Chapter 16

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At six in the morning, Yu An woke up and sat in bed for a long time. Perhaps it was true that what one thinks by day haunts one’s dreams by night, for last night he suddenly dreamed of his days wandering outside. Back then, the longevity lock, the silver bracelet, and the comfortable yet expensive clothes he wore had all been taken from him. During those years living in an abandoned train carriage, he often felt that everything he experienced before he was five was just a dream.

So, after being taken back home, he stubbornly wanted to carry something with him—whether it was his mother’s necklace, his father’s book, or his brother’s pen. It was as if he had a collecting habit, hiding each item away and taking them out every day before leaving. Only in this way could he prove that the love he received as a child was real.

When Yu Qing accused him of being a thief, he was utterly ashamed. Later, he came up with an excellent idea: to carry a photograph with him. But after searching the villa for a long time, even asking the butler for help, he couldn’t find a single photo of himself with his family. In his memory, he had taken many photos. Yu You loved to carry him around everywhere and even had their parents buy him a camera.

People don’t usually remember much from their early childhood, but because he kept thinking about it over and over, the memories gradually became vivid. He still remembered Yu You saying at the time, “An An is so adorable, of course we have to take lots of pictures!” Even when he went to the theater, Yu You would come along whenever he had no classes and stand beside him, enthusiastically taking pictures.

Now, Yu An had no idea where those photos had gone; they were probably thrown away long ago. He got out of bed, took the bag by the door, unzipped it, and pulled out a photo from the innermost pocket. It was a family portrait of his parents, brother, and Yu Qing. Over the years, no matter where he went, he always carried that photo. It was hard to come by; he had even asked the butler to secretly make a copy for him. He had put it in a protective cover, which had kept it in good condition until now.

But this time, he took it out. Then, he called the butler back. Hearing from the butler that his father no longer pursued the matter of his going to the theater, he remained calm and finally said, “I will return next week.” Hanging up, the sky outside was fully brightening as the sun gradually rose.

Pingping lay beside him, silently keeping him company. He buried his face in Pingping’s belly, slowly feeling its warmth and heartbeat. After settling Pingping, Yu An headed to the theater.

A few days ago, Teacher Su Su had confirmed everyone’s roles. Today was their first official rehearsal. The director, Qi Lin, also brought the first set of custom-made costumes. As the lead dancer, Yu An’s costume was a scarlet Hanfu, while the others wore black Hanfu.

When Yu An came out dressed, everyone’s eyes lit up. It was no surprise—this Hanfu suited him perfectly! His slender figure, the red sash tied at his waist, gave him excellent proportions. As he moved, the hem of the skirt fluttered slightly, and the scarlet Hanfu made his skin seem to glow. But when he took the black sword handed to him by Teacher Su Su, his entire aura changed. His brows and eyes became resolute, carrying a youthful vigor.

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As per theater tradition, they took group photos in their costumes on the first day. Afterward, the photographer pulled out a small camera and said to Yu An, “Your outfit looks so good, let me take some solo shots of you.” Yu An nodded. The photographer took the pictures and left, then came back after a while to give him the photos. Yu An placed the photo deep inside his backpack.

After running through the dance once, Teacher Su Su was explaining the corrections and had them try several different formations. Qi Lin came over just in time to see Yu An leap into the air and spin. When they finished and took a break, Qi Lin approached Yu An and praised him, “You really suit red. If you wore this in the opera, I’m sure President Gu would love it.”

Of course, he didn’t say the last part out loud but instead asked, “President Gu hasn’t come to watch the performances lately. Do you know why?”

Yu An paused, then replied, “I’m not sure.”

—

Inside a private room at the Tingjin Restaurant, Qin Zhou opened a bottle of wine and sighed with relief. “After working on this project for three months, it’s finally over.” He poured another glass for Gu Yuzhou. “Brother, I owe you that day.”

Gu Yuzhou took the glass and drank it all at once. Lin Chuying, upon seeing this, shouted, “You’re so straightforward, Zhou Zhou!”

