Chapter 31 (Part 1) Goodbye

When Antonio first saw Si Qiang give him that look, he was dazzled by her adorable smile. He gave a wry smile and said, "Don't tempt me again when I've finally given up."

Si Qiang smiled even more brightly: "I'm really happy. Hurry up and find your true love... your emperor!" When he said "true love," he paused for a moment, suddenly remembering that he didn't know whether Antonio was purely gay or bisexual.

"...You're making me sound like a pathetic little thing waiting to be loved. Just how pathetic am I in your eyes?" Antonio chuckled, gesturing. "I like beautiful women, and you know, beauty transcends gender—like someone like you..."

"In the end, isn't it just lust?" Si Qiang pointed out sharply, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at the other person. "A veteran member of the 'looks-matter' club? Then you should be even more careful..."

Antonio wanted to retort, but suddenly remembered how he had been blinded by lust and done many foolish things, all to the beautiful woman before him. He suddenly couldn't utter a word. Fortunately, his phone rang at that moment, saving him. He quickly stood up, smiled apologetically at Si Qiang, and said, "I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave. What about you?"

Si Qiang shrugged and stood up as well: "I'm going back too. Well then, see you next time."

Watching the carefree Si Qiang drive away, Antonio mumbled a few "uh-huhs" on the phone before hanging up. Then he glanced back at the restaurant. See you next time? Perhaps never again. And this place, he'd probably never come back to either. Si Qiang was someone he'd loved deeply; this place, and this city, were memories of love—at least for him. He didn't want to be bound by the past anymore. This was the last time. Mourning his dead first love… It sounded like a joke, but he was still overwhelmed by melancholy and sadness. He was pathetic.

He checked the time; it was almost 8 o'clock. Some parts of the city had already entered a world of madness and intoxication, like… the bar where he first met Si Qiang. He remembered Lance used to be a bartender there and still went from time to time; no wonder Lance had called to invite him there. To be honest, he wasn't really keen on going, but Lance said there was a carnival going on and he wanted to help out, asking Antonio to keep him company, so he finally agreed. Deep down, he knew that although the brothers bickered fiercely, they were actually very close. Lance knew he wouldn't be in a good mood after meeting Si Qiang, so he wanted him to relax.

When he arrived at the bar, he found it packed with people. The strippers on stage had thrown off their last piece of clothing and were giving the audience a flirtatious kiss, their hips swaying like an electric motor. Whistles and cheers erupted from below, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Antonio suddenly grabbed Lance, who was engrossed in watching, and said with a dark expression, "You made me come with you to watch this?" To be fair, the male dancer on stage was indeed good, but he was completely not to his taste. His muscles made him feel nauseous.

Lance chuckled a little awkwardly: "I know this isn't your type. To be honest, I don't like this kind of thing either, but don't you think his hip-wiggling is really exciting? Whether he's the top or the bottom, he could take down a whole bunch of guys. Look how many men in the audience are drooling over him..."

Seeing that Antonio's expression was getting worse, he quickly tried to salvage the situation, but the conversation only veered towards lewd topics, as if he were reciting all the things his troublesome lover usually said.

Antonio watched as his once innocent cousin calmly discussed these lewd topics, and couldn't help but facepalm, inwardly grumbling: "That playboy must have corrupted my brother!" He was about to give him a stern lecture (though his cousin certainly wouldn't listen) when he noticed someone standing behind Lance. A sweep of the light revealed it to be none other than the "playboy" he'd just criticized—Shao ​​Yang. He was startled. Despite the crowd, he hadn't noticed Shao Yang standing nearby so quietly; he'd been incredibly careless. But Shao Yang was, after all, the scion of a powerful underworld family; such a feat wasn't impossible for him.

"Really? I bet you also want to be pinned down and fucked by that muscular guy, right?" The light was dim, so Shao Yang's expression was indistinct, and his voice was almost drowned out by the noisy shouts.