In the evening, Hu Xiaoyu slept until dawn.
It wasn't that he was so heartless, but after calculating the future tribulations for Yu Tan, flying to Shen City, and wandering around the streets for two or three hours, each of these things had consumed a lot of his energy, and he urgently needed sleep to replenish it.
While having breakfast, Chu Yin called. Her tone was somewhat anxious.
It was then that Hu Xiaoyu found out he had made it to the trending list.
The trending topic was about a popular young celebrity from a famous variety show, traveling between two cities to meet a lover. The accompanying picture showed two young people waiting for the elevator in a hotel.
Although the picture was taken at a poor angle, it was clear that one of them was wearing a mask and the other, unmistakably, was Liu Luanzhou. Both of them were tall, elegant, and had remarkable auras.
Chu Yin had already tracked down the origin of the trending topic. Someone had originally anonymously posted that they had seen Hu Xiaoyu at a five-star hotel. Unexpectedly, a follow-up post came up with a photo, claiming to have captured the image.
This situation was too coincidental, especially since The Light of Inheritance was currently the hottest variety show, thanks to Hu Xiaoyu. The post quickly went viral.
The reason Liu Luanzhou's face wasn't blurred was that this young heir of the Liu Group was well-known for his flirtatious nature and had been seen with many celebrities. He was always open about it.
After explaining the situation, Chu Yin said to Hu Xiaoyu: "This situation isn't favorable for you. Liu Luanzhou is a super-rich second-generation heir. Any celebrity seen with him will be regarded as climbing the social ladder or looking for a sugar daddy. Do you want to contact Liu Luanzhou to clarify? Also, about Yu Shao, you two aren't..."
Hu Xiaoyu frowned when he heard Yu Tan's name.
He thought for a moment, then said to Chu Yin: "I don't need to explain anything to him. As for Brother Liu, I don't want to trouble him. Chu Jie... you can publicly reveal my identity, it's fine."
Hearing Hu Xiaoyu's calm voice, Chu Yin felt uneasy. She felt that something had changed in Hu Xiaoyu.
She asked again and again, before finally deciding to follow Hu Xiaoyu's wishes.
What Chu Yin didn't know was that a pure demon's trust in someone was never diluted. Such emotions were overflowing, and once shattered, the trust would be gone. For a demon who didn't trust someone, they were as irrelevant as the flowers, plants, and trees on the roadside. Coldness and detachment were just the norm.
But there was still a difference. Hu Xiaoyu and Yu Tan had a deep bond, and they were in a delicate phase of emotional conflict.
In half a year, how would he face Yu Tan?
...
On Yu Tan's side, he learned about the trending topic almost as soon as it broke.
Then Hu Xiaoyu publicly revealed his identity. The Hu family, even in the eyes of ordinary people, was a super-rich family. The fans who had been waiting for an explanation from Hu Xiaoyu were now overjoyed.
Many bystanders also enjoyed gossiping about Hu Xiaoyu's return to the wealthy family at just over ten years old. The gossip was alive and well.
Hu Xiaoyu's news quickly soared to the top of the trending list. The second topic was about Hu Xiaoyu's rumored relationship with the heir of the Liu family, Liu Luanzhou.
A-Jiu, looking at the computer his boss had thrown down, felt a chill in his scalp.
After much hesitation, he decided to tell Yu Tan about Hu Xiaoyu's plan to visit him last night.
When reviewing the night's surveillance footage, Yu Tan's expression grew even darker as he watched Hu Xiaoyu head upstairs.
The third floor was a VIP suite with no surveillance cameras. Yu Tan could only guess that Hu Xiaoyu did indeed go up, but left midway due to some incident.
Unfortunately, the manager couldn't remember anything. Now, with Hu Xiaoyu and Liu Luanzhou's rumors circulating, Yu Tan's eyes darkened. What incident could it be?
Clearly, Hu Xiaoyu came to see him, but left the moment Liu Luanzhou called.
