Chapter 175: The Rose Boy

The inside and outside of the room formed a natural barrier.

The people inside were fighting tooth and nail.
The people outside had a front-row seat to a good show.

Gu Bai aggressively locked Xu Zezhan’s neck, biting down hard without letting go, exploiting the other man's weak spot, which finally allowed him to gain the upper hand.

In truth, Gu Bai knew very well that Xu Zezhan had done it on purpose. Ever since Xu Zezhan announced his coming out, the Xu family had been turned upside down, and Xu Zezhan’s life hadn't been easy lately.

Driven by some unnamable impulse, Gu Bai had avoided Xu Zezhan for two days and intentionally confessed his feelings to Chen Ruoyi right in front of him, trying to awaken a shred of conscience in this man and stop him from setting his sights on his good brother.

Never had he expected that bastard Xu Zezhan to publicly tear away that fig leaf, cementing the fact that he had been cuckolded.

From now on, who in the capital's elite circle wouldn't laugh at Gu Bai for failing to even keep a woman in line?

Overwhelmed with anger and embarrassment, Gu Bai couldn't wrap his head around why Xu Zezhan would do this. What good could possibly come of it for him?

Wasn't this just making everyone equally humiliated? Did Xu Zezhan, his good brother, somehow gain prestige just because Gu Bai wore a green hat?

Gu Bai tasted a strong, salty tang of blood in his mouth. Realizing what he had just done, his face darkened. He abruptly scrambled off Xu Zezhan, glared at him through gritted teeth, and hissed, "Xu Zezhan, we're through!"

With that, he stormed off, looking utterly furious. As a result, when he caught sight of Fu Wenzhou and Song Qingyou standing by the doorway on his way out, he merely offered a perroutine greeting before heading straight down the elevator.

Fu Wenzhou’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. Could someone please explain to him why two of his best friends had just been kissing?

Was this some new trendy way for besties to check in with each other?

Fu Wenzhou felt his worldview being thoroughly shattered.

Fu Wenzhou’s voice sounded as though it had been weathered by smoke and alcohol, carrying a distinct, gravelly texture.

"Are these two out of their minds?"

A fleeting look of stunned surprise crossed Song Qingyou’s beautiful face, but she quickly nodded. "There's a strong possibility."

Fu Wenzhou slung an arm around her waist, pulling her forward as he walked into the inner room and stared expressionlessly at Xu Zezhan on the floor. "Are you out of your mind, or is he?"

Xu Zezhan sat on the floor, the back of his hand wiping across the corner of his mouth. He let out a low curse of pain, yet a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm crazy, but he isn't far from it either."

Fu Wenzhou’s expression was dark and unreadable as he stared at Xu Zezhan on the floor for two seconds.

In a low, unhurried voice, he said, "Your madness is your own business, but you can't drag Gu Bai down with you."

Xu Zezhan’s expression turned icy. "What do you mean?"

Fu Wenzhou replied, "Your madness is voluntary, but Gu Bai is different. He's not willing. You can't force him to become like you."

Xu Zezhan steadied himself against the wall, pushing his body up as he said with a half-smile, "You have the nerve to lecture me, Fu Wenzhou? Have you ever asked Song Qingyou if she was willing during all those years you relentlessly pursued her? Now that you've finally gotten your wish, you come to point fingers at me? That makes no sense."

Song Qingyou frowned slightly, disliking anyone talking to Fu Wenzhou in that tone.

Fu Wenzhou’s expression remained calm and indifferent. Taller than Xu Zezhan by a couple of centimeters, his sharp, handsome features and lack of a smile gave him an imposing presence.

"Xu Zezhan, my relentless pursuit was because I could see hope. I knew Song Qingyou liked me; she simply had her own stances and goals. At the time, my weight in her heart didn't outweigh her principles and objectives, but I could wait, and I was willing to wait—wait until she finished what she needed to do and carved out a space in her heart for me."

"No matter if the process took three years, five years, ten years, or even longer, I could afford to wait." Fu Wenzhou’s voice dropped lower. "What about you? Can you afford to wait?"

Song Qingyou’s gaze drifted, her fingertips tightening slightly.

So... he had known all along?

A chilly edge edged Xu Zezhan’s smile. "I've bloody waited for him for ten years! What more do you expect me to do?!"

Fu Wenzhou looked at Xu Zezhan’s near-collapse and remained silent for a long time.

Unlike other scions of wealthy families, Fu Wenzhou, Gu Bai, and Xu Zezhan had grown up together in the residential compound since they were children. Their bond was the closest kind, forged through thick and thin.

Yet he had never imagined that two of his brothers might one day end up together.

A nameless fire was building up in Fu Wenzhou's chest. How had he failed to notice all these years that Xu Zezhan liked men?

For a moment, he found this sudden shift hard to accept, though it didn't mean he viewed Xu Zezhan differently.

He simply felt that Gu Bai had always liked women; it made no sense to forcibly alter his sexual orientation just because of Xu Zezhan’s affections.

That wouldn't be fair to Gu Bai.

Yet, he could understand Xu Zezhan.

Waiting—
was the longest and most agonizing thing in the world.

He had once walked the exact same path as Xu Zezhan.

"This is their business." Song Qingyou tugged gently at Fu Wenzhou’s sleeve, speaking in a soft voice. "Gu Bai is an adult; he has his own choices to make. Xu Zezhan simply wants to fight for himself once and for all. If he fails, he will at least have a reason to let go. So, you don't need to worry too much."

Song Qingyou’s words were gentle yet carried quiet strength, striking the hearts of both Fu Wenzhou and Xu Zezhan.

Xu Zezhan’s fists clenched and then relaxed. The corner of his mouth was bruised and oozing blood, yet he still managed to force a not-too-ugly smile toward Song Qingyou. "Thank you."

The path of homosexuality was far too treacherous to traverse. The world rarely understood; they would only deem this community perverted, abnormal, and disgusting.

Yet they had simply fallen in love with a person—gender had nothing to do with it. It just so happened that the person they loved shared the same physical anatomy as their own.

Was that a crime too?

Why could love transcend race, mountains, seas, and social classes, yet fail to cross the boundary of gender?

The world's prejudices weighed like a massive mountain upon the hearts of every "special" individual, impossible to overturn no matter how hard they tried.

There was a time when Xu Zezhan lacked that courage, but Song Qingyou had given it to him.

He only wanted to fight for himself once. At worst, he would lose everything and be utterly ruined.

He didn't care.

If Fu Wenzhou could go all out for Song Qingyou, he could do the same for Gu Bai.

Even if it turned out to be nothing more than unrequited yearning on his part.

Xu Zezhan looked at Fu Wenzhou. He reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. If he is truly straight, I won't force anything upon him, nor will I attempt to change him. I'm not that shameless."

Fu Wenzhou raised an eyebrow at him. "Gu Bai just said he was breaking off relations with you."

Xu Zezhan’s expression darkened. "Can you stop rubbing salt in the wound? He breaks off relations with me eight hundred times a year. Whatever."

Thinking about it, Fu Wenzhou realized it was true; Gu Bai did throw around threats of cutting ties quite often.

He curved his lips. "It must have been hard on you. To come out, you even specially called us over to watch you and Gu Bai perform a lip-biting routine."

Song Qingyou: "..." Why was this man still so vicious with his tongue?

Xu Zezhan turned black with rage. "I didn't expect him to bite me! I was just dragging him along to catch me in the act."

Fu Wenzhou had little interest in gossip. He was still trying to digest the 0.1 percent probability that his good friend might turn out to be in a relationship with another man.

The blow was rather significant.

He needed time to retrace his steps and figure out exactly where things had gone wrong.