When Gu Heng came out, he was wrapped in a chill.
At the bathroom door, he caught faint traces of conversation. Moving closer, he saw Zuo Shihuan talking on the communicator.
Even from a short distance away, he could see Zuo Shihuan holding the communicator in one slender, fair hand, his other hand resting lightly on his knee. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa in an off-white loungewear set, his usually neat black hair now soft and slightly tousled.
He looked utterly at home.
The sight made Gu Heng pause for a moment, stunned.
For an instant, all sound faded. Time itself seemed to slow, sweet and tender.
The warm light fell across Zuo Shihuan’s profile, highlighting his refined, gentle features, softening his contours. His light brown eyes gleamed with warmth and clarity; the corners of his lips curved with a small smile.
Just seeing him sitting there on the sofa filled Gu Heng with a profound sense of peace, as if his entire life’s striving had been for this very scene.
He stopped where he was, almost afraid to take another step closer.
All that irritation he’d felt earlier in the shower, washing himself off with cold water while thinking up ways to make Zuo Shihuan “reflect” later that night, it all vanished.
He couldn’t bring himself to let Zuo Shihuan suffer even a little.
No matter how many times Zuo Shihuan caught his weak points, teasing and provoking him again and again, Gu Heng always endured it willingly.
Even though, as a top Alpha, he could easily teach such a mischievous person a lesson, he ended up just taking another cold shower, unwilling to touch Zuo Shihuan harshly.
Now, just seeing Zuo Shihuan’s back, without even seeing his face, made Gu Heng want to light a cigarette, to soothe the tight, overfull ache in his chest, the mix of longing, restlessness, and fear of loss.
Unfortunately, his self-control and patience…
Completely shattered the moment he saw Zuo Shihuan press a hand to his blushing cheek, lowering his head slightly, his ears and nape faintly flushed a soft, hazy red.
It was a sight that made his heart pound.
But what stung was that it wasn’t because of him, it was because of the person on the other end of that call.
Gu Heng’s face darkened. His hand clenched tight.
He stepped forward.
“Shihuan, who are you talking to?”
His deep eyes turned cold as he asked, though he already knew.
Frowning, his red lips pressed into a thin line, he slid his arms from under Zuo Shihuan’s armpits to wrap tightly around his waist, his chin resting possessively on his shoulder.
It looked like Zuo Shihuan was the one being held, but in truth, it was Gu Heng who felt powerless.
With his Alpha hearing, he had long recognized the voice from the other end. Yet he still asked, staring intently at Zuo Shihuan’s flushed ears.
The ache in his chest grew heavier, sour and painful.
What exactly had Zuo Shihuan been talking about to blush like that?
It didn’t even matter.
What mattered was that Gu Heng didn’t want Zuo Shihuan to ever show that kind of expression because of anyone else.
It made his nose sting and his eyes prickle red.
Just thinking about that persistent Omega woman, though he’d stolen Zuo Shihuan from the engagement party and made him completely his, Zuo Shihuan still kept in touch with her. Still smiled, still blushed while talking to her.
What was so good about that Omega woman?
Even after running from the engagement, Zuo Shihuan couldn’t let her go?
Gu Heng admitted it, he was furious, jealous, and helpless.
Even though he had Zuo Shihuan’s affection and promise, he still couldn’t forget that he wasn’t the one who was first publicly engaged to him. He still couldn’t erase the sting of Zuo Shihuan rejecting him again and again for that Omega woman at the engagement banquet.
If not for that accidental mission that led him to discover the engagement, if not for the madness that drove him to crash the banquet and shamelessly force Zuo Shihuan to choose…
Would he one day have seen news of Zuo Shihuan’s grand, extravagant wedding with someone else?
The thought alone made Gu Heng’s heart twist in dread.
Jealousy and hurt surged violently in his chest, spreading upward like acid, corroding his heart, his lungs, his throat, his entire face flushed with that stifling, burning ache.
