He instinctively sidestepped. A glint of cold flashed in his periphery; his pupils shrank. In a second, he countered, twisting toward the wrist—
But grabbed air.
The hand withdrew suddenly.
Song Zichu looked up into cold, dark eyes. He opened his mouth but couldn’t respond immediately.
Lai Li toyed with a small brass knife and said softly, “Quick reflexes.”
Song Zichu’s heart sank.
Lai Li walked off without looking back. “Fire him.”
The manager behind him smiled obsequiously. “No problem, Little… He’ll be gone for taking a coworker’s shift without permission.”
Song Zichu clung to faint hope and opened his mouth. “Lai Li…”
Lai Li stepped forward, pressing the knife tip to Song Zichu’s shoulder and pinning him against the wall. “Drop the act. Watching you perform is exhausting.”
He yanked down on Song Zichu’s wrist, directly slicing through his white shirt. Even though Song Zichu covered it quickly, the manager nearby still caught a one-second glimpse of the crisscrossing scars.
The manager couldn’t hide his shock, his mind flashing with some cruel, erotic images. So this seemingly upright college student played so wildly in private…
Song Zichu said with difficulty, “I don’t know what you’re…”
Lai Li interrupted in disgust, “I can smell your stench from a street away.”
“…talking about.” Song Zichu’s gaze dropped to the ground as he murmured, “So you recognized me long ago.”
When he lifted his head again, all the tense unease vanished from his expression. His eyes held the same sinister chill as Lai Li’s, along with an excitement he couldn’t suppress.
“‘We’? You’re one of us too.” Song Zichu took a step forward, getting very close, almost whispering in his ear. “Once you have a family and a name, you’re no longer one of ‘us’?”
Lai Li twisted his wrist, pressing the knife tip against Song Zichu’s neck, as if the next second would sever his carotid artery.
Song Zichu didn’t care at all, leaning his neck even closer. “Tell me, would Mr. Dai want a murderous little brother?”
The manager couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he sensed something was off. He’d heard about Lai Li’s wild reputation and quickly pulled Song Zichu away, slapping the back of his head and forcing him to bow.
“What the hell are you babbling about! Hurry up and apologize to Young Master Lai!”
Song Zichu was immersed in the confrontation and never expected this guy to treat him like that. The words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back. He jerked his head up, glaring fiercely at the manager.
But the manager was busy apologizing to Lai Li. “Young Master Lai, I guarantee this guy won’t set foot in Cloud Summit again. Please calm down.”
“…” Lai Li hooked his finger, and with a click, the blade retracted into its slot. He turned and walked back toward the private room without a word.
Song Zichu’s shoulders trembled uncontrollably, whether from anger or fear, no one could tell. The manager slapped his shoulder irritably. “How did you piss him off? I was going to give you a raise over winter break, but now you’re done for. What are you staring at me for? Did I get you fired?”
…
Lai Li kicked open the private room door. The young masters jolted, all turning to look at the entrance, half-expecting a vice squad raid.
But there was only one vice squad member, and he was only busting one person’s vice.
Lai Li asked the server nearby, “Where’s my brother?”
“Mr. Dai seems to have gone to the restroom outside.”
Lai Li pivoted his toe to leave, but then spotted two familiar figures in the crowd.
He Shuxin. Tang Yuanyang.
Lai Li changed direction again. He passed the bar counter and snatched a bottle of red wine the bartender had just opened, heading straight for the wary Tang Yuanyang. With a flick of his wrist—
The red wine poured down like a torrential rain, turning Tang Yuanyang into a drenched chicken reeking of rich fruit aroma.
“…………” The entire private room fell deathly silent.
He Shuxin reacted first, cursing inwardly and damning He Xunzhang’s eighteen generations of ancestors for luring him here. He jumped onto the table to flee—
But as soon as he steadied himself, a figure blocked his path.
He Shuxin’s self-awareness was spot on; Lai Li’s next target was indeed him. The wine had been dumped on Tang Yuanyang, so the now-empty bottle was naturally reserved for him.
“What do you want?” He Shuxin feigned calm, shouting with false bravado, “Causing trouble in my big brother’s private room?”
Lai Li didn’t waste words and raised the bottle to strike. He Shuxin backed away, tripped over a table, and fell flat on his ass. He instinctively threw up his arms to shield his head. But after several seconds, the expected pain didn’t come. Instead, he heard a soft scoff, standing out clearly in the quiet atmosphere.
He Shuxin’s face turned green with rage.
Lai Li bent down slightly and tapped his shoulder lightly with the bottle, saying in a voice only he could hear, “See you at the hospital.”
He Shuxin’s face flushed pale then green. The last time before going to the hospital, Lai Li had said that every time he got close to Dai Linxuan, he’d send him to the hospital once.
“This is He Xunzhang’s gathering. I didn’t know your brother—”
He Shuxin snapped his mouth shut. This knee-jerk explanation was no different from slapping his own face! He could feel the curious or mocking gazes around him without even turning his head.
Someone finally reacted, stepping between Lai Li and He Shuxin, spreading their arms to separate them. “Talk it out nicely, don’t ruin the harmony!”
In his peripheral vision, the private room door was swinging inward.
Lai Li tossed the bottle into He Shuxin’s lap, his lips curling into a mocking arc. He mouthed silently, word by word, “Look how scared you are.”
He turned to leave.
