Chapter 32
Chapter 32
In Shu Yao's impression, Chen Ye has always been a man of his own making, and is not someone who would make conclusions based on outside rumors.
When she heard him blurt out "ex-boyfriend", she remembered that she seemed to have admitted this to him before.
That was the second time the four of them got together.
It was already a freezing winter, but rumors of her "romance" with Zhou Beichuan were spreading like wildfire.
They were having dinner at a restaurant when Zhou Beichuan happened to come into the restaurant. Seeing them, Zhou Beichuan took the initiative to greet them, saying with a smile, "What a coincidence."
Zhao Tiantian probably invited him to go out of friendship with her classmates, but Shu Yao knew very well that Zhou Beichuan's appearance was probably not a coincidence, and she didn't want them to have any contact with Zhou Beichuan from the bottom of her heart.
To her at that time, they were like the cleanest corner in her heart, and she didn't want any outsiders to invade.
So, she put down her chopsticks and decided to find an excuse to leave with Zhou Beichuan.
At that time, Shen Ye was sitting opposite her.
He lowered his eyes, as if he didn't hear the conversation of others at all, and had no interest in it. He just drank a can of Coke by himself.
Just as she stood up, he casually asked, "Your boyfriend?"
Shu Yao clenched his hands, said "hmm" softly and left.
It's no wonder that when Shen Ye heard her deny her relationship with Zhou Beichuan, a hint of obvious surprise flashed across his eyes: "Then why didn't you deny it at the time?"
Once the start was made and they opened their hearts, it wasn't as difficult as Shu Yao had thought.
Lying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, she spoke slowly, "Zhou Beichuan and I have been neighbors since we were very young. The scar on his face was left because of me and my mother."
Shen Ye had a memory of that scar.
At that time, almost everyone in the school basketball team was curious about the scar on Zhou Beichuan's face and asked him about it many times, but he was a quiet and gloomy person and was indifferent to people and never answered.
Later, some people in the school gradually changed from curiosity to contempt.
Some think he's ugly, some think he's done something bad, there are all sorts of random comments.
It was not until rumors spread that he was dating Shu Yao that these discussions decreased a lot. People focused more on his love life, and he even became the object of jealousy for many boys.
Shu Yao said: "I haven't verified it, but I think this rumor was most likely spread by him in the beginning. Because he is often looked down upon, he has become more concerned about his reputation, and the envy and jealousy of boys is probably what he wants."
"So, you don't deny it, it's to repay the favor?"
"Not really. Although I appreciate him and can do something for him within my acceptable range, that doesn't mean I will compromise myself to satisfy him without any bottom line."
Her voice was steady and calm, as if she were describing something that had nothing to do with her. "At first I was quite angry, but then I realized that ever since the rumor started, almost no boys have harassed me. I don't care what others think of me. My life has become peaceful, which is exactly what I wanted. So I didn't deny it, because I felt at the time that it was actually a good thing for me."
Chen Ye finally understood why she felt an extraordinary sense of guilt when the lie she made up about her boyfriend in front of her mother was exposed by him.
Because she had experienced it herself, she knew more clearly what it felt like to be someone else's partner for no apparent reason. She thought he would be as angry as she had been back then.
Shen Ye suddenly laughed softly.
"What are you laughing at?" Shu Yao looked over, confused, but happened to see the thin scar on his thumb, which immediately diverted her attention. "Hey? How did your finger get hurt? Was it scratched by the box just now?"
"Um."
"Is there any bleeding? Do you want to take care of it?"
"No, there's no blood. Even if there was—" Chen Ye put his right hand under his head and said slowly, "If my blood can bring back your eyes, I won't hesitate to bleed any more."
?
Why does this sound so familiar?
Shu Yao recalled for a while before she remembered, wasn't this the line from the episode of "My Fair Princess" that the two of them had just watched with their grandmother?
What Erkang said after Ziwei's eyesight recovered.
Shu Yao's mind turned, so what he meant was to congratulate her for not being blind?
"..." Shu Yao turned his head back and muttered softly, "Your swearing is quite advanced."
Shen Ye was extremely disrespectful and laughed again.
