“The person you exchanged phone numbers with at the bar the other day, aren’t you planning to contact them?”

“The bar?” – Ling Xinlu furrowed his brows, looking slightly confused, but then, as if remembering something, he softly exclaimed: “Ah, aaah……” It was only then that he began to understand Yuri’s strange reaction earlier.

Ling Xinlu didn’t go out often, but he occasionally enjoyed night outings. Yuri, though not his contracted bodyguard, usually accompanied him. His nights out weren’t to shady or dubious places, but rather to relaxed pubs with soothing music, where he’d have a few drinks before heading home, or, more rarely, to clubs to listen to music.

But one night, in the middle of the late hours, Ling Xinlu suddenly said: “I want to eat skewers”, and they ended up at a bar in an alley not far from the apartment complex. As they sat across from each other, eating skewers and sipping beer, Yuri noticed Ling Xinlu’s gaze fixed in one direction. Or, to be more precise, his eyes weren’t staying still but were intently following someone, tracking their every movement.

When Yuri realized Ling Xinlu was staring at a part-time worker who seemed to be a student, Ling Xinlu turned his head and smiled at Yuri.

“Don’t you think his eyes look a bit like my Taei-hyung’s?”

“……, really?”

Hearing this, Yuri also thought there was some resemblance. Asian faces aren’t always sharply defined, but Yuri wasn’t so clueless as to think everyone looked the same. From this angle, the part-time worker’s eyes did bear a slight resemblance. The corners of his eyes drooped slightly, giving the impression of a smile even when he wasn’t smiling.

“Yeah, maybe so.” – Yuri nodded. Ling Xinlu happily asked again: “Right?” and then suddenly raised his hand to call over the employee. Yuri was slightly startled, not expecting him to call someone over so abruptly. But Ling Xinlu, with a bright smile on his face, ordered another beer and struck up a conversation.

“Looks like it’s busy today, work must be tiring, huh? Oh, and I come here often, but why is this the first time I’ve seen you?” – With his polished communication skills, Ling Xinlu quickly engaged in friendly chatter and even exchanged phone numbers with the employee. The employee seemed a bit shy but still smiled bashfully, waving at Ling Xinlu as he returned to the kitchen, exuding an indescribable air of experience.

“……. You’re way too smooth at this.”

“Is that so? This is actually my first time doing something like this.”

Ling Xinlu laughed innocently, seemingly telling the truth. Indeed, the saying: ‘No matter what he does for the first time, he always does it better than others’, was once again proven true. Yuri silently shook his head.

The memory of Ling Xinlu smiling brightly, even managing to get a guy’s phone number at an ordinary bar, left Yuri both impressed and slightly heavy-hearted.

“I’m not going to contact him. I called a few times, but after talking, I didn’t find it interesting at all.”

Ling Xinlu waved his hand dismissively, showing clear disinterest. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.

“What’s wrong? Is it because I asked if you’re secretly seeing someone that you couldn’t answer?”

“Ah, really.” – Ling Xinlu scoffed, his expression as if he found the whole thing ridiculous. He kept that smile on his face, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

“Besides, even if I were to fall in love with someone, I wouldn’t hide it. What crime have I committed that I need to keep it a secret? I’d make it public, bring that person home, and introduce them to everyone.”

When he reached that point, he suddenly fell silent. Ling Xinlu gazed up at the sky, which was gradually shifting toward evening, lost in thought. Then he glanced at Yuri, seemingly weighing whether or not to continue. Finally, he sighed and spoke.

“Maybe it’s better not to tell Mr. Gable, right? If you don’t deliberately dig behind my back, I can definitely keep it hidden.”

Ling Xinlu spoke in a nonchalant tone, but his eyes locked directly onto Yuri’s. And immediately, Yuri understood what he meant. Perhaps Ling Xinlu was trying to be considerate of Yuri’s feelings. Though it wasn’t explicitly stated or clearly expressed, both of them knew that Yuri had always been quietly observing Ling Xinlu.

