ALCSRB Chapter 59

The two of them were sitting in a restaurant, having ordered some food.

While waiting, An Shi started chatting with Jiang Mingyi about the past.

“Shen Xingyan was super popular back in school. Tall, handsome, good family background—it’s only natural that tons of guys and girls had crushes on him.”

“There was even a thread on the school forum where people made bets on who could win over that cold-hearted male god.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes widened in amazement, his pupils sparkling with curiosity.

“So… did anyone win the bet?” He figured probably not. Otherwise, Shen Xingyan wouldn’t still be single now.

He secretly sighed in relief—but still wanted to hear more.

“Want to know?” An Shi teased.

Jiang Mingyi nodded quickly, urging him to spill.

“This is kind of a long story.” An Shi pulled out a few photos from his phone. “These people were the most promising contenders on that betting list—good family, good looks, the whole package.”

Jiang Mingyi leaned in to look. The photos included both guys and girls, all of whom looked impressive.

An Shi watched his expression shift. “People like this usually succeed at confessing, right?”

Jiang Mingyi didn’t want to admit it, but still nodded.

“Too bad, not a single one of them succeeded.” An Shi smiled mysteriously. “Wanna know why?”

Jiang Mingyi, satisfied with that answer, immediately perked up. “Why?”

“I used to be really curious about just how high Shen Xingyan’s standards were. None of those people even made it onto his radar. But now I understand.”

As he spoke, An Shi gave the boy across from him a once-over—rosy lips, delicate features, a beautiful youth completely different from himself.

In their social circle, someone like Jiang Mingyi was always in demand.

Innocent and charming, like a blank sheet of paper untouched by the world. Especially those pure eyes that, even without meaning to, always seemed to draw people in.

If it had been back in the day, even An Shi might’ve fallen for someone like that.

Under Jiang Mingyi’s puzzled gaze, An Shi said slowly, “None of those people were as pretty as you. No wonder Shen Xingyan’s standards were so high.”

Suddenly being complimented, Jiang Mingyi felt a bit smug inside. “Did my brother tell you that?”

An Shi smiled and said, “Of course not, I guessed.”

Facing his confident smile, Jiang Mingyi had just begun to lift the corners of his mouth, only for them to fall flat a second later.

This guy wasn’t reliable at all. Got happy for nothing.

At that moment, the waiter brought over their food, and the two of them chatted while eating.

After finishing the meal, An Shi glanced at the time. “Let’s walk it off a bit.”

He stood up, and before Jiang Mingyi could refuse, dragged him straight to the entertainment center.

After a quick look around at the layout, An Shi led him in another direction. “What do you know how to play?”

Seeing his eyes lingering on the word “KTV,” An Shi chuckled. “That doesn’t count as playing.”

Jiang Mingyi could only shake his head. “I haven’t really come here to play much.”

“Then you really are a good little boy.” An Shi reached out again, wanting to pat his head, but Jiang Mingyi dodged.

He had to withdraw his hand. “No wonder your brother’s got you wrapped around his finger.”

Jiang Mingyi touched the phone in his pocket. Actually, it had already vibrated several times during the meal.

“You better not go tattling to your brother. I’ll take you somewhere that doesn’t need much physical effort.”

Only when they entered the billiards hall did he realize that this so-called low-effort game was actually murder on the waist.

After only grazing the ball with a missed shot, Jiang Mingyi slumped and went to sit on the nearby sofa, looking dejected.

“Not playing anymore,” he said flatly to An Shi. “I’m no good at this.”

“A man should never say he’s no good at something.” An Shi picked up the cue stick, leaned down to aim, and—crack—with a sharp sound, sank the ball cleanly into a pocket.

Watching him sink a ball so effortlessly, Jiang Mingyi couldn’t help but feel a little envious. “You’re really good at this.”

“Well, you get better with practice.”

An Shi brushed the fringe from his forehead, his bright features naturally drawing attention from others in the hall.

“Want me to teach you?”

Just as he said that, a young man walked over.

