ALCSRB Chapter 50

Jiang Mingyi instantly regretted saying that. It sounded so much like he was trying to cover something up. Just as he was spiraling into embarrassment, Shen Xingyan called his name, and he instinctively looked up.

His long eyelashes fluttered slightly, trying to hide the nervous flutter in his chest. His black eyes were clear but carried a trace of innocent confusion.

Meeting that gaze, Shen Xingyan paused. When he spoke again, his tone had shifted.

He lightly tapped the corner of Jiang Mingyi’s lips and said calmly, “You’ve got some sauce on your mouth.”

“Oh.”

Jiang Mingyi quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe it off.

The pure white tissue brushed over his slightly flushed lips. The stark contrast of color was eye-catching, almost tantalizing.

But Shen Xingyan only allowed himself to look for a second before forcibly pulling his gaze away and lowering his head to continue eating.

By the time Shen Jili finished changing clothes and came to join them for dinner with Su Wanxin, the two boys had already finished eating.

Jiang Mingyi gave them a quick greeting, then went straight upstairs.

He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Shen Xingyan’s gaze just now had been different. Not obviously so—just subtly… off.

Those same deep, dark eyes, yet for a fleeting moment, there’d been an emotion he couldn’t quite understand.

He lay on the bed, quietly thinking back—especially to that moment just now when Shen Xingyan called out to him. That look on his face, as if he wanted to say something but held back… It really didn’t feel like he just wanted to tell him there was food on his lips.

His fingertip brushed lightly over the corner of his mouth. His own hand was soft and smooth, a completely different sensation compared to when Shen Xingyan touched him.

“Touching yourself doesn’t feel like anything,” he muttered in disappointment, getting up from the bed and heading into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and asked, “Then why does it feel like an electric shock when he touches me?”

The smooth surface of the mirror reflected his confused expression, and those beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with the same bewilderment.

After a long time, still without an answer, Jiang Mingyi walked out of the bathroom with heavy steps.

In the middle of the night, a bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the pitch-black sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that seemed to split the heavens in two.

Not long after, large raindrops began pounding against the windows, washing away the summer heat.

Jiang Mingyi was startled awake by the storm and didn’t sleep soundly the entire night.

The next morning, the sky was once again a clear, brilliant blue.

While eating breakfast, Shen Jili asked him, “Do you want to come to the office with Dad today?”

Jiang Mingyi peeked at Shen Xingyan, who was quietly eating his breakfast, and replied, “Not today. I made plans with Pei Shiqing.”

“That rascal from the Pei family, huh? You two are really two peas in a pod—ow! Honey, why’d you hit me?” Shen Jili turned toward Su Wanxin.

Su Wanxin shot him a sharp look. “Mind your words.”

Only then did Shen Jili realize that his younger son was glaring at him with visible annoyance. He quickly backtracked, “Dad misspoke—what I meant was, you two have great chemistry. Like… uh… a perfect duet…”

“Forget it, Dad. Just stop talking,” Jiang Mingyi sighed helplessly. What kind of nonsense is that supposed to be?

After breakfast, Shen Jili went to work in Shen Xingyan’s car, while the chauffeur drove Jiang Mingyi to a large shopping mall in the city center.

As he got out, Jiang Mingyi wasn’t sure when he’d be heading back, so he told the driver to go for now.

The driver nodded. “Just give me a call when you’re ready to head home, young master. I’ll come pick you up.”

Even though it was a weekday, the mall was bustling with people because of summer vacation. Most of the crowd was young people coming and going.

Jiang Mingyi took the elevator up. He and Pei Shiqing had agreed to meet at a dessert shop.

As soon as he walked in, he saw someone waving at him. He quickly quickened his pace and walked over.

“Why are you here so early?” Jiang Mingyi asked curiously as soon as he sat down. “Usually I’m the one waiting for you.”

Pei Shiqing had already ordered a drink and was sipping it through a straw, his tone cheerful. “My brother dropped me off.”

There was another cup of orange juice on the table that had been ordered in advance. Jiang Mingyi reached out for it, but as soon as he heard that sentence, his hand trembled and nearly spilled the drink.

