Inside Mingdeng Tower, elegantly dressed guests mingled beneath the chandeliers, their laughter punctuated by the endless clink of glasses. The venue had drawn the most powerful people in the capital. Countless A-list stars were present as well, but tonight they stood beside their patrons like ornaments adorning the party.
“Liangzhi is coming today, and you still brought this imitation along? Are you trying to ruin everyone’s evening? Ling Xiao, what are you thinking?”
On the second floor of the banquet hall, Qiao Tianyu frowned at the young man beside Ling Xiao. Disgust was plain in his voice.
The others said nothing, but their looks held the same contempt.
The young man Qiao Tianyu had called an “imitation” stood there with a cold expression. His phoenix eyes were empty, as though he had grown used to insults like these.
Ling Xiao turned to look at him. With his head lowered, the young man’s profile bore an uncanny resemblance to Xia Liangzhi’s.
Ling Xiao faced his friend, his expression hardening.
“Dan Shen is my partner. What’s wrong with him coming with me?”
At the sound of his name, Dan Shen raised his head. A flicker of joy crossed his striking face. He seemed not to have expected Ling Xiao to defend him. But the joy quickly gave way to a self-mocking smile.
Qiao Tianyu was right. He was only a substitute. The only reason he had been allowed into this place was Ling Xiao.
And everyone knew why Ling Xiao had brought him here: Xia Liangzhi. Ling Xiao hated Xia Liangzhi for choosing his career over him two years ago, yet he still loved him. That was the only reason a Beta like Dan Shen had a chance to stand here.
“Ling Xiao, he’s just a Beta, and you’re calling him your partner? Fine. Let’s see if you can still say that when Liangzhi arrives.”
Ling Xiao fell silent. His face grew colder, and he was about to retort when a commotion rose from downstairs. A few excited cries broke out before they were quickly hushed.
In the entire capital, there was no second person who could cause such a stir in a place like this.
Qiao Tianyu turned to look down.
The grand doors slowly opened. Xia Liangzhi walked in at an unhurried pace, dressed in a white suit. He seemed to carry a soft glow with him, drawing every eye in the room. Every movement was graceful and captivating, and a gentle smile rested on his breathtaking face.
“Tsk. I like this entrance.”
The system: “…”
Of course you do. This is the original host’s brightest moment as the unattainable first love. It’s also the only one he gets. After tonight, there won’t be another…
Xia Liangzhi took a glass of red wine from a passing waiter’s tray. When his gaze swept over the young man, the smile on his lips deepened slightly.
The waiter had to recall every sad thing that had ever happened in his life just to keep himself from screaming.
He’s so handsome!!!
Mom, I’ve seen an angel!!!!
“Host, please stop showing off your charm. We’re here to carry out the main mission.”
Xia Liangzhi gave a quiet laugh. From the corner of his eye, he noticed someone hurrying down from upstairs. He asked leisurely, “Are you telling me how to do my job?”
The system: “…”
“Liangzhi, you really came!”
Qiao Tianyu was the first to run down, followed by several other friends.
Xia Liangzhi’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes curved when he saw his old friend.
“You sent me an invitation. Now that I’m back in the country, how could I not come?”
Ling Xiao came down last, with Dan Shen beside him.
Xia Liangzhi raised an eyebrow as he studied the two male leads of this world. He had not expected Dan Shen to be nearly as tall as Ling Xiao. Walking side by side, they made quite a good-looking pair.
“It’s been a long time, Liangzhi.”
Ling Xiao looked perfectly composed, as though the man before him were no more than an ordinary friend. Only he knew how fast his heart was beating.
Xia Liangzhi nodded. The adoration that had once filled the original host’s eyes was gone. He looked from Ling Xiao to Dan Shen with his bright peach-blossom eyes and smiled naturally.
“It has been a long time. And who might this be?”
He regarded Dan Shen with just the right amount of curiosity. There was no contempt or arrogance in his expression.
The moment Dan Shen saw Xia Liangzhi, his breath caught.
It was not the first time he had seen him. Xia Liangzhi was so famous that almost everyone knew his face. Dan Shen had seen him on screens before, and he had also seen the photograph Ling Xiao kept tucked inside his wallet. But this was the first time they had met in person.
Xia Liangzhi was even more beautiful than he appeared on screen. Beautiful enough to make Dan Shen feel inadequate. He was not merely a substitute. He was an imperfect substitute at that…
His pride made him speak first.
“I work for President Ling.”
He could not let Ling Xiao introduce him. If he did, Xia Liangzhi would learn that Dan Shen was only a substitute.
Yet the moment the words left his mouth, Dan Shen’s own eyes widened. He looked as though he could not believe what he had just said.
No one noticed his reaction. Qiao Tianyu gave a derisive laugh, apparently pleased that Dan Shen knew his place.
“He’s just a small-time actor.”
Xia Liangzhi, however, had caught the flash of shock in Dan Shen’s eyes. He did not understand why the young man had reacted that way, but he had not forgotten why he had come.
The unattainable first love has a role to play, after all.
“Oh, you work in the entertainment industry? No wonder you’re so good-looking.”
Dan Shen’s face was exactly his type. The longer Xia Liangzhi looked at him, the more of a shame it seemed. But Dan Shen happened to be the story’s male lead. Otherwise, Xia Liangzhi really would have wanted to…
“Host, please stop those frightening thoughts right now!!!”
Tsk… Ba La La never stops chattering. How annoying.
Xia Liangzhi blocked out the system’s voice in his head. If he was not allowed to flirt, was he not even allowed to look?
Dan Shen pulled himself out of his thoughts. He hesitantly shifted his feet, then abruptly concealed every trace of emotion in his phoenix eyes. In an instant, his entire bearing seemed to change.
Ling Xiao did not notice. Seeing that Xia Liangzhi had shown no reaction at all, his expression darkened further. He reached out and put an arm around Dan Shen’s shoulders.
“His name is Dan Shen, and he’s my partner. Shen Shen is shy, so he was embarrassed to say it.”
Ling Xiao and Dan Shen were almost the same height, making the gesture look rather awkward. Perhaps Ling Xiao realized it too, because he let go as soon as he finished speaking.
If the original host were here, he’d probably look devastated by now. Too bad I’m not him~
Xia Liangzhi let a hint of surprise show before breaking into a smile. A teasing look appeared on his porcelain-pale face as he glanced between the two of them.
“Congratulations. You make a lovely couple.”
It was a perfectly gracious blessing, yet Ling Xiao’s expression only worsened.
Qiao Tianyu and the others exchanged strange looks. None of them seemed to have expected Xia Liangzhi to react this way. His smile was as natural as if he were teasing a friend who had just started dating. There was no sadness in it, not even a trace of disappointment.
Dan Shen looked at Xia Liangzhi, and a sudden irritation rose in his chest.
“We’re not…”
But in the next instant, his words stopped abruptly. What came out instead was a stiff, mechanical expression of gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll go and greet Mr. Qiao first. We can talk later.”
As a member of the younger generation, it would be rude of Xia Liangzhi to attend the Qiao family’s party without greeting his elder host.
Holding his wineglass, Ling Xiao stared after Xia Liangzhi in a daze. He did not even notice when Dan Shen left his side.
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