Only Ji Shang and An Yubei lived in the enormous villa. Ji Dongsheng had moved out after marrying his young wife.
An Yubei's room was on the second floor, while Ji Shang's was on the third.
Since he had agreed to attend the banquet, Ji Shang was now choosing suitable clothes for An Yubei.
"The color of this one is no good."
"This style is outdated."
"You can't wear this out."
He spent over ten minutes picking through the clothes without finding a single satisfactory piece.
An Yubei didn't mind. "Why don't we just pick anything?"
"I can wear whatever."
He felt that they were only attending a dinner banquet. There was no need to dress up as if he were walking the red carpet.
As long as he had something to wear, he wasn't picky.
As a corporate slave, An Yubei usually wore shirts and jeans. He only had a few pieces in his wardrobe, wearing them over and over until they were no longer wearable and could finally retire.
Even after they retired, he wouldn't throw them away. He would put them to use as rags or strips for a mop.
Back then, An Yubei had been an expert at saving money and was incredibly good at managing daily expenses.
Ji Shang finally released the clothes in his hands and turned to An Yubei. "We can't be careless when it comes to Xiao Bei."
"If these won't do, we'll buy new ones. We have to make Xiao Bei look beautiful today."
He wasn't a doll. Why did he have to look beautiful?
An Yubei immediately flopped onto his back on the bed and said listlessly, "I don't want to go out shopping for clothes. It's so tiring!"
"Silly boy, why would we go out? One phone call, and the brands will deliver the clothes."
An Yubei let out a surprised "Wow," thinking that money really did let people do whatever they wanted.
Only half an hour later, the butler came upstairs to tell them that the brands had delivered the clothes.
An Yubei followed Ji Shang downstairs. Before he even reached the bottom, he froze on a stair.
Over a dozen people stood downstairs, every one of them dressed in suits and polished shoes, wearing standard professional smiles.
Seeing them come down, they greeted them politely. "Hello, Mr. Ji, Young Master An."
An Yubei felt intimidated and froze, wanting to run away.
[This is way too much. So many people. My social anxiety is telling me to run.]
The instant An Yubei turned around, Ji Shang caught his hand and held it firmly, smiling. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Every word Ji Shang said was like a dose of reassurance. With just one sentence from him, An Yubei was no longer afraid of anything.
An Yubei gave himself a pep talk. [Don't be afraid, An Yubei. You have Ji Shang for everything. Don't be afraid. Charge ahead boldly.]
[Ji Shang is the sky, Ji Shang is the earth, Ji Shang is my whole world.]
Hearing An Yubei's thoughts, Ji Shang's lips curled into a smile. He enjoyed An Yubei's dependence on him and hoped he would always rely on him like this.
An Yubei sat down with Ji Shang and glanced around. The brands had brought suits, leather shoes, watches, and accessories.
An Yubei had only seen each of these brands on television or occasionally at shopping malls, but he had never bought any of them.
Seeing them all gathered before him today left An Yubei a little shaken.
[These things must cost a fortune.]
[Forget it. I'll just pick something. The cheapest one.]
Ji Shang frowned. What was he supposed to do when his little brother was so good at budgeting?
He was always trying to save him money.
The brand representatives began introducing the season's new styles. Ji Shang waved a hand, indicating that they should leave everything and could go.
The representatives were so delighted they couldn't stop smiling. After thanking him repeatedly, they left.
Ji Shang had covered an entire month's sales for them.
"These things are too expensive."
Even without knowing the exact prices, An Yubei knew they cost an astronomical amount.
Ji Shang rose to put together tonight's outfit. Once he selected a suitable suit, he smiled at An Yubei. "How about this one? Come try it on."
An Yubei obediently undid his buttons to take off his clothes, but Ji Shang stopped him in time. "Go change in your room."
Then Ji Shang instructed the staff to carry the clothes and accessories upstairs before taking An Yubei upstairs by the hand.
He went into An Yubei's room and watched him change.
After changing in front of Ji Shang, An Yubei asked, "Does it look good?"
An Yubei turned in a circle, his mood lifting.
He finally understood how girls felt when they bought new clothes. This felt amazing.
Ji Shang's eyes gradually darkened. After a pause, he approached to straighten An Yubei's tie and cuffs.
