Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 117

There wasn't much entertainment at Dahua Temple, so Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng had a vegetarian meal and, before it got completely dark, took Xiao Fang for a walk in the snow around the temple.

A few days ago, Xie Qian was invited to Country D for an oil painting exchange, leaving Xiao Fang at home alone. So, Xie Ci brought it along.

Snowflakes were falling sporadically outside, and the wind was strong in the mountains. As soon as the sun set, the temperature dropped sharply.

Xie Ci gently brushed off the snowflakes from Gu Yufeng's eyelashes, took his hand, and tucked it into his coat pocket. "Your hands are so cold, aren't you freezing?"

"I just washed my hands with cold water." Gu Yufeng looked around at the snow-covered ancient buildings, which glowed with a golden hue under the streetlights, appearing serene and solemn. "Is this our first vacation as a family of three?"

"A family of three?" Xie Ci was puzzled.

"The dashing couple, and—" Gu Yufeng paused, nodding towards Xiao Fang, who was being led by a leash ahead, "the second house's old baby."

Xie Ci chuckled lightly. "You're quite generous, providing food and shelter for the second house, even planning for its retirement."

Gu Yufeng replied, "I have that kind of magnanimity."

Xie Ci's eyes were teasing, but he didn't comment.

Seeing Xie Ci's expression, Gu Yufeng knew what he was thinking and said with a bit of embarrassment, "That time was an accident. If you had told me earlier that Xiao Fang was a dog, there wouldn't have been any issues."

"So it's my fault now?" Xie Ci asked with amusement.

Gu Yufeng said, "From now on, we need to explain everything clearly, no more impulsiveness."

Xie Ci nodded, "You should definitely remember that."

"..." Gu Yufeng stopped and stood in front of Xie Ci, deliberately putting on a stern face, "If you bring up old scores again, I won't be polite."

"Threatening me?" Xie Ci looked at him leisurely, "What do you want to do?"

Gu Yufeng raised his hand from Xie Ci's face to his Adam's apple, his voice low and slow, with a hint of playful ambiguity, "If you mention things that upset me again, don't blame me for attacking you at midnight. Playing in a temple seems particularly thrilling, just the right opportunity to fulfill a high school dream."

Xie Ci: "...What kind of nonsensical dream is that?"

Seizing every opportunity, Gu Yufeng was about to steal a kiss when he noticed two monks passing by, giving them a wooden look with a hint of reproach and surprise, as if saying, "No way, no way, someone is actually fooling around in the temple."

Gu Yufeng: "..."

He hadn't even done anything yet.

Xie Ci led Gu Yufeng forward, "Behave yourself."

After walking around Dahua Temple, the snow seemed to be getting heavier, so they decided to return to their guest room.

On the way, Xie Ci received a call from his father, Xie Qian.

"Xiao Ci, are you and Xiao Gu getting married?" Xie Qian's puzzled voice came from the other end, "Many people at the exchange today were asking about you two, saying you've gone public?"

Xie Ci: "Yes, we've gone public."

Although they didn't announce it publicly at Zhang Ruochuan's wedding, it was as good as public.

Xie Qian: "I didn't hear you mention it, I thought someone was spreading rumors online again."

"This time it's true." Xie Ci glanced at Gu Yufeng and told Xie Qian, "We're planning to register next month."

"As long as you've thought it through." Xie Qian hesitated for a moment, "But it might get picked up online, so maybe stay offline for a while."

Having been the subject of rumors before, with both popularity and controversy, this time it would surely be used by some unscrupulous media to gain traffic.

Xie Ci casually agreed, but he didn't really care.

Before he hung up, Gu Yufeng also received a call from Gu Yongnian.

"Where are you?" Gu Yongnian asked.

Gu Yufeng: "What's up?"

"How dare you ask what's up? You went public without a word and then disappeared. Do you know how many people have been asking me about you?!" Gu Yongnian was furious, "The internet is in an uproar now, are you just going to leave it like that?"

