Because they were far apart, Shen Mingjin didn’t know whether Xu Duwan had heard Yu Qingbie’s words.
But for some reason, the moment Xu Duwan looked over, Shen Mingjin felt a sudden pang of guilt…
Strange, why does he seem guilty?
Shen Mingjin felt a slight ripple in his heart, and unconsciously frowned. His long eyelashes trembled irregularly, as if he was thinking about this suddenly emerging question, and thus his face showed some obvious confusion and struggle.
As he slowly sorted out his thoughts, his hands unconsciously slowed down. He stood four or five meters away from Xu Duwan, not moving forward, and silently stared at him.
They seem reluctant to come.
Shen Mingjin’s slow movements made Xu Duwan think that he was still angry with him because of what happened this morning, and that was why he was reluctant to come over and talk to Xu Duwan.
Thinking of this, Xu Duwan’s face grew even colder. He wanted to lose his temper, but he knew he was in the wrong and had no right to be angry with Shen Mingjin. He could only sit on the chair with his arms crossed, his gaze falling on the seat that still smelled of food and beer. His thin lips were pressed tightly together, and he didn’t move for a long time, as if he was unwilling to pick up the menu himself.
Xu Duwan was beautiful, with a pair of almond-shaped eyes that were round and clear, like they held morning dew. His chin was not pointed but had a slight curve, making him a standard oval face. He had a typical well-behaved appearance, but his fierce aura was impossible to suppress. When he sat in the chair with his eyes closed, his toes touched the metal bar under the table, tapping it lightly, giving him a very unapproachable look.
A slightly bolder summer worker approached Xu Duwan with his notebook to ask what he wanted to eat. Unexpectedly, Xu Duwan acted as if he hadn’t heard anyone talking to him. He didn’t even lift his eyelids, just leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, not saying a word or paying attention to anyone. He seemed to be surrounded by a black aura, making the summer worker, who hadn’t yet experienced the harsh realities of society, dig his toes into the ground in embarrassment, almost to the point of crying.
“Shen, Brother Shen.”
The summer job was done by a soon-to-be college student who had just been admitted to university this year and was here to earn tuition fees. He was a tall guy, 1.8 meters, and returned from Xu Duwan’s side dejectedly. In front of Shen Mingjin, he looked as aggrieved as a child, sniffling:
“He’s so fierce.”
Although Xu Duwan hadn’t said a word, he felt that the other person had been secretly observing him at least three times, his peripheral vision filled with indifference.
“…” Shen Mingjin patted the summer worker on the shoulder, paused, and then said:
“I’ll go.”
After speaking, he stared at the summer worker’s admiring gaze, walked to Xu Duwan’s side, his tone and expression equally calm, as if the two had never had any past grievances:
“What would you like to eat?”
“…….”
Those around them had been sizing up this young master, whose attire was clearly different from the average person. Seeing that he had just angrily dismissed a summer worker, they subconsciously assumed he would also ignore the waiter like before. But to their surprise, the next second, Xu Duwan opened his eyes and uttered a sentence that shattered everyone’s expectations, coolly saying:
“Crayfish and herbal tea.”
Damn it, he wants to eat the food that Shen Mingjin ordered for those girls too.
As Xu Duwan thought this, he selectively ignored the fact that Shen Mingjin only played the role of offering advice.
“…Can you eat crayfish?”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingjin recalled Xu Duwan’s pale expression when he had stomach pain a few mornings ago, and unconsciously frowned, as if he somewhat disagreed:
“You can’t eat it.”
Xu Duwan frowned instantly: “…….”
Upon seeing this, Shen Mingjin’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt that his concern was somewhat superfluous. Perhaps… perhaps Xu Duwan was still annoyed by him, just like he had been a few days ago.
He paused, slowly swallowing the words that were about to come out of his throat. He lowered his head and was about to write the word “crayfish” on the white paper when a hand with distinct knuckles quickly reached out, grabbed his wrist, and stopped him from writing.
Shen Mingjin looked up: “?”
“…” The moment Xu Duwan was stared at by Shen Mingjin’s questioning gaze, he seemed to be burned, abruptly withdrawing his fingertips, clenching his fists in confusion, slightly sweating, but forcing a calm expression on his face, he said:
“That… you say I can’t eat it…”
He paused, glancing quickly at the stunned Shen Mingjin out of the corner of his eye, and said in a voice barely above a whisper:
“Then let’s not eat it.”
His lowered eyes looked docile, like a fierce beast voluntarily sheathing its claws at its master’s command, allowing someone it trusts to pat its belly.
Seeing this, Shen Mingjin slowly came to his senses. After understanding what Xu Duwan meant, a smile gradually appeared on his face.
He lowered his head, looking at Xu Duwan’s small cowlick and his reddish ears hidden behind his temples, and his voice couldn’t help but relax a little as he said:
“good.”
After saying that, he wrote a few words on a piece of paper and sent the order to the kitchen.
When Xu Duwan was getting bored and even wanted to fall asleep, Shen Mingjin came out of the kitchen with a large bowl of seafood porridge in his hand.
Most of the dishes on the food stall menu are quick-cooked, and there are very few porridges that need to be cooked for a long time. So he had to beg his boss to make this seafood porridge, and the price was that he had to leave work an hour later tonight.