“Hey handsome, you’re so good at this. Could you teach me?” The young man looked at An Shi with a slightly heated gaze, his eyes provocatively sweeping over Jiang Mingyi, who was still lounging on the sofa. “Your friend doesn’t seem to have any foundation. Teaching me would be better—I learn fast.”

His voice was sticky and syrupy. Jiang Mingyi rolled his eyes instantly but didn’t bother replying to the stranger. He just leaned back lazily on the sofa.

An Shi stared at the sudden interloper and unexpectedly curved his lips into a smile. “Oh? Let’s see how strong your learning ability really is.”

The young man immediately picked up his cue stick, posed, and turned to ask An Shi, “Handsome, how do I look like this?”

He wore a tight shirt, and when he bent down, a section of fair waist peeked out, sharply contrasting with his black pants.

It was a very obvious attempt at seduction.

An Shi lightly patted the young man’s butt. “Not bouncy enough.”

The disapproving tone made the young man’s smile freeze for a second. He immediately pouted and snapped, “That’s not what I was asking about!”

“Oh, then I must have misunderstood.”

Jiang Mingyi wasn’t interested in watching their ‘lesson,’ so he just pulled out his phone and took a quick glance.

Shen Xingyan had sent him several messages. After hesitating for a moment, he quietly looked up and peeked at An Shi out of the corner of his eye.

Even though An Shi told him not to report everything, he was afraid Shen Xingyan might worry, so he started replying.

[Jiang Mingyi]: I’m at the pool hall in the entertainment center with An Shi.

—

Shen Xingyan had just parked when he saw the reply, and the icy expression he’d been wearing the whole way immediately softened.

He’d been stewing the entire drive, thinking if the kid kept ignoring his messages, he’d have to teach him a lesson about who his closest brother really was.

[Shen Xingyan]: Why’d you run off there?

[Jiang Mingyi]: He said he wanted to walk off the meal.

[Shen Xingyan]: Oh, so now you’ve got time to reply?

Jiang Mingyi read that and realized belatedly that he hadn’t responded earlier. Sure enough, his brother was mad.

His lips pressed into a thin line, a hint of melancholy clouding his brows.

[Jiang Mingyi]: An Shi is playing pool with someone.

The meaning was obvious: It’s not that I didn’t want to reply—it’s that someone was keeping me busy.

If you shift the blame fast enough, Shen Xingyan can’t stay mad at you.

Sure enough, the next message—

[Shen Xingyan]: He sure seems to be having fun.

Jiang Mingyi quickly sent back two “mhm”s and even included a photo of An Shi in an intimate pose with the other guy.

There was a short silence on the other end before another message popped up.

[Shen Xingyan]: Why aren’t you playing?

Jiang Mingyi didn’t hide anything and replied straight away:

[Jiang Mingyi]: I’m not very good at it.

They continued chatting casually, message by message, when suddenly a loud, angry voice rang out from ahead.

“You better not be so full of yourself! I took a liking to you and asked you to teach me—what kind of attitude is this?” The young man, who Jiang Mingyi had thought was acting all flirty before, was now seething with rage, yelling at An Shi.

But An Shi looked perfectly calm. “Kid, what are you talking about? Or maybe my explanation was too advanced and you couldn’t keep up?”

Other customers started turning to look, hearing the commotion.

In contrast to the furious young man, An Shi remained all smiles, his tone light and gentle. “You said yourself you were a fast learner. What I taught was just the basics. If you still can’t grasp it, then I’m afraid there’s nothing more I can do.”

“You’re nuts! Who the hell really came here to learn pool?” The young man kept swearing furiously.

“Came to a pool hall not to play pool? What, to throw punches instead?” An Shi raised an exaggeratedly shocked brow at him. “You look so soft and delicate—I didn’t think your tastes would be this… aggressive.”

A few people in the crowd, recognizing the guy, laughed and teased, “Failed to flirt and now you’re throwing a tantrum.”

The young man glared daggers at those people, then turned back to An Shi and spat out, “You just wait.” Then he threw down the cue stick and stormed off.

Someone called out to An Shi, “Hey handsome, don’t be afraid. That guy’s all bark and no bite. If there really was a fight, he’d back down in a second.”

