Chapter 127
“An earthquake?”
Gu Qian looked puzzled for a moment before a knowing smile spread across his face. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s just the wind.”
The wind?
Xiao Xiao froze, still crouched on the floor, too scared to stand up. He gripped the edge of the sofa, his eyes wide with confusion. “What do you mean? Why would the building shake from the wind? Are you… are you lying to me?”
“Of course not.”
Gu Qian put down the bag he was holding and slowly walked over, kneeling beside Xiao Xiao. He gathered the trembling man into his arms, comforting him in a low voice. “It’s because we’re on a pretty high floor, so the sounds of wind and rain are a lot louder. It’s nothing to worry about. Don’t be afraid.”
A high floor?
Xiao Xiao went completely still, not daring to move an inch as Gu Qian held him.
Gu Qian carried him over to the sofa and sat down, turning on the TV. He kept talking as he watched, “Don’t worry. I’ve already brought all your things over, you won’t be missing anything. Just stay here for a few days and we’ll see what the results are. If it goes well, I’ll take you back to work with me, okay?”
His words made it clear: Gu Qian was really planning to keep him locked up here.
But what results?
Why did he have to wait for some result before he could go back to work?
And even if the results came out, would Gu Qian really let him go back?
And where was this place?
Xiao Xiao lowered his head, hiding the terror in his eyes. He hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “So… where are we? You said it’s high up. How high?”
At that, Gu Qian smiled, a look of satisfaction on his face. “It’s a sixty-three-story building, and we’re on the sixtieth floor. The view here is amazing. A lot of people wanted this place, but I snatched it up. Do you like it, Xiao Xiao?”
Places on high floors did have great views, but they weren’t popular. The disadvantages outweighed the benefits; most people wanted to move after a year or two, and they were hard to sell.
But Gu Qian loved high places. He especially loved them.
And Xiao Xiao was afraid of heights, which made this perfect. He could use Xiao Xiao’s fear to make him dependent on him faster.
“The… the sixtieth floor?”
Hearing that number, Xiao Xiao nearly fainted from fright. He clung to Gu Qian’s shirt and started to cry. “Why here? Why so high? The building moves when the wind blows! I don’t like it, I don’t want to live here! Take me away from here, take me back to the other house, okay?”
The more he spoke, the more the tears streamed down his face. He didn’t dare let go, terrified Gu Qian would leave him there alone. “Please, I want to go back. I really want to go back. Gu Qian, husband, I don’t want to live here, please… sob…”
He hadn’t been afraid of heights as a child, but after his mother got sick, she was always trying to die.
At first, she hadn’t tried to take him with her, just finding ways to kill herself.
But later, she started to worry about him, worried that after she died, Xiao Xiao would be left all alone in the world with no one to care for him.
So, she tried to find a way for them to die together.
Her most frequent attempt was jumping.
She would take Xiao Xiao with her to jump off a building.
The first few times, someone had saved them just in time. But the last time, Xiao Xiao had watched her fall from that high place, never to wake up again.
It was a scene he never wanted to remember for the rest of his life. He was terrified; he didn’t dare think about it.
And being on the sixtieth floor… he didn’t even have the courage to stand by the window.
Xiao Xiao’s face was deathly pale, and the immense fear made him feel like he couldn’t breathe.
Gu Qian quickly carried him back to the bedroom and laid him down, then lay down beside him. “Don’t be scared, Xiao Xiao,” he said with a smile. “The sixtieth floor isn’t that high, and you’re really safe. I’ll stay with you.”
Xiao Xiao knew Gu Qian wasn’t going to take him away, so he stopped pleading. He just hid under the covers, crying helplessly.
He was scared. So, so scared.
He missed An Le.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but his emotions finally calmed a little. Still clutching Gu Qian’s shirt, he asked in a choked voice, “Where’s my phone? I want to make a call. I want to call Lele. Give me my phone.”
Gu Qian looked displeased. He didn’t like Xiao Xiao calling other people. He pressed his lips together and didn’t answer.
Xiao Xiao grabbed his shirt, nuzzling against him, trying to kiss him. “Husband,” he pleaded, “husband, give me my phone. I need to call Lele. If you don’t, he’ll worry about me. He might call the police if he finds out I’m missing, and if that doesn’t work, he’ll definitely ask Lu Heng for help. You don’t want that kind of trouble, do you? Just give me the phone, give it to me…”
His voice was choked with sobs, sounding utterly pitiful.
Gu Qian hadn’t wanted to give it to him, but the thought of An Le getting Lu Heng involved was, indeed, a problem.
And lately, Lu Heng had been looking into him and Xiao Xiao, whether intentionally or not.
Finally, Gu Qian got out of bed and, from somewhere, produced his phone.
Gu Qian blocked Xiao Xiao’s fragile-looking frame, holding the phone high above him. “You can call him,” he said in a low voice. “Five minutes.”
Xiao Xiao nodded frantically. “Okay, okay, just give me the phone.”
Sniffling, Xiao Xiao finally got the phone from Gu Qian. He quickly unlocked it and dialed An Le’s number.
The call connected almost instantly. “Xiao Xiao!”
Xiao Xiao fought to suppress his fear and the lump in his throat, managing a quiet, “Yeah.”
Perhaps sensing his coolness, An Le’s cheerful tone faded. “Xiao Xiao, what’s wrong?” he asked softly.
