“What?” Fu Yan’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Here?”

Gu Zhan paused, then his eyes shifted. “Inside. There’s a lounge in the back.”

“Right here,” Fu Yan said firmly.

To be honest, Fu Yan didn't come here for that today. But when he watched Gu Zhan’s long, elegant fingers unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time in front of him, he had to admit that what he had been suppressing these past weeks wasn’t only his frustration at having been unexpectedly topped—it was also the desire that had been reignited by the memory of this body.

Without hesitation, he pounced.

The large solid-wood desk, the imposing leather executive chair, and the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the office building across the street all intensified Fu Yan’s excitement.

Deep down, Gu Zhan wasn’t someone who deliberately chased novelty or thrills. When it came to sex, he cared more about comfort and pleasure. He had suggested the office simply because he didn’t care much about the location and wanted to get it over with so Fu Yan would finally stop bothering him.

Besides, this was his office. If they made too much noise, how would he ever face people afterward?

But things didn’t go as planned. Fu Yan seemed to become more and more intense, eventually lifting him and carrying him over to the window.

Gu Zhan struggled to keep some semblance of rationality and reached for the blinds. Sensing his intention, Fu Yan bit him lightly on the shoulder in punishment. Gu Zhan let out an involuntary sound but still strained to grab the cord.

Fu Yan tried to stop him. Their fingers intertwined, leaving warm handprints on the glass. In the midst of their struggle, someone used too much force.

Crash!

The blinds came crashing down.

Knock knock.

The secretary outside heard the noise and knocked on the door.

“President Gu? Is everything okay?”

Gu Zhan stiffened in alarm. Just suppressing any sound from escaping his lips already took nearly all his strength. He had no energy left to answer.

Hearing no response, the secretary only noticed some vague rustling sounds from inside.

She couldn’t just barge into the CEO’s office, but she remembered that President Gu and President Fu hadn’t seemed to be in a particularly good mood when they entered. Worried something might be wrong, she knocked again.

“President Gu? President Fu? I made two cups of coffee. Would you like them?”

“Do not—come in—”

Gu Zhan’s face was pressed awkwardly against the door. He glared viciously at Fu Yan, took a deep breath to steady himself, and called out to the secretary.

“It’s already past work time. Unless there’s something urgent, everyone can go home.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Outside the door, the secretary was stunned.

Workaholic President Gu was actually telling everyone to leave on time?

It was practically a miracle!

Delighted, she immediately informed everyone they could head home.

No one knew that their CEO was still hard at work inside the office.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“You really held yourself back these past weeks, didn’t you?” Gu Zhan teased while fastening his belt.

If he couldn’t take advantage in other ways, he certainly wasn’t going to give up the chance to win verbally.

He glanced at Fu Yan’s slightly flushed cheeks and pressed his lips together.

“Not bad.”

Fu Yan straightened his collar and pinched his cheek.

“You weren’t bad either.”

Gu Zhan gave a stiff smile. Then the meaning sank in.

Fu Yan was referring to the time Gu Zhan had topped him.

A strange sense of satisfaction rose in his chest.

In their world of domineering CEOs, nobody ever admitted to being bad at anything. Since rivals naturally looked down on each other, getting praise from another CEO meant his skills must truly be good.

His mood immediately improved.

He had never been particularly obsessed with who topped and who bottomed anyway. He was simply used to being on top.

The facts proved that taking one brave step outside his comfort zone had solved a problem that had bothered him for more than a month and brought him both physical and mental satisfaction.

A perfect outcome for everyone except—

“Damn!”

As soon as Gu Zhan finished dressing and took a step, a sharp pain shot through him, making it feel as though his lower body was about to split apart.

Fu Yan quickly stepped forward to support him.

“Slow down. What’s the rush?”

“How can I not be in a rush?” Gu Zhan snapped, brushing off his hand. “I have dinner with investors at seven. Look at the time!”

President Fu struggled not to laugh.

“I’ll drive you.”

“Spare me the fake concern,” Gu Zhan retorted.

“How are you supposed to drive like this? Your driver has probably gone home already. Waiting for one will only make you later.”

And whose fault is that? Gu Zhan thought.

