Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Before he knew it, the child who always followed behind had grown up.

After Duan Zhuoyi said something to Shen Yan, the two of them came down the stairs together.

Lu Zhao noticed that Hu Chengyu still wore that expressionless face and assumed he no longer cared about Shen Yan.

But recalling how Hu Chengyu had helped Shen Yan onto the sightseeing car before they came to the beach, their relationship didn't seem as strained as he thought.

Lu Zhao murmured under his breath, “Shen Yan still calls me ‘brother.’ I need to watch out for him…”

Then he suddenly nudged Hu Chengyu’s arm, “Hey, they’re heading this way.”

Duan Zhuoyi: “Don’t worry, there are a few people you know over there.”

In exchange for helping Shen Yan get the signature, Duan Zhuoyi’s condition was that Shen Yan go over and join them in playing.

Shen Yan shrugged, “As you can see, I’m not in a condition to drink.”

“Of course, there are a few girls with us too. No one will pressure you to drink.”

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the place where everyone was gathered.

“Bro Duan, you went for a walk and brought someone back?”

When Shen Yan stood in front of this group of people, he realized what Duan Zhuoyi meant by saying there were a few people he knew.

Cheng Xu and his group of followers were all there.

Shen Yan gave Duan Zhuoyi a surprised look. Didn’t this guy notice how strained their relationship was earlier?

Duan Zhuoyi gave Shen Yan a reassuring glance and said softly, “The person you don’t get along with isn’t here, okay?”

Shen Yan: “Didn’t you hear what they said at lunch?”

Duan Zhuoyi hesitated, “What exactly did they say?”

At that time, he was too focused on Shen Yan and didn’t even respond when his friend called him, so how could he have heard anything else going on?

Did Shen Yan not get along with these people?

Shen Yan thought that these people were well-known among the second generation of Beijing’s elite circles. They would likely meet at various events in the future, so there was no need to be too serious here.

Shen Yan said softly, “Never mind.”

Then he pulled out a chair and sat down.

“Bro, what do you think Duan and Shen Yan were talking about? It actually got Shen Yan to sit with Cheng Xu’s group—” Before Lu Zhao could finish speaking, he saw Hu Chengyu stand up and head straight toward that group.

Hu Chengyu pulled up a chair next to Shen Yan, saying, “May I sit here?”

Although it was a question, it wasn’t a request for permission.

When Cheng Xu’s group saw Hu Chengyu sit down, they were visibly surprised and showed great courtesy.

Duan Zhuoyi’s group couldn’t object much since they were the ones who invited these people.

Cheng Xu and his group clearly came from wealthy and influential families. Making friends and expanding connections would be beneficial for the future.

The only one who probably resisted the advances of Hu Chengyu was Shen Yan.

As usual, where Hu Chengyu went, Lu Zhao followed.

This group of people were all social experts, so there was no need to worry about awkward silences or awkward moments.

The best way to bring a group of unfamiliar young people together was through games.

"Let's play the simplest game. Whoever the bottle points to will choose truth or dare."

A timeless classic.

Before the game started, Hu Chengyu called over a waiter and briefly whispered something, then the game began.

Duan Zhuoyi started the first round, and the bottle ended up pointing at a girl.

After confirming the girl chose dare, Duan Zhuoyi, with great courtesy, asked her to get a guy's contact information.

It was neither too embarrassing nor did it lose the fun.

The girl stood up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Shen Yan, "May I ask, can I have your contact information?"

There was a moment of silence, then some guys started to cheer.

Hu Chengyu glanced at Shen Yan and spoke first, "He's not in good health; using a phone could harm his health, so he only has a family contact number."

He then gave a landline number.

Shen Yan recognized it and, after a moment of thought, realized it was the reception number of Shu Qianfei's company.

How did Hu Chengyu know this?

Although the girl wasn't entirely satisfied, she accepted it. Then it was the girl's turn to spin the bottle.

Whether by luck or coincidence, the bottle pointed to Hu Chengyu.

It was somewhat dramatic.

