Chapter 6.3

Yan Zhao shrank to the side, thinking to himself: Regardless of right or wrong, isn’t this the situation now???

He also didn’t expect that he hadn’t seen Shen Yuanting smile in these past few days, but today he had already seen it several times. Does this person only smile when he’s angry?

Shen Zhuo, filled with anger, berated like a machine gun, spitting like flying stars as if he wanted to lay out every single thing Shen Yuanting had done to provoke him over the years, and criticize them one by one: “You still dare to say, I wanted you to study finance in college, but you secretly studied computer science. I wanted you to come back after graduation, but you ran off to Wall Street to work for someone else. I wanted you to get married, but you brought a man back to me. Tell me, which of these things have you done to please me?!”

Shen Yuanting answered in turn: “I obtained a second degree in finance, and I thought it was better to intern abroad before going directly into a company. Besides, I’ve already returned now. As for marriage…”

Yan Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, feeling that something was not right. Sure enough, Shen Yuanting continued: “Are you happy that I am tormented by marriage just like you?”

This person was the type who stabs others with a knife accurately and ruthlessly, leaving only one wound but dealing a fatal blow.

“You’ve grown up, so you think you’re entitled to go crazy, huh?!” Shen Zhuo was so angry that he lost his senses. He picked up a teacup and smashed it towards Shen Yuanting’s head, shouting, “Don’t forget who gave you the position of President!”

Shen Yuanting half-closed his eyes, watching the teacup flying towards him. There was no fear in his eyes, only a sense of indifference as if saying, “Here we go again.” From feeling anxious and scared about the idea of “going home,” to becoming numb, and then impatient, it had taken over ten years to wear away his patience.

The teacup came closer and closer to him. His keen vision could even capture the scene of tea splashing out slowly. Just as he was about to be hit and have his head split open, a force suddenly pulled him to the side!

With a crisp sound, Shen Yuanting didn’t have the mind to think about whether the teacup was already shattered into pieces.

The faint smell of citrus reminded him of the orange trees on the high school campus. In October, oranges like small lanterns would grow between the green leaves. Because they were not yet ripe, they could linger on the tree for a while without being picked by students. Thanks to the sharp sense of smell inherited from Yu Wei, he could smell that crisp, slightly green, yet sweet fragrance.

He snapped out of it, realizing that his chin was resting just above Yan Zhao’s shoulder, his hand near his back, separated by a thin layer of sweater, seemingly able to sense the slender body beneath the clothing.

Yan Zhao’s one hand was on his lower back, while the other tightly gripped his arm. The tangible contact between them prevented him from sinking back into the lonely abyss.

Yan Zhao let out a breath, his voice tinged with relief. “Thank goodness you’re not hurt.”

—“Ting Ting, thank goodness you’re not hurt.”

In that moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat, the blood in his body freezing, refusing to move forward.

Shen Yuanting’s pupils shrank suddenly. He pushed him away abruptly, seeing him furrow his brows, looking shocked and aggrieved. A strange sensation, like the burst of bubbles in orange soda, surged within him.

His fingers moved and then clenched into fists. His knuckles turned white and his nails dug into his palms, leaving a crescent-like mark.

Why is it you?

Yan Zhao wondered: Why do you push me away so hard when I have good intentions to protect you, as if I had offended you?

He ground his teeth, glanced at the shattered pieces of the teacup on the floor. The sharp edges of the broken porcelain reflected white light, steam rising from the carpet, and the tea water, transparent, with tea leaves resembling winter-dried leaves.

Wasn’t that boiling water?!

Fortunately, he has watched a lot of bloody TV dramas and knows that such family disputes usually end with one party throwing a cup angrily. Otherwise, Shen Yuanting would be scalded by the tea if he wasn’t smashed to the point of bleeding!

Turning his attention to the culprit, who now stood dumbfounded, it was unclear if he was reflecting on his actions or if he was stimulated by the pure and fervent socialist brotherhood.

“Uncle, I shouldn’t have intervened in the matters between you, father and son, but isn’t this going too far?!” Yan Zhao stood up and questioned.

His mom hadn’t laid a finger on him since he outgrew his mischievous years, let alone throwing tea cups. One would expect affluent families to prioritize proper education, so why were Shen’s father and this man acting like someone with a temperamental disorder?

“If you know you shouldn’t interfere, then don’t!” Shen Zhuo regretted throwing the tea cup, but being scolded by a junior now made it difficult for him to back down.

“I won’t interfere. Who else will?!” Yan Zhao retorted. Did they expect his stepmother to speak up for him? As they say, a child without a mother is like a plant without roots!

To bolster his own stance, he recalled his identity and said with a straight face, “You’ve… made a fool out of my… lover. How do you plan to compensate me?”

Shen Yuanting raised his eyes, looking at his profile. The young man’s face was undeniably familiar, but his expression was unfamiliar.

No, not entirely unfamiliar. After all, in these past few days, he had already memorized his new demeanor, preferences, and language quirks.

Shen Zhuo angrily pointed at Yan Zhao, “You!” This kid married Yuanting for the sake of interests. Why did he have the right to criticize him? And because of him, who knows how many people were laughing behind his back!

Yan Zhao pointed at himself, deliberately showing an innocent expression in his eyes, preparing mentally for the impending scolding from his cheap father-in-law, “Me?”

Putting on an act! Shen Zhuo’s mouth hung open as he angrily blurted out, “Shameless!”

Yan Zhao felt that his earlier preparation was unnecessary and responded with a blank expression, “…”

— Do you know that you really resemble a feudal patriarch?

After all, he was a middle-aged man who didn’t mingle in the common world and had a limited vocabulary of curse words compared to those in the entertainment industry. However, he excelled in being concise and impactful, making it easy for the opponent to retaliate.

Yan Zhao calmly replied, “I’m a fox spirit, after all. Monsters don’t need shame.”

Not openly exposing his shoulder by unbuttoning his collar and hugging Shen Yuanting with a provocative and arrogant attitude was already his greatest act of goodwill.

He continued, “But as a person, as a father, you can’t treat your son as a toy you raised. You may not agree with what he wants to do, but at least respect him.”

Shen Zhuo was so angry that his hand trembled, “You, you…”

Yan Zhao was waiting for him to come up with another idiom, but suddenly he heard a faint laughter.