ALCSRB Chapter 2

The Shen family had reserved the entire top floor banquet hall. It was spacious, and from the small terrace where Jiang Mingyi stood to the area where that handsome man was, he’d have to cross almost the entire venue.

That man’s charm was off the charts. Even from a distance, with Jiang Mingyi’s perfect 5.0 vision, he was seductively attractive. If he got up close—wouldn’t he be so handsome Jiang Mingyi might not even be able to stand straight?

Suppressing the little excitement bubbling in his chest, Jiang Mingyi had just taken a few steps when he heard someone calling him.

“Xiao Yi!”

Su Wanxin was over fifty, but she maintained herself well. With her elegant makeup, one could easily mistake her for being in her early thirties. She wore a dark green satin qipao embroidered with colorful peonies, looking dignified, graceful, and radiantly noble.

As the hostess of the birthday banquet, she had been busy all evening.

Now, finally spotting her youngest son, she called out to him directly.

She walked up to Jiang Mingyi and leaned in for a subtle sniff.

No scent of alcohol.

Good.

“Xiao Yi, even though you’re officially an adult today, you’re still young. You mustn’t end up like your father, who loves drinking so much,” Su Wanxin said, gently admonishing him. “Alcohol is bad for your health.”

Thinking about how her once-little boy had grown up overnight, she felt both proud and sentimental.

“Time really flies… just in the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big.”

Looking up at her son, who was now half a head taller than her, Su Wanxin felt proud again. “There are quite a few uncles and elders asking about you tonight. Come with me and toast a few of them.”

Jiang Mingyi’s charming face froze instantly. He glanced longingly at that tall, striking silhouette in the distance.

Thankfully, the guy hadn’t left yet.

“Didn’t we already do the toasting just now?”
Jiang Mingyi immediately clung to Su Wanxin’s arm, resting his head on her shoulder.

“You just told me not to drink, Mom. But if I go over to toast now, what if those uncles get excited and insist I drink with them?”

Jiang Mingyi blinked his beautiful, peach-blossom eyes at her with a troubled expression.

He asked with a tone full of dilemma, “So, Mom, should I drink alcohol, or should I be a good boy and listen to you and drink juice?”

“If I drink juice, those uncles definitely won’t approve. They’re all sly old foxes from the business world—each one better at persuasion than the last. They might just drink me under the table.”

Jiang Mingyi pretended to wobble like he was drunk and leaned on Su Wanxin’s shoulder, pitifully saying, “And I don’t even know how I behave when I’m drunk. What if I make a fool of myself and embarrass both you and Dad?”

“Who knows, maybe tomorrow’s headlines will be all about the youngest son of the Shen family getting drunk and making a scene at his birthday party…”

Su Wanxin was amused by his words, lightly tapping the young son’s forehead with her slender finger. “I only asked you to toast a drink, and you’ve got so many excuses. Since you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. Let your father have a few more drinks with them instead.”

Hearing that he didn’t have to go toast drinks, Jiang Mingyi instantly came back to life. “Then Mom, tell Dad to drink to his heart’s content. I’ll have Auntie Wang prepare hangover tea in advance.”

“No need for you to say that. I’ve already instructed Nanny Wang to prepare it,” Su Wanxin smiled and patted his arm.
“Since it’s your birthday, go have fun with your friends.”

Jiang Mingyi snapped his feet together and playfully gave a salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Su Wanxin chuckled softly. “Such a rascal.”

Some guests nearby were drawn in by the mother-son interaction and looked over from afar.

“That adopted son is more spoiled than their own child.”

“Of course. Otherwise, why would they spend millions to book the top floor of the most prestigious banquet hall in the capital?”

“Exactly. Money alone isn’t enough. You need status and connections too.”

“This orphan from the Jiang family sure is lucky.”

After finally coaxing Su Wanxin away, Jiang Mingyi straightened his tailcoat. The black-and-gold chandelier overhead sprinkled soft lights, making him look like a glowing white peacock descending into the mortal world.

From a distance, he saw a man turn around, revealing a side profile. The corner of the man’s eye seemed to glance in his direction.

For the first time, Jiang Mingyi felt a tinge of frustration — was he not dazzling enough? As he looked again, the man had already turned away.

A faint sense of loss crossed his heart. He hadn’t even gotten a clear look at the man’s face, only vaguely remembering the sexy Adam’s apple peeking from the tight collar.

It was… distinctive. Very masculine.

Jiang Mingyi perked up.
“Good, you’ve successfully caught my attention.”

Just as he was about to step forward, two young men came from either side, sandwiching him in the middle.

Jiang Mingyi’s excitement was instantly doused like a bucket of cold water.

“What are you two doing?”

Jiang Mingyi had plenty of party friends, but only a few he considered true friends.

Right now, he was flanked by a pair of twin brothers. The older one, Xu Tong, spoke first. “Xiao Qing just messaged us, telling us not to mess with the little white lotus.”

The younger one, Xu Zhi, added, “So we’re here to ask why.”

Jiang Mingyi paused for a moment. “No reason. I just don’t like Lu Jingze anymore.”

“Wow! You finally stopped liking him!”
Xu Tong exchanged a glance with his brother and exclaimed happily, “Told you Lu Jingze wasn’t a good guy. You’ve finally seen the light.”

