Chapter 29: When Has He Ever Not Been Faking It?
“Get lost!”
Ji Songting angrily threw off his hand, his words dripping with intense hatred. “Jian An, must you destroy everyone I cherish before you’re happy? Do you have to see me lose everything before you’re satisfied?!”
A wave of immense grievance washed over Jian An’s face. His beautiful eyes filled with tears, and his voice was shaking and choked:
“Is that really what you think of me…? I never once thought of doing such a thing. Everything you cherish, I have always respected…”
But the other man was already in a towering rage and refused to listen to any explanation. He raised his hand and a loud, crisp slap landed squarely on Jian An’s face. He sneered:
“Respect? Is your ‘respect’ to find someone an eyesore, get jealous, and then destroy them?”
The force of the slap was staggeringâmore violent and ruthless than any he had ever received.
Jian An couldn’t help but stagger back a few steps. His already pale cheek instantly turned red and swollen, a burning pain spreading across it. A trickle of blood even began to seep from the corner of his mouth.
Even Shen Chuyan, who was leaning against a chair and feigning exhaustion, was slightly startled by the heavy slap.
His eyes darted around, and he let out a few violent coughs to draw the man’s attention. His expression was one of understanding and “reluctance” as he spoke with fake sincerity:
“A-Ting, don’t blame Xiao An Ge-ge. He didn’t do it on purpose. I just… I just accidentally fell in…”
Before he could finish, Ji Songting interrupted him with heartache. “At a time like this, why are you still making excuses for him? Xiao Yan, you’re just too kind. That makes it easy for someone with a poisonous heart to use and deceive you.”
Jian An knew these subtle words were meant to insult him, but he had nothing to say. He was powerless to argue; the truth and his innocence were worthless in that man’s eyes.
The next second, Ji Songting suddenly stood before him. Before Jian An could understand what was happening, the man reached out and ruthlessly shoved him into the swimming pool!
“I will collect everything you owe Xiao Yan bit by bit. Since you want to know how cold the water is in winter, go feel it for yourself.”
As his body tilted backward and he began to fall, Jian An closed his eyes in heartbreak. The man’s handsome yet cold and indifferent face continued to stab at his nerves.
Splash!!
Following the sharp sound of water, spray flew everywhere. Jian An fell into the water without any resistance, feeling as if he had dropped into a frozen abyss.
However, the boundless fear and the instinct to survive forced him to break the surface, trying to call for help.
A massive amount of water suddenly surged into his throat, making it impossible to breathe. He thrashed in the pool like a drowning fish.
Seeing this satisfying scene, the corners of Shen Chuyan’s mouth curled up. His smile was aggressive, yet his face feigned shock. His voice carried a hint of panic and tears:
“A-Ting, let’s pull Xiao An Ge-ge out! He’s going to die like this!”
Ji Songting turned a blind eye. He took a bath towel and gently wiped the water droplets from the youth’s hair, his tone both angry and protective.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about him. He knows how to swim; he won’t die. But youâwere you frightened?”
The youth nodded obediently, yet he couldn’t help but let out several sneezes in a row. His voice was so soft it could have melted: “I’m fine… achoo!“
“And you say you’re fine. Let’s go change your clothes first and head back to the villa to get warm. It’s my fault for letting you get cold. If I hadn’t agreed to let you walk away alone ten minutes ago, you wouldn’t have been pushed into the water by that vicious person Jian An.”
With that, Ji Songting leaned down and scooped him up in a princess carry. His gaze was deep and tender as he walked with steady strides toward the door.
Shen Chuyan tilted his head to lean against his shoulder, his hands tightly clutching the man’s neck.
He raised his eyelids slightly to look at the man’s faceâperfect lines and deep features. He felt an unspeakable sense of satisfaction and security. He said, “I don’t blame A-Ting. A-Ting is so good.”
“Songting… I’m going to die…”
A faint, thread-like plea for help suddenly came from behind them. Ji Songting stopped involuntarily, his expression darkening slightly.
Seeing his moment of hesitation, Shen Chuyan’s expression turned frantic, but he forced himself to stay calm as he tested the waters:
“A-Ting, are we really not going to save Xiao An Ge-ge? I’m so cold; he must be too!”
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. A sharp ripple of emotion flashed in his icy eyes, but he resumed his pace and said indifferently:
“There’s no need. When has he ever not been faking it? He only knows how to deceive kind people like you. I’ve seen through him long ago. Why bother with him? It would be better if he were dead. Let’s go.”
“Mhm… alright then. I’ll listen to A-Ting.”
Mist flooded his eyes, gradually swallowing his breath. At this moment, Jian An, whose consciousness was completely blurred, finally gave up hope of the man turning back. All that remained was a shadow growing further and further away.
Unprotected, his nostrils were forcibly filled with a large amount of salty, briny liquid, which surged into his respiratory tract.
He couldn’t help but gasp, but it only caused the liquid to rush further into his lungs, displacing what little oxygen remained. His head grew heavy and dizzy from the lack of air.
