“Looking for some fun?” Gu Zhan gave a helpless smile. “Du Zhe, I just…”

“You just want to find a new boyfriend!” Du Zhe looked at him with hurt, blinking eyes. “Brother Zhan, my friend told me you asked him to keep an eye out for suitable guys. What, am I not good enough? If you want to date someone, why don’t you consider me?”

Gu Zhan met his gaze seriously. “Du Zhe…we’re not right for each other.”

“How are we not right for each other? We haven’t even tried. How do you know we won’t work?” Du Zhe thought for a moment. “Is it because of Fu Yan? He’s an investor in C Brand now. Are you afraid he’ll make things difficult for me?”

Gu Zhan took a sip of his drink. “I don’t really like mixing work with personal relationships.”

“Did Fu Yan do something again? I heard some people from Product this afternoon saying that you turned down C Brand’s exclusive rights for next year. Does that have something to do with Fu Yan?”

Gu Zhan glanced at him and briefly explained the history between Fu Yan, C Brand, and himself. Of course, he glossed over some of the more adult details.

“That’s outrageous!” Du Zhe downed a large gulp of brandy angrily. “Is Fu Yan sick in the head? You already stopped having feelings for him, and he still chased you all the way to Suzhou? He even dared threaten you! Some people look perfectly respectable on the outside, but they don’t act like decent human beings at all! Brother Zhan, you should never go back to an ex-boyfriend. You don’t want anything to do with him anymore, right?”

“Mm.” Gu Zhan nodded. He spread an arm and looked around the bar, making it clear that he was ready to start a new life. Why would he bother with someone who was already in his past?

Du Zhe narrowed his eyes on him. “But Brother Zhan, didn’t you keep saying you weren’t ready before? It hasn’t even been that long. How did you suddenly decide you want to date someone? You’re not doing this just to avoid Fu Yan, are you? If it’s to make Fu Yan give up, I can…”

“No.” Gu Zhan cut him off. “Du Zhe, I really appreciate your…affection for me, but…”

“Stop. Whatever comes next is going to hurt.” Du Zhe took Gu Zhan’s hand, his expression serious and earnest. “Brother Zhan, if you’re worried that my cooperation with C Brand will be affected, I want you to know that I don’t care at all. Even if Fu Yan tries to come after me or blacklist me, I’m not afraid.”

Gu Zhan met his bright eyes and was stunned for a moment. Honestly, he was touched. At least right now, he could be certain that this man’s feelings for him were genuine.

“Du Zhe, do you like being a model? Modeling is a youth-oriented profession. Have you ever thought about what you’ll do if one day you stop walking the runway?”

Du Zhe lowered his head and rubbed his nose. “That…I haven’t really thought about it. Actually, I’d like to act. My agent has gotten me a few cameo roles, but I know my own limits. I probably won’t get any serious roles.”

Gu Zhan looked at him, idly turning the crystal glass in his hand. “What if you had to leave the runway and step away from the camera?”

“Huh? Well…you know my grades weren’t good when I was in school. I only got into a decent university because I was a sports student. I’m…I guess you could say I’m a little simple-minded and all brawn, no brains.”

Gu Zhan couldn’t help laughing at that.

“Don’t laugh. I may not be smart, but at least I have a fairly clear understanding of myself. Anyway, before I turned twenty, I was basically wasting my life. Then, by a fluke, I became a book-cover model and took a few photos. I got a little popular in the industry, and that was when I finally got some sense of accomplishment. So if I really had to leave the runway and the camera behind, I honestly don’t know what else I could do.” Du Zhe lowered his head, looking dejected.

Gu Zhan reached out, hooked an arm around his neck, and gently stroked him. “That’s why, Du Zhe, you were born to be on the runway, in front of the camera.”

The two were sitting very close together. When Du Zhe raised his head, his hair almost brushed Gu Zhan’s cheek.

“Brother Zhan, you won’t consider me because you don’t like my job, is that it?”

“You love what you do. That’s the most important thing.” Gu Zhan patted the back of his head reassuringly.

