Though nominally a private party, this reception was held for the younger generation of the Third District, so its original scale had not been particularly large.
However, with the addition of a group of hedonistic, thrill-seeking scions who had traveled all the way from the First District, things were naturally executed with as much extravagance as possible.
Chu Yanyi stood before the window, taking in the scene of glitz and debauchery before his eyes.
Gazing at Zhou Yi’s reflection in the glass—who was pursing his lips in deep thought—he raised an eyebrow slightly: “Did you forget something?”
Zhou Yi froze on the spot until Chu Yanyi used his cane to hook up his trouser leg.
“Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable wearing this thing all the time?” The black-and-gold cane tapped against the black anklet. Chu Yanyi lowered his head, scrutinizing this little trinket that Zhou Yi had never taken off with great interest.
Zhou Yi shook his head, pulled the key hanging around his neck, and inserted it into the anklet’s interface. Following a crisp beep, the shackle dropped from his ankle and rolled to Chu Yanyi’s feet.
The flyer descended slowly amidst the howling wind. Birds with clipped wings flapped and slammed against the wire mesh. Chu Yanyi raised his cane, stopping Zhou Yi, who was about to bend down to pick it up.
“Let them clean it up. I won’t withhold what belongs to you,” Chu Yanyi let out a sigh. “However, don’t wear that kind of expression when we are outside.”
Zhou Yi straightened his posture, trying to adjust his facial expression, only to turn even stiffer and more nervous instead.
“In truth, I was scared the first time I attended an event like this too—scared of making mistakes, scared of ruining things.”
“At the time, though, I thought to myself: These people aren’t as capable as I am. If they aren’t afraid, what do I have to fear? That was how I managed to muddle through. If you act too timid and hesitant, they’ll think you’re incompetent.” Chu Yanyi let out a light laugh, as if relishing an embarrassing memory from the past. “In reality, you are more capable than any of them. You’ve simply forgotten, but I know. So just do whatever you wish to do.”
Zhou Yi froze for a moment, suppressed the complex emotions in his eyes, and nodded somewhat chaotically.
Even if it was strictly a working relationship, with Mr. Chu trusting him to this extent, he could never let Mr. Chu down.
Yet what kind of person was I before to earn such favor from Mr. Chu?
A few knocks echoed at the door from outside.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Chu Yanyi curled the corners of his lips into a smile, putting on a pair of glasses and a single-sided translation earpiece.
Zhou Yi lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. Snapping his head up, he met Chu Yanyi’s gaze directly. His usually timid eyes underwent a complete transformation; as fireworks flashed past outside the window, golden light gleamed in his green pupils like brilliant, fiery facets.
A nerve in Chu Yanyi’s forehead throbbed slightly with excitement. Memories from years ago overlapped with the scene before him, forcing a cold, self-deprecating laugh out of him over his absurd emotions before he subconsciously shook his head.
“Just like that, Zhou Yi. You’ve done very well,” Chu Yanyi restrained his breathing, slowly helping Zhou Yi straighten his collar. “Extremely well.”
Dazzling lights painted the floor in opulent gold. Chu Yanyi stepped unhurriedly out of the flyer, leaning on his cane, greeted immediately by the surging water sounds of a massive fountain. Drones of various models crisscrossed through the fireworks in the sky, while impeccably dressed servers waited outside early on, low-browed and submissive, silently guiding their way.
Chu Yanyi casually asked a few questions: who had arrived, how the venue owner’s health was doing lately, and what drinks were being served tonight.
The well-trained servers answered every single question in exhaustive detail without a single flaw.
Chu Yanyi nodded, smiling at Zhou Yi: “The wine this time is quite fine. You’re in for a treat.”
The moment they stepped through the entrance, the servers seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace.
Lavishly dressed men and women chatted and laughed, harboring their own intentions. A symphony orchestra performed in the distance, while Alpha and Omega pheromones interwove and collided. Eyes met, glasses clinked lightly, and amidst the laughter, numerous transactions were struck both in the open and under the table.
