Chapter 93: If There Had Been No Rebirth (Extra 1)
“Nian Nian, no more…”
Gu Tang weakly turned his head away, trying to avoid the damp sensation on his face.
They had already gone at it all night, and now early in the morning he was being kissed again…
Did Young Master Gu’s stamina have no limit at all?!
“Mew…”
A soft little cat’s meow made Gu Tang snap awake.
…What was that?!
He suddenly opened his eyes. After briefly adjusting to the glaring light, he saw a round-faced little black cat in his field of vision.
The cat was sticking out its pink little tongue, its dark green eyes fixed on him without blinking. It was obvious it had just finished licking him.
Gu Tang: “?”
While he was still confused, the little black cat spoke in a human voice. “It’s me.”
Gu Tang was startled. Once he realized what was happening, he said in shock, “Little System?!”
The little black cat narrowed its eyes and nodded.
Gu Tang subconsciously reached up to touch his own head. “How did you fall out?”
The system plopped its butt on the ground and licked its paw as it said lazily, “You fell out too.”
Gu Tang: “???”
“Host, because you followed an emotional storyline that the male lead was never supposed to have, the plot of the original book has changed. Unfortunately, some plot fragments have now appeared.”
“A portion of the male lead’s soul has been scattered through these fragments. We have to wake him up before we can return to the original world, meow…”
The system rolled over in Gu Tang’s arms and let out a catlike cry.
The host’s petting felt sooo good, meow…
Gu Tang stood up from the roadside greenery, startling the passersby around him.
They all shot him strange looks.
But once they realized he was just a cute boy holding a kitten, those looks softened.
“So he’s rescuing a stray kitten.”
“What a kind child.”
“And he’s cute too…”
Gu Tang smiled awkwardly and hurried away with the system in his arms.
The street scene looked like the Capital City, so it seemed the world they had crossed into was still based on the original novel’s setting.
Gu Tang scratched the little black cat gently. “Where can I find Nian Nian?”
The system was so comfortable from being petted that it could barely open its eyes. It stretched out one cat paw and pointed toward a high-rise not far from the greenery. “There!”
“The plot fragment we’re in right now is near the end of the original book. The male lead has no one to rely on and successfully rises to power through his own abilities. That building is his company.”
The system reminded Gu Tang seriously, “Before he’s awakened, he isn’t the same Gu Qinian you know, so don’t let your guard down!”
Gu Tang only felt heartache.
In this world, there was no him.
Young Master Gu had still gone through all the misfortunes of his childhood and ultimately grown up all alone.
Gu Tang sniffed. “Nian Nian is so pitiful. I’m going to find him.”
But in this world, Gu Qinian did not know him. So how was he supposed to get close to him?
“Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged everything for you!”
The system swished its fluffy tail proudly. “I arranged an identity for you—Gu Qinian’s personal life assistant. The kind that stays close and takes care of him personally!”
Even though he knew the system meant nothing by it, the words stays close still made Gu Tang blush.
The system just assumed he was extremely satisfied with this identity, and its tail wagged even harder.
Their point of arrival after crossing over was right by the greenery near Gu Qinian’s company.
After only a few steps, Gu Tang arrived downstairs at the building.
He set the little black cat down from his arms and asked worriedly, “You alone… no, one cat… that’s not right, one system moving around by yourself—is that okay?”
The system wagged its tail at him. “I’ll just wander around here and treat it like sightseeing.”
“Host, you should worry about yourself instead.”
“You need to get familiar with Gu Qinian as soon as possible, or you won’t even have a place to sleep tonight!”
With the cannon-fodder little system’s abilities, arranging an identity was already pretty impressive. All Gu Tang owned right now was the outfit on his body.
“Got it.”
Gu Tang straightened his collar. “I’m going in, System.”
The system made a heart with its tail. “Good luck, Tangbao!”
It watched as its host walked into the company building.
The system let out a breath, suddenly feeling oddly empty inside.
A little system separated from its host was very lonely.
It had nothing to do, so it idly pressed little plum blossom paw prints into the ground.
