Chapter 5: Changed, Yet Still the Same Person

Chapter 5: Changed, But Still That Person

"I broke up with Angel quite a while back," Gu Hansheng explained. "Before I ever met you."

"Bro, I know, you don't need to explain." Once the cameras behind them had moved on, Zhao Yu reached out and looped his arm through Gu Hansheng's.

This was the first time Zhao Yu had initiated contact, and Gu Hansheng naturally draped his arm over his shoulder. This time, Zhao Yu didn't resist—the closeness actually soothed his nerves.

They entered the VIP lounge for Tuotu's sponsored team, and Zhao Yu could see the track and the spectator stands through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Celebrities he had only ever seen on TV milled around, which made him feel out of place.

Gu Hansheng bumped into someone he knew, and as they talked business, Zhao Yu sat off to the side, killing time.

A boy was playing a racing simulator, and Zhao Yu stood nearby watching for a while. When the boy finished a lap, he turned and asked, "Wanna try it?"

Zhao Yu said, "I want to, but I don't know how."

The boy said, "Then I'll teach you—I'm really good at it."

The boy hopped out of the seat and eagerly helped him adjust the settings, explaining the function buttons.

The track's corners were extremely twisty, and the simulator's steering wheel was heavy, with too many buttons for Zhao Yu to remember at once. Before he knew it, he accidentally hit one.

The simulated car on screen veered off the track, and the wheel began to shake hard. Zhao Yu instinctively gripped it tighter, trying to recover, but someone suddenly pulled his hands away.

"If you can't recover it, let go—you'll hurt yourself." Gu Hansheng's voice rang out, and only then did Zhao Yu notice his palms were red and sore, and his wrist was slightly twisted and aching.

Gu Hansheng gently massaged his wrist, checking for any sprain. Such careful attention left Zhao Yu momentarily stunned, and it took him a beat to say, "I didn't expect it to be this hard."

"If you're interested, have Gu teach you personally."

A bold voice chimed in, and Zhao Yu turned to see it was one of the team's drivers.

Several people swarmed him for photos, and the boy excitedly thrust his cap at him for an autograph. After handling the fans, the man grinned and slung an arm over Gu Hansheng's shoulder, saying to Zhao Yu, "Hey, long time no see."

Zhao Yu's heart lurched, and his eyes darted across the driver posters on the wall—that's when he realized the man was Lin Su. The file had mentioned that Lin Su was a friend of Gu Hansheng's.

Chen Xitong had only known Gu Hansheng for about a month, so he couldn't have known Lin Su for more than a month—not long at all.

Doing the math quickly, Zhao Yu smiled and said, "Hasn't been that long, has it?"

"Oh, you still remember me. Looks like this handsome face of mine can't compete with Boss Gu's."

"Of course—you made a lasting impression."

Gu Hansheng said, "Don't you have a race coming up? Still got time to chat?"

Lin Su chuckled: "It's still early. Since the boss is here, I had to come see you—my main sponsor. Hey, Xitong, since you're here, come check out the pit lane—you can even touch the race car."

The group headed down to the pit lane, and a staff member showed Zhao Yu around the race car. Gu Hansheng watched him from a short distance away and asked Lin Su, "What do you think of Xitong?"

"Only met him once, so... outgoing, sunny, and a little naive," Lin Su said. "Why do you ask?"

Gu Hansheng gazed at Zhao Yu's profile. "He seems different, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Really?" Lin Su rubbed his chin and asked, "So, did he change for the better or worse?"

"What counts as better, and what counts as worse?"

"If you like it, it's better. If you don't, it's worse."

"By that logic, I guess it's not so bad."

"Then that's all that matters. Same face, same person. Even if he changed, how much could he really change?"

Whatever the staff member said to Zhao Yu made him suddenly laugh, and the sunlight spilled over him, catching his hair in a golden glow. Gu Hansheng didn't actually mind the change in him. When he called him "Bro," that simple syllable swept across his heart like a blade of grass brushing against it, making it itch.

Maybe Lin Su was right—even if he'd changed, he was still the person he loved, and he still loved who he'd become.

That was enough.

...

In the afternoon's main race, the combined livery of Tuotu Logistics and the race car stole the show, and Lin Su made it onto the podium.

The electric atmosphere of extreme racing was thrilling, and for that brief hour and a half, Zhao Yu almost forgot the heavy burden he carried.

Race cars could hit 350 kilometers per hour, and pit crews could swap tires in a blistering two seconds. Every second of tension and excitement sent his adrenaline surging. Even after the race ended, the thrill stayed with him.

That evening, Gu Hansheng drove Zhao Yu home, and they chatted happily about the race.

"Feeling any better?" Gu Hansheng asked.

For a moment, Zhao Yu felt like Gu Hansheng wasn't asking Chen Xitong, but him. Ever since Aunt Guo had fallen ill, he hadn't had a single relaxed day in the past year—only today.

He owed it all to having the same face as Chen Xitong.

"I had a great time," Zhao Yu said. "Thank you—you're always thinking of me."

"If you really want to thank me, play me something on the piano next time."

Zhao Yu hesitated for a moment. "Sure, when I'm ready."

...

Once home, Zhao Yu immediately called Zhou Lan.

When he heard that Gu Hansheng wanted to hear him play the piano, Zhou Lan was just as stumped: "You can't learn the piano in a day or two. Just stall for now—put it off day by day."

Zhao Yu tossed his trench coat aside and flopped onto the sofa, even propping his legs up on the table: "How do I stall? Until when? Give me something useful."

"Gu Hansheng has a lot on his plate every day. As long as you don't bring up the piano and change the subject, he'll forget about wanting to hear you play eventually."

