How could Gu Zhan fail to notice the desire surging in Fu Yan’s eyes? Yet his feet still carried him forward, knowingly walking straight into danger.

Those dark, obsidian eyes seemed almost magical, drawing his gaze and making his throat go dry. Gu Zhan tilted his head slightly and, almost unconsciously, slipped his slender fingers into the knot of his tie and loosened it.

It was an unintentional gesture, but in Fu Yan’s eyes, it was devastatingly seductive. His prominent Adam’s apple rolled uncontrollably as he narrowed his eyes and watched Gu Zhan approach step by step. His gaze grew darker, like a storm gathering that was about to break.

Just as Gu Zhan reached the sofa, he suddenly felt a powerful force seize his wrist.

Like a beast that had been lying in wait for a long time, Fu Yan sprang into action.

With one hand gripping Gu Zhan’s wrist and the other controlling the back of his neck, Fu Yan pushed him down onto the sofa.

“You’re in such a hurry—” Gu Zhan hadn’t even finished speaking when something warm and wet covered his lips, greedily stealing the air from his mouth.

He had meant to tell Fu Yan to slow down. He had only just been discharged from the hospital, and what if he bumped or hurt himself? But that slick tongue was already thoroughly stirring inside his mouth, while soft, frantic kisses crushed against his lips. Before long, Gu Zhan was infected by that passion, unable to think about anything else. Instead, he indulged him, returning the kiss with equal fervor.

The two of them began roughly tugging at each other’s clothes, their hands wandering restlessly over each other’s bodies. Their firm chests pressed against one another as their heavy breathing rose and fell.

Just when Gu Zhan felt light-headed from lack of air and could barely catch his breath, Fu Yan moved his lips to his ear, sucking gently on his earlobe. His low voice was muffled and breathless.

“Want to go to the bedroom?”

Gu Zhan kissed along the stubble of his jaw and managed to answer, “There’s some… here…”

Fu Yan lifted his head and saw the bottle of lube Gu Zhan had pulled from between the sofa cushions.

Fu Yan was utterly speechless.

He had every reason to suspect that Xiao Wang was getting revenge on him for stealing his idol. On such an important day, was it really appropriate to scatter things like this all over his house, within easy reach?

Seeing Fu Yan’s embarrassed and frustrated expression, Gu Zhan couldn’t help laughing.

“What? President Fu is going to blame Xiao Wang again?”

“If it wasn’t him, who else? Today I…” was supposed to propose. How could there possibly be all these “unserious” things lying around the house?

But the revolution had not yet succeeded, so Fu Yan couldn’t let the cat out of the bag. He ingratiatingly kissed Gu Zhan.

“It really was Xiao Wang acting on his own. You’re not going to get the wrong idea, are you?”

“Get the wrong idea about what?” Gu Zhan raised an eyebrow, looking at him teasingly.

It was Gu Zhan’s first time visiting his home, and the entire place was full of this sort of thing. What would that make him think about the owner of the house?

This was a crucial period in which Gu Zhan was accepting him again. Fu Yan didn’t want anything, no matter how small, to go wrong.

“For the record, I’m a very respectable, chaste single man.” Fu Yan raised three fingers and explained through gritted teeth.

They weren’t strangers who had only just met. Gu Zhan certainly wouldn’t misunderstand his character over something so trivial. But Fu Yan had once been such an “old lecher,” and now he was being so cautious and earnest. It was actually rather cute—and very easy to tease.

Gu Zhan stared steadily at him, took his fingers, brought them to his lips, and gave one a lick.

“How respectable are you?”

Fu Yan couldn’t possibly hold back anymore. He pounced on him, biting and nibbling at his lips while answering breathlessly,

“I’m respectable to the whole world… and only improper with you.”

Gu Zhan chuckled softly and passionately returned his kisses.

As they kissed, Fu Yan’s hands wandered over Gu Zhan’s body and then slipped into the gap between the sofa cushions. While kissing his collarbone, he asked,

“Did you feel anything else in there?”

“What?” Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes.

Of course, Fu Yan meant the engagement ring!

Where on earth had Wang Yanqiao put the matching rings he had carefully chosen? Logically speaking, “knock him down” should have been a hint referring to the sofa or the bed. Surely they couldn’t be in the swimming pool?

Fu Yan discreetly searched the sofa from top to bottom, inside and out, but still found nothing.

Naturally, while searching the sofa, he also ended up feeling up the person lying on it. Gu Zhan was aroused by his teasing. He licked the tip of Fu Yan’s nose and murmured into his ear,

“And you’re still blaming Xiao Wang. I think you’re especially impatient today.”

