The closer he got to the hospital room, the clearer Yu Shulin's memories of his past life became. The hatred he felt towards Yu Xiu's family was completely replaced by emotion and a bittersweet ache.
It was the person in that room who had always cared for him.
Thinking this, his desire to see him grew somewhat urgent. His strides became longer and faster.
Liang Zhou was eating breakfast. He looked up to see Yu Shulin push the door open and enter, his expression softening slightly. But upon seeing Yu Shulin's face clearly, his brow furrowed. "Why are your eyes red? And you have dark circles. Didn't sleep well?"
The concern in his eyes was so obvious that Yu Shulin couldn't miss it. For a moment, a tumult of emotions overwhelmed him. Memories from his past life and this life intertwined, his feelings surging. He suddenly took several quick steps forward, threw himself at him, and hugged him tightly, his voice slightly choked. "Brother..."
Liang Zhou's face instantly changed. He hurriedly put down the spoon in his hand, hugged him back, and glared darkly at Ling Chun, who was sauntering in through the door. "Did you bully him?"
"..." Utterly baffling. Can we not have fun together anymore? Ling Chun was speechless.
"Shulin?" Liang Zhou patted the back of his neck and spoke, turning his head slightly. The other boy was holding on very tight, and his breathing was a bit ragged, as if he were about to cry.
Yu Shulin shook his head, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears that had suddenly welled up, his voice muffled. "It's nothing... I just didn't sleep well." How could this person be so good? So good that once you held onto him, you didn't want to let go.
Didn't sleep well? Liang Zhou's tense body relaxed, then he found it somewhat amusing. He gently patted his shoulder and asked, "Had a nightmare?"
Yu Shulin pulled back from Liang Zhou's embrace, looking at him with red-rimmed eyes. After a long moment, he suddenly let out a soft laugh and nodded seriously. "Yes, a nightmare. I dreamed that back then I chose Yu Xiu as my guardian, missed out on being with you, and then was bullied terribly by Yu Xiu's family. Later, I was even framed and sent to prison, dying young."
"Nonsense," Liang Zhou said, his tone cooling. Then, as if realizing his words were too harsh, his expression softened again. He ruffled Yu Shulin's hair and comforted him, "Don't think such things. With me here, they can't bully you."
"Mm, you're the best, brother." He grinned, showing a somewhat silly smile, then reached out to hug Liang Zhou again, acting uncharacteristically coquettish.
Liang Zhou felt a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of his bright eyes and looked away. Putting on a stern face, he peeled Yu Shulin off. "Good that you know. Alright now, you're so grown up and still acting spoiled. Others will laugh at you." To be scared to tears by a nightmare... Hmm... Have I raised my little brother into a little sister? What to do?
The "others" in the room who were "laughing" were practically scared stiff by Liang Zhou. That expression of wanting to smile but forcing a stern face to lecture someone was just like a young brat in his first relationship trying to act deep and profound. It was enough to give you goosebumps, seriously.
Zhang Qian rubbed his arms, unable to take it anymore, and slapped the armrest of the sofa. "Hey, hey, pay a little attention. We're all still here. We know you brothers are close, but could you not treat us like part of the scenery?"
Zhao Zhi, sitting at the other end of the long sofa, also found it a bit much. But being older, he was steadier and less boisterous than Zhang Qian. He greeted Ling Chun, "Ling Chun, weren't you in S City? What brings you back?"
Ling Chun rolled his eyes, waved a hand, walked over, and sat down between the two of them, pursing his lips. "Finished my business there and came back. Isn't it because Young Master Liang summoned me? This humble servant dared not disobey."
Ignoring their banter, Liang Zhou pulled Yu Shulin to sit on the edge of the bed and shoved a bag of steamed buns into his hand. "Eat."
"Liang Zhou, you're so heartless. I was the one who bought that breakfast. How come I never see you sharing any buns with me?" Zhang Qian lamented dramatically, pounding his chest and howling, "Old clothes are best, new friends are better. Little Chunzi, I've fallen out of favor just like that."
"Always with the glib talk." Ling Chun pushed him, displeased. "I told you not to call me 'Little Chunzi.' Be careful or I'll hit you."
"You... you're heartless too." Zhang Qian, heartbroken, leaned past him and reached out towards Zhao Zhi, who was sitting steadily reading the newspaper. "Zhao'er, ah..."
"I recall you ate breakfast before you came. Stop howling. We're still in the hospital; mind your manners." Zhao Zhi put down the newspaper, took an orange from the coffee table, and tossed it over. "Use this to plug your mouth."
