There was no response from inside the room. Lu Youze didn’t give up, knocking again, but still, there was no reply.

Could he really not be in the room?

But Lu Youze quickly dismissed that thought.

Just as he raised his hand to knock again, the door suddenly swung open, and his hand almost landed on Lu Youxi’s face.

“Hello.” Lu Youze greeted with a bright smile. “Have you been waiting long? Want to go out and grab a bite to eat first?”

Lu Youxi’s face turned cold. Without saying a word, he slammed the door shut again.

Lu Youze patted his chest, still a little shaken. If he hadn’t dodged quickly just now, the door would have slammed right into his face.

Looks like he’s still mad.

Lu Youze thought about it. If he were in Lu Youxi’s shoes, he probably wouldn’t be in a forgiving mood either.

Maybe it would be better to be serious right now?

Lu Youze put away his smile and knocked on the door again.

The door didn’t budge.

“Youxi, open the door.” Lu Youze leaned against the door and spoke in a low voice. “Let’s talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Lu Youxi’s voice turned even colder. “Get as far away from me as possible.”

Desperate times call for desperate measures—he could only gamble on the fact that Lu Youxi still cared.

“Ah!”

Lu Youze suddenly let out a pained cry, his face completely blank as he faked agony. “It hurts, my stomach hurts so bad.”

The door flung open almost the instant his cry echoed through the room.

Lu Youxi looked at him nervously, but as soon as he saw Lu Youze standing there perfectly fine, his expression turned cold again.

“Lu Youze, do you think tricking me is fun?”

This time, Lu Youxi didn’t slam the door shut again. Instead, he stood two steps away, arms crossed, raising an eyebrow with an icy look. “Too bad for you—I’m not that naive little kid who used to fall for your nonsense anymore.”

Before Lu Youze could respond, Lu Youxi shifted his stance, crossing his arms tighter. His chin lifted slightly as he sneered.

“Lu Youze, you’ve got some nerve. Who was it back then, all high and mighty, saying he’d never set foot in the Lu family’s villa again? Who was it that threatened me, saying if I dared to enter the entertainment industry, he’d crush me under his foot and turn me into a street rat, hated by everyone?”

Lu Youze was shocked. The original Lu Youze from the novel kept setting new lows every day. His words were getting worse and worse.

Now he understood why, when he had said he wanted to be a “good brother” the other day, Lu Youxi had been so furious.

Seeing that Lu Youze remained silent, Lu Youxi tilted his head slightly, pretending to be arrogant. He let out two cold laughs and continued:

“Thinking back on your words now, it’s actually hilarious. Who was it that shamelessly crawled back to the Lu family’s villa? And who is the one now being treated like a street rat, hated by everyone?”

Lu Youxi scoffed, his cold face suddenly showing a hint of regret.

“Ah, the only pity is—you lost your memory. Otherwise, I’d really love to see if you’d still have the nerve to act like this. Would you still have the guts to return to the Lu family’s villa? Would you still dare to stand in front of me like this?”

A sharp “slap” rang through the room.

Lu Youxi was startled, his next biting remark swallowed back in shock.

Lu Youze had smacked himself—hard.

He didn’t even blink as his palm landed on his own cheek, leaving a bright red imprint on his handsome face.

It hurt.

Of course, it hurt. It wasn’t an act; it was real.

Lu Youze wasn’t naive enough to think that one slap would make everything right. But it was shocking enough to shake things up—to at least make Lu Youxi pause and calm down.

Even though those cruel words hadn’t come from his own mouth, he had taken over this body. From now on, he would live as Lu Youze, so taking responsibility for the things he had said was only right.

“Lu Youze…”

Lu Youxi instinctively took two steps back, raising a wary eyebrow. “What kind of crazy stunt are you pulling now?”

Ever since Lu Youze lost his memory, his actions had become completely unpredictable, impossible to read.

