Fu Sihan stood in front of the floor to ceiling window of The Peninsula Hotel, catching sight of the Maybach instantly. When Shen Yanzhou pushed open the door and stepped out of the car, that face so pale it was almost translucent made him frown slightly.

He dismissed the vice president of HSBC in a few words and walked downstairs. He thought he wouldn’t have much patience for this fiancé whom he had scarcely met and was marrying purely for benefit, but looking at his slender silhouette right now, a strange sense of concern unexpectedly welled up in his heart.

As he drew closer, Fu Sihan realized that his complexion was even paler than it appeared from a distance. This person’s face was extremely small, looking as though it could easily fit in the palm of his hand, and every single feature was refined to absolute perfection. Yet, he was completely rebellious, looking like he wouldn’t submit to anyone.

“Why is your complexion so poor?”

Fu Sihan’s voice was deep as he extended the hand wrapped with prayer beads toward him.

“Give me your hand.”

Such a gentlemanly gesture seemed like nothing more than an act in Shen Yanzhou’s eyes. Looking at the thick knuckled hand that handled weapons year round, he felt as if he could smell the repulsive scent of rum on this man, reminding him of that arrogant phrase about wiping out his family assets uttered in the teahouse yesterday.

He slowly raised his head, his beautiful silver gray eyes completely devoid of this man’s reflection. Too lazy to even offer a polite word, he completely ignored the extended hand and turned his head to look at Shen Xici.

“Xici, let us go.”

Shen Xici obediently followed, tightening his arm to firmly hold his brother’s waist, guiding him past Fu Sihan as they walked straight toward The Peninsula Hotel without looking sideways.

Fu Sihan’s hand remained suspended in midair, and it took a good while before he awkwardly pulled it back.

However, the young master of the Fu family did not fly into a rage out of humiliation.

He turned around, watching Shen Yanzhou’s slender, stubborn, and black swan like proud back. Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he suddenly smiled.

Yet, that arm wrapped around Shen Yanzhou’s waist was an absolute eyesore.

The Felix restaurant on the top floor of The Peninsula Hotel was the most expensive place to squander money in all of Hong Kong.

There was no crude clinking of glasses like overnight millionaires, only glass after glass of champagne and shrewd faces that had been steeped in the vanity fair for decades. People one grew sick of seeing in the business world still had to be encountered in a place like this.

Shen Yanzhou and Shen Xici picked an inconspicuous corner and barely managed to sit down.

The moment he sat down, that unspeakable injury suffered. A burning, stinging pain radiated from the swollen area, but he could only force a calm expression, swallowing down the metallic taste of blood rushing up his throat. Shen Yanzhou had no idea how many times he had cursed that stray dog in his mind.

Even though he hid in such a remote spot and buried himself so deeply, in this tiny circle, Shen Yanzhou’s face was a walking gold brand in itself, a ladder to the top that countless people wanted to climb.

Before long, a few sharks with sharp senses smelled the scent and swam over.

“Oh, if it isn’t Mr. Shen?” A man with a beer belly walked over, his face quivering with fat as he laughed.

“I heard that the land for the logistics park in the New Territories has finally been approved? You truly have brilliant methods, Mr. Shen. The approval that we old guys ran ourselves ragged for without getting was settled the moment you stepped in. You must do me the honor of letting me buy you tea sometime so I can learn from your experience.”

“You are too polite, Boss Su.” Shen Yanzhou forced down the discomfort in his stomach, offering the polite smile of a businessman. “It was just good luck, I still rely on the support of all you seniors.”

“You are far too modest, Mr. Shen! Who in Hong Kong doesn’t know that the Shen and Fu families are getting married? With the great ship of the Fu family behind you in the future, won’t you be walking tall and doing as you please in Hong Kong?”

A flamboyantly dressed minor celebrity nearby also crowded forward, hoping to use the opportunity to get acquainted. “Indeed, Mr. Shen is truly radiant tonight. I wonder if I might have the honor of asking you for a dance at the ball later?”

A dance?

Thanks to that dog, he was in so much discomfort just sitting, let alone dancing.

He wondered if that dog was still obediently kneeling.

“Apologies, I am unwell.” Shen Yanzhou declined coldly.

Seeing that he was completely unresponsive and maintained an aloof, proud attitude, the group knew that the eldest young master of the Shen family was always difficult to deal with. They muttered a few polite remarks resentfully and left before embarrassing themselves further, turning away to seek out the next more profitable target.

