AD Chapter 18

When Shen Du received Qin Yi’s call, he was bored and had just turned on his computer, preparing to play a game.

Answering the phone was instinctive. He didn’t think he would pick it up so quickly, but his hand just wouldn’t listen.

“What’s up?”

“Are you busy?” Qin Yi’s voice sounded a bit hollow, as if coming from somewhere distant.

“Yeah.”

Shen Du manipulated the mouse, clicked on the accelerator, and predicted his next words: “Busy playing games.”

“…”

Shen Du didn’t know if he was being watched by his brother for fun, but he always felt that if someone called out of the blue, it wasn’t for anything good. So, when Qin Yi suggested coming over to hang out, he paused for a moment.

It just didn’t seem like it would be that simple.

“What are we playing?” he asked.

“Just come over first.”

Qin Yi said this with a look of expectation and encouragement from Lu Ning, “We’ve booked a small suite.”

A suite?

It didn’t sound like a serious place.

Shen Du quickly caught the flaw in his words: “You guys?”

“Yeah,” Qin Yi replied, “Me and my friend.”

“You and your friend can play. Whether I go or not doesn’t matter, right?”

Shen Du put the phone on speaker and tossed it on the table. “What’s there to do in a suite?”

“Everything.”

Qin Yi’s voice dropped, carrying a hint of temptation: “As long as you want.”

“…”

Why did it sound so strange?

Unaware of the boy’s thoughts, Qin Yi continued, “Are you coming?”

The internet at home was acting up again, constantly disconnecting. Even with the accelerator on, the game interface was lagging.

Shen Du just closed the client.

Qin Yi was still waiting for his answer. When Shen Du didn’t speak, neither did he.

After a brief silence, Shen Du turned off his computer and casually said, “I’ll come.”

He swore it was because the internet was bad and he couldn’t play the game, not because he actually wanted to go.

After hanging up, Qin Yi looked up and immediately met several eager, inquisitive eyes.

Lu Ning, who was closest to him, eagerly asked, “He agreed?”

Qin Yi glanced at him. “Yeah.”

His tone carried a smile.

Lu Ning immediately clapped his hands. “Great, great! As long as he agreed!”

After clapping, he started to worry for no reason, walking back and forth with his hands behind his back. “What do we do now? It’s the first time meeting him, and we didn’t prepare any gifts. Is it too abrupt?”

Then he started nitpicking. “Are there enough things here? Should I ask someone to bring more?”

“And you guys.”

He looked at his brothers, who were all looking like decent people, and said seriously, “Be careful what you say. Think before you speak. Don’t be like at home and scare him.”

“Especially you, Cheng Qi.”

Cheng Qi, who was called out, said, “Huh?”

“No,” Lu Ning said, “I don’t get it. What’s wrong with me?”

“When he comes, don’t joke around too much. Keep your wild ways in check.”

“You—” Cheng Qi was about to argue, but was interrupted.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Fang Zhaoyi interrupted, glaring at him. “Don’t deflect, just own it. Don’t you know what you’re like?”

Cheng Qi shot back without hesitation, “What? Am I wrong? You’re not like that?”

“Hey, I’m telling you—”

“Alright,” Zheng Qing stepped in to mediate, holding one hand on each of them. “You two always argue when you’re together. Can you not fight for once?”

“It wasn’t me who started it,” Fang Zhaoyi rolled his eyes.

Zheng Qing helplessly looked at the real culprit. “You too, Qin Yi hasn’t said anything, why are you so worked up?”

Lu Ning shook his head. “How do you know Qin Yi didn’t want to say something first?”

“I just beat him to it.”

Zheng Qing turned to Qin Yi, who was sitting nearby. “What do you think? Do you feel the same?”

Qin Yi, looking down at his phone, casually replied, “No need to be too formal.”

It was Saturday, and the streets were crowded with people, the weather hot. Qin Yi had originally planned to drive over to pick him up, but Shen Du found it too much trouble with the back-and-forth and refused. He asked for the address and decided to take a taxi instead.

Qin Yi’s address was in the eastern part of the city, across half of Yunshan, and the ride would take about half an hour.

It was still a bit far.

So, the reason this person hadn’t been home these past few days wasn’t because he went out of town.

Shen Du knew that Qin Yi had many properties in Yunshan, but this was his first time seeing one.

He got into the car, sent Qin Yi a message, and remembered the live stream he had promised. He logged back into Weibo.

@AnIdealPerson’sWeibo: Unexpected situation, I have to go out with friends, can’t stream. Let’s chat for 30 minutes.

【This is so sudden, I’ve been waiting for so long QAQ】

【@AnIdealPerson’sWeibo: Yeah, it was sudden, I just got the call】

【What’s Shen-sama been up to lately? When will you sign with an MCN? I really want to watch your streams every day…】

【@AnIdealPerson’sWeibo: I’ve been doing a summer job, a bit busy, no time for streaming. Not signing with an MCN, I want to be independent.】

【Who are you going out with? Your girlfriend?】

【@AnIdealPerson’sWeibo: Not a girlfriend.】

【What are you going to play? Is it a murder mystery game? There’s one that’s really popular recently. If Shen-sama is going, I recommend this one.】

【@AnIdealPerson’sWeibo: He didn’t say what we’re playing, but I’ll remember this name and check it out when I have time.】

【T.T Husband, where are you going? Why don’t you reply to me?】

【Exactly, you replied to others but not me.】

【Ahhhhh, which fairy took you away? I’m going to cross over and kill them!】

【Can you stream later tonight? I really want to watch, husband T.T】

The car stopped in front of a mansion, with white walls and red tiles, looking quite impressive.

