Chapter 81: Caught in the Closet
Gu Qinian had grown this big without ever being scolded by Gu Tang before.
His pupils contracted, and he regained a little of his reason, but he still did not let go. “You’re right…”
Of course, the thing he wanted most was for Gu Tang to stay with the Gu family forever.
But to outsiders, he and Gu Tang were brothers. People who did not know the truth might even think they were blood brothers.
And that was a problem.
If Gu Tang restored his identity as the young master of the Yu family, then if he went to formally ask for his hand, it would be perfectly reasonable.
“You’ve thought it through now?”
Gu Tang raised a hand and poked him. “I told you not to throw a tantrum. Hurry up and let go of me.”
“…”
Gu Qinian lowered his eyes and looked at the pale, slender finger tapping against his chest.
Then he said, “No.”
Gu Tang: “?”
Gu Qinian kept his eyes lowered and put on a very aggrieved expression. “You were wrong to call me names.”
Well…
Gu Tang also knew that calling him crazy just now had been wrong, but that had been for the sake of finishing a task.
Thinking of the future paranoid Mr. Gu from the original story, Gu Tang also felt he could not hurt Young Master Gu’s pride like that, so he took the initiative to apologize. “Sorry.”
Then he twisted his waist a little.
In a small voice, he muttered, “It’s your fault for grabbing me in such a ticklish place…”
The boy’s waist was slim, without even a trace of extra softness, but it was incredibly supple. When he twisted like that, the sensation was sleek and slippery, almost like a snake moving in the hand.
Gu Qinian kept one hand around that narrow waist and refused to let go. In a low voice, he asked, “What good is a verbal apology?”
“Then what else do you want?”
Being held there made Gu Tang itch so much that he trembled. The fine hairs all over his skin instantly stood up.
Gu Qinian lowered his head and suddenly called him in a deep voice.
“Brother…”
Being called “brother” at a time like this—the shame exploded through Gu Tang. Every hair that had been standing on end seemed to burst outward. “Gu Qinian!”
Hearing his full name actually improved Young Master Gu’s mood.
But he did not show it on his face. He just kept his eyes lowered. “Once you go back to the Yu family, you won’t be my brother anymore…”
“It’s the last time. Can’t I call you that just once?”
Gu Tang: “…”
Young Master Gu looked pitiful, as if he could burst into tears at any moment.
Gu Tang’s heart softened. In the end, he could only give in. “Fine, go ahead.”
“Brother.”
Young Master Gu called him very smoothly, without the slightest burden. “Now that you’re leaving, shouldn’t you leave at least one good example for your little brother?”
Lately Young Master Gu had become incredibly tea-like.
Gu Tang vaguely felt there was a trap here waiting for him, but he still lifted both hands and cupped that handsome face, rubbing it like he was comforting a big dog. “What kind of good example do you want?”
“You scolded me. Besides apologizing, shouldn’t you give me some compensation too?”
Young Master Gu’s dark eyes did not blink as they fixed steadily on Gu Tang’s mouth.
Gu Tang understood instantly. He stretched up and kissed him first. “I’m sorry. I won’t scold you again in the future, okay?”
Plot tasks generally did not repeat.
Since he had already scolded him once, he probably would not be asked to do it again later.
So it was safe enough to make a promise like that.
The boy’s lips were soft, and his voice was even softer. Gu Qinian felt his own heart tremble. His hands unconsciously tightened around that waist.
Gu Tang gave a small sound of pain.
Only then did Gu Qinian hurriedly loosen his grip, though he muttered in a displeased tone, “You’re delicate and you know how to act spoiled. This is still just trying to get away with a verbal apology.”
He said that, but then he licked his lips with a lingering reluctance.
And his eyes kept drifting back to Gu Tang’s mouth.
He was the pure embodiment of saying one thing while meaning another.
Gu Tang: “…”
He really had no way to deal with a sulking Young Master Gu, but he also could not just ignore him.
Otherwise, once he returned to the Yu residence, who knew what kind of insanity Young Master Gu might unleash at home.
