Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Returning home, Shen Tingzhou carefully recalled his high school days, searching for any moments involving Song Qingning.

Even with his exceptional memory, it was impossible to remember every person he had encountered over three years of high school clearly.

For this junior student, Shen Tingzhou truly had no recollection at all.

The first time he had an impression of Song Qingning was two years ago.

At the time, Shen Tingzhou was heading to an academic conference to support his master when he was rear-ended halfway there.

The person who hit him was Li Jingchong, the father of Li Muye. He seemed to be in a hurry too and gave Shen Tingzhou a business card, saying he would cover all repair costs.

It was just a minor scrape, and since the other party was very polite, Shen Tingzhou courteously accepted the card.

Just as he was about to leave, he accidentally made eye contact with Song Qingning in the car.

Noticing her pale face, out of professional habit, Shen Tingzhou asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Song Qingning immediately looked away and whispered, "No, I'm just a bit carsick."

Li Jingchong walked over and asked, "Why didn't you say anything if you were carsick?"

Song Qingning seemed a bit nervous and explained uneasily, "It's not that bad."

Shen Tingzhou had medicine in his car and gave Song Qingning a motion sickness pill before leaving.

Only much later did Shen Tingzhou learn that it was Song Qingning's first meeting with Li Jingchong, and they got married three days later.

Because of that unexpected accident, Shen Tingzhou met Li Jingchong, and soon after, Li Jingchong hired him.

After Li Jingchong passed away, his eldest son, Li Jinghang, continued to renew the contract with Shen Tingzhou.

In the past two years, Shen Tingzhou hadn't had much interaction with Song Qingning. Based on what he knew about her, she didn't seem like someone who would obsessively collect items he had used.

Shen Tingzhou couldn't make sense of it and decided not to think about it anymore.

Even if Song Qingning had some feelings for him during her school days, she might not feel the same way now, and there could be some misunderstanding involved.

Let it be.

After convincing himself, Shen Tingzhou put the matter aside.

-

Due to being caught sneaking into the Steward's room, Shen Tingzhou hadn't gone over to pet the cats for a long time.

He could only indulge in watching videos of the cats posted by Xu Xun on social media.

After dinner, Shen Tingzhou, as usual, opened Xu Xun's social media feed and enjoyed watching the videos.

As expected, it's Xuxu. The way it licks and scratches is so cute.

Hmm, who taught Shenshen to lie flat?

The big tabby cat is called Xuxu, and the small silver tabby is called Shenshen.

Perhaps getting used to life here, the kitten slept in a particularly relaxed position, lying on its back with its belly exposed, sprawled on the carpeted floor, sleeping soundly.

While Shen Tingzhou was marveling at how adorable it was, the phone rang suddenly.

Seeing it was the Steward calling, Shen Tingzhou sat up straight.

Answering the call, the Steward's smiling voice came through, "Doctor Shen, do you have time this weekend? Could you accompany our young master to a gathering? It's not a large event, more family-oriented."

Since it's a family-oriented event, bringing me along might not be appropriate, right?

Seeming to understand Shen Tingzhou's confusion, the Steward said, "Xu Zhiming will also be there that day."

Xu Zhiming is Xu Xun's second uncle, the one claiming the family assets.

Hearing that he would be there, Shen Tingzhou understood.

Oh, oh, oh.

Is this like in those rich family dramas where the protagonist pretends to be weak to catch the enemy off guard?

Acting as a doctor is his specialty because he is a doctor!

Shen Tingzhou agreed without hesitation.

On the weekend, he drove early to Xu Xun's place and brought a cane for him to use, making the act of weakness more convincing.

Shen Tingzhou handed the cane over, "Mr. Xu, using this will enhance the effect."

Xu Xun hesitated, seemingly not understanding what he meant.

The Steward beside them said, "Listen to Doctor Shen, take it."

Xu Xun glanced at the Steward, who then ushered him out the door.

The Steward stood at the door, smiling and waving, "Drive safely."

-

The gathering was held at a seaside vacation villa. Shen Tingzhou got out of the car and naturally supported Xu Xun's left arm.

Xu Xun looked at the hand resting on his arm, slender and clean, with a slightly warm palm, continuously transferring warmth to him.

Shen Tingzhou reminded, "Mr. Xu, use the cane."

Xu Xun: ...

Xu Xun had no choice but to be supported by Shen Tingzhou on one side and hold his cane with the other as they entered the villa.

Pushing the door open and seeing a crowd, Shen Tingzhou took a half-step back.

This is what the Steward meant by "a few people"?

Shen Tingzhou quickly scanned the room; there were at least thirty or forty people, causing him to swallow nervously. He asked Xu Xun, "Are these all your family members?"

What a large clan!

Shen Tingzhou had never seen so many family members in his life!

Xu Xun explained, "Not all of them; some are friends."

Shen Tingzhou didn't say anything more, noticing that everyone looked over as soon as they entered.

Since the car accident, Xu Xun rarely appeared in public, so naturally, his appearance drew many gazes.

An elegant middle-aged woman walked over and smiled, "Xun has arrived?"

Xu Xun responded with a faint "Mm."

The woman subtly glanced at Xu Xun's cane and the handsome Shen Tingzhou, her gaze lingering for a couple of seconds.

Shen Tingzhou introduced himself, "I'm Mr. Xu's doctor. He's not feeling well and can't stand for long."

The woman's eyes flickered subtly, but she spoke warmly, "Please come in and sit down."

