Chapter 081 – This Miserable Stepfather – “The evidence is conclusive” (04/08)
Gu Wenyi prepared nearly ten dishes all by himself.
With the cold weather and no heater in their living room, the earlier ones had already gone cold by the time he finished the last dish.. He had to reheat them briefly before bringing them out to the dining table.
Once everyone was seated, Xie Chenyang recalled the dishes that You Huang had mentioned earlier. He first ladled two bowls of soup—one for Gu Shiyu and one for himself—then pointed at several dishes with a smile. “These dishes look particularly good to me.”
Gu Shiyu took the ladle and hummed in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Gu Wenyi voiced his displeasure, “Song Yang, aren’t you going to serve me a bowl of soup?”
He’d worked hard preparing the meal. If Song Yang had only served himself, that would be one thing. But serving his son and skipping him? What was that about?
Xie Chenyang shot him a cold glance. “We already broke up. You still expect me to serve you?”
Gu Shiyu’s lips curved slightly as he lifted the bowl and took a few sips.
Xie Chenyang drank some soup himself to warm his stomach, then picked up a bottle of liquor. He opened it with a corkscrew[mfn]After discussion with my editor Krone, some liquor is still served with a ceramic bottle with corks sold at many stores still. Unlike the U.S. most are sold in glass bottles or aluminum cans.[/mfn] and placed it in front of Gu Wenyi. “Here. Didn’t ladle you soup, but I opened the liquor for you.”
He then opened two more bottles—one for Gu Shiyu and one for himself.
“To celebrate our reunion after two years and to mark our farewell dinner. Bottoms up.”
Gu Wenyi: “?” Toast?
Gu Shiyu also frowned slightly. Xie Chenyang curved his lips and downed a bottle first.
The bottle he gave Gu Wenyi contained real liquor while the ones for himself and Gu Shiyu that’d been secretly swapped by You Huang smelled like the same alcohol but had extremely low alcohol content.
Gu Shiyu’s recently eased mood sank back into gloom as he silently downed his drink.
If he wanted to drink, then he would drink with him!
Frustration boiled inside Gu Wenyi. What was the meaning of this? They’d had soup to warm their stomachs, but he hadn’t!
As he hesitated over whether to finish his soup and eat some dishes first before drinking, Xie Chenyang and Gu Shiyu had already polished off their bottles and were both staring at him.
“…” Damn it.
Gu Wenyi drank with a grim expression.
Watching him struggle to finish, Xie Chenyang bent down to retrieve another three bottles, uncorked them, and passed one to each of them.
Gu Shiyu clenched his fists. “Eat something first before drinking.”
Gu Wenyi exhaled in relief.
When Xie Chenyang raised his bottle again, Gu Shiyu stood to fetch three cups. “Take your time with the liquor. We’ve got all the time in the world. We can drink while we eat—no need to chug straight from the bottle.”
Gu Wenyi nodded. “Xiao Yu’s right.” He was starting to suspect Xie Chenyang was deliberately making things difficult because he wasn’t over their breakup.
You Huang chimed in, “Don’t be so impatient. It’s not normal to chug straight from the bottle during dinner, alright?”
Xie Chenyang looked slightly disappointed but nodded. “Fine. Let’s just have a toast first. Shiyu has been performing exceptionally well these past two years, and I never properly celebrated his achievements. Now that you’re back, let’s raise a glass. Come on, cheers.”
“These past two years…” Xie Chenyang kept finding every excuse to get Gu Wenyi to clink glasses with him.
Gu Wenyi had been frequently entertaining clients since starting his new company, but he was used to drinking red wine and spirits. The taste of cheap beer was extremely unpalatable to him. Yet Xie Chenyang’s reasons for toasting were impossible to refuse, so he could only drink with a grim face.
Gu Shiyu watched Xie Chenyang persistently urging Gu Wenyi to drink, his eyes darkening.
He could see right through it—Xie Chenyang was clearly trying to get Gu Wenyi drunk.
