Chapter 4

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Inside the car.
Yu An sat by the window, his head turned outward.
The reflection of Yu’s mother appeared on the glass, her gentle voice softly coaxing in his ears.
“An’an, is your throat bothering you again?”
An’an, meaning safe and sound, was the childhood nickname given to Yu An by his mother when he was born, but after he turned five, it no longer belonged to him.
What he had cast aside was far more than a mere nickname.
However, ever since the day he fell into the water, he had slowly come to accept it.
He was bound to leave sooner or later.
Yu An withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes to rest. His mother’s caring words echoed again in his ears, yet his heart was as still as water.
Yu Qing was sulking, unwilling to reply at all.
But when he caught his father’s gaze, he immediately composed himself and shook his head toward his mother, “Mom, I’m fine now.”
His long hair lay smoothly behind him, making him appear obedient.
Yu’s mother still worriedly stroked his head. “When we get home, Mom will make you some pear soup.”
“Okay.” Yu Qing smiled and coquettishly nestled into his mother’s embrace, but his hand clenched tightly at his side.
At the banquet just now, when he had smiled and walked toward Gu Yuzhou, the other had passed him by without a glance, completely ignoring him!
The strange looks from those around and the subtle jeers were all insults to him.
One day, he would slap them all hard across the face!
If only Yu An had been there then, he would never have let himself be bullied.
Thinking this, Yu Qing rose from his mother’s arms and looked toward Yu An, who had been quiet since boarding the car.
“Second Brother, are you feeling better?”
No response came, and silence fell inside the car.
Yu Qing bit his lip, feeling an inexplicable unease at Yu An’s demeanor, and called again, “Second Brother?”
Still no answer.
Yu’s mother seemed affected too, growing restless.
Just as Yu’s father was about to lose his temper, Yu You spoke up, “Yu An was just discharged today; he must be tired and asleep.”
Yu’s father’s angry expression shifted to something more complicated, as if recalling something.
Yu Qing hesitated, wanting to say more.
Yu’s father cleared his throat, “We’ll talk about this at home.”
Yu Qing had no choice but to quiet down.
Half an hour later, the car pulled into the Yu family villa.
The butler greeted them, “Sir, the pear soup has been prepared as you requested.”
Yu’s father nodded.
Yu’s mother led Yu Qing to the dining table. “An’an, let me cool it for you before you drink.”
Yu An headed toward his room but was stopped after a few steps by Yu’s father, “Come with me to the study.”
Yu’s father looked at Yu You, “You too.”
The three of them went upstairs to the study.
Yu Qing, drinking the pear soup, watched their backs nervously.
His mother’s words of concern at the table echoed again, and he suddenly felt reassured.

—

In the study.
Yu’s father sat at the desk, his arms resting on it, fingers interlaced.
He looked at Yu You and Yu An, who sat opposite on the sofa, and fell silent for a moment.
The room was filled with unspoken tension.
Usually, at times like these, Yu An would break the silence—a form of concession.
It meant that the matter of Yu An’s hospitalization, Yu’s father refusing calls, and their absence during his stay would be left behind.
That’s how peace was restored to the Yu household.
But this time, Yu An would no longer wrong himself.
He leaned into the soft sofa, expression calm, refusing to speak.

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Yu You couldn’t help but speak, “Yu An, how could you push your brother into the water?”
Yu An turned to him, “I didn’t push him.”
Yu You frowned, “If not you, did Yu Qing fall in by himself?”
After saying that, Yu An fell silent and directly asked his father, “What do you want to see me about? I’m tired today and want to rest early.”
His tone was cold, no longer the gentle demeanor he usually carried, yet still polite, flawless.
Only then did Yu’s father look at Yu An properly. For some reason, he could no longer recall how Yu An had grown up, nor discern if he was thinner than before.
He had missed the emergency call from the hospital—a clear oversight.
Yu’s father fell silent a moment, then said, “Come to the company tomorrow. Let your brother show you the ropes.”
Upon hearing this, Yu An’s expression turned utterly cold.
In his dreams, Yu’s father had accused him of stealing company data, driving him out of the house, and he had died in a car accident.
From the start, Yu’s father never believed him.
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message. He opened it—it was from the theater, notifying him he had passed the audition and to report at eight the next morning.
He turned off the phone and looked to his father, “No need, Dad. I’ll go rest in my room.”
With that, Yu An left the study, ignoring the two shocked gazes behind him.
They had always thought Yu An’s hard work and good behavior were to get into the family company and claim his inheritance.
What they didn’t know was that all he ever wanted was their love.

