Chapter 26: Sheng-sheng Is More Outstanding Than Anyone!
Liang Sheng’s eyes held a deep sense of helplessness. His mouth twitched as he looked at the triumphant Su Nian and his distrustful husband. His entire body suddenly felt as if its strength had been drained; any explanation would be hollow.
He had stayed up all night without sleep to care for Shen Xingyu. Even when he was so sleepy he couldn’t open his eyes, he could only pinch his thighs to stay awake. When Shen Xingyu’s heart condition worsened upon hearing the rain, he had done everything possible to muffle the sound. Yet in the end, all his silent efforts had been easily stolen by someone else, and in exchange, he received Shen Xingyu’s blatant humiliation, using Xie Zhengran to constantly provoke him.
What was the point of all this…
Liang Sheng couldn’t understand; he only felt incredibly wronged. He was the one who had truly stayed by the bed and cared for him without leaving, so why did he have to suffer so much mysterious treatment from his husband?
Forget it. As long as he had a clear conscience.
He was so tired now and didn’t want to argue with anyone anymore.
He leaned down to pick up the wet towel, turned around exhaustedly, and silently left the room.
Watching Liang Sheng walk out, Shen Xingyu was clearly very reluctant. But since he had spoken harsh words earlier, he couldn’t back down. He forcefully suppressed the urge to call out to Liang Sheng.
For some reason, he had an illusion—Liang Sheng’s figure looked even thinner, his back slightly hunched, and his walk was light and airy, as if a gust of wind could blow him away.
Moreover, he had just seen that Liang Sheng’s eyes were bloodshot, with heavy dark circles under them, looking as if he hadn’t slept well. This was a state in which Liang Sheng rarely appeared before him.
What exactly was this person doing last night…
Shen Xingyu felt an inexplicable irritation.
Even though Liang Sheng was out of sight, the man was still reluctant to withdraw his gaze. Su Nian felt both sour and bitter in his heart. He hurriedly spoke to interrupt Shen Xingyu’s silence: “President Shen~ let’s go down and have breakfast! You vomited so much last night; you must be very hungry!”
“Mm.”
Shen Xingyu responded absentmindedly, slowly shifting his gaze. But what he couldn’t help but see in his mind was Liang Sheng’s tear-reddened eyes from just now. He always felt the other had something to say but hadn’t said it.
On the other side, as soon as Liang Sheng ran out of the attic, a layer of thin tears immediately welled up in his eyes. He bit his lower lip hard, seemingly trying his best to restrain himself, but sadness still overflowed from his reddened eyes.
Can’t cry… definitely can’t cry.
If Grandpa sees later, it will be very troublesome…
He comforted himself in his heart again and again. When he went downstairs, he happened to run into the Old Master in the living room. He hurriedly blinked his eyes and pretended he had just woken up, letting out a yawn, then forced a smile and called out:
“Grandpa, good morning!”
“You’re awake?”
Old Master Shen turned his head with kind eyes, only to see his reddened eyes and pale lips. He couldn’t help but ask with concern: “What’s wrong with your eyes? Why are they so red? And you don’t look very good either.”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing! I probably just didn’t rest well! Since I haven’t lived in the south for a long time and the air is humid, I’m not quite used to it! You don’t need to worry, Grandpa!”
Liang Sheng forced himself to cheer up, smiling as he waved his hand.
“Really?”
The Old Master narrowed his eyes with half-belief.
Liang Sheng felt guilty, his gaze flickering. He had never been good at lying, especially now when his mood was terrible. He was afraid that if the Old Master comforted him, he would start crying uncontrollably.
“Really, Grandpa! The air is too humid! My eyes easily turn red! They’ll be fine in a bit!”
Liang Sheng rubbed his eyes with one hand, forcing back the sour tears, and kept up a forced, relaxed smile.
“Alright. I’ll have Uncle Zhang install a dehumidifier upstairs later. The one in your room is probably broken.”
