When Chu Yang saw the man beside Chu Yi, his eyes had never widened so much before. His eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
Even when he had learned about his true identity and the existence of Chu Yi, he hadn’t been this shocked. He had always known that his parents doted on him.
The man beside Chu Yi was the very man he had been trying to meet earlier.
Chu Yi called him Mr. Shen, and they clearly knew each other. Could this be Shen Jin?
But how could it be Shen Jin? How could it possibly be him? The person he had been trying to get close to was actually Shen Jin!
The marriage partner he had rejected was actually him?
Shen Jin was supposed to be a short, fat man with a receding hairline! How could he be this tall, handsome, and dashing man standing before him? Compared to Shen Jin, everyone else at the banquet paled in comparison. No one could match his brilliance.
Chu Yang refused to believe it. There were so many people with the surname Shen. This couldn’t possibly be Shen Jin! Wasn’t Shen Jin supposed to hate Chu Yi? How could he be speaking to him so kindly? It was absolutely impossible.
Chu Yang asked his mother, “Mom, who is that man? Have you ever met Shen Jin?”
Mother Chu wore the same puzzled expression as Chu Yang and shook her head.
Shen Jin had been abroad for years, only returning to China in the last two years. Upon his return, he immediately began plotting to reclaim the Shen Corporation, maintaining a facade of cordiality with Shen Chunhan while secretly engaging in cutthroat competition. Many predicted Shen Jin would suffer a crushing defeat in the end, which was why the Chu Family adamantly refused to let Chu Yang marry him. They couldn’t bear to see Chu Yang suffer.
Since returning to China, Shen Jin had rarely appeared in public. Chu Yang had never met him, and he had always believed the Chu Family should stick with Shen Chunhan’s side. After all, how many princes had ever defeated their emperors?
Rumors painted Shen Jin as ugly, ruthless, and violent. That was why the Chu Family had sent Chu Yi to marry him in Chu Yang’s place. The project they were collaborating on with Shen Chunhan was simply too tempting—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Chu Yi had become the sacrificial lamb.
After Chu Yi moved into the Shen Family home, the Chu Family had stopped paying attention to him and Shen Jin.
But was the man standing before them really Shen Jin? Why was he so different from the rumors?
They knew no one other than Shen Jin could have brought Chu Yi to the banquet.
Soon, Chu Yang and his mother confirmed from others that the man they had seen was indeed Shen Jin.
Chu Yang glared at Chu Yi with unconcealed resentment. How could Chu Yi be so lucky to be by Shen Jin’s side? Why wasn’t Shen Jin a fat, middle-aged man? What had gone wrong?
The more Chu Yang thought about it, the angrier he became. It should have been him standing beside Shen Jin.
Seeing her son’s discontent, Mother Chu comforted him, “Although Shen Jin’s appearance might differ from the rumors, it’s true that he’s ruthless. He’s locked in a fierce power struggle with Shen Chunhan right now, but Shen Chunhan will ultimately win. Otherwise, Shen Jin wouldn’t have been forced to agree to this marriage, would he?”
Mother Chu’s words brought Chu Yang some comfort.
Even if Shen Jin was handsome, he was still a pervert. Who knew how he would torment Chu Yi in private? The thought lifted Chu Yang’s spirits slightly.
Despite trying to convince himself, he couldn’t help but glance at Shen Jin again and again, each time captivated by the man’s striking features.
Shen Jin glanced at Chu Yang and Mother Chu in the distance, then at the dessert soaked in red wine on the table, a slight frown creasing his brow.
Chu Yi was always careful with his food and wouldn’t waste it like this. Moreover, Chu Yi didn’t drink alcohol. When Shen Jin arrived, he saw Chu Yang talking to Chu Yi.
Chu Yang had been holding a glass of red wine in his hand just moments ago.
The only explanation was that Chu Yang had poured the red wine.
Shen Jin asked, “Chu Yang did this?”
Though phrased as a question, his tone was firm.
Chu Yi remained silent, his eyes slightly red. He knew Chu Yang disliked him—not just Chu Yang, but the entire Chu Family.
He lowered his gaze, his raven-feather eyelashes fluttering slightly. Shen Jin recalled the time Chu Yi had bumped into him, his eyes similarly cast down before tears had suddenly streamed down his face.
His thick lashes couldn’t hold the pearly tears, so they fell one by one as he cried.
Now, Chu Yi’s eyes were red-rimmed, on the verge of tears.
Shen Jin said nothing, but handed Chu Yi something. “Here.”
Chu Yi looked closely and saw a box of ice cream. He stared at Shen Jin in surprise. Why would Shen Jin be holding ice cream?
Shen Jin replied calmly, “I grabbed it on the way.”
Chu Yi accepted the ice cream. “Thank you, Mr. Shen.” He had just been thinking about getting some ice cream later.
This ice cream was delicious—chocolate-flavored, smooth and creamy, cool and sweet, the taste lingering on his tongue, spreading from his mouth all the way to his heart. Chu Yi instantly forgot about the unpleasantness earlier, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
Shen Jin realized that Chu Yi was perhaps too easily pleased. A box of ice cream had made him so happy. Was it really that delicious?
Shen Jin seemed to have simply been passing by and decided to bring Chu Yi a box of ice cream on his way.
Chu Yi said, “Mr. Shen, you should go take care of your business. I’ll just stay here and eat.”
