Red Rash

As soon as Xu Duwan finished speaking, Shen Mingjin froze.

He hesitated, his gaze sweeping over the "attendants" who were either kneeling at the feet of wealthy young men or sitting in their laps, letting them touch them freely. He frowned slightly and looked up at Xu Duwan.

"You really want to do this?"

It wasn't impossible, but these rich guys sure had interesting preferences.

Shen Mingjin thought to himself.

Seeing Shen Mingjin's furrowed brows and unwilling expression, Xu Duwan suddenly felt an odd sense of satisfaction.

He leaned back into the booth, lightly tapping his temple with his fingertips. His beautiful eyes flashed coldly for a second before pride masked it again. He raised his chin.

"What, not even money can tempt you?"

"…Fine. Since you insist."

Shen Mingjin stepped closer and bent down. His breathtaking face suddenly neared Xu Duwan's. The moment Xu Duwan instinctively leaned back in discomfort, Shen Mingjin's eyes curved slightly with amusement.

For a brief moment, their eyes locked, their breaths mingled, and only the sound of their racing hearts filled the space between them.

Xu Duwan was suddenly reminded of the first time he fell for Shen Mingjin. Back then, the young master of the Shen family wore a black-and-white school uniform, standing tall and elegant. A traditional silver choker, inlaid with Hetian jade, rested against his neck. With just a single glance, Xu Duwan had been utterly captivated.

And now, the same pair of dark eyes—ones that had never lingered on him for long—were staring at him with complete focus. When Shen Mingjin smiled, his eyes shimmered like shattered blue gemstones, glowing under the light. The soft curve of his lips carried a deep, velvety tone, like a spring breeze sweeping through Xu Duwan's heart, causing an uncontrollable tremor within him.

"As you wish."

Before Xu Duwan could even process what he meant, the next second, he found himself wrapped in a warm embrace.

His body jolted in shock, and as he lost balance, he fell backward—only to be caught by a strong hand that pulled him forward instead.

The faint scent of lavender body wash rushed into his nose. It was clearly the cheapest, most artificial fragrance from a guesthouse, yet at this moment, it felt like a hypnotic drug, intoxicating him to the point of dizziness.

His eyes widened. Right in front of him were Shen Mingjin's delicate, pale collarbones and the slight rise and fall of his Adam's apple. The smooth skin revealed faint traces of veins, subtly appearing and disappearing with each steady breath against Xu Duwan's ear.

"..."

Pressed against the firm and warm chest of another man, Xu Duwan gulped, struggling to suppress the impulse to reach out and feel the defined muscles beneath. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself to sound annoyed.

"What are you doing?!"

"Aren't I feeding you wine like you asked?"

Now, Shen Mingjin was the one who looked confused. Calmly picking up a glass, he raised a brow as he looked down at Xu Duwan. Just this simple movement was enough to make Xu Duwan's heart skip a beat.

"Here, drink."

"..."

Xu Duwan was speechless. His gaze swept over the onlookers, all watching in amusement. His brows knitted together as he snapped in frustration.

"Who told you to hold me?!"

He had planned to tease Shen Mingjin, but instead, he ended up being the one teased.

Where was his dignity?!

"You didn't see that everyone else is being held too?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He struggled to break free, but when he realized he couldn't, his frustration only grew.

Shen Mingjin, upon hearing this, suddenly seemed to realize something. He turned his head and observed the room.

He saw the delicate young men draped over the laps of these rich heirs, being toyed with like prized possessions. Then, he looked down at Xu Duwan, who was currently sitting on his lap.

Finally, Shen Mingjin understood just how wrong his behavior was—how out of place it was in this setting.

A hint of apology crossed his face. With the utmost care, like handling a sacred relic, he gently lifted Xu Duwan off him. Then, standing up straight, he gave a formal bow.

"I'm sorry. I didn't fully understand your needs."

Xu Duwan's expression finally softened a little. Though still awkward, he muttered under his breath, "Forget it, forget it…"

"But."

Shen Mingjin suddenly continued, his tone serious.

"If you want me to hold you, that's a separate charge."

"..."

Xu Duwan nearly choked on his wine. The liquid got stuck in his throat, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

Clutching his chest, he coughed violently, his face turning bright red—whether from anger or suffocation, he wasn't sure. He glared at Shen Mingjin, speechless.

Shen Mingjin, looking utterly clueless, tilted his head, genuinely not understanding what he did wrong.

"..."

"Hey, pretty boy, come here."

A different wealthy heir, seeing Shen Mingjin let go of Xu Duwan and noticing Xu Duwan's stormy expression, assumed that Shen Mingjin had fallen out of favor.

