A beauty in the making

As he painted, Yu Qingchuan suddenly remembered Lu Shiyi and hurriedly turned to check the heart rate displayed on the bedside table. For an instant, however, it changed, abruptly jumping from fifty to sixty before settling back down to fifty.

Yu Qingchuan froze. This was the first time he had seen Lu Shiyi's heart rate change. He quickly called Lu Shiyi's doctor at the Yu Corporation Private Hospital and explained what had happened.

He felt uneasy, worried that Lu Shiyi was in danger. But after checking the data remotely, the doctor said there appeared to be nothing wrong with his condition for the time being.

As for the change in his heart rate, it might mean Lu Shiyi's condition was improving.

"Eldest Young Master, Mr. Lu's physical injuries have fully healed. Only the brain damage remains," the doctor explained to Yu Qingchuan. "In someone in a vegetative state, consciousness is disconnected from the body. It's as if their consciousness is locked inside a sealed space, unable to communicate with the body. But a change in heart rate could also mean his brain damage is gradually healing, and that there's a chance he may wake up."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Yu Qingchuan's first reaction was delight. If Lu Shiyi truly could wake up, that meant their destinies could be changed, even if each had already been predetermined.

But then the smile slowly faded from Yu Qingchuan's face. He realized that if Lu Shiyi woke up, he would have to leave.

He had never expected this day to come so suddenly.

"May I ask roughly how long it might take him to wake up?" Yu Qingchuan asked softly.

"Eldest Young Master, there's no way to predict that. We can only rely on your regular observations. Generally speaking, it's a fairly lengthy process. It could take a month, two months, or even longer."

Yu Qingchuan bit his lip. "All right, I understand. Thank you."

After hanging up, Yu Qingchuan looked at Lu Shiyi's face and sighed softly. "Brother Yi, wake up soon."

No matter what, he still hoped Lu Shiyi would wake up.

Lu Shiyi's heart rate had changed because he had been secretly watching Yu Qingchuan. The moment he noticed him about to turn around, he had shut his eyes. His nervousness at nearly being caught had caused that brief change.

Lu Shiyi inwardly chided himself for being so careless. How could he stare at Yu Qingchuan like some creep? Hearing the dejection in Yu Qingchuan's voice, he naturally understood what he meant. As far as Yu Qingchuan was concerned, the moment he woke up, this little liar would have to leave. But that was all right. He would patiently coax him back.

Knowing that Lu Shiyi might wake up left Yu Qingchuan unsettled. He kept checking Lu Shiyi's heartbeat, afraid his eyes might open in the very next second.

Even that evening, while feeding Lu Shiyi nutrient solution, the sight of his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed made Yu Qingchuan think he was about to wake up. He even asked cautiously, "Brother Yi, can you hear me? If you can, move your Adam's apple twice in a row."

The man gave no response, however, and continued swallowing unconsciously.

Yu Qingchuan kept watching him well into the evening, leaving Lu Shiyi completely afraid to open his eyes and look at him again.

Before, Lu Shiyi would not have found it difficult to endure. But now that he could occasionally open his eyes and see Yu Qingchuan, keeping them shut all the time had become rather trying.

Especially since Lu Shiyi had discovered that he could now faintly hear sounds from the outside world even without Yu Qingchuan touching him.

Every last word of his younger brother's outrageous remarks reached his ears.

"Sister-in-Law, if my brother wakes up, will you still be willing to look after me and cook for me?" Lu Shiming had been thoroughly won over by Yu Qingchuan's cooking and was terrified he might never get to eat it again. "Sister-in-Law, my brother actually has a terrible temper. He's incredibly possessive. He might not even let you talk to other men in the future. Listen, you can't indulge him, okay? You have to treat it like training a dog. Don't let him get too well fed. Keep him wanting more."

Lu Shiyi sneered inwardly. His little brother still hadn't learned his lesson.

Yu Qingchuan laughed too. Lu Shiming really was a rebellious little brother through and through.

If he had the chance, he would truly love to see how Lu Shiyi put Lu Shiming in his place.

"Then I'll cook a little more for you over the next while."

Consider it my way of repaying you both.

Lu Shiming grinned. "You're the best, Sister-in-Law!"

Then Lu Shiming added, "Sister-in-Law, Brother Yao said he'll be at the office tomorrow afternoon and wants to meet you. I'll drive you over."

"Tomorrow afternoon? All right." Yu Qingchuan thought he would have to buy a new outfit tomorrow morning.

Yu Qingchuan's weight had been dropping steadily over the past few days. Since most of it was water retention, losing it quickly had not caused him any discomfort.

He had already lost seventeen jin. Now that he had slimmed down, the features that had once seemed bloated and unattractive were beginning to look delicate and pretty.

The biggest difference was in his trousers, which had become much too loose. Although a belt kept them from falling down, appropriate, well-fitting clothing was basic etiquette in a business setting.

