Chapter 88: The Light Waiting at Home
When Gu Tang came out of the study, he ran into Yin Ruan at the door.
“Tangtang, would you like some sweet soup?”
On the tray in Yin Ruan’s hands was a covered bowl. “There’s also the strawberry cake you like downstairs.”
Gu Tang shook his head. “Thank you, Mom, but I still have something to do, so I’m going back to my room first.”
“Ah, alright…”
Watching her younger son’s dazed, absent-minded figure walk away, Yin Ruan let out a sigh. “He’s only just come back, and he’s already gotten thinner.”
Yin Ruan walked into the study.
She set the tray down on the desk with a bang. “I advise the two of you not to go too far.”
Yu Zhongyuan had just finished chatting with his younger son and was reclining with his eyes closed in smug contentment. The noise startled him, and he opened his eyes. “What is it?”
Usually gentle and graceful, Yin Ruan now had her brows drawn up in anger. “The two children are perfectly fine together, so why are you making trouble for no reason?”
“Ah, you’re just too softhearted. Tangtang takes after you in that.”
Yu Zhongyuan took a leisurely sip of tea. “I just needed to test that boy from the Gu family a little, to see what his character and ability are really like. If he’s no good, Tangtang will only suffer in the future if he stays with him…”
“Tangtang has gotten thinner!”
Yin Ruan’s heart ached the moment she thought of Gu Tang’s frail-looking back. “You’re pushing the child away. Why don’t you think about what happens if Tangtang leaves?”
Yu Zhongyuan paused mid-sip. “He wouldn’t, would he…”
“How wouldn’t he?”
Yin Ruan doubted her husband had become muddle-headed from sleeping in bed for so many years. “The Yu family and the Gu family are joining forces to pressure Young Master Gu, but he’s still the Gu family’s own son, so no matter how hard you press, it won’t be as ruthless as you are. If something really happens to Qinian, what do you think Tangtang will think of us?”
“He’s only just come home, and you’re already hurting his feelings. At this rate, you might as well go lie back down!”
The more Yin Ruan spoke, the angrier she got, and she rolled her eyes at Yu Zhongyuan.
Yu Zhongyuan: “…Should I tell the eldest to ease off a little?”
After all, the pressure had already been applied more or less enough. The rest would depend on Gu Qinian’s performance.
Yin Ruan nodded. “Mm. No more causing trouble.”
With that, she picked up the tray with the sweet soup.
Yu Zhongyuan had only just reached halfway toward the spoon. “Why are you taking it away?”
Yin Ruan didn’t even turn her head, only tossed him a sentence over her shoulder: “Tangtang can’t eat it, so neither can you.”
Yu Zhongyuan: “……”
At the same time, at the Gu residence.
Gu Quan had just barely finished a full day of work. He stood up and stretched a little, his bones cracking loudly.
The head of the Gu family groaned, “I’m exhausted…”
“What you’re suffering from is the pain of going from luxury back to hardship.”
Shen Ningqing happened to walk in just then. Hearing his complaint, she couldn’t resist mocking him a little. “You’ve had it easy for so long. Of course going back to work feels tiring.”
Gu Quan’s attention was entirely on his wife’s graceful figure. He sidled up to her shamelessly. “Wife, that dress looks beautiful on you…”
Shen Ningqing sneered. “You can only look.”
“Who says?”
The head of the Gu family immediately refused to accept this. “Your husband here is still as good as ever. If you don’t believe me—”
Crack—
Gu Quan’s reaching hand suddenly froze.
Shen Ningqing turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
Gu Quan’s face went green. “…My waist, my waist seems stuck!”
Shen Ningqing: “……”
Because the head of the Gu family had accidentally wrenched his back, he had to lie on the bed and recuperate, while an endless stream of company documents was still being brought in for his approval.
Gu Quan howled miserably, “I don’t understand. I really don’t understand…”
Shen Ningqing said coolly, “Then stop making trouble.”
Gu Quan pointed at the huge stack of documents in front of him. “Can you understand this? Qinian has to deal with all this every day—how does he still have the energy to go after Baby Tang?”
Smack—
Shen Ningqing firmly slapped a medicated patch onto his lower back.
