BF Chapter 39

T/N: Kind suggestion to put on a piano cover of Golden Hour when reading this~ It really sets the mood.

 

In the afternoon, Zhan Shili’s car pulled into the Xu Family estate. As he parked, he heard the faint sound of piano music. He rolled down the car window and listened quietly for a moment before opening the door and getting out.

 

Following the path through the back garden, he made his way inside. Sure enough, the person sitting at the piano beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the terrace was Xu Shen.

 

Eyes closed, his fingers flew across the piano keys, producing a crystalline, ethereal sound, quite different from the one he had heard before.

 

Sunlight spilled over him, light and shadow blurring about his figure like a deity that had descended into the mortal world.

 

Zhan Shili stood to the side for a while until Xu Shen stopped and glanced over at him.

 

“You’re here.”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “What were you playing today?”

 

Xu Shen looked at him and said, “Golden Hour, does it sound good?”

 

Zhan Shili nodded earnestly: “Very.”

 

Xu Shen smiled, and the light seemed to flow into his eyes as well: “Glad you like it.”

 

Zhan Shili had come to report to Xu Shiji about work, so he headed to the front of the mansion first.

 

Xu Shiji had not slept well the night before and was still taking his afternoon nap. The butler asked Zhan Shili to wait in the living room for a while.

 

Qin Su appeared by the staircase on the second floor, dressed in a robe with a languid expression, calling down to him: “Nic, come upstairs and wait.”

 

Zhan Shili looked up. There seemed to be a hook in the woman’s gaze. After she finished speaking, she turned around and went back into the room with a smile.

 

Zhan Shili glanced at his watch, then went upstairs.

 

The master suite Xu Shiji and Qin Su shared was enormous, with a living room in the middle and bedrooms, bathrooms, and walk-in closets on either side.

 

The bedroom door was closed. Qin Su was leaning back on the sofa in the living room drinking coffee, and gestured for Zhan Shili to sit.

 

She was still wearing the same loose, carelessly draped robe. Her long hair was gathered over one shoulder, exposing a large expanse of fair skin along the other side of her neck, with her shoulder and collarbone faintly visible beneath it.

 

“Want some coffee? I just made it.”

 

Zhan Shili remained composed and did not refuse her invitation.

 

The two chatted idly. Qin Su casually brought up one topic after another, her voice soft and gentle, though her intentions clearly lay elsewhere.

 

Zhan Shili skillfully deflected every advance. He was neither overly cold nor did he respond to the woman’s deliberate and not-so-deliberate hints.

 

When the coffee was almost finished, Qin Su mentioned that she had an event with the women’s association later and needed to change. Telling Zhan Shili to make himself comfortable, she got up and went into the walk-in closet.

 

Zhan Shili’s phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID, put on his headphones, and answered.

 

“You went into my dad’s room? He’s not awake yet, is he?” Xu Shen’s voice, wearing a half-smile, came through. “What are you and my stepmother doing in there all alone?”

 

Zhan Shili gave an offhanded “hmm,” with little interest in elaborating.

 

Xu Shen realized as soon as he heard his tone: “She even dares to hit on you right under my dad’s nose?”

 

Zhan Shili said, “Nothing unusual.”

 

Xu Shen asked, “And you? Are you enjoying it?”

 

Zhan Shili refused to answer his pointless question.

 

A few minutes later, Qin Su’s soft voice came from the walk-in closet: “Nic, come help me with something.”

 

Zhan Shili set down his coffee cup and walked over. Qin Su had changed into a fitted formal dress that left most of her back bare. She looked over her shoulder, signaling for Zhan Shili to zip it up for her: “Sorry to trouble you.”

 

Zhan Shili did not hang up. Looking directly into Qin Su’s flirtatious eyes, he said with perfect seriousness, “Madam, that wouldn’t be appropriate.”

 

Xu Shen burst out laughing.

 

The call ended.

 

Xu Shen remained seated at the piano, his fingertips wandering idly across the keys, mirroring his slightly unsettled state of mind.

