Chapter 91

Chapter 91

Shen Yan looked up to see Hu Chengyu sitting on the roof of the car, his back facing the starry sky.

Suddenly finding himself in a desolate mountain, Shen Yan had originally intended to scold the culprit, but as he gazed at the sky full of stars, his throat tightened, and no words came out.

A hand reached out toward him.

Even in the dim light, Shen Yan could tell that the hand in front of him was slender and well-proportioned.

Hu Chengyu: "You don't want to join me?"

Shen Yan hesitated for a moment before placing his right hand in the other's palm.

The moment their hands touched, Shen Yan felt a strong, unyielding grip. His vision blurred for a brief moment, and then he found himself tightly held.

Shen Yan: "... Let go of me."

Hu Chengyu, surprisingly compliant, let him go immediately.

But as he adjusted the blanket, his hands brushed against Shen Yan's waist, either by accident or on purpose.

Shen Yan grabbed his hand. "I can do it myself."

On the quiet mountain, their voices seemed to echo louder in the stillness, making every word feel like it was right in their ears.

Shen Yan turned his head away, focusing on the starry sky instead. But he had underestimated the temperature on the mountain; even wrapped in a blanket, the cold wind was biting.

The beauty of the starry sky seemed to fade a little.

Maybe he should head back to the car?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, warmth spread across his back, and a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

Hu Chengyu rested his chin on Shen Yan's shoulder, his voice soft. "Little Yan, don't be upset, okay?"

Shen Yan remained silent. It wasn’t really Hu Chengyu's fault; he was only mad at himself.

"Hu Chengyu, if you fall in love with someone else, don't target me, don't target G.E.," Shen Yan's voice was soft, dissipating into the wind.

Hu Chengyu heard every word clearly, his arm around Shen Yan's waist tightening.

"What have I done to make you think I would ever do that?" Hu Chengyu said helplessly. "Little Yan, I will always like you, love you. Whether in words or actions, I want you to know."

"I don't know how to make you believe me, but the promises I've made to you, I will keep."

Shen Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn’t know that he was living in a book, he would believe Hu Chengyu.

What he didn’t trust was the power of the original plot.

He could change his own and his family's ending, probably because it didn’t affect the book's ending anyway.

Even at that moment, Shen Yan still believed Hu Chengyu would end up with Xie Shiyu.

Hu Chengyu, being very close to him, naturally noticed the change in him, feeling both heartache and frustration.

Shen Yan's ears paid the price for Hu Chengyu's frustration.

Lost in thought, Shen Yan suddenly felt a warm wetness on his ear, followed by a slight sting.

"Hu Chengyu! Ow!"

After Hu Chengyu released his bite, his tongue lightly brushed across the spot.

The cold night wind contrasted sharply with the warmth of Hu Chengyu's tongue.

Shen Yan couldn't help but shiver. The cold made his voice tremble, and even the name "Hu Chengyu" sounded different when he called it out.

Hu Chengyu felt a slight tightness in his lower abdomen and didn't dare to continue. After a deep breath, he buried his face in Shen Yan's neck.

Shen Yan tried to push him away, but the shiver had left him weak, and his push felt like a kitten's nudge.

Hu Chengyu: "Don't move."

Shen Yan felt the increased pace of the breath on his neck and stiffened instantly.

They remained in the same position.

It was unclear how much time passed, but Shen Yan's legs, sitting crossed, began to tingle.

The stars above no longer seemed so bright.

Shen Yan didn't dare to move. He knew all too well that Hu Chengyu was like a taut bowstring, ready to snap.

But his attempt to hide it didn't go unnoticed by Hu Chengyu. "What's wrong?"

Shen Yan was on the verge of tears. "My legs are numb."

Three minutes later, they were sitting in the car.

Shen Yan's legs were held in Hu Chengyu's hands, gently kneading. Each knead sent a tingling, almost painful yet oddly soothing sensation through him.

"Stop, don't knead anymore."

