You've Spoiled Me

As the end of the year gradually approached, various tasks began to wrap up. When it was idle, it was truly idle, and when it was busy, it was truly busy. Li Si'ao probably felt that Jiang Xu had been taking too much leave lately, which was out of character for him. When Jiang Xu arrived at the company in the afternoon, he even sized him up a couple of times.

Jiang Xu's lies were perfunctory. He claimed to have injured his leg and had it bandaged at the hospital, yet when he entered the company, he walked with a stride, all four limbs sound. Li Si'ao stared for a long time but couldn't see any trace of injury on him and couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Where did you hurt your leg?"

Jiang Xu patted his knee, the corners of his upturned eyes holding a teasing smile. "My kneecap. Want me to drop my pants and show you?"

Li Si'ao turned away in disgust. Fang Qia, however, furtively sneaked a glance in their direction. Seeing this, Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, lifted his hand, and snapped his fingers crisply by her ear, scaring her into looking away again.

Jiang Xu said, "A young lady should be more reserved."

Fang Qia's sharp tongue didn't fail her. She scoffed and said, "Who asked you to be a hooligan first?"

'I'm a hooligan to begin with,' Jiang Xu thought. 'What else would I do if not act like one?' He crossed his legs, flicked the dust off his trouser leg with a finger, and remained silent. His gaze swept across the room, and he noticed the opposite desk was empty. He couldn't help but ask, "Where's Fan Jiajia? Why isn't she here?"

Fang Qia said, "Oh. She wasn't feeling well, so she took the afternoon off to go home."

Hearing this, Li Si'ao slid his chair back and shared some gossip with Jiang Xu, "Wasn't she getting pretty hot and heavy with that Mr. Dou? I heard his family is arranging a marriage for him, so he had no choice but to fly back to City A. They must have broken up. Who wouldn't be heartbroken? None of these rich young masters are reliable these days. Marrying into a wealthy family isn't that easy."

Fang Qia slapped the back of Li Si'ao's head, her tone displeased. "So what if his surname is Dou and he has some stinking money? Does everyone have to throw themselves at him? Jiajia wasn't trying to marry into a wealthy family. In my opinion, it's better they broke up. It saves a lot of trouble."

Li Si'ao immediately raised his hands in surrender, agreeing repeatedly, "Right, right, right. Everything you say is right."

Dou Xun was still a playboy heir, relying on his family for support. It was impossible for him to fall out with his parents over Fan Jiajia. Unlike Gu Qingzhou, whose father didn't dote on him and whose mother didn't love him, he was all alone and didn't have such troubles.

Jiang Xu laced his hands behind his head, looking somewhat bored. Fortunately, the few projects on hand were mostly complete, and there was nothing urgent. Unsure what came to mind, he picked up his phone for a look, found the message notifications empty, and put it back down.

Well, Gu Qingzhou didn't seem like the type to be keen on online chatting, after all.

Jiang Xu was an extrovert, while Gu Qingzhou was reserved. The two of them together were like fire meeting ice, yet they had formed a strange mode of coexistence. Except for the few occasional arguments, they got along peacefully most of the time. It was, one had to admit, a marvel.

After work, Jiang Xu was the first to leave the company. He went home first to pack a few sets of clothes, then got takeout from a restaurant downstairs. Only then did he hop on a shared bike and head to Gu Qingzhou's place. A light rain began to fall on the way. The fine threads of rain blew against his face and landed on his shoulders, not enough to leave any wet marks but bringing with them a faint chill.

Gu Qingzhou cleaned up the pieces of the broken vase, then stuffed the broken alarm clock and the carpet stained with cigarette ash into a trash bag, which he piled, bulging, in the corner. The house suddenly felt a little empty. He contacted a furniture company and bought identical replacements for the decorative items. The busy day had finally come to an end.

The sound of the rain outside was so faint it was nearly imperceptible. When the soft click of the door opening sounded, it easily captured all of his attention. Gu Qingzhou was sitting on the sofa handling work on his laptop. Hearing familiar footsteps outside, he subconsciously rose from the sofa and walked to the door, only to see Jiang Xu, hands laden with bags, lazily leaning against the entryway wall as he changed his shoes.

Jiang Xu's hair was slightly damp, and a few stray droplets of water clung to his eyelashes, becoming more distinct as he drew closer. Gu Qingzhou subconsciously glanced outside at the balcony. "Is it raining?"

