Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 37

The meal was going well when Jiang Jiao suddenly got the idea to celebrate He Lang’s new job, as well as his own good fortune in acquiring a valuable employee, by ordering a bottle of wine.

He Lang used to drink occasionally in the past, but those were low-alcohol drinks like pear blossom wine or plum wine. Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t touched alcohol and had no idea what the liquor here was like or that the wine Jiang Jiao ordered was quite strong.

Seeing that Jiang Jiao had poured the drink for him with sincerity, He Lang felt it would be impolite not to drink. He downed it in one go to show his deep appreciation, in the spirit of “the deeper the friendship, the more you drink.”

But to his surprise, just one cup made him slightly tipsy. His ears began to heat up, and his body grew warm.

“Just one glass? No way, you can’t be drunk already. Here, have another—just one more,” Jiang Jiao said casually as he refilled He Lang’s glass.

Seeing how easily He Lang got tipsy, Jiang Jiao was somewhat delighted. After downing another glass, He Lang admitted that he was now feeling dizzy.

Jiang Jiao paid the bill, then cheerfully helped He Lang to his feet and kindly offered, “Shall I take you home?”

Jiang Jiao was very close, his words clear in He Lang’s ear, his warm breath brushing against He Lang’s cheek. The alcohol made He Lang’s whole body feel like it was on fire.

“You’ve been drinking, you can’t drive…”

“I didn’t drink,” Jiang Jiao quickly replied, shaking his head innocently, though the mischievous smile on his face told another story.

Although both of their glasses were filled from the same bottle, He Lang had been the one doing all the drinking, while Jiang Jiao had only pretended to sip.

He Lang sighed in resignation. Realizing he couldn’t make it home on his own, he reluctantly gave Jiang Jiao his address.

Due to his previous bad experiences in school dormitories, He Lang lived alone. Since he couldn’t take care of himself properly, his family had hired a housekeeper to prepare meals and clean his place at regular intervals.

But aside from when he was out during the day, He Lang was alone at home most of the time.

So when Jiang Jiao asked if anyone would be there to take care of him, He Lang hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Jiao turned the steering wheel and asked, “You live alone, don’t you?”

“Mm…” He Lang nodded, caught off guard, and added, “But there’s a lady who comes during the day to look after me—”

“Are you an idiot?” Jiang Jiao slammed on the brakes, abruptly stopping the car.

This was the first time He Lang had seen Jiang Jiao so angry. His feelings were complicated, but he knew Jiang Jiao was only concerned about him, so he said nothing.

“No one to take care of you, no one to make you sober-up soup—how do you expect to sleep well? What good is someone coming during the day? By the time she arrives, you’ll already have a splitting headache. Let me tell you, you have to come work for me tomorrow. If you’re even slightly unwell, I’ll dock your pay.”

Jiang Jiao spoke sternly, scolding him, but his hands never stopped gently touching He Lang’s cheeks to check how drunk he was.

His hands felt nice, and his concern was comforting, making He Lang close his eyes in relaxation.

Jiang Jiao, feeling a bit frustrated, muttered under his breath, “I just wanted to get your address, didn’t expect this. If I had known, I wouldn’t have made you drink so much…”

Even though He Lang was an adult, Jiang Jiao couldn’t help but worry about him, feeling like this man wouldn’t take care of himself. If Jiang Jiao didn’t watch over him, what would happen to him?

Realizing something wasn’t right, Jiang Jiao asked, “You’re here for school—why aren’t you living in the dorms? If you can’t take care of yourself, why live alone? You don’t seem too focused on your studies, so did you come to England just to attend a few exhibitions?”

“Um… I think I got kicked out,” He Lang mumbled with his eyes closed, drowsily answering Jiang Jiao’s questions.

“Oh? Why?” Jiang Jiao was a bit surprised, not expecting this.

“They wanted me to meet girls, but I told them I liked guys, so my parents got angry—” He Lang, drunk and unthinking, blurted out everything without a filter.

This left Jiang Jiao stunned, struggling to repeat, “You… you like men?”

He Lang, embarrassed about his sexual orientation, chuckled bitterly at Jiang Jiao’s shocked tone, “Is that strange? Even though I don’t have anyone I like, I know I can’t like girls…”

Jiang Jiao looked out the car window, trying to calm his racing heart. He took a deep breath and, taking advantage of He Lang’s closed eyes, leaned closer to study his face, wondering if this was just drunken nonsense.

This was the first time Jiang Jiao had the chance to gaze at him so freely, and it made him feel satisfied.

He had always known He Lang was handsome, but up close, he realized just how finely crafted every feature was. It made Jiang Jiao’s heart race like a teenager’s. His gaze fell to He Lang’s lips, which were still moist from the wine, making them look soft and incredibly tempting.

Jiang Jiao stared, momentarily dazed, before forcing himself to look away, afraid he might lose control and kiss him.

He took several deep breaths, turned on the car’s air conditioning, and finally responded to He Lang’s earlier question, “No, it’s not strange at all. It’s actually… good.”

He Lang, puzzled, opened his eyes slightly but could only see a blurry image of Jiang Jiao smiling at him, with stars twinkling—whether in his eyes or in the sky, he couldn’t tell.

