LNTSWJLY Chapter 73

The sun sank in the west, and the moon rose above the treetops.

Yu Zhi placed the new phone he had specifically bought that afternoon on a selfie stick. He adjusted it to a suitable angle and opened the livestreaming app.

After checking that the camera wasn’t capturing anything it shouldn’t, he nodded in satisfaction and looked away.

He had given his livestream room a very simple name:『Just Looking Around』 His username was even simpler. He had originally wanted to use a single period,『•』, but discovered that the platform didn’t allow punctuation marks in usernames. So he settled for『Period』instead.

The newly opened livestream room was practically empty. Occasionally, someone would click into it by mistake. Seeing that the streamer wasn’t speaking and that the only thing on screen was a pair of long, fair hands with clearly defined knuckles kneading dough on a cutting board, they would realize this was a cooking livestream and leave without much interest.

However, to support promising newcomers, the platform had a special ranking list featuring newly opened livestream rooms. Even new streamers received a small amount of exposure through it.

Gradually, one viewer after another began to appear in Yu Zhi’s rather unconventional livestream room.

One comment on the scrolling chat voiced what many viewers were thinking.

【I could spend a whole year licking those hands of the streamer’s!】

【Wouldn’t it be better to use those beautiful hands to promote hand masks? Why bother entering the livestreaming business, where it’s hard to make money and even harder to become famous?】

【In my experience, people with good-looking hands usually have good-looking faces, too. Streamer, are you going to show your face? If you do, I’ll send you a luxury yacht!】

Yet no matter what they said, Yu Zhi didn’t respond to a single comment. He remained silent until someone asked, 【Streamer, what are you planning to make?】

Yu Zhi smiled faintly. His voice was gentle and calm. “Soup dumpling noodles. It’s very simple.”

The few scattered comments disappeared, and the screen remained empty for quite some time. Then, after a long pause, the chat suddenly exploded with at least twice as many comments as before.

【Streamer, do you do voice acting? Whatever work you’re in, I’ll definitely watch it!】

【Streamer, streamer, are you going to show your face? If you do, I’ll send you a hundred luxury yachts!”】

【As someone who loves both beautiful hands and beautiful voices, I hereby declare that I’m moving into this livestream room and never leaving!】

The number of viewers had yet to reach a hundred, but the number of followers on Yu Zhi’s account had already climbed to more than a third of the live audience. Both numbers were still steadily increasing.

Yu Zhi paid little attention to it. No matter what the viewers said in the chat, he generally didn’t reply, except when they asked questions about the food he was making.

Gradually, the viewers began to figure out the pattern behind this willful streamer’s behavior. More and more people started asking him questions about cooking.

Some viewers wanted to branch out into other topics, too. One asked, 【Do you live alone, streamer? The amount you’re making doesn’t look like a single serving.】

“I have my partner with me,” Yu Zhi answered without trying to hide it.

His voice carried more emotion than before, becoming gentle and tender.

Suddenly, the chat filled with a stream of comments saying, 【I’m heartbroken!】

Yu Zhi chuckled softly.

The newly purchased phone had excellent performance in every respect, easily meeting Lan Jingzhi’s standards. Thanks to its high-quality microphone, Yu Zhi’s soft chuckle was captured clearly and transmitted to everyone watching the livestream.

Hearing that chuckle, the viewers could easily sense how good a mood Yu Zhi was in. It seemed that this streamer actually enjoyed letting them witness how affectionate he was with his partner.

They had thought they were tuning in to satisfy their cravings from a distance by watching delicious food being made. Instead, they had ended up being stuffed full of dog food.

What an absolute tragedy for humanity!

【Streamer, you’re abusing single people! I’ve already reported you to the police. (Dog-head emoji!)】

【Streamer, you’re abusing single people! Reported. (Dog-head emoji.)】

【Streamer, you sound really young. Are you even an adult yet? You already have a girlfriend at such a young age. You definitely haven’t been studying properly!】

【The person above is just jealous. You make it sound as if people without romantic relationships are all studying hard!】

【Ouch, that hit a little too close to home…】

Time passed little by little. As Yu Zhi continued cooking and occasionally responded to a comment or two, the livestream gradually carried on.

