Chapter 29 Part 2

As he emerged from the study, Yu Tingsi badly wanted a smoke. Expressionless, he descended the stairs. At the same stairwell corner, Song Shi passed him holding documents.

This time, Yu Tingsi called out. “Assistant Song.”

Song Shi stopped, glancing inquiringly at him.

Yu Tingsi smiled. “When’s the date?”

It wasn’t some state secret. The engagement banquet would proceed as scheduled on the press conference day, drawing all of Shangjing’s elite. But first, plenty of troubles and rats needed clearing to avoid complications.

Song Shi glanced at Yu Tingsi. “The seventeenth.”

Yu Tingsi nodded. They passed each other. Song Shi knocked, entered with permission, and closed the study door behind him.

Yu Tingsi withdrew his gaze.

They rode the descending cable car all the way off Little Zhou Mountain. Yu Tingsi stood silently at the port. For a moment, he thought about many things, yet it felt like he thought about nothing at all. The deep autumn wind lifted his overcoat, revealing a profound and beautiful face—like a quenched sharp blade.

Once out of surveillance range, Yu Tingsi dialed a number. The other side picked up quickly but said nothing. He seemed to have anticipated Yu Tingsi’s call and merely let out a sinister laugh.

That laugh was unpleasant, like rats frantically clawing at sewer walls, producing a string of weird, grating syllables.

Yu Tingsi gazed at the distant sea horizon. Because his throat had been chemically burned, the man on the other end wasn’t unwilling to speak—he simply couldn’t.

Yu Tingsi parted his lips.

“Zhou Yaoshu, want to cooperate with me?”

The grating laughter paused, then grew louder and hoarser, verging on madness.

Zhou Jinsheng was very busy. If the world was a turning gear, then he was its central axis. The world could turn without others, but it truly couldn’t without Zhou Jinsheng.

Stacks of documents swirled around him, firmly propping up the colossal beast that was Zhou Corporation at the pinnacle of the pyramid.

That day, when Zhou Jinsheng made his statement at Zheng Corporation, it instantly dominated the top spots across all major forums. Though no related photos leaked, it still caused a massive stir in Shang Capital City.

At first, it was just rumors, and others remained skeptical. But as the rumors snowballed and Zhou Corporation issued no clarifications, people gradually caught on.

Shen Yu had been unilaterally cut off from outside contact and knew nothing of the public uproar. He dutifully carried out his responsibilities as the contractor every day.

【Task: Withdraw Funding from “However, However”, Completion: 0%.】

The task trigger hadn’t arrived yet, so his isolation didn’t affect the plot progression. Shen Corporation had returned to normal operations—even without its boss, it ran smoothly. Besides, his secretary was a model worker, allowing Shen Yu to squeeze her guilt-free.

Secretary: “……”

The joys of a capitalist were so simple.

Shen Yu lay on the lawn where the swing was tied, basking in the sun. He hypocritically mused: 【I’ve really fallen.】

There was sunlight, wind, birdsong. The breeze carried the scent of fresh flowers. The chain’s length allowed him to reach the courtyard and shooting range outside the estate. Before long, the butler, assistants, and servants all put on expressions of sudden realization.

This wasn’t imprisonment at all—it was flirtation!

Having pieced together the “truth,” a group of young maids clustered in the kitchen. Their faces no longer showed the usual subdued demeanor and perfectly measured smiles. It was as if they’d removed their masks—suppressing their excitement, they exchanged knowing glances.

“Our master and madam really know how to play—imprisonment play~”

“I heard from Doctor Chen they’re high school classmates. Sisters, let’s stan this.”

Zhou Mansion maids often worked overtime, but they had a three-days-on, four-days-off schedule, million-yuan monthly salaries, meals and housing included, sea-view apartments—and now they could even get paid to stan a high-value CP. They were blissfully happy.

“Mr. Shen pampers Boss so much—what else could this be but true love? If not, I’ll eat shit upside down!”

