ALCSRB Chapter 80

The next morning, when Jiang Mingyi woke up, he was completely exhausted.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he glared resentfully at Shen Xingyan, who had just finished washing up and was looking fresh and energetic. The sight made him grind his teeth in frustration.

Shen Xingyan paid no mind to the resentment radiating from his eyes. He walked over to a drawer and took out a few band-aids.

“Want me to stick one on?”

His gaze landed on Jiang Mingyi’s chest and neck—his meaning was obvious.

“No.”

Jiang Mingyi, thoroughly annoyed, grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him. The soft pillow didn’t hurt at all, and of course, Shen Xingyan didn’t bother dodging.

Thud—the pillow hit the floor with a muffled sound.

“One hit is not enough? Want a few more?” Shen Xingyan helpfully picked up the pillow and handed it back.

Jiang Mingyi pouted and said nothing.

With a sigh, Shen Xingyan put the pillow down and started unwrapping a band-aid.
“I’ll help you put it on.”

Jiang Mingyi slapped away the hand reaching toward him and glared furiously.
“Don’t think that just because you act all sweet afterward, I’ll let you off the hook for the crap you pulled.”

Look at him—yet again Shen Xingyan left marks all over his body last night.
How was he supposed to go out and face people like this?

And today of all days, he had to meet Pei Mingyue for something important—was he supposed to go looking like that, with these kinds of suggestive marks all over?

Shen Xingyan might be shameless, but he still had some dignity to uphold.

“It’s not that many—just two spots.”

He had already gone easy on him last night. Otherwise, there’s no way there’d be just two little marks. Could’ve been way worse.

But to Jiang Mingyi, hearing that was like stepping on a landmine.
“You don’t actually think it only counts as ‘a lot’ when I’m completely covered in your hickeys, do you?!”

His glare at that moment was murderously fierce—basically a warning: If you dare nod, I swear I’ll bite you.

Shen Xingyan’s lips curled into a smirk, gaze dark and intense.
Clearly, he did agree with that statement.

Jiang Mingyi: “……”

This relationship is unsustainable.

He got out of bed in a huff, ignoring Shen Xingyan’s attempts to speak to him, and locked himself in the bathroom.

Shen Xingyan didn’t know what exactly he was doing in there, but with all the clattering and rustling noises coming from inside, a trace of concern crept into his eyes.

“Babe, I was wrong.”

He knocked gently on the bathroom door, trying to coax him out.

The next second, Jiang Mingyi flung the door open, still full of rage.
“I’m never trusting you again.”

Welp.
This time, he’d really made him angry.

…

Su Wanxin was absolutely delighted today. Her eldest son was being so considerate—he not only served breakfast for his younger brother, but even peeled a boiled egg for him.

He was just one step away from feeding it to him bite by bite.

However…

“Xiao Yi, why aren’t you eating?”

Jiang Mingyi continued drinking his porridge, completely ignoring the boiled egg brought right up to his mouth. With a hint of distaste, he said, “I’ve had too many eggs lately. I’m worried my cholesterol will be too high.”

“You silly child—how could you possibly have high cholesterol at your age?”

Su Wanxin was amused by his words and laughed, completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere between the two brothers. Instead, she turned to Shen Jili, who was calmly eating breakfast beside her, and said, “Jili, your recent health report shows slightly elevated cholesterol. You should eat fewer eggs.”

The boiled egg that Shen Jili had just peeled was intercepted by Su Wanxin and went straight into her mouth.

Shen Jili: “…” I could’ve just eaten the egg white, you know.

Shen Xingyan glanced at the smooth, tender boiled egg, then looked at the boy beside him who refused to even glance his way. Silently, he retracted his hand and ate the egg himself.

After breakfast, the three men of the family headed out together.

Jiang Mingyi immediately slipped into Shen Jili’s car.
“Dad, I’m going to work with you today.”

Shen Jili was deeply moved.
“Great! Then today, Dad will personally drive you.”

