Wild School Boy Was Picked Up And Brought Home By His Professor Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Drinking?

Lin Yi turned to leave, but Li Rui quickly grabbed his wrist. “Lin Yi, I really didn’t know Uncle was here. Zhang Zexuan just said he wanted to treat me to dinner, and I thought it was just…”

Lin Yi pushed his hand away, a hint of annoyance surfacing in his beautiful Peach Blossom Eyes. “Do you think Zhang Zexuan, that iron rooster, would be so generous?”

Zhang Zexuan, who had been named, immediately protested, jumping up from his chair. “Hey, hey! It’s highly unethical for you two to badmouth me right in front of me, okay?”

Despite his words, he quickly dashed from the back of the private room to the door, threw an arm around Lin Yi’s shoulder, and said with a cheeky grin, “Brother Yi, since you’re already here, give us some face? Although I didn’t expect Li Rui to call you, since we’ve run into each other, why not eat before you go?”

Lin Yi’s gaze swept over Zhang Zexuan’s shoulder, glancing at Xie Chun sitting composedly inside.

Although he disliked his father, he still wanted to maintain the superficial decency of a father-son relationship in front of his friends. Moreover, if he insisted on leaving now, it would be difficult to explain to Shen Beidao later.

He reluctantly nodded, giving his tacit approval.

But Zhang Zexuan, who loved a good spectacle, immediately pushed Lin Yi inside, leading him to the seat next to Xie Chun. He jutted his chin at the young Intern sitting there. “Hey, what’s-your-name, get up for a second. Let Lin Yi sit here.”

The Intern was clearly annoyed by the sudden command, frowning as he retorted, “There are so many empty seats, why do I have to move? Also, my name is Du Xiaoman, not What’s-Your-Name.”

“Xiaoman? I don’t care if you’re Major Snow or Beginning of Spring!” Zhang Zexuan adopted an unreasonable stance. “Do you know who this is? My Brother Yi, the boss among our group of friends! If the boss doesn’t sit in the main seat, who does? Who do you think you are? Move aside!”

The remark was full of hostility. Du Xiaoman’s face instantly flushed red. He abruptly stood up and looked at Xie Chun, his voice laced with suppressed grievance. “Mr. Xie, I’ll wait for you in the car. I won’t be eating this meal.”

Everyone present heard the sourness in his tone.

Xie Chun opened his mouth, seemingly intending to smooth things over, but Lin Yi had already sat down unceremoniously. Ignoring the Intern beside him, he picked up a clean glass, poured some wine, and raised it toward Xie Chun. “Dad, long time no see. I’ll toast you.”

They had just seen each other the day before yesterday, so it was indeed a long time.

Xie Chun looked at the departing Du Xiaoman, then at his indifferent son beside him. He finally raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Lin Yi’s. “Mhm, cheers.”

After a few glasses of wine, the atmosphere eased slightly.

Xie Chun felt the timing was right. He put down his chopsticks and casually mentioned, “Xiao Yi, I heard your school is encouraging internships now? Our Jiangzhou branch happens to need someone in charge. What do you think…”

“I won’t go…” Lin Yi was about to refuse without thinking.

“Uncle!” Zhang Zexuan loudly interrupted Lin Yi, a flattering smile flashing across his face. “I was also looking for a place to Intern! Do you think I could do it? I don’t ask for anything else; if Lin Yi goes to be in charge, I’ll just be his assistant!”

His words seemed to be advocating for himself, but in reality, he was accepting the proposal on Lin Yi’s behalf, blocking his retreat.

Lin Yi glared at Zhang Zexuan. “Aren’t you busy with your gaming competitions lately? Do you even have time to work?”

“Oh, Brother Yi, you don’t understand. This is called balancing life and work!”

Zhang Zexuan leaned closer to Lin Yi and lowered his voice. “My crappy school can’t compare to your key university. They won’t issue a graduation certificate without an internship certificate and a tripartite agreement! I finally ran into an internship opportunity; shouldn’t I seize it?”

He then turned back to Xie Chun, his tone carrying a hint of pleading. “My dear Uncle, please give me a chance. I promise I won’t drag Lin Yi down!”

Xie Chun was amused by him and looked at Lin Yi with a gentle gaze. “Alright, the two of you discuss it. I’ll notify Human Resources on my end, and we can arrange it for you anytime.”

Zhang Zexuan: “Thank you, Uncle. I toast you!”

Xie Chun smiled and clinked glasses with him. As their eyes met, they understood each other.

Lin Yi felt a surge of frustration and said, “Since you’re so thoughtful, why don’t you include Li Rui as well? What’s the point of only arranging things for Zhang Zexuan?”

Li Rui, who was quietly eating, was suddenly called out. He immediately waved his hand. “No need to trouble Uncle. I’m preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, so I don’t have enough time.”

Xie Chun smiled and nodded. “Li Rui is still so dedicated to his studies.”

From then on, Zhang Zexuan’s mouth didn’t close. He began an emotional recollection of the past. “Uncle, you don’t know how fierce Lin Yi was when we were kids!

One time, I was bullied by the fat kid from the next street, and Lin Yi was the one who took me to get revenge. That guy, he could take on three people without flinching! Since then, I decided he was my boss!”

