Chapter 46: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (46)
Yu Jinheng stood there, gazing at Cen Yu bathed in the moonlight, as well as Yu Xinyu, who was holding him in his arms.
Equipped with exceptional eyesight, he could naturally tell that Yu Xinyu was wrapping his arm around Cen Yu’s waist, tracing the tattoo on his lower abdomen through his clothes.
Inevitably, the image of the tattoo on Cen Yu’s midsection surfaced in Yu Jinheng’s mind—the snake bones winding down along the defined lines of his abdominal muscles, sinking its teeth into a rotting apple… A handsome young man.
Indifferent to Yu Xinyu’s glare, Yu Jinheng simply looked at Cen Yu and let out a faint smile.
That single smile, however, sent a cold shiver down Cen Yu’s spine, giving him a distinct feeling that he would be in deep trouble later.
“I left dinner a bit early earlier; I didn’t expect such a coincidence.”
Yu Jinheng hadn’t stayed long at the dinner table earlier. After casually picking at a few bites with his chopsticks, he had excused himself under the guise of feeling unwell and departed first. Once he left, the entire atmosphere had noticeably loosened up, and after exchanging a few casual topics, the group finally brought that suffocating meal to an end.
“Brother’s health isn’t great; it’s better to wander around less at night,” Yu Xinyu said with a beaming smile.
He refrained from letting go of Cen Yu, continuing to lean against him like a human appendage.
Yu Jinheng’s expression remained unchanged. “Naturally, I still need to come out, walk around, and stretch my limbs. Otherwise, how would I differ from a dead man?”
“Brother’s joke really isn’t very funny.”
Cen Yu was breaking out in a cold sweat as he listened to the two brothers exchange pleasantries.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, even though Yu Xinyu spoke in a soft, gentle voice and Yu Jinheng maintained an elegant, reserved demeanor, he kept getting the uncanny illusion of two vipers flicking their tongues at each other.
Finding himself genuinely unable to handle this pair of brothers, he could only let out a brief cough.
“I’m craving a cigarette.”
“You two brothers go ahead and chat.”
With that, he pulled away the arm Yu Xinyu had wrapped around him and used the excuse to step aside, leaving some room for the two brothers to talk.
Watching Cen Yu’s retreating back as he practically fled the scene, Yu Jinheng remarked emotionlessly, “Scared off.”
“Is that not Brother’s fault?” Yu Xinyu looked at Yu Jinheng. “Little Yu was never one to be easily startled in the first place.”
Yu Jinheng said nothing, the night wind fluttering the coat draped over his shoulders. Only after a long moment did he say to Yu Xinyu, “Proceed with caution yourself.”
With that, he bypassed Yu Xinyu, preparing to leave.
Yu Xinyu watched his elder brother brush past him, then turned around to stare at Yu Jinheng’s back. He didn’t ask what attitude Yu Jinheng held toward Cen Yu—because there was simply no need to ask. The two of them had been cut from the exact same cloth from start to finish.
Cen Yu found an excuse to slip away.
Pulling a cigarette from his pocket, he held it between his lips and prepared to find a light, only to realize he hadn’t brought a lighter since he was wearing Yu Xinyu’s clothes.
Going back to fetch one now would look a bit stupid.
Besides, his nicotine addiction wasn’t particularly heavy to begin with; making an excuse to smoke was merely a convenient pretext to make his exit.
Thus, he simply stood there with the unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, waiting for the two brothers to finish talking before heading back.
As he stood there for a short while, he caught sight of Qiang Yuanqing—
Qiang Yuanqing seemed a bit tipsy at the moment, though only slightly flushed, standing there to sober up from the night air.
Cen Yu wasn’t familiar with him, and having grown thoroughly exhausted throughout the evening, he had zero intention of greeting him. He merely remained standing in the shadows, planning to head back once enough time had passed.
He hadn’t intended to run into Qiang Yuanqing face-to-face, yet unexpectedly, Qiang Yuanqing happened to walk right in his direction.
However, the man clearly hadn’t noticed him, likely intending to take the path Cen Yu had just come from to return to the villa—wouldn’t walking over there result in running straight into the Yu brothers?
Cen Yu felt a headache coming on.
Seeing that Qiang Yuanqing was about to walk right past, he finally spoke up—
“Hey,” he called out to Qiang Yuanqing. “Got a light?”
