Chapter 7 My Top!

Chapter 7: My "Top"!

Although Liang Liang's family was well-off, his spending money wasn't that generous.

Thinking of the price list he had glimpsed earlier, Liang Liang silently did the math, his heart bleeding.

But he'd already said they could order anything.

Back out now? He couldn't afford to lose face like that.

The bartender made Liang Liang's two drinks first.

Liang Liang pushed the dry martini towards Jiang Jiang. "Try it. Picked it out just for you."

This was a high-alcohol cocktail he had specifically chosen. A goody-two-shoes like Jiang Jiang would probably be out cold after one.

With that, not letting Jiang Jiang get a word in, he picked up his own whiskey sour, clinked it against the other's glass, and took the first sip.

Jiang Jiang hadn't planned to refuse anyway. He was always full of curiosity about things he hadn't tried before.

He picked up the glass, giving it a tentative sniff first. There was a fresh lemon scent.

He lowered his head and took a sip.

It was cool and smooth going down.

Jiang Jiang's eyes lit up.

"Tastes good!"

Gulp, gulp.

The glass was soon empty.

The bartender, with a flourish, mixed another drink and pushed it between them. "This is a Sazerac made with 50-year-old Louis XIII Black Pearl cognac as the base. For you to try, gentlemen."

Jiang Jiang accepted it eagerly, following the usual routine: first smell, then sip, and finally finishing it off with a few gulps.

Liang Liang: ?

He felt something wasn't quite right.

"This is an Old Fashioned cocktail made with The Macallan Lalique 55 Year Old whisky."

Gulp, gulp.

"This is also a drink made with Louis XIII, a Sidecar."

Gulp, gulp.

The more Jiang Jiang drank, the more excited he became. His fair face was flushed, and his lips were shiny with drink.

He pointed at the menu. "This one, this one, this one."

Liang Liang's gaze followed his index finger, seeing the prices of the drinks, and he sighed with relief.

Good, still...

"Except for the ones I just pointed out, give me one of each of everything else~"

Liang Liang: ?

He confirmed with the bartender again, "What did he just say?"

"Except for these few, one of each of everything else."

Liang Liang's vision went dark.

"Hold on." He grabbed Jiang Jiang's arm. "Are you sure you want to drink this much?"

Jiang Jiang gave a happy nod, that cowlick of his swaying along too.

He giggled. "Yeah~ Yeah~"

Then, as if just remembering something, "If you don't have the money~ I can pay for it myself~"

"Who says I don't have money!" Liang Liang instinctively retorted.

"Then thank you~"

Liang Liang closed his eyes, hating his own instinctive reaction for the first time.

His wallet was being forced to "bottom."

Gulp, gulp.

Gulp, gulp.

Gulp, gulp.

"S'goood!" Jiang Jiang raised his glass. "Another one!"

Liang Liang was dumbstruck.

He can really hold his liquor.

Saying this, Jiang Jiang jumped down from the barstool, swaying a bit before steadying himself.

With a smile on his face, Jiang Jiang headed towards the restroom, the alcohol sloshing in his stomach.

"I'm like a walking keg, hahahahaha," he said to himself.

"Who could say you're not," 404 sighed.

Jiang Jiang, who seemed sober and could walk a straight line, was actually a bit muddled now, his gaze somewhat vacant.

"Thud."

Jiang Jiang's head hit something, making him a bit dizzy.

He raised his hand to touch his head, then touched what he had bumped into. It was both hard and soft.

Quite nice to squeeze.

"Had enough squeezing?" The man's voice was deep.

"Huh?" Jiang Jiang looked up dazedly, realizing his hand was resting on the man's chest.

He instinctively gave it another squeeze.

Lu Nanzhou grabbed his wandering hand. "Nice to squeeze?"

"Y-yeah, pretty good." Only after speaking did Jiang Jiang seem to realize what he'd said, jerking his hand back.

Couldn't blame him—it really did feel good to squeeze.

It's just that this person looked so familiar... who was it again?

Jiang Jiang shook his head but still couldn't remember.

