After a simple breakfast, Chi Anyu was about to sit on the sofa and play a round of games.
His phone suddenly rang. Chi Anyu pulled it out of his pocket, saw the caller ID, his eyes lit up, and he quickly swiped to answer.
“Xiao Yu, I’m at Meilan Bar, waiting at our usual spot. We haven’t had a drink together in a while.” Gu Ming’s hearty voice came through the other end.
Chi Anyu had always been the type who loved to have fun. The first friend he made after arriving here was Gu Ming, and the other man was even better at playing around than he was. They matched perfectly in that respect, so he immediately prepared to head out.
When Xie Junyi came back, he happened to run into Chi Anyu as he was about to leave. He paused, his gaze falling on the other man’s back.
“Are you going out?”
Chi Anyu changed his shoes at the entryway and gave a perfunctory “Mm.”
The lines of Xie Junyi’s face were cold and sharp, but his eyes were so dark that nothing could be read from them as he watched Chi Anyu drive out of the Chi residence.
He made his way to the bar with practiced ease.
Chi Anyu was wearing a black shirt with a deep-V neckline that exposed a large stretch of his chest. His bold outfit immediately drew plenty of attention in the bar.
Gu Ming was lounging lazily on the booth sofa. Hearing the commotion, he knew who had arrived. He lifted his eyelids and waved Chi Anyu over.
When Chi Anyu walked straight over, Gu Ming handed him the drink he had already poured. “Try the drink I mixed myself.”
Chi Anyu took the glass and sat down without hesitation.
Gu Ming clinked glasses with him. He draped an arm over Chi Anyu’s neck, his voice already carrying the smell of alcohol. “How was that figurine I gave you last time? You liked it, right? I spent a long time finding that collector’s edition.”
Thinking about the figurine, Chi Anyu immediately felt a little guilty. Unfortunately, just after he got his hands on it and before he had even warmed to it, Xie Junyi smashed it.
“It was pretty good.” Chi Anyu gave two dry laughs and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
The bar’s dim, suggestive atmosphere added a touch of decadent allure. Gu Ming had already drunk quite a bit, and his head was resting on Chi Anyu’s shoulder.
In a dark corner, a figure sat on an inconspicuous sofa, emptied his glass in one gulp, and fixed a burning, sinister gaze on them.
“Xiao Yu, come sleep over at my place tonight. How about we stay up all night gaming?”
Chi Anyu was about to answer when System 07 cut in first: 『Host, don’t let the alcohol go to your head. We have important plotline tasks every day, usually at night.』
“What is today’s plotline task?”
System 07 coughed a few times. “We don’t know yet, but it might show up suddenly, just like yesterday.”
Chi Anyu: “…”
“Xiao Yu?” Gu Ming called again when Chi Anyu still said nothing.
“Huh? I… I might not have time tonight. My dad is coming back soon. Let’s do it another day. You can come to my place another day, and we’ll have a blast.” Chi Anyu quickly made up an excuse.
Gu Ming only felt it was a pity.
Perhaps because he had drunk too much, Chi Anyu patted Gu Ming on the shoulder and went to the restroom.
At the same time, the figure in the corner quickly got up and followed him.
Steady footsteps sounded behind him. Chi Anyu did not think much of it. His head was a little dizzy. Just as he was about to go into a restroom stall, a figure squeezed in quickly as well and locked the door.
Chi Anyu: ???
Xie Junyi steadied him and said in a cool voice, “Uncle Chi told me to keep an eye on you.”
Chi Anyu suddenly shoved him away, his eyes hazy. “I’m going to the bathroom. What are you following me in here for?”
Xie Junyi stared at the deep-V neckline of Chi Anyu’s shirt. From his angle, he could see everything inside at a glance. He turned his head away, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I was worried something would happen to you, and then I wouldn’t be able to answer to Uncle Chi.”
Chi Anyu only felt that the other man had something seriously wrong with him. After rolling his eyes, he turned around, loosened his belt, and prepared to pee.
Anyway, they were both men, and the other had the same equipment. Chi Anyu, with his straight-man mindset, did not think anything of it at all.
However, out of sight, Xie Junyi’s ears were red as blood. His gaze followed Chi Anyu’s hands downward bit by bit, but seeing that the other showed no restraint toward him at all, he felt gloomy and irritated inside.
“Let me do it.” Xie Junyi’s voice had gone a little hoarse. Seeing the other fumbling with his belt for so long, he reached out to help directly.
Chi Anyu had drunk too much and was already a little dizzy. With his back against the other’s chest, he was too lazy to stop him. Anyway, he was the domineering and arrogant type in his character setting. He patted Xie Junyi on the face and ordered him harshly, “Serve me well. If I’m in a good mood another day, I’ll let you move out of the first-floor storage room.”
Xie Junyi said nothing. His Adam’s apple bobbed even harder, the corners of his eyes flushed red, his gaze dark and flickering.
Then he took out some tissues and tied the belt back up properly.
As soon as Chi Anyu got out of the restroom, he pushed Xie Junyi away at once and staggered off, ready to leave.
“You’ve had too much to drink. Let me take you back.”
Chi Anyu clicked his tongue. He lifted Xie Junyi’s chin with his fingertips, his face flushed from the alcohol. “Who do you think you are? You dare to boss me around? Know your place.”
System 07’s mechanical voice suddenly sounded: 『Host, the plot is here. You are angry now, and when you get home tonight, you whip the villain with a belt.』
Chi Anyu, instantly sobered up: “…”
Ten minutes later…
Chi Anyu sat in the passenger seat with the air of someone who had given up on life. In the back seat, Xie Junyi closed his eyes and leaned against the seat back, while Butler Ling drove with a smile.
“System, does it really have to be a belt? Doesn’t that feel a little perverted?”
System 07 said quietly, “This already fits your character setting. The Chi Family’s pampered and spoiled young master occasionally throwing his weight around and beating someone up… what’s wrong with that?”
Chi Anyu: “…” As a cannon fodder character, he had it so good in the early stage, only to end up miserably later. Yet he still had no choice but to follow the plot.
Chi Anyu scratched his head irritably. Through the rearview mirror, he glanced at Xie Junyi in the back seat, feeling depressed.
“Did the young master have fun this morning? What would you like for lunch?” Butler Ling asked gently while waiting at a traffic light.
Chi Anyu curled his lips. “It was okay. I don’t really have much of an appetite at lunch.”
“Little Xie’s cooking has improved quite a bit lately. Let him cook for the young master. The young master will definitely have an appetite then.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Junyi in the back seat opened his eyes at once. Through the rearview mirror, his gaze met Butler Ling’s for several seconds.
Then Butler Ling withdrew his gaze with a meaningful look.
Chi Anyu did not notice the eye contact between the two at all. He just waved a hand and said casually, “I suddenly feel like eating snail rice noodles for lunch.”
System 07 was heartbroken: 『Host, you’re breaking character. You’re the Chi Family’s young master. How can you eat something like snail rice noodles!』
Chi Anyu retorted dismissively, “My character setting is arrogant and overbearing. Who says rich people can’t eat snail rice noodles?”
System 07: “…”
Hearing this, Xie Junyi’s expression suddenly changed. For someone with a severe case of germophobia, that smell was the thing he hated most.