Having drunk a bit too much, Qiang Yuanqing, whose mind wasn’t entirely clear, was nearly startled out of his wits by the person lurking in the dark.
Once he clearly saw who was standing there, he couldn’t help but frown—
“What are you doing standing here in the middle of the night instead of going back?”
Cen Yu raised his chin at him. “Can’t you see? Having a smoke.”
Too lazy to bother with him, Qiang Yuanqing prepared to walk toward his original destination, only to have his arm grabbed by Cen Yu once again—
Cen Yu took the cigarette out of his mouth with one hand, while bringing his other hand to his lips in a “shh” gesture. “The two brothers are talking over there,” he said, releasing Qiang Yuanqing’s arm. “Got a light? Mind lending me one?”
The spot where Cen Yu stood happened to fall under the shadow of the trees,
leaving only half of his body shrouded in the moonlight.
Perhaps because it was late at night, he had lost any interest in keeping up his facade. Leaning lazily to the side, he looked at Qiang Yuanqing with a relaxed posture—looking completely unlike the obnoxious lowlife from this morning.
Qiang Yuanqing felt he was probably under the influence of alcohol, his mind far from clear right now. Looking at the man’s serene side profile and that arrogant attitude as if no one was worthy of his gaze, a thought absurdly crossed his mind—one that he would consider completely out of his mind once sobered up:
No wonder Yu Xinyu was madly infatuated with him to the point of desperation.
Qiang Yuanqing carried a subtle scent of liquor, appearing genuinely tipsy.
Reaching into his coat, he pulled out his lighter. Instead of handing it straight over to Cen Yu, he flicked it open and held the flame up in front of Cen Yu’s face.
Cen Yu didn’t mind either. Popping the unlit cigarette back between his lips, he leaned toward the flame Qiang Yuanqing held out.
At this moment, the lighter between them became a rare source of light in this dark corner.
Qiang Yuanqing stared at Cen Yu’s cold side profile. The man looked as if he cared about absolutely nothing, and the beauty mark beneath his eye under the dim light looked strikingly like a tear trace.
A moment later, Cen Yu pulled back from Qiang Yuanqing. Taking a drag and blowing out a puff of smoke, he waved a hand at Qiang Yuanqing, “Thanks, bro.”
Looking at the lighter he was still holding up, Qiang Yuanqing seemed lost in thought, or perhaps regretting something. “Give me one too.”
Holding the cigarette between his fingers, Cen Yu cast him an odd glance, but refrained from asking further questions. Pulling out another cigarette, he handed it to Qiang Yuanqing, then watched the man light it and shove the lighter back into his coat.
With the light source gone, the two stood in the corner smoking in silence.
After a long pause, Qiang Yuanqing finally spoke, “I don’t know what Little Yu sees in you.”
It’d be weirder if you knew, Cen Yu thought as he smoked.
He looked up at the moon overhead, then cast a sympathetic glance at Qiang Yuanqing. Realizing it now still isn’t too late.
“There really isn’t anything about me worth liking,” Cen Yu said intentionally.
Qiang Yuanqing turned to him. “I thought you’d brag about yourself and list a few redeeming qualities.”
“Ha,” Cen Yu let out a brief, sharp laugh. Looking at Qiang Yuanqing, a trace of playful malice flickered in the depths of his eyes—
“I clearly don’t have a single redeeming quality, yet Yu Xinyu is so head over heels for me.”
“Maybe he just happens to like someone like me.”
Cen Yu watched with satisfaction as Qiang Yuanqing’s expression shifted. Reaching out, he gave Qiang Yuanqing’s shoulder a somewhat frivolous pat. “Rich young masters only love poor scholars.”
“Even if the poor scholar is full of lies and has nothing to his name,” Cen Yu looked at Qiang Yuanqing, “the young master still falls madly, desperately in love with him.”
“Maybe one has to suffer a bit before realizing love isn’t all that great.”
His words sounded border-line mocking, and Cen Yu guessed Qiang Yuanqing definitely wouldn’t be able to stomach it. Yet unexpectedly, Qiang Yuanqing merely looked behind him and said—
“…Little Yu?”
Hearing that, Cen Yu whipped his head around, only to see Yu Xinyu, who had slowly tracked him down without him realizing.
Standing under the cover of the trees, it was impossible to tell how long he had been standing there, or how much he had heard.
