Chapter 5: Doctor Bottom x Celebrity Top

Jing Chi propped his chin on his hand, watching Gu Bai fiddle with his phone as if he were texting someone. A shy smile flickered across his face from time to time.

He could guess that the person on the other end was none other than the protagonist top, Lu Shichen.

Tsk tsk. Stringing one guy along while flirting with another—didn’t he ever get tired?

The real question was whether Gu Bai even knew what Lu Shichen had done to Feng Qinghan.

If he did know and still had the guts to show up here, that would be truly intriguing.

Jing Chi arched his eyebrows slightly, a sly, wicked gleam flashing in his eyes.

He hoped Feng Qinghan wouldn’t thank him too profusely.

It was all because his own sense of justice was too strong—he simply couldn’t tolerate people with warped morals.

He tilted his head back, fully exposing his face, then sauntered over to Gu Bai. He deliberately looked him up and down, scrutinizing every inch.

The gaze was so intense that anyone would notice, and Gu Bai was no exception. He furrowed his brow faintly.

But when he glanced up, the first thing that met his eyes was Jing Chi’s strikingly handsome face. Any trace of irritation melted away, and he broke into a smile as he asked, “Excuse me, is there something you need?”

Jing Chi touched the tip of his nose, his eyes curving into a gentle arc as he asked offhandedly, “You’re here for Brother Feng too?”

Those three words nearly killed Jing Chi on the spot, but in service of grossing out the other guy, he gritted his teeth and powered through.

The young man had sharp, handsome features, but it was his eyes that stood out—inner corners hooked seductively, outer ones flaring upward, crystal clear and luminous, like peering into limpid pools. And when he mentioned Feng Qinghan, the spark in those depths was impossible to miss.

Gu Bai, who harbored feelings for Feng Qinghan himself, understood the other man’s intentions all too well.

The smile on his face chilled by a few degrees, but to preserve his polished image, he kept his voice soft. “And who might you be? I grew up with Brother Qinghan—how is it I’ve never seen you before?”

The words dripped with pointed challenge.

Gu Bai eyed Jing Chi suspiciously. He couldn’t believe the aloof Feng Qinghan would share any closeness with a type like this.

Even he, who had grown up alongside Feng Qinghan, had spent years trying, only to be forever relegated to the role of the boy next door.

Jing Chi could hardly miss the hint that he and Feng Qinghan were supposedly intimate. He parried smoothly, turning the tables with feigned surprise. “Oh? You don’t know me? How embarrassing. Guess your bond with Brother Feng isn’t as tight as I assumed. My bad.”

With that, he pulled his gaze away and casually scanned the room, his dismissive air shattering Gu Bai’s composure. The latter’s smile vanished as he demanded coldly, “What are you getting at? Who the hell are you?”

Jing Chi covered a yawn with his hand and grinned. “Me? Well…”

He trailed off, tugging at his collar to reveal a faint purple bruise. Then he winked at Gu Bai with unmistakable suggestiveness. “What do you think our relationship is?”

They were all adults here—who could misread that?

Gu Bai’s face twisted in fury. He bit his lip so hard it nearly bled, a low growl building in his throat. But mindful of the public setting, he restrained himself and seized Jing Chi’s shirt instead. “No way. He’s a clean freak—he’d never. Besides, he wouldn’t go for someone like you.”

Right then, Feng Qinghan emerged from his office.

Jing Chi wrenched his shirt free from Gu Bai’s grip and shot him a smug glance before jogging back to Feng Qinghan’s side.

He looped his arm through Feng Qinghan’s with effortless familiarity and announced loudly, “Brother, you’re finally off work. Let’s head home.”

The natural lilt in his voice was perfect. Jing Chi lifted his chin in provocative triumph at Gu Bai.

Feng Qinghan started to frown, but Jing Chi’s glance drew his attention to Gu Bai standing nearby. The motion to pull away halted, his expression turning to pure ice.

After his rebirth, Feng Qinghan had no desire to vent his anger on this version of Gu Bai. But the horrors of his previous life stemmed entirely from this man’s chronic indecision and his tangled, unresolved affections.

One look at him conjured a flood of grim memories—and with them, seething hatred. Refraining from lashing out at Gu Bai in this life was already the utmost restraint Feng Qinghan could muster.

“Brother Qinghan, who is this guy?”

