Lin Can felt a bit dazed after waking up from his nap. As he opened his eyes and sat up, the unfamiliar surroundings made him think he had crossed over to another world again. But a smiling voice quickly brought him back to reality.

“What’s wrong? Still not awake?”

Lin Can turned his head to see the man who had been lying on top of him last night, insisting on comparing who smelled better. He was lazily leaning against the pillow, his half-closed, narrow eyes slightly opening upon noticing Lin Can was awake, a hint of delight flashing in them.

Lin Can rubbed his eyes a couple of times, his usually calm voice tinged with confusion, “You woke up this early?”

Qi Yuan wanted to nod but seeing Lin Can’s obviously sleepy state, he felt a mischievous urge.

“You sleep like a log, kicking off the blanket all night. I couldn’t sleep at all.”

“Impossible,” Lin Can replied without thinking, “They all say I sleep very soundly.”

Qi Yuan’s face immediately turned cold, “They? Who?”

Lin Can replied, “My college roommates…”

Qi Yuan let out a cold laugh from his throat, showing no mercy, “Did you even live on campus in college? You, Lin Can, think before you lie. Are you sure you can fool me?”

After such a serious warning, Lin Can finally came to his senses. Right, the original owner had moved out of the dormitory just a few days after the start of freshman year to avoid curfews and to better mingle with those rich second-generation kids. He hadn’t lived in the school dorms for all four years of college.

“I-I meant Yu Jishu…”

“Yu Jishu,” Qi Yuan said with a long “oh,” “And who else?”

“What?”

“Isn’t that them? Who’s the second person?” Qi Yuan pressed, “Your ex-husband?”

Thinking about how this person had thoroughly investigated him, practically wanting to know the color of his underwear, Lin Can fell silent for a moment. It was indeed difficult to fool him.

Qi Yuan took his silence as an affirmation, and the wicked fire in his heart became hard to control.

“No wonder your precious little brother said he prefers your sister-in-law more. You two know each other so well, of course, he would prefer the one over there.”

Lin Can felt a sense of discomfort, like a stepmother accusing her stepson of being closer to his ex-wife.

Oh my god, he was going crazy.

He grabbed his hair, “Why are we talking about this all of a sudden?”

This topic made him feel like a useless husband stuck in the middle, trying to keep both sides happy.

Qi Yuan snorted coldly, “Let me ask you, has your ex-husband contacted you again these past few days?”

This time Lin Can replied quickly, “No.”

Qi Yuan didn’t believe him, pulling his hand to unlock his phone with a fingerprint, starting to check his recent contacts.

Calls, texts, WeChat, even recent contacts from a few video apps—he didn’t miss a single one.

Lin Can helplessly said, “I told you no, why don’t you believe me?”

Qi Yuan shoved the phone back into his hand, retorting, “Who doesn’t know you’re a slippery one?”

“Do you think I would dare to play these games under your nose?” Lin Can casually set the phone aside, clearly not worried about Qi Yuan finding anything.

After all, Qi Yuan already knew the original owner’s scummy behavior. As long as he behaved better than before, Qi Yuan wouldn’t cause him trouble.

Qi Yuan clearly thought the same, “You’re smart enough. Be good, and I won’t give you less than others.”

Hearing such words too often, Lin Can had even started to become immune. Without changing his expression, he lifted the blanket and got out of bed, “I’ll go make breakfast for you guys.”

Looking at those long legs wrapped tightly in pajama pants, Qi Yuan almost rolled his eyes to the sky.

This guy was treating him like a thief, not letting him enjoy any sweetness at all.

• Lin Xun got up at seven-thirty and saw Lin Can walking out of the kitchen with a plate, his eyes almost popping out.

“You…”

“Awake?” Hearing the noise, Lin Can turned around and called out, “Brush your teeth and wash your face, hurry up and eat breakfast.”

“I’m done washing,” Lin Xun stared at the plate Lin Can was holding, “Did you make this?”

Lin Can nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world, “Just eat something for breakfast first. Later, I’ll take you out for lunch.”

Lin Xun’s expression instantly turned horrified.

When did his brother become like this?!

