Chapter 20

020.

Although his true thoughts were easily seen through, Lu Yuan knew Bai Yu didn't have a lie detector, so as long as he flat-out denied it, what could Bai Yu do to him?

Besides, playing innocent was his forte.

Relying on his pretty face and thick skin, Lu Yuan could not only say with confidence, "I didn't insult you," but also turn the tables: "You're slandering me!"

He rattled on: "You can't accuse me of insulting you in my thoughts just because you don't want to pay for hand cream. That's not right—it makes the boss of the prestigious Bai Group seem like someone who enjoys making malicious assumptions. It'll hurt your reputation."

"Then you're probably the first person I've ever made malicious assumptions about, so don't let me hear any rumors, or I'll know it's you."

With that, Bai Yu tossed the cold, damp towel he'd brought from the bathroom onto Lu Yuan's red lower back, catching him off guard and making him shiver again.

He did that on purpose!

And he was threatening him too!

Lu Yuan was about to keep complaining when Bai Yu's palm suddenly covered his face. Under Lu Yuan's shocked gaze, Bai Yu turned his head back to face forward, his voice turning even colder: "Find some time to learn to control your expressions from Lu Yan, so I don't have to assume you're cursing me in your head again."

With that, he used the towel to wipe the unabsorbed hand cream from Lu Yuan's waist, then picked up the towel and headed toward the second floor.

Lu Yuan stared at his retreating back in silence for a full thirty seconds before muttering under his breath, "I wasn't cursing this time."

He hadn't even started complaining yet, and he was already accused of having bad intentions.

But then again, was his face really that easy to read?

Lu Yuan struggled to pull his phone out from under his stomach, opened the front camera, and looked at his own face on the screen.

—He couldn't tell if his expressions were well-controlled, but his superior facial features were undeniable for all to see!

Because Chef Charlie couldn't understand Chinese at a critical moment, Lu Yuan was deeply disappointed in him and started a one-sided cold war.

*

At the head of the dining table, Bai Yu sipped his lobster cream soup and glanced at the young master, who had a tense expression and feigned seriousness, thinking this so-called cold war was on par with an elementary school student's petty squabble.

An elementary school student giving in would say: "Fine, I admit Ultraman Tiga is stronger than Zero."

All Charlie needed was one line: "This is a dessert Mr. Bai specially asked me to make for you. Please try it."

Lu Yuan clearly wanted to stubbornly refuse, but unfortunately, Charlie's specialty desserts perfectly matched the young master's taste. The thick layer of chocolate that Bai Yu found too sweet was just right for Lu Yuan.

He hesitated for two seconds, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the chocolate. He picked up the small spoon with feigned reluctance and said, "I'll just try a bite."

Under Bai Yu's knowing gaze and Charlie's hopeful eyes, he brought the spoon, loaded with a generous scoop of molten chocolate, to his mouth. The rich chocolate aroma, the dense texture, and the roasted fragrance instantly ignited Lu Yuan's taste buds.

Looking at those cat-like eyes that were noticeably brighter than before, Bai Yu half-closed his eyes and thought to himself:

With facial expressions like that, calling them bad would be a compliment.

Bai Yu didn't say anything, but Charlie couldn't contain himself any longer. After hesitating for a long time, he asked, "How does it taste?"

Lu Yuan, who was about to take a second scoop, suddenly remembered the cold war. He raised his chin slightly and answered, "It's okay."

Oh, "okay"!

The bearded man's eyes suddenly lit up.

When he was learning Chinese, his teacher had told him that Chinese people were reserved—when they said "okay," they actually meant it was fantastic!

It seemed the young master was very pleased with his signature dessert!

Lu Yuan had no idea what Charlie was thinking. Hiding his love for the chocolate lava cake, he pushed the delicate, expensive-looking plate toward Bai Yu and asked politely, "Mr. Bai, would you like to try some?"

Without even raising an eyebrow, Bai Yu said, "No need."

No need? Great—

His eyes brightened even more. He pulled the plate back, cleared his throat, and said, "Well then, since Mr. Bai doesn't like it, I can't let it go to waste. As the saying goes, 'Every grain on the plate is the fruit of hard work.' Taking pride in finishing my plate and feeling ashamed of waste—as a thrifty, simple, and morally upright young man of the new era, I've decided to make a sacrifice and finish this chocolate lava cake myself."

He spoke with righteous indignation, but to his surprise, the moment he finished, Bai Yu pressed down on his wrist, stopping him from pulling the plate toward himself.

Before Lu Yuan could even look confused, Bai Yu said, "Since you're so reluctant, let's leave this dessert for Uncle Wei."

Who? Leave it for who?

"Grandpa Wei?" Lu Yuan's voice involuntarily rose, but under Bai Yu's gaze, he quietly shut his mouth.

Bai Yu said, "Uncle Wei likes it."

Lu Yuan protested: "That's not good. Grandpa Wei is so old—this cake has so much sugar and chocolate. If he eats it, his blood sugar will spike, and it could worsen his high cholesterol, leading to arteriosclerosis and all that."

Bai Yu said, "It's a rare treat. It won't hurt."

Lu Yuan kept protesting: "It will hurt! How could it not? An elderly person's body absolutely cannot afford even the slightest mistake!"

