Chapter 9 A-09

Chapter 9 A-09

Yun Qian, standing to one side, heard Yun Xiu say he made the meal, his eyebrows twitching slightly as if lost in thought.

Noticing his second brother’s expression, Yun Xiu averted his gaze as if oblivious, responding to his eldest brother, "Yeah, we're coming up now."

In truth, he hadn’t actually cooked the meal, but he had packaged it—doesn't that count as making it?

Besides, he wanted Yun Qian to know; otherwise, who would later expose the sham relationship between him and Yun He?

Soon, a person hurried downstairs and came toward them.

"Apologies for the wait. I'm Assistant Cen Shuyi—just call me Cen. The elevator is this way; please follow me."

Assistant Cen led them to Yun He’s private elevator, so they reached the top floor smoothly without encountering anyone else.

The Yun Corporation building had 39 floors in total, with the top floor being Yun He’s exclusive domain.

Yun Xiu, who had never played the role of a powerful second male lead before, looked around curiously.

The decor was minimalist and cool-toned, with few furnishings, giving off a serene and spacious atmosphere. If it weren’t their own company building, no one would likely leave so much space unused for workstations.

Assistant Cen explained, "The 39th floor is half living space, half workspace. There are about ten minutes left until the end of the workday—Mr. Yun should be in the office area now."

He was about to suggest that Yun Xiu and Yun Qian wait in the living area for Yun He when Yun Xiu spoke up.

"Second Brother, why don’t you go with Assistant Cen to the living area first? I’ll go find Big Brother and be right there."

Assistant Cen hesitated, "Well…"

This isn't appropriate.

Their boss wasn’t fond of people entering his private space unannounced without permission, but this was his brother. Assistant Cen wasn’t sure how to dissuade him.

Perhaps others weren’t aware, but as the person in charge of Yun He’s schedule, Assistant Cen knew very well that this wasn’t just any brother—this was his legal spouse.

Should he stop him or let Yun Xiu go?

While Assistant Cen was hesitating, Yun Xiu took it as silent consent. He wasn’t afraid of Yun He thinking he lacked boundaries—in fact, that was ideal for reducing his favorability points.

Yun He’s office was easy to find. The office area was large but divided into very few rooms. Yun Xiu walked over and easily identified the largest one as the CEO's office.

He knocked half-heartedly on the door and pushed it open without waiting for Yun He’s response.

As the midday sun was scorching hot, Yun He had lowered the blinds over the floor-to-ceiling windows. However, the overhead lights were bright enough to make the room as luminous as daylight.

Seemingly displeased, the man scowled in this direction, his piercing, dagger-like gaze aimed at the door. If looks could kill, Yun Xiu would have been swiss cheese.

But unfortunately, they couldn’t. Yun Xiu stood perfectly fine at the door, most of his body already inside.

Seeing it was him, Yun He withdrew his gaze and continued working, though his tone was cutting. "The etiquette classes you took didn’t seem to help. I’ll have the secretary add your name when signing Yun Qian up for classes."

Yun Xiu put on an ingratiating smile, drawling as he approached. "Brother, I came all the way here—have lunch with me!"

Yun He was unmoved. As Yun Xiu reached the desk, Yun He put away the documents. Yun Xiu briefly glimpsed the words "Southern District XX Project" but paid it no mind—he was playing the part of an unreasonable partner now.

Only the two of them were in the office. Assistant Cen had likely seen that the situation was unsalvageable and taken Yun Qian to the living area.

"Yun Xiu, what exactly do you want?"

Without warning, Yun He suddenly used his full name, not his nickname, indicating he wanted to have a serious talk with Yun Xiu.

Yun Xiu looked confused. "I don’t want anything."

Leaning back in his chair, the man folded his hands over his abdomen. Even seated, he radiated authority.

He didn’t ask further questions but said bluntly, "You might not have listened before, so I’ll say it again. I hope you understand one thing: your existence is expendable to the Yun family. As long as you behave, aside from love, I can meet any reasonable request of yours."

"Yun Qian is and will always be a member of the Yun family. It’s possible for you to leave, but never him. So don't cause trouble. Understood?"

Hearing this, the young man’s eyes widened suddenly, round and startled like a frightened kitten, and he took a small, hesitant step back.

Yun He clearly saw those always clear and bright eyes fill with disbelief, then quickly well up with tears.

Even he himself didn’t notice the twinge in his heart upon seeing the disappointment in the young man’s eyes.

Yun Xiu easily teared up; his eyes were brimming with moisture in an instant. He struggled to hold back the tears that were about to fall. He felt disappointed—not because Yun He said they wouldn’t have love, but because of those words: "you are expendable to the Yun family."

