ALCSRB Chapter 27

The group returned to the small booth on the second level.
Downstairs, the male model performance continued.

At this point, Jiang Mingyi had no interest in watching the show. He slumped into the sofa like a quail, head drooping.

The cushion sank as a tall figure sat down beside him.

There was no need to look—he already knew it was Shen Xingyan.

“Didn’t you enjoy watching male models?” That deep voice remained as gentle as ever, but it made Jiang Mingyi’s heart tremble again and again.

“I don’t like them anymore.”

His voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the passionate noise of the bar, but Shen Xingyan still caught it clearly.

A faint laugh escaped Shen Xingyan’s lips. He said with certainty,
“That means you did like them before.”

“…”

Jiang Mingyi pressed his lips together and pretended to be dead on the side.

The flickering lights hid the expression in Shen Xingyan’s eyes, making it hard for Jiang Mingyi to guess his mood.

By all logic, when he was caught earlier, he could clearly see that Shen Xingyan was angry. But from beginning to end, Shen Xingyan hadn’t scolded him directly like he did last time.

This gave Jiang Mingyi the feeling of calm before a storm—like a swaying chandelier hanging overhead, clearly unstable, but you don’t know when it’ll fall.

He scratched the sofa with one finger, thinking gloomily,
You might as well just yell at me and get it over with.

Shen Xingyan lowered his eyes and stared at him for a long time without saying a word.

Jiang Mingyi felt uncomfortable being stared at. He thought maybe if he acted cute and called him “gege” (big brother) a few more times, Shen Xingyan might let it go.

Just as he was dreaming about it, a cold snort suddenly broke the air.

“This time, acting cute won’t make me pretend nothing happened.”

Jiang Mingyi snapped his head toward the voice—and saw Pei Mingyue with a cold, handsome face. Behind those icy glasses, his dark eyes gleamed with cold light. Clearly, he was really angry this time.

Pei Shiqing, who was being scolded, had red-rimmed eyes. There seemed to be a faint shimmer at the corner of his eye, not very noticeable under the bar’s shifting lights.

“Ge… I really didn’t do anything…”
He had the intention, and had just worked up the courage, only to be crushed instantly. Pei Shiqing felt utterly wronged.

Pei Mingyue said coldly,
“Are you going to wait until you do something?”

Pei Shiqing: “…”

He imagined himself getting caught by his brother after touching all eight abs.

Whoa—that’d be even scarier.

Pei Shiqing: QAQ

Pei Shiqing instinctively clung to his brother’s arm and whined, “Ge, I won’t dare again.” Seeing that he wasn’t pushed away, he pressed his advantage, “It’s all the twins’ fault. They insisted on bringing us to a male model show.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes widened—what a perfect way to shift the blame!

He immediately scooted closer to Shen Xingyan and mimicked Pei Shiqing by hugging Shen Xingyan’s hanging arm, his voice sweet and syrupy, “Ge, I won’t do it again either. It was the twins’ fault. If not for them, how would I even know about a male model show?”

The twins, who had been silent and obedient the whole time, stared at the two brothers, so shocked it felt like their bodies were cracking.

“…”

You two…are really something.

Once again blamed, the twins earned a pair of deadly glares full of “brotherly love.”

…

Xie Zhuoyan came upstairs with a few bottles of alcohol. Seeing the odd atmosphere, he didn’t seem to care.

He plopped down on the sofa and told the twins to open the bottles, his mouth not staying idle.

“Not bad, you two.” He smiled at the two younger brothers who were now clinging to their older brothers. “Do you even know how much it costs to book a male model?”

The two who had just distracted their brothers with cutesy behavior frantically shot him warning looks—please shut up.

Leaning back against the sofa, Shen Xingyan glanced down at the quiet boy beside him and asked calmly, “How much?”

Xie Zhuoyan named a price. “That boss is really something. This kind of order service didn’t exist in my bar before.”

His bar had always drawn customers in with its alcohol—not this kind of low-grade entertainment.

Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing, who had come specifically for the order service, now wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and crawl into it.

Unfortunately, two large hands had already grabbed the scruffs of their necks, locking them into fate.

Shen Xingyan chuckled coldly. “Not expensive.”

Then he tossed Xie Zhuoyan a card. “I’ll book all of them tonight.”

Xie Zhuoyan paused for a moment, eyes lingering briefly on the card before glancing at the two younger boys whose eyes lit up for a second—only to dim again just as quickly.

He smiled. “Alright, I’ll have the bar manager bring everyone up.”