“Living alone is too lonely, and now that you’re drunk, with no one to help you, why don’t you come to my place?” Jiang Jiao offered, ever the good host, naturally arranging a place for him.

He Lang, perhaps too drunk to think straight, was gently guided by Jiang Jiao to nod his head as if he were agreeing. Satisfied, Jiang Jiao turned the car around and cheerfully said, “Alright then, let’s go to my place.”

…

The next day, when He Lang realized he and Jiang Jiao were in bed together, his head nearly exploded, and he promptly kicked Jiang Jiao out of bed.

Jiang Jiao, shirtless, rubbed his messy hair and squinted at He Lang with sleepy eyes.

He Lang asked seriously, “Did I say anything strange last night?”

Jiang Jiao pretended to rack his brains, then replied under He Lang’s anxious gaze, “Yeah, you said you were kicked out of your house and that’s why you came to England… and that you like men.”

He Lang cursed himself in frustration. Why did he spill everything after drinking? And this guy, acting like it was no big deal, even brought him home and slept with him—didn’t his house have a guest room?

He grabbed the clothes by the bed, which were freshly washed and dried, still carrying the scent of laundry detergent. Satisfied, he put them on and glanced at Jiang Jiao, “You know I like men, and you still dared to sleep with me.”

Jiang Jiao didn’t shy away, smiling as he pressed his lips together, “It’s fine, I think I like you too.”

“Are you gay?” He Lang paused while dressing, turning to give him a once-over.

Jiang Jiao waved his hand dismissively and pointed at him, “No, I just like you.”

He Lang, expressionless, fastened the last button, picked up his phone and wallet, and headed for the door. “Is it still possible to terminate our contract now?”

Jiang Jiao thought he was serious and quickly got up, grabbing his arm. “No! I was just joking, don’t get mad…”

“Let go,” He Lang said, shaking off his arm.

Jiang Jiao obediently let go, making a gesture of surrender, looking at him with puppy eyes.

“Forget it. Don’t joke about this again… It’s weird,” He Lang said, feeling a wave of discomfort as he furrowed his brow.

He thought Jiang Jiao was a decent person and genuinely wanted to get along with him, but he absolutely didn’t want their relationship to develop into something more intimate, which is why he kept him at arm’s length.

Jiang Jiao lowered his head and muttered, “Okay,” then immediately brightened up with a smile. “Alright, enough talking. Let’s go to work together.”

Following him into the office, He Lang saw a long table covered in red cloth, neatly displaying various antiques.

“The company bought a batch of antiques today. Take a look and see which ones are real and how valuable they are,” Jiang Jiao’s voice came from behind. He Lang was already drawn to the table, his eyes lighting up as he quickly examined each item, spotting a yellow-glazed brush pot, a red-glazed Mei vase, a pair of Jiaqing poem bowls, and a Qianlong square-mouthed, double-eared vase.

There was also a workbench nearby with tools for authenticating the antiques.

However, He Lang had never liked using tools. He preferred relying on his ears and eyes alone. As soon as he touched the antiques, his emotions were stirred. He sat down with a porcelain vase and began to carefully examine it.

Jiang Jiao also sat across from him, staring at him without blinking, as if he had nothing better to do.

After He Lang finished examining the first vase, he couldn’t help but hint, “You know, men who work seriously are the most attractive.” His implication was a reminder for Jiang Jiao to focus on his own work.

“Yeah, I also like men who work seriously,” Jiang Jiao said, resting his chin on his hand and smiling at him, seemingly twisting He Lang’s words on purpose.

“…” He Lang put down the vase, speechless. Was this guy really so shameless?

Seeing He Lang’s displeased expression, Jiang Jiao quickly changed the subject, pointing at the vase, “Do you think this one is real?”

He Lang tapped the vase, listening to the crisp and melodious sound that indicated a fine, dense porcelain body without cracks. The high-temperature firing had fully vitrified it. After examining the year mark on the bottom, with its iron hooks and silver strokes, the cloudy glaze surface, and checking the inside and the vase mouth, he was about seventy to eighty percent certain. He nodded.

The corners of Jiang Jiao’s eyes lifted, revealing a hopeful smile as he asked, “So, do you like it?”

He Lang touched the vase and nodded in approval. “It’s decent.”

“Then I’ll give it to you,” Jiang Jiao offered generously.

He Lang almost dropped the vase, immediately placing it back properly, and politely declined, “It’s too valuable, I can’t accept it.”

He had expected this outcome, but Jiang Jiao still looked a bit disappointed. Folding his arms, he pretended to be angry, “These things aren’t that valuable to you, right? I think you just don’t want to accept gifts from me.”

He Lang sighed softly, leisurely wiping some remaining dust off the antiques. “If you’re so eager to give me something, why not just give me the company too?” Then he’d take all the antiques and give the company to his brother.

Jiang Jiao, like a puppy wagging its tail, carefully helped him put the vase away, beaming as he replied, “Sure, the company and the boss can be yours.”

With that, his free hand rested on the back of He Lang’s hand, their skin touching, the warmth between them carrying a hint of ambiguous intent.

**Author’s Note:** Do you like Jiang Jiao? But the space is limited, so there might not be much more of him…