Chapter 35 Glimmer (4) Follow my rules
It's late at night.
The rain outside the window finally stopped, and a damp wind slipped in through the gaps in the curtains, carrying a refreshing chill.
Wen Chen fell into a chaotic dream. In the dream, there were endless ruins, with broken walls and rubble spreading in the boundless gray fog. In the empty construction site, he was alone carrying bricks that could never be finished, his fingertips aching from being worn down. Suddenly, someone pressed against him from behind, their arms locking him tightly like iron hoops.
“Don’t move it,” the voice was deep and hoarse, filled with obsession and burning passion, a familiar voice etched into his very bones. “I’ll carry you on my back.”
Wen Chen woke up with a start, his heart beating steadily without the slightest panic. The room was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the curtains, casting a faint glow on the floor. The mattress behind him was slightly sunken, and the intense, almost suffocating scent of cedar enveloped him.
There is someone.
His back stiffened instantly, and he slowly lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting light shadows beneath them. The arm across his waist was strong and hot, with an irresistible force, but Wen Chen's fingertips merely rested lightly on the wrist of that hand. He didn't rush to break free, but instead gently rubbed it with his fingertips.
The person behind him seemed to notice his movement, tightening their arms around him and resting their chin on his neck. Warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin behind his ear, carrying a deliberate teasing and possessiveness: "Awake?"
Gu Moheng's voice lost its sleepiness, only a strong certainty remained, as if he was certain that he could not escape.
Wen Chen didn't move, but her voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable force: "Gu Moheng, let go."
"I won't let go." Gu Moheng's breath grew heavier, and his whole body was like a shadow stuck to him, his long legs domineeringly wrapping around his legs, completely imprisoning him in his arms. "I will never let you go again."
Wen Chen then bent his elbow and thrust it backward without hesitation, precisely avoiding vital points, yet carrying enough force to make the other party feel pain, striking him squarely in the chest.
"Ugh..." Gu Moheng let out a painful groan, his strength not lessening at all, but instead he hugged him even tighter, as if determined to meld him into his very bones. "My hands hurt."
He buried his face in Wen Chen's nape, his voice filled with suppressed pain, yet he couldn't hide his cheeky muttering: "The wound has reopened, and it hurts so much I can't sleep. Wen Chen, I only feel better when I'm holding you."
Wen Chen's fingertips paused for a moment.
He recalled the blood-soaked gauze and knew it was Gu Moheng's self-inflicted injury. But the hand that was resting on the other's wrist bone did not apply any more force; it merely pressed down lightly, carrying a gentle warning: "Don't push your luck."
Her tone remained calm, yet it instantly calmed Gu Moheng down a bit. However, she still held him tightly, as if he were holding a lost treasure that had been recovered. She gently rubbed against his neck, like a large dog that had finally gotten what it wanted. Her voice was muffled but piercing, "Wen Chen, I missed you so much."
These words were like a pebble thrown into a still lake, causing a ripple in Wen Chen's eyes, which he quickly suppressed. He didn't struggle, but simply maintained steady breathing, staring at a point in the void, letting the man behind him hold him like a lifeline.
If this is a dream, then indulge for one more night.
Just for one night.
Wen Chen said to herself in her heart, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
Listening to Gu Moheng's gradually steady breathing behind him, Wen Chen was still wide awake. He could clearly feel Gu Moheng's heartbeat, one after another, powerfully pounding against his back, and he could also feel that injured hand carefully holding his waist without letting go.
The next morning, his biological clock woke Wen Chen right on time. He subconsciously reached out to touch his side.
Empty.
Although the sheets were still wrinkled, they were already ice-cold. Wen Chen sat up, rubbing her throbbing temples. There was no disappointment on her face, only a calm indifference.
Everything that happened last night seems like a dream.
On the bedside table, there was a glass of honey water that had long since gone cold, with a sticky note underneath.
Good morning. There's an urgent matter at the company; the porridge is in the pot, so it needs to be heated up before eating. —G
Wen Chen picked up the note, his fingertips tracing the word "must," a faint smile flickering in his eyes, so fleeting it was almost imperceptible. He gently placed the note aside, muttering in a calm tone, "You're getting better and better at giving orders."
After getting up and washing up, I turned and went into the kitchen.
The clay pot on the stove was still steaming. Lifting the lid, the savory aroma of sea cucumber and lean pork congee instantly filled his nostrils. No scallions, finely shredded ginger, and the rice cooked until the grains were fully opened – it was his favorite flavor. Eight years later, Gu Moheng still remembered it perfectly.