The head of the Gu family let out a miserable cry. “Ow ow ow—it hurts!”
“Why are you yelling?”
Shen Ningqing said calmly, “You brought this on yourself. Just keep enduring it.”
Gu Quan twisted his neck to look at his wife. “You don’t object?”
Shen Ningqing replied, “I’m only afraid Qinian isn’t serious.”
“I’m afraid of that too!”
Gu Quan finally found some common ground with her. “Isn’t that why he needs to be tested? If I let him become the family head too smoothly, what if he stops cherishing Baby Tang later?”
Shen Ningqing nodded. “Mm. You do have a point.”
Gu Quan looked a little pleased with himself. “See?”
The moment he finished speaking, his wife rubbed the painful spot on his lower back.
The head of the Gu family immediately shrieked again, “Ow ow ow it hurts—”
“Even so, you still deserve it.”
Shen Ningqing said lightly, “Just keep suffering.”
Gu Quan: “……”
Gu Tang sat in his room, fiddling with Young Master Gu’s green jade little gourd.
His mind kept circling around his father’s words—
“Aren’t you curious at all?”
“Aren’t you curious just how strong the person you love can become for your sake?”
Gu Tang actually wasn’t that curious. He had read the original novel, so of course he knew how formidable the future Boss Gu would be.
What he was really thinking was—
Would Young Master Gu also be curious about that kind of question?
He liked Young Master Gu.
He also wanted to become stronger, to become someone who could do something for Nian-Nian, rather than just sit at home and wait.
The more Gu Tang thought about it, the brighter his eyes became—
He didn’t understand business, but he had money!
Money was also a kind of resource. Young Master Gu was currently being squeezed from both sides by the Gu and Yu families. He had to be lacking everything—money included.
Gu Tang exchanged all the plot coins he had saved up, gathered them together, and counted them. It added up to about the price of another small apartment.
That was still far from enough.
He contacted Gu Lin. “Uncle, help me release my songs. Use the name Sugar again.”
Gu Lin was very surprised. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to take the commercial route?”
He had said that, but now he had changed his mind.
Gu Tang scratched his head awkwardly. “I need money. A lot, a lot of money.”
Without even asking, Gu Lin guessed it immediately. “For Gu Qinian, right?”
“Mm.”
Gu Tang answered softly, then asked, “Uncle, how much can these songs sell for?”
Gu Lin flipped through the stack of scores in his hands. “With Sugar’s reputation, the price per song can be pushed pretty high, but you can’t unload this many at once. It’ll take time. And the copyright revenue also takes a while to come in.”
Then it wouldn’t arrive in time to help Young Master Gu!
After thinking it over, Gu Tang said, “Then why not just sell them cheaply to Xinglin Media? Uncle, you can buy them out directly. Whatever they earn afterward won’t have anything to do with me.”
“You’re handing all the copyrights over to me?”
Gu Lin stared at the boy before him in disbelief. “Wouldn’t that basically mean I’m getting a huge bargain for nothing?”
Gu Tang curved his eyes and smiled. “I’m in a hurry to use the money, so I don’t have a choice.”
“Besides, since it’s going to you, Uncle, it doesn’t count as a loss. Better the profits stay in the family.”
Gu Lin shook his head with a click of his tongue. “Wow. For Gu Qinian, you really are willing to go all out.”
Gu Tang just smiled with pressed lips and said nothing.
He looked completely determined.
Gu Lin let out a sigh. “Let me tell you this, Uncle: even if you give him all of this, it’ll still only be a drop in the bucket, barely a sprinkle. Are you still going to sell?”
Without a second’s hesitation, Gu Tang said, “Yes.”
If it could lighten Young Master Gu’s burden even a little, then it was worth it.
Gu Lin clicked his tongue again. “I’m almost starting to envy Gu Qinian.”
“Doesn’t Uncle have my second brother?”
Gu Tang sold Yu Yang out without hesitation. “Let him act, let him make money for you. The money can all be yours, and so can the man.”
“Hmph, who wants him…”
Gu Lin said that, but the corners of his mouth were already lifting to his ears.