He had never considered falling in love in this mission world. Romantic relationships were too intimate; no one could bear the pain of separation. But familial love was different—parting would only bring sadness for a while, after which one would forever cherish the memory of loving and being loved, reflecting on it for the rest of their life until it became part of their emotional support.

Yun’s mother and father’s love for "Yun Xiu" was pure, and anyone who felt it would treasure that familial bond.

How could Yun He say such a thing?!

Yun Xiu shook with anger, though he didn’t fully understand why he was so agitated. He wasn’t the original owner; even if his parents were as Yun He described, he shouldn’t have such intense emotions.

Realizing this felt like he had been doused with ice water, startling him with its chill.

Yun Xiu lowered his gaze, quickly collected himself, and neither responded to Yun He nor questioned why he’d said such things. After a long moment, he said softly, "If that’s what you think, there’s nothing I can do."

With that, he didn’t even glance at Yun He and turned to leave the office.

Assistant Cen was waiting outside. Thanks to the office’s soundproofing, he hadn’t heard their conversation. Seeing the young man emerge with red-rimmed eyes, his first thought slipped out unconsciously: "Young Master, did you argue with the boss?"

Yun Xiu paused, then, feeling it would be impolite to ignore him, replied nasally, "No."

*You’re on the verge of tears—if you say you didn’t argue, who would believe it?* Assistant Cen thought to himself, feeling a headache coming on.

As the saying goes, "Not even an honest official can settle family disputes." He was just a lowly assistant—how could he possibly mediate between his boss and his spouse?

Now that the Yun brothers had argued, Yun He remained seated in his office without chasing after Yun Xiu, making his stance clear. Judging by Yun Xiu’s state, it was unlikely they’d eat together. And there was still Yun Qian waiting in the lounge, drinking tea, ready for lunch—

So the question was: would this meal happen or not?

Yun Xiu didn’t want to put Assistant Cen in a difficult position and offered, "I’ll head back first. Don’t disturb Second Brother—just tell him a classmate asked me to hang out."

Assistant Cen looked troubled and pointed behind him.

Yun Xiu turned around to see his second brother standing at the lounge door, arms crossed, his expression frosty.

Yun Xiu: "..."

Fortunately, Yun Qian was considerate of his younger brother and, mindful of the outsider present, didn’t ask why Yun Xiu was leaving without eating. But Yun Qian’s stern demeanor was still intimidating, and as Yun Xiu watched him, he grew increasingly uneasy.

Still, there was a silver lining to leaving now: the subway wasn’t crowded, so Yun Qian didn’t have to shield Yun Xiu from the jostling crowds.

Sitting side by side, Yun Xiu watched their reflections in the subway window. Sensing that his second brother wasn’t paying attention to him, he subtly turned his head and glanced sideways at Yun Qian.

Yun Xiu was a premature baby and had always been in poor health since childhood. Despite consuming numerous supplements, it never seemed to help. In contrast, Yun Qian was thriving, only slightly shorter than Yun He.

As a result, when Yun Xiu tried to sneak a glance at Yun Qian's expression, he had to look up at a slight angle.

Then, Yun Xiu saw his second brother with half-lowered eyelids, his thin single eyelids looking aloof and cool, his deep brown eyes holding emotions Yun Xiu couldn't quite decipher.

Yun Xiu fell silent, then acted like nothing happened, looking around aimlessly—almost whistling or jiggling his leg.

Getting caught spying was a bit awkward.

"Hah."

A sound, somewhere between a light laugh and a scoff, reached his ears. Yun Xiu followed the sound and saw his second brother looking stern and resolute, saying sternly, "You're hiding something from me."

Yun Xiu said resignedly, "...So what if I am?"

He wouldn’t say anything, Yun He wouldn’t say anything, so Yun Qian wouldn’t know what happened.

Yun Qian put on a heartbroken look. "So, does love just disappear like that?"

Yun Xiu: "You're so extra... I just had a fight with big brother. I'm fine."

Sometimes, he felt that this otherworldly face was wasted on his second brother—Yun Qian was nothing like that kind of personality!

His second brother was just a goofball!!

After asking with concern and still getting no explanation, Yun Qian didn’t push it. He pointed to a subway station and said, "Big brother must have bullied you. Let him eat three meals by himself till he bursts. I’ll take you to where I went to high school—there’s lots of good food there around now."

Eh, let them fight.

The more they fought, the closer his little brother would become with him compared to big brother.

Yun Xiu had no objections. He had asked Yun Qian to come out but ended up leaving him without a meal. Even if his second brother hadn’t said anything, he would have found a place to eat.

