Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 196: Discovery

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Before tasting the chocolate, Zhang Siyi felt the tip of Gu Yu tongue against his own and as a result, his heart quickened. Too late to chew, in the warmth of his mouth, the chocolate lay beside his gums slowly melting.

Tentatively at first Gu Yu probed Zhang Siyi mouth with his tongue but soon, as their tongue entwined, their kissing intensified. Gu Yu held Zhang Siyi close their passionate kisses became one with the melted sweet taste of chocolate. A strong taste of alcohol spread between their lips and teeth, intoxicating the heart.

Until the chocolate was melted completely, like the pairing of the chocolate and liquor, the two were intertwined; you have me and I have you. Gu Yu withdrew his lips and not forgetting the last drop of chocolate, he licked Zhang Siyi’s lips clean.

Completely forgetting about his worries, now hot and bothered, Zhang Siyi stared at Gu Yu expectedly.

Gu Yu placed his forehead against Zhang Siyi’s forehead and whispered: “The taste is very good…”

Helpless in the hands of Gu Yu, Zhang Siyi forgot he was eating chocolate and as a result, the sweetness of the chocolate was instead the sweet taste of Gu Yu. Unconsciously, as if the end of the treat was unsatisfactory, Zhang Siyi licked his lips.

Although Zhang Siyi dazed action ignited Gu Yu’s desire, he looked at him in the eye and after Gu Yu sucked on Zhang Siyi’s lower lip one last time, he said: “It’s just a painting. What are you so worried about?”

Looking away, Zhang Siyi turned slightly: “From the start, you didn’t seem to care about his presence.”

Not letting him hide, Gu Yu held his face: “I do not care about him. I only care about you.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

Gu Yu sighed and said: “You are too easily influenced by others. Bai Rui teases you and you get angry. Then, with one emotional story of his, you break-down and talk to him frankly. Why do you care? On the other hand, including everything Bai Rui is doing now, no matter how much he prods, it doesn’t affect me. In my opinion, it’s just another one of his schemes to affect you.”

Thinking about it more carefully, Zhang Siyi was tongue-tied. Indeed, it seemed to be the case.

“If you are his goal, I can help you out. But, if I’m the goal, what can I do? I can’t make him disappear.” Feeling helpless, Gu Yu sighed softly. “He is very persistent and has found your weaknesses. Not only will he test me, he will also test Tao Fei.”

With Gu Yu admission, Zhang Siyi was surprised at Gu Yu insights. Now remembering what transpired in the elevator, was Bai Rui testing Tao Fei or who was he really concerned with?

Gu Yu pinched his nose and asked: “Now do you know what to do?”

“Yeah!” Zhang Siyi eyes flashed bright. He raised his pointer finger and exclaimed: “I’ll show some concern over that Fat Peach!”

Gu Yu: “…”

Even though Gu Yu gave him some food for thought, Zhang Siyi decided the answer was to pay attention to Tao Fei. Gu Yu’s mouth twitched a bit. He flicked Zhang Siyi’s forehead.

Zhang Siyi guarded his forehead with his hands: “Why are you hitting me!”

Stroking his ear, Gu Yu was both angry and cheerful: “Just as I only have you in my eyes, I hope you only look at me. Be yourself and try to ignore him. In this way, no matter what Bai Rui does, it won’t be a problem.”

Hearing the phrase ‘I only have you in my eyes’, with a warm heart, the blood rushed to his face and Zhang Siyi instantly became flush.  Sure enough, a thousand words can’t match the truth spoken by a lover! He looked up at Gu Yu with adoration and said: “Ok.”

Just as he was going to say something else to Zhang Siyi, he suddenly saw the shadow of a person standing outside the frosted glass door of his office.

He immediately retracted his smile and whispered: “You should go back to your desk.”

After turning the knob to open the door, Zhang Siyi saw Be Lele standing outside holding a stack of printed paper with her hand raised as if she was about to knock on the door. In a good mood, Zhang Siyi faintly smiled at her then left.

When Bi Lele entered the office, she felt the lingering sweet emotions between the two in the environment… Yes. She heard it.

From the time when she saw Zhang Siyi’s cell phone in Gu Yu’s office a few days ago, she consciously began to pay attention to the movements of the two men.

One night, she covertly followed Zhang Siyi on a whim and found him meeting Gu Yu at the subway station. Watching them meet each other, she almost screamed excitedly. Unexpectedly, after two stops, Zhang Siyi got off without Gu Yu. At that time, she wondered if she was over thinking things.

