Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Gu Yihong never got his answer in the end.

He tossed and turned in bed, sleepless, his mind replaying the mysterious smile Gu Yubai had left him with, leaving him utterly unsettled.

How infuriating!

His big brother had actually stopped confiding in him! Yet he himself had never kept anything from his brother.

Excluding their past life, this marked the first time the brothers had withheld anything from each other.

What could possibly need hiding? So what if he liked Lin Xuyan and wanted to date him? Did he really need to guard against his own brother? As if he'd actually sabotage things!

Gu Yihong sulked.

His big brother had changed. He'd barely begun university, and already he wanted to date. Would he now be relegated to second place in Gu Yubai’s heart?

Would that damned Lin Xuyan really come before him?!

Gu Yihong's distress kept him awake all night—until a loud *bang* suddenly came from outside, snapping him awake.

He blinked at the ceiling for a while before realizing he must have dozed off at some point.

And he’d slept pretty soundly, too.

Turns out his brother obsession was just for show.

Oh well. If his big brother really liked Lin Xuyan, he’d turn a blind eye. If Lin Xuyan turned out to be unreliable or didn’t meet Gu Yubai’s expectations, he could always step in and take care of it discreetly.

Wiping at his dry mouth, Gu Yihong got up to investigate the source of the noise.

Passing by Gu Yubai’s bedroom, he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, he saw the neatly folded bedding, and his face immediately darkened.

What was so urgent that his big brother had left early in the morning without even eating breakfast? Who merited such haste?

Could it be… that Lin Xuyan?

Gu Yihong's lips curled into an instinctive sneer, but he quickly wiped it away when he realized how petty his jealousy appeared.

Pulling out his phone, he sent Gu Yubai a voice message, feigning sleepy innocence.

"Big bro, where’d you go?"

After sending the message, Gu Yihong took the elevator straight down to the underground parking lot. Standing in front of their empty parking space, a chill ran through him.

Damn it, why was he acting like a jealous spouse catching infidelity?

He saw Gu Yubai as his true brother—no ambiguous or inappropriate feelings existed between them. Theirs was a bond of pure, unadulterated brotherhood. But the thought that their unbreakable bond was now being sidelined because his big brother wanted to date—without even telling him—pained Gu Yihong.

This was bad.

His big brother seemed to have turned into a hopeless romantic. He wasn’t even officially dating yet, and he was already keeping secrets from his own brother.

------

Just as Gu Yihong, expression stony, was about to turn back home, his phone dinged with a notification.

At the same time, a figure emerged from the elevator in the parking lot.

Standing in the elevator doorway, Gu Yihong glanced down at his phone and saw that it was indeed a reply from Gu Yubai.

Gu Yubai replied casually, as though it were nothing important.

"School’s starting soon. The Chemistry Department is short on upperclassmen to greet incoming students. Coincidentally, Lin Xuyan—the senior I met yesterday—is also in Chemistry. He recommended me to the advisor."

So Lin Xuyan was involved.

Gu Yihong’s jaw tightened.

His big brother definitely knew Lin Xuyan liked him, yet he made no effort to distance himself. Clearly, he returned the interest.

What was he supposed to do?!

As the obedient little brother, all Gu Yihong could do was warn Gu Yubai against overexertion.

Better to just head home—he still had driving school in the afternoon.

Just as he took a step forward, the man who had exited the elevator brushed past him, bumping into his shoulder.

Granted, Gu Yihong hadn't been watching his step. He was about to apologize when his eyes met the man’s—who had stopped in his tracks—and his apology twisted into an insult.

"Sorry… *good-for-nothing*!"

If it weren’t for this guy's inadequacy, his big brother wouldn’t have settled for someone as mediocre as Lin Xuyan!

Yu Li: "???"

With Gu Yubai not around, Yu Li couldn't be bothered with the rude Gu Yihong.

He shot him an icy look before walking toward his own parking spot.

The morning wasn’t too hot yet, and the man was only wearing a white button-down, his black suit jacket draped over his arm, a black briefcase in his other hand.

Broad-shouldered and tall, he carried himself with authority. Even from the back, Yu Li radiated competence and calm.

His indifference toward Gu Yihong carried a trace of aristocratic disdain, diametrically opposed to his usual warm manner he’d displayed around Gu Yubai.

