02

 After Song Yu arrived at the apartment building, he did not see Gu Linwei.

He looked down and opened his phone. Gu Linwei had called him twice.

After dialing back, the other party answered quickly: "Hello."

Song Yu thought Gu Linwei was going to be unhappy, but he didn't expect his voice to sound quite normal. Even his previous impatience had disappeared.

He looked around and asked, "Where are you? I'm in Building 7, but it's hard to walk here... Otherwise, you can stay at the entrance, and I'll come find you."

This young master usually finds it tiring to walk even one extra step. What's wrong with him today? Gu Linwei couldn't figure out what Song Yu was up to. He was still holding the orange juice he had taken from the car: "No, if you get your shoes dirty, you'll blame me."

After he finished speaking, he heard a very soft voice: "No, it won't happen."

Gu Linwei felt as if a feather had tickled his ear.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Song Yu asked again on the other end, "Brother Lin, can you find it?"

"I can find it." Before the accident, Lu Baiyu seemed to have a premonition and asked him for some things, one of which was to settle Zhou Qiao. Zhou Qiao found the house herself, but she had already sent him the address, though she hadn't been there once yet.

Gu Linwei glanced at the dirty and messy garbage dump.

Indeed, the Lu family would never come to a place like this.

He just hadn't expected Song Yu to condescend to come here.

An "Oh" came from the other end. After hanging up, Gu Linwei quickened his pace. Zhou Qiao's rented house was in Building 7, on the edge of the entire community. The man was tall and had long legs; he arrived in less than five minutes.

From about a hundred meters away, Gu Linwei saw a slender white figure standing beside a flower bed, bending down to stare at a few wildflowers.

She looked so adorable today.

Gu Linwei dismissed the thought and deliberately increased the speed of his steps.

Soon, Song Yu spotted him: "...Brother Lin?"

Gu Linwei, as the second male lead in this world, was undeniably handsome, with deep-set eyes and a cold, aloof gaze. He stood out in a crowd

. He just didn't look like someone to mess with.

The other man raised an eyebrow at his stare and handed him the orange juice: "What are you doing?"

This stuff was sweet and sour, something only Song Yu liked.

Song Yu pointed to the flowerbed: "There are ants here."

Gu Linwei: "?"

A few seconds of silence: "I asked you what you're doing here at Zhou Qiao's place?"

Song Yu had been standing there for five minutes, already prepared his answer: "Wasn't he kicked out by the Lu family? I'm helping Lu Baiyu take care of him." "

Take care of him?" Gu Linwei narrowed his eyes slightly, his cold, handsome face instantly turning dangerous. "You and Lu Baiyu don't get along, and you're helping him take care of his lover?"

Song Yu hadn't expected the other man to so openly point out his relationship with Lu Baiyu, but according to his persona, even if he considered Lu Baiyu a mortal enemy, he would never admit it.

So he insisted he was there to help a friend take care of his wife.

Gu Linwei's expression turned cold: "How are you going to take care of her?"

Her waist is so thin, and she looks weak; how can she take care of someone?

Song Yu fell silent.

He hadn't expected Gu Linwei

to be so difficult. According to 009, Gu Linwei was a cool and aloof guy who rarely meddled in other people's business. Why were there so many problems with him?

009: [Perhaps you are not just anyone.]

Song Yu was taken aback: [Huh?]

009, against his will: [He will also be Zhou Qiao's suitor in the future. As for when he will become interested, that remains to be seen.]

Song Yu suddenly understood.

Gu Linwei and Zhou Qiao had met before. Perhaps he was already attracted to Zhou Qiao, but his strong moral compass had suppressed his feelings.

Perhaps it would be better to let them meet sooner and develop the plot.

