Chapter 29

The young girls in the group were still chatting lively. Yan Zhao replied with, [Something came up], and opened the space capsule cat bag, then tossed a catnip ball inside.

Wang Zai bent down, slid in with a swish. It was only when the zipper of the cat bag was pulled up, and it could only look out at people through the transparent curved plastic, that Wang Zai realized it had been deceived by the two-legged creatures!

“Meow! Meow!”

Facing the little fellow inside the cat bag meowing non-stop, Yan Zhao held the cat bag and made eye contact with it, and comforted, “I’ll let you out once we’re in the car.”

Wang Zai’s cat ears twitched as if it understood his words, and it peacefully rested inside the bag without any panic.

Shen Yuanting closed the windows at home, locked the study, put on a casual jacket from the coat rack, descended the stairs leisurely, and happened to see Yan Zhao carrying the newly purchased cat bag, like carrying a backpack, with a somewhat naive student vibe.

Shen Yuanting grabbed a hat and put it on him, saying, “Let’s go, little student.”

Yan Zhao grabbed the shoulder strap in cooperation: “Sure, Teacher Shen, wait for me!”

The scenes of “You in Teaching Building 7” in the past few days focused on Lu Yinnan. The director, seeing Yan Zhao working hard both as an actor and a teacher, gave him three days off to rest and recharge, aiming to come back and finish the scenes in one go for the wrap-up celebration.

Coincidentally, the schedule for “The Great Mystery” was approaching, and Yan Zhao felt uneasy, so he thought about getting an amulet for protection.

Yes, he sought an amulet. As a successor of socialism, he deeply knew that to eliminate feudal superstition, he had to infiltrate the enemy camp, seek an amulet, and then criticize these money-making psychological comforts. It’s not because he was timid!

So Shen Yuanting found the nearest and most effective Taoist temple for him to visit, taking a two-day short-term self-driving trip.

In the vast underground parking lot, it was somewhat empty. Shen Yuanting didn’t have an obsession with luxury cars like some wealthy people, so he only bought a dozen or so cars, all in plain black. However, now, there was a flamboyant red Ferrari parked inside.

Wang Zai couldn’t wait to jump out of the cat bag and immediately claimed his territory as if inspecting his domain.

“You’ve changed,” Yan Zhao said as he lifted Wang Zai onto his lap and fastened the seatbelt. “You’re no longer the low-key CEO you used to be.”

Shen Yuanting gave a meaningful “Oh” and asked him, “Is this car nice?”

Yan Zhao, who liked red, of course wouldn’t say no: “It looks great.”

Shen Yuanting’s lips curled up as he held the car keys. “How about I give it to you?”

Yan Zhao stared at him with wide eyes. “You bought it for me?” No wonder it’s a flamboyant red. Am I that flamboyant? Yes, I am.

Shen Yuanting wasn’t short of money, and Yan Zhao wasn’t either. Given their relationship, declining at this point would be too hypocritical, so he leaned back in his seat without hesitation, waved his hand like a big boss instructing his secretary, “I’ll take it, but you drive.”

It wasn’t convenient to bring the cat to the scenic area, so Shen Yuanting first took Wang Zai to stay at a friend’s house, then drove Yan Zhao to the foot of the mountain. Beneath the sky, there were faint green mountains, resembling ink-washed mountains in traditional Chinese paintings.

Shen Yuanting had told Yan Zhao that Sheng Xin and Ying Hongyu would also come here, so when he saw two familiar faces getting out of another luxury car, Yan Zhao wasn’t surprised.

Sheng Xin came over familiarly, chatting with Yan Zhao about everything from today’s temperature to air humidity, and then moved on to talk about famous snacks on the mountain.

Yan Zhao felt that he had ill intentions, so he replied to him with a perfunctory “Hmm, okay.”

Sheng Xin, with a cold face after being dumped, awkwardly pulled Ying Hongyu aside and whispered in his ear, “It seems that Yan Zhao has some misunderstandings about me.”

