Chapter 83.2
At night.
Yang Ye and Gu Liang received the details regarding the full extent of their property damage in the hotel.
It was quite evident that Gu Liang destroyed more property, since Yang Ye only broke that door as he was barging in.
In the end, Gu Liang was punished to wash the dishes in the resting area, mop the floor and wipe the tables in the hotel’s main lobby.
Yang Ye’s punishment was simpler— He had to sweep the fallen leaves in the garden.
The two punishments cards were brought over by a man in black, and both of them received it concurrently.
After issuing the card, the man in black stated: “Player Gu Liang’s room will be fully repaired by tomorrow—”
“It’s fine, you don’t need to repair it.”
Yang Ye draped an arm over Gu Liang’s shoulders and told the man in black: “In fact, you don’t need to prepare two rooms in the future. See, we’re helping you save your resources, no? Reduce the punishment please.”
The man in black did not utter a word.
Yang Ye: “Right, can I help him with the errands once I’m done sweeping the fallen leaves?”
The man in black ignored them as he turned around to leave.
Instead, it was Gu Liang who looked towards Yang Ye. “You don’t have to help me.”
Yang Ye: “Why shouldn’t I help?”
Gu Liang said in a serious tone: “I smashed those items, it has nothing to do with you. I can resolve the troubles I wreaked on my own.”
Yang Ye tapped on his nose. “You’re trying to estrange me.”
Gu Liang faltered for a moment before he replied: “I’m not.”
Yang Ye wanted to tease him so he looked at him with a sorrowful and helpless gaze. “I’m only trying to help you wash the dishes. Can’t you depend on me? I can help you settle your problems.”
Truth to be told, Gu Liang’s reaction was within Yang Ye’s expectations, and he naturally understood Gu Liang’s meaning.
For instance, Gu Liang was insistent on helping Yang Ye open his bottle cap. He was not the type of person who wanted Yang Ye to curry favour with him by doing acts of service for him.
Therefore, Yang Ye’s original intention was purely to tease Gu Liang.
However, Yang Ye did not expect that he would earn a confessional sentence from Gu Liang, albeit unintentionally.
— Gu Liang looked at him, saying: “Me liking you, and my willingness to allow you to settle all my problems, are two different things. I’m an independent person.”
“Liang Liang! You just said you liked me!”
“I… I was only trying to reason with you.”
Gu Liang shoved him out of the bathroom with one hand, “I’m going to shower.”
“En, I understand your reason. I’ve also received your affection.”
“I—”
“Go and shower, be good.”
“k2026;k2026;”
* * *
When Gu Liang came out of the bathroom after he was done with his shower, he finally realised that there was a slight issue.
That issue was especially p.r.o.nounced when he saw Yang Ye lying on the bed partially and sprawled out conspicuously.
k2014; Furthermore, he could not decipher if he was doing it on purpose, but his bathrobe was fastened without a single modic.u.m of propriety, since the sash was loose and hanging. Let alone his collarbones, even his abdominal muscles could be seen.
Not long after Gu Liang met him, he had “shared the same bed” with him.
However, the state of Gu Liang’s heart was completely different compared to those days.
Even if they were to speak of last night, that was still different; technically, they were still inclined towards brotherly feelings.
But now that they were going to continue to lie in the same bed today, it seemed to have a slightly different meaning.
When his parents were in the middle of their divorce, there was a period of time where Gu Liang would squeeze in the same bed as his younger maternal male cousin. Without needing to mention the fact that he had grown used to it, he did not even feel anything when he was showering with a group of naked men in the big public bath during his university days up north in the country.
Men looking at men; what was there to see?
Hence, Gu Liang did not expect that there would be a day where he would feel stifled in the face of a man who was not naked, and only improperly dressed at worst.
Gu Liang stood at the bathroom door without moving, while Yang Ye’s eyes peered over.
Subsequently, Yang Ye beckoned him with his hand: “Liang Liang? What are you standing there for, come here.”
