An Yubei returned to the company carrying the little cake and quickly became the center of attention.
Everyone looked at him differently: some with disdain, some with delight, and some with excitement.
They smiled strangely at him, as though they had spotted a new animal at the zoo-a rare one, at that.
An Yubei did not quite understand their looks. It had only been a little over an hour. How had things changed?
You Zhi casually draped an arm over An Yubei's shoulder and drawled, "Come on, back to work!"
An Yubei caught sight of several girls who were so excited they nearly screamed. They looked as though they were about to get nosebleeds.
So strange!
What's gotten into them?
An Yubei knocked You Zhi's arm away in displeasure. "You go ahead and get to work. I'm going to bring my brother the cake, then I'll come find you."
This was the cake You Zhi and An Yubei had won by pretending to be a couple, and An Yubei was actually going to give it to Ji Shang?
Weren't they supposed to eat it together?
You Zhi felt upset. He said sourly, "All you think about is your brother. You don't even want your husband anymore."
"Wifey, you don't love me anymore!"
Back at the couples' restaurant, his heart had nearly melted when An Yubei called him hubby.
He still could not forget how bashful An Yubei had looked while calling him hubby.
That soft voice paired with those sweet words had dealt a critical hit straight to the soul.
Who wouldn't love it?
You Zhi loved it too. Unfortunately, An Yubei's heart was not with him.
Winning An Yubei's heart was a subject that required some serious study.
Hearing You Zhi's outrageous remarks, An Yubei glanced warily around, afraid someone might overhear. Fortunately, there was no one else around.
Everyone was busy with their own work, and no one was paying attention to them.
"Shut up. You're never allowed to mention it again."
An Yubei warned him with kittenish ferocity, "You're a goldfish now. Your memory lasts only seven seconds. Forget everything, do you hear me?"
By now, An Yubei regretted selling his dignity for food.
How had he let You Zhi drag him into this? After thinking it over, he decided the cake being too delicious was to blame.
You Zhi had no intention of forgetting. He said pitifully, "Wifey, you're heartless. Now that you don't need me, you want to toss him aside?"
"Hmph, no way!"
An Yubei: "...!"
I really want to beat my past self to death!
He should never have called You Zhi hubby.
An Yubei said angrily, "I'll say it one more time. Don't call me wifey."
An Yubei narrowed his eyes and began making threats. "Otherwise, I'll delete all ten gigs on your computer's hard drive."
What was stored on that drive went without saying. It was a man's greatest secret.
You Zhi gritted his teeth. That was a collection he had built over years. Deleting it would be such a waste.
He and An Yubei could use it in the future, too. It absolutely could not be deleted.
"You win!"
Having dealt with You Zhi, An Yubei headed toward Ji Shang's office.
When Zhao Ze saw An Yubei, he hesitated before saying, "Young Master An, I'd advise you not to go in. President Ji is in a bad mood right now."
He might kill someone.
Zhao Ze had just witnessed Ji Shang snap a fountain pen with one hand.
That showed just how angry he was.
The reason for his anger went without saying. If his own younger brother liked men, he would beat his brother up too.
If An Yubei went in now, what got snapped might be his neck.
An Yubei frowned. "Why is my brother unhappy?"
Zhao Ze shrugged. "No idea?"
Even if he knew, he couldn't say!
An Yubei gave a quiet "Oh," then took hold of the handle and opened the door to Ji Shang's office.
Zhao Ze observed three seconds of silence, waiting for a furious roar.
He said inwardly, Rest in peace, Young Master An.
Yet after several minutes of quiet waiting, there was no arguing, nor any sound of things being smashed. Everything was so peaceful that there was not a single sound.
Zhao Ze frowned in confusion, wondering when President Ji's temper had improved.
He's already calmed down?
That was fast!
Meanwhile, An Yubei walked in and saw Ji Shang looking at his phone.
Who knew what infuriating scene he had seen? His brows were furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down. He was clearly furious to the extreme, with even the veins on his forehead bulging.
