Chapter 88: Master Zhou Falls into the Water

After dinner, the guests moved to the garden. Colorful lights adorned the courtyard, creating a vibrant and romantic atmosphere. Men and women in their finest attire danced gracefully to the melodious music.

Fu Yun suddenly said, “Shuangxu, go ask Tingzhou to dance with you.”

Shuangxu instinctively looked towards He Tingzhou.

Shen Changyuan was standing with him, talking. He Tingzhou leaned against the pillar, holding a glass of champagne. Even in front of his elders, his posture remained unrestrained, relaxed and lazy.

“Me?” Shuangxu hesitated.

“I would love to ask him to dance,” Fu Yun said with a smile, “He’s too tall, I’d have trouble dancing with him.”

Shuangxu imagined He Tingzhou dancing with Fu Yun and couldn’t help but laugh.

He Tingzhou was now the great benefactor of the Shen family. Both Shen Changyuan and Fu Yun were grateful people, and besides their usual courtesy, they now held a sincere warmth towards him.

Asking him to dance was a sign of respect, Shuangxu had no reason to refuse, so she went towards He Tingzhou with the task.

He Tingzhou seemed oblivious to her presence until Shuangxu stood in front of him and nervously invited him, “Brother Tingzhou, would you like to dance?”

He Tingzhou finally lowered his gaze to her delicate and bright eyes.

Shen Changyuan smiled, “Shuangxu dances very well.”

“Alright,” He Tingzhou said in his slow and leisurely tone, placing his champagne glass on a nearby table and extending a hand towards her.

Shuangxu placed her hand in his, and He Tingzhou took hold of it.

As they entered the dance floor, the music had changed to “Por Una Cabeza.” Shuangxu held He Tingzhou’s hand with one hand, her left arm carefully resting on his shoulder.

He Tingzhou’s right hand rested lightly on her back, their bodies maintaining a visible distance.

This awkwardness, juxtaposed with the intimacy of the previous night, created a stark contrast. The subtle touch in public felt like light feathers, tickling Shuangxu’s nerves.

Especially since He Tingzhou’s fingertips rested on her shoulder blades, like a subtle form of possession.

The first part of this tango melody was languid and light. Shuangxu followed the music, asking in their intimate space, “Did you bite me yesterday?”

He Tingzhou lowered his lashes, his gaze falling on her side face, his voice as light and lazy as his eyes, “Where are you asking about?”

Shuangxu immediately felt nervous, wanting to rush back to her room to thoroughly examine her body, “You bit me in more than one place?”

Besides her back, there must be other places too.

He Tingzhou seemed completely relaxed, “I can’t say for sure. I was driven by lust, how would I remember?”

“…”

“Can you not leave marks on me next time?” Shuangxu pleaded with him, “It’s easy to be discovered.”

“Just don’t take your clothes off in front of others, then,” He Tingzhou said casually, “Who will discover it?”

…Why was he so confident?

Shuangxu gritted her teeth, “Can’t you just not do it? Then I don’t have to worry about being discovered.”

As her words landed, the melody shifted to the upbeat B section, and she was pulled away by He Tingzhou, spun around, and pulled back into his arms with a forceful embrace at the peak of the music.

He was so close, his cool lips brushed against her ear as he spoke:

“No. It’s easier for you to manage your own clothes than to manage me.”

Shuangxu quickly distanced herself with the dance steps, afraid that if she hesitated for a second, someone would see their secret rendezvous.

With each change in rhythm, He Tingzhou would embrace her in full view of everyone.

Shuangxu had never danced such a frantic dance. Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, each turn felt like being thrown into the air and then landing back on a tightrope.

He Tingzhou’s lips curled into a careless smile, the slight upward curve at the corners of his eyes clearly enjoying her distress.

“You’re so nervous even while dancing,” he said, “You should change your name to Song Nervous.”

The music ended, and Shuangxu immediately stepped back, afraid that if she stayed for a second longer, people would notice their secret affair.

