Lu Zhixing’s face was far too conspicuous. Too many people recognized him.
So Xi Yu had Luo Cheng’an bring out Zhixiao’s face instead. As for the family, they made up a casual explanation involving disguise magic and introduced Lu Zhixing as Xi Yu’s assistant, keeping him by his side.
Xi Yu had only just taken office as CEO, and Luo Yuan was initially a little worried. He stayed with him for a few days, but after seeing how experienced Xi Yu was and how sharp his judgment could be—how he effortlessly brought those senior shareholders who liked to throw their weight around to heel—Luo Yuan happily went off with his wife to show off to Lu Zheng just a few days later.
Inside the CEO’s office, Xi Yu sat in a well-tailored suit, with a stack of documents discarded to one side.
Nearby, Lu Zhixing was sprawled across a desk, fast asleep. One side of his face had been pressed red.
Xi Yu rubbed the bridge of his nose, then waved at the person standing in front of him.
“You can go out for now,” he said quietly.
“Yes, President Xi.”
Xi Yu sighed. It had been a long time since he’d felt this exhausted.
Managing the company itself wasn’t difficult, but there were so many tedious little matters to deal with. It seemed it was time to hire an assistant.
Xi Yu glanced at his “assistant,” Lu Zhixing.
Winter had arrived in City A. Perhaps because Lu Zhixing had been interacting with more people, he had become less naive. His intelligence had probably reached the level of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old.
Perhaps it was a characteristic of snakes, but lately Lu Zhixing had been sleeping an extraordinary amount. He could easily sleep sixteen hours a day.
There was a lounge in the office, but he refused to use it. He insisted on sleeping sprawled across the desk instead.
Lu Zhixing had recovered a little, and Xi Yu himself had also regained some of his strength. With a turn of his hand, a faint trace of spiritual energy swirled around his palm, incredibly weak.
Xi Yu walked over to Lu Zhixing and pressed his palm against the center of his forehead, transferring that tiny amount of spiritual energy into him.
Once the spiritual energy had dissipated, Xi Yu bent down and scooped Lu Zhixing up in his arms.
Still half-asleep, Lu Zhixing felt uneasy when his body suddenly left the ground. He instinctively hooked his arms around Xi Yu’s neck. When he half-opened his eyes and saw that it was Xi Yu, he buried his face against the crook of Xi Yu’s neck and called out sleepily, his voice clinging and drowsy.
“Big brother…”
Xi Yu had deliberately made him call him that.
He couldn’t very well keep calling him husband after bringing him out into public.
Xi Yu laid Lu Zhixing on the bed and kissed his forehead.
“Go back to sleep. I’ll stay with you.”
Lu Zhixing had long arms and legs, but he had absolutely no awareness of his own strength. With a sweep of one long arm, he pulled Xi Yu into his embrace.
Xi Yu figured it was lunchtime anyway. There was no harm in sleeping beside him for a while.
The heating in the room was turned up high, and Lu Zhixing’s face had flushed from the warmth.
Xi Yu gently rubbed his earlobe with his thumb, his gaze lingering on him with unmistakable affection.
Luo Cheng’an arrived after finishing his filming. He was dressed in motorcycle gear, and his hair had been dyed red for his latest role, giving him a particularly flamboyant appearance.
He pushed open the door to the lounge behind the office and immediately saw the two of them embracing so tightly they practically looked like a single person.
A pang of bitterness passed through him, though it was no longer as sharp as before.
He supposed he had become immune after seeing too many scenes like this lately.
And just as he had expected, ever since the incident with the Annihilation Formation, Xi Yu’s indulgence of Lu Zhixing had reached truly outrageous levels.
He practically had no limits.
Luo Cheng’an leaned against the doorway and knocked, making a little noise.
“Would the two of you kindly separate for a moment? It’s almost time for the banquet, and you’re still sleeping?”
Xi Yu pushed himself up and glanced at his watch. He clicked his tongue, then pried Lu Zhixing’s arm off him and got out of bed.
“I completely forgot.”
“Yu Qian has called me dozens of times. She’s terrified you haven’t seen her invitation. She also said you have to bring Lu Zhixing along.”
Luo Cheng’an looked at the sleeping Lu Zhixing with an amused, knowing smile.
“Are you bringing him?”
The buzz surrounding Xi Yu and Lu Zhixing’s public relationship had already died down. Since neither of them had posted any responses or interacted publicly for so long, many people were speculating that the couple had already broken up.
But even more people thought the young lovers were simply enjoying their private lives and were doing perfectly fine.
Xi Yu hesitated.
“I won’t bring him.”
Lu Zhixing was sleeping so deeply these days that, judging by past experience, he might not wake up until the following morning.
Besides, his face was currently like this. If someone with ulterior motives saw him and twisted the situation into a cheating scandal, it would be a huge hassle.
Luo Cheng’an curled his lip.
“What a good daddy you are~”
Xi Yu was already exhausted from dealing with him and nearly lost his patience.
“What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Am I wrong?” Luo Cheng’an said. “How is what you’re doing any different from taking care of your son?”
Xi Yu could only give an awkward smile.
Time was limited, so Luo Cheng’an took the two of them and teleported straight home.
Lu Zhixing was still asleep. Shen Qing and Luo Yuan had found the weather too cold and gone on vacation to City Y. As for the plan to register their marriage, which they had discussed earlier, they had decided to put it off until early spring next year.
Xi Yu changed into something more casual. It was Yu Qian’s birthday banquet, after all; there was no need to dress too formally.
Luo Cheng’an didn’t even bother changing. He wasn’t afraid of the cold. His red hair was impossible to miss, and at some point he had gotten an earring above his ear. Chains hung around his neck, clinking noisily as he moved.
