SABA Chapter 23

The inconvenience of trending on social media. One day, Jiang Tiao and Huo Shen were flying back to Yun Jing. While waiting in the VIP lounge, Jiang Tiao noticed a young lady who kept glancing at him. When he looked at her, she immediately lowered her head and pretended to look at her phone. As soon as he looked away, she would look at him again, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

Seeing her struggling, Jiang Tiao smiled and greeted her, “Hi~ What did you want to say?”

The girl was startled, her face turning red like a ripe apple. She shyly glanced at Jiang Tiao a few times, but didn’t say a word before turning and running away.

Jiang Tiao found it amusing and laughed heartily.

Huo Shen watched him, a hint of a helpless smile in his eyes.

“Alright, it’s time to board.”

Jiang Tiao didn’t mind being nudged and happily boarded the plane with Huo Shen.

The girl ran all the way to the restroom and sprayed herself a few times with her mist, feeling her blushing cheeks finally cool down. Her phone was on the sink, displaying a chat page with her girlfriend. The first message was sent about ten minutes ago.

“Damn, I really didn’t check the almanac before going out today. Do you know who I met at the airport?! Jiang Tiao!!! It was Jiang Tiao!!!”

“Should I go up and scold him, tell him to stop riding my brother’s coattails? Do you think he’ll get angry and lash out?”

Girlfriend: “Go for it!”

“Okay! I’m going. In broad daylight, I don’t believe he’d dare to lay a hand on me!”

…

“Damn, I walked with him the whole way. He’s really a super handsome guy in real life, with amazing skin. He’s handsome even without makeup!”

Girlfriend: “Sucking oxygen by pinching the philtrum.jpg”

Girlfriend: “[Shaking] Wake up! Don’t you hate how he always mentions Chu Xu? Who is it that curses him out as soon as they see his name? How did one face buy you over??!!”

“Wuwuwu, but he’s really different from what they say online. He’s really polite in person, even smiling and being very courteous to the cleaning lady.”

“Ah, his friend is also very handsome. But not the same type as him, he looks a bit cold.”

“Ahhh, no, his friend smiled when he spoke to him just now, and when he smiles… my legs went weak.”

Girlfriend: “Dizzy.gif”

Girlfriend: “Sister, I don’t quite understand you. Are you smitten with him or his friend?”

[Photo][Photo][Photo][Photo][Photo]

Girlfriend: “???????”

Girlfriend: “!!!!!!!!!!!”

Girlfriend: “Who are these two handsome guys?!”

Girlfriend: “Damn! You curse Jiang Tiao every day, why didn’t you show me his photos before cursing?!”

“He seems to have noticed me looking at him!”

Girlfriend: “It’s okay! Don’t panic! You can look at people in public!”

“Wuwuwu, not only did he not show displeasure, he even smiled at me!!”

“His smile is really alluring, his eyes are curved, both charming and noble.”

Girlfriend: “Ahhh! Why didn’t I go to the airport with you today!”

“I think he’s perfect for playing the role of a young master from a wealthy family. Can someone cast him in a wuxia drama! I want to see him play a naive yet flamboyant young swordsman from a renowned family entering the martial world!”

Girlfriend: “Live stream! Please give me a live stream!”

“Ahhh, he he he he, he just greeted me proactively.”

Girlfriend: “????”

Girlfriend: “And then?”

Girlfriend: “Where’d they go?”

Girlfriend: “Did you chat about anything?”

Girlfriend: “Live stream! I’m tired of saying it! Live stream!!!”

“Wuwuwuwuwuwu, I was too nervous, I ran away. I’m in the restroom now.”

Girlfriend: “Sigh.gif”

Girlfriend: “You had the chance but you couldn’t seize it.jpg”

[Crying][Crying][Crying]

Wang Qiong logged into Weibo and casually posted her mood.

“Once upon a time, an opportunity to speak to a handsome guy was presented to me, but only when it was lost did I regret it and weep tears like a monkey entering the forest, crawling in the dark!!”

[Photo][Photo][Photo][Photo][Photo]

…

Handsome guys attract attention wherever they go, let alone two of them. Wang Qiong didn’t expect it to attract attention, so she quickly deleted the Weibo post where she hadn’t blurred the faces of the civilians before the situation escalated.

She thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly received many private messages from her previous fellow fans, cursing at her.

