Volume 1 - CH 4

In which Gu Yan considers the possibility of a threesome and outdoor sex (surprisingly not at the same time), while Qin Zhiyuan is relegated to outer space.

There is no sex in this chapter.

Volume 1, Chapter 4

That expression was gone in a flash, covered up extremely quickly by Zhang Ji. If Gu Yan’s eyes weren’t so sharp, then he really would’ve thought that he’d seen wrong.

Sure enough, this one was a little fox.

Qin Feng’s original advice could actually be counted as somewhat insightful. It was only that his acting was a bit overkill and looked more fake than not. This kind of cliché trick seemed more suited for middle school students in a love triangle.

But, maybe some people actually liked this sort of thing.

Gu Yan’s legs felt sore, and he simply decided to find somewhere to sit down in order to watch this play wholeheartedly.

Qin Zhiyuan seemed to sense his gaze, shooting him a glance with those pitch-black eyes, before then gracing him with an ambiguous smile.

Gu Yan’s eyelids twitched.

Was this an ominous premonition of him losing favor?

Of course, there were no flowers that didn’t wither and nothing that lasted forever, but to lose at the hands of little fox Zhang Ji felt more than a bit frustrating.

Zhang Ji smoothly finished acting out his injury scene and, in the end, successfully got what he wanted, with Qin Zhiyuan driving him personally to the hospital. Only then did Gu Yan stand up and straighten his clothes, allowing the makeup artist to fix his makeup and returning to wait for the next shoot.

As the staff members cleaned up the set, some couldn’t help but mutter, “How could it be so easy to fall like that? Was it really that he wasn’t standing properly?”

Some people who heard these whispers couldn’t help but shoot some glances in Gu Yan’s direction.

Gu Yan returned all those gazes with a smile.

Actually, it also wasn’t easy to fake a smile; it had to be naturally friendly, not looking the least fake, which was quite a test of skill. And he really did have only this little bit of acting skill, so of course he had to use it to the fullest.

He didn’t have any prior appointments that night, so he went home, still humming that love song of Zhang Ji’s.

The next day on set, Zhang Ji actually arrived early in the morning. His leg was apparently slightly sprained, so he should have rested for a few more days, but he claimed that he feared causing delays to filming and was determined to come to work. That’s right, a serious injury needed a hundred days to treat, and since that little fox had someone pick him up every day, day in and day out, how could he not come to show off with how clearly smug he was?

In actuality, it was Qin Zhiyuan’s thoughts which were difficult to guess. He clearly was pampering his new lover to the extreme, yet he wasn’t in a hurry to toss aside the old lover Gu Yan.

Had he decided to hold one on his left and another on his right?

It wasn’t like Gu Yan didn’t understand that. On the occasions when he indulged in flights of fancy, he would also think about the feeling of holding Zhang Ji on his left and Qin Feng on his right… And Qin Zhiyuan?

Yes, Qin Zhiyuan would be in outer space.

Other than sending some messages and calling a few times, this outer space Qin Zhiyuan didn’t meet with Gu Yan for an entire two weeks. In the end, it was the manager who called, telling him to attend a celebratory banquet. The great director Zhao Xin had made a literary film that received an award overseas, and their company had invested in it, so by all rights, they needed to make an appearance. Relying on his relationship with Qin Zhiyuan, Gu Yan had once filmed with Zhao Xin before, so he was also invited to attend.

Gu Yan was bored with nothing to do anyway, so he found some time to tidy his hair and then headed out after picking a white suit to wear.

The celebratory banquet was buffet-style, and the location was on the top floor of a high-end hotel. From the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the entire city’s enchanting nightscape, and the crystal chandeliers sparkled with iridescent brilliance. Many guests were decked out in dazzling clothes, luxurious and decadent.

When Gu Yan raised his head to look, he saw that many were acquaintances, and so he had to call out greetings as he moved. In the end, he even had to go find the crowded Zhao Xin to offer his congratulations.

Zhao Xin’s clothes, personality, and even appearance were all casual, heedless of other people; the only thing that could be said to excite him was probably filming. But he didn’t like filming those profitable melodramatic movies; he liked to film arthouse literary pieces. While they were well-reviewed, they didn’t earn much money. If it wasn’t for his old friend Qin Zhiyuan putting forth all this money and effort to help, then he really wouldn’t have been able to make so many films.

