Shen Xingyan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
“You might not remember, but we met at a banquet when we were kids.”
After he spoke, Su Yu still showed no reaction.
Pretending to think for a while, but Shen Xingyan knew he hadn’t recalled it.
“You fell into the fountain, and I brought you a towel.”
With this slight reminder, Su Yu finally vaguely remembered something.
That banquet was the first formal occasion he attended as the Su family’s illegitimate child.
Everyone was well aware of his position.
But Su Yu was still young and didn’t understand the complexities.
He just stood silently to the side, fiddling with the hem of his clothes, watching Su Yan in his little suit following Su Zhaofeng around.
Some of the children were quite mischievous.
Seeing him standing there, they snatched the pendant he was holding and threw it into the fountain.
“What are you doing?”
Su Yu cried out, anxious and angry.
It was something Su Zhaofeng had given him, saying he and Su Yan each had one.
The children laughed uproariously.
“Yours is fake, right? I saw Su Yan has one too. His must be real.”
Su Yu flushed with embarrassment.
“It’s not fake!”
He was already unrecognized, along with his status, but it was the only thing that belonged to him since leaving the orphanage. Without a second thought, he jumped in to retrieve it.
Soaked and shivering, he stood outside the fountain, drawing curious and varied looks from the crowd around him.
At that moment, a young boy handed him a towel.
Su Yu was taken away by Su Zhaofeng, who scolded him when they got home, saying he had embarrassed the family and should learn from Su Yan.
From that day on, Su Yu threw the necklace into a drawer and never wore it again.
Remembering how drenched and pathetic he had looked, Su Yu found it somewhat laughable now.
He actually chuckled.
“So you witnessed my embarrassing childhood moment.”
Shen Xingyan fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“What does the Su family plan to do? Keep you from returning forever?”
He knew about Su Yu’s situation but not everything.
“No, I just don’t want to go back. I like my freedom and having fun.”
Su Yu sounded carefree and relaxed.
“If there ever comes a day when you can’t stay with Ji Yanli anymore, come to me. The assistant position will still be here for you.”
Shen Xingyan spoke hurriedly, afraid of being misunderstood, and added,
“Ji Yanli… his temperament is a bit unusual. You’re so naive; it wouldn’t be good if he took advantage of you.”
Remembering the gloomy looks Ji Yanli always gave him, Shen Xingyan felt a chill run down his spine.
Su Yu looked at Shen Xingyan, leaning back on the chair with an air of indifference.
“I appreciate your kindness, but…”
He stood up and stretched lazily, his tone casual.
“I won’t be an assistant forever, and I won’t always be by Ji Yanli’s side. So your concern is unnecessary.”
Although he knew Shen Xingyan meant well, but he didn’t like this kind of attitude.
It was as if he could only ever rely on others for the rest of his life.
Seeing Su Yu about to leave, Shen Xingyan also stood up.
“Want to go out for a walk together?”
Su Yu waved his hand as he walked out.
“No, I’m going back to sleep.”
He opened the door, closed it, and noticed two people entering through the small door downstairs.
It was Ji Yanli and Song Yanchu, who had just gone out.
When they returned, the distance between them was farther than when they had left side by side.
Su Yu averted his gaze, walked to the next room, and entered his own door.
He hadn’t slept well last night and had gotten up early this morning, so he was already feeling drowsy.
He just wanted to take a good shower and sleep, so he’d have energy for fishing and fun tomorrow.
Every room was equipped with a bathroom.
Su Yu took a comfortable hot shower and walked out with a towel. He was wearing the clothes he had brought: a simple, loose white T-shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts.
For comfort, the shorts ended about ten centimeters above his knees, revealing his long, straight legs.
As luck would have it, his phone screen lit up the moment he stepped out.
The words “Old Dog Bastard” appeared on the screen.
Before this, several missed calls had already come through.
Su Yu picked up his phone and opened the messages.
He saw that Ji Yanli had sent him four words: 【Wife, where are you?】
The term “wife” rolled off Ji Yanli’s tongue so easily it irritated Su Yu.
He didn’t reply.
The signal in the room was better.
He opened the game he had been playing last night and started the next level.
“Brother Su!”
Just as he was getting into the game, someone knocked on the door.
Shen Le knocked with such force that the door rattled loudly.
Su Yu shouted, “Wait a moment!”
The person outside ignored him and continued pounding on the door.
“Brother Su! Su Yu!”
The sound was like a death knell, as if they wouldn’t stop until the door was opened.
Left with no choice, Su Yu tossed his phone onto the bed, strode to the door, and pulled it open.
He glared at the person outside.
If Shen Le didn’t have a good reason for this, he was definitely going to punch him.
Shen Le forced a dry laugh. “Brother Su, well…”
It was only then that Su Yu noticed someone else standing beside Shen Le, that mostly hidden by the doorframe.
Ji Yanli
stood at the doorway, dressed entirely in black, which made his face appear pale and cold.
He looked at Su Yu expressionlessly.
For some reason, Su Yu instinctively tried to shut the door.
Before it could close, a hand slid in and gripped the doorframe.
Su Yu couldn’t stop his momentum in time, and the door clamped down on the hand, leaving a faint red mark.
“Dammit, what are you trying to do?”
Su Yu’s eyelids twitched.
He immediately pulled the door open and grabbed the hand to examine it.
Confirming it was fine, he let go.
Ji Yanli lowered his eyes to look at his hand.
“Why didn’t you reply to my message or answer my call?”
Shen Le, caught between the two, felt the atmosphere was strange.
These two didn’t seem like they were about to fight; it was more like a marital quarrel.
“How about… you two talk it out slowly?”
He awkwardly chuckled, slowly backing away a few steps.
Just as Su Yu was about to call out to him, Shen Le dashed away without a trace.
Only Ji Yanli remained outside the door.
He stood there without saying a word, as if demanding an explanation from Su Yu.
“Alright, stop looking like I’ve wronged you. I was just playing a game,” Su Yu said.
His phone behind him emitted the sound of defeat.
He immediately ran to the bedside, grabbed his phone, and saw the screen had gone black, displaying
“Play Again.”
He had worked so hard to get that score…
The door clicked shut, the sound of the lock engaging crisp and clear.
Su Yu looked up to see Ji Yanli had followed him inside.
He stood under the light, making his face appear even paler, with a hint of grievance shimmering in his eyes.
Su Yu plopped down on the bed.
“I didn’t invite you in, did I? Go back to your own room.”
“You didn’t reply to my message.”
The accusatory tone made Su Yu laugh in exasperation.
It wasn’t like Ji Yanli had asked for his opinion when he went out to talk with Song Yanchu earlier.
Su Yu didn’t see any issue with his train of thought, and his words were laced with sarcasm.
“Are you the emperor? Do I have to reply to your messages and answer your calls? What, are you going to have my head chopped off now?”
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