Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Seeing that Shen Lin hadn’t replied, Shen Yan put away his phone, unaware that his only younger brother was being punished to stand because he had been distracted in class while texting him.

Even if Shen Yan had known, he would have laughed and teased him, calling him "stupid."

Passing a dessert shop, Shen Yan suddenly called out, “Uncle Wang, stop for a moment.”

Returning to school, it was three in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day.

Shen Yan sent a message to Lu Zhao: “Bro Lu, do you have class now?”

Lu Zhao was in Hu Chengyu’s dorm coding. If you asked him why he wasn’t coding in his own dorm...

Lu Zhao would simply say, “It just doesn’t feel right coding in my own dorm.”

Lu Zhao glanced at the message, then at Hu Chengyu, who was reading a book.

He had a hunch that Yan Yan was actually interested in Hu Chengyu, and he was just an afterthought.

However, this time he was misunderstanding Shen Yan.

Shen Yan was more than happy for him to be with Hu Chengyu. This way, he could thank both of them at once and avoid facing Hu Chengyu alone.

The forum incident couldn’t have been solely Lu Zhao’s doing.

Lu Zhao secretly took a picture of Hu Chengyu’s back and sent it to Shen Yan: “No classes. I’m in Bro’s dorm.”

Before Shen Yan replied, he heard Hu Chengyu’s cold voice: “What were you just doing?”

Lu Zhao felt a little guilty. “Just relaxing. Yeah, relaxing.”

Hu Chengyu: “Classmate Lu Zhao, is secretly taking pictures a new form of relaxation?”

“Damn, how did you know I was secretly taking your picture?” Lu Zhao’s heart skipped a beat.

Hu Chengyu pointed at the mirror beside him.

Lu Zhao: ...

The phone vibrated twice. Shen Yan had sent another message: “I just got back from Mom’s company. I brought some ice cream. I’ll bring you guys a portion.”

Below was a photo.

The round, plump ice cream looked soft and adorable. Just thinking about the icy texture made it even more tempting!

Hu Chengyu suddenly threw something at him. Luckily, he reacted quickly and caught it.

Lu Zhao looked at the mirror in his hand, a little confused. “Why did you throw the mirror at me?”

“To check your expression. It’s like an amphibian gazing up at a swan.”

Lu Zhao’s forehead creased with annoyance as he sent a message back to Shen Yan, then sidled up to Hu Chengyu, bumping his shoulder against his. “Bro, are you jealous of me?”

Hu Chengyu gave him a cold glance. “Jealous of what exactly?”

Lu Zhao was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

His face lit up with joy as he went to open the door. “Yan Yan!”

When Hu Chengyu heard 'Yan Yan,' his hand gripping the book suddenly tightened.

"Wow! Are all these for us?"

Shen Yan said softly, "These are for Brother Lu and Mr. Hu."

The rest are for Gu.

He can't eat any of it at all.

Although Lu Zhao was eager to take a bite of the ice-cold ice cream right away, he still had some manners: "Yan Yan, come in and sit down. It's hot outside."

Shen Yan waved him off, "No need, my dorm is just next door. I'll head back first. If I don't eat this soon, it'll melt."

He pointed to the other one.

Lu Zhao's sparkling eyes dimmed slightly as he watched Shen Yan return to the adjacent room.

Only after the door next door closed did Lu Zhao turn around and hand one to Hu Chengyu.

Compared to the enthusiastic Lu who had rushed to open the door earlier, he now looked like a frost-bitten eggplant, wilted and listless.

Seeing this, Hu Chengyu couldn't help but sneer, "What? So reluctant to let go?"

He opened the ice cream packaging as he spoke, his gaze paused for a moment.

A memory from about three years ago surfaced, when Shen Yan had just started high school.

The high school Shen Yan attended was also Hu Chengyu's alma mater. It wasn't a coincidence; Shen Yan had wanted to attend Hu's school.

Hu Chengyu participated in a finance summit in his sophomore year, and as a student speaker, his insights were widely praised by industry professionals.

Afterward, he worked on a project with his mentor, and the entire profit was donated to an orphanage.

Upon learning about this, his high school principal invited Hu Chengyu to speak at the school.

Hu Chengyu had no interest, but he suddenly thought of Shen Yan and, on impulse, agreed.

He no longer remembers the content of the speech he gave that day back at his alma mater, but he vividly recalls a small incident where he rescued someone from a tree.

He still remembers Shen Yan sitting on a tree branch, looking helpless, wanting to ask for help but afraid of being caught by the principal or teachers and getting in trouble.

Back then, Shen Yan’s face was a bit more youthful than it is now, less aloof, yet more innocent.

When Shen Yan saw him, his clear eyes widened.

“Bro, why is it you?”

“Bro, can you help me get down?”

“Bro, please!”

……

It seemed he would say anything to get rescued from the tree.

Hu Chengyu asked, “What’s in it for me if I help you down?”

“I’ll buy you a three-flavored ice cream. I secretly tried the one Shen Lin got, it’s really delicious!”

Hu Chengyu agreed to the deal.

