Trouble

These young masters from Hong Kong City threw parties every week. Li Shu used to tag along with Chen Yannan, but things were different now. He wasn't in the mood, and with that little minx called studying clinging to him lately, he didn't particularly want to go.

"Come on. Eight a.m. classes have even robbed me of the freedom to decide when I take a shit. We finally get a break. You should balance work and play too."

For once, Cheng Zhen wasn't gaming today. He kept pestering Li Shu, noisily kicking the legs of his chair.

"You don't even like Chen Yannan anymore. Going out of our way not to go would just make it look like we have something to hide, right?"

Li Shu was instantly convinced.

It would make him look like he still couldn't let go.

"I'm going!"

That was exactly what Cheng Zhen had been waiting for. "The driver's been waiting at the school gates forever. Let's go, let's go."

Li Shu: "???"

Quite a few people had come to the pool party on the hotel's top floor.

The moment he pushed the door open, dazzling lights flashed wildly, and the heavy metal music nearly pierced his eardrums. The damp air was thick with romantic perfume and the intoxicating fumes of alcohol.

He soon spotted Chen Yannan among the crowd.

He could tell that Chen Yannan had already been in the pool. His wet hair hung over his forehead, and a white bath towel was draped around him. Beside him, Xue Chen leaned close to his ear and said something Li Shu couldn't hear. The corners of Chen Yannan's lips lifted slightly.

After taking a sip of his drink, Chen Yannan casually swept his gaze across the room. The next second, his eyes met Li Shu, who had just come in, and stopped.

Li Shu froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered that he'd told Chen Yannan he wasn't coming tonight.

This was bad. He'd turned him down so firmly that he'd left himself no way out.

His mind crashed. By the time he recovered, Chen Yannan was already standing in front of him.

"So you did want to come, Shu. You just didn't want to ride in the same car as me." Chen Yannan lowered his eyes. His voice was as gentle as ever, but listening closely, there was a slightly low note to it.

"You're growing distant from your big brother."

The dazzling lights hadn't disturbed the depths of Chen Yannan's eyes. He knew very well where this uncontrollable sadness came from, yet he still firmly attributed it to a problem with their friendship as childhood companions.

Sensing something was wrong, Cheng Zhen hurried to explain. "Yannan, Li Shu was going to study at the library. I couldn't sit still, so I insisted on dragging him here."

"I see." Chen Yannan could tell it was an obvious excuse. In the past, he would have let it slide, but Li Shu's embrace with Pei Song'an that night had left him painfully jealous. He turned to Cheng Zhen. "Have you eaten? They just brought out the food over there. It's still hot."

Cheng Zhen could hardly miss that Chen Yannan was sending him away. He gave Li Shu a helpless glance before saying:

"All right, Yannan. I'll go grab something to eat. You two talk."

There was a rooftop garden on the hotel's top floor, enclosed by glass windows on all sides and equipped with climate control, so it wasn't cold even in early spring.

Seeing Li Shu's uneasy expression, Chen Yannan's heart tightened. "You didn't want to come because you don't like Xue Chen?"

Li Shu had never imagined that was how Chen Yannan would interpret it. He hurried to deny it:

"No. I don't feel anything in particular about Xue Chen."

Unfortunately, Chen Yannan thought Li Shu was simply too embarrassed to admit it, and patiently explained the interests at stake.

"Whether Xue Chen can fit into this circle isn't something I can decide just by nodding or shaking my head. Our families are deeply involved with each other. Especially lately, a lot of the Chen Family's businesses need technical help from the Xue Family. Even if it's only for my father's sake, I have to maintain things as best I can."

"If you've been wronged, Shu, tell your big brother. Even under these circumstances, no one gets to bully you."

He called that maintaining things as best he could?

So he had to take him to and from school every day, stick with him through meals and breaks, let him make intimate gestures that crossed the line, then turn around and explain that he simply had no choice?