Wen Chen ladled out a bowl and ate slowly. A warm current slid into his stomach, and the long-standing ache gradually subsided. He knew Gu Moheng was trying to please him, and he knew he was indulging him, but in this game, he ultimately had the final say.
"It's just breakfast," he muttered to himself, his eyes expressionless. "Why not eat it if it's free?"
After eating, washing the dishes, and going to work, everything proceeded smoothly, as if last night's embrace was just an insignificant interlude.
Everything is as usual.
For the next three days, Gu Moheng did not appear. There were no text messages, no phone calls, and the ostentatious Maybach did not reappear downstairs at the studio.
The only thing that remained constant was the daily, unwavering delivery of medicinal cuisine, accompanied by a short note with the same assertive handwriting: "Eat on time, I'll check. —G"
Wen Chen calmly accepted the food each time, ate it on time, and showed no resistance or response. His assistant, Xiao Li, looking at Wen Chen and his consistently gentle expression, felt inexplicably afraid to be negligent.
Working late into the night, Wen Chen habitually glanced at the lonely streetlamp outside the window, his fingertips lightly tapping the table with a steady rhythm, suppressing the inexplicable restlessness in his heart without making a sound.
A three-day buzz? Not necessarily.
He was never one to passively accept things; even when faced with Gu Moheng's overtures, he would follow his own rhythm.
"Teacher Wen?" Xiao Li peeked out. "The car is ready for the Lin Group's industry cocktail party tonight."
Wen Chen rubbed his temples, concealing the agitation in his eyes, and put on a gentle smile. "I understand, let's go."
The cocktail party was held at the city's most exclusive Cloud Top Club. Elegant ladies and graceful dancers filled the air, and glasses clinked in lively conversation.
As a rising star architect, Wen Chen naturally became the center of attention the moment he appeared. He wore a well-tailored suit, with a gentle expression, composed demeanor, and handled situations with ease. Every smile and every word was just right, yet he always maintained a slight distance, subtly controlling the distance in his interactions with others.
"Mr. Wen, I've long admired your name." The speaker was a young man, Lin Zixuan, the future successor of the Lin Group and Lin Ruowei's younger brother.
He had just returned from overseas and had a pair of charming, flirtatious eyes. At this moment, his gaze on Wen Chen was direct and intense.
"I've long heard of Wen Gong's exceptional talent, and meeting him in person today is even more amazing than his works." Lin Zixuan, holding a glass of champagne, leaned closer, his manner aggressive.
Wen Chen politely stepped aside, his fingertips gently pressing on Lin Zixuan's wrist, distant yet dignified. "Mr. Lin, you flatter me." His smile remained gentle, but his eyes were clear and calm.
Lin Zixuan's hand froze in mid-air. Looking at Wen Chen's gentle yet firm gaze, he inexplicably felt that he dared not cross the line again.
Just then, the surrounding air suddenly turned cold, carrying a strong sense of oppression, forcefully cutting between the two.
Gu Moheng, dressed in a dark blue bespoke suit, stood tall and straight like a pine tree. His right hand, wrapped in gauze, was particularly eye-catching, yet it did not diminish his aura in the slightest. He held a glass of soda water in his hand, but his eyes, like icy knives, were precisely fixed on Lin Zixuan's "overstepping" hand.
Lin Zixuan's hand froze in mid-air. His gaze swept over Gu Moheng's bandaged hand and cold face before he let out a meaningful chuckle: "Oh, Moheng! You really are here!"
"Shut up." Gu Moheng's voice was as cold as if ice shards were about to fall. "This is none of your business."
"How is this none of my business?" Lin Zixuan shook the champagne in his hand, not annoyed at all. Instead, he even peeked at Wen Chen, "I came here with an 'academic inquiry' mindset."
Lin Zixuan ignored Gu Moheng's murderous gaze, his smile deepening. His captivating eyes seemed to be appraising a rare treasure, scrutinizing Wen Chen from head to toe. "I just want to see what kind of person could have bewitched Gu Moheng, the notoriously 'woman-averse' tycoon on Wall Street, for eight years."
Wen Chen's fingers tightened slightly as she held the champagne glass, her fingertips turning white.
"Mr. Lin is joking." He spoke calmly, his voice devoid of emotion. He turned to the side, his gaze passing over Lin Zixuan and landing on Gu Moheng's tense face. "Mr. Gu left so gracefully back then, where did this lingering attachment come from?"