Hu Chengyu: "It'll get better faster this way."

Shen Yan searched for something to talk about, hoping to distract himself. "Why do you call me Little Yan?"

He had been curious for a while. Usually, people close to him called him Yan Yan, like Lu Zhao did.

Hu Chengyu slowed his movements and looked into Shen Yan's eyes. "Because it's a nickname that only I get to use."

Hu Chengyu's tongue lightly touched the roof of his mouth as he silently thought, "Mine, Little Yan."

Shen Yan felt like he was being burned by the intensity of Hu Chengyu's gaze. It was just a nickname, but when he saw the seriousness in Hu Chengyu's eyes, the rebuttal he was about to make died in his throat.

The air in the car grew warmer, and Shen Yan could feel his heartbeat quickening.

Suddenly, a ringtone shattered the silence.

Hu Chengyu glanced at his phone and hung up. However, the next second, the phone started ringing again.

Shen Yan glanced over, curious. It was the Hu family butler.

It was late, and the butler was calling Hu Chengyu again?

A knot formed in his stomach. Something didn’t feel right.

While Shen Yan was thinking, the butler had already made the third call.

Hu Chengyu ignored the call again, as if he didn’t want to deal with whatever the butler had to say.

Shen Yan knew from Lu Zhao about the conflict between Hu Chengyu and Hu Tianhong, so it was understandable that Hu Chengyu didn’t want to answer.

However…

Shen Yan: "Maybe you should take it? It could be important."

Hu Chengyu looked at him and then answered the call.

Shen Yan couldn’t hear what was said on the other end, but Hu Chengyu’s face went pale in an instant.

Hu Chengyu: "Which hospital? I see, I’ll be right there."

After hanging up, Hu Chengyu started the car. "Little Yan, do you want to go home or back to your dorm?"

Shen Yan: ?

He hesitated for a moment, then asked instead, "What happened?"

Hu Chengyu’s voice was low: "Hu Tianhong was in a car accident. He’s in surgery right now."

Shen Yan’s heart skipped a beat. A car accident? That hadn’t happened before in his previous life...

A chill ran through him. For a moment, he wondered if this was because of him—had he somehow changed the course of events?

Suddenly, Hu Chengyu’s warm hand grasped his.

Hu Chengyu squeezed his hand gently. "Don’t worry."

He thought Shen Yan’s unusual behavior was due to fear.

But Shen Yan suddenly stared at him, eyes resolute. "I’ll go with you."

Hu Chengyu’s eyes flickered slightly, but he didn’t refuse. "Okay."

When they arrived at the hospital, the red light above the operating room was still on.

The butler, visibly shaken, approached Hu Chengyu, his voice trembling. "Young Master, Sir..."

The old butler had been with Hu Tianhong his entire life, and now that Hu Tianhong’s life was in danger, he choked up as he spoke.

In contrast, Hu Chengyu remained eerily calm, almost too calm for the situation.

Hu Chengyu: "How is the situation?"

"Not clear yet."

The three of them could only continue waiting.

Hu Chengyu: "What was the situation at the time of the incident?"

The butler paused for a moment before speaking: "Old Chen was fatigued while driving."

Old Chen was Hu Tianhong's driver and, like the butler, had been loyally by Hu Tianhong's side for many years.

With all the troubles the Hu family's company had been going through recently, Hu Chengyu suspected the car accident hadn't been a mere coincidence.

Could it really have been an accident?

"How is Uncle Chen?"

Butler: "Out of immediate danger for now, he's been moved to a ward."

The butler, always sharp, frowned and asked, "Sir, do you suspect something is off with Old Chen?"

The butler wanted to speak up for Old Chen, but upon remembering that Hu Tianhong's life still hung in the balance, he held back his words.

Hu Chengyu asked a few more questions, and finally, the light above the operating room went out.

The butler was the first to step forward: "Doctor, about Mr. Hu..."

