Chapter 74 Peach Vinegar

Chapter 74: Peach Vinegar

A new outfit caught the eye of more than just a few acquaintances.

"Hello." A slightly hoarse young man's voice came from above Shen Ci.

He looked up from his puzzle game and met a pair of sea-blue eyes.

"Hello..." Shen Ci's voice was soft, momentarily captivated by the man's looks, he responded a bit dazedly.

"My name is Fang Yuexun. Yue as in moon, Xun as in seek." A hand appeared in front of Shen Ci. "Can I get your contact info?"

As the banquet was winding down, being approached by a guy who looked mixed-race left Shen Ci a bit flustered. Out of politeness, he shook his hand, but just briefly.

"Shen Ci, Ci as in porcelain." He introduced himself in the same manner.

"That's a beautiful name, and you're really handsome." Fang Yuexun said bluntly, pulling out his phone to show his QR code, and asked again, "I'd like to be friends with you."

Shen Ci didn't hesitate, scanned the code, and sent a friend request, which was quickly accepted.

"You're really handsome too. Are you mixed?" Shen Ci put away his phone, looking honestly at the guy who wasn't much older than him.

No exaggeration. Fang Yuexun looked like a giant BJD doll from a mall display—sharp bone structure, deep-set eyes, and curly blond hair.

"Yeah, I am. My mom's Chinese." Fang Yuexun smiled. "I don't think I've seen you around the last few days."

Feeling the conversation was a bit dry and wanting something to eat, Shen Ci grabbed a plate of cake from the table. After asking Fang Yuexun if he wanted any, he took a bite and said politely, "I'm not really used to this kind of thing."

Fang Yuexun nodded. "Same. My parents dragged me here."

Shen Ci bit into a sour fruit filling in the cake.

"You and..." Shen Ci thought calling them "father" and "mother" was way too formal and weird, but he went on anyway, "...do your parents live abroad?"

Fang Yuexun acted natural, pulling up a chair to sit across from Shen Ci. "We live in Bincheng. You know it?"

Shen Ci paused, fork in hand, marveling at how small the world was.

"Yeah, I do." Shen Ci finished the last bit of cake. "I was actually in Bincheng not too long ago."

"Really?" Fang Yuexun looked pleasantly surprised. "Then we're pretty fated to meet."

Even though his eyes were beautiful, Shen Ci still found this Q&A-style chat boring. He instinctively glanced at Shen Shiyan, who was about twenty steps away diagonally. To his surprise, their eyes locked. Shen Ci gave a little smile and looked away.

"Not really. I mean, Bincheng and Yuncheng are basically neighboring cities." Shen Ci thought he sounded pretty professional.

"Yeah, true." Fang Yuexun kept smiling, but his sea-blue eyes held an emotion Shen Ci couldn't read—something aggressive that made him uncomfortable.

Shen Ci felt a warmth at the corner of his mouth.

The next second, he was yanked from his seat by his arm and into the reassuring scent of Shen Shiyan.

"Sorry." Fang Yuexun was still smiling as he stood up and showed his thumb, which had a bit of cream on it. "You had something on your lip. I couldn't resist."

Shen Shiyan's face went cold and hard as he stepped in front of Shen Ci.

"President Shen." Fang Yuexun grabbed a napkin from the table to wipe his hand, not bothered by the lack of response.

Shen Shiyan was a big deal at this summit, so it wasn't surprising Fang Yuexun recognized him.

"Isn't it a bit rude for Young Master Fang to just reach out like that instead of giving a heads-up?" Shen Shiyan raised an eyebrow.

With his incredible memory, he could recall names after just one exchange at a banquet and match them to faces perfectly.

Fang Yuexun was the only son of Fang Xuecha from Bincheng's Yuanyi Tech, around seventeen or eighteen.

"Just helping." Fang Yuexun's smile dimmed a little. "I didn't know President Shen had such a good-looking younger brother."

Shen Ci peeked out, frowning.

"Are you done?" Shen Ci pinched Shen Shiyan's arm. "D-ddy."

Shen Ci didn't think his way of addressing him was weird in any context.

Shen Shiyan hummed in acknowledgment, his voice flat.

Fang Yuexun's expression flickered with shock for a second before quickly returning to normal. He skipped the topic entirely, looking at Shen Ci. "Pretty baby, can I invite you to come hang out?"

Shen Ci shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. We're heading back home tomorrow."

Shen Shiyan's expression softened slightly as he heard Shen Sicheng calling him from nearby.

