Chapter 47

Chapter 47

In the end, none of the three ended up staying at a hotel. The large bed in the master bedroom was given to Shen Yue alone, Shen Cuo slept on the sofa, and Wei Jinchuan made a bed on the living room floor.

Both young masters, born with silver spoons in their mouths, had never experienced such discomfort—the sofa was too small, the floor was too hard, and neither seemed fit for sleeping. Shen Cuo and Wei Jinchuan spent the night curled up, aching all over, all while keeping tabs on each other, afraid the other might sneak into the room to find Shen Yue while they were asleep. They drifted in and out of sleep throughout the night; it was less like resting and more like intermittently staying awake until morning.

When Shen Yue woke up the next day and drowsily stepped out of the room, he came face to face with two men with dark circles under their eyes.

Each was seated on the sofa and the uneven makeshift bed respectively, silently staring at each other until the sound from the bedroom door made them both turn.

"How was your sleep last night?" Unlike their exhausted and listless states, Shen Yue looked well-rested and energetic. "Did you get used to it?"

Wei Jinchuan thought to himself, *Get used to this? No way!* He grimaced and said, "Slept poorly, I still want to sleep more."

"Then get some more rest," Shen Yue said thoughtfully, then turned to Shen Cuo on the sofa. "Brother, are you hungry? Should we go get breakfast?"

Shen Cuo’s expression was calm. He didn’t say anything but merely lifted his tense chin slightly in agreement.

Fortunately, although the place was rarely used, it was fully equipped. Shen Yue found him a toothbrush and some stuff. Seeing that Shen Yue really intended to leave him behind and go out alone with Shen Cuo, Wei Jinchuan quickly got up: "I’m coming too, I’m hungry."

Shen Yue smirked. "Not tired anymore?"

"Even if I am, I can’t skip meals," Wei Jinchuan said matter-of-factly. "I’m still young, what if I develop stomach problems?"

Shen Yue’s smile faded slightly, and he didn’t push it.

Of course, they ultimately didn’t manage to go out for breakfast together.

Having arrived in a hurry, Shen Cuo didn’t bring any clean clothes. After washing up, he casually picked up the slightly crumpled suit jacket from the sofa and had just put it on when a call came through, asking where he was.

He walked to the window and spoke softly to the person on the other end for a few moments. After hanging up, his voice was apologetic: "I have to go back to Haicheng. Have fun here."

Shen Yue asked, "What’s wrong?"

"A client who was supposed to arrive tomorrow came early for some reason."

Shen Cuo rubbed his temples, not expecting such a disruption at this time. "Once I finish this project, I’ll make it up to you, alright?"

Wei Jinchuan, standing nearby, wasn’t having it: "Shen Yue never asked you to come anyway. You came all the way from Haicheng without a word, jumped me, and made it seem like Shen Yue begged you to come."

The words were blunt. Though true, Shen Yue couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of his brother in front of him and said sharply, "Stop talking."

Wei Jinchuan was displeased, but Shen Yue’s expression was serious, not joking in the slightest. He muttered, "I’ll stop because you told me to."

It definitely wasn’t because he was afraid of Shen Cuo.

The protective gaze Shen Cuo had while looking at Shen Yue turned sharp the moment it landed on Wei Jinchuan. Originally, with their imminent separation, he didn’t want to waste a single thought on irrelevant people, but Wei Jinchuan insisted on being provocative, making it impossible to ignore. So, despite his busy schedule, he spared a moment to glance over, his eyes ice-cold.

"And you."

That glance at Wei Jinchuan wiped away the faint, almost imperceptible smile on Shen Cuo’s face. His gaze was dark and unreadable, and after a long moment, the corners of his lips curled into a chilly smile. "You’re something else. I’ll remember you."

Wei Jinchuan met his gaze defiantly.

After a brief, sharp glance, Shen Cuo looked away and said to Shen Yue, "I’m leaving now. Grandma’s birthday is on Friday, don’t forget."