He Shuxin had been toyed with twice in a row and was on the verge of exploding. Blood rushed to his head as he shoved aside the person in front, grabbed the empty bottle, chased a few steps, and swung it fiercely at the back of Lai Li’s head—
Just as it seemed blood would splatter everywhere, a microphone flew in out of nowhere, smashing precisely into He Shuxin’s arm.
The bottle lost its aim, only glancing off Lai Li’s shoulder. Due to the excessive force, it slid down his arm to the floor and shattered into pieces.
After a clatter of sounds, the private room grew even quieter than before.
—Dai Linxuan stood at the door, his hand that had thrown the microphone hanging at his side. The perpetual smile on his face was gone.
Beside him stood He Xunzhang, with a trembling Xu Yanzhou behind. Both thought simultaneously: How was this ancestor everywhere, popping up no matter where they went!?
Lai Li stood amid the shards of glass, alone and isolated, looking as if the entire room had ganged up to bully him.
He lowered his eyes and called out softly, “Bro.”
Everyone: “…”
They roared incoherently in their minds: You weren’t like this just now!!
Dai Linxuan spoke. “Come here.”
Lai Li walked over silently, letting Dai Linxuan pull aside his shirt to check his shoulder.
He Xunzhang frowned, his tone a bit stern. “He Shuxin, come here and apologize to Little Chestnut!”
“…………” Everyone in the room knew how wronged He Shuxin was.
The incident ended with He Shuxin nearly passing out from anger. Since Lai Li hadn’t actually struck, but he had—and Dai Linxuan had seen it—he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, “Sorry.”
As they left, Xu Yanzhou kept his distance, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the wall.
Fortunately, Lai Li only had eyes for Dai Linxuan right now and ignored him.
The manager smiled as he escorted them to the parking lot, not mentioning a word about firing Song Zichu. Before getting in the car, Lai Li paused and glanced at the manager. “Be careful going home lately. Don’t walk at night.”
“…”
“??”
The manager shuddered. Wait, when had he ever offended Lai Li? Did he need such a serious death threat? Was he dissatisfied with how he’d handled Song Zichu? But he was just a manager—what else could he do besides firing him? Beat Song Zichu up!?
The black Rolls-Royce sped away, blending into the night.
Liu Zeng sensed the off atmosphere and asked cautiously, “Linxuan, heading home tonight or…?”
Lai Li spoke first. “Hezi Mountain Mansion.”
Dai Linxuan glanced at him but said nothing.
Even until they entered the elevator, Dai Linxuan didn’t say a word. His tall figure reflected on the shiny wall.
Lai Li rubbed his fingertip. “Bro.”
Dai Linxuan asked calmly, “Hungry?”
Lai Li paused. “A bit.”
With a ding, Dai Linxuan stepped out of the elevator, bent down to change into slippers, and grabbed a pair for Lai Li too.
“We’ve only got dumplings or noodles, or do you want to order takeout?”
“Want dumplings.”
Dai Linxuan nodded and unlocked the door with his face. Lai Li took the coat from his arm. He glanced at it and headed to the adjacent bathroom, turning on the faucet.
Amid the rushing water, Lai Li walked behind Dai Linxuan, lowered his head, and rested his forehead on his shoulder. “You’re mad.”
Dai Linxuan looked down, scrubbing his fingers. “Mad about what?”
“I deliberately provoked He Shuxin.” Lai Li said lowly. “If I didn’t, you’d just keep icing me out like before and wouldn’t bring me home.”
“Icing you out?” Dai Linxuan raised his eyes to their overlapping figures in the mirror. “Check the records yourself. How many calls have we had in the past week?”
Lai Li didn’t need to check; he recited it like family treasures. “Sixteen calls.”
Dai Linxuan turned off the faucet. “That’s over two a day, each at least five minutes, not counting texts. Even compared nationwide, I’m not a neglectful big brother.”
Lai Li stayed silent and reached to hug his brother’s waist.
Dai Linxuan grabbed a hand towel, brushed off his arm, and headed to the kitchen. “Lai Li, I thought you’d figured things out these past few days.”
Lai Li looked down at his empty hand, then lifted his head after a moment. “I have figured it out.”
Dai Linxuan halted slowly and released the kitchen door handle.
He turned, strode quickly to Lai Li, grabbed his wrist without a word, and half-dragged him to the living room. With the momentum, he flung Lai Li onto the black sofa.
Lai Li stumbled and barely flipped onto his back when Dai Linxuan leaned in close, gripped his collar, and yanked it aside. The bruised shoulder was exposed to the air, along with several vicious old scars nearby.
Dai Linxuan’s tone was mild, still holding back his chill. “This is the result of you figuring things out?”
“No… I didn’t know He Shuxin was there.” Lai Li propped one elbow on the sofa, the other hand clutching Dai Linxuan’s shirt corner. In this awkward position, he stared intently into his brother’s eyes. “You went to the restroom alone with Xu Yanzhou tonight, didn’t you?”
“I told you, don’t cross the line.” Dai Linxuan’s fingers suddenly tightened, twisting the torn fabric. “No little brother pries into his older brother’s private life.”
“I can’t not care.”
Lai Li’s fingers slid up, tracing the wrinkles in the black shirt until they slipped between the top two buttons. He yanked down hard. Even though Dai Linxuan braced against the sofa back in time, their lips still inevitably brushed—
“Bro, if you need a private life, Xu Yanzhou’s not as good as me.”
