. “Hm?”
Yu Yang glanced at the boy’s bright round eyes and swallowed the rest of what he had been about to say. “No, nothing.”
He was not someone who liked meddling in other people’s business.
But ever since the first moment he met Gu Tang, the boy had reminded him of…his little brother, who had died young.
If his brother had lived, he would probably be about the same age as Gu Tang now.
He would also have had big round eyes like that, the same clear brightness inside them.
Even their temperaments were alike.
Clean, adorable, sweet.
His own little brother had only lived a little over a year, but he had been a tiny angel too.
It was exactly because Gu Tang resembled him so much that Yu Yang could never quite stop worrying about him—especially whenever Gu Tang was with Gu Qinian.
The more he watched, the more uncomfortable he became!
He had heard Gu Tang and Gu Qinian were brothers, but as long as he saw the way Gu Qinian looked at Gu Tang, Yu Yang would get the unpleasant feeling that some pig was trying to root around his family’s fresh little cabbage.
It did not matter how handsome or refined that pig looked.
It was still a pig!
It was fortunate that Gu Qinian was Gu Tang’s actual little brother.
If he had not been related—
Yu Yang would have wanted to gouge his eyes out.
Closing his eyes, Yu Yang forced down the irritable, protective instinct rising inside him. When he opened them again, he just happened to see Gu Lin not far away, drinking and chatting with the director.
The fitted suit emphasized the younger man’s narrow back and waist.
His hip line stood out…
Gu Lin, in the middle of socializing, suddenly felt a chill on his backside.
He subconsciously shifted his legs inward.
When no one was looking, he discreetly reached back and touched behind himself.
Strange. His pants were not torn.
What Gu Lin did not know was that his supposedly subtle little movement had been seen very clearly by Yu Yang, who had been watching him all along.
Yu Yang: “Heh.”
After the banquet ended, the butler drove Gu Tang back to school.
After changing clothes and taking a shower, Gu Tang flopped comfortably onto his dorm bed before finally checking his phone.
Almost at the same moment, it chimed.
A new message from young master Gu.
[Niannian: Have you showered and gotten into bed yet?]
Gu Tang’s eyes widened.
He glanced around the dorm room, then typed:
[Did you install a camera in the dorm? How did you know I only just got into bed?]
Looking at the question on screen, Gu Qinian found it funny.
He and Gu Tang had lived together for over a decade, and for most of that time they had even shared a bed. How could he not know roughly how long Gu Tang took from washing up to getting into bed?
Judging by the time the butler had reported dropping him off back at school, Gu Tang should be done by now.
Gu Tang rolled over lazily, his feet propped against the wall, and sent another message.
[Why is Niannian still awake?]
[Niannian: Can’t sleep.]
Gu Tang: “?”
[Too busy? Did you get insomnia?]
This time, after he sent it, there was a long pause.
Just when Gu Tang was starting to think maybe the other side had fallen asleep, several screenshots came through.
Confused, he tapped them open.
They were all screenshots of comments from fans calling him “wife.”
Some of the jokes were pretty explicit.
Gu Tang’s face reddened as he read them. Then young master Gu sent another message.
[Niannian: Are these people perverts?]
[Niannian: Don’t they have wives of their own?]
[Niannian: Even if they don’t, they still shouldn’t call you that!]
Truly astonishing…
Young master Gu had actually sent three messages in a row, each longer than five characters.
The last one had even ended with an exclamation mark.
Thinking of what young master Gu’s expression must look like on the other side, Gu Tang’s eyes curved with amusement as he replied:
[Fans are all like that. I wasn’t used to it at first either.]
The moment he sent that, young master Gu got even angrier.
He called directly.
The other boy sounded as if he were suppressing his temper, his voice low and deep. “So you’re used to it now?”
Gu Tang immediately shook his head, then realized the other could not see him. He hurriedly said, “Not really. I just think there’s no need to take it too seriously. As long as they’re happy, it’s fine. I live my life, the fans live theirs.”
“So according to you, anyone who claims to be your fan can call you that?”
Young master Gu would not let it go.
Gu Tang made a small sound of agreement and repeated what Xie Qian and Zhu Xu had explained to him before. “That’s just how fan circles are. You don’t need to take it seriously.”
“Fine.”
Young master Gu sounded as if he had suddenly thought of something. He was even learning to apply the logic in reverse. “Then if I claim a fan identity too, does that mean I can call you that as well?”
As he spoke, he sent over a screenshot of his fan identity card from the fandom page.
Young master Gu was his fan number 14,789,523.
Gu Tang: “???”
On the other side of the phone, Gu Qinian’s fingers tightened around his mobile until the knuckles whitened.
He was getting impatient.
He wanted some kind of rightful status.
Even if not that, if he could at least say the word the way the fans did, it might soothe a tiny bit of the anxiety.
He truly could not wait anymore.