Gu Yufeng, unfazed, replied casually, "Why should I care? I wish the whole world knew Xie Ci is mine, so some people would stop thinking about him."

Gu Yongnian could probably guess this outcome. "I've arranged a reception for Saturday night. You and Xiao Xie should come and officially announce your marriage."

"Saturday? No time." Gu Yufeng glanced at Xie Ci, "We're flying to the Maldives on Saturday morning."

Gu Yongnian was taken aback, "When will you be back?"

"Not sure, we're going to register and then visit other countries, maybe travel for a month." Gu Yufeng heard Gu Yongnian getting anxious on the other end and added, "If you want to suppress the online news, go ahead, but it doesn't matter if you don't. It won't affect us."

After hanging up, Gu Yongnian was left with a headache. Just after resolving the Desen issue and catching a breath, the marriage news broke out, which would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among Qinfeng's shareholders and the Muller family, potentially affecting stock prices and the company's reputation.

Gu Yongnian originally didn't want to intervene, thinking the two young men could handle it, but they were planning a long honeymoon, not caring at all.

He spent the day in his office scrolling through the news, getting angrier by the minute. "What kind of people are these, with such filthy mouths! What does someone else's marriage have to do with them? Acting like they have to contribute money!"

Secretary Lin Ying brought over some tea, glanced at the screen, and said, "It's just internet trolls stirring things up. Some people will always be swayed. You should stop looking at it. You're not young anymore, and if you get too worked up, my workload will increase."

Gu Yongnian: "Just let them insult us?!"

Lin Ying: "Didn't they insult us last year too? You weren't this agitated then."

Gu Yongnian: "That time it was fake, this time it's real!"

Unable to hold back, Gu Yongnian personally engaged with netizens but found himself at a disadvantage, unable to out-argue them.

Lin Ying, seeing the old man stubbornly persisting, asked, "Have you checked today's stock market?"

Gu Yongnian looked up in confusion, and Lin Ying opened a page and handed it to him.

Since the news broke yesterday, public opinion had been fermenting for over a day. There was a lot of sarcasm and ridicule online, and Gu Yongnian thought Qinfeng and DR's stock prices would surely drop, just a matter of how much. But to his surprise, they had risen.

After some thought, Gu Yongnian quickly understood. Over the past year, Qinfeng and DR had been very active. Not to mention other things, just dealing with Desen was significant. Last year, they competed with Rongyu for Dolphin, and after Rongyu snatched it away, they turned around and bought the entire Rongyu back. The key was that the money spent wasn't much more than what Rongyu paid for Dolphin. During that time, media coverage was overwhelming, and both groups' stock prices soared.

Now, with the news of the two kids getting married, the stock prices didn't fall but rose, indicating the market's confidence in the potential future cooperation between the two groups. They might be harsh with their words, but their actions were honest.

Lin Ying said, "Young Master Gu and Young Master Xie probably anticipated this. You're too concerned. You should trust they can handle it."

Gu Yongnian laughed in exasperation, "Those two brats!"

Dahua Temple didn't have much entertainment, and Gu Yufeng and Xie Ci didn't want to listen to the monks chanting. Gu Yufeng had just returned from Country D and hadn't adjusted to the time difference. The two of them sat under the corridor by the courtyard, drinking tea and enjoying the night view, and went to bed around nine in the evening.

The guest room was a standard room with two small beds, each 1.2 meters wide. After showering, Gu Yufeng casually opened a bottle of water to drink. He saw Xie Ci leaning against the headboard reading a book with some scripture on the cover. "Reading scriptures, are you planning to become a monk?"

"There are only scriptures here." Xie Ci casually turned a page.

Just as he finished speaking, the book in his hand was snatched away.

Gu Yufeng tossed the book onto the other bed, placed the water bottle on the bedside table, and propped himself up on either side of Xie Ci. He was about to ask if the book was more interesting or he was when Xie Ci suddenly looked up, their eyes meeting, and Gu Yufeng forgot what he was going to say.

