Chapter 4: The Arrogant and Domineering Fake Young Master 04 Part 1

Shen Ji wore a dark gray jacket, tugging the brim of his black baseball cap low. He moved with nimble agility through the narrow alleyways until a mottled wall rose before him. Picking up speed, he bent his knees and jumped, his hands catching the top of the wall. With a light vault, he dropped into an old residential compound.

Several of the streetlamps were broken. The red-brick pavement, long past repair, was pitted and uneven. This late at night, the only sound was the breeze stirring the leaves—nothing else.

Shen Ji walked briskly up to one of the residential buildings, pulled out a key, and opened a door. The cramped room held several bunk beds, though not all were occupied. No one even looked up at the sound of the door.

A forty-yuan-a-night youth hostel. Eight-person room, shared bathroom. Fortunately, the bathroom was empty at the moment. Shen Ji stepped inside and locked the door from within, making sure no one would suddenly barge in.

Then he took off his cap and washed his face, pushing his bangs back to reveal a broad forehead. Beneath sharp, knife-edge brows, his eyes were dark and cold.

He looked down and washed the blood from his hands. The people tailing him tonight were different from before—their methods made it obvious they weren’t students. They’d been tough to shake. Shen Ji hadn’t held back in order to get away.

He washed up quickly, then went to his bunk, slid his backpack under his head, and closed his eyes.

A full week had passed, and Xu Zhaochen still hadn’t given up. Shen Ji could evade his people, but living like this indefinitely was inconvenient. He’d have to think of something…

His brow furrowed.

His phone was on silent, and it gave a soft buzz. Shen Ji opened his eyes and picked it up.

A message from Wu Bo, asking why he still hadn’t accepted the payment.

That was right—Shen Ji hadn’t taken the ten thousand yuan. He knew that in Xu Zhaochen’s eyes, his pride was worthless, but he simply didn’t want the money.

He was about to turn off his phone when he noticed other messages he’d missed while rushing around earlier.

The message was from Aunt Wang next door, saying his mother had fallen ill and been hospitalized, asking if he knew, and that he should come home to see her if he had time.

Shen Ji checked—the message was from an hour ago. It was now ten at night. He rose silently, went out, and called Shen Fu.

She picked up after a few rings, her gentle voice tinged with pleasant surprise. “Little Ji, what made you think to call your mother?”

A pang of guilt struck Shen Ji. These past days, dealing with Xu Zhaochen had consumed him, and he’d neglected his mother—he hadn’t even known she was hospitalized.

His voice was low and rough. “Mom, are you in the hospital? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Shen Fu paused, then let out a laugh. “Did Aunt Wang tell you that again? Don’t listen to her nonsense—what hospitalization? It was just a fever, I went in for an evening IV drip. I’m fine now, don’t worry. Just a little cold, nothing serious.”

Shen Ji still felt uneasy. Shen Fu had worked herself ragged raising him, and it had left her with a slew of chronic ailments. Her health had never been good, and she was in the habit of enduring pain in silence, afraid of burdening him. He should go home and see for himself.

He said flatly, “I’m coming back tomorrow.”

Shen Fu: “Oh, I already told you I’m fine. Focus on your studies—it’s not a holiday, why come back…”

Shen Ji: “Mom, I already bought the ticket. Refunding it now would cost a fee.”

Shen Fu: “…”

Shen Ji didn’t give her a chance to protest. He told her to rest early and hung up, then opened a ticket app and bought the earliest train for the next morning.

Then he left a message on WeChat asking Wu Bo for leave.

Tomorrow was Friday, plus the weekend—three days. He’d feel better seeing her with his own eyes… As for Xu Zhaochen, that could wait.

Shen Ji closed his eyes, exhausted.

…

The next day, Shen Ji reached the station before dawn.

His hometown was a remote little county with no real industry. In recent years they’d tried to develop tourism, without much success.

He rode the train the entire day, only arriving home by evening. His home was in an old tube-shaped apartment block. Rundown as it was, compared to the cold, towering high-rises of the big city, the neighbors here had a warmth to them. Seeing Shen Ji return, they all smiled and greeted him. The air was thick with the bustle of everyday life.

Shen Ji nodded to each of them and soon reached the third floor.

The old wooden door did little to block sound. Even before entering, he could hear the sizzle of cooking, and a familiar aroma drifted through the cracks. His expression softened slightly.

He pushed the door open gently.

The two-bedroom, one-living-room flat wasn’t large, but it was kept clean and cozy. The landlord was a retired teacher who’d moved to the provincial capital years ago. Taking pity on Shen Fu and her son, she’d rented the place to them cheaply—and they’d lived here for over five years now.

Shen Ji had spent his middle and high school years here, and eventually gotten into university. So many unforgettable memories.

Shen Fu was busy in the kitchen, apron tied on, unaware he’d returned. Shen Ji set down his backpack and walked over, calling softly, “Mom.”

Shen Fu turned, delighted. “Little Ji!”

She beamed at him. “You must be tired—go sit down and rest, it’ll be ready soon.”

