A Jar of Vinegar

Jiang Xu's estimation was wrong after all. The next day, when Gu Qingzhou was getting dressed, an ambiguous red mark was still faintly visible on the back of his neck at the shirt collar. When he stood up straight, it could be mostly covered, but he couldn't lower his head. The slightest tilt down would reveal the full picture, a stark contrast against the white shirt.

Gu Qingzhou subconsciously glanced at Jiang Xu, who was washing up in the bathroom. He had no choice but to take off the white shirt and change into a more low-key black one, then buttoned the collar up tightly as usual.

When Jiang Xu came out after washing his face, he passed by Gu Qingzhou and used his height advantage to glance at the back of his neck. He then used two fingers to tug at his collar and laughed thoughtlessly, "Ouch, it's still a bit obvious."

Gu Qingzhou unconsciously raised a hand to the back of his neck and tilted his head to look in the mirror. "Is it very obvious?"

That menace Jiang Xu had clearly said it wouldn't be seen.

"It's fine," Jiang Xu said, fixing his collar for him. "If anyone asks, just say it's a mosquito bite."

Gu Qingzhou hadn't felt it when he went to sleep last night, but this morning his whole body felt like it had been run over by a car, and he didn't want to move much. He raised a hand and hooked it around Jiang Xu's neck. Just by the familiar action, you could tell he'd been in his fair share of fights back in the day. "Where would mosquitoes come from in this weather?"

Jiang Xu half-hugged, half-carried him towards the door. They changed their shoes together at the entrance, getting ready to leave for work. "Relax. You're like a terror at the office. Who would dare ask you about this to your face? At most, they'll just gossip behind your back."

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly. "Gossip about what?"

Jiang Xu thought for a moment, his gaze playful. "That you've got a girlfriend. Where else would those marks on your body come from? What else could they say?"

Gu Qingzhou leaned in slightly, pinning him against the wall. "What about you, then? Are you my girlfriend?"

Jiang Xu grabbed his wrist, then reversed the hold and locked the man in his arms. He kissed Gu Qingzhou's pale, thin lips until they turned a deep shade, then slowly caressed them with his fingertips at the end, correcting in a low voice, "I'm your boyfriend, hmm?"

It was the first time he had acknowledged his identity so directly. Gu Qingzhou couldn't help but think of the past. 'Is this the legendary 'good things come to those who wait'?' he thought. What he once sought but couldn't have was now finally returning to him, bit by bit.

He subconsciously looked up at Jiang Xu, his dark, lustrous eyes holding a kind of pure longing, yet also an insatiable abyss of desire. "Say it again..."

Jiang Xu ruffled his hair. "Jiang Xu is Gu Qingzhou's boyfriend. Satisfied?"

Gu Qingzhou wanted to say that hearing it ten thousand times wouldn't be enough, but his Adam's apple bobbed, and he ultimately suppressed the surging emotions. He slowly straightened up, habitually smoothing the wrinkles on his shirt, then raised a hand to neaten the corner of Jiang Xu's clothes before saying in a low voice, "It's getting late. Let's go to work."

They say the period right after a relationship starts is the most inseparable honeymoon phase. For the two of them, it seemed to be the other way around. After a nearly nine-year blank period of settling, that burning feeling was late to arrive, but it wasn't too late.

A few days ago, Fang Qia had already been speculating whether Gu Qingzhou was going to be transferred. That, coupled with several consecutive days of leave, had undoubtedly confirmed this news. Seeing him suddenly come to work today, she was stunned for a moment. "Manager Gu is back! I thought we were getting a new boss."

She was something of a mentor to Fan Jiajia, and normally the two girls were always lively when they were together. But today, there was no sound from them. Jiang Xu's gaze swept over and saw Fan Jiajia printing documents not far away, silent and taciturn, the smile gone from her face. She looked a bit absentminded, as if she'd lost her soul.

Sometimes when things like this happen, an outsider's advice is useless. The best way is to rely on time and let her heal and move on by herself.