Then suddenly, the skin at the back of its neck tightened.
Someone had picked it up!
“Miaow—”
The system flailed its limbs in struggle, but the moment it identified who the other party was, it froze. “S-Senior?!”
The man holding it curled his lips into a smile and pulled the little black cat into his arms. His long fingers stroked through the cat’s soft fur, sinking into the fluff as he gently scratched its tiny belly.
“!!!”
The system gave a shudder, then its body went limp.
It melted into a flat little cat pancake in the man’s hands.
The system: “So, so comfortable, meow…”
The man let out a low laugh and carried it away.
—
On the other side, Gu Tang stood holding a bucket, a mop, and a rag, making a deeply confused sound—
“A janitor? Wasn’t I supposed to be President Gu’s assistant?”
The boy in front of her was good-looking, fair, and adorable. No matter how you looked at it, he really did not seem suited to janitorial work.
The HR girl also thought this was absurd, but she had no authority to decide, so she could only say quietly, “Originally it was an assistant position, but because of some… special reasons, you were reassigned to janitorial work.”
“What reasons?”
Gu Tang had not expected even the position the system had arranged for him to change.
Could it be that the company his Nian Nian ran had corrupt hiring practices too???
The HR girl shook her head. “Sorry, that involves confidential upper management matters. I can’t say.”
Gu Tang blinked pitifully a few times.
His round amber eyes were watery and looked heartbreakingly lovable.
The HR girl’s heart softened, and she gave him a hint. “Um… maybe you should change your name?”
Gu Tang looked blank. “I got transferred because of my name?”
“That’s the situation. I really can’t say any more.”
In the end, the HR girl only gave him that one meaningful sentence.
As he mopped the floor, Gu Tang pouted and thought it over.
What was wrong with his name?
According to the original plot, by this point Young Master Gu had already risen successfully. Because of the fake young master, he had developed a grudge against the Gu family, did not inherit the Gu family business, and instead started from scratch in the new energy sector…
Wait!
The fake young master!!!
Wasn’t the reason he had become the cannon-fodder fake young master in the first place because he had the exact same name as the fake young master in the original book?!
No wonder…
HR was just avoiding trouble.
They were afraid that if someone with the same name as the fake young master appeared in front of the boss, it would make the boss unhappy.
But if things were handled this way, then he would not even get a chance to see Young Master Gu.
So how was he supposed to wake him up?
“Young man, there’s a trick to cleaning too. You’ve gotta use your waist, your waist power, get it?”
The old man, who was also a janitor, took on the posture of a senior and instructed Gu Tang, poking him in the lower back with the mop handle.
Gu Tang nearly went weak at the knees and collapsed.
From that alone, he could confirm that this time he had physically crossed over in his real body.
All the sins Young Master Gu had committed last night were still something he could clearly feel even now…
The old man saw his knees go weak and clicked his tongue even more worriedly.
It wasn’t that the old man was prejudiced.
It was just that this child’s skin was so fine and tender. At a glance, he really did not look like someone who could do physical labor.
Who knew what kind of person the company had found.
In truth, HR had not expected Gu Tang to actually accept the job either.
To be demoted from the president’s personal life assistant to a janitor came with a world of difference in salary and treatment. Any normal person would have already slapped their butt and left. It was also one of HR’s more tactful ways of pushing an employee to resign.
Who could have guessed that Gu Tang would not care at all about the position, nor about the salary, and would actually be willing to do janitorial work.
HR was surprised, but since the words had already been said, they could only let him take the position.
And have him clean together with the old man.
Gu Tang had been in poor health before, so he had never had the strength to do labor. After going to the Gu family, he had grown up pampered and cherished, so there had been no need for him to work either.
By all logic, he should have made a complete mess of things. But as he worked, it unexpectedly started going quite smoothly.
After moving around for a while, his back no longer ached and his legs no longer hurt.
Gu Tang: Laborers are the most glorious!
He had not forgotten that he still had a mission. While huffing and puffing as he mopped the floor alongside the old man, he asked, “When does the president come to work?”
