Chapter 61 A Breakup Scene

Chapter 61 A Breakup Scene

Their residential area always implemented a strict separation between pedestrians and vehicles, with cars entering the underground garage through a side passage before reaching the main entrance.

Normally, unless it was for special reasons like fire emergencies or moving, vehicles were not allowed to enter the community through the main gate.

So at first, Lin Yao didn't even notice the black luxury car parked downstairs at her building.

The sudden headlights dazzled Lin Yao momentarily.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes and instinctively hid behind Shi Yu, "Whose car is this? Why is it here?"

Shi Yu didn't answer, his cold gaze fixed on the license plate hanging in front of the car.

A Beijing plate followed by a string of eights—the digits alone were enough to signify the extraordinary status of the car's owner.

This kind of person shouldn't appear in their small city.

And as they approached, the headlights suddenly turned on, clearly indicating that the person in the car was there for them.

Shi Yu instinctively moved half a step to the side, shielding the girl hiding behind him more thoroughly.

From afar, the children's playground echoed with the sounds of play.

At that moment, the passenger door of the luxury car opened.

A young man in a suit, unfamiliar to them, got out of the car.

He walked around to the back and respectfully opened the rear door.

The streetlights in the community were dim, but the headlights shone brightly.

Looking against the light, Lin Yao could only vaguely make out the silhouette of an elderly man with white hair getting out of the car.

When Shi Yu saw the silhouette of the old man, his dark, deep pupils visibly contracted.

At the same time, the door on the other side of the rear compartment also opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit stepped out.

Although he immediately walked over to the white-haired old man, Lin Yao still noticed that he had quickly glanced in her and Shi Yu's direction with a cold, sharp look.

If she hadn't been looking directly at him and was particularly sensitive to such things, she might not have noticed.

How strange.

She and Shi Yu didn't know these people at all. Why would they give them such a look?

An uneasy feeling crept into Lin Yao's heart, and she tugged at the hem of Shi Yu's shirt from behind, "Shi Yu, let's go back quickly..."

She took the initiative to hold Shi Yu's hand, trying to get him to walk past these people quickly.

But the white-haired old man who had just gotten out of the car suddenly turned his head to look at them.

Just one glance... Lin Yao held her breath.

Her hand, clasped in Shi Yu's, unconsciously tightened.

The girl's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at the white-haired old man.

Those distinctive features paired with the iconic white hair were the face she usually only saw on TV or in various online financial videos.

People often joked online about hoping to be favored by Mr. Shi, wishing he would share some of his vast wealth with them, enough to live comfortably for life.

The Mr. Shi they joked about was none other than the richest man in the country, Mr. Shi Kaiji.

"You... are Shi Yu, right?"

Lin Yao suddenly heard the richest man speak.

His steady, authoritative voice contained a barely noticeable hint of restrained excitement, different from the interviews she occasionally saw online.

Though it was the same voice and accent, unmistakably him.

"Good boy, I am Shi Kaiji. Would you... mind coming with me into the car for a private talk?"

Hearing the richest man's words, Lin Yao's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she instinctively released Shi Yu's hand.

Shi Yu's brows furrowed slightly at the unexpected release.

He subtly reconnected with Lin Yao's fingers, which were trying to escape.

Shi Yu replied coldly, "Not convenient."

Lin Yao never expected Shi Yu to outright refuse the richest man she only ever saw on TV.

*

Unexpectedly, after being refused by Shi Yu, the richest man did not show any anger or embarrassment; instead, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Like... too much like... almost exactly the same..." The richest man muttered, smiling at him.

Shi Yu's brow furrowed, ignoring him, and led Lin Yao past the three men into the building.

In the elevator, Lin Yao noticed Shi Yu's face had darkened, seemingly unhappy.

She couldn't help but gently tug at his hand and asked softly, "Was the person downstairs just now the richest man in Huaguo we often see on TV?"

Shi Yu gave a soft 'hmm,' his dark eyes lowered, making his emotions unreadable.

Lin Yao nodded.

It was indeed true.

It wasn't just a coincidence of similar appearances or someone playing a prank intentionally.

It was truly the richest man in Huaguo, Shi Kaiji, appearing downstairs... What a coincidence that he also shares the same surname...

The elevator fell silent for a moment, and neither spoke.

Lin Yao couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. It was like when she saw the richest man get out of the car earlier; the sense of helplessness and panic that suddenly emptied her heart grew even stronger now.

She felt something was about to surface.

It was right at the edge of breaking free, but it was stuck, causing discomfort.

Ding dong—

The elevator arrived at their floor.

Lin Yao stepped out first and entered a few digits on the password lock, and the door opened from inside.