In the next few days, since nothing happened between them out of the ordinary, Bi Lele started to doubt her instincts. However, today she confirmed her suspicion. After printing the documents for the new project, she needed to Gu Yu to look them over.

Gu Yu’s office, which was separated by frosted glass, doesn’t have good soundproofing. In addition, there was a visible gap between the glass door and wall which allowed one to see inside if they looked closely. When she went to his office, she vaguely saw someone else inside. She was about to leave and come back later but the voice she heard made her pause: ‘….why are you hitting me….’

She snuck a peak and saw Zhang Siyi’s back. In the next moment, she saw Gu Yu hold him in his arms. Witnessing the scene before her, Bi Lele froze momentarily. Her heart jumped wildly and couldn’t stop herself from peeking. The soft voice fluttered through the crack in the door: ‘I only have you in my eyes…’

She couldn’t hear anything else, but Gu Yu’s actions were enough to explain everything!

Is it normal for a male boss to hold his same-sex subordinates in his arms ???

Sitting in front of Gu Yu, pretending nothing happened, Bi Lele calmly handed over the documents to Gu Yu: “Boss, this is the final design for the Elementary School. Take a look.”

Looking at her sharply, Gu Yu watched her hand him the papers. She remained quiet as Gu Yu flipped through the documents. Returning to his normal calm tone, he spoke to her firmly with constructive feedback on a few details that needed revision. In the face of Zhang Siyi, he was like a different person.

Not able to look directly at Gu Yu, in response, Bi Lele kept her line of sight down at her notepad while she wrote the necessary memos for accurate changes.

After reporting, Bi Lele stood up and prepared to leave his office when Gu Yu suddenly called her: “Wait.”

Sweating, Bi Lele became nervous: “Yes?”

Gu Yu handed her another document and said: “Bring this to Ji Feiyu and tell him there weren’t any problems.”

Feeling relieved, she took the added folder and left.

…… Oh, my God! Such a rigid boss… Is he really in love with Zhang Siyi!? Ahhh…..!

Watching Bi Lele leave the office, Gu Yu also sighed with relief and let out a long breath.

Since she wasn’t acting any differently, he didn’t say anything about it. Gu Yu hoped she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Gu Yu hadn’t been impulsive at work in a very long time. When he noticed how anxious Zhang Siyi was with a hesitant expression on his face, Gu Yu couldn’t help himself. He wanted to hold him, kiss him, comfort him….. Hey, it’s really difficult to do nothing!

Drinking his tea, Gu Yu ruefully pressed his temples, then began to focus on his work.

Sometime later on one afternoon, feeling very motivated, Zhang Siyi was absorbed with his work. He reached up and took a moment to stretch. Looking up, he noticed Bi Lele across the room staring at him with a grin. He asked her: “Do you need something?”

Bi Lele: “Oh, nothing…”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 195: Painting

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While Tao Fei’s idea was intriguing and could be utilize as a last resort, Zhang Siyi really didn’t want any contact with Bai Rui because the guy gave Zhang Siyi the creeps.

However, contrary to his wish, when the two went back to the office, they saw Bai Rui in the lobby of the building holding a rose. Narrowing his eyes into small slits, Zhang Siyi walked over to the elevator with a cold expression.

Originally, Bai Rui’s back was facing them. When he heard people approaching, he glanced behind him. Startled, he widens his eyes in surprise as he saw Zhang Siyi walk towards him with another person. Bai Rui turned to face them and smiled in greeting then asked: “Back from lunch?”

Astute as always, with an outstretched arm, Tao Fei grinned and hooked it around Zhang Siyi’s neck, letting his arm drape over his shoulder. Half hanging on Zhang Siyi, Tao Fei leaned on him provocatively then said: “Hey handsome, who’s this rose for?”

Bai Rui looked down at the rose in his hand then extended his arm to Tai Fei. He smiled and asked: “Would you like it?”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

In contrast to how Tai Fei dealt with Bai Rui, with his hair standing on end, Zhang Siyi felt like a threatened hedgehog. Shit! This man is really dangerous! Fortunately, he wasn’t here alone !!!

Glancing at Zhang Siyi’s reaction, Tao Fei nearly broke his act. He waved his hand in rejection: “No Thanks.”

Unconcerned, Bai Rui retracted his arm and walked into the open elevator.

