Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The mountain they stood upon was the highest peak among several nearby cities.

The steel-reinforced concrete cities dwindled into miniature toy-like buildings in their sight. The sun, a vast, arching silhouette, slowly ascended from the horizon, rendering everything else in the world insignificant.

Light gradually dispelled the darkness, the pale, bluish-gray dawn fading as the bright, golden sun claimed the world’s highest vantage point.

Except for a few perpetually shadowed corners, the entire world was instantly bathed in brilliant daylight.

The sunrise viewed from the mountaintop was also far grander and rounder than what they typically saw in the city.

The mountain mist had yet to fully dissipate. Amidst the pale, smoky haze, Gu Yubai was roused by Yu Li.

He hadn’t expected to feel a chill on a summer morning, but the moment he stepped out of the tent, goosebumps instantly prickled his arms.

Gu Yubai instinctively rubbed his arms, then turned to see Yu Li emerging from the campsite manager’s open-air office, carrying a basin of hot water.

This man… was almost excessively considerate.

Using the hot water, Gu Yubai tilted his head back with a comfortable sigh, his chilled skin quickly returning to normal.

Even though it was still summer, the temperature difference between the mountaintop and the base felt like two distinct worlds.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Gu Yubai cast a sidelong glance at the young man busily packing up the tent nearby.

Yu Li was still in the sportswear from yesterday’s hike, his hair slightly disheveled, his temples damp, looking rather disheveled.

A patch of mud had somehow adhered to the back of his sportswear near his waist, yet he remained oblivious, the dirt shifting with his movements as he walked back and forth.

Gu Yubai couldn’t help but chuckle.

This was the first time he had witnessed such a down-to-earth side of Yu Li—no longer so aloof, but more vibrant and alive.

Yu Li had already packed up the tent. Hearing Gu Yubai’s laughter, he straightened up and looked over.

He instinctively smiled at Gu Yubai, then pulled a white, oil-paper-wrapped item from his pocket.

Yu Li covered the distance to Gu Yubai in a few strides.

He grinned, “I bought these buns from the mountaintop hotel just now. Here, for you. We’ll have a proper lunch after we descend.”

“Also, Song Yao came by earlier. Everyone agreed to get moving soon—we’ll head down together while enjoying the sunrise. Once we reach the halfway rest area, there’s a dedicated cable car, so we can split up then.”

As Gu Yubai bit into the bun, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

How strange.

Yu Li had gone to the hotel to get him buns, yet hadn’t taken the opportunity to book a room to shower and change.

Gu Yubai felt this hiking trip was entirely worthwhile.

Despite the exhaustion, he had witnessed scenery utterly unlike the city, experienced sleeping in a tent beneath the open sky, seen fireworks up close, and felt the passion and joy others held for life around the campfire.

This was the kind of carefree happiness life was meant to offer.

The descent was far easier than the climb. Following the direction of the rising sun, the two walked under increasingly brilliant sunlight and effortlessly reached yesterday’s halfway rest area.

Yu Li went with Song Yao to return the rented tent, and the two decided to part ways with their classmates there.

After bidding farewell, they boarded the cable car at the rest area, the sole descending route down the mountain. Suspended between cliffs, Gu Yubai gazed through the glass at the scenery outside—shrouded in mist like a dream, veiled in faint white clouds.

Under the golden sun breaking through the clouds, Gu Yubai let his head bump against the glass and soon fell asleep.

In his daze, it felt as though someone had shifted his head from the hard glass to a soft embrace. The sleepy young man instinctively furrowed his brows, but as the familiar scent of sandalwood reached his nose, his expression relaxed, and he settled completely.

He slept deeply and soundly.

By the time Yu Li woke him, they had already reached the base, where a black Maybach was waiting.

Gu Yubai allowed Yu Li to lead him by the hand toward the car.

He didn’t notice anything unusual at first, but halfway there, he snapped out of his sleepy state, his gaze dropping to Yu Li’s hand holding his.

A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but before he could dwell on it, Yu Li stopped and turned to smile at him.

“I know you’re tired, but hang in there a bit longer. Let’s get some lunch first, then we can go home and rest.”

Yu Li casually released Gu Yubai’s hand, checked his watch, and added,

“Someone will deliver your evening wear around four. This charity gala is hosted by the Su family, but the focus isn’t on them. While the Su family will have plenty of friends and business partners attending, international partners of the Yu Group and local manufacturers seeking partnerships will also be there to meet me.”

The corners of his lips quirked up in a faint smile.

“Your task is to act as my assistant and help me keep track of everyone who approaches me today.”

Having experienced such business events before, Gu Yubai nodded slightly and asked Yu Li for the client list—mainly to review their areas of business.

Yu Li patted his hand lightly and guided him into the car.

