"I don't have a fiancée." Fan Xiao spoke neither fast nor slow, and he didn't seem to be feeling guilty, but he enunciated his words very tightly, as if he had thought for a long time before speaking.
You Shulang rinsed his mouth again, screwed on the bottle cap, and then asked, "Do you need me to step aside?"
His voice was hoarse and slow, and it was obvious that he had just been through a very intense love affair.
"No need." Fan Xiao held his hand, "Let's go out together."
"Wait a moment." You Shulang took out a watch from his pocket and put it on Fan Xiao's wrist. "It's a birthday present. It's not expensive. Don't despise it."
He raised his head and looked at Fan Xiao: "I hope you will be happy all the time in the future."
The room was dimly lit, and the shadows were blurry. Fan Xiao's eyes slowly moved from the watch on his wrist to You Shulang's face. He looked at him and felt that those eyes contained all his joy at the moment.
He shook his wrist: "I like it very much and will wear it all the time."
You Shulang smiled and said, "You don't have to wear it all the time. Your famous watches will complain."
The knock on the door sounded again. He lowered his eyelids and whispered, "Come on, take me to see your fiancée."
Just as he was about to leave, Fan Xiao pulled him into his arms again. Amid the noise of the door panel shaking, the man said solemnly, "I don't have a fiancée. Don't believe anything they say."
"Okay." You Shulang gently kissed Fan Xiao on the corner of his lips...
Coming back, the men, women and dancers of unclear gender on the stage have all restrained themselves a lot, their dancing moves are no longer unrestrained and wild, and their expressions have become a little more reserved.
Familiar and unfamiliar friends were scattered in the corners of the bar, still drinking and playing board games, but their eyes were more or less fixed on the guest of honor table.
There were several strangers sitting on the sofa at the main guest table. You Shulang first looked at a girl among them. She had black hair and a white dress. She was well-mannered, with a slightly yellowish complexion and looked a little sickly, like a girl next door.
Shi Lihua's voice was enthusiastic and nervous, and he raised his voice to pretend to be relaxed: "Brother, I don't know what Xiao ate, he has diarrhea."
Big brother? You Shulang then turned his gaze to the man sitting in the main seat. The man was estimated to be thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with a handsome face and a strong presence. The lines around his eye sockets and lips were deep, and he looked serious and dogmatic.
The man didn't say anything, but someone stood up next to him, walked over to Fan Xiao, and warmly put his arm around his shoulder: "Third brother, you haven't come home to see us in seven or eight months. If you don't go back, we will have no choice but to fly over to celebrate your birthday."
He was speaking Thai, which You Shulang could not understand. Fan Xiao just smiled and put on his humble mask again, looking very respectful: "Big brother, second brother, you came without telling me in advance so that I could pick you up at the airport."
Seeing Fan Xiao speaking Mandarin, the man called Second Brother patted him on the shoulder a few times and also changed his language: "We just wanted to give you a surprise, so we contacted Uncle Xu to pick you up."
The only old man at the table said with a kind face: "You brothers are so old, and you still play this kind of game. I see you are so harmonious and close, I am really happy for the old president."
The old man was known to You Shulang. He was the vice president of Fan Xiao's company. He controlled many matters of the company and fought fiercely with Fan Xiao for power.
The old man made way for the girl next to him, "Xiao Xiao, it's your birthday today. Tingting just got out of the hospital and she's already clamoring to come celebrate your birthday. She spent a long time choosing a birthday present."
Everyone's eyes fell on the girl, including You Shulang. The girl was a little shy, and two red clouds burned on her sallow face: "Brother Xiaoxiao, this is my birthday present for you."
The exquisite packaging box was too dazzling under the light, but Fan Xiao didn't even look at it, and just said in a bland "thank you for your trouble".
With a raise of his eyelids, the bald assistant who had been silent all this time respectfully took the gift from the girl's hand.
The old man's smile was a little stiff, and the girl looked embarrassed: "Xiao Xiao, don't you want to open and see the gift Tingting gave you? She chose it very carefully."