Xia Tingnan opened the door. "Why are you back so late? What did you eat outside?"

Lin Yao: "We didn't eat anything. If you don’t believe me, ask Shi Yu."

She looked back at Shi Yu; her mother trusted him particularly now.

But as the girl turned around, the elevator next door also arrived.

Ding dong, the elevator door opened.

The richest man, Shi Kaiji, with his head full of white hair, along with a middle-aged man and an assistant, walked out of the elevator.

Xia Tingnan stared: "..."

*

A few minutes later.

Everyone was seated in the living room of the Lin family's home.

The Lin family's house wasn't small, but for some reason, when the imposing richest man sat on the sofa, the living room seemed unusually cramped.

"Please have some water... I'm sorry, our house is a bit messy. Please excuse us."

Xia Tingnan secretly unpacked a new set of tea ware she had been hesitant to use and, with trembling hands, brewed a pot of good tea and brought it out.

Shi Kaiji received the teacup with both hands and smiled, saying, "Not at all, it's we who came uninvited at such a late hour, disturbing you. Please sit down, no need to fuss over us. I just wanted to come up and have a good talk with this child, Shi Yu."

The old man didn't show any airs of being the richest man, but the cold gaze of the middle-aged man beside him swept over Xia Tingnan's newly unpacked tea ware, and a barely noticeable sneer appeared at the corner of his lips.

Upon hearing that Shi Kaiji was looking for Shi Yu, Xia Tingnan and Lin Xiong both showed puzzled expressions.

For the richest man in the country to suddenly visit their home was already strange enough.

Now, he said he wanted to see Shi Yu, which made it even more peculiar.

But Xia Tingnan still turned to look behind her, "Shi Yu, Mr. Shi is here to see you."

Ever since Shi Kaiji visited with his entourage, Shi Yu had worn a cold expression, showing no interest in engaging.

He wasn't interested in going up.

But since Xia Tingnan called him over, he couldn't refuse her face.

"Aunt Xia." Shi Yu approached.

Xia Tingnan pulled him to sit on the sofa, "Talk well. See what Mr. Shi wants from you."

As Xia Tingnan spoke, she was about to leave with Lin Xiong.

Shi Yu: "Aunt Xia, Uncle Lin, you don't need to leave."

There was a hint of coolness in Shi Yu's casual gaze as he glanced at the imposing richest man before him and then at the little girl hiding in the corner, looking lonely, "Lin Yao too."

"They are all my family. If Mr. Shi has something to discuss, let's do it in front of them."

Shi Kaiji was somewhat surprised.

Before coming, he had naturally investigated Shi Yu's background and knew that the Lin family had helped him.

But he hadn't expected that Shi Yu would be so close to the Lin family.

Shi Kaiji: "Alright... But shouldn't you have a sister named Shi Nian? Where is she? I'd like to see her too."

Shi Yu: "She's not home. If you want to talk, let's do it now."

Such an indifferent attitude.

"What kind of attitude is this!" The middle-aged man in a suit finally couldn't hold back and scolded harshly, "Do you know how busy Mr. Shi is? He specially took time out to see you, and yet..."

Shi Kaiji: "Shi Cheng!"

The richest man reprimanded his adopted son in a low voice without much anger, but his voice carried an imposing presence, and a layer of coldness instantly covered his eyes.

The man called Shi Cheng immediately lowered his head and fell silent.

Shi Kaiji then turned back to face Shi Yu, the coldness in his eyes replaced by a smile: "Don't mind what he said. Talk to me however you feel comfortable."

Shi Yu didn't care and looked at the other person coldly, "Speak. What exactly do you want to talk about."

Shi Kaiji: "..."

Ah... It's just like her.

Back when he was still a young man, the first time he spoke to his late wife, she also looked at him with that same cold expression.

In this moment, he seemed to see his dearly departed wife in the indifferent and casual demeanor of the young man before him.

The elderly tycoon, who had always been known for his strong will, couldn't help but feel his eyes well up: "I... I want to do a paternity test with you... You might be my long-lost grandson."

Shi Yu's eyebrows rose slightly.

Lin Father and Lin Mother: What!?

Lin Yao's face turned pale, and her heart skipped a beat.

She remembered.

Lin Yao finally recalled why she felt like she had missed an important clue all along.

It was about Shi Yu and Shi Nian... the later plot lines.

In her dreams, she had seen them achieving great success in their respective fields while their true identities were revealed.

Shi Yu and Shi Nian, they were the long-lost grandson and granddaughter of the richest man in the country, Shi Kaiji!

That's why Shi Nian and Qi Yanye were considered the perfect match, a golden couple.

And that's why Shi Yu would meet Zhou Yanan again.