They say big cities can wear people down, but being worn down to this extent was simply shocking!

Lin Xun was only in his second half of junior year, but he was already starting to worry about which city he would end up in for college and what kind of torment he would face.

Lin Can had no idea what was going on in his little brother’s head and urged, “Hurry up and eat, I still have to wash the dishes later.”

It was truly bizarre; the man who used to be lazy at home was now acting like a model boyfriend.

With a complicated mood, Lin Xun sat down at the dining table. Just as he picked up his chopsticks to eat the soup noodles Lin Can had just made, Qi Yuan walked out of the room dressed in a sharp silver-gray suit.

“Baby,” Lin Xun heard him call his brother like that, “Come here and help me tie my tie.”

“…”

Lin Can froze for a moment, almost blurting out, “What are you up to now?”

But catching a glimpse of Lin Xun sitting across the table, completely unaware, he could only twitch his mouth and walk over, pulling him to a corner of the dining room where Lin Xun couldn’t see, quietly asking what he was up to.

What was with all these tricks every day?

Qi Yuan struggled to hold back his laughter, “What did the baby say? Just help me tie it.”

Lin Can didn’t want to cooperate, but after being nudged a couple of times, he could only reach out and quickly tied it for him.

“Thanks, baby.” Qi Yuan’s gratitude was anything but subtle, loud enough to make Lin Xun feel like he was eating dog food.

Seeing that Qi Yuan was in a good mood, Lin Can tugged at his sleeve, “I need to discuss something with you.”

Qi Yuan’s ears perked up, “Hmm?” He noticed that they had to lean in closer so Lin Xun wouldn’t hear their conversation, which made him inexplicably happy.

“What is it?”

“Can you advance me some salary?” When it came to money, Lin Can felt a bit awkward, slightly turning his face away to avoid looking at Qi Yuan’s expression.

“My brother came to ask me for living expenses, but I only have a few dozen bucks on me…”

“Sure,” Qi Yuan replied.

Lin Can was puzzled by his quick agreement, only to hear him add, “But you have to kiss me first.”

“!” Lin Can quickly turned his head to check the dining room, relieved to see Lin Xun hadn’t come out yet, “Stop messing around…”

“A couple should kiss before going out, right? If you’re shy, I can kiss you,” Qi Yuan said, leaning in to bite his lip.

Lin Can hurriedly pushed him away, but unfortunately, the door hadn’t opened yet, and no matter how much he pushed, he couldn’t shove him through the wall.

The two were stuck in that little space by the entrance.

“If you don’t kiss me, I’m going to shout,” Qi Yuan threatened in a low voice, “What about being a sugar baby, the gold master?”

Lin Can was both angry and embarrassed. Even though he was usually a good-natured person, he couldn’t help but complain, “You clearly said you wouldn’t do anything to me.”

“I said I wouldn’t do anything to you in the bedroom, I never said I wouldn’t do anything outside,” Qi Yuan argued back confidently.

Lin Can was quite annoyed, “You…”

“Hurry up.” Qi Yuan pointed to his lips, his tone arrogant yet with a hint of urgency.

Lin Can had no choice but to lean in and peck his cheek.

“Is that it?” Qi Yuan was greatly disappointed, “That’s a bit too perfunctory.”

Lin Can finally fought back, “At least I kissed you; you didn’t say it had to be just a kiss. Now let’s go.”

Qi Yuan shook his head, saying he would never let Lin Can take advantage of him again, and opened the door, heading down to the elevator.

Thank goodness, he finally left.

Lin Can felt like his world had finally returned to peace.

Back at the dining table, Lin Xun’s noodles and eggs were still untouched.

“You guys don’t even try to avoid me at all, and I’m only half a year away from being an adult?” He stared at Lin Can, looking gloomy.

Lin Can couldn’t help but cover his face, “I can’t help it…”

“…” Lin Xun took a sip of the hot milk next to him and ate a blueberry that Lin Can had specially placed for nutritional balance, “I feel like your relationship with Brother Yuan is better than with Sister-in-law.”

Lin Can’s focus was absurdly off, “Don’t call her sister-in-law anymore.”

Lin Xun understood immediately, “Will Brother Yuan be unhappy?”