Lin Zixuan raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping between the two of them as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Carefree?" Lin Zixuan repeated the word exaggeratedly. He suddenly leaned closer to Wen Chen, lowered his voice, as if sharing a shocking secret, "Engineer Wen, do you have some misunderstanding about the word 'carefree'?"
"Lin Zixuan!"
Gu Moheng let out a low growl and reached out to grab Lin Zixuan's collar, displaying an unusual loss of composure.
"Shut up and go back to your seat."
Lin Zixuan deftly dodged to the side, his carefree smile fading slightly, replaced by a rare seriousness. "What? You dare to do it but not want people to talk about it?"
He straightened his disheveled collar and looked directly into Wen Chen's eyes.
“When I met him in New York, he was living in the cheapest basement and only slept three hours a day.”
Wen Chen's eyelashes trembled.
Lin Zixuan chuckled, took out his phone from his pocket, swiped his fingers quickly a few times, and shoved the screen in front of Wen Chen's eyes. It was a photo with blurry pixels.
The backdrop is New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York, with colorful ribbons fluttering in the air and everyone cheering and kissing.
Gu Moheng was alone. He was wearing a faded old overcoat, sitting on a bench by the roadside, clutching a worn-out old photograph tightly in his hand. It was a candid shot of Wen Chen's profile taken by Gu Moheng when she was a junior in college, asleep in the model room.
In the photo, Gu Moheng's eyes are terrifyingly empty, yet it's as if he's holding onto the only salvation in the world.
Wen Chen's pupils contracted sharply.
He remembered that photo. It was the phone's screensaver Gu Moheng had set during their passionate romance, saying he wanted to see it for a lifetime. On the day they broke up, Wen Chen watched as Gu Moheng deleted all the photos of them together from his phone right in front of him.
It was deleted completely, without a trace of regret.
The surrounding noise seemed to vanish in an instant. Wen Chen stared intently at the photograph.
"Excuse me for a moment." Wen Chen's voice remained gentle as he stepped away from the two of them and calmly walked towards the restroom.
A flicker of panic crossed Gu Moheng's eyes, quickly replaced by a deeper obsession. He immediately followed, his steps hurried, filled with an urgent determination that allowed him to not miss a beat.
The bathroom door had just closed, and the tap hadn't even been turned on yet.
With a click, the door was locked from the inside, the movement so fast that there was no time to react. He pressed Wen Chen down onto the cold marble sink, his body pressed tightly against Wen Chen's, his breath rapid and hot, spraying onto Wen Chen's neck.
The two figures in the mirror overlapped. Gu Moheng's chest heaved violently, and his usually composed eyes were now bloodshot. His previously suppressed possessiveness erupted instantly. He lowered his head and fiercely kissed those lips that only spoke harsh words.
A burning kiss landed.
It wasn't a kiss; it was more like biting. It was filled with despair, regret, and the madness of love suppressed for eight years.
Gu Moheng kissed her urgently and hard, his teeth breaking her lips, and the taste of blood spread between them.
Wen Chen's brain exploded with a bang, his body reacting even faster than his reason. The moment Gu Moheng's tongue pried open his teeth, Wen Chen almost instinctively wanted to respond. That familiar touch, that scent etched into his bones, made every cell in his body scream in surrender.
But just a second before he was about to succumb.
Eight years ago, on that rainy night, Gu Moheng's resolute departure was like a thunderbolt striking my mind.
Wen Chen suddenly opened her eyes, the confusion in them instantly disappearing, replaced by clarity.
He pushed Gu Moheng away with composure and without hesitation, his eyes showing no wavering.
"If you want to stay by my side, put away your obsession and madness." Wen Chen straightened his collar. "Follow my rules, or you'll never get close."
After saying that, he opened the door and strode out. The cold wind in the corridor brushed against his cheeks, drying the cold sweat on his forehead, but his steps remained calm, his back straight, exuding an air of unwavering confidence.
This time, Gu Moheng didn't stop him. He leaned against the sink, watching his figure disappear through the door, his injured hand clenched tightly, blood dripping from his fingertips.
"Tick-tock".
Fresh blood dripped onto the marble floor, a shocking sight.
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Author's Note: I'll be taking a break tomorrow due to the upcoming update schedule. I'll resume daily updates at 11 PM the day after tomorrow. Thank you all for your support! [Heart][Heart]
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