Chapter 15: Late-Night Call
After speaking, Shen Shuyi’s tense breathing finally eased.
He wondered if the two million would satisfy Zhao Yuheng’s insatiable heart.
On the other end, the breathing was also light. In the dead of night, Shen Shuyi listened carefully to the man’s breaths.
It seemed the man opened his mouth several times before speaking, finally letting out a voice tinged with helplessness: “Shen Shuyi, I only need five hundred thousand. I don’t need this much money.”
Pretending!
Shen Shuyi snorted coldly in his heart.
Playing hard to get, retreating to advance!
Does he think everyone in the elite circles of Hong Kong is easy to fool?
Even if you’ve never eaten pork, you’ve seen pigs run. This kind of man who tries to climb social ranks with charm usually pretends not to care about money.
Who doesn’t love money?! Ha.
Shen Shuyi immediately saw through Zhao Yuheng’s trick.
“Don’t play games with me. Anyway, I’m giving you two million, just take it,” Shen Shuyi said, recalling the house from his dream.
If that was really the place Zhao Yuheng would live in the future, it was too shabby.
Meeting him in person, putting aside the basic contradiction of the arranged marriage, Shen Shuyi didn’t have a bad impression of Zhao Yuheng.
Perhaps, with a more respectable first encounter, they could even be friends.
Shen Shuyi hesitated for a few seconds, then imitated Shen Lu’s tone and spoke slowly:
“You’re still young…”
Zhao Yuheng: ?
Zhao Yuheng corrected him: “I’m one year older than you.”
Shen Shuyi opened his mouth slowly: “…Oh.”
Then he realized and hinted at Zhao Yuheng: “Anyway, it’s not about age. Don’t you want to buy a luxury home or a fancy car?”
Zhao Yuheng was confused. Buying houses and cars for himself—what did it have to do with the young master?
As he was on the phone, his laptop screen suddenly lit up, with a breaking news alert popping in the corner:
[Shocking! Unknown tycoon showers a beauty with money! Luxury mansion! Million-dollar cars! Miss Hong Kong succumbs to financial charms, smiling frequently!]
Luxury homes, fancy cars?
Succumbs to charms?
Smiling frequently?
The laptop screen went dark, reflecting Zhao Yuheng’s face.
While on the phone with Shen Shuyi, a faint smile had unknowingly appeared on his face.
Zhao Yuheng: …?
He suppressed the corner of his mouth.
“I don’t want them,” Zhao Yuheng frowned, firmly saying NO to Shen Shuyi’s improper temptation.
Shen Shuyi snorted inwardly.
Pathetic!
He deserved to live in a rented apartment for his whole life and never find a wife.
It’s hard to reason with a damn stubborn ghost.
Zhao Yuheng didn’t want the two million, leaving Shen Shuyi genuinely in a dilemma.
The call grew awkwardly silent.
Just listening to Shen Shuyi’s breaths, Zhao Yuheng could tell the young master was surely plotting something devious again.
After spending some time together, Zhao Yuheng had begun to understand Shen Shuyi’s personality.
His thoughts were wild and unpredictable; his actions whimsical and mischievous.
His logic was peculiar, and he liked to talk to himself. If you didn’t understand what Shen Shuyi meant, the best way was just to go along with him.
Otherwise, Shen Shuyi’s temper might affect innocent Victoria Harbor residents.
Zhao Yuheng suddenly decided to tease him, “Besides, Shen Shuyi, if you were going to buy me luxury homes and cars, wouldn’t two million still not be enough?”
After a pause, Shen Shuyi snapped back to attention, grinding his teeth.
Damn!
So it wasn’t a strategy to retreat and advance—he was just greedy!
A lion asking for an enormous price!
“How much do you want then?” Shen Shuyi, now fully awake and fuming, forced the words out between his teeth.
Zhao Yuheng found it amusing to provoke him, deliberately replying, “Don’t know, haven’t thought about it yet.”
He rested his head on one hand, lying back on the bed as the rain drizzled outside. Somehow…
With family troubles, his grandfather seriously ill, running back and forth, the pressure of continuous part-time jobs and studies had him barely breathing.
This stolen moment of leisure, it turned out, came from none other than Shen Shuyi himself.
Zhao Yuheng paused for a few seconds, then asked suddenly, “Shen Shuyi, do you do this with others too?”
If someone else came to collect a debt, would you also use money to deal with them?
Five hundred thousand isn’t enough, so two million. Wanting to buy them cars and houses, even actively contacting them frequently.
Would you call them at 3:30 a.m. in this flustered, exasperated tone and act spoiled?
(Here Zhao Yuheng misinterpreted; Shen Shuyi was exasperated, not acting spoiled.)
“Impossible!”
Shen Shuyi was speechless.
What kind of logic is this Zhao guy thinking with?
Others?
Did he really think anyone could enter an arranged marriage with Shen Shuyi? One was enough trouble already.
Zhao Yuheng was silent for a moment after hearing his reply, thinking who knows what.
“Alright, that’s enough for now. Nothing else, I’ll hang up!”
Shen Shuyi’s calls came fast and went fast.
Just as he was about to hang up, Zhao Yuheng suddenly spoke, “Shen Shuyi.”
“Ah?”
Zhao Yuheng calmly said, “Good night.”
Not that he specifically wanted to say good night to Shen Shuyi—this was just his personal habit.
Shen Shuyi: “Oh.”
After hanging up, he stared at his phone, thinking, “What’s with the bubble voice, so random!”
Later, being called out by Shen Shuyi again, Lu Zhiwei’s heart pounded wildly.
To be invited by Shen Shuyi in the high society of Hong Kong was a priceless honor, worth more than a billion HKD.
