Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome chapter 35

Gathering

Gu Jinyi was led out of the amusement park by Xie Huaizhou, mingling in the crowded crowd like the most ordinary couple.

He finished eating the slightly deformed gemstone ice cream, very sweet, and the taste of milk was strong.

He stared at the shadows of Xie Huaizhou and himself intertwined on the ground, feeling a momentary urge to ask Xie Huaizhou—Do you really love me?

But he also knew the question sounded as naive as a child’s, because only children believe in promises without cost.

So he didn’t ask, he just interlocked his fingers with Xie Huaizhou’s.

The palms of their hands pressed together, the surrounding voices gradually dwindling, with only moonlight sprinkling like shattered silver all over the ground.

He remembered the poem Xie Huaizhou had written in the palm of his hand.

“At dawn and sunset, I want to kiss you.”

He glanced at Xie Huaizhou, who happened to be looking at him too, their eyes meeting.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Huaizhou asked him.

Gu Jinyi stopped in his tracks.

In the moonlight, he tiptoed, hesitating to approach Xie Huaizhou.

He gently pressed his lips against Xie Huaizhou’s.

The slightly cool mint flavor permeated their lips.

Gu Jinyi closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling lightly. He wanted to break the kiss after a few seconds, but Xie Huaizhou didn’t let him. He grabbed his waist firmly, holding him more securely in his arms.

Some departing visitors passed by them, lively and flirtatious, whistling playfully and applauding for them.

Gu Jinyi’s ears turned red, but the hand on Xie Huaizhou’s shoulder became weak.

When he was twenty, he had kissed someone in front of everyone before, now, at twenty-six, he did the same.

…

Just a few days after returning from the amusement park, Gu Jinyi’s preliminary design for the design competition was completed.

He was quite satisfied with it, but considering the strong competition in the competition, he relaxed his mentality and comforted himself that participation was more important.

But his relaxation lasted only a few days. When he went to the studio to work, he heard his colleagues saying that Yan Lian would resign in a few days.

“Why?” he asked.

Yan Lian had been absent for the past few days, and he thought something might have happened at home.

“He was originally here to help out. He’s a top student from the Art Academy, and his family is wealthy. He’s definitely going to start his own independent studio in the future. There’s no way he’ll stay here for long,” Li Xiu said somewhat regretfully. “Tsk, after he leaves, our studio will be short of a handsome guy to look at, it’s kind of sad.”

Gu Jinyi just responded with an “oh,” not surprised anymore. He could tell that Yan Lian came from a good family, and he had heard before that Yan Lian came here because he was friends with the studio boss.

He wasn’t too sentimental about it. Although he got along well with Yan Lian, he had a better future ahead, so congratulations were in order.

“He’s leaving next week. Let’s have a farewell party for him, shall we?” Li Xiu suggested.

Gu Jinyi nodded. “Sure, you guys decide on the place.”

During lunch break, they discussed the location of the dinner again.

Gu Jinyi was always cooperative in such matters and had no objections. He lowered his head and looked at the art magazine again.

But when he left the studio that day, he ran into Yan Lian outside.

Yan Lian seemed to be waiting for someone deliberately, standing under a blooming magnolia tree. The flowers were like white jade lamps, and Yan Lian, wearing a blue hoodie, carrying a bag on his back, had a young and handsome face expressionless, but clean and refreshing, attracting the attention of many passersby.

Gu Jinyi walked over to greet him.

Yan Lian turned his head and saw him, his expression startled for a moment, then he smiled. “Assistant Gu.”

He called Gu Jinyi respectfully, but his tone was different from that of a student.

“Are you here for something at the office?” Gu Jinyi asked. “Everyone has left, but there should still be someone at the front desk. You should be able to go in.”

But Yan Lian shook his head.

He looked at Gu Jinyi and said softly, “I’m not here for anything, I just came to see it a few days before I resign.”

Gu Jinyi thought about it, and it made sense. Yan Lian had been working in the studio for over half a year, so he should have some attachment to the place.

He smiled at Yan Lian. “If you miss it here in the future, you can come and visit anytime.”

Yan Lian nodded, but didn’t say anything.

The two walked out together, chatting along the way, but the conversation was not very substantial, just some work-related matters.

When they reached Gu Jinyi’s hover car, Yan Lian declined Gu Jinyi’s offer to give him a ride.

“I still have something to do. Assistant Gu, you go ahead,” he waved to Gu Jinyi.

Gu Jinyi didn’t insist, he just smiled and said goodbye, then drove away.

But as his hover car disappeared, Yan Lian stood in place for a while, not entering the building but turning in another direction.

