The phone under Yu Sen’s pillow rang eight times before he groggily and reluctantly picked it up without even looking at the caller ID. “Which bastard is ruining my good dream? You better have something important to say, or I’ll chop you up and feed you to the sharks.”

“…” There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, then a cautious voice asked, “Is this Mr. Yu Sen?”

“Isn’t that obvious!? You call me and ask who I am?”

“Sorry for disturbing you, but could you come and pick up the Second Young Master Si? He’s at the Lando Bar.”

“What? Who the hell is the Second Young Master Si?!” Yu Sen was still groggy from sleep.

“Uh… it’s Si Xuanyang… He said he won’t leave unless you come.” The voice on the phone sounded troubled.

Yu Sen’s consciousness gradually cleared up. He flipped over and lay on his back, holding the phone in front of him to check the caller ID. Sure enough, it was “Little Tyrant Si,” and it was already past two in the morning.

The screen light was a bit blinding, so he squinted and put the phone back to his ear, asking, “What happened to him?”

“He’s very drunk.”

The words were subtle, but Yu Sen raised an eyebrow, “Drunk as a skunk?”

“Exactly.”

“What does that have to do with me? I’m not even in Gangcheng right now. It would take me two or three hours to drive there. It would be more practical for you to just take him to a hotel.”

“That won’t work, sir!” Hearing that Yu Sen didn’t want to come, the voice on the other end immediately became anxious. “Second Young Master Si is terrifying right now! Whoever tries to pull him away gets a bottle smashed over their head! No one dares to go near him!”

Yu Sen snickered. He didn’t expect Si Xuanyang to be so violent when drunk. “If he doesn’t appreciate your kindness, then just let him sleep there.”

“But how can we do that? If I let him sleep on the bar sofa all night and something happens to him tomorrow, I’ll be fired when I get back! Mr. Yu, please help us out. Second Young Master has been mumbling your name even after he got drunk. Just think of it as a good deed and come over!”

Yu Sen was a bit puzzled, “Why did he drink so much? There must be a reason, right? Did he say anything?”

“Well…” Xiao Chen, who was at the bar, wasn’t sure about Yu Sen’s exact identity and hesitated to say more. But in the end, thinking that gossip might draw their savior over, he loudly said, “He cursed the First Young Master Si for being a bastard! A cheating scumbag! And said his taste had gone to the dogs!”

Yu Sen: “…”

He had a rough idea of the situation now.

Xiao Chen was almost in tears, “Mr. Yu, please come quickly. With Second Young Master’s temper, there must be something big going on for him to be this angry. If he sobers up and decides to beat the First Young Master to death, we’re in serious trouble!”

Yu Sen clicked his tongue, “It won’t come to that… Alright, send me the address. But I won’t get there for two or three hours. If you move to another location, keep me updated in real time.”

“Sure! Don’t worry!”

Yu Sen hung up the phone, chuckled to himself, shook his head, and got up to wash up and get dressed. Grabbing his car keys, he headed out the door.

There weren’t many cars on the highway at night. As he sipped on the black coffee he bought at a rest stop, he suddenly started feeling uneasy.

—It seems like the truth is about to come out. Why do I suddenly feel like I’ve messed up?

Messed up to the point where I’m scared to face Si Xuanyang.

He sighed softly: Oh well, at worst, I’ll just get beaten up. I can choose not to fight back for the time being.

It’s not because I can’t win.

Yu Sen nodded to himself, feeling a slight boost in confidence, and stepped on the gas, speeding towards Gangcheng.

---

It was nearly 5 AM when he arrived at the entrance of Lando. Most bars would have closed by this time, and wouldn’t even let people in.

But when Yu Sen arrived, the bartender in a black uniform at the entrance looked like they had seen a savior and quickly ushered him inside.

There weren’t many people in the bar, and a soft piano tune played in the background. After a few steps, Yu Sen saw Si Xuanyang slumped motionless in a booth, surrounded by a chaotic array of liquor bottles, some half-full, others empty.

Next to him was a skinny young man, nodding off, who was gently nudged awake by the bartender. Seeing Yu Sen, he stood up in surprise, “Are you Mr. Yu?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Thank you so much for coming! By the way, you can call me Xiao Chen. I work at Second Young Master’s cousin’s house,” Xiao Chen said with a smile.

Yu Sen nodded casually and bent down to look at Si Xuanyang. As soon as he saw him clearly, he was startled.

“Whoa, wait! You’re awake?”

Si Xuanyang was half-awake, staring blankly at a fixed point. When he heard Yu Sen’s voice, he slowly and dazedly moved his gaze to Yu Sen’s face.

“You scared me! If you’re awake, you should have said so earlier. Come on, I’ll take you back.” Yu Sen made a move to help him up, but as soon as he extended his hand, his wrist was grabbed.

