The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

The room erupted in a cacophony of noise. Xu Mingxuan whistled, Su Wan shook her head with a smile, and Lu Linchuan clicked his tongue twice before taking a sip of his wine.

Meng Jiangyu's gaze fell on Shen Qingyao's reddened ear tips, his eyes filled with an irrepressible smile, but his tone was very indifferent: "When did you become so gossipy, kid?"

Shen Qingyao's face was so hot it could fry an egg, and her fingers, gripping his clothes, were trembling. Yet, she couldn't help but secretly look up and meet his tender gaze.

In the next round of Guandan, the game ended with Lu Linchuan losing decisively.

"Cousin, you're the winner, why don't you ask the questions?" Zhou Yanqiu took on the role of host.

Truth or Dare?

"The truth!"

Meng Jiangyu didn't expect him to choose truth or dare, and for a moment he didn't know what to ask, so he drew a card from the table.

Meng Jiangyu glanced at the card, the words "What is the most regrettable thing you've ever done?" were clearly visible and dazzling. Shen Qingyao leaned over to take a look, but didn't say anything.

Meng Jiangyu pondered for a moment, then looked up with a beaming smile, gesturing with his chin towards Lu Linchuan: "What's the happiest thing that's happened to you lately?"

The room fell silent for half a second after those words were spoken. "This question is too easy."

Meng Jiangyu put his arm around Shen Qingyao and said sarcastically, "He's so lucky."

Lu Linchuan ignored the teasing of others, his gaze passing through the noisy crowd and landing directly on the fireplace.

He pondered for a moment, then looked at Su Wan, his eyes revealing neither joy nor sorrow. "The affairs of life have settled!"

Everyone present understood the implied meaning and looked at Su Wan, creating an awkward silence.

Su Wan felt a pang of bitterness, but still responded politely, "Everyone is welcome to come and witness it!"

Except for Shen Qingyao, who didn't react to Su Wan, everyone else present nodded in agreement.

In the start of the new round of Guandan, Meng Jiangyu controlled the game the whole time. Shen Qingyao's hand was incredibly smooth. When she played pairs, he would pass her consecutive cards. When she played single cards, he would play high cards. At the end, he even whispered in her ear, "Play that ten of hearts. Zhou Yanqiu has no cards left to play against it."

Shen Qingyao played her card as instructed, and as expected, the game ended smoothly.

She looked at Meng Jiangyu in surprise, "How did you know?"

Xu Mingxuan spoke up, "Because he can count cards!"

Meng Jiangyu chuckled softly, gently ruffling the top of her head with his fingertips. "I'm going out to take this call."

Shen Qingyao nodded, and Lu Linchuan followed her out.

Zhou Yanqiu looked at the remaining loose cards in his hand, clicked his tongue helplessly, and decisively chose truth.

Shen Qingyao asked, "Yanqiu, what kind of girl do you like?"

Zhou Yanqiu was anything but serious. He rested his elbows on the edge of the table, twirling a playing card between his fingers. He casually glanced up, a roguish smile playing on his lips: "I like women with big breasts and slim waists."

Xu Mingxuan chuckled, glancing sideways at Zhou Yanqiu, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Speaking so bluntly, you've scared both of you sisters-in-law."

Shen Qingyao looked at Xu Mingxuan, "No, no!"

Su Wan took a sip of whiskey. "That's not wrong. The girls you're with are all like that!"

Zhou Yanqiu shuffled the cards. "Right? I'm just telling the truth!"

Shen Qingyao recalled the girl he brought last time, "The girl at the hot spring resort looked quite innocent!"

"That was an accident!" Zhou Yanqiu took a sip of whiskey. "I met her at a nightclub. She pounced on me and said she didn't have money for school and was willing to keep me company."

"Why would I refuse something that's offered to me on my doorstep?"

"Don't you like her?" Shen Qingyao asked, puzzled.

"I wouldn't say I like him, I have some feelings for him, but he's just a playmate!" Zhou Yanqiu replied casually.

Shen Qingyao disagreed, but she had no reason to be a saint and criticize him, since everyone had their own needs and it was a fair trade.

Meng Jiangyu and Lu Linchuan entered from outside one after the other, and Lu Linchuan's lost and dejected appearance was no longer present.

