Yu Xiangguo’s speech was as passionate as Yu Li had imagined, and the audience gave him a round of applause. After the two stepped off the stage, Yu Li was immediately dragged by his father into the unavoidable socializing part of the event.

By the end of the banquet, Yu Li felt dizzy just from drinking fruit juice. At this moment, he didn’t want to do anything but collapse onto a soft bed and sleep. Two hours flew by, and as the banquet was about to end, Pei Yu didn’t stick around to wait for Yu Li. Instead, he sent a quick message on his phone and slipped away.

The cleanup in the hall was handled by others, and Yu Li yawned as he walked to the main entrance, ready to head home. Just as he was about to step out, he suddenly remembered there was a newly appointed bodyguard waiting for him in the banquet hall.

Good thing he remembered.

Yu Li retracted his foot and headed back into the banquet hall. If he had gone straight home, who knows how long Lu Qing would have been standing there.

But after Yu Li came down from the stage, he went directly with Yu Xiangguo to meet the uncles and elders who were friends with the Yu Corporation, completely forgetting that he had promised Lu Qing to find him later.

Would Lu Qing still be waiting for him?

As Yu Li quickly walked back to the center of the hall, he spotted the tall and upright man standing by the stage, even through the busy cleaning staff.

Yu Li paused and called out, “Lu Qing.”

The clear voice successfully made Lu Qing turn his head.

Yu Li walked over to him, “Sorry, I went to toast after coming down from the stage. Have you been waiting here the whole time?”

“Yes.” Lu Qing looked down at the tired face in front of him, his eyes flickering as he handed two keys to Yu Li, “Little Young Master, you look tired. Go home and rest.”

Yu Li glanced at the keys but didn’t take them. Instead, he turned around, yawning, with a tear glistening at the corner of his reddened eyes, “Don’t give them to me, keep them with you. Anyway, in a few days, you’ll be moving in with me.”

Lu Qing was visibly stunned by this, and a huge wave of joy erupted in his eyes.

He put the keys back in his pocket, his heart racing, and took big strides to catch up with Yu Li, as if confirming, “I’m moving in too?”

“Yeah.” Yu Li didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, “Aren’t you my exclusive bodyguard? Of course, you have to live with me.”

He stopped and turned his head, his eyes reflecting the man’s joyful face, “You don’t want to?”

“I do!”

Almost instinctively, Lu Qing answered Yu Li without any hesitation, his tone firm, as if he had agreed to something monumental.

“As long as you want to.” Yu Li was sleepy, and his voice was listless, “Come to my old residence in three days, but don’t come too early, I can’t get up.”

Lu Qing couldn’t suppress the smile on his lips. He took out his phone and said to Yu Li, “Little Young Master, let’s exchange contact information. I don’t know the exact location of the old residence, so I’ll need you to send me a location later.”

Yu Li paused, thinking his way of speaking was a bit like a thug trying to chat him up outside school.

But looking at Lu Qing’s wild and handsome face, Yu Li felt he was different from ordinary thugs.

The thugs he had seen weren’t this handsome, nor did they have such a good build. Those guys were all skinny and weak, like they could fly away with a wave of their hands.

After exchanging contact information, Yu Li walked to the door, where the family car was already waiting.

He waved to Lu Qing, then got in the car and closed the door. The Maybach hummed and sped away.

As the cars parked at the entrance of Red Maple Garden dwindled, a flashy pink Aston Martin appeared at the intersection, getting closer and stopping in front of Lu Qing.

The man naturally opened the passenger door, and with a “bang,” the Aston Martin turned around in the open space and accelerated, disappearing from the entrance of Red Maple Garden.

Inside the car, a man with a charming face was wearing striped pajamas, holding the steering wheel, eating a lollipop, and mumbling, “So, did you get selected or not? If not, don’t worry. I’ve been developing in Jiang Cheng for years and can call Yu Huaiyuan a brother. We can find other opportunities to rise.”

“Not selected, my ass.” Lu Qing ran a hand through his hair, unbuttoning two buttons of his tight shirt, revealing his strong, muscular lines.

Without Yu Li around, his originally flamboyant and unruly personality was fully revealed, “Do you think this face of mine is for nothing? How could I not get selected?”

“Oh wow.” Qin Yue raised an eyebrow, elbowing him during a red light, “So, what happened?”