Gu Yan had once almost ruined Zhao Xin’s film with his acting, so Zhao Xin put forth a wary expression the moment he saw Gu Yan, as if he was encountering his nightmare in the flesh, once again having to see those terrible acting skills.

Someone with this kind of disposition was also quite interesting.

Gu Yan felt particularly well-disposed towards him and so displayed a smile that was far more sincere than usual when offering congratulations, making that face look even more handsome.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xin didn’t appreciate this in the least, making a face as if he wished to escape the other as fast as possible.

Gu Yan inwardly found this hilarious.

It was at this time that Qin Zhiyuan entered the room with a female companion. That woman was the radiant Tang Anna wearing a black-velvet evening dress, with her long hair pinned into a bun behind her head and a diamond necklace gleaming bright around her neck. Her appearance couldn’t be considered especially beautiful, but that confidence in her attitude was able to overshadow all kinds of other female stars, big or small.

Even so, the first person Gu Yan saw in a glance was still that elegant and refined Qin Zhiyuan.

It really was just one glance.

He immediately looked away, grabbed a glass of wine, and silently retreated to a corner.

Recently, Tang Anna was a rising star, with her albums selling hot and her movie offers unceasing, so no wonder Qin Zhiyuan would take her to this banquet. After all, he was very clear on which ones were kept just for fun and which ones were able to be shown to the public.

Gu Yan drank as he thought, thinking that that little fox couldn’t come here to cause trouble so was probably disappointed as hell, right? Right as he was about to laugh, he saw that Tang Anna was elegantly and gracefully walking over to him.

Since they were both at the same company, they were somewhat familiar with one another and so were able to dispense with much of the formalities, as Tang Anna simply asked, “Why aren’t you dancing?”

Gu Yan blinked and replied, deadly earnest, “If I’m able to ask such a beautiful woman as Miss Tang to be my dance partner, then I’m willing to dance even if my legs are broken.”

Tang Anna began laughing upon hearing this. “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“Please, go ahead.”

Tang Anna pulled out a cigarette from its box and gracefully lit it, breathing slowly in. Narrowing her eyes, she looked the very picture of elegance.

Gu Yan admired these kinds of women the most. If he liked women, he would definitely choose someone like Tang Anna.

When Tang Anna saw him staring, she shook the cigarette box in her hand and asked, “Do you also want one?”

“No need, I don’t smoke.”

“Ah.” Tang Anna nodded in understanding and said, smiling, “Qin Zhiyuan doesn’t like the smell of smoke.”

Gu Yan smiled, full of hidden meaning.

It wouldn’t matter even if he had admitted it. He truly had clearly figured out Qin Zhiyuan’s preferences and always paid attention to it in his daily life, never neglecting them even for the slightest moment. He already wasn’t a youth who had just turned twenty. If he didn’t put in some effort and care, then how would he be able to compete with all those young rivals?

“However much effort you put in is how much you’ll get back.” Tang Anna gave him a few appraising glances and said, “No wonder Qin Zhiyuan is so good to you, laying out such a good path for you to walk.”

“How could I compare to you, Miss Tang? No one was there to pave your road, yet you still managed to become so successful, your future limitless.”

Women all loved being praised, and Tang Anna was no exception. She smiled as she finished her cigarette and turned around to look at Qin Zhiyuan who was mingling with the other guests before suddenly asking, “Since you’ve been by his side for so long, have you ever felt your heart move for him? He’s both young and rich, and he doesn’t look too bad either. More importantly, he’s even gentle and considerate, generous and giving, and has the ability to give you both fame and fortune… That kind of person can very easily draw people in.”

Gu Yan didn’t know if Tang Anna counted as one of them.

He also looked at that gently smiling Qin Zhiyuan and, without the slightest hesitation, immediately replied with, “Those are all just false pretenses.”

Being gentle was fine, and being affectionate was a given; all of it was simply Qin Zhiyuan putting on a mask, after all. Otherwise, if one couldn’t see through a person’s heart, then could they really easily fall in love with his façade?

No, he had never loved Qin Zhiyuan’s flawless disguise.

But…

From afar, Qin Zhiyuan saw the two of them and raised his glass in greeting before walking over in long strides.

Tang Anna then ended the previous topic of conversation, turning to making some small talk and idle gossip. When Qin Zhiyuan arrived, the three of them chatted for a bit before Tang Anna quickly made her excuses and left.