It left him so jealous and bitter that he couldn’t even speak, and the expression on his face turned into one so ugly with jealousy that even he himself despised it.
No matter how many times he thought back to it that moment when Gu Heng saw Zuo Shihuan, dressed in an elegant white suit, holding the bride’s hand as they walked step by step up to the stage, passing by him without even a glance, cold, distant, untouchable…
Every time he remembered it, it was a nightmare.
All the guests were offering their blessings and praise.
Anyone looking at them would think the groom and bride were perfectly matched, a union of equals. Even Zuo Shihuan wore a smile, holding his beautiful bride’s hand as they walked together toward their bright, blissful future.
Only Gu Heng himself seemed like a mistaken intruder.
No one expected him to be there. No one would bless him and Zuo Shihuan. There was no title, no recognition, nothing.
Probably no one present even knew that he and Zuo Shihuan had once shared a relationship.
Gu Heng felt like a secret, unacknowledged lover, a pitiful, jealous outsider watching from below as the man he loved stood proudly onstage, marrying someone else without hesitation.
And at the moment he saw someone else sliding a ring onto Zuo Shihuan’s finger, Gu Heng finally understood what heartbreak truly meant.
Even now, when Zuo Shihuan was in his arms, smiling at him, taking the initiative to kiss him, his heart overflowing with love so fierce it hurt, Gu Heng knew no one would ever love him the way Zuo Shihuan did.
Yet every time he remembered that nightmare, the unease and panic would rise again in his chest, uncontrollable.
Maybe it would take years before the scar faded.
But for now, it hadn’t.
When Zuo Shihuan called that Omega woman surnamed Yu, Gu Heng had thought he could take it calmly. After all, he had been the one to crash the engagement banquet and take Zuo Shihuan away.
But he was completely wrong.
The moment he saw Zuo Shihuan smiling and blushing at whoever was on the other end of the line, jealousy surged straight to his head. Old memories rose up like waves, battering and tormenting him.
He felt wronged, unwilling, and hideously jealous.
If he could have his way, Gu Heng would want Zuo Shihuan to blush only for him, smile only for him, get angry, cry, and care only for him, to pour every emotion, good or bad, into him alone.
Even if that was impossible, he still wanted to claim first place in Zuo Shihuan’s heart, above all friends and family, untouchable by anyone else.
Because that was how Gu Heng treated Zuo Shihuan.
No friend mattered more than Zuo Shihuan.
No family mattered more than Zuo Shihuan.
Even he himself barely mattered compared to Zuo Shihuan.
So Gu Heng couldn’t help but always watch him, possessive, anxious, always needing to stay close, wanting to remain forever in the number one place in Zuo Shihuan’s heart.
But Zuo Shihuan wasn’t like him.
He wasn’t alone, and thank goodness for that.
Suddenly…
Gu Heng’s arms tightened around him, then immediately loosened before Zuo Shihuan could notice. No matter how dark and unpleasant his expression had been, the instant Zuo Shihuan turned his head, it was replaced with a gentle, well-behaved smile.
He buried all those ugly, jealous thoughts deep within himself, not wanting Zuo Shihuan to see what kind of petty man he was.
Forcing a smile, he asked softly, his tone warm and mild, “Shihuan, who’s calling you at this hour? Is something the matter?”
“Mm? Oh, I’m talking to Yu Lizhu.”
When Zuo Shihuan turned his head, he was met with Gu Heng’s strikingly handsome face, magnified up close, smiling without a trace of gloom. Even though something about it felt faintly strange, he still answered him honestly.
Yes, something had happened.
But Zuo Shihuan didn’t plan to tell Gu Heng right now.
Not only because he was still on the phone with Yu Lizhu, and it wasn’t convenient to talk openly, but also because some part of him didn’t want to make Gu Heng uncomfortable.
