Hu Xiaoyu had no real reason to bring up the original host’s past.
He and the former owner of this body were now separate entities, and for a fox spirit walking among humans, meddling in old matters was strictly forbidden.
But he just couldn’t hold it in.

The way Li Yu used to bully the original host—it was all vividly imprinted in Hu Xiaoyu’s memories.
And this guy was so detestable—doing awful things yet still acting arrogant. That wasn’t acceptable.

In the room now stood not only Yu Tan, Hu Xiaoyu, Liu Luanzhou, and A Jiu, but also several of Liu Luanzhou’s friends, the restaurant manager, and a few staff members waiting by the side.
Everyone’s eyes shifted between Hu Xiaoyu and Li Yu, quickly reaching a conclusion:
Hu Xiaoyu was undeniably beautiful, while Li Yu’s face flushed red in embarrassment—he was obviously hiding something.

Li Yu wasn’t just the only son of a wealthy family—he was also a B-list celebrity.
He was used to being in the spotlight, and had always enjoyed the attention.
But right now, the surrounding stares made him want nothing more than to shut Hu Xiaoyu up.

Even though Yu Tan hadn’t said a word, the fact that he stood silently beside Hu Xiaoyu made Li Yu too afraid to act recklessly.
He looked to Liu Luanzhou for help. “Cousin… I’m a public figure…”

That one sentence was enough for Liu Luanzhou to know Li Yu was in the wrong.
Li Yu was spoiled—if he hadn’t done anything wrong, he’d never try to play the victim.
With a sigh, Liu Luanzhou looked at Hu Xiaoyu. “There are too many people around. Why don’t we continue this in a private room?”

If Li Yu really was at fault, Liu Luanzhou would make him apologize.
But Li Yu was family—he couldn’t let him be humiliated in public.
As he spoke, he motioned for the manager to lead the way.

Reservations were usually needed to dine here, let alone get a private room, but for people like Liu Luanzhou and Yu Tan, a spot was always available.
He didn’t even bother asking Hu Xiaoyu’s opinion—just assumed he’d agree.

After all, although Hu Xiaoyu had always been quiet and aloof, he was kind at heart and had never refused a request from Liu Luanzhou before—even though Liu Luanzhou had never asked much of him in the past.
Somehow, he had a feeling Hu Xiaoyu would still comply.

The manager had already lifted his foot to walk, but froze mid-step.
Because a calm and crystal-clear voice said, “No. We’ll talk right here.”

It was Hu Xiaoyu.

The people with Liu Luanzhou looked surprised—he had actually rejected Liu Luanzhou?

A man behind Liu Luanzhou couldn’t help but scoff. “Hu Xiaoyu, do you even know who you’re talking to?”

Hu Xiaoyu searched his memories and recognized the young man—his name was Xu Wei.
He used to mock the original host often, calling him a country bumpkin.
More importantly, Xu Wei had once publicly confessed to Li Yu.

At the moment, Hu Xiaoyu appeared to hesitate—as if Xu Wei had stumped him.
But Yu Tan, still holding Hu Xiaoyu’s hand, suddenly tightened his grip. His sharp gaze sliced across the room as he frowned. “Aren’t you that good-for-nothing from the Liu family—or was it the Sun family? My Xiaoyu is timid. He doesn’t like dealing with nobodies.
But me? I’m curious. Wanna come over here and kneel for me?”

The room fell silent.

No one believed that the famously intelligent Yu Tan—rumored to have an IQ over 200—had truly forgotten who Xu Wei was.
Yu Tan rarely spoke, but when he did, his tongue was sharp enough to make anyone want to die on the spot.

The complete disdain in his voice made Xu Wei’s face flush red with humiliation—far worse than Li Yu’s earlier embarrassment.
Clenching his fists, Xu Wei muttered, “My surname’s not Sun.”
And then… nothing else. Not even a defense.

In the social circles of Shen City, Xu Wei was known as “Young Master Xu.”
But compared to Yu Tan, the man who controlled a corporate empire, he wasn’t worth much.
Even his father wouldn’t dare offend Yu Tan.

Liu Luanzhou frowned and patted Xu Wei’s shoulder.
“Yu Tan, as sharp-tongued as ever.”

Yu Tan raised an eyebrow, expression unmoved.
“Thanks. You, on the other hand, Liu Shao, still can’t tell black from white. That’s even more impressive.”

Then, he pinched Hu Xiaoyu’s cheek. “If you’ve got something to say, say it already. Didn’t you say you were hungry?”

Whether or not Yu Tan truly cared for Hu Xiaoyu was uncertain.
But his attitude was clear: what belonged to him—no matter how insignificant—could be treated however he pleased, but no one else was allowed to so much as look down on it.

Hu Xiaoyu was still stuck on what Yu Tan had just said—“My Xiaoyu.”
Yu Tan used to call him “my little fox.”
Whether he was a little fox or a little fish—it didn’t matter. As long as he belonged to Yu Tan, everything was good.

