Futile Devices Scans

To be honest, Fang Ming Qian was somewhat surprised. He had assumed Qi Mu was staying alone, but there was unexpectedly another man inside the room.

Fang Ming Qian immediately frowned, his voice turning low and stern. “Who are you?”

Jiang Shao did not answer for a long time. His gaze fell on Fang Ming Qian’s arm around Qi Mu, and for some reason, the sight felt particularly unpleasant. The frustration that had accumulated throughout the day surged violently in his chest. He slowly raised his eyes toward Fang Ming Qian, icy hostility gathering in their depths as he coldly spat out several words. “What does it have to do with you?”

A trace of anger appeared on Fang Ming Qian’s face.

But Jiang Shao did not care in the slightest. He stepped forward, seized Qi Mu by the wrist, and pulled him over, his voice freezing cold. “Come back with me.”

Fang Ming Qian had not expected the man to be not only rude, but also to immediately try to snatch Qi Mu away. Instinctively, he grabbed Qi Mu’s other wrist and refused to release it, replying just as coldly, “Who gave you permission to do that?”

Being inexplicably pulled between the two of them, Qi Mu raised his head in confusion. When he caught sight of Jiang Shao’s foul expression, as though someone owed him several hundred million, his heart jolted, and his muddled mind briefly cleared.

Although he had no idea what Jiang Shao was angry about, only one thought remained in his mind at that moment: he could not allow Fang Ming Qian and Jiang Shao to come into conflict. Fang Ming Qian was a major client he had only just met!

Nothing could happen to the client!

Qi Mu turned back toward Fang Ming Qian and said hoarsely, “Thank you for bringing me back. I’m all right now. I’m simply not in good condition tonight. I’ll invite President Fang to dinner another day.”

It was a tactful way of asking him to leave.

It seemed Qi Mu knew this man. For some inexplicable reason, Fang Ming Qian felt slightly disappointed, but he still released his hand…

Fang Ming Qian said in a low voice, “All right, then—”

But before he could finish, Jiang Shao pulled Qi Mu entirely into his arms. He cast Fang Ming Qian a contemptuous glance and, directly in front of him, brought Qi Mu inside.

Bang.

With one arm wrapped around Qi Mu’s waist, Jiang Shao kicked the door shut heavily and led him deeper into the room with a cold expression.

Qi Mu was also a grown man over one meter eighty tall, yet with Jiang Shao’s arm locked around his waist, he was carried along like a helpless chick. Jiang Shao’s arm was extremely strong, and the pressure rubbed painfully against the skin at Qi Mu’s waist. Uncomfortable, Qi Mu shifted and instinctively tried to break free from Jiang Shao’s control.

But in his drunken, weakened state, such efforts were obviously futile.

Not only did he fail to escape Jiang Shao’s grasp, but the arm around his waist tightened further. A scorching palm pressed firmly against him, and even through the suit jacket, Qi Mu seemed able to feel its burning heat. His discomfort intensified, and goose bumps nearly rose across his skin.

Jiang Shao felt the restless twisting and struggling of the person in his arms. Remembering how obediently Qi Mu had leaned against Fang Ming Qian just moments earlier, his contrariness surged. He pressed Qi Mu even more tightly against his chest, his expression becoming colder and uglier.

The man reeked of alcohol.

So Qi Mu had sent him back alone tonight just so he could go to dinner with Fang Ming Qian? They had known each other for only one day, yet they were already this familiar and intimate? Qi Mu had gotten himself this drunk and had even allowed Fang Ming Qian to bring him back.

Had Jiang Shao not been here, Fang Ming Qian would naturally have escorted him into the room. What had the two of them planned to do tonight?

Qi Mu truly would accept just anyone. Was he really that undiscriminating?

Jiang Shao could not help remembering that only a few days earlier, Qi Mu had been frequenting a private club with another man, and today he had already hooked up with Fang Ming Qian. He did not know where the anger in his heart came from, but the pressure in his chest grew even more intense, nearly impossible to suppress.

Why was he angry because Qi Mu’s private life was chaotic?

What did Qi Mu’s promiscuity have to do with him?

Although Qi Mu’s mind was blurred by alcohol, his instinct for sensing danger remained intact. In fact, being drunk only made him less capable of concealing himself. He did not even consider whether he might offend the Long Aotian and only wanted to escape this terrifying atmosphere as quickly as possible.

Qi Mu said hoarsely and unevenly, “You… let go of me…”

He glared at Jiang Shao.