The personality of Mr. Gu in the original story had always worried him—powerful, lonely, cut off from everyone, and when irritated, even hurting himself…
Gu Tang could not bear seeing Young Master Gu unhappy. After thinking for a moment, his gaze drifted toward the drawer of the desk not far away.
Inside it was still the birthday present he had meant to give him.
He had been too embarrassed to take it out until now.
Would it be better to put it to use now?
“How about…”
Gu Tang curled his fingers into the bedsheet and scratched at it. “I’ll give you a present, and then you stop being unhappy, okay?”
First he had to calm him down, no matter what.
The person pressing down on him did not speak.
Gu Tang could only push at him. “At least let me get up first.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
Although he was unwilling in his heart, he still listened to the boy and let go, shifting his body aside to make room for him to stand.
His eyes followed the boy closely, like he was staring at prey, watching every movement.
Gu Tang sat up and raked a hand through his messy hair.
Then he got out of bed, walked to the desk, opened the locked drawer, and took out a flat document envelope. “I was going to give this to you on your birthday, but that day—”
As he spoke, his ears began turning red all on their own.
Seeing those ears so red they almost glowed, Gu Qinian followed his words and instantly thought back to that birthday—the night they had kissed for the first time.
That evening, Gu Tang had been so, so obedient. Even though he had not even known how to breathe properly, he still let Gu Qinian kiss him for a very long time.
The treasure he had desired for so long had been even sweeter and softer than he had imagined.
And it had only made him like him more…
Remembering the beauty of that first kiss, Young Master Gu’s mood improved. The corner of his mouth lifted as he said softly, “There is no gift better than you.”
The moment he said that, Gu Tang was not willing to accept it.
He turned around and stuffed the document envelope into his hands. “That’s only because you haven’t seen this yet.”
“I spent so much effort preparing it!”
Gu Qinian held the thin, flat envelope, looked at Gu Tang’s bright, confident face and his reddened cheeks, and asked in confusion, “What is it?”
Gu Tang sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes sparkling. “Open it and see.”
The envelope was the old-fashioned brown paper file kind, easy to open.
Gu Qinian glanced inside and pulled out a small red booklet, then asked in disbelief:
“A property deed???”
“Hurry up and open it!”
Gu Tang was even more excited than the person unwrapping the gift.
Gu Qinian glanced at the adorable boy beside him, then lowered his head and opened the red booklet—
It was a ninety-square-meter, two-bedroom apartment. But the location was not in Jiang City. It was right next to Hua University University.
Gu Tang shuffled closer, rested his chin on Gu Qinian’s shoulder, and slowly pointed at the owner’s name on the property deed. “I bought this after I turned eighteen. At that time, you still weren’t of age, so only my name could go on it. Later we’ll add yours.”
“The place is a little small, but I only had this much money, and it’ll be enough for the two of us. Don’t dislike it…”
Before he could finish, he was pressed down again.
Young Master Gu kissed him without restraint, gripping his jaw as he kissed him fast and deep.
Gu Tang did not even have time to feel shy before he felt the base of his tongue going numb.
He thought Young Master Gu had gone crazy. There was none of his usual calm restraint left. It was like an iceberg covered in snow all year long had suddenly erupted with lava, almost burning him until he melted.
Gu Qinian’s heart pounded wildly, so excited he almost wanted to swallow Gu Tang whole.
This was a house Gu Tang had bought for him.
How could he possibly dislike it?
Owning a place like this meant—that during their entire university life, he and Gu Tang would have a little nest of their own.
They would live together there, eat together, and also… sleep together.
They would do so many things he had not even dared imagine in his dreams.
They had kissed many times already. What had once been awkward had now become practiced, and Young Master Gu had always possessed frighteningly strong learning ability.
Gu Tang only felt a rush of heat rising from the base of his spine, making his whole body tremble suddenly.
That unfamiliar sensation startled him.
Finally, he managed to turn his head and rescue his mouth. “You… change to somewhere else. I can’t breathe.”
That was not a lie, either.
If someone had never once kissed Young Master Gu, they would never be able to imagine how terrifying his lung capacity was.
Gu Tang had already learned how to breathe properly, yet he still kept feeling on the verge of suffocating.
