Chapter 1335: THE PARTY (V)

AS the night went on, Luo Yan made his rounds to greet the guests, moving from table to table with Luo Ren beside him. Luo Jin was supposed to be with them, but they both knew their younger brother would rather hide in the restroom than spend hours making small talk with strangers. Especially now, when he had finally pulled Su Yuqi onto the dance floor and looked like he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.

So Luo Yan and Luo Ren handled the socializing on their own, shaking hands, accepting birthday wishes, and exchanging pleasantries with people whose names they would forget by morning. Truthfully, Luo Yan also didn’t want to go around like this. But at least one of the celebrant should do it to keep appearances. He was sure Luo Ren only accompanied him to make sure he wouldn’t be uncomfortable and to be there to answer if someone asked anything business related. Which he appreciated.

Then, it was time for the table where Shen Ji Yun was sitting. Luo Yan made sure not to let his attention drift toward his boyfriend. Those two cousins were at the table, and they had already seen him and Shen Ji Yun together before. So he kept his gaze steady and his smile neutral as he approached.

When he had glanced at Shen Ji Yun’s table earlier, his eyes had gone wide. He already knew one of them was Shen Xin, the jerk from the shooting range. But he hadn’t expected the other one to be the cousin who had seen him and Shen Ji Yun together when he was cross-dressing as a girl during that one date. What was his name again? Ah, Shen Lin.

Shen Xin already knew about his relationship with Shen Ji Yun, so whatever. The real problem would be if Shen Lin recognized him. With the way he carried himself, all controlled and composed, he could end up being more trouble than his brother. So Luo Yan decided it was better to be careful.

He greeted Uncle Yi Mu and Uncle Yue first. "Uncle Yi Mu, Uncle Yue."

The two men stood up and gave him a quick hug, wishing him a happy birthday.

"We already sent your gift and Xiao Jin’s gift ahead to the mansion. You should see them when you get home," Shen Yi Mu said, patting his shoulder.

Luo Yan smiled warmly. "Thank you, Uncle Yi Mu. You really didn’t have to."

"We wanted to," Jiang Yue added quietly.

Luo Yan nodded, his smile widening. "Then I’ll look forward to it. Thank you both."

Shen Yi Mu gestured to the two men sitting across the table. "By the way, these are my other nephews. Shen Lin and Shen Xin."

Luo Yan turned to them and offered a polite nod. "Hello. It’s nice to meet you both."

He noticed how Shen Lin just stared at him. Not the way someone would if they were interested, but more like he was trying to figure out if he had seen him somewhere before. Luo Yan’s smile nearly faltered. Shit. Did he recognize him?

He didn’t have time to dwell on it, because Shen Xin’s voice cut in, dripping with derision.

"Yeah. I can’t say the same."

Luo Ren, who had been standing quietly beside Luo Yan, turned his icy stare toward Shen Xin. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means he’s being an asshole," Shen Ji Yun answered flatly. "Just like he always is."

Shen Xin sputtered at that, but Shen Ji Yun ignored him and turned to Luo Yan. He gave him an apologetic look and mouthed, ’go on’. Luo Yan understood it as a signal to let Shen Ji Yun handle his cousin before the idiot made a scene. So he nodded, offered the table one last polite smile, and pulled his brother away.

"What’s that guy’s problem?" Luo Ren asked as they walked. "Have you met him before?"

Luo Yan thought about telling his brother the truth. In the end, he decided not to. Not tonight, at least. Maybe later. He knew that if Luo Ren found out about Shen Xin, he would stay on guard for the rest of the night. And that would only make things more complicated. So he decided to just not tell the complete truth.

"This is the first time we’ve been properly introduced," he said which wasn’t entirely a lie.

"And he decided to just be a jerk for no reason?" Luo Ren asked, clearly baffled.

"Haven’t you heard what Brother Ji Yun said?" Luo Yan replied. "He’s an asshole. People like that don’t need a reason to be mean."

Luo Ren seemed to accept that, because he asked no more questions. Luo Yan let out a quiet, relieved breath that he hoped his brother didn’t notice.

~~~

After thirty minutes of smiling and making small talk with strangers, Luo Yan decided he had had enough. He turned to Luo Ren. "Brother, I’m going to find the restroom."

Which wasn’t entirely a lie. He had texted Shen Ji Yun earlier to meet him at the balcony attached to the banquet hall. His plan was to stop by the restroom first before heading there. That way, it wouldn’t look like they had arranged to meet. And if anyone saw them together, they could just say it was a coincidence.

It would have been safer to meet somewhere farther from the banquet hall. But as one of the celebrants, it would look strange if he disappeared for too long. Luo Jin had already stopped pretending to care about the party, so Luo Yan felt like he should at least try to keep up appearances.

Luo Ren glanced at his brother, who kept looking toward the table where Shen Ji Yun was sitting. He had done that several times already as they made their way around the banquet hall. It was obvious how much he wanted to just walk over there.

Luo Yan probably didn’t know that Luo Ren already knew about what happened last night. Their father had told him when he and Luo Jin arrived at the Bai mansion before lunch. Luo Ren had been surprised at first, and then he had apologized for not saying anything sooner. But he also said he wouldn’t have done it any other way. This was Luo Yan’s relationship, not his. If his brother wasn’t ready to tell their father yet, it wasn’t Luo Ren’s place to do it for him. Still, he felt bad that their father had been hurt because of this.

It was a miracle their father wasn’t in a full rage right now. Luo Ren had expected him to explode like a powder keg once he found out about Luo Yan and Shen Ji Yun. But surprisingly, he was much calmer than Luo Ren had anticipated. Maybe it was because he had already let out most of his anger the night before. Even so, his reaction was still far more restrained than expected.

Looking at his brother now, Luo Ren had a feeling he was planning to sneak off and meet Shen Ji Yun. That was probably why he was making an excuse to leave. As the older brother, he felt like he should offer some advice. So he did.

"Yan Yan," he said, leaning in close so only his brother could hear. "Don’t stay away too long. And try not to put yourself and Shen Ji Yun in a compromising situation."

His brother’s words startled Luo Yan. But he understood what Luo Ren meant. They were in a public place, surrounded by all these people. He didn’t care if they found out about his relationship with Shen Ji Yun, but he wanted it to happen on his own terms. Not because they got caught and had no other choice but to come clean.

"I know. I’ll be careful," he said, then headed toward the restroom.

Shen Xin had been watching Luo Yan and Shen Ji Yun since earlier. He noticed Luo Yan walking somewhere, and then Shen Ji Yun stood up from his seat. Shen Xin frowned from where he was standing by the bar. Were the two of them planning to meet up? But then Shen Ji Yun didn’t follow after Luo Yan. Instead, he headed for a side door that, if Shen Xin was right, led out to the balcony.

What were the two of them up to?

He narrowed his gaze at that side door.

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