Gu Yan touched glasses with Qin Zhiyuan and put forth the opening lines he had long prepared, “Long time no see.”

“Only half a month counts as a long time?”

Gu Yan shook his head and said, extremely seriously, “You’re wrong, it’s been forty-five years in total.”

Qin Zhiyuan’s interest was piqued, and he asked, “Where did you get forty-five years?”

“‘One day of parting feels like three autumns‘[1], so since one day is three years, wouldn’t fifteen days be forty-five years?”

Qin Zhiyuan couldn’t win against him and so could only avoid the subject, saying with a sigh, “Your math is quite good.”

And then continued to ask, “What were you and Tang Anna talking about just now?”

“I wanted to invite Miss Tang to dance, but unfortunately I didn’t succeed.”

“Yes, recently her health isn’t suitable for dancing, she…”

“Bzzzz—-”

Qin Zhiyuan spoke only partway before his cellphone began ringing. He signaled to Gu Yan before fishing out his cell phone and answering, walking out of the noisy banquet hall as he began talking.

Holding his glass, Gu Yan stood around in the vicinity, waiting for almost twenty minutes before he saw Qin Zhiyuan once again enter. He thought that the other would return and continue the previous topic of conversation, but Qin Zhiyuan instead simply came to a stop, leaning against a wall and slightly loosening his necktie, a somewhat tired furrow in his brows.

Tired?

Not long ago, his face was full of pleasant smiles, and now after taking one phone call, he was already this tired out?

At this moment, people started making a fuss about Zhao Xin getting up on stage and making a speech about his award. It was difficult for Zhao Xin to refuse such hospitality, so the only thing he could do was go up and say some words. From the beginning, he wasn’t a particularly eloquent person, and after only a few sentences, he had run out of things to say and was anxiously calling for Qin Zhiyuan to save him. Qin Zhiyuan sucked in a breath, tidied up his suit, and bolstered his spirits to go up on stage.

Gu Yan earnestly listened to everything he said.

From start to finish, Gu Yan discovered a total of three errors — two were an absentminded forgetting of words, while one was a mispronunciation. For an event like today’s, Qin Zhiyuan had definitely made prior preparations, and for someone as perfectionist as him, how could he possibly have made so many errors? He usually hid his true self extremely deeply and rarely even let out the tiniest sliver of his true thoughts, so was tonight… a once in a lifetime chance?

Gu Yan felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, and his palms became somewhat sweaty.

He slowly lifted his head to stare at the dazzling crystal chandeliers on the ceiling for a while, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a smile, and then he took the opportunity while everyone was enthusiastically applauding to slip quietly out of the banquet hall.

When Qin Zhiyuan stepped off the stage, he coincidentally saw Gu Yan’s figure right as the other left.

He originally still had a few more words to say, but he really was too tired and so didn’t open his mouth to stop Gu Yan. After drinking a few more glasses of wine, he felt as if his temples were throbbing even more, a dull ache in his skull. Anyway, it wasn’t like this celebratory banquet had anything to do with him. Qin Zhiyuan thought for a moment and decided to follow Gu Yan’s example to take his leave early.

The night’s autumn wind brought with it a slight chill.

After being blown by the wind, Qin Zhiyuan felt his headache increase in intensity, and so when he saw the car waiting right at the door, he immediately got into the backseat, waving his hand and saying, “Drive home.”

And then, while the car was starting up, he closed his eyes.

The streets were deserted, and only the neon shine of the streetlights were still flickering in the night. Qin Zhiyuan closed his eyes to rest and, in a daze, even seemed to sleep for a while. When he woke up, the car had already stopped, but when he looked out the window, he saw that this wasn’t his house.

“What happened? Is this a pit stop?”

The inside of the car didn’t have any lights on, and in the dark, only a vague figure of someone in the driver’s seat could be seen. The chauffeur who usually responded promptly to all questions actually didn’t even make a sound. Qin Zhiyuan finally noticed that something wasn’t quite right. Tonight, his frame of mind hadn’t been good, and he had missed a lot of details. When he got into the car just now… it seemed like he hadn’t gotten a good look at the chauffeur’s face?

Right as he was thinking that, that person was already turning around and saying with a laugh, “Boss Qin’s sense of caution is really too awful. Be careful that you don’t get kidnapped in the future.”

