Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Unwilling to accept the fact that Shen Yue had changed his feelings, Wei Jinchuan began guiding Shen Yue through memories of the past, attempting to rekindle the once overwhelming affection Shen Yue had for him.

During lunch that day, Wei Jinchuan didn’t cook. Instead, he had food delivered from the most popular revolving restaurant downtown.

"This is your favorite restaurant," Wei Jinchuan said, pausing his busy movements when he saw Shen Yue and putting on a forced smile. "I remember you invited me there many times before, but we never managed to go. I never imagined our first time eating their food together would be under these circumstances."

Shen Yue walked to the dining table and looked at the spread of delicious-looking dishes but had no appetite at all.

He sat down in the chair Wei Jinchuan had pulled out for him and remarked, "It wasn’t that we never had the chance. It’s that every time I invited you, you found some excuse to turn me down."

Wei Jinchuan’s expression stiffened. He wanted to say something but held back. He stepped outside for a moment and returned carrying a large bouquet of roses. "You used to give me flowers often. This is the first time I’m giving you any. I didn’t know what you liked, so I just went by what you used to do for me. I hope you like them."

Shen Yue remained expressionless, not bothering to explain that he had given roses not because he liked them, but because roses were the conventional choice for lovers—it seemed only a big, bright bouquet could convey the intensity of one's feelings. For someone who didn't understand flowers, any other kind would make it hard to grasp the intended meaning.

Besides, roses were only good for making a gesture. Having such a large bouquet on the table during a meal just took up space and looked tacky.

But Wei Jinchuan was completely unaware. It was as if he failed to realize that, despite all his mentions of "first times," they shared almost no memories. Why did he think that by keeping Shen Yue confined, he would have a "change of heart"?

Return to what? Change to what? Was he supposed to go back to his unrequited devotion or revive the short-lived, insincere relationship built on deception?

There had never been a time when they were truly "in love." The idea that Wei Jinchuan wanted to return to a loving past was purely fantastical.

Wei Jinchuan could tell from Shen Yue’s lack of reaction that he didn’t like the gesture. Despite his daily efforts to please Shen Yue, nothing worked, leaving him deeply frustrated. These bottled-up emotions churned inside him, just waiting for a trigger to explode. Wei Jinchuan feared that if Shen Yue continued to ignore him, he really would do something uncontrollable.

Shen Yue finally lifted his eyelids, seemingly pondering the sincerity of Wei Jinchuan’s words, before letting out a scoff. "You’d let me go out?"

"As long as you stay by my side, you can do anything," Wei Jinchuan said, both pleased by Shen Yue’s response and irritated that it was just because he wanted to leave, not because of him. "Besides, this place is in the middle of nowhere. No one can find us."

Shen Yue’s smile faded.

After their walk, Wei Jinchuan stepped onto the balcony to take a phone call. He deliberately avoided Shen Yue, who couldn’t make out the argument on the other end but could hear Wei Jinchuan’s low, angry voice and see the occasional glances in his direction.

The call lasted over ten minutes. Wei Jinchuan hurried over and took Shen Yue’s hand. "Come with me."

Shen Yue stared back at him without moving.

Wei Jinchuan said, "My brother found out where we are. He wants me to give you back and send me abroad... Shen Yue, let’s run away."

Shen Yue laughed—the first genuine laugh he’d shown since being confined here.

"Run?" Shen Yue pried Wei Jinchuan’s fingers off his hand one by one. "Why would I run?"

Although he’d heard that the Wei brothers were close, it was clear they were now at odds over this. Since Wei Ziyu was here to rescue him, why would he flee?

"Are you still being stubborn at a time like this?" Wei Jinchuan said. Even though they had argued over Shen Cuo just days earlier, he remained confident in Shen Yue’s feelings for him. "Whatever grievances you have, let’s leave first. I’ll make it up to you—anything you want."

"Stubborn?" Shen Yue repeated the words slowly, feeling as though he and Wei Jinchuan had been speaking different languages all these days. "You think everything I’ve done is just me being stubborn?"

"Isn’t it?" Wei Jinchuan retorted.

Shen Yue stared at him, suddenly feeling a wave of pity.

He almost felt sorry for Wei Jinchuan.

Wei Jinchuan noticed his expression, and his eyes turned sharp. "If you don’t want to run, that’s fine. I can restrain you, but I don’t want to hurt you. If you cooperate, we can avoid a lot of trouble."

After a moment of silence, Shen Yue asked, "Is this what you call love?"

"We’ll have plenty of time to resolve these misunderstandings later," Wei Jinchuan said, staring intently at him. "Since you won’t listen to anything I say now, your opinion doesn’t matter. Shen Yue, don’t blame me. You’re the one who forced my hand. You’re the one who made things turn out this way."

Listening to him, Shen Yue felt nothing but the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

Even now, he didn't think he was at fault; he was still shifting all the responsibility onto Shen Yue.

Before Shen Yue could say anything else, Wei Jinchuan cut him off. He checked the time quickly and pulled Shen Yue toward the door. "The car will be here soon. There—"

As he dragged Shen Yue to the entrance, a loud banging suddenly erupted against the door, shaking the entire villa. Wei Jinchuan’s expression tightened, and he quickly pushed Shen Yue behind him. Through the door, he heard a loud, commanding voice: "Break this door down. I’ll cover any damages."

It was Shen Cuo!

Both their expressions shifted—one with joy, the other with despair. Wei Jinchuan glared furiously at the closed door, his grip on Shen Yue’s hand tightening as if he wanted to crush his bones.

Shen Yue winced in pain but ignored him, shouting toward the door, "Brother, save me!"

Wei Jinchuan turned around viciously and, without hesitation, pulled Shen Yue toward the back door.

