Chapter 2994: Stubborn Taming 11

Jin Chen returned to the Half Mountain Villa before dinner.

This place offers the best view in the whole Yicheng, with guard booths staffed 24/7, patrols in the yard, surveillance cameras on the roof, every corner under watch—calling it the safest spot in Yicheng is no exaggeration, and Jin Chen often comes here to rest.

Chenshu was extremely bored, lying on the guest room bed playing with his phone until it died, then he slept again, and when he woke up it was already dark.

His stomach growled with hunger, he shuffled downstairs in his slippers, following the scent to the dining room.

The table was already set with food, the auntie in an apron was laying out bowls and chopsticks; seeing him come down, she smiled and called out, "Young sir, you're awake? The food's just been made—hurry and sit down to eat."

Chenshu wasn't shy either, smiling as he called out "Auntie," picked up his chopsticks, and started eating.

He was happily eating when he suddenly felt a gaze fall upon him.

Chenshu turned his head alertly and saw that Jin Chen had entered at some point, standing at the dining room doorway looking at him; his expression seemed more relaxed than during the day.

Chenshu still had a piece of sweet-and-sour pork in his mouth; being stared at made his heart flutter, and he unconsciously shoved another bite in, chewing away, his eyes locked unblinking on Jin Chen.

The servants all withdrew from the dining room in unison, and Jin Chen took something out from behind him and placed it on the table.

Chenshu lowered his gaze to see a Swiss Army Knife; just looking at its shape told him it was especially sharp.

Chenshu: "……" He cursed silently.

Who are you trying to scare?! He wasn't raised to be frightened!

While muttering to himself, he obediently put down his bowl, eyes on Jin Chen, still chewing, his cheeks bulging alternately, very wary.

Jin Chen glanced at him and said, "Keep eating."

Chenshu blinked, picked up his bowl again, but his eating became much more restrained—taking small bites of rice, his eyes occasionally flicking to the knife, then to Jin Chen.

Jin Chen didn't eat much, taking a few bites of each dish before setting down his chopsticks, he picked up his water cup and took a sip, then leaned back watching Chenshu; that gaze was as if he were looking at some interesting plaything.

Chenshu felt ill at ease under that stare, his mind racing; suddenly inspired, he hurriedly ladled a bowl of soup, holding it with both hands and offering it to Jin Chen.

"Husband, you've worked hard—have some soup."

Jin Chen raised his eyebrows, looked at him for a few seconds, "Looks like you've come up with an excuse."

Chenshu blinked and said, "I can tell the truth."

Jin Chen lifted the bowl and drank the soup dry.

After dinner, the servants cleared the table clean and brought in a pot of black tea.

"Will you believe what I say?" Chenshu asked.

Jin Chen leaned back in the chair, posture relaxed, tracing from Chenshu's brow bone to the corner of his eye, "I'll judge by your performance."

The dining room lighting was good, softening the overly sharp lines on Jin Chen's face; he looked less cold and fierce than during the day, even appearing somewhat languid.

Chenshu inexplicably felt a bit distracted by the look, hastily averted his gaze, and collected himself.

"Actually, I saw a shadow slip into the lower hold, sneaking about; I felt something was off, so I followed in to check."

Chenshu knew Jin Chen trusted Zhou Cheng deeply, so he deliberately didn't mention Zhou Cheng, only describing the features of that hunchbacked man.

"Why did you go down?" Jin Chen lifted his eyelids to look at Chenshu, a flash of dangerous light crossing his eyes.

Chenshu leaned over, squatted beside Jin Chen's chair, lifted his face to look at him, appearing very obedient and well-behaved.

"I've trained with Uncle Nine for several years; he told me before that I should come to Yicheng to help you."

"Although we've only been married a short while…… we're on the same side, husband."

Chenshu said this without blushing or his heart racing, utterly justified, his beautiful eyes full of nothing but Jin Chen.

Jin Chen also found him quite amusing.

He's known from day one that there aren't many truthful words coming out of his mouth.

But Chenshu's way of lying is different from others—others lie with guilt and evasion, whereas Chenshu lies with righteous confidence, openly and boldly.

But he's only twenty years old after all.

Jin Chen looked at Chenshu squatting beside his knee; the young, handsome face still retained a hint of youthfulness, like a disobedient but not overly wild puppy.

Jin Chen thought, as long as things don't get out of hand and no big trouble arises, he'll just be looking after the kid for Uncle Nine.

Thinking that, Jin Chen's fierce aura eased a bit; he raised his hand and rubbed Chenshu's head.

His palm was warm, covering Chenshu's head, giving a strange yet comforting feeling that made one want to close their eyes; Chenshu was dazed by the rubbing.

"Drink the tea, then go upstairs to sleep." Jin Chen withdrew his hand, his voice returning to its usual aloofness.

Chenshu: "……"

He had only just woken up before coming down for dinner—how could he possibly sleep now?

But seeing Jin Chen's demeanor, it seemed he had no intention of pursuing the matter; Chenshu had dodged a bullet, a great weight lifted from his heart, and he didn't want to stay with this old man at all—he quickly stood, picked up his tea cup, not bothering to savor it, tipped his head back and gulped down several gulps like an ox chewing peonies, then turned and slipped away.

Jin Chen watched his retreating back, picked up the Swiss Army Knife on the table, and turned it over in his hand.

The blade flicked out and back repeatedly, as if he were pondering something.

Chenshu, however, was clever—he knew to mix truth into his lies when speaking.

The hunchbacked man's appearance was real, the shadow in the lower hold was real, and his following in to look was real.

But why he went in, what he did down in the lower hold—these he didn't mention a single word about.

Truth and falsehood mixed together are the hardest to unravel.