Life was really full of surprises, Mu Yuze thought as he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and walked out of the house that had sheltered him for the last fourteen years.

As long as he could remember, he had always yearned to get away from this hellish place, the further the better, but he thought that he needed to be a self-sufficient adult first to achieve it. But who could have guessed that his lifelong wish would be fulfilled soon after his father’s death?

And the one who took him away turned out to be a... dashing man in suits.

Unfortunately, this was not a fairytale. He was not a damsel in distress, and that man was not a prince riding on white horse either. There was still a possibility that his life would turn for the worse from now on and for that reason, he could not allow himself to let down his guard. He had to tread carefully and protect his own life, even more than what he had been doing in the past. Because he could sense that that man – He Juan, the one who had insisted to be referred to as ’Gege’ – was a dangerous man. Much more dangerous than Mu Sicheng.

Closing the door behind him, he walked out of the residential complex and caught sight of the burly and tall Chen Youzhi who was leaning against the old rusty gate with a cigarette pinched between his fingers, waiting for him. And as soon as Chen Youzhi noticed him, he instantly snuffed out his cigarette and threw it to the trash bin.

"You’re done?" He asked in a gruff voice.

Mu Yuze kept two meters of distance between them and nodded.

Chen Youzhi’s gaze landed on the duffel bag on his shoulder. He raised his brow, "Is that all?"

Again, Mu Yuze nodded.

One thing he had come to notice about Chen Youzhi during their short interaction was their similar no-nonsense and taciturn personality. Chen Youzhi wouldn’t mind him keeping mum even after half a day, a stark contrast to He Juan who would definitely try to cajole some kind of answers from him.

Embarrassment flooded him once he caught his thought wandering to the man yet again. And thinking about the man often led him to recall the accident this morning. Mu Yuze could feel his ears burning every time he recalled the glorious stretch of bare skin and sinewy muscles he had glimpsed upon. He hurriedly shook his head as if he could shake the image out of his mind this way.

What the hell was wrong with him? For God’s sake, there was nothing wrong with men walking around their own house half-naked!

He knew that he was making a mountain out of a hill; moreover He Juan had already apologized to him and promised that he would not make the same mistake anymore, but... but what was he supposed to do when he just could not bring himself to look at the man in the eye?

And much to Mu Yuze’s befuddlement, He Juan was so good at pushing his buttons, forcing him to vent out his most truthful feelings!

Was it just how the man truly was or... had Mu Yuze unknowingly played right into the palm of his hand?

While mulling over this question, he followed behind Chen Youzhi as they made their way back to the car. Mu Yuze tried to suppress his discomfort at once again being surrounded by such luxury, but he willed himself not to show anything on his face. It must have worked because Chen Youzhi did not ask anything at all.

"What should we eat for lunch?" The man asked in a casual tone as he drove into the main road.

Mu Yuze clutched the worn-out duffel bag to his chest, trying not to let the dust stick to the leather seat while replying, "Up to you. I am not a picky eater."

"Should we eat at a restaurant or do you prefer to have it at the Boss’ house?"

This time, Mu Yuze hesitated. He still recalled the look he received when he went to the restaurant with He Juan last night, and to be completely honest, it was not something he wanted to repeat the second time, with another person to boot. He was aware of how unsightly his appearance was. And when he imagined having to go through the contemptuous and scrutinizing look with Chen Youzhi by his side made him want to shrivel up and die. Thus he asked tentatively, "Can we just go back? There’s no need to go to the restaurant, I can even cook by myself!"

An amused huff escaped Chen Youzhi’s lips. "Do you think Boss has something like fresh ingredients in his refrigerator?"

Obviously, the answer was no. Mu Yuze had seen it when he took out the leftovers for breakfast this morning; He Juan’s refrigerator was completely bare save for a few sealed mineral water, cans of beer and an abnormal amount of bottled milk tea.

Without waiting for his answer, Chen Youzhi pulled up his phone to make a call. "En, it’s me. No, not the usual this time. Just something light and nutritious. For two. Yes, no excess oil and chili. I will arrive in... twenty minutes at most. Okay, thank you."

