Chapter 3
Even though they’d gotten their marriage certificate, Shen Yu and Yan Jin still weren’t living together. They’d chosen a house and put both their names on it, but according to their carefully planned schedule, cohabitation would start after the wedding. For now, they continued their separate lives, going home to their own places each night—nothing like an actual married couple.
After wrapping up some business at the company, Shen Yu got a call from Su Xiaole. “Shen Yu, come grab a drink!”
Shen Yu gestured for his assistant to clear away the paperwork. “I’m not going to any big social gatherings. It wouldn’t look right for a married man.”
“Oh, I know! I’m not trying to get you in trouble. It’s just a few friends hanging out.”
“Alright, send me the address.”
Shen Yu trusted Su Xiaole completely. He drove to the location and immediately noticed a towering pile of gift boxes at the entrance when he walked in. The place was buzzing with activity. He found Su Xiaole’s booth, where including himself, there were five people total. Su Xiaole waved him over to sit down.
“Is someone having a birthday party here?” Shen Yu asked, glancing around.
“Yeah,” Su Xiaole nodded, “we only found out when we got here.”
It looked like someone had booked half the venue, but there were so many people it felt cramped. The energy was good, but being packed in like sardines wasn’t exactly fun. Shen Yu poured himself a drink. “With this many people, why not just book the whole place?”
“Maybe they called too late to make a reservation?” Su Xiaole shrugged. “You know how popular this spot is. People who aren’t regulars probably didn’t think to book far enough in advance.”
Shen Yu nodded absently. It was just casual conversation anyway—none of his business. He thought it was completely irrelevant until the birthday boy spotted him.
“Brother Yu! You’re here for drinks too!”
The person approaching had a beautiful woman on each arm, looking like he’d stepped out of some kind of party movie. A whole entourage crowded behind him as they made their way to Shen Yu’s booth. Looking at the apparent birthday celebrant who was greeting him so familiarly, Shen Yu asked honestly, “And you are?”
He made it crystal clear he didn’t recognize the guy, but the person wasn’t offended and acted like they were old friends. “Me! Yan Liang! Didn’t you marry my cousin Yan Jin? That makes us family—I’ve got to call you brother!”
Oh. Yan Liang. Now Shen Yu knew who he was dealing with. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
What he’d heard was mostly about his reputation as an uneducated, spoiled troublemaker.
Yan Liang was nothing like Shen Yu and Yan Jin. Those two were career-focused individuals with real talent and skills, while Yan Liang was someone who only knew how to spend money, not make it. It would be fine if he just partied and had fun, but he was also exceptional at causing problems. He was clearly a deadbeat, but he saw himself as the heir to Yan Group, completely full of himself, thinking he was God’s gift to the world, and looking down on Yan Jin.
There were two main reasons for his dislike of Yan Jin. First, Yan Jin was simply better than him at everything. Everyone at the company knew Yan Jin as “President Yan,” while he was just “Young Master Yan.” Even though he’d never admit that Yan Jin was more outstanding, deep down he knew the truth. Second, Yan Jin didn’t just surpass him professionally but also in looks. When they attended events together, all the attention—from both men and women—went to Yan Jin.
However, thinking that no matter how hard Yan Jin worked, he was ultimately just working for his father and him, Yan Liang felt smug again, convinced he’d already won.
Hearing that Shen Yu knew of him, Yan Liang became even more excited. “We’re all family now! It’s my birthday today, and guests are always welcome. Don’t be shy! Go on, take good care of these gentlemen. Don’t just stand there!”
He was talking like he owned the place when he’d only booked half of it.
Yan Liang’s last comment was directed at the men and women who’d come with him as drinking companions. They were all dressed flashily and rather obviously. Shen Yu’s booth was spacious with only five people, plenty of room for two or three more between each pair. Hearing Yan Liang’s command, the companions immediately moved to sit down with practiced understanding.
“Hey there, beautiful! I have terrible posture, so nobody sits next to me.”
