Just taking a walk

Yu Nian quickly turned his head and tugged his hat down, his feet flying as he walked. He wished he could put a mile between himself and them.

But the thick fur around the brim blocked his view, and in his haste, he failed to watch where he was going. He stumbled and nearly fell.

A hand caught his arm and steadied him. Startled, Yu Nian instinctively thanked the person beside him.

When he looked up, however, he saw Qin Yuheng's face.

Qin Yuheng's gaze was unruffled, though his stern features seemed to soften a little the moment their eyes met.

Yu Nian wondered whether Qin Yuheng was surprised to see him here.

Afraid Qin Yuheng would greet him and draw Qin Yu over, he immediately straightened up and prepared to leave.

"Yu Nian?"

Qin Yu had spotted him anyway.

He came over excitedly and grabbed Yu Nian's wrist, delight in his eyes. "It really is you!"

Yu Nian frowned and shook him off without sparing his feelings. "Use your words. Keep your hands to yourself."

Qin Yu had a spoiled young master's temper. Being rejected or defied usually made him want to lash out.

But it had been so long since he'd had a proper look at Yu Nian. His fair, refined features seemed even more attractive now, and paired with today's fluffy bear hat, he was indescribably cute. Qin Yu's heart softened at once.

Yu Nian, however, looked at him coldly, without a trace of his former tenderness. "What are you doing here?"

Qin Yu lowered his voice, sounding a little smug. "Isn't this fate?"

Yu Nian thought for a moment, then understood. "You found out from my livestream, didn't you?"

Qin Yu made no attempt to hide it. His lips curved into a smile as he turned and openly introduced Yu Nian to Qin Yuheng. "Brother, this is Yu Nian. Remember him? I asked you to drive him home after the birthday party last time."

Qin Yuheng glanced at Yu Nian, his gaze indifferent. "I know. I saw him in the livestream last night."

Qin Yu's expression changed. "Brother!"

Clearly, he didn't want last night's embarrassment brought up.

Last night, before he could get a proper answer from Yu Nian, his account had been banned.

Qin Yuheng had walked straight into his room and warned him not to harass Yu Nian in his livestream.

Qin Yu had found it strange. How did his brother know about any of this?

Qin Yuheng never explained himself to anyone, not even Qin Yu, so he'd left after saying only, "There won't be a next time."

That single sentence was enough to make Qin Yu behave.

The Qin Family was now in his brother's hands, and Qin Yuheng paid all of Qin Yu's living expenses. His brother was fairly generous with him. The non-heirs of other families only received around a million a month in spending money, while he received two million.

If he signed up for classes or exams to learn something, Qin Yuheng would give him extra money, too.

He simply wasn't allowed to go out causing trouble.

Qin Yu knew that Qin Yuheng screened the friends around him, so it wasn't surprising that he knew Yu Nian.

Qin Yuheng hadn't given him an explanation, leaving Qin Yu to work it out himself.

Harassing someone in a livestream hurt Sea Star's interests. Qin Yuheng was now a shareholder in Sea Star, so naturally, he couldn't let Qin Yu tarnish his reputation.

Qin Yu was angry but didn't dare say anything. Still, he couldn't help worrying.

Did he know about me and Yu Nian?

Qin Yu thought his brother didn't know, because he'd never asked about that side of his life.

Otherwise, old-fashioned as his brother was, he would definitely have made trouble for Yu Nian, lectured Qin Yu, and finally ordered him to find a girlfriend.

Qin Yu hadn't intended to bring this matter before his brother. He was a little surprised himself that he still felt so reluctant to let Yu Nian go.

He was fine as long as he didn't think about Yu Nian. Xie Lingfeng had taken him out to bars a few times, too, and he'd met people prettier than Yu Nian, who said all the right things and indulged his every whim. Yet somehow, none of them felt right.

Later, he had run into Yu Nian at school several times, only for Yu Nian to act as though he didn't exist. An inexplicable anger had welled up inside him.

