ALCSRB Chapter 20

At some point, the music had already stopped, and everyone in the bar was staring toward the dance floor.

Bright lights shone down on the center, making everyone’s expressions clearly visible.

Shen Xingyan’s cold gaze shifted from the man’s hand, which was about to touch Jiang Mingyi, to between his legs.

His stare was so intense it felt almost tangible, making the man inexplicably shiver.

Perhaps dissatisfied with his own fearful reaction, the man instantly flew into a rage. “Who the hell do you think you are, daring to ruin my good time?” Several bodyguards immediately flanked him. “There’s no one I’ve ever wanted to sleep with that I didn’t get.”

He made a gesture to the bodyguards. “Get him for me.”

Jiang Mingyi shrank back behind Shen Xingyan, clutching his shirt tightly with both hands out of nervousness.

Shen Xingyan let out a cold laugh, clearly not taking those people seriously at all. His deep voice coolly spat out two words: “Qin Hao.”

Qin Hao?

Jiang Mingyi froze for a moment.

Why call Assistant Qin now? Even if you added Qin Hao in, the three of them combined wouldn’t stand a chance against these tall and muscular bodyguards.

He was just out for some fun—how did things turn into this?

It was all the twins’ fault. They just had to come to this bar. Look at the kind of people here—so uncivilized, acting on lust at the drop of a hat.

Luckily, the twins couldn’t read his mind and were standing nearby, anxiously watching the situation unfold.

Just then, a suit jacket landed on their heads. They brushed it off and saw a man with gold half-rimmed glasses walking onto the dance floor while rolling up his sleeves.

He stood in front of the bodyguards, his sharp features cold and emotionless as he looked at the fierce group.

“Boss, should I kill them?” he asked in a flat, chilling voice—words that stunned the entire crowd.

“In our own country, keep it restrained.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Mingyi was still processing their conversation when Shen Xingyan had already led him away from the dance floor.

Screams could be heard behind them. Jiang Mingyi instinctively turned to look, but Shen Xingyan pulled him back.

“Assistant Qin… he seems kind of intense,” Jiang Mingyi said.

“You still have the energy to care about others?” Shen Xingyan looked at him with a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes, a dangerous edge in his tone as he slowly approached the completely unaware boy.

“Huh?” Jiang Mingyi tilted his head up, staring at him blankly. His long lashes fluttered a few times.

“Who told you to come to a place like this—a bar full of all kinds of shady people?”

Shen Xingyan’s voice dropped a few degrees colder. His dark eyes fell on the boy’s wide open neckline. Slender and fragile, he had a pair of collarbones that stirred the imagination and skin that was pale and inviting.

Lower still was the faint glimpse of a slim, soft waist.

Jiang Mingyi shrank his neck from the intensity of the gaze, completely forgetting about Assistant Qin. He raised a finger and pointed in the distance.

The twins holding his jacket at the edge of the crowd: “…”

Shen Xingyan shot them a freezing glare, making them instantly back away three steps.

He then turned back to the dazed boy, mocking coldly, “If they tell you to come, you just come? What are you, a little cutie who listens to anyone and everyone?”

Jiang Mingyi pouted slightly, twisting his fingers with a bit of grievance. “You’re scolding me.”

Pei Shiqing, now that the danger had passed, had wanted to approach. But when he saw the atmosphere between the two from a distance, he hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

“Yi-bao’s big brother looks so scary.” Pei Shiqing decided not to go over and turned to walk toward the twins instead.

But just as he took a step, a familiar face came into view.

Pei Shiqing instinctively tried to retreat, but before he could get far, someone grabbed the collar at the back of his neck.

“Pei Shiqing, who told you to come to the bar?”

Pei Mingyue’s cool eyes carried a trace of displeasure, making Pei Shiqing tremble inside.

“Big brother, what are you doing here too?”

It was already bad enough for Yibao to get caught by his brother, but how did his big brother end up at the bar too? This made no sense!

