Chapter 41: Sheng-sheng in Beautiful Clothes
Liang Sheng went into the room to change.
Shen Xingyu sat casually on a corner of the sofa, legs crossed, his eyes fixed on the closed door.
His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest.
Somehow, he was looking forward to seeing Liang Sheng in the suit.
Su Nian stood obediently beside him.
Ever since arriving at the Shen Residence, his butt hadn’t touched a chair. He’d done nothing but stand; Shen Xingyu clearly knew his legs suffered from hereditary rheumatism and that he shouldn’t stand for long.
Yet to distance himself in front of the Old Master, the man actually made him stand like that.
Su Nian felt utterly aggrieved.
Why did all the doting and favoritism he usually received vanish the moment they came to the Shen house?
The more he thought, the more unwilling he became. He stared at the man with a sorrowful gaze, hoping for a look of comfort.
Unfortunately, there was none.
The Shen Xingyu who usually noticed his every emotion was currently acting as if his soul had been snatched away, staring blankly at the room Liang Sheng had entered.
It’s just changing clothes; what is there to see!
And Liang Sheng is worthy of wearing new clothes?!
An ugly duckling is an ugly duckling.
Even with new feathers, he’s still ugly.
Su Nian gripped his clothes in hatred.
He didn’t believe that someone as “funeral-faced,” old, and ugly as Liang Sheng could look good in new clothes!
Half an hour later.
Liang Sheng looked at himself in the full-length mirror, his eyes widening in disbelief as he blinked several times to confirm.
Is this… me?
With a trembling hand, he touched his face. This face, which was a bit wrinkled from overwork, now looked ethereally beautiful under the touch of makeup.
The suit was expensive and beautiful, but Liang Sheng felt a sense of discordance wearing it.
“Is this… me?”
He stared for a long time before asking.
The maid, Xiao Xia, placed her hands on his shoulders and couldn’t help but praise him: “Young Mistress, this is indeed you! You haven’t dressed up in so long, that’s why you didn’t recognize yourself. Actually, you have a very good foundation. As long as you spend more effort on yourself, you can be beautiful every day!”
Liang Sheng let out an awkward smile. “I… I don’t really like makeup. I feel it doesn’t suit me.”
“How could that be! Look how good you look! President Shen will definitely be heart-struck when he sees you! Don’t be so self-deprecating!”
Xiao Xia encouraged him hurriedly. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt. She hadn’t expected the usually plain Young Mistress to be so stunning when dressed up. Truly, clothes make the man.
Liang Sheng was used to being plain; suddenly becoming glamorous and eye-catching made him very uncomfortable. Especially being praised like this by Xiao Xia, he felt even more flustered.
“No, I should wipe it off. It’s too strange.”
As he spoke, he reached for a tissue to wipe it away, but was quickly stopped by Xiao Xia:
“Hey, hey! You can’t wipe it off, Young Mistress! It took several of us quite an effort to finish it! And it’s light makeup, not strange at all! Let’s go out! The Master and President Shen must be impatient to see!”
Several of them helped Liang Sheng up and gently pushed him toward the door. Liang Sheng didn’t have the heart to refuse them.
A moment later, the door pushed open.
The maid led the meticulously dressed Liang Sheng out.
Everyone looked over in expectation.
Su Nian leaned down to pour tea for the man, saying gently: “President Shen, your favorite Pu’er tea. Careful, it’s hot~”
Seeing Liang Sheng walk out, the tea Shen Xingyu had just picked up was put back down. He completely ignored the person trying to please him.
Su Nian’s smile froze, and he followed his gaze. The moment he saw Liang Sheng, his entire face darkened.
He hadn’t expected this b*tch to look so good when dressed up?
Liang Sheng wore a sky-blue velvet formal suit. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with narcissus patterns in silver thread. The belt was adorned with tassels, and the hem flared slightly, studded with tiny diamonds like falling stars.
His hair had been trimmed and styled into a new, clean look that didn’t hide his melancholy eyes.