Xie Ci's facial bone structure was perfect, with clear and smooth contours. His eyes were dark and bright under the light, and his wet hair was stylishly messy, making his face look clean and cool. To Gu Yufeng, he was one of those rare people who were stunning at first glance and even more captivating the more you looked.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this "beauty" was too enchanting. In his past life, he was utterly captivated, and in this life, he was even more deeply entranced.

"Yufeng?" Seeing Gu Yufeng staring blankly at him, Xie Ci waved a hand in front of his eyes, "Are you sleepy?"

Gu Yufeng knelt on one knee by the bed, leaned over, and traced Xie Ci's jawline, his gaze darkening. "Did you give me some kind of love potion?"

Xie Ci relaxed against the headboard, "Do I need something like that?"

"I must have encountered a fox spirit." Gu Yufeng said, leaning in to kiss Xie Ci, but before he could, Xie Ci pushed him away, frowning in dissatisfaction, "What's wrong with letting me kiss you?"

Xie Ci pointed seriously at the ceiling, "The gods are watching."

Gu Yufeng: "…Are you serious?"

Xie Ci: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We can't break the rules."

Gu Yufeng: "…"

Xie Ci got up to dry his hair, and when he returned, he found Gu Yufeng already undressed, lying on his bed, propped up on one arm, and lifting the corner of the blanket for him.

Gu Yufeng gave a flirtatious wink, "Come on, my dear guest, I've been waiting for you."

Xie Ci: "…"

Who's the real fox spirit here?

Xie Ci's gaze swept over Gu Yufeng's arms and the thin lines of muscle on his chest, and he calmly walked over. "Stop teasing, go to sleep early."

The guest room was simple, with a faint scent of incense unique to the temple. It was Gu Yufeng's first time staying in the mountains, and he was a bit excited. "Do you think there might be snakes?"

"With Xiao Fang here, there's nothing to fear." Xie Ci turned off the light and ruffled Gu Yufeng's hair, "Goodnight."

Gu Yufeng watched Xie Ci go to the other bed, feeling a bit dissatisfied but said nothing more. After two days without rest, he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

Xie Ci glanced at the sleeping person, picked up the discarded scripture book, and placed it on the bedside table. For a moment, there was a hint of loneliness, but it quickly disappeared.

Having drunk too much tea, Gu Yufeng got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, almost bumping into the wall in his half-asleep state. When he came to his senses, he was already in Xie Ci's bed. Too lazy to go back, he adjusted to a comfortable position, touching Xie Ci's abs to lull himself back to sleep.

But the feel was too good, and with such a handsome man in front of him, the more he touched, the more awake he became.

A 1.2-meter bed was too cramped for two 1.9-meter men. Gu Yufeng tossed and turned, unable to sleep, afraid of waking Xie Ci. Thinking it over, he decided to return to his own bed.

Just as he lifted the blanket, an arm wrapped around his waist from behind, pulling him back.

"Did I wake you?" Gu Yufeng turned to look at Xie Ci, who had moved closer, his voice low in the darkness.

Xie Ci didn't speak, burying his head in the crook of Gu Yufeng's neck, leaving a coin-sized red mark on his pale skin, and his hand on Gu Yufeng's waist tugged at his waistband.

Gu Yufeng let out a muffled groan, grabbing Xie Ci's hand. "What are you doing?"

Xie Ci licked the mark he had made, "With the prey right in front of me, what do you think I'm doing?"

Gu Yufeng: "Weren't you the one who said the gods would see?"

"Aren't we under the covers?" Xie Ci's tone was very serious.

Gu Yufeng was momentarily stunned, "Is that allowed?"

Xie Ci freed his hand from Gu Yufeng's grip, his long fingers slipping under the waistband. In the obstructed darkness, the sound of breathing became particularly clear. "Keep it down."

Gu Yufeng clutched the bedsheet beneath him, his breath unsteady, "Why?"

Xie Ci lightly bit Gu Yufeng's ear, his voice low and hoarse, "The gods will hear."

