Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Yu Li thought Gu Yihong’s rebirth had brought about a rather obvious shift in his demeanor.

It was just that Gu Yihong himself seemed to believe Gu Yubai hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Only after Yu Li began dating Gu Yubai did he discern, through subtle cues, that Gu Yubai had long been aware of his younger brother’s return from the dead.

But then again, it made perfect sense. Even Yu Li, who had never met Gu Yihong in his previous life, had sensed the rebirth. How much more so Gu Yubai, who had been inseparable from his younger brother in both lifetimes?

Before boarding his flight, Yu Li called his beloved boyfriend. The moment he disembarked and before even exiting the airport, he spotted Gu Yubai waving in the arrivals hall. Yu Li strode forward and swept him into an immediate embrace.

After more than half a month apart, Yu Li had missed Gu Yubai terribly.

He held Gu Yubai tightly, burying his chin in the boy’s neck, instantly transforming into an eager puppy, greedily inhaling Gu Yubai’s familiar, pleasant scent.

Yu Li’s lips brushed a sensitive spot on Gu Yubai’s neck, making Gu Yubai chuckle and playfully grumble as he pushed Yu Li’s head away.

“Are you a dog? You just got back and you’re already sniffing me like this.”

Yu Li reluctantly lifted his head, his arms still wrapped around the boy, but his gaze locked with Gu Yubai’s.

Their faces were pressed close, noses almost touching, just a breath away from a kiss. The proximity was so intimate that all Yu Li could see was Gu Yubai’s fair, jade-like cheeks. Gu Yubai’s eyes were crinkled with amusement, and in Yu Li’s eyes, he looked absolutely stunning.

Gu Yubai’s cheeks warmed slightly under his intense gaze. He gave Yu Li a gentle push, feigning composure as he averted his eyes.

Yu Li knew Gu Yubai was shy and obligingly loosened his embrace. With a playful grin, he asked,

“If I’m a dog, does that make me your pet?”

Without waiting for Gu Yubai’s answer, he continued, “If I’m your pet, can I kiss you?”

Before Gu Yubai could even process the logic connecting pets and kisses, Yu Li leaned in, pressing his slightly dry but soft lips directly onto Gu Yubai’s forehead.

Then, a low, teasing voice chuckled from above Gu Yubai’s head: “Where did you think I was going to kiss you?”

Feeling the warmth on his forehead, Gu Yubai instinctively reached up to touch it. Before he could respond, Yu Li suddenly lowered his voice and murmured beside him, “I wouldn’t kiss you anywhere else in public. I couldn’t bear to.”

With that, Yu Li took Gu Yubai’s hand and led him toward the exit.

Gu Yubai turned to look at Yu Li, and after two seconds, his eyes widened in surprise.

A little flustered, he snapped, “What are you talking about?!”

Only now did he fully grasp the meaning of Yu Li’s earlier “couldn’t bear to.”

Gu Yubai almost stomped his foot in frustration. He glared at Yu Li, countless embarrassed curses flashing through his mind, but in the end, all he managed was a half-hearted, weak protest:

“I’m not some shy, bashful person!” He wasn’t afraid of being seen at all!

“Oh?” Yu Li drew out the word, stopping in his tracks to fix Gu Yubai with an intense gaze.

“So you’re saying… I can kiss your…”

His eyes dropped to Gu Yubai’s soft, rosy lips. A blush slowly crept up Gu Yubai’s face. He turned his head slightly and mumbled something completely unrelated to the current topic:

“You’re my boyfriend…”

The unspoken meaning hung in the air: he didn’t need to ask for permission to kiss his own boyfriend.

The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Yubai felt the light above him vanish. The next second, two slightly dry but soft lips pressed against his own. Gu Yubai’s eyes flew open, but all he could see was darkness, with only faint slivers of light filtering through the black suit jacket that had suddenly formed a private cocoon around them.

Something soft lingered against Gu Yubai’s lips as Yu Li gently sucked on them, then tentatively slipped his tongue into Gu Yubai’s mouth. The moment their tongues touched, the pressure intensified.

Realizing what was happening, Gu Yubai’s mind exploded. He was stunned for only a moment before the “enemy” launched a full-scale assault. Completely inexperienced, Gu Yubai instantly surrendered.

Aside from his head being too hot to think, Gu Yubai vaguely registered his body instinctively softening. If not for Yu Li’s hands supporting his neck and lower back, Gu Yubai would have already melted onto the airport’s pristine, clean floor.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Gu Yubai felt the air in his lungs rapidly depleting—he was about to suffocate!

Only then did the man holding him so tightly reluctantly lift his head.

Gu Yubai’s lips parted slightly, revealing perfect teeth as neat and pretty as seashells. He was still a little dazed.

Yu Li chuckled softly. Gu Yubai suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, pressing his lips together tightly—only to unconsciously lick them a second later.

“You… you… were you that thirsty?” It felt as if Yu Li had just come to his mouth for a drink.

If it was just a kiss, why did it leave him parched?

Gu Yubai’s voice was slightly husky, his complaint sounding like a soft whine.

Yu Li reached out to wipe Gu Yubai’s lips and grinned. “Of course I was thirsty. ‘Distant water can’t quench present thirst,’ so I had to get a little hydration from my nearest boyfriend.”

What a scoundrel.

