ALCSRB Chapter 6

After the birthday party ended, Su Wanxin warmly sent Jiang Mingyi off to Shen Xingyan’s car. Standing outside the window, she waved her hand and said, “Xiao Yi, your brother hasn’t come back for a long time. Keep him company and ride back with him.”

Then she pointed to another black sedan.
“Your dad drank too much. I have to take care of him. Ah Yan, I’m leaving Xiao Yi to you.”

She smiled so gently that Jiang Mingyi swallowed all the rejections that had reached his lips under her tender gaze.

Right now, he felt like a deflated balloon with all the air sucked out—stiff and lifeless, leaning against the car window.

There were only three people in this car: the young man named Qin Hao was driving, while Shen Xingyan and Jiang Mingyi sat side by side in the back.
There was enough space between them to fit two more people.

Jiang Mingyi looked utterly hopeless.
Just thinking about having to share half a bed with Shen Xingyan tonight made him want to bang his head against the window.

Streetlights outside cast their glow into the car through the window. Jiang Mingyi saw his own reflection in the dark glass—not very clear, but clear enough to make out his delicate features and his not-so-hard-looking head.
The thought of actually smashing his head into the window made him wonder if it would hurt like hell.
Just imagining it made Jiang Mingyi grimace.

Forget it, maybe banging his head could wait.

But he needed to find a way to undo his mom’s wonderful suggestion first.

Jiang Mingyi sneakily lifted his eyelids to glance at Qin Hao in the front, who seemed focused on driving and not paying attention to the backseat. He slowly turned his head.
Shen Xingyan seemed to have his eyes closed, dozing off.

Tsk, typical old man—already dozing off at this hour.

Young people like us don’t even get sleepy before midnight, and don’t sleep until 2 or 3 a.m.
But this old guy couldn’t even last until ten.

Pathetic.

No—old and pathetic.

After mentally dissing Shen Xingyan, Jiang Mingyi refocused on the problem.
What could he say to make the old man give up on the idea?

Though Shen Xingyan had his eyes closed, he could clearly sense the probing gaze next to him.
He didn’t need to guess to know who it was from.

“What are you staring at me for?” he suddenly asked in the quiet car.

Qin Hao glanced in the rearview mirror but kept driving silently.

Jiang Mingyi pursed his lips. Seeing that Shen Xingyan’s eyes were still closed, he pretended the question wasn’t directed at him.

Who’s staring at you? Hmph!

When no answer came, Shen Xingyan slowly opened his eyes—his deep black eyes looked especially dangerous under the flickering light and shadows.
That one look from him made Jiang Mingyi’s heart jump.
He instinctively turned his gaze away.

With a stammer, Jiang Mingyi muttered, “I… I was looking at you.”

Suddenly, a soft chuckle sounded.

Shen Xingyan: “Did I ask you?”

You didn’t ask me, then why ask why I was staring at you?

Jiang Mingyi’s nostrils flared slightly. The five fingers resting on the seat quietly curled into a fist.
He wanted to hit him—what should he do?

But the old man was taller and stronger than him. Would he just get knocked flat the moment he threw a punch?

Forget it.

Not worth it. He’d consider it as respecting the elderly.

Unaware that someone had mentally labeled him as “old,” Shen Xingyan looked at the boy’s sulking face with amusement. Though tempted to poke his cheek, he held back.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”

With a smile on his lips, he said, “I spent over ten hours on a plane today. I came straight from the airport to your birthday party. Even though I couldn’t fully attend it, I still want to say—happy birthday.”

The car fell into silence for a few seconds.
Then, in a crisp, light voice, the boy replied, “Oh.”

Seeing that Shen Xingyan was still looking at him, Jiang Mingyi reluctantly added, “Thanks.”
He hung his head, eyes drifting toward the seat in front of him, clearly distracted.
He thought to himself: Stingy guy. Only said ‘happy birthday’ with your mouth, didn’t even bring me a gift. Obviously not sincere about attending my birthday party.

