Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The hotpot restaurant was bustling with activity.

Stepping inside, a cacophony of voices washed over them. The air conditioning was on full blast, yet the cool breeze, mingled with the rising steam from the hotpots, created a uniquely vibrant and cozy atmosphere.

Gu Yubai and Yu Li were led by a waiter to a small two-person table by the window, where they sat facing each other.

While the waiter prepared their hotpot ingredients, Gu Yubai looked up at the bright moonlight outside the window.

He chuckled, "Brother Yu, have you always lived abroad?"

Yu Li's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Indeed, I've been abroad for the past decade. The company's business underwent restructuring, and I only recently returned to China."

Gu Yubai remarked, "No wonder. Brother Yu carries the natural gravitas of a successful person who has long held a position of power."

He looked at Yu Li with a curious, teasing glint in his eyes.

"So, Brother Yu, have you ever eaten at a small roadside place like this before? I invited you here for dinner—you're not secretly looking down on it, are you?"

His clear, slightly brown eyes gazed directly at Yu Li. He was oblivious to how pushy his question sounded, much like a jealous boyfriend pouting over someone getting too close, a little boy seemingly throwing a tantrum.

Though only eighteen, Gu Yubai always considered himself a seasoned soul, reborn into this life.

"No," Yu Li replied, his eyes briefly flickering away, yet he remained composed and patient with Gu Yubai.

He let out a soft laugh. "Do you take me for some pampered scion of a wealthy family? It's just a roadside restaurant—I'm no prince or princess. Why would I look down on it? Back when I was studying abroad alone, I worked part-time jobs with classmates. Sometimes we ate boxed meals, and other times, we didn't even have that."

"My current career was built through years of hard work. Besides that, I'm only a few years older than you, with just a bit more life experience."

Yu Li smiled at Gu Yubai, teasing, "Honestly, my life back then wasn't as good as yours. At least you had regular hours—I barely got any sleep, and my house even burned down."

Gu Yubai recalled the charred walls downstairs and the weary faces of the renovation workers these past few days, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You really don't get enough sleep. While others are deep in dreams at midnight, you're heading out to work."

Yu Li spread his hands helplessly. "What can I do? Thankfully, the company's business lines are almost fully adjusted. Once I make one last trip abroad, things should settle into a more regular routine."

The two chatted casually, and throughout their conversation, Yu Li never once asked why Gu Yubai had been on the highway.

Soon, the waiter brought their orders, and both simultaneously lowered their heads to fish for meatballs in the hotpot.

Their chopsticks collided, and a plump handmade meatball slipped back into the broth. Gu Yubai chuckled, then casually scooped up some just-cooked lamb slices with a slotted spoon and placed them directly into Yu Li’s bowl.

"Try this—the lamb here is really good. If you're up for it, next time Gu Yihong comes back, we can all eat together."

Just then, the waiter brought over the bottled iced cola Gu Yubai had ordered. Yu Li opened the cap, inserted a straw, and handed it to Gu Yubai across the table.

Gu Yubai glanced at Yu Li twice before accepting the cola, taking a deep sip, then smiling at him.

"Our Brother Yu is quite the thoughtful guy. Do you have a girlfriend? There's a new female teacher at my high school—a total knockout, gentle, with tons of guys after her. If you're interested—"

Before he could finish, Yu Li shook his head.

"I'm not interested."

Gu Yubai paused, then continued, "Even if you were… I might not be able to get her contact info for you."

He took a bite of spinach, then suddenly looked up and said,

"Wait—are you into men? I have a male teacher…"

Yu Li finally couldn't take it anymore. A slightly exasperated expression crossed his face, and he let out a soft hum, then raised a hand and lightly tapped Gu Yubai's head.

"Are you my personal matchmaker? Why am I being pressured into blind dates even here?"

"Enough with your male and female teachers. If you bring it up again, I'll just take you as compensation. I like men—specifically, your type."

Yu Li glared at Gu Yubai with mock annoyance, then scooped all the cooked ingredients from the hotpot into his bowl.

