“Alright.”
Shen Junxi stretched his arms, lazily smiling as he stood up.
“Then go ahead and jump.”
“To avoid guilt and regret, this Childhood Friend will personally join you in a double suicide.”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
As soon as he stood up, the boat’s balance was immediately disrupted, rocking violently.
Su Niansheng looked at the pitch-black, unfathomable center of the lake. Originally, she had only wanted to tease him, but now she was genuinely a bit panicked. She repeatedly reached out to stop him, saying, “Y-y-you, don’t move! The boat’s going to capsize!”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m here with you.”
The closer Shen Junxi got to her, the more teasing his expression became.
Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, Su Niansheng grew both angry and annoyed. “Alright, alright, alright! I won’t jump, okay? I won’t jump! Just stop moving!”
“Come here.” He stood firmly in the center of the boat, tightening the rope and extending a hand toward her. “Will you dare to joke about your own safety like this again?”
“Wahhh, I don’t want to play anymore! I want to go ashore, I want to go back, I want to tell Auntie Hua that you’re bullying me!”
“Wishful thinking. Once you’re on my pirate ship, do you think you can just leave so easily?”
“Shen Xiaoxi, you have no conscience! I played the piano for you for nothing!”
At eleven o’clock in the evening, a stretch Lincoln pulled up at the entrance of the villa.
Shen Shengyuan got out of the car and, from a distance, saw Jian Hua still sitting in the hall. He hurried over and embraced her. “Darling, why aren’t you asleep yet? Were you waiting for me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Jian Hua handed a peeled grape to his smiling lips. “You’ve been coming back so late lately, and you still expect me to wait for you?”
“This Tianhong project is really quite demanding. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll make it up to you properly. How about we go to the Maldives together then? We’ll bring Junxi and Sheng Sheng along. Oh, right!”
Mentioning Sheng Sheng, he immediately remembered.
“Is Sheng Sheng asleep? I didn’t get to welcome her when she arrived today. Is she upset?”
“Is everyone as petty as you? I just came down to check if she was asleep, but…” She couldn’t help but laugh. “The Servant said she went to the back hill with Junxi.”
As a devoted fan of her son and Sheng Sheng’s relationship, she was happiest to hear that the two kids were inseparable, sticking together like glue all day long.
“Junxi? That rascal has been in such a low mood these past couple of days, ignoring everyone. And he still has the energy to go out and play?”
“Is treating Sheng Sheng the same as treating others? You blockhead.” Jian Hua said, giving him a reproachful look. He immediately understood and nodded apologetically. “Yes, yes, yes!”
Just as they were talking, cheerful laughter suddenly drifted in from outside.
“Quick, quick, quick, hide! Don’t disturb them!”
Jian Hua flusteredly pulled the Man and hid in the nearest bathroom.
The two of them—one the powerful chairman of the Shen Group, the other a renowned socialite of the capital’s elite—hiding in the bathroom and peeking through the door crack made for a rather comical scene.
“Darling, aren’t we being a bit too sneaky?”
“Can’t you hear how happy Junxi and Sheng Sheng are playing? If they see us, they’ll feel awkward… Here they come! Look, our son has been wearing that deadpan expression for the past couple of days, as if the whole world owes him something. Now that Sheng Sheng is here, he’s smiling so much his face is about to split open, just like that sunflower in the back garden!”
“Yeah.”
Shen Shengyuan nodded with relief.
Our son now is a bit like how he was when he was chasing Hua Hua back then—completely under her control, even more so than before.
Jian Hua was overjoyed. “Sheng Sheng is truly amazing, just the daughter-in-law I’ve had my eye on since she was little!”
“This time, I’ll forgive you, Shen Xiaoxi. But if you do it again, don’t blame me for not holding back!”
“As you command, Your Highness.”
“Hmph!”
Su Niansheng was indeed successfully coaxed by Shen Junxi after some effort, but just as they reached the villa entrance, the young man suddenly stopped again.
