Chapter 8

In the small villa behind the theater, Yu Ling put down her phone and asked toward the kitchen, "Xiao An, someone else is coming over for dinner later. Do you mind?"

"I don't mind at all," Yu An replied, carefully picking bok choy. He asked politely, "Teacher, is the guest a family member of yours?"

Yu Ling walked over. "Yes, my sister's son."

Yu An pondered this. Her sister's son—he must be around his age, right? Why had he never heard the teacher mention him?

Reading his expression, Yu Ling tapped the tip of his nose. "He is twelve years older than you." Knowing Gu Yuzhou's temperament, she added, "He has a rather cold personality and doesn't talk much, but he’s a good person. Don't be afraid."

Yu An smiled. "I understand."

As he went back to washing vegetables, Yu Ling reached out and pulled him out of the kitchen, chiding him gently, "We’re celebrating you receiving your acceptance letter today, so stay out of the kitchen! Every time you come over, you’re always looking for chores to do. Can’t you just come over to have fun for once?"

Yu An was led to a stool, feeling the lingering coolness on his nose where she had tapped him.

Yu Ling tapped his nose again and said, "I bought you some snacks. Just sit here and eat them like a good boy."

Yu An’s eyes curved into crescents, and he answered softly, "Alright, thank you, Teacher Yu."

The housekeeper was already busy in the kitchen, but Yu Ling wanted to prepare one of her own signature dishes, so she headed back in. The kitchen was not open-concept but was enclosed by transparent glass. Sitting at the dining table, Yu An could see inside whenever he turned his head. Under the bright lights, the range hood hummed, and the rice cooker began to hiss. Yu Ling, dressed in loungewear with her hair tied up loosely, started heating oil in a pan, and the aroma of garlic began to drift out.

It was a scene common to any ordinary household, yet Yu An never tired of watching it. For a long time, he had been catching glimpses of maternal love in Yu Ling and treasuring them like precious keepsakes. However, whenever Yu Ling turned to look at him, he would immediately look away, too shy to meet her gaze.

Yu An looked closely at the snacks Yu Ling had prepared for him—all the kinds of things kids loved: chocolate, potato chips, candy, and even a cup of milk tea. He poked the lid, took a sip, and his eyes lit up in surprise when he discovered it had pearls inside. He couldn't resist taking another large sip, the sweet, rich milk tea spreading across his tongue.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. Thinking it might be the teacher's relative, Yu An didn't even have time to put down his milk tea before running to the foyer to open the door.

"Hello!—" He smiled at the person standing there, then widened his eyes slightly. "Mr. Gu?"

When Gu Yuzhou saw Yu An, his expression flickered with surprise, and he understood immediately. As their eyes met, Yu An said blankly, "So, you are Teacher Yu's relative."

Gu Yuzhou nodded, catching a sweet scent. He looked down and saw the milk tea in Yu An’s hand, which made him smile slightly. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Yu An finally snapped out of it and hurriedly stepped back. Yu Ling jogged over, intending to make introductions.

"No need for introductions," Gu Yuzhou said. "We already know each other."

Yu Ling looked at Yu An in surprise.

Yu An nodded. "Yes, Mr. Gu and I met a while ago."

After briefly explaining how they had met, Yu Ling asked with some concern, "How long will you be performing? Won't it be hard on your throat?"

Before Yu An could answer, Gu Yuzhou asked, "Your throat?"

Yu Ling looked toward him, wondering why he was interested, but she explained briefly, "Xiao An learned opera when he was a child—I was his teacher. But later, he had an accident, and his voice was damaged, so he stopped performing."

Gu Yuzhou frowned slightly.

Seeing this, Yu An explained, "Teacher, my throat is fine. I don't have to sing for long at the theater. Besides, you know how much I love performing. I’m just happy to have the opportunity."

Gu Yuzhou remained silent. Knowing that Yu An didn't want to make Gu Yuzhou feel pressured, Yu Ling sighed inwardly. He was always so considerate; it made her heart ache. She ruffled Yu An’s hair, thinking about how she had run into the Yu family at a banquet earlier that day and hadn't been able to stop herself from giving them a piece of her mind.

***

Yu An, oblivious to his teacher's thoughts, subconsciously leaned into the palm of her hand.

The housekeeper brought the prepared hotpot to the table, set out the washed vegetables, and then departed. The three of them sat down, with Yu An positioned between them. Before he could even pick up his chopsticks, a piece of meat appeared in his bowl. Yu Ling smiled at him and said, "Xiao An, congratulations on embarking on the path of your dreams!"

Yu An smiled back. "Thank you, Teacher Yu. I will keep working hard!"

Before long, tiny beads of sweat broke out on the bridge of his nose, and he accidentally choked. A hand reached over and handed him a glass of water. He drank it quickly, hearing a deep voice beside him say, "Take your time."

As the tickle in his throat subsided, he realized belatedly that the glass Gu Yuzhou had handed him contained warm water. He set the glass down and looked at him. "Thank you, Mr. Gu."

Gu Yuzhou grunted an acknowledgment and placed a piece of daikon radish in his bowl. The radish had been boiled until soft and tender. Yu An took a bite, the sweet juices filling his mouth and soothing his irritated throat. From then on, Gu Yuzhou took over serving them. At first, Yu An thanked him politely, but eventually, he focused entirely on eating. By the end of the meal, all three were quite satisfied.

After eating, Yu Ling brought up a matter of business. The theater was holding a ball in two days—a private event they organized annually, and it was always a lively affair.

"Xiao An," Yu Ling said, "are you free that day? Would you like to be my dance partner?"

Curious about what the ball would be like, Yu An nodded. "Okay."

