ALCSRB Chapter 19

Shen Xingyan put his phone down, still smiling, and saw the man across from him drinking silently. He asked, “What about you? Want to bring anything back for your little one?”

The soft yellow light reflected off Pei Mingyue’s glasses, hiding the look in his eyes.

He gently swirled the wine in his glass. The dark red liquid, like an alluring rose, gave off a lazy allure.

Fang Mingyue replied in a bland tone, “No need.”

“How could you say no?” Shen Xingyan said, his slender fingers slowly tracing the rim of his glass, movements delicate.
“Kids grow up, so as an older brother, you have to be even more thoughtful. Otherwise, one day they’ll start complaining about you.”

“Are you talking about yourself?”

The mocking tone was clear, and both men understood each other.

Shen Xingyan curved his lips into a smile. “Exactly. That’s why I need to put in more effort to win him over now.”

“With just a late-night snack?” Pei Mingyue set down his wine glass, undisguised contempt flickering in the black eyes hidden behind his lenses. “I didn’t know Jiang Mingyi was that easy to coax.”

Shen Xingyan leaned back, resting one arm on the back of the sofa, one brow raised slightly. “He’s not your brother, of course you wouldn’t know.”

Pei Mingyue made no comment, instead changing the topic. “I remember Jiang Mingyi always minded you going abroad back then. How is it that after just a few days back, you two have already mended your relationship?”

The tapping of fingers on the sofa stopped. The private room fell briefly silent.

A wine glass was set down on the coffee table with a soft clink.

Shen Xingyan rubbed his chin. “I guess you could say we’ve reconciled.”

At the very least, Jiang Mingyi hadn’t been avoiding him these past few days and was willing to talk, even riding in his car to school.
Though they’d still have the occasional spat, it was always over something trivial—usually caused by Shen Xingyan teasing him. Nothing serious.

He thought their relationship was going quite well now.

A quiet chuckle came from the other side. “Rare to see you lacking confidence.”

“It’s not that I lack confidence.” Shen Xingyan looked up.
“In the past few years when I returned, he deliberately avoided me. I figured he was still young, and kids holding grudges was understandable. After all, it was my oversight back then.”

Pei Mingyue: “Oh? Reflecting on yourself now, are you?”

“He’s grown up, and I’ve come back. There’ll be plenty of time for us to reconnect slowly,” Shen Xingyan didn’t respond to the sarcasm, the taut corners of his lips relaxing.

“We’re brothers, after all. There’s no such thing as a grudge that lasts overnight.”

“You really do make it sound simple,” Pei Mingyue said. “You haven’t been in the city these years, so you probably don’t know how many people have been speculating privately about who’ll inherit the Shen Corporation.”

“How idle of them,” Shen Xingyan’s gaze turned cold for a moment, before softening again. “Xiao Yi wouldn’t covet the Shen family’s assets.”

Pei Mingyue raised his brows. “True enough. The Jiang family’s wealth alone is enough for him to be busy with.”

Though not quite on the level of the most powerful families, the Jiang family’s assets were still substantial.

“As far as I know, Jiang Mingyi isn’t cut out for that sort of thing,” he added, his tone already quite tactful.

After all, Pei Shiqing often heard complaints from Jiang Mingyi about how difficult studying was. It wasn’t surprising that the two boys had become close friends.

Shen Xingyan thought of how clueless the boy had looked during revision sessions and let out a slight, helpless smile. “I know.”

Pei Mingyue looked at his expression. “You’re not seriously thinking of training him yourself, are you?”
That wouldn’t be an easy task.

Shen Xingyan picked up his glass again and gently swirled it. “No, his personality isn’t suited for this kind of thing.”

Jiang Mingyi had no idea someone was talking about him. After taking a moment to adjust to the atmosphere, he was already feeling a bit excited.

The Xu brothers were clearly regulars here, skillfully calling over a server to order some drinks.

As soon as the drinks were ordered, Xu Zhi scooted over and sat right next to Jiang Mingyi.