The kiss was cut off abruptly.
Gu Qinian fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head to kiss away the tears at the corners of the boy’s eyes. From there he worked down slowly, covering his cheeks in one soft kiss after another, then his nose, his earlobe, his throat—nothing was spared.
Being kissed so thoroughly left Gu Tang dizzy. In his haze he thought: Young Master Gu is actually very easy to get along with.
When I told him to switch to somewhere else, he really switched.
The only problem was… he kissed for a really long time.
If the two of them lived together on their own in the future, would they end up spending a huge amount of time doing this every day?
Young Master Gu in the original story had never been like this. The future Mr. Gu was even more of a workaholic, so busy he barely slept.
If his presence caused Young Master Gu to become obsessed with kissing all day…
Would that count as damaging the plot?
The system was currently blocked and could not come out to answer him, so Gu Tang could only think it through on his own.
As he kept thinking, he suddenly felt a chill at his waist.
He shivered involuntarily.
Young Master Gu’s body temperature was naturally low, and his hands were cool too. Even in the heavy heat of summer, the coldness of those hands was impossible to ignore…
They traveled upward, and then they touched somewhere.
Gu Tang trembled again and quickly pressed down over those hands through his clothes. “Don’t…”
It was not that he did not want Young Master Gu to touch him.
But the house was full of elders. Even if the rooms were big enough, they still could not…
And right then, Young Master Gu leaned to his ear and called softly, “Brother…”
“Just once, okay?”
That one word made Gu Tang’s bones go weak. His whole face turned crimson. He did not nod, but he did not shake his head either.
That counted as silent permission.
As if on purpose, Young Master Gu’s low voice kept sounding by his ear, calling him “brother,” while his hands kept moving.
Although he could not see it through the layers of cloth, Gu Tang could feel the cold little jade gourd bracelet at his wrist rubbing back and forth over his chest. Little by little, it warmed from his body heat.
Knock knock knock—
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Gu Tang’s whole body froze, and Gu Qinian stopped too. His long eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction, full of annoyance at the interruption.
Then Shen Ningqing’s voice came from outside. “Good boy, your big brother and second brother are here.”
Both Yu Xiao and Yu Yang had personally come to pick Gu Tang up, which showed exactly how important the Yu family considered their little brother.
Even though Shen Ningqing was reluctant to let him go, she could hardly stop Gu Tang from having contact with his birth family. Only after seeing how seriously the Yu family cared for him had she relaxed a little.
From inside the room, Gu Tang answered through the door, “Auntie Shen, I know. I’ll be right down.”
“Alright…”
But as she listened, she thought the boy’s voice sounded a little hoarse. Then she suddenly asked, “Do you know where Qinian went?”
“N-no, I don’t know!”
The boy’s voice inside became very obviously flustered.
Gu Tang was usually so obedient and considerate that he would never talk to her through a closed door.
So what was going on today?
After only a brief thought, Shen Ningqing had a fairly good guess.
She cursed her son for being outrageous, but she could not exactly say it directly, so she could only hint indirectly. “Qinian is really too much. You’re about to leave for home, and he doesn’t even know to come see you off.”
“I’ll call him and see where exactly he’s run off to…”
The moment they heard that, Gu Tang and Gu Qinian looked at each other.
Then the two of them scrambled to pull their phones out of their pockets.
And shut them off at top speed.
If they had been a moment slower and the phone had started ringing, Gu Qinian would not have cared much. At worst, the Yu family’s big and second brothers downstairs would have beaten him up.
But Gu Tang would have died of embarrassment.
He still had not figured out how he was supposed to explain things to the elders on both sides.
Not to mention that he and Young Master Gu were still lying one on top of the other on the bed. Even if they had done nothing, it still would not have looked innocent.
Once the phones were off, Shen Ningqing’s footsteps gradually faded away outside.
The two of them, still half-curled together on the bed, finally let out a long breath.
Then they turned their heads.
And looked at each other with matching smiles.
Young Master Gu finally agreed to let him leave.
He still wanted to help carry the suitcase, but Gu Tang stopped him.
