Chapter 7: Chu Yan Knows How to Apologize

Chapter 7: Chu Yan's Masterclass in Apologies

Even as they neared the Chu family villa, Chu Yan remained in a daze. The hour-long car ride had been consumed by nothing but lewd fantasies involving a certain male model.

It wasn't that he'd gotten what he wanted; on the contrary, the prize had been within reach only to slip away. Chu Yan was consumed by a burning resentment.

Just as he was about to cross the finish line, the second son of the Chu family called, unleashing a familiar torrent of abuse. He ordered Chu Yan home to face the music, threatening to ruin his career in the entertainment industry if he refused.

Damn it all! If he couldn't earn money in showbiz, how was he supposed to support his man?

Reluctantly, Chu Yan, his face dark with irritation, pushed the equally sullen male model away and grudgingly headed back to the Chu residence.

The prize had slipped through his fingers, yet the steamy scenes from earlier had taken root in his mind. The entire journey back, Chu Yan kept his head down, face flushed crimson, terrified the driver might notice his abnormal blush. Even as he stepped through the gates of the Chu family villa, his thoughts were still entangled in those indecent fantasies.

What he didn't know was that the male model he'd left behind at the club was equally frustrated at missing his meal.

The pitiful, down-on-his-luck model Chu Yan had initially pitied for his family's ruin had long since shed that image. His deep, alluring eyes were now replaced with an unfathomable darkness, his handsome face an unreadable mask of calm. He lounged lazily on the sofa, his long, elegant fingers slowly buttoning up his shirt—one by one, just as a certain little fool had undone them earlier.

The sculpted contours of his chest and abdomen were gradually concealed, until even the faint red marks near his collarbone were hidden. Only then did Fu Junhang’s dark eyes finally flicker with amusement, his lips curling into an unconscious smirk.

“Hmph~ A little feisty kitten, yet she went at me like a beast. Such a little deviant~”

Zhu Ye, standing nearby, was thunderstruck. His jaw nearly hit the floor. What kind of outrageous words had he just heard?

Fierce? Little deviant? And that doting tone—what was going on? Wait, were those marks on the boss’s collarbone… hickeys?!

Zhu Ye’s mind was ringing alarm bells, but he forced his expression to remain neutral. “So, boss… you’ve reached an agreement with the Chu family’s young master?”

“Mhm. It’s settled,” Fu Junhang’s satisfaction was palpable. “Nine million yuan for three months.”

Zhu Ye raised an eyebrow. Objectively speaking, given the boss’s wealth, nine million yuan was downright stingy. After all, this was the first person the boss had actually taken a bite out of in years—and he was only offering three million a month? What a cheapskate. Clearly, the boss was inexperienced in these matters.

And the Chu family’s young master too—was his situation so dire that he’d sell himself for nine million yuan over three months? Inexperience all around.

The boss often claimed to be born under an unlucky star, destined to walk alone, without anyone to care for him. So even if this was just a no-strings-attached arrangement, Zhu Ye was happy for him. He couldn’t care less about some rich young master’s fiancé.

“Boss seems to really like the Chu family’s young master. With your backing, he won’t have to worry about being kicked out by the Chus. He could swagger around all of C City without a care.”

“Who said I’m backing him?”

“Huh?” Zhu Ye was baffled. Stingy was one thing, but this cold?

“Get it straight—he’s the one keeping me, not the other way around. So if anyone’s backing anyone, it’s him backing me. Got it?”

“???”

What kind of nonsense was this?! Zhu Ye felt like his brain had short-circuited.

As his boss walked away, Zhu Ye’s mind screamed in protest: *Begone! Begone! Begone!*

Whatever demon had possessed his boss needed to leave—immediately!

Yet the supposedly demon-possessed Fu Junhang strode off cheerfully, tossing an order over his shoulder. “Get me a new phone. From now on, this one is dedicated solely to my sugar daddy.”

Zhu Ye: “…”

*Begone!*

………………………………………

Meanwhile, Chu Yan had finally arrived at the Chu family villa. Thanks to the original host’s memories, the place felt eerily familiar yet strange—this was where the original had grown up, but it was Chu Yan’s first time stepping inside.

The Chu family servants all stiffened awkwardly at the sight of their former young master. With the real heir now returned, they didn’t even know how to address Chu Yan, so they simply lowered their heads and pretended not to see him. In the end, it was the butler who led him inside.

The moment he stepped into the living room, hostility hung thick in the air—something came flying straight at him.

Chu Yan reacted lightning-fast, just in time to see a cushion smash into a million-dollar vase behind him, shattering it to pieces.

*Damn it, are they gonna make me pay for that too?*

“You actually dared to come back.”

A mocking voice rang out from the sofa. Chu Yan looked up to see the second son of the Chu family, Chu Shuo, glowering at him, looking ready to skin him alive. Beside him sat the novel’s male lead, the family’s darling true young master—Chu Xiuyi.

