Chapter 40: You Cannot Carry Another Person’s Baby Again
Shen Yuan looked at those eyes, which were sparkling with such malice, and felt an inexplicable surge of loathing. He resolutely turned his head away. “No.”
“You little fool, you actually dare to refuse me?!” Su Huaiyao was instantly incited to rage. He grabbed Shen Yuan’s wrist, gritting his teeth as he threatened him in a fit of exasperation, “I’m telling you, if you don’t give me the score, I’ll call a dozen men right now to take turns sleeping with you! I’ll let your body be sullied so Xiuqing-gege can see how filthy you are!”
“No… no! Yuanyuan cannot be slept with by other men, and I cannot carry another person’s baby again…” Shen Yuan was frightened out of his wits. He shook his head in panic, his eyes already brimming with tears. “If Xiansheng finds out I’m dirty, he’ll kill me!” he cried in terror.
Seeing that he had successfully intimidated him, Su Huaiyao was extremely satisfied. He released his hand with a beaming smile and gave the boy’s shoulder a shove. “Then hurry up and give me the score!”
The little fool staggered a few steps but didn’t fall. He only looked piteously at the person with the fierce gaze. He had no right to resist; even though he was heartbroken, he could only silently swallow all his grievances.
Losing his patience, Su Huaiyao raised his hand to shove Shen Yuan’s head again, barking, “What are you glaring at?! Hurry up! If you keep dawdling, I’ll call people over!”
“I’ll give it to you… please don’t call anyone…” Shen Yuan sniffled, trying his best not to let the teardrops fall. He took the phone handed to him and silently began drawing the numbered musical notation on the software layout.
Though his memory was poor and his IQ was low, he remembered everything perfectly in the field of music. As long as it was a piece he had heard or played, even the fuzziest syllables would be firmly etched in his mind.
Su Huaiyao stood beside him, staring at the score he was writing. He used his fist to strike the boy’s skull with force, warning, “You’d better not play any tricks! If you dare get even one note wrong, I’ll make things even uglier for you!”
“I… I’m not playing tricks… I just want to write it well…” Shen Yuan lowered his eyes and argued through gritted teeth. His face was pale, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. The pain radiating from his body made it hard for him to hold on; with every note he marked, it felt as if his fingers were breaking. The knuckles of his hand holding the phone were turning white.
Soon, a brand-new piece was completely composed on the phone, complex and melodious. Su Huaiyao immediately snatched it away. After reviewing it twice, he nodded in satisfaction, carefully saved the score, and stuffed the phone into his pocket.
“Fine. Even though my hundred-thousand-yuan phone was touched by your filthy hands, the melody isn’t bad. It barely measures up to a fraction of my level. You should be secretly laughing with joy!” He straightened his chest proudly, his expression of disdain incredibly obvious. With a mocking laugh, he turned and walked toward the door.
The bullied little fool sobbed softly, his eyes rimmed with red and his teeth biting his lip hard. He slowly gathered the blank papers and used the back of his hand to haphazardly wipe the tears from his face.
Su Huaiyao was in a great mood, humming a little tune. Just as he stepped out the door, he collided head-on with a nanny who was bringing food, sending him stumbling back several steps. Wu Ma was carrying two lunch boxes; she hurriedly braced herself against the doorframe to stay upright.
However, the half-bowl of fish soup she was holding happened to splash entirely over Su Huaiyao’s newly bought clothes. A few droplets even splattered onto his face, making him look quite wretched.
“Ah!” Su Huaiyao shrieked, hurriedly wiping his face. The high-temperature fish soup was so hot that his entire face turned beet red. At this moment, he looked exactly like a shrew cursing in the street.
Wu Ma was terrified. She immediately set the things on the table and pulled out wet wipes to help him clean his clothes. She was extremely nervous, apologizing incessantly, “Su Xiansheng, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! It was my fault! Quick! Why don’t you take off your clothes and wipe them down! I’ll go find some burn ointment for you!”
Shen Yuan watched the scene of him jumping around from the burns. It was hilarious; there wasn’t a shred of his usual dignified appearance.
“Pfft… heehee…” Shen Yuan covered his mouth with both hands, trying his best not to laugh out loud. His eyes curved into two beautiful crescents. Hmph! Serving you right, isn’t it? Who told Su Xiansheng to always bully him!
Hearing the mocking sound, Su Huaiyao turned and glared ferociously at the youth. Shen Yuan lowered his head in fear.
Next, Su Huaiyao frowned and pushed away the old woman who was wiping his clothes. Disregarding his image, he cursed, “Aiyah! Get away! Don’t touch me with your dirty hands! Such bad luck!” All his good mood had been washed away by this bowl of fish soup. He was currently in a violent rage; smelling the disgusting fishy odor on him, he felt a wave of nausea and wanted to vomit.
“Wu Ma, are you trying to get fired? Do you know how expensive this outfit is? Xiuqing-gege gave it to me! It’s the only limited edition piece in the world! Can you afford to compensate me?” Su Huaiyao barked at the servant while distressedly wiping his clothes. He kept cursing and grumbling, showing none of the tenderness he usually displayed before men.