Just then, someone walked onto the main stage.

Upon seeing who it was, everyone stopped what they were doing with perfect unspoken consensus. Whether they were business titans about to clink glasses or socialites and noblewomen laughing and flirting, they all turned around, looking toward the main stage with respectful and slightly fearful expressions.

In Hong Kong, the only person who could command such grandeur and imposing pressure was the true supreme ruler, Elder Fu.

This old man, who had called the shots in both the underworld and legitimate business for half a century, was not dressed in a sharp suit like the others. Instead, he wore a dark green brocade Tang suit and traditional cloth shoes, leaning on a dragon head cane.

Although he was well past seventy, his back was dead straight, his face deeply lined, yet his eyes shone with a shrewd and ruthlessly decisive sharpness.

“Thank you all for showing your support.”

“Braving such a massive typhoon just to support an old man like me.”

“Tonight’s charity fund is just an excuse, so please eat, drink, and make yourselves at home. Do not let the presence of this old man make you feel restricted.”

He spoke casually.

But who among the guests wasn’t incredibly sharp? Everyone knew this so called charity gala was nothing more than a front.

Elder Fu set up hundreds of tables for this continuous feast tonight, calling every single person of status in Hong Kong, for one true purpose.

Sure enough, Elder Fu shifted the topic, turning sideways to wave at the tall man standing in the shadows: “Sihan, come over here.”

Fu Sihan, who had been standing in the dark all along, stepped forward and stood beside the elderly man.

Father and son stood side by side.

The same tall and upright builds, the same dark and ruthless eyes, and even the faint, half smiling curve of their lips were identical.

It was as if one were seeing the all powerful Elder Fu from thirty years ago, or witnessing a young and powerful lion taking the scepter of territory from the old lion king.

“I am old, and my energy and physical strength are ultimately failing to keep up.”

His large hand, covered in age spots, patted heavily on Fu Sihan’s shoulder.

“From now on, the group’s business in the New Territories and Southeast Asia will be left to the younger generation to handle.”

“Sihan just returned to the country, he has a straightforward personality and tough methods, so if there is anything he handles improperly in the future…”

The old man spoke softly, but a warning glint shone in his cloudy eyes. Although his tone seemed open to discussion, it carried the tyrannical absolute power of obey and prosper, oppose and perish.

“Please, everyone present, show some leniency for my sake.”

Who didn’t know Fu Sihan’s reputation in Hong Kong? He had just suffered a setback in the Kowloon Walled City last night and was taken to the police station overnight. His public image was an absolute mess, and quite a few people were secretly waiting to mock the Fu family, waiting to see this crown prince get discarded.

But Elder Fu’s words were clearly setting the rules for all of Hong Kong.

Even if this son was a pure troublemaker, he was still his flesh and blood, his designated successor.

Even if he caused absolute chaos out there and no matter how terrible his reputation was, as long as Elder Fu was alive, anyone who dared to disrespect Fu Sihan was disrespecting him.

And on this turf of Hong Kong, those who did not show respect to Master Fu usually met a terrible end.

“Clap, clap, clap.”

Someone took the lead in clapping, and immediately after, thunderous applause echoed throughout the banquet hall.

Shen Yanzhou naturally did not applaud, and seeing that his brother was not clapping, Shen Xici naturally gave no respect either.

Fu Sihan also noticed that Shen Yanzhou wasn’t clapping.

To be precise, he had been looking at Shen Yanzhou the entire time, watching him drink champagne while clutching his stomach, without sparing him even a single glance.

As Elder Fu stepped down from the stage, the heavy pressure weighing over everyone’s heads dissipated slightly, and the air in the banquet hall began to flow again.

The first auction item, a famille rose porcelain vase from the Qianlong era, was brought onto the stage.

The auctioneer began calling prices in flawless British English, while the waiters below threaded through the round tables like swimming fish, pouring excellent vintages of Lafite for the distinguished guests.

Sitting in the dim corner, Shen Yanzhou felt incredibly miserable physically, only able to drink glass after glass of champagne to ease the pain.

Seeing him drinking constantly, Shen Xici brought over a plate of delicate pastries. “Brother, I noticed you barely ate anything tonight.”

“Would you like some pastries?”

