Chapter 27: Just So-So
Decadent music surrounded them, and many pairs of eyes waited for Gu Yulan to speak, carrying various implications.
A group of rich young masters talked about everything; when the mood struck, even the lovers by their sides could be given away.
The person beside Gu Yulan was the most famous, yet he hid him like a treasure, only bringing him out once.
Usually, when their teasing turned to matters in bed, Gu Yulan would just smile without speaking. They joked that he was so bewildered by Wen Yan that he couldn’t bear to bring him up for discussion.
If it were anyone else, they would say a few words about losing ambition over a plaything, but since it was Wen Yan beside Gu Yulan, it was considered excusable.
“Everyone, let me win this round first.” Gu Yulan’s long, narrow eyes held a hint of a smile as he swept a glance over the drinking table.
It was just a drinking game to liven things up, only the stakes included some watches and cars, no different from usual.
Several people went easy on him. Once the round ended, Gu Yulan won smoothly.
“Speak, speak.” The group jeered.
Gu Yulan looked down at his new phone. The screen remained silent, with no message notifications popping up.
He pulled at the corner of his mouth, darkness surging in his eyes, his tone frivolous. “The high mountain flower is just so-so.”
“In bed…” He paused deliberately, lowering his voice amidst the narrow gazes of those around him, “He is slutty and loose.”
The room fell silent for an instant, then exploded into laughter.
“For real? That face doesn’t look like it…” Someone whistled, playing with the lighter in his hand. “Young Master Gu, that’s not cool enough. Just saying two sentences isn’t enough.”
Another person threw his wristwatch directly onto the table. “Limited edition. Is that sincere enough? Give us the details. Does he sound good?”
Gu Yulan tipped his head back to down a mouthful of wine, his Adam’s apple rolling. Just as he was about to speak—
Bang!
The private room door was kicked open violently.
“Who the f—” The person closest to the door cursed half a sentence, but fell silent abruptly upon seeing the newcomer.
Pei Zhouye stood at the door, the air pressure around him terrifyingly low, emanating a threatening aura.
No one dared to move.
He took large strides, kicked away the sofa blocking his path, grabbed Gu Yulan by the collar, yanked him up, and punched him in the face.
A muffled sound of bone hitting bone.
Gu Yulan stumbled back into the sofa, blood instantly gushing from his nose. Pei Zhouye gripped his collar, dragged him violently to the edge of the sofa, and smashed another fist down with his other hand.
“Who the fuck were you talking about?”
His voice was suppressed extremely low, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Gu Yulan turned his head and spat out a mouthful of bloody foam. Before he could recover, a third punch landed on the exact same spot.
Blood splattered onto Pei Zhouye’s knuckles. He didn’t even blink, throwing a few more punches, his movements ruthless and violent.
Gu Yulan struggled to raise his elbow to counterattack, but Pei Zhouye twisted his wrist and pressed it onto the coffee table with a crack. Glass cups were shaken off, exploding into debris on the floor.
The entire room was deathly silent; no one dared to move.
Pei Zhouye suddenly let go. Just as everyone let out half a breath, they saw him take out his phone, his thumb roughly swiping to open the camera, aiming it at Gu Yulan’s face.
The scarlet in his eyes hadn’t faded. He grabbed Gu Yulan by the neck, the tendons on the back of his hand bulging hideously. The blood vessels on the side of Gu Yulan’s neck protruded in suffocation as he raised his hands to struggle.
“Say it again.”
His voice was terrifyingly deep, but his fingers tightened more and more. Gu Yulan’s face had turned a deathly gray as he struggled.
Pei Zhouye was impatient. “I told you to say it again to the camera!”
Gu Yulan’s struggles slowly weakened.
In the silence, Gu Yuqing, who had entered with Pei Zhouye, stepped forward and blocked him nominally. “Young Master Pei, don’t kill him.”
Pei Zhouye finally let go, flinging the person aside.
Gu Yulan lay on the sofa, gasping for large breaths to adjust his breathing.
“About tonight,” Pei Zhouye’s gaze swept over everyone, his voice icy, “Whoever dares to say half a word can try me.”
After Pei Zhouye left, the others glanced at Gu Yulan on the sofa, picked up their clothes, and left hurriedly.
In less than ten minutes, the lively private room was left with only Gu Yulan, covered in wounds, and the standing Gu Yuqing.
Gu Yuqing looked down at the wretched Gu Yulan and smiled contemptuously. “Didn’t you love snatching projects at the wine table? If you’re so capable, why didn’t you go mix with Pei Zhouye and Shen Yao?”
Gu Yulan’s throat couldn’t speak because of the forceful strangulation just now. He could only glare fiercely at Gu Yuqing with bloodshot eyes.
Gu Yuqing leaned in slightly, lowered his voice, and enunciated every word clearly.
“Unrefined illegitimate son.”
Only Gu Yulan was left in the private room.
Gu Yulan propped himself up, his eyes dark. He picked up the watch from the table, clenching it until his knuckles turned white.
He gave a low laugh and stuffed the watch into his pocket.
“And then?” Pei Zhouye leaned back on the sofa in a lazy posture, his tone holding a faint hint of dissatisfaction.
Shen Yao had mentioned letting Wen Yan become a model. Pei Zhouye was somewhat unhappy that Wen Yan would be seen by many people, but he didn’t stop it.
“There is no ‘then’.” Shen Yao leaned diagonally on the sofa playing on his phone, showing the chat history to Pei Zhouye.
Shen Yao sounded a bit stifled and puzzled. “I sent him the interview notice and the files. He replied ‘Thanks’ and went silent.”
Pei Zhouye was very satisfied with the brief chat history between the two, the corners of his lips turning up. “He doesn’t like you.”
Shen Yao was stunned and looked at the good-mood Pei Zhouye inexplicably. Does he like you then?
Several group chat messages suddenly popped up on the phone.
[@All Members Is this Wen Yan?]
Below were several candid photos. Wen Yan was in the center, surrounded by cameras and reflectors, wearing an outfit that highlighted his proportions. From a distance, his legs looked long and straight.
Shen Yao’s expression changed, glancing at Pei Zhouye out of the corner of his eye.
Now he agreed with Pei Zhouye’s words; Wen Yan really didn’t like him.
Pei Zhouye had no expression on his face. He casually snatched Shen Yao’s phone, sent something unknown, and threw the phone back to Shen Yao.
Shen Yao looked down; the photos in the group had been retracted.
Checking the private chat history, Pei Zhouye had not only threatened the person to retract the photos but also asked if there were any others, and finally forwarded all the photos to his own account.
Shen Yao: …
Wen Yan recovered well, feeling even better than before. He went to work on time every day without so many troubles.
Gu Yulan hadn’t asked to meet him recently; they only chatted on their phones, and not much at that.
Without Pei Zhouye and Gu Yulan, he had more time. After work, he found a reliable modeling agency online, submitted a resume, went for an interview, and passed smoothly.
He had no professional experience, but he still received many invitations. He accepted a few tryouts and shoots for online store flat modeling first.
Everything was getting better, and school was about to start soon.
Wen Yan looked at the money received in his bank card; the odd amounts added up to over ten thousand.
Looking at his future schedule and the messages from the company, he calculated in his mind. He planned to save up to one hundred thousand first, then pay it back to Gu Yulan.
When he had the ability to accept higher-priced shoots later, maybe he could pay off the two million within ten years.
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