ATMAWTPM Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Not Ugly.

Ye Tingtong stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide. Was Shen Jun talking nonsense from drinking too much?

Marriage? With him?

He tried hard to suppress the shock within, “Huh?”

He pretended not to hear clearly, wanting the other to repeat it.

Shen Jun paused, “I was drugged.”

“Not that part.” Ye Tingtong shook his head, but after realizing what was said, “Wait, what did you just say?”

One shock after another, Ye Tingtong completely lost his grip on his expression, his mouth opening wide enough to fit an egg.

“I said, I was drugged.” Shen Jun slowly spoke, “The sentence before that was, do you want to marry me.”

The words “drugged” instantly hit Ye Tingtong’s sensitive nerves, he quickly denied any connection, “Don’t blame me! I didn’t drug you!”

He pointed to the water on the table, “It just spilled a little on you, don’t try to frame me.”

Shen Jun couldn’t tell whether he was feeling helpless or amused, “I didn’t say it was you, someone else did it.”

When he left Qin Qiong’s room, she had handed him a cup of tea.

He drank it.

Ye Tingtong finally calmed down, no wonder he saw Shen Jun with sweat on his forehead, he thought it was from the alcohol.

After Shen Jun finished speaking, he saw Ye Tingtong actively sit next to him, their arms touching. Shen Jun’s gaze darkened, and in the next moment, he saw Ye Tingtong reach out and touch his forehead, “It’s a little hot, should I call a doctor?”

He didn’t know what kind of drug it was or how serious it was.

The slightly cool, soft touch on his forehead came and went in a flash, and Shen Jun’s whole body tensed. Yet the other party was completely unaware, still sitting next to him.

Shen Jun turned his head, avoiding his touch, “No need, the effects aren’t strong.”

Qin Qiong was probably worried about him losing control in public, so she hadn’t used a large dose. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to entertain at the engagement banquet for so long before realizing something was wrong.

However, just like last time on the cruise ship, he didn’t expect it to be Ye Tingtong again.

Ye Tingtong pondered for a moment, trying to use the knowledge he had learned from novels to make Shen Jun feel more comfortable, “I’ll go run a cold bath, you can take a shower?”

Shen Jun: “…”

The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom, and Ye Tingtong stood guard, ramrod straight, at the door of Shen Jun’s bedroom.

He was afraid that Shen Jun would run away.

A minute passed, and Ye Tingtong stretched his neck, asking softly towards the inside, “Are you alright?”

He was answered by a calm “hm” from Shen Jun.

Five minutes later.

Ye Tingtong: “Um, are you sober?”

The splashing water didn’t stop and Shen Jun ignored him.

Ye Tingtong walked back and forth outside in a restless manner.

What if Shen Jun washed with cold water and sobered up, would the words he just said not count?

The sound of the water stopped, and the bathroom door was pushed open, with no trace of heat.

This was the first time Ye Tingtong had seen Shen Jun like this.

His bangs were casually falling, the damp hair clung to his face, making his features even more profound. He was looking down slightly, using a towel to dry his hair. Drops of water fell from the ends, dampening a small area of his shoulder.

In the dead of winter, Shen Jun didn’t seem to be afraid of the cold at all, his pajamas were thin. After getting wet, the lines of his shoulders and neck were clearly visible, sleek and powerful, indicating that he must work out often.

Ye Tingtong watched for a while before shifting his gaze uncomfortably.

Even though he was wearing pajamas, Shen Jun’s buttons were fastened all the way to the top, not revealing a bit of extra skin. Unlike Shen Minghuai, who would show off his six-pack abs every day in the dorm, it hurt people’s eyes to look at him.

He didn’t know if Shen Jun had abs either…

Ye Tingtong was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard Shen Jun speak, “What’s wrong?”

Ye Tingtong moved his eyes away from the area near Shen Jun’s lower abdomen and rubbed his nose in a way to hide his embarrassment, “Nothing.”

He really wanted to ask what Shen Jun meant by marriage, but he had been interrupted by the drugging incident. Now that they were face-to-face, it was hard to bring it up.

Ye Tingtong awkwardly stood there for a while. Between running away to save his life and asking about the marriage, he chose the latter.

“That—”

He had just started to speak when he was interrupted.

Shen Jun picked up the phone at the side, “I will send you a document later, take a look. If there are no problems, we can get the marriage certificate tomorrow.”

Ye Tingtong: “?!”

Was this how decisive big shots were?

He clicked on the document and quickly scanned it. The general idea was that after marriage, he only needed to show up in some fixed occasions to deal with things, and their daily lives wouldn’t interfere with each other.

