Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Su Tinghe selectively answered the questions from the two men. First, he turned to the unfamiliar man and said, "He really is my husband." Then, he addressed Shang Huoyong, "I found staying at home too boring. And why are you here?"

"My alma mater's anniversary, I came back to take a look," Shang Huoyong tapped the table lightly with his fingers and tilted his chin slightly. "Who is this?"

Su Tinghe reluctantly explained, "A friend."

Hearing this, the stranger became furious. "A friend? You even blocked me and deleted my contact info. Did you ever consider me a friend?"

Su Tinghe forced himself to explain, "My previous phone broke, and I got a new one, so all the contacts were lost."

The stranger was only half-convinced. "Even the phone's SIM card broke?"

Su Tinghe vaguely responded with an "Uh-huh." Shang Huoyong, quietly observing their intimate interaction, felt irritated and raised his voice to repeat the question, "Who is this?"

Besides as a friend, Su Tinghe didn't know how else to introduce him. The stranger smiled and said, "Hello, Su Tinghe's husband, I'm his childhood friend."

Su Tinghe frowned, feeling puzzled, while Shang Huoyong savored the term "childhood friend," his scrutinizing gaze lingering on the stranger.

"What's the matter! We studied painting together in the same studio in elementary school, doesn't that count as childhood friends? Right?" The stranger spoke confidently, looking at Su Tinghe, who remained silent but nodded in agreement.

The stranger glanced at his phone and then said to Su Tinghe, "Quick, give me your new contact info. Let's scan and add each other back on social media." After re-adding each other, he continued, "Where do you live now? Send me your home address. I'll come over tomorrow to chat. Today, I have an appointment with a teacher, so I won't disturb you and your husband's time together."

Before leaving, the stranger blew a kiss to Su Tinghe, waved his hand, and said, "See you tomorrow, Su."

Su Tinghe awkwardly waved in return. Shang Huoyong quietly observed their interaction and, after the man had left, sarcastically remarked, "You sure have a lot of childhood friends."

Su Tinghe quickly raised his hand to swear, proving his innocence. "I swear, he's the only one."

"Only one?" Shang Huoyong, instead of getting angry, smiled coldly. "Then what about me? I even held you when you were little."

"Oh, then there are only two of you." Su Tinghe observed Shang Huoyong's expression and suddenly asked, "Darling, are you jealous?"

"I'm not jealous," Shang Huoyong immediately denied. "I'm just worried you might be deceived."

"Alright." Hearing this answer, Su Tinghe felt a bit disappointed but then remembered the earlier events and asked, "Didn't you go to work today? Why are you here?"

Shang Huoyong replied, "Dean Wang, whom you saw earlier, is also my mentor. He invited me to participate in a discussion. Would you like to come?"

Su Tinghe's eyes lit up. "May I?"

Shang Huoyong nodded and pushed Su Tinghe's wheelchair to the School of Economics and Management. There, they met many of Shang Huoyong's former teachers, whom he greeted generously and introduced Su Tinghe. Su Tinghe, however, felt somewhat shy.

The discussion was arranged in a small auditorium within the school, which was packed. Latecomers even sat on the floor. Ruan Xiting and Feng An also rushed over to attend. Seeing Su Tinghe sitting in the front row, they were surprised, but then remembered that the guest on stage was his husband, so it wasn't strange after all.

This was the first time Su Tinghe saw Shang Huoyong standing on stage, talking eloquently with others. Although Su Tinghe didn't understand a word, he thought that Shang Huoyong must be this charming at work.

The discussion ended with a student Q&A session. Some students directly recommended themselves, turning the scene into an instant job interview, while others turned into gossip reporters, directly asking about Shang Huoyong's relationship status.

Shang Huoyong glanced at Su Tinghe in the audience, smiled slightly, and replied, "My beloved is here, but he's quite shy, so I won't introduce him."

Although he said so, Shang Huoyong's gaze was unmistakable. Su Tinghe immediately felt all eyes in the room focusing on him, accompanied by a collective "Oh ho" from the audience. Su Tinghe's face flushed instantly, and though he pretended to sit calmly in his wheelchair, his fingers were almost digging into his palms.

Many students took out their phones and captured this moment of public affection, posting it online with hashtags like #XXUniversityAnniversary and #RelationshipGoals, instantly sparking a wave of popularity.

Sharp-eyed netizens recognized Su Tinghe in the video as the handsome young man in ancient attire from before. Combined with the previously posted bar photo of someone holding Su Tinghe from behind, the identity of the person holding Su Tinghe was self-evident.

