Xia Shule kept walking without even glancing at him. "I put in a good word for you. If they dock your pay, that's not my problem. I'll transfer your thank-you fee on time."
He was nothing like the well-behaved young man he had been in the tea room. Now, a spoiled, imperious streak showed through every word.
They brushed past each other-or, more accurately, Xia Shule brushed past Yan Zhiyi's shoulder, leaving him with a single remark without so much as looking his way.
Those big eyes really were... haughty. He was like a noble cat, head held high and chest puffed out.
"Xia Shule," Yan Zhiyi called after him.
Xia Shule turned back, his face wary and searching. How did this gardener know his name? "How do you know I'm Xia Shule?"
"..." Yan Zhiyi was amused by the way he bristled like a kitten, though he didn't show it. The little fellow was quite cautious.
Yan Zhiyi sounded resigned. "Old Zheng introduced you just now."
"Huh? Oh... right. I thought... haha, never mind. What is it?" People always found plenty to do when they were embarrassed.
Yan Zhiyi had heard that the two were close. He wasn't sure whether Xia Shule would believe him if he told him. "I just overheard someone called Brother Jiang saying he was going to drug you."
Yan Zhiyi got straight to the point, without any ambiguity. Whether Xia Shule believed him was up to him.
Xia Shule remembered. It had been at this same time in his previous life, during Yan Family Old Master's birthday banquet, that Jiang Gechen had given him a powerful drug.
He had put it in the milk, in several glasses. The bastard hadn't even cared whether strangers drank it. To make sure Xia Shule fell into his trap, he had disregarded everyone else's safety.
Xia Shule had fallen for it that time. Looking back now, perhaps his body's self-defense mechanisms had kicked in. He couldn't remember any of the details, only that the person on top of him had been disgusting!
He had hurt himself to stay lucid. Covered in blood, he had frightened that person into leaving him in the room and abandoning him.
It wasn't until Zhou Anyang and Jiang Gechen came to inspect the results shortly afterward and found him barely breathing that they called an ambulance.
The ordeal had left Xia Shule deeply traumatized. In his previous life, he had remained in a daze right up until his death.
He had looked normal, but deep inside, his mind had long since been shattered.
As the trauma resurfaced, Xia Shule froze on the spot.
Then, after my birthday, I'll drown...
Then...
Then...
"Are you all right?" Yan Zhiyi watched the young man turn deathly pale, unsure what had crossed his mind.
The rich, resonant voice pulled Xia Shule back to reality. None of it had happened yet in this life. He still had a chance to save himself.
Xia Shule shook his head. "I'm fine. Thank you for telling me! Thank you..."
Tonight, he wouldn't eat or drink anything anyone brought him. Anything!!
"By the way, do you know where President Yan is? Why haven't I seen him tonight?" He couldn't forget what he had come here to do.
Suspicion flickered in Yan Zhiyi's eyes. Did he really not know who he was?
He looked at the young man's clear gaze, the genuine confusion plain in his eyes. Yes, he truly didn't know.
Suddenly, Yan Zhiyi felt the urge to tease him, though he didn't know why.
"No idea. I haven't seen him tonight either."
"All right. Thanks anyway. Achoo! You've got pollen on you. I can't stay-I have to go!" Xia Shule left as if fleeing.
As he watched Xia Shule jog away, a hint of danger gradually surfaced in Yan Zhiyi's eyes. He remembered how the boy had taken the blame for him, how that little mouth had insisted it wasn't his fault...
No one had ever treated him like that in his entire life. This was the first time... the first time someone had...
Xia Shule. A nice name, and a nice person.
Yan Zhiyi strode away on his long legs as well. He headed somewhere with a broad view, where he could easily observe the guests-though really, it was because he could easily observe Xia Shule.
For the moment, he couldn't make sense of his own feelings. He simply wanted to do it, so he did. Nothing more than a passing interest.
The second-floor terrace offered a view of everyone. Lai Jiangtian had already been lounging there, bored out of his mind.