Just as Yu Zhi was about to complete the final step, he heard the sound of the door opening.

A figure appeared behind him in a flash. Because of where he was standing, Lan Jingzhi’s face appeared on camera for one second.

The livestream chat immediately exploded again!

【What just went past? That must have been my imagination, right?】

【My eyes are telling me they saw something, but my brain is telling me I’m dreaming.】

【AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I WAS RECORDING THE SCREEN!!!】

Yu Zhi had obviously not forgotten that the livestream was still running. He quickly reached out and ended it.

After washing his hands, he smiled at Lan Jingzhi and asked, “Have you finished putting everything away? Are you tired? Go wash up first. Dinner will be ready in a moment.”

Lan Jingzhi did not do as he suggested. His gaze lingered on the new phone for a few seconds.

“Were you livestreaming just now?”

Yu Zhi nodded. “It felt pretty good. Would you like to join me next time?”

Lan Jingzhi watched him quietly. Then, without warning, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Yu Zhi’s waist. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before speaking slowly.

“Little Yu, you don’t have to go out of your way to accommodate me like this.”

He let out a low laugh. “If you keep treating me this way, you’ll only encourage me to push my luck. You’ll feed the selfishness and possessiveness I already have in my heart.”

Human greed had no limits. When it came to self-control, Lan Jingzhi could not compare with Yu Zhi. He was not as strong as the other man, who could resist the desires stirring inside him.

Only Yu Zhi could keep him in check.

“It’s not that important. If it makes you happy, why wouldn’t I do it?” Yu Zhi replied with an easy smile.

He turned off the heat, poured the sauce from the pot over the noodles, mixed everything together, and then divided it into separate servings.

“Go on.”

Lan Jingzhi glanced at him before turning and entering the bathroom. A few minutes later, the two of them were sitting in the dining room.

Lan Jingzhi took a bite of the noodles. The savory, fragrant broth spread through his mouth, its rich flavor filling every corner.

He had originally intended to say something, but the moment he tasted the food, he no longer felt like talking. He quickly finished the entire bowl of mixed noodles, unable to help feeling both regretful and curious about Yu Zhi’s first livestream, which he had missed that day.

As he washed the dishes, he thought about asking Yu Zhi for his account later so he could watch the recording.

However, once he was lying in bed, he completely forgot what he had just planned to do. Instead, his thoughts began to wander in a very different direction.

Yu Zhi had just finished bathing, and a few droplets of water still clung to his skin. His slightly flushed chest looked so deliciously tempting that Lan Jingzhi felt as though he had somehow become hungry all over again, even though it had been less than an hour since dinner.

He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, trying to restrain himself.

No. Little Yu is still young. He hasn’t finished developing yet. If we indulge ourselves too much, it could harm his health.

He then tried to distract himself by thinking about something else.

“Little Yu, Yu Chen called me.”

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow. He could guess why Yu Chen had called Lan Jingzhi, so he gently stroked Lan Jingzhi’s back and said in a warm voice, “You don’t need to worry about any of that. I’ll take care of it. All you need to do is cooperate with the lawyer.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Lan Jingzhi lifted his head from Yu Zhi’s embrace and looked at him. “Hiring a lawyer and filing a lawsuit cost money, don’t they? I don’t want to spend a single cent of our money on those people.”

Yu Zhi couldn’t help laughing. Feeling rather helpless, he wondered whether he had made a mistake. Perhaps he should just let Lan Jingzhi know that their household was not short of money after all.

His lover would probably get angry, but he would likely make up with Yu Zhi soon enough.

Yu Zhi simply couldn’t bear to let things remain strained between them.

He knew that about himself all too well.

“Are you worried that we don’t have enough money?” he asked tentatively.

Lan Jingzhi frowned, then relaxed his expression. Pressing his lips together, he hesitated before admitting, “A little, I guess.”

“You know, I’ve always been this way. Even if someone gave me so much money that I couldn’t possibly spend it all in my lifetime, I’d still worry about whether inflation might strike in the future, or whether the apocalypse might arrive and turn all our money into worthless scraps of paper.”

