Chapter 130 Jealous? Or Just Shameless

Chapter 130: Jealous? Or Just Shameless

"President Shen,"

An icy, clear voice came from behind Lu Lin, like jade striking jade, neither loud nor soft, yet it reached every person in the hall clearly.

Lu Lin slightly turned sideways, clearing the view.

Shen Qingci, using his cane, slowly got up from the couch.

He walked to Lu Lin's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with the man who’d been shielding him.

He lifted his eyes to meet Shen Suili’s gaze.

His eyes were as cold and clear as the moon, empty of all emotion, yet they sent a chill creeping up people’s spines.

He just stared at Shen Suili, his thin lips parting, his voice quiet:

"A man in his forties, bullying a kid more than a dozen years his junior."

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on Shen Suili's still-smiling face:

"Is it jealousy that at this age the kid’s made it to a place you never did—"

His voice dropped a few degrees:

"Or are you, President Shen, just plain... shameless?"

As his words fell.

The entire hall went dead silent.

Everyone stared at Shen Qingci, shock and fear in their eyes.

They looked at him like he was a reckless madman with a death wish.

How dare he? How dare he speak to Shen Suili like that?

But with Lu Lin guarding him, his eyes practically screaming 'touch him and die,' everyone figured...

Maybe he didn't know his place.

He was riding on Lu Lin’s coattails, acting all high and mighty.

Shen Suili kept his smile.

That smile was still gentle, as if those words had gone in one ear and out the other.

His gaze was deep and unreadable as he looked at Shen Qingci.

Shen Qingci didn't look at him again.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at Lu Lin, then, using his cane, made his way slowly toward the banquet hall entrance.

His steps were slow but rock-steady.

His cane hit the ground with a steady, dull thump, thump, echoing sharply in the vast, silent hall.

Lu Lin stared at Shen Suili.

A dark, violent murderous intent churned in his eyes, almost taking physical form.

He looked like a beast ready to pounce and tear its prey to pieces.

Seeing Lu Lin like that, everyone expected him to lose it and start an all-out war with Shen Suili.

But he just shot Shen Suili a vicious glare, then turned and followed Shen Qingci out.

Two figures, one leading, one following.

One, lean and straight, walked unhurriedly with his cane.

The other, tall and forbidding, stuck close behind without leaving an inch of space.

Everyone’s eyes followed the two figures as they made their way to the door.

Just when everyone thought they’d simply walk out like that.

"Mr. Shen Qing."

Shen Suili’s voice came from behind, that faint, barely-there smile still on his lips.

Shen Qingci stopped in his tracks but didn’t turn around.

Shen Suili turned slightly, gazing at the slender figure.

His gaze traveled slowly down from Shen Qingci’s shoulders, finally landing on his right leg.

He spoke in a mild tone, but his words hit a raw nerve in Lu Lin:

"No wonder President Lu is so attentive to Mr. Shen Qing."

He paused, his smile widening:

"Mr. Shen Qing is the spitting image of my dead younger brother."

His gaze slid to Lu Lin’s back, resting on his clenched fists, and his smile grew even wider:

"I’m just wondering... how exactly did Mr. Shen Qing’s right leg get broken?"

Before the words had even died out.

A figure shot out like an arrow from a bow.

Lu Lin whirled around, dark fury spinning in his eyes, his whole body radiating a bloodthirsty menace that made everyone’s blood run cold.

He moved so fast no one could react before he was already on Shen Suili.

"Bang!"

His fist slammed into Shen Suili’s face with everything he had.

Shen Suili staggered back, blood instantly seeping from the corner of his mouth.

"Lu Lin."

Shen Qingci’s voice came from behind, cold and flat, but with a command that brooked no argument.

Lu Lin’s second punch, already halfway thrown, froze in midair.

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression sinister, and his handsome face slightly distorted by rage.

He stared at Shen Suili, at the corner of his mouth he had split, the murderous intent in his eyes nearly overflowing.

He shoved Shen Suili away, his voice dropping to barely a whisper, every word seeming to be squeezed from his chest, with a relentless, death-or-glory obsession:

"I will kill you."

The voice was so soft that only Shen Suili could hear it.

The smile on Shen Suili's face froze for a moment, then widened.

Lu Lin stepped back a few paces, returning to Shen Qingci's side.

Instantly, the violent murderous aura that had radiated from him receded like a tide.

He stood obediently beside Shen Qingci, his head slightly lowered, as if the person who had just suddenly lost control in a fit of rage was someone else entirely.

Shen Qingci's gaze landed on Shen Suili's face, on the stark red at the corner of his mouth.

He spoke calmly, his tone even, without a hint of emotion:

"President Shen."

He paused.

"You're one foot in the grave already. Curb your curiosity. Consider this punch a lesson. And as for thanks, no need."

With that, he looked away, leaned on his cane, and continued toward the door.

Lu Lin followed closely behind him, step for step.

The two figures gradually faded from view.

The banquet hall remained dead silent.

All eyes were on Shen Suili, on his face, which still wore a smile.

---

The car drove away from the banquet hall, merging into the night.

Outside the window, neon lights streaked past, their flickering shadows falling on Shen Qingci's cold profile, tracing an aloof silhouette.

The car was very quiet.

So quiet that the faint sound of their breathing could be heard.

Lu Lin sat beside Shen Qingci, but his gaze was fixed on his right leg.

His focus was so intense it seemed unnaturally still.

He stared at that leg, at the black agarwood cane, a torrent of emotions surging in his gaze.

Shen Qingci gazed out at the rapidly retreating street scene, oblivious to the emotional shift of the person beside him.

Until a trembling hand gently rested on his leg.

Shen Qingci snapped back to reality and met Lu Lin's eyes—now red for some reason.

His eyes were filled with tears.

The tears welled in his eyes, defiantly refusing to fall.

He looked at Shen Qingci, at the leg he was gently covering, his lips trembling slightly.

Bewilderment flickered in Shen Qingci's eyes.

No one seemed to have upset him today.

Why was he crying again?

"Brother..."

Lu Lin's voice was choked with emotion.

His hand still rested on Shen Qingci's leg, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He looked at Shen Qingci, his reddened eyes filled with deep fear and barely contained anger:

"Your leg… did Shen Suili break it?"

Shen Qingci looked at him without speaking.

He withdrew his gaze and looked out the window again.

Shen Qingci never talked about the past.

To him, those experiences were just passing clouds—come and gone, not worth remembering, let alone worth sharing.

Lu Lin slowly dropped his gaze.

His lashes cast a small shadow beneath his eyes, hiding the turmoil within.

Before he even asked, he had braced himself for Shen Qingci's silence.

He never talked about it.

He never had, and he wouldn't now.

After all, they were lovers.

Why couldn't he let himself be more vulnerable, more reliant on him?