ATMAWTPM Chapter 9
by VolareYe Tingtong just stayed at Shen Jun’s place like that.
Shen Jun only stayed overnight the first night, and then he never came back again. Only the housekeeper came to cook and clean on a regular basis.
Ye Tingtong had no reason to keep staying there. Once he was almost fully recovered, he went back to school. Before leaving, he sent two messages to Shen Jun.
[I’m back at school! Thank you for taking care of me these past few days.]
[Cat bows.jpg]
As usual, Shen Jun didn’t reply.
Yu Huanhuan, afraid that Ye Tingtong would have another accident, picked him up directly from Shen Jun’s place.
As the end of the semester approached, there were not many courses at school, so Ye Tingtong didn’t need to stay there. Besides, his roommates were outsiders, making it easy for people to take advantage of him. It was better for him to stay with her.
As soon as Ye Tingtong came out, he saw a red sports car at the entrance of the residential area, stylish and cool.
He immediately trotted over to greet her, “Sister Huanhuan!”
“How many times have I told you not to call me ‘sister’? You make me sound old.” Yu Huanhuan said, but her expression was quite pleased, with a smile on her lips. “Little cub, get in the car.”
The car started, and Yu Huanhuan glanced at the receding buildings in the rearview mirror. “I didn’t expect Shen Jun to have an apartment in Taizi Bay.”
This kind of development is not for sale to the public at all; it’s long been snapped up through internal channels. Only someone as generous as Shen Jun would have a large flat in such an area.
“Is it very expensive here?” Ye Tingtong looked at the clear, green lake next to him, feeling a bit of pity. “Shen Jun doesn’t live in this house much; it’s such a waste.”
There was not a trace of human presence in the house. Once, he had tried to save Shen Jun some electricity, but as soon as he turned off the air conditioner, he caught a cold that night, and now his voice was hoarse.
Yu Huanhuan stopped at a red light, unfazed. “He probably has even more expensive places, or maybe he’s a workaholic and lives at the company. Who knows!”
Ye Tingtong agreed with the second half of her sentence.
The light turned green, the car started moving, and suddenly Ye Tingtong heard a light jingle.
Only then did he notice that the ornament in Yu Huanhuan’s car was a Santa Claus. He turned his head to look out the window, and the stores on the street had also changed to red Christmas themes. Some coffee shops had already put up Christmas trees, making everything look lively and festive.
Ye Tingtong murmured, “Is it almost Christmas?”
He didn’t know how long he had been locked up. He was rescued by Shen Jun, got a phone, but didn’t pay attention to the time. He was only focused on guarding against the Ye family, afraid of being found.
Yu Huanhuan sensed the confusion in his tone, paused, and said, “Don’t worry, the Ye family won’t dare to do anything lately.”
Even if Shen Jun had nothing to do with Ye Tingtong, after all, Shen Jun had taken him away in public. No matter how arrogant the Ye family was, they would have to think twice.
“But, is Shen Jun really doing charity?” Yu Huanhuan questioned with a look of disbelief. “He’s already in that position, does he still have a so-called kind heart?”
Shen Jun was the youngest son of the Shen family’s patriarch, with three older brothers. By the time Shen Jun came of age and was eligible to compete, those three already held a lot of shares.
She couldn’t imagine how Shen Jun had managed to climb to the top. She only knew that someone who could accomplish such things was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
The more Yu Huanhuan thought about it, the more she felt something was off. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand anything?”
After all, no one could resist Ye Tingtong’s face.
Ye Tingtong was helpless and directly showed her the chat history between him and Shen Jun on WeChat. “He’s too lazy to even reply to me.”
Yu Huanhuan glanced at it and found that they were all one-sided messages from Ye Tingtong, everyday things and cute messages. She even became a bit interested, forgetting about the green light and being honked at by several cars behind her.
The car started again, and Yu Huanhuan sighed, accepting the fact. “It seems he’s really not interested in you.”
This man was much harder to deal with than Shen Minghuai.