“Of course I am!” Fu Yan gritted his teeth.

What he was even more impatient about was finding out where Wang Yanqiao had hidden the ring!

It wasn’t here. Apparently, he would have to change locations.

He swept Gu Zhan up into his arms.

Gu Zhan instinctively hooked his arms around Fu Yan’s neck, afraid of losing his balance and falling.

“Put me down. Have you really recovered? And you’re already carrying someone?”

Fu Yan leaned close to his ear, his voice suggestive.

“I’ll let you know very soon whether I’ve recovered.”

He adjusted the weight in his arms and hurried deeper into the house.

The large bed in the bedroom was also covered with rose petals. The two of them tumbled onto it together, sinking into the soft, romantic sea of flowers.

Fu Yan quickly swept his eyes around the room, but still found nothing.

Right now, he really wanted to smack his hospital-bed self awake. He must have been delirious from being sick to let someone as unreliable as Wang Yanqiao prepare his proposal.

Gu Zhan turned onto his side and looked at Fu Yan, whose eyes were darting around the room.

“You seem a little distracted today. Are you hiding something from me?”

“I…”

Fu Yan stopped himself again. Who had ever heard of someone being unable to find the ring on the very day he was supposed to propose? Was this even a proposal anymore?

He had already been nervous enough, and now this had happened. He didn’t know whether to blame Wang Yanqiao or himself for being too nervous. Something that should have happened naturally had become impossible because the more nervous he got, the more everything seemed to go wrong.

Gu Zhan gently wiped the thin sheen of sweat from his temple.

“The fact that we were able to get back together is already the best thing that could have happened. Nothing else matters.”

His voice was so gentle.

The President Gu who built impenetrable walls around himself in front of everyone else was once again revealing his soft, vulnerable heart to Fu Yan alone.

His Gu Zhan was back.

Lying right there in front of him, smiling at him.

The endless sea of red roses made him, together with the white shirt he wore, look clean and pure.

At that moment, Fu Yan felt that he could wait no longer.

“Gu Zhan, will you be my wife? If you agree to be my wife, I’ll be your husband.”

Gu Zhan froze for a moment, then laughed at Fu Yan’s unconventional proposal.

But he knew Fu Yan wasn’t joking. Those dark eyes were filled with seriousness and determination.

Fu Yan gazed at him, his entire heart and soul waiting for an answer.

Gu Zhan felt his heart pounding so hard it seemed ready to leap out of his throat. He almost wanted to look in a mirror to see whether his eyes were as serious as Fu Yan’s. He was afraid that even the slightest trace of hesitation in his gaze would be an insult to such a sincere look.

After a long moment—

Gu Zhan held his chin and slowly leaned closer.

“If you’re going to be my wife, shouldn’t you call me ‘husband’ first?”

Fu Yan burst out laughing, and the tense atmosphere instantly vanished.

President Gu had really been waiting a long time to hear that word.

Fu Yan suddenly pressed himself against Gu Zhan, his lips close to his ear, his voice scorching hot.

“Husband—”

Gu Zhan’s entire body stiffened instantly, his ears turning bright red.

Seeing this, Fu Yan’s lips curled into a smug smile. He lingered around Gu Zhan’s shoulders and neck, kissing him while murmuring again and again,

“Husband… husband…”

Everywhere his kisses landed, vivid red marks blossomed against Gu Zhan’s pale skin, making for quite a sight.

Fu Yan pressed his lips against Gu Zhan’s trembling eyelid, his voice bewitching.

“Good husband, now that you’re my husband, can you indulge me a little?”

At this point, how could Gu Zhan possibly refuse? He could only let Fu Yan have his way with him.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

When Gu Zhan woke up in a daze, it was already completely dark.

He heard some noises coming from the kitchen. He casually threw on a robe and, the moment his feet touched the floor—

“Hiss—”

He now truly believed that Fu Yan had completely recovered.

He slowly made his way toward the living room.

“Awake?” Fu Yan came out carrying two steaks. “Eat something first.”

Gu Zhan sat down at the dining table.

“What time is it?”

He instinctively raised his wrist to check the time, only to suddenly notice a gleaming ring on his finger.

“This…”

He stared blankly at Fu Yan.

“When did you put this on? I didn’t feel a thing.”

Fu Yan gave him a mysterious smile and lowered his voice.

“When you were too out of it to know what was happening.”

Wang Yanqiao’s “knock him down” really meant exactly that. The ring had been hidden beneath the pillow. Fu Yan had been in the heat of the moment and reached for a pillow to prop them up. He happened to discover the ring, and while he had the opportunity, he immediately slipped it onto Gu Zhan’s finger.

