The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

Li Heng was surprised to see a call from an unknown number with an S City area code.

He didn’t think much of it; several people had his number, and the university had recently required everyone to submit their contact info. It could be a call about the military training schedule. 

He absentmindedly petted Alexander while answering the call.

“…Hello?” 

There was silence on the other end, followed by a familiar voice with a hint of sweetness. “Good evening, Heng cousin, it’s me.”

“This is my work phone number.”

Li Heng simply replied, planning to add the number to his blacklist after hanging up.

“Is there something you need?” he asked, coolly.

He had picked up some of his tone from Xie Duzhi.

If Bai Ruan made a polite excuse, he was ready to end the call with the pretext of taking care of his grandfather.

To be honest, he’d almost forgotten about his existence over the summer—he’d been busy traveling, meeting interesting people, and managing small troubles like his daily “wars” with his second brother. Or, planning ways to coordinate with his dogs in sneaking around, rather than dealing with a call he’d already decided to brush off.

“Heng cousin, I’m on the show now,” Bai Ruan said instead. “The show I invited you to join, *Traveling with Friends.* I couldn’t make it with you, but I still wanted to give this ‘call to a friend far away.’”

Li Heng fell silent for a moment. Far from feeling thankful, he almost wanted to say they weren’t close enough for this and that calling someone else might give the show a better effect.

But instead, he courteously thanked him, saying he would try to cooperate with the recording.

“How’s your grandfather’s health?” Bai Ruan asked.

“He’s fine; it was just a minor incident before.” He really didn’t want to keep talking to him and felt like the call had already dragged on too long. “Anything else?”

Yet, unfortunately, the call had only lasted a little over a minute.

“Oh, yes,” Bai Ruan replied as though he hadn’t sensed Li Heng’s cold tone. “A lot of interesting things happened while you were away. I wanted to share them with you.”

*Traveling with Friends* encouraged participants to share fun stories with distant friends, and Bai Ruan had prepared several stories for the call.

Since the show would air prerecorded, he knew he could talk long enough to get something usable, even if it took a few tries.

As the last to make a call, he had been waiting outside, listening to other guests. To ensure good sound, extra microphones were installed. Though the door was closed, he could still make out the conversation.

He knew of Gu Mingyue, hearing tales of the “prodigy” who’d shot to fame after a talent show.

But he had known of him even before that, when he used to wait among parents outside Yizhong School, watching as Gu, without even wearing his uniform, would appear among the students, sneak up on Li Heng, and hold up a drink, covering his own face.

The two would exchange a few words, sharing a rare intimacy, something like a bond between small animals.

Bai Ruan had looked into Gu Mingyue without hiring a detective, simply checking school forums and message boards, easily creating a character profile.

In temperament, Gu Mingyue had a similar image and personality, one Bai Ruan had played many times.

So, he’d once tried emulating Gu’s dynamic with Li Heng. But, thanks to Xie Duzhi’s interference, things hadn’t gone as he’d hoped.

This call wasn’t going as planned, either.

“Heng cousin, really funny things! I thought of telling you right away, but I didn’t want to interrupt you taking care of your grandpa,” he continued sweetly. “Do you remember Ji Xi? The one who helped you find your cat?”

Li Heng wasn’t entirely listening and responded absentmindedly.

Bai Ruan laughed, “When he returned, he accidentally picked up the wrong cat, thinking it was his.”

“…”

Li Heng, however, found none of this amusing and only felt that Bai Ruan hadn’t genuinely cared for his own pet.

Still, he decided to avoid saying so on the show, replying politely, “Sounds interesting.”

It was clear Bai Ruan knew the difference between an amused tone and one that was not quite sincere, though he tried to press on with the conversation nonetheless.

What about traveling then? Bai Ruan was well aware that the Xie family had allowed the other party to leave to avoid him truly participating in this travel show. He also knew a phone call wouldn’t make much difference, but even the slimmest chance was better than none. And sometimes, opportunities could be created if the right conditions were met.

“Oh, oh, and besides that, last time I went north to film a charity segment, I saw something really interesting,” he continued, shifting the topic to childhood memories.

He tried to soften the attitude of his so-called cousin through nostalgia. “Cousin Heng, you’d never guess what I saw!”

As if Li Heng really intended to guess.

He was still braiding Alexander’s mane, occasionally glancing at the screen, guessing the program’s designated call duration. Surely it couldn’t be a full ten minutes? Even as filler, they couldn’t expect the audience to sit through ten minutes of pointless conversation.

Just as he wondered how to politely end the call, a video invite notification from Gu Mingyue popped up at the top of the screen.

“Bai Ruan.” Without thinking, his tone softened, eagerly calling the other’s name, cutting off Bai Ruan’s enthusiastic sharing about his northern adventure.

It was the first time Bai Ruan had heard him call his name like that, so he hesitated, “Cousin Heng, what’s up?”

“Sorry, I have a very important video call to take. Let’s chat again later, okay?” Li Heng quickly said, opening the chat with Gu Mingyue, sending a quick “be there soon” pigeon emoji.

Just as Bai Ruan could use the ongoing recording as leverage, he could too.

As a “good friend,” Li Heng believed Bai Ruan would understand his situation and hold off on what he wanted to say.

There was a brief silence on the other end before Bai Ruan replied with a bit of grievance, “…Fine, I’ll text you after the show to continue, Cousin.”

As if they truly were close friends.

“Alright, we’ll talk later. Goodbye.”

Li Heng almost immediately hung up, blocking Bai Ruan, and then accepted the video call from his little friend, his previous anxiety quickly replaced by joy. “Mingyue, you’re home already!”