So, Ye Tingtong stayed at Yu Huanhuan’s house. Occasionally, if there were compulsory courses at school that he couldn’t miss, he would go back, but he didn’t stay in the dormitory. His excuse to his roommates was that he had been seriously ill and was staying off-campus, which they didn’t doubt at all.
One day, after finishing class, he went back to the dormitory with his roommates, intending to grab some clean clothes. When he approached his desk, he suddenly saw a gold-embossed invitation card on it.
“Minghuai was worried that you might not see it!” Yu Hui put down the textbook in his hand and explained to Ye Tingtong, “He’s getting engaged on December 25th, which is Christmas the day after tomorrow.”
“He also said you’re ignoring him, and that if we see you, we must bring you there.”
Ye Tingtong said “oh” and casually threw the invitation into his bag.
A few days ago, he had received a message from Shen Minghuai on WeChat, inviting him to the engagement banquet, saying there was something important he wanted to talk about.
Ye Tingtong didn’t know what he wanted to say. He only knew that during the time he was kidnapped by the Ye family, everyone he knew had sent him messages, and even his two roommates, who had been deceived by Ye Guodong, were concerned about his health. Only Shen Minghuai seemed to have disappeared.
Actually, when he was being tortured by Ye Guodong and was mentally unstable, he had desperately hoped that Shen Minghuai would realize he had been kidnapped and come to the Ye family to rescue him. But nothing happened. He hadn’t even received a cheap message.
Clearly, Shen Minghuai was the person who understood his situation the best.
Later, when he was recovering at Shen Jun’s place, he had messaged everyone to let them know he was safe.
Except for Shen Minghuai.
When Yu Huanhuan got home, she happened to see Ye Tingtong staring blankly at the invitation.
She threw her bag onto the sofa, “Is this Shen Minghuai’s engagement banquet? He invited you!”
“Mm,” said Ye Tingtong. “But I don’t want to go.”
“Don’t be stubborn,” Yu Huanhuan said, flicking the invitation card with her finger. “You have to go to this engagement banquet.”
Ye Tingtong was puzzled. “Lately, you’ve been making the driver pick me up whenever I go out, and you have my roommates keep me company at school. How can you now suggest I go to an engagement banquet with so many people?”
“You’re really dumb,” Yu Huanhuan said, tapping Ye Tingtong’s head with the invitation card. “Why hasn’t the Ye family dared to act recklessly lately? It’s because they think you have a connection with Shen Jun, that Shen Jun is secretly protecting you.”
“If you don’t even dare attend Shen Minghuai’s engagement banquet at this time, what will they think?”
Ye Tingtong seemed to understand. “I have to keep up the pretense?”
“Otherwise?” Yu Huanhuan carefully put the invitation back into his hand. “Shen Jun will definitely attend this engagement banquet. You need to interact with Shen Jun as much as possible when there are a lot of people, so that the Ye family sees it.”
Although Shen Jun didn’t have any romantic feelings for Ye Tingtong, he wasn’t against Ye Tingtong getting close to him either.
Ye Tingtong had always listened to her. He put the invitation in his bag, paused, and asked, “Sister Huanhuan, do you have connections for getting into the engagement banquet? If not, I can ask Shen Minghuai.”
The Shen family’s marriage alliance with the Liang family meant that the attendees would definitely be influential figures. Yu Huanhuan was likely to know a lot of people with connections in such a place.
Upon hearing this, Yu Huanhuan laughed and ruffled his hair messily. “Then we’ll have to thank you!”
*
On the day of the engagement banquet, Ye Tingtong and Yu Huanhuan attended together.
The engagement banquet was held at the old Shen family mansion. Before entering, Ye Tingtong thought he was visiting a tourist attraction.
The architecture was ancient and grand, without the flashy decorations and effects of modern hotels. The winding paths led to secluded spots, and the details in every courtyard revealed a deep sense of craftsmanship.
Even though Ye Tingtong hadn’t seen much of the world, he knew that this place was extraordinary.
As the waiter led him and Yu Huanhuan toward the main hall, Ye Tingtong whispered, “I remember coming here a year ago. It seems like Shen Minghuai was delivering something to his grandmother.”
He had waited somewhere else at the time and hadn’t gone too deep.