"Lu Nanzhou! That's the main lead! Jiang Jiang! Snap out of it!" 404 hadn't expected the surprise to come so suddenly, actually running into Lu Nanzhou.

Jiang Jiang: Main lead? What's that? Main character? I should be the main character, right? Who else could be the main character besides me?

Lu Nanzhou looked at Jiang Jiang's dazed expression and asked, "Don't recognize me?"

"I-I do." Jiang Jiang patted Lu Nanzhou's shoulder in a buddy-buddy manner. "You... you're my top!"

404: ??? Jiang Jiang, are you listening to what you're saying?

Lu Nanzhou: ...

He truly hadn't expected to get such an answer. His eyebrows rose slightly. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Of course!"

Growl.

His stomach rumbled.

Jiang Jiang pushed aside "his top" blocking the way. "Bro, I gotta hit the bathroom first."

Lu Nanzhou didn't expect him to be that strong. He was pushed back two steps. Before he could say anything, Jiang Jiang had already passed him and gone into the bathroom.

"..."

Though aloof, Lu Nanzhou couldn't just stand by and watch Jiang Jiang this drunk without a care. The bar was a sketchy place, and such a good-looking boy could easily be targeted.

When Jiang Jiang came out, he saw "his top" leaning casually against the wall, arms crossed, watching him.

"You... why are you still here?"

Lu Nanzhou didn't answer his question, instead asking, "Did you come alone?"

"Nope, I came with my second brother, and, and a new friend, a really great guy."

"What really great guy?"

"The one who bought me lots of drinks!"

Lu Nanzhou felt something was off. "Take me to see this 'really great guy.'"

He followed Jiang Jiang to the bar and saw the "really great guy" clutching his chest, head bowed in silence.

Jiang Jiang slapped Liang Liang on the back with a smack. "Buddy! I'm back!"

"Cough, cough, cough." Liang Liang was startled and choked on his own saliva.

It took him a good while to recover, only then noticing the man standing behind Jiang Jiang.

The other man was handsome, dressed in a suit, expression indifferent, his gaze scrutinizing as he looked at him.

"Who are you?" Liang Liang felt uncomfortable under the stare and frowned.

Jiang Jiang took the initiative to introduce him. "He, he's my..."

Before he could finish, his mouth was covered by Lu Nanzhou's hand.

"Mmph mmph."

"I'm his friend." Only after saying this did Lu Nanzhou let go.

His lowered hand clenched slightly, his palm seemingly still retaining the soft touch of the other's lips and the warmth of his exhaled breath.

"Hehe, I told him there was a really great guy buying me drinks, so he came!" Jiang Jiang happily introduced.

Liang Liang: ???

Another one here to freeload?

He eyed Lu Nanzhou warily. "I'm only buying him drinks because our older brothers are friends. I don't buy drinks for just anyone."

Lu Nanzhou: ...

It seemed he was being mistaken for a freeloader.

However, their older brothers knew each other. Remembering Jiang Jiang had said he came with his second brother, he figured it out.

"I just came to make sure he got here safely. Now that he's here, I'll be going." He didn't wait for Liang Liang's reply, turning and leaving after speaking.

Liang Liang: ...

That scared him to death.

Lu Nanzhou returned to the private room and saw his childhood friend Shen Muzhi looking at him with a gossipy expression.

"Who's that young guy?"

He paused mid-step.

"I saw everything from the floor-to-ceiling window just now."

Lu Nanzhou's expression didn't change at all. "Jiang Huaijin's younger brother, Jiang Jiang."

"Huh? The one who called you 'brother' at the banquet last time?" Shen Muzhi was full of interest.

"Mm."

"You're not really taken by him, are you?" Shen Muzhi continued on his own. "Well, he's so cute and called you brother. I'd be smitten too if it were me. It's just..."

"Shen Muzhi."

"...Alright, alright, I'll stop."

......

Downstairs, Jiang Jiang drank a few more glasses. Seeing the stage, he started to feel a restless urge.

Jiang Jiang wanted, Jiang Jiang got.