He laughed at himself. “I’m probably the sort of person who worries all the time. I guess the saying about worrying over imaginary disasters describes someone like me perfectly.”

Some people liked to enjoy life while they could. Others liked to budget carefully, while still others preferred to prepare for trouble before it arrived. Lan Jingzhi belonged to the last group.

“It’s good that you’re always aware of potential dangers. That’s something worth praising,” Yu Zhi said approvingly.

Lan Jingzhi felt that even if he said something like, When you have love, even water is enough to fill your stomach; once you’ve eaten today’s meal, you can worry about tomorrow’s later, Yu Zhi would still praise him for knowing how to let go of his worries and enjoy the present.

The saying that love makes the beloved look like a beauty was certainly enough to put him in a good mood. But having Little Yu spoil him without limits was also a sweet kind of trouble.

At this rate, he might one day really allow himself to be seduced and consumed by a life of comfort, until he forgot how to even write the word worry.

What he didn’t realize was just how radiant and brilliant his smile was at that moment.

Yu Zhi saw it and smiled inwardly. As expected, Lan Jingzhi really did like being praised this way.

Lan Jingzhi had received plenty of compliments in the past. But they had either been insincere words meant to placate him, praise that the speaker didn’t truly mean, or compliments he had deliberately tried to earn by putting on a performance.

Yu Zhi was the only one whose praise came from the heart and was offered willingly. Lan Jingzhi couldn’t help feeling happy because of it.

“I understand. Jingzhi is a considerate, good partner who knows how to manage a household. From now on, I won’t waste money on people I dislike, either,” Yu Zhi said with a smile.

“But what if we have a lot of money?” he asked again.

“That doesn’t conflict with what I said.” Lan Jingzhi felt that whether they were rich or not had nothing to do with whether they should spend money on the Yu family.

“You’re right,” Yu Zhi replied.

I’d better repay the money I owe the Yu family as soon as possible and, preferably, do it quietly. If this guy finds out, he’ll probably be heartbroken over the money.

He wrapped his arms around Lan Jingzhi, and the two of them fell asleep.

Just as Lan Jingzhi was about to drift off, he suddenly remembered something. He had meant to watch Yu Zhi’s livestream!

Thinking of this, he fought against his drowsiness and rolled over, intending to ask Yu Zhi for his account. But when he looked over, he saw that Yu Zhi was already asleep.

Not wanting to disturb him, Lan Jingzhi had no choice but to move with the utmost care. He cautiously leaned over and reached for the phone on Yu Zhi’s side of the bed.

The new phone didn’t have a fingerprint lock set up yet, so Lan Jingzhi unlocked it with a single swipe. After searching through several video apps, he finally found what he had been looking for.

Looking at the account name and the name of the livestream room, he almost burst out laughing.

He took the earphones from the bedside, put them on, and started playing the recording of Yu Zhi’s only livestream.

The video was crystal clear, and the livestream room was quiet. As the recording went on, Yu Zhi occasionally responded to the comments. His replies made Lan Jingzhi break into an involuntary grin.

Lan Jingzhi felt that the video and Yu Zhi’s voice were almost hypnotic. As he continued watching, his mind gradually relaxed, and sleepiness quietly crept over him.

When Yu Zhi woke up the next morning, he saw that Lan Jingzhi was still wearing his earphones, with the video of yesterday’s livestream playing on his phone. Yu Zhi had no idea how many times it had looped.

He carefully put the phone away and removed the earphones, wanting to let Lan Jingzhi sleep more peacefully.

Over the next two days, Yu Zhi withdrew ten million from his investment account, then went to the Yu family home with a lawyer.

Yu Chen had just gotten out of bed early that morning when he heard a servant say that the second young master had returned.

Before he could fully process the news, he saw someone sitting on the sofa in the living room. A glass of untouched drink sat on the table in front of him.

“You still have the nerve to come back? Didn’t you say that once you left, you wouldn’t return?!”

Fuming, Yu Chen strode forward.

Even now, he didn’t know how he should treat this younger brother. In the past, he had never taken Yu Zhi seriously. Yet Yu Zhi had stolen his fiancé, taken him away from the Yu family, and now was even going against his own family for Lan Jingzhi’s sake.