"Eat! Shut your mouth and stop bringing up embarrassing topics."

Steam curled between them from the bubbling hotpot. Behind the billowing vapor, Gu Yubai drew his head back slightly, suddenly realizing that Yu Li wasn't as composed as he'd imagined.

Mature, restrained, handsome, and steady—that was all just for show!

Gu Yubai tutted, reluctantly giving up on his eager matchmaking plans for the man across from him.

Gu Yubai loved the bottled cola from hotpot restaurants. Cracking open the bottle, the ice-cold, sugary liquid traveled through the straw, chilling his mouth with a refreshing coolness that temporarily froze his brain.

But as soon as he lowered his head to eat, his brain thawed out, and his soul returned.

Gu Yubai suddenly looked at Yu Li warily. "You're not allowed to like my brother. I won't introduce Gu Yihong to you!"

Yu Li: "…I said, I only want you!"

－－－－－－－－

Somehow, the conversation had veered to this topic. The two ate and drank, eventually finishing an entire case of beer.

Gu Yubai had overestimated his lightweight drinking ability in this life. Holding his beer glass, he stared blankly at the almost-empty hotpot, suddenly mumbling to himself.

"I hate the Su family."

Yu Li nodded slightly. Who didn't hate the Su family?

He leaned forward comfortably, chopsticks in hand, contentedly full and slightly buzzed from the beer. He wasn't completely drunk yet, just his mind moving a bit slowly.

Gu Yubai: "I don't believe the hospital fire was an accident. Now I even suspect that Dad's car crash was related to the Su family. I just don't have proof yet, but sooner or later, I'll catch them red-handed."

Yu Li seemed drunk—he heard Gu Yubai but didn't react.

His gaze fixed on the beer glass beside him, and for some reason, he picked up the half-empty cola bottle Gu Yubai had set aside.

The straw still stuck in it, the dark brown, sweet liquid only half remaining. Yu Li shook it slightly, his eyes losing focus as if seeing a half-remembered moment that he thought was insignificant but remained deeply etched in his memory.

"I've seen you before!"

Yu Li suddenly straightened, staring at Gu Yubai with a dead-serious expression.

The startled young man, lost in his own thoughts, jerked his head up instinctively.

"When did you see me?"

Yu Li didn't answer. Instead, he said slowly, word by word, "When I die, I'll leave everything to you."

Gu Yubai felt Yu Li must be drunk—why else would he say something so weird? He laughed without thinking, then nodded before shaking his head.

"But this time, I don't want to return to the Su family. I can protect my brother and Dad—I don't want anything from you."

Yu Li's head throbbed slightly, but he still instinctively replied,

"Then it's still yours."

The two of them were talking in circles, but fortunately, neither truly registered the other's words.

Yu Li brought the cola bottle he was holding to his mouth and chugged the sweet cola in a few sips.

Once the bottle was empty, with a sliver of remaining clarity, he stood up to find the waiter and pay the check.

Gu Yubai quickly tossed him his phone, "I said I'd treat you."

He also stood up, walked over to Yu Li, slung an arm around him, and nuzzled into Yu Li's chest before closing his eyes, ready to sleep.

Yu Li held onto him, standing firm. He patiently waited for the waiter to finish the bill before half-dragging, half-carrying Gu Yubai out.

-------

Gu Yubai couldn't remember how he'd gotten home last night.

He woke up to find himself lying on the living room sofa, AC blasting chilly air over him, with a thin blanket draped over his body.

The sleep had been deep, leaving him completely refreshed.

Still wearing yesterday's clothes, he shuffled into his slippers and looked around, only to realize that Yu Li, who had gone out for dinner with him the night before, was already gone.

A note was left on the coffee table, saying there was breakfast in the kitchen.

Gu Yubai went in and found two ready-made sandwiches with tomato, egg, and chicken breast—likely made from whatever was in the fridge.

This guy really wasn’t lying; he actually knew how to cook.

And it tasted pretty good.

