Chapter 34: Getting Sick
All of this came too suddenly for Zhao Yuheng.
Besides, wasn’t his current relationship with Shen Shuyi just a kept arrangement—or rather, not even confirmed? How had it suddenly progressed so fast that marriage was on the table?
What about the kissing, the hugging, the mutual expressions of feelings in between? Could that just be skipped?
Zhao Yuheng was silent for a long time on the phone before asking, “Why?”
Shen Shuyi sounded excited: “Why? To get the marriage certificate! It means I want to marry you!”
A little wedding leave—Shen Shuyi went all in!
It seemed he hadn’t misunderstood.
But now it was even stranger.
Marriage.
Although marrying Shen Shuyi wasn’t in his plans—and he was straight—this seemed a bit rushed.
At least, Zhao Yuheng had just started his new job, with one month left in his probation period before becoming permanent.
Currently, his monthly salary was 20,000 yuan, plus scattered part-time income, totaling around 40,000 yuan a month.
While silent, his mind raced.
If he wanted to buy a house in Hong Kong, it would require at least a five-year plan.
According to Shen Shuyi’s standards for a marital home, it would have to be at least as high-quality as Shuiwan One.
To afford such a villa, Zhao Yuheng would have to quit his current job and start a business immediately.
He did have two promising projects in mind—one involving a top figure in the AI industry he met while interning at the UN, who had recently extended an offer. But Zhao Yuheng hesitated; he preferred stable income.
Of course, one thing couldn’t change.
Zhao Yuheng was straight. He wouldn’t marry a man, let alone make a reckless decision to quit his stable job just to marry one.
Still, at current housing prices in central Hong Kong, if he wanted to start a business, he had to act fast. In two to three years, he would need to save at least 20 million yuan just to barely afford a 100-square-meter apartment.
Also, if there were children in the future, schooling would be another issue. Hongshan had limited educational resources, so that wasn’t an option. That left the peninsula—international boarding schools weren’t bad and could help children develop independence.
But he was straight. He wouldn’t marry Shen Shuyi. Two men? They couldn’t have kids.
What was he thinking?
Yet, if he really did have a child, would clingy Shen Shuyi willingly part with it?
He imagined that if the child went to kindergarten, the one crying the loudest at home might be Shen Shuyi himself.
Thinking of this, Zhao Yuheng couldn’t help but find Shen Shuyi adorable—not that it meant he liked him; finding him adorable was an objective fact.
In short, the school should be close to home, so that if Shen Shuyi wanted to see the child, he could at any time.
But all of this was based on the hypothetical that he would marry Shen Shuyi.
He was straight. These assumptions didn’t hold.
…Actually, it would be best to buy a flat with a balcony. He remembered Shen Shuyi had mentioned liking the gardens at Shuiwan One—and his walk-in closet, which would need to be specially decorated.
A car? Definitely needed.
It would be convenient for taking the child and Shen Shuyi shopping, with space in the trunk for all the clothes and bags Shen Shuyi bought.
Hmm, these were all the issues he could think of for now.
But he—right, he was straight, what was it again?
Oh yes. Straight. He was straight.
“Zhao Yuheng?”
Shen Shuyi, waiting on the phone, couldn’t resist urging: “Hello? Are you still there?”
Zhao Yuheng suddenly asked, “Do you prefer boys or girls?”
Shen Shuyi: “…?”
What the hell was that?
“Stop saying nonsense, I don’t understand.”
“Weren’t you going to get the marriage certificate tonight?” Zhao Yuheng said. “Have you thought about what happens after?”
“Oh, that,” Shen Shuyi thought. Why was Zhao Yuheng still worrying about this? His thoughts had already moved three trains ahead. He casually said, “I was joking!”
Zhao Yuheng: …?
Shen Shuyi, in a mysterious tone: “Did you know? In Yinghua, marriage leave is thirty days! Thirty days, a whole month! If I take this leave, it’s like having a whole winter vacation—no need to go to work!”