Feeling even more anxious, Zhang Siyi worried whether or not Bai Rui realized Gu Yu was his boyfriend and not Tao Fei. Was he bringing the flower to Gu Yu instead?

“Hey, what are….”  Zhang Siyi didn’t even get three words out before he saw Bai Rui reach over and press the button for floor 17; one floor higher than Borderless’s offices.

After watching Tao Fei press the button for floor 16, Bai Rui quietly asked Zhang Siyi: “Did you say something?”

Zhang Siyi: “Oh, nothing…” ….Strange, wasn’t Bai Rui looking for him? Does he have other acquaintances in the building?

Soon, the elevator opened at the floor where the offices of Borderless were located. Tao Fei first stepped out of the elevator and as Zhang Siyi followed closely behind, Bai Rui smiled and waved at them.

Feeling confused, Zhang Siyi looked at Tao Fei in a daze. With even less understanding of the situation, Tao Fei just shrugged. As they walked back to their department, they passed the front desk and saw a box and a large covered rectangular object leaning against the receptionist’s desk.

“Ah, wait a minute…” The young girl at the front desk called the two of them over. She pointed at the box and explained: “The new company upstairs gave us these chocolates liquors. Take some if you want.”

Zhang Siyi’s jaw dropped in surprise. Thinking Bai Rui was simply at the building to meet himself, Zhang Siyi felt very embarrassed.

Tao Fei was also very surprised. When he came over and looked closer, he noticed a stack of business cards next to the box of chocolates. The name of the company was printed on the top: Feng Qi Modern Art Curator and Auction Consultants.

Zhang Siyi was shocked. Bai Rui had moved his company to the office above Borderless!

“What is this? A painting?” Tao Fei glanced at the rectangular object with bubble-wrap wrapped around it protectively.

Smiling, the girl nodded affirmatively and said: “Yes, but this painting is for Director Gu.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

“What is for me?” a voice asked. Gu Yu coincidentally was passing by when he heard his name. Since Zhang Siyi was with Tao Fei, he came straight over to see what’s going on.

The receptionist quickly explained the situation to Gu Yu.

Gu Yu glanced at the company’s business card and asked: “Why give this to me?”

Since he didn’t run into Bai Rui, he might not realize it was Bai Rui’s company upstairs. Zhang Siyi pointed to ‘Feng Qi’ on the business card. Translating from Chinese to English, it can be translated as Vini.

Narrowing his brow slightly, Gu Yu frowned. He bent down to pick up the picture frame and asked: “What did the representative say exactly?”

The girl replied: “He said: ‘For your director’.”

Gu Yu carefully opened the work. As the wrap fell to the ground, the painting’s image became clearer. When unveiled, the solid-color geometric watercolor image jumped out and shined brightly.

Zhang Siyi couldn’t see what the painting was, however, the mystery was answered when Tao Fei spoke: “Isn’t this a watercolor painting by Steven Holl?”

Gu Yu looked at the signature at the bottom carefully and said: “Yes.”

Zhang Siyi had never heard of the name. He eagerly asked: “Who’s that?” “

Tao Fei explained: “An American architect. He designed the Sifang Art Museum in Jiangsu province. His watercolors are very famous. I remember seeing this painting from a collection on the internet. Hmm, what’s it called….”

Gu Yu answered: “Edge of the City.”

“That’s it!”  Looking at the painting, Tao Fei touched his chin in thought.  He sighed: “Wow, if that’s the original… I thought Steven Holl’s paintings where still on display at the Walker Center for the arts in Minneapolis.”

As Gu Yu spoke with Tao Fei about the artist, he rewrapped the painting.

Even though Tao Fei and Gu Yu know Bai Rui through Zhang Siyi, he immediately felt angry and wanted to prevent Gu Yu from accepting the painting. Knowing how much the painting caused him to feel completely jealous, Zhang Siyi felt even more like a child throwing a tantrum. As a result, instead of speaking up, he retrained himself and remained quiet.

 As Zhang Siyi feelings of inferiority grew, his sour mood also grew. It reminded him of the time when Tao Fei first came to the company and that feeling was terrible!

Gu Yu looked at Zhang Siyi and handed the painting back to the receptionist. “I’ll have to trouble you to help with giving the painting back. I won’t accept it.”

Surprised, Tao Fei loudly and excitedly exclaimed: “What? It was given to the company so give it to me!”

