Chapter Thirty-One

“Brother You, are you planning to stay at my place forever? It’s already been three days,” Yi Yu said, tearing open a bag of snacks as he spoke.

You Yige sat glued to Yi Yu’s computer, replying absentmindedly, “I’ll go back once I’ve completely won your brother over.”

During these three days at Yi Yu’s place, You Yige had already revealed to him the truth about his marriage to Yi Xiaoyu.

At first, Yi Yu was utterly shocked. He’d always assumed that his brother and You Yige were just a regular couple—he never imagined…

He never imagined that his calculating, meticulous older brother had actually gotten married two years ago! And had kept it so well hidden from the world.

Munching on his snacks, Yi Yu sat down next to You Yige, tilting his head to glance at the computer screen. “Isn’t this my brother’s latest project? Why are you looking at this?”

You Yige ignored Yi Yu’s question and asked instead, “Yu, why is there so little information about this project on your computer?”

Yi Yu let out a long sigh. “Don’t even get me started. My brother doesn’t trust me at all. At first, he made it look like he was sending me to investigate this land, but secretly he sent others as well.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean my position at the company is basically ornamental. I thought my brother trusted me when he made me his assistant, but after starting the job, I realized all he gave me were the most trivial tasks. I’m not allowed near any of the major projects the company is working on.”

He sighed again. “If I mess up, my brother will scold me in front of everyone at meetings. It feels like he’s trying to force me to quit.”

“Why is he singling you out like this? You’re his own brother.”

Yi Yu pursed his lips. “That’s just how he is. He’s never really looked at me since we were kids. He’s the most promising person in our whole family, and everyone’s afraid of crossing him. Even my father doesn’t have his abilities.”

“Are you… jealous of your brother?”

“Of course,” Yi Yu mumbled through a mouthful of chips. “But what good does jealousy do? With the kind of wealth my brother has now, even if I work my whole life, I might never catch up to him.”

“If I told you I could help you, would you be willing to work with me?”

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“Boss, want me to call a ‘rabbit’ over for you?” Xiao Zhou asked, unable to hold back as he watched You Yige drown his sorrows in drink. “You and Brother Xiao have been fighting for days. He stopped caring about you a while ago.”

You Yige shot him a glare. “You’re only seeing the surface. If you want rabbit meat, order it yourself. And stop giving me lousy advice!”

“Boss, I really don’t get you. After the way Brother Xiao treats you, you still don’t dare to fool around? Really? I heard the club just got in a fresh batch of boys, and they’re—ouch!”

“That’s enough out of you!” You Yige smacked Xiao Zhou on the head. “You’re the only one who gets to live wild and free with no one keeping you in check. What are you showing off for?”

Xiao Zhou ducked away, rubbing his head. “Boss, when it comes to relationships, I’m way ahead of you. If the one I keep at home ever tried to control my fun, I’d put an end to it right then and there.”

“Still talking!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll zip it. Boss, I’m off to have some fun—there’s a rabbit waiting for me over there.”

With a cheeky grin, Xiao Zhou wandered off, that air of carefree abandon making You Yige’s blood boil with envy.

He did envy Xiao Zhou—envied how he liked Chu You and kept him securely in the palm of his hand, yet still felt free to indulge himself outside without restraint.

The more You Yige thought about it, the more he realized that if things really fell apart between him and Xiaoyu, he could go out and fool around all he wanted; Xiaoyu wouldn’t be able to do anything, might not even find out.

But he just couldn’t get past that hurdle in his heart.

In the end, he was different from Xiao Zhou.

Xiao Zhou never worried about losing Xiao You. He, on the other hand, worried constantly—he was even afraid that Xiaoyu would leave him.

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Xiao Zhou had his arm around a male escort he’d brought out from the club, heading for a nearby hotel.

As soon as the car stopped at the hotel entrance, Xiao Zhou stepped out and looked up—only to see a familiar face.

Chu You emerged from the hotel with a group of classmates, laughing and chatting. The moment he spotted Xiao Zhou by the car at the bottom of the steps, his smile froze instantly.

Xiao Zhou watched the expression on Chu You’s face morph from joy to shock, and perhaps even a hint of fear. A wave of frustration surged in Xiao Zhou’s heart.

Was he really that terrifying?

“What’s wrong, Chu You? Do you two know each other?” one of Chu You’s classmates asked.

Chu You withdrew his gaze from Xiao Zhou, his expression impassive. “No, let’s go.”

The group continued past Xiao Zhou, laughing and talking. Finally, Xiao Zhou couldn’t take it anymore; he turned and grabbed Chu You’s hand, shouting angrily, “Are you blind or something?”

The group stopped, all eyes on Chu You and the man holding him.

Chu You remained composed, waving his friends off. “It’s nothing. He’s actually my brother—we had a little argument. You guys go on ahead, no need to wait for me.”

His classmates eyed the fierce-looking man beside Chu You with suspicion. “Well… we’ll go then. If anything happens, give us a call.”

“Yeah, you go on.”

Once his classmates had left, Chu You finally turned to look at Xiao Zhou, his gaze as cold and distant as ever. “Sorry. I just didn’t want to interrupt your date with someone else, so I pretended not to know you.”

The “someone else” he meant was, of course, the male escort beside Xiao Zhou.

Staring into Chu You’s indifferent eyes, Xiao Zhou suddenly felt a sharp, silent pain in his chest. He forced a mocking smile. “Are you jealous? If you want to keep me in line, just say so. I’m in a good mood tonight—maybe I’ll even…”

“No.” Chu You’s reply was flat as a razor’s edge. “Who you sleep with is your business. I’m not worthy, and I don’t have the right to interfere.”

Xiao Zhou felt his heart clench painfully, the hurt silent and deep.