Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Shang Mingde said, "Don’t even mention it, but in my neighborhood, there really were two girls who married each other."

Shang Xueyan’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to sound as calm as possible as he asked, "Really? Dad, what do you think about same-sex marriage?"

Shang Mingde replied casually, "That’s their private business. What's it to me? It’s not like a man going into a women’s restroom. As long as they're both willing, it’s fine."

Excellent. This was exactly the kind of response Shang Xueyan had hoped for. Although it wasn’t the ideal answer, at least his father didn’t strongly oppose it or show any discomfort.

He used to be anti-gay, but now he could accept same-sex relationships. His parents were starting out much more open-minded than he had. It seemed that the day he and his Big Brother would get married with their parents’ blessing was just around the corner.

Shang Xueyan drove to the parking lot near the set. After getting ready, he saw that Fei Yu and Sun Duobao had arrived. He introduced them to each other.

That morning, during breakfast at home, he had already texted Fei Yu and Sun Duobao to let them know that his parents would be accompanying him on set today and to keep his relationship with his Big Brother a secret.

"Mom, Dad, these are my on-set assistants, Fei Yu and Sun Duobao." Sun Duobao was the assistant who replaced Pang Bin after he was transferred. He had trained in martial arts and even won a national championship. For the past two years, he had been working as a bodyguard in Africa. "Big Brother arranged both of them for me."

Fei Yu smiled and said, "Uncle, Auntie, you two look so young. If Bro Yan hadn’t told us you were his parents, I’d have thought you were his older sister and brother-in-law at most."

Su Qingrong smiled. It had been a year since they had fully adapted to modern life. In this era, people were distinguished by their professions, not their social status. "Thanks for looking out for A Yan."

Shang Xueyan’s parents accompanied him all day on set. After he wrapped up for the day, he drove home with them. The road ahead was congested with traffic. Shang Xueyan’s eyes lit up as he turned to his parents and said, "Mom, Dad, could you talk to Big Brother for me?"

"Talk about what?" Su Qingrong asked.

"Well, as you can see, I don’t really need two assistants. Duobao has nothing to do all day. Could you ask Big Brother to move him to another job? There’s no need for him to follow me around."

Before Shang Mingde could speak, Su Qingrong narrowed her eyes and asked, "Then why did your Big Brother give you two assistants in the first place?"

Shang Xueyan hesitated.

Shang Mingde pondered for a moment. "That Duobao mentioned he used to practice martial arts and worked as a bodyguard in Africa a few years ago."

Shang Xueyan stammered, "Actually, Duobao only started this month. Before that, I only had Fei Yu with me, and I thought it was fine."

Su Qingrong asked pointedly, "Then what happened this month?"

His mother was indeed sharper than his father.

Shang Xueyan briefly explained his conflict with Jiang Lan. "Last month, he hired some thugs to try and get back at me. Don’t worry, I wasn’t hurt. But Big Brother is worried now and insists on having someone with me."

If he were more famous and had stalker fans, his Big Brother would definitely assign bodyguards to accompany him whenever he went out.

Without hesitation, Su Qingrong agreed, "Your Big Brother is right. You should listen to him in matters like this."

"Dad," Shang Xueyan turned to his father, pleading with his eyes.

Shang Mingde avoided his gaze and said, "I think your mother is right."

Shang Xueyan: "..."

Su Qingrong added, "A Yan, would your Big Brother ever do anything to harm you? You should follow his arrangements."

"Exactly," Shang Mingde chimed in. "Your Big Brother thinks things through carefully. Just focus on your acting."

Shang Xueyan stared at the road ahead and, where his parents couldn’t see, allowed a faint smile to curl his lips.

As expected, even though he thought Duobao was unnecessary, his parents, like his Big Brother, believed it was better to be safe than sorry. He needed to subtly make them realize how much his Big Brother had done for him over the past year—things that not every partner would have done.

Aunt Wang had already returned to work at Fengyun Bay. After arriving home, Shang Xueyan introduced his parents to her. After dinner, which was usually his and his Big Brother’s time, tonight became a family reunion for the four of them.

During her time abroad, Su Qingrong had developed a love for mahjong. She had bought an automatic mahjong table earlier that day. After dinner, she asked everyone to play with her.

Shang Xueyan knew how to play modern mahjong, having played a few times with the director and producers while filming "Purple Blade Moon." Shang Xianwang had never played before but quickly learned the rules.

In the first few rounds, Shang Xianwang, unfamiliar with the rules, lost every time.

Starting from the fourth round, he began winning consecutively. Mahjong requires some luck, but most of the time, the difference in the quality of players’ hands isn’t too significant. At that point, the ability to calculate odds greatly influences the outcome.

Shang Xianwang was skilled at calculations and had an excellent memory. Without much effort, he could keep track of the tiles played by others. The best tiles to keep or discard naturally came to mind.

Shang Xueyan ended up losing the most.

He wasn’t particularly skilled at the game, hadn’t played many times before, and his luck wasn’t great. The tiles he needed never seemed to come. His parents, on the other hand, had played mahjong frequently with friends over the past year and had good hands tonight.

After losing several rounds in a row, Shang Xueyan finally started winning.

"Four Dot," Shang Xianwang said, his slender, pale fingers drawing a mahjong tile and placing it gently in the center of the table.

