A few hours ago.
After the business matchmaking session concluded, several brand representatives attending the meeting, all old acquaintances invited each other out for a drink that evening.
Shi Jingyan never drank. Even during the early days of his company when social invitations were frequent, he always substituted tea for alcohol, so he naturally declined at first.
However, he could not withstand the persistent and enthusiastic invitations from the others, who claimed the bar offered a wide variety of completely non-alcoholic drinks. Only then did he reluctantly agree.
PULSE Bar was located in the city center. It was a high-end, members-only establishment that catered to young people with significant spending power. It provided both a lively dance floor for entertainment and quieter booths and private rooms.
On either side of the dance floor were the bar counters and booths, where glamorous young people gathered, laughing and talking over sets of ornately decorated champagne and imported spirits.
The second floor consisted of individual private compartments where the minimum spend and service quality were even higher. The walls of these compartments were soundproof, making them suitable for guests who simply wanted to drink without the noise.
Because the group had come on a whim and arrived late without a reservation, they simply took seats in the booth area, ordered their respective drinks, and chatted idly while venting their frustrations.
Shi Jingyan held his ordered fruit tea, listening half-heartedly to the conversation of the people beside him.
Most of it was melancholy regarding their own companies’ development, interspersed with a few complaints about Song Mingyi’s hypocritical and snobbish attitude during today’s meeting.
“Jingyan, to be honest, I actually think you have the best chance among us.”
One of the men patted Shi Jingyan on the shoulder, seeming somewhat regretful.
“That guy surnamed Song is clearly looking for high-profit luxury brands to give him a cut of the earnings, yet he is still putting on that dignified front. Be careful; he will likely make things difficult for you later.”
Shi Jingyan took a sip of his fruit tea and gave a faint “mm” in response.
He naturally knew why Song Mingyi was targeting him.
Song Mingyi knew Shi Yuyang; his ability to secure his current position was largely due to Shi Yuyang’s support. Naturally, Shi Yuyang did not help him for free; it was undoubtedly to make things difficult for Shi Jingyan.
How incredibly boring.
Shi Jingyan looked up, his gaze passing over the colleagues in front of him to scan the dance floor casually.
Among the swaying crowd, many were dressed in expensive clothing.
Shi Jingyan’s eyes swept across the room nonchalantly until his gaze suddenly paused.
He stared at a specific person.
Strange, why does he look so familiar?
Shi Jingyan narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the man as if to verify his suspicion. In the distance, as if sensing something, that person turned around and swept a light, airy glance in this direction.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
The moment Shi Jingyan saw that face, only one thought flashed through his mind:
Shouldn’t I have already broken away from the original plot?
Why would I run into this person here, by such a scripted coincidence?
Shi Yuyang.
His brother in name, and the true heir to the Shi family.
Staring at Shi Jingyan’s stiff expression, the man’s eyes darkened slightly after a two-second reaction, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
He began walking toward them.
“What is wrong, Brother Yan?”
The girl was the first to notice Yu Yanzhuo’s abnormality and followed his gaze downward.
Two men were standing in a corner talking. Judging by their attire, they both looked like they had some money, but the atmosphere did not seem very harmonious.
Ling Lu curled her lip.
“Brother Yan, do you know them?”
Yu Yanzhuo did not reply. His mouth still wore its habitual, lazy smile as his gaze remained fixed on that figure.
Who would have thought a person like him would come to a place like this? It seems he has run into some trouble.
After watching for a few seconds, Yu Yanzhuo suddenly stood up and smiled. “I am going out for a bit. You guys keep drinking.”
“Hey, Brother Yan, where are you going? I will go with you.”
Ling Lu tried to stand up as well, but Yu Yanzhuo pressed his fingers down, signaling for her to stay put. She had no choice but to sit back down reluctantly, though her face flushed immediately when she saw him smile at her, her dissatisfaction vanishing instantly.
Yu Yanzhuo turned, left the private room, and headed downstairs.
Shi Jingyan looked at the person in front of him with a blank expression.
Just now, after he and Shi Yuyang locked eyes, the man had approached him like he had locked onto a target. Standing before their booth, he had asked, with the air of a refined gentleman, to have a word with Shi Jingyan.
Since what was meant to happen could not be avoided, Shi Jingyan simply followed him to this slightly secluded corner.
“So, Brother, how have you been lately?”