So Yu Qingchuan called Yu Chenyi directly to ask for money to buy clothes, explaining that it was for their business partnership and did not count as frivolous spending.

Yu Chenyi also felt Yu Qingchuan had been doing very well lately, so he simply instructed his secretary to transfer him three hundred thousand to buy them.

On his second visit to a luxury store, Yu Qingchuan asked the sales assistant to bring him a mid-to-high-end suit to try on.

Based on his height, she quickly picked out a black suit.

After changing into it, Yu Qingchuan looked at himself in the mirror and could not shake the feeling that he looked like an insurance salesman.

The exquisite tailoring was already doing its best to make him look slimmer, but Yu Qingchuan himself was letting it down.

He was still a little too heavy. He would have to lose another thirty jin to return to his previous weight.

Still, Yu Qingchuan was confident.

He tried on two more suits afterward, but neither looked as good as the first, so he could only buy that one.

Together with a white shirt, leather shoes, a tie, and cuff links, the total came to ninety thousand.

It was not that he refused to buy more expensive clothes. He would probably be much slimmer by the next time he wore them. That could wait until he had finished losing weight.

The belts in this store were lovely. The black leather had a smooth, natural grain, and the buckle featured the brand's classic logo. It was understated yet tasteful.

This belt would really suit Lu Shiyi!

I'm buying it.

Yu Qingchuan pointed at the belt. "Two of these belts, please. Thank you."

The sales assistant found that a little odd. At over ten thousand apiece, these belts were not cheap, and people rarely bought two identical ones at once. She asked, "Sir, you would like two of the same belt, correct?"

"Yes." Yu Qingchuan nodded. One for him and one for Brother Yi. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Of course, sir."

The sales assistant quickly packaged the two belts and handed them to Yu Qingchuan, who paid without hesitation.

After buying his clothes, Yu Qingchuan stopped by the company first. He went over the materials he would need for that afternoon's partnership talks once more, then spoke with Yu Chenyi for half an hour before heading home.

Once home, Yu Qingchuan put the long trench coat he had previously bought for Lu Shiyi into a cabinet in his dressing room, then took out the belt and put that away for him too. He just did not know whether Lu Shiyi would use it.

If he wakes up someday and sees the things I bought, will he find them repulsive?

Probably not. Lu Shiyi is a very well-mannered man. He'll probably pack everything up and return it to me, then politely tell me not to contact him again.

Feeling a little dejected, Yu Qingchuan came out and poked Lu Shiyi's cheek, muttering, "Jerk."

Lu Shiyi: ?

Even as exceptionally clever as Lu Shiyi was, he could not guess why Yu Qingchuan had suddenly called him a jerk.

Lu Shiming came over for lunch. The temperature had dropped that day, so he wore a suit too. Compared with little insurance salesman Yu, Lu Shiming's perfect, over-six-foot figure looked even taller and straighter in a suit. He was so striking and handsome that everyone on the street would turn to look at him, leaving Yu Qingchuan deeply envious.

After lunch, Lu Shiming rested in the guest room for a while, then headed to Starbright International with the documents, of course remembering to bring the oil painting Yu Qingchuan had done for Liang Xingyao.

Lu Shiming's eyes lit up when he saw it. Ahhh, Brother Yao looks so alluring like this! You could practically call him your wife.

Immediately afterward, he wheedled Yu Qingchuan. "Sister-in-Law, paint one for me too."

His brother and Brother Yao both had one. How could he be left out?

Only then did Yu Qingchuan realize he had not painted anything for Lu Shiming. He quickly agreed. "No problem. Whatever style you want, I can paint it for you."

"Just paint it however you like, Sister-in-Law. I'll love it either way!"

Yu Qingchuan agreed. "Okay, I'll start tonight."

"There's no rush, no rush. Just do it whenever you have time, Sister-in-Law." Lu Shiming felt that life was absolutely wonderful now. Once his brother woke up, everything would be perfect!

Starbright International was not actually very large. Since it had no industrial operations, it employed only a little over a hundred people and occupied five floors in the tallest office tower in the CBD. It was not that it lacked the money to buy an entire building; having more space than it could fill would simply be wasteful.

Yu Qingchuan met the lawyer and assistant from the Yu Corporation downstairs, and they went up together to Liang Xingyao's office floor on the thirty-sixth floor.

Only Liang Xingyao and Lu Shiyi used this floor. Aside from their offices, it also had living quarters and a leisure area. The most eye-catching feature was an enormous open-air terrace with an exceptional view. Having a cup of coffee there each day, or taking a nap in the sunshine on a beanbag chair, would be sheer bliss.

Liang Xingyao was drinking milk tea on the terrace. Hearing the elevator, he turned around and immediately spotted Yu Qingchuan among the group.

His eyes brightened slightly. Well, well. Here's a beauty in the making.