Xia Zichen silently looked at Shen Yicheng sitting across from him. The coffee entering his mouth carried a faint bitterness.
Regarding the Gu family, Gu Xu had already told him quite a lot before, but Xia Zichen had never paid much attention to it. Although Gu Yan had indeed treated him very well, in the end, the only person who truly had a relationship with him was Gu Xu.
And his relationship with Gu Xu had not reached the point where he could help others seek benefits through him. Besides, he himself did not know much about the Gu family’s business.
“Our plan this time is really very good. We only need a certain amount of financial support. If the Gu family invests, along with the Gu family’s connections, once the plan is completed, the profits will be beyond your imagination. I won’t treat you unfairly either.” Shen Yicheng smiled.
The Gu family’s money? The Gu family’s connections?
Xia Zichen sneered inwardly.
If they already had these two things, why would they need to cooperate with you? Why not do it themselves and keep all the profits?
“Sorry, I can’t help you with this.” Xia Zichen did not intend to beat around the bush and said directly, “I cannot interfere with the Gu family’s matters. To put it simply, right now, I am only an outsider to the Gu family. There are some things I cannot participate in.”
Regarding his own position, Xia Zichen had always been very clear.
The smile on Shen Yicheng’s face faded, and he frowned.
“Zichen, you’re deliberately refusing to help me, aren’t you?”
Hearing his words, Xia Zichen frowned as well.
“You should know how much I’ve taken care of you over these past two years. Now that you’re together with Gu Xu, I’m only asking you to help with a small favor. Why is it so difficult?” Shen Yicheng paused before continuing, “I’ve raised my cat for so long. When I come home, it still knows to come over and act spoiled with me. But you? To put it bluntly, you just don’t want to help me. Those excuses you’re giving are nothing but reasons to refuse.”
Xia Zichen looked at him coldly and said in a low voice:
“I’m not your pet.”
A trace of awkwardness appeared on Shen Yicheng’s face, mixed with anger he could no longer suppress.
Xia Zichen ignored him and continued:
“If you really have that much confidence in your plan, you can find Gu Yan yourself. Although Brother Gu is busy, finding his assistants and secretaries isn’t difficult. If your plan is truly good, give it to them. They can submit it to Gu Yan as well.”
Gu Xu had mentioned Gu Yan’s working style before. Although arranging a meeting with Gu Yan was difficult, if it was a truly valuable cooperation project, Gu Yan would never ignore it.
“Taking a step back, even if you cannot meet Gu Yan, you can always meet Gu Xu. Arranging a meeting with him is easier than with Gu Yan. You can show him the proposal. If he thinks it’s good, he will inform his brother.”
Xia Zichen paused before continuing.
“You are so eager to meet Gu Yan. Is it because you have too much confidence in your project, or because you actually have no confidence at all and only want to rely on connections?”
Shen Yicheng’s hand under the table tightened slightly.
He said coldly, “Who knows whether Gu Xu would actually pass my proposal on?”
Xia Zichen let out a quiet laugh, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.
“Gu Xu is a member of the Gu family. Everything he does is also for the good of the Gu family. Are you worried that he would keep your proposal from them?”
Shen Yicheng did not answer, almost showing silent agreement.
“The Gu family has developed to this point because they naturally have their own standards for cooperation. If your plan is truly feasible, the Gu family definitely won’t refuse it. Whether you know me or not has nothing to do with it.”
Xia Zichen looked at him.
“Yes, I am Gu Xu’s lover now, but that doesn’t mean I should interfere with his work. Besides, I don’t understand these things at all.”
To be honest, Xia Zichen being together with Gu Xu was only because he wanted to have a simple relationship. He did not want to get involved in the Gu family’s affairs, nor was he someone who could participate in them.
After a moment of silence, Shen Yicheng sighed and softened his attitude.
“Zichen, actually… I’ve always known how you felt about me.”
Xia Zichen froze slightly. Shen Yicheng suddenly bringing up this topic felt rather abrupt.
“I also know that choosing Jiayue made you sad, but I did it for my family. Living in this environment, marriage isn’t something I can decide on my own.”
Shen Yicheng looked seriously at Xia Zichen, seemingly trying to find some reaction on his face.
When this matter was mentioned, saying that he was truly hurt would actually be an exaggeration. At that time, he and Gu Xu had gotten along very well in the game, so the matter between Shen Yicheng and Lian Fei’er had naturally faded away. He could also understand Shen Yicheng’s position.
“The matter is already over.” Xia Zichen did not intend to explain further.
But Shen Yicheng clearly did not intend to end the topic.
“Actually, I’ve always liked you too. From the first time I saw you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have always taken you out for meals.”
“But now our family and the Fan family are in a period of cooperation, and I can’t possibly break up with Jiayue. Even if there are no feelings left, I have to wait until the cooperation ends.”
Xia Zichen did not understand why Shen Yicheng was telling him this. He put down his coffee cup and said:
“That’s your matter. It has nothing to do with me.”
Shen Yicheng frowned.
“You should know that someone like Gu Xu, someone from the Gu family, will eventually have to marry a woman. If you help me this time and successfully get the Gu family to invest, I will give you an appropriate reward. You won’t have to worry about your future life. Even if you and Gu Xu break up someday, I will take care of you.”
After hearing this, Xia Zichen laughed.