Shen Yanzhou shook his head, he really had no appetite.

In fact, anyone who had spent enough time in this circle knew that the main highlight of a charity gala was often not the auction itself, but the hidden whispers shared during the intervals.

Just as Elder Fu stepped down, the voices of several wealthy socialites and wives drifted out from behind a thin Japanese screen.

“Hey, look at the stage. With Elder Fu’s posture today, it seems the position of successor is completely set in stone.”

“Isn’t that right? There are only two descendants in this generation of the Fu family. The second son, Fu Siqi, is just a nerd who spends all day cooped up in a lab doing biological research and knows absolutely nothing about business. Who else could this position go to besides the eldest son?”

“That might not be certain…”

Another voice dropped even lower, as if trying to dig up a piece of old, rotten flesh from this decaying wealthy clan.

“I heard my husband accidentally let it slip one day when he drank too much. The Fu family actually has a younger one.”

“Hush! Are you crazy? That is a taboo topic in the Fu family! Why bring up that born bad seed?”

“Why is it a taboo? Who among our older generation doesn’t know about this? Back then, that wealthy family scandal caused a massive uproar throughout the city, far more dramatic than today’s television dramas. It is just that the young people nowadays don’t know about it.”

Shen Yanzhou’s fingers holding the wine glass paused slightly. Normally, he had absolutely no interest in this kind of high society gossip since every family had its own messy secrets, but it just so happened that he was now linked to the Fu family.

A bad seed? A younger one?

The Fu family had a younger young master?

He truly did not know about this.

The wealthy wife continued speaking:

“If you ask me, that younger son is quite miserable. His mother was Elder Fu’s legitimate first wife back then! She was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, from a truly scholarly lineage, a talented woman who studied abroad. She was incredibly magnificent back then, pursued by so many people.”

“What a pity she was completely blinded by love. She insisted on wholeheartedly marrying this gang leader who was full of thuggish traits, and her family couldn’t stop her. The result? Right after she got pregnant, she was plotted against by Elder Fu’s true love on the outside, who happens to be Sihan’s biological mother.”

“That mistress had formidable methods, using her pregnancy to vie for favor while acting submissive. How could the proud and aloof daughter of the Lin family fight against that? While pregnant, she was locked away in a Mid Levels attic. I heard that when she gave birth to that younger son, she suffered a difficult labor and severe hemorrhaging, almost dying in bed. Although they saved her life later, her mind was no longer clear.”

“She went mad?”

“Exactly, completely out of her mind, carrying a pillow around all day treating it like a child, biting people on sight. Elder Fu found it bad luck and wouldn’t even spare her a glance.”

“What a sin… a child born from a madwoman, wouldn’t that just be a little maniac?”

“Oh, the worse part comes later! That younger son was off from the moment he was born. His gaze was so fierce, at just a few years old, he looked at people like a wolf cub, completely sinister.”

“I heard that when he was six, during the Fu family ancestral worship, who knows what that child was thinking, maybe instigated by his mad mother, he actually set fire to the Fu family ancestral hall! The fire was so huge it burned all the ancestral tablets to ashes! He even held a fruit knife and almost pierced straight through Sihan’s neck!”

“Good heavens! So vicious at such a young age?”

“That is why he is called a born bad seed! Elder Fu consulted a master right away, who said the child’s astrological chart brought disaster, cursing both his father and older brother, so he couldn’t be kept.”

“And then? Was he killed?”

“Killing one’s own child ruins one’s moral merit. Although Elder Fu is ruthless, he wouldn’t go as far as doing it himself. But it was close enough, he directly ordered people to throw that child along with his mad mother into the Kowloon Walled City.”

Hearing those words, the listening wealthy ladies all gasped in unison.

The cancer of Hong Kong, a lawless hell.

“Throwing a child of a few years and a madwoman into a place that swallows people whole without leaving bones, isn’t that just sending them to their deaths?”

“Exactly. I heard that within two days of being thrown in, that mad woman was taken advantage of by people and died a horrific death later. As for that child…”

The speaker shook her head.

“Growing up in a swamp like that, fighting with stray dogs for food, even if he is alive, he is probably just a cold blooded killer who blinks at nothing. His life is completely ruined.”

“What an absolute sin…”

Shen Yanzhou wanted to keep listening, but found that the person in the adjacent seat had changed. Even before the person sat down, he smelled the scent of rum first.