Su Xiaole grinned mischievously. He’d been sitting on the edge and now stretched his long legs out in a completely unrefined manner, blocking the seat. The woman was a step too slow and had to back away. If it were a regular customer, she might have tried sitting directly on his lap, but with first-time clients, they knew how to read the room.
On Shen Yu’s side, a male model approached. He didn’t try to grab a seat directly but instead obediently knelt in front of Shen Yu, reaching for his empty glass to pour him a drink. His hand hadn’t even touched the glass when Shen Yu said quietly, “Don’t touch it.”
His voice was gentle, but the male model’s fingers froze instantly, and he quickly pulled his hand back, looking up at Shen Yu with a submissive smile. Shen Yu smiled back, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Combined with his refined features, the expression was rather cold. The male model shivered inexplicably and looked to Yan Liang for help—after all, Yan Liang clearly wanted to entertain Shen Yu, which was why the companions had come over.
“Brother Yu doesn’t like this type?” Yan Liang asked.
Before Shen Yu could answer, the sharp click of dress shoes accompanied by high heels stopped abruptly in front of their booth, and a familiar voice cut through the scene. “Quite the party.”
New arrivals. Yan Jin had brought Yan An’an and stood at the edge of the booth.
With a quick glance, Yan Jin understood the situation perfectly. He leaned over and whispered something to Yan An’an. She smiled sweetly at Yan Liang and said, “Cousin, I put your gift in the tower at the entrance. I still have something to take care of, so I’m leaving now. Hope you have a wonderful time.”
With that, she turned and left decisively, without any hesitation. She’d come to celebrate someone’s birthday and greeted them, but she hadn’t even said “Happy Birthday”—less like someone bringing well-wishes and more like someone there to rain on the parade.
Yan Liang’s expression visibly darkened.
Yan Jin brazenly sat down next to Shen Yu, directing his words at Yan Liang. “I thought Uncle would be here too.”
Otherwise, why would he bother showing up?
Hearing this, Yan Liang forced a smile. “Dad and I had lunch together earlier for a family meal. Evening is for young people to have our own fun.”
Not inviting the siblings to the family meal clearly meant they weren’t considered family. Yan Jin understood perfectly, and it confirmed once again that Yan Liang’s brain was completely useless if he thought these words could actually provoke him.
Pathetic.
Yan Liang had used his father’s name to lure Yan Jin and Yan An’an here just to annoy them. Meeting Shen Yu today was unexpected, but his desire to please Shen Yu was genuine. After all, Shen Yu was the heir to Shen Group, and having a good relationship with him couldn’t hurt. Besides, even though Shen Yu had married Yan Jin, everyone knew they couldn’t stand each other. Shen Yu might not take Yan Jin’s side and could be happy to join in throwing stones at him.
The male model was still kneeling in front of Shen Yu. Yan Jin glanced at him and commented, “Not bad looking.” Then he asked Shen Yu, “You like this type?”
Shen Yu didn’t answer. Earlier, he hadn’t let the male model touch his glass, but now he pushed it forward and instructed, “Pour.”
The male model looked delighted and quickly reached up to pour the wine. His technique was flawless, not spilling a drop, but the glass never made it to Shen Yu. Halfway there, it was intercepted and ended up in Yan Jin’s hand instead.
Yan Jin held the wine, completely ignoring the male model, his attention entirely on Shen Yu. He draped one arm along the back of the booth, effectively pulling himself and Shen Yu into a more intimate space. More than just physical proximity, the posture created a psychologically intimate distance.
Yan Jin swirled the wine in the glass. “If you need someone to drink with, ask me.”
Shen Yu glanced at him sideways. “Are you a drinking companion?”
“No,” Yan Jin said smoothly, “but if you requested it, would I dare refuse?”
“I think you’d dare to do anything.” After saying this, Shen Yu gave Yan Liang an apologetic smile. “Young Master Liang, someone’s killing my mood here. Why don’t you have these beautiful people go entertain the birthday boy properly instead.”
After Shen Yu finished speaking, the male model—whose legs had gone almost completely numb from kneeling—scrambled away from this bizarre situation as if he’d been granted a reprieve. Seeing him retreat, the other companions quietly slipped away from the booth as well.
