Chapter 785: I Just Wanted a Cute Pairing, Not a Battlefield

Micah shifted in his seat beside Darcy and reached for another bite of food, his appetite returning now that the most nerve-wracking part of the evening was over. The lingering warmth from the alcohol still flushed faintly across his cheeks, and there was a relaxed looseness in his posture that had not been there earlier. For the first time that night, he allowed himself to simply sit, breathe, and enjoy the moment without constantly anticipating what might go wrong. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He had just lifted his fork again when a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Young master Micah." The tone was polite, slightly bright, and carried a hint of youthful warmth that made it immediately recognisable.

Micah paused mid-motion and turned around, his expression shifting almost instantly. The moment his eyes landed on the speaker, his face lit up, the earlier tension replaced by genuine delight.

"Xiao Ming!" he exclaimed, his voice rising with clear excitement.

Standing a short distance away was Yao Tianming, his presence almost refreshing amidst the heavier atmosphere of the banquet. He smiled brightly, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his dimples appeared, giving him an approachable and endearing charm that stood out even in such a refined setting.

"Congratulations on your engagement," Yao Tianming said, his tone warm and sincere.

Micah’s smile widened further. "Thank you," he replied easily. "I’m really glad you came."

Yao Tianming let out a light, cheerful laugh, the sound bright and unrestrained, clearly showing how pleased he was just to be here. The corners of his eyes curved slightly, his dimples deepening as his smile widened.

"Of course I had to come," he said without hesitation, his tone carrying a mix of excitement and sincerity. "When the director found out that Ilyas and I were coming to your banquet, he didn’t even hesitate. He immediately called off the shooting schedule for the day."

He lifted one hand to his mouth as if suddenly remembering something he probably should not say out loud, glancing around briefly before leaning a little closer to Micah.

"Honestly..." he lowered his voice into a conspiratorial whisper, though the playful glint in his eyes made it clear he was enjoying this, "he said something about maintaining a good relationship and showing proper support."

Then he paused, lips twitching slightly as if holding back a laugh.

"But between you and me," he added quietly, "I think he just wants more investment. He’s definitely trying to curry favour with you."

Micah raised an eyebrow slowly, clearly catching onto the underlying implication. There was a hint of amusement in his expression, but also a trace of curiosity.

"He could’ve just said that directly," Micah replied casually, waving a hand as though the matter was not particularly serious to him. "I already told them to be generous with the budget." His gaze sharpened slightly. "Did they cut back on funding or something?"

Yao Tianming shook his head immediately, his hands lifting in a quick dismissive gesture.

"No, no, nothing like that," he said. "From what I heard, they didn’t hold back at all. The crew has been gossiping nonstop about it. Apparently, everything is top-tier, from the filming equipment to the costumes. Even the smallest details are ridiculously high-end."

Micah nodded slowly, clearly satisfied with that answer. A faint, pleased expression crossed his face, as though reassured that things were running the way he expected.

But then something in what Yao Tianming said clicked in his mind.

"Wait a second..." Micah said, his brows knitting together slightly as he turned his head to look around the hall. "Ilyas came with you, right?"

His gaze swept across the nearby tables instinctively, scanning the crowd.

"I didn’t see him anywhere," he added, a hint of confusion creeping into his voice.

Yao Tianming blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. He instinctively turned his head to the side, as if fully expecting to see someone standing right next to him.

"Huh?" he said, his tone shifting into mild confusion. "He was literally just...."

His words stopped abruptly. The space beside him was completely empty.

Yao Tianming stared at that spot for a second longer than necessary, his brows slowly drawing together as confusion deepened.

"That’s... weird," he muttered, glancing around as if trying to locate him. "He was standing right next to me just a moment ago."

He shifted slightly, craning his neck to look past a few guests nearby, but there was still no sign of Ilyas.

"Where did he go?" he added under his breath.

After a brief pause, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his expression turning more concerned than confused.

"I’ll just call him," Yao Tianming said, already unlocking the screen. "He promised he’d stay with me tonight. He wouldn’t just disappear like that..." His voice lowered slightly. "Do you think something happened?"

Micah tilted his head, watching him with mild curiosity.

"Stay with you?" he repeated. "Why? You make it sound like he’s your bodyguard or something."

Yao Tianming froze mid-motion, his thumb hovering over his phone screen. A flicker of embarrassment passed across his face, quick but obvious. He scratched lightly at the side of his nose, avoiding eye contact for a moment.