“Because your performance just now was too disgusting…” Ying Hongyu paused and changed his statement, “Too familiar, he and you are not familiar.”

Sheng Xin: “…” If you’re going to change your words, don’t say the original ones in full.

Sheng Xin did have ulterior motives on this trip. His impression of Yan Zhao still lingered on the scoundrel who lacked acting skills, had no attitude, and liked to look down on people with his nostrils a long time ago. Recently, the scoundrel seemed to have turned over a new leaf, not only gaining favor with Ying Hongyu, but also gradually improving his online reputation. What he found hard to believe the most was that Shen Yuanting had actually hooked up with him!

Yes, he used to have some doubts about this fact, but when he saw Yan Zhao getting out of the Ferrari, those doubts turned into certainty. He had wondered why Shen Yuanting suddenly asked him, ‘Which type of car do boys like?’ At that time, he even presumptuously thought that Shen Yuanting was inquiring about what birthday present he wanted. Well, it turned out that he shouldn’t have any delusions about this trashy childhood friend who gave him “Huanggang Secret Volume”^[1]Huanggang Secret Volume is a set of college entrance examination reference books popular in the supplementary education market in mainland China. in high school and “18 Lectures on Advanced Mathematics for Graduate Admissions” in college.

Sheng Xin’s only goal today was human observation. If Yan Zhao was pretending to be a good person to deceive Shen Yuanting, he would expose them even if it meant falling out with both of them!

The Taoist temple was on the mountaintop, and to appear more devout, they decided to take the mountain path.

Birds were chirping in the mountains, and many flowers were about to bloom, giving off a spring-like atmosphere.

Halfway through, there was a flat riverbank with various sized pebbles piled up, forming makeshift stoves.

Yan Zhao went to ask the big sister under the thatched grass shed, and the big sister, speaking Mandarin with an accent, said, “Those are used for grilling fish.”

The mountain terrain was steep, and despite the well-maintained mountain path, climbing required considerable effort. Yan Zhao was a bit hungry, and he suggested, “How about we grill some fish?”

Everyone agreed without hesitation.

A fire was lit, and the seasoned fish was placed on the grill. The surface quickly turned golden brown, but it would take some time to fully cook the inside.

Due to poor signal in the mountains, Yan Zhao couldn’t sit still and went to the riverbank.

He squatted down and used his hands to scoop water. Despite the warmer weather, Yan Zhao, wearing a hoodie, found it a bit hot under the sun. Surprisingly, the river water was as cool as if it had been chilled.

Yan Zhao turned his head, and Shen Yuanting happened to have his back to him, a long and slender neck visible under his black collar, with a slightly indistinct protrusion at the end of the bone.

Yan Zhao remembered that bone was called the spinous process.

As if sensing each other, Shen Yuanting turned his head and made eye contact. He ignored the fish being grilled, propped up his knees and walked toward Yan Zhao.

“The water here is so cool; it must be comfortable in the summer,” Yan Zhao remarked.

Shen Yuanting, testing the water temperature with his hand, twirled his fingertip. “You can come if you want to come in the summer.”

“My schedule is pretty packed,” Yan Zhao said. “Not sure if I can squeeze in time.”

Shen Yuanting replied, “As long as you want to, there will be time.”

The implied meaning is that, no matter what it is, I can arrange it for you.

Having a big shot backing you up means you can do whatever you want! Yan Zhao smiled at him, feeling a mix of being taken care of (?) and a little touched. As a gesture of gratitude, he scooped up a handful of ice-cold water from the river and splashed it towards Shen Yuanting before quickly running away.

—’As long as I run fast enough, Shen Juju won’t be able to catch me—’

That’s ridiculous. Isn’t Shen Yuanting sitting in the office? Why is his reaction so fast?!!!

