Chapter 20

Chapter 20

When Ruan Xiting brought the two of them to the rehearsal room, two band members had already arrived, and only the drummer was missing.

Su Tinghe looked curiously at the unfamiliar instruments scattered on the floor and a few large, mysterious black boxes.

The band members all knew Ruan Xitian, but they exchanged puzzled glances at the stranger Ruan Xiting had brought with him.

Ruan Xiting introduced him: "This is Su Tinghe, my sister's friend."

Ruan Xitian hugged Su Tinghe and said in a sweet, childish voice, "This is my favorite handsome brother."

When she saw Su Tinghe, the drummer joked with Ruan Xiting, "New guy, huh? Is he your boyfriend?"

Su Tinghe awkwardly denied it immediately, "No."

Ruan Xiting, noticing Su Tinghe's shyness, stepped in to help him out: "No, don't talk nonsense. He's my sister's friend."

"Your sister's friend?" The drummer was surprised, looking back and forth between Ruan Xitian and Su Tinghe, and said incredulously, "Apart from your sister, I've never seen you bring anyone else to our rehearsal room."

The drummer apologized to Su Tinghe: "My first thought was that you were his boyfriend, sorry about that mix-up."

Su Tinghe smiled shyly: "It's okay." He hadn't expected the drummer to be a woman, and one with a high ponytail who looked really cool.

It seemed that women in this world had fewer restrictions and more freedom compared to those in his previous world.

Su Tinghe listened to their rehearsal for a while, feeling unexpectedly cheerful, and even tapped along with Ruan Xitian to the beat.

The drummer, Meng Meng, asked Su Tinghe if he wanted to try it out. Su Tinghe, who had never seen a drum set before, tentatively tapped it a few times, only to be told by Meng Meng that he was playing too softly, and even Ruan Xitian hit it more passionately.

Ruan Xiting played the bass. When he heard that Su Tinghe could play the konghou and guqin, he suggested, "Why not try string instruments like the bass or the guitar?"

It turned out that Su Tinghe was more talented with string instruments, but Meng Meng bluntly pointed out that it felt like an ancient young master had time-traveled to play rock, which was quite out of place.

Su Tinghe felt embarrassed, but then Meng Meng added, "Too obedient. If he gets a boyfriend in the future, he'll either be spoiled rotten or bullied to death."

Su Tinghe blushed, thinking of Shang Huoyong, who should still spoil him, right?

Ruan Xitian couldn't bear the word "bullied" and grabbed Su Tinghe's hand, saying, "Pretty brother won't get bullied."

Meng Meng saw through Ruan Xitian's thoughts, squatted down, and winked at her: "I didn't say pretty brother would definitely get bullied, right?"

They rehearsed and joked around all afternoon, and the atmosphere was more cheerful than usual. After the rehearsal, they all went to a nearby hotpot restaurant. Ruan Xiting invited Su Tinghe: "Our band has a performance at a bar tomorrow night, would you like to come?"

Su Tinghe got along well with the band members and agreed to watch the performance tomorrow. He also exchanged contact information with them for future communication.

At the hotpot restaurant, Su Tinghe let the others order first while he went to the restroom.

After Su Tinghe left, Meng Meng started gossiping: "Well, little Ruan Xitian, tell me this isn't the boyfriend you found for your brother."

Ruan Xitian nodded vigorously, patting Ruan Xiting's thigh and saying earnestly, "Brother, isn't the pretty brother I mentioned very pretty? Now it's up to you."

Ruan Xiting, suddenly burdened with high expectations, felt the pressure and said nonchalantly, "With my charm, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Meng Meng rolled her eyes at Ruan Xiting's narcissism, while Ruan Xitian's little face, sipping juice, fell, muttering, "It might not be that easy... Anyway, brother, you have to try really hard."

As for the fact that the pretty brother was already married, it was better not to tell her brother. If her brother didn't put in enough effort, Su Tinghe might not become her sister-in-law.

When Su Tinghe came out of the restroom, he ran into Shang Yizhi.

Shang Yizhi stopped him and asked, "Did you come here with my brother?"

Su Tinghe replied, "No, I came with friends."

Shang Yizhi felt a pang of confusion. In the past, Su Tinghe didn't have any friends around him, and the closest person to Su Tinghe was him. How could Su Tinghe fall in love at first sight with his elder brother and make new friends in such a short time?

Shang Yizhi wasn't concerned about who Su Tinghe was eating with, so he shifted the topic to Su Tinghe's injury from the last time at the riding field: "How is your right hand now? Is it better?"

Su Tinghe answered honestly, "Much better, it's functioning normally now."

