"Fate brought us together, kid. Don't be mad. That's just how he is." Yang Yi sat down without the slightest reserve, speaking as though he knew Shen Xingshuo very well.
Shen Yu puffed out his cheeks and frowned. He had not been angry before, but Yang Yi's attempt to soothe him instantly made him feel uncomfortable.
A faint trace of mockery entered Shen Xingshuo's eyes. Then he stopped in his tracks and sat back down.
The atmosphere between the two was tense. Shen Yu did not know why, but he was absolutely excellent at reading expressions. One roll of his big eyes was enough to tell him that his second brother disliked this person.
Protective Little Yu came online, haughtily putting on his young-master airs. "You don't get to say what he's like!"
Only then did Shen Xingshuo's irritated brow relax, and he could not help curling his lips.
Now that was his little brother. He could be sweet with family, but he absolutely could not lose his edge around outsiders.
Yang Yi's face alternated between green and white. He did not understand why Shen Yu, who had just been angry, was suddenly speaking up for the other man. Still, he reined in his temper and said considerately, "As long as you two weren't fighting."
Turning to see that Shen Xingshuo, who had been about to leave, had sat down again, arrogance radiating from head to toe, Yang Yi bit his lip awkwardly.
Recalling Shen Yu's protective, pampered air, Yang Yi assumed Shen Xingshuo had the same intentions as he did and secretly grew more wary.
"My name's Yang Yi. I saw you in the classroom earlier." Yang Yi did not want to miss a chance to climb higher. The more "temperamental" Shen Yu was, the easier he seemed to manipulate.
"Oh." Shen Yu grunted, unwilling to engage him. He lowered his head and saw Shen Xingshuo sending him message after message.
Dark Night: I was wrong. I shouldn't have laughed at you. /please
Dark Night: Don't be mad, Little Yu. I'll buy you candy.
Dark Night: You want milk tea, right? My treat.
Dark Night: I didn't mean to tease you. /head pat
Looking at the string of apologies, Shen Yu finally lifted his pouting lips, even giving a haughty little hum.
Thinking he had a chance, Yang Yi continued animatedly sharing amusing stories, not noticing Shen Yu's little hands typing rapidly.
Little Yu Is Not a Fish: And fried chicken, ice cream...
Dark Night: My little lord, our eldest brother will kill me.
Little Yu Is Not a Fish: ╭(╯^╰)╮
Dark Night: Do you want to see three people gang up and beat me? No, five.
Little Yu Is Not a Fish: I do! /starry eyes
Dark Night: There's no love left. /wilting
Shen Yu's smile grew wider and wider. He happily swayed his head, only to collide squarely with Yang Yi, who had been edging closer and closer. His eyes instantly filled with tears from the pain.
"Why are you so close to me?"
"You're so cute, I couldn't help moving closer." Yang Yi looked aggrieved but still considerately took the blame.
"Hmph." Shen Yu kept huffing in displeasure, then saw Shen Xingshuo across from him tapping away again.
Dark Night: Weren't you curious about haters? There... right next to you. The ringleader.
Dark Night: Still feel like chatting?
Dark Night: Tch, what a pain.
Shen Xingshuo, who was cool around outsiders, turned into a chatterbox in front of his little brother. He practically wanted to stick a "bad intentions" label on Yang Yi to warn his occasionally clueless little brother.
When Shen Yu received the messages, his already round eyes widened further. Yet Yang Yi kept prattling on, making the boy's brows scrunch up.
After observing him carefully, Shen Yu saw that Yang Yi felt no embarrassment whatsoever about carrying on this one-man show. He immediately felt that this was a true villain, far more formidable than his clueless second brother.
The brothers disparaged each other, but Shen Yu genuinely wanted to help his brother and racked his brains for a solution.
Rather than matching wits and courage, he could be a little mole.
"You're really good at singing and dancing?" Only then did Shen Yu look at the endlessly chattering Yang Yi, his rolling eyes glinting with little schemes.