Crash!

The tall barstool beneath Du Zhe tipped over, and Du Zhe himself was yanked away from his seat by the collar, dragged several feet across the floor.

Du Zhe’s first reaction was shock. He had no idea what had happened. He had been having a heart-to-heart with Gu Zhan one moment, so how had some mysterious force suddenly sent him flying?

As it turned out, the two had been sitting on adjacent barstools at the counter, already quite close. With Gu Zhan’s hand resting on the back of Du Zhe’s neck, from certain angles it looked very much like they were…kissing.

And, as luck would have it, Wang Yanqiao happened to be drinking with friends at the same bar. The moment he spotted Gu Zhan, he sent Fu Yan a WeChat message.

Fu Yan had been working overtime at the office. The moment he heard that Gu Zhan and Du Zhe were drinking together at a bar, he came charging over in a rage. Fu Chuyin happened to be at the company too. Seeing his brother’s face turn red in anger, he followed along, worried about him.

The moment Fu Yan walked through the door, he saw that very scene. Furious, he immediately grabbed Du Zhe and yanked him away.

“Stay away from him!”

“You’ve got some serious fucking problem!” Du Zhe had already been holding a grudge against Fu Yan, and now that the man had delivered himself right to his doorstep, he threw a punch without another word, aiming straight for Fu Yan’s face. “And you dare put your hands on me!”

Fu Yan couldn’t dodge in time. The punch landed squarely on his left cheek. He moved his burning jaw, then stepped forward, grabbed Du Zhe by the collar, and shoved him back against the bar.

“Do you even know who you just hit?”

Du Zhe refused to back down. He grabbed Fu Yan by the front of his shirt. “What, trying to threaten me? Is that all you know how to do? Don’t think I didn’t see what you did to Brother Zhan by the flower bed on the first floor the day you got me drunk. I saw it from the window! You fucking pervert. I’ve wanted to hit you for ages!”

“Oh? What the hell did I do?!” Fu Yan provocatively curled the corner of his mouth. “I’ve done things far worse than that. What are you going to do about it?”

“You fucking bastard!”

Du Zhe swung another punch, but Fu Yan tilted his head and dodged it. Unwilling to let it go, Du Zhe grabbed Fu Yan and shoved him back against the bar. Gu Zhan tried to intervene, but the two men were already too worked up to listen. Before long, they were grappling with each other.

Fu Chuyin stepped forward to pull them apart, but Du Zhe flung an arm out and nearly knocked him over.

Hearing the commotion, everyone in the main hall came over to watch. Seeing that there was no way to stop the two men anytime soon, Gu Zhan could only give the bar owner a look. Between the two of them, they were at least one and a half public figures; if this got out of hand, the consequences would be bad.

The owner understood immediately and ushered all the customers out, reluctantly closing the bar for the night.

Wang Yanqiao emerged from the private room, staring at the scene in shock.

“How did you two even end up fighting?”

“Fu Yan, I’ve wanted to teach you a lesson for a long time!” Du Zhe gritted his teeth and flung him onto a nearby cushioned sofa. “What do you think Brother Zhan is? Someone you can come and go with whenever you please? If you don’t know how to love him, then stay the hell away from him. Stop hurting him, you piece of trash!”

“What do you know about what happened between Gu Zhan and me?” Fu Yan forced Du Zhe back against the corner of a table and grabbed his chin. “Stop sticking your nose into our business!”

“I’m going to say whatever I want. So what?! You think haunting him like a ghost makes you devoted? Bullshit. You start things when you want, end them when you want, and think everyone has to revolve around you? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Du Zhe stretched out a long leg and tried to kick Fu Yan, but Fu Yan caught his calf.

Gripping Du Zhe’s wrist, Fu Yan spun around skillfully, twisted both his arms behind his back, pressed down on the back of his head, and shoved his face against the glass coffee table. Du Zhe struggled, but Fu Yan only pressed him down harder until his face was almost squashed against the glass.

