T/L: I made a huge mistake. Cheng Chen’s WeChat ID name should be <Young Master Cheng Loves to Play the Fool> (or something equivalent to that) instead of <Young Master Cheng’s Love of Crime 2>. I’m not going to retroactively change the previous chapters, but from now on, I’ll be using the correct one.
Zhu Tong had a momentary daze.
Reacting to what Shao Ming had just said, his relaxed back instantly straightened. “What did you say?”
Shao Ming had already started pedaling the bicycle, smoothly gliding in the direction of the homestay. “At first, I didn’t pay much attention. I thought maybe he knew someone in A City who knew your family, so I didn’t ask much.”
But now, thinking about it, what kind of acquaintance would know about Zhu Tong being admitted to the hospital in such a timely manner?
And why did they tell this news to Lu Zheyu?
And later, Lu Zheyu even received two invitations to a banquet at a private estate… but Lu Zheyu didn’t go in the end.
Shao Ming knew about Zhu Tong’s relationship with Cheng Chen and knew about Cheng Chen’s relationship with Zhuo Yunan. When Zhuo Yunan greeted Lu Zheyu at the milk tea shop, everything from before seemed to naturally connect together like a thread.
That person who sent a message to Lu Zheyu at the bar… was Cheng Chen.
Zhu Tong quickly figured it out too, but what he focused on was another matter. “You… you knew about me fainting and being hospitalized before going to the banquet?”
Shao Ming: “…Yeah.”
Zhu Tong said, “Then why did you ask me at the banquet…”
He asked why Zhu Tong hadn’t replied to his messages for a day and a night!
At that time, was it knowingly asking?
Even if there hadn’t been that call from Uncle Liu, he would have already been exposed?
“You…”
“At that time…” Shao Ming said without looking back, “I was angry and wanted to see if you would continue lying to me.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Speaking of this, Zhu Tong felt a bit guilty. His straight posture wasn’t as straight anymore, and he softly defended himself, “I told you the truth. I didn’t lie to you.”
Shao Ming said, “If Uncle Liu hadn’t called at that time, how were you going to tell me? Truthfully?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Alright, he just hadn’t had the chance to lie.
In that situation, if Uncle Liu hadn’t called, he would have found a way to smooth things over.
Zhu Tong felt completely lost. He draped himself over Shao Ming’s back, and the hand on Shao Ming’s waist slowly moved forward to embrace him, whispering softly, “I won’t lie to you in the future.”
Shao Ming lowered his head to look at the hand actively wrapped around his waist and couldn’t help but smile faintly. “Mn.”
The two of them soon returned to the inn. After closing the door, Zhu Tong belatedly asked, “But why did Cousin send a message to Lu Zheyu?”
Shao Ming said, “Maybe it was to inform me.”
Zhu Tong was puzzled. “Why would he need to inform you?”
Shao Ming turned his head to look at him.
Zhu Tong was taken aback by Shao Ming’s gaze, suddenly recalling the recording his cousin had played for him in the restroom – he was still calling out Shao Ming’s name after he fainted.
Could it be that his cousin thought he was dying and still had Shao Ming on his mind, so he secretly informed Shao Ming?
But why would that person be Lu Zheyu?
What was the relationship between his cousin and Lu Zheyu?
The fact that his cousin could send a message to Lu Zheyu meant they had each other’s private contact information.
Although Zhu Tong didn’t know much about entertainment companies, he knew his cousin’s contact information wasn’t something just anyone could get.
His cousin also knew about Shao Ming’s relationship with Lu Zheyu.
When his cousin was helping him deal with the milk tea shop incident, due to Zhuo Yunan’s influence, the staff at the milk tea shop had also been discussed online. If his cousin had already known Lu Zheyu and learned about Lu Zheyu working at the milk tea shop, why didn’t he mention it to him?
What did he mean by personal privacy?
Zhu Tong took out his phone from his pocket, opening his cousin’s WeChat, his fingers itching for some gossip.
“Are you going to take a shower first?” Shao Ming suddenly asked in his ear.
Zhu Tong, lost in his thoughts, blinked blankly. “Huh?”
Shao Ming couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t you have something to say?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Oh, right, the important matter.
He immediately put down his phone, turned, and walked into the room, grabbing some clean clothes before heading to the bathroom.
Shao Ming’s gaze followed him all the way, watching him in a rush, not willing to waste any time. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
His urgency to say something was apparent, but he also remembered the importance of cleanliness. The word “clean” seemed ingrained in him.
With a click, the bathroom door closed. Shao Ming shook his head helplessly, concerned that Zhu Tong might feel cold after showering. Thinking ahead, he turned on the air conditioning. When reaching for the remote on the TV cabinet, he noticed the still-lit screen of Zhu Tong’s phone.
“…”
The phone was left so casually on the TV cabinet by its owner, without any precautions.
Shao Ming didn’t have a habit of snooping through people’s phones, but seeing the screen still on, his OCD kicked in, compelling him to step forward and lock the screen for the owner.
But he underestimated the young master’s indifference. The phone not only had its screen lit up, but it also remained on the WeChat chat interface. It was probably in the midst of typing before being set down, as the keyboard of the input method occupied nearly half of the screen. There wasn’t much chat content visible.
However, what could be seen left Shao Ming no chance to look away; it was directly reflected in his pupils.
[By the way, I want to remind you that due to the recent rumors in A City… our grandfather 100% already knows your relationship with your boyfriend. ]
Shao Ming: “……”
Zhu Tong’s phone seemed to have developed a mind of its own. After Shao Ming received this message, there was no need for anyone to press the lock screen button again; the phone automatically went to sleep.
‘Rumors in A City…’
Shao Ming looked at the screen of the sleeping phone, his eyes darkening.
