One week later.

Coming out of the household registration office, Cen Zhiyuan received his new identification documents smoothly. The expedited process went well, and his name was now Ning Zhiyuan.

Standing on the street for a moment after finishing a cigarette and preparing to get into his car, he heard someone calling him from behind.

Turning around, he saw a pink Bentley parked behind his car. A girl’s head popped out from the driver’s seat, “Cen Zhiyuan! It’s really you. Get in!”

Twenty minutes later, Ning Zhiyuan and the girl sat in a café by the street. The girl was playing with her freshly painted nails, looking at Ning Zhiyuan across the table as if examining a new continent, “How come I’ve been abroad for only two months, and I come back to hear that there’s been a big change in your family? Did you really get kicked out by the Cen family?”

Ning Zhiyuan lazily leaned against the sofa chair, “I didn’t get kicked out. I changed my surname on my own.”

The girl exclaimed, “Really?”

Ning Zhiyuan lifted his coffee cup, took a sip.

The girl’s name was Tang Shiqi, and she and Ning Zhiyuan had known each other since childhood. They were childhood sweethearts, having met when they were still in diapers. Their ‘relationship’ was more of childhood play, acting as a couple in games. However, it came to an end when Cen Zhisen, owing to his similarity to a nosy older brother, discovered their play and informed Tang Shiqi’s older brother. Both families got wind of it, and their childhood romance came to an end.

As adults, their families tried to set them up again, but they weren’t interested in each other. In the past two years, Ning Zhiyuan had thought about it. The Tang family’s company had a close relationship with Cen An, and if he married Tang Shiqi, it would be beneficial for him. However, before he could turn his thoughts into reality, he left Cen An.

“I heard you resigned too. What are your plans for the future?” Tang Shiqi asked.

Ning Zhiyuan, hands crossed behind his head, adopted an even more casual posture, recalling the same question his ‘fake big brother’ asked him in his office that day.

“I don’t know. I’ll take it one step at a time.”

“How about coming to work at my family’s company and working for my brother?” Tang Shiqi suggested.

Ning Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile, “Forget it. Your brother and Cen Zhisen are like-minded. Do I need to jump from one fire pit to another?”

“Oh,” the girl was too lazy to discuss this, “Do me a favor. Come out with me tonight and pretend to be my boyfriend.”

Ning Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Tang Shiqi casually explained that she had set her eyes on a new ‘toy,’ but unfortunately, the guy was oblivious. She needed to spice things up a bit.

Later that night, the largest nightclub in the city was lively.

As Ning Zhiyuan walked in, Tang Shiqi affectionately hooked her arm around his, pulling him toward the center of the dance floor. “Darling, you took so long. I’ve been waiting for you forever.”

The girl deliberately raised the pitch of her voice, looking artificial. Ning Zhiyuan suppressed a smile, almost breaking character, “Where’s the person you were talking about?”

“Don’t ask,” Tang Shiqi whispered to him, “Cooperate with me, dance with me, and let’s appear affectionate.”

Ning Zhiyuan swayed his eyes around. Tang Shiqi seemed to have come alone; he didn’t see any companions. The only person nearby was a bodyguard-like man staring intently at them from a few meters away, constantly following them.

Sensing the hostile gaze, Ning Zhiyuan asked, “Who’s that?”

Tang Shiqi glanced over and pouted, “My new bodyguard. Ignore him.”

Being dragged into the dance floor, Ning Zhiyuan didn’t mind.

Above them were chaotic and dazzling lights. The noisy and boisterous music filled their ears. The surroundings were filled with passionate men and women expressing themselves freely. Tang Shiqi clung to him, and her soft body occasionally pressed against his.

One hand supported Tang Shiqi’s waist, and the other was in his pocket, swaying lazily and casually. He hadn’t been out for fun in a long time. During this period, he had been catching up on sleep at home. Whenever he woke up, he casually picked a movie to pass the time. It was as if he wanted to compensate for all the sleep he missed during the years he worked hard.

