“Was everything in the statement true?”

Xuan Yanyu said with amusement, “If it wasn’t true, would it be false?”

Yan Yunning’s eyes arched slightly at the corners. “You’re… you’re something else.”

Xuan Yanyu pressed his lips together — that clearly wasn’t a compliment.

Yan Yunning laughed mockingly. “You accompanied her to a prenatal check-up and got into a car accident, then accompanied her on a trip abroad to clear her head. You were more attentive than an actual boyfriend.”

The man tossed the cigarette into the rubbish bin and cast a sideways glance at Yan Yunning. “I was paid for it. At the very least, when someone pays you, you have to put in some effort. The accident was just that — an accident. And the overseas trip wasn’t to accompany her anywhere — we had nothing to do with each other.”

Yan Yunning was mildly astonished. “Xuan Yanyu, there’s money you won’t turn down?”

Xuan Yanyu: “……”

A few seconds of silence, and then the man spoke in a low, measured tone. “It’s not quite like that. The money was secondary — mainly it was a matter of face.”

Yan Yunning creased her brow briefly, then asked again, “The card he gave her, the custom-made clothes, having Ye Jian protect her — all of that was ‘a matter of face’ too?”

“When did I ever give her a card? I don’t even have clothes custom-made for myself — do I look like I had the free time to have them made for her?”

“Shiyao said so herself — ‘Ayu had all my clothes custom-made for me,’ ‘the card is from Ayu too.'” Yan Yunning mimicked Shiyao’s manner to perfection.

Xuan Yanyu’s eyes darkened. “She was lying. I was paid to do her a favor — why on earth would I spend money on her?”

“……” Yan Yunning stood on her tiptoes and leaned in close to him. “Then whose child is she carrying?”

The man arched an eyebrow, curved an arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace. “Come abroad with me, and I’ll tell you.”

Yan Yunning wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him down sharply, pressing close to his ear, her voice dropping low. “You. Are. Dreaming!!!”

“Then I’ll knock you out and carry you off.”

Yan Yunning: “……”

“Ahem — do you two want to take this to a bedroom?” Xuan Zhaoyang was leaning against the ornamental shelf by the sculpture, blowing on her freshly done nails.

Yan Yunning looked over, met Xuan Zhaoyang’s smiling eyes, and her ears went scarlet in an instant. She pushed Xuan Yanyu away and put a considerable distance between herself and him.

Xuan Yanyu cast a lazy look in Xuan Zhaoyang’s direction. “Weren’t you the one who said you wouldn’t come back to the Xuan Residence even if someone begged you? Nobody begged you — so what are you back here for?”

“This is my home. Dad and Mom said it themselves — they can kick you out, but I can’t be the one to leave.”

Xuan Zhaoyang delivered this line with unhurried ease, walked up to Xuan Yanyu, nudged his arm, then sank elegantly onto the sofa. “I had to get my nails redone because of you. You’re paying for it.”

Xuan Yanyu couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. He took out his phone and transferred her the money.

Xuan Zhaoyang plucked a grape from the fruit bowl and popped it in her mouth. When the notification chime sounded, she picked up her phone with satisfaction — saw the amount transferred, and her head nearly went numb on the spot. “Xuan Yanyu, can you be any more stingy? How do you have the nerve to send two hundred?”

She had just heard something at the boutique earlier.

That insufferable Xuan Xixi had gone and told the staff to box up every small-size women’s skirt, top, trouser, pajama set, and more from all the new collections at the Xuan Group boutiques across Chaxi City, and had them delivered to the villa in the western part of the city.

Those clothes were not cheap — and the total sum was far from a small number. The accounts department even had to log it separately. The boy had paid straight from his own account.

And this was before Ningning had even agreed to anything, before they had officially confirmed any relationship. Once they did — once they were married — it went without saying that he would spend even more.

Of course he should spend it on her — but on Xuan Zhaoyang herself he sent just two hundred, less than even the smallest fraction of the cost of one garment. What was the use of having a brother like this???

Xuan Yanyu tapped his phone. “Then send it back to me.”

“Xuan Yanyu — two hundred, and you want me to send it back to you?” Xuan Zhaoyang was so outraged her chest heaved.

The man gave a faint smile. “Too little? Lucky I gave you anything at all.”