Zhao Yuheng fell silent.
“You mean you want to get the certificate for thirty days of leave?”
“Otherwise?” Shen Shuyi said. “I’m not getting married at such a young age. That’s like digging my own grave!”
He noticed Zhao Yuheng sounded off and hesitated: “Zhao Yuheng… you aren’t serious, right?”
Zhao Yuheng replied coldly, “No.”
He expressionlessly closed the search pages he had opened: “School district apartments near Peninsula International Bilingual Kindergarten? How should one react to a proposal? Marriage procedures? Closest Civil Affairs Bureau?”
Shen Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
Zhao Yuheng pressed his lips together, frowning, radiating low energy at his workstation.
Colleagues who had planned to coordinate work with him saw this and decided to wait.
When he didn’t speak, he seemed cold; now he looked like a jade-faced judge of the underworld, dragging the mouse across the screen, seemingly browsing files.
Only Zhao Yuheng knew he wasn’t reading a word.
His mind was a mess, frustrated and restless.
He wasn’t sure if he was angry at Shen Shuyi’s careless jokes about love, or at himself for actually taking the rich heir’s joke seriously.
Shen Shuyi always acted like this—lightly saying “I love you,” sending kiss emojis as jokes, even talking about marriage as a playful topic.
In this strange relationship, Shen Shuyi always stood in control. He dictated terms, never asking for Zhao Yuheng’s opinion, as if the world revolved around him.
Zhao Yuheng hated Shen Shuyi for treating love as a joke. He also hated himself for taking the joke seriously.
His eyes accidentally fell on Shen Shuyi’s friend’s “Delete” button.
No contact—this could solve all problems.
Fine, he could refuse that compensation.
Zhao Yuheng stared at Shen Shuyi’s avatar as if trying to burn it.
Finally, he made up his mind, double-clicking Shen Shuyi’s avatar with all his might.
You tapped “Shen Shuyi.”
You tapped “Shen Shuyi.”
You tapped “Shen Shuyi.”
He treated the little tuxedo kitten avatar as Shen Shuyi himself, tapping it five or six times.
Zhao Yuheng pinched his brows, resigned.
Fine. Two taps, this will be the last time.
Shen Shuyi only realized Zhao Yuheng had tapped him on WeChat after finishing his contract work.
Him: ?
Of course, he tapped back hard. 🙂
Thus, Zhao Yuheng’s phone vibrated nonstop all afternoon.
During a team meeting, his leader noticed and gently reminded, “Yuheng, if there’s an emergency, you can reply to messages first.”
Zhao Yuheng glanced at the WeChat messages: “No need.”
After confirming there was no emergency, the leader continued the meeting.
Shen Shuyi kept tapping him in WeChat, as if beating Zhao Yuheng himself.
Zhao Yuheng had many ways to deal with him.
Next, he changed the “tap back” suffix.
Now, when Shen Shuyi tapped again, it said: You tapped “Zhao Yuheng” and shouted, “Husband, you’re so handsome =w=!”
Zhao Yuheng even thoughtfully added the emoji, fitting Shen Shuyi’s personality.
Shen Shuyi: ?
Shen Shuyi : )
“Block warning, thanks.”
This tactic hurt the enemy eight hundred but harmed oneself a thousand.
When the meeting ended, Zhao Yuheng tried to ask how long Shen Shuyi intended to keep tapping, but the message sent out showed a red exclamation mark.
He: …
He had expected this outcome but hadn’t thought Shen Shuyi would block him so quickly.
He guessed Shen Shuyi would be mad for several hours. Seizing the free time, Zhao Yuheng contacted the AI industry friend he knew.
It wasn’t about buying a so-called marital home with Shen Shuyi—it was just that his current job, though stable, paid too little.
To afford a house and car in Hong Kong, he’d have to work till his next life.
