Chapter 1581: The Fake Young Master Will Be Spoiled by the Real Young Master 11

Zhu Suisheng picked up a poetry collection to read, but he still kept in mind the bank card he hadn't given away, so he occasionally lifted his eyes to glance at Jin Chen.

The aroma of hot coffee lingered between them, warmth seeping from the cup into his palm; Zhu Suisheng gazed absentmindedly at the poem, his eyes drifting between the lines before he lifted his gaze and fixed it on Jin Chen.

Jin Chen's gaze shifted from the book, successfully drawn by that scorching stare.

Zhu Suisheng whispered: "There's a sickness worse than illness, a pain without hurt, not in the soul, yet it's more bitter than any other pain."

"Guess what it is?"

Jin Chen fell silent for two seconds, obviously not thinking Zhu Suisheng was quoting poetry to him, so he waited for Zhu Suisheng to finish.

Zhu Suisheng: "It's emptiness, so……"

He slipped the bank card onto that page, shoved the whole book at Jin Chen, "You need money."

Jin Chen: "……"

"I think what Pessoa wanted to express isn't this."

"So what? That's what I see." The young master, lacking any poetry appreciation, spoke with righteous confidence.

Zhu Suisheng grew a bit anxious, his hair bristling: "Just pretend I want to be friends with you—if you won't accept it, I won't help you if you're bullied again."

He didn't want to be reminded of Jin Chen's struggles from the file every time he saw Zhou An, which had left him sleeping poorly these days.

Zhu Suisheng had never been refused so repeatedly by anyone; he couldn't tell whether dissatisfaction or inexplicable hurt weighed more, but in that instant his attention was caught by the slowly approaching hand, which came to rest on his head.

Jin Chen rubbed his head, gently stroking his hair in a tender, soothing motion, as if coaxing him: "Then I'll accept it—will you feel better?"

Zhu Suisheng nodded; at least he could sleep well now.

Jin Chen took out the bank card tucked in the book, and withdrew his hand from Zhu Suisheng's hair.

"Thank you."

Upon hearing those words of thanks, Zhu Suisheng silently pressed his lips together; if Jin Chen knew the real reason, he might never say that.

Moreover, if Jin Chen truly knew, they wouldn't be able to sit down and chat calmly as they did today.

"You shouldn't work part-time anymore." Zhu Suisheng muttered wearily: "It's so exhausting."

Jin Chen felt Zhu Suisheng might misunderstand his job.

A smile flickered in his eyes; he offered no explanation, simply replying, "Okay."

Jin Chen reopened the poetry collection, pushed it back toward Zhu Suisheng's side, as if a page had been turned by chance.

But when Zhu Suisheng looked again, there were three blank lines.

I think of you day and night.

This subtle and complex,

perhaps makes no sense at all.

Zhu Suisheng's heart twitched; when he looked at Jin Chen again, the latter had already resumed reading the reference book.

The subtle coincidence was like a snowflake landing, soft enough to make no sound.

Zhu Suisheng cradled the cup and drank the last sip of hot coffee, finally curling his lips upward again.

【Villain Heartthrob Value +7, total 17!】

Leaving the library, it was already evening.

Winter evenings are more tranquil and dim, the sky dyed a velvet gray-blue.

Outside the library, the street's trendy restaurants gradually lit up, their warm yellow light visually weakening the chill.

But physically, Zhu Suisheng felt colder than in the afternoon.

"Zhu Suisheng."

Zhu Suisheng raised his tone in an affirmative hum, turned his head to look at Jin Chen beside him, the corners of his eyes curving into a smile: "You're still the first to call me by my name."

Jin Chen took off his scarf, stepped forward half a pace into Zhu Suisheng's slightly surprised but not refusing gaze, and wrapped it around him.

"What are you doing, aren't you cold yourself?" Zhu Suisheng lifted his eyes to him, his cheeks beginning to flush, the scarf's warmth not yet faded, and as it touched his neck a fine ripple spread across the skin.

"I won't catch a cold from the freeze." Jin Chen said, then pulled a candy from his pocket: "Here."

