Chapter 012: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (12)

Chapter 012: The Substitute x Overbearing CEO x White Moonlight (12)

Yan Chun practically leaped into the Bentley, still shaken long after they had driven far from the neighborhood.

He immediately called Cheng Junfeng: "I just saw Shen Xi. He's gone mad; he's completely irrational!"

Cheng Junfeng had been waiting by his desk for this call, and now a rare smile appeared in his eyes as he calmly replied, "You went to see Shen Xi?"

Yan Chun suddenly fell silent, realizing he had revealed something, and tried to cover it up in panic.

"I went to see him because I heard... he's not doing well and doesn't have many friends."

"That's not important," Cheng Junfeng already knew these details and said, "So, he was acting out? Losing his temper?"

Yan Chun glanced at the rearview mirror, his expression one of disbelief.

"When I was talking to him, he started... making gestures, cursing me like some Taoist shaman."

Cheng Junfeng, who had been twirling a pen, stopped and repeated, "He cursed you?"

"No," Yan Chun found it absurd himself, "he made a lot of gestures at me, like sign language, for several seconds—it was voodoo!"

"Maybe the wedding preparations have worn you out," Cheng Junfeng lost interest and continued twirling the pen, "you must be mistaken. Don’t worry about it."

Yan Chun bit his lip for a while, realizing words couldn’t describe what had happened, and hastily ended the call.

The young man leaned back heavily, took a bottle of tequila from the car’s icebox, poured half a glass, and downed it in one go.

What the hell. He had received a higher education and definitely didn’t believe in such superstitions.

As for Shen Xi’s madness—someone who can’t afford the subway, his mental state is predictable. Let him be.

That evening, another car arrived at Shen Xi’s residential area.

"The eldest master invites you to dinner."

Shen Xi showed no reaction to the butler, accompanied him downstairs, and got into the car, heading straight to a private reservation-only restaurant in Jing'an District.

Dressed simply in an inexpensive jacket and jeans bought online for a few dozen yuan, he stood out starkly against the dimly lit and elegant environment.

The butler glanced at the youth’s cheap white sneakers and sighed almost imperceptibly.

The private room was designed like a particle world, with a table edge made of dark marble studded with gold specks, silent laser beams circling and rotating along the edges, and all light sources hidden, creating a disorienting atmosphere.

Shen Xi sat calmly across from Cheng Junfeng and gestured for the waiter to hand him the menu.

Shrimp sauce stir-fried M9 beef, 898 yuan per serving, barely enough to cover his palm.

Shellfish fish, 498 yuan, soft and tender, with few bones, unlike anything seen in the market.

Coconut milk ice flower stewed bird's nest, 888 yuan per bowl, could be tasted like rice soup.

Even with others present, Cheng Junfeng remained blunt.

"Yan Chun said you can’t even afford the subway and have lost your job?"

"Very poor," Shen Xi said calmly, "eating instant noodles every day at home."

"What about the five hundred thousand I gave you?"

"Gave it to my parents to pay off the mortgage."

Truffle crispy vegetable dumplings, 66 yuan, three pieces.

Rice-scented crab, 588 yuan, one piece.

Clear stir-fried Taihu river shrimp, 528 yuan, enough to fill a small plate.

The system watched along, its focus gradually shifting.

"Am I losing my mind? Seeing these rich people order dishes worth hundreds of yuan, I don’t find them expensive anymore."

Shen Xi nodded slightly, smiling at the menu.

Cheng Junfeng interlaced his fingers, confident he had the upper hand.

"After leaving me, you haven’t been doing well."

"Yes," Shen Xi finished flipping through the last page of the matte menu, "can I order now?"

"You can order whatever you want," Cheng Junfeng said indifferently, "use my card."

"Can I order as much as I want?"

Cheng Junfeng sensed his concern and smiled deeper.

"Of course."

"Waiter," Shen Xi handed the menu to the waiter and pointed to three pages, "this eggplant, this quail, and everything on this page—I don’t want any of it."

