Chapter 32: Heartbeat?!
Shen Shuyi looked at him, then looked at him again.
Zhao Yuheng replied, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Shuyi hesitated to speak, then slowly calmed down.
Right.
How much can you expect a straight man to flirt?
Probably just fumbling around.
Still, Shen Shuyi obediently came to the table and looked at the cake. Deep down, he knew it would be fake if he said he wasn’t a bit surprised or happy.
“Where did you order this delivery from so late? Where did you get the cake?”
Shuiwan One had a very particular location. The nearest supermarket was a ten-minute drive away.
Except for some five-star restaurants or special requests from Michelin chefs, normal delivery couldn’t get into Shallowwan at all.
Even ordinary vehicles were strictly checked by security upon entry.
Sixty to seventy thousand in security wages weren’t paid for nothing.
The security at Shuiwan One were carefully selected from retired special forces units.
“I made it myself.” Zhao Yuheng didn’t hide it, taking out a few plates to cut a small slice of cake.
Shen Shuyi snapped back to attention. “Wait!”
Zhao Yuheng: “?”
Shen Shuyi hesitated, then said, “I want to take pictures.”
Ah, right.
He forgot this young master always took photos before eating.
As Shen Shuyi would put it, if the first bite wasn’t captured on camera, it was as if he hadn’t eaten at all.
After taking dozens of shots, he was finally satisfied.
Zhao Yuheng thought it was time to eat, but Shen Shuyi handed him his phone: “Take a couple of photos of us together.”
Zhao Yuheng was used to this young master’s antics and never got annoyed. He casually took the phone and adjusted the angle.
Uncle Lin watched in admiration.
He had known Shen Shuyi for over ten years and had adjusted to his temper. Even now, remembering when he first took care of this young master, anyone witnessing Shen Shuyi’s temper would have muttered, “What a little brat.”
Now he understood why Shen Shuyi clung to him so much.
It really is a perfect match.
“This one looks terrible. My eyes look different sizes.”
“I think it’s fine. It’s just the angle.”
Zhao Yuheng pointed to the next photo: “What about this one? Not good?”
Shen Shuyi: “This one’s barely acceptable!”
They huddled together to look at the photos, very close.
Zhao Yuheng couldn’t tell the difference between the photos at all.
Shen Shuyi was naturally photogenic. In the photos, holding the cake, he smiled like a crescent moon, showing eight teeth.
His smile was infectious; it made people want to smile along.
His skin was like milk, smooth and white. Wearing cotton pajamas just after a shower, he looked as obedient as a high school boy.
No matter how you photographed him, Shen Shuyi exuded the aura of a young master raised in a wealthy family.
From hair to nails, every detail revealed an effortless luxury.
He even slyly had a bit of cream on the tip of his nose—applied by Zhao Yuheng, who was a straightforward man. While spreading the cream, Zhao Yuheng asked, “Why? It looks fine without it.”
Shen Shuyi grinned sweetly, “I think you should just shut up.”
After the photos, Shen Shuyi finally calmly ate a slice of cake.
Zhao Yuheng cut another piece and handed it to him. For the first time, Shen Shuyi wasn’t staring at his phone but genuinely enjoying the food.
At first, he thought Zhao Yuheng’s homemade cake might taste bad.
Shen Shuyi even thought if it wasn’t good, he’d eat two pieces out of courtesy.
But the first bite made his eyes widen.
Wow.
It was actually delicious!
This guy ^ ^.
So secretly talented.
Shen Shuyi, who usually didn’t like sweets, ate two slices.
The four-inch cake quickly became half. Zhao Yuheng had intentionally made it small, expecting he couldn’t eat too much.
Yet he couldn’t even finish half.
Zhao Yuheng glanced at the leftover: “If you can’t finish it, give it to Uncle Lin and the others.”
The cake was portioned, not leftovers. Zhao Yuheng just remembered from the nutritionist that Shen Shuyi never ate overnight food.
After hearing that, Shen Shuyi blinked slowly, hesitant: “Give it to Uncle Lin?”
“So?” Zhao Yuheng asked.
Shen Shuyi touched his nose: “Oh, nothing.”
Zhao Yuheng raised an eyebrow and watched him.
Shen Shuyi looked away for two seconds, then asked: “Can I save it for tomorrow?”
Zhao Yuheng paused.
Shen Shuyi quickly added: “Uncle Lin doesn’t like cake!”
Hearing that, Uncle Lin quickly said: “Yes, Mr. Zhao. Save the cake for the young master. We don’t like it.”
Mrs. Li and the others nodded in agreement.
Shen Shuyi didn’t need Zhao Yuheng’s approval. Seeing Uncle Lin really didn’t like it, he sighed dramatically: “Ah! What a pity. I guess I’ll have it myself!”
He didn’t even wait for Zhao Yuheng and put the remaining two pieces into the walk-in fridge.
The placement showed how special these cakes were. Shen Shuyi had even reserved a separate fridge section for them, putting the cakes neatly in the center.
After that, Shen Shuyi felt sleepy.
He yawned, ready to go upstairs to brush his teeth and sleep, but Zhao Yuheng grabbed his wrist.
Shen Shuyi looked back. Zhao Yuheng’s expression was hard to read—something intense was hidden behind his eyes.
“Tomorrow,” Zhao Yuheng suddenly said.
Shen Shuyi tilted his head, looking at him.
Zhao Yuheng had affectionate eyes. Even though Shen Shuyi was usually cold, when those eyes looked at someone seriously, it made the person feel cared for, as if they were the only one in his world.
Zhao Yuheng’s Adam’s apple moved: “If you want it, I can make it tomorrow too.”
Shen Shuyi realized he was still talking about cake: “I didn’t finish today’s.”
