Hearing the busy signal on his phone, Gu Xunzhe smiled wryly. He put his phone aside and clasped his hands on the desk in front of him. His face didn’t show much emotion, though he usually appeared like this, at this moment he seemed different—more lonely, a bit sad, and even pitiful.

Gu Xunhao woke up from hunger. He hadn’t eaten much when he left Lu Youze’s house, and because he was so tired, he had fallen asleep right after returning. After yawning several times, Gu Xunhao struggled to get up, planning to go to the kitchen and find something to eat. As he was about to leave, he saw that the light in Gu Xunzhe’s study was still on. He checked the time on his phone—it was already 4 AM, and his brother was still awake? He furrowed his brows; his brother had always been strict about his routine. Was something bothering him?

Worried about Gu Xunzhe, Gu Xunhao’s sleepiness almost disappeared. After thinking for a moment, he went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, then went to Gu Xunzhe’s study. He had planned to make his brother a cup of coffee, but then thought better of it. He had come to persuade his brother to rest earlier, so having coffee at this hour wouldn’t help with that.

“Big Brother,” Gu Xunhao gently knocked on the study door and softly spoke, “Can I come in?”

He didn’t wait for Gu Xunzhe to respond and opened the door directly. After all, it was late, and his brother wouldn’t get angry over this.

Gu Xunzhe hadn’t expected his brother to suddenly enter his study. He hadn’t even had time to collect his emotions.

Seeing his brother like this, Gu Xunhao felt unexpectedly uneasy. He had only seen his brother in such a state twice in his life, and both times were memories he didn’t want to recall.

Gu Xunhao didn’t know what was going on with his brother, but he knew that his brother wasn’t feeling well right now.

“Big Brother,” Gu Xunhao walked up to Gu Xunzhe, placing the water on the desk, looking at him with concern, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Gu Xunzhe shook his head, his eyes much gentler than before. “Just a bit tired. I’ll rest for a bit, and I’ll be fine.”

“Is the company that busy?” Seeing the dark circles under Gu Xunzhe’s eyes, Gu Xunhao couldn’t help feeling a little guilty. All the freedom he had now was thanks to his brother. But his brother could also get tired, and maybe it was time for him to step up and share some of the burden.

Gu Xunzhe almost immediately saw through his younger brother’s thoughts. He felt a sense of relief knowing that his brother wanted to help, but the deceitful nature of the business world wasn’t something Gu Xunhao should be involved in. As long as he could continue living happily like this, that was enough. He would protect him, giving him a carefree life. He had the ability to do that. But… Gu Xunzhe’s gaze on Gu Xunhao flickered for a moment, and he realized that he also wanted to protect another person in the same way, though he didn’t know if that person would give him the chance.

“Big Brother, you should rest first. The company can wait until tomorrow.” Seeing that his brother seemed distracted again, Gu Xunhao moved a little closer, his voice more anxious than before.

Seeing his younger brother’s worried expression, Gu Xunzhe felt a warm feeling in his heart. It was all worth it for the love and care he had given him over the years.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be joining the crew, and I’ll probably be away from the company for a few months.” Gu Xunzhe raised his hand and rubbed Gu Xunhao’s head, his eyes filled with rare tenderness. “Some things need to be handled first. Ahao, you should go to sleep. Don’t worry about me. Once I’m done, I’ll rest.”

Although Gu Xunhao was the idle second young master, he still cared about the new drama of his family’s company, especially since it was the first drama after Lu Youze’s incident.

His reaction when he saw his brother’s name on the actor list was just as strong as when he saw Lu Youze’s. He didn’t understand why his older brother suddenly wanted to act instead of focusing on his role as CEO. But Gu Xunhao believed that there must be a reason behind his brother’s decision, so he didn’t ask more.

Just as Gu Xunhao was about to say something, his stomach suddenly growled loudly, breaking the silence in the study. It was especially loud in the quiet room. Gu Xunhao awkwardly laughed twice and, as if to cover his embarrassment, scratched his head.

Gu Xunzhe frowned. “Did you skip dinner?”

Gu Xunhao, feeling guilty, avoided his brother’s gaze. “I overslept.”