Xiao Xiao clenched his jaw. “Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice.”
He missed An Le. There were so many things he wanted to tell him, but he knew he couldn’t.
An Le still had so much to deal with; he couldn’t be a burden.
Besides, it was questionable whether An Le could even solve the problem of Gu Qian. He couldn’t be so selfish.
Hearing him say he missed him, An Le immediately suggested, “I can come see you, then. Where are you?”
The thought of An Le coming to find him sent a jolt of panic through Xiao Xiao. He instinctively glanced at Gu Qian, then said quietly, “Maybe not.”
He refused with a forced smile. “You must be busy lately, and I still haven’t found a job or a place to live. You wouldn’t even have anywhere to sit if you came.”
An Le felt something was off, but still said, “It’s okay, we can just sit at a cafe or something.”
“Let’s not.”
Xiao Xiao wiped his tears. “Let’s just wait until you’ve sorted things out. Lele, you have to be careful. The Gu family are not good people. Don’t believe a word they say.”
“Okay.”
An Le answered obediently. “Are you… are you safe?”
Safe?
Xiao Xiao fell silent, not speaking for a long time.
He didn’t know how to answer. He hesitated, but in the end, decided to tell An Le he was safe.
But before he could speak, the phone was snatched from his hand.
He looked up in shock at Gu Qian, who was holding the phone, his voice as gentle as ever. “Lele, Xiao Xiao is safe with me. You don’t need to worry about him.”
An Le was timid and seemed startled, his voice laced with fear as he called out, “Boss Gu…”
“It’s me.”
Gu Qian smiled. “Xiao Xiao will be staying with me for a while. I guarantee he’ll be safe.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t want Gu Qian talking to An Le. Besides, he had only just gotten his phone back and had barely said a few words.
He wrapped his arms around Gu Qian’s, and this time, he couldn’t hold back his tears. “Give me my phone,” he cried softly. “Please, give it back…”
But Gu Qian ignored him completely, continuing to smile as he spoke into the phone. “Alright, you’ve had your call. You should both be able to rest easy now.”
So stop having Lu Heng investigate me!
Although Xiao Xiao had kept his voice low, An Le heard him.
Hearing Xiao Xiao cry, An Le grew frantic. “No!” he shouted. “Xiao Xiao is crying! Did you hurt him? You’re not allowed to hurt him!”
An Le had heard him. Xiao Xiao was horrified, terrified that An Le would worry. He quickly yelled, “No, I wasn’t hurt! Lele, don’t worry, I’ll talk to you later!”
With that, Xiao Xiao hung up. He shoved Gu Qian away and shouted in a rage, “Gu Qian, you’ve gone too far! All I wanted was to make a phone call! Why can’t you even allow me that?”
“Do you even like me, or is this just your so-called possessiveness? I don’t think you like me at all! You just want to control me! You’re sick, you’re a psycho!”
Xiao Xiao couldn’t hold back his tirade.
The moment he finished, he squeezed his eyes shut in fear and pulled the covers over his head.
But a few seconds later, the blanket was ripped away, and Gu Qian’s low voice sounded in his ear. “Why are you hiding? No matter what you say to me, Xiao Xiao, I’ll never get angry. And you’re right. I am sick. I really am.”
“But don’t be scared of me, Xiao Xiao. Please?”
Xiao Xiao wanted to shake his head, but his chin was held in a tight grip, and he couldn’t move. Soon, his clothes were being stripped away, and Gu Qian was possessing him with a frantic energy.
He whimpered softly, but it was no use.
He didn’t know how much time passed before Gu Qian’s phone rang.
Gu Qian answered without trying to hide the call from him. A clear voice came through the phone—it was Gu Chen.
Gu Chen seemed to know about his situation. His first words were, “You’re not careful enough. How could you let them find out so easily?”
Gu Qian: “How am I not being careful?”
He looked down at the beta beneath him, who was exhausted to the point of fainting, and smiled. “An Le has Lu Heng helping him. No matter how careful I am, in their eyes, there’s nowhere for me to hide.”
Gu Chen: “It’s just a beta. Let him go. Can’t you just find a new one?”
“No.”
Gu Qian’s tone was tinged with madness. “Dad, I’m going to mark him. My people have developed a drug that can mark a beta. He’ll be my first test subject.”
A drug that can mark a beta?
Xiao Xiao had been listening quietly, but when he heard Gu Qian wanted to use a drug to mark him, he screamed in terror. “No, I don’t want to be marked! Please, let me go, I’m begging you— Mmph!”
But before he could finish, Gu Qian clamped a hand over his mouth. “I’m on the phone with my dad,” he said with a smile. “Be good and don’t make a sound. I’ll be gentler when I bite you in a bit.”
Gu Chen: “So even your father’s opinion doesn’t matter?”
“Anything else, I can give you.”
Gu Qian continued to thrust, his breaths coming in deep gasps. “But not this beta. He’s the one who provoked me first. Since he’s here, he’s never leaving. No one is taking him away from me.”
Gu Chen was at a loss. Listening to the gasps and whimpers on the other end, he finally said, “Then at least put off the marking for a while. Let him go back and see An—”
Let Xiao Xiao go back?
Gu Qian pictured the scene and finally shook his head.
Impossible.
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