The bedroom was extremely quiet, with only the clock on the wall ticking. The dim light from the bedside cast the shadows of the two people on the wall.
His quilt exuded a faint pine scent, which was inexplicably calming.
Shu Yao gradually felt sleepy.
In a daze, she heard Shen Ye ask again: "Why are you suddenly telling me this?"
Shu Yao's voice was sleepy and much softer than usual: "Because if you run into him again in the future, I don't want you to misunderstand."
Tonight, Shen Ye seemed particularly inquisitive: "Why don't you want me to misunderstand?"
Shu Yao knew that she could actually use the contract as an excuse, because the contract stipulated that one needed to keep a distance from the opposite sex, but she knew deep down that what she said tonight had nothing to do with the terms.
She didn't want to lie to Shen Ye.
It's just that if she wants to say the specific reason, she herself can't explain it clearly. Did she say that she didn't want to see Shen Ye's unhappy expression? He will definitely ask more questions step by step.
So Shu Yao finally decided to escape by sleeping.
After about ten seconds of silence, Shu Yao, with his eyes closed, noticed that the light in front of him was slightly obscured.
She originally thought it was Shen Ye's hand, until his low voice with a smile sounded just a few feet away from her.
"Really asleep?"
Even though he couldn't see the person, just by listening to the voice, Shu Yao could confirm that the distance between the two people was very close.
Shu Yao's breathing stopped instantly.
But the show had come to this point, and she could only continue pretending to be asleep.
He didn't do anything, but he didn't step away either. He seemed to be lying on the edge of the bed, observing whether she was really asleep.
Shu Yao unconsciously clenched her right hand into a fist under the quilt. Just when she felt she could hardly breathe, the light was turned off with a "click", and the room was plunged into complete darkness.
The sound of him pulling the quilt was heard in the air, and after a few seconds, even this little noise disappeared.
Only then did Shu Yao secretly let out the breath he had been holding back.
*
Shen Ye didn't sleep all night.
But I was still full of energy the next day.
From the moment he got in the car, Shen Fenglan discovered that something seemed to be wrong with his precious grandson.
"Hey, every time I asked you to accompany me to a party like this, you always looked half dead. What happened today? Did you coax your wife?"
Shen Ye rested his hands on his crossed thighs, leisurely spinning the ring on his hand.
"Well, I've coaxed you."
But it seemed like she had coaxed him into submission.
"So fast?" Shen Fenglan patted his arm. "My grandson is still amazing, much more amazing than your dad. I remember your dad used to sleep in the living room for three days after a quarrel."
The phone vibrated.
Shen Ye lowered his head to unlock the phone, and replied nonchalantly: “I remember it’s usually five days.”
"Really?" Shen Fenglan thought for a moment, "It seems like five days."
The secretary sent him a work message. After Shen Ye replied, he found a new avatar popped up at the top.
Zhao Tiantian, as if seeking revenge, finally accepted his friend request after many days.
Chen Ye was rude at first, remembering that day when Shu Yao said that Zhao Tiantian had advised her a lot, he took the initiative to thank her.
Zhao Tiantian: [Have you two reconciled? I don't know anything else, but Zhou Beichuan was just a chance encounter.]
Shen Ye: [I know.]
Zhao Tiantian: [That's good. I told you not to take it too seriously. He's just an ex-boyfriend, no different from a dead person. You need to seize the present moment.]
Zhao Tiantian, didn’t you know that they had never dated?
If even Zhao Tiantian didn't know, then it meant that he should be the only one who knew the truth besides Shu Yao and Zhou Beichuan.
Compared to the "only" joy, Chen Ye was more surprised that Shu Yao seemed to really open her heart to him gradually.
Even if it's just a little bit now, it's a good start.
Thinking of how she was so nervous last night that her eyelashes trembled, but she was still pretending to be asleep, Shen Ye let out a chuckle.
He thanked Zhao Tiantian again, turned off his phone, and then unconsciously started spinning the ring again.
Shen Fenglan glanced at him, but what she noticed was the thin scar on her finger that had already scabbed over: "Hey? When did you get it?"
"Last night." Chen Ye leisurely rubbed the scratch with the tip of his thumb. "When your granddaughter-in-law gave me this ring that she spent many days carefully making, it was scratched by the ring box."