 

Half an hour later, Qin Su left the house dressed gorgeously. Xu Shen saw her walking towards the carport from afar, lowering his eyes to conceal the coldness within them, and continued playing the piano.

 

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The following week, Zhaoqi held its 45th anniversary reception.

 

Xu Shiji, who had not appeared publicly for some time, attended the reception looking remarkably well, putting an end to outside rumors that the Zhaoqi’s chairman’s health was deteriorating.

 

Xu Shen stayed in the lounge, uninterested in rushing to steal the limelight at a time like this. He slowly swiped through the photos he had just received on his phone; each one was quite the sight.

 

Zhan Shili knocked and came in: “You’re not going to the main venue?”

 

Xu Shen kept his eyes on his phone screen and said, “Running around making myself conspicuous at a time like this won’t make anyone think more highly of me, so why bother?”

 

Zhan Shili closed the door behind him and walked over: “What are you looking at?”

 

Xu Shen handed him the phone, gesturing for him to see for himself.

 

Zhan Shili took it and casually swiped through a few photos. Every one was a candid shot of Qin Su entering or leaving places intimately with different men. The woman was alluring and charming; every man accompanying her, without exception, was young, tall, and powerfully built.

 

“You hired someone to secretly photograph her?”

 

“I hired some paparazzi,” Xu Shen propped his chin on one hand with a smile. “I didn’t expect her to be this bold, fooling around with more than one man behind his back.”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “She hasn’t offended you, has she? Is this really necessary?”

 

Xu Shen raised his eyes slightly and looked at him: “She has. She set her sights on my baby. Doesn’t that count as offending me?”

 

Zhan Shili handed the phone back: “What are you planning to do?”

 

Qin Su was not Xu Zikang—she had no value to exploit. If Xu Shen disliked her, he certainly would not go easy on her, and Zhan Shili had no intention of stopping him.

 

“Do you think my father will die of rage once he sees these photos?” Xu Shen was less like a wildcat and more like a smiling fox with a bellyful of wicked schemes. “But having him drop dead just like that won’t do. Better not go too far. Ideally, he’ll keep hanging on by a thread and extend his recovery period indefinitely.”

 

Zhan Shili understood: “So that’s what you’re after?”

 

Xu Shiji was strong-willed by nature and had already mentioned a couple of days ago that he wanted to return to the company. If he went back, no one else would get to keep putting on their show, and naturally, none of them wanted that.

 

Xu Shen asked, “What do you think?”

 

“Do as you like,” Zhan Shili said. “Are you handling it yourself?”

 

“Of course not.” Xu Shen held a burner SIM card between his fingers. “I’ll use this. After the reception ends tonight, I’ll send them to my second sister-in-law. Then, we can go home and simply enjoy the show.”

 

At 10:30 P.M. that night, the reception ended. Zhan Shili accompanied Xu Shiji’s car back to the estate.

 

As they entered the house, Lin Meina suddenly exclaimed while looking at her phone. Xu Ziren frowned and asked, “Why are you making such a fuss?”

 

Lin Meina side-eyed Qin Su, who was helping Xu Shiji sit down on the sofa, still completely unaware of what was happening. A mocking smile appeared on Lin Meina’s face as she said maliciously, “I suddenly received some photos from an unknown number. Gave me quite a fright. I have no idea who would play such a prank, fabricating photos like these to slander someone and deliberately sending them to me. Honestly.”

 

“What photos?” Xu Ziren reached for her phone. “Let me see.”

 

Xu Ziren took Lin Meina’s phone and swiped through two screens. His expression changed slightly, and he too looked toward Qin Su.

 

Qin Su was speaking softly to Xu Shiji and had yet to notice anything. Xu Shiji, however, caught the strange expressions on the couple’s faces and asked, “What happened? What photos did you receive?”

 

Lin Meina put on an affected expression: “Oh, it’s nothing. Father, you shouldn’t look at them. It’s probably just someone playing a prank, trying to slander stepmother and sow discord in our family.”