Gu Shiyu took a deep breath and stopped Xie Chenyang’s hand as he reached for the pitcher again. “I haven’t seen him in two years either. There’s a lot I want to share with him. You pour the drinks; I’ll drink with him.”
Xie Chenyang didn’t hesitate. “Alright.”
[Good boy, helping me out. Though this beer isn’t strong, it sure fills you up.]
You Huang: “…” It was not that. Gu Wenyi had already made several trips to the restroom.
Gu Wenyi was now feeling quite dizzy, even his burps reeking of beer.
He’d thought his son had come to help him because he couldn’t bear to watch, but instead, he kept bringing him cup after cup to drink.
Gu Wenyi: “Xiao Yu, Dad is a bit…”
Gu Shiyu coldly retorted, “Don’t want to drink with me?”
Gu Wenyi: “…Drink!”
Gu Shiyu had never realized he could hold his liquor so well. After downing so many bottles, Gu Wenyi was flushed and flustered, yet he remained perfectly sober.
Xie Chenyang had secretly asked You Xiang to reheat the dishes. He ate contentedly, occasionally picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks and feeding it to Gu Shiyu.
Gu Shiyu lowered his eyes and ate. At moments like this, he felt himself growing a little tipsy.
You Huang: “That’s enough. Keep drinking and you’ll pass out.”
Xie Chenyang glanced at Gu Wenyi, his face flushed and eyes unfocused, and let out a soft chuckle: [He really gets drunk easily.]
You Huang: “He didn’t notice anything either. He probably thought you were using this as an excuse to vent your anger over being dumped. Since he needs Gu Shiyu’s help, he’s worried that if he refuses, you’ll whisper sweet nothings in his ear.”
[Pillow talk, hahaha.]
You Huang: “Alright, time to make your move.”
Xie Chenyang set down his chopsticks and lifted his gaze. “Gu Wenyi.”
Gu Wenyi followed the sound to look at him, his hand unconsciously crushing the flimsy cup in his grasp. In that single moment of eye contact, Xie Chenyang employed the soul-capturing technique You Huang had taught him.
Gu Wenyi’s mind went blank in an instant before he blurted out, “Song Yang, I’m sorry. Be it killing your parents or swindling your money, I–”
Xie Chenyang clenched his fists in disbelief. “What did you say?!”
“I had no choice. Song Xin left me nothing but a dilapidated house. I was deep in gambling debt…”
Gu Wenyi began rambling about the past.
Gu Shiyu grasped Xie Chenyang’s hand. “Song Yang…”
Unable to show his face, Xie Chenyang lowered his head to hide his expression, choking out, “Call… Call the police…”
Gu Shiyu pulled out his phone without hesitation.
Upon hearing it was a homicide, the police arrived swiftly.
Gu Wenyi seemed genuinely drunk. Clutching a bottle of liquor, his eyes bloodshot, he kept repeating he ‘had no choice’, ‘He owed gambling debts’, and ‘if he didn’t kill Song’s parents to claim Song Yang’s inheritance, the debt collectors would come for him’… and so on.
He was so drunk he blurted out everything the police asked. In the end, he even yelled apologies to Song Yang, and mentioned returning to repay him this time and taking his son for a bone marrow transplant or something.
Gu Shiyu gave a cold laugh. If not for the bone marrow transplant, Gu Wenyi probably would never have remembered he even had a son—and the pitiful person he’d deceived.
Xie Chenyang leaned into Gu Shiyu’s embrace and buried his face in his chest, his voice weak. “I always thought my parents drowned by accident. I wish he really died in that car crash…”
Gu Shiyu held him tightly around the waist, his gaze cold. “Murder and fraud. The evidence is conclusive. Please take him away.”
Police: “You’ll need to come with us to make a statement.”
After regaining consciousness, Gu Wenyi naturally denied everything.
But the police had already sent personnel to his residence city to investigate his records. There was no trace of any car accident or amnesia, sufficient proof to substantiate his fraud charges.
They also formally filed the new information in the case regarding Mr. and Mrs. Song and then began their own investigation.
Since Gu Wenyi had revealed all the details clearly during his earlier drunken state, uncovering the truth proved relatively straightforward.
