The blurry video quality looked like zoomed-in surveillance footage. It was also very short, only about ten seconds.
It wasn’t until long after the video finished playing that Yan Xun slowly came back to his senses.
Although the person in the video didn’t show their face, their identity wasn’t hard to guess; it was almost blatantly obvious.
The dim lighting, the luxurious yet indistinct furnishings, and the suggestive and oppressive atmosphere in the video suddenly reminded Yan Xun of a dream he had previously forgotten.
Now, it seemed that it wasn’t a dream after all…
His finger hovered over the screen for a long time, hesitating, but in the end, Yan Xun still clicked delete. After all, the existence of the video posed a risk of being leaked, even if that possibility was very low, it wasn’t zero.
But even though he deleted it from his phone, every frame of that mere ten-second clip seemed to be etched into Yan Xun’s mind, lingering and refusing to fade away.
Just then, the sliding door of the kitchen opened from the outside.
Whoosh—
The moment Yan Xun heard the sound of the door opening, he instinctively turned off his phone and placed it face down on the countertop behind him. Then, he picked up the kitchen knife as if he was preparing to continue slicing the potatoes.
Without turning around, he asked, “What is it?”
He tried his best to appear nonchalant, but Chu Tingyun still detected a hint of tension.
“Nothing.”
The man glanced at the potatoes on the cutting board; they weren’t cut very well, clearly showing that the person holding the knife was distracted.
He moved closer and reached out toward Yan Xun. It looked like he intended to hug him from behind, but in the end, Chu Tingyun’s movements paused. Instead, he slowly untied the apron strap around Yan Xun’s waist.
“I thought you’ve been studying all morning, you should take a break. How about not cooking, and I’ll call to order some food?”
“…Alright.”
Yan Xun didn’t refuse.
He took off the apron and hung it up. When he turned around, his eyes instinctively fell on the man’s left hand.
Or, more accurately, on the wedding ring encircling his ring finger.
After staring at it for a moment, Yan Xun suddenly took Chu Tingyun’s hand and asked:
“This, is our wedding ring, right?”
The man was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded, “Yes, the wedding ring.”
What Chu Tingyun didn’t mention was that he had insisted that Yan Xun buy them back then. So Yan Xun had just casually gone to a small shop nearby and bought the cheapest promotional pair.
Unexpectedly, they had worn them until now.
Yan Xun then asked, “So, where’s mine?”
“It got… accidentally lost earlier.”
Chu Tingyun replied like this.
After a pause, the man pretended to ask casually:
“Otherwise, how about we buy a new pair?”
If at this moment Yan Xun nodded, Chu Tingyun would immediately go find the most famous designer to customize a unique and the best wedding ring in the world.
“No need.”
But Yan Xun did not nod.
He rubbed the ring that was not particularly special or valuable and softly said:
“I want to keep looking for it; maybe I can find it.”
“…Alright, but if you really can’t find it, we’ll buy a new one.”
“Okay.”
The topic ended there.
Yan Xun never mentioned the video, and it seemed Chu Tingyun didn’t know about it either.
After they quietly finished lunch, Chu Tingyun said he was going to the mall to buy a suit for Yan Xun to wear to a wedding tomorrow.
Actually, even if there wasn’t enough time to have a custom-tailored suit made for the wedding, they could easily call someone to send over a few sets to try at home without having to go out personally.
But Chu Tingyun insisted on going in person. Before heading out, he even changed into a different outfit, put on sunglasses, and took a long time picking out a tie. In the end, he fully embodied the aura of a domineering CEO.
Yan Xun felt that his previous impression of Chu Tingyun as mature, steady, gentle, and elegant was somewhat shattered. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but it seemed like Chu Tingyun now had a bit of a peacock-like quality.
Moreover, Chu Tingyun specifically had someone bring out the most flamboyant Lamborghini from the garage. It’s undeniable that this luxury car was indeed eye-catching, attracting quite a few onlookers as it entered the residential area.
Perhaps men can’t resist the charm of cars; Yan Xun couldn’t help but take a few more glances.
Chu Tingyun asked him, “Do you like it?”
Yan Xun replied, “It’s too flashy.”
After a few seconds of silence, Chu Tingyun said, “But this car was the one you chose back then.”
“?”
Yan Xun was silent at first, then said:
“Alright, it is pretty good-looking.”
Chu Tingyun didn’t respond, just smiled.
Yan Xun wondered if Chu Tingyun really enjoyed shopping malls; otherwise, why was he so excited the whole way?
This thought quickly faded in his mind. Yan Xun didn’t think much about it and sat in the passenger seat, starting to ponder what kind of gift would be suitable for the bride. After all, Chu Tingyun had said he used to have a good relationship with the woman.
This surprised him a bit because, aside from Zhou Ze, Yan Xun had no friends growing up. Mainly, his personality was too aloof, disliking socializing, and after leaving school, he had practically cut ties with all his classmates and teachers.
Moreover, most of his time was spent making money and taking care of his family, which resulted in him having very few male friends and virtually no female friends.