Eyes gleaming, Hu Xiaoyu looked at Liu Luanzhou seriously.
“Brother Liu, I’d rather speak here. You know the saying—‘A straight body casts no crooked shadow.’
If Li Yu is afraid, it’s because he knows he did something wrong. Isn’t that right?”

Liu Luanzhou was struck speechless by Hu Xiaoyu’s gaze—clear and steady.

Li Yu shouted, “You’re lying! Stop slandering me! You’ve never been good enough for my cousin—and trying to get attention now is pathetic!”

Hu Xiaoyu said, “I have proof.”

Li Yu: “…”

Hu Xiaoyu pressed on. “I recorded our calls. I still have the chat logs.
It’s not just about tricking me into going to the vacation villa.
Half of my illness back then was because of your bullying. Want me to make it all public?”

In reality, he had deleted the messages long ago and blocked Li Yu.
But with some spiritual energy, he could probably recover them.
The part about the recordings? He made that up.

Two boys, similar in age, stood in confrontation.

Li Yu had made it to the B-list not just because of his background but also because of his good looks.
The old Hu Xiaoyu, dirty and timid, had been no match.
But the new Hu Xiaoyu shone like a freshly polished pearl—making Li Yu look petty and mean.

Li Yu’s face turned pale. He bit his lip and stayed quiet.
Everyone could see he’d messed up.
And Hu Xiaoyu really had something on him.

People began to wonder—wasn’t Li Yu known for treating his adopted cousin well?
Was that all just for show?

Yu Tan frowned in annoyance.
“A rising star with a rotten personality. Screenshots, recordings… tsk.”

That last remark broke Li Yu.
He whispered, “I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

Just like that, everything was settled.

Xu Wei looked at Li Yu in disbelief.
Whether it was Yu Tan’s dominance or Li Yu’s mask slipping, it stunned him too much to play the comforting friend like before.

Liu Luanzhou led the humiliated Li Yu out of the restaurant.

As for dinner? No one was in the mood anymore.

Yu Tan’s group, on the other hand, went upstairs in calm composure.
Well, Yu Tan was calm—Hu Xiaoyu was practically bouncing with excitement.

Still holding Yu Tan’s hand, he beamed. “Yu Tan, you’re amazing!”

Yu-Tan-Is-So-Amazing had his arm swung wildly by the excited fish.
Too tired to be annoyed, he muttered, “Let’s see if you’re still smiling after dinner.”

Later, Hu Xiaoyu really wasn’t smiling.

Because that one dinner?
It cost him nearly a third of his monthly salary.

Yu Tan had never seen the little dummy look so deflated.
Watching his face fall like that… was surprisingly fun.

Flicking away ash from his cigarette, Yu Tan asked, “What’s wrong? Regret it?”

Hu Xiaoyu gave him a sheepish look.
“If I can only afford to treat you to dinner three times a month… am I totally useless?”

Yu Tan: “…”

He looked out the window at the glittering lights of the city.
It was a beautiful view, but all he could picture was those slightly dejected eyes.

A strange restlessness tugged at his heart.

“You know how many people would kill to buy me dinner?” he said coldly. “Three times a month? Dream on.”

Then again… Hu Xiaoyu was the young master of the Hu family.
He clearly wasn’t short on money.

Almost let that dummy fool him!

Hu Xiaoyu brightened at the response.
Still, he wanted to earn more money—so Yu Tan could spend his money, not someone else’s.

In his past life, he had eaten and used so many good things from Yu Tan.
A fox should always repay kindness.

On the way home that night, Hu Xiaoyu looked at his slightly bulging belly and sighed.
Oops. He’d eaten too much.

Yu Tan sat beside him, eyes closed in rest. Then he suddenly said, “What reward do you want?”

“What?”

“Nothing major. Since you behaved today, I’ll grant you one not-too-outrageous wish.”

“Can I become a celebrity?” Hu Xiaoyu asked immediately.

Li Yu’s appearance had reminded him—if lots of people liked him, he could gather more spiritual energy.
And then give it to Yu Tan—make him less pale and sickly-looking.

“No.” Yu Tan rejected him coldly. “You gave up being a bodyguard after one day. You want to be a star now?”

If it were anyone else, Yu Tan wouldn’t mind throwing them some resources.
But Hu Xiaoyu?
He was best kept close.
With a face like his, he’d be famous in no time.
But fame brought complications—and distance.

Yu Tan never made losing deals.

“Then I don’t want a reward anymore.” Hu Xiaoyu slumped.

That night, as he lay in bed playing games, Hu Xiaoyu suddenly received a transfer of 100,000 yuan.
From Yu Tan.

They had only exchanged contact info during dinner.

Attached to the payment was a single word: “Reward.”

Hu Xiaoyu replied with a sticker of a kitten happily eating a fish.