Winning the male lead

The Ding residence was located in a high-end villa district in the city center, where every inch of land was worth a fortune. Owning a villa in such a place was proof of Ding Le Tian’s financial power.

Seeing his own home, Le Tian sighed, “The villa I used to live in was three times bigger than this. President Shen is truly impressive.”

System: …Shen Lixing over by Daming Lake, would probably want to punch you if he heard that.

Le Tian added, “And there was a yacht too.”

System: “Tell your dad to buy you one.”

Le Tian shrugged. “I wouldn’t know how to drive it anyway.”

Ding Le Tian’s father had a very prosperous-looking appearance—round face, large earlobes, and a smiling expression that made him look like the laughing Buddha. When he saw his son, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, he immediately pulled him into a bear hug. Being wrapped up in his father’s soft embrace, Le Tian suddenly felt as if he had found his mother.

He didn’t care about his grades at all. He simply asked, “Are you happy at school?”

Le Tian nodded. “Happy.” Playing a love game with two guys was way too fun.

His father was relieved. “Good, good. I called you back this weekend because I’m taking you to a small banquet tonight.”

Le Tian had attended many such events with his father before. He would introduce him to people in their circle—whether elders or peers. Though he wasn’t particularly gifted, he was still Ding his only son. His father was determined to hand over the company to him, saying that grades didn’t matter. After all, he himself had only graduated from middle school and had built his business purely on luck.

Le Tian agreed and went upstairs to try on several suits. In the end, he chose a pure white one. He was naturally slender and had delicate features. Dressed in white, he looked just like a naive little prince.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he gave himself a thumbs-up. “Handsome.”

System: “…” No matter what face he’s wearing, this guy always thinks he looks amazing.

Excited, he picked up his phone and checked the school forum. As expected, there was already a post about the near-fight between Jiang Qu and Jiang Yue after school.

He carefully read through it, word by word. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find his name. The entire post was filled with people praising Jiang Yue and Jiang Qu’s god-tier looks, calling them “cute” or “cool.” As for him? Completely invisible!

Le Tian: “Why?! I clearly delivered such a long monologue!”

System: “Maybe you just have no presence…”

Unwilling to accept this, Le Tian registered an account and commented: “I think Jiang Qu and Jiang Yue were fighting over someone, right?”

A reply came immediately: “Oh, you mean that shorty? He was just passing by. You must’ve seen wrong.”

Le Tian: “…Shut down this forum immediately!” He was fuming. And calling him short, too? Sure, he was a bit on the shorter side, but his proportions were great! His legs were super long! Jiang Yue was completely obsessed with them, okay?!

“Le Tian, come down, it’s time to go.” his dad’s voice rang from downstairs.

“Coming!” Le Tian responded loudly. He adjusted his suit in the mirror and hummed, “Tonight, I’m going to be the brightest star at the banquet!”

However, when he arrived at the event, he once again became completely invisible. Even his father outshone him. Standing beside him, he felt like a mere human-shaped accessory. Frustrated, he held a small plate of desserts and munched away.

Just then, the lively banquet hall suddenly quieted down. Everyone’s attention turned toward the entrance. Le Tian followed their gazes and nearly dropped his plate.

It was Jiang Yue.

His expression was cold, and he had a tall, elegant frame. Dressed in a well-tailored black three-piece suit, his shoulders were broad, his waist was slim, and his legs were long. A burgundy pocket square adorned his chest, adding a touch of aristocratic charm. Compared to his usual distant demeanor at school, he now carried an air of noble superiority. Standing beside his father, who was a powerful figure in the business world, he wasn’t overshadowed in the slightest.

Le Tian stared, nearly drooling. Too handsome. Too handsome. He had to find a way to sleep with him a few more times.

Jiang Yue followed behind his father, looking completely unbothered by the attention. Every person who greeted Mr. Jiang couldn’t help but admire, “Your son truly is an outstanding young man.”

Mr. Jiang smiled modestly. “Not at all, he’s still just a kid.”

Jiang Yue remained indifferent, his gaze slightly lowered, as if he didn’t care about anyone.

Ding Le Tian’s father pulled the dazed Le Tian aside. “You and Young Master Jiang are classmates, right? Come on, let’s go say hello.”

Le Tian froze on the spot and stammered, “Dad, I… I don’t really know him well.”

His father scolded, “You’re too shy! What’s there to be afraid of? Let’s go.” Without giving him a choice, he dragged Le Tian toward the Jiangs.

The Ding family business specialized in lingerie. Their brand, a play on “love”, had been doing exceptionally well and was nearing its IPO. Ding Le Tian’s current concern was how to elevate the brand and position it within the high-end market. The Jiang family, on the other hand, had an expansive business empire, including luxury shopping malls. If they could collaborate with the Jiangs, a play on love’s market entry into the luxury space would be much smoother. But the Ding family’s status was still far from the Jiangs, so this banquet was a rare opportunity. Building connections through their children was the perfect approach.

Le Tian was dragged forward, nearly tripping, his head hung so low it might as well be touching the floor.

Mr. Jiang, unfamiliar with Ding Le Tian’s father, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ding Le Tian’s father greeted warmly, “Mr. Jiang, hello! My son Le Tian is classmates with your son. What a coincidence to run into each other here! We just had to come over and say hello.” He nudged Le Tian.

Le Tian stiffly muttered, “H-hello, Uncle Jiang.”

Mr. Jiang didn’t respond but instead glanced at his son.

Jiang Yue looked at the boy who was standing there with his head lowered. Whether it was from embarrassment or some other reason, Le Tian’s ears and the back of his neck were completely flushed.

Ding Le Tian’s father’s smile slowly became strained.

Then, Jiang Yue softly said, “Hello, Uncle Ding.”

