Chapter 22

022.

"W-W-What?"

For a split second, Lu Yan felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck him right on the head, leaving him completely shell-shocked, ears ringing, brain short-circuiting entirely.

He stared at the man before him in utter shock.

Bai Yu leaned back in his chair, long legs crossed beneath the tailored trousers, his posture casually relaxed. The gentle winter sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and fell upon his shoulders, pulling half of his profile into a sacred halo. Even Lu Yan—who frequented the entertainment industry and considered himself the top-tier visual—had to admit that his brother's looks were genuinely unmatched.

It was just that those phoenix eyes, cold as if dropping ice cubes, were fixed on him, the message written all over his face: *Did you hear me? If not, I can say it ten thousand more times—copy the papers, sixteen papers, two hundred times each.*

Lu Yan: "..."

That face immediately lost eighty percent of its charm and turned completely insufferable.

No, wait.

Lu Yan snapped back to reality.

A Yuan had clearly said that Brother Yu had been easy to deal with these past two days, and he'd gotten the same vibe when he arrived at Villa No. 1. So why did everything change the second he walked through this study door?

Had he opened the door wrong?

Under Bai Yu's stare, the Third Young Master Lu—already terrified out of his mind by the two-hundred-times copying—moved like a ghost, turned around, and silently walked to the door. He opened it, stepped out, and a few seconds later, three softer knocks came. He pushed the door open again, forcing a smile onto his face: "Brother Yu, I'm here to recite the papers."

Bai Yu: "..."

After an uncharacteristic two-second pause, he lowered his gaze and picked up his phone from the desk.

His phone screen was still open to his chat with Lu Yuan. The young master had just sent an all-knowing fat cat meme and nothing else, presumably already aware of the whole Neon backstory.

He left the chat, pulled up Lu Ke's contact, and shot him a message.

Y: *Did you guys ever take Third Brother to a hospital to get his head checked?*

Lu Ke, fresh out of the gym and heading to the bathroom, wiped off his sweat and replied with a question mark.

Then added: *No need for a hospital to know his brain's fried. Twenty-something years old and he suddenly asks me if Neon ever ate shit.*

Bai Yu locked his phone. When he looked up, the Third Young Master Lu was gazing at him with pleading eyes, those signature Lu-family peach blossom eyes glistening with unshed tears, like a glimmering lake in spring sunlight. He looked pitiful and wronged, his face still holding an unrealistic hope that the facts might change.

"Don't give me that disgusting look." Bai Yu's voice turned two degrees colder. "Otherwise, it's three hundred copies per paper."

Lu Yan: "................"

God above! Is this fair? Is this fair?!

What did he mean, "that disgusting expression"?! What was disgusting about his expression?! His fans always said he nailed the pitiful puppy act—one cute act, one show of weakness, and they'd melt and pluck the stars from the sky for him! How did it turn into "disgusting" in his brother's eyes? Did his brother have zero taste? No—his brother didn't even have eyes!!

He raged internally for a full three minutes but didn't dare show a hint of it on his face.

Lu Yan wiped his face, realizing that the way he opened the door had nothing to do with his brother's natural sharpness, and that there was no such thing as "easy to talk to" or "considerate." He hung his naive head and resigned himself to his fate:

"Brother, Brother, I'm literally begging you. Copying two hundred times would kill my hand, and why sixteen papers? I only have to memorize eight of them! The other eight are A Yuan's job. Please, just cut me some slack, okay? Brother, you're the best brother in the entire world—"

The wail erupted right next to his ear, the same noisy, chaotic scene as before, but Bai Yu found it annoying, showing not an ounce of softness: "Then recite them now. If you can, you're free to go."

Lu Yan: "..."

If he could recite them, why would he be doing the whole pitiful puppy act?

He begged: "Can I just go back and memorize them now? I won't copy them two hundred times, I swear I'll memorize them."

Bai Yu: "Either come find me in two days to recite the papers—all eight at once—or copy them two hundred times."

Lu Yan: "................"

Two days. Eight papers in two days. How was that any different from just killing him?

Might as well have actually set the dogs on him.

Grumbling aside, the Third Young Master Lu still managed a reluctant "fine," and under Chairman Bai's look that clearly said "then why are you still here?", he drifted out of the study like a ghost on unsteady feet.

