I Became a Heartthrob After Marrying in My Sister's Place - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Inside the spacious and luxurious VIP lounge, Sang Yu and his group had already taken their seats. They were friends of the backstage boss of the gala and, having the time, had stopped by along the way.

Sitting in the center of the black leather sofa, Sang Yu had his long legs slightly crossed. He held a glass of champagne with unhurried composure, gazing straight ahead. The low atmospheric pressure emanating from him caused the entire lounge to lose its clamor and jesting.

At this moment, Shang Chen, sitting to Sang Yu’s left, was the first to speak: “What exactly is going on between you and Ming Yantang? Are you two really engaged?”

Shang Chen was the second young master of Shangcheng Real Estate and a childhood friend of Sang Yu; their relationship had always been good.

“Don’t mention him.” Sang Yu casually picked up a cherry: “Bad luck.”

Shang Chen spoke plainly: “Since you dislike him so much, why trouble yourself by marrying him? The Old Lady is your biological grandmother; she wouldn’t be that partial to that non-blood-related cousin of yours, would she?”

Almost every reputable wealthy family in Bianjiang knew about this matter regarding the Sang family. It was nothing more than the distribution of assets backed by trillions. Currently, the one in charge of the Sang family was Old Lady Sang. Although Sang Yu’s branch already held actual controlling interest in the Sangli Group, the Old Lady intended to give the most important port trade to her youngest grandson, Sang Lin.

If Sang Lin could bring positive development to the group, that would be fine, but the dirty things Sang Lin did behind the scenes were far too many. Yet, he was a glib-tongued person who coaxed Old Lady Sang into doting on him excessively.

The most important point was that Sang Lin was adopted into the Sang family and had no blood relation to them.

“My grandmother dotes on Sang Lin like the apple of her eye; is it just a matter of being partial? She’s short of handing over the entire family to him.” Sang Yu’s voice was cold. Thinking about these frustrating matters made his mood even worse, and he placed the champagne on the glass table with a thud.

Aside from doting on Sang Lin, the person Old Lady Sang liked most in this life was Ming Yantang. In Old Lady Sang’s own words, Ming Yantang was her “White Moonlight”; she had been a die-hard fan of Ming Yantang for six years.

Initially, when the Old Lady proposed an alliance with the Ming family, he had rejected it completely, with no room for discussion. But as Sang Lin became more and more favored and the situation of the Sang family gradually became uncontrollable, he wavered.

His family and the Ming family weren’t exactly without ties. Ming Yantang’s grandmother and the Sang family’s Old Lady were very good friends. When he was young, he had gone to Ming Yantang’s house with his family elders for Ming Yantang’s grandmother’s birthday. Because of his assertive personality since childhood, he was pranked by a group of boys and almost fell into a fountain pool and drowned. Fortunately, Ming Yantang was clever; after failing to pull him up, he called the butler to help save him.

So, he could be considered to owe Ming Yantang a favor.

Otherwise, given his personality, if Ming Yantang were tangled up with others while knowing he had a marriage contract with him, he would have flipped out long ago.

Since that incident, he rarely met Ming Yantang. After growing up, his understanding of Ming Yantang came entirely from gossip magazines.

Ming Yantang was someone who couldn’t stay idle. If he wasn’t kissing an actor on a date at the cinema today, he was going on a spring outing in the countryside with a great painter tomorrow. Furthermore, Ming Yantang didn’t care about these scandals; meeting paparazzi didn’t change his sweetness with his boyfriends at all, providing countless high-definition dating photos for reporters.

Half a year ago, the two had met once because of the marriage contract. Before they could say two sentences, they started snapping at each other, which allowed him to thoroughly experience Ming Yantang’s domineering and arrogant nature.

Sang Yu had always been curious: the childhood Ming Yantang was so thin and cute, coughing anxiously because he had fallen into the fountain, his watery eyes obedient and endearing. How could his personality have completely changed after growing up? If they really got married, the roof of the house would be blown off.

So, after weighing the options, he had the idea of a marriage of convenience, and he had formally finalized the contract with the elder Mr. Ming last night. As for the duration, he originally wanted to set it for a year, but he was afraid of being angered to death by Ming Yantang, so he finally settled on half a year.