“You’ll get fat eating cake every day, thanks ^ ^.”
Zhao Yuheng said: “Not what I mean. I mean, whenever you want, just tell me. I can make it anytime. You don’t need to save today’s for tomorrow. There will be more tomorrow and the day after. If you want it, you can have it every day.”
By the time all this happened, the lights at Shuiwan One went out around 3 a.m.
The drizzle had turned into heavy rain. Uncle Lin had arranged a guest room for Zhao Yuheng on the second floor for the night; he would be driven to work in the morning.
In the master bedroom, Shen Shuyi had already gone to bed.
Five minutes after lights out. Ten minutes. Thirteen minutes. Fifteen minutes…
Suddenly, Shen Shuyi shot up.
The villa was silent, but his mind exploded.
All he could think of was Zhao Yuheng’s words before going upstairs:
There will be more tomorrow and the day after. If you want it, you can have it every day.
Holy crap.
What did those two sentences mean?
Could he… be flirting with me?!
The terrifying part wasn’t Zhao Yuheng flirting.
Although he had just complained that Zhao Yuheng’s flirting skills were disastrous, this terrifying man had somehow become skilled in just half an hour!
Yes.
The scariest thing was that he… had actually been… flirted with!
And now… couldn’t sleep because of it!
For Shen Shuyi, this was like a comet hitting the Earth.
His pupils dilated. If he were a feline, all his fur would have stood on end.
Oh my god! Zhao Yuheng! That cheap fiancé who might even put cockroaches in his dinner after marriage!
And just a four-inch cake made him even reconsider breaking off the engagement.
A four-inch cake—probably only 128 RMB in a bakery!
128 RMB!
Zhao Yuheng hadn’t even spent that much. He had used Shuiwan One’s ingredients to make it himself.
He, Shen Shuyi, had been charmed by such a cheap (but delicious and thoughtful) cake!
He almost fainted on his three-meter bed, trying to suffocate himself with a pillow.
How could he mock girls who fell for a bottle of milk, a handmade item, or paper stars? He was no different.
Complete, catastrophic disaster.
At 3:15 a.m., the marble stairs echoed with “thump, thump, thump.”
Someone was running downstairs barefoot—Shen Shuyi, of course.
Uncle Lin, worried, came to check.
Shen Shuyi, in pajamas, ran into the eight-meter-high walk-in closet like a swift breeze.
“Why is he awake so late?” thought Uncle Lin.
Bang! Shen Shuyi turned on the closet display lights.
Transparent display cabinets held rows of diamonds bought from Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and auctions worldwide.
Another wall displayed hundreds of Hermès bags—he had five to six hundred, enough to wear a different one every day for a year.
His collection even surpassed most Hermès boutiques. Rare, platinum, limited-edition bags—all were there.
And tens of thousands or even millions worth of haute couture gowns.
Shen Shuyi spotted the Kelly bag he had once tried to sell but was mocked online. He hugged it like a lifeline.
“Kelly… Dad almost lost it last night, thinking your stepmom wasn’t so bad for a moment. If I really got that cheap man as your stepmom, I’d never see you again!”
“!!”
Uncle Lin, having donned a tuxedo, sighed in relief seeing Shen Shuyi only talking to himself.
The young maid, Xiaomei, worried: “Uncle, is the young master okay?”
“He’s fine,” said Uncle Lin. “He just sometimes likes to act a little crazy.”
The next morning, after a night of rain, the air was fresh.
The villa’s garden sprinklers worked like falling stars, forming faint rainbows.
Xiaomei opened one of the French doors to wake Shen Shuyi. The AI system opened the curtains, leaving a layer of lace.
She whispered: “Third…”
Then froze.
The king-size bed held Shen Shuyi in creamy cotton pajamas. In the morning light, his skin glowed translucent, hair shining pale gold.
But what stunned Xiaomei more was the absence of his duvet. Instead, the bed was covered with scattered jewelry, diamonds, necklaces, crowns, rings, brooches, gems, pearls, jade, and even rare bags worth multiple homes—a mountain of treasures, almost dreamlike.
Each gem sparkled like stars. Miraculously, these legendary jewels seemed to chase his warmth, becoming a spring-like accent around him.
Xiaomei covered her mouth, unwilling to disturb the scene.
But Shen Shuyi woke up because of the light.
He sat up, hair messy, some strands sticking out. An imperial green jade necklace slid from his shoulder, clinking against other jewelry.
The scene came alive.
Xiaomei gasped: “Third Young Master! Why are there so many jewels on your bed?”
Holy crap. She realized the noises she heard last night were him moving the jewelry!
Shen Shuyi, after rebooting his brain, looked at Xiaomei: “Oh… it’s fine. Last night, I was contemplating life, searching for my anchor.”
“Anchor?” Xiaomei echoed.
He explained as he stepped into plush slippers: “An anchor literally fixes a ship. Figuratively, it represents one’s faith, something that provides security and stability.”
Xiaomei nodded, half-understanding. “So why the jewelry on the bed?”
Luckily, the eldest master wasn’t there; otherwise, he’d have panicked at the extravagant display.
Shen Shuyi held a thirty-carat teardrop diamond ring, squinting like a feline hunter, and put it on his ring finger: “These are to reinforce my beliefs.”
Xiaomei pecked nodding, asking if he still had thoughts of living a hard life.
Before he could answer, Zhao Yuheng came out of a guest room across the hall. Their eyes met across the villa, holding each other’s gaze for several seconds.
Xiaomei: “Third Young Master?”
Shen Shuyi quickly looked away, muttering: “Get me my 20-million Patek Philippe. I need a stronger dose!”
Author’s note:
A kitten builds a nest (but not with a husband’s clothes—diamonds instead).
Yes… for a kitten, diamonds are the best comfort.
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