Tao Nian clapped enthusiastically from the sidelines, utterly impressed by An Xun’s sharp tongue.

An Xin’s face turned ashen, unable to squeeze out even half a word, he stiffly said: “They are truly in love! You’re just jealous, jealous that dad likes me more than you! The An family has raised you all these years, and you haven’t even said thanks, not even showing up for dad’s birthday, simply brushing it off with ‘I’m busy with work’, you heartless thing!”

“Weren’t we talking about Cheng Song? Why are you dragging my conscience into this now?” Seeing someone approaching, An Xun tugged on Tao Nian’s sleeve and pulled him towards a corner, using him to block out some of the noise.

An Xun remained unflustered, “Even if I lacked a conscience, I’m living better than you are now. Instead of criticizing me, you might want to apologize to your old father to ease his anger. Those press releases about your fiancé, you did those on your own, right? I’d advise you to pull them back quickly to avoid making a bigger scene that neither you nor your nearly bankrupt An family would look good in.”

An Xin, hit where it hurt, jumped with anger. It seemed someone was giving him pointers on the side, and he stabilized a bit.

Who was behind his schemes this time? Liu Tang?

An Xun idly drew circles on the ground with his foot, wondering if it was Chen Xiang or one of his sycophantic friends who couldn’t see the obvious?

An Xin threatened, “You work at Long Yue Technologies, right? Don’t think I won’t spread rumors about you throughout the entire company.”

Unconcerned, a little investigation would let him know the rumors about his former employer.

A flash of insight crossed his mind, and An Xun’s eyes widened. Did Bo Xiangzhou know about his rumors at the previous company?

…He probably didn’t, and even if he did, he’d know they were false.

His skin hadn’t been peeled off by Bo Xiangzhou yet, indicating he still hid it pretty well.

Lately, his judgment had been clouded by emotions, always being careless.

An Xin’s voice softened, but the venom in his words turned them into the least favorite sounds An Xun could hear. He could tolerate a few sentences, but the call display showed three minutes, exceeding his patience.

An Xun retorted, “Say whatever you want, if you’re willing to face the consequences of being Cheng Song’s fiancé then go ahead, but don’t blame me for not warning you. Bo Xiangzhou has his eyes on me in the company. I have to report every detail of my day to him, even drinking water or going to the toilet. I’d actually be glad if you caused a scene at the company, then he might transfer a few million to comfort me from getting upset.”

Without taking a breath after his rant, An Xun wanted to say more, but the other side gave him no chance.

Tao Nian spoke eerily calmly, “Not blocking him?”

“Not blocking him. I’ve been too bored lately, having an idiot rush up just to get scolded by me is just what I need.” An Xun patted his pants, remembered they had no pockets, turned around, and stuffed his phone into Tao Nian’s coat pocket.

He noticed Tao Nian’s unhappy expression and asked, “I’m not angry, so why are you so mad?”

“Bo Xiangzhou is watching you?” Tao Nian’s expression was cold.

He regretted pushing An Xun towards Bo Xiangzhou again.

“No! I was just teasing him!” An Xun didn’t understand why he was so flustered; he had never been so scared even in front of Bo Xiangzhou.

Tao Nian leaned in, “Really?”

“Really, I’m not lying. If I lie to you, my bank account will be empty tomorrow!”

Tao Nian wouldn’t believe any other oath, but when it came to money, he sincerely stopped doubting.

The ceramic shop was fully equipped. After paying at the front desk, with the help of the instructor, An Xun chose a blue and white striped ceramic cup as his DIY project.

Tao Nian picked a plate with a pink chick design.

An Xun smacked his lips, “So pink, Nian Nian, you actually like this color?”

“Didn’t you used to like pink too?” Tao Nian’s eyes were fixed on the pink chick, ignoring other designs.

“I was forced into it.”

Little did he know that he’d gotten used to pink over time.

Tao Nian’s gaze lingered on An Xun’s avocado green sweatshirt, “So you’ve rebelled now?”