Excited, the man slapped his thigh and grinned.

"Come to me. I'll treat you well."

As if flaunting his wealth, he pulled out a thick wad of cash from his wallet. Under everyone's astonished gazes, he threw the bills into the air. The red banknotes fluttered down like falling leaves.

"As long as you spend the night with me, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."

Shen Mingjin's expression darkened.

His face turned serious.

"What you're doing is wrong."

He frowned, his expression serious, as if he was about to say something important.

But before he could even open his mouth, the people around him gasped, covering their mouths in shock. Especially his more experienced colleagues—who had been working here for a long time—were terrified that the newcomer, Shen Mingjin, might say something dramatic like "Money can't buy dignity" or "You can have my body, but not my heart."

If that happened, tonight's business would probably go down the drain.

As everyone watched nervously, and a few rich young men gave Shen Mingjin amused looks that practically said, "Interesting man," he finally lowered his head and spoke seriously:

"I'll accompany you if that's what you want. It's not a big deal. But how could you just throw money on the floor like that? You're wasting it."

Then, without hesitation, he crouched down and calmly picked up each bill one by one.

Xu Duwan: "..."

Jiang Ruoling: "..."

The colleagues & rich kids: "..."

Jiang Ruoling was so shocked by Shen Mingjin's unusual logic that his jaw almost dropped. He rubbed his forehead, then turned to look at Xu Duwan, whose face was dark as night.

"I finally understand why you liked him before," Jiang Ruoling said.

Xu Duwan turned his head slightly, his face hidden in the shadows of the dim lighting. His expression was unreadable. "Why?"

"He really has this…"

Jiang Ruoling waved his arms in the air, trying to find the right words. After thinking for a moment, he finally came up with a perfect description.

"He has this… brainless beauty."

Xu Duwan: "..."

He actually had no way to argue with that.

But—Shen Mingjin hadn't always been like this.

While they were talking, Shen Mingjin had already finished picking up the money and walked over to the rich young man who had thrown it.

His original intention was to return the money and then continue his work. But the rich man misunderstood, thinking Shen Mingjin was showing interest in him. Smirking, he pulled Shen Mingjin to sit beside him.

Shen Mingjin, still under the impression that his job was simply to sell alcohol, sat up straight and, using the little knowledge he had, began seriously introducing the quality and prices of the drinks.

The rich man, however, wasn't listening at all. His gaze lingered on Shen Mingjin's breathtakingly beautiful face, then slowly moved down to his waist, filled with desire. Meanwhile, Xu Duwan clenched his jaw tightly.

At first, Jiang Ruoling thought Xu Duwan didn't care anymore. But when he glanced down—

Oh.

The glass in Xu Duwan's hand was about to shatter from how hard he was gripping it.

Damn, he's about to master Iron Palm Kung Fu at this rate.

The rich man smirked and reached out to touch Shen Mingjin, but Shen Mingjin dodged skillfully. Annoyed, the man decided to take a different approach—getting him drunk first. He smiled and coaxed,

"If you're selling… drinks, shouldn't you try some yourself? How else will we know if it's any good?"

For some reason, after touching the money earlier, the ink smell still lingered in Shen Mingjin's nose. His stomach twisted, his heart raced. He suddenly felt nauseous, dizzy.

The rich man's face seemed to distort before him, his voice echoing unnaturally in his ears, as if drilling into his skull.

Without him realizing it, a cold glass had already been pressed against his lips. The liquid slipped past his slightly parted teeth, burning his throat as he choked and coughed violently. The strong alcohol felt like a wet cotton ball clogging his airway, making it difficult to breathe. No matter how hard he coughed, he couldn't get it out.

Even though Shen Mingjin had lost his memories, he wasn't completely clueless.

He immediately realized something was wrong with his body.

With a sharp push, he shoved the rich man away—the man who had been slowly inching closer, his hands already reaching for Shen Mingjin's waist. Stumbling to his feet, Shen Mingjin tried to force himself toward the door.

But his vision was already twisting, warping like the patterns on a lollipop. The room no longer looked the same.

Darkness swallowed his sight.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed, barely managing to grab onto the edge of the table before falling.

"Shen Mingjin!"

Xu Duwan's heart nearly stopped.

He shot up from his seat and rushed over, grabbing Shen Mingjin's arm. But when he saw the large red rashes suddenly appearing on Shen Mingjin's skin, his chest tightened with panic. A terrible feeling crept over him.

"What's wrong with you?!"

Shen Mingjin struggled to breathe, his face pale as a sheet. The unbearable itching on his arms forced him to stay conscious. Even as his vision blurred, he still tried to answer Xu Duwan's question.

"I… I think… something's wrong…"