Chapter 6.4

That laughter was like the sound of the last snowflake falling onto the snowy field before an avalanche, quiet yet indicating a terrifying power.

Yan Zhao looked at the source of the sound without realizing it. Shen Yuanting’s palms were facing outwards, and the back of his hands was against his face, blocking his eyes, but the corners of his mouth were tilted up. The arc of his smile was extremely sharp, as if it was taken from a knife. A knife that can easily slit the throat of a lone wolf.

His shoulders trembled, his chest filled with suppressed laughter.

Yan Zhao: “???”

— What’s so funny? Is my impromptu performance that excellent? Can I consider a career in variety shows?

Shen Yuanting laughed, and the snow on the mountain began to roll down, dispersing the white snow mist, covering everything.

His laughter wasn’t loud, but in a room so quiet that you could hear the dust falling, it sent shivers down the spine.

In the room, both Tang Jingyan and Shen Zhongkai looked at him in confusion, as if they had seen a lunatic holding an umbrella filled with mushrooms. Shen Zhuo’s face, however, turned pale in an instant. He rushed over from the opposite side, grabbed Shen Yuanting’s arm, and rebuked with a trembling voice, “What’s wrong with you?!”

With a ‘smack,’ Shen Yuanting mercilessly opened his hand, raised a pair of his eyes as cold as ice, and said smilingly, “I just found it funny, so I laughed. What’s the problem?”

The slightly upturned corners of his eyes, the light-colored eyes like glass beads, were simply identical to Yu Wei.

Shen Zhuo swallowed his saliva and mustered the courage to say, “You are simply inexplicable!”

“Yes, I am just that kind of person.” Shen Yuanting didn’t argue with him. He casually inserted his hands into his pockets and lazily leaned against the back of the chair.

He and Shen Zhuo, one sitting and one standing, theoretically speaking, the standing one should have more momentum, but it was Shen Yuanting who was the dominant one.

“Aren’t we supposed to have dinner?” Ignoring the grumbling Shen father, Shen Yuanting raised his chin and asked Tang Jingyan, “Auntie Tang, where’s the food?”

Tang Jingyan, seeing his unpredictable demeanor for the first time, and felt uneasy. She thought he was giving everyone a way out, she quickly told the servant hiding in the corner playing dead, “Why are you standing there foolishly? Serve the dishes!”

Shen Yuanting stared boredly as dish after dish was placed on the dining table. There was only the dull sound of dishes being placed on the tablecloth in the entire restaurant, which was extremely boring.

But.

He remembered something amusing he had just discovered, he couldn’t help but curve his lips, and looked at the person next to him, coincidentally meeting eye-to-eye with him.

Yan Zhao looked at him in confusion, like a squirrel holding hazelnuts and diving into a cage.

Just now, is it a silent blackening? Or was it his imagination?

Regardless, Yan Zhao first forced out a commercial smile, feeling that this smile was perfect, friendly, and polite.

Shen Yuanting chuckled and turned his head in a good mood.

Yan Zhao: “…” What are you laughing at!!!

The meal went quiet harmonious. Shen Yuanting quickly returned to his cold and elegant CEO image, not suddenly undermining anyone nor starting to laugh with a low sense of humor.

Yan Zhao stopped eating when he was seventy percent full, but a piece of boiled meat was placed in his bowl. The meat slices came from a bowl filled with fiery red chilli peppers, already well-flavored. Before even tasting it, he could imagine the tender, smooth, and spicy taste.

Following the direction of the chopsticks, Yan Zhao shifted his gaze. President Shen supported his chin, with half of his eyes covered by his bangs, staring at him blatantly.”

— Damn, what’s wrong with him? He’s been acting strange since a while ago.

Yan Zhao asked cautiously, “… Aren’t you eating?”

Shen Yuanting said, “I’m full.”

You’re full and yet you’re feeding others?

It’s just a piece of meat, not too high in calories. Moreover, the chef at the Shen family has worked as a head chef in international restaurants, mastering the perfect timing for the dishes. Without much thought, Yan Zhao ate it.

Another piece of evenly marbled sweet and sour spare ribs, coated with sauce, entered his bowl.

Yan Zhao bit into the spare ribs and muttered, “Thanks, but don’t feed me.”

Shen Yuanting with chopsticks in hand said, “You don’t have to eat it, but I want to feed you.”

What a weird habit you have.

Yan Zhao complained, “Feed yourself then!”

Shen Yuanting lowered his eyes, and his eyelashes cast shadows beneath them. He lazily said, “That’s boring.”

Yan Zhao: “???”

— Feeding me is not boring??? Are you really sick???

The remaining three people sat across from them. They watching Shen Yuanting, like a virtuous wife and good mother, served dishes to Yan Zhao. Tang Jingyan smiled on her red lips, but she was actually gritting her teeth. Shen Zhongkai was completely clueless, somehow transitioning from a family drama to a pure love film with just a blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Shen’s father had a complex expression, wanting to angrily flip the dining table but afraid of making his eldest son turn into that sinister man again.

Moreover, he had never seen his eldest son feed anyone before, so when something unusual happens, there must be something fishy going on.

In the end, Shen Yuanting served Yan Zhao a bit of every dish on the table, piling a small mountain in his bowl. Yan Zhao picked and ate the sweet and spicy ones, but his stomach didn’t feel stuffed.

Yan Zhao touched his still flat stomach shamelessly and thought: I am truly a qualified idol. My manager should pay me.

Shen Yuanting, on the other hand, crossed his arms, his eyes seemingly fixed on the empty bowl but actually staring into space.

In these past few days, memories of Yan Zhao and their time together kept replaying in Shen Yuanting’s mind, capturing every detail.

But those memories were ultimately torn apart by the rolling wheels of a suitcase, transforming into a bustling airport scene ——

Yu Wei, without any makeup, her lips naturally red, bent down and gently held his face, saying, “I can finally get rid of you.”

His clenched fist was pried open by someone. Shen Yuanting turned his head indifferently, while Yan Zhao pressed his fingertips, bending each joint inward, and clenched his fist again. He raised his head, smiled, and explained, “Proper behavior is based on reciprocity.”^[1]Proper behavior is based on reciprocity is an idiom = To return politeness for politeness

Those once disdainful eyes, as dark as ink, now carried a hint of confusion.

Shen Yuanting opened his hand, and the candy wrapper made a soothing crisp sound.

The marshmallow lying in the center was white and flat, a common strawberry flavor. When squeezed, pink syrup would flow out.

Shen Yuanting raised his eyes, smiled at Yan Zhao, his eyebrows and eyes curved, as if a comforting moonlit night.

With a slight tilt of his head, the radiance in his eyes faded, replaced by hidden turmoil.