Chapter 61: Sugar-Coated Nuke
The next day, Shen Shuyi sat up groggily in bed, his hair sticking out wildly in all directions thanks to his heroic sleeping posture—tufts pointing east and west, a chaotic halo framing his face.
His brain needed two full minutes to reboot.
When no maid came to wake him, it finally dawned on him that he was back in China.
Lift the blanket. Roll over. Get out of bed. Wash up.
“Glug glug glug…” — sound of rinsing.
He splashed his face with water, blinked, and—
Ha! What the hell, why was he still in bed?!
Shen Shuyi was the definition of a “can’t-get-out-of-bed” case. Back at Shuiwan One, it took the entire villa staff to take turns waking him up.
And even then, it required bribes, threats, and at least thirty minutes of emotional labor.
He groaned, rolling back into bed. Mornings were evil.
What sadist invented them?
He peeked at his phone—7:30.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Five more minutes. Just five.”
The best, sweetest, longest five minutes of his life.
Zzzzz…
Half an hour later—
“Shen Shuyi.”
A low, crisp male voice cut through the silence beside him.
Huh?
That voice sounded… familiar.
Shen Shuyi cracked one eye open from within his blanket cocoon.
Oh! Zhao Yuheng? Then this must still be a dream.
Back to sleep.
“Shen Shuyi.” The voice moved closer, tinged with helplessness. “Didn’t you promise me we’d go see the wedding house today?”
Huh?
What was this dream scenario? Marriage-house theme DLC?
“So soon…” Shen Shenyi mumbled, half-asleep. “But you haven’t even proposed yet. Why are we seeing a wedding house?”
Zhao Yuheng in the dream froze. “Propose?”
“Of course. You skipped that part. Don’t skip important scenes, dummy.”
The room went quiet for a few seconds. Then—
“Shen Shuyi, did you dream of me?”
The tone carried a teasing lilt.
Shen Shuyi’s eyes snapped wide open.
His pupils constricted cat-like—then he sprang upright.
Face-to-face with Zhao Yuheng.
“…”
He reached over and pinched Zhao Yuheng’s cheek hard.
The man frowned slightly.
Shit!
He felt pain—this wasn’t a dream!
Instantly awake, Shen Shuyi’s mind replayed everything from last night:
Returning to Beijing from America with Zhao Ci, attending the Zhao family banquet to welcome the “real young master” home, Zhao Ci forming a “Fake Young Master Revenge Alliance” behind his back—only for them to discover that the real young master was his ex-boyfriend.
Oh yeah. He remembered everything.
“Wh-why are you in my room?” he stammered.
“You didn’t come to breakfast, so I guessed you were still asleep,” Zhao Yuheng said calmly. “Also… you still haven’t answered me. Did you dream of me?”
“Yes,” Shen Shuyi muttered. “A nightmare.”
“…”
“Nightmare’s fine too,” Zhao Yuheng said quietly. “Better than forgetting me completely.”
Shen Shuyi gave an awkward laugh. “Where’s Zhao Ci, anyway?”
Zhao Yuheng’s gaze dimmed slightly.
The bed dipped as he sat beside him, voice gentle: “Can’t I come instead?”
So innocent, so pure, so wronged-looking.
And… tea-scented?
When did Zhao Yuheng learn to brew tea?!
It wasn’t like he couldn’t come, but—
Now that Shen Shuyi was fully awake, he noticed Zhao Yuheng was wearing a completely different outfit today: casual suit, neatly matched. Clearly, he’d put effort in.
In college, this man used to wear those hideous polo shirts from who-knows-where.
But two years later… he’d actually developed taste.
The longer Zhao Yuheng stared at him, the hotter Shen Shuyi’s face felt.
Had this man secretly gotten cosmetic work done?!
Why did he look even better than before?
Or maybe he’d just… grown into his looks?
As Shen’s thoughts spiraled, Zhao Yuheng softly said, “I thought we made up yesterday. Became friends again. So… I thought it’d be fine to wake you.”
Oh. Right.
Yesterday’s reunion had been rocky, but they’d ended things peacefully—sort of. They had to live under one roof anyway.
“What do you want for breakfast? Chinese or Western?” Zhao Yuheng asked.
“…Chinese.”
“After you wash up, we’ll go see the wedding house this afternoon, two o’clock sound good?”
“…Sure.”
Zhao Yuheng left soon after, perfectly natural, leaving him time to dress.
He wandered into the walk-in closet, still half in a daze. He’d packed lightly for the trip back—just a few outfits in his suitcase, not nearly enough for his usual fashion standards.