A week later, Yan Lian booked a top-floor room at the Devan Hotel in the center of Baidi Star City. It was a high-end hotel popular among young people, offering not only dining but also comprehensive entertainment facilities.

The group from the studio immediately started calling him “boss” and rushed over together after work.

Gu Jinyi sat in his hover car, messaging Xie Huaizhou, telling him that he would be attending a colleague’s gathering that night and might be home late.

Xie Huaizhou replied quickly, asking roughly when he would be back.

Gu Jinyi glanced at the excited group beside him. “Probably around ten.”

“Got it.”

After reaching their destination, Gu Jinyi turned off his Ipad. Everyone from the studio squeezed into the elevator, filling it to the brim. They were chatting loudly, thankfully using the special passage, or they might have been complained about by other guests.

When they entered the private room, things got even more chaotic. Before the meal started, the alcohol was already being served, and the background music for games started playing.

Yan Lian got along well with everyone, and being today’s protagonist, he immediately became the center of attention.

But he had a good tolerance for alcohol, not showing any signs of fear after drinking a few glasses. He even provocatively raised an eyebrow, “Is this all you’ve got?”

Li Xiu slammed the table. “Damn, let’s get him drunk, no rules anymore!”

The crowd rushed forward again.

Gu Jinyi was happy to watch from the sidelines.

With his overly delicate and refined face, and having not gone out drinking with his colleagues much, everyone present thought he couldn’t handle alcohol. Instead of bothering him, they offered him juice and earnestly advised him to just watch.

Gu Jinyi didn’t refuse but after downing a glass of juice, he switched to vodka, startling Wu Shan beside him.

“Assistant Gu, take it easy,” Wu Shan advised him. “If you can’t drink, it’s fine. Drinking milk is also good.”

Gu Jinyi drank slowly. Alcohol tended to go to his head quickly, tinting his cheeks pink, but he remained sober. His eyes, however, became as charming and gentle as water, smiling lightly at Wu Shan.

Wu Shan, enchanted by his beauty, gulped down her saliva.

Gu Jinyi smiled and said, “My drinking capacity has declined in recent years. When I was in school, even the bar owner was afraid of me.”

Wu Shan stared at him dumbfounded as he finished his drink.

She thought to herself, appearances can be deceiving. Who would have thought that the gentle and beautiful Assistant Gu was also a hidden drinking expert?

Gu Jinyi put down his glass, stood up, and said to Wu Shan, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Then he passed through the still noisy crowd of colleagues and pushed open the door to the private room.

He didn’t actually intend to go to the restroom, just wanted to get some fresh air.

He liked these colleagues very much, but he was the kind of person who needed a moment of quiet after being in a lively environment for too long.

A few steps outside the private room was a lounge area. Since this floor was all booked, it was quiet and empty here.

Gu Jinyi sat on a sofa for a while. The dim lighting here was perfect for calming the mind.

But he hadn’t been sitting for long when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Yan Lian, who should have been detained by the group, standing behind him.

At the same time, his communicator rang.

“Are you also here for some fresh air?” Gu Jinyi asked with a smile.

Yan Lian didn’t deny it and sat down on the chair next to him.

Gu Jinyi lowered his head to check his communicator and found a message from Xie Huaizhou asking how much longer the gathering would be and whether he should pick him up.

Gu Jinyi couldn’t help but smile and replied, “”It’ll be a while.”

He was chatting with Xie Huaizhou when suddenly he heard someone beside him ask, “Are you messaging Xie Huaizhou?”

Gu Jinyi was about to nod, but then he froze, surprised, and looked up at Yan Lian.

Since his first day at the studio, Gu Jinyi hadn’t told any colleague the name of his partner. Xie Huaizhou’s identity was highly confidential and not something easily uncovered.

Yet, Yan Lian calmly mentioned Xie Huaizhou’s name.

Gu Jinyi’s expression involuntarily became guarded.

Yan Lian noticed and chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy laugh.

“Don’t be nervous, Assistant Gu,” he said. “There’s no grudge between my family and the Xies. My mother’s surname is Yan, but my father’s is Liang, the Liang from Rongyu Technology, who has had business dealings with the Xies.”

He lowered his eyes and saw the ring that Gu Jinyi had never taken off from his hand, and his smile faded further.

“So not long after you joined the studio, I found out that your husband is Xie Huaizhou.”

The head of the Xie family, Xie Huaizhou.

Author’s Note:

The next chapter will be the heat period~ (It has nothing to do with Yan Lian, he’s just diligently assisting, no need to be afraid)