Chapter 81: Seeking Thrills
Chaos! Total chaos, a complete mess!
The originally solemn atmosphere was instantly transformed by Zhao Ci’s words, turning everyone’s expressions from tense vigilance into a spectrum of reactions.
Zhao Qing was silent for a few seconds before asking, “Littler Ci, you knew about this?”
Zhao Ci quickly looked at Zhao Yuheng, a face full of “SOS!! SOS!!!”
After all, Zhao Qing personally raised Zhao Ci, and seeing this expression, he could already guess half the situation.
The incident happened so suddenly. When Zhao Qing heard Zhao Hui’s words, he felt furious. Brothers at odds—that’s scandalous in a wealthy family, a scandal of the worst kind.
His first concern was Zhao Ci’s attitude toward this matter.
After all, from Zhao Hui’s words, it was clear Zhao Ci seemed like a victim.
But seeing Zhao Ci’s reaction now, it appeared things weren’t as simple as he thought.
Just as Zhao Qing was about to speak further, Zhao Yuheng interjected.
“Does whether I’m Shen Shuyi’s ex-boyfriend have anything to do with your apology today?” he asked, directing the question at Zhao Hui.
Zhao Hui froze.
Actually, it had nothing to do with it; he just didn’t like Shen Shuyi’s high-handedness and wanted to drag him into trouble.
“Besides, I’m really not Shen Shuyi’s ex-boyfriend.”
Zhao Hui was stunned. Dare to act but not admit it?
“I’ve reconciled with him,” Zhao Yuheng corrected lightly. “I’m his current boyfriend.”
Damn!
He’s incredibly audacious!
Zhao Hui, shaken by Zhao Yuheng’s attitude, began to doubt his own sense of reality. Didn’t he just expose a scandal?
Why does Zhao Yuheng look so self-righteous about it?!
Shen Lu’s gaze landed sharply on Shen Shuyi. Reconciled?
Shen Shuyi: “…..”
Shen Shuyi: eyes shifting.
“You… do you have no shame? Stealing your own brother’s fiancé and still daring to say it out loud?”
Even Zhao Qing was shocked.
This son, brought back halfway through life, sometimes so self-willed, could be quite startling.
“No shame? Why would you conclude that?” Zhao Yuheng asked. “Did Shen Shuyi tell you, or did Zhao Ci, that they were in a relationship?”
Zhao Hui had no words in response.
Zhao Zheng, unable to watch silently, added for his son, “Even if Shen Shuyi, third son of the Shen family, isn’t in a relationship with Zhao Ci, everyone knows about the Shen-Zhao family alliance. You inserting yourself—aren’t you ashamed?”
“That makes it even stranger,” Zhao Yuheng said with a faint smile, though his eyes held none of it, merely a polite gesture. “Since this is an alliance between the Shen and Zhao families, and my surname is Zhao, why can’t Shen Shuyi form an alliance with me?”
He continued deliberately: “Moreover, if we trace back to the roots, shouldn’t Shen Shuyi’s fiancé actually be me?”
His words left everyone in the living room silent.
In fact, Zhao Yuheng had already said this to Zhao Qing the night he was officially recognized back into the Zhao family.
At the time, Zhao Qing didn’t know the details, and Zhao Yuheng didn’t push further, so Zhao Qing assumed it was just a joking remark.
Who knew he was serious!
…
It must be said, though a young fox, Zhao Yuheng was a master at reading hearts, surpassing even Zhao Qing himself.
He knew exactly where Zhao Qing’s psychological defenses lay—Zhao Qing felt guilty for losing him for over twenty years, which meant he had to realize the Shen-Zhao alliance was effectively “taken” from Zhao Yuheng by Zhao Ci.
Shen Lu understood clearly but didn’t want Shen Shuyi involved in this mess.
“Uncle Zhao, this is your family’s affair. I think it’s better for Little Shu and me, as outsiders, not to stay and interfere.”
Exactly what Zhao Qing wanted.
He didn’t want outsiders witnessing the Zhao family drama.
Shen Lu said, “Xiao Shu, come over.”
Shen Shuyi glanced at Shen Lu and then Zhao Yuheng, but didn’t move.
Shen Lu frowned. “Xiao Shu, your brother is talking to you.”
Shen Shuyi hesitated, looked at Zhao Yuheng again, still unmoved.
Although married couples are supposed to stick together in crises…
Shen Shuyi felt it was better to stay with Zhao Yuheng.
—It’s the same principle: if an outsider is present, the parents won’t be too harsh on the child, considering appearances.