An Shi casually chatted with them for a bit, then walked back to the sofa—only to spot Jiang Mingyi’s phone, which he hadn’t had time to put away.

“…”

Jiang Mingyi gave him an awkward smile.

“You’re hopeless as a little brother,” An Shi said helplessly. “Whatever, get up. I’ll teach you how to play.”

Jiang Mingyi still wanted to refuse, but An Shi shoved a cue stick into his hands and nudged him over to the pool table.

An Shi casually pulled out all the colored balls and neatly arranged them into an equilateral triangle at the center of the table.

“One round. If you can’t learn it, you have to do as I say.”

Just as he finished speaking and was about to tell him to take the opening shot, the door to the pool hall opened—and in walked a tall figure.

An Shi froze for a second.

No way… he really came.

Jiang Mingyi clearly hadn’t expected Shen Xingyan to show up either. The moment he saw him, he had the guilty panic of a kid caught doing something bad by a parent.

He had literally just texted that he wasn’t playing, and now here he was, holding a cue stick, standing right at the pool table like he was ready to start a match.

Shen Xingyan’s eyes swept coolly over An Shi. The latter threw on a casual smile—only to be completely ignored.

Shen Xingyan’s gaze finally landed on Jiang Mingyi, and he said in a calm voice, “I’ll teach you.”

Now the roles had flipped: An Shi was the one sitting alone on the sofa, watching the other two play pool.

Jiang Mingyi was wearing a pair of straight-cut jeans today, and when he bent over, his long, straight legs looked even more striking.

Further up—was a perfectly shaped backside.

Unfortunately, An Shi only managed a single glance before another figure stepped in to block the view.

Shen Xingyan shot a chilly glance in his direction, and An Shi instantly pouted.

Petty man… so stingy.

Shen Xingyan turned his gaze back down to the boy in front of him.

His eyes dropped to the pale nape of his neck and the slightly flushed tips of his ears.

Noticing that Jiang Mingyi’s grip on the cue stick was a little too tense, he chuckled softly. “Don’t grip the cue stick so tightly. Relax.”

The warm breath brushing past his ear made Jiang Mingyi flinch and shrink his neck slightly. “Oh,” he responded faintly.

“Now show me your stance.”

Jiang Mingyi obediently bent forward, resting the cue on his bridge hand. But his eyes weren’t focused—they kept shifting.

Shen Xingyan observed for a moment. “Not bad. Now try hitting one.”

Jiang Mingyi’s mind was entirely focused on the heat radiating from the person beside him. At the sound of Shen Xingyan’s voice, he reflexively made a move—only for the cue stick to just graze the ball. The ball barely moved an inch diagonally.

“…”

Realizing what happened, Jiang Mingyi felt utterly embarrassed.

A soft chuckle came from behind him. He pressed his lips together, about to try and salvage the moment, when Shen Xingyan gently said, “Just as I thought—you’re really not very good.”

The next second, a large warm hand covered his, and Shen Xingyan’s body heat completely enveloped him.

“Your angle’s off. And your strength too.”

Jiang Mingyi passively allowed him to adjust his posture. His eyes swept over the firm muscles on Shen Xingyan’s forearm, and for a brief second—he zoned out.

When he came to, they were even closer.

Jiang Mingyi’s whole body tensed. When An Shi was playing pool with that other guy earlier, they hadn’t gotten this close!

As that thought crossed his mind, Shen Xingyan guided the cue stick with ease, giving it a light push. The ball smoothly rolled into the pocket.

“Got it?” Shen Xingyan asked, his voice calm.

Jiang Mingyi stood there dazed.

He realized… he hadn’t paid any attention to how he had made that shot.

“No?” Shen Xingyan said softly. “That’s okay.” He leaned in closer to Jiang Mingyi’s ear and murmured, “You just need to remember one thing.”

Jiang Mingyi instinctively turned his head, about to ask what it was—only for his lips to accidentally brush the corner of Shen Xingyan’s mouth.

He instinctively licked his lips, as if trying to feel the softness from that accidental touch.

And then—boom.

His entire face turned bright red.