He would encounter the pampered daughter of the Zhou family from the capital during his sophomore year.

They knew each other since they were young, and meeting again as adults in the same social circle, it was only natural that sparks would fly.

Everyone said they were a perfect match, discussing when the eldest grandson of the richest man and the Zhou family's daughter would get engaged.

As for her... there wasn't much written about her in the book.

Or if there was, she was merely a side character, always ending up humiliated.

People said she willingly degraded herself, being kept by someone, stepping on Shi Nian to climb the ranks, and becoming a kept woman for some powerful figure.

No matter how it was described, she was portrayed as a laughingstock, humiliated at auctions, caught in scandalous situations with men old enough to be her father.

She and Shi Yu were destined to have no future together.

There was not a single line about her and Shi Yu, nothing...

Lin Yao suddenly felt her breath tighten, making it hard to breathe.

She leaned against the wall, slowly retreating into the dark corner of the living room, where the lights were off.

Biting her lip, she silently let her tears fall.

She thought, perhaps it was time to say goodbye to Shi Yu.

...

In the living room, Shi Kaiji's voice was choked with emotion: "Shi Yu, don't overthink it. Actually, we don't even need a paternity test."

"I... I recognized you as my grandchildren the moment I saw you. You look so much like my late wife, your grandmother..."

He took out a photo from his pocket, one that had been worn from frequent handling.

It was a photograph taken by an old film camera.

In the photo, a young woman held a child, leaning against a young man, both smiling happily at the camera.

The woman in the photo bore a striking resemblance to Shi Yu, and even more so to Shi Nian.

Shi Yu didn't take the photo, his gaze darkening, his expression cold.

Seeing that he wouldn't take it, Shi Kaiji showed it to Lin Xiong and Xia Tingnan: "Look, aren't they very similar to the children?"

Lin Xiong and Xia Tingnan exchanged glances, unable to refuse, and took the photo.

When they saw the photo, they were stunned.

It was indeed too similar.

Not just to Shi Yu and Shi Nian, but also to the late Shi Mo.

It turned out that Shi Mo was actually the son of the richest man, Shi Kaiji, and Shi Nian and Shi Yu were his grandchildren.

Xia Tingnan sighed: "It's unbelievable... If we had known earlier that Shi Mo was part of the Shi family... perhaps Song Li and he wouldn't have had such a difficult time, and maybe they wouldn't have..."

Hearing this, Shi Cheng, standing behind them, cast a shadowy glance, quickly lowering his eyes.

Shi Kaiji: "Shi Yu, you've seen the photo. I believe you must be my grandson. I don't care about the paternity test; I just want to bring you and Shi Nian back to the capital. Come with me, and we can..."

"No," Shi Yu said coldly. "I have no intention of acknowledging my lineage."

Shi Kaiji: "What did you say?"

Xia Tingnan and Lin Xiong looked at him in surprise, even Shi Cheng, who had lowered his eyes, raised his head in shock.

Shi Yu: "We've lived our lives for the past few years without any need for recognition. When we needed family the most, you weren't there. So there's really no need now."

He did not feel ecstatic at being found by his grandfather, the richest man.

In Shi Yu's original life plan, there was never any assumption of being found by a wealthy family.

Moreover, in this sudden reunion, he thought more about his parents' accidental deaths and the desperate situation they faced when they needed their family's support the most, yet received nothing.

Taking a step back, who knew why his father had become an orphan in the first place.

It was said that his father was found at the doorstep of an orphanage, which meant it wasn't an accidental abandonment.

And the reason his father was named Shi Mo was because a pocket watch with the character "Shi" engraved on it was found with him, leading the orphanage to give him that surname.

His possessions were intact, and he was left at the orphanage's doorstep.

When Shi Yu looked up at the shocked white-haired richest man before him, his eyes were filled with wariness and coldness.

Shi Kaiji was momentarily unable to accept this.

He had imagined countless scenarios for reuniting with his grandchildren, but never expected that the child he had finally found would reject him so harshly.

He was, after all, the richest man.

His grandchild showed no interest in his wealth and even gave him a cold shoulder.

But after a few seconds, he felt relieved.

Indeed... these were the words a child of Rongfang would say.

Rongfang, in her youth, had been just as cold and proud, never giving him a good face.

"Haha... Hahaha... Good, good..."

The richest man's sudden laughter surprised everyone present.

Even Shi Yu raised an eyebrow.

Shi Kaiji: "Good child, you and Shi Nian may still have misunderstandings about Grandpa and don't want to recognize me, but I understand. It's okay. But you can't refuse to acknowledge your parents."

Shi Yu: "What are you saying?"

