Ji Shang had always felt that he was An Yubei's only big brother, a one-of-a-kind presence in his life.
Now that privilege no longer belonged to him alone, and he felt jealous.
So his words had been a little harsh, and he had failed to watch how far he went.
An Yubei was angry.
An Yubei was so angry that even his inner monologue had stopped. He simply sat there in sullen silence.
At a loss for what to do, Ji Shang could only sit beside An Yubei and apologize.
"Xiao Bei, I was wrong. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Will you forgive me?"
"Look, you call me your big brother, but now you're calling someone else that too. Isn't that a bit like having one and still wanting another?"
"If I originally had only you, then suddenly had someone else too, would you feel good about it?"
An Yubei blinked, still feeling upset.
Why does Ji Shang sound like he has a point?
No, I can't think he has a point. He's clearly just twisting things.
What did I do? I was only trying to help Ji Shang make connections. What did I do wrong?
The male lead is this world's chosen one. Getting to know him and becoming his friend means catching a free ride. The Ji family would do better and better, and so would they.
How was I wrong?
An Yubei curled up on the sofa, small and pitiful, feeling deeply upset.
Having grown up in an orphanage, An Yubei had always lived cautiously. Faced with Ji Shang's anger, he instinctively assumed he had done something wrong.
But he really felt wronged, and he was starting to want to cry.
Brother Shang isn't treating me well anymore. Should I go herd sheep?
Ji Shang hurried to give in. Kneeling on one knee in front of An Yubei, he said, "I'm sorry, Xiao Bei. I was wrong. I won't snap at you again. Don't be angry anymore, okay?"
"Do you want gold bars? How about I buy you some gold bars?"
At the mention of gold bars, An Yubei's eyes brightened a little. Wow, gold bars? I don't feel quite so unhappy anymore.
Having found the right approach, Ji Shang kept at it. "I'll buy you a few extra, and you can stack them like building blocks at home. How does that sound?"
An Yubei smiled. "All right, then. If you snap at me again, I'll never speak again."
"Okay, okay, okay." Then Ji Shang changed tack. "But you can't call anyone else your big brother. That title belongs to me alone."
An Yubei nodded vigorously and obediently. "Brother Shang, I understand."
Ji Shang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally soothed him.
He wouldn't dare be so harsh again. Cocky for seconds, coaxing for half an hour.
What if he couldn't coax him out of it?
While Ji Shang humbled himself to soothe An Yubei, everyone else saw it as a shocking revelation.
"Since when did President Ji get along so well with this fiancée of his?"
"Isn't An Yubei the joke of the Ji family? Doesn't President Ji hate him?"
"No idea. Feels like things are about to change."
"I don't know whether things are about to change. All I know is that An Yubei's status is different now. He's no longer someone people like us can make fun of."
With An Yubei in tow, Ji Shang conversed effortlessly with the business bigwigs. They were all talking business, which An Yubei didn't understand, leaving him rather bored.
When they finally dispersed, another woman approached.
The woman had a great figure, especially full where it counted. She was very pretty too, in a sultry way.
Her target was clear: she headed straight for Ji Shang.
"President Ji, long time no see. Do you remember me? We had drinks together last time." The woman's smile was warm as a spring breeze, and every word and gesture carried a flirtatious undertone.
An Yubei understood that she wanted to hook up with Ji Shang.
So An Yubei tactfully tried to leave, giving the two of them some private time together.
But he had barely lifted a foot before Ji Shang pulled him back, wrapping an arm tightly around his waist and keeping him at his side.
"You're not going anywhere."
After speaking to An Yubei, Ji Shang turned to the woman and said coldly, "Sorry, I don't know you. Was there something else?"
Seeing the woman standing there awkwardly, An Yubei clicked his tongue and thought, Ji Shang really doesn't know how to appreciate romance. That pretty lady is so beautiful. How could he bear to turn her down?
Ji Shang, you have to sweet-talk women, or you'll be single for life.
The woman was an old hand at romance, after all, and quickly recovered from the awkwardness. She smiled and made a few teasing remarks, but Ji Shang remained perfunctory, showing little willingness to engage.
The woman gave a surprised little "Oh!" and quickly, playfully snatched Ji Shang's wineglass, leaving a bright red lipstick mark on it.
"Your wine tastes wonderful, President Ji. Why don't we go somewhere else and take our time drinking?"
The innuendo in her words went without saying. Unless Ji Shang was an idiot, he could hear it.
Yet Ji Shang remained unmoved. A hint of distaste even crept onto his face.
Ji Shang frowned at his own glass as the woman offered it back, then looked away in disgust. "Keep it."
With that, he pulled An Yubei, who had been watching the show, away. As they walked, he said, "She's so unhygienic. How could she share a glass?"
"So dirty."
"Xiao Bei, remember, good boys practice good hygiene."
An Yubei nodded obediently to show that he understood.
People came and went through the banquet, and the crowd was a mixed one. Ji Shang led An Yubei to a pavilion beside the pool to talk.
Once they were outside, the clamor disappeared, and An Yubei relaxed completely.
In unfamiliar settings, An Yubei was always on edge, cautious about everything.
He was fine for a little while, but it grew exhausting after too long.
An Yubei slumped in a chair and turned to look at Ji Shang. "Brother Shang, don't you like pretty ladies?"
Ji Shang looked over. "Xiao Bei, do you think I should?"
An Yubei said nothing. Ji Shang had no romantic storyline in the book, so he didn't know whom Ji Shang liked either.
Besides, according to the plot, both he and Ji Shang were characters who had already exited the story. What more could there be?
One herded sheep on the vast grasslands, while the other went through bankruptcy liquidation, his debts exceeding his assets.
Looking at it that way, Ji Shang treated him pretty well. At least he had food, drink, and a place to live.
"You're not getting any younger. It's time you got yourself a wife."
Ji Shang was twenty-eight this year, only two years away from thirty. It was time for him to consider marriage.
Ji Shang frowned, regarding An Yubei in puzzlement. Soon, he chuckled and said, "Do you want me to get a wife that badly?"
"Yes. Once you have a wife, you won't be alone anymore."
"Don't I still have you? How would I be alone?"
An Yubei thought it over. That really did make sense.
"Oh, right. You have me, so you're not lonely at all."
An Yubei chuckled, and soon his gaze landed on the wineglass in Ji Shang's hand.
"Give me your wine. I want to see what it tastes like."
Ji Shang took a sip and said, "Children can't drink."
An Yubei straightened his back and insisted indignantly, "I'm already an adult. I'm not a child anymore."
"I'm allowed to drink."
Everyone at the banquet was drinking, and An Yubei had been craving some for ages. He really wanted to taste it.
He also wanted to know why everyone liked drinking.
Ji Shang paused, then handed the glass to An Yubei, who took it and sipped.
The tart astringency of grapes flooded his mouth, followed by a slightly burning alcoholic tang that made An Yubei want to throw up.
He fought back the urge to vomit and tossed the glass aside. "That tastes awful."
"I'm never drinking again."
Ji Shang chuckled, picked up the glass without a care, and took another sip.
An Yubei's eyes widened in surprise, and he reminded him, "I drank from that glass."
Ji Shang smiled casually. "It's fine."
An Yubei was confused. So was Ji Shang a clean freak or not?
Before he could reach a conclusion, cries for help came from the pool.
An Yubei immediately stood up and saw that Lu Jinsheng had fallen into the pool and was calling for help.
Several people stood by the pool mocking Lu Jinsheng, their words harsh.