He must have his reasons for saying that

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Zhao Kai quickly recovered and flatly denied it.

Hua Jian smiled. "Wei Qianlin sounds much better than Zhao Kai. Do you know who Qin Ci's father is?"

Zhao Kai strode past him, his face cold.

"Have you ever wondered whether what happened back then was real, or whether Cui Zhao staged the whole thing?"

Zhao Kai stopped dead in his tracks.

Seeing him stop, Hua Jian finally stated his purpose.

"I can help you find out the truth about what happened back then, but I need you to do something for me."

Early the next morning.

Something even more painful than an eight a.m. class happened.

"Hello? Mom!"

He had no eight a.m. class and wanted to sleep in, only to get a call from Madam Hua.

What kind of horror story was this?!

Madam Hua was as cold and haughty as ever. "What did you say to your eldest brother this time? I remember telling you that you're not a member of the Xie Family. You need to show the young masters respect. They aren't your brothers."

Just listen to that. One moment it was "your eldest brother," and the next, "they aren't your brothers."

The old Hua Jian might have felt humiliated and angry.

But the current Hua Jian had only just woken up, and his mind was still foggy. "Huh? Yes, yes, yes!"

He even yawned afterward.

Halfway through the yawn, he suddenly remembered that the prickly Madam Hua was on the other end and immediately knew he was in trouble.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Madam Hua's volume shot straight up.

"Hua Jian! What kind of attitude is that? You think you can disrespect your mother now that you're in college? Think you're all grown up, do you? I'm telling you..."

Her shrill voice assaulted his ears. Unable to take it anymore, Hua Jian shoved his phone under his pillow.

But going back to sleep was impossible now.

He sat up in irritation and rubbed his head to vent his frustration.

From now on, he was definitely turning his phone off before bed!

The muffled voice beneath the pillow seemed to have stopped.

Madam Hua had probably realized that Hua Jian had moved his phone away.

After a good while, Hua Jian reluctantly pulled it out. To his surprise, Madam Hua still hadn't hung up.

Watching the call timer continue to tick, Hua Jian expressionlessly lifted the phone to his ear.

"Mom, what were you saying about my eldest brother?"

Xie Zhiwei thought Hua Jian's black-framed glasses were simply too ugly.

He had made a point of discussing it at length with Madam Hua at home, hoping she would agree to let Hua Jian stop wearing them.

"I really underestimated you. You've even managed to sweet-talk Xie Zhiwei. But since Xie Zhiwei said so, do as he says. Get a new pair of glasses, or wear contacts like other young people."

"Okay, I understand, Mom."

Madam Hua had already frozen Hua Jian's card, so she had nothing else to threaten him with.

Seeing that his attitude was reasonably good, she finally moved on to her closing remarks.

"We're celebrating the Bo Family patriarch's birthday in three days. Come home to stay starting tonight. We'll get some treatments done together, and you can try on your formalwear and work out your styling at home."

Hua Jian pressed his brow. "Mom, I'm a man. I don't need beauty treatments. And have you forgotten that you cut off my living allowance? I have to work part-time in the evenings to earn money."

Madam Hua grew even angrier. "If you hadn't gone crazy and said you liked men, why would I have cut off your allowance? Don't think having a pretty face means you can even charm Xie Zhiwei into sending you spending money..."

Hua Jian ran out of patience and hung up on Madam Hua.

An orphan in his previous life, Hua Jian truly had no idea how to get along with a "mother."

"Ugh, what a pain. Can't I just save up money for her retirement?"

Hua Jian stared at the ceiling, utterly despondent.

Just then, his phone rang again.

He let out a weary sigh and picked it up. "Mom, Xie Zhiwei giving me money..."

"Hua Jian?"

The unexpected deep male voice swept the fog from Hua Jian's mind.

In disbelief, he pulled the phone away and brought it closer to look. Sure enough, it was Bo Lin.

"Bo Lin? Sorry, my mom just called, so I thought..."

"Mm."

Hua Jian raised an eyebrow and joked, "What are you calling me so early for? Don't tell me you want to start drinking already?"

"No. Do you have time? I'll take you to look at the Exhibition Hall."

Going back to sleep was out of the question. He gave an almost imperceptible sigh. "I do, but I need half an hour to get ready. Bo Lin, send me the address."

"I'll pick you up. You're living in an apartment off campus?"

Hua Jian felt a little awkward. He was a grown man, and someone had to pick him up?

Bo Lin said, "It'll save time."

His words dispelled Hua Jian's reservations. "Okay, I'll send you the address."

After ending the call, Bo Lin called Lu Zexi.

The phone rang for a long time before a sleepy Lu Zexi answered. "Fuck, it's not even eight yet. Bo Lin, have you lost your mind?!"

"Ask your accountant right now which card Xiao Jian's wages are paid into. I want to know in ten minutes!"

"Fuck, Bo Lin, why are you giving Xiao Jian money? What's going on between you two? Don't tell me..."

"Hurry up. My patience is limited."

Bo Lin hung up and looked at the apartment building outside the window.

Hua Jian lived on the ninth floor.

"Sorry, have you been waiting long?"

Half an hour later, the car door opened, and a hurried voice reached him.

The young man outside wore a very ordinary white T-shirt. The newly risen morning sun filtered through gaps in the roadside leaves and fell on his head.

Bo Lin's lashes fluttered. "No, I just got here."

Hua Jian settled beside Bo Lin with practiced ease. "Are we going straight to the Exhibition Hall?"

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Cui Peng, go to Rongxin."

"No, no, that's fine. Let's go straight to the shop."

"There's no rush. We still have time for breakfast."

The boss paying the bill had the final say. But life was full of surprises.

They had just finished breakfast and come out of Rongxin when they ran into Lu Zexi.

"Fuck, Bo Lin, what's going on between you and Xiao Jian? Is he with you now? You're a real bastard. I..."

"Lu Zexi!" Bo Lin's voice was calm, but held a warning.

"President Lu, I'm right here." Only when Hua Jian spoke did Lu Zexi notice him.

"You..." Lu Zexi's pupils shook. He pointed at the two men having breakfast together so early, unable to believe his eyes. "You two..."

"President Lu, please don't misunderstand. President Bo and I have business to take care of."

Bo Lin lifted his eyes to Hua Jian, displeased that he had called him President Bo again.

His eyes held shards of ice as he coldly told Lu Zexi, "Get lost."

The car roared away, blasting exhaust into Lu Zexi's face. He muttered, "Has Bo Lin gone crazy?"

Inside the car, Hua Jian said helplessly, "President Lu seems to have misunderstood our relationship."

Bo Lin stared intently at him. "Do you care that much about what he thinks?"

Hua Jian chuckled. "I don't care, but he's your good friend. Isn't it bad to let him misunderstand like that?"

Bo Lin said mildly, "Ignore him."

At that, Bo Lin paused and asked, "I heard the bar pays your wages through WeChat. Should I transfer your payment for the painting directly to you?"

"Well, I haven't even started working. How can you pay me so soon?"

Does Bo Lin actually have feelings for me? Holy shit! A million was already outrageous, and now he wants to pay me in advance?

Bo Lin's fingers abruptly clenched. He was about to explain when he heard Hua Jian's thoughts continue.

But Bo Lin doesn't like men. He must have his reasons for doing this. Could he have taken a fancy to my painting skills? Does he think I'm worth investing in?

That must be it!