“No hurry. We’ll discuss everything after we’ve rested at home.”

“Mhm.”

Gu Yubai promptly forgot the faint unease he had felt earlier.

Lunch was at a nearby hotel, where they had a light meal before getting back into the car.

After two hours on the highway, Gu Yubai and Yu Li arrived home around three in the afternoon.

They went home separately, and Gu Yubai immediately headed for the shower. After a quick rinse, he returned to his bedroom, turned on the AC, and attempted to catch some sleep.

He had assumed that after yesterday’s exhausting hike, being woken up early, and dozing off on the road, he’d fall asleep easily now that he was home. Yet, despite lying there for a while, he couldn't fall asleep, leaving him gazing absently at the white ceiling.

The question he had subconsciously ignored earlier resurfaced in his mind.

Why had Yu Li held his hand so naturally? He was a full-grown man—didn’t Yu Li feel awkward doing that?

And since when had Yu Li been this considerate toward him?

Even fetching him hot water to wash up—when everyone else at the campsite had used cold tap water in the morning. Gu Yubai wasn’t usually this particular, so why was Yu Li going to such lengths?

Unless… Yu Li still saw him as a *kid*!

Gu Yubai turned over, his face thoughtful.

Just then, his phone pinged loudly.

Jolted awake, he grabbed it and saw a message from his younger brother, Gu Yihong.

"Eldest brother, my flight arrives at 3 PM tomorrow. Remember to pick me up."

Gu Yubai: "...Mm."

The skies cleared, the rain stopped.

His frog of a little brother, who had been traveling abroad, was finally coming home.

------

But even earlier than picking up his frog brother was attending the charity gala hosted by the Su family with Yu Li.

A little past five, Gu Yubai and Yu Li appeared downstairs right on time.

Yu Li was dressed in a silver-gray suit, wearing a tie and buttoned-up shirt, with an extravagant blue gemstone-encrusted watch on his wrist—looking every inch the picture of luxury.

He even wore a pair of gold wire-framed glasses; the sudden scholarly refinement made his smile seem all the more aristocratic.

He was the protagonist.

This Yu Li would be the center of attention no matter where he went.

In contrast, Gu Yubai was dressed far more plainly and understated—a simple, sleek black suit.

But his exceptionally youthful looks and composed demeanor ensured that even if he wanted to stay unnoticed, he couldn’t.

Gu Yubai tilted his head slightly, recalling how Yu Li had once brought a team to his home, trying to get him into more business formal wear, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

They had originally wanted to dress him in a white, athletic-cut suit, but Gu Yubai never saw himself as a prince and outright rejected the suggestion, opting for something simpler and sharper instead.

Otherwise, his role today might not have been as an assistant, but as the villain stealing the spotlight.

Flipping through the client materials Yu Li had given him, Gu Yubai noticed that aside from the familiar entrepreneurs from Mingcheng he had known in his past life, a significant portion were from overseas.

He couldn’t help but glance at Yu Li curiously.

"I knew your status in the Yu Corporation’s headquarters wasn’t minor, but I didn’t expect these people to chase you all the way to a charity gala in China. I bet they’re not here for philanthropy."

Yu Li smiled faintly, adjusting his gold wire-framed glasses before replying leisurely,

"Whatever their motives, they’re still attending a charity gala."

"That’s true."

Though this was Gu Yubai’s first time acting as someone’s assistant, he had been to plenty of grand banquets in his past life and was well-versed in their customs and etiquette.

As he skimmed through the documents, he noticed something peculiar—aside from the highly valuable client list, Yu Li had also freely shared with him proprietary industry plans for the Yu Corporation’s upcoming projects.

Gu Yubai looked at Yu Li with a complicated expression. "You'd trust me with this? I’ve already seen these materials—I could leak them to your competitors at any time."

"You don’t think I’m foolish enough to not even know who my competitors are, do you?"

Though Gu Yubai’s tone was joking, there was unmistakable seriousness beneath it.

Yu Li’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest.

He just smirked. "If I didn’t have faith in you, I wouldn’t consider you a friend."

Yu Li winked at him.

"Besides trusting you, it’s also because Assistant Jin suddenly took time off, and I couldn’t find another trusted professional who also understands chemistry. As it happens, your major was chemistry, and the focus of tonight’s interactions will be in the pharma-chemical sector. There’ll be plenty of experts asking me questions, so having you by my side gives me confidence."

"Plus, it’ll give you some relevant experience. Mutually beneficial—why not?"

Gu Yubai felt like Yu Li was no longer the big brother who had gone hiking with him yesterday.

Dressed in a suit, he had transformed into a sly fox, every word seemingly laced with traps.

----

The Su family’s charity gala was held in a grand contemporary Chinese-style hotel in downtown Mingcheng, the size of a manor.

