When the race ended, the drivers crowded around. Crystal-clear ice cubes dropped into glasses, vodka splashed, and everyone partied.
The revelry was in full swing. Several beauties danced provocatively against poles, surrounded by pounding music, flashing lights, and decadent excess.
Feng Yan's phone suddenly rang. He casually pulled it out, but his expression changed instantly when he saw who was calling.
He waved a hand, waiting until the room quieted down before answering.
"Hello? Brother?" Feng Yan sounded surprised. Although they were brothers, they weren't particularly close. Even face-to-face, they rarely exchanged more than a few words. Why was he calling today?
For some reason, Feng Yan felt nervous. "Did you need something?"
The person on the other end didn't speak right away. Several seconds passed in silence.
The overwhelming pressure made Feng Yan break out in a cold sweat.
Then the man's voice came through. "Who are you with?"
Feng Ze sat in the living room with his legs casually spread, his posture relaxed and languid as he quietly listened to the list of names.
President Li's son.
The Wang Family's illegitimate son.
The president of Ren Corporation.
And so on.
Feng Ze noted each one. After listing the names, Feng Yan guiltily asked what was wrong.
Feng Ze didn't answer directly. He simply said, "Butler Tao went with you today?"
"..." Feng Yan swallowed and instinctively straightened his back. "Yes. I brought him along."
"Mm. Enjoy yourselves." With that, Feng Ze hung up.
Feng Yan was left terrified.
After a long moment, he took a hard drag on his cigarette.
Fuck, what god had he pissed off lately? Why was everything going wrong?
When Bai Ruan said he would ignore Feng Yan, he meant it. No matter what Feng Yan said, he never replied.
Feng Yan had been irritated as hell these past few days. He wasn't even in the mood to go out partying.
Whenever he scrolled past one of Bai Ruan's posts, he instinctively stopped to see what he had done, what he had eaten, and whether he had found some other man.
While he was stewing, Bai Ruan had found his footing again. It seemed that without him, Bai Ruan's life had actually gotten better...
The realization jolted Feng Yan back to his senses, and he irritably turned off his phone screen.
"Fuck... why am I acting like some desperate simp?"
Feng Yan absolutely refused to become a simp. Frowning, he picked up his phone again and opened the chat labeled [Luo].
[Y.: Want to meet up?]
Li Luochen was filming an advertisement. The moment he heard his phone chime, he hurried over.
[Luo: Sure.] [Luo: Where?] [Y.: Come to my place. Send me your address, and I'll pick you up.] [Luo: [Location]]
Once Feng Yan received the location, he went straight to pick up Li Luochen.
His head was full of Bai Ruan. Whenever he thought that Bai Ruan might truly leave him, he felt a strange, suffocating ache. All he could do was distract himself by going to see Li Luochen.
Of course, Tao Zhiyan had noticed the changes in Feng Yan these past few days. The player had become forlorn, the womanizer suspicious and paranoid. It was pretty entertaining to watch.
As Feng Yan grabbed his car keys and headed out, a line of text appeared above his head: [In one hour, he will be cheating at home with his ex.]
Tao Zhiyan raised his eyebrows and swiftly sent Bai Ruan a message:
[Peach: Your ex-boyfriend is about to do it with his ex-boyfriend in your bed. Get back here, quick!]
Apparently, Feng Yan had been pent up for too long. Within minutes of bringing Li Luochen home, he had him in his arms and was going at it on the living room sofa.
Neither of them made any attempt to hide it. They started right in front of the servants, sending Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li fleeing in terror.
Lewd talk and moans kept drifting in from outside their room.
Tao Zhiyan was fine, but Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li were over a hundred years old between them. They really couldn't take those sounds.
Aunt Li covered her ears, her aging face bright red, and huddled in the servants' room without daring to move. "Good heavens, the Feng Family is the most unhinged employer I've ever had! Even worse than the Li Family!"
"He's lost his mind!" Aunt Zhao couldn't believe it. "How did Yan end up like this?"
