Ming Shen Real Estate and He Ping Property had collaborated a few times, and it had always been pleasant. Lu Ming Shen found Li Chen to be an interesting person, even sending him flowers twice. However, Li Chen was rather oblivious to romantic feelings, assuming that Lu Ming Shen only wanted to be friends. After being flirted with for a while without understanding, Lu Ming Shen eventually lost interest and gave up.
Except for Qi Sheng, Li Chen was the first person Lu Ming Shen couldn’t pursue. Yet, he didn’t develop any twisted feelings for Li Chen’s lack of romantic understanding.
“Mr. Li, you are too modest. You’re just two years younger than me, yet you’ve built such a substantial empire with He Ping Property. It’s only fair to call you young and accomplished,” Lu Ming Shen commented.
Li Chen was good-looking and had a pleasant smile that naturally endeared him to people.
Li Chen responded, “May I ask who this gentleman is?”
Shuai Chang smiled warmly, “This is my partner, Qi Sheng.”
Li Chen was surprised, “Lu, you’ve gotten married?”
“We only invited a few close individuals to the wedding; Xiaosheng doesn’t like extravagance,” Shuai Chang explained.
“You two look like a match made in heaven; you’re really suited for each other,” Li Chen said sincerely.
“Haha, Mr. Li has good taste.” Shuai Chang took two glasses of champagne from the server’s tray and handed one to Li Chen.
Qi Sheng took the drink from Shuai Chang’s hand, saying, “Let me drink for you tonight.”
“Mr. Li, please.” Qi Sheng gently clinked glasses with Li Chen and took a sip.
“Ming Shen had too much to drink at the gathering this afternoon; I’m afraid he can’t handle it. I hope Mr. Li doesn’t mind,” Qi Sheng added.
“Of course not.” Wasn’t he just shown up like that?
From that point onward, Qi Sheng stopped anyone who came to toast, and soon enough, news of Lu Ming Shen’s marriage spread throughout every corner of the banquet.
Li Chen’s family, who were related to the Wen family, had also been invited. Wen’s mother recognized Qi Sheng and, hearing he was Lu Ming Shen’s partner, said to Wen’s father, “Xiaosheng has loved art since he was a child. How could he have anything in common with Lu Ming Shen? Do you think their union is related to the bankruptcy of the Qi family?”
Wen’s father pondered for a moment and replied, “Are you suggesting that Xiaosheng is enduring humiliation for the Qi family?” He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s quite possible. With Xiaosheng’s pride, I don’t think he would like someone like Lu Ming Shen, who is purely business-minded.”
Wen’s mother expressed her worry, “Should we inform Xuan Yi? If he knows about Xiaosheng, he will definitely come back home. Then we won’t have to worry about his life abroad every day. I hope Xuan Yi can persuade Xiaosheng not to sell himself for anything.”
After a long silence, Wen’s father finally nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Shuai Chang was unaware that attending a banquet could lead to the early return of a love rival. He was focused on exploring the desserts with Qi Sheng.
“You like mangoes, right? Would you like to try a mango snow cake? The desserts at Lijing are delightful,” Shuai Chang mentioned, knowing that Qi Sheng loved not only sweet dishes but also various desserts, with mango and strawberry being his top favorites.
Unable to resist the temptation, Qi Sheng accepted the mango snow cake from Shuai Chang, the snowy white treat trembling in his hand.
“This isn’t good for your health,” he frowned.
Shuai Chang chuckled, “I thought only capitalists like me focused on health. Shouldn’t an artist like you go with the flow?”
“Lu Ming Shen, what a coincidence?” A pleasant male voice suddenly rang out beside them.
Shuai Chang looked up to see a familiar face and replied coldly, “It’s not a coincidence; you’re Mr. Li’s assistant. You can’t possibly not know I would be here.”
The man stuck out his tongue in response. A man in his twenties could make such a gesture without feeling out of place. “I heard this Mr. Qi Sheng is the new Mrs. Lu. I’m really curious about the kind of person who could capture Mr. Lu’s heart. Tsk, tsk, turns out Mr. Lu likes rare flowers.”
“Mr. Qi, please don’t take offense; I’m not targeting you.” He extended his hand towards Qi Sheng.
Qi Sheng coldly responded, “I don’t shake hands with strangers.”
The man was taken aback for a moment before he laughed, “Mr. Qi, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Fan Xun, and I am Mr. Lu’s ex-boyfriend.”
Fan Xun was different from the usual people Lu Ming Shen pursued; he had actively approached Lu Ming Shen. After Lu Ming Shen sent flowers to Li Chen and didn’t pursue it further, Fan Xun began to encounter Lu Ming Shen frequently, gradually getting acquainted through conversations about Li Chen.
Lu Ming Shen disliked people who selfishly approached him, but Fan Xun pretended to be ice-cold and ethereal, successfully attracting Lu Ming Shen’s interest. However, after receiving a set of rooms from Lu Ming Shen, he completely lost his personality, becoming so tame that Lu Ming Shen kept his distance.
They broke up because Fan Xun was too obedient and even wanted to invade Lu Ming Shen’s intimate space.
“Mr. Qi, I want to share a secret about Ming Shen with you. I’m curious if you’d like to hear it?” Fan Xun smiled enigmatically.
“I’m not interested.” Hearing secrets about his partner from another man felt terrible. Qi Sheng shot Shuai Chang a dark look—flirting around!
Shuai Chang felt innocent and thought it necessary to explain, “It’s better for me to tell my partner such so-called secrets myself.”
“Go ahead,” Qi Sheng urged.
Fan Xun showed an expression of watching a good show.
“Actually, besides you, I haven’t touched anyone else. I only enjoyed the chase; once it’s over, I break up. So I’m still a virgin,” Shuai Chang confessed and glanced at Fan Xun, “They all lack your charm.”
Fan Xun initially wanted to tell Qi Sheng that Lu Ming Shen was not capable, but unexpectedly found himself being told that he lacked charm. His face darkened as he forced a smile, “Haha, Mr. Lu has good taste. Mr. Qi is wonderful, truly not someone I, as an ex-boyfriend, can compare to.”
With a grim expression, Fan Xun left.
Shuai Chang noticed the surprise in Qi Sheng’s eyes as he looked at him and asked with a laugh, “What’s wrong? Don’t believe in your own charm?”
Qi Sheng slowly consumed the mango snow cake in his hand and replied, “I just didn’t expect Mr. Lu, a distinguished virgin, would have the courage to be so bold. I admire it.”
“What? Mr. Lu was bold with you? Don’t joke around, Mr. Lu simply isn’t capable.”
Here we go again.
Both Shuai Chang and Qi Sheng couldn’t help but think the same thing.
Qi Sheng signaled Shuai Chang with his eyes: You handle this yourself.
“Mr. Lu is busy with important affairs and wouldn’t forget who I am, right?”