Ever since he had nearly lost his life in a drowning accident at age twenty, he had never dared to face deep water. He was perpetually terrified.
He slowly gave up struggling, letting himself drift in the water. His body was like a kite with a broken string, tilting back and finally submerging himself in the boundless darkness.
Jian An felt himself sinking uncontrollably, as if falling into a bottomless sea.
The bottom was very, very coldâso cold that even his blood seemed to freeze. The icy pool water soaked through his skin and into his marrow, as if he were truly drowning.
“Don’t be afraid. Just lean in my arms. I’ll block the fear and the cold for you.”
“My mother is dead! How do you still have the face to be alive? Why didn’t you go to the grave with her?!”
These two sentences, coming from the same person, echoed incessantly in Jian An’s earsâfamiliar yet strange.
One belonged to a gentle, steady youth; the other belonged to a heartless, cruel man.
Jian An seemed to see himself on the surface of the shimmering water, wearing a beret and painting with a carefree air.
He was so happy thenâso full of life.
At this moment, all the flickering illusions and memories surged into his brain one after another.
They say that before a person dies, they see their life flash before their eyes. Was he really about to die…?
The Villa.
After taking a hot shower, Shen Chuyan’s mood was exceptionally bright. He showed no trace of the “sickly” state from before.
He was about to go downstairs to find Ji Songting, but he unknowingly walked to the door of Jian An’s room.
The bedroom door wasn’t locked. He checked left and right, confirming no one was on this floor, before turning the doorknob with a mix of fear and excitement and pushing the door open.
Jian An’s room was even more simple and “shabby” than he had imagined. All the furniture was cheap, street-stall junk.
“Hmph. So what if you’re married to A-Ting? You still don’t get a single benefit. You deserve it.”
After cursing, Shen Chuyan kicked over the items on the floor. He then pinched his nose, holding the trash can with a “lady-like” grip and dumping all the trash onto the clean, white bed. Only then did his heart feel a bit better.
Even the potted plants on the balcony, which the owner had carefully nurtured, didn’t escape. They were ripped out by the roots and thrown onto the floor to be crushed under his feet. The soil was dumped into the water kettle.
After trashing the bedroom until it was a complete mess, Shen Chuyan finally stopped, satisfied.
“So filthy!”
He muttered a low curse. As he turned around, his gaze was suddenly drawn to something leaning in the corner, covered with a black cloth. He walked over to the rectangular shape.
He lifted the square black cloth, and an oil painting with extraordinary skill and brilliant colors appeared before his eyes.
Shen Chuyan’s eyes widened in surprise. He involuntarily crouched down to examine the content.
He had been worrying about how to define the “beauty” of art, but the oil painting before him allowed him to truly experience the visual beauty and spiritual charm of the highest realm of art.
The Greek youth who craved redemption and happiness was beautiful; the half-true, half-false deity was beautiful. Evil and light clashed yet merged, blinding the youth.
He knew the story behind this portraitâit was simply the skin of redemption covering the flesh of corruption.
But Shen Chuyan couldn’t believe it. Jian An had clearly never received much deep artistic training, and with Zhou Manxiang’s money-grubbing personality, she would never have given him the chance to study abroad!
Even a professional artist with years of experience would find it difficult to blend emotion and aesthetics so delicately.
So where on earth did he get this talent?!
The flames of jealousy roared in his heart. The intense hatred made Shen Chuyan feel as though he were no longer himself.
He took out his phone and snapped photos of the front and back of the painting. He sent them to Jian Yufeng with a message:
[Make a knock-off version that looks almost identical. It needs to look the same, but it must have flawsâthe kind where people can tell it’s a plagiarism.]
[Jian Yufeng: Yo, playing thief again?]
[Shen Chuyan: Mind your own business.]
[Jian Yufeng: You’re really trusting me with this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose you as a thief? Wink emoji]
Seeing this, Shen Chuyan raised an eyebrow fearlessly and replied: [That wouldn’t benefit you.]
“Xiao Yan? Where are you?”
Ji Songting’s voice suddenly rang out from outside the room. Shen Chuyan’s heart jumped in terror. He hurriedly covered the oil painting again.
He approached the door soundlessly, peeking through the crack. He saw the man standing by the bathroom door with his back to him.
It seemed he couldn’t take the oil painting out openly, let alone let Ji Songting find him in Jian An’s room. He would have to find another way later.
Shen Chuyan shot one last reluctant glance at the corner, quickly adjusted the nervous expression on his face, though his breathing was still uncontrollably fast.
He squeezed out through the crack in the door, turned the handle to shut it, and spoke as if nothing were wrong:
“A-Ting, I’m here!”
Ji Songting’s eyes curved slightly. “Hungry for hot pot? It’ll warm you up. Besides, the art competition starts its official screening tomorrow. I’ll be there as a judge to cheer you on.”
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] President Shou Is Not a Total Shou](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/the-shou-is-not-a-total-shou-214x300.jpg)
