Chapter 94: Tipsy — The Bestie Duo Caught Red-Handed
With great fame comes great trouble—a saying that perfectly described the currently high-profile heir of Qi Sheng. Especially after that much-anticipated Qi Sheng gala, the campus forums were like a boiling pot, with all the “early bird” gossipers gathering to feast on the drama.
A self-proclaimed eyewitness and “front-line pioneer” broke the news with absolute certainty. They claimed that during the grand banquet—held under the pretext of Old Master Qi’s recovery—they had seen not only the “department flower” of the university’s Finance Department but also a prominent socialite who had recently returned from abroad. They even posted a blurry, candid photo where the subjects were still recognizable. In the frame, Jiang Yan stood alongside the elegant Miss Chen, one on each side of Old Master Qi in his wheelchair. They were deep in conversation; the pair looked like a match made in heaven—well-matched in both status and appearance. Even the high-ranking Old Master Qi was nodding frequently, appearing quite satisfied with this “prospective granddaughter-in-law.”
As soon as the picture dropped, the comment section exploded. More witnesses flocked to the thread, excitedly listing the grand sights of the evening and mentioning other noble ladies they had spotted—the daughter of the Zhang family, the heiress of the Li family… In the end, everyone reached a tacit conclusion: Old Master Qi was getting on in years and was scouting for a capable helpmate for his highly-regarded “imperial grandson.” The status of this granddaughter-in-law would undoubtedly have to benefit the future of the Qi Sheng Group. A marriage between powerful families was simply the norm in high society.
Not long after, the Finance Department flower herself appeared to dispel the rumors. she emphasized that she had attended as a regular guest, as her family had been long-term partners with the Qi family, and they were only discussing matters related to cooperation projects. She told the haters to stop being delusional, suggested they uninstall their webnovel apps to stop daydreaming, and demanded the original poster delete the infringing photo. Despite her words, anyone with a keen eye could see that the rumors weren’t entirely baseless.
Even Jiang Yunian, who rarely browsed the forums, had heard of it. He realized he could never be indifferent to matters involving Jiang Yan. During class, as if possessed, he clicked into that thread. Reading through the assertive analyses, seeing that stinging photo of them together, and hearing the conflicting opinions made him more and more dazed. By the end, he was nearly brainwashed by the rumors himself, feeling utterly dejected.
However, ten minutes later, the popular post miraculously vanished. When he snapped out of it and tried to search for other posts related to Jiang Yan, they had all been scrubbed clean. Subsequently, a “three-no” account (no profile, no posts, no followers) posted a debunking statement, specifically @ing the original poster with a tone heavy with threat. Following this sequence of events, everyone guessed who was behind the burner account, but the rumors had already fermented; this move felt somewhat like trying to cover a fire with paper.
In class, he didn’t absorb a single word of the professor’s lecture. The incident replayed in his mind on a loop. Jiang Yan had clearly noticed; what did such a swift deletion and debunking mean? Was it a struggle against fate, or simply a distaste for being gossiped about? He preferred to believe it was the former—that an arranged marriage was against his wishes, and perhaps he was just caught in a situation beyond his control. As this thought surfaced, a trace of sympathy mixed into his bitter gloom. If even someone as rebellious as Zhou Shu couldn’t fully escape family arrangements, how could an heir carrying such high expectations be an exception?
Beside him, Qian Cheng—breaking his usual streak of playing games—was actually taking notes seriously. The professor’s handwriting on the blackboard was like ghostly talismans, illegible. Just as he was about to lean over to check Jiang Yunian’s notes, he turned to see him staring blankly at his phone, clearly having been spacing out for a while. On the screen, the input box held the conspicuous name of “Jiang Yan.”
“I didn’t think you were such a gossip,” Qian Cheng raised an eyebrow, leaning in for a better look with the typical drawl of a profligate son. “I’m about to have a younger sister-in-law, and I didn’t even know?”
Jiang Yunian snapped back to reality and locked his screen, his face flushing slightly as he motioned for Qian Cheng to lower his voice.
Qian Cheng’s gaze grew even more teasing, shaking his head pointedly. “Talk of the devil, and he appears quite fast, doesn’t he?”