“…” Shen Fenglan then looked at the ring on his hand and rolled his eyes.
No wonder.
It's like a peacock spreading its tail.
The car drove along the ring road and entered a Chinese-style courtyard. There were already several cars parked in the courtyard, almost all of which were worth seven figures or more, and some were limited editions.
Shen Fenglan has moved to the island for retirement for four or five years and has not been in frequent contact with most of his old friends in China, except for the protagonist of this banquet, Sun Tianyun, the founder of Starlight Entertainment.
The two are best friends who grew up together. They had agreed long ago to live out their retirement years on an island together when they were old. Unfortunately, Sun Tianyun was concerned about the family business and had not yet found a suitable successor, so she had not retired.
As soon as he got out of the car, Sun Tianyun hurried over to hug Shen Fenglan.
She was wearing an exquisite red cheongsam embroidered with gold. Her hair was full of silver hair, neatly tied up behind her head with a hairpin. She looked energetic and her smile was kind and generous.
The two of them linked arms and exchanged pleasantries, with Shen Ye following behind without interrupting.
In the banquet hall on the side building, the soothing piano music makes people feel relaxed and at ease. Some people stopped in front of the stage with red wine glasses to enjoy the piano performance, while others took out their mobile phones to take pictures but were stopped by the security guards.
Shen Fenglan squinted his eyes and looked at the stage, and asked in surprise: "Is this... that actress? I watched her play recently."
"Yes, this is our company's artist, Lu Wanqiao." Sun Tianyun laughed. "I didn't expect you to be watching our domestic dramas on the island?"
"He's an actor, why are you asking him to perform piano?"
"I also said it wasn't suitable, but Qiao Qiao graduated from a music conservatory and started learning piano at the age of five. She saw the piano just now and said she was itching to try it, so I let her do it."
"It sounds like you like this girl?"
"Of course, she's our company's star actress. She's beautiful, has great acting skills, and high emotional intelligence. She has a bright future." Sun Tianyun joked, "If Yuanyang needs her, she'll be the first one to consider."
Shen Fenglan smiled and said, "I don't have a say in this now. It's all dominated by these young people."
The song is over.
There was warm applause from the audience.
Lu Wanqiao, wearing a white dress, covered her chest and gracefully thanked the audience.
As soon as she stepped off the stage, she was pulled over by Sun Tianyun and introduced to Shen Fenglan.
"This is Mr. Chen from Yuanyang Real Estate, and this is Mr. Chen's grandson, Shen Ye, who is now one of the owners of Sudden Rain Technology."
Lu Wanqiao was surprised and extended her hand: "Mr. Shen, I have heard of your great name for a long time."
Shen Fenglan took the initiative to hold her hand and said with a smile: "Miss Lu, I have heard of your name for a long time."
Shen Fenglan seemed to have mistakenly thought that Lu Wanqiao was calling her "Boss Shen". Lu Wanqiao didn't know what to say, so she smiled politely and chatted with Shen Fenglan for a few words to put the misunderstanding behind her.
Another guest arrived outside the door.
Sun Tianyun took Lu Wanqiao to greet them.
Behind them, Shen Ye secretly gave his grandmother a thumbs up.
Shen Fenglan slapped his hand away, his face a little serious: "Does this girl like you? She came for you."
Shen Ye said meaningfully: "It's not me that she's interested in."
*
Shen Ye has never liked this kind of social interaction.
While his grandmother was sitting aside chatting with others, he was bored and texting Shu Yao.
Chen Ye: 【Boring.】
11: [When will you be back? ]
Chen Ye: [Another hour.]
11: [Okay, then you just bear with it for a while.]
Later, there was an emoticon package of touching a dog’s head, and the dog in it was Biscuit.
I don't know when she did it.
He is not a dog.
Chen Ye thought so, but gave up struggling: [I understand.]
11: [By the way, can I have some juice in the fridge? I’m a little hungry.]
There were indeed a few bottles of orange juice in the refrigerator.
Chen Ye lowered his head and replied: [That is also your home. ]
11: [Well, I'll just drink it.]
"Beichuan!"