It was a contractual marriage.

“I will help you deal with the Ye family’s matters.” Shen Jun placed the half-wet towel aside, “In return, you need to play the role of my partner, to deter outsiders from having any bad intentions.”

“It’s written in the contract that while we will be legally married, you will not participate in the distribution of the Shen family’s property. In return, I will give you 100,000 a month as compensation, until our relationship ends.”

Ye Tingtong’s eyes lit up and he nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

He would help Shen Jun block those annoying things behind the scenes and Shen Jun would pull him out of the Ye family’s mess. Even if he wouldn’t get any money after a divorce, this deal would still benefit him.

What’s more, there would be an extra 100,000 a month!

Shen Jun originally wanted to say that if the money wasn’t enough, he could add more. However, when he looked at the satisfied smile on Ye Tingtong’s face, those words were swallowed back down.

The next day, Ye Tingtong got up early, which was rare for him.

However, Shen Jun seemed to have gotten up even earlier. When he woke up, Shen Jun had just come back from his morning run and even brought him breakfast.

Ye Tingtong looked at the small steamed buns and soy milk on the table, a clear look of surprise on his face.

Shen Jun asked, “Is it not to your liking?”

“No, no.” Ye Tingtong shook his head, and afraid that the other wouldn’t believe him, he stuffed a small steamed bun directly into his mouth, “I thought big shots had toast with jam every morning! Oh, and an iced Americano.”

That’s how it was portrayed in TV dramas.

Because he spoke while eating, Ye Tingtong successfully choked. After thumping his chest a few times, a glass of soy milk was handed to him.

He quickly accepted it and finished most of the glass in one go.

Ye Tingtong let out a long sigh, put down the glass, and only then did he notice that Shen Jun was watching him. He coughed, “Um, I don’t usually eat like this…”

The contractual marriage that Shen Jun proposed last night made him feel a bit giddy. He also lost the vigilance and restraint he usually had when interacting with people and, by accident, seemed to have gotten a bit too rough.

Would Shen Jun regret his decision?

Fortunately, Shen Jun was not scared off. After breakfast, he took him out as usual.

Before they could register the marriage, Ye Tingtong needed to go back to his rental to get his household registration book.

After opening the door, Ye Tingtong was so shocked by what he saw inside that he couldn’t recover for a long time.

The room was a mess, furniture was toppled over, like someone had violently searched the place. The bedroom was the worst hit. The clothes in his wardrobe were dragged out and thrown on the floor, with clear footprints on top.

Ye Tingtong was both angry and saddened. Many of the clothes he had only worn once or twice had been ruined like this.

He was just about to pick up the scarf that Shen Minghuai had given him from the floor when Shen Jun said in a low voice, “Don’t want it, someone must have touched it.”

Despite the heartache, Ye Tingtong still put the scarf down.

Shen Jun was right. Ye Guodong didn’t know what kind of people he found to make trouble, not only were they looking for valuable things, it was also to threaten him in disguise. Maybe they had installed cameras or something in the room.

Thinking of this, Ye Tingtong quickly pulled out a box from under the bed and took out the household registration book from a compartment underneath, “Let’s go quickly, otherwise they’ll come after us.”

Shen Jun looked at the household registration book in his arms, “Not taking anything else?”

This was a place where Ye Tingtong had lived for a long time. He should have a lot of luggage to take with him.

Ye Tingtong subconsciously looked at the scarf on the floor. There was a reason for things to be expensive, this thing was quite warm.

Shen Jun: “Besides that.”

Ye Tingtong thought for a while, and picked up a large cardboard box from the living room, “I almost forgot about it!”

Maybe because it looked too cheap, there were no signs that this box had been damaged. Ye Tingtong opened it and took a look, “The snacks are still there!”

This was his snack cabinet. Every time he went out to play, Ye Tingtong would hide some snacks to bring back and put in it. When he got a craving, he would dig into it.

After all, he didn’t have any money at all and relied on the school cafeteria and Shen Minghuai taking him out to eat. These snacks were an absolute luxury for him.

The snack cabinet was very big, and with the addition of a lot of dried fruit and puffed food, Ye Tingtong couldn’t even see the road ahead when he picked it up.

Shen Jun reached out, “Give it to me.”

Hearing this, Ye Tingtong opened the box and took out a bag of dried fruit that looked the most expensive and put it in Shen Jun’s palm, “This?”

Shen Jun looked at the snack in his palm and was silent for a long time. Then, he stuffed the snack into Ye Tingtong’s coat pocket. Then, he reached out and directly picked up the snack box.