Shen Xingyan watched the car drive off into the distance and then looked at the driver who’d been booted out of his own seat. He let out a heavy sigh.

The driver said, “Young Master, shall I drive today?”

“No need. Just treat today like a day off, Uncle Yu.”
With that, Shen Xingyan got in the car and drove off in pursuit.

By the time he reached the office building, the elevator doors were already slowly closing in front of him.

Staring at the smug smile disappearing behind those silver doors, all he could do was shake his head helplessly.

Shen Jili looked a bit puzzled.
“Why didn’t you wait for your brother?”

Then he looked at the reflection of his younger son in the elevator mirror—elegant and composed—and felt a surge of pride.

Especially today, dressed in a sharp business suit, with the shirt buttoned neatly all the way to the collar. He looked especially poised, like a proper elite.

His son, raised by him—Shen Jili—was truly different from the rest.

Jiang Mingyi reined in the smile at the corner of his lips and glanced at his reflection in the mirror.
“No big reason. He was just a step too late, and the elevator doors happened to close.”

Shen Jili thought about it and agreed.
“Then he can just take the next one.”

Once inside the chairman’s office, Jiang Mingyi sat with Shen Jili for a while, but soon grew bored.

After snacking a bit, he couldn’t sit still any longer.

Just as he stood up, Shen Jili called out to him,
“Bored already?”

His butt, which had just lifted off the seat, sat back down.
Jiang Mingyi pressed his lips together. “I’m fine.”

“You’ve never managed to sit still this long when you’ve come to the office before. If you’re bored, go stretch your legs a bit.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes lit up. “Okay! I’m off, then!”

He cheerfully stepped out of the office, bounding downstairs without a second thought.

The secretaries at the CEO’s office greeted him one after another.

Jiang Mingyi glanced toward the CEO’s office. Seeing the door tightly shut, he asked, “Is he… is my brother inside?”

One of the secretaries replied, “Assistant Qin just went in to report. Young Master, would you like to wait a moment?”

Jiang Mingyi pouted at that.

That guy actually had the nerve to keep working instead of coming to coax him?

Hmph! Stupid jerk.

He turned away in a huff, about to leave, when the office door opened from the inside.

Qin Hao had just stepped out and immediately spotted Jiang Mingyi. He called out to him.

Jiang Mingyi had no choice but to stop and turn back, only to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes staring straight at him through the crack in the door.

“The boss was just about to have me go find you. Perfect timing, Young Master,” Qin Hao said as he stepped aside, leaving the office door wide open and exposing the two to each other’s view.

At this point, walking away would seem like Jiang Mingyi was intentionally disrespecting Shen Xingyan. So, he reluctantly walked inside at a slow pace.

Once he entered, Qin Hao considerately closed the door behind him.

For a moment, the office was filled with silence as the two of them simply stared at each other.

After a few seconds, it was Shen Xingyan who spoke first: “Don’t be mad anymore. Why don’t you bite me a couple times to vent your anger?”

His slender fingers reached up and loosened his tie, then unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a stretch of his long neck. He pointed to his own neck and said, “Here, bite me.”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes landed on the pronounced Adam’s apple and visible veins. He froze for a few seconds.

“Who wants to bite you?” he said, turning his gaze away. The resentment from earlier in the morning had clearly faded from his tone. “I’m not like you, always going for people’s necks.”

Shen Xingyan chuckled and corrected him, “That’s called kissing.”

Jiang Mingyi wanted to say, “That was gnawing—like a dog with a bone that it refuses to let go of,” but the words felt way too suggestive, so he pursed his lips and said nothing.

Shen Xingyan walked up to him on his own initiative. Luckily, Jiang Mingyi didn’t shy away, so he took hold of the other’s hanging hand and gently wrapped it in his own.

Jiang Mingyi looked down at their clasped hands. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, another arm wrapped around his waist.

The next second, he heard Shen Xingyan seriously ask, “Then can I kiss you again?”

