The back seat was covered in dark brown leather, soft enough to sink into. Bai Xialin sat right next to Gu Yebai, her knees almost touching him.
The hem of her purple evening gown sprawled out like a pool of melted violet.
Her usual high ponytail was neatly pinned up, with a few stray strands curling around her ears, revealing her slender neck.
Honestly, it was really alluring.
Normally in sneakers and a black skin-tight suit, she had a youthful, wild energy.
Now the style had completely changed; she had become a seductive older sister, with a kind of dangerous tenderness that went to one’s head.
Gu Yebai fixed his gaze on his own knees, clenching the creases of his suit pants tightly.
He didn’t dare look at her anymore.
‘Tempting a cadre like this? Which cadre could withstand such a test? Ah…’
Gu Yebai kept swallowing.
Speaking of which, this morning when Gao Hongyi was buttoning Gu Yebai’s suit jacket, her eyes were only a few centimeters from his, her lashes trembling.
Then she grabbed his tie and kissed him.
“I believe Uncle Bai belongs only to me.”
“To think that tomorrow I can go to school with Uncle Bai—it’s like a dream!”
“Absolutely don’t look at any other girls, okay~”
The memory surfaced again, as if mocking Gu Yebai’s infidelity…
Bai Xialin suddenly moved.
“Gu Gu.”
“You really look handsome today.”
Gu Yebai’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“…Thank you.”
“You already said that when we got in the car.”
His voice was as dry as sandpaper.
Bai Xialin let out a soft laugh, her shoulder lightly brushing his arm.
“Because you look so incredibly handsome today, I can’t seem to think of any other topic for now.”
“Are you nervous?”
She tilted her head.
“I… I’m nervous.”
“Don’t worry, the interview will definitely be fine.”
“Mmm…”
‘The thing I’m nervous about isn’t the interview at all… It’s this Seoul girl. She makes me more nervous than any interview.’
Gu Yebai subconsciously shifted toward the door, trying to put some distance between himself and that “dangerous beast” lady.
But as if on purpose, every time he moved, she followed.
“Did you know?”
Bai Xialin’s voice grew even lower, almost a whisper.
Ah, come to think of it, today she wasn’t mixing in Korean anymore.
That foreigner’s odd speech habit seemed to have faded a lot.
Now her voice was as clean as a peeled egg.
“You’re in pain…”
“But your pain might be the root of why I like you…”
Bai Xialin’s voice was very low, clearly not wanting the driver, Gao Hongzhi, to hear.
“You’re holding on…”
Gu Yebai’s breath caught.
She continued, her tone gentle as if coaxing a child.
“Back in Linchuan, you were poor and independent. Even though I never met you then, I can imagine you always putting on a brave front. Life was hard, but your soul was free.”
“Now…”
“You’re not free at all.”
“Once you were rich in spirit and poor in material things; now it’s completely reversed.”
“Uncle Gao told me—the ruby pendant around your neck has a tracker, right? We had coffee together, your girlfriend keeps harassing you, we’re not even allowed to chat, and she controls all your social media…”
“Is that really okay?”
She paused, a hint of hoarse laughter in her voice.
“Fool.”
“The more you’re like this, the more I want to steal you away.”
Gu Yebai’s heart felt like someone had gripped it tight.
He finally looked up and met her eyes.
Bai Xialin’s eyes curved into crescents, her lashes long.
She reached out.
Her fingertips lightly touched the back of his hand, like a dragonfly skimming water.
‘I have to use absolute, sober rationality to suppress this feeling I shouldn’t have.’
“Is Gao Hongyi… too heavy for you?” she asked cautiously.
“She locks you in the house, won’t let you go out, won’t let you talk to anyone. Even when you write novels, she sits on your lap to watch…”
“She loves you so deeply, but has she ever asked if you’re comfortable?”
‘He wanted to retort, wanted to say “She’s doing it for my good,” “She’s afraid someone will take me away,” “She’s actually very gentle,” but deep down, he was filled with pain from that imprisoned life.’
Bai Xialin’s fingers slid up along the back of his hand, slowly tangling around his pinky.
Very light.
Yet like a vine.
“If it were me…” She leaned closer, her hot breath against his ear, carrying a milky scent and ambiguous moisture.
“I wouldn’t make you feel this terrible.”
“I’d give you freedom.”
“I’d let you go out whenever you want, meet whoever you want, write novels till dawn if you want.”
“Even…”
Her voice dropped so low it was nearly inaudible, yet every word struck his heart.
“I’d let you know that being loved… can also be easy.”
“Easy?”
“Right. Love is being with this person and being able to say everything weighing on your heart without restraint…”
“Say whatever you want to me.”
“Even treat me like an emotional trash can.”
Bai Xialin’s naive expression and focused gaze were like a gentle, poisonous snake, slowly coiling around his ankle…
Suddenly, Gu Yebai remembered Gao Hongyi waking up that morning, burying her face in the crook of his neck in bed.
