Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Gu Yihong realized his new neighbor downstairs had some serious nerve.

After dinner, the man had somehow wormed his way into the Gu family’s grocery shopping trip. What was worse, his elder brother, Gu Yubai, acted like it was completely normal. Even when Gu Yihong dropped hint after hint, Gu Yubai kept consulting Yu Li, asking questions like how many bedsheets and quilts he should prepare for university dorm life, whether he needed extra hangers, or if he should bring more laundry detergent to share with his roommates.

He knew the answers to those too, damn it!

Gu Yihong tried his best to oppose the shameless Yu Li, but all he got in return were increasingly indulgent and gentle looks from Gu Yubai, as well as this weird look of pity from Yu Li.

Wait... his fly wasn't open, was it?!

Gu Yihong noticed that although Gu Yubai kept asking Yu Li questions, he generally sided with him, and his attitude remained so tolerant and warm. Emboldened, Gu Yihong doubled down on glaring at Yu Li with renewed righteousness.

Based on years of experience, that old fox was definitely scheming something.

Before this, Gu Yubai had always been in a sheltered school life. Even if high schoolers wanted to pursue him, they didn’t have any slick moves—at most, they’d write love letters or corner him for awkward confessions.

But grown men in society played by different rules!

This "President Yu" was not only a good decade older than Gu Yubai but also independently managed the well-known Yu Corporation. Now, he even lived right below the Gu family, had a shameless personality, and was easy on the eyes... Gu Yihong had to keep his guard up with his brother!

This man might put on this upstanding act, but while he could fool Gu Yubai, he wasn't fooling anyone (namely him).

Gu Yihong had over a decade of experience shielding his brother from would-be suitors. In his past life, he had even vetted every potential love interest around his brother—he could tell at a glance that this guy had it bad for Gu Yubai.

After just a few words of conversation, Yu Li had already showed his hand, even starting to dislike him, Gu Yubai’s own younger brother!

The audacity! They weren't even dating yet, and he was already picking fights with the little brother. A man like this wasn't husband material—not even a single chance should be given!

After being targeted by Gu Yihong a few times, Yu Li started to catch on.

When Gu Yubai asked questions, Yu Li still answered gently and politely. When Gu Yihong started shit, he didn’t argue back. Instead, the moment Gu Yubai glanced over, he’d pulled this wounded puppy look.

When Gu Yubai automatically took Gu Yihong's side, and Gu Yihong shot him a shit-eating grin, Yu Li simply stayed silent.

Gu Yihong was kind of oblivious—he was too busy being happy that Gu Yubai unconditionally took his side to notice that Gu Yubai’s attitude toward him had reached a bizarre level.

This kid had no idea he was about to get an earful later.

Yu Li remained cool as a cucumber on the surface, even reliably pushing the shopping cart for Gu Yubai, which naturally earned him increasingly friendly treatment.

He played the part of the dutiful, patient older brother, standing beside the two siblings like a steady presence, unconditionally indulging the bratty little brother at home.

They had bought quite a lot, and since the supermarket was about to close, they didn’t offer delivery. They hadn’t expected to buy so much, so they hadn’t driven. On the way back, Yu Li carried most of the shopping bags, hauling them all the way.

Gu Yubai felt a pang of guilt—Yu Li had helped so much, yet Gu Yihong had been so unreasonable in targeting him.

Once they finally got into the elevator, Yu Li set the bags down without even wiping the sweat from his forehead before immediately turning to Gu Yubai.

"Should I help carry these up for you?"

Gu Yubai was about to wave him off when Gu Yihong, still being difficult, snorted coldly.

"Thanks for the offer, President Yu, but it’s unnecessary. It’s just one floor above yours—we can manage on our own now that we’re at the doorstep."

Yu Li’s expression fell instantly.

Gu Yubai, who had been about to refuse, changed his mind and nodded with a smile. "Sure, you’ve already helped so much tonight—what's one more favor?"

Gu Yihong stared at Gu Yubai in disbelief.

Brother, aren’t you just letting the fox into the henhouse?!

He looked at Gu Yubai with puppy-dog eyes, but this time, Gu Yubai ignored him completely.

----

This wasn’t Yu Li’s first time in Gu Yubai’s home. He even knew the place like the back of his hand, making himself useful by putting things away, neatly placing them in appropriate spots in the living room.

Gu Yubai handed him a glass of warm water. Yu Li straightened up, accepted it, and smiled at him.

Yu Li: "Thanks."