“Sang Yu is here.” At this time, Zhong Xian, the boss of the charity gala, knocked on the door and leaned against it: “Apologies for the poor hospitality tonight. After the celebrities finish the red carpet, there is a private cocktail party; I will specifically host everyone.”

Sang Yu nodded his chin: “Go mind your business; you don’t need to worry about us.”

Zhong Xian gave an “OK” sign, then turned back before leaving and looked at Sang Yu meaningfully: “Ming Yantang is also here. Should we invite him over to join us later?”

Sang Yu’s expression turned cold, and he pursed his lips while looking at him.

Zhong Xian nodded sheepishly and turned to leave.

On the red carpet side, the starlight was at its peak. Dozens of media reporters were carrying cameras, chasing after the coming and going stars.

Ming Yantang, as a popular artist, was arranged to make the final appearance. The weather was a bit cold today. When it wasn’t their turn to go on, Chen Ruofu stayed with Ming Huaizhi in the car to rest.

At this time, Xiao Xia came running over, his expression carrying a hint of speechlessness: “Sister Fu, news from the organizers: Lu Zilin hasn’t arrived yet. It’s said he’s stuck in traffic halfway.”

Chen Ruofu acted as if she were used to it: “This kind of petty trick is already overplayed.”

Ming Huaizhi looked at Chen Ruofu, confusion hidden in the depths of his eyes. Today, he was wearing an early spring show model blue windbreaker. He sat extremely straight, for fear of wrinkling the clothes.

Compared to the casual style he was used to, this windbreaker appeared a bit flamboyant and not very comfortable.

As if explaining to Ming Huaizhi, Chen Ruofu continued: “If Lu Zilin comes last, won’t the finale be him?”

Ming Huaizhi understood, but fearing he would reveal a flaw, he didn’t say much.

In his understanding, being late was immoral. If one came last, one should just not walk the red carpet; did one have to wait?

Xiao Xia asked anxiously: “Then what should we do?”

Chen Ruofu didn’t have any particularly good way either. After all, she wasn’t that close to the organizers; others wouldn’t do her any favors.

“Let’s wait and see.”

An hour later, it was Ming Huaizhi’s turn to walk the red carpet. Taking advantage of the lack of people, Chen Ruofu whispered in Ming Huaizhi’s ear: “Lu Zilin is not a good person; he has always targeted you. I heard he recently clung onto a rich second-generation heir and is very arrogant.”

Ming Huaizhi: “Then I must be careful of him and not get into a conflict with him.”

Chen Ruofu nodded: “Mhm.”

The stars’ red carpet averaged three minutes per person. For a popular artist with high traffic like Ming Yantang, the interview segment would be longer, about five minutes.

When the host said Ming Yantang’s name, the cheers of the fans on-site were extremely shocking. Ming Huaizhi watched quietly, seeing so many fans holding up Ming Yantang’s light banners; a sliver of happiness surged in his heart.

It was so good that so many people liked his brother.

“Tangtang! Tangtang!”

Ming Yantang’s fan group accounted for almost two-thirds of everyone present; the momentum was enormous.

Ming Huaizhi walked slowly to the center of the red carpet, waving to the fans with a slight shyness. Suddenly, the white camera flashes converged on him simultaneously, making him a bit nervous.

Reporters were all telling him to look at the lens, but facing dozens of cameras, he didn’t know which one he should look at first.

“Has Tangtang lost weight? He looks thinner.”

“President Tang is so gentle today. Is it because of the styling?”

At this time, the host warmly called Ming Huaizhi, inviting him to sign his name on the signature board first.

Ming Huaizhi took the pen and, imitating Ming Yantang’s handwriting, wrote stroke by stroke.

The next segment was the host interview and the shooting of high definition red carpet styling photos. Ming Huaizhi took a step forward, and before he had time to look at the photographers’ lenses, a male artist walked gracefully from the direction of the entrance.

Almost everyone looked toward that side at the same time.

This person was the late comer, Lu Zilin.

The staff member responsible for timing saw this and hurriedly chased after Lu Zilin, reminding him anxiously: “Brother Lu, it’s not your turn to go on yet.”

