Dong Wei sucked in a sharp breath and stared at Jiang Shao, caught between fear and disbelief.
He and Liu Long from Song’an had hit it off because they were birds of a feather. Privately, they were good friends and often went out drinking and fooling around together. But some time ago, Liu Long’s dirty dealings had suddenly come to light, and his entire sordid history had been dug up. Although he had not yet been sentenced, no amount of pulling strings or calling in favors had helped. From the looks of things, he was going to spend a very long time behind bars.
For a while after that, Dong Wei had been badly spooked and reined himself in considerably, afraid that Liu Long’s downfall might drag him down as well. After all, his own hands were hardly clean.
What Dong Wei could never figure out was who Liu Long had offended to end up like this. And just what kind of person had enough power to bring him down so completely?
But no matter how hard he tried to investigate, he could not uncover a single thing.
No one in all of City C seemed to know why it had happened.
Because even Liu Long himself had no idea!
Whenever people gossiped over meals, they would speculate about who Liu Long had offended. Rumors and theories flew everywhere, and by now the matter had become something of a mystery in City C.
But there was no doubt that whoever had done it was someone extremely powerful.
Dong Wei had never dreamed that one day, of all ways, he would hear information about Liu Long from the mouth of one of Qi Mu’s employees… Wasn’t that absurd beyond belief?
Could Jiang Shao actually be that mysterious powerful figure everyone had been speculating about?
But how could that possibly be?
Or had Jiang Shao somehow found out about his relationship with Liu Long and was merely putting on an act to scare him?
Dong Wei’s eyes flickered as he played dumb. “I don’t know what you mean…”
Jiang Shao looked down at him mockingly.
He knew who Dong Wei was.
When Lu Jin Wen had investigated Liu Long, he had also looked into Liu Long’s personal connections, and among them was Dong Wei, one of his drinking buddies. Birds of a feather flocked together; naturally, Dong Wei was no clean and decent man either.
At the time, however, Jiang Shao had been too lazy to bother with him. There were hardly any truly clean people in this world, and there were countless men like Dong Wei. Jiang Shao could hardly deal with every last one of them.
He simply had not expected to meet him so soon.
Much less that he would actually have to sit at a dinner table and exchange false pleasantries with someone like this.
It was disgusting.
Seeing that Dong Wei was still refusing to drop the act even now, Jiang Shao bent slightly closer and quietly said something to him.
The color instantly drained from Dong Wei’s face. His body began to tremble, and when he looked at Jiang Shao again, his eyes were filled with terror…
How—how could Jiang Shao know what he and Liu Long had said at one of their private dinners?
Jiang Shao glanced coldly at him.
Now he should finally know how to behave.
People like Dong Wei bullied the weak and feared the strong, were terrified of death, and had enough dirt on them to bury themselves. They were the easiest kind to control.
Looking down at him, Jiang Shao said, “Wait a few minutes before going back. When you do, you know what you’re supposed to say, right?”
Dong Wei squeezed out a twisted, ingratiating smile. “I-I know.”
Jiang Shao ignored him. He walked over to the sink, turned on the faucet, and slowly washed his hands.
He had controlled his strength when he beat Dong Wei. The blows were enough to hurt badly without leaving any serious injuries. Even through Dong Wei’s clothes, however, the sensation of his fists landing against that greasy flesh had still been revolting.
Jiang Shao frowned.
He dried his fingers with a paper towel, straightened his clothes, and only then unlocked the door and walked out.
…
Qi Mu sat alone in the private dining room.
Why has Jiang Shao been gone so long?
He was just about to go out and look for him when Jiang Shao returned.
Qi Mu stood up. “Let’s go.”
He had already paid the bill.
Jiang Shao seemed slightly drunk. His words came out a little blurred. “But President Dong hasn’t come back yet.”
Qi Mu figured Dong Wei probably was not coming back at all.
Dong Wei had stormed out in such a rage earlier that he was almost certainly standing Qi Mu up. Qi Mu had already decided to give up on this deal anyway, so there was no reason to sit there foolishly waiting for him.
