Yu Wanlai’s gaze flickered around, searching for his phone while steadying the person. “Fine, then you speak.”

“…” Yu Qingyue furrowed his brows. How should he explain? Should he deny that he didn’t mean it? But he didn’t want to lie. However, if he confessed he liked Yu Wanlai, the guy would probably run away even faster. Yu Qingyue closed his eyes, feeling the patience wearing thin. He had no choice but to speak up. “…We can hug, we can sleep together… so why can’t I kiss you? I’m sorry, I won’t kiss you next time, okay?”

Yu Wanlai’s vision went dark. What was this? Was this an explanation? It was more like he was trying to drive him crazy. Who said that hugging meant kissing?! This wasn’t an assembly line! “You keep dividing your care for me with others, I don’t want that!”

“You even gave the Yuanxiao we made together to someone else…”

“Give me your full attention, okay?”

Yu Wanlai finally sighed in relief, his heartbeat slowing down. He had been terrified. He had thought the male lead had always been straight, so how could he suddenly like him? Turns out, he was just jealous. He hesitated and spoke, “Is that really it? Then what were you trying to do earlier?”

Yu Qingyue quickly shook his head. “Nothing, I just wanted to kiss… just a kiss,” he said. He didn’t know anything else. In the dramas, this was the part where it ended.

Yu Wanlai twitched the corner of his mouth. “Just a kiss, huh? Maybe I overreacted.” He tried to explain to Yu Qingyue, “We’re brothers. You can’t—”

Yu Qingyue immediately frowned and interrupted, “No, we’re not related by blood.”

Yu Wanlai clicked his tongue lightly. “Fine, we’re adopted brothers, good friends, alright? But whatever the relationship, kissing isn’t allowed. Understand?”

Yu Qingyue thought to himself, ‘Who’s your good friend?‘ He didn’t want to argue further. Of course, he knew that normal friends don’t kiss. He wasn’t stupid. Seeing that Yu Qingyue didn’t respond, Yu Wanlai continued, “Alright, let go of me. I’m not leaving.”

Yu Qingyue raised his eyes to look at Yu Wanlai and confirmed, “You really aren’t leaving?”

Yu Wanlai pushed his arm away, only to realize his phone was still in Yu Qingyue’s hand. “…!” Not leaving? Yeah, right. He couldn’t outsmart this little troublemaker. The guy was way too scheming.

Yu Qingyue let go, still clutching the phone tightly in his hand. “Then you go ahead and sleep, take off your clothes.”

Yu Wanlai was still a little shaken by the events, and said nothing about undressing. He stubbornly went to the couch and tried to sleep there.

Yu Qingyue sat alone in the bedroom, hugging the blanket, sitting in silence for most of the night, dreading hearing the sound of a door opening. As the light from the window slowly grew brighter, he couldn’t hold on any longer and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep.

Yu Wanlai was nearly the same. He was afraid Yu Qingyue might suddenly rush out to him again. He was irritated with himself for not setting boundaries properly, which had caused all this misunderstanding. It seemed like he really needed to move out. After all, Yu Qingyue didn’t look like he was planning to kill him anytime soon.

As he thought about it, a sudden pang of anxiety struck his heart. ‘Yu Qingyue couldn’t have done that with Bai Yi too, right? He didn’t kiss that guy, did he?‘

The next morning, when checking out, Yu Wanlai kept glancing at Bai Yi from time to time, leaving Bai Yi confused.

Bai Yi stared at Yu Wanlai. He still didn’t like this guy, but he was enduring it for Yu Qingyue. “What’s with you staring at me?” Yu Qingyue also noticed Yu Wanlai’s actions and walked over to block his view. As soon as Yu Wanlai saw Yu Qingyue, his heart started racing. “What’s going on?” He had blamed himself for being too hasty yesterday, especially in the hot spring, when he had sensed that the guy seemed to have feelings for him. That’s why he was bold enough to act. But he hadn’t expected Yu Wanlai’s reaction to be so strong.

Ignoring Yu Wanlai’s dislike, Yu Qingyue was determined not to let him like anyone else. “Why do you keep looking at Bai Yi? You’re not allowed to like him! I won’t call him ‘brother-in-law’!”

Hearing this, Bai Yi immediately glared at Yu Wanlai in defense and backed away several steps, colliding with Jiang Cheng behind him, almost causing him to fall. What were these two talking about this morning? Were they crazy? Bai Jian hurriedly pushed Bai Yi away to steady him and pulled Jiang Cheng closer to him. This guy was so careless—better keep some distance.