The braised pork in the pot sizzled with fragrant oil. From the rich color, it had clearly been cooking for a while—Shen Fu must have started preparing that afternoon. She’d told him not to come home, yet she’d begun cooking his favorite dishes early…

The coldness in Shen Ji’s face melted away. He rolled up his sleeves. “Let me do it, Mom. Go rest.”

Her son was grown now—Shen Fu couldn’t argue. She surrendered the kitchen to him.

Soon Shen Ji carried out the dishes.

He ate in silence, head down. Back home, the exhaustion of the past days seemed to evaporate. Here, you could always let your guard down.

After dinner and washing the dishes, Shen Ji didn’t forget why he’d come. “Mom, how are you feeling now?”

Shen Fu said helplessly, “I told you I’m fine. You had to make the trip—the round-trip fare must have cost a fair bit…”

She missed her son dearly, but his schooling cost money, and in a big city like that, the cost of living had to be sky-high. They should be saving. Besides, she was fine…

Shen Ji knew his mother. He said simply, “It wasn’t much.”

He studied Shen Fu closely. Aside from looking a bit pale, she really did seem fine. Had he been overthinking?

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ji said, “Tomorrow I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.”

“I’m fine, no need for a check-up.” Shen Fu disapproved, then began to fuss: “Look at you, you’ve gotten thin at school. Tomorrow Mom will cook you something good. And since you’re back, take some winter clothes with you…”

Shen Ji listened to her chatter, his gaze resting on her profile, drifting slightly.

Shen Fu was not yet forty, but life had long since worn away her edges. Fine lines gathered at the corners of her eyes, her skin no longer had its youthful luster—yet even so, one could tell she’d been a beauty in her youth.

Shen Fu had little education. She’d left the countryside alone and been easily deceived by a man, then abandoned after she became pregnant.

Shen Ji had never met his father. Other children had called him a fatherless child, but he’d never minded. A father like that leaving was probably a good thing.

Shen Fu, alone with no one to rely on, worked multiple jobs for a pittance. But a woman soft as water can also be steel—no matter how hard things got, she never once thought of giving him up. She protected him with everything she had.

In their hardest times, Shen Fu scrimped and saved, eating plain vegetables every meal, yet she’d cook him a small bowl of braised pork, saying boys needed to grow…

A widow and her son were easy targets for trouble in a small county, and Shen Fu was beautiful—thugs and riffraff harassed her constantly. From a young age, Shen Ji learned to protect his mother. But he’d been small and weak then, and the only way to deter those with ill intent was to be more ruthless than them, more fearless.

As Shen Ji grew, he earned a reputation for being someone not to be crossed, and their lives finally settled somewhat. Shen Fu still took odd jobs to support the household, while Shen Ji, with his excellent grades, started tutoring from high school onward to earn money and ease the burden. Mother and son depended on each other.

It wasn’t until Shen Ji got into S University that their lives finally had something to look forward to.

“What are you spacing out for, child?” Shen Fu patted his hand, looking at him with concern.

Shen Ji snapped back to the present. “Nothing. What were you saying…”

Shen Fu asked with concern, “I asked how things are at school. Is everything going smoothly? Are your teachers and classmates friendly? Any difficulties?”

Shen Ji thought that he had indeed run into some trouble recently—but saying so would only make his mother worry, with no benefit. So he said calmly, “Teachers and classmates are all good to me. The students at S University are high caliber. I’m doing well there.”

Shen Fu believed him and relaxed, smiling with relief. “That’s good, that’s good…”

When she smiled, her pretty eyes curved gently, the shape of her eye corners all the more tender. Time could not hide her beauty—it had only gilded her with the radiance of the years, making her more striking.

Shen Ji looked at his mother, and for some inexplicable reason, thought of someone else.

When Xu Zhaochen smiled, those pretty eyes curved gently too—even the shape of his eye corners resembled his mother’s. For a moment, the two figures seemed to overlap…

Leaving Shen Ji dazed for a beat.

He thought he must be going insane.

How could Xu Zhaochen resemble his mother? His mother was gentle and kind, while in that person’s eyes there was only aloof disdain and innocent cruelty.

They were completely different people.

Shen Ji stayed with his mother a while longer. When it grew late, they went to their rooms.

Shen Ji lay in bed, one hand behind his head.

The paint on the old ceiling was peeling, the cracked patterns like a spiderweb, as though at any moment it would descend and smother him until he couldn’t breathe.

Shen Ji squeezed his eyes shut. He must have been under too much stress lately.

That was the only reason for such a hallucination.

…

The next morning, Shen Ji got up early. No matter what Shen Fu said, he was determined to take her for another check-up.

But when he came out of his room, he found Shen Fu hadn’t risen. Normally at this hour she’d already be making his breakfast. What was going on today? A thread of unease surfaced in Shen Ji’s heart. He knocked on her door.

No response.

Shen Ji pushed the door open without hesitation and walked in. Shen Fu lay on her side, her face flushed unnaturally, her expression pained and restless.

He reached out and touched her—burning hot.

She’d been fine yesterday. How had the fever come back so suddenly?

Shen Ji immediately lifted her onto his back and hurried downstairs. He flagged a taxi to the county hospital.

After registration, payment, blood work, and the rest of the process, Shen Ji helped Shen Fu into an empty chair.