“No, he said I can’t always wear one color, I have to try a few more.” With many young people around, they referred to Bo Xiangzhou simply as “he”.

Under the instructor’s guidance, Tao Nian picked up a clump of clay and started kneading it on the board.

They worked side by side, their hands on the damp clay, dryly kneading without much feeling, while the other was eager to slap, slap, slap.

Probably to show Bo Xiangzhou.

Unsure of what Bo Xiangzhou replied, that foolish boy, happy, forgot he still had mud on his hands and rubbed it on his face.

Tao Nian thought about it and decided not to remind him. Those who forget their friends for color deserve some consequence.

An Xun, a true member of the clumsy brigade, nearly crumbled the clay, saved only by the instructor’s intervention. With the clay on the pottery wheel, finding the center and opening it was even more disastrous.

An Xun, hands covered in clay, stared at a shapeless pile of mud and fell into thought.

Tao Nian mercilessly laughed, “Are you planning to drink water from a vase?”

The opening was small, the clay pulled too high, looking nothing like a cup at all.

Even the instructor couldn’t hold back, this being her first time encountering such a lack of manual skills.

An Xun cleaned his hands, snapped a photo, and left his seat for the instructor to fix it, while he crouched by Tao Nian to distract him.

An Xun teased, “Yours isn’t much better than mine, look at your clay, it’s cracked, better fix it quick, or your plate will leak, and then see how you eat!”

Tao Nian was about to fix it but became defiant on hearing that, stubbornly stating, “Who said I’d use it for eating, this is an art piece meant for display.”

“Hmm, others keep pets, you keep a pot. Since you like it so much, better sleep hugging it at night, and remember to dress it in red silk when you get married.” An Xun kept on, “Why not name your new pet, something with a good meaning… How about ‘Treasure Basin’? Fits its appearance and gives it the auspicious hope of attracting wealth, oh—wait, but this Treasure Basin leaks wealth.”

Tao Nian couldn’t hold back anymore, letting go and letting the instructor help, “Shut up! Careful or I’ll slap mud on your face!”

Afterwards, they had nothing more to do, both sitting in the rest area, trusting the instructor but worried she might not meet their expectations, chatting while keeping an eye on the progress.

An Xun asked, “Nian Nian, where to eat tonight?”

He was busy with his hands and mouth, replying to messages from Bo Xiangzhou.

[Drowned Fish]: President Bo, if you keep this up, I’ll get angry! Even the clumsy brigade has its dignity, I think I did quite well, if you think it’s bad then you just have poor taste.

Bo Xiangzhou advocated for encouraging education, never discouraging him.

[Old Dog Bo]: If you say so, even if it’s hard to look at, I have to try and see it through.

[Drowned Fish]: Pouting JPG.

[Drowned Fish]: Don’t worry, the real thing won’t be this ugly, it’s already been fixed by the instructor.

Bo Xiangzhou felt a bit regretful.

[Old Dog Bo]: I was actually looking forward to your masterpiece.

[Drowned Fish]: Not complaining now? Do all alphas change their faces this fast?

[Old Dog Bo]: Let’s set that topic aside, let’s talk about something else.

[Old Dog Bo]: Have you changed the note yet?

An Xun pulled a face, he thought it was something R-rated, already preparing a shy retort.

An Xun, not forgetting Tao Nian, asked, “Where are we eating?”

“…Finish your chat before talking to me.” Tao Nian picked up the shop’s catalog, browsing through past customers’ project photos.

An Xun rested his head on Tao Nian’s shoulder, “Jealous again? I love you the most, no more jealousy.”

Yet his hands kept busy, feeling that the note indeed sounded unpleasant, needing a change. Looking at the note, he even doubted Bo Xiangzhou’s real image.

Is he a beast, not quite that beastly.

What note would be suitable then?

Tao Nian was puzzled, “Just search online, why obsess over a note?”

“You don’t understand, a note reflects a person’s special status, showing their importance in someone’s heart.” An Xun turned his head, thinking, this person has my full name as a note, why should I bother thinking hard to give him one?