“A room full of over twenty bodyguards, all carefully selected by Yu Huaiyuan, lined up like a fashion show, but he chose me first without any hesitation.”

Lu Qing crossed his arms, recalling the moment in the lounge when Yu Li pointed at him, his voice filled with happiness, and his smile was unstoppable, “When we went downstairs, he even said I was handsome.”

Not to mention they had physical contact, even if it was just a light touch, the sensation was enough for Lu Qing to savor for a while.

Thinking of the scene of him and Yu Li standing together tonight, Lu Qing couldn’t help but cover his face with his hand, a low laugh escaping from deep in his throat.

“Can you stop laughing? It’s making my teeth hurt.”

Qin Yue rubbed his arm, covered in goosebumps, muttering as he shifted to drive, “You look so cheap right now, Yu Li could sell you with a wave of his hand. If the guys under you saw this, who knows how shattered their image of you would be.”

Lu Qing rolled his eyes, “What do you know?”

“I’ve never been infatuated with someone for years, only to come back and apply to be a bodyguard to get close. I really don’t get it.” Qin Yue, knowing Lu Qing wouldn’t hit him while he was driving, poked at Lu Qing’s sore spot.

“So what?”

Lu Qing fiddled with his phone, looking at the chat box that said, “I’ve accepted your friend request, we can start chatting now,” and seriously changed Yu Li’s note to “Little Young Master.”

“I got his contact info on my first day, and he even asked me to move in with him in a few days. Even if I can only get close as a bodyguard, I’m willing.”

“Damn.” Qin Yue was speechless, “Yu Li is so naive, isn’t this inviting a wolf into the house?”

Lu Qing chuckled, “Your jealous face is ugly.”

Qin Yue: “…”

Qin Yue gave him the middle finger, symbolizing eternal friendship.

***

The once-in-a-lifetime coming-of-age ceremony was over, and Yu Li received a pile of birthday gifts.

Exhausted, he didn’t plan to open every gift himself, only picking out the important ones to take back to his room.

After all, with so many gifts, he couldn’t finish opening them even if he stayed up all night. There were servants at home specifically responsible for opening gifts, and after opening, a card with the gift-giver’s name would be placed on it, then it would be put in the room dedicated to Yu Li’s gifts.

Just as Yu Li was about to go upstairs, Butler Chen stopped him.

“Little Young Master!”

Yu Li turned back at the sound, “What’s up?”

Butler Chen took out a beautifully wrapped square box from the pile of gifts and walked over to Yu Li, explaining, “Little Young Master, this gift was sent by the Second Young Master of the Qin Family in Beijing today, specifically asking you to open it yourself.”

“The Qin Family in Beijing?” Yu Li was puzzled.

Butler Chen explained, “Second Young Master Qin’s company has collaborated with the Eldest Young Master, and they have a good relationship. However, Second Young Master Qin didn’t attend the coming-of-age ceremony, only sending a gift.”

“I see.” Although Yu Li was puzzled as to why this Second Young Master Qin wanted him to open it personally, since the Qin Family had collaborated with the Yu Corporation and had a good relationship with his brother, there was no harm in opening it.

Yu Li said, “I’ll take it up with me then.”

Butler Chen said, “Little Young Master, the gift is a bit heavy, let me help you carry it up.”

“Okay.” Yu Li nodded, glancing curiously at the square box in Butler Chen’s hands, and then headed up to the second floor of the old residence.

After Butler Chen placed the box on Yu Li’s desk, he left. Yu Li didn’t rush to open the gifts. He piled all the gifts he brought up together and took his pajamas into the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of water could be heard from the bathroom.

After showering for a while, Yu Li didn’t feel as sleepy. He walked slowly to the desk and sat down, starting to open the gifts one by one.

When he got to the square box, he specifically looked at the label on the box—

“Happy 18th Birthday to Yu Li, wishing you all the best, may all your wishes come true.”

Gifted by: Qin Yue.

Qin Yue.

Yu Li stared at the name for a while, but no memory related to this person came to mind.

He didn’t know Qin Yue, and they had never met. This gift was probably given because of Yu Huaiyuan, since Yu Li was Yu Huaiyuan’s younger brother. Given Qin Yue’s collaboration with the Yu Corporation, he would naturally want to make a good impression.