Perhaps intimidated by Hu Chengyu, the girl's voice quivered slightly, "May I ask, what is your relationship with Shen Yan?"

The most curious ones at the table were undoubtedly Lu Zhao and Duan Zhuoyi.

Hu Chengyu seemed to ponder for a moment before giving an answer, "A complex relationship."

The girl was stunned. What kind of response was that?

It was like when filling out personal information, being asked about political affiliation, and you answer 'proper appearance.' What was the point?

Yet, with Hu Chengyu's aura, no one dared to question him.

Then it was the turn of others at the table, using the game to subtly express interest in their crushes.

Shen Yan was lucky; the bottle didn't point to him for two rounds.

However, his good luck didn't last. In the third round, he was the first to be selected.

The person who asked the question was the girl who had expressed a desire to hug Shen Yan earlier.

Shen Yan remembered her; she was Wen Ya, the daughter of the Wen family.

"Shen Yan, can you accept heterosexual relationships?"

This question really caught Shen Yan off guard. He didn’t know.

He wasn’t even sure if his feelings for Hu Chengyu in his previous life were his true feelings or just a narrative tool in the story.

Shen Yan: "I don’t know."

Wen Ya, the daughter of the Wen family, was clearly a bit dissatisfied. "What kind of answer is that?"

Cheng Xu stepped in to smooth things over. "Shen Yan has never liked a girl, so it’s natural he wouldn’t know. Isn’t that understandable?"

After two rounds of the game, Cheng Xu noticed that neither Hu Chengyu nor Lu Zhao had allowed Shen Yan to be targeted, subtly shielding him.

If he wanted to connect with the Lu family, he definitely couldn’t be at odds with Shen Yan.

Perhaps because she had drunk some alcohol, or because she had been pampered by her family, Wen Ya was a bit irritable. She slapped the table. "Then I’ll ask a different question!"

Shen Yan had no objections.

"Do you have a crush on anyone?"

This question was much simpler for Shen Yan, who answered, "No."

The people who had come with Cheng Xu gave Shen Yan odd looks, and someone even muttered, "Is that considered lying?"

Wen Ya, as if she felt personally challenged, slapped the table again. "He said he doesn’t, so he doesn’t."

The game grew increasingly dull toward the end. Shen Yan had already yawned repeatedly.

Since his rebirth, he usually went to bed at ten o’clock.

It was nearly midnight now, and he was really sleepy.

Noticing that most people had fallen asleep, Duan Zhuoyi, the eldest of the group, arranged for everyone to stay in nearby rooms.

Shen Yan didn’t want to walk all the way to the resort rooms, so he decided to stay for the night.

After Shen Yan opened the door, a sudden force from behind shoved him into the room.

Shen Yan was instantly startled awake!

After the initial shock, he quickly thought about how he could escape.

Even if the other person wasn’t bigger than him, with his fragile physique, he wouldn’t be able to fight his way out.

A determined look flashed in Shen Yan’s eyes, and he immediately aimed a kick at the man’s most vulnerable spot.

But the man dodged swiftly, and Shen Yan, not wanting to engage, turned to open the door to call for help.

However, the other person was faster and pressed him down from behind.

"It’s me."

In the darkness, Shen Yan’s eyes widened in shock.

This voice... was it Hu Chengyu?

Seeing Shen Yan calm down, Hu Chengyu let go of him.

Shen Yan took deep breaths, his heart racing from the shock.

In the quiet room, the sound of his swallowing was magnified.

Shen Yan: "Hu Chengyu, what’s wrong with you?"

His voice was both fierce and soft, and very pleasant to hear.

Hu Chengyu turned on the light and looked at Shen Yan's flushed face from breathing too hard, smirking. "Not calling me Mr. Hu now?"

"You scared me just to get a 'Mr. Hu'?" Shen Yan stared at Hu Chengyu, disbelieving.

Hu Chengyu: "I didn’t mean to scare you. This is for you."

He planned to give it to him if Shen Yan was penalized in the drinking game, but the kid played well and avoided any penalties.

As Shen Yan arrived, Lu Zhao, who was staying next door, suddenly appeared.

