Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Gu Yubai descended the stairs in his slippers.

Passing the stairwell landing, he casually glanced at the sky outside the window, then froze mid-step.

Dusk had not yet fallen, and the sunset clouds in the western sky were exceptionally vibrant. Though primarily a fiery crimson, their slow, graceful movement transformed the intense flames into layered hues of orange, gold, and other colors, creating a tranquil and beautiful scene imbued with an unexpected sense of peaceful serenity.

Yu Li, still on the phone, estimated Gu Yubai had reached his doorstep and began remotely directing him to open the door.

“Yes, yes, the main door code is XXXXX. Once you’re in, just turn left…”

Before Yu Li could finish, Gu Yubai interrupted him.

“Not yet.”

“What?”

Yu Li’s voice on the phone carried a hint of surprise. “What did you say? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Gu Yubai let out an almost imperceptible chuckle. He leisurely replied, “I haven’t reached your place yet.”

“Hold on, let me switch apps and snap a photo?”

With that, he opened his camera and captured the beautiful sky outside the window.

Yu Li’s tone was filled with bewilderment. “Wait, what? A photo? Weren’t you supposed to open the door for me and get the file?”

“I am getting the file for you, but the sky was too beautiful, so I paused for a moment.”

On the other end, Yu Li fell silent.

Gu Yubai was in no hurry. After checking that the photo perfectly mirrored the sky’s beauty, he switched to WeChat and sent it to Yu Li.

Gu Yubai said, “Take a look~”

Two seconds later, Yu Li sent back a photo of the sky outside his office window.

That view was equally stunning—the sunset radiant and dazzling, with a few white pigeons coincidentally flying into the center of the frame. But more prominent than the sunset and pigeons was Yu Li’s slender, pale hand in the photo, flipping him off.

Gu Yubai: “...President Yu, don’t you think you’re being a bit too unrestrained now? Where’s that composed, dignified, and quietly gentle executive you used to be?”

Yu Li scoffed lightly. “Eaten by some scoundrel who stops to admire the sky at the drop of a hat.”

Gu Yubai narrowed his eyes, reminding Yu Li, “President Yu, do you remember you’re asking me for a favor, not starting an argument?”

Yu Li fell silent.

Yu Li cleared his throat, his voice softening once more.

“Yubai, have you reached my place yet?”

Gu Yubai calmly curled his lips. “I’m here. What’s the code?”

“XXXXX. Once inside, turn left, go through the living room, then turn right. At the end is a small black door—it’s made of specialized high-grade material and also requires a code: XXXXX.”

Gu Yubai entered the code again. As he pushed the door open, something suddenly occurred to him, and a smile returned to his voice.

“By the way, this study hasn’t been redecorated, has it? After the fire last time, we came here together, and your place here was completely unharmed.”

Yu Li scoffed. “Indeed, the study wasn’t redecorated because that special-material door resisted all potential external intrusions. So be careful inside—my study is full of secrets.”

Gu Yubai: “What secrets? Like a fortress where you can hide with your girlfriend?”

Yu Li: “...You’re just as much of a scoundrel as your brother.”

This time, Gu Yubai genuinely couldn’t hold back his laughter.

After the fire last time, Gu Yihong and he had followed Yu Li to the scene. Upon seeing the study door, which had protected the room so securely, Gu Yihong had similarly offered Yu Li a sharp-tongued suggestion.

Gu Yubai’s laughter was so unbridled that Yu Li, hearing it over the phone, sighed helplessly.

“Hurry up, will you? Stop dawdling. I have people coming soon, so I can’t stay on the phone with you.”

“Alright, alright, President Yu. Where is the file you need?”

The study was clearly Yu Li’s most prized space. Upon entering, Gu Yubai noticed that besides the special-material door and the required access code, the small room was equipped with several cameras.

Gu Yubai found the file as instructed. Before leaving, he couldn’t resist asking,

“Doesn’t this make you uncomfortable? Don’t you get a tingling sensation on your back when you work in the study?”

Yu Li: “......”

Yu Li: “...Call me when you arrive.”

He decisively hung up, refusing to listen to Gu Yubai’s pointless teasing.

Could he laugh any louder? Even without seeing him, Yu Li could picture the smug, triumphant expression on Gu Yubai’s face.

And he dared to criticize him!

Yu Li also felt Gu Yubai had changed. Where was that gentle, considerate, and well-behaved young man he first met? Gone!

Perhaps this was simply the price of familiarity.

-------

If there was one person in high society who had been the most prominent lately, it was undoubtedly Su Group’s adopted young master, Su Shengli.

Su Group’s stock had plummeted to such an extent that even those outside the company had heard how Su Wanlin was publicly reprimanded and had to personally pay hundreds of millions in compensation for several projects.

That was real money, paid out of his own pocket!

Meanwhile, the true young master, Gu Yihong, had completely vanished. Some even searched online, only to find that all previous discussions about him had been wiped clean.

Taken together, these events clearly demonstrated the Su family’s genuine affection and favoritism towards their adopted young master, Su Shengli.

No… wait. It was no longer appropriate to call him the adopted young master. Not long ago, after Su Shengli received his acceptance letter from Mingcheng Film Academy, Su Wanlin issued an official announcement declaring that Su Shengli was now formally adopted into the Su family.

Compared to the vanished true second young master, Gu Yihong, Su Shengli was now the most prominent Su second young master.