Stripped of his usual simplicity, he looked like a noble little prince from a fairy tale, untouched by the world.
Shen Xingyu froze, attracted as if by magic.
This… is Liang Sheng?
The Liang Sheng who usually went without makeup, lacked presence, and dressed worse than a dog?
He had always looked down on Liang Sheng for not knowing how to dress—letting his bangs grow long enough to hide his eyes and always wearing the cheapest, faded hoodies.
But today, he saw a completely different Liang Sheng—as pure as unsullied white, like wearing spring itself, full of charm and life. It was like he was a different person, both strange and familiar.
Shen Xingyu felt his world go silent in an instant. Even Su Nian’s striking face paled in comparison.
He felt a long-absent sense of…
An eternity in a single glance.
The clothes and styling made Liang Sheng uncomfortable. He hadn’t formally worn new clothes in many years. He tugged at his clothes awkwardly, his face flushed with embarrassment, then walked to the Old Master’s side.
He clearly felt Shen Xingyu’s burning gaze, but he didn’t dare look at the man. Instead, he put on a smile and said to the Old Master, “Grandpa, I’m ready.”
“Good, good. See? Doesn’t dressing up make you look much more dignified? This is how someone of our Shen family should look!”
The Old Master examined Liang Sheng with great satisfaction. “The clothes fit well, too. It seems Grandpa’s eye hasn’t failed.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
Liang Sheng bit his lip, looking down at his clothes with a nervous smile. “But isn’t this outfit a bit too flashy? I’m not used to it…”
“How so?”
The Old Master was about to dismiss his concern when Shen Xingyu cut in coldly from the side:
“Flashy indeed.”
Liang Sheng instinctively turned his head and met the man’s cold gaze. Beneath that coldness was a suppressed madness.
His heart inexplicably skipped two beats. He quickly looked away, his face turning red. Not knowing what to say, he could only touch his nose awkwardly.
Shen Xingyu let out a snort. Usually, Liang Sheng dressed like a corpse, and he looked down on him for being too mediocre. Now that the boy was glamorous, he felt a strange sense of crisis. He attacked Liang Sheng sharply:
“Grandpa, let’s forget it. Such luxurious fabric isn’t suitable on him. And the makeup is too heavy. We’re going to a gala, not a beauty pageant.”
Hearing this, Liang Sheng’s self-deprecating heart felt even worse. Was the man saying he wasn’t worthy of wearing it?
Seeing Shen Xingyu belittling Liang Sheng, Su Nian instantly found his courage and interjected:
“That’s right. I feel the Young Mistress is better suited for a minimalist style; it would look more sophisticated. This is too dazzling.”
The more he looked, the more he liked Liang Sheng’s suit.
This suit should be on him!
“Is it a secretary’s turn to butt in here?”
The Old Master suddenly barked, his natural authority making Su Nian shiver and shut his mouth in fear.
“It’s fine, Sheng-sheng. Don’t listen to them. Grandpa thinks it looks wonderful. You look much more spirited. You’re just too introverted; being more confident would be even better. Don’t feel inferior.”
The Old Master’s voice became gentle again when he spoke to Liang Sheng. Did those two think he couldn’t see them playing off each other? He was old, but he wasn’t blind!
“Does it… really look good?”
Liang Sheng asked in a small voice, lacking confidence. When he came out, he had secretly hoped his husband would like his new look. But as expected, Shen Xingyu wasn’t interested at all. What had he been expecting?
“When has Grandpa ever lied to you?”
The Old Master patted his hand to comfort him. His smile faded as he added sternly:
“You are going as A-Yu’s wife—the Young Mistress of the Shen family. Dressing so plainly would make outsiders think the Shen family mistreats our daughter-in-law. It’s fine to dress simply usually, but the gala is an important occasion; your attire represents the Shen family’s face. Understand?”
“Okay! Sheng-sheng understands!”
Liang Sheng nodded forcefully.