The dappled light from outside the window fell across the boy’s long, curled eyelashes, fluttering slightly—as if silently complaining about how casually the man treated his birthday.

A large hand landed on top of his head. Jiang Mingyi froze for a second before hearing the man’s deep voice next to his ear.
“I’ll make up for your birthday gift in a couple of days.”

So perfunctory again… why a couple of days?

Jiang Mingyi pouted but didn’t say it aloud. He only murmured a soft “Oh.”

The hand on his head withdrew. Jiang Mingyi turned his head to glance at him.
It was the second time tonight that Shen Xingyan had touched his head.

Jiang Mingyi had always hated people touching that part of him. A man’s head was like a tiger’s backside—untouchable. But strangely, both times, he hadn’t reacted much.

He felt annoyed with himself. He opened his mouth, about to say don’t touch my head again.

But Shen Xingyan had already closed his eyes again, his voice low and slightly hoarse:
“I’m going to rest a bit. Wake me up when we get home.”

The words got stuck in Jiang Mingyi’s throat. He glared at the man resting with his eyes closed, angrily picking at his phone case, making faint clicking sounds.

When the car stopped at the villa gate, Jiang Mingyi didn’t wake Shen Xingyan.
Because Shen Xingyan opened his eyes the moment the car came to a halt.

After the short rest, he looked much more refreshed.
The two of them got out of the car one after the other, and Qin Hao drove off.

Jiang Mingyi followed behind Shen Xingyan, when he suddenly remembered something important he had forgotten.
Just as he was about to step fully into the house, inspiration struck. He quickly raised his phone and pretended to answer a call.

Hearing the noise behind him, Shen Xingyan stopped in his tracks and turned to see the boy with his back to him, talking on the phone.

The pure white shirt wrapped around the boy’s slender upper body, his waist so thin it could be held with one hand. The shirt accentuated it perfectly. His legs were long and straight, making his whole demeanor appear refined and especially easy on the eyes.

Jiang Mingyi tried hard to ignore the gaze from behind, forcing himself to stay calm as he said, “I just got home. What? You guys want to celebrate just for me?”

Inside, he was secretly delighted: Heh heh heh, I’m seriously too clever.

Out loud, he continued, “No need for you to pick me up, I’ll come by myself.”

It seemed the person on the other end said something, and Jiang Mingyi replied, “No worries, my family doesn’t really care what I do. Besides, I’m an adult now. Just meeting up with some friends—what could possibly happen?”

Hearing this, Shen Xingyan raised an eyebrow slightly.

He walked over to Jiang Mingyi’s side and lightly patted him, then pointed at the phone with a finger.

Jiang Mingyi, still thinking about what line to say next, was caught off guard by the gesture.

Shen Xingyan said, “Let me say a few words.” —meaning he wanted to speak to the person on the phone.

Jiang Mingyi grabbed the phone in a flash.
“That’s not necessary, you don’t even know them.”

What a joke, his phone had already run out of battery a while ago. If he really handed it over to Shen Xingyan, wouldn’t that be the ultimate embarrassment — he’d just die of awkwardness on the spot.

“Oh? And as your older brother, I’m not allowed to know what kind of friends you have?” Shen Xingyan looked at him with a half-smile, his eyes seeming to see right through him, inside and out.

Jiang Mingyi let out a couple of dry laughs, “My friends are all spoiled rich kids—I just didn’t want to dirty your noble ears.”

Shen Xingyan’s gaze fell on his fair ears, and with a smile, said, “Then put it on speaker.”

Speaker mode wasn’t an option.

Jiang Mingyi put on an act and said, “I’ll just let them know real quick… oh no, the phone’s out of battery.”

He held up the already shut-down phone for Shen Xingyan to see. “Look, I didn’t even get to finish what I was saying.” Then he glared at Shen Xingyan, as if blaming him for cutting the call short.

Shen Xingyan took out his own phone, “Use mine to call them back.”

Can you not give it a rest already?

Jiang Mingyi was fuming.

He pulled an exasperated face and said, “I don’t remember the number.”

Let’s see what else you’ve got.