"I'd say I'm pretty good. The instructor appreciates me quite a bit." Seeing Shen Yu engage with him, a flicker of excitement appeared on Yang Yi's face.
He knew it. There wasn't a child he couldn't win over.
"Then you're really impressive." Shen Yu propped his head in his hands, looking as though he admired Yang Yi greatly.
Yang Yi smiled without speaking. He knew he needed enough confidence when dealing with rich people. Constantly denying his own abilities might make them lose interest outright.
Seeing that his little brother not only stayed but even started chatting with Yang Yi, Shen Xingshuo felt a headache coming on.
The little airhead was acting on his own again, and he had no idea how to stop him.
The table was bumped hard. Yang Yi looked up and saw Shen Xingshuo's ugly expression, assuming it was jealousy of him. His pride, crushed in the practice room, slowly began to recover.
Shen Xingshuo felt sick under Yang Yi's self-satisfied gaze. He wanted to leave but worried his clueless little brother would be duped. The more he thought about it, the darker his expression grew.
Seeing his second brother's face turn as black as ink, Shen Yu did not dare keep poking the tiger. After sending Shen Xingshuo the hotel's location, he haughtily announced that he was leaving.
"I'll walk you out." Yang Yi felt that Shen Yu was a child and naturally could not have come alone. He might even get to meet the head of the family and make a favorable impression.
"Did your two friends come along just to live on air?" Shen Xingshuo deliberately emphasized "friends" and "live on air," his mocking tone freezing Yang Yi's smile in place.
Zhao Kuang and Fei Yi, who had been neglected for quite some time, glanced at Yang Yi. They were displeased but did not show it.
"I was just too worried about the kid. Zhao Kuang and Fei Yi are good friends of mine. You're joking, Brother Xingshuo."
"Tch." Being called "brother" by him gave Shen Xingshuo goose bumps. He hurriedly waved him off. "No, no. I'm younger than you."
His smile froze again. Yang Yi had never met anyone so impervious, but with Shen Yu watching beside them, he could not openly fall out with him. He could only smile and watch the two leave.
"Shall we eat here too?" Naturally, Yang Yi would not offend both sides. He smiled as he attended to the neglected Zhao Kuang and Fei Yi, raising a hand to call someone over.
The owner hurried over from the kitchen. Seeing that the dishes on the table were nearly empty, he deftly cleared them away, not forgetting to ask with concern, "Did all of you get enough to eat?"
"Huh?" Before Yang Yi could react, the owner continued, "I thought you'd order more dishes and rice. Didn't expect you to have such small appetites."
Seeing their good looks and bearing, the owner nodded in realization. "Right, you're here for the open auditions at the nearby film studio, aren't you? Even if you're watching your figures, you can't starve yourselves."
Looking at the concerned owner, Yang Yi felt rather stifled.
If he still did not understand, he really would be an idiot.
Shen Xingshuo had eaten without paying and simply left with the kid!
"Hey, you guys..."
"Sir, you're right." Now was not the time to lose his temper. Seeing the ugly looks on Zhao Kuang's and Fei Yi's faces, even carrying the anger of being insulted, Yang Yi hurriedly interrupted.
"We'll order a few fresh dishes and have a proper meal."
"Sure, that's more like it." The owner nodded and handed over the menu, not forgetting to explain, "I'll give you ten percent off. Will you settle everything together later, or..."
"Together." Yang Yi nearly failed to keep his expression under control, then turned to sway his friends. "I believe Xingshuo probably didn't do it on purpose. Maybe he didn't have any money on him..."
Zhao Kuang and Fei Yi were indignant. They were not idiots. Who went out to eat without bringing money? He had definitely done it on purpose.
Having stirred up conflict, Yang Yi curled his lips. Only then did his mood ease somewhat after being made a fool of.
At that moment, Xingshuo, who was holding his little brother's hand and had nearly reached the hotel, suddenly could not help laughing. It eventually turned into belly laughter.
"What's wrong?" Shen Yu tilted his head in confusion.
"Nothing. We didn't eat enough!"