Jiang Mingyi stretched out a finger on either side, pushing the twins away. He declared dramatically, “The foolish Jiang Mingyi of the past is gone. Now I am…”

The twins clapped in unison. “Niuhulu·Jiang·Mingyi!”

Jiang Mingyi rolled his eyes. “You two need to stop watching so many dramas.” Tossing them a look, he couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
“I’ve got things to do. Go entertain yourselves.”

“What thing? Take us with you!”

Jiang Mingyi paused, looked the twins up and down, then smiled slightly.
“This isn’t something you two are suited for.”

He was going to find a handsome guy — not something to do with two light bulbs tagging along.

The two light bulbs said in unison, “What could we possibly not be suited for?”

His dark eyes gleamed as he pointed toward a group of old business foxes gathered at another end of the banquet hall. “My mom wants me to go offer a toast. You guys coming with me?”

All curiosity instantly vanished from the twins’ faces, replaced with expressions of utter disgust — as if it were the most dreadful thing in the world.

“No thanks. Definitely not.”

“You’re the star of tonight. It’s most appropriate for you to offer the toast.”

Yeah, right. Those old men love tormenting young people like him the most—only a fool would walk into that trap and drink with them.

Jiang Mingyi watched the twins slip away like greased lightning, and he had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing out loud.

Now finally, no one would disturb him.

He sighed inwardly, then looked up again—only to find that the man from earlier was no longer there.

His brows instantly furrowed.

“Where did he go?” He strode quickly toward the spot.

A few young ladies were startled by his sudden appearance. One of them greeted him politely, “Young Master Jiang, what’s the matter?”

Jiang Mingyi vaguely recognized her—probably a young lady from the Gao family. “I’m looking for someone.”

He pointed to the place where the man had been standing earlier. “There was a man here just now, with god-given looks, an outstanding and restrained temperament. Do you know where he went?”

The young lady from the Gao family clearly didn’t expect such a string of descriptive words. She let out a few chuckles behind her hand. But seeing Jiang Mingyi’s anxious face and eyes filled with expectation, she stopped and pointed toward a corridor not far away. “That gentleman went to take a phone call.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes immediately lit up. As long as the man hadn’t left, that was all that mattered.

He thanked the young lady and headed straight for the corridor.

As he got closer, he suddenly felt his heartbeat becoming erratic.

“You haven’t even seen him again yet, why are you getting excited?” He pressed a hand against his chest, trying to calm down his heart that was acting up without permission.

“He seems charming, but what if he turns out to be ugly?” He leaned back against the cold wall, the chill seeping through his clothes and into his chest.

Jiang Mingyi took a deep breath. “Jiang Mingyi, you have to believe in your taste.”

How could a man he took a liking to possibly be ugly?

Not like that idiot Lu Jingze.

Far away, Lu Jingze suddenly sneezed.

Bai Yumo, startled, handed him a tissue and rubbed his arms, complaining, “It must be the air conditioning in the banquet hall—it’s way too cold.”

The corridor was quiet. In the distance, a deep voice could be faintly heard on the phone.

“I’m already at the banquet hall.”

The man’s voice was magnetic and rich, making Jiang Mingyi’s ears itch slightly.

This person was here to attend his birthday party.

“I saw him—he’s even cuter than I remembered.” Or perhaps, more beautiful.

Cute? Who was he talking about?

Jiang Mingyi’s delicate eyebrows instantly furrowed, and he pouted in mild displeasure.

“Don’t tell him, I’m afraid—” the man paused midway.

The corridor fell into sudden silence.

Jiang Mingyi quickly pulled himself together and tilted his head to listen intently.

He had never been this focused, not even during class.

Just then, the man seemed to chuckle softly. “Every time I came back before, he made excuses to avoid me. So many years, and we haven’t properly met even once.”

“This time, let’s treat it as a surprise for him.”

As if imagining something, a trace of helplessness and gentleness flashed across the man’s handsome face.

The call ended quickly.

Jiang Mingyi’s heart tightened again as he heard the sound of leather shoes stepping on the marble floor, each step drawing closer between the two of them.

Just a few more seconds, and they would run into each other face-to-face.

On the pristine white wall, he could faintly see the reflection of his stunning appearance and striking figure. Jiang Mingyi slightly straightened his back, his slender fingers brushing back the stray hair on his forehead in a quick tidy-up.

He stepped forward confidently, locking eyes with the approaching man. His crisp voice carried a slightly flirtatious tone.

“Hey, handsome—want to date?”

The footsteps came to an abrupt stop.

The gentle sound of violins in the banquet hall had shifted into the deep resonance of cellos, making even the once-quiet corridor seem soaked in music.

A flash of surprise crossed the man’s face, but soon his deep black eyes scanned the charming young man in front of him from head to toe.

Jiang Mingyi stood openly just a step away, tilting his head slightly with a confident, alluring smile on his exquisite face.

Because of their height difference, his gaze fell right on the man’s sexy, enticing Adam’s apple.

Up close, it was far more tantalizing than from a distance.

He ran his hand through his hair and said once again, in that teasing, seductive voice: “Hey, handsome—want to date?”

As the words fell, he saw the man’s Adam’s apple move slightly up and down.

Then came a low, magnetic voice in his ear—mature and intoxicating.

The man leaned in close to the boy’s delicate ear and whispered, “Baby, who are you calling?”