Chapter 95: XX horse race?

After Gu Yebai typed the final period, he stared at the screen for several more seconds.

Regardless, 4,000 words were finally completed.

Today’s task had come to a successful conclusion.

There were still five hours until the deadline.

Gu Yebai reread it from beginning to end more than three times.

Several parts felt a bit stiff in rhythm, and a few points of reasoning had obvious logical flaws.

If caught by a careful reader, he would be interrogated repeatedly.

‘This change will make it okay.’

He deleted a sentence of nonsense and added a motive.

It looked more pleasing than before.

He let out a soft sigh and clicked upload.

The page refreshed, and the chapter was successfully published.

‘Alright, I can rest now.’

“Uncle Bai, thanks for the hard work.”

A sweet voice came from behind him.

Gao Hongyi stood behind Gu Yebai’s ergonomic chair, wearing a beige apron and holding a spatula.

She had already changed out of her school uniform and was now wearing soft loungewear.

Her long, deep-cherry hair was tied up high, revealing a slender neck and clear collarbone lines.

No matter how many times he saw her, he couldn’t help but marvel; she was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Dinner is almost ready.”

“Uncle Bai’s work is finished too, right?”

….

“Do you have an appetite now?” her voice was so gentle.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“We’re having steamed sea bass tonight.”

Gao Hongyi waved the spatula, a hint of cute pride in her eyes.

Once upon a time, whether he was buried in writing or coming home from school, the only person who called Gu Yebai to eat was his mother.

In a trance, he saw a red-haired girl his own age who didn’t complain or disturb him while he focused on his keyboard.

She just waited quietly for him to finish and then called him to eat.

Perhaps this was the meaning of love.

A soft warmth suddenly rose in Gu Yebai’s heart.

“I’m really looking forward to the flavor of your steamed sea bass.”

“Just wait and see.”

Gao Hongyi gently took Gu Yebai’s hand, their fingers interlocking, and led him out of the room.

….

The lights in the living room were all on, and the floor glowed with an amber luster under the illumination.

The long dining table was covered with a dark tablecloth, large enough to seat ten people simultaneously.

At this moment, however, it was set for only two.

The steamed sea bass was steaming, the ginger was finely shredded, and green onions were sprinkled over it.

Beside it was a small dish of prepared sauce and a large bowl of pork rib and corn soup.

Gao Hongyi was very picky about food, but she certainly had the right to be, as she made every dish comparable to a top chef’s work.

Gu Yebai and Gao Hongyi sat opposite each other, and he looked at the house again.

In truth, for two people to live in such a home, the space utilization was very low.

The hallway was long and the ceilings were high.

The 596 square meters of space seemed too large and empty.

Sometimes, walking a few steps at night felt exceptionally clear.

In a home like this, if they didn’t lean on each other and confirm each other’s existence, they might be swallowed by loneliness.

Fortunately, Gao Hongyi was by his side.

“About what Uncle Bai wrote today…”

“Let me guess. Don’t spoil it yet, Uncle Bai.”

“Did the suspect use hounds to get rid of the victim’s body?”

Gao Hongyi looked at the novel Gu Yebai had just updated while eating casually.

“He actually did. You guessed it?”

“Mhm. Because you left foreshadowing earlier. Besides, I’m Uncle Bai’s girlfriend. Isn’t it only natural that I can guess the subsequent plot before anyone else?”

“You’re amazing.”

“Uncle Bai,” Gao Hongyi suddenly put down her chopsticks, “let’s do this every day from now on, okay? I’ll cook for you, or we’ll go out to eat occasionally. We’ll look at each other across the table and talk about topics we’re both interested in…”

“We’ll live like this until we grow old and die.”

“Of course!”

“Hongyi, this is exactly the lifestyle I’ve dreamed of. I couldn’t ask for more!”

“Hehe. Cheers, Uncle Bai.”

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night scene of Donghai slowly unfolded.

….

The river reflected the lights of the tall buildings, and starlight floated upon it.

If a person looked at the prosperity of Donghai through a floor-to-ceiling window alone, they would surely feel incredibly empty.

The same scenery looked completely different when two people watched it together.

“Cheers.”

“After we finish eating, Uncle Bai must agree to my request from earlier today. First, I need to install a GPS tracker on Uncle Bai. Otherwise, I’ll be very anxious.”

“Second, we need to exchange all our passwords and security questions. That’s not a problem, right?”

“I need to be able to log in to Uncle Bai’s QQ, WeChat, Bilibili, TikTok, Xiaohongshu, Dianping, Meituan, and…”

“In short, everything!”

“In exchange, I’ll let Uncle Bai log into all my accounts at any time. This is a deal where you only gain and never lose. I also have Line, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp…”

“Uh…”

He had indeed said during the day that he would accept any punishment from Gao Hongyi.

But as a punishment, this was a bit much, wasn’t it?

Everyone should have their own space…

“What’s wrong? Does Uncle Bai not agree?”

“It’s not that I don’t agree, it’s just… it’s troublesome. See, every time you log in, there’s SMS authentication and such.”