As expected of the protagonist, Chu Xiuyi was stunning. Though “pretty” wasn’t usually a word used for men, he was undeniably beautiful—delicate features, striking looks, the kind of person who stood out in any crowd.

As for Chu Shuo, he was an actor—an A-list movie emperor meticulously crafted by the Chu family’s entertainment empire. Whether his award-winning performances were truly deserved or not, his influence in the industry was undeniable. He was a bona fide A-lister.

In fact, the original host had chosen to enter the entertainment industry partly because of this star-studded second brother.

Though the original had been the Chu family’s young master, he had never been well-liked. No matter how arrogantly he threw his weight around and swaggered outside, at home, he was an unwanted outcast—timid, desperate for affection, always shrinking under his family’s disdain.

The eldest brother, Chu Yi, was the Chu family’s heir—a brilliant and virtuous figure who naturally stood as the family’s pride. He disliked the original’s foolish, petty nature, but at least his upbringing kept him civil. At most, he ignored the original or treated him with cold indifference.

Chu Shuo, however, had grown up as the moon among stars—a notorious spoiled rich kid in their circles. His acting career had been meteoric, and now he was one of the industry’s biggest stars. His contempt for the original had always been blatant.

Every encounter was laced with barbed comments and veiled insults, sometimes even escalating to physical confrontations. After the original entered the entertainment industry, Chu Shuo had never once publicly acknowledged him as his brother. His disdain couldn’t have been clearer.

Now, with his real brother back, his loathing for the impostor Chu Yan had only intensified—especially since this impostor had dared to harm his precious sibling.

Watching Chu Yan dodge the cushion, Chu Shuo’s impatience flared. “What are you standing there for? Get over here!”

Chu Shuo had never spared the original a kind word. Now, his hatred was justified.

Suppressing the urge to punch him, Chu Yan forced a smile.

“Good evening, Second Brother… Xiao Yi.”

“Chu Yan, you’ve got some nerve,” Chu Shuo sneered. “How dare you pull that stunt on Xiao Yi? Did the Chu family spoil you too much?”

“Apologize to Xiao Yi right now. Or do you really think you can keep working in the industry after this?”

Chu Xiuyi’s face remained unreadable, his gaze steady. “Chu Yan, about what happened at Qingxin Club… you owe me an explanation.”

He knew this person—the one who had swapped places with him for nineteen years—hated him. He knew Chu Yan had targeted him repeatedly over Fu Hongan. He also knew their awkward history made peaceful coexistence nearly impossible. But none of that excused Chu Yan’s underhanded schemes.

He remembered how arrogantly Chu Yan had flaunted his status as the Chu family’s young master, the countless insults, the relentless bullying. Even after the truth came out, Chu Yan had continued slandering him, looking down on him with undisguised jealousy and resentment.

*Pathetic.*

Chu Xiuyi was certain Chu Yan would deny everything. He waited for the inevitable excuses, the clumsy lies that would only further alienate him from the family.

Chu Shuo, too, braced for the usual idiocy—the stubborn denials, the flimsy justifications.

But just as they prepared for the show…

Chu Yan stepped forward and bowed deeply at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

“I’m sorry!”

Chu Shuo/Chu Xiuyi: "?"

Chu Yan looked sincerely at the visibly stunned Chu Xiuyi and Chu Shuo.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Yi. I didn't know Li Shudong was such a piece of shit. I had no idea that bastard had designs on you, and I certainly didn't expect that fucking creep would dare to drug you at Qingxin Club. That fucking bastard truly deserves to die. I'm sorry—I genuinely had no idea about any of this."

Ill intentions, drugging, Qingxin Club...

It sounded like an apology, yet every word precisely struck Chu Xiuyi's raw nerves. The memories of that night made his face flush crimson in an instant, his fury skyrocketing to its peak. But Chu Yan was still apologizing; he gave another deep bow.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault for failing to hold onto my fiancé's heart all these years, letting him screw around on me while we were still engaged."

"Thankfully, it was my fiancé who arrived in time that day—otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable," Chu Yan said, his eyes full of fake sincerity. "Truly, if my fiancé hadn't rushed to save you in time, I would have lived with the guilt for the rest of my life."

He was taunting him. Chu Yan was absolutely taunting him!

Chu Xiuyi felt his blood boil, but the repeated mentions of "fiancé" felt like slaps to his face, leaving him humiliated. Yet, the lingering memory of that intimate night with Fu Hongan refused to fade from his mind. Overwhelmed by anger and helplessness, Chu Xiuyi found himself frozen in place, utterly speechless.

Chu Yan bowed one last time, his face now showing exaggerated sorrow.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault for not being strong enough—these past few days, I was too caught up in wallowing in self-pity about my fiancé sleeping with someone else to apologize to Xiao Yi right away."

"I truly deserve to die."

Chu Shuo/(Chu Xiuyi): "..."

What kind of manipulative bitch is this?!