Then reached out and pushed him.

His hand seemed to land on Jiang Shao’s chest. How had he trained those muscles? They were hard as stone, and even touching them made Qi Mu’s scalp prickle.

Drunk and without much strength, Qi Mu’s efforts felt to Jiang Shao as soft as being tickled.

The man’s smooth, attractive fingertips brushed randomly against his chest, like feathers poking him through the shirt. Jiang Shao inhaled deeply and hurriedly reached out to seize those restless fingers.

The man’s fingers were also burning hot, as though set aflame by alcohol. The instant Jiang Shao grasped them, his mind seemed to go blank.

At last, he had held Qi Mu’s hand.

The long, well-defined fingers seemed carved from white jade, their texture as delicate as he had imagined… No, even better than he had imagined. Jiang Shao did not know how to describe it. He simply could not bear to let go for a long time and even unconsciously stroked them lightly.

Not only had Qi Mu failed to push Jiang Shao away, but now both his hands had been captured. His entire body was restrained, his fingertips tightly enclosed in Jiang Shao’s palm and unable to break free. The heat felt almost scalding, making him even more uneasy and desperate to escape.

But with both hands caught and his waist still held, he could only use his head to ram into him.

Jiang Shao was still lost in a daze and failed to react in time. Suddenly, he felt a soft, furry head bump into the hollow of his neck. The impact was hardly strong.

Soft strands of hair brushed back and forth against the side of his neck. Qi Mu’s movements were uncoordinated, and the skin of his cheek rubbed against him as well. His tender lips swept briefly across Jiang Shao’s neck, along with… the cool metal frame of his glasses, which accidentally touched him.

Burning numbness mingled with a trace of icy coolness, tangled together with the sweet, alcohol-laced breath of the man in his arms. It descended overwhelmingly, impossible to resist.

Jiang Shao’s lower abdomen tightened instantly.

Even his breathing quickened.

Yet the person in his arms noticed nothing and continued randomly bumping his head against him. His hair had become disordered, his glasses crooked, and several strands had fallen across his damp eyes.

He looked disheveled, as though someone had done something to him…

Jiang Shao clenched his back teeth and barely maintained his composure. He had not known Qi Mu became like this when drunk.

He truly had no sense of decorum after drinking.

Moreover, from all that struggling and twisting, the man’s immaculate suit had become disordered as well. The collar of his silver-gray jacket had been rubbed open, revealing the fitted white shirt underneath. The precise line of his waist, outlined by his belt, appeared and disappeared beneath the hem of the jacket. His shirt collar, however, remained tightly bound by the tie and collar pin and had not loosened. It had merely drawn tighter during the struggle, making his slender neck appear even longer. A pale blush covered his fair skin before disappearing beneath the tightly fastened collar.

Jiang Shao’s gaze settled fixedly on Qi Mu’s neck. He wondered whether someone who tolerated alcohol this poorly had already turned red all over.

His gaze moved across the face of the person in his arms like a beast locking onto prey before finally settling on his lips. Because he was drunk, the lips that were normally a pale rose had become richer in color, flushed and full from the alcohol, as though they were about to spill juice…

Jiang Shao suddenly felt thirsty. His mouth and tongue had gone dry.

And the lips of the man in his arms parted and closed…

Like some kind of invitation.

Jiang Shao’s breathing became lower and more rapid.

Suddenly—

“Ugh—”

Qi Mu abruptly bent over and began retching.

He had barely eaten at dinner and had drunk mostly alcohol. After being jostled around like this, his already overburdened stomach finally rebelled to express its dissatisfaction.

Jiang Shao abruptly emerged from the trance-like state that had possessed him.

He looked at the retching man with an ugly expression, drew in a deep breath, and before Qi Mu could vomit, half carried and half dragged him directly into the bathroom.

With one hand braced against the sink, Qi Mu yanked open his tie with the other and vomited.

Jiang Shao stood behind him with his arms crossed, staring coldly at him with an extremely unpleasant expression. He secretly resented himself for nearly being seduced just now. He was not like Fang Ming Qian and would not casually fool around with anyone.

The bathroom smelled unpleasant. Jiang Shao turned on the ventilation and looked at Qi Mu with disgust.

Why drink so much when he could not handle alcohol?

Although Jiang Shao felt disgusted and impatient, after seeing Qi Mu finish vomiting, he still turned around, went outside, and returned with a glass of warm water.

