Chapter 5: Conflict Caused by a Doll
Upon arriving at the hotel, Yu Tingzhou immediately contacted his friends.
He explained the situation briefly, emphasizing its importance.
Although his friend was puzzled, he immediately took action.
They arrived at the hotel in the evening before the sun had fully set. By the time the sky turned completely dark and the moon climbed over the hilltops, someone knocked on the hotel door.
Shen Zhouyue, who had been sitting on the sofa with his knees hugged to his chest, looked up toward the door. His eyes were red and swollen.
Yu Tingzhou glanced at him. “Your luggage is back. Aren’t you going to open the door yourself?”
Although his tone was a bit cold, Shen Zhouyue’s eyes lit up instantly, filled with hidden excitement.
He grabbed the corner of Yu Tingzhou’s shirt in disbelief, asking repeatedly, “Really?”
His behavior made Yu Tingzhou feel less like he had found a contract marriage partner and more like he was raising a small pet.
He rubbed his brow helplessly. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll let the person outside leave.”
Shen Zhouyue hurriedly got up from the sofa. Maintaining the same position for too long made his body go numb, and as he stood up, he fell directly into Yu Tingzhou’s arms.
It looked very much like he was throwing himself at him.
Yu Tingzhou intended to tease him a bit, but Shen Zhouyue’s attention was clearly entirely captured by the recovered luggage.
He walked quickly to the door and opened it to see his suitcase appearing intact.
There were no signs of it being opened; even the tag from the airport security check was still there.
Shen Zhouyue breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled the suitcase in, looking as if he had recovered a lost treasure.
He dragged the suitcase in front of Yu Tingzhou, his expression jubilant. “Thank you…”
“If it weren’t for you, my suitcase might not have been found.”
Seeing Shen Zhouyue looking up with sparkling eyes, Yu Tingzhou felt an itch in his heart. He couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle Shen Zhouyue’s hair, turning it into a bird’s nest.
“As long as you found it. Go check if anything is missing. I don’t want to see that aggrieved look on you again. If others saw it, they might think I was bullying you!”
Reminded by Yu Tingzhou, Shen Zhouyue recalled his pathetic and dependent behavior earlier.
His face flushed red instantly.
“I… I’ll go check if anything is missing…”
Dropping that sentence, Shen Zhouyue hurriedly ran away dragging his suitcase.
Watching his lively retreating figure, Yu Tingzhou shook his head helplessly, though an inexplicable smile played on his face.
He sent a message of thanks to his friend, then contacted his assistant to schedule a meeting with William for tomorrow.
When he finished handling matters and looked up, he saw Shen Zhouyue happily looking through the items in the suitcase and organizing his clothes.
His mood changed so quickly—truly like a child!
“I’m going to meet a client tomorrow. Are you coming with me, or staying at the hotel?”
Shen Zhouyue said without thinking, “I’ll stay at the hotel.”
He hadn’t had a chance to visit the US before, so this was a perfect opportunity to buy some gifts to mail back to An’an.
The last time he video-called An’an, the child looked like he had lost a lot of weight again…
Shen Zhouyue’s thoughts drifted away, and he didn’t notice Yu Tingzhou picking up the doll An’an had given him.
The doll wasn’t large, but it was very colorful, and there were even some loose threads on it, proving it had some age.
“You’re a grown man, don’t tell me you still sleep with a doll!”
His tone carried a hint of teasing.
Shen Zhouyue looked at Yu Tingzhou and saw him squeeze the doll’s stomach hard.
The doll’s belly emitted a bit of static noise, followed by: “I… love… you…”
The comical tone combined with the distorted voice would not have felt out of place in a horror movie.
Upon hearing the content of the doll’s speech, the smile on Yu Tingzhou’s face vanished instantly. He questioned coldly, “Who gave you this doll? You were so anxious about the luggage today because of this doll?”
Shen Zhouyue didn’t want to say much. He quickly stood up, trying to snatch the doll back from Yu Tingzhou’s hand.
But Yu Tingzhou held his hand high, asking again with a cold expression, “Did An’an give this to you?”
Shen Zhouyue didn’t speak, but his eyes were fixed on the doll, looking for any chance to snatch it back.
“Who is An’an? The person you like?”
Yu Tingzhou kept bringing up An’an, which made Shen Zhouyue frown in displeasure.
“An’an has nothing to do with you. Give my things back to me.”
A trace of anger appeared on his face.
Seizing an opportunity, he tried to grab the doll back.
Yu Tingzhou had noticed Shen Zhouyue’s small movements and immediately raised his hand to avoid him.
In his anger, Shen Zhouyue grabbed Yu Tingzhou’s arm and bit down hard.
Because he was angry, Shen Zhouyue used a lot of force. Before long, he tasted the metallic tang of blood spreading in his mouth.
His reason began to return.
He nervously let go of Yu Tingzhou and saw a complete set of teeth marks.
Blood was seeping from the bite, showing just how much force he had used.
Yu Tingzhou flinched from the pain and lowered his arm. The doll in his hand dropped to a height Shen Zhouyue could reach.
Although Shen Zhouyue felt guilty, he hadn’t forgotten his doll. He immediately seized the chance to snatch the doll back.
“You bit me over a doll?”
Yu Tingzhou laughed out of anger.
He wasn’t wearing glasses right now, and his sharp eyes looked at Shen Zhouyue with oppressive intensity.
“You haven’t forgotten what I hired you to do, have you!”
Yu Tingzhou approached Shen Zhouyue, his voice carrying suppressed rage and disbelief.
Shen Zhouyue rubbed the tip of his nose awkwardly and whispered, “I told you not to touch my things casually. I don’t like it.”
After speaking, Shen Zhouyue took the reclaimed doll and turned to place it by the bedside.
His movements were very gentle, as if treating a beloved person.
Yu Tingzhou found this sight an eyesore. He stepped forward, grabbed Shen Zhouyue’s wrist, and pinned him against the wall.
His tall body trapped Shen Zhouyue between the wall and himself.
“What… what are you doing?”
The action was too sudden. Shen Zhouyue had no idea why he was doing this and looked at him with confusion.
“Let go… let go of me…”
Yu Tingzhou used his other hand to pinch Shen Zhouyue’s struggling cheeks, applying slight pressure to hold him still. “I’m warning you, no matter who you like in your heart, during the period of our agreement, don’t do anything that embarrasses me.”
“Otherwise, your An’an won’t have a good ending.”
Shen Zhouyue never expected Yu Tingzhou to threaten him with An’an. His pupils dilated, and his eyes went wide.
Yu Tingzhou momentarily felt that the person in front of him wasn’t Shen Zhouyue, but his junior from school.
Damn it, I really shouldn’t have chosen him.
Before Shen Zhouyue could speak, he released his grip as if disgusted.
“If you dare touch An’an, I won’t let you off.”
Shen Zhouyue’s threat was like a little rabbit threatening a wolf—laughably childish to Yu Tingzhou.
“I hate stand-ins the most. If you dare treat me as a stand-in for An’an, I’ll make you understand the consequences.”
After saying that, he stopped looking at Shen Zhouyue and walked toward the hotel balcony.
Shen Zhouyue was trembling with anger, but his plan hadn’t started yet, and he couldn’t leave, so he could only desperately endure.
He took several deep breaths before his emotions slowly calmed down.
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