Chapter 10

010.

The trembling, startled note of his voice landed between them, and Bai Yu was the first to meet Lu Yuan's wide, startled cat-like eyes.

The man stood at the doorway, eyes half-lidded, his voice flat as he asked, "Not willing?"

Lu Yuan: "..."

Though it was only three simple words, the unhurried pace and the complete absence of emotion in his tone made it feel like a snowball hurled at someone already shivering in the dead of winter—it smacked Lu Yuan square in the face and left him completely speechless.

Lu Ke also looked at him at that moment.

His logic was simple: if Lu Yuan was willing, he'd go with Bai Yu, since the two were genuinely heading the same way.

But if Lu Yuan wasn't willing, then he'd drive the kid to Songlan Mansion himself.

In the silence, Bai Yu glanced at the time on his wristwatch, not giving Lu Yuan any chance to hesitate or refuse: "Your brother's flight to Germany leaves in two hours."

Germany?

The cat-like eyes grew even rounder, and even the little red mole at the corner of his eye seemed to grow a bit. And while Lu Yuan sat in his utter astonishment, Bai Yu continued in his cool, level tone: "He said that a minute and a half ago."

Lu Yuan: "..."

Well, crap. He'd been too busy checking out this gentleman's arm muscles to listen.

Having been a well-behaved kid since childhood, Lu Yuan naturally couldn't ask his eldest brother to drive him all the way to Songlan Mansion and then still make his flight—by the time they made the round trip, the plane would've been long gone.

So he nodded obediently. "I'll ride back with Mr. Bai."

Though there wasn't much time before takeoff, no matter how tight the schedule, it couldn't stop President Lu from worrying over his little brother. Beside the black luxury car with its golden Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament, Lu Ke's arm draped over Lu Yuan's shoulders—the kid serving as the lucky mascot—and he kept repeating to Bai Yu: "Take good care of my brother."

Lu Yuan didn't know if Bai Yu was sick of hearing it, but he was definitely embarrassed by it. He shrank into his fluffy collar, trying to hide his red face, and braved the cold wind to reach out two fingers and tug on Lu Ke's overcoat, whispering, "Bro, you might miss your flight."

Only then did Lu Ke reluctantly stop, throwing out one final remark: "Alright, you two be safe on the way back."

With that, Lu Ke casually opened the passenger door of the Cullinan and shoved Lu Yuan inside.

Lu Yuan: "...?"

He glanced at the empty back seat, then at the driver's seat.

The door was half-open, and the man who'd had one hand on the window frame had already bent down and gotten in. The door closed with a soft click, and the half-open window slid shut. The spacious outdoors instantly shrank to the narrow confines of the car, and Lu Yuan felt like all the air around him had been sucked away. He took a quiet, deep breath, but the first thing that hit his nose was an unfamiliar, faint woody scent.

He froze, realizing a beat too late that it was Bai Yu's scent.

The deep breath hadn't eased the tension of being alone in the car; instead, it left him soaked inside and out with Bai Yu's presence.

Lu Yuan felt at a loss. His slightly hunched back gradually stiffened, and the gap between his back and the seat was so big that another person could easily fit in it.

"Not tired?" Bai Yu seemed to notice, turning his head to glance at him. His gaze lingered on the gap for less than a second before settling back on the red mole at the corner of Lu Yuan's eye.

The streetlight's glow filtered through the windshield, casting his face in alternating light and shadow, making his features look even sharper.

Even more intimidating.

Lu Yuan's breath caught again for a few seconds before he quickly shook his head. "Not tired."

Then he muttered inwardly—based on Lu Yan's description of Bai Yu, shouldn't the man be pleased to see his absolutely disciplined, rigorous, more-perfect-than-an-elementary-school-student posture? So why ask if he was tired instead?

The Cullinan and the Maybach left the restaurant one after the other, the latter quickly merging onto the highway, leaving Lu Yuan staring longingly at its disappearing taillights.

The atmosphere in the car returned to the same silence as the private dining room before Lu Ke arrived—the only difference being that Bai Yu now served as the driver, his eyes fixed straight ahead, while the idle Lu Yuan kept sneaking glances at the man's fingers, forearms, waist, and even his thighs.

—Though it was a bit improper, Lu Yuan had to admit: this was way better scenery than the monotonous greenery stretching for over ten kilometers outside.

Besides, he was being very discreet. Unless Bai Yu had the same issue as Lu Yan—feeling like everyone was watching him—there was no way he'd notice.

Having gotten his fill, Lu Yuan looked away and let his thoughts drift aimlessly.

Reborn once, family found, money in hand—and now he even got to feast his eyes.

His three older brothers were handsome enough, but the next-door neighbor was ridiculously good-looking.

Rebirth was wonderful. Rebirth was great. Everything about being reborn was a blessing.

The only downside was that his lower back was starting to ache.

He shifted his weight subtly, and coincidentally, they hit a red light. The car came to a smooth stop, and Lu Yuan's movement froze. When the light turned green and the vehicle moved again, with Bai Yu's attention back on the road, Lu Yuan discreetly scooted back a little more.

He shifted carefully several times, but his back still hadn't touched the seat. A string of giant question marks popped up over his head.

So how much space had he left back then?

Just how big of a gap had he made!

The little figure in Lu Yuan's mind was grinding its teeth one moment, jumping around in frustration the next, then howling in exasperation.