Grandpa was right. Don’t worry about others’ gazes; it only makes life uncomfortable. As long as someone still looked well on him, things weren’t too bad.
“It’s getting late. Almost everyone should have arrived at the gala. Let’s head over.”
The Old Master gestured to the old butler.
The butler pushed him slowly toward the exit.
Liang Sheng didn’t want to walk with Shen Xingyu. He didn’t want to see the man being all sweet with Su Nian behind him; he couldn’t bear it. So, he hurriedly followed the Old Master.
As Liang Sheng passed him, Shen Xingyu thought the boy was going to follow him and instinctively reached out his hand to take his.
As it turned out, the boy wasn’t aiming for him at all; he ran straight to the Old Master. Shen Xingyu’s hand was left hanging in the air.
The atmosphere was momentarily awkward.
Shen Xingyu’s face turned iron-blue. He clenched his fingers, slowly withdrew his hand, and pressed his tongue against his back teeth.
His heart felt as if thousands of ants were gnawing at it.
A scratching, itching kind of annoyance.
What did he mean?
Ignoring him?
His subtle action was seen by Su Nian.
Just now… Shen Xingyu wanted to take Liang Sheng’s hand?
Could he have been stunned by Liang Sheng’s look too?!
Su Nian’s heart was in a mess; he could only lie to himself that he’d misunderstood. He twitched the corner of his mouth into a flattering smile:
“President Shen, let’s go too!”
He spoke while reaching out to take the man’s wrist, only to be heartlessly brushed aside.
Shen Xingyu pulled his coat tight and stood up.
He was still in a fit of pique and had no mood to deal with Su Nian as he strode out.
Watching the man’s decisive back, Su Nian’s eyes grew red—jealousy, grievance, helplessness…
Why was Shen Xingyu treating him this way?
Did he no longer love him?
No, no!
How could Shen Xingyu not love him?
The man must just be temporarily unhappy!
He knew this man; once he was in a bad mood, he didn’t like talking to anyone. Shen Xingyu had been so good to him all these years; Liang Sheng was just a decoration! He wouldn’t change his feelings just because of a new outfit!
Su Nian comforted himself with his gains and losses, wiped the tears from his eyes, and hurriedly followed.
Hmph… what’s the use of dressing glamorously?
In a moment, I’ll make Liang Sheng lose face and become a laughingstock!
The gala was in the grand ballroom of the largest hotel in Nanshi.
The lights were brilliant, figures shifted, and glasses clinked.
The Old Master went ahead to host the VIPs, leaving Liang Sheng to get to know people alongside Shen Xingyu.
Liang Sheng wanted to refuse, but before he could speak, the Old Master had turned to talk and laugh with others.
He could only brace himself and walk to Shen Xingyu’s side. When he looked up, he clearly saw the gloom in the man’s eyes.
“You knew how to come back?”
Shen Xingyu’s tone was flat, but Liang Sheng could hear the displeasure and anger in his heart.
Knowing he was angry, Liang Sheng knit his brows; he just didn’t want to coax him, nor would he take the initiative to admit he was wrong.
Shen Xingyu let out a cold snort, each word deliberate: “I really don’t know when you became like this. I am in a very bad mood right now. Do you understand?”
Translator’s Note:
- Hui Nan Weather (回南天): Mentioned earlier, this refers to the humid “return to the south” weather in spring.
- Goddess of Fragrance (香神娘娘): This refers to the patron deity of perfume makers. Liang Sheng’s ritual shows how much he respects the craft.
- Suet-fat Jade (羊脂玉): The most precious type of white nephrite jade, prized for its oily luster.
- Crematorium/Wife-chasing (追妻火葬場): We are firmly in this trope now! Shen Xingyu is starting to feel jealous but is too arrogant to admit it.
- Level 4 TCM (中醫學四級): The ranking system for traditional medicine. Shen is trying to belittle Liang’s lack of formal credentials.
See you in the next chapter!
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