Since the day he returned to China after graduation and joined Cen An, he had set a string in his own mind. It was always tight, reminding him not to fall behind Cen Zhisen day by day.

Of course, he wasn’t celibate. He needed to release some stress. However, these things didn’t take up much of his time and energy. They were careless, thoughtless, and perhaps he wouldn’t even remember the other person’s name or appearance afterward.

For so many years, the person occupying his thoughts the most was unexpectedly Cen Zhisen. How laughable.

Feeling the silk-like fabric of Ning Zhiyuan’s shirt occasionally brushing against her, Tang Shiqi looked up at his handsome face at close range. Her heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster, but when she thought about what kind of person he had been since childhood, she dismissed the idea.

No one could tolerate their boyfriend being so flirtatious, especially when the only person they were concerned about in a certain sense was his brother. She couldn’t handle that.

Ning Zhiyuan suddenly chuckled and looked down at her, “Why are you staring at me? Don’t even think about me. Even if I’m like this, if you develop feelings for me, your family will have trouble.”

“You’re thinking too highly of yourself,” Tang Shiqi scoffed at him, “Someone like you deserves to be a lifelong bachelor.”

“Your new ‘toy’ has been staring at us since a while ago. His eyes seem to want to poke two holes in me,” Ning Zhiyuan lowered his head, his voice close to Tang Shiqi’s ear, “You’re quite good at playing games, even eating grass on the side.”

When they first entered, he noticed that Tang Shiqi’s target was her bodyguard. That’s why she came up with this plan.

Under the hostile gaze, Ning Zhiyuan remained unaffected. He held Tang Shiqi in his arms, and his hand moved to her lower back, adopting an intimate posture like a couple.

After exchanging a few words and looking up, his gaze shifted to another direction. Behind the bar, there was another pair of eyes looking at him through the crowded people and the ambiguous, hazy lights.

It was Cen Zhisen.

Cen Zhisen held a wine glass, leaning against the bar, talking with his companion. Occasionally, he took a sip of his drink and glanced at the two people dancing closely in the dance floor.

When Ning Zhiyuan and the others came in, he had already noticed them. He rarely frequented such places. Today, he was hosting friends who came from abroad for business, intending to relax a bit. He didn’t expect to encounter Ning Zhiyuan here.

The dance floor was crowded with many people, men and women indulging in intimate entanglements, their bodies colliding to produce an excess of hormones. Among them, Ning Zhiyuan was the most conspicuous. A handsome man with tousled short hair, wearing a brightly colored silk shirt with two buttons undone, holding a woman in his arms and swaying lazily, he looked like a playboy, easily attracting the attention of others with a casual glance or a slight smile.

Their eyes met, and Cen Zhisen lightly rubbed the glass in his hand with his fingertips, locking his black gaze on him.

Ning Zhiyuan’s surprise lasted only a moment. He curved his lips, finding it somewhat fateful to encounter Cen Zhisen in such a place.

“Eating grass on the side is interesting, don’t you think?” Tang Shiqi chuckled softly.

Ning Zhiyuan turned around slowly, and when he faced forward again, he met Cen Zhisen’s eyes.

He, too, was looking at Cen Zhisen. Cen Zhisen’s profound eyes, slender fingers holding the glass, and the graceful movement of his Adam’s apple when he drank—all visible through half the dance floor and the bar—made it unclear, yet Ning Zhiyuan inexplicably didn’t want to look away.

They silently confronted each other in this chaotic, dim, and noisy nightclub, lost in a drunken and dreamy atmosphere.

Some thick, sticky, secretive emotions quietly fermented.

A companion next to them turned back with a puzzled look, unable to discern anything. “Cen Zhisen, what are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Cen Zhisen tilted his head slightly, still staring at that person. The platinum-colored liquid poured into his mouth, slowly swallowed, and a hint of a smile appeared in his throat. “Just discovered some interesting things that I hadn’t noticed before.”