Netizens scoured the internet but couldn't find Shang Huoyong's social media accounts, so they all rushed to the comments section of Su Tinghe's last post, celebrating the couple's beautiful love story, which also led to a significant increase in followers for the Shangshi Group's social media accounts.

The group's PR department quickly caught wind of the online buzz and asked Shang Huoyong how to handle it. Shang Huoyong didn’t step in right away, but when he browsed through the posts on the platform that evening, he was surprised to find fanfiction featuring him and Su Tinghe had already popped up. Only then did he instruct the PR department to tone down the hype.

By the time Su Tinghe remembered to log into his social media account, it was already the next day. Apart from seeing a skyrocketing follower count and flirty remarks flooding the comments, he was unaware of the situation. Meanwhile, Su Qingyue, a seasoned internet surfer, was so furious his face contorted.

Originally, Shang Huoyong planned to return to the company after the talk, but after meeting Su Tinghe, he changed his plans and accompanied Su Tinghe to watch the school anniversary performance before heading home.

Upon returning home, Shang's mother sent over a home ultrasound therapy machine. Curious, Su Tinghe wanted to try it out. Shang Huoyong, while chiding, "You’re always on the move; trying this won’t magically fix the swelling," still opened the therapy device and followed the instructions step by step, applying ultrasound gel to Su Tinghe's ankle and performing the therapy.

As soon as the ultrasound probe touched the swollen area, Su Tinghe felt a sharp, throbbing pain from deep inside. He wanted to pull his foot away from the device, but as soon as he moved, Shang Huoyong gripped his calf firmly.

"What's wrong?"

Su Tinghe watched as the therapy device continued to circle and press on his ankle, while his leg was immobilized. He whined pitifully to Shang Huoyong, "It hurts."

Shang Huoyong immediately turned off the therapy device but did not release Su Tinghe's calf right away. "Hold still; let me double-check the instructions." Only after receiving Su Tinghe's nod of agreement did he let go.

After reviewing the instructions again, Shang Huoyong turned the intensity down to the lowest setting and tried it on Su Tinghe's ankle. Seeing that Su Tinghe no longer cried out in pain, he felt reassured and continued using it.

Late at night, after Su Tinghe had fallen asleep, Shang Huoyong received a message. The person who had earlier investigated the hit-and-run driver had made a discovery: the driver had received a sum of cash, which, after some digging, was linked to the driver of his uncle's household.

Shang Huoyong was not surprised. Shang Yizhi’s hatred for him was as strong as his uncle’s hatred for his father. When someone holds a grudge, they will find ways to eliminate the other.

As for what role Su Tinghe played in this, Shang Huoyong couldn't say for sure. Whether it was genuine or feigned, he dared not gamble.

*

The next day, the stranger who claimed to be Su Tinghe's childhood friend came to visit, hauling a large suitcase.

Su Tinghe was surprised and politely said, "You came all this way; why lug so much stuff along?"

The stranger patted the suitcase. "I promised you before that when you got married, I would personally design a set of wedding outfits for you. This suitcase may seem like just a set of clothes, but it carries my deep love for you."

The stranger's words were so cringy it gave Su Tinghe goosebumps. The stranger then opened the suitcase, took out the wedding outfit, and spread it out on the sofa for Su Tinghe to see.

The outfit was quite elaborate, with a high-collared white shirt adorned with delicate embroidery and strands of pearls. The lower part was a pair of white trousers, with a waistband at the waist and a large satin train below. The outfit also came with an extra-long veil covered in floral embroidery.

Auntie Qin, who came to serve tea to the guest, saw the outfit on the sofa and exclaimed, "This is stunning. It’d look even more amazing on you. Mr. Shang would surely be captivated. It's just a pity you can't wear it now."

The stranger insisted, "You can wear it."

Auntie Qin was puzzled. "With such a long train, you can't wear it while sitting in a wheelchair."

The stranger then took out a waistband and a pair of white shorts from the suitcase. The waistband had a shorter, irregular lace train attached. "The train is detachable. When designing, I considered that a long train wouldn't be practical for daily wear, so I also designed a shorter train. The short train looks good with shorts, while the long train is more suitable with trousers."

"By the way, this set also comes with a pair of white knee-high socks. This combination looks especially good. You’ll look like a total prince in this."

Su Tinghe looked at the white socks with lace that the stranger had taken out, briefly baffled by the fashion sense.

Auntie Qin, however, was thrilled after seeing the complete outfit. She warmly held the stranger's hand and asked how he knew so much. From their conversation, Su Tinghe learned that the stranger's name was Shen Shixi, who had been studying abroad in fashion design, so they hadn't met much, but they had kept in touch online.