He needed to grow up faster, needed to spread his wings sooner and shelter Gu Tang beneath them, so that everyone would know exactly what Gu Tang was to the Gu family, and what Gu Tang was to him.
Then no one like that disgusting piece of trash from earlier would dare come near Gu Tang again.
The treasure he cherished so much that he barely even dared to touch him—
on what grounds should he be left out in the open for other people to bully?
And all those random people, screaming “wife” at his treasure!
He had not even called him that himself!
Gu Qinian muttered, “So annoying.”
“Hm?”
Gu Tang had no idea what private tantrum young master Gu was throwing on the other end. “Niannian, why are you mad again?”
Gu Qinian closed his eyes. Thick, sticky desire wound around him, and he said hoarsely, “Don’t change the subject. I’ve claimed the fan identity now. Can I call you that or not?”
For a long time, the boy on the other end did not answer.
Young master Gu’s heart clenched all over again.
What?
Had he frightened him?
Gu Qinian forced himself to calm down, preparing to say something to ease the tension.
Then he heard Gu Tang’s voice from the phone, soft but serious:
“You’re trying to take advantage of me, aren’t you?”
His thoughts had been hit dead on.
Gu Qinian’s throat moved. “Yes.”
Yes, he was shameless.
At some point without him noticing, he had started harboring feelings for Gu Tang.
Now those feelings had flowered and borne fruit, ready to split open completely.
He wanted to have him.
He wanted to possess him.
He wanted Gu Tang to look only at him, to be close to only him, to allow only him to touch him, to permit only him to call him that.
But from his tone, Gu Tang seemed extremely resistant…
“You can’t.”
The boy’s voice on the other end was soft and sweet, but very earnest.
As expected…
In an instant, most of young master Gu’s heart went cold.
Yet then, through the receiver, he heard a soft puff of laughter—light as a feather.
The half-frozen young master Gu: “?”
Gu Tang lay sprawled on the bed, his bare feet propped high against the wall, swaying gently. “Not if you don’t call me ‘brother’ first. Don’t think you can use some improper title to fool your way around it.”
Gu Qinian: “……”
So that was what all this was about…
On the other side, the boy kept urging him, his voice full of innocent sweetness.
Cute, yes.
Also infuriating.
Gu Qinian pressed a hand to his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He had long since realized how difficult it was to get Gu Tang to understand. But how could someone be this impossible to flirt with?!!
Thinking of the fact that he himself had memories from a second life and, no matter how you counted it, had lived one lifetime more than Gu Tang, Gu Qinian forced himself to hold back his impatience once again.
Gu Tang waited and waited for young master Gu to call him “brother.”
After a long while, he finally heard the other say, in an utterly serious tone, “I can’t.”
“If I do, your legs will go weak.”
Gu Tang: “???”
Young master Gu was making fun of him!
If he did not assert himself now, Gu Qinian would just get more and more out of line!
His face burning, Gu Tang tried to bluff his way through and snapped, “I’m the older brother. If I tell you to say it, then say it!”
Then, feeling guilty, he glanced at his feet, still propped high against the wall.
Anyway, he was not standing this time. There was no way his legs could go weak!
From the phone came young master Gu’s deep, pleasant voice, still laced with amusement. “Your whole body goes soft. Only your mouth stays stubborn.”
“……”
Gu Tang suddenly felt his right ear—the one pressed to the phone—grow scorching hot, as if it were on fire. The heat spread from his ear through his whole body.
At that point, not just his face—he thought even his legs looked slightly redder than before.
Like he was having some kind of allergic reaction.
“I’m sleepy, I’m hanging up, bye!”
Gu Tang hurriedly ended the call, forgetting even to say good night.
Lying on the bed, staring at the white ceiling, he touched his lips and muttered in a small voice, “They’re not stubborn…”
Then he touched his chest, where his heart was still pounding wildly, and kept staring blankly upward.
Something was wrong…
Once or twice might have been a coincidence.
But now, every time young master Gu called him “brother,” his whole body heated up and his heart sped up.
Today he had not even actually said it!
And yet Gu Tang’s heart still felt as if a little rabbit had been stuffed inside, thumping furiously.
In his previous life, Gu Tang had been rooted in the hospital precisely because of congenital heart disease. Based on his past experience, what he was feeling right now did not seem like a heart attack.
It did not hurt.
But it felt swollen, sour, and—very strangely—happy?
What kind of symptom was that???
He glanced at his life bar.
Gu Tang: “Full.”
Ever since young master Gu had gone abroad, the system had apparently decided it counted as Gu Tang, the cannon fodder fake young master, having “forced” the male lead away.
So every time young master Gu made any kind of progress overseas, the system credited it to him.
Which meant that even though he had not done much lately, his life value remained completely full.
A lot of the time, it even overflowed.
Gu Tang thought that was a waste.
