Chapter 27

Yu Lan blushed, clutched the tie and whispered, “Mister Shao, I don’t know how.”

“I can teach you,” Shao Mingyu said with a slow smile.

The two were still so close and they looked at each other for a long moment.

Yu Lan tried to calm down, his heart was beating so loud. He raised his hands and put the tie around Shao Mingyu’s neck.

Shao Mingyu cooperated by lowering his head.

Unsure, Yu Lan stopped and looked at Shao Mingyu carefully, waiting for his explanation.

Shao Mingyu glanced at him with a smile and then reached up to cover Yu Lan’s hands with his own.

Yu Lan: “!”

Startled, Yu Lan’s hands trembled and he opened his eyes wide.

He wanted to shrink his hands back subconsciously but Shao Mingyu didn’t let him. Unconsciously or intentionally, Shao Mingyu tightened his grip and didn’t let Yu Lan withdraw.

“M…Mister Shao…” The blush on Yu Lan’s face spread to the tips of his ears and his breathing was short.

Shao Mingyu’s voice was low and he slowly spoke, “A-Lan, remember the steps…”

Yu Lan, his hands being held by Mister Shao, forgot to ask why he needed to remember the steps. His heart felt tight in his chest, as if Mister Shao was also gently holding the beating organ in his hands.

Mister Shao’s palms were a lot bigger than Yu Lan’s, just as his figure was much taller than him. Those hands were warm, holding Yu Lan’s favorite temperature. And feeling his hands on him, they contained Yu Lan’s favorite touch.

Shao Mingyu held Yu Lan’s hands in this way and skillfully made a knot in his tie.

In the silence between them, Yu Lan swallowed roughly and kept his eyes straight ahead, staring at Shao Mingyu’s revealed collarbone.

His brain was blank and the surrounding air seemed to have turned into warm liquid in his lungs.

The hands that Mister Shao held were so hot that they felt like they would melt!

After tying an uncomplicated knot, the dark grey tie hung around Mister Shao’s neck and Yu Lan felt so dizzy!

Taking a closer look, Yu Lan thought Mister Shao looked good in the tie. But Yu Lan thought Mister Shao looked good in anything he wore! Yu Lan smiled.

“Did you remember the steps just now?” Shao Mingyu seemed amused.

Yu Lan startled out of his daze and stammered, “Remember? Yes, of course…”

Shao Mingyu removed his hands to lean against the back of the couch again and jokingly said, “Then how about I quiz you on it and see?”

–Wait! Yu Lan really didn’t pay attention!

Mister Shao held his hands the whole time. How could Yu Lan still have the energy to pay attention to anything else?!

Yu Lan knew he was caught and felt very embarrassed.

Shao Mingyu’s face was serious and he once again picked up Yu Lan’s hands, “If you didn’t remember the first time, I’ll have to teach you again and again.”

Yu Lan was scandalized, “Mister Shao!”

Shao Mingyu raised his eyebrows, “Since you picked this tie for me, then you need to take responsibility for it. That means you have to help me put it on every time I wear it.”

Yu Lan, “!!!”

So he would have to help Mister Shao every time? What if he wore it every day?! No way, that wouldn’t happen…

*

When Yu Lan arrived at the dining table the next morning, Shao Mingyu, who had already finished breakfast, put down the newspaper in his hand. He raised his eyes and there was a meaning in his gaze and he looked as if he had been waiting for Yu Lan. He looked down and Yu Lan’s eyes followed.

On the side of the table was the dark gray tie.

Aunty Jiang came out of the kitchen to ask Yu Lan if he wanted an omelette for breakfast and so she happened to see them. Yu Lan was blushing, standing while Shao Mingyu sat, tying his tie with a serious expression.

Shao Mingyu looked up at Yu Lan unwaveringly.

From her perspective, Aunty Jiang couldn’t see their expressions too clearly but a quiet sweetness surrounded the scene.

When Uncle Liu came up behind her, she jumped in fright and then dragged him away to whisper, “Mister Shao and A-Lan…doesn’t it seem like they are…”

Uncle Liu shushed her and motioned for her not to disturb the two men across the room.

He shook his head. Aunty Jiang was really the last one to know!

*

The gift almost made Yu Lan so embarrassed he felt like he would bleed to death. But he soon got over it and even started secretly thinking about what he would buy for Mister Shao when he got paid next month.

Yu Lan really enjoyed Mister Shao’s attention…

By the time he realized what he was expecting for his gifts, Yu Lan was so ashamed that he covered his face!

The next week or so passed calmly and Yu Lan occasionally returned to the area around the mall where he first intended to pick out a tie for Mister Shao. Unexpectedly, he found that the uncle named Fang Pingping was still wandering around. Sulking around corners and sighing forlornly.