"..."
Zhang Qian grabbed the orange and peeled it indignantly.
Yu Shulin felt somewhat embarrassed. He had been too emotional when he came in and hadn't noticed there were other people in the room... So everyone saw his pathetic display just now...
"Hurry up and eat," Liang Zhou urged, pouring a bowl of congee from the thermal container and pushing it in front of him. He then picked up the spoon from the bedside table and lowered his head to continue his own breakfast.
Zhang Qian glared furiously. He really was treating them all like air!
Yu Shulin wasn't as at ease as Liang Zhou. His gaze swept over the people on the sofa, finally settling on Zhang Qian, who seemed the youngest and most lively. He asked, "Hello... um, would you like some breakfast?"
Zhang Qian's eyes instantly lit up.
"Don't mind them. If they're hungry, they'll go buy their own." Liang Zhou frowned and patted Yu Shulin's head. "No need to pay them any attention."
Damn it, beast! Zhang Qian crushed a segment of orange.
Ling Chun dodged away in disgust, thinking Zhao Zhi, who was sitting far away, couldn't be more wise!
Yu Shulin gave Zhang Qian an apologetic smile and obediently lowered his head to munch on his bun.
After breakfast, everyone began discussing serious matters.
Despite Zhang Qian's flamboyant dress and loud, carefree talk, he was quite reliable when it came to business. He pulled a document from his backpack and handed it to Liang Zhou. "Here you go. Most of the stars under Liang Jian are all listed here."
Liang Zhou didn't avoid Yu Shulin, flipping through it before tossing it aside casually. "A bit better than I expected. What time is the board meeting today?"
Zhang Qian checked his watch. "Probably happening right now. Rong Guang is in for a big shake-up."
Zhao Zhi finally put down his newspaper, rubbing his temples. "Liang Jian isn't just planning to start his own venture this time; he's also planning to screw Rong Guang over. He's already starting to plant negative stories about Rong Guang."
"Let him." Liang Zhou didn't care at all and continued asking, "How are things at Jia He?"
Speaking of Jia He, Zhao Zhi's expression improved slightly. He praised, "Guo Zijie and Liu Nana's development momentum is good. I plan to arrange one or two more decent projects for them. Li Zheng has a promising group under him, quite popular with young people. With some nurturing, they could bring in good revenue. And then there's Yang Lin..." At this point, he frowned slightly. "Yang Lin is actually the most successful at the company, but she doesn't seem very... settled. Her contract is almost up. It'll probably take some effort to renew her."
"Then don't renew it," Liang Zhou said. "We'd be better off spending that effort training a few more newcomers. We don't want people who aren't settled."
Hearing this, Zhang Qian also frowned, hesitating. "But Jia He is a new company after all. If even Yang Lin, our most successful artist, leaves, then..."
"It's fine. I've poached Guan Bowen. He'll come over once Jia He merges into Rong Guang."
"Holy shit, Guan Bowen!" Zhang Qian exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "How do you know him? No, how did you convince him to switch companies? He's famously loyal to his old employer."
Zhao Zhi, however, was focused on another piece of news. "You're planning to merge Jiahe into Rongguang?"
"Exactly. I founded Jiahe in the first place to prevent a talent gap at Rongguang after Liang Jian leaves. Rongguang is an established entertainment company; its resources are far beyond what Jiahe can offer." After saying this, he turned to Zhang Qian. "Get ready. Once Liang Jian is gone, the negative press about Rongguang is bound to explode. Watch for the right moment and release the news about Guan Bowen joining Rongguang to shut them up."
Zhang Qian was already thrilled. "Leave it to me, no problem! Hahaha, you actually managed to get Guan Bowen. You're really something. How on earth did you pull it off?"
"It was a matter of mutual benefit." Liang Zhou didn't elaborate further and continued with his arrangements. "After Liang Jian leaves, Rongguang's stock will definitely plummet. Zhao Zhi, use Jiahe's name to buy up Rongguang shares then. Money isn't an issue; buy as much as you can."
"Liang Zhou, what are you planning to do?" Ling Chun frowned, not quite agreeing with his decision. "Once your father's will is executed, combined with what Liang Jian hands over and what your mother left you, you'll hold about fifty-five percent of Rongguang's shares, won't you? Why keep buying more? Too much money to burn?"
Liang Zhou glanced at Yu Shulin, who was clearing the dishes, a faint smile touching his lips. "Just buy them. I have a use for them."
Seeing his expression, Ling Chun also looked at Yu Shulin, stroked his chin, and fell into thoughtful silence.
