Chapter 22

After saying that, Yu An did not dare to look back. Instead, he went to the mailbox outside the villa to see if any acceptance letters had arrived.

Finding none, he went back inside and asked the butler.

The butler shook his head. "No deliveries for the villa today. Are you expecting something, Second Young Master?"

Yu An did not elaborate, only nodding.

"I will keep an eye out for you," the butler promised.

Yu An thanked him and was about to leave when the butler called him back. "Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master is in the study; it seems he is waiting for you."

Yu An agreed and headed toward the second floor.

As he stepped onto the stairs, he did not see Yu You, but was intercepted by Yu Qing.

"Brother, you’re in a relationship." This time, Yu Qing’s tone was not one of questioning, but of certainty.

Yu An replied calmly, "Even if I really did have someone I liked, or if I were in a relationship, what business would that be of yours?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qing wore an expression of utter disbelief. His voice strained, as if forced out from the depths of his throat, he shrieked, "No! You can't! You are not allowed to be in a relationship!"

Yu An did not stay to listen further and headed toward the study.

Yu Qing stared fixedly at Yu An’s retreating back, then looked down at the photo he had secretly taken from the balcony—a picture of the car and the moment Yu An had stepped out of it. Jealousy surged uncontrollably within him.

His fingers, gripping the phone tightly, began to flush with pressure. *Who are you? I will definitely find you!*

Yu An, completely unaware of Yu Qing’s thoughts, walked straight to the study and knocked.

After a long while, Yu You said, "Come in."

But when he saw it was Yu An, he immediately stood up, pressing his lips together. "Did you need me for something?"

"The butler said you were looking for me."

Yu You paused, not bothering to correct the butler’s mistake, and walked toward Yu An.

Yu An glanced at the camera in his hand and looked away. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going."

"Wait!" Yu You’s tone was anxious.

The video he had just been watching flashed in his mind—it was footage of young Yu An celebrating a birthday, wearing a party hat and happily blowing out candles. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall what Yu An’s birthdays were like as he grew older.

Was he as happy as he was in the video?

Or was it... He didn't dare to think any further.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he only managed to say, "Get some sleep. Goodnight."

Watching Yu An enter his room and close the door, Yu You went downstairs to find the butler.

"Has the family ever celebrated Yu An’s birthday?"

The butler didn't hesitate. "The Second Young Master has never celebrated his birthday."

Yu You felt a lump in his throat. He stood there for a long time without speaking, not even blinking.

After waiting for quite a while, the butler seemed to see a momentary glint of moisture in the Eldest Young Master’s eyes. Just as he was about to ask, Yu You finally said, "His birthday is coming up soon. Make preparations for it this year."

The butler wiped his glasses with a cloth and replied, "Very well."

-

The next morning, Yu You drove Yu An to the theater as usual.

As Yu An got out of the car, Yu You asked, "What time do you finish work? I’ll come to pick you up this afternoon."

"Five o'clock."

"Alright."

Yu You watched Yu An walk into the theater, then received a call from the butler.

"Eldest Young Master, Madam is refusing to take her medicine again."

Yu You frowned, recalling that the appointment with the psychiatric specialist he had made two days ago was for today.

He told the butler on the other end, "Keep her calm. I’ll be back soon."

-

After training, Yu An went to see Yu Ling at noon.

After eating, Yu Ling mentioned, "Xiao An, your birthday is coming up. How do you want to celebrate it?"

Yu An first shook his head, then thought for a moment and said, "Let’s just have a meal together."

Yu Ling nodded, a smile in her eyes, clearly having other plans.

Yu An played with Pingping for a while, then carried the cat upstairs for a nap. At two o'clock in the afternoon, he woke up and freshened up. Before leaving, his gaze fell on the rose sitting on the table.

It was the one given to him by the old magician at the amusement park.

After bringing it back that day, he had simply placed it in a vase.

He hadn't expected that even after being away for a few days, the rose hadn't wilted at all; it had even bloomed a little more.

He walked over, leaned down to smell it, then went downstairs to say goodbye to Yu Ling before heading out to the training hall.

-

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Yu Ling opened the door to let Gu Yuzhou into the small villa.

As they sat on the sofa, Yu Ling looked at Gu Yuzhou’s attire today, feeling that he looked a bit different than usual.

He seemed more polished than before.

No, that wasn't right—Gu Yuzhou was never someone who paid much attention to his appearance.

Shifting her thoughts, she mentioned Yu An’s birthday. "Yuzhou, what do you think if I give Xiao An an apartment for his birthday? I happen to have one near his university, which would be more convenient for him."

After saying that, she reconsidered. "Xiao An definitely won't accept it."

Gu Yuzhou asked, "When is it?"

"August 20th, which is the weekend after next."

She asked again, "What do you think I should give him? Aside from dancing and opera, he doesn't seem to have any particular interests."

Gu Yuzhou didn't hesitate. "A meal together, and a cake."

Yu Ling was surprised. "Xiao An said the exact same thing at noon today."

Gu Yuzhou checked his watch and stood up. "Aunt Yu, I’ll be going now."

