I'm young

Shao Ke was very good at making tea, and his movements were elegant. The fingers holding his teacup were long and alluring. It was hard to imagine if those hands were gripping...

Yan Ningke felt a slight urge to press his legs together.

During the long silence, Shao Ke asked, "How have you been enjoying yourself these past few days?"

"I've had a great time." Yan Ningke answered without even looking up from the watermelon he was eating, missing the flash of darkness across Shao Ke's face.

Thinking of the reports from his people keeping watch on Shao Yang, Shao Ke's gaze grew increasingly gloomy as he looked at him.

If he had stirred a ripple in the stagnant waters of his life, only for it to turn out to be a farce in the end...

Then this joke would have gone much too far.

Just as the darkness in Shao Ke's heart surged ever more fiercely, Yan Ningke suddenly came over and sat beside him, spoon in hand.

"Oh, right! There was one annoying guy who spoiled my mood."

Shao Ke flexed his stiff fingers and drawled, "Who?"

Yan Ningke said, "Your cousin. I honestly think there's something seriously wrong with him. Haven't I made it obvious enough that I hate him? He sticks to me like glue, pretending he can't understand plain language. It's so annoying!"

Remembering what that seasoned, two-faced schemer had said, Yan Ningke shuddered in revulsion.

With a human furnace beside him, he readily leaned closer and pressed against him.

Shao Ke's gaze was deep and dark as he looked at him. "Really? But I remember you two being very close. He even introduced you to this job."

Ever since he had been injured, Shao Yang had become the hottest figure in their circle. Besides Ji Wensheng, he had plenty of followers around him.

The original owner of this body, a fanatical admirer who did not even qualify as a supporting player, was also somewhat known for his reputation as a hopeless bootlicker.

Yan Ningke made no attempt to hide anything, his gaze frank and open. "Who didn't have a rebellious phase when they were young? I'm young. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to get fooled?"

Shao Ke: "..."

He had graduated from college over a year ago. What was so young about him?

"Besides." Yan Ningke blinked, his voice almost liquid. "With the real moon beside me, how could there be any room for a fake?"

A fake was a fake. However convincing the act, someone would see through it one day.

Shao Yang had packaged himself perfectly, making everyone love him.

But in Yan Ningke's eyes, Shao Ke radiated charm even when he simply sat there. That air came from his very bones, and every movement was intoxicating.

In his previous life, a man like this had been far beyond his reach. Now that the opportunity was right before him, he would be a fool not to seize it.

At some point, the two had drawn very close, and Yan Ningke's chin was almost resting on Shao Ke's shoulder.

From this angle, he could see the high bridge of his nose, his tightly pressed thin lips, and contours so perfect they seemed drawn on. He was devastatingly handsome.

True beauty really did lie in the bones, not the skin.

"Sit up straight. What do you think you're doing, clinging like that?"

Shao Ke pushed him away. His movement looked rough, but he actually used barely any force.

Yan Ningke let the push send him falling to the other side, buried his face in a cushion, and giggled.

Who knew what had gotten into him?

Come on, finding out my crush has the face of a comic-book male lead? I'd wake up laughing in my dreams!

"Don't cook tonight. We're eating out."

Yan Ningke lifted his head and found that Shao Ke was already in his wheelchair, waiting by the elevator.

"Just the two of us?"

A candlelit dinner?

Yan Ningke ventured a bold guess.

As though he knew what he was thinking, Shao Ke gave a soft snort. "In your dreams."

Yan Ningke cupped his face in both hands. "You said it was a dream. Can't you let me dream a little bigger?"

Shao Ke did not respond and took the elevator on his own, but as the doors closed, the corners of his mouth curved upward.

Yan Ningke had returned fairly early. After clearing away his watermelon rinds, he wandered around the villa and found that nothing had changed since he left.

Apparently, someone cleaned even when he was away.

After inspecting his territory, he finally remembered his most loyal companion.

No wonder people said humans had it worse than dogs.

Even the dog in a big shot's home lived a life ordinary working stiffs could never hope to match.

Looking at the dog sleeping soundly in an air-conditioned room, Yan Ningke felt terrible about his entire life.

Just yesterday, he had been sweating buckets under the blazing sun, while Lars lay in a private dog room, living without a care.

Where was the justice in that?

On the principle that if he was suffering, no one else should have it easy either...

Yan Ningke wickedly pushed the dog awake. "Oh my, where did this little lady dog come from~?"

A lady dog? Where?

Lars's bright, watery eyes instantly widened.

After looking around and discovering it was a prank, Lars forgot all about the joy of an old friend's homecoming and leaped up to tackle Yan Ningke.

Before long, human voices and barking filled the courtyard.

Working in his study, Shao Ke wore a hint of a smile.

Yan Ningke got ready as though he were going on a date. He showered again, blow-dried his hair into shape, and put on a pink Korean-style T-shirt with lettering, paired with black jeans and white shoes.

He also picked out a black necklace with a coin pendant from the original owner's meager collection of jewelry.

He was good-looking and had spent some time modeling for a certain online marketplace in his previous life, so he knew a little about basic styling.

He was already at a vibrant, youthful age, and he had just gotten a clean, handsome haircut. Dressed like this, he would make anyone want to take a second look.

Shao Ke paused at his first glimpse of him. Only then did he notice the haircut. Compared with his old hairstyle that covered his eyes, the young man with all his features revealed now was absurdly beautiful.

"Well? Am I explosively handsome or what?"

Such a perfectly fine person. Why did he have to have a mouth?

Shao Ke said, "...Let's go."

The trip was not very long. About twenty minutes later, the driver stopped outside a private club that looked upscale even from the exterior.

The receptionist at the entrance wore a black suit, gleaming leather shoes, and an earpiece. With that solemn expression, anyone who did not know better might have mistaken him for some big shot's bodyguard.

Apart from a rockery fountain, the lobby was quiet, its decor understated and luxurious.

The receptionist led them up to the fifth floor in the elevator and opened one of the doors. Only then could they hear music. The soundproofing ensured strict privacy.

"Hey, you're here."

The first thing that met their eyes was a head of silver hair, belonging to a man with exotic features who exuded a wicked charm.

Wen Shaoyu lounged on the sofa, his crossed legs propped on the coffee table in front of him. "We've been waiting forever!"

Yan Ningke pushed Shao Ke inside. At the sight of the wheelchair, Wen Shaoyu exchanged a glance with Si Yanzhuo and could not hold back a laugh.

Shao Ke narrowed his eyes in warning at them. "Didn't you sleep here last night?"

Si Yanzhuo smiled gently, but ruthlessly exposed him. "Not last night. Today. He still wasn't awake when I got here."

"Tsk." Wen Shaoyu frowned impatiently.

Yan Ningke, who had not spoken since entering and had never experienced a gathering like this, took it upon himself to pull out the chair beside Shao Ke and sit down to watch the show.

"A-Ke, aren't you going to introduce him?"