Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Su Yu knocked on the door outside, "Doctor Shen."

Inside the room, Su Qiang excitedly said, "I've hidden myself. Go open the door quickly."

Amidst these two urging voices, Shen Tingzhou strangely calmed down, even developing a mindset of "as long as I'm not embarrassed, nothing can embarrass me."

With his best mental state, Shen Tingzhou walked over and opened the door.

Su Yu glanced into the room, seemingly innocent but with a hidden agenda, "Doctor Shen, why did it take you so long to open the door? I've been waiting for you for ages. Is there something in here I shouldn't see?"

Before Shen Tingzhou could speak, Su Qiang pushed the wardrobe aside and eagerly emerged from inside.

Su Qiang laughed wildly, "Haha, didn't expect that, did you? I'm right here!"

Shen Tingzhou: ...

It was unexpected how impatient Big Qiang was. No wonder he couldn't beat Su Yu; he had no tact at all.

Su Yu took a shocked and heartbroken step back, "Doctor Shen, you... you..."

"That's right." Su Qiang undid two buttons on his shirt and walked up to Shen Tingzhou, "Doctor Shen and I are exactly what you think we are!"

Su Yu held his round belly, swaying unsteadily, "One of you is my brother, and the other is my... doctor. How could you do this?"

Su Qiang showed a malicious smile, stepping closer to Su Yu, "Sorry, brother, your Doctor Shen is mine now."

Shen Tingzhou silently watched this melodramatic performance by the brothers.

It seemed they could carry on without him.

Su Yu, heartbroken and pained, bit his lip and shook his head fiercely, "No, it can't be."

"Is lying to yourself fun?" Su Qiang played the classic villain, "Let me tell you the truth. When you knocked on the door, I was lying on Doctor Shen's bed, wearing the clothes you wore, sleeping on the bed you slept in, hugging your old... your doctor."

The falsely accused Doctor Shen smiled, smiled, smiled.

"Ah, my stomach."

Su Yu held his belly and dramatically cried out, then slowly sat down on the floor.

Su Qiang scoffed, "Stop pretending, brother. You just fell on your butt; how could your stomach hurt?"

Shen Tingzhou frowned. Wasn't that line supposed to come from him, the "scoundrel"?

Su Yu clutched his belly and said hoarsely, "My child, my child."

Su Qiang laughed wildly beside him, "Su Yu, you deserve this."

A tall figure hurried over, pushed Su Qiang aside, and bent down to support Su Yu's shoulder, "What happened?"

Su Yu grabbed onto Yu Mingyan's clothes and said painfully, "My child, they..."

Worried that Yu Mingyan might misunderstand, Shen Tingzhou was about to explain, but Yu Mingyan lifted Su Yu up, "Hold on, I'll take you to the hospital right away."

"If anything happens to him or the child..." Yu Mingyan glared coldly, "I'll make all of you pay with your lives."

Shen Tingzhou: Pfft—

He overthought it. With the couple's rapport, how could Yu Mingyan not see through Su Yu's act?

After saying that, Yu Mingyan carried Su Yu toward the bedroom.

Suddenly, Su Yu straightened up and shouted at Shen Tingzhou again, "Doctor Shen, I hate you!"

Shen Tingzhou: ...

"Good boy." Yu Mingyan gently pressed Su Yu's head back into his chest and carried him into the room.

Su Qiang chased after them into the hallway, yelling some typical villainous threats at Su Yu's closed bedroom door.

Shen Tingzhou closed his eyes, unable to resist asking, "Is there no one else at home tonight?"

Su Qiang turned around and said, "Don't worry, our house has excellent soundproofing."

Shen Tingzhou: ...Okay.

Shen Tingzhou pinched the bridge of his nose, returned to his bedroom, and noticed Su Qiang following him. He stopped, "Anything else?"

Su Qiang suddenly became bashful, twisting his body and remaining silent for a while.

Shen Tingzhou, known for his patience, waited quietly for Su Qiang to continue.

Without saying a word, Su Qiang suddenly ran to the balcony and returned with two thick photo albums, twisting his body as he handed them to Shen Tingzhou.

Shen Tingzhou took them, puzzled.

Opening the album, he found it filled with Su Qiang's solo photos.

Originally, they were group photos with Su Yu, but Su Qiang had cut out Su Yu's half, leaving only his own pictures.

"You said before—" Su Qiang deliberately avoided looking at Shen Tingzhou, fiddling with his nails, "that I was cute when I was little. Was that true?"

Shen Tingzhou found it both amusing and exasperating. After all this commotion—slipping notes under the table and climbing windows at midnight—it was just to ask this question?

