Chapter 1: Why Is He Staring at Me?

On his first day back in the country, Qiao Minglang had just gotten off the plane and couldn’t help but sigh, “Finally, I’m back! The moon really does seem rounder here, don’t you think, Xiaozhou? It wasn’t easy to come back, so let’s make the most of it and go have some fun, just the two of us.”

Qiao Xingzhou called out, “Big brother,” and responded gently, “Mom and Dad had you bring me back to expand our family business here. Don’t focus so much on keeping me company; working hard on our career is the real path forward.”

The secretary, Xiao Li, quickly chimed in, “Yes, Mr. Qiao. You have four meetings scheduled for tomorrow, so it’s best to prepare for work first.”

As he spoke, Xiao Li inwardly complained: Ha, the boss is great in every way, except he’s totally obsessed with his younger brother. Whenever it’s about the boss’s brother, he just ignores everything else.

But… the boss’s younger brother is really adorable.

Gentle and soft-spoken, making people want to protect him.

“Yes, yes, yes, work, work, work. Don’t worry, your big brother knows his limits.” Qiao Minglang replied dismissively, “So, Xiao Zhou, what do you want to eat tonight? Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail…”

“Stop, stop, stop! Big brother, half the dishes you just listed are from protected animals.” Qiao Xingzhou replied with a hint of pride, “I’m not eating with you. I want to go hang out with friends my age. A couple of days ago, I got invited to a gathering, and I’d like to check it out.”

“Xiao Zhou, are you saying your big brother is old?” Qiao Minglang widened his eyes in surprise, looking at Qiao Xingzhou with a hurt expression. “You want to go out on your own? It’s so dangerous out there! Without your big brother, who will protect you?”

“Big brother isn’t old. Thirty is the prime age to venture out.” Qiao Xingzhou quickly reassured him, adding in an inspiring tone, “So go ahead and venture out, big brother. I’m going to hang out with my friends.”

Xiao Li interjected at the right moment, “Boss, you still have five work calls, three video meetings, twenty-five contracts, and thirty-seven unread messages tonight…”

Qiao Xingzhou took the opportunity to slip away, “I’m off now. Big brother, good luck—for the company’s future!”

Qiao Minglang could only sigh. “With this workload, will I even make it to tomorrow?”

“You have to make it to tomorrow ah, there are four meetings scheduled…” Xiao Li’s voice continued droning on.

—

“We’re here. This is the private room,” the server said, guiding Qiao Xingzhou.

Inside, the music was blaring, and the room was filled with noise and chaos. When he walked in, the crowd quieted down for a brief moment.

“Well, a new face!” Hu Tianhao, ever the life of the party, shouted out, “Hey, what’s your name?”

The pulsing beat felt like it was pounding directly against his eardrums. Qiao Xingzhou wasn’t used to such loud, chaotic environments and felt a bit uncomfortable.

…The background music was way too loud.

Feeling a bit out of place, he introduced himself, “I’m Qiao Xingzhou.”

“What?” Hu Tianhao couldn’t hear him. “Louder, man!”

“I said, my name is Qiao Xingzhou.” Qiao Xingzhou raised his voice a bit, but the booming chorus drowned him out again.

“Hey, man, are you whispering like a mosquito?” a guy nearby teased. “Did you skip dinner or something? Why’s your voice so weak?”

At that, a few scattered laughs echoed through the room, not very loud, but just sharp enough to sting.

Li Zhiyi, feeling a bit dizzy from the alcohol, was leaning back in his chair to sober up. The loud background music and their laughter made him frown.

Without fully taking in the situation, he instinctively tried to quiet things down. “What’s everyone laughing at? Sounds terrible.”

Hu Tianhao, who had been watching from the side, explained, “They’re laughing because the new guy introduced himself in a tiny voice.”

“Is it that he speaks softly, or is it just that you’ve turned the music up so loud that it’s hurting my ears? And you still have the nerve to laugh at him.” Only then did Li Zhiyi open his eyes, looking toward the doorway and meeting Qiao Xingzhou’s slightly uneasy gaze. “Turn off the music so he can introduce himself properly.”