They stared at each other for a long time, and Bai Yu asked flatly, "You like it?"

Lu Yuan was speechless.

He knew it—this man had seen right through him and had deliberately brought up Grandpa Wei just to tease him.

Lu Yuan really started to doubt his ability to control his expressions.

Rubbing the tip of his nose, he decided to back down and admitted with resignation, "Yes, I like it."

Hearing those two words, Bai Yu finally let go of Lu Yuan's wrist. Lu Yuan immediately scooped up a big spoonful of chocolate and happily stuffed it into his mouth.

So good.

Truly worthy of a gold-medal chef. He absolutely had to find a way to steal Charlie for his own villa.

—Even if Charlie couldn't understand Chinese, that was fine; he could learn French.

Immersed in the joy of good food, Lu Yuan got along quite well with Bai Yu. Whenever Bai Yu casually said "eat some vegetables," Lu Yuan would dutifully fork over the broccoli from the steak.

Halfway through the meal, the doorbell of Villa No. 1 rang three times, politely.

Lu Yuan turned around with the spoon still in his mouth and soon saw a familiar figure following the old butler.

Lu Yan was wearing the same clothes he'd worn when leaving the variety show set. Because he had to catch a flight and was afraid of being mobbed by fans who'd heard he was coming, he was dressed very low-key. When he returned to Villa No. 2 and heard from Chen Chi that Lu Yuan was at Bai Yu's, he didn't bother tidying up and rushed over to ring the doorbell.

Following the old butler's gaze, when he caught sight of Lu Yuan and Bai Yu sitting at the same dining table in what looked like a remarkably harmonious scene, Lu Yan's eyes nearly bulged.

What on earth had happened while he was away filming the variety show all day?

That night, after A Yuan finished dinner with his eldest brother and Bai Yu, he spent half the night complaining to Bai Yu about him.

How the hell did these two get so chummy?!

Lu Yan's mind suddenly flashed back to his chat history with Lu Yuan: Brother Yu is easy to get along with.

Could it be a chain reaction from cramming that thesis? It made A Yuan see Brother Yu's "gentle" side?

Third Young Master Lu was stunned, his face cycling through expressions.

At the dining table, Lu Yuan stared at Lu Yan for a long while, then turned to look at Bai Yu, opening his mouth like he wanted to say something.

Bai Yu raised his eyes: "Speak."

Lu Yuan asked sincerely: "Do you really think his facial expressions are on point?"

From that far away, he could clearly see the exasperated look on his third brother's face. It was obviously shock and disbelief at seeing him and Bai Yu sitting calmly at the same dining table, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Bai Yu: "..."

Rarely at a loss for words, Bai Yu looked up at Lu Yan and asked coldly: "Filming's done?"

"It's done." Lu Yan stood up straight, though answering Bai Yu, his gaze kept darting to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan showed no guilt for having coaxed him back, blinking rapidly as a greeting, and Lu Yan nearly broke into a foolish grin.

Lu Yuan: "..."

Lu Yuan was still bothered by Bai Yu's suggestion that he learn to control his facial expressions from Lu Yan, but seeing his third brother's silly look and the exhaustion in his eyes, his heart softened a little.

He asked: "Third brother, have you eaten yet?"

Lu Yan shot a glance at Bai Yu: "Not yet."

Bai Yu: "Uncle Wei, set out the utensils."

Lu Yan's eyes lit up, and he quickly shot his little brother a look: You were right, Brother Yu has been easy to deal with these past two days!

He'd only said two words, and Bai Yu just invited him to sit down and eat—that kind of treatment was practically unheard of!

After all, whether he'd eaten or not was none of Bai Yu's business.

If he'd truly starved to death, Bai Yu would only frown and ask: "Is his brain just for decoration? Someone who can't find food when hungry is a rare sight."

Sitting down across from Lu Yuan, Lu Yan first sweetly praised the lavish lunch. Then he complimented the chef the Bai family had hired, exhausting nearly all of Third Young Master Lu's limited vocabulary. But Bai Yu didn't even spare him a glance.

Lu Yan: "...Fine, still the same cold, couldn't-care-less Brother Yu."

But their A Yuan was a different story!

Lu Yuan pushed his own plates one by one toward Lu Yan, even cutting half of his new favorite—chocolate lava cake—and handing it to him: "Brother, was filming rough? Your face looks haggard, eat up. Oh, this chocolate lava cake is amazing, you've gotta try it."

Lu Yan accepted his brother's kindness, his grin growing wider and wider.

Ah, having a little brother is the best.

Back in the day, who would've cut him a piece of chocolate lava cake?

"Lu Yan."

Just as he was about to grin so wide he couldn't close his mouth, Bai Yu suddenly spoke, and Lu Yan quickly responded: "Huh? Brother Yu, what's up?"

Bai Yu: "Have you ever owned a cat?"

Lu Yan was confused.

Why bring that up out of the blue during a meal?

He answered truthfully: "No."

Bai Yu didn't continue, but a faint, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

No wonder he didn't know the saying—when a cat goes quiet, it's up to no good. When a cat acts cute, the damage is already done.

He set down his knife and fork, and as he rose, he threw out over his shoulder: "Come to my study when you're done eating."