In the end, he didn’t really let Gu Tang suffer any loss. Gu Lin didn’t take the copyrights. Instead, he used Xinglin Media to release the songs for him, then advanced Gu Tang the estimated earnings up front. If the songs made more later, they’d split it proportionally.
Gu Tang felt a little uneasy. “What if they don’t sell for that much?”
Gu Lin shrugged. “Then Xinglin Media takes the loss.”
Gu Tang: “Huh?!”
Gu Lin laughed and rubbed his hair. “But Uncle believes in your ability. You won’t let me lose out.”
“And if I really do lose money…”
Gu Lin flashed an evil smile. “Then I’ll just tell Gu Qinian that you’ve been mortgaged to me. He’ll definitely bankrupt himself buying you back.”
The boy had only just grown from adolescence into young adulthood and was still completely unable to handle teasing. In just a few words, two red clouds bloomed across Gu Tang’s fair cheeks, and his big round eyes blinked shyly several times.
He said bashfully, “Uncle, then you’d better just sell the songs for a good price.”
Gu Lin raised a brow. “What? You’re worried he won’t redeem you?”
Gu Tang shook his head. “No.”
“I’m worried he’ll just wipe Xinglin Media off the map.”
Gu Lin: “……”
Gu Tang sold his songs to Gu Lin, then took the paintings he thought were decent enough to an art gallery and sold those too, turning them into another sum of money.
As he passed through the city center, he saw a sports car parked by the roadside.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and he called Tan Mian. “Want to come over and play with cars? And afterward help me sell them!”
Tan Mian: “???”
Tan Mian had always been fascinated by cars. Ever since learning his roommate owned several top-tier supercars, he’d been dying to see them. Taking advantage of winter break, he had rushed to get his driver’s license, just waiting for Gu Tang’s invitation.
But what he never imagined was that after inviting him to come “play with cars,” Gu Tang’s real plan was actually to sell them.
“All of them?!” Tan Mian thought he had heard wrong.
Gu Tang nodded and stuffed a key into his hand. “You know the right people. Help me get a good price.”
Previously, Fang Chi had also had connections in the used-car market, but they didn’t deal in supercars.
So he could only ask Tan Mian, who at least knew the circles for that kind of car.
Seeing the hesitation on the other man’s face, Gu Tang tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”
Tan Mian held back for a long while, then finally asked in a deeply worried tone, “Tangtang… are you in debt?”
“Cherish life. Stay away from gambling!”
Gu Tang: “…?”
After a great deal of explanation, Tan Mian finally believed that he had neither gambled nor gone into debt, and promised he would do his best to sell the cars for a high price.
Once he had taken care of all his hidden little private funds, Gu Tang strolled slowly down the street.
Suddenly, a pure white snowflake landed on the tip of his nose.
Somewhere nearby, someone shouted—
“It’s snowing!”
Gu Tang looked up into the sky.
Countless fine white snowflakes were drifting down, whirling in the air.
The shops along the street were playing cheerful New Year songs.
The New Year was coming soon.
He and Young Master Gu would also be celebrating their birthdays soon.
“Young master, are we going home?” the Yu family driver asked.
Gu Tang instinctively pinched the little green jade gourd hanging at his wrist and said softly, “No. Take me somewhere else.”
He didn’t want to go back to the Yu house anymore.
He wanted to go back to the little home he shared with Nian-Nian.
Their little home was in the capital. The drive from Jiang City took a little over two hours.
Gu Tang dozed off in the car. When he woke again, they were already downstairs from the apartment.
The snow in the capital was heavier than in Jiang City. A thin layer had already gathered on the ground. The moment he stepped out of the car, he felt just how cold it was outside.
Gu Tang lifted his head and looked upstairs.
On the fifth floor, the apartment with the terrace was completely dark.
Its windows gave off the bleak feeling of a home whose owner was away.
Gu Tang curved his lips and headed upstairs.
He had been right to come back today.
If Young Master Gu got here first, afraid of the cold as he was, and saw the place dark and chilly, he probably wouldn’t even want to come up.
He wanted to leave him a warm yellow lamp!
By the time Gu Tang had made himself something to eat, taken a shower, switched on the light, and crawled into bed, it was only a little past nine at night.
It was still early, and he couldn’t fall asleep alone.
He sent Young Master Gu a message.