“That’s easy.” Shen Xingyan put away his phone and called toward the door, “Aunt Wang, bring a charger for the young master.”

Tch, you win this round.

Jiang Mingyi mentally flipped him off with the international hand sign.

Also, Aunt Wang —when did you get to the door?!

Aunt Wang heard the call and responded, “Young master’s phone is dead? I’ll go get the charger right away.”

She turned and briskly headed back inside.

Jiang Mingyi really wanted to stop her, but seeing her determined steps and urgency, he felt completely helpless.

“Let’s head inside,” Shen Xingyan said as he walked in. “Once it’s charged, I’ll have a look at what kind of people you hang out with.”

At this point, Jiang Mingyi straight-up threw hand signs at his back.

One wasn’t enough—he threw two.

But just as he raised both hands, the man in front suddenly turned around, scaring Jiang Mingyi so much he nearly dropped his phone.

As the phone slipped from his hands, by sheer reflex he lifted his foot.

Whoosh—the phone flew out.

Smack! It landed right in front of Shen Xingyan.

“Ah—”

“My phone—”

Watching the screen shatter into a spiderweb pattern, it felt as if his heart had broken along with it.

Poor baby was aggrieved.
Poor baby really wanted to cry.

A face full of sorrow slowly lifted under the moonlight.
The pale white moonlight cast a cold glow on the boy’s porcelain skin, adding a touch of chill to his appearance.

Jiang Mingyi glared fiercely at the “culprit.”

Shen Xingyan met the boy’s mournful eyes, filled with the silent accusation of “It’s all your fault,” and his brows gradually furrowed.
In the end, he let out a low sigh.

“I’ll ask Qin Hao to bring over a new phone,” he said, dialing a number on his phone.

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes now locked onto his phone, his thoughts turning dark—I really want his phone to die alongside mine.

After giving instructions, Shen Xingyan hung up and bent down to pick up the shattered phone.
“It’s already broken. Might as well just replace it.”

“Hmph.” Jiang Mingyi rushed over and snatched the phone back.
“Cold-blooded and heartless.”

Shen Xingyan: “…”

“Don’t you know people have feelings?” Jiang Mingyi caressed the cracks on the screen.
“It was with me for 180 whole days before meeting this tragic end. How could I just throw it away?”

A short life is still a life.

“So?”

Qin Hao returned quickly.
At the same time, Su Wanxin and Shen Jili also arrived at the villa.
The three met at the entrance.

Qin Hao greeted the two and went straight into the house.

Shen Jili, eyes hazy from drinking, muttered, “Since when did our son become so mature?”
With his glasses on, he actually looked quite decent.

Su Wanxin gave him a side glance.
“That’s not your son. That’s your son’s assistant.”

“Wow, our little treasure even has an assistant now? Impressive! No wonder he’s my son!” Shen Jili patted his chest, full of pride.

“That’s your eldest son’s assistant,” Su Wanxin said, not bothering to explain to her drunken husband anymore. She just had the driver help him inside.

In the living room, Jiang Mingyi sat with a sullen, handsome face, glaring fiercely at Shen Xingyan.
The moment Shen Jili and Su Wanxin walked in, he immediately put on a pitiful expression.
“Mom, Dad, my phone got smashed!”

Shen Jili suddenly straightened his back.
“Who’s the bastard that did it?”

Everyone in the living room turned to look at Jiang Mingyi.

Jiang Mingyi: “…”

He pressed his lips together, indicating that he didn’t want to talk to any of them anymore.

Thankfully, Assistant Qin was reliable—he even knew how to fix phones.

At that moment, the dependable Assistant Qin put down the charger Aunt Wang had given him, held up the broken phone, and said, “It can’t be fixed. Just replace it with a new one.”

Jiang Ming immediately took back his earlier thought about Qin Hao being reliable. This guy was just as unreliable as Shen Xingyan.

“I’ve had a revolutionary friendship with it for 180 days,” he said.
“It’s not something you can just replace on a whim.”

Qin Hao directly unboxed a new phone.
“I can transfer your old data over.”