Shang Yizhi pressed on, "Did you go to the hospital?"

Su Tinghe shook his head, and Shang Yizhi scoffed, "It seems my brother isn't attentive enough to you. What if there's a bone injury? I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow."

"No need," Su Tinghe instinctively refused, "It's not a serious injury, and the first aid personnel at the riding field already checked it."

Shang Yizhi: "The first aid personnel at the riding field aren't doctors. It's safer to get checked at the hospital."

Su Tinghe: "I understand, I'll make time to go."

Seeing that Shang Yizhi was still blocking his way, Su Tinghe asked, "Is there anything else? If not, please let me pass."

Shang Yizhi didn't budge and instead stepped closer, "You seem to be avoiding me?"

Su Tinghe feigned ignorance, "No, I'm just worried my friends are waiting too long."

The original host and Shang Yizhi had been university classmates for four years, but Su Tinghe knew nothing about the knowledge they learned or the events that happened. If he got too close to Shang Yizhi, he might accidentally expose his true nature, and if he were mistaken for a monster, it would be disastrous.

Shang Huoyong was better; he had no connection with the original host, so there was no need to worry about being exposed.

Shang Yizhi reluctantly let Su Tinghe go, stepping back, "Then I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow."

Su Tinghe paused, uncertain, "No need, my driver will take me."

Shang Yizhi narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Su Tinghe, who calmly met his gaze. Shang Yizhi said, "My brother must be swamped, sending you off to the doctor by yourself."

Su Tinghe explained for Shang Huoyong, "He's been on a business trip for the past couple of days."

"Is that so?" Shang Yizhi remarked coolly, then stepped aside to let Su Tinghe pass.

Su Tinghe sensed that Shang Yizhi's concern was genuine, so he thanked him before leaving.

After being stopped by Shang Yizhi for a while, when Su Tinghe returned, the hot pot broth was already bubbling, just waiting for the ingredients to be added.

Everyone enjoyed the hot pot together, and Ruan Xiting volunteered to drive everyone home.

The car was a bit cramped with five adults and a child, but since the school wasn't far, Ruan Xitian had to sit on an adult's lap in the back to manage.

After dropping off the other three band members at the university gate, the car became much more spacious. To Ruan Xiting's surprise, Su Tinghe lived in an upscale residential area where the wealthy gathered. He originally thought Su Tinghe was short on money and worked as a teaching assistant at Jiusong Academy, but then he realized that Su Tinghe's innocent and refined demeanor was clearly the product of a privileged upbringing.

Before getting out of the car, Su Tinghe and Ruan Xitian divided the blind boxes they bought today. Ruan Xiting reminded Su Tinghe not to forget about the performance tomorrow night, and Su Tinghe assured him he would definitely go.

Su Tinghe came home reeking of hot pot, and Aunt Qin urged him to take a shower and change clothes to get rid of the smell.

After showering, Su Tinghe lay on the bed and rolled around. Even though he had slept alone a few nights before, he now felt the bed was incredibly empty.

He unlocked his phone, navigated to the chat with Shang Huoyong, and initiated a video call.

But the call rang until the end, and no one answered. Su Tinghe dialed again, but still, no one picked up.

Su Tinghe consoled himself, thinking that Shang Huoyong must be busy. He turned on the TV to kill time, but within three minutes, he checked his phone five times.

It wasn't until Su Tinghe was almost asleep that Shang Huoyong finally called back.

Su Tinghe struggled to open his drowsy eyes, yawning as he called out, "Darling."

"What's up?" Shang Huoyong was still wearing a suit, clearly having just returned to the hotel. He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt with one hand, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at Su Tinghe on the screen.

Su Tinghe, lying on the bed, asked, "What were you doing earlier?"

Shang Huoyong replied, "I was having dinner with someone, so it wasn't convenient to answer your call."

Su Tinghe glanced at the time—it was already past 11 PM. It must have been exhausting. Just as he was about to say something, he heard a knock on the door from Shang Huoyong's side.

"Turn-down service."

Shang Huoyong found it strange that the turn-down service was so late, but he still called out, "Come in."

Su Tinghe was instantly alert. The term 'turn-down service' sounded rather inappropriate. Could someone be trying to proposition him?

Su Tinghe said with a touch of sarcasm, "Why is there still service at this late hour?"

As soon as Su Tinghe finished speaking, a voice came from outside the door, "Could you help open the door? My key card seems to be having issues."

Shang Huoyong stood up, unbuttoning another shirt button as he walked to the door. He said to Su Tinghe, "What are you thinking? Didn't you ever have turn-down service when you stayed in hotels?"