Jiang Xu gave his hair a slight shake and said nonchalantly, "Just a drizzle. It's nothing."

"Didn't I give you the car keys? Why didn't you drive?"

As Gu Qingzhou spoke, he reached out to take the things from Jiang Xu's hands, but Jiang Xu deliberately pulled back. He said nothing, simply opening his arms and looking at Gu Qingzhou with a smile on his pursed lips, exuding a flamboyant, boyish energy.

Gu Qingzhou watched him quietly for a moment, then took a step forward. He unnaturally averted his gaze as he reached out to hug Jiang Xu, only to be pulled into an even tighter embrace.

Jiang Xu hugged him as they walked inside. 'Now this is more like it,' he thought. Gu Qingzhou was normally so clingy, but these last few days, it was as if his spirit had been worn down; he was silent and still in everything he did. He would much rather have Gu Qingzhou take a few verbal jabs at him like before—at least then he would seem a bit more alive.

He put the bags on the coffee table and glanced around, only then noticing that some areas looked much emptier. He sat on the sofa, pulling Gu Qingzhou down next to him. Lowering his gaze, a hint of an unreadable smile touched his lips. "You did a pretty thorough job cleaning up."

Jiang Xu was the type who couldn't say anything nice; even words of praise from his mouth carried an indefinable, teasing quality.

Gu Qingzhou didn't want Jiang Xu to know about his bad temper, though it was a bit late to hide it now. His words sounded strange to his own ears. "I decided I didn't like porcelain, so I got rid of it."

Jiang Xu went along with him. "Mm, you should get wooden things instead. They're more durable."

...

The takeout from the restaurant had gotten a bit cold, so Jiang Xu heated it in the microwave before he and Gu Qingzhou started eating. During the meal, something occurred to him, and he asked, "The Huaji project should be almost complete by early spring next year. Is that Mr. Dou coming back for the handover?"

Gu Qingzhou froze for a second, then belatedly realized that the "Mr. Dou" Jiang Xu was talking about was Dou Xun. He pulled out a tissue to wipe a small oil splatter from the tabletop before saying faintly, "I'm not sure. It depends on his family's situation. He only came to Hai City for the excitement in the first place. Even if his parents didn't intervene, he wouldn't have stayed long before going back on his own."

Although Hai City had been developing steadily in recent years, it was no match for the prosperity of City A. And with Dou Xun's playboy disposition, getting him to settle down quietly in one place was harder than reaching for the heavens.

Jiang Xu asked casually, "So he and Fan Jiajia really broke up?"

Gu Qingzhou tossed the wadded-up tissue into the trash. Remembering that Fan Jiajia's desk was opposite Jiang Xu's at work, meaning they faced each other all day, his tone became faintly, almost imperceptibly, sour. "Why? Does their breakup have anything to do with you?"

Jiang Xu said obliviously, "What's it got to do with me? I just saw she took the afternoon off, so I was asking."

Relationships were a matter of mutual consent. Even though Gu Qingzhou was on good terms with Dou Xun, he wouldn't meddle, let alone when he barely knew Fan Jiajia. He simply spoke from an outsider's perspective, "Dou Xun's parents would never allow them to be together. It's better for her to see that clearly sooner rather than later. Fan Jiajia is still an intern. If she keeps taking leave without reason, the company won't keep her on."

Jiang Xu felt inexplicably guilty. He gave a light cough and reminded him, "I think I've taken more days off than she has."

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou quietly raised his eyes to look at him and asked, "Can it be the same?"

Jiang Xu, at least, had Gu Qingzhou covering for him. But after Dou Xun left, Fan Jiajia had no one to rely on.

For the first time, Jiang Xu felt like a kept man, which put him in a strange mood. He subconsciously looked toward Gu Qingzhou, only to see he had already cleared the leftovers from the table and was grabbing a change of clothes to go shower.

'Gu Qingzhou sounds so clear-headed when he talks about Fan Jiajia,' Jiang Xu thought. 'If he could really see things so freely, why would he have been entangled with me for so many years? I guess it's true that the onlooker sees most of the game.'

He leaned lazily against the bathroom door, listening to the sound of rushing water from inside, then went over to the sofa and lay down.

Jiang Xu had always thought there wasn't much to see in a man's body—flat in the front, flat in the back, what was the difference from a washboard? But he had never imagined he would react to Gu Qingzhou. Even though their last hasty encounter had been a terrible experience, some facts simply couldn't be denied.

