Dingjin Center is a famous luxury goods shopping mall in S City, where the number of customers is often fewer than the salespeople. The environment is elegant, and the atmosphere is superb. It has long been a place that many celebrities are keen to patronize. With only a few hours left before the birthday banquet, it wasn’t realistic to have something custom-made, so Zhou Jinchen brought the person here, intending to pick out a formal suit temporarily.
An Xumo had been to places like this before, but he had never come dressed like this. Walking alongside Zhou Jinchen, who was wearing a high-end bespoke suit, An Xumo quickly became the subject of admiring gazes mixed with curiosity. It wasn’t just about the clothes—Zhou Jinchen, who had been famous for five years, had a completely different aura from ordinary people. No matter how one looked at it, the two of them didn’t seem to belong in the same world.
Zhou Jinchen was already accustomed to ignoring the attention, and An Xumo, too, paid no mind to the curious glances around them. The two entered one of the brand-name stores, where a salesperson quickly approached them. At Zhou Jinchen’s nod, she began selecting clothes for An Xumo.
There weren’t many customers in the store, and another salesperson came over. She glanced at Zhou Jinchen, who was wearing sunglasses, and couldn’t help but speak up. “Sir, you look familiar. Are you one of our Gold Card members?”
An Xumo, who was being fitted by the other salesperson, looked up and silently noticed the large vertical advertisement taking up half the wall in the store.
For top international brands like this, new product launches usually feature professional supermodels or top international celebrities. When Zhou Jinchen became the spokesperson for this brand at just over twenty, the news sent shockwaves through the domestic entertainment industry.
When An Xumo looked up, the salesperson who had spoken to Zhou Jinchen quickly realized who he was. Her gaze shifted between Zhou Jinchen and the advertisement twice, before she swiftly suppressed her surprise, working hard to maintain her professionalism.
Zhou Jinchen only nodded, then gestured for An Xumo to go change. The salesperson selected three suits for him, but Zhou Jinchen didn’t even glance at them, simply telling An Xumo to take all three into the fitting room.
An Xumo had a good figure and natural good looks, and when he wore the suits, it wasn’t that the clothes flattered him, but rather that he made the clothes look even better. The salesperson, who was used to dealing with high-end clients, couldn’t hide her expression of surprise. She started to praise him wholeheartedly, framing every ordinary critique as a compliment.
She picked out three light-colored suits for him, paired with pure white shirts and several ties. An Xumo only wanted to choose one set, but the salesperson was so enthusiastic that after trying on all three, he couldn’t decide which one was the best. He hesitated, wondering if he should ask for the other man’s opinion, but when he turned to look at Zhou Jinchen, he froze on the spot.
Zhou Jinchen held a white T-shirt in his hand, inspecting the tag at the collar. Beside him was a pair of black shorts—the same ones An Xumo had just changed out of in the fitting room.
Noticing An Xumo looking over, Zhou Jinchen lifted the T-shirt with one hand and, his voice was faint, no emotion could be heard, “Where did you buy this?”
An Xumo instinctively adjusted the bowtie the salesperson had helped him put on and honestly replied, “Online.”
Zhou Jinchen asked, “How much?”
An Xumo spoke softly, “9.99 yuan.”
An awkward silence fell over the large store. The two salespeople, each holding shirts priced in the five digits and ties in the four digits, exchanged glances.
Zhou Jinchen set the T-shirt down. “What about the pants?”
An Xumo’s voice became even softer. “19 yuan.”
Zhou Jinchen took off his sunglasses and looked at him. “Does it come with free shipping too?”
Without the sunglasses to block him, Zhou Jinchen’s appearance and gaze placed even more pressure on An Xumo. An Xumo felt his tongue go numb, but Zhou Jinchen didn’t wait for him to answer. He casually placed the two items back on the sofa and gestured to the salespeople. “Please cut the tags off for him.”
The salesperson quickly caught on. “Understood, sir. You’ve decided on this set, correct?”
Zhou Jinchen nodded. “All three sets. Two ties, one striped and one houndstooth. Also, grab another shirt.”
The salesperson hurried to fetch the clothing boxes and paper bags. An Xumo stood there, stunned, letting another salesperson cut the tags off his clothes. He finally managed to find his voice. “Sorry, I,I might not have enough money…”
Zhou Jinchen, who had been fiddling with his sunglasses, froze for a moment. His gaze, now without the shield of the glasses, seemed loaded with unspoken meaning. He appeared to want to say something but ultimately remained silent, simply taking out a card from his wallet and handing it to the busy salesperson.
After paying with the card, Zhou Jinchen asked the salesperson to place the two bargain items that An Xumo had tried on into the store’s miscellaneous collection basket. He turned to An Xumo and said, “The generic brands from online, throw them away when we get back.”
An Xumo, still somewhat at a loss, hadn’t fully processed Zhou Jinchen’s action of completing the payment. Zhou Jinchen glanced at him, his voice calm but firm. “Cheap clothes affect your body and your image. If you want to make a living from this industry, you have no right to be reckless.”
