Chapter 82: Is That So

Shen Xici complained in his heart that some people, who were clearly already checking, still had to put on an act and ask if he minded, as if they were some kind of polite gentleman.

But soon, he had no time to think about these things.

After being together for nearly three months, Shen Xici wasn’t sure if his body was too sensitive when it came to Sheng Shaoyan, or if with Sheng Shaoyan’s top-tier intelligence, he learned everything quickly, his techniques skillful, easily pulling him into a vortex.

Just like now, with most of his body still submerged in the warm water of the pool, Shen Xici already felt like he was about to melt from the heat. His arms were draped over the edge of the pool, but he had no strength left. If Sheng Shaoyan hadn’t been supporting him from behind, he would have long since slid into the water from exhaustion.

Kisses rained down on the back of his neck, his shoulders, his back…

It was too thorough. Shen Xici didn’t know why checking if he was injured required this level of detail, as if a king were inspecting his territory, not sparing a single inch.

The trembling and itching brewed into a wave, crashing heavily against his every nerve like waves hitting a reef.

Shen Xici couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a muffled groan. The fingertips of the hand he had placed on the edge of the pool turned white from the force, wanting to grab onto something. Soon, another pair of hands covered the back of his, their five fingers intertwining with his, holding them tight.

With only a sliver of reason left, Shen Xici questioned, “Didn’t you say… you were checking?”

“I am checking. I haven’t found any injuries yet.”

Sheng Shaoyan’s movements didn’t stop. He looked at Shen Xici from the side, seeing his skin flush and his lips the color of rose juice. His eyes were unfocused. He couldn’t help but gently kiss the corner of his eye and sigh, “I love you, Xici.”

Shen Xici’s vision blurred. He instinctively tilted his head back to find Sheng Shaoyan’s lips, like a thirsty traveler in the desert.

Sensing his urgency, Sheng Shaoyan sucked on his lips, kissing him gently, generously giving him the love he desired.

…

Coming out of the shower area, Shen Xici was wrapped in a large white towel, his legs still a little weak.

As he passed by the mirror, he habitually glanced at his reflection, as he usually did, to judge if there was anything abnormal or if he was injured somewhere without noticing.

Unexpectedly, as he met his own gaze in the mirror, Shen Xici found that his eyes… why were they like this? Like a pool of water that had been shattered.

His heart skipped a beat. Shen Xici hurriedly averted his gaze, then remembered that almost his entire body had been kissed twice before Sheng Shaoyan finally relented and said the check was complete, no injuries found.

His mind went hot. Shen Xici quickened his pace, swiftly moving away from the mirror’s range.

It started to rain outside the glass wall. The dense rain flowed down the steel frame structure like a waterfall.

Seeing Sheng Shaoyan bring over the clean clothes that had been delivered, Shen Xici pointed at the rain on the glass wall and suddenly thought, “A’Shao, do you think that for the ants outside the glass wall, it’s like hundreds of thousands of rivers have suddenly appeared?”

Sheng Shaoyan was drying his hair with a towel. “Yes. And when the sun rises, these rivers will disappear, and the ants can go home.”

Under the towel, Shen Xici was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh—any of his strange thoughts would be properly placed by Sheng Shaoyan.

Changing into clean clothes, Shen Xici chatted idly, “I gave big red envelopes to Sister Lanjing, Xiaoshan, and Xiaoning. Because of the movie release, they’ve been busy from New Year’s Day until now. They all have dark circles under their eyes. After this period of busyness is over, I’ll give them all a vacation.”

Sheng Shaoyan was blow-drying Shen Xici’s hair. “You did the right thing. Ge Lanjing is very capable, and Lan Xiaoshan has potential for development. This team will work even more diligently for you in the future.”

The corridor from the swimming pool to the living room was very long. On the walls on both sides hung famous paintings from auctions around the world. Shen Xici loved looking at these paintings. Almost every time, he would discover one or several wonderful brushstrokes left by the artist hundreds of years ago, giving him a sense of surprise that transcended time and space.

The crisp sound of footsteps on the marble floor, mixed with the sound of rain outside the window, made the surroundings quiet.

Under the spotlights, Shen Xici was holding Sheng Shaoyan’s hand, looking at the silent, mountain-like man beside him. He swung their linked hands and asked directly, “A’Shao, what are you thinking about? Did something happen?”

Sheng Shaoyan was silent for a moment before answering, “Last time when we went back to Grandpa He’s, Grandpa He told me about Zhuo Suli.”

From the very beginning, he had avoided calling those two people Shen Xici’s “parents.”

Shen Xici didn’t expect it to be about this. “And then?”

Sheng Shaoyan looked at him. “I went to find Zhuo Suli.”

Noticing the heartache and pity in Sheng Shaoyan’s eyes, Shen Xici understood what had made Sheng Shaoyan hesitate for so long before finally deciding to speak.

Worried that Shen Xici would hold a grudge, Sheng Shaoyan immediately explained, “That village chief said that before Zhuo Suli left, she said she was going to find her son, and that her son had lots and lots of money and wouldn’t ignore her. But she didn’t come to find you. And the ‘you’ she described always seemed strange to me.”

At this point, noticing Shen Xici’s calm and somewhat understanding expression, Sheng Shaoyan’s gaze sharpened, and his grip on Shen Xici’s hand tightened. “You already knew?”

It was a question, but it already had a hint of certainty.

Shen Xici didn’t hide it. “Yes. If you’re referring to the fact that I’m not Zhuo Suli and Wu Licheng’s biological child, I did know. The person she was looking for back then was not me.”

