Chapter 7

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Yu An carefully shook the rainwater off his umbrella before pushing open the door and stepping into the villa. The living room was dimly lit, with only a warm yellow light glowing from the dining area. Beneath the light, Yu’s mother, dressed in silky pajamas, was pouring water. A medicine box sat nearby, indicating she was about to take some medicine.

Yu An’s footsteps paused briefly before he continued toward his room. Shortly after the door closed behind him, a sharp crashing sound echoed from the living room.

He quickly opened his door and rushed out. The floor of the dining area was scattered with shards of porcelain and glass. Yu’s mother was crouching, about to pick them up.

Yu An strode over and took her hand gently. “Mom, I’ll do it.”

She hesitated, her eyes briefly unfamiliar as if trying to place him, then thanked him politely, “Thank you, the glass can easily cut hands, be careful.”

Yu An smiled faintly. “Mm.”

He knelt down, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Yu’s mother carrying a fresh glass upstairs while a soft voice called out, “An’an, Mommy brought you some hot water, come drink it while it’s warm.”

His expression calm and composed, his long eyelashes casting shadows as he crouched there for a moment. The butler, hearing the noise, came out and, seeing the shattered glass on the floor and Yu An’s posture, thought he might have been hurt, and hurried over.

“Second Young Master, please don’t move. I’ll have the servants clean this up.”

Yu An snapped back to reality and looked up at the butler. “No need.”

The butler, realizing his mistake, was stunned—Second Young Master wasn’t crying after all. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed to himself, “I must be getting old if I can’t even tell that.”

Yu An gathered the pieces into a bag, taped it securely, threw it in the trash, then went upstairs to wash up and returned to his room.

In his haste earlier, he had dropped his umbrella on the floor. He carefully placed it by the door, then lay on his bed, remarkably sleeping well for once.

The next morning, sunlight had already streamed into the room when Yu An jolted awake. Seeing a message from Teacher Su Su that it was the weekend and no need to go to the theater, he finally relaxed.

His gaze then fell on the black umbrella leaning by the door. Yesterday, he had promised to return the umbrella to Mr. Gu, but with the theater closed today, he wondered if Mr. Gu would even come.

After some thought, he decided to go out for breakfast first.

After washing up, on his way to the dining room, he caught the scent of something sweet and fragrant with a hint of strawberry tartness. He hesitated but kept walking.

Entering the dining room, the first thing he saw was his mother, wearing thick gloves, pulling a cake from the oven, and Yu Qing sitting at the table waiting.

When he was little, strawberry cake was his favorite. For that reason, his mother—who rarely cooked—had learned to make this dessert just for him.

However, after he turned five, it was Yu Qing who ate it.

“Ta-da! Look! An’an, today’s cake turned out really well!” His mother’s delighted voice rang in his ears.

Yu An couldn’t help but turn to look, watching his mother cut the cake.

Yu Qing, surrounded by the butler and servants like a little prince, glanced over at Yu An with an air of superiority, as if to assert that the position of the young master of the house still belonged to him.

No matter how much Yu An secretly studied dance or went to the theater, it wouldn’t change this outcome.

Watching the loving gaze his mother gave Yu Qing, a suffocating pain suddenly welled up in Yu An’s chest.

Unlike before, when he would quietly leave with red eyes, he now spoke softly in front of the butler and servants, “Mom, don’t I have any?”

His mother’s hand paused mid-cut as she looked at him. The others also turned to look.

Yu An made no move, as if he never expected to receive that piece of cake once he spoke.

He took some bread from the fridge, silently left the dining room, and returned to his room.

During this time, he didn’t glance once at his mother and naturally didn’t notice her unusual, stunned expression after he spoke.

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Seeing her like that, Yu Qing panicked slightly and quickly pouted, “Mom, the cake smells so good.”

His mother came back to herself, though her eyes instinctively flicked toward where Yu An had left. Only after Yu Qing’s repeated coaxing did she hand the cake to him.

She looked at Yu Qing and rarely furrowed her delicate brows.

The movement was subtle, but Yu Qing, who had long learned to read his mother’s expressions, suddenly bit his nail hard under the table.

Taking a bite of the cake, his mouth felt bitter, but his face still wore a smile, as if he were the most beloved child, sweetly praising, “Mom, this cake is delicious. I’m so happy.”

His mother’s gaze turned tender again as she reached out to stroke his head.

“An’an likes Mommy’s cake, Mommy is very happy too.”

Feeling the gentle touch, Yu Qing suddenly recalled something. When Yu An was first brought home, he had also fought for the cake, but back then, Yu An was harshly pushed aside by their mother, hitting his head against a nail on the wall.

The rich creamy sweetness returned to his mouth as Yu Qing looked at his mother and smiled even more sweetly, “Mom, you’re so good to me.”

—

Back in his room, Yu An slowly sat on the edge of the bed, a dull ache beginning to throb at the back of his head.

Only now did he remember that in his youth and ignorance, he had tried to fight for something, but the pain it brought was deeper than he imagined, making him never dare to hope again.

His gaze slowly focused on the umbrella by the door. He struggled free from the memories, grabbed his backpack and umbrella, and left the Yu residence.

