The parking lot was brightly lit, while the corner of the building lay buried beneath a patch of shadow. As the car pulled into the lot, Xue Bao Tian immediately spotted Yan Ye stepping out from the darkness.
The vehicle coasted slowly toward a parking space. Before it had even come to a complete stop, the passenger door was pulled open. One hand braced against the roof of the car, Yan Ye bent down and looked into the vehicle at Xue Bao Tian. Their gazes met, and neither spoke. It wasn’t until Zhou Yi Ming sneezed in the sudden rush of cold air that a trace of impatience finally surfaced in Xue Bao Tian’s dark, cool eyes.
“So General Manager Yan had me dragged here just to check whether I washed my face?”
A faint smile spread across Yan Ye’s face. Reaching out, he ruffled Xue Bao Tian’s hair. “Tired? I’ll take you to your room.”
This was a five-star hotel. The top floor housed a high-end restaurant. Xue Bao Tian had been here before and immediately pressed the button for the highest floor.
“I’m hungry. Let’s eat first.”
The next second, the illuminated button was canceled. Yan Ye’s voice remained gentle as he suggested, “Let’s go back to the room first. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Food first.”
The hand reaching for the button was intercepted halfway. For once, the usually accommodating Yan Ye was unexpectedly firm.
“Room first.”
A chill entered Xue Bao Tian’s eyes. Tilting his head slightly, he looked Yan Ye up and down with malicious amusement.
“General Manager Yan may not know how to be considerate of others, but he’s certainly considerate of himself. Even knows how to give his facial features rotating shifts. Looks like your face took the day off today, otherwise you couldn’t possibly have said something like that.”
Yan Ye sighed helplessly and was about to reply when the elevator dinged and stopped. The doors opened and more passengers stepped in. Seeing the tension between the two men standing near the entrance, they couldn’t help glancing over. Yan Ye’s hand, however, still gripped Xue Bao Tian’s wrist. No one knew how long he’d been standing outside, but his palm was so cold it was alarming. The tall man bent slightly, leaning close to Xue Bao Tian’s ear.
“Master Xue,” he murmured softly, “I’m begging you. Just come back to the room first.”
⸻
The hotel room door swung open, and the smart lighting brightened one section after another. It was a luxury observation suite. Through the windows stretched the dazzling prosperity of the entire city.
“After getting used to eighty-yuan-a-night motels, a room like this feels strange.” Xue Bao Tian wandered through the suite, flicking the crystal beads hanging from a floor lamp. Their chiming echoed lightly through the room. Looking back at Yan Ye, he added, “Kind of like how, after enough time, you can occasionally start finding traces of humanity even in garbage.”
Stopping at the liquor cabinet, he casually browsed the bottles. His narrow waist and lean back faced Yan Ye as he asked indifferently,
“What did General Manager Yan want to talk about?”
Yan Ye approached from behind. His broad frame almost looked as though he were embracing Xue Bao Tian from the rear.
“I saw through the security cameras that my stepmother came looking for you. But I got called out on a last-minute assignment and couldn’t get back in time to help.”
Xue Bao Tian stuffed one bottle into Yan Ye’s hands, grabbed two more for himself, and walked over to the living-room sofa. As he opened a bottle, he said, “Your stepmother’s brain weighs less than the powder she cakes onto her face. You really don’t need to worry so much.”
Yan Ye followed him over. He started toward the seat beside Xue Bao Tian, only to move to a single chair nearby under the warning look directed his way.
“I can explain the situation with Fang Fei.”
Pop!
The bottle opened, cutting across the end of Yan Ye’s sentence. Tiny bubbles rose through the amber liquor.
“There really isn’t any need for explanations between people with our kind of relationship.” Xue Bao Tian lit a cigarette and lounged back. “When we become brothers later, you can tell me all your romantic history and give me a good laugh.”
He loosened a button at his throat. His sideways glance carried both recklessness and a faint trace of mockery.
“Then Master Xue can tell you all about my own romantic scandals. Open your eyes a little, idiot.”
Yan Ye’s brows lowered. His expression grew more serious.
“Two Hundred, I’m being serious.”
The mocking smile instantly vanished. Xue Bao Tian slowly raised his eyes. His naturally sharp voice carried a dangerous edge.
“Try calling me ‘Two Hundred’ one more fucking time.”
No one knew better than Yan Ye how to retreat when faced with Xue Bao Tian’s temper. He immediately corrected himself.
“Master Xue, I’m serious.”
“Yan Ye, has Master Xue never properly shown you how to have fun?” The severity disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Xue Bao Tian became playful again. “Today’s a good chance to make up for it.”
