Chapter 77: Am I Not Worthy of Your Trust?
Since the questioning had reached this point, Ji Songting also happened to have a reason to speak up, so he no longer kept it hidden.
He picked up the phone from the table, which had a few drops of coffee splashed on it, swiped the screen to unlock it, and pulled up the two unfamiliar call records, presenting them in front of the youth. His tone was cold and hard as he said:
“Just now while you were showering, Jian Yufeng called you. Seeing that it was inconvenient for you to answer, I answered it for you.”
The moment he heard the name “Jian Yufeng,” Shen Chuyan’s expression instantly tightened. His eyes were filled with panic, and a layer of fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He couldn’t be more familiar with the first few digits of that phone number; it was indeed Jian Yufeng calling!
Could it be that Jian Yufeng said something he shouldn’t have?
No wonder Ji Songting’s attitude towards him had changed so quickly just now; he must have heard some hidden secrets! Did he also know about the competition?!
But Jian Yufeng had no reason to do this. It wouldn’t benefit him at all, and it would even cause trouble if things were exposed. Moreover, playing the fool in front of Ji Songting meant both of them would be questioned.
Could it be that the other party was drunk?! Spouting nonsense after drinking? If he had known, he should have blocked Jian Yufeng!
Damn it, how could this happen…?
Shen Chuyan felt increasingly guilty inside. He could only quickly adjust his emotions and pretend to ask in surprise:
“What… what did he say?”
As soon as this question was asked, Ji Songting’s previously firm attitude of trust in him began to waver. His slightly furrowed brows tightened a bit more.
“Xiao Yan, shouldn’t you first explain why Jian Yufeng would be calling you?”
After saying that, he silently put down the phone. His tone was calm when he spoke, but beneath his words, it seemed as if a dark current carrying a storm was slowly surging.
“A-Ting, listen to me. I have absolutely no contact with Jian Yufeng. Before, when my brother and I attended a brand event, we ran into this person. It must have been my brother who gave him my phone number then!”
Shen Chuyan was somewhat emotional. His reddened eyes stared intently at the changes in the man’s expression, terrified that the other party would have even a shred of doubt and distrust.
He was most afraid. Most terrified that the clean, pure, kind, and honest image he had maintained for so long would be completely shattered by this sudden phone call from Jian Yufeng.
As he spoke, he took his phone from the table and pulled up his previous call records with Jian Yufeng:
“Then he started calling to harass me frequently. I blocked him several times, and now he’s using a new number to call me, and… and even said a bunch of messy things. They were awful to hear, but I never wanted to pay attention to him!”
Ji Songting listened quietly, his left eyebrow rising slightly as he looked at the pair of eyes gazing at him.
The youth bit his red lip slightly, his long eyelashes fluttering, and a mist quickly veiled his clear gaze.
That gaze carried a bit of timidity and grievance, but mostly it was an undisguised honesty and frankness.
Such a look, fragile and pitiful, constantly exuded a desire to be protected. It made one’s heart ache endlessly, making it hard to generate any suspicion, let alone reprimand him.
Ji Songting clearly felt he had a personality that yielded to neither force nor persuasion, yet he was completely manipulated by Shen Chuyan, without any countermeasure. Those feelings of depression and displeasure could only be swallowed back.
He thought he should completely believe Shen Chuyan at this moment, but for some reason, his heart still felt somewhat unbalanced, as if a piece was missing, leaving him feeling a bit lost.
No, Xiao Yan wouldn’t betray him. And he himself had no reason not to trust such a sincere person. How could a few words from someone else compare to their years of feelings, and how could it be so easily destroyed?
Ji Songting could only assume he was overthinking things, which was why he was affected by Jian Yufeng’s nonsense.
His face was a bit gloomy, his brows slightly furrowed. His gaze fell on Shen Chuyan’s face, looking at him extremely seriously. He blinked, seemingly trying to confirm something, or perhaps recalling something.
After a long, long time, under the youth’s nervous and uneasy gaze, he finally asked softly:
“He did say some unclean things when he called. But if you were being harassed, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Am I not worthy of your trust?”
“No, I didn’t, it’s not like that!”
Shen Chuyan hurriedly denied it at the first opportunity. His tight lip line relaxed slightly. At the same time, he was inwardly very surprised and extremely glad that Jian Yufeng only said some awful things and didn’t expose his other shameful secrets.
Ji Songting still quickly caught that minuscule hint of joy from the other party, but he couldn’t guess whether the youth was happy because he had the patience to listen to his explanation here, or for some other reason.
Could that other reason be… seeking pleasure in secret with Jian Yufeng behind his back?
Otherwise, Jian Yufeng wouldn’t have spoken so realistically. He would rather believe that the young master was just trying to pick a fight and cause trouble. After all, not having seen it with his own eyes, he could only be half-skeptical.
In the dim light, his indifferent face was tinged with faint anger. The fingertips pressing on the table had turned somewhat white, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out through his gritted teeth:
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Shen Chuyan had never heard this tone of voice before, and the man would never speak to him like this. It seemed Ji Songting was truly suspicious this time!
