Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 35
byTesting the Waters
Lu Shen didn’t know how to answer that question.
He wasn’t sure why Shen Zhiyu was asking.
If he said yes, would it deepen Shen Zhiyu’s affection? If he said no, then how should he explain the action of sleeping with him?
How could he answer in a way that both cut off Shen Zhiyu’s interest and provided a reasonable explanation?
Lu Shen thought for a moment and replied, “You two clash in type.”
Shen Zhiyu: “?”
Then he reacted and cursed loudly, “Lu Shen, you shameless bastard!”
Lu Shen: ….
The “type” he meant was physical type, not *that* type.
But the person who misunderstood had already stormed off in anger.
Shen Zhiyu returned to his room and blasted music at full volume. He didn’t care if anyone was sleeping; he hoped it would wake them up!
Why were they sleeping in the middle of the day anyway!
The music didn’t wake Yuan Chong, but it made Jiang Zhou even more irritable.
Wei Yan had just sent him a message: Shen Zhiyu had accepted a martial arts film invested in by Languang Media. He wasn’t playing the male lead, but a supporting villain role, Male N.
Jiang Zhou flipped through the script summary Wei Yan had sent.
This was a martial arts film centered on a strong female protagonist, directed by the renowned Xie Mingwei. It told the story of Ye Shuang, a genius direct descendant of the Heavenly Sword Sect. On her coming-of-age ceremony, she was poisoned, her meridians froze, and she became a cripple, subsequently being expelled from the sect.
After ten years of enduring hardship, she rebuilt her meridians, mastered a set of bizarre and unpredictable martial arts, and used intelligence to manipulate the major sects into turning against each other, ultimately ascending to the position of Martial Arts Alliance Leader.
The role Shen Zhiyu chose was the senior disciple who, driven by jealousy, was incited and persuaded to administer the poison.
This kind of villain role was not a nuanced antagonist that could earn the audience’s empathy through acting; it was merely a simple plot device.
Playing such a villain was detrimental to an actor’s positive image promotion. Any popular young star who ranked highly in the entertainment industry would avoid such a role.
Using this role as Shen Zhiyu’s screen debut after returning to the country was a poor choice.
Jiang Zhou didn’t know what Shen Zhiyu’s intention was in choosing this role.
The loud music was deafening.
This was the first time Shen Zhiyu had acted so unusually.
Jiang Zhou went to knock on Shen Zhiyu’s door. After knocking for a while, no one answered.
Jiang Zhou was a little worried, so he turned the doorknob. The door wasn’t locked, and he pushed it open.
The room lights were off, and the sunlight from outside was blocked by the heavy curtains, leaving the interior in gloom.
The sound waves in the room were even louder, making Jiang Zhou feel dizzy.
He searched the dim light for Shen Zhiyu’s figure. He was lying lazily on the sofa, eyes closed.
The speaker was placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa.
Jiang Zhou walked over and turned the music volume down.
Shen Zhiyu didn’t move, seemingly asleep.
Jiang Zhou fetched a blanket to cover him, preparing to leave.
A hand emerged from the sofa, and in the dim light, it accurately grabbed Jiang Zhou’s wrist.
The hand pulled slightly, bringing Jiang Zhou down.
His knees hit the floor with a distinct, sharp sound.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Zhou didn’t make a sound, nor did he even frown.
Shen Zhiyu looked at him, his sharp gaze like a predator hunting in the dark.
He sneered, “You’re so happy to see him that you don’t even feel pain when you fall? Do you even feel good about it?”
Jiang Zhou: ….
It didn’t hurt anyway.
He remained silent, and Shen Zhiyu grew irritated seeing his spineless appearance.
“I ruined your plans, aren’t you angry?”
Jiang Zhou tried to pull his hand away but couldn’t.
Jiang Zhou knew he was referring to the matter of separate rooms.
“No,” Jiang Zhou shook his head.