Shen Yu, who happened to pass by with a cup in hand: “……”

The one talking about eating shit upside down—I remember you.

No wonder he’d felt their gazes growing weirder lately.

“You think who’s top and who’s bottom? I bet on Boss bottom!”

“Definitely Mr. Shen on bottom. I’ve observed—Master always looks radiant, like he’s been well-fed, but Mr. Shen’s face is so pale, like he’s been drained dry. He even goes downstairs slow, probably from tearing a wound. Looks like Boss…”

The carpet muffled sounds, and the chain glided silently—no one noticed Shen Yu’s approach.

The group delved deeper into unspeakable territory. Shen Yu, trying to steady himself with water, suffered another mental blow. He choked, hurriedly patted his chest, and couldn’t hold back a few coughs.

Fuck, what do you mean drained dry?

He’d just overslept and skipped meals—low blood sugar, that’s all!

And you try running downstairs lively with a chain on?!

After coughing, Shen Yu looked up again.

The maids snapped back to their duties, movements earnest, expressions the picture of professionalism—as if nothing had happened.

One of them noticed Shen Yu looking and instantly switched to ancestral face-changing mode. As if just realizing, she flashed a perfectly polite smile at the corners of her mouth. “Sir, breakfast is ready shortly. Please wait a moment.”

007: 【……】

Shen Yu: 【……】

Shen Yu managed a smile. “Thanks for the hard work.”

Because he enjoyed sunbathing, Shen Yu would lie in the courtyard like a vegetable whenever he had time. Otherwise, he often headed to the shooting range to practice.

Zhou Jinsheng would occasionally pass by and stop to observe his marksmanship.

When he noticed issues with Shen Yu’s gunplay, Zhou Jinsheng would step in for hands-on instruction. His scorching, solid chest pressed against Shen Yu’s back, heartbeat steady and powerful. He’d squeeze the trigger—gunfire rang out endlessly, techniques fusing seamlessly in practice.

But most of the time, it was Old Li handling the coaching.

Eventually, Shen Yu’s marksmanship matured. He could hit targets at extreme ranges, and at Zhou Jinsheng’s suggestion, they switched from stationary to moving targets.

His accuracy dropped sharply at first.

He hit, but with high deviation—same for several days straight.

Shen Yu frowned, eyes locked on the distant moving target. After a moment’s thought, on the third day, he had Old Li swap to human silhouette targets.

“Left shoulder.”

Shen Yu’s face was expressionless as he raised his arm, aimed at the silhouette’s left shoulder, and fired. Then came “bang, bang, bang, bang, bang”—three more shots. His expression was intensely focused during firing, his voice calm and cold, his face even colder.

“Right shoulder.”

“—Bang.”

“Left knee.”

“—Bang.”

“Right knee, neck, heart.”

“Bang, bang, bang—”

Six bullets, six hits.

Shen Yu curved his lips in satisfaction, holstered the gun. The range wind lifted the hair at his temple. The icy barrel gleamed as he spun a flashy gun flower in his palm, blew on the muzzle, arched a brow, and asked the man beside him, “How’s that?”

Old Li’s face was wooden. Normally, he’d offer praise. He glanced at the distant human silhouette amid the flowing mobile targets. Shen Yu hadn’t shot the head, so it remained intact.

That face—sharp, cold, and profoundly intimidating.

It was unmistakably Zhou Jinsheng’s.

Old Li: “……” How the hell do you praise that?

When he’d first heard Shen Yu’s request, Old Li had furrowed his brows, figuring the kid was either kicked in the head by a donkey or tired of living.

Old Li had snorted inwardly, already envisioning Shen Yu drawn and quartered then sunk at sea. They’d spent some time together, so there was a bit of fondness—and inevitable pity.

But that sympathy was swiftly drowned out by the joy of finally ending this boring assignment. Old Li crossed his arms stone-faced, humming a little tune inside while awaiting perfect completion.

