LIAH 26. What’s Your Favorite

After wrapping up the last task at the student council, Pei Siyin returned to the dorm to change his clothes. Around four in the afternoon, Song Shengyang sent him a message saying a last-minute meeting had come up. He wouldn’t make it in time to pick him up after class, so he told Pei Siyin to take a cab to the company and meet him there.

It was rush hour. The school gates, as always, were jammed with people.

Pei Siyin stood at the crosswalk waiting for a ride, phone in hand, refreshing the screen again and again. The air was thick with the early stirrings of spring, tinged with the faint scent of fruit trees and wood. He glanced at the slowly moving traffic nearby and let out a silent sigh, worried he might be late to his first meeting with Song Shengyang’s friends.

“Senior Pei.”

A voice came from beside him. Pei Siyin looked toward it and saw a Maybach that had pulled up quietly at some point. The rear window slid down, revealing Yan Can’s face.

Their eyes met. Pei Siyin turned off his phone and greeted him. “Hi, Yan Can.”

Yan Can’s eyes were clear and bright. A gentle smile lingered on his face as he spoke. His skin was extremely pale, giving him a delicate, almost sickly look. They were in different years and hadn’t interacted much. They had only really gotten to know each other while working together in the student council.

“Hop in, Senior.” Yan Can opened the car door and slid over to the other seat. “Let’s go together.”

Pei Siyin hesitated. “It’s fine, I can just take a cab.”

That left Yan Can momentarily stumped. He looked up at Pei Siyin from the half-open door, a bit confused. “Aren’t you going to see Song Shengyang? My brother said I should go with you.”

Pei Siyin got in. After fastening his seatbelt, he asked, “Who’s your brother?”

“My brother’s name is Yan Ting,” Yan Can replied, then added, “He’s the one who called this morning.”

The mention of that call made Pei Siyin blush. He turned his head toward the window and finally pieced together who was who.

Yan Can wasn’t good at making conversation. He stayed mostly quiet during the ride, but he kept sneaking looks at Pei Siyin, and every one of them was caught in his peripheral vision.

It wasn’t until they got out of the car that Pei Siyin realized what Yan Can had been looking at.

The company’s floor-to-ceiling windows, cleaned daily, reflected their figures as clearly as mirrors. Walking side by side with Yan Can, Pei Siyin saw himself in the glass, and the sunlight only made the view sharper.

He was wearing a white T-shirt. His elegant, upward-tilted eyes looked past the crowd on the sidewalk, catching a full glimpse of his pale neck. Faint red marks were scattered all over his neck, clearly visible against the black and white of his outfit. They were the only bit of color on him.

He instantly walked two steps faster, wanting to find a hole to crawl into. No wonder Yan Can had looked like he wanted to say something back in the car. The awkwardness was so thick he could hardly breathe. Pressing a hand to his neck in a pitiful attempt to hide it, he mumbled, “It’s a little cold. I should go buy a jacket.”

Yan Can checked his phone. It was only five twenty. There was still time before everyone was supposed to meet. He sent a message to Yan Ting, then pointed to a nearby mall. “Let’s go there.”

Pei Siyin walked into the mall pretending he was invisible. Fortunately, the store staff were highly professional. None of them showed any surprise on their faces. Instead, they smiled and cheerfully helped him browse.

Pei Siyin was no longer willing to let people keep staring. He chose a loose-fit hoodie with an adjustable zipper. After paying, the first thing he did was zip it all the way up, completely covering the lower half of his face. Before leaving, he glanced at the mirror and finally let out a breath of relief.

On the way back, he happened to see Song Shengyang coming downstairs with another man. The two of them were talking quietly. It was Yan Can who noticed first and quickly stepped toward the company entrance.

“Ge.”

Yan Ting caught him in a firm hug. Song Shengyang, standing nearby, looked confused. His gaze traveled from the soft, fluffy hair on Pei Siyin’s head to his face, now hidden behind the hoodie, with only his eyes visible.

He reached out and tugged at Pei Siyin’s collar. “Are you sick?”

“No.” Pei Siyin glanced at him, then shifted a step to the right, making sure Song Shengyang’s body completely blocked him from view. Only then did he lift his collar and point at the marks on his neck. “Look for yourself.”

Song Shengyang froze. His ears flushed red, but his tone remained shameless. “So what? That’s the result of my hard work.”