“This mansion is for the Shen family’s old matriarch to rest,” Yu Huanhuan said, with more information. “The engagement banquet was chosen here because the old matriarch is attending, to spare her the trouble of traveling.”
The old matriarch of the Shen family was in poor health and hadn’t seen guests for several years. Her attendance at Shen Minghuai’s engagement banquet was enough to show how important the Shen family considered this marriage alliance.
The two separated when they reached the main hall. Before leaving, Yu Huanhuan told him to find Shen Jun, but Ye Tingtong couldn’t find him after looking around.
Just as he was about to choose a high spot with a good view, he took a step, and suddenly a hand pulled him into a corner.
Ye Tingtong thought it was someone from the Ye family and started struggling forcefully.
“Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”
It was Shen Minghuai, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.
Shen Minghuai was wearing a white suit. With his handsome face, even in the dim light, it was clear that he was the protagonist of the night.
“I said I’d pick you up at the entrance, why haven’t you been replying to my messages?” Shen Minghuai spoke quickly. “I went back to school several times, but you weren’t there. Do you know how worried I was?”
Ye Tingtong was overwhelmed by his questions and struggled to pull his arm away. “Shen Minghuai, let me ask you, did you pick up Yu Hui and the others at the entrance?”
Shen Minghuai couldn’t answer for a moment.
“Since you’re engaged, don’t give me special treatment,” Ye Tingtong said, frowning. “I won’t repeat my mother’s path.”
He was labeled as an illegitimate child from birth and was subjected to abuse. His mother was even worse, an unwed mother. Even after moving to several different places, she couldn’t escape being pointed at and judged.
He could shamelessly ask for favors from Shen Minghuai, but he would absolutely not be a third party who interfered with other people’s relationships and marriages. This was his bottom line.
Ye Tingtong looked at Shen Minghuai, who was blocking his way. “You know what I’m talking about.”
Shen Minghuai twitched his lips. “I know.”
Ye Tingtong had made it clear to him a long time ago that he wouldn’t be a mistress.
“Can’t we even be friends?” Shen Minghuai’s tone carried a hint of pleading and expectation. “Just like before.”
Ye Tingtong was silent for a while. “Don’t play word games with me.”
They were not purely friends.
Shen Minghuai was speechless. The two were in a silent standoff. The phone in Shen Minghuai’s pocket started vibrating, repeatedly.
“Have you been well lately?” Shen Minghuai asked, lowering his head. His expression was one of dejection that Ye Tingtong had never seen before. “My mom has been keeping a close watch on me lately, not letting me contact you. Plus, there are too many trivial matters with the engagement, so I couldn’t find you.”
He seemed to be reminding himself, or emphasizing something. “Tongzai, I might not marry Liang Yuting.”
Shen Minghuai forced out a sentence. “There are many cases of commercial marriages that fall apart halfway through.”
Ye Tingtong listened to the bitterness in his voice and was actually a little confused.
He and Shen Minghuai rarely had such moments. Usually, he would be chasing after Shen Minghuai, who would occasionally stop and give him some small favors.
He didn’t know when it had started, but Shen Minghuai was now paying attention to him.
“Have you lost weight?” Shen Minghuai looked at Ye Tingtong’s face, which was noticeably less round than before. “I’ll go to the school after this period is over. If you have any difficulties, you must tell me.”
He could always be Ye Tingtong’s shelter.
Ye Tingtong was about to say something when he suddenly saw Liang Yuting waiting hesitantly behind Shen Minghuai.
He paused and said, “I’ve been fine lately.”
“Your fiancée is looking for you. I’ll go first.”
After speaking, he turned and left before Shen Minghuai could react.
There was a lot of food that Ye Tingtong had never seen before at the engagement banquet, but he didn’t go, afraid of seeing Shen Minghuai, who was acting strangely. He just wandered around the secluded courtyard.
Yu Huanhuan had said that the Ye family would definitely not dare to make trouble at the Shen family’s engagement banquet, so he could relax and have fun.
When he wandered near the entrance, someone waved at him. “Hey, you, come here for a moment.”
Ye Tingtong looked at the man who was wearing a security guard’s uniform. As he approached, he realized it was a familiar face.
