"He's right, you know." Lan Wangji calmly sipped his beer, not getting bothered at all by Shen Qingqiu's accusation, since… well, since it was–in a way–not wrong.

It was easy for the outsider to see that the three of them were just rich playboys who'd done nothing good but break hearts left and right, especially since they didn't even bother about covering their track records.

However, the fact that they didn't actually sleep with everyone they were seen with–only the three of them knew. They made a pact ever since they were of age that no one should tell them to do anything they didn't want, especially about marriage, and/or their other half. They made it look like they were screwing anyone with legs, while in actuality, they barely touched them.

Sure they had their shares in sleeping with people–mostly out of curiosity when they were younger–but then again, not as much as the media made them look like–predators.

It didn't bother them too much, since they had no one they wanted to pursue seriously–until now.

"You guys should think about what you really want. Are you just fooling around, or this time… this is it?" There's a reason why Lan Wangji was the sound of reason within themselves. Luo Binghe was too impulsive, while Hua Cheng was too indifferent. While Lan Wangji was also cold, he actually really cared about his brothers and as the oldest, he was the one who took care of them.

"For me, this is it." Luo Binghe quickly replied, and he looked calm enough now. "I never felt anything like this before. Ever."

"And you're sure it's not because he easily threw you out? I know you're a bit of a masochist, Binghe." Hua Cheng laughed at Luo Binghe's enthusiastic reply. True, they never saw him moping like this–like a puppy dog who longed for its master–and it was kinda scary of how accurate the description was.

"What about you, Huahua?" Luo Binghe replied while he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Hua Cheng was more known as a playboy than he, because of his ridiculously good look, wealth and–from people's gossip–his huge cock. "You know Xie Lian is Wangji's right hand man. If you screw this up, Wangji would definitely kill you."

"I'm kinda shocked to hear you threatening me, Bing pup." Hua Cheng drank his beer straight from the bottle and lit up a cigarette with his matte black lighter. "You do know that I never wanted to pursue anyone–same as Wangji here–but, alas, one day this vision of beauty just entered my sight, and I'm hooked. Who cares if he's a male? I don't really care about gender anyway, just like you and Wangji." He shrugged nonchalantly while inhaling his cig deeply.

"Well, just like Mr. Shen said. We could afford to ignore their gender, because we could just move on and be done with it, and the world would move on with us." Lan Wangji looked at both of his brothers. "And he's also right about the other thing too. If we're not serious about them, let's just say, better not start playing with the fire if you can't handle it–or this one should fit better–if they can't handle it."

"No, I think the first one fits better." Hua Cheng exhaled the last of his cig and flicked the ash away toward Luo Binghe. "Better not to play with those firecrackers, if you're not sure you can handle them." He chuckled lightly. "And that was meant for you, Bing pup."

Lan Wangji smiled at Hua Cheng's remark. It hit the bull's eyes perfectly, since Shen Qingqiu was the firecracker himself.

He knew that Xie Lian–although looked delicate–was capable of handling others effortlessly through his angelic smile and iron hands. He was dubbed as the smiling Iron Maiden because once you're within his clutch, there's no way you're gonna escape unscathed. And not unwillingly, since he never raised his voice and always smiled. Those who got caught in his enchanting smile wouldn't know what hit them–just like Hua Cheng. And he knew how to handle people, twisting them around his pretty little fingers to do his every bidding.

Wei Wuxian was like that too. He knew that the man was capable of doing everything that he set his eyes on. Like owning his first Michelin star restaurant even before the age of thirty–and by his own doing, without anyone else to help him. He could literally produce any food from any country and find out the secret ingredients just by their smell alone. His taste bud was renowned as the God's tongue, and he was the only genius chef who refused to be recruited by Jin Zixuan, the King of the Michelin Stars Restaurants.

That man owned more Michelin Stars restaurants than anyone else even though the man could cook shit. Lan Wangji knew, because they were rivals since childhood. Jin Zixuan always envied Lan Wangji in every way, only to be ignored by the latter. If he knew that Lan Wangji pursued Wei Wuxian, who knew what kind of trick he would do to force the man to come to his side, or worse–ruined him. That's one of the reasons why he planned his seduction very carefully, especially with Jin Zixuan and his siblings–who had been sniffing–around him.

Shen Qingqiu–although he looked salty–was the most sought after pastry chef in this part of the hemisphere, because although his temper was fiery just like that one famous TV chef, he was really really good at what he did. Lan Wangji did research on him too–not as extensive as he did Wei Wuxian, but he knew that the man was another genius in his field, who'd won many prestigious awards and was also listed in Jin Zixuan's recruit list.

He also knew that the three of them were the best of friends and they protected each other fiercely–just like him and his brothers–and he really admired that.

"Rest assured, brothers. From my point of view, we are the ones who should be worried, because those three men? They are the best. They could decide to use us, and then dump us, and we would be the one who begged them to let us back in, if we ever tried to cross them." Lan Wangji's eyes sparkled when he thought about the challenge.

One year.

One whole year of stalking Wei Wuxian.

The time now was perfect, and it was now showtime.

Lan Wangji smirked in a way that caused Luo Binghe to shiver and Hua Cheng to get excited, because he knew that look.

It was the look of a predator who just found its prey.

Stalking time was over. Now's the time to make their moves.

"So, why don't we have a little welcoming party for our pretty neighbors tonight? I think it's time for us to introduce ourselves to them."