A few students were still playing ball on the court. During a scramble, the basketball suddenly flew straight toward Jiang Xu. He reacted quickly, raising a hand to catch it, then forcefully threw it back. It looked like it was about to go in, but at the last second, it deviated just a little, barely grazing the rim as it passed. The boy who went to pick up the ball gave Jiang Xu a middle finger from afar, implying his skills were terrible.

Not to be outdone, Jiang Xu returned the middle finger, not feeling at all that arguing with a bunch of high school brats was beneath him. Gu Qingzhou glanced at him, then looked away, leaping nimbly off the high platform and taunting mercilessly, "After all these years, you really haven't improved at all."

'This is what he calls no improvement? In the past, I would've just thrown a punch,' Jiang Xu thought.

The appointed time with the client was fast approaching, so the two didn't linger. They left the school and followed the GPS to the address. The house was, just as Gu Qingzhou had said, a bit complex in its layout. The division of space was quite unreasonable, and due to its age, many areas had started to deteriorate, which would make the later stages of construction very troublesome.

The homeowners were a middle-aged couple who wanted to renovate the old house to be a marital home for their son. Jiang Xu asked about their needs in detail, then took some rough measurements of the house and drew a very crude floor plan on the scratch paper he carried with him.

Gu Qingzhou was inside, taking pictures to document the house's condition. When he came out, he saw Jiang Xu sitting on a small stool in the living room, discussing things with the homeowners while rapidly taking notes with a pen, his expression showing a rare seriousness.

Seeing this, Gu Qingzhou wanted to say something, but he paused and ultimately said nothing. After they finished the inspection and left the residence, he only spoke as they were going downstairs. "After we get back, give the data to Yao Qiguang and let him follow up on the design."

Jiang Xu glanced at the time and thought, 'Gu Qingzhou is so full of rules. We're already off work; it would be so much better to just go straight home.'

He actually wanted to talk to Gu Qingzhou about Team Leader Li Si'ao's dismissal, but based on his understanding of Gu Qingzhou, if he said east, the other would definitely say west—the type to oppose you to the death. He didn't want his plea to fail and end up making things worse, so how to bring this up was a question worth pondering.

They had been delayed at the school when they arrived, and measuring the house had taken another few hours. By the time they emerged from that old street, the sky had already darkened. The streetlights near the intersection lit up one by one, and a place that normally wasn't very crowded suddenly became bustling with people.

Jiang Xu and Gu Qingzhou had spent their entire three years of high school here. Countless times, on their way to and from school, they had walked side-by-side down this road. The owner of the small corner store had also seen two boys in blue and white school uniforms pass his storefront countless times, one walking ahead nonchalantly, the other following unhurriedly behind.

Those were the days of their youth, to which they could never return.

Gu Qingzhou still couldn't face the past with equanimity. Because the pain was his alone, others couldn't possibly understand how he felt. It was like a heavy boulder pressing on his heart, one he hadn't been able to move or shift for all these years.

If you asked him to pinpoint the reason, he couldn't explain why. He just felt a knot tied in his heart, and if it couldn't be untied, he would never find peace for the rest of his life.

Gu Qingzhou suddenly didn't want to go back and sit in the cramped space of the car. He leaned his back against the car door, reached up to take off his tie, and then loosened the button at his collar, finally able to breathe for a moment. In his ears was the sound of cars speeding past, and all around him, neon lights were turning on. As the night deepened, he saw Jiang Xu walk toward him and suddenly asked, "Want a smoke?"

Gu Qingzhou said, "Give me a cigarette."

Hearing this, Jiang Xu glanced at him with some surprise. After confirming that Gu Qingzhou wasn't joking, he slowly patted his pockets. A moment later, he raised his hand and tossed him a lollipop, shrugging with a hint of regret. "Sorry, I'm out."

Gu Qingzhou didn't say anything. He just straightened up, preparing to cross the road to buy a pack at the corner store opposite. However, before he could move, he was pushed back by Jiang Xu.

Laughing, Jiang Xu took a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and said, "Gu Qingzhou, how are you still so easy to fool?"

You believe whatever I say.

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou subconsciously looked at him. A dark gloom swirled in the depths of his eyes. Perhaps it was due to the lighting, but his face seemed to turn a little pale, giving off the feeling that a sore spot had been poked.

Jiang Xu handed him a cigarette, along with a lighter. "Here."

Gu Qingzhou didn't like smoking, but after he left Hai City and went to university in City A, he never again abstained from cigarettes or alcohol. The more prosperous a place was, the more chaotic it was. That circle was filled with debauchery and hedonism, not nearly as clean as Hai City.

His hair was ruffled by the night wind, the spark at his fingertips burning ever brighter. A bit of ash tumbled off, carried away by the wind. Two buttons on his collar were undone, faintly revealing his sexy collarbones. His body was no longer as pale and frail as it had been in his youth.

Jiang Xu waited quietly to the side. Seeing that Gu Qingzhou was almost finished with his cigarette, he finally spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Actually... that incident with Li Si'ao today was an accident. I think it would be better for him to continue being in charge of the project. It's not very convenient to switch people at the last minute."

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou turned his head to look at him, then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you begging me?"

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow and corrected him, "No, I'm just making a suggestion."

Gu Qingzhou smiled. "Is that so? I reject your suggestion."

After he spoke, seeming to have had enough of standing by the road, he threw the cigarette butt into the trash can and turned to pull open the car door, wanting to get in. But Jiang Xu grabbed his hand. "Do you have to be like this? Aren't you afraid I'll ruin this project?"

