Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Xu Xun's head lowered a few more inches. Shen Tingzhou held his breath, the sound of his heart pounding in his chest deafening.

The gaze from the other side made him feel uneasy, as if his racing heartbeat was being heard by the other person.

Desperate to escape this awkwardness, with a blank mind, he made a move that even he couldn't understand—

He lifted his head and gave Xu Xun a bump on the head.

Seeing Xu Xun stagger back half a step in shock, Shen Tingzhou felt like a screaming chicken inside.

—Aaaaah, what was he doing!

—Why did he headbutt Xu Xun? Was it because of Zhou Zitan's influence this morning?

—Aaaaaah, help!!!

Even if he could dig out ten Great Walls on the ground, it wouldn't reduce the embarrassment Shen Tingzhou felt.

Xu Xun held his forehead, maintaining a state of bewilderment and shock, "You... hit me?"

Shen Tingzhou wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Zhou Zitan's movement had been so smooth that Shen Tingzhou forgot basic physics, and his own forehead also ached slightly.

But Xu Xun seemed to be in much more pain, his breathing weakening, and his gaze remained fixed on Shen Tingzhou, filled with accusation, "You hit me!"

This time it was a statement.

Shen Tingzhou's heart trembled, and he hurriedly stepped forward to rub Xu Xun's forehead.

Regret and shame intertwined in his heart, "I-I'm sorry."

Xu Xun leaned his head against Shen Tingzhou, like a scammer lying in front of a luxury car, weakly saying, "I've been in meetings all day, my head was already about to explode, and you still hit me."

Shen Tingzhou was mortified, not knowing what else to say besides that dry apology.

Xu Xun turned his head, resting one side of his face on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder, looking up at him.

Shen Tingzhou's cheeks were slightly red, his eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably, no longer the mature demeanor he usually had, looking almost shattered, his face saying, "Someone, please save me, someone, please save me."

Xu Xun's lips sank slightly.

Seemingly sensing something, Shen Tingzhou shifted his gaze, meeting Xu Xun's dark, gleaming eyes.

Xu Xun immediately straightened his lips and continued to accuse, "You hit me!"

Shen Tingzhou felt a pang of guilt and looked away slightly.

Once the panic subsided, human instinct took over, and he began to justify himself.

"How can this be considered hitting?" Shen Tingzhou whispered in defense, "At most, it was... an accidental bump."

Why did Yu Jurong seem unaffected?

Shen Tingzhou's eyes drifted down, landing on Xu Xun's handsome face, suspecting that Xu Xun might be exaggerating.

Shen Tingzhou's intention was too obvious; Xu Xun's expression darkened, pressing harder on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder.

He said fiercely, "I want you to be tired too!"

This retaliation was a bit childish, but Shen Tingzhou couldn't help laughing, his body relaxing.

Shen Tingzhou asked, "Isn't standing like this tiring for you?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xun raised his head, pulling Shen Tingzhou to sit on the sofa, then heavily rested his head on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder.

After a few minutes, Xu Xun relaxed his strength and closed his eyes.

Shen Tingzhou still felt a bit uncomfortable; he rarely got this close to anyone. Even during his most boisterous teenage years in high school, no one had ever clung to him like this.

But Xu Xun just stayed close, resting his head on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder without any additional movements, and gradually Shen Tingzhou got used to it.

After twenty minutes, Shen Tingzhou thought Xu Xun had fallen asleep when he suddenly spoke.

He asked, "Are you tired?"

Shen Tingzhou replied, "Not really."

Realizing it sounded wrong, Shen Tingzhou quickly changed his tone, "A little."

Xu Xun opened his eyes, "I want both sides of you to be tired."

Shen Tingzhou didn't quite understand what he meant, but Xu Xun got up, sat on the other side, and leaned over again.

Shen Tingzhou: ...

The Steward returned to the living room after fertilizing and saw Shen Tingzhou holding a cat, with Xu Xun perched on his neck.

He shook his head with a smile and went upstairs.

The result of making both shoulders tired was that neither was very tired.

-

That evening, back home, Shen Tingzhou pulled two slips of paper from his pocket.

"March 7, 2024, around 4 PM, Shen Tingzhou headbutted Xu Xun."