He shot up from his seat and, under Liang Liang's astonished gaze, walked to the edge of the stage, placed his hands on it, and vaulted onto the platform.

Not knowing what Jiang Jiang was whispering about with the lead singer, Liang Liang could only see the lead singer smiling and nodding before standing up to vacate his seat. Jiang Jiang smoothly sat down.

"Ahem, ahem." Jiang Jiang cleared his throat and looked at the audience. "I'm here today to express my gratitude to my new friend, Liang Liang!"

"Today! I want to raise a glass to my good friend and thank him for sharing his tasty cocktails with me. I also sincerely wish that from now on, his life will shine and thrive just like mine!"

The moment he finished speaking, a spotlight swung over to illuminate Liang Liang's head, lighting up his stunned expression.

Liang Liang looked at the gazes focused on his face and gulped hard.

Is this right?

This can't be right.

"Clap-clap-clap."

Someone started it, and soon everyone joined in, with some even whistling.

The guests all looked at Jiang Jiang. This handsome young man was so easy on the eyes and so confident—they were all expecting him to be good.

The intro began to play.

Jiang Jiang gripped the microphone with both hands. "Sending you a little heart, sending you a flower."

......

His tone was truly pleasant, his volume was truly loud, and his singing was truly awful.

Jiang Jiang paid no attention to the audience's reactions and belted out the climax on his own.

"Listen to me, thank you, because you've warmed the seasons. Thank you, thank you for being here, the world is more beautiful~"

Everyone turned to stare at Liang Liang again.

Why are you letting your friend torture our ears?

The woman sitting next to Liang Liang couldn't help but lean over. "Please thank your friend for me—he cured my migraine."

Liang Liang: ?

The woman smiled. "Now my whole head hurts."

As the song ended, Liang Liang felt like he was being skewered by everyone's stares.

Jiang Jiang bowed. "Thank you! Thank you, everyone! Next..."

Everyone held their breath.

The lead singer snatched the mic back. "Next, please enjoy the song 'I Can.' Finally, let's thank this guest for his wonderful performance."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The crowd broke into enthusiastic applause.

Jiang Jiang stared blankly at the microphone that had vanished from his hands, feeling a bit slighted. He still had songs he hadn't finished singing for Liang Liang.

He wanted to say something more, but Liang Liang threw an arm around his shoulders and led him off the stage.

"I still have songs I haven't sung for you," Jiang Jiang told Liang Liang, feeling wronged. "I wanted you to hear my gratitude."

Liang Liang smiled. "No worries, I already felt it from that last song."

"That's great! For the songs I didn't get to sing this time, let's go to KTV together next time. I'll sing them just for you."

Liang Liang: That really won't be necessary.

As Jiang Jiang walked, he was looking all around. Someone in a nearby booth was watching him, and their eyes met.

He dragged Liang Liang along with him over to that person. "Friend!"

Liang Liang, completely unable to resist, also locked eyes with the person.

......

Jiang Jiang seemed curious about everything. Whenever he caught someone's eye, he would run over to chat with them. Not only did he chat, but he always dragged Liang Liang along too.

Liang Liang hadn't expected that Jiang Jiang, who looked so cute, would be so strong that he was powerless to stop him.

In one night, Liang Liang walked what felt like 30,000 steps around the bar.

Liang Liang: So tired, I want to die.

Jiang Huaiyu and Liang Yi occasionally glanced down through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Seeing Liang Liang constantly following Jiang Jiang, stuck together like glue, Liang Yi was somewhat surprised.

"I never thought our family's stubborn kid could be so obedient," he said, finally believing what Jiang Huaiyu had said earlier.

Jiang Huaiyu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course..."

Before he could finish, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up and saw it was a call from his eldest brother.

Swiping to answer, his brother's cold voice came through the receiver.

"Jiang Huaiyu, right now, immediately, bring Jiang Jiang back... home."

Jiang Huaiyu's scalp tightened.

How did his brother find out?

Author's Note:

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Jiang Jiang: I must be the protagonist of the world! So the main love interest = my love interest! [sunglasses]

This chapter randomly drops a few red envelopes~