Beneath Him

Finally lost your temper?

Yu Nian sneered inwardly, but he was the one who had every right to be angry.

Still, he hadn't come here to vent at Qin Yu.

Seeing how Qin Yu hadn't looked the least bit guilty upon meeting him, Yu Nian suddenly understood. Not only did Qin Yu not care about him, he wasn't even a decent person.

And now, the person who should have apologized was lashing out at him as though he were in the right. Yu Nian abruptly lost all desire to talk to him and turned to leave.

"Wait, explain what you mean." Qin Yu grabbed his hand, then noticed someone passing by. After a moment's hesitation, he let go and asked quietly, "Are you serious?"

"Didn't you say I was overstepping?" Yu Nian said coldly. "Then let's break up. Whoever you do whatever with is none of my business."

"You-"

Qin Yu simply couldn't understand why Yu Nian, who had always been gentle and good-tempered, would suddenly break up with him. As far as he was concerned, these were utterly trivial issues.

If Yu Nian felt hurt, he just needed to soothe him a little. Once he gave him an opening to back down, that should have been enough.

Had I just not said what he wanted to hear yet?

Qin Yu thought for a moment and took out his phone. "How about this? I'll transfer you two hundred thousand. Buy whatever you want until you're no longer angry, all right?"

That approach had worked pretty well on his exes. Any problem money could solve wasn't really a problem.

Yu Nian clenched his fists tightly, his patience exhausted.

He couldn't deny that he had still harbored a sliver of hope when he came here. What exactly had he been expecting from this man?

He shoved Qin Yu away, his voice trembling with agitation and turning hoarse. "No need!"

The shove angered Qin Yu too. "Why are you so unreasonable? An apology isn't enough, and you don't want money either. I've never met anyone as difficult as you!"

"Qin Yu," Yu Nian called his name, swallowing through the tightness in his throat. "Do you still remember what I gave you last night?"

"..."

Qin Yu was briefly at a loss for words. Seeing how upset Yu Nian looked, his anger gradually subsided. "Your gift... there were too many gifts. I was excited at the time and forgot. Just wait until I go back and sort through them. I'm sure I'll find it."

"Don't bother. Let's leave it at that."

Yu Nian's voice was very quiet, carrying the exhaustion of someone who had finally stopped struggling.

He usually scrimped and saved, reluctant even to upgrade his gaming setup. Knowing Qin Yu liked that brand, he had done his research and spent two months' salary on a necklace.

And now Qin Yu had dismissed it with a simple "I forgot."

"Nian-Nian..."

When Yu Nian left this time, Qin Yu only called softly after him, too embarrassed to stop him again.

Yu Nian was easygoing, but that didn't mean he had no boundaries.

Once a matter of principle was involved, he would never forgive it.

Qin Yu was too arrogant, and he didn't understand him well enough.

He had always assumed Yu Nian was a pushover, softhearted and easy to manipulate. So after Yu Nian broke up with him, although he felt a momentary pang of guilt, he didn't humble himself and beg to get back together.

As the Qin family's second young master, he had countless people fawning over him. Going after Yu Nian now would be beneath him.

If Qin Yuheng hadn't repeatedly warned him against throwing the Qin family's name around, even more people would have been falling over themselves to please him.

Who did Yu Nian think he was?

Once he truly realized what he'd lost, he'd know what regret felt like.

Despite thinking that, he still couldn't resist taking out his phone.

He glanced at his chats. There were plenty of messages: notifications from university clubs and class groups, friends clamoring to go out drinking and partying with him. He had added quite a few people at his birthday banquet too, and his inbox was now overflowing.

But there was nothing from Yu Nian.

It had already been two days. Could Yu Nian really hold out without contacting him?

"Mr. Qin, this must be your younger brother. What a fine young man. The Qin family really does produce outstanding young talents."

Qin Yu came back to himself and saw a middle-aged man standing before him, holding a wineglass and speaking to his brother with a smile.

Qin Yuheng had one hand in his pocket, his finely defined fingers supporting a stemmed glass. Poised and elegant, he replied in a low, cool voice, "You're too kind."

"You're being modest. This is my daughter, Tao Yan. Come, Yanyan, say hello to Mr. Qin and the second young master."

The girl named Tao Yan was pretty and poised, her gentle manner carrying the distinctive vitality of youth. She greeted them politely.

Qin Yu nodded at her, then heard Mr. Tao remark with feigned casualness, "Yanyan and the second young master both attend Yanda Institute of Technology, don't they? What a coincidence."

"I've spoiled my daughter at home, so I really do worry about her at university. I hope you'll look out for her from now on."

Qin Yu felt disdainful, but he couldn't help feeling pleased too.

The blow Yu Nian had dealt his ego was soothed here.

He knew these people's tricks all too well. They went to every possible length to ingratiate themselves with his family, hoping for a chance to marry into it.

Qin Yuheng was cold, proud, and difficult to approach. In earlier years, people had tried slipping someone into his bed, both men and women. After being taught a lesson, they had learned to behave.

Qin Yu didn't understand why Qin Yuheng still hadn't dated or married either.

He had even secretly looked at Qin Yuheng's medical examination report. Everything was perfectly healthy.

He had also asked Qin Yuheng why he wasn't getting married. His brother had merely given him an expressionless glance and warned coldly, "If you're bored, you can enroll in a few more professional training courses."

