Yu Wanlai’s pupils dilated, and his heart seemed to leap to his throat. He immediately reached out and grabbed Yu Qingyue’s arm, pulling him back. But he used too much force, and before he could brace himself, he was pulled backward along with Yu Qingyue.

He was immediately stunned, stars flashing before his eyes. A person this large suddenly falling on him—if the big bed behind him had been a floor, his fake villain career would have ended right there. Yu Qingyue blinked, looking at Yu Wanlai under him, then suddenly turned his head and chuckled. His mood lightened a little. Serves you right! Let’s see if you’ll tell me anything now.

Yu Wanlai felt his vision going dark, possibly from the bright light overhead, but more likely from the impact with Yu Qingyue. Weakly, he stretched out one hand to push Yu Qingyue aside. “If you’re fine, go somewhere else!” He propped himself up, sitting up with a tired sigh, preparing to go back to his room and rest. Having two heavy things fall on his head, one of them being a living person, would leave anyone confused, even if the King himself showed up today.

But things didn’t go as planned. Yu Wanlai didn’t leave. He turned his head and saw Yu Qingyue gripping the hem of his shirt so tightly that his fingers turned white, making the collar of his shirt tighten around his neck. His body leaned back, trying to give himself some breathing room, reaching to pull his shirt out of Yu Qingyue’s hand.

Yu Wanlai thought: “…I really can’t say anything. If I do, I’ll just be digging my own grave.”

After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke, his voice tinged with amusement. “What are you doing? Are you worried about having nightmares tonight, and want your big brother to help you sleep?”

Yu Qingyue furrowed his brows, feeling disgusted to the point where he almost had goosebumps. He glared at Yu Wanlai, quickly letting go of his shirt. “You!”

Yu Wanlai, seizing the opportunity, immediately made a quick exit. Yu Qingyue’s remaining words weren’t heard, but he probably knew they wouldn’t be anything pleasant.

Over the next few days, Yu Wanlai’s nerves were as taut as Qin Shuang’s. The nightmares that had disappeared for a long time returned, haunting him like ghosts.

Yu Qingyue looked up and scanned the people sitting around the table, eating breakfast. He curled his lips. For the first time, he felt like an outsider. If they had just told him, everything would have been fine! They were all family, yet they insisted on keeping things from him.

He had asked Yu Wanlai a few more times, but every time, he was dodged. As for Qin Shuang and Yu Cheng, they didn’t even bother pretending. They only told him that he would find out eventually, but who knew when that would be? He wanted to know now.

Yu Qingyue was at a loss for the first time. He didn’t even know where to start searching. The sense of helplessness was driving him crazy.

At the company, Yu Qingyue sat in his chair. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him was a thick white fog, making it impossible to see any buildings, adding to the oppressive atmosphere. His face was cold, and his tone was dark. “I’ll ask again. Do you know something?”

Yu Wanlai glanced around, preparing to keep up his act. He looked up and awkwardly smiled. “How would I know about your family’s matters? Right?”

“Your mom wouldn’t tell me this, would she?”

The implication was obvious—he knew. His mom wouldn’t tell him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find out from other sources.

Yu Qingyue’s breath quickened in anger. His hands clenched into fists under the table, glaring at Yu Wanlai. “…You still say you don’t know?!”

Yu Wanlai continued to play innocent, spreading his hands. “I really don’t know. Why don’t you just ask your mom?”

He couldn’t say a word. If he did, he’d be a villain stirring up discord. Yu Qingyue was left speechless, letting out a cold snort, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “…Don’t let me find evidence that you know something!”

Yu Wanlai chuckled lightly. What a joke! He knew in his own mind, and as long as he didn’t say anything, how could anyone know that he knew? Unless someone could pry into his brain!

At that moment, a knock on the door sounded, and Yu Wanlai relaxed a little. He turned his head toward the door, and as Xu Ran pushed it open, his sharp gaze immediately pinned him in place. Yu Wanlai clicked his tongue lightly and waved at Xu Ran. “Hurry up and come in! Young Master Yu is waiting for you!”

He took a few steps back, clearing a spot for Xu Ran, and then said to Yu Qingyue, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go out and get to work.”

Yu Qingyue, still unwilling, glared at Yu Wanlai’s retreating back, only turning his gaze to Xu Ran when the door closed. He motioned for him to speak.

Xu Ran, holding a schedule book, began his usual report on the day’s affairs. “Young Master Yu, the new business line development is almost complete. I’m planning to arrange a visit to the supplier’s mine this week. Is there anything you’d like to discuss?”

Yu Qingyue exhaled and stopped thinking about other matters. After considering for a moment, since his mom’s bad mood was related to him, it might be good for him to leave for a few days. He nodded in agreement. “Okay, set the specific time and let me know in advance.”

Yu Wanlai waited for Xu Ran to leave before glancing over. Recently, Yu Qingyue had been asking him so many questions that he was about to crack. This was definitely the tightest his mouth had ever been in his life.

After Xu Ran left the office and sat down to finalize the details of the tickets and hotel, there was one gaze he couldn’t ignore. He turned to look at Yu Wanlai. “Is there something you need?”

