Under the Dusk - Chapter 13

Ji Yan still remembered Ruan Shu mentioning she wanted to take on a part-time job.

Recently, the club happened to be looking for someone to design some merchandise. Ji Yan thought Ruan Shu would be a good fit. In the future, any design work the club needed could be a long-term collaboration, and she could coordinate directly with Mai Jie.

Ruan Shu’s first impression of Mai Jie was that his little tiger teeth were adorable.

Mai Jie was also very enthusiastic about Ruan Shu. Along the way, he kept discussing his ideas and concepts with her, but Ruan Shu just nodded and said, “I understand.” Meanwhile, she secretly glanced at Ji Yan in the driver’s seat.

He looked good driving, and his hands were nice too.

Finally, the car stopped at Four Seasons KTV on Zhongshan Road in Chaoyang District.

There were ten of them, and they came in three cars. After finding a parking spot, Ji Yan led them inside and booked a large private room.

The man at the front desk, with a slicked-back hairstyle, greeted Ji Yan, “Boss.”

This was Ji Yan’s KTV.

On the way there, He Yunfei had joked that married men knew how to manage their households. Even when treating people to karaoke, they’d go to Ji Yan’s KTV, so in the end, the bill would still fall on Yan Ge.

Qin Fu said, “What do you know? He’s treating, but Ji Yan’s paying. Same difference.”

The two of them bantered while smoking.

Ji Yan just smiled.

He was in a good mood, but only Ruan Shu knew why.

The front desk staff asked while opening the room, “Boss, why aren’t you wearing a suit today?”

Ji Yan said, “It’s too hot.”

“But that jacket you’re wearing is also hot.”

After leaving the locker room, Ji Yan had thrown on a windbreaker, zipped it up, and wore it all the way to the KTV.

Once the room was ready, Ji Yan had someone take them in first. Ruan Shu only heard him reply, “Why do you care?”

The walk felt a bit surreal. Ruan Shu called out to Mai Jie ahead, asking, “Does Yan Ge usually wear suits when he comes to the KTV?”

“Ah… yes!” Mai Jie turned around, surprised that she would ask a question, especially since she hadn’t seemed like much of a talker earlier.

Mai Jie, a bit embarrassed but also proud, said, “You probably haven’t seen it, right? Yan Ge looks really handsome in a suit. Not many people can pull off a suit with such style. People say that when he stands at the entrance, he looks like the star attraction here. But Yan Ge doesn’t like wearing them. The front desk mentioned that whenever he does, more customers show up, so he occasionally obliges.”

Ruan Shu hadn’t seen it.

But just seeing him in dress pants and a shirt last time had already made her think he looked incredibly handsome.

“Oh,” Ruan Shu said. “So, does he actually do it?”

“Do what?”

“Be the star attraction.”

“No way!” Mai Jie, still a kid at around sixteen or seventeen, quickly defended him. “Yan Ge would never do that! He doesn’t even have a girlfriend!”

Ruan Shu realized her question had startled him and apologized with a smile. “Sorry, I just thought he seemed to have a lot of side jobs.”

“Only one or two.”

Mai Jie explained that Ji Yan’s favorite was their club, but since it was just a hobby and couldn’t pay the bills, he opened a KTV. His main job was still running his business.

Ruan Shu nodded.

As they talked, Ji Yan caught up from behind and asked what they were discussing. Mai Jie, always obedient to Ji Yan, immediately said, “We were talking about you.”

“About me?” Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah!” Mai Jie nodded firmly and then spilled every detail of their conversation to Ji Yan.
Ruan Shu: “…”

This kid, why so honest?

Ruan Shu felt a bit guilty, but Ji Yan didn’t say anything, just gave her a meaningful look.

***

This KTV was practically He Yunfei’s paradise.

When he first dyed his hair green, Ruan Shu had thought it was an eyesore, but under the KTV lights, it actually looked fitting.

And surprisingly, he could sing really well.

The others found their seats, but Ji Yan, who wasn’t much of a singer, usually sat in the corner. Mai Jie liked to sit next to him whenever possible, and seeing an empty spot, he immediately went for it.

Ji Yan blocked him with his leg. “You think you can fit here?”

Mai Jie glanced at the sofa to Ji Yan’s right and hesitated. “…Huh? I can fit…”

His butt wasn’t that big.

“Go over there.” Ji Yan tilted his chin, dismissing him without a second thought.

Just then, He Yunfei, who was switching songs, called out, “Mai Jie! Song god! Come here! Let’s duet this one!”

And just like that, the seat was left empty.

Ruan Shu stood still, and Ji Yan’s gaze seemed to say: What are you waiting for?

Ruan Shu said: I don’t dare sit.

Ji Yan shifted his open knees and insisted: Come here.

The room was bathed in ambiguous lightning , reminiscent of the song “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” they had listened to that night.

After a brief exchange of glances, Ruan Shu finally sat down beside him, her voice soft. “You didn’t return my pants.” She took a breath and added in a gentle tone, “I might flash someone…”

She sounded helpless.

Her skirt was short, only reaching her knees. Earlier in the car, she hadn’t dared to move much and hadn’t spoken much either.

Ji Yan took off his jacket and handed it to her. “Why didn’t you take it earlier? Don’t like my clothes?”

And besides, the pants were too wet to wear now.

Ruan Shu whispered, half-teasing, “Your clothes are too expensive. I can’t afford to pay you back.”

“You don’t have to.” Ji Yan just smiled. His smile was too captivating, like a goblin or, as Mai Jie had said, the star attraction.

Ji Yan leaned in, his voice low enough for only her to hear. “Let me touch your bre*sts when we get back?”

Ruan Shu was taken aback that he could say something so explicit. Her face flushed, and she felt something wet between her legs again. She nodded lightly, her face red.

She looked too obedient.

Ji Yan’s gaze seemed like he wanted to hold her hand, but someone called him, and he had to stop. He just turned back to look at her.

…

As it turned out, no matter how well someone could sing, karaoke nights always devolved into “howling like wolves.” Especially Mai Jie, who looked so innocent but had chosen to sing “Love for Sale.”

The contrast was jarring, and his singing skills were… not exactly praiseworthy.

Ji Yan asked if she wanted to sing, but Ruan Shu said no. Her voice was too soft, and Mai Jie was already belting into the microphone with all his might: “Selling my love! You’ve betrayed my trust!”

“…”

Ji Yan had to lean closer, lowering his head. “What?”

The distance was too close, and Ruan Shu almost kissed his ear.

“I said… I don’t want to sing.”

Every time she went to karaoke, she played the role of the audience and the fruit platter cleaner. She wasn’t good at dice games and often lost, but she could play cards well because she had a good memory and could calculate the odds.

Their fingers touched in a hidden corner, and he took her hand.

Ji Yan looked into her eyes and said, “Okay.”

Later, a server came in with a few bottles of alcohol. The men drank straight from the bottles, and Cen Baishuang, despite her delicate appearance, could hold her liquor. When it was Ruan Shu’s turn, Ji Yan stepped in, saying, “The little girl can’t drink.”

Before Ruan Shu could react, someone else asked, “Is she underage?”

It was the girl with the high ponytail.

Ruan Shu actually recognized her. She was a senior at her school and lived next door. When Ruan Shu had a conflict with her dormmates and was about to move out, she had seen her standing in the hallway.

But overall, they weren’t that close.

Before Ji Yan could speak, Ruan Shu said, “I’m of age.”

She was 19 this year. It was just beer, and she had drunk it with Sang Wanning before.

“Then why can’t she drink?” The girl raised an eyebrow at her. “If you’re out to have fun, you should at least know how to drink, right?”