Shen Yue nodded lightly.

After seeing Shen Cuo off, the tense atmosphere in the living room seemed to finally flow again.

Shen Yue gathered the trash in the living room, planning to take it out when they went downstairs later. Wei Jinchuan watched from the side. For some reason, even though the silence between them felt normal, it made him slightly uncomfortable.

He naturally bent down to replace the trash bag, thought for a moment, and said, "Your brother doesn’t seem to like me much."

Here we go, playing the victim card again.

Shen Yue glanced at his straight face as he complained and asked, "Why do you need him to like you?"

Wei Jinchuan sputtered. "He’s your brother. We’re dating now. If he doesn’t like me, what if he doesn’t let you marry me later?"

"..."

Sometimes Shen Yue really felt Wei Jinchuan was so gullible it almost made him feel bad to deceive him further. With a smile, he asked, "You want to get a marriage certificate with me?"

"Is that not allowed?"

Wei Jinchuan picked up on something in his tone and immediately his voice rose, speaking faster: "Who else would you want to marry?"

Shen Yue was amused by his jumping to conclusions about him seeing someone else. He explained patiently, "I just meant, we’re both men."

"So what if we’re men? Men can get married too," Wei Jinchuan grumbled. "Don’t you remember? I looked it up before—how Fu Jingbie and his..." He’d been too busy feeling jealous that day and couldn’t recall Meng Shishu’s name. "...Anyway, it’s possible. We can go abroad to do it. What’s stopping us?"

After a pause, he thought of something, and his expression immediately darkened. "Or do you actually want to marry someone else?"

"Yeah," Shen Yue chuckled at his silliness, an amused glint in his eyes as he asked half-seriously, "If I married someone else, how much would you contribute to the gift?"

"You want me to give a gift?" Wei Jinchuan raised his voice incredulously, his eyes wide and fierce. "Dream on! If you marry someone else, I’ll trash your wedding. I’ll... I’ll crash it and steal you..."

At the idea of a wedding crash, Wei Jinchuan’s eyes lit up briefly before dimming again. "But you wouldn’t come with me."

Shen Yue smiled, amused that he was taking it so seriously.

Wei Jinchuan didn’t notice his expression at all, still lost in Shen Yue’s hypothetical. After a long while, unable to think of a solution, he simply held Shen Yue tighter. "Don’t marry anyone else, okay?"

Hearing his whiny tone, for a moment Shen Yue almost felt like a jerk ready to abandon him for someone else.

Wei Jinchuan buried his head against Shen Yue’s shoulder and neck, each breath warm against his cool skin, sending shivers through the person beneath him. "Marry me, okay?"

"No," Shen Yue struggled slightly, but Wei Jinchuan’s grip was too strong. He clearly felt the arms tighten even more after his refusal and had no choice but to push him away helplessly. "Alright, let go. You’re holding too tight. You..."

He pushed for a while, but the person clinging to him refused to let go like a child having a tantrum. Shen Yue could only sigh. "Fine, I’ll marry you. Now let go."

Wei Jinchuan refused to release him. "You’re not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course not," Shen Yue said without missing a beat. After all, it was just following the storyline—he might as well treat Wei Jinchuan as an NPC. Truth or lie, he spoke without hesitation. "Why would I lie to you?"

Wei Jinchuan looked at him suspiciously, thinking that someone as popular as Shen Yue must have plenty of others wanting to marry him. Then again, so what if others liked him? Shen Yue only liked him and had only pursued him—that was something no one else could match.

Wei Jinchuan managed to reassure himself: "Then kiss me."

Shen Yue looked at him. "What?"

"We’re lovers now," Wei Jinchuan said fervently. "It’s normal for lovers to kiss, right?"

Shen Yue couldn’t help but ruffle his hair but didn’t comply, instead pushing his head aside. "Alright, go change. We’re going out to eat."