Yu Chen felt deeply uncomfortable about it.

It wasn’t that he had any particularly deep affection for Yu Zhi. It was that Yu Zhi had no affection for them.

Many people were like this, especially those with an inflated sense of self-importance. They might not like someone themselves, but when they discovered that the other person didn’t like them either, they would feel offended and resentful.

Yu Chen felt no particular brotherly affection for Yu Zhi, and their parents felt little parental affection for him, either. They had never thought there was anything wrong with that.

But when Yu Zhi made it clear that he didn’t regard them as family and that they were no longer important to him, they became so angry and humiliated that they lashed out.

Compared with Yu Chen’s fury, Yu Zhi seemed much calmer.

“I’m here today to discuss something important with you. If you’re not in the mood, we can do it another day. But next time, I’ll probably have the lawyer handle everything on my behalf.”

Just as Lan Jingzhi didn’t want to spend money on these people, Yu Zhi didn’t want to waste his time on them, either. After all, compared with money, time was far more precious to him.

Yu Chen frowned. “What important business could you possibly have? Aren’t you just here to laugh at my misfortune?”

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly sneered again. “Or are you here to stand up for Lan Jingzhi? Sending us a lawyer’s letter wasn’t enough, so now you have to come here in person to provoke us, too?”

His gaze fell on the person standing beside Yu Zhi. The man was carrying a briefcase and looked every bit like a polished professional. He practically had lawyer written all over him.

Yu Zhi ignored him and gave the lawyer a look. The latter immediately opened his briefcase and took out the contract he had prepared in advance.

“Good day, Sir. I am here today on behalf of my client to discuss the repayment of the costs of raising him, as well as the matter of financial support for his parents. This is an agreement to sever your family relationship. If you have no objections, you may ask my client’s parents to sign it.”

Sever the family relationship.

Yu Chen frowned and looked at Yu Zhi. After glancing at the amount stated in the contract, he suddenly sneered. “It seems my dear second younger brother has managed to attach himself to someone powerful. Of course, as your older brother, I’m happy for you. But for your own safety, don’t you think you should tell your big brother who this powerful benefactor of yours is?”

“Or… is this actually Dad and Mom’s money? You’re using their own money to pay them back. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

Yu Chen had never grown up being doted on, so he did not think ten million was an especially large sum. He also had no idea what his younger brother’s usual standard of living was. Naturally, he assumed that the ten million had been saved from the living expenses their parents had given Yu Zhi over the years.

Yu Zhi said nothing. Instead, the lawyer spoke up on his behalf.

“According to the records my client provided, every expense you incurred while raising him is listed in the attachments to this contract. If Mr. Yu Chen is interested, I suggest you read them first. Otherwise, making uninformed remarks in front of people who know the facts will only make you look foolish.”

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow. He had not expected his lawyer to be so good at delivering cutting remarks. Still, he liked this kind of sharp tongue. Perhaps he should give the lawyer a larger bonus when they returned.

Compared with Yu Zhi, Yu Chen’s expression grew considerably uglier.

This was the first time anyone had called him foolish to his face, especially someone brought by the younger brother he had always looked down on.

It filled him with a humiliating sense of defeat.

Unwilling to accept the insult, he opened the attachments, intending to find some kind of loophole. But the more he read, the more deeply he furrowed his brows.

The documents listed the expenses their parents had incurred on Yu Zhi, complete with itemized transaction records. Even something as small as a bottle of drink had not been left out. The records were astonishingly detailed.

Even so, all these expenses added together amounted to only a few million yuan at most. They still cost less than the expensive clothes Yu Zhi was wearing.

For a moment, Yu Chen was at a loss for words.

He had never once taken his younger brother seriously, yet he had never realized just how vastly different their lifestyles were.

“If there are no problems, please take these documents to Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu and have them sign them,” the lawyer urged.

Yu Zhi did not want to see his father or mother. He could already imagine the inevitable arguments and commotion, so it would be better to let Yu Chen handle it.

Yu Chen cared about his dignity and understood the basic principles of proper conduct and decency. Faced with this detailed expense statement, he could not honestly say that he felt nothing at all. When Yu Zhi made his request, he hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “Wait here!”

