Chapter 16: Is It Too Late to Die on the Spot?
Shen Junnian, holding an umbrella, stepped out of the car.
“Fu Yue, I knew you wouldn’t bring an umbrella, so I came specifically to pickâ”
His words cut off halfway. When he saw Jiang Ying beside Fu Yue, his face turned pale.
The black G-Wagonâs engine started, and it sped through the rain. Inside the car, the atmosphere was the polar opposite of the vehicle’s speedâheavy and suffocating.
For once, Shen Junnian didn’t act like a lunatic. He just gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed ahead, while the only sound in the cabin was the monotonous swish-swish of the windshield wipers. He turned his head to look at Fu Yue several times, his lips moving as if to speak, but he swallowed his words each time.
This appearance of wanting to speak but hesitating was more concerning to Fu Yue than his usual attentive and unrestrained self.
“What is it?” Fu Yue broke the silence. “Do you know him?”
The “him” naturally referred to Jiang Ying.
Shen Junnian didn’t answer. Instead, he slowly pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. He turned around, looking at Fu Yue with an extremely serious expression.
“Fu Yue, do you really… not remember him?”
Jiang Ying…
Fu Yue searched his memory of the original work frantically. In the “original work,” which focused on the emotional development of the main leads Ji Linyue and Chen Bai, the name Jiang Ying had only appeared once as a representative of an architectural firm that had business cooperation with the Fu family.
But that was all. He wasn’t even a minor character with a face; he was just a single descriptive sentence with no lines.
“Jiang Ying pursued you in high school.” Shen Junnianâs voice was very low. He opened the window a crack, letting some rain spray in. “That year, I happened to go to Boston for an exchange; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to appear before you.” Shen Junnianâs expression was ugly.
In his tone was an undisguised possessiveness.
Fu Yue frowned: “Then he and I…?”
“You didn’t even want me; how could you want him?” Shen Junnian said. “Back then, you led him around in circles and even destroyed the competition model he was using for an international contest.”
These words indeed sounded like something the “original owner” would do. Fu Yue felt as if a scar that didn’t belong to him had been peeled open. The key was that he didn’t know how deep or shallow this wound was, forced to face this unknown torment.
Afterward, every word of Shen Junnianâs narrative felt like a knife cutting into him.
“His original college plans were disrupted, and his scholarship was gone. I heard he couldn’t take it and jumped into the river; he was rescued, but he missed the domestic entrance exams.” Shen Junnian paused and added a final blow: “Youâve always provoked many people; itâs normal not to remember one of them.”
As his voice fell, there was a deathly silence in the car. Fu Yueâs fingertips were ice-cold.
Jiang Ying… Fu Yue had thought he was an insignificant character. He hadn’t expected that in a corner outside the main plot, such a dark past was buried.
“But Fu Yue, he probably hates you. Youâd better be careful and stay away from him,” Shen Junnian warned.
Fu Yue remained silent for a long time. It turned out that Jiang Ying wasn’t immune to his Heartthrob Halo; rather, love and hate had canceled each other out, with hate being the stronger of the two. He leaned against the car window, depressed by the mess the original owner had left behind.
The car stopped at a red light. Fu Yue looked out the window, his gaze sweeping over a cafe by the street. His gaze froze. Through the cafe’s glass window, he saw Jiang Ying.
The man in the cream suit was sitting by the window with a cup of coffee and a book, his profile looking extremely peaceful. Shen Junnian followed Fu Yueâs gaze and his face darkened.
The light turned green.
“Shen Junnian, stop the car,” Fu Yue suddenly spoke.
“What do you want to do?” Shen Junnian asked unhappily. “Go and say sorry to him? I’m telling you, if you go over now, you’ll likely hit a wall and humiliate yourself.”
After saying this, Shen Junnian stepped on the gas. The black G-Wagon started moving. Fu Yue looked back at the receding cafe, feeling that Shen Junnian wasn’t without reason. He knew nothing about the original ownerâs entanglements. Going over blindly might make things worse.