The second the door closed, all his strength seemed to drain away. Mentally and physically drained, he slid down the door until his butt hit the floor with a heavy thud.

"Ow—"

Before he could even get up to rub his aching butt, out of the corner of his eye, Lu Yan caught the door to the second room down the hall cracking open just a sliver, with Lu Yuan sneaking a peek out.

The second their eyes met, that head snapped back like it'd been scared, and the door slammed shut right after.

The door slammed shut with a thunderous, panicked bang, and Lu Yan could swear the floor shook beneath his feet.

Lu Yan: "?"

What the hell was that about?

The Third Young Master Lu, just called brainless by his own brother, used that one guilty movement from the young master to kick his brain into overdrive. Within three seconds, he deduced that this severe, heinous *Sixteen Papers, Two Hundred Copies Each* incident might have a mastermind behind it.

His body, which had felt so weak moments before, suddenly surged with energy. His butt stopped hurting, and his heart stopped aching. Lu Yan shot up off the floor at record speed, his long legs finally proving their worth as he sprinted to the guest room door like he was running the hundred-meter dash.

But when he tried the handle, the door was locked tight.

The odds of a mastermind jumped from fifty percent to a hundred percent. Baring his teeth, he pounded on the door repeatedly: "A Yuan, you little stinker, open this door! Let's have a nice little chat about what you meant by 'Brother Yu is especially easy to talk to these days'! Open up!"

People don't get tired while doing bad things, but after the deed is done, a sliver of guilt creeps in. While Lu Yan was in the study being inspected by Chairman Bai, Lu Yuan had opened and closed his door a million times, and had even hobbled past the study at least five times, one hand on his aching lower back.

At one point, he'd run into a spaced-out Lu Yan. He'd assumed Lu Yan had already been forced to endure this one-sided slaughter, but to his surprise, the other man didn't seem to see him at all and, with a serious expression, knocked on the study door again.

The scene was too weird, and it only made Lu Yuan more curious.

Unfortunately, Bai Yu's study had no cameras, and he didn't have the guts to press his ear to the door and eavesdrop.

"I'm not opening it. I'm not stupid—the second I do, you'll barge in and beat me up." Lu Yuan pressed himself against the door, shaking his head firmly. "Who told you to ditch me and take off two days ago? And not only did you run off, you had to specifically tell Bai Yu to come find me. You were out there living it up, but do you have any idea what I've been going through!"

"?"

Lu Yan almost laughed out of pure anger: "What kind of days? You've practically made yourself the king of Brother Yu's house! Do you know how naturally you flopped onto that sofa earlier? And you even dared to slam the guest room door so hard the whole place shook!"

Lu Yuan: "...You just wouldn't get it."

This all came at the cost of my back.

Young and already with a wrecked lower back—do you know how cruel that is for a twenty-year-old?!

Lu Yuan covered one ear and raised his voice to deliver his final verdict: "Anyway, what goes around comes around. This is all your payback!!"

Lu Yan: "..."

Alright, he admitted it—sneaking off on his own and pushing Ah Yuan out to take the fall was indeed a bit much, but, but, but!

He choked up: "But copying each essay two hundred times is way too much."

How many times?

Whoosh.

The door that had just been practically glued shut suddenly cracked open a sliver, revealing a peephole with an eye widened in sheer shock. Lu Yuan couldn't control his voice as he asked again: "How many times? How many times does Bai Yu want you to copy the essays?"

Lu Yan repeated with a face full of resentment: "Two hundred times."

Lu Yuan: "..."

The two brothers stared at each other through the crack in the door for a full two minutes before Lu Yuan slowly raised his hand, holding up three fingers pressed together, and spoke in a sluggish tone: "I only mildly suggested he punish you with a hundred times. The extra hundred is purely Bai Yu throwing in extras of his own. If you want to cause trouble, go after him—it's got nothing to do with me."

Lu Yan lost control: "...A hundred times is nothing?!"

Besides, without your hundred, would there be Bai Yu's two hundred?!

"It's, uh, not that much, right?" Lu Yuan's gaze drifted, muttering under his breath, "I just exaggerated my wording a bit—I didn't think he'd actually take it to heart."