However, the reason they didn’t bring it up was because it didn’t affect their current relationship. And perhaps, unless something happened, it wouldn’t affect them in the future either.

Yuri lowered his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“I don’t think we should do that.”

If there’s someone you love, there’s no need to deliberately announce it, but there’s also no need to hide it.

Ling Xinlu nodded, as if he had anticipated this answer.

“I don’t intend to hurt Mr. Gable here, but I also don’t intend to tiptoe around or do things I don’t want to do just to please you.”

Ling Xinlu took off his shoes and sat down on the floor. “Lover, huh……” – He muttered, as if imagining a scenario he had never seriously considered before. But it seemed he couldn’t quite visualize it clearly, so he shook his head and turned to look at Yuri. His gaze was gentle, yet carried a hint of seriousness.

“For example, like this. Occasionally, if it’s just to relieve physical or emotional tension, I could sleep with someone who likes me. As long as both parties respect the boundaries, it’s fine, right? But——I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”

Ling Xinlu shrugged. His words were both a metaphor and a message directed at Yuri.

“I’m someone who desires many things, but perhaps my nature is quite simple when it comes to matters of the heart, so I’m not interested in doing that with someone I don’t genuinely like. So, if I were to sleep with Mr. Gable, it would mean I’m ‘volunteering’ for you—and I don’t really like serving others.”

“Mr. Gable also knows I’m quite selfish. I’d rather pay than do that.” – Ling Xinlu added, pretending to sigh. Hearing that made Yuri laugh.

The words were so blunt that if they had been slightly off, they could have been insulting. Yet, on the contrary, they made the listener feel at ease. Yuri had met many straightforward people, but few dared to speak as candidly as Ling Xinlu, especially when facing the person involved directly.

“Just a slight shift, and it would’ve sounded like mockery, but it doesn’t feel like mockery at all.”

Yuri felt more relaxed, so he repeated a phrase Ling Xinlu often said to him. For a moment, Ling Xinlu’s eyes widened, his face showing a strange expression, neither a smile nor a frown.

“……, I didn’t mean to mock you.”

“I know.”

This was a conversation that often took place between them, but this time, the roles were reversed. Ling Xinlu looked at Yuri with a puzzled expression, but when he saw Yuri still smiling gently, he eventually laughed along. “Ah, really, if someone’s too straightforward, they get scolded for it too.” – Xinlu muttered.

Yuri laughed for a while longer before speaking softly:

“Thank you for your concern. I enjoy both giving and receiving willingly, but I don’t like doing things out of obligation when I don’t want to. So, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Really.” – Yuri added, then fell silent. Ling Xinlu stared intently at Yuri, then smiled. “If I ever feel like it in the future, I’ll do it for you.” – Xinlu joked. Yuri also laughed and replied: “Thank you.”

As if his mood had lightened, Ling Xinlu flashed a bright smile and looked at Yuri. Suddenly, he turned and lay down. Ling Xinlu stretched out, perpendicular to Yuri, then slowly rested his head on Yuri’s lap as if it were a pillow.

“Anyway, if you hear anything interesting, make sure to tell me. These little girls seem to hear all sorts of strange stories from everywhere.”

“Keeping the mouths of subordinates in check is the hardest.” – Ling Xinlu muttered. Yuri thought to himself that if he were to tell Xinlu the story: ‘The youngest master fell in love with a common girl from a different social class, had a secret romance, and met with tragedy’, Xinlu would probably burst out laughing and find it highly amusing.

Right at that moment, as if hearing Yuri’s thoughts, Ling Xinlu suddenly lifted his head and looked straight at him.

“If there’s something you want to say, don’t keep it to yourself. Just say it.”

“Nothing at all.”

“Really?”

“Nothing at all.”

