Yuhan searched every corner of the house until frustration nearly drove him mad. He stopped when a flash of memory hit him — the bite on Zixuan's palm and that familiar piece of clothing wrapped around it.
He stormed into the living room where Li Hao was waiting.
"Where's Zixuan?" Yuhan's voice was low but sharp.
Li Hao turned, eyes widening. "Wow. Who knew you could look this hot and cute?" He stood up, dropping the pillow from his lap.
"I love the fit," li hao said smiling at him.
"Chen Zixuan. Where is he?" Yuhan repeated, his tone harder.
"What's with you?" Li Hao frowned. "He left earlier, said he had things to take care of. There's a driver waiting to take us to the venue. Why, is something wrong?"
"Let's go." Yuhan shoved his phone into his pocket.
Li Hao blinked. "You're starting to scare me, man." He followed Yuhan out.
---
"Good afternoon," Li Hao greeted, knocking on the car window.
"Mr. Liang?" The driver rolled down the glass, recognizing them.
Minutes later, they were on the road.
"Yuhan, look,look!" Li Hao pointed excitedly from the front seat at something funny on the street.
"Please, let's drive in silence," the driver said, expression flat.
"Sorry," Li Hao muttered, adjusting his glasses at the same time the driver adjusted his, and for a moment they stared at each other awkwardly.
At the back seat, Yuhan sat quietly, lost in his thoughts.
Where could the handkerchief be? he thought. That's the only thing I have left of Ying Yue. What do I do if I lose it?
He replayed the thought over and over until the driver's voice pulled him back.
"We're here," the driver said, parking in front of the hotel.
Before Yuhan could move, the driver stepped out and opened the door for him.
"We're here, sir," he said politely.
"Sir?" Yuhan blinked, startled.
"Sometimes you forget yourself," Li Hao teased as he climbed out.
The moment they looked up, the sight took their breath away — cameras flashing, reporters calling out, a bright red carpet stretching across the entrance. Before Yuhan could even breathe, the crowd began shouting his name.
"Assistant Liang! Over here!" photographers yelled one after another.
Yuhan was surprised as to how they already know his name.
Li Hao elbowed him playfully. "Pose, man!" He already posing himself.
The driver sighed and walked over to them, first giving Li Hao a disapproving look before addressing Yuhan.
"Assistant Liang, Mr. Chen personally asked me to escort you in before I leave."
"When is Zixuan coming?" Yuhan asked quickly.
"After I see you inside, I'm heading to pick him up," the driver replied, holding the entrance door open.
---
Inside, the hall was breathtaking — rows of flowers lined the walkway, people in elegant attire chatting softly. The tables were dressed in pristine white cloths, and the stage shimmered under golden light.
Li Hao's eyes caught the catering section, and ran over.
Across the room, Su Mei spotted Yuhan and hurried over.
"I'll take my leave now," the driver said.
"Wait—tell Zixuan…I'm expecting him," Yuhan said, hesitating slightly.
"Good afternoon, Driver Guo!" Su Mei waved as the man bowed lightly before departing.
"Hi, Assistant Liang," she greeted with a small bow.
"Call me Yuhan. You're making me feel old," he said with a small smile.
"I can't. You're an assistant now — higher rank than me. And besides," she added teasingly, "someone might chew me out if I don't."
They both laughed.
"Come on, let's go," Su Mei said, tugging gently at Yuhan's arm.
"Your outfit is elegant… but oddly familiar." She brushed her fingers over his shoulder seam. "And the stitching feels familiar too."
"I think that's because the chairman herself gifted it to me," Yuhan replied.
"You think?" Su Mei raised a brow, sounding unconvinced.
---
Meanwhile, Li Hao was stuck at the food section but every time he reached for something, a server's stern stare stopped him. He chuckled nervously, backing away in defeat.
He finally spotted yuhan and a lady and left to rejoin them, clutching a small bag.
Su Mei leaned close to Yuhan at their table and nodded toward a woman across the room.
"That's the daughter of the owner of Mou Construction. She's here because of Zixuan. She's been trying to get his attention for months, but he keeps dodging her cupid arrows." su mei said laughing
Yuhan forced a tight smile, though his chest felt heavier.
"Those servers are going to bore a hole through me with their eyes," li hao grumbled before taking a large gulp of wine as he reached their table.
"The Chens are here!" reporters shouted suddenly. Cameras flashed toward the entrance.
Chen Xi, Chen Zixuan, Wang Lai, and Zhang Meiyue walked in gracefully, cameras snapping at every angle.
Several guests immediately rose to greet them.
"Let's go," Yuhan said, setting down his untouched glass and straightening his suit, his face stern.
His stride was sharp, his face unreadable — so much that Li Hao almost stumbled trying to keep up.
Across the room, Chen Xi, Zixuan, and Meiyue all turned at once, their eyes locking on Yuhan as he approached.