Yu Wanlai propped himself up on the desk and waved his hand at Xu Ran slightly, looking like he was sneaking something, waiting for him to come closer. He whispered through the partition, “Is Young Master Yu busy these days? I feel like his workload isn’t that full.”

Xu Ran’s mouth twitched, and he shot Yu Wanlai a strange look, but still spoke up, after all, he was their young master. “He’s very busy. He’s even going on a business trip this week.”

Hearing this, Yu Wanlai almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. He cleared his throat. “Oh, that’s good. I was just worried that the company’s performance wasn’t good, so I asked. As long as it’s not declining, then it’s fine. You go ahead and get back to work.”

Xu Ran thought: “I don’t think so.” Clearly, their relationship wasn’t very harmonious. When he entered earlier, it felt like the two were about to start a confrontation.

The next morning, Yu Qingyue set off for the mine with Xu Ran. He had considered taking Yu Wanlai with them, but this person was stubborn, and he figured he wouldn’t be able to get any useful information out of him. Plus, it would only affect his mood, so he decided against it. Yu Qingyue decided not to dwell on the matter. He thought that when the time came, his mother would tell him what he needed to know.

It was the weekend, but Yu Wanlai was still woken up early by his biological clock. He opened the window and took a few deep breaths of fresh air, stretched lazily, and then went to the bathroom to wash up.

Yu Wanlai had already checked the restaurant door several times this morning. Yu Cheng and Qin Shuang had finished their meal and left. As they were leaving, he caught snippets of conversation, something about meeting someone. Now, he was the only one left in the restaurant.

What he found strange was that his usually early-rising younger brother hadn’t come downstairs yet. When he saw Wang Ma coming to clear the plates, he asked in surprise, “Aunt, hasn’t my brother eaten yet?”

Wang Ma replied with a hum and looked at Yu Wanlai with a puzzled expression. “Don’t you know? The young master left early this morning. He said he was going on a business trip for a few days and told me not to prepare his meals during this time.”

Realizing what had happened, Wang Ma smiled and continued, “If Mr. and Mrs. knew how much you cared about your brother, they’d be very happy.”

Yu Wanlai thought: “Not really. He’s just afraid that this person will start asking him all sorts of random questions.”

He did know that Yu Qingyue had a business trip arranged, but he didn’t expect it to be so soon. For a moment, he quietly rejoiced. That meant he could finally relax for a few days, and by the time Yu Qingyue returned, he probably wouldn’t be concerned about this anymore, and his crisis would be resolved.

At the company, only Xiao Lai and Yu Wanlai were holding down the fort, and even though only two people were missing, the entire 18th floor felt noticeably quieter.

Yu Wanlai still habitually glanced toward the office, and when he saw there was no movement inside for a long time, he suddenly remembered that the others were on a business trip and wouldn’t be back in the office for the next few days.

Xiao Lai sighed lightly, resting his chin on the desk. “I haven’t seen Young Master Yu for a while. I kinda miss him. Also, Assistant Xu…”

Yu Wanlai glanced at Xiao Lai, a mocking smile on his lips. “Last time you saw him, you were trembling with fear. Now that he’s not here, you’re already missing him?”

Xiao Lai brushed aside the annoying bangs obstructing her vision, slammed her hand on the table, making the cup of water tremble. “What are you talking about? That was clearly respect! Admiration! How was I scared?”

She said this while gesturing for emphasis. “Young Master Yu went from being an unknown newbie when he first joined the company to becoming the decisive big boss in just two short years. And he was only 20 years old back then!”

Yu Wanlai raised an eyebrow, listening intently to Xiao Lai’s passionate speech. With a hint of amusement, he said, “I didn’t realize you admired him. In that case, I have to warn you: you’d better find someone else to like.”

Xiao Lai curled her lips, giving him an incredulous look. “What are you talking about? Admiration is admiration, but ‘admire’ comes before ‘like!’”

Yu Wanlai looked at the two spots of red on Xiao Lai’s cheeks, unconvinced. “So, there’s still admiration, right? And why are you blushing if you don’t like him?”

Xiao Lai slapped her face with both hands and glared at him angrily. “I’m just excited, okay? I don’t feel that way about Young Master Yu!”

Yu Wanlai chuckled lightly and nodded. “Okay, if you say so, then it’s settled.”

Xiao Lai: …Your expression doesn’t seem like you believe me!

“Ding ling ling—” The quiet atmosphere was suddenly disturbed by the ringing of a phone. Yu Wanlai glanced at Xiao Lai, who was answering the phone, feeling an unsettling sensation in his heart.

Xiao Lai listened to the voice on the other end, nodding and murmuring “Mm-hmm” a few times. Yu Wanlai saw that Xiao Lai’s expression remained normal, and he relaxed a little, thinking that maybe he was just overthinking.

But a few seconds later, Xiao Lai covered the receiver and called out to Yu Wanlai. “Come here, it’s Assistant Xu looking for you.”

Seeing that Yu Wanlai was slow to react, she added, “Hurry up!”

Yu Wanlai: …