Shi Yuyang’s face carried a calm, elegant smile, and his entire being exuded a sense of superiority nurtured by wealth. He looked completely different from the pitiful state he was in when he first arrived at the Shi family two years ago.
Two years ago, he had found the Shi family and informed Shi Jingyan’s parents that he was, in fact, the real Shi child.
And that Shi Jingyan was a fake who had been switched at birth.
It was from that moment that Shi Jingyan suddenly realized something as if hit by a bolt of lightning.
The world he lived in was not the real world, but a melodramatic “Real vs. Fake Young Master” novel.
Shi Yuyang was the male lead of the story, the “fake” commoner who had lived in an orphanage for over a decade because of the switch, while Shi Jingyan was merely the “cannon fodder” fake young master.
When he first realized this, Shi Jingyan found it absurd.
No one can easily accept that their life has been pre-arranged just to pave the way for someone else.
However, events unfolded one by one according to the plot. Shi Yuyang gained the parents’ affection, while Shi Jingyan himself was gradually alienated and even despised because he did not share their blood.
Shi Jingyan began to believe it.
According to the original plot, out of fear of his parents’ alienation and greed for the inheritance, he would insist on staying with the Shi family and harbor strong hostility toward Shi Yuyang.
In the end, he would be caught in a trap set by Shi Yuyang, resulting in a tragic ending where he was abandoned by everyone and left penniless.
Upon realizing this, Shi Jingyan had acted decisively. Without waiting for Shi Yuyang to make a move, he resolutely left the Shi family.
By leaving that family and Shi Yuyang, the so-called “original plot” would not fall upon him.
After leaving, he relied on his own knowledge and skills to start a company. In just three years, he had established a firm foothold in the industry.
Because of this, Shi Yuyang was exceptionally wary of him.
Shi Jingyan spoke coldly.
“I have no blood relation to you. Do not call me ‘Brother’.”
Shi Yuyang’s eyes flickered, and he smiled again.
“Although Brother and our Shi family indeed have nothing to do with each other, I call you ‘Brother’ out of respect for the fact that my parents raised you for so many years. It is the politeness I should have. Whether you accept it or not, I can’t help that.”
He shifted the conversation, his eyes scanning Shi Jingyan from head to toe. “But Brother, I must say, you really are a child raised by the Shi family. Only two years after leaving home, you have already built your career to such a respectable level.”
“Though, I imagine the process must have been very exhausting.”
His tone carried a sense of hypocritical sympathy mixed with a probing edge.
Shi Jingyan had taken nothing when he left the Shi family. Relying only on the management experience he had gained there and the personal connections he had built, he had succeeded in his own business in such a short time, even if his business was incomparable to the Shi family’s multi-generational industry.
But to achieve such success without seed money or family backing…
This was the true reason Shi Yuyang was wary of him.
What he was very unwilling to admit was that his “fake” brother’s abilities were indeed extraordinary.
If Shi Jingyan really intended to snatch what belonged to him, and if the parents still felt some old affection for him…
Shi Yuyang would never allow that to happen.
Shi Jingyan had no interest in continuing these hypocritical pleasantries. He did not answer the question but instead turned sideways, intending to pass him and return to the booth.
A voice rang out abruptly from the side.
“Yo.”
Just a single syllable, deep, pleasant, and possessing a familiar, soul-stirring quality.
Wait, this voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Shi Jingyan subconsciously looked toward the source of the sound, and his vision froze.
Yu Yanzhuo stood a few steps away with his hands in his pockets.
He still had that eye-catching burgundy wolf-cut hair. He wore a finely textured biker jacket, but the most prominent feature was the deep V-neck shirt underneath.
The neckline was cut extremely low. Even under the dim, hazy lights of the bar, one could clearly see his well-defined abs and strikingly pale skin.
“You…”
Yu Yanzhuo stood there unhurriedly, watching Shi Jingyan’s expression instantly turn rigid. Shi Jingyan opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Yu Yanzhuo curled his lips into a smile and walked toward Shi Jingyan.
Coming back to his senses, Shi Jingyan stared intently at the man approaching him at a leisurely pace.
He truly had not expected to meet him again, especially in a place like this.
In a few steps, Yu Yanzhuo was standing directly in front of him. Shi Jingyan shifted slightly to the side in a defensive posture.
Yu Yanzhuo glanced at his movement and unceremoniously took another step forward to close the distance. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of playful laziness.
“You deleted me?”