Chapter 39

Ye Chen apologetically glanced at Shen Mofeng, softly closing the door behind him, and retreated to the corridor to make a phone call. When he returned, Shen Mofeng’s boiling brain had gradually cooled down.

—Now wasn’t the time for kisses, with the murky emotions in the air, the perfunctory hotel room, no decent confession gifts, no preparation, and no surprises… What could he use to confess, just touching lips together?

His impulse subsided, the old virgin picked up his baggage, and silently committed to some troublemaking.

“My manager,” Ye Chen leaned against the door with his back, the lock clicked, and suddenly it was eerily quiet all around.

Ye Chen looked up at Shen Mofeng, and various emotions surged in his chest: gratitude, confusion, relief… Hot and cold, twisted into a turbulent hurricane of emotions, searching for a breakthrough named “give one’s heart to”. However, having been a straight guy for nineteen years, and as pure as a blank sheet of paper, Ye Chen had never even thought about surrendering himself. So, all these surging emotions had to channel into the breakthrough of “working like an ox, work like a horse”, with Shen Mofeng’s position in Ye Chen’s heart skyrocketing again after he had blocked the tree with his body. That level of reverence surpassed the sum of Ye’s ancestors for eighteen generations…

“Shen Ge, thank you for helping me clarify.” Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his jawline as straight as a steel ruler, unable to continue.

His eyes were reddening, his cheeks flushing, but he wasn’t about to cry anymore, but rather his blood was surging vigorously.

—After this incident, Shen Mofeng’s help had exceeded the realm of righteousness or senior care. It wasn’t something that Ye Chen, as a “protected little friend,” could repay with just cooking a meal or making a syrup for autumn pears. He needed to bear this emotion as an adult man to truly handle it. When the day came that he was strong enough to stand on his own, he would have to repay Shen Mofeng by going through fire and water for him.

Shen Mofeng’s remaining restlessness was completely extinguished by this strong and powerful gratitude, leaving him dumbfounded. He inexplicably felt a bit displeased and scoffed, “No need to thank me, I just can’t stand them distorting the facts.”

Ye Chen’s face tightened, his voice solemnly said, “I understand, Shen Ge, you’re really honest and really good.”

Shen Mofeng, caught off guard by receiving a “good person” card, stared at Ye Chen incredulously, feeling amused, “Why are you still… forget it.”

He suddenly recalled halfway through his sentence—

Ye Chen really didn’t know.

Although he had openly and covertly teased Ye Chen, he had never explicitly confessed. Even if Ye Chen had some suspicions, he probably wouldn’t dare to think too much—what if he thought too much and deluded himself into thinking his love was reciprocated, only to find out that he didn’t actually mean it? Wouldn’t that drive the kid crazy? 

Sometimes, being clueless was a form of self-protection.

Shen Mofeng realized the key to it all, but he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed—He thought Ye Chen would soften into a small dough, would be moved to tears again, his cheeks would be wet with tears, his little appearance would hook his heart and soul, he would have to corner him, coax him gently, tease him, wipe away his tears, to make him obedient, sweet, and stop crying.

But this…

Shen Mofeng wordlessly scanned Ye Chen from head to toe.

Although his cheeks were rosy, there wasn’t much shyness or charm, he looked just like Guan Yu^[1]a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.Guan Yu played a significant role in the events leading up to the end of the Han dynasty and … Continue reading pledging allegiance to Liu Bei^[2]a Chinese warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China.Culturally, due to the popularity of the 14th-century historical … Continue reading…

“Shen Ge, if you ever need me in the future…” Ye Chen expressed his loyalty for the second time.

“Enough,” Shen Mofeng’s illusion shattered, he gave him a stern look, his tone neither cold nor warm, “Are you trying to swear brotherhood with me?”

Ye Chen sensed Shen Mofeng’s displeasure. He tried to understand Shen Mofeng’s psychology, figuring he probably disliked his constant thanks. Having worked together for nearly three months, Ye Chen understood Shen Mofeng’s temperaments, and incessant nagging was a sore spot for him, regardless of the matter. So, Ye Chen decided to keep his gratitude to himself and repay him with tangible actions instead of empty words to avoid annoying him.