If Lu Zhao saw him, he’d ask endless questions. Hu Chengyu found Lu Zhao irritating.

Shen Yan looked at the pink can of his favorite strawberry milk in Hu Chengyu’s hand, still shaken.

Hu Chengyu: "Drink more milk, kid, and stay healthy."

After saying that, he opened the door, glanced outside, and seeing no one, started to leave.

Still angry, Shen Yan threw the strawberry milk to the ground.

It happened to catch Hu Chengyu’s eye as he turned around.

Shen Yan was speechless.

Meeting Hu Chengyu’s intense gaze, Shen Yan reflexively picked up the milk from the floor.

Hu Chengyu’s voice was indifferent, "I forgot to say, study hard."

Shen Yan was speechless again.

Shen Yan wanted to throw the milk in Hu Chengyu’s face!

After the incident with Hu Chengyu, Shen Yan was fully awake.

What was Hu Chengyu trying to say?

Whatever it was, it couldn’t mean he liked him.

Wasn’t the lesson from his infatuated past life enough?

Besides, when they were younger, Hu Chengyu had indeed saved him.

Lying in bed, Shen Yan grew angrier the more he thought about it.

If he didn’t like him, why didn’t he just reject him?

Seeing the strawberry milk placed nearby, he picked it up, inserted the straw, and took a sip. It was really sweet and delicious!

"What does Hu Chengyu being a jerk have to do with strawberry milk tea?

Shen Yan didn’t fall asleep until around 3 a.m. His body really couldn’t take much strain. When he woke up, his body felt limp and weak.

When Shen Lin found him after regaining his vitality, Shen Yan was lazily lying under the quilt, his face pale as if his energy had been drained.

'Shen Yan, did you have a good time last night?' Shen Lin said as he pulled off his quilt.

The air-conditioning quilt was thin, and Shen Yan didn’t have any strength in his hands. The quilt was easily yanked away.

Shen Lin even went as far as pulling open his collar to make sure he hadn’t gotten into any trouble.

Furious, Shen Yan bit down on Shen Lin’s outstretched arm. It wasn’t hard, but it was enough to vent his anger.

Shen Lin wiped the saliva off his arm and reached out to place his hand on Shen Yan’s forehead. Sure enough, he was running a fever again.

Shen Lin: ...

No wonder Shu Qianfei and Shen Shubai never took Shen Yan on trips. He fell ill again just from staying up late.

Shen Lin resigned himself to caring for him diligently.

Perhaps the resort’s feng shui helped, but Shen Yan’s fever went down quickly this time.

However, even after the fever broke, his body remained weak and limp.

Shen Lin somehow managed to get a wheelchair for him.

Each day, he only allowed Shen Yan to bask in the morning sun and enjoy the evening breeze.

When Duan Zhuoyi and his group left, they stopped by to check on Shen Yan and gave him an autograph from their band.

It was only when Duan Zhuoyi left that Shen Yan learned that the lead singer of the band was his friend.

They had come to the resort at the lead singer’s invitation.

*

Shen Lin wasn’t always by Shen Yan’s side. There were many activities at the resort, including various sports clubs.

Lately, Shen Lin was obsessed with horseback riding, spending each day galloping around the racetrack.

Shen Yan wheeled himself to a quiet spot.

The place had been found by Shen Lin, who said it was the perfect spot for watching the sunrise.

Shen Yan’s elegant hand moved back and forth across his sketchbook, occasionally scribbling a few words.

He wasn’t sketching the scenery, but designing something...

Slap!

'How dare you steal my things? Just because you’re living in the Bai family’s house, you think you’re the second miss of the Bai family?'

A scolding voice reached Shen Yan’s ears.

Shen Yan followed the sound with his eyes and could just about make out a man and a woman.

'I... I didn’t... Dad gave it to me...'

The girl’s voice was soft.

Shen Yan couldn’t quite hear clearly.

The commotion came and went quickly. The tall man left the girl alone, fuming with resentment.

Shen Yan didn’t move, listening to the approaching footsteps."