“Xiao Yi, there’s a special performance tonight. You’ll definitely be interested.” He leaned in mysteriously to whisper in his ear, but the music was so deafening that Jiang Mingyi couldn’t hear a thing.

“What did you say?” Jiang Mingyi shouted, realizing he couldn’t even hear his own voice.

Left with no choice, the two of them pulled out their phones to type.

When Jiang Mingyi opened WeChat, he noticed a message from Shen Xingyan. He glanced at it but ignored it.

Pei Shiqing squeezed in beside them, craning his neck to look. “What? There’s a male model show tonight!”

His voice was drowned out by the music, but he looked very excited.

“Xiao Yi, didn’t you say you’re over Lu Jingze? Perfect chance to pick someone new you like, hmm~”

That final sound carried a suggestive undertone they all understood without explanation.

Jiang Mingyi pursed his lips, his gaze lingering for a moment on the words “male model performance,” visibly tempted.

“When does it start?”

“In an hour.”

…

The server soon brought over the drinks.

A glass was placed in front of Jiang Mingyi as well. Since it was his first time drinking and he didn’t know his tolerance, he ordered a very light sake.

He picked up the glass and brought it close to his nose for a sniff, clearly hesitant.

“Yi-bao, why aren’t you drinking?” Pei Shiqing leaned in with a grin.
“Don’t worry about this one—it won’t get you drunk.”

He lifted his own cocktail. “I started with this too. Once you get used to it, you’ll be able to handle stronger stuff.”

“You’re drinking that?” Jiang Mingyi looked at his drink.

Pei Shiqing nodded. “Wanna try?” Then shook his head. “Actually, better start with yours first.”

The twins also joined in to encourage him.

“Come on, what’s a bar without drinking? It’s no fun otherwise.”

“Exactly, drinking makes the whole experience better.”

“You weren’t allowed to drink before you turned eighteen.”

“But now you’re legal, shouldn’t you try everything one by one?”

The brothers clinked glasses and drank merrily. Jiang Mingyi hesitated for a moment, then took a small sip.

The pale sake hit his throat, and his handsome face immediately scrunched up. “It’s kinda strong.”

Pei Shiqing burst out laughing at his expression, leaning on his shoulder, giggling. “It’s normal to feel that way at first. Drink more and you’ll get used to it.”

Once he finished the first glass, it turned out to be manageable.

At that moment, the DJ switched to a new track. The pulsing music sent the dance floor into a frenzy.

Jiang Mingyi had always loved dancing with people when he went to bars. As soon as he heard the music, he got excited.

“Let’s dance.” He grabbed Pei Shiqing’s hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

Some people around them noticed the two pretty, delicate-looking boys and reached out to take advantage, only to be shoved away by others.

The two didn’t notice any of this. As soon as they entered the dance floor, their figures were swallowed up by the crowd, only occasionally lit by the flashing colorful lights overhead, revealing their slender and alluring silhouettes.
Shen Xingyan stood in front of the glass mirror, his gaze fixed on the floor below.

“It’s been a while since I came here. Xie Zhuoyan’s bar is even rowdier than before.”

This private room was specially designed to block out the noise downstairs, but as Shen Xingyan watched the chaotic crowd writhing in the dance floor below, his brows furrowed in slight displeasure.

Pei Mingyue, lounging on the sofa, scoffed when he heard this. “You’re the one who wanted to come.”

The implication being: even if you don’t like it, deal with it.

“His liquor suits my taste. If I had known this place had become like this, I would’ve booked the whole place.”

“Then he would’ve seriously overcharged you.”

“I don’t care, at least it would’ve been peaceful.”

Finishing the wine in his glass, Shen Xingyan was about to turn away when a bright beam of light hit the center of the dance floor.

The lighting was subtle, falling just right on a tall, slender figure, yet leaving the person’s face shrouded in darkness.

