Boyfriend Always Thinks I’m a Little Pitiful Chapter 45

In the corner of the courtyard, three chubby cats were perched on the branches of a persimmon tree, paws tucked in, squeezed together, staring intently at the fish in the pond.

Xie Ci used to not understand why Lei Qiliang, despite being so busy every day, would still take time to visit the temple. But now, looking at it, it really is a serene place, perfect for busy people like them to occasionally come and relax.

Seeing the old monk looking over, Xie Ci casually asked, "Why is there a persimmon tree planted in the courtyard? Is there a reason?"

The old monk turned his head and glanced, "Oh, because I like to eat them."

Xie Ci: "..."

Such a simple reason.

From the room came the faint sound of a door opening, and Xie Ci thought to himself that this kid was at least considerate and didn't take too long in the shower.

The fishy smell on him was really affecting his mood, so Xie Ci got up and returned to the room.

As he pushed open the door, he saw Gu Yufeng coming out while drying his hair. Xie Ci frowned slightly, his tone not very pleasant, "Put your clothes on properly."

Gu Yufeng was wearing a white bathrobe, the front completely open, leaving nothing to the imagination. One side of the collar was loosely draped over his shoulder, and with his hair-drying movements, it seemed like it could slip off at any moment.

"I'm wearing it properly."

Gu Yufeng glanced down, looking as if he wouldn't care even if he were completely naked.

Xie Ci's gaze swept over Gu Yufeng's messy wet hair, from the jawline to the curve of his neck and shoulders, the protruding wrist bone to the line of his fingertips. Images of past playful moments with Gu Yufeng flashed before his eyes, and he turned his head away, not wanting to look anymore.

"I boiled some water. If you want to drink, help yourself."

As he brushed past, Gu Yufeng cornered Xie Ci against the low cabinet, tossing the towel aside and placing his hands on either side of him, bending down to get closer.

With that bend, he was practically exposed.

Xie Ci leaned against the low cabinet, patiently looking at the troublemaker, "What are you up to now?"

Gu Yufeng: "I said earlier I wanted to talk to you, and you haven't answered me yet."

Xie Ci: "…Stop with the nonsense, move aside."

"It doesn't matter if we don't talk."

Gu Yufeng's tone was relaxed, as if he really didn't care, "It's just the two of us here, we're clean now, the bed's right there, and we're in a temple. Just think about it, it's quite exciting."

Xie Ci: "…………"

Xie Ci glanced at the bed over there, then looked back at Gu Yufeng.

When someone is speechless to the extreme, they really do laugh.

"What are you thinking? Did you wash your brain out in the shower?"

Gu Yufeng spoke seriously, "You shouldn't ask what I'm doing, you should ask who I'm doing."

Xie Ci: "…"

Looking at this kid full of dirty jokes, Xie Ci began to doubt his previous judgment.

He had thought Gu Yufeng just enjoyed teasing him for fun, but would maintain a sense of boundaries and didn't really want anything to happen. Now it seemed that the brief period of honesty a few days ago was just a game of playing hard to get, and he had been thoroughly fooled.

Since investigating Gu Yufeng in his past life, Xie Ci knew this person loved to play, but he never really paid attention. Now, with the facts laid out before him, he suddenly found it hard to accept.

In Gu Yufeng's eyes, he should just be a seventeen-year-old minor, and yet he could still make a move.

"You better be joking," Xie Ci said with a stern face.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Gu Yufeng wasn't deterred by Xie Ci's cold expression. He touched from his chin to behind his ear, leaning in to smell his hair, "We foreigners never really have a sense of morality, just looking for a thrill."

His tone was low and affectionate, yet his words were full of mischief.

What a thrill indeed.

When Gu Yufeng looked over, Xie Ci lifted his damp front collar to his nose.

A stench hit him straight in the face, forcing Gu Yufeng to take two steps back, frowning in dissatisfaction, "Let's talk properly, put the clothes down!"