Remembering Yu Li's previous attentiveness toward his big brother, Gu Yihong’s eyes flickered.

He couldn’t be mistaken.

This man definitely had feelings for his big brother.

Compared to Lin Xuyan becoming his brother’s boyfriend, he’d much rather hand his big brother over to someone more dependable, considerate, and gentle—someone who could shield him from life’s storms.

His big brother was too kind-hearted, and too many people circled him with hidden agendas. No matter how clever Gu Yubai was, he couldn’t avoid every scheme.

Besides, even though the Su family had reached an unspoken agreement not to interfere in their lives, who could guarantee they wouldn’t revert to their old ways and come after Gu Yubai and him again?

He and Gu Yubai weren’t the influential titans of their past life anymore, whose every move could shake the nation’s business world. Right now, they were just ordinary university freshmen.

Lin Xuyan was clearly unreliable.

Back in high school, he’d also liked Gu Yubai, yet he’d silently helped that rich senior harass him for money. Someone so scheming and patient—if Gu Yubai really ended up with him, Gu Yihong would have to worry about him selling out his big brother for personal gain.

If his big brother *had* to date someone, better it be this Yu Li in front of him than Lin Xuyan.

Aside from being a bit older than them, Yu Li was—much as Gu Yihong hated to admit it—a rare example of a handsome and accomplished young man.

Most importantly, this guy was clearly a workaholic. He definitely wouldn’t cling to his big brother all the time!

Gu Yihong's mind raced, but only a few seconds passed in reality. Seeing the man's figure about to disappear around the corner, Gu Yihong suddenly called out to stop him.

"Hey!"

-------

While it was true that Lin Xuyan had asked Gu Yubai for help with welcoming new students, it hadn’t taken much time.

The two had simply met at the entrance of Mingcheng University, went over the arrangements for the freshman orientation, and set the exact start date for the semester in a couple of days. After that, Gu Yubai drove to the airport.

He had other plans.

In his previous life, by this time, he had already completely fallen out with the Su family and moved out. Back then, however, he'd poured all his energy into his comatose adoptive father in the hospital, and the rest of his time was tormented by the question of why his biological parents, knowing the truth, still favored the imposter heir Su Shengli.

So when he learned that before the semester started, an overseas expert specializing in vegetative nervous systems had visited a hospital in Mingcheng to conduct preliminary exams on a comatose patient, the expert had already left China.

Later, when his adoptive father died in the hospital fire, even if Gu Yubai had managed to bring that expert back, it would have been useless.

He didn’t know the exact date or time of the expert’s flight, only that it was in the few days before the semester began.

He also didn’t know which hospital in Mingcheng the expert had visited, nor was he certain this person could wake his adoptive father. Fortunately, he remembered reading in the news that someone had held up a sign waiting for the expert at the airport.

Gu Yubai thought that as long as he found the person holding that sign, he'd have his answer.

However, Gu Yubai only had time during the day. For the evening flights, he hired a broker to post someone at the airport.

Around four in the afternoon, with the sun still high in the sky, Gu Yubai’s phone suddenly rang.

He tore his searching eyes away from the crowd, pulled out his phone, and saw that it was Yu Li calling.

Gu Yubai’s eyebrows immediately lifted, and his dampened spirits from not finding the person improved a little. He felt much better.

There was a faint hint of laughter in Gu Yubai’s voice: "Brother Yu, how do you have time to call me? At this hour, shouldn’t you either be reviewing documents or in a meeting?"

On the other end of the line, Yu Li chuckled, his rich, velvety voice carrying a charm that sent pleasant chills.

Yu Li teased, "Generally speaking, that’s true. But today is different."

Gu Yubai laughed and replied, "What makes today special?"

Yu Li chuckled again: "Because today, I missed you."

Yu Li’s tone was so natural that Gu Yubai was momentarily speechless.

Without thinking, he blurted out, "What a coincidence, I missed you too."

Only after speaking did he realize what he’d said.

The atmosphere instantly went dead silent.

Yu Li on the other end of the phone also seemed startled. After a few seconds, he gave a resigned chuckle.

"Alright, since we’re missing each other so much, I wonder if Yubai has time to have dinner with me?"

"Six o’clock tonight, at the restaurant downstairs from my company. How does that sound?"