Yet days passed—how was this kid still alive and kicking in front of him?!

He even had to supervise Shen Yu “bang bang bang”-ing at a moving target of their boss every day!

Old Li’s face stiffened, his body even more so.

He hadn’t felt this chilled to the bone in ages.

Boredom? Gone.

Fear? All too real.

Deep autumn.

A massive whirlwind battered the trees around the lawn, buzzing amid the chaos. A private jet sliced through the flight path, its weight pressing down as it solemnly touched down on the grass.

Zhou Jinsheng disembarked in a black overcoat, his face expressionless.

As soon as he stepped down, someone approached and reported in low tones.

The man nodded and headed toward the estate’s courtyard.

The autumn wind along the corridor whipped up his coat’s hem—even the arc was sharp and utterly emotionless.

He suddenly halted, turned his head, and peered over. His gaze, dark as fog, pierced through the lush green courtyard.

In the estate’s courtyard, the fountain jetted water into the air.

The water created a perfect rhythm, evergreen vines twining the railings, softening the harsh metallic tips. The central courtyard gate stood open on both sides, leading to the rear lake.

Shen Yu extended a leg, upper body tilting back, right foot stepping forward. He successfully crossed the threshold by two steps.

His eyes lit up. Excited, he took another step forward.

The metal chain suspended in midair went taut and vibrated. Reaching its straightened limit, it snapped back under the pull.

Shen Yu startled. His foot slipped on the grass, and his body toppled backward.

It wasn’t the imagined crash to the ground. One hand steadied his right shoulder, the other gripped his side waist, pulling him into a scorching embrace.

A broad chest pressed against his back, sending faint vibrations through the ribcage.

007: 【……Is this a soap opera?】

Shen Yu slapped it away and steadied himself.

Zhou Jinsheng released him, one sharp brow arching upward. “Quite the performance.”

“……I’m testing the maximum range.” Shen Yu raised his hand and shook the chain on his wrist. He scanned Zhou Jinsheng up and down. It was rare to see him during the day, so he asked suspiciously, “So early?”

Shen Yu lifted his arm, and his shirt slid up, exposing a segment of supple, powerful waist.

Zhou Jinsheng’s palm still held the lingering warmth. His gaze shifted upward, peering at Shen Yu through a hazy fog.

The instant Shen Yu looked over, Zhou Jinsheng tugged his tie and exhaled softly. “Business is handled.”

Shen Yu didn’t ask what. The two left the courtyard together.

They returned via the covered passage connecting the villa and courtyard. A few cultivated drooping crabapple branches happened to hang right over the door.

The soft flower-laden twigs exuded a rich fragrance, like floral bangs growing from the wooden door—pleasing to the eye, though somewhat obstructive.

Zhou Jinsheng extended his arm, lifting the branches and flowers to create space for smooth entry without bending.

So considerate?

Shen Yu’s hand rested on the doorknob as he glanced at him in surprise.

Just as Shen Yu moved to enter, the arm overhead suddenly let go. Countless crabapple branches tumbled free in a whoosh, lashing toward him. Shen Yu reacted with a curse and ducked against the door.

A light breeze stirred, the floral cascade veiling a patch of shadow.

Zhou Jinsheng’s ploy succeeded. His body followed, pinning Shen Yu against the wooden panel, his shadow engulfing him entirely.

The man’s palm unceremoniously slipped under Shen Yu’s shirt hem, caressing his waist. Footsteps echoed from inside. Shen Yu’s grip on the doorknob tightened fiercely.

Zhou Jinsheng lowered his gaze. The abdominal muscles beneath his palm clung like a magnet to the touch, quivering faintly—like a fragile butterfly.

But he knew Shen Yu wasn’t fragile. He was tall, with sleek, solid muscles—slim when clothed, substantial when stripped. They contained explosive vitality, capable of sudden ferocious bursts.

Just… hypersensitive.

Deep inside, it was like a seed had taken root, trembling in a beautiful rhythm.