How could the big boss of the Bai Group be so obedient, with no mind of his own... oh wait, he does—his own idea was just adding another hundred.

Lu Yuan sighed inwardly, about to soothe his about-to-explode third brother, when the other suddenly stepped forward and swiftly grabbed his wrist. Under Lu Yuan's terrified gaze, he cackled sinisterly: "Gotcha, bratty little brother! You're gonna get it!"

Lu Yuan: "...Can you control your face? Your Brother Yu praised your expression management and told me to learn from you. Show him a little respect, will you?"

Lu Yan: "Bullshit! Brother Yu praising me is as likely as me letting you off today—not even a 0.01% chance!"

Lu Yan yanked Lu Yuan with one hand while hooking his other hand on the doorframe, putting all his strength into squeezing through the crack. Just as he was about to succeed, a faint sound came from behind him. As if sensing something, his body suddenly went rigid.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, still blocked inside the door, had his eyes instantly light up. He awkwardly poked his head out from behind Lu Yan's shoulder.

Bai Yu stood in the hallway, his tall figure blocking the sunlight spilling in from the side. He watched the two of them tussling with an expressionless face, but his gaze quickly landed on Lu Yuan, who was making exaggerated faces. The boy's face was animated as he frantically signaled with his eyes—get this guy out of here!

The next second, a hand suddenly clamped over Lu Yuan's face. Realizing what was happening, Third Young Master Lu turned around, trying to look calm and collected, trying to hide the "crime scene" from view: "Brother Yu, are we disturbing you? Sorry about that—we'll take this inside."

Lu Yuan: "Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"

Who wants to go inside with you?!

Watching Lu Yuan's fluffy head thrash around as he struggled, Bai Yu braced his shoulder against the doorframe and casually lifted his wrist, sunlight glinting off the watch face. He said slowly: "I thought Third Young Master Lu would be hurrying off to memorize those essays, since your time is running out."

Lu Yan: "..."

Finally breaking free, Lu Yuan gasped for air: "Yeah, yeah! Hurry up and go memorize those essays!"

Lu Yan: "..."

Two minutes later, Third Young Master Lu wiped the corner of his eye and trudged downstairs with the tragic air of a warrior heading to his doom, bleak and world-weary. When he reached the living room, he looked up to see Lu Yuan leaning over the hallway railing, flashing him an adorable smile and cheering him on from above.

Not adorable at all.

He thought: genetics are strong. That bastard Lu Zhuo's black heart definitely wasn't something he picked up later in life—and his dear little brother had inherited a good chunk of it in the womb too.

Pulling out his phone, Lu Yan jabbed at his phone screen furiously.

Third Brother: Bratty little brother, just you wait! A gentleman takes his revenge, and it's never too late! You think you can hide in Brother Yu's villa forever?!

Yeah, right, like he could hide forever.

Lu Yan walked out of the house, thinking to himself.

His bratty little brother spent all day wanting to sleep, laze around, and be a total couch potato, practically wishing he could stay in bed 24/7. If Brother Yu could stand him without kicking him out, he'd chop off his own head and use it as a soccer ball for the brat.

Wait—

Lu Yan stopped mid-step, blinking in confusion: "So why can that brat so confidently hide out in Brother Yu's guest room?"

Inside the door.

After seeing off the frantic Lu Yan, Lu Yuan held his waist and turned back, spotting Bai Yu still standing in the hallway, looking down at him, using his height advantage. He blinked: "What's up?"

"Nothing." Bai Yu lowered his gaze, sweeping over Lu Yuan's messy hair once more before casually asking, "You did the young master a huge favor—you very likely prevented a bloody murder. How does the young master plan to repay this life-saving favor?"

"...Before we talk about repaying the life-saving favor, can you save my waist first?" Lu Yuan looked pitiful, tears welling up in his eyes. "It hurts again."

Bai Yu studied his expression carefully.

Although Lu Yuan took after their mother more, being biological brothers, he shared subtle similarities with Lu Yan.

The way he played pitiful was naturally the same.

Yet, the impression it gave was completely different.

Bai Yu walked to the guest room, pushed open the door that had been fought over for so long, and said: "Come in."