Lu Zilin’s brows rose slightly: “It’s my turn? Thank you, I know.”

The staff member was stunned; it seemed he was destined to take the blame for Lu Zilin going on early.

At this moment, Lu Zilin’s manager crossed her arms and gave a provocative smile toward Chen Ruofu not far away.

“Isn’t this a blatant attempt at clout-chasing? With Brother Ming’s temper, he will definitely snap at him on the red carpet, and we’ll be the ones losing out then!” Xiao Xia’s face turned green with anger, “This person is truly shameless, playing dirty tricks every time.”

Chen Ruofu’s expression was solemn: “Have the PR team get ready.”

On the red carpet, due to Lu Zilin’s early appearance, the host was also caught off guard. Just as she was hesitating on how to handle this, Lu Zilin had already walked in front of Ming Huaizhi.

“Is Lu Zilin crazy? Brother Ming just went on; is he blind?”

“Hilarious. Why is the blame for the organizer’s mistake being pinned on our Zilin? The timing control went wrong.”

On the field, a small portion of Ming Yantang’s fans and Lu Zilin’s fans had already started arguing.

In the eyes of the public, Lu Zilin had always had a perfect image: humble, polite, professional, and serious, with a very good reputation.

Regarding today’s matter, he and his manager had discussed it long ago, and even the draft headlines had already been prepared:

“Due to a staff error, Lu Zilin, who was to appear in the finale, went on two minutes early. Ming Yantang was dissatisfied with the organizer’s arrangement and almost came to blows with Lu Zilin.”

Lu Zilin, with a confident and provocative smile, looked at Ming Huaizhi.

Ming Huaizhi focused on him and met his eyes for two seconds, then waved in a friendly manner: “Hello, good evening.”

The shock on his face flashed and vanished; Lu Zilin quickly summoned a smile: “Good evening, Brother Ming.”

Ming Huaizhi smiled and said warmly: “I just came on and haven’t had my interview yet. Are you going to be interviewed together with me?”

Ming Huaizhi’s reaction left Lu Zilin momentarily unsure of how to respond. Based on his understanding of Ming Yantang, Ming Yantang should have been mocking him with a dark face by now, and he could have taken the opportunity to act innocent while watching Ming Yantang being pulled away by studio staff. But the other party was suddenly so magnanimous and easy to talk to, which made him a bit uncertain.

“…I suppose the staff didn’t manage the time well and let me on early. You go first.”

Even though he said that, Lu Zilin had no intention of leaving; instead, he prepared to stand to the side to annoy Ming Huaizhi. After all, the red carpet time was only those few minutes per person; he was happy to take Ming Yantang’s spotlight.

Unexpectedly, at this time Ming Huaizhi asked seriously: “Then are you going to step back first? Or take a commemorative photo together with me?”

This question left Lu Zilin dazed.

Taking a photo together with Ming Huaizhi wouldn’t that mean his solo interview segment would also be gone?

Looking at the curious gazes of all the media reporters, his face was very poor, but he still maintained a proper smile: “Then I’ll go back first and not cause trouble for you.”

Ming Huaizhi nodded and began to accept the host’s interview. When the host asked: “The temperature in Bianjiang today is very low. Xiao Tang has waited a long time, right? Is it cold?”

Ming Huaizhi said unhurriedly: “Thank you for your concern. It is a bit cold today.”

The host asked again: “How long did you wait outside?”

“Not long.” Ming Huaizhi recalled seriously, “Because I knew I was appearing last, I stayed in the car for a while.”

Upon hearing the word “last,” the host gave a meaningful smile: “Alright, then thank you, Xiao Tang, for accepting our interview. Please go to the inner field to rest first.”

Seeing such a scene, Xiao Xia was completely stunned. Especially when he saw Lu Zilin’s manager’s darkened face, his whole body felt refreshed.

“Has Brother Ming been reading The Art of War recently?”

Chen Ruofu gave a faint smile: “Perhaps. Let’s go to the inner field first and have the PR send out exactly what happened tonight.”

Xiao Xia: “You got it.”

As for how Lu Zilin accepted his interview afterward, Ming Huaizhi didn’t know. However, during the auction, he heard Chen Ruofu say that Lu Zilin’s face was hanging so low it looked like someone owed him a hundred million, and he refused the organizer’s interview, which made the organizers very dissatisfied.