With that, he took the contract and went upstairs.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Yu were resting and recovering. One was doing so because of the company, while the other was recovering because of their son. At that moment, the couple were both lying in bed.

When Yu Chen entered and began telling them that Yu Zhi had come back, Mother Yu immediately wanted to launch into a tirade. However, the moment she opened her mouth, she felt a suffocating tightness in her chest. She immediately lost the courage to continue, though her chest continued to heave unevenly.

When they learned why Yu Zhi had come, both of them reacted in exactly the same way.

“Where did he get that much money?!”

Well, at least this showed that they were perfectly aware of how they had treated their son.

Yu Chen could not quite put his feelings into words.

After discussing the matter for a while, Yu Chen went downstairs and said to Yu Zhi, “Mom and Dad said they’re willing to sign, but you have to withdraw the lawsuit. Don’t tell me you can’t do that. You were the one who brought this whole thing about in the first place.”

Yu Zhi was not surprised by this condition. In fact, he probably would have found it strange if they had agreed without asking for anything in return.

But…

“I’m sorry, but I can’t agree to that.”

Yu Zhi refused without the slightest hesitation. Yu Chen responded just as bluntly. “Then there’s nothing left to discuss. The Yu family has suffered considerable losses this time, but we’re not so short of money that we need to worry about another ten million yuan.”

Yu Zhi smiled. “But I don’t think you’d want to see a headline like ⟦ Wealthy Family’s Son Takes His Own Parents to Court to Sever Ties⟧  trending on the hot search.”

Yu Chen snapped angrily, “So it really was you!”

He had known it! The person who had released that video earlier and dragged the Yu family and him in particular straight to the bottom of the trending topics was Yu Zhi! It had never been a business rival at all.

And the reason behind everything was that Yu Zhi wanted to stand up for Lan Jingzhi! All because they had smeared Lan Jingzhi’s reputation!

Yu Zhi gave him a faint smile. “You flatter me. I don’t think I even went all out last time. If the Yu family is willing to give me another opportunity, I’d be happy to make your wish come true next time.”

A threat. Now that was a threat!

Yu Chen gritted his teeth and stared at Yu Zhi with a dark, unreadable gaze for a long moment. Then he took the contract and went upstairs again.

Half an hour later, he came downstairs once more. This time, the contract bore the necessary signatures. Yu Zhi took it and examined them. They did indeed match the handwriting of his parents, just as he remembered.

“The money will be transferred to the account immediately.”

Yu Zhi left one copy of the contract with them and handed the other two to the lawyer to put away.

Then he stood up and left, walking out of the Yu family home without a trace of reluctance.

Yu Chen watched his retreating figure. He simply could not reconcile the person he had just seen with the rebellious teenager he remembered. They seemed nothing alike.

When had his younger brother changed?

Was it really possible that he had no attachment to the Yu family left at all— not for money, and not even for the sake of family ties?

Yu Zhi was reasonably satisfied with the outcome. The original owner’s wish had only been half fulfilled, but Yu Zhi believed the other half would come true soon enough.

When he returned home, Lan Jingzhi was nowhere to be seen.

He called Lan Jingzhi, only to hear the voices of other people speaking on the other end.

“I’m busy right now. If it’s important, we’ll talk when I get home.”

“Okay.”

Yu Zhi let out a soft breath as he looked at his phone.

He had appeared calm and unruffled when dealing with the Yu family, but he had not actually felt at ease. It wasn’t because he had been particularly on guard against them. It was simply that he had always behaved this way around strangers he disliked.

But when he was home, even something as simple as sighing at his phone felt different. He was relaxed, at ease, and in a good mood.

Lan Jingzhi had said that Yu Zhi indulged him too much. But Yu Zhi himself had changed since meeting his beloved, hadn’t he? And how much of that change was thanks to having Lan Jingzhi by his side?

That afternoon, Lan Jingzhi returned home and saw Yu Zhi sitting on the sofa, reading a book. His heart immediately settled, and the troubles he had encountered while out that day seemed to disappear in an instant.

He tiptoed toward Yu Zhi. Just as he was about to cover Yu Zhi’s eyes from behind, his hand had barely reached the back of Yu Zhi’s head when he heard Yu Zhi’s calm, gentle voice.