Had he mentioned it earlier, Shen Tingzhou would have thought Su Qiang wanted...

Realizing he had misinterpreted things, Shen Tingzhou felt a bit embarrassed and reopened the album, "Yes, I did find you very cute."

He looked up at Su Qiang and asked curiously, "No one ever told you?"

Su Qiang's body stilled immediately, his face darkening as he said, "My dad often says it, but everyone else favors Su Yu. Even my father thinks Su Yu looks more like him."

Shen Tingzhou hadn't expected to unintentionally touch on Su Qiang's sore spot and hurriedly tried to make amends, "I meant outsiders."

With Su Qiang's appearance when he was young, wouldn't strange aunts have pinched his cheeks red?

Su Qiang's expression turned even worse, "Every time we went out together, they would compliment Su Yu."

Shen Tingzhou: ... It seemed he had accidentally hit another sore spot again. Sorry.

Su Qiang said fiercely, "So I would cut his hair while he was sleeping at night, so he couldn't go out and act cute."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Su Qiang: "But he was even crueler. He tied me up and plucked my eyebrows one by one. I always did it while he was sleeping, but he always tortured me when I was awake."

Shen Tingzhou: You're still quite nice, aren't you?

"Later, he met Yu Mingyan, and the two of them would bully me together. I hate them." Su Qiang looked at Shen Tingzhou with intense eyes, "Fortunately, you avenged me today!"

Shen Tingzhou: Meow meow meow?

Avenge what? What revenge?

In Su Qiang's eyes, tonight's drama had perfectly turned the tables for him, so he contentedly took his photo album and went to sleep.

-

Su Dad's birthday party was very low-key, inviting only some close friends.

What Shen Tingzhou didn't expect at all was that among those invited by Su Dad was the Steward.

The Steward walked over with a smile, "Doctor Shen."

Shen Tingzhou couldn't help but glance behind him, "Why are you here?"

"The old friend's birthday, came for a meal," the Steward added, "It's just me today; no young master."

Shen Tingzhou coughed, "Su Dad is over there."

The Steward smiled at Shen Tingzhou, "Doctor Shen, after dinner, come with me."

Shen Tingzhou heard clearly and understood, but he didn't know how to react, instinctively saying, "Ah?"

The Steward just smiled without saying anything more and went forward to greet the birthday person.

Seeing how the Steward talked to Su Dad, it seemed they were quite familiar. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense—the Steward had attended Su Dad and Su Yu's wedding back then.

But...

Whose wedding did the Steward attend? Su Yu's father's or his third uncle's?

Su Yu's father wasn't here, either avoiding suspicion or being busy with something.

Shen Tingzhou couldn't figure out their family situation and didn't waste brain cells thinking too deeply about it.

Although Shen Tingzhou and Su Qiang's "relationship" was already public, Su Qiang still preferred to observe secretly.

Every time, he would secretly contact Shen Tingzhou when Su Yu wasn't paying attention.

Shen Tingzhou's left pocket was almost full of little notes from Su Qiang.

For the eighth time, Su Qiang casually walked over and quickly slipped the thirty-seventh note into Shen Tingzhou's hand before leaving nonchalantly.

Why does it feel like they're meeting like spies?

Shen Tingzhou found a place to open the note. The content was simple, complaining about how ugly a certain man's tie was. The previous note criticized someone's watch.

Shen Tingzhou put the note back in his pocket, both amused and exasperated.

If they were really spies, they'd probably be fired for passing such boring messages.

Su Yu approached with a glass of fruit juice, having completely forgotten about last night, treating Shen Tingzhou, this "scoundrel," as usual.

"Doctor Shen, why don't you come back for dinner with us tonight? Mingyan brought back some Australian prawns."

Thinking about what the Steward had said earlier, Shen Tingzhou pursed his lips.

Su Yu tilted his head and asked, "Do you have plans tonight?"

Shen Tingzhou hesitated and nodded slightly.

Knowing he truly had plans, Su Yu didn't push further.

Not seeing Yu Mingyan in the venue, Shen Tingzhou wondered, "Where's Mr. Yu?"

Su Yu sipped his juice and said, "He went outside to pick up my father."

Shen Tingzhou's expression turned slightly calm, pausing for a few seconds before speaking, "Your father is coming too?"

Su Yu matter-of-factly replied, "It's my dad's birthday, of course he has to come home."

Shen Tingzhou keenly picked up on the key phrase, "Home? Does he live here too?"

Su Yu smiled mischievously, "Well, where else would he go? This is also his home."

