Chapter 4: A Close Call

Chapter 4: A Close Call

Stir-fried mushrooms with greens, mushroom and egg drop soup, tea tree mushrooms with meat, dry-fried king oyster mushrooms... Zhao Yu tried every dish, but he felt so nauseated that Zhou Lan ended up finishing each plate and ordering takeout for him.

In the morning, it was drizzling lightly as Zhou Lan got stuck in traffic. Zhao Yu was alone, studying a cookbook for new mushroom recipes. The doorbell rang. He opened the door without looking up, still reading the cookbook. "Aren't you stuck in traffic? How did you get here so fast?"

"Who's stuck in traffic?"

Gu Hansheng's voice came from above him. Zhao Yu flinched, and the cookbook dropped from his hands.

"Mr. Gu... why are you here?"

"Looks like you were expecting someone else." Gu Hansheng picked up the cookbook and handed it to him. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Zhao Yu hastily grabbed a pair of new slippers and handed them over without daring to look him in the eye, explaining with his head down, "I was waiting for Assistant Zhou. He said he'd come today."

Gu Hansheng brought in the chill of early spring, which drifted in with the breeze through the door. He said, "I tried calling you from downstairs but couldn't get through, so I came up. Hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, come on in." Zhao Yu walked straight into the kitchen, opened the high cabinet, and took a moment while his back was turned to compose himself, standing on his toes to pick through the jars and containers.

Gu Hansheng walked over and asked, "Which one are you reaching for?"

"Black tea. It's your favorite."

Gu Hansheng's fingers glided past the green tea and pu-erh canisters, picked up the black tea, and suddenly asked, "How do you know I like black tea?"

Zhao Yu's expression changed slightly. Gu Hansheng's preferences were in the file Zhou Lan had put together—something Chen Xitong might not even know. Thinking fast, he said, "I did some asking around. You know my preferences, so I wanted to learn more about you too."

"Why ask other people when you can just ask me?" Gu Hansheng smiled and took a seat at the table. "If you want to know something, come straight to me."

"Okay." Zhao Yu brewed tea for him. "By the way, what did you need to see me about?"

"Are you free this weekend to watch F1 with me?"

"What's F1?"

"Formula One racing."

"But I don't know much about it."

"Think of it as a little trip. A change of scenery."

He remembered Zhao Yu mentioning he'd been in a bad mood last time and had taken it seriously. Naturally, Zhao Yu had no reason to say no.

This small matter didn't require coming upstairs to tell him in person—it was just an excuse for Gu Hansheng to see him. Now that he was inside and had said what he needed to say, he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. He casually leafed through the cookbook on the table and said, "You're cooking? I never knew you could cook."

"I couldn't before. I recently got the itch to learn, so I asked Assistant Zhou to come taste-test."

Gu Hansheng looked genuinely interested. "I can be your taste tester too. What are you planning to make?"

"Just... ordinary home-cooked dishes. They're not that good yet. I'll make some for you once I've practiced."

"That's fine. I eat anything, and I won't be picky."

Whenever Gu Hansheng decided to do something, he wouldn't accept no for an answer. After several interactions, Zhao Yu had gotten a read on his personality—though he appeared gentle, he was very strong-willed underneath, and even if you tried to resist, he'd pull you along.

Zhao Yu could only say, "Then I'll go make something now. You might have to wait a bit."

"No rush. Take your time." Gu Hansheng handed him the cookbook.

Zhao Yu rolled up his sleeves, deliberately making a mess of the vegetables on purpose, thinking about how to make the dish taste terrible, when he suddenly heard Gu Hansheng say, "Did you redecorate your place?"

Zhao Yu glanced back and saw Gu Hansheng standing by the shelf, looking it over. It used to be filled with Chen Xitong's collectibles, but had been emptied out not long ago.

And not only that, Gu Hansheng also looked down at the mat under his feet—it hadn't been gray before. The painting Chen Xitong had drawn on the wall was gone too, leaving just a faint mark where the frame used to be.