Last time, when he was at the seaside villa, it was this security guard who wouldn’t let his car in, forcing him to walk in the cold.
The man had a long face; Ye Tingtong remembered him very clearly.
It seemed like this engagement banquet was too important, and the Shen family had transferred all the security guards over.
Before Ye Tingtong could say anything, the long-faced security guard directly shoved a package into his hands. “This is for Young Master Shen. You need to deliver it right away.”
Ye Tingtong threw the package back at him directly. “Go yourself.”
He used to go to the guardhouse to pick up Shen Minghuai’s packages when they arrived, to please him. But that didn’t mean this security guard could order him around.
The long-faced security guard’s face darkened. “What are you pretending for? Do you really think you’re someone important?”
He had been a security guard in those villa areas for several years and knew the background of these people well. This Ye Tingtong was someone that anyone could bully; his status was even lower than the doorkeepers like them.
Ye Tingtong was too lazy to argue with this kind of person.
Just as he was about to find another place to wander, a few raindrops fell on his face, and they began to get heavier. Ye Tingtong subconsciously went to stand under the eaves of the security booth. But as soon as he took a step, he was pulled out.
The long-faced security guard blocked the door, his tone very impatient. “Hurry up and deliver the package, and I’ll let you have an umbrella.”
Only then did Ye Tingtong notice a row of new, clean umbrellas hanging inside the security room. They were likely for the guests in case of this situation. He didn’t expect them to become bargaining chips used to threaten him.
Just as Ye Tingtong was debating whether to trick him into giving him an umbrella, then hide the package and blame it on the security guard, a car suddenly drove in at the entrance.
Ye Tingtong put his hands over his head to block the rain and didn’t see clearly who was in the car at first. He only saw the previously arrogant long-faced security guard immediately stand straight, open the car door for the person, and hold up an umbrella, his attitude incredibly respectful.
Ye Tingtong rolled his eyes and ran under the eaves to shelter from the rain while the security guard was too busy to pay attention to him.
But it was too narrow here, and his arms were still getting wet.
Just as Ye Tingtong was patting the rain off his clothes, the light in front of him dimmed, and the raindrops that were falling down from the eaves disappeared.
Ye Tingtong looked up and met a pair of deep, bottomless eyes. “Shen Jun?”
Shen Jun hummed in response, holding the umbrella over his head and glancing at his wet sleeve.
To save face, Ye Tingtong hadn’t worn many clothes today, just a sweater vest and a suit, which were not warm at all. After getting rained on, his lips were even white from the cold.
Ye Tingtong put his hands behind his back.
His suit was light-colored, and after getting wet, it was covered in small dark spots. It looked awful.
He had even chosen the most stylish outfit to show Shen Jun, but he had failed before he had even started.
The umbrella mostly tilted towards Ye Tingtong’s side. Shen Jun’s assistant immediately grabbed a new umbrella from the security room to hold over Shen Jun’s head.
Shen Jun lowered the umbrella handle in his hand. “Take it.”
Due to the height difference, after Ye Tingtong took the umbrella, it automatically lowered a bit. All he could see was Shen Jun’s long legs.
Ye Tingtong straightened his arm and lifted the umbrella up. As soon as he could see Shen Jun’s face clearly, the security guard walked over, his face full of flattery. “Mr. Shen, so you know each other. I just invited him to take shelter from the rain.”
These words made Ye Tingtong feel a sharp pain in his heart. He immediately spoke up, “He’s lying! He just blocked the entrance and wouldn’t let me in, and he even asked me to run errands and deliver his packages! Last time at the villa, he wouldn’t let me drive in either, and I had to walk for a whole hour!”
Ye Tingtong, who had someone backing him up, spoke quickly, listing the security guard’s crimes as if firing bullets. It was as if the other person dared to retort, he could put his hands on his hips and start a fight.
The previously arrogant security guard was stunned. “One hour?”
That route was less than 10 minutes!
As the security guard was about to argue, Shen Jun ruthlessly interrupted him. “Go to the finance department to collect your salary. You don’t need to come tomorrow.”