The next day, Ye Mingxuan snored soundly until ten o’clock. Waking up feeling refreshed, he realized he hadn’t slept well these past few days due to preparations for the alumni association performance. This time, he’d almost made up for all the lost sleep.
He sat up for a moment, ran his fingers through his hair, then got out of bed. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Ye Mingxuan wandered around the bedroom in a daze, only to discover his phone was missing.
He figured it must have been left in the piano room yesterday. Ye Mingxuan pushed open the door and went out. He found his phone on the sofa in the piano room. He couldn’t recall when it had ended up there, guessing it must have slipped out of his pocket when Tan Sizhe had lifted him onto his lap.
Ye Mingxuan unlocked his phone screen and saw a missed call. Seeing the caller’s name, Ye Mingxuan felt a rush of heat to his head.
Brother Yu Sen… Why would he call me?
He checked the time of Yu Sen’s call. At that very moment, he’d been pinned against the piano by the man, whose large hands cupped his rounded buttocks.
Ye Mingxuan’s face flushed fiercely. He violently shook off the intrusive thoughts and walked to the balcony to return the call.
The phone rang only twice before being answered, as if the other party had been waiting. Ye Mingxuan’s white shirt fluttered in the cool autumn breeze. “Brother Yu Sen, did you call me yesterday?”
“Mingxuan, I did call you yesterday, but you didn’t answer. I was afraid something might have happened, so I didn’t call again.”
Ye Mingxuan panicked: “I… I’m fine. I went to bed early yesterday.”
Yu Sen spoke gently: “You must have been exhausted yesterday.”
He was referring to yesterday’s alumni gathering. Ye Mingxuan stared at the freshly polished piano, his rounded buttocks twitching slightly: “I… I’m okay.”
“Actually, I wanted to ask if you’re free today. I have something for you.”
The typhoon winds were picking up. Ye Mingxuan gripped his phone tighter and took a couple steps indoors. “Brother Yu Sen, I’m free.”
Yu Sen: “I’ll send you the address later. It’s near your school.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Okay.”
…
An hour later, Ye Mingxuan arrived at the restaurant Yu Sen had reserved. Spotting Yu Sen, he smiled: “Brother Yu Sen.”
Yu Sen looked up from his seat. Ye Mingxuan wore a gray denim casual outfit—a white hoodie layered beneath a denim jacket featuring an embroidered bear on the chest, radiating youthful vibrancy.
Ye Mingxuan pulled out a chair and sat down. Yu Sen stared at his outfit for a while. “Mingxuan, this outfit… I think I saw it online. It looks pretty pricey. Did you buy it?”
“…” Ye Mingxuan’s heart tightened. He’d forgotten he needed to keep up his act in front of Yu Sen. Sweat broke out on his forehead. Unable to meet Yu Sen’s gaze, he took off his jacket. “Second… secondhand.”
Yu Sen nodded thoughtfully. To convince him, Ye Mingxuan added, “I’ve been working part-time to earn some living expenses.”
“I see,” Yu Sen smiled. “Is it tiring?”
Ye Mingxuan shook his head.
Yu Sen said, “Actually, if you need living expenses, you could tell me.”
Ye Mingxuan immediately retorted, “I have enough. I don’t need it.”
Yu Sen knew Ye Mingxuan’s circumstances well and didn’t believe him for a second. “Let’s order first. Deal? This time, I’m treating. No arguing.”
Ye Mingxuan gave a slight nod and opened the menu.
The dishes arrived quickly. Ye Mingxuan sipped his lemon water as Yu Sen said, “I heard about what happened yesterday.”
Ye Mingxuan looked up. Yu Sen continued, “Yufan went way too far this time. I told him to apologize to you, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Mingxuan, I’ll speak to Uncle Ye and Aunt Zhang. I’ll make sure they give you justice.”
“Forget it, Yu Sen,” Ye Mingxuan said, his fingertips tapping the rim of his cup. “Do you really think they’ll give me justice?”
Yu Sen froze. He sensed something different about Ye Mingxuan compared to before. In the past, he probably wouldn’t have said that. Ye Mingxuan had never dared to defy Ye Xiangkai and Zhao Dongxuan.
He frowned with concern. “I… I’ll try my best to persuade them.”
Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together in a faint smile, offering no reply. He changed the subject: “Let’s eat. The food will get cold.”
Yu Sen lowered his eyelids and murmured a low “Mm.” Noticing Ye Mingxuan’s low spirits, he realized this wasn’t what he’d intended when inviting him over today.
He picked up a chicken wing and placed it in Ye Mingxuan’s bowl. “Sometimes I think growing up is great—no more parental restrictions, and you can hang out with friends all the time.”
