MRG Chapter 18: The Effects of Alcohol

Translator: Gin

Editor: Agneya

The red carpet was bathed in warm light. On one side of the corridor, several great white sharks were swimming in a gigantic tank.

Sunlight that turned blue due to the water’s reflection fell on the man’s pencil-straight white suit, outlining his handsome and eye-catching face as several dark shadows passed overhead.

At the end of the corridor was a mechanically locked door. The Onces Club, located centrally in the capital, had the strictest membership system. Only those with significant influence or VIPs were allowed to enter.

Mu Chen and Lance approached the door. As the latter glanced down at the black screen, it suddenly lit up in a fluorescent blue.

A single line of words appeared on the empty screen, ‘Iris recognition cleared.’

Both sides of the hefty mechanical door swung open and golden light poured into the walkway. There seemed to be another world lying beyond the dark door. Gleaming obsidian countertops, custom-made leather sofas…not a single thing there was anything but luxurious.

When they walked in, a lady in a red dress stepped forward, followed by several attendants dressed in black.

Lance dipped his head, smiling as he kissed the back of the lady’s hand, “This is Rebecca, the founder of the Onces Club, as well as their largest shareholder.”

Rebecca grabbed Lance by the collar, pulling him into her arms, “What kind of introduction is this? Am I not your…”

However, when her eyes met the silver-haired youngster behind Lance, she paused.

Rebecca pushed Lance away, who remained all smiles, and greeted Mu Chen.

The other had a full head of dazzling silver hair. His face was charming and enchanting, and partially held the immaturity of youth. As for his eyes, they were blue like a pair of sapphires and were entirely unforgettable.

Mu Chen smiled at her, “Hello.”

Rebecca glanced at Lance reproachfully, “Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing the Crown Prince’s fiance here?’

Lance, “He’s an adult now, can’t I bring him here to play?”

The Royal Family had yet to officially announce to the public that Light had canceled his engagement.

In a rather scandalous fashion, he held Rebecca by her waist. The dim, warm light obscured the faces of the duo as they pressed close together. “But there’s no need to publicize this. You probably don’t wish for my brother to be angry at me whenever he returns anyway.”

Rebecca glared at him again. She waved her hand and summoned over one of the attendants, instructing him to follow Mu Chen, “This is Rick, if you need anything just tell him.”

Lance introduced the club’s facilities and areas to Mu Chen, telling him to go do something he liked, before he left with Rebecca.

Mu Chen stood in the center of the spotlight. Once Lance left, he felt countless strangers exploring him with their eyes, each rushing to look him over, as though they were afraid of being the last to get a glimpse.

Under the dim light, only distant shadows could be seen moving.

He glanced at the slightly busy bar behind him and chose to walk to its other end in a corner which was more secluded and empty.

Mu Chen leaned on the sofa behind him, both hands planted on the back of it. He crossed his legs and sent Rick to go fetch him some drinks, then looked down to retrieve a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

The next moment, the sound of leather shoes stepping across marble filled his ears.

— One after another.

Holding the cigarette between his slender fingers, Mu Chen pursed his thin lips and looked up.

Click!

Several lighters were thrust in front of his face at the same time and unfamiliar faces were reflected in their jumping flames. Although they all looked different, their expressions demonstrated a common intent, ‘desire.’

Mu Chen’s indifferent gaze swept the crowd, treating them as transparent. He fished his lighter out of his pocket and lit his cigarette on his own.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, wondering how he was going to make all these annoying guys leave…

“May I have the fortune of knowing your name?”

As the smoke cleared, a man’s face was revealed. Judging from the badge on his chest, he was noble, probably a duke or an earl. Raising his wine glass, he became the first to speak amongst the group of people.

“I’m a little curious about where you’re from. You don’t stay in the capital often, right? Otherwise, if I had seen someone like you before, I definitely would not have forgotten it.”

The man’s gaze landed on Mu Chen’s face. He was clearly infatuated.

Mu Chen, “You have seen me before.”

The man’s smile grew, “Where, pray tell?”

To him, such a response was equivalent to the other accepting his invitation.

But just as he tried to move nearer to Mu Chen, the other took another drag of his cigarette, tilted his head upwards and said, “I am the fiance of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, wouldn’t seeing me be something very normal?”

“…”

Hearing the phrase, ‘Crown Prince’, the man’s smile faltered and his hand which held the wine glass shook, spilling nearly half the glass on his shirt.

Mu Chen’s brows furrowed and he squeezed a sardonic smile from his tightly pursed lips.

He was obviously displeased with this man’s blunder.

The man picked up some tissues, haphazardly wiping his collar, “My apologies, please forgive my earlier behavior.”

Upon saying this, he left in a fit of rage.

Since someone had taken the lead to set a ‘good example’, Mu Chen pursed his thin lips in satisfaction, and haughtily scanned his surroundings. The people who originally crowded around him came to their senses and scattered.

His space seemed to clear. After that, nobody dared to set foot in his corner.

Then, all he was left with was the sound of ice cubes clinking.

Mu Chen emptied the amber liquid in the bottom of his cup and expressionlessly switched to another cup.

The alcohol here was indeed pretty good.