Before heading downstairs, he shot Jiang Mingyi a meaningful look, which sent chills all over Jiang Mingyi’s body.

“Ge, why are you booking the male models?” Jiang Mingyi asked cautiously.

“Aren’t you two dying to play with male models?”

Shen Xingyan emphasized the word play heavily. His handsome face looked gentle as always, but the tone scared Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing into frantically shaking their heads. “We don’t want to! We really don’t!”

Pei Shiqing gave Jiang Mingyi a look: Do something about your brother!

Jiang Mingyi pouted: I’m scared.

Pei Shiqing: Don’t be. At least your brother seems easier to reason with than mine.

Jiang Mingyi glanced nervously at Pei Mingyue. Pei Mingyue, sensing it, turned to look at him. Those pitch-black eyes were void of any emotion, and Jiang Mingyi quickly looked away in fear.

Yeah… Shen Xingyan did seem easier to reason with… my ass.

A group of male models walked upstairs one after another and stood in front of their booth. The line of eight-pack abs once again dazzled Jiang Mingyi and Pei Shiqing, practically making them drool.

Shen Xingyan narrowed his eyes, his gaze brushing past Jiang Mingyi’s briefly obsessed expression. He pointed at the model in the middle and said, “You. Come here.”

The male model, having been chosen, immediately flashed a charming smile. “Sir…”

“Go serve him,” Shen Xingyan said, pointing at Jiang Mingyi.

The male model paused for a moment, his gaze shifting from Shen Xingyan’s handsome face to the young man beside him. When he saw Jiang Mingyi’s exquisitely beautiful features, his smile grew even brighter.

In their line of work, the biggest dread was encountering unattractive clients. But today’s guests weren’t just generous—they were all strikingly good-looking.

Jiang Mingyi watched the tall, muscular man approach him, flexing his eight-pack abs, and his scalp tingled.

Especially when Shen Xingyan added, “Let me see how exactly you ‘play’ with a male model.”

At that moment, all thoughts of drooling vanished—Jiang Mingyi just wanted to cry.

How was he supposed to play?

He didn’t dare to play at all!

Pei Shiqing, watching from the side, instinctively scooted closer to his brother.

Wuwuwu—

Yi-bao’s brother was too scary. His own brother was way better, at least he wouldn’t pull this kind of crazy stunt.

Pei Mingyue felt him inch closer and frowned again. “You want to play too?”

“How could I?!” Pei Shiqing immediately switched to full survival mode. “I don’t like eight-pack abs or double-door fridges like that. They’re too buff—it’s terrifying just to look at them.”

“Oh really?” Pei Mingyue narrowed his eyes.

“Of course! I think your physique is the best, brother. Slim in clothes, muscular when shirtless—that’s a real man.”

Compliments spilled from Pei Shiqing’s mouth like a waterfall, accompanied by admiring eyes gazing up at Pei Mingyue.

His flattery slightly melted the icy look in Pei Mingyue’s eyes.

Shen Xingyan lounged back on the sofa, legs crossed, lazily watching the boy still struggling to escape. “Didn’t you want to play? Here’s your chance.”

His tone was casual, like he was saying, “Nice weather today, don’t you think?” But to Jiang Mingyi, it came down like a weighty threat.

He didn’t dare move. He hung his head and muttered, “Are you really letting me play with the model? Feels more like you want to play with me.”

Several pairs of eyes were fixed on him, with Xie Zhuoyan’s gaze being the most excited—it was clear he was enjoying the show.

Xie even considerately poured Shen Xingyan a glass of wine. The two clinked their glasses, as if waiting for Jiang Mingyi to act.

Jiang Mingyi clenched his eyes shut, made a bold decision, then suddenly pushed the male model away and, like a frightened puppy, dove into Shen Xingyan’s arms full of fear and grievance.

“Brother, I was wrong. I won’t think about male models ever again.”

His hands, tightly gripping Shen Xingyan’s collar, had turned pale. Tears streamed down his exquisitely pretty face as he looked up at the handsome and composed man before him with pitiful, tear-filled eyes.

“Male models aren’t fun at all. Really, they’re not.”

“I don’t want to play with male models.”

“Wuwuwu—”

When Jiang Mingyi threw himself into Shen Xingyan’s arms, it caused the wine in Shen Xingyan’s hand to spill slightly. Afraid it would get on the boy, he instinctively raised the glass higher.

A few drops of wine still landed on the hem of his clothes, though in the dim lighting, it wasn’t noticeable.