His expression instantly brightened. “Ah, yes, yes! I hear you’re the top student in school, Young Master Jiang. Truly exceptional.”

Mr. Jiang chuckled. “He just reads a little, nothing special.”

Ding Le Tian’s father sighed. “My kid just can’t study. Mr. Jiang, any tips?”

Seeing the two fathers engrossed in conversation, Le Tian attempted to sneak away. But before he could escape, Jiang Yue grabbed his arm and calmly said to his father, “I’d like to have a chat with my classmate.”

Le Tian silently let Jiang Yue pull him along until they reached the rose garden behind the banquet hall. Jiang Yue finally stopped.

Le Tian kept his head down, saying nothing, and Jiang Yue also remained silent. The two seemed to be waiting for the other to speak first.

In the end, he couldn’t bear the silence anymore and spoke first, “You… do you need something?”

Jiang Yue remained silent. When Le Tian couldn’t resist looking up, Jiang Yue suddenly leaned in, held him by the neck, and kissed him deeply.

It had been too long since they had such an intimate moment. Le Tian felt dazed, as if even the scent of fresh grass was no longer pure. Jiang Yue seemed to be wearing cologne today, and the faint fragrance mixed with his unique pheromones, creating an intoxicating scent for Le Tian.

Their lips and tongues entwined with an unprecedented intensity. Le Tian could even feel the excess saliva trickling down as they exchanged breath in a tangled mess.

Jiang Yue’s grip on Le Tian’s slim waist tightened. He trailed kisses down his cheek to his neck, making the person in his arms tremble like a wounded little animal.

“N-no… don’t…”

He whimpered, trying to push Jiang Yue away, but with his small frame, he couldn’t even budge him. Still, Jiang Yue retreated slightly. Because of the intense kiss, both of their lips had turned bright red. Jiang Yue’s eyes flickered as he finally spoke, “Why?”

He had been holding in this question for a long time. Why did Le Tian suddenly ignore him? Why did he cry in front of him? Why did he look at him with such sorrowful eyes? Had he done something wrong?

Le Tian could tell from his expression that he truly didn’t understand anything. He forcefully yanked his hand away, biting his lips to remind himself that the person in front of him was heartless. He wiped his tears fiercely and shouted, “Aren’t you fine with just anyone? Go find someone else! I… I’m not available anymore!”

(But in his heart, he wailed: I’m so available, little Jiang Jiang, I swear!)

Jiang Yue stood frozen, watching as he ran out of his sight.

Just like last time, he still couldn’t understand. But after a few seconds of hesitation, he instinctively chased after him.

Le Tian dashed through the back door of the banquet hall, grabbing a glass of wine from a passing waiter’s tray and chugging it down. He even deliberately spilled some on his wrinkled suit—he needed an excuse to explain his current state. Being “drunk” was a great cover-up.

Of course, he had an absurd alcohol tolerance, but Ding Le Tian’s body had a different reaction. One glass in, and his face instantly flushed. His head felt light. He shook his head and asked the system, “What’s going on? I feel so dizzy. Aren’t I supposed to be immune to alcohol?”

The system was speechless. “What are you thinking? That was Shen Le Tian who had unlimited alcohol tolerance. What does that have to do with Ding Le Tian?”

Le Tian was dumbfounded. “Wait, it’s not a built-in trait?”

The system sighed, “The only built-in trait you have is shamelessness.”

Le Tian: ……

Now he really was drunk. He slowly slid down against the wall, feeling the world spin around him. As he staggered back, he missed a step and lost his balance. The next second, he felt weightless—then a familiar yet unfamiliar embrace caught him.

With blurry, intoxicated eyes, he sniffed the scent in the air and instinctively murmured, “Jiang… Jiang Yue…”

Jiang Yue silently looked at him, then turned and hoisted him onto his back. He let his legs dangle over his arms, slightly leaning forward. Le Tian slipped downward a little, his hands naturally landing on Jiang Yue’s chest. His breath was laced with alcohol as he mumbled, “L-let’s… sleep together…”

System: …Oh no, he’s completely wasted.

Jiang Yue glanced at the dumbfounded waiter behind him and said indifferently, “Go tell Chairman Jiang and President Ding that I took Ding Le Tian out to have some fun.”

The waiter nodded stiffly.

He carried the drunken Le Tian into the night.

The person on his back was light, completely drunk, soft like a ball of dough. His delicate black hair rubbed against Jiang Yue’s neck as he squirmed, mumbling unintelligibly.

The banquet hall’s parking lot was packed with luxury cars, but Jiang Yue ignored them and walked straight to the street. It was hard to get a cab at this hour, and the cool autumn breeze made the person on his back sneeze softly, his breath landing on his skin.

Jiang Yue remained expressionless as he raised his hand to hail a cab. Eventually, a taxi pulled over. He gave an address near a school—it was the apartment he usually stayed in.

Inside the cab, Le Tian was completely unconscious. The system tried calling him, but he didn’t respond. He lay on Jiang Yue’s lap, pouting, and muttered, “Wooden horse…”

System: …

Jiang Yue’s lips twitched with an imperceptible smile. He leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips, as requested.

Le Tian smacked his lips and, still unsatisfied, muttered, “More… again…”

Jiang Yue leaned in once more, this time deepening the kiss. Their lips smacked noisily, making the driver glance back, thinking, Young people these days are really something else.

After the kiss, he bit Le Tian’s lip playfully. Le Tian hiccupped, then suddenly shouted, “Jiang—Jiang Yue!”

Jiang Yue didn’t respond yet when Le Tian mumbled on, “What’s… so great about you? The next one… will be even… better…”

System: …Oh no, he just exposed his true feelings.

Jiang Yue’s face gradually darkened.