“I’ve missed you all day today—I’ve been watching you the whole time.”
She had smiled so sweetly then, her eyes sparkling as if dipped in honey.
But now, that sweetness had turned sour in memory, like poison mixed into syrup—sweet, yet bitter.
Come to think of it, his exchanges with not only his author friend Bishop Milieai from the same novel website, but also with readers like Yukino, Heiye Yinpa, Yuanshen Gaoshou, and others had gradually dwindled… The only free time each day was spent writing novels.
After finishing his writing, every remaining moment was with Gao Hongyi—kissing, hugging, holding hands…
Everything.
Twenty-four hours a day.
Except for the roughly two hours of writing, all the rest of his time was spent with Gao Hongyi.
Bai Xialin’s fingers were still twining around his pinky, round and round, as if she wanted to curl his entire being into her palm.
“Gu Gu…” she murmured, her lips nearly touching his earlobe.
“Don’t you… really want to try me?”
Gu Yebai’s breathing was completely thrown off.
Two voices were tearing at each other in his mind.
‘One was Bai Xialin’s: freedom, ease, no one watching your every breath, no one forcing you to change passwords, no one sitting on your lap watching you type…’
‘The other was Gao Hongyi’s: Uncle Bai… who did you talk to today? Is she fragrant? More fragrant than me?… Leave me, and you’ll regret it, because no one knows you like I do…’
He instinctively raised his hand to touch the ruby pendant—the “collar” Gao Hongyi had given him.
It looked like an ornament, but in truth, Gu Yebai couldn’t remove it on his own.
As soon as his fingers lifted, Bai Xialin lightly grasped them.
Her palm was warm, with a bit of sweaty moisture.
“Don’t touch.”
Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty.
“Is it… choking you right now?”
Gu Yebai stiffened all over.
He suddenly remembered the time he’d gone out for coffee with Bai Xialin.
After returning home, Gao Hongyi had kissed him until he nearly suffocated, then dragged him into the bathroom and forcibly washed every inch of his body… She had cried even as she used her own way to mark her traces on Gu Yebai’s body.
Gu Yebai’s fingers curled in Bai Xialin’s palm.
“Xiaolin, I…”
“I’m already Hongyi’s possession.”
If it had been earlier…
If you had been my reader a long, long time ago…
But there’s no “if” in the world.
Gu Yebai didn’t want to become someone who was fickle.
He suddenly wanted to take out his phone.
To open Gao Hongyi’s chat window.
To type a line: ‘Hongyi, I’m on my way with Bai Xialin right now to the interview Dad arranged. I’m not lying to you.’
He wasn’t good at lying.
The last time he’d sneaked out to meet Bai Xialin, he’d been found out.
If he was caught again, she would definitely throw a huge crying fit.
Not the hysterical kind, but the kind where her shoulders shook, her voice faltered, her face buried in his chest, murmuring softly.
That kind of crying hurt his heart more than any accusation.
A slap to the face would be easier to take.
Couldn’t hide it.
Hiding it would seem like he had a guilty conscience.
He and Bai Xialin were only going for the interview together.
Come clean.
Prove he was aboveboard.
Gu Yebai took a deep breath, his fingers slowly reaching into his pocket.
The cool metal feel of his phone just touched his fingertips.
He was about to prove his loyalty to Gao Hongyi.
But just then, the Maybach stopped.
“We’re here.”
Gao Hongzhi’s voice came from the front.
Outside the window was a discreet yet ultra-luxurious five-star hotel.
The exterior was dark gray granite.
The gilded sign glowed coldly in the night.
Two rows of crystal chandeliers blazed brightly at the lobby entrance.
The red carpet stretched from the steps all the way to the curb, like a bloody tongue welcoming everyone who stepped onto it.
The doormen, in crisp black uniforms and white gloves, moved with an elegance that seemed like a ritual.
Gu Yebai’s fingers froze in his pocket.
He didn’t take out his phone.
He suddenly felt as if something was stuck in his throat—couldn’t swallow it, couldn’t cough it up.
Bai Xialin let go of his hand, her eyes curving in a smile.
“Let’s go, Gu Gu.”
“The interview… is about to start.”
She pushed open the car door.
The night wind swept in, carrying the faint fragrance of osmanthus.
Gu Yebai watched her back.
The hem of her purple gown swayed gently in the breeze, like a datura flower about to bloom at any moment…
“Mm, let’s go.”
“Be confident~ Cheer up~ You’re the best boy I’ve ever seen, Gu Gu. Stick out your chest, there’s no problem at all.”
“Thank you.”
St. George’s International School.
Gu Yebai, wearing a custom suit worth six figures and shoes worth five figures, followed Bai Xialin.
Not long after they entered the hotel, a black Toyota Alphard pulled into the parking lot right behind them…
A man, about 6 feet tall, slim and tall, wearing a mask and a cap, a backpack slung over his shoulder, walked into the lobby.
Neither the doorman, the security guard, nor any of the lobby attendants noticed his presence.