After he hung up, Mu Yuze found himself saying awkwardly, "You don’t need to go to such length." He was truly not used to being treated like this. There was a solid roof above his head, endless hot water for bathing and three warm meals a day – not to mention expensive and mouth-watering!

His attempt not to let his guard down was proven to be more difficult than he’d expected...

"Well," Chen Youzhi shrugged coolly. "You should bring it up to the Boss then. I’m just following his order." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

That succeeded in making Mu Yuze shut up immediately. No way! There was no way he could strike a conversation with He Juan right now! At least, he would need a few days to prepare himself mentally for that! As such, Mu Yuze could only grumble to himself.

Less than twenty minutes later, the car smoothly slid to a halt in front of a sophisticated and elegant two-story building. There was a sign hung on the front. Mu Yuze squinted his eyes and tried to read it to no avail. Pursing his lips tight, he looked away and turned to Chen Youzhi.

As it turned out, Chen Youzhi did not even need to get down from the car because as soon as he made another call, a waitress hurriedly came out to deliver the packages for him. "Careful, Sir! It’s still hot," the woman advised politely.

Chen Youzhi took the plastic bags from her and offered his thanks.

The woman caught sight of Mu Yuze sitting on the shotgun seat and a flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, but soon after, she looked away naturally and said nothing, causing Mu Yuze to heave a sigh of relief. He had no idea what he should do if the waitress tried to strike up a conversation.

Much to Mu Yuze’s confusion, Chen Youzhi did not pull out his wallet to pay, nor did the woman hand him the bill. And judging from the natural exchange, it did not look like this was the first time this had happened. Of course, the fact that Chen Youzhi could even make a reservation in such a short time with the other party knowing his usual order already proved their familiarity with each other.

So was being familiar meant that they did not have to pay?

Perhaps Mu Yuze’s attempt to conceal his confusion turned out for naught, Chen Youzhi suddenly said, "Boss is a major shareholder in that restaurant. That’s why, as long as it’s an order under his name, it will be given the first priority."

Realization flashed in Mu Yuze’s eyes. Of course, what did he expect? He Juan looked so graceful, noble and elegant, and he was driving an expensive car around. Moreover, he had said it himself that he was loaded.

Alas, Mu Yuze might have underestimated how ’loaded’ the man was. He could read between the lines that the restaurant was not the only share the man owned.

"He’s that rich, huh?" Mu Yuze mumbled under his breath. How did such a high-class man become involved with him?

Chen Youzhi let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, he is. You’re lucky that he has taken a liking to you, kid."

"Am I?" Mu Yuze asked bitterly. He could not even find it in himself to get angry at Chen Youzhi for taking him as a child.

He Juan was wealthy, powerful and attractive. Mu Yuze really had no idea why the man would take him in – this malnourished and abused child who could offer nothing to him at all. Was it a charity case? Or was it a rich person’s whims? Whatever it was, there would come a day when He Juan would get bored and fed up with him. And when that day came...

Mu Yuze had to prepare himself for being thrown back into the hell where he belonged.

His life and well-being was tied to the man’s mood. And he had to admit that it was a very unpleasant feeling.

He found himself wondering. Would it be better if he had never known such comfort before?

Chen Youzhi did not deign to reply to his cynical remark. Instead, he reached out a hand to turn on the radio, switched the channels a few times until he found light-hearted and upbeat music. "Do you mind?" He asked.

Mu Yuze shook his head. Any distraction to the negative thoughts in his mind would be much appreciated.

They spent the journey like this, utterly silent with only the cheerful music as the accompaniment. Until at one point of the time, the music ended and a female broadcaster started to report some headline news. "An explosion occurred in Queen of Spades Bar in West Ring Road, Shunan City, just three hours ago. So far, five deaths and fourteen injured have been confirmed..."

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A/N: guys, we received another mouth-watering and glorious fanart from Ying QAQ kindly go back to ch 269 and open the comment section to see it! Oh and don’t forget to show your love <3<3<3