Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Sheng Jinyu found this sensation profoundly unsettling—not merely unfamiliar, but bordering on revulsion, a complete disorientation.

He was desperate to steer the conversation away from the topic, and in his haste, he initiated yet another awkward exchange.

He pulled a sticker from his pocket and asked, his face devoid of expression, "What is this thing you slipped to me?"

Su He, with practiced ease, took the "sticker," carefully peeled it, lifted the hem of Sheng Jinyu's suit jacket, and affixed it to the inner lining. "This is a mosquito repellent patch," he explained. "I saw several mosquito bites on you this morning. Don't you feel itchy?"

Guangzhou was notorious for its mosquitoes, and Su He himself was a frequent victim, his skin often covered in angry red welts. Housekeeper Auntie Ling had given him these patches after noticing his plight.

"Auntie Ling actually prepared a lot of these a long time ago," Su He clarified, "but she was afraid you wouldn't like using them, so she never brought them out..."

Sheng Jinyu watched his every move for a long moment, his dark hair falling to obscure his eyes, making his emotions unreadable. Yet, deep within him, something softened.

"Each patch is effective for two hours. You need to remember to replace it... otherwise, it'll lose its potency... Oh, never mind, I'll just remind you myself," Su He prattled on, giving instructions.

Su He truly loved to ramble. Sheng Jinyu had recognized this early on; it had annoyed him then, and it annoyed him still.

He turned his back, effectively shutting out the sound, and walked towards the tearoom. Su He followed close behind, lowering his voice slightly as if to avoid further irritating him.

Without turning his head, Sheng Jinyu said, "Can you be quiet now?"

"But I haven't finished yet..." Su He mumbled, bewildered.

"You're annoying."

"Oh, okay then."

Song Xin and Fang Cheng were still waiting outside the tearoom. She was astonished to see that her boss, who had been fuming just moments ago, was now completely calm—it was truly miraculous.

Summoning her courage, she conveyed the apologies and pleas for a second chance from their business partners.

Sheng Jinyu offered no verbal response but tacitly agreed, pushing the door open and re-entering the tearoom.

Song Xin glanced at Su He, who was dutifully waiting outside, and nudged Fang Cheng's shoulder, whispering, "Assistant Fang, how reliable is your intel? Didn't you say they were like oil and water? He seems pretty effective to me!"

Assistant Fang adjusted his glasses, the polished lenses glinting coldly—this clearly defied his understanding.

Even stranger, after the negotiations concluded, Sheng Jinyu instructed him to order a new fish tank, complete with a full aquatic ecosystem, to be delivered to Xiaoxie Garden as soon as possible.

Having worked for Sheng Jinyu for so many years, he knew his boss—a man of few words and a capricious temperament—never kept pets at home.

The piranha tank was already an anomaly. Since when had his boss developed an interest in fishkeeping?

~

On the first weekend of August, the vast side hall was cluttered with scattered parts, the floors and furniture all covered with protective dust sheets.

Su He found himself in the way and quickly stepped aside to make room for the passing installation technicians.

Were it not for the cumbersome installation of the half-height landscape fish tank, the villa rarely saw such a flurry of activity at this hour.

Su He leaned down and asked S037, "Are we getting new fish for the house?"

S037's screen displayed a swirling "thinking" icon before replying, "I don't know. Young Master hasn't mentioned it, and there's no order notification for ornamental fish in the household logistics system."

Once the tank was fully assembled and the ambient lights illuminated it, the crystal-clear glass revealed lush aquatic plants, with the water circulation system designed to mimic undersea coral formations. The bottom of the tank was lined with plump, smooth white beads.

Its opulence was undeniable, requiring no comparison. The contrast between this and the simple floor-standing tank with only aquatic plants in the adjacent hall was stark. The piranhas' living conditions were truly subpar.

Su He leaned in for a closer look and recognized the beads as some kind of natural pearl, quietly marveling at the extravagance.

Such a setup must surely be for raising exceptionally rare and valuable fish!

So, Sheng Jinyu actually liked keeping fish?

He then thought of the two rather sluggish little fish in the small tank in his own room, his eyes shining with envy. Though he couldn't provide them with such a lavish environment now, there was still much he could do.

Yet, even after the installation team left and the servants restored the living room to its original state, no one came to add live fish to fill the empty tank.

Strange—why buy a fish tank if not to keep fish?

When Sheng Jinyu walked in, he was enveloped in a wave of heat. The blast of air conditioning made it seem as if steam was rising from his body. Su He clicked his tongue and snapped, "Stay outside! Don't come in yet!"

He had told him several times not to immediately expose himself to cold air after exercising, but the young master had simply ignored it!

Sheng Jinyu was momentarily stunned by the scolding, standing frozen in the doorway, even forgetting to close the door. "What's wrong with you now?"

Su He rushed to grab a towel and slapped it onto Sheng Jinyu's head, making him frown and glare.

"Why don't you ever listen? You'll catch a cold like that," Su He grumbled before handing him a glass of warm water. "You're thirsty, right? Drink up."

Sheng Jinyu stared at him for a moment before scoffing, deciding it wasn't worth the argument. He tilted his head back and gulped down a few mouthfuls, water trickling down his chin, over his prominent Adam's apple, and disappearing into his collar.

Before he could even swallow properly, his peripheral vision caught sight of the extravagantly designed landscape fish tank.