As the mighty Long Aotian, Jiang Shao had probably never had anyone dare stand him up before. Naturally, he would not understand these petty, underhanded tricks.
Qi Mu smiled and shook his head. “We’re not waiting.”
Jiang Shao seemed much more docile once drunk, without his usual overbearing arrogance. He swayed slightly as he nodded. “Oh…”
Seeing that Jiang Shao could barely stand straight, Qi Mu hurried over to support him. Only when he got close did he smell the alcohol all over Jiang Shao. Considering how much he had drunk tonight, he had to be drunk.
Jiang Shao simply did not flush when he drank, so Qi Mu had overlooked that possibility earlier.
Qi Mu had already called Driver Zhou and asked him to come pick them up, so he decided to help Jiang Shao downstairs first.
But before he could move—
Dong Wei finally came back.
Qi Mu stared at the returning Dong Wei, and for once, his mind seemed to short-circuit.
Dong Wei had actually come back?
Now Qi Mu was supporting Jiang Shao and found himself caught between leaving and staying.
With Dong Wei’s petty, vindictive personality, surely he had not come back to start a fight with him?
Just as Qi Mu was considering how he should respond—
Dong Wei’s face had already broken into a broad smile. “President Qi, I’m terribly sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Qi Mu: “???”
You’re not here to fight with me?
Dong Wei did not dare look at Jiang Shao. He only gave Qi Mu an awkward smile. “I drank too much just now and got a little carried away. I went outside to clear my head, and I’m much better now. If I said or did anything inappropriate, I hope President Qi can be generous enough to overlook it… As for renewing the contract, that’s no problem at all. With the relationship between us, what is there to worry about? Tomorrow I’ll have someone go straight to your company and sign the contract.”
Qi Mu wondered whether Dong Wei had suddenly lost his mind.
He looked Dong Wei up and down.
Sure enough, he noticed something faintly unusual.
Dong Wei’s clothes looked reasonably neat, but they seemed as though they had only just been hastily smoothed back into place and had not completely recovered, leaving a few subtle creases behind. And around the back of his pants there seemed to be… perhaps… a footprint?
Qi Mu instinctively turned to look at Jiang Shao.
He suddenly suspected that Jiang Shao had gone out and beaten someone.
After all, he had seen the vicious look on Jiang Shao’s face when he grabbed Li Xin by the collar…
Long Aotian not only possessed overwhelming power and influence; apparently, he also knew how to fight.
But Jiang Shao was already so drunk that he was barely lucid. He had drunk three times as much as Dong Wei! He could hardly even stand. Surely he could not have gone out and beaten someone up?
Besides, this was a business negotiation, not two gangs fighting over territory. You could not solve a business dispute by beating someone up. Dong Wei did not even know who Jiang Shao really was. If Jiang Shao had actually hit him, Dong Wei would surely have called the police immediately. How could a beating possibly have made him obedient?
Qi Mu studied Dong Wei intently and asked cautiously, “President Dong, are you joking?”
Dong Wei immediately waved both hands. “President Qi, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m really not joking. I mean every word!”
Qi Mu’s brows drew tightly together.
Even he could no longer understand where this situation was going.
Surely Dong Wei was not deliberately messing with him?
Pretending to agree so that Qi Mu would get his hopes up, only to disappoint him afterward as revenge?
But that would be an absurdly childish way to retaliate…
Or had Dong Wei genuinely changed his mind?
That seemed even more ridiculous.
Qi Mu suspected that all of this had something to do with Jiang Shao, but he had no evidence.
Dong Wei forced an enormous smile, so deliberate and ingratiating that it looked painful. Laughing loudly, he said, “Then it’s settled! Tomorrow I’ll send someone over to sign the contract. I won’t keep you any longer, President Qi.”
With that, he bolted away as though his ass were on fire and vanished from sight.
Qi Mu: “…”
This time, Dong Wei was probably really gone.
Only then did Qi Mu notice how heavy his shoulder felt. Jiang Shao had been leaning against him the entire time.
He jostled Jiang Shao lightly. “Can you still walk?”
That tiny movement nearly sent Jiang Shao crashing to the floor. Startled, Qi Mu hurriedly caught him.