It was unusual for him to skip dinner because of oversleeping. Normally, Ye Xing would wake him up for meals. Although being woken up was never a pleasant experience, and they often fought because of it, he had to admit that if Ye Xing was around, he wouldn’t miss meals, and he wouldn’t be looking for food at midnight. Ye Xing always made sure the kitchen had extra desserts for him, just in case he got hungry. Though it was always well-prepared, Ye Xing would take the opportunity to tease him, which was why he didn’t feel grateful.

Thinking about it now, Ye Xing was annoying, but he did take good care of him.

Wait a minute… Gu Xunhao slapped his face hard, warning himself not to think about Ye Xing. That guy was a jerk, and the farther away from him, the better.

He mentally scolded himself.

Seeing Gu Xunhao’s reaction, Gu Xunzhe’s head started to hurt even more. He sighed inwardly but still showed no expression on his face.

“Everyone’s asleep by now,” Gu Xunzhe stood up. “I’m a little hungry too. Let’s go. I’ll make something for you.”

Gu Xunhao started doubting his ears. He followed Gu Xunzhe and couldn’t help asking, “Big Brother, what did you just say? You’re going to make something for me?”

Gu Xunzhe turned around to look at Gu Xunhao, his expression calm as he replied, “Is there a problem?”

Gu Xunhao had never eaten food made by Gu Xunzhe, or more accurately, he had never seen his older brother cook. He couldn’t help but glance at his impeccably dressed and handsome older brother, unable to associate him with the kitchen.

“Big Brother, you don’t have to go through all that trouble. We can just order takeout,” Gu Xunhao suggested, considering his own safety.

What if he made something horrible? While he wasn’t as picky as Lu Youze had been before his amnesia, he didn’t want to risk his stomach, so it was better not to try.

Gu Xunzhe easily saw through his younger brother’s thoughts.

“It’s too much trouble,” Gu Xunzhe said expressionlessly, then turned and walked toward the kitchen.

He just wanted to change his mood, and when he saw Ah Hao earlier, a sudden thought popped into his mind. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

Poor second young master Gu could only follow behind Gu Xuanze, feeling increasingly confused about his older brother. This was the first time he had ever heard that ordering takeout was more troublesome than cooking by oneself.

Gu Xuanze didn’t let Gu Xuanhao follow him into the kitchen. He told him to wait in the dining room for a while before heading to the kitchen to start preparing.

At first, Gu Xuanhao occasionally stood up, wanting to check on what was happening in the kitchen. However, he eventually gave up and resigned himself to the thought that this was his older brother cooking for him. No matter how bad it tasted, he had to be grateful and eat it.

With plenty of energy but nothing to do while waiting to be fed, Gu Xuanhao could only bother his “friends.” Unfortunately, Lu Youze was one of them.

Lu Youze didn’t have much desire to sleep either and replied casually to Gu Xuanhao’s message. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a chat with the second young master. He probably didn’t realize he was the only one to respond.

What’s going on with these two brothers tonight? Were they determined to keep him awake? Of course, once Gu Xuanze brought out the late-night snack, Lu Youze was finally freed.

Since it was late, it wasn’t suitable to have heavy or greasy food, so Gu Xuanze only prepared some light dishes, but for someone who had been hungry all day, it was quite enough.

Gu Xuanhao initially thought he would be facing a disaster of food, but when he saw the dishes on the table, he was shocked. Not only did they look as good as what his family’s chef would make, but they also smelled amazing, making his appetite surge.

“Big brother, I’ll eat first.” Gu Xuanhao swallowed and felt even hungrier.

“Mm.” Gu Xuanze sat down across from him, nodding slightly.

Gu Xuanhao was truly hungry, so he didn’t say anything else and started focusing on the delicious food on the table.

Watching Gu Xuanhao eat hungrily, Gu Xuanze couldn’t help but smile slightly. The busy day and the frustrating mood caused by Ye Xing all disappeared in an instant.

As the admired CEO of the Gu family, the happiness he wanted wasn’t much, but he still had some regrets. He hoped that one day in the future, there would be one more person at the table.