Sitting in the car, looking at his phone, Shen Du felt dizzy. When his feet touched the ground, it felt like stepping on cotton, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to fall.

The ride had been really uncomfortable.

The air was stifling, and even the breeze felt hot and humid. It looked like it might rain tonight.

Shen Du took out his phone and sent a message to Qin Yi. He typed halfway, but not wanting to wait, he decided to send a voice message instead.

“I’ve arrived. Where are you?”

“Why didn’t you message me earlier? Wait for me a bit, I’ll come out to meet you.”

The heat was unbearable, and Shen Du started sweating after just a short wait. He didn’t want to stay outside for too long, so he said, “I’ll go in first.”

After hanging up, Qin Yi exited Weibo, grabbed a bottle of water, and stood up to head out. Lu Ning, who had been eyeing him closely since he answered the phone, immediately volunteered, raising his hand. “I’ll go with you!”

Qin Yi lowered his eyes, about to speak, but Zheng Qing came over and pulled Lu Ning away. “Enough, stop making a fuss. You’ll see the person when they arrive. What’s the point of rushing?”

He hadn’t been back in the country for too long and hadn’t seen his brothers get involved in relationships, so his curiosity was piqued. Especially with Qin Yi, who, since coming out, rarely showed interest in any guy. Back in school, he always seemed indifferent to romance.

Having never experienced this, he was acting overly excited. But after hearing Zheng Qing’s reminder, he finally realized, “Right, I’ll go over in a bit. Don’t scare the person. Alright, Qin Yi, you go first, we’ll wait for you.”

He even made a gesture of encouragement.

Fang Zhaoyi and Cheng Qi exchanged an eye-roll in perfect synchrony.

“Don’t be too deliberate, just act normal.”

Qin Yi shoved his hands in his pockets, his sharp jawline accentuated. Just before leaving, he tossed a line over his shoulder, “Don’t worry, I won’t scare him.”

The lobby of the mansion was spacious, with a ceiling that was two stories high and a lavish crystal chandelier hanging in the middle. Shen Du was led inside by a waiter and sat down on a leather sofa nearby.

The waiter was a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner, who rambled on in a foreign language. When he saw Shen Du’s confused expression, he switched to broken Chinese: “Hello, may I help you with something?”

Shen Du waved his hand, saying, “No, I’m waiting for someone.”

He had only been to places like this when accompanying Yao Meiyuan and Shen Fushan for social events. People who came here were either rich or noble.

The person Qin Yi was bringing him to meet probably wasn’t an ordinary friend.

After the waiter left, Qin Yi arrived shortly after. He was dressed in a white shirt, suit pants, and black leather shoes, with a belt around his waist that looked understated yet luxurious.

“How long have you been waiting?” Qin Yi handed him the water.

Shen Du had only played Snake for less than five minutes and had just started getting into it.

“Not long.” The snake crashed into a wall, and Shen Du put down his phone, looking up, momentarily stunned.

He glanced at the mansion’s sign on the wall, then looked at the sky outside the glass window.

Hmm… It’s still bright outside.

Qin Yi’s hand was still extended. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Du blinked quickly, took the water, and said, “Nothing.”

“Boss Qin, you and your friend, you’re not short on money, right?”

“?”

Qin Yi immediately understood what he was thinking, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not scamming students.”

Shen Du took a sip of water, cleared his throat seriously, and puffed out his chest. “Don’t judge me, I’ve got money.”

“Mm.”

Qin Yi casually responded, “You can’t afford me, I don’t take clients.”

“…”

Shen Du choked for a moment. What’s wrong with this guy?

On the way to the suite, they passed by elite-looking people, dressed neatly with sharp eyes. Even ordinary-looking items, if asked about the price, started at five digits.

It definitely didn’t seem like the kind of place for a club.

Mostly, it was Qin Yi’s face that was deceiving.

As they walked together, people passing by turned their heads and stared at them several times.

The boy was casually dressed in a short T-shirt and shorts, with only his shoes being the expensive part. He was young and somewhat naive, which made him stand out among the more sophisticated crowd.

So, when Fang Zhaoyi and the others saw Shen Du in person in the room, they all fell silent.

Cheng Qi even opened his mouth and quietly whispered to Lu Ning, “Lao Qin is a beast!”

Shen Du didn’t expect there to be five other people in the room, all looking impeccably dressed.

He turned to confirm, “Are these all your friends?”

Qin Yi didn’t answer, but it was clear from his silence that it was a yes.

Shen Du nodded, understanding.

Actually, his family wasn’t poor, and he had dealt with the young masters of wealthy families before.

“I’m Shen Du, nice to meet you.”

The boy’s eyes were clear, completely out of place in this luxurious, hedonistic environment. Although he tried hard to appear mature and composed, anyone with a discerning eye could tell he was inexperienced.

He was still a very young kid.

“…”

The room was eerily quiet, no one making a move.

After a while, someone coughed, breaking the silence.

Shen Du looked around the room and first noticed the brown-haired man on the sofa, swirling a glass of champagne. He was momentarily distracted by the metallic necklace the man wore, which made him squint.

Fang Zhaoyi stood up, his gaze shifting between the two of them with a complex expression.

Then, he stopped at Shen Du.

“May I ask something?”

Fang Zhaoyi put on a standard polite smile, nodded toward Shen Du, and asked the question that everyone in the room, except for Qin Yi, was curious about: “Is the younger brother of legal age?”