Yu Ling turned to Gu Yuzhou. "Are you free that day? Why don't you come along?"

"The company is quite busy," Gu Yuzhou said calmly.

Knowing he would say that, Yu Ling replied, "Fine then."

By the time they finished chatting, it was already nine in the evening. Yu Ling asked Gu Yuzhou to drive Yu An home. Looking at Gu Yuzhou’s expressionless face, she added with concern, "In my heart, Xiao An is not just my student, but also my family. Please be gentle with him."

Gu Yuzhou agreed. Yu Ling watched them leave before closing the door.

Gu Yuzhou drove, while Yu An sat in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead. There was silence throughout the drive. Only when they reached the gate of the Yu family villa did Yu An speak. "Mr. Gu, thank you for driving me home."

He reached for the car door, but before he could step out, he heard a low voice say, "Wait."

Yu An turned around, only to see the man leaning toward him. He caught that faint, crisp scent again.

*Click.*

"You forgot to unbuckle your seatbelt," Gu Yuzhou said.

Yu An finally realized what had happened. A flush crept up his ears, and he said embarrassedly, "I'll head inside now."

Gu Yuzhou seemed to smile. "Congratulations on getting into your dream university."

Yu An couldn't help but curve his eyes. "Yes! Thank you, Mr. Gu."

He stepped out and pushed open the gate to the villa. Before entering, he turned back to look at the road, but the black car was already pulling away. Gu Yuzhou only drove off once he saw Yu An go inside.

***

As soon as Yu An stepped through the door, he heard the Yu father and son talking in the living room.

"The company has a project that needs to collaborate with the Gu Corporation," his father said.

"Dad," Yu You replied, "it’s said that the President of the Gu Corporation is cold and detached. I’m afraid it won't be easy to get a foot in the door."

His father sighed. "Indeed."

Yu Qing asked, "Brother, are you and Dad talking about Gu Yuzhou, the President of the Gu Corporation?"

Hearing this, Yu An paused.

"Yes," Yu You replied.

"Dad," Yu Qing said, unable to hide his excitement, "let me try."

His father immediately understood what he was planning and scolded him sternly, "What do you think you’re doing? Don't be reckless! Do you really think you’re in a position to climb that high with someone like Gu Yuzhou?"

Heavy footsteps followed as they headed upstairs. Yu An stood where he was, lowering his eyes. After a moment, he closed the door and returned to his room.

***

He hadn't trained yet that evening, so he did some stretching in his room before taking a shower. However, when he returned to his room and saw who was standing at his door, his expression turned cold.

Yu Qing seemed not to notice his cold demeanor. "Who brought you home tonight? You didn't go out and find some boyfriend, did you?"

Yu An frowned. "That has nothing to do with you."

Yu Qing looked stubborn. "How does it have nothing to do with me?! You aren't allowed to like anyone, and you aren't allowed to date!"

Yu An didn't want to listen to him anymore. He walked into his room, intending to shut the door. Yu Qing blocked it. "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

He pulled out a bag he was holding. "Look, this is a cake Mom baked earlier. Don't you love strawberry cake? I saved some especially for you."

His act of being "good" for Yu An was a stark contrast to his usual arrogant self. He was a master of the "carrot and stick" technique.

Yu An found it absurd and looked at Yu Qing with growing disgust. "The thing I regret most is truly treating you like a little brother, protecting you and cherishing you."

Yu Qing’s eyes reddened. "Then why did you stop?! Why did you pull my hair?!"

Yu An didn't listen to another word and pushed him out of the room.

"Yu An!" a roar came from down the hall.

He looked over to see Yu You walking toward him, subconsciously shielding Yu Qing. Yu An’s hand, which was gripping the door, tightened. Yu Qing stood behind Yu You, looking as if he had been terribly wronged. "Big Brother..."

Yu You frowned at Yu An, but upon meeting those clear, bright eyes, he paused. The words of the famous opera artist Yu Ling suddenly echoed in his ears: *“Yu An is talented and brilliant. As his family, you should be helping him spread his wings, not cutting them off.”*

His expression turned complex. Finally, he turned to Yu Qing and said, "It’s late. Stop bothering your second brother."

Yu Qing froze, not understanding why Yu You would suddenly say that. "Big Brother—"

"That’s enough," Yu You interrupted. "Let it go."

Yu Qing shut his mouth in frustration and returned to his room, slamming the bag of cake onto the floor. Yu You looked at Yu An, but found that the door had already been closed. A strange, inexplicable feeling rose in his chest. He frowned, turned, and walked away.

***

Back in bed, what had just happened no longer affected him. Yu An leaned against the headboard, looking at the umbrella placed by the door. It hadn't rained much lately, but he kept it with him every day just in case.

After staring at it quietly for a while, he thought of the way Gu Yuzhou had unbuckled his seatbelt that evening—composed, gentle, and calm. It seemed as if, in Gu Yuzhou's eyes, any problem could be solved. As he thought about it, he slid down into the blankets, resting his head on the soft pillow. In his hazy state, he felt as if he could smell that crisp, pleasant scent again.

*What kind of cologne is that?*

With that final thought, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

At the Gu Corporation office building, Gu Yuzhou had returned to work after dropping off Yu An.

It was 11:00 PM. He set down his mouse, rubbed the space between his brows, and picked up the document his assistant had left on his desk. He opened it, and his fingers paused.

It was a complete file on Yu An. At the top was a small photo, likely taken when Yu An was in high school. He was wearing his school uniform, looking into the camera with calm, quiet eyes—very obedient, very young, and very beautiful.

Gu Yuzhou lingered on the image for a moment, then closed the file without reading further and placed it into his drawer.