"Zhiyi, who was that boy just now?"
Lai Jiangtian was one of Yan Zhiyi's few close friends.
The main reasons he had managed to become Yan Zhiyi's friend were Lai Jiangtian's shameless personality and his silver tongue.
Back then, he had thought hanging out with the Yan family's young master would make him look important, so he kept calling him his brother even when Yan Zhiyi ignored him completely.
Yan Zhiyi remained utterly unruffled. "The Xia Family's son."
"You really do answer exactly what you're asked. Not a word more." Lai Jiangtian looked long accustomed to it.
"..." Still silence.
"You really need patience like mine to talk to you," Lai Jiangtian complained.
"..." Still silence, but his eyes remained fixed on Xia Shule.
Lai Jiangtian never gave up easily. "Did you know that guy from high school is coming back to the country?"
Yan Zhiyi's gaze shifted slightly. "Oh."
"That's all the reaction you have? You two did have some history!" Lai Jiangtian was always happy to stir up drama.
"History?" Yan Zhiyi frowned. "If pestering me endlessly and threatening suicide count, then sure, we had history."
Hearing the undisguised mockery in Yan Zhiyi's voice, Lai Jiangtian burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I heard you're still his target this time!"
Without waiting for Yan Zhiyi to respond, Lai Jiangtian went on. "But you're not who you were back then. I reckon this time... he's going to hit a brick wall."
"..." Silence, but agreement.
Lai Jiangtian patted Yan Zhiyi beside him. "Hey! Looks like someone spilled wine all over the Xia Family's son. Good-looking people really are gorgeous even when they're angry!"
I have eyes, Yan Zhiyi thought.
Still, the sight of the angry Xia Shule downstairs brought a phrase to Yan Zhiyi's mind...
"A beauty's anger!" Lai Jiangtian marveled.
One remark voiced what both of them were thinking.
Downstairs, Xia Shule had refused every glass of wine offered to him, only to end up covered in red wine. He was frowning, struggling to contain his anger.
The person who had spilled the wine had already slipped away, hunched over. Anyone looking closely would have noticed his guilty demeanor.
His delicate brows drew together over his pretty face, his phoenix eyes opened wide. It seemed that with a face like that, even the worst temper wouldn't matter.
I paid a fucking fortune for this limited edition, and you just spilled wine all over it?
Watch where you're going, you idiot!
Xia Shule looked around and raised his voice. "Where did he go? Can't afford to pay, and can't even open his mouth?"
"I'm sorry, Young Master Xia." A man in a waiter's suit stepped forward. "We've already sent someone to find him. Please come with me to a room to change."
Banquets like this generally had spare formalwear ready for unexpected incidents, such as the one before them now.
Focused solely on avoiding food and drink, Xia Shule was completely unguarded about changing clothes. He reined in his temper. "Find him and bring him to me."
It was also a sign of his trust in the Yan family. He thought that although Jiang Gechen might drug him, surely he wouldn't do anything worse than that at the Yan Residence.
He just had to stay away from alcohol.
As it turned out, he was wrong...
Jiang Gechen was far more sinister than he had imagined...
The waiter bowed obsequiously. "Of course."
Not far behind him, a subtle smile appeared on Jiang Gechen's face.
"Hey, Zhiyi." Looking puzzled, Lai Jiangtian nudged Yan Zhiyi. "Is that one of your family's bartenders? I don't think I've seen him before."
Lai Jiangtian lived nearby and liked to drop by the Yan Residence whenever he had nothing to do. He genuinely had no memory of ever seeing this man.
At Lai Jiangtian's words, Yan Zhiyi followed his gaze.
He hadn't seen him before either. This man... could it be that they had changed tactics? Almost certainly. Yan Zhiyi set off after them at a brisk pace.
First, no guest could be allowed to come to harm at the Yan Residence. Second, Big Eyes had spoken up for him. He was a good person. Yan Zhiyi couldn't just stand by and watch...
"Where are you going?"
"Something to take care of."