Gu Yubai arched an eyebrow slightly, a knowing smile on his lips. "I should be thanking you."

"Then, Brother, you should thank me too."

A voice dripping with sarcasm came from the floor. Gu Yihong, squatting on the ground, looked up at them. The two instinctively glanced down—Yu Li still holding the glass, Gu Yubai’s outstretched hand not yet withdrawn—when Gu Yihong suddenly stood up and wedged himself firmly between them.

Gu Yihong said flatly: "Excuse me, thanks."

The resentment radiating off him was strong enough to rival a vengeful ghost.

Yu Li took a sip of water, set the glass on the coffee table, and glanced at the clock on the wall. Then, he suddenly turned to look at the room he had temporarily stayed in before.

Frowning slightly, he asked, "Yubai, when I stayed here last time, I think I left behind a pair of socks. Did you happen to find them while cleaning?"

Before Gu Yubai could answer, Gu Yihong burst out of his room.

His face was a picture of shock as he exclaimed loudly, "What?! You stayed at our place?! And you even made my brother look for your socks?! Aren’t you ashamed, a grown man like you?!"

The ghost of a smirk flickered across Yu Li’s lips, though his expression remained calm, save for a trace of helplessness between his brows.

He said, "Never mind, they weren’t important anyway. If you find them, just throw them out."

Gu Yihong gritted his teeth. "Of course they’ll be thrown out! Did you think my brother would treat your stinky socks like treasure and wash them for you?!"

Gu Yubai was certain Yu Li hadn’t left anything behind when he moved out. Now, he could tell Yu Li was deliberately messing with Gu Yihong. The only problem was that Gu Yihong never learned—or perhaps his hostility toward Yu Li had made him lose all common sense.

Gu Yubai sighed, facepalming as he looked at Gu Yihong with exasperation.

Yu Li couldn’t help but laugh. To him, Gu Yihong was like a yappy little guard dog circling its owner—way too easy to mess with.

Out of respect for the dog’s owner, Gu Yubai, Yu Li decided to call it quits.

With a smile, he bid Gu Yubai goodbye, wishing him sweet dreams in a soft voice at the door.

Gu Yubai nodded, biting back a smile.

Beside him, Gu Yihong—who had been eyeing Yu Li like a hawk—finally snapped and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the frame.

He grumbled, "As if we need you to say that! With me being Brother's personal space heater, he’s definitely sleeping well tonight."

----

Gu Yubai didn’t think he slept very well.

After showering, Gu Yihong really did bring his bedding over. He gave Gu Yubai a pitiful look, and Gu Yubai immediately waved him onto the bed.

Gu Yihong happily placed his pillow next to Gu Yubai’s. Already in his pajamas, he slipped under the covers and closed his eyes, quickly drifting into a half-asleep state.

Gu Yubai wasn’t tired yet. He adjusted the AC to silent mode, leaned against the headboard, and started texting someone on his phone.

At this moment, his brow furrowed slightly while reading Zhou Jiarou's messages.

Currently, Su Shengli still enjoys some favor. Even though Old Master Su can't stand him, his position within the Su family remains stable.

Logically speaking, as Su Shengli's "birth" mother, Zhou Jiarou should have benefited by extension of that affection—her life should be free of worries. Yet now, in desperate panic, she was recklessly reaching out to Gu Yubai, who had been lurking behind the scenes.

Zhou Jiarou: "Please help me one more time, just this last time. My husband was able to get out of the detention center last time entirely because of the Su family's help. But this time, the charges are too serious—he's already been arrested. I went to Su Shengli, but he refused to intervene for us."

Zhou Jiarou: "Please, I know you have good ideas. Help get my husband out. I’ll listen to you from now on, even if you ask me to betray the Su family and slander Su Shengli—I’ll do it! Please, just help me this one last time!"

In Gu Yubai's mind, his transaction with Zhou Jiarou had long concluded.

Moreover, the last time he helped her was merely to cause trouble for Su Shengli and the Su couple, who were fully aware of Su Shengli's background yet fiercely protected him. Later, when Zhou Jiarou connected with the Su family and promptly cut ties with him, Gu Yubai wasn’t surprised.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Jiarou to contact him again.

The reason? Her husband had been arrested once more—this time for gambling, and the situation was even more severe than the last detention. Judging by her words, the police seemed to have ironclad evidence.

But this time, her husband’s arrest wasn’t orchestrated by him.

It might have been an accident, and Gu Yubai had no interest in helping.