Still, when he hung up and turned his attention back to Gu Heng,
The forced smile on Gu Heng’s face softened into something more genuine. He slipped an arm around Zuo Shihuan’s waist, leaning closer, one knee bent as he sat beside him, his lips almost brushing Zuo Shihuan’s ear.
His dark eyes gleamed, and his tone carried a faint trace of jealousy as he asked, “Shihuan, what were you two talking about to make you look like that just now?”
Because Gu Heng was so close, his warm breath tickled the shell of Zuo Shihuan’s ear, leaving it tingling and numb.
Zuo Shihuan twitched slightly, unused to the sensation. One hand lowered the communicator, while the other rubbed at his warm ear.
Then,
He raised the communicator a bit farther away. Held tightly by the waist, movement was difficult, so he turned his head and said apologetically, “Could you let me go for a moment? It’s hard to talk to Yu Lizhu like this.”
Gu Heng lowered his gaze, staring at the glowing communicator screen. He clicked his tongue softly under his breath but obediently loosened his hold.
Only, the grip around Zuo Shihuan’s waist was gone but the weight on his shoulder wasn’t.
He could feel the solid, heavy presence leaning against him, Gu Heng’s chin resting stubbornly on his shoulder, even without the embrace, he was still pressed close.
It made Zuo Shihuan feel weighed down, and increasingly hot.
No matter how good-looking the Beta beside him was, he was still a full-grown man over 1.9 meters tall, his weight alone was enough to make Zuo Shihuan’s breath catch for a second.
Holding the communicator in one hand and bracing himself against the sofa with the other, Zuo Shihuan was about to turn and ask Gu Heng to ease up a bit when he caught sight of Gu Heng’s face: those dark eyes calm and expressionless.
Zuo Shihuan’s slightly parted lips slowly closed again. A faint worry and confusion rose in his eyes.
He could sense that Gu Heng was feeling something, a heavy, silent mood.
Brooding, suppressing his temper.
Even with that still, expressionless face, he radiated a quiet, unapproachable chill.
But Zuo Shihuan just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, like the arrogant guy in front of him had been wronged somehow and wasn’t saying it.
This wasn’t how Gu Heng usually acted.
It made Zuo Shihuan really worried.
He’d originally planned to call his friend Yu Lizhu, but with Gu Heng sitting so close, he felt too embarrassed, so he’d asked Gu Heng to give him a little space.
Now, he couldn’t even think about that call anymore.
His eyes full of concern and pity, Zuo Shihuan reached out to touch Gu Heng’s drooping head. Seeing him with half-lidded eyes, still looking weary and spiritless, he couldn’t help but wonder…
What on earth happened?
Who could have made Gu Heng feel wronged? Hadn’t he just come out of the shower? Nothing had happened, right?
Unless…
Zuo Shihuan suddenly remembered what he’d done earlier on a whim, he’d just been teasing Gu Heng, not expecting things to almost get out of hand.
Even though he managed to pull away in time, leaving Gu Heng behind by himself, Gu Heng must have felt awful.
Feeling a little guilty, Zuo Shihuan reflected on his actions for a moment.
He ran his fingers through Gu Heng’s slightly cold hair; there were still drops of water clinging to the strands, and his skin had taken on that pale, cold hue of someone soaked too long in water.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable like that.
Zuo Shihuan’s heart clenched. He asked softly, “Gu Heng, are you still feeling bad?”
Gu Heng shook his head, listlessly saying, “No.”
Physically, he wasn’t uncomfortable, it was his heart that ached.
Even he felt he was being unreasonable; just because Zuo Shihuan was on the phone and ignored him for a bit, his chest had felt tight and sour.
He found his own jealousy pathetic.
Zuo Shihuan frowned slightly, even more uneasy now. Forgetting about his call with Yu Lizhu, he set the communicator down on the sofa and studied Gu Heng carefully.
Soon, a faint blush flashed in his eyes. He pushed the communicator a little farther away with his finger, ears turning red, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on Gu Heng’s downcast face.
