Has the Fallen Young Master Changed His Heart Today? - Chapter 3.1

After dropping Qin Yu at the subway station, Gu Qingzhi bought some daily necessities at the supermarket downstairs from his home.

He only got a few bottles of water and some instant noodle packs, hesitating over his favorite chocolate before convincing himself to take just one bar.

The old neighborhood had few streetlights, and taking the shortcut always required a flashlight to avoid stepping on certain filth.

The building Gu Qingzhi lived in was in the middle.

He passed three entrances to reach it.

There was no elevator, the walls were peeling and dirty, and even the motion-sensor light at the door needed a hard stomp to turn on.

Every day, he climbed to the fifth floor.

The neighboring unit housed an elderly couple, and so far, they hadn’t exchanged more than five sentences total, rarely even crossing paths.

Inside his apartment, Gu Qingzhi placed his motorcycle helmet on the shoe rack, changed into slippers, grabbed clean clothes, and went straight to the bathroom.

The sound of water soon followed.

He loved being clean, and the first thing he did upon returning was shower.

Five minutes later, Gu Qingzhi tilted his head up, looking at the showerhead dripping cold water.

It was often like this—water needed to run for a while, and whether hot water would come was uncertain.

He wore a white short-sleeve shirt under his gray hoodie, standing there waiting for several minutes. Fortunately, warmth gradually rose, and he took a comfortable hot shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Qingzhi came out and sat on a chair in his room.

He didn’t like blow-drying his hair, whether summer or winter, always letting it air-dry. Sometimes, he’d casually wipe it with a towel, like now.

The dry towel soaked up some water droplets.

Gu Qingzhi, lost in thought, slowed his movements until his gaze fixed ahead, and his right hand stopped wiping.

His hair was soft, now black.

Years ago, when it was cool brown, whenever that person was around, he’d chase after him with a hairdryer, coaxing to dry his hair.

Sitting by the window, seemingly gazing at the city under the night, Gu Qingzhi wasn’t recalling these memories for the first time.

Whenever he touched his wet hair, he’d remember.

Yeah, he was pretty dramatic.

Gu Qingzhi now thought his past self was really dramatic, with a big temper.

Thinking about it, staying with him and enduring for so long must’ve been tough.

The scene of today’s reunion flashed in his mind.

Jiang Yanming hadn’t changed.

When their eyes met today, Gu Qingzhi felt the person before him was still the same one he saw at first glance.

Really, no change, just richer than before.

As for himself…

Gu Qingzhi stood, walked to the living room, and took out the instant noodles from the plastic bag.

Though it was late, he hadn’t eaten, and he was used to this upside-down lifestyle.

He was no longer the spirited, enviable person from his college days.

But now, Gu Qingzhi lived happier, more freely.

After eating and lying in bed, he couldn’t help but open that game.

“Exclusive.”

It was a team-based competitive game released two months ago, the hottest this month with the most online players.

It was created by Jiang Yanming’s UN Gaming Company.

Gu Qingzhi had seen news about the game many times and caught Jiang Yanming’s face on it a few times.

He still didn’t know why someone from an art major started a gaming company with others.

But he wasn’t exactly curious—someone like that would succeed at anything, right?

That night, Gu Qingzhi had a rare dream.

Perhaps because he saw Jiang Yanming today, he appeared in his dream again.

In that nonsensical dream, details forgotten upon waking, he only remembered one fact.

They hadn’t broken up.

Gu Qingzhi opened his eyes, glanced at the window, saw no sunlight streaming in, and quickly closed them again.

The next day, Jiang Yanming went to the company on time.

He spent the morning in his office, handling piled-up proposals and partnership offers.

At lunchtime, Shang Ziyu knocked on his door.

“Come in.” Jiang Yanming didn’t look up, with no intention of eating lunch.

Shang Ziyu pushed the door open, approaching him. “Going to eat?”

“Not going, not hungry.”

“You barely ate this morning, and now you’re not eating?”

“I’ll eat when I’m hungry. You go.”

After saying this, Jiang Yanming handed a folder to Shang Ziyu.

He looked up, saying sternly, “Have them redo this proposal, reselect the artist, redefine the concept. Don’t give me such an unprofessional half-finished product again.”

Shang Ziyu took it, glanced over.

“This artist’s work doesn’t fit our style. This is Qi Yan’s team, right? He’s new. I’ll talk to them this afternoon.”

“Yeah, how’s the endorsement deal going?”

“Almost done. Trust me, I’ve got it under control.”

Jiang Yanming nodded, standing from his seat.

“Good.”

Seeing Jiang Yanming about to leave, Shang Ziyu stepped closer.

His gaze fell on the photo frame, then he looked up, asking softly, “What’s your plan?”

Silence for two seconds. He kept watching, waiting for a reply. He knew deeper topics couldn’t be asked, only waiting for the day Jiang Yanming was willing to talk.

Jiang Yanming lowered his eyes, showing little emotion, and grabbed his coat.

His voice, always low, had a mature, non-greasy charm, like those described online as perfect for online romance.

“What are you asking about?”

“You know, are you still going to look for him?”

This time, he just nodded quickly.

Knowing Jiang Yanming was the one dumped, Shang Ziyu was at a loss for words.

He didn’t expect that after so long, he still hadn’t let go.

“I’m not going to dinner tonight. You go with them, seal the deal.”

Shang Ziyu didn’t think it was a big deal—Jiang Yanming rarely attended such gatherings or dinners.

But curious, he asked, “What are you going to do?”

Jiang Yanming put on his coat, walked to the door, and said, “Find him.”

“Badass.”

Shang Ziyu couldn’t help but blurt out.

Jiang Yanming heard, walked out expressionlessly.

At the café downstairs, Jiang Yanming held a coffee, sitting by the window.

He found a post online about “Zhi Yu Barbecue” and saw a group photo.

Two boys stood by the grill.

The one with wheat-colored skin, taller than him, looked down at his face. He was looking at his phone, wearing slightly large-framed glasses.

They stood close, clearly not just business partners.

The text below made Jiang Yanming’s eyes sting the more he read.

[ Are they a couple? So perfect together, my eyes are rulers, never missing a male-male pair. ]

[ I went to the shop, and they look even better in person. I love the pale, delicate little brother, forever my college-boy crush. If they’re really a couple, I’d just say two words: perfect match! ]