After concluding their business discussion, Pei Zhi and the others moved from the private room to a booth in the public area. Wen Yushu, holding a drink, looked around curiously. “Where did Liang Jin go?”

Pei Zhi exchanged a glance with Zhou Qi, sharing an ambiguous smile. “Don’t bother looking for him. I bet he won’t be back for a while.”

Wen Yushu grew more puzzled, scrutinizing the pair’s mysterious expressions. “Are you hiding something from me?”

Just then, Liang Jin returned. Zhou Qi was visibly surprised, as he had assumed Liang Jin would spend a long time being affectionate with Li Wenshui.

“Back so soon?” Pei Zhi’s probing gaze landed on Liang Jin’s face. “What’s the matter? Something happened?”

Liang Jin’s expression remained as calm as ever. He picked up his glass and took a sip of his drink, lounging lazily on the sofa. “Nothing.”

Pei Zhi couldn’t detect anything unusual in Liang Jin’s demeanor. After all, Liang Jin had always been indifferent and inscrutable, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qi noticed Xu Mingwei in the dance floor, alternating between kissing two handsome men. Amused, he took out his phone to snap a couple of photos, his expression full of disdain. “He’s certainly wild, with poor character to match. But I have to admit, his business acumen is sharp. He saw the untapped potential in the old neighborhood. If the scenic area project goes as planned, there’s a lot of money to be made from it.”

Liang Jin pulled out a cigarette, his long, slender fingers deftly taking one out of the box. Lighting it with practiced ease, the flame glowed softly, casting a faint light over his features. Amid the curling smoke, he lounged lazily, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless pool, showing no hint of emotion.

On the dance floor, Xu Mingwei indulged himself for a while longer but seemingly found it unsatisfying. With one arm around a boy, he began heading out. However, as he passed the bar, his gaze swept over the scene, and his eyes narrowed as he abruptly stopped.

Dismissing the two boys with a wave, Xu Mingwei seated himself by the bar.

“What would you like to drink, sir?” Leo asked.

Xu Mingwei glanced at the young man slumped on the bar, his hand brushing the other’s waist as a sly grin tugged at his lips. “Whiskey,” he said after a moment, adding, “Two glasses.”

Li Wenshui, drowsy and tipsy, became sharply aware of someone touching his waist and immediately sobered up a little. Though his state was mildly intoxicated, his thoughts remained clear. He knew he was in a bar and needed to stay vigilant at all times.

Sitting up straight, his gaze fell on the glass of whiskey pushed in front of him. “I don’t drink, sorry,” he said flatly.

Xu Mingwei propped his chin on his hand, taking a closer look at Li Wenshui’s face. His skin was flawless and fair, his eyes bright, and a small red mole at the corner of his eye was irresistibly alluring. Xu Mingwei had seen his fair share of beauties, but the sharp-edged charm of this young man with a prickly demeanor struck him right in his preferences. After all, for a man, someone too docile would lose appeal.

His blatant, unabashed gaze made Li Wenshui frown. He stood up to leave but was stopped when the other grabbed his arm. Xu Mingwei, while not unattractive, had the standard strong bone structure of an East Asian man that gave him an unassuming appearance. However, his lust-filled eyes betrayed his true intentions.

Feigning a gentlemanly demeanor, Xu Mingwei introduced himself, “Hello, my name is Xu Mingwei. May I have your contact information?”

Li Wenshui forcefully pulled his hand back and hid it behind him, suppressing his disgust. “The bar doesn’t allow us to exchange contact information with customers.”

“Well then,” Xu Mingwei clearly had no intention of letting such a tempting target go. “You won’t drink, and you won’t share your contact info. But surely, helping me open a bottle of wine is within your job duties, right?”

The bartender was standing right there, but Xu Mingwei specifically asked Li Wenshui to open the wine. His intentions were obvious to anyone paying attention.

Li Wenshui, after all, was there to make money. He didn’t want to risk losing his wages by offending a customer. Besides, opening a bottle of wine was still within his acceptable boundaries. Not wanting to linger in this interaction, he asked, “What kind of wine do you want?”

Xu Mingwei casually pointed to a bottle of red wine. “That one.”

Carefully, Li Wenshui picked up the wine bottle. It was worth 20,000 yuan—a trivial expense for the wealthy, equivalent to someone like him buying a 1-yuan bottle of water. He inserted the corkscrew into the wooden cork and gently pulled it out.

As the cork was released with a soft “pop,” Li Wenshui suddenly felt dizzy. At first, he thought it was just the effects of the cocktail kicking in. But as the cork came free, an overwhelming wave of emotions—happiness, sadness, frustration—rushed over him like a flood, assaulting his rationality.

His chest tightened, and his heart began to race uncontrollably. Taking a deep breath, he realized something was off. Forcing himself to remain steady, he handed the wine to Xu Mingwei, but his body suddenly swayed to the side. He barely managed to grab the bar for support.