Even the kiss was extra light and quiet as if he was afraid his friend on the other end of the communicator would hear and start teasing him again.
Zuo Shihuan swallowed down his embarrassment but couldn’t help himself, his warm lips gently brushed Gu Heng’s chilled, pale skin, still cool from the water.
Then, like coaxing someone, he kissed Gu Heng’s lips, then his cheek, then the corners of his eyes.
Gu Heng’s lips curved up involuntarily.
The way Zuo Shihuan pampered and soothed him melted away all the sour jealousy in his chest, especially when he caught sight of that communicator Zuo Shihuan had pushed away.
It was easy to tell who held the higher place in Zuo Shihuan’s heart.
Right now, all of Zuo Shihuan’s attention, all of his gaze, was on him, Gu Heng.
Even the smallest sign of discomfort, and Zuo Shihuan would immediately drop everything to worry over him.
That thought filled Gu Heng’s chest with warmth and satisfaction, and a smug, quiet sense of triumph at having “won.”
His gloomy expression lifted, and Zuo Shihuan, seeing that, felt both helpless and relieved.
Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious, just one of Gu Heng’s occasional moods.
Zuo Shihuan smiled softly, stroking Gu Heng’s face. “Do you still feel bad now?”
A faint light flickered in Gu Heng’s dark eyes. He pinched Zuo Shihuan’s chin and pulled him into a long, deep kiss in answer.
The heat between their lips and tongues rose and their mingled breaths grew more ragged.
The sound of their kisses, wet, messy, intense, filled the air.
Zuo Shihuan’s face flushed red; his wide light-brown eyes showed panic and shyness.
At first, he’d been caught up in the moment, returning the kiss, enjoying the warmth of Gu Heng’s lips, but soon he grew flustered, pressing his hands against Gu Heng’s chest, trying to push him away.
Of course, it didn’t work.
Helpless, anxious, Zuo Shihuan glanced aside toward the communicator on the sofa. His fingers tensed, wanting to shove it even farther away, he absolutely didn’t want anyone hearing this.
Unfortunately, Gu Heng noticed.
Realizing that Zuo Shihuan was thinking of something else while kissing him,
Gu Heng’s gaze darkened; a shadow of irritation crossed his lips. He covered Zuo Shihuan’s hand with his own, stopping him cold.
Trying to grab the communicator, was he?
Then he could think about it all he wanted.
There was a sudden thump!
Both of them fell back onto the sofa together, fingers entwined, kissing fiercely.
Zuo Shihuan’s pupils shrank. Staring up at Gu Heng, whose dark eyes gleamed with unyielding intent, he realized he wasn’t getting away. His fingers were pinned, his back pressed down by Gu Heng’s supporting hand.
He had no choice but to endure the sudden, forceful kiss.
The communicator, so close just moments ago, was now completely out of reach.
But the call was still ongoing,
Mortified, Zuo Shihuan shut his eyes tight, wishing he could sink into the floor. Furious and embarrassed, he grabbed a fistful of Gu Heng’s hair.
Gu Heng winced, pausing briefly, but when he saw Zuo Shihuan’s flushed face, eyes closed, letting himself be kissed despite his anger…
He couldn’t stop.
He kissed him deeply for another ten seconds.
When Zuo Shihuan was finally out of breath, chest heaving, his pale brown eyes glassy with tears and flushed at the corners, his simmering anger barely contained, he tugged hard at Gu Heng’s hair, yanking out a few strands.
Gu Heng hissed in pain, finally pulling back. Flashing his white teeth in a grin, he answered Zuo Shihuan’s earlier concern: “Shihuan, I don’t feel bad anymore.”
“……”
Zuo Shihuan’s face instantly darkened. Breathing hard, brows drawn tight, he glared at Gu Heng, his fist clenched so tightly it was a wonder he managed not to punch him right then and there.
Gu Heng was feeling a little guilty himself at that moment and rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Zuo Shihuan narrowed his eyes in anger, turned away, refusing to even look at Gu Heng, his expression clouded with worry and frustration as he stared at the communicator sitting a short distance away.
