Some got up at six to feed dogs, others got up at six to work themselves to death

Chen Yannan saw the email after adjusting the water temperature for Xue Chen.

His previously expressionless face darkened considerably after the video ended. Water soon began running in the bathroom. Chen Yannan could hardly throw Xue Chen out naked in the middle of his shower, but his patience would last only until the water stopped.

He did not want to ask why Xue Chen had done such a thing, but pushing Li Shu into the water alone was enough for him to refuse to let Xue Chen stay here any longer.

Li Shu had been wronged tonight, yet he had not mentioned a word of it during their phone call just now.

Instead, it was this young master Pei, who had been there "by chance," who had sent him the video.

Chen Yannan lit a cigarette, the lighter's deep blue flame illuminating his face.

He never smoked in the bedroom, but tonight was an exception.

The light in his eyes slowly faded. Anger and heartache kept gripping his heart. He was Li Shu's older brother. Though he was only a year older and they were not related by blood, in a sense, he had watched Li Shu grow up.

After Li Shu's parents divorced, his father had been busy with his career, and his eldest brother had been sent abroad at an early age, so Li Shu had trailed after Chen Yannan like a little tail.

Treating him as a younger brother, Chen Yannan deliberately ignored the feelings that were slowly crossing the line, putting Li Shu first in everything within the rules.

But now the delicate balance he had struggled to maintain had been disrupted. Even more frustrating was that he could not find the culprit.

The sound of running water stopped abruptly.

Chen Yannan stubbed out his cigarette. With a slight frown, he looked at the boy emerging from the bathroom and said coldly,

"Pack your things. I'll take you to a hotel."

Xue Chen froze, but one look at the man's expression told him what had happened. "Are you mad at me? You blame me for pushing Li Shu into the water, but why don't you ask what nasty things he said?"

Chen Yannan did not want to escalate the conflict, especially out of consideration for his father. Being explicit about many things would make the situation too ugly.

"Li Shu can be a bit unruly, but he's not someone who starts trouble."

"I'm not trying to argue with you, but please don't overstep either."

Li Shu had returned late last night. Fortunately, the dorm curfew during the holidays was an hour and a half later than usual. Otherwise, he really would have had to abandon his 1.5-by-2-meter single bed and go stay at a five-star hotel.

Despite going to sleep close to midnight, Li Shu climbed out of bed at first light, quickly washed up, and began rummaging through the clothes in the wardrobe beneath his bed.

Woken by the noise, Cheng Zhen forced his eyelids open through sheer willpower and checked his phone. Six thirty in the morning.

God, even farmwork didn't require getting up this early, did it?

"Shu, what's got you up so early? Something on your mind?"

Li Shu picked out his thickest scarf and wrapped it around his face, leaving only his big, sparkling eyes exposed. Meal card in hand, he had already reached the dorm door when he let out an "Oh!" upon realizing he had not changed his shoes, then turned back and bent down to put them on.

"I got back too late last night. I haven't fed Zhaocai yet."

Cheng Zhen squinted, taking a moment to process that. "Zhaocai? Which one?"

"You even forgot Zhaocai." After checking that he had not forgotten anything else this time, Li Shu headed for the door. "The dog, the dog, the dog! And after he wagged his tail at you last time, too. Next time I see him, I'm telling Zhaocai not to be friends with you anymore."

Cheng Zhen yawned and closed his eyes peacefully.

Because Hong Kong City was by the sea, the winter wind stung Li Shu's face. Following the original owner's memories, he arrived at a residential neighborhood outside campus.

"Here, boy!"

Squatting outside the iron fence, Li Shu picked up a twig and tapped on the iron gate. Before long, a little yellow village dog emerged from some corner and came trotting toward him.

Crunch, crunch-

Zhaocai wolfed down the dog food. Curious, Li Shu asked, "Is it really that good?"

He opened the bag of dog food and sniffed it, his expression hard to describe. "Nope, nope. You can keep the good stuff. I really can't get past that mental hurdle."

Zhaocai's tail spun like a propeller. "Woof, woof, woof!"

The boy and the dog were chatting away through the iron fence. Li Shu had no idea when a car had stopped on the road behind him.

Pei Song'an recognized the boy in the monogrammed scarf as Li Shu at a glance. He found a parking space, got out, and walked toward him.

Meanwhile, Li Shu was still chattering away.

"I got back late yesterday, and I ended up looking like a drowned rat." Not caring whether Zhaocai understood, Li Shu launched into his story. "I ran into Pei Song'an last night. He actually wanted to throw me into the sea to feed the fish!"

"Good thing I'm a genius, or who would be feeding you today?"

"Hey, don't just eat. Give me some kind of response."

The footsteps behind him stopped.

"When did I say I was going to throw you into the sea to feed the fish?"

In the dim light of dawn, Pei Song'an's voice came abruptly from behind Li Shu, startling him so badly that he landed butt-first on the ground.

"Holy-"

Li Shu was so startled that his hair stood on end. He turned in shock and met the man's unfocused gaze beneath his lashes. "Pei Song'an? What are you doing here? Why were you eavesdropping on me and Zhaocai?!"

Pei Song'an looked at Li Shu's face, red from the cold. His lowered gaze licked over Li Shu's moist lips, and he made no attempt to hide anything.

"After my morning run, I had an international conference call scheduled for six, and there wasn't time to get home. I had my driver pick me up so I could work in the car. Once it ended, I came back to campus to tidy my dorm room and get ready for the new semester."

"..."

You've got to be kidding.

Some got up at six to feed dogs, others got up at six to work themselves to death.

Li Shu's neck ached a little from craning it upward. He poured Zhaocai some water and stood up. "Going to the same school as you makes me feel ashamed of myself a lot."

"Anyway, I'm off to the cafeteria for those big steamed buns that cost two yuan each."

[Ding! Plot point detected...]

[Pei Song'an's paternal half brother, Shen Muwen, has learned that the counselor will select one student from the top 5% academically in the new semester to participate in the Economics Challenge organized by the Economic Education Society.]

[Task: guide Pei Song'an to sign up first.]

[Please note: Shen Muwen will arrive at the counselor's office at precisely eight. Time remaining to complete the task: one hour and five minutes.]

"Can I just tell Pei Song'an exactly what you said, word for word?"

Li Shu stopped in his tracks. Thinking Li Shu could not bear to leave him, Zhaocai happily barked twice more.

[Of course, but given Pei Song'an's personality, he'll classify you as a top-level threat who spouts nonsense, making him even harder to approach in the future.]

What was going on? The gaming experience was starting to go downhill.

With a resigned sigh, Li Shu turned back and used the same old trick, grabbing Pei Song'an's cuff again. Through gritted teeth, he said, "You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I'll treat you to steamed buns. Have as many as you want."

The great art of bribery.

The morning sunlight cast a shadow along the side of Pei Song'an's face. His long lashes trembled faintly when Li Shu's fingers settled on his sleeve. With his striking, deep-set features and sharply thin lips, he stared at the boy's delicate skin and suddenly understood.

"Had another dream?"

"You can dream on command. Impressive."