He smiled. “Actually, it’s not a very difficult thing to confirm. It’s just that Zhuo Suli had always hidden it very well and never let it slip. It’s just that I had never thought in that direction before.”

Sheng Shaoyan thought that Shen Xici had also become suspicious because of that sentence. Everyone has a past they don’t want to bring up. He didn’t press further and directly stated the results of his investigation. “I found out that she went to find Xu Lingjia, and then she disappeared.”

Shen Xici’s footsteps paused.

Outside the gate of a high-end residential complex, Cheng Ningyu adjusted her sunglasses, her tone sharp. “Looked at the house but didn’t buy it. Said something about tight cash flow. Wasting my time!”

These past few days, because JiaRui Media wouldn’t budge at all, under the pressure of huge debts, Cheng Ningyu had put everything she could sell on the market. All her properties were listed, but the housing market was bleak now, and it was difficult to cash out. Their real estate investments over the years hadn’t been very successful, and several properties had no takers.

It wasn’t until today that an old acquaintance said they should have a meal together and talk about the house.

Unexpectedly, after the meal was eaten, the bill paid, and the house seen, the other party said their cash flow was tight and decided against buying it.

What was the difference between this and leading someone on?

Cheng Ningyu had been at her wit’s end these past few days. The jewelry and clothes she had bought, the limited-edition bags, the luxury cars—every time one was taken away, her heart bled.

Seeing Xu Lingjia silently following beside her, a fire ignited in her heart. “How could I have a son like you? Those people online aren’t wrong. You’re just a pile of mud that can’t be propped up! A jinx!”

Xu Lingjia’s lips curved into a sarcastic smile. “I’m so sorry, but I am your son. You want to get rid of me? Don’t even think about it in this lifetime. Our interests are one and the same. Don’t forget, you’re the one who taught me that since I was a child.”

As for the truth, in this lifetime, as long as he didn’t say it, who would know?

Cheng Ningyu clutched her bag, wanting to lash out, but meeting Xu Lingjia’s increasingly gloomy eyes these days, she forced her anger down and warned in a low voice, “I’ll say it again. I will do my best to help you repay the money, but I’m not sure how much I can repay. You keep your mouth shut.”

Xu Lingjia nodded. “Of course. I’ve always been very sensible, haven’t I?”

They stood at the gate, waiting for a car to pick them up. Before long, Xu Yuanjin’s white Audi slowly approached. Xu Lingjia pulled at the mask on his face and faintly heard the sound of a camera shutter.

He looked around warily, his intuition telling him something was not right. Taking a step forward, Xu Lingjia said, “I think there are reporters. When Dad stops the car, we’ll get in and leave quickly.”

“Okay, I know.” Cheng Ningyu didn’t want to be photographed not only selling her house but also having sold off her decent cars, leaving only a cheap Audi. She couldn’t afford to lose this face.

Xu Yuanjin’s car stopped by the roadside. Just as Xu Lingjia and Cheng Ningyu were about to walk forward, several people suddenly ran out from a few cars dozens of meters away, each holding a microphone and a camera.

Xu Lingjia’s face changed. “Shit, it’s reporters! Mom, let’s go!”

Just then, a hysterical voice came through, “She’s not your mom! Jiajia, didn’t you say that I’m your real mom, that I’m the person you’re most grateful for in this world, and that I’m the person you love the most?”

Xu Lingjia’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if he had encountered something terrifying. Cold sweat immediately covered his entire forehead.

He was petrified, nailed to the spot, not even daring to turn his head, completely motionless.

In just a few seconds, they were surrounded by reporters.

Cheng Ningyu straightened her hair, frowning as she whispered to Xu Lingjia, “Who is that dirty-looking crazy woman? What does she mean, what real mom? What is she talking about?”

Xu Lingjia struggled to open his mouth. “You… you can see her too? She’s not… a ghost?”

Cheng Ningyu was puzzled. “What ghost? Of course I can see her. What’s wrong with you? Do you know her?”

Xu Lingjia’s neck turned stiffly. He saw the woman he thought he would never see again in this lifetime appear before him once more.

Seeing Xu Lingjia look over, Zhuo Suli immediately burst into tears, her messy hair sticking to her face. “Jiajia, Mom listened to everything you said. You said no one could know that you’re not the Xu family’s biological son, that you were switched at birth. Mom kept the secret and didn’t say a single word. But Mom loves you so much, why did you have to force Mom to die?”

At this moment, everyone’s eyes were on him, as were the large and small camera lenses, and on the other side of those lenses, thousands upon thousands of pairs of eyes were all focused on him.

Xu Lingjia’s lips trembled. “Shut up… shut up…”

Zhuo Suli was still wailing.

Xu Lingjia suddenly shouted, “You fucking shut up for me!”

Zhuo Suli was stunned by the shout, looking at Xu Lingjia in utter grief, and began to cry mournfully again.

The reporters’ microphones kept pushing forward.

“Xu Lingjia, is what this woman, Zhuo Suli, said true? That she secretly took away the son Cheng Ningyu gave birth to and left you in his place, making you impersonate Cheng Ningyu’s biological son? That you are not the Xu family’s biological child, is that so?”

“Your mother said that after you found out the truth, you were unwilling to acknowledge her and kept forcing her to die for your future, saying that only if she died would no one ever know this secret, and your life wouldn’t be ruined. Is this a fact?”

“May I ask…”

“May I ask…”

Countless voices drilled into his ears. Xu Lingjia’s pupils constricted, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.