“What’s this?” Shen Mofeng, not feeling too pleased and wanting to change the subject, pointed at the small bottle in Ye Chen’s hand.

“It’s a trauma ointment I got from the pharmacy this morning,” Ye Chen pulled his thoughts back from vividly imagining sacrificing himself for Shen Mofeng, and offered a harmless excuse, “My grandfather gave me the recipe. I’ve been using it for wounds since I was little. It works really well and relieves pain.”

Shen Mofeng took the bottle and opened it. The scent was light and refreshing.

Ye Chen spoke respectfully, as if serving the emperor, “Shall I help you apply it?”

“Sure.” Shen Mofeng absentmindedly untied his bathrobe and draped it around his waist, exposing his upper body as he lay down on the bed to continue scrolling through Weibo.

A top-tier celebrity couldn’t just confront big Vs and the media directly and then move on; however, Shen Mofeng had a team to smooth out the aftermath. He didn’t care. By personally defending Ye Chen to this extent, he could help Ye Chen vent his frustrations, weaken the opposition of some neutral onlookers, and warn other influential gossip big Vs not to mess with Ye Chen. As for that small group of inexplicably jealous black fans, they were beyond redemption. Of course, Shen Mofeng had never intended to win them over. Dealing with mindless haters was just a matter of standing his ground.

“Chen Chen, let me borrow your Weibo alternate account for a moment.” Shen Mofeng rubbed his hands together, preparing to use the black fans as punching bags.

“…” Ye Chen’s hand trembled as he applied the ointment. “Um, what are you planning to do?”

Ye Chen’s alternate Weibo account was full of retweets about giveaways, with not a single mention of Shen Mofeng. Previously, Ye Chen had planned to buy an old fan account of Shen Mofeng as a cover—pretending to be a five-year fan of Shen Mofeng to explain the lack of Shen Mofeng-related content on his alternate account seemed too suspicious. But since Shen Mofeng had never brought up the alternate account, Ye Chen had forgotten about it.

Shen Mofeng turned his face slightly. “Helping you educate those black fans, is it inconvenient?”

Ye Chen dodged the topic. “Shen Ge, you shouldn’t stoop to their level. Don’t let them get to you.”

“I only get annoyed if I let them,” Shen Mofeng looked at him inquiringly for a moment, then raised an eyebrow in understanding. “Are you afraid to tell me about your alternate account?”

Ye Chen hesitated. “Um…”

Struggling, Ye Chen managed to say, “Yes.”

Shen Mofeng became more interested and questioned, “Why are you afraid?”

“Because…” Ye Chen’s lips moved a few times, but he could only manage a plea, “Can you… please stop asking?”

After everything that had happened, he felt like he could consider himself a fan of Shen Mofeng. He respected, admired, and genuinely liked Shen Mofeng. His previous pretense as a fan had been too exaggerated, and he had to pay for his past mistakes, which he deeply regretted.

Moreover, Shen Mofeng had just helped him, yet here he was, about to lie to him, causing Ye Chen’s guilt to skyrocket exponentially. Even if his skin were thicker, he couldn’t bear it.

Shen Mofeng chuckled softly. “The more you act like this, the more curious I get… Have you posted anything about me?”

Ye Chen reluctantly replied, “Yes.”

“What did you say that you’re afraid to let me see?” Shen Mofeng sat up, teasing Ye Chen with a smile. “Did you curse at me or spread gossip about me?”

Ye Chen finished applying the ointment, closed the medicine bottle, feeling embarrassed as his ears grew hot. “Neither.”

Shen Mofeng looked at Ye Chen’s gradually warming ears, feeling an irresistible itch in his heart. Forget about the black fans, all of that was forgotten. “So, were they all compliments about me?”

“Yeah,” Ye Chen responded vaguely, turning to get off the bed. “Shen Ge, I’ll go back now. Take care of yourself.”

“Come back here.” Shen Mofeng was both amused and exasperated. He grabbed Ye Chen’s wrist with his left hand and pulled him back onto the bed, causing Ye Chen to stumble.

Ye Chen couldn’t muster the stubbornness to argue with his lifesaver. He spoke in a gentle tone, “Shen Ge, stop asking, I beg you…”

“Don’t give me that,” Shen Mofeng chuckled. “I’m asking you a question. Why can’t I see the compliments about me?”