There was no reply, and he had no idea what the other was busy with.
Gu Tang lay there with his big eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, mentally calculating what other places he might still be able to squeeze a little money from.
[Host! Your little cutie has suddenly appeared!]
A familiar electronic voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
Only this time, it sounded more distant than usual.
Gu Tang froze. “Cannon-fodder little system?”
[Precisely me!]
The system had never sounded this excited while on duty before.
Listening carefully, Gu Tang realized that unlike usual, besides the system’s voice, there seemed to be all kinds of strange background noises too.
“Are you outside?”
[Bingo! This system is still on vacation travel!]
[Right now I’m contacting you remotely via communicator!]
[Host, I saw some very interesting local souvenirs and wanted to ask which one you like better!]
Gu Tang felt touched.
Other people’s systems would be impressive enough if they simply didn’t sabotage their hosts.
His own little system, meanwhile, was out enjoying vacation and still thinking of bringing him back souvenirs.
“What kind of souvenirs?” Gu Tang asked cheerfully.
[Mm, there are lots. Let me see…]
[Host, would you prefer a little gas-canister zombie kitty, a gooey-brain stress ball, or a femur-shaped walking cane?]
“???”
Gu Tang’s smile froze on his face. “Where exactly are you traveling?”
[In a zombie apocalypse novel!]
Gu Tang: “……”
Gu Tang mercilessly extinguished the system’s shopping enthusiasm. “No souvenirs!”
[Waaah…]
Gu Tang had something more important to ask. “Now that all the plot has been completed, are there still any tasks?”
[Host still wants to do tasks?!]
The system was stunned.
No host had ever made such a request before.
Gu Tang gave a small hum. “I need money. I want tasks that reward plot coins.”
[As expected of my host!]
[It is possible to add tasks, but I’ll need to submit a written application to the main system first. Approval is usually quite slow, though, so it would take some time. If you need money urgently, you could consider using the reward items you still haven’t used yet.]
Right…
With that reminder, Gu Tang remembered he still had the rewards “Right of Attribution” and “Right of Transfer.”
[Host, do you have any ownerless property you want to mark?]
“Ownerless property…”
He vaguely remembered Young Master Gu mentioning it before.
Before Yu Rong was exposed, he had secretly moved a large amount of assets overseas, including quite a bit of Yu Corporation stock. After his arrest, that property had become ownerless.
Although Young Master Gu had traced where the assets were, he hadn’t made a move, intending to leave them for his elder brother to absorb.
But if Big Brother took them, only to turn around and use them against Young Master Gu…
Sorry, but in that case, he was going to be biased.
Put Nian-Nian and Big Brother on a balance scale together, and it would slam all the way down on Young Master Gu’s side.
Gu Tang sat up cross-legged on the bed and clenched his little fists with determination. “System darling, I want to use Right of Attribution and Right of Transfer.”
[Tang darling, both reward rights confirmed for use.]
[Now assigning attribution for you…]
[Attribution complete. Transfer complete. Please check receipt.]
Gu Tang looked at the long string of zeros that suddenly appeared in his account, counted them several times over with his finger, and then silently apologized to his elder brother in his heart.
Gu Tang: “Interception successful!”
Far away in Jiang City, Yu Xiao suddenly sneezed.
Then he noticed it had started snowing outside the window.
No wonder his back had felt chilly.
Yu Xiao rubbed his arms and thought that on the way home he should buy his little brother a new winter coat. It was so cold—he mustn’t let his precious Tangtang freeze.
At this moment, Big Brother had no idea that his love had ultimately been misplaced.
At the same time, at the capital airport.
A young man in a black wool coat strode rapidly toward the parking lot. Even though his face was expressionless, colder than the first snow outside, his extraordinarily handsome features still drew countless eyes.
Beside him walked a refined, scholarly-looking man, also very tall, carrying a stack of documents like an assistant.
The two of them both had long legs and a commanding presence.
Some people even mistook them for celebrities and chased after them for quite a while.
After more than ten years, he had once again set foot on this land.
Jiang Yiwen cast a curious glance at the people following behind with their phones. “Is celebrity-chasing that crazy in the country these days?”
“Those people aren’t fans.”
