He Only Shows His True Colors in Front of Me : Chapter 1

That night, at Rosemary Bar.

This bar was one of S City’s most famous gathering spots for the wealthy, though it was usually filled with young heirs drinking and enjoying themselves. It also offered certain adult services, but few people actually caused real trouble there.

Inside the bar, in a booth separated by a chain curtain, a man sipped red wine while listening to the chatter around him. Beside him sat a woman of indeterminate age. She was dressed elegantly, her clothes not overly revealing but just enough to accentuate her graceful figure.

“Why are you here again?” the woman asked, somewhat helplessly. “I told you, coming here less often would do you no harm.”

“I know,” Sheng Yannian said, taking a sip of wine. “It’s not like I’m here to hire prostitutes. I’m just drinking. It’s fine.”

“Oh, you,” the woman said, giving up.

The woman’s name was Wu Xiao. When she had first arrived in this city, she had unexpectedly helped a child. She had assumed he was just an ordinary kid, but he turned out to be the second son of the nation’s most famous real estate company. Later, out of necessity, she had become a bar hostess. Though it was a profession she found hard to speak of, the pay was genuinely high.

Once, the manager had asked her to meet a client alone. She had thought she would have to “sacrifice herself,” but to her surprise, it was Sheng Yannian. By then, Sheng Yannian was already an adult, and she could only faintly recognize traces of the boy he once was in his features. Wu Xiao couldn’t quite figure out the temperament of this young heir. She had seen too many people who looked respectable but were rotten inside.

Fortunately, Sheng Yannian didn’t make things difficult for her. He simply sat nearby, drinking quietly, while she didn’t have to do anything. Afterward, she would still receive a generous tip. Over time, Wu Xiao understood that this was the young heir’s way of “repaying a kindness.” With Sheng Yannian’s frequent patronage, her treatment at the bar improved, and no one forced her to do things she didn’t want to do.

To this day, her relationship with Sheng Yannian could be described as more than acquaintances but not quite friends. Still, she occasionally advised him, being slightly older, to come here less often. Whether he listened was another matter entirely.

“But you haven’t seemed in a good mood the last few times I’ve seen you here. What’s wrong?” Wu Xiao changed the subject, preparing to play the role of a “wise older sister.”

“It’s nothing. Just a very annoying guy returned from abroad,” Sheng Yannian said, then took another gulp of wine.

“Oho,” Wu Xiao raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting. Though Sheng Yannian treated everyone equally except for his older brother, this was the first time she had heard him speak so bluntly about disliking someone.

“That guy, the moment he got back, he started clinging to my brother,” Meng Yannian said through gritted teeth. “Still up to his old tricks, damn it.”

Wu Xiao silently took a sip of wine. He had even cursed. It seemed he really did hate the guy.

“Hah…” Sheng Yannian let out a long sigh, slumping back onto the sofa and staring up at the dim but still glaring lights overhead. He changed the subject. “Have you really not considered switching jobs?”

Just as Wu Xiao occasionally advised Sheng Yannian to come here less often, Sheng Yannian often suggested she find different work.

Wu Xiao smiled bitterly. “I can’t help it. They pay way too much. My younger siblings still need me to support their schooling, and my mother is still in the hospital.”

This time, it was Sheng Yannian’s turn to fall silent. He reached out and ruffled Wu Xiao’s hair.

“If there’s an emergency, remember to ask me for help. I can lend you some money to tide you over.”

“I know, you little brat,” Wu Xiao said with a laugh, swatting his hand away. She wasn’t someone who pushed her luck. She knew she had already received much help from Sheng Yannian. If it weren’t for him, her body would probably belong to someone else by now.

“I’m leaving,” Sheng Yannian stood up.

“Huh? So early today? Did you fall in love or something?” Wu Xiao was surprised, then her smile turned gossipy.

“Fall in love my ass. I’ve got piles of work. No time for dating.” As he spoke, Sheng Yannian lifted the chain curtain, ready to leave. Then he saw a familiar figure. Gu Yuanqiao.

‘What’s he doing here?! Like a ghost that won’t leave.’

“Why aren’t you leaving?” Wu Xiao noticed the man who had just said he was leaving was now standing perfectly still. She came to his side and followed his gaze. “Huh? Isn’t that Jiang Xuewen and his crowd?”

“You know them?” Sheng Yannian continued to frown, staring in that direction. He would recognize Gu Yuanqiao’s silhouette even if it turned to ash. But that guy was clearly out of it right now, only able to move with the support of the group holding him up.

“Mm hmm,” Wu Xiao leaned against the doorframe, making a face at that group. “You haven’t been coming here much lately, so you wouldn’t know. That crowd uses their status to target weaker young heirs or rich young ladies. Several people here have already been ‘eaten’ by them.”

“And nothing happened to those people afterward?”

“What could happen? I heard they were filmed,” Wu Xiao said in a low voice.

‘So, they’re planning to gang… assault Gu Yuanqiao?’ Sheng Yannian couldn’t tell whether they were stupid or clever. Lust is a dangerous thing. They probably hadn’t done their homework on the Gu family and assumed it was just an ordinary overseas company.

Still, Sheng Yannian would be more than happy to see Gu Yuanqiao get taken down a peg.

With that thought, Sheng Yannian was ready to leave and mind his own business. But as he walked, a scene from long ago flashed through his mind. That person getting along with his brother.

Although Gu Yuanqiao had bad intentions toward his brother, there was no denying that he had been genuinely good to him, and his brother seemed to care about this friend too… Right, if his brother found out something like this happened to Gu Yuanqiao, he would definitely be upset… Besides, I haven’t even had my fill of bullying that guy yet. Who do those people think they are, cutting in line ahead of me?!

The more he thought about it, the tighter Sheng Yannian’s frown became as he watched the group walk away. His steps turned in their direction.

“Hey, wait, where are you going? The exit is that way,” Wu Xiao grabbed Sheng Yannian.

“Don’t those people think they’re high and mighty?” Sheng Yannian sneered, his tone dripping with utter contempt. “Let’s see who’s really higher and mightier, them or me.”

Wu Xiao let go, the corner of her mouth twitching. In S City, there were probably fewer than five people who could compete with Second Young Master Sheng in terms of status. It looked like that crowd was about to run into serious trouble. But if the person being targeted was important to Sheng Yannian, shouldn’t his reaction be different? Yet if the person was unimportant, there was no reason to help. She didn’t think Sheng Yannian had suddenly changed his nature and become a Good Samaritan.

As expected, the minds of young heirs were too hard to read. Oh well.

Wu Xiao returned to the booth to finish the rest of her wine.