“If those old-fashioned fossils in the Heavenly Court see you looking like this, you’re finished.”
Luo Cheng’an scoffed.
“The Venerable God of Luanxing raising a child is probably even more terrifying.”
Xi Yu didn’t bother trading barbs with him. He tucked Lu Zhixing’s blanket in more securely and said, “Let’s go. I’ll show my face and then come straight back.”
“Don’t actually treat him like a child,” Luo Cheng’an said. “You spoil him too much. Apart from having no memories, he’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself now.”
Xi Yu was too close to the situation to see it clearly, but Luo Cheng’an could tell that Lu Zhixing’s speech and behavior were already approaching those of an adult. It was just that Xi Yu indulged him far too much—feeding him, bringing him water, dressing him, and even attending to his washing and grooming.
What a fortunate life.
Luo Cheng’an glanced back at Lu Zhixing. He was now wearing Zhixiao’s face.
Luo Cheng’an had hated that face for so many years that merely seeing it still triggered an instinctive aversion.
Seeing someone he hated living a life as carefree as that of an immortal really did make Luo Cheng’an unhappy.
A faint trace of malice spread through his heart. His fingers twitched slightly, and a wisp of spiritual energy slipped into the center of Lu Zhixing’s forehead.
Lu Zhixing, who should have slept until the following day, slowly woke up just as Xi Yu arrived at the banquet hall.
“Big brother…” he called, his voice hoarse.
A small night-light glowed in the room, but no one answered.
Lu Zhixing was no longer the seven- or eight-year-old he had once been. He blinked, climbed out of bed, and called again.
“Big brother.”
Still, there was no response.
Lu Zhixing wanted to use his phone to call Xi Yu. But when he reached for it, he realized he had Xi Yu’s phone instead.
His own phone had run out of battery long ago. Besides, he preferred playing with Xi Yu’s phone.
Holding the phone in his hand, Lu Zhixing pressed his lips together as the shocking realization hit him: he had no way to contact Xi Yu.
Ever since Lu Zhixing had emerged from the Annihilation Formation, he and Xi Yu had hardly spent any time apart.
For a moment, Lu Zhixing was utterly at a loss. He ran downstairs barefoot, calling out as he went.
“Big brother! Big brother…”
There were no live-in servants at the Luo family home. Because of Xi Yu’s special circumstances, they had moved to this house and stopped employing a resident housekeeper, relying only on cleaners who came at scheduled times.
And now, it happened to be after the cleaner’s shift had ended. No one answered Lu Zhixing.
He stood in the living room, still wearing the pajamas Xi Yu had put him in before leaving. The heating was turned up high, and the floor beneath his feet was warm, yet Lu Zhixing still felt cold.
He bit his lip as unease closed in around him. His gaze lowered, and his eyes grew a little red. Then he noticed the black invitation with gold lettering lying on the coffee table.
Lu Zhixing bent down and picked it up.
…………….
“Yubao!!!”
The moment Xi Yu stepped into the banquet hall, he heard that familiar form of address—the one that made his scalp tingle.
Having people barely in their twenties call him that was genuinely embarrassing.
As today’s birthday girl, Yu Qian wore a crystal crown that made her look like a celestial maiden untouched by the mortal world.
Xi Yu’s gaze fell on her purple mermaid gown, its hem encrusted with sparkling rhinestones.
That shade of purple…
It looked a lot like Zhixiao’s scales.
Noticing where he was looking, Yu Qian smiled a little self-consciously.
“Does it look strange?”
Yu Qian rarely dressed so extravagantly, usually preferring simple, comfortable clothes.
Xi Yu shook his head.
“It’s beautiful.”
Yu Qian’s eyes curved into a delighted smile. But when she looked past him and Luo Cheng’an, disappointment immediately flashed across her face.
Lu Zhixing hadn’t come.
She had sent the invitation without expecting much, but Luo Cheng’an had assured her that he would definitely bring Xi Yu out. She had assumed that since Lu Zhixing and Xi Yu were a couple, there was a chance he would come too.
Heavens knew how badly she wanted to get her shipping-fan fix in person. As the head fan of the Following the Stars, Jade as One CP, she desperately wanted to witness their sweetness firsthand.
Luo Cheng’an understood Yu Qian’s thoughts perfectly well. He looked at Xi Yu with a knowing, amused smile.
Xi Yu cleared his throat and handed her the gift he was holding: a jade safety pendant, presented in a sandalwood scripture box carved with a lotus design.
“Happy birthday.”
Yu Qian accepted it and beamed.
“Thank you, Yubao~”
Of course, she didn’t open the box in front of Xi Yu. But just from the box alone, she could tell that whatever was inside was worth a considerable amount.
“Xiaoyu.”
A warm, gentle male voice approached from nearby.
Yu Qian’s expression stiffened for a brief moment, but she quickly recovered. She led Xi Yu into the banquet hall, deliberately steering clear of the man who had spoken without introducing him.
Xi Yu glanced at the man. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and the curve of his lips was perfectly measured. When their eyes met, the man nodded.
Xi Yu inclined his head slightly in return.
Luo Cheng’an leaned close to Xi Yu’s ear and whispered, “That’s Yu Qian’s older brother, Jin Congwen.”
“Jin?”
“He’s not her biological brother,” Luo Cheng’an explained. “Jin Congwen was brought into the Yu family ten years ago. There are rumors that he’s Mr. Yu’s illegitimate son, but Mrs. Yu doesn’t seem to mind at all. Who knows what the truth is? Anyway, those two siblings are pretty strange.”
Luo Cheng’an told Yu Qian not to bother with them.
Otherwise, Jin Congwen would keep following them around like a surveillance camera.
As the host of the banquet, Yu Qian did indeed have plenty of guests to attend to.