A sliver of moonlight illuminated his face.

That face was already extremely handsome when seen on the big screen, and now that it was this close, with eyes curved up and looking at him, it had even more of an indescribable charm.

“Why is it you?” Qin Zhiyuan relaxed his taut nerves and raised a hand to massage his brows, asking, “Where’s Old Wang?”

Old Wang was his chauffeur and was also quite familiar with Gu Yan.

“I tricked him by saying that President Qin’s mood tonight was particularly good and so he was planning on taking me out to play. In the end, he just handed over the key to me.” Gu Yan waved the car key in his hand and said, “I was the one who did all these bad things. He was also a victim.”

Qin Zhiyuan naturally wouldn’t argue about this and simply said, “What are you playing at this time?”

Gu Yan used both hands to cover his chest, putting forth an extremely tender expression, reciting the lines that he had just memorized not long ago, “I just wanted to find some time to be alone with you. Can’t I?”

“Your expression is too stiff. You still need to practice some more.” Qin Zhiyuan glanced at the flickering lights outside and asked, “Where are we?”

“The bar district.”

“Hm?”

Gu Yan reached out a hand to point at Qin Zhiyuan’s furrowed brows and said, “You look like you want to get drunk.”

Having been seen through, Qin Zhiyuan actually didn’t get the least bit angry, and although his face was paler than usual, his smile was still as impeccable as always. “I don’t drink.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you don’t smoke, you don’t drink, you’re unswervingly loyal to your lovers…” Gu Yan counted out with his fingers. “Boss Qin really is a model for all men out there.”

As he spoke, he then suddenly asked, “Why are you in a bad mood?”

Qin Zhiyuan first startled and then began smiling faintly, responding with a question of his own, “How are you so sure?”

“Since you picked up the phone, you’ve been off, so it has something to do with that call, right?” Gu Yan knew that he wouldn’t answer so, right after asking, immediately followed up with, “Let me guess. Did your business fail, and so you’re about to go bankrupt?”

Qin Zhiyuan’s face didn’t change.

“Your yearly checkup came out, and the doctor discovered that you have an incurable illness, so you now have only a few more months left to live?”

Qin Zhiyuan remained unconcerned.

“You offended a boss from a crime syndicate, and now you have a hit out on you?”

Qin Zhiyuan’s expression was calm.

“Someone cheated on you…”

Qin Zhiyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and was finally defeated by Gu Yan’s rich imagination. He opened his mouth to say, “I really am in a bad mood tonight.”

Gu Yan had been waiting for this sentence and immediately stowed away his playful attitude to ask, “And then?”

Qin Zhiyuan didn’t have a single hair out of place, and his dress shirt was buttoned up to the collar. It was only that his appearance revealed just the slightest weariness. With a steady voice, he said, “I simply wanted to rest by myself for a while. I’ll be all right after tonight.”

After tonight, he would once again put on that flawless mask, once again becoming that refined and gracious, elegant and gentle Qin Zhiyuan in everyone’s eyes.

He would probably let down his defenses only for this very short moment.

Gu Yan stared right at Qin Zhiyuan.

Qin Zhiyuan avoided his gaze and asked, “You’ve already spent some alone time with me as you wished, so you should be able to let me go home now, right?”

The financial backer had already spoken, and if he was professional enough, then he should obediently send Qin Zhiyuan home. If he continued down this path, then he would be crossing a line, and there would most likely two outcomes: one was that he’d offend Qin Zhiyuan and tomorrow he’d be given his severance pay, and the other was that he’d be able to grab tightly onto Qin Zhiyuan’s heart, gaining a steady foothold from then on, no longer having to worry about any Zhang Ji, Wang Ji, Li Ji, or Zhao Ji.

But did he have the guts to bet on this?

Gu Yan didn’t even need to think; he turned around and started the car.

Qin Zhiyuan quietly sat in the car. While he could clearly see that Gu Yan had driven down the wrong road and was not heading towards his house, he still didn’t seem to get angry and simply asked, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

Gu Yan’s driving was very steady. In the end, they stopped at a seawall by the outskirts of the city. The surroundings were devoid of people, with the whistling of the wind blowing unceasingly and the faint sound of gurgling water.

Qin Zhiyuan sighed and said, “This is too cliché.”

“It’s always like this in TV dramas. If President Qin isn’t willing to get drunk, then the only thing left is to gaze out at the sea. Right now, we’re right on time to catch the night tide.”