Shen Shixi's main purpose for returning to the country was to fulfill his promise to Su Tinghe. However, Su Tinghe had recently changed his contact information, and Shen Shixi couldn't reach him. It was a coincidence that they ran into each other yesterday.

The men's wedding outfit designed by Shen Shixi completely won over Auntie Qin's heart. Both agreed that Su Tinghe should try it on. Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, Su Tinghe went to change into the shorts and short train set. With the irregular lace train, Su Tinghe's lower half looked like he was wearing a skirt, and he appeared as pure and holy as a prince raised in a castle.

Shen Shixi and Auntie Qin both praised how good it looked, with Shen Shixi adding, "Your husband would definitely lose control if he saw you like this." Auntie Qin couldn't stop laughing after hearing this.

Noticing a bare spot on Su Tinghe's knee and thigh, Shen Shixi regretfully said, "It's just a pity there's no leg ring. Indeed, designed clothes need to be worn to reveal their flaws."

"But the flaws don't overshadow the beauty. I'm quite confident in this design. When my eponymous brand launches, you must come and be my model," Shen Shixi hugged Su Tinghe and pleaded.

Apart from Shang Huoyong, intimacy from others made Su Tinghe very uncomfortable. His body stiffened, and he gently eased Shen Shixi back, replying, "Sure."

Shen Shixi was thrilled, wheeling Su Tinghe over to a sofa chair by the floor-to-ceiling window. He helped Su Tinghe sit down and took a few photos of him.

After sending the photos to Su Tinghe, Shen Shixi asked, "Don't I look great?"

Su Tinghe had to admit, Shen Shixi's taste was spot-on. Suddenly, Shen Shixi leaned in and whispered mysteriously, "You said before that you had someone you liked—is it your current husband?"

"Ah?" Su Tinghe was a bit surprised. Did the original owner of this body like someone else? But when he first took over this body, it seemed like the original owner was dead set against marrying Shang Huoyong. Su Tinghe didn’t know who the original owner liked, but he nodded anyway.

Shen Shixi thought of the awkwardly jealous look on Su Tinghe’s husband’s face yesterday and couldn’t help but smile. "Your stepmom and brother are clearly no saints, but fortunately, my Su baby has really become someone else's treasure. You have to wear this for him today—I designed it just for you." Shen Shixi emphasized the word "just."

As he left the villa, Shen Shixi shot Su Tinghe a knowing smile. Su Tinghe was puzzled, but that night, he indeed wore the suit.

Su Tinghe sat on the bed while Aunt Qin helped him put on the veil. The soft gauze draped over the bed. Su Tinghe’s calves, clad in white mid-calf socks, dangled gently, swaying slightly.

Aunt Qin mentioned to Shang Huoyong that Su Tinghe’s friend had sent over a stunning outfit, and Su Tinghe wanted to wear it for him to see. As for how beautiful it was, he would have to see for himself.

When Shang Huoyong opened the door and met Su Tinghe’s gaze, it stole his breath.

Su Tinghe’s pale skin, clad in white, glowed softly. The lace-trimmed socks peeked out playfully, and his knees had a faint pink hue.

Shang Huoyong knelt down, meeting Su Tinghe’s eyes, and only then realized that Su Tinghe wasn’t wearing a short skirt but rather a pair of shorts, with the folds creating the illusion of a short skirt.

But the white shorts were loose, with enough room for a hand to slip in, not leaving much less to the imagination than a skirt.

They locked eyes in silence, the air between them electric. Unable to hold back, Su Tinghe asked, "Do I look good?"

Shang Huoyong didn’t answer but instead asked, "Who taught you to dress like this?"

"Doesn’t it look good?" Su Tinghe was a bit uneasy. "Shen Shixi, oh, the childhood friend you met yesterday, and Aunt Qin both said it looks very good and insisted I wear it for you to see."

Shang Huoyong grabbed Su Tinghe’s foot and placed it on his own thigh, squeezing Su Tinghe’s ankle. "Doesn’t it hurt anymore?"

Su Tinghe hissed softly and whispered, "It hurts a little."

Shang Huoyong stopped squeezing Su Tinghe’s ankle. Su Tinghe tapped his toes on Shang Huoyong’s thigh and asked, "You still haven’t said—do I look good like this?"

Shang Huoyong’s hand moved up Su Tinghe’s calf to the lace on the socks, and he said in a deep voice, "You look good."

So good he wanted to rip the clothes off him. Su Tinghe really knew how to seduce him.