Lin Can was a bit embarrassed, “Don’t say such cheesy things.”

He and Qi Yuan weren’t that kind of relationship.

Lin Xun said “oh” and continued to eat his breakfast.

Although he was young, he was quite perceptive. After realizing that Qi Yuan was either rich or noble, he kept his distance.

Not everyone could be as close to their sister-in-law as that.

Thinking of this, Lin Xun felt even more melancholic.

He still thought Sister-in-law, ah no, Ran Yang was a bit better.

After finishing breakfast and tidying up, Lin Can received a text from the bank, saying Qi Yuan had transferred one hundred thousand yuan to his card.

Lin Can was stunned and privately messaged him, “One hundred thousand is too much.”

Qi Yuan replied, “This is Wang Qian’s salary for you. After paying off your credit card, this is all that’s left.”

Lin Can counted the zeros again, finally understanding why some people would rather lower themselves to follow the wealthy.

With money in his pocket, Lin Can felt more secure and decided to take Lin Xun out for a walk, buying some things for him to take back.

“You said you had no money, right?” When it came to money, Lin Xun’s delicate little face scrunched up.

He and Lin Can were biological brothers, so he could be considered handsome too. However, compared to Lin Can’s unparalleled beauty, his features and temperament were more upright. In online terms, he looked like someone who would be suitable for a government job.

Lin Xun indeed wanted to work for the government. He had long decided to apply to the police academy, but not for any noble reason; he just wanted a stable job without the fear of being laid off.

After all, the boss was unreliable, and part of the burden at home had long fallen on him, the second child. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t be traveling to Jing City to collect debts as a high school junior.

“My salary just came in, so I’m doing okay for now,” Lin Can explained, feeling uncomfortable under Lin Xun’s gaze, “I’ll take you to buy some things and then transfer the money to you.”

Lin Xun said “oh.”

The two left Yu Jing Garden and took the subway to the commercial city in the western suburbs, where things were cheaper, unlike the pedestrian street in Blue Shore, which only sold branded items.

Halfway through the subway ride, Qi Yuan called, asking why they didn’t call the driver to take them out.

Lin Can said, “Forget it, it’s too much trouble…”

Qi Yuan clicked his tongue, “Did you wear a mask and sunglasses?”

Lin Can said no.

Qi Yuan replied irritably, “I see you’re trying to show off that face of yours. I’ll have the driver pick you up when you come back. Don’t take that crowded subway again.”

Lin Can felt a bit sulky, looking down at Lin Xun, who was standing in front of him with a blank expression.

If it weren’t for this brother, the person in front of him might have already changed four or five times.

He thought it was crowded on the subway, but it turned out it was only cramped for him. Lin Xun couldn’t stand it and finally shoved him into a corner of the carriage, standing in front of him like a door god.

“Also,” Qi Yuan said again, “The money I promised you has been transferred to your card. Don’t say you don’t want it; just consider it your salary for cleaning and cooking. Take a good look; compare me with Wang Qian, who is more generous.”

After saying that, he hung up. Lin Can logged into online banking and found his balance had increased by five hundred thousand.

That was way too generous.

Lin Can sent Qi Yuan a question mark.

Qi Yuan replied instantly, “Don’t focus on the small change. Just serve me well, and you’ll earn plenty.”

Lin Can didn’t want to reply anymore; sometimes, this person was really arrogant.

When the subway arrived at the station, Lin Can and Lin Xun got off and walked through the underground passage to the commercial city.

“I’m not buying you clothes; I’ll give you the money, and you can arrange it yourself,” Lin Can said, “I’ll buy you a phone, and you can save my new number. If anything comes up, contact me directly. Don’t contact Yu Jishu anymore.”

Thinking about what Yu Jishu did yesterday, Lin Xun realized he had caused trouble for Lin Can and awkwardly apologized.

“Just remember; there’s no need to apologize,” Lin Can said.

Lin Xun obediently said “oh,” but he couldn’t help but think about his gentle ex-sister-in-law, who was completely different from Qi Yuan.

So he asked Lin Can, “Since you broke up with Sister-in-law, will you marry Brother Yuan?”