Jiang Mingyi: “…”

This man seriously doesn’t understand the meaning of the phrase pushing your luck!

Shen Xingyan added, “Not saying anything? I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You… mmph—!”

Jiang Mingyi’s eyes widened instantly—was he not even going to be allowed to speak?

He silently grumbled in his heart, but soon all his focus was pulled into Shen Xingyan’s exceedingly gentle kiss. Slowly, he began to respond.

Shen Xingyan curved his brows in satisfaction, thinking: He’s got a bit of a temper, but if you coax him right, he’s really easy to calm down.

By the time the kiss ended, Jiang Mingyi was already limp in Shen Xingyan’s arms, panting heavily. A faint blush bloomed across his fair cheeks, making him look so alluring that Shen Xingyan couldn’t help but give his cheek a light peck.

The kiss was tender and pure, but Jiang Mingyi still looked a little worried. He covered his cheek to stop Shen Xingyan from kissing him again.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t use any force. It won’t leave a mark,” Shen Xingyan reassured him, clearly knowing exactly what Jiang Mingyi was concerned about.

“Your words aren’t exactly trustworthy anymore.”

Jiang Mingyi shot him a sideways glance, but truthfully, he really did enjoy being kissed so gently by Shen Xingyan—it made him feel especially cherished.

—

Around noon, Shen Xingyan drove him to a Western restaurant.

When the two arrived, Pei Mingyue hadn’t shown up yet, so Shen Xingyan sat with Jiang Mingyi, chatting with him.

Jiang Mingyi quietly mulled over how he was going to tell Pei Mingyue the secret. His mood was a bit giddy with anticipation.

Shen Xingyan noticed how excited he looked and couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. “I really can’t stay for this?”

Jiang Mingyi tilted his head at him. “If you stay, doesn’t that make it a party of three?”

“Baby, do you even know the other meaning of a party of three?” Shen Xingyan flicked a finger against his head, his handsome face darkening visibly.

“…” An awkward beat passed, and then Jiang Mingyi quickly corrected himself. “What I meant was—it’s a lunch date with him, and having you there would be inappropriate.”

When Pei Mingyue arrived, he spotted the two of them from afar—Jiang Mingyi nestled beside Shen Xingyan—and his steps faltered.

As he got closer, his eyes lingered briefly on Jiang Mingyi before he silently raised a questioning brow at Shen Xingyan.

What the hell?

Wasn’t this lunch supposed to be with him? Were they here to feed him dog food instead?

Just then, Shen Xingyan stood up and greeted him. “You’re here—go ahead and take a seat.”

He gave Pei Mingyue a polite smile. Once Pei Mingyue was seated, he added, “Baby, you two eat first. Call me when you’re done, I’ll come pick you up.” Then he turned and left.

Pei Mingyue’s expression subtly shifted as he looked at Jiang Mingyi, who gave him a bashful smile. In a low voice, he asked, “What are you two up to?”

“Well…” Jiang Mingyi shrank a little under his cold stare, looking sheepish. “Actually, I asked my brother to invite you here.”

Pei Mingyue’s tone was flat. “You wanted to have lunch with me?”

“…” Jiang Mingyi was momentarily speechless. “Lunch isn’t the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“It’s like this,” Jiang Mingyi explained. “I have a secret I want to tell you. But I figured if I invited you in my own name, you probably wouldn’t take it seriously.”

“This secret is really important. I thought long and hard about it and felt I had to tell you.”

“You have to believe me,” he added quickly, afraid Pei Mingyue wouldn’t take him seriously. “What I’m saying is all true—truer than gold.”

Pei Mingyue’s voice was as cold and calm as ever. “Say what you have to say. I’ll judge its truth myself.”

Jiang Mingyi took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. “Before that, I need to confirm something first.”

He paused, then asked seriously, “Brother Pei, do you like Pei Shiqing? Not as a brother—I mean, do you love him like a lover?”