However, Yu Li couldn’t figure out why this gift had to be opened by him personally.

The gift box was beautifully wrapped, and after pulling the bow in the middle, the lid could be easily opened.

Yu Li lifted the lid, and the contents of the gift box were fully revealed before him.

Ten seconds later, a photo appeared in the chat box between Yu Li and Pei Yu.

Li Wants Attention: [Gift.jpg]

Pei I Need Cash: [woc]

Pei I Need Cash: [Isn’t this your idol’s last work before retiring? I remember you said this piece was sold to a private collector, how did it end up with you?!]

Pei I Need Cash: [Could it be a fake?]

Li Wants Attention: [It’s the real deal, they even sent the transaction receipt]

Li Wants Attention: [Crying Pink Bunny.gif]

Pei I Need Cash: [Wow, who sent it?]

Yu Li stared at the painting he had longed for, his hands trembling as he replied: [Sent by Qin Yue, the Second Young Master of the Qin Family in Beijing, as a birthday gift]

Pei Yu was shocked and then asked puzzledly: [I’ve heard people mention he has collaborations with your brother, right? But he’s not familiar with you, even if he wanted to give a gift, he could have just sent some jewelry or something. Why would he choose something so important to give to you?]

Yu Li was equally puzzled by Pei Yu’s question. After discussing it for a long time without any conclusion, the two, whose brain cells were exhausted, simply stopped thinking about it.

Carefully putting the painting back in the box, Yu Li decided to take it to his new house in a few days and hang it in his room, so he could see it whenever he looked up.

Yu Li pursed his lips, his eyes curved with happiness, and he was in high spirits. He stared at the painting for a long time, smiling foolishly, before reluctantly closing the lid.

He lay back on the bed, sending a message to Yu Huaiyuan saying, “Brother, thank Second Young Master Qin for the gift for me,” and then suddenly remembered to send Lu Qing the location.

They had just added each other as friends, and Yu Li hadn’t immediately given Lu Qing a note. Now, as he clicked into the note section, Yu Li thought for a moment and typed a few words.

[Lu Qing (Bodyguard with a Big Chest)]

Satisfied and a bit itchy, Yu Li recalled that people like Lu Qing often subtly showed off their physique in their social media circles. But when Yu Li clicked into Lu Qing’s profile, he found that his only post was from over two years ago.

There was no caption, just a photo of a snow-covered street.

The dim lights and desolate figures filled the photo with loneliness and solitude.

Staring at the photo, Yu Li was a bit dazed.

In the snow, the Gothic-style buildings on the street were faintly visible, though only a small part was captured, Yu Li felt a strange familiarity.

But when he tried to recall, he couldn’t remember anything about the scene.

Must be a mistake.

There were a lot of misconceptions about Lu Qing today.

Yu Li mumbled, a bit disappointed, as he returned to the chat box with Lu Qing and shared a location.

Perhaps it was the professional quality of a personal bodyguard, but the man seemed to be waiting by his phone, as his message came through just as the location was sent.

Lu Qing (Bodyguard with a Big Chest): [Received]

Lu Qing (Bodyguard with a Big Chest): [Little Young Master, I’ll arrive at the old residence around noon, is that time okay?]

Yu Li recalled his usual waking time and slowly replied with three words: [Should be fine]

Lu Qing (Bodyguard with a Big Chest): [Okay, I’ll definitely be on time that day]

Yu Li yawned, rubbed his sore eyes, and replied: [Let’s talk later, I’m going to sleep]

Lu Qing’s message was still quick: [Okay, good night, Little Young Master]

Yu Li paused.

Li Wants Attention: [Good night]

With that, he turned off the room lights, gently closed his eyes, and buried his face in the soft pillow.

Soon, the room was filled only with the boy’s light, even breathing.

…

In a flat in Jiang Cheng, a handsome man in a gray robe leaned on the leather sofa in the living room, holding his phone with both hands. With his fingers pressing on either side, a soft “click” was heard, and the chat screenshot was saved.

He entered the album, cropped the screenshot, leaving only the last two lines of conversation.

Among them, the “Good night” from “Little Young Master” was framed with a heart in red.

Staring at the image for a while, the man smiled.

With a swipe of his long fingers, the screenshot was saved into an album named “Yu Li.”

The number of photos displayed next to the album name was: 9896.