Chapter 42: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (42)
Cen Yu had brought clothes along too, considering Yu Xinyu had packed the luggage for him.
However, since he hadn’t planned on staying too long—just a quick weekend trip—and had assumed this plot segment was vital for Yu Xinyu while he himself was a mere bit player, he had only brought a single jacket.
When he changed out of his clothes earlier, he forgot to take that jacket out of the bathroom. He hadn’t expected it to end up drenched by the hot spring water alongside the rest of his discarded laundry.
Stepping out of the private hot spring, he casually took the clothes handed over by Yu Xinyu.
It was a beige top whose style was remarkably similar to the one he was currently wearing.
Cen Yu didn’t pay it much mind. He was still wearing the set he had changed into earlier and planned to save this one for tomorrow. Looking at Yu Xinyu, who was gazing at him with an expectant face, another question suddenly popped into Cen Yu’s mind—
“Is Qiang Yuanqing not going to take you out for a stroll?”
In the original novel, it was precisely because Qiang Yuanqing saw how badly he treated Yu Xinyu that he began facing his true feelings for him.
They had been at the hot spring villa for over half a day, yet Male Lead Candidate 2 hadn’t even shown his face—how could this be allowed!
Yu Xinyu seemed caught off guard by his mention of Qiang Yuanqing, his expression flickering with slight confusion before he explained with a smile, “He seems to have some work to take care of.” Looking at Cen Yu sitting sideways on the edge of the bed, he added, “He does plan to treat us to dinner tonight, though.”
Cen Yu wasn’t particularly interested in that.
Having changed, he walked out of the bedroom. “I’m not sleepy yet. If you’re tired, go ahead and get some rest.”
“I’m going to watch TV for a bit.”
Hearing this, Yu Xinyu followed Cen Yu out as well. “I just finished soaking in the hot spring, so I don’t feel like sleeping so early either.” Saying that, he followed Cen Yu over to the television in the living room and sat right beside him.
Cen Yu felt as if he were sitting on a bed of needles. Pretending not to care, he turned on the TV, only to have his wrist grabbed by Yu Xinyu in the very next second.
“?”
“What’s this?” Yu Xinyu held Cen Yu’s wrist, lowering his head to examine the mark on it.
When the bodyguard grabbed Cen Yu earlier, he assumed he had caught the sasaeng stalker and hadn’t held back his strength at all. Coupled with the altercation that followed, a very distinct handprint had been left on Cen Yu’s wrist.
It was just that his sleeves were long enough to cover it earlier.
Now, as he reached out to grab the remote, his sleeve rolled up, allowing Yu Xinyu to catch sight of the mark on his wrist.
“This?” Cen Yu froze for a second.
Glancing down at the mark left on his wrist by the bodyguard, he didn’t care much. “…Mm, just a misunderstanding.” He originally wanted to gloss over it, only to find Yu Xinyu staring at him with absolute seriousness—
“Little Yu…”
As he spoke, tears the size of soybeans threatened to spill from the corners of his eyes.
Yu Xinyu stared at Cen Yu. “Who did this?”
Saying that, he wrapped his arms tightly around Cen Yu, burying his face directly into his shoulder. A moment later, Cen Yu felt the warmth of his tears soaking through the fabric into his skin.
This left Cen Yu feeling somewhat helpless, raising his hands awkwardly, unsure how to comfort a Yu Xinyu who was so heartbroken.
—For the first time, a thought crossed his mind: it seemed Yu Xinyu liked Cen Yu even more than he had imagined.
He instinctively patted Yu Xinyu’s shoulder a few times. “…It really was an accident.”
“Then tell me who did it.”
Because Yu Xinyu’s face was buried in Cen Yu’s shoulder, his voice sounded somewhat muffled.
Cen Yu could only wrap one arm around Yu Xinyu’s shoulders.
Tilting his head up, he reached out to rub Yu Xinyu’s hair a few times before slowly making a long story short. Once he finished explaining, he added, “That’s pretty much it.”