"Don’t laugh, okay?" he said, his voice dropping just a little.

Micah immediately pointed at him, incredulous, clearly already amused.

"You?" he said. "You’re telling me you need someone to stay with you?"

Yao Tianming’s cheeks flushed faintly, a soft shade of pink creeping up as he let out an awkward laugh.

"I’m serious," he insisted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I’m... not very good at dealing with social situations like this."

Micah stared at him, disbelief written all over his face. "You’re kidding," he said flatly.

"I wish I were," Yao Tianming replied with a small sigh. "I’ve been tricked before, you know? Pulled into some messy situations without even realising it at the time." He shrugged lightly. "After that, my older brother got really strict about it. He basically banned me from attending events like this on my own."

He paused, then added a little more softly, "He only agreed to let me come this time because Ilyas was going to be here too."

Micah’s expression shifted slightly, the teasing edge fading into something more understanding.

"Ah... that makes sense," he said. "Honestly, you could’ve just brought your brother along too."

From his perspective, someone like Yao Tianming, good-looking, soft-hearted, and clearly a bit naïve, was practically a magnet for people with bad intentions. It was not hard to imagine him being taken advantage of.

"No way!" Yao Tianming immediately protested, his earlier embarrassment replaced with exaggerated horror. "I came here to relax! If he were here, he’d be nagging me the entire time."

Micah let out a short laugh. "Fair enough," he said.

But before he could say anything else, Darcy’s voice suddenly entered the conversation, calm but carrying a subtle sharpness.

"Micah," he said, his gaze shifting toward Yao Tianming, "who is he?"

Micah turned back toward him quickly, realising he had forgotten to introduce them. "Oh, right," he said, gesturing casually. "My bad. This is Yao Tianming. He just joined my company recently. One of my artists."

Yao Tianming immediately straightened slightly and offered a small, polite bow. "Hello, young master Darcy," he said respectfully. "It’s nice to meet you."

Micah leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes moving between the two of them with clear interest. There was a faint spark of curiosity in his gaze, almost as though he were observing something... or perhaps waiting for something to happen.

Would there be some kind of chemistry? A spark?

After all, Xiao Ming had that soft, bright charm, and Darcy... well, Darcy had his own kind of appeal.

Micah’s thoughts wandered just a little too far. But the moment he looked properly at Darcy’s expression, that faint expectation crumbled.

Darcy’s gaze was cold. Not just indifferent... but outright cold. There was a subtle tension in his eyes as he looked at Yao Tianming, something unreadable yet undeniably sharp.

"...Yao An?" Darcy muttered quietly, almost under his breath.

Micah’s eyes lit up immediately, completely missing the underlying tone. "Oh, you figured it out too!" he said, patting Darcy lightly on the shoulder with clear enthusiasm.

Darcy flicked a glance at him before looking back at Yao Tianming, his expression smoothing out into something more polite, though it did not quite reach his eyes. "The pleasure is mine," he said evenly.

Yao Tianming, seemingly unaware of any tension, smiled again and turned his attention back to Micah.

"You look amazing tonight," he said earnestly. "For a second, I honestly thought I had walked into a fashion show instead of a banquet. You and your partner look really good together. Like... perfectly matched."

Micah visibly brightened at the compliment, his earlier wariness completely forgotten. "Really?" he said, clearly pleased. "You have good taste."

"Obviously," Yao Tianming replied with a playful grin.

They began chatting casually, the conversation light and easy.

However, while Micah was relaxed, someone else was not.

Darcy’s gaze had not moved. Not once. His eyes remained fixed on Yao Tianming’s face, sharp and unwavering, as though trying to dissect something beneath the surface.

Micah felt it. A strange prickling sensation crawled up the back of his neck, subtle at first but impossible to ignore.

He shifted slightly, glancing sideways at Darcy.

Something felt... off. What was going on? Micah wondered silently.

When he looked again, the tension between the two was almost tangible. As if electricity was buzzing between them.

Darcy’s gaze was intense, unyielding. Yao Tianming, though still smiling, seemed faintly unaware of it.

Micah blinked. He had wanted to see a spark, sure. But not this kind of spark. This felt less like interest and more like... confrontation.

What was this? Micah complained inwardly. Why did it look like Darcy was about to freeze him to death instead of flirting with him? Stop glaring at this cute little brother! Xiao Ming was his precious golden goose! Don’t frighten him, please!