Fang Yuexun clearly heard it too, seizing the new opportunity to extend a second invitation to Shen Ci. "We're heading back tomorrow too. We can go together. I have a yacht—it's more comfortable than a plane."

There was a hint of boastfulness in his words. Before Shen Ci could respond, Shen Shiyan answered for him.

"He gets seasick." With that, Shen Shiyan pulled Shen Ci by the wrist and walked away.

Fang Yuexun nodded and said goodbye to Shen Ci.

To show he was well-raised by Shen Shiyan, Shen Ci turned back and said goodbye too.

The aura around Shen Shiyan was icy cold. Shen Ci stole a glance at him, hearing Fang Yuexun say from behind, "We'll chat on WeChat." This time, he dared not respond, pretending not to hear, obediently being dragged along.

Only when they reached Shen Sicheng and the others did Shen Shiyan let him go.

"Fang Yuexun?" Song Xianghan turned from the direction Fang Yuexun had left, arm around Gao Mengying's shoulder, her high heels clicking loudly. "Xiao Ci's romantic interest?"

Shen Shiyan's strides were longer than usual, walking briskly. Shen Ci hurried to keep up, hastily explaining, "No, no, Sister Xianghan. He just asked for my contact info to be friends."

"Friends? You're too naive, Xiao Ci." Song Xianghan teased. "Fang Yuexun is a well-known playboy in Bincheng. Don't let his age fool you—he's dated more foreign guys than you've met foreigners."

Shen Sicheng walked on Shen Shiyan's other side and tugged at him.

"What?" Shen Shiyan glanced sideways at him.

"Why are you walking so fast?" Shen Sicheng seemed eager to stir up trouble.

Shen Shiyan pressed his lips together without answering.

Shen Ci, however, wasn't concerned with how fast Shen Shiyan was walking. He slowed his pace, frowning deeply. "But I'm not dating him, and I don't like him."

Shen Shiyan's voice was cold, almost cutting off Shen Ci as soon as he finished speaking. "If you don't like him, why did you add him on WeChat?"

Shen Ci was taken aback for a moment, then replied in a calm, irrefutable tone, "Because I have manners."

"He asked me twice and already had his QR code ready." Shen Ci fully explained his reason for adding Fang Yuexun.

Shen Sicheng's laughter grated on Shen Shiyan's ears. He touched his left ear with the back of his hand, looking visibly irritated, but Shen Ci's reason was perfectly valid, leaving him with no comeback. He gave a cold hum of acknowledgment.

At the banquet, Shen Sicheng drank a lot but ate very little, so he dragged a few people to a bustling Chinatown street in Eitas.

After wandering around, they finally decided to eat at a seafood dumpling restaurant.

Shen Ci observed Shen Shiyan the whole way. He felt that his d-ddy today was like a walking air conditioner—not drunk at all, yet cold from head to toe.

While waiting for the dumplings, Shen Ci scooted closer to Shen Shiyan and whispered, "D-ddy, if you don't like Fang Yuexun, I just won't be friends with him. Don't be mad."

"I'm not mad," Shen Shiyan finally turned his head to look directly at Shen Ci, his gaze lingering on the corner of Shen Ci's mouth that Fang Yuexun had touched. His chest felt tight, but his expression remained calm. "And I won't interfere with your friendships."

Shen Ci set down his chopsticks, almost in defiance: "D-ddy, you're being so weird."

He didn't like Shen Shiyan's attitude, because he hadn't done anything wrong. In his view, Fang Yuexun was just a slightly older peer, and nothing significant had happened today—just exchanging WeChat contacts.

Shen Ci stared gloomily at the steaming dumpling images on the big screen above the order counter.

The next moment, dumplings appeared on the table, the steam mingling with the sweet aroma of dough and seafood. Shen Ci decided to drown his sorrows in food and temporarily stop talking to the unreasonably icy Shen Shiyan.

Sensing he was sulking, Shen Shiyan sighed inwardly and gently nudged Shen Ci's knee with his own. "I'm telling the truth. Making friends is your freedom; I won't interfere."

"D-ddy!" What pissed Shen Ci off the most was this attitude. He dropped the dumpling he had just picked up and glared at him. "I like it when you interfere."

The moment those six words left his mouth, a waitress with a sweet smile approached, carrying a ceramic pot on her tray.

"This is a complimentary gift from the owner—homemade peach-scented vinegar. Please give it a try."

"..."

The three people across from them couldn't help cracking up.