Wu Ma nearly fell from being shoved. She hurriedly braced herself against the doorframe to avoid falling into the puddle of fish soup. She guiltily wrung her calloused hands and stood to the side with her head lowered, wondering how she could possibly pay him back.
Seeing Wu Ma get pushed, Shen Yuan rushed over to support her. “Wu Ma, how… how are you?”
Wu Ma smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Shen Yuan wrinkled his nose at Su Huaiyao, glaring at him with a mix of fear and dissatisfaction. “Hmph. It was clearly Su Xiansheng who insisted on walking forward and crashing into her. Why are you yelling at her…”
“Hey! You fool… hiss!” Su Huaiyao bared his teeth in pain. Seeing that his hand—the one specifically used for the piano—had been blistered by the soup, he was both furious and annoyed. His teeth ground together as he roared, “You lowly things, just you wait and see!!”
After cursing, he ran outside while sobbing.
“It’s over. Yu Shao will fire me!” Wu Ma was sweating profusely from anxiety, not knowing what to do. Her heart was hammering in panic, but she suddenly noticed something strange and murmured, “And Su Xiansheng… why does he seem like a different person? He usually has such a good temper in front of us and Yu Shao… And his leg—is it healed?”
“Wu Ma, Su Xiansheng is just faking it. His leg is perfectly fine! But his temper… it’s not good at all!” Shen Yuan spoke while crouching on the floor. He stared unblinkingly at the rich fish soup on the ground and swallowed. His small stomach let out two sounds of protest.
“Is that so? Then I must tell Yu Shao!” Wu Ma took a step, then said dejectedly, “Forget it… how could Yu Shao believe the word of a servant.”
Shen Yuan stood up. “Wu Ma, don’t go. That bad person named Su will call people to hit you!”
Wu Ma felt a surge of fear hearing his words. However, she did her best to suppress her emotions and said with a forced smile, “Right, I almost forgot the food I brought for you. Let me get it.”
Then, she opened a box of steaming nutrient porridge and wiped a spoon clean before handing it to the youth. “Yuanyuan, hurry and eat. Yu Shao specifically ordered the nutritionist to brew this porridge for you. All the ingredients inside are the freshest! The nutritional value is exceptionally high.”
The moment it was opened, the scent of rice wafted through the room, making one’s mouth water. Looking at the lavishly prepared nutrient porridge, Shen Yuan’s eyes lit up in disbelief!
Usually, it was just plain rice porridge with pickled vegetables or plain white rice. There had never been a soup like this—the rice grains glistening with a beautiful luster, looking incredibly inviting. It was filled with various fruits and vegetables, succulent shrimp meat, and tonic herbs.
Shen Yuan pursed his lips. He looked at the nutrient porridge in shock, then at Wu Ma, asking in confusion, “Is… is this for me?!”
“Yes, silly child. It’s for you to eat. Yuanyuan is too thin; you must finish it!” Wu Ma looked at him with kind eyes.
Shen Yuan took the spoon, tears shimmering in his eyes. He began to take small sips, sobbing, “I… I haven’t had porridge like this for a long time…”
Since Su Huaiyao returned, no one had cared about his nutritional needs or his three meals. Sometimes, he ate worse than a dog.
Fortunately, Wu Ma would occasionally hide things from the butler and secretly bring him some decent food and soup. While other servants hated him, Wu Ma never made things difficult for him, treating him like her own son. Perhaps it was because she had no children of her own…
Wu Ma stroked his hair with heartache and said, “Yuanyuan can eat with a peace of mind now. These were prepared with Yu Shao’s permission. No one will say a thing!”
“Mm!” Shen Yuan nodded. His originally pale and delicate face seemed to gain a bit of color; he finally looked like he had some life in him.
He didn’t know why Xiansheng was suddenly being good to him again. Was it because he didn’t want him to die too quickly…
At this thought, the little fool’s movement of scooping the porridge suddenly paused. He slowly lifted the spoon to his lips and took a sip, and his tears fell into the bowl.
Wu Ma noticed his emotional state and asked with concern, “Yuanyuan, why are you crying?”
“I… I’m fine…” Shen Yuan shook his head obediently. Even if there was only one person beside him who cared, he felt happy. He was an easily satisfied person. A child who could be coaxed with just a few candies.
Wu Ma took a tissue to wipe away his tears and mentioned offhandedly, “Right, Yuanyuan. Tomorrow afternoon, Yu Shao is taking you to the Yu family’s old residence to celebrate the Chairman’s birthday.”
“Birthday…” Shen Yuan murmured. The face of Old Master Yu involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and a chill instantly ran down his spine. The man was an extremely strict figure, and he was even more harsh toward the younger generation.
At last year’s birthday banquet, because he wanted to sneak some sweets, he had accidentally shattered a bottle of priceless, vintage red wine. Old Master Yu had scolded him in public for being undisciplined and then forced him to kneel in the Yu family’s ancestral hall for two full days and nights!
Later, it was Mister Yu who had forcibly taken him away from the old residence; otherwise, there would have been even more terrifying punishments!
Shen Yuan began to shake uncontrollably. Old Master Yu never liked him in the first place… He probably thought he was something dirty bought from an underground auction, unworthy of attending a birthday banquet.
Wu Ma continued, “Yu Shao ordered the servants to change you into your most beautiful clothes.”
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