Perhaps he could have let Ye Chen off the hook, but hearing such a soft “I beg you” made him feel overwhelmingly hot all over, as if he wanted to bully Ye Chen until he melted into a puddle.

Ye Chen blushed and remained silent, feeling so ashamed that he wished he could disappear into the bedside table. He mumbled, “It’s nothing…” Then, trying to act nonchalant, he continued, “By the way, can I borrow the kitchen to make soup for you? Do you prefer chicken or fish soup?”

“Don’t change the subject.” Shen Mofeng was determined not to let Ye Chen off, tightening his grip on Ye Chen’s left wrist with his left hand. “Why are you blushing? Is it because of some embarrassing praise?”

“No!” Ye Chen felt like he’d been pricked by a needle, hastily defending himself. “There’s nothing embarrassing, and I didn’t say anything bad about you! It’s just… I’m a bit embarrassed…”

Shen Mofeng fell silent.

The two of them locked eyes in silence.

After a moment, Shen Mofeng’s handsome face suddenly puffed up like a pufferfish, and he grumbled like a failed attempt at a tantrum by a primary school student, “Forget it.”

Ye Chen: “…”

Ye Chen even thought he was hallucinating.

He never expected Shen Mofeng to react like this, and he suddenly felt anxious. “I’m sorry, then I…”

Maybe I should just buy an account.

Shen Mofeng released his wrist, turned his face away, and said lightly, “No need, I don’t want to know.”

Even though the lines of his eight-pack abs were as clear as bricks, Shen Mofeng’s whole aura inexplicably emitted a sense of aggrieved childishness, like an elementary school chicken rejected by his classmate when he asked to borrow a stationery box.

Whether it was due to his superb acting skills or the fact that the heart of a great actor housed the soul of a primary school chicken…

“Don’t be like that, I’ll tell you in a few days,” Ye Chen even felt like he was coaxing Huang Huang, “Don’t be upset…”

“A few days?” Shen Mofeng’s facade crumbled, and the elementary school chicken aura was cleaned out. “How much do you want to delete?”

Ye Chen felt powerless, “Let me check… You’re not really upset, are you?”

Shen Mofeng’s cheeks puffed up slightly again, seamlessly switching back to his proud and petulant elementary school chicken mode. “Yes, I am, really upset.”

……

Definitely fooled by Shen Ge, he wasn’t upset at all… Ten minutes later, Ye Chen squatted by the water, fishing with a grudge.

The four original Ranyi fish had grown fat and healthy. The fish they had previously spawned had already hatched into a new batch of fry, totaling twelve. Currently, those fry had grown into half-grown Ranyi fish, occupying almost all the basins, vegetable washing basins, and buckets in Ye Chen’s home. When they finished spawning indoors at the appropriate temperature, Ye Chen would transfer them to the water.

“Dinner’s ready.” Ye Chen tapped the food bowl by the water.

The Ranyi fish liked to eat cooked spiritual chicken eggs. Ye Chen peeled an egg, broke it in half, and waved it above the water.

Splash! A strong male Ranyi fish broke through the water and darted towards the egg.

Ye Chen quickly retracted his hand, but the Ranyi fish couldn’t stop its momentum and plunged onto the shore. Seeing Ye Chen holding the basin as if he was going to take it away, the Ranyi fish let out a deep roar and bolted!

The author has something to say:

Shen Mofeng: I’m good to Chen Chen, but he doesn’t dare to think too much, because he’s afraid I don’t like him, afraid of his own wishful thinking.

This is a very complicated chain of self-delusion, did everyone understand it…

I feel like Shen Ge’s limelight will be overshadowed by the appearance of the Ranyi fish at the end… (Vicissitudes of life, lights a cigarette)

Chen Chen is about to acquire someone else’s account~ After acquiring it, Chen Chen will definitely only leave ordinary rainbow farts, deleting anything too exaggerated like “I f*cking have social security^[3]I tried to search this but couldn’t find what it means. Something about your body being on fire, not sure,” “Shen Mofeng, I want to have your children,” “Want to get married”… 

If he can delete it all, consider me defeated. 🙂