Gu Yu chuckled and ignored him. Before returning to his office, Gu Yu casually grabbed two chocolates from the box and turned to speak to Zhang Siyi: “Zhang Siyi, follow me.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

Now that they were inside Gu Yu’s office, like Tao Fei mentioned, Zhang Siyi also asked: “Since he sent it in the name of his company, why didn’t you accept it?”

“What would be the point? He might have sent the painting in the name of his company today, but tomorrow I will have to find something of the same value to give back.” Gu Yu poured himself a glass of water then asked: “Are you sure that company upstairs is Bai Rui’s?”

“Well, I met him at noon while I was with Tao Fei.” Zhang Siyi looked downwards as he spoke. He could tell, Gu Yu liked the painting a lot.

Before, when Gu Yu had glanced at him, did Zhang Siyi’s expression give away his feelings? If Gu Yu hadn’t walked by at that moment and instead, spoke with the receptionist at a time when Zhang Siyi wasn’t present, would he have accepted the painting?

With Zhang Siyi’s grave thoughts, he suddenly felt depressed. He isn’t rich like Bai Rui and isn’t clever like Tao Fei. …… What could he possibly do for Gu Yu?

Silently watching Zhang Siyi intently, Gu Yu peeled both chocolates. He put one into his own mouth then placed the other into Zhang Siyi’s mouth.

Lost in his own thoughts, he was caught off guard as Gu Yu placed the chocolate in his mouth then quickly followed it with his lips.

Holding the back of his head firmly, Gu Yu kissed Zhang Siyi deeply.

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Assistant Architect by Xi He Qing Ling

Chapter 194: Sister Control

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The moment of excitement started to waiver. Shit! Why does his emotional baggage continue to control him? Will Gu Yu’s shadow influence him for the rest of his life. Focusing his mind and inspiring his fighting spirit, even if it was detrimental to his immediate psyche, He Chengtian abandon his reservation and decided to chase Gu Yao.

When she was the one that initiated contact, even if she was Gu Yu’s sister, no matter what her brother could do, she was her own person. If Gu Yu tried to interfere, he could still say “screw you!”

As they settled into the living room, her small hand had made contact with his briefly. He Chengtian thought she was flirting with him. Keeping that in mind, he pushed down his painful past and continued to calmly eat and drink.

During dinner, the two old classmates spoke about their respective work situation. Unlike the last time they spoke to one another, Gu Yu didn’t offer any retaliatory remarks. In fact, He Chengtian thought he was rather polite.

Now satiated, Gu Yu went to get the pot of tea to help with digestion.

He Chengtian collapsed on the sofa and sighed with satisfaction. He watched Gu Yao sitting cross-legged on the carpet, stroking the big Dog. Zhang Siyi was rummaged through a bag of nuts. The comfortable environment around him made him relax and a pleasant sense of fatigue washed over him. Gu Yu wasn’t annoying at all.

Sipping his cup of tea in hand, He Chengtian understood why Zhang Siyi choose to follow Gu Yu instead of himself. Gu Yu’s presence was a calming force and as long as he was around, one couldn’t help but feel at peace. It was the temperament of a true leader.

As his thoughts drifted, He Chengtain wondered why he hated Gu Yu in the first place. Was it because he was young and competitive? If he had simply admitted his defeat, rather than clinging to an imaginary foe, would they have become good friends? … However, it wasn’t important to pursue the answer anymore. Now, they we able sit together for a meal and talk about each other’s lives like friends.

Since He Chengtian drank two glasses of wine, he couldn’t drive home. Instead, he paid for overnight parking and hailed a taxi. In any case, it wasn’t a problem because he would have to come back tomorrow to bring Gu Yao to work.

After He Chengtian left, Gu Yu and Zhang Siyi went out to walk to dog. Gu Yu asked: “Has Bai Rui contacted you?”

Having forgotten about it, Zhang Siyi was momentarily startled. Then he began to tell Gu Yu about his conversation he had with Bai Rui on the subway.

Gu Yu was surprised: “You admitted that you have a boyfriend?” “

”Yeah. I thought it would be like a slap in the face if I told him directly.“ Zhang Siyi pulled on the leash and said: “He even wanted to know your number!”

Gu Yu suddenly laughed.

Watching Gu Yu laugh so happily, Zhang Siyi felt a little dumbfounded. Soon he started to feel irritated and questioned: “What are you laughing at!”

Gu Yu looked at him in the eye: “Just because Bai Rui said he wanted to meet me, why are you so nervous?”