Fan Xiao took You Shulang to his seat, fiddled with the watch on his wrist for a few times, and then put on an apologetic face again: "Uncle Xu, there are too many gifts, let me take my time to look at them later."
Fan Xiao's smile was apologetic enough, but his words were extremely impolite. Shi Lihua wanted to come out to smooth things over, but as soon as he opened his mouth he was strangled by a solemn look.
The man sitting at the main seat picked up his glass and mocked expressionlessly, "We are actually here on our father's orders to see how your investment is going and whether you have lost so much that you can't even afford a plane ticket."
He didn't even look at Fan Xiao, showing absolute contempt, and his words chilled the atmosphere of the entire place.
You Shulang glanced at Fan Xiao, and seeing that there was no change in his expression, he lowered his eyelids, picked up a cigarette, and rubbed it slowly in his hand.
"Don't listen to my eldest brother scaring you." The second son of the Fan family laughed and said, "Father just asked us to come and see you. If you have any trouble with your investment, let us help you. But you know that my second brother definitely can't help you. He can help you pick up a girl."
Seeing Fan Xiao pouring wine for You Shulang, he looked at him with a look of scrutiny and leaned forward to ask, "Who is this?"
Shi Lihua was shocked, fearing that You Shulang had revealed his so-called "identity", and was about to interrupt, but was stopped by Fan Xiao again.
Fan Xiao's words were very calm, and he only raised his chin slightly when he introduced them: "Director You hasn't introduced them to you yet. That's my eldest brother Fan Bo, and this is my second brother Fan Yu. You know Vice President Xu, and the one next to him is his daughter Xu Ting."
Fan Xiao was hypocritical. He turned around and introduced You Shulang with a bit more seriousness: "This is You Shulang, the office director of Bohai Pharmaceutical. The drug we developed together with Bohai will be on the market soon."
The second son of the Fan family was polite and perfunctory, but the eldest son didn't even glance at him. He interrupted the "pointless" conversation rudely and scolded: "Fan Xiao, Uncle Xu's daughter is your fiancée. You are so cold to her. Are you ignoring the love between father and Uncle Xu for so many years?"
Shi Lihua was the first to be startled. He was so anxious that he kept rubbing his feet, fearing that You Shulang would get jealous and ruin his relationship with Fan Xiao. Everyone present was a devil who would eat people without leaving any bones. If he caught Fan Xiao's weakness, who knows what kind of storm would be stirred up.
But the man who should have been surprised or furious just took a sip of the wine, and his hand was so steady that the wine in the glass did not cause any ripples.
Fan Xiao withdrew his eyes from You Shulang and smiled faintly: "Brother, why don't I understand what you are saying? When did Tingting become my fiancée? She is a pure and innocent girl. Tingting will cry if you say that."
Xu Ting did look like she was about to cry, her fingers tightly twisting the hem of her skirt. The old man next to her also had an extremely ugly expression on his face. He coughed lightly, as if hinting at something.
At this time, Fan Er made a "tsk" sound and reminded Fan Xiao: "Third brother, have you forgotten? Before you returned to China, father said that he would get you engaged when Tingting recovered from her illness."
The eldest brother of the Fan family also glanced at him sharply: "Didn't you agree to this marriage in exchange for the opportunity to return to your country?"
The situation was tense. Shi Lihua swallowed his saliva and finally said something without anyone interrupting him: "Well, Director You, shall we go over there and play cards?"
When a family is discussing private matters, outsiders should find a reason to leave, but Fan Xiao did not move and blocked the way out. Naturally, You Shulang, who was sitting in the corner, could not move.
The match was flipped between his fingers. Facing the provocation, Fan Xiao still behaved appropriately. He smiled and said, "I only remember that my father said that if Miss Xu Ting and I could get along well, I could consider getting engaged to her. And this was just a casual talk during afternoon tea. I almost forgot it, but my elder and second brothers remember it clearly."
Fan Er crossed his legs and chuckled, "I always remember romantic things clearly, unlike my elder brother who only remembers serious matters."
The eldest brother of the Fan family, who was named, had a very solemn expression on his face, and every word he said was powerful: "Fan Xiao, you know best what father means. Can you keep delaying by pretending to be ignorant?"