Next was the auction segment. This auction was for the charity gala, intended to help send warmth to left-behind children in mountain areas. Celebrities could donate directly or participate in the bidding for items.

When watching the charity promotional film, Ming Huaizhi was very focused. Especially when he saw the thin figures of those children, the corners of his eyes drooped, and he felt a sourness in his heart.

Lu Zilin, sitting next door, sneered after seeing the reporter give Ming Huaizhi a close-up: “Affectation.”

“Sister Fu, how do we donate?” Ming Huaizhi asked.

“Tell me the amount you want to donate, and we can make the transfer before leaving.”

Ming Huaizhi had some private savings of his own, but not much; he planned to donate half.

“Among the auction items, there is one piece donated to the organizers by Xiao Tang. It is his custom diamond watch for his sixth debut anniversary.”

“A commemorative watch for his sixth debut anniversary?” An idea suddenly surged in Ming Huaizhi’s heart. “Can I bid on it? Such an important thing I want to wait for my brother to recover and then give it to him.”

Chen Ruofu nodded: “Of course you can; many stars do that.”

Soon, the auction began. Several people were sitting in the VIP seats on the second floor.

Zhong Xian sat to one side and introduced: “The stars were very active this time; there are over sixty donated items.”

Shang Chen mocked: “They are doing it for the sake of Boss Zhong’s reputation. Who doesn’t covet those movie IPs under your belt?”

Zhong Xian raised an eyebrow: “Being able to donate money is a good thing.”

The bidding for the first item had already begun. The host introduced it to everyone: “This is a piece donated by Mr. Ming Yantang. It is his six-year exclusive custom diamond watch. The starting price is 6.5 million.”

Zhong Xian originally wanted to make a snide comment and ask Sang Yu if he was going to bid, but when he saw Sang Yu’s expression darken upon hearing the name “Ming Yantang,” he didn’t dare say much.

Chen Ruofu looked at Ming Huaizhi, who was hesitating with his paddle, and asked in a low voice: “Why aren’t you bidding?”

Ming Huaizhi’s face fell slightly: “I don’t have that much money. My pocket money isn’t much.”

Chen Ruofu smiled: “Then don’t bid. Your brother donating this watch also counts as showing love.”

That was the case, but Ming Huaizhi was still depressed.

The first to raise a paddle was Song Yi: 7 million.

Ming Huaizhi looked up in Song Yi’s direction, only to find that Song Yi was also looking at him at that moment.

Like a startled fawn, Ming Huaizhi hurriedly withdrew his gaze.

“7.5 million.” The second person to bid was named Chen Zhao. He was a famous young director in the domestic entertainment industry who had risen rapidly in the past two years, a famous box-office rising star.

“8 million.” Song Yi bid again.

“9 million.” The person bidding this time was the renowned artist Wen Yuanshan. He was of mixed race, and his art houses were spread all over the world. The famous painters and pianists under his company were countless.

When Song Yi’s manager saw this scene, her head throbbed. These three people, as chance would have it, were all Ming Yantang’s ex-boyfriends. She kept trying to persuade him: “Brother, I beg you, don’t do this anymore. If you bid like this, it will definitely be in the headlines tomorrow.”

Song Yi still raised his paddle: “10 million.”

Wen Yuanshan: “11 million.”

Chen Zhao: “12 million.”

The people at the scene were all shrewd; who didn’t know the relationship between these three and Ming Yantang? Those theater-watching gazes were cast toward Ming Huaizhi one after another.

Ming Huaizhi didn’t know what reaction to make. His fingers clutched his clothes, and he hung his head like a little quail, silently taking note of the two “newly added” ex-boyfriends.

Lu Zilin sat with his legs crossed and mocked inwardly: “When it comes to hooking people, who can beat Ming Yantang? Even after breaking up, he can make his ex-partners unable to forget him.”

The manager reminded him: “Keep your voice down. Don’t you want your image?”

Lu Zilin: “If something happens, there’s the Second Young Master; what am I afraid of?”

After ten intense minutes, the price had soared to 30 million.

