Pei Song'an breathed those last few words almost directly against Li Shu's ear.
In that instant, Li Shu's mind buzzed, and heat spread from his chest to his ears and even his neck.
Well, damn. Pei Song'an, Pei Song'an, what breed of incubus were you? Throwing people off with just a few words-you had some skills!
The thought flashed past, and Li Shu realized Chen Yannan was standing behind him.
Chen Yannan was no longer casually bare-chested. He had put on a robe-like outer garment, looking as though he had left the glittering world of entertainment behind and taken on a hint of the stench of money from the business world.
Clearly, Pei Song'an's attempt to drive a wedge between them had reached more than Li Shu's ears. Chen Yannan had heard it too, his expression unreadable.
"It's an honor for us that little Shu can receive personal guidance from The Crown Prince of Hong Kong City, but there's no need to trouble you with family matters, Young Master Pei."
The Chen family stood neither high nor low in the hierarchy. The diplomacy ingrained in Chen Yannan's bones would not allow him to say anything too harsh or cutting to Pei Song'an, but he calmly and directly staked his claim over Li Shu.
"Family matters?" The amusement in Pei Song'an's eyes did not fade. He took no notice whatsoever of Chen Yannan's provocation. "Since when was Li Shu's surname Chen? Or are you planning to change your name, Mr. Chen?"
Pei Song'an bent slightly, resting his chin on Li Shu's shoulder. His strong arms slipped naturally around Li Shu's waist, his burning palm hovering over the young man's hip bone.
He looked utterly possessive.
"Li Shu is an adult. He has his own standards of judgment. What he wants to do, what he doesn't want to do, who he wants to associate with, and who he wants to avoid are all his own choices."
"If you don't have enough energy to spare, Yannan, spend more of it keeping your bedmate happy."
"Uncle Chen said it too: harmony at home brings prosperity."
There was no way Chen Yannan could miss the barbs in Pei Song'an's words, but neither could he simply swallow them.
"You're being a little too helpful, The Crown Prince. Little Shu doesn't know you well. As his older brother, it's hard not to have concerns. The world isn't a safe place. I hope you'll understand."
"Of course, of course." Pei Song'an straightened, his oppressive presence spreading around him. "Li Shu is straightforward. That might put him at a disadvantage in this circle, but we get along surprisingly well. Since he called me his big brother today, I'll certainly take on my share of responsibility in the future."
"Does that put your mind at ease, Yannan?"
With the Pei family's standing being what it was, Chen Yannan had no other option.
"Since you've put it that way, The Crown Prince, of course it does."
Chen Yannan's retreating figure had almost disappeared into the lively crowd when Li Shu belatedly turned his head and suddenly met a pair of pitch-black eyes.
That glance brought Li Shu to the realization that this man had just been shamelessly pressing himself against him.
Li Shu cautiously checked their surroundings and, only after confirming there was no problem, prepared to curse him out. "You-"
He was about to speak when it suddenly occurred to him that Pei Song'an had, in a way, helped him drive Chen Yannan away. But on second thought, the man really had been sowing discord. Who said someone in a relationship had to put his little brother first? Shouldn't he treat his spouse well?
He mulled it over without reaching any conclusion. In the end, most of Li Shu's anger had dissipated, and all he could squeeze out was:
"You're so calculating. You're not going to turn those schemes on me someday, are you?"
Pei Song'an showed little expression. He merely bent down again and looked at him with a show of great patience. "That's a little hurtful. May I ask what sort of internal struggle led you to say that?"
Li Shu looked straight at him, belatedly realizing that it really had been rather rude. But then he remembered that Pei Song'an had been the one to bad-mouth someone first, and his qualms promptly vanished.
"You said Chen Yannan would sacrifice me in the end."
Pei Song'an did not avert his gaze. "I was telling the truth."
Li Shu argued, "I'm not going to cling to Chen Yannan. Why would he have to sacrifice me? That's bad luck to say, and I don't get it either."
Pei Song'an said, "Often, wanting to stay out of something isn't enough."
Li Shu said, "You think Xue Chen won't leave me alone?"
Pei Song'an lifted his eyes, seemingly arriving at a different conjecture about Li Shu's insistence on the question.
"You think he will? Or are you certain your big brother Yannan will take your side even when his family's interests are at stake? You say you don't care about Chen Yannan, but you're still thinking about him?"
Li Shu was stunned by this domineering man's train of thought and, for a moment, had no idea where to begin refuting him. "Huh?"
"Nothing to say? That means I'm not being unreasonable." Pei Song'an's tone was calm as he said this. "I'm not as petty as you think. I won't scheme against you, and I don't get upset over nothing."
Then, as if to prove his credibility, he wiped the corner of Li Shu's mouth with a wet wipe. His thumb applied a little pressure, manipulating those soft, succulent lips into an enticing pout, with a little irritation behind it, but not much.
Although Li Shu had never been in a relationship, this was much like how his mother acted when she was angry with his father. She would say she wasn't angry when, inside, she was practically tearing him to pieces.
"You're angry," Li Shu said with certainty.
Pei Song'an tossed the wet wipe into the trash. "I'm not."
"You are. What's so hard about admitting it? Are you embarrassed? Or does it challenge your pride?" As though he had finally found a chink in Pei Song'an's armor, Li Shu refused to let it go.
Pei Song'an lowered his eyes to Li Shu.
He did not understand what Li Shu was trying to convey, whether he simply wanted to discuss who was angry, or was forcing an awkward change of subject just to avoid talking about Chen Yannan.
Whether Li Shu liked Chen Yannan or not, it did nothing to change the fact that there were always outsiders trying to reach for him.
It kept making Pei Song'an want to do things that, to Li Shu, would be a little out of line.
Li Shu's elegant, breezy figure kept moving before his eyes. Pei Song'an took the young man by the shoulders and pushed him a little farther away. His temples throbbed fiercely, and he gave a self-mocking twitch of his lips.
What exactly was he fighting Li Shu over?
While it was still early enough, he could simply let Li Shu emerge unscathed from this chaotic mire. It could serve as repayment for finding that gun during their first meeting and saving his life.
Not everyone could accept this side of him, the way he held someone in an unrelenting grip. Those willing to bend their knees and endure it were usually after the Pei family, not Pei Song'an.
A dark look flashed through his eyes, and Pei Song'an once again became an impenetrable wall, effortlessly at ease with anyone.
"All right, I'm not angry. You-"
Before he could finish, Li Shu, who had stood there in a brief daze, suddenly shot toward Pei Song'an like a little rocket and knocked him stumbling.
The next second, a boisterous group of men and women ran through the spot where Pei Song'an had just been standing. They all looked drunk and showed no intention of slowing down.
If Li Shu hadn't been there-Pei Song'an followed them with his gaze. The pool was right beside them. Anyone else would have been unharmed even if they fell in.
But there was one thing the vast majority of people did not know.
Pei Song'an could not swim.
Before you continue