Still, he didn’t want to look too pathetic.

“I’ll take a taxi.”

Fu Yan wrapped an arm around him, refusing to take no for an answer.

“You’re like this because of me. It’s my responsibility to get you there.”

Gu Zhan decided not to argue.

If the young master wanted to be his chauffeur, why should he refuse?

“And one more thing,” Fu Yan said softly while helping him outside. “No drinking tonight. Eat something light.”

“You really worry too much.”

Gu Zhan rolled his eyes.

By the time they arrived, it was already past seven.

President Gu prided himself on punctuality and hated being late. The moment he got out of the car, he hurried inside without looking back.

Fu Yan watched him limp away and couldn’t help smiling.

Behind Fu Yan’s car, a middle-aged man in a suit with a prominent belly stepped out of his own vehicle. He had arrived at almost the same time.

“President Fu, long time no see.”

“President Liu. Good to see you.”

Fu Yan remembered him. His father had introduced him once—a venture capitalist.

“That was President Gu just now, wasn’t it? I happen to have dinner with him tonight. Are you two close?”

President Liu’s narrow eyes squinted into slits.

His car had been following Fu Yan’s and he had seen Gu Zhan get out.

Fu Yan’s expression froze briefly.

For a moment, he couldn’t think of how to explain his relationship with Gu Zhan.

President Liu, however, was far more interested in building connections with the Fu family than in their relationship.

Sensing the awkwardness, he changed the subject.

“President Gu recently pitched me a project I found quite interesting. He’s also looking for partners. If President Fu is interested, why not join us?”

“Not tonight. I have something else to do later.”

“All right then. See you next time.”

“See you.”

President Liu was an opportunist.

Seeing what seemed to be a good relationship between Fu Yan and Gu Zhan, he was eager to use the connection to get closer to the Fu family.

The very next day, he sent Fu Yan the project proposal.

It was a plan for Gu Zhan to create a proprietary brand.

Slungshot had started as an import-export business, but competition among e-commerce companies was fierce. If they remained confined to their existing niche, they would never grow significantly.

Building an in-house brand was very different from distribution. Design, product selection, manufacturing—everything required substantial investment. Most importantly, quality control had to be rigorous if the brand wanted to earn consumer trust. Otherwise, it would only damage its own reputation.

Initially, Fu Yan had no interest in someone else’s brand. Even if he participated, Gu Zhan would probably only accept funding from the Fu family.

There wasn’t much profit in it for Fu Group.

But then another thought occurred to him.

If he joined the project, wouldn’t he have plenty of opportunities to see President Gu?

So a few days later, Gu Zhan found himself face-to-face with Fu Yan once again at a project meeting.

What the hell?

Hadn’t he already gotten rid of this clingy nuisance?

After what happened last time, he had spent days exhausted before finally recovering.

Now the man was back again.

Gu Zhan glared at Fu Yan’s cheerful smile from across the table.

His mood immediately soured.

President Liu had no idea what grievances existed between these two and worried he might have unintentionally caused trouble. He enthusiastically played peacemaker and kept the atmosphere lively.

Fortunately, once business discussions began, Gu Zhan completely set aside personal issues.

Seeing the Fu family’s deep pockets made Fu Yan seem much more agreeable as well.

He needed partners. Fu Yan was willing to invest.

There was no reason to refuse.

And besides, he no longer owed the young master anything.

Even working on the same project together didn’t make him uncomfortable.

The day the contracts were signed, Gu Zhan hosted a banquet for all the partners.

As the project leader, he moved from table to table with a wine glass in hand.

With happy events came happy drinking.

His cheeks were flushed red with alcohol and excitement, making him look like peach blossoms in spring.

President Liu was especially enthusiastic that night.

His large belly protruded like that of a pregnant woman.

“President Gu,” he said drunkenly, grabbing Gu Zhan’s hand. “I’m counting on this project to make me rich this year.”

Leaning closer, he grinned conspiratorially.

“Whether I can afford a few beautiful companions next year depends entirely on you, my friend. Hahaha!”

“Haha, of course.”

Gu Zhan laughed and patted his hand.

“Come, President Gu. A toast.”