Although Li Shu had never been in a relationship, he understood perfectly how being involved could blind someone.

But he didn't want to discuss this too much with Chen Yannan. One word too many would make it seem like he still cared, while one word too few would leave him feeling stifled. The conversation was lodged painfully in his throat, neither going down nor coming up.

In the end, Li Shu could only focus on the main point, let the rest go, and answer vaguely:

"All right, all right. I'm not a kid anymore. Who could bully me?"

"I'm going to find Cheng Zhen and get something to eat. I'm starving, starving."

The original owner of this body might have managed a few more words with Chen Yannan, but Li Shu couldn't. He was utterly uncomfortable, even his scalp tightening. He had to escape.

He charged straight over to the buffet, but Cheng Zhen had long since run off somewhere to enjoy himself. This area was really just for show anyway. Everyone came here to have fun and expand their social circles. Who actually came on an empty stomach to dig into the food?

Holding a palm-sized plate, Li Shu ate and drank his way along. No one bothered him here, and the food was still warm. The caramel foie gras was fragrant and soft, just right for a couple of bites, though any more would get a little rich.

Unfortunately, just as he was about eighty percent full, someone stopped him.

The person blocking his way was a rich second-generation heir with a greasy smile. Only after the system prompted him did Li Shu learn that his name was Song Yang.

"Yannan's little brother? I'm Song Yang. We've had dinner together."

Song Yang was notoriously promiscuous and loved to play around. If money could make it happen, he'd done it. His reputation was rotten. Rumor had it that, not long ago, a young man had been carried out of Song Yang's hotel room in the middle of the night.

"Don't remember. Move aside."

Li Shu wanted nothing to do with him. First, he didn't want to play anyone, and second, he didn't want to be played. If he had to name an exception, the only thing he'd allow to toy mercilessly with him in a nerve-racking thrill ride was a CET-4 score landing right on 425.

"Don't be such a spoilsport. Yannan's busy dating, but I'm not. I'll keep you company."

Song Yang had been eyeing Li Shu for more than a day or two. The men and women he'd played with before had all been beautiful and fiery, but ever since seeing Li Shu last time, he hadn't been able to forget him.

His slender, upright figure was full of youthful vitality. His exposed long neck and straight calves had even made Song Yang imagine him in bed, his neck forced to stretch, his feet pointed taut, his round eyes staring wetly at someone as though he might stare their soul right out of them.

"I don't need your company. Stop disgusting me."

Li Shu spoke bluntly. He had only one thought: Worst comes to worst, I'll just beat his ass!

Of course Song Yang couldn't stomach that. His face immediately fell, but out of consideration for Chen Yannan, he kept his words from getting too ugly:

"No need to be so harsh, little Shu. How about we exchange contact details? I'll take you horseback riding next week."

In fact, Song Yang only had the nerve because he had seen someone new at Chen Yannan's side.

Acting intimately without being in a relationship was already enough to fuel speculation. Song Yang wasn't stupid either. He'd picked up on what was different this time and figured Li Shu had no chance, which was why he dared come over and harass him.

At some point, Xue Chen had come over. Chen Yannan had gone out to take a call from his father, and it wasn't appropriate for Xue Chen to follow.

"Song Yang, stop setting your sights on Shu. Yannan won't let you off if he finds out."

It sounded as though he was helping Li Shu, but every word carried the arrogance of Xue Chen putting himself in the position of Chen Yannan's lover.

This time, Song Yang really lost his temper and sneered:

"Everyone knows that no one by Chen Yannan's side lasts longer than a month. What are you so smug about?"

Xue Chen wasn't angry either. It was unclear whether his words were meant for Song Yang or Li Shu.

"That's because those people couldn't help Yannan with anything. All they did was cling to him and make unreasonable demands. Even if Yannan thought they were good enough, would the Chen Family?"

After speaking, he deliberately stood beside Li Shu, asking as though they were family.

"Don't you agree, Shu?"