After Shen Zhu left, Su Xingque picked up his phone and once again reviewed the medical expert’s conclusion that Wilson had just sent over:
Inherent emotional-soothing capabilities.
That was how the expert described Shen Zhu.
Su Xingque had sensed something was off the day after they got their marriage license, when he realized his productivity shot up whenever he sat near Shen Zhu. After a few more encounters, he became increasingly certain that there was something fundamentally different about the boy.
Today, after witnessing the representative’s bizarre, sudden attitude shift upon seeing Shen Zhu, Su Xingque confirmed his suspicions. He had quickly written down a description of his observations and had Wilson forward them to a medical expert in the relevant field.
According to the expert, the mechanism behind this soothing effect was related to the unique scent signature every individual naturally emits. While these scents are typically dictated by daily habits and diet and have no special properties, a small fraction of the population possesses a distinct genetic makeup. Consequently, the scent they emit carries unexpected, therapeutic effects.
Simply put, Shen Zhu was a walking, talking human diffuser.
So, he isn’t completely useless after all, Su Xingque thought, silently plotting how to use this to his advantage against his notoriously difficult clients.
Utterly oblivious to the fact that Su Xingque had just classified him as a corporate tool, Shen Zhu was dizzy with excitement over finally gaining the freedom to move about the estate.
He dumped the lunch box onto the front seat of the waiting car, told the driver he had some urgent business to attend to, and sent him away before eagerly hailing a cab straight to the nightclub.
His gold-digging journey into high society had finally hit a milestone. Even if he hadn’t actually laid eyes on any cash yet—it was still worth celebrating!
As luck would have it, Kaka was the bartender on duty. Shen Zhu booked a booth and waved his hand grandly, announcing he was here to generously support Kaka’s business.
“No chance today. Get in line and come back tomorrow, alright?” Kaka was spinning his shaker, so dizzyingly busy he nearly pulled Shen Zhu behind the bar to help.
“What’s the deal? Did you land a massive booking?” Shen Zhu asked, leaning against the bar as he scanned the venue.
Most of the patrons at Joy Club were wealthy, and big spenders were common. But a full-venue buyout like this was a first even for Shen Zhu.
Kaka finished mixing a tray of cocktails, signaled a waiter to take them up to the private booths on the second floor, and used the brief window of wiping his hands to chat.
He nudged his chin upward. “The entire second floor has been bought out. Word is it’s some young master from a family that ranks among the absolute top in S-City.”
Amused by an unspoken thought, Shen Zhu let out a sudden laugh.
“If you’re not going to help, at least stop laughing at me.” Turning back to his work and assuming Shen Zhu was just here to hunt for a mark, Kaka casually advised, “Take a look around the first floor yourself and see which dummy has more money than brains. I don’t have time to feed you intel today.”
“I’m married, remember?” Standing was getting tiring, so Shen Zhu hopped onto a barstool, undoing the top buttons of his shirt to reveal a sliver of his collarbone.
Shen Zhu loved wind-up Kaka when he was so busy he wished he had eight hands. He said leisurely, “My husband happens to be the richest man in S-City!”
“As for this distinguished guest of yours,” Shen Zhu pointed an index finger toward the ceiling. “At best, he ranks second.”
Kaka rolled his eyes, his hands never stopping as he played along. “Oh, then you’re truly incred—”
Before he could finish the word, he froze, startled by a figure suddenly appearing on the second-floor gallery.
Joy Club featured an open-atrium design, meaning anyone standing by the second-floor railing had a clear view of the ground floor.
Confused by Kaka’s sudden silence, Shen Zhu followed his gaze and turned around. Standing right outside one of the private rooms was a young man, holding up his phone to snap a photo of him.
“Is that the rich young heir?” Shen Zhu didn’t shrink away when their eyes met; instead, he boldly held the man’s gaze.
“That’s him. I think his surname is Qin. Qin Zaiyu.”
Shen Zhu raised an eyebrow. “Quite a nice name.”
Though he had no idea why the guy was taking his picture, nightclubs had their own unspoken rules of engagement. Shen Zhu raised his glass, offering the young Master Qin a toast from across the room before taking a sip.
Qin Zaiyu was highly cooperative. He pocketed his phone and downed the rest of his drink in one go.
“Hey, hey, hey. A married man should show some restraint,” Kaka said, rapping his knuckles on the bar in front of Shen Zhu.
“I’m basically a young widower at this point,” Shen Zhu grumbled.
With that, Shen Zhu finally remembered why he had come to the club. Grabbing a drink from Kaka, he dove straight into the dance floor, determined to find a handsome guy to chat up and enjoy himself.
In the past, forced by his financial straits, he always had to plaster on a fake smile and talk to older, wealthy men. Today, he was finally free to do as he pleased, and he was absolutely going to find someone who actually fit his aesthetic!
After spending a long time playing board games with a handsome guy and his equally good-looking friends, Shen Zhu finally remembered he couldn’t stay out too late.
Going back to the estate alone right now wasn’t ideal. Checking the clock, he realized it was almost time for Su Xingque to leave work.
He decided he might as well strike while the iron was hot, pick Su Xingque up from the office, and go home together. This would also save him the trouble of figuring out how to face Meng Jing alone.
“You guys have fun, I have to run,” Shen Zhu said, bidding farewell to the group.
It was right in the middle of the evening rush hour. Shen Zhu ended up stuck in traffic for nearly an hour on his way to the Su Corporation. Arriving at the foot of the skyscraper, he looked up and counted the floors. Seeing that the lights in the CEO’s office were still on, he let out a sigh of relief.
Su Xingque also loathed rush hour traffic. To maximize his time, he usually chose to work late to bypass the peak congestion.
This time, Shen Zhu didn’t enter the building. Instead, he perched himself on one of the stone pillars in the plaza out front, trying to look as cold, fragile, and pitiful as possible.
Half an hour passed. The biting wind was starting to numb his hands and feet. Shen Zhu pulled out his phone to text Wilson to ask when their boss was actually wrapping up. Just as he started typing, a pair of sneakers appeared in his field of vision.
Looking up, he realized it was the handsome guy from the board game group at the club.
“What a coincidence. I didn’t expect to run into you here,” the guy said with a charming smile.
Like hell it’s a coincidence.
Shen Zhu gave a polite, strained smile and kept his head down, typing away to signal his lack of interest in chatting.
He had caught a glimpse of this guy following him out of the club with car keys in hand. After navigating through an hour of heavy traffic, lane changes, and turns, the guy was still claiming it was a chance encounter.
Did he take him for an idiot?
In the past, Shen Zhu would have been happy to indulge a handsome, wealthy guy. But now, he was technically married. Stepping out to have some harmless fun was one thing, but doing anything that actually crossed the line would be a genuine betrayal of Su Xingque.
Whether the marriage was a sham or not, those little red certificates were still sitting in the house.
“Are you cold? Your nose is completely red.”
As the voice drifted down, Shen Zhu’s nose was caught off guard by a playful, gentle pinch.
“Don’t touch me!” Shen Zhu hissed like a startled cat, instantly leaping back.
This was literally right outside Su Xingque’s office building!!!
But the guy was relentless. Laughing, he took off his down jacket and tried to drape it over Shen Zhu’s shoulders. Given the sheer difference in physical strength, Shen Zhu found himself struggling to dodge the advance.
As he was writhing out of the jacket’s reach, a figure caught his eye near the entrance of the building.
Tall, slender, dressed in a bespoke suit, and radiating an icy, detached aura.
Su Xingque!!!