Was he looking for fresh prey or Yu Lan?

Yu Lan was shocked each time to see him and would always speed away on his bike as fast as he could.

At the milk tea shop, the manager had successfully hired someone to work the day shift.

The new employee was a 20 year old college student and an alpha. His name was Wang Jialin.

Wang Jialin was quite reliable and learned very quickly, picking up everything he needed to in only two days of training. Wen Zicheng was very pleased.

A week later, the manager let Wang Jialin and Yu Lan take the evening shift alone together.

Fortunately, Wang Jialin was very outgoing and Yu Lan, who was not very sociable, found it easy to get along with him.

Today, Yu Lan happened to be scheduled during a popular festival and Wen Zicheng felt sorry for them. He allowed them to close up early and head home around seven o’clock.

After locking the doors, Wang Jialin went into the changing room first and then came out to switch with Yu Lan. He had just taken off his shirt and picked up the hangar when a magazine caught his eye.

It looked like a gossip magazine for the entertainment industry. The cover was full of messy font and bright colors, covered in photos of different people.

The most prominent photo in the middle on the cover was of a man wearing black sunglasses. He was delicate and slender, with a head of shoulder-length black hair, neatly tied back. His figure was filled with a chic, androgynous beauty.

And there was a small photo in the upper left corner…

Yu Lan froze.

It was Mister Shao. He was standing by the car, wearing a long black trench coat. He looked elegant, ascetic and indifferent.

There were large floating letters between the two pictures, “Wen Qiong’s love affair with wealthy family’s son has been exposed!”

Below the headline were a row of small, dense words explaining that these two had a secret meeting late at night in a high-end club two days ago. After they came out, they pretended not to know each other and each took a different car home.

…Mister Shao and this person named Wen Qiong?

It was true that recently, Mister Shao had not gone back to the manor for dinner. But Yu Lan remembered that he had said there was a work situation that needed to be dealt with.

Yu Lan stood there frozen for a while, staring at the magazine cover. Just as he was about to reach forward and flip through the pages to the article, Wang Jialin knocked on the door outside and said, “Hey, Yu Lan, I left my phone in there. Can I grab it?”

Yu Lan paused, withdrew his hand, quickly changed clothes and opened the door. Looking apologetic, Wang Jialin walked in, running a hand through his own hair. He found his phone and also picked up the magazine, moving to put it into his backpack.

“I finished closing up. We can head home now.”

Yu Lan bit his lip and said, “Um…that magazine…”

Wang Jialin paused and tilted his head, confused, “Magazine?”

He glanced at the magazine in his hand and said embarrassingly, “Oh…haha. I sometimes buy this kind of thing. Something mindless for stress relief, you know?”

Yu Lan asked, “…Who is on the cover?”

Wang Jialin was a little surprised, “Wen Qiong, you don’t know him?”

Yu Lan shook his head. The only celebrities he knew were the starring actors in his two favorite costume dramas and his two favorite singers. He didn’t know anything else about the entertainment industry. The only thing he knew about this ‘Wen Qiong’ was what he just read on the magazine cover.

“He’s amazing! Wen Qiong is the leading role in the movie “XXX” that was released recently.” Wang Jialin was very excited as he talked about Wen Qiong.

“Oh! Also, he is from the Silver Moon Clan but after he debuted and became an artist, he dropped the surname Yu!”

Yu Lan was surprised when he heard this and he looked at the man on the cover again.

“Hey, this magazine actually used the old gossip between him and the CEO of Xingyu Group, Shao Mingyu. A few years ago, there was a gossip magazine article about both of them but then all the rumors disappeared.”

Yu Lan was silent for a moment, then said, “Why did the rumors about them resurface?”

Wang Jialin said casually, “I always thought the two had a very shallow relationship but they were photographed in the same frame in some of these photos. And the article’s claims? What late night romantic meetings? The photograph only shows them near each other outside of the club! There’s no proof, it’s just words.”

Wang Jialin shrugged, “But who really knows? Maybe they were really meeting in secret! The relationship between the two is definitely ambiguous. Maybe one day they’ll make an official announcement for their wedding. Imagine it, Wen Qiong would become the first Silver Moon to marry into that level of luxury! Exciting, right?”

Wang Jialin continued to ramble and Yu Lan half listened, slowly realizing for the first time that Mister Shao’s world was even bigger than he had imagined.

Yu Lan’s manager, Wen Zicheng, had instantly recognized Mister Shao without having met him before. Yu Lan had thought that no matter how great and impressive Mister Shao was, it wouldn’t matter. After all, living together in the manor was like they were in their own little world.

But hearing Wang Jialin’s words, Yu Lan realized that Mister Shao was very famous and sought after.