This world doesn't have a specific plotline, giving Song Yu a lot of room to maneuver. Seeing that Gu Linwei insisted on taking him away, he simply told the truth: "Zhou Qiao already thinks of me as Lu Baiyu. He'll be sad if I leave now!" Gu

Linwei's face finally showed some emotion. After a few seconds of reaction, he frowned slightly: "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not kidding." The man's frowning expression was still a bit fierce. Even though Song Yu had been deliberately frightened by many men along the way, he was still just as timid.

However, he quickly received an OOC warning, telling him to lose his temper.

Song Yu loosened his teeth from biting his lip and put on a little bully look: "What's so fierce about me!"

Gu Linwei paused: "Was I fierce to you?"

He had just spoken to him in such a soft voice on the phone, and he hadn't even had a chance to pretend before he went back to his old self?

But it seemed that the fierce look was even more annoying.

Gu Linwei collected his thoughts and returned to the main topic: "You and Lu Baiyu are so different, how could he mistake you for someone else?"

Seeing Song Yu's lips move, he added, "Don't use face blindness as an excuse."

Song Yu actually found it a bit strange too; perhaps Zhou Qiao not only had face blindness but also delusions. Whatever the symptom, it would help him complete the mission.

Song Yu didn't think too much about it and started making excuses for his attempt to steal Zhou Qiao's girlfriend in front of Gu Linwei.

After all, now wasn't the time for him to break up with her.

At this moment, the scumbag quotes 009 had saved came in handy.

"Zhou Qiao has been in a bad mood lately, so it's normal for him to mistake me for Lu Baiyu."

"He was the one who hugged me first."

"Anyway, I was just helping my brother take care of his lover."

After saying that, Song Yu looked down at his phone and glanced at the time: "I have to go upstairs to eat, or the food will get cold."

Gu Linwei's lips froze.

He'd only met her once, and he already considered Zhou Qiao one of his own?

Song Yu ignored Gu Linwei and went upstairs with the orange juice. He secretly asked 009 again if the progress bar hadn't been reset. He breathed a sigh of relief

; this hurdle was over.

—From now on, he could swagger over to his canary

without a care in the world. Before he could even feel a surge of joy, footsteps sounded behind him. Song Yu stopped and turned around to see Gu Linwei following. He silently thought to himself: Looks like the second lead has been interested in his friend's girlfriend for a while now. He says no, but his body says otherwise. 009: … The host has definitely been secretly reading its private collection. Gu Linwei, with his long legs, took two steps at a time, catching up with Song Yu in just a few seconds. The staircase in the low-rent apartment was narrow, requiring them to squeeze sideways to walk side-by-side. Gu Linwei stopped to Song Yu's right rear, his gaze almost level with Song Yu's. His eyes looked rounder and more rounded than when he was looking up, making his face appear innocent and pure. The man's gaze lingered for too long, making Song Yu a little uneasy. His fingers, red from the plastic bag, cautiously asked, "Wh-why are you up here again?"

Gu Linwei gave a slight, dismissive smile: "So you really want to be alone with Zhou Qiao?"

Song Yu was taken aback, before he could deny it, the other continued, "My orange juice, I won't even get a sip, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Oh, I see.

Song Yu said "Oh," and silently turned to go upstairs.

He glanced down at the orange juice in the bag.

This seemed to be a single serving…

Song Yu stopped, and then he heard hurried footsteps behind him, as if they had taken several steps back. He immediately turned around: "Brother Lin, are you alright?"

Gu Linwei's gaze swept over the boy's open collar, then shifted away uncomfortably. After a moment, he spoke, his voice slightly disordered: "Why are you dressed so scantily?"

Song Yu always dressed in the most flamboyant way possible, even in the dead of winter when his lips were purple from the cold, he would still leave the top few buttons of his shirt undone.

Today, he was dressed cleanly, his collar neat, and he wasn't wearing any random perfume.

Yet, he still seemed to smell good.

For some reason, Gu Linwei felt a strange restlessness rising within him.

After Song Yu stared at him like that, his agitation intensified.