He really had no idea how he was supposed to explain this to Yu Lizhu.
Why he’d suddenly gone silent for several minutes, without a word of warning, and even worse, how he was going to explain what exactly he’d been doing during that silence.
Or maybe he didn’t even need to explain, maybe Yu Lizhu already knew.
Either way, both options felt equally miserable and difficult.
Zuo Shihuan pressed a hand to his forehead, sighing in frustration, then took several deep breaths to steady himself. He adjusted his breathing to make sure his voice wouldn’t sound strange, gathered his courage, and finally reached for the communicator.
But before he could pick it up, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He turned and glared at Gu Heng, muttering through gritted teeth, “You b*stard, don’t you dare interrupt me again. I still have to finish my call.”
Gu Heng, utterly unfazed by the glare, brushed a thumb over the lingering moisture on his lips. His dark eyes curved lazily in satisfaction, that small, self-satisfied smile showing absolutely no hint of remorse for what he’d just done.
Still, under Zuo Shihuan’s fierce glare, Gu Heng obediently raised his hands, palms open in mock surrender, nodding with a grin that said he’d behave.
He really didn’t want to truly piss Zuo Shihuan off, because in the end, he’d be the one suffering for it.
Besides… he’d already gotten what he wanted.
Gu Heng narrowed his eyes in contentment, his smile deepening. “Don’t worry,” he said cheerfully. “Go ahead and talk to that Yu person all you want. I won’t bother you.”
He sounded perfectly cooperative.
But a prickle of unease crept up Zuo Shihuan’s spine anyway. Still, he couldn’t find fault with anything Gu Heng had said, if Gu Heng promised something, he usually didn’t go back on his word.
So, he forced himself to relax.
After double-checking that Gu Heng seemed calm and wouldn’t cause trouble again,
Zuo Shihuan finally picked up the communicator, his expression shifting to one of sincere apology. “Hey, Yu Lizhu, are you still there? I’m so sorry, Gu Heng suddenly needed to talk to me about something, and I didn’t tell you before the call cut off. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
It took several seconds before Yu Lizhu’s voice came from the other end.
“It’s fine,” she said, her tone slightly muffled. Hugging her arms, she continued, “But just now, I heard some banging sounds, like a metal bowl falling over. Zuo Shihuan, is everything okay?”
Zuo Shihuan froze, thinking for a few seconds before realizing it must’ve been the sound of Gu Heng pulling him around and accidentally knocking against the metal part of the sofa.
A total misunderstanding.
But Zuo Shihuan had no intention of clearing it up. Covering his faintly flushed face, he said, “It’s nothing, just a small accident. I’m fine.”
“That’s good…” Yu Lizhu sighed, sounding relieved but still uneasy. “I called your name several times earlier and didn’t hear anything back. I almost thought something had happened to you, like your father, Zuo Zoujian, might’ve found you.”
Zuo Shihuan replied guiltily, “No, it wasn’t that. My father hasn’t found me. Gu Heng suddenly came over, and I had to deal with something, which delayed me. Sorry for worrying you, Yu Lizhu.”
Yu Lizhu let out another breath. “I’m glad it wasn’t your father. I heard a male voice through the communicator, and then suddenly I couldn’t reach you, followed by all those strange banging sounds. I really thought something might’ve happened.”
Zuo Shihuan felt even guiltier, glancing sideways at Gu Heng, who was lounging beside him with that same relaxed smile, looking utterly unrepentant as he listened in on the conversation.
This guy had caused all the trouble, yet here he was, calm as ever, as if nothing had happened.
If it weren’t for him, Zuo Shihuan wouldn’t be stuck in this awkward, guilt-ridden mess, struggling to explain himself.
He elbowed Gu Heng aside, then turned back to Yu Lizhu and said honestly, “Nothing happened. Gu Heng just came over and started fooling around, so I missed your call.”
