Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The snowfall at the ski resort undoubtedly enhanced the ambiance.

Shen Ju took a long moment to compose himself, finally patting his cheeks, telling himself not to dwell too much on others' gazes.

Fortunately, after breaking free from Pei Yan's embrace, that sensation finally subsided.

He felt he needed to do something else to divert his attention, so he shifted the topic to skiing.

Finally, it was time for the "main event."

The little turtle crash pad, which had been lying on the snow for half the day, finally came in handy.

For beginners, skiing as a recreational activity isn't too difficult if you master the techniques. As long as you don’t aim too high, safety can also be guaranteed.

And Shen Ju was probably the kind of model student teachers adored.

He would never improvise or go off-script.

He followed every instruction, so obedient that it made people want to playfully ruffle his hair.

Pei Yan idly rubbed his fingers.

What to do.

He seemed to be losing his patience.

And he didn’t really want to hold back either.

But seeing Shen Ju’s flushed, excited little face as he let loose and had fun, Pei Yan managed to restrain himself a little.

It wasn’t the right time yet.

Not quite appropriate.

He thought to himself.

At least for now, most of Shen Ju's attention couldn't possibly be on him.

But while the two were busy with the lesson and fun, 996 wasn’t idle either.

996 was thinking.

Don’t laugh, it was truly thinking very seriously.

About that work suggestion it had seen earlier.

—It had been struggling to choose a candidate before.

But now!

996 suddenly realized, wasn’t there a perfect candidate right in front of them?!

Who could possibly keep Pei Haochuan in check better than Pei Yan?

And Pei Yan’s seniority was even higher than both Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin!

The Pei family’s status was also on par with the Guan family!

Wasn’t this absolutely perfect!

The more 996 thought about it, the more promising it seemed!

............

The Pei family’s newly opened resort indeed offered a plethora of entertainment options; the ski resort alone could provide a full day of fun.

After a full day, whether it was Guan Mulin and the others enjoying the advanced slopes or Shen Ju experiencing the beginner slopes and learning to slide with Pei Yan, everyone felt they had a great time.

So Han Chengfeng suggested they continue the fun in the evening!

The hotel they were staying at had a bar on the basement level. It was convenient to hang out at the bar and then just head upstairs to their rooms, both easy and relaxing.

"My treat!"

Han Chengfeng, afraid others might not agree, said eagerly, "I heard there’s a performance at the bar tonight."

Shen Ju’s eyes lit up with curiosity.

He had never been to a bar before.

Seeing this, Pei Yan said, "Then let’s go."

And that settled it.

But once they got to the bar, Pei Yan started regretting it.

Because the performance Han Chengfeng mentioned involved a group of male models on stage.

It started with a catwalk, followed by street dancing, pole dancing, singing, DJ performances...

Pei Haochuan and Ke Cheng gave Han Chengfeng weird looks, as if seeing him in a new light.

Han Chengfeng immediately got defensive and shouted, "I didn't know the performance tonight would be like this, okay!"

He had just overheard a few girls chatting excitedly about how they had to go to the bar tonight.

They sounded really excited, and since the bar was right where they were staying, super convenient and all, he suggested it!

"And isn’t this place funded by your Pei family? How could you not know about this kind of performance?!"

He even dragged Pei Yan into it.

Pei Yan, coolly, glanced at Shen Ju’s curious and excited eyes, thinking to himself that he’d have someone turn this into a chill lounge as soon as they got back.

But since they were already here.

They grabbed a table and settled in.

Actually, the bar wasn’t too chaotic. At the very least, there were no harsh strobes or anything that would strain the eyes. The host was good at working the crowd but also maintained order well. Aside from the regular cheers and whoops, it wasn’t overly irritating. Instead, being in the midst of it all, you couldn’t help but get into the vibe.

"It actually feels pretty good."

Guan Mulin looked at the male models performing on stage. A group of them were moving to the beat—not in a vulgar way, but full of allure.

Each of them had makeup on and sported styled hair, wearing clothes of different styles. Each had their own distinct style—some handsome, some cute, with various earrings, headbands, glittery stickers on their cheeks or eyelids, or glitter stars. At a glance, it was hard to decide who to look at first; each was a feast for the eyes.

Most importantly, these male models began to "work the room"—

They came offstage one by one, holding extra accessories like earrings and headbands to hand out as freebies.

The girls' screams suddenly intensified, loud enough to raise the roof.

If you listened closely, there were even screams from "grown men" mixed in...

Ke Cheng's gaze followed the commotion, and he couldn't help but laugh.

He nudged Pei Haochuan hard with his elbow, chuckling, "Hey, Xu Sisi and the others are over there too, but it looks like they haven't even noticed you're here, haha—"

Pei Haochuan was exasperated and instinctively glanced at Guan Mulin.

But Guan Mulin was actually watching those male models.

What's so interesting about those male models?!

Didn't Guan Mulin just say "it's just okay"?

