Chapter 43: Your Hands Are Calloused, Not As Comfortable To Touch As Niannian’s
Speaking of the Old Master, Jiang Tianyang couldn’t help but sigh.
“Sigh, everything was fine, how did he manage to fall? At least the Old Master is alright! He was constantly badgering me about when you two would come back to see him. I didn’t expect that when you finally did, it would be because of this…”
Shen Xingyu wasn’t very good at chatting with elders. Because of Liang Sheng, he was currently feeling restless and irritable. He just wanted to find a place to stay still; standing here and being constantly approached by passing guests was annoying.
“Uncle Jiang, let’s take our seats first. Grandfather is up front.”
After brushing him off, he dragged Liang Sheng away.
“Alright.”
Jiang Tianyang nodded as someone else came over to exchange pleasantries.
Jiang Chuzhou took advantage of his father being busy with toasts to step back and sneak away.
“Let go of me, I can walk on my own…”
Liang Sheng lowered his voice. With outsiders present, he was embarrassed to struggle, afraid of making people suspicious.
“I won’t.”
Shen Xingyu gripped him even tighter. Without sparing him a single glance, he pulled him through the crowd.
People all around cast envious glances.
In Nan City, Shen Xingyu had both the looks and the money. With a net worth in the billions, he was the target of pursuit for countless young masters and ladies.
Even though Shen Xingyu was already married, there were still many who couldn’t forget him and flocked to him like ducks to water.
But what surprised everyone even more was Liang Sheng, who was able to stand by Shen Xingyu’s side—and they were even holding hands!
Whispers, both good and bad, broke out.
“Look, is that Mrs. Shen?!”
“If they’re holding hands with President Shen, they must be! I didn’t expect Mrs. Shen to be so good-looking!”
“We haven’t seen President Shen bring Mrs. Shen to a banquet in all these years. I thought President Shen wanted a secret marriage!”
Hearing these praises for Liang Sheng, Su Nian clenched his fists. His eyes glared with hidden jealousy at Liang Sheng, who was walking side-by-side with Shen Xingyu. That position should have belonged to him…
Why was it that the moment Liang Sheng appeared, he easily reached heights that Su Nian couldn’t achieve even after racking his brains!
Unable to stand it, he turned and cast a secret glance at an unremarkable young man in the crowd.
The young man was the assistant he had promoted, named Xu You, who had been with him for some years.
With one look, Xu You understood. He vanished into the crowd and began to spread rumors.
For some reason, the cheers died down. The pleasant words gradually turned into malicious gossip.
“I heard that Mrs. Shen was just a servant in the Shen family. Who knows what low-down methods he used to force President Shen to marry him.”
“What other methods could there be? He just relied on that face! He must have seduced President Shen!”
Xu You joined in with a fake show of excitement. “Yeah, yeah! It’s a pity President Shen was framed by a vixen at such a young age. No wonder the vixen didn’t dare attend banquets after getting married; turns out he’s just shameful!”
“I didn’t expect that! He looks so dignified and is wearing such nice clothes, but he’s actually that kind of person!”
“Did you hear? That secretary by President Shen’s side was originally a perfect match for him, but because the vixen intervened, he was forced to give up!”
Xu You continued to fan the flames, leading the crowd astray. “Don’t you think he’s a vixen?”
Everyone laughed, their laughter filled with mockery and disdain.
Su Nian was also happy.
This was how it should be; he simply couldn’t stand Liang Sheng being better than him!
Those whispered insults attacked from all directions. Liang Sheng didn’t want to listen, yet they still drifted clearly into his ears, making him feel humiliated and wronged.
He didn’t understand. He had no grievances with these people; why did they have to call him a vixen, call him shameless?
Jealousy truly makes people unrecognizable.
Liang Sheng couldn’t take it anymore. With tearful eyes, he looked at the man. “Aren’t you going to stop them? Do you really have the heart to let others bully me like this…”
As long as Shen Xingyu spoke, those voices would stop.
He didn’t want to be pointed at and judged without rhyme or reason.
Shen Xingyu sat down on a chair as if nothing was happening, then pulled Liang Sheng down to sit beside him.
“Are they saying anything wrong?”
He crossed his legs, smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, and turned to offer Liang Sheng a smile—one that was extremely cold.
Liang Sheng froze, rendered speechless.
Shen Xingyu disliked him, called him pretentious, and used the mistress to humiliate him, but that was all in private. At the very least, he thought his husband wouldn’t let outsiders bully him.
But the facts proved him wrong. In such a public setting, he was being scrutinized and cursed at will, and Shen Xingyu was not only indifferent but even joined those people in speaking ill of him…
Liang Sheng’s heart ached for a moment, but it didn’t last long. Perhaps he had long since lost hope in this man.
As for those rumors, it was best not to listen.
“Vixen… it suits you quite well.”
Shen Xingyu was still speaking hurtful words.
Liang Sheng didn’t want to hear any more. He stood up to leave but was pressed back into his seat by the man, unable to move for a moment.
Shen Xingyu rested one hand on the armrest, then leaned down slightly, bringing his face close to Liang Sheng’s ear. His lips curled into a wicked arc. “Otherwise, how could you be hooking up with men outside? Right? Vixen…”
Liang Sheng could feel him breathing on him. It was warm, yet it chilled him to the bone.
He sat frozen in the chair, not daring to move.
The VIPs had all taken their seats.
