Gu Yuanbai shifted his gaze and motioned to the bartender. “Add an ice cube.”
The bartender rushed over, and the tall security guard glanced briefly at Gu Yuanbai’s face. A second later, his gaze lingered, one look after another.
After taking those glances, the guard’s expression darkened. He turned his head away, neck tense and his Adam’s apple bobbing, as if those extra glances felt like cheating.
But as he stepped into the shadows, he couldn’t resist looking again. Gu Yuanbai stirred the ice in his glass, his eyes downcast, shadows casting a calm, unaffected expression.
Xue Yuan was so distracted staring at him that he nearly ran into a wall. Once he snapped out of it, his face turned pale. A fellow security guard standing in the shadows near the bar, someone naturally talkative, nudged him and asked, “Hey man, that guest is handsome, right?”
Xue Yuan’s expression twisted with discomfort. “I didn’t look at him.”
The chatty guard chuckled. “The tall, good-looking guy drinking over there? He’s only been here a short while and already got people hitting on him. Bet someone else will try soon.”
Xue Yuan pulled his cap down, his thin lips pressed tightly together.
The friendly guard continued to chat for a bit, then suddenly remembered something: “Which area are you supposed to be watching? Why aren’t you over there?”
“You go.” Xue Yuan didn’t even know why he was acting this way. Just a moment ago, he was thinking about digging up his lover’s grave and dying alongside them, yet now his feet wouldn’t budge. “Let’s switch.”
As soon as he said it, anger flared within him, and he wished he could take back his words.
Since coming back, Gu Yuanbai noticed that his luck with romantic encounters had improved significantly, with people approaching him one after another, to the point of annoyance. Holding his drink, he walked into a dark corner, intending to crouch down against the wall, but ended up stepping on someone’s foot.
Someone nearby let out a muffled grunt.
“Sorry,” Gu Yuanbai said, pulling his foot back. “Are you alright?”
Xue Yuan stood rigidly, his nose filled with the scent of alcohol from this person. How much had he drunk? Wasn’t he worried about hurting his health? The thought crossed his mind, but then he scolded himself—why should he care how much this guy drank? Xue Yuan responded dismissively.
The location was hidden, and in the darkness, Gu Yuanbai could only make out a shadow darker than the surroundings. This shadow exuded a faint scent of sweat, and being so close, the strong masculine presence easily surrounded Gu Yuanbai. He tugged at his collar, feeling a bit uncomfortable, and took a step to the side.
But strangely, he didn’t want to leave. The unsettling emotions of the past few days seemed to find a safe haven, perhaps because the darkness brought a sense of security.
Suddenly, someone rushed over, “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
The drink in his hand spilled out, and with a serious expression, Gu Yuanbai took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to the person beside him, “Sorry, I spilled it all over you.”
With his sticky shirt clinging to him, Xue Yuan let out a sigh of relief, “It’s fine.”
He turned to leave this strange person who made him feel rooted to the spot. He had to quit this job. The young emperor was still waiting in the tomb for him to fulfill his promise, and here he was, inexplicably stealing glances at someone else?
Were those glances worthy of Yuanbai?
Unexpectedly, the guest who was causing him such turmoil followed him, “I’ll explain the situation to your supervisor.”
The muscles in Xue Yuan’s back tensed up again.
Gu Yuanbai followed him all the way to the staff changing room. Xue Yuan opened his locker and glanced back at him. Gu Yuanbai leaned against the door frame, one leg crossed over the other, lighting a cigarette.
The firelight flickered on his face, highlighting his drooping eyes and high nose bridge—a bold and flamboyant look.
Completely different from the young emperor, yet Xue Yuan felt a bit nervous. His hands hovered over his belt for a while before he finally undid the buckle with a click.
His strong upper body, covered in a white tank top soaked with golden alcohol, was partially exposed as he started to roll up the shirt. A voice came from behind, “Nice body.”
Gu Yuanbai casually complimented him.
Xue Yuan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Why were people here so shameless?
Half-dressed, with his waist and abdomen exposed, he felt like he was burning up, itching. Gu Yuanbai looked down at his phone, seemingly bragging nonchalantly, “My boyfriend has a great body too.”
Boyfriend?