Gu Qingzhou looked at him and said nonchalantly, "Whatever. At worst, you can quit. But if word gets out that you ruined a deal, I doubt anyone else in the industry would dare to hire you."

'This is a blatant, deliberate attack,' Jiang Xu thought. He gripped Gu Qingzhou's hand and didn't let go, saying with a half-smile, "Gu Qingzhou, do you really think there's nothing I can do to you?"

He was a scoundrel who would dare to do something like this right on the street. Seeing this, Gu Qingzhou's expression changed slightly, and he retorted coldly, "Do you insist on making a scene on the street?"

Jiang Xu thought about it. 'Fair point,' he conceded. However, he still didn't let go of Gu Qingzhou's hand. Expressionlessly, he pulled open the back door of the car and shoved him straight inside, then got in after him, pulling the door shut with a dull thud.

In terms of despicableness, Gu Qingzhou was a notch below Jiang Xu. In terms of physical strength, Gu Qingzhou was still a notch below Jiang Xu. In terms of shamelessness, Gu Qingzhou was even more so a notch below Jiang Xu.

Caught off guard, he was pushed into the car. Before he could recover his senses, a scorching hot chest pressed against his back. Then, his hands were firmly restrained, leaving him unable to move. Jiang Xu's low voice sounded by his ear, inexplicably tinged with a layer of ambiguity in the dim car, "Gu Qingzhou..."

Jiang Xu said, half-joking and half-serious, "Are you asking to be taught a lesson?"

Gu Qingzhou struggled with all his might, but he couldn't pry Jiang Xu's hands off and was instead pressed down even more tightly by the other man. He snapped angrily, "Jiang Xu, what on earth are you trying to do?!"

Hearing this, Jiang Xu laughed without restraint and retorted, "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

The light inside the car was dim. At Jiang Xu's words, a faint blush slowly crept up Gu Qingzhou's fair neck, whether from anger or frustration, it was hard to tell. He was pinned against the seat by Jiang Xu, barely able to maintain his usual iciness, struggling helplessly like a fish out of water gasping for air in a desert.

Jiang Xu didn't actually intend to bully him, but he couldn't help that whenever the two of them were together, they were always stabbing at each other. Simply giving in wouldn't solve the problem. The more Gu Qingzhou struggled, the tighter Jiang Xu held him. They remained locked in a stalemate, and after a while, both ran out of energy. Only the sound of soft breathing could be heard in the car.

Gu Qingzhou simply gave up struggling. He weakly covered his eyes with the back of his hand, his lips pressed tightly together, his face pale, concealing all emotions, be it coldness or hatred. Seeing this, Jiang Xu slowly released him, thinking, 'I didn't even do anything, so what's with Gu Qingzhou's "virtuous man being defiled" act?'

Jiang Xu sat up straight and patted him. "Hey."

Gu Qingzhou didn't move or acknowledge him, silently clenching his jaw. The pressure around him was extremely low.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu rubbed the tip of his nose, then opened the car door, got out, and went straight to the driver's seat. It seemed he intended to drive Gu Qingzhou home. The scenery outside blurred from slow to fast, the long, dark shadows of the trees by the roadside mingling indistinguishably with the night.

The two of them were silent the entire way. After arriving at their destination, Jiang Xu parked the car and glanced in the rearview mirror, only then discovering that Gu Qingzhou had sat up at some point. However, most of his figure was shrouded in shadow, making it hard to see him clearly.

Jiang Xu tapped the steering wheel and said, "I'm off then."

He got out of the car after speaking, seemingly ready to head home. But Gu Qingzhou opened his own door a step ahead of him and blocked his path, his strikingly black and white eyes steeped in a frosty chill, his anger clearly not yet dissipated.

Jiang Xu grew interested. He stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "Hm? Does Manager Gu have any other instructions?"

Gu Qingzhou probably wanted to say something harsh, but looking at Jiang Xu's unfazed expression, he felt that nothing he could say would intimidate him. While he was silent, Jiang Xu suddenly took a step forward. Gu Qingzhou retreated out of reflex, but his back hit the car door, leaving him with no room to escape.

Jiang Xu looked at him with a smile. "Manager Gu, don't you worry. What happened today was purely an accident. I'm actually a very conscientious and dedicated employee. You'll find out in the future."

After speaking, he noticed that a few buttons on Gu Qingzhou's shirt had come undone during their earlier struggle. Looking down from his taller height, he could faintly glimpse the area below the man's collarbones, yet it didn't detract from his abstinent aura. He paused for a moment, then raised a hand to do up the fourth button for him. His warm fingertips inadvertently brushed against Gu Qingzhou's cold skin, creating a stark contrast.

Between them, the initiative always seemed to be in Jiang Xu's hands, even though Gu Qingzhou was now the superior and Jiang Xu the subordinate.

Jiang Xu had never thought men could be particularly good-looking before. He lowered his gaze for a moment, and what met his eyes were Gu Qingzhou's beautiful collarbones. His gaze slowly moved upward, finally meeting the other's stern eyes. He let out a soft laugh, tinged with a hint of mischief, as his fingertips slowly traced over Gu Qingzhou's collarbone. "Very nice..."

It was unclear if he was talking about the person, or something else.

Gu Qingzhou expressionlessly pushed him away. Remembering that Jiang Xu had once told him he only liked women, his tone unconsciously carried a trace of sarcasm. "Jiang Xu, you've really improved. You can even act like a hooligan toward a man now."

Jiang Xu raised his eyebrows, thinking, 'This is acting like a hooligan?' He then asked, "Have you never seen what it really means to act like a hooligan?"

It wasn't that Jiang Xu was boasting, but if he were to truly act like a hooligan, he could bully Gu Qingzhou to the point of tears.