Chapter 28

This dog blood* development made the driver, Lin Yu, perk up his ears in interest. Shao Mingyu must have noticed because his voice was even colder, “Just drive.”

Lin Yu, “…” Boss! What are your eyes made of? X-rays?!

Yu Lan was confused by the interaction and waited for Shao Mingyu’s eyes to gaze at him again before slowly saying, “Wang Jialin? We get along well…”

Shao Mingyu narrowed his eyes and said, “He was holding your hand just now. What were the two of you talking about?”

Yu Lan: “!” He fidgeted, feeling awkward.

Shao Mingyu’s eyes darkened.

“A-Lan.” Shao Mingyu called out roughly, his voice low.

Yu Lan became even more nervous.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Lan raised his eyes, looked at Shao Mingyu and softly said, “He…he asked if I had anyone I was in love with.”

Screech—Lin Yu’s steering wheel was slippery!

Beside Yu Lan, Shao Mingyu’s face was blank of any emotions. He just stared at him and said, “And how did you answer?”

Yu Lan anxiously wrung his hands and twisted his fingers.

He’d said there was someone he liked…

Yu Lan didn’t dare say it out loud, afraid of Mister Shao’s reaction. The air in the car seemed to become sticky and heavy.

Obviously, Mister Shao was very clever and considerate of others’ feelings. So whenever Yu Lan struggled with something, although it was always accompanied by a disappointed sigh, Mister Shao would change the topic of discussion.

But this time, Mister Shao did not.

Yu Lan didn’t answer, so he waited.

The awkward silence affected Yu Lan and he panicked, eyes wide and anxious. He opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind, “…I said my brother would not let me fall in love!”

Lin Yu : “???” Where was this older brother?!

Shao Mingyu was also stunned. After a moment, he recovered and his expression was thoughtful.

Yu Lan stared at Shao Mingyu, complaining in his heart about the man’s long silence and said, “Brother, what do you think?”

Shao Mingyu raised his hand to cover his lips but his eyes lit up, as if he were smiling.

Lin Yu: “Brother” refers to Boss?!

Shao Mingyu dropped his hand and reached out to touch Yu Lan’s bowed head. He said softly, “Good boy.”

That’s too good.

Shao Mingyu never expected such a reply.

Looking at Yu Lan’s evasive eyes, Shao Mingyu thought it was possible that Yu Lan had said something different to that boy. But hearing “brother” from his lips was always so sugary sweet.

Yu Lan puffed up his cheeks to give an exaggerated pout and squirmed in his seat. Shao Mingyu raised his eyebrows and squeezed those cheeks, “Brother asks you one question and you get angry at him?”

“It’s Mister Shao that got angry,” Yu Lan complained, “You promised you wouldn’t get angry at me again!”

“…” Shao Mingyu blinked, “I’m not angry.”

Yu Lan looked at Shao Mingyu with suspicious eyes and his gaze was very accusing! Shao Mingyu felt like a parent who had wrongfully interrogated a child!

Shao Mingyu lightly coughed and said, “I was just worried that you met some people with bad intentions.”

“I’m already 22 years old.” Yu Lan said, looking obedient. He was an adult!

Shao Mingyu thought Yu Lan looked cute and couldn’t help squeezing his face, “Even if you are 22 years old, you’re still a kid.”

Wrong! Yu Lan complained silently. Even though he called Mister Shao ‘brother’, the man was only five years older than Yu Lan. How was Yu Lan still a kid?

Shao Mingyu could tell by Yu Lan’s face that he was unconvinced. Shao Mingyu chuckled lightly but then he thought of that other boy at the milk tea shop. He asked, “How often are you and that boy going to work together?”

“I’m not sure.” Realizing that Shao Mingyu might be worried, Yu Lan hurried to say, “I clearly rejected him! It should be fine for us to be professional when we work together.”

Shao Mingyu’s eyes softened slightly and he didn’t argue with Yu Lan on this issue, only giving a soft ‘hmm’ in response.

Then, remembering the question Yu Lan had just asked him, he said, “Did you just ask about Wen Qiong*? Why are you suddenly asking about him?”

Yu Lan stiffened.

After a moment of silence, he confessed, “I-I saw this magazine today and it said that Mister Shao and Wen Qiong… that the two of you are in love.”

Shao Mingyu frowned slightly and Lin Yu exclaimed, “Nonsense! After so many years, those magazines are still writing this?!”

