I have someone I like

The banquet was drawing to a close when Yan Ningke finally received Yu Ping's call.

When he saw him again, Yu Ping was already drunk, swaying as he walked.

Yan Ningke reached out to steady him and found the car. The driver who had come along hurried to help get him inside.

Halfway there, he asked the driver to let him out. Only after watching the car disappear into the distance did he call the driver at home.

It was nearly midnight, and there were few people left on the streets.

There was a barbecue stall by the road, with handfuls of meat skewers sizzling with fat, their aroma filling the air.

Apart from a few pastries he had eaten at the banquet, his stomach was full of nothing but alcohol.

It would still be a while before the driver arrived.

Yan Ningke could no longer find any reason to refuse.

"Boss, a bunch of skewers!"

Alcohol was a strange thing. Once you had drunk a certain amount, the more you drank, the more you wanted.

Yan Ningke had little experience and had never tried much fine liquor. After filling his stomach with champagne, he found that ice-cold beer still hit the spot better.

Despite the late hour, the barbecue stall was fairly busy.

Everyone watched with curiosity as an impeccably dressed man drank alone with easy flair.

Two young women watched him for a long while before working up the courage to approach and hold out a QR code. "Hi, can we add you on WeChat?"

Yan Ningke was a little drunk, his gaze unfocused. He looked up and gave a faint smile. "Sorry, I have someone I like."

"Oh! Sorry."

The girl put her phone away apologetically, offering repeated apologies.

Yan Ningke shook his head to show it was fine. "You'll find a crush of your own."

Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang, and a black car pulled up across the road.

Yan Ningke stood, his voice gentle. "It's late, and it isn't safe. Remember to head home soon."

Both girls nodded emphatically. "Okay."

Just after Yan Ningke had taken two steps-

"Hey, handsome! Whoever you like must be really lucky!"

Yan Ningke turned his head, moonlight spilling over him. "Thank you."

He had mixed his drinks, after all. As he approached the car, he failed to notice that the door was already slightly open; he only felt how easily it pulled open.

His muddled brain shut down completely when his eyes met those deep, ink-black eyes.

The boundary between sobriety and a light buzz was the tipping point between reason and abandon, and romance at its most dangerously intoxicating.

Their gazes suddenly met, and something in the air seemed to heat up, just a little short.

"Get in."

That was the fuse.

Without hesitation, Yan Ningke climbed into the car and swung himself astride him.

The car slowly pulled away. In the silent night, their burning hearts tangled and overlapped as they distinctly felt each other's body temperature rise.

Their gazes crossed like a collision of sparks.

Shao Ke's low voice held a trace of huskiness. "What are you doing?"

They were pressed extremely close, the tips of their noses brushing intermittently, each breath filled with the other's scent.

Yan Ningke had long since abandoned reason. He stared straight at him, a faint flush shimmering at the corners of his eyes. "Someone just said that whoever I like would be lucky."

Shao Ke's breathing deepened, darkness churning in his eyes. "And?"

"And..."

Yan Ningke leaned in, brushed damp lips over his thin ones, then drew back. "So, would you like me to like you, gege?"

He could no longer make out anything around him. All he could hear was the wild pounding of his heart.

An arm encircled his slender waist. Their lips met, and the other man's breath swept over his senses.

Yan Ningke threw his arms around him without restraint, allowing him to forcefully plunder his territory.

Young people were always prone to impulse. Sensing something was wrong, Yan Ningke whimpered and tried to pull away.

But like a lamb in a tiger's jaws, there was no chance of being easily released.

His hair was gripped at the back of his head, tugging him a short distance away with neither too much nor too little force. Yan Ningke followed the pull and lifted his chin.

"Why are you pulling away?"

Shao Ke's gaze was utterly arresting, his deep eyes making no attempt to hide their heat. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

Yan Ningke had never imagined things would take this turn.

His eyes widened slightly. "Don't..."

Shao Ke pecked his lips, his voice mellow as fine liquor. "A Ning, you called the start, so only I get to call the stop."

Beneath the cool night sky, a light rain began to fall. Damp mist carried droplets onto the window, where they gathered into a rivulet that slowly trickled down.

At some point, the car had stopped. Yan Ningke rested in a broad, strong embrace, his eyelids drooping as though he were about to fall asleep.

"Will there be a rainbow tomorrow?"

Before he lost consciousness completely, he heard the answer.

"There will."

When Yan Ningke opened his eyes again, the surroundings were familiar. It was his own bedroom.

The moment his thoughts cleared, memories came flooding in.

His eyes widened, then instantly squeezed shut.

He dared not open them, hoping it had been a hallucination!

Help, where on earth had I found that kind of nerve!

Wrapped in his blanket, Yan Ningke writhed on the bed like a maggot.

In the end, he persuaded himself with a reason no one from Z Country could ever resist.

What's done is done. What else can I do?

Look on the bright side. It'll all pass.

He quickly got up, still wearing yesterday's formal attire. He stared at the crumpled suit in his hands, which even had some strange stuff on it.

Yan Ningke's head was about to explode with worry!

He wondered whether dropping to his knees in apology now might make Yu Ping ask him for a little less money.

As he showered, Yan Ningke truly felt that this was utter bullshit!

He had worked himself ragged for a month, and not only had his wallet failed to grow any fatter, he now had to pay out of his own pocket!

Booze and lust ruin lives!

He had just stepped out of the bathroom when someone knocked on his door.

Honestly, Yan Ningke's breath caught instantly, and his heart sped up.

He opened the door looking both bashful and flirtatious. The instant he saw who it was, it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

"Mr. Yan, you're awake?"

The housekeeper stood respectfully at the door. "Lunch is ready. You can come eat."

Yan Ningke lived on the ground floor and could see the dining room from where he stood. Seeing no sign of the other man, he asked quietly, "Where's Mr. Shao?"

Hasn't he come down yet?

"Mr. Shao isn't here."

"Isn't here?!"

Yan Ningke ran out of his room and searched around, only to find that he really was gone.

The housekeeper helped tidy his room, turning her head to add, "Oh, there's a note on the living room table. Mr. Shao probably left it."

Before she could finish, Yan Ningke rushed over.

There really was a sheet of A4 paper.

Two large, flamboyantly scrawled words: Business trip.

He couldn't spare even a single punctuation mark, though the paper he had used was certainly big enough.

Yan Ningke couldn't describe how he felt. Alongside relief, there was a little more disappointment.

He listlessly finished his meal, then sat in the living room in a daze.

He didn't know why. When he first arrived, he had thought living in such a large mansion was wonderful, yet now it actually felt rather empty.

Yan Ningke had no idea that while he was moping and muttering to himself, he had caused a stir in a small circle online.

[!!! Who is this!]

[Butler, I want all his information in three minutes. PS: including all his body measurements!]

[Isn't he practically a male lead straight out of a novel? The crown prince of Beijing high society!]

[I like him! Aaaaah! Who is he!]

[What do I do? I'm in love, but I'm already married!]