Seeing the tension between Xie Huaizhou and Ji Yanche flare up once again, threatening to erupt into another conflict, Shen Yanchu pushed aside the pain in his backside, quickly stepped in between them, and spoke in a tone that was both gentle and resolute, “If there is anything to discuss, let us sit down and talk it out properly.”
He deliberately lowered his voice, afraid that speaking any louder might disturb the surrounding patrons, and immediately continued, “Besides, Su Rongyu is right here with us right now! If the two of you keep arguing endlessly like this, it is bound to have a terribly negative impact on the wonderful impression he holds of you in his heart!”
Hearing this, Xie Huaizhou and Ji Yanche both wore identical expressions of profound skepticism, their gazes seemingly pondering in the silence just what this had to do with Su Rongyu.
Noticing that their emotions were gradually calming down and no longer as hair-trigger tense as before, a wave of inner satisfaction washed over Shen Yanchu. He chuckled inwardly, Hehe, sure enough, just mentioning Su Rongyu works like magic. It seems in critical moments, I still have to rely on my own brilliant wits!
With quick yet gentle movements, he reached out with his left hand to grab Xie Huaizhou firmly, while simultaneously securing Ji Yanche’s wrist with his right. Carefully and cautiously, he led the pair of them forward until they stood right before Su Rongyu.
Upon reaching Su Rongyu, Shen Yanchu slowly released his grip on the two men, then gently placed their hands directly into Su Rongyu’s open palms, carefully prying Su Rongyu’s originally closed fingers apart just a bit. In this manner, a bizarre tableau was created: Su Rongyu holding Ji Yanche’s hand with his left and Xie Huaizhou’s hand with his right.
Yet at this very moment, although Su Rongyu genuinely felt a deep sense of irritation in his heart and wanted nothing more than to curse aloud, Has Shen Yanchu’s brain been flooded with water? If someone is going to hold hands, it should be you doing it yourself! This young master has zero desire to stand this close to a bunch of gay men!, he still maintained a charming, radiant smile as warm and inviting as the spring sun across his handsome features, all for the sake of preserving his pristine image of elegance and gentleness.
Shen Yanchu felt immensely pleased with himself internally: Haha, I am truly a genius. I solved two problems in one go and even managed to boost Su Rongyu’s favorability toward me. On the wedding day, they had better reserve a whole table just for me. But wait… why do I suddenly feel a cold draft blowing down my spine? While showering himself with praise, Shen Yanchu could not shake off an inexplicable chill.
Watching Shen Yanchu from across the space, Su Rongyu muttered darkly to himself that this fellow was an unadulterated idiot. At that moment, Shen Yanchu turned his gaze toward Su Rongyu and Ji Yanche, his lips curving upward as he offered, “How about the two of you come over and have a few bites with us?” Yet in response to his invitation, the surrounding air remained dead silent, with not a single person answering his words.
Seeing no one reply, Shen Yanchu pondered for a moment before offering another proposal: “Since that is the case, why don’t we all head out together for a stroll?” But this time too, the suggestion sank like a stone in the ocean, eliciting zero response.
Just as the atmosphere began to turn somewhat awkward, Xie Huaizhou stepped forward and softly offered, “Let me carry you.” Before the words had even faded, Ji Yanche chimed in instantly, “Let me carry you instead.” The two refused to give an inch, and the atmosphere grew tense once more.
With a stern look, Xie Huaizhou declared, “Shen Yanchu’s injuries are connected to me, so it is only right that I carry him.” Not showing a shred of weakness, Ji Yanche retorted, “You still have the nerve to say it is because of you? You are the one who hurt Xiaochu in the first place, so you have zero qualification to stay by his side!” Back and forth they argued without stopping, neither willing to yield a single step.
Before long, each of them had grabbed one of Shen Yanchu’s sleeves, locking them in a deadlock. At this juncture, the previously silent Shen Yanchu finally broke in to cut short their fierce bickering, “Alright, stop fighting!” Pausing for a second, he continued, “Actually, I can walk perfectly fine on my own. You don’t need to make such a fuss over it.”
To Shen Yanchu’s utter surprise, however, Xie Huaizhou and Ji Yanche responded with synchronized perfection as if they had rehearsed it beforehand, shouting in unison, “Absolutely not!” This sudden display of accord left everyone present slightly startled.
Seeing the situation spiral further out of control, Shen Yanchu rolled his eyes in a flash of inspiration, suddenly wrenched his sleeves free from their grip with a sharp jerk, and strode briskly over toward Su Rongyu, who was standing not far away enjoying the spectacle with great interest.
Approaching him with a bright smile, Shen Yanchu addressed Su Rongyu, “Junior Brother Su, I wonder if I might trouble you to carry me on your flying sword for a stretch?” Upon hearing this, the expression of Su Rongyu, who had been watching the fun with a faint smile, instantly froze as if struck by a paralysis spell, leaving him utterly immobile.
“System, can I kill this piece of trash?” Su Rongyu’s brows knitted tightly together.
[No, you cannot, dear Host! If you do that, it will trigger an OOC violation! You need to consistently maintain a gentle, non-aggressive persona, especially right in front of the protagonist gong.] The system’s voice chimed inside his head, carrying a hint of warning.
Hearing this, Su Rongyu took a deep breath, worked hard to smooth over the surging emotions inside him, and swiftly whipped up his signature, unchanging smile.
The corners of his mouth tilted up into a tender and amiable grin as he replied softly, “Of course that is no problem at all. Senior Brother Shen is severely injured right now, and it is only natural for me, as his junior brother, to take good care of him.” With those words, he even gave a light wave of his hand as if trying to prove the absolute sincerity of his statement.