The hotel had a vast auction hall capable of accommodating thousands, while the rest of the grounds were tightly secured.

Aside from vetted staff and invited guests, no unauthorized persons would be allowed in.

There certainly wouldn’t be a repeat of the Su family’s Recognition Banquet, where Zhou Jiarou suddenly appeared mid-event to make kinship claims.

Behind the hotel’s office building, there was even a dedicated team monitoring online discourse—a lesson learned from the last time hackers had caught the Su family off guard. This time, no one would be able to cause trouble under Su Wanlin’s watch.

Gu Yubai and Yu Li soon arrived at the hotel’s main entrance.

Su Wanlin and his family were already at the door, warmly greeting and shaking hands with guests.

From the rear window of their car, Gu Yubai could clearly see Su Wanlin’s cultured, scholarly smile, while Su Linyuan stood beside him, also smiling and engaging in conversation whenever possible.

Shifting his gaze slightly, Song Manman was there in a deep blue floor-length gown, elegantly embracing a graceful middle-aged woman. Su Shengli was present too, chatting with a boy around his age from a guest’s family, his smile politely deferential—clearly well-mannered.

It was a picture of domestic harmony.

Had it not been for the recent drama surrounding the imposter heir, which had thrown both the Su family and the media into chaos, no one would have ever suspected that this family was already fractured underneath.

Gu Yubai coolly looked away.

The cars ahead had already descended into the underground parking, and now it was their turn to pull up to the hotel entrance.

Yu Li glanced at him and stepped out of the car.

Su Wanlin spotted Yu Li and hurried forward, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.

"President Yu! I’d heard from our family elder that you’d returned to the country, yet you never visited the Su residence. Your presence here tonight truly does us great honor. With your participation, this charity gala is sure to achieve great success."

Su Wanlin was about to say more when he noticed another person stepping out of Yu Li’s car.

His gaze instinctively shifted, and his smile froze abruptly.

Su Shengli had been quietly listening to the adults’ conversation beside his father, Su Wanlin, his eyes soft with affection as he looked at Yu Li—but before he could speak, the sight of Gu Yubai drained the smile from his face.

His eyes flickered between Gu Yubai and Yu Li in disbelief, his expression contorting with jealousy as he blurted out,

"What’s your relationship? Why did you come together?"

-----

"What’s your relationship? How do you know each other?"

Coincidentally, Su Linyuan asked the same question almost simultaneously.

Amused, he glanced back at Su Shengli.

"President Yu, it seems there’s no shortage of people here curious about you."

Song Manman stepped forward, her gentle smile diffusing the mounting tension among them.

Her voice was gentle: "Linyuan, do you know the boy beside President Yu? He looks vaguely familiar. Is he a young master from some family who just returned from abroad? I can't quite place where I've seen him."

Looks familiar...

Su Shengli was certain Song Manman had never met Gu Yubai before. Yet, she found him familiar at first glance—was this some mother-son connection?

Su Shengli's face clouded over instantly. He remained silent, unwilling to speak even when Song Manman glanced his way.

If Su Shengli refused to speak, Gu Yubai and Yu Li certainly wouldn’t initiate conversation either. The two exchanged a knowing glance, treating the scene as nothing more than a stage play.

Su Wanlin, for some reason, had gone unusually quiet too.

Su Linyuan, sensing the strange tension among the group, spoke up with a smile.

"Mom, he’s a classmate of Yihong’s. Shengli and I met him when we went to visit Yihong before. I just didn’t expect he’d also have ties with President Yu."

The sudden mention of her real son, Gu Yihong, made Song Manman’s smile falter slightly. She looked like she couldn't quite smile anymore.

"Oh... I... I see."

Her gaze when she looked back at Gu Yubai was no longer friendly, now filled with scrutiny and rejection.

Gu Yubai couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. Fortunately, he remembered his current role as an assistant and restrained himself from being too brazen. The disdain flashed across his face for just a second before disappearing.

He drawled, "President Su, if there’s nothing else, President Yu and I will head inside first. We wouldn’t dream of interrupting your family’s guest reception."

The tension was palpable between this unfamiliar young man and the Su family.

Even the usually good-natured Su Linyuan’s expression grew strained. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the family patriarch, Su Wanlin, suddenly laughed.

He gave Gu Yubai a meaningful look before politely gesturing and personally escorting the two inside.

Su Wanlin said with a smile, "How could we ever consider hosting President Yu a bother? We’re grateful both of you could grace the Su family with your presence at tonight’s charity gala. If we've been remiss in any way as hosts, we hope you’ll forgive us."

"Right this way."

Beneath the shocked stares of Su Shengli and Su Linyuan, Su Wanlin personally led them to the lounge area at the back.