“Youxi.” Lu Youze looked straight at Lu Youxi, speaking seriously. “This slap is my resolve.”

After saying that, he fell silent for a moment.

Then, he let out a helpless, slightly bitter chuckle. His voice grew lower, tinged with real regret.

“I know losing my memory isn’t an excuse to run away from the past, but I really don’t understand why I ever said those things. I know I can’t pretend nothing ever happened, but I hope you can trust me one more time. Trust that I really want to start over—this time, as a better brother.”

“No need.” Lu Youxi rejected him without hesitation.

A person shouldn’t fall for the same trick three times.

“I don’t have a brother, and I don’t need one.”

The wounds ran too deep. A few words weren’t enough to patch up the cracks.

Lu Youze knew that too, so he hadn’t expected much. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

After all, trust is built little by little.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now.”

Lu Youze’s shamelessness had clearly reached new heights.

Back in the day, he had once “harassed” an entire film crew just for a one-line background character role.

Now, in this room, he acted like he didn’t see Lu Youxi’s irritation at all.

He moved closer with a friendly smile, shifting gears so fast it was impossible not to marvel at his “Best Actor” skills.

“I don’t want to talk to you about anything else either.” Lu Youxi coldly interrupted Lu Youze before he could bring up any other topic. He was a bit frustrated with himself—why did he even return to the room? Why did he open the door just because he heard a scream?

Again and again, his warm face met with cold rejection, yet Lu Youze showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, he seemed to grow more determined with every setback.

“Youxi, don’t say that. Let’s talk about acting. I believe you’ll be interested.”

“Heh.” Lu Youxi let out a cold laugh. “You can barely take care of yourself right now, so stop worrying about others. In today’s entertainment industry, what makes you, a washed-up Best Actor who can’t even land a role, qualified to talk to me about acting?”

“Well, as it happens, I just got cast in a new drama today.” At the mention of acting, Lu Youze’s smile faded. His gaze sharpened in an instant, exuding an undeniable presence that naturally drew others in. “Youxi, let me tell you, I’m not just bragging. Give it a year, and I’ll still be a box office and ratings guarantee. The Best Actor title will still belong to me. Washed-up? Not happening.”

Lu Youxi had seen this look in Lu Youze’s eyes more than once—the gaze that made him feel both admiration and resentment. He wanted to mock and put him down, but when the words reached his lips, they suddenly felt meaningless.

“Youxi, if you really love acting and truly want to act, this isn’t the time to be at odds with me,” Lu Youze said sincerely. “I’ve read the script for my new drama—it’s an excellent piece of work. Plus, the production company is Gu Group, so the quality is guaranteed. There’s a role in it that suits you perfectly. If you’re interested, take a look. I even brought the script with me.”

“I don’t—” Mid-sentence, Lu Youxi suddenly recalled the way Lu Youze had been seriously reading the script that afternoon before he left. For some reason, a bit of curiosity arose in him. He wanted to see what was so captivating about this script that it made Lu Youze look so focused.

“Just leave it here. I’ll look at it when I have time.” Lu Youxi turned his head away and spoke coldly, as if trying to conceal something. To emphasize his stance, he added, “This has nothing to do with you. I’m just curious to see what kind of script Gu Group is willing to bet on by casting you at a time like this.”

“Alright, then take your time reading it. Oh, by the way, the role I think suits you is called ‘Xiao Qi.’ You should pay extra attention to it. Once you’re done, I can rehearse with you anytime.” Lu Youze wasn’t in a hurry. He believed in the power of a good script—anyone who truly loved acting wouldn’t be able to resist a great project.

With that, before Lu Youxi could say anything else, he left the room. He wanted to give Lu Youxi time to think and, at the same time, prevent him from immediately rejecting the offer.

Almost as if his phone knew he was finally free to take calls, it started ringing just as he stepped out of the room. He had set a special ringtone for Gu Xuanhao, so without even looking at the caller ID, he already knew who it was.