Gu Yufeng cursed under his breath. Once he accepted this setting, it felt like he and Xie Ci were streaking in public.

Xiao Fang, sleeping on the sofa, heard the commotion, glanced over, covered its ears with its front paws, and went back to sleep.

A moment later, Xie Ci withdrew his hand, sat up, and wiped his hand with a few tissues. "You're faster than usual. Do you like this kind of play?"

"…" Gu Yufeng lay there, panting, covering his face with his arm, gritting his teeth in frustration but unable to refute. He had been played by this guy again.

Gu Yufeng: "Is bullying a foreigner fun for you?"

Xie Ci chuckled, "Quite fun."

Gu Yufeng, embarrassed and angry, yanked at Xie Ci's waistband, "Come here! It's my turn!"

Xie Ci held his hand down, "I'm not like you, full of energy and unable to sleep."

"Admitting you're old?" Gu Yufeng retorted.

Xie Ci lay back down, pulling the blanket back up to his waist, "Old or not, at least I'm not as quick as you."

Gu Yufeng cursed again, rolling over to press down on him, "I'm going to fight you."

In the darkness, Xie Ci's suppressed laughter occasionally broke through.

"Stop messing around, the blanket's on the floor."

"Let it be, do you still have time to worry about the blanket?"

"If we don't cover up, the gods will see."

"Still playing?!"

Another round of low laughter.

After a long while, the room finally returned to peace.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains, and Gu Yufeng's consciousness returned. He groggily opened his eyes to find himself alone on the small bed.

Checking the time, it was not yet eight o'clock. Gu Yufeng got dressed, opened the wooden door, and found the corridor bathed in sunlight. Xie Ci was sitting at a table under the corridor, holding a brush and focused on writing something.

Gu Yufeng walked over and glanced at what Xie Ci was writing. Seeing the words "Heart Sutra," the handwriting on the rice paper was neat, different from Xie Ci's usual calligraphy.

"Up early to copy scriptures?" Gu Yufeng scratched his stomach, yawning with disinterest.

Xie Ci noticed him only when he heard the voice, "Broke the precepts last night, copying scriptures to accumulate merit."

Recalling being tricked last night, Gu Yufeng sneered, "Serves you right."

Xie Ci looked up at him, "You share in the merit."

Gu Yufeng leaned on the table, bending down to peck Xie Ci's lips, "Broke the precepts again, shouldn't you copy a few more pages?"

Xie Ci: "…"

With Xie Ci's speechless gaze on him, Gu Yufeng hummed a tune, smugly returning to wash up, put on his coat, and took Xiao Fang out for a walk. Before leaving, he provocatively waved at Xie Ci, "I'm off, take your time copying."

Xie Ci watched him leave, a faint smile in his eyes. Once he was out of sight, he returned to copying the scriptures.

After finishing the last word, Xie Ci put down the brush, organized the stack of rice paper, handed it to the old monk Jie Kong, and offered incense in the Buddha hall before leaving.

There weren't many tourists staying at Dahua Temple on regular days. Walking along the path, they occasionally saw one or two people. The temple's dining hall had fixed opening hours.

It was already breakfast time, so Xie Ci went to find Gu Yufeng for a meal.

In the square in front of the main hall, some monks were sweeping snow. Gu Yufeng, holding Xiao Fang, walked around the edge.

"Yufeng!"

Hearing Xie Ci's voice, Gu Yufeng looked up. From five or six meters up the steps, he saw Xie Ci walk to the railing above.

"Let's go eat first." Xie Ci waved to Gu Yufeng.

Gu Yufeng was already hungry, tightened the leash, and signaled Xiao Fang to follow.

Xiao Fang was about to follow but suddenly turned around, barking as it ran.

Gu Yufeng instinctively held onto the leash, but the ground was too slippery, and he couldn't stop Xiao Fang. He was dragged forward, unable to brake.

"Xiao Fang, come back!"

