Chapter 49: Transmigrated as a Cheapskate Phoenix Man (49)
“…Th-This…” Just as Cen Yu was trying to figure out how to explain the tattoo,
he saw Yu Xinyu already pulling his hand toward the edge of the hot spring pool, placing a bathrobe over his shoulders.
By this point, Lou Baichuan had already turned his gaze away, refraining from looking at Cen Yu.
“I won’t say a word.”
Lou Baichuan spoke up out of nowhere.
Cen Yu looked at him, but the man didn’t turn his head, merely keeping his gaze lowered onto the water’s surface. “I’ve said before that as long as it doesn’t affect work, neither I nor the company will meddle in an employee’s personal freedom.”
Yu Xinyu, who had put on his bathrobe as well by now, cast a glance at Lou Baichuan, who hadn’t raised his head once from start to finish, and let out a cold sneer in his heart.
On the surface, however, he spoke to Cen Yu as gently as ever, “Don’t worry~ Brother Chuan shouldn’t be that old-fashioned.”
“Right?”
“I’m sure once Brother Chuan steps out of the hot spring, he’ll be able to forget everything he saw in the pool completely,” Yu Xinyu said. “He won’t remember a single thing.”
Cen Yu constantly felt there was a subtle double meaning behind Yu Xinyu’s words.
Over in the hot spring, Lou Baichuan merely gave a calm, perfunctory “Mm.”
Only after hearing that did Yu Xinyu hold Cen Yu’s hand with a sweet smile, preparing to leave the hot spring pool. Reaching out to grab the nearby slippers, he put them onto Cen Yu’s feet the moment he stepped out of the water, as though attending to Cinderella putting on glass slippers.
“It’s best to take another quick shower after we get back.”
“After all, public hot springs like this are still a bit unclean.”
Lou Baichuan could naturally pick up on Yu Xinyu’s sarcastic jabs, but right now he simply lacked the mood to say anything back to him.
Cen Yu constantly felt the atmosphere was a bit off, but with Lou Baichuan acting overly calm and Yu Xinyu looking completely normal, he could only suppress the slight feeling of oddness in his heart and leave the hot spring alongside Yu Xinyu.
It wasn’t until the two had departed that Lou Baichuan let out a long breath in the hot spring pool.
A moment later, he stood up from the pool, immediately made his way over to the spot where his bathrobe was placed, draped it over himself, and left the area in somewhat of a hurry.
…
When Sunday arrived, Cen Yu had originally planned to hitch a ride back with Lou Baichuan, only to unexpectedly receive a text message from the man—
[Lou Baichuan: Something came up with work and I need to head back early. My apologies.]
Seeing that it was about work, Cen Yu immediately didn’t dare say a word, terrified that the man might drag him along to work overtime as well. It wasn’t until nearly noon, after confirming that Lou Baichuan was already on the road, that Cen Yu sent a message indicating he understood.
After sending the text and finishing packing their luggage, Cen Yu remembered the issue of them having no ride back.
Just as Cen Yu was about to ask whether they should have Qiang Yuanqing drive them back or have the hotel call a car directly, he saw Yu Xinyu answer a phone call.
Taking a look at the caller number, Yu Xinyu walked over to the courtyard area. After exchanging a few words with the person on the other end, he walked back holding his phone and said to Cen Yu, “Elder Brother said he’ll drive us back.”
“…” Dear Lord above!
Cen Yu screamed internally. Heavens, you’re trying to destroy me!
“…How about we don’t trouble your brother?” Cen Yu offered a slight struggle.
Yu Xinyu naturally felt the same way, but Yu Jinheng held an overbearing attitude, and besides, they truly lacked a car right now… Had he known earlier, he would have driven his car out from the garage instead. Feeling a touch of regret internally, Yu Xinyu said with a completely calm face, “Elder Brother is just being kind.”
He just didn’t know if the man harbored any other hidden motives.
With things having come to this, Cen Yu knew there was no way to resist anymore.
At 2 PM, right at the entrance of the hot spring villa, Cen Yu witnessed Yu Jinheng’s massive entourage.
