Ji Sui was dressed in a particularly flamboyant style, showing no concern for his status as a top-tier celebrity. He strode into the bar with such an uninhibited air that he attracted attention from all sides. If no one applied pressure to suppress the news, he would surely be in the headlines by tomorrow morning.
At this thought, Shen Yuzhi frowned, his expression turning cold. Ji Sui noticed this and chuckled, casually picking up his glass and clinking it hard against Shen Yuzhi’s.
“What happened? Young Master Shen is actually here drinking alone? Usually, you have quite a crowd surrounding you, do you not?”
Ji Sui could see at a glance that Shen Yuzhi was in a bad mood. His brow was furrowed so tightly that it looked like he could catch a fly; anyone could tell his mood was poor. Moreover, a faint scent of pheromones emanated from Shen Yuzhi, which made Ji Sui feel incredibly comfortable, causing him to stick to Shen Yuzhi like glue.
Faced with Ji Sui, who was now clinging to him like a piece of chewing gum, Shen Yuzhi became even more irritated. He wanted to shake him off and leave. However, because Ji Sui had helped him during his most desperate times, Shen Yuzhi knew that if he just turned and left, he would surely end up in the news with Ji Sui by morning.
Therefore, Shen Yuzhi forced himself to suppress his temper. He remained cold, refusing to respond to the barrage of questions Ji Sui was throwing his way. But Ji Sui was not a person with little patience; he kept pestering Shen Yuzhi with questions, laughing happily even when he received no reply. Because he had just returned to the country, Ji Sui was very curious about everything, looking left and right. When several people approached him for photos, he agreed to every single one.
“Oh my, everyone is just so enthusiastic! I have been away for so long, and they missed me so much.”
Ji Sui was now giving alluring glances, and because he had been drinking, his face was flushed. He leaned against Shen Yuzhi’s arm, acting coy.
“Let us keep a little distance. It would be bad if we were photographed.”
Finally, after an endless silence, Shen Yuzhi spoke his first sentence. However, this only made Ji Sui more daring; he directly linked his arm with Shen Yuzhi’s and handed him a glass of wine.
“What does it matter? We can just explain to them that we are friends. It has been a long time since we last saw each other, so what is wrong with having a drink?”
Ji Sui held onto Shen Yuzhi’s arm, showing no intention of letting go; in fact, his grip grew tighter. Even so, Shen Yuzhi did not leave. He had wanted to refuse, but his mind involuntarily wandered back to the time Ji Sui had helped him. Those were Shen Yuzhi’s most difficult days; he had been destitute and could not even afford the basics. It was Ji Sui who did not mind, helping him cover countless expenses. Later, Ji Sui even invested in Shen Yuzhi’s company, allowing his capital to circulate and sparking the company’s eventual success.
However, during that period, Shen Yuzhi had been so focused on his career that he completely ignored Ji Sui’s feelings for him. Seeing Ji Sui behaving this way now, Shen Yuzhi realized with a start that Ji Sui’s feelings had been different for years. Moreover, they were both prominent figures, one an alpha and one an omega; their interaction was bound to cause a massive stir tomorrow.
Despite this, Shen Yuzhi drank with Ji Sui. Because Ji Sui was already drunk, the two appeared incredibly intimate. Ji Sui insisted on sharing a toast, their arms entwined in a suggestive manner. Had it been anyone else, Shen Yuzhi would have walked away long ago, but he found he could not leave Ji Sui.
Predictably, photos of the two were posted online that same night, causing a huge uproar. The angles were highly intimate, and since they made no effort to avoid being seen, netizens began to gossip uncontrollably. There were even rumors claiming they had been dating for years and were finally able to be together in public.
At the Song villa, Qin Huai, who had not yet fallen asleep, was browsing the news. He stared at the photos on his phone, scrolling back and forth. He looked at Shen Yuzhi’s eyes, which did not look particularly serious in the pictures, and then at Ji Sui, who was giving him alluring looks. Qin Huai felt his body gradually turning cold. He turned off his phone, lay in bed, and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He looked at the trending topic and could not help but open his chat window with Shen Yuzhi.