The thing that Ye Tingtong needed both hands to hold was circled up by one hand by Shen Jun, his line of sight not being affected at all, and he walked steadily.

Ye Tingtong was stunned for a while before following after him, his ears red.

It wasn’t that he was just stupid and misunderstood, it was that Shen Jun looked so noble and arrogant, carrying his broken box was too out of place. He didn’t dare to think in that direction at all.

Shen Jun had a calm expression, without the burden that Ye Tingtong had imagined. Not only did he help take things, he also properly put his box in the trunk.

Ye Tingtong looked at the gray and dusty dirt on Shen Jun’s coat and the luxury car in front of him, feeling like his snack cabinet had also seen the world.

Before they set off, Shen Jun received a call that made him wait a moment.

Ye Tingtong obediently nodded, gesturing for him to go ahead with his work.

While getting the marriage certificate was urgent, it wasn’t that urgent.

He checked, the civil affairs bureau closed at five in the afternoon. It would take them half an hour to drive there and, even if they added medical examination and a bunch of other messy things, it would be enough time.

Shen Jun seemed to be talking about work, there were a bunch of terms that he didn’t understand which made him, who was already full of energy, feel sleepy.

Ye Tingtong yawned and leaned against the side of the car. He took out some dried fruit from his pocket and, while eating, secretly looked at Shen Jun’s back.

Shen Jun seemed to be a head taller than him, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The well-tailored suit made him look mature and capable, perfectly in line with Ye Tingtong’s image of a big shot.

As Ye Tingtong was admiring him, another car drove into the residential area. The security guard at the gate helped to open the car door and then pointed in Ye Tingtong’s direction.

Ye Tingtong’s heart skipped a beat.

The house in this residential area was rented for him by Ye Guodong. The security guard was very familiar with Ye Guodong.

Earlier he didn’t get out of Shen Jun’s car so maybe the security guard hadn’t recognized him, but now he was standing at the gate for so long, the security guard had seen him and informed Ye Guodong.

Sure enough, Ye Guodong got out of the passenger seat, and a burly man with a red tattoo on his neck got out of the driver’s seat.

Ye Tingtong felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave. Those terrifying memories from the depths of his mind instantly flooded up.

During the days when Ye Guodong was absent, this tattooed man would watch over him.

When he was in the darkness, the small window at the door would occasionally open, revealing the tattooed man’s sinister face.

Ye Tingtong couldn’t describe that feeling. It was the only opportunity he had to see any light each day. The look of expectation would instantly disappear the moment he saw the tattooed man.

The tattooed man seemed to enjoy seeing Ye Tingtong’s desperate expression. To prevent any light from getting through, he would use cotton to plug the cracks in the door. He would occasionally come to check on Ye Tingtong twice a day, using this method to torture him.

Moreover, it wasn’t only mental torture, this man was merciless when beating people. Ye Guodong would just vent his anger, but the tattooed man would specifically aim for his pain points. Every time, he would end up lying on the ground, curled up in pain.

The moment he saw the other person, Ye Tingtong didn’t hesitate, and turned around to run.

He had only one thought in his mind—

He couldn’t be caught.

The moment Ye Tingtong started running, he clearly heard the commotion from not far behind him. Clearly, Ye Guodong and the others had found him and were catching up.

It wasn’t far from here to A University. However, Ye Tingtong knew that with his physical strength, he would be caught before he could run into A University.

Ye Tingtong suddenly changed direction and ran into the parking garage without hesitation.

He didn’t have a car and didn’t know where the underground parking garage was. It wasn’t until one winter when he had seen a stray cat in the residential area and chased after it that he had found out they were secretly hiding in a corner of the underground parking garage.

The residential area didn’t allow stray cats and dogs. It was clear that it had just arrived and, even though it was being chased away, it was forced to hide because winter was coming.

The cat was very wary, it hissed and raised its claws when it saw Ye Tingtong. However, it got better after he had fed it a few times. At least, it wouldn’t hide when it saw him, and would occasionally rub its nose, with its little black dot, against his hand.

Ye Tingtong didn’t know if it could get through the winter safely. He could only put some old clothes in the corner. However, it had disappeared a few days later and even the nest he had made for it had disappeared.

Ye Tingtong rubbed his eyes and curled up into a ball, the sound of a rapidly beating heart echoing in his ears.

There were no cats in this corner now, only himself being chased.

He gently took out his phone from his pocket and, instinctively, wanted to ask Yu Huanhuan for help. However, after opening WeChat, he suddenly saw Shen Jun’s name in the list.

Ye Tingtong: “?!”

How could he be so stupid as to forget about Shen Jun!