Spotting Feng Qinghan, Gu Bai felt a surge of backup. His eyes reddened, his free hand clenching his phone so tightly he ignored the incoming call notification. He gazed up at Feng Qinghan, brimming with aggrievement.

Jing Chi, by contrast, was all smiles, reveling in his victory.

The old Feng Qinghan might have offered some explanation. But this one? Even sparing him a glance felt like too much.

His tone was icy cold, his eyes devoid of any emotion and laced with a hint of warning. “Gu Bai, don’t come looking for me again.”

Gu Bai never imagined Feng Qinghan would respond like this.

He had only been pretending to feel wronged at first, but now he was genuinely upset. His eyes turned fully red. “Why? Because of him?”

Both their gazes converged on Jing Chi, who flashed an innocent smile.

In truth, he was merely spectating the drama, winking at Feng Qinghan while eagerly awaiting his reply.

“None of this has anything to do with you.” Feng Qinghan frowned, impatience filling his brows.

His tone was frigid, but it was also the plain truth—he had no connection to Gu Bai whatsoever.

An outsider might mistake this for a classic scene of a heartless scumbag cheating on his partner, but the reality was that Gu Bai had deluded himself entirely, projecting unrequited fantasies and acting as if he’d been betrayed.

“And from now on, stop sending me messages. Especially nothing like last night.”

Feng Qinghan’s icy gaze settled on Gu Bai. He watched as the color drained from Gu Bai’s face upon hearing his words.

In that moment, realization dawned, and the sarcasm in Feng Qinghan’s eyes sharpened.

So this man knew everything—and yet he’d still had the nerve to show up?

Jing Chi’s earlier provocation had rattled Gu Bai so badly that he’d forgotten the whole reason for his visit. He had come to explain what happened yesterday, terrified that Feng Qinghan might misunderstand him.

“Brother Qinghan, it’s not what you think. Please hear me out—I really was yesterday…”

But under Feng Qinghan’s indifferent gaze—now edged with outright loathing—Gu Bai’s mind blanked. Every rehearsed excuse vanished from his thoughts.

Lingering would only deepen his humiliation.

In the end, Gu Bai shot Jing Chi a venomous glare.

It was all this guy’s fault for derailing his purpose here, letting things spiral to this point. Swallowing his resentment, Gu Bai stormed off.

Jing Chi blinked in bafflement at the glare. “???”

He was the innocent one here, wasn’t he?

“You can let go of my arm now.” Feng Qinghan’s tone toward Jing Chi was no warmer—still that same aloof chill.

His eyes fixed on the hand hooked around his arm. The young man’s body ran warmer than average; even through the fabric of his sleeve, Feng Qinghan could feel that insistent heat radiating from him—like the man himself, impossible to ignore.

Jing Chi had relished watching Feng Qinghan dismantle Gu Bai with cold precision, but now that the frost was aimed his way, it soured his mood.

Leveraging his perfectly matched height, he leaned in close to Feng Qinghan’s ear, deliberately puffing a warm breath against it before murmuring,

“Brother, that ‘use and discard’ routine isn’t very nice.”

Feng Qinghan shot him a frigid sidelong glance, yanked his arm free, and strode toward the elevator.

Jing Chi’s eyes locked on the faint flush creeping up the man’s earlobe. A grin spread across his face, utterly satisfied.

“Aiya, Brother, wait up!”

Dragging his suitcase, he hurried after.

He slipped inside just a split second before the doors sealed shut. “Brother, you could’ve at least worried about me getting my arm caught.”

Feng Qinghan didn’t deign to spare him so much as a look.

When the elevator dinged at the second floor, Feng Qinghan finally broke the silence.

“You know him?” The question carried an unmistakable edge of probing.

Jing Chi drawled back lazily, “I don’t know him at all.” Disdain colored his voice.

After all, the protagonist bottom carried that cursed aura—anyone who got too close was doomed to misfortune. Jing Chi wanted nothing more than to steer clear.

“Then why go after him like that?” Feng Qinghan studied the young man beside him via the elevator’s reflection.

“Call it love rival instinct.” Jing Chi delivered the line with utter conviction, though he was spouting pure nonsense. “I took one look and knew he had designs on you. As your boyfriend, how could I not put him in his place?”

He spoke with shameless righteousness, all the while drinking in Feng Qinghan’s profile.

Nothing like a beauty to refresh the eyes—even a pissed-off, icy one was drop-dead gorgeous.