The rumors started at an afternoon tea party of the wealthy ladies in A City. Due to not daring to be too overt, not daring to publicize it in a news-like manner, the rumors only spread among the influential people of A City, and the spread was indeed somewhat slow.
Xia Weiyi was still not bold enough to come forward. He both wanted to force him to return and wanted to use him to persuade Liu Jianbai to cooperate. Yet, he didn’t want to abandon the assistance from his wife’s side.
There’s a saying: “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
–If a person becomes too greedy, reasoning with them would be futile.
Shao Ming stood in front of the TV cabinet for a while, took out his phone, and sent a message to Jiang Wan.
<Shao>: Do you know Xiang Shuyi?
Jiang Wan was probably busy; it took a few minutes before she replied.
<Jiang Wan>: Xiang Shuyi is Xia Weiyi’s wife, why? Afraid she’ll cause trouble for you?
<Jiang Wan>: You’re quite a hidden one. I thought Xia Weiyi had done something outrageous that made you dislike him so much, but I didn’t expect it was because of his horrid love affair.
<Shao>: Young Lady Jiang seems very interested in my affairs. I have another piece of information here, are you interested in hearing it?
Jiang Wan: “……”
After closing his phone, Shao Ming leaned against the TV cabinet, tilting his head to stare blankly at the phone beside him.
After a moment of thought, he realized he had missed one thing.
He thought Zhu Tong wouldn’t know about the rumors in A City.
Zhu Tong had been busy studying recently, with no time to spare for his boyfriend. He wasn’t someone who loved gossip, and he had no interest in the conflicts among the wealthy families of A City. Even after a banquet, for a while, he and his sister became the topic of discussion among others, but he didn’t pay much attention.
But Shao Ming forgot one thing – some things, even if Zhu Tong wasn’t interested in knowing, would be disclosed to him by someone else.
Zhu Tong already knew.
Not only did he know, but there was also someone else…
Thinking about the message he had just unintentionally seen, Shao Ming’s expression tensed for a moment.
He had indeed thought about it, what kind of person Zhu Tong’s grandfather was. Zhu Tong had also mentioned wanting to introduce him to his family.
At that time, he actually wanted to refuse.
Because he was nervous.
Shao Ming had lived until this old, and there were few things that could make him nervous.
When he went to search for evidence in Qiu Shaoping’s bar to jail him, he wasn’t nervous. When Xia Weiyi came looking for him, claiming to be his biological father, he wasn’t nervous either. But when Zhu Tong mentioned wanting to introduce him to his family, he became nervous.
His unfortunate childhood forced him to mature and grow up for the sake of a peaceful life.
When he was with peers at school, he often felt like he didn’t fit in, not out of a sense of superiority, but simply because he found it all very dull.
He preferred interacting with teachers rather than classmates.
In front of older people, he often forgot that he was a junior, and regardless of who they were, he could converse freely.
Only Zhu Tong was different.
Zhu Tong was also his age, but he was interesting.
After falling for Zhu Tong, even the dull people around him seemed lively, and when dealing with people related to Zhu Tong, he couldn’t help but be a bit more cautious.
It was only when Zhu Tong suggested introducing him to his family that he realized he was still a minor, someone who hadn’t even finished high school, and in the eyes of others, he was simply not capable of bearing the responsibilities of the future.
Lost in thought, not knowing how much time had passed, the door to the bathroom opened.
Zhu Tong had changed into a set of seafoam blue pajamas and was wearing slippers as he walked towards the living room.
He had just finished blow-drying his hair, making it fluffy and soft, naturally stylish.
“I’m done washing up.”
Shao Ming was already sitting on the sofa, smiling lightly. “Good, I’ll go wash up later.”
Zhu Tong sat down next to Shao Ming.
Shao Ming said, “Go ahead.”
Zhu Tong：“……”
While he couldn’t wait to shower earlier, now he was feeling a bit nervous.
And he thought Shao Ming didn’t want to talk about it. Why was he being so direct now?
He was the one who had initiated this conversation, but now he felt a bit passive.
Zhu Tong glanced at Shao Ming, hesitating on how to start.
Shao Ming spoke first, “How does it feel to be approached by someone with ulterior motives?”
“…It feels terrible.”
Suddenly, Zhu Tong seemed to find his voice, sitting back on the sofa. “What ulterior motives? It’s obvious she had ill intentions.”
“She came to see you,” Shao Ming said.
Zhu Tong glanced over, making sure he didn’t misunderstand anything, before nodding. “Yeah, but her purpose wasn’t me. It should have been someone from her family who sent her.”
Shao Ming asked, “You don’t like this?”
Zhu Tong indignantly replied, “Who would like someone like that? I’m just annoyed.”
As he spoke, Zhu Tong couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
He rejected everyone who approached him with ulterior motives.
Before, when no one cared about him at the hospital, since he transferred schools, whether it was Zhou Sui who slandered him under the guise of concern, or Kong Lu who found him at the tea shop, or even Jiang Wan, who meant well but still had ulterior motives –he was very repelled by all of them.
Sometimes, he even had the illusion that he had experienced similar things, so he was particularly averse to them.
In comparison, he couldn’t help but admire Xia Yang.
He was already annoyed with just a few people with ulterior motives, but Xia Yang had a plethora of them, circling around him. How did he manage this pond of fish1his suitors?
Even celebrities have obsessive fans and stalkers to avoid, but now Xia Yang even had a system backing him up. Wasn’t he afraid of making mistakes?
“But what she said was true.”
Zhu Tong: “?”
His mind had just wandered for a moment before Shao Ming brought him back.
He turned to look at Shao Ming.
Shao Ming remained calm, smiling as he asked, “How long have you known about the rumors that I’m an illegitimate child?”