But before they could take more than a few steps, the front door burst open. A dozen figures surrounded them, blocking any chance of escape.

"Shen Cuo," Wei Jinchuan turned back hatefully, enunciating each word, "How dare you break into private property?"

Shen Cuo strode calmly toward them, his gaze falling on Shen Yue’s reddened wrist. "You dare abduct someone, and I can’t break into private property?"

Behind him, another figure stepped forward. Wei Jinchuan stared in disbelief, his anger turning to shock. "Brother?"

Wei Ziyu seemed reluctant to acknowledge him. "You still have the nerve to call me brother? I should be calling you brother! Look at the mess you've caused me!"

Wei Jinchuan’s eyes reddened. "You said you’d give me three days to think... You lied to me?"

"You lied first, saying you were willing to go abroad for treatment. Then you sneaked away the moment I wasn't looking and went and broke the law. Do you have any idea how much profit the company has lost trying to cover up your mess?"

Shen Cuo had no patience for their family drama. He told the bodyguards, "Separate them."

The bodyguards moved instantly. Despite Wei Jinchuan’s strength, he was outnumbered and couldn’t hold onto Shen Yue. He could only watch helplessly as Shen Yue was taken away.

"Come back!" Wei Jinchuan shouted desperately, trying to get Shen Yue back. But he was overpowered and forced down to the ground, his voice growing hoarse. "Shen Yue, come back! Are you leaving me? I’ll lock you away where no one can find you! Shen Yue, look back! I forbid you to go!"

He broke down again, weeping with a mix of sorrow and rage that would move anyone who heard it.

But Shen Yue remained unmoved, quickly stepping to Shen Cuo’s side and murmuring, "Brother."

"Shen Yue, did you hear me? I forbid you to go to him!" Wei Jinchuan watched as Shen Cuo silently took hold of Shen Yue’s wrist. He hadn't noticed the redness he’d caused earlier, which now added to his pain and anger. "Don’t go near Shen Cuo! How can you go to another man? Look at me! Look at me... Didn’t you love me the most? Don’t you feel sorry for me anymore?"

Shen Cuo frowned at the shouting and said to Wei Ziyu, "I’m taking my brother home. I don’t want to interfere in your family affairs. Consider this a favor. If anything like this happens again, I’ll retaliate against anyone who harms my brother, regardless of their status."

Wei Ziyu sighed. "I’ll keep a close eye on him. I don’t want to truly sever ties with the Shen family."

His words implied he would protect Wei Jinchuan even if it meant risking a fallout.

Shen Cuo gave him a long look but said nothing more, leading Shen Yue away.

Behind them, Wei Jinchuan’s desperate cries grew fainter until they faded entirely.

Shen Cuo took Shen Yue for a full medical examination.

Fortunately, although Wei Jinchuan had behaved badly, he hadn’t physically abused Shen Yue. However, after being confined and constantly angered, Shen Yue was emotionally worn out and needed time to recover.

"I'm sorry," Shen Cuo finally spoke up after a long silence on the way back from the hospital. "I failed to protect you."

Shen Yue shook his head. "How did you find me?"

"Wei Jinchuan's bank records. He was too stupid to hide his IP," Shen Cuo said, as if recalling something unpleasant and not wanting to elaborate. "Let's not talk about that now. Just focus on resting. You've been through so much lately. Leave everything else to me, okay?"

Shen Yue nodded but then shook his head again. He finally remembered something important he hadn't asked yet. "What about Shenghua... how is it doing?"

Although he knew Shen Cuo would likely handle things for him, Shen Yue still felt uneasy since he hadn't heard a single word about it since his return. Shenghua was his proudest achievement since graduating, and he had been heartbroken when he had to fake his death. Now that he was back, he had to ask.

Even if the company had declined during his absence, Shen Yue was determined to revive it.

Shen Cuo smiled. "I've been managing it for you. Don't worry. Once you're better, I'll return the company to you. For now, your top priority is to recover."

Shen Yue studied his face, confirmed he was sincere, and finally let out a slow sigh of relief.

News of his disappearance had been suppressed, and the media hadn't reported on it. People were merely curious about why "Shen Du," who had made such a public show of his family recognition banquet, had vanished again. Only a handful of people knew the truth.

Zhao Lian was one of those in the know. He visited Shen Yue several times after learning he had been found, each time unable to resist cursing Wei Jinchuan. Under Zhao Lian's guidance, Shen Yue's gloomy mood gradually improved, and he began to smile more often.

Zhao Lian breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "By the way, Lingsè got a new group of college kids recently. There's one I think you'll definitely like—I've got him lined up for you. Want to go meet him?"

After everything he had been through, Shen Yue had lost all interest in such things. He shook his head and said, "Nah, I'll pass. I don’t feel like it lately."

Zhao Lian's heart ached for him.

When Shen Cuo returned from work, Zhao Lian made an excuse to leave. As usual, Shen Yue went to take his brother's coat—a little routine he’d recently taken to doing. Since he couldn’t go out to work, Shen Yue had nothing to do at home all day and decided to do small things for Shen Cuo when he returned, just to make himself useful.

But today, Shen Cuo seemed in a bad mood. Normally, he would come home with a smile. After helping him put his coat away, Shen Yue couldn’t help but ask, "Brother, what’s wrong today? Did something happen at the company?"

Shen Cuo looked at him and shook his head.

"There’s something I think I should tell you," he said after a long pause. "Wei Jinchuan refuses to go abroad. He’s throwing a fit, insisting on seeing you. Wei Ziyu can’t handle him and asked me to see what you want to do."

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Author's Note: I’m getting close to writing the part I’ve been really excited about—it should be in the next chapter. I’m so thrilled! Let’s see if I can finish it today...