Chapter 51

The man’s lazily low voice, accompanied by a faint smile, not only stunned Xie Fuyi, but even his followers behind him froze — their boss had always been ruthless! They had never seen him speak such flirtatious words to anyone before.

Their stiff gazes fell on Xie Fuyi again —

He had a pair of exceptionally bright and attractive eyes, clear and gentle. It seemed that anyone standing before him would pale in comparison.

The crowd looked strange. How did this guy become even more attractive the more they looked at him? No wonder the boss took an interest in him!

“You!” Xie Fuyi came to his senses, his face seemingly reddening, though from anger. The man who had just been calm and composed, now seemed embarrassed and unable to speak.

After a moment, his voice turned cold, “I’ve said it before, I’ll repay the money. If you insist on forcing me, then try it.”

Xie Fuyi looked determined as if he had made a decision to break the deadlock.

“You’re really getting more and more interesting to me.” The man’s lips curled slightly, unable to help but chuckle. “Alright, I’ll give you this chance. I’ll come back to find you later.”

With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave, stepping away in the rain.

The people around them quickly dispersed as well.

In the quiet alley, only Xie Fuyi remained, carrying his boxed meal as he walked home, thinking along the way — if he stayed in this world long enough, he could become a big star and earn enough to pay off his debts. But he was just a cannon fodder! He barely had time to repay his debts before going offline!

Xie Fuyi reached the ground floor of the residential building he rented. There was no elevator in this run-down building. He climbed up to the fifth floor, and when he opened the door, it made a creaking sound. A few dim lights flickered inside — someone was home. Had Bai Wuluo already returned?

Xie Fuyi took a few steps in and locked eyes with a pair of deep, indifferent black eyes. But in the next moment, those eyes narrowed with a hint of amusement —

“Hey, brother, you’re back?” The young and handsome man lounging on the old sofa greeted him with a sunny smile, tilting his head slightly.

He was dressed in simple jeans paired with a white hoodie. A silver earring glittered on his left ear, and his fiery red semi-long hair seemed to shine even brighter in the dim light. His smile revealed a vibrant energy.

Xie Fuyi: … You were just threatening me with a gun in all black, and now you’ve changed your clothes and your tone to act like an innocent little brother?

“Wuluo.” Despite Xie Fuyi’s inner sarcasm, seeing his younger brother whom he hadn’t seen in a while, he seemed genuinely happy. There was warmth in his eyes as he approached and placed the boxed meal on the coffee table. “It’s too late, the Western restaurant on the way back was closed, so I had to buy a boxed meal. Have you eaten yet?”

Bai Wuluo’s gaze fell on the crude box of food wrapped in a plastic bag, masking a glint of darkness in his black eyes. He smiled and said, “I’ve already eaten, brother. You go ahead and eat.”

Xie Fuyi nodded.

The twenty-something Bai Wuluo was almost six feet tall, and the small two-seater sofa looked like a single-seater when he sprawled on it carelessly. The cramped room left no place for Xie Fuyi to sit, but he didn’t mind. He pulled out a small stool from under the coffee table and sat down, opening the boxed meal to eat.

Bai Wuluo didn’t know how long he had been waiting. Bored, he played with the TV remote, but unfortunately, the old TV in the room was a square box relic, and no matter how he fiddled with it, he couldn’t turn it on.

With nothing else to do, his gaze fell on Xie Fuyi. He was quietly eating his meal. Xie Fuyi, the young master of the Xie family, always had impeccable manners. Even though he was sitting between a low coffee table and a small stool, eating from a boxed meal, he still exuded elegance.

Bai Wuluo’s gaze lingered on his wet black hair, then lowered to the rain-dampened white T-shirt clinging to his body, outlining his muscular figure.

Bai Wuluo squinted his eyes to hide the dark light within them and casually asked, “What did you do today, brother? Did your work go smoothly?”

Xie Fuyi looked up, his eyes sparkling like stars with a faint smile. “I auditioned for a new role today, and I’ll start filming with the crew tomorrow.”

His happiness was evident, and Bai Wuluo smiled along, “That’s great, brother. You must have made some money. I happen to have a gathering with friends tomorrow. Could you lend me some money?”

He didn’t ask about Xie Fuyi’s hard work at work, nor did he worry about him catching a cold in the rain. Instead, he asked for money right away. Most people would have been furious and kicked him out long ago, but Xie Fuyi was a gentle and good-natured person. He didn’t sense anything wrong and nodded, taking out his phone. “How much do you need?”