He fixed Pei Siyin’s clothes as he spoke. Pei Siyin couldn’t help laughing. “Too much work. My back still hurts.”

Behind them, Yan Ting walked over holding Yan Can’s hand. He gave Pei Siyin a polite nod, then said, “Let’s go. Tao You’s already waiting.”

Song Shengyang had changed cars again. A shiny green DBS was parked on the street. Pei Siyin glanced at the glowing interior and remarked, “Impressive taste.”

It was impossible to tell whether he was complimenting him or making a dig, but with the way Song Shengyang’s brain worked, he took it as praise and looked very pleased with himself.

“By the way, how did you and Xiao Can end up together?” Song Shengyang asked.

Pei Siyin heard the way he said that name and leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, raising an eyebrow. “He was just headed the same way.”

He couldn’t help thinking about how Song Shengyang addressed him. The word “wife” had only come up once, and that was in bed. And yesterday, he had the nerve to complain that he only ever said “Song Shengyang.” But wasn’t he doing the same thing, calling him nothing but “Pei Siyin”?

Feeling a little annoyed, Pei Siyin sat in the passenger seat, staring at him for a long time. The longer he looked, the more irritated he became. He clicked his tongue, turned away, and closed his eyes against the car window.

They drove through the city until the scenery outside turned into a dense wall of trees. When Pei Siyin opened his eyes again, he saw what looked like an estate. A massive fountain stood at the gate, nearly ten meters tall. The statue was of a woman draped in a cloak, her bronze skin bared across her chest and legs, striking a pose that carried some sort of suggestive symbolism. Water gushed from her hands and poured from the highest point down in a rushing stream.

There were only two or three other cars parked nearby. The place was almost empty.

Song Shengyang circled around once, yanked off his tie, and threw it in the back seat. “What kind of place did Tao You pick this time?”

The valet came over and took the keys. Pei Siyin followed Song Shengyang up the steps. They passed through a bright, empty lobby and found Tao You by the elevators, still on the phone.

When he saw them, Tao You quickly ended the call.

He glanced at Pei Siyin standing beside Song Shengyang and asked, “Your friend?”

Before Song Shengyang could answer, his phone rang again. This time, he hung up, pressed the elevator button, and gave Yan Ting and Song Shengyang a smile. His chin tilted slightly, and the golden frames of his glasses reflected a dim light.

“Bringing friends is fine. Makes things more fun. This place is something new I’ve been working on. Give me your thoughts later.”

He leaned in close to Song Shengyang. “It’s your favorite. Don’t say I never treat you well.”

Song Shengyang frowned, looking puzzled. “My favorite?”

Pei Siyin turned to glance at him and asked in a low voice, “What is your favorite?”

“Cars,” Song Shengyang said with certainty.

Pei Siyin turned back around and said nothing.

The elevator opened. Yan Ting entered with Yan Can in tow. His expression made it clear that he had heard everything and understood too well. He leaned down and whispered near Yan Can’s ear, “Don’t look when we get inside.”

Yan Can nodded obediently.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened again. The air beyond felt like it was covered in a fine, invisible net. The lighting had been dimmed beneath a curtain of moonlight.

The scent in the air was pleasant, filled only with the clean aroma of sake. A sign at the entrance read No Smoking. On either side of the corridor, chairs were arranged with precision, each one numbered. Tao You led them to the front row. Just two meters ahead stood a brightly lit stage, spacious and prominent.

The enclosed space was already full, but no one was speaking. Most of the guests sat silently, their gazes fixed on the stage, the air around them charged like a pack of predators circling their prey.

Pei Siyin sat off to one side, holding a long-stemmed glass of red wine. He lifted it gently and let it swirl in his hand. Watching the reflection of the lights ripple through the red liquid, he brought the glass to Song Shengyang’s lips.

All the light was concentrated on the stage, and faint music began to rise in the background. Song Shengyang looked down and saw only Pei Siyin’s lowered lashes, their shadows shifting faintly across his cheeks.

“So this is your favorite,” Pei Siyin said softly.

He lifted his wrist and let the wine pour into Song Shengyang’s mouth.

After feeding him the wine, he sat back down in silence.

Song Shengyang looked confused. He turned his head just in time to hear Yan Ting say, “If you run now, you can still make it.”

Run? Run from what? Run where?

Weren’t they just here for dinner? Were they about to have dishes presented like a catwalk show?

What kind of dinner was this supposed to be?