On the second-floor viewing platform, Sang Yu leaned leisurely against the black sofa, staring at the three people bidding. A bit of unidentifiable coldness was caught at the corner of his lips.

Zhong Xian gave an awkward laugh: “Today, Ming Yantang was originally arranged as the finale. One artist arrived late, and it’s said that the fans of both sides are already at each other’s throats, both saying they are the finale. Do you think we should post a statement on Weibo?”

It was obvious who this sentence was meant for.

Seeing Sang Yu not speaking, Shang Chen gave a wicked smile: “You decide.”

Zhong Xian: “Then we won’t post it.”

Just when it was thought this topic had ended, Sang Yu, who had been silent throughout, suddenly said: “I want my face (to save my reputation).”

Zhong Xian was stunned: “Fine, I’ll take care of it.”

While they were talking, the competition on the field had ended.

In the end, Song Yi was held back by his manager, and Wen Yuanshan successfully obtained the diamond watch for the price of 35 million.

After the charity gala ended, there was a small private cocktail party. Ming Huaizhi and the others didn’t plan to attend, intending to cross through the hall to the back door to leave. Unexpectedly, at this time, a tall and large figure blocked him.

What came into view was a pair of azure blue eyes.

Wen Yuanshan looked at Ming Huaizhi gently and handed the diamond watch to him: “I think it is very important to you, so I wanted to bid for it and give it to you.”

Ming Huaizhi used his peripheral vision to look at Chen Ruofu, then deliberately imitated Ming Yantang’s kind of gentle and bright smile as he pushed the watch back.

“Since you bid for it, it is yours.”

Chen Ruofu looked at this smile and inexplicably felt it was strange, like a comedy act.

Wen Yuanshan’s gaze was affectionate: “But in my hands, it has no meaning at all.”

As they spoke, several gentlemen walked toward them.

Ming Huaizhi was talking to Wen Yuanshan, so he didn’t notice. Chen Ruofu, on the other hand, glanced with her peripheral vision and found that this group of people was quite influential. The tallest one should be the chairman of Sangli Group, Sang Yu, whom she had seen in the elevator a few days ago.

“In short, it is yours; I cannot take it.” Ming Huaizhi’s tone was very firm.

Wen Yuanshan understood Ming Yantang’s personality; if the other party said they didn’t want it, they really didn’t want it. He put the watch back in his pocket, his tone helpless: “Alright then. I heard you changed your WeChat? Can we add each other?”

Ming Huaizhi nodded in an easygoing way: “That’s fine.”

On the other side of the corridor, Shang Chen said pointedly: “After all that, he really did want to give it back.”

Zhong Xian laughed: “In the end, the person did do some charity.”

Shang Chen teased: “The big star Ming’s charm is not small.”

On this side, after saying goodbye to Wen Yuanshan, Ming Huaizhi changed his note in the car to “Ex-boyfriend No. 2,” while also changing Song Yi’s note to “Ex-boyfriend No. 1.”

“Brother Ming, you were brilliant on the red carpet today; it should be done like this from now on. Seeing that frustrated look on Lu Zilin and the others, I just want to laugh,” Xiao Xia laughed.

Ming Huaizhi snapped back to his senses: “Me on the red carpet?”

Xiao Xia: “Yeah. To deal with that kind of green-tea man, it should be like that.”

Ming Huaizhi didn’t quite understand; he had only been engaging in normal, polite social interaction on the red carpet, nothing more.

After Chen Ruofu finished logging into Ming Yantang’s Weibo account on Ming Huaizhi’s phone, she took a look at the trending searches.

Sure enough, Ming Huaizhi and Lu Zilin had reached the top spot.

In the past, whenever it was related to Lu Zilin, Ming Yantang had never gained any advantage. Firstly, it was because he had many anti-fans and poor public reputation, and secondly, every time the two argued, it was Ming Yantang who made the first move.

But this time, the trending search was a complete reversal. Very few people were scolding Ming Yantang; they were mostly scolding the organizers for not arranging the time well and making things awkward for Lu Zilin.

Of course, a portion of Lu Zilin’s fans were dissing Ming Yantang for telling lies, claiming that Lu Zilin was the true finale. However, Ming Yantang’s fans were famously fierce in the domestic entertainment industry, so Lu Zilin’s side didn’t gain any ground either.