Shen Lu called twice; Shen Shuyi was resolute.
“Brother, I’ll apologize later, TUT…”
At that moment, Zhao Ci ran over, stammering: “Big Brother Shen, if Little Shu won’t come, I’ll come! If you insist on taking someone on the spot, you might as well take me!! Bro!!”
The last shout was heart-wrenching.
Shen Lu: “…”
Zhao Qing: “…”
If he still didn’t understand these three children’s dynamics, all these years were wasted.
Zhao Qing sighed: “Aheng, Little Ci, come with me to the study. Zhao Zheng, take your son away. No one is to speak a word of today’s events outside; it’s to stay buried. We’ll decide the rest tonight.”
—
Zhao Yuheng stayed in Zhao Qing’s study all night, not coming out.
Shen Shuyi kept glancing toward the study or at his phone.
Zhao Yuheng didn’t reply; the study remained closed.
Shen Shuyi looked again.
Shen Lu leisurely read his book: “Why not just sleep by the study tonight?”
“Really, brother? Can I?” Shen Shuyi, holding his pillow, looked expectantly.
Shen Lu’s brow twitched. “Sleep now! And tomorrow, don’t enter the Shen house!”
Shen Shuyi stubbornly said “Tch.”
Shen Lu didn’t understand but eventually gestured, and Shen Shuyi reluctantly moved to the sofa, resting his head on Shen Lu’s lap—a childish gesture, formed in his early years, treating Shen Lu as the adult, himself as the child learning to walk.
Shen Lu stroked his head. “You like Zhao Yuheng that much, huh?”
“Yes.”
Shen Lu sighed. “I don’t see what’s so special about him that makes you so devoted.”
Not devoted at all, thank you very much. Shen Shuyi thought.
“He’s handsome,” Shen Shuyi said. “And treats me well.”
Thinking further: “Really, really handsome!”
Shen Lu: “….”
“You never cared about looks before,” Shen Lu said helplessly. “Other admirers were handsome too. Why not them?”
Shen Shuyi: “Different. Zhao Yuheng is genuinely good to me.”
“He’s like you, brother, one of the best to me besides grandpa.”
Shen Lu could only sigh softly.
“What if he treats you badly in the future?”
Shen Shuyi: “?”
Shen Shuyi looked up: “Then you help me beat him up.”
Shen Lu paused, then laughed: “Fine.”
He didn’t press the matter further, only stroked Shen Shuyi’s head, feeling that children grow up and can’t be held back.
“Feels like yesterday you were just learning to talk…”
Shen Lu scratched his chin, suddenly asked: “Little Shu, between me and Zhao Yuheng, who do you like more?”
Obvious! A freebie! The right answer: whoever asks the question.
Shen Shuyi laughed: “Hehe, of course, I like brother most.”
Shen Lu smiled satisfied.
Not far off, the study door clicked open. Shen Shuyi perked up:
“Brother, Zhao Yuheng seems to have come out, bye—”
Whoosh! Shen Shuyi dashed out.
Shen Lu’s hand in mid-stroke, the big cat on his lap gone.
Him: “?”
Wasn’t he supposed to like brother most??
—
Near the study, Shen Shuyi feigned a casual attitude.
In front of Zhao Yuheng: “After talking for so long, any results?”
Speak! Uncle Zhao—who am I given to, you or your brother?
Zhao Yuheng thought a second: “Father said we should both form an alliance with you.”
Shen Shuyi was stunned: “Really?”
Zhao Yuheng: “Really.”
Shen Shuyi paused: “Then who’s senior, who’s junior?”
Zhao Yuheng: “?”
Zhao Yuheng, realizing Shen Shuyi doubted him, inhaled: “You really thought about this?”
Shen Shuyi snapped back: “Hey, you’re so boring!”
“Quickly, what did Uncle Zhao say?”
Zhao Yuheng, seeing him dodge, sighed: “He’s old, won’t interfere. This is our problem, we young people resolve it ourselves.”
Effectively, he acknowledged Zhao Yuheng and Shen Shuyi’s relationship.
Shen Shuyi asked: “How will you resolve it?”
Zhao Yuheng: “By getting rid of Zhao Ci.”
“Whoa, bro!” Zhao Ci overhearing: “I’m still here!”
“Just kidding, don’t listen to him,” Shen Shuyi reassured Zhao Yuheng.
Sometimes, the way my brother looks at me… not joking…
Zhao Qing seemed to leave it alone, implicitly approving the alliance from Zhao Ci to Zhao Yuheng.