Xue Yuan’s mood plummeted as he processed the meaning of those words, and he felt a surge of anger.
A crisp sound echoed as the cheap tank top was ripped in half.
Gu Yuanbai gave him a puzzled look, which the security guard noticed immediately. The guard, who had seemed shy a moment ago, now glared back with a fiery intensity, “You have a boyfriend, yet you’re checking out other men?”
Gu Yuanbai was speechless, “Come on, little brother, I just glanced at you.”
No matter how nice or sexy his abs were, they couldn’t compare to his man’s.
His face displayed a line that said, “You’re not worth looking at,” which infuriated Xue Yuan, driving him to the edge of reason: Am I not better than your boyfriend?
With his hands on his waistband, he unzipped his pants before he could even think. Gu Yuanbai followed the sound and saw long legs and the edge of black underwear.
And a few mischievous curls.
“…F*ck,” Gu Yuanbai crushed his cigarette and turned to leave, slamming the door of the changing room behind him, “Are you out of your mind?”
Gu Yuanbai walked away with a cold expression. His roommate called him, “Brother Bai, where are you?”
“Coming back soon,” he replied with a tense voice, “I’ll explain when I get back.”
His roommate was about to agree when he realized the call had already ended. They exchanged looks. Was he angry?
Gu Yuanbai pushed the scene he had just witnessed out of his mind, gritting his teeth and thinking, pervert.
Just because you’re handsome and have a good body doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.
He met his roommates, radiating a chilly aura, “Let’s go.”
His roommates tensed up immediately, “Okay, okay, let’s go.”
“What’s wrong with Brother Bai?” the third roommate asked cautiously, like a eunuch in the presence of the emperor, “Brother, who made you angry?”
Gu Yuanbai’s temple throbbed, “You want to avenge me?”
The third roommate perked up, “Absolutely! We’ll take him down together!”
Gu Yuanbai glanced sideways and saw the familiar pervert walking down the corridor, looking around anxiously. His new work jacket was wide open, revealing a tattered white tank top beneath, looking like he was playing with fetish wear. His sturdy chest and abs were faintly visible, and there was a layer of sweat on his forehead.
The sweat glistened under the suggestive lighting like honey exuding an alluring scent.
“Pervert,” Gu Yuanbai muttered under his breath, “Addicted to exposing himself.”
His roommates didn’t hear his comment, but they followed his gaze and were instantly filled with envy, “Damn, even bar security has to be this good-looking now?”
A male voice nearby couldn’t hide its excitement and shyness, “Wow—perfect guy for the gay community.”
“Tall and handsome, looks wild, wow, his expression is so fierce, my legs are weak.”
“…” Gu Yuanbai’s eyelid twitched, and he buried his head, heading out, feeling something bad was about to happen.
His premonition was spot on. He had barely taken a few steps when someone grabbed his hand.
The surrounding whispers intensified.
Gu Yuanbai took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was a good young man in modern society.
Holding back his frustration, he turned around and pulled his hand back, “What do you want?”
Xue Yuan didn’t know what was wrong with him. His heart and mind were filled with Gu Yuanbai, and he would only ever love Gu Yuanbai, but seeing this person leaving made him panic and chase after him. Seeing the rejection, he felt annoyed and hurt.
He spoke with irritation, “The entrance is chaotic; I’ll escort you out.”
Gu Yuanbai’s face turned cold, “No need.”
He walked away quickly, the whispers following him, “That guy is also handsome.”
“He seems unapproachable…”
The scents of perfume, alcohol, and tobacco were left behind. Gu Yuanbai was instantly sobered by the warm wind outside and headed to the street to hail a cab.
Xue Yuan silently followed behind, scaring off a few people who wanted to ask Gu Yuanbai for his contact information, watching him from inside the bar.
People came and went, and almost no one noticed Xue Yuan standing there, peeking outside.
Xue Yuan was not accustomed to modern life.
He seemed like a solitary kite, its string fluttering in the wind, with no fixed abode, lost and helpless.
No one held him, no one pulled him along, and everything and everyone around him felt unfamiliar. It took Xue Yuan a long time to understand what people were saying. The high-rise buildings and reinforced concrete felt like a cage.
The pressure almost made it impossible for Xue Yuan to stand straight.
