Chapter 1333: THE PARTY (III)

"UNCLE," Shen Lin said, greeting Shen Yi Mu as he took a seat at the same table. He didn’t wait for a reply, the tilt of his head almost dismissive, before shifting his attention to Shen Ji Yun. "Ji Yun."

Shen Ji Yun gave a small nod. His surprise at seeing them had already faded. A staff member had guided them to their table. Shen Lin at least attempted to be polite. Shen Xin, on the other hand, didn’t bother at all. He dropped into his chair with a sour look on his face, like this was the last place he wanted to be.

Shen Lin shot a glance at his brother, his expression carrying a flicker of annoyance. Not at Shen Xin’s behavior, but at having to say something about it at all. "Ah Xin, don’t be rude," he said in a flat tone.

Shen Xin clicked his tongue. He turned to Shen Yi Mu, putting on a bored expression. "Uncle."

Shen Yi Mu felt the muscles in his face twitch at how these two punks were acting. He wanted to exercise his right as an elder and scold them for being rude, but it wasn’t worth the trouble. He had never been close with them. They had been too deeply indoctrinated into the ’Shen family way’ for that. He was certain that both Shen Lin and Shen Xin knew about him coming out. Everyone had been there when he did it. Even though he had been alone in the study with his father and older brother, the shouting had been loud, and he had stormed out of there like a raging bull. There was no way the rest of the family hadn’t heard or at least suspected something.

He was about to just return their greeting when he noticed Jiang Yue frowning at his two nephews. His love clearly didn’t like how they were acting. He probably wanted to say something about how disrespectful they were. But Shen Yi Mu quickly reached under the table and held his hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze, a silent signal it wasn’t worth it. Shen Lin probably wouldn’t say anything, just look at Jiang Yue like he was something stuck under his shoe. But Shen Xin would definitely hurl insults without a second thought. And Shen Yi Mu really didn’t want to punch one of his nephews in the middle of this event.

As he thought, Jiang Yue did want to say something. The way the two young men had greeted Shen Yi Mu made it painfully clear how little respect they had for their uncle. He didn’t like it. Not one bit. But before he could open his mouth to say anything about it, he felt Shen Yi Mu’s hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

He glanced at his boyfriend. Shen Yi Mu’s expression was calm. He met Jiang Yue’s eyes, smiled slightly, and shook his head. He was telling him not to react, to just let it go. Jiang Yue frowned but let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

Shen Yi Mu turned his attention back to his nephews. "It’s good to see you both. Did anyone else come with you?"

"No, just us," Shen Lin said. "Grandmother wanted to come, but she and Grandfather had a prior engagement." He paused briefly. "She told us to bring gifts for the Luo siblings celebrating their birthday today."

Shen Xin scoffed. "What’s with this party, anyway? It’s not like the Luo family is from here. Inviting everyone like this..." He shook his head. "They’re obviously trying to buy their way into B City’s high society."

"Then there’s no need for you to be here if that’s what you think," Shen Ji Yun said, his voice colder than normal. "No one’s forcing you to stay."

Shen Lin raised an eyebrow at this. It was an unexpected reaction, especially coming from Shen Ji Yun. Was it because he was close friends with the Bai family’s young master? And everyone knew the Bai and Luo families were connected through marriage. He shrugged to himself. Not that he cared. Actually, at the moment, he was more interested in the man sitting beside his uncle.

The man looked to be around the same age as his uncle, tall and lean with soft features. Being seated at the same table meant he had some connection to him. A secretary, maybe. Shen Lin hoped that was the case. Because the alternative was that he was romantically involved with his uncle. And given what the family now knew about Uncle Yi Mu, that wasn’t exactly a stretch.

The thought that his uncle might have brought his lover here, in the middle of B City’s elite, made Shen Lin frown. This could reflect badly on their family. He just hoped his uncle still had enough sense not to flaunt his relationship like he was proud of it. Should he mention this to his father?

Then he noticed his brother glaring at Shen Ji Yun, probably because of what he had said earlier. Shen Lin sighed. This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to bring Shen Xin along. His brother had a short fuse. Normally, Shen Xin wouldn’t come to events like this. But tonight, he had surprisingly volunteered to go with him. Shen Lin had thought maybe he wanted to socialize. So why was he sitting here saying rude things about the people hosting the party?

He sighed again and shot his brother a warning look before Shen Xin could retort. Shen Xin tsked and turned away.

And at that moment, the lights in the banquet hall dimmed slightly. A soft hush fell over the crowd as Sun Xiulan stepped up to the small stage near the windows. She stood behind the microphone, a warm smile on her face, and waited for the chatter to fade completely.

"Good evening, everyone," she said, her voice clear and welcoming. "Thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate with our family. As you know, we are here to honor two very special young men. My nephews, Luo Yan and Luo Jin."

She paused, glancing toward the entrance. "Without further delay, please welcome the birthday boys."

The double doors at the back of the hall opened, and soft applause rippled through the room as two young men walked in.

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