“What can I do? Let him be a good friend?” Zhang Siyi couldn’t stand other men thinking about Gu Yu.

Gu Yu: “Whatever he has to say to me, you will see it too, right?”

Zhang Siyi smacked his own forehead. Right, how can he be so stupid? Previously, Gu Yu had used Zhang Siyi’s phone to reply to Bai Rui. There was no reason Zhang Siyi couldn’t do the same and use Gu Yu’s phone.

Smiling, Gu Yu raised his hand to rub Zhang Siyi’s head. “In any case, deleting him has saved you from over thinking about such trivial matters.”

That night, Gu Yu put into practice the promise of the evening and punished Zhang Siyi for ‘selling’ his sister.

At first, Zhang Siyi also quite enjoyed it, but after a long time, he began to call out ‘don’t and ‘that’s enough’. Unbeknownst to Zhang Siyi, showing his weak side only excited Gu Yu more. Not only was he ‘punishing’ Zhang Siyi for his sister’s sake, he was also excited because of Zhang Siyi’s jealousy. Gu Yu was so incredibly happy that he couldn’t control his raging heart.

Zhang Siyi didn’t know the real reason. He only thought it was because of Gu Yao.

Afterward, Zhang Siyi was lying motionless aside Gu Yu. While listening to his complaints, Gu Yu helped wipe his thighs and butt with a warm towel. Zhang Siyi grumbled: “Why are you so controlling? You wanted your sister to find love and I found a candidate and yet, you used me to vent your anger. I should have just changed jobs when He Chengtian offered and made lots of money…. AH!”

Gu Yu smacked him hard on the ass. Eyeing Gu Yu intensely, Zhang Siyi moved to protect his rear.

Gu Yu got up and hung the towel on the side of the chair. Playful, Gu Yu asked: “Gu Yao is going to marry out and you are going to marry in. What is there to be jealous about?”

Zhang Siyi’s face quickly heated up: “Who, who is marrying in?!”

Pinching his chin, Gu Yu covered him with his body then whispered: “You. Gu Siyi. You haven’t recognized it yet?”

Zhang Siyi: “Don’t talk about … Mmn, mm.”

His protest was quickly stifled by Gu Yu mouth and the sound of his voice quickly turned into a series of ambiguous sucking noises.

A few days later, at noon one day after Tao Fei finished up a project, he invited Zhang Siyi out to eat lunch. The two took the elevator downstairs and were discussing which restaurant to go to. In his peripheral vision,  Zhang Siyi caught a glimpse of a silver-white sports car on the road near the company. He turned to look at the car more clearly.

Tao Fei was also a fan. As he turned to take another look, he quickly called out the model of the car: “Wow! A Porsche 911!”

The car….. where has Zhang Siyi heard of it before?

As he was lost in thought, the driver’s side window lowered and Zhang Siyi was able to see who was inside. It was Bai Rui! Now that he saw Bai Rui get out of the car, he remembered Su Yuan mentioning in the group chat that Bai Rui drove a Porsche 911.

With Tao Fei standing next to him, Zhang Siyi saw Bai Rui looking in his direction, smiling.

Zhang Siyi was shocked. He thought the business between them was finished and didn’t think Bai Rui would continue to look for him.

“What’s the matter?” Tao Fei squinted his eyes and asked: “Is that the same guy who gave you a cake?”

Feeling irritated, Zhang Siyi turned to leave and grabbed Tao Fei then said: “Don’t look at him!”

Tao Fei turned his head to wink at Bai Rui then turned back around and hooked his arm with Zhang Siyi’s. He asked: “ Hey, who is that? Brother’s rival? Tell me honestly.”

Zhang Siyi: “…..” This dead fat peach is really too observant! Feeling a little afraid of Tao Fei’s insightful intuition, avoiding a possible misunderstanding, he quickly started explaining the situation.

Over lunch, Tao Fei listened and laughed: “Haha! So, the guy still doesn’t know who really is your boyfriend.”

Zhang Siyi: “Well….”

Tao Fei: “And then you deleted his contact in a hurry?”

Looking downward at his food, Zhang Siyi said: “Yeah…”

Tao Fei touched his chin: “Do you think he came back today to find you?”

Zhang Siyi looked up: “Don’t scare me!”

Tao Fei narrowed his eyes and grinned mischievously: “If you don’t want to say anything specific, I’ll help you toy with him.”

Zhang Siyi: “…”

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