He opened two more bottles. Mixing three different liquors together, he filled three glasses and lined them up in front of Yan Ye.
“A Life of Drunken Dreams. Not everyone gets to drink cocktails mixed by Master Xue.” He tilted his chin toward the glasses. “Drink them, and I’ll listen to your explanation.”
The mixed liquor was darker than before, its scent sharp and pungent. After staring at it briefly, Yan Ye said,
“I have another assignment tomorrow. I can’t drink tonight.”
Xue Bao Tian was surprisingly reasonable. Removing the unlit cigarette from between his lips, he started to stand.
“Fine. Then let’s go eat.”
A large hand landed on his knee, stopping him.
“I’ll drink.”
Yan Ye never hesitated when it came to alcohol. He downed all three glasses without spilling a drop. As the third empty glass returned to the table, he heard the flick of a lighter and Xue Bao Tian’s calm voice.
“Explain.”
“Oh, right.” Xue Bao Tian added, “Yan Ye, what exactly am I supposed to be when I listen to this explanation?”
Yan Ye suddenly looked up. Xue Bao Tian was watching him with amused interest. A smile hovered on his lips, but his eyes were deep and complicated. The hand on his knee tightened unconsciously. For once, Yan Ye couldn’t find a suitable answer. He had never been good at solving problems, much less riddles whose questions he couldn’t even see.
Then a slender, pale hand patted the back of his. Exhaling smoke to the side, Xue Bao Tian laughed.
“As your grandfather. Alright, grandson, give your grandfather an explanation. Start talking.”
After a moment of silence, Yan Ye gathered his thoughts.
“I never dated Fang Fei.”
“How do you prove that?”
Yan Ye pulled out his phone. Dialing a number, he activated speaker mode and placed the phone on the table.
A polite voice soon came through, mixed with noisy sounds from outside.
“Hello, this is Fang Fei. Who’s calling?”
“It’s me. Yan Ye.”
The moment Yan Ye identified himself, a burst of rustling and clattering sounds erupted on the other end, accompanied by a distant shout of, “Fang Fei, you dropped your phone!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You guys go ahead.” The voice gradually became clearer. “Yan Ye, why are you calling from this number…”
“I encrypted my phone number. Otherwise you wouldn’t have answered.” For one of the rare times, Yan Ye’s voice carried a trace of coldness. “Tell me. Why did you join forces with Lin Ke Wei to target me? What do you gain from it?”
“Wait a second.”
The sound of pages turning came from the other end, followed by a deliberately serious clearing of the throat.
“Yan Ye, the day you saved me, you were on assignment, right?”
Yan Ye thought briefly before answering.
“Yes.”
“And back then, your name was Zhang Tian Ze, right?”
“Yes.”
“You saw people bullying me, stepped in to help me, then told me you thought I was good-looking and wanted to date me. That’s all true too, right?”
Yan Ye choked. With a frown, he reluctantly admitted:
“Yes.”
“Since all of that is true, what’s left to say? Yan Ye, I still have class, so I’m hanging up.” Just before disconnecting, Fang Fei hurriedly added, “Oh, right. We haven’t actually broken up yet. If anyone asks, make sure you tell the truth.”
Click. Fang Fei hung up. The screen dimmed from bright to dark, mirroring the gradual darkening of Yan Ye’s expression.
Yan Ye was always a steady man. Even his anger rarely showed on the surface. Xue Bao Tian watched the veins rise at Yan Ye’s temples and heard his voice remain calm, though noticeably rougher than before.
“What he said was only part of the assignment, not the whole thing.” Yan Ye looked directly into Xue Bao Tian’s eyes, speaking slowly and clearly. “My task at the time was to protect him from harassment. It was the first job I took after becoming licensed. I was too young back then, and nobody wanted to hire me. Fang Fei’s teacher was one of my former seniors. He looked after me and gave me the assignment. I really was inexperienced. I didn’t know how to design a security plan, and no one at the company would help me. In the end, Fang Fei and I came up with a ‘hero saves the beauty’ scenario where I pretended to be his boyfriend. Looking back now… it was a complete failure.”
Resting one arm along the side of the sofa, a cigarette between his long fingers, Xue Bao Tian looked entirely unconcerned. “Your word alone isn’t enough. Why should I believe you?”
Yan Ye glanced at his watch. “Fang Fei’s teacher can confirm it. He was the one who hired me to protect Fang Fei. But at this hour, I can’t reach him.”
Straightening from the sofa, Xue Bao Tian rested his arms atop his crossed legs and spoke casually, as if discussing something entirely ordinary. “Need my help?”
Yan Ye frowned, not understanding.
Picking up a bottle and slowly refilling a glass, Xue Bao Tian said, “Drink. No need to bother anyone else. Master Xue will clear your name.”