Doctor: "We've managed to stabilize him for now, but a broken rib has injured his internal organs. The next few days will still be critical."

What this meant was that he had only survived by a thread, and whether he would make it was still uncertain.

Hu Tianhong was wheeled into the intensive care unit.

Hu Chengyu watched the doctor and the butler with a calm, almost detached demeanor.

As if he were merely an outsider.

After listening to the doctor's instructions, the butler looked at Hu Chengyu and sighed softly.

No one could fault Hu Chengyu for his apparent indifference, given that he had once been dragged into a suicide pact by his own mother, also during a car accident.

Hu Chengyu glanced through the glass at Hu Tianhong, who was covered in medical instruments.

Shen Yan, who had been by his side the entire time, suddenly took his hand. Though Hu Chengyu said nothing, he could feel the other's low spirits.

Hu Chengyu clasped his hand in return: "I thought I'd feel nothing."

He couldn't stay unaffected.

Shen Yan didn't know how to comfort him, so he softly said, "Mr. Hu will pull through."

Hu Chengyu stayed at the hospital for only one night.

There were pressing matters at the Hu family's company that needed attention.

However, Hu Chengyu had been focused on robotics for the past few years and wasn't familiar with the company's day-to-day operations.

Upon arriving at the company, he was immediately thrown into a series of back-to-back meetings. Many decisions required Hu Tianhong's guidance.

During this time, several people felt that Hu Chengyu, being just a student, couldn't shoulder the company's projects and quietly tried to trip him up.

Shen Yan has been a regular visitor to the Hu family's company lately, and Hu Chengyu had already given instructions that he could go directly to the top floor.

Shen Yan walked to Hu Chengyu's temporary workspace looking anxious, only to find that there was no one inside.

He turned and headed toward the meeting room, wanting to inform Hu Chengyu right away of a piece of news.

As soon as he reached the office, he saw through the glass that Hu Chengyu had thrown a file on the table.

Even from outside, he could feel Hu Chengyu's icy and intimidating presence.

His dark eyes were cold, and his rimless glasses reflected a chill.

The others in the office were probably intimidated by his presence, each afraid to speak and bowing their heads.

Through the glass, Shen Yan saw Hu Chengyu's lips move slightly, though he couldn't hear what was said. The people in the meeting room bowed their heads even lower.

A few minutes later, the meeting finally ended.

Several middle-aged men who walked out of the meeting room wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

Hu Chengyu remained seated in the distance, resting with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, the secretary bent down and whispered something in his ear. Hu Chengyu then looked over in Shen Yan's direction.

He strode out.

"Why are you here?" he asked naturally, taking Shen Yan's hand.

A couple of employees who happened to be around were already used to this sight.

Shen Yan, ignoring the gazes of others, quickly said in a low voice, "We have a lead on Uncle Chen's side."

Hu Chengyu pulled him into his office and pressed him into a chair. "What did I tell you?"

His gaze fixed on Shen Yan, as if he was trying to see through him.

Shen Yan murmured softly, "Not to get involved in this matter."

"You know, yet you disobey me on purpose?" Hu Chengyu pinched his face. "Do you want me to punish you?"

Shen Yan instinctively covered his mouth. "No!"

Even so, Hu Chengyu didn't let him off, kissing him on the back of his hand.

Shen Yan: ...

Hu Chengyu pulled his hand away. "Alright, let's talk business."

Shen Yan became somewhat excited. "We did find something following the lead from Uncle Chen's side."

"Uncle Chen has a younger brother. He's idle, has a gambling habit but it's not severe. The amounts involved aren't large."

"He's Uncle Chen's only brother. Uncle Chen can't really just ignore him, so he always helps out financially."

Shen Yan rambled on, and Hu Chengyu handed him a cup.

Shen Yan took the cup and naturally took a sip before realizing, "Your cup?"

Hu Chengyu took the cup back. "Already kissed you."

Shen Yan: ...

Weren't they discussing something serious?