"But Xu Xun forgave Shen Tingzhou."

Shen Tingzhou's eyes lit up with a smile as he sat down at the desk and picked up a pen to write—

"March 7, 2024, around 8 PM. Shen Tingzhou thanks Xu Xun for his forgiveness."

Beside the note, Shen Tingzhou drew a simple cat, then took a photo and sent it to Xu Xun.

Xu Xun quickly replied: "The handwriting is nice, but the cat is ugly."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Xu Xun sent another message: "I'm kidding; the cat is also nice."

Shen Tingzhou smiled and replied: "Go to bed early."

Xu Xun: "Drink more warm water."

Shen Tingzhou felt that Xu Xun was teasing him, but he had no evidence, so he sent a goodnight message.

Xu Xun: "Drink more warm water."

Well, now there was solid evidence!

But drinking warm water was good for one's health. Shen Tingzhou poured himself a cup of hot water and took a photo of himself drinking it, sending it to Xu Xun.

Xu Xun sent over a voice message. Shen Tingzhou tapped it open and heard the other person say "Good night" in a low voice.

Shen Tingzhou felt a strange tickle, which spread from his ears to his heart.

He wasn't quite used to this feeling, so he drank half a cup of hot water and opened the forum for Huachou District.

Seeing the first post on the forum, Shen Tingzhou's heart skipped a beat.

"Face blindness is such a hassle with twins. I mistook my boyfriend for his brother again and accidentally kissed him! Can you weld your glasses to your face, brother? I really have face blindness, not trying to seduce you!"

Shen Tingzhou couldn't help thinking of Su Yu's second and third uncles.

The same twins, the same mistake.

The second post was clearly something Qin Shiyao would like.

"What bad luck! On our fifth wedding anniversary trip, we ran into his white moonlight. His white moonlight happens to be my clingy ex-boyfriend. Damn it, we even had dinner together tonight."

Shen Tingzhou opened and closed his mouth a few times.

Why was life in Huachou District so colorful, almost to the point of being dramatic?

The third post was a rant— "Aaaaaah, I'm so angry, aaaaaaah."

Curious about the title, Shen Tingzhou clicked on the post.

"Damn it, giving this old man too much face. He's lame and old, yet he's lucky to have me marry him. And he still thinks I'm just a pretty face with nothing else to offer. Aaaaaah, I'm so angry."

Each IP address on the Huachou District forum displayed the street.

Based on the poster's street and the information provided, people quickly figured out who he was.

"Oh~ Ninth Street, I know who it is."

"Thirty-two isn't old or lame. Although his temper is a bit odd, at least he's handsome."

The poster immediately retorted: "What good is being handsome if he's still useless!"

"Explain how he's useless, where exactly is he useless?"

"This guy is a real heartthrob in Huachou District, but unfortunately, he's confined to a wheelchair due to illness."

"I won't lie, I loved him when I was young, but it didn't work out."

The poster continued to rage.

"The more I think about it, the angrier I get. What's wrong with enjoying life? I have money and free time, so what's wrong with that! Who am I bothering! You want to enjoy life too, but can you even handle it!"

"If you dislike me so much, don't marry me!"

"I'm so angry, aaaaaah, I can't take it. I need to smash his wheelchair to relieve my anger."

Then the poster disappeared.

Other streets in Huachou District started looking for someone from the Ninth Street—

"Ninth Street, anyone there? Come out and give us a live stream from his house right now!!"

"Aaaaaah, if I can't get any juicy gossip about Yu Jingyun, I'll go crazier than the poster."

"Uncle Yu Er was my childhood heartthrob. If I can't see him lying on the ground with tears in his eyes, lips quivering, looking pitiful and broken, I'll bite every online person from Ninth Street today!"

Shen Tingzhou was amazed. People everywhere love gossip.

People in Huachou District were even more enthusiastic about gossip, actually asking others to live-stream from someone's home.

"Erm, I'm from Ninth Street, heading over to take photos."

"Report, I've arrived at Uncle Yu Er's house and am sneaking in through the backyard."

"Hahaha, I'm here too. The moderator won't ban us, right? After all, he's his own uncle."