Pei Mingyue ignored his fawning smile and repeated coldly, “Who told you to come to the bar?”

Ugh, his big brother is terrifying!

Under the pressure of that icy glare, Pei Shiqing weakly pointed toward the twins not far away.

The twins froze, forcing a smile: “Hehe.”

And immediately received a sharp glare in return.

—

Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing were dragged upstairs to a private room like two little chicks by their respective big brothers.

As soon as they entered, the two shrank to the side of the door, peeking nervously at the two stern-looking men sitting on the couch who looked quite frightening.

Jiang Mingyi secretly signaled to Pei Shiqing: Why is your big brother here too?

Pei Shiqing blinked: How should I know?

He blinked again: Your brother’s here, why is it weird for mine to be?

Jiang Mingyi squinted: Are these two old men really drinking together?

Pei Shiqing blinked again: Yi-bao, you jinxed it.

Jiang Mingyi pouted: I was just saying.

Pei Shiqing: Next time, don’t.

Jiang Mingyi: I remember you laughed at the time.

Pei Shiqing: Now I feel like crying.

“Don’t your eyes hurt?”

Shen Xingyan looked at the two little brats “flirting with their eyes” and his anger began to subside, though he hid it well, still keeping a stern expression.

The moment he spoke, the two straightened up immediately.

“No, not at all!” they replied in unison, shaking their heads vigorously.

Shen Xingyan gave a soft laugh. “Looked tiring to me.”

Jiang Mingyi: “…You didn’t have to watch.”

“So you can do whatever you want?”

“…”

After being scolded downstairs, he now had to deal with sarcastic remarks—Jiang Mingyi pouted and turned his head away in protest.

At the other end of the sofa, Pei Mingyue’s eyes, half hidden behind his glasses, were calm and hard to read as he gazed at Pei Shiqing.

Pei Shiqing felt that gaze and his heart sank.

Big brother, maybe just scold me again?

He lowered his head and complained silently in his mind.

Pei Mingyue stood up, his voice cool and indifferent. “We’re heading back first.”

Just then, the private room door opened.

“You two really know how to cause trouble,” Xie Zhuoyan walked in, followed by Qin Hao, who had finished taking care of things downstairs.

As soon as they entered, they spotted the two boys trying to quietly scoot away.

Xie Zhuoyan’s face lit up with joy, instantly replacing his earlier annoyance.

“My two little darlings!” he opened his arms and immediately pulled Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing into a big hug.

The two, caught in his embrace, exchanged a glance—then began to struggle.

“Brother Zhuoyan, you’re hugging too tight,” Jiang Mingyi mumbled softly.

Pei Shiqing, standing to the side, nodded in agreement—he could barely breathe.

“Well, it’s been a while since we last met. I’ve missed you two quite a bit,” Xie Zhuoyan said with a bright smile, leaning in to plant a dramatic reunion kiss on both of them.

But before he could, the two boys—one on each side of him—were promptly rescued by their respective older brothers, leaving Xie Zhuoyan’s plan in ruins.

“Was it really necessary for you two to be this stingy?” Xie Zhuoyan rolled his eyes at Shen Xingyan and Pei Mingyue.

Shen Xingyan ignored him and pulled Jiang Mingyi over to his side. “Stay away from that guy.”

Before Jiang Mingyi could react, Xie Zhuoyan got offended. “Excuse me? That guy? I have a name, you know.”

“At least the younger brothers know how to call me ‘Brother.’” He winked at the boys, his handsome face blooming with a grin.

Pei Mingyue glanced down at the person leaning against him. Pei Shiqing immediately distanced himself.
“I didn’t say it.”

The only one who did say “Brother”—Jiang Mingyi—was speechless: “…”

Shen Xingyan let out a cold laugh. “Heh.”

Xie Zhuoyan burst out laughing. “Come to me, Xiao Yi. Your fake brother’s mocking you.”

