Zhou He’s face remained calm, his voice somewhat cold. Xia Zimu was so irritated by his words that he laughed it off, mocking him, “Dream on, what’s the point of me going on a date with you? You’re my brother^[1]a Friend, not biological brother, not my lover!”

When Zhou He heard the words “not my lover,” a dull pain shot through his heart, and a trace of hurt flashed in his eyes. Silently, he grabbed his tablet and walked toward the study.

Xia Zimu stared at him, somewhat taken aback. Was he just leaving like that? Shouldn’t he have retorted back a couple of times, based on his usual character? But as usual, Xia Zimu didn’t dwell on it too much.

Muttering to himself, Xia Zimu turned his attention to the direction of the study and said, “Well, it’s true. I’ve finally waited for Xiao Nanxing to break off the engagement, so if I don’t seize the chance to move up, what if someone else steals him away?”

When Shen Nanxing saw the call end, he let out a slight sigh of relief. Xia Zimu could really scare someone half to death with just a few words. And now he was talking about pursuing him—it felt absolutely surreal. He remembered that when he first read this novel, Xia Zimu had fallen head over heels for Lin Bai. At that time, Lin Bai was already caught up in a love-hate relationship with Fu Chengyu, feeling both disrespected by him and deeply immersed in his tenderness, torn by inner conflict. He wanted to leave but couldn’t bear to.

That was when Xia Zimu had appeared in Lin Bai’s life. Xia Zimu couldn’t stand how Fu Chengyu treated Lin Bai, and he defended him, vowing to pursue him. He aggressively entered the emotional competition. Zhou He, for some reason, had joined later.

Now, reflecting on the plot, Shen Nanxing realized the storyline had taken a turn that felt all wrong. The first time Xia Zimu met Lin Bai, he hadn’t fallen in love with him at first sight—in fact, he even disliked him a little. Zhou He’s attitude toward Lin Bai was like that of a stranger. Only Fu Chengyu was following the script and genuinely liked Lin Bai. The only thing he was relieved about was that the engagement with Fu Chengyu had been nullified.

Shen Nanxing slapped his forehead, trying to shake off the strange thoughts swirling in his head. Just then, his phone dinged. Fu Zhiyuan had sent a video.

Shen Nanxing opened it skillfully. Marshmallow appeared in his view. The cat had gained some weight and become bolder. In the video, Fu Zhiyuan was holding a cat toy, causing Marshmallow to jump around, pawing at it. But in the process, Marshmallow lost his footing and fell onto the soft carpet, giving Fu Zhiyuan a look full of grievance, clearly dazed from the fall. Reluctantly, Fu Zhiyuan had to coax him with a cat treat.

Shen Nanxing almost laughed out loud. Although Fu Zhiyuan’s face wasn’t visible in the video, the thought of him using his cold, distant face to coax a cat was just too funny. Shen Nanxing replied, “So cute.”

Fu Zhiyuan: Xingbao, it’s a bit more lively now than before.
Shen Nanxing: Mm-mm.
Fu Zhiyuan: Xingbao, do you want to play with it?
Shen Nanxing: Are you planning to take it out?
Fu Zhiyuan: Could be.
Shen Nanxing: Huh???! What do you mean, “could be”? Does he have other plans?
Fu Zhiyuan: Tomorrow night, I’ll bring it out to meet you.
Shen Nanxing: Okay.

When Fu Zhiyuan saw that Shen Nanxing agreed, his eyes filled with tenderness. He was thinking about bringing Shen Nanxing home to see the cat, but the idea of bringing it to meet him was also quite nice. Marshmallow finished a cat treat, licking its paw in satisfaction. Fu Zhiyuan crouched down, gently stroking its big, soft paw. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to meet a brother. Remember to behave well.” Marshmallow tilted its head, not understanding what he was saying. It rubbed against his pants and mewed.

…

The next day, Shen Nanxing went downstairs with messy hair.
“Wu Ma, I want crab roe soup dumplings.” Shen Nanxing yawned, rubbing his slightly swollen eyes. He had stayed up reading novels last night, and his eyelids were a bit puffy when he woke up.

“Huh? Brother, when did you come back?” Shen Nanxing walked into the dining room and looked at Shen Chuanqiong, who was having breakfast. His face showed some surprise. He hadn’t heard any noise last night when he was going to bed.

Shen Chuanqiong paused for a moment while peeling an egg, his voice hoarse, “I came back this morning.”

“Oh.” Shen Nanxing pulled out a chair and sat down.

Shen Chuanqiong peeled the egg and handed it to him.

“Thanks, brother.” After finishing the egg, Shen Nanxing took a sip of milk. “By the way, brother, I need to tell you something.”

Shen Chuanqiong smiled indulgently, “What is it, my good baby?”

Shen Nanxing paused for a moment, then said, “Yesterday I ran into Sister Qingyan at school. She asked me to help her out with a little favor, to step in as a model for an event.”

When Shen Chuanqiong heard him mention Lin Qingyan, his expression became a little uncomfortable.

“Is that so? Well, that’s great!”

“If that’s the case, then our good baby is going to be a star, huh?”

“Good baby, do you want to be a star? I can get someone to help you,” Shen Chuanqiong said seriously, looking at him.

Shen Nanxing shook his head, “Being a star sounds like too much trouble, I don’t want to.” He had heard that being a star required strict body management, and if that was the case, he’d have to give up all his favorite foods.

Shen Chuanqiong sighed in fake regret, “Ah, that’s too bad. I thought I’d soon have a little brother who’s a big star. Then I could brag about it wherever I go.”

“Looks like I can only dream about it now!” Shen Nanxing shot him an annoyed glance, “Brother!”

“Alright, I won’t say anything more.” Shen Chuanqiong stopped teasing him, then asked, “When do you start filming? I’ll take you there.”

“In a few days. Why are you in such a hurry, brother? Don’t tell me you want to see someone?” Shen Nanxing asked knowingly.

Shen Chuanqiong coughed lightly, then said seriously, “Good baby, don’t talk nonsense!”

Shen Nanxing took a bite of freshly steamed buns, mumbling, “I understand, I understand.”

Shen Chuanqiong gave up, helplessly picking up his coat from the chair and saying, “Eat well,” as he went upstairs.

Shen Nanxing sniffed the air, wondering why he smelled women’s perfume when his brother passed by. Looking at his brother’s retreating back and recalling that he had just come back this morning, Shen Nanxing was startled by his own assumptions.

Could it be that his brother was with another woman last night? What about Sister Qingyan?

Shen Nanxing absentmindedly ate his breakfast, his brows furrowed. Wasn’t his brother fond of Sister Qingyan? How could he have perfume from another woman on him? This was too much!

Shen Nanxing slammed the table angrily and ate the last bite of his breakfast. No, I need to go up and ask him!

“Brother, open the door!” Shen Nanxing knocked on Shen Chuanqiong’s room door.

Shen Chuanqiong hadn’t been home all night. He had just finished showering and was about to change before heading to the office. When he heard Shen Nanxing knocking, he still hadn’t changed and opened the door in his bathrobe.

“What’s up, good baby?”

“Brother, what did you do last night? Is it…?” Shen Nanxing’s question halted when he saw a hickey on his brother’s neck. He stared at Shen Chuanqiong in disbelief, pointing at his neck, “Brother, did you…?”

Shen Chuanqiong looked at him calmly, “Did I what?”

“Did you… did you sleep with someone?” Shen Nanxing couldn’t find the right words to express himself.