Finally, Shi Yu looked at Shi Kaiji with a serious expression, and even Xia Tingnan and Lin Xiong wore looks of disbelief.

Standing nearby, the adopted son Shi Cheng could barely contain his astonishment.

That couple is actually alive!

Shi Kaiji nodded to his personal assistant, Li Jun.

Li Jun handed over a phone, displaying a message they had just received.

Shi Kaiji: "Your parents didn't die; they survived that accident. However, they are now in a difficult situation that requires us to go there immediately."

He passed the phone to Shi Yu.

"This is a message and photo sent by my people just now. Take a look yourself."

Shi Yu took the phone and lowered his gaze to examine it, with Xia Tingnan and Lin Xiong crowding around.

Seeing the photos on the phone, Song Li lying unconscious in a hospital bed, and Shi Mo beside her, Xia Tingnan couldn't help but hug Lin Xiong and weep with joy.

"Not dead... Not dead... They're alive... How wonderful, they're both alive..."

Even Shi Yu's hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

After a long moment, he lifted his dark eyes.

"I'll go with you."

...

...

Just as this 'negotiation' ended, Shi Yu suddenly realized that someone was missing from the living room.

If Xiao Lvxia had heard that his parents were alive, she wouldn't have remained indifferent.

Looking back, he noticed that Lin Yao, who had been standing next to the sofa, was nowhere to be seen.

Shi Kaiji stood up, somewhat anxious: "Shi Yu, let's go now..."

"Just a moment." He got up and walked toward the closed bedroom door. "I'll be downstairs in ten minutes."

*

When Shi Yu pushed open the door to Lin Yao's bedroom, the room was pitch black, with no lights on.

He squinted his eyes and saw the girl sobbing silently at the desk where they had spent countless nights studying together.

Shi Yu closed the door.

He approached step by step.

"Why are you crying, baby?" His voice was hoarse and magnetic, gentle and soothing.

This contrasted sharply with his earlier demeanor when facing Shi Kaiji outside.

But as soon as his fingertips touched her trembling shoulders, she recoiled as if hurt.

"Don't... Don't bother me..." The girl shrank back like a frightened bird, clearly rejecting him, her sobs filled with resistance.

A dark shadow flashed across Shi Yu's narrow eyes.

He detested the fact that his little green tea now held him in disdain.

Even without the lights on, he could clearly see her panicking and trying to hide, her tearful eyes filled with disgust and annoyance.

"Why do you suddenly not want me to care anymore." Shi Yu leaned down, aligning his gaze with hers.

His long arm subtly circled around her, pulling the girl who wanted to escape back into his embrace.

He would never let the girl who finally belonged to him slip away.

"Tonight, when we were eating lobster, everything was fine."

His eyes darkened as he kissed her lips possessively.

"Mmm... I said I don't want you to care, so don't. My business has nothing to do with you, go away..."

"I don't want you anymore, I never want you again..."

"I don't like you... I hate you, Shi Yu..."

Her voice broke into incoherent sobs, all swallowed by Shi Yu's kisses.

The more Lin Yao said she didn't want him, didn't like him, hated him, the harder and more intense Shi Yu's kisses became.

As if every time she said she didn't like him, he would kiss her even more.

Kissing until she liked him again.

Until she liked him once more.

She couldn't hate him.

But Lin Yao was terrified, truly afraid, gasping for breath and still whimpering even as Shi Yu kissed her.

She knew she couldn't like Shi Yu anymore.

Even his grandfather had come looking for him, and the plot was unfolding earlier and faster than she had anticipated.

No matter how much she clung to him, it wouldn't end well... It was better to step back and cry as she told him they should break up.

"Shi Yu, stop kissing me..."

She finally broke down, her voice trembling as she sobbed.

"Don't like me anymore, let's not like each other anymore..."

She cried, pouring out all her fears to him.

Perhaps it was best to end it here.

"No."

The boy holding her suddenly turned serious.

He lifted her onto the desk, supporting himself with both hands on the surface, leaning down to look at the girl crying in his arms.

He probably understood what she was panicking about, what she was afraid of.

But that was not an outcome he would accept.

Regardless of their changing circumstances or the future ahead, since she had stubbornly approached him as his little sun when he was cold, there was no reason for him to let go now.

She had initiated this first.

She couldn't just leave him.

"Anything but not liking you, I can agree to." He pinched her face, biting her already slightly swollen lips, "In this life, Shi Yu will never stop liking Lin Yao."

After saying this, his gentle kisses fell upon her again.

Not only on her lips.

But also on her shoulders.

Her slender neck, her adorable collarbone.

And her...

Mmm...

Lin Yao, her eyes red, watched as he buried his head in front of her.