Chapter 11: His Friends
Yu Tingzhou appeared so suddenly that both Shen Zhouyue and Chris were taken by surprise.
The memory of the incident at the hotel flashed through Shen Zhouyue’s mind, and he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
If Tingzhou clashed with Chris again like he did that day, what would happen?
Just imagining the scene made Shen Zhouyue feel a bit suffocated.
Thinking of this, Shen Zhouyue hurriedly walked to Yu Tingzhou’s side and hugged his arm. “Is the auction about to start? Let’s go over there quickly!”
His tone carried a hint of intimacy as he pulled on Yu Tingzhou, attempting to lead him toward the banquet hall.
However, Yu Tingzhou gripped Shen Zhouyueâs hand in return. “I have some matters to discuss with Mr. Chris. Go back and wait for me first.”
It wasn’t a request, but a command that brooked no refusal.
Shen Zhouyue frowned, puzzled. “What do you need to talk to him about? Can’t I listen?”
Yu Tingzhou smiled, yet his hands firmly pushed Shen Zhouyue toward the hall.
Seeing the worry in Shen Zhouyueâs eyes, Chris couldn’t help but smile and say, “Zhouyue, I actually have some things I’d like to chat with Mr. Yu about as well.”
Since they both said so, Shen Zhouyue hesitated but ultimately left.
He stood at the entrance of the corridor, his expression conflicted. His fingers twisted together nervously, his lips pressed tight and pale, making him look somewhat fragile.
Yu Tingzhou walked out of the corridor suppressing his anger, only to see Shen Zhouyue looking like this.
“Are you that worried about him?”
Before Shen Zhouyue could react, Yu Tingzhou was already standing beside him, an arm wrapped around his waist, whispering the words into his ear.
Perhaps because they were too close, or because the warm breath against his sensitive ear was unsettling, Shen Zhouyue couldn’t help but twitch his ear.
In doing so, his earlobe inadvertently brushed against Yu Tingzhouâs lips. The soft sensation made Shen Zhouyueâs body go weak, and his ear instantly turned red.
“Why… why did you suddenly hug me…”
He hadn’t even had time to react!
The more Shen Zhouyue thought about it, the redder his ears became.
The fair, translucent ear cartilage was dyed a deep crimson, looking like fine red jade. It made Yu Tingzhou want to reach out and rub it to feel its warm texture.
“We are already married. Do I need anyone’s permission to hug my own wife?”
But… but we are fake!
Shen Zhouyue felt a faint impulse to disregard their surroundings and blurting those words out.
But he knew that once the secret of the contract marriage was exposed, he would have no legitimate reason to stay by Yu Tingzhouâs side, and his plan would fall apart.
He opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing and simply leaned obediently into Yu Tingzhouâs embrace.
Chris walked out a step behind Yu Tingzhou and saw Shen Zhouyue being held in his arms as the two walked intimately toward the auction venue.
It seems their relationship is truly good. I should just give up…
The thought flashed through Chris’s mind.
He did have a favorable impression of Shen Zhouyue.
After all, Shen Zhouyue had exquisite features and was very cute. When those phoenix eyes looked at you, it made you feel as if you were the most important existence in his world.
It was a pity he was too late. Better to let it go.
He had no desire to intervene in someone else’s relationship.
Shen Zhouyue was completely unaware of Chris’s affection, nor did he know what Chris was thinking at that moment.
He arrived at their seats with Yu Tingzhou, who immediately stuffed an auction catalog into his hands.
“If you see something you like, bid on it directly!”
Shen Zhouyue was stunned for a moment. He didn’t take the words seriously, thinking Yu Tingzhou might just be declaring war on Chris.
“No need, there’s nothing I want.”
Yu Tingzhou flipped through the catalog and pointed directly to the landscape painting inside. “Weren’t you looking at this painting very intently just now?”
While the two were talking, the auction had already begun.
The sounds of people bidding rose and fell around them.
“The next lot is a painting by the famous artist Alice. This is the only landscape painting in his career. Starting price: five hundred thousand.”
Shen Zhouyue looked up. The item hanging on the stage was indeed the painting he had seen in the corridor.
His eyes flickered slightly. He was interested in the painting, but five hundred thousand was just the starting price.
He needed to save most of his money for An’an’s medical treatment, so he withdrew his gaze from the painting.
“Five hundred and fifty thousand!”
Chris’s voice came from behind. Shen Zhouyue immediately looked back.
“Mr. Shen and I are quite fated. Mr. Shen seems to like this painting very much, so consider this a gift from me to Mr. Shen!”
Chris made this decision purely out of friendship.
After all, he and Shen Zhouyue shared many hobbies and got along very well when chatting, so he simply wanted to give him a gift.
But no one else knew Chris’s thoughts.
