Following

Shen Yu looked at the young man in front of him and asked, "What's your name?"

"My name's Jiang Qianyu. Can you teach me that trick?" His eyes were bright, and their rims were still red, but neither could hide his excitement and exhilaration. He seemed to have forgotten his family's warning to conceal his identity if he went out to have fun.

Jiang Qianyu.

Stupid, gullible, and from a wealthy family.

He was simply the perfect choice for Shen Yu.

"Master, what's your name? I'll pay you a visit another day. What do you like, Master? I'll go buy it after the banquet. How about that for a gift to become your disciple?" Jiang Qianyu prattled on.

Until Shen Yu reached out and pressed a finger against his lips.

"Be quiet."

Jiang Qianyu fell silent at once.

The soft sensation against his lips gave him the strange urge to stick out his tongue and lick it... Wait, what am I thinking? A blush spread across his face, though it wasn't very noticeable in the darkness, with his mask covering it.

He was very obedient, but his breathing grew a little heavier.

The two exchanged contact information.

"...Shen Yu." Jiang Qianyu looked at the name on his screen. "Master, your name sounds wonderful."

"Call me Brother Shen."

"Okay, Brother Shen."

Shen Yu pondered. He hadn't unlocked the hacking skill, but with Consultant Luo's influence behind him, he could look up information in the Police Bureau's internal system, and no one guarded against him.

Jiang Qianyu.

The youngest son of the Jiang Family, with three older siblings. His eldest sister, Jiang Zhiyu, currently worked alongside their father, handling company affairs, and looked every bit the heir. His second brother, Jiang Zhiyue, was Jiang Zhiyu's twin brother. Blessed with good looks, he had entered the entertainment industry and become an artist under the family's company. His third sister, Jiang Qianyue, had been less fortunate, losing her life when an enemy came seeking revenge. Then there was Jiang Qianyu. Because of what had happened to Jiang Qianyue, the Jiang Family doted on him and guarded him like the apple of their eye.

They indulged his every wish, raising him into a carefree pleasure seeker. He had even developed a gambling addiction. For the first time, Father Jiang had lost his temper and beaten him so badly he couldn't get out of bed for three days. The kid was something else, too: he'd turned around and reported his own father for child abuse, causing an uproar.

"Want to learn?" Shen Yu looked at the man before him, his tone rising.

Jiang Qianyu nodded at once.

He wanted to learn so badly. Just thinking about using the trick to dominate at the casino excited him.

"You can." Shen Yu set a condition. "But you can't be the one to initiate a bet."

Jiang Qianyu froze.

I can't initiate one? How is that any different from making me quit? Am I supposed to sit around waiting for someone to challenge me?

Seeing Jiang Qianyu's reluctance, Shen Yu made as if to leave.

Jiang Qianyu panicked and grabbed Shen Yu's wrist, the pads of his fingers touching his cool skin... So soft. He looked at Shen Yu's averted profile. Though most of it was hidden, he could still make out that unworldly air through the loose strands of hair.

For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Qianyu agreed.

"I promise. Don't go."

The corners of Shen Yu's mouth lifted in a barely perceptible smile that vanished in an instant. "Then we're friends now."

Jiang Qianyu felt a little disappointed, though he didn't know why.

Just friends?

"Okay."

A server passed inconspicuously by the two of them, then asked if they would like a drink.

Jiang Qianyu accepted a glass and looked at Shen Yu.

Shen Yu was about to refuse when the server said the wine was delicious and suggested he try it, holding it out in front of him. The golden liquid swayed gently in the glass, like peach-flavored frosting.

Jiang Qianyu held up his own glass and looked at him expectantly, seemingly wanting to clink glasses.

Shen Yu didn't much like drinking. He found alcohol bitter and unpleasant, but seeing Jiang Qianyu's expectant expression, he thought of how they had only just made contact and how this was the time to build their relationship.

He accepted the glass after all, clinked it against Jiang Qianyu's, and took a small sip.

But it was unexpectedly sweet on his tongue, with notes of dried apricot and honey. The intense sweetness was balanced by a crisp acidity, without the slightest hint of cloying richness.

"What wine is this?"

"Tokaji Aszú 6 Puttonyos."

"It's pretty good."

At that moment, a melodious piano tune drifted up from the first floor. It marked the start of preparations for the banquet and notified everyone upstairs that playtime was over and it was time to get ready for the banquet.

Everyone made their way to the elevators and returned to their rooms, where they removed their masks and changed into new clothes, becoming their dignified selves again before heading to the first floor.

Shen Yu prepared to go as well, but the elevators were limited and he was close by, so he planned to take the stairs up. Jiang Qianyu asked for his room number, intending to find him after changing, and Shen Yu didn't refuse.

As Shen Yu set off, another figure followed him.

His conspicuous blue hair made him easy to track. The man had watched Shen Yu drink the wine with his own eyes, and his steps were light and cheerful, as though he had obtained a precious treasure. His dark eyes were filled with certainty that he would get what he wanted.

The fifth floor.

For some reason, this floor was especially quiet.

Thud, thud, thud.

Footsteps followed behind him at an unhurried pace.

Shen Yu noticed them, but he also noticed something was wrong with him. His consciousness was growing hazy, and his vision had blurred as though covered in a layer of fog. His arms and legs had gone weak, and every step he took was sustained by willpower alone.

It was the wine.

Shen Yu bit the tip of his tongue. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and his mind cleared for an instant.

Who is it?

Bai Xiaofan? Did he come to the banquet too?

Shen Yu's room was farther inside. He looked up at the room beside him.

516.

The footsteps behind him remained at a distance that was neither too close nor too far, as though their owner were enjoying this game of pursuit.

Shen Yu dug his fingertips hard into his palm and whipped around. The man wore a silver mask. When he saw Shen Yu turn, he raised a brow and smiled, but the smile soon vanished when he heard Shen Yu call out "Brother Lu" toward a spot behind him.

Brother Lu?

Lu Xianchang or Lu Changfeng?

He instinctively turned to look. There was no one there, and heavy panting followed immediately afterward.

While he was looking back, Shen Yu clutched his key card and slipped into his room. Almost as soon as he entered, his whole body crumpled to the floor, his back sliding slowly down against the cabinet. While he was still somewhat conscious, he pulled out his phone.

But the next second,

a mechanical voice sounded.

"The door has been unlocked."

Shen Yu's heart stopped. The air around him froze in an instant, and even his fingertips went completely still.

He watched the man at the door remove his mask with undisguised amusement, then close the door and effortlessly snatch the phone from his hand.

It was the man who had struck up a conversation with him.

What does he want?

But the drug was taking effect. Shen Yu's head slowly drooped, and his consciousness sank into darkness.

He Lin crouched down and reached out to lift Shen Yu's chin. Pale blue lashes cast shadows on his eyelids. With his eyes closed and consciousness lost, Shen Yu had shed some of his youthful arrogance and gained a touch of softness, looking as endearing as a cute doll in a display cabinet.

An inexplicable urge to take him home and hide him away, never letting anyone see him, flared in He Lin's heart like wildfire.

He scooped him up in his arms, and the unconscious young man buried his face in his chest.

He Lin lowered his gaze.

Looking at the young man's exposed skin, he instinctively reached out and rubbed it twice.

It was unexpectedly soft.

His hand slipped inside the shirt without him realizing it, and its buttons came undone. Desire clamored throughout his body. He wanted to explore deeper, wanted to leave bright red marks on that fair skin...

Smack.

A slender hand grabbed his arm.