Seeing Xie Fuyi’s willingness, Bai Wuluo squinted his eyes. Was there really someone so kind? Allowing others to take advantage of him like this?

He didn’t show it on his face and lowered his gaze, saying, “Of course, the more, the better. Tomorrow, I’m going to a large nightclub with friends. If I can’t come up with money, they’ll make fun of me.”

Looking at the few scattered coins in his wallet, Xie Fuyi suddenly remembered that he had given all his money to Ye Yunshan that day. He felt a bit annoyed. “Wuluo, I don’t have any money on me right now. I’ll get the money from signing the contract with the crew tomorrow, and then I’ll transfer it to you.”

Bai Wuluo knew he wasn’t lying. He had already given the few hundred dollars he earned from being an extra today to that female reporter. But he clearly could only afford boxed meals himself, yet he still hoped to receive money from him tomorrow…

It was kind of… foolish…

Bai Wuluo lowered his eyes to hide the complexity in them and remained silent for a moment.

Thinking he was upset, Xie Fuyi quickly reached out and gave him a comforting pat. “Wuluo, don’t worry. I’ll definitely give it to you before tomorrow night.”

Bai Wuluo’s gaze fell on the redness and swelling on the back of Xie Fuyi’s hand. His skin was pale, and the bruising looked somewhat alarming.

“What happened?” He pointed to it with his slender fingertip.

Xie Fuyi glanced at it. It must have been from when he blocked the stick earlier.

Clearing his throat, Xie Fuyi withdrew his hand, trying to cover it up, and mumbled, “It’s nothing. Maybe I bumped into something on set.”

He was probably not good at lying, he even averted his gaze involuntarily.

Bai Wuluo clicked his tongue lightly. He couldn’t even lie properly, making it obvious at a glance.

“I’ll put some medicine on it for you.” Bai Wuluo didn’t say anything more, taking out some ointment from the room.

Seeing Bai Wuluo not pressing further, Xie Fuyi sighed in relief. As he watched the person in front of him apply ointment to his hand, he remembered something and hesitated for a moment before carefully saying, “Wuluo, do you want to find a job? Didn’t you major in computer science in college? You should have no problem interviewing for a programmer position.”

Bai Wuluo paused in applying the ointment, his lips curling in a mocking smile. Finally, couldn’t hold back?

He turned to Xie Fuyi, a somewhat pitiful look in his dark eyes. “Brother, don’t you want me anymore?”

Xie Fuyi was taken aback, then quickly softened his expression and said, “How could that be? We’re brothers. I’ll take care of you as much as I can in this lifetime, as long as I have the ability. I’m just worried that one day, if I’m not around, you’ll need a job…”

Bai Wuluo’s heart stirred, and he fixed his gaze on Xie Fuyi. Under the caring eyes, he inexplicably felt warmth swelling in his chest, as if something wanted to burst out.

The sudden silence made the atmosphere tense for a moment. Just then—

“Achoo!” Xie Fuyi suddenly sneezed, breaking the silence and tension in the air.

Bai Wuluo snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Xie Fuyi’s wet T-shirt he had been wearing since coming back, and pursed his lips. “Brother, go take a shower and change your clothes first. Don’t catch a cold. Be careful with your hand.”

“Yeah, if you catch a cold and have to spend money on that, I’ll go right away.” Xie Fuyi nodded at the thought, tidied up the table, stood up, and walked towards the bathroom.

Watching the figure leave, Bai Wuluo’s black eyes darkened again. Even for this small amount of money, he had to be frugal, yet he could freely give him money to go to a gathering…

Soon, Xie Fuyi came out after a quick shower, with only a towel around his waist. His broad shoulders and narrow waist weren’t very noticeable when he wore clothes, but now, with his bare upper body, his chest was full, his abdominal muscles tight and perfectly defined. However, his skin was pale, as if it couldn’t tan no matter what…

“Wuluo, are you staying over tonight? I’m done showering, so you can go ahead.” Xie Fuyi casually wiped his hair, speaking as he saw Bai Wuluo putting away his phone, his black eyes fixed on him.

“Yeah.” Bai Wuluo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, feeling an inexplicable heat rising to his head. He quickly averted his gaze, clenched his fists, and stepped into the bathroom.

Damn it, he’s just a man! Since when did he lose his self-control like this?

Turning on the water, the sound of the shower drowned out Bai Wuluo’s heavy breathing as he closed his eyes.

But in his mind, all he could see was the image of that person from just now—

Pale skin, a slender and tight waist, long and powerful legs…

Gradually, the sound of the rushing water in the shower masked Bai Wuluo’s heavy panting.