RTCBM 15

“Dongzi, you three stay inside. If that Wen guy rings the doorbell, do not open it no matter what. You do not have to do anything. Leave the rest to me.”

Mu Yuan hung up and sped back to his building as fast as he could, rushing up by elevator.

Wen Shang was already standing outside Mu Yuan’s apartment, having rung the doorbell a few times. After waiting for several minutes without anyone answering, he found it strange and pulled out his phone to call Xiao Xing. The other end of the line said the user was on another call.

Ding.
The elevator doors suddenly opened. Someone stepped out.

Mu Yuan, dressed like a full-blown nouveau riche, was laughing and chatting on the phone. “Xiao Xing, you at home? Didn’t you say a few days ago your kitchen pipes were busted? Your big bro is coming to fix it now.
Come open the door in a bit.”

That wide, fake grin collapsed the moment he looked up and locked eyes with Wen Shang.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Mu Yuan stormed over, grabbed Wen Shang by the collar, and slammed him hard against the wall.

“I’m here to see someone,” Wen Shang said calmly, completely unbothered.

“There’s only one family living on this floor. Wen Shang, be honest, what business do you have with my brother?”

“What does it have to do with you?”

“How does it not? You and I don’t get along, fine, but why the hell are you bothering my brother?”

Mu Yuan was furious. He pulled out his phone and started dialing a number, deliberately putting on a show.

“Hey, Xiao Xing, stay inside. No matter who rings the doorbell, do not open it. Got it?”

“Why? Because there’s a bad guy outside!”

“If you dare open that door, I’m cutting you off right now.”

Mu Yuan yelled into the phone and slammed it down after finishing his act, stuffing the phone back into his pocket.

“Pass me the wrench. Stop zoning out,” Ah Zhi called out.

“Ah Zhi-ge, I think I heard Boss’s voice just now.” Xiaoxing pointed toward the door.

“Ah Zhi-ge, I think I heard Boss’s voice,” Xiao Xing said, pointing toward the door.

Ah Zhi listened carefully. Sure enough, it was their boss losing his temper outside.
That roaring voice was as loud as a lion’s, shaking the walls.

“I think he’s arguing with someone,” Xiao Xing said. “Ah Zhi-ge, maybe Boss is in trouble. Should we go out and help?”

Ah Zhi dropped the tools he was holding and started hurrying toward the door, but He Dongying rushed out from the living room and blocked them.

“You two stay inside and behave. Do not go out there and make things worse for your boss. Whatever it is, let him handle it himself.”

“But, Ying-ge…”

He Dongying shot a glare at Xiaoxing.
“Stay inside.”

“…Oh.”
Xiao Xing shut his mouth and dared not argue again.

Mu Yuan dragged Wen Shang by the arm, pulling him toward the emergency stairwell, away from “Xiao Xing’s” front door.
Once they were far enough, Mu Yuan could finally speak freely.

“Wen, you’re one hell of a snake. If you want revenge, come at me. You went through all that trouble to dig up my brother and came to his door looking for payback. You are scum.”

Mu Yuan gave him no chance to interrupt.
He pushed forward aggressively, voice rising.

“Let me tell you, if you want to release that damn spy video and make it public, go ahead. I am not afraid. But if you so much as lay a finger on my brother, I swear even if I die, I will drag you down with me.”

Things did not unfold the way Mu Yuan expected. Wen Shang showed no anger, no defense. The whole time Mu Yuan was shouting at him, Wen Shang simply stared at his face, as if deep in thought.

Mu Yuan felt his scalp prickle under that gaze. Goosebumps broke out under his clothes. “Wen, are you mute? Stop standing there like a damn log and say something.”

Wen Shang’s face stayed cold. His answer was the same as before. “My business with your brother has nothing to do with you.”

The phone in his pocket rang. Wen Shang took it out and glanced at the screen. It was a call from his assistant.

“Mr. Wen, have you settled your business?
If you don’t leave now, you are going to be late. That company’s boss is extremely punctual. If we are late, the whole deal could fall apart.” The assistant’s voice sounded urgent.

“I know. I’m coming down now.”

Wen Shang clearly had no interest in continuing to argue. He turned and walked down the emergency stairs, throwing a sentence over his shoulder as he left.

“You should thank your brother you didn’t make the headlines.”

Wen Shang received Xiao Xing’s message right as he was getting off work. He asked to meet him at the commercial plaza.
When Wen Shang arrived, he found him sitting alone on a bench in the open-air square, stomping his feet and shivering from the cold.

The moment Xiao Xing spotted Wen Shang walking toward him, he immediately stood up from the bench. There was an open, unmistakable joy on his face as he waved and handed back the bag containing Wen Shang’s jacket.

Wen Shang noticed how pale Xiaoxing’s face looked from the cold and frowned in displeasure. “Why are you sitting out here freezing in this weather?”

Xiao Xing smiled and shook his head.
“It’s nothing. I only waited for a little while.
I was going to deliver your jacket to your company, but I was afraid you wouldn’t like that, so I didn’t.”

Seeing that Xiao Xing was wearing nothing but a thin hoodie, Wen Shang said nothing more. He simply took off his own jacket and draped it over Xiao Xing’s shoulders, then grabbed his hand and pulled him into the car to warm up.

“Your hands are freezing like popsicles,” Wen Shang muttered as he pulled Xiao Xing’s other hand over too, wrapping both in his own palms to warm them.