Shen Changyuan was looking for Shen Yu, but he couldn’t find him anywhere. He asked Fu Yun, “Where is A Yu?”

Not only him, but Fu Yun hadn’t seen Shen Yu for a while either. She looked around but couldn’t find him. She asked Shuangxu, “Where is your brother?”

“I’ll go look for him.” Shuangxu seized the opportunity to leave.

She found him in the outdoor pavilion where Shen Yu usually stayed.

All the guests were gathered in the garden. This area wasn’t decorated, the lights were sparse. When Shuangxu arrived, Shen Yu was sitting in a rattan chair smoking.

“Ge, why are you here? Uncle Bai wants to talk to you about the resort project.”

The smoke obscured Shen Yu’s features. He sat there without moving, calling out to her, “Xiao Jiu, come here.”

The summer night was warm, but his voice sounded like it had a wind that didn’t belong to this season. Shuangxu was accustomed to his gentleness, and she was sensitive to any slight change in him.

After talking with Old Master Zheng, his mood didn’t seem very high.

Shuangxu sat on the chair next to him, “Brother, what did you talk about with Old Master Zheng?”

Shen Yu extinguished his cigarette, a reassuring smile playing on his lips, “He promised that he won’t let Zheng Zuye harass you anymore.”

This was great news, like the moment when the bamboo leaf green snake was thrown off the cliff, it brought a sense of relief.

“Then why aren’t you happy?” Shuangxu asked him.

Shen Yu’s calm gaze rested on her face. After a long silence, he asked her, “You didn’t tell me about Zheng Zuye drugging you.”

Shuangxu was taken aback.

Shen Yu asked again, “Did Zifeng take you away?”

His tone was very light, afraid that any hint of sharpness, even the smallest, would hurt her.

Shuangxu didn’t lie to him, “It was Brother Tingzhou.”

Shen Yu was slightly stunned, “Tingzhou?”

“Brother Tingzhou saved me, –>>

“I called a doctor. Nothing happened that day.” Shuangxu was afraid he would misunderstand, even though she and He Tingzhou were no longer innocent.

How could Zheng Zuye say that Yue Zifeng took her away?

Shen Yu took a few seconds to sort out the chaotic relationships in this matter. So, He Tingzhou saved Shuangxu, worried that Zheng Zuye would target her because of him, and left Yue Zifeng’s name to do good deeds.

Shen Yu rubbed his temples, knowing that she wasn’t bullied, the heavy feeling eased slightly.

The banquet was bustling with noise, the night was driven away by the dazzling lights, gathering densely around the pavilion.

“Little Nine, are you disappointed in your brother?” Shen Yu suddenly asked.

Shuangxu answered without hesitation: “No.”

“Then why, when you were in danger, you didn’t immediately look for me, and you didn’t tell me afterwards. Do you think your brother can’t protect you anymore?”

His tone was still gentle, but his eyes looking at her at this moment made Shuangxu feel a little sad.

She wanted to tell him at the time, but all sorts of things piled up together, making her slowly feel that she was a burden to Shen Yu, a burden that everyone hoped he would throw away.

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you, I don’t want to trouble you.” Shuangxu said, “Besides, I’m grown up now, I should…”

“So you don’t need your brother anymore?” Shen Yu asked.

Shuangxu shook her head: “No. You’ll always be my brother, I’ll always need you.”

“I’m sorry, Little Nine.” Shen Yu said, “When you need your brother, I’m always not around.”

“Brother, don’t apologize to me, you’ve been great to me.”

She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand that Shen Yu was most unwilling to see her get hurt, she didn’t understand his mood when he found out that she no longer relied on him.

Shen Yu’s palm rested on her head, very lightly, the action concealed deep self-blame.

That kind of gentleness reminded Shuangxu of her childhood, the ten years he had created for her, a fairytale world without worries.

In that world, she had all of Shen Yu’s attention and love.

A feeling of sourness spread up her nose, Shuangxu’s emotions fluctuated a little, just then, a scream suddenly came from a distance:

“Ah~~! Master Zhou fell into the water!”