Jiang Mingyi blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Half an hour later, Jiang Mingyi was holding a new phone that had all the data from his old phone perfectly backed up.

That was it?

That easy?

Qin Hao, having completed his task, left without another word.

Jiang Mingyi watched his back with reluctant admiration.

After drinking Aunt Wang’s specially made hangover tea, Shen Jili felt much more clear-headed.

Seeing the expression in his youngest son’s eyes, he said, “Is Assistant Qin very capable?”

Jiang Mingyi nodded vigorously.

Shen Jili smiled.
“Too bad he belongs to your older brother.”

Jiang Mingyi grinned.
“Dad, I can just buy him over with money.”

“Oh, then you’d better have a lot of money.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your brother is paying him ten million a year…”

Jiang Mingyi gasped.

“…and gave him ten percent shares in his group.”

Jiang Mingyi nearly choked on his breath, his big peach blossom eyes widening.

“Your brother’s done very well for himself overseas these past few years,” Shen Jili pointed to the eldest son sitting on the other side of the sofa and lowered his voice.
“Your brother is really rich.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes grew even wider.

Shen Jili cleared his throat and straightened his back.
“But no matter how rich he is, he can’t compare to his old man.”

Jiang Mingyi looked at him with adoring eyes.
“Wow, Dad, you’re still the best.”

“Of course I am.” Shen Jili laughed heartily.

Shen Xingyan lifted his eyelids and glanced at them. Then he said calmly, “Xiao Yi, your phone’s ready. Call your friends, don’t keep them waiting.”

Jiang Mingyi’s smile froze on his face.

Shen Jili asked, “What friends?”

Jiang Mingyi had no choice but to stick to his earlier lie.
“Some friends wanted to give me a private birthday celebration.”

At that moment, Su Wanxin walked over, followed by Aunt Wang, who carried a few late-night dishes and laid them in front of the three of them.

Su Wanxin asked, “Didn’t all your friends already come to your birthday party?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Mingyi forced a laugh, “so I decided not to let them celebrate with me separately anymore.”

He picked up a night snack and took a small bite. “Aunt Wang, your cooking is amazing.”

Aunt Wang smiled.
“If young master likes it, there’s more in the kitchen.”

Shen Xingyan also started eating his late-night meal. A moment later, he spoke again, “No need to cancel. I’ll take you there later.”

Upon hearing that, the snack in Jiang Mingyi’s hand instantly lost its flavor.

“No need to trouble you… Brother.”

Shen Xingyan quickly finished his food, put down his bowl, and smiled warmly.
“It’s no trouble. Taking care of my little brother is the right thing to do.”

In the end, Jiang Mingyi didn’t go out.

He didn’t dare let Shen Xingyan actually drive him, so he sighed and went upstairs.

Shen Xingyan followed behind him into the room.

“…..
Why did you come in?”

Shen Xingyan pointed downstairs.
“Mom said we should sleep together tonight. Did you forget?”

Jiang Mingyi frowned deeply—he definitely didn’t want to remember that tragic arrangement.

Shen Xingyan looked at his face full of rejection (though he didn’t dare say it outright) and chuckled.

He walked toward the bathroom, loosening his tie as he went.
“I’m going to take a shower. Aunt Wang will bring over my change of clothes later, so be a dear and bring them in for me.”

When he got to the bathroom door, he pointed at the lock.
“Don’t worry, I won’t lock the door. And I don’t mind if you come in without knocking.”

Jiang Mingyi really wanted to roll his eyes.

You make it sound like I want to sneak a peek or something.
Is your body that amazing?
Who even cares?

The next second, Shen Xingyan had already taken off his shirt, revealing a lean, toned upper body.

His black suit pants hung loosely around his waist, and from Jiang Mingyi’s angle, he could faintly see abs and the defined V-line.

Even the muscles on his back highlighted his distinct masculine charm.

Shen Xingyan turned his head, the corners of his mouth curving up.
“Does it look good?”

Gulp.

Jiang Mingyi instinctively licked his lips.