Chapter 9: I Can Play However I Want
Qin Wan slowly raised his head, reached out to wipe his face, and stared at Gu Xinglan’s face for a moment.
“Then, can I make a phone call to Aunt Rong?” His voice was a bit hoarse, without a shred of strength.
Gu Xinglan thought for a moment and nodded.
He unlocked his own phone and handed it over.
Qin Wan’s hand was still trembling a little as he took the phone and dialed a number.
He reached out and messily wiped his face twice, then sniffled.
“Aunt Rong.” He spoke, trying his best to hide the crying tone.
“…No, I’m fine. Those people are all my friends. Although they look a bit fierce, they aren’t bad people…”
“…They introduced me to a job that pays quite well, but I have to go away for a week…”
“…Then you must take good care of yourself. If you can’t manage, ask the sister in the next bed to help…”
“…Mhm, mhm, I’ll be careful, don’t worry! When I come back, I’ll bring you osmanthus butterfly pastries…”
He wanted to say a few more words, but Gu Xinglan had already impatiently held out his hand toward him.
“Aunt Rong, I won’t say more then. Take care. I’m hanging up.”
Gu Xinglan snatched the phone back.
“Qin Wan, I gave you such a big favor; shouldn’t you say thank you?” He stared at him with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
Qin Wan looked up at him and gritted his teeth.
Silence for a moment.
“Thank you.”
Qin Wan knew best how to seek advantages and avoid harm.
In the current situation, no matter how unwilling or aggrieved he felt inside, he could only submit.
Gu Xinglan was fairly satisfied with Qin Wan’s attitude.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
“The length of the chain is enough for you to move around in this room. But you can’t leave the room.”
“When I’m not here, someone will bring three meals up.”
As he spoke, he leaned closer.
Tilting his head slightly, he studied Qin Wan’s face.
One hand wrapped around his waist.
Fingers tracing his distinct lumbar vertebrae, moving slowly downward.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked. “Is it much better?”
Qin Wan’s reaction was half a beat slow.
Gu Xinglan nodded his chin. “There.”
Only then did Qin Wan understand, his face instantly flushing red with shame.
He reached back and pushed his hand away.
Gu Xinglan wasn’t angry or annoyed, continuing to tease him: “Just now when you were asleep, I applied ointment for you.”
Qin Wan’s fox eyes widened.
“You… how could you…”
Gu Xinglan seemed very satisfied with evoking this reaction and expression from Qin Wan, the corner of his lips hooking into a smile.
His tone was lazy and mocking: “What, still shy? Last night I looked and touched, and did even more excessive things. What is there to be shy about?”
Qin Wan’s cheeks twitched violently several times.
He forcefully suppressed a bellyful of curses.
His lips were pressed tight.
Gu Xinglan scoffed.
“Qin Wan, you belong to me, so I can play however I want.”
Following his voice, his eye color turned cold: “I hope you have this much awareness.”
Qin Wan took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly.
“Did you understand?” Gu Xinglan adopted a tone of interrogation.
“…Understood…”
Gu Xinglan smiled again, reaching out to rub his soft, raven-black hair. “Good boy.”
He stood up. “You haven’t eaten all day. I’ll have someone send dinner up.”
As he spoke, he strode toward the door with his long legs.
“I have business out. Eat well, rest well. When I come back, accompany me well.”
After speaking, he opened the door and walked out.
Qin Wan sat on the bed. It took a long time before he reached out to wipe the tear stains from his face clean.
He scooted off the bed.
At this moment, he felt the injured area behind him was indeed a bit better.
However, this thought made him feel like a fishbone was stuck in his throat even more.
The injury was caused by Gu Xinglan.
The medicine was also applied by Gu Xinglan.
This reminded him every moment that he was held in Gu Xinglan’s palm, to be kneaded into any shape, to be taken from and demanded of at will.
Qin Wan gritted his teeth hard.
Forget it, just treat it as being bitten by a mad dog.
It’ll hurt for a while, and that’s it.
He tested the length of the chain.
Just as Gu Xinglan said, he could walk to every corner of the bedroom.
He walked to the door. The door could be opened, but he could only stand at the doorway and look at the corridor. The chain was already pulled taut; he couldn’t go forward even a little bit more.
At this time, an older uncle walked over quickly.
Over fifty, medium build, on the thin side, with a very kind face.
“Little Mr. Qin, do you need anything?”
He introduced himself: “Oh, I am the butler here, my surname is Wang.”
“My Young Master ordered that if you have any matters, you can speak to me.”