“I’ll do it myself. There’s not much in it. It’s really light.”
Gu Tang lifted the suitcase to show him, then reminded him, “Don’t go out right away. Wait until I’ve left, then come out a while later.”
Gu Qinian’s mood dropped instantly, and his long eyelashes hung low with obvious disappointment. “Mm.”
Seeing how low he looked, Gu Tang reached out and hooked his little finger around the other boy’s. His face bright red, he said, “School starts again in just a few days.”
As he spoke, he glanced toward the red property deed booklet still lying open on the bed.
In other words, once school started, the two of them would be able to move into their little nest together.
Gu Qinian lifted his eyes and looked at him. “Will you let me kiss you?”
As long as he could calm down the sulking, proud Young Master Gu, Gu Tang could agree to anything.
So he answered generously, “Yes!”
Encouraged, Gu Qinian pushed his luck further. “Then can we continue what we were doing just now?”
At that, Gu Tang’s face flared even redder. “Whatever you want…”
The moment he said it, he grabbed the suitcase and tried to flee.
He was afraid that if he stayed even a second longer, he would end up promising Young Master Gu something so embarrassing he would die on the spot.
But before he could even take a step, Young Master Gu hooked his little finger again.
“You said it. You have to keep your word.”
Lifting their linked fingers, Gu Qinian said in all seriousness, “A pinky promise for a hundred years—no changing it.”
Gu Tang: “…”
Niannian was such a child.
After finally soothing Young Master Gu, Gu Tang went downstairs and saw Yu Xiao and Yu Yang sitting in the living room.
With both older brothers there, he naturally did not need to carry his luggage himself.
Before leaving, Gu Tang said goodbye to every person in the house.
Gu Quan patted him on the back. “If you can’t get used to it there, just come back. Come back whenever you want. The Gu family will always be your home.”
Gu Tang nodded obediently. “Mm!”
Shen Ningqing also pulled the child who was about to leave into a gentle hug. “Good boy, I’ve already passed our chef’s contact over there. It’ll be easier to match your tastes.”
Gu Tang smiled. “Auntie Shen, I’m not picky anymore.”
At the side, Su Mei was wiping away tears. Gu Tang could not talk her out of it, so he could only hold his grandmother and coax her, promising that he would definitely come home and stay during university vacations. At the same time, he threw Yu Xi a meaningful glance.
Yu Xi puffed out his little chest. “Big brother, don’t worry and just go. Xi Xi will take care of Grandma!”
Gu Tang patted Yu Xi’s head. “As long as you don’t let Grandma work too hard.”
Yu Xi immediately declared, “Xi Xi won’t! Xi Xi is very good!”
At the side, Gu Lin scratched his head. “Our good boy isn’t vanishing forever. What exactly are you all getting so sentimental about? He’s just going home for a couple of days before college, and during holidays he’ll be back again.”
Gu Tang laughed. “Exactly. I’ll come back often.”
But the elders felt upset simply because they loved him so much.
Everything his biological parents had never given him in his past life, the elders in the Gu family had given him in full.
Trying to comfort them, Gu Tang said, “Don’t we still have the family group chat? We can talk anytime.”
As soon as those words came out, the Gu family members visibly relaxed.
The two Yu brothers, on the other hand, immediately tensed up.
Yu Xiao and Yu Yang exchanged a look.
Their family did not have a group chat!
They would have to create one tonight, no matter what!
Yu Xiao gave a light cough and swept his gaze across the room through his glasses. To his delight, he discovered—
that brat Gu Qinian was nowhere to be seen!
Could it be that he had finally retreated after seeing the difficulty and realizing the Yu family was strict and dignified, and so had decided not to bother Tangtang anymore?
Good. Very good.
Young people were impulsive. It would not last…
But before Yu Xiao could enjoy the thought for even three seconds, an irritatingly low voice said, “Gu Tang, aren’t you going to hug me too?”
Yu Xiao: “!”
Gu Tang also froze.
He thought to himself that they had already hugged upstairs for a very long time, so what more did he want?