Even if he'd wronged Yu Nian first, the speed at which Yu Nian had turned against him still left him speechless. He'd always been the one to dump other people. Since when did anyone get to treat him like this?

He had found Yu Nian's livestream through his Weibo, and seeing that face only made him yearn for him more. It had been so long since he'd seen Yu Nian smile at him with such relaxed ease.

After learning that Yu Nian was going to Cloud-Gathering Mountain, Qin Yu had found an excuse to slip out late at night, hoping to see him.

He hadn't expected Qin Yuheng to come along as well.

Qin Yu felt utterly stifled, but there was nothing he could say.

He was terrified Qin Yuheng would notice something, yet also afraid he wouldn't get to see Yu Nian this time.

Qin Yuheng had never watched him this closely before. He had no idea what had gotten into his brother lately, keeping him on such a tight leash.

Standing to one side, Yu Nian felt a little awkward at Qin Yuheng's words.

Qin Yuheng really could be blunt sometimes, especially when it came to undermining his younger brother.

He nodded at Qin Yuheng. "What brings you here, Brother Yu?"

Qin Yuheng looked at him. "Just taking a walk."

Yu Nian: "..."

That was quite a walk. He'd been at home last night, and by this morning, he'd come a hundred and fifty kilometers.

Then again, he might have come to accompany his younger brother.

Yu Nian didn't dwell on it. "Well, enjoy yourselves. I'll be going."

"Nian-Nian, since we've run into each other, why don't you come with me?"

Yu Nian's expression soured a little. With Qin Yuheng right there, he probably couldn't keep giving Qin Yu the cold shoulder without making him suspect something had happened between them. But he didn't want to give Qin Yu what he wanted, either.

"No, thanks. I walk slowly. I won't hold you up."

Qin Yu had clearly also realized that Yu Nian couldn't easily lash out with Qin Yuheng present, and he immediately seized the opening. "It's fine, it's fine. We're here to have fun, too. We can take it slowly."

"Nian-Nian, I was wrong about some things before, and I apologize. But we've known each other for a while, and we even happened to run into each other here. Can't you stop being angry with me?"

Yu Nian sneered inwardly. Qin Yu was counting on Qin Yuheng not knowing what had happened between them, using his brother's presence to pressure Yu Nian into accepting his apology so he couldn't bring it up again later.

But Yu Nian had no intention of letting him off so easily. He simply spoke to Qin Yuheng alone. "Brother Yu, I hope you both have fun."

Qin Yuheng nodded.

Yu Nian turned and left without giving Qin Yu so much as a glance.

So what if Qin Yuheng grew suspicious? Did he have to play along just because Qin Yu dared to pull these tricks?

As for explaining things to his brother, Qin Yu could figure that out himself.

Shocked that Yu Nian had so thoroughly rebuffed him, Qin Yu wanted to chase after him, but Qin Yuheng stopped him.

"When did I ever teach you to pester someone who wants nothing to do with you?"

The words were softly spoken, yet Qin Yu shuddered.

He didn't dare look at Qin Yuheng's face. For a moment, he thought his brother might have seen through something.

"I-Brother, we just had a little disagreement. I'm trying to apologize to him."

Qin Yuheng's gaze settled on the figure ahead. As its wearer hurried along, the little bear hat looked almost indignant, its two ears bobbing with every step.

Qin Yuheng slowly looked away. "What disagreement?"

Qin Yu swallowed and said vaguely, "Just some minor friction between friends. Don't ask. I can handle it."

Qin Yuheng gave a faint scoff. "Your way of apologizing is to harass someone?"

For some reason, Qin Yu felt that Qin Yuheng was especially intimidating today. He stole a glance at him and saw a brooding look between his brows, his expression dark.

A chill crept up Qin Yu's spine. "I know I was wrong, Brother. I won't ever do it again."

Qin Yuheng watched the little bear ahead amble into the distance before saying coldly, "You'd better not."