It was the weekend, and Fu Chengyu arrived. Shen Nanxing had just gotten up when Wu Ma informed him that Fu Chengyu had come to visit. Shen Nanxing immediately felt that the good mood of the day had vanished. Visit? He had been out of the hospital for over half a month, and now Fu Chengyu was coming to visit? It felt more like he was just looking for attention, perhaps after being frustrated by Lin Bai and trying to find some validation here. After all, the original owner had always been gentle and warm toward Fu Chengyu. Sometimes when Fu Chengyu was in a bad mood, the original owner would patiently comfort him.

After Shen Nanxing finished washing up, he slowly made his way downstairs. Fu Chengyu was sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for Shen Nanxing to come down. If this were in the past, he would have gone straight to Shen Nanxing’s room, but when he thought of Lin Bai, he hesitated and sat back down, deciding to keep his distance from Shen Nanxing. However, as soon as he saw Shen Nanxing, this thought was immediately thrown out the window.

Shen Nanxing was wearing comfortable loungewear, his hair unkempt and slightly messy, with a bit of sleepiness still on his face. He looked a bit dazed but also adorably cute. Without thinking, Fu Chengyu moved closer to him. “Nanxing, you’re awake?” He instinctively reached to touch Shen Nanxing’s head, but Shen Nanxing avoided him.

Shen Nanxing turned to the side and glanced at Fu Chengyu. “What are you here for?”

Fu Chengyu was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. “I came to see you. I’ve been so busy lately, it’s been a while since I saw you. I missed you.” Busy? More like busy with flirting with Lin Bai. Missed me? Can you not disgust me so early in the morning? Shen Nanxing didn’t show it on his face, but in his heart, he was silently mocking him. He didn’t even look at Fu Chengyu and walked past him toward the dining room.

Fu Chengyu was even more confused. He thought that if he explained himself a bit, Shen Nanxing would forgive him, just like before. But to his surprise, Shen Nanxing acted as if he didn’t exist. Was he angry?

As Shen Nanxing looked at the delicious food in front of him, his mood lifted just a little. He really couldn’t bring himself to smile at Fu Chengyu. Every time he thought of their engagement, he felt troubled. The Fu and Shen families had been close for generations, deeply entwined, with frequent interactions. If he were to break off the engagement hastily, it could cause trouble for the Shen family. It would be great if he could find a way to get some leverage over Fu Chengyu.

Leverage? As soon as Shen Nanxing thought of this, his eyes lit up. Lin Bai was the perfect leverage! If he could get solid proof of the connection between Fu Chengyu and Lin Bai, wouldn’t he be able to solve the problem easily? The original owner had been heartbroken because Fu Chengyu had hidden things too well. He had always acted in front of others as if he were a pure, upright person, taking good care of the original owner, which had fooled Shen’s parents as well. As long as Shen Nanxing exposed Fu Chengyu’s hidden side, the engagement would definitely be called off. It seemed that everything depended on getting something on Fu Chengyu.

“Nanxing, don’t be mad. I really didn’t mean to take so long to come visit you.”

“I even brought you a gift—your favorite character figurine.”

Fu Chengyu didn’t know when he had sat down across from Shen Nanxing, but he looked at him apologetically, handing over the gift.

Shen Nanxing glanced at the figurine, thought for a moment, and then said, “Alright, I forgive you.”

“That’s great! I promise there won’t be a next time,” Fu Chengyu thought to himself, relieved. He knew that Shen Nanxing was still as easy to appease as ever. He looked at Shen Nanxing’s innocent and pure face and couldn’t help but compare it to Lin Bai’s face. Shen Nanxing was beautiful, yes, but too rigid. If it were Lin Bai…

Shen Nanxing hummed in response and continued eating his breakfast, no longer looking at the gift on the table.

Fu Chengyu, however, was lost in thought, staring at Shen Nanxing who was engrossed in his meal. At that moment, his phone, which had been placed on the table, rang.

He picked it up and saw a message from Lin Bai.
[Image]
Fu, this morning on my way to my part-time job, I encountered a stray cat.
It looks very similar to the one we often feed at school.
What do you think?
[Cat poking head JPG]

Fu Chengyu’s hand briefly covered the screen, and a smile flickered in his eyes. Lin Bai’s use of “we” had greatly pleased him. After replying to the message, Fu Chengyu looked up, meeting Shen Nanxing’s curious gaze.

“Are you busy?” Shen Nanxing asked.

Fu Chengyu, slightly guilty at being caught off guard, quickly changed the subject. “No, just a research project I need to submit.”

“By the way, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow, and we’ll go to class together.”

Shen Nanxing rolled his eyes inwardly. Was he treating him like a fool? He was obviously just flirting with Lin Bai.

Shen Nanxing nodded, “Alright, see you tomorrow.”

Fu Chengyu stood up, gazing at him with a gentle, indulgent expression. “Okay, tomorrow I’ll introduce you to a friend of mine.”

Shen Nanxing almost gagged from his demeanor. “Alright, you go ahead and get busy.”

“Nanxing, see you tomorrow.”

After Fu Chengyu said a few words, he quickly left. After he was gone, Wu Ma, who was clearing the plates, sighed. “Young Master, Young Master Fu really likes you. Every time he visits, he always brings you gifts.”

Hearing this, Shen Nanxing’s expression immediately darkened. “Wu Ma, don’t let me hear this kind of thing again.”

What did she mean by Fu Chengyu liking him? Who cared about that? Just because he brought gifts didn’t mean he liked him. That was so shallow.

Shen Nanxing didn’t even look at the gift on the table and went upstairs, leaving Wu Ma to mutter to herself. “Could it be that they had a fight? No, such an important thing has to be told to Madam.”

Fu Chengyu left the Shen family villa and drove to the school. If it weren’t for his mother calling and asking him to visit Shen Nanxing, he might not have come today. His mother placed great importance on the engagement between the two families and hoped he would marry Shen Nanxing. With the Shen family’s support, he would have more influence when entering the Fu Corporation in the future. Who knew, he might even become the future heir of the Fu family.

But right now, the one in charge of the Fu family was his uncle, Fu Zhiyuan.

Though Fu Zhiyuan was only a few years older than him, Fu Chengyu had always feared him. He had lived under Fu Zhiyuan’s shadow since he was a child, with the elders always using Fu Zhiyuan’s excellence as a way to motivate him. Fortunately, Fu Zhiyuan went abroad when Fu Chengyu was five. Otherwise, Fu Chengyu couldn’t imagine how miserable his childhood would have been.

As he thought about this, a wave of anger rose within him. He felt as though his life was being controlled, that he couldn’t truly be himself.

Soon, Fu Chengyu drove to a location near where Lin Bai worked part-time.

It was almost 11 o’clock, and there was still some time before Lin Bai finished his shift. The place where Lin Bai worked part-time was a training center near the school. It mainly provided targeted tutoring for senior high school students preparing for their college entrance exams. The pay was decent, at 200 yuan per hour.

Lin Bai had worked hard to get into the big city from a remote county. His family only sent him enough money each month for food, and if he wanted to buy anything else, it wasn’t nearly enough. He envied those classmates who didn’t have to worry about money. While others could go out and have fun on weekends, he couldn’t afford that luxury. He knew that if he wanted to stay in the capital, he had to rely on his own efforts. This was the only thing Lin Bai was sure about after being in the city for over a year.