Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

In the latter half of the art exhibition, guests moved from the exhibition hall to the villa's living room.

People gathered in twos and threes, holding their cups, their conversations a little louder than in the exhibition hall, exuding an elegance unique to high society.

Shen Yu'an stood next to Xize, holding a glass of juice.

He doesn't drink alcohol, so Caesar ordered him juice and specifically told the waiter not to add ice.

Shen Yu'an held the cup and sipped the water slowly, his eyes darting around.

All of this was new to him, like stepping into a living museum.

Xize was talking to an elderly gentleman with gray hair. Shen Yu'an couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but it was probably about some kind of trust fund.

He stood obediently to the side, quiet and still, like a kitten being taken out by its owner.

Occasionally, someone passing by would glance at Shen Yu'an.

Shen Yu'an was already used to that kind of gaze.

From the moment he stepped into the villa, he knew that he didn't quite fit in with anything here.

There was no malice in their eyes, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Until those two people appeared.

They were two well-dressed middle-aged women, one in a champagne-colored silk dress and the other in a deep purple long skirt.

They stopped not far from Shen Yu'an, their eyes fixed on him.

Shen Yu'an didn't notice at first. He was looking down at his phone, replying to his classmate's messages.

But he vaguely sensed something was wrong, and when he looked up, he met the gaze of the woman in the champagne-colored dress.

The woman didn't look away; instead, she slightly turned her head and said something to her companion.

Shen Yu'an couldn't hear what she said, but she saw her lips move. The woman next to her followed her gaze and looked over, and then the two exchanged a glance.

Shen Yu'an had seen that look before.

It's a condescending look, like looking at a product that's not worth displaying in a shop window.

Shen Yu'an's heart skipped a beat.

He lowered his head, pretending to continue looking at his phone, but his fingers were frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Look at that child," the woman in the champagne-colored dress said softly, but because Shen Yu'an had been paying attention, a few words still drifted over intermittently, "He's dressed...not quite like...Mr. Lester...who is he..."

The woman in the deep purple dress smiled and said in a very light and casual tone, just enough for Shen Yu'an to hear clearly: "Perhaps Mr. Lester picked it up somewhere. You know, some people like to collect these kinds of... exotic little things."

Shen Yu'an's fingers suddenly clenched the phone.

His ears started to burn.

He wanted to say something, to look up and refute, but his mouth was as if glued shut, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Because he didn't know how to refute it.

He was indeed "picked up" by Caesar.

On a rainy night, he huddled under the eaves, shivering, when Xize's car stopped and picked him up.

What those two ladies said was not wrong in a sense.

Is he just an "exotic little thing" that Caesar "collected"?

Shen Yu'an's eyes began to sting, but he held back his tears.

He didn't want to lose face in front of those two women, and he didn't want to embarrass Xize.

Just as he was about to pretend he hadn't heard anything and turn to hide in the bathroom, the tall figure beside him moved.

Xize turned around.

He was just talking to that old gentleman about trust funds, his expression was calm and his posture relaxed.

But at this moment, the peace in his gray-blue eyes disappeared, replaced by a coldness that Shen Yu'an had never seen before.

It's cold enough to make the surrounding temperature drop by several degrees.

Xize's gaze passed over Shen Yu'an's head and accurately locked onto the two ladies.

He didn't say a word.

I was just watching them.

His grey-blue eyes narrowed slightly, his lips pressed into a line, and the lines of his jaw tightened.

His expression was not much different from usual, and there was no exaggerated anger.

But that sense of oppression was very real.

The two women fell silent at the same time.

The smile on the woman's face froze, and the champagne glass in her hand wobbled slightly.

The woman in the dark purple dress subconsciously took a half step back, shifting her gaze away from Shen Yu'an, no longer daring to look at him.

Xize remained silent.

He simply looked at them, his extremely cold and penetrating gaze lingering on their faces for three seconds.

Then he moved.

He didn't walk towards them, nor did he even change his standing posture. He simply took half a step to the side.

Just half a step.

But that half step allowed his tall figure to completely block Shen Yu'an's path.

Shen Yu'an was completely hidden by his broad back, from his shoulders to his knees, and could not be seen at all.

The two ladies' view was blocked by him, and they could only see his back.

The message conveyed by that figure from behind was very clear.

He did it on purpose.

He was using his body to tell those two people: This child is not someone you can comment on so casually.

The two women looked at each other, their expressions not very pleasant.

The woman in the dark purple dress tugged at her companion's sleeve and whispered something. The two of them quickly turned and left, without finishing their champagne glasses.

The entire process takes no more than ten seconds.

Xize didn't say a word, and didn't even let anyone around him notice what was happening.

Everything was accomplished quietly and efficiently.

But the half-step he took to block Shen Yu'an was done without any hesitation.

It wasn't just half a step; it was a wall.

Shen Yu'an was blocked by the wall. Looking at Xize's broad back and the outline of his shoulder blades that were faintly visible under the fabric of his suit, the embarrassment and grievance he had just felt suddenly disappeared.