“You eat first, I have something to do.” Shen Mingjin placed the piping hot porridge in front of Xu Duwan, stirred it a few times with a spoon to cool it down, and said patiently, “We’ll talk about it later.”
He thought Xu Duwan had something to ask him, and never expected that he had come to apologize.
In his mind, how could a noble young master like Xu Duwan apologize to a nobody like him who only earns three thousand a month?
Xu Duwan watched Shen Mingjin’s busy back and his tall, straight figure, which was faintly visible through his sweat. His possessive gaze searched over Shen Mingjin’s body, as if he wanted to etch it into his mind. When he looked up, he found that many people around him were also looking at Shen Mingjin, and their gazes were no less innocent than Xu Duwan’s.
Xu Duwan: “…….”
Will-o’-the-wisps were rising.
This isn’t surprising, though. Ningcheng has only recently become a new first-tier city. Of course, it’s most famous not for its IT industry, but for the jokes about the city having a high number of homosexuals, with far more bottoms than tops, and bottoms everywhere.
Of course, with Shen Mingjin’s figure and face, he would be very attractive in any circle, not to mention those open-minded gay men.
Seeing that many people were already itching to use the WeChat QR code, and that many others had already taken pictures of Shen Mingjin’s barely visible abs and posted them in the group, Xu Duwan angrily downed a bottle of beer. Not satisfied with that, he ordered a few more bottles and successfully got himself drunk.
So, unsurprisingly, when the food stall was doing brisk business, Xu Duwan got into an argument with the boy who was also looking at Shen Mingjin.
Xu Duwan insisted that the boy, who was a few centimeters shorter than him and wore light makeup, delete the photos of Shen Mingjin from his phone, but the boy refused. The two almost got into a fight, but fortunately Shen Mingjin arrived in time and separated them.
“Don’t do it! Don’t do it!”
Seeing that Xu Duwan was about to get into another fight, Shen Mingjin’s thoughts had shifted from “fighting is bad” to “how to cover for Xu Duwan.” He forcefully pulled Xu Duwan behind his and whispered:
“This guest is drunk. I apologize on his behalf. I’m really sorry.”
Before the boy who was secretly taking pictures could say anything, Xu Duwan couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes were red and watery from drunkenness, like a newborn puppy. He bared his teeth and stood in front of Shen Mingjin, waving his arms to try and block the boy’s view, and said fiercely:
“You won’t apologize! You won’t apologize!”
“None of you are allowed to look!”
Xu Duwan swung his arms, trying to block everyone’s view, but found it impossible. His brain was a mess from the alcohol, and he was so drunk he could barely stand. Shen Mingjin had to use one of his hands to support him. After a while, for some unknown reason, he stubbornly turned around, hugged Shen Mingjin’s stomach tightly, and used his body to cover Shen Mingjin’s semi-transparent clothes. Slurring his words, he arrogantly shouted to those around him:
“None of you are allowed to look!”
Shen Mingjin: “…….”
Under Shen Mingjin’s amused and exasperated gaze, Xu Duwan pressed himself tightly against Shen Mingjin’s abdomen, rubbing against his slightly. His rosy lips, still glistening with wine, murmured softly:
“He is mine.”
“What did you say?” Shen Mingjin put his arm around his waist to prevent him from falling and asked in return.
He wanted to ask more, but the boy in front of him, caught being secretly photographed, laughed angrily, put his hands on his hips, and his eyeliner almost reached his temples, saying somewhat shrewishly:
“What’s wrong with just looking? What’s wrong with just looking?! You’re charging for just looking?!”
After saying that, he looked at Shen Mingjin’s body intently, as if in a provocation.
Xu Duwan was drunk and not as clear-headed as before. His mind worked sluggishly, and he was successfully stimulated.
He suddenly widened his eyes, and amidst the incredulous gazes of the crowd, his eyeballs slowly moved, and his eyes, mostly black with little white, suddenly turned somewhat fierce.
Without a word, he huffed and puffed as he moved a small stool from a corner, stood on it, and stared down at the boy who was taking pictures, completely oblivious to the boy’s confused expression. Then, ignoring the boy’s nervous expression, he slowly put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a thick wallet, and in front of Shen Mingjin, threw it out with a flick of his wrist.
The money suddenly fluttered down like snowflakes in a movie, swirling, freezing, and finally pelting the man taking the photos.
“…………”
“Oh my god…”
“Oh my god…”
Those present gasped in astonishment at the sight of so much money. They were not only shocked by Xu Duwan’s action but also by the sheer amount of cash in his pocket. The public display of wealth left everyone stunned. The bustling food stall fell silent, utterly speechless. For several seconds, no one uttered a sound, everyone lost in a prolonged state of shock and disbelief.
This person actually dares to throw money around?!
Is this a movie shoot?!
Xu Duwan, the one who caused all of this, was completely unaware of the turbulent inner turmoil within everyone else.
Even when drunk, he couldn’t shake his arrogant nature. He turned around, clinging tightly to his beloved like a snail, and whispered to Shen Mingjin:
“I’ve bought out all the times you can watch him, so you’re not allowed to watch anymore, only I can.”
As he spoke, his eyes, squinting with a drunken haze, reached his hands inside Shen Mingjin’s clothes and gave his long-desired waist a quick rub. In a soft, sugary voice, he tilted his head back, his face flushed, and murmured something to Shen Mingjin that instantly made his body stiffen:
“Can I see your abs?”