Chapter 4

“Clang!”

With a crisp strike, the cue ball hit its mark.

The smooth billiard ball rolled quickly across the black felt surface and dropped steadily into the corner pocket, sealing the victory.

The onlookers included both men and women, all dressed fashionably, and they all clapped enthusiastically.

“Young Master Chi is amazing.”

The lamps over the table emitted a warm glow as Chi Xianli curled his lips into a smile. He high-fived several familiar young masters beside him.

His fingers slid along the cue handle before he tossed the pool cue into the arms of a nearby server. Then Chi Xianli reached out and scooped up a pre-prepared glass of rum.

“You guys keep playing. I’m going to take a break.”

A scantily clad server bent down nearby to reset the rack of balls. With another “Clang!”, she broke, and others began to play.

Ice cubes clinked against the glass walls as the drink swirled, giving the rum a refreshingly cool taste. Chi Xianli held his glass and walked to the sofa in the corner. Sure enough, in a vacuum zone where no one dared approach, he spotted Zhou Jinsheng.

Zhou Jinsheng lounged lazily on the sofa, head lowered as he held his phone, scrolling through something. The overhead light cast down on his expressionless face, making his features appear even more three-dimensional and profound.

Zhou Jinsheng had not changed out of his school uniform. He still wore the white shirt from Jingyang Public High School, with its deep silver sail emblem on the right chest gleaming under the lights. He had rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, revealing sleek muscle lines poised like a leopard ready to pounce.

Yet his neck still bore a neatly tied long tie, which clashed completely with his overall vibe. Anyone who didn’t know better might think he was some model student.

What nonsense. If Zhou Jinsheng were some model student, Chi Xianli would strip naked and run three full laps around the entire Sanwan Road from one end to the other.

The sofa sank beside him as Chi Xianli sat down with his drink and asked in a roguish tone, “Not going to play?”

“Not fun,” Zhou Jinsheng replied lazily from the sofa, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Chi Xianli rolled his eyes. “You’re always in a bad mood. All these people came for you. Stop obsessing over that wingsuit flying boxing match. If you get your card revoked, what am I supposed to do?”

The Chi family had deep roots, with generations of great scholars and an founding general among their ancestors. Years ago, during turbulent times, they sold off all their assets and passed down a family precept: no private businesses, only politics.

Yet Chi Xianli was a total scoundrel. He lacked both the pride of a military offspring and the refinement of a scholarly lineage, but he excelled at eating, drinking, and having fun. The Chi family rules were even stricter than those at the Zhou Mansion, tightly controlling daily expenses.

He often hit up Zhou Jinsheng, Zheng Keqin, and others for handouts.

Zhou Jinsheng idly swiped at his phone screen and said curtly, “Scram.”

Chi Xianli leaned in again shamelessly. “Any fun stuff lately? Spill.”

Zhou Jinsheng replied, “None.”

Chi Xianli lowered his voice and winked suggestively. “What about that Cheng guy or whatever? Wasn’t he the one your family planted around you? No action?”

Zhou Jinsheng spun his phone in his hand and snorted. “What waves could he stir up?”

Chi Xianli looked shocked. “No way. With all this mess lately, the security at Sihua Garden has cycled through several rounds. And you’re just chilling like nothing’s wrong? I should transfer over sometime to check it out. Not even a little…”

“Transfer?” Zhou Jinsheng’s narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he toyed with the word.

Chi Xianli wasn’t annoyed at the interruption and went along. “What? Does your school have a transfer student?”

Zhou Jinsheng said, “No.”

Chi Xianli asked puzzled, “Then what? Speaking in riddles?”

Zhou Jinsheng rubbed the edge of his phone with his thumb and calmly recounted Shen Yu’s situation to Chi Xianli.

After hearing Zhou Jinsheng out, Chi Xianli froze for a moment. Then he burst out laughing like he’d heard the funniest joke, collapsing onto the sofa and shaking with laughter.

Once he had laughed his fill, Chi Xianli sat up straight and said sharply, “Fuck, what the hell? ‘Every encounter is fate, an experience, a story.’ Is this guy a drama queen? If he wants to suck up to you, just do it. That’s kinda funny, though. No wonder you remembered it. Introduce him to me sometime.”

