Mu Yuze perceived it keenly when Chen Youzhi went still beside him, his shoulders tensed and grip tightening on the wheels. But soon after, he forced himself to relax and loosened his taut muscles, though the line of his jaws remained rigid. The shift was so subtle that Mu Yuze would have missed it had his senses not been attuned to the presence beside him.

"...the victims have been brought to the nearest hospital. Right now, the police are still investigating—" the female broadcaster’s voice was cut off when Chen Youzhi reached out to switch the channel. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Mu Yuze discreetly snuck a glance at the man through the corner of his eyes. Did something happen? Why did the man suddenly react like this? Or... was it due to the news they had heard just now?

He lowered his lashes and sank into contemplation. Nowadays, robbery and arson was no longer uncommon, but a bombing case was rarely heard of. After all, not everyone had the resources and knowledge to buy or create a bomb. But when all was said and done, rare did not mean that it had not happened before. Mu Yuze was certain that he had heard two or three cases just this year alone, and they all involved some kind of scheme between bigshots and major clans in the country.

Or in other words, it was not something that had to do with him – a poor and helpless orphan.

However, his life had turned upside down since yesterday. He was still an orphan, but now... he might have formed some connection with a rich nobleman. And judging by Chen Youzhi’s reaction, the bombing case seemed to have something to do with He Juan?

Distracted with their own thoughts, the two of them no longer spoke until they arrived at their destination. Mu Yuze clutched the duffel bag in his arms as he carefully jumped down from the car.

Then a furry head popped up from the bushes nearby and cried out to him softly. "Meow~"

Mu Yuze’s eyes lit up. It’s the cat from yesterday! His fingers twitched as he recalled the soft and fluffy sensation under his palm, but he stood rooted in place when he heard Chen Youzhi get down from the car, closing the door behind him. For some reason, Kitty did not approach either. It stayed crouched amid the bushes, round eyes staring at Chen Youzhi vigilantly.

"Hmm?" Chen Youzhi noticed the feline and raised a brow. "It is Boss’ stray cat. It likes you, huh?"

"It doesn’t like you?" Mu Yuze asked in confusion. In his opinion, Kitty was a very sweet and clingy cat, especially when he saw how it had snuggled into He Juan’s arms last night.

"To be exact, it dislikes everyone except for Boss. And now you." Chen Youzhi huffed. "Let’s go."

Mu Yuze turned back to Kitty and wiggled his fingers in goodbye. Silently, he promised that he would come down once Chen Youzhi left. Only after that did he follow the other man into the building.

As expected, the lunch was lavish and sumptuous. Mu Yuze was almost afraid to eat it, fearing that his cheap stomach – that had digested nothing but frozen food, expired bread and waste – would not be able to bear it, but in the end the hunger won over everything.

There were even a few side dishes he had not seen before. Pride forbade him from asking any questions and thus, he waited until Chen Youzhi ate them before he gingerly brought them into his mouth, relishing in the light and perfect flavor that awakened his taste buds. He almost wanted to stop eating so that he could save it for dinner. Almost.

He told himself that it was okay to finish his food, that he did not have to fear going hungry again... at least for now. While repeating the mantra over and over again in his mind, he brought the food to his mouth – chew, swallow, repeat.

As such, his eating speed slowed and he was just halfway through his lunch by the time Chen Youzhi finished.

"Take your time," the man told him as he stood up, pulled out a trash bag from the bottom cabinet to deal with the empty packages. Mu Yuze nodded, but still secretly tried to pick up his pace. He could tell that Chen Youzhi was distracted, his gait restless and he often glanced at the clock as if he had somewhere else to be.

Should he say something or...?

As Mu Yuze was contemplating the answer, he saw Chen Youzhi opened the top cabinet and took out a few sugar cubes packages – the same one he had seen He Juan eat this morning in relish – and... tossed them into the trash bag with a movement so natural as if he had done it countless times before.

Stunned, the question came out of Mu Yuze’s before he knew it, "Is it okay to throw them away? That’s..." he almost choked on his breath when he recalled how He Juan had insisted on being called Gege. No way he would say something like that! Uncle sounded kinda weird and in the end, he could only awkwardly settle with, "...Boss’ sugar cubes."

Fortunately, Chen Youzhi did not sense anything wrong with him addressing He Juan that way. "I’m confiscating it," he said grimly. "He has gone to the dentist thrice this year. I don’t want to have a Boss with black and rotten teeth."

The image of the attractive He Juan with black teeth automatically popped up in his mind, causing Mu Yuze to suck in a breath and promptly choke when the rice went down the wrong pipe. He coughed so hard that his thin shoulders trembled like a leaf. Goodness, this image was... it was not something he could afford to think of!

Seeing this, Chen Youzhi hastily handed him a cup of water and coughed awkwardly, "My bad. I didn’t mean to surprise you."

Mu Yuze shook his head and accepted the water. "No, it’s fine," he said after the coughing episode subsided. "You..." he hesitated for a while before deciding to bite the bullet and ask, "Don’t you have somewhere else to be? It’s okay to leave me here. I swear I won’t snoop around. I..." he pointed at the duffel bag in the living room. "I will just do my homework. In my room."

Chen Youzhi looked stunned as if he did not expect Mu Yuze to notice it. But then, he visibly slumped in relief and rubbed his face roughly. "You will...? Okay then, I’ll take you up on your offer. Oh and here," he rummaged into his pocket and pulled out a phone, placing it on the table in front of Mu Yuze.

Mu Yuze was stunned. What did the man mean by this?

"It’s my spare phone. Don’t worry, I have a lot and it doesn’t cost me a cent to give you one." Chen Youzhi explained thoroughly as if fearing that Mu Yuze would refuse, which was exactly what he had planned to do. "It will be easier for us to contact you this way. I have entered both mine and Boss’ phone numbers there. If you need something..." he paused in slight hesitation before saying, "Just call me. Boss is often busy and he may not answer your call."

Mu Yuze pressed his lips together and stared at the phone with a complicated gaze. He had no idea what he should be feeling right now.

But Chen Youzhi did not give him any time to sort out his thoughts. He grabbed the trash bag, car key and walked toward the door. "I’m leaving now. And one more thing," he turned around and fixed Mu Yuze with a piercing stare, causing the latter’s heart to skip a beat. "I know Boss will not say something like this to you, so let me be the one to do it."

"Stay true to your words and don’t snoop around. Better yet, don’t get any funny ideas. I can see that Boss treats you sincerely, but if you dare to betray him..." he narrowed his eyes sharply. There was no mistaking the surging killing intent within. "Don’t blame me for taking action."

"Wha..."

Mu Yuze was unable to come to his senses even after Chen Youzhi left the house. He was flabbergasted, bewildered and wronged in equal measure.

Betray? What did the man mean by that? Why would he betray He Juan? Moreover, he could not even be compared to a pinky of that man. Not only was he penniless, he had no network or resources whatsoever to speak of. Without He Juan, he... he had no idea what would become of him right now.

Just where did Chen Youzhi get the assumption that he was able to betray such a man?!

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A/N: guys we received another fanart from Ying, this time of Mu Yuze! QAQ kindly go back to ch 268, open the comment section and show your love there! ><