Gu Linwei broke out in a sweat, took off his jacket, revealing a black short-sleeved shirt underneath. The veins on his pale arms were prominently visible.

He handed the jacket to Song Yu, receiving only a dazed look in return.

"Aren't you cold?" Gu Linwei recalled following Song Yu upstairs earlier, her thin white shirt revealing a glimpse of her slender waist.

Wearing so little.

And dressed so innocently.

Was it all for Zhou Qiao's benefit?

Gu Linwei didn't know if the two had met before, only that Song Yu often asked him about Zhou Qiao.

While he was still immersed in the chaotic emotions of the day, a hand suddenly appeared in front of him.

Song Yu's palm was snow-white and clean, her fingers slender, with only a little soft flesh at the base of her thumb and the pads of her fingers. It was fair

with a pinkish tinge.

Gu Linwei looked away, and after a moment, he took a card from his pocket and placed it in Song Yu's palm.

Song Yu: "?"

Why give him the card...?

Seeing that Song Yu hadn't pulled his hand back, Gu Linwei raised an eyebrow: "You think it's too little?"

The young master spends money recklessly. A few years ago, his family restricted his spending, and sometimes when he was short of money, he would borrow money from him and pay him back the following month.

This time, reaching out was clearly using the excuse of not having money to buy clothes to borrow money from him, wasn't it?

"This card has no limit—" Before Gu Linwei could finish speaking, he felt his hand being held by something warm and soft. Then, he saw Song Yu place the card in his hand and rub his palm against his arm.

"I just wanted you to touch my hand." Song Yu had 009's hand warmer, so his hands and feet were warm. At this moment, his eyebrows and eyes showed a little smugness, "You're wearing two layers and your hands aren't as warm as mine."

"..."

His attitude was a little arrogant.

But not at all annoying.

Gu Linwei stared at the beautiful and lively face in front of him and suddenly had an urge to pinch his cheek hard. He looked away, took back the card, and ignored the tingling sensation on the small patch of skin that Song Yu had rubbed against.

The two continued upstairs.

Zhou Qiao lived on the fourth floor. Song Yu climbed the stairs slowly when a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Are you sure you came here to help Lu Baiyu take care of Zhou Qiao?"

Song Yu, now smarter, didn't stop.

He gave a soft "Mmm."

Just when he thought the other person wouldn't speak again, he added, "You and Lu Baiyu seem to have a pretty good relationship."

"...Well, definitely." Song Yu said this with a guilty conscience. He was walking ahead and didn't know what the other person's expression was when they said these words.

The tone was quite normal, though.

Song Yu didn't detect the underlying sourness.

The two reached the fourth floor. Song Yu knocked on the door, which opened quickly, revealing Zhou Qiao's gentle and handsome face through the crack.

His gaze first fell on Song Yu, his affectionate tone tinged with disappointment: "Ayu, you're up. I've been waiting for you for so long, I thought you were leaving."

Gu Linwei got goosebumps. His gaze casually swept over Zhou Qiao, who then looked at him: "Is this...Ayu, your friend?"

Song Yu was about to speak when he felt his clothes being tugged at the back.

The strength was incredible... He pulled back slightly, turning his head to look at Gu Linwei in surprise.

He met the man's clearly defined jawline and Adam's apple.

"Aren't you face-blind? How can you tell who your husband 'Ayu' is right away?" This was Gu Linwei's first time meeting Zhou Qiao; he had previously had his subordinates handle the tasks for him. He frowned, feeling an unprecedented aggression. But

Zhou Qiao's expression was incredibly gentle. He took out his phone and held it up to Gu Linwei: "I took a picture of Ayu."

Gu Linwei's gaze swept across the screen, and he visibly paused when he saw the photo.

What exactly did Song Yu do to make that expression?

"And—" Zhou Qiao smiled at Song Yu, looking completely dependent on her husband, "Ayu smells very good, I can easily recognize him."

Song Yu's cheeks flushed instantly at her words.