There was no use regretting it now. He had just wanted to call Shen Jun when heavy footsteps suddenly sounded nearby. He could only try to lower his presence and quietly sent a message to Shen Jun.

[Ye Tingtong: Ye Guodong is chasing me with some people, can you find someone to come save me?]

He could see Ye Guodong and the tattooed man split up from afar. Ye Guodong was responsible for searching the other side and the tattooed man was responsible for his side. He was also holding a rope that looked familiar.

Shen Jun came here alone today, without any assistants or bodyguards. He wasn’t sure if Ye Guodong would be stupid enough to go against someone like that. Just to be safe, it would be best to find reinforcements.

He sent a message and was worried that the other person wouldn’t see it or wouldn’t reply like before when his phone quickly vibrated.

[Shen Jun: Where are you?]

The sound of a “ding” was especially clear in the quiet underground parking garage.

Ye Tingtong’s face instantly paled. He had forgotten that to make sure he received Shen Jun’s message, he had set a special notification and ringtone for him.

It had never sounded before, but he didn’t expect that now it had become a death reminder revealing his location.

The tattooed man heard the noise and quickly rushed over.

Ye Tingtong immediately stood up and ran. In a panic, he sent a voice message to Shen Jun.

[Ye Tingtong: I’m near the upper right corner of the underground parking garage, there’s a tattooed man who’s very good at fighting, he’s chasing me, don’t come.]

There was a big difference in their physical strength. Ye Tingtong was being caught up to at a speed that could be seen by the naked eye.

The tattooed man seemed to enjoy Ye Tingtong’s flustered appearance. He was teasing him like a cat playing with a mouse. Ye Tingtong tripped on the speed bump on the ground and fell heavily.

Even though Ye Tingtong believed that Shen Jun would come to save him, he still couldn’t stop feeling panicked. In the end, in his panic, he ran into the dead end he was in before and was completely blocked.

Ye Tingtong tasted blood.

He had scraped his face when he fell just now. His chin had also been hit and he had bit his tongue.

Ye Tingtong touched his face, it was wet and sticky, it was blood.

The tattooed man had also seen the blood on his face and spat, “Damn it, I messed up.”

The most valuable thing about this kid was his face.

Seeing him approach, Ye Tingtong couldn’t help but squat down and cover his head, “Please, don’t hit me, I won’t run.”

“Damn, you say that every time—”

The tattooed man was just about to pull him up when his neck was suddenly grabbed and choked. With the force against him, he couldn’t break free for a moment and was forced to stagger backwards with the force.

In a daze, Ye Tingtong seemed to hear the tattooed man’s screams. When he just raised his head, he saw a horrific scene.

The rope that was originally used to catch him was somehow in Shen Jun’s hands. Shen Jun used the rope to choke the tattooed man’s neck, his right hand grabbing his hair, and expressionlessly smashing him against a car.

With a loud bang, the car body caved in, the car making a sharp honking sound.

Ye Tingtong stared blankly as the tattooed man slid down the car like a pile of rotten meat.

Shen Jun walked up to him, the smell of blood on his body was even stronger than it was on Ye Tingtong.

He looked down at Ye Tingtong and reached out his left hand, “Can you get up?”

Ye Tingtong wanted to reach out to take his hand but, when he moved, a sharp pain came from his elbow. Also, because he had been running and was so scared, his legs had gone weak. He couldn’t stand up at all.

He looked up, his face pale, “Shen Jun, I think I broke my bones.”

Ye Tingtong’s face was scratched, his nose and eyes were red, like a small animal at its wit’s end, sending out a whimper of a plea for help to Shen Jun.

Shen Jun squatted down and looked at his straight legs and the scrape marks on his arm.

Ye Tingtong saw that Shen Jun was observing him and covered his face immediately.

The only thing he could show off was his face. Now that it was damaged, he didn’t know if Shen Jun would be disgusted with him.

Shen Jun looked at the arm that he had quickly raised and came to a conclusion, “Your bones aren’t broken.”

Ye Tingtong sniffled aggrievedly, “Really? Then why can’t I move?”

He tried to stand up, but he couldn’t use any strength at all.

His face also hurt.

Ye Tingtong thought of something and carefully asked, “Am I very ugly now?”

“Will you not marry me because of this?”

Shen Jun reached out and picked him up by his waist, “My decision won’t change because of something like this.”

Ye Tingtong instinctively changed his hands, which were covering his face, to hug Shen Jun’s neck.

Shen Jun looked down at the tense, little, dirty face in his arms, paused for a moment and then said again, “And, you’re not ugly.”