Chapter 35: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (35)
“Save me! Save me!”
The moment Cen Yu stepped into the private hot spring pool, he desperately wanted to grab the big fat cat and beg for help.
This private pool located in the master bedroom could only accommodate two people bathing at the same time. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a direct view of the private courtyard, but right now, Cen Yu didn’t have the slightest inclination to admire the scenery.
When he walked in, he had specifically clutched his phone, pondering what kind of excuse he could make later to avoid staying in the same room as Yu Xinyu.
As a mere cannon fodder, how could he possibly have the virtue or ability to share a room with the main protagonist?!
The big fat cat’s small brain had spent half a day trying to help Cen Yu think of a solution, but in the end, it merely let out a meow and decided to sneak out to play instead.
With a resignation to his fate, Cen Yu stripped off his clothes and soaked in the hot spring. Resting his entire body against the edge of the pool, he gazed at the empty courtyard outside the window while keeping his ears perked to carefully listen for any movement from Yu Xinyu inside the room.
He noticed that after he entered the hot spring, Yu Xinyu didn’t seem to go out either, continuing to stay inside the master bedroom.
—Not good.
Cen Yu thought to himself.
On the other side, Yu Xinyu sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door Cen Yu had gone through.
The moment the warm yellow light inside illuminated, Cen Yu’s outline appeared on the other side of the sliding door.
The sliding door in this room was a paper sliding door that had been intentionally aged, featuring hand-painted maple leaf patterns.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Yu Xinyu could hear the sound of water in the pool and Cen Yu’s comfortable sighs. After sitting for a short while—his phone began to vibrate.
He ignored it.
Then came a relentless stream of calls.
Yu Xinyu finally pulled out his phone. After taking a look at the incoming caller ID, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest—after all, aside from his elder brother, no one else would call him so persistently.
He cast a glance toward Cen Yu, confirming that the man wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon, before walking straight out of the bedroom.
“Come see me,” Yu Jinheng’s voice rang over the line.
“No,” Yu Xinyu completely lacked his gentle demeanor in front of Cen Yu, speaking coldly to his brother. “I told you not to interfere with me.”
Yu Jinheng remained silent, seemingly pondering something.
After a long moment, he finally spoke, “Did you think putting on this pathetic act would make someone like you?” A sneer echoed from the other end. “If he knew your true nature, he’d run faster than anyone.”
“That bedroom of yours…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yu Xinyu cut him off.
Opening the room door directly, he walked out. “Cut the crap. Where are you?”
Meanwhile, Cen Yu was still brainstorming. Hearing the sound of Yu Xinyu leaving the room, he immediately received a text message from Yu Xinyu in the next second—
[Yu Xinyu: Hubby, Qiang Yuanqing wants to catch up with me for a bit. I’m going over to find him for a short while~]
Seeing this, Cen Yu instantly let out a long sigh of relief.
He submerged his entire body into the pool water until he felt his head turning dizzy, only then climbing out of the hot spring.
Thinking that since Yu Xinyu wasn’t around anyway, he had no reservations left. Grabbing the bath towel beside him, he dried his body first, then wrapped a brand-new towel around his waist before stepping out of the private hot spring pool.
Walking past the bedroom, he found the mini-bar in the living room and grabbed a bottle of chilled mineral water, chugging several large gulps.
Once the dizziness in his head passed, he prepared to head back to change into his clothes, only to discover that at some point, someone was actually standing in the courtyard.
The stranger didn’t seem to expect running into anyone in the courtyard either. His expression flickered with surprise before he hurriedly turned around.
Before Cen Yu had time to ponder why there was a stranger in a private courtyard—and why that person looked nothing like a hotel butler—he hurriedly darted back into the bedroom. In a flurry, he changed into his shirt and pants before returning to the living room.
The man was still standing there without leaving. Seeing Cen Yu come over, he gave a look full of apology.
Cen Yu pushed open the door leading to the courtyard and walked straight outside—
“My apologies, I didn’t realize someone was already staying in this courtyard,” the man took the initiative to speak. He was dressed casually in a beige sweater and nearly matching pants. Though tall, his complexion was pale, and he looked excessively thin and fragile, as if his health wasn’t very good.
After speaking, he let out a few coughs, then offered Cen Yu an apologetic smile. “Pardon my poor manners.”
Cen Yu was somewhat unsure who this man was—after all, according to Qiang Yuanqing, there was no one else in this villa besides them.
However, since there was already an extra Lou Baichuan, having one more stranger didn’t seem so surprising after all.
He shook his head. “It’s fine.” Then he looked at the stranger again.
Cen Yu deliberated before opening his mouth, “Are you a guest staying nearby too?”
“Are you a friend of Mr. Qiang?” the man asked softly.
Mr. Qiang? Seeing that this person addressed Qiang Yuanqing with a touch of distance, Cen Yu merely assumed he was one of Qiang Yuanqing’s business partners.
“Kind of,” Cen Yu said vaguely.
The stranger let out a soft laugh, seemingly not minding much. He said gently to Cen Yu, “I saw that the maple trees in this courtyard were growing quite nicely, and hearing that there was no one else in the entire villa for the time being, I took the liberty of stepping inside to take a closer look.”
“The butler probably made a mistake.”
Cen Yu didn’t pay it any mind upon hearing this. Having no intention of making new friends, he nodded and prepared to exchange a few polite pleasantries before leaving.
Unexpectedly, the man looked at him with curiosity—
“Forgive me for asking, but have you ever worked as a model?”
“?” What kind of question is that?
Cen Yu was somewhat puzzled.
The man hurriedly explained, “I happened to purchase a set of photos a few days ago.” He offered an apologetic smile, followed by a few more coughs. Covering his mouth, he seemed as though he wanted to pull something from his pocket, but out of mindfulness that someone was present, he held back—
“It’s fine,” Cen Yu noticed his gesture. “Do you need to take medicine?”
“Yes,” the man said with some embarrassment, pulling a pill bottle from his pocket.
Cen Yu immediately averted his gaze, having no intention of prying into someone else’s privacy—seeing how tightly wrapped this man was dressed in weather that wasn’t even cold, he guessed the guy’s health probably wasn’t very good.
“Why don’t you come inside and sit for a moment?” Cen Yu asked. “I’ll fetch you a bottle of water so you can take your medicine first.”
Upon hearing this, the man looked at Cen Yu with a touch of surprise, then immediately offered a smile—his entire face was pale, his facial features sharp and deep, yet both his hair and eye color were as black as ink. Perhaps due to his poor health, there were slight dark circles under his eyes, and his lip color was extremely faint.
Yet this didn’t diminish the man’s handsome features in the slightest; on the contrary, it gave him a strikingly handsome impression tinged with melancholy.
“Alright then, thank you.” The man smiled and said.