Xu Mingwei’s smile deepened as he leaned closer with a concerned tone. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“No…” Li Wenshui’s cheeks were flushed, and the corners of his alluring eyes were tinged with a rosy hue, as though he’d drunk far too much. His mind and body felt heavy with intoxication. Chaotic emotions surged within him, and sadness consumed his heart, leaving him numb and aching. Blinking uncomfortably, he muttered under his breath, “Liang… bastard.”

“Let me take you somewhere to rest.” Xu Mingwei reached out and pulled the soft, almost boneless Li Wenshui into his arms.

Over at the booth, Zhou Qi glanced casually in Xu Mingwei’s direction, then froze. After a moment of confirmation, he nudged Liang Jin. “Hey, hey, hey! Look at what Xu Mingwei is up to!”

Liang Jin didn’t think much of it and leisurely poured himself a drink. His gaze lazily swept in that direction, but the motion of his hand stopped.

“Wow,” Pei Zhi chuckled, clearly intrigued. “Young Master Liang, looks like Xu Mingwei is stealing your ‘territory.’”

Liang Jin turned back just in time to finish pouring his drink, stopping just before the glass overflowed.

Zhou Qi frowned. “Why aren’t you worried?”

Flicking the ash from his cigarette, Liang Jin smiled faintly, his tone indifferent. “I’ve tried to talk sense into him, but he insisted on staying here. What can I do?”

Pei Zhi clicked his tongue. “Oh, I see. So, you two had a fight? Looks like, Zhou Qi, you’re going to lose the bet.”

As Xu Mingwei helped Li Wenshui toward another area, Zhou Qi briefly considered intervening. A beauty like that couldn’t possibly be left to Xu Mingwei. But just as he was about to stand, he remembered their wager and restrained himself.

Why was he even worrying? Li Wenshui had nothing to do with him.

“You’re right,” Zhou Qi said, sipping his drink. “If he won’t listen, he deserves a lesson. I just wonder how Xu Mingwei will play this one. S&M? Bondage?”

“Tsk, do you think Li Wenshui will be completely ruined by the end of the night?” Pei Zhi smirked mischievously.

A flicker of emotion stirred in Liang Jin’s usually calm eyes. He couldn’t help but imagine Li Wenshui crying beneath someone else, and his fingers tightened unconsciously around his glass. His gaze followed the pair walking away. Without warning, he set his glass down and stood up to leave.

Wen Yushu watched Liang Jin’s departing figure with surprise. Liang Jin’s sudden exit caught even Pei Zhi off guard. “Where’s he going?” he asked.

“What do you think?” Zhou Qi replied.

Pei Zhi chuckled. “Just now, he seemed so indifferent. I actually thought he didn’t care anymore. Wait, why are you looking so smug?”

Zhou Qi raised an eyebrow. “I’m calculating my odds of winning.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Pei Zhi said after a moment’s thought. “You have to understand, for men, possessiveness and genuine affection are two very different things.”

Meanwhile, Xu Mingwei was thrilled at the thought of the beauty soon in his grasp when a voice with a hint of amusement sounded behind him—

“Mr. Xu, where are you headed in such a hurry?”

Liang Jin stood there, hands in his pockets, wearing a polite but faintly sharp smile.

Half the joy on Xu Mingwei’s face vanished as he tightened his grip on the feverish young man in his arms. Turning around, he said, “He’s not feeling well. I’m taking him to see a doctor.”

Liang Jin reached out and grabbed Li Wenshui’s arm. “No need to trouble yourself, Mr. Xu. I’ll take my friend to see a doctor.”

Xu Mingwei’s hand remained firmly on Li Wenshui’s waist, and he met Liang Jin’s gaze head-on, showing no intention of letting go.

Li Wenshui, half-lidded eyes hazy, looked utterly disheveled. His messy hair, flushed cheeks, and fragile, chaotic beauty made him all the more irresistible. His ears buzzed, and it took great effort to discern someone asking him—

“Li Wenshui, do you want to come with me?”

Who was speaking?

Through his blurry vision, the face became clear. It was a handsome one, always accompanied by a faint smile. His heart ached sharply as memories flooded back: this was the man who had told him he wasn’t worthy, the man who taught someone else to ski, the man who treated him as nothing but amusement.

Tears welled in Li Wenshui’s eyes, shimmering faintly. His foggy mind couldn’t process the situation or even recall who was holding him now, but he felt a mix of grievance and defiance. Shaking his head, he said, “No, I won’t go with you.”

Xu Mingwei smiled triumphantly, brushing off Liang Jin’s hand as he pulled the docile, almost lifeless beauty back into his embrace. “Sorry, Liang Ge, but your friend doesn’t seem to want to leave with you.”

Liang Jin froze, his smile fading.

Xu Mingwei had barely taken two steps when Li Wenshui’s wrist was seized once more. This time, Liang Jin’s other arm slid around Li Wenshui’s shoulder, pulling the warm, unsteady man firmly into his own arms. With a faint, unreadable smile, he looked at Xu Mingwei and spoke in a gentle yet unmistakably commanding tone—

“You’re not taking him with you tonight.”