“Yes, yes.” The guy who had been leading the teasing quickly nodded and rushed over to frantically press the volume button. “Didn’t mean to disturb Mr. Li while he’s sobering up. We’ll keep it quiet, keep it quiet.”

…Everyone seemed to listen to him. Was this person someone really important?

How could Qiao Xingzhou describe his first glimpse of Li Zhiyi? The man, dressed in a black suit, sat silently on the sofa at the center of the room. Those around him had instinctively left a respectful distance, occasionally glancing his way, subtly attentive to his every move.

Everyone’s gaze was on Li Zhiyi, but Li Zhiyi’s gaze was fixed on Qiao Xingzhou. Their eyes met for a moment. Qiao Xingzhou blinked, suddenly feeling an urge to introduce himself properly.

And he did say it this time, loud and clear: “My name is Qiao Xingzhou. Hello, everyone.”

“Qiao Xingzhou… are you the young master of the Qiao family, the ones in the construction business?” Li Zhiyi rubbed his thumb thoughtfully for a moment.

“Yes. My father is indeed in civil engineering,” Qiao Xingzhou replied gently.

The Qiao family was from the south. Though they had accumulated significant wealth through overseas business, they retained their southern accent, giving Qiao Xingzhou’s speech a distinctive softness.

Although the others looked down slightly on his accent, they quickly changed their attitude upon learning of his family’s wealth: “So you’re Young Master Qiao. Ah, a pleasure to meet you, a pleasure indeed.”

Qiao Xingzhou, a bit proud, paid no attention to their shift in attitude. Instead, he shyly directed his question solely at Li Zhiyi. “May I ask, what’s your name?”

“Me?” Li Zhiyi was slightly surprised by Qiao Xingzhou’s interest but answered nonetheless, “I’m Li Zhiyi.”

Li Zhiyi… The name wasn’t very familiar to Qiao Xingzhou, though he vaguely recalled his brother mentioning a highly accomplished young talent by that name.

So, it must be him.

Qiao Xingzhou thought to himself and then asked, “Mr. Li, may I sit next to you?”

This time, Li Zhiyi was silent for a bit longer. He had a slight aversion to being crowded, but there were no other seats available in the room, and Qiao Xingzhou was looking at him with such bright, expectant eyes.

“Alright,” he finally replied, adding, “You don’t need to call me Mr. Li. I’m probably older than you, so just call me ‘Brother.’”

“Alright, Brother.”

Qiao Xingzhou’s eyes sparkled even more as he walked over and sat beside Li Zhiyi.

With someone sitting next to him, Li Zhiyi indeed felt a bit uncomfortable. After a moment, he decided to speak up, though not directly to Qiao Xingzhou. “Hu Tianhao, make some space for Young Master Qiao.”

“Got it,” Hu Tianhao responded, not yet realizing the events that would unfold afterward.

Qiao Xingzhou froze, looking at Li Zhiyi with a mix of confusion and hurt in his eyes, though his tone remained gentle. “—So, Brother dislikes me that much? You don’t even want to sit next to me?”

Li Zhiyi: …Why did he suddenly feel a little guilty?

His head ached from the alcohol, and he rubbed his forehead. “No, it’s not that. I just have a bit of a clean—”

And then he gave in to Qiao Xingzhou’s hopeful gaze. “So, does that mean Brother doesn’t dislike me?”

“…Mm.” Li Zhiyi swallowed the words he’d been about to say, choosing to address the immediate question instead. “Of course not.”

Beside them, Hu Tianhao frowned, thinking: Why does this sound so strange? It… doesn’t quite come across as something a straight guy would say.

“Then let me sit next to you, okay?” Qiao Xingzhou asked excitedly, a bit cautiously. “I just returned to the country, and I feel the most connection with you, Brother. I’d like to spend more time together.”

Wait, hold on. Talking is one thing, but why is he staring at me like that? Isn’t this against the rules?

“Fine.” Li Zhiyi gave up resisting and decided it was best not to look. “I’ve had too much to drink, I’ll close my eyes and rest for a bit.”