The person had unbuttoned two buttons on their shirt collar, revealing a large expanse of pale chest. The hem of the shirt was casually tucked in, perfectly showing off a narrow, delicate waist.

Long legs wrapped in denim jeans looked straight and enticing. One hand rested on the shoulder of a tall man as the two swayed to the music.

It was hot and provocative.

Shen Xingyan halted, his deep black eyes turning even darker at that moment.

Pei Mingyue noticed his reaction and asked, “What’s wrong?”

He stepped up to the glass beside him and followed Shen Xingyan’s gaze to the dance floor. The crowd was dense—he couldn’t make out much.

Just then, the person turned, their face blocked by the tall man’s body.

Shen Xingyan frowned, not answering Pei Mingyue. Instead, he pulled out his phone.

The phone rang twice before it was answered.

“Mom, where’s Xiao Yi?” Shen Xingyan asked.

“Xiao Yi went out with friends.”

His frown deepened. “Who did he go with?”

A name came through the other end.

Shen Xingyan hung up and looked at Pei Mingyue.
“You heard that,” he said, his voice now tinged with restrained anger.

Pei Mingyue frowned and moved aside to make a call.

The ringtone echoed clearly in the quiet private room, but the person on the other end never answered.

On the dance floor, the tall man was clearly surprised by how bold and wild the seemingly innocent and beautiful youth was. His eyes shimmered with excitement and a desire difficult to name as he moved with him to the beat.

Other men, noticing the alluring figure in the center of the floor, began moving closer.

Jiang Mingyi was completely unaware. His body moved through the dance floor like a blooming flower, exuding an invisible allure, drawing attention like bees to nectar.

Pei Shiqing was bumped by someone and got pushed to the edge of the dance floor.

He noticed the lewd stares aimed at Jiang Mingyi and immediately furrowed his brows tightly.

Against the flow of people, he forced his way back in, grabbed the boy who was dancing without restraint, and started dragging him out.

“What’s wrong?” Realizing it was Pei Shiqing who grabbed him, Jiang Mingyi could only follow passively.

However, they had barely taken a few steps before several tall, muscular men blocked their path.

“Where’s the pretty little thing going in such a hurry?”

The man who had just been dancing with Jiang Mingyi stepped in front of them, his eyes lingering on Pei Shiqing for a moment before shifting to the slightly panting boy beside him.

Long eyelashes, delicate features, even the fine sheen of sweat at his temple added a sensual charm. His pale face was flushed, chest rising and falling with each breath, and his thin shirt outlined a slender waist. As he wiped away the sweat, a sliver of fair skin peeked through.

It was a simple motion, but under the lights, it looked dangerously seductive.

The man’s hand moved uncontrollably, reaching toward that teasing glimpse of skin. Jiang Mingyi flinched in fright at the motion.

“What are you doing?” he snapped, glaring at the man angrily.

His beautiful, almond-shaped eyes widened, but instead of intimidating, they only excited the man further.

Everyone on the dance floor had stopped moving and was now watching them. The stares were filled with mixed emotions—when they landed on Jiang Mingyi, there was amazement, but also a hint of pity.

The twins sitting in a booth noticed the commotion on the dance floor and quickly stood to make their way over.

But another figure beat them to it.

“Pretty boy, I’ve taken a liking to you. Tonight—” the man said, reaching out to touch Jiang Mingyi’s face.

Jiang Mingyi froze for a moment in shock at the man’s words. By the time he reacted to dodge, it was too late.

Just then, an arm wrapped tightly around his waist. He turned his head and saw that the one holding him was none other than Shen Xingyan.

Shen Xingyan looked down at him, his expression dark and terrifying.

Jiang Mingyi’s heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth, but a sudden guilty feeling stopped him from speaking.

“I’ll deal with you later,” Shen Xingyan said coldly, then looked up at the man across from him.

His usually gentle voice now carried a bone-chilling iciness as he said with brutal clarity,
“Your hand or your mouth—choose one. I’ll give you a chance.”