All parties agreed; nothing more to dispute.
Shen Lu reflected: if he’d known this outcome, his efforts to separate couples back then… were they even worth it?
In the following days, Shen Lu stayed at Zhao residence due to a bridge project, instead of a hotel, to be near Shen Shuyi, who lingered late each night.
Shen Shuyi, disappointed: “Brother, you’re not going to the hotel?”
“Nope,” Shen Lu grunted.
Shen Shuyi: “Why?”
Shen Lu: “Lucky you’re my brother. If you were my sister, I’d have a nephew by year-end if I didn’t keep an eye on you.”
—
Shen Shuyi hadn’t advanced to the imagined progress. Zhao residence, though large, had many servants.
Zhao Yuheng’s work and being summoned to the study kept them apart. Several nights passed with Shen Shuyi not seeing Zhao Yuheng, until one night, he was woken by a kiss.
At first, Shen Shuyi thought it was an intruder, ready to fight, then realized it was Zhao Yuheng and relaxed.
He was getting used to these nighttime visits.
…Why does he like sneaking onto balconies at midnight?
Sometimes, Shen Shuyi slept so deeply, he didn’t wake despite long kisses. Zhao Yuheng kissed deeper, roaming over his cheek, collarbone…
Last time in the hotel, they’d been interrupted halfway. Zhao Yuheng had a long-standing itch to bite, finally indulged. Shen Shuyi half-awake, heard a soft, sweet, strange voice—not his own.
“Mm,” he murmured, seeing the man buried against his chest, black hair on pale skin, tickling him.
His chest throbbed with a maddening, tingling sensation, yet his body felt as limp as a lump of mud. In the end, he didn’t even have the strength to push him away, and he was completely devoured by him…
Shen Shuyi didn’t want to remember!
His underwear soaked, washed at night by Zhao Yuheng.
Next morning, he noticed bruises, hickeys painful even through soft knitwear.
He wanted a day in bed but had to inspect their wedding house. Soft furnishings arriving, he was called to view by the agent.
Remembering last night’s marks, he got in the car silently.
“Sorry,” Zhao Yuheng said.
“For what?”
“Don’t know,” Zhao Yuheng laughed. “You seemed mad, but I don’t know why, so I said sorry first.”
…
Who allowed you to break the formula?!
Alright, Shen Shuyi generously forgave.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the villa.
Shen Shuyi reminisced, amazed. Last time, he thought he’d end up casually with Zhao Ci… now, the villa became his and Zhao Yuheng’s wedding home.
Wait…
Last time, Zhao Yuheng paid so eagerly, picked carefully… he must have intended it from the start.
The same agent led them around.
Two floors converted into a tall walk-in closet.
“If insufficient, we can add a side building for clothes. Jewelry, bags, other collectibles can go too.”
Shen Shuyi satisfied, kissed Zhao Yuheng subtly—forgetting last night’s unpleasantness.
Zhao Yuheng’s eyes darkened, noticing the agent. Agent excused themselves.
In the large bedroom, only the two remained.
Shen Shuyi asked bluntly: “When you brought me here, did you plan for us to live here?”
“You noticed that, baby, you’re so smart.” Zhao Yuheng embraced him, kissing affectionately.
Thanks to Zhao Yuheng’s nightly antics, Shen Shuyi had accepted such intimacy without discomfort.
Clothing rubbed; Shen Shuyi gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Zhao Yuheng asked.
“You dare ask? You’re a dog! Bit everywhere!”
“Hurts?”
“Of course!” Shen Shuyi muttered.
“Let me see.” Zhao Yuheng reached to lift his knitwear. Shen Shuyi blocked him.
“You crazy! So many downstairs.”
“It’s just a glance,” Zhao Yuheng said. “Besides, I’ve heard that saliva can disinfect. How about I lick it for you again?”
…You fiend!
Shen Shuyi realized Zhao Yuheng isn’t quiet—he’s secretly wild!
“How come I never noticed you were such a closet pervert before?” Shen Shuyi chuckled and made a sarcastic remark.
Zhao Yuheng hugged him, pressed him against the windowsill, and said with a smirk, “There’s something even more outrageous, do you want to hear it?”
Shen Shuyi curious.
“Remember, who was this wedding house originally for?”
“Not you.”
“Yes,” Zhao Yuheng admitted, low voice: “Since the original groom is gone…”
Zhao Yuheng suddenly became very engrossed in seducing him, his lips almost touching his, their breaths mingling, his voice low and husky: “Wife, would you like to come there with me and find some excitement?”