“The president isn’t like us. His working hours aren’t fixed.”
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, then suddenly slapped his thigh. “Oh no, I was so busy teaching you how to mop that I still haven’t wiped down the president’s elevator!”
The moment Gu Tang heard that, he quickly raised his hand. “I’ll go, I’ll go!”
Looking at the young man’s diligent little back, the old man sighed. “What a good child!”
The president’s elevator—
Wasn’t that exactly the place where he might have a chance encounter alone with Young Master Gu!
Of course Gu Tang was not going to miss that.
The president’s office was on the top floor of the building. He reached out and touched the button for that floor.
Normally, Young Master Gu had to press that button to get to his office.
Knowing that Young Master Gu had a cleanliness obsession, Gu Tang deliberately changed to a clean rag and polished the elevator button until it gleamed.
As he cleaned, he imagined what Young Master Gu would look like after turning into the powerful Boss Gu.
The more he thought about it, the hotter his cheeks became for no reason.
Gu Tang shook his head, forcing himself to clear his mind.
Just then, the elevator reached the first floor. He was about to step out when the doors opened, revealing someone standing outside.
Gu Tang almost crashed straight into the other person’s arms.
He looked up in a daze.
And met a face that was incomparably familiar, yet also somewhat unfamiliar.
The man before him was tall and straight, his hair combed neatly without a single strand out of place. His features were still those same sculpted features, but his aura had grown far more mature. His cold, stern face carried authority even without anger, and his whole body radiated a pressure that made people not dare meet his eyes directly.
At that moment, the man was staring at him in silence, his gaze icy.
Gu Tang had finally managed to see him.
Overcome with emotion for a moment, he instinctively blurted out, “Nian Nian!”
The other man remained expressionless. Even his brows did not twitch. There was not a trace of warmth in the way he looked at him.
Why wasn’t he responding?
Gu Tang bit his lip, feeling a little disappointed inside.
He had thought that as long as he appeared and called out “Nian Nian,” the other person would instantly wake up.
It turned out waking him up was not going to be as easy as he had imagined.
“Sorry, I mistook you for someone else.”
Gu Tang said softly.
The Boss Gu in front of him did not know him.
If he insisted on calling him “Nian Nian,” he might be thought crazy. And if he got thrown out of the company, the loss would outweigh the gain.
And yet, even after he apologized, the other man still looked at him coldly, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Gu Tang: “?”
Only after a long moment did the man say two icy words: “Move.”
Only then did Gu Tang realize he was blocking the doorway, and he hastily shrank back into the elevator.
“You’d better come out.”
A familiar voice sounded.
Gu Tang turned toward the sound and saw Jiang Yiwen standing behind Gu Qinian.
So even in a world without him, his friends would still grow according to their destined paths. Jiang Yiwen had still become the special assistant in the end.
Only his Young Master Gu’s life trajectory had changed—
his romantic storyline had been cut off.
He had turned into a cold, emotionless work machine.
Gu Tang pouted.
Seeing that the young man still had not moved, Jiang Yiwen called out again, “Please come out. President Gu doesn’t share an elevator with other people.”
Gu Tang could not help glancing at the icy Boss Gu.
So finicky…
No wonder he had no love line.
Single purely by his own ability, that’s what this was.
Since he was not familiar with Boss Gu, he could only obediently step out of the elevator.
But for some reason, Gu Qinian just stood blocking the doorway without moving.
Gu Tang could only turn sideways and squeeze past him awkwardly.
He was carrying a bucket, holding a mop, and dangling a little rag from one hand. He had too many things in his hands, and his footing slipped, sending him pitching forward.
“Careful!”
Jiang Yiwen reacted quickly and caught him.
Still shaken, Gu Tang let out a breath. “Thank you.”
At the same time, Gu Qinian’s brow suddenly twitched.
His gaze landed on Jiang Yiwen’s two hands where they were holding the young man’s arm.
For some reason, that kind of contact made him feel… very uncomfortable?