Seeing Bai Yi’s reaction, Yu Wanlai’s vision darkened again, and he quickly covered Yu Qingyue’s mouth. “I didn’t. Don’t say nonsense.” He wasn’t gay. But thinking back to the events of last night, he hesitated and muttered, “I just wanted to see if you and him… had… had…”

Yu Qingyue pulled Yu Wanlai’s hand away. “Had what?”

“…Kissed.”

Yu Qingyue was stunned for a moment, unable to hold back a roll of his eyes, fuming. “Are you crazy? Why would I kiss him?”

Yu Wanlai felt relieved and exhaled, muttering under his breath, “Who knows? Then why would you kiss me? Who knows how you make friends?”

Bai Yi tried to cover his ears, but still heard their conversation. “…” Are they insane? These two were determined to ruin his reputation!

He looked at them in disbelief, finally losing his patience. “What’s wrong with you Yu family members? Why do you have to gross me out every time you argue?”

Yu Wanlai and Yu Qingyue: “…”

Jiang Cheng and Bai Jian, standing behind them, had also heard everything. Since Jiang Cheng was standing closer to Yu Wanlai, he even overheard that Yu Qingyue had kissed Yu Wanlai. At the sound of Bai Yi’s words, they couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter. “Hahahaha.”

Bai Yi: “…”

On the way back, Yu Qingyue took the wheel, but Yu Wanlai refused to sit in the passenger seat. He felt that he needed to keep his distance from the male lead from now on. Yu Qingyue could only drive angrily by himself. When he saw Yu Wanlai following Jiang Cheng and getting out of the car, even planning to go to Jiang Cheng’s house, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Where are you going?!”

Yu Wanlai turned around and said, “I’m not going back today. Be careful on your way.”

Yu Qingyue was furious. “If you’re not going back, where will you sleep?”

“Is it appropriate for you two to sleep together, being a man and a woman?”

This made even Bai Jian get out of the car. “Chengzi, I also want to go to your house.”

Jiang Cheng replied, “…Not today.” He felt that the eldest brother had something to talk to him about.

Yu Wanlai thought to himself that there was no better option than this; it was inappropriate to stay with Yu Qingyue.

Yu Qingyue tried to stop him but couldn’t. He watched helplessly as Yu Wanlai and Jiang Cheng walked away. He wanted to go after them, but since Yu Wanlai wouldn’t let him, he didn’t dare. He still felt guilty and didn’t want to upset Yu Wanlai further. So, he had no choice but to send the two Bai siblings home first.

Once they arrived, Bai Yi got out of the car and walked toward home. After taking a few steps, he noticed that Bai Jian hadn’t followed him, so he turned around and called out, “Bai Jian, hurry up!”

Bai Jian poked his head out of the car window and waved his hand. “Bro, I have something to do. I’ll go back later.”

Yu Qingyue glanced at the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Bai Jian. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the back of the seat, and asked, “Spill it. What’s going on?”

Bai Jian rolled her eyes and said, “Qingyue, do you like Yu Wanlai?”

Yu Qingyue’s face heated up, and his gaze shifted for a moment. After realizing that Yu Wanlai was no longer around, he calmed down again. “…What’s it to you?”

Bai Jian thought to herself that this was definitely related to her. Originally, she and Jiang Cheng could’ve shared a room, but Yu Qingyue had separated them. Now, he hadn’t even gotten together with Yu Wanlai and had sent him to Jiang Cheng’s place instead.

“Of course, it’s related to me. You can’t control Yu Wanlai. He keeps bothering Chengzi.”

Yu Qingyue frowned. “What Chengzi?”

Bai Jian cleared her throat lightly and casually said, “Jiang Cheng.”

“Now they’re both going to live together, aren’t you anxious?” Yu Qingyue: “…” He was dying of anxiety! But what could he do? Yesterday, he didn’t even dare to confess his feelings, and this person started avoiding him. Should he call his dad to have Yu Wanlai’s father call him?

Bai Jian sighed and shook her head. “I think we should cooperate. I can help you get Yu Wanlai.”

Yu Qingyue glanced at Bai Jian in the rearview mirror. Seeing the determined look on her face, he fell silent for a while. He truly had no other choice; he wasn’t good at pursuing someone. “Alright, tell me, what’s your plan?”

Bai Jian glanced at Yu Qingyue and leaned forward between the two front seats. “Let’s get engaged.”

Yu Qingyue immediately furrowed his brows, his voice turning cold. He shouldn’t have expected anything from this person. “…Get out of the car.”

Bai Jian was speechless for a while. This person was so rigid when it came to emotions. “Just hear me out. It’s a fake engagement, not real.”