Gu Hansheng's gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Zhao Yu's back. He was curious—how could someone change so much in such a short time, even changing their whole home? The Chen Xitong he knew wasn't someone who changed easily.

His stare was almost boring into Zhao Yu's back. For the first time in his life, Zhao Yu understood what it meant to feel like someone was staring daggers at him. He cursed Zhou Lan inwardly for being unreliable—knowing Gu Hansheng had been to Chen Xitong's apartment, how could he have missed something so obvious?

He swallowed involuntarily. Then he steeled himself and sliced his finger with the knife, letting out a startled "Ah!"—so forced that he cringed at himself.

"What happened?" Gu Hansheng walked over.

"I cut my finger." Zhao Yu forced out a couple of tears and turned to show him the wound.

Gu Hansheng looked at the bleeding wound and frowned. "Is there a first-aid kit in the house?"

"It's in the TV cabinet."

Gu Hansheng fetched the kit, disinfected the wound, and stopped the bleeding without asking more questions. Zhao Yu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Gu Hansheng's movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were handling something precious. The warmth from his hand was very comforting.

Zhao Yu used to get into fights all the time, treating bruises and injuries as no big deal. No one cared about his wounds except Auntie Guo. Strangely enough, he never felt the pain during a fight, but the moment someone showed concern, the wound would start to ache again.

After bandaging the wound, Gu Hansheng looked up, and Zhao Yu looked away guiltily, saying, "It's just a small cut. It doesn't hurt."

"Anything that bleeds isn't a small wound." Gu Hansheng said, "Don't cook today. Wait until it heals."

Zhao Yu nodded quickly and added, "Then let me clean up the kitchen."

"I'll do it." Gu Hansheng got up and walked into the kitchen.

While Zhao Yu was still trying to come up with an explanation for the changes in the house, Gu Hansheng's phone suddenly rang. After taking the call, he said, "Something came up at work. I need to leave now. I'll come pick you up early this weekend."

Zhao Yu walked him to the door. "Okay, man. Drive safe."

Gu Hansheng turned to look at him, clearly pleased by the "man," and said, "It's drafty in the hallway. Don't walk me out."

Zhao Yu watched him get into the elevator before closing the door, leaning against it and letting out a long breath.

A few minutes later, Zhou Lan walked in. "I just ran into Mr. Gu downstairs. He was here?"

"It's a long story. It was a close call."

"His expression seemed fine when he left. So you made it through?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Zhou Lan sat down across from him. "So, how are things going with him?"

"Going well. He's still into me."

"Then why do you have that look on your face?"

Zhao Yu scratched his head, not sure where to start. From being unable to stand being touched at their first meeting to today's normal contact, it had been a gradual process. But he was also slowly realizing what he truly had to do—not just hold hands, but one day pretend to be Chen Xitong in a relationship, possibly even kissing or going to bed.

He had talked so tough in front of Chen Li, but now that things were moving forward step by step, he still wasn't mentally prepared.

He asked Zhou Lan, "Can you teach me how to be okay with dating a guy?"

"I've got no experience with that either." Zhou Lan thought for a moment, then it suddenly hit him that something was off: "Wait, you're not actually gay, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then you..." Zhou Lan paused. When Chen Li first told him about this whole impersonation scheme, he'd just assumed Zhao Yu was gay and never questioned it. As a man himself, he knew damn well how hard it was for a straight guy to fake being gay—it wasn't just about giving up your body, but swallowing your pride.

This sudden realization left Zhou Lan speechless. He didn't know why Zhao Yu needed money so badly, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask.

Zhao Yu sighed: "Forget it, asking you was pointless. You haven't eaten yet, have you? I just sliced up some porcini mushrooms—let's stir-fry them. They'll go bad by tomorrow."

Zhou Lan watched him walk into the kitchen, listening to the sizzle of hot oil, and asked, "Does Miss Chen know?"

Zhao Yu cocked his ear: "What'd you say? Didn't catch that."

Zhou Lan was quiet for another beat, then just said, "Nothing."

Zhou Lan didn't dare hear the answer. If Chen Li knew he was straight and still sent him off to charm Gu Hansheng, Zhou Lan was afraid hearing it would break his heart.