He quickly steadied the cup, but that strange feeling started bubbling up inside him again.

Frowning slightly, he glanced at Pei Shiqing’s bright and carefree smile and blurted out, “Do you really like your brother that much?”

Bang!

The entire drink spilled across the table.

Pei Shiqing jumped up from his chair, his hand that had been holding the cup now trembling uncontrollably—just like his slender body.

Even Jiang Mingyi was startled by his reaction. Seeing the drink had splashed onto Pei Shiqing’s pants, he quickly pulled out some tissues and handed them over.

“I was just speaking offhand, you didn’t have to react like that…”

He trailed off, eyes locked on Pei Shiqing, who was avoiding his gaze. A realization began to take root in his heart.

“I… I was just startled by you,” Pei Shiqing said while wiping the wet stain on his pants. Even though his lowered lashes hid his emotions, his trembling hands betrayed his panic and confusion.

Soon, a waiter came over and cleaned the table. Jiang Mingyi ordered him a new drink.

He then sat down next to Pei Shiqing, lowering his voice, “So you really…”

Before he could finish, his mouth was abruptly covered by a hand.

Pei Shiqing’s handsome face flushed red, and his long, pretty phoenix eyes were full of anxiety. “Don’t say it.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes widened, taking in every bit of his expression and reaction. His pupils trembled—his heart utterly shaken.

—

Jiang Mingyi didn’t ask anything further. Noticing how distracted Pei Shiqing was, he told him to head home early.

He himself wandered aimlessly around the first floor of the mall for a long time before finally calling a cab and asking to be taken to the Shen Group.

The whole ride there, he was replaying the original novel’s plot, trying to recall anything about Pei Shiqing.

The original story was told from the main couple’s perspective. After Bai Yumo was acknowledged and brought back into the Pei family, the author barely mentioned Pei Shiqing again. It was only briefly noted later that the “fake young master” couldn’t bear the pain of his identity being false, fell into depression, and eventually took his own life.

Jiang Mingyi didn’t know what had led Pei Shiqing into that depression, but he remembered one tiny detail—so small it was almost negligible.

Around that time, something seemed to have happened in the Pei family. Not long after Bai Yumo returned, the Pei family publicly announced an engagement between Pei Mingyue and another powerful family.

…

The cab stopped in front of the Shen Group building. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror at the young man in the backseat. Seeing that he was frowning deeply, the driver finally spoke up: “Sir, we’ve arrived.”

Jiang Mingyi snapped out of his thoughts as if waking from a dream. He paid the fare and got out of the car, striding quickly toward the building.

As soon as the receptionist saw him, she could tell he was there to see President Shen, and considerately pressed the elevator button for him.

Jiang Mingyi entered the elevator in silence. Watching the numbers climb floor by floor felt like watching the unease in his heart grow and swell. Finally, with a ding, the elevator doors opened—and his heart thudded hard in his chest.

Qin Hao happened to be walking by and bumped right into the absentminded Jiang Mingyi.

“Young Master.”

That calm, indifferent voice snapped Jiang Mingyi back to reality. He immediately grabbed Qin Hao’s hand and dragged him into a corner.

Not far away, a secretary caught a glimpse of someone pulling Assistant Qin away and asked a colleague curiously, “Did someone just pull Qin Hao aside just now?”

The colleague was surprised for a second. “You’ve probably been staring at your screen too long—seeing things. With Assistant Qin’s build, who could possibly drag him off?”

The secretary thought for a moment.
“I don’t think I was seeing things. That person looked a bit like Young Master Jiang.”

Just as she finished speaking, she looked up—and met a pair of deep, calm black eyes.

Qin Hao glanced down at the hand Jiang Mingyi had planted on the wall beside him, his expression unreadable.
“Weren’t you here to see the boss, Young Master?”

“I was going to ask him something,” Jiang Mingyi replied seriously, completely unaware that he had just kabedon’d Qin Hao into the corner, “but then I realized… maybe you’re the more suitable person to ask.”