"Pack the rest of the menu items to-go, I’ll take them home myself."

The young waiter was visibly nervous and looked at Cheng Junfeng, who was responsible for paying.

The man remained unperturbed and calmly said, "Do as he says. Serve the usual dishes I order. You may leave."

Shen Xi was retaliating against him, tormenting him, but Cheng Junfeng felt a sense of joy that the person was finally showing signs of life. He was willing to indulge his antics.

The waiter hesitantly asked, "Sir, packing dishes like bird's nest will affect their flavor. Are you sure you want them to-go?"

"Everything except the ice cream should be taken to go." Shen Xi smiled and said, "Go ahead."

After the outsiders left, Cheng Junfeng looked at him again, unaware that his tone had become gentler.

"Are you angry with me?"

Shen Xi took a sip of white wine and said, "My job was something you could handle."

"Hmm."

"One wasn't enough to ruin; you had to crush both."

"Yes."

Cheng Junfeng was pleased with his own handiwork, smiling as he looked at him.

"Otherwise, would you have come to see me?"

"At this point, everyone has already gone mad." Cheng Junfeng said, "I've investigated the engagement party thoroughly; it was all Yan Chun's scheme."

"He has always maintained contact with our mutual friends, continuously keeping an eye on my movements over the years."

"Heard about my engagement, Yan Chun immediately booked a flight back and used connections to find out the location of my wedding banquet."

"If not for his deliberate meddling, Shen Xi, you would now be happily waiting to officially move into the Cheng family home."

If Cheng Junfeng wanted to investigate, he could uncover everything in the shortest time possible.

Including who Yan Chun had been dating abroad over the years, whether his life had been luxurious or impoverished, and if he was truly as pure and noble as he appeared—everything was easily revealed.

The moment the truth came to light, Cheng Junfeng had already planned his next moves.

He could elevate that person to the moon or ruthlessly cast them into the dust.

Shen Xi, as long as you bow to me, submit to me.

We can start anew.

The young man listened to him speak for a while, showing no expression.

"I did indeed hurt you too deeply." The man wore an expression of indulgence, "You must hate me."

But at least hate and love are intertwined, Shen Xi, you belong to me forever, impossible for anyone else to covet.

"Uh, I won't go to the wedding banquet." The young man said, "I can't afford the gift money anymore. Thank you for treating me to beef tonight; I'll put the leftover food in the fridge."

Cheng Junfeng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, "You know very well that's not what I want to hear."

Shen Xi thought for a moment, troubled, "Do you want to split the bill?"

"No! Stop worrying about what we ate tonight!" Cheng Junfeng raised his voice, "You were harmed by that scoundrel Yan Chun, don't you hate him? Aren't you suffering? In three days, don't you want to see him fall in disgrace while you are welcomed back into the Cheng family with all eyes on you, successfully reclaiming everything you desire?!"

"This is your only choice, Shen Xi!"

The man suddenly leaned close, his voice icy cold.

"As long as you say you're willing, in three days, Yan Chun will become the laughingstock of the world, and that position will be yours."

"What does it matter if I buy you the entire brand instead of just a Taobao model! Shen Xi, what I want is you, you yourself!!"

A waiter knocked softly, "Sir, may I serve the dishes?"

Cheng Junfeng turned and cursed, "Serve your father!!"

"Serve the dishes," Shen Xi whispered, "I only had a steamed bun for lunch, I'm really hungry."

Cheng Junfeng gave him a look full of conflicting emotions, hating him yet wanting to pamper him, and angrily said, "Serve the dishes!"

The waiter almost set up the table at lightspeed and hurried away with the tray.

The system felt restless, "Why does it feel like his offer isn't bad?"

Too bad it can't collect Yan Chun's distress value; otherwise, it would make a fortune.

The man had no appetite, his eyes fixed on Shen Xi.

"What do you want?"

Shen Xi, you can cry, you can yell at me, you can curse me.