On the way to the theater, he counted the days he had left and adjusted his mood.

Although the theater was closed for the weekend, many people still came to watch plays, and the doors were open.

Teacher Su Su, knowing he would stay late to practice, had specially given him a spare key.

This spared him from troubling Teacher Yu, so she wouldn't worry.

After calming himself down by practicing several dances, Yu An went on to rehearse several pieces of music.

There were still snacks left in the rehearsal room’s locker from when they had given him some last time. He picked a few to eat, replenished his energy, and continued practicing.

At noon, he went out to find food.

The theater cafeteria was open on weekends too. Many teachers lived in villas behind the theater, and when they didn’t feel like cooking at home, they came here to eat.

Yu An found a quiet corner and ate alone.

—

The theater’s originally scheduled equipment had some issues.

Gu Yuzhou came over to handle it, and the theater’s person in charge felt nervous.

Passing the cafeteria, the manager seemed to find a way to redeem himself and began introducing the theater’s new changes to Mr. Gu.

Gu Yuzhou listened without reaction but paused when he spotted a familiar figure.

The manager noticed Mr. Gu’s reaction and cautiously asked, “Mr. Gu, is there something that needs improvement?”

Gu Yuzhou glanced at his assistant.

The assistant immediately led the group away. Out of the corner of his eye, Gu Yuzhou’s steps never stopped as he headed directly toward the young man.

—

Yu An was deeply immersed in everything he did, even eating.

He didn’t realize when a shadow appeared beside him until quite a while later.

Turning, he saw it was Gu Yuzhou. His eyes widened slightly, forgetting to chew his food.

Gu Yuzhou’s dark eyes flickered with what seemed like a smile.

He looked at Yu An’s plate. “Is it good?”

Yu An snapped back, “Yes, it’s good.”

Gu Yuzhou’s gaze settled on the young man’s face. “I thought it was a day off on weekends.”

Yu An tightened his grip on the chopsticks, eyes on his plate. “I have nothing to do at home, so I came here to train.”

He then looked up at the man. “Mr. Gu, don’t you come to the theater on weekends?”

Gu Yuzhou: “I can.”

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Yu An took a bite, then heard a low question. “Feeling down?”

Yu An was surprised; aside from Teacher Yu, this was the second person to ask if he was feeling bad.

He looked at Gu Yuzhou seriously. “Yes, but I’m much better now. Thank you.”

The assistant whispered something to Gu Yuzhou.

Gu Yuzhou stood up. Yu An quickly asked, “Mr. Gu, the umbrella you lent me…”

Before he could finish, Gu Yuzhou interrupted, “The weather forecast says it’s been rainy these days. Keep it and use it.”

Yu An hadn’t expected this outcome.

He didn’t refuse but smiled faintly at the man. “Thank you, Mr. Gu.”

Gu Yuzhou watched Yu An’s eyes curve in a smile, then retracted his advancing foot.

He stepped closer and gently patted Yu An’s head, as if understanding why the boy was upset. His steady voice soothed, “Take good care of yourself.”

After the man left, Yu An still sat frozen, feeling the lingering warmth from his hand on his head. He reached up and touched it.

At eight in the evening, after training, Yu An grabbed his umbrella and prepared to leave.

A car was parked at the theater’s entrance.

The driver got out and asked, “Are you with the troupe?”

Yu An nodded.

The man opened the back door. “I’ll take you home.”

Yu An tensed but didn’t move.

The man added, “Mr. Gu instructed yesterday that the theater will have a car ready at night for anyone who can’t get a ride home.”

Yu An was stunned, checked his phone, and sure enough, Teacher Su Su had posted the same message in the group chat.

He thanked the man and got in.

The car was quiet. He opened the group chat where everyone was sending thank-you emojis to the boss.

He followed suit. When he casually turned his head, Yu An caught the reflection of smiling eyes in the window.

In the following days, just as Gu Yuzhou said, it rained lightly every day, but Yu An no longer got wet and didn’t have to take a taxi home every day.

However, when the skies cleared, Gu Yuzhou still didn’t come to the theater to watch plays.

Yu An happily collected several days’ wages. Soon he received his acceptance letter. Sharing the news with Teacher Yu, she was very pleased.

Coincidentally, Teacher Yu’s troupe had just finished performing and invited him to celebrate both his entry into the theater and acceptance.

Yu An agreed and, after troupe practice, went to the small villa behind the theater.

—

At the theater, Gu Yuzhou sat in a chair, waiting for the young man’s appearance.

He had been busy the past few days, finally free tonight.

After waiting a long time without the boy arriving, the manager appeared.

Qi Lin wiped sweat from his brow. “Sorry, Mr. Gu. Teacher Yu took the day off today, said he was going to have dinner with his teacher.”

Gu Yuzhou pondered briefly. “Teacher?”

Qi Lin nodded repeatedly. “Yes, there are other teachers at the theater. Would you like to listen?”

Gu Yuzhou was silent for a moment, then stood. “No need.”

Outside the theater, he received a call from Aunt Yu, inviting him to dinner.

Just as he was about to decline, a voice sounded through the phone, “Don’t use work as an excuse. I know you’re at the theater.”

Gu Yuzhou pressed his forehead and agreed to go.