“What do you mean?”
“Quit wasting time. Master Xue is still hungry. Drink, and I’ll clear your name.”
After a brief silence, Yan Ye picked up the glass and, while maintaining eye contact with Xue Bao Tian, downed another three glasses in succession.
The empty glass touched the table with a soft sound. Keeping his promise, Xue Bao Tian bit down on his cigarette, freed one hand, tore a sheet from the hotel notepad, placed it in front of Yan Ye, and handed him a pen. “Write Fang Fei’s name.”
“Why?”
“Because I told you to.”
Holding the pen, Yan Ye wrote an ugly “Fang” and immediately ran into trouble with the next character. He scribbled several strokes, crossed them out, thought for a while, then finally set down the pen. “I don’t know how.”
“Do you at least know which character it is?”
“I’ve seen it on contracts before. It’s uncommon. I forgot.”
Xue Bao Tian casually flicked the note aside. “If two people have actually dated, it’s impossible not to know how to write each other’s names.”
Yan Ye froze, his gaze deepening. “So you never really believed Fang Fei and I were…”
Xue Bao Tian snorted. “I never believed you and Xiao Fang had anything going on. Hell, a guy with a name like that wouldn’t even look twice at an illiterate idiot like you.”
At last, Yan Ye let out a long breath. A smile finally appeared on his face, and he immediately moved over, intending to hug him, only for Xue Bao Tian to sidestep away.
“Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
He stubbed out his cigarette and rose from the sofa. Turning away, he lowered his eyes, hiding the complicated emotions within them.
After only two steps, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist. He heard Yan Ye ask, “Then why are you still unhappy?”
“Who said I’m unhappy?” Xue Bao Tian snapped. “What, did your eyes go off duty today too? So that thing on your shoulders is just a lump of meat now?”
Yan Ye slowly moved from behind him to stand in front of him. His hand brushed gently across Xue Bao Tian’s cheek. “I can tell you’re unhappy.”
Rolling his eyes coldly, Xue Bao Tian replied, “Well, I can tell you’re missing half your brain, but that doesn’t solve anything. Move. And stop standing in the way like your ancestors.”
The arm around his waist tightened. Yan Ye pulled him into his embrace. “Are you upset because of me? Give me a hint, Master Xue. If I’m going to die, at least let me know why.”
“Get the hell away from me.” Xue Bao Tian struggled in his arms. “From now on, aside from when Master Xue is putting you in your place, you can keep your hands off me. The rest of the time, stop clinging to me every damn chance you get. I’m sick of it.”
The alcohol was beginning to affect Yan Ye as well. His blood was running hot. He pushed Xue Bao Tian gently backward until his back hit the wall, then immediately stepped in after him. One hand braced against the wall, boxing him in. The other lifted his chin. Staring directly into his eyes, Yan Ye said each word clearly and deliberately:
“Two Hundred.”
Xue Bao Tian instantly glared. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me ‘Two Hundred’ anymore?!”
“Two Hundred.” For the first time, Yan Ye was deliberately provoking him. The fingers holding his chin tightened. “What exactly are you angry about?”
“Fuck your mother, Yan! I’ve been letting you keep your dignity, and you’re the one throwing it away!” Xue Bao Tian grabbed Yan Ye by the collar. “You really want Master Xue to stop being polite?”
Fearless, Yan Ye leaned down and kissed him. His lips brushed against Xue Bao Tian’s as he challenged him. “Master Xue’s claws aren’t even as dangerous as the kitten at home.”
“You’re asking for death!”
The irritation in Xue Bao Tian’s eyes darkened into something colder. Releasing Yan Ye’s collar, he grabbed the man’s tie instead.
Yan Ye had apparently finished his assignment and come straight downstairs to wait for him. He was still dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
Xue Bao Tian wound the tie around his hand several times. Then he yanked downward with all his strength.
“Mm!”
Yan Ye was tall and powerfully built, every muscle packed with restrained strength. But tonight he had just drunk six glasses of mixed hard liquor. His reactions were naturally slower than usual. More importantly, he never guarded himself against Xue Bao Tian. So when the tie suddenly tightened and dragged him forward, his knees bent involuntarily. His body pitched forward. He stumbled.
And in that brief instant, Xue Bao Tian seized the opportunity. He lifted one leg and slammed his heel hard into the back of Yan Ye’s knee. Then he stepped onto the back of his calf and drove downward with force.
Bang!
Yan Ye dropped to one knee.
Kneeling directly in front of Xue Bao Tian.
Author’s Note: Anyone who hurts Master Xue deserves to kneel.
Futile Devices Scans 
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