Volume One, Chapter 16: Meeting a Good Friend

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Jiang Wuyang appeared, his hair disheveled, the edges of his clothes and pants dripping with water, looking thoroughly bedraggled. He said, “Sorry to bother you. May I come in for a cup of tea now?”

Tea Tea, clutching her head, timidly opened her eyes. It seemed she had heard the handsome older brother’s voice?

Aunt Wang, after inquiring about the young master, went to his room and found a set of clothes for Jiang Wuyang to change into.

“How has Tea Tea been lately? Please tell her that I’ll be back tomorrow and that I’ve brought her some treats,” Gu Muyan’s gentle yet slightly weary voice came through the phone.

The auction house was a chaotic mix of people. Though he was still inexperienced, even those who respected his father would occasionally cause trouble for him.

“Brother~ Tea Tea’s been very good. She misses you and second brother a lot. Hurry back, okay? Love you~”

Tea Tea had been burying herself in her arms with her little bottom sticking out, but ever since her last fever, she felt her hearing had improved remarkably.

So, she perked up her ears and heard Gu Muyan’s voice, then shuffled over to the phone.

On the other end, Gu Muyan’s face softened even more upon hearing Tea Tea’s childish confession. His heart felt as if it were coated in honey, and the exhaustion from dealing with those experienced schemers gradually faded.

“All right~ Brother loves Tea Tea too. Aunt Wang said you almost fell today, so be more careful next time.”

Secretary Wang, standing nearby, watched the young master coaxing the child in such a gentle tone and clicked his tongue in amazement.

This son was just like his father—no saint. He had stirred up quite a storm at the auction house, always with a fierce expression as if ready to devour anyone. Yet in all this time, Secretary Wang had never seen the young master this tender.

There were rumors that the Gu family had a daughter, but it was said she was just a token to silence the side branches and was not truly favored.

Clearly, those rumors were false. This wasn’t neglect; this was doting. Listening to that sweet little voice on the phone, Secretary Wang even found himself wishing for a daughter.

Gu Muyan ended the call with a smile, then turned to Secretary Wang with a cold expression and said, “What are you still standing here for? Notify those slackers downstairs—if they don’t want to work, they can get out!”

Secretary Wang immediately acknowledged and hurried off to carry out the orders.

Indeed, the young master would never be gentle with them—woe is them.

After finishing the call with big brother, Tea Tea was perfectly content and was about to curl up under the table like a little quail, but Aunt Wang scooped her up.

“Miss Tea Tea, guess who’s here?”

Tea Tea looked around in a daze and suddenly saw a handsome older brother emerging from big brother’s room.

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“Hey? How did you come out of my brother’s room?”

Jiang Wuyang, dressed in Gu Muyan’s clothes and with his hair neatly dried, suddenly lost his fierce, rebellious aura. Instead, he radiated the gentle presence of a big brother.

Looking down at the little bundle, he smiled helplessly. “Brother forgot his umbrella. I wonder if the little miss can offer some shelter?”

When he first arrived, he immediately noticed Tea Tea sticking out her bottom. To avoid wetting the living room, he had stood at the door, drying off with a towel.

Even after Aunt Wang finished her call and took him to change, Tea Tea hadn’t moved and kept muttering to herself. She had also stayed beside her brother during the call.

But Jiang Wuyang shrugged helplessly—clearly, she hadn’t even glanced his way.

Upon hearing this, Tea Tea scratched her cheek and smiled awkwardly, then grabbed Jiang Wuyang’s hand and led him to the dining table covered with her handmade cookies.

“Brother, here are some cookies I made for you.”

Jiang Wuyang looked surprised. “You made all these?”

Tea Tea nodded proudly, her eyes betraying her unspoken plea: “Praise me, praise me.”

Jiang Wuyang obliged, showering her with compliments until the little one was dizzy with happiness, smiling dreamily.

So, she was this capable.

Jiang Wuyang gazed at Tea Tea’s round, chubby face, silently pondering what charm this little one held.

He had originally intended to meet a wealthy woman who had once hinted at helping him. She promised to cover all of A Yu’s medical expenses if he stayed with her.

He had already refused her before. Everyone in the industry knew her peculiar tastes were beyond what most could bear, and he was unwilling to do such things.

He believed that with his looks, he could carve out a place in the entertainment industry.

Yet recently, for some unknown reason, all contracts and offers had been withdrawn. Brands preferred paying breach fees than working with him.

Without income, A Yu’s medical bills were impossible to cover. He had borrowed all he could, but the astronomical costs were still overwhelming.

His agent, seeing him desperate and pleading with directors and producers, told him the wealthy woman’s conditions remained unchanged and hinted he could reconsider.

“Brother? What’s wrong?”

Tea Tea looked up, noticing Jiang Wuyang’s dazed expression, tilting her head in confusion.

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Jiang Wuyang snapped back to reality, shook his head, and smiled faintly.

He walked to the door, about to knock, but suddenly thought of this clear-eyed, innocent little one. If she knew that the older brother she once met was so tainted, would she still look at him the same way?

Then he thought of A Yu lying in the hospital bed. Though only four, the child was mature beyond his years, rarely complaining about his suffering.

If A Yu knew his brother had done such a thing, would he be happy?

In the end, Jiang Wuyang didn’t knock on that door. Instead, he paced in the rain until he found the gate that Tea Tea had entered and, inexplicably, knocked.

Tea Tea saw the handsome older brother lost in thought again, pouted, about to call him, but suddenly remembered she hadn’t asked his name.

“Brother, what’s your name?”

Jiang Wuyang fully returned to himself, answered her, and smiled softly, his tone casual: “Brother’s name is Jiang Wuyang. You’re Tea Tea, right?”

Tea Tea nodded, then giggled: “Brother Yangyang, your name sounds so nice.”

Jiang Wuyang was taken aback. “It’s ‘Wuyang,’ not ‘Yangyang.’”

“Yes, Brother Yangyang.”

“...”

Forget it. Jiang Wuyang rubbed his forehead. What was the point of arguing with a kid who hadn’t even finished kindergarten? Yangyang it was.

“Brother Yangyang, I’ll take you to meet my good friend.” Tea Tea grabbed Jiang Wuyang’s hand and led him toward the back garden.

Jiang Wuyang let himself be pulled along lazily, inwardly amazed. Rich families really were different.

He noticed the clothes he was wearing were more expensive than most haute couture he’d seen, and every detail of the room’s decor spoke of immense wealth—subtle yet lavish.

Having encountered many wealthy figures in the industry, he now realized that none of them compared to the family here.

This neighborhood was affluent, with excellent facilities, but clearly not on the same level as this family. He wondered why they lived here.

“Brother Yangyang, this is my good friend, Huahua!”

Jiang Wuyang was speechless.