Yu Ling blinked, stunned. "You just got here. Aren't you staying for dinner?"

Gu Yuzhou replied with a simple "Mm," adding, "I have things to take care of at the company."

Just as he opened the door, he saw Yu An standing there, and his movements paused.

Yu An was panting slightly, his eyes bright. "Mr. Gu!"

Gu Yuzhou examined Yu An’s face closely and asked gently, "Have you been treated unfairly at home?"

Yu An smiled and shook his head. "No."

"It seems even better than before," he said, his tone tinged with confusion, as if he couldn't understand the change in the Yu family. But then he laughed, "Anyway, my acceptance letter should be on its way."

Gu Yuzhou’s gaze was deep. "If you ever need anything, you can come to me anytime."

It felt as though every time he met Mr. Gu, the man said those exact words. Having heard them so often, Yu An no longer felt pressured by the idea of seeking Mr. Gu out; it seemed like asking for his help was a very natural thing to do.

Still, he thanked him carefully and gratefully, "Mr. Gu, thank you."

Hearing Yu An’s voice, Yu Ling said with pleasant surprise, "Xiao An, didn't you say you weren't coming back here this afternoon?"

Yu An nodded. He had actually already gotten into Yu You’s car, but shortly after, he remembered the rose in his room and suddenly felt a strong urge to bring that bouquet back to the Yu residence.

So, he had asked Yu You to drive back to the theater, and he had run over.

"Then why did you come back to the teacher's place? Did you leave something behind?" Yu Ling asked.

Yu An glanced at Gu Yuzhou, who was standing to the side, and felt too embarrassed to say, "I came to get that rose."

Yu An blinked and told his first lie to Yu Ling, "The people at home haven't arrived yet, so I came here to wait for a while."

Yu Ling realized, "I see. Well, come on in."

Yu An had no choice but to bite the bullet and go inside to sit down. Gu Yuzhou didn't leave either, instead sitting back down on the sofa.

Seeing this, Yu Ling teased with a smile, "Is the company not busy anymore?"

Gu Yuzhou was much better at lying than Yu An; he didn't even blink as he replied, "Mm."

Yu An, oblivious to the subtext, began to relax and play with the cat.

About twenty minutes later, Yu An proposed leaving.

Not long after he left, Gu Yuzhou stood up under Yu Ling’s meaningful gaze. "I’ll go see him off."

Watching Gu Yuzhou’s retreating back, Yu Ling found it somewhat amusing; it was the first time she had seen such a side to him.

-

Yu An walked along the path, and before long, Gu Yuzhou caught up with him.

The two walked in silence to the theater entrance. As they neared Yu You’s car, Yu An grabbed Gu Yuzhou’s hand and said, "Mr. Gu, this is far enough."

Gu Yuzhou’s gaze rested on Yu An’s hand before moving to his face, and he gave a low, affirmative sound.

He was about to say something when Yu An interrupted, "I know, I know—I’ll definitely come to you if I need anything."

Yu An let go and whispered, "You look incredibly handsome in this outfit today!"

The comment came out of nowhere, and Gu Yuzhou was momentarily stunned.

By the time he regained his composure, the boy had already run off. He turned back and waved at him, "See you tomorrow, Mr. Gu!"

Gu Yuzhou looked at the boy’s face, which seemed to shine even brighter under the sunlight, and the corners of his eyes curved ever so slightly. "Mm, see you tomorrow."

-

Yu An got into the car.

Yu You looked at the man’s figure in the distance, feeling he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place it.

He frowned. In the rearview mirror, Yu An was expressionless, as if he had automatically activated a shield the moment he got into the car, refusing to interact—a completely different person from the one he had seen outside.

Yu You suppressed the discomfort in his heart and drove away.

When they reached the Yu villa, Yu An didn't stay for dinner but went straight to his room, sleeping until six o'clock the next morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Yu An had slept soundly. When he checked his phone in the morning, he saw the tracking information for his acceptance letter.

It would arrive in about two days. The corners of his lips curved upward involuntarily, and he got up to go to the balcony for some fresh air.

Seeing the servants pruning flowers in the garden below, Yu An’s eyes lit up. Without even waiting to change his clothes, he went downstairs in his pajamas and headed into the garden.

He borrowed a pair of scissors from a servant, picked out a flower, cut it, and prepared to take it back to his room.

On the way, he happened to run into Mother Yu, who was also in her pajamas. Instinctively, he held out the flower to her.

Once he realized what he was doing, he pulled his hand back, wrapped the stem in a tissue, and then handed it over, saying softly, "There are thorns on it; please be careful."

After saying that, he returned to the garden, picked another rose, and took it back to his room.

During this time, he didn't look at Mother Yu again, and so he didn't notice that from the moment she had walked into the garden, her gaze had been fixed on him, never once wavering.

When his joyful figure disappeared, Mother Yu looked down at the rose in her hand, her expression dazed, her lips unconsciously whispering: "Yu... An."

Suddenly feeling a chill on her hand, she reached up and touched the tears streaming down her face.

*Why am I crying?*