This was just for his own future.
After a brief chat, his friend was surprised and delighted at Zhao Yuheng’s sudden decision to start a business.
They arranged a detailed meeting for the next afternoon.
Afterward, Zhao Yuheng browsed social media, recently following a few bakers whose style Shen Shuyi would like.
Just then, the HR front desk, Vivian, appeared in heels, swaying gracefully with a scent of perfume.
Vivian was famous in the company; colleagues secretly called her the “company beauty.”
She brought several cups of milk tea to the translation team: “Thanks for your hard work! I’m buying milk tea today.”
The team, mostly men, were instantly cheerful and thanked her repeatedly.
Vivian noticed the indifferent Zhao Yuheng and placed a jasmine tea in front of him:
“Yuheng, you don’t want one? I remember you like jasmine flavor.”
Her tone softened and sweetened. The male colleagues could tell she liked Zhao Yuheng.
They saw that since Zhao Yuheng joined, Vivian came to the translation team frequently. Previously, she had barely looked at male colleagues.
Zhao Yuheng glanced at the tea: “Hmm.”
He didn’t like milk tea; the one time he drank jasmine milk tea, it was Shen Shuyi who bought it and drank just a sip, leaving the rest for Zhao Yuheng.
Seeing his obvious coldness, Vivian felt a moment of disappointment, but thought handsome men were always hard to pursue—especially someone like Zhao Yuheng.
Seeing what he was browsing online, she gently tried to start a conversation: “Yuheng, I didn’t expect you to like desserts. In college, I often tried to make them for my roommates but failed. Could you teach me?”
Zhao Yuheng glanced at her, calm: “I’m not very skilled.”
He closed his laptop politely: “I have a meeting at three, so I’ll go now.”
He looked at the milk tea: “Sorry, I don’t really like milk tea. You can give this to someone else. Thanks.”
His words were polite, making the refusal subtle.
Vivian quietly said: “I won’t take the extra cup. Anyone wants a second cup can help themselves.”
After she left, the male colleagues sighed. Older employees, joining 2–3 years before Zhao Yuheng, stuck together a bit.
“Being handsome is great. Our boss called him to a separate meeting without us, now he even has a beauty chasing him.”
“If I were the boss, I’d gladly bring Xiao Zhao to a negotiation. With that face, I’d feel proud.”
“Ha, being handsome doesn’t pay the bills. Littler Zhou, right?”
Xiao Zhou, an intern who joined at the same time as Zhao Yuheng, was quiet, polite, and got along with seniors better.
He smiled: “Littler Zhao is from a top school. I can’t compete. I’ll just work and earn my wage.”
Though he said this, he wasn’t emotionless. His calmness was a self-protection mechanism—a humble arrogance.
If someone truly surpassed him, his internal imbalance grew. He had been annoyed by Zhao Yuheng all along, and seeing him refuse Vivian today, he muttered under his breath.
He smiled politely as the seniors went for a smoke; he stayed behind.
A WeChat notification popped on Zhao Yuheng’s computer.
He had taken his laptop to the meeting; his desktop stayed.
Zhou Ran, sitting next to him, glanced at his screen.
A contact named “Zhao Cheng” sent pictures of women in Paris, London, Egypt, Italy, etc.—tall, fair-skinned, one posing by a Porsche.
Zhao Cheng: [Xiao Wen, the person my dad wanted to set you up with last time. They’ve asked about you multiple times. Add her WeChat, bro. Her dad is a hospital director, her mom a university professor, only child, two houses in Hong Kong outskirts, one in downtown, two cars. With these conditions, a rich and beautiful heiress chasing you—what are you waiting for? ]
Zhou Ran’s eyes lingered on “three houses in Hong Kong,” his Adam’s apple moving.
Zhao Yuheng: [Not adding. Stop sending me messages.]
Zhao Cheng: [WeChat ID 6747xxxx. Bro, don’t be so proud. Marry her and save yourself a couple generations of work (laughs).]