However, shortly after Shen Yan was rescued, a girl approached and led him away.

The promise of the ice cream as a token of gratitude has yet to be fulfilled.

Snapping back to reality, Hu Chengyu looked at the ice cream in front of him and immediately understood that Shen Yan knew he and Lu Zhao had helped her with the forum issue; this was her way of saying thank you.

Lu Zhao was eating the ice cream while carefully observing Hu Chengyu.

From his perspective, Hu Chengyu was wearing a serious expression, staring intensely at the ice cream as if it were something peculiar.

Lu Zhao said, "Bro, if you don't want it, I can take care of it."

It wasn't that he was particularly greedy, but he was worried that with his brother's tolerance for trash, the ice cream would end up in the public trash bin once it melted, and Shen Yan might see it.

Hu Chengyu said, "Go back to your own dorm."

Lu Zhao: ?

"You're too noisy."

Holding his laptop in one hand and the ice cream in the other, Lu Zhao stood in the corridor, feeling somewhat bewildered.

*

Since being 'sent away' by Hu Chengyu, Lu Zhao had sought advice from a few of his friends.

Lu Zhao recalled the entire sequence of events. After receiving Shen Yan's message, he was extremely excited, especially when opening the door for Yan Yan!

He showed clear disappointment when Yan Yan refused to come into the dorm for a sit.

From Hu Chengyu's perspective, these actions suggested that Lu Zhao had ulterior motives toward Yan Yan!

Putting aside his brother's complex feelings for Yan Yan, his behavior had its reasons!

He had learned about the 'rumors' between him and Yan Yan from his classmates, and the post was deleted before he could see it.

Lu Zhao reasonably suspected that his brother had deleted it.

He had originally thought that his brother, being such a smart person, wouldn't believe in rumors.

But based on his brother's cold attitude, he must have believed it.

Lu Zhao was frustrated. What could he do? Even if he wanted to clarify, the post had been deleted.

So he needed to find another approach. If his brother and Yan Yan reconciled, everything would be resolved.

That’s why he was so eager to open the door for Yan Yan, and why he was so upset when Yan Yan refused to enter the dorm.

Lu Zhao felt like such a pitiable guy.

At the nightclub, Lu Zhao took a swig of alcohol. A friend next to him said, "Young Master Lu, what’s so hard about this? From what I hear, it's just a misunderstanding between two of your friends. Bring them together, have a drink, and talk things out. Any misunderstanding can be cleared up."

Lu Zhao sighed. Is it really that simple?

Since Yan Yan announced at his brother’s birthday party that she no longer liked him, she had wanted to stay as far away from him as possible, even calling him Mr. Hu.

Lu Zhao thought about how, after they graduated, they might meet at business functions, dressed in suits, addressing each other formally, one calling the other President Hu and the other President Shen.

Used to Yan Yan following behind and calling him "Bro," Lu Zhao really couldn't accept this change.

"Lu Zhao, I don't think the method he mentioned will work. Not all heartbroken lovers are separated because of misunderstandings; just talking isn't enough.

"You need to get them to spend time together. If they don't believe what's said, then they can see it from their actual actions."

Lu Zhao found it somewhat reasonable. "How do we arrange that?"

"Find a private island, make up an excuse, and lure them there. Then take the boat away, leaving them on the island for a few days. Will their misunderstandings still remain unresolved?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao frowned. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Lu Zhao, do you want your two friends to make up or not?"

The others chimed in, "This is the best plan!"

Drunk, Lu Zhao contacted an island and booked a small yacht.

As long as he could trick his brother and Yan Yan into going, he wouldn't have to be caught in the middle anymore.

*

Lu Zhao woke up in the dormitory. He remembered his friends wanting to book a hotel for him, but he insisted on returning to the dorm.

His brother and Yan Yan must have come out to help him open the door, right?

He rubbed his hungover head and realized he had slept on the floor.

The dorm had a bunk bed with a desk underneath. Was his brother worried he might fall from the top bunk?

But the mattress was surprisingly thick!

Only then did he realize his bed was now vacant.

Fortunately, he was alone in the dorm. His roommate had a special major that required frequent outdoor shoots, returning to the dorm only once a month, and even then, he spent two days at his girlfriend’s place.

A cup of water and a cup of milk were on his desk, still slightly warm.

His brother only poured water for him; the milk was probably left by Yan Yan.

What kind of amazing friends did he have?

He picked up one of the cups and drank it down. Suddenly, his phone beeped with a message alert.

"Dear Mr. Lu, thank you for booking......"

After reading the message, Lu Zhao finished the last sip, put down the cup, and thought, what spam message is this?

Why would I book a leased island? Do scam messages not even screen customer information anymore?

He long-pressed the message, about to delete it, when a scene flashed through his mind:

He raised a wine bottle and shouted, "Island booked!"

Everyone cheered loudly.

He pressed his phone again and shouted, "Yacht booked too!"

More cheers followed.

Lu Zhao:......

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Why did he drink so much last night?

Is it too late to cancel the reservations now?

Yes, cancel the bookings immediately!

As the author would say:

Can you cancel it at all?"