Shen Jin replied, “Uncle Wen asked me to keep an eye on you. The hotel is too big; you might get lost. Just stay with me.”
So Chu Yi followed Shen Jin, eating his ice cream as they walked.
When Shen Jin turned around, he saw Chu Yi quickly lick his lips, rolling the last bit of ice cream into his mouth. Then, under Shen Jin’s gaze, Chu Yi blushed and smiled shyly.
“So that’s Shen Jin? He’s nothing like the rumors. But he does look pretty intimidating.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. It seems all the rumors about Shen Jin come from Shen Chunhan’s side.”
“So it’s true that Shen Jin and Shen Chunhan are sworn enemies?”
“Definitely. I heard that Shen Jin’s mother did something to offend Shen Chunhan a long time ago, which is why Shen Chunhan has always disliked Shen Jin.”
“What exactly happened?”
“How would I know? It’s all just hearsay. But it’s definitely nothing good. Think about it—what else could a woman do to betray a man besides have an affair? Tsk tsk.”
“I also heard Shen Jin has a really strange, twisted personality. They say he tortures his arranged marriage partner in his villa. Apparently, the partner has been driven to tears several times, and someone even saw them with their hand bandaged.”
“What family could be so cruel as to force their child into an arranged marriage with Shen Jin? It’s like pushing them into a fiery pit!”
“Not only that, but Shen Jin’s methods after taking power were ruthless. He ousted many loyal veterans. It’s truly a case of repaying kindness with malice. How could someone like that be a good person?”
As Chu Yi emerged from the restroom, he overheard the group in the corner gossiping about Shen Jin. They hadn’t noticed him, so they hadn’t lowered their voices, and Chu Yi heard every word clearly.
Chu Yi stood frozen, clenching his fists. These people were spreading lies. Shen Jin was nothing like they described. Why did they always talk about him behind his back?
Shen Jin rarely smiled, but he wasn’t strange or twisted at all. He certainly didn’t torture anyone. Why did they insist on calling him a pervert?
These people claimed they’d heard everything from Shen Chunhan, so it was clearly Shen Chunhan’s deliberate attempt to spread rumors and slander Shen Jin.
Chu Yi said, “Mr. Shen isn’t at all like you say. He’s a very good person.”
A soft voice drifted from somewhere nearby. The group searched around, only to discover the voice belonged to a handsome young man standing beside them. No one recognized him.
Chu Yi didn’t know any of these people. Normally, he would be nervous speaking to strangers, let alone initiating a conversation or arguing loudly with them.
Chu Yi bit his lip. “Mr. Shen isn’t like that! You shouldn’t talk about him like that!”
The group burst into laughter. Chu Yi’s eyes and tone were angry, but to them, it was like a child playing pretend.
“Who are you?”
“If Shen Jin isn’t like we said, how do you know what kind of person he is?”
Chu Yi: “I just know.”
One of the men stepped forward, closing in on Chu Yi. “How do you know? Do you follow Shen Jin around every day? I never thought someone like Shen Jin would have anyone defending him.”
The man’s words grew increasingly offensive.
Chu Yi was so cornered by the man’s relentless taunts that he couldn’t utter a single word. He hated himself for always breaking down in tears at crucial moments, leaving him speechless and tongue-tied.
“Chu Yi, come here.”
A voice cut through the air.
The men’s expressions instantly changed when they saw the speaker. Their arrogant faces were now etched with fear.
Shen Jin stood nearby, watching them coldly. The men felt a chill run down their spines and immediately lowered their heads, pretending to be busy as they quickly retreated.
Chu Yi glared angrily at the retreating figures.
“Mr. Shen,” Chu Yi said as he approached Shen Jin, his lips pressed into a thin line. His eyes were still red-rimmed, as if he had suffered a great injustice, but he was stubbornly holding back his tears.
Gu Jin had witnessed the entire scene. He gave Chu Yi a thumbs-up. “Impressive,” he said.
He couldn’t help but take a closer look at Chu Yi. The young man looked thin and frail, yet he had shown such unexpected courage in defending Shen Jin.
The last time they had met at the club, Gu Jin had only seen Chu Yi crying and looking easily bullied. If he hadn’t witnessed the scene just now, that was how he would have continued to perceive him.
Chu Yi never expected to see Chu Yi arguing with those people because of Shen Jin.
Chu Yi stared at him blankly, realizing from his expression that Gu Jin wasn’t laughing at him. He lowered his head in embarrassment. “They’re wrong. Mr. Shen isn’t like that at all.” Those people hadn’t seen anything and were just making baseless accusations.
Shen Jin asked, “So you just rushed over to argue with them?”
Chu Yi gave a barely audible hum, admitting it. But he was too clumsy to win the argument. He glanced at Shen Jin, who didn’t seem angry.
Gu Jin burst out laughing, finding Chu Yi genuinely amusing. Shen Jin had stumbled upon a treasure.
Shen Jin looked at him, his gaze softening imperceptibly. He didn’t even realize his eyes had grown so gentle.
Chu Yi glanced around, and Shen Jin asked, “What are you looking for?”
Chu Yi looked at Shen Jin. “Where did you get the ice cream? I couldn’t find it.”
Shen Jin: “……Just wait here.”
Chu Yi waited for a moment and then saw Shen Jin walking toward him with a box of strawberry ice cream.
