Chapter 8: The Arrogant and Domineering Fake Young Master 08 Part 1

Shen Ji slowly opened his eyes to a splitting headache. It took him a moment to remember—he’d gotten drunk last night.

He pushed himself upright and looked around. An unfamiliar hotel room. He couldn’t recall how he’d gotten here. Surely Xu Zhaochen wouldn’t be generous enough to dump a hungover him at a hotel instead of leaving him on the curb?

Shen Ji frowned and swung his legs off the bed. He was still in yesterday’s clothes, shoes and all. He shuffled to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. The man in the mirror stared back with tired shadows beneath his eyes.

He pulled out his phone.

The first thing he saw was a pinned message.

A transfer of fifty thousand yuan.

And a single word: Good boy.

Shen Ji’s mouth twisted faintly. The man might have a thousand faults, but when it came to handing out money, he’d always been generous to a fault.

No wonder he was always surrounded by crowds.

Shen Ji’s finger hovered over the message for a long moment. In the end, he tapped accept. With this money, his mother’s surgery fees were nearly covered.

Dignity and pride meant nothing in the face of survival.

Besides—in front of that man, he’d long since lost any dignity to speak of.

Shen Ji scrolled down to the next messages.

Chen Ziping was asking why he hadn’t come back to the dorm last night. Shen Ji replied: Something came up. Cover for me—I need to go home for a bit.

He kept scrolling. Sure enough, there was a message from Gu Yu.

Her tone was gentle, carefully worded—advising him to stop associating with someone like Xu Zhaochen, lest he ruin his own future.

Shen Ji paused, then closed the message without replying. He pocketed his phone and left the hotel for the train station.

…

Shen Fu had received word that morning that Shen Ji was coming home. By afternoon, he was there. Seeing her son travel-worn and dusty, her heart ached. “You’ve only been at school a few days—why are you back already? You don’t need to keep running home like this…”

Shen Ji didn’t waste words. “Mom, pack your things. We’re going to the provincial capital.”

Shen Fu’s expression turned troubled. After a long hesitation, she said quietly, “Let’s not go to the hospital, alright…?”

Shen Fu wasn’t the sharpest, but she wasn’t a fool. Last time Shen Ji had insisted on dragging her to the provincial capital for a checkup, she’d turned it over in her mind for days afterward and finally sensed something was off.

Today’s hurried homecoming only confirmed it.

She didn’t know what illness she had, but it couldn’t be simple—not with how strangely tense Shen Ji had been. At first she’d been frightened, but she’d made her peace with it. Poor people couldn’t afford doctors; that was nothing new. When you got sick, you endured it at home. How long you lived was a matter of luck. What was the point of spending all that money at a hospital when the outcome wasn’t even guaranteed?

They’d finally clawed their way to a stable life. Shen Ji needed money for university. Their family truly couldn’t afford any more upheaval.

“I’ve been feeling fine lately, really,” Shen Fu said. “I don’t think I need the provincial capital. Auntie Wang told me about a wonderful old herbalist—I’ll just go see him…” Her voice trailed off as she took in Shen Ji’s stern, unyielding expression, until it faded to nothing.

Shen Ji looked at his mother.

He didn’t blame her for wanting to avoid this. He knew she was only thinking of him.

He pulled out his phone and brought up his account balance. “I have money. Enough for your treatment. So trust me and come with me.”

Shen Fu stared at the balance, dumbstruck. After a long moment, something seemed to dawn on her. She grabbed Shen Ji’s arm in a panic. “You—you didn’t borrow from loan sharks, did you? You’re not doing anything illegal? If you did, I couldn’t die in peace!”

“No.” Shen Ji was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “A… kind classmate lent it to me.”

Shen Fu didn’t believe a word of it. How many years would she have to work, without eating or drinking, to save up that much? What classmate would lend someone that kind of money? This was completely beyond anything Shen Fu could imagine.

Shen Ji was prepared for this. He showed her his chat history with Li Ye.

Edited, of course.

He’d deleted all those suggestive lines—good boy, be obedient, and the like—keeping only the transfer records and Li Ye’s messages telling him to go to various places.

Shen Fu was floored. What kind of classmate was this, throwing money at people without blinking? Was this really a classmate?

And why were all the locations bars and KTV clubs? None of them sounded like respectable places…

She even began to suspect her son had sold himself.

Shen Ji caught her gaze and looked away uncomfortably. “His name is Xu Zhaochen. He’s the crown prince of the Xu Group. This money is nothing to him—probably just the cost of a few bottles of wine or a watch.”

Shen Fu was stunned. “A few bottles of wine can cost that much? And what’s this Xu Group you’re talking about?”

Shen Ji searched for the Xu Group online and showed her.

Shen Fu gasped, hand flying to her mouth. “Th-this—I see this brand on TV all the time! This is all the Xu Group’s? And their crown prince is your classmate?”

Shen Ji said slowly, “Yes. So now do you believe me?”