Autumn in Jiangcheng was colder than in Haicheng, or perhaps it was because Shen Yue’s body was sensitive to the cold. Even though he was wearing long sleeves, heading out early in the morning inevitably made him feel a chill.

It was just breakfast, so Shen Yue wasn’t too picky. He followed Wei Jinchuan into a decent-looking place. While waiting for their food, Wei Jinchuan said, "I heard the food here is pretty good."

Shen Yue looked up in surprise, "You've been here before?"

"No, I saw it online," Wei Jinchuan opened a food delivery app casually. "I looked up some recommendations before heading out. Back when my roommates and I went on trips, I was always the one planning."

Shen Yue was a little surprised. Based on his previous interactions with Wei Jinchuan, he had always assumed the other had a bad temper and never expected him to handle such tasks.

But then he thought about it and realized it made sense: Wei Jinchuan’s nature was actually quite good. At Wei Ziyu’s homecoming dinner, Shen Yue had been captivated at first glance by that perfectly handsome face, but it was the second glance that truly stood out—when a passing waiter accidentally bumped into Wei Jinchuan’s glass, even spilling some on his expensive suit sleeve, Wei Jinchuan hadn’t gotten angry. He simply lowered his head, wiped it off with a tissue, and didn’t say another word, acting completely like an unconcerned bystander.

It was only during the three months Shen Yue spent pursuing him that Wei Jinchuan’s rude comments and cold demeanor made him forget the impression he’d had of the man at first sight.

Shen Yue lowered his gaze, skillfully hiding the sarcastic smile at the corner of his lips.

Shen Yue’s purpose for coming to Jiangcheng had already been accomplished. The autumn rain that had delayed him lasted only two days before clearing up, and he finally boarded a flight back to Haicheng.

Though the company had been running smoothly during his absence, Linda had left quite a few matters pending, waiting for his return to make decisions. As soon as Shen Yue got back to Haicheng, he worked two all-nighters just to barely catch up on the backlog.

He and Wei Jinchuan had confirmed their relationship and lived close by, so these past few days they had been traveling to and from work together. The office was already full of gossip about him, and after these recent days, even more rumors had started circulating out of his sight.

—Simply put, employees came to work to make money for him. As long as it didn’t affect their efficiency—and if anything, because of his romantic rumors, they were even less grumpy while staying in the office—then letting them gossip a bit wasn’t such a big deal.

But not caring was one thing; maintaining the company’s reputation was another.

As the end of the workday approached one day, Shen Yue decided to discuss the issue of their "coming and going together" with Wei Jinchuan. He called him into his office almost right at the end of the day.

"What’s up?"

As soon as he entered, Wei Jinchuan strode quickly to Shen Yue’s desk. As someone new to the workforce, he was still energetic even after a full day’s work.

"I—"

Shen Yue had barely started speaking when a knock came from the door, followed by Linda’s distinct voice, "May I come in?"

Shen Yue’s heart tightened, worried that any more rumors might harm the company’s reputation. He quickly waved Wei Jinchuan over, "Come here."

Wei Jinchuan was confused but complied.

In the next moment, amid a sudden movement, Wei Jinchuan was pushed by the shoulders into the space under Shen Yue’s desk. Stumbling, he almost ended up kneeling on the floor. The moment he was hidden, the office door opened from the outside, and Linda walked in holding a stack of documents, asking curiously, "I could’ve sworn I saw Wei Jinchuan come in earlier. Where is he?"

Shen Yue put on a polite smile while casually bending his leg, his clean leather shoe pressing down on Wei Jinchuan’s shoulder under the desk as the latter tried to crawl out confusedly. Without glancing down, Shen Yue looked at Linda and asked, "Did you come to my office looking for him?"

The person under the desk was growing restless. While Linda wasn’t paying attention, Shen Yue reached down and soothingly ran his hand through Wei Jinchuan’s hair, mouthing the word downward:

"Quiet."

Author’s note: Betting that Wei Jinchuan won’t cause trouble (yeah, right).

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