But he had hugged every other family member. If he skipped Young Master Gu alone, it would look strange, so in the end he walked over and stood on tiptoe to hug him too.
What he had not expected was that the moment he hugged him, Young Master Gu bent down too and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Then he buried his face in his neck and took a deep breath.
“!!!”
Gu Tang’s face instantly turned red. He shoved Young Master Gu away in panic and quickly glanced behind him.
The whole family was here—what was Niannian doing?!
Fortunately, the two of them had been clingy for years already, and no one in the family reacted in any special way.
What he did not know was that the few people who already knew about the relationship also did not know what to say, so they could only awkwardly pretend they had not seen anything.
Gu Tang thought he had successfully gotten away with it and secretly shot Young Master Gu a glare.
He refused to talk to him again and hurriedly got into the Yu family car.
Throughout the drive, Gu Tang looked silently out the window at the passing street scenery, lips pressed together.
It was not that he was unhappy. It was just… unfamiliar.
With Young Master Gu gone from beside him, it suddenly felt as if he had lost the urge to share things. Even when he saw something interesting outside the car window, he no longer wanted to say anything about it.
Yu Xiao drove while occasionally observing his little brother in the backseat through the rearview mirror.
His little brother was usually lively and bright like a tiny sun. So why was he so listless now that he was supposedly coming home?
Maybe… maybe they should not have rushed him back home after all…
The little brother did not speak, and the big brother was a man of few words too, so Yu Yang voluntarily took on the role of atmosphere-adjuster.
“Tangtang, Dad just got discharged from the hospital, and now you’re finally coming home too. That’s two happy occasions. Of course we should celebrate together, right? Once you get more used to being around the family, then in the future you can live wherever you like.”
Gu Tang responded with a small “Mm,” then after thinking for a moment, asked, “Then why didn’t you invite the Gu family to celebrate with us too?”
Yu Yang choked.
How was he supposed to know what their father was thinking?
For such a joyous event, shouldn’t the more people, the better? Their mother had even said she wanted to invite the Gu family too, but their father had refused.
He had not given a reason either—he had only said they should “wait and see.”
Wait and see… wait and see what?
Their father had always been like that—always saying half a sentence and leaving the rest unsaid. Yu Yang had not dared press him.
One thing was certain, though: their father was someone who repaid kindness. The Gu family had raised their little brother for all those years, and they had even helped the Yu family deal with the Wang family. Their father would never forget such a debt. In fact, many of the recent collaborations between the Yu family and the Gu family had been deliberately arranged so the Gu family would benefit more.
But Yu Yang still felt something was off.
His father seemed to be deliberately avoiding getting too close to the Gu family…
Why?
The Yu family’s new residence stood along the river. Gu Tang had already been here for his eighteenth birthday, so it did not feel unfamiliar.
The difference was that by now, all traces of Yu Rong had already been cleared away from the house.
As if that person had never existed at all.
Because of the earlier experience with the fire, there were also fewer servants at the Yu residence than at the Gu house. The huge mansion felt somewhat empty and cold. Even during meals, everyone used separate plates instead of sharing dishes from the middle like the Gu family did.
There were many differences in their daily habits.
But the biggest difference of all was—there was no Young Master Gu.
Usually, no matter what he was doing, Young Master Gu was somewhere nearby. Now that such a large person had suddenly disappeared, Gu Tang felt a hollow emptiness in his chest.
To say nothing else—even when he ended up with food he did not like, he no longer had anyone whose plate he could secretly slip it onto.
The bedroom Yin Ruan had arranged for him overlooked the river. It was the room with the best view and the most comfort in the whole house.
When it was nearly bedtime, Yu Xiao personally walked Gu Tang to the door of his room.
“Thank you, Big Brother.”
Gu Tang said politely.
Yu Xiao sighed and rubbed his little brother’s soft head. “Tangtang, do you know that sometimes, being too polite is also a form of distance?”
“Why do you look unhappy?”
Gu Tang shook his head. “I’m not. Everyone at home is very kind.”
Yu Xiao had not wanted to ask, but in the end he still could not hold it back. “Are you thinking about that Gu brat?”
