When did you start liking me?

There weren't many classes that day. After two morning lessons, they could spend the rest of their time however they liked.

Tang Yun packed his things and called out to Yan Wen. "A Yan, I heard there's a really good roast duck place in the east district. Want to check it out?"

Yan Wen's eyes lit up. "Roast duck! I never thought we'd get to eat something like that on campus."

"Yeah, the upperclassmen said Shengyuan takes everyone's different tastes into account, so they've got pretty much every kind of food."

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry, before they run out!"

Mu Huai'an had just left the classroom when he spotted the two of them running out of the teaching building below.

His hand unconsciously tightened around his bag.

The Mu Family villa

The family was eating at the dining table when Mu Xingfeng mentioned the new employees who had joined the company that day.

Mu Xu Xi reminded him, "Dad, didn't Xiao Wen say last time that a new employee called Song Jing'an would be joining? He's going to be a key veteran of the company someday."

Mu Xingfeng slapped his forehead in realization. "No wonder I thought I'd heard that name somewhere. I'm getting old. My memory's going too."

"Dad, you're still young. Was there really someone called Song Jing'an among the new hires?"

Mu Xingfeng nodded slightly, and Xie Yunshu asked worriedly, "Then is Secretary Liu's betrayal of the company, the one Xiao Wen mentioned, coming soon too?"

Mu Xingfeng sighed. "I don't know either. I've been watching Secretary Liu lately, and I've investigated the work he's handled. There haven't been any problems."

Mu Xu Xi asked, "Could Xiao Wen's prediction have stopped working?"

Xie Yunshu said, "Whatever the case, you can't let your guard down around people. Be careful, and don't take this lightly."

"All right. Where are Xu Ye and Xu Ci?"

"Xu Ci went back to work at his company. He might be there for several days. As for Xu Ye..." Mu Xu Xi wore the delighted look of someone whose favorite couple had gotten together. "He's on a date, of course!"

"A date? That boy finally figured it out?"

"We have Xiao Wen to thank for that. Otherwise, a blockhead like Xu Ye would've probably stayed single for life."

The Moon Perch Restaurant

Qi Shu Yu used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of beef on Mu Xu Ye's plate. "I don't know if the food here is to your taste."

Mu Xu Ye hadn't touched his chopsticks. He simply watched Qi Shu Yu with a smile.

Qi Shu Yu secretly looked up, only to meet Mu Xu Ye's eyes, and nervously lowered his head again.

"It might not be to your taste, but this is all I can afford. I'm sorry."

Mu Xu Ye put the beef in his mouth. "The food here is very good. I like it. Qi Shu Yu, you don't need to apologize. We're equals in this relationship. Neither of us is beneath the other."

Qi Shu Yu tried hard to appear calm, but he was still so nervous that he mistook a chili pepper for a vegetable and ate it. An intense heat instantly flooded his mouth, making him cough over and over.

Mu Xu Ye poured a cup of tea and handed it to Qi Shu Yu. Only after downing it did Qi Shu Yu recover.

Qi Shu Yu's eyes were red and watery, and his face had flushed crimson from the violent coughing. His lips, reddened by the spice, were slightly parted as he gulped down air.

Mu Xu Ye felt as though something had struck his heart, making it skip a beat.

Mu Xu Ye suppressed the stirring in his heart and asked, "Qi Shu Yu, can you tell me when you started liking me? And why?"

Qi Shu Yu stopped eating and set down his chopsticks. "I started feeling differently about you in my sophomore year. It wasn't until my junior year that I knew I liked you... I don't know why I fell for you either. Maybe... feelings just don't make sense."

Mu Xu Ye listened intently to Qi Shu Yu's recollections, while Yan Wen's earlier thoughts kept coming back to him.

Qi Shu Yu had helped him through the effects of the drug, then hidden his love without confessing it even at the moment of his death, simply because he was afraid Mu Xu Ye would hate him if he found out.

Without Yan Wen's thoughts, Mu Xu Ye might really have remained in the dark for the rest of his life.

Mu Xu Ye reached into his trouser pocket and clasped a Guanyin Jade Pendant.

Mu Xu Ye placed his hand back on the table. "Qi Shu Yu, I need you to promise me something."

Qi Shu Yu nodded solemnly. "All right. Tell me. Whatever it is, I promise."

"I want you to promise that if I'm ever in danger, you'll make sure you're safe first. Don't put yourself in danger because of me."

"Don't worry. I value my life."

Mu Xu Ye merely smiled without speaking. Once again, Yan Wen's thought echoed in his mind.

In the end, Qi Shu Yu died at the kidnappers' hands protecting Mu Xu Ye. The birthday present he'd meant to give Mu Xu Ye was still in his pocket.

Shengyuan Academy

Tang Yun leaned back in his chair with his eyes narrowed in contentment, letting his food settle. Yan Wen had eaten a little too much too, and let out a small burp.

A pile of picked-clean duck bones sat on the table in front of them, with a little dipping sauce and a few side dishes left on their plates.

Yan Wen rubbed his stomach. "I'm so full I can't move. I feel like I won't even need dinner."

Tang Yun nodded. "Same here. I can't eat another bite. That roast duck was so good I couldn't stop myself from finishing it."

The woman serving them heard that and smiled. "If you like it, come back often!"

"Okay, ma'am. We'll be going now."

"We'll be back tomorrow!"

The two left the cafeteria without noticing Mu Huai'an and Zhang He, who had just come out of the supermarket.

Zhang He asked, "I remember you saying Mu Yanwen lived in some backwater before your parents found him?"

Mu Huai'an nodded. "Xiao Wen's adoptive parents didn't have much money. When he came back, everything he had on him put together wasn't worth as much as one pair of my shoes. Xiao Wen... he's had such a hard life."

Zhang He sneered. "So what if he's the real young master? He's still from a backwater and reeks of poverty. How do your parents treat Mu Yanwen?"

"Xiao Wen is their biological son, after all. My parents searched for him for sixteen years, so of course they dote on him. Now my older brothers and sister only care about him too. I know none of this belonged to me in the first place, but I still feel the difference. After all, before this, they always doted on me."

"So what if he's their biological son? If Mu Yanwen disgraces them, I don't believe your parents will keep doting on him. Wealthy families don't care about blood ties. They care about reputation and worth."

Mu Huai'an pretended not to fully understand. "Then what are you planning to do?"

Zhang He pressed his tongue against his newly repaired tooth. "I still haven't paid him back for beating me up a couple of days ago."

"How are you going to get back at him?"

"Don't worry about that. I have my ways. But you won't stop me from going after him, will you?"

"No. Xiao Wen hit you first. You have every right to hit him back."

The dorm room was lit up, and Yan Wen was working on the assignment his teacher had given him. The computer's light shone on his face as he typed the final word, then saved and submitted it.

After closing the page, Yan Wen opened a streaming app. He browsed for a while but couldn't find any TV shows that interested him.

When Yan Wen saw the [Horror] category, he suddenly felt like revisiting his childhood and clicked on the horror film titled "That Village's Old Corpse."

Before starting it, Yan Wen grabbed the quilt from his bed and wrapped it around himself, then tucked his feet up onto the chair. As the film played, his nerves stretched to their limit.

At the climax, a terrifying ghostly face appeared on the screen with the background music. A sudden ring of the doorbell startled Yan Wen into shouting, "Fuck!" Then he snapped the laptop shut with a smack.

Even Xiao Qi's voice trembled. Host, don't watch this stuff again. It's too scary.

Yan Wen patted his chest. I nearly had a heart attack. It must be Tang Yun at the door. He scared me to death.