Gu Yan got out of the car as he spoke and even walked over to open Qin Zhiyuan’s car door.

Qin Zhiyuan’s hands were folded across his lap, and his posture looked quite good, but he refused to move.

Ah, so he was sulking.

Gu Yan stooped down and moved closer, holding out his right hand and saying, “What’s wrong? Because I’m not like a certain someone who likes to act cute and will cry at the drop of a hat, President Qin isn’t willing to humor me?”

Qin Zhiyuan couldn’t help but laugh and, in the end, still took Gu Yan’s hand.

Under the rippling moonlight, the ice-cold night breeze swept by, carrying with it some of the moist seawater air.

Gu Yan had only a few layers on and so, right as he left the car, unconsciously shivered. Qin Zhiyuan then took off his jacket, draped it over him, and even held his hand, suddenly saying, “Don’t you think that he’s really similar to how you were in the past?”

“Who?”

“Zhang Ji.”

Gu Yan was blank for a long while before he regained his senses.

How was he similar to that little fox? From top to bottom, the only thing that was similar was probably their gender.

However, as Qin Zhiyuan spoke of how they were very similar, he seemed to have become immersed in memories, saying in a soft voice, “When you just turned twenty, you also looked like that, eyes all pitch-black, and always as quiet as a mouse, not liking to speak. But Zhang Ji is more smart and practical than you were. If you had been half as obedient as him, then you would’ve had plenty of people willing to lend you a hand, and you wouldn’t have had to suffer so much.”

Gu Yan liked only looking forward; he didn’t like looking back. But since Qin Zhiyuan brought it up, he also thought back a bit before saying with a smile, “I didn’t suffer in vain though.”

Who didn’t have unfortunate things happen in the past?

How could he have been innately thick-skinned and untouchable, impervious to hurt and pain? It was precisely those things in the past that made him the Gu Yan of today. It was precisely that he had gone through too much suffering in the past that he should live an even more free and easy life in the present.

Qin Zhiyuan saw him respond with such a simple sentence, as if none of it mattered anymore, and didn’t pursue the subject, instead choosing to continue the conversation that had been interrupted back at the banquet, “Tang Anna’s pregnant.”

“What?”

“Regarding who the father is, it still needs to remain a secret for now, but it definitely isn’t me. Just like what I said last time, her and I have only a business relationship.”

“First Zhang Ji, and then Tang Anna…” Gu Yan understood his meaning and asked, “Are you trying to explain why you’ve been so fickle in your love affairs?”

Qin Zhiyuan replied with an ambiguous, “You can think whatever you want.”

As such, using his own reasoning, Gu Yan imagined things as much as he liked. From the start, he had never thought of Tang Anna or that little fox as true opponents. His opponent had always been one person — Qin Zhiyuan.

While holding Gu Yan’s hand, Qin Zhiyuan started walking along the seawall.

The moonlight was quite beautiful.

Their clothes softly rustled from the blown wind, and at this time, the sound of their breathing was distinctly clear. This kind of affectionate warmth actually made people not wish to speak, to avoid breaking the silence.

When the tide surged up, the splashing waves seemed to be tinted with silver. Qin Zhiyuan suddenly grabbed Gu Yan’s waist from behind, chest warm against his back, using lips to rub softly against his ears.

Gu Yan felt dazed and stunned.

He turned around to kiss Qin Zhiyuan’s chin and asked, voice hoarse, “Do you want to do it?”

Qin Zhiyuan kicked him in annoyance. “Why do you always have to ruin the mood?”

Gu Yan chuckled. “It’s fine to try it outside once in a while. It’ll definitely be thrilling.”

After a pause, he once again said in a low voice, “It wasn’t like I wanted to force you to reveal your thoughts.”

“…Mn.”

“I simply wanted to be with you like this for the night.”

The sound of the waves was that loud and his voice was that soft that Gu Yan didn’t know if Qin Zhiyuan had heard what he said, but those hands around his waist did truly tighten just a bit.

When the sun was about to rise, Qin Zhiyuan brought Gu Yan back to his own apartment downtown.

It was a prime location with extremely high land prices, located on the eighteen floor, and from the windows, one could look down and see the entire flow of traffic. Gu Yan had been there a few times before, and the interior decorating was truly exquisite and luxurious, but it didn’t feel like anyone lived there. It was cold and sterile, just like a hotel suite. He was willing to bet that Qin Zhiyuan definitely lacked familial warmth.