Qin Yu hadn't dared ask again.

But he honestly couldn't imagine anyone worthy of Qin Yuheng, or picture what his brother would be like in a relationship.

With that stern face, wouldn't he scare his partner into tears?

In any case, since they couldn't get anywhere with Qin Yuheng, these people turned their attention to him.

Especially after he came of age, far more people approached him with a marriage alliance in mind.

Fortunately, Qin Yuheng didn't seem to have any intention of marrying him off for an alliance. As long as he didn't damage the company or the Qin family's reputation, Qin Yuheng left him alone.

Qin Yuheng clinked glasses with Mr. Tao again and said something quietly.

Qin Yu didn't want to get involved, but when he happened to glance over, he saw that Tao Yan's eyes were fixed on Qin Yuheng, her delight and admiration utterly undisguised.

Qin Yu snorted, irritation stirring inside him.

Of course he didn't like Tao Yan, but he disliked being outshone by Qin Yuheng even more.

Yet it always seemed to happen.

No matter how outstanding he was, once Qin Yuheng stood beside him, these people seemed bewitched, with eyes only for his brother.

Ignoring their small talk, Qin Yu walked away with his wineglass, his expression cold.

He took out his phone and checked again. Yu Nian still hadn't messaged him.

Hadn't two days of this sulking been enough?

Something suddenly occurred to Qin Yu, and he opened the streaming platform app Yu Nian used.

He had only used this app while pursuing Yu Nian, sending him virtual gifts a few times.

Deep down, Qin Yu looked down on these minor streamers. He thought they were no different from online beggars, putting on smiles whenever someone sent them a gift. It was beneath them.

Besides, streaming took up Yu Nian's time, leaving him less energy to spend on Qin Yu.

Qin Yu had a sizable monthly allowance, as well as a trust fund. He had originally planned to give Yu Nian a hundred thousand or so each month, enough for him to eat, drink, and have fun.

To his surprise, Yu Nian had refused no matter what he said, insisting on continuing to stream.

It had been one of the rare times Yu Nian took a firm stance. Qin Yu hadn't understood, but he had been so infatuated with him then that he let it slide.

He hadn't liked watching livestreams to begin with, though, and after that argument, he had never opened the platform again.

If Yu Nian dared to happily stream his games, I'd make him pay!

He tapped on Yu Nian's avatar and was surprised to discover that he wasn't streaming. There wasn't any notice announcing time off either, which was highly unusual for someone as hardworking as Yu Nian.

Qin Yu, however, let out a deep breath of relief, feeling a little pleased.

He knew Yu Nian had taken time off to attend his birthday banquet. Now that they'd fought again, he was probably in a bad mood and had no heart for streaming.

Qin Yu thought that was very likely. How else could he explain why Yu Nian wasn't streaming?

"Yu Nian? Why are you back at the dorm today? Don't you have to stream?"

His roommate Fang Xu returned to the dorm with a book in hand and was surprised to see Yu Nian sitting at a desk, eating fried chicken with their other roommate.

Yu Nian was busy chewing and couldn't speak.

Their other roommate, Bian Yan, explained for him. "We were assigned a group presentation in our general education class yesterday. Yu Nian and I are in the same group, along with a few people from other majors. One of them was only free tonight, so we stayed on campus to discuss the assignment. It was too late for him to stream afterward, so I asked him to come back to the dorm with me."

Yu Nian nodded, took a long sip of cola, and swallowed his food.

Bian Yan called out, "Fang Xu, come over! We brought you some pan-fried buns too. They're getting cold."

A hint of a smile flickered in Fang Xu's eyes. He set his book down and walked over. "Thanks."

Fang Xu was usually composed rather than boisterous like Bian Yan. Both of them were used to his reserved manner.

There were only three people in their dorm. Although their personalities were very different, they generally got along well.

Even after Yu Nian moved out in his second year, they still got together for meals from time to time.

Fang Xu went to the balcony to wash his hands, then came back and sat on a stool beside the long table. He heard Yu Nian say, "Yeah, I'm not renewing, but I haven't decided on a new platform yet."

Fang Xu pulled out a tissue to dry his hands and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Yu Nian explained, "We're talking about my streaming contract expiring."

Fang Xu didn't know much about it, but he still asked with concern, "I remember you've always streamed on Huajia Live. Why aren't you renewing?"

Yu Nian propped one hand on the table and said somewhat glumly, "It was fine at first, but then the platform changed its rules. They're not great for lower- and mid-tier streamers like us, and the atmosphere isn't as good as it used to be either."

Bian Yan saw it simply. He kept stuffing fried chicken into his already full mouth. "Eh, if ya don't like it, switch!"

The water dispenser was right behind Yu Nian. He turned around, poured some hot water, and passed it over. "Finish eating before you talk."

"Ahem. I mean, you've got quite a few fans now. Moving somewhere else should be fine, right?" Bian Yan took the hot water and drank a couple of mouthfuls.

"I've never switched platforms before. I might lose some followers." Yu Nian sighed. "But that's okay. I can build them up again. I just haven't decided where to go yet."

Fang Xu reassured him, "There's no rush. Take your time comparing a few. Are there any platforms you're considering? Maybe we can help you weigh them up."