Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Six: Brother, could it be that you like me?

He had changed into an off-white set of loungewear.

It seemed that Lou Ye had also taken a shower while he was at it. His hair was towel-dried to a dampness, droplets falling from the tips. He spoke as he walked out from the central bedroom on the first floor—the room she had thought was a guest room where she’d napped that afternoon.

“You, you...” Her heart was pounding wildly. Her ears inexplicably began to flush. Sang Wan stammered, “Is this... your master bedroom?”

“That’s right...” Lou Ye nodded. “Every room in this house is the master bedroom.”

In other words, wherever 2S had hidden that day, whichever room she’d fallen asleep in, she had unwittingly trespassed into Lou Ye’s bedroom every time. A hundred percent hit rate for the wrong room.

Since there was no escaping it, she might as well accept her fate.

Lou Ye asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sang Wan shook her head, face composed though her heart was sinking into despair. As she turned to sit at the dining table, she stole a furtive glance around, as if searching for surveillance cameras in the house.

There were none to be seen.

On second thought, there wasn’t even a servant’s room here; someone as private as Lou Ye was unlikely to install surveillance in his own home.

She instantly relaxed.

Lou Ye’s lips curled. “Let’s eat.”

He seemed distracted, his mind elsewhere as he pushed his food around. In her arms sat 2S, eyeing the Australian lobster with predatory intent, while Sang Wan, less restrained than before, focused on the cat throughout her meal.

Once the dishes were cleared, Sang Wan prepared to leave. She politely refused Lou Ye’s offer to see her off. “It’s rush hour and the traffic is terrible. The driver can take me. You should get some rest.”

Lou Ye paused, retrieving the eager 2S who was about to follow her, and asked, “What if he still won’t eat properly?”

Sang Wan had no idea what to do. She could only gently rub 2S’s head. “Be good, all right?”

2S: “Meow...”

Lou Ye translated, “He says he’ll try his best.”

Sang Wan: ...

The car pulled out of the hillside villa estate. Just as they wound through the lush, overlapping mountain roads, the rain began to fall.

At the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa’s top floor, Lou Ye watched the gathering rain with a face full of frustration.

Just a few more minutes—if only the rain had started sooner.

He’d prepared Sang Wan’s favorite film in the home theater, but she hadn’t even turned on the screen. The master suite upstairs had fresh linens, yet she hadn’t entered. Everything felt tasteless; he couldn't even come up with an excuse to make her stay.

And now, she was gone, and the rain had started!

Even heaven seemed to be against him!

He unlocked his phone.

Capital City Weather: Overcast.

Lou Ye’s face darkened as he dialed a call. “I want to file a complaint—your weather forecast is completely inaccurate! Complain!”

The phone rang. Lou Ye glanced at the caller ID and answered.

The blaring party noise on the other end cut off abruptly.

“Hey bro, come out and have some fun! Your engagement is off, but you’re acting more virtuous than ever? That’s not like you!”

In their circle, everyone knew the prince was the wildest of the lot. Especially in the past six months—racing, horseback riding, clubbing, house parties—he’d been living it up. Everyone thought he was sowing his wild oats before marriage; after all, it was the Shao family he was to marry into. Even if it was just an engagement, it demanded respect for the gambling king and his sixth daughter.

But after the engagement was called off, instead of cutting loose, Lou Ye had become almost reclusive.

Before, it was hard enough to get him out, but now, not even a prime Friday night could lure him from home?

It made no sense! Not only was it illogical, it was downright unreasonable!

“Bro, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I’ve figured out your secret.”

“Spit it out.”

“You see, during the four years at Imperial University, when you should’ve been at your most passionate, surrounded by beautiful women, you were practically a monk. After you became President Lou, your social engagements increased, and so did the parade of beauties, but you never fell for anyone. If it were someone else, I’d suspect they had a first love studying abroad, or a long-cherished flame. But we grew up together—I’d know if you had a white moonlight or a cinnabar mole.”

After all that, he still hadn’t gotten to the point.

Lou Ye’s patience was at its end. “So?”

“Bro...” The voice on the other end was theatrically nervous. “Could it be... you’re in love with me?”

“So after all that thinking, that’s what you came up with?”

And such a big pile, too!

Lou Ye’s lips twitched, his bad mood washed away by the rain. “Since you guessed it, then go wash up and wait for Daddy.”

He hung up and turned away, not forgetting to close the home theater door behind him.

2S, as if it owned the place, settled onto his bed.

Lou Ye changed clothes and headed out. Glancing at his watch, he figured Sang Wan should have reached home by now. He sent a WeChat message.

[Are you home?]

[Yes, I’m home. Sorry to trouble you again tonight!]

[Senior, can you stop being so formal after hours?]

Ever since she’d learned Lou Ye’s real identity, Sang Wan no longer dared to treat him as just an ordinary junior. Especially now, when he was President Lou, at the very pinnacle of the capital’s elite.

She let her phone dim from activity, unsure how to reply.

The screen lit up again.

It was a call from Yang Yan.

It was already 9 p.m.—there was no way Yang Yan would call her at this hour unless...

There could only be one possibility.

Lu Jinnian.

Sang Wan hung up and immediately switched off her phone.

Moments later, the sound of knocking echoed from downstairs.

Standing before her open wardrobe, Sang Wan’s body went rigid, fists clenched tightly. She heard Granny Wan answer the door, heard her footsteps return. A faint hope flickered in Sang Wan’s heart.

Then came the old woman’s call.

“Sang, dear...”

At the top of the stairs, Granny Wan called out, “There’s a man named Yang Yan at the door—he says he’s your coworker and needs to see you.”

If she didn’t go down, Yang Yan would just keep knocking and disturb Granny Wan. If she didn’t show up, Yang Yan would have to keep watching Lu Jinnian spiral out of control on a Friday night.

She’d once thought that as long as she didn’t care, Lu Jinnian would have no hold over her. Only now did Sang Wan realize that as long as she had any pride left, Lu Jinnian would always have countless ways to force her hand.

“Granny, I know... I’m sorry to disturb your rest!”

Sang Wan replied, then removed Lu Jinnian from her block list and called him. “Lu Jinnian, are you out of your mind?”

“Come out.”

Lu Jinnian’s voice was tinged with the hazy slur of alcohol. “I’m waiting at the end of the alley. The sooner you come out, the sooner Yang Yan can go home. Otherwise...”

Click.

Sang Wan hung up, took a deep breath, and went downstairs.

“Miss Sang, I’m really sorry, I—”

“It’s me who should apologize.”

The rain had lessened, but still dripped steadily. Yang Yan’s hair and suit were soaked. The anger in Sang Wan’s heart dissipated in an instant.

So this was the difference between people—and she was only realizing it now.

Lou Ye had arranged for his driver to bring her home. When the car couldn’t enter the alley, the driver had promptly gotten out and opened an umbrella. She’d said it wasn’t necessary, that she could manage with a few quick steps, but the stone-faced driver had insisted politely, “I’ll walk you to the door.” Even after reaching her gate and seeing the small open courtyard, he pressed the umbrella into her hand and hurried away.

But Lu Jinnian, as always, acted as if the whole world should yield to him, as if everything should revolve around his needs.

But why?

The alley was pitch black and silent.

With a faint hum, the rear door of the Mercedes opened, and Lu Jinnian stepped out. His gaze instinctively fell on the brand-new, exquisitely crafted black umbrella in Sang Wan’s hand as she approached from the alley.

“That was from your lover, wasn’t it?”