Gu Yubai’s eyes widened, and he abruptly pushed Yu Li away. Yet, he himself felt so embarrassed, his cheeks burning, that he could only clutch Yu Li’s suit jacket—which had been draped over his head before the kiss—tightly, not daring to remove it yet.

The man’s deep, suggestive laughter sounded in front of him again.

In the darkness created by the suit jacket, Gu Yubai took several deep breaths, muttering under his breath about Yu Li being a scoundrel. Only when his cheeks finally cooled did he yank the suit jacket off his head.

“What kind of behavior is this?!”

Gu Yubai’s scolding came out as soft as a lamb’s bleat. He immediately turned and walked away, not daring to look at Yu Li’s expression, which was likely either teasing or utterly shameless.

Yu Li’s suit jacket was tucked under his arm as Gu Yubai marched away like a soldier in full retreat.

Behind him, Yu Li instinctively licked his now-moistened lips, thinking Gu Yubai’s earlier question had been spot on—after the kiss, his lips were indeed no longer as dry as they’d been when he first got off the plane.

Seeing his boyfriend walking away, Yu Li quickly grabbed his suitcase and caught up.

By the time they got into the car, Gu Yubai had regained his composure. The boy who had been a flustered, embarrassed mess moments ago seemed to have vanished, replaced by the calm and gentle Gu Yubai.

If only his gaze wasn’t so deliberately avoiding Yu Li.

Yu Li knew not to push his luck too much. After getting in the car, he simply sat in the passenger seat, smiling as he watched Gu Yubai, who acted as if he didn’t notice the scorching gaze beside him, gripping the steering wheel with monastic focus as he concentrated on the road.

Yu Li had just returned to the country and, upon learning that Gu Yubai had no classes in the afternoon or evening, directed his little boyfriend to drive straight to the company first.

He had his assistant buy milk tea and cake for Gu Yubai, letting him relax in his office while Yu Li tackled the most urgent of the tasks that had piled up over the past half-month.

But even that wasn’t the most pressing matter. The most pressing… was following his heart.

The only thing that could make a workaholic set aside company affairs was the important task of spending time with his beloved boyfriend.

Yu Li couldn’t even be bothered to listen to his assistant’s rambling about miscellaneous matters. The moment he finished signing documents, he left the meeting early and headed straight to his office to find his sweetheart.

At this moment, barely an hour had passed since Gu Yubai arrived at the company, yet Yu Li was already throwing down his pen to sneak off. Secretary Jin, who had been exhausted for over half a month, wore a look of utter despair.

Secretary Jin: "Boss Yu, with you gone these past days, there’s still so much backlog of work. Are you really not working overtime tonight?"

Yu Li paused, adjusting the sleeves of his white shirt against the glass wall beside the office. He deliberately unbuttoned two buttons, revealing his flawless, porcelain collarbones.

His tone was casual, his face lit with a smile.

"Of course not. Secretary Jin, I advise you not to spend all your time at the company either. Take more breaks, go out and find someone you like to date. Otherwise, what a boring life you must lead."

*Have you ever held the hand of someone you love? Kissed their lips? Embraced them comfortably on a big bed?*

Yu Li guessed that Secretary Jin probably hadn’t even shared a meal with someone he liked, let alone enjoyed the intimacy reserved for couples.

At this thought, Yu Li’s eyes unconsciously revealed a hint of smugness and an almost imperceptible… disdain?

Secretary Jin widened his eyes in disbelief. He couldn’t have misread it—did his workaholic boss just look down on him?

What right did this workaholic have to scorn him? Weren’t they both singletons? Did Yu Li think he was better?

Oh, wait—their illustrious President Yu seemed to actually have someone he liked now. So… did being off the market grant him the privilege to sneer at the single?

The nerve!

You’re completely out of line!

Secretary Jin stopped in his tracks, speechless, watching as his increasingly lively boss, nearing thirty, finally caught the love bug—for a tender, innocent male college student.

Secretary Jin: "...I think you’ve lost your mind feasting on young grass!"

Hope that kid poisons your coffee!

Letting someone who just got into a relationship flaunt it so shamelessly in front of his secretary!

Hah! Pfft!

Keep that lovey-dovey nonsense away from me!

The chair in Yu Li’s office was ridiculously comfortable.

Gu Yubai leaned his head back, resting his knees on the footrest, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone.

It felt like he’d only just started when the door was pushed open.

He turned his head to see Yu Li, broad-shouldered and imposing, walking in under the vibrant sunset hues streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The soft light bathed his devastatingly handsome face, adding an extra layer of radiance.

Gu Yubai’s eyes darted briefly, his lips curling into an involuntary smile. He suddenly felt grateful that Yu Li was exactly his type—and that this man also liked him back.

Gu Yubai couldn’t suppress a grin.

Yu Li, who had just entered, gave him a puzzled look. "What's got you smiling?"

Gu Yubai stood up from the chair, straightening his clothes before shaking his head with a smile.

"Nothing. It’s just that Yihong somehow found out you’re back and wants to join us for dinner. He booked a hot pot restaurant—you don’t mind, do you?"

"Of course I don’t mind," Yu Li replied instinctively before doing a double take.

"Wait—how did he know you were picking me up at the airport? Without a second thought, he must’ve realized I didn’t ask you to tell him because I wanted some alone time!"

Why must he insist on being a cockblock!

Yu Li sincerely believed this brother-in-law of his was truly a lost cause.