Gu Yubai coughed lightly and quickly replied, "Sure. I’m actually out right now, so I’ll drive over. The timing should be perfect."

Yu Li already knew Gu Yubai’s tastes, so he didn’t need to ask before picking the restaurant.

The two chatted casually for a bit more, with Gu Yubai driving while talking to Yu Li.

Over the phone, Yu Li casually asked,

"By the way, I heard you’ll be moving into dorms after the semester starts. Does that mean you won’t be home for a whole week?"

Gu Yubai, unsuspecting, chuckled. "Yeah, it’s a hard rule for freshmen. Both Yihong and I have to stay on campus. And once the semester starts, there’ll probably be plenty to handle, so living at school will be convenient."

Hearing the name Gu Yihong, Yu Li's brow twitched almost imperceptibly, recalling how the guy had stopped him that morning and spouted ridiculous claims.

Yu Li’s gaze darkened momentarily, but his tone remained natural as he continued,

"I ran into your brother this morning. He said you fell in love at first sight with some senior at Mingcheng University. Hah, I’m curious—just how outstanding is this person to have caught your interest?"

Yu Li was usually measured and composed, adept at interpersonal relations. He was also a man who knew his boundaries, never meddling in affairs that weren’t his concern. He had feelings for Gu Yubai but had been restraining himself due to their age difference.

But now, he found he could no longer maintain his composure.

Like an impatient young man, he dropped all pretense after just a few words, laying bare his probing question.

Gu Yubai froze momentarily. He hadn’t expected Yu Li to ask something so gossipy. Once it sank in, he couldn’t help but break into laughter.

His voice carried both surprise and teasing.

Gu Yubai said, amused, "Seriously? Since when would a CEO like you care about such trivial things?"

He didn’t answer directly.

Yu Li’s heart lodged in his throat. He held the phone, not daring to speak, feeling like a prisoner awaiting sentencing as he waited for Gu Yubai’s response.

Yu Li’s gaze drifted absently to the floor-to-ceiling window beside his office.

Through the vast, pristine glass, he saw the reflection of a contorted, sneering clown struggling to maintain dignity.

A clown.

He was a clown.

He could restrain himself, he could endure, but in reality, he was like an inexperienced youth, melting at first sight of the person he liked without even needing temptation.

He truly... liked Gu Yubai too much. So much that he couldn’t suppress his ugly, jealous visage.

Facing the phone, Yu Li stared at his clear reflection in the window and muttered under his breath,

"Yeah, I really do care whether you’ve fallen for someone at first sight."

If Gu Yubai didn’t mind gender, then why couldn’t it be him?

Yu Li’s expression darkened as he slowly closed his eyes, feeling a roaring beast within that could no longer be restrained.

Gu Yubai’s bright voice abruptly cut off Yu Li’s introspection. Otherwise, the esteemed CEO of Yu Group, a leader revered by thousands, might have confessed everything over the phone.

Gu Yubai laughed. "There’s no love at first sight. Yihong was just talking nonsense. Don’t take it seriously."

----

In his office, his lips curled into a silent, fierce smile.

When had he fallen for Gu Yubai? Approximately in his past life.

Before his death, long after severing all ties with the Su family following Old Master Su’s passing, Yu Li had unexpectedly received an invitation to a banquet hosted by Gu Yubai to celebrate his inheritance of Su Group.

At that time, the Su family was in shambles, with only the crippled Su Linyuan left and Gu Yubai, who had no attachment to the Su family but had inherited all its assets.

The assistant efficiently provided all of Gu Yubai's information, including photos.

Looking back now, Yu Li realized that he must have fallen head over heels for the Gu Yubai in those photos right then and there. So, before his unexpected death, he made a will, leaving most of his private assets—those not belonging to the Yu family’s public holdings—to Gu Yubai.

He thought it was just a twisted little joke, a final twist for the Yu family’s collateral branches fighting over the position of patriarch.

In reality, it was love—something that had taken root in him without him even realizing when.

On the phone, Yu Li remained silent for a long time, and Gu Yubai on the other end found it strange.

Casually, he asked, "Everything alright?"

Yu Li licked the roof of his mouth, chuckling to himself with careless abandon alone in his private office.

"Nothing. I just suddenly had an epiphany. When you come over, I have something to tell you."