Xie Ci got up expressionlessly and headed to the bathroom, "If you catch a cold this time, I won't lend you my bed again."

Cold wind seeped through the wooden door cracks of the Zen room, making Gu Yufeng sneeze. He cursed under his breath, pulling the bathrobe tighter, looking thoughtfully at the closed bathroom door.

Earlier outside the courtyard gate, he had smelled smoke on Xie Ci. After confirming just now, he was sure it wasn't incense but cigarette smoke, and there was no smoke smell in his mouth, only a faint scent on his hair, likely from someone else smoking nearby.

While Xie Ci was showering, Gu Yufeng sent a message to Robertson, urging him to gather information nearby.

After both had showered and their clothes dried, they left.

Before leaving, the old monk offered them a fish as an apology.

They didn't refuse, casually picking the biggest and prettiest one, putting it in a plastic bag and leaving, almost making the old monk cry from heartache.

On the way to the main gate, Xie Ci asked, "Where's your grandpa?"

"I let him go ahead."

Gu Yufeng replied casually, "Shall I give you a ride back?"

Xie Ci didn't refuse and got in the car with him.

When the car stopped at the studio entrance, Xie Ci opened the car door, thought for a moment, then turned to ask Gu Yufeng, "Want to come in for a bit?"

Gu Yufeng nodded, "It's indeed more suitable at home than in a temple, no need to worry about the old monk eavesdropping."

With a bang.

The car door closed mercilessly in his face, and Xie Ci walked away without looking back.

"Can't take a joke, how boring."

Gu Yufeng withdrew his gaze and asked Robertson in the driver's seat, "Did you find out?"

Robertson: "I captured Lei Qiliang and his subordinates, and also asked the monks in the guest rooms there. It's confirmed that your cool desk mate met with Lei Qiliang."

Listening, Gu Yufeng habitually went to turn the ring on his ring finger, and when he found it missing, he switched to resting his chin on his hand, mentally reviewing all the interactions with Xie Ci since his rebirth.

Setting aside the fact that Xie Ci and Lei Qiliang knew each other early on, and the unlikely event of the gallery telling Xie Ci that his dad liked Jianyan's works, it's highly probable that Xie Ci, like him, was reborn. Judging by his sudden change in attitude recently, he likely already guessed his identity.

That day in the internet cafe, the phrase "don't mistake people in reality" was really intriguing in hindsight.

So, does Xie Ci think he sees the teenage version of Xie Ci as a substitute?

After Robertson finished his report, he heard a short laugh from the back seat. Through the rearview mirror, he saw the lingering smile on Gu Yufeng's lips, his slightly narrowed eyes looking quite pleased.

A good classmate colluding with a business partner to scam a project, what's there to be happy about?

He was finding it increasingly difficult to understand the young boss's thoughts.

Back home, Gu Yufeng carried the water-filled plastic bag to find his grandpa, Gu Mingbai.

Gu Mingbai, being older, had moved to another villa for peace and quiet and rarely appeared at business events.

When Gu Yufeng entered, his grandpa was playing chess with his dad, Gu Yongnian. Gu Yong'an was also there, chatting with grandpa, and even Gu Churan was present, lounging in a rocking chair playing games on his phone.

Seeing Gu Yufeng, Gu Mingbai waved him over, "Xiaofeng is here. Xiaolin just made some pastries, they're still warm."

The Xiaolin he mentioned was Lin Ying.

The whole family had accepted her presence.

Gu Yufeng took a pastry and held it in his mouth, handing over the plastic bag he was carrying.

Gu Mingbai looked at the plastic bag labeled "Jiujiu Zhenggu Paste," which contained a fish, and asked in confusion, "For me?"

Gu Churan glanced up from the lounge chair, sneering, "What junk did you bring back this time? It's always either a broken bedsheet or a plastic bag."

