Several people were completely dumbfounded by An Chutang’s five million.
They did not know whether he was just bragging or if he truly had that kind of financial backing. However, looking at An Chutang’s temperament and attire, he indeed exuded a sense of nobility and elegance.
To say nothing else, just by looking at his delicate facial features and those slender hands with a faint pink tint, anyone could tell that this young master had never done a single piece of heavy labor. His entire being simply radiated the aura of a capitalist.
Yet, if the other party was genuinely going to invest five million in them, Li Guangtao honestly had no idea what to do for a moment. It was way too thrilling.
Wang Qiang, as stubbornly single-minded as ever, happily picked up his wine glass and stepped forward. “Little Tang, no, Brother An, I, Wang Qiang, want to toast you.”
An Chutang looked at this buzz-cut, bronze-skinned, and honest-looking man; he somewhat resembled his former captain of the bodyguard team.
“Alright, cheers!”
For various reasons, the second cup of fiery liquor was downed by An Chutang in one go.
The group began to drink and chat concurrently, and An Chutang also inquired about the current prices and basic situation of goods. Buoyed by the alcohol, his entire body grew excited. Since he had arrived here by some twist of fate, he had to make something of himself for his grandfather’s sake. He could no longer be that useless little master who could only be protected.
Li Guangtao was also a bit tipsy. “Come on! Let’s drink until we drop today!”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Li Yan’s deep, low voice drifted leisurely over. “He’s already drunk, and it’s getting late. Whatever else there is to discuss, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Once Li Yan spoke, the few people crowding around An Chutang immediately reined themselves in. Come to think of it, the current An Chutang really looked like a lamb surrounded and waiting to be slaughtered. As for the five million he mentioned, they should wait until he sobered up tomorrow before talking about it. They might be short on money, but they could not rely on swindling.
Still, because they met An Chutang today, the group was still burning with passion. Deep down, everyone had a vague feeling that after tomorrow, they might genuinely walk down a completely different path.
He could not bring himself to call him Little Tang anymore, so Li Guangtao said respectfully, “Right, Young Master An, you’ve had about enough to drink too. Let’s call it a night for today, and tomorrow we’ll accompany you to tour the capital properly.”
Even though An Chutang was dizzy to the extreme, he still had a shred of rationality left. Thinking about how his time was running out, he simply resorted to playing rogue. “Okay. I can’t move anymore. You guys take your time walking. I’m staying right here today.”
Seeing this person arranging his own accommodations with complete lack of defensive awareness, Li Yan couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle. “Come on, I’ll send you to the foreign-affairs hotel.” With that, he walked over to An Chutang’s side and reached out to pull him up.
Hearing this, An Chutang was shocked. He could no longer care about his usual aversion to physical contact, and he abruptly stood up. With that rise, the world spun before his eyes, yet amidst this dizziness, his brain reacted with a speed he had never experienced before.
Amidst a chorus of gasps, he lunged straight into Li Yan’s arms, then wrapped his arms tightly around the other man’s slender, muscular waist like an octopus. He could distinctly feel the other’s body stiffen abruptly, the muscles right where his palms touched turning rigid all at once.
Unable to care about all that, he played dumb and buried his face in the crook of the other’s shoulder, crying out, “I’m not leaving! I’m not leaving! I’m staying right here today!”
[Ding! Congratulations host, hugging increases your life value by three hours.]
The sound in his mind had barely faded when An Chutang was pulled away as Li Yan gripped both his wrists. “Stand up straight.”
Because he was wearing long sleeves, even though his wrists were grabbed, it was separated by a layer of clothing. What a pity for this opportunity of skin-to-skin contact.
Stand straight? How could An Chutang possibly stand straight?
Choosing between dignity and his life was not even a question!
Thinking about it, he was miserable enough. He had just lost his only remaining family member and arrived in this unfamiliar era. Even though the target he needed to contact matched his aesthetic preferences perfectly, having to rely on someone else to extend his life made an arrogant young master like him feel somewhat aggrieved.
He pulled out the trick he usually used to act pitiful with his grandfather, raising a pair of peach-blossom eyes to look expectantly at Li Yan. “Just let me stay here, okay? Huh? Huh?”
Li Yan’s gaze darkened. The moment he loosened his grip, not paying attention, the other party seized the opportunity like a slippery loach to embrace him once more. “I’m not leaving! I’m not leaving, I’m so dizzy.”
[Ding! Hugging increases your life value by three hours.]
Hehehe, pretty easy. This added a bit more confidence to his chances of survival.
Li Yan raked a hand through his hair, lifted his head, and sighed.
Li Guangtao couldn’t help chiming in to persuade, “Why don’t you just put this little master up for the night? Look how pitiful he is, nagging and pestering even worse than my little sister. I just don’t know if he’s reliable when it comes to doing business.”
He muttered the last sentence under his breath.
Li Yan waved a hand. “Go back. We’ll talk when we meet tomorrow.”
“Sigh, then we’ll head off first, Brother Yan. Sorry to trouble you.”
The sound of the door closing echoed, and the room instantly grew quiet.