Ning Zhiyuan felt hot. Although he hadn’t drunk any alcohol, perhaps the pervasive scent of alcohol in the air made him feel intoxicated. He suddenly felt an unusual dryness in his mouth and throat.

“Eating grass,” he muttered the words and laughed, “Maybe.”

The overly sweet perfume scent on the girl filled his nostrils, and Ning Zhiyuan didn’t particularly like this smell. The subtle fluctuations in his heart dissipated, and he lowered his eyes. “Your ‘toy’ is coming over.”

“Miss, it’s late. It’s time to go back.”

The bodyguard who stopped in front of them spoke expressionlessly, his tone firm, only looking at Tang Shiqi.

Tang Shiqi didn’t want to pay attention to him and continued to stick to Ning Zhiyuan. Amused, Ning Zhiyuan asked, “Don’t want to go back?”

“No,” the spoiled Miss said, “Unless you two compete in drinking. Whoever wins, I’ll go with them.”

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t want to drink at all, and Tang Shiqi pinched him secretly, glancing at him with her eyes, hinting that Ning Zhiyuan should help her get the bodyguard drunk.

Helplessly, Ning Zhiyuan played along with the act.

They found a table by the dance floor, and Tang Shiqi ordered five bottles of high-proof foreign liquor in one breath. Ning Zhiyuan, with a headache, reminded her, “Do you plan to carry the two of us away by yourself later?”

The bodyguard had already picked up a bottle, treating the foreign liquor like beer, and blew on the bottle directly.

Ning Zhiyuan could only sacrifice himself to keep up with the act.

His alcohol tolerance was decent, but he hadn’t eaten much that evening, and being forced to drink like this caused his stomach to react quickly.

When the bodyguard began blowing on the second bottle, Ning Zhiyuan had only drunk two-thirds of his bottle.

With a frowning expression, he put down the bottle, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and when he was about to continue, the other hand that reached over took away his drink. “Don’t drink if you can’t handle it.”

Seeing Cen Zhisen suddenly, Tang Shiqi’s expression changed slightly, a hint of guilt passing through her. “Sen Ge, why are you here too?”

“Finish having fun and go back,” Cen Zhisen said, turning to signal Ning Zhiyuan, “Ready to go?”

Ning Zhiyuan swayed his head a bit. He had drunk too quickly, making him feel uncomfortable.

“Let’s go,” Cen Zhisen turned around first.

When Ning Zhiyuan regained his senses, he had already followed Cen Zhisen and walked outside.

The strong alcohol hit him too quickly, making him feel uneasy. Seeing Cen Zhisen’s back a few steps away, he inexplicably recalled the last time this person came to the bar to take him back.

Quite strange, at this moment, Cen Zhisen unexpectedly started performing brotherly love. He didn’t know who he was trying to impress.

As they walked through the first door, Ning Zhiyuan stopped with some discomfort, leaning against the wall behind him, and closed his eyes.

Cen Zhisen turned back to look at him and walked closer. “Can you still walk?”

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t open his closed eyes and hoarsely said, “Wait a moment.”

In the dimly lit corridor where there were only the two of them, Ning Zhiyuan’s breathing became a bit heavy. Suddenly leaning forward, he got close to Cen Zhisen, sniffed at his neck, and said, “What perfume are you wearing? It smells strangely good.”

As the murky alcohol scent dissipated, only the chilling and refreshing fragrance remained.

Ning Zhiyuan’s mind was indeed unclear, and he directly asked what he was thinking.

After waiting for a moment without hearing Cen Zhisen’s response, Ning Zhiyuan opened his eyes in confusion and stared blankly.

He was too close to Cen Zhisen, and he could almost see his own shadow in Cen Zhisen’s eyes.

Without waiting for him to react, Cen Zhisen suddenly smiled, “Do you want to know?”