GSCCO Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The car turned the corner, the streetlights illuminating its body, making it vaguely discernible.

“Why are you still looking outside even though everyone’s already left?” A voice came from outside the door.

Mu Huai tapped the screen a few times, then put his phone in his pocket.

“I thought you were going to hide a little longer.”

Yin En walked in from behind the door, his figure blending into the passageway, with his back to the street, his expression somewhat indistinct.

“Why are you glaring at me?” Mu Huai raised his chin, then gently lowered it again. “Oh, your eyes are quite red. Is President Yin hiding outside wiping away tears? Did I disturb you?”

“Mu Huai!” Yin En shouted angrily. He couldn’t be as ease as Mu Huai in making teasing remarks; his composure held him back, making him swallow his anger.

“You two are together?”

Mu Huai neither confirmed nor denied: “Where’s your assistant? Did your manager approve of you coming out?”

Yin En: “Mu Huai, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

Mu Huai smiled slightly: “What are you talking about? If you have nothing to say, go back quickly. Don’t let that person know you’re hanging out with me again.”

Yin En retorted angrily: “You clearly saw the message I sent you! We’re brothers to begin with—what right does he have to keep me from being with you!”

Yin En had been repeating these words for years. At first, Mu Huai could still feel a little resonance, then it became annoying, and now it only left him feeling indifferent. His hand was in his pocket, touching the hard case of his phone. Ten minutes of Yu Yi’s absence…tsk, this kid really picked the worst time to ask for leave.

Yin En: “I’ll have someone pick you up tomorrow.”

Mu Huai was lost in thought when Yin En suddenly said that. He looked at his nominal younger brother in front of him, feeling rather amused and exasperated.

“Did I say I was going tomorrow?”

“Mom wants to see you!” Yin En glared at him. “You don’t want to see my dad. You don’t want to see me, but you have to see your mom!”

“Why should I see her at your family banquet?” Mu Huai said. “To be precise, your family’s large-scale banquet? In what capacity, President Yin?”

He deliberately emphasized those words, making Yin En’s face turn ugly. Mu Huai sometimes felt helpless. If he belittled him, Yin En would be unhappy. If he praised himself, Yin En would still be annoyed.

Mu Huai looked behind Yin En. It was pitch black, with scattered lights shining on the door. Yin En cautiously blocked half of the door, his face still covered by a mask.

He couldn’t help but think back to when Demons had just formed.

Before the group was formed, there were many trainees in the company—some came, some left, and later they all went to audition programs. The kids who became trainees back then were really young. Many were spoiled brats who had run away during their rebellious phase, while others were extremely poor and sought shortcuts to become trainees, hoping to soar to fame in one leap.

Mu Huai belonged to the middle group. He wasn’t poor to the point of being pitiful, but compared to the other rich kids, he probably looked quite shabby.

The year Mu Huai’s parents divorced, he stayed with his father. That same year, Chen Hui married into the Yin family, becoming a rich man’s wife. The Yin family was large and full of gossip. And for the first few years after her marriage, Chen Hui didn’t dare reveal Mu Huai’s existence. Mu Huai truly came into the Yin family’s view after he and Yin En had formed a group.

When Mu Huai’s father passed away, he left him a savings book, saying it was for the living expenses Chen Hui had sent him over the years, so Mu Huai could repay the money. The savings book was still in Mu Huai’s drawer, untouched and unpaid. He and Chen Hui were always aware of each other’s existence. If it weren’t for Yin En’s interference, they might never have met.

“Of course, as my brother!” Yin En repeated, just like the child he was years ago.

Yin En’s frantic desire to reclaim his brother was quite touching, at least to the entire Yin family, and it only fueled their dislike for Mu Huai.

“Fine, I’ll go myself tomorrow,” Mu Huai said impatiently. He checked his phone. Mu Xi and Lan Sha were supposed to come see him today, but they hadn’t arrived yet.

