Chapter 8

Shi Chengyu couldn’t get out of his first shareholder meeting since taking over.

In the large meeting room, it was quiet and solemn.  The young, powerful man had a hint of impatience in his eyes, his imposing aura making everyone hold their breath.

The meeting finally ended.  Shi Chengyu grabbed his phone and strode out of the meeting room.  Lin Shulang was waiting at the door.  Seeing him emerge, he quickly stepped forward.  “Mr. Shi, Miss Shen went home.  She probably didn’t bring her phone.”

Shi Chengyu paused in his motion to make a call.  He lingered on the chat page for a moment, where his unsent messages remained unanswered.

“Let’s go back.”

On the way back, Shi Chengyu leaned back in his seat, his face unusually tired.  He rubbed his temples with one hand.

The car stopped in front of the villa.  Shi Chengyu got out and walked inside, but no one came out to greet him.  Then he realized that Shen Chutang wasn’t home today.

The usual villa suddenly felt empty.

Shi Chengyu took off his suit jacket and threw it on the sofa.  Then he turned and went outside.

The Shen and Shi villas were about 200 meters apart.  He came back late today.  The setting sun’s glow was dim, and the moon was about to rise.

Shi Chengyu strode forward.  Uncle Wen opened the door for him, respectfully saying, “Mr. Shi.”

“Where’s Tangtang?” Shi Chengyu asked, continuing to walk inside.

“Third Young Master came back and played games with the Little Miss for a while this afternoon.  She must be tired and asleep now.”

Shen Chutang was the fourth child in the family.  When she was young, the maids and butlers at home called her Fourth Miss.  Coincidentally, she wasn’t in good health at that time.  Shi Chengyu thought it was inauspicious and unpleasant to call her that.  After that, he changed the address, simply calling her Little Miss.

“I’ll go see her.”

Shi Chengyu said softly.  He was about to step onto the stairs when the elevator beside him dinged.  Shen Chutang, rubbing her eyes, walked out.

Shen Chutang saw Shi Chengyu and was startled at first.  She thought she was hallucinating.  After confirming that she wasn’t, she walked over and hugged him, calling out in a soft voice, “Brother Chengyu.”

Shi Chengyu picked her up.  “Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

He knew she didn’t like wearing shoes.  The floors in both houses were covered with thick carpets that were cleaned every day, but Shi Chengyu was still afraid that she might accidentally trip or bump into something.  He rarely let her walk barefoot.

Shen Chutang’s hair was messy from sleeping.  Some of it was on her shoulders, some on her face.  Shi Chengyu gently straightened it for her and carried her towards the sofa.

“I want water.” Shen Chutang, half asleep and half awake, lazily leaned against him, softly complaining, “You came back so late today.”

Shi Chengyu took the water cup from the servant and brought it to her lips.  “I had a meeting today.”

After drinking the water, Shen Chutang felt more awake.  She sat up and hugged his neck.  “Brother Chengyu, I missed you a little today.”

Shi Chengyu chuckled softly.  “I missed you too.”

Shen Chutang imitated him, stroking his head.  Then she cupped his face and tried to be playful, but she saw the dark circles under his eyes and immediately frowned.  “Brother Chengyu! You didn’t get enough sleep!”

As the power of a business empire shifted, there were always many things to handle.  These days, he had been putting her to sleep and then going to his study to work.  He hadn’t expected to be caught.

Shi Chengyu wanted to raise his hand to rub his eyes, but Shen Chutang’s hand reached out first, gently rubbing them.  She pouted, “You promised me you’d rest well.”

“You broke your promise! Next time, I won’t talk to you!”

This kind of powerless “threat” always worked on him.

“Good Tangtang, I was wrong.” Shi Chengyu held her hand and pulled it away.  He pulled her into his arms, inhaling the scent of her.

It was faint, sweet, and floral.  The scent always made him feel incredibly calm and relaxed.

“Good Tangtang, let me hold you for a while.  I won’t be tired after holding you for a while.” Shi Chengyu held her tight.  Shen Chutang reached out and stroked the back of his neck.

“Brother Chengyu, you can’t not sleep well.”

“Hmm.”

“You have to eat properly too.  Don’t always put food on my plate.”

“Hmm.”

Speaking of which, Shen Chutang suddenly remembered something.  She raised her head and asked seriously, “Did you eat dinner today?”

“I did.” Shi Chengyu answered earnestly.  Seeing Shen Chutang’s skeptical expression, he added, “Shulang ordered dinner at Yaxuan.  If you don’t believe me, you can ask him tomorrow.”

Shen Chutang reluctantly believed him.  She leaned back on his shoulder again.  “Brother Chengyu, are you not going back tonight?”

“I can’t.  Can you let me stay for the night, Tangtang?” Shi Chengyu asked with a smile, stroking her soft hair.

“Then I’ll let you stay.  Will you sleep well?” Shen Chutang raised her head and asked him, cupping his face and making him look directly into her eyes.

Shi Chengyu chuckled and slowly nodded.  “I’ll sleep well.”

Shen Chutang was happy.  She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.  “Then let’s go upstairs.”

Her heart skipped a beat, then resumed its rhythm, a dull thud.

Shi Chengyu picked her up.  “Okay, you be good too, Tangtang.”

Both families had spare rooms for each other.  Sometimes, when they were tired from playing, they would just sleep over.  The rooms were cleaned every day.

Shi Chengyu first took Shen Chutang back to her room.  He asked her how long she would stay at home, when she would go back, and when she would go to her grandfather’s house.  Finally, he coaxed her to sleep.

He quietly exited the room and closed the door.  As he turned around, he saw Shen Sujing standing at the top of the stairs.

“Brother Chengyu?” Shen Sujing called out in a questioning tone.

Shi Chengyu responded briefly, saying, “Tangtang is asleep.”

Then he asked, “Is the crew not busy?”

Shen Sujing nodded.  “I took on a role with not many scenes this time.  I’m back for a few days.”

“Have Shulang find you some scripts in a couple of days.”

Shi Chengyu left this inexplicable sentence and walked past Shen Sujing downstairs.

Shen Sujing scratched his head in confusion.  What did that mean?

Shi Chengyu said in a couple of days.  The next day, Shen Sujing received a call from his agent saying that the crew had added more scenes for him.  Suddenly, he had several scripts for big-budget productions and a variety show, ensuring he would be busy all summer.

Shen Sujing: …I wasn’t planning on being that busy.

In the afternoon, Shen Sujing was urged to return to the crew.

Shen Chutang pouted unhappily, sending him off to the car with a gloomy expression.

“Alright, I’ll be back next week when we go to Grandpa’s.” Shen Sujing rubbed her head.  It was soft and fluffy, like a kitten’s head.  It felt so good.  No wonder Brother Chengyu loved to touch it.

“Be good these days, eat properly, and eat less ice cream.”

The atmosphere of reluctance was broken.  Shen Chutang took his hand away and pushed him towards the car.  “I know, I know.  Go quickly.”

Shen Sujing smiled helplessly.  “Okay, okay, I’m going, I’m going.”

Shen Chutang waved at him with a smile.  The car door closed, and she turned and went back to the villa.