Generally, teams wouldn’t easily intervene in such matters; the dispute over the finale was a long-standing issue. The organizers would usually try to smooth things over to maintain peace, so if they preemptively emphasized that they must be the finale, it would instead give people something to talk about.

Just as Chen Ruofu was about to skip over this matter, VOU Charity Gala posted a real-time Weibo.

The Weibo was very simple; it just forwarded a fashion blogger’s review and praise of Ming Yantang’s red carpet attire, with an added sentence: “Xiao Tang’s fashion expression has always been top-tier; the finale show was very exciting.”

At the same time, the official blog liked a fan comment: “I heard from a friend that Lu Zilin should have been the seventh to appear.”

When Ming Yantang’s fans saw this Weibo, they were instantly invigorated, crazily forwarding the post to mock Lu Zilin. And the topic of Ming Yantang as the finale also climbed to the second spot on the trending searches.

Chen Ruofu was both pleasantly surprised and curious. They didn’t have much of a relationship with the VOU organizers; why were the organizers willing to offend Lu Zilin for the sake of Ming Yantang?

Seeing Chen Ruofu so happy, Ming Huaizhi asked in a small voice: “Sister, is there some good news?”

Chen Ruofu stated plainly: “The organizers personally spoke up, saying you are indeed the finale.”

Ming Huaizhi didn’t think much of it and gave a yawn: “Next time we see the organizers, we should thank them.”

Chen Ruofu smiled: “Have a good rest today.”

The whole day today had exhausted Ming Huaizhi. He leaned against the corner of the car seat, sleepy and tired, huddled there looking very thin. However, he felt everything in the entertainment industry was quite fun, much more interesting than staying at home.

Xiao Xia looked at him: “Brother Tang seems to have lost quite a bit of weight.”

Chen Ruofu: “Because of the illness.”

When they arrived home, the elder Mr. Ming was relieved to see Ming Huaizhi in a good mood. After chatting with him for a while, he told him before he went upstairs that the marriage alliance with Sang Yu had already been settled.

Ming Huaizhi didn’t think much of it and said obediently: “Okay.”

For a whole week, besides cooperating with Chen Ruofu for appearances, Ming Huaizhi spent the rest of his time watching videos of Ming Yantang’s interviews.

He found that his brother was very brave, dissing everyone and fearing no one.

When he had time, he would stand in front of the mirror, learning Ming Yantang’s gestures and speech point by point, though he would make himself laugh every time.

This week, he received many friend requests. He didn’t know who had leaked his WeChat ID; a large part of them were his ex-boyfriends, and the rest were suitors who would send him ambiguous voice messages late at night.

To make them easier to remember, he categorized and numbered these ex-boyfriends and suitors; in the end, there were a total of 108.

Although Chen Ruofu knew something about his brother’s private life, she didn’t know everything, and there were some people she didn’t recognize. To avoid revealing flaws, he could only try his best to deal with these people, not daring to offend anyone.

For example, when the director’s ex-boyfriend Chen Zhao asked what movie he liked to watch recently, he replied: “Breaking Up is the Best Result.”

For example, when Wen Yuanshan invited him to an art exhibition, he replied: “There is an exhibition in the UK inspired by non-marriage; we can go and observe it if there’s a chance.”

For example, when Song Yi asked if he had any movie schedules recently, he said: “I want to experience the feeling of being single; I’ve taken on two tragedy movies.”

Dealing with these people was making his head hurt.

Because there were too many people and the chat content was messy, he even had to set reminders in his notes.

On this day, Chen Ruofu took him to shoot the poster promotion for a workplace reality show. In the car, Chen Ruofu told him that the satellite TV station was very optimistic about this variety show, investing 300 million to cooperate with the Sangli Group, allowing celebrities to act as interns at one of the top 3 domestic enterprises from a workplace perspective.

Ming Huaizhi repeated: “Sangli Group?”

Chen Ruofu: “Yes, a very famous comprehensive group.”

Ming Huaizhi was thoughtful, suddenly remembering his fiancé, Sang Yu. Until now, he and Sang Yu hadn’t seemed to meet, and he didn’t know if Sang Yu was handsome.

