CH 93

Around eight o’clock in the evening, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

Several small lights in front of the villa were lit up.

Lin Yuheng arrived a little late. Apologetically, he placed several boxes of crayfish on the table in the dining area.

“This house is really nice!” Lin Yuheng exclaimed, “The decoration is great too, you’ve got good taste.”

Lin Yuxing brought out several plates of cold dishes and smiled as he looked at Lin Yuheng, saying, “Brother, don’t pretend. It’s not your first time here.”

It had been a while since Su Li had seen them, and he immediately asked, “I’ve been wanting to ask, Liao Yan, Yuxing, when did you two become sworn brothers?”

Lin Yuxing spoke half-truths and half-lies, “Didn’t I tell you before? There was one time I almost got hit by a car, and Liao Yan saved me. How could I not call him ‘brother’?”

Su Li thought it made sense, “True, if I were in your shoes, I’d call him ‘big brother’ too.”

With Su Li’s straightforward nature, he might even express gratitude in a more direct way.

Lin Yuheng enjoyed teasing Su Li, “If you want to call me ‘brother,’ go ahead, I won’t stop you~”

Su Li retorted, “Bah.”

Liang Xie, who had been quietly observing, caught Lin Yuheng’s attention. He asked in surprise, “Are you Liang Xie, the 190cm boyfriend?”

Su Li immediately stood up and covered Lin Yuheng’s uncontrollable mouth with his hand.

“Liao Yan, shut up!”

“Mmm?”

Liang Xie had some recollection of the handsome Alpha before him.

Back when Su Li was in college, this Alpha had taken him to work at a cat exhibition hall and were constantly teasing and joking around. Liang Xie remembered silently when he had watched them laugh and talk from the second floor, his heart filled with jealousy as bitter as the rain that day.

Liang Xie lowered his voice, “Su Li.”

Hearing Liang Xie call him, Su Li immediately sat back beside him like a little cat and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Liang Xie didn’t say much. Instead, he placed his hands on the edge of the table, stood up, and reached out to shake hands with Lin Yuheng. Calmly, he said, “Hello, I’m Liang Xie, Su Li’s Alpha.”

Lin Yuheng didn’t take notice of Liang Xie’s jealousy, or perhaps he didn’t register it at all. With his carefree smile, he replied, “Hello, I’m Liao Yan.”

Looking left and right, Su Li didn’t see Gu Zhongyi around, so he whispered to Liang Xie, “He’s Yuxing’s shadow.”

Lin Yuheng commented, “You little…”

Liang Xie looked coldly at Lin Yuheng.

Since he was meeting Liang Xie for the first time, Lin Yuheng decided to save face for Su Li and changed his words, “Su Li, your description is spot on. I’m indeed Yuxing’s shadow! I’ve been his shadow my whole life.” He finished his sentence and wrapped his arm around Yuxing’s shoulder.

Gu Zhongyi came out of the kitchen at that moment, holding two bottles of wine. He said, “The guest rooms are all ready. Why don’t you all stay over tonight?”

Gu Nuan perked up his ears and his eyes lit up, thinking that something interesting would happen once Gu Zhongyi saw Liao Yan holding Yuxing.

However, Gu Zhongyi’s attitude was calm and he wasn’t jealous of “Liao Yan” at all. Instead, he diligently opened the packaging of the crayfish for everyone.

Gu Zhongyi asked, “Did you buy this much?”

Lin Yuheng replied, “If you can’t finish it, I’ll finish it. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Gu Zhongyi considerately inquired, “We made too much braised beef for tonight. Would you like some?”

Upon hearing that his brother hadn’t eaten yet, Lin Yuxing hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you want rice? We cooked quite a bit for dinner.”

“You two don’t need to trouble yourselves. This is enough.”

Lin Yuheng sat down comfortably, as if he were in his own home.

Seeing this, Gu Nuan felt puzzled. He pondered whether Gu Zhongyi’s behavior was out of the ordinary… Could it be that after marriage, the honeymoon phase of love had faded?

Gu Nuan was worried because his wedding with Han Yang was approaching.

However, Yang Qing leaned in and whispered to Gu Nuan’s ear, “I’ve always thought Liao Yan was impressive.Zhongyi isn’t jealous at all! Maybe he’s wealthy…”

But there were no wealthy people with the surname Liao in Country C.

Before Gu Nuan could respond, Han Yang, who was beside him, casually hugged him and naturally distanced him from Yang Qing.

Yang Qing thought, see, that’s how a jealous Alpha behaves.

In the dim light of the front yard outside, the flowers and plants around seemed to carry an air of mystery.

The group gathered together, eating crayfish, constantly chatting.

Yang Qing was the most talkative, exclaiming that the two bottles of wine weren’t enough.

Lin Yuxing followed online tutorials and made several cocktails on the spot. Gu Zhongyi took out several bottles of red wine he had carefully stored and generously placed them on the table.

Glasses clinked softly as everyone took a small sip.

Only Gu Nuan was upset, downing his glass in one go. “Unfair, I’m only having juice… Yuxing, could you make me a cocktail too?”

