Chapter 57 Tears
The plane landed smoothly on the runway of S City International Airport. Outside the window, the familiar city skyline gradually became clear in the morning light. Chu Yan leaned back in the comfortable airline seat, closing his eyes to rest.
Chu Yu sat across from him, his posture still dignified, flipping through a document. The sound of his fingertips scraping across the pages was particularly clear in the quiet cabin. His expression was calm, and only in the depths of his eyes, when he occasionally raised his head, did a subtle flicker of patience and determination, like a hunter waiting for his prey to step into a trap.
[Did he really send that photo out?] The system couldn't help but ask, [What about Gu Xu...]
Chu Yan casually replied, "Hmm." He knew Chu Yu all too well. This cousin believed in drastic measures. Once he'd decided to snatch someone away, he wouldn't hesitate. That photo had probably been accurately delivered to Gu Yu's phone the moment the Ferris wheel landed.
[Host, you really enjoy watching the fun and making trouble.] The system complained silently.
Chu Yan's lips curled up slightly. He was genuinely curious about how Gu Xu's face, which always wore a gentle mask, would crack when he saw that photo.
The plane came to a complete stop and the door opened. Chu Yan and Chu Yu walked down the gangway, one after the other, and stepped onto the jet bridge. Chu Yu deliberately lagged behind, his gaze fixed on Chu Yan's tall figure, a silent declaration.
They followed the crowd to the arrival hall.
Gu Xu's phone screen lit up glaringly at three in the morning. A message from an unfamiliar number. No words. Just a picture.
The photo was dimly lit, the background a blur of star-like city lights. Chu Yan lazily tilted his head, leaning on the shoulder of a man in a white shirt, a nearly indulgent, playful smile on his face, even making a cheesy scissors sign. And that man—Chu Yu—pursed his lips, his eyes sharp as a knife, staring intently at the camera with an unmistakable, naked possessiveness. The most glaring thing was Chu Yan's swollen, red lips!
My mind went blank. It was as if all the blood rushed to my head in an instant, then was completely drained away the next second, leaving behind a cold numbness and a sharp ringing in my ears.
Chu Yan's smile in the photo, Chu Yu's eyes, and the glaring redness and swelling, every detail was like a poisoned ice cone, piercing into his heart and stirring it repeatedly.
He was completely immersed in darkness. The city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows flickered, illuminating his pale face. Time lost its meaning, and only his heart beat heavily and slowly in his chest, each beat bringing a dull, suffocating pain.
Panic washed over him like an icy tide. He suddenly realized he had never truly grasped Chu Yan. That person's heart was like the wind, like a flowing cloud, free and unrestrained, lingering for no one. Chu Yan had never promised him his one and only, or forever. He should have known better.
A huge sense of confusion followed. What should he do? What should he do? Give up? As soon as the thought came to mind, it was shattered by an even stronger, almost instinctive resistance. No, never.
That person's breath, warmth, and occasional tenderness had long been entwined into his bones and blood like vines. To be stripped away would mean death.
He sat there all night. The sky outside the window turned from inky black to deep gray, then a hint of pale. A whirlwind of emotions raged through his chest, but ultimately, in the twilight of dawn, a near-desperate clarity and a desperate determination settled in.
Since I can’t leave...
Since I can't let go...
Gu Xu's eyes suddenly became cold and sharp, like a blade tempered with ice.
Then, just drive Chu Yu out of Chu Yan's world.
From childhood to adulthood, the thing he feared most was competition. He, Gu Yu, had been able to climb out of the Gu family's quagmire, stepping on the corpses of countless others to reach his current state, relying on this ruthless determination to never give up. Furthermore, now, he was Chu Yan's legitimate boyfriend, acknowledged by her own mouth. What was Chu Yu? A despicable villain who relied on blood ties, used despicable tactics, and only knew how to steal someone else's girlfriend.
Daybreak arrived. Gu Xu stood up, his steps unsteady from a sleepless night. His face was pale, dark circles beneath his eyes, and he exuded an unconcealable fatigue and haggardness. He walked into the bathroom and washed his face vigorously with cold water, trying to look more refreshed. But the red-blooded eyes in the mirror, their depths burning with a cold fire, betrayed the turmoil within him.
He took out his car keys and, almost instinctively, drove towards the airport. He needed to see Chu Yan. Now. Only by confirming with his own eyes that he was still with him, only by feeling his warmth, could he suppress the panic and desire for destruction that threatened to consume him.
Chu Yan and Chu Yu appeared at the exit. Chu Yan immediately spotted the figure standing at the edge of the airport reception crowd, looking particularly abrupt.
He wore a high-end suit, his posture still erect, trying to maintain his usual elite aura. But Chu Yan's gaze was so sharp that he immediately caught the unconcealed fatigue and haggardness in Gu Xu's eyes. His pale complexion, the shaky feeling that even his efforts to stay alert couldn't mask, was like a lone tree battered by a night of wind and rain, yet still stubbornly standing tall.
Chu Yan was indeed a little surprised. He did not expect Gu Xu to appear here in such a fragile state.
Gu Xu also saw them. The moment his eyes met Chu Yan, they lit up like a dying man grasping at a piece of driftwood. Then, the glimmer of light was forcibly suppressed and turned to Chu Yu beside Chu Yan.
The air seemed to freeze in an instant. No words were exchanged, but invisible electricity crackled where their gazes met, carrying with it a hostility powerful enough to incinerate everything and a determination that would not yield.