Jiang Xu lit a cigarette, leaned against the sofa, and gently closed his eyes. His strikingly handsome features were cast in faint shadows under the light. Separated by the bathroom door, the sound of rushing water seemed hazy and unreal through the curling smoke. He didn't know if his innate hooligan nature was flaring up, but the scene from last time was still vivid in his memory.

Gu Qingzhou's temper was cold and stubborn, but his body was just the opposite—supple and pliant. Paired with those cold, black eyes, it silently provoked a person's deepest destructive desires. Being at sharp odds with you in bed was, without a doubt, an unforgettable experience.

Jiang Xu slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, already feeling a pang of regret. If he had known things would turn out this way, why had he made such a scene with Gu Qingzhou back then? It would have been so much better to just frankly admit it. The first time holds a special meaning, after all, yet theirs had happened under such circumstances. Thinking about it now, he still felt a sense of pity.

He was lost in thought when the cigarette was suddenly snatched from his lips. Opening his eyes, he saw Gu Qingzhou stubbing it out in the ashtray. His dark hair was dripping wet, and a cool vapor clung to his skin.

Jiang Xu rolled over, rubbing against the sofa, then reached up to grab Gu Qingzhou's wrist. As expected, it was cool to the touch. He asked in a lazy, nasal voice, "Done washing up?"

Water was still dripping from the ends of Gu Qingzhou's hair, falling onto his shoulders and trickling down into the hollow of his collarbones, dampening the collar of his shirt. He lowered his gaze and hummed an affirmative, then went into the bedroom to dry his hair.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu got up from the sofa and followed him in, his voice low and amused. "Hey, you think you can put out my cigarette and just run away?"

The hairdryer wasn't loud, so it didn't impede their conversation. Gu Qingzhou saw Jiang Xu standing behind him in the mirror and said just two words in a quiet voice, "It's choking."

Jiang Xu chuckled. "I don't complain when you smoke."

Gu Qingzhou said, "That doesn't conflict with me disliking you smoking."

Jiang Xu simply took the hairdryer from Gu Qingzhou's hand and asked with great interest, "Dislike? What is it about me that you dislike?"

The warm air from the dryer moved through his hair, but it was nothing compared to the heat of the chest pressed against his back. In the mirror, Gu Qingzhou saw Jiang Xu's dark, captivating eyes, and his heart suddenly clenched for no reason. He reached out, unplugged the dryer, and lowered his gaze to hide his emotions. "It's dry."

Jiang Xu wrapped his arms around him from behind. The faint, pleasant scent of Gu Qingzhou's body wash lingered in the air. Unable to help himself, Jiang Xu buried his face in the crook of Gu Qingzhou's neck and asked in a low voice, "Sleep together tonight?"

Although the two of them had made up, the last incident had left an indelible mark. Gu Qingzhou could choose to ignore it, but his body remembered the pain all too well. Even now, the memory made him tremble slightly.

The tickle of Jiang Xu's breath on his neck made him unconsciously tilt his head away. After a moment of silence, he relented, lowering his gaze. "Do as you please."

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, Jiang Xu could feel the faint tremor running through Gu Qingzhou's body. He turned him around to face him, placing a warm palm against his cool, slender back and rubbing it soothingly. Then, he gently, softly, placed a kiss on his eyelid.

Jiang Xu didn't know what else to say. He murmured, "I'm sorry..."

Gu Qingzhou paused, then slowly wrapped his arms around him, silently shaking his head.

If there was blame to be had, they were both at fault. They had been in the heat of the moment, and whatever happened was unintentional. It was all a process of adjustment. To judge matters of the heart purely by right and wrong was far too simplistic.

Jiang Xu found Gu Qingzhou's lips, cupping his chin as he kissed him with unprecedented tenderness. The few muffled words he occasionally uttered were also gentle to the bone. "Gu Qingzhou..."

Jiang Xu said, "What am I going to do if you spoil me?"

Always forgiving him so easily, always tolerating him so boundlessly—it could even be called indulgence.

Hearing this, an indescribable emotion flickered in the depths of Gu Qingzhou's dark eyes. His lashes trembled, casting faint shadows beneath them. As he lightly returned Jiang Xu's kiss, he wrapped his arms around his neck, slowly tightening his grip. "Then just stay with me forever. I'll spoil you for a lifetime..."

He knew that Jiang Xu was, in fact, very simple. Minor scuffles aside, he had never done anything truly bad.

Gu Qingzhou was willing to wait for the day he truly grew up.