Shen Shuyi’s wardrobe was mostly custom or straight from fashion week. He rarely wore anything twice—unless he really liked it.
When traveling with Zhao Ci, he hadn’t bothered to dress up. What was the point? It’s not like you dress to impress a male colleague. Or your fiancé who acts like one.
But today felt… different.
He stared at the rack of clothes—suits, coats, denim, shirts—none satisfying.
Wait. Different how?!
He froze, staring blankly at his reflection.
A few seconds later, he grabbed a random trench coat.
Whatever. There was no one in Beijing worth dressing up for anyway.
Five minutes later, he put it back.
Fine. Dressing up was for yourself, right? Looking good puts you in a good mood.
Yes. That’s all it was.
He curled his hair into a lazy French wave. His hair had grown longer, soft waves framing a face so beautiful it could go either way—delicate yet sharp, the kind of beauty that made people double-take.
Still… he missed his stylist from Shuiwan One. Doing this himself was agony.
After breakfast, Shen Shuyi sat in the Zhao mansion’s living room waiting for Zhao Ci.
Of course, the two of them were the same kind of people. He woke at nine. Zhao Ci at ten. If not for being summoned, they’d still be asleep by noon.
When Zhao Ci finally stumbled in, yawning, he froze.
Shen Shuyi sat elegantly on the sofa, framed by blooming begonias—more radiant than the flowers themselves.
“Holy crap!” Zhao Ci lunged over—only to be pushed away.
He pouted beside him, eyes shining. “Little Shu, you look amazing today!”
Please. When didn’t he?
But admittedly, today he’d clearly put in effort—curled hair, matching outfit, accessories.
“You even curled your hair!”
“Mhm. To match the clothes.”
“You even matched your clothes?! Usually when you see me, you wear white T-shirts and sweatpants! And you never curl your hair!”
“…” He wasn’t that sloppy, okay?
“And earrings! A necklace! Watch! Ring!” Zhao Ci gasped dramatically.
“…Thanks, Captain Obvious. Everyone can see that.”
“So annoying. Just threw something on.”
“You’ve never dressed this nice when hanging out with me. What’s going on—don’t tell me you’re meeting some other guy?”
“?”
Zhao Ci’s eyes shimmered with betrayal.
“…Zhao Cici, maybe consider this: who dresses up to walk their dog?”
“QvQ! You’re calling me a dog.”
“Mhm.”
“QvQ!”
“Hey.” Shen Shuyi waited a bit. “You mad?”
“No.” Zhao Ci sighed dramatically. “I wanted to be mad, but then I saw your face. Damn it, I can’t stay angry. I hate myself.”
“…”
This man was insane.
While they bickered, Zhao Yuheng finished a call outside and walked in.
He froze for a moment seeing Shen Shuyi dressed up—soft gray cashmere sweater, dark blue wide-leg jeans, loose curls brushing his cheek. The casual combination somehow made him look gentler, softer.
For a brief, stunned second, Zhao Yuheng couldn’t believe Shen Shuyi was really there. Not a dream. Real. Tangible.
“You look really good today,” Zhao Yuheng said automatically. The words came out like muscle memory—his body remembering before his brain did.
“…Oh. Thanks.” Shen Shuyi mumbled, awkward.
Zhao Ci: ?!?
[When I said that, you told me to shut up!!]
[DOUBLE STANDARD CAT!!]
[Our friendship boat is sinking!!]
Shen Shuyi’s phone buzzed violently.
He glanced down—Zhao Ci’s spam of angry messages. Okay, maybe he had called him annoying earlier. But… was he wrong?
[Look at your messages. Am I wrong? :)]
[QvQ]
[Hypocrite.]
[You disbanded our Fake Young Master Alliance last night! You traitor!!]
[Keep it up and I’ll join the Real Young Master Alliance. :)]
He even attached a TXT link: “After Kicking My Scumbag Ex, I Married His Brother.”
[SORRY (kneels and slides away)]
If Zhao Yuheng were the insecure type, this scene would’ve crushed him—seeing Shen texting another man, laughing privately.
But he wasn’t.
He never was one for emotional self-torture. If he wanted something, he took it.
Growing up among sharks, his moral baseline was nearly zero. He’d never hesitate to play dirty.
So instead of sulking, Zhao Yuheng simply smiled—slow and dangerous. “What are you two chatting about? Looks fun. Mind sharing?”
The chill in his voice made Shen Shuyi’s scalp prickle.
It felt exactly like… getting caught by your husband.
His hand shook; the phone slipped onto the sofa.
Zhao Yuheng picked it up before he could react.
Screen open: After Kicking My Scumbag Ex, I Married His Brother.