Yu Lan was very ignorant of the world; he didn’t know many people outside of work or the manor. How much of a celebrity was Mister Shao?

And Wen Qiong, what kind of a person was he?

Before, when Yu Lan had not hoped for requited feelings with Mister Shao, such gossip wouldn’t have affected him much. He had no hope to begin with, how could he be disappointed? He was used to pushing down his jealousy and ignoring it.

But now, every word out of Wang Jialin’s mouth was a needle piercing Yu Lan’s heart.

Yu Lan, like the writer of the article, was doubting the relationship between Mister Shao and Wen Qiong. Were they really…

His face must have looked off because Wang Jialin stopped talking, looking concerned, “What’s wrong. Are you feeling sick?”

Yu Lan shook his head and took a deep breath. He said in a dull voice, “Let’s leave.”

“Oh… um!” After Yu Lan walked out and closed the shop, Wang Jialin said, “By the way, Yu Lan!”

Yu Lan absent-mindedly hummed a response. Wang Jialin ran a hand through his hair nervously and his tone was expectant, “Do you…Are you busy tonight?”

Confused, Yu Lan paused and Wang Jialin blushed, “If you’re free, how about I invite you to dinner?”

Yu Lan was stunned.

Wang Jialin continued eagerly, “There’s a new barbecue restaurant nearby and the reviews say it’s pretty good. I want to try it but it’s too weird to eat it alone. Do you want to go together?”

The sky was already dark. On the street near them, a black car pulled to a stop.

“Boss, Mister Yu just stepped outside!” Lin Yu in the driver’s seat hurriedly exclaimed when he saw the young man.

Shao Mingyu had already noticed him. The windows of the car were tinted black. No one could look inside but the passengers could see outside just fine. Yu Lan’s way was being blocked by a boy twice his size and Shao Mingyu narrowed his eyes.

Yu Lan was about to respond but then he looked past Wang Jialin and saw the familiar black car. Yesterday, when he learned that the shop would close early today, Mister Shao had promised to pick Yu Lan up and take him to eat out.

Yu Lan looked back at Wang Jialin. Yu Lan was no longer ignorant in this field. The alpha’s intention was clear as day.

He softly said, “Sorry, I have a date tonight.”

Wang Jialin looked visibly disappointed.

Yu Lan said in a rushed manner, “You…you find someone else to eat with, okay? My date is already here to pick me up. I’ll leave first.”

After speaking he tried to walk around Wang Jialin and leave but the alpha grabbed his hand to stop him. Wang Jialin tugged Yu Lan’s hand and anxiously looked around them, searching for his date. He saw the luxury car and dismissed it immediately. He said, “You, A-Lan, are you already in love with them?”

Yu Lan was at a loss for words and at that moment Shao Mingyu exited the car.

Yu Lan hurriedly said, “Yes! I already have someone I like, sorry!”

After confessing and being immediately rejected, Wang Jialin froze into a stone sculpture.

Yu Lan also didn’t know how to deal with this situation. He pulled his hand away, hurriedly said goodbye and fled.

Shao Mingyu glanced at the boy standing in front of the shop and then at Yu Lan who was running towards him. His gaze unconsciously lingered on Yu Lan’s wrist, where the boy had grabbed him.

“Is that a new employee in the shop?”

“Yes, um…Mister Shao, let’s hurry and leave.” Yu Lan urged gently.

Shao Mingyu gave Wang Jialin another indifferent glance then reached out and clasped Yu Lan’s left wrist. He helped Yu Lan into the back seat of the car.

After closing the car door, Yu Lan looked out and saw Wang Jialin finally react. He stepped towards the car as if to look inside and see the occupants.

Shao Mingyu said casually, “Drive.”

“Yes, Boss.” Lin Yu responded in a low voice and immediately started the car.

After they pulled away, the atmosphere in the car felt fragile and Yu Lan didn’t dare to break the silence.

Once he was next to Mister Shao again, Wang Jialin and his confession was easily forgotten. That actor, Wen Qiong, occupied Yu Lan’s thoughts again. He was also very aware of Mister Shao’s presence right beside him.

Just when the vehicle stopped at a red light, Yu Lan looked to the side and saw a square holographic advertising screen suddenly jump out of the air.

On the screen, a man with long hair bit into the chocolate in his hand. He glanced at the camera and his eyes were captivating, full of ambiguity and sexiness.

Yu Lan had only just heard of Wen Qiong and now he was seeing the man everywhere…

Yu Lan stared at the advertising screen for a moment and clenched his hands.

Pursing his lips, he couldn’t help but speak.

“Mister Shao, do you know Wen Qiong?”

“Do you get along well with that new boy?”

The two spoke at the same time and they both paused after.

Then they looked at each other, their hearts full of the same bitter emotion.