Chapter 3: My Little Pet

Chapter 3: My Little Pet

Wen Yu had only one room, barely enough to accommodate both him and Gu Junhan for several nights.

The young man stood by the bed, old clothes hanging loose on his thin frame—delicate shoulders, shallow collarbones.

The room was dimly lit, as if the bulb hadn't been changed in a long time.

Gu Junhan's tall figure lay on the bed. "Why is the next room full of junk?"

Wen Yu's jawline was soft, his gaze on the empty bed, his expression blank yet innately meek.

"That was my grandfather's room." Wen Yu's collarbone showed at his collar, faintly sheened with sweat, his lips trembling. "He passed away half a year ago."

Wen Yu still stood there, and Gu Junhan's eyes reflected his figure—like a blade of grass tossed into a corner, still growing meekly.

Even in sorrow, he was so well-behaved it made your heart ache.

Wen Yu had been kidnapped by traffickers and taken into the mountains as a child, but he'd escaped and met his grandfather's family, who took him in and raised him as their own. Life had been hard, but his grandfather never let him feel mistreated.

Half a year ago, his grandfather fell ill and soon passed away.

Half of the family's savings went toward building his grandfather's tomb and covering the funeral expenses. He'd never known parental love; it felt like his grandfather was all he had in the world.

Gu Junhan didn't ask further. The kid had had a rough life, and he was too gentle for his own good—easy to take advantage of.

Wen Yu hesitated, then asked with teary eyes, "When your wounds heal, are you going to leave?"

"You want me to leave?"

Gu Junhan asked in return, then grabbed his hand and pulled him into bed.

Wen Yu was tugged forward, his body lurching, knees banging against the bed frame. It hurt a little, but he didn't make a sound. He shook his head, then looked into those fierce eyes and nodded earnestly.

"Heh." Gu Junhan let out a low chuckle. He tightened his grip and pulled Wen Yu into an embrace, pressing his face to the young man's shoulder.

Wen Yu had never imagined being this close to another man.

In the moonlight.

His collarbones jutted out, his clothes too big, slipping off his rounded shoulders, and his knees were scraped red.

"As you wish." The man said, uncharacteristically, then let go and lay down to sleep.

The seven days of country life hadn't dulled Gu Junhan's interest—rather, they'd cultivated his patience.

Sometimes, being quick, precise, and ruthless only made the prey wary. Better to slowly boil the frog.

The man who had lain beside him the night before was gone.

Before dawn, Wen Yu was startled awake by a faint noise in the yard. Peeking through the door crack, he saw two dark figures helping Gu Junhan into a black car.

Gu Junhan didn't even glance back at the house.

By the time Wen Yu ran outside, all that was left on the mountain path was a set of cold tire tracks.

When Wen Yu went back inside, there were only three things by the bed—

A phone, a bank card, and a note.

The phone had one contact saved. The card was black and gold. The note said: *Get yourself some new clothes, Mein kleines Haustier.*

Wen Yu didn't understand the string of foreign letters. He picked up the note, folded it, and put it in a wooden box. He thought the man was really kind—saving him and giving him money as a reward.

In Wen Yu's world, Gu Junhan was almost like a friend. He'd never even dreamed of being friends with someone from the city.

He hadn't even made breakfast yet.

Wen Yu went back to his lonely routine, grabbing some firewood and heading to the stove.

One hand held dry grass, the other pulled out a lighter. With a click, the flames jumped up.

The fire lit up his face. The flames burned bright, but at their core flickered the reflection of a striking, bold-featured face. Wen Yu coughed as the smoke curled up—

smoke that seemed to linger in the eyes of Gu Junhan, who had already gone.

Country S.

Gu Junhan sat on the sofa, the sky outside the estate dark and overcast. Fu Xi held a lighter in both hands, flicked it, and lit the cigar.

The cigar in Gu Junhan's mouth was strong. The man kneeling on the floor was terrified.

He was a burly man with a heavy stubble.

"Master Gu, I didn't mean to leak your location..."

His hands were tied behind his back, the rope biting into his skin, his fingers turning purple. A bloody gash cut across his forehead, blood dripping from his brow, and boiling water had been poured down his throat.

Boiling water at a hundred degrees had been forced down his throat, until his voice seemed scalded away.

Gu Junhan's face was expressionless. Smoke curled around his handsome features. His brows drew down, and he raised a hand.

"Leo, feed him to the little ones out back."

Fu Xi nodded, straightened, and stepped toward the kneeling man.

Two men in dark clothes hauled him up. His legs kicked wildly, his leather shoes scraping the floor with harsh, grating sounds.

"Don't worry—you'll have plenty of time to savor the pain." Fu Xi patted his cheek, then gently wiped the blood from his forehead with a handkerchief. "Cheer up."

Fu Xi waved a hand, and the man was dragged out. His smile faded as he turned back to Gu Junhan. Gu Junhan's fingers rested on the armrest, his ring glinting coldly.

He closed his eyes briefly.

Fu Xi casually took the finished cigar from Gu Junhan with both hands. "The entertainment company we bought two years ago is now number one in Country A."

"Entertainment company..." Gu Junhan stayed reclined in the leather chair, eyes narrowing. The dim light softened the hard lines of his face.

It had been a casual investment—a few hundred million at a 60% premium. He hadn't even blinked.

Fu Xi lowered his head and placed the cigar butt into the metal case he carried, his movements practiced and deferential. "Number one in market share in Country A, revenue over four billion, three films in the top ten at the yearly box office."

Gu Junhan looked away and said flatly, "Not bad."

Fu Xi went through all the recent developments one by one. In just seven days away, someone had gotten restless.

On the stock market, someone had messed with his holdings.

Large sell orders started coming in, then three hedge funds issued short reports at the same time. By today, his market value had dropped by nearly thirty percent.

Gu Junhan didn't need to guess who was behind it.

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Gu Junhan responded casually, "How long has it been?"

"From the day you went missing, counted to the exact day, not a single one off." Fu Xi adjusted his glasses.

Gu Junhan smiled slowly, as if solving a chess puzzle, "They figured I wasn't around, or that I'd been killed, before they dared to make a move."

"It seems that way." Fu Xi nodded in agreement, picking up the documents beside him, "And there's the mine in Xizhou—someone took advantage of our personnel rotation and overran the security posts at two mining areas."

Gu Junhan paused, "What's the damage?"

"1.4 billion." Fu Xi knew it wasn't a huge sum, but it had been five years since anyone had dared to touch that turf, and now someone was openly picking a fight.

"They think just because I'm gone, they can turn the whole thing upside down?" Gu Junhan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The estate was beautiful, but the sky was dark and heavy.

"Leo, spread the word—business as usual."

Fu Xi nodded, glancing at the sky outside.