Who “the devil” referred to was self-evident. Jiang Yunian hesitated for a moment but couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “You didn’t know either?”
Qian Cheng felt a flicker of awkwardness. He hadn’t even been invited to the Qi Sheng gala. He couldn’t exactly admit he wasn’t high-status enough to attend, could he? He cleared his throat and acted nonchalant. “The invitation was sent, I just didn’t go. But that setup was clearly to pick Qi Sheng’s future mistress. It had nothing to do with me, so why would I go?”
Noticing Jiang Yunian’s slightly furrowed brows, he sensed something was off. “Why are you suddenly concerned about this? You aren’t even listening to the lecture.”
How strange.
Jiang Yunian lowered his eyelashes, avoiding his gaze. “No… I was just browsing. Back to the problems.”
Qian Cheng scoffed, tapping his pen against Jiang Yunian’s blank textbook. “Class is over, what problems are you doing? Don’t forget the KTV tonight. Ge will take you out for some real fun.”
It wasn’t until they stepped into the spacious VIP room of the business KTV that Jiang Yunian truly understood what Qian Cheng meant by “real fun.”
It wasn’t just him; even Xu Zhiyuan and He Qing were visibly stunned. They had thought it was just a normal dorm gathering for karaoke, but they hadn’t expected such a grand scene. A row of stylishly dressed, exquisitely made-up young men and women already stood in the room. They were all smiles and flirtatious glances, boldly sizing up these guests who clearly carried a student-like aura.
Xu Zhiyuan, who had been a “model student” his whole life, turned as red as a tomato. He scratched the back of his head, his voice stuttering. “This… what’s the situation? Is this place… respectable?”
Qian Cheng was amused by the silly kid and slapped him hard on the back. “Whether it’s respectable or not is up to you, isn’t it? If you stay respectable yourself, can anyone force you otherwise?”
Despite his words, the hand on Xu Zhiyuan’s back carried a heavy hint that any man would understand. “It’s time you grew up, Didi.” He glanced sideways at the equally lost Jiang Yunian. “You too.”
In the eyes of a veteran playboy like him, these two were like two blank sheets of paper—unbearably pure. When he told them to pick someone, they both stood there like wooden blocks.
Twitchy and hesitant, not like men at all.
He Qing, on the other hand, swept a cool glance over the row of people. Not a single extra emotion showed on his face; he was already accustomed to such scenes.
“What’s there to be nervous about? I just called them over to drink and liven up the atmosphere, nothing else.” A party organized by Qian Cheng certainly couldn’t be a dull one. “On such a good day, don’t lose face for me.”
With that, he shot a look at the row of hosts and hostesses.
A sexy, sophisticated woman took the hint and approached Xu Zhiyuan. She boldly draped an arm over his shoulder, and with just a few words, she had the innocent “straight man” blushing so hard he couldn’t even speak properly.
It was just that Jiang Yunian was truly too stiff. He sat huddled in the sofa, looking terrified. Qian Cheng knew he tended to blush when talking to girls and feared that too much awkwardness would spoil the mood. Thus, he took the initiative and pointed to a boy who looked to be around their age. “You, accompany my brother for a few drinks and a chat.”
“Coming~” The boy flashed a sweet smile and naturally sat down beside Jiang Yunian. He picked up a bottle to pour a drink, acting very familiar. “Didi, try this. It’s our shop’s new arrival.”
Avoidance had become Jiang Yunian’s instinct. He silently pulled back the hand the boy had brushed against and shifted his body further away.
“No thanks, you drink it.”
The boy was sharp. From Jiang Yunian’s stiff and shy reaction, he caught a scent of someone from the “same side.” He moved closer, almost pressing against Jiang Yunian’s ear, teasing him with feigned intimacy. “Didi, you smell so good…”
Jiang Yunian had already retreated to the corner of the sofa, with nowhere left to go. The tips of his ears were burning. “D-do I?”
“Mhm.” The boy blinked and pouted half-jokingly. “What a pity, it seems we’re on the same ‘position’.”