"Didn't I say no one was allowed in? You...!" Ji Shang looked up and saw An Yubei. His stern tone shifted, becoming gentle. "Xiao Bei, you're here?"
My brother changes expressions so fast!
An Yubei paused, then nodded blankly. "I came to bring you some cake."
My brother was so fierce just now. What exactly upset him?
Could it be that men have a few days like that every month too?
Is he on his man-period?
"...?"
Ji Shang turned off his phone and placed it facedown on the desk. "Did you go out to eat with You Zhi?" he asked gently.
An Yubei set the little cake on Ji Shang's desk and opened it. "Yes. You Zhi said he wanted to treat me to a meal, so I went."
"I brought this cake back especially for you. It's really delicious."
"It's that restaurant's signature cake. It's very sweet."
An Yubei pushed the little cake toward him as though presenting a treasure. "Try it, brother."
He had not even been willing to eat any himself, saving it all for Ji Shang.
Ji Shang did not touch the cake. Instead, he beckoned to An Yubei. "Xiao Bei, come here."
An Yubei knew what Ji Shang meant, so he settled onto Ji Shang's lap with practiced ease.
The more he sat there, the more accustomed to it he became, and the more natural it felt.
He leaned lazily into Ji Shang's arms and asked, "What's wrong, brother?"
My brother is unhappy. How can I cheer him up?
Ji Shang rested a hand on the back of An Yubei's neck, his tone neither pleasant nor unpleasant. "Did you enjoy eating with You Zhi?"
An Yubei recalled the delicious food he had eaten. That restaurant really was good.
"Of course I did. The food there is really delicious."
Uh, I don't think I can go try it with my brother. It's a couples' restaurant.
Although You Zhi was unreliable and had a somewhat flippant, laid-back air, his taste in restaurants was absolutely first-rate.
Unfortunately, it was not somewhere he could go casually. He could only go with someone he liked.
Hearing An Yubei's thoughts, Ji Shang's mouth turned down, and he felt even worse.
Going with me isn't appropriate, but going with You Zhi is?
"Xiao Bei, do you like You Zhi?"
Ji Shang's words struck like a thunderclap, making An Yubei leap straight off his lap.
He said in horror, "How is that possible?"
An Yubei explained, "Brother, I don't like guys. I'm straight."
"Then why did you go to a couples' restaurant with You Zhi?"
"You Zhi said he wanted to treat me to a meal. I didn't know it was a couples' restaurant. He said we could pretend to be a couple to get in and eat."
An Yubei stressed, "We really just wanted to get in for the food."
Brother, everything I'm saying is true. You have to believe me!
After hearing An Yubei's explanation, much of the sour jealousy in Ji Shang's heart eased.
He reached out, pulled An Yubei back, and pressed him down onto his lap again. "If you don't like him, why did you call him hubby?"
"...!"
How does my brother know everything?
I have no secrets!
I'm doomed, I'm doomed. How am I supposed to explain this? How can he prove his innocence?
Heavens, he really only went along with You Zhi's video and called him hubby for the cake. He wasn't serious at all.
Even I wouldn't believe that if I said it. Will my brother believe me?
Just as An Yubei was agonizing over how to explain, he heard Ji Shang chuckle softly. "All right, all right. I believe you, Xiao Bei. It was all a misunderstanding."
Overwhelmed with gratitude, An Yubei hugged Ji Shang. "Thank you for believing me, brother."
Even though he had not explained yet, his brother already believed him.
After acting spoiled for a while, An Yubei got up to cut the cake.
"Brother, let's have some cake!"
"You Zhi paid for it. We might as well eat it."
While looking for a small plate, he heard a splat behind him.
An Yubei turned around and saw that the little cake, which had been sitting perfectly securely, had fallen onto the floor, becoming an unappetizing heap of smashed cake.
"...!"
Ji Shang said apologetically, "Sorry, I accidentally knocked it off. I'll buy you a new one."
Although he was apologizing, there was no trace of apology on his face.
An Yubei: "...!"
My brother seems to have done that on purpose!