Fu Sihan did not hold back either, reaching out to take the wine glass right from Shen Yanzhou’s hand, forcing him to look up at him.

“Just now below the stage, everyone was clapping.”

“Only Young Master Shen didn’t even lift a hand. What is it? Do you have an issue with me?”

The churning sensation Shen Yanzhou had just suppressed in his stomach surged back up. This rum scent was far too strong, making his head spin and his eyes blur.

He shifted to the side to create some distance. “Congratulations, Young Master Fu.”

“But if you want to hear applause, there are plenty of people outside who will clap their hands raw for you to hear. Why would you care about my single gesture?”

How perfunctory, yet he did not feel angry. The more he looked at Shen Yanzhou, the more he resembled a pure white Persian cat he used to raise in London. Feed it premium dried fish, it wouldn’t eat; give it a velvet bed, it wouldn’t sleep. It absolutely insisted on flashing its claws to scratch him when he wasn’t paying attention, as if that could demonstrate its backbone.

“Stubborn mouth.” He gave a low laugh.

“The rain is heavy tonight, I will send you back after this finishes.”

“Do not trouble yourself, Young Master Fu.” Shen Yanzhou refused flatly. “I drove here myself. Furthermore…”

He glanced at Fu Sihan, showing unhidden disgust. “I am not used to riding in other people’s cars.”

“Is that so?”

Fu Sihan’s gaze fell on his almost translucent pale cheeks, sliding down along that slender neck, and finally resting on the hand he gently pressed against his stomach.

“Looking at your complexion, Young Master Shen, I am afraid you can’t even hold a steering wheel steadily, right?”

He suddenly reached out his hand, intending to check Shen Yanzhou’s forehead, but Shen Xici caught it firmly.

“Do not touch my brother! I will take him back!”

Fu Sihan’s movement froze in midair. His gaze rested on Shen Xici’s hand, then moved up the arm to meet his eyes filled with rage.

“The adopted son of the Shen family?”

He retracted his hand, his gaze passing over Shen Xici’s shoulder to land on Shen Yanzhou’s face.

“Young Master Shen, this younger brother of yours guards his food very fiercely.”

“Those who don’t know…” He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Would think you aren’t brothers, but some pair of ill fated lovers.”

“Young Master Fu, do not talk nonsense!” Shen Xici said angrily.

“Xici.” Shen Yanzhou called out to stop him.

He raised his head, meeting Fu Sihan’s scrutinizing gaze with clear eyes.

“Young Master Fu has a complicated mind, thinking everyone is dirty.”

“My brother is straightforward and blunt, nothing compared to your deep cunning. Since you are so free, Young Master Fu, why don’t you go look at the auction over there? I heard the grand finale tonight is a pink diamond, which quite suits you.”

“Forget about the pink diamond.” Fu Sihan chuckled softly, entirely unbothered by the sarcasm. “I do not care for such vulgar things.”

“However, there will be a ball later.”

“Since you refuse to ride in my car, doing me the honor of sharing a dance should be fine, right?”

“This is also for the sake of both our families’ reputations.”

A dance? Dancing again.

“Apologies.” Shen Yanzhou refused flatly, too lazy to even come up with a fresh excuse.

“I am feeling unwell today, I do not want to dance.”

He turned his head to look at his brother. “Xici, give the check to Young Master Fu.”

Shen Xici understood instantly, pulling a pre filled check from his inner suit pocket and handing it over with a cold face.

Shen Yanzhou took the check and arrogantly stuffed it into the front breast pocket of his suit, leaving only an edge showing a massive figure exposed.

“This is a small token from the Shen family, to contribute toward the charity fund.”

“Additionally, congratulations on getting what you wished for, Young Master Fu. I am unwell, so I will take my leave.”

With that, he stood up and walked out of the banquet hall along with Shen Xici.

Fu Sihan sat in place, looking down at the check stuffed into his chest pocket by Shen Yanzhou.

What did Shen Yanzhou take him for?

A begging vagrant? Or a waiter casually dismissed by the roadside?

Someone who dared to throw money in his face like this, he was truly the first.

His gaze lingered on the half glass of champagne Shen Yanzhou had left behind.

On the rim of the glass, a faint trace of a lip print remained.

Fu Sihan reached out and picked up the glass.

Pressing his lips to that exact print, he threw his head back and drank the remaining liquid in one gulp.