He said it was a pity, but his face showed none of it. “Don’t be so nervous. We can just chat, can’t we? Or… do you want me to do something else?”
Jiang Yunian waved his hands frantically, stammering, “Then… let’s just chat.”
Anything is fine as long as there’s no funny business.
The boy laughed and nudged the glass closer to his lips with a playful threat. “Take a sip first? If you don’t drink, I’ll have to carry out ‘other’ services. You wouldn’t want that, right?”
No one in this line of work didn’t want a commission, and Jiang Yunian understood this. His lips pressed into a straight line. The boy observed his expression and asked tentatively, “What? Is your family strict? Boyfriend won’t let you drink?”
“I d-don’t have a boyfriend…” Jiang Yunian denied immediately.
The boy let out a giggle. “Then what are you afraid of? The alcohol content in this is very low; we drink it like juice.” After several rounds of persistent pestering, Jiang Yunian was truly worn down. Fearing the boy might actually do something even more out of line, his dry lips inevitably touched a few drops. The cool liquid slid down his throat with a slight sweet and sour tang; the alcohol concentration was indeed not high.
Seeing him drink, the man finally settled down contentedly. As expected, he made no further moves, just chatting with him casually.
After all, who wouldn’t want an easy job?
While the atmosphere here was barely reaching harmony, He Qing—who had been silent—was much more “sensible.” He had proactively called for a male host to accompany him. The man, nearly 1.9 meters tall, wore a tight black tank top that emphasized eight-pack abs, standing out among the group. Looking closely at his profile, he actually bore a slight resemblance to Zhou Shu.
Seeing this, Qian Cheng curled his lips into a smirk. See, he still can’t forget his old flame.
After a few drinks, combined with the loud music and flickering lights in the VIP room, the atmosphere gradually became less stiff. Aside from Qian Cheng, who was chatting enthusiastically with a hot girl, everyone else was relatively well-behaved, focusing mostly on playing dice and singing. Jiang Yunian also slowly relaxed his tensed nerves, coaxed by the boy into drinking a few more sips of the so-called “juice,” a faint flush appearing on his face.
Just as the atmosphere in the room was getting into full swing, the heavy glass door was suddenly kicked open from the outside.
The loud bang instantly drowned out the music, startling everyone. They all turned to look at the doorway.
There stood Young Master Qi, whom one usually only saw on television, standing at the door. Zhou Shu followed closely behind him. The expressions on both of their faces were so dark they could practically drip ink. They clearly had come with ill intent.
The slightly tipsy Jiang Yunian and He Qing, upon seeing those two grim, ashen faces at the door, sat bolt upright in an instant—completely startled into sobriety. With uncanny synchronicity, they both quietly pulled away from the male hosts leaning close to them.
The atmosphere in the VIP room was utterly disrupted. Only the accompaniment music played on inappropriately, changing its tune, while no one else made a sound. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the two uninvited guests at the door. No one noticed that the faces of certain people on the sofa had turned slightly pale, clearly in a state of panic.
Wh-why are they both here?
Translator’s Note:
- Ge: (哥哥 – Gēge) Literally “older brother.” Used between males as an intimate or respectful honorific.
- Didi: (弟弟 – Dìdi) Literally “younger brother.” Used here as a way for older or more experienced characters to address younger ones.
- Three-no account: (三無小號) Refers to a social media burner account with no profile picture, no posts, and no followers.
- Talk of the devil: (說曹操, 曹操到 – Shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào) A Chinese idiom similar to “Speak of the devil.”
- Department Flower: (系花 – Xìhuā) The most beautiful girl in a specific academic department.
- Business KTV (Shang K): (商k) A more upscale, adult-oriented karaoke establishment where hosts/hostesses are hired to entertain.
- Same “position” (撞號): Slang in the LGBTQ+ community meaning both people occupy the same “role” (e.g., both are “shou/bottoms”), implying they aren’t romantically compatible.
- Straight man (直男): Often used in Chinese slang to describe a man who is oblivious to flirting or very traditional/clueless in social cues.
Recommended Reads
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)
![Does A Broken Mirror Reunion Exist in Esports? [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/esports-225x300.png)
