His heart pounded wildly.
Shen Leyuan felt a subtle unease. He frowned thoughtfully and asked, “Did we lock the door when we left?”
“Locked it, locked it.”
Lin Yao was busy picking out fresh vegetables, answering without looking back. “Gas is off, trash is thrown out. Now we just need to head back and cook.”
He didn’t find it annoying at all—only sweet.
This nagging, homemaker side of his teacher was something only he got to see!
Pushing the cart to the beverage aisle, the young man habitually grabbed a can of beer, then stiffly put it back down. He nervously glanced at Shen Leyuan with the corner of his eye.
Shen Leyuan tossed the beer can into the cart for him and said casually, “You’re neither a student I’m mentoring nor my child. I’m not going to micromanage even this.”
The words didn’t reassure Lin Yao. He mumbled, “I want Teacher to manage me…”
Shen Leyuan sighed helplessly. “You’re an adult. The occasional beer won’t hurt, as long as it’s not turning into alcoholism. Still, drink less—it’s not exactly good for you.”
After his habitual nagging, he stopped amid Lin Yao’s dopey grin.
“What’re you grinning at?”
Lin Yao said, “I like it when Teacher manages me.”
The young man’s bluntness was disarming. Shen Leyuan’s heart soured and softened at once. He reached to grab another beer for Lin Yao, but the young man had already ducked his head slightly, bracing for a head pat.
Ah… this… really…
So obedient. It’d feel rude not to pet him a few times.
The corgi in the pet carrier looked up at the scene, as if jealousy had kicked in. It spun in place twice, scratched at the carrier wall, then let out a woof to grab its owner’s attention.
Shen Leyuan instinctively looked over, worried Huihui wasn’t feeling well.
Lin Yao suddenly asked, “If Little Deer wanted to drink this, would Teacher agree too?”
Huihui blinked its clear, wide eyes up at Dad, as if it had just barked innocently. The supermarket wasn’t the place to take it out for a check, so Shen Leyuan answered Lin Yao first.
How to put it… His expression turned odd. “I’d try my best to stop him.”
Little Deer wasn’t suited for alcohol. He was crazy enough sober—drunk, only an immortal could handle him.
Lin Yao’s mood soured a bit. He asked softly, “Is it because Little Deer’s more obedient?”
Shen Leyuan: …?
His face grew even stranger. “Little Deer counts as obedient?”
Lin Yao paused. “He’s always listened to you. Doesn’t that count?”
“He only hears what he wants to hear.” Shen Leyuan gave an example. “If I tell him not to overthink, not to fantasize about others, not to project the erotic stuff he’s seen onto other people, all he’ll remember is that I forbade him from looking at erotic works.”
“The key part—not to fantasize about others—he can’t even comprehend it, so it doesn’t stick. I have to swap it out with something he’s more interested in before he makes any progress.”
“That’s not obedience. It’s…”
Shen Leyuan trailed off, unsure what word to use.
Lin Yao: “Like taming a wild animal?”
He didn’t want to describe Little Deer that way, but Shen Leyuan couldn’t think of anything better, so he nodded. “Something like that.”
“Then…” Lin Yao asked in an even quieter voice, “Am I obedient?”
Shen Leyuan: “No.”
Lin Yao’s face fell, grayed with defeat. He remembered his earlier suspicions and angry outbursts at his teacher. The belated heartache hit him hard—he didn’t even dare feel aggrieved.
Teacher’s right. I really wasn’t good.
But right after, he heard his teacher say, “Having a dad like that, some rebellion’s forgivable. I forgive you.”
Shen Leyuan paused, then continued sternly, “But that’s just me forgiving you. You’re not the only one hurt by your rebellion. Keep it in mind and don’t do it again.”
His expression was serious, his tone admonishing.
Lin Yao nodded vigorously. “Yeah!”
So obedient. Shen Leyuan felt a little embarrassed now, like he’d nagged too much.
It was strange—he wasn’t the type to meddle. He knew sticking to one’s own duties was enough; overreaching just drained you. But with Lin Yao, he always couldn’t help saying more.
Maybe it’s because of those things I remembered from the bus. My students…
Noticing his teacher’s low mood, Lin Yao quickly changed the subject. “Seafood section seems that way. Wanna grab some crawfish?”
Whoever cooked called the shots, so Shen Leyuan went along.
Lin Yao racked his brain for topics. From the supermarket exit onward, he chattered nonstop—noisier than Little Deer on a normal day.
Shen Leyuan smiled and listened, chiming in now and then.
If only it could be like this forever, Lin Yao thought secretly.
A new flower shop had opened at the neighborhood entrance, running a promotion. The owner boomed through a megaphone, while staff handed out sample flowers. Lin Yao glanced over and locked eyes with a young shop girl.
Her eyes lit up. “Handsome, flowers for your sweetheart?”
Lin Yao jumped at the words, blurting, “We’re not lovers!”
He panicked and looked at Shen Leyuan—not sure if he feared his teacher getting mad or hoped for some other expression on his face.
The girl blinked. “I didn’t say you were… Ohhh~~~”
She got it!
