ALCSRB Chapter 68

Shen Xingyan let out a faint laugh, clearly enjoying the shocked look on Jiang Mingyi’s face. “An Shi was adopted by the An family from an orphanage. He grew up with his older brother, An Jiancheng. When he was fifteen, his biological parents found him.”

Jiang Mingyi’s mouth slowly closed as his shock subsided. “Oh… so they’re not real brothers, huh.”

So they weren’t blood-related — more like pretend brothers, real lovers.

Got it.

He hadn’t expected An Shi’s partner to be someone like that, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit curious.

Then he turned his gaze to the man beside him, squinting suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you were influenced by them and that’s why you got indecent ideas about me…”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Shen Xingyan flicked his forehead with a bent finger. “They’re them. We’re us.”

Jiang Mingyi let out a small hiss of pain, clutching his forehead as he kept arguing, “It’s like they say — if you stay near cinnabar, you turn red; stay near ink, you turn black.”

“Why don’t you admit you’re the one seducing me every day, until I finally fell for your tricks?”

Shen Xingyan pulled down his hand and checked his forehead — his flick had been light, so there wasn’t even a red mark.

He gave the boy another once-over, and when he saw that mischievous glint in his eyes, he knew Jiang Mingyi was putting on a show just for him.

It made him feel helpless, but also a little amused.

“If anyone’s seducing anyone, it’s you who is seducing me. What kind of older brother crawls into his little brother’s bed in the middle of the night and does all sorts of shameful things?”

Thankfully, he still knew they were in a mall, so Jiang Mingyi had lowered his voice when he said that — otherwise, if anyone overheard, they’d be scandalized for sure.

“You’re still young.” Shen Xingyan grabbed hold of him just as he tried to slip away, his gaze turning a shade deeper as he looked at him. “Some things will have to wait.”

It took Jiang Mingyi a few seconds to process what he meant — once he did, his face instantly turned red and he snapped back with an embarrassed pout, “Who said anything about that with you!”

Just like that, the two of them pushed An Shi completely out of their minds as Shen Xingyan led him to a restaurant for lunch.

While they were waiting for their food, Jiang Mingyi’s phone chimed.

He pulled it out and saw a WeChat message.

When he opened it, it was a string of random garbled characters from An Shi.

Staring at the mess of symbols and letters, Jiang Mingyi’s delicate brows furrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He probably just pressed something by accident.” Shen Xingyan said it casually, not bothered at all. “He’s probably a bit… tied up right now, so you don’t need to reply.”

Jiang Mingyi felt like there was more behind those words. He gave him a suspicious look. “Brother, can you maybe explain that a bit more clearly?”

Tied up?

What’s that supposed to mean — it made it sound like An Shi was being entangled by someone or something.

—

Meanwhile, in a hotel — a luxury suite.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor beside the bed, and on the huge, soft mattress, two figures were tightly entwined.

An Shi reached out, still trying to grab his phone, only for a larger hand behind him to seize his wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A deep, resonant voice sounded by his ear, the wet tip of a tongue slowly tracing along his ear’s edge, teeth grazing just enough to make him shudder over and over beneath the man behind him.

An Shi was furious right now, but he was completely helpless against the man pinning him down.

When it came to brute strength, he’d never once won against An Jiancheng — not since they were kids, and not now either.

So he only had one weapon left: his charm.

He struggled to turn halfway over, a deep red mark blooming on his bare shoulder — like a crimson plum blossom falling onto snow, standing out starkly against his fair skin.

This bastard really loved to bite. He must’ve been a dog in his past life.

Two slender, long arms lifted and hooked around An Jiancheng’s neck, the corners of An Shi’s brows tinged a seductive red — he looked like a vixen made to lure people in.

An Jiancheng lowered his head without hesitation, and under An Shi’s smug gaze, kissed those plump, flushed lips hard.

An Shi was instantly left with no room to fight back — he could only let An Jiancheng pin him down and force him to accept that dominant, possessive kiss.

In the quiet room, muffled sounds that could make anyone blush and their heart race drifted through the air.

Several minutes later, when he was finally freed, An Shi was able to catch his breath. He gave him a look full of grievance and muttered, “I’m kinda hungry…”

His slender fingers reached around An Jiancheng’s back, poking him lightly again and again, each poke making An Jiancheng’s gaze darken even more.

An Jiancheng grabbed that mischievous hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a small bite. “Mm, I’m hungry too.”

An Shi perked up at that — perfect! If they were both hungry, they could finally go eat.

But just as that thought formed, the man’s low, husky voice came right by his ear. “So I plan to eat you first.”

“…”

—

While Jiang Mingyi and Shen Xingyan were eating, Jiang Mingyi’s phone inconveniently rang several times — every time it was An Shi calling.

In the end, they had no choice but to ditch their plans and head to the hotel instead.

After pressing the doorbell, they waited a while before the door finally swung open.

The moment Jiang Mingyi saw that it was An Shi inside, Shen Xingyan reached out and covered his eyes.

Jiang Mingyi blinked, his long lashes brushing against Shen Xingyan’s palm. He thought to himself that if he hadn’t seen something wrong just now, An Shi’s body was covered in the telltale marks that came after… well, that.

Instantly, his cheeks started to heat up.

Shen Xingyan’s dark eyes were icy as they landed on An Shi, who looked utterly disheveled. His tone was cold: “Go tidy yourself up first.”

An Shi leaned bonelessly against the doorframe, the oversized shirt draped on him obviously one size too big — loose and sloppy, exposing a large stretch of chest littered with bite marks and bruises.

Meeting Shen Xingyan’s faintly disgusted look, he just shrugged lazily. “You could always cover your own eyes. I never told you to look.”