He secretly hated Jian Yufeng with gritted teeth in his heart, wishing he could kill that man right now.
But on the surface, Shen Chuyan still appeared somewhat panicked. He raised a hand to carefully grasp the corner of the man’s clothes. Tears fell steadily. His aggrieved eyes were pure yet enchanting, and his voice broke in a way that made one’s heart ache:
“I thought I could handle this minor issue myself… A-Ting, you are so busy usually. I couldn’t bear to disturb you with such trivial matters, that would be too insensible.”
His wet eyes were slightly red. His obedient appearance and intentionally flattering voice were utilized perfectly. No matter which man saw it, their heart would soften.
Sure enough, Ji Songting really bought into his act. The anger that had originally surfaced on his face quickly died down, replaced by a deep pity and affection.
He gently pulled the youth into his arms and lightly patted Shen Chuyan’s back with his hand. Then he let go, placed his hands on his delicate shoulders, stared into his eyes, and comforted him:
“Xiao Yan, you don’t need to be sensible with me. As long as you don’t deceive or betray me, I will love you just the same. From now on, if anything happens, don’t hide it. Tell me, and I will solve it for you. Don’t wrong yourself, understand?”
Hearing those words, the fear and panic suppressed in Shen Chuyan’s heart were all vented out through tears at this moment. He lowered his head, gently bit his lip, and like a child who had done something wrong, sobbed intermittently:
“I know, A-Ting. I will definitely tell you in the future. I won’t hide anything from you. You’re so good to me…”
The man nodded, raising his hand to gently wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks. His tone was extremely gentle: “Mhm, don’t cry. You won’t look pretty if you cry.”
“Okay, I’ll listen to A-Ting. I won’t cry, I won’t cry!”
Shen Chuyan hurriedly wiped away the tear stains from the corners of his eyes and tried hard to stretch his lips, revealing a naive and innocent smile, but his eyes were still just as acrimonious and sharp.
Sensing that the heavy atmosphere from just now had finally eased a little, he just raised his head and asked tentatively:
“By the way, A-Ting, besides those unclean words, did Jian Yufeng say… anything else?”
Hearing this, Ji Songting’s face instantly sank. The bit of tenderness that had finally emerged was swept away, leaving only a sheet of icy coldness. A terrifying chill flashed in the depths of his eyes.
This question—was it a coincidence? Or was it intentional?
If it was a coincidence, he had already told this person earlier that Jian Yufeng had said disgusting things on the phone and hadn’t mentioned anything else…
So was Shen Chuyan truly hiding something from him?
Seeing his expression instantly freeze and the surrounding air turn as cold as frost, Shen Chuyan shivered unexpectedly. He carefully observed his expression and forced himself to stay calm as he said:
“A-Ting… wh-what’s wrong?”
He didn’t know exactly what Jian Yufeng had said to make Ji Songting’s face look so awful in an instant.
Could it be that his approach to Ji Songting, and then being with this man, was just to steal the Ji Group’s company secrets to revitalize the Jian Group—had this matter been exposed?
But he truly loved Ji Songting. Agreeing to steal the secrets was only to deal with Jian Yufeng. Who would be so stupid as to bankrupt their own man?
He had already been trying to find an opportunity to completely rid himself of Jian Yufeng. Moreover, no, even if Jian Yufeng had been drinking, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to joke about the Jian Group’s future and power. Tearing each other apart like that would benefit no one.
So what on earth was it…?!
He really wanted to know, but he couldn’t ask immediately. This feeling tortured him until he was about to go crazy!
Ji Songting pressed his thin lips together tightly. It took a long time before he recovered his senses. His eyes, as deep as the sea, flickered with a complex and incomprehensible light. When he looked at the youth, it seemed to carry exploration, doubt, and a trace of an indescribable emotion.
Afterward, he raised his hand and gently cupped Shen Chuyan’s cheeks in his palms. His fingertips rubbed against his soft and delicate skin. Lowering his voice, he asked with unclear intent:
“Jian Yufeng said your piece for the art competition was something you asked him to copy from Jian An, and you even promised to sleep with him after winning the championship. There’s no such thing, right? Xiao Yan.”
The youth’s skin was very good, as delicate as a freshly peeled egg, and like top-grade mutton-fat white jade. It was so fair and smooth that it made one want to pinch it hard.
If the person standing in front of him right now was Jian An, he would definitely ravage him ruthlessly and torment him recklessly without hesitation. Only in this way could he relieve the anger in his heart.
But the person standing here now was Shen Chuyan—the one who had saved his life, the person he had sworn to cherish deeply for a lifetime. Therefore, he couldn’t bear to taint the other party’s purity and cleanliness.
His White Moonlight—he couldn’t even bear to lay a finger on him, so how could he tolerate other men playing with him!
When Shen Chuyan heard that secret being punctured under these circumstances, his body instantly stiffened and froze in place. His mind went completely blank, and his gaze began to dart around unsteadily. At the bottom of his eyes lay terror, panic, and helplessness.
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