Difficult to Complete chapter 17

In the evening, after work, Gu Yan slowly followed a group of people into the elevator, only to unexpectedly run into Shen Qi again.

Shen Qi had considered the possibility of such a coincidence, but a trace of surprise still flashed in his eyes. He didn’t know whether to lower his head or look up, and the awkwardness was evident. Gu Yan brushed past him, squeezing into the back of the elevator.

Shen Qi instinctively wanted to look back, but in the end, he held back. The distance between them wasn’t far, just two or three people apart.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he could smell the faint scent of Gu Yan’s cold cologne.

Even though there were more than a dozen people in the elevator, each wearing different perfumes, Shen Qi became increasingly convinced that he hadn’t mistaken it. It was indeed Gu Yan’s scent. Gu Yan had a preference for niche fragrances from a small brand in Wutong Country.

Shen Qi had smelled this scent on him many times before, in moments much closer and more intimate, between two intertwined bodies.

In bed, Gu Yan was particularly sensual. Shen Qi loved seeing him lost in passion and loved the way he smelled.

At that time, the fragrance would intensify as their body temperatures rose, lingering at Shen Qi’s nose, clinging to his entire body, and enveloping his heart, becoming an unforgettable scent.

Thinking of this, Shen Qi felt a surge of fire in his chest, burning so intensely that it felt like his organs might explode. He instinctively touched his Adam’s apple, his gaze flickering, wanting to sneak a glance, but he resisted.

The elevator always moved especially slowly during the after-work rush, stopping at almost every floor, with more people crowding in, making the space increasingly cramped.

When they reached the sixth floor, someone accidentally bumped into Shen Qi, causing him to stumble backward into the arms of the person behind him.

The cold fragrance grew stronger, and Shen Qi’s heart tightened. When he looked up, he found himself staring into Gu Yan’s somewhat cold and impatient eyes.

At some point, they had gotten this close.

“Sorry,” Shen Qi lowered his gaze and apologized softly, quickly stepping out of Gu Yan’s arms. He squeezed past the couple of people next to him, pressing himself against the elevator wall, seemingly trying to put some distance between himself and Gu Yan.

But the scent of Gu Yan lingered on him from that brief contact, surrounding him inescapably, deeply entrenching itself in his senses.

Just like the name of this cologne, Abyss. And he had already fallen into it.

Gu Yan seemed to glance at him, or maybe he didn’t, but his voice was deep as he replied, “It’s fine.” Polite but distant.

Shen Qi touched his Adam’s apple again, staring at the advertisements on the elevator wall. He breathed lightly and slowly, pretending not to notice the strong presence of the person behind him.

About three or four minutes later, the elevator stopped at the basement level, and the two of them were pushed out by the crowd. Then one turned left, the other right, each heading towards their respective cars.

…..

A few days later, it was the company’s annual party. The big boss was generous, booking tables at the most luxurious hotel in City A and reserving the largest hall inside. There was a raffle and performances, making it a grand and lively event.

As the undisputed face of his department, Gu Yan went on stage to sing, causing the female colleagues in the audience to scream and make heart gestures wildly. Just as he was about to leave after singing, the host asked him to stay and draw the raffle.

He was drawing the top prize, a luxurious seven-day, six-night trip for two to Europe. Gu Yan casually pulled out a ticket from the box and read the string of numbers on it twice, but no one responded.

Just as he was about to read it for the third time, a young designer at his table stood up, waving his ticket and shouting as he rushed over.

Gu Yan thought the designer had won and was about to congratulate him, but the designer shouted first, “Mr. Gu, you won!”

Well then. Winning the prize himself—what luck! The whole room burst into laughter.

A few lively members whistled and shouted from the audience—

“Oh—Mr. Gu, is there something shady going on?”

“Did you already have the winning ticket in your hand? This won’t do, we demand a redraw!”

…

The atmosphere of the party was entirely elevated by Gu Yan alone.

He might have won the prize himself, but he couldn’t very well award it to himself. So, they invited the big boss up on stage. Before handing the travel voucher to Gu Yan, the big boss first playfully toasted him with a few glasses of wine:

“Mr. Gu, do you have a girlfriend? When are you planning to use this voucher?”

Gu Yan cheerfully drank the wine and replied with a smile, “If I can exchange it for a two-week luxury solo tour, I’ll take leave and depart tomorrow. If I can’t, then I’ll ask you to hold onto this prize until I find a partner to go with me, President Shen!”

“Hahaha, no way, it has to be kept as is, but I’ll only hold it for you for a year, and then it’s void,” the big boss joked.

Gu Yan laughed and agreed, “Definitely. For this prize, I’ll make sure to find someone!”