So all the way to the mall, Yan Xun still hadn’t figured out what gift to give. By then, the stylist and two shopping assistants summoned by President Chu were already in place.
The three of them greeted them with warm smiles and enthusiasm and, following the requirements given by President Chu earlier, led them around the mall.
Originally, Yan Xun thought they were just there to buy a suit and leave, but unexpectedly, Chu Tingyun directly picked out a pile and asked him to try them all.
Yan Xun was tall, standing at 1.87 meters without shoes, with a typical northern build, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, with great proportions. He looked good in almost anything.
Later, when there were too many clothes to try on, they would just hold them up to him, compare them to his body briefly, and directly hand them over to the shopping assistant, saying, “We’ll take this one.”
Yan Xun felt this wouldn’t do, but before he could speak to stop them, another male voice interjected from not far away.
“Yan-ge?”
Yan Xun turned around and saw a young man in his early twenties, holding his female companion’s arm, walking briskly toward him.
“From a distance, I thought it looked like you, and it turns out it really is.”
The young man’s expression was a bit surprised, as if he hadn’t expected to see him here.
The woman beside him seemed unfamiliar with them, so she didn’t speak, just stood quietly on the side.
Only when he got closer did he notice Chu Tingyun standing next to him, and his expression stiffened immediately.
“Hey, so big brother is here too?”
“…”
Yan Xun was taken aback, and his gaze lingered on the young man’s handsome yet unfamiliar face for a moment, confirming that he didn’t know him.
Almost at the same time, Jiang Yuheng noticed his confusion.
“Huh? It’s only been a few months, and it seems like Yan-ge doesn’t recognize me anymore…”
Before he could finish speaking, Chu Tingyun took a step forward, just enough to position himself between Yan Xun and the young man.
His tone was quite cold, “What’s up?”
Jiang Yuheng sensed his hostility, so he quickly retracted his gaze from Yan Xun, turned to Chu Tingyun, and said with a smile:
“Oh, I can’t just say hello if there’s nothing…” Before he could finish, he was directly interrupted.
Chu Tingyun’s eyes were dark, “…No, you can’t.”
“…Alright, I do have something.”
Jiang Yuheng took a step back as if yielding, seemingly accustomed to Chu Tingyun’s attitude.
“Tomorrow, my sister is getting married. As the eldest brother, shouldn’t you at least come home for a night? And I’m not the one saying this; Dad said it.”
…Getting married?
Yan Xun realized belatedly.
The person in front of him was Chu Tingyun’s younger brother, and the bride getting married tomorrow was his sister.
But why did it seem like Chu Tingyun didn’t have a good relationship with his brother?
“By the way, Yan-ge, are you coming tomorrow?”
Jiang Yuheng tilted his head, trying to peek around Chu Tingyun to look at Yan Xun behind him.
“Of course, you can come, but this time you mustn’t…”
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted again.
“Jiang Yuheng.”
Chu Tingyun stared coldly at him.
“You can leave now.”
“…”
With many people watching around, Jiang Yuheng’s expression froze for a moment, then he shrugged indifferently.
“Alright.”
He reached out to hug his female companion’s waist and, in a doting tone, led her away.
“Come on, baby, let’s go buy you a bag.”
After saying that, he really left.
After this interruption, Chu Tingyun also lost interest in continuing. He finished checking out, left the address, and asked the shopping assistant to send the purchased items home.
It wasn’t until they entered the elevator, with only the two of them left, that Yan Xun asked:
“That guy just now, he’s your brother?”
“Sort of. Same father, different mother. I took my mother’s surname.”
Chu Tingyun explained briefly.
“We don’t get along, so you don’t have to mind him.”
Even without being told, Yan Xun could sense the tension between the brothers. But he wasn’t concerned about Jiang Yuheng; he was more interested in someone else.
“So, the bride getting married tomorrow is your sister? And you told me earlier that she had a good relationship with me?”
“…”
This time, Chu Tingyun didn’t answer immediately.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuheng, who was accompanying his female companion to buy a bag, provided the answer.
“Yeah, back in college, my sister and Yan Xun got together. After just six months of dating, my sister came home and said she was planning to get married.”
“Eh? Then why did that Mr. Yan we just saw…” Why was he shopping and dating with Jiang Yuheng’s older brother?
The female companion seemed surprised, as if shocked by this high-society gossip.
“My parents didn’t agree, of course. His family was dirt poor, and he had a disabled older brother with a broken leg. How could our daughter marry someone like that?”
“Moreover, my mom had already picked out a son-in-law, and the families had already discussed the engagement date.”
Jiang Yuheng didn’t think there was anything wrong with turning his sister’s past pain into gossip and jokes for others.
“But guess what happened next?”
“On the day of the engagement party, my sister secretly ran off and eloped with Yan Xun. The two of them really ran far, from China to abroad, finally hiding in some small town in Russia.”
“Later, it was Chu Tingyun—oh right, the one I just called big brother—who spent two months looking for them, neglecting all the company’s business, and finally personally brought them back.”