Everyone knew: to catch the attention of this high and mighty young master of the Shen family, you had to be either the heir of a centuries-old family, a Wall Street capital tycoon, or a quietly wealthy American old money.
What did Lu Zhiwei rely on to be invited twice?
His pride in his figure.
“Lend me two million,” Shen Shuyi said across from him, expression unfriendly.
A frown on a beauty’s face had its own charm. Lu Zhiwei admired for a few seconds, then realized.
His face fell, whining, “Baby, why are you asking me for money again?”
This time, even one and a half million more than before!
“Cut the nonsense,” Shen Shuyi, used to being spoiled and domineering, said bluntly:
“Give it to me, quickly!”
Lu Zhiwei felt a headache coming, repeating the old line, “Your brother already told us, anyone who dares lend you money is going against him in Hong Kong. I want to help, but I can’t, baby.”
Shen Shuyi snorted coldly: “Useless.”
Ah, being scolded feels so satisfying.
Lu Zhiwei quickly stopped enjoying the moment, curiously asked, “Last time you asked for five hundred thousand, now two million? Why?”
Recalling the economic sanctions Shen Lu imposed on Shen Shuyi, the whole Hong Kong knew.
This pampered young master, used to spending lavishly, suddenly had his card stopped—was Shen Shuyi borrowing high-interest loans now?
Lu Zhiwei’s expression turned serious, “Shuyi, you’re not borrowing from high-interest lenders, right?”
“Impossible,” Shen Shuyi replied.
“Then why is the amount increasing each time?” Lu Zhiwei was genuinely worried. If Shen Shuyi really borrowed high-interest loans, he’d secretly give him money despite risking Shen Lu’s wrath.
“I…” Shen Shuyi hesitated. He wanted to tell Lu Zhiwei honestly about Zhao Yuheng but felt embarrassed.
Moreover, Shen Shuyi was very cautious.
Last time he told Lu Zhiwei, he already regretted it. This time, he was even more careful.
As they say, there’s no wall without cracks. What if Shen Lu finds out?
“Anyway, don’t worry. No loans, no gambling,” Shen Shuyi said vaguely.
“It’s just a personal matter of mine.”
Lu Zhiwei silently thought: Your personal matter? Probably jewelry, diamonds, or luxury cars.
Which personal matter could be solved with two million?
Seeing Shen Shuyi unwilling to speak, Lu Zhiwei didn’t press further.
After all, seeing a beauty frown is fun, but getting slapped by him would hurt.
Lu Zhiwei changed the topic, “By the way, Shuyi. Alex is back. Did he message you?”
“What?”
Alex? Oh, now he remembered, his boyfriend.
Shen Shuyi cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment, then reacted with surprise, “When did he come back?”
“Just yesterday,” Lu Zhiwei realized, his voice weakening, forced laugh:
“Didn’t he tell you?”
Shen Shuyi: “….”
Lu Zhiwei hurriedly said, “See, my mouth just blurted it. Why don’t you call him? Maybe Alex just forgot to tell you.”
Shen Shuyi smiled, sipped coffee, “Or maybe he didn’t forget. Maybe he’s dead.”
Lu Zhiwei: …
The young master was furious, and the consequences were severe.
Lu Zhiwei held his breath, ready to face Shen Shuyi’s wrath. But after one curse, Shen Shuyi didn’t say another word.
Lu Zhiwei: “Shuyi, you’re not angry anymore?”
Shen Shuyi sipped his coffee, “A little. But getting wrinkles over a man isn’t worth it. Besides, it’s not important. Whether he informs me or not, I don’t care.”
“And adults are busy with their own matters. I can’t expect him to reply immediately to everything.”
Lu Zhiwei was more puzzled.
Shen Shuyi’s temper was notorious—raised without rules by Old Master Shen, feared in all Hong Kong.
A minute late in replying would trigger a major tantrum.
Yet, his boyfriend returning without notice didn’t anger him much.
Lu Zhiwei: “You really… understand him.”
…Is this normal couple behavior?
Shen Shuyi thought he was being too rational with Li Sijia.
But isn’t that how relationships are? He hadn’t dated before—how could he know?
After finishing his coffee, Shen Shuyi stood, “I’m leaving.”
Lu Zhiwei paid and saw him off.
Uncle Lin had arranged a car, waiting for some time. Lu Zhiwei only left after seeing Shen Shuyi safely get in.
Remembering Lu Zhiwei’s words, Shen Shuyi felt his attitude toward Li Sijia had been too cold.
Should he contact his boyfriend more?
Shen Shuyi opened WeChat and found Li Sijia’s chat.
He discovered Li Sijia had already informed him yesterday about returning and sent multiple transfer messages.
The second-to-last message, sent at 1:30 a.m. yesterday: [Baby, love you so much.]
Shen Shuyi: ? Too cheesy, stop it 🙂
The rest were transfer records:
[Transfer 13140]
[Transfer 52000]
[Transfer 11520]
After 1:30 a.m., no further messages.
The last message came today at 12:30 p.m.—just now.
Li Sijia sent a hotel photo. Shen Shuyi instantly recognized it as a high-end hotel under Yinghua Group.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire Victoria Harbor could be seen.
The photo showed the hotel’s coffee table, with a small Patek Philippe custom watch on it.
Sensitive to luxury goods, Shen Shuyi glanced at it carefully.
He had never seen Li Sijia wear this delicate watch; it wasn’t his usual style.
Just as he was about to ask when he bought it, the photo was retracted.
Shen Shuyi: ?
Author’s Note:
Signs of an ex-husband’s infidelity!
Little Zhao, opportunities favor the prepared! Ready to steal the cat yet? (just kidding)
And the little cat treats every man fairly.
Fiancé’s bubble messages: Cat—“So random.”
Boyfriend’s love messages: Cat—“So cheesy, stop it.”