Chu Yanyi turned around, but before he could speak to Zhou Yi, several stunningly beautiful Omegas approached, bringing a gust of fragrant wind to strike up a conversation, asking where Mr. Chu had been lately and why he had brought an unfamiliar face today.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know that Mr. Chu recently acquired a prized treasure?” A woman wearing exquisite makeup smiled as she wove through the crowd. When her eyes landed on Zhou Yi, her movements paused, the smile on her face replaced by an expression mixing confusion and shock.
However, she quickly resumed her smile, generously extending her hand toward Chu Yanyi: “Mr. Chu, long time no see. Could this… be the one you brought out from the slave market? You’ve finally brought him out for people to see.”
Chu Yanyi smiled and shook the woman’s hand, his peripheral vision sweeping over Zhou Yi’s current expression: “He just happened to be by my side, so I brought him along.”
Hearing Chu Yanyi confirm it, the surrounding crowd let out a chorus of surprised “ehs,” either scrutinizing him without concealment or stealing subtle glances.
The man possessed striking features and lowered eyes, yet a sharp ruthlessness was faintly visible between his brows. The area that should have held a brand was securely concealed by the collar, while a few recently healed wounds were still somewhat visible where the collar met the dress shirt.
It seemed the rumor about Chu Yanyi being rough in bed… was no falsehood.
The music in his earpiece turned into white noise, acting as a silent cue.
Zhou Yi blinked, picking up two glasses of wine from a tray, handing one to Chu Yanyi while keeping the other for himself.
Sipping the golden liquid, he casually turned his head to look at the unfamiliar faces around him.
An Alpha was looking at him thoughtfully, colliding straight with this sharp, unreserved gaze.
The Alpha’s lips twitched twice, and he hurriedly turned his head back to speak to the person beside him.
“None of them are as capable as you.” He fancied he heard Mr. Chu’s praise again—he had done very well.
Thus, he looked back at those people even more boldly.
“His name is Zhou Yi. He can’t speak, so please don’t mind him,” Chu Yanyi curled his lips at the sight. “It’s his first time here, so I hope you all take care of him.”
The woman stared at Zhou Yi’s features, speaking with some surprise: “Can’t speak? Was he born that way?”
“No, he fell ill and lost his speech afterward. We are still looking for ways to treat it,” Chu Yanyi clinked his glass with the woman’s. “Speaking of which, Miss Zheng’s earrings match the color of your lipstick quite well today.”
Zheng Qiaoya snapped back to reality, covering her mouth with a soft laugh: “Mr. Chu, please don’t tease me. You’re looking even more radiant than usual today as well. It’s just… how did the person beside you end up with an injury on his head? You really went too far with your hands.”
Chu Yanyi pushed up his glasses: “He bumped it himself.”
“Oh~ bumped it himself.” Zheng Qiaoya nodded meaningfully. She made a move to take Chu Yanyi’s arm, whispering in a low voice: “Mr. Chu, the proposal my father brought up with you a while ago was indeed inappropriate…”
“Miss Zheng, let’s talk over there.” Chu Yanyi gave a light cough, slipping a card into Zhou Yi’s hand behind his back. “Find a place to amuse yourself; I’ll come find you shortly.”
He walked off to the side with Zheng Qiaoya, lowering his head to listen patiently to her, offering a smiling response whenever someone came over to converse with him.
“Your father is getting up there in age, and it hasn’t been easy for him, so let’s lower it by another two percentage points—it sounds luckier anyway,” Chu Yanyi took a sip of wine to cover his actions, his gaze falling onto Zhou Yi in the distance as he spoke with a smile.
The man was indeed very obedient. Presented with such a great opportunity, he showed zero inclination to overstep or make a break for it, even when someone deliberately approached him with implicit hints.
Zheng Qiaoya followed Chu Yanyi’s gaze, her brows furrowing slightly: “Mr. Chu, for what it’s worth… this slave of yours… looking closely at him, I can’t help feeling he looks a bit familiar.”
Chu Yanyi stared at Zhou Yi, raising an eyebrow slightly in feigned confusion: “Oh?”