Struck by inspiration, she shoved the prettiest rose into Lin Yao’s hands and flashed a heart gesture at them both. “Wishing you two all the best. Hope you come back soon to buy flowers~”
Lin Yao’s face flushed beet red.
Shen Leyuan laughed. “Relax, I know it’s a misunderstanding.”
He should’ve been happy, but clutching that flower, Lin Yao inexplicably couldn’t muster joy.
What kind of guys does Teacher like?
If I gave him these flowers, would he be happy, mad, or indifferent?
The bodyguards watching through binoculars muttered to themselves, “Something’s off, bro. Does this count as Madam getting too cozy with someone else? Tell the boss?”
The flower was a fluke, and the young master didn’t seem about to give it away, but the vibe felt wrong…
Why so tense, young master?
Why’re you blushing?
His partner stared at his phone, face grim. “Forget that—the boss is in trouble!”
“What?!” The bodyguard rushed to check the group chat.
It was blowing up. Someone had infiltrated the Lin Family and caused chaos. Amid the uproar, the young master escaped—and shot the boss three times before leaving. Boss’s status: unknown.
Tell Madam?
The two bodyguards exchanged troubled looks, then glanced toward Madam—huh?! Where’d he go?!!??
Fruits and veggies scattered everywhere. The man they were supposed to protect had vanished.
Huo Tingfeng rushed to the neighborhood building.
He’d woken and immediately had Xiaoqi track Shen Leyuan’s location, then sped over without a word.
His body, bedridden nearly two months, felt weak and frail. Every step ached in bones and flesh, but compared to the bone-deep regret in his heart, it was nothing. He just wanted to see that person soon.
The closer he got, the more timid he felt.
Will Shen Leyuan recognize me? Hate me? Yell at me or ignore me?
He prayed for the yelling.
How could anyone endure being ignored after tasting a lover’s singular attention?
He slowed with every step, growing more anxious. He wanted to call Shen Leyuan first but knew a call wouldn’t fix things—they needed face-to-face.
Something stirred upstairs.
Unease gripped Huo Tingfeng. He bolted forward like the wind, charging to the door.
The door had been violently kicked open. Someone was inside.
Huo Tingfeng slipped in like a hunting lion. As the intruder headed out, he slammed him into the one ahead, then swept a kick at the one behind.
Laid up too long, his strikes lacked power and speed. The rear one barely dodged; the fallen one hugged his legs, chest heaving with pain, vision blacking out.
“Mr. Huo!”
The front bodyguard recognized him and shouted, “You’re the one who molested the young master first! Hiring people to stir trouble at the Lin Family was one thing, but grudge-holding against Teacher Shen too? Isn’t that overkill?!”
Huo Tingfeng froze, halting abruptly.
The bodyguard didn’t register, landing a heavy punch to his face. The skin swelled into an ugly purple bruise.
Huo Tingfeng vaguely recognized the bodyguard’s face. He grabbed his collar and growled, “What do you mean? Stir trouble at the Lin Family? When did I ever grudge Shen Leyuan? Where is he?!”
The bodyguard wasn’t sure whether to believe him.
Huo Tingfeng had no time to wait. He shoved the man aside, fumbled out his phone with trembling hands, and called—too panicked to speak at first, he finally got the words out. “Get Xiaoqi here. Track Shen Leyuan’s location now!”
“Shen Leyuan? Little Deer’s tutor?”
His contact said, “I remember some order came in a while back—kidnap him, torture, kill, dismember.”
Huo Tingfeng’s heart clenched. “Who took that job?”
“No one,” the guy said carelessly. “Boss said no domestic jobs if we could help it, so I sent ’em elsewhere.”
“Who placed the order?”
“Some bosses whose companies just went bust. Sons got thrown in prison, so grudge. Details fuzzy, but damn, that Shen guy’s badass—those companies were taken down by Lord Lin…”
Realizing it might not be what they thought, the bodyguard cut in. “Lin Family cameras got hacked. The one who helped Little Deer escape was a pro.”
Huo Tingfeng shot them a look, brows knotted tight.
Huo Xiaoqi! Was it you?!
He gnashed his teeth. “Get Xiaoqi here! Now! Immediately!”
Meanwhile, a black car sped toward an abandoned building on the suburbs.
Doused with cold water, Shen Leyuan woke to the sight of Lin Yao ahead—hands and feet bound, thrashing on the ground.
“Fuck!”
Someone nearby cursed irritably. “Buy one get one free? I didn’t sign up for this!”
Shen Leyuan twisted toward the voice. The lead kidnapper had an ordinary face, even honest-looking, but carried a killer’s aura. The fury in his eyes chilled the blood.
His underlings were a chubby one and a skinny one. The slightly plump one said greedily, “The little one’s more valuable, right? Why not cash in big?”
“Mess with the tutor, fine. Touch the crown prince? Suicide.” The leader irritably asked Shen Leyuan, “What’s your deal with him? Why’d he go berserk to save you?”
Shen Leyuan lied without blinking. “I’m his stepmom.”
Lin Yao, mouth gagged on the floor, froze solid as stone.
After saying it, Shen Leyuan feigned a slip-up, frowning. “You didn’t know? Then why kidnap me?”
The skinny underling said, “Your man bankrupted their companies.”