Shen Tingzhou thought to himself, isn't that awkward?

Seeming to know what Shen Tingzhou was thinking, Su Yu curved his lips and lowered his voice, "Actually, my dad was initially engaged to my second uncle."

Follow Uncle Er?

Su Yu: "I don't know if it was his constitution or if he absorbed less nutrients in the womb, but my Uncle Er was often sick after he was born. My grandfather was quite superstitious and, following the advice of a master, adopted my father and placed him in the care of a temple."

"I don't know if it was coincidence or if there's some mystical force at work, but ever since adopting my father, Uncle Er's health improved significantly."

As a staunch materialist, Shen Tingzhou was more inclined to believe it was a coincidence.

Children do get sick easily, but as they grow older, their resistance strengthens, and it becomes normal for them to fall ill less frequently.

Su Yu continued, "My father didn't know about this. When he found out, he went to the temple to visit my father and fell in love with him at first sight. Despite opposition from the family, he married my father. However, my father liked Uncle San."

Wait, wait.

In just a few sentences, Shen Tingzhou felt his CPU was about to overheat.

Originally, Su Father was engaged to Uncle Er, but Su Yu's father intercepted his brother's engagement.

In reality, Su Father didn't like Uncle Er or Su Yu's father; he liked Uncle San.

Was the relationship that complicated?

Shen Tingzhou couldn't understand why Uncle San was involved. Since Su Father lived in the temple, how did he meet Uncle San?

Su Yu had a reasonable explanation.

"My Uncle San is Uncle Er's twin. Uncle San impersonated Uncle Er and visited my father at the temple. Knowing he would marry Uncle Er in the future, my father tried to build a good relationship with his future partner, so he treated 'Uncle Er' well, but it was actually Uncle San."

What a case of mistaken identity and crossed wires.

If Uncle San hadn't interfered, Uncle Er might have ended up with Su Father... or maybe not, considering Su Yu's father was also in the picture.

Su Yu chuckled.

Shen Tingzhou looked over and heard Su Yu say, "I was joking."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Su Yu's eyes curved into a smile as he shook his head and said, "Doctor Shen is so cute. Too bad I can't shrink you and put you in my pocket to take home."

Shen Tingzhou kept his gaze composed, as if he hadn't heard anything.

Soon, Yu Mingyan and Su Yu's father walked in.

Seeing Su Yu's father approach Su Father, Uncle Er, who was supposedly the one whose engagement was stolen, remained calm, and Uncle San also appeared unperturbed.

This confirmed Shen Tingzhou's suspicion that they were indeed living together harmoniously.

Although he didn't understand this harmony, he wasn't part of the Su family and didn't need to.

-

After lunch, the Steward came to find Shen Tingzhou, "Doctor Shen, could you please give me a ride back?"

Shen Tingzhou didn't ask how the Steward got here; he simply nodded.

After staying at the Su residence until 2 PM, Shen Tingzhou drove the Steward back.

On the way, Shen Tingzhou chatted with the Steward, "How did you meet Su Father?"

"I knew his academic teacher and met him through him. Occasionally, when I had nothing to do, I would go to drink tea and play chess with him," the Steward's gaze drifted into the distance. "It's been over thirty years now."

Shen Tingzhou was slightly surprised, "That's a long time."

The Steward sighed, "Yes, we met when we were around seventeen or eighteen. I remember that the third son of the Su family always climbed the wall to see him."

Shen Tingzhou felt a stirring in his heart, realizing that there was some truth in Su Yu's joke.

The Steward added, "But he often didn't stay long before being beaten up by the eldest son of the Su family and dragged back."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Seeing that the Steward knew Su Father's academic teacher, Shen Tingzhou couldn't help but ask, "Do you believe in Buddhism?"

The Steward replied, "No, I just went there for meals. The temple's tofu is quite good. Doctor Shen should try it sometime."

Shen Tingzhou: "...Sure."

Arriving at Xu's house, Xu Xun was scooping cat litter.

Initially, he wore full protective gear—mask and gloves—but now he only held a scoop.

Watching Xu Xun calmly scoop the litter, Shen Tingzhou felt he was becoming more and more like a cat dad, and a sense of warmth welled up inside him.

Suddenly, Xu Xun placed the scooped poop in front of the silver tabby, "Smell it yourself and see if it stinks."

Then, in a fit of revenge, he poured clean litter on the silver tabby's head.

Xu Xun turned to see Shen Tingzhou's frozen smile and silently brushed the litter off the kitten's head.

Shen Tingzhou paused for a moment and asked, "Need any help?"