With nothing to do, Jiang Xu suddenly thought of something and pulled out a sheet of drawing paper to start sketching. He usually used the computer more often and rarely did pure hand-drawing like this, but his skills hadn't gotten rusty.

Fang Qia heard the soft clatter of him looking for a ruler and leaned over for a look. Seeing it was an uncolored sketch, she didn't pay it much mind. She went to the break room to make a cup of fruit tea. When she passed by Fan Jiajia's desk, she leaned against it and said, "Jiajia, a new beauty salon opened across the street. Want to go try it out tonight? They have a lot of discounts and promotions."

Hearing this, Fan Jiajia shook her head slightly, looking troubled. "Sorry, Sister Fang, my mom was hospitalized a few days ago. I have to go take care of her after work. How about another day?"

Fang Qia was taken aback. Just as she was about to say something, her sharp ears caught the sound of the office door opening. She quickly darted back to her seat with her teacup. Looking back, she saw Gu Qingzhou walk out with a stack of blueprints in his hand.

Fan Jiajia heard the noise and looked up instinctively, only to meet Gu Qingzhou's gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously rose from her seat. "Manager Gu..."

Gu Qingzhou wouldn't make things difficult for a girl, but his icy demeanor was rather intimidating. Dressed in a pure black shirt, his presence had an invisible pressure to it. He handed the thick stack of blueprints to Fan Jiajia and asked in a toneless voice, "Did you make these copies?"

Fan Jiajia took them and saw that while the first few sheets were clear enough, the details on the dozen or so pages that followed were blurry, with large patches of missing ink. She grew flustered and quickly explained, "Manager Gu, I'm sorry. I forgot to check when I was copying them just now. I didn't notice the drawings were blurry..."

An adult's breakdown often happens in an instant. Too much had happened to her these past few days, and she had been holding back her tears. Now, for some reason, just as Gu Qingzhou was about to tell her to print another copy, Fan Jiajia's tears started falling like rain, wetting the blueprints in her hands.

Some of the old-timers in the office saw this but had no intention of getting involved. She was just an intern who hadn't even become a permanent employee yet. Making such a basic mistake, she was bound to be kicked out sooner or later.

Gu Qingzhou had probably never encountered a situation like this. After all, crying girls are hard to coax. He appeared expressionless, but there was a faint look of bewilderment in his eyes, not understanding why Fan Jiajia was crying. Just as he was about to say something, Jiang Xu suddenly got up from his seat and took the drafts from Fan Jiajia's hands. "You go work on something else. I'll help you recopy these in a bit."

Fan Jiajia was crying her eyes out here. Anyone who didn't know the situation would think Gu Qingzhou was bullying a young girl. The office was also full of rumors; perhaps even nasty words like "casting couch" would come up eventually.

Jiang Xu was doing it for Gu Qingzhou's own good, but the latter clearly didn't get his intention. He just shot him a cold, gloomy glance. Without a word being spoken, Jiang Xu could guess that Gu Qingzhou was getting jealous over nothing again.

"When you're done recopying them, bring them to my office."

In the end, Gu Qingzhou didn't go against Jiang Xu. After saying this, he turned and went into his office. With a soft click, the office, which had been frozen in a tense atmosphere just a moment ago, came back to life as if a switch had been flipped.

Fan Jiajia seemed embarrassed by her loss of composure. With red eyes, she looked at Jiang Xu and said self-reproachfully, "...Designer Jiang, thank you for just now. I'll recopy them and take them to Manager Gu in a bit."

'Young girls are so simple-minded,' Jiang Xu thought. She was lucky it was Gu Qingzhou. If it had been a more petty boss, Fan Jiajia wouldn't even need to come in tomorrow. Although, it wasn't like Gu Qingzhou was that magnanimous either.

"No need. I happen to have something to discuss with the manager anyway. It's on the way."