With the entertainers gone, Su Xiaole breathed a sigh of relief, impressed that Shen Yu had handled the situation so skillfully, easily getting rid of those people. Yan Jin’s intervention had come at the perfect time.
Yan Liang thought this was his moment to shine, to stand with Shen Yu against Yan Jin. “I wanted Brother Yu to have a great time tonight! If you don’t like this crowd, we can change it up! Different people, different drinks!” He was actually making progress, learning to speak in double entendres.
Change people? Change things up for a married man? Yan Jin laughed coldly internally but only snorted aloud. “If you want him to have a good time, just pay for this table.”
“Of course! Brother Yu, drinks are on me tonight. You and your friends can have as much as you want!”
“I should toast to that.” Yan Jin raised the glass—Shen Yu’s glass—and drank the wine. “The wine’s finished. Birthday boy, shouldn’t you go enjoy your party?”
Yan Liang stared at him. “I’m—” I’m talking to Brother Yu. What’s it got to do with you? But he didn’t get to finish because Shen Yu cut him off directly.
“Young Master Liang,” Shen Yu simply stood up, “my friends and I are pretty much done here for tonight. Thank you for the hospitality. I hope you have a wonderful time. We’ll head out first.”
“Ah, really? Not staying for a few more drinks?”
“I have to get up early tomorrow morning,” Shen Yu said politely. “Please excuse us, Young Master Liang.”
“Oh, no problem at all! You’re too kind!” With Shen Yu being so direct, Yan Liang couldn’t insist they stay. “We’ll have to get together again soon!”
The pleasant drinking session had been thoroughly disrupted. Su Xiaole and the others felt they couldn’t stick around either. Shen Yu’s excuse was perfect timing for all of them to leave. They stood up one by one. Yan Jin also got up and pushed the empty glass directly in front of Shen Yu, his finger tracing the rim slowly. This glass—they’d shared it.
Shen Yu couldn’t help but turn to meet his gaze. Yan Jin smiled with hidden meaning and pulled his finger away.
“Shen Yu?” Su Xiaole prompted.
Shen Yu’s long lashes lowered, hiding the shifting emotions in his eyes. “Coming.”
After leaving, they all went their separate ways. Su Xiaole walked alongside Shen Yu, his face full of distress. “Should I have checked the almanac before going out today?”
Shen Yu exhaled slowly. “The almanac doesn’t cover this kind of thing.”
“Speaking of which… I always feel like you and Yan Jin,” Su Xiaole paused, rewording his thoughts several times before speaking, feeling like none of his options were quite right, so he settled on being vague, “you two start bickering the moment you see each other. It’s been like this since university. They say there are no permanent enemies, so how come you two have such a long shelf life?”
“Some people just have incompatible energy,” Shen Yu said. “It doesn’t have to be about anything major.”
His and Yan Jin’s antagonism had started over something small. Back in university, there was a project where they’d proposed two completely different approaches. The end goal was the same, but their processes were different. Each plan had merit, and neither was willing to compromise. Their rivalry began then—not as some hidden undercurrent, but right out in the open from day one. Even Shen Yu found it incredible. When he encountered this person, why couldn’t he hold back? Where did all his sophistication and tolerance go?
So they were probably natural adversaries, chemistry that turned volatile the moment they mixed.
“By the way, there’s something else I need to tell him.”
As he spoke, Shen Yu pulled out his phone and sent Yan Jin a message: “Are you free the day after tomorrow? Let’s meet my parents together.”
He’d told his father he’d married someone he genuinely cared about before seeking approval. Before the wedding, he needed to at least bring the person home to meet him.
Receiving the message, Yan Jin replied in his usual business tone: “Received. I’m available.”
After sending his response, he made a phone call. “Xiao Liu, help me rearrange my schedule to free up the day after tomorrow.”
“Understood.” There was a pause on the other end, probably Xiao Liu flipping through the appointment book. “President Yan, that means your schedule for the next two days will be extremely tight.”
“It’s only two days,” Yan Jin said. “Make it work.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