Gu Yong'an sipped his tea without commenting, but Gu Yongnian looked at it seriously and praised, "Looks delicious, let's have the kitchen stew it tonight."

"This was brought back from Dahua Temple."

Gu Yufeng's gaze swept over Gu Yong'an, speaking to his grandpa, Gu Mingbai, "Remember the fish I 'killed' on my first day back in the country? Consider this as compensation."

"Oh!"

Hearing this, Gu Mingbai quickly got up to take the plastic bag, calling someone to take care of the fish, "Such a beautiful one! Last time I went, that old—master said my fate wasn't right, couldn't take one."

Gu Yufeng sat down by the chess table, hinting, "That fish has been in the company for so long without creating any value. It should have been replaced long ago, let a better and prettier fish take its place."

Everyone present wasn't a fool, they immediately understood the implication behind Gu Yufeng's words.

Gu Yong'an kept a straight face, refusing to respond.

In the courtyard, only Gu Churan didn't understand, just seeing Gu Yufeng bringing back a nice fish to please grandpa.

He had been telling jokes all afternoon without making the old man happy, yet Gu Yufeng brought back a fish and made him so pleased.

Gu Churan wore a sour expression, his tone inevitably sarcastic, "Who knows if it really came from the master, maybe it was just bought by the roadside."

"No, no, no, this is definitely from the master, I can recognize it." Gu Mingbai happily handed the fish to a servant, instructing them to put it in the largest fish tank in the hall.

Gu Churan didn't believe it, "You can recognize it? Is there writing on the fish?"

Gu Mingbai: "This is a spiritual fish, how could it be the same as one bought by the roadside?"

He couldn't recognize the fish, but he recognized the shabby plastic bag, it was from that old monk Jiekong.

While they were talking, Gu Yufeng took a picture of the pastry he had bitten into and sent it to Xie Ci.

Gu Yufeng: [Can't eat what I want, so I'll just nibble on something else to satisfy my craving.]

A few minutes later, his phone vibrated, and the chat window showed two new messages.

Xie Ci: [Whatever you want to eat, we have it here.]

Xie Ci: [Photo]

Gu Yufeng picked up his tea and took a sip, casually enlarging the photo, almost choking on his tea.

In the photo, a dog as fat as a pig was squatting in front of a food bowl, its big watery eyes innocently looking at the camera, as if waiting for its owner to give the command to eat. The bowl was filled to the brim with a variety of meats and vegetables.

Gu Yufeng: [You know what I want to eat is at your place?]

Xie Ci: [Come over next time and eat with it, one more pair of chopsticks won't make a difference.]

Gu Yufeng: [Are you inviting me?]

Xie Ci: [As a desk mate, it's only right to help out when you're in need.]

"What does big brother plan to do about Lei Qiliang?" Gu Yong'an put down his tea cup, his face expressionless, but his tone carried some displeasure, "If word gets out that high school students can scheme against Gu's, we'll become a laughingstock."

Gu Yongnian rubbed the chess piece in his hand, staring at the chessboard in front of him, "It's not clear yet, no rush."

"Isn't it clear enough?"

Gu Yong'an's attitude was firm, "If we don't handle this seriously, everyone will think they can take advantage of us."

In the midst of replying to messages, Gu Yufeng interjected, "If every time we're schemed against, we can get a painting worth millions for free and replace a partner with a better one, then what's wrong with being schemed against a few more times? Who would refuse benefits delivered to their door? Right, Dad?"

When Gu Yongnian heard "get a painting for free," he instinctively wanted to nod, but considering the others present, he restrained himself.

Gu Yong'an found it amusing, "You've only been back a few days, and you already know Feihong is better than Xie? Have you been brainwashed by your desk mate? Besides, there's no such thing as a painting worth millions, it's just been maliciously hyped up. Originally, it was worth at most a hundred thousand, and even if given to me for free, I'd find it a waste of space."

Gu Yongnian wasn't pleased, and before he could retort, Gu Yufeng cheerfully added, "Whether it's worth a hundred thousand or not, we'll find out tomorrow night."