Wang Qiong felt very wronged. She wasn’t a hardcore fan; her Weibo account was for her daily life, where she shared everything big or small. She did like the celebrity Chu Xu before and reposted many of his updates, but who says you can only have one internet boyfriend?

A rebellious internet girl naturally wouldn’t back down. She decisively followed Jiang Tiao’s Weibo and, in private messages, engaged in heated arguments with her former fellow fans. She secretly vowed that for every insult she received, she would delete one Weibo post related to Chu Xu. After deleting them all, she would unfollow him, and if she was cursed again, she would retaliate!

…

After Jiang Tiao landed, he saw the message sent to Nie Jin by the promotional staff in the work group. He clicked to view the photos of him and Huo Shen being secretly photographed, and a smile involuntarily spread across his lips. He long-pressed and saved the images.

…

Jiang Mingyan’s affairs in France finally came to an end. As Jiang Tiao had nothing to do that day, he pulled Huo Shen along to pick him up at the airport.

Jiang Mingyan was tall and had an outstanding aura. Jiang Tiao spotted him from afar. Also accompanying him was Chu Yunhao’s older brother, Chu Qingchao. The Chu family’s main business was in the fashion industry, and Chu’s mother had founded the most influential fashion magazine in the country.

Chu Qingchao was dressed fashionably, with a wolf tail haircut and a few streaks of Bordeaux red in his dark brown hair. However, at first glance, it didn’t appear overly flashy but rather exuded a sophisticated elegance.

He noticed Jiang Tiao and Huo Shen before Jiang Mingyan and gestured with his chin towards them, signaling them to approach with their assistants.

“Brother, Brother Qingchao,” Jiang Tiao greeted them happily.

Chu Qingchao raised his sunglasses and leaned closer to Jiang Tiao, examining him up and down. “Oh, your brain is back to normal? Heh, that’s really not easy.”

His tone was barbed and sounded particularly sarcastic.

Jiang Tiao was slightly taken aback. Chu Qingchao was the same age as Jiang Mingyan, and they had grown up playing together, causing trouble as children and going wild as they grew older, sharing a deep and close friendship.

He treated Jiang Tiao like a younger brother, always bringing him something fun, delicious, or interesting if he brought it for Chu Yunhao. Sometimes, he was even more amiable towards Jiang Tiao than towards his own unloved brother.

This was the first time Jiang Tiao had been treated by Chu Qingchao with such an attitude.

Seeing the looks from Jiang Mingyan and Huo Shen, Chu Qingchao made a zipping gesture with his lips, signaling that he would shut up.

“Okay, okay, okay,” he said sarcastically, pricking them. “This is your darling. Heh, I’m leaving. You two take your time catching up.”

Chu Qingchao turned and waved dismissively before striding towards his car. His assistant, dragging two large suitcases, awkwardly bowed and apologized to the three before rushing to catch up with his boss.

Jiang Mingyan frowned, a trace of worry in his eyes.

“Wait for me.”

Jiang Mingyan greeted Jiang Tiao and the others before walking towards where Chu Qingchao had gone.

Jiang Tiao looked at Huo Shen in bewilderment.

Chu Qingchao had a personality where he treated people based on whether he liked them or not. Compared to Huo Shen and Jiang Mingyan, he was much more emotional. He inherited his mother’s taste for fashion and art, and also had the common flaw of artists: romantic, delicate, and pessimistic. He was protective, biased, and would go all out for the people he cared about, while never showing a good face to those he disliked.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Seeing the confusion and helplessness in Jiang Tiao’s eyes, Huo Shen paused before reassuring him, “No, it’s just some company matters.”

Jiang Tiao was very surprised. “Can you really have conflicts because of company business?”

No wonder Chu Qingchao’s attitude towards Jiang Mingyan and Huo Shen had been slightly sharp just now.

“Money is truly the root of all evil!”

Huo Shen smiled at Jiang Tiao’s expression of “You’ve fallen so low.” He didn’t explain.

Not far away, Jiang Mingyan stopped Chu Qingchao, who was about to get into his car. They seemed to be having a slight argument, with Chu Qingchao doing most of the talking.

Jiang Tiao watched as Chu Qingchao stood by his car door with his arms crossed, saying something with a cold, sarcastic expression. Jiang Mingyan stood in front of him, looking helpless and a little indulgent.

Jiang Tiao rarely saw this side of his brother. Jiang Mingyan actually had a bad temper and was known as the “Living King of Hell” outside, only restraining himself somewhat at home. Even so, he would still occasionally reveal his tyrannical nature to Jiang Tiao.