Although Old Master Shen was still a bit uneasy, seeing Liang Sheng so insistent, he didn’t say anything more. He merely urged: “If it gets serious, you must apply medicine! You can’t just tough it out with your eyes; it’s easy to get an infection, and then it’ll be hard to handle!”
“Mm, mm! I understand!”
Liang Sheng nodded. Being cared for by Grandpa like this, he really almost couldn’t hold back the grievance in his heart.
In the Shen family, only the Old Master was good to him, and he was the only source of warmth he felt in this cold home.
Cigarette ash fell onto his knee. Old Master Shen shook off his plain-colored Tang suit and waved to Liang Sheng: “Go and have breakfast! Grandpa specifically had someone buy crab roe buns for you; I’m sure you’ll like them!”
“Thank you, Grandpa…”
Liang Sheng’s lips trembled slightly, so moved that he didn’t know what to say. Since his mother died, no one had remembered his preferences.
“Is Xiao Yu awake? Why haven’t I seen him come down?”
“He… he’s awake. He should be washing up…”
Liang Sheng paused for a moment. He sat down at the dining table, thinking about how someone else had just mysteriously taken the credit for caring for Shen Xingyu last night, and his heart felt extremely unpleasant.
He gloomily bit into a crab roe bun. The savory meat filling with its milky fragrance was chewed in his mouth, but a flavor he usually loved now tasted entirely bland.
“What time is it and he’s just washing up? Is he this lazy at home as well?”
Old Master Shen looked at the clock on the wall, his brow furrowing as his expression turned stern.
“No, no! A-Yu… he always goes to bed early and wakes up early at home. He was probably just too tired last night.”
Liang Sheng hurriedly explained. He didn’t dare tell Grandpa that Shen Xingyu’s heart attack had flared up after drinking liquor last night.
Grandpa’s health wasn’t good, and he only had this one grandson. If he knew, he certainly wouldn’t be able to take it!
Old Master Shen sighed. He turned his head from the sofa to look at Liang Sheng, who was eating behind him, and asked again:
“Does he often stay up late working overtime?”
“No… no…”
Liang Sheng instinctively shook his head. As soon as he lied, he became nervous, and as soon as he became nervous, he even started to stutter.
He didn’t know when he had become so timid and cowardly…
Old Master Shen smiled. While slowly brewing tea, he exposed him:
“Silly child, you don’t need to defend him! The managers I have at the Shen Group have already told me in private.”
Seeing he couldn’t hide it anymore, Liang Sheng curled his lip with grievance, silently biting into the bun and saying in a muffled voice:
“Mm… he does come home late sometimes. He’s probably out at social engagements! I’m used to it…”
“What kind of behavior is that, letting you wait at home alone!”
The Old Master became a bit angry, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got:
“No, I’ll have a word with him later. I’ll tell him to work less overtime and spend more time with you. You’ve been married for so long, yet he never takes you out to see the world or attend banquets to introduce you to everyone. What if you get stifled staying at home all the time?”
“Grandpa, please don’t blame him…”
Liang Sheng pursed his lips and took a sip of soy milk, swallowing the bread that was stuck in his throat, then continued to explain:
“I’m the one who doesn’t want to go. Those occasions aren’t suitable for me… they’re all upper-class people. I’m from a rural background and haven’t much education; we wouldn’t have anything to talk about…”
The more he spoke, the more self-deprecating he became. His head hung low, so low his face could almost not be seen. His hair fell, covering the embarrassed flush on his face. He knew his own status well; he wasn’t worthy of standing beside his husband.
Old Master Shen frowned slightly. He pushed his wheelchair to Liang Sheng’s side, then patted his shoulder and began to comfort him earnestly:
“Don’t say that, Sheng-sheng. You’re more outstanding than anyone! Being able to settle in a place like Long City, the ‘Magic City,’ and even attend university means you’ve already surpassed eighty percent of ordinary people.”