Han Yang held down his glass with an undeniable tone, “No drinking.”

“You can’t handle alcohol well…”

“We’re guests today.”

“Alright.” Gu Nuan deflated. He had always listened to Han Yang.

Seeing this, Su Li instigated, “Drink up, Gu Nuan! You’re already a grown up, let loose and have fun!”

Yang Qing joined in enthusiastically, “You’re the mighty Little Gu CEO. Han Yang is just a celebrity. Why listen to him?”

As much as Gu Nuan wanted to have a drink with the others, he knew how he behaved when drunk to the point of crying and being all over Han Yang shamelessly. He pushed his glass to Gu Zhongyi who immediately filled it with juice for Gu Nuan.

Su Li and Yang Qing were a bit too talkative and it was evident from their flushed faces that they were drunk .

Liang Xie was silently peeling some crayfish for Su Li, placing them in front of him on his plate.

Lin Yuheng turned to Lin Yuxing to request another plate of pickled radish, saying, “These pickled radishes are amazing.”

As the night went on and darkness deepened, Yang Qing clearly became drunk. He enthusiastically played a drinking game with Lin Yuheng.

Lin Yuheng kept winning, and Yang Qing kept losing. However, both were having a great time and couldn’t stop.

Lin Yuxing was also feeling a bit tipsy. Finding the noise overwhelming, he, Su Li, and Gu Nuan moved to one of the rooms to find a quieter place to chat.

Hugging a pillow, Su Li giggled foolishly. His cheeks were flushed after just one glass of wine. “It’s been so long since we’ve all hung out like this. It feels so good.”

Gu Nuan commented, “You’re such a lightweight. You’re already like this after one glass.”

Su Li lightly kicked Gu Nuan’s thigh with his foot. His force was gentle. “Drinking too much makes me uncomfortable. Otherwise, a few bottles wouldn’t be a problem.”

“If you drink too much, you’ll just become silly. Have you forgotten that you used to be allergic to alcohol when you first graduated high school? You only got better later on!”

“But I got better! With your alcohol tolerance, you won’t even get to drink! “

Lin Yuxing told them to stop quarreling. “Gu Nuan, when and where are you and Yang Ge having your wedding?”

Su Li’s interest was piqued, and he leaned in, resting his head on Gu Nuan’s shoulder.

Gu Nuan looked excited. “We’re having it at the same estate where you and Zhongyi had your wedding. The weather is nice now, so an outdoor wedding is more suitable.”

Su Li blinked with envy. “The estate’s surroundings are really nice. I thought it looked great at Yuxing’s wedding. How much does it cost for a wedding like that?”

“Are you and Liang Xie getting married too?”

Speaking of this, Su Li’s face became gloomy, and his mood sank: “My parents still don’t agree…”

Suddenly neither Gu Nuan nor Lin Yuxing knew what to say to console Su Li.

So, Lin Yuxing went over and patted Su Li’s head, like coaxing a child: “Don’t worry, give it time. If it really doesn’t work out, you can just elope and get married.”

Su Li: “?”

Su Li: “You and Gu Zhongyi have changed a lot over the years…”

Lin Yuxing naturally said, “Yeah, it’s because Liang Xie is a good person that I say that. We’ve seen you and Liang Xie over the years and how much you love each other, don’t be disheartened.”

Su Li nestled in Lin Yuxing’s arms, nodding in a slightly wronged manner.

Gu Nuan tried to console him with money: “Don’t you like the estate where Yuxing and Gu Zhongyi had their wedding? After you and Liang Xie get married, I’ll arrange for you to have the estate as my wedding gift to you.”

Su Li: “???”

That gift was a bit too generous!

Su Li didn’t dare to accept it; it felt like taking too much advantage: “No, no, actually, Liang Xie’s company, which he co-owns with his friend, has been doing well these years, and my salary is okay too. We can manage it ourselves.”

Gu Nuan didn’t mind: “It’s not about money. Are you sure you don’t want it?”

Probably, once this opportunity is missed, it won’t come again.

Lin Yuxing told Su Li: “Since Gu Nuan wants to give it to you, you should take it, right? When Zhongyi and I got married, Gu Nuan gave me a sports car?”

Lin Yuxing was almost scared to death at the time.

Afterwards, he tried to return the gift, but Gu Nuan turned the tables and lectured him. As a result, Lin Yuxing was “forced” to drive an expensive sports car. He became the most eye-catching sight in the company’s parking lot.

Su Li also remembered this incident.

He suddenly understood!

Su Li was momentarily dazed, then swiftly jumped from Lin Yuxing’s arms into Gu Nuan’s, and said with a cheeky smile, “Hehe, then I gladly accept it!”

Apart from Yang Qing and Lin Yuheng, who were still drinking and playing dice, the other three Alphas were standing to the side, talking more or less about work.

In the meantime, Liang Xie leaned against a wall, gazing towards the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa.