He choked, coughing violently.

Su He immediately patted his back. "What's wrong?"

Following Sheng Jinyu's gaze, he glanced at the fish tank and explained, "The installation team just finished setting it up. The aquatics consultant has already approved it—is there something wrong with it?"

What's wrong?

Sheng Jinyu pushed his hand away, set down the glass, and stormed out the door, immediately dialing Assistant Fang's number. "What the hell is up with that fish tank?"

Assistant Fang was momentarily stunned before his mind raced through countless possibilities.

Did he dislike it? Was it unsatisfactory?

Or had something gone wrong?

"Is there an issue somewhere?" he asked cautiously.

The question made Sheng Jinyu fall silent. What was he even supposed to ask about?

It was just for raising two goldfish—did it really need to be such a grand production?

Or perhaps, by making it so extravagant, it seemed as if he genuinely cared about those two insignificant fish...

Assistant Fang had mastered the art of discerning his boss's thoughts during moments of silence. Glancing at the installation team's submitted renderings, he ventured a guess: "Since there was no budget limit, the custom shop was probably afraid of disappointing you, so they... went a little overboard."

After a pause, he hesitantly asked, "Should I have them take it apart and start over?"

"No."

Sheng Jinyu immediately shot down the suggestion, as if that would make it seem any less deliberate.

The pearl fish tank glowed every day in the very center of the living room. One might think it was for cultivating pearls, not keeping fish.

Su He often seized the chance when no one was around to get closer, observing how the water circulation system worked and how the tank's decorations were arranged.

Then he began to ponder if he should also get an oxygen pump for his little goldfish.

Strangely, Sheng Jinyu began to occasionally inquire about the fish he was raising—in his usual gruff tone.

Su He initially thought Sheng Jinyu disliked him keeping pets in his territory and was on edge for days. Later, he realized it didn't seem like rejection.

One evening at the dinner table, a bowl of bamboo fungus egg custard was placed closest to Sheng Jinyu. As usual, Su He set the table and was about to leave when Sheng Jinyu stopped him.

Without any preamble, Sheng Jinyu directly asked, "Don't you think your fish tank is a bit small?"

"What?" Su He was sure he'd misheard, as Sheng Jinyu wasn't the type to casually chat about trivial matters.

"Have you ever considered that your fish are barely alive because of you?" Sheng Jinyu stirred the egg custard in his bowl, saying it offhandedly.

Su He froze, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and lowered his head in reflection. "It does seem that way. They've been barely moving these days."

He turned and left the dining room, muttering to himself, "Looks like I'll have to figure out another solution."

Sheng Jinyu pressed his lips together, watching Su He's retreating figure without hesitation, momentarily speechless, his jaw clenched.

S037 rolled up quietly on its wheels, cautiously reminding, "Young Master, you could just say it directly if you want to give someone a gift. Acting like this will only scare them away!"

It swiftly received a sharp glare.

Even S037, an emotionless AI, could deduce from its algorithms that Sheng Jinyu's recent peculiar behavior was simply an awkward attempt at gift-giving.

Whether his hints were too absurd or Su He was simply too slow to pick up on them, Su He remained clueless.

The already proud young master grew even more flustered. Exposed by S037, Sheng Jinyu gave it a cold stare, his embarrassment turning into irritation.

He directly shut off S037's voice system.

Forced into silence, no matter how much S037 whimpered, flopped about, or tried to charm, it temporarily lost its expensive vocal cords.

By the fifth day of the pearl fish tank sitting empty, Sheng Jinyu's patience finally ran out. He called Assistant Fang with two clipped words: "Dismantle it."

Wind ruffled his hair on the balcony as the starry sky shimmered against the darkness. Tonight's clouds were particularly striking, tinged with a faint purplish-red from the city lights—another unbearably stuffy night.

Unlike typical smokers, he only lit a cigarette when troubled, never inhaling, simply watching the smoke curl as the cigarette burned down.

The installation and subsequent removal of the fish tank seemed to hit Sheng Jinyu like a sudden realization.

He began reflecting on the moment he made that decision—what possessed him? It was sheer madness!

Absolutely ridiculous.

Sheng Jinyu tapped ash into the ashtray without glancing at the figure downstairs, then turned and headed back to his bedroom.

Downstairs, Su He was working at his balcony desk. His body naturally attracted mosquitoes, forcing him to drench himself in bug spray and wear long sleeves and pants for protection.

The cool scent usually accompanied his writing sessions, but tonight, as he returned indoors, he thought he caught a faint whiff of tobacco—so subtle it might have been his imagination.

It could have drifted in from anywhere, and dismissing it as a hallucination seemed plausible.

Su He entered his room, changed into pajamas, and waited until the living room fell silent in the late-night stillness. Then, creeping out like a burglar, he carried his small fish tank out to change the water.

He had bought a new oxygen pump and fish food earlier that day, just what he needed.

The path was familiar—the floor lights lit up underfoot. Su He felt he could find the bathroom even in complete darkness.

But as soon as he turned the corner, the pale glow of the floor lights illuminated a pair of slippers, and a tall, imposing figure abruptly blocked his way!

Someone! And alive!

Su He was easily startled. His body tensed instantly, his mind blanking as his hands gripping the fish tank trembled uncontrollably.

A sharp, shattering crash!

Water splashed everywhere, drenching Su He completely.