“Hey!” Shen Junnian shouted irritably, seeing him still looking back. “Stop thinking about Jiang Ying, Fu Yue! Thatâs all in the past! Look forward.”
Just then, Fu Yueâs phone rang. The caller ID was “Eldest Brother.”
Fu Yue composed himself and signaled Shen Junnian to stop making a fuss. He quickly switched to his persona and answered the call.
“Eldest Brother.”
The other party was calling to ask about the gains from the seminar. Fu Yue responded with a perfunctory tone: “I couldn’t understand it, I fell asleep, it was so annoying.”
After hanging up, Shen Junnian couldn’t resistĺ槽: “Thatâs how you treat your brother?”
At this moment, in the Fu Group headquarters.
Fu Yueâs eldest brother, Fu Cheng, put down his phone. He looked at the assistant standing respectfully before him, his expression unreadable.
“How was his performance at the meeting today?”
“According to the second young masterâs report, the youngest young master sat in the back row the entire time, was distracted for most of it, and… flirted with his neighbor.”
Fu Chengâs finger tapped the phone screen twice: “Is he really hiding his light under a bushel?”
The assistant hesitated for a few seconds before speaking: “The youngest young master did optimize the system at the headquarters last time. And Chairman Zouâs eye for people is usually not wrong.”
Fu Chengâs gaze turned toward the window: “Then letâs proceed as I said.”
“Yes, Chairman Fu.”
The black G-Wagon stopped smoothly at the entrance of Fu Yueâs villa. Fu Yue said goodbye to Shen Junnian and pushed the door open to get out. He walked to the door and finished entering the code, only to realize afterward that a shadow had followed him.
“Shen Junnian, what are you doing following me?” Fu Yue looked back alertly. This person behind him was eyeing him greedily, always thinking about “eating” him. He didn’t dare let him into his house.
Shen Junnian was angered by his “don’t come near me” look. In the next instant, he showed a helpless yet concerned tone: “Iâm not worried about you.”
“I’m fine, you can go.” Fu Yue looked at him heartlessly.
Shen Junnian seemed used to this and nodded, turning to leave. Seeing him go, Fu Yue turned the doorknob. But just as he pushed the door open to enter, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled forward.
It was a delivery box. Because of the day’s rain, the cardboard box was completely soaked and slumped limply on the floor.
“Careful!”
Shen Junnian had been looking back with every step as he left. Now he lunged forward, catching Fu Yue. “How am I supposed to be worried about you?”
Without another word, Shen Junnian bent over and hugged the bottom of the box that looked like it was about to fall apart: “Iâll help you carry it in.”
“No need, I can do it myself,” Fu Yue refused, reaching to take the box from Shen Junnian.
“The box is soaked; itâll fall apart the moment you touch it,” Shen Junnian held the bottom of the box carefully. “Don’t move, Iâve got it.”
“I really don’t need it!”
Fu Yue grew anxious, reaching to pull the box. But Shen Junnian wouldn’t let go, one foot already inside Fu Yueâs doorway.
Tearâ
In the struggle, the fragile, water-damaged box finally gave way, tearing completely down the middle. In the next second, the elegant entrance of Fu Yueâs villa became a multi-colored “social death” scene.
Objects of various shapes, made of silicone and metal, poured out from the torn, wet box.
Clink-clank, pitter-patter.
A cat-ear headband fell on Fu Yueâs foot. A metal ball with an indescribable purpose bounced twice on the floor. And a pink silicone wand with an extremely bold design lay conspicuously between the two of them.
“Ah!”
Fu Yue let out the most piercing scream since he had come to this world. He wished he could use a “Tudun” technique to vanish from this planet immediately.
Translator’s Note: Talk about a “social death”! First, a ghost from the past returns, and now this? Ji Linyue really went all out with the “thank-you gift.” For those who don’t know, “Tudun” (ĺé) is a term from Naruto referring to Earth Style jutsu, essentially saying he wants to hide underground.
Recommended Reads
