Chapter 85: Teasing My Husband at the Masquerade. You Guessed Right, I Really Am Here To…
Jian Yu and Yin Wuyu.
Le Can hadn’t expected these two, who seemed completely unrelated, to have such an unknown and close connection behind the scenes…
Before stepping out of the ward, he cast one last glance at the soul-searching Jian Minglang lying on the hospital bed.
The image of many people praising Jian Yu for doting on his younger brother in unison flashed in his mind. A touch of irony leaked from Le Can’s eyes as he withdrew them.
Using Jian Minglang’s fall into the water to create chaos, then taking advantage of that chaos to push him into the sea. Sending away a useless brother and the newlywed husband of a friend in one fell swoop—what exactly did Jian Yu want to do?
Le Can’s eyes were half-lowered as he habitually walked toward his room, his mind constantly trying to connect all the events from start to finish.
It was no longer possible to trace back exactly when Jian Yu started his move, but in that series of large and small events around the Wei Vision Spring Auction, besides the competitors’ kicking them while they were down, his shadow might not have been absent.
Thinking about it now, that Song Dynasty Ru kiln sky-blue glazed lotus leaf brush washer, whose authenticity was hard to distinguish, was the biggest trap Jian Yu had personally set for Xi Yun.
The counterfeit, found with such painstaking effort that even people with years of experience were fooled, was unexpectedly thwarted by the male lead’s unreasonable ability…
The irony in Le Can’s eyes deepened, and in an instant, it turned into doubt.
If Jian Yu was targeting Xi Yun, it might be relatively easy to find a reason. For example, the natural antagonism of a villain toward the protagonist, or some of the protagonist’s actions coincidentally hitting the other’s nerves.
Le Can’s thoughts wandered aimlessly.
Then why would Jian Yu murder his playboy brother, who clearly had no interest in the family business, and plot against him, Xi Yun’s marriage partner?
It couldn’t be just to kill two people on a whim to liven things up for everyone…
There was something here worth looking into.
However, Le Can knew his own worth and didn’t plan to investigate it himself. After all, the way he had Gao Dan investigate was just child’s play in front of the truly major figures.
If he were brainless enough to use the same tricks, “alerting the enemy” would be a mild consequence.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. Le Can prepared to pass the problem on to his sugar-daddy husband, Xi Yun, who had inherited all the resources of the Nian family.
The sooner they caught the person making trouble behind the scenes, the sooner he could go out and enjoy himself…
Le Can, who was bored enough to almost start growing mushrooms, sensed something was wrong as soon as he returned to his room. He stood still before the slowly opening door, his fingertip feeling for the metal rasp he had reclaimed from Xi Yun.
Inside the room, which was filled with many more items, the person sitting on the sofa suddenly turned around. “A-Can is back! Come and try on these clothes!”
Le Can’s eyes instantly curved into a smile as he walked forward quickly. During his walk, the finger behind his back moved the exposed corner of the rasp back to its original position without a sound.
“Auntie Liang, are there any new snacks today?”
There was one downside to having meals delivered every day; since Le Can had started having them delivered, his junk food supply had been cut off for several days.
It wasn’t that the food wasn’t good; it was delicious and healthy, and the variety for each meal was different. But it was too healthy; Le Can incredibly missed the snacks that used to be within easy reach.
Auntie Liang looked up at the youth who had sidled up to her, her tone a bit troubled. “Before coming, Mr. Xi specifically instructed…”
That meant there were none.
Le Can slumped dejectedly on the sofa, grumbling unhappily, “Xi Yun, I knew it!”
The wrinkles at the corners of Auntie Liang’s eyes quietly appeared.
A few days ago, Old Zhao couldn’t stand Le Can’s acting cute and coaxing, so he secretly brought many kinds of snacks for the child.
Even if it were snacks on a cruise ship, they were mostly healthy and high-end. It just so happened that someone had accidentally indulged themselves, using snacks to replace several proper meals, and was later punished.
Le Can knew he was in the wrong and, after his grumble, lay on the sofa like a salted fish that had lost its ideals, staring at the ceiling with dead-fish eyes.
When no one was looking after him, he could live as he pleased—ignoring the time, turning day and night upside down, eating one meal a day—and he found it comfortable and easy to stay put.
Now, after only three or four days of being shut in, he wanted to protest because someone was forcing him to sleep early, wake up early, and eat three meals a day at fixed times.
Le Can dared to say he had never lived such a healthy and regulated life.
It was too health-conscious, to the point where Le Can was almost losing his appetite for Xi Yun.
Recalling the little thought that had popped up a few days ago, he wondered if his brain had been filled with too much seawater that night…
“By the way, Auntie, what clothes am I trying on?”
Since he was “not stepping out of the inner chambers,” there was no need to worry about outfits.
For several days in a row, because there was no need to go out and see people, Le Can had been in the same state as he was back at the villa—wearing comfortable pajamas or loungewear and lying down whenever and wherever he wanted.
Auntie Liang patted the fluffy round head beside her with heartache and held up the items she was organizing.
“Here, look at what this is.”
The moment Le Can raised his head and saw the item clearly, he hesitantly took it and turned it over in his hands. “A mask?”
After looking at the mask, the person on the sofa turned to look at the various clothes scattered around him. Some were formal, some were casual, some were retro, and some were… anime-style?
There was a hint of confusion in the youth’s peach blossom eyes as his mouth tentatively asked, “I can go out?”
Auntie Liang nodded with praise in her eyes. “There is a dance tonight on the cruise ship—a masquerade ball.”
Supposedly, it was an activity added temporarily to liven up the somber atmosphere on the cruise ship over the past few days. The requirement to wear a mask was also to allow everyone to let loose a bit more.