In short, no matter how he looked at it, his body was perfectly fine…
Which made it even stranger.
“System, system, are you off work yet?”
The more Gu Tang thought about it, the less reassured he felt, so he called the system out to ask.
[I’m here…]
The system sounded listless and drained.
Gu Tang froze, then asked with concern, “What’s wrong with you?”
[Nothing…]
The system’s electronic voice had slowed down and was accompanied by static crackling, sounding as if it had been completely hollowed out.
Gu Tang: “……”
There was definitely something going on!
[Host, I won’t be clocking out lately. I’ll stay with you all the time. If you have any questions, just call me anytime. I’ll always be here.]
The system forced itself to sound spirited.
Gu Tang felt a little sorry for it. “If you’re too tired, you can just rest in my head.”
[Mm-hm.]
[Host, you’re so nice.]
[Way better than that awful system!]
Gu Tang raised a brow.
So it had had a fight with its predecessor system, huh?
Last time, when the little system had said it was going to find that senior system, it had disappeared for more than a month. Ever since it came back, it had just moped around in his head.
It had basically turned into a homebody system.
Gu Tang had no intention of prying into the system’s private life. He only asked what he was worried about. “If my life bar is full, could I still die from some other illness?”
[No. The life bar reflects all aspects of the host’s physical condition.]
To be safe, the system even ran another check.
[The host is in excellent health. Please just keep it up.]
Which made it even stranger.
Gu Tang still did not understand. “Then why does my heart suddenly start pounding really fast? And why does my face keep heating up, and my whole body feel hot too?”
The system performed a full-body scan.
The answer was still the same.
[The host’s body is in extremely good condition.]
“……”
Gu Tang had no choice but to accept it. “Fine, then.”
Suddenly thinking of something, he asked, “What about Niannian… has the male lead’s dislike meter toward me changed at all lately?”
The system pulled out the pink dislike bar and checked, then finally let out a long-overdue happy electronic chirp.
[Yes, yes!]
[The male lead’s dislike toward you has increased a lot lately! It’s almost full now!]
“Oh…”
This time, Gu Tang was the one who sounded dispirited.
[Huh? The words on the dislike meter seem a little clearer now. Let me see what they say…]
The little system was still talking.
But Gu Tang no longer had the energy to listen.
The moment he learned that young master Gu’s dislike for him had increased, his heart calmed down, and his face did not feel so hot anymore.
Closing his eyes, he went back to sleep.
That night, Gu Tang did not sleep well.
He kept having nightmares.
In one dream, he bit the cheek of the baby version of young master Gu.
The tiny child puffed up his little bun-like face, pointed at him, and declared angrily, “I hate you the most!”
He turned over, only to dream that he was clinging to young master Gu’s arm and pestering him to play a game. The other shook him off with a frosty expression and said, “Go away, you annoying thing.”
He dreamed many, many versions of being hated by young master Gu.
At last, a giant pink progress bar descended from the sky and slammed down on top of him with a thud, pressing him flat so he could not turn over.
The blurry words upon it gradually became clear—
[Dislike Value: 100%]
Gu Tang woke with a start.
He discovered that the pillow had ended up pressing down on his stomach, which was why he had the nightmare.
Even though it was just a dream, he remembered every single scene vividly.
Gu Tang let out a sigh.
The plot could not be reversed. In order for young master Gu to grow smoothly into the future Boss Gu, he still had to complete the storyline in which he, the cannon fodder fake young master, repeatedly stomped all over the male lead’s sore spots until he was finally crushed.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Gu Tang clenched his fists. “Come on, come on!”
After encouraging himself, he prepared to get out of bed and wash up. There was an English quiz today, and he wanted to get to the classroom early to practice listening exercises.
Yet the moment he stepped into the classroom, an unfamiliar student from another class ran over to tell him someone was looking for him outside the school.
Gu Tang asked in confusion, “Who?”
An odd expression flashed across the boy’s face. “She said she’s your mother.”
Gu Tang: “?”
If Auntie Shen needed something from him, she would just call directly. Why would she send someone to pass on a message?
Still puzzled, Gu Tang went outside.
He looked around by the school gate, but did not see anyone.
Auntie Shen was an actress. Her face, figure, and aura were all first-rate. She was the kind of person you spotted instantly in a crowd, so there was no way he would fail to find her if she were actually there…
The more Gu Tang thought about it, the stranger it felt.
Checking the time, he saw it was not even seven o’clock yet. Worried about waking the adults if he called, and since he did not recognize the student who had passed on the message, he figured it might just be a prank.
So Gu Tang turned around to head back into the school.
But just as he took one step—his vision blurred.
Someone suddenly darted out from nowhere.
Thinking the person was about to fall, Gu Tang instinctively reached out to help.
Instead, the figure lunged forward and threw themself around his leg.
Gu Tang: “?!!”
A new scamming trick?!
