Yun Mingyue dropped Zhou You off near his home first, then drove back by herself.

Today had been full of twists and turns, but after learning that Chen Tangtang’s so-called “sleeping” was just normal sleep, her mood improved a lot.

After getting home, she took a nice shower. As she dried her hair with a towel, Chen Tangtang’s figure suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Yun Mingyue had always been confident in her figure. This was the first time she’d ever felt defeated.

How could they be that big?

“From now on, I’m drinking a glass of milk before bed every day.”

Barefoot, she walked out of the bedroom and down the wooden stairs. When she reached the first floor, she found the living room lights still on. A meticulously groomed girl had just come in from outside and was heading toward the stairs.

“You’re planning to move back in?”

“I’m just here to grab a few things.”

After that brief exchange, neither of them felt like talking anymore. Yun Mingyue brushed past Yun Daidai and went into the kitchen to warm herself a glass of milk.

By the time she sat on the sofa and started drinking it, Yun Daidai, who had been secretly watching her, sat down on the other end.

“You seem different lately. Not like before.”

“Hm?” Yun Mingyue held the milk with both hands, curious what her adorable daughter was about to say.

It was probably after Yun Mingyue met that so-called “client” some time ago. Ever since then, she’d been acting strange.

Yun Daidai replayed Yun Mingyue’s recent behavior in her mind and ruled out every other possibility.

“You’re not actually thinking about finding a man, are you?” Even she found it hard to believe as she said it, yet for some reason, she felt that was the truth.

“...”

Yun Mingyue set the milk in her hands on the table and fell into a strange silence. She didn’t answer directly, but to Yun Daidai, her reaction already said enough.

Shock was hard to hide in Yun Daidai’s eyes. She hadn’t expected there really to be a man her mother would take a liking to.

She still remembered all the men who had pursued Yun Mingyue over the years.

When she was three, one man got locked outside by Yun Mingyue for an entire night. He’d almost become the richest man in the country.

When she was seven, another filled the street with flowers to confess his love, only to be coldly rejected by Yun Mingyue. Now he was already famous far and wide.

At eleven... at sixteen...

There had been far too many.

“You actually fell for a man?”

“It’s just that I never met anyone who truly clicked with me.” Yun Mingyue answered with certainty. “If I met someone who really suited my heart, I’d definitely be willing to give it a try.”

Setting everything else aside, Yun Daidai agreed strongly with Yun Mingyue’s view on love. That was why she had wanted to raise a husband who would perfectly match her own standards.

She just hadn’t expected...

Her fingers suddenly clenched the corner of her clothes, and her expression turned especially dark.

Why should a man she had raised so carefully be handed over to another woman?

Zhou You was the fruit she had cultivated with her own hands.

To shape him into the man she wanted, how many times had she forced him? Again and again, she had pressed him into action.

She had trusted him so completely. She believed Zhou You could carry out any order, any demand she gave him. She was convinced he was her perfect future husband.

How had things ended up like this?

“I’m going upstairs.” The moment Yun Daidai thought of Zhou You, all desire to keep talking vanished. She staggered a little as she went upstairs.

The instant she entered her room, she collapsed weakly onto the floor. One hand pressed against her forehead as she muttered to herself over and over.

“He was just deceived by that woman. That’s why he was so heartless to me that day. Right, that has to be it. It has to be.”

Yun Daidai slowly wrapped both arms around her knees. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she held back her tears.

Don’t cry. I can’t cry.

She still had to take Zhou You back.

“A woman this scheming definitely isn’t Chen Youzi. Then who is it?”

“Don’t let me find you!”

She hugged her knees even tighter and buried her face between her thighs. Every time she remembered Zhou You’s warmth and coldness from that moment, her heart hurt like it was being pierced by needles.

“Zhou You, Zhou You... it hurts, it hurts so much. Please... come back...”

...

Meanwhile, Zhou You walked home on foot. Naturally, he had no idea what Yun Daidai was thinking.

If he did know, he might gently remind her that behind every perfect answer sheet was a painful process.

Pies don’t just fall from the sky.

He wasn’t some god. How could he possibly do everything perfectly with ease?

Over the past three years, he had already grown very, very tired. He had experienced far too much pain.

Today, Zhou You had met Big Sis Bing, and both she and Big Sis Hua had each taken a bite out of him. Maybe that counted as a happy kind of trouble?

Anyway, today had been a very happy day. Or rather, ever since breaking up with Yun Daidai, he had been happy every single day. He was completely addicted to this relaxed, carefree life.

Lost in thought, Zhou You got home. He grabbed a change of clothes from the balcony and went into the bathroom. After all, his body was covered in Big Sis Bing’s and Big Sis Hua’s perfume and body scent.

He stood naked in front of the mirror and lightly brushed the symmetrical bite marks on both shoulders, unable to stop himself from sighing.

“Women...”

He put on body wash, cleaned himself up a bit, rinsed off, then did some skincare. Those were all things Yun Daidai had taught him.

At first, Zhou You had resisted hard. He thought it was way too girly.

Later on, though, he got over it. At the very least, hearing people praise him for being handsome felt pretty great.

As for now, he was just used to being disciplined. Discipline was a good thing. There was no need to deliberately let himself fall apart just because he hated Yun Daidai.

Because...

“She’s not worth it.”

Zhou You smiled slightly, put on his pajamas, and left the bathroom. As he passed Chen Youzi’s room, he noticed the light was still on. Out of an older brother’s concern for his little sister—

Knock, knock knock.

“Youzi, go to sleep early. Don’t stay up too late.”

“Got it~~” Chen Youzi dragged out the last word.

She was currently discussing a plan with Ning Mengmeng on how to win over Zhou You.

Chen Youzi: [We agreed, right? We’re going to my brother’s company together tomorrow.]

Ning Mengmeng: [Don’t worry, Youzi. We’ll definitely win your brother over.]

Chen Youzi: [Mengmeng, it’s so nice of you to help me like this. Mengmeng so cute.jpg]

Chen Youzi exited her chat with Ning Mengmeng and immediately saw the 99+ messages from her older sister. She skimmed through them in a hurry. Sure enough, Chen Tangtang was talking about her “little male idol” again.

Chen Youzi: [Sis, if you want to see your little male idol, just go to his company. You’ve always been that willful anyway.]

Chen Tangtang: [What do you mean willful?! But you do have a point.]

Chen Youzi: [Oh right, Sis, can I borrow some money from you?]

Unlike Chen Tangtang, Chen Youzi was still underage, so her family didn’t give her much money.

[Transfer Amount +5000]

Chen Tangtang: [Is that enough? If not, I can send you more. Just treat it like pocket money.]

Chen Youzi: [It’s enough, it’s enough. Thanks, Sis. You’re the best.]

Feeling delighted, Chen Youzi exited WX, plugged her phone into the charger, and set it on the bedside table.

She closed her eyes. Thinking about how she had not only a good friend like Ning Mengmeng, but also such a generous big sister, joy instantly bloomed in her heart.

At this rate, she might even laugh herself awake from a dream tonight.