He was afraid that Gu Linwei's continued questioning would arouse Zhou Qiao's suspicion, so he urged, "Hurry, hurry up and come in to eat."

Gu Linwei's face remained serious, but he didn't say anything more.

Zhou Qiao naturally took the plastic bag from Song Yu's hand and affectionately took his hand to lead him into the house. He was tall and liked to lean down and whisper in Song Yu's ear when he spoke.

But his voice wasn't quiet.

"Did you buy orange juice especially for me?"

Song Yu: "...Yes."

He heard the person behind him scoff softly.

The aroma of food wafted from the living room. Zhou Qiao had already had the food placed on the table and served three bowls of rice, her behavior was proper and elegant. She

also occasionally put food on Song Yu's plate.

"You like this."

"You can't eat too much of this."

Song Yu was surprised to find that his and Lu Baiyu's personal tastes were almost identical.

Maybe that's just how this world is set up.

Gu Linwei hadn't said much, his face cold, seemingly uninterested in everything around him.

Zhou Qiao's cooking was excellent, and Song Yu actually felt that his mission of pretending to be her husband had some advantages, much better than being a pervert or cross-dressing in the previous worlds. He called Gu Linwei to get up and help clear the table.

"I'll wash the dishes." Zhou Qiao smiled without any aggression, her loose-fitting home clothes with an apron giving her a particularly husbandly air. "I've washed the fruit, you guys chat."

Song Yu nodded, reaching for an orange and slowly peeling it, when Gu Linwei suddenly leaned closer: "Are you planning to keep pretending like this?"

The other person didn't sound very happy. Song Yu silently gave him half an orange: "He's already pitiful enough. Lu Baiyu disappeared, the Lu family kicked him out of the village, and he's face-blind and can't find a job... He was smiling the whole time he saw me today."

Gu Linwei glanced at him indifferently, mockingly: "You've only known him for a short time, and one meal has already won you over?"

"..."

Although he wanted to deny it, he couldn't rule out part of the reason.

Song Yu guiltily peeled another orange for Gu Linwei.

His fingers were slender and white, the pads glistening with pink, making it impossible to look away. Gu Linwei swallowed, casually stuffing a segment of orange into his mouth: "Do you know what it means to pretend to be someone else's husband? You're going to do those things with him in place of Lu Baiyu?"

Song Yu naturally knew what "those things" meant—it was nothing more than intimate contact.

His ears gradually burned, and his eyelashes trembled incessantly.

Silence meant acquiescence. Gu Linwei's face turned extremely ugly.

He glanced towards the kitchen. Through the glass door, he saw a tall figure standing in front of the sink, seemingly a gentle, domestic man at first glance.

But his intuition told him that Zhou Qiao's relationship with Lu Baiyu was not only a mystery, but he himself was not so simple.

He had previously thought these things were none of his business and couldn't be bothered to care, but now even Song Yu was involved.

If Zhou Qiao's earlier demeanor was all an act, then this person was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

Song Yu definitely couldn't handle him.

Gu Linwei withdrew his gaze and returned it to Song Yu's profile. That face was pure and innocent, with no impurities in its light-colored pupils.

His lips also carried a fruity scent.

Glistening.

Gu Linwei immediately dismissed Song Yu's idea of ​​stealing someone else's man.

So small and weak, yet he wanted to monopolize his brother's man? He

'd probably end up being held in someone else's arms, doing whatever they wanted.

No need for coaxing, just a few words of coaxing, and he'd give her everything.

Could such a delicate body handle it? Probably not, she'd probably cry and beg.

The other party definitely wouldn't stop.

Gu Linwei's breathing became heavier uncontrollably.

"Idiot."

Song Yu's long eyelashes trembled, his eyes widening instantly as he looked at Gu Linwei in disbelief: "...Wh-what?"