Gu Zhan lowered his head, concealing the emotions in his eyes, and distractedly poked at his steak.

Seeing his reaction, the smile on Fu Yan’s face faded.

He scooped Gu Zhan up and settled him onto his lap.

“What’s wrong? You’re not going to reject me, are you? Gu Zhan, let me tell you, this time I’ll be a hundred times more persistent than before. You’re never getting rid of me.”

“No.”

Gu Zhan thought for a moment.

“I just feel like… isn’t this a little fast?”

“How is it fast? I wanted to propose to you the moment you kissed me in the woods.”

Fu Yan played with his hand, interlocking their fingers. The two rings overlapped.

“I wanted so badly to put a ring on you, so you could never leave me again.”

He kissed Gu Zhan’s forehead lovingly.

“Do you want to come home with me for New Year’s this year? Our two families can celebrate together.”

“I…”

Gu Zhan hesitated and let out a soft sigh.

Fu Yan covered his lips, half teasing and half playfully threatening.

“If you dare refuse, I’ll keep going until you don’t dare refuse.”

“Then… go ahead.”

Gu Zhan narrowed his eyes and offered his lips.

Fu Yan sensed that something was a little off, but with Gu Zhan sitting astride his lap in nothing but a bathrobe and actively offering himself up, he couldn’t think about anything else.

The two of them became lost in passion once again, from the kitchen to the living room, from the swimming pool to the terrace.

When they woke again, the sunlight outside was glaring, and the phone was vibrating nonstop.

Fu Yan picked up the phone and glanced at the time.

It was already 2 p.m.

Their long-awaited reunion had somehow turned into two full days and two nights of reckless indulgence.

“Hello? Bro, you’re still not out of bed?”

It was Fu Chuyin.

Fu Yan narrowed his eyes.

“What’s up?”

“Isn’t it a New Year’s Eve dinner tonight? Auntie said it’ll be at the villa in Jingyuan. I’m calling to ask if you want to go together.”

“Oh…”

Fu Yan rubbed his aching head.

Without realizing it, it was already New Year’s Eve.

Fu Chuyin noticed that something seemed off.

“Bro, what’s wrong? Are you still feeling unwell after being discharged?”

“No.”

It’s just that I’ve been a little too… enthusiastic these past two days and exhausted myself.

“Auntie wouldn’t let me come see you. She said you and President Gu needed some time alone. So, have you two had enough alone time?”

Fu Chuyin didn’t really understand. Hadn’t his brother and President Gu already been alone together every day in the hospital? Why did they still need alone time after coming home?

Fu Yan gave a soft cough and changed the subject.

“Let’s go to Jingyuan together tonight. I’ll pick you up later.”

“Okay.”

Fu Yan hung up, threw on some clothes, and called,

“Gu Zhan—”

No answer.

Fu Yan got out of bed and walked into the bathroom.

“Gu Zhan?”

His footsteps grew increasingly frantic as he rushed into the kitchen and onto the terrace.

“Gu Zhan… Gu Zhan…”

Fu Yan was frantic.

He called out throughout the entire house, but no one answered.

Their discarded clothes were still scattered across the floor—but only his remained.

All of Gu Zhan’s clothes were gone…

The only thing left was a note on the bedside table:

I had to go to Singapore on a business trip. See you after the New Year.

Only an idiot would believe that Gu Zhan had suddenly gone on an international business trip over the New Year holiday without something going on behind the scenes.

Panicking, Fu Yan began calling him.

But after several attempts, Gu Zhan’s phone remained switched off.

Could he be on a plane?

He then called Xiao Chen, but perhaps because it was New Year’s Eve and every household was busy preparing dinner, Xiao Chen didn’t answer either.

Thinking back carefully, Gu Zhan had indeed been acting strangely these past two days.

Whenever the topics of “family” or “celebrating the New Year together” came up, Gu Zhan’s expression would become hesitant.

What was he still afraid of?

What was he worried about?

Fu Yan had finally managed to win Gu Zhan back. He admitted that he had been a little impatient, but that was because they had already lost an entire year.

If the two of them truly loved each other, why should they start over step by step and waste more time?

He wanted so badly to tell his family.

He wanted so badly to announce to everyone around him that he and Gu Zhan were a couple, that they belonged to each other.

Wasn’t that what Gu Zhan wanted too?

Fu Yan sadly rubbed his forehead and collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly into space.

Could it be…

Gu Zhan didn’t want him again?