Chapter 44

Waiting for an answer for a long time, Shen Chutang felt the cold wind blow into her heart, chilling her whole body.

The meaningless silence of confrontation, Shen Chutang turned and walked away, her leather shoes clicking on the stone slabs.

Shi Chengyu panicked and chased after her, grabbing her wrist, “Tangtang.”

He couldn’t explain, neither the false rumors nor his true actions.

“Don’t touch me.” Shen Chutang’s voice was cold.

This was the first time Shen Chutang had spoken to Shi Chengyu like this in so many years, as if she was utterly disappointed.

Everyone knew that Shen Sichen had a severe cleanliness fetish, but Shen Chutang was the same, and her mental cleanliness fetish was even more severe.

She couldn’t accept Shi Chengyu touching her with hands that had touched someone else.

Shi Chengyu held her icy wrist, his whole body trembling. He didn’t know if his palm was colder or his heart was colder, but he didn’t dare to let go, “Tangtang, I can explain, but not now. Can we go inside first?”

Shen Chutang didn’t want to stay here anymore. She just wanted to go home. She struggled twice, but Shi Chengyu held her tightly, his hand on her wrist didn’t move an inch.

“Why can’t you say it now?” Shen Chutang asked him, turning around, trying to break free from his grip, “Shi Chengyu, I’m not a child anymore. I’m not stupid.”

She cried, her voice full of grievance and anger, not understanding why he always kept things from her.

“Let me go.”

Shi Chengyu choked up as well, “Tangtang…”

“Slap!”

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Chutang had already slapped him. Her palm was numb from the impact. Taking advantage of Shi Chengyu’s stunned moment, she pulled her hand away and turned to leave without hesitation.

Shi Chengyu quickly followed, walking step by step behind her, not daring to say another word.

Before entering the banquet hall, Shen Chutang stood at the door for a while, wiping away her tears. Shi Chengyu put his suit jacket over her shoulders and said softly, “Clean.”

Shen Chutang felt a mixture of bitterness and sourness in her heart. So he did know about her cleanliness fetish.

She didn’t say anything, just pulled the jacket off her shoulders and threw it on the ground, then pushed open the door and went inside.

Shi Chengyu watched the jacket slide off her shoulders, his heart seemed to fall to the ground at the same time.

He bent down to pick up the jacket, draped it over his arm, and then followed her inside.

The lights in the banquet hall were very bright, and the bright red slap mark on Shi Chengyu’s face was too eye-catching. When he walked in, the entire banquet hall fell silent.

He seemed oblivious, walking towards Shen Chutang.

Shen Chutang walked quickly, almost running to Shen Sujing’s side, trembling all over, grabbing his sleeve, barely able to suppress her sobs, “Brother, I want…I want to go home.”

Shen Sujing quickly took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders, patting her back, “What’s wrong? Okay, okay, don’t cry. I’ll take you home.”

Shen Chutang nodded, her whole body shaking violently.

Shen Sujing put his arm around her shoulders and walked outside. Shi Chengyu followed, but he just stayed behind.

Shen Sujing sent her to the car, turned around and saw Shi Chengyu following, along with the slap mark on his face, “Brother Chengyu, you…”

“Please apologize to Tangtang for me. Her hand is probably swollen. She needs to ice it when she gets home. It’s cold outside today. Get someone to make her some ginger and jujube tea when you get back. I…” A suppressed cry came through the car window. Shi Chengyu couldn’t say another word. He took a step back, “You take her home first.”

Shen Sujing was a little confused, nodded at him, then got into the car. The crying got louder and then quieter. Shi Chengyu stood there, like a soulless corpse.

As soon as the car drove away, Shen Chutang burst into tears, burying her face in Shen Sujing’s shoulder and crying her heart out. Tears fell like broken beads, soaking a large patch of Shen Sujing’s clothes.

Shen Sujing didn’t know what happened, but he patted her back and comforted her, “It’s okay, it’s okay, Tangtang. We’re almost home.”

Shen Chutang cried all the way, her voice hoarse by the end. She huddled listlessly in Shen Sujing’s arms.

She finally calmed down, and Shen Sujing didn’t dare to ask her anything. He sent her back to her room and watched her fall asleep before leaving.

Shen Chutang didn’t sleep well. She woke up several times during the night. Each time she checked her phone, only a few minutes had passed. There were many messages on WeChat, but she didn’t want to see any of them. She simply turned off her phone.

Seeing that she wasn’t feeling well, Shen Sujing got her excused from school, but she spent the whole day in her room, saying she wasn’t feeling rested. She woke up and fell asleep, fell asleep and woke up, and only ate a few bites of food.

He went to ask Shi Chengyu, but Shi Chengyu didn’t say what happened. He just told him to take care of Tangtang.

The slap mark on Shi Chengyu’s face had faded, leaving only a faint red mark.

Lin Shulang was startled. Shi Chengyu hadn’t rested for a day and a night. He had a crucial meeting out of town tomorrow. He couldn’t help but remind him, “Mr. Shi, you should rest first. You have an important meeting tomorrow.”

Shi Chengyu rubbed his temples and asked, “Is everything taken care of over there?”

“Everything is taken care of, Mr. Shi. It was my negligence this time.” Lin Shulang was very self-blaming. This was the first time he had made such a serious mistake in his work.

Losing his bonus and performance was a minor matter, but if he lost his job, it would be hard for him to find another job in Beijing.

Last night, he received a message that someone was looking for Shi Chengyu at the entrance of the banquet hall. He rushed over and saw Zhang Yueting. The alarm bells went off, and he wanted to take her away.

But Zhang Yueting said she just wanted to see Shi Chengyu, otherwise she would make a scene here.

Lin Shulang made the most regrettable decision of his life, bringing her in through the back door.

Shi Chengyu was originally going downstairs to find Shen Chutang, but after hearing Lin Shulang’s words, he thought for a moment, then went to the backyard.

Zhang Yueting stood in the cold wind, shivering. She was unwilling to accept this. Rather than being treated like a pet, she wanted to try it. What did it matter if she was kept? Especially by someone like Shi Chengyu.

Seeing him come over, Zhang Yueting’s frozen face forced a smile, “Mr. Shi.”

Shi Chengyu didn’t answer. He just looked at her wearing that white dress, very similar to the one Shen Chutang wore in Switzerland last time, and his brows furrowed deeply.

“I heard…that the person Mr. Shi likes hasn’t reached adulthood yet?” Zhang Yueting asked. He didn’t expect such a ruthless person to have a moral bottom line.

“What are you trying to say.” Shi Chengyu’s face instantly turned cold.

“Since Mr. Shi is paying to keep me, I’m naturally willing to do more. What she can’t give Mr. Shi, I can.”

Zhang Yueting moved closer, her heart pounding, but she held her breath and approached Shi Chengyu.

When Zhang Yueting suddenly lunged at him, Shi Chengyu dodged in time, looking coldly at the person lying on the ground, “You think too highly of yourself.”

Her frozen arms and knees hit the ground, burning with pain. Zhang Yueting watched those leather shoes pass by, without a moment’s hesitation, as if afraid of getting something dirty if she was a second late. She suddenly understood. Shi Chengyu didn’t have a moral bottom line, but all his tenderness was reserved for that one person.