Little Pink Starfish

Girls, girls, girls!

Why was Ziche Shubai always thinking about girls!

Qi Guan Rui’s mood suddenly turned sour.

If he hadn’t forcibly restrained himself, his expression would have surely twisted into something ferocious.

It had happened so many times already—Ziche Shubai seemed to have a natural curiosity about these women, and every single time, the first thing he asked about was always them.

They hadn’t seen each other for so many days. He had missed Ziche Shubai so much, yet Ziche Shubai hadn’t thought of him at all!

This was truly… unbearable! =皿=

Gu Bai was hugging Qi Guan Rui at the moment. Although he felt a little embarrassed, to be honest, he had also missed his Gu Xiaoshan. So, he simply allowed the hug and the nuzzling. However, being in such a public place, he eventually felt a bit shy and changed the topic.

But for some reason, after changing the topic, he suddenly shivered.

Thinking about it, Gu Bai reached out and pushed Qi Guan Rui away.

A hug was fine, but hugging for too long seemed a bit too much like a couple. Better to stay composed.

Then, he saw that his Xiaoshan’s face had darkened.

—Just like how Qi Guan Rui could see the emotions hidden beneath Gu Bai’s blank expression, Gu Bai, though slower than Qi Guan Rui, could at least occasionally catch a glimpse of them.

At that moment, he immediately noticed the forced smile on that face.

So, Gu Bai frowned.

Could it be that someone had bullied Xiaoshan?

In an instant, Gu Bai filled in the blanks in his mind.

Yes, he had gone into seclusion at the library tower. As his personal guard, Gu Xiaoshan had lost his support. When he went out to handle affairs, he must have encountered many arrogant noble sons. If one of them had taken an interest in him, wouldn’t that mean he had suffered endless grievances?

His heart ached, and when Gu Bai looked at Qi Guan Rui, there was a hint of sympathy.

Poor child, big brother will take care of you.

Qi Guan Rui’s moment of loss of composure lasted only a blink before he pitifully said, “Gege, why did you ask about others as soon as you returned…”

—His skill at acting cute and pretending to be innocent had definitely not failed him.

Gu Bai was struck by that pitiful gaze before he finally realized—

Damn! This kid was jealous!

Luckily, he hadn’t been bullied… After this thought passed, Gu Bai found himself both amused and exasperated.

He knew this kid lacked love, and he had always treated him like family. A child’s possessiveness was understandable.

Of course, that didn’t exclude the subtle joy he felt inside.

At least he hadn’t “forgotten his gege for beauty”! Clearly, Gu Xiaoshan still didn’t understand love—his gege was still the most important one, hahahaha!

Clearing his throat, Gu Bai decided to reassure him: “I haven’t met her before, but she knows you. Naturally, I must find out the details to be at ease.”

Qi Guan Rui’s eyes instantly brightened.

If this were a comic, one could surely see the twisted, towering shadow behind him dissipating like flowing water. And though this was not a comic, the surrounding temperature did slightly rise, no longer as chilling as before.

Seeing Qi Guan Rui’s smile, Gu Bai’s mood also improved.

At this moment, Leng Xianyun, who had been ignored for a while, finally spoke up: “The Lord of Tiandu City, I’ve long heard of your name.”

Qi Guan Rui’s face darkened.

The atmosphere had been just right—he was about to get more sweet words from Ziche Shubai, and now it was ruined!

If he had known that Ziche Shubai was coming out of seclusion today, he wouldn’t have gone shopping with this woman!

Gu Bai remained expressionless: “Who are you?”

Leng Xianyun’s breath hitched. She was, after all, a recognized beauty. No matter how aloof she was, she knew her reputation was widespread. Now, encountering someone who had no idea who she was, she felt strangely taken aback. However, she quickly recovered and replied, “Leng Xianyun.”

Gu Bai nodded: “Ziche Shubai.”

Two icebergs stared at each other in silence.

A cold wind blew between them, lifting a fallen leaf from the ground, twirling it in the air before it drifted away desolately.

It was as if they had reached some unspoken agreement. After exchanging glances for a moment, Leng Xianyun nodded at Qi Guan Rui and left.

Qi Guan Rui, seeing this tacit understanding, leaned in and whispered softly in Gu Bai’s ear: “Gege, what did you say to her?”

Gu Bai glanced at him, his expression slightly odd.

Young man, did you not realize that gege actually said nothing at all?

If you really ask me what that girl said, gege doesn’t know either! Iceberg girls are always mysterious—she looked at me without speaking, so for the sake of gentlemanly manners, I had to look at her back. Who knows what she was thinking!

Obviously, there had been eye contact, but there was no real tacit understanding.

At least, not on Gu Bai’s part.

Qi Guan Rui quickly realized this and let it go.

He took Gu Bai’s hand and smiled, “Gege, let’s go eat.”

Gu Bai readily nodded.

After starving for two months and only having stale food, it was time to fill his stomach.

So, hand in hand, they headed straight for the small restaurant Gu Bai had opened.

Oh! What a pair of affectionate men!

The onlookers, seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, dispersed with some reluctance.

The restaurant was indeed small, with a modest storefront, but it had plenty of seating inside, reasonable prices, and was clean and tidy.

Just as Gu Bai was about to enjoy a peaceful meal, a group of people entered. At the front was a tall, handsome man dressed in luxurious clothing, each arm around a scantily-clad, beautiful woman. His expression was frivolous, his movements flirtatious—clearly, a classic playboy.

Oh, another rich young master.

Gu Bai immediately recalled a familiar plotline: the arrogant young master always caused trouble in small restaurants, harassing innocent women and starting fights. In the books, the protagonist would heroically step in to save the day.

His gaze darkened slightly. If the protagonist came here in the future, wouldn’t that mean his restaurant would be destroyed?

Thinking about all the effort it took to run the place, Gu Bai suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Qi Guan Rui, noticing Gu Bai’s expression, simply poured him another cup of tea, smiling warmly.

It didn’t matter who came—as long as they didn’t catch Ziche Shubai’s eye, everything would be fine.

At this moment, the rich young master, who had admired countless beauties, set his sights on a thin, weak-looking girl sitting in the corner. With a sleazy grin, he swaggered over.

That lustful expression, the way he rubbed his hands together, the standard pronunciation of “little beauty”—everything about him screamed that he was nothing more than the lowest tier of rich playboys, the bottom of the food chain, a minor cannon fodder with almost no lines.

At this moment, his actions could be summed up as: written as “flirting,” read as “seeking death.”