Gu Liang: “……”
“Where are your thoughts wandering to? I’ll help you blow your hair.”
In a preemptive move, Yang Ye automatically raised the hair dryer once he was done speaking.
Gu Liang: “……”
In the end, Gu Liang still walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
Yang Ye plugged the hair dryer into the socket. Then, as he used one hand to smooth out Gu Liang’s hair and ma.s.sage his scalp, he used the other to raise the hair dryer to help him blow his hair.
After some time, Yang Ye asked him: “Is it comfortable?”
“Mn.” Gu Liang nodded his head honestly. He thought about it before he added: “I’ll help you dry your hair next time.”
Yang Ye could not hold back his laughter. “Sure. But do you know how to ma.s.sage?”
Gu Liang: “I can learn. Where did you learn it from?”
Yang Ye: “From the army. Knowing how to do ma.s.sage therapy because of our frequent injuries in training exercises was one of the most basic things we learnt.”
Gu Liang nodded. “Mn. Teach me then.”
Once his hair was more or less dry, Yang Ye put down the air dryer, switched off the electrical power source and kissed Gu Liang’s hair. “Okay. I’ll teach you.”
Since Yang Ye said the sentence “I’ll teach you” while he was pressing close to Gu Liang’s ear, it made his ears heat up and go red.
All of a sudden, Gu Liang had the misapprehension that, instead of teaching him ma.s.sage therapy, Yang Ye wanted to teach him something that was much stranger.
Gu Liang’s body leaned forward involuntarily, wanting to avoid Yang Ye.
It was also at this moment where he came to the belated realisation that the postures between him and Yang Ye were slightly awkward.
In order to allow Yang Ye to blow his hair just now, he had sat on the edge of the bed directly.
However, he was now discovering that Yang Ye had his legs wide open and was partially kneeling and sitting behind him.
If he were to lean back slightly, his entire person would be slightly short of being wrapped up in his embrace completely.
Hence, Gu Liang’s body continued to lean forward. “That… I’m going to sleep.”
Yang Ye hugged his waist and tugged, causing Gu Liang to lose his equilibrium. In the moment where he fell backwards, his back pasted against his chest.
He did not understand how a person’s back could be so scalding, but as Gu Liang struggled to stand up, he felt himself press against something carelessly and his entire body became rigid instantaneously.
Yang Ye observed his reaction as he continued to hug him firmly before he pillowed Gu Liang’s head on his own shoulder. He murmured in a soft voice: “Don’t be afraid. More importantly… It’s not like I’m a monk, It’s a normal reaction.”
Gu Liang gritted his teeth. “Do not attempt to use the words meant for deceiving little girls on me.”
Laughing, Yang Ye only held onto him tightly. “I’m not trying to do anything, genuinely. I just want to hug you.”
Yang Ye was honestly speaking the truth.
For one, he knew that Gu Liang was not completely prepared.
Perhaps he might be interested psychologically, but he was still a straight man body-wise. He was bound to feel awkward and uncomfortable.
Secondly, it could not be denied that Yang Ye did not have the mind to think in that direction right now. After learning the likely truth about the system from Su Lan’s mouth, he had yet to remove that layer of heaviness in his heart.
Being able to hold Gu Liang while talking to him, already gave him an incomparable sense of peace and satisfaction, and this was more important than anything else.
As he allowed Yang Ye to continue holding him like this, Gu Liang’s body, which had been stretched taut due to his initial discomfort, gradually relaxed.
He raised his hand and wound around his body to casually touch Yang Ye’s hair. “What are you thinking about?”
Yang Ye replied: “I was thinking… If we met in reality, what would happen to us.”
Gu Liang questioned: “You’re talking about the negotiation that day?”
Yang Ye nodded.
Gu Liang pondered, “We would be incapable of sharing the same sky, probably. I did prepare a pile of methods to deal with your company.”
Yang Ye pinched his ear. “You went that far?”
