He twisted the door handle, but it was locked. He remembered that Zhan Meng liked to keep the key in the drawer under the TV cabinet, so he walked over, found it, and unlocked the door. What came into view was Zhan Meng sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding a bag of chips and munching away with relish. A laptop sat in front of her, the large screen playing an indescribable video featuring none other than Xia Siyue and Mu Chengfeng.
The two were naked and entangled. When Zhan Meng saw Ning Xi enter, she warmly invited him, "It just started, want to watch?"
"..."
"Oh, or do you want to sneak a peek alone?" Zhan Meng said this with a mischievous grin that was impossible to miss.
Ning Xi's mouth twitched. "Zhan Meng, I seriously doubt you're even a woman!"
"Ning Xi, I seriously doubt you're a man! Isn't watching this stuff what you guys like?"
"Not every guy likes it!"
"Oh, so you're trying to tell me you're still a man." Zhan Meng tilted her head, speaking softly. She reached out and hit pause. "If you really don't want to watch, then please leave and close the door behind you."
Hearing this, Ning Xi's face darkened. He walked over, pressed the shutdown button, snatched the laptop, and glared at Zhan Meng. "Laptop confiscated. Stop watching these trashy videos."
"Ning Xi, what are you doing? I haven't finished watching! This is my first time! Who just watches this stuff for no reason?"
"First time? From how smoothly you navigate those sites, you're no less skilled than a guy."
"Tch, aren't you the one I beat? You've got some nerve saying that."
"Damn it! Zhan Meng, are you determined to keep harping on that? Come on, let's have a rematch. You dare?"
"Me, not dare? Ridiculous!" Zhan Meng jumped off the bed, rubbed her nose, and suddenly shifted her tone. "There's nothing I, Zhan Meng, don't dare to do, only things I don't want to do."
As she finished, Ning Xi froze, waiting for her to continue.
"And as it happens, competing with you is something I don't want to do."
"You!" Ning Xi had just been secretly pleased, thinking she'd finally agreed to a rematch, but now her words felt like a candy followed by a slap, nearly giving him internal injuries from anger.
"What about me? I'm going to shower and sleep. You leave." Zhan Meng shot Ning Xi a disdainful glance, then flopped backward onto the bed in a starfish pose. She lifted her head slightly to glance at Ning Xi still standing by the door. "What are you looking at? Never seen this before?"
Furious, Ning Xi left the room with the laptop, slamming the door shut with a bang.
"Ning Xi, with that temper, are you trying to tear my house down?"
If he really wanted to, this house would have been demolished long ago.
******
Ning Nan couldn't stop imagining what was happening with Ning Xi. He wasn't about to tell Ning Xi that this woman was actually a blind date arranged by their grandfather. As things were developing, it seemed pretty good to Ning Nan. Leaning against Xu Su, Ning Nan scrolled through Weibo on his phone. The earlier news about him coming out had been a big deal, but over time, it had gradually faded from people's minds.
Now, online discussions were all about Xi Xi. Ning Nan found it boring after a while and put his phone down. They had returned to Jiangcheng without alerting anyone, except for a bored call he'd made to Ning Xi earlier to check in as a brother. Even Lu Zhengting didn't know they were back.
"Sigh, after two months of carefree living, who knows what's coming next."
"We've been through the worst. Why worry about that?"
"True, but Xu Su, do you really have no regrets?"
"I never do things I regret."
"Bold!"
Ning Nan propped his elbow on the sofa, leaning forward slightly, staring intently at Xu Su. Finally, he couldn't help but kiss him. Xu Su never resisted Ning Nan's advances; in fact, he wished he'd be more proactive. Because of this, Ning Nan often called Xu Su secretly lustful behind his back—outwardly a gentleman, but inwardly, tsk tsk, more lustful than anyone.
"Stop, not today." Ning Nan stopped Xu Su from trying to take off his clothes, panting as he spoke.
Xu Su looked at him with dazed eyes. "Why?"
"You're too intense, I surrender. My body hasn't recovered yet!" Ning Nan's earlier words had a playful tone, but the gritted-teeth ending revealed his mood. A man standing over six feet tall, exuding masculinity, yet he'd ended up as the bottom. He'd been racking his brain to turn the tables, but every attempt ended miserably.
It wasn't that he was stupid; it was that his opponent was too cunning.
Xu Su thought about it and realized he had been a bit rough lately. Seeing Ning Nan's pitiful yet angry expression, he figured he'd have to hold back. If he really pissed Ning Nan off, his own happiness would be gone.
With that, Xu Su nodded and simply settled for a kiss.