But if he were to say it out loud, Ling Xinlu would definitely burst out laughing, find it hilarious for a while, and then start probing to find out who had spread such a baseless rumor. So, Yuri decided in that moment to keep his face as expressionless as possible and lie. Ling Xinlu stared at Yuri for a while, then turned to lie on his side, lightly patting the thigh he was using as a pillow.

“Don’t let your leg go numb, okay? Next time, remember to warn me first. If you say: ‘My leg’s too numb, I guess I’ll have to sleep here tonight’, I’ll get angry.”

Ling Xinlu usually returned to his own apartment even if it was past midnight, only staying overnight at the clan estate when absolutely necessary. There was a reason for his words.

A few days ago, when Ling Xinlu had rested his head on Yuri’s lap to get an eye massage, he had unknowingly fallen asleep. As a result, Yuri had to sit still for several hours. Even after Ling Xinlu woke up and sat up, Yuri’s leg remained numb for a while, leaving him unable to move and forcing him to stay seated for a long time.

Even though it was technically his own fault, Ling Xinlu not only didn’t apologize or show any remorse but also coldly scolded him: “Why didn’t you wake me up? Why just sit there like an idiot?”  However, perhaps feeling a little guilty, he ended up massaging Yuri’s leg until the numbness subsided, muttering under his breath the whole time.

“About 20 more minutes should be fine.”

“20 minutes, huh…… alright.”

It seemed Ling Xinlu intended to lie there for a full 20 minutes. He checked the time and adjusted his position to rest his head more comfortably on Yuri’s lap. Yuri, who was very accustomed to massaging Ling Xinlu’s eyes every night, placed his hand over Ling Xinlu’s eyes. Ling Xinlu seemed slightly startled, so Yuri gently asked: “Should I move my hand?” But Ling Xinlu thought for a moment and shook his head: “No, this is nice. It’s good like this at night.”

Yuri rested his hand over Ling Xinlu’s eyes, the round and delicate head lying on his lap. Yuri suddenly thought: ‘He looks like a cat curled up on a loaf of bread.’

“……”

‘Maybe more like a mocha bread than regular bread……’ – Yuri mused silently, then gently touched Ling Xinlu’s soft, cat-like hair.

“If you keep carelessly resting your head on someone’s lap like this……”

At that moment, Ling Xinlu suddenly murmured in a sleepy voice.

“Do you know that from Mr. Gable’s perspective, if you wanted to, you could easily kill me in this position?”

“…… I know.”

But Yuri didn’t understand why Ling Xinlu chose this moment to bring that up, so he replied coldly.

Ling Xinlu fell silent for a while. He didn’t seem to have any intention of sitting up to escape this dangerous position. He remained lying there, looking quite comfortable.

Yuri quietly waited for Ling Xinlu’s response, though he wasn’t overly concerned if Ling Xinlu chose not to answer. Just as Yuri had almost forgotten he was waiting, Ling Xinlu, who seemed to have fallen asleep, softly spoke up again.

“In Seringe, I sometimes visit Taei-hyung like a backpacker. Not to meet him, but just to see what he’s doing and how he’s living.”

“……”

“That bastard rested his head on Taei-hyung’s lap. He even took a nap there, so comfortably that even when Taei-hyung muttered: ‘You’re too heavy!’ and tried to move his head away, he didn’t wake up.”

Perhaps if it were Riegrow, no matter how much noise was made, he wouldn’t wake up. But not because he was a deep sleeper—it was because even when awake, he was as lazy as a lion, his eyes still tightly shut, letting Taei-hyung freely move his head around. However, that wasn’t what Ling Xinlu was talking about.

Yuri also knew what Ling Xinlu was referring to.

He had seen that scene many times in Seringe, and each time, he had watched them with a sense of disbelief.

“If we could kill him, then go ahead and try.” – Ling Xinlu muttered. But he also knew it was impossible. As Yuri knew well.