The hotel where Gu Wenyi stayed on the day he murdered the Song parents still held past guest records. When pressed to identify his so-called “friends,” he couldn’t provide any credible details… Evidence was gradually uncovered and compiled.
Gu Wenyi was sentenced to death.
Xie Chenyang brought Gu Shiyu to City B.
“Didn’t you inherit part of Gu Wenyi’s estate? Add that to the 400,000 yuan he compensated me, then let’s go buy a place.”
Gu Shiyu’s expression remained tense. “His money…is tainted.”
“What nonsense,” Xie Chenyang countered. “He may be tainted, but his money isn’t. His company and assets were built using the 200,000 yuan I gave him as seed money. What’s wrong with me using it now?”
Xie Chenyang still took the inheritance Gu Shiyu received, combined it with his own 400,000 yuan, and bought a spacious one-bedroom apartment with two balconies. It was not far from the school Gu Shiyu wanted to transfer to.
They moved into their new home, only a few days before the New Year.
Lying on the brand-new, plush sofa, Xie Chenyang asked half-heartedly, “Want to go home to pay respects to our ancestors?”
Gu Shiyu detected his insincerity but didn’t dwell on it. “No, let’s not. We already paid our respects earlier. She wouldn’t care about such formalities.”
“Hmm, should we buy New Year’s provisions?” Xie Chenyang said, though clearly unmotivated to move.
The recent hunt for an apartment, buying furniture, and setting up the place had utterly exhausted him.
Gu Shiyu: “I ordered everything online yesterday. It should arrive in a couple of days.”
“How thoughtful~” Xie Chenyang sprawled on the sofa, propped up by a pillow. “I’m completely worn out lately. Come give me a massage.”
The heater was on, keeping the living room comfortably warm. He wore only a long-sleeved T-shirt.
Gu Shiyu’s eyes twinkled as he straddled him, pressing his hands onto Xie Chenyang’s shoulders and kneading. “Like this?”
“Mm. A bit more pressure would be nice.” Xie Chenyang closed his eyes, savoring his lover’s tender massage.
Gu Shiyu lowered his gaze as his fingertips danced across Xie Chenyang’s back, alternating between light and firm pressure, making Xie Chenyang groan softly.
A smile played on his lips. “Is it that good?”
“Mmm, you could get certified as a massage therapist.”
“No way. I’m only massaging you.”
“Mmh…”
You Huang couldn’t bear to watch and completely tuned out.
Gu Shiyu’s jaw tightened. He said nothing, shifting imperceptibly from a kneeling position to simply kneeling, no longer pressed against Xie Chenyang’s body.
Unaware of the effect his voice had on Gu Shiyu, Xie Chenyang drifted into drowsiness under the soothing massage. Gu Shiyu glanced down at the changes in his body, his gaze sharpening slightly.
At this point, if he still didn’t understand his own feelings, he was simply deluding himself. But while he understood his own heart, Xie Chenyang’s intentions remained a mystery.
Even if he refused to admit it, the fact remained that he and Gu Wenyi were father and son. It was likely…difficult.
Yet to say he would give up? That was absolutely impossible.
“Slowly… take it step by step.”
Xie Chenyang didn’t catch it. “What?”
“Nothing. Are your legs sore?”
“A little.”
Gu Shiyu’s hand slid down from his waist. Xie Chenyang jolted awake, all traces of sleepiness vanishing.
Gu Shiyu asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Xie Chenyang buried his face in the pillow, his voice dark: [Dad, I just sent his so-called father to jail. Do you think he’d agree to sleep with me now?]
With You Huang having blocked him, he naturally received no reply. Watching Xie Chenyang about to roll over, Gu Shiyu hesitated, then stayed still.
Xie Chenyang successfully turned over, his gaze settling below Gu Shiyu’s waist.
Gu Shiyu remained composed. “Youthful. Full of energy.”
Xie Chenyang curved his lips. “So… need some help?”
Gu Shiyu’s eyes narrowed slightly, his throat feeling dry. “Is that… okay?”
“Of course.” He couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
