Chapter 79: I Don’t Want Your Kiss to Be Out of Gratitude
Qin Wan’s eyes flickered with a brief, panicked light.
That was the thing about the truth—once it was laid bare, things inevitably became awkward.
He quickly tried to change the subject to hide his embarrassment. “Does Gege not like it when I take the initiative to kiss you?”
Gu Xinglan leaned down slightly, his nose less than half an inch from Qin Wan’s.
“Qin Wan, I like it when you kiss me. I like it very much. But I don’t want your kiss to be out of gratitude.”
His eyes were solemn and his voice serious, though not cold.
“I want your kiss to be out of love. Do you understand?”
As he spoke, he lowered his head and pressed a light kiss against the boy’s lips.
“Just as I kiss you… it’s not out of a simple desire for possession, but out of love.”
A flush instantly crept up Qin Wan’s face.
His heart rate spiked.
“Do you understand, baby?” he asked again.
Qin Wan gave an infinitesimal nod. “I understand…”
He said it, but his mind was in total disarray.
Just moments ago, when Sheng Sinian had told him to return to the Sheng family, it felt as though a needle had been driven deep into his heart.
Those terrifying memories had rushed back uncontrollably.
For a moment, the weight was so heavy he nearly crumbled.
It had been almost an instinctive reaction to ask Gu Xinglan, “He’s telling me to go back. What do you think?”
In fact, the moment the words left his mouth, he had surprised himself.
He couldn’t fathom why he would even ask for the man’s opinion.
Technically, Gu Xinglan was nobody to him; he had no reason and no standing to seek his counsel.
And yet, the words had spilled out anyway.
Qin Wan realized that it seemed his subconscious had made the decision for him.
He had begun to depend on Gu Xinglan, to actively seek his protection.
In his heart, Gu Xinglan’s position was undergoing a quiet transformation.
A very subtle one.
Qin Wan’s mind was a tangled mess.
Gu Xinglan reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder.
“Baby, don’t overthink things. I will handle every difficult situation for you.”
The corners of his phoenix eyes tilted upward. Usually, they gave off an incredibly sharp impression.
But at this moment, as he looked at Qin Wan, that sharp edge had vanished, replaced by an ultimate softness.
“Baby, I want you to be happy every day from now on. And then… I hope you can fall in love with me as soon as possible…”
Having said that, he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the top of his head.
“Let’s go. Li Ye and the others are waiting for us.”
With his face still flushed, Qin Wan allowed Gu Xinglan to lead him out of the side hall by the hand.
Not far ahead, Li Ye and Fu Yunting came forward to meet them.
“A-Lan, you’re finally here,” Fu Yunting said with a grin.
He looked at Qin Wan. “Hey, your head doesn’t hurt anymore, does it?”
Qin Wan nodded. “Mn, it’s better.”
“Great! Then we’re playing all night long. You guys don’t have any objections, do you?” Fu Yunting was beaming with joy.
Li Ye shook his head. “I don’t mind.”
Gu Xinglan looked at Qin Wan. “A-Wan probably shouldn’t stay up too late. We’ll head back after midnight.”
Fu Yunting’s mouth curled downward, pouting so hard it looked like his pixels were distorted. “Sigh, some people act like they haven’t seen their wife in several lifetimes!”
Gu Xinglan laughed and looked at Qin Wan, his voice softening. “Wan-bao, he’s calling me a ‘wife-slave.’ Do you want me to give you a dinner fork?”
Fu Yunting’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. “Hey! Don’t do that! Am I just a prop in your little couple’s play?”
Qin Wan’s face turned even redder. His eyelashes fluttered as he reached out to secretly nudge Gu Xinglan’s arm.
“Gege, stop it,” he murmured under his breath.
The smile on Gu Xinglan’s lips deepened. “Wan-bao doesn’t want to make a move; it seems he agrees with what you said. Then there’s no problem.”
Qin Wan blinked blankly, realizing only then that he had been played by Gu Xinglan again.
After the laughter died down, Li Ye asked, “We saw you talking to someone over there earlier. Did you run into someone you know?”
Gu Xinglan retracted the smile from his lips and let out a cold snort. “Not an acquaintance. Just a piece of trash who used to bully Wan-bao.”
At those words, Fu Yunting’s brows knitted together.
“Holy shit, bullied Qin Wan?” He arched an eyebrow. “Qin Wan is only allowed to be bullied by our A-Lan! Who do they think they are?”
Qin Wan: You! Shut your mouth!