Qi Mu’s body weakened after vomiting, and he began sliding downward. Jiang Shao had no choice but to support his waist with one hand and let him lean against his chest, while pressing the glass to his lips with the other. Irritably, he said, “Rinse your mouth.”

Qi Mu had probably exhausted his remaining strength earlier. He finally became quiet and obedient, no longer struggling or resisting. He lowered his head and drank from the glass in Jiang Shao’s hand.

Seeing that Qi Mu had finally stopped causing trouble, Jiang Shao’s expression eased slightly. He thought, Wouldn’t it have been better if you had behaved like this from the beginning?

He lowered his gaze toward Qi Mu.

The man obediently pressed his lips against the rim of the glass. Because he had just vomited, tears had dampened his eyelashes, causing the thick lashes to clump together. His eyes were rimmed red as well, giving him the aggrieved appearance of someone who had been bullied, making it impossible for Jiang Shao to release even a trace of the anger in his stomach.

Qi Mu held a mouthful of water and swished it around. His cheeks puffed up on both sides and moved slightly, making him unexpectedly cute, like a little squirrel stealing food.

Jiang Shao: “…”

Afraid of being bewitched again, Jiang Shao forcibly looked away. Once Qi Mu finished rinsing his mouth, Jiang Shao carried him to the bed and laid him down.

Then Jiang Shao went out to ask a hotel attendant for medicine to sober him up. But when he returned with it, he discovered that Qi Mu had already fallen deeply asleep.

The man lay there without even removing his suit jacket. His clothing was wrinkled and disordered, completely lacking the neatness he had possessed when leaving. The collar that had been tightly fastened earlier had been pulled open by Qi Mu himself while vomiting. His tie hung loosely around him, and the collar pin had come undone. He looked like a complete mess.

Jiang Shao stood there for a long while before finally sighing and stepping forward.

He bent down and removed Qi Mu’s jacket, then took off his tie. Since the loosened collar pin might prick him, Jiang Shao removed that as well. Finally, he looked at Qi Mu’s face and raised a hand… taking off the glasses that had long since been knocked crooked.

Without the glasses obstructing it, Qi Mu’s handsome, refined face was fully revealed.

The man’s eyes were tightly closed, his tear-dampened lashes lowered, and his brows drawn together. Even asleep, he looked restless, probably because he felt unwell.

Jiang Shao stared fixedly at Qi Mu.

Seeing Qi Mu sleeping so defenselessly, Jiang Shao thought that had he not been here today, then in Qi Mu’s condition, the man probably would not remember no matter what someone did to him.

He could not drink, did not know how to protect himself, yet still liked going out and fooling around.

At the thought, Jiang Shao became unhappy again.

He very much wanted to abandon Qi Mu and stop caring about him.

But after several seconds of silence, he still pulled over a chair and sat beside Qi Mu’s bed.

The lights in the room were turned off. Only hazy moonlight entered, and Jiang Shao’s entire figure remained in shadow, seemingly merging with the darkness.

He absolutely had not stayed out of kindness. It was simply dangerous to leave a drunk person unattended. What if Qi Mu choked on his own vomit or some other emergency occurred…?

If Qi Mu died here while they were sharing the same suite, Jiang Shao would never be able to avoid involvement. He merely did not want to invite trouble.

Jiang Shao closed his eyes.

Time passed one second at a time.

Perhaps the night was too quiet. Even without listening or looking, the things he did not want to remember replayed in his mind frame by frame.

Jiang Shao recalled his earlier lapse in control, when he had nearly done something he should not have. His expression darkened like ice that had endured for ten thousand years. Perhaps he had underestimated Qi Mu before. If this truly was a method of playing hard to get—

Then he had to admit that it might actually be effective.

…

Jiang Shao sat there for a long time.

Only after confirming that Qi Mu would be fine did he finally rise and leave the darkness. Just as he was about to walk out of the room, his gaze swept past the trash bin near the door, and his footsteps abruptly stopped.

He focused on the black business card inside the bin.

This was—

Li Xin’s business card.

But Jiang Shao was certain that after Qi Mu returned tonight, he had never had an opportunity to do something like this. There was only one possibility: after separating from Jiang Shao the previous night, Qi Mu had immediately thrown away the card.

He had never intended to contact Li Xin again.

Yet he had said that he would handle future contact with Li Xin and told Jiang Shao not to concern himself.

Jiang Shao continued looking at it before suddenly letting out a low laugh.

The coldness and hostility faded from his eyes, and the corner of his mouth rose unconsciously.

Heh.

A liar who never spoke a single truthful word.

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