Number Seven
Zhou Tian hesitated, wavered, and hesitated, his cloth shoes leaving messy marks on the ground, Qiu Ming's words still echoing in his mind.
"You like Brother He, right?" Qiu Ming smiled, making no attempt to hide his wicked intentions. "If you behave well, I will naturally put in a good word for you with Brother He. But if you don't know what's good for you, I don't mind letting everyone in Zhoujia Village know what kind of person you are."
"Your parents are still busy arranging blind dates for you, right? Should I tell them why you've been refusing to go on any dates? I think the people in the village would be happy to hear such an interesting story."
Zhou Tian shuddered at the thought of his parents' madness.
It's fine.
He was just... just introducing Brother He to Shusheng. Shusheng is all grown up now, it should be fine...
As Zhou Tian was thinking, he saw Zhou Shusheng leading a big black dog running over, holding a paper airplane in his hand and making strange noises as if he were simulating flight.
Zhou Tian was startled by his appearance and trembled.
This... even the heavens are on his side... he doesn't need to call anyone out, and they won't blame him anyway. No, that's not right, this was never a big deal, so what's there to blame...
Zhou Tian watched as Zhou Shusheng rushed out of the house, about to run out of the alley, and finally gritted his teeth and followed him.
.
"Stop hurting yourself."
Gu Jiansheng thought that all the suffering he had endured over those long years must have been for the sake of meeting Zhou Lexing.
But is he, already mired in the mud, really going to get involved with Zhou Lexing and taint Zhou Lexing's hands with filth as well?
Gu Jiansheng knew perfectly well how terrifying the feeling of killing was.
When he repeatedly extinguished his own hope for life, that chilling self-loathing was enough to kill him again.
"Do you want to take a nap?" Gu Jiansheng reached out and brushed away the stray hairs that fell across Zhou Lexing's face.
Zhou Lexing had been preoccupied with this matter all night and couldn't sleep. He couldn't stay in the guest room during the day, so he went out for some fresh air and happened to catch Gu Jiansheng running out. Now, hearing these words, he belatedly realized how exhausted he was. However, their time was running out.
"Pack your things, we'll sleep in the car."
The location chosen by He Huaizhi in his letter was very remote, after all, it was a gray area. In addition, He Huaizhi was the one who spearheaded this incident, which was when he was least on guard. With the right timing, location, and people, Zhou Lexing decided to go with the flow.
Gu Jiansheng did not object. Unlike Zhou Lexing, who relied on the brief description in the book to locate the place, Gu Jiansheng was very familiar with it, so much so that he knew how to guide Zhou Lexing to a safe haven.
Only then did Gu Jiansheng have the leisure to ask the question.
"Did He Huaizhi really send you a message?"
Zhou Lexing: "Yes, he asked me to go back to Zhoujia Village, saying he wanted to talk to me about a business deal. I haven't responded yet, but I've asked Da Gang and the others to send a few people to keep an eye on things."
Jian Sheng hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask, "So, when did you find out...?"
They discovered his hypocrisy, his scheming, and his ulterior motives.
Zhou Lexing grabbed two changes of clothes, along with his ID and wallet. He glanced at the little tail following him closely, pulled the person over, and did something he had always wanted to do.
The calloused tiger's mouth gently held Gu Jiansheng's chin, lifting his face. As Gu Jiansheng looked at Zhou Lexing's approaching face, his heartbeat went out of control, making his cheeks hot. His eyes, filled with anticipation and excitement, shone brightly.
Zhou Lexing seemed to smile, and then Gu Jiansheng saw Zhou Lexing's face turn to the side, and immediately felt a pain in his cheek.
Zhou Lexing kissed him on the cheek.
Gu Jiansheng: "...?!"
Zhou Lexing: "Jiansheng, you're so good-looking, you should look in the mirror more often." When Gu Jiansheng wanted to cause trouble, the expression on his face was like the answer to an open book, especially the little expression of anticipation for his reaction. For Zhou Lexing, even if he didn't understand the first or second time, the third time was a sure thing.
Zhou Lexing thought for a moment, then kissed the faint teeth marks twice more, making quite a sound.
Gu Jiansheng was completely bewildered. This kiss turned his rare clear thoughts into a jumbled mess once again.
It wasn't until the noisy station, with its oppressive atmosphere, enveloped him that Gu Jiansheng snapped out of the overwhelming pleasure he was experiencing.
"I... I need to go to the restroom," Gu Jiansheng said, and then saw Zhou Lexing looking at him with a half-smile.
He was startled, and thinking of Zhou Lexing's previous response, he immediately felt guilty, fearing that any expression on his face would give him away.
“I’ll go with you.” Zhou Lexing stood up.
Gu Jiansheng opened his mouth but didn't say anything. After coming out of the restroom, Gu Jiansheng glanced at the phone outside the station again. Knowing that Zhou Lexing was not easy to fool, he simply said half-truthfully, "I'll make a call."
Zhou Lexing raised an eyebrow: "Who are you calling?"
Gu Jiansheng turned his head away. Although he didn't know if Zhou Lexing could really see through his expression, he still subtly avoided Zhou Lexing's gaze: "A friend of mine, well, he helped me a lot. I have to tell him before I leave."