"Whatever, I can't be bothered with you." Thinking of Song Yu's completely unguarded and innocent appearance, Gu Linwei was incredibly annoyed. "Don't blame me if you cry later." He

called him stupid and then accused him of crying.

Song Yu's ears gradually turned red, and he pouted defiantly: "Who needs your help?"

Zhou Qiao, who had just finished washing the dishes in the kitchen, heard the door close and came out. Seeing that only Song Yu was in the living room, she asked, "Where's your friend? Did he leave?"

Song Yu hummed in agreement, unwilling to mention Gu Linwei again, and got up to go to Zhou Qiao: "Are you ready? I'll help you."

"I'm all ready." Zhou Qiao smiled. "Then we can have some alone time this afternoon."

Song Yu's shoulders twitched, and he suddenly remembered what Gu Linwei had said earlier.

Intimate actions... probably not.

Even canaries would resist these things.

009: [Think about the people you've kept.]

Song Yu: "..."

That was just an accident. Zhou Qiao seemed to be a rather shy person and wouldn't want any intimate contact.

The two spent the afternoon together, and Song Yu's heart finally settled down.

He could finally relax completely. Zhou Qiao just needed his lover's company. Occasionally, when watching horror movies, he would get scared and say he wanted to hold his hand, but he didn't do anything else.

Song Yu wasn't that stingy; pretending to be someone's husband, he wouldn't even let her hold his hand.

Zhou Qiao's palms were thin but strong, with calluses on his palms, which brought a slight tingling sensation when touched. The man stared at the screen while watching a movie and asked him, "Ayu, is this the main character?"

The other person had severe face blindness and couldn't even distinguish movie characters. Song Yu hadn't expected it to be so inconvenient, so he started reminding him from time to time.

Zhou Qiao's eyebrows relaxed, and his temperament became gentle: "It's so nice to have you by my side. Can you come and keep me company more often?"

Of course, Song Yu was willing.

In this afternoon, he made another 5% progress.

Moreover, Zhou Qiao seemed quite lonely, spending all her time alone at home.

After agreeing, Song Yu, seeing it was getting late, suggested going home.

Zhou Qiao was already extremely satisfied to see her long-lost lover today and didn't expect her to stay.

Reminded by 009, Song Yu realized he didn't have Zhou Qiao's contact information. He lied, saying he'd gotten a new SIM card and added Zhou Qiao back, without arousing any suspicion.

Now Zhou Qiao trusted him completely.

Before leaving, Song Yu changed his shoes when he was gently called.

He looked up, and Zhou Qiao's voice carried a hint of complaint: "You haven't kissed me yet."

*

Gu Linwei was completely over, and Song Yu completely ignored him, focusing all his energy on Zhou Qiao these past few days.

Perhaps because she had no family or friends in Wucheng, Zhou Qiao was extremely dependent on her lover, sending messages when Song Yu wasn't around.

Fortunately, no details of the past were mentioned, so Song Yu could still manage to get away with it for now.

Over the past few days, Song Yu had been going to Zhou Qiao's place once a day, and the progress bar was rapidly increasing.

His eyes lit up: "If I move there directly, will the price increase even faster?"

009 couldn't imagine the consequences, so it had to remind him in a different way: [Host, distance makes the heart grow fonder.]

[Besides, if you move there, it will be easy to expose that you're fake.]

That's true... one shouldn't be too greedy.

The next day was still a cloudy day.

Song Yu came to find Zhou Qiao as usual, and received a message from the other party as soon as he arrived at the apartment door.

[Where are you?]

Song Yu replied: [I've arrived at the apartment.]

Zhou Qiao: [Can you bring me three bottles of Coke?]

Zhou Qiao: [I'm out of drinks at home, but there are some sold in the apartment.]

Song Yu hadn't explored the entire apartment complex, only remembering the small shop. After he went in and got the drinks, he put them on the counter.

This time, the shop owner was restocking, still wearing a mask and a woolen hat, but this time he had changed to a gray one.

