Xie Zhitan heard his thoughts

Hua Jian put away his phone and looked at the private dining restaurant behind him. After a moment's hesitation, he decided not to go in.

With his current savings, a bowl of ramen for 68 yuan was more his speed.

As he headed out, he heard an engine roar. Soon, a black-and-white sports car came into view.

Men loved cars, and Hua Jian's gaze followed it into the parking lot with a hint of admiration.

There really were plenty of rich people in the Imperial Capital. This was a limited-edition Koenigsegg, worth somewhere between 35 and 50 million yuan.

The moment the car pulled in, several guests in the courtyard turned to look.

People who ate here were rich, but that didn't mean every one of them could afford a sports car worth tens of millions.

As he was thinking this, the car door opened, and a somewhat familiar figure stepped out.

Hua Jian's pupils contracted. He immediately looked away and turned back.

Just my luck. Just my damned luck. I'd run into Shu Yao, the protagonist bottom, again.

"Oof! Sorry!"

Fuck, I was in such a hurry that I didn't notice someone ahead of me and walked right into him.

Xie Zhitan frowned at the man brushing past him. Before he could say anything, he heard his name.

"Zhitan, over here!"

Xie Zhitan looked toward the voice, completely unaware that the man who had just bumped into him had frozen.

"Qin Ci." Xie Zhitan smiled in greeting.

The man who had stepped out of the Koenigsegg was indeed Qin Ci. He took off his sunglasses and strode toward Xie Zhitan.

Holy shit, it really is my second brother and Qin Ci? What's the occasion? Is Qin Ci introducing Shu Yao to him today? Fuck, that bastard Qin Ci is a perverted top too. He's supposed to be my second brother's friend, but just because Shu Yao has a little crush on my gentle second brother, he reports him for seducing a student and costs him his job!

Fuck, what's even crazier is that my second brother actually falls for Shu Yao. How is that possible?

Qin Ci's pupils suddenly contracted, and he blurted out, "Zhitan, are you okay?"

For some reason, the normally composed Xie Zhitan had stumbled and nearly fallen.

Qin Ci rushed over and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong with you? You're a grown man, and you still trip over your own feet?"

Yet the moment Xie Zhitan steadied himself, he looked behind him. His shaken expression made Qin Ci's face turn serious too.

"What's going on? Who did you see?"

Xie Zhitan pressed his lips together and shook his head. There was no one behind him. The man who had bumped into him was gone.

That man had called him his second brother.

No one called him that except Zhi Yan and Hua Jian.

But on closer consideration, that voice hadn't sounded like Hua Jian's. Who could it have been?

Just then, Shu Yao came over to join them.

Qin Ci released Xie Zhitan's arm and smiled as he introduced them. "Zhitan, this is the new friend I told you about. His name is Shu Yao, and he's a sophomore at your university."

"Shu Yao, this is Zhitan. Or you can call him Professor Xie. He's the youngest professor in the finance department."

Xie Zhitan stiffened. There really was a Shu Yao?

With mixed feelings, he looked at the young man beside Qin Ci. He wasn't tall, had refined, handsome features, and gazed at him with admiration.

"Hello, Professor Xie. My name is Shu Yao. I really love your lectures. I'm so happy to meet you today!"

Compared with Shu Yao's excitement and enthusiasm, Xie Zhitan's response was rather subdued.

He gave a polite smile. "Hello, Shu Yao."

His voice was gentle and pleasant. As the Shu Family's true young master, Shu Yao had already been welcomed back into the family, but years of living at the bottom of society had left him timid and overly cautious.

Especially since Shu Yan, who had stolen twenty years of his life, was far from friendly toward him.

The many men who appeared around Shu Yao were all fierce and domineering, like wolves and tigers. Xie Zhitan's gentleness and intellect washed over him like a refreshing breeze.

His face instantly turned red.

"Tsk, why are you acting so shy around Zhitan? You're even blushing. What, do you like him? Tsk, tsk." Jealousy practically dripped from Qin Ci's words.

"Qin Ci, what are you talking about? I respect Professor Xie. How could you say that about me?" Shu Yao was angry. Blushing, he explained to Xie Zhitan, "Please don't misunderstand, Professor Xie. Qin Ci didn't mean it that way."