The burning alcohol slid down his throat, yet it carried a strange sweetness that seemed to belong to that person.

“Quite sweet.”

“No wonder he kept drinking it.”

It was late at night by the time Shen Xici drove Shen Yanzhou back to the villa.

That dog wasn’t waiting outside the villa, nor was he in the living room. Surely he hadn’t truly been kneeling until now.

He went upstairs and turned on the main bedroom light.

Sure enough, next to the king size bed, that man was actually kneeling there obediently, completely motionless.

But he seemed to be far too exhausted.

Six or seven hours had passed since the afternoon, and even knees made of iron wouldn’t be able to take it.

Right now, the man’s upper body slumped over the edge of the bed, his head resting on his arms. In such an awkward posture, he had actually fallen asleep while kneeling.

He was still wearing that ridiculous little bear apron, with his messy black hair falling over his forehead. With his eyes closed, his eyelashes were long and his breathing was deep, making him look entirely harmless.

“Serves you right.”

He muttered a quiet curse, but didn’t feel very angry. “Who told you to be so ruthless? Even if your legs break from kneeling, it is your own fault.”

He originally wanted to just leave him alone, but if he slept like this while kneeling all night, in case his legs gave out tomorrow, who would cook porridge for him? Who would plant flowers for him?

Forget it.

Shen Yanzhou bent down, pushing the man’s shoulders with both hands, trying to roll this massive frame onto the carpet.

Incredibly heavy.

The muscles he touched felt rock hard, and Shen Yanzhou had to exert every ounce of his strength just to barely get him lying flat on the thick, plush carpet.

Looking at this physique and recalling how he was pinned down by this very body last night, confined by these powerful arms, and held as he was ravaged repeatedly, his face grew inexplicably warm.

“Stray dog.” He spat out with a flushed face, casually pulling a cashmere blanket from the bed to cover him.

He was just a little worried that if this dog caught a cold, it would spread to him.

Just as he leaned over to blanket the man, under the illumination of the light, Shen Yanzhou finally noticed that the man had high brow bones and deep set eyes, appearing surprisingly similar to Elder Fu whom he had seen tonight.

Shen Yanzhou shook his head, trying to shake off this ridiculous thought. He must have listened to too much gossip tonight, making everyone look like a member of the Fu family.

Right at the moment he was spaced out,

the originally sleeping man suddenly shifted his body.

As if sensing a heat source or perhaps just turning over unconsciously in his sleep, the man’s arm lifted without warning, wrapping around Shen Yanzhou’s slender waist and pulling him down completely off guard.

Shen Yanzhou lost his balance and fell right onto him.

Two pairs of soft lips lightly touched together under the bright light.

The contact broke instantly.

Yet the man pressed him down slightly again, even moving his lips to take a light bite out of his upper lip.

Shen Yanzhou propped up his upper body, widening his eyes as he stared at the man before him like a startled cat. The warm sensation from the man remained on his lips, carrying a faint scent of cedarwood.

He stared with uncertainty at the man who was still sleeping with closed eyes, his beautiful eyes wide and round with a mixture of embarrassment, anger, and suspicion.

“Sanqianwan?”

Lowering his voice, he asked tentatively, “Did you do that on purpose?”

The man’s breathing remained steady and he didn’t move an inch. The arm around his waist also dropped loosely away, as if the action just now truly had been an accident.

Shen Yanzhou frowned. Refusing to let it go, he extended his index finger and forcefully poked the man’s left cheek.

A single poke brought no response.

Poking the right side brought no response either.

He then extended his fair, delicate foot to step on the man’s rock hard abdominal muscles, even grinding against them twice.

Still no response.

“Is he truly asleep?” Shen Yanzhou muttered.

“Sleeping like a log.”

He lazy to argue with a sleeping dog, he turned off the main light and climbed into bed. Turning his back to the man on the carpet, he wrapped himself tightly inside the duvet to prevent the dog from sneaking onto the bed in the middle of the night.

With the lights extinguished, only the rising and falling sounds of the two men’s breathing remained in the bedroom.

The man lying on the carpet slowly opened his eyes in the dark.

He raised his hand, his rough fingertips gently stroking the lips that Shen Yanzhou had just kissed. The corners of his mouth gradually curled upward in the darkness, revealing a wicked yet sweet smile.

The taste… truly sweet.