But those who knew the inner details were well aware that this masquerade ball wasn’t being held for that reason.
It was purely because the youth before her couldn’t show his face, and staying in his room every day had made him so bored he was withering, and someone was worried and thinking of him…
Sure enough, upon hearing he could walk out in the open, Le Can’s misty peach blossom eyes widened, his beautiful amber eyes becoming big and bright.
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t reveal my identity!”
The crystal chandeliers on the ceiling were brilliant and bright. Men and women in formal suits and gowns formed pairs, holding each other’s arms or waists as they danced to the elegant and pleasant melody of a waltz.
Everyone wore a different mask on their face, half-concealing their features as they chatted and joked with familiar or unfamiliar people.
The rich fragrance of wine and flowers drifted through the air. Occasionally, when someone brushed past, the unique fragrance from their hair or sleeves would waft by one’s nose, adding an extra layer of mystery and atmosphere.
Le Can held a glass of champagne, wearing a wine-red shirt, as he nonchalantly threaded through the crowd toward a higher level.
Above this floor was a place completely different from the elegant world below.
It was younger, noisier, and the style was much more eclectic!
If Le Can—with the top buttons of his wine-red shirt undone, revealing a small patch of collarbone and fair chest—seemed a bit improper downstairs, then here, he was framed as being too normal.
Strange and exaggerated plague doctor masks, Venetian masks full of classical meaning, eerie and frightening skeletons and spirits… all paired with similar styles of highly individualistic clothing.
They laughed loudly, talking in raised voices amidst the dynamic music. Wine glasses clinked together, causing restless souls to collide just as recklessly.
Le Can raised his hand to politely decline those on the way who attempted to strike up a conversation, without uttering a single word from start to finish.
In the slender wine glass he held, the liquid—which had been replaced with a soft drink—was bubbling. After walking across three decks, a small glass of it still had more than half remaining.
Well, although he said he was out to relax, Le Can passed through the different themed masquerade balls with a clear goal, not stopping for anyone.
Until… a figure sitting in a wheelchair appeared in his line of sight.
Compared to the liveliness of the outside, the corner where the other was located seemed exceptionally quiet. Le Can didn’t go directly to him, but instead found a table and sat diagonally beside it.
With one hand propping up his chin and the other holding his glass, he drank the non-alcoholic beverage inside in a casual, intermittent manner.
In the eyes of outsiders, this youth sitting on a high stool—with his feet still easily resting on the ground, his waist slender, and his legs long—already seemed to be in a slightly tipsy state.
Under the dim lights, the beautiful body wrapped in that wine-red shirt appeared hazy and ambiguous. Looking up along the fair and slender neck, the other’s face was completely hidden by a mask depicting a red fox.
The first glance brought regret, but a second look showed that the eyes under the long, narrow fox eyes of the mask were glistening like water, seemingly like a fox’s, capable of hooking one’s soul with a single glance.
Immediately, someone was itching to step forward.
Though the face couldn’t be seen, one could tell with a single glance—from the slender, jade-like fingers to the supple waist—that he was a top-tier beauty.
For such a person, whether it was a one-night stand or a long-term relationship, it wouldn’t be a loss!
Le Can wasn’t drunk; it was purely several days of indolence that made him need a temporary rest after climbing three floors. His “trash” stamina had just hit rock bottom…
Furthermore, without being certain if someone was monitoring Xi Yun, he wasn’t reckless enough to rush straight over.
Teasing someone was indeed very attractive to Le Can, but he couldn’t let all his efforts go to waste and make his previous days of confinement in vain.
He had to find a justifiable opportunity to go over…
In the moment he was thinking, a shadow suddenly fell before Le Can.
He lazily propped up his chin, slowly raising his eyes. His amber eyes reflected a man wearing a pure gold metal half-mask.
His gaze flickered over the half of the face and the fingers exposed, and Le Can quickly confirmed that this was not anyone he had seen before.
A complete stranger, with ambiguity hidden in his curled lips and an undisguised hunting signal in his eyes…
The corner of Le Can’s mouth under the mask twitched.
He, who had intended to hunt a certain someone, had been treated as prey by someone else halfway through.
He withdrew his gaze without much interest, his peripheral vision lingering longingly on where Xi Yun was.
[Hmm, it would be so good if the one standing before me right now was Xi Yun…]
Le Can, whose gaze was bored, watched as the person in the corner who had been hanging his head slowly raised it, and he licked his itchy canine tooth with his tongue.
It seemed that this distance was within the range of mind-reading.
“If you don’t mind, how about a drink together?” The ignored stranger finally couldn’t help but speak.
Le Can turned his face to avoid the other’s deliberately lowered face, sitting up straight instantly and scrutinizing him with a critical gaze.
“I’ve never ‘eaten’ anything this poor before. Sorry, I mind very much.”
“You!” The man’s “voice-acting” tone couldn’t be maintained, and he sneered in exasperation, “Dressed so provocatively, aren’t you just trying to fish for a man?!”
Le Can looked down at his collar, which only had a small V-neck undone, a chill filling his slightly raised eyes.
“You guessed right, I really am here to fish for a man.”
“That’s what I’m saying, you—”
Le Can drained the drink in his glass, his fingertip picking up a flower from the table, and he raised his hand to toss it out, interrupting the words from the golden-masked man.
“But a man like you? Don’t even think about it. This young master looks down on you.”
The youth picked up a rose and walked slowly to a certain corner, pinning the flower to the lapel of the man sitting quietly in the wheelchair.
“At the very least, it has to be a man of this caliber.”
[Right, husband?]
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