When the living room was left with only Lu Youze, he finally no longer had to play the role of the film emperor who had to maintain a perfect image at all times. He weakly sat on the sofa.

Thinking about what Ye Xing had said before leaving, he couldn’t help but smile bitterly. How could he not know?

It’s just that Gu Xuanzhe’s tenderness was never for him!

Lu Youze tiredly closed his eyes. After a while, he got up and walked back to the living room. The table full of delicious food was now all spilled on the floor. He squatted down, picked up a piece of food that looked clean, and tasted it.

Gu Xuanzhe could do everything perfectly, even cooking at a top chef level. How could it taste bad?

But unlike the original owner, who was born into wealth, he didn’t need these extravagant dishes. He preferred simple foods like scrambled eggs with tomatoes, buns, and fried dough sticks.

Even though he was also a film emperor, even though they shared the same face, there was still a world of difference.

At the hospital, after emergency treatment, Gu Xuanzhe didn’t have any major issues, just temporary shock caused by lack of sleep. However, the doctor seemed to want to say something but was stopped by Gu Xuanzhe’s gaze.

“Mr. Gu, you should rest well,” Dr. He said, packing up the medical chart and wisely leaving the ward. After all, Mr. Gu was the largest shareholder of the hospital, and since he didn’t want anyone to know, the attending doctor could only keep it confidential.

“Big Brother!” Gu Xuanyao stood by the bed, looking at his older brother with both anger and worry. “Do you really think you’re made of iron? You’re such a smart person, but every time something happens with Lu Youze, you act like a fool! It makes me so mad!”

Usually, Gu Xuanyao would cower in front of his big brother and wouldn’t dare speak like this. This time, he was really scared and couldn’t focus on anything else.

Gu Xuanzhe glanced at his phone; there were many missed calls, but none from the person he wanted to see.

“Ah Hao, I’m fine,” Gu Xuanzhe gestured for Gu Xuanyao to sit beside him and patted his shoulder in comfort. “Sorry to worry you.”

“If you know it will worry me, then don’t do this next time, got it?” Gu Xuanyao looked seriously at Gu Xuanzhe. For him, his big brother was the most important person in the world. He couldn’t even imagine what he would do if something happened to him. “I really thought I was going to die from the shock.”

Gu Xuanzhe looked at his silly younger brother, who usually didn’t have a care in the world. He rarely saw him express such an emotion, so it seemed that his fainting had really scared him.

“Mm.” Gu Xuanzhe nodded. “I promise you.”

“Second Young Master.” Ye Xing, who had been standing in the corner of the room, suddenly approached, breaking the rare moment of warmth between the brothers. He looked at Gu Xuanzhe on the bed, and after a brief silent confrontation, he gave a provocative smile. “The doctor just said that the eldest young master needs to ensure sufficient sleep, so let’s not disturb him for now.”

At Ye Xing’s reminder, Gu Xuanyao finally reacted.

“Big Brother, you should rest. I’ll come see you later,” Gu Xuanyao said.

Gu Xuanzhe must have been really tired, as he didn’t say much, just gave Ye Xing a warning look to remind him of the promise he made and closed his eyes to rest.

“Ye Xing, stop following me.” After leaving the hospital, Gu Xuanyao, a bit annoyed, said to Ye Xing, who had been following him like a shadow. “Even if my brother made you my bodyguard, you don’t have to follow me everywhere, right?”

The more Gu Xuanyao looked, the more he found it annoying. This guy looked weaker than him. Could he really protect anyone? Moreover, he didn’t need a bodyguard. It must have been some despicable method that made his big brother have to agree. Thinking this, he glared at Ye Xing again.

“Where is Second Young Master going?” Ye Xing didn’t argue but smiled and asked.

After the last incident, the Second Young Master was still hostile toward him. He couldn’t be too impatient and had to be careful not to scare him again.

“To find Lu Youze.”

“Second Young Master, you didn’t drive. Let me take you there.”

Gu Xuanyao didn’t refuse. After confirming that Lu Youze had returned to his villa, he had Ye Xing take him there.

“Do you want me to pick you up later?” Ye Xing asked, rolling down the car window.

“No need,” Gu Xuanyao said. “I can go back on my own.”

Ye Xing nodded to show he understood, but he didn’t leave the villa.

Knowing that Gu Xuanyao was coming, Lu Youze had been waiting at the door early. After leaving the Gu family villa, he had been very worried about Gu Xuanzhe’s situation. He had wanted to call several times to check but eventually gave up.

Lu Youze directly took Gu Xuanzhe to his room.

“Um…” Lu Youze was about to ask about Gu Xuanzhe’s condition when he suddenly received a punch from Gu Xuanyao to the left side of his face.

Lu Youze touched his swollen cheek. He didn’t know if it was swelling, but it hurt. It was obvious that Gu Xuanyao was really angry.