Shen Fu felt like she was dreaming. Her son had a classmate like this? Her son could actually know someone like this…

Shen Ji steadied his mother, his voice gentle. “He’s… a very kind person. When he found out I needed money, he had me run some errands for him. This money is a loan—he even told me not to rush paying it back.”

Shen Fu truly didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, she managed, “You’ve met a benefactor.”

A benefactor…?

A flash of self-mockery passed through Shen Ji’s eyes, but he couldn’t deny it. Whatever kind of person Li Ye was, he’d given Shen Ji exactly what he needed most.

Shen Ji said to his mother, word by word, “So—will you come with me to see the doctor now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Everything’s going to be alright.”

…

Li Ye returned home to find Xu Wenheng and He Yaxin both there—a rare sight. He immediately lowered his gaze and schooled his expression into docile obedience.

He Yaxin smiled. “Chenchen’s home.”

Xu Wenheng couldn’t stand how spoiled she was with the boy. He gave a soft snort. “Who knows where he’s been running around.”

Li Ye kept his head down and said nothing.

Xu Wenheng pressed his fingers to his temples. His negotiations with Gu Baichong hadn’t been going smoothly lately—Gu Baichong’s demands were high, and there was no shortage of competitors. The Xu family wasn’t exactly Gu Baichong’s first choice for partnership. He studied Li Ye thoughtfully, then asked—rare for him—”How are things going with Gu Yu?”

Gu Yu was the only one of the younger Gu generation, doted on by Old Master Gu and carefully looked after by Gu Baichong. If Xu Zhaochen could get together with Gu Yu, surely Gu Baichong would take that into consideration.

Li Ye lowered his eyes. “It’s alright.”

He Yaxin laughed. “See? With our Chenchen’s looks, what girl wouldn’t like him?”

Xu Wenheng’s expression softened a little. With some satisfaction, he said, “You’re young people the same age, at the same school. Spend more time together when you can.”

He Yaxin pulled Li Ye over. “I heard Gu Yu’s birthday is this weekend. I’ve already prepared a gift for you—remember to give it to her, alright?”

Li Ye remained obedient. “I understand.”

He Yaxin went on about the finer points of courting a girl, patiently coaching him for quite a while, and made him promise not to forget Gu Yu’s birthday before finally letting him go upstairs.

Li Ye returned to his room.

He tossed the velvet box He Yaxin had pressed on him onto the desk, his eyes indifferent.

He Yaxin had even prepared the gift for him to woo a girl.

And Xu Wenheng’s rare moment of approval was probably just because his useless son had finally become useful for something.

When it came to “liking” Gu Yu, Xu Zhaochen had no choice. His entire life had been arranged for him. He’d done everything in his power to do it well, because he didn’t want to disappoint his parents. And yet… in the end, he’d only ever disappointed them.

He’d never done a single thing right.

How pitiful…

A faint smile curved Li Ye’s lips. He asked the System, “Has Shen Ji gone home?”

009 said, “Shen Ji went home the moment he woke up! He’s already convinced Shen Fu to go to the hospital.”

Li Ye propped his chin on one hand, smiling faintly. “Quick worker.”

The final transfer he’d sent Shen Ji today should just about cover the initial surgery fees. Shen Ji thought this was the dawn of hope—little did he know his world was about to be turned completely upside down.

He was looking forward to it more and more.

…

The next day, Shen Ji took his mother to the provincial capital and quickly got her admitted. He personally discussed Shen Fu’s treatment plan with the doctors.

After evaluating her condition, the doctor said a bone marrow transplant was possible. They would need to run compatibility tests between Shen Ji and his mother first—if the match was good, they could proceed to the next step.

Shen Ji had blood drawn, then returned to the ward to see Shen Fu. On the way, he’d already made up his mind: he would take a leave of absence from school to better care for her. But he’d have to go back to campus in person to process the paperwork. The surgery preparations would take a few days anyway—he could use that time for the trip.

Shen Fu sat on the edge of the hospital bed by the window, dressed in a patient gown. The middle-aged woman sat quietly there, bathed in a gentle golden light.

Shen Ji’s eyes softened. He walked over. “Mom, I need to go back to school for a few days to take care of some things. I’ll be back before the surgery.”

Shen Fu smiled at him. “Mm, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Shen Ji took her hand and looked at her earnestly. “You’re going to be fine.”

They’d weathered so many hardships together, leaning on each other, and now they’d finally reached this point. Soon he’d be able to support himself—support his mother. No more wandering, no more being bullied. They could live a simple, peaceful life.

He absolutely would not…

let any obstacle defeat him.

Shen Fu looked into her son’s dark, determined eyes. At first, she hadn’t wanted to be a burden to him. But now she realized—her refusal was the real harm to her child.

Her son had grown up. She should trust him.

She knew she was just an ordinary person. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t give her child better things. But seeing Shen Ji grow into someone so remarkable—even if something truly happened to her… she would have no regrets.

Shen Fu smiled at Shen Ji, her expression warm. “If you have things to do, go ahead. Oh—and remember to thank that kind classmate of yours.”