Yu Xinyu’s tears gradually stopped, though he remained buried in Cen Yu’s shoulder.
“…I hate him.”
“Hmm?”
“Pei Zhuo,” Yu Xinyu’s voice remained muffled. “He deserves to die.”
Cen Yu burst into a helpless laugh.
Running his fingers through Yu Xinyu’s hair, he rubbed it a few times soothingly. “It’s fine, I didn’t get hurt.”
As for Pei Zhuo, he wasn’t a key plot character anyway, so it didn’t matter even if Yu Xinyu hated him.
Cen Yu held Yu Xinyu and coaxed him for a while. The broadcast on the TV shifted through various programs, eventually landing on Sang Qianshan’s debut movie. As Cen Yu’s gaze drifted over to watch, he heard Yu Xinyu immediately say—
“You’re not allowed to watch.”
Before Cen Yu could grasp Yu Xinyu’s meaning,
he saw Yu Xinyu raise his head directly.
Reaching out both hands, he covered Cen Yu’s ears and cupped his head, preventing him from turning away.
Traces of red lingered at the corners of his eyes, likely from his recent crying. A person like Yu Xinyu, even when crying pitifully with swollen eyes and a reddened nose tip, still looked exceptionally handsome.
His pale hazel-green eyes looked all the clearer against the sheen of tears.
Gazing at Cen Yu, he said, “Don’t look at him. Just look at me.”
In that split second, Cen Yu was nearly captivated by Yu Xinyu’s gaze. When the man looked at him, his eyes were filled with fervor and an even deeper emotion. As Yu Xinyu stared at him, the possessiveness in the depths of those eyes caused Cen Yu’s thoughts to pause for a moment.
—Was the original novel’s Yu Xinyu like this as well?
He didn’t seem to look like such a fragile, harmless parasitic flower after all.
Yet Yu Xinyu’s dominance lasted for only a split second. The moment confusion and hesitation flickered in Cen Yu’s gaze, Yu Xinyu smiled again, letting out a sweet, gentle laugh as he acted coquettishly toward Cen Yu.
“I hate Sang Qianshan so much,” he said to Cen Yu. “He knows so many things that I don’t.”
With that, he turned his head to look at Sang Qianshan on the screen…
Yet in his mind, he was thinking about Pei Zhuo. He happened to remember that Pei Zhuo was going to join that reality show together with Sang Qianshan.
He also happened to know who Pei Zhuo’s non-celebrity partner for the show was. Feeling it was utterly laughable in his heart, he put on a completely innocent face when turning back to Cen Yu.
“Pei Zhuo is super annoying too. I know he’s going to be on that Durian TV reality show soon.”
“The non-celebrity friend he found is my elder brother…” Yu Xinyu looked at Cen Yu and said, “Should I tell my brother not to go on the show with him?”
Cen Yu hadn’t expected that he was the only one who didn’t know about Yu Jinheng participating in the reality show.
Looking at Yu Xinyu staring at him so seriously, he felt it wasn’t necessary—
After all, if Yu Jinheng participated in this reality show and Yu Xinyu joined later, it would bring Yu Xinyu even greater benefits.
A gentle and endearing Yu Xinyu turning out to be a wealthy second-generation heir—this sharp contrast was bound to attract a massive fan base… Like a producer calculating the odds, Cen Yu weighed the advantages Yu Xinyu would gain after Yu Jinheng joined the show.
Only then did he say to Yu Xinyu:
“There’s no need.” Cen Yu felt like he had the big picture entirely in hand. “Sang Qianshan will deal with him later anyway.”
After all, in the original novel, Sang Qianshan indeed defeated Pei Zhuo in one decisive blow.
Yet Yu Xinyu interpreted his words in an entirely different light.
Though a smile remained on his face, he ground his teeth inwardly, finding both Pei Zhuo and Sang Qianshan to be insufferable eyesores.