“That was quick!”

He turned the phone sideways to fit in Alexander, who was now braided and looking camera-ready. “See, hasn’t he grown a lot since last time?”

Then he realized Gu Mingyue seemed to be outside, wearing light makeup.

“Were you just fibbing to me?” He pursed his lips, trying to look stern in the corner of the video. “Tell the truth, or I’ll hang out with someone else this holiday!”

“I was just afraid you’d get nervous,” Gu Mingyue stuck out his tongue, finally explaining. “Alright, I was filming, and the crew asked us to have a quick call with a friend for a bit of extra footage.”

“They’ll edit the audio later, so there’s no risk of leaking personal info.”

Worried Li Heng might mind, he apologized several times, even suggesting he could redo it if needed.

After apologizing, he sighed dramatically, faking a dejected expression, “If necessary, I’ll write your college assignments for four years as compensation and co-author every paper with you.”

His acting skills had definitely improved.

Li Heng, not upset at all, found this amusing. “I don’t need you doing my assignments.”

And as for co-authoring on a paper – he was so-so at high school math; if Gu Mingyue actually published an impressive paper with his name on it, he’d find a way to change it overnight.

“It’s not cheating, really, and I can help you with advanced math!” Mingyue didn’t mind in the least.

In fact, he had already thought of the topic for his first paper.

“We don’t study advanced math,” Li Heng shrugged, making the announcement with mock regret.

“Your curriculum is so poorly designed,” Mingyue lamented, truly disappointed. “Guess I can’t do your homework, then.”

“I never wanted you to,” Li Heng retorted, rolling his eyes. “Besides, I’m not mad at all.”

Good friends help each other, after all, and he and Mingyue were good friends.

“Did mentioning sneaking out for hotpot in the show get you into trouble?” Li Heng grew worried, “What if people accuse you of not following the rules?”

Mingyue looked far from guilty, “I wasn’t the only one who snuck out.”

Although most of the time, it was his idea.

“And it creates a bit of a rebellious image.” He yawned, leaning closer to the camera.

Li Heng could almost see faint sparkles under his eyes.

Mingyue spoke with a mischievous tone, “You know, most celebrities in person aren’t as good-looking as they seem on camera.”

“Not even as refined as Alexander.”

“…?”

Li Heng turned to look at Alexander, “Really?”

Alexander swished his fluffy, pretty tail.

“Of course,” Mingyue continued with a hint of frustration. “Some famous stars look better in person, but…”

“But what?”

“But somehow, they just don’t give off the same appeal as in photos or videos,” he shrugged, thinking for a moment. “Like that ‘Little Prince’ everyone talks about.”

“Mingyue, I don’t know the nickname,” Li Heng reminded.

Realizing his friend never checked trending topics, Mingyue sighed, “…Right.”

“He’s Bai Ruan, a fellow guest on the show I just joined.” Mingyue shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I just don’t like him.”

“It’s a… difficult feeling to describe.”

He gave up trying to find the right words, briefly zoning out. “But anyway, we don’t cross paths. It’s not like he’d ever get into Q University and end up in the same department as me.”

Li Heng chuckled, his gaze softening, half-joking and half-serious. “After all, our Mingyue is a renowned genius, isn’t he?”

Caught off guard, Mingyue choked on his drink, coughing several times before recovering.

“…Just your average genius,” he replied modestly. “My advisor says there are lots of seniors in the math department who are way more impressive, so I shouldn’t get too proud.”

Noticing his friend’s bashfulness, Li Heng didn’t push it, instead shifting the topic back to travel plans.

“Why’s your brother going, too?”

“He’s there to inspect the branch company.”

Mingyue suddenly recalled that Li Heng’s family were prominent capitalists – his close friend included.

“I think I’m quite the genius, maybe even Field’s Medal material.” He changed his tune swiftly, “You should invest in my research projects, you’ll make a fortune.”

“If pure math isn’t profitable, I’ll switch to something else – maybe physics.”

Li Heng chuckled, “Don’t make me tell on you when I visit you over the holiday.”

“Even my professor wants a break – I saw him sharing vacation posts on social media,” Mingyue wasn’t worried at all.

He gave a playful wink, flashing his usual mischievous grin. “I’m just advising you to invest in a future success.”

“You mean yourself?” Li Heng played along.

Mingyue smugly lifted his chin, “Of course –”

“Or that person who scored higher than you on that test–”

Mingyue froze, his smile quickly replaced by indignation. “Not him, research has no borders!”

Then he realized Li Heng was teasing him.

“You’ve changed, Brother,” Mingyue shook his head in mock disappointment, “You used to be so pure.”

“I’m stronger, that’s what.” Li Heng replied confidently, just then noticing someone moving in the background of Mingyue’s video – though it was too far to make out clearly.

“Mingyue, why don’t we continue this when you’re home or in a private room?” He suddenly realized his friend was in public, where privacy mattered. “There seem to be people around.”

“It’s fine, I have my earphones on, and I spoke quietly when I was complaining,” Mingyue raised an eyebrow, looking around to find the staff member.

He spotted Bai Ruan just outside the recording area, nodding politely as a greeting to his senior. The set had quieted down after a long day of filming, and both the guests and crew were resting.

Bai Ruan noticed him speaking on the phone, seemingly deep in conversation, and immediately guessed who he was talking to. Recalling the almost pointless phone call with Li Heng earlier.

In that moment, he realized he felt more resentment than he’d expected in the face of such a stark contrast.

He was jealous of Gu Mingyue.