Chapter 115 Pickup

Chapter 115: Picking Him Up

Yan Zhoubai’s words plunged the living room into silence once more. The brief moment of ease had been an illusion.

Bu Qiran started to speak, but Yan Anxuan stopped him.

Today, the two most tactless people in the family were Yan Anxuan and his father. If it weren't for them, Xiao Bai wouldn't have been so determined to leave.

"Xiao Bai, it's been a while since you stayed home. Everyone misses you. We've all been swamped with company matters these past few months, with no proper rest since the New Year. Why not take this opportunity to stay a couple more days?"

Among those present, Yan Anxuan was the only one who hadn't verbally offended Yan Zhoubai today, so the task of persuading Yan Zhoubai to stay fell to him.

Bai Rong was also relatively composed; she was much better than Yan Ren today. Usually, she was the hot-tempered one, with Yan Ren holding her back. Today, their roles were reversed.

However, Bai Rong's problem was her lack of emotional sensitivity. Years of neglecting Yan Zhoubai had created a distant mother-son relationship, leaving her unsure how to persuade him. Even if she tried, it likely wouldn't have the desired effect.

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room, leaving the servants to quietly clear the table. A closer look would reveal they were working faster than usual, eager to finish and escape the tense atmosphere.

The seating arrangement in the living room was Yan Ren and Bai Rong together, Yan Zhoubai and Yan Anxuan together opposite them, and Bu Qiran seated alone on the other side.

Since finishing dinner, Yan Zhoubai had been withdrawn, clearly waiting for someone, an expectation etched on his face. Yet, he didn't object to Yan Anxuan sitting beside him.

As Yan Zhoubai stood and sat, some of his long hair fell forward, looking a little disheveled. Noticing this, Yan Anxuan casually reached out and gently brushed the strands back behind Yan Zhoubai's shoulder.

But as his gaze fell upon Yan Zhoubai's profile, the hand that should have retreated lingered in mid-air, unwilling to withdraw.

Yan Zhoubai had grown proportionally; his profile now was much the same as when he was a child.

Yan Anxuan suddenly recalled his middle school days when Yan Zhoubai was still in kindergarten. Yan Zhoubai always came home earlier than him, so every day, Yan Anxuan would find him sitting on a small stool on the porch, waiting.

He remembered how much Yan Zhoubai seemed to adore him as a child, always clinging to him. Even with a stutter, he would chase after Yan Anxuan, calling "Ge, ge, ge" (brother, brother, brother) repeatedly.

Yan Anxuan was intelligent and excelled in his studies from a young age. But knowing the vast Yan family enterprise awaited him, he understood he would eventually take over. Thus, even though he learned quickly, his time was filled with various subjects. The faster he learned, the more there was to master.

At the time, he didn't feel burdened; he genuinely wanted to learn those things. Yan Ren and Bai Rong never forced him.

Consequently, he didn't have much time to engage with Yan Zhoubai. If he had to describe his attitude toward Yan Zhoubai back then, he would choose "indifferent." He didn't dislike him, but he didn't like him enough to sacrifice his study time to be with him.

Gradually, Yan Zhoubai stopped following him, no longer calling out "Ge, ge" in that joyful tone. Yan Anxuan hadn't even noticed. But since Yan Zhoubai's return to the Yan family from Cangru Temple, those childhood memories he thought long forgotten began to resurface, one by one.

The hand, still suspended in the air, finally arced and gently landed on Yan Zhoubai's cheek.

He lightly stroked Yan Zhoubai's face.

Yan Zhoubai was bewildered, unsure why his elder brother suddenly touched his face, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at Yan Anxuan.

Yan Anxuan's heart was momentarily filled with complex emotions, but this burgeoning feeling was abruptly interrupted by Bu Qiran.

"Ge, if you're just adjusting his hair, why are you touching Xiao Bai's face? Didn't Mom just say Xiao Bai's skin is delicate and shouldn't be touched carelessly?"

Bu Qiran spoke up, clearly annoyed by Yan Anxuan touching Yan Zhoubai's face.

He had seen through his elder brother's intentions, so as long as he was present, his brother wouldn't get to use his status to make advances on Yan Zhoubai.

"Xiao Bai, what do you think?"

Though displeased by Bu Qiran's interruption, Yan Anxuan put aside his memories and brought the conversation back. Yan Zhoubai hadn't responded after his earlier question, just sitting silently beside him.

"Big brother, I already said I don't want to go," Yan Zhoubai mumbled, his voice muffled.

He had been silent, head bowed, looking at his phone. He was waiting for Zhan Jiayu to pick him up.