Jiang Shao was nearly six foot three, and once drunk, he was absurdly heavy. Qi Mu had to use both arms to hold him securely. Then he suddenly realized that the position made it look as though he were tightly embracing Jiang Shao… Qi Mu immediately felt awkward, and a faint warmth crept over his face.
Jiang Shao looked at him a beat late. A hazy, unfocused look seemed to veil his dark eyes as he slowly replied, “I can…”
Qi Mu had serious doubts about that.
It felt as though the moment he let go, Jiang Shao would collapse straight onto the floor. And this man claimed he could walk by himself?
Drunk people truly had no self-awareness whatsoever.
Still… seeing Jiang Shao this drunk weakened Qi Mu’s suspicions somewhat. Could Dong Wei’s sudden change in attitude really have nothing to do with Jiang Shao?
Qi Mu genuinely could not figure it out.
But regardless of what had happened, Jiang Shao had drunk all that alcohol for him tonight. Qi Mu could not simply abandon him.
He should get Jiang Shao back first and worry about everything else later.
With that thought, Qi Mu took one of Jiang Shao’s arms and slung it over his own shoulders. This would make it much easier to walk with him, and the position was not quite as suggestive as the way he had been holding him just now…
The tall man draped an arm across Qi Mu’s shoulders and leaned his entire body sideways against him, resting his head on Qi Mu’s shoulder as well.
The heavy scent of alcohol mingled with the scorching heat of Jiang Shao’s breath against Qi Mu’s neck.
It was intensely invasive.
Qi Mu felt as though Jiang Shao’s presence had completely enveloped him. He pressed his lips together and reminded himself that Jiang Shao was only drunk. It was not as though this was his first time taking a drunk person home. Hadn’t he brought Yu Yue Ning home before too?
There was nothing unusual about this.
He absolutely could not overthink it.
Qi Mu steadied himself and supported Jiang Shao as they walked outside.
As they moved, Jiang Shao’s head swayed against him, strands of hair repeatedly brushing the hollow of Qi Mu’s neck. The prickling itch nearly made Qi Mu lose control of his expression.
Jiang Shao rested his head against Qi Mu’s neck and allowed Qi Mu to support him outside.
From an angle Qi Mu could not see, Jiang Shao’s dark gaze remained fixed on him as he greedily breathed in his scent.
In the end, Qi Mu really was softhearted.
Jiang Shao had ruined his business dinner, yet Qi Mu had never said anything. He had neither blamed him nor given him the cold shoulder. He had even defended him in front of Dong Wei. How had someone this softhearted and kind managed to survive so well in the murky, filthy business world?
All Jiang Shao had done was drink a few glasses for him, yet Qi Mu was willing to patiently take him back.
Jiang Shao should have been happy.
His heart, usually so cold it scarcely seemed capable of warmth, felt as though it had been soaked soft in wine, steeped through with its mellow fragrance. As they walked, that wine seemed to sway gently inside him, its rich aroma spreading without his noticing, seeping little by little into his bones, blood, and veins.
Perhaps he really was a little drunk.
Otherwise, why would his mind be wandering like this?
But within that intoxicating sweetness, a tiny bubble suddenly rose, bringing with it the sour tang of fermentation.
Jiang Shao suddenly remembered the photograph Lu Jin Wen had sent him.
In that picture, Qi Mu had been doing exactly this—supporting another drunken man.
This was not the first time Qi Mu had taken someone home like this.
Someone as kindhearted as Qi Mu…
Would probably take every drunk person home, wouldn’t he?
Even if a complete stranger were lying on the roadside right now, Jiang Shao was certain Qi Mu would never simply leave them there.
More and more bubbles rose through the gently sloshing wine, burbling as they surfaced before bursting one after another. Sourness surged wildly through his chest, transforming into emotions that had nowhere to go.
Jiang Shao clenched his back teeth, his gaze gradually darkening.
The arm around Qi Mu abruptly tightened. Jiang Shao closed his eyes and let his full weight fall heavily onto Qi Mu’s shoulder.
Aren’t you always such a damn do-gooder?
Don’t you love helping people?
Then carry me back.
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