He Zhiyu started pretending to be dead, and Yu Yan couldn’t figure out the reason after a long time, so he decided to just ignore it.

The flight went straight to Beijing, and on the way, Yu Yan covered himself with a blanket to catch up on sleep.

As soon as they got off the plane, he received a message from Yu Chen saying he’d come to pick them up.

Coming out of the VIP exit, Yu Yan saw Yu Chen leaning against a wall not far away, looking rather melancholy.

“Bro—” Yu Yan hopped twice and then jogged over.

Yu Chen’s gaze first landed on Shen Yuming, who was behind Yu Yan, before shifting to his brother.

“Did you have fun?” Yu Chen asked.

Yu Yan nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I even got you and Sister Xi Yuan a bunch of souvenirs. I’ll give them to you when we get back.”

“Where are Mom and Dad?”

“They’re checking the luggage. There’s so much stuff they need to verify the list.”

Yu Chen nodded. “Go help them check the list, so they don’t get so caught up looking at your souvenirs that they leave their things behind.”

Yu Yan agreed, but after taking two steps, he turned back. His gaze darted between the two men before locking onto Shen Yuming. “Brother Yuming, come with me!”

“What’s he going for? I just happen to have something to discuss with him,” Yu Chen interjected.

“What is it?” Yu Yan squinted suspiciously.

Yu Chen’s eyelid twitched. “Business matters. Want to listen in?”

“No thanks. Wait for me. I’ll be right back,” Yu Yan waved and walked off, glancing back every few steps before disappearing around the corner.

The moment Yu Yan’s figure disappeared, the smile on Yu Chen’s face faded entirely.

He grabbed Shen Yuming by the collar and pressed him against the wall.

“Shen Yuming, what do you mean by giving my brother roses? Don’t tell me some nonsense about pitying a little girl selling flowers late at night. Since when are you so kind-hearted?”

This day was bound to come eventually, but with Yu Yan’s feelings still unclear, Shen Yuming didn’t want to bring everything out into the open too soon. He preferred a gradual approach.

He replied calmly, “Yu Yan said he used to sell small items in that area too. After a whole day, he’d only earn enough for a meal. That little girl reminded me of him, so I bought them on a whim.”

Yu Chen thought it over. In that situation, if it were him, he probably would’ve bought the flowers too. His grip loosened slightly.

“You’re not lying to me?”

Shen Yuming raised his eyebrows. “What do you think?”

Having known Shen Yuming for over 20 years, Yu Chen didn’t think he’d lie to him.

Besides, judging by his silly little brother’s attitude, Yu Chen even felt Shen Yuming might be the one being led around by the nose.

His mind was a mess, like a muddled paste. Was he really overthinking it?

Yu Chen sighed lightly. “Yuming, we’ve known each other for over 20 years, haven’t we?”

“Twenty-two years,” Shen Yuming replied, remembering the number clearly. He was a few years older than Yu Chen.

Yu Chen nodded slowly. So many years had gone by in a flash. “In all these years, I’ve done my best for you, haven’t I?”

“When you were just an adult and had hit rock bottom with your family, going through a rebellious phase, you got into extreme sports—racing, skydiving, wingsuit flying. Which one didn’t I accompany you to?”

Shen Yuming’s eyes darkened slightly. He pulled out a cigarette and bit it between his teeth, then offered the pack to Yu Chen.

Yu Chen took one as well. “You can’t smoke here. Let’s go outside.”

Shen Yuming nodded, the unlit cigarette still in his mouth, remaining silent.

By Yu Chen’s account, Shen Yuming’s rebellious phase had come a few years later than most people’s.

Whether it was racing, skydiving, or wingsuit flying, these were just outlets for Shen Yuming to rebel against the state of his family when he had just reached adulthood.

He had hidden his true thoughts well, so others assumed these extreme sports were merely hobbies. But only he knew what he was trying to achieve. Either he’d die this way, leaving nothing to hold him back in this world, or he’d make his parents realize their neglect and tell him to stop doing such dangerous activities, for his sake or theirs.

One time, he was severely injured during a wingsuit flight. He didn’t get the death or concern he expected. Instead, all he got was, “You’re an adult now. You should take responsibility for your own actions.”

So, that day when Zhang Shujun asked him if his father treated him well, Shen Yuming couldn’t give a clear answer.

He believed that his parents loved him, although that love wasn’t overwhelming. Otherwise, his mother wouldn’t have paved the way for him, and his father wouldn’t have donated part of his liver to him.

But Yu Chen told him that wasn’t love—it was merely a sense of responsibility. They were simply fulfilling the obligations required by law toward Shen Yuming.

During the most challenging period of his life, it was Yu Chen who stayed by his side. Because of this, Shen Yuming would help Yu Chen unconditionally, even with unreasonable requests.

He could work at the company under a pseudonym while erasing all traces of the name “Shen Yuming” from the internet and the company records.

He could compromise on everything, but not when it came to Yu Yan. On that, he couldn’t back down.

If Yu Chen were to truly get angry because of this, he could hit him, and Shen Yuming would never retaliate.

After pouring out all these emotional thoughts, Yu Chen saw his low spirits and couldn’t bring himself to say harsher words. “My brother is young and doesn’t understand, but you can’t act like you don’t understand. If…if you mess this up, we can’t even be brothers anymore!”

“Got it,” Shen Yuming responded with a calm expression.

Once he and Yu Yan were together, he believed he could still remain brothers with Yu Chen.