Fu Yunting spoke as he rolled up his sleeves. “Just you wait. Watch how this Young Master sorts that grandson out tonight!”
His gaze followed Sheng Sinian’s trio in the distance, watching them head toward the VIP hall.
Fu Yunting said, “You guys play whatever you want. I’m going over there to mess with that bastard!”
Worried that he might take things too far, Li Ye followed after him.
Qin Wan felt a bit uneasy. “Young Master Fu won’t cause any trouble, will he?”
Gu Xinglan shook his head with a smile. “Don’t worry. Yunting is a regular here. The card table is his home turf.”
“Baby, what do you want to play? How about I take you over there to play the slots? They’re easy to pick up.”
Qin Wan gave a small smile and nodded. “Mn!”
Fu Yunting walked into the VIP hall and stood in a corner opposite Sheng Sinian’s seat.
He took a glass of champagne and observed carefully as he sipped.
That man in his mid-twenties with the handsome face… that was the man Gu Xinglan said had bullied Qin Wan.
He looked all refined in his suit, like a proper human being, but he was a scumbag.
He then glanced at the powdered, pretty-boy “toy” who was sitting pressed tightly against the man’s side.
Pretty, flamboyant, and reeking of “green tea” vibes—one look and you could tell he was a kept boy.
Fu Yunting remembered seeing three of them earlier.
There was also a hulking bodyguard who wasn’t with them at the moment.
He scanned the room.
Sure enough, he saw the big guy in the black suit standing some distance away, right behind the dealer.
“Oh, President Sheng, we won again!” the pretty-boy toy squealed in a dainty voice.
He pulled the pile of chips the dealer pushed over closer to them.
Then he turned his head and pressed a kiss to Sheng Sinian’s cheek.
Sheng Sinian smiled and took a large gulp of the drink by his side.
“Baby, didn’t you want a third-gen ‘Green Submariner’? I’ll take you to buy one in a bit.”
“Wow! Thank you, President Sheng! I love you to death!”
Listening to them, Fu Yunting’s mouth twitched in disgust.
He really wanted to go over and give those two a legendary kung fu beatdown.
Because not only were they being sickeningly flirtatious, but they were also shamelessly “card-sharping.”
As an expert at the gambling table, Fu Yunting knew every trick in the book.
Through his observations, he discovered that those two were using underhanded tactics.
He could tell that the pretty boy was an old hand at gambling. There was something hidden in his sleeve.
Fu Yunting walked over and sat down at the table, his narrow peach-blossom eyes arching slightly at the corners.
His fingertips brushed carelessly over his chips, but his gaze remained coldly fixed on the two opposite him.
After several consecutive rounds, several other players lost while Sheng Sinian’s side kept winning.
The two opposite him were beaming, leaning in close to whisper in each other’s ears.
Fu Yunting thought for a moment and pushed all his chips into the “Player” section.
A collective gasp rose from the surrounding gamblers.
It was already the eighth round.
Those two guests at the table had managed to accurately bet on the “Banker” every single time.
They always managed to change their bet a second before the cards were revealed. After so many rounds, they hadn’t missed once.
The dealer was starting to sweat.
Fu Yunting didn’t look up, his finger tracing the rim of his crystal goblet.
He pondered.
Earlier, when the toy-boy touched a card, a faint blue shadow had flickered at his cuff.
It was undoubtedly something reflecting the overhead lights.
Having a good idea of what was going on, he smiled and nodded toward the dealer. “I’ll shuffle this round.”
The pretty boy opposite him cried out, “On what grounds? Since when is there a rule that guests get to shuffle?”
Fu Yunting flicked his gaze up and jerked his chin toward the dealer. “Please, tell him.”
The dealer said politely, “This gentleman is a V5 level VIP. According to the rules of the VIP hall, guests at V5 level or above may participate in the shuffling.”
The toy-boy was instantly silenced.
He could only huff and shake Sheng Sinian’s arm in frustration.
Sheng Sinian looked at Fu Yunting across from him and patted the boy’s arm gently.
He whispered something.
Then he fed him a sip of wine.
The pretty boy let out a light laugh and gave Fu Yunting one last glare before dropping the matter.
Fu Yunting was no pushover.
If someone dared to glare at him, he wasn’t about to just take it.
He picked up the cards, and as he pursed his lips, he spoke in a slow, leisurely tone.
“Everyone comes here to play for a bit of fun. But if you’re getting swindled out of your money by someone with ulterior motives… well, that’s just irritating.”
As soon as he said this, the room went silent.
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