As the host of the gala, Su Rao had been waiting on stage for a long time. Though nervous, looking at Shen Xingyu sitting below the stage filled her with satisfaction and gave her courage.
She calmed her nerves, knowing this was a rare opportunity. Her brother had secured it for her; she had to perform well!
Su Rao picked up the microphone. Her gaze involuntarily turned toward Shen Xingyu. Seeing the man look up at her, she couldn’t hide her shyness and tried to maintain a smile.
“Respected guests, dear leaders, and colleagues, good evening! The wheels of time have once again left a deep imprint. Accompanied by the gentle moonlight of spring and with hearts full of joy, we gather together. Today, we hold this gala to look back at the glorious achievements of the past year and look forward to the beautiful blueprint of the future. Now, I announce that the gala has officially begun!”
Enthusiastic applause rang out.
“Next, let us grandly invite the most respected Chairman of the Shen Group to the stage to say a few words!” After Su Rao finished, she hurried to stand aside, the hand holding the microphone trembling.
A drop of sweat rolled down her cold face, which she hastily wiped away, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she had practiced thousands of times in private; she had just successfully finished that long passage.
The Old Master slowly pushed his wheelchair onto the stage and took the microphone Su Rao respectfully handed him.
He cleared his throat, and the venue went silent.
The Old Master spoke at a measured pace: “Today, I am honored to be able to gather here with everyone. The Shen Group’s achievements today are inseparable from the hard work of every employee, and also inseparable from the trust and support of our partners…”
Liang Sheng sat up straight, his hands on his lap, listening seriously to the Old Master’s speech.
Shen Xingyu, however, grew a bit bored. He leaned slightly to one side, lazy and unrestrained. He glanced sideways at his prim and proper little wife; she was quite the actress. The more he looked, the more he wanted to tease her.
He snorted and suddenly grabbed Liang Sheng’s hand.
Liang Sheng had been listening too intently. The sudden movement startled him. He turned and saw the man holding his hand up before his eyes, seemingly examining it.
“What are you doing?”
He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but it was held even tighter. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free.
“You’ve developed calluses. It doesn’t feel as comfortable as Niannian’s.”
Shen Xingyu didn’t even look up. Though his words were full of disdain, his hands continued to toy with Liang Sheng’s fingers.
“I’ve been working all this time; how could I not have calluses…”
Liang Sheng lowered his head, muttering a retort crossly.
Shen Xingyu’s movements suddenly stopped.
Liang Sheng could clearly feel the warmth of his fingers coming to a halt in his palm. The faint friction felt itchy and tingly, making his entire body stiffen and his cheeks burn.
“You…”
His words stopped. He looked at the suddenly silent Shen Xingyu, not knowing what to say, and forgot to pull his hand back.
Shen Xingyu lowered his eyelashes, staring blankly at the calluses on Liang Sheng’s fingers. For a fleeting moment, a trace of pity appeared in his eyes.
But it was only for a moment.
Even he didn’t understand what this emotion was.
He just felt an inexplicable sadness in his heart.
Paranoia was playing tricks. His gaze turned cold, and Shen Xingyu flung his hand away. He felt like if he kept looking, he would fall into a trance or develop a split personality.
Su Nian was sitting right behind the man.
Their movements were all seen by him. His fingers tightened on his chair, nearly flipping it over.
What are they doing?!
Why would President Shen take the initiative to have physical contact with Liang Sheng? And even playing with his fingers in such an ambiguous way…
Liang Sheng had already grown accustomed to this inexplicable behavior. He silently pulled his hand back, stroking the more or less visible scars on it. He felt quite bitter; back when he was in school, his fingers weren’t like this.
These past few years, he had been too tired.
When he looked up at the stage, his vision blurred.
“Thank you, Chairman, for sharing your insights and encouragement with us!”
Su Rao clapped her hands, looking at Shen Xingyu with anticipation and excitement, her voice even trembling slightly:
“N-next, we invite President Shen!”
Cheers broke out one after another.
Everyone looked toward Shen Xingyu.
Liang Sheng felt very uncomfortable. He shrank his body, feeling those gazes scrutinizing him.
Su Rao waited on stage for Shen Xingyu to stand beside her, imagining herself personally handing the microphone to the man. The mere thought of it made her heart race uncontrollably.
But after waiting for a long time, Shen Xingyu showed no intention of getting up. He lazily massaged his neck.
Su Rao thought the man hadn’t heard and repeated herself: “We invite President Shen to the stage to give a speech!”
Shen Xingyu remained unmoved.
The Old Master, who had come down from the stage, nudged his elbow. “Xiao Yu, it’s your turn. Say a few words to everyone.”
“I have nothing to say. I’m a bit tired and don’t want to move.”
Shen Xingyu leaned back in his chair, turning his head slightly to say to Su Nian, “You go, Secretary Su.”
Such a distant form of address.
Su Nian complained in his heart, but given the many eyes on him, he could only stand up with a strained smile. He bowed to the surrounding crowd, then walked onto the stage with full confidence.
Su Rao, however, was very disappointed. She even forgot to hand over the microphone when her brother walked up to her.
“Sis, what are you doing…”
Su Nian lowered his voice. She had been full of energy just now; why was she so distracted now?
He couldn’t let her make a fool of him!
Su Rao quickly snapped back to reality, gave him the microphone, and stood to the side, her gaze occasionally drifting toward Shen Xingyu.
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