Hearing the boy’s pleading voice, the corners of Shen Xingyan’s lips curved ever so slightly. He noticed a little tuft of hair on top of the boy’s head sticking up and swaying as the boy moved, as if it, too, was begging for mercy.

A faint trace of amusement flickered in Shen Xingyan’s dark eyes. He resisted the urge to tug on that tuft and deliberately lowered his voice. “Why is it that I still don’t believe you?”

Because he’d lowered his head slightly, the two of them were now quite close. The little tuft swayed a few more times. Shen Xingyan managed to restrain his hands—but not his mouth.

Jiang Mingyi felt a warm breath brush across his forehead, soft and slightly ticklish.

The stubborn little tuft flicked back, matching the blank look on its owner’s face. In the end, Shen Xingyan gave in and smoothed down his hair.

It was just too distracting.

Jiang Mingyi had no idea what was going through his mind. He only felt a large, warm hand gently stroke him.

He blinked—was the man still angry, or not?

So, he pushed his luck further: “Brother, believe me, I can swear on my life.”

He was so eager that his last word even cracked a bit.

—

After leaving the bar, everyone went home separately.

Jiang Mingyi behaved perfectly, sitting upright and obediently in the car.

He gave Qin Hao, who was watching him through the rearview mirror, a sweet smile. But before Qin Hao could react, Shen Xingyan got into the car and flicked Jiang Mingyi on the forehead.

Jiang Mingyi covered his forehead and looked up at him in confusion.

“Shouldn’t you be buttering me up instead?”

The man’s voice was low and calm, with a barely detectable hint of amusement. His eyes, hidden in the dim cabin, made it hard to read his expression.

Jiang Mingyi blinked, saw the man looking at him, and immediately flashed him a sweet, eye-smiling grin. “You’re already so good to me, brother. If I flatter you any more, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle just how wonderful you are.”

“Talking nonsense,” Shen Xingyan glanced at him, then gestured for Qin Hao to start the car.

Qin Hao started the engine, and they soon left the parking lot.

The car was quiet for a few minutes. Jiang Mingyi was trying to guess Shen Xingyan’s mood when suddenly he heard him ask:

“Why were you so eager to mess with male models?”

Jiang Mingyi ducked his head shyly, thankful for the cover of darkness. He couldn’t just admit he was drooling over their bodies, right?

I mean, those abs! He didn’t have any himself, so wasn’t it only natural to want to at least enjoy them with his eyes—or hands?

But of course, that kind of thought had to stay buried in his heart. Outwardly, he remained solemn and said nonsense with a straight face:

“It wasn’t me who wanted to go—it was the twins. They said the performances at that bar were super captivating, and a lot of people go there because of that. I really didn’t know at first that there were male model shows.”

He emphasized the second half of the sentence, throwing the blame away with such seriousness that Shen Xingyan almost believed him.

Shen Xingyan’s lips curled faintly. The lights from the street flickered past, highlighting his sharp and handsome features.

“Aren’t you curious how I knew you’d be at that bar?” he asked.

“Ah?” Jiang Mingyi was momentarily stunned by what he heard.

Oh, right. How had he never thought of that question?

Then he heard those thin lips utter a sentence: “Wang Ma overheard you mumbling about going to see a male model show.”

“…”

Damn, so the mole was Wang Ma all along!

That meant all his vows and confident declarations were just lies that had been seen through at a glance.

When he looked up and met Shen Xingyan’s amused gaze, Jiang Mingyi felt a shiver run down his spine.

Good grief, had he been putting on a show for Shen Xingyan this whole night?

Shen Xingyan withdrew his gaze, his eyes calm. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll come to the company with me. Can’t have you running around all day unsupervised, engaging in borderline services.”

Jiang Mingyi was still trying to settle his inner turmoil, and upon hearing that, he panicked: “What do you mean by borderline services?”

He just wanted to book a male model and cop a feel—it wasn’t like he was doing that.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

“…”

Alright, maybe “cop a feel” did sound a bit inappropriate.

He had no way to argue, so he racked his brain for an excuse to reject the idea: “I… I can’t wake up early.”

A soft laugh echoed near his ear. He turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of the man’s perfectly sculpted side profile, half hidden in the dim car interior.

How could someone with such a flawless, 360-degree photogenic face say something so blunt?

Jiang Mingyi carefully observed his micro-expressions but saw nothing at all.

Just as he thought the man had accepted his lame excuse, and before he could even let out a sigh of relief, he heard a low voice whisper in his ear.

“Don’t worry. I’ll provide a wake-up service.”