"Anyone brave enough to knock on Little Fish? With him around, Old Yu wouldn't dare delete this thread."

Moderator, Little Fish...

Shen Tingzhou frowned. It couldn't be Yu Jurong and Su Yu, could it? Could this Yu Jingyun be Yu Jurong's second uncle?

Soon, someone uploaded a video.

Since it was shot with a drone, the footage was a bit shaky at first.

The scene in the video was a study room. A handsome boy, dressed in a hooded sweater with rosy lips and white teeth, angrily tugged at a man sitting in a wheelchair who had a cold demeanor.

Although the boy was physically fit, he hadn't learned any self-defense techniques and was quickly restrained by the man, his arms twisted behind his back.

The man's voice was cold, "What are you doing!"

The boy struggled but couldn't break free, his eyes red with anger. "Stop pretending to be a gentleman. I'll show you."

He then straddled the man's lap, thrusting his body forward to kiss him wildly.

The man's eyes darkened, and his voice became hoarse. "What are you doing?"

"Can't I just be horny! If you're so good, don't get hard and look down on me." The boy said bitterly, "Yu, let me tell you, plenty of people chase after me. I'm sick of living like an orange. Divorce!"

As soon as the boy finished speaking, his neck was grabbed from behind.

Then...

There was no "then." The webpage suddenly glitched.

Seeing the forum homepage, Shen Tingzhou: ?

When he went back to that section, the post was gone.

"Aaaaaah, damn you, Yu Er! May the person who deleted the post have no balls! I wish you a bumpy career and a rocky love life, you bastard."

Clicking into the post, it was full of curses against Yu Jurong.

"Damn Yu Jurong, just when it was getting exciting, you deleted the post."

"I knew he would delete it. I regret not calling Xiao Yu over."

"Everyone, stop cursing Yu Er. It's not easy having Parkinson's at such a young age. (smile)"

"I'd trade twenty admirers for someone who can give Yu Er a headache for life. Please."

Shen Tingzhou didn't expect Yu Jurong to be so despised in the Hua District forum.

But it made sense; no one likes moderators who delete posts and ban users, especially when they delete gossip threads.

-

After reading the posts in the Hua District, Shen Tingzhou felt his soul had been elevated. He floated into the bathroom for a soak.

Just as he came out, Li Muye called.

Shen Tingzhou pressed to answer, and Li Muye started with his classic line, "Doctor Shen, I have a friend..."

Now, Shen Tingzhou could smile at this "friend's" story. "Please go on."

Li Muye seemed to have moved to a quieter place, and his voice was much clearer. "My friend invited the person he likes out for an overnight stay. Doctor Shen, do you think tonight..."

Shen Tingzhou's pupils contracted, and he firmly said, "No!"

Li Muye hesitated, "But it's a rare opportunity. They're alone now; usually, there are four... No, I mean, it's usually crowded. Missing this chance will make it hard to find another."

Shen Tingzhou rubbed his temples, still saying, "No."

"Okay." Li Muye sighed, then asked reluctantly, "Can't he express his feelings tonight? He's been holding it in for so long. Not him, I mean my friend has been holding it in for so long."

It turned out to be a confession. Shen Tingzhou felt embarrassed for thinking about the Hua District. He coughed to cover his awkwardness.

"Well," Shen Tingzhou said seriously, "why did your... friend bring the other person out today? Just to confess?"

Li Muye: "No, he's been studying hard lately. My... friend wanted his beloved to relax."

Shen Tingzhou immediately said, "That's the key issue!"

Li Muye didn't understand, "Huh?"

Shen Tingzhou explained earnestly, "Think about it. He's focused on his studies. Does he have time to think about other things? Even if your... friend is only expressing his feelings, not asking for a response, it still puts pressure on him. Is this the right time?"

Li Muye realized, "I see. So what should my... friend do?"

Shen Tingzhou: "Support him in his studies."

Li Muye: "Oh, oh, oh. Should my... friend also take the graduate entrance exam?"

Studying together provides more topics, and Li Muye felt like a genius.

Shen Tingzhou encouraged him, "Good luck, and hope you succeed soon."

Li Muye's confidence soared, "Thank you, Doctor Shen. My... friend will work hard."

After hanging up, Shen Tingzhou went to bed peacefully.

