The next morning, Fu Yan woke up in the glare of bright sunlight.

He heard faint sounds coming from the kitchen. Supporting his still-weary body from the previous night's drinking, he slowly sat up on the couch. Through the doorway, he saw a tall figure moving about in the kitchen.

Wrinkling his nose, he caught a whiff of the unpleasant smell lingering on himself. He immediately decided to sneak into the bathroom first, take a shower, and destroy the evidence.

In the kitchen, Gu Zhan turned off the stove.

Holding a porcelain bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, his long fingers moved deftly through the rising steam, lifting silky white noodles into the bowl.

A warm body suddenly attached itself to his back, bringing with it the fresh scent of soap and lingering moisture.

It smelled nice.

Fu Yan wrapped his arms around Gu Zhan's waist and naturally rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Being able to eat breakfast made by my boyfriend first thing in the morning... this is happiness."

Gu Zhan glanced sideways at him but continued serving noodles without responding.

"Why aren't you talking to me? Still angry?" Fu Yan smiled foolishly. "Even when you're mad, you're handsome."

He poked Gu Zhan's nose.

"A friend's birthday was last night. I drank a bit too much, but I absolutely didn't do anything inappropriate. Don't overthink it. They're all guys I've known since childhood. I can't exactly skip every gathering."

He paused.

"You understand that kind of social obligation, don't you?"

Gu Zhan did understand.

For people like them, these gatherings weren't just about having fun. They were also opportunities to build connections and exchange information. Sometimes success in business depended entirely on whether you received information quickly enough and could seize opportunities before anyone else.

In that sense, Fu Yan's social life wasn't all that different from business networking.

Understanding it, however, didn't mean he liked it.

Before getting together with Fu Yan, Gu Zhan had visited plenty of nightlife venues himself.

But after they became a couple, he had completely drawn a line between himself and those places.

Even during business dinners, whenever social niceties couldn't be avoided, he maintained an untouchable, aloof image.

He knew very well that all those strange scents on Fu Yan last night couldn't have gotten so strong without people getting very close to him.

Truthfully, he was dissatisfied.

But voicing it felt petty.

And even if he did say something, would it matter?

Judging by Fu Yan's polished apology techniques this morning, his previous exes had probably complained countless times.

Yet Fu Yan remained exactly the same.

Seeing Gu Zhan still refusing to engage, Fu Yan softened his tone further.

Leaning against his shoulder, he said:

"I know I'm a man with a family now."

The phrase made Gu Zhan's eyebrow twitch.

"I'll be more careful next time."

"I promise I wasn't fooling around with anyone. We just celebrated a birthday at the club."

He poked Gu Zhan's cheek.

"Are you jealous?"

A grin spread across his face.

"This is the first time I've seen President Gu get jealous."

Gu Zhan finished serving the noodles and tossed the chopsticks into the sink.

"Stop treating me like a child."

His voice turned cold.

"I'm not jealous, and I'm not throwing a tantrum."

He finally turned toward Fu Yan.

"I'm simply telling you that I don't like you coming home drunk in the middle of the night."

"And I don't think someone who knows he's in a relationship should continue associating casually with people who are obviously interested in him without maintaining some distance."

His tone was calm but firm.

Even without raising his voice, the pressure naturally radiating from Slungshot's CEO was enough to make people nervous.

When Gu Zhan encountered a problem, he always addressed it directly.

Fu Yan knew that expression.

It meant the negotiation room was nearly nonexistent.

Arguing now would only make things worse.

He sighed.

"Okay, don't look so serious, President Gu."

He kissed the corner of Gu Zhan's eye.

"We're dating, not negotiating a contract."

Then he straightened up and spoke solemnly:

"I, Party B, Fu Yan, in order to protect the legal rights and interests of both parties, and in accordance with the principles of fairness, mutual benefit, love, and affection, hereby voluntarily agree to reduce the frequency of going out and causing trouble with my childhood friends."

"If I do go out, I will report it to my boyfriend in advance."

"I will strive to drink less and come home earlier."

"This agreement takes effect immediately."

After delivering his declaration, he rubbed against Gu Zhan's neck like a giant dog.

"Anything else you're dissatisfied with, my esteemed Party A?"

"You're wrinkling my shirt."

Gu Zhan bumped him away with his shoulder and carried two bowls of plain noodles toward the dining room.

Though he remained outwardly cold, the smile in his eyes could no longer be hidden.

Fu Yan immediately knew he'd been forgiven.

He followed behind.

"Why noodles all of a sudden?"

Normally on workdays they ate breakfast at their respective company cafeterias.

It was convenient and allowed them to sleep longer.

Gu Zhan handed him a pair of chopsticks.

"If you go to work on an empty stomach after drinking that much, aren't you afraid of getting stomach problems?"

"So considerate."

Fu Yan couldn't resist kissing his cheek.

The two finished breakfast harmoniously before heading off to work.

Fu Yan usually drove himself and picked Gu Zhan up after work.

Gu Zhan, meanwhile, would have his driver take him.

Just before leaving, Fu Yan remembered something.

"We're going to the football match tonight. Don't forget."

"I'll come pick you up early."

"Mm."

Standing in the elevator, Gu Zhan tossed him a paper shopping bag.

