Chapter 7: I’ll Stop If You Cry

Shuangxu loved playing cards, usually with Shen Yu and the others. Her brothers doted on her, pampering and indulging her, so she was naturally happy.

But He Tingzhou wasn’t in that “good brother” category.

Not only did he not let her touch the cards, he also kept shooting her down.

The chips on Shen Yu’s table were quickly lost, and Shuangxu’s brow furrowed.

She felt like He Tingzhou was deliberately targeting her.

This man wasn’t the first to bully her with his power.

Yue Zifeng couldn’t bear to watch, pleading with him, “Can you shoot me instead? If you make Shuangxu sister cry, be careful when Shen Yu comes back to settle the score.”

He Tingzhou glanced over from across the table, looking at Shuangxu’s eyes with amusement, “Are you crying? I’ll stop if you cry.”

Yue Zifeng said, “You’re such a jerk.”

Shuangxu had reason to believe that even if she really cried, He Tingzhou wouldn’t stop.

The first time she met He Tingzhou, she was only seventeen.

Back then, Shuangxu’s only knowledge of him came from various rumors: arrogant and overbearing, reckless, bullying, almost killed someone… and so on.

In short, not a good person.

Shuangxu remembered her first impression of He Tingzhou, a coldness tinged with danger.

Whenever He Tingzhou came to the Shen family, she would avoid him as much as possible.

On rare occasions, Shen Yu had to leave and she had to take on the task of entertaining guests, she couldn’t help but stay there and be alone with He Tingzhou.

At that time, she had just started learning chess, and she took it out to play with He Tingzhou.

Shen Yu taught her chess personally, and she thought she was doing pretty well. Shen Yu always let her win, even allowing her to take back moves, but He Tingzhou was different.

He was merciless, going for the kill.

Shuangxu wasn’t afraid of losing, but she didn’t like being abused.

She didn’t want to play anymore, she wanted to put the board away, He Tingzhou’s narrow, sharp eyes lazily glanced over, mocking her, “You run away after losing, are you ashamed?”

As a result, she had a shadow over chess for a while.

Shen Yu came back after answering the phone, glanced at the table and saw the obvious situation, raising an eyebrow, “Why are you bullying my little Jiu?”

Shuangxu immediately gave him her seat, she was unhappy about being targeted by He Tingzhou, but now she had to endure it for the sake of asking for help, and she even made up for He Tingzhou.

“I’m not very good at this.”

Shen Yu smiled and patted her head lightly, still like before, he threw his phone to Shuangxu to hold, and went back to the table.

“Watch carefully.”

Shen Yu could play a draw with He Tingzhou, they were evenly matched, going back and forth, at least he earned back some of the ground Shuangxu had lost.

Shuangxu watched from the side.

She didn’t learn these skills before, she played cards entirely relying on her luck like a god of fortune had possessed her.

Now she realized there were actually many tricks, you had to count cards, think ten steps ahead, and besides your own cards, you also had to know your opponent’s cards like the back of your hand.

When the battle was intense, she moved to the opposite side in a corner where no one noticed.

She glanced at He Tingzhou’s cards, but didn’t understand.

Because this man didn’t care about his cards at all, he just placed them as they were picked up, with the four and nine of bamboo sandwiched between the fortune tiles, the one and two of ten thousands separated by an entire galaxy.

They were scattered and chaotic, making it difficult to peek at.

Shuangxu was trying to figure out what he was listening to in her mind when He Tingzhou turned his head without warning, “Figured it out, little spy?”

Everyone whose attention was on the game immediately looked at Shuangxu.

She felt like she was caught red-handed and publicly executed.

“I didn’t…” She wanted to explain that she wasn’t spying, she was just curious about his style of play.

He Tingzhou swayed in his chair, using a tone of voice like he was dealing with a child, “Listen to the eight of ten thousands. Go back and report to your brother.”

When the gods fight, the mortals suffer, Yue Zifeng had lost almost all his pants, and he suddenly realized, slapping his thigh, “I said why Shen Yu always wins, it turns out he has a little Huang Gai!”

Shuangxu was speechless.