Shen Tingzhou supported Xu Xun inside, and once they sat on the sofa, he draped a blanket over Xu Xun's legs.

Xu Zheng watched helplessly as his brother swallowed two handfuls of medicine within twenty minutes.

Xu Zheng's expression was complicated, "Brother..."

If you're this sick, maybe you shouldn't have come; it's unsettling to watch.

He was genuinely worried that today's gathering might worsen Xu Xun's condition. How could a normal person take such large amounts of medication?

Shen Tingzhou politely said, "Could you please close the window? Mr. Xu can't catch a draft."

Xu Zheng responded and hurriedly went to close the window.

As soon as he left, Shen Tingzhou felt someone tug at his sleeve. Turning around, he saw Xu Xun looking at him.

Shen Tingzhou asked gently, "What's wrong?"

Xu Xun said, tilting his head, "I ate too much sugar."

Shen Tingzhou had just fed Xu Xun two handfuls of sugar, which likely made him feel overwhelmed; even his speech sounded a bit sticky.

Shen Tingzhou twisted open the thermos. "Drink some water quickly; your throat is all hoarse."

Xu Xun: ...

Xu Xun drank a couple of sips of water with a sullen face.

Shen Tingzhou treated Xu Xun as if he were a terminally ill patient, and after he finished drinking, he pulled out a tissue from his bag to wipe the water stains from the corner of Xu Xun's mouth.

Facing Shen Tingzhou's sudden approach, Xu Xun did not dodge; he only breathed a little more lightly.

Shen Tingzhou lowered his eyelashes, the lines of his eyebrows very pleasing, with a mole hidden in them. Before Xu Xun could see it clearly, Shen Tingzhou had already stepped back.

At this moment, a mocking voice came from afar.

"Given your state, you should stay in bed. You can't even handle company affairs properly; if you mess things up, there won't even be money for medicine."

Who had such a foul mouth?

Shen Tingzhou turned around and saw the handsome yet sinister Xu Zhiming walking over with a beautiful female companion.

Oh, it's him. No wonder.

Shen Tingzhou straightened his posture, blocking Xu Zhiming's line of sight. After a moment of contemplation, he still spoke the truth, "Mr. Xu, you might be sick."

Xu Xun chuckled softly behind him.

Xu Zhiming's face turned dark, glaring at Shen Tingzhou while scolding Xu Xun, "Brat, control your dog. Even your father wouldn't dare talk to me like this..."

Shen Tingzhou's voice overlapped with his—

"Mr. Xu, have you been experiencing painful urination, frequent urges, insomnia, and hair loss lately?"

Xu Zhiming suddenly fell silent, his mouth slightly agape, looking as if Shen Tingzhou had hit the nail on the head but unwilling to admit it.

His female companion couldn't help but nod slightly.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiming became even angrier and slapped the female companion across the face, "What the hell do you know?"

The slap was extremely hard. Shen Tingzhou frowned and was about to pull the girl over.

Unexpectedly, the girl also had a fiery temper. She covered her face and slapped Xu Zhiming back with a loud smack.

Everyone was shocked, including Xu Zhiming.

Xu Zhiming bulged his eyes, showing a menacing glare, "You..."

The female companion slapped him twice more, "What? Didn't your mother teach you not to hit women?"

Xu Zhiming opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by her.

"Originally, I thought you looked good, so I figured if you didn't give me resources, it wouldn't matter. Who knew you were all looks and no substance? I've used my best acting skills on your bed."

Shen Tingzhou finally recognized her; this female companion seemed to be the vicious third female lead in a popular fantasy drama.

When Fu Yunyun was chatting and sending memes with him, she had sent an expression pack of this woman.

Xu Zhiming pointed at her, his fingers trembling with anger. "I see you're tired of living and don't want to stay in this industry..."

"If you have the guts, go ahead and blacklist me. I'm sick of this damn industry! Stupid director, stupid lead actor, stupid screenwriter—my dog could type better than that script by rolling on a keyboard."

The female companion grew angrier as she spoke, completely losing it.

"The male lead has more wrinkles on his face than the socks my grandma has worn for decades, and yet he's supposed to be the most handsome man in the Three Realms! And I have to go crazy for him—just who does he think he is!"

"The female lead talks like she has a quail egg in her mouth, mumbling her lines, and even needs eye drops for such simple crying scenes!"

"This pair of dragons and phoenixes, and the director praises their acting skills, making it to the hot search list. Did your mother give birth to a blind person, Director? Can you even sleep at night?"

Shen Tingzhou: Regardless of anything else, her verbal skills are impressive.

Despite the shouting, every word was crystal clear.

"A bunch of idiots! I'm beautiful, a great actress, graduated from a proper film school, and now I have to rely on men to get resources. Damn it, and I ended up with a man who's all looks and no substance, only lasting five minutes in bed. How unlucky can I be!"

"I'm so angry, ah, ah, aaaaaaah, aaaaaaaaaah."

Xu Zhiming, who had been quite intimidating just moments ago, was frightened by her manic outburst, akin to a groundhog gone wild.

When he heard her mention his five-minute performance in bed, Xu Zhiming wanted to refute it but held back, considering her current mental state.

When the security guards returned, they found the woman crushing crystal glasses with her bare hands, and everyone froze in place.

With this reckless behavior, who dared to approach!

The woman laughed maniacally as she poured red wine. "May this world rot and stink just like me from now on."