"Um... I'll pay." Song Yu reminded him softly.

The other party glanced at him, then put down what he was holding.

This time the light was good, and Song Yu noticed that the other party's eyes were very dark, and his eyebrows and eyes were very sharp. He looked away, placed his drink on the table, paid, and left.

After he left, the man sitting at the counter lowered his head. His phone was a non-smartphone model, looking old and badly worn.

He was looking down, texting someone, his eyes drooping.

【You like this?】

*

When they arrived at the apartment, Zhou Qiao was preparing dinner ingredients. He took the bag from Song Yu.

After changing his shoes, Song Yu followed him into the kitchen and saw chicken wings thawing in a bowl.

Making cola chicken wings?

Song Yu secretly swallowed.

Actually, Song Yu didn't think being face-blind was a problem; with Zhou Qiao's cooking skills, he could easily be a chef. He had been mooching meals from him for the past few days and felt a little embarrassed, so he took out a card from his bag and handed it to him.

Zhou Qiao hesitated: "This is…"

"Here's the money." Afraid he wouldn't accept it, Song Yu stuffed the card into the cloth bag on the refrigerator door.

He had given that bag to Zhou Qiao a few days ago. The apartment didn't look very bright, and he wanted to add some cute cartoon elements to cheer Zhou Qiao up.

Before Zhou Qiao could say what he wanted, Song Yu's phone vibrated a few times.

He opened it—

Gu Linwei: 【Not even a message.】

Gu Linwei: 【Have you been at Zhou Qiao's place these past few days?】

Gu Linwei: 【Did he kiss you?】 Gu

Linwei: [Asleep?]

"!"

Wh-what?

Song Yu's fingers, touching these messages, felt like they'd been burned. He instinctively bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears, his expression a little aggrieved.

He was so engrossed in Gu Linwei's messages that he didn't notice Zhou Qiao's gaze.

It was as if she wanted to devour him completely.

"Ayu."

Song Yu softly hummed in agreement. The next second, he felt his phone being snatched away.

A text message… He was so startled he stopped breathing.

Luckily, Zhou Qiao was respectful and turned off the phone screen.

"Ayu, stay with me now, look at me more."

The man bent down, his eyes deep and dark, like a pool of still water.

Staring at him for a while gave Song Yu a creepy feeling. 009 reminded him that the progress bar had rewound a little because he hadn't replied to Gu Linwei's messages in time.

Song Yu complained inwardly, finished dealing with the clingy Zhou Qiao, and reached for his phone.

Zhou Qiao slightly raised his hand, as if to tease him.

Song Yu: "..."

How did he grow so tall?

Even on tiptoe, Song Yu couldn't reach it, so he had to jump to grab it. He was close to Zhou Qiao, and several times he ended up brushing against him.

He didn't get the phone, and Song Yu was already tired. This time, he lost control of his body and fell directly into Zhou Qiao's arms.

Then something pressed against his stomach.

Song Yu was stunned for a few seconds, then reacted awkwardly, backing away, only to be tightly hugged the next second.

"Ugh—"

Uncomfortable.

But the other person was very strong, and Song Yu's shoulders were firmly held, leaving him no strength to struggle.

"Ah Yu." Zhou Qiao's breathing became heavy, his voice a few decibels higher than usual, "Are you tired of me?"

Song Yu's head was spinning from the heat emanating from the other person: "N-no..."

Where he couldn't see, Zhou Qiao's eyes gradually darkened: "You only use money to get rid of me, but you won't kiss me."

This time it was pure slander.

Every time Song Yu left, the other person would ask for a kiss.

The boy, his face flushed and struggling to breathe from being held too tightly, had only uttered a few words

when he was interrupted.

Zhou Qiao bit a small piece of soft flesh on Song Yu's earlobe, his expression excited as the other trembled uncontrollably. He gently licked it with the tip of his tongue, his voice muffled.

"Not that kind."

"I want to taste his saliva."

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