“Cheers.”

Just as Gu Zhan raised his glass, someone pressed it down.

Fu Yan calmly withdrew Gu Zhan’s hand from Liu’s grasp and held it on his own.

“President Liu, let me drink this one with you. Thanks for bringing me into such a promising project.”

“Haha, gladly!”

President Liu drank cheerfully.

Gu Zhan, however, shot Fu Yan a sideways glance.

“What are you doing?” he muttered near his ear. “Drop the gentleman act. I’m not a woman. Why are you blocking drinks for me?”

Fu Yan was neither his subordinate nor a close relative.

Acting so attentively looked odd.

Everyone here was perceptive. Gu Zhan worried Fu Yan would do something embarrassing.

He tried repeatedly to pull his hand back, but Fu Yan held it firmly beneath the table.

The three men sat side by side.

Gu Zhan was in the middle.

Under the table, Fu Yan stubbornly refused to let go.

He angled his body to block the view from one side, though President Liu could still see.

A knowing gleam flashed through Liu’s eyes.

“President Gu,” he chuckled, “you still have to drink this one with me. Don’t worry—I may talk a lot, but I’m excellent at keeping secrets.”

“Haha. Fine. Let’s drink.”

Gu Zhan completely missed the implication.

He was too busy worrying someone might notice what was happening beneath the table.

Unable to free his hand, he could only shift his body to conceal it while continuing to socialize enthusiastically.

But once again, just as the glass touched his lips, Fu Yan lowered it.

“Drink less.”

Gu Zhan was ready to explode.

Fortunately, President Liu was already thoroughly drunk and poured himself another large glass without noticing.

Shooting Fu Yan a warning look, Gu Zhan stood up and pulled President Liu along.

“Let’s go visit that table.”

“Sure!”

With Liu gone, Fu Yan had no choice but to release him reluctantly.

After the banquet ended, Gu Zhan smiled as he personally saw each guest off.

Only then did his expression darken.

“Come here.”

He turned to Fu Yan.

At first, Gu Zhan had genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with the Fu family’s young heir.

But after their drunken incident, all he wanted was distance.

He liked having business ties with the Fu family.

He did not like trouble.

At first he hadn’t suspected Fu Yan’s involvement in the project.

But after seeing him personally follow every detail of a project that meant virtually nothing to the Fu family—and appear in front of him every few days—he could no longer ignore the possibility that Fu Yan had ulterior motives.

What exactly did he want?

The two of them walked to an outdoor staircase beside the restaurant.

The night sky was starless, covered by a vast dark-blue canopy.

The corner of the second-floor stairwell was dimly lit by a single old yellow lamp.

“Fu Yan, can you act normal?” Gu Zhan asked grimly, one hand resting on the railing.

“What part of me isn’t normal?” Fu Yan replied.

Gu Zhan exhaled heavily.

“We’ve had our disagreements. As far as I’m concerned, all of that is in the past. If you still have complaints or grudges, say them now. I want us to interact normally from now on.”

“I don’t have any complaints.”

“Then why are you always hanging around me? I don’t think I owe you anything anymore.”

The frustration on Gu Zhan’s face was the exact opposite of what Fu Yan wanted.

He had joined the project because he wanted opportunities to spend time together.

He had stopped Gu Zhan from drinking because he cared about him and didn’t want to see him sick and miserable again.

How had all of that become harassment in Gu Zhan’s eyes?

Why did Gu Zhan see him as an opponent?

Couldn’t he see any of Fu Yan’s sincerity?

Although Fu Yan had barely drunk anything that evening, his ability to speak seemed to have deteriorated.

He hesitated before finally blurting out:

“Can we be... friends?”

“We already are friends,” Gu Zhan replied without thinking. “In business, I only make friends. There are no permanent enemies.”

“That’s not the kind of friend I mean.”

Fu Yan’s eyes were serious and deep.

The warm yellow light reflected in his dark pupils like stars in the night sky.

Gu Zhan froze.

“Not business friends? Then what kind?”

He loosened his tie with slender fingers and smiled.

“Friends in bed? Fu Yan, are you asking me to be your friends-with-benefits?”