Gu Yuanbai managed to hail a cab and let his roommates get in first. When his roommate called for him to get in the car, he suddenly hesitated.
Unconsciously, he turned his head to look back at the bar, seeing nothing. Behind him, his roommate shouted, “Brother Bai, watch out!”
The roar of a motorcycle sounded as a biker gang sped by, and Gu Yuanbai was pulled back just in time by someone, causing both of them to lose their balance and fall to the ground.
Instinctively, Xue Yuan protected Gu Yuanbai’s vital parts, and his arm made a cracking sound as it took the impact.
Gu Yuanbai’s expression changed instantly. He quickly got up, pulled his roommate out of the car, and helped the security guard into the car, “Driver, hurry to the hospital!”
The driver, full of energy, replied, “Ten minutes, tops!”
Xue Yuan, sweating profusely from the pain, looked at Gu Yuanbai through the haze, his pain fading, feeling more and more moved.
But thinking of the lonely young emperor in the tomb, a bucket of cold water doused the fire, and Xue Yuan pursed his lips tightly.
Xue Yuan, you’re not human.
Your loved one is dead, and you’re alive, yet you’re looking at someone else.
“It’s okay, don’t worry,” Gu Yuanbai, having finished speaking to the driver, looked unusually anxious, “It’s probably a dislocation, it’s going to hurt.”
The security guard who had just protected him now wore a cold expression and said indifferently, “Oh.”
He seemed to be distancing himself.
Gu Yuanbai’s reassuring smile stiffened, and his fingers gripping the back of the driver’s seat turned white, “Thanks for earlier.”
Xue Yuan’s brow furrowed tightly, “Don’t think too much of it. I was just…” He searched his mind for a phrase, “Doing a good deed.”
The atmosphere in the car grew awkward and tense. The driver sped up and managed to reach the hospital within ten minutes.
After sending Xue Yuan to the orthopedic clinic, Gu Yuanbai waited in the corridor, visibly frustrated.
His left eye had been twitching since earlier, and he leaned against the wall, tired, waiting for the doctor.
An hour later, Xue Yuan emerged with his arm in a cast. Gu Yuanbai, bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, asked, “All set?”
Xue Yuan looked at him for a long time, “Yes.”
“It;s been hard,” Gu Yuanbai gave an apologetic smile, “I’ve paid the medical bills. You’ve probably missed work saving me, so take a few days off. I’ll compensate you double for the lost wages.”
Xue Yuan replied, “No need.”
Gu Yuanbai rubbed his temples, speaking gently, “You work a day job and another at night; you must need the money. Don’t feel embarrassed, you deserve this money as my compensation and gratitude.”
Xue Yuan’s mouth tightened, “I said I don’t need it.”
Gu Yuanbai silently stared at him, the atmosphere growing tense.
Xue Yuan recalled the people in the bar who had tried to hit on him, asking for his WeChat, supposedly the first step in flirting. Xue Yuan had always scorned such things.
Gu Yuanbai’s messy black hair framed his face as he stood up from his seat, “If you ever need it, you can contact me anytime.”
Xue Yuan blurted out, “Do you want my WeChat?”
Are you trying to flirt with me?
Gu Yuanbai pulled out a business card from his wallet, his name and phone number printed on it, “No need for that, my contact information is here.”
He paused, then smiled politely, “Thank you again. If I said something that upset you, I apologize.”
Gu Yuanbai nodded graciously to the security guard, and as they were about to part at the hospital entrance, Xue Yuan suddenly said, “I don’t need your apology.”
Without waiting for a reply, he continued, “I saved you on my own accord, no need for your compensation.”
The coldness of the security guard’s words left no room for courtesy, making Gu Yuanbai’s graceful demeanor nearly crack.
“If you really want to compensate,” Xue Yuan hesitated, under Gu Yuanbai’s puzzled gaze, then stiffly turned his head, “….Give me your WeChat.”
His voice grew softer, the last word barely audible.
He couldn’t control himself.
The words slipped out, and he wished he could punch himself.
Seeing Gu Yuanbai’s surprised expression, the security guard’s ears slowly turned red, the blush spreading down his neck, filled with shame and restraint.
“…Are you going to give it or not?”
Author’s note: Giving you my phone number should be enough, Xue Dog.