“The cruise ship was something you randomly picked, but what about the butterfly? Why did it end up in his hands?”
“Huh?”
Why was he bringing this up again?
And her butterfly was in Shi Yubai’s hands? How did she not know about that?
Her eyes shifted in confusion. “It must have been a coincidence too, right? He didn’t even know I was assembling a butterfly.”
Didn’t know?
Shen Junxi lowered his gaze, his thick, dark lashes concealing the turbulent undercurrents beneath.
He stared at her like that for an entire class—how could he not know?
“I don’t care, I want one too!”
He suddenly looked up, his tone domineering, his intense gaze making Su Niansheng inexplicably uneasy. “Y-you want what?”
Without answering, he simply pulled her upstairs.
Jian Hua had originally wanted to eavesdrop on some sweet conversation between the childhood sweethearts, but she heard nothing. Instead, she saw her son whisk Sheng Sheng upstairs like a gust of wind, as if he couldn’t wait to do something.
“Darling, stop gossiping.” Shen Chengyuan took her hand, his tone suggestive. “You’ve been neglecting me for three days now. Shouldn’t you…”
“Pervert! It’s only been three days.”
Jian Hua gave him a light tap.
The couple soon returned to their room, all lovey-dovey, ready to start a wonderful night.
But before they could do anything, they heard a fierce protest from a young girl.
Was that… Sheng Sheng?!
“No, please!”
As soon as Su Niansheng entered the activity room, she was so frightened she turned pale and tried to flee, but her delicate strength was no match for the young man.
Shen Junxi closed the door and walked toward her step by step. His tall, imposing figure and shadowed expression radiated a strong sense of aggression, like a demon from hell, leaving the girl with nowhere to escape.
“You have to, whether you want to or not.”
Jian Hua and Shen Chengyuan rushed over, and just outside the door, they heard their son’s fierce threat, instantly putting them on edge!
Want what?
“B-but, I don’t know how.”
Sheng Sheng’s voice trembled pitifully, clearly overwhelmed.
“I’ll teach you. Here, hold this first.” The young man coaxed patiently, his tone sounding as if he were deceiving an innocent and naive girl. “Then aim here and insert it.”
When Jian Hua and Shen Chengyuan heard “insert it,” their expressions changed instantly, especially when paired with Sheng Sheng’s next cry. “Ah, it hurts! Shen Xiaoxi, you’re hurting me!”
“Sorry, that was an accident just now. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Wah, you jerk! I said I don’t like it, yet you still force me to do it. When will this end?”
“Didn’t I tell you? At least all night. But if you focus, maybe I’ll mercifully let you off by midnight.”
“Wah, no way! Doing it for so long will kill me. Please, let me go. Stop playing around…”
Jian Hua and Shen Chengyuan were now absolutely certain of what had happened. Their scalps tingled with shock, and they were on the verge of exploding with anger.
Especially Jian Hua!
She gritted her teeth so hard they made a grinding sound, her fury blazing as she pushed the door open and roared, “Shen Junxi! You unfilial son!”
Shen Chengyuan also quickly covered his eyes, afraid he might see something he shouldn’t.
But…
The scene that greeted them after the door swung open left the couple utterly dumbfounded.
The floor was strewn with Lego bricks and blueprints.
Childhood Friend was bent over, studying and discussing them intently, both fully dressed. Hearing the commotion, they turned around with puzzled expressions to look at them.
The air instantly froze.
Jian Hua’s gaze slowly drifted downward, landing on the building blocks in their hands. The curses that had been on the tip of her tongue abruptly halted. “You… you actually—”
Good heavens, they were just building with Legos?!
What filthy thoughts had she been entertaining about these innocent teenagers?!
Having navigated the high society of Beijing for decades and faced countless storms without batting an eye, Jian Hua found herself blushing for the first time in front of the younger generation, unable to utter another word.
Seeing the situation, Shen Chengyuan couldn’t help but laugh. It had all been a misunderstanding.