Gu Qinian frowned almost imperceptibly and looked the young man up and down.
A new face…
Where had he come from?
Gu Tang did not notice that he was being watched so intently.
His thoughts were very simple.
Since Jiang Yiwen was still Young Master Gu’s special assistant, then if he could get on Jiang Yiwen’s good side, maybe he could become Young Master Gu’s life assistant.
That was much more reliable than going through HR.
So the way he looked at Jiang Yiwen became more earnest.
Gu Qinian stepped into the elevator, but when he turned back, he saw the young man smiling brightly as he chatted with his assistant.
And that brat Jiang Yiwen was smiling very happily too.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, the image of the two of them chatting and laughing outside stabbed painfully at his eyes.
“Bang—”
In the final second before the elevator fully closed, Gu Qinian forced it open again.
Both Gu Tang and Jiang Yiwen looked toward Boss Gu.
Their expressions clearly waiting for instructions.
Just now, Gu Qinian had acted faster than he had thought. After stopping the elevator, he himself did not know what to say for a moment.
After a pause, he asked casually, “Did you wipe this elevator?”
His gaze rested on the young man.
Gu Tang nodded obediently.
Gu Qinian lifted a hand and pointed to a certain spot inside the elevator. “There’s still dust there. Come in and wipe it clean.”
“Mm-hmm!”
He was going to be alone with Nian Nian!
Gu Tang’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly scurried back into the elevator carrying his rag.
Jiang Yiwen was a little surprised. He had not expected his boss to be willing to share an elevator with anyone, so he happily lifted a foot to step in too.
The next second, the elevator doors closed right in front of him.
Jiang Yiwen: “???”
—
Once inside the elevator, Gu Tang widened his eyes and searched for a long while, but he could not find the dust the man had mentioned anywhere.
“Is there dust?”
Gu Tang looked carefully, nearly pressing his face to the elevator wall. “Why can’t I see it?”
Gu Qinian coughed lightly, as if to cover something up, and pointed at the completely nonexistent spot of dust. “Here.”
Gu Tang blinked in confusion.
Had Boss Gu’s cleanliness obsession and compulsiveness become this severe already?
He could even invent dirt out of thin air???
Still, in order to make the other man feel more comfortable, he rubbed that exact spot hard with the rag.
After wiping it, he turned back and gave him a radiant smile. “All cleaned up!”
The young man’s face was bright and lovely.
His brows curved, and even the upward tilt of his lips was pretty. His smile was sweet.
He almost matched every single one of Gu Qinian’s aesthetic preferences…
Gu Qinian stared at the young man before him, lost in thought.
Seeing him staring blankly, Gu Tang waved a hand in front of his eyes. “Hello?”
Gu Qinian came back to himself with a slight jolt.
This seemed to be the first time he had stared at someone for so long.
This little thing had a slender frame, and his fingers were fair and delicate. No matter how you looked at him, he did not resemble someone doing janitorial work.
Thinking that, Gu Qinian’s gaze drifted unconsciously to the young man’s chest.
There was a small name tag pinned there—
Gu Tang…
So that was his name.
No wonder.
“You didn’t originally apply for a janitorial position, did you?” Gu Qinian asked calmly.
Gu Tang looked surprised. “How did you know?”
Then he added another line of praise: “You’re amazing!”
The young man’s voice was pleasant too—soft and sweet, like he had a piece of candy in his mouth, so even his words carried a faint sweetness.
The endings of his sentences seemed to curve like little hooks, scratching lightly at Gu Qinian’s heart.
As if he were deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—acting spoiled toward him.
Gu Qinian lowered his eyes to the young man and asked, “What position were you originally supposed to have?”
Gu Tang said shyly, “Your personal life assistant.”
The kind that stays close.
That was what the system had told him.
Looking at the handsome face and mature aura of the man before him, and thinking that ten years later his Young Master Gu would become like this, Gu Tang’s cheeks flushed pink.
“Ding—”
With a soft sound, the elevator arrived at the top floor.
The doors opened.