Gu Liang: “The entire issue was premised on Huamao’s contract violation to begin with. The reason they gave us for terminating the contract has no grounds to stand on at all.”
Yang Ye: “You still wanted that piece of land?”
Gu Liang: “Of course, if we weren’t interested in that commercial district, we wouldn’t have signed the contract for more than 1000 square footage. While it’s an up-and-coming commercial district which has only been opened for one to two years, and its human traffic leaves much to be desired, its future developmental potential can’t be underestimated. The train lines are going to reach that area soon, numerous science and technology companies will also be established there… Wu… don’t kiss my ear!”
Yang Ye: “I just feel like Liang Liang looks particularly handsome when he’s talking about such business.”
Gu Liang: “……”
“Speaking of which—”
Gu Liang asked Yang Ye, “I’m truly curious, how were you planning to negotiate with us?”
“Originally, I wouldn’t have yielded in the slightest.”
Yang Ye said: “Your rival company has a lot of cooperation deals with our Group, and our relations.h.i.+p is a little complicated. While it was wrong for Huamao to do this, there is the saying that you shouldn’t allow your own fertile water into another person’s field—”
Gu Liang raised an eyebrow: “The rival company is an insider?”
Yang Ye chided, “Nonsense, you’re my insider. Didn’t I just say that it was my original intention? Right now, I’ll definitely give it to Gu Liang Liang. Your company can do whatever it wants.”
“Get lost.” Gu Liang nudged Yang Ye with his elbow. “I’m asking seriously. What kind of negotiating tactics did you prepare back then?”
Yang Ye: “What other kind of negotiating tactic could I resort to, besides checking if you were willing to accept compensation? If you didn’t accept it, we would play the hoodlum and force you to retreat. If you file a lawsuit against us, we would drag it out for the next few years, and you wouldn’t be able to gain much money by then. It will pose some problems to our public opinion at most. Hey, if I went that route back then, what were you planning to do?”
“We would play the hoodlum too. We can back out of the playing field, but with regards to the future shopping centres in the other commercial districts that your Group or Huamao will be building in the future, we must be given priority to lease. In addition, the compensation should be this figure at least—”
Gu Liang gestured a number.
Yang Ye laughed before he remarked, “Tsk, extortion.”
Gu Liang said calmly. “What extortion, who told the Huamao you acquired to lack in contract consciousness. When you calculate the manpower and capital that our company wasted during that period of time, and the potential losses of the business we could have opened but failed to, this figure is too little.”
Yang Ye: “If you marry me, I’ll give you a hundredfold of that figure. The betrothal gift needs to be an adequate amount.”
He was beginning to digress again.
Gu Liang turned his head around, giving him a sidelong glance. “That’s for the company. Are you trying to be someone with more money than sense?”
Yang Ye: “As long as it can enter your eyes, it’s not foolish no matter what the price is. Hey, wait a moment, are you feeling distressed for my money?”
Gu Liang: “You’re only telling me this now. If we really met in reality—”
As Gu Liang imagined the scene, he could not help but laugh.
He felt that if they really met at the negotiation table for their first encounter, they would probably have their metaphorical swords drawn and bows bent, thereby becoming enemies.
Yang Ye could only hug him as he asked: “Hey, if I ask for you WeChat after the negotiations ended, would you allow it?”
Gu Liang started to disparage him: “Oh, how frivolous. You’re asking for someone’s WeChat right after you met them?”
Yang Ye turned the tables, “Where are your thoughts drifting to? I can’t ask for your WeChat to talk business?”
Pus.h.i.+ng him away, Gu Liang stood up to stare at him from a higher point of elevation. “Sure. We’ll only talk about business in the future, and no private matters.”
“Eh Liang Liang—”
“Move to the side. I’m going to sleep.”
“Hey, sure… sleep. Come here, let me hug you to sleep.”
“Yang Ye—!”
“Be good. Close your eyes, sleep.”