Zhou Yi had strolled leisurely among several gaming tables for a long time before heading straight toward the table with the largest crowd. He didn’t play, merely standing off to the side watching with his arms crossed.
Perhaps his presence was overly striking, or perhaps news of Chu Yanyi bringing him along had already spread, leading many people to pass by him intentionally or unintentionally, frequently stealing glances.
Yet Zhou Yi merely stared at the pile of chips, completely unaware that his focused demeanor appeared thoroughly ice-cold to others.
Even Zheng Qiaoya felt a momentary daze. Too similar… he looked far too much like that… long-missing man.
“I must have misremembered,” Zheng Qiaoya shook her head with a laugh. “I need to hurry over and tell my father the good news. Are you going to keep playing, Mr. Chu?”
“By the way, Miss Zheng,” Chu Yanyi unexpectedly called back Zheng Qiaoya, who was lifting her skirt to leave. “Your younger brother seemed to be looking for me for something a few days ago. Please tell him that Chen Ke has been on leave recently, so I didn’t receive the message in time. I hope he doesn’t mind.”
Zheng Qiaoya’s expression turned unsightly in an instant. Gritting her back teeth, she did her best to maintain composure on her face: “Thank you for informing me, Mr. Chu.”
Chu Yanyi smiled without a word. Zheng Qiaoya and her dozen-plus siblings did not all share the same Omega parent, and the youngest brother was reportedly closely linked to Ying Yu. Though merely a Beta, he held equal footing in the family business alongside his Alpha and Omega elder siblings.
After watching Zheng Qiaoya walk away, Chu Yanyi listened to the whispers around him for a bit before leaning on his cane and strolling slowly behind Zhou Yi.
“Why aren’t you playing?” Chu Yanyi leaned into Zhou Yi’s ear, his breath brushing against Zhou Yi’s earlobe. Zhou Yi shivered uncontrollably, only for his shoulder to be held firm by Chu Yanyi.
A hazy iris scent surged out from the sea of various Alpha and Omega pheromones. Reflexively, Zhou Yi straightened his spine, seemingly casually curling his lips into a smile, typing a line of text on his terminal and holding it out to Chu Yanyi.
“Complaining that they’re playing for too little?” Chu Yanyi laughed helplessly, lowering his head, his lips seemingly brushing past Zhou Yi’s cheek by accident. “That won’t do. Playing too big could cost lives.”
His voice wasn’t loud, yet it was clear enough for everyone at the neighboring tables to hear.
The scion sitting opposite couldn’t maintain his composure, speaking drunkenly: “Mr. Chu… your… what is up with your guy… don’t be such a buzzkill…”
The scion leaned crookedly against a Beta whom Chu Yanyi found familiar, with chips piled sky-high by his hand—none other than Zhang Rongtian, whom Chu Yanyi hadn’t seen in a while.
“Young Master Zhang is here too?” Chu Yanyi shook his head in feigned surprise. “He doesn’t understand these things and assumed you were playing for real money. I apologize to you on his behalf; please don’t hold it against him.”
“That won’t do! I heard Mr. Chu never touches gambling and doesn’t even play cards. Since we ran into each other today, you have to play a hand with everyone no matter what.”
Chu Yanyi sat helplessly on a chair pulled over for him by someone else: “Young Master Zhang, my luck has always been terrible, and I don’t like losing all the time. How about letting him play a couple of hands with you instead?”
Zhang Rongtian was just about to say what right did that kind of plaything have to join his table, but thinking better of slighting Chu Yanyi, he said dismissively: “Fine then… since we’re playing, let’s play properly.”
Before Chu Yanyi could raise his head to look at Zhou Yi, Zhou Yi sat nonchalantly beside Chu Yanyi, his gloved left hand casually picking up a chip.
The chip twirled nimbly between his fingers. Zhang Rongtian instantly grew interested: “Mr. Chu, this guy beside you looks like he really knows his way around the table?”
Chu Yanyi let out a gentle laugh: “Presumably so.”