Gu Tang looked at the man in front of him expectantly. “Can I be your assistant? I can do a lot of—”
But before he could finish, the other man cut him off.
He said only two words—
“Go down.”
Gu Tang: “…”
Hmph. Ten-years-later Young Master Gu was not cute at all!
Gu Tang pressed the button for the first floor hard and went back down angrily with his little rag.
Gu Qinian stood outside the elevator, looking thoughtful as he watched the doors close.
He rarely took interest in any person or thing.
And yet this little one could stir his emotions in every possible way.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed suspicious…
When Gu Tang returned to the first floor, the doors opened to reveal Jiang Yiwen again. “So you really didn’t share an elevator with him?”
“You should call him President Gu.”
Jiang Yiwen kindly reminded this little friend who clearly had no fear of death.
Gu Tang nodded obediently. “Got it.”
But when facing Young Master Gu, he still found it a little hard to say.
After all, last night that same person had still had him pinned under the blankets. Then this morning he opened his eyes to find the other had not only aged ten years, but also no longer recognized him.
And now he had to call him “President Gu”—that just made everything feel even stranger!
Gu Tang spent the entire morning cleaning and never found a chance to get into the president’s office. He did not get to see difficult-to-deal-with Boss Gu again.
And the system had no idea where it had run off to. He could not contact it.
The whole world felt unfamiliar to him.
By noon, his stomach was growling with hunger.
The company employees all ate in the cafeteria, but Gu Tang was still in his probation period and had not been issued a meal card. Normally you could still buy food with cash, but sadly, the only wealth the system had left him was one reasonably decent set of clothes.
Gu Tang: flat stomach, empty pockets.
“What are you standing here for?”
A familiar low voice came from behind him.
Gu Tang turned around in delight.
He nearly blurted out “Nian Nian,” but swallowed it back at the last second.
Very unwillingly, he called out, “President Gu.”
Gu Qinian walked up to him. His tall body blocked all the light in front of Gu Tang, making his presence intensely oppressive. “Why are you always wandering around by the elevator to my office?”
“I’m responsible for cleaning this area…”
Gu Tang’s voice was very small.
He was lying.
This assigned cleaning zone actually belonged to the old man.
He just had nowhere else to go, so he had subconsciously drifted toward the place closest to Young Master Gu.
Being near Nian Nian made him feel safer.
Gu Qinian stared darkly at the crown of the young man’s head.
Just as he was about to say something, a sudden gurgle sounded.
“!” Gu Tang’s face turned bright red.
“Why didn’t you go eat?”
Gu Qinian narrowed his eyes.
His company did not have a tradition of mistreating employees. The cafeteria food was always good, and once mealtime arrived, everyone else rushed there as fast as they could. This little one, on the other hand, not only had not gone to eat, but had also been hanging around near his private elevator.
Could it be… he really was a spy sent by another company?
Gu Tang was normally never left hungry, and after working all morning, his stomach now let out several indignant growls.
Blushing, he lowered his head and mumbled, “I don’t have money.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
A very stupid excuse.
He was almost certain now that this little thing was absolutely approaching him with some purpose.
But strangely…
Under normal circumstances, he would only have the person thrown out of the company and would order Jiang Yiwen to investigate their background.
If necessary, he might even torment them a little to see whether anything useful could be forced out of their mouth…
As he thought this, Gu Qinian’s gaze drifted involuntarily to the young man’s rosy lips.
Even he himself did not know why he heard himself say—
“What do you want to eat?”
Gu Qinian suspected he had gone mad.
Gu Tang lifted his head in surprise. “You’re going to buy food for me?”
Gu Qinian turned his eyes away and refused to meet the young man’s gaze. He suspected the other had some kind of bewitching magic. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
Gu Tang was very happy and, out of habit, reached out as if he wanted to hook onto the other man’s arm.
But just as his hand was about to touch the sleeve, it suddenly drew back.
He had almost forgotten.
The man in front of him was Boss Gu, not his Young Master Gu.
And he also had a serious cleanliness obsession.