Yu Lan had hoped that it was all nonsense and to hear it said aloud was a relief. Still, his heart was a mess…

He gazed at Shao Mingyu carefully and asked, “Mister Shao, these past two nights…have you gone to see him?”

Shao Mingyu gazed at him and said, “The client I was meeting followed me outside the club to chat and Wen Qiong happened to be there. I do know him but we aren’t close. There’s no need for you to worry.”

For a few years, because of certain people’s personal motives, the paparazzi had been following Shao Mingyu closely, hoping for a scandal. Eventually, some gossip magazines decided to fabricate a love story between him and Wen Qiong. As soon as Shao Mingyu learned of the rumors, he ruthlessly suppressed them.

The person behind the false scandal shut his mouth after a firm warning.

Afterwards, there was no one in the paparazzi who dared sneak around Shao Mingyu’s company and take pictures of him for false articles. They knew they would be dealt with.

But years had passed since then and outside of a popular nightclub, there appeared to be someone brave enough to take his picture when they should be focused on Wen Qiong.

Usually, Shao Mingyu wouldn’t pay attention to such things.

He was a busy man with more important things that took up his time. Unless someone was behind the scenes and targeting him, Shao Mingyu wouldn’t care about gossip.

But things were different now.

Now there was a little baby by his side who seemed to care a lot.

Shao Mingyu finished explaining and observed the changes in Yu Lan’s face.

Seeing his shoulders loosen with relief, Shao Mingyu lowered his voice and tentatively said, “A-Lan, are you jealous?”

Yu Lan panicked and his head felt like it was filled with static. He blushed bright red and denied, “No! No!”

Shao Mingyu raised his eyebrows slightly.

“I just found it strange!” Yu Lan bowed his head, “I found out about Wen Qiong today and learned that he is a very famous actor. I didn’t expect Mister Shao to know him and that the two of you were involved in a scandal!”

“Do you like him?” Shao Mingyu asked.

Yu Lan shook his head emphatically.

“Then don’t think about Wen Qiong. He’s an irrelevant person,” Shao Mingyu’s tone was light.

Yu Lan’s heart was completely unburdened.

Shao Mingyu spoke to Lin Yu, “Lin Yu, follow up with every entertainment magazine in the city. You know how to handle this.”

“Yes, Mister Shao!” Lin Yu said solemnly.

After the handover, the car was quiet for a few moments.

Yu Lan’s mood was lightened and his face reflected his ease, becoming bright and happy once again.

Thinking back to the depression and suspicion Yu Lan felt when he was at work, he was really ashamed of himself.

At the same time, Shao Mingyu was also being introspective. He thought for a while and suddenly said, “A-Lan.”

“Hmm?” Yu Lan raised his face and answered obediently.

The simple tone of his voice was a lot softer than it had been.

Shao Mingyu paused, curled his lips and said, “Remember when my grandfather sent a blind date to the manor recently? Did that make you feel ‘strange’ as well?”

Yu Lan never expected Mister Shao to suddenly call his bluff and he froze.

Shao Mingyu found Yu Lan’s behavior familiar and this memory came to his mind.

Yu Lan had come back from walking the dog and when he saw that female omega waiting for Shao Mingyu, he immediately turned and ran away. Now that Shao Mingyu thought about it, Yu Lan’s behavior at the time was the same as now. He looked uncomfortable and cautious.

Yu Lan always acted stiff when it came to Shao Mingyu with other omegas.

The silence that descended upon them was awkward and Yu Lan squirmed in his seat.

Shao Mingyu’s eyes lit up as he stared at him. Yu Lan was tense, unsure of how to answer.

His heart was pounding, Shao Mingyu’s black eyes were full of deep meaning and Yu Lan was covered in a cold sweat.

…He didn’t want to admit to Mister Shao that his emotions were so easily influenced.

Suddenly, Yu Lan had an epiphany and he blurted out, “Then today, was Mister Shao also jealous?”

Shao Mingyu froze.

Hearing how forward his words were, Yu Lan also froze.

They silently stared at each other.

Yu Lan nervously swallowed and Shao Mingyu’s face went blank.

Two seconds later, the two men moved in unison to turn away and look out opposite windows.

Lin Yu, “…”

So neither of them are going to answer?!

*

The atmosphere was awkward when they first entered the car and it was still awkward when they left it.

When they got out, they were immediately escorted into the building.

Yu Lan was still in a daze as he eyed the door of the high end restaurant and Shao Mingyu grabbed his wrist to lead him inside.