Gu Yuzhou took a small sip and placed the glass on the table. Lin Chuying sighed, “You’re finally relaxed, but now I’m being pressured by my old man to go on blind dates every day.”

Qin Zhou smiled, “Any suitable matches?”

Lin Chuying shook his head. “I just try to stay away from home so he won’t keep talking about marriage whenever he sees me.”

Qin Zhou, without such troubles, couldn’t empathize and just poured him another glass of wine. Then he looked over at Gu Yuzhou, noticing his gaze fixed on a basket of strawberries at a distance. “Brother Gu, do you want some strawberries?”

Lin Chuying answered casually, “Why would he eat strawberries? He never liked these things before.”

They didn’t expect Gu Yuzhou to respond this time, but he said quietly, “They taste pretty good.”

Qin Zhou was a bit surprised. Lin Chuying, still lamenting his miserable love life, couldn’t help but bring it back to marriage. “Yuzhou, are you really planning not to get married?”

As expected, Gu Yuzhou remained calm as usual and replied, “Yes.”

So before Gu Yuzhou could say more, Lin Chuying, thrilled to find a kindred spirit, said, “You’re a true brother. I don’t want to get married either—”

But this time, Gu Yuzhou interrupted him. Calmly, he said, “We’ll see.”

Not the definite “yes” from before, but “We’ll see.”

Lin Chuying hadn’t reacted yet when Qin Zhou, with a spectator’s expression, said, “Something’s up?”

Gu Yuzhou said no more. He looked out the window; the sky was filled with dark clouds, lightning flashed, and a heavy downpour began.

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He frowned, checked his watch, and stood up. “I’m leaving.” Then he asked the waiter to pack some strawberries for him and left with the bag, leaving only Qin Zhou and Lin Chuying staring at each other in the private room.

—

Outside the theater, Yu An heard thunder and planned to wait for the rain to stop before going home. But before he could practice much longer, someone called out over the loudspeaker, “Yu An, someone’s here! They came in a black car…”

He froze, quickly packed his bag, and went to the entrance. But when he saw the visitor, his steps suddenly faltered.

Yu You had only discovered this morning that Yu An had blocked him. A mix of anger, shock, and confusion swirled inside him, ultimately transforming into a single thought: to find Yu An at the theater.

As Yu An’s figure slowly approached, Yu You vaguely recalled that he had once waited for Yu An like this in their childhood.

How did things come to this?

Yu An stood still. “What do you want?”

Yu You’s mind was a mess, and faced with Yu An’s coldness, he didn’t know what to say.

In the distance, a car pulled up to the theater and stopped at the entrance. The rain was heavy, and the sky dark, making it hard to see faces clearly—only a tall figure in black leather shoes and a suit, holding a black umbrella, stepping out and walking over.

Yu You saw Yu An’s eyes suddenly brighten. In that instant, he realized Yu An hadn’t called him “brother” for a long time. Nor had he looked at him with such a gaze, saying, “Brother, please help me.”

Something in his chest slowly dissipated. He instinctively reached out to pull Yu An’s hand to get into the car—

Yu An’s voice came softly beside his ear, clear despite the fierce wind and rain. “I told the butler I’ll return next week.”

Just as Yu You was about to grasp his hand, Yu An ran toward the figure across from them. He ran fast, but just before Yu An was caught in the rain, the black umbrella was steadily held above him again.

Yu You frowned and stepped closer. “Yu An, who is he?”

Yu An remembered the conversation he overheard that night at the villa between Yu Fu and Yu You about Gu Yuzhou. He grabbed the man’s wrist, tilted the umbrella to shield Gu Yuzhou’s face, and said simply, “He is Teacher Yu’s relative. I’m leaving now. You should go home.”

They quickly got into the car and soon vanished from Yu You’s sight. Yu You stood dumbfounded, and after hearing Yu An say he would return next week, he inexplicably felt relieved. At least he would come back.

He drove back to the villa alone, ignoring Yu Qing calling him “big brother.” Instead, he found the butler and asked him to change Yu An’s room to a bigger one. As the second young master of the Yu family, it was indeed unfair for Yu An to live in such a small room.