Because it was still early, the elevator was devoid of people. Gu Yan bit his lips, pressing the button for the eighteenth floor and asked, “Do you want to guess how long it’ll take the elevator to get there? Is it enough time to… steal a kiss?”

Qin Zhiyuan laughed upon hearing that and gave him a feather-light kiss. And then, he dragged the person into his house, tossed Gu Yan on the bed after pulling off his clothes, and then tightly wrapped the other up in the blankets.

Huh? Were they really just going to talk while separated by blankets?

Gu Yan opened his eyes wide and looked at the glass lights on the ceiling, muttering in a small voice, “Is it that your age is catching up to you, and so you can’t even get it up anymore?”

Qin Zhiyuan pretended he hadn’t heard anything and turned off both of their cell phones before saying, “We didn’t sleep for a night, so we should rest now.”

Gu Yan hurriedly called out, “I still have work in the afternoon…”

“Isn’t it just shooting a cover photo? Just tell your manager to change it to a different time.”

“I should still ask for leave.”

“All right, I’ll ask for you.”

Qin Zhiyuan walked to the living room and made a few calls, probably also asking for leave from his own work at the same time. When he returned, he laid down next to Gu Yan, reaching out a hand to pat that ball of blankets.

Gu Yan then rolled, and rolled, and rolled until he made it into the other’s embrace.

Last night, Qin Zhiyuan’s head had slightly ached, and right now, he was even more tired to the extreme. While holding Gu Yan, he closed his eyes. But after a while, when Gu Yan thought that he had already fallen asleep, he actually said, in a low voice, “That phone call was from my mom.”

Gu Yan raised his head and found that Qin Zhiyuan still had his eyes closed, so he let out an ‘ah’ to indicate his surprise.

Qin Zhiyuan continued, “It wasn’t anything serious, just that she and Qin Feng’s mother had been fighting again.”

Quite a bit of information was in this one sentence, and Gu Yan’s thoughts churned for a while before he was able to react. He had heard a lot of gossip about the rich and powerful, so he had long known that Qin Zhiyuan and Qin Feng were born from different mothers, but although the rumors were numerous, no one knew the exact details of these circumstances. He had heard only that the Qin patriarch was very skillful and was able to keep both his legitimate wife and his mistress quiet and obedient, the two living together in peace and harmony.

…It looked like that wasn’t necessarily true.

Gu Yan quietly looked at Qin Zhiyuan’s face and found that he wasn’t carrying any notable expression in particular, simply looking weary and exhausted as he said, “I still have a younger sister studying abroad overseas, and she’s younger than Qin Feng by only five months. Isn’t it funny? While whispering sweet words to someone, he was still able to pledge undying love to another. Even if one loves with all of their being, always spending time together without fail, in the end, one’s heart will still change.”

“So you don’t believe in love?”

“At least I don’t believe in that silly nonsense about ‘loving for a lifetime’.” Qin Zhiyuan used a hand to brush back Gu Yan’s black hair. “Rather than a romantic relationship, I prefer the way I am now. I just have to spend some money, and I can obtain the best.”

And when he’s tired, he’ll simply change to a better one.

Leaning against Qin Zhiyuan’s chest, Gu Yan added this phrase in his heart. The weather really had turned cold; he was wrapped in such thick blankets, yet his hands and feet still felt chilled.

Qin Zhiyuan didn’t speak again.

But Gu Yan actually really wanted to see his eyes. He waited and waited, waited until Qin Zhiyuan truly fell asleep, before he moved over and kissed the lines along the corners of this person’s eyes. The words he said was low, extremely low, so low that it was as if he was speaking only to himself, “Idiot, who in this world would remain forever unchanging in love? It’s up to you what methods to use — to make him fall out of love with you, or to make him love you even more.”

[1] 一日不見如隔三秋 A saying from classical Chinese poetry. Specifically, it’s from the Shijing, from the poem “Odes of Wang: Cai Ge”. 

So one of the reasons why this story really works for me, and why these early chapters don’t actually feel particularly angsty despite having all the usual hallmarks, is that Gu Yan is so… easygoing about things? Like his reaction to maybe falling out of favor or encountering a love rival is so blasé, it’s great.