“It better be no.” Shen Zhiyu narrowed his eyes, but still asked the question, “Do Yuan Chong and I clash in type?”
“Huh?”
“Physical type.”
Jiang Zhou: ….
Of course, he knew it was physical type; what other type could it be?
He just hadn’t expected Shen Zhiyu to ask this question.
The two men actually shared a similar style of appearance—both were striking, with high noses and deep-set eyes. However, their eyes were different. Although both had upturned eyes, Yuan Chong’s inner corners were sharper, and his outer corners were long and narrow like a fox, adding a hint of allure. Shen Zhiyu’s eye lines were softer, and the overall curve was a naturally rising peach blossom eye.
Their heights were also similar, but Yuan Chong had taken up fitness in the past two years, developing a muscular physique and a light tan. Shen Zhiyu was entirely fair-skinned, and his muscle definition wasn’t overly exaggerated, fitting the currently popular “thin muscle” look.
Their personalities were also completely different.
Shen Zhiyu was asking about their physical appearance.
Jiang Zhou answered honestly, “A little.”
Shen Zhiyu gritted his teeth and then asked his next conjecture, “So…”
“You became my fan because of Yuan Chong?”
Jiang Zhou hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded honestly.
If he put it that way, it wasn’t wrong.
In college, after Yuan Chong learned about Jiang Zhou’s complex feelings for Shen Zhiyu, he dragged him to LUMEN’s concerts and took him to offline events and fan meetings. That was how Jiang Zhou learned about being a fan.
Seeing Jiang Zhou admit it so readily, Shen Zhiyu felt deeply uncomfortable.
So he was just the secondary choice.
In Jiang Zhou’s eyes, Yuan Chong was the ‘white moonlight,’ and he was only fortunate enough to be idolized by Jiang Zhou because he resembled the white moonlight.
Yet, he had been so self-important, thinking Jiang Zhou had poor taste, and had sent him his own photos for several days to “cleanse his eyes.”
Looking back now, it was ridiculous.
Even more ridiculous was that Shen Zhiyu realized that even at this point, he still didn’t want to let Jiang Zhou go.
The taste he had experienced last time was too wonderful, leaving him captivated and unforgettable.
Shen Zhiyu thought, perhaps this was what people often called physiological attraction.
He liked Jiang Zhou’s body.
Shen Zhiyu never considered himself a good person.
To crush Jiang Zhou’s fantasy about Yuan Chong, he bluntly threw out a cold fact.
“He slept with Lu Shen.”
His topic shift was too sudden.
Jiang Zhou didn’t know why the conversation had suddenly turned to Lu Shen and hadn’t reacted yet. “Who?”
“Yuan Chong.”
Jiang Zhou was surprised for a moment, but quickly calmed down.
Yuan Chong loved challenges and was enthusiastic about dragging serious people into the abyss.
Moreover, Yuan Chong didn’t have strong moral constraints. He always adhered to the philosophy of living for the moment and actively practiced this belief.
Yuan Chong hadn’t made a move before, partly out of consideration for Jiang Zhou and partly due to the Lu family’s background. When he checked the surveillance footage and saw that Lu Shen had arrived with Shen Zhiyu, Yuan Chong had even solemnly promised Jiang Zhou that he would never target Lu Shen.
It had only been a month, and he had changed his mind.
Jiang Zhou wondered what had happened between them.
Seeing Jiang Zhou accept the fact so quickly gave Shen Zhiyu a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.
“And you still like him?”
Jiang Zhou realized his expression was wrong.
In Shen Zhiyu’s eyes, having secretly loved Yuan Chong for years, he shouldn’t appear so calm upon hearing this news.
Jiang Zhou sighed softly, “I’m used to it.”
Hopeless.
Completely hopeless.
Shen Zhiyu released his hand, stopped looking at him, and closed his eyes with an expression of impatience.
Jiang Zhou left.
After he left, Shen Zhiyu immediately opened his eyes.
He wasn’t a good person anyway.