Mu Yuan did not pull away. He did not resist either. He just let Wen Shang hold his hands.

After a long moment, Mu Yuan spoke, his voice hesitant. “Um… A Shang, you know my brother?”

Wen Shang paused but did not answer.
He kept warming Xiao Xing’s hands.

“My brother came to find me today. He was furious, like he was interrogating a criminal, asking me all sorts of questions about you.
I didn’t even know how to respond.
Did something happen between you two?”

Wen Shang did not deny it. He simply gave a soft “mm” and added, “I have had problems with him. Not just once either.”
His tone was casual, like it was no big deal.

“Xiao Xing,” he suddenly called.

“Yeah?”

“I do not know how you see things, but I will not hide it from you. The relationship between me and Mu Yuan is bad. Or rather, very bad.”

“I would not judge you because of that.
Whatever happened between you and my brother is your business. What happens between you and me is something else entirely. They are separate.”

Wen Shang studied the person in front of him carefully. The same face, but two completely different personalities. It really was something.

He chuckled, reached out, and lightly flicked Xiao Xing’s nose. “Are you hungry?
Come, I’ll take you out for dinner.”

They picked a newly opened music restaurant nearby. The menu was rich with options, the food had a great reputation, and it was already a popular spot among the younger crowd.

This time, it was Wen Shang’s turn to pay.
Mu Yuan had no intention of going easy on his wallet. He ordered whatever was the most expensive on the menu, fully confident that Wen Shang would not even bother looking at the bill afterward.

“Every time we eat out, you make me do the ordering. Do you not have any favorites yourself?” Mu Yuan rested his chin in his hand, smiling as he looked at Wen Shang.

“I am not picky. As long as the chef cooks well, I like just about everything.”

While they waited for the food, the two chatted idly. They shared an unspoken agreement, both avoiding any mention of Mu Yuan.

Wen Shang was a busy man. Even during dinner, he kept getting calls, answering wave after wave of business matters. Mu Yuan did not mind at all. He just focused on eating.

What he could not figure out was why every time Wen Shang stepped away to take a call, random guys kept coming over to strike up conversations. All of them asked for his contact info. And they were all men.

What the hell was wrong with this restaurant? Was a guy not allowed to sit and eat in peace?

Whenever Wen Shang stood outside making calls, he kept glancing back toward their table. Because of that, Mu Yuan did not dare explode on those sleazy guys hitting on him. In the end, he could only randomly make up fake numbers to get rid of them.

“Do you always get hit on like this when you go out?” Wen Shang asked when he finally returned, his face clearly sour.

“No.”

The look Wen Shang gave him was full of suspicion, making Mu Yuan feel wrongly accused, like he had just been caught cheating or something, even though he could not exactly explain himself.

Truth was, he usually never had this kind of problem. With his slicked-back hair, flashy tattoos, and thick gold chains, he was always surrounded by underlings. Forget being approached. Even if someone dropped their wallet right in front of him, they would rather leave it behind than come back to pick it up.

If he wanted to achieve his goal quickly, he had to find a way to get closer to Wen Shang. But at the stage they were at now, they were still not close enough. At the very least, he needed to be familiar enough to come and go freely from Wen Shang’s house. Only then would he have a shot at finding and destroying that private video.

The first step was getting past Wen Shang’s front door. Mu Yuan decided to start with Wen Shang’s pet lizard.

“By the way, A Shang, how is Nai Gai doing lately?” This was the first time Mu Yuan had asked about Nai Gai since getting caught red-handed.

When it came to their pets, owners always had endless things to say. Wen Shang was no exception. Once he started talking, he could not stop. It was the first time Mu Yuan realized the guy could actually be this chatty.

Naturally, Mu Yuan was more than happy to play along. He deliberately showed great interest in Nai Gai.

“Actually, ever since last time, I’ve been wanting to see him again. A Shang, if there’s a chance, could you let me meet him?”

It was not an unreasonable request. Wen Shang immediately agreed. “If you want to see him, we can head to my place after dinner.”

Nai Gai had been raised by Wen Shang since it was just a hatchling. After years of bonding and training, the giant lizard had become quite intelligent. Every time Wen Shang returned home, all he had to do was call out or whistle once, and Nai Gai would come walking over to greet him.

Mu Yuan stared at Nai Gai with a hungry look usually reserved for food. Even though he had just eaten, he could not help but swallow his saliva.

Standing to the side, Wen Shang saw the way Mu Yuan was looking and thought he must really love Nai Gai. A strange sense of joy bubbled up inside him.

“You can pet him. He is pretty gentle. Doesn’t bite.”

Mu Yuan nodded, crouched down, and gave Nai Gai a few pats on the back, then pinched the long tail behind him.

“I have been raising him for seven years.
Most people either think giant reptiles are disgusting or terrifying. Very few are genuinely interested.”

Mu Yuan stroked Nai Gai’s little head the way people would pet a kitten or puppy.

“Not at all. I think he is…”
He swallowed the words “delicious” just in time and changed it to, “…adorable.”

When he turned his head, he found Wen Shang staring at him again. Over time, Mu Yuan had gotten used to that heavy, meaningful gaze. He tilted his chin up and grinned. “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

“What for…”

“Because you look good.”

Mu Yuan did not bother answering.
He stuck out his tongue, made a face, and reached out to give Wen Shang a playful smack on the forehead.