Tao Zhiyan stood behind Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li with his arms folded, pressing his lips together as he watched the two women being scared out of their wits by gay sex.
Aunt Zhao and Aunt Li had made it safely through more than fifty years of life. That was already pretty good. It was time to give them a little psychological shock.
The commotion in the living room grew louder. These were no longer the sounds of ordinary sex.
Li Luochen's voice was trembling, almost as if he were crying, though there was something strange about it.
Aunt Zhao's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. On the verge of a breakdown, she fired off a string of breathless questions. "What are they doing? What on earth are they doing?! How can they make sounds like that? What's making that slapping noise????"
Aunt Li covered her ears, shaking her head nonstop as she recited a calming mantra.
She clearly couldn't answer Aunt Zhao's questions.
Tao Zhiyan kindly supplied an answer. "Probably hitting him."
He even made a point of listening carefully to distinguish the sounds before declaring with complete confidence, "Yes, he's probably using a belt."
Aunt Zhao: "???????"
Aunt Li: "..."
Her calming mantra picked up speed until it rivaled rap.
A short while later, the front door of the Feng Family home suddenly opened.
Tao Zhiyan straightened. It was probably Bai Ruan.
Sure enough, the instant the door opened, a startled cry rang out in the living room, and the obscene sounds stopped.
Panic took their place.
Bai Ruan was here?
A showdown! Here came the drama!
Tao Zhiyan flung open the servants' room door and rushed out.
The scene before him was pure drama.
Both men were completely naked, with little sex toys scattered everywhere.
Tao Zhiyan immediately spotted the belt discarded at Feng Yan's feet and nodded in satisfaction.
He'd guessed right.
"..." Bai Ruan stood rooted to the spot, dazed and numb. He felt as though a crack had opened in his heart before it shattered completely, from top to bottom.
It was the first time he had ever seen Feng Yan so panicked and disheveled.
Feng Yan pushed Li Luochen away, grabbed his pants at random, and pulled them on. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on his palms...
Fuck, why had Bai Ruan suddenly come back after being out of touch for so long?!
Fuck.
Part of him was relieved to see Bai Ruan again, but another part had no idea how to salvage this situation.
As Feng Yan looked at Bai Ruan, the joy of regaining someone he had lost swept over him, mingled with fear. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. "Y-you came back. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I came back to get my things. Did I interrupt you?" Bai Ruan had meant to say it without expression, but the moment he spoke, his voice broke with tears that spilled uncontrollably down his face.
He wiped at them in a panic, only for more to fall. Like beads slipping off a broken string, they wouldn't stop.
"I..."
"I didn't mean to cry." Bai Ruan's gaze was bewildered, but his eyes were frighteningly red. He looked as helpless as a child. "I'm sorry..."
In that moment, Feng Yan felt as though he couldn't breathe.
He finally realized that he loved Bai Ruan.
He didn't like being restrained, but for Bai Ruan, he would try to rein himself in.
He couldn't be bothered with other people's feelings, but he paid attention to Bai Ruan's.
Other people's tears struck him as a nuisance, but now, seeing Bai Ruan cry, all he felt was heartache.
"Ruan..." Feng Yan's breathing grew heavy. He took half a step forward, reaching for Bai Ruan. "Ruan, listen to me-!"
Smack-!
Before he could finish, a sharp slap landed on Feng Yan's face.
His head snapped to one side, and five distinct finger marks appeared on his cheek.
Tao Zhiyan was a little surprised. Bai Ruan's hand remained suspended in the air, trembling with the force of his emotions.
Good hit!
Feng Yan breathed rapidly, clearly stunned.
The Second Young Master had been slapped, yet his first reaction wasn't anger. It was fear.
He was afraid Bai Ruan really was going to leave.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Li Luochen rushed over and shoved Bai Ruan away, glaring at him. "You're just a knockoff, and you have the nerve to hit him?! Have you played the stand-in for so long that you actually believe the part? Get your place in all this straight, would you!"
Before you continue