Chapter 43
The blazing South Pacific sun and the languid rumble of waves still clung to their skin when the resounding roar of the plane's engines jolted Chu Yan and Gu Xu back to reality. The massive Airbus A380 landed smoothly on the wide runway of S City International Airport. The vibrations from its taxiing rippled through the windows, signaling the official end of their vacation.
The first-class aisle was quiet and deserted. Gu Xu, pushing their suitcases, and Chu Yan, carrying only a light travel bag, walked side by side on the mirror-like floor. Gu Xu was clearly still immersed in the afterglow of his vacation, his expression unusually relaxed. He even tilted his head to whisper something to Chu Yan, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Chu Yan smiled back, a tacit intimacy flowing between them.
However, this relaxed atmosphere disappeared quietly when we walked out of the airport gate.
Outside the gate, a tall, slender figure stood quietly, a stark contrast to the somewhat noisy crowd. He wore a crisp white shirt, no tie, and a single button casually undone, yet his innate aura of coolness remained undimmed. His piercing gaze pierced the crowd, locking onto Chu Yan with unwavering precision, conveying a silent sense of oppression.
Chu Yan's footsteps paused imperceptibly, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected Chu Yu to personally pick him up at the airport. Gu Xu's smile instantly faded, returning to his usual calm, aloof, impeccable demeanor. However, the glimmer of joy in his eyes quickly cooled, replaced by a layer of scrutiny and subtle wariness.
"Brother Yu?" Chu Yan walked up to him quickly, his tone carrying just the right amount of surprise and a hint of being caught, "Why are you here?" He subconsciously glanced at Gu Xu next to him.
Chu Yu's gaze lingered briefly on Gu Xu, his gaze calm and unwavering, taking in the relaxed state of Gu Xu, evidently bearing the marks of a vacation, and the lingering intimacy between him and Chu Yan. Then, his gaze returned to Chu Yan's face, and his voice, deep and emotionless, said, "I just finished some business nearby, so I'm on my way." His reason was simple, almost perfunctory, yet it carried an undeniable tone. He reached out and took the travel bag from Chu Yan's shoulder with remarkable ease.
Chu Yan understood. On the way? The Chu headquarters was nearly an hour's drive from the airport. His cousin must have come here on purpose. Chu Yan didn't point it out, still wearing that gentle and harmless smile on his face. He turned to look at Gu Xu and said, "Boss Gu, shall I go back with Brother Yu first?"
Gu Yu's face immediately flashed with the impeccable, proper smile of a partner. He nodded slightly to Chu Yu, his demeanor composed. "Mr. Chu, nice to meet you. Please excuse me for making the trip yourself." He acted generous yet distant, as if the intimacy he and Chu Yan had shared just now was the norm between ordinary friends. "Ah Yan, be careful on your way. We'll talk some other day." He naturally switched back to addressing Chu Yan by a more intimate nickname. His tone was gentle, but his eyes held a suppressed possessiveness and resentment that only Chu Yan could understand—especially when he saw Chu Yu's hand resting so naturally on Chu Yan's shoulder.
"Okay, Mr. Gu, take care." Chu Yan replied with a smile, watching Gu Yu push his suitcase and walk straight towards the VIP passage on the other side. His back looked elegant, but Chu Yan knew that someone was probably jealous. However, due to the "secret relationship" they had agreed to, and the presence of Chu Yu, an iceberg, he had to maintain a superficial demeanor.
Chu Yan watched Gu Yu disappear around the corner before he withdrew his gaze and followed Chu Yu to the parking lot. Chu Yu's low-key yet valuable black Bentley Mulsanne was quietly parked in its designated parking space.
The car door closed, shutting out the airport's clamor. The interior was filled with Chu Yu's usual cool, clean cedar scent. Chu Yu started the car, smoothly driving out of the parking lot and merging into the traffic on the airport highway. He didn't speak immediately, his profile appearing somewhat cold and hard under the light of the streetlights passing by the car window.
Chu Yan, however, seemed to have opened up his mouth. He relaxed into the leather seat, tilted his head to look out the window at the familiar city night scene, and began to talk in a torrent of words with a nostalgic tone:
"Brother Yu, that island is really nice. There's a private beach behind our cabin, and the sand isn't even grainy when you step on it..."
"One night we went snorkeling in the dark with those headlamps, and I saw a sea turtle bigger than my washbasin swimming slowly past me. It was an amazing feeling!"
"Also, there's a restaurant on the island, built on the edge of a cliff. At sunset, you can see the entire sea surface turning golden red. I light candles and eat freshly caught lobster..."
"Oh and we also..."
He described it vividly, his tone light and cheerful, his face radiating the relaxation and eagerness of someone returning from vacation. Yet, with every "we," every mention of "island," "sunset," or "restaurant," Chu Yu's grip on the steering wheel tightened a little. Each of Chu Yan's lighthearted "fun stories" pierced Chu Yu's heart like a tiny needle.