Shen Yu just smiled, tapped the half-smoked cigarette in the crystal ashtray, and didn’t explain, just taking on the crime of sending a spy.

“All is fair in love and war.”

He said, sending out an eight of ten thousands.

He Tingzhou really listened to the eight of ten thousands, without any courtesy, he knocked over the cards, swaying in his chair, “Hu!”

Shuangxu really wanted to kick his chair leg.

She honestly sat back down, and didn’t go near He Tingzhou again.

At midnight, the cake was lit with candles and pushed in front of Shen Yu, everyone formed a circle and sang Happy Birthday, he was surrounded in the center.

Shuangxu didn’t know who pushed her, but she ended up at the back.

This would never have happened before she turned eighteen, everyone around Shen Yu knew how much he spoiled her.

But she would have to get used to it sooner or later, she couldn’t stay by his side forever, Shuangxu was slowly learning to accept this.

She was tapping the rhythm to the song, Shen Yu’s gaze passed over everyone else, looking at her.

The orange candlelight cast his outline in shades of light and dark, he reached out to her, “Little Jiu, come here.”

Everyone in the circle turned to look at her, those in front quickly stepped aside to make way.

Shuangxu walked over, Shen Yu put his hand on her left shoulder, bringing her in front of him, facing the flickering candles on the cake.

“Make a wish.”

Shuangxu used to do this all the time. She always had so many wishes, not enough for her own birthday, every time it was Shen Yu’s birthday, she would make the wish.

Whatever wish she made, Shen Yu would fulfill it for her.

Shuangxu could feel the gazes falling on her, all kinds of meanings.

But the girl who loved to make wishes had grown up, she knew that not all wishes could come true.

“I don’t have any wishes right now,” said Shuangxu . “Brother, it’s your birthday, you make a wish.”

Shen Yu’s eyes were dyed deep by the flickering candlelight. When she looked closely, she saw only the same gentleness as always. He stroked her hair and said, “Save it, make a wish when you have one.”

The second half of the birthday party was filled with the scent of alcohol.

Shuangxu  hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in the past few days. She couldn’t hold it in and fell asleep on the sofa. When she woke up, she was covered with a blanket.

The maid was standing nearby. Seeing that she was awake, she said, “The young master said you can go to sleep in your room upstairs if you’re tired.”

Shuangxu followed the sound of laughter and saw Shen Yu and Yue Zifeng and the others still drinking.

These young masters were all drunk and merry, with beautiful and charming women nestled in their arms.

It was Shen Yu’s birthday, so he was inevitably being plied with drinks by those guys.

He leaned back on the sofa with his long legs crossed, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top two buttons. His right hand, holding a cigarette, rested on the armrest. The cigarette burned steadily, he didn’t know if he was drunk or just absentminded.

The woman sitting next to Shen Yu was particularly striking. Shuangxu found her familiar, like some female celebrity, but she couldn’t remember.

She seemed to be still half-asleep, staring in Shen Yu’s direction.

She heard Yue Zifeng, whose voice was already tinged with alcohol, teasing, “You flew all night to celebrate his birthday, and you didn’t even get a little something from him.”

Shen Yu: “Are you jealous?”

Yue Zifeng: “I’m jealous, but you’d let me have her anyway, right?”

“No way,” the female celebrity laughed sweetly, leaning her chin naturally against Shen Yu’s shoulder.

This used to be her privilege.

She had been very clingy to Shen Yu since she was a child. When Shen Yu went out to play with Yue Zifeng and the others, she insisted on going with them, and Shen Yu always took her along.

Because she was there, they all played very innocently. Back then, Shen Yu didn’t have those women around him. When she got tired, she would just lie down on him and sleep.

Shuangxu ‘s gaze, fixed and unwavering, retreated, falling to the ground. Her long, slender fingers, resting on the edge of the sofa, turned pale.

After a moment, she lifted her head again, showing no sign of anything amiss, and asked the maid, “Where’s Tingzhou?”

“I haven’t seen Mr. He. He must have left.”

Shuangxu  immediately got up and hurried towards the parking lot.

The maid, holding a blanket behind her, asked, “Are you leaving? Don’t you want to tell the young master?”

Shuangxu  shook her head, “I won’t bother him.”