Pei Haochuan whipped his head around to look, then whipped it back again, staring at Guan Mulin.

He thought, No way...

Could it be that Guan Mulin...

Is he interested in men?

Then why did Guan Mulin specifically say during the day that Xu Sisi likes him...

Pei Haochuan's expression shifted, his demeanor turning complicated.

On the other side.

Guan Mulin was indeed watching those male models.

Ever since learning from Shen Ju and 996 that he was the so-called "Protagonist Shou" and Pei Haochuan was the so-called "Protagonist Gong," he felt like a door to a "new world" was opening before him.

It wasn't that he didn't know about these things before.

But Guan Mulin had never applied them to himself.

He didn't think he had anything to do with "this."

So he never paid much attention.

But now... Guan Mulin found himself noticing these things.

He couldn't help but wonder if these well-groomed men were like this for work or because they were attracted to men? No, no, being attracted to men doesn't necessarily mean they like dressing like this, so it must be for work.

He was stereotyping, showing prejudice—that wasn't good.

Then the girls' cheers and screams seemed to grow even louder.

What the...

And these male models weren't showing favoritism—as they passed each booth, they almost always flirted a little—

They probably couldn't flirt with the girls.

Maybe the guys were fair game.

Would they do the same when they reached their booth?!

The moment Guan Mulin thought of this, he immediately turned to look at Shen Ju!

Pei Haochuan: Why look at Shen Ju??

Shouldn't he be looking at me??

Among their group, the prettiest was Shen Ju.

If Guan Mulin were one of those male models, he'd probably want to reach out and playfully tease Shen Ju too.

And his face looked very pinchable.

Sure enough—

When the group of male models approached, one of them very deliberately reached out toward Shen Ju.

Shen Ju: "?"

He was still processing what was happening.

The next moment, the male model's hand froze.

An extremely dangerous gaze locked onto him from the side, the warning in those eyes completely unconcealed.

Uh.

Having worked in these venues, the male model immediately realized something and quickly redirected his hand.

Right next to him was Guan Mulin.

Guan Mulin: "?"

He had been about to intervene—his hand was already extended—

Why was it suddenly coming toward him?

Guan Mulin didn't have time to adjust his movement.

Just as that hand was about to touch his face—

Smack!

A faster hand shot out from the side, striking it quickly and decisively.

Male model: "............"

Damn it! He was just following the usual routine to liven up the atmosphere!

Why hit him!!

Taking another look, damn, this booth was all men, no wonder—a bunch of damn gays!!

Ke Cheng and Han Chengfeng both sneezed in unison.

Pei Haochuan snapped back to reality after he'd struck the hand, and he cleared his throat lightly.

He started to speak when he noticed a sharp, focused gaze burning into him from the side—

996 exclaimed excitedly: "What?! What?! Is this progress between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan?!"

"I just knew something would happen with these two going out 'alone'!"

"Pei Haochuan is jealous!"

Guan Mulin: "............"

He thought: It's fake, this must be fake.

Don't get the wrong idea, okay?

If he saw his friend about to be touched, he’d help too—didn't he just try to help Shen Ju?

This ungrateful little... how could he just be watching the show!

The male models left, including the one who got his hand slapped.

But the atmosphere became a bit strange.

Pei Haochuan didn’t speak.

Guan Mulin didn’t speak either.

The two sat together, one examining his hand, the other with arms crossed, as if "restraining" something.

They felt like they still wanted to say something.

But didn’t know how to begin.

Pei Yan was also restraining himself.

Under the dim bar lighting, his expression darkened even more.

He really wanted to wrench that outstretched hand just now.

He thought: He shouldn’t have let Shen Ju come here.

But what pretext or role should he use to take Shen Ju away?

Using his "Brother Pei" identity?

That still didn't seem sufficient.

He wanted to "teach Shen Ju a lesson," he thought—Shen Ju hadn't even realized that hand was reaching out to touch him.

He was even eyeing those male models eagerly.

He wondered: What was he trying to do?

If that male model really touched Shen Ju’s face, would Shen Ju actually actively rub his cheek against the other’s palm?

Thinking of this, Pei Yan's expression darkened further.

He had told himself earlier to endure, to hold back.

But now...

"Host! We need to change our strategy a bit!"

System 996 decided to discuss that operational suggestion with Shen Ju.

Now Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan were going to enter the next stage, right?

Then their level of "making trouble" needed to be upgraded even further!

So now they really needed to bring in a "helper"!

"A helper?"

Shen Ju was curious: "What type of helper?"

"Well, not exactly a helper—more like someone you think could cause trouble for Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin, someone who could suppress them, someone whose power you could leverage, and then you need to—"

"What do I need to do?"

Guan Mulin and Pei Yan were also listening quietly.

Guan Mulin was curious.

Pei Yan frowned slightly.

Then they heard System 996 continued—

"Then you need to try to charm them, to secure their support!"

The sound of Crack—

Pei Yan shattered the thin wine glass stem.