In the middle of the night, Li Muye sent a message. Shen Tingzhou glanced at it drowsily, saw it wasn't urgent, and snuggled back into his warm bed.

The next morning, while brushing his teeth, he checked his phone.

Li Muye had sent a message at eleven last night, and the content was convoluted. Shen Tingzhou was too sleepy to process it.

This morning, after reading it twice, he finally understood Li Muye's message.

He still spoke about his family affairs as if he were talking to a friend, but occasionally he would slip up.

The gist of it was that Li Jinghang had fallen ill at home alone. When Song Qingning found out, she became very worried and wanted to take a taxi back to check on him.

Li Muye, fearing that this might disrupt Song Qingning's rest and affect her studies the next day, offered to go home and take care of Li Jinghang.

When Li Muye got home, Li Jinghang wasn't there at all.

He called Li Jinghang and learned that he had gone to the hospital himself and told Li Muye to get some sleep early.

Up to this point, everything seemed normal.

But Li Muye still had some conscience and was worried that his brother might have trouble managing alone in the hospital, so he decided to go there to take care of Li Jinghang.

Only after making that call did he find out that Li Jinghang hadn't gone to the hospital and wasn't even sick. He had tricked Li Muye into going home while he went to see Song Qingning himself.

Li Muye was furious. He treated Li Jinghang like a blood brother, but Li Jinghang treated him like an idiot!

Unable to contain his anger, Li Muye complained to Shen Tingzhou.

In the Flower District, things were straightforward no matter how complicated the relationships. In Li Muye's family, it was like "Palace Intrigue," where Xiao Li, who lacked some brains, was particularly disadvantaged.

Shen Tingzhou sympathized with Li Muye for three seconds before pretending not to see the message and putting down his phone.

-

Today was Wednesday, and Shen Tingzhou drove to Su Yu's house.

Su Yu, holding a tablet, asked the first thing upon opening the door: "Doctor Shen, did you visit the forum yesterday?"

Shen Tingzhou looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his expression startled.

Su Yu glanced at him and smiled, "Looks like you did. Did you see Uncle Yan's video? I have the full version here; do you want to watch it?"

Shen Tingzhou refused three times: "No need, not necessary, not very interested."

Su Yu showed a look of regret, "It's quite thrilling."

That's precisely why he didn't want to watch it!

Su Yu tempted him, "Because Yu Jurong deleted the post, many people came asking me for it. Don't you want to see it?"

Shen Tingzhou's attention shifted, "Why ask you? Are you also a moderator of the forum?"

Su Yu pursed his lips, "If I were a moderator, I wouldn't have deleted the post. The person who filmed it was afraid Yu Jurong would cause trouble, so they called me to plead on their behalf."

Shen Tingzhou laughed, "So you have a lot of power in this household."

"Because he listens to Uncle Yan." Su Yu stroked his chin with one hand, "But recently, he seems to be in love. Uncle Yan introduced him to someone, but he didn't even meet them."

Shen Tingzhou was momentarily unsure whether to be surprised that they arranged dates in the Flower District or whether Yu Jurong's "date" was Zhou Zitan.

Su Yu suddenly asked Shen Tingzhou, "Doctor Shen, do you know his date?"

Shen Tingzhou wasn't sure what was going on between Zhou Zitan and Yu Jurong, so he shook his head.

Su Yu fell into deep thought, "Actually, Big Qiang and Yu Jurong are quite a match."

Shen Tingzhou was stunned by Su Yu's peculiar logic, wondering how these two could possibly match.

Su Yu said, "Yu Jurong can be Big Qiang's dog, and Big Qiang can be Yu Jurong's..."

His last sentence was a bit muffled, and Shen Tingzhou didn't catch it, "What?"

Su Yu smiled, "Nothing, just some of Yu Jurong's little quirks."

Shen Tingzhou felt uneasy from his smile and couldn't help asking for Zhou Zitan, "What quirks?"

Su Yu turned his head away, sounding jealous, "You're really concerned about him."

Shen Tingzhou: ...

Su Yu huffed, "I'm getting jealous. I've never been jealous of Uncle Yan before."

Shen Tingzhou: "...Let's do some pregnancy exercises."