“I don’t mind the trouble. I want everything of Uncle Bai. Ahhh, Uncle Bai, you don’t understand how anxious I was today! I was scared to death because I couldn’t contact you!”

Gao Hongyi’s speaking speed suddenly increased, like a magic caster chanting a spell.

“My head is really full of you. I couldn’t even focus in class… What is my cute and pitiful Uncle Bai doing? Will he be kidnapped by bad people? Will he fall in love with someone else? Can you understand my feelings, Uncle Bai? My heart felt as if it were being torn apart.”

“I’m sorry, Hongyi…”

“I don’t mean to blame you, Uncle Bai. I… sigh, I’m such an idiot, making the atmosphere so tense again. Let’s eat, let’s eat. Uncle Bai, don’t pay too much attention to an idiot like me.”

“We’ll go out later to get the GPS tracker set up.”

“Ah? What’s wrong, Uncle Bai?”

Gu Yebai suddenly raised his neck in distress, coughing uncontrollably.

“Is a fishbone stuck?”

“It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault!”

Seeing Gu Yebai’s painful expression, Gao Hongyi’s tears immediately began to flow uncontrollably.

“Uncle Bai, eat a rice ball, just swallow it. Have some vinegar… I shouldn’t have made steamed sea bass! I’m going to throw this dish away! I’m useless. I didn’t serve Uncle Bai well and let a fishbone get stuck. I…”

As Gao Hongyi spoke, she was about to slap herself.

Gu Yebai immediately rushed forward and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

….

“It’s okay, I’m fine…”

Gu Yebai seemed to have swallowed the fishbone.

He let out a deep sigh of relief.

“It’s okay, Hongyi. Don’t throw the food away. It’s so delicious; it would be a waste to throw it away.”

“I love the steamed sea bass you made.”

“You said… you love it?”

“But the fishbone caused Uncle Bai so much pain… I… To Uncle Bai, am I like a fishbone right now? I know I’m not normal. Whenever I think of Uncle Bai, I always lose my composure like a fool. Will Uncle Bai hate me for this? Are you forcing a smile and trying hard to accept me even though it’s difficult? Uncle Bai, am I an idiot?”

“You are an idiot… Because you love me, you’re an idiot.”

“What?”

“Loving you is the smartest decision of my life. I might have done many things wrong, I might lose my composure from nervousness, I might lose control, and I’m not very good at socializing, but there’s no way loving you could be wrong, Uncle Bai! In this matter alone, I am definitely not an idiot!”

“I — “

Gu Yebai kissed her.

He blocked her incessantly talking red lips.

Her originally stiff body seemed to lose its support and immediately went soft.

For a moment, her black pupils turned a seductive red once again in front of Gu Yebai.

Her arms then wrapped around Gu Yebai’s neck.

Her breathing became hot and rapid, and she chuckled softly against his lips.

“Uncle Bai, you dared to sneak attack me… Are you prepared for my counterattack?”

In the next second, Gao Hongyi used her strength to pull him up from the chair and decisively pushed him down onto the sofa.

Her red hair spread out under the light as she leaned over and pressed him down.

Ah.

‘I really want to possess Uncle Bai completely like this. Why is he such a cute creature? Even though he’s taller than me, he looks so innocent, so obedient, and so mine in my arms. My Uncle Bai. Not a single second goes by that I don’t love you more.’

‘That pitiful and helpless boy from before — no one will ever hurt you again from now on.’

‘Ah, although the actual first time should be saved for a more beautiful and solemn day, before then, it shouldn’t be too much to collect a little bit of interest, right?’

“Hongyi, what are you doing?”

Gu Yebai was pressed against the sofa, his breathing a bit ragged.

Gao Hongyi just looked at him.

“Uncle Bai, can I ask you a question?”

….

“Ask away.”

Her fingertips tapped lightly on his chest, as if confirming the rhythm of his heartbeat, and then she slowly spoke.

“During the Warring States period, there was a man who raced horses against King Wei of Qi. He lost all three rounds at first. Later, Sun Bin gave him an idea: use his low-grade horse against the King’s high-grade horse, his high-grade horse against the King’s middle-grade horse, and his middle-grade horse against the King’s low-grade horse.”

She tilted her head slightly, her red hair sliding down her shoulder.

There was a faint hint of a smile in her voice.

“What was that man’s name again?”

“Tian Ji, right?”

Gu Yebai answered almost subconsciously.

“You said it yourself.”

Gao Hongyi’s eyes darkened slightly, and the corners of her lips slowly curled up.

“I have to give you a reward,” she laughed softly.

Like a predator patiently waiting for its prey to walk into the trap, she finally confirmed that the timing was ripe.

“Wait? … What do you mean?”

Gu Yebai had intended to continue eating the steamed sea bass because it was truly delicious.

Unfortunately, Gu Yebai had not expected that he would also become a dish on the dining table.

He tried to resist, but he failed.

He watched everything happen before his eyes in disbelief, yet he was powerless to do anything.