Lu Wanqiao's shout interrupted Shen Ye's thoughts.
This name made him look up instinctively, and a man in a suit and tie came late to the door.
Even though seven years have passed, Zhou Beichuan's appearance has not changed much, except that he looks a little more hypocritical.
Zhou Beichuan and Lu Wanqiao chatted with each other for a while, and when they turned around, their eyes fixed on Shen Ye for a moment, then they took a glass of red wine from the tray of the waiter next to them and walked towards him.
"Chen Ye?" Zhou Beichuan put one hand in his pocket, acting like an old schoolmate. "Long time no see."
There was no emotion on Shen Ye's face. He raised his eyelids and glanced at him, but was too lazy to say a word.
"You don't still remember that fight, do you?" Zhou Beichuan smiled. "I was certainly wrong back then. I was young and reckless, and spoke without thinking. Now I think it was really childish. So, let me toast you a glass and let's put the past behind us, okay?"
Shen Ye pulled the corner of his mouth.
His left hand took a glass of orange juice from the side.
"Why don't you drink?"
Shen Ye leaned back, resting his right hand on the back of the chair, and smiled lazily: "There's nothing I can do, my wife is very strict."
The cups clinked lightly, Shen Ye took a sip and put it down. The silver ring on his ring finger looked particularly dazzling under the cold white light.
"I heard you were married before, but I thought it was unlikely. Now it's true." Zhou Beichuan looked at the ring for a few seconds and praised it. "The design of this ring is quite unique."
"Of course, my wife made it herself."
"I didn't expect my sister-in-law to be so talented. I wonder which family she is from?"
"You'll know soon." Chen Ye stood up, put his right hand in his suit trouser pocket, and raised the corner of his lips slightly, "But since you know I'm newly married and we're old classmates, why don't you congratulate me?"
“Of course, I wish Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen a happy marriage.”
"Thank you for your good wishes." A tall and straight figure walked out of the banquet hall.
Zhou Beichuan stared at the ring on his hand and suddenly remembered the last time he met Shu Yao in the mall. She was also wearing a ring, but he didn't pay attention to it at that time.
He knew that Shen Ye liked Shu Yao at that time.
Could it be that...
Won't.
Zhou Beichuan quickly rejected his idea.
Putting aside the fact that the two of them wore completely different rings, if Shu Yao really married Chen Ye, she shouldn't have worn such a cheap ring anyway.
Thinking of Shu Yao, Zhou Beichuan's eyes darkened again.
He took out his cell phone and called Shu Yao again, but the system still reminded him that the other party's phone was turned off.
In the past few days, he called her no less than ten times, and each time it was the same reminder.
Zhou Beichuan was finally convinced that Shu Yao had blocked him.
*
Chen Ye leaned against the rockery in the courtyard, temporarily escaping from the hypocritical social life.
It was a dark night, and through the glass window, one could see Zhou Beichuan standing at the window and greeting people.
For some reason, he remembered the day he beat Zhou Beichuan.
The surroundings seemed to be just as dark.
In fact, after leaving the alley, he did not leave immediately. He leaned against the wet wall at the entrance of the alley and heard Zhou Beichuan's harsh voice.
He apologized to Shu Yao, saying he was sorry for delaying the birthday dinner she had carefully booked and turning his birthday into a farce.
Shu Yao gently said it was okay.
So he thought at the time that she must really like Zhou Beichuan. Just like Zhou Beichuan said, how could an acquaintance like him compare to the friendship they had since growing up together.
But since she had no good feelings towards Zhou Beichuan, why did she celebrate his birthday so carefully that year?
Before Shen Ye could figure it out, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated non-stop.
He lowered his head and clicked it, and the top chat showed 15 messages.
When you click in, you’ll see emoticons of cats and dogs everywhere.
11: [When you ignore me, who are you warming up?.jpg]
11: [Every time you call me, it never lasts more than three minutes. Bye. I don’t like short boys.jpg]
11: [There are a lot of bad guys out there, they all carry dog-beating sticks, I'm the only one who's truly good to you.jpg]
…
The last one:
11: [It’s okay. If you don’t want to talk to me, just send me your good friend’s WeChat.jpg]
Shen Ye:?
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