-

On Monday evening, Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng took leave and waited for Gu Yongnian's car at the school gate.

When Gu Yongnian saw Gu Yufeng was also there, he asked in confusion, "Didn't you say it was boring and you weren't coming?"

"My desk mate is here, so it's not boring."

Gu Yufeng bent down to get in the car, "You're going to see treasures, I'm going to see treasures too."

Xie Ci: "…"

Not a moment of peace.

Seeing Xie Ci follow, Gu Yongnian immediately put on a smile, "Xiao Xie, sorry for interrupting your studies."

"It's okay."

Xie Ci fastened his seatbelt, "Even if you hadn't invited me, I was planning to go to the auction tonight."

The identity of his dad, Xie Qian, wasn't a secret. With Gu Yufeng having Gu Yongnian's secretary investigate, it was impossible to hide it from Gu Yongnian, so there was no need to conceal it further.

When they arrived at the auction venue, quite a few people were already present.

About a dozen people from the business circle were gathered, chatting.

Two of them had already heard about Lei Qiliang from some channels. Although scheming is common in the business circle, those being schemed against are inevitably unhappy, especially since this time it was Gu's head, Gu Yongnian, who was targeted.

Tonight, there were also works by Jianyan up for auction, and Gu Yongnian's attitude would directly determine whether they would continue to buy Jianyan's paintings at high prices.

"Look, they're here!" someone whispered.

Several CEOs in the business circle looked towards the entrance, all surprised.

It wasn't unusual for Gu Yongnian to bring his son, but they were surprised to see the young man who delivered the painting that day with them!

The two who were in the know exchanged glances, both feeling that things might not go as they had anticipated.

Everyone watched as Gu Yongnian took his seat, chatting animatedly with the young man beside him, looking quite pleased.

Halfway through the auction, it was finally time for Jianyan's work.

Everyone in the business circle was watching Gu Yongnian's reaction.

Those unaware were considering whether to compete with Gu Yongnian, while the two who knew were waiting to see if Gu Yongnian would make a move.

As the oil painting went up for auction, Gu Yongnian didn't bid, and the business circle didn't rush to participate, but others were actively bidding.

Xie Ci observed everyone in the venue, naturally noticing the reactions of those in the business circle.

Their lack of action was actually beneficial to him. Tonight, he wanted to see the true market value of his dad's work without these big spenders involved.

The price soared from five hundred thousand to five million, with still six or seven people bidding.

"Xiao Xie, in your opinion, how much is Jianyan's work worth?" Gu Yongnian asked in a low voice.

Xie Ci withdrew his gaze, answering calmly, "I'm not very knowledgeable in this area. The value of a work should be determined by those who appreciate it."

Gu Yongnian smiled, not saying more.

The price of the oil painting soared to seven million, and no one else was bidding. The auctioneer began the countdown.

Just when everyone thought Gu Yongnian wouldn't make a move, his staff suddenly raised a paddle, "Twenty million."

The venue was in an uproar.

Even Gu Yufeng glanced at this extravagant old man.

Xie Ci was also a bit surprised, "You could have secured the painting by just adding ten thousand to the seven million."

"But as you said, the value of a work is determined by those who appreciate it. I believe it's worth twenty million, so it's worth twenty million."

Watching the auctioneer's hammer fall, Gu Yongnian was all smiles, casually asking Xie Ci, "By the way, don't high schools have parent-teacher meetings?"

Xie Ci: "…?"

Gu Yufeng: "…"

Gu Yufeng: "You should tone it down."

Gu Yongnian: "I was just asking casually."

Gu Yufeng looked at Xie Ci, who was sitting to the right of Gu Yongnian, and said leisurely, "I don't know about parent-teacher meetings, but there will definitely be a meeting with the parents."

Gu Yongnian: "…?"

Xie Ci: "…"

You should tone it down too.