…

From the moment they got in the car to head home, Jiang Mo began telling Yu Chen all about Yu Yan’s outstanding performance during the speech contest. These were the same words Yu Yan had heard at least ten times in the past few days—his ears were practically growing calluses.

Yu Chen chuckled, “I saw it on the news yesterday. Fang Chi even sent me a photo, praising Xiao Yan for making him proud.”

“It was on the news? Why didn’t anyone tell me?” Jiang Mo quickly took out her phone to check the news.

Yu Lin followed closely behind, “Which channel?”

“I’ll send it to you,” Yu Chen replied before adding, “Oh, by the way, Fang Chi said he’s hosting a celebration for Xiao Yan making it onto the news. He’s inviting everyone to his newly opened restaurant.”

Yu Yan paused for a moment and then asked, “Brother Fang’s bar… it hasn’t gone out of business, has it?”

“No, the new restaurant even has a painting of the God of Wealth,” Yu Chen said, looking a bit puzzled.

Not expecting such a small matter to receive so much attention, Yu Yan felt a little embarrassed. “Is Brother Chen coming too?”

Yu Chen’s voice dropped slightly, “He is.”

“That’s good,” Yu Yan sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, the group chat named “Keep the Music Going (5)” became lively again, sparked by Jian Ran discovering that a third- or fourth-tier actor had joined their production as a special guest.

A “special guest” essentially meant someone who got a bit more screen time and a few lines but wasn’t much different from an extra.

What caught their attention was that this actor had previously acted alongside Wen Xia and had signed with a company, seemingly developing well.

[Song Yunjing: Isn’t this the actor from the neighboring crew? After the investors bailed, no one took over their production, so now they’re all looking for other jobs. But how did they end up as a special guest?]

[Jian Ran: Their acting skills aren’t particularly great.]

[He Zhiyu: Did the company just let them go?]

[Jian Ran: They weren’t nurtured. The dramas they acted in were funded by investors. Now that the production has folded, no one wants them.]

Yu Yan didn’t pay much attention to this small interlude. To him, it only indicated that the Qi family’s reorganized company wouldn’t last much longer, and bankruptcy was only a matter of time.

After returning home, Yu Yan sorted the souvenirs he had brought for everyone and sent them out via a local courier.

Even though Song Yunjing had gone to Rongcheng with him, she had been busy filming a documentary the entire time and hadn’t had a chance to explore. So, Yu Yan treated her the same as everyone else and prepared a souvenir for her as well.

Yu Yan had originally thought he could ride with Yu Chen to the restaurant, but when he woke up, he learned that Yu Chen had already gone to the company.

Left with no other option, he asked for the address and had the driver take him there. While in the car, he messaged Shen Yuchen to check in on the situation.

The restaurant was newly opened by Fang Chi. Luxuriously decorated and quite large, it was considered a standout even in the bustling CBD.

The moment you walked in, you’d see a statue of the God of Wealth placed at the front desk, with incense burning in the brazier in front of it.

Perhaps because the restaurant and the bar targeted different clientele, the diners here were all prominent individuals. Their attire and demeanor clearly reflected their status.

After confirming the location of the private room, Yu Yan was about to head over when he saw Qi Ke standing at the door with a glass of wine. In his arms was a boy around eighteen or nineteen, who appeared shy and slightly reluctant.

Qi Ke was the first to notice him. “Oh, Young Master Yu, long time no see. Looks like you’ve gained some skills?”

Yu Yan knew Qi Ke was referring to his speech at the charity event. After all, he had used that event to “borrow” nearly a million yuan’s worth of daily necessities from Qi Mo.

Although he had listed Qi Mo’s name as a donor, Qi Mo held no position in the company, which meant the company couldn’t use the donation for promotion. If they tried, all of Qi Mo’s past scandals would surface, leaving the Qi family to quietly swallow the loss.

Yu Yan ignored Qi Ke, his gaze falling on the boy’s face. “Are you here willingly?”

In the past, if he had encountered such a situation, he would have run as far as he could, fearing he might end up being the one taken advantage of.

But times had changed. With both the Yu family and Shen Yuchen backing him, he could now walk around Beijing as he pleased!

“I…”

Qi Ke sneered. “What’s this? Is Young Master Yu planning to rescue someone from their plight?”

He provocatively leaned close to the boy’s neck and inhaled deeply with a look of intoxication.

Though the boy flinched slightly, his reaction was not extreme, nor did he openly resist.

Understanding the situation, Yu Yan turned and walked away.

The boy followed Yu Yan’s departing figure with his gaze but was suddenly grabbed by the chin and forced to look at Qi Ke.

“I know you don’t want to follow me,” Qi Ke said casually.

He had groomed so many people over the years and succeeded with so many that he’d lost count. But Chen Qingyu was an exception.

Releasing his grip, Qi Ke handed the boy the glass of wine, forcing him to hold it.

Chen Qingyu, who had survived in the industry for so many years by reading people well, immediately noticed something was off with the wine.

Qi Ke saw right through him and mocked, “I didn’t tell you to drink it.”

Chen Qingyu let out a barely audible sigh of relief. “Then… then who is it for?”

“Did you see that person just now? If you can get him to drink this, you’ll have unlimited resources at your disposal,” Qi Ke coaxed.

Chen Qingyu stammered in fear, “I… I can’t…”

“Why not? Think about all the debts you owe—are they paid off yet? If anything happens, just blame it on me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” Qi Ke said, his eyes darkening. “When have I ever lied to you?”

“But…” Chen Qingyu was still hesitant.

Qi Ke’s patience wore thin. “There’s no ‘but.’ You don’t have a choice.”