Qin Wan noticed that when Uncle Wang spoke, his gaze glanced at the gold chain on his ankle.
He felt truly embarrassed.
He quickly waved his hand. “I’m fine, thank you.”
Saying that, he was about to close the door.
Uncle Wang hurriedly handed over a shopping bag in his hand. “Young Master ordered you to change clothes.”
Qin Wan had already shrunk back inside the door, only extending an arm to take the bag.
“Sorry to trouble you.”
After speaking, the door closed.
Uncle Wang shook his head slightly.
At this time, a chubby auntie, also over fifty, ran up.
“Hey, did you see? What’s the situation?” The chubby auntie asked in a whisper, her face full of curiosity.
Uncle Wang frowned. “I saw. It’s a very handsome teenage boy, eighteen or nineteen maybe.”
“But… that small face, you can tell at a glance he just cried. And…”
“And what?” The chubby auntie pressed.
“And the Young Master chained that child’s foot!”
The chubby auntie also frowned. “Is that so? Looks like the Young Master caught him and brought him back by force? The child isn’t willing?”
Uncle Wang nodded. “He definitely isn’t willing! I don’t know what happened between these two.”
The chubby auntie, Auntie Zhang, was the cook. She and Uncle Wang had served Gu Xinglan for many years.
They originally worked at Gu Xinglan’s city residence, Shengshi Daguan Villa.
This morning, Gu Xinglan called and told them to come to Jingming Villa, saying he would be staying here for a while.
Only then did the two rush over to the mountain villa.
Not long after arriving, the two saw their master, who never got close to romance, carry back someone with disheveled clothes and a wretched appearance.
As soon as he came back, he went straight to the bedroom.
This shocked both of them.
Later, the family doctor also came.
Uncle Wang tried to inquire with the doctor, but the doctor also claimed to know nothing.
Uncle Wang and Auntie Zhang had been working for the Gu family since Gu Xinglan’s parents were still alive, watching Gu Xinglan grow up.
Later, after both the Master and Mistress passed away, the two took care of the Young Master’s daily life alone.
They knew very well that their little master had a withdrawn personality since childhood.
Later, under Mr. Gu’s upbringing, he became increasingly cold, hostile, and aloof.
Although he was twenty-two, they had never seen him discuss romantic matters with anyone.
Bringing someone back out of the blue this morning made them very curious.
So as soon as Gu Xinglan left, Uncle Wang hurried upstairs.
Auntie Zhang followed closely behind.
But seeing Qin Wan like that, Uncle Wang couldn’t help but worry.
“Young Master has a bad temper. I worry that if he carries on like this, it might be counterproductive.”
Auntie Zhang also frowned. “Yes. The key is we don’t know if the Young Master really likes him or if it’s just a whim.”
Uncle Wang: “When have you ever seen the Young Master act on a whim?”
Auntie Zhang nodded. “True.”
Although Gu Xinglan was young, he had always been calculating and deep.
Uncle Wang felt that when it came to feelings, he shouldn’t be any different.
“I’ll go down and check on dinner; once it’s ready, I’ll bring it up immediately!” Auntie Zhang said.
Talking, the two left together.
Gu Xinglan arrived at the Huiyao Group headquarters building.
This forty-five-story skyscraper was another landmark of the Imperial Capital besides the Longsheng Group.
At this moment, although it was already 7 PM, many offices on the building’s floors were still brightly lit.
In the conference room on the forty-first floor, the atmosphere was extremely subtle.
The high-definition large screen was connected to the signal from Old Master Gu.
When the dying Old Master Gu said he wanted to hand the position of the group’s number one to his seventh grandson, Gu Xinglan.
The scene fell into a weird silence.
Gu Xinglan sat in the seat next to the empty main seat, his posture very relaxed.
His expression was gentle.
His beautiful flaxen curly hair glowed with a charming luster under the soft overhead lighting.
His long fingers tapped lightly on the solid wood tabletop, one by one.
That his grandfather chose to exchange the position of group leader for his favorite fourth grandson’s second half of life was completely within his control and expectation.
After a silence in the conference room, the veteran shareholder Director Chen spoke up.
“In terms of ability, Xinglin and Xinglan are about the same.”
“However, Huiyao’s future helmsman must be a dragon among men, one in a million, an impeccable figure.”
As he spoke, he took a drag on his cigar.
“To put it bluntly, Xinglan’s background is, after all, not as good as Xinglin’s. If people gossip and criticize him in the business world later…”
As he spoke, he looked at Old Master Gu on the screen, then scanned the people present.
Clearly, he wanted to pull in a few allies.
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