Zhou Lexing didn't know whether he believed it or not, he just followed in silence.
Gu Jiansheng had never made such a tense phone call before. Even though Zhou Lexing was just standing by and watching him, Zhou Lexing now seemed to have a different kind of pressure on him.
"I'm leaving now," Gu Jiansheng said as briefly as possible. "While I'm gone, go out and see the world, meet your friends."
The subordinate on the other end of the phone was confused, but knew that Gu Jiansheng didn't like them talking nonsense, so he just listened quietly and waited for the key content. But the next second, the conversation was cut off.
"...?"
Zhou Lexing watched him hang up after he finished speaking, his smile deepening: "What? Doesn't your friend have anything to say to you?"
Gu Jiansheng tried his best to keep a straight face, not wanting to show any extra emotions: "Actually, we're not that close, so let's not listen to those polite words."
Zhou Lexing: "Ha."
Gu Jiansheng: "..."
Zhou Lexing pulled Gu Jiansheng into his arms and said through gritted teeth, "Jiansheng, are you still planning to end all this by hurting yourself?"
Gu Jiansheng lowered his head: "...No."
Zhou Lexing stared at his hair whorl for a while, but didn't delve any further into it.
This made Gu Jiansheng feel uncertain.
The metal train pulled away from the station, and the scenery outside gradually became desolate. Zhou Lexing hugged Gu Jiansheng and closed his eyes.
Looking at Zhou Lexing, who rarely showed signs of fatigue, Gu Jiansheng suddenly realized that he did not understand Zhou Lexing at all. On the contrary, Zhou Lexing had seen him and understood him far better than he had imagined.
Another world?
Gu Jiansheng gripped Zhou Lexing's clothes tightly, and the longing in his heart seemed to leave an even greater emptiness after the brief satisfaction.
.
When they arrived at their destination, the clock had already jumped to midnight, officially marking the beginning of the seventh day of the Gregorian calendar. At this time, there were no vehicles or people on the road, and the remote town seemed to have fallen into complete silence. The warehouse that He Huaizhi pointed to was on the edge of the factory area not far from the town.
"Let's find a place to rest first."
Zhou Lexing remained calm throughout, seemingly having forgotten Gu Jiansheng's earlier strange behavior.
Gu Jiansheng naturally wouldn't object.
The two stayed at the town's guesthouse.
At the same time, in Zhoujia Village.
He Huaizhi never intended to confront Gu Jiansheng head-on.
In this life, he would always be unlucky whenever he encountered Gu Jiansheng; it was incredibly unlucky. Of course, He Huaizhi didn't think he was afraid; he was just avoiding the limelight and trying to resolve the matter in a simpler way.
When Qiu Ming told him about Zhou Lexing and Gu Jiansheng's movements, He Huaizhi was not flustered by the situation.
"Have Old Huang from the guesthouse deliver the message, and Zhou Lexing will know what to do."
Compared to this matter, He Huaizhi was undoubtedly more concerned about Zhou Tian's situation.
Qiu Ming: "Brother He, don't worry, it's all taken care of."
He Huaizhi finally relaxed.
He Huaizhi did indeed want to get rid of Gu Jiansheng, and he also wanted Gu Jiansheng to understand that no one but him could protect him.
No matter how many lifetimes pass, Gu Jiansheng will always be just a dog by his side. And once a dog becomes disloyal, there is only one fate: no one else can take him away.
As for Zhou Lexing...
He Huaizhi narrowed his eyes.
If Zhou Lexing is sensible enough to be recruited this time, then he can give him a chance.
If Zhou Lexing is unwilling, then don't blame him for being ruthless.
He Huaizhi had never been so lenient with this subordinate before; this had already crossed his bottom line.
"Remember, have Lao Huang find an opportunity to speak to Zhou Lexing alone. As long as he makes it clear that Zhou Shusheng is in danger, he will naturally call to verify it. And once he verifies it, things will go smoothly."
Based on Gu Jiansheng's morbid and profound love for him, He Huaizhi was certain that Gu Jiansheng would keep the appointment according to the contents of the letter. What awaited him was the detonation device that had been planted in the warehouse. Old Huang, who was guarding there, would naturally cover up the incident as an accidental equipment failure in an abandoned factory at the right time.
Zhou Lexing's existence was his backup plan. If Gu Jiansheng backed down or failed to die, Zhou Shusheng could be used as bait to force Zhou Lexing to help him take action and more directly and decisively cut off all of Gu Jiansheng's attachments in the world.
The person he loved wanted to kill him, and his best friend, whom he still cared about three years later, also wanted to kill him. Thinking of the pain Gu Jiansheng might suffer before his death, He Huaizhi felt a sense of exhilaration and couldn't wait to see the sun rise the next morning.
Of course, if Gu Jiansheng's death were to repeat the experience of falling off a cliff and being reborn, He Huaizhi had also prepared a backup plan: he carried a notebook to prevent memory loss, Zhou Shusheng, who was trapped in his hands a day in advance, and Zhou Lexing, who would obey his commands and be able to take a bullet for him.
At that time, He Huaizhi will personally cut open Gu Jiansheng's heart to ensure his death.
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