Chapter 20 You’re Smarter Than Shi Yan

Chapter 20 You're Smarter than Shi Yan

At night, Shi Yu tossed and turned in bed. The cast on his leg itched so badly he couldn't sleep.

He got up and found a back scratcher, but couldn't manage to shove it into the cast. Frustrated, he threw the back scratcher against the wall.

Soon after, a knock came at the door: "Young Master, what happened?"

Jiang Ji, having heard the commotion from the next room, came and knocked.

Shi Yu fumbled for the remote to unlock the door and called out, "Come in."

Jiang Ji entered and saw Shi Yu sitting on the edge of the bed, fuming.

As soon as Shi Yu saw him, he exclaimed, "When can this damn cast be removed? It itches like crazy!"

Jiang Ji spotted the back scratcher by the wall and instantly understood. He picked it up and walked over to Shi Yu.

"Let me help you, Young Master."

Shi Yu unabashedly stuck out his leg in the cast.

Jiang Ji lifted Shi Yu's casted leg and slid the back scratcher inside. "Is it this spot?"

Shi Yu grunted in response.

Watching Jiang Ji's earnest movements, Shi Yu suddenly said, "Jiang Ji, do you know why I've always thought you're smarter than Shi Yan?"

Jiang Ji's hand paused for a few seconds before resuming. "Why do you say that, Young Master?"

Shi Yu replied, "Because you know how to humble yourself and hide your talent, while Shi Yan always treats others like fools. Only the truly smart know how to bide their time. You're a CEO now, yet you still call me 'Young Master.' Doesn't that bother you?"

Jiang Ji sidestepped the question. "The Shi family has been kind to me."

Just then, the lights in the room went out, catching Shi Yu off guard.

Shi Yu's breathing suddenly grew heavier. "Where are the lights?! Who turned off my lights?!"

Noticing Shi Yu's distress, Jiang Ji stood up. "It's probably a tripped breaker. I'll go check the panel."

Shi Yu grabbed Jiang Ji's hand. "Don't leave!"

Jiang Ji could feel Shi Yu trembling through his hand. After a moment's hesitation, he gently patted Shi Yu on the back. "I'm not going anywhere."

As soon as he said that, the lights came back on.

Uncle Wu knocked on Shi Yu's door. "Young Master, are you okay? It was just a tripped breaker."

Shi Yu pushed Jiang Ji away and gasped for air. "Get out."

Uncle Wu heard Shi Yu speaking and looked up to see Jiang Ji coming out of the room.

"Master Jiang, why are you in the young master's room?"

Jiang Ji replied, "The young master asked me to fetch something." He turned to close the door, just catching a glimpse of Shi Yu fumbling with a medicine bottle with trembling hands.

"Uncle Wu, have the lights in the young master's room ever been turned off before?"

The butler, Uncle Wu, nodded. "To prevent sudden power outages, the circuits in his room are on a separate line, and someone checks them daily. Who would have thought an accident would happen tonight? Luckily, it was just a tripped breaker."

Back in his own room, Jiang Ji took down a decorative painting from the wall.

He opened the backing board of the painting, revealing a family tree of the Shi family.

Connecting it to the image of Shi Yu jumping from the storage room, he picked up a pen and wrote next to Shi Yu's photo: Weakness: fear of the dark or claustrophobia.

Then he restored the painting to its original state and hung it back on the wall.

---

"Good morning, Sister Yuwei." As soon as Shi Yu came downstairs, he greeted Fu Yuwei. "By the way, Sister Yuwei, where is that wood carving exhibition your friend mentioned?"

Fu Yuwei replied, "It's near Huancheng Mountain."

Shi Ciye interjected, "Speaking of which, an old friend of mine has leased a plot of land near Huancheng Mountain and plans to open some kind of manor. Shi Yan, why don't you take Yuwei there this weekend? Consider it my way of showing support for my old friend."

Shi Yu's eyes darted around. "Dad, if you're showing support, the more people, the merrier. How about Shi Yü and I go too?"

Shi Ciye said irritably, "Is your leg healed yet? Why are you butting in?"

Shi Yu answered, "I'm going to the hospital to get the cast removed later."

To ease the tension, Fu Yuwei chimed in, "Let's all go together. A manor is more fun with more people."

Shi Yü looked at the silent Jiang Ji. "Brother Jiangji, do you want to come too?"

Shi Yu answered for Jiang Ji. "He's a busy man; he has no time."

But Jiang Ji immediately called Shi Yu's bluff. "Sure, it'll be a nice break this weekend."

Shi Yu, thinking of something, turned his anger to joy. "That's right, a break."

The butler, Uncle Wu, stepped forward considerately. "I'll arrange transportation and notify the manor right away."

But Shi Ciye waved his hand. "No need for arrangements. Let the young people go out and play. There's no need to have people watching them all the time; it'll ruin the fun. Let them handle it themselves. We old folks shouldn't butt in."

His real intention was to let Shi Yan and Fu Yuwei spend time together and build a connection. He was afraid that too much formality would make Fu Yuwei uncomfortable.

---

At the hospital.

After Shi Yu had his cast removed, a bodyguard pushed him out of the hospital.

The sight of a familiar figure made Shi Yu freeze. Wang Ma? What was she doing at the hospital?

As Wang Ma hurried along with her head down, Shi Yu blocked her path. "Wang Ma."

Wang Ma was startled when she saw Shi Yu. "Young... Young Master."

Shi Yu asked, "Why do you look so scared when you see me?" He had only meant to greet her, but her reaction made him want to probe further.

Wang Ma forced a tight smile. "No, I was just surprised."

Shi Yu pressed, "What brings you to the hospital? Are you sick?"

Wang Ma's expression returned to its usual kind demeanor. "My stomach has been a bit off lately, so I came to see a doctor."

Shi Yu said, "I see. Well, Wang Ma, you should take good care of yourself. After all, my mother still depends on you for care."

Seeing that Shi Yu believed her, Wang Ma made an excuse to leave: "Young master, I'll go back now. If I go back too late, I'll be worried about the lady."

Shi Yu gestured for her to go ahead.

He didn't let Wang Ma leave because he believed her; rather, it was because the bodyguard behind him had been assigned by Shi Ciye—if he tried anything, Shi Ciye would know.

Glancing at the surveillance camera overhead, Shi Yu said to the bodyguard, "Let's go home."

As soon as he got home, Shi Yu locked himself in his room until he heard a "ding-dong" from his computer.

Hearing the computer notification, Shi Yu put down the wood carving and opened the computer.

What he received was a surveillance video showing all of Wang Ma's movements after entering the hospital.

After seeing that Wang Ma went to the psychiatry department, Shi Yu wondered: didn't Wang Ma have stomach issues? Why was she seeing a psychiatrist?

He opened the chat window and typed:

"Look up the doctor on duty in that department for that day."

"I want to know this person's details."

----------------------------------------