She Suspected Shen Heng Had Gone Crazy from Bottling Everything Up

The late autumn evening was pleasant. The air was like mint, refreshing with every breath.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, and dim yellow light fell softly. Fallen leaves carpeted the path, giving a crisp crunch underfoot. Each crunch was especially satisfying.

Chu Tianqing was in a better mood and couldn't be bothered arguing with Shen Heng, so she started a new topic. "Brother, don't just keep urging me to go back. You should tell Shen Bufan to go back too. Aunt Jiang must miss her, but she's too embarrassed to say so."

Shen Heng kept both hands in his pockets and gave a noncommittal grunt.

Chu Tianqing stole a sideways glance at him, and the sight of his expressionless face made her angry.

She'd given him a way out, and he wouldn't take it?

What, was he going to stay mad for the rest of his life if she didn't change Baogang's name?

He'd grown so tall for nothing; his heart was smaller than the tip of a needle.

Still indignant, Chu Tianqing said with a cheeky grin, "Of course, the person Aunt Jiang misses most has to be you, Brother. I have reason to suspect you keep telling me to go back because you don't want to go back alone. You shouldn't outsource your filial duty."

Shen Heng stopped walking. She wasn't wrong. Though she'd exposed his little scheme, he wasn't angry.

He just felt helpless.

"You know I didn't grow up by her side. We only saw each other twice a year, no more than three days at a time. At this point, it's really hard for us to grow close," Shen Heng said calmly. "Dad often tries to persuade me too. She didn't do it on purpose; they had their reasons back then."

Shen Heng looked down at Chu Tianqing, his eyes dark, without a trace of emotion. "So is it my fault? Tell me, what did I do wrong?"

Chu Tianqing's breath caught. She hadn't expected her dear big brother to turn the tables on her.

"No one's at fault, and I'm not asking anyone to admit they're wrong. I'm only suggesting everyone talk more," Chu Tianqing hurriedly said, trying to smooth things over. "Look at the two of us. We also only saw each other twice a year, no more than three days at a time, and aren't we close now? That's the benefit of talking more."

Shen Heng raised an eyebrow, looking a little disdainful.

They reached the park lawn ahead, where plenty of people walking their dogs had gathered to play. Shen Heng snatched the leash and said coolly, "You should mind your own business and worry more about yourself."

Chu Tianqing stood there in a daze. When she came to her senses, she threw a flurry of punches in frustration.

What an infuriating man! He's so hard to please!

Seeing Shen Heng take Baogang to play with the other dogs, Chu Tianqing found a place to sit and play on her phone.

Chu Tianqing lived in an apartment in the city center. A small park lay ten minutes away on foot, and on the other side of it was a historical and cultural preservation district that had become a Jincheng tourist attraction.

For historical reasons, quite a few families still lived in the preservation district. It was crowded and messy inside, so the residents liked to come to the little park to walk their dogs.

Baogang was still small and could only play with little dogs. His best friend was a white ball of fleece named Lili.

Lili's owner was a stocky old man whose smiling face made him seem very friendly. He greeted Shen Heng of his own accord. "Are you Baogang's dad? You must be busy with work. It's the first time I've seen you."

Shen Heng's heart seized up. He braced himself and played along. "Yes. My name is Shen Heng. Hello."

The two little dogs chased each other around, sniffing each other's butts and romping happily.

The old man chuckled and said with certainty, "You're not a Jincheng local. You don't have an accent."

Shen Heng had been feeling quite frustrated all day, but now he found himself wanting to chat with a stranger. He spoke to the old man amiably. "That's right, I'm not from Jincheng. Can you guess where I'm from?"

"I can't say exactly where, but you must be from the south. Southerners speak especially standard Mandarin," the old man said at length. "Northerners have the advantage of speaking a Mandarin dialect, so they're more casual about it. They always think what they speak is standard Mandarin."

Shen Heng enjoyed listening. "You guessed right."

The old man smiled too. They chatted about everything under the sun, and he also asked about Shen Heng's work.

Shen Heng thought for a moment and gave an evasive answer. "Look at how I'm dressed. I work in sales. Unfortunately, I'm not a local, and a bunch of locals have ganged up to squeeze me out."

The old man hurried to comfort him. Local or not, anyone who used that excuse to bully people was trash. If they had any real ability, they should compete fair and square, and whoever won would be a cut above.

After playing on her phone for a while, Chu Tianqing suddenly looked up and saw Shen Heng chatting and laughing with Lili's grandpa. She thought she was hallucinating.

Seriously, is there something wrong with this man?

He's so nice to outsiders, but he gives his family the cold shoulder. What kind of rotten habit is that!

Something even stranger came afterward. When Shen Heng left that night, he said he'd come over at the same time tomorrow evening to take Rocky out to play.

Chu Tianqing didn't understand at first. "Who's Rocky?"

Shen Heng handed her the leash, his expression saying she already knew the answer.

It dawned on Chu Tianqing. "You even gave Baogang an English name?"

Shen Heng nodded calmly. "Yes. From now on, you call him what you want, and I'll call him what I want."

Chu Tianqing was completely beaten. She let Shen Heng do as he pleased.

At nine the next evening, Shen Heng came again as promised to take Rocky out. He didn't bring him back until he'd walked him for an hour.

Once Chu Tianqing had calmed down, she felt there was something strange about the whole thing. For the first time, she contacted Ye Mingchen of her own accord and asked how her dear big brother was doing at work.

Ye Mingchen replied quickly: Anything unusual? I haven't noticed. He wears a cold face all day. Who could tell if anything was wrong with him?

Now that he mentioned it, Chu Tianqing was even more convinced that Shen Heng had gone crazy from bottling everything up.

She recalled the details from the original story. In the novel about the real and fake heiresses, he was just a plot device and hadn't been described in much detail.

Chu Tianqing pondered for a moment, then asked Ye Mingchen: Does my brother have any hobbies?

Ye Mingchen: Golf. He really likes it, and he's pretty good at it.

Chu Tianqing's eyes lit up: Then ask him to go golfing.

Ye Mingchen sent a shocked emoji: Huh? I wouldn't dare. He definitely wouldn't pay me any attention.

Before Chu Tianqing could reply, he sent another message: Besides, what's the fun in two grown men going on a date? Xixi, we haven't seen each other in ages.

Chu Tianqing understood. She covered her face with both hands and agonized over it for a while, then quickly made a decision.

She replied to Ye Mingchen: Then let's all go together. We'll invite Brother Ruhai too, and everyone can have some fun.

Ye Mingchen had no objections this time. He went to invite Qiao Ruhai, while Chu Tianqing asked Shen Heng.

Shen Heng replied instantly: You? Golf?

Chu Tianqing: I'm just tagging along. You all work so hard, so come out and relax.

Shen Heng: All? Who else?

Chu Tianqing: Your good brothers, of course. Brother Chen, Brother Ruhai and I have already agreed. Brother, you're not allowed to spoil the fun.

Holding his phone, Shen Heng leaned back in his office chair, looking somewhat troubled.

He really didn't want to go out with them at all.

What was the point? Watching them date?

But she'd said he wasn't allowed to spoil the fun. Shen Heng fell silent for a moment, then slowly typed a reply: All right. See you this weekend.

Chu Tianqing sent a cheering emoji.

Seeing the little figure grinning foolishly, Shen Heng's lips curved upward, and he smiled too.