Chapter 29

Lin Sheng leaned forward, his long arms easily reaching around Xu Xieyi’s shoulders to brace against the back of her chair.

His deep, dark eyes were so close. "Hmm?"

Xu Xieyi’s mind went blank. Her scalp tingled as if ants were crawling over it, and her gaze trembled as she shook her head stiffly.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing, Brother Lin..."

The corners of Lin Sheng’s lips curled upward. He withdrew his arm, his eyes filled with a heavy, smiling depth. "Good girl, focus on your studies. Later on... there will be many handsome boys chasing after you."

-

After the bedside lamp was turned off, the hotel room plunged into darkness.

Xu Xieyi bent down to pull up the quilt, tucking the edge under her chin once she lay down. Her eyes blinked in the dark as she continued to ponder his words.

What did Brother Lin mean by that?

Was he... suspecting her of puppy love?

Xu Xieyi thought for a while, then rolled over, rubbing her cheek against the back of her hand.

If it were... just a small, secret crush, that shouldn't count, right?

-

At 11:00 PM, the nightlife of the youth was in full, intoxicating swing.

In the KTV corridor, every door passed revealed different voices singing at the top of their lungs.

Lin Sheng glanced at the room number and pushed the door open.

He was immediately met with a wave of sound from Chu Yuefei’s singing.

Chen Xia saw Lin Sheng and signaled for Xiao Yufeng to scoot over. Fu Xiaoyin and her friends glanced over, and when they saw Lin Sheng sit in the spot Chen Xia had cleared, their disappointment was evident as they shot a glare at the oblivious Chen Xia.

Lin Sheng was refined, yet he only drank hard liquor.

Amidst the noisy music, Chen Xia found a bottle of London gin among the rows on the table, poured it into an empty glass, added a splash of tonic, and dropped in some ice.

These men were of similar age, having grown up together as the most mischievous and rebellious of the children in their residential compound. Chen Xia used to frequent bars and was quite skilled at mixing drinks.

He finished mixing it and handed it to Lin Sheng.

Halfway through his song, Chu Yuefei noticed Lin Sheng had arrived. He passed the microphone to a friend, walked over, and patted Chen Xia’s shoulder as he sat down. "Yo, mixing a drink for Brother Sheng, Chen-Chen? Isn't that showing off in front of an expert?"

Lin Sheng knew his liquor well; he even had a mild addiction to it.

"Exactly," Xiao Yufeng chimed in.

Lin Sheng smiled faintly. "It’s fine. Occasionally drinking some trash helps adjust one's taste."

Xiao Yufeng and Chu Yuefei chuckled low.

Chen Xia shook his head with a blank expression, sighing, "I still miss the Brother Sheng from high school—gentle, good-tempered, and soft-spoken."

Chen Xia rolled his eyes at him. "Is your memory faulty? I don’t recall anyone ‘gentle’."

In truth, those who knew him well understood that Lin Sheng’s "gentleness," aside from being a matter of polite breeding, was mostly mixed with an indifference toward others. He didn't care, so he didn't bother getting angry.

As the men clinked their glasses, Xiao Yufeng couldn't help but laughingly curse, "Do you have some misunderstanding about our leader? I remember that none of the local punks dared to lay a finger on him."

This drew another round of low laughter from Lin Sheng and Chu Yuefei.

The dim light blurred the contours of Lin Sheng’s profile.

He leaned his elbows on the dark, glossy table, his eyes slanted upward. "That’s enough! Any more ribbing and you’ve gone too far. That’s all ancient history."

Chu Yuefei looked at Lin Sheng with a meaningful expression. "Got your little sister tucked in? You actually have time to come play these boring games with your brothers."

Chen Xia clicked his tongue.

Xiao Yufeng whispered, "VIP, big bed room..."

Lin Sheng swirled his glass casually and said, "She’s just a kid. Don't talk nonsense."

With Lin Sheng having stated his stance, his childhood friends stopped joking around. They had all grown up listening to military songs, and their values were generally upright; they couldn't bring themselves to tease a teenage girl.

They chatted for a while longer, then Chen Xia, Xiao Yufeng, and Zhou Changzheng went off to play dice.

Chu Yuefei glanced at Lin Sheng and slid closer. "Asheng, what’s the intention behind bringing her out to play?"

"Can't you guess?"

Chu Yuefei was a playboy with a rich emotional history; he understood women. He smiled, "Letting the little sister slowly get a feel for your life?"

After a quiet moment, Lin Sheng implicitly confirmed it. Chu Yuefei found it remarkable—this time was unlike any other. The person in question was... a teenage high school student.

It was simply unbelievable.

"So that question you asked me at the bar last time was about this girl?" Chu Yuefei scoffed, finding it hard to believe. "No, what are you thinking, Asheng? She’s only a teenager, not even an adult. You’re so picky with your tastes; how did you set your sights on a child?"

The lucky star bracelet caught the KTV lighting occasionally, twinkling with tiny glints. Lin Sheng looked at his palm, clearly not intending to explain