The big boss appreciatively patted him on the shoulder and then turned to the audience and said:

“All the single ladies in the company, did you hear that? Mr. Gu is still single, so don’t miss this chance! There may be plenty of good men out there, but it’s rare to find a handsome one like Mr. Gu…”

The big boss was incredibly wealthy, and the luxury goods company was just one of his many enterprises, so he rarely spent time at the company. The employees hardly ever got to see him, making him a figure both respected and feared. Who would have thought that the big boss was so approachable and had such a great sense of humor?

By this time, the party was already in its later stages, and everyone was tipsy, their courage bolstered by the alcohol. Hearing the boss’s playful teasing of Mr. Gu made them laugh even more than before.

Gu Yan laughed along with them, and after the laughter, he thanked the big boss, thanked the company, and thanked all his colleagues. It was a lot of formal nonsense, but it had to be said.

Winning a prize also meant performing a talent, so Gu Yan had no choice but to sing a song. He sang: “Clearly, I shouldn’t care about your expressions, clearly, I shouldn’t try to discern the details…”

Clearly, I shouldn’t keep saying what’s obvious, clearly, I should just believe this is fate.

Shen Qi sat quietly in his seat, his heart echoing the familiar melody, his hand clenched tightly into a fist on his lap.

The company had prepared many prizes, and several of Shen Qi’s tablemates had won something. They were excitedly unwrapping their gift boxes and showing them off, but as usual, Shen Qi’s luck was bad, and he didn’t win anything.

The lights in the hall shifted between bright and dim, and as Shen Qi looked at the person on stage, he suddenly recalled the expression Gu Yan had when he mentioned finding a partner, half-serious and half-joking.

Even though he knew it was pointless to speculate, Shen Qi couldn’t help but wonder, if he and Gu Yan hadn’t broken up, how would Gu Yan have answered today?

He was someone who feared nothing, so he would probably have boldly admitted he had a partner, right? He might have even shamelessly praised him in front of the entire company, saying how he was the best there ever was.

Maybe… maybe if they had been in the same company, if Shen Qi had been sitting in the audience just like now, Gu Yan might have come out right there on the spot, pointing to him and telling everyone in the company:

“This is my partner, and I love him for life!”

There would be no need to wait a year; they might have gone on a honeymoon to Europe right after the party.

But… the obvious shouldn’t be repeated.

…

As soon as the annual party ended, the Spring Festival holiday followed. Shen Qi didn’t rush to go back home and booked a flight for the evening before Lunar New Year.

When he arrived home, it was already past four in the afternoon. His mother was busy in the kitchen preparing several big dishes for the New Year. His father was beside her, killing fish and chopping bones, occasionally getting scolded by his mother, and meekly staying silent.

Shen Qi put down his suitcase, washed his hands, and went to the kitchen to help, only to end up getting scolded along with his dad. The two of them exchanged a glance, both with a wry smile.

Starting from the second day of the new year, Shen Qi’s mother arranged blind dates for him—three a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and another in the evening.

This went on for three days until Shen Qi couldn’t take it anymore and had a huge argument with his mom, who was so angry that she told him to get out of the house.

So Shen Qi really dragged his suitcase to the airport and bought the next available ticket back to City A.

The argument happened during lunch. Shen Qi had just taken two or three bites when his mom asked him about the blind dates. He replied perfunctorily.

His mom then said that several of the girls had a good first impression of him, complimenting his looks, but after getting to know him, they felt he wasn’t sincere and seemed uninterested in engaging with them.

His mom thought Shen Qi was deliberately going against her, embarrassing her in front of Aunt Wang, who was helping to arrange the blind dates.

At first, Shen Qi listened in silence, not reacting much, but then, somehow, his anger suddenly flared up, and he slammed his bowl and chopsticks down on the table.

Seeing this, his mom immediately got angry too, scolding him harshly. Shen Qi retorted with a sharp remark, and his mom became even more furious, banging on the table, accusing him of being ungrateful and trying to drive her to her grave. That’s how the argument escalated.

Having hardly eaten anything, Shen Qi was starving by the time he got to the airport. He bought a cup of braised beef noodles and ate them quietly before sitting in the departure lounge, waiting for his flight.

There weren’t many people in the lounge at that hour. Everyone was in a hurry to get home for the New Year or bustling off on holiday trips. Shen Qi watched them and felt that all the joy and fulfillment had nothing to do with him, as if the whole world had abandoned him.

During the festive Spring Festival holiday, he was left holding a cup of instant noodles, waiting alone for a flight back to an equally empty apartment.

Could anyone be worse off than him?

For the next half hour, he stared blankly at the passersby, with his mind completely empty. He nearly missed his flight.

Because he didn’t hear the boarding announcement at all, it wasn’t until the airport broadcast called his name that he snapped out of his daze, groggily boarding the plane.

The flight arrived smoothly at City A’s airport. Shen Qi flagged down a taxi, and when the driver asked where he wanted to go, he instinctively gave an address. Only after saying it did he realize it was wrong—that was Gu Yan’s home, which was also once his home, but it hadn’t been for a long time.

But… he still wanted to take a look.