When he'd messaged Zhan Jiayu earlier, asking him to come, Zhan Jiayu had replied instantly, saying he'd be right over. Now, seeing Zhan Jiayu's message that he was almost there, Yan Zhoubai finally spoke.

He had made himself perfectly clear at the dinner table; he had nothing more to say.

Yan Anxuan gently rotated the expensive watch on his left wrist, then, after a moment of contemplation, spoke, "If you truly wish to leave, I'll take you. But don't speak of not coming home again. Your room will always be your room, always kept for you."

As soon as Yan Anxuan finished, both Bai Rong and Bu Qiran grew anxious. Weren't you supposed to persuade him? Why are you letting him leave just like that?

Yan Anxuan glanced at his mother and Bu Qiran, giving them a silencing look. He had his reasons for saying this. Yan Ren, on the other hand, quickly grasped Yan Anxuan's meaning.

He relaxed, leaning back into the sofa, and sighed silently.

It seemed this was how things would end today; the situation was beyond repair.

Yan Zhoubai wasn't in the mood to ponder why his elder brother's attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn in just two minutes. Zhan Jiayu had messaged that he had arrived, so Yan Zhoubai was leaving now.

As for his brother's words about his room always being there for him, and not cutting ties with the Yan family, he couldn't be bothered to respond. They could think what they wanted; all he wanted now was to leave.

Yan Anxuan's reasoning was simple: the situation was clear. Yan Zhoubai was not going to change his mind today.

If it were just a temporary emotional outburst, he should have calmed down after dinner. But even now, Yan Zhoubai refused to discuss it or compromise, so his mind was made up. Further words would be futile.

Yan Zhoubai ignored his brother's offer to drive him and stood up to leave. Zhan Jiayu was waiting for him at the door.

But just as he rose, the living room door was pushed open, and standing there was Zhan Jiayu, who had come to pick him up.

The Yan family's expressions turned subtle at Zhan Jiayu's appearance. They had thought Yan Zhoubai's earlier remark about Zhan Jiayu picking him up was mere talk. Who would have thought it was true, and he was already here?

"President Zhan, good to see you. It's quite sudden for you to arrive without notice; I would have come out to greet you."

But the surprise lasted only a moment before Yan Anxuan quickly regained his composure.

When Zhan Jiayu entered, the servants followed closely behind him. Clearly, they had tried to stop him outside but failed, and he was faster than any attempt to announce his arrival. Zhan Jiayu had simply walked straight in.

Such behavior was highly impolite, but at this moment, no one cared to dwell on that detail.

"It is indeed presumptuous of me to come uninvited, and I apologize. But Xiao Chuaner messaged asking me to pick him up. I was worried something might have happened, so I rushed over."

As soon as Zhan Jiayu entered the Yan family living room, his eyes immediately found Yan Zhoubai. Seeing that Yan Zhoubai was unharmed, he finally relaxed.

Yan Zhoubai, upon seeing Zhan Jiayu, quickly walked over to his side, creating distance from the Yan family.

This action confirmed to Zhan Jiayu that something must have happened.

When he received Yan Zhoubai's message asking to be picked up, he had suspected something was wrong. Otherwise, Yan Zhoubai wouldn't have wanted to leave so soon. He had just returned that morning, and it was dinner time—something must have occurred. But when he messaged back asking, Yan Zhoubai didn't explain, so Zhan Jiayu could only rush over as quickly as possible.

Before coming, Yan Zhoubai had said he wasn't sure when he'd be back, implying he might even stay at the Yan family home tonight. Although Zhan Jiayu was uneasy about it, Yan Zhoubai hadn't visited home in a long time, so he couldn't say much.

Of course, he had been hoping that after finishing his work and returning to the apartment, he would find Yan Zhoubai already back, or that Yan Zhoubai would call and ask him to come pick him up.

But he hadn't expected this kind of situation—one where it was obvious something had gone wrong.

"President Zhan, you're joking. What could happen to Xiao Bai in his own home? It's just that we had some unpleasant conversations about Xiao Bai's relationship with you. You're overthinking it."

Facing Zhan Jiayu, the gentle, caring elder brother image Yan Anxuan had shown Yan Zhoubai vanished completely, replaced by his usual aloof, stern demeanor.

He pointedly emphasized that this was Yan Zhoubai's home and brought up their relationship again, wanting to clearly convey the Yan family's stance to Zhan Jiayu.

Even though Yan Zhoubai was staying with him now, this remained Yan Zhoubai's home, and as Yan Zhoubai's family, they did not approve of their relationship.

"If the discussion was unpleasant, doesn't that qualify as a problem? Or does President Yan only consider it an issue if Xiao Chuaner suffers actual harm in his own home?"