Yu Lan noticed Shao Mingyu had grabbed his left wrist again, the same one that Wang Jialin had touched.

The restaurant was very elegant and high class and they were shown to a private booth.

After the two of them sat down, Shao Mingyu signaled to the waiter to serve the food. Apparently, he had ordered ahead of time and it made Yu Lan a little embarrassed that Mister Shao had ordered for him. He wasn’t a picky eater but being taken care of like this was…

When the wine was opened, Shao Mingyu asked, “Do you want to drink?”

Yu Lan took a look at the wine bottle. He hadn’t tried alcohol before. After thinking for a moment, he nodded his head, “I’ll just have a taste.”

Yu Lan had never been to a place like this, with its fancy atmosphere and exotic food. They ate dishes Yu Lan didn’t even recognize.

Shao Mingyu acted very considerate, letting Yu Lan take a little taste of each dish to see if he liked it.

Yu Lan was full of curiosity, seriously tasting the dish in front of him. He enjoyed the unfamiliar, strong flavor and his eyes squinted as he smiled.

Shao Mingyu looked at him with a gentle expression.

Halfway through the meal, Shao Mingyu said, “In two days, I’m leaving for a while to attend a financial conference. I will be back in about a week.”

Yu Lan was startled by the sudden news.

A week…he’ll be gone for a whole week?

Since Yu Lan had come to live with Mister Shao, the man had occasionally been gone for two days due to work issues. He had never left Yu Lan for a whole week!

Seeing Yu Lan’s happy expression go dim, Shao Mingyu said warmly, “Do you want to go with me?”

Yu Lan was surprised.

“The conference is on a tourist planet and the scenery is beautiful. If you go with me, I can take you sightseeing when my meetings are over.”

Yu Lan was a little moved by the offer but hesitated, saying, “Um, during the week will you have meetings all day?”

“Yes. But Lin Yu will also go with us and I can let him accompany you during the day.”

Yu Lan thought about it carefully and, although he was a little regretful, he still shook his head and refused.

Shao Mingyu frowned slightly, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to disturb you and Lin Yu while you work.” Yu Lan said with a smile, “Mister Shao, I’ll relax in the manor and wait for you to come back. You can take me out to play then, okay?”

Shao Mingyu looked at him with complicated eyes then he sighed.

How could Yu Lan be so well behaved?

He promised, “When I come back, we’ll do something fun.”

“Okay!” Yu Lan smiled happily.

The two looked at each other with a smile and they finished their meal surrounded by a warm and cozy atmosphere.

But when they finished, Yu Lan realized…he was a little drunk.

Drinking for the first time, Yu Lan felt like he could hold his alcohol well. Shao Mingyu saw Yu Lan drinking like a fish but Yu Lan didn’t act like the wine was affecting him.

He wasn’t turning red or slurring at all, so Shao Mingyu assumed that the boy had been born with a natural high tolerance.

Unexpectedly, when the meal was about to end, Yu Lan’s little face flushed a visible red and his eyes became a little dark.

Yu Lan was dizzy when he stood up and he almost fell down, “Mister…Mister Shao…”

Shao Mingyu was speechless as he immediately stood up to support him. He blamed himself for not pacing Yu Lan’s drinking.

The world spun around Yu lan and his head felt like it was under warm water. Noises and feelings felt soft, far away and Yu Lan couldn’t think clearly.

He instinctively called out softly, “Mister Shao…”

He raised his hands to hook around the back of Mister Shao’s neck, seeking more support to stand.

Shao Mingyu wrapped his arms around Yu Lan’s waist, holding him firmly.

Then Yu Lan leaned in and buried his face in Shao Mingyu’s neck, chasing his scent.

Shao Mingyu’s body tensed slightly and his voice became hoarse, “A-Lan, don’t move.”

“Mister Shao…” Yu Lan’s cry was muffled and he buried his little head closer to the man’s neck.

Shao Mingyu felt frustrated but he still teased, “Are you Little Mars? Sniffing at me like this.”

A-Lan hummed softly and took a deep breath before raising his head. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were opened wide, shining brightly. He said in a soft, dreamy tone, “Mister Shao, I love your scent.”

Shao Mingyu exhaled a sharp breath.

Before he could respond, Yu Lan buried his face in Shao Mingyu’s neck again and took a deep breath.

Shao Mingyu: “…”

He suddenly felt that he was wrong before. A-Lan was not sniffing him like Little Mars.

Shao Mingyu had certainly never felt this way when he was scented by the dog…