“Fu Yan, enough! Let go of him!” Gu Zhan finally couldn’t stand it anymore.

The anger in his voice brought Fu Yan back to his senses. He released Du Zhe somewhat helplessly.

Du Zhe immediately straightened and shoved Fu Yan hard. This time, whether Fu Yan was distracted or for some other reason, his back slammed directly into the liquor cabinet. He fell to the floor.

Crash!

Wine bottles shattered everywhere.

Gu Zhan glared furiously at him. “What exactly do you want?! Do you have to turn everything upside down before you’re satisfied?”

“I didn’t…” Fu Yan’s face twitched slightly. Apparently, he had hit his back hard. He looked up at Gu Zhan. “I know I’ve done a lot of things wrong. I just wanted to make it up to you…”

Under the dim lights of the bar, Gu Zhan’s expression was unreadable.

“Who the hell wants your compensation?” Du Zhe stepped forward and hauled Fu Yan up from the floor. “No one has an obligation to wait for you in the same place for a year. Fu Yan, you should’ve faced reality a long time ago. Brother Zhan doesn’t want you anymore.”

“Really? Gu Zhan, is that true?”

Fu Yan’s voice trembled slightly. He looked at Gu Zhan desperately, but Gu Zhan only gave him an unreadable profile. Fu Yan desperately wanted to find some answer in those dark eyes, but they seemed unwilling to linger on him anymore.

“Du Zhe, let’s go.”

Gu Zhan dropped the words and walked straight toward the door without looking back.

Du Zhe released Fu Yan’s shirt with a heavy snort and hurried after him.

Gu Zhan looked him up and down. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.” Du Zhe gave him a gentle smile and casually draped an arm over his shoulder. The two walked out of the bar side by side.

Behind them, Fu Yan clenched his fingers until his knuckles turned white. He felt a surging force rising inside him, desperate to erupt yet with nowhere to go. All he could feel was helplessness.

When Fu Chuyin stuffed him into the car, Fu Yan’s eyes were completely vacant. He slumped against the seat, and even when Wang Yanqiao nudged him, he barely reacted.

“Chuyin, what’s wrong with your brother? Should we take him to the hospital?”

Fu Chuyin glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “He should be fine.” He had been watching the whole time. Although Fu Yan had gotten into a physical altercation with Du Zhe, at most he had taken one punch to the face and slammed his back into something. Nothing else had landed properly. It shouldn’t be serious.

Wang Yanqiao looked apologetic. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have called Brother Fu. I meant to help them, but who knew this would happen…” he waved a hand in front of Fu Yan’s eyes, but he remained completely dazed. “I feel like something’s wrong with him. Chuyin, are you sure we shouldn’t take him to the hospital?”

Fu Chuyin’s expression was grave, as though considering something.

“Let’s take him home first.”

“Okay.” Wang Yanqiao looked worriedly at Fu Yan. “Brother Fu might just be exhausted. Maybe he’ll feel better after sleeping.”

Wang Yanqiao helped Fu Chuyin get Fu Yan upstairs. Fu Chuyin expertly found the first-aid kit at his brother’s home and began treating his injuries.

It was already quite late, and Wang Yanqiao saw that there was nothing else he could do, so he left the home.

Fu Yan sat expressionlessly on the sofa. Fu Chuyin sat beside him, slowly cleaning the wound on his cheek with a cotton swab. It hadn't looked too bad at the bar, but now his cheek was red and swollen, looking rather alarming.

Combined with Fu Yan’s dejected expression and half-lidded eyes, he looked even more miserable. Fu Chuyin felt his heart ache for his brother. His brother had always been an untouchable, pampered figure, someone as precious as jade and gold. When had he ever suffered an injury like this? When had he ever looked so utterly defeated?

He gently smoothed the loose hair from Fu Yan’s forehead and softly called out,

“Brother…”

Fu Yan still showed no reaction.

Fu Chuyin slowly reached toward the buttons of his brother’s shirt.

“Big Brother, let me take a look at the injury on your back.”