“It wasn’t me. I only bought promotions for you that one time.”
Xie Sui picked up his newly served drink and took a sip. “Maybe it’s because your video content is good, so it’s growing organically.”
Shen Yi scratched his head. “Is that so? Could it be that the tables have truly turned in my favor, and my account is finally taking off?”
“Isn’t that perfect? Haven’t you always wanted to prove yourself to your brother?”
Shen Yi seemed to think of something, and anger flared up in him again. Xie Sui seriously wondered if this guy had a split personality.
“Let me tell you something, it’s about my brother.”
Shen Que?
Xie Sui looked up, indicating that he was listening.
“You know our company recently hired a batch of interns, right?” Shen Yi said. “There’s this guy with absolute nerves of steel who actually targeted my brother.”
“That intern returned from a prestigious overseas university. Supposedly, his resume is highly impressive, and he has a solid background. He had opportunities to interact with my brother through projects. At first, he seemed quite normal, and his work reports were well-organized.”
“The trouble started during last month’s company team-building event at that hot spring resort in the suburbs. During the free time in the evening, someone spotted that intern dressed very casually, striking up a conversation with my brother.”
“What makes it even more exasperating is that he somehow found out my brother likes a certain painter’s work. He actually got his hands on one of that artist’s early paintings, claiming it was from his family’s collection, and said he felt only my brother could truly appreciate it, so he wanted to gift it to him.”
“So? Are you angry right now because your brother might start dating?”
“Bah, bah, bah!” Shen Yi spat several times in disgust. “What do you mean dating? My brother is straight! Straight like me!”
Xie Sui chose not to comment.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? What kind of person do you think my brother is? Is he just anyone whom anyone can strike up a conversation with?”
“What if he was simply trying to flatter his boss?”
“Impossible, absolutely impossible. I’m telling you, he definitely has hots for my brother. My brother is handsome, rich, and capable. If he didn’t set his eyes on him, he’d be blind!”
Xie Sui: “…”
Amused, Xie Sui asked, “So do you want him to have feelings for your brother, or not?”
Shen Yi stiffened his neck. “Having feelings is a no-go, and not having feelings is also a no-go.”
Xie Sui teased, “I never realized before that you actually have a brother complex.”
“A brother complex?!” Shen Yi shouted in disbelief. “Are you blind too? Where on earth did you get the idea that I have a brother complex? Don’t gross me out. Just thinking about that great demon king makes me feel uncomfortable all over, let alone having a brother complex.”
Xie Sui took a sip of his drink, smiling faintly without a word.
Shen Yi’s phone rang, the caller ID displaying Great Demon King.
“Damn, it’s my brother.”
Shen Yi wiped his hands and quickly picked up. “Hey, Brother.”
“I’m chatting with Xie Sui.”
“Ah, no… I’m not at a bar, I’m at his house.”
“What? You say you’re at the entrance? Ah, which entrance?”
Whatever was said on the other end, Shen Yi instantly deflated. “Oh, I’ll be right out.”
Hanging up the phone, Shen Yi looked up to meet Xie Sui’s meaningful expression.
Complaining as a cover-up, Shen Yi grumbled, “How does Shen Que even know I’m here? I’m seriously over this. He doesn’t leave me any personal space at all. I’m already an adult, okay? Yet I still get micromanaged just for going to a bar.”
Xie Sui: “Are you heading back now?”
Shen Yi grabbed his jacket. “If I don’t go out now, he’s going to charge in here.”
Xie Sui stood up. “I’ll go out with you.”
Shen Yi was surprised. He shot a suggestive look at the people dancing around them. “Aren’t you going to stay a bit longer and look around?”
Xie Sui said, “I’ve already scanned the room. I’m not interested in any of them.”
Shen Yi pointed out a few candidates for him. “These fair-skinned, perky-bottomed little white flowers, none of them catch your eye?”
“Nope.” Xie Sui downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. “Are we going or not? If your brother charges in, I won’t be able to help you.”
At the mention of Shen Que, Shen Yi instantly panicked. “Let’s go, let’s go.”
The two walked out of the bar side by side. At a single glance, Xie Sui spotted the man leaning against a car, his figure shrouded in a haze of cigarette smoke.
It was Shen Yi’s older brother, Shen Que.
One had to admit, with looks like that, if Shen Que weren’t Shen Yi’s brother, Xie Sui definitely wouldn’t have let such a challenging target slip away.
The moment Shen Yi saw Shen Que, he became perfectly behaved, walking over sluggishly. “Brother.”
Xie Sui greeted him politely, “Brother Shen Que.”
Shen Que gave Xie Sui a polite nod.
Shen Yi: “Xie Sui, I’ll head out first. Let’s catch up another day.”
“Alright.”
Xie Sui waved, watching Shen Que drive away.
Just now, when Shen Que looked at them, a flash of possessiveness in his eyes hadn’t escaped Xie Sui’s notice.
It seems he doesn’t like me very much.
The Shen family had primarily built their wealth in the manufacturing industry, specifically collaborating with high-end sectors such as automotive and aerospace.
The family business was massive, and by the generation of Shen Yi’s father, there were only two children. One was Shen Yi’s older brother, Shen Que, and the other was Shen Yi.
Since childhood, Shen Yi had been incredibly mischievous, a notorious troublemaker who ran wild and neglected his studies.
Even before he could read more than a handful of characters, he was already leading several neighborhood kids to catch tadpoles in the river. Each holding an empty mineral water bottle, they would stare intently into the water by the lake’s edge, which completely lacked any safety railings. Catching a tadpole would elicit loud cheers, while catching a tiny shrimp would bring quieter squeals of joy.
Because of this, the Shen family went through several nannies. The young master was like a slippery loach; the moment their backs were turned, he would slip away. The nannies claimed they simply couldn’t handle him and couldn’t bear the responsibility.
Meanwhile, the first thing his older brother, Shen Que, did upon returning home from school was to search everywhere for his brother. He would drag his younger brother out of some obscure corner and haul him back home.
When Shen Yi was little, he was fair-skinned, tender, and had big, blinking eyes. He was highly skilled at using his looks to play the victim. This trick worked wonders on his parents; the moment they saw his cute, soft appearance, their hearts would melt, and they would eagerly agree to any of his requests.
However, on Shen Yi’s path of unbridled mischief, he ran straight into his brother.
Shen Que was completely immune to Shen Yi’s innocent, rabbit-like appearance. He disciplined Shen Yi strictly, spanking his bottom whenever he was disobedient. Sometimes, even when Shen Yi wailed and cried at the top of his lungs, Shen Que remained entirely unmoved, leaving their parents helpless.
Conversely, because someone was keeping him in line, the two parents spared themselves a lot of worry.
Under Shen Que’s strict discipline, Shen Yi grew up healthy and smoothly graduated from university. Just when Father Shen planned to have Shen Yi intern at the family company, Shen Yi announced a piece of news that sent his parents’ blood pressure skyrocketing.
Shen Yi declared his intention to enter the entertainment industry and become a celebrity.
Father Shen was furious. He had thought his younger son was finally on the right track, only to find him still obsessing over unconventional paths.
Most shockingly, Shen Que had no objections to this.
By this time, Shen Que had already begun learning the ropes of managing the family business. He agreed that Shen Yi didn’t have to intern at the company, but he couldn’t enter showbiz either; instead, he could do self-media.
Though it was somewhat different from his original plan, Shen Yi accepted the compromise.
After all, as long as he could stay far away from his brother and a company stifled by endless regulations, that was more than enough.