Chapter 3: Arrogant Big Star

When Xu Qing found him, Ji Xingci was already sprawled out boldly in the booth like he owned the place, with a whole table full of drinks ordered in front of him.

He yanked his mask down, hooking it under his chin. He picked up one glass after another, rejecting them disdainfully, his posture both arrogant and extravagant.

Even with his hat and sunglasses on, tucked away in the dim corner of the bar, he couldn’t hide his striking good looks.

In fact, his cocky attitude only added to his unique charm.

Even if no one could see his face clearly, his build and outfit were eye-catching enough.

Plenty of people were stealing glances his way.

Xu Qing had already been surprised that Ji Xingci had come looking for him. The fact that he was now drinking like this caught him even more off guard.

“What if someone recognizes you here?” Xu Qing said as he sat down, genuinely worried.

Ji Xingci shot back immediately, “And what about you? How can you be in a place like this?”

Ji Xingci wasn’t even sure what he was mad about, but he was furious.

“Is it him? That Lin Wu guy—did he lead you astray?”

“Don’t talk about him like that. 05’s a good guy…”

Though Xu Qing had a secret crush on Ji Xingci, he couldn’t stand hearing him badmouth Lin Wu. So he explained everything: how he’d been stiffed on wages by a shady boss and couldn’t find work right away, and how Lin Wu had helped him out a ton.

But the more Xu Qing defended him, the more irritated Ji Xingci got.

“What can he even do for you?”

“If you need a job, you should’ve come to me. Be my private chef—name your price. Isn’t that way better than whatever scraps he’s throwing your way?”

Xu Qing stared at Ji Xingci in shock.

The private chef gig was exactly what he’d dreamed of.

But could he really take it?

From Ji Xingci, of all people.

Seeing Xu Qing’s wide eyes fixed on him, Ji Xingci finally dropped the Lin Wu topic, thoroughly pleased.

He asked offhandedly what dishes Xu Qing could make, though his gaze kept drifting toward the backstage area every so often. Lin Wu still hadn’t come out. Was he really still back there…?

In a public place like this, no less.

The guy had no shame!

With that huge birthmark on his face, and yet someone was still willing to…

Though it was probably because he’d sleep with anyone.

After all, whether it was in the shadowy corners of a bar or on a couch after a drunken party—it didn’t matter.

Some hazy images suddenly flashed through Ji Xingci’s mind.

He tsked in disgust, a surge of revulsion fueling his anger.

He grabbed Xu Qing and shoved a half-finished glass of his own drink into his hand.

“Try it.”

Xu Qing stammered, interrupted, “I don’t drink…”

Ji Xingci acted like he hadn’t heard a word. His sharp eyes had just spotted Lin Wu emerging from the murky backstage area.

In a flash, he yanked Xu Qing closer into his arms.

“Come to my place now and give it a test run. How about it?”

Meanwhile, it had taken Lin Wu a bit of effort to turn down a rowdy group’s insistent offers to buy him drinks.

But as soon as he stepped out, there they were: the protagonist gong and shou huddled together again. It was the pull of the plot—his job, basically.

He wasn’t surprised. He just walked right over.

Xu Qing thought it was a bit odd to head out so late, but he could never say no to Ji Xingci.

As he stood up, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

If he landed this job, he could cover the full rent. Wouldn’t that take some pressure off 05?

Oh, right—he should tell 05 first.

He looked up and realized Lin Wu had already approached without him noticing. Lin Wu’s gaze was fixed on the hand Ji Xingci had wrapped around his.

And Ji Xingci was staring daggers at him, full of provocation.

Xu Qing suddenly felt a wave of unease. He was just about to ask Ji Xingci to let go when—

Lin Wu bent down, close enough that Xu Qing could feel his warmth, and gripped his wrist.

Then he smoothly pulled Xu Qing’s hand free from Ji Xingci’s grasp.

“Let him go.”

Xu Qing froze for a second.

He glanced up at Lin Wu’s profile and felt his face heat up.

Ji Xingci exploded in rage.

“Didn’t I warn you to stay the hell away from me?”

The alcohol he’d downed earlier hit him all at once. Ji Xingci shot to his feet and shoved Lin Wu back onto the booth, knocking over glasses on the table in the process.

Drinks spilled everywhere, dripping onto the floor.

Lin Wu went down easily under his push.

“You think you’re some kind of hero?”

“Should I tell him what you were just doing with those other guys? And you still have the nerve to play the good guy here!”

Ji Xingci grabbed his collar and pinned him down, his face twisted in fury.

But both of them were tall with long legs, and the booth was cramped to begin with. Ji Xingci was just one seated motion away from straddling his lap.

Lin Wu’s expression didn’t change. He simply reached out and hooked an arm around him.

Ji Xingci froze at first, then got even angrier.

“Don’t touch me!”

What the hell? He bristled. “You’re disgusting!”

“Don’t fight!”

Xu Qing rushed to pull them apart. But Ji Xingci’s commotion had drawn his bodyguards, who thought something was wrong. They swarmed in and pinned Xu Qing’s arms behind his back.

A crowd had already been watching discreetly.

This spectacle startled all the other patrons, who jumped up and scattered.

The bar’s security rushed over too.

Finally, the store manager arrived, fashionably late.

He stormed in with a scowl at first, bellowing and assuming Ji Xingci was here to cause trouble.

But when he got a good look at Ji Xingci’s face, his lips trembled, and his attitude flipped to fawning servility.

He even bowed and apologized to him.

Ji Xingci wasn’t just a scorching-hot celebrity—he was Young Master Ji of the Ji Family.

No one gossiped about exactly how vast the Ji Family’s influence was. But even the old lady running the corner store knew you could piss off anyone except someone with the surname Ji.