“I don’t have a sugar rush!” Yan Zhao was captured by Shen Yuanting from behind, the man pressing against his back like a mountain, his body heat seeping through the thin fabric.

Shen Yuanting forced him to reflect by the river. Yan Zhao squatted down, with an evil spirit behind him, he said sincerely , “I shouldn’t have physically attacked President Shen by taking advantage of his trust. I apologize to humanity; I am a sinner of history.”

Shen Yuanting: “…” This apology feels a bit heavy.

Shen Yuanting hugged his shoulders, his hot breath brushing against Yan Zhao’s earlobe. “How do you plan to make amends?”

Yan Zhao pondered and came up with a response, “How about I do a split for you?”

“…” Shen Yuanting fell silent for a moment, contemplating his thought process. “Alright, do it now.”

Yan Zhao: “Doing it in broad daylight doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Shen Yuanting: “How about in a secluded place? Then come to my room at night.”

Yan Zhao: “…”

Although he received an invitation for an overnight stay, it seems like it’s not the kind he wanted.

After finishing the fish, the four continued their journey towards the summit. During the trek, Ying Hongyu felt a bit fatigued, so he asked Sheng Xin to accompany him for a rest, while Yan Zhao and they agreed to meet at the Taoist temple.

In the off-season, the Taoist temple was tranquil, with few visitors, all dressed in Taoist robes.

Yan Zhao initially planned to offer prayers and then seek amulets. As he stepped out of the temple, a black cat slipped by his legs, deliberately brushing its tail against him. Yan Zhao lowered his head, but the cat had already gone, leaving behind two divination sticks. Yan Zhao picked them up, one indicating great fortune, and the other, a minor misfortune.

The inscriptions on the sticks were in cryptic ancient characters. Yan Zhao showed them to Shen Yuanting, who furrowed his brow for a moment before explaining, “One says you’ll encounter a benefactor, and your desires will be fulfilled. The other mentions a clash of fate, but the negative energy can be reversed into good fortune.”

Yan Zhao asked, “Which one is mine?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “The first one.”

Yan Zhao laughed, “So you have a bit of misfortune in your destiny? Well, I’ll share some good luck with you.”

Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting then went to play with the stray cats and dogs in the Taoist temple. When Ying Hongyu and Sheng Xin caught up, they all went together to seek protective talismans.

Two Taoist priests were sweeping the courtyard. Seeing visitors, the older one leaned the broom against a tree and approached to promote their amulets.

Considering the potential bad luck from the minor misfortune sticks, Yan Zhao, with the professionals nearby, handed the sticks to the Taoist and asked, “Master, is there a solution for this ominous sign?”

The older Taoist scratched his head in a daze and handed the sticks to the young Taoist. The young Taoist lifted his eyelid and said, “Yes, a lack of insight can be overcome.”

“…” Yan Zhao turned to reveal Shen Yuanting behind him, and said, “This stick belongs to him.”

The young Taoist glanced at Shen Yuanting but remained silent.

Sheng Xin curiously stretched his neck to look, saying, “Old Shen, you also drew a minor misfortune? I thought you only pull SSR.”

Shen Yuanting just smiled, “After all, it’s a matter of probability.”

The young Taoist, with a playful look in his eyes, shook his head.

Yan Zhao explained their purpose to the Taoists. The older Taoist glanced at the young Taoist and said, “Please wait, let me go get the amulets.”

The two Taoists left together and returned shortly, handing over four amulets.

Yan Zhao and the others received golden amulets, while Sheng Xin got a red one. Sheng Xin asked, “Why is mine a different color?”

The young Taoist chuckled, “You have good luck.”

As the four left, the older Taoist said nervously, “Senior brother, does this count as deceiving the customers?”

The young Taoist sat on the ground, and said, “The one surnamed Sheng has a life of wealth and prosperity. He may not have many of my amulets, but he doesn’t lack them either. As for his three friends…”

The older Taoist sighed, “But even so, you can’t give him a talisman for having children.”