Ning Nan felt he must have owed Xu Su in a past life, otherwise, why would he be so completely under his thumb now? Xu Su hadn't managed company affairs for two months, so returning meant a lot of work, while Ning Nan had it easy. The entertainment industry wasn't something he had to stick with, so he planned to stay out of it for a while.
The next day.
Xu Su returned to the company, and everyone knew the big boss, who'd been missing for ages, was finally back. Old Master Xu got the news and immediately stormed over with his people.
It was no secret that Old Master Xu doted on his grandson. So when he saw Xu Su, who'd run off with Ning Nan and then come back, his anger vanished, replaced by tears. He pointed his cane at Xu Su, listing his ten sins.
"You reckless brat! I raised you from a young age, and now that you're grown, you've got the nerve to pull this stunt, running off with that Ning Nan! Is this how I taught you?"
"Tell me, that girl Xiao Xiao was dead set on marrying that wooden Ning boy, and now you're dead set on being with Ning Nan. Are you trying to shorten my life?"
"Grandpa..."
"Don't call me grandpa." Old Master Xu roared angrily, then paused and spoke earnestly, "Su Su, you're a man. You're supposed to marry a woman. And that Ning Nan kid, why isn't he here to see me?"
Xu Su's face darkened when he heard "Su Su," but when the old man asked about Ning Nan, he replied seriously, "He's not here."
"If he were, my blood pressure would skyrocket."
As for marrying a woman, Xu Su's only thought was to marry Ning Nan. Of course, he hadn't told the old man that, mainly because he hadn't proposed yet. Old Master Xu stayed at the company for a long time, afraid Xu Su would disappear again.
"Grandpa, I need to work."
"Su Su, how about this: after work, come meet Uncle Feng's youngest daughter. She just got back from studying abroad..."
Hearing this, Xu Su cut in coldly, "Grandpa, isn't Uncle Feng's youngest daughter only twenty-one this year?"
"That's fine, as long as she's a woman. Age doesn't matter. Look at Zhengting's girlfriend—she's only twenty-two."
Xu Su flatly refused. Old Master Xu tried threats and bribes, but nothing worked. He sat on the nearby sofa, fuming, tapping his cane loudly. Xu Su pretended not to notice, letting the old man carry on. Seeing Xu Su ignore him, Old Master Xu winked at the servant who'd come along.
"Master, please listen to the old master. Don't upset him anymore. The doctor's been coming daily to check his blood pressure..."
Xu Su glanced at the old man expressionlessly, softened inside, and sighed. "Time and place."
"Binjiang Hotel, six-thirty."
The old man left happily, and the office fell silent. Xu Su sighed and sent the time and place to Ning Nan.
That evening, as night fell, Ning Nan arrived at Binjiang Hotel right on time, bumping into Xu Su getting out of his car at the entrance. He smiled at Xu Su. "What made you suddenly think of bringing me here to eat?"
"To treat you to some meat."
"..."
Xu Su gave his name, and the hostess led them to a private room. Seeing the people inside, Ning Nan instantly understood the situation. Noticing Old Master Xu's furious expression, he gave an awkward smile. Xu Su really knew how to set him up.
Old Master Xu nearly choked on his water when he saw Ning Nan appear. He glared at Xu Su, who walked in behind him expressionlessly. He'd agreed so readily this morning only to pull this stunt. He'd been suspicious at the time—he knew his grandson well; once Xu Su made up his mind, no one could change it.
Ning Nan glanced at the only girl among them, then turned his gaze to Xu Su, winking at him. He couldn't let Old Master Xu's goodwill go to waste. Without a second thought, he sat down in the empty seat next to the girl, taking the spot originally reserved for Xu Su, while Xu Su sat beside Ning Nan.
Feng Yuan, the youngest daughter of the Feng family, had just returned from studying abroad. Judging by looks alone, on a scale of ten, Ning Nan would give her a seven. He studied Feng Yuan, noticing her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she were a bit shy. The introductions were over, and the meal began. Old Master Xu ate little, watching Xu Su's gaze constantly land on Ning Nan, his anger simmering. Luckily, he'd prepared for this—the meal was truly just a meal.
Old Master Xu left early with a headache. Feng Yuan's father wanted to take her away, but she refused, insisting on staying to finish the meal. Frustrated, her father left with the old man.
Now, at the table, Ning Nan dropped the act. Xu Su kept piling food on his plate, and his stomach was about to burst. He raised an eyebrow at Feng Yuan, who was staring at them, then winked and said lazily, "The youngest of the Feng family?"
"Yeah, you can call me Feng Yuan. You're Ning Nan, right? I know you—I've seen the TV dramas you've acted in."