The smile on Yu Tingzhouâs face vanished. He spoke with a cold expression, “I will buy what my lover wants. There is no need to trouble Mr. Chris.”
“Six hundred thousand!”
“Mr. Yu can choose other things as gifts for your lover. How about letting me have this one?”
Shen Zhouyue had only zoned out for a moment, yet the situation had developed into something he couldn’t understand.
He pulled on Yu Tingzhouâs arm in confusion, his eyes fixed on his face, trying to figure out what had just happened.
Yu Tingzhou didn’t explain; he just locked horns with Chris.
A painting with a base price of five hundred thousand was bid up to six million by the two of them!
Just as Yu Tingzhou was about to bid again, Shen Zhouyue reached out and covered his mouth. “Although this painting is nice, the price is already too high.”
Seeing Shen Zhouyueâs action, the auctioneer looked somewhat disappointed.
He had expected the price of the painting to go higher, which would have increased his commission significantly.
It seemed he had been too optimistic, but the current price was already quite good.
“Six million, going once… twice… Sold!”
As the auctioneer’s gavel fell, the painting found its owner.
Chris had also calmed down by now.
Looking at the painting being wrapped and brought to him by the staff, he rubbed his forehead with a headache. “Now, he definitely won’t accept it.”
After all, no one would be willing to accept such an expensive gift from a friend they had just met.
Not far away, Yu Tingzhou noticed Chris’s distressed expression, and his mood suddenly improved considerably.
He took Shen Zhouyueâs hand from his lips and held it in his own. “Are you afraid of me spending too much money?”
Shen Zhouyue nervously tried to pull his hand out of Yu Tingzhouâs grip but failed.
He felt very uncomfortable, as if things were deviating from the track. “You said before that Uncle likes jade ornaments. Thereâs a set of jade carvings in the lots here; I think it would be suitable as a souvenir.”
Yu Tingzhou had originally planned to bring Shen Zhouyue to meet his friends and had no intention of buying anything here.
However, following Shen Zhouyueâs finger to the ornament, he felt it was indeed the type his father would like.
“You plan to bid on it?”
Shen Zhouyue nodded. “En, itâs not good to come out and go back empty-handed!”
However, there was nothing here that An’an would like, which disappointed Shen Zhouyue slightly.
Aside from the small conflict between Yu Tingzhou and Chris, the auction went very smoothly.
After the auction ended, Yu Tingzhou took Shen Zhouyue to meet Liu Xuanting, Fang Mo, and some other friends.
Many of these friends were developing their careers abroad, so opportunities to meet were rare.
Seeing Yu Tingzhou appear with Shen Zhouyue, everyone was somewhat surprised. But as adults, their ability to mask their emotions was impeccable, and they soon wore welcoming expressions.
“All these years with no one by your side, Fang Mo and I thought you were going to grow old alone!”
Yu Tingzhou smiled and pulled Shen Zhouyue to sit down. “My mom has been urging me to get married. If I stayed single, maybe one day you guys would have become my blind date partners!”
Although they knew Yu Tingzhou was joking, his friends couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air, feeling goosebumps rise all over their bodies.
“Please don’t. I like pretty girls, not men like you.”
“Xu You, even if you agreed, Tingzhou might not. If you two got together, it looks like domestic violence could break out at any moment.”
Shen Zhouyue looked over as they spoke.
Xu You, who had spoken, was tall and burly, looking stronger than the other friends.
When he smiled, he looked carefree and a bit honest, but when his face was expressionless, he looked somewhat fierce.
Shen Zhouyue silently withdrew his gaze and glanced at Yu Tingzhou beside him.
He was handsome, with a pair of affectionate peach blossom eyes. When he smiled, he looked gentle, not like someone who liked to use force.
But Shen Zhouyue hadn’t forgotten the feel of the muscles under his hand the night he stayed over.
If these two really got together, a physical fight might actually be possible.
Shen Zhouyue imagined the scene and momentarily forgot that he was secretly staring at Yu Tingzhou.
His actions were undisguised, and the others noticed Shen Zhouyue staring at Yu Tingzhou. They immediately joked, “As expected, our President Yu’s charm hasn’t diminished!”
“Back in school, there were so many people who liked President Yu. If President Yu hadn’t been hung up on that junior of his, he probably would have been taken long ago.”
“Now that he’s found a partner who cares about him so much, it’s really enviable!”
Hearing this, the smile on Yu Tingzhouâs face faded slightly.
He said somewhat helplessly, “That junior is already married. Don’t always link me with him. What if his partner misunderstands?”
It seems he really likes Yun Xing. Even after so long, he still cares about Yun Xing so much…
Even when mentioning him, his expression becomes gentler.
Shen Zhouyue felt a bit sour in his heart.
He lowered his head, casually picked up the glass at his hand, and drank the liquid inside in one gulp.
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