Can you stop treating me like air, as if your soul has been extracted?

I've been so ruthless with you, forcing you to come see me; at least give me some real emotion!

Shen Xi scooped a spoonful of soup and sincerely said, "This fish is really tender."

Biting into the belly of the fish felt like it would melt in his mouth, the fat neither greasy nor overwhelming, instead bringing out the freshness with the aroma of scallions, delicious beyond words.

He ate quickly, devouring everything within ten minutes, truly famished.

After eating until he was eight-tenths full, Shen Xi looked at the domineering CEO in front of him and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Alright, let's talk about us."

The system sensed something and perked up, "It's starting! It's starting!"

Shen Xi extended his hands, gesturing with his fingers as he spoke, like a diligent sign language interpreter.

"When we first started dating, you hid information and treated me as a substitute for Yan Chun, engaging in emotional infidelity for three years. That's the first offense."

Cheng Junfeng saw the dazzling movements of his hands and lost control of his expression for a moment. "What are you doing?"

"I'm talking to you."

"What are your hands doing?!"

Shen Xi glanced at his hands, which were still frantically making seals, as if they were merely resting calmly on the table. He didn't take it seriously.

"Hands aren't here?"

Maintaining the stark contrast between the movement of his neck and the rest of his body, he continued speaking.

"Yan Chun appeared, and you kicked me away immediately, canceling the engagement and cutting all ties. This is the second incident."

"Stop moving your hands!" Cheng Junfeng suddenly stood up. "What are you doing to me?!"

The man finally understood Yan Chun's panic during the phone call, as Shen Xi's inexplicable behavior caused his heart rate to spike.

"Stop, Shen Xi, stop moving your hands!!"

The system sighed, "This is the most abstract episode I've seen."

The third, fourth, and fifth incidents.

Shen Xi enumerated his extreme cruelty one by one, never stopping the hand seals.

Cheng Junfeng watched with his pupils trembling, completely unable to focus on what the man was saying.

Was this person still Shen Xi?!

Was he possessed? Taken over? Was he casting a spell on me?

Who still believes in such things these days?!

"...In summary, none of these ten incidents are something a sane adult would do."

Shen Xi stopped his hand movements, took a sip of wine, and said, "We're impossible, forever impossible."

The system asked quietly, "What jutsu did you use?"

"Hmph," Keding said, "The first two or three were proper seals, but then I forgot most of them and just made random gestures. You can think of it as flipping my hands while talking."

Cheng Junfeng broke out in a cold sweat, as if talking to a mentally unstable madman.

"What were you doing the whole time?" The man laughed. "Are you really crazy enough to be sent to a mental hospital? No way, right?"

Shen Xi shook his head, got up, and walked out of the room.

"Waiter, where's my takeaway?"

On February 14th, the wedding proceeded as scheduled.

The venue was filled with guests, all admiring and praising the grandeur and splendor of the wedding.

All betrayals, chaos, and schemes were covered up without a trace, as if the love between the newlyweds remained pure and clear, untainted by any blemish.

When the two grooms drank their interlocked cups of wine, each held a cup in one hand and clasped the other's fingers with the other.

Their eyes were full of deep affection as they looked at each other, until they tilted their heads back to drink, clearly seeing a drop of nosebleed from each other.

The crimson blood was striking, just one drop each.

The big screen captured the drops of blood on their faces, causing an immediate uproar among the guests.

"What's happening? Did I see that wrong?!"

"Too creepy! Holy shit! Is this a horror movie?!"

"The emcee, pass some tissues! Do they need a doctor?!"

With a loud clatter, the interlocked cups were thrown to the ground, shattering into pieces.

One groom retreated frantically, clutching his head and screaming hysterically, while the other stood there, staring blankly at the drop of blood he wiped away with his fingertip.

Meanwhile, Keding was slurping instant noodles at home, happily watching the system's broadcast.

"Look how scared you all are."

"It's winter, getting a bit heated, isn't it."