“What would Young Master like to know?” Qin Hao asked calmly.

Jiang Mingyi lowered his head and hesitated for a second.
“Uh… so, I have this friend…”

“Mm. And what about your friend?”

“Well, he’s really close with his older brother. Like, really close—so close it’s kind of ambiguous…” Jiang Mingyi began, then trailed off, realizing how awkward the question was. He glanced at Qin Hao meaningfully. “You know what I mean?”

Qin Hao nodded mildly.
“Young Master is asking if they’re in an incestuous relationship?”

Jiang Mingyi froze, stunned by how blunt he was, and hurriedly explained, “They’re not real brothers!”

Qin Hao nodded again.
“Got it.”

Ah, the classic ‘I have a friend’ scenario. As expected.

Jiang Mingyi let out a sigh of relief and continued,
“I always thought they were just close, like really good brothers. So them being clingy didn’t seem weird. But recently, my friend overate, and his brother started massaging his stomach to help with digestion. That’s when I realized—something about their vibe was way too suggestive.”

Qin Hao nodded along.
“If they’re not children, then yeah—between adults, that’s definitely not normal.”

“You think so too, right?” Jiang Mingyi sighed deeply. “At the time I didn’t think much of it, but looking back, there’s no way brothers should be that lovey-dovey. They were acting like an actual couple.”

“Hm. Even most couples wouldn’t be that attentive,” Qin Hao added.

“Exactly. So I tried testing the waters today… and turns out, my friend really does like his brother.”

Now Jiang Mingyi was stuck in a dilemma—should he tell Pei Shiqing that he and Pei Mingyue weren’t actually blood-related?

If Pei Mingyue only saw him as a younger brother and didn’t feel the same, their brotherly relationship would fall apart completely.

But if he said nothing, he couldn’t stand watching Pei Shiqing pine away in a hopeless crush.

Either way, he just felt really bad for Pei Shiqing.

Sigh. What a headache.

Qin Hao had no idea what internal storm Jiang Mingyi was battling. He simply said,
“Well, if he likes him, he could just confess.”

“You don’t get it,” Jiang Mingyi sighed. “If he confesses and gets rejected, wouldn’t that just crush him?”

Qin Hao furrowed his brows.
“Then Young Master, I mean… your friend could try testing the waters a bit more first.”

“Testing?”

“You could try being more intimate than usual and see how the other person reacts.”

“You mean?” Jiang Mingyi’s furrowed brow eased slightly.

“Like accidentally kissing him.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes lit up instantly. He remembered Pei Shiqing saying that he and his brother had never kissed. So, what if one day they accidentally did?

This suggestion wasn’t bad. He had to jot it down.

“Anything else?”

Seeing the bright, spirited look in his eyes—so different from his earlier gloom—Qin Hao sighed and continued, “Mutual assistance.”

At first, Jiang Mingyi didn’t quite understand what he meant. When realization hit, a flush immediately spread across his fair face.

“That… is that really necessary?” He was so flustered his voice trembled.

“It helps determine whether the other person is repulsed by the same sex.”

Jiang Mingyi frowned a little—it sort of made sense.

Noted. Definitely noted.

“Assistant Qin, you’re really knowledgeable. I think these two points should be enough for a while.”
He thought about Pei Shiqing’s thin skin—just one kiss might take him a good chunk of time to mentally prepare for.

Qin Hao maintained a serious expression. “It’s my honor to assist Young Master.”

“Then I’ll go prepare.”

Jiang Mingyi, feeling much lighter, walked away with a spring in his step. He waved at Qin Hao before heading to the elevator.

The elevator doors opened, then slowly closed.

From around the corner, Shen Xingyan stepped out, locking eyes with Qin Hao.

“Boss, you heard it all.”

Shen Xingyan gave a faint “Mm.”
His dark eyes were flooded with an emotion so deep, so carefully hidden.

When he heard those questions come from Jiang Mingyi’s own mouth, he was shaken to his core.

He had hesitated for so long, hidden his feelings so deeply—only to realize that he wasn’t the only one who’d been secretly in love.