“……” Xuan Zhaoyang lightly pressed her lips together, turned, and headed upstairs, calling out as she climbed, “Daddy! Mommy!!”

Yan Yunning pressed a finger to the tip of her nose, struggling hard not to laugh. This was not the right moment to be laughing.

Xuan Yanyu narrowed his eyes and looked over at her.

Yan Yunning curved her eyes at the corners. “I understand you. Making money isn’t easy, after all.”

As she said it, she gestured with her chin toward the corner of the room. Xuan Yanyu followed her gaze — and saw Shiyao, polishing a vase.

“……” Xuan Yanyu turned back around to find Yan Yunning smiling as she let Qiuci lead her off to her room. He glanced sideways at Xiao Wan. “Which room is Ningning staying in?”

“Young Master, Miss Yan is staying in the room directly across from yours.”

“Understood.” Xuan Yanyu stepped toward the elevator.

——

Third floor.

Yan Yunning had just reached the door to her room when she saw Xuan Yanyu walking leisurely over. The man paused in the corridor, looking mildly surprised. “What a coincidence.”

Xuan Yanyu’s surprise was feigned; Yan Yunning’s was genuine. “Your room is across the hall?”

She had assumed it would be a guest room — but Xuan Yanyu could hardly be living in a guest room.

“Why would I lie to you?” The man opened his door, and Yan Yunning stepped closer to take a look inside.

A handcrafted custom bed, its frame done in solid gold relief. The bedding folded in neat, precise layers. To one side, a leather sofa. To the left of the bed, a lavishly appointed, limited-edition water-cooled gaming setup with a swivel chair. In one corner stood a cabinet — the first shelf holding limited-edition sneakers, the second filled with gym equipment, the rest given over to watches, diffusers, and the like.

On the wall hung an abstract oil painting, and judging by the languid quality of the brushwork, it was unmistakably Xuan Yanyu’s own hand.

“Care to come in and sit?” Xuan Yanyu held the door handle with one hand, his other arm braced against the door frame.

Yan Yunning was effectively boxed in, and to get out she would either have to duck under his arm or pry his hand away.

Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow. “What’s the use in asking when you’ve already decided?”

The man gave a lazy smile. “Just a symbolic gesture of consulting your opinion.”

Yan Yunning walked over and sat down in the swivel chair, the tip of her foot tapping at the floor as she started to turn herself in slow circles. “Does the Young Master often have people come to your room like this?”

“You’re the only one.” Xuan Yanyu steadied the chair, both arms resting on the armrests as he leaned down and looked at her. The amusement at the corner of his eyes hadn’t left. “You’ll get dizzy if you spin too long.”

Yan Yunning leaned back and tilted her head up slightly, a quiet smile crossing her face. “Thank you for the concern, Young Master.”

“I just don’t want you throwing up in my room.”

His voice was low and magnetic and pleasant to the ear — the words it produced, less so.

“Move.” Yan Yunning pushed aside Xuan Yanyu’s hands on the armrests. “Watch out, or I’ll throw up on you instead.”

Xuan Yanyu’s long dark lashes lowered slightly. He curled the corner of his mouth into a smile. “Then I’ll throw you out.”

Yan Yunning glared at him. “I’m Ranran’s lifesaver — don’t you know that? And you’d throw me out? That would be biting the hand that fed you.”

The man was in a perfectly good mood as he coaxed her along. “My mistake, my mistake — please forgive me just this once, Miss Ningning.”

Yan Yunning cleared her throat uncomfortably. “I’m sleepy. I’m going for my afternoon nap.”

“Mm.” Xuan Yanyu gave a small nod. “Don’t forget — dinner out tonight.”

“Who’s going? Anyone I know?”

“Xie Yan, Nanchu — you know them.”

The moment Yan Yunning heard Xie Yan, she pursed her lips and refused outright. “I’m not going.”

Xuan Yanyu saw right through her at a glance. He reached into his desk drawer and produced a pair of sunglasses, slipping them onto Yan Yunning’s face. He propped himself up lazily, the corner of his mouth lifting. “With these on, Xie Yan won’t recognize you. He won’t know you’re the one who gave me the ‘little umbrellas.'”

Yan Yunning pulled off the sunglasses and tossed them back to him. “Xuan Yanyu, get out of here. It’s one thing for you to be foolish — but you actually expect everyone else to be as foolish as you?”