“I thought so,” Yu Lizhu said with a faint sigh, her lips pressing together. “That male voice I heard sounded young, if it wasn’t your boyfriend, who else could it be?”
Then, with a trace of playful resentment, she added, “So, what, is this you choosing love over friendship?”
Zuo Shihuan choked, speechless.
Meanwhile, Gu Heng, who had been eavesdropping the entire time, smirked, his lips curling higher. He thought with smug satisfaction that Zuo Shihuan should choose love over friendship, and should keep doing it.
After all, he was the one closest to Zuo Shihuan. Who else could deserve his attention more?
Even a best friend couldn’t compare to a lover’s place.
Gu Heng narrowed his black eyes, his expression glowing with pride. His grin widened, fingers brushing his chin as that smug smile grew and deepened, so much that he practically had an invisible tail wagging behind him.
He paid no mind at all to poor Zuo Shihuan, who was on the other side of the conversation, utterly flustered and at a loss for how to convince Yu Lizhu that he really wasn’t someone who ditched friends for love.
“No, it’s not like that,” Zuo Shihuan hurried to explain. “I wasn’t ignoring you, just wanted to call you back right away, but Gu Heng… anyway, I promise I won’t keep you waiting so long next time.”
He went on explaining and apologizing over and over, practically pouring his heart out, trying to make Yu Lizhu understand what had happened.
Though he couldn’t bring himself to reveal exactly what intimate things Gu Heng had done to him just now, he still managed to make Yu Lizhu understand the general situation.
So, it turned out Zuo Shihuan hadn’t meant to abandon his friend the moment his boyfriend appeared.
He hadn’t hung up intentionally or ignored her messages; she’d just worried for nothing and waited far too long.
In truth, her call had been interrupted by Zuo Shihuan’s boyfriend, who had barged in and disrupted everything.
For some reason, Yu Lizhu suddenly felt like clicking her tongue in exasperation.
She never would’ve thought that Ji Shenwen’s annoying friend would actually turn out to be Zuo Shihuan’s secret boyfriend, this world really was too small.
And of all people, Zuo Shihuan just had to fall for Gu Heng. Honestly…
That guy was really lucky.
With someone like Zuo Shihuan, good looks, good character, outstanding ability, he could’ve had anyone he wanted, yet he just had to go for that proud, temperamental Beta, Gu Heng.
Yu Lizhu still remembered that when she was chasing Ji Shenwen, her biggest obstacle had been that man, bad temper, barely ever showing Ji Shenwen a pleasant face.
Always with that cold, arrogant expression, like he thought he was someone important.
Yet Ji Shenwen actually listened to his every word, even when he told him not to see her.
Ji Shenwen really had distanced himself from her, stopped talking to her entirely.
Yu Lizhu had been furious, so furious she’d almost hired someone to teach that arrogant, meddlesome friend of Ji Shenwen a lesson, or maybe even get the boss in the Lower District to fire him.
If they didn’t work in the same place, Ji Shenwen would’ve stayed far away from him!
But Yu Lizhu, after all, was a decent person with a moral line, she couldn’t actually abuse her connections to bully someone.
Even though Ji Shenwen’s cold avoidance broke her heart over and over again, she still never did anything to that hateful friend of his.
At most, she’d hired a private investigator to look into Ji Shenwen and that friend.
And what the investigation found was… not normal.
Ji Shenwen’s friend didn’t seem like an ordinary person at all.
At first, Yu Lizhu had assumed he was some kind of small-time gangster, and she’d even worried Ji Shenwen would pick up bad habits from him.
But now, seeing how he could actually snatch away the Alpha heir of one of the Federation’s top power families, the Zuo family, and then vanish without a trace…
How could mere street thugs pull something like that off?
It wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that if the Zuo family ever decided to go into the underworld, with all the high-tech weapons and mechas they had, they’d instantly become the king of that world.