Zhou Jinsheng tossed his phone onto the table with a flick of his wrist and rejected flatly, “No.”

Chi Xianli blinked. “Huh?”

His expression turned weird, like Zhou Jinsheng had actually been fooled.

Zhou Jinsheng glanced up at him.

Chi Xianli immediately raised his brows, flashed a toothy grin, and dropped the joking act.

Zhou Jinsheng leaned forward, picked up a dart from the table, and toyed with it. He weighed it for a moment, pinched the center with two fingers, and aimed at the round dartboard hanging on the wall behind the pool table.

Chi Xianli glanced at him casually but said nothing.

“Whoosh!” A glint of cold light flashed.

The dart shot out like a streak of fire, brushing past the crowd before “Ding!” embedding firmly in the bullseye of the red target.

The fletching trembled slightly in the silent air, like the skirt of a fully dressed lady.

The room fell deathly quiet, as if someone had hit the mute button, the noise receding like a tide.

Some people cast inquiring glances their way. Chi Xianli, unfazed, raised his glass toward them and smiled smoothly to defuse the tension. “Nothing to see here, everyone keep playing.”

Only after confirming that the big shot Zhou Jinsheng was fine did the crowd relax.

Soon, the sounds of chalking cues, banter, pool shots, coin drops, and clinking glasses rose again, flooding back.

Zhou Jinsheng leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs with a hint of menace. “Not entirely sure. He seems a bit interesting. Anyway, I’ve been bored lately.”

The two had practically grown up in the same pants. Chi Xianli was beyond shocked—shocked to the point that shock’s mother was answering the door. He was genuinely curious now about what kind of person could make Zhou Jinsheng waver like that.

Chi Xianli’s eyes darted as he leaned close, frowning and whispering, “Things have been chaotic lately. If something happens, there’s nowhere to seek justice. Zhou Jinsheng, don’t forget—you’re an adult in half a year. Did you forget what you said before?”

Zhou Jinsheng raised a brow. “What did I say?”

Back then, Chi Xianli was only eleven or twelve, carefree and indulgent. But Zhou Jinsheng’s words had shocked him deeply.

Chi Xianli reminisced, putting on an exaggerated imitation—

“I will make everyone know that it’s not me who needs the Zhou family—it’s the Zhou family that needs me.”

“I, Zhou Jinsheng, will fully and completely possess the Zhou Mansion.”

“I will change this world.”

“That’s my dream.”

The profound words from years ago overlapped with Chi Xianli’s voice. Zhou Jinsheng narrowed his eyes and chuckled. “Heh, but it doesn’t sound right coming from you.”

“Scram. Anyway, those guys in your family are all eyeing your heir position, just waiting for you to slip up.”

“Why not find an excuse to go back to Sihua Garden? Is there anywhere safer in all of Shangjing than the Zhou Mansion? You could test this kid out while you’re at it. Even if there’s no benefit—”

Chi Xianli’s gaze swept over Zhou Jinsheng’s face. Thinking of something, he suddenly elbowed him and changed tack. “What if he’s after our Young Master Zhou’s looks?”

Zhou Jinsheng shot him a sidelong glare. “Get lost.”

Chi Xianli chuckled. “But whatever his goal, he’ll show his hand eventually. Then you’ll know for sure, right?”

As if recalling something, Zhou Jinsheng’s eyes narrowed, a cold curve touching his lips. He pondered silently without responding.

A moment later, Zhou Jinsheng lifted his gaze. “And then what?”

Fine, all that serious talk up front, and zero response.

No surprises there.

Typical Zhou style, Zhou Mansion style, Zhou Jinsheng style.

Chi Xianli rolled his eyes and continued. “If he’s clean, then nothing. But forget making friends—no time for that now. Drop it. If he really dares to trick you—”

“There are plenty of ways to teach him a lesson.”

“Achoo—”

Fresh out of the bathroom, Shen Yu felt a chill down his spine and couldn’t hold back a massive sneeze. He rubbed his nose, then fished the AC remote from under the TV based on memory and bumped up the temperature a bit.

He changed into pajamas and sat on the sofa. Picking up his phone, he opened the chat app. The latest messages were from Chen Jinyang and his sister Chen Miaomiao after they friended each other.

Shen Yu thought for a moment, then tapped into his chat with Chen Jinyang and poked his avatar.