"It's okay if you don't want to delay. Big brother, just do it yourself. Hasn't your sister-in-law already asked for a divorce from you? There's no obstacle."
Bang! The wine glass fell heavily on the marble table, and the vibrating liquid splashed out, instantly making people feel choked by the strong liquor!
Everyone knows that the weak spot of the head of the Fan family is his wife who ran away from marriage, but no one expected that Fan Xiao, who is usually the most smooth and sophisticated, would take the initiative to bump into her.
While Shi Lihua and Fan Er were rescuing Xu Ting, Xu Ting ran out of the bar crying. The old man was furious and said before he chased her out, "I, Xu Zhong's daughter, will not be bullied by your Fan family."
"It's obvious that old Xu Zhong is using his sick illegitimate daughter to pave the way for himself." Fan Erwai said nonchalantly on the sofa, "Third brother, Xu Zhong is very good at fanning the flames in front of father, and he might accuse you of something. Why don't you get engaged to Xu Ting first to appease father, and as for the future, you can make good use of the situation and make long-term plans later."
After persuading Fan Xiao, he went to comfort the eldest brother of the Fan family: "Brother, the third brother is the youngest, so it is inevitable that he said something wrong. He didn't mean to make you angry about the divorce between the eldest sister-in-law and you. Today is his birthday, just forgive him once, how about we have a few drinks together?"
Fan Da's eyes became even darker and more vicious. He was silent for a while before he responded with a "OK".
"Since you want to have a few drinks with the third brother, let's change to a larger cup."
Fan Xiao and You Shulang sat on the ground against the car body, and the strong smell of alcohol was everywhere within a one-meter radius.
You Shulang fumbled around under his throat for a long time before he unbuttoned a button. He closed his eyes and said, "Your eldest brother is a heavy drinker. Is he the reincarnation of a wine barrel?"
Fan Xiao, with his head leaning against the car body and his chin slightly raised, chuckled: "Director You is indeed drunk, and he even made such a low-level joke."
He endured the dizziness and leaned on You Shulang, breathing in the smell of alcohol and looking evil: "Director You, what is our relationship? Why are you risking your life to carry wine for me?"
The eldest brother of the Fan family had also asked this question, but he was very straightforward and blunt: "Who are you? What qualifications do you have to drink for Fan Xiao?"
Fan Xiao had a good alcohol tolerance, and You Shulang had rarely seen him drunk. Even when he was drunk, he usually pretended to be crazy in order to have more fun in bed with him.
But just now, after drinking two bottles of strong liquor, Fan Xiao began to speak less and less, and his face gradually turned pale. You Shulang knew that he was trying hard to control his every movement, and every word he uttered had to go around in his mouth three times before it could be uttered without going out of tune.
The cup was once again filled with brown wine. You Shulang took the first step to hold the cup and said with a smile, "I'll drink this for Mr. Fan."
The four of them were looking at him, and Fan Xiao and the eldest son of the Fan family frowned at the same time.
"Who are you? What qualifications do you have to drink for Fan Xiao?" But Fan Da's words were one step faster than the drunkard's.
Despite being so obviously looked down upon, You Shulang remained as steady as a mountain, with a faint smile on his face. "Boss Fan has an important meeting with us tomorrow, so it's not appropriate for him to get drunk tonight. In order for our project to reach production and create results as soon as possible, I will drink the rest of the wine on his behalf. This is also a good opportunity to welcome the two CEOs back home."
This was a perfect remark, and even the eloquent Fan Er could not think of a rebuttal. Fan Da was already a little drunk, and the sorrow in his heart was turned upside down. Now he just wanted to drink to forget his sorrow, and he didn't care whether the person he was drinking with was Fan Xiao.
But Fan Xiao disagreed. Just as he was about to take back the wine glass, he felt something warm on the outside of his thigh. You Shulang gave him a look that did not allow for argument.
The drunk Fan Xiao was also afraid of You Shulang. He was silent for a moment and withdrew his hand.
You Shulang accompanied Fan Da to drink two more bottles, and finally got the man who could drink a lot drunk.
