"Shang Shujue, is your phone bill overdue, or can you not connect to Wi-Fi? Why didn't you reply to my messages?"
Shang Shujue had just left the training base and was about to head to the parking lot when he heard those two accusatory questions. He froze for a moment, then turned to see Song Yanqing.
"Seriously! Are you haunting me? Why are you everywhere? I'm busy! Do I have to reply just because you sent me a message? Who do you think you are, some celestial beauty? (╯°Д°)╯"
Shang Shujue stared, utterly dumbfounded, at Song Yanqing, who was still as outrageously handsome as ever and all dressed up like a proper gentleman. The tips of his ears reddened, and he instinctively jabbed at him.
*[Holy shit, is my anti-fan actually a die-hard Song Yanqing fan? Why did they write him as even hotter than he was outside the novel?*
*Fuck, he's so hot he gave me a fright... Pah, pah, pah! I can't let him bewitch me! I can't let him bewitch me! I can't let him bewitch me! But he's so handsome... He's exactly my type in every way... Fuck!]*
Song Yanqing had nearly laughed in anger at Shang Shujue's words, only to hear this a moment later.
But Shang Shujue was still glaring with his eyes wide open, and his lips hadn't moved at all. The upward curve of Song Yanqing's lips stiffened, and his pupils contracted slightly. What he had heard was... his inner voice...
"You..."
Song Yanqing took a few steps forward, about to ask Shang Shujue to confirm it, only to discover that he couldn't say anything related to it. When he tried to force the words out, he even felt an inexplicable suffocation. It was deeply unpleasant.
"What about me?" Only then did Shang Shujue notice how awful Song Yanqing looked, a little too haggard. The bristles he had raised all over himself suddenly softened somewhat. "What did you come here for? Need something?"
[What's wrong with him? Why did he suddenly go pale? Could it be a side effect of just transmigrating here?]
"Nothing."
Hearing Shang Shujue's inner voice, Song Yanqing suddenly understood something. He carefully looked the person before him over from head to toe, and only settled down once he saw that he was standing there in one piece, with nothing wrong.
"I just came to see how a professional like you stomps noobs. Too bad I didn't get to see anything. What a shame."
Shang Shujue tilted his head up to look at Song Yanqing, his brows slightly furrowed. A tiny bead of sweat clung to his fair cheek, sliding down his jaw and hanging there, about to fall.
"Are you sick?"
"Unfortunately, I've got you." Song Yanqing loosely folded his arms and took another step forward, lifting a hand to wipe the bead of sweat from Shang Shujue's jaw with his fingertip. His lips curved slightly, his eyes flirtatious.
"..." Song Yanqing's sudden closeness sent Shang Shujue's heart pounding like a drum, and his fair skin abruptly flushed red. It took him a long moment to grasp what he meant, and he raised a hand to shove him.
"You're nuts! You're the sick one!"
Shang Shujue turned to run, but he had barely taken one step before Song Yanqing caught him, immediately putting him in a headlock. "Where are you going? Something just came up that I need you for. Get in the car."
"I'm not going! Song Yanqing, you fucking idiot! Let go of me! Cough, cough, cough... I can't breathe... Fuck!"
In the end, Song Yanqing dragged Shang Shujue away, half forcing him and half coaxing him. Having witnessed the scene, Zhang Zhichen rubbed his chin thoughtfully and pondered to himself.
Why did Shang Shujue seem so bashful around that stranger? There had to be a twenty-five-centimeter height difference between them, right?
Hiss... The atmosphere between them was strange, too...
And judging by Shang Shujue's inner voice just now, he seemed pretty taken with that man...
Had Shang Shujue already fallen for someone else? Then Su Youchuan was just a... clown...
Thinking of the things Su Youchuan had done, Zhang Zhichen couldn't help thinking of Bai Zhiyi. The gossip-hungry look on his face instantly turned into a hint of distress and bewilderment.