Since Shang Huoyong said so, it seemed Su Tinghe had misunderstood. He watched as Shang Huoyong opened the door and instructed the person outside, "While you're here, could you prepare a glass of honey water, tomato juice, yogurt, or milk—anything that helps with a hangover."

The person outside acknowledged, and Shang Huoyong stepped out to the balcony for some fresh air to clear his head. After chatting with Su Tinghe for a while, he estimated that the room service was almost done and returned to the room.

Moreover, during the conversation, Shang Huoyong had switched from the front camera to the rear camera.

Unexpectedly, the room service attendant turned out to be a strikingly handsome yet somewhat flashy young man, wearing a robe that barely covered his upper body, holding two glasses of red wine.

The young man fluttered his eyelashes at Shang Huoyong, offering a glass of wine, and said in a deliberately sultry voice, "We don't have honey water or milk, but we do have red wine. Would you care to join me for a glass, Mr. Shang?"

Shang Huoyong's first reaction was to look at Su Tinghe on the phone screen, hastily explaining, "This isn't my doing. Turn-down service isn't supposed to be like this."

No sooner had he finished explaining than he sharply questioned the young man who had suddenly appeared, "Who sent you here? Was it that scoundrel Mr. Wang?"

When Su Tinghe saw that someone really was trying to proposition him, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt as though he had been plunged into an icy abyss. Tears streamed down his face like beads from a broken necklace.

He had believed Shang Huoyong's words, thinking that turn-down service was a legitimate service.

Men's words are the most deceptive.

When Shang Huoyong turned back to the phone screen, he was visibly agitated, stammering, "This is not my fault. I didn't know. This has nothing to do with me."

Seeing that the phone was still on the front camera, Shang Huoyong flipped the screen and stared at the person on the screen, saying, "Su Tinghe, don't cry. Look at me. This is not my fault. It's Mr. Wang, from dinner earlier. His accounts are problematic, and he's trying to ingratiate himself. I had no idea."

"Listen to me, don't cry," Shang Huoyong said, reaching out as if to wipe the tears off Su Tinghe's face through the screen, his tone and expression filled with tenderness.

When he looked up again, Shang Huoyong's gaze was icy. His low voice carried the fury of an impending storm, "Put your clothes on."

The young man, who had come to climb the social ladder for money, was initially thrilled to see such a handsome man. But the situation had taken an unexpected turn, and he realized he might have provoked someone he shouldn't have.

Shang Huoyong picked up another phone and called Assistant Song, asking him to come and handle the situation.

When Assistant Song arrived, he was also overwhelmed. First, he contacted the hotel staff, then reached out to Mr. Wang, who had sent the young man over.

The boy was terrified by the scene, repeatedly pleading, "Let me off the hook," "I messed up," "I won't dare again."

Shang Huoyong stood his ground, coldly watching Assistant Song handle everything.

When Mr. Wang arrived, he too was surprised that the situation had escalated, trying every possible way to explain, while the hotel manager apologized profusely, promising to hold the relevant personnel accountable.

Shang Huoyong called Mr. Wang and the boy over, making them explain everything over the phone. Mr. Wang was puzzled but complied.

After Mr. Wang explained the entire sequence of events and admitted to his own foolishness and shameful actions, Shang Huoyong asked, "Did I know about this all along?"

Mr. Wang and the boy both shook their heads, "No."

Shang Huoyong then asked, "Since I had no idea, am I the victim?"

Mr. Wang and the boy quickly nodded, "You are the victim." Mr. Wang even said, "It's all my fault."

Shang Huoyong was pleased and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Did you hear that? I am innocent, I had no clue about this."

Mr. Wang was extremely curious, wondering who in the world was on the other end of the phone that required Shang Huoyong to coax.

Actually, Su Tinghe had believed in Shang Huoyong's innocence the first time he spoke up, but he didn't expect Shang Huoyong to go to such lengths to prove it.

Su Tinghe, teary-eyed, smiled, "I heard, you handle it quickly and rest early."

With his innocence finally proven, Su Tinghe stopped crying, and Shang Huoyong was completely content, sending everyone away and changing rooms again.

Throughout, Shang Huoyong and Su Tinghe stayed on the video call until Su Tinghe fell asleep, then Shang Huoyong went to shower and sleep. The alcohol from the evening was all gone without needing any sobering drinks.

Mr. Wang, who was sent away, finally realized that the person on the other end of the phone was Shang Huoyong's lover, and his heart sank. Sending someone right when the wife was checking, who wouldn't be angry?

Mr. Wang wailed, after all his calculations, who would have thought that Shang Huoyong was actually a whipped husband.