He was helped away by his assistant and Fan Er, who had been watching the fight with a smile on his face. Only when the backs of those people disappeared from their sight did Fan Xiao and You Shulang collapse.
Now, the two of them were sitting in the underground parking lot, no longer having any strength left, and were waiting in a daze for the designated driver to pick them up.
"Your eldest brother hates you, but not as much as your second brother's hatred for you." You Shulang said lightly with a cigarette between his fingers.
Fan Xiao smiled, climbed up from You Shulang's neck, stretched his neck and kissed You Shulang heavily: "Did you see that? Director You is amazing."
Dizzy, he leaned back into the crook of his neck and leaned against it obediently: "My elder brother hates me openly, and Fan Yu hates me in every dark corner." Fan Xiao stretched out his hand and grabbed at the air, "It's like a hand hidden in the darkness, I don't know when it will pull me into the abyss."
"On the contrary, I envy people like my eldest brother. He is a man of character, and his love, hate, and vengeance are clearly displayed on his face, unlike us."
"We?" You Shulang paused as he lit a cigarette.
"Yeah." Fan Xiao's smile seemed a little lonely, "I'm the same as Fan Er, my true thoughts are always buried deep inside, very fake."
"Is it fake with me too?"
The pungent smoke slowly dissipated, entrapping You Shulang's words.
Fan Xiao straightened up and looked at him. You Shulang's gaze back was faint and obscure, covered by the smoke, but also obscure and profound.
Amidst the overwhelming intoxication, Fan Xiao felt that he was allowed to say something drunken. He leaned over to kiss You Shulang: "This is all true for you. I love you more than ever."
However, he didn't get the kiss, the man opposite hid and pushed him: "Someone is there."
The fire door not far away was pushed open with great force, hitting the wall with a loud noise, along with shouting and cursing like a pig being slaughtered.
"Zhang Chi, fuck you, put Grandpa down! If you dare to touch Grandpa's butt again, I will kill your whole family!"
Snap! The sound of flesh being slapped echoed in the empty parking lot.
"Fuck you, Zhang Chi, you fking fk, if I don't castrate you, you won't be called Xue Baotian!"
Xue Baotian? You Shulang and Fan Xiao exchanged a glance, and a smile slowly appeared on Fan Xiao's lips, looking very evil.
The footsteps were getting closer, and they heard Xue Baotian start to give in: "Zhang Chi, Brother Zhang, please forgive me. Next time I see you, I will pretend not to see you. Can't I go home and blind myself overnight? I won't fuck this or that anymore, and I will respect my mother and sister completely, okay?"
Xue Baotian's shouting was getting closer. Fan Xiao and You Shulang, who were sitting on the ground, saw that he was being carried on the shoulders of a tall and strong man.
"Is it not okay for me to call you dad or grandpa?" Xue Baotian cried, "Zhang Chi, please let me go and give me a chance to reform. The government won't kill me with one blow. You should learn from the government."
"The government can't teach you, so I will. I advise you to save your energy and call daddy in bed." The man who had been silent all the time said the first sentence.
"Fan Xiao!" Xue Baotian, who was being carried on the shoulders and swaying back and forth with his head down, suddenly saw the two people whose positions were not conspicuous from the gap between the cars, "What are you talking about, Director You!"
"Help!" He yelled as if he had seen a relative, "Boss Fan, Director You, please save me! This guy is going to choke me in the back!"
The man carrying him stopped and turned his head to look at the two people hiding behind the car body, whom Xue Baotian regarded as his life-saving straw.
Surprisingly, the man's eyes were clear and without any hostility. You Shulang whispered in a voice that only Fan Xiao could hear: "Save me?"
Fan Xiao's body softened, and he leaned against the car body crookedly: "I'm drunk."
You Shulang curled the corners of his lips: "What a coincidence, I'm drunk too."
"Fan Xiao, I'm here to celebrate your birthday, you have to save me! Director You, you saved that girl last time, why didn't you save me this time?! Fan Xiao... Mr. You... help me..."
The sound of footsteps and the screams of slaughtering pigs were heard again, and everything was quiet until the car door slammed loudly.