Gu Yubai made himself a cup of coffee and was eating breakfast while checking his phone when it suddenly rang.

An unfamiliar call connected, and the person on the other end cut to the chase.

"I’ve already sent the person over for you. When will you pay the agreed commission?"

-------------------

The matter of the Su family’s true and false young masters had gone viral online.

After two rounds of back-and-forth in the court of public opinion, netizens had grown wiser—they no longer believed the Su family’s one-sided reconciliation announcements.

Not long after Su Group publicly announced plans to hold a Recognition Banquet, the social media accounts of the True Young Master, Gu Yihong, were deleted. Even a fool could tell something fishy was going on.

The comments under Su Group’s posts were crawling with bots, and aside from clueless normies, few were likely fooled.

Those following the drama certainly wouldn’t be deceived.

But...

"OMG, I didn’t want to believe it, but the Su family is offering too much! Someone, roll out my favorite internet celebrity bro—I shall crash the Recognition Banquet with my presence and witness the hot mess finale of this true and false young master saga!"

In an effort to salvage their stock price, Su Group arranged for an influencer livestream event, inviting anyone interested in the Su family’s true and false young masters to sign up. A lottery would select one person to receive an invitation as a temporary guest for the Recognition Banquet the following evening, allowing them to personally witness the Su family’s "sincere concern" for the True Young Master.

Within half an hour of the announcement, nearly 2,000 influencers had signed up, including top-tier influencers with massive followings and excellent livestreaming skills.

By evening, under the watchful eyes of countless netizens, Su Group opened a livestream for the lottery. The digital wheel spun for nearly twenty minutes before stopping, ultimately selecting a young but exceptionally kind-hearted small-time streamer to attend the banquet.

This influencer went by the nickname "Kind Bro." His kindest act? Helping an eighty-year-old grandmother cross the street twenty times without a hint of impatience!

The moment he was selected, Kind Bro turned on his livestream, thumping his chest as he promised his fans he would remain neutral at the banquet and faithfully broadcast the truth to his audience.

So, by 5 p.m. that afternoon, Kind Bro hailed a cab and headed straight for the location on his e-invitation, only to be dropped off ten kilometers from the hotel because the area was under lockdown—no unauthorized entry, not even a fly.

Kind Bro had to contact Su Group staff to gain access, but there was no transportation provided. He had to walk the full ten kilometers himself.

Along the way, he pointed his camera at the endless stream of luxury cars on the road, grumbling about the grueling trek.

"Had I known, I’d have driven my own beat-up car here. Sure, it’s worthless, but it’d still be better than walking ten kilometers in this expensive suit. Who knew attending a banquet would come with presidential-level security?"

"With this kind of setup, you’d think the US President was holding a meeting here. I’ve been observing for a while, and even though I don’t recognize most of these luxury cars, I’m certain—my entire net worth couldn't buy even a tiny part of one of these whips!"

The livestream audience were too busy to care about Kind Bro’s struggles. Their eyes were glued to the screen, first counting how many luxury cars were on the road, then searching up their price tags.

"No cap, I thought seeing this many gorgeous, expensive cars was eye-opening enough, but even the most basic one costs over 20 million! My god, pawning my whole family tree for three generations wouldn’t cover it!"

"Three generations? Everyone at the Su family banquet today is stupid rich! YOLO—if I were the streamer, I’d be scheming to glom onto some big shot right now! Succeed, and your grandkids are made!"

"Don’t get too greedy. Streamer, before you head in, sneak into the parking lot and film these cars for us. My standards are low—I just wanna see what they look like so I can dream about them later!"

"Cars? What kind of terrible suggestion is that? You want Kind Bro to get arrested for lurking around like a thief? Listen to me—just go hug someone’s leg and start ugly crying. As long as security doesn’t kick you out, you’re set for life! If you won’t do it, I will! Kind Bro, don’t fumble the bag!"

"Bro, don’t fumble the bag!"

"Bro, don’t fumble it!"

"Don’t fumble it!"

"Fumble!"