Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It was unclear how much time had passed before the building staff finished their floor-by-floor inspections and began notifying residents to return home.

By the time it was Gu Yubai’s turn, dawn was breaking, night had retreated, leaving only a faint gray hue.

Assistant Jin had been persuaded by Yu Li to leave; Yu Li had even granted him a day off.

The elevator still wasn’t operational, so Gu Yihong was shaken awake, and the three of them trudged upstairs.

Passing by Yu Li’s floor, they went in to take a look. As expected, most of the apartment had been burned clean, except for one study. The door was made of some special material, and inside, the computer and books remained completely unscathed.

Gu Yihong tutted twice in amazement. "What treasures are you hiding in this study to warrant such a reinforced door? What kind of material is this? Everything inside is completely unscathed. Honestly, you could just buy a new set of bedding and sleep here."

He wandered around inside before stepping back out.

The living room and bedroom stood in stark contrast to the study—everything flammable had been reduced to charred ruins, the walls blackened. Fortunately, the structure hadn’t warped; the building’s quality was evidently decent.

Gu Yihong let out another scoff. He had a wicked tongue and wasn’t afraid to use it.

"If it were me, I’d have installed this door in the bedroom. That way, even if the world was ending outside, your bedroom would stay untouched. Seriously, Brother Yu, take my advice. If you ever get a girlfriend, you two could hide in there and live in your own little utopia."

Yu Li shot him a pointed look, as if to say, *Aren’t you going to rein him in?*

Gu Yubai let out a strained laugh and explained, "The *gaokao* results came out. My brother scored well enough to get into Mingcheng University’s law program."

"He’s going to be a lawyer."

Gu Yubai’s expression was a mix of exasperation and bafflingly doting indulgence, as if he believed his brother *should* be speaking so boldly.

In his past life, Gu Yihong had studied liberal arts abroad, and not becoming a lawyer had been a lifelong regret.

Still, Gu Yihong had always had a silver tongue. If he hadn’t been, the later Gu Yubai wouldn’t have been driven to send him to a mental institution for so-called "rest."

Whether he had actually rested or not was unknown—Gu Yubai had already died by then.

But he had arranged for a lawyer to retrieve him half a month later. Based on his calculations, no matter who ended up controlling Su Group afterward, Gu Yihong would live without a scratch. If he could inherit everything Gu Yubai left behind, even better. He wouldn’t leave the Su family so much as a dust speck, even if only Su Linyuan remained by then.

Yu Li could tell Gu Yubai adored his younger brother. The two didn’t seem to have any real conflict between them.

He mused with a hum, "And how did you do?"

Gu Yubai blinked, momentarily taken aback by the faint amusement in Yu Li’s eyes, then smiled obediently.

"I did decently too."

"*Decently*? My brother is practically a once-in-a-century genius! In both this life and the last, he was the top science scorer in the *gaokao* in Mingcheng, ranking in the top three nationwide. For years afterward, no one in Mingcheng could surpass his scores!"

Gu Yihong immediately perked up, his face full of pride, chin lifted arrogantly.

Yu Li instinctively glanced at Gu Yubai. "That impressive?"

"But how would you know your brother was also the top scorer in his *past* life?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Gu Yihong, who choked on his words, with a cold, assessing gaze.

Gu Yihong didn’t notice. Startled by the question, he subconsciously peeked at Gu Yubai, guilt plastered across his face.

Luckily, Gu Yubai didn’t seem to catch the implication in his words, only assuming he was bragging about his brother.

Gu Yihong exhaled in relief and waved off Yu Li’s teasing tone.

"Ugh, you’re no fun. I was just exaggerating. Can’t I be proud of my amazing brother?"

He yawned, though since he’d slept for a few hours leaning on Gu Yubai’s arm earlier, he was still fairly energetic.

Yu Li turned back to Gu Yubai, resuming their earlier conversation.

"The results have been out for a few days now. Why haven’t I seen any news about you online? Even though I haven’t been in the country, I know how much emphasis is placed on the top-ranked students every year. But this year, there doesn’t seem to be any publicity."

Before Gu Yubai could answer, Gu Yihong cut in. "That’s because my brother is humble!"

"Before the results were even announced, people were calling him—not just the school, but all sorts of media outlets. But my brother turned them all down. The only interview he agreed to was with a provincial official media arranged by the school. He’ll go in a few days."

Gu Yubai offered a modest smile. "It’s better to keep a low profile."