Jiang Tiao didn’t know what Jiang Mingyan said, but Chu Qingchao’s expression softened slightly. Jiang Mingyan, with a smile on his face, opened the car door for him. Chu Qingchao glared at Jiang Mingyan before unhappily getting into the car.

Jiang Mingyan returned after watching the Chu family’s car drive away. Seeing Jiang Tiao’s noticeably lower spirits, he explained Chu Qingchao’s behavior, “He’s just like that, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. When he’s in a bad mood, he snaps at everyone. Don’t blame him. He was actually very happy to hear you were discharged from the hospital and even picked out a gift for me to bring you.”

Jiang Tiao didn’t blame Chu Qingchao. He knew Chu Qingchao wouldn’t treat him badly without reason.

“Bad mood?” Jiang Tiao asked curiously, his eyes filled with concern. “Did something happen?”

Jiang Mingyan paused, then evaded the main point, explaining, “There was some trouble at his home, and his mother’s death anniversary is also approaching.”

Because of Chu Yunhao, Jiang Tiao had some knowledge of the Chu family’s situation. Besides Chu Qingchao and Chu Yunhao, Chu’s father had many illegitimate children outside. Their birth mother, while pregnant, was angered by a mistress who brought her illegitimate children and caused a scene, leading to a miscarriage and eventual difficult labor due to depression.

“No wonder Chu Yunhao has also been preoccupied and in a bad mood lately,” Jiang Tiao understood, lost in thought.

Huo Shen, seeing Jiang Tiao walking ahead, gave Jiang Mingyan a questioning look.

Jiang Mingyan avoided Jiang Tiao’s gaze and shook his head, pressing his temples with a headache.

Jiang Mingyan had other things on his mind and didn’t notice until Huo Shen helped his assistant load his belongings into the trunk. He then realized that the driver, who should have been doing this, seemed to be absent today.

Jiang Tiao, sitting in the driver’s seat, poked his head out with a smug smile, looking as proud as could be.

Jiang Mingyan’s heart sank with dread. He clung to a sliver of hope, “You got your license?”

Jiang Tiao was clearly happy. “Hahaha, I just got it yesterday. You’re very lucky, I’m only the second person I’m driving.”

Jiang Mingyan looked at Huo Shen, who had gotten into the passenger seat, with a speechless expression. “No wonder you came to pick me up with him.”

Huo Shen chuckled faintly, “Friendly reminder, it’s better to fasten your seatbelt in the back too.”

“????”

“Are you capable of this?” Jiang Mingyan asked, horrified, trying to make one last desperate plea. “Your Huo Huo is still in the car!”

Jiang Tiao, seeing that everyone was in the car, drove out of the parking spot with a stomp on the accelerator and a sharp turn. “He already rode in my car with me all night yesterday.”

Jiang Mingyan almost flew into the front seat and quickly fastened his seatbelt.

Jiang Tiao: “Relax, Chu Yunhao and I have been racing for so many years, and we’ve never flipped the car.” [Note]

Huo Shen said with a smile, “It’s okay, this car has been modified. Its safety features are very high, reportedly comparable to a tank.”

“………” Jiang Mingyan’s face turned pale, his heart filled with despair.

Jiang Tiao wasn’t exaggerating. His driving skills were indeed excellent, with first-class obstacle avoidance. He weaved through the crowded city streets as if no one else was there.

Jiang Mingyan felt disoriented. He felt like he wasn’t in reality but playing a racing game like Need for Speed, with the perspective of a spectator.

Jiang Tiao safely drove home, making a cool drift into the garage. He beamed and turned to look at Huo Shen, proudly asking, “How was it?”

Huo Shen’s eyes were filled with a smile. “Yes, you drove very well.”

When it came to the ability to speak nonsense with a straight face, Jiang Mingyan only admired Huo Shen. Jiang Mingyan felt like his eyes were going blind. He truly feared that if Jiang Tiao pointed at the moon and called it the sun, Huo Shen would restructure the company to have employees rest during the day and work at night.

Jiang Mingyan didn’t understand why he had to suffer such torment. Exhausted physically and mentally, he got out of the car and saw his brother’s head sticking out of the car window, looking like he was begging for praise.

“You drove very well,” Jiang Mingyan said perfunctorily.

“Don’t drive next time,” Jiang Mingyan said sincerely.

…