Could it be that Gu Xuanzhe’s condition was not good?

“Lu Youze, since you’re still pregnant, I went easy on you with this punch,” Gu Xuanyao looked at Lu Youze’s swollen face and actually regretted not controlling his strength, but still said stubbornly.

“Is your brother okay?” Lu Youze asked.

“You still care about my brother?” Gu Xuanyao ate a piece of snacks from the table. After being tossed around all night, he was indeed hungry. “Do you know why my brother ended up in the hospital? Even if he’s just a regular friend, shouldn’t you have called to ask how he was? Do you know how many times my brother stared at his phone after waking up? He thought he was hiding it well, but only an idiot wouldn’t see that he was waiting for your call.”

Lu Youze fell silent.

What Gu Xuanyao said was right. Even as just a normal friend, it was natural to call to ask how the person was, especially after receiving so much care.

But the real problem was that they seemed destined to not be just ordinary friends. Lu Youze once thought it was possible, but he realized he had overestimated himself or underestimated Gu Xuanzhe’s charm.

He admired the original Lu Youze. How could he have had a heart of stone to resist Gu Xuanzhe’s advances? Oh! Back then, Gu Xuanzhe hadn’t even started to pursue him.

“Lu Youze, I’m talking to you, and you’re spacing out! Are you really trying to piss me off?” Gu Xuanyao angrily kicked his friend. Once Lu Youze’s attention returned to him, his expression became serious. “Tell me, what exactly is wrong with my brother, and why won’t you be with him? Or do you still like Yu Li?”

“Gu Xuanyao, you don’t understand.” Lu Youze forced a bitter smile.

“I don’t understand,” Gu Xuanyao said, frustrated. “I just don’t get it. Since you don’t like Yu Li anymore, if you were with my brother, he would definitely make you the happiest person in the world.”

He always trusted his big brother unconditionally.

Lu Youze didn’t doubt Gu Xuanyao’s words, but the problem was that he wasn’t the one Gu Xuanzhe wanted to make happy.

In fact, he didn’t need to struggle with it. Once he became Lu Youze, he had already become him. As long as he didn’t speak up, no one would notice.

But when he has something on his mind, he starts to care about it.

“Forget it.” Seeing Lu Youze remain silent once again, Gu Xuanhao lost the desire to continue talking. He stood up, preparing to leave. “The doctor told me that my brother needs to rest well and ensure enough sleep. But I can guarantee that he won’t sleep until he hears from you. Lu Youze, how you handle this is up to you, but as a younger brother and a friend, I still hope you’ll make that call.”

After saying that, Gu Xuanhao left.

His mood inexplicably turned sour. He had planned to go to the nightclub with his friends for a bit of fun, but as soon as he stepped out of the Lu family villa, he saw Ye Xing’s annoying fox-like face.

Forget it, I’ll just go home and get some sleep.

After Gu Xuanhao left, Lu Youze slouched on the sofa, staring at his phone for a long time. Finally, he put it back on the table.

Leaning back against the sofa, he thought about a lot of things—the lonely childhood he had, the glory of becoming an award-winning actor, and the helplessness and loneliness he felt after discovering his sexual orientation.

At that moment, the phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, Lu Youze felt a bit dazed, but he still pressed the answer button.

There was silence for a while, but it was the other person who spoke first.

“Youze, it’s me.” Gu Xuanze’s cold yet reassuring voice came through. “Did Ahao come over to talk to you? Don’t take his words to heart. I… I’m fine now.”

Lu Youze gripped the phone tighter. Normally eloquent and always knowing what to say in any situation, he couldn’t utter a single word now.

Why is this man so perfect?

“Sorry, I think I’ve interrupted you.” Gu Xuanze’s voice was still cold, but there was a hint of awkwardness. “I’ll hang up now.”

“Gu Xuanze.” Lu Youze suddenly called out to him. It seemed like he had made a big decision. “Which version of me do you prefer, the one before or after the memory loss?”

Once the words were out, Lu Youze regretted it.

As expected, he had acted impulsively. He even thought about hanging up the phone right away.

“As long as it’s Youze, I like all of you.” Gu Xuanze’s voice was gentle and sincere. “But I prefer the you now.”

Maybe this is just selfishness, because the you now smiles at me.

Humans are such strange creatures.

Gu Xuanze’s simple words made Lu Youze feel like the fog was lifting. Suddenly, he felt enlightened and no longer conflicted.

There’s only this one person. Since he prefers the current me, why should I care about anything else?

“Mr. Gu.” After a brief silence, Lu Youze spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of a smile. “Next time, make me some scrambled eggs with tomatoes. I’ve changed my taste, and I like it now.”

On the other end of the line, Gu Xuanze seemed surprised. After a pause, he finally replied, “Okay.”