“See? Now I can just come out to eat with you whenever I want.”
Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together, staring at the chicken wing without taking a bite.
For him, life now was indeed better than when he was a child. But if he hadn’t married Tan Sizhe and was still living in the servants’ quarters of the Ye household, would he even have this kind of life?
“Mingxuan?” Yu Sen tilted his head, waving a finger in front of him. “Why aren’t you eating?”
“…Eat.” Ye Mingxuan lifted his eyes, offering a shy smile before lowering his head to bite into the chicken wing.
Yu Sen rested his chin on his hand as he watched him. The latter puffed out his cheeks while eating, his eyelashes fluttering. A hint of regret flitted across Yu Sen’s eyes: “Sorry I didn’t get to see your performance yesterday.”
Ye Mingxuan froze: “It’s fine, Yu Sen. It wasn’t like it was some big deal.”
Yu Sen: “But it was my first time seeing you perform. Of course it was important.”
“When did you learn to play the piano? How come I didn’t know?”
Ye Mingxuan opened his mouth, unable to say Tan Sizhe had taught him: “I… practiced in the school club.”
Yu Sen: “You play better than I do.”
Ye Mingxuan: “You flatter me, Yu Sen.”
“Oh, right.” Yu Sen pulled a bag from under the table. “Here, take this. I think you’ll need it.”
Ye Mingxuan: “What is it?”
Yu Sen’s voice was soft and measured: “Open it when you get back.”
Ye Mingxuan accepted it, confused.
Yu Sen didn’t eat much during the meal—he needed to control his weight for his performances. But seeing Ye Mingxuan eating sparingly too, he couldn’t help asking, “Why not eat more? You’re still growing.”
Ye Mingxuan discreetly covered his lower abdomen, where a vibrant little life had been growing more noticeably these past days. “Not hungry.”
Yu Sen took his coat. “Alright then, I’ll walk you home.”
“No need, Brother Yu Sen!” Ye Mingxuan snatched his coat back, shook it out, and slipped it on. “I can manage on my own.”
Yu Sen: “That won’t do. The Ye residence is quite a distance. Come on.”
He took Ye Mingxuan’s arm. The other’s phone accidentally fell to the ground. Yu Sen stopped Ye Mingxuan—“Let me,” he said, bending down to pick it up. He discovered it was an iPhone 16 Pro.
Yu Sen froze for two seconds. Just then, the phone screen suddenly lit up. Tan Sizhe’s name appeared boldly on the incoming call notification.
Ye Mingxuan’s eyes widened as he snatched the phone back. “Seriously, no need! I… I have plans with Jiale. I’ll head over soon.”
“…Oh, okay.” Yu Sen thought he’d misread it, assuming Ye Mingxuan had a friend surnamed Tan, and didn’t think much of it.
Yu Sen: “I’ll be going then. Take care on your way.”
Ye Mingxuan: “Mm.”
After bidding farewell to Yu Sen, Ye Mingxuan leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily. He picked up his phone, saw the missed call, and swiped his finger across the screen: “Sir?”
“Aunt Fu said you went out to eat with a friend?”
“Where? Do you need me to pick you up?”
“No need, sir. I can make it back on my own. It’s not far from home.”
“Alright, get home safely.”
Ye Mingxuan exhaled heavily. A single meal had turned into a heart-pounding ordeal.
He hadn’t expected Tan Sizhe to call. He wondered if Yu Sen had seen who the caller ID showed.
Following Tan Sizhe’s instructions, he returned home twenty minutes later. He exchanged a brief greeting with Aunt Fu, who was wiping dishes. She gestured toward a bag on the table: “Madam, this is for you from Mr. Tan. He said you might need it.”
“For me? Useful?” Ye Mingxuan walked toward the sofa with skepticism, only to find a bag lying there—exactly the same as the one Yu Sen had given him.
No way…
He grabbed the bag and dashed into his study, locking the door behind him. He walked to his desk and emptied both bags onto the surface.
Placing them side by side and lifting the lids, he was startled to find two identical white formal gowns. It was the very outfit Ye Yufan had cut up—they had procured brand-new replicas of the same style.
Since the original gown had been rented and damaged, requiring compensation, they had simply sent new ones to facilitate Ye Mingxuan’s return to the rental company.
Two identical outfits lay before him. The only difference was that Tan Sizhe’s seemed to carry a faint, masculine scent.
Ye Mingxuan shifted his gaze between the two boxes. Warm yellow light fell on his lashes. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering. Then he reached out, grabbing Tan Sizhe’s box.