He remembered that he didn't seem to like men, so how would he end up with a man in the future? Was Bai Zhiyi really not related to him by blood? They really looked so alike.
Unable to figure it out, Zhang Zhichen turned and drove to the hospital, deciding to have an in-depth conversation with Bai Zhiyi and get a DNA test done. What if they really were related?
Inside a VIP room at the Nine Colors Astonishing Bar, a group of wealthy young men were partying. Su Youchuan and his friends were there as well.
Men and women gathered together amid deafening music. The smells of cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume mingled into a truly unpleasant odor. Everywhere one looked was a smoky, chaotic haze.
"Achoo!"
At that moment, Su Youchuan, who had been deemed a clown, sneezed hard. The pretty young male escort sitting to his left jumped, then hurried to pour him hot water and drape a blanket over him.
"Brother Chuan, is the air conditioning in here set too low? Let me turn it up. You mustn't catch a chill and get sick."
Looking at Su Youchuan's handsome face, the pretty young escort put some genuine feeling into the emotional comfort he provided. His voice was sweet and bright as he spoke, as though coated in honey.
"No need to trouble yourself."
Su Youchuan drank the hot water the pretty young escort handed him, waved a hand lightly, and loosened his tie. Then he took out a cigar. The instant he put it between his lips, the pretty young escort lit it for him, exceptionally attentive.
"Brother Chuan, I heard Shang Shujue stripped naked and climbed into your bed yesterday. Did you fuck him? Haha..."
Su Youchuan's disreputable friend Li Yun'ao also lit a cigar. Crossing his legs and leaning back, he smoothly pulled a young male escort who had been sitting on the other side pouring drinks into his arms and started devouring his mouth. The wet smacking sounds drew little attention in the noisy private room.
"Where did you hear that? However low Shang Shujue stoops as a simp, surely he wouldn't throw himself at someone for free?"
Seeing the way Li Yun'ao was kissing him, Han Dong couldn't help kicking him in the shin to make him get a grip and stop rutting everywhere, while also asking about Shang Shujue.
When Han Dong mentioned Shang Shujue, his eyes darkened slightly. Probably only he knew what was running through his head. Whatever else it might have been, it was certainly filthy.
Seeing him like this, Su Youchuan sneered inwardly, but he said nothing and let none of it show on his face, still looking as mild and easygoing as ever.
He had always felt that a simp who loved him as much as Shang Shujue did couldn't be driven away even with a beating.
He didn't need to pay him much attention at all. Whenever he needed to use his family's influence, all he had to do was crook a finger.
"He's never done that, but he has sent plenty of gifts. If you like them, come over to my place sometime and take your pick."
After saying this, Su Youchuan paused, took a sip of his drink, and added, "You all know I'll only ever love Hu Yichen in this lifetime."
"We know, we know. Brother Chuan is famous in our circle for being devoted. Who doesn't know that?"
Li Yun'ao released the young escort, his wandering hand giving his ass a squeeze as he pulled away. Han Dong couldn't help raising an eyebrow and curling his lips into a smile, though it was unclear whether he believed it.
"But I heard it was the Zhang family's young master who looked after you all through your lowest days. You never felt anything for him...?"
The young escort let out a moan right on cue, and quite a pleasing one at that. As a fellow man, he knew all too well what men liked to hear, and Li Yun'ao pulled him back into his arms.
"Mmm... You little minx, moaning like such a slut. Who are you trying to seduce? Fuck! You'll be begging for mercy later..."
Su Youchuan was already immune to Li Yun'ao's habit of abandoning a sentence halfway through to tease a young escort on occasions like this. Still, his eyes darkened a little at the mention of Zhang Zhichen.
"The old man's calling. You guys keep having fun. I have to go deal with him. Let's get together another day."
Su Youchuan stubbed out the cigar in his hand and rose from the sofa. After speaking, he picked up his jacket, turned, and left the private room. He seemed to be in a very bad mood, and no one dared say another word. After all, he only looked easygoing.