Liang Sheng was stunned. Grandpa’s kind smile and the encouragement and affirmation in his eyes made him suddenly want to cry.
It had been a long, long time since anyone had praised him. So long that he had forgotten he had once been a confident and sunny person, working hard step by step to get from a small county town to the big city. Yet after marrying, he had been pressured into a self-deprecating and sensitive weakling…
Grandpa’s words allowed Liang Sheng to regain a shred of confidence. He looked at the half-eaten crab roe bun in his hand, and his stomach suddenly felt genuinely hungry. He then stuffed the remaining bun into his mouth in one go, squinting his eyes with satisfaction, the smile on his lips beautiful and serene.
“Eat slowly; there are plenty more!”
Old Master Shen looked at Liang Sheng with a chuckle.
Liang Sheng nodded vigorously, his cheeks bulging. He said incoherently, “Thank you… for Grandpa’s comfort! I… I will change!”
“Hahaha, good! This is the kind of daughter-in-law our Shen family should have! Confident and optimistic!”
The Old Master nodded with relief, extremely satisfied.
“Grandpa, what are you talking about?”
Shen Xingyu’s questioning voice rang out.
When he heard the man’s voice, Liang Sheng’s shoulders shrank. The frankness he had just recovered became a bit shaky again, as if a subconscious voice were telling him that in front of his husband, he could only be submissive.
Shen Xingyu walked over slowly. Su Nian followed behind him, smiling and looking radiant.
Liang Sheng’s mouth drooped. That bit of happiness vanished in an instant. He couldn’t help but think that since Shen Xingyu and Su Nian were alone in a room together and were being overtly and subtly intimate, they might have been hugging and holding each other…
No wonder Su Nian was so radiant…
Shen Xingyu also looked as if he were in a good mood…
Liang Sheng didn’t dare think any further, fearing he would lose control. He bit his lip hard, and a thin layer of teary mist quickly filled his eyes, only to be hurriedly blinked away.
Didn’t you say you were going to change?
Why is it that every time I see Shen Xingyu, that little bit of confidence I worked so hard to build collapses instantly, making it hard to maintain?
From the moment he came downstairs, Shen Xingyu’s gaze had been locked onto Liang Sheng. Once he got close, he finally smiled gently and said warmly, “Sheng-sheng, why are you eating first without calling me to join you?”
As he spoke, he pulled out a chair. Just as he was about to sit down, Liang Sheng stood up with a thud. He then took a tissue to wipe his mouth, directly ignoring the man as he said to Old Master Shen:
“Grandpa, I’m full. I want to go out and get some fresh air. I’ll come back later to massage your legs.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
The Old Master nodded, his smile peaceful.
Shen Xingyu’s smile froze on his face.
What did Liang Sheng mean?
Ignoring him?
Since the Old Master was here, he couldn’t throw a tantrum. He could only watch with cold eyes as Liang Sheng bypassed him and walked out the door on his own. His fingers gripping the back of the chair turned white from the force.
Su Nian saw all of his emotions and couldn’t help but gnash his teeth, silently cursing Liang Sheng for being shameless.
At that moment, a sudden dog bark rang out: “Woof woof woof~!”
Su Nian was startled. By the time he reacted, a large Golden Retriever had rushed in. It stomped its feet while barking wildly at Su Nian, clearly not welcoming him.
“Aaah!”
Su Nian instinctively threw himself into Shen Xingyu’s arms, trembling all over. He had been bitten by a dog when he was young, and he feared dogs most of all!
Translator’s Note: Good boy! The dog knows who the villain is!
- Crab roe buns (蟹黃包): A delicious and somewhat expensive delicacy.
- Magic City (魔都): A common nickname for Shanghai, but used here for Long City to denote a place of dreams and struggle.
- Golden Retriever (大金毛): Known for being friendly, but apparently this one has good instincts about Su Nian!
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