In the next round of shuffling and dealing the cards, Su Wan had incredibly bad luck. Her hand was a mess, and she couldn't even make a straight. Unsurprisingly, she lost.

"I choose dare." She put down her cards, her tone decisive.

Xu Mingxuan drew a dare card, his smile languid and tender, "Give any man here a five-minute French kiss."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent, followed by a burst of ambiguous whistles.

Su Wan's gaze fell on Lu Linchuan. Lu Linchuan raised an eyebrow, stood up, walked in front of her, and bent down to pinch her chin.

Su Wan tilted her head back, stood on tiptoe, and her tongue explored his lips and teeth first, with a hint of seduction.

Just then, Xu Mingxuan swiftly turned off the overhead light, instantly plunging the room into darkness, leaving only the flickering flames from the fireplace, which cast long, ambiguous shadows of the two embracing figures.

Before Shen Qingyao could see clearly, Meng Jiangyu reached out and covered her eyes.

The warmth of his palm covered her eyes, a familiar comfort, and she heard his soft laughter in her ear: "Baby, don't look at anyone else."

Shen Qingyao's heart skipped a beat. She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, then, in the dim light, kissed his lips.

The kiss was somewhat impulsive and proactive. Meng Jiangyu was taken aback at first, then he held her waist and deepened the kiss.

In the darkness, the two intertwined, their breaths lingering on each other, a slow and tender intimacy.

His tongue gently swept across her lips, then deepened the sensation.

Shen Qingyao unconsciously clenched his clothes, her knuckles turning slightly white. Her body leaned softly against his chest, letting him take her place rhythmically, inch by inch.

Meng Jiangyu's palm rested on her lower back, gently pulling her up and holding her tighter in his arms. His lips, however, were reluctant to leave hers. Only in the intervals between breaths did he whisper in her ear in a hoarse voice, "Baby, don't move."

Shen Qingyao's eyelashes trembled, her nose brushed against his collarbone, and she let out a muffled hum, then took advantage of the situation and snuggled deeper into his arms.

Meng Jiangyu chuckled softly, the vibrations of his chest transmitting through their skin, making her itch.

He lowered his head and gently bit her reddened earlobe, his voice full of indulgence: "Don't provoke me!"

The five minutes stretched out long and soft in the ambiguous silence. Lu Linchuan tilted his head slightly, ending the lingering kiss.

Su Wan's lips were red from the kiss, and her breathing was still a little unsteady.

Lu Linchuan lowered his eyes, gently wiping the corner of her lips with his fingertips to remove the remaining moisture, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Xu Mingxuan slammed the overhead light on, banged on the table, and gathered up the scattered cards, shuffling them: "One more round!"

Zhou Yanqiu smiled, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. He casually tapped the edge of the table with his long, slender fingers, his tone carrying a hint of knowing teasing: "Come on, haven't you had enough of being a third wheel? I think it's getting late, everyone should get some rest!"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jiangyu agreed and reached out to adjust Shen Qingyao's shawl, which had slipped down: "I think it's fine."

Xu Mingxuan put down the cards. "Alright, goodnight everyone, it's been a long journey!"

Meng Jiangyu, holding Shen Qingyao's hand, nodded to the others, "I'll go first."

Lu Linchuan also put his arm around Su Wan's waist: "Goodnight!"

Xu Mingxuan watched the two couples leave one after another, then turned to meet Zhou Yanqiu's ambiguous smile.

Zhou Yanqiu removed the cigarette from his lips, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said with a hint of nonchalance, "Want to play some more? I'll keep you company."

"That's great!" Xu Mingxuan slammed his cards back onto the table. "Let's move on to the next game!"

"Yes, sir." Zhou Yanqiu chuckled softly and readily agreed.

The deafening electronic music, mixed with the strong smell of alcohol, hit them as the two stepped into the bar one after the other.

Two tall, handsome figures from the East immediately became the focus of everyone's attention upon their appearance, attracting many eyes from the surrounding area.

Xu Mingxuan took a long stride and sat down first. The leather booth was slightly sunken. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers at the waiter not far away, a gesture that was both practiced and casual.

The amber-colored liquor slid down the side of the glass into the cup, splashing up tiny droplets that shimmered under the dim light.

In no time, a group of slender blonde women surrounded the booth with smiles, quickly filling it to capacity.