Su Yu immediately flopped onto the sofa, looking pitifully at Shen Tingzhou, "Last night was exhausting; I have no energy today."

Shen Tingzhou dared not ask why Su Yu was tired, fearing he might hear something inappropriate.

Shen Tingzhou cautiously changed the subject, "How about listening to some prenatal music?"

Su Yu twirled the tassels on the pillow, tilting his head to look at Shen Tingzhou, "Doctor Shen, don't you want to know why I didn't rest well?"

Shen Tingzhou ignored him and fiddled with his phone.

"Doctor Shen has been so cold to me lately. I know you're bored with me." Su Yu sadly hugged his pregnant belly, "Of course, how could I still be interesting to you?"

Shen Tingzhou played the prenatal music louder.

Su Yu shed tears, "I know you only come here because of this child, out of responsibility."

Shen Tingzhou turned the music up even more.

With such soothing music, Su Yu still managed to act out a melodramatic scene, "Your heart is no longer with me. Big Qiang and Yu Jurong are the ones you truly like, right?"

Pfft—

Shen Tingzhou smiled, "How about I sing a prenatal song for you?"

Su Yu immediately closed his mouth and obediently waited for Shen Tingzhou to sing.

-

In the evening, Shen Tingzhou unexpectedly received a greeting text message from Steward Xiao Sang.

The Fu family had moved abroad long ago, but they always returned for the New Year. This year was no exception, and they would be back in two days. Sang Yan wanted to meet up with Shen Tingzhou.

Shen Tingzhou worried that he might try to set him up with Fu Huaifei again, so he cautiously asked if it would just be the two of them.

Sang Yan was taken aback: "Doctor Shen, aren't you coming with Mr. Xu?"

Feeling that this might not be appropriate, he quickly sent another message: "I've always wanted to treat you to dinner. Meeting privately is fine, but I have many things to do after getting back, can we set it for a week later?"

Reading this long message, Shen Tingzhou could almost hear his tone and replied with a smile: "Sure, any time."

The next day when Shen Tingzhou went to Xu Xun's house, Xu Xun also mentioned this.

Suddenly, the steward interjected, "Oh, Sang Qing is coming back too."

Noticing the subtle tone, Shen Tingzhou asked, "Who is Sang Qing?"

Without looking up, the steward said, "Not worth mentioning."

Xu Xun leaned close to Shen Tingzhou's ear and said, "Sang Yan's father, his lifelong rival."

The steward seemed rather disdainful of the term "lifelong rival" and snipped off a few extra branches with a crunch.

Shen Tingzhou's eyes flickered, and he let out a low chuckle.

So the steward has a rival too—does this count as a showdown in the world of butlers?

Xu Xun looked at Shen Tingzhou, "Are you going?"

Shen Tingzhou hesitated, "Well... it's your family reunion, it wouldn't be right for me to go."

Xu Xun said, "There might be some drama to watch."

Shen Tingzhou was a little tempted; he really wanted to see the steward's lifelong rival, Sang Yan's father, Sang Qing.

Still somewhat hesitant, he said, "I still think it's not quite right."

Xu Xun responded with an "oh" and didn't push further.

Shen Tingzhou glanced at him once, then again, before picking up the orange cat by his feet and absentmindedly petting it.

Xu Xun couldn't help but laugh.

Shen Tingzhou immediately realized he was teasing him and awkwardly buried his head in petting the cat.

Xu Xun held down Shen Tingzhou's hand, "Stop it, you're going to pull its fur out."

He wasn't...

Xu Xun tapped Shen Tingzhou's hand and asked again, "Are you going?"

Shen Tingzhou curled his fingers slightly and whispered, "If Steward Xiao Sang invited me, I'll go and see him and Mr. Fu. I miss them."

Of course, he also wanted to see the steward's lifelong rival.

Hearing this, Xu Xun turned away, facing Shen Tingzhou's back without saying a word.

Shen Tingzhou looked at Xu Xun's back, puzzled by what was wrong.

At that moment, Shen Tingzhou's phone rang—it was actually Fu Huaifei calling.

Shen Tingzhou was startled and instinctively glanced at Xu Xun, who had somehow turned around and was frowning at his phone.