Chu Yan seemed completely oblivious to the turbulent undercurrent between them, threatening to ignite the air. He calmly stepped forward, ignoring Chu Yu's instantly piercing gaze. He raised his hand naturally and ruffled Gu Xu's meticulously combed hair. This gesture, with its intimate comfort, broke through the rigid shell Gu Xu had forced upon him.
"Why are you here?" Chu Yan's voice was low and gentle, with a hint of imperceptible concern.
Gu Xu froze slightly at his sudden affection, and then an indescribable bitterness surged into his nose. He forced a smile, saying, "...I'll pick you up." His eyes involuntarily flickered to Chu Yan's lips again—they were as smooth as ever, without a trace of redness or swelling. The jarring scene in the photo last night seemed like just a nightmare.
Chu Yan didn't ask any more questions, as if Gu Xu's haggard appearance at the airport was perfectly normal. He reached out naturally and took Gu Xu's cold, even slightly trembling hand. His palm was warm and dry, carrying a reassuring strength.
Then, Chu Yan took Gu Xu's hand, turned around, and waved casually to Chu Yu, whose face was already as cold as frost. His tone was as relaxed as saying goodbye to an ordinary colleague: "Brother Yu, we're leaving first."
With that, he took Gu Xu's hand and walked straight through the crowd toward the airport exit. Chu Yu was left standing alone, his hand clenched into a fist at his side, his knuckles white from the strain. He watched the two people walk away hand in hand, especially Gu Xu's hand, which Chu Yan held tightly. His eyes were cold, and his heart was filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible.
——Gu Xu, you are really in the way.
After climbing into the driver's seat of Gu Xu's understated, luxurious black sedan, Chu Yan didn't start the car immediately. The cramped space was filled with Gu Xu's unwavering aura of exhaustion, depression, and despair. He seemed drained of all his energy, leaning back in the driver's seat, staring blankly ahead, as if his soul had left his body.
Chu Yan turned sideways, looking at Gu Xu's pale, haggard profile. He sighed helplessly, his voice filled with a reproach that bordered on doting: "Boss Gu, you're incredible." He extended his fingers and gently brushed the dark circles under Gu Xu's eyes. "It's obvious you didn't sleep well all night, yet you still forced yourself to come pick me up? Huh?"
This low and intimate teasing was like a key that opened the gate that Gu Xu had been struggling to maintain.
Gu Yu turned his head abruptly, meeting Chu Yan's eyes that seemed to see through everything, yet were gentle and tolerant. All his pretenses, all his strength, crumbled the moment he met that gaze.
He leaned over almost in a panic and desperately, hugging Chu Yan tightly, hugging the culprit.
The embrace was so intense it was almost suffocating. His arms tightened around Chu Yan's waist like an iron hoop, as if to crush him and embed him into his own flesh and blood. Gu Xu buried his face deep in the crook of Chu Yan's neck, greedily absorbing the familiar, refreshing warmth. It was his only salvation, his only anchor.
Chu Yan was knocked back slightly by him, but he didn't resist at all. He raised his arms and hugged Gu Xu's trembling body with the same strength. One hand patted his back soothingly, and the other hand gently pressed on his tense neck, conveying silent comfort.
The carriage was completely silent, with only the mingling sounds of their breathing and the extremely slight yet burning sensation of wetness in the crook of their necks.
A drop of warm liquid hit the skin on the side of Chu Yan's neck, instantly spreading a small area of coolness.
Plop, another drop.
This man, who had forged a steely frame through the brutality of the Gu family, and had long forgotten the meaning of tears, now shed silent, suppressed tears in Chu Yan's arms like a lost child. There were no wails, no sobs, only the uncontrollable trembling of his body and the burning wetness that spread from the crook of his neck. This was the deepest grievance, the greatest panic, and the most powerless despair.
Chu Yan felt it. He tightened his arms around Gu Xu, resting his chin lightly on the top of his head. He remained silent, didn't ask "Why are you crying?", and didn't offer any pale comfort. He simply maintained the embrace, like a silent and stable mountain, allowing Gu Xu to vent in his arms the turmoil that had accumulated all night.
He understood why Gu Xu was crying.
Gu Xu also knew that Chu Yan understood.
So, everything is self-evident.
Time flowed slowly through silent embraces and scalding tears. The hustle and bustle of the airport outside the window was cut off, and the world seemed to be left with only this small compartment and two people hugging each other tightly. Gu Xu's trembling gradually subsided, and the silent tears finally dried. He remained buried in Chu Yan's arms, greedily breathing in his scent, as if this was the only way to prove that Chu Yan was still there.
Chu Yan felt the person in his arms gradually calm down, and his tense body slowly relaxed. He then gently patted Gu Xu's back and said in a low and gentle voice, "Okay, let's go home."
He let go of Gu Xu and gently wiped away the remaining tears on his face. Gu Xu obediently let him do what he wanted, looking at Chu Yan with red eyes.
Chu Yan sat up straight, fastened his seatbelt, and started the car. The black sedan drove smoothly out of the airport and merged into the city traffic.
Gu Xu leaned back in the passenger seat, his head tilted to watch Chu Yan's profile as he focused on driving. The passing light and shadows outside the window flickered on his face. The torment of the night and the recent collapse seemed to have drained all his strength, and he slowly closed his eyes.
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