Gu Tang had been cleaning all morning. Even though he had washed his hands, if he casually touched the other man, he would definitely be disliked.
And what if Boss Gu got angry and decided not to buy him food anymore?
Gu Tang rubbed his hand against his pants. “I’m not picky. As long as I can eat my fill, that’s fine.”
He smiled shyly, not forgetting to add, “Thank you, President Gu.”
Gu Qinian: “…”
Just now, had the little one wanted to hold his hand, or hook his arm?
Why had he pulled back?
Outwardly, Boss Gu coldly helped him buy food, but inwardly he was full of regret.
Before he knew it, he had added a chicken drumstick to the tray for him.
And for some reason, as if possessed, he also bought an extra strawberry cupcake.
So that day in the cafeteria, the employees all saw their aloof, untouchable president enter the cafeteria for the first time, buy a huge pile of food, even ask for a little cake, and hand it all over to the young man walking behind him.
The cute-looking young man kept talking along the way too, saying things like “I want this, not that,” and so on…
Gu Qinian himself found it exasperating.
Hadn’t he said he wasn’t picky!
Gu Tang still had not realized that he was gradually getting a handle on his target.
Mainly because, after Boss Gu handed him the food, he turned and left like some nameless good Samaritan who did good deeds without asking for credit.
It was as though he had shown up purely to buy him food.
After eating and drinking his fill—and swallowing the little cake too—Gu Tang instantly regained the energy to work.
So that afternoon he continued performing his janitorial duties very seriously.
Unfortunately, until the end of the workday, he never got another chance to see Boss Gu, the living Lei Feng.
As the other employees gradually left, Gu Tang deliberately dragged his feet and stayed overtime on purpose.
He had failed to become Boss Gu’s personal life assistant according to the system’s plan, and now he had nowhere to sleep that night.
In order not to end up sleeping on the street, he came up with a plan—
he would secretly stay in the company for the night.
He took the initiative to tell the old man that he would be responsible for cleaning the president’s office.
The old man was delighted, praised him for being such a diligent good child, and handed him the key.
Only after everyone had left did Gu Tang sneak into the president’s office.
In reality, two photos were placed on Young Master Gu’s desk—
one was a Gu family portrait, which Gu Tang himself had placed there for him.
The other was a photo of the two of them together: he was sitting in Young Master Gu’s lap, smiling foolishly, while Young Master Gu kissed his cheek with laughter in his eyes.
Unlike his Young Master Gu, poor Boss Gu’s desk had nothing on it.
There was no sign of life at all.
Nor anyone he wanted to see.
The entire office gave off the atmosphere of an empty-nest old man.
The city night view outside the window was beautiful, but standing by the window felt incredibly lonely.
Gu Tang stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass for a while, personally experiencing Boss Gu’s bleakness.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a coat lying on the sofa. It was probably the only thing in this spacious room that felt remotely human.
“Nian Nian…”
Gu Tang picked up the coat, curled up on the sofa, and covered himself with it.
It felt like sleeping in familiar arms.
Wah, I miss Nian Nian…
Gu Qinian lived alone too. He decided to come back to the office to work overtime, and the moment he entered, he saw a lump bulging on the sofa.
He walked over and lifted the coat.
The young man was curled into a tiny ball underneath, sleeping quietly, his cheeks rosy from sleep.
Gu Qinian narrowed his eyes dangerously and crouched down.
Then he reached out and poked the young man’s cheek.
“Who sent you?”
Perhaps because the poke was uncomfortable, the sleeping young man frowned slightly. Then he turned over and hugged Gu Qinian’s hand.
His soft, tender cheek pressed right into his palm.
Gu Qinian froze, then tried to pull his hand back. In a low voice, he said, “Let go.”
Gu Tang was still muddled from sleep. Hearing someone speak, he slowly opened his eyes.
In his drowsy haze, he saw the person he liked.
His lips curved, and he tipped his head up and kissed the other on the lips.
“Nian Nian, turn off the lights. Let’s go to sleep…”
Boss Gu, who had never slept with anyone before: “?!!”