If Jiang Zhou continued to be so stubbornly infatuated, taking him by force wouldn’t be out of the question.
In any case, he was determined to taste this forcibly twisted melon.
—-
Yuan Chong slept straight through until the evening gathering.
He was the most relaxed guest the director had ever seen recording the show.
When others came to record, whether they were ordinary people or celebrities, they would at least put on a show, seeking exposure and avoiding criticism from netizens.
Yuan Chong genuinely slept. He had been there for most of the day, and the only footage of him was the scene where he ate.
Truly worthy of being CEO Jiang’s friend, full of personality.
In the evening, everyone gathered at the ancestral hall.
Just like on their first day, the production team prepared a lavish dinner and song and dance performances for the guests.
After dinner, Cai Zhiyang organized everyone to play a game.
“This is our last night in Taoyuan. To bring things full circle, how about we play ‘I Have, You Don’t’ again tonight?”
The guests had no objections. Cai Zhiyang briefly explained the rules and led everyone in reciting the game oath again.
Jiang Zhou sat in the outermost seat, and the game started with him.
“I ate tea-leaf fried crispy bone for lunch.”
Except for the three people from Youran Residence, all the other guests folded a finger.
Cai Zhiyang: “CEO Jiang! Didn’t the four of you eat together at noon? You have to fold three fingers!”
Jiang Zhou was embarrassed. “It’s been too long since I played; I forgot.”
“CEO Jiang, you’ve hurt the enemy by five hundred and damaged yourself by a thousand.”
Next was Yuan Chong’s turn.
Yuan Chong was an old hand; this game was a piece of cake for him.
He not only knew how to play but also how to make it explosive.
“I’ve slept with Little Zhou Zhou.”
As soon as he said this, the entire venue erupted!
Seeing the atmosphere perfectly set, Yuan Chong cleared his throat and said earnestly, “Don’t get the wrong idea. The sleeping I mean is proper sleeping.”
Cai Zhiyang cautiously verified, “Does it require sharing the same bed, or does sleeping in the same space count?”
The other guests recalled the night they all slept on the floor mats at the observation deck.
“Sleeping in the same space counts.”
“Hahaha, all seven of us have slept with CEO Jiang. CEO Yuan, you have to fold seven fingers at once!”
Yuan Chong: “?”
Dong Qianqian explained, “We slept together on floor mats at the observation deck a few days ago while waiting for the sunrise.”
Yuan Chong was caught off guard and immediately folded seven fingers.
It was Lu Shen’s turn.
Lu Shen: “I only arrived in Taoyuan today.”
The veteran guests all folded a finger.
Then it was Shen Zhiyu’s turn.
Shen Zhiyu was determined to compete with Yuan Chong and also intended to test the level of intimacy between Yuan Chong and Jiang Zhou.
“I’ve stayed at CEO Jiang’s house.”
The veteran guests knew Shen Zhiyu was referring to the day of the tea-picking competition when a sudden downpour occurred, and Shen Zhiyu fainted due to low blood sugar, staying overnight at Jiang Zhou’s house.
Yuan Chong didn’t know about this and looked at Jiang Zhou in astonishment, his eyes carrying a questioning look.
Jiang Zhou didn’t dare look at him, his body instinctively shrinking back.
Cai Zhiyang sensed the tense atmosphere and noticed the strange dynamic between Yuan Chong and Jiang Zhou, forming a hypothesis in his mind.
He quickly clarified, “Hey! Last time, Brother Yu fainted in the heavy rain, which gave us quite a scare! Luckily, CEO Jiang’s house was close to the tea plantation.”
Shen Zhiyu shot him a cold look.
Cai Zhiyang read four words in that look: You talk too much.
So, he immediately shut up.
Yuan Chong looked at Shen Zhiyu and smiled, “Teacher Shen is so good to me, protecting me so obviously.”
“I’ve also stayed at Little Zhou Zhou’s house, many times, too many to count.”