"That's it? I doubt he'll forget that easily."

"It's the best we can do. Stay sharp—if you're really in a bind, text me and I'll bail you out."

"Alright."

Zhao Yu tossed his phone onto the table, feeling twice as exhausted now that the excitement had worn off.

Problems kept piling up, and the man he had to deal with was so sharp and capable—it was harder than a math problem.

The Steinway still stood by the window. The cleaner came every three days to tidy up and dust the piano. Zhao Yu walked over, lifted the lid, and lightly pressed two keys, which rang out bright and clear.

He'd known since childhood that Chen Xitong was talented at the piano. Back then, their parents hadn't divorced yet, the family was happy, and the brothers were close.

Chen Xitong could sit quietly practicing piano, while Zhao Yu would sneak out every day to play soccer with his friends. When he came home covered in mud, he'd inevitably get sent to stand in the corner.

Though they were twins, their personalities and interests were worlds apart, and they were easy to tell apart. From kindergarten on, the teachers knew the quiet, introverted one was Chen Xitong, and the outgoing, extroverted one was Zhao Yu.

Looking back now, if I had practiced the piano seriously as a child, I wouldn't be so helpless in the face of difficulties now.

Zhao Yu closed the piano lid, cutting his memories short.

He could see how good Gu Hansheng was to him, and if he couldn't get over this hurdle, he and Chen Li would both be finished.

That morning, just as Zhao Yu got up, he saw Chen Li sitting at the dining table, staring at her computer with a furrowed brow.

Without looking up, Chen Li said, "Why are you just getting up now? The breakfast I brought you is already cold. Warm it up yourself."

Zhao Yu was a little surprised: "Did you need something from me?"

After finishing the last page of the document, Chen Li said "Just a moment" and then made a phone call to her subordinate as if no one else were there.

Her phone call went on for half an hour. Zhao Yu sat at the table, cracking open the cold hard-boiled egg, peeling off the shell bit by bit, and popping it into his mouth. Eventually, he idly fiddled with a chopstick while listening to her conversation, and only then did he understand that her company was in serious trouble—truly at a make-or-break moment.

If she went bankrupt and the company was liquidated, she'd be buried in debt, and she'd never be able to get back on her feet in this lifetime.

When it came to urgently needing money, the two of them were basically in the same boat, except she could sit back and reap the rewards while Zhao Yu had to charge ahead on the front line.

After hanging up, Chen Li sat down, looking grave, and said, "I heard from Zhou Lan that things are going well on your end. What's Gu Hansheng's attitude like?"

"He's been treating me well."

"How are things between you two?"

"Pretty close."

"What I'm asking is, are you friends or lovers now?"

"It's only been two weeks. How could things move that fast?"

Chen Li sighed, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Have you brought up my company's situation with him?"

"I hinted at it once, but he totally brushed it off." Zhao Yu shrugged: "Honestly, if you want his investment, my efforts alone probably won't cut it. After all, you're the one who made him unhappy, not me."

"I've already thought about that." Chen Li stood up and paced back and forth, and after a long while said, "Here's the plan: the day after tomorrow, I'm going to an event at a charity home. You invite Gu Hansheng to come with us, and I'll say something about your situation to smooth things over."

"The day after tomorrow is a workday. I'll have to ask if he's free."

"Alright, ask him."

After saying that, the two of them stared at each other for a moment, and Zhao Yu said, "Now?"

"Now."

Zhao Yu had no choice but to pull out his phone and call Gu Hansheng.

The call connected quickly, and when he heard Gu Hansheng's voice, Zhao Yu instinctively moved to a quieter spot to get away from Chen Li.

"Brother, good morning."

"Morning. Have you eaten?"

"Just finished. Are you busy right now?"

Gu Hansheng had several documents piled up beside him, and while marking notes on a file he needed for a meeting, he said, "Not busy."

"I wanted to ask if you're free the day after tomorrow. I'm going to an event at a charity home with my mom. Would you like to come with me?"

Gu Hansheng tapped his pen twice on the document, pondering the information in the words. He was a shrewd businessman, never just looking at the surface of what he saw and heard but probing for deeper reasons.

"Chen Xitong" inviting him to an event, especially with Chen Li also present, sounded to him like a plea for help—"Chen Xitong" wanted to resolve his awkward dilemma and pave the way for their future relationship.

Gu Hansheng didn't care about Chen Li, but he did care about Chen Xitong's feelings. Based on that judgment, he said, "Alright, I'll come."

After hanging up, he canceled his schedule for the day after tomorrow.

Zhao Yu turned to Chen Li and said, "He agreed to come."

Chen Li was overjoyed: "Great. I'll have Zhou Lan bring you the suit for the event. Prepare well."

Zhao Yu watched her brow smooth out with delight and couldn't help but ask, "What if Chen Xitong..."

Seeing that he trailed off, she asked, "What about Xitong?"

What if Chen Xitong didn't want to? Would you still force him to please Gu Hansheng?

—Zhao Yu didn't ask that out loud.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask how Chen Xitong is doing and when he might wake up."

"The doctors can't say for sure if he'll wake up. Thank you for caring about him. If you have time, go visit him too. After all, he's your brother."

"Mm."

Listening to the sound of Chen Li closing the door as she left, Zhao Yu picked up the bits of eggshell that had fallen on the table and tossed them into the trash.

He had already made up his mind: the next time he met Gu Hansheng, he would take the most substantial step—whether it was a kiss or going to bed, as long as it could get Gu Hansheng to open his wallet for Chen Li, he was willing to do anything. Then he would end this relationship and walk away with his share of the money.