Afterward, Yu Qingyue chose a white suit. Yu Wanlai stood there for a long time, his eyes starting to blur from looking at all the options, so he simply chose the same style in pure black that Yu Qingyue had selected. He felt that all these clothes looked so similar. It was like how, even though they all looked white, the variations in cuts and subtle patterns could make so many different styles.

For cufflinks, he did manage to find a pair he liked—a set of crescent moon and star-shaped cufflinks that shimmered with a silver-white glow. He spotted them among many options right away. Yu Qingyue glanced at Yu Wanlai, and by now, he was completely numb to the fact that this person was wearing the same style of clothes as him. However, the cufflinks in Yu Wanlai’s hand had also caught his attention. Initially, Yu Qingyue had planned to choose that pair, but since cufflinks are often unique in style, there were no matching pairs, so he reluctantly picked another.

His gaze was fixed on the jewelry display in front of him when, suddenly, he felt warmth on his wrist. He realized someone had grabbed his arm. Turning his head, he saw that Yu Wanlai had taken one of his arms and put a cufflink on his sleeve. After putting it on, Yu Wanlai stepped back and admired it for a moment. He then looked up and saw Yu Qingyue watching him, smiling. “This really suits you. Let’s go with this one, okay?” he said, reaching for his other hand. Yu Qingyue’s ears turned red, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason. He instinctively pulled his arm back. “…I can do it myself.”

Yu Wanlai took a step forward, stubbornly bending over to take his hand and put on the other cufflink. “Of course you can do it, but it’s not easy to put on by yourself. Plus, everything here is a mess; if it falls, we’ll have to find it again.” Once both cufflinks were in place, Yu Wanlai nodded with satisfaction.

Since it was still early, Yu Qingyue went upstairs to his room after choosing his clothes. It might have been due to the warm temperature in the house and the thicker clothes, but he started feeling hot, even his wrist felt warm. As soon as he entered his room, he changed into the thinner house clothes he had worn in the morning.

Yu Wanlai chose a pair of light gold, round ball-shaped cufflinks, a more conventional and basic style. However, they created a striking contrast when paired with his dark suit. When Yu Qingyue finished changing and came out of his room, he passed by Yu Wanlai’s room and suddenly heard a faint “meow” sound. He stopped in his tracks and looked down through the partially open door, spotting a furry ball inside.

Yu Qingyue: …

He crouched down and softly mimicked the “meow” sound twice, extending his hand toward the little cat. The kitten looked up at him with its round, bright eyes for a moment before it finally couldn’t resist the temptation and boldly squeezed through the door crack to get closer to his hand.

Yu Qingyue unconsciously held his breath, his movements gentler as he petted the kitten’s head. At first, he might have used too much force, but the kitten’s little head moved with each of his motions, looking obedient.

Yu Wanlai, having just put on his cufflinks, was stepping down the last step of the staircase when he saw this scene. When did this little cat start learning how to climb into its cage? He paused for a moment and, noticing that Yu Qingyue was about to look up, continued walking forward.

Yu Qingyue: …

His ears turned bright red, and he quickly withdrew his hand. When he stood up, he forgot what he had originally planned to do downstairs and intended to turn back into his room. The little kitten, startled by his sudden movement, flinched and weakly meowed, but it still stood on its tiptoes and followed Yu Qingyue.

Yu Wanlai clicked his tongue. What was this about? Ignoring him? Running away when they saw him? How much did they dislike him?

He bent down and scooped up the kitten, his tone gentle and soft, almost like he was whispering. “Who let you run out like that? Huh? What if you get stepped on and squashed?” His voice was deep and pleasant, and even though he was speaking to the cat, for some reason, Yu Qingyue felt his ears tickle as though the words were directed at him.

Yu Qingyue quickened his pace back to his room, and once the door was shut, he felt a bit odd about his actions, almost as if he had been fleeing. After all, he hadn’t let the kitten run out.

Bai Yi’s birthday party was held in an estate, and the event started at 7 PM. Cars kept arriving and departing at the entrance of the estate. The Yu family drove a stretched Lincoln, and after the driver showed the invitation to the guard at the entrance, they were allowed through. Following the instructions from the staff, the driver parked the car in the designated spot. Although spring was approaching, once the group got out of the car, they still felt the chilly wind, especially since the estate was located halfway up a mountain, with a temperature lower than that of the city. Yu Wanlai was quite pleased with his foresight; thankfully, he had worn a down jacket when he got out of the car.

Yu Qingyue suddenly noticed that the wind around him had softened. He turned and saw Yu Wanlai, who was wrapped up like a wall. His pupils shook for a moment, and his face felt hot. Looking around, he was relieved that no one was nearby. He subtly leaned to the side as though trying to distance himself from this person. Yu Wanlai’s outfit just looked too silly.

Yu Wanlai was about to ask Yu Qingyue if he was cold, but his view was obstructed by the hat. When he looked again, he saw that Yu Qingyue had already fallen quite far behind, following Yu Cheng and Qin Shuang. Yu Wanlai: … What’s going on? Suddenly speeding up?

Yu Wanlai hurried to catch up with them, intending to speak to Yu Qingyue, but he ignored him. Yu Qingyue looked everywhere except at Yu Wanlai. If he could, he would pretend not to know him from this moment on.