Just assistants and private family doctors alone numbered two or three people, not even counting bodyguards and the like…
Yu Xinyu knit his brows secretly. He didn’t believe his elder brother had failed to understand what he said that day. Since he understood yet still put on such a grand display, it was clearly intentional.
Pretending not to notice the private doctor, bodyguards, and the rest, he simply walked over to his elder brother standing beside a black car. “Did you do this on purpose?”
Yu Jinheng said nothing, merely giving a slight nod toward Cen Yu.
Cen Yu took a glance at Yu Jinheng’s car, discovering that the back seat could only accommodate two people.
“…” Do I sit in the front passenger seat?
Cen Yu cast a glance at Yu Jinheng’s assistant behind him, genuinely unsure whether he should sit there or not.
“Elder Brother.”
“My apologies, seating is a bit tight,” Yu Jinheng said. He didn’t invite Cen Yu to sit in the front passenger seat, nor did he specify where he should sit.
Cen Yu pondered for a moment, guessing Yu Jinheng probably wanted to give him a subtle warning or put him in his place.
“Should I sit in the front passenger seat?” Cen Yu asked, then looked over at Yu Jinheng’s assistant. “I won’t be stealing your spot, will I?”
Yu Jinheng’s assistant offered a polite smile, not daring to speak.
“Go to the other car,” Yu Jinheng finally spoke up, and only then did the assistant head over to another vehicle alongside the private doctor and entourage.
Shrugging, Cen Yu pulled open the front passenger door and sat down, while Yu Xinyu and Yu Jinheng sat behind him.
Yu Xinyu seemed to have not expected his elder brother to pull a trick like this either, his expression looking somewhat displeased after getting into the car. Cen Yu was far too lazy to care about the friction between the two brothers—
It merely made him all the more certain of one thing: Yu Jinheng indeed thoroughly disliked him.
Which was why he was going out of his way to get on his nerves here—
Ha! Did the man really not know that a phoenix man like Cen Yu, upon witnessing such a grand display from the Yu family, wouldn’t feel like his pride was stomped on, but would instead try his absolute hardest to cling onto a golden thigh like Yu Xinyu?
Resting his chin on one hand, Yu Jinheng quietly observed the expressions on Cen Yu’s face for a moment.
Only then did he say to the driver, “Let’s go.”
Before long, the car merged onto the highway.
Right at that moment, Cen Yu received a message from Sang Qianshan—
[Big Star: Stay off the internet for the time being.]
[Cen Yu: ? What do you mean?]
[Big Star: Hard to explain in a few words, it’s for your own good.]
With that, Sang Qianshan stopped sending messages. However, Cen Yu possessed a rebellious streak—the more Sang Qianshan put it that way, the more curious he grew—
Thus, he opened Weibo immediately, only to discover that the “scandal” between him and Sang Qianshan had already landed on the hot search list!
A whole crowd of people were talking as if it were absolute fact!
Claiming he was Sang Qianshan’s male partner/brother-in-law!!!
Some people even brought up discussions from Douban groups, where netizen onlookers analyzed everything piece by piece, starting from Sang Qianshan’s micro-expressions and movements to the clothes the two wore (they weren’t matching styles, but love means protection, totally shipping it!), further proving one thing—
He, Cen Yu, was none other than Sang Qianshan’s hidden male partner!
[Cen Yu: ???!!!! Huh??!!!]
[Big Star: …Told you not to look, yet you looked anyway.]
[Cen Yu: Can’t you just issue an official statement???? (puzzled face)]
[Big Star: Name one time a celebrity issued an official statement and passersby actually believed it.]
Cen Yu: …Makes total sense, I have zero counter-argument.
[Cen Yu: What do we do then! I don’t want to be your male partner/brother-in-law!!!]
[Big Star: …Then there’s only one way left.]
[Cen Yu: What?]
[Big Star: You join the reality show with me. That way, everyone will know you’re the non-celebrity friend I planned to invite, and those rumors naturally fall apart without a fight.]