Xie Ci's expression changed, and he quickly descended the steps to chase after them.

Xiao Fang, like a sled dog, pulled Gu Yufeng far away, and neither of them could stop it.

"Xiao Fang!" Gu Yufeng couldn't stand steadily, stumbling and cursing as he fell into a pile of snow. Fortunately, Xiao Fang didn't run too far and stopped on its own.

Xie Ci caught up, helping Gu Yufeng up and brushing the snow off his hair and face, "Did you get hurt?"

Gu Yufeng shook the snow from his hair, "All my merit got knocked out of me."

His serious tone amused Xie Ci, who turned to look at Xiao Fang. It was pacing in circles on the steps ahead, whining at them, looking quite anxious.

"Let's check it out." Xie Ci pulled Gu Yufeng along, and they went over together.

As they got closer, they faintly heard a dog's bark from below the steps, the sound very faint and weak.

Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng searched around the steps and finally found a puppy hiding in the weeds. Its fur was matted and filthy, with bloodstains on its hind legs, seemingly injured. Even covered in fur, it was visibly small and shivering in the cold outdoors.

Judging by its cries and condition, it probably wouldn't survive long if left alone.

"So small." Gu Yufeng didn't dare get too close, afraid of scaring the dog away.

Xie Ci: "It's at most four or five months old, probably a stray from the nearby mountains, coming to the temple for food."

Gu Yufeng: "And ended up getting beaten, only to hide here and starve."

Xie Ci nodded, "Too small to compete with other dogs."

The little puppy in the corner shrank back, its dirty fur hiding a pair of wet eyes, warily watching them.

For some reason, Gu Yufeng thought of Xie Ci. At a young age, he was fostered with relatives, suffered domestic violence, and had nowhere to escape, only able to hold himself tight, surviving in the cracks.

Gu Yufeng squatted down, trying to beckon the puppy over. "Come here."

The puppy looked at his hand, hesitated for a moment, then tentatively raised its head, dragging its injured hind leg, slowly approaching Gu Yufeng, cautiously sniffing his hand.

"Let's take it back?" Gu Yufeng turned to Xie Ci, "I think Xiao Fang really likes this little thing. It can be my second house, and I've already thought of a name, Xiao Hua."

Xie Ci: "…It's a male."

The puppy was so dirty, looking so weak it seemed like it could freeze to death at any moment. Gu Yufeng took off his coat, wrapped it up, and carried it away.

Xie Ci took off his own coat and draped it over Gu Yufeng's shoulders, signaling him to return to the guest room first. They took the car keys and drove to the nearest pet hospital.

After a thorough examination, it was confirmed that Xiao Hua's leg was not seriously injured, but it was too weak and needed hospitalization. The doctor said Xiao Hua was a golden retriever, only two months old, possibly abandoned or lost.

The two planned to take Xiao Hua to Xie Qian's studio before their honeymoon.

Xiao Fang was extremely excited, pouncing on Xiao Hua's incubator and whining, its tail wagging rapidly, refusing to leave the pet hospital.

It took a lot of persuasion from Xie Ci to get it back into the car.

Gu Yufeng paid the fees, and as he reached the door, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID, then at Xie Ci, who had just sat in the driver's seat, and stepped aside to answer.

The middle-aged man on the other end spoke fluent American English, "We've found information on Ye Yuman."

Gu Yufeng: "What did you find?"

After listening for a while, Gu Yufeng's expression changed, his gaze becoming serious. "I understand."

Xie Ci waited for Gu Yufeng to sit in the passenger seat and drove off, "We haven't had breakfast yet after all this. What do you want to eat?"

After asking for a while without a response, Xie Ci looked at him in confusion, "Yufeng?"

Gu Yufeng snapped back, "Anything's fine."

Seeing his unusual expression, Xie Ci asked, "What's wrong? Is there an urgent matter at the company?"

Gu Yufeng shook his head, recalling what the private investigator had said.

Ye Yuman had died in an accident twenty years ago.