This was truly a terrible day. 

In the morning, his first assistant zoned out during surgery. In the afternoon, he was cornered in his office by Chu Jianglai. And finally, he had almost gotten into a physical altercation with an unreasonable patient's family member. 

Near the end of his shift, an irritable Chu Qiubai declined his colleagues' invitations to dinner and headed to the parking lot alone. Fifteen minutes ago, Chu Jianglai had called to say he was already waiting for him at the office door. 

"Got it," Chu Qiubai, who had just finished his ward rounds, replied. However, instead of going to the office building, he bypassed it entirely and walked straight from the inpatient department to the parking lot. He still hadn't figured out how to face Chu Jianglai, so he decided it was best to avoid him. 

All the way to the parking lot, he pondered how he couldn't go straight home later and whether it would be better to get a hotel room for the night. 

However, Chu Jianglai's calculations were flawless. In the parking lot, the black SUV Chu Qiubai used for his daily commute was completely boxed in by four unfamiliar vehicles. And the young man—the one with a gentle and harmless face that somehow always made his skin crawl—was leaning against his car door, head bowed, looking at his phone. 

Seeing him arrive, the young man immediately looked up. A hint of a smug smile appeared on his handsome face: "I knew it!" 

"Didn't you say you were at the office door?" 

"If I didn't trick you like that, how would you have taken the bait?" 

This joking remark, full of laughter, successfully made Chu Qiubai shudder. 

Standing up straight, Chu Jianglai smiled like a mischievous but innocent boy. Seeing Chu Qiubai suddenly shiver, he assumed he was cold, immediately took off his jacket, and draped the body-warmed garment over his shoulders. 

"Get in the car. It's so cold outside, I'll drive you." 

Just a few days ago, it was still a bright, sunny summer, but after a few spells of rain, autumn had swiftly arrived in Jing City. The streets were filled with pedestrians bundled up in coats, shivering. 

Youmin Hospital was located in the center of Jing City. It was the evening rush hour, and Chu Jianglai skillfully wove through the heavily congested lanes, changing lanes at every opportunity. Seeing that Chu Qiubai remained silent, he cheerfully tried to tease him. 

"I was very obedient and slept a full four hours before coming to pick you up! Have I gotten any more handsome?" 

But Chu Qiubai seemed to have zero interest in his antics. He lay listlessly against the passenger seat with his eyes closed, his mouth clamped shut in silence, exposing only his bobbing Adam's apple and a stretch of long, fragile neck. 

"Are you very tired?" 

"Mn." 

Chu Qiubai had never been a man of many words, and to outsiders, he always maintained an icy demeanor. Only toward Chu Jianglai had he consistently shown great patience. His unusual reticence caused the young man, who was driving while stealing glances at his reaction, to frown slightly. 

Chu Jianglai possessed a handsome appearance tinged with a hint of delicate elegance. Unlike Chu Qiubai's aloof, noble, yet somewhat peaceful temperament, the lower half of Chu Jianglai's face had strikingly smooth contours. His chin was somewhat narrow, and the peaks of his thin lips were so pronounced they bordered on stern. Therefore, when he wasn't smiling, it was very easy for him to give off a gloomy, sharp sense of oppression. 

The only person in the world who would think of him as sunny, straightforward, guileless, sweet, adorable, and easy to get along with was probably just Chu Qiubai. 

During the days Chu Jianglai was in America, the US branch felt as if it had welcomed a decisive, slaughtering god of war. For a time, everyone felt their jobs were in jeopardy. His crisp, ruthless, and unsympathetic style had indeed secured phenomenal benefits for the family, but it had also offended many people. 

After being repeatedly subjected to death threats by homeless people wielding guns on the streets of New York, the security detail around Chu Jianglai was continuously upgraded. Nowadays, even in strictly gun-controlled Jing City, having made enemies everywhere, he still maintained the good habit of keeping a security team on standby nearby at all times. 

The four black Mercedes commercial vehicles that had just boxed in Chu Qiubai's SUV in the parking lot were now escorting them, two in front and two behind, sandwiching them right in the middle. 

However, the heavily guarded Chu Qiubai seemed extremely anxious about this formation. At first, he kept using his peripheral vision to check the trailing vehicles in the rearview mirror. After ten minutes of visibly tense observation, his face suddenly turned deathly pale, and his lips began to lose color and tremble. 

Chu Jianglai knew exactly the reason for his discomfort. When he was twenty-four, Chu Qiubai had been kidnapped. The formation of the security convoy surrounding them was identical to the one during his abduction all those years ago. 

Later, Chu Qiubai narrowly escaped. Upon returning home, he became extremely vigilant against anyone who tried to approach him—except for Chu Jianglai, upon whom his dependence grew nearly pathological. 

Chu Jianglai immensely enjoyed the state of Chu Qiubai relying on him wholeheartedly. He hated it when Chu Qiubai brought up breaking up, hated that he had married someone else, and hated that he no longer constantly stared at him with eager, dewy eyes. 