He spoke animatedly, gesticulating wildly, trying his best to emphasize their “unbreakable” brotherhood, attempting to bridge the distance between Lin Yi and Xie Chun…

…

After another half hour of forced small talk, Lin Yi fully understood the purpose of today’s meal: Xie Chun wanted to use the opportunity to mend their relationship, and Zhang Zexuan was simply going with the flow to snag an internship opportunity.

He checked the time, put down his chopsticks, and stood up. “I have class tonight, so I’m heading back to school first. You all take your time.”

Zhang Zexuan immediately transformed into the “Number One Lackey,” standing up with him. “I’ll walk you out.”

The two walked to the restaurant entrance. Once they confirmed they were alone, Zhang Zexuan dropped his cheeky demeanor and lowered his voice. “Buddy, don’t worry. With me around, I guarantee I’ll mess things up for them. Who does that person think they are, coveting my uncle?”

Lin Yi: “Mhm.”

Although he looked like a slacker, he was quite reliable when it mattered.

Zhang Zexuan paused, then put on that pitiful expression again, clasping his hands together. “But you really have to help me with the tripartite agreement… My graduation certificate depends on you!”

Lin Yi’s mind had already flown to the underground parking lot, worried about Shen Beidao waiting for him. He didn’t want to get tangled up any longer, so he nodded. “I know, stop nagging.”

Zhang Zexuan, having received the promise, immediately beamed, his expression changing faster than flipping a book. “Got it! Brother Yi, take care! Wishing you a smooth journey back to school!”

Lin Yi pretended to walk slowly toward the elevator. Once he saw Zhang Zexuan return to the restaurant, he immediately broke into a sprint toward the underground parking lot.

His eagerness was like a small wild beast finally released from its cage, rushing impatiently toward a “vast chest.”

He found the familiar black Maybach, pulled open the passenger door, and slid inside, his breathing still slightly ragged.

“Hmm?” Shen Beidao keenly detected a trace of alcohol, which mixed with Lin Yi’s naturally clean scent, creating a peculiar aroma.

He turned his head to look at him. “Drinking?”

“No, I didn’t drink much,” Lin Yi avoided his deep gaze, feeling a little guilty. “Just one glass.”

He wasn’t sure if Shen Beidao liked alcohol or people who drank.

Just then, Shen Beidao leaned over without warning.

Lin Yi could even clearly see the distinct lashes behind his gold-rimmed glasses and the sharp curve of his collarbone visible above his shirt collar.

His arm reached across Lin Yi’s chest to pull the passenger seat belt.

This movement brought the two of them even closer. Lin Yi could almost feel the airflow from his breathing brush against his sensitive cheek.

His mind instantly went blank, like a sheet of white paper, and his body unconsciously tensed slightly… He thought, if only they could kiss…

With a soft click, the seat belt fastened.

But Shen Beidao didn’t immediately retreat. His gaze fell on Lin Yi’s gently trembling Adam’s apple, lingering for two seconds.

That look carried threads of concentration. The scene seemed to freeze at that moment. They looked at each other for a second, but both quickly looked away.

Lin Yi felt the skin where Shen Beidao’s gaze had swept over tingle as if electrified, raising tiny goosebumps. He was so nervous he could almost hear the sound of his own blood flowing.

“Only one glass? What kind of alcohol has such a strong smell?”

He paused, then glanced at Lin Yi. “Is that why you’ve started trembling?”

Lin Yi opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found his throat too dry to produce a clear sound.

All his quick wit seemed to fail him in front of Shen Beidao. He could feel his cheeks burning, and even his neck was tinged with a faint blush.

“It seems to be… it was Brave the World…”

I want to Brave the World with you… from the living room sofa, to the bedroom bed…

Shen Beidao nodded understandingly, picked up a tissue, and wiped a smudge from the corner of Lin Yi’s mouth. “Beer helps with sleep. That’s good.”

“It’s not good.” Lin Yi suddenly bit his lower lip, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh. This action caused a moist redness to appear at the corners of his eyes, like Peach Blossom Eyes dampened by dew.

“Why is it not good?” Shen Beidao saw the shallow indentation left by his teeth on Lin Yi’s soft, rosy lips, and watched him, suppressing a smile.

Lin Yi: “Too many people. I didn’t eat enough.”

Shen Beidao: “Oh? Then, would you like to come to my place? I can make you a late-night snack.”

“Mhm.” Lin Yi didn’t want to pretend anymore. He absolutely didn’t want to go to some lousy park! He wanted to be on the sofa, on the bed, in any of Shen Beidao’s private spaces…

Shen Beidao slowly retreated to the driver’s seat, his posture composed, as if the highly invasive closeness just moments ago had been unintentional.

He looked straight ahead, his distinctly jointed hands resting on the steering wheel. Shen Beidao caught sight of Lin Yi’s shy and obedient appearance and suddenly felt a strong urge to feed the little rabbit a blade of grass, to tease him. The little rabbit might react defensively, jumping into the bad human’s arms in a fit of pique.

How could he succeed?

This seemed much harder than academic research…

…

Across from the Maybach, Du Xiaoman stared through his car window at the passenger seat of the luxury car.

From his angle, Shen Beidao’s movement of leaning over to help Lin Yi fasten his seat belt, due to the perspective error, made their profiles overlap, looking exactly like a kiss.

Du Xiaoman’s eyes instantly darkened.

He quickly pulled out his phone, aimed it at the car across the way, and snapped several photos before hitting send.

He watched the “Sent Successfully” notification on his screen, a curve of vengeful satisfaction forming on his lips.