He casually deleted the messages and blocked the account. For some reason, it reminded him of that period in his past life when everyone avoided him, calling him a curse-bringer.

The reason he was labeled a curse-bringer wasn’t just because accidents befell the Su family after his return—the main cause was the slander from Su Shengli and Zhou Jiarou.

He had only lived with Zhou Jiarou until the age of three before being abandoned at an orphanage.

A three-year-old child, barely able to speak—any rational person would know that no blame could be placed on such a young child. Besides, according to what Gu Yubai’s adoptive father had once said, he had been a docile, obedient, gentle, and attentive child, an exceptionally easy child to raise.

Su Shengli, of course, knew that smearing a three-year-old wouldn’t be believable. So, during Old Master Su’s funeral, he had Zhou Jiarou casually let slip some "facts" in conversation.

For example, when Gu Yubai was two, they had taken him to a night market, where they encountered a white-browed, benevolent-looking old monk. The moment the monk saw little Gu Yubai, he blurted out that the child was a jinx—his birth chart was inauspicious and his fate even worse, and he would bring misfortune to everyone around him.

Zhou Jiarou then lamented to everyone how, after that day, she and her loving husband began arguing inexplicably. Her husband’s flourishing career, which had been thriving for years, suddenly took a downturn—he nearly lost his contract and even had to compensate the company.

Not long after, the elderly in the family fell ill. Only then did Zhou Jiarou recall the old monk’s words. As a last resort, they sent the child to a nearby temple. After he was gone, the elderly recovered quickly, her husband’s career stabilized, and their marital bliss returned.

Abandoning him at the orphanage was a last resort.

During a medical checkup, they discovered Gu Yubai wasn’t their biological child. As ordinary folks, they were devastated. After much soul-searching, they decided to send him to an orphanage—they needed to find their own child and couldn’t care for one with no blood relation.

From then on, Gu Yubai was branded with the stigma of being a curse-bringer.

Not long after, Su Linyuan, the Su family heir, was also caught in an accident—his lower body was crushed beneath a vehicle, leaving him permanently disabled. This only "proved" Zhou Jiarou’s claims about her former foster son.

Remembering the past, Gu Yubai’s mood instantly darkened.

Though it was long over, though the geese have flown, their cries remain; the scars remained etched in his heart—wounds that would never heal.

Gu Yubai paid no attention to Zhou Jiarou.

He was about to sleep when he suddenly remembered why he had allowed Gu Yihong to share his bed tonight.

Slowly, he turned to study Gu Yihong.

After being away for nearly a month, Gu Yihong had grown noticeably thinner—his face pale, the bones visible beneath his skin on his arms.

He slept fitfully, his brows tightly knit, tears welling at the corners of his eyes. Listening closely, Gu Yubai could hear him muttering under his breath in a pleading tone.

This wasn’t something a simple illness during travels could explain.

Gu Yihong was hiding something.

The memory of their first meeting after Gu Yubai’s rebirth resurfaced—back then, Gu Yihong had acted strangely, as if convinced he was dreaming, speaking erratically. Only after injuring himself did he realize it was real.

Later, he appeared completely normal in front of Gu Yubai.

But if he were truly fine, someone who missed and depended on his elder brother as Gu Yihong claimed wouldn’t have gone on a month-long cruise trip with an online friend.

Gu Yihong was definitely keeping secrets.

And it likely had to do with his mental state. Gu Yubai remembered that, before his rebirth, the last time he’d interacted with Gu Yihong, he had angrily sent him to a psychiatric hospital.

Back then, Gu Yihong hadn’t been ill—he’d been full of vigor as he shouted defiantly.

But if the person Gu Yihong respected most—his adoptive father—had died in front of him again, he might have truly lost his mind. Putting himself in Gu Yihong’s shoes—if, in the past life, while angrily cursing his brother as beyond redemption in the psychiatric hospital, he had suddenly received news of Gu Yubai’s death...

Gu Yubai fell completely silent.

He thought he might have found the reason. But this speculation still needed tangible evidence to support it.

Glancing at Gu Yihong—sleeping in his bed, brows furrowed, looking utterly vulnerable—Gu Yubai got up and headed straight for Gu Yihong’s room.

He pushed the door open quietly, crouched down, and opened the suitcase. After rifling through a few items, a vitamin C-labeled calcium supplement bottle rolled out from the clothes and onto the floor.

Gu Yubai paused, then twisted open the lid without hesitation.