From there, he saw Su Li alternating between leaning on Lin Yuxing’s shoulder and Gu Nuan’s in the other room. Unable to stop himself, Liang Xie’s lips curled into a smile. “Su Li has such a good relationship with them.”

Han Yang explained to Liang Xie, “He and Xiao Nuan have been friends sticking to each other like glue since childhood.”

Gu Zhongyi took a sip of his wine, his hands in his pockets, and intentionally mentioned, “When Su Li was young, he even fought with Yang ge for Gu Nuan.”

Han Yang recalled an old story from their childhood, somewhat exasperatedly: “He used to challenge me. He didn’t understand love back then, but he kept saying he wanted to have an Omega-exclusive romance with Xiao Nuan and told me to back off.”

Gu Zhongyi wrinkled his brow as he recalled . “Su Li was mischievous as a child.”

Han Yang: “You always had a serious face from a young age. Su Li wouldn’t dare to mess with you though.”

Gu Zhongyi said, “He secretly put a banana peel in my coat.”

Liang Xie was quite surprised, once again baffled as he chuckled, “damn”

Gu Zhongyi continued, “Afterward, he suffered a scolding from Aunt Su.”

Liang Xie couldn’t help feeling sorry, “Aunt Su is indeed strict.”

The conversation among the Alphas suddenly became lively due to Su Li.

They no longer spoke about dull work-related matters but about Su Li’s childhood anecdotes.

The discussions among them were no longer boring.

Liang Xie enjoyed hearing about Su Li’s childhood as his mood lightened. Under the dim light, small insects gathered and scattered, creating a pleasant atmosphere in the front yard.

After a while, Liang Xie thanked them, saying, “Thank you for telling me all these stories.”

Not far away, Yang Qing and Lin Yuheng were having a hard time holding their liquor.

Lin Yuheng headed upstairs to get some rest. In this villa, he had his own guest room. Of course, it wasn’t something he requested himself; it was specially prepared by Lin Yuxing and Gu Zhongyi.

Initially, Lin Yuheng declined the offer, but over time, he stopped refusing.

Yang Qing stumbled over to the three men, patted Gu Zhongyi’s shoulder, and slurred: “Zhongyi, your… your brother-in-law is quite something, his alcohol tolerance is fierce! Comparable to… to mine!”

Seeing Yang Qing was drunk, Gu Zhongyi suggested he go rest too.

The clock on the wall struck 12.

Liang Xie also had plans for the next day and decided to rest.

Lin Yuxing made sure to arrange their guest rooms on the first floor of the villa, making it easier for Liang Xie to move around.

Su Li saw Liang Xie enter and hurriedly went over to support him, pointing in the direction of the room they were going to stay in that night. Liang Xie took Su Li’s hand and assured him, “I can walk on my own now.”

“Ah, I’m used to it.” Su Li flashed a pair of cute tiger teeth and blushed as he said, “But I like walking with you.”

Liang Xie held his hand tightly and calmly bid goodnight to everyone before entering the guest room.

Once inside the room, Liang Xie let go of his cane and leaned on the wall. With something to lean on, he could stand without the cane’s support. He reached out and gently touched Su Li’s slightly flushed face. His deep voice was like mist in the moonlight, a voice from a dream.

“Just one glass of wine and you’re already tipsy?”

Su Li leaned against him and playfully complained, “It’s not that. Drinking wine makes my face red easily. I can’t drink much.”

Liang Xie kissed Su Li’s forehead, “I see.”

Su Li rubbed against him and asked, “What were you talking about with them just now?”

“We were talking about your childhood.”

“Ah? My childhood… My childhood wasn’t interesting.”

He was mischievous all the time, and that was it, and he often acted silly. He was just an ordinary child.

But in Liang Xie’s eyes, Su Li was one of a kind.

Liang Xie was particularly happy that night. When he kissed Su Li, he combined the calm and cool of someone five years his senior with the irresistible urge of an Alpha.

“Su Li, everything about you is interesting.” Liang Xie said, “I really like it, and I often think, if I had met you a bit earlier, it would have been better.”

Su Li was puzzled.

Liang Xie spoke earnestly, “Listening to them talk about your childhood, I envy it, and I also want to be a part of it. However… it’s fortunate that we didn’t know each other back then. At that time, I had a bad temper due to family matters, and I was often cold and easily irritated.”

If they really had known each other, Su Li might have suffered.

Liang Xie felt a mix of regret and gratitude, a complex feeling swirling within him.

Su Li, however, said, “It’s okay. No matter how many years pass, we’ll always be together. Even if…” he said with a hint of sadness, “Even if my parents still don’t agree, I still want to be with you.”

He pinched Liang Xie’s arm and said, “I believe that as long as we persist and work hard, they will agree, and the dawn will come… right?”

In the end, Liang Xie said, “Go to sleep early; don’t we have to go to your house for lunch tomorrow?”

Su Li didn’t know about this: “What?”

“Earlier today, Uncle Su called me. He wants me to have lunch with you at their place tomorrow.” Liang Xie held Su Li tighter, smiled, and asked, “Didn’t you say that?”

“As long as we persist, there will always be dawn.”