"Hey, Shu Yao, what are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Qin Ci, you're so annoying. Keep this up, and I'll get angry."

Xie Zhitan's feelings had already been complicated. After listening to the two men's exchange, the last trace of a smile vanished from his face.

He and Qin Ci had been classmates throughout elementary and middle school.

But Xie Zhitan had taken the college entrance exam in his first year of high school and gone on to university, while Qin Ci's family had sent him overseas after he graduated from high school.

Later, while Qin Ci was wasting his days abroad, Xie Zhitan had already finished his bachelor's degree and enrolled in another prestigious university in Qin Ci's city for his master's and doctorate.

As luck would have it, Qin Ci took two extra years to finish his bachelor's degree. By then, Xie Zhitan had completed his doctorate. They returned home at the same time, one continuing to drift through life and the other taking a teaching position at Imperial University.

The two should have had nothing in common, but studying abroad in the same city had brought them a little closer.

Only now, Xie Zhitan suddenly felt that his belief that he and Qin Ci were fairly close had been nothing more than an illusion.

Qin Ci was clearly closer to Shu Yao and spoke to him more casually.

Shu Yao even apologized on Qin Ci's behalf to him, Qin Ci's old classmate.

Thinking back to what he had heard from that man in the courtyard, would Qin Ci really report him because of Shu Yao and cost him his job?

How tiresome.

"Qin Ci, let's go inside. People are watching."

Xie Zhitan coolly interrupted their flirtatious bickering and walked straight into the private dining restaurant.

His attitude was cold, and Shu Yao asked worriedly, "Is Professor Xie angry with me?"

Qin Ci frowned too, but his brow soon relaxed. "Zhitan's always been aloof like that. Come on."

Shu Yao ate the meal on edge. Qin Ci looked after him well, ordering many of his favorite dishes, and he thought that Qin Ci could be considerate sometimes.

Xie Zhitan lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea.

He had eaten lightly seasoned food since childhood, and after starting to teach at Imperial University, he couldn't tolerate any spice at all.

The tableful of bright red dishes, their pungent spiciness mingling with the rich smell of oil, made him frown almost imperceptibly.

Qin Ci's attention remained on Shu Yao, and he didn't notice anything amiss with Xie Zhitan.

"Oh, right, Shu Yao. Didn't you say you failed to get into our academic genius's class? Professor Xie's sitting right in front of you. Ask him what you wanted to ask."

"Oh, Qin Ci, don't put it like that. Professor Xie's course requires high grades from the previous semester and a paper. I don't qualify."

Shu Yao finished speaking bashfully, but looked at Xie Zhitan with hope in his eyes. His meaning was obvious.

Xie Zhitan said politely, "You can try writing one. A lot of students apply for my course, so everyone pays attention to who gets accepted and who doesn't."

Shu Yao's expression changed. He wasn't even a student in Xie Zhitan's course-he hadn't so much as learned the basics. How could he possibly write a paper?

Xie Zhitan was clearly making excuses to turn him down.

Qin Ci also heard the refusal in Xie Zhitan's words and said unhappily, "It's your class. Isn't it just a matter of you saying yes? Just let Shu Yao sit in on it. You're so damn rigid. You're just a professor-why are you putting on airs?"

"Qin Ci, what are you doing?" Shu Yao's face flushed with anxiety. "How can you talk to Professor Xie like that?"

Qin Ci's expression darkened. Shu Yao had finally come to him for a favor.

That was what had made him think of Xie Zhitan, yet Xie Zhitan had gone and embarrassed him in front of Shu Yao.

The more he thought about it, the more humiliated he felt. He shoved Shu Yao's arm aside and stood up angrily. "Xie Zhitan, you..."

Ding.

Xie Zhitan gave Qin Ci an indifferent glance, then picked up his phone.

"Excuse me. I need to take this."

Furious at being ignored, Qin Ci shouted, "Xie Zhitan, who do you think you are? I only asked you for help because I thought you were worth asking. Don't be so damn ungrateful!"

The soundproofing was good. Once the door was shut, the shrill shouting inside became a muffled noise.

Xie Zhitan looked away in disgust and answered the call, his voice gentle. "Hello, Jian? Why didn't you answer when I called earlier?"