Chu Yu's brow furrowed ever tighter, his jawline set as hard as a stone. He didn't need to imagine the scene; just the phrases "Chu Yan and Gu Shi watching the sunset together," "Chu Yan and Gu Shi snorkeling together," and "Chu Yan and Gu Shi having a candlelight dinner at a clifftop restaurant" were enough to conjure up a scene that left him utterly displeased. An inexplicable irritation and pent-up frustration swirled in his chest, like a caged beast, unable to find a way out.
He didn't understand why he had such a strong reaction. He told himself it was simply because Gu Xu—the scheming, scheming heir of the Gu family—wasn't worthy of his cousin, Chu Yan, whom the Chu family had carefully nurtured and whose future was bright. He felt like an old farmer watching his juicy cabbages being taken away by a sinister pig, right under his nose! It made him feel offended, angry, and an indescribable sense of loss of control.
"That's enough." Chu Yu finally couldn't help it and interrupted Chu Yan's enthusiastic narration in a low voice, with a hint of barely perceptible coldness and irritation, "Sit tight and fasten your seat belts."
Chu Yan's voice abruptly stopped. He blinked, looking at Chu Yu's profile, which was noticeably more stern than before, and his thin lips, tightly pursed, revealing displeasure. A sly smile flashed across Chu Yan's eyes, so fast it was impossible to catch. He obediently said "Oh," pulled up the seat belt, and then, very naturally, leaned his head gently against the comfortable headrest and closed his eyes. His long eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
"I'm a little tired. I'll take a nap, Brother Yu." His voice was soft and tired, as if the excitement just now was only a flash in the pan.
The car instantly fell silent, leaving only the low hum of the engine and the whistling of the wind outside the window. Chu Yu's tense jawline didn't relax at all because of Chu Yan's silence. Instead, it became even stiffer because of the sudden, dependent "rest." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Chu Yan's quiet profile, eyes closed, head slightly tilted, leaning against the seat, breathing evenly, as if he were truly asleep.
An inexplicable emotion spread through Chu Yu's heart. Was it the grievance of being interrupted? Or the exhaustion of traveling? Looking at that handsome young face, stripped of all calculation and defensiveness, appearing remarkably peaceful and harmless as it slept, Chu Yu's irritability and oppression were strangely replaced by a softer, more unfamiliar emotion.
He drove silently, his gaze fixed on the busy road ahead. After a moment's thought, he reached out his right hand and, with a subtle, silent movement, raised the air temperature on the air conditioner. The cold air instantly softened.
This subtle, almost unnoticeable movement was like a bomb dropped into deep water, causing waves in the depths of Chu Yan's consciousness.
[You also flirted with Chu Yu?] The system's vision went dark, and it could not see the future of the task. It silently retrieved the standby data, wanting to see how Chu Yan did it.
Chu Yan's mind silently shifted, and he said calmly, "He's developed an unconscious concern for me."
[Care?] The system's electronic flow seemed to freeze for a moment. [Chu Yan, you are deliberately letting him go. This goes against our previous mission model.]
Past patterns? Deep within Chu Yan's consciousness, fragments of countless mission worlds flashed through his mind: battlefields of blood and fire, icy political intrigues, and fleeting lives... In those precarious, murderous worlds, emotions were a luxury and a fatal weakness. He and the system were like two cold observers, stripped of emotion, calculating only gains and losses and the probability of survival.
This time is different. Chu Yan's thoughts were calm, with a sense of looking down after a long time. "Isn't this world safe?" He paused, his thoughts filled with a hint of almost cold insight. "Besides, emotions are one of the most uncontrollable variables in the universe. If they could be completely controlled, why would there be so many infatuated men and women in this world, so many seas of love and hatred? If he falls into it, it's his own business. I just didn't refuse."
The system fell into a brief silence, a vast stream of data silently surging, as if evaluating the rationality of Chu Yan's position. Finally, the electronic voice returned to its inorganic calm: "Then you should pay attention."
The car remained silent. The Bentley cruised smoothly through the long river of lights leading to the city. Chu Yan closed his eyes, as if soundly asleep. Chu Yu drove intently, only occasionally, his eyes would briefly and swiftly glance at the peaceful sleeping face in the passenger seat. He watched the warm breeze gently ruffle Chu Yan's hair, and the corners of his stern mouth seemed to relax a tiny bit, even without him noticing.
Warmth flowed quietly through the silent carriage. And certain quietly growing, unspoken emotions, like a stone dropped into the long river of fate, stirred up ripples that silently spread. Chu Yan's consciousness, like the moon hanging high in the sky, indifferently reflected all of this. He and the system were eternal immortals, not pausing for a single splash of water.
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