Offering himself

After Liang Xingyao finished speaking, the entire private dining room fell silent for a moment.

Yu Chenyi looked displeased, but faced with his firm stance, he had no choice but to compromise. "Mr. Liang, I'm only worried that Qingchuan won't be up to the task and that it might affect our partnership. But if you insist, we'll do as you wish."

"Good. Then let Qingchuan handle the contract signing." Liang Xingyao smiled. "I've been in meetings all day, and I really don't want to talk about work now. Mr. Yu, let's just relax tonight."

Yu Chenyi cursed inwardly. Liang Xingyao had foxlike eyes, and his personality was just as cunning as an old fox's.

He had originally planned to put Qingluo in charge of coordinating this project, but his plans had fallen through.

He had no idea what spell Qingchuan had cast over Lu Shiming.

For the first time, Yu Chenyi began to give serious thought to his eldest son.

At first, Yu Qingchuan had been a very lovable child, and their family of four had been happy together.

But at some point, Yu Qingchuan had changed. He had become irritable and quick-tempered, and his grades were abysmal. As his stepmother, Su Ningyue had hardly had an easy role, yet she had handled it very well. She had even written a parenting handbook for Yu Qingchuan and discussed with Yu Chenyi in advance how to raise his eldest son.

Yet Yu Qingchuan never behaved the way he wanted. Over time, Yu Chenyi had grown fonder of the refined, quiet, and accomplished Yu Qingluo.

He had even thought that, fortunately, he still had Qingluo.

Never mind. He was meeting Yu Qingchuan tomorrow evening anyway. This partnership with Xingyi was extremely important, and he would have to give him a stern warning so that Yu Qingchuan wouldn't act irresponsibly and ruin it.

The meal ended pleasantly enough for both hosts and guests. Lu Shiming didn't drink, and since this was a simple dinner gathering, no one pressed him to. He excused himself to use the restroom, intending to call his sister-in-law and claim some credit. He even secretly wondered whether he should leave his brother out of it and say he had taken the initiative to secure this opportunity for his sister-in-law.

After all, he was the one actually handling it. His brother had only needed to say a few words.

He had taken out his phone and found the number when a gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him. "Lu Shiming."

Lu Shiming turned and saw Yu Qingluo, whose business-casual outfit did nothing to diminish his handsome, refined air.

"I came to apologize." Yu Qingluo looked apologetic. "What I said last time was a little rash. I hope you won't take it to heart."

"You're apologizing to me?" Lu Shiming asked in confusion. "Shouldn't you be apologizing to Qingchuan?"

Yu Qingluo's feelings were complicated. Why did everything Lu Shiming said revolve around Yu Qingchuan?

"...All right. I'll apologize to him."

"That's more like it." Not wanting to talk to Yu Qingluo any longer, Lu Shiming happily went off to call his sister-in-law.

Yu Qingchuan nestled beside Lu Shiyi as he drew. His long lashes were lowered, and his eyes seemed filled with warm starlight. His hand was steady, the lines he drew smooth and flawless.

The young man looked exceptionally handsome when he was focused, radiant in a way that made it impossible not to be drawn to him.

Lu Shiyi lifted his eyelids slightly, taking it all in.

This time, the lighting was bright, and he saw the heart on Yu Qingchuan's face.

And he committed it firmly to memory.

Satisfied, Lu Shiyi closed his eyes and quietly waited for the next time he would wake.

Immersed in his drawing, Yu Qingchuan had no idea that the man beside him had already seen him.

His phone rang. Yu Qingchuan picked it up and saw that it was Lu Shiming.

"Sister-in-law!" The male lead's energetic voice burst through the phone's earpiece. "Do you know who I had dinner with today?"

"Who?" Yu Qingchuan asked.

Lu Shiming laughed. "Your father."

Yu Qingchuan froze for a moment. Why would Lu Shiming have dinner with his father?

Lu Shiming soon answered that question. "I went to fight for your share of the family assets! He should contact you soon and put you in charge of the partnership between Xingyi and the Yu Corporation, along with the follow-up work. You've got this, sister-in-law! If there's anything you don't understand, just ask me or Brother Yao. Oh, right, Brother Yao is my brother's business partner and boss. He's a really nice guy."

Yu Qingchuan was speechless.

He found it hard to believe. "Why would you help me with this?"

Lu Shiming didn't reveal that his brother had asked him to do it. Instead, he said, "Because you're the best, sister-in-law. You have to fight for those family assets."

Yu Qingchuan understood then that Lu Shiming had acted entirely out of goodwill.

For Yu Qingchuan, however, this was something of a headache. He had originally planned to give up the family assets and settle for a few dividends.

Besides, if Su Ningyue found out about this, she would probably come up with another way to hurt him.

But then Yu Qingchuan reconsidered. The chubby boy who had occupied this body before had known nothing, yet Su Ningyue had still dared to poison him. If she learned that he had found a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to help restore his health, she might try to harm him again.

A confrontation with Su Ningyue was only a matter of time.

And having some leverage was better than having none.

Once Yu Qingchuan had thought it through, he no longer resisted the idea much. It was just that he now owed the brothers another favor.

It really felt as though he would never be able to repay them.

"Thank you, Shiming. Thank you for being willing to do this for me. I'll make the most of this opportunity." Yu Qingchuan thanked him first, then promised him plenty of lavish meals before hanging up.

Listening, Lu Shiyi once again felt his hands itch. Apparently, his warning hadn't worked.

Very good.

After hanging up, Yu Qingchuan didn't resume drawing. His train of thought had been interrupted, and he began to reflect.

In his original world, it had been precisely because he had no means of protecting himself that others could hurt him without restraint.

Even if he wanted to be an artist devoted solely to his craft, he first had to be able to protect himself.

He could also use these resources to build connections with accomplished artists.

That didn't mean he was becoming mercenary, because he would always reserve a vast space in his heart for his art.

Only then did Yu Qingchuan realize that his original thinking had been far too simplistic. Even if he exposed Su Ningyue, Yu Chenyi would never let the matter become public, for the sake of the Yu Corporation's shares. Instead, he would be handing over his only leverage himself.

Bypassing Yu Chenyi and exposing everything directly would be even more naive. The Yu Corporation didn't belong to Yu Chenyi alone. There were other shareholders, as well as thousands upon thousands of employees. None of them would see him as the victim. Instead, they would regard him as the culprit who had cost them their money and jobs.

Without evidence, he might even be accused of spreading false rumors.

Fortunately, Lu Shiming's unexpected help had made him realize all this.

He turned to look at Lu Shiyi, feeling luckier than ever, and couldn't help lying down and hugging his arm. "Brother Yi, how can you and Shiming be so good to me?"

Back then, he had only lied to escape the plot. He had never expected to receive so much in return.

It made Yu Qingchuan feel increasingly contemptible.

He was like a thief, enjoying happiness that should never have been his.

The longer it went on, the more he lost himself in it, and the less he dared to tell the truth.

"Brother Yi, how should I repay you?"

Lu Shiming was easy enough. He was happy to cook for him. But what about Lu Shiyi?

Somehow, Yu Qingchuan's first thought was actually... to offer himself.