“Of course, if it were Riegrow, even in that position, if the other person intended to harm him, he could snap their neck first. But it’s not because of overconfidence that he lazily rolls around in front of Taei-hyung like that.”

“…….”

Yuri silently used the hand covering Ling Xinlu’s eyes to gently stroke his hair. Ling Xinlu said nothing more for a while, as if he had drifted off to sleep.

This had happened a long time ago. Now, it was buried deep in the past. But while Yuri was thinking this, perhaps Ling Xinlu also remembered them whenever he encountered small incidents like this. Although Ling Xinlu’s voice when talking about them was no longer as intense or trembling as before.

“Taei-hyung must still be fine. If he’s doing well, then I should live well too. That’s what I think, but every time I remember, I still feel annoyed. If Taei-hyung is living well, then that bastard must be doing fine too.”

Ling Xinlu muttered wearily, as if sleep-talking. Suddenly, his eyelids, which had been tightly shut under Yuri’s hand, twitched slightly. The corners of his mouth also stiffened.

It seemed that even though his voice sounded calm, his mind was anything but peaceful. “Ah, this is so irritating……” – Ling Xinlu grumbled softly, turning his body and facing away. Beneath Yuri’s hand, which was now hovering in the air, he moved his head closer to Yuri’s thigh and buried his face in Yuri’s stomach. It seemed Ling Xinlu didn’t want to reveal his expression.

“……”

Yuri lowered his hand again, placing it on Ling Xinlu’s head and gently stroking. He kept his hand still, only moving his fingers to softly caress Ling Xinlu’s hair.

“You should live well too. Don’t let yourself suffer.”

Yuri spoke calmly. Ling Xinlu, who had his face buried in Yuri’s stomach, slowly turned his head slightly. His eyes were now visible, and they gleamed with anger.

“It’s not like I can just decide to do that.”

His tone was irritable and annoyed, but it no longer carried the same instability as before. So, Yuri felt somewhat reassured and said:

“It’ll happen soon.”

“…….”

“It’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t meant as a consolation—it seemed Yuri genuinely believed that everything would be alright.

Ling Xinlu, still glaring at Yuri with anger as if venting his frustration, let out a sigh: “Hmph”, before turning his face away and burying it back into Yuri’s stomach.

For a brief moment, no one spoke.

Yuri placed his hand on Ling Xinlu’s head, gazing at him gently for a while before looking up. His eyes drifted to the courtyard, now bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun.

‘So peaceful like this. But he’s still suffering so much.’

Yuri’s fingers lightly brushed through Ling Xinlu’s hair.

It was unclear how much time had passed when suddenly—

“Starting now, it’s 20 minutes.”

A small, muffled voice came from the face buried in Yuri’s stomach.

“I was planning to take a nap, but Mr. Gable kept talking, so I couldn’t sleep at all.”

“Therefore, starting now, it’s 20 minutes.” – Ling Xinlu muttered, pressing his head more firmly onto Yuri’s thigh. It seemed he was determined not to move.

“…… You’re the one who was talking……”

“Ah— really, you kept talking so much that I couldn’t sleep.”

“…….”

Yuri stared down at Ling Xinlu, who was now acting annoyed and even irritable because of him. His leg was starting to go numb, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He looked at Ling Xinlu with a puzzled expression, but in the end, his lips, which had twitched a few times, closed without another word.

**************

“——Ever since I was little, I’ve always been surrounded by people.”

Yuri was recalling a statement Ling Xinlu had made in the past. Indeed, he could somewhat understand it now.

He knew that Ling Xinlu was someone who naturally drew others in. To be blunt, he himself was one of those people who had been drawn to Ling Xinlu. No matter where he went or where he was, people’s eyes would always gravitate toward him. Even the slightest gesture from Ling Xinlu was enough to capture attention. Yuri had known this and had felt it many times before. But this was the first time he had witnessed it so clearly.