He lightly smacked Gu Yihong’s arm to stop him from running his mouth. The younger man immediately zipped his lips, even mimicking the motion with his fingers before pouting at Gu Yubai as if being denied the chance to show off was a crime against nature.

Gu Yihong idolized his older brother wholeheartedly.

Yu Li’s gaze darted. He glanced coldly at the clingy fool that was Gu Yihong, then at Gu Yubai, who was smiling at his antics, before lowering his eyes.

Gu Yubai *was* genuinely happy.

His thoughts drifted, suddenly recalling his past life, when he had also been the top scorer.

-------

Back then, Gu Yubai had been a wide-eyed eighteen-year-old.

He had already returned to the Su family with Steward Zhang, filled with hope for his real relatives. At first, he had treated everyone with kindness. But that kindness quickly turned into wariness, sparked by a series of minor yet deliberate schemes from Su Shengli.

Only two days after his return, Su Group publicly announced the recovery of their long-lost twin son.

At a family gathering, Su Shengli used Gu Yubai as a stepping stone to suck up to the Su family. When someone asked why they’d never heard of a long-lost twin brother before, Su Shengli vaguely painted Gu Yubai as the pitiful bastard born from Su father being tricked by a vile woman’s scheme.

The rumor reached the ears of the friends Gu Yubai had grown up with.

They loathed illegitimate children with a passion, viewing him as a scheming worm who had worked his way in and needed to be guarded against, yet still looked down on his status. They quickly ganged up on him, ambushing him with a sack when he went to visit his comatose adoptive father in the hospital, beating him senseless.

When Gu Yubai reported it to the police, the Su family arrived.

But they didn’t side with him. After Su Shengli tearfully claimed ignorance—insisting his friends had only acted out of concern—Su Linyuan immediately dropped the charges. To Gu Yubai, the victim, he offered only two icy words: *"Don’t cause trouble."*

Afterward, Su Shengli smirked at him in triumph.

Gu Yubai received no comfort from the Su family. Instead, when Su Shengli pulled the pity card and said she liked the apology gifts sent by the perpetrators, Song Manman unhesitatingly ordered Gu Yubai to hand them over.

Su father transferred him some money but said nothing else.

The entire Su household knew the True Young Master was no match for the False Young Master, Su Shengli.

Under Su Shengli’s subtle influence, the servants neglected Gu Yubai.

They refused to wash his clothes, clean his room, and even complained that his presence added to their workload. Eventually, if Gu Yubai was the only one home, they wouldn’t even prepare meals.

With Su Shengli—the Su family’s treasured darling, doted on like a priceless jewel—around, Gu Yubai never truly belonged.

Without the rose-tinted glasses of parental and fraternal love, Gu Yubai realized not only had he failed to integrate into this new family, but his so-called parents and siblings had also kept him at arm’s length from the start.

Once he understood this, he felt as though an invisible shackle had finally shattered.

Having experienced the care and affection from his adoptive father before the accident, and the deep brotherly bond with Gu Yihong before his amnesia, Gu Yubai never placed any importance on the supposed "care" from the Su family, which felt more like throwing bones to a stray dog!

The only family he truly acknowledged were his adoptive father and Gu Yihong.

After that, rather than staying in the Su residence and clashing with Su Shengli, Gu Yubai preferred to spend his days accompanying his vegetative adoptive father.

In his free time, Gu Yubai often visited the city library, where he met a highly respected chemistry professor. Under the professor's guidance, Gu Yubai found his passion.

His silence and restraint were seen by Su Shengli as surrender, filling him with smug triumph, yet also stirring a faint sense of dissatisfaction.

Gu Yubai’s very existence was a constant reminder to Su Shengli that he was not the legitimate young master of the Su family.

He grew increasingly resentful of Gu Yubai.

When the college entrance exam results were announced, it came as no surprise that Gu Yubai became the gaokao champion in Mingcheng. The school called his home, asking him to return for a special interview with a provincial TV station. Given how well the school had treated him and Gu Yihong, Gu Yubai agreed without hesitation.

But before he could leave, Su Shengli locked him in his room.

All the servants were sent home for the day, including Butler Zhang. Su Linyuan was at work, while Song Manman and Su Shengli were out and didn’t return until evening.

That day, Gu Yubai opened the window and slid down from the fourth floor using bedsheets. He landed in a rose bush below, his body covered in cuts from the thorns, with a particularly deep gash on his arm. Blood dripped down his arm as he walked.