Gu Qinian walked quickly, leaving the mess of people behind. “They’re mostly paparazzi and paid photographers camping for celebrities’ livestreams or photos, then selling them to fans at high prices.”
Jiang Yiwen’s brows shot up. “Who would’ve thought? You look cold as ice on the outside, but you actually know all about celebrity fandom culture!”
“……”
Gu Qinian gave no answer.
He had no interest in celebrity fandom.
But Gu Tang had many fans, and because of that, these kinds of people often showed up around him too.
During the two years when he had been most popular, there had even been one trip back from vacation when Gu Tang was blocked in the airport by more than a dozen people and had to hide in a restroom until Gu Qinian came to rescue him.
From then on, he had trained himself to identify at a glance which people were genuine fans, which were paparazzi or paid photographers, and which were obsessive stalkers.
Only by developing such sharp eyes could he properly protect his treasure.
Fortunately, Gu Tang had only ever acted because it felt novel at the time, and he had no real desire to enter the entertainment industry.
Otherwise, every time Gu Qinian imagined Gu Tang out in public with people chasing after him calling him “wife” or “husband,” his heart clenched.
The two men sat down inside a business car.
Jiang Yiwen opened his laptop and gave his work report. “At present this is our full liquidity. If you really want to go head-to-head against both the Gu and Yu families, we can fight if we have to, but it would be unnecessarily hard. It’d be better to absorb Yu Rong’s assets…”
Before he could finish, Gu Qinian lifted a hand, signaling that he didn’t need to continue.
“No. Those belong to the Yu family. Let Yu Xiao take them.”
Gu Qinian spoke with complete confidence. “Even without that money, we can still win.”
“True. It’ll just be more tiring.”
Jiang Yiwen shut the laptop. Then, showing a little concern for his boss, he asked, “Should I book you a hotel?”
Gu Qinian replied, “No.”
Jiang Yiwen glanced out the window. “Then where are you staying? This is the capital, not Jiang City.”
Not that there was anywhere for him to stay in Jiang City either.
Wasn’t the Gu family currently in the middle of a father-son battle for power? Normally, that script always ended with the father barring the son from coming home.
Jiang Yiwen silently thought that, if necessary, for the sake of their kindergarten friendship, he supposed he could let his boss squeeze into the hotel he’d booked.
Then he heard Gu Qinian say, calm and self-assured, “I have a home in the capital.”
Jiang Yiwen: “?”
Notice the wording.
Not “I have a house.”
A home.
A giant question mark slowly rose in Jiang Yiwen’s mind, and he couldn’t help asking, “Did you hide a beauty in a golden house here?”
Gu Qinian shot him a cold look.
Jiang Yiwen froze, then hurriedly waved his hands. “Just joking.”
Tsk. Still utterly humorless.
Yet Gu Qinian suddenly smiled, and his frost-cold face seemed to soften under the touch of spring wind. “It’s a house Gu Tang bought.”
Jiang Yiwen: “??”
Gu Qinian deliberately emphasized, “For me to live in.”
Jiang Yiwen: “???”
Leaning back against the seat, Gu Qinian looked utterly pleased with himself. “Does that count as keeping a beauty in a golden house?”
Jiang Yiwen: “……”
By your logic, you’re the beauty?!
Gu Qinian waved him off. “Hurry up and drive. I’m going home. You can go stay in a hotel by yourself.”
Jiang Yiwen: “……”
He suddenly felt like someone had stuffed a lemon into his mouth.
…So sour.
When Gu Qinian arrived downstairs at the apartment building, his black leather shoes crunched softly through the fresh snow.
The courtyard of the old residential compound wasn’t even as large as the Gu family garden, and yet it gave him an overwhelming sense of belonging.
Never in all his years, even after being reborn, had he imagined that in a moment when he had nowhere to go, he would finally have a place waiting for him.
His long fingers pinched the white jade little gourd.
His mind was filled entirely with Gu Tang.
Even though he knew Gu Tang should be at the Yu family house right now, the little home in the capital still held Gu Tang’s scent and the traces of their shared life.
It was his favorite place.
By chance, he lifted his gaze toward the window upstairs. Warm-colored light glowed inside.