That’s not fair!

An Xun retaliated by noting the full name, returning the favor, waiting for Bo Xiangzhou to give him a nice note.

A loud male voice erupted, a group of people paying and walking into the production area, the customers and instructor looking up to meet the excited gaze of a young man among them.

His face was unforgettable, and An Xun was no exception, he said, “…Why is it you again?”

An Xun: “Your purple hair? Why did you dye it back?”

Tao Nian was surprised, “You know him?”

“That one…” An Xun struggled to recall their first encounter at the Chuan Da Xian hotpot restaurant.

His memory wasn’t as good as the youth’s, the young man greeted and came towards them, saying, “Chuan Da Xian hotpot restaurant.”

Tao Nian was slightly astonished, “You’re that purple-haired guy?”

“Don’t call him purple-haired, how ugly.” An Xun, easily amused, laughed, “He’s black-haired now.”

The young man: “…”

The young man felt he was misunderstood, “I thought you’d speak for me.”

An Xun snickered, “Why would I speak for a stranger? How did you end up at this pottery shop, did you upset your boyfriend again?”

“You really know how to see things.” The young man pulled up a chair, almost eager to tell everything to An Xun, “The small cakes you told me to buy last time worked, but I bought too many and he got sick of them, I didn’t listen well in class, fell asleep and got lectured by him, didn’t manage to appease him, do you know how to soothe him? If you can soothe him this time, I’ll call you big brother.”

“Your boyfriend really loves you, if it were me, I’d have broken up already. Study hard, young man, your boyfriend is doing this for your own good, sleeping in class isn’t good.”

“I know, but I find studying boring, just listening makes me want to sleep.” The young man realized he was off-topic, “Why talk about useless things, just tell me, what kind of pottery do omegas generally like?”

“You don’t know what your own boyfriend likes?” An Xun was shocked.

Is this what young people’s romance is like? Indeed very juvenile, even their relationships aren’t taken seriously.

The young man crossed his arms, “No, my boyfriend is a bit introverted, although it doesn’t show normally, he’s actually quite indifferent deep down, has no favorite foods, not interested in small animals, only loves his damn practice, writing all the time, even neglecting me.”

“That’s a bit tough.” An Xun looked troubled.

The young man blurted out, “One hundred thousand, deal?”

Tao Nian seemed to see a ghost, An Xun signaled him to calm down, this purple-haired was rich, he had seen it before.

“Seeing as this is our third encounter, destined by fate, I won’t take your money, just saying it off the top of my head isn’t worth one hundred thousand, keep the money and spend more on your boyfriend.” An Xun suggested, flipping to a corgi-shaped cup design in the catalog, “Talk to the instructor about this, change it to your boyfriend’s zodiac sign.”

The young man, not lacking in action, took the catalog to discuss with the instructor.

Tao Nian was astounded, “What’s the deal with this guy? So generous at the drop of a hat?”

“Don’t know, probably some landowner’s foolish son.”

“Are you close with him?”

“Not close.” An Xun held up three fingers, “This is our third encounter.”

“Then why are you helping him?”

“I have a kind heart.”

After the pottery was shaped, it needed to be batched into the kiln. An Xun checked the instructor’s modified product, satisfied, greeted the fateful youth, and prepared to leave.

The young man beckoned to him, glancing at the oblivious Tao Nian walking ahead, earnestly warned, “Your husband seems hollow, still carries the scent of other omegas. I can only warn you so much.”

“You have a sharp eye.” An Xun nodded, “He really is hollow, I know about the affair, but there’s a child involved now, just have to make do, besides I don’t like him that much, we just get by like brothers day by day.”

The young man was shocked, “You’re really open-minded.”

“That’s for sure.” An Xun couldn’t help but quip, “After all, that child isn’t his, I have to give him some compensation.”

The young man: “!”

Tao Nian, puzzled by the secretive conversation between the two, watched as An Xun covered his mouth and laughed all the way home after dinner, never managing to figure out the reason.