After the acceptance letter, the Su family even specially donated a dormitory building to Mingcheng Film Academy for Su Shengli. The reason was simply that Mingcheng Film Academy mandated all first-year students to live on campus, and the donation was made to ensure Su Shengli had a more comfortable living arrangement.

Furthermore, rumors circulated in elite circles that Su Group planned to establish a subsidiary specifically for Su Shengli, dedicated to the entertainment industry.

When the news broke, everyone knew it was Su Wanlin’s personal project for Su Shengli.

Spoiled.

This is too much pampering!

The word "envy" had been uttered to the point of exhaustion.

Not long ago, because Su Shengli was not of the Su family’s bloodline, his former friends, who had once neglected and mocked him, now enthusiastically waved their hands, trying every means to invite Su Shengli to their private gatherings. They even held a special celebration for him, but unfortunately, Su Shengli did not attend.

Someone shamelessly tagged Su Shengli in the group chat to ask for the reason, only to find themselves kicked out of the shared friend group the next second.

Su Shengli had even completely blocked and deleted him, and specially sent someone to warn him not to come near.

Arrogant!

This is too arrogant!

In the past, Su Shengli was never this decisive and straightforward.

Faced with this, they could only grudgingly pretend nothing had happened. Privately, a few other second-generation members who were similarly expelled reformed a new group to complain about how Su Shengli had changed.

But everyone knew deep down that it wasn’t Su Shengli who had changed.

It was clear that the current support and backing from the Su family were enough to give Su Shengli, the formerly gentle and simple second son of the Su family, the courage to be so bold.

Now, Su Shengli no longer often attends gatherings with them, these second-generation members who are not valued by their families.

He is now part of the circle of elite brothers, led by Su Linyuan.

Jealousy… has already been said to the point of weariness.

The Su family has been truly good to Su Shengli, giving him so much attention and resources, and even allowing him to spend time with his biological parents.

Some time ago, someone photographed Su Shengli shopping at a mall with Zhou Jiarou, followed by a slim, middle-aged man with a beaming smile carrying their bags.

Later, it was revealed that this middle-aged man was Su Shengli’s biological father—Zhou Jiarou’s husband—a respected middle school math teacher.

At the time, fans flooded the comments, praising Su Shengli for having adoptive parents who were wealthy tycoons and biological parents from an intellectual family.

Su Shengli is truly blessed!

----

Gu Yubai doesn’t care about what happens to Su Shengli.

After reaching a tacit agreement with Su Wanlin, everything related to the Su family became part of a past life—far away, out of reach, and not his concern.

Right now, he should be concerned about...

“What? President Yu isn’t in? Then what about his assistant, Assistant Jin? Is he also unavailable?”

The receptionist looked at Gu Yubai awkwardly before nodding.

“Yes, Assistant Jin isn’t here either. But President Yu mentioned before leaving half an hour ago that he’d return soon. If anyone came looking for him, they should wait in the meeting room.”

“Sir, would you like to follow me to the lounge?”

Gu Yubai remained composed on the surface, but inside, he was mentally chastising Yu Li repeatedly.

He was supposed to call Yu Li upon arrival, yet not one call connected.

If Yu Li wasn’t here, fine—but Assistant Jin was also absent. Who was supposed to take these documents in his hands? Weren’t they supposed to be top-secret and urgent?

Gu Yubai remained silent for a long moment before finally nodding and following the receptionist to the lounge.

He figured he’d wait just a bit.

But as soon as the meeting room door opened, he found someone already inside.

The familiar figure turned around in delighted surprise, instinctively standing up and calling out—

“Yu—”

Before he could finish, his sweet, innocent smile froze on his face. His eyes locked onto Gu Yubai standing at the door, his expression turning alternately pale and flushed, a flicker of disgust and complexity flashing in his gaze.

Su Shengli’s demeanor turned frosty in an instant. He furrowed his brows sharply, making no effort to hide his disdain for Gu Yubai, his tone laced with arrogance and scorn.

“Aren’t you that bubble tea guy who knocked over my invitation last time? What are you doing here? Who are you looking for?”

Gu Yubai hadn’t expected to run into Su Shengli here.

Hearing the other’s attempt at a polite tone that still couldn’t conceal his irritation and contempt, he frowned deeply, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Gu Yubai said, “Sorry, wrong room.”

With that, he turned to leave the meeting room, with no intention of engaging with Su Shengli.

But before he could fully step out, Su Shengli—who had been standing by the sofa—suddenly strode toward him. He smirked at Gu Yubai, malice gleaming in his eyes.

The next second, Su Shengli grabbed Gu Yubai’s arm with feigned outrage and raised his voice loudly.

“Did you just bend down to pick something up? My watch is missing—it was a birthday present from my brother! If you took it, give it back right now, and I’ll give you extra compensation!”

“I recognize you. Even though you’re with Gu Yihong, I believe you’re a good person. You wouldn’t secretly take my things, would you?” Su Shengli held onto Gu Yubai tightly, refusing to let go.

The receptionist, who hadn’t gone far, instinctively turned back just in time to see Su Shengli pull his hand out of Gu Yubai’s pocket.

Su Shengli’s face was the picture of shock—and the watch was now in his hand.

His voice rang out, loud and furious.

“It really was you who stole my watch! You’ve gone too far!”

Gu Yubai: “...”

With acting skills like that for framing someone—what a waste not going into acting.

Su Shengli didn’t even need film school—he could go pro right now!