Five minutes later, they arrived at the main hall. Bai Yi was standing at the entrance of the hall, greeting guests. He spotted Yu Qingyue’s family from a distance, greeted his parents, and walked over to them.

“Uncle, Aunt, welcome!” Yu Cheng and Qin Shuang exchanged a few polite words with the younger generation before turning to give Yu Qingyue and Yu Wanlai some instructions.

Yu Cheng: …
Qin Shuang: …

Yu Cheng’s temple twitched. He didn’t want to lose his temper, so he took a deep breath and quietly reminded Yu Qingyue, “Your mother and I still have something to do later. Watch over your brother.”

Yu Qingyue looked over at Yu Wanlai, who was standing not far off. Sure enough, it was still quite an eyesore. He quickly looked away. “…I…”

In the midst of hesitation, Yu Cheng and Qin Shuang had already headed toward Bai Yi’s parents.

Yu Qingyue: He’s not going to deal with that glaring package!

Once the elders left, Bai Yi became more relaxed. He casually draped his arm over Yu Qingyue’s shoulder, scanning the room as though looking for someone. “Hey, Yue Yue, where’s your family’s illegitimate child?”

Upon hearing this term, Yu Qingyue furrowed his brows. He slapped away the arm on his shoulder and turned to Bai Yi, saying, “I told you not to call him that anymore.”

Bai Yi pouted. Wasn’t that what he was? “Fine, I won’t say it. So where is he?”

Yu Qingyue’s face flushed, and he coughed lightly, his gaze drifting for a moment before he spoke unconvincingly, “He’s busy today, he didn’t…”

At that moment, Yu Wanlai felt the warm temperature in the hall. He had just taken off his hat and was about to remove his down jacket when he heard the term “illegitimate child.” Looking over, he saw it was indeed the same person from earlier. Not only was the sound of this person’s voice annoying, but the arm resting on Yu Qingyue’s shoulder also seemed equally bothersome.

Yu Wanlai took off his jacket and waved it at the nearby staff, who had been preparing to take his clothes. He then clutched it under his arm and walked over toward Yu Qingyue. “Tsk, who are you calling an illegitimate child? As the host of the party today, are you treating your guests like this behind their backs?”

Bai Yi followed his gaze and saw the same person who had been wrapped up like a wall earlier. Now he understood why this person had been following the Yu family. Shocked, he exclaimed, “So you’re the idiot from earlier?!”

Yu Wanlai quickly closed the distance, slapped Bai Yi’s arm away, and squeezed past him to stand next to Yu Qingyue, as if deliberately drawing a line between them. He squinted at Bai Yi and smiled, though it wasn’t a real smile, and said, “Rude little brat. Since you said that, I’ll just wish you a very unhappy birthday. No need to thank me; I didn’t prepare a gift anyway.”

Yu Qingyue took a few steps back, choosing to stay away from the front lines of the battle. He didn’t want to comment on either of these two.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Wanlai noticed that Yu Qingyue was about to leave, so he shoved the clothes he was holding into Bai Yi’s hands without hesitation and said, “This place is too big. Could you please take care of these clothes for me?” He added with a smirk, “If they get lost, I’ll make you pay for them!” With that, he swiftly turned on his heel and caught up with Yu Qingyue.

Bai Yi was almost furious. How could this person be so shameless and speak as if he owned the place? He waved to the staff, handed the clothes over, and then turned back toward the hall, where he still had to greet other guests. Otherwise, he would probably have followed them to argue.

“Brother~” “Brother~” “Brother~”

Yu Qingyue pursed his lips, glaring at Yu Wanlai, “Can’t you just say what you want instead of calling me like that?”

Yu Wanlai sighed in relief. He had snapped back at Bai Yi earlier because he couldn’t hold himself back, but then remembered that this person seemed to be very close to Yu Qingyue. Seeing that Yu Qingyue wasn’t angry, he felt reassured.

Yu Wanlai smiled broadly, looking very pleased, “Isn’t it because I was afraid you’d get mad and ignore me?”

Yu Qingyue rolled his eyes. “Why would I get mad? Do I have so much anger to spare?” When did he ever worry about getting mad?

Yu Wanlai silently added in his mind, ‘Whoever wants to be angry, go ahead!’

They passed through a door and officially entered the banquet hall. Soft, melodious piano music played in the background, and a large crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room. Two curved staircases led up on either side, while the space was filled with delicate dishes and a variety of drinks.

This was Yu Wanlai’s first time attending such an event, with people mingling and glasses clinking in a lavish setting. Celebrities and notable figures from all industries gathered here, engaging in lively conversation. Yu Qingyue was considered a young talent in the industry, especially with the powerful Yu family behind him. As soon as the two entered, someone came over to greet Yu Qingyue.

Yu Qingyue turned to whisper to Yu Wanlai, “You can find a seat and relax. Just don’t cause any trouble. I have some things to do.”

Yu Wanlai’s eyes widened, staring at Yu Qingyue’s retreating figure, not believing that the person had just walked away and left him behind. Wow?!

Yu Wanlai pursed his lips. Fine, they were both busy, and he was the only one left like a salted fish.

At this moment, a waiter came over. Yu Wanlai reached out to grab a drink, but as soon as he extended his hand, the tray was pulled away from him. He missed it completely.

Yu Wanlai looked up in surprise. What was going on? No drinks for him?