Yu Qingyue relaxed his brow a little, but still felt some resistance inside.

The car fell silent. Yu Qingyue sat still for a while before finally driving home. As night fell, the red taillights stretched endlessly ahead.

The next morning, Yu Qingyue packed breakfast and set off early to wait for Jiang Cheng downstairs at his apartment. After waiting for a while, he finally saw Jiang Cheng, but Yu Wanlai was nowhere to be found. Yu Qingyue called out to him, got out of the car, and walked up to Jiang Cheng, getting straight to the point. “Where’s Yu Wanlai?”

Jiang Cheng was startled by the sudden appearance of Yu Qingyue. She patted her chest and let out a breath. “Oh, it’s Mr. Yu. He… he…” She hesitated, unsure how to explain. Finally, under Yu Qingyue’s increasingly cold stare, she closed her eyes and said it in one breath, “He said he’s not planning to return to the Yu family, and definitely not to the company!”

Yu Qingyue was furious. What was this person trying to do? Did he want to eat him or what? Why was he avoiding him like this? Was he that unpleasant to be around? His voice trembled with anger, “What did you say?!”

Jiang Cheng shrank back, looking terrified. “He… he said that. It has nothing to do with me!”

Yu Qingyue took a deep breath, softened his voice slightly but still spoke with undeniable authority. “What floor do you live on? Take me up.”

Jiang Cheng froze. “…”

Oh no, the boss hadn’t said anything, but now this person was going to her house. What were these two doing? She was so scared she could die. She hesitated and said, “…But I’m going to be late for work.”

There was silence in the air for a moment until Jiang Cheng, feeling the pressure of Yu Qingyue’s gaze, spoke again. “How about I just tell you the number, and you go up yourself?” She was anxious, “I really am going to be late.”

Yu Qingyue thought, fine, this way, it would also be easier for him to talk to Yu Wanlai. He didn’t want to make things harder for a girl.

Yu Wanlai was sitting on the couch, going through some information about the music company. He was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door. Thinking it might be Jiang Cheng forgetting something, he walked over to open the door while saying, “Did you forget… something again?”

But when he saw Yu Qingyue standing there, for a brief moment, Yu Wanlai felt like running. The expression on Yu Qingyue’s face was dark and quite scary.

Yu Qingyue, seeing the door open, stepped forward and blocked the doorway, worried Yu Wanlai might slam the door shut. He tried to keep his voice calm. “Brother, it’s getting late. Let’s go to the company?”

Yu Wanlai turned back toward the sofa in the living room. “I’m not going. I didn’t want to go in the first place.”

“Then go home.”

“I’m not going back.”

Yu Qingyue clenched his fists, took a few deep breaths, and said, “…Stop messing around, Dad will be angry. My mom even asked me last night why you didn’t come home.”

Yu Wanlai: …What mess is he talking about? Isn’t it enough that he doesn’t want their family’s wealth? He forced himself to stay calm and casually said, “Let him be angry, then.”

Yu Qingyue walked over to Yu Wanlai, looked down at him, and then squatted down. “…Isn’t my apology enough? I really won’t kiss you again.”

He had thought Yu Wanlai hadn’t left last night because he believed him, but it turned out they were just acting. After all, if he truly believed him, why would he insist on sleeping in the living room last night?

Yu Wanlai’s face heated up, and he clicked his tongue lightly. He didn’t want to talk about it. “…No need for your apology. The reason I wanted to move out isn’t because of you; I had already planned this.”

Yu Qingyue’s eyes brimmed with bitterness again. He squatted in front of Yu Wanlai, meeting his gaze. “Not because of me? Then why didn’t you reply to my messages or answer my calls? You’re lying!”

Seeing Yu Qingyue’s eyes redden, it seemed like he was about to cry again. Yu Wanlai: …Damn it, I’m tired, just destroy everything!

When did the male lead become like this? Why are there so many tears? His heart softened a bit, and the coldness and distance in his tone faded. He patted the couch beside him. “Sit down. And no crying, alright? I didn’t bully you. You’ve really been crying a lot recently, do you know that?”

In the past, he thought Yu Qingyue looked so pitiful and beautiful when he cried, so he couldn’t help but wipe his tears for him. But today, he resisted doing so. He probably had his own problems, misleading the other person like that.

Yu Wanlai didn’t hate that Yu Qingyue probably liked him, but he couldn’t accept it. And he was scared. Even though the plot seemed to be drifting a bit, wasn’t this still interfering with the relationship between the male and female leads? If it kept going like this, it really might break everything. As long as he kept his distance, he believed the male lead would return to normal, after all, that’s how the book described it.