The grip wasn’t strong. Perhaps it was because he’d been drunk all night, and his energy was completely drained.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, but there was a slight red mist in Si Xuanyang’s eyes, making them look much softer than his usual gaze, which alternated between irritation and indifference. He looked like a newborn animal—soft and harmless.

Yu Sen was more patient with this version of Si Xuanyang, letting him lazily hold onto his hand. He coaxed him like a child, “What’s wrong? What do you want? Do you need some water or to use the restroom?”

Si Xuanyang cleared his throat, his voice extremely hoarse and sticky, sounding almost like he was whining, “Break up with my brother. He’s not a good guy.”

“……”

Yu Sen was first struck by this soft tone, not knowing if Si Xuanyang would want to die of embarrassment once he sobered up.

Then he was shocked by the content of his words. He glanced at Xiao Chen, who was next to him, his mouth agape as if he could swallow an egg, his eyes filled with an unspoken warning.

Xiao Chen, struck by Yu Sen’s glare, quickly collected his stunned expression and said seriously, “Don’t worry, Mr. Yu. I didn’t hear anything… I’ll just go wait at the bar over there. Just call me if you need anything.”

With that, he fled from the scene as if his life depended on it.

Yu Sen leisurely turned back to Si Xuanyang and sighed, “Tell me, why isn’t he a good guy? He’s your own brother. How can you badmouth your brother like that?”

“He…he just isn’t…a good guy,” Si Xuanyang hiccupped, his tone carrying a clear anger. “He deceived you!”

“Oh, really? What did he deceive me about?”

“He deceived your… feelings! He’s not a good person!” A layer of tears covered Si Xuanyang’s eyes, making Yu Sen momentarily lose focus.

Yu Sen softly asked, “Is that so? Then are you a good person?”

When asked this, even Si Xuanyang’s breathing quieted down. His entire demeanor seemed to be covered with a layer of melancholy.

“I am.”

Tsk! Narcissist! Yu Sen curled his lips. In this state, Si Xuanyang looked like a bullied rabbit, making Yu Sen hesitant to say anything more.

But he couldn’t suppress the mischievous delight in his heart.

He squatted by the sofa and asked slowly, “Do you want me to take you home?”

“…Yes.”

“Then call me ‘in-law’ first.” Yu Sen grinned, like a proud fox.

“……In-law?” His tone was low, the pitch rising, carrying a hint of doubt.

Yu Sen hadn’t even had time to be happy when suddenly, Si Xuanyang sprang up like he’d gone mad.

“In-law?! I don’t want you to be my in-law! Why, when he cheated… he’s fallen for someone else, yet you still won’t give up! Do you love him that much?!”

The bar instantly fell silent; not even a whisper could be heard. It was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Yu Sen stared dumbfoundedly at Si Xuanyang’s bloodshot eyes, stumbling over his words, “Yang Yang… how many dramas have you watched!?”

Seriously, look at what those dramas have done to the poor kid’s brain!

He stood up, tugged at Si Xuanyang’s clothes, looked around, and despite his usual thick skin, felt a bit embarrassed at this moment.

“Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll take you back to sleep. You’ll sober up after some rest.”

After saying that, Yu Sen reached out to take Si Xuanyang’s hand. But the moment Yu Sen touched him, the previously furious and upright Si Xuanyang suddenly seemed overwhelmed by a surge of drunkenness. It was as if the alcohol suddenly took over his brain and central nervous system, and he collapsed straight toward Yu Sen like a toppled building.

“Whoa—ah!”

Accompanied by a loud, deafening noise, Yu Sen was knocked directly into the side of the booth’s table. With a dull thud, the back of his head hit the table, and he thought: This is bad!

Bottles on the table rolled off one after another, shattering upon impact. Yu Sen protected Si Xuanyang, pulling his head away from his chest to check for injuries. Seeing that he was unhurt, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Chen and the bar staff hurried over in a panic. They helped Si Xuanyang up first, then lifted Yu Sen.

One of the staff members suddenly screamed, “Ah! There’s blood on the floor!”

Yu Sen lifted his eyelids, saw Xiao Chen’s terrified eyes, touched the back of his head, and brought his hand back to look at it. The sound of gasps echoed around him.

His hand was covered in blood.

Great, just as expected, a gash that would require stitches, maybe even a concussion.

The wound felt cool, and soon enough, a strong sense of dizziness overwhelmed him. Yu Sen staggered, his limbs beginning to weaken. The sounds around him grew distant, and his vision went from rings of light to complete darkness. He felt he had lost control over his body.

As he lost consciousness, Yu Sen had one thought: this wasn’t just a mess; this was pure self-inflicted pain!