“……”

Yuri was leaning against a pillar in the hallway. Inside the spacious corridor, a crowd had gathered, making the place noisy and lively. And in the midst of that crowd, instantly drawing more attention than anyone else, was Ling Xinlu.

Today was someone’s birthday among this crowd.

When he had entered the hallway, Yuri had vaguely heard whose birthday it was and had even seen people pointing from a distance. But now, in the midst of this crowd, it was hard for him to pinpoint the main character.

……No, actually, he did know.

Apart from Ling Xinlu, who was shining brightly in the crowd, Yuri noticed a few people gathered around someone. People kept coming over to greet them, and others struck up conversations. It seemed that person was the one being celebrated today.

“Wow…… Seeing it from here really highlights the contrast. When you’re in the middle of the crowd, you don’t notice it.”

Xiaojun, who was standing in the middle of the crowd, happened to catch Yuri’s gaze and quickly made her way over to him. She stood beside Yuri, looked into the hallway, and whispered as if in admiration. Just as she said, from this secluded corner, the center of the hallway was clearly visible.

Xiaojun was Ling Tangyun’s daughter and also someone who attracted attention. But when she stepped away from the center of the hallway and stood with Yuri in the corner, even though some people waved at her, no one particularly came over to strike up a conversation.

“There are so many people I’ve never seen before. Are they all relatives?”

“Not at all. Probably only close relatives were invited. The birthday of the eldest grandson isn’t significant enough for the whole clan to gather and celebrate. Most of them are just siblings and their partners.”

“My partner is over there too.” – Xiaojun pointed toward a well-dressed, dignified young man who was chatting with someone near the table. When the young man saw her, he waved and smiled brightly.

“Is this event so important that you have to bring your partner along?”

“Oh, no. It’s just an excuse to gather and have fun. Among the siblings, only a few have ‘birthdays’ that are considered important. For example, my older brother, or even though he’s not a blood sibling, Uncle Xinlu—his birthday is also like that……Uncle Xinlu’s birthday is truly grand. The entire hallway would be filled with gifts.”

Indeed, the birthdays of the grandchildren and the birthday of the most favored son were treated differently by the guests. Even after more than twenty years, every birthday was like this – and most of the siblings were the same – so now there was nothing worth comparing. But the man who was supposed to be the main character of today wasn’t shining in the crowd. Instead, he was quietly glancing at Ling Xinlu from a distance.

Meanwhile, Ling Xinlu, who was merely a guest, confidently took charge of the atmosphere at the center as if he were the host of the party. Even though he had no intention of dominating the mood, his natural ability to attract attention and draw people in made it happen.

“From here, Uncle Xinlu looks like he’s in the middle of a flower garden.”

Xiaojun hurried over to the nearest table, grabbed two glasses of water, and came back, handing one to Yuri as she spoke. Just as she said, Ling Xinlu was indeed in the middle of a flower garden.

Beautiful girls, all dressed glamorously, were particularly gathered around Ling Xinlu.

“Uncle Xinlu has always been well-loved. So many girls try their best to get his attention—just thinking about it briefly, you can’t even count them all. The girl in the lemon-colored dress standing next to him over there is the same.”

“Is that so…… If that’s the case, she shouldn’t stand on that side. She should stand on the right. Otherwise, he won’t be able to see her.”

Yuri muttered nonchalantly, as if talking to himself. Xiaojun’s eyes widened, seemingly not understanding at first, but after a moment, she clapped her hands: “That’s right, his eye.”

“I forgot because he’s just like a normal person.”

It seemed that forgetting made Xiaojun feel embarrassed, and she whispered as if justifying herself. Yuri responded reassuringly: “I forget sometimes too.” Though, in reality, he almost never forgot, but even if he did, it wouldn’t be strange, because Ling Xinlu made everything seem so natural. Those who didn’t know would never realize he had a disability.

“……But that girl in the white dress standing on Uncle Xinlu’s right, is she his girlfriend?”