—

The next day, Yu An arrived at the theater half an hour early.
Another person stood by the door and approached him when he saw him. “Hello, you’re also new here, right?”
Yu An nodded.
The man smiled broadly, showing eight teeth, and extended his hand. “I’m Song Zhao, nice to meet you.”
Yu An shook his hand. “Hello, I’m Yu An.”
Song Zhao was very friendly. “I knew you’d get in.”
Yu An looked at him, puzzled.
He nudged Yu An’s shoulder. “Yesterday afternoon, I was in that room and saw someone giving you trouble.”
At that moment, the theater doors opened.
They changed into dancewear and went to the rehearsal hall.
It was empty at this time.
Song Zhao continued, “Before I tell you about your situation, let me tell you about the theater’s owner.”
Yu An had researched the theater and its founder before the audition. He recalled the owner’s picture was a middle-aged man.
Song Zhao shook his index finger in front of him.
“No, the real owner is someone else.”
“Rumor has it, the owner loves opera and opened this theater himself. He hates nepotism or money getting people in, so everyone here is talented.”
Yu An nodded. “Sounds like a good owner.”
“Not exactly. Owners are capitalists; we’re all exploited. The most formidable is Teacher Su Su.”
Yu An: “Teacher Su Su?”
Song Zhao: “The half-long-haired, bearded teacher from yesterday’s audition.”
Yu An remembered him clearly and nodded.
Song Zhao: “After your competition, Old Su risked causing a scene to speak well of you to the owner.”
“As a result, the bribed judges were fired, and the guy who gave you trouble was banned from all reputable theaters. Looks like he’s done with dancing.”
Yu An fell silent.
At that moment, more troupe members arrived in the rehearsal hall.
When Su Su came, he introduced everyone and then briefed Yu An and Song Zhao on the troupe’s situation.
In a month, the troupe would perform at the theater.
The dance was called ‘Battle March,’ featuring sword dancing, raising the difficulty.
Time was tight; Su Su urged them to learn the choreography quickly and join training.
Afterward, Su Su smiled, “Congratulations on joining our family. Remember to add me; come to me if you need anything.”
Yu An and Song Zhao nodded.
They joined the group and began training.

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‘Battle March’ was a group dance, with each person having different moves. Early on, they all had to learn every step before the teacher chose roles for each performer.
Su Su paid special attention to newcomers Yu An and Song Zhao.
During stretching, he watched closely and occasionally corrected their movements.
Taking this chance, Yu An sincerely thanked Teacher Su Su and shared a hair care tip. Su Su chuckled, stroking his beard, his eyes showing newfound admiration.
During lunch, Song Zhao suddenly tapped Yu An’s arm, “Look, that’s the big boss I told you about this morning.”
Yu An followed his gaze and paused, then asked, “Do you know his name?”
Song Zhao raised an eyebrow, “Gu Yuzhou, the famous Mr. Gu, a business genius! Haven’t you heard of him?”
Yu An shook his head. Gu Yuzhou?
He repeated the name silently—quite a nice name.
At five in the afternoon, the troupe disbanded, ending the day’s training.
Song Zhao packed up to leave, glancing at Yu An still practicing. “Yu An, aren’t you leaving yet?”
Yu An looked up. “I’ll practice a bit more. You go ahead.”
“All right, see you tomorrow!”
Yu An smiled. “Yeah, see you tomorrow!”
He had asked Teacher Su Su earlier; the theater closed at nine, allowing him to finish evening practice there before going home to rest.

—

Gu Yuzhou, after finishing a business meeting, stopped by the theater before returning to work at his company.
At six in the afternoon, his phone on the desk buzzed repeatedly. He put down his mouse and picked up the phone.
In a group chat, friends tagged him.
Lin Chuying: [@Gu Yuzhou I ran into your nephew at the bar again.]
Lin Chuying: [Video.avi]
Opening the video showed colorful lights and a crowd moving to loud music. The most conspicuous figure with red hair was Gu Bei, Gu Yuzhou’s nephew, holding a boy and kissing him passionately, tongues entwined clearly visible.
Gu Yuzhou exited the video before it ended, expression cold, showing no reaction.
Lin Chuying: [Mr. Gu has been celibate for thirty years, quite the outlier in the Gu family, right? Right, Qin Zhou @Qin Zhou.]
Qin Zhou: [Hey, hey, you’re joking, but don’t drag me into this. My family business still depends on Mr. Gu.]
Lin Chuying: [Qin Zhou, you’re so boring!]
Qin Zhou: [But Gu Ge, have you ever thought about getting married?]
Gu Yuzhou didn’t reply, his hand against his forehead in a thinking gesture.
Lin Chuying: [I have a blind date tomorrow; wish me luck, friends!]
Qin Zhou: [??? So sudden?]
Lin Chuying: [Old man’s pressure!]
…
His assistant came in with documents; Gu Yuzhou put down his phone.
“Go ahead and leave for the day.”
Assistant: “Okay.”
Gu Yuzhou returned to work. At eight, he rubbed his brow, shut his computer, and drove to the theater.

—

Yu An practiced until half past eight, then packed up to go home.
As he left the rehearsal hall, the audition coordinator from yesterday stood not far away on the phone.
“Why did you leave the theater? Don’t you know you have to ask for leave? … How long until you get here? What? An hour?”
Yu An was about to leave but overheard, “What to do? Mr. Gu has already arrived at the theater to watch the show…”
He paused. Mr. Gu? Watching a show? Could it be Gu Yuzhou?
Remembering what Song Zhao told him this morning, Yu An checked the time and turned to approach the coordinator.
Qi Lin hung up, anxiety overwhelming him.
Mr. Gu occasionally came to the theater at night to watch performances, so they arranged a late shift.
But the person scheduled to work tonight hadn’t asked for leave and was absent. Now they needed to find someone who could sing opera well and was nearby…
In frantic desperation, he caught sight of a tall, slender young man approaching.
“I can sing opera. I’ll give it a try.”