Gu Qinian’s pupils contracted, and in disbelief he blinked, shaking the tiny snowflakes off his lashes.
His heart began pounding wildly.
Warmth spread from his chest and surged through his limbs.
His body reacted faster than his thoughts. By the time he properly realized what he was doing, he had already started taking the stairs three at a time—
Someone was waiting there for him.
His treasure.
When had Gu Tang come back?!
Perhaps because he had been on the plane, he hadn’t seen Gu Tang’s messages, and because of that, he had been handed this unexpected surprise.
Even the fingers turning the key trembled slightly.
But once he entered, his movements became light and careful instead.
Gu Qinian glanced at the half-closed bedroom door, restrained his excitement, changed out of his outer coat, and took a shower, warming himself all over before slipping quietly into the room.
The little bedroom was barely over ten square meters.
The moment he pushed the door open, he saw the person he had been aching to see lying on the bed.
Gu Tang was curled beneath the blanket, only his fluffy little head visible, his cheeks rosy from sleep.
Gu Qinian walked over and carefully lifted one corner of the blanket, then slipped underneath. There he discovered Gu Tang was clutching a pillow in his arms.
His pillow.
Gu Tang was hugging it tightly, his soft cheek pressed against it, sleeping deeply.
He hadn’t even noticed someone climbing into the bed.
For the first time in his life, Gu Qinian found himself jealous of a pillow.
But since Gu Tang was holding it too tightly, he couldn’t pull it away, so he simply wrapped himself around him from behind instead.
The moment he did, he realized Gu Tang had lost weight.
His waist had grown thinner, his hips even felt a little bony, and that palm-sized face had shrunk a bit too.
Unable to help himself, Gu Qinian lowered his head and kissed his cheek.
Gu Tang made a soft sleepy sound, then turned over and abandoned the pillow, burrowing straight into his arms like a kitten. After nestling himself into a comfortable spot, he fell back into deep sleep without moving.
At that moment, Gu Qinian suddenly understood why he’d gotten beaten.
No wonder his father had nearly gone mad after finding out he’d slept with Gu Tang.
Gu Tang was just too adorable.
A treasure like this—anyone else would only want to protect him.
Compared with that, the things he had wanted to do to Gu Tang, and the things he already had done, really were beastly.
Even while reflecting on himself, though, Gu Qinian’s eyes gradually darkened again…
Gu Tang woke up from being kissed.
Still half asleep, his lips had been pried open. Only when he began to feel short of breath did he finally open his eyes in confusion.
Because they were so close, he couldn’t immediately see who was on top of him.
But the scent was familiar, so he wasn’t scared at all. He just murmured, “Nian-Nian…”
Gu Qinian lifted himself slightly and gazed at the boy—now already on the edge of becoming a young man—beneath him. “I’m back.”
Gu Tang’s eyes curved as he smiled. “Welcome home.”
The sweetness of that smile was like it had been soaked in honey. Gu Qinian’s throat shifted, and he bent his head to taste it.
Just as he was about to continue their intimacy, his phone rang.
Gu Tang, cheeks flushed, pushed at him lightly. “There’s a call…”
Gu Qinian didn’t want to answer it.
Gu Tang urged him, “At least listen. What if it’s important?”
Glancing at the screen and seeing that it was Jiang Yiwen, Gu Qinian answered impatiently, “Whatever it is, it had better be important.”
On the other end, Jiang Yiwen had no idea how he’d offended his boss again, so he went straight to the point. “Yu Rong’s overseas assets have been claimed. It wasn’t the Yu family. We can’t trace the owner yet.”
Gu Qinian gave a casual “Oh,” sounding completely uninterested.
Jiang Yiwen asked, “Busy?”
Gu Qinian lowered his gaze to Gu Tang, lying in the quilt with damp lashes after being kissed. “Mm. Very busy.”
Jiang Yiwen: “???”
Busy with what at this hour?
At that moment, a soft voice came from the other side of the phone—
“…Is that Yiwen?”
Jiang Yiwen: “!!”
That was Gu Tang’s voice!
In the next second, the call was cut off.
***
Author’s Note:
Jiang Yiwen: I am a lonely little frog, croaking gua-gua all by myself.