Zhao Yuheng deleted him.
The next morning, Shuiwan One.
Shen Shuyi sat on the sofa, weakly: “Uncle Liang, how’s the checkup? Do I have a cold? I feel a bit unwell this morning—I might be sick.”
Dr. Liang smiled: “Don’t worry, Little Shu. Just checked you, nothing serious.”
“Nothing serious?!” Shen Shuyi jumped up.
Nothing serious was a problem! How could he ask for sick leave if he wasn’t sick?
Dr. Liang: “Look, you’re in good spirits too.”
Shen Shuyi clutched his chest, collapsing on the sofa: “Cough… maybe it’s a fleeting illness!”
Dr. Liang smiled, indulging his antics. Everyone knew the young master’s little tricks.
Uncle Lin gave Dr. Liang a helpless smile, implying patience with Shen Shuyi.
After all, Dr. Liang usually charged exorbitantly. Today, he was wasting his morning on Shen Shuyi’s antics.
Shen Shuyi, refusing to accept he was healthy, nervously insisted: “Can you check again, Uncle Liang? My heart’s racing. Maybe I have a heart problem. Should I go to a top hospital?”
Dr. Liang put away his stethoscope: “Little Shu, checking again won’t change anything. You’re perfectly healthy.”
Shen Shuyi: …
Shen Shuyi: TUT
After Uncle Lin left, Shen Shuyi dawdled before reluctantly changing clothes to go to work, in a bad mood.
The weather in Hong Kong was gloomy, as if it might rain.
Shen Shuyi suddenly realized Zhao Yuheng hadn’t messaged him in two days.
Him: ?
Perfect. His “cheap fiancé” just shot himself in the foot. 🙂
He angrily opened Zhao Yuheng’s WeChat, ready to accuse him of indifference—but saw he had already been blocked for two days.
Shen Shuyi: …
Well, not his fault. If blocked, no messages, right? His phone’s just decoration?
Heh!
Not enough love, obviously. 🙂
And Zhao Yuheng had promised to make him desserts daily—how could he give up after only a few days?
Shen Shuyi immediately found a new “crime” for Zhao Yuheng, ready to pull him out of the blacklist for questioning.
Of course, this was only part of the reason. He genuinely wanted to chat with Zhao Yuheng.
Sending a message to his fiancé wasn’t illegal. ^ ^
Shen Shuyi sent:
Zhao Yuheng instantly replied: [Am I out of jail?]
Shen Shuyi: [Minor offenses forgiven, major offenses inescapable.]
Shen Shuyi: [Kitty sharpening claws.jpg]
Shen Shuyi: [Where’s today’s little cake? (Kitty death stare.jpg)]
Zhao Yuheng typed for a while.
Outside, light rain fell, but Shen Shuyi didn’t care, scrolling the chat repeatedly.
Zhao Yuheng: [I want to tell you, today’s cake, I’ll owe you—okay?]
Owe? Who taught him that?
Shen Shuyi immediately typed [No.]
Zhao Yuheng: [I’m at the hospital today.]
Shen Shuyi: [Visiting your grandfather again?]
Zhao Yuheng: [No. I’m seeing a doctor myself.]
Shen Shuyi froze, worried.
[Yourself? What’s wrong? Sick? Cold? Fever? Or overworked? I’ve seen many with heart problems. Serious? Which hospital? Photo please!]
Zhao Yuheng called back.
A calm, reassuring male voice came: “Shen Shuyi, don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Author’s note:
Little Zhao, even if hit by a car, would first get up to comfort his wife—a good husband.
He’s the type to be bleeding, borrow a cop’s phone thinking he’s calling 120, but it’s actually to call his wife, telling him not to worry.
![[Sports] I Really Am Just a Substitute](https://i2.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20231215185420_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "[Sports] I Really Am Just a Substitute")