Being blue-blooded meant that his alcohol tolerance was extremely high and it was pretty much impossible for him to get drunk.

However, Mu Chen was literally downing alcohol like it was water, and even his attendant Rick, who’d basically seen everything under the sun before, wondered whether or not he should tell this guest that their alcohol had very strong after-effects.

Just at this moment, the screen in front of Mu Chen lit up in blue, accompanied by a “Ding!” sound.

[What are you doing now?]

The sender’s name was ‘Gege’.

Mu Chen glanced at the time. It was now 8:52pm, Light should be done with whatever he needed to do by now.

He set his drink cup down to write a reply:

[Lying on my bed reading.]

[Gege, have you finished your work?]

Light: [Mm.]

Mu Chen put out the crackling cigarette butt and did a once-over of his table cluttered with various glasses, before using his fingertips to nimbly type a line of words on the terminal.

[I’m going to warm myself a cup of milk, I’ll call you in 5 minutes.]

If he was fast, the flight back to the palace would only take five minutes.

Light: [Ok.]

Putting away the terminal, Mu Chen rose from the sofa, preparing to go tell Lance that he was leaving first.

He walked through countless uneven walkways. In the dim lighting, crocodiles swam beneath a covered bridge, creating a lavish atmosphere. The smell of incense permeating the entire place constantly amplified one’s five senses, even bringing forth the scent of alcohol that had, by now, receded into Mu Chen’s cavities.

Surprisingly, he felt slightly hot.

The moment Mu Chen opened the door to the private VIP room, what he saw hit him like a ton of bricks.

“Ugh…”

It was like the sticky sound that water droplets made when falling through a hose.

A woman sat atop Lance’s body, her smooth black hair falling over his eyes, only revealing the high bridge of his nose and the sharp outline of his jaw. The kisses they shared were overtly passionate.

The mellow light falling on the man’s eye-catching golden hair reminded Mu Chen of someone else subconsciously…

From certain angles, Lance looked a lot like Light.

— For example, right now.

Just like waves crashing against rocks along the shore, this image, the sounds, the smells…they all stimulated the already infinitely intensified neural network in Mu Chen’s mind.

After being stunned for a while, Mu Chen slammed the door with a bang and hastily left that corridor.

His attendant who waited at the other end of the corridor saw his hurried steps, almost as quick as the wind, and curiously asked, “Your Highness?”

Mu Chen replied, “I’ll go back to the palace first, help me to tell Lance.”

The attendant nodded, “Your Highness, I’ll send you back on the aircraft.”

Mu Chen interjected, “I’ll drive myself.” Not giving the attendant a chance to respond, he left without even turning back.

……

Inside the enclosed aircraft, Mu Chen felt the after-effects of the alcohol rush up on him all at once. His once clear mind became muddled and the air around felt feverish. He reached up to loosen the topmost two buttons on his collar and rolled down the window to let in some cool air.

In the dark night, a red light flashed, briefly distracting him and the image of red lips molding together filled his mind.

Annoyed, he gulped a mouthful of cold water, directly turning the speed of the aircraft up to its maximum.

Upon returning to his room, at one go, he finished changing his clothes and poured himself some milk, after which, he switched on his Smart Brain.

The second Mu Chen dialed him, Light picked up the video call.

The fluorescent blue light outlined the man’s dashing face. Today Light was wearing a casual T-shirt and his golden hair, which he rarely let down, covered his forehead, making it seem more fluffy and soft than usual.

In six years, his looks had barely changed, it was only that his temperament became more calm and reserved.

Behind Light was a military standard-issue single bed and his entire room was very simply decorated, except for the out-of-place shark doll at the head of his bed. That was the one item that Mu Chen demanded he bring with him, a doll named ‘Sharky’. At the time, he had said, “I can’t go with Gege, so Sharky will be with you instead.” “Gege, this is my favorite possession, make sure you take care of it.”

Clearly, he was saying it was his favorite thing but, at the same time, he was trying to force Light to accept it with bloodshot eyes.

Later, in order to make it easier for the other party to see the plushie when they video-called, Light placed the plushie at the head of his bed where it was most visible. Till today, its position had not changed.

All these years, ‘Sharky’ had been very well-protected by Light. Whenever it appeared on-cam, it was always squeaky clean, and even now it looked more or less the same as when it was first given to him.

Usually when they would video call each other, Mu Chen would take the lead. After all, he had neverending things to say when he was with Light. “Gege did you eat yet today?”, “Gege what did you do today?”, “I had another exam today.”, “I scored an A.”, et cetera, Mu Chen could continuously prattle on in this manner.

However, today, he did not speak first.

His eyes fell on a cut at the corner of Light’s mouth, which had left behind a dark scar after it healed that stood out even more against the man’s pale lips.

The alcohol began to take effect. Mu Chen felt like the world before him was becoming more saturated with color, yet his thoughts were getting slower and slower. He could only focus on one thing at a time so he used his eyes to trace Light’s thin lips inch by inch.

Mu Chen abruptly realized…even though his Gege seemed stern to others, and often showed a grim expression on his face, his lips were soft. If you looked closely, the curvature, the dips and peaks of his lips, they were obvious…and the color, the color of them was…

It was pink.