Great.
A-Jiu had never seen Yu Tan this way. He was biting his teeth, looking fierce, but there was a sense of a trapped beast in his demeanor.
A-Jiu hesitated before saying: "Boss, do you want to call Xiaoyu, ask him to clarify..."
Yu Tan snapped, "Shut up! Let him go wherever he wants, see whoever he wants! Unless he comes crawling back to me... I don't want to hear that name in the Yu family again!"
The variety show still had four days to go. He'd give him one week. If by then Hu Xiaoyu didn't obediently return, he'd break his legs. Whether as a star or the young little master of the Hu family, he wouldn't let him forget where his place was.
...
Hu Xiaoyu eventually called Liu Luanzhou, and the two clarified the rumors.
As for Yu Tan, he never called. Hu Xiaoyu didn't call to explain or ask anything either. They seemed to have suddenly disconnected, like they were in two different worlds.
Thanks to the trending topic, The Light of Inheritance broke a new viewership record.
The director was incredibly polite to Hu Xiaoyu. Who would have guessed that this treasure would emerge from their show?
As a super-rich second-generation heir, compared to Li Yu—who was difficult and arrogant—Hu Xiaoyu was a breeze to work with. He was capable, knowledgeable, and simply a treasure. The director practically begged him to become a regular guest.
Chu Yin asked Hu Xiaoyu about it, and he agreed to sign the contract, though the terms needed to be renegotiated. But Hu Xiaoyu didn't need to get involved in the details.
Four days later, Hu Xiaoyu took a taxi to the Yu family mansion.
He had figured it out. He wanted to ask Yu Tan directly if he still considered him a friend.
After all, Yu Tan, who had said such harsh things to him, had once bathed with him, prepared a snack cabinet for him, bought an entire sanatorium for him, cooked for him, and always found him and stayed with him whenever it thundered or rained.
Little did Hu Xiaoyu know, as soon as he appeared in the villa area, Yu Tan received a call from the security guard.
Upon receiving the call, Yu Tan sat on the sofa, looking at the two models standing in front of him. They both dared not look at him, lowering their heads, but their tall frames and handsome faces were undeniable.
Old Hong knew what his young master was about to do, but the young master already had Hu Xiaoyu. How could he...
If Hu Xiaoyu knew, he would be so upset. Hadn't everything already been cleared up online?
He sighed, the normally kind elderly man now sternly scolding the two models: "Get out! Leave!"
He tried to reason with Yu Tan: "Young master, this will upset Xiaoyu. If you two have had a falling out, you should sit down and talk it out. This isn't the way... this will hurt his heart."
Unfortunately, Yu Tan's temper, driven to an extreme by anger, didn't allow any such reasoning. He was upset because Hu Xiaoyu had chosen Liu Luanzhou!
Even if it was just once, he could have at least called to explain or to try to smooth things over.
But now, it was too late.
The prey needed taming, not pampering. He intended to teach Hu Xiaoyu a lesson.
He ordered A-Jiu to take Old Hong to the next building, then raised his chin at the two models: "Take off your clothes!"
When Hu Xiaoyu entered the house, he saw A-Jiu standing at the door.
He called out to A-Jiu, but the latter didn't respond. Instead, his eyes were filled with an odd expression—something between sympathy and worry.
Hu Xiaoyu had an uneasy feeling, but he didn't stop walking towards the door.
Then, he froze in place.
Yu Tan was lying on the sofa, half-closed eyes, looking relaxed.
In his arms, he was holding a man who wasn't wearing a shirt, while another shirtless man was by the sofa, handing Yu Tan a glass of red wine.
Hu Xiaoyu was completely shocked by the scene and couldn't say a word. After a long pause, he finally spoke, calling out Yu Tan's name.
Yu Tan sat up, narrowing his eyes. He gently touched the model's face, almost as though showing off. "Oh, you're back?"
Hu Xiaoyu asked in a dry voice, "What are you doing?"