The last message was from the day they went to the hospital; it was Shen Yuzhi telling him to wait downstairs. Qin Huai stared at the message in a daze. Before he knew what was happening, he heard Song Zhe’s roar: “What kind of man is he? Why would he find someone else after leaving you aside? And is that not the famous star from before? How come I never heard that they had any connection?”
Song Zhe rushed into Qin Huai’s room regardless of anything, but upon seeing Qin Huai on the bed, he immediately quieted down.
“Are you asleep?” Song Zhe asked cautiously. He saw that Qin Huai’s phone was still lit, so he exhaled in relief and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Not yet. You saw the news, too?”
Qin Huai looked at Song Zhe’s phone screen and sighed helplessly. In truth, he did not have much to say about Shen Yuzhi. After all, he still could not come to terms with the fact that he had abandoned Shen Yuzhi years ago. Since he was the one who cast him aside back then, what reason did he have to return to his side now? Furthermore, seeing how intimate Shen Yuzhi was with Ji Sui made Qin Huai think too much.
“Little Huai, you must not overthink this. I have seen this omega before; he is a star, right? He must have just returned to the country. I have not seen him around here lately.” Song Zhe kept turning his head to check Qin Huai’s expression. When he saw that Qin Huai remained unchanged, he relaxed.
“I am fine. You go on; I know him, too. He is quite famous.”
“Oh, well, please, just rest assured. I do not think Shen Yuzhi is that kind of person. Besides, he could do those things for you before, so he must still have feelings for you. Therefore, please, do not be sad. It is not good for you or the baby.”
Seeing his friend’s concern, Qin Huai’s eyes became sore, and he could not help but shed tears. He sniffed and finally managed to stop himself from crying.
“I know. Go to sleep. It is very late, and we have to go to the company tomorrow.”
Qin Huai pushed Song Zhe out of the bedroom. After closing the door, he sat on the floor, his eyes hollow and listless, replaying that photo in his mind. His thoughts were in a total mess. It was hard not to think too much when seeing such intimate pictures. He touched his stomach, feeling as if his heart were being shredded to pieces. These past few days had exhausted him; he simply did not want these things to affect his mood anymore.
Qin Huai sighed, returned to bed, and pulled the blanket over his head. Amidst his chaotic thoughts, he finally drifted into a heavy sleep.
Early the next morning, when he and Song Zhe arrived at the company, the trending topics had truly exploded. The entire company was buzzing with discussions about the intimate photos of Shen Yuzhi and Ji Sui. Qin Huai locked himself in his office, staring at Song Zhe. He knew he had no right to interfere with Shen Yuzhi; they were nothing to each other now. They were no longer as close as they had been years ago, as they were strangers.
Thinking about it over and over, Qin Huai sighed, causing Song Zhe to become highly vigilant. He hurriedly stood up, walked to his side, and patted Qin Huai’s back to comfort him.
This only made Qin Huai feel more helpless. “It is okay, Song Zhe. Just sit aside and relax. I am really fine. I am just thinking about the materials that arrived these past few days; they are a bit messy, so I am just organizing them.”
After saying this, Qin Huai gave a sweet smile to the friend who cared so much about him. This smile made Song Zhe relax significantly. He obediently sat back on the sofa, picked up his handheld gaming console, and became completely immersed in his game.
The two remained in the office like that, one organizing files and the other playing games, until lunchtime, when they finally set aside their work.
“I played until I got hungry without realizing it. You have been organizing files for so long, are you tired, Little Huai?”
Song Zhe walked over behind Qin Huai and massaged his shoulders. They were talking and laughing as they went downstairs to the restaurant, but as soon as they were ready to eat, they saw Shen Yuzhi’s car pulling toward the company.
In an instant, the brow Qin Huai had just managed to unfurrow knit together again. He really did not want to see Shen Yuzhi right now. Song Zhe also saw the familiar car and became instantly irritable. He looked as if he wanted to storm out and argue with Shen Yuzhi, but Qin Huai grabbed his wrist firmly.
“Alright, alright, let us eat first. Nothing is more important than eating, do you agree?”
Hearing Qin Huai soothe him so gently, Song Zhe was momentarily lost for words.