Little did he know that the brother he deemed goofy and simple, while outwardly saying "big brother is so mean," was inwardly thinking, "Let it get even worse."

With Yun Qian’s lighthearted distraction, Yun Xiu’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. There were still five stops until their destination, so he closed his eyes and leaned on Yun Qian’s shoulder to doze off.

A moment later, Yun Xiu asked the system: [1461, am I connected to the original owner?]

His mental world was silent, with no response.

...

Yun He noticed that ever since Yun Xiu went to the company to deliver food and they couldn’t come to an agreement, Yun Xiu had suddenly stopped paying attention to him.

Or, to put it more accurately, Yun Xiu had unilaterally started giving him the silent treatment.

But Yun Xiu’s version of the silent treatment was a bit special—it wasn’t obvious unless you paid close attention. When called, he would respond, but after answering, he’d still do his own thing, ignoring what you said.

Yun He thought his little brother was hitting his rebellious phase. The silent treatment didn’t matter much, but he’d heard that rebellious teens might do extreme things, and without guidance, they could easily go astray.

With their parents away, he could only keep a closer eye on him.

Soon, it was time for school to start.

Yun Qian’s school started two days later than his brother’s, so he wanted to experience dropping his little brother off at school. Meanwhile, Yun He, as Yun Xiu’s guardian, also had his assistant clear his schedule for the day to take him to school.

Yun Xiu was an art student, so he had a lot to bring for the new semester—he needed to swap out his bedding and pillows. The family’s usual car couldn’t seat everyone once the luggage was loaded.

Yun He and Yun Qian exchanged a glance, then both looked at Yun Xiu, letting him choose who would take him to school.

Whoever went would end up being a pack horse, but Yun Xiu didn’t want to spend time with Yun He for now, so he unhesitatingly chose Yun Qian, offering a reasonable excuse: "Second brother hasn’t been to my school before, so let him take me."

Yun He glanced at Yun Qian, whose smile was practically splitting his face, then looked at the driver.

The driver let out a dry laugh and said, "I remember both the young masters know how to drive, and the road from home to school is pretty clear. How about this—I won’t go, so all of you can go. Ha ha."

Yun Xiu didn’t say whether he agreed or not, wordlessly pulling his second brother into the back seat.

The driver was dumbfounded. He had meant for the second brother to drive, giving the eldest and youngest a chance to resolve their conflict.

As an adult, he was pragmatic—after all, Yun He was the one currently in charge in the Yun family, and he had hoped the second brother would take his hint.

But why did the second brother also silently get into the back seat??

That left only Yun He to drive... The driver didn’t dare look at the eldest brother’s expression, sure it wasn’t pretty.

Yun He wasn’t as upset as the driver imagined. Both were his younger brothers still in school—what could he, an older brother who’d been working for years, do besides look out for and accommodate them?

If he really thrown his weight around as the head of the Yun family, even without their parents scolding him, Yun He would find it ridiculous.

Of course, Yun He wasn’t a particularly tolerant or gentle person.

His willingness to drive stemmed partly from guilt and a sense of obligation toward Yun Xiu.

For some reason, Yun He kept recalling Yun Xiu’s teary-eyed gaze, looking at him with both grievance and anger—like a silent accusation, constantly gnawing at his heart and compelling him to make amends.

Yun He didn’t resist this feeling.

In the end, the three brothers set off for campus with Yun Xiu’s luggage.

It was the start of the semester, and the dormant campus suddenly came to life. Students walked in small groups, and the place was brimming with vitality.

Most students dragging luggage, chattering excitedly with their parents, were clearly freshmen.

Upperclassmen like Yun Xiu, even with parents helping carry their things, showed no excitement—only the dread of another semester beginning.

With three people, the luggage was split perfectly. Each carried a portion, and they only needed one trip to the dorm—no back-and-forth hauling.

Walking across campus, Yun Qian looked around even more excitedly than Yun Xiu, chatting nonstop: "Little one, your school is so pretty! Much nicer than mine—great greenery, and that fake rock formation just radiates artistic vibes!"

Yun Xiu glanced at the "artistic" fake rock formation his second brother mentioned and felt speechless. "Second brother, that’s not a sculpture—it’s a fake rock formation."

Yun Qian subtly shifted his position, blocking the eldest brother from walking side-by-side with Yun Xiu for the fourth time. He grinned brightly and said, "Really? I just thought it looked nice. Maybe it’s because I love you, so I love everything associated with you."

Yun Xiu was amused by his second brother’s exaggerated compliment.

Behind them, Yun He shot a deep, meaningful look at Yun Qian.

Not everyone loves everything about someone—keep blocking me and I’ll step on your heels!