Xu Xun picked up the silver tabby and blew on it, looking at Shen Tingzhou and saying, "It's clean now."

...He meant help in a different way, but never mind.

Shen Tingzhou smiled and nodded, then took the cat to check its bottom.

Xu Xun had already cleaned it, and Shen Tingzhou carried the spotless kitten away from the messy area.

The other two cats saw Shen Tingzhou and meowed, clearly hoping for treats like fish jerky and cat sticks.

Shen Tingzhou held the little silver tabby and squatted down to pet the orange cat and the tortoiseshell. The two big cats kept leaping onto him.

When Xu Xun came out after washing his hands, Shen Tingzhou was kneeling on the ground in an awkward position, with a cat perched on each shoulder. Xu Xun walked over and picked up the two cats that were trapping Shen Tingzhou.

"What are these?" Xu Xun picked up two slips of paper from the floor.

Shen Tingzhou looked over, and Xu Xun had already unfolded the slips and read the words on them, "Tonight, don't leave either. I'll show you some other photos of mine."

Xu Xun silently glanced at Shen Tingzhou.

Shen Tingzhou felt a bit guilty as the orange cat clawed at his knee and suddenly jumped onto his chest.

Shen Tingzhou grunted and fell backward, causing more slips of paper to spill out of his pocket.

Xu Xun reached out to steady Shen Tingzhou, then picked up the slips and silently put them back into his pocket.

"Don't lose them," Xu Xun said considerately, "such important things."

Shen Tingzhou's unease faded, and he smiled, "They're not that important, just random notes."

While at the Su family, he hadn't found a chance to throw them away, so he kept them in his pocket.

Shen Tingzhou took out the slips from his pocket and threw them into the trash bin.

Xu Xun's expression softened as he helped Shen Tingzhou up from the floor.

Seeing the faint dark circles under Shen Tingzhou's eyes, Xu Xun frowned slightly, "Didn't sleep well last night?"

Shen Tingzhou was taken aback, "I slept fine, just went to bed a bit late."

Xu Xun used a cat treat to lure the three cats onto the sofa, then looked up at Shen Tingzhou, "Why don't you lie down here with the cats for a while?"

Shen Tingzhou's gaze drifted down to the three fluffy cats licking their treats, feeling a tickle in his heart. He couldn't resist walking over, but he said, "No need, I'm not that tired."

Xu Xun didn't say anything, moving the three cats to make space for Shen Tingzhou to lie down.

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Tingzhou happily went over to the cat nest formed by the three cats.

-

The Steward, having changed his clothes, came downstairs. Shen Tingzhou was lying on the sofa, surrounded by three paw-curling cats, with Xu Xun nearby.

Shen Tingzhou had fallen asleep, and Xu Xun was watching him closely.

The Steward approached, "Don't take advantage of Dr. Shen while he's sleeping. Be a man and wait until he wakes up."

Xu Xun gave the Steward a flat look.

The Steward asked, "Do you want me to buy you a TV for your nest?"

Xu Xun let out a soft hum and lay down beside Shen Tingzhou, ignoring him.

The Steward chuckled lightly before leaving the living room.

Shen Tingzhou didn't think he was that sleepy, but when he woke up, the sun was about to set.

The most obedient tortoiseshell cat lay next to Shen Tingzhou, the big orange cat was grooming itself at the foot of the sofa, and Xu Xun sat in front of Shen Tingzhou, massaging the little silver tabby's stomach.

The last rays of sunlight filtered through the window, casting a warm yellow glow over the living room, like an old photograph with a rich texture.

Shen Tingzhou, Xu Xun, and the cats were all captured in this scene.

This warm tone made Shen Tingzhou feel warm and at ease, and he closed his eyes again to rest.

As the sun sank below the horizon, darkness enveloped everything.

The awake Shen Tingzhou sat up, and Xu Xun turned to look at him. His eyes were as dark as the night, yet they gave off a gentle feeling.

Xu Xun asked, "Awake?"

Shen Tingzhou blinked, subtly shifting his gaze, and nodded, "What time is it?"

Xu Xun replied, "It's ten past six."

Shen Tingzhou acknowledged it, trying to start a conversation, "Where's the Steward?"

Xu Xun's lips twitched slightly.

Shen Tingzhou found it amusing; they must have argued again.

Xu Xun got up and turned on the living room light, and the sudden brightness made Shen Tingzhou squint.

The Steward came out of the study, "Dr. Shen, Prince Philip, what would you like for dinner?"

Prince Philip?