Jiang Mingyi sneaked a glance at Shen Xingyan and saw the man’s face darken. After a brief pause, he decided not to move.

Shen Xingyan’s frown relaxed slightly. He shot Xie Zhuoyan with a warning look. “Stop trying to drive a wedge between us. Our brotherly bond is just fine.”

Xie Zhuoyan shrugged. “Alright, alright, you two are close.” His gaze shifted to the other pair of brothers.

Pei Mingyue cast him a chilly glance.

Xie Zhuoyan clicked his tongue and swallowed back the teasing comment that was on the tip of his tongue.

Bringing the topic back to the earlier incident downstairs, he said, “I’ve asked the manager to take care of the follow-up. You guys don’t need to worry.”

That spoiled rich kid had a habit of picking up one-night stands at the bar. Normally, it was all consensual and none of their business, but this time it involved someone from their circle—Xie Zhuoyan couldn’t just let it slide.

“Can’t believe you’re still so enthusiastic about running that seedy bar,” Shen Xingyan jabbed at him.

“It’s just a hobby, alright?” Xie Zhuoyan replied. “There was supposed to be a special performance tonight too. Looks like you’re not interested.”

The moment he mentioned “special performance,” Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing’s eyes lit up.

It was written all over their faces—they wanted to watch it.

Shen Xingyan ignored them. “Now that you’re here, let’s go somewhere else to catch up.”

The two boys’ excited expressions instantly fell.

As they left the bar, the night wind picked up outside.

Jiang Mingyi shivered instinctively. The next second, a jacket was draped over his shoulders.

He turned his head and met Shen Xingyan’s gaze.

“Don’t ever wear something so revealing again.”

Jiang Mingyi: …

The warmth he’d just felt vanished instantly.

The group walked to a shop across South Street.

Xie Zhuoyan said to his two younger brothers, “Back when we were in school, this was our favorite place for late-night snacks. The owner’s cooking is top-notch.”

Jiang Mingyi had already noticed the crowd sitting under the tent set up outside the shop. The air around them was filled with an enticing aroma.

“Smells amazing—it’s spicy crawfish.”

Xie Zhuoyan had already reserved a table. When the shop owner saw them enter, he led them over personally.

“This season is perfect for crawfish—with beer.”

With a wave of his hand, he ordered several different flavors of crawfish.

The owner took the menu and went off to prepare.

Xie Zhuoyan took disposable bowls and chopsticks from the waiter and handed them out to the group.

Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing were still looking curiously around. They didn’t come to places like this often, so everything seemed new to them.

Jiang Mingyi was especially curious about the “school days” Xie Zhuoyan had mentioned. He kept sneaking glances at Shen Xingyan, who sat there with a faint smile, saying nothing.

Shen Xingyan picked up the nearby kettle and poured hot water over the disposable utensils to sanitize them, then set them in front of Jiang Mingyi. “What do you want to hear?”

Jiang Mingyi looked at him with his beautiful peach blossom eyes. “Anything?”

Shen Xingyan nodded.

Pei Shiqing, equally interested, tugged on Pei Mingyue’s sleeve. “Ge, I want to hear too.”

Pei Mingyue paused for a moment, then finished rinsing the utensils and handed them to Pei Shiqing.

Pei Shiqing gave him a sweet smile. “Thanks, big bro.”

Pei Mingyue picked up his own set and said in a flat voice, “It’s nothing special.”

The first steaming plate of crawfish was served.

Jiang Mingyi reached for it but recoiled immediately from the heat.

“Careful,” Shen Xingyan said, then picked one up, peeled it, and placed it into Jiang Mingyi’s bowl. “Eat.”

On the other side, Pei Mingyue also peeled one for Pei Shiqing. “Eat slowly.”

“I suddenly feel like I’m just extra here,” Xie Zhuoyan said, resting his chin on one hand and watching the two pairs of lovingly doting brothers, his expression a bit complicated. “If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you two were couples.”

And he was the big, bright third wheel.