Jiang Xu took the original blueprints and printed a new copy. As he did, he thought with schadenfreude that when he went in later, that jar of vinegar Gu Qingzhou would definitely kick up a fuss.

It was just as he expected. The jar of vinegar in Gu Qingzhou's heart had already been overturned. After all, Jiang Xu didn't seem like the type to be tender and protective toward women. For him to suddenly come out and help Fan Jiajia out of her predicament was truly baffling. This led to a rare occasion when Jiang Xu came in and Gu Qingzhou wasn't clinging to him.

Seeing that Gu Qingzhou was ignoring him, Jiang Xu leaned his back against the edge of the desk, took the fountain pen from his hand, and asked with a faint smile, "Why aren't you talking? Are you angry?"

Gu Qingzhou retorted, "What would I be angry about?"

Jiang Xu's smile was full of meaning. He didn't respond, just placed the newly printed blueprints by his hand. "Here. Check them."

Gu Qingzhou gave them a casual glance, then looked away, leaning back slowly into his chair. "I never realized you were the type to play the hero saving the damsel in distress."

"I'll accept the 'hero' part, but who's the damsel?"

Jiang Xu sometimes loved to tease Gu Qingzhou, wanting to provoke him until he flew into a rage, like teasing a cat. After he spoke, he grabbed Gu Qingzhou's hand, pulled him into his lap with a slight tug, and with a wave of his hand, swept the extra files off the desk. He had Gu Qingzhou sit on it, then squeezed himself between the other's legs and asked with great interest, "You?"

This position was too dangerous. Gu Qingzhou unconsciously tightened his grip on Jiang Xu's shoulders and said in a low voice, "This is the office. Don't mess around."

Jiang Xu had locked the door when he came in, so he naturally wasn't flustered. He wanted to laugh when he remembered Gu Qingzhou's bewildered expression when Fan Jiajia was crying. He supported Gu Qingzhou's flexible waist with his left hand, and pushing his luck, he pressed him down onto the desk, saying gleefully, "Gu Qingzhou, you're not that scary-looking. How did you manage to frighten the little lady to tears, hmm?"

Gu Qingzhou thought he had come to stand up for Fan Jiajia. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned his head away, pressing his lips together in displeasure. "How would I know she was going to cry?"

For some reason, Jiang Xu felt he was acting like a child who had been wronged but had nowhere to vent. He stopped teasing him and pinched Gu Qingzhou's chin for a kiss. "Are you stupid? If she cries, you should just get away. Standing there looking all cold... anyone who saw would think you were using your authority as a boss to bully her."

Gu Qingzhou caught the underlying meaning in Jiang Xu's words and finally turned his gaze to him. The latter had, at some point, sat down in the manager's office chair, looking very relaxed with his legs crossed.

Gu Qingzhou said, "Are you sure it's not because you thought she was pretty and wanted to be tender with her?"

Jiang Xu looked at Gu Qingzhou's dark, lustrous eyes and felt like laughing. His gaze swept over the stretch of fair neck hidden under the black shirt. He uncrossed his legs, patted his lap to indicate he should sit there, and beckoned slightly with a finger. "Come here, and I'll tell you."

Gu Qingzhou was silent for a second, then quietly sat on Jiang Xu's lap. Jiang Xu took the opportunity to wrap an arm around his waist and undid the buttons at his collar in a few quick movements. He lowered his head and kissed Gu Qingzhou's collarbone, his nimble tongue flicking across the warm skin. After a moment of caressing, a faint red mark appeared.

Jiang Xu's bewitching, fox-like eyes were filled with amusement. He whispered meaningfully in his ear, "Manager Gu, be more confident. I think you're prettier than her, hmm?"

Gu Qingzhou remembered that Jiang Xu's previous definition of "pretty" was curvy with a big bust and butt, so he was skeptical of this statement. His long fingers rested on his slightly loosened tie, as if he were about to retighten it, or perhaps loosen it further. His deep voice stirred the heart without a sound. "Are you sure?"