After dinner, Shen Yannian prepared to leave.
"Aren't you staying here, Xiao Shen?" Liang Zhen asked, looking at Shen Yannian.
"No, I need to go back to the family estate tonight, so I won't stay over. As for Xiao Ci, let him spend the night at home." Shen Yannian glanced reluctantly at Su Cimu.
Su Cimu, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier to learn that Shen Yannian wouldn't be sleeping at his house tonight.
"All right, I won't keep you, then. Xiao Ci, go see Xiao Shen off."
"Oh."
Su Cimu had always listened to his mother. If she wanted him to see Shen Yannian off, then he would.
Outside the Su family's front gate, Su Cimu stood beside the car while Shen Yannian was already in the driver's seat.
"What are you going back to the estate for tonight? Is Shen Kezhou going back too?"
"You care that much about your ex-hubby?" Shen Yannian raised an eyebrow, deeply displeased that Su Cimu had brought up Shen Kezhou.
"What ex-hubby? Don't gross me out. I don't have an ex-hubby like that! If you won't tell me, forget it. I hate you!"
With that, Su Cimu turned and went back inside his house.
Watching Su Cimu walk away, Shen Yannian couldn't help smiling. Then he thought of the scene awaiting him at home, and his head began to ache.
The Shen residence-
Shen Chuannan sat in the center of the living room, with his eldest son, Shen Zhongyuan, and Shen Kezhou on either side of him, while Shen Kezhou's mother, Hao Mei, sat on a small separate sofa.
They were all waiting for the same person.
When Shen Yannian had received the old man's summons to return to the estate, he had known this scene would be waiting for him.
"What's the occasion today? Everyone's here."
Shen Yannian chuckled softly and took off his coat, which the butler immediately stepped forward to take, before seating himself opposite the old man without ceremony.
"Yannian, I hear you've gotten together with some vulgar nouveau riche family's son behind my back?"
Shen Chuannan's presence was imposing even without anger, making Shen Zhongyuan and Shen Kezhou shudder instinctively beside him.
"Father, my fiancé's name is Su Cimu, not 'some nouveau riche family's son,' as you call him," Shen Yannian corrected him solemnly.
"Utter nonsense! What fiancé? I will never acknowledge him as your fiancé. Cut ties with that Su boy immediately. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if this gets out?"
Shen Chuannan was so angry that his mustache bristled.
Shen Yannian gave a cold laugh and offered no response.
At that moment, Shen Zhongyuan spoke up to criticize Shen Yannian:
"Little brother, honestly, no matter what, you shouldn't steal your nephew's boyfriend. Young Master Su was already with Xiao Zhou. How could he get engaged to you? What will people say about our family if word gets out?"
At this, Shen Yannian looked at Shen Kezhou, who was cowering silently to one side.
"Oh? It looks like Xiao Zhou hasn't told you what happened at the engagement banquet. Why don't you explain it to your parents now, in front of your uncle?"
Rather than answer Shen Zhongyuan, Shen Yannian turned his attack on Shen Kezhou.
"Yannian, what does this have to do with Xiao Zhou? Clearly, that Su Cimu was loose and fickle, seducing you while he was with Xiao Zhou. And you-how could you fall for his tricks?"
Seeing Shen Yannian drag her son into it, Hao Mei immediately spoke up for him, joining in the criticism of Shen Yannian.
Seeing the husband and wife working in collusion, Shen Yannian knew they must have told the old man plenty of lies that twisted right and wrong.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, before you criticize me, please find out what my dear nephew-your dear son-actually did. He spent Young Master Su's money while fooling around with Young Master Su's younger female cousin, and he was caught cheating and photographed. That was what ruined his own engagement banquet. How can you pin the blame on me?"
Shen Yannian calmly recounted the truth of that day. Shen Kezhou instantly went deathly pale, not daring to look at his grandfather's expression.
"Nonsense! Our Xiao Zhou is a good, decent boy. How could he possibly do something like that? This is slander!" Hao Mei protested heatedly.
Ignoring Hao Mei's desperate outburst, Shen Yannian looked straight at Shen Chuannan, whose expression was now extremely ugly.
"Father, the facts are right there. If you care to, you can find out what happened that day simply by asking. After all, Young Master Su laid out the timeline of Xiao Zhou's relationship with his cousin in front of all the guests, with photographs as proof. There was no such thing as me stealing his boyfriend."
Shen Chuannan had never imagined his grandson would do something so disgraceful-and even get caught by the Su family!
"Leaving aside whether Xiao Zhou was in the wrong, the mere fact that Su Cimu dated him means you can't have anything to do with him. At worst, we could simply cancel his engagement to Xiao Zhou. Why would you take someone else's leftovers?"
Shen Chuannan looked in utter incomprehension at the younger son he was so proud of, increasingly unable to understand what he was thinking.
"The Su and Shen families have jointly invested in a project worth over ten billion. I can't think of a more reliable partnership than a marriage alliance. Surely you aren't going to rob the cradle and marry Young Master Su yourself, making him my stepmother?"
Shen Yannian watched the old man with amusement, his eyes full of disdain.
"You! What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly have anything to do with that Su boy?"
Hearing Shen Yannian's words, Shen Chuannan nearly coughed up blood.
