Liu Luanzhou's eyes lit up: "If Yu Tan doesn't like you, it's his loss. I think you're great, Xiaoyu. What do you think of me?"
"What?"
"I like you, Xiaoyu. I've liked you for a long time. I couldn't help but care about you and Yu Tan, watching your ads and your live streams... I thought I would never have the chance to say this, but now I do. Right?"
"You like me?" Hu Xiaoyu pointed at himself in surprise.
"Yes, I like you a lot, I've been thinking about you for a long time."
Hu Xiaoyu didn't believe that Liu Luanzhou's feelings were the same as the ones Yu Tan had for him.
But having been hurt before, he cautiously asked, "When you say things like, do you mean you want to pursue me... to be my boyfriend?"
Liu Luanzhou nodded firmly: "Yes."
He knew his past was full of fleeting relationships, but with Hu Xiaoyu, Liu Luanzhou had experienced something he had never felt before: a deep longing, a devotion to one person.
Hu Xiaoyu had never been confessed to before. He was a little shocked, yet happy.
It turned out he wasn't that annoying, wasn't it that bothersome?
But Hu Xiaoyu still rejected him: "Brother Liu, you shouldn't pursue me. I like you, but... it's the kind of liking I have for a friend, like... like Li Yu likes you."
Liu Luanzhou: "It's okay, I can wait."
Hu Xiaoyu quickly shook his head: "Don't wait. I won't stay here for long. I'm going to a very distant, beautiful place... alone, no one else."
Liu Luanzhou was a gentleman, and he wasn't upset at being rejected: "Xiaoyu, don't worry. Whether you accept or not is up to you. At least we're still friends, right?"
Hu Xiaoyu nodded.
But when Liu Luanzhou asked where he would go in the future, he lied again, only saying he would go for a walk.
After the confession, nothing else felt awkward.
Liu Luanzhou stared at the glass cup on the table for a moment, as if making a decision.
After a while, he finally spoke: "Xiaoyu, it doesn't matter if you don't like me. I just want you to be happy. You and Yu Tan... you're not right for each other. There's something I want to tell you. I hope you won't be deceived by him again. You can't win against him."
Liu Luanzhou was talking about Xu Feng.
At that time, he had only acted out of caution, investigating the matter. He didn't expect Yu Tan would go to such lengths to keep Hu Xiaoyu out of the entertainment industry.
Liu Luanzhou sighed: "I was going to tell you, but then Yu Tan opened the studio for you, protected you... I thought he was just being contradictory. But with the recent rumors, now that you've broken up with him, you should never get back together."
Hu Xiaoyu was silent for a long time.
He didn't know what to say. He thought he just didn't understand Yu Tan before, but now he felt the terrifying side of Yu Tan.
At this point, Liu Luanzhou seemed to have broken free from some restraint.
He pulled out a photo from his album, the one he had accidentally saved. In the photo, Hu Xiaoyu was asleep, his head resting on another person's arm.
Hu Xiaoyu instantly recognized the arm—it was Yu Tan's. He looked at Liu Luanzhou in shock: "How... how do you have my photo?"
Liu Luanzhou looked at the disbelief in Hu Xiaoyu's eyes and felt ashamed for keeping this photo. He was even more disgusted that Yu Tan had sent it to him just to show off.
If someone truly loved another, why would they send their loved one's photo to their enemy, just to show off?
He lowered his gaze, avoiding the sharpness of the boy's eyes: "Yu Tan sent it to me. You liked me, but in the end, he got you. This photo is... is to show off."
It was both a show-off and a threat. It was clear that the person in the photo was placed in a position of disrespect.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't know how to say goodbye to Liu Luanzhou.
His mind was a mess, and no amount of calming mantras could ease the confusion.
All the thoughts merged into one: Yu Tan really, really, really is despicable!
What Hu Xiaoyu didn't know was that later that evening, the photos of him meeting with Liu Luanzhou had already made their way into Yu Tan's hands.
Yu Tan flipped through the photos all night, seeing the boy who had once been at his mercy now chatting and laughing with someone else, even sharing things, even watching the same phone.
It was clear now—he had been wrong. Completely wrong!
What little fool—he was so clever. When things didn't go well with Liu Luanzhou, he came to cling to him. But when he felt Yu Tan had lost interest, he turned to Liu Luanzhou.
Was he hoping to get that one million from Liu Luanzhou?
That was clever, alright!
Yu Tan glared at the photo of the boy's fair, delicate face, rage bubbling up inside him. After a long while, he slammed his fist on the desk.
It was maddening! He had finally seen Hu Xiaoyu for who he truly was, and the strongest feeling was an overwhelming jealousy. He wanted... no, he needed to take him back.
Whether it was by force or control, Hu Xiaoyu had to be his!
The next day, Hu Xiaoyu and his father had successfully reached an agreement.
The most crucial factor was Liu Luanzhou's presence and endorsement. Hu's father reluctantly believed that Hu Xiaoyu could help him solve his imminent fate.
Hu Xiaoyu got what he wanted: the severance of their father-son relationship and a check for one million.
Severing ties with the Hu family had always been Hu Xiaoyu's goal. This family had constantly called him, said things that were confusing and harsh at times, and he hated it.
Hu Xiaoyu was so resolute, and it made his father believe him even more.
However, his father wouldn't agree to sever the relationship until another child was born, so Hu Xiaoyu used a little spiritual energy to help his father develop a stronger aversion to him, ultimately getting what he wanted.
On the seventh day as agreed with Yu Tan, Hu Xiaoyu arrived at the designated place.
He had been here before. His first month's salary had been spent treating Yu Tan to a meal, and he had felt quite the sting at the time.
As the door opened, Hu Xiaoyu saw Yu Tan and A-Jiu sitting at the table.
Strangely, he felt a kind of bittersweet sentiment. After all, for a demon, half a year was nothing more than a flick of the wrist.
Yu Tan looked at the boy standing at the door, then took a glance at him, sneering: "You're paying for tonight's meal, right? I'm sure this isn't too much for you now."
A-Jiu, feeling out of place, voluntarily stepped outside to guard the door.
Yu Tan had known about Hu Xiaoyu's meeting with Liu Luanzhou and their 'family meeting' style, which nearly drove him mad. He hoped Hu Xiaoyu would explain, but...
Hu Xiaoyu ignored Yu Tan's sarcastic tone and nodded: "Okay."