"Don't change in front of other people again."
Ji Shang was half a head taller than An Yubei and looked to be over 185 centimeters tall.
An Yubei raised his eyes slightly to meet Ji Shang's amber gaze and asked, "Why?"
Ji Shang's hands paused. He looked at An Yubei without answering.
Why else? Because An Yubei's waist was so slender, because his skin was so fair, and, more than anything, because those legs were even prettier than a woman's.
After knotting his tie and putting on his cufflinks, Ji Shang stood behind An Yubei with both hands on his shoulders, looking into the full-length mirror with him.
"My Xiao Bei deserves the best."
[Ji Shang is so good to me. I'll never betray my big brother, and I'll be super good to Ji Shang too.]
An Yubei smiled, revealing a little canine tooth. "Thank you, Brother Shang."
With the clothes chosen and matching leather shoes and a watch added, An Yubei's look was complete.
Standing before the mirror, An Yubei took a proper look at himself for the first time.
[So handsome. I almost don't recognize myself. I'm still a little behind Ji Shang, but not bad!]
An Yubei noticed that the person in the mirror looked exactly like him. It was entirely his own face.
He had always thought he was a loser. He hadn't expected that, once properly dressed up, he could be a piece of fresh meat too.
After admiring himself, An Yubei shifted his gaze to Ji Shang behind him.
Ji Shang was tall, with broad shoulders and narrow hips-the perfect clothes hanger.
An Yubei rose onto his toes, feeling a little dejected.
[I wonder when I'll be as tall as Ji Shang.]
[Can an eighteen-year-old body still grow taller? Being 179 centimeters is so awkward. Why couldn't I be 180?]
As he thought to himself, An Yubei saw Ji Shang walking toward him.
Standing face-to-face with him, Ji Shang affectionately brushed the tip of his nose. "What's going on in that little head of yours now?"
"If you want to grow taller, drink more milk."
An Yubei asked, "Can drinking milk really make me taller?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
"All right, then. From now on, I'll work hard at drinking milk so I can grow nice and tall."
At seven that evening, An Yubei went out with Ji Shang.
When they arrived at the banquet venue, An Yubei saw that many reporters were already there, along with fans taking pictures.
Celebrities were walking the red carpet up ahead, drawing a large crowd that had gathered around them.
The car stopped, and someone came to open the door. As An Yubei got out, he spotted the attendant's name tag.
Lu Jinsheng!!!
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Is this the male lead? The future head of the Lu family, the dream man of every girl in the book.]
[He really is good-looking, though. No wonder everyone likes him.]
[The male lead! He's having a rough start, but his future looks bright. I should get on his good side first!]
An Yubei got out of the car and smiled at Lu Jinsheng. "Thank you, little big brother."
According to the plot's setting, Lu Jinsheng was six months older than An Yubei, so there was nothing wrong with calling him big brother.
Lu Jinsheng looked at the pretty young master, who put on no airs at all and even called him big brother. His voice was soft and sweet, as if he had candy in his mouth.
"You're too kind. This way, please, honored guest."
An Yubei eagerly followed Lu Jinsheng. Soon, a gust swept up behind him, and someone caught his collar.
"You're leaving with a stranger before I've even come over?"
His tone carried danger, like some sort of warning.
An Yubei shrank back, tucking in his neck, and whispered, "Brother Shang, I was wrong."
Ji Shang pulled An Yubei forward, completely ignoring Lu Jinsheng beside them.
An Yubei looked back and called out, "See you in a bit, Brother Shang."
Ji Shang stopped, his expression cold. "Xiao Bei, if you get yourself another big brother, I'll break your legs."
An Yubei pressed his lips tightly together, not daring to speak.
Ever since he had transmigrated into the book, Ji Shang had treated him so kindly that he had forgotten Ji Shang was a ruthless and even somewhat violent capitalist to begin with.
[Brother Shang is so scary.]
[But why does Brother Shang seem jealous? How strange.]
Beside him, Ji Shang kept frowning. How could he not be jealous?
Hearing An Yubei call someone else big brother nearly drove him mad with anger.
Who cared about the male lead? Not even the king of heaven himself would be allowed.