He only had time to buy band-aids from a roadside store and patch up his wounds in a restroom before heading to the school.

He arrived on time for the media interview, and only afterward did he go to the hospital to get proper medical treatment.

When he returned to the Su residence, Su Shengli was laughing and begging Su Wanlin to take him to an auction to celebrate his admission to film school, where he might one day become a star.

Song Manman immediately decided to throw a post-exam party for Su Shengli, hiring a renowned international designer to create a custom-tailored outfit for him.

Meanwhile, Su Linyuan, his eyes full of indulgence, announced that during the upcoming party, he would formally transfer the family’s share dividends—originally meant for every Su family member—to Su Shengli’s name.

The harmonious unity of the four of them made Gu Yubai, standing coldly at the entrance, seem completely alien.

Ignoring everyone, he headed upstairs, only to be stopped by Su Linyuan’s icy voice.

"You come home and don’t even greet anyone?"

A mocking smile curled on Gu Yubai’s lips as he turned and sneered at the happy family in the living room.

"Greet who? My supposed family who stood by while an impostor bullied me and told me to endure it? With all due respect, I’m not worthy!"

Gu Yubai had always been even-tempered, but his pride ran bone-deep.

His disgust for the Su family was palpable, his eyes radiating icy contempt.

Su Linyuan’s face darkened instantly, while Song Manman and Su Wanlin downstairs also had their faces fall.

Su Shengli glanced around before suddenly breaking down in tears.

"Elder brother, don’t argue with Yubai because of me. I don’t want to see you fight. If... if Yubai really can't tolerate my presence, I’ll leave. I’m just a stranger who stole his place—it’s only natural he resents me."

Gu Yubai turned on his heel and left.

Behind him, he heard Su Wanlin’s soothing words to Su Shengli, Song Manman’s complaints about how her biological son couldn’t compare to her adopted one, and Su Linyuan’s angry shouts about Gu Yubai’s cold, aloof nature and how he constantly bullied Su Shengli.

The next day, Gu Yubai packed his bags to leave the Su family.

Having lived there for less than two months, everything he owned fit into a single backpack.

On his way out, he encountered Su Shengli, who smugly stood blocking his path at the staircase, eyes filled with scorn.

"Do yourself a favor and leave the Su family forever and never come back to annoy me."

Like a pampered prince, he was certain that no matter what he did, someone would always have his back.

That was the privilege of being loved.

Gu Yubai gave him a cold glance, not bothering to mention he was already leaving.

Then, the sound of a door opening came from behind. Su Shengli abruptly shut his mouth, shooting Gu Yubai a look before suddenly putting on a terrified act.

"Second brother, I know you hate me, but don’t push me—"

With that, he twisted his body and let himself fall down the stairs.

Su Linyuan’s furious roar followed immediately.

"Gu Yubai!"

Standing on the second-floor landing, Gu Yubai showed no reaction. He simply watched coldly as Su Linyuan cradled Su Shengli, whose back was scraped, before brushing past them and leaving without a word.

Gu Yubai returned to his adoptive father’s home and lived there alone.

The Su family couldn't care less.

Later, when the media released footage of Gu Yubai as the gaokao champion, the comments section—aside from a handful of neutral observers—was flooded with paid commenters by Su Shengli, spreading lies about how this so-called "gaokao champion" was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The once peaceful comment section turned into a toxic mess.

Su Shengli’s paid commenters used made-up "evidence" to paint Gu Yubai as a jealous, malicious figure who harmed his younger brother and was rightfully kicked out of the Su family.

The media outlet had no choice but to close the comments section, and only then did things calm down somewhat.

Later, Su Linyuan called him, saying that if Gu Yubai apologized to Su Shengli, they would welcome him back.

Gu Yubai hung up and blocked him.

He stayed away from the Su family, not even after the semester began—until...

-----

Gu Yubai’s expression darkened slightly. When he came back to the present, he heard Gu Yihong’s disbelieving tone.

"What? You want to stay at my place?! Even if all nearby hotels are booked, can’t you just find one near your company? Why my house?"

Yu Li’s eyes were half-closed as he replied calmly,

"Hotels can't compare to home."

Gu Yihong’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"But this isn't your home! Wouldn’t staying at a stranger’s place be uncomfortable? I refuse to believe it’s more comfortable than a hotel."

Yu Li gave a soft laugh.

Then he turned to Gu Yubai, his look knowing.

"But your brother and I... are hardly strangers."