“…”
“…”
“You two were talking about this?” Zhao Yuheng asked mildly.
Expressionless, Shen Shuyi said, “No.”
As long as he didn’t admit it—it didn’t exist.
“Seems like you were.”
“I said no.”
“When are you planning to make it come true?”
“…”
“Get out.”
His face burned scarlet.
“You were amazing just now,” Zhao Ci whispered later as they got ready to leave. “You actually told the Crown Prince to ‘get out~’!”
“…Why’d you add a tilde to that?”
“That’s exactly how you said it!” Zhao Ci protested.
Shen Shuyi talking to him was always cold, blunt, sometimes mean—but with Zhao Yuheng, there was… softness? A teasing tone?
He couldn’t quite describe it—like a tough guy suddenly acting sweet in front of his girlfriend.
He quickly buried the thought. If Shen found out, he’d kill him.
Still, Zhao Ci felt proud. Day two, and Shen Shuyi was already bold enough to tell the “real young master” to scram. Progress!
“Our plan’s working great,” he whispered excitedly. “He’s completely under your spell! He’s even driving us himself to see the wedding house!”
“What does that prove?”
“That he’s… really nice?” Zhao Ci faltered.
Shen: “…”
“That’s a sugar-coated bomb, you fool! Don’t be deceived!”
Ah yes. The sugar-coated bomb.
He’d spent all morning replaying everything that happened. There was no way exes could just be “friends.” Not with him bringing medicine at night, waking him in the morning, and chauffeuring him to see wedding houses.
Was there?
But… Shen Shuyi was used to being adored. He recovered quickly. Maybe some people just couldn’t resist being nice to him.
After all, who wouldn’t want to be his friend?
That afternoon, they toured the wedding houses. Shen Shuyi wasn’t particularly interested—his prenuptial agreement with Zhao Ci stated they wouldn’t live together after marriage. The whole thing was just for show.
What surprised him was how seriously Zhao Yuheng took it. He inspected every detail, even remembered Shen Shuyi had lots of jewelry and needed a custom walk-in closet.
The meticulousness made Shen Shuyi’s heart ache faintly. If not for that misunderstanding two years ago… maybe it would’ve been him instead of Zhao Ci.
But “maybe” didn’t change reality.
They finally settled on one villa priced at around 1.2 billion yuan.
Zhao Ci almost fainted. “Twelve… billion?!”
It wasn’t that he was poor—it was that all his assets were in trusts. He couldn’t just drop that kind of cash.
But Shen Shuyi really did like this one.
One glance from Zhao Yuheng, and he signed it on the spot.
“!”
Shen Shuyi blinked. “You know, you were right earlier—your brother is pretty nice.”
Ten minutes later, as they waited at the door, Shen Shuyi sighed. “Actually, Uncle Zhao never said I had to marry either of you, right?”
Zhao Ci: “=?= WAKE UP, LITTLE SHU! THAT’S A SUGAR-COATED BOMB!!”
Shen Shuyi glanced back at the luxury villa, then remembered Zhao Yuheng casually mentioning a blue diamond he’d seen at an upcoming auction that matched the black trench coat in his room.
Damn it.
Two years later, not only did the man develop taste, he even knew how to flirt properly.
The man, the diamond, the mansion— a triple strike straight to the heart.
“This isn’t a sugar-coated bomb,” Shen Shuyi muttered.
“This is a sugar-coated nuke.”
Zhao Ci: “=?=!! LITTLE SHU, HOLD THE LINE! He’s trying to seduce you! Once you fall for him, our Fake Young Master Alliance will crumble!”
Just then, Zhao Yuheng finished signing the contract and approached, expression calm.
“Little Ci,” he said lightly, draping his jacket over his arm, “you’re free this afternoon, right? I heard there’s a modified Koenigsegg at the upcoming auto show—you’ve wanted one for years. I already asked Chen Fang to reserve it for you.”
Zhao Ci: “?”
Zhao Ci: “!”
He straightened up immediately, posture respectful.
Shen Shuyi gave a cold laugh. “What’s that face? Didn’t you just tell me not to fall for your brother’s sugar-coated nukes? Hm? Fiancé?”
“Fiancé?” Zhao Ci said solemnly, eyes glinting.
Zhao Ci looked at him seriously and said slowly, “Brother-in-law, it’s not appropriate to call me that anymore. Just call me Xiao Ci like my brother does!”
Shen Shuyi: …
Shen Shuyi: ?
Zhao Ci turned his head, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Zhao Yuheng: “Brother! Where did you register my wife?! Can I go see her now!”
Author’s Note:
The most skillful sowing discord only requires the simplest and most direct methods.