What should have been a simple clothing purchase was now being turned into a lecture on artist training. If a fan of Zhou Jinchen had been present, they would no doubt see him through the lens of professionalism and growing admiration. If there were black fans, it would’ve rendered as bullying and condescending. But for An Xumo, who didn’t belong to either group, he stood there, awkwardly accepting the heavy bags from the salesperson. After gathering his courage, he finally managed to thank Zhou Jinchen.
Zhou Jinchen took the card from the salesperson without responding. It was only when he put his sunglasses back on that he heard the faint second thank-you.
“Thank you, brother.”
Zhou Jinchen turned to look at the following An Xumo, his voice still devoid of emotion. “Let’s go upstairs and get shoes.”
Even in such a high-end, luxury store with few customers, there were people who recognized Zhou Jinchen. After their shopping trip, An Xumo also ended up being photographed by three separate groups with their phones. Fortunately, the security at Dingjin was tight, and nothing major happened.
The black Bentley started again. With just two hours remaining until the birthday banquet, they made another stop. An Xumo received a simple makeover. Zhou Jinchen was already prepared, but An Xumo’s hairstyle was still from the previous concert and wasn’t quite suitable for the birthday banquet.
The birthday banquet, while officially a celebration for Old Master Zhou, was also a gathering for the Zhou Family’s business dealings. It wasn’t just Zhou Family members who were invited, but many of their business partners as well.
By the time they arrived at the main residence, it was evening. The expansive garden had rows of lights illuminating it. The completely opened grand main gate had been decorated with great flair, and the attendants were methodically guiding the many luxury cars. The reception process was well-organized, with the subtle details reflecting the Zhou Family’s deep legacy.
The Bentley stopped in an open space in front of the lawn, and An Xumo followed Zhou Jinchen out of the car. The attendant who came forward to greet them was slightly stunned upon seeing An Xumo but quickly regained his composure. With impeccable politeness, he invited the two of them into the bright main residence.
The lobby on the first floor had been arranged as the venue for the banquet. The splendid lights illuminated the lavish furnishings. There were already quite a few people inside, and and as far as the eye could see, the scene was filled with the scent of perfume, the rustle of attire, and clinking glasses. Anyone who stumbled in might mistake it for a grand party. In reality, for the Zhou Family’s financial power, this kind of gathering was hardly considered extravagant.
As soon as Zhou Jinchen and An Xumo entered, they attracted many curious glances from around the room. One was dressed entirely in black, tall and upright, while the other was dressed in light white, slim and graceful. Though their temperaments were different, both were striking figures. However, the gazes directed at them carried entirely different emotions.
After all, one was the promising heir, while the other was the illegitimate son who had been recently kicked out.
Just like the attendant who had greeted them, many people were surprised when they saw An Xumo. There was no privacy in the mansion. The Zhou Family’s scandals were common knowledge, and no one had expected An Xumo to even appear at tonight’s birthday banquet.
An Xumo himself didn’t know the reason. He had asked Zhou Jinchen in the car, but Zhou Jinchen had only said it was a family order and that the specifics were unclear.
An Xumo was indeed uneasy, but this was the only opportunity he had had in a while to spend time with Zhou Jinchen. Plus, he could take advantage of the chance to get a good meal, which was why he was standing there.
Once inside the hall, several people came forward to greet Zhou Jinchen, which soon separated the two. An Xumo wasn’t concerned about that. The long white table was already filled with sumptuous dishes, so he helped himself to a plate of food and found an inconspicuous corner to sit down.
The Zhou Family had their own pastry chef, and the presentation and taste of the treats were top-notch. An Xumo was probably the only one in the banquet hall who was quietly eating. No one would bother him anyway. It was just that in the eyes of this only attentive diner, these carefully crafted meals weren’t very tasty either.
This luxury family birthday banquet was grand to the extreme, yet the attention on An Xumo was subtle, with whispered comments and unabashed malice. The guest of honor, who was the subject of their gossip, didn’t notice the atmosphere around him. He sat quietly in the corner, slowly nibbling on a cookie.
The sweet taste he loved turned into a faint, flavorless dryness on his lips. An Xumo silently filled his stomach, but in his mind, he felt that this plate of carefully baked dessert wasn’t as tasty as the chicken breast he had for lunch.
Everywhere felt cold, even the translucent shrimp dumplings that were steaming had bits of ice on them. A bite would cool his stomach completely.
An Xumo stopped eating after a while. He didn’t look back at the increasingly direct stares, instead, he searched the room for the familiar figure in pure black. Zhou Jinchen’s appearance made it impossible for him to blend into the crowd, and even in a banquet where everyone was carefully dressed, An Xumo spotted him at once.
However, Zhou Jinchen, who had just been talking with family and friends, was now standing in a rather secluded corner. He was speaking in a low voice with a youth who looked hurried, his expression somewhat cold and stern. An Xumo glanced curiously at the young man, feeling that he had seen him somewhere before.
He had only glanced a few times when both people suddenly raised their heads and turned their gaze toward him.
Coldly meeting one another’s eyes, An Xumo couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
But in fact, the one who was more surprised was Zhou Jinchen.
“Are you sure the person who died 15 years ago was his biological father?” Zhou Jinchen’s voice was very low, his grip on his wine glass tight. The rounded bottom of the glass dug into his palm, causing him pain.
“Since his father jumped to his death long ago, who was the one who drugged me ten years ago?”
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