Even now, countless factions and even the Federation government kept a close watch on the Zuo family, wary and fearful, yet also scrambling to curry favor and form alliances.
And in front of a family like that, Gu Heng had actually dared to snatch Zuo Shihuan away right under their noses? One wrong move and he could’ve been killed without a trace, and no one in the Federation would even dare to investigate.
The Zuo family could’ve just slapped a “kidnapping the heir” charge on him and that would’ve been the end of Gu Heng.
So when Yu Lizhu saw that Gu Heng had the courage, and the ability, to crash the engagement and take him away, she couldn’t help but look at Ji Shenwen’s awful friend with newfound awe and respect.
She was shocked, impressed, and even moved. She’d personally told Zuo Shihuan to go with Gu Heng during the engagement party.
After all, someone who’d risk their life to steal the groom, literally risk their life, had to truly love him.
Gunshots had rung out so many times that night Yu Lizhu had lost count, yet not once had she seen Gu Heng flinch or back down.
That alone earned her respect.
She felt Zuo Shihuan hadn’t chosen wrong, no matter how proud or temperamental Gu Heng might be toward others, he was sincere and devoted to Zuo Shihuan.
And that was enough.
It wasn’t like Yu Lizhu planned to have anything to do with him anyway. As long as Zuo Shihuan was happy, that was all that mattered.
She didn’t want to put him in a position where he’d have to choose between her and Gu Heng.
Still, since she’d always thought she and Zuo Shihuan were on good terms, being suddenly ignored by him had made her a little hurt.
But once Zuo Shihuan explained everything, the hurt vanished.
It was all that boyfriend’s fault!
Even as Zuo Shihuan’s boyfriend, that man was still just as unlikeable as ever.
“It’s fine, I know you’re not that kind of person, Zuo Shihuan,” Yu Lizhu said gently, her apricot eyes curving as she smiled at him while he tried anxiously to explain himself over the phone.
Zuo Shihuan frowned guiltily. “As long as you understand… but I…”
Yu Lizhu cut him off. “Really, it’s fine. You helped me so much back then, pretending to go on dates with me just so I could secretly meet Ji Shenwen. So this time, let’s just say I’m helping you two lovers in return. Fair trade, right?”
Zuo Shihuan paused, then smiled faintly. “Mm. Thanks. I’ll make sure Gu Heng doesn’t cause trouble next time.”
Yu Lizhu grinned, showing her teeth. “I get it, he’s your boyfriend after all. I can tell he’s still young, always clinging to you playfully. That’s fine usually, just… not at formal occasions, you know? But since you like younger guys, I’ll support you two.”
Zuo Shihuan froze.
He thought about it, Gu Heng was a few years younger than him, and less mature, less steady. Maybe Yu Lizhu had a point.
Was he… spoiling Gu Heng too much?
Gu Heng being a little willful in private was fine, but this time his behavior had affected Zuo Shihuan’s friends too.
Zuo Shihuan fell silent, face serious. “You might be right, Yu Lizhu. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him from now on.”
At that, Gu Heng’s eyes widened in disbelief beside him.
He’d already been a little annoyed that Zuo Shihuan was talking so much with Yu Lizhu, but since Zuo Shihuan had still put him first, and Yu Lizhu was one of the few friends he cared about, he’d held his tongue.
But he hadn’t expected Yu Lizhu to use that sweet, fake tone to bad-mouth him right in front of Zuo Shihuan!
Did she think he couldn’t hear the sarcasm behind her words? “Still young,” “clingy,” “immature”, she was clearly calling him childish, like he didn’t understand boundaries and wouldn’t even let Zuo Shihuan take her call!
Sure, maybe she wasn’t wrong…
But was it really worth tattling to Zuo Shihuan about it?
And now Zuo Shihuan was actually believing her? Looking at him with that faintly exasperated, disappointed expression…
Gu Heng clenched his jaw, seething with frustration.
Yu Lizhu, you’d better remember this!
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