“Seriously, Su Ke, since when have you cared so much about the interstellar military competition?”
The wealthy young heirs lounged against their luxury cars, chatting.
Su Ke waved a hand, looking profoundly mysterious.
“You wouldn’t understand. At our age, it’s time to become more aware and pay attention to international affairs”
Ji Shileng could not be bothered to expose him.
A friend laughed and slung an arm around Su Ke’s shoulders.
“How old are we, really? Let’s enjoy ourselves first”
“Exactly. Our families aren’t relying on us anyway”
“Don’t you know? Shi’s second brother is serving as a commander in the competition”
Su Ke and Ji Shileng were so close that his affection naturally extended to the people around Ji Shileng. Of course he would follow the competition to some extent.
Ji Shileng folded his arms. Sunlight gave his cool, fair skin the soft luster of porcelain.
“Oh, stop it. Why are you dragging my brother into this again?”
Their friends burst out laughing.
“Our Young Master Su has to care about the whole package, doesn’t he?”
When a fellow researcher drove Tan Shengbie to the mountaintop, they found a group of well-dressed young men lounging against extravagantly expensive cars, talking and laughing.
Ji Shileng was unmistakably the most striking among them.
The mountain wind kept blowing toward him, lifting the hem of his shirt and revealing a narrow stretch of lean waist.
His colleague held Tan Shengbie back. After hesitating, he advised, “Tan, are you really going to speak to Ji Shileng?”
Tan Shengbie lowered his brows slightly and nodded.
“Maybe you should leave it. We really can’t afford to offend those rich young masters”
The colleague tried once more.
“I have my reasons for going”
Tan Shengbie tried to reconcile the Ji Shileng before him with the one in his memory.
Unfortunately, he could find nothing in common between them.
“Then go. Just remember not to provoke them”
His colleague sighed and opened the car door.
“I’m staying here. I’m not on particularly good terms with them”
As an academic researcher, he was hardly someone those young masters took seriously.
“All right. You’ve already done me a favor by bringing me here”
Tan Shengbie stepped out. The blazing sunlight stung his eyes.
Su Ke narrowed his eyes.
“Who brought someone else up here? Didn’t we agree no boyfriends or girlfriends?”
“Who? I didn’t bring anyone”
“Neither did I. I just broke up with someone”
Ji Shileng looked up and glanced at the approaching figure. Once he confirmed that it was Tan Shengbie, he straightened away from the car.
“He’s here for me. A friend I met once before”
With that, he walked toward him.
“Tan?”
Tan Shengbie smiled.
“Mr. Ji”
Times had changed. With Ji Shileng’s true identity now revealed, Tan Shengbie no longer felt entitled to address him so casually.
Ji Shileng looked him over.
“Are you looking for someone?”
The mountaintop housed a private racetrack. With few other places to entertain themselves, the wealthy heirs often came here to race.
Tan Shengbie shook his head, then nodded.
“I came to see you”
Ji Shileng paused, frowning slightly.
“Me?”
“Yes”
As perceptive as Ji Shileng was, he guessed the reason immediately. His voice cooled.
“If you’re here because of Shang Jianli, please leave”
Tan Shengbie pressed his lips together. After a long moment, he asked, “Could you let me finish first?”
Ji Shileng slipped both hands into his pockets and nodded without speaking, signaling for him to say his piece and go.
Tan Shengbie had once shown him a little kindness. He could not simply drive him away with cruel words now.
“Shang Jianli doesn’t understand feelings. He’s made many mistakes, some of them outrageous”
Tan Shengbie spoke slowly, making no attempt to defend him.
“So? What are you trying to say?”
“Are you really willing to hand Shang Jianli over to someone else now that he’s learned how to love?”
The question struck straight into Ji Shileng’s mind.
As expected of an academic, his words could wound without drawing blood.
Ji Shileng did not answer. He imagined Shang Jianli loving someone and could not help laughing.
“Do you really think he understands how to love now?”
Did he truly love Ji Shileng?
Or was it merely an illusion created by guilt, regret, and other emotions tangled together?
This time, Tan Shengbie was speechless. After stumbling over his words for a while, he said, “I’ve never seen him treat anyone else this way. You must be special”
“Enough about being special”
Ji Shileng’s voice seemed to scatter in the wind. Every movement was confident and unrestrained.
“You literary scholars always have one argument after another”
“If you came here for Shang Jianli just to tell me a lot of nonsense, you’re not welcome”
Tan Shengbie opened his mouth.
“No…”
“Not here for him?”
Ji Shileng smiled.
“If it’s not for Shang Jianli, then you’re very welcome”
“Just call me by my name”
Su Ke and the others had remained where they were, watching Ji Shileng for some time.
Seeing him lead the visitor over, Su Ke stepped forward first and extended a hand.
“Hello. Su Ke”
Tan Shengbie shook it and introduced himself.
“Hello. I’m Tan Shengbie”
“From the Empire?”
Tan Shengbie felt Su Ke’s hand tighten around his own until it began to hurt.
He managed a strained smile.
“Yes”
“Shang Jianli’s dog?”
Su Ke had never been polite when speaking outside his own circle. First, the Su family had the means to back him up. Second, he was close to Ji Shileng.
Even those willing to offend the Sus would hesitate to anger the Ji family.
Unsure how to answer, Tan Shengbie instinctively looked at Ji Shileng.
Catching his gaze, Ji Shileng said mildly, “Su Ke, he’s an honored guest who’s come a long way. Be a little nicer”
Su Ke released his hand and ran his tongue over a canine tooth.
“If he’s an honored guest, I’d better entertain him properly”
He put on a smile, stretched out an arm, and drew Tan Shengbie closer.
“Let me take our guest around for a few laps. I hope you won’t mind my poor driving”
Before Ji Shileng could stop him, Su Ke had already bundled Tan Shengbie into the passenger seat.
“It’s fine, Shileng. I’ve never experienced racing before”
Tan Shengbie lowered the window to reassure him.
With things already settled, Ji Shileng could hardly say more. He told him to fasten his seat belt and keep his eyes closed if he got scared.
The accelerator went down. With a roar, the McLaren Senna shot away.
Their friends watched, briefly expressing their “concern” for the bookworm.
“Honestly, with Su Ke’s terrible driving, that little scholar will probably throw up the moment he gets out”
“But he’s come all the way from the Empire. Naturally, we have to give him a proper welcome”
These wealthy heirs were not necessarily Ji Shileng’s closest friends, but they were among the people he spent the most time with.
They might not know the full history between him and Shang Jianli.
That did not mean they knew nothing.
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