"So I'm the only candidate for the marriage alliance. I sacrificed my own wedding banquet to tie myself to Young Master Su for the sake of the Shen family's joint project. How have I become the family's villain instead? Or has someone said something they shouldn't have in front of Father?"
As he spoke, Shen Yannian turned his gaze on Shen Zhongyuan and Hao Mei, open and undisguised.
After hearing Shen Yannian's explanation, the old man was no longer as angry as before and began considering the joint project between the Shen and Su families instead.
"When the Su family first invested in this project, their condition was that Xiao Zhou be put in charge. So why did I hear that you kicked him off the project team?" Shen Zhongyuan asked.
Shen Yannian's lips curved. This must have been his elder brother's real reason for coming to the estate today.
"Brother, you're already in your forties. How are you still so naïve? After what Xiao Zhou did, humiliating the Su family, how could they possibly let him stay involved in this project?"
"I'm sorry, Dad. It was all my fault. I was the one who did wrong. This isn't Uncle's fault," Shen Kezhou admitted, his head lowered.
Hearing Shen Kezhou admit his fault, Shen Zhongyuan and Hao Mei nearly blacked out:
What was wrong with this boy? They had brought him to the estate today so the old man could stand up for him and get him back on the project team! Why was he volunteering to admit fault instead?
Shen Yannian, however, revised his opinion of Shen Kezhou somewhat after seeing him take the initiative to admit his mistake.
"Xiao Zhou, you're young. Making mistakes isn't the issue. What matters most is correcting them in time and finding your way back."
"Yes, Uncle. I know I was wrong. I won't do it again."
Shen Kezhou kept his head lowered. He had to admit that the moment he saw Su Cimu get engaged to his uncle, he had already regretted it.
He shouldn't have been taken in by Liang Xi's sweet talk and cheated with her, wronging Xiao Ci. He had brought all of this on himself, and he had nothing to resent.
Shen Zhongyuan looked at his son in bitter disappointment, wishing he could stop his mouth!
As Shen Yannian returned to his room, he vaguely heard his dear elder brother berating his dear nephew. He merely sneered and offered no comment.
After washing up, Shen Yannian lay on the cold bed and began to miss the little furnace he had held while sleeping last night.
I wonder what my sweetheart is doing. Why not make a video call?
Shen Yannian acted on the thought. The video call rang for a long time before it was answered.
On the other end was a classic "beauty fresh from the bath," while Shen Yannian, in his silk pajamas, looked rather dazed.
"What are you calling me for?"
"Just finished showering?"
Shen Yannian raised an eyebrow, watching the water droplets roll from Su Cimu's forehead down to his neck, his gaze growing darker.
"Obviously. If you have something to say, hurry up. I'm about to start a game."
He had arranged to meet Liang Tian in King's Canyon, and it was almost time.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see you. Sweetheart, without you here beside me, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."
Shen Yannian's voice was particularly syrupy, especially when he called Su Cimu "sweetheart." Su Cimu always felt as though he wanted to swallow him whole!
"What does you not being able to sleep have to do with me? I'm hanging up. I'm going to play!"
Young Master Su was left flushed and flustered by Shen Yannian's "sweetheart" and hung up the video call outright.
Shen Yannian wasn't angry at being hung up on. Instead, he smiled indulgently.
At half past midnight, Young Master Su and Liang Tian finished a thoroughly satisfying battle in King's Canyon. Returning to reality, he couldn't help thinking of that old man Shen Yannian again.
I wonder if he's asleep yet...
At the thought, Su Cimu unconsciously opened his chat with Shen Yannian, but he didn't know what to send, typing and deleting over and over.
Just as Su Cimu was wavering, a video call from Shen Yannian popped up.
"Why are you still awake?" Shen Yannian looked at Young Master Su on the screen, his gaze growing gentler.
"I was already going to sleep. Your video call woke me up!"
Su Cimu was committed to being stubborn and absolutely refused to admit that he had stayed up late and then wanted to message Shen Yannian.
"Then it's my fault for disturbing my sweetheart's rest. I apologize."
"There's no need for that... Why are you still awake? What are you calling me for this time?" Su Cimu asked, feeling a little guilty.
"I was waiting for my sweetheart to finish his game and remember that he still has a fiancé all alone in an empty room. But it seems my sweetheart really did forget me, so I had to take the initiative," Shen Yannian said with a soft chuckle.
Hearing Shen Yannian's words, Su Cimu couldn't help blushing again.
"What are you doing? Isn't that disgustingly sappy? I suspect someone's swapped you out. Give me back the cold, scheming Shen Yannian!"
"When have I ever been cold and scheming with you? Don't slander me, sweetheart."
"???? Shen Yannian, have you forgotten how you threatened me and snapped at me the night we got engaged? You even used the Su family to threaten me!"
Shen Yannian: ...
"I was wrong, sweetheart. It won't happen again."
The powerful Second Master Shen knew when to bend and when to stand tall. Faced with his young boyfriend's accusations, he immediately admitted his mistake, seeking a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Young Master Su was thoroughly swept along by his coaxing and magnanimously forgave him this once.
"All right. Since you're sincerely admitting your mistake, I won't hold it against you. But just this once. If you ever threaten me with my family again, you'll never hear the end of it!"
"All right. It won't happen again," Shen Yannian solemnly promised.