Madam Yu's heart was full of resentment. Her words about jumping off the building were merely a threat, a way to make others compromise.
But when she saw the caretaker calmly open the window and quietly step aside, she instinctively rolled her wheelchair backward, panic flashing in her eyes.
A cold laugh came from the phone—short and cutting, like the growl of a devil crawling up from hell.
"Grandmother," Yu Tan said, his tone calm and mocking, "You've misunderstood me. Of course, I'd much rather you stay alive."
Madam Yu's breathing hitched. Her intuition told her that Yu Tan never said anything kind without reason.
Sure enough, he continued, "I've been busy lately. If you die, the funeral will have to be simple. Oh, by the way—which of your grandchildren do you like best now? I'll have them go down and keep you company."
Madam Yu's eyes widened, fury, twisting her wrinkled face. "You bastard! You devil! You're finally admitting it, aren't you? My eldest son and his wife—did you kill them?"
Yu Tan stood by the window. The sunlight spilled across the floor—bright, flawless, and warm.
If Little Fish were here, he thought, he'd definitely drag me out to sit under the trees in the yard.
The thought softened his expression, but his voice remained cruel as ever.
"Old people tend to forget things," he said quietly. "But if I remember correctly, my uncle and his wife killed each other. Blood poured down from the third floor—so red, so much of it. It splattered onto the ceiling. Looked rather beautiful, so I didn't clean it. It's still there. Would you like to come and admire it?"
"Shut up!" Madam Yu screamed. "You shut your mouth! You're not human! You're not one of us—you're a monster! A devil that will bring ruin to everyone around you! You blame me for hating you? You deserve it! A creature like you—no one will ever love you! No one will ever stay by your side!"
Her voice broke off. Then came a loud crash—the sound of her phone hitting the ground.
A few minutes later, the caretaker called again, voice trembling.
"Sir, Madam Yu fainted."
Yu Tan hung up the phone, his expression indifferent.
He truly did want her to live longer. Death would be too easy. Living was harder.
But her last words still echoed faintly in his mind.
No one will ever love you.
He smiled faintly. Too late.
Someone already did.
He turned to A Jiu. "Find out who she's been meeting lately. And check if there's anything unusual going on. That old woman never does anything for no reason."
When he went downstairs, he saw Butler Hong waiting for him with a conflicted look.
Before Yu Tan could speak, the butler asked, "Young master… was that call from Madam Yu?"
Yu Tan remembered he'd taken the call in the upstairs hallway. It was normal for the old man to have overheard.
But the tone of sympathy in the butler's voice made Yu Tan's eyes narrow dangerously.
"What's this? You want to leave?"
Butler Hong froze.
He had joined the Yu family when he was young, and had watched both Master Wen-chang and Master Wen-he grow up.
To him, the two brothers were like sons. It was hard not to feel unsettled after hearing Yu Tan speak so coldly of their deaths.
Finally, he clenched his fists and asked quietly, "The death of the first master and his wife—was it really not you?"
Yu Tan arched an eyebrow. "Of course not. They killed each other."
He paused, a faint curl to his lips. "I may have stirred things up a little—added some… psychological triggers. But I never got my hands dirty."
Leaving no evidence behind—that was true precision.
Relief and guilt flashed across the butler's face. He bowed awkwardly, stepping back.
Before he could say anything more, Yu Tan's phone rang again.
It was the Shi family's young master calling.
Yu Tan looked down at the screen, then slipped on his coat and walked out the door.
Hu Xiaoyu had no idea what kind of conversation had just taken place.
By the time he wandered into the studios, it was already more than an hour later.
Yu Tan sat at his desk, calm and focused on work.
Xiaoyu didn't bother him—he went straight to the snack cabinet and fridge, pulled out a handful of food, and curled up on the sofa like a small ball of fluff.
There hadn't been snacks or a fridge in the study before.
But after that one night when Xiaoyu had gone hungry—and naked, thanks to Yu Tan—it had quietly appeared.
Yu Tan's hearing was sharp. The sound of crinkling wrappers and quiet munching reached him clearly.
Sometimes, he thought he wasn't keeping a fox, but a tiny hamster—noisy, messy, but oddly warm.
Still, even hamsters liked to escape their cages.
Yu Tan's gaze cooled. He stood and walked over.
His loose home clothes softened his sharp aura, but even then, the chill beneath the surface lingered.
When his cool fingertips brushed Xiaoyu's neck, the boy flinched but didn't pull away.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly, rubbing his cheek against Yu Tan's hand, mumbling, "Want some chips?"
Yu Tan shook his head, kneeling on the sofa between Xiaoyu's legs.
He took the chips away, set them aside, and carefully wiped the boy's hands clean.
Xiaoyu blinked at him blankly—until his gaze dropped lower, and his expression froze.
"Didn't you say—" his voice trembled, "that we should rest at least a day?"
Yu Tan smiled faintly. "I did." His voice dropped lower, husky. "But you're hard to resist."
He leaned in, brushing his lips against Xiaoyu's ear. "Tell me how you want it, hmm?"
