All day long, Zhu Wen watched Yu An with a scrutinizing, critical gaze.
Whenever Yu An got even slightly distracted while studying, Zhu Wen would suddenly appear like a ghost.
In an unfathomable tone, he would say, "Young Master Yu An, you have many competitors. Once you slack off, you'll be defeated."
Before, when He Li'an was away, Zhu Wen had always addressed him as "you."
But today, every other word out of Zhu Wen's mouth was "sir."
Such a respectful attitude was quite nice.
But Yu An didn't understand. "Who am I competing with, and for what?"
Zhu Wen glanced at his phone case, his smile carrying a trace of strange... paternal affection.
"Keep it up, Young Master Yu An."
"..."
Keep what up, exactly?!
Compete for what, exactly?!
Just explain it clearly!
That evening, when He Li'an returned, he saw Yu An leaning on his crutch and waiting eagerly by the entrance to the hall.
"Why are you here?" He Li'an had his uniform jacket draped over his arm, wearing only a pristine white shirt.
Every button of the shirt was fastened to the top, and his tie was knotted in a simple, neat Windsor knot. He looked refined and abstinent, but as he walked, parts of his shirt stretched taut over his firm muscles, radiating masculine strength.
Yu An's gaze lingered over He Li'an's body before he replied a beat late, "Zhu Wen has been acting strange..."
"How strange?" He Li'an reached out to support him.
Yu An quietly gave his arm a squeeze and vaguely said, "I can't explain it."
It was rock-hard.
Sure enough, he was really solid.
Unable to resist, Yu An reached out again and squeezed He Li'an's upper arm.
He looked lean, but he was unbelievably firm to the touch, like stone. He was really strong.
So enviable.
Only when he felt the man's arm stiffen did he slowly look up and meet He Li'an's complicated gaze.
Yu An felt that secretly touching someone else's muscles seemed a little impolite.
Just as he hesitated over whether to apologize first or praise him first, he heard He Li'an ask, "How was your day at home?"
The change of subject was exceedingly awkward.
As if He Li'an himself were the one with a guilty conscience.
Yu An blinked in confusion, then complained to He Li'an, "I was exhausted today. Zhu Wen kept supervising my studying."
He Li'an frowned. "I'll speak to him."
"Thank you." Yu An was sincerely grateful to He Li'an.
It wasn't that he disliked studying.
It was just that studying on his own initiative and being monitored and forced to study were different things.
He Li'an smiled. "It doesn't matter if you fall behind in your studies. You can catch up later. The most important thing for you now is recovering from your injury."
His tone became as gentle as before, as though he hadn't been the one touched earlier.
Maybe this was what a white moonlight was like.
Kind, generous, tolerant.
He had a beautiful body and beautiful character.
His beautiful character was obvious for all to see.
It would be even better if Yu An could see that beautiful body again.
After dinner, Yu An planned to rest for a while before going for a walk.
Just as he sat down in the living room, he caught sight of He Li'an leaving with Zhu Wen from the corner of his eye.
Yu An remembered complaining to He Li'an earlier.
Was He Li'an going to scold Zhu Wen again?
Great.
He was going to eavesdrop on Zhu Wen getting scolded.
Yu An followed them to the Wind-and-Rain Corridor in the back garden.
He hid behind a cluster of greenery and pricked up his ears intently.
"Zhu Wen, you overstepped. Yu An is a guest. You shouldn't force him to do things he doesn't want to do."
It was He Li'an's voice, very stern.
When Yu An had eavesdropped yesterday, he had already noticed that although He Li'an usually treated people gently, he was actually very imposing when reprimanding someone—enough to make people want to stand at attention and admit their mistakes on the spot.
Sure enough, Zhu Wen immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, Young Master. I just thought that if Young Master Yu An wants to be worthy of you, he should work harder. After all..."
"Zhu Wen!" He Li'an sounded somewhat angry.
He calmed himself before continuing, "Don't do unnecessary things. Yu An is still young. He doesn't understand anything."
Yu An:?
He had read lots of books! He clearly understood everything!
Why was He Li'an looking down on him like this?!
Zhu Wen clearly disagreed somewhat, but he respectfully said, "Young Master Yu An is already an adult. I think he is a very genuine and courageous person. He isn't as sheltered from the world as you think."
Zhu Wen, who had been hostile toward him, was actually praising him?
Had these two gotten their lines mixed up?
He Li'an fell silent. After thinking about something unknown, he raised a hand to signal Zhu Wen not to say any more.
Yu An couldn't understand what riddle these two were speaking in, so he quietly left.
Zhu Wen was a very loyal person. After He Li'an spoke with him, he no longer supervised Yu An's studies as he had before.
But his attitude toward Yu An remained good.
Yu An never figured out why Zhu Wen's attitude had changed.
But he was very good at solving problems.
So, while He Li'an was away from home, he went directly to ask Zhu Wen.
"Zhu Wen, why do you think I'm a courageous person?"
Zhu Wen's pupils trembled slightly. "You eavesdropped on my conversation with Young Master?"
Yu An said, "Mm."
"..."
An unnatural look flashed across Zhu Wen's face before he sighed with feeling. "You are the first person who would rather injure himself than fail to get close to Young Master. You are far more sincere than those other people who seek wealth or beauty."
Yu An felt that he understood.
But it also seemed like he understood absolutely nothing.
He frowned and asked, "You don't blame me for jumping into the lake and framing you anymore?"
"Although your methods were somewhat extreme, you merely wanted to gain Young Master's pity. I don't blame you." Zhu Wen even revealed a faint smile.
Yu An was so startled that he took a step back. "What pity?"
At the time, Zhu Wen had ambushed and threatened him. He had merely retaliated against Zhu Wen within a range that didn't put his life at risk.
"I've been through it too. I understand. Our young master is actually someone who needs warmth very much. You suit him well." Zhu Wen raised his hand to check his wristwatch. "Young Master will be back in another hour. I'll go have someone prepare dinner first. Oh, and tonight's after-dinner fruit is the baby carrots you like."
Zhu Wen was a meticulous and responsible butler. He had easily noticed Yu An's preferences.
Yu An was completely confused, but he really did like baby carrots. Delighted, he thanked Zhu Wen.
"Thank you."
Based on Yu An's injury, He Li'an had only gotten him a week off.
The week passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was a new Monday.
Early in the morning, Zhu Wen had servants bring Yu An a neatly pressed uniform.
After Yu An changed into the uniform and came out, Zhu Wen gestured for the servants to step forward and help straighten it.
Yu An stepped back to avoid them. Just then, He Li'an knocked and entered. Seeing this, he hurried over. "I'll do it."
After saying that, he turned to ask Yu An for his opinion. "Is that okay?"
Yu An obediently nodded and stepped forward to stand before He Li'an.
Compared to everyone else, He Li'an was an absolutely safe and reliable person. After a week of spending time together, Yu An no longer resisted He Li'an's touch as much.
As He Li'an bent down to straighten Yu An's collar, Yu An saw Zhu Wen smiling as he led the others out from the corner of his eye.
Yu An:?
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