The following afternoon.
Xie Zhuzhou changed into a light-colored couture outfit. These were all sitting in his wardrobe, so there was no need to rush off and have anything custom-made. In a sense, the Ji Family was already inhumanly rich.
When night fell, Xie Zhuzhou arrived at the banquet celebrating the Sheng Family patriarch's seventieth birthday.
Before entering, he could see a spacious swimming pool beside the banquet venue, shaped like a curved blade, as though turning water into baleful energy to keep evil things outside at bay.
Inside, the hall was lavishly decorated. Magnificent chandeliers, sumptuous curtains, and exquisite decorative touches made the venue seem like a fairy-tale world.
The men and women at the banquet all wore splendid formal attire. Laughter and conversation filled the elegantly decorated hall, while classical music flowed gracefully through the ball.
People's elegant manners and smiling expressions gradually made the world of modern wealthy families feel real to Xie Zhuzhou.
But after growing used to watching the prestigious clans of the Great Yan Dynasty compete to outshine one another at banquets, he did not find the sight quite so overwhelming.
Xie Zhuzhou was a new face, and his slender build made him look very tall. As he slowly approached, everyone could see his stunning face: his peach blossom eyes held an air of ease and nobility, his nose was high and finely shaped, and his lips were perfect. His crisp, light-colored couture suit fitted his shoulders, broad without being bulky. His straight back tapered naturally downward, leading to a pair of long, straight legs wrapped in expensive fabric.
Those who knew the inside story could only envy the two handsome brothers.
After bringing him inside, Ji Wangchen did not leave him off to one side, but kept him close. When people came over to talk, they would ask about him. Ji Wangchen simply said, "My younger brother."
As for which younger brother, no one quite dared to guess.
Fine, rainlike waterfalls had been installed on both sides of the terrace, making it a space for private conversations. Ji Wangchen brought him here to rest and would come to fetch him after his maternal grandfather finished his speech.
Well, Ji Wangchen really could not keep him at his side every moment, and he was happy to have some freedom anyway. After all, Ji Wangchen had just taken him to eat some delicious little cakes.
Once Xie Zhuzhou was no longer beside Ji Wangchen, someone could not resist asking, "Wangchen, that wasn't your illegitimate younger brother, was it? You actually brought him here?"
"He isn't someone you can afford to offend."
No one had expected that Ji Wangchen, who never cared what others said, would one day warn people in public.
It seemed that boy really was not to be trifled with.
With Ji Wangchen backing him, much of the gossip about Xie Zhuzhou died down.
Sitting on the terrace, Xie Zhuzhou looked at his phone and remembered that he had not replied to Chu Yanzhang earlier because it had been inconvenient. He felt his pocket, considered for a moment, and sent a voice message.
He was not making idle conversation or anything else. Xie Zhuzhou was learning about Chu Yanzhang's past, wanting to know whether the puppy had been bullied.
Meanwhile.
Chu Yanzhang, the poor little puppy in someone's eyes, was holding his phone, deftly sending Xie Zhuzhou messages using its accessibility mode for the blind.
His gaze was fixed, like frozen time, unable to flow.
His long, slender fingers with their well-defined joints touched the cold phone, and a faint smile spilled from the corners of his lips.
Wu Chang, special assistant number two, was filling in for Wen Shuming and reading a report aloud to Chu Yanzhang. But lately, Chu Yanzhang could not take anything in. Despite being unable to see, he could not put down his phone, like someone with a severe internet addiction.
Wearing a pale yellow knitted cardigan, he sat in a chair in an old courtyard. His skin was cool and pale, his brows looked drawn in ink, his eyes were deep-set, and the bridge of his nose was straight and high. His pale lips were lightly pressed together, and his perfect jawline led down to his neck.
He looked very docile.
Wu Chang was speechless at how docile his boss seemed just then. He was practically a different person from before he went blind!
"I want to give him something to thank him. Wu Chang, what do you think I should give him? He doesn't want pretty things. How about something practical?"
"I heard Mr. Xie likes handsome men. Send him a few more handsome men. He'll definitely like that."
Chu Yanzhang: ...
"I don't want to hear it. You don't say anything nice."
Wu Chang remonstrated, "Honest advice is hard on the ears, boss!"
Half a minute later, Xie Zhuzhou replied again. His calm, unhurried voice came from the phone. "Where did you go to university? Did you ever skip class?"
Wu Chang's stomach churned with sourness, but he still wanted to keep listening to the two of them chat back and forth.
The young man in the chair gave him no chance, however. After telling him to leave, he continued replying in a clear, bright, gentle voice, "Yes, when I overslept. What about you?"
On the other end, Xie Zhuzhou could not imagine what Chu Yanzhang looked like after oversleeping, but he must have been very dazed and bewildered.
Just as he was about to reply again, a figure suddenly entered his field of vision. Xie Zhuzhou looked up to see a young man wearing a deep purple couture suit.
It took him two seconds to recognize that cool, handsome face. Xie Zhuzhou lifted his eyelids slightly, a trace of something strange and complicated entering his gaze. Why does this guy keep haunting me?
"Why are you here?"
"I came with my family."
A shadow lingered in An Xinian's eyes as he continued, "You've never mentioned your family to me. Is this what you call being good friends?"
Xie Zhuzhou had had enough. Why won't this ever end?
"That was before. And unless I remember wrong, you never treated me as a friend, did you? You guarded against me like I was a thief, terrified I'd set foot in your circle of friends."
Something like that had indeed happened in Xie Zhuzhou's hazy memories.
"That was... Forget it. Let's not talk about that. You said you came with your family, so where are they?" An Xinian looked him over.
"Could you stop bothering me?" Xie Zhuzhou could not stand it. He did not want to cause trouble and had answered one more question out of politeness, only for this person to take that as an opening to push further.
"Xie Zhuzhou." An Xinian advanced step by step. "Am I someone you can provoke whenever you want and kick aside whenever you please?"
Xie Zhuzhou: ...
Just as he was about to swat away the hand reaching toward him, a third person arrived on the terrace and stood to one side, watching the show with interest. "Long time no see, Xie Zhuzhou."
It was Ling Zhenyang, the original owner's third fish, a famous race car driver. His identity was public, too: he was the third son of the Ling Family. The Ling Family's ancestors had once been local tyrants in the neighboring city. After something happened, their branch came to City A, put down roots, and gradually grew stronger.
Ling Zhenyang was also the most unpredictable of the original owner's three fish. He had once made the original owner climb halfway up a mountain on foot in the middle of the night just to bring him his favorite late-night snack.
Although one had been willing to dish it out and the other willing to take it, Xie Zhuzhou still found this person quite displeasing.
Seeing someone arrive, An Xinian resumed his cold, aloof expression, but the bloodshot streaks in his eyes were hard to ignore.
Xie Zhuzhou had no time for either of them. He left the terrace and headed straight for somewhere with fewer people.
"And what is your relationship with Xie Zhuzhou?"
Ling Zhenyang pointed at himself, then put away the smile at the corner of his lips and looked at An Xinian with a hint of warning in his eyes. "He and I are closer than friends, of course."
An Xinian scoffed coldly. "Really? But he doesn't seem to want to so much as acknowledge you."
Ling Zhenyang's half-lidded eyes snapped open, a vicious glint flashing through them. "A word of advice: stay away from him."