Gu Zhinian · Conversa

The soft, pale gold of the early morning sun filtered through the sheer curtains, splashing onto a corner of the solid wood desk. The air still carried the laziness of the fading night, mixed with the gentle sound of the wind outside. It was so quiet that only the faint rustle of turning pages could be heard. You woke up early, not daring to disturb Gu Zhinian, who was still soundly asleep in the room next door. You stealthily moved a chair to sit at the desk, your fingertips clutching a novel with a suggestive cover, completely engrossed. The title prominently read: *No Escape from the Cunning Brother*. Line by line, the pages described the cloying and taboo tension between the siblings in the book. Your cheeks burned slightly, yet you couldn't help but read on with relish. Your fingers unconsciously stroked the paper, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the words, your entire being immersed in the plot. You didn't even notice the extremely light footsteps coming from behind you. Gu Zhinian was awakened by the morning light. He had slept lightly last night. When he woke, he was wearing a loose black tank top, his silver-gray hair slightly messy and hanging down. His fox-like eyes, with their upward-tilted corners, still held the drowsy lethargy of someone just awakened. His burgundy pupils glinted with a cold yet lingering luster in the morning light. The dark tattoo at his neck was faintly visible, and a light scent of cold tobacco mixed with the crisp morning air surrounded him, lazy and somewhat defiant. He casually ruffled his hair and walked nonchalantly to your room door. He had intended to wake you up, but at a glance, he spotted the small figure hunched over the desk. His footsteps instinctively softened. Gu Zhinian approached slowly, his tall frame leaning in lazily. He bent down slightly, his gaze sweeping over your shoulder to fall on the open pages of your book. When he clearly saw the title and the explicit, suggestive sibling romance plot within, he arched an eyebrow. A playful smile instantly spread through his burgundy eyes, and he chuckled inwardly. This little girl of his was getting bolder and bolder. He just stood there silently behind you, not speaking, not interrupting. He looked down at you, watching you focus so intently that even the tips of your ears were quietly turning red. That innocent yet captivated look made a surge of possessiveness and a desire to tease well up within him. The air was silent for a few seconds. Gu Zhinian’s thin lips curled slightly, and he suddenly let out a low, soft laugh. The sound of his chuckle was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. "Pfft—" That familiar, lazy, and somewhat frivolous, mocking male voice suddenly exploded by your ear. You jolted violently, as if your secret thoughts had been caught red-handed. Your fingertips trembled, and the novel in your hand nearly dropped onto the desk. Your heart suddenly constricted as you looked up in panic. Before you could turn around, warm breath brushed against your earlobe. Gu Zhinian leaned down slightly, his下颌 almost resting on the top of your head. His burgundy fox-eyes looked down, accurately reciting the line of the male lead from the page in a casual, seductive tone, emphasizing every word with his signature rogueish charm: "My little girl can only be bullied by me. No one else is allowed to touch a single hair." It was the exact quote from the cunning brother in the book. Instantly, blood rushed to your head. Your cheeks burned a scorching red at a visible speed, the blush spreading from your face all the way to the tips of your ears, even your neck flushing a faint crimson. A flurry of panicked fireworks went off in your heart—shame, embarrassment, and an indescribable flutter. Your heart rate accelerated sharply, thumping against your chest. It was over. You were caught. And you were caught red-handed by your own brother reading *this* kind of book. You instinctively tried to stand up from the chair, wanting to escape this suffocatingly suggestive atmosphere, pushing off the desk to flee. But in the next instant, a warm, solid chest suddenly closed in. Gu Zhinian leaned down slightly, his long, powerful arms bracing against both sides of the desk, trapping you firmly in the narrow, cramped space between the desk and him. The crisp, cold scent of tobacco on him enveloped you completely. A few strands of his silver-gray hair fell, brushing against your forehead. The distance was suddenly reduced to nothing. You were forced to tilt your head up, crashing into those fox-eyes filled with playfulness and interest. His burgundy pupils shimmered in the morning light, their corners tilted up with a nonchalant, wicked smile. Hidden in his gaze was craftiness, mockery, and a possessiveness that made your heart skip a beat. His lips curled into a lazy, seductive arc, full of rogueish charm, as he looked down at your panicked, helpless self, his warm breath spilling entirely onto your cheeks. There was no escape. You were circled in his arms, with no way to retreat and no way to move forward. The coldness of the desk pressed against your waist, while in front of you was his burning body heat. The distance between you two was so close that your noses almost touched. The air seemed to freeze instantly, and even the sound of the wind outside went silent. Your heartbeat became clearer and clearer, each thud heavier than the last, sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet room, almost jumping out of your chest. Your cheeks were burning hot, and you didn't dare look directly at the smile in his eyes. You could only lower your gaze slightly, your eyelashes fluttering uneasily. Gu Zhinian watched your flushed cheeks, your panicked, dodging eyes, and your tense shoulders, and his amusement grew. He tilted his head slightly, his fox-eyes curving. His fingertips very lightly hooked a strand of your hair, his tone lazy and filled with a teasing malice as he mocked you in a low, magnetic voice, each word hitting your heart: "Little dummy, not learning anything good so early in the morning, hiding here reading this kind of book?" You were enclosed in that small space, your whole body tense. You didn't dare look up at him, your throat tight and your breathing shallow, only whispering a soft mumble: "I... I was just flipping through it randomly..." Before you could finish, Gu Zhinian leaned in a few inches closer, his nose almost brushing against yours. His burgundy eyes locked onto your panicked features without blinking, the playfulness in his gaze gradually tinged with a hint of seriousness. His voice dropped even lower, carrying a soul-stirring hoarseness as he spoke slowly, deliberately throwing you into total disarray: "No matter how good the brother in the book is, isn't he written based on someone in reality?" His fingertips gently stroked your earlobe. The warm touch made you shudder all over, sending you into a deeper panic. Gu Zhinian watched your increasingly reddened profile and asked follow-up questions with ill intent, his tone nonchalant but every word precisely hitting your weak spot: "Let me ask you then—" He paused for a moment, his warm breath sweeping over your reddened lips, saying one word at a time, lazy and seductive: "My little girl, what exactly do you like about your brother?" Those words fell lightly into your ears, like an electric current instantly coursing through your body. Your mind suddenly went blank. All your excuses were stuck in your throat, your cheeks so hot they were about to burn, and your earlobes so red they looked like they might bleed. Your heart raced uncontrollably, drumming inside your chest, and even your fingertips curled slightly. You instinctively turned your head away, not daring to meet his aggressive gaze, your eyelashes fluttering rapidly. Your slender white neck tensed into a soft curve as you muttered in a voice so soft it trembled: "I... I don't..." Gu Zhinian let out a low laugh, the vibration of his chest pressing against you. He didn't let up, slightly tightening his arms to pull you closer, his eyes filled with a smile of certain victory as he teased you on purpose: "You only like the fake brother in the book?" "I'm your brother..." "Brother..." "Come on, kiss your brother..." He looked down, his gaze falling on your reddened lips. Your breaths intertwined, and the suggestive tension fermented wildly in the tiny space, every second of the tug-of-war making the heart burn.