Gu Tang puffed out his cheeks. “Big Brother really doesn’t like Niannian.”
This time it was Yu Xiao’s turn to go speechless.
President Yu, currently denying things live: “How could that be? Big Brother just has a rough tone, that’s all. Gu Qinian has so many strengths—how could Big Brother not like him, hahaha.”
“Oh?”
Gu Tang narrowed his eyes. “Then what strengths does Niannian have?”
Yu Xiao: “Emmm…”
Gu Tang: “…”
Seeing the little expression on his brother’s face grow more and more displeased, Yu Xiao forced himself to continue. “Gu Qinian is very capable at work. He reacts quickly.”
Gu Tang pressed, “And what else?”
Yu Xiao: “…”
There really wasn’t anything else!
What other strengths could that brat from the Gu family possibly have?!
Gu Tang began counting them off on his fingers for Big Brother to hear. “Niannian is handsome, has a good personality, and is smart… lots and lots of strengths. If Big Brother spends more time with him, you’ll definitely end up liking him too.”
Yu Xiao ground out, “…Okay.”
“Then I’m going to bed.”
Gu Tang waved a little hand at him. “Big Brother should rest early too. Goodnight.”
His little brother really was like a tiny angel.
Cute and gentle.
Yu Xiao’s mood improved slightly, and he waved back too. “Sweet dreams.”
After entering the room, Gu Tang noticed that the floor-to-ceiling doors leading to the balcony were open.
The river view outside really was beautiful.
It would be even nicer if he could have watched it together with Niannian.
But alone, Gu Tang no longer felt interested in going out. He walked over to close the door and windows, then turned back toward the bed to sleep.
He had just started to turn around—when a hand suddenly reached out from the darkness behind him and covered his mouth.
“Mmph—”
Gu Tang struggled once, but then his nose caught a familiar scent.
He stopped moving immediately. His eyes widened in disbelief.
How could this be?
The person behind him had not been holding him very tightly, and seeing that he had stopped struggling, the hand over his mouth loosened.
Gu Tang turned his head. “Niannian?”
What answered him was a rapid series of kisses.
The other boy buried his face against his neck, kissing as he gave a muffled little “Mm.”
“How did you get in here?”
This was the second floor!
And the Yu family’s security system was no joke.
There were even rose bushes with thorns planted below…
Sure enough, the moment Gu Tang lowered his head, the light from outside let him see clearly that Young Master Gu’s shirt hem had been torn into strips.
There were also scratches on his arms in various places.
Gu Tang did not dare cry out. He could only pull himself out of the embrace, fetch the medicine kit, and start bandaging him.
Gu Qinian said nothing, only stared at him with those dark, heavy eyes.
“Does it hurt?”
Gu Tang silently thanked the long hospital days of his previous life, during which he had learned how to dress wounds from the doctors. Otherwise, even if these were only superficial scratches, he might have had to take Young Master Gu straight to the hospital.
Gu Qinian nodded. “It hurts.”
“So you do know what pain feels like.”
Gu Tang’s heart ached for him. He could not help scolding him, “Who told you not to use the door and climb in through the window?”
Then he looked up and noticed several pale pink rose petals stuck in Young Master Gu’s black hair.
He reached up and picked them out for him.
Young Master Gu was at least considerate enough to lower his head the moment he saw him stretching up, making it easier for him to remove the petals.
But in another way he was terribly inconsiderate.
The moment he lowered his head, he stole a quick peck from Gu Tang’s lips.
The whole sequence was so smooth and natural that it left Gu Tang blushing. He slapped the rose petals back onto him. “Fine, then I’m not helping anymore.”
The two of them were still tugging at each other when Yu Xiao’s voice sounded outside the door again.
“Tangtang, are you asleep? Big Brother still wants to talk to you…”
Gu Tang froze.
So did Gu Qinian.
The two of them looked at each other.
Gu Qinian wanted to run to the bathroom, but Gu Tang grabbed him immediately, dragged him around the bed, and yanked open the wardrobe door. “Hurry, get in.”
***
Author’s Note:
Tangtang: Get inside.
Gu Niannian: I want to come out of the closet!!!
