After changing into loungewear, Su Xingque went downstairs to the dining room. The butler was in the middle of directing the chefs to serve the dishes. Seeing Su Xingque approach, he actively pulled out a chair for him and asked,
“Has the Young Master not woken up yet? Shall I go upstairs and call him down for dinner?”
Su Xingque had no intention of hiding the real nature of their relationship. He spoke up, stopping the butler who had already taken a few steps. “Don’t bother with him.”
“Also, clear out the guest bedroom on the second floor for him to stay in.”
Having served the Su family for many years, the butler knew there were underlying reasons that outsiders could not pry into. He naturally stopped asking, arranged things according to Su Xingque’s instructions, and quietly told the kitchen to keep a portion of food aside for a late-night snack.
After spending half the day interacting with Shen Zhu, he quite liked the boy’s personality. He was willing to use his position to offer small conveniences to make the child’s days in the Su household a little less difficult.
The ancestral mansion was sprawling, but the servants were relatively few. Combined with Su Xingque’s naturally quiet demeanor and his innate aura of aloofness, the estate was always kept in a state of pin-drop silence.
With only the faint clinking of cutlery echoing in the air, Su Xingque quickly finished his dinner. He then headed to the study to handle several international projects that could only be managed at night due to the time difference.
The dining room was positioned directly across from the small terrace on the second floor. Su Xingque keenly sensed a gaze coming from above. When he looked up, a small head quickly ducked behind the carved wooden railing.
Is he really that fond of looking at me? Su Xingque’s gaze lingered for a few seconds before he looked away as if nothing had happened.
This time, the business partners he was dealing with were particularly difficult. They were demanding and constantly proposing new revisions. Su Xingque had personally led his team to work on this for nearly half a month, yet every time they presented a proposal, the other party would pick out countless trivial issues.
If it weren’t for the other party’s extremely high reputation and status in the industry, Su Xingque would never have had the patience to drag things out with them for this long.
With their latest proposal completely rejected once again, Su Xingque could feel his temper fraying. During the video conference, he demanded to know exactly what parts of their work were falling short.
The representative of the opposing company was arrogant, spouting a bunch of diplomatic platitudes while implying that the Su Group was only lucky to be collaborating with them this time.
The wall clock had already ticked past midnight. With a grim face, Su Xingque listened to his subordinate host the closing remarks of the meeting. He disconnected the video call and immediately continued with an internal meeting for his own project team.
Everyone was miserable, but since the big boss had ordered them to fight this project to the bitter end, they had no choice but to pull an all-nighter at the expense of their hairlines.
Once the corrective measures were clearly defined, Su Xingque leaned back against his chair, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples.
A soft knock sounded at the door of the study, carrying a hesitant pause in between.
Normally, when Su Xingque stayed up late to work, the butler would bring up coffee or tea. Without thinking much of it, he said, “Come in.”
The door slowly creaked open a crack. A few seconds later, a slender figure slipped inside.
Seeing Su Xingque resting with his eyes closed, Shen Zhu held his breath. He hooked his slippers with his toes to avoid making any tapping sounds.
He hadn’t been idle this evening either. He had pestered the butler with detailed questions about Su Xingque’s daily routine and personal preferences, noting everything down in his phone’s memo pad to review at any time.
Sensing that the intruder’s movements were different from usual, Su Xingque abruptly opened his eyes. He saw Shen Zhu standing beside him with a tray, preparing to set a coffee cup down by his hand.
“Who allowed you in here?” Stressed and angry from the backlog of work, Su Xingque was already looking for an outlet to vent his frustration, and someone had just willingly walked right into his line of fire.
The hand holding the cup froze in mid-air. Like a startled deer, Shen Zhu shrank back, his eyelids dropping to hide the light in his eyes.
Seeing his timid, submissive appearance, Su Xingque was instantly reminded of those incompetent employees who only knew how to apologize when they messed up a project. He reached out and shoved the cup away.
“Do you actually not understand a word I say?”
His swipe was sudden. Shen Zhu didn’t have time to dodge, and could only watch helplessly as scalding hot coffee splashed all over his hand and sleeve. The ceramic cup fell onto the floor and shattered with a loud crash.
“Ah!” Shen Zhu gasped instinctively.
Disregarding the stinging pain on his hand and forearm, he quickly squatted down to pick up the broken ceramic shards onto the tray.
He had originally intended to test whether Su Xingque’s warning this afternoon to “stay out of his sight” had just been spoken in anger. He hadn’t expected things to backfire so spectacularly, catching Su Xingque at his most irritable moment.
Whether those words were true or false remained unknown, but he had managed to get himself gloriously injured again.
Though Shen Zhu was complaining bitterly in his mind, his actions remained perfectly in character.
“I’m sorry, Sir,” Shen Zhu said, quickly crouching to gather the ceramic shards. “I was only worried you were too tired.”
Su Xingque let out a cold snort. “And you aren’t tired of doing this?”
The words left Shen Zhu momentarily dazed. He couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the ceramic shards, and the sharp edges sliced into his skin, drawing blood.
“I wanted to keep you company, Sir,” Shen Zhu said without looking up, his voice muffled as if he were talking to himself. “How could I feel tired when I like someone?”
The sarcastic curl of Su Xingque’s lips faltered for a second. He let out a dry laugh. “Do you like me, or do you like my money?”
A cold sweat instantly broke out across his back. Shen Zhu’s limbs turned rigid, and he swallowed hard.
Is he really a shrewd business fox seven years my senior? He saw through my goals in an instant.
“I like you, Sir,” Shen Zhu’s mind raced as he put on a bashful act. “Because you are a very incredible person.”
“There are plenty of incredible people out there.” Su Xingque clearly wasn’t buying it. “Isn’t it just that upstart father of yours who wants money?”
“I can give him the amount he wants, and I can give you a share as well.”
“Divorce me once you get the money. How about it?” Su Xingque narrowed his eyes, offering a chip he assumed was enticing enough to sway Shen Zhu.
Hearing this, Shen Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Xingque believed he had been forced to marry into the family by his father to beg for business alliances and resources; he hadn’t suspected that his submissive personality was an act.
“I don’t want it,” Shen Zhu said, his tone turning firmer.
He was playing the long game to catch the biggest fish; he wouldn’t settle for this measly amount of hush money!
Su Xingque didn’t want to continue entangling himself with Shen Zhu. Unilaterally ending the conversation, he stood up, preparing to move to a different room to work.
But just as he was about to step away, a small hand loosely snagged the hem of his trousers.
With reddened eyes, Shen Zhu looked up at him. “Please wait a moment, Sir. Be careful not to step on the glass.”
The person crouching on the floor looked like a tiny, curled-up ball. Even though his own hand was injured, he was still frantic about Su Xingque’s safety.
Does he really like me that much? Su Xingque didn’t realize this was the second time today he had hesitated.
Unfortunately, none of this was enough to move him. Shen Zhu’s family background was too poor, and he lacked any personal ability to assist him in his career. He was simply not fit to maintain a long-term marriage with him.
Su Xingque silently sat back down, crossing his legs and pressing down on the fabric Shen Zhu had just touched.
The moment Shen Zhu had touched him, a subtle, static-like current seemed to ripple through his body. A large portion of his previous irritation and gloom dissipated, like a gentle breeze clearing away the dark clouds right before a storm.
How could there be such a bizarre sensation?
Su Xingque stared blankly at the dark computer screen, lost in thought.