Unlike Zhou Lan with all his complicated thoughts, Zhao Yu took things way more in stride. When he realized he could actually stomach the taste of porcini mushrooms, he raised an eyebrow in triumph: "All that hard work paid off—I actually figured it out. Next time I have dinner with Gu Hansheng, I'm ordering this." He raised his right hand: "Assistant Zhou, give me five."

Zhou Lan smiled and high-fived him.

...

A light drizzle pattered against the car window. Gu Hansheng's fingers tapped the steering wheel, staring at the blinding red light at the intersection, his expression unreadable.

Although he hadn't spent much time with Chen Xitong, he was almost certain Chen Xitong had changed—little details in his words and mannerisms were just... off.

He should've looked into him, but he quickly pushed the thought aside.

In business, in romance, even in the family—everything was full of scheming and backstabbing. Everyone was secretly digging up dirt on each other, then using each other's weaknesses to fight for power and profit.

The moment he started digging, this pure feeling would inevitably turn sour.

...

The weekend rolled around quickly. Though it was still March, the temperature was gradually rising. Zhao Yu wore a beige trench coat, styled his hair before heading out, and put on the black-framed glasses.

The morning breeze and sunlight were just right. Zhao Yu stretched lazily at the curb and watched a red convertible Ferrari Portofino pull up and stop in front of him. The man took off his shades, revealing that handsome face—it was Gu Hansheng.

This Gu Hansheng looked more like the playboy with a colorful romantic history from the file. As soon as Zhao Yu got in the car, Gu Hansheng handed him another pair of sunglasses: "We're gonna pass by the coast later—the UV rays are strong."

"I already have my own glasses," Zhao Yu said.

"Why do you always wear glasses if you're only mildly nearsighted?" Gu Hansheng smiled, reached over to remove his black-framed glasses, and helped him put on the sunglasses.

Gu Hansheng looked at his glasses with interest and suddenly asked, "Do these have a prescription? They look like plain lenses."

Zhao Yu snatched his glasses back: "They do—just a little. Corrective lenses all look like this."

Gu Hansheng didn't dwell on it, and Zhao Yu had dodged another bullet.

But Zhao Yu wasn't feeling so lighthearted. He could already tell that Gu Hansheng's repeated probing meant he'd noticed something was off, he just hadn't dug deep enough into Chen Xitong yet. Once he really started digging, his identity wouldn't stay hidden.

Zhao Yu let out a soft breath, gazing at the coastline growing closer, thinking he needed to quickly break through his psychological barrier and get closer to Gu Hansheng.

Over the past two days, Zhou Lan had found him a bunch of gay films. He spent his days watching two guys get all lovey-dovey, sometimes with kissing and sex scenes. He was slowly getting desensitized to it, but actually making the first move on Gu Hansheng would take guts.

The parking lot outside the track was packed with luxury cars. The moment Gu Hansheng stopped, people with cameras swarmed around—some to photograph the car, others to photograph him.

A small media outlet suddenly asked, "Mr. Gu, did you really break up with Angel?"

Angel was a female celebrity, and their scandal had once caused quite a stir. Everyone said Angel was about to marry into the Gu family, but it ultimately fizzled out. Asking gossip outside a racetrack—everyone knew it was inappropriate, but they all eagerly awaited Gu Hansheng's answer.

Gu Hansheng glanced at him with a half-smile, then waved at the VIP security guard. "He's harassing me—are you going to handle it or not?"

With that, Gu Hansheng walked inside with Zhao Yu while calling the PR department, saying succinctly: "There might be negative press about me today. Keep an eye on it."

"Should we track which outlet breaks it first?"

"Yes. Blacklist the journalist who writes it."

As the young master of the Gu family, representing the group's image, even if he acted recklessly in front of the cameras, he could still firmly control the direction of events and ensure everything was watertight. His methods were ruthless, leaving no room for mercy.

Zhao Yu turned to look at the small media reporter being escorted away by security, silently mourning for him—and feeling a hint of unease about his own fate.