Su Xingque had never closely examined Shen Zhu’s features. On one hand, he refused to waste his energy on anything that didn’t serve his business interests; on the other hand, he simply didn’t consider the boy to be anyone important in his life.
So what if they were married because of a long-standing agreement? He would simply find a reason to dissolve the marriage later.
Yet, a bizarre sensation had plagued him ever since he met Shen Zhu. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling—it was a twisted, uncomfortable friction, yet accompanied by an inexplicable sense that things were exactly as they were meant to be.
Su Xingque rationalized the phenomenon as a temporary side effect of stepping away from his grueling work schedule. In this state of mind, practically anyone would probably look tolerable.
“Boss.” Zhou Shi shifted his weight, sliding a bit closer to Su Xingque to snap him out of his brief lapse in focus. “Seriously though, have you truly moved past what happened back then?”
Zhou Shi gestured with his chin toward Shen Zhu. “The sister-in-law looks way too much like Bai Que, don’t you think?”
“Even that innocent aura around him is identical.”
Identical? Su Xingque stared at Shen Zhu, who remained standing in the center of the lounge.
The young boy looked like a white rabbit cornered by a pack of starving wolves. His fingers were unconsciously retreating into his shirt sleeves, and though he was clearly so anxious he was about to bite his lower lip until it bled, he still kept his spine perfectly straight, doing his best to endure the appraising stares of the crowd.
Shen Zhu’s features actually bore only a sixty percent resemblance to Bai Que’s. Yet, his expressions and demeanor when facing Su Xingque felt as though they were cast from the exact same mold.
Unfortunately, Su Xingque would never allow that nightmare to repeat itself.
“What the hell did Bai Que ever amount to?” The expression on Su Xingque’s face shifted unpredictably.
Sensing Su Xingque’s foul mood, Zhou Shi quickly chimed in. “Right, right. Bai Que wasn’t worth it.”
“Now that you have someone so beautiful and compliant, your love life is finally back on track, Boss.”
The corner of Su Xingque’s mouth curved into a disdainful smirk as he said flatly, “And what the hell does he amount to?”
Zhou Shi’s worst suspicions were instantly confirmed, leaving him stunned on the sofa as if struck by lightning.
No wonder when the crew heard Su Xingque had gotten married and clamored to meet the sister-in-law, Su Xingque had resisted for the longest time, only to finally call his assistant just to get the boy’s contact details.
It turned out he truly intended to use this boy as a scapegoat for his white moonlight.
Back then, the only reason Bai Que had managed to walk away from Su Xingque unscathed—aside from the backing of his powerful new benefactor—was because Su Xingque had been so deeply consumed by the agony of the breakup that he hadn’t found the time to deal with him.
Now that this helpless little thing had arrived, Zhou Shi genuinely worried Su Xingque might drive him into a corner without mercy.
“What are you standing there for? Get over here.” Su Xingque rested his arm along the back of the sofa, lazily hooking his finger in a summoning gesture.
Shen Zhu kept his head down and walked over obediently, doing his best to look like someone who had never stepped foot in a luxury establishment before.
Tsk. What an embarrassing, submissive display from someone who clearly doesn’t know the ways of the world. Looking at Shen Zhu only fueled Su Xingque’s irritation, so he simply turned his head away to resume discussing S-City’s latest market trends with Zhou Shi.
Shen Zhu sat with his legs pressed tightly together and his hands resting neatly on his knees, keeping his back rigidly straight. He didn’t dare lean back.
Su Xingque clearly loathed him and found him embarrassing. How could he possibly initiate physical contact by leaning against the arm Su Xingque had stretched out along the sofa? Doing so would only tank his already dismal approval rating.
Besides, acting bold wouldn’t fit his established persona.
Sigh. When can I finally go home? Shen Zhu was so tired he wanted to yawn, but feeling the heavy gazes of the crowd scrutinizing him, he forced the urge down, using the effort to squeeze a few unshed tears into his eyes.
“It looks like our little sister-in-law doesn’t really know how to let loose.” The people sitting in the lounge were all sharp operators. Picking up on Su Xingque’s profound indifference toward Shen Zhu, they began to read their boss’s mood and targeted the boy to make things difficult for him.
Oh, great. Shen Zhu’s neck went rigid as a wave of genuine worry washed over him.
No matter how wild he had acted back at the regular bars, it had always been with the sole purpose of swindling money. He had specifically chosen targets who didn’t look particularly bright, ensuring he would never suffer a loss or find himself unable to escape. But the people in this room operated on a vastly superior level; they weren’t even in the same league as the fools he used to trick.
Simply put, these were people he could not afford to offend.
Instantly, a chorus of agreement rippled through the lounge. Everyone clamored to raise a glass to the sister-in-law to get on familiar terms.
This wasn’t a friendly toast; it was a deliberate attempt to force him into drinking until he made a fool of himself. Shen Zhu stared at the long row of tumblers lined up before him. They hadn’t even added ice, filling the glasses to the brim with high-proof liquor.
Right now, he was a lamb brought to the slaughter. If he refused to drink, he would be accused of disrespecting Su Xingque’s inner circle, and it would make Su Xingque think he couldn’t handle social situations. But if he did drink.
Given this volume, he would probably be rushed straight to the hospital.
A glass was thrust directly into his line of sight. The man who had initiated the toast stood opposite Shen Zhu, offering a smirk. “Sister-in-law, my name is Ren Lei. Let me toast you a glass.”
The man’s smile was dripping with malice. Shen Zhu hesitated as he picked up the tumbler, casting a fleeting look toward Su Xingque.
Because he had been stifling back-to-back yawns, the rims of Shen Zhu’s eyes were distinctly flushed, making him look as though he were on the verge of tears. The moment Su Xingque’s gaze collided with that face, his brow furrowed slightly as a surge of deep aversion welled up inside him.
“What are you looking at me for?” Su Xingque reached out, casually running a hand through the boy’s hair.
Shen Zhu couldn’t detect a shred of warmth in the seemingly intimate gesture. Instead, the sheer pressure behind the touch caused him to shudder slightly.
“If they offer a toast, you drink it. Good boy.”
“Aren’t we married?”
Su Xingque threw the exact words the boy had used that afternoon right back at his face.