Zhu Suisheng gazed at his palm, then blinked and asked, "It's not another mint candy, is it? Mint feels oddly cold in winter."

"No."

In Jin Chen's calm voice lay a hint of amusement: "Hazelnut candy."

Zhu Suisheng took the few candies: "All right, next time I'll treat you to candy."

Their paths diverged—Jin Chen headed back to the dormitory, while Zhu Suisheng would return to the Zhu Family, repeatedly seeing Zhou An spare no effort to ingratiate himself with Mom and Dad.

——

Indeed, that's exactly the case.

As soon as Zhu Suisheng got home, the butler told him many relatives had come, hoping to see this long-lost young master before the banquet.

Annoying, Zhu Suisheng thought, how could the world have someone as detestable as Zhou An?

And the arrival of some relatives today was practically a medley of all kinds of unpleasant people.

Zhu Suisheng entered the front hall with a stiff face; the moment the door opened, a boisterous clamor erupted, as various familiar and unfamiliar relatives lavished praise on Zhou An.

He heard someone say Zhou An resembled Dad, his lip twitching in admiration at their talent for spouting nonsense.

Zhou An today sat in the single sofa that belonged to Zhu Suisheng, and when Zhu Suisheng returned he deliberately ignored everyone, merely laughing and drinking with relatives—this uncle, that uncle shouting cheerfully.

"Shengsheng, come over." Shi Qian noticed this, patted the sofa beside him to invite Zhu Suisheng to sit nearby, and coaxed him with a slight apology: "There are too many people today, Mom didn't stop them—how about I get you a new one tomorrow?"

Zhu Suisheng nodded, leaned back, his chin rubbing against the scarf he hadn't taken off, and looked coldly at the crowd from behind Shi Qian.

Piled beside the coffee table were the gifts they'd given Zhou An; whether sincere or not, they had to look decent on the surface, so these gifts shared a universal trait: expensive and rare.

Watching this made Zhu Suisheng vexed; he suddenly felt that giving only one million was too little, since Jin Chen had reluctantly agreed to accept it—had he known, he should have given more.

He rose and walked to the balcony, pouring himself a cup of hot mulled wine.

Zhu Suisheng's departure was noticed; a cousin who'd always been at odds with him deliberately followed, leaning against the balcony wall to tease him: "From now on you'll have another brother—do you feel any sense of crisis?"

When he looked at Zhu Suisheng, the latter had already regained his arrogant smile full of amusement, "What are you getting worked up about? A sense of crisis only exists for those who lack confidence and love. Cousin, are you that kind of person?"

Yu Wu: "……"

"Don't insult me indirectly."

"Then don't come looking for a sense of existence." Zhu Suisheng smiled and tilted his head.

This smile is too familiar.

Yu Wu suddenly remembered why he and Zhu Suisheng didn't get along.

He lived with his grandfather in the old house, and Zhu Suisheng also stayed there for a while when he was young; back then he wholeheartedly thought Xiao Suisheng was a cute younger brother.

Until he personally saw Xiao Suisheng press the neighbor's child who had snatched a toy into the mud puddle, the mud barely covering half the child's head, he was terrified, rushed over to stop him, but before he could, Xiao Suisheng's eyes turned red with tears the next second—it turned out the grandmother had come.

Xiao Suisheng's acting was superb, fooling many adults; he tried to complain, but the next day, as he was going downstairs, his rear foot slipped, and he nearly tumbled down the stairs—when he looked back, he saw Xiao Suisheng's cute appearance.

Even now, Yu Wu sometimes feels a chill when he recalls it.

The idea of pushing someone down the stairs—a cruel act that even adults cannot bring themselves to do—Zhu Suisheng has known how to do since childhood.

"You're really something," Yu Wu said half-mockingly, half in awe, "After all these years, no one has yet discovered your true nature."

He could already foresee what Zhou An would still go through; Zhu Suisheng, so selfish, would absolutely not allow anyone to take away his things.

"Thank you for the praise." Zhu Suisheng raised his cup toward him.

Yu Wu's eye twitched, and he turned and left the terrace.