“I’ve never seen Uncle Xinlu’s girlfriend before.” – Xiaojun said, looking at the girl with curiosity. The girl stood so close to Ling Xinlu that their arms were almost touching, even leaning in closer, their faces just a few strands of hair apart, chatting naturally and happily. From a distance – or perhaps even up close – they looked like a couple in love.

“Probably not, I guess.”

Yuri muttered vaguely and moistened his dry lips with the glass of water. Until now, he hadn’t even touched the food, too focused on watching them that he didn’t realize he was thirsty.

“Really? They look so close. I’ve never seen Uncle Xinlu talk so intimately with anyone before. Who is she? Did they meet here?”

“Uncle Xinlu will definitely have a girlfriend someday.” – Xiaojun said excitedly, while Yuri stood there silently. The weight in Yuri’s gaze as he watched them wasn’t just because of his feelings for Ling Xinlu. Nor was it solely because the girl’s smile, her eyes and the corners of her mouth, all reminded him of Taei.

Whether it was due to his mood or not, the moment Ling Xinlu saw the girl, he stared at her for a long time before approaching. Earlier, the girl had been standing close to the main character of today’s birthday celebration, looking as intimate as a couple on a date.

“……..”

But when Ling Xinlu approached and struck up a conversation, the girl immediately left the man’s side and came to stand next to Ling Xinlu. Perhaps Yuri’s worries were unfounded after all.

Yuri glanced at the girl, who was enthusiastically chatting with Ling Xinlu, her face flushed red, then looked over at the main character of the day, who had been glaring at them with anger all this time. He sighed. It’s probably just overthinking, Yuri told himself silently.

“By the way, isn’t Fei coming?”

Yuri finished his glass of water in a few gulps and suddenly realized something was missing. Because until now, he had only been paying attention to Ling Xinlu, he hadn’t noticed, but on occasions like this, Fei usually came with Xiao Lian, but this time, he was nowhere to be seen.

If Xiaojun was invited to a clan gathering, Fei, her brother, would also be invited, and they usually came together. But even after looking around, Yuri still couldn’t spot Fei.

“He’s been busy lately learning the ropes with Dad, so he couldn’t make it. He said he’d come after dinner, so he should be here soon.”

Yuri nodded: “Ah, I see.” He recalled that Ling Tangyun had briefly mentioned this a few days ago. He said it was time to start teaching his son about the clan business.

Come to think of it, Fei had graduated from university and returned home, so it was time for him to start working. Moreover, as the eldest son of Ling Tangyun and the direct grandson of the Ling clan, Fei would have to learn and shoulder responsibilities far greater than others.

And above all, if he were to inherit the entire Ling clan business, the burden would become even heavier.

“I hope everything goes smoothly.”

Yuri muttered to himself after a moment of silence.

It wasn’t clear what exactly he was hoping would go smoothly. He simply wished that Fei’s life would unfold the way he wanted it to.

Xiaojun seemed to share the sentiment, so she just nodded without saying anything.

She surely knew that among the clan’s business dealings, some were conducted in the light, while others were hidden in the shadows, things that couldn’t be exposed to the outside world.

She was standing on a fragile boundary: unable to stop Fei as he began to get involved in work that wasn’t entirely legitimate or ethical, but also unable to applaud it. Just like Yuri.

But perhaps because it was a clan matter, and it had been predetermined since they were very young, she didn’t feel too uncomfortable about it.

“By the way, I heard Uncle Xinlu is about to start learning the ropes too.”

Xiaojun glanced toward Ling Xinlu, who was standing in the distance, muttering as if she had overheard the adults talking. Yuri said nothing.

Like Fei, Ling Xinlu’s involvement in the clan business had also been predetermined. If he had continued his path at UNHRDO, perhaps his life would have been different. But since he had left and returned to the Ling clan, sooner or later, he would have to take part in the clan’s affairs. Yuri glanced at Xiaojun.