He hoped this deliberately arranged security formation would reawaken his older brother's dependence and affection for him. 

But this clearly wasn't working. 

While waiting at a traffic light, Chu Qiubai suddenly stopped looking at the bodyguard cars. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the passenger seat's headrest in a somewhat self-destructive, resigned manner. 

He crossed his arms over his chest, adopting a highly defensive and rejecting posture. No matter how much effort Chu Jianglai put into trying to strike up a conversation, he only fobbed him off with curt, monosyllabic responses. 

"Brother Qiubai, I'm sorry." 

This sudden, out-of-the-blue apology made Chu Qiubai, who was pretending to rest with his eyes closed, shudder all over. 

He opened his eyes. 

"What?" 

"I shouldn't have left you alone in the country." 

So it was about that.

He had thought this person had suddenly felt remorse and intended to confess everything to him. He didn't expect him to still be beating around the bush, offering unneeded apologies. 

"That? It's fine." Chu Qiubai closed his eyes again. 

Suddenly, a flurry of urgent honking erupted around them; it seemed a rear-end collision had occurred in the right lane. The impatient, noisy horns bred a sense of fierce irritation, and a sudden, destructive urge to just let everything go to hell flared up in his chest. 

"Actually, I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Chu Qiubai leaned back again, resuming his defensive, arms-crossed posture. "After all, I unilaterally decided to separate without discussing it with you, and then suddenly got married." 

"I'm sorry, Jianglai." 

He deliberately lowered his volume, speaking of breaking up and getting married as if they were matters of course. His gentle, polite attitude made it impossible to pick out any flaws, yet it also made him seem like an absolute scumbag toying with someone's feelings. 

Chu Jianglai didn't speak for about three full minutes. 

Chu Qiubai had already braced himself for the man to immediately rip off his mask, perhaps even murder him right then and there to silence him. But upon slowly opening his eyes, what he saw was the young man tightly gripping the steering wheel, staring blankly ahead at the road with red, teary eyes. 

For a brief moment, Chu Qiubai wondered if he had wronged him. 

But he knew he hadn't. 

The biggest misunderstanding between the two of them was that Chu Qiubai had actually mistaken an untamable, wild wolf for a puppy he could hug and kiss at will. 

They returned to his residence in silence the whole way. Opening the door, Chu Qiubai bent down, trying to find a pair of slippers for Chu Jianglai in the shoe cabinet. 

When he moved to Jing City alone this time, he didn't even bring a servant. Although he had hired an hourly maid, they weren't familiar with each other, so he didn't dare casually let someone stay over. For these past few months, he had been the sole occupant of this hastily purchased single-floor apartment. 

"Sorry, I haven't prepared guest slippers. Just step right in." 

Chu Qiubai's ability to take care of himself in daily life was inversely proportional to his medical skills. He searched the entire entryway cabinet, turning the originally neat shoe cabinet into a mess, but still couldn't find a pair of slippers that fit Chu Jianglai's size. 

Chu Jianglai, who had silently followed him in, stood impassively behind him. Looking over Chu Qiubai's bent waist and lowered shoulders, his sharp eyes caught sight of a pair of light purple women's slippers. 

"What about those?" 

"Those belong to the maid." 

"And those?" 

Chu Qiubai straightened up. "Chu Rong's high heels. You want to wear them?" 

A hint of an ingratiating smile finally broke through the overcast gloom on Chu Jianglai's face. "How could I wear Little Aunt's shoes?" As he spoke, he took off his shoes and stepped in barefoot. 

"The underfloor heating isn't on yet. The floor is cold." 

"It's fine, I'm not cold." 

Looking around, there was very little furniture. In the 200-plus square meter space, there were only the faintest traces of living. On the dining table sat an open bag of potato chips and a glass half-filled with water. 

Chu Jianglai could easily imagine the frantic scene: Chu Qiubai oversleeping because he forgot to set his alarm, having no time for breakfast, and hastily ripping open a bag of chips to stuff a few mouthfuls in to line his stomach. 

This older brother, who seemed to have a solution for everything and had made a resounding name for himself in the talent-packed surgical department in just a few short years, was actually a bona fide idiot when it came to everyday life. 

If no one took care of him, he'd probably starve to death in under three days. —This was the assessment once given by his little aunt, Chu Rong, who was only four years older than him and shared the closest bond with him. 

After a brief patrol of the territory and seeing no further suspicious traces, Chu Jianglai relaxed a little. 

"Go pour me a glass of water." 

He had just sat down on the sofa when Chu Qiubai naturally ordered him around. Chu Jianglai immediately stood up and asked, "Where is the hot water?" 

"The kitchen." 

"I know. I mean, where is the instant hot water dispenser?" 

"I didn't buy one of those. Just boil it in the kettle directly. You know how to do that, right?" 