That bright, striking face was tinted with the languid glow of satisfaction. His gaze drifted past Shen Xingyan’s hand to Jiang Mingyi’s covered eyes, and a sly smile tugged at his lips.

“The little brother’s already an adult. He can look, you know.”

That teasing tone made Jiang Mingyi’s ears turn red too.

The next second, Shen Xingyan covered his eyes even tighter.

“I-I’m not looking,” Jiang Mingyi stammered, making his stance clear.

Hearing that, Shen Xingyan flashed An Shi a triumphant smile. “See? Nobody wants to look. You should save it for An Jiancheng.”

An Shi clicked his tongue. “Little brother, how can you let your big bro keep you wrapped around his finger like that? Adults should have their own thoughts.”

“I—” Jiang Mingyi pressed his lips together. “I have no thoughts about you.”

“…You—” An Shi was speechless. “You’re hopeless, little brother.”

“I think he’s got it just right,” said An Jiancheng, who had just come over, fresh from his shower. He wrapped an arm around An Shi’s slender, pliant waist and planted a kiss on his forehead. “Or do you want him to have thoughts about you?”

An Shi’s playful mood was instantly crushed by the man’s domineering vibe. “I was just saying…”

“Since you’re done showering, I’m going to take one too.”

An Shi slipped out of An Jiancheng’s hold and swaggered off into the bathroom. “Ge, you can entertain these two unexpected guests yourself.”

Of all times they could have shown up, they just had to come now — obviously to catch him in an embarrassing moment.

An Shi pouted in frustration, shut the door, and started showering.

An Jiancheng led the two of them to the adjoining living room. As they sat down, he turned to Shen Xingyan and said, “I owe you one for this.”

Shen Xingyan accepted it calmly. “It was nothing — just a small favor.”

Jiang Mingyi sat close beside Shen Xingyan. When he heard their exchange, his eyes darted back and forth between them, not even trying to hide his curiosity.

Shen Xingyan didn’t bother explaining — he just introduced him instead. “My brother, Jiang Mingyi.”

An Jiancheng’s eyes landed on their hands, fingers intertwined. Understanding flashed across his face. “So this is the brother you’ve been thinking about non-stop. He’s pretty cute.”

Being complimented as cute by a tall, handsome man made Jiang Mingyi flush a bit. Wanting to be polite in return, he blurted out, “An-ge, you’re really handsome too.”

The words had barely left his mouth before he felt Shen Xingyan pinch his fingers.

He turned, confused, to see Shen Xingyan looking a little displeased.

What? Did he say something wrong?

An Jiancheng raised an eyebrow slightly and teased Shen Xingyan, “Didn’t know this was your type.”

Then he turned back to Jiang Mingyi. “Do you know how popular your brother was abroad?”

Shen Xingyan’s brow furrowed — he was about to warn An Jiancheng when the boy next to him answered brightly, “Of course! My brother’s amazing — it’s only natural that people would like him.”

“You sound happy about that.”

“I’m proud,” Jiang Mingyi said, puffing out his slender chest. “Someone this great is my brother — of course I should feel proud!”

An Jiancheng watched as the chill on Shen Xingyan’s face faded away and he cracked a small smile. “Aren’t you afraid someone might try to steal him from you?”

“Not at all,” Jiang Mingyi said firmly.

“Why not?”

“Because my brother only likes me.”

“You’re pretty confident.”

“I have to be!” Jiang Mingyi lifted his chin, those delicate features practically glowing with a dazzling confidence that made Shen Xingyan’s heart skip a beat.

He tightened his grip on Jiang Mingyi’s hand, gazing at him with deep sincerity. “No one will ever take me from you. I belong to you alone.”

“Hehe, I know,” Jiang Mingyi said with a sweet, smug grin, resting his head on Shen Xingyan’s shoulder, his smile bold and satisfied. “I’m just showing off for outsiders to see.”

The so-called “outsider” An Jiancheng watched this intimate display between the two “brothers” and the corners of his mouth curled up ever so slightly.

When An Shi came out of the shower, he found the three of them chatting on the sofa.

He walked over but didn’t sit down on the couch itself. Instead, he perched on the armrest next to An Jiancheng, half his weight leaning lazily against the man’s body.

An Jiancheng wrapped an arm around his waist. “I asked the hotel to send up some food. Let’s eat something first.”

“Oh, now you remember we need to eat? When I said I was hungry earlier, you completely ignored me,” An Shi grumbled, giving him a light punch on the chest.

Only when he showered did he realize how “tragically ravaged” his body looked. He’d sacrificed a lot this time.

“And you—” He turned his fire on Shen Xingyan next. “You scumbag. To think I actually treated you like my good bro, and you turned right around and sold me out!”

Yesterday, he hadn’t disturbed the brothers’ “sweet little love time” and went off to have some fun of his own instead. Who could’ve predicted that when he woke up, the last person he wanted to see would be standing right there — someone who was supposed to be thousands of miles away!

And all because of a single photo, An Jiancheng had flown across continents to come get him.

Speaking of that photo, An Shi shot a glare at the quiet, innocent-looking boy nearby. “You. There’s no way anyone else could’ve taken that picture. Only you could have.”

“So, tell me — how exactly should I thank you for this little ‘favor’, hm?”

Jiang Mingyi finally pieced together what they were all talking about from their expressions.

Wait… wasn’t he here just for the drama? How did he suddenly become part of the drama too?

Blinking his wide, innocent eyes, he looked at the furious An Shi. “An Shi-ge, what are you talking about? I don’t understand a single word!”

Yeah, right — like he’d admit to taking that picture. He’d have to be an idiot to fess up now.

He tugged on Shen Xingyan’s hand. “Ge, let’s just go. We shouldn’t disturb An Shi-ge and the others while they eat. Some people get really cranky when they’re hungry… kinda scary, honestly.”

An Shi: “…”