Shang Xueyan glanced down at his own tiles and, before his father could play his turn, quickly revealed his hand. "I win! I win!"

Shang Xianwang caught the unmistakable bright smile on his lips and allowed a faint curve to form on his own.

"Six Wan," Shang Xianwang discarded a tile.

"Hehe, Mom, Dad, Big Brother, I win again! All one suit!" He picked up the Six Wan Shang Xianwang had discarded and added it to his own tiles.

"Three Dot."

"Win again! I win!" Shang Xueyan exclaimed excitedly.

"Two Bamboo."

"Done! I win again!"

Another round ended. The four of them pushed their tiles into the automatic shuffler in the center of the table. Shang Xueyan had won four rounds in a row, his face beaming with a dazzling smile. Su Qingrong smiled helplessly and said to Shang Xianwang, "AHeng, stop spoiling A Yan. He really thinks he’s winning because of his own skill."

"Sweetie, look at your dad. I’m about to lose all my money," Shang Mingde hinted meaningfully.

Shang Xueyan pushed the tiles in front of him into the shuffler, his lips curling confidently. "I’m winning because of my own skill, Dad. If you’re not good, just practice more."

"My Big Brother isn’t going easy on me, right? Right, Big Brother?" The sound of tiles clattering filled the room as Shang Xueyan turned to Shang Xianwang. Under the intricate crystal chandelier, his eyes sparkled as he looked at Shang Xianwang, a completely unabashed smile on his lips.

Shang Xianwang couldn’t help but smile and nod. "A Yan is definitely winning with his own skill."

"See? Even Big Brother says he’s not intentionally feeding me tiles." Under the bright lights, Shang Xueyan stared openly at Shang Xianwang.

A moment later, his face flushed slightly. He turned away, straightened up, and drew four tiles first. Then it was Su Qingrong’s turn. Shang Mingde, sitting closer to the shuffler, helpfully drew his wife’s tiles for her.

Shang Xianwang drew last.

Once all the tiles were in hand, he arranged them in a row. This round, he had an equal number of Bamboos and Dots. Shang Xueyan was debating whether to discard Bamboos or Dots when he suddenly froze.

A clearly defined hand rested on his thigh. Through the thin fabric of his sweatpants, he could feel the warmth of the other’s touch.

His breathing quickened slightly. Shang Xueyan glanced sideways at Shang Xianwang, who was looking down, his attention fixed on his tiles, his noble and elegant face betraying no emotion.

Shang Xueyan's heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he sneakily lowered his left hand too.

He spread his fingers apart, sliding them between Shang Xianwang's fingers, their hands clasping together seamlessly.

Shang Xianwang glanced over at him, and Shang Xueyan responded with a sneaky wink.

"Shang Xueyan, have you decided what to play?" urged Father Shang.

"Alright, alright." Flustered, Shang Xueyan quickly withdrew his left hand and played a bamboo tile. The moment it left his hand, he regretted it—he had originally intended to discard a dot tile instead.

He turned his head to see Shang Xianwang had straightened his tiles, legs spread apart, leaning back slightly against the chair. Under the warm-toned lighting, he looked as elegantly carved as jade, exuding an an air of casual elegance.

Sensing Shang Xueyan's gaze, Shang Xianwang lifted his thin eyelids slightly, his deep eyes meeting his.

Throat itching slightly, Shang Xueyan stared seriously at his own tiles. He really shouldn't keep bamboo tiles—it suited his hand perfectly.

Both Shang Xueyan and Shang Xianwang had work the next day, so they wrapped up their game a little past eleven, and everyone went upstairs to wash up and sleep.

In front of his parents, Shang Xueyan entered his own room first. After washing up and changing into his pajamas, he opened the door, stuck his head out to make sure no one was on the stairs or near the elevator, then slipped into his Big Brother’s room.

The bed in Shang Xianwang’s room was also a two-meter-wide large bed. Shang Xueyan threw back the covers and lay right in the center of it.

Shang Xianwang stood by the bedside, and Shang Xueyan deliberately sprawled out in a starfish pose, challengingly staring at him.

Shang Xianwang looked down into his eyes, then bent over and unceremoniously slipped his slender fingers under the hem of Shang Xueyan’s pajamas.

The moment the man’s hand touched his lower abdomen, Shang Xueyan jumped sensitively and quickly hugged the blanket, scurrying to the other side of the bed.

Another night of sharing a bed. When daylight came, Shang Xueyan and Shang Xianwang separated their entangled limbs. Shang Xueyan knelt on the bed, dazed for a moment.

"Big Brother, I’m going back to my room to brush my teeth and wash up." He came to his senses, turned around, swung his long legs off the bed, and stood up. After just one night’s sleep, his pajamas hung loosely, revealing a patch of snow-white skin on his left shoulder.

Shang Xianwang straightened his pajama collar and said hoarsely, "Go ahead."

Shang Xueyan hummed in response. He opened Shang Xianwang’s door and stepped out, only to run right into Su Qingrong, who had just come downstairs. Their eyes met, and Shang Xueyan froze instantly.

Su Qingrong descended the steps, her dark eyebrows slightly knitted. "A Yan, why are you coming out of your Big Brother’s room?"

"I—my charger broke, so I just went to Big Brother’s room to charge my phone," Shang Xueyan said, forcing calm.

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Author's note: Good night, mwah (* ￣3)(ε￣ *)