"What's this?"

Fu Yan looked inside.

Clothes.

Gu Zhan explained:

"Were you planning to wear a custom-tailored suit to a football game?"

Fu Yan was normally thoughtful enough to prepare for these things himself.

But after drinking so much the previous night, it had slipped his mind.

The fact that Gu Zhan had thought of it for him made him smile.

He leaned closer and whispered:

"My wife is so considerate."

Gu Zhan rolled his eyes.

"Keep talking like that and you'll lose this treatment."

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

That evening, when Fu Yan arrived at Slungshot, Gu Zhan was already waiting in the parking garage.

From a distance, Fu Yan saw a tall figure dressed in a long black wool coat, a white hoodie, ripped jeans, and a color-block baseball cap.

He almost didn't recognize him.

Whistling as he rolled down the window, he called out:

"Wow. Whose kid is this?"

Gu Zhan climbed into the passenger seat with a smile.

"If you're asking that, then I guess he's not yours?"

"He's mine."

Fu Yan grabbed his hand.

"And nobody's taking him away."

He theatrically tucked their joined hands inside his coat.

Both of them burst out laughing.

The more they looked at each other, the more childish they seemed.

Love really did lower people's intelligence.

Fu Yan started the car but kept glancing over.

"You look so young dressed like this."

"I've never seen clothes like these in your closet."

"Trying something different."

Gu Zhan shrugged.

"I had Xiao Chen buy them a few days ago."

Fu Yan looked down at himself.

"What about this shirt? It's new too, right? I don't remember owning one like it."

"Our sizes are similar."

Gu Zhan answered casually.

"I figured it'd fit you, so I grabbed it this morning."

His tone sounded indifferent.

But his eyes had already drifted toward Fu Yan several times.

Fu Yan was wearing exactly the outfit Gu Zhan had prepared: a padded jacket layered over a gray-green plaid shirt.

Compared to his usual immaculate suits, he looked much younger.

Sitting together, they resembled a couple in their early twenties.

"That look you're giving me..."

Fu Yan smirked.

"Maybe we should skip the game."

"Find somewhere warm instead."

"So you can properly inspect whether your shirt fits me."

"I've already gotten tired of calling you an old pervert."

Fu Yan laughed.

He lifted Gu Zhan's hand and kissed it gently.

Then his teasing expression softened.

"You put a lot of thought into this."

"All for our first date."

Gu Zhan immediately turned his face away.

"Oh?"

Fu Yan grinned.

"You're blushing."

"Nonsense."

Gu Zhan tried to pull his hand back.

Fu Yan simply held on tighter.

It was strange.

When flirting, Gu Zhan was never any less bold than Fu Yan.

But whenever Fu Yan sincerely said something heartfelt, he became embarrassed.

He refused to admit it was shyness.

Still, compared to the experienced Fu Yan, there were many things he simply wasn't as practiced at.

Technically speaking, this really was their first date.

Before this, all their interactions had revolved around work or home.

Gu Zhan had never experienced a relationship in such an official capacity.

He wanted everything to go well but didn't want to make too big a fuss.

In the end, he'd simply asked Xiao Chen to help him buy some new clothes.

Showing up refreshed and properly dressed felt like the most basic form of respect toward the person he was dating.

Suddenly—

Screeeech!

A harsh braking sound rang out.

They had nearly run a red light.

President Fu had been too busy teasing his newly transformed "little wife" to focus on driving.

Gu Zhan immediately snatched his hand back.

"Pay attention."

"Careless driving leaves your loved ones in tears."

"Yes, my loved one."

Fu Yan answered with a grin.

Both of them laughed.

Soon they arrived at the stadium.

Gu Zhan had already studied the seating map in the car and successfully led them through a quiet route that brought them directly to their section.

Unfortunately, they still ran into Xiao Chen.

The tickets for the match had been distributed among several company employees.

Gu Zhan had deliberately selected remote seats to avoid acquaintances.

Yet somehow Xiao Chen had gotten lost and wandered into their section.

The moment she spotted him, she called out:

"President Gu! You're here too? Where's Section D? Is this Section F? Ah—!"

Her eyes widened.

Behind Gu Zhan stood a handsome man carrying hamburgers and soda.

At first glance he looked oddly familiar.

Then realization struck.

Wasn't this President Fu wearing an entirely new skin?

More importantly—

That gray-green plaid shirt looked incredibly familiar.

Wasn't it the exact shirt she'd bought for her boss a few days ago?

Why was President Fu wearing it?

Realizing she had been staring too long, Gu Zhan quickly introduced him.

"This is President Fu from the Fu Group. We came to watch the match together."

"I know, I know."

Xiao Chen smiled.

"I've seen him at the company before."

But her eyes continued darting back and forth between the two of them like a fish.

Both men instantly understood.

She had definitely recognized the shirt.

Fu Yan glanced at Gu Zhan.

A dark expression appeared on his face.

He clearly wanted to explain something.

Yet after hesitating for several seconds, not a single word came out.

Seeing his struggle, Fu Yan simply smiled.

Then, completely unconcerned, he took Gu Zhan's hand in his own and said to Xiao Chen:

"And I'm also your President Gu's boyfriend."