Chen Jinyang instantly replied with a super cute Samoyed peeking-out emoji.

Shen Yu marveled at it, but also felt disgusted.

007 with a puzzled face: [What’s up?]

Shen Yu huffed: [Real men don’t use emojis like that.]

Staying firm, Shen Yu typed rapidly and got straight to the point:

[Bro, got Zhou Jinsheng’s contact? If so, hook me up. A bracelet a friend gave me seems lost. Want to ask if he saw it this morning.]

Chen Jinyang teased: [From your girlfriend? Sure, but I need his okay first. I’ll ask. Wait a sec.]

Shen Yu: [Cool.]

A bit later, Chen Jinyang replied: [Asked, no response. Miaomiao says he’s at some event, probably not checking his phone.]

Shen Yu: [No worries. I can ask him in person tomorrow.]

Two or three minutes passed, and Chen Jinyang forwarded a contact card.

The profile pic was Zhou Jinsheng in a gray beanie, sitting on a vast grassland. Shot from below, with his shoe sole in the foreground—a domineering downward angle full of pressure.

Shen Yu tapped the pic and zoomed in. The beanie’s brim hung low, shadows under his eyes, exposing a sharp jawline. No smile.

Total poser.

Shen Yu went to the add-friend page and stated his intent and identity in the message box.

His finger slid down to the note field. Without thinking, he typed “Strong Bro.”

Three seconds later, he deleted it letter by letter and honestly entered “Zhou Jinsheng.”

No immediate approval.

Shen Yu tossed his phone aside, got up, and filled a glass of hot water from the dispenser. He gripped the transparent glass by its edges, standing tall by the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire Shangjing nightscape.

Shangjing’s night lights blazed brilliantly. Neon veins pulsed through the city’s steel flesh, forming a vast, continuous sea of stars.

His original body’s parents weren’t locals. They started with a restaurant, then got a lucky break and pivoted to an import-export firm, jetting between countries and neglecting the old business.

Shen Yu wasn’t an only child. Once he showed artistic talent, he only did three years of elementary school in-country before the Shen family shipped him abroad for art studies—total free-range parenting. Family ties were distant but not estranged.

This time, he returned to Shangjing via a school exchange program, informing his parents only right before.

For convenience, even the apartment was a last-minute rental. Mom and Dad had called to warn him about Zhou Jinsheng.

007 finally caught on, tone puzzled: [But Host, why act like you’re deliberately approaching him at first?]

Shen Yu explained to the system: [Guys like Zhou Jinsheng come from big families and are naturally suspicious. Even genuine goodwill gets doubted.]

[Only unclear intentions pique his curiosity. Then he’ll focus on unraveling the mystery himself.]

System 007 gave a thumbs-up: [Got it.]

The mechanical voice praised bluntly, and Shen Yu accepted graciously: [You know it.]

He finished the water, set the glass down with a clink on the table, and picked up his phone again.

One minute ago, Zhou Jinsheng had accepted the friend request.

Shen Yu smiled lightly, shut off his phone, and headed to bed.

The next morning, the alarm blared.

Shen Yu stretched an arm from under the covers and slapped it off. A while later, he finally dragged himself out of bed.

After washing up, Shen Yu grabbed his phone and messaged Zhou Jinsheng.

Shen Yu: [Good morning. Sorry, I crashed early last night from exhaustion. Just saw you accepted my request.]

Shen Yu added: [Did you see a bracelet? It’s from an old friend—black braided one, a bit worn, with a black stone pendant. It’s important to me. Please let me know if you spot it.]

Zhou Jinsheng, naturally, didn’t reply.

Shen Yu frowned, thought for a moment, then exited his chat with Zhou Jinsheng. He tapped into Chen Jinyang’s avatar, swiped up to scroll the chat history to the very top, clicked on the Samoyed peeking-out sticker, and long-pressed to add it to favorites.

Shen Yu switched back to his chat with Zhou Jinsheng.

His slender fingers tapped once, sending the Samoyed peeking-out sticker.

Sent.

007: 【Didn’t the host say that real men don’t use this kind of sticker?】

Shen Yu slipped on the Jingyang Public School uniform, grabbed his schoolbag, and headed out. Hearing this, he paused mid-step.

He chose not to answer the question.