He did not know whether there was something wrong with his own expression, or whether Shen Yicheng’s intelligence was lacking.
“What do you think love is?” Xia Zichen asked.
Without waiting for Shen Yicheng’s answer, he continued:
“Although love isn’t the entirety of life, it is something that cannot be forced or exchanged. No matter what you think, to me, it is not something to be traded for benefits.”
A deeper shade appeared in Shen Yicheng’s eyes.
Xia Zichen’s words had completely drawn a line between them. Their relationship had reached its end.
Shen Yicheng was somewhat surprised. Although he knew Xia Zichen and Gu Xu’s relationship had always been stable, he had never expected Xia Zichen’s feelings for Gu Xu to be so pure.
To him, love required weighing gains and losses. Simply liking someone was not enough.
Therefore, in his eyes, Xia Zichen was almost foolishly innocent.
The silence between them lasted for a moment before it was interrupted by a phone ringtone.
Xia Zichen glanced at the caller ID and answered.
“Hello?”
“Where are you?” Gu Xu’s gentle voice came from the other side.
“I’m at the café near school. What’s wrong?” Xia Zichen looked at the time. It was still early.
“I’ll arrive at school in ten minutes. Should I go directly to the café to pick you up?”
“Why are you so early?” Normally, Gu Xu should not arrive until evening.
“The company doesn’t have much going on, so I got off work early.” Gu Xu explained.
“My new books are still in the dorm. I need to go back and get them.” Xia Zichen said.
“Then I’ll help you get them before picking you up.”
Although autumn had arrived, the temperature was still somewhat high before sunset. He did not want Xia Zichen to walk around unnecessarily.
“No need. Just go downstairs at the dorm. I’ll wait for you there after getting my books.”
Since he had nothing else to say to Shen Yicheng, it was better to return and get his books.
“Alright. See you soon.”
“Mm.”
Xia Zichen hung up the phone, stood up, and said to Shen Yicheng:
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”
Shen Yicheng also knew it would be difficult to persuade Xia Zichen, so he simply remained silent.
Xia Zichen did not pay attention to him and turned to leave the café.
After Xia Zichen got his books, Gu Xu’s car happened to stop downstairs.
Xia Zichen smiled and sat in the passenger seat. Gu Xu lowered the air conditioning slightly to prevent him from catching a cold, then drove away from the school.
After buying dinner, the two returned to their home.
The first time they had come here, it had only been an empty house that had already been renovated.
Now, furniture, appliances, and daily necessities were all complete. It looked much more like a real home.
Xia Zichen’s luggage had already been moved over by Gu Xu yesterday.
Of course, Xia Zichen had not told Xia Yuze about this yet. After all, he had a dormitory but chose not to live there, and had a home but chose to live outside with Gu Xu. No matter how he looked at it, the pace seemed a little too fast.
The house was on the tenth floor. It had three bedrooms and two living rooms, as well as a large balcony with excellent lighting. Sitting on the balcony at night and looking at the scenery was a kind of enjoyment.
Aside from the master bedroom, the other two rooms were used as studies. Each person had their own room, maintaining independent space without disturbing each other.
If they wanted to read together, that was also possible. The desks in the studies were large, with two chairs placed there. There was also a sofa and coffee table, making the rooms suitable even for entertaining guests.
After changing his shoes, Xia Zichen prepared to take his books to the study, while Gu Xu turned and entered the kitchen to put away their things.
Just as he reached the living room, Xia Zichen suddenly stopped.
In one corner of the living room stood a guqin, carrying an elegant ancient charm.
Xia Zichen had no idea when this guqin had appeared in their home, which was why he was so surprised.
After putting away the things, Gu Xu came out of the kitchen. Seeing Xia Zichen standing there, he smiled and walked over, reaching out to rub his hair.
“What are you staring at? Don’t you like it?”
“I like it.”
Recovering, Xia Zichen smiled at him.
“When did you buy it?”
“I ordered it half a month ago. It only arrived last night.”
Gu Xu said:
“The first time I heard you play in the music club activity room, I thought that our home should have a guqin someday, so you could play whenever you wanted.”
“Thank you.”
Xia Zichen said seriously.
“I wanted to make you happy, not make you thank me.”
Gu Xu smiled.
“I noticed you haven’t said much all the way here. Are you worried about something?”
“Not really.”
Xia Zichen shook his head, thought for a moment, and said:
“Shen Yicheng wanted me to help him contact Brother Gu about cooperation. I refused, and things became unpleasant.”
He did not want to hide this from Gu Xu. After all, it was not a major matter.
“Mm.”
Gu Xu nodded.
“Don’t worry about him. Their project has no investment value. The people cooperating with them are the ones who bribed the bartender to drug my brother.”
“This is too disgusting.”
Xia Zichen frowned. This result was clearly beyond his expectations.
Gu Xu smiled and patted his back.
“I’ll handle this matter. You only need to be happy every day.”
Xia Zichen awkwardly wrinkled his nose and took his books into the study.
After dinner, Gu Xu brewed coffee and sat on the balcony, looking at the person inside the house.
Meanwhile, Xia Zichen sat beside the guqin, gently plucking the strings.
The glass door was open, and the sound of the guqin lingered throughout the room.
Occasionally, their eyes met, exchanging a faint smile.
The feeling was peaceful and warm…