During the shoot, Ming Huaizhi was very serious. Since he had no experience in shooting, he would first observe others and then learn to pose and look at the camera like other stars.

The male artist who was also a permanent guest with him was named Xie Jingsheng. After meeting him, he was very enthusiastic and relatively friendly.

With the philosophy of getting along peacefully in the future, Ming Huaizhi exchanged WeChat with him. After the shoot was finished, each took a cup of coffee and chatted outside the studio.

This studio was located in the suburbs, under a subsidiary of Sangli. It was specially built for film and television companies and its main business was leasing.

The weather was very good today. They finished early, before the sunset had time to fall. Orange-red light and shadows were sprinkled on Ming Huaizhi’s shoulders, his jawline clear and exquisite, and a pair of eyes as beautiful as water were like a work of art.

Xie Jingsheng was dazed. He didn’t notice at all that not far from the entrance where they were, a limited edition silver-gray convertible sports car was parked.

Sang Yu sat in the car, wearing a pair of black sunglasses, a trace of displeasure hidden in his expression.

Tomorrow was his grandmother’s eightieth birthday; all the relatives of the Sang family would be present. His father reminded him to bring Ming Yantang. Although he was very reluctant, given the current situation, everyone in Bianjiang knew about his formal engagement to the Ming family; it wouldn’t be appropriate not to bring Ming Yantang.

Behind the sports car, a dark-colored business vehicle was parked. On the vehicle were his bodyguards and assistants. They had just finished an important business association seminar. To protect his safety, these people hadn’t had time to leave yet.

Gazing at Ming Yantang, who was sitting at the entrance smiling and chatting with a strange man, Sang Yu’s already poor mood became even heavier.

The assistant stood in front of him, negotiating with the guard. A minute later, he drove in, with that business vehicle following behind.

Parking ten meters away from Ming Huaizhi, Sang Yu stopped and stepped out with his long legs. He slammed the car door shut and leaned against it, suppressing his anger.

He didn’t know what those two were talking about. If he went forward like this, wouldn’t he spoil the atmosphere between them?

The assistant quietly observed Sang Yu’s cold and severe aura, not daring to say much.

“Xiao Tang, do you have time tomorrow? My family is having a party; I want to invite you to participate.”

Xie Jingsheng spoke very sincerely, but his gaze involuntarily fell on Ming Huaizhi’s Adam’s apple.

He knew about Ming Yantang’s dating history; he was confident that he was the type Ming Yantang liked. So, Ming Yantang probably wouldn’t refuse to spend a wonderful evening together.

No matter how slow he was, Ming Huaizhi could hear the offense in Xie Jingsheng’s words. He rose with his coffee, his gaze looking directly at the limited-edition supercar that had just parked in front of him.

“We aren’t familiar yet. Inviting me to your house isn’t that very impolite?” Ming Huaizhi was a bit angry, but even more nervous.

Xie Jingsheng approached: “Xiao Tang, I’m not a person who causes much trouble. For a pleasant night, I won’t continue to pester.”

Ming Huaizhi could finally hear exactly what Xie Jingsheng was planning. He moved back a step, trying hard to learn his brother’s contemptuous and disdainful expression, and said: “You are not my type.”

Xie Jingsheng raised an eyebrow: “Are you sure? Then what is your type like?”

Ming Huaizhi turned his head slightly, and his gaze fell on the cool guy in sunglasses in front of the sports car. He hardened his heart and tilted his chin toward the person at the car: “Me? I like this type.”

Hearing this, Xie Jingsheng looked over. Ming Huaizhi had already begun to wave at the man in front of the sports car.

He acted flippantly and let out a whistle: “Hey, strange handsome guy! Can you drive your convertible and take us for a spin?”

Hearing this, the long-suppressed anger in Sang Yu’s heart erupted completely. He raised a gaze so cold it dropped ice chips and looked stiffly at Ming Huaizhi.

The assistant’s heart shook; he suddenly felt things were not good.

“Strange handsome guy, is it?” Sang Yu stared intently at Ming Huaizhi’s smiling eyes, his face ashen: “Have the bodyguards take him away.”