“You’re home.”

Lan Jingzhi pressed his lips together in disappointment. “How did you know I was here? Weren’t you reading?”

Yu Zhi gave him a helpless smile and pointed toward the opposite side.

The opposite side? What was over there?

Lan Jingzhi looked over in confusion, only to see the clear reflections of the two of them in the glass across from them.

Lan Jingzhi: “……”

Fine. He was the stupid one here.

Then, still unwilling to admit defeat, he added, “Couldn’t you have pretended not to know and played along with me? Couldn’t you have humored me a little?” Where was the romance in that?

Yu Zhi took his hand and drew him over to sit beside him. Holding the book in one hand, he wrapped his other arm around Lan Jingzhi and smiled warmly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had this particular need. From now on, I can study how to indulge you a little more.”

Lan Jingzhi couldn’t help laughing, either. He thought Yu Zhi looked adorable when he spoke so seriously about how he would humor him. It was also incredibly sweet of him. The embarrassment and annoyance Lan Jingzhi had felt over his own foolishness a moment ago quickly melted away.

Clearly, he was older than his little Yu Zhi. So why was he always the one being humored by the younger man?

“Little Yu, would you like to try my cooking?”

Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You can cook?”

Lan Jingzhi puffed out his cheeks. “Don’t underestimate me! This is an essential skill for any ordinary single person, okay?”

It was just that he wasn’t as good at it as Yu Zhi.

Seeing how serious he was, Yu Zhi was inclined to agree. He smiled and said, “I was underestimating you. Then tonight, I’ll be the hands-off boss and leave everything to you. I’ll just sit back and wait for your grand feast.”

Lan Jingzhi leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. “Just you wait.”

Yu Zhi really did wait. He returned to his study, dealt with the day’s work emails, and attended his scheduled meetings with several managers.

The project manager from last time had already been found guilty of accepting bribes. A newcomer had taken his place. Yu Zhi listened as the new manager spoke confidently and at length, brimming with determination to achieve something impressive. For the time being, the man passed Yu Zhi’s assessment.

“Sir, the launch event for the new game is in half a month. Would you like to attend in person?”

Yu Zhi had never appeared at such events before, so they were only asking as a matter of routine. They did not expect him to agree. But today, Yu Zhi replied, “You can make the arrangements.”

The person on the other end was visibly stunned for a moment. Then he quickly recovered and answered, “Of course. I’ll make all the preparations in advance.”

The meeting lasted two hours. When it finally ended, Yu Zhi stood up and stretched to loosen his body. He drew back the curtains and looked outside. It was already evening, and the time displayed on his phone had passed seven o’clock.

Knock, knock!

Lan Jingzhi’s voice came from outside the door. “Dinner’s ready!”

Yu Zhi opened the door and walked out, only to find that Lan Jingzhi was nowhere to be seen.

Was Lan Jingzhi in the kitchen?

Yu Zhi walked over to the dining room to take a look. There really was a spread of food on the table, and the dishes looked quite appetizing. However, the portions were small, and there was only one bowl of rice. Lan Jingzhi was nowhere to be seen.

Yu Zhi sat down and waited for Lan Jingzhi so they could eat together.

The next moment, all the lights in the house went out, and everything around him was plunged into darkness.

He was just about to stand up and find out what was going on when he saw a faint light coming from the kitchen.

It drew closer, growing brighter and clearer with every passing moment.

The candle flame was tiny, yet even as it moved, it did not go out.

Its light also illuminated a small area around it, making everything within that circle of light clear and bright.

The sweet aroma of cake and the faint fragrance of fresh fruit lingered beneath Yu Zhi’s nose. After drifting around him for a moment, the scents seemed to make their way inside him.

Yu Zhi could clearly feel a sweetness rising in his heart because of those fragrances.

The sweetness slowly spread through his chest, leaving him momentarily dazed.

The result of Yu Zhi’s momentary daze was that Lan Jingzhi seized the opportunity to plant a light kiss on the corner of his lips. His smile was bright, and his voice sounded almost dreamlike.

“My Little Yu, Happy 19th birthday!”

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