A welcome-back celebration for him

Shao Ke said, "Si Yanzhuo, Wen Shaoyu."

He turned to look over. "Yan Ningke."

A simple, straightforward introduction.

Yan Ningke smiled and waved at the two of them.

Intrigued, Wen Shaoyu came running from the sofa area to the dining table and plopped down beside him. "So you're that little housekeeper?"

The stunning face right in front of him left Yan Ningke dazed. He couldn't make out a word Wen Shaoyu was saying and simply kept nodding. "Yeah, right, absolutely."

You're gorgeous. Everything you say is right.

Wen Shaoyu: "..."

Why did he feel like Yan Ningke was brushing him off?

Shao Ke had long since learned Yan Ningke's true nature. His face darkened as he asked coldly, "Good-looking?"

Yan Ningke nodded foolishly. "So good-looking, uh..."

Halfway through his answer, he realized the voice sounded wrong and hurried to salvage things. "You're good-looking. You're the best-looking."

Shao Ke would have to be out of his mind to believe him.

Si Yanzhuo couldn't hold back a laugh. "A-Ke, looks like life's been pretty interesting for you."

Ever since Shao Ke's injury, he had been distant and cold. It had been a long time since they had seen this lively side of him.

In light of that little incident, Yan Ningke diligently "waited on" Shao Ke throughout dinner. His attention to detail extended to rotating a dish away the instant Shao Ke frowned. He truly covered every angle.

Wen Shaoyu wore a complicated expression. Since when had his friend been so fussy?

Wait, he had never seen him refuse celery before. When had that changed?

Si Yanzhuo wore an inscrutable expression of understanding.

After living together for a month, how could Yan Ningke not know Shao Ke's preferences?

But what could he do? He was willing to indulge him.

Shao Ke pushed away the hand reaching over to wipe his mouth. "Enough. Eat your food."

Little bastard. Don't think I didn't notice you deliberately slipping in shredded ginger I don't like several times.

Yan Ningke's lips curved smugly, and he sat up straight and started eating.

The other three were more or less finished already. They put down their utensils and began chatting.

Perhaps because Yan Ningke was there, they kept things very oblique.

But Yan Ningke would like to point out that he couldn't understand them anyway, okay?

They seriously overestimated Yan Ningke's abilities.

They had been eating for ages, yet dishes were still arriving one after another. Yan Ningke speared a meatball and was just about to pop it into his mouth when he was stopped.

Shao Ke was still talking to Si Yanzhuo, but his hands weren't idle. He took the fork from Yan Ningke and tossed it, meatball and all, onto the small plate for bones beside him.

He also gestured for the server to take that dish away.

Yan Ningke stared, dumbfounded. What was this supposed to mean? Had the meatball broken some heavenly law?

Shao Ke accepted a fresh fork from the server and put it in his hand. "There's shrimp in it."

Yan Ningke had been so focused on eating that he hadn't heard the server announce the dish at all. Only at those words did he understand.

Si Yanzhuo and Wen Shaoyu exchanged a glance.

You're telling me this is a housekeeper-and-employer relationship?

Do you believe it? I don't.

After dinner, they moved over to the adjacent area, where the table was covered with all kinds of drinks.

Yan Ningke went over, picked up a green cocktail, and took a sip.

The rim was salted. Mixed with the taste of alcohol, it tasted both sweet and salty.

The private room at the upscale members' club was fully equipped. Shao Ke and Si Yanzhuo were talking off to the side.

Standing beside the pool table, Wen Shaoyu oddly enough met Yan Ningke's eyes.

"...Can you play?"

Yan Ningke blinked. "Professional level."

Well, that was quite a claim.

Wen Shaoyu refused to concede. He rolled up his sleeves. "Bring it on!"

One game later.

Wen Shaoyu watched the eight ball drop into a pocket in disbelief. "You really can play?"

Only his balls remained on the table, every last one of them.

He had been swept.

Yan Ningke rubbed the tip of his nose a little sheepishly. "I used to be a practice partner for professional players."

Wen Shaoyu: "..."

He wasn't bad either, okay!

"I'm not accepting that. Again!"

The two were engrossed in their game. Off to the side, Si Yanzhuo glanced over. "A-Ke, what's the occasion today?"

Shao Ke's gaze remained fixed on them. "He just finished filming."

"So?"

Shao Ke took a sip of his drink, a hint of indulgence in his expression. "Brought him out for some fun."

Other people generally got a welcome-back dinner after returning from a business trip.

He thought Yan Ningke should have one too.

From competing at first to realizing he simply couldn't win, Wen Shaoyu gave up completely and started asking for pointers instead.

Yan Ningke didn't hold anything back either. He hadn't paid anything when he learned, anyway, and he gave quite proper instruction.

A few games later, the two were already laughing and chatting as they clinked glasses.

There was nothing strange about it, really. Yan Ningke treated people sincerely, was gentle and courteous, and knew when to step forward or back. Though he had been a little timid at first, there was nothing ingratiating about him once they got to know him.

On top of that, he was good-looking, with clear, unclouded eyes that curved when he smiled. He unconsciously radiated an approachability that made it impossible to dislike him.

Even someone as unpredictable as Wen Shaoyu couldn't help warming to him a little.

"Do you know how to play Texas Hold'em?"

That really was outside Yan Ningke's knowledge. He shook his head.

Wen Shaoyu felt he could finally claw back a win. "Come on, let your big bro teach you!"

With eyes thirsty for knowledge, Yan Ningke sat at the table and listened to Wen Shaoyu's elaborate explanation.

"Well? Got it?"

Yan Ningke tilted his head. "Mostly?"

There were so many rules that he was completely lost.

Having finally gotten a chance to teach someone, Wen Shaoyu refused to let his efforts go to waste. "You two, come over and play with us for a bit."

And so it became a scene of the other three helping the novice Yan Ningke practice, while doubling as his teachers.

"Got it?"

Yan Ningke nodded. "Got it."

"Good. Let's play a hand."

It made perfect sense when he heard it, but fell apart when he tried it.

Wen Shaoyu's patience was limited, but he didn't want to give up either. He abruptly downed a glass of liquor. "Again!"

I refuse to believe it! How can someone who can play snooker not manage something this simple?!

Yan Ningke cast a pitiful glance to the side.

Shao Ke said, "Why are you shouting? You scared me."

Wen Shaoyu: "..."

Si Yanzhuo stepped in to smooth things over. "All right, let's take a break. Give him some time to digest it."

Yan Ningke nodded furiously in agreement.

Wen Shaoyu gave a soft huff.

His expression was unpleasant. Not wanting to get on his bad side, Yan Ningke scurried outside to use the restroom with his tail between his legs.

Help! It wasn't that I wasn't trying to learn. I really couldn't hold it much longer!

At an upscale club, even the restrooms were lavishly decorated. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought they had walked into some fully fitted apartment.

Yan Ningke wasn't picky. He chose a stall at random, but just as he was about to pull the door open, someone pushed it open from inside.

Without looking, he apologized and was about to move to another stall, only for the person to call out to him.

"Yan Ningke, what are you doing here!"

He looked up and saw a boy with a somewhat familiar face. He mentally went through the possibilities and finally placed him.

"Yan Zhen?"

The person facing him, however, had no intention of having a friendly conversation.

"You've been fucking hard to find!"