Instead, it gave off a very complex feeling.

It's like being suddenly pulled under the eaves during a storm.

Xize turned around.

He looked down at Shen Yu'an, the sharp coldness in his gray-blue eyes had faded, and he had returned to his usual gentleness.

His expression was calm, as if nothing had just happened.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, his tone as casual as if he were asking about the weather.

Shen Yu'an shook his head, then nodded, his eyes red-rimmed and his voice a little hoarse: "Sir, they just now—"

"I know," Xize interrupted him, his voice soft but earnest. "Don't worry about them."

Shen Yu'an opened his mouth, wanting to say, "What they said might be right," but he swallowed the words back because he saw Xize's eyes.

That look in his eyes seemed to say: Don't say such things.

Shen Yu'an swallowed his words, lowered his head, and stared at the empty glass of juice in his hand.

Xize looked at him for two seconds, then reached out and gently took the empty cup from Shen Yu'an's hand, placing it on a passing waiter's tray.

Then he bent down and squatted slightly so that his line of sight was level with Shen Yu'an's.

This action was too sudden.

Shen Yu'an was startled and looked up to find Xize's face right in front of her.

The grey-blue eyes were so close that he could see the fine lines on the other's iris and his own tiny reflection deep in the pupil.

"Xiao An." Xize's voice was very low, so low that only Shen Yu'an could hear it, "Don't take those two people's words to heart."

"But they said..."

"No matter what they say," Xize said, his gaze fixed on Shen Yu'an's eyes, emphasizing each word, "You're not some 'little thing.' You're Shen Yu'an. I brought you here. That's enough."

This is enough.

He bit his lip and nodded vigorously twice.

Xize straightened up and returned to his usual height.

He reached out and gently pressed Shen Yu'an's shoulder, then withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket.

"Come on," he said, "I'll show you a painting. The one we didn't see earlier."

Shen Yu'an followed him back to the exhibition hall.

He walked very close along the way, so close that his nose almost touched Xize's back. Because that figure made him feel safe.

He wanted to remember that silhouette.

There were fewer people in the exhibition hall; many were still drinking and chatting in the living room.

Xize led Shen Yu'an to the innermost corner of the exhibition hall, where a large oil painting depicted the landscape of the Scottish Highlands.

"This painting is by one of my favorite artists," Xize said calmly, standing in front of the painting. "I've kept it for a long time, and I'm exhibiting it this time."

Shen Yu'an looked up at the painting for a long time.

"It's beautiful," he said, his voice slightly nasal. "The colors are very serene."

"Um."

The two stood side by side in front of the painting, gazing at it quietly.

After a long while, Shen Yu'an suddenly spoke, his voice very soft.

"Sir, why are you so kind to me?"

Caesar did not answer immediately. He looked at the oil painting of the Scottish Highlands and remained silent for a few seconds.

You'll find out later.

Shen Yu'an turned her head to look at him. Her expression was unreadable.

"Can't you tell me now?" Shen Yu'an asked softly.

Xize turned his head, his gray-blue eyes looking at him, a very faint smile on his lips.

"If I tell you now, you'll run away."

Shen Yu'an was stunned.

What does that mean?

What does "If I tell you now, you'll run away" mean?

He wanted to ask more questions, but Caesar had already turned around and walked out of the exhibition hall.

"It's time to go back; you have class tomorrow."

Shen Yu'an stood there, turning that sentence over and over in his mind, but still couldn't figure it out. He quickly followed, and when he reached Xize's side, Xize naturally extended his hand.

Palms facing up.

Shen Yu'an placed his hand on it.

This time, it wasn't just the backs of their hands touching; their fingers were intertwined. Xize's fingers slipped between his, gently closing and enveloping his entire hand in his palm.

very warm.

Shen Yu'an lowered her head, looking at the two people's clasped hands. Her ears were burning red.

After getting in the car, Caesar handed him a cup of hot cocoa as usual.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the streetlights recede outside the window, and suddenly said something completely unrelated.

"Sir, I am not some 'exotic little thing'."

Xize was looking at his phone when he heard this, so he looked up at him.

"I know," he said softly.

Shen Yu'an lowered his head, burying his face in the steam of the hot cocoa, his voice muffled.

"My name is Shen Yu'an. I'm Chinese. I'm twenty-one years old."

He reached out and gently brushed the hair from Shen Yu'an's forehead.

"I know all of that."

Shen Yu'an gripped the cup tightly with her fingers.

"And also," Xize withdrew his hand, his grey-blue eyes appearing gentle in the dim car light, "you're not some 'little thing.' You are—"

He paused for a moment.

"You are a very important friend."

Shen Yu'an raised her eyes and met those gray-blue eyes.

Very important.

friends.

He repeated it to himself several times, then buried his face in the steam of the hot cocoa and smiled.

As she laughed, her eyes welled up with tears again.

But this time, the red is different from the previous ones.

This time it's because I'm happy.