After fidgeting for quite a while, his lower back finally made contact with the firm surface. Not caring anymore whether Bai Yu would notice, he let his body sink into the seat, his lean spine pressing against the backrest for support. The soreness and stiffness gradually melted away, and he squinted his eyes in satisfaction.

Just then, the man's palm pressed against the steering wheel, and a sharp honk blared through the road.

Lu Yuan jolted, his body snapping upright as if triggered by a switch.

Lu Yuan: "..."

He stared blankly at the empty lane ahead, then turned to look at the man in the driver's seat.

The streetlights flashed past, illuminating his face hidden in the darkness. Bai Yu's brow was smooth and level, his long fingers tapping the steering wheel idly, his dark eyes calm and deep. He spoke slowly: "Did I startle you? My apologies."

Lu Yuan: "..."

What was going on? He couldn't detect a single trace of apology in either the man's expression or his tone.

Then again, that made sense. As the head of the Bai Group, accustomed to his position as the one in control, the word "sorry" was probably a foreign concept to him.

Out of politeness, Lu Yuan silenced the cursing little figure in his mind and responded with full understanding: "No problem."

His taut lower back never did manage to relax against the seat again. By the time the Cullinan arrived at Villa No. 2 in Songlan Mansion, Lu Yuan was clutching his stiff lower back with one hand and bracing against the car door with the other, shuffling out slowly like a little old man.

And silently vowing:

From now on, even if a volcano erupted, seawater flooded inland, the moon shifted off its axis, or a planet slammed into Earth, he would never ride in Bai Yu's car again!

But as he turned around, the passenger window slid down, and a flawless smile spread across the young man's face: "Thank you, Mr. Bai. Rest well, good night."

What a load of fake gratitude and concern.

Bai Yu shot him a glance, then the Cullinan backed up to the junction and turned up the hill toward Villa No. 1.

Lu Yuan, who'd been holding his back straight the whole time, finally let it slump. He stood under the streetlight, grimacing for a solid minute, before dragging himself to his front door.

"Welcome home, A Yuan!"

The second the door swung open, the party popper in Lu Yan's hand went off with a bang, and a mix of fake petals and confetti exploded in Lu Yuan's face like fireworks.

He blinked and tried a hesitant, "Thanks?"

Even though he'd only been gone four hours.

"As the saying goes, a day apart feels like three years—so four hours is a month and a half, which is plenty long enough." Lu Yan had a real gift for bullshitting, thanks to his years as a little menace back in the day.

Then he turned to Chen Chi, who was already waiting with a broom and dustpan. "Thanks, man, thanks."

Chen Chi smiled. "No trouble at all."

Trouble in my fate, maybe.

Having to pull this kind of stunt in the middle of the night.

It was getting late, so Lu Yan gave Chen Chi a little pre-bedtime workout and sent him off to rest. That left the two brothers exchanging a look, and Lu Yuan quickly raised his hand. "I'm gonna go shower."

Lu Yan nodded hard. "Yeah, you should. You reek of Brother Yu's scent."

Lu Yuan was shocked. "What?!"

Lu Yan: "You don't smell it? It's a faint woody scent, Brother Yu's signature. Actually smells pretty good, but I've got a bit of PTSD."

As he talked, he nudged Lu Yuan by the shoulder toward the stairs, humming: "Your body carries his perfume, my nose commits the crime..."

Lu Yuan: "..."

To be fair, Third Young Master Lu really was the most talented singer of the younger generation in the entertainment industry—he sang beautifully, but the lyrics were so cringe they made you shiver.

Afraid his ears might take a beating, Lu Yuan quickly held his back and headed to the bedroom to shower.

A few dozen minutes later.

In the villa's game room, colorful lights blazed so bright they stung your eyes. The massive movie screen was on, endlessly replaying gameplay footage. On the coffee table: drinks, desserts, barbecue, chips—everything you could want. Judging by the amount, Lu Yan was clearly determined to battle until dawn.

Lu Yuan asked hesitantly, "Can your throat handle all this?"

Lu Yan was totally chill. "A little taste now and then is fine, and I don't have any gigs lately, so my voice isn't being used. Oh, by the way, let's switch games—this one looks fun."

Yeah, right.

The game had barely started when Lu Yan's shouts got so loud they could shake the whole basement. Lu Yuan rubbed his left ear, staring blankly at the huge screen, then after a few seconds turned his head and firmly suggested, "How about we switch games?"

Lu Yan: "No way! Watch me destroy these two bastards."

It was a four-player team battle game where winning advanced you to face higher-level opponents, and ten consecutive wins earned a gift from the game's official side.

Third Young Master Lu wasn't short on cash, but his competitive streak was fierce—especially knowing that his cheating 'husband' Qi Shuyang had already gotten the prize. And after boasting about his gaming skills during the day, only to be crushed by the opposition at night, he couldn't swallow that humiliation!

At three in the morning, in the dead silence, even the bugs on Songlan Mountain had given up and gone to sleep, when the game room finally erupted with a joyful shout and a big high-five.

Lu Yan hastily pulled out his phone. "Quick, quick, let's take a photo for the memory!"

The camera aimed at the screen displaying "Congratulations, player, on achieving ten consecutive wins!"—click, one shot. Then it flipped to selfie mode, capturing two faces pressed together—another click.

Lu Yan examined the photo left and right, amazed that he and A Yuan looked so stunning with no flaws to find, rendering even the retouching software useless. Then he tapped send and posted it to his Moments.