Before returning to the Chu family, Chu Jianglai had spent several years having to take care of himself. Using an electric kettle was naturally of no difficulty to him. Recalling how Chu Qiubai's voice was inexplicably a bit hoarse, he even took the liberty of finding a packet of honeysuckle on the shelf in the kitchen's pantry to steep in the water. 

When he brought out the two cups of honeysuckle tea, Chu Qiubai was leaning back on the sofa, spacing out. 

Chu Jianglai placed the cup in front of him, and he instantly and stiffly turned his head to look at him. 

Observing the other's pallid, ashen complexion, Chu Jianglai carefully considered the situation and opted for silence. He was waiting for Chu Qiubai to speak up and talk to him. 

In truth, anyone looking in would find this cold war between them completely inexplicable. 

At the very beginning, Chu Qiubai simply didn't reply to his messages much. Within a few days, it escalated to the point where he barely answered phone calls either. Chu Jianglai was busy—so busy that his sleep time had to be calculated down to the minute—but he still quickly noticed Chu Qiubai's unusual behavior. 

This was the crucial chip he had spent over a decade finally conquering. 

But exactly because of this, Chu Jianglai dared not act rashly. He carefully pondered what exactly he had done wrong and what exactly Chu Qiubai had found out. But before he could figure it out, a trip to America that required his personal attendance was already imminent. 

Chu Jianglai rushed frantically and finally managed to squeeze out some time to see Chu Qiubai before his departure. But he never expected that the older brother who had pleasantly wished him a "safe trip" at the time would fly to Jing City that very night, and then hastily legally register a marriage with another woman three months later. 

Staring silently at the luxurious, beautiful patterns of the marble floor tiles in the living room, Chu Qiubai didn't speak for a long time. The house was awkwardly quiet. The two men, sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, simply held their cups and engaged in a silent standoff. 

Amid the unfathomable silence, Chu Qiubai's heart beat faster and faster. The heat of the tea transferred through the ceramic cup to his palms, hot enough to cause a slight itch. He never thought there would be a day when even sitting across from Chu Jianglai would become a torment. 

"Actually, I've already said everything I wanted to say," Chu Qiubai said. "You came looking for me, is there something else you want to say?" 

Opposite him, Chu Jianglai held his cup but didn't drink. The steam rising from the rim wafted over his remarkably handsome face, making those beautiful eyes look exceptionally dewy and affectionate. 

"Why did things suddenly end up like this between us?" 

"What do you think?" 

Perhaps because the heating was on and the temperature was starting to rise, fine beads of sweat began to form on the tip of Chu Qiubai's nose. When he turned his head, the blue veins on his neck became particularly pronounced. 

Chu Jianglai, who hadn't hugged him in a long time, suddenly felt a bit thirsty. He lowered his head and took a sip of water. 

"I don't know." 

He always wore such an innocent look. Chu Qiubai used to greatly love and deeply cherish this naivety, but now, he only felt a slight weariness toward it. 

In fact, he had heard friends who had already taken over their family businesses mention Chu Jianglai more than once. The words they used were mostly "capable," "ruthless," and "so formidable it's terrifying." 

Yet the rumored "ruthless and merciless" new business tyrant was currently holding a cartoon mug, head bowed, carefully sipping water in front of him—like a schoolboy waiting for his teacher's feedback on his summer homework. 

If even this restraint, born of caring too much, was just an act, then the person sitting before him was truly far too terrifying. 

Chu Qiubai stared at him blankly. 

"Brother Qiubai." Chu Jianglai finally put down the cup. "You actually still like me, don't you?" 

He was indeed formidable; he hit the nail squarely on the head. 

"Getting married and all that is just to scare me." The young man, who had been sitting calmly on the sofa, imperceptibly leaned closer. His fingers naturally went to stroke his hair. "You still love me to death, don't you?" 

Chu Qiubai jerked away, almost convulsing, to avoid the man's hand lightly petting his head. His complexion immediately worsened. 

Because of the bodyguard convoy formation just now, he had inevitably recalled the unbearable past. At this moment, he was teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown. 

Chu Jianglai's flat yet absolutely certain conclusion hit the festering wound once again, like the final straw that broke the camel's back. 

Because only a dying camel needs saving, and he was Chu Qiubai's medicine. 

"Stop throwing a tantrum, Brother Qiubai. No matter what I did wrong to make you this angry, I promise I'll change. Forgive me." 

"Even if you secretly went behind my back to marry some random woman, I can let it slide. As long as you're willing to tell me why you're mad, as long as you're willing to give me one more chance, as long as you're willing to get a divorce, I am willing to change." 

A leopard cannot change its spots. Not even knowing what mistake he had made, he dared to boldly claim he would definitely change. He truly didn't know which of them was more foolish: the shamelessly boastful Chu Jianglai, or himself, who still vaguely clung to a final sliver of hope, thinking, "If he's willing to come clean and explain everything clearly to me, maybe I could consider forgiving him."