Feng Qinghan wasn’t accustomed to such blatant, unwavering scrutiny, like some exhibit in a zoo. He furrowed his brow faintly. “Stop staring at me.”

Jing Chi pouted and ducked his head, muttering under his breath, “So gorgeous and you won’t even let anyone look—what a crime against humanity.”

Feng Qinghan froze for a beat. Straightforward flattery like that, delivered right to his face without a shred of pretense? This was a first.

He glanced at the young man’s features beside him and suddenly wondered: Did this guy have no idea how handsome he himself was?

Ding.

The doors slid open.

Feng Qinghan stepped out first. Jing Chi didn’t mind—he’d caught that flicker of unease moments ago. A sly curve tugged at his lips as he confidently messaged the System:

“To deal with this cold-faced iceberg, you just have to be straightforward enough that he can’t refuse.”

The room lights flicked on, revealing the entire layout of the house to Jing Chi’s eyes.

As expected, it was all black and white with cold tones—an essential setup for any asexual iceberg type.

The place had a gloomy vibe at first glance, the kind where you wouldn’t need the air conditioning even in summer. Yeah, energy-efficient.

Jing Chi naturally treated the place like his own home. He flopped down onto the living room sofa, sprawling out lazily like a puddle.

“Brother, your house is gorgeous.”

Jing Chi offered the compliment insincerely. After all, you don’t hit someone who’s smiling at you.

Feng Qinghan frowned as he eyed Jing Chi’s ungraceful posture but ultimately said nothing. He simply stated, “The second room on the right upstairs is the guest room. Feel free to go anywhere except the study and my bedroom.”

Jing Chi nodded solemnly and flashed Feng Qinghan a heart gesture. “Got it, Brother. You’re the best.”

Moving straight into a luxury villa? It didn’t get much better than that.

Feng Qinghan averted his gaze. He truly couldn’t fathom what kind of family could raise someone like this—someone who smiled so freely, who carried himself with such carefree abandon.

Jing Chi watched Feng Qinghan’s retreating back until the man vanished around the corner of the stairs.

The smile on his face instantly faded. He rubbed his cheeks helplessly, which ached from the forced grin.

“I’m really going through it,” Jing Chi sighed.

The System felt a pang of guilt. After all, it hadn’t been able to help at all. “Host, I’m so useless.”

Most hosts would offer some comfort to their System, but not Jing Chi. He simply nodded in full agreement. “Good that you know.”

The System: “……”

The air fell silent for a few seconds. Then Jing Chi’s next words hit the System like a bomb.

“I’m guessing this villain might have been reborn.”

Jing Chi paused in rubbing his cheeks, his expression turning serious and thoughtful.

“Impossible!”

The System’s circuits nearly fried at the thought. If the villain had been reborn, wouldn’t that mean this world was doomed all over again?

Jing Chi was only serious for that one moment before reverting to his usual laid-back tone. “What’s impossible about it? I managed to transmigrate here, so why can’t he get a rebirth? That’s just unfair.”

Jing Chi had noticed that the current Feng Qinghan didn’t match the description from the early parts of the novel. He’d found it odd before, but when Feng Qinghan had coldly rejected Gu Bai, the suspicion had solidified.

According to the novel’s plot, Feng Qinghan shouldn’t have treated Gu Bai that way. The only explanation was rebirth.

Of course, it was all just his speculation.

“Sigh, I hate using my brain.” Jing Chi rubbed his temples and headed upstairs to take a shower and crash.

He had no idea of the bombshell he’d just dropped on the System.

Even while he was in the shower, the System was still muttering, “Host, if the villain really was reborn, then this world is probably going to collapse again.”

Ah, when would it get its beautiful outer shell back?

Jing Chi arched a brow. “Relax, it’ll be fine. If you’re that worried, just keep an eye on him. Tell me if he makes a move, and I’ll take care of it.”

“You’re right, Host. I’ll do that.” The System thought it was a solid plan and got right to it.

Jing Chi’s ears finally had some peace. He smiled in satisfaction.

He didn’t have any ulterior motives—he’d just wanted to get the System out of his hair.

Based on Feng Qinghan’s behavior today, even if he had been reborn, Jing Chi was certain he wouldn’t follow the novel’s original path.

It just wouldn’t be worth it. The System was worrying over nothing.

Perfect. Now he could finally get a good night’s sleep.