Every route on the city’s planning maps, every new industry regulation announced on the news—behind them all might lurk the shadow of the Ji Family. When the old master had celebrated his birthday not long ago, gifts from politicians around the world had reportedly filled an entire room.

A little bar like this one couldn’t hold a candle to even one hair on the young master’s head.

Ji Xingci was used to everyone bending over backward for him, but he’d never appreciated the privilege quite like this before.

Watching the boss timidly ask what his employee had done wrong, Ji Xingci’s lips curved into a smirk. His gaze shifted to Lin Wu.

“It’s nothing. Fire him, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”

Lin Wu didn’t react, but Xu Qing looked up at him in disbelief.

The store manager promised it immediately. He hesitated, wanting to chew out Lin Wu, but couldn’t find the words.

After all, with the young master still haughtily gripping Lin Wu’s clothes, he looked more like the bully here than anyone else.

Xu Qing was still being held back.

But Ji Xingci barely spared him a thought, his eyes locked on Lin Wu with malicious glee—like a brat eagerly awaiting someone to discover his prank.

Lin Wu glanced at Xu Qing, then finally met Ji Xingci’s eyes.

“Don’t do this. I’ll apologize to you.”

“Hah. You think I need your apology?” Ji Xingci’s smile grew even more pronounced.

“How exactly do you plan to apologize?”

“Here’s an idea, Boss. I disturbed your guest today. I’ll order another round of every drink on the menu here as my apology to you.”

Before the trembling Boss could say it wasn’t necessary, Ji Xingci smugly turned toward Lin Wu.

“Drink all these, and I’ll forgive you.”

Everything he’d ordered was the priciest signature cocktail on the menu—high-proof stuff, naturally.

Xu Qing went pale. “Don’t do this.”

Lin Wu simply nodded. “Okay.”

Perhaps because Lin Wu still hadn’t shown any sign of distress, Ji Xingci’s expression darkened once more.

He really did order another full round, and soon the table was covered in glasses.

Lin Wu picked one up and drank, downing four glasses straight before using his peripheral vision to gauge the reactions around him. Then he lowered his head, pretending he couldn’t handle any more.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you going to apologize?”

Lin Wu looked up to find Ji Xingci had indeed walked over.

Ji Xingci’s eyes gleamed with a dark intensity, the corners of his mouth curling up in malicious delight. Suddenly, he pinched Lin Wu’s chin.

“Open your mouth.”

Lin Wu obediently tilted his head back. He even placed his hands on Ji Xingci’s wrist and forearm.

This time, Ji Xingci paid it no mind. Instead, he leaned in closer with feverish excitement.

His fingers roughly forced their way into Lin Wu’s mouth, his thumb pressing down on Lin Wu’s teeth to pry his jaws apart. Then he pressed the glass to his lips.

“Drink.”

Lin Wu knelt on the floor, gazing up at him as he was forced to swallow. His eyes quickly reddened.

His skin was already fair, and liquor kept dribbling down his chin, tracing over his bobbing Adam’s apple.

Ji Xingci stared at him the whole time, not even noticing Lin Wu’s tongue brush against his finger.

Then, at just the right moment, Lin Wu choked.

He slumped against Ji Xingci’s leg and vomited.

Ji Xingci froze for a second before exploding in rage.

“What the hell!”

“You dirtied my clothes!”

Xu Qing couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He shoved the bodyguards aside and rushed over, helping Lin Wu to his feet.

“05! Are you okay?”

Lin Wu wiped his mouth and shook his head. The liquor he hadn’t managed to swallow had soaked the front of his shirt.

As he looked up at Ji Xingci now, his lips and eyes were nearly redder than his birthmark.

“Cough… Sorry.”

【Second Contact, Extremely Successful.】

Ji Xingci stood there, panting as he stared at Lin Wu for a moment. His expression turned peculiar.

“Forget it! This is boring.”

With that, he just walked away, leaving a huge mess in his wake.

Xu Qing hurriedly helped Lin Wu sit down.

The Boss stood awkwardly beside them, clearing his throat twice. He knew this mess probably wasn’t Lin Wu’s fault, but he was in a tough spot himself.

“Lin Wu.”

“It’s fine.” Lin Wu stood up quickly, signaling to Xu Qing that he wasn’t drunk. “Just fire me.”

Ji Xingci was unlikely to come back here. But the “soil” had been planted.

Lin Wu grabbed his guitar and strode out with casual flair.

Xu Qing hurried after him, looking far more distraught than Lin Wu did.

“05. It’s all my fault.”

He figured Ji Xingci had shown up today because of him. 05 getting fired was tied to that, too.

The evening breeze blew across his soaked T-shirt, carrying a chill.

Lin Wu tugged at his collar, and when he suddenly heard Xu Qing’s words, he whipped his head around.

“How could it be? It’s not your fault.”

“But what did he want with you today?”

“He wanted me to be his private chef. I thought that way I could cover our rent and…”

Lin Wu cut him off.

“Bro.”

The young man stood there in the night, a large guitar slung across his back.

With his T-shirt drenched, he had to pitifully clutch the hem, which exposed a sliver of his abs. His neck was still flushed red.

“I’ll find a job.”

“But… can you promise not to go?”

Xu Qing stared at him in a daze.

Xu Qing had always been an obedient, quiet kid, growing up into an adult whose life followed a predictable routine.

The most reckless thing he’d ever done was falling hard for Ji Xingci back when love first stirred in his heart—a man who had left him utterly stunned.

He’d always assumed he wouldn’t fall for anyone else, and that was okay.

But for some reason now, as he looked at Lin Wu, his heart pounded wildly, and his face burned hot.

He could only duck his head to hide it, nodding in agreement. “Okay. I won’t go.”