The passageway led inside to the main hall. Staff could come out at any time, and Mu Huai didn’t want to talk to Yin En for too long.

Seeing Mu Huai finally agree, Yin En breathed a sigh of relief. He said everyone was coming back for the banquet and would definitely introduce Mu Huai to everyone.

Mu Huai said, “No need.”

Why introduce him to others? Was he afraid people wouldn’t know that his mother had married into a wealthy family, abandoning her first husband and son?

Chen Hui had now secured her position in the Yin family. With Yin En as her son, no one dares to touch her. However, her past romantic affairs still generate much gossip.

Chen Hui married into the Yin family after her divorce, and Yin En firmly believes his mother’s character was impeccable. Besides, Chen Hui had stated that she sent Mu Huai living expenses every year.

Most people tend to agree with the negative portrayal of Chen Hui.

Mu Huai didn’t comment; some things were best left unsaid. For example, Yin En was born shortly after Chen Hui entered the Yin family; Mu Huai was only three years old then. He couldn’t change the fact that Chen Hui was his mother, nor did he want to take any stance to blame anyone. Everyone had the right to choose their own life. Chen Hui simply chose not to be his mother.

Mu Huai was about to leave when Yin En, in a moment of panic, grabs his hand.

“Are you still angry with me?”

“Why should I be angry with you?” Mu Huai pulled his hand away, standing behind him and calmly looking at Yin En.

After taking off his team uniform, Mu Huai dressed casually, while Yin En, dressed in a suit and tie, couldn’t shake off his arrogance. It’s no wonder Yin En couldn’t fit in with Demons. The other members simply let go of their pride and genuinely connect with everyone.

Yin En blushed, unable to utter a word.

Mu Huai, however, remained calm: “Because you once tried to force a kiss on your brother in the dorm?”

Speaking of this, Mu Huai was genuinely curious about the rice that the Yin family ate, having raised such a contradictory person as Yin En. When they first arrived, Mu Huai was the most frugal of the five, while Yin En was incredibly arrogant—practially one step short of setting a bowl down in front of him and tossing him a couple of coins. During rehearsals, he refused to stand next to him.

During desensitization training, Mu Huai and Yin En were paired together, requiring them to stand very close. Yin En washed himself thoroughly after returning to his dorm.

Thinking about it that way, Mu Huai found Yu Yi’s OCD incredibly endearing.

In the end, it was Yin En who ran to his room late at night to confess, even though he mistakenly went to Yu Ying’s room instead.

“I didn’t!” Yin En said. If he had the guts to force a kiss on Mu Huai, would he have had to resort to sneaking around and lying in wait every time he wanted to see him?

Mu Huai nodded: “That’s good.”

This time, someone actually came from the other end. Mu Huai and Yin En, who weren’t speaking loudly to begin with, turned to look at each other and silently took a step back.

It was Lan Sha and Mu Xi who arrived, who had come over after asking the staff. Mu Huai inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you sure you’re going to the banquet tomorrow?” Lan Sha knocked on Mu Huai’s door again that evening.

Mu Huai looked helpless: “What else would we be doing out here?”

The production team initially thought Mu Huai’s team had gotten cocky after winning one game. After the match, only five or six people remained at the base. Bored, they went out to play, leaving this particular villa, one of five in the complex, completely deserted all night.

Lan Sha had a general understanding of Mu Huai’s situation and needed to be fully prepared for any potential problems. Therefore, she only advised Mu Huai to maintain a facade of harmony with Yin En, minimizing their interactions in private. Mu Huai had consistently done well, always keeping Yin En at arm’s length.

“Why?” Lan Sha was completely baffled. “You want to see Ms. Chen? I can arrange another time for you. This event on the 7th is just a large banquet disguised as a family dinner. What family actually holds a ‘family dinner’with that many relatives?”

“I heard a lot of conglomerates have called their younger relatives back home. Do you know what that means? Don’t young people these days all go in for free love? They’ve essentially organized a large-scale arranged marriage, allowing the younger generation to freely date within their own circles… Does Yin En not understand? Why did he insist on calling you back?”