Terrified that he would be flung away the next moment, An Chutang wondered if he should take the initiative to stand up first. However, the dizziness was growing more intense by the minute, and his limbs were turning weak, leaving him completely devoid of strength. His mind was a total mush, incapable of pondering what further tricks he could pull to extend his life value.
He bit down hard on his lip, hoping to clear his head a little, but misjudged the force and let out an involuntary groan of pain.
The next second, he felt his lower back tighten, and then both feet left the ground. An Chutang hastily wrapped his arms around Li Yan’s neck in a panic.
[Ding! Skin-to-skin contact increases life value by thirty minutes.]
Accompanied by the prompt, he dizzily lifted his gaze to look at Li Yan.
Li Yan was also feeling somewhat chaotic inside, his thin lips pressed tightly together. When this person had just pressed his face into the crook of his neck, his soft hair kept brushing against his chin. Lowering his head even slightly, he could see the other’s smooth forehead, and the whole person emanated a pleasant, faint scent of pine wood.
What was even more surprising was that this little master’s waist was actually this slender and soft. No, it seemed as if the person’s entire body was soft beyond belief, including the gaze the other directed at him. It made a person involuntarily harbor the urge to fiercely ravage and destroy him.
With an expressionless face, he carried the person toward his bedroom, his dark, heavy eyes growing even deeper.
For twenty-six years, up until today, Li Yan finally understood that he could actually take an interest in a man. At this moment, his gaze toward the person in his arms slowly began to grow dangerous.
To describe it accurately, it was much like a leopard discovering a rabbit; once targeted, devouring it whole was bound to happen. Li Yan didn’t care about all that, nor had he ever claimed to be a good person.
An Chutang was oblivious to the other’s thoughts. Using his remaining shreds of sanity, he asked the system, “How much time do I have left now?”
[Ding! Host, your current life value has eight hours and twenty minutes remaining, barely enough to last through tonight.]
“That won’t do. If I’m drunk, I definitely won’t be able to get up tomorrow.”
[Then host, keep up the effort. I’m rooting for you.]
The voice sounded as though it were suppressing excitement, simultaneously sleazy and thrilled, making An Chutang want to roll his eyes.
Whether due to the lingering effects of the alcohol or not, An Chutang felt terrifyingly bold right now. Li Yan looked frightening, but so far, the man hadn’t shown any overly disgusted reactions to his little stunts. This gave him a massive boost of confidence. No good, I have to pull off something major, otherwise I won’t even be able to sleep peacefully.
Before he could figure out what kind of major move to make, his body hit the ground.
No, he had already been placed on the bed.
The bed was a bit hard, not as soft as the one at his own home, but the faint scent of laundry soap drifting into his nostrils made his picky self reluctantly accept it.
Seeing that he was spacing out and still hadn’t let go of the arms around his neck, Li Yan simply stopped talking and stared at him from such close proximity. He wanted to see what exactly this kid was getting at.
An Chutang snapped back to reality, his gaze landing squarely on Li Yan’s tightly pressed lips. A flash of lightning crossed his mind; with nine parts impulse and one part anticipation, he whispered inwardly: Looks like my first kiss is going to be surrendered right here.
“You—” Li Yan’s lips parted, but before he could finish, An Chutang closed his eyes tight, leaning up to kiss him directly.
For someone so cold and rigid, he wouldn’t have expected his lips to be this soft.
An Chutang could not afford to savor it carefully; he only felt as though his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He was too awesome! He actually took the initiative to kiss a man he had just met!
Why hasn’t the system given a success prompt yet? What should he do if this stiff Li Yan suddenly flies into a rage?
In a split second, his thoughts whirled through a thousand turns, as if his meridians had been instantly unblocked.
He got it!
Kissing is supposed to involve tongue!
Fearing that he would be pushed away and lose his chance, An Chutang closed his eyes even tighter, as if that could help him escape everything. He tentatively extended the tip of his tongue, lightly sweeping across the seam of the other’s lips.
The next instant, Li Yan’s breathing abruptly turned ragged, his taut arm muscles twitching as his hand moved to press against the back of the other’s head.
[Ding! Kissing increases life value by ten hours.]
With a sense of profound relief, An Chutang immediately pulled back, only to find the other’s gaze terrifyingly dark, resembling the deep sea in the dead of night, churning with monstrous waves.
We’re done for.
Sobering up by more than half, he simply decided to pretend he had mistaken him for someone else, claiming he was drunk. Enduring his nervousness, he flashed a goofy smile. “Hehe, wife.”
It would have been better if he hadn’t said that line. Why did calling him “wife” make the other’s complexion turn even blacker?
He promptly released his grip, flipped over to the side, pulled the quilt over his head, and mumbled, “So sleepy, I’m so dizzy, I’m going to sleep.”
Watching the person curl into a ball beneath the quilt in one fluid motion, Li Yan fell silent for a brief moment before letting out a cold laugh. “Heh, wife?”
He rubbed his lower lip with his thumb, turned with a dark expression, and walked out the door.
(Life Countdown: 18 hours 15 minutes.)