Gu Yuan didn’t want to tag along with the adults. After bidding his aunt goodbye, he planned to take Zhou Chiyu to a nice restaurant.
“Bro, will we have to go hungry like this a lot once we’re grown up?”
Schoolbag on his back, Zhou Chiyu secretly vowed that when he became the big boss someday, he’d make sure employees ate on schedule. Going hungry sucked.
Gu Yuan had just grabbed two bags of Red Bean Cakes from the break room, worried Zhou Chiyu’s stomach was empty. He fed him a few bites. “Maybe, but if you’re hungry, just eat.”
Munching the soft, glutinous Red Bean Cake, Zhou Chiyu beamed in satisfaction. “Adults really can’t handle hunger.”
The elevator doors opened then. Gu Feng, who had gone to find his father, stood inside. He watched Gu Yuan hold a Red Bean Cake to feed Zhou Chiyu and wrinkled his brow in disgust.
Zhou Chiyu gave Gu Feng no friendly look either, glaring fiercely and puffing up proudly in front of Gu Yuan.
This was Gu Yuan’s family Corporation, after all—he wasn’t scared of Gu Feng.
Gu Yuan ate the rest of the Red Bean Cake himself. Mindful of Gu Feng’s presence, he didn’t take Zhou Chiyu’s hand but just reminded him to wipe the crumbs from his mouth.
“You two sure have a close relationship.”
Gu Feng sneered sarcastically. “Who would’ve thought the aloof Eldest Young Master Gu would turn out to be such a lapdog.”
Gu Yuan ignored him entirely, as if he hadn’t heard a word.
Snubbed, Gu Feng wasn’t ready to let it go. He mocked on, “All that skill in doting isn’t wasted—keep him happy, and maybe he’ll toss you some scraps.”
This time, Zhou Chiyu couldn’t stand by. He shot back, “For a cold-blooded animal who doesn’t know gratitude or affection, genuinely caring for someone must feel like a real luxury, huh.”
Gu Feng raised a brow, his mocking gaze turning darker and more sinister.
“My bro wants to be good to me, and I want to be good to him. Who are you to yap about it?” Zhou Chiyu’s bright, clear eyes shone with unshakeable resolve. “Even if I gave him everything I own, no one else could say a word.”
Gu Feng’s face grew hard to maintain. From childhood, whenever Gu Ming mentioned Zhou Chiyu and Gu Yuan’s relationship, envy dripped from his tone. His mother had said the Gu and Zhou families’ closeness boded ill for their own future standing in the Corporation.
His father had even scolded him for always falling short of Gu Yuan—even his friends’ family backgrounds weren’t as prominent.
“Is that so?” Gu Feng sneered coldly. “You protect Gu Yuan like that; outsiders might think you’ve already gotten into bed with him.”
“Gu Feng!”
A dull thud shattered the elevator’s quiet. By the time Gu Feng snapped back, Gu Yuan had already grabbed his collar and pinned him against the glass wall, immobile.
Gu Feng’s right cheek had just taken a punch, blood thick on his tongue. Despite the whimper in his throat, he forced a mocking grin. “Lost your temper? Did I hit the nail on the head?”
“I warn you—keep your mouth clean.” Veins bulged on the back of Gu Yuan’s right hand gripping Gu Feng’s collar, as if suppressing a volcano of rage ready to erupt. “Or you’ll never speak again!”
“Heh.” Gu Feng’s chest ached fiercely. Years of resentment and jealousy toward Gu Yuan exploded in that moment. “What can you do to me? Grandpa’s not dead yet. You dare hurt me? Aren’t you scared your dad will punish you?”
“You’re going too far!” Zhou Chiyu rushed up to tug Gu Yuan’s arm. Seeing the tension in Gu Yuan’s jaw, he gently gripped his wrist to soothe him. “Bro, don’t waste words on this kind of person.”
He’d already recorded every word Gu Feng said. Tonight, he’d tell Grandpa and make sure he knew Gu Feng’s true colors.
The elevator dinged open. The waiting staff saw the tense standoff and none dared step in.
The chill in Gu Yuan’s eyes gradually faded. He released Gu Feng, who seized the chance to swing a sneaky punch—only for Gu Yuan to sense it effortlessly and slam him back against the glass.
Gu Feng’s forehead pressed to the glass like a defeated rooster, ridiculous and pathetic. As more people gathered to watch, he struggled free from Gu Yuan’s grip and fled in embarrassment.
“Bro, you’re hurt.”
Gu Yuan glanced down at his wrist and saw a deep gash on the inner side.
“It’s nothing.”
Looking at Zhou Chiyu’s worried face, a trace of warmth softened Gu Yuan’s stern gaze. “Just need to treat the wound.”
Zhou Chiyu sighed softly and pulled Gu Yuan away from the crowd.
With so many witnesses, Grandpa would probably hear about it without him needing to tell.
Inside the black Bentley Bentayga, Gu Feng grimaced as he tended his wound, his spirit battered by the earlier humiliation.
As he prepared to leave, he spotted Gu Yuan and Zhou Chiyu. Zhou Chiyu seemed very concerned, carefully wiping blood from Gu Yuan’s neck bit by bit with his arm raised.
He narrowed his eyes, increasingly convinced something was off about these two.