Shen Tingzhou looked at Xu Xun; this title was clearly aimed at him.

The Steward smiled and asked, "I had someone prepare chicken soup this afternoon. Would you like some noodles cooked in the soup?"

Shen Tingzhou agreed, "Sure."

Without asking further about Prince Philip, the Steward went to the kitchen to have the noodles prepared.

Once the Steward left, Shen Tingzhou quietly asked, "Who is Prince Philip?"

Xu Xun grimaced, "Just a sarcastic nickname."

Shen Tingzhou didn't ask further, instead, he secretly looked it up and found out about a Swedish prince and the prince who kissed Sleeping Beauty awake in the fairy tale.

Hmm, there must be some deeper meaning he didn't understand.

-

When he got back that evening, Shen Tingzhou reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small pieces of paper.

Didn’t he throw these away? How are they still in his pocket?

With a puzzled look, Shen Tingzhou unfolded the papers. Instead of Su Qiang’s messy handwriting, there were sharp, neat pen strokes.

"Cloudy tomorrow, temperature -1°C, stay warm."

"Gave Shenshen a ten-minute massage; it's for its own good, but it still bit me."

"Fatty Orange was weighed today; it’s already eighteen pounds. I’ve decided to put it on a diet."

"The bed is covered with their fur; I don’t like it, but I collected some and made you a fur ball."

"Had lunch alone at home today."

Shen Tingzhou spread out the papers and read through each one, a soft smile playing on his lips.

He turned on the desk lamp, took out a pen, tore off a piece of paper, and wrote—

"Stay warm too, drink more hot water."

"Shenshen is very naughty; I apologize on its behalf."

"Orange cat does need to lose weight; being too fat can lead to complications."

"Thank you for collecting the cat fur; I’ll make you a keychain someday."

"Eat well even when you’re alone."

Shen Tingzhou replied to each of Xu Xun’s notes, took a photo of them, hesitated for a long time, but ultimately didn’t send it to Xu Xun.

He crumpled up the papers and stuffed them all into a cookie tin before heading to take a shower.

After showering, he circled the cookie tin twice, looking somewhat conflicted.

Receiving the notes and not replying felt wrong, but replying to each one felt a bit strange.

After much internal struggle, Shen Tingzhou finally mustered the courage to send the saved photos to Xu Xun, then pulled the blanket over his head, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

Half a minute later, Shen Tingzhou’s phone rang.

Hearing the notification sound, Shen Tingzhou didn’t immediately grab his phone. He stayed under the blanket for a while before extending a hand to quickly retrieve it.

With one eye closed, Shen Tingzhou tapped open Xu Xun’s message.

It was a photo of a finger wrapped in a bandage, followed by two text messages—

"It’s not just being naughty."

"It bites hard."

These messages, along with the picture, dissipated Shen Tingzhou’s embarrassment. Lying on the pillow, he tapped out a reply using the nine-key layout.

"Bites hard? Take off the bandage; let me see the wound."

Xu Xun sent a video, pointing the camera at his slender finger. Shen Tingzhou couldn’t find a single tooth mark, but Xu Xun insisted that the phone’s camera couldn’t capture the depth of the bite marks.

Shen Tingzhou suspected he was slandering Shenshen, but had no evidence.

It wasn’t surprising that Shen Tingzhou didn’t believe him; Xu Xun had a history of this sort of thing.

In a voice message, Xu Xun said, "I’ve tried teaching it, but it doesn’t learn anything."

Xu Xun also said, "This might be the nature of cats; felines are like this."

Shen Tingzhou couldn’t help but say, "...Don’t talk about cats like that; they can understand."

Hearing Shen Tingzhou’s voice message, Xu Xun slipped under the covers, only emerging after a while, pressing the send button gloomily.

"They understand everything, except my education."

"..." Shen Tingzhou decided to focus more on Xu Xun’s finger. "Is your hand okay?"

Xu Xun’s voice sounded as if he were speaking through cotton candy, light and sticky. "What could happen? It just hurts a little when I move it."

Shen Tingzhou immediately said, "Tomorrow, I’ll talk to Shenshen."

Xu Xun’s expression softened. "No need; after all, it’s still young and doesn’t know any better."

Shen Tingzhou couldn’t tell whether he was a doting father or a strict one; perhaps both.

Shen Tingzhou earnestly instructed, "Rest early if your finger is injured."

Xu Xun said, "No worries; you slept a lot today, so you probably won’t be sleepy tonight. I’ll keep you company."

That sense of embarrassment returned to Shen Tingzhou. He pressed his hand against his heart, trying to suppress the feeling.