Mu Huai remained expressionless: “I don’t know.”

“You really don’t know?” Lan Sha frowned.

If it weren’t for the confirmation that Mu Huai and Yin En were indeed related by blood, judging from their interactions, Lan Sha would have suspected they were a pair of star-crossed lovers.

“I don’t know.”

Mu Huai was playing on his phone, splitting his attention, perfectly calm. Lan Sha suspiciously looked away, then suddenly darted behind Mu Huai.

“Hey.” Mu Huai quickly flipped his phone over to turn the screen off, “Sha-jie, we know each other well enough. Don’t do this.”

Lan Sha frowned: “Are you dating someone?”

Mu Huai smiled: “No.”

Lan Sha: “The kid from your team?”

Mu Huai suddenly became interested: “Which one have you taken a fancy to?”

Lan Sha: “Mu Huai!”

Mu Huai: “Just joking.”

“Really not dating?”

“Really not.”

“What about your casual partners?”

Mu Huai leaned back, his arrogant eyes fixed on Lan Sha.

“Jie, why are you so paranoid?”

Lan Sha paused, slowly returning to her seat, adjusting her glasses.

Right, why was she so paranoid? Lan Sha slowly exhaled. Mu Huai might be a jerk, but he was honest about it. He was a man who knew exactly their boundaries, never crossing it. Lan Sha felt she was overthinking things. If something really happened, Mu Huai would tell her.

Thinking this, Lan Sha barely felt at ease and brought the topic back to the family dinner. Mu Huai’s popularity was no joke; the news would probably spread like wildfire as soon as the car arrived at the banquet. Lan Sha had to prepare all his outfits. Besides, many powerful families in that circle were only vaguely aware of the current state of entertainment and mostly looked down on idol stars. Lan Sha was afraid Mu Huai would be mistreated.

Besides, he went there under the guise of being Mrs. Yin’s son with her ex-husband.

After Lan Sha left, the room returned to calm. His adopted nephew, on the next bed, had already drifted off to sleep several times, while listening to their conversation.

Mu Huai dimmed the light, took a pack of cigarettes from the cupboard, and went to the balcony.

The swirling smoke helped Mu Huai calm his chaotic thoughts. He didn’t turn on the balcony light; his phone screen glowed faintly in the night. It was a text message interface, and the person on the other end wasn’t the secret lover Lan Sha had imagined; an unknown number was displayed at the top.

Yin En didn’t have that much charm. It was impossible to persuade him with a few tantrums.

[Xiao Huai, Mom wants to see you.]

Mu Huai had memorized this sentence a day earlier. Ironically, his few meetings with Ms. Chen was all thanks to Yin En; they barely exchanged a few words—either he was arguing with Yin En or he was watching Yin En and Chen Hui argue.

This was the first time Chen Hui had contacted him.

The location and time of the banquet were attached. Mu Huai received it but didn’t reply until today, after Yin En left, when he finally brought up the interface again.

The man leaned against the railing, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his upright posture softening some of his roguish air.

A sudden “ding” from his phone snapped Mu Huai back to reality. His hand trembled as he tapped the green button at the bottom. The name Yu Yi appeared on the screen.

Mu Huai: “…”

Two in the morning, their Yu-ge was video calling him?

As if possessed, Mu Huai pulled the cigarette from his mouth—with no time to hide it, he turned and stuck it upside down into a potted plant.

Half of a handsome face appeared on the screen. Yu Yi had just showered, lying on his pillow, looking down at the screen. He was wearing a sleeveless vest, the muscles in his arms seemingly glued to the screen.

Mu Huai inwardly gasped: “Yu Yi, what are you up to?”

Yu Yi didn’t understand. He shifted his position, his gaze suspicious: “… Master Huai, it looks like there’s smoke coming from your head?”

Mu Huai: “…”