Xiaoyu's ears went scarlet. He bit his lip, breath catching.
He wasn't innocent anymore—he understood what Yu Tan meant.
Still, he glanced nervously at the milk carton on the side table. "I, uh… already drank some."
Yu Tan hated milk. Not because he was allergic, but because of a childhood memory—
The spilled milk, the forced punishment, kneeling under the sun until his knees bled.
He looked at the cardboard now, silent for a long moment. Then, almost on instinct, he lifted it.
He poured a bit of it down the hollow of Xiaoyu's collarbone. White against pale skin.
Then he leaned forward and licked it away.
The taste of milk was faintly sweet, and for the first time, he didn't hate it.
Because it came with warmth—and life.
Xiaoyu's breath stuttered. Yu Tan looked up at him, eyes dark and burning.
Foxes followed instinct.
Xiaoyu bent down and kissed him first.
When their mouths met, he tasted the same milk again—
And for some reason, it was sweeter than before.
An hour later, Xiaoyu was limp on the sofa, glaring weakly at Yu Tan, who was calmly cleaning up.
He said he'd go slow. Liar.
Yu Tan carried him to bed, washed him again, and tucked him in.
"Sleep with me," Xiaoyu murmured, eyes half-closed.
He didn't mean sex. He just wanted to be held—petted, like a fox being stroked smoothly.
And only Yu Tan's hand could make him feel that peace.
Yu Tan sat by the bed, brushing his hand lightly down the boy's back until his breathing evened out.
Only then did he get up and leave quietly.
That afternoon, Yu Tan met Zhong Yi alone.
Without Hu Xiaoyu there, his expression was like frost—sharp and cold, his aura suffocating.
Zhong Yi had never felt such pressure. When he opened the folder Yu Tan gave him, his composure shattered.
The photos, the documents—his family's secrets laid bare.
Yu Tan looked bored. "Your younger brother is quite capable. No wonder you've been so free to play in the film industry."
Zhong Yi's face went white. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing," Yu Tan said softly. "I just heard you wanted to find an agent for my Little Fish."
Zhong Yi froze, instantly understanding. "That was my fault. I won't interfere again."
Yu Tan nodded faintly. "You'll be busy soon. Say your goodbyes. You won't see him again."
When Zhong Yi left, Yu Tan said to A Jiu, "Order food. He'll be hungry."
Later, when Xiaoyu arrived, the table was already full of hot dishes.
He blinked in surprise. "You're amazing, Yu Tan."
Yu Tan turned to him. "Where exactly am I amazing?"
"The morning alarm—you set it, didn't you? And you picked this place so we could eat together after your meeting, right?"
Yu Tan's lips curved. "So clever."
"Of course!" Xiaoyu grinned, pulling out a chair. "I'll pick out fish for you later."
Yu Tan's gaze softened. For a while, it felt almost peaceful.
A month later, the fruit drink commercial made Hu Xiaoyu famous.
His followers soared to nearly three million.
But no company dared to sign him.
Everyone knew—the young master of TwinStar Entertainment had already said: He's mine.
Rumors spread that Xiaoyu was his lover.
Shi Jingyang panicked and called Yu Tan immediately.
"Yu-ge, your Little Fish is too popular! Everyone's trying to get him—I can't hold them off forever. Maybe you should talk to him yourself?"
Yu Tan didn't reply.
The silence on the line made Shi Jingyang's palms sweat.
A few days later, Xiaoyu secretly went to the film studio, hoping to find work.
He didn't know Yu Tan had already sent people to watch him.
There, he ran into Shi Jingyang, who sighed helplessly. Poor kid. What has Yu-ge done to you?
He called Yu Tan, but the line was busy.
At that moment, Yu Tan was on the phone with his grandmother's caretaker again.
"The Madam tried to jump again," the man said nervously.
Yu Tan's tone was calm. "Open the window. Let her."
There was a gasp, then the old woman's trembling voice, full of hatred:
"Yu Tan, you heartless beast! You just want me dead!"
Yu Tan's eyes were cold. "Of course not," he said softly. "It's far better if you live."
The next morning, Hu Xiaoyu waited outside Yu Tan's bedroom door, smiling brightly.
"Good morning!"
Yu Tan looked at him quietly. Then he said,
"Starting today, you're off duty. Focus on your acting career."
"Really?" Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.
"Go find Shi Jingyang," Yu Tan said. "He has a list of agents. If you can convince one of them to sign you, I'll stop interfering in your affairs."
Xiaoyu blinked, touched. "You're helping me again. Thank you."
He scooped shrimp into Yu Tan's bowl. "I'll work hard. Once I succeed, I'll have more time to be with you."
Yu Tan didn't answer. He only smiled faintly. He never believed in promises—only in control.
He brushed Xiaoyu's cheek with his thumb, voice low.
"Then go," he said. "And… good luck."
The words were soft and almost tender—
But hollow, cold, and full of something darker beneath.
Xiaoyu didn't notice it at all.