 

Hearing herself mentioned, Qin Su arched her brows and asked, “Slander me with what?”

 

Xu Shiji gestured toward Xu Ziren: “Give me the phone.”

 

What followed could only be described as chaos.

 

Qin Su was shocked at first, instinctively denying everything and trying to argue her way out of it, but the panic and guilt on her face had already betrayed her. She pleaded with Xu Shiji, who had turned livid as he sat there without a word, while simultaneously fending off Lin Meina’s verbal attacks, demanding to know whether Lin Meina had set all this up on purpose to target her.

 

Lin Meina had finally seized her chance and showed no mercy whatsoever. She no longer bothered claiming the photos were fabricated or that someone was trying to slander Qin Su. As their argument escalated, she blurted out that Qin Su was a shameless adulteress who had disgraced the entire family. Seeing Xu Shiji’s complexion growing worse by the second, Xu Ziren sharply cut his wife off in a low voice: “That’s enough. Stop talking.”

 

“Shiji, I really didn’t…”

 

In a panic, Qin Su grabbed Xu Shiji’s hand, trying to explain, but Xu Shiji violently flung her away. Caught off guard, she tumbled awkwardly from the sofa onto the floor. The jade bangle around her wrist struck the marble and shattered into pieces. Her palm came down on the fragments, immediately slicing open a bloody gash.

 

The woman cried out in pain. Xu Zijian rushed over and threw himself protectively around her. The child had no idea what had happened at all and glared furiously at Xu Shiji: “You’re not my daddy! You’re a bad person!”

 

“You… you all…” Xu Shiji was so angry that his entire body trembled, fainting while clutching his chest amidst the gasps of the crowd.

 

Xu Shen had gone to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. When he came back, he happened to catch this exact scene.

 

Xu Shiji lay unconscious on the sofa as everyone crowded around him in a fluster.

 

In the end, it was Zhan Shili, the calmest person present, who reminded the butler to call the doctor. He cradled Xu Shiji’s head and pressed firmly against his philtrum in an attempt to revive him.

 

And with that, the show came to an end.

 

Xu Shiji had suffered a stroke and was taken immediately to the hospital.

 

The hospital room was noisy and crowded with everyone gathered around the bed, all fussing over Xu Shiji who had just regained consciousness.

 

Xu Shen found it boring and turned to leave first. Zhan Shili glanced back at his retreating figure, only for Xu Zikang beside him to catch his hand: “Nic, I…”

 

Zhan Shili withdrew his gaze and said flatly, “Let’s go, it’s late. I’ll have the driver take you home first.”

 

Xu Zikang was hesitant: “But Father only just woke up…”

 

Zhan Shili said, “There’s no point in everyone crowding in here. Go home first.”

 

Seeing that there really was no room for him to squeeze in around the hospital bed anyway, Xu Zikang could only give up and nod.

 

Zhan Shili wheeled him out and saw him into the elevator, reminding him, “Get some rest when you get home.”

 

Xu Zikang asked, “What about you? When are you going back? You still have work tomorrow, don’t you?”

 

Zhan Shili said unconcernedly, “I’ll see how things are with the boss first. We can’t let word get out that the boss has been hospitalized. I’ll stay here and deal with whatever comes up.”

 

Xu Zikang said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

 

“Go on.” Zhan Shili said nothing more. He pressed the button for the ground floor and exited the elevator.

 

At the very last moment before the elevator doors closed, Xu Zikang saw Zhan Shili turn his head and look in another direction. He froze slightly—

 

Back in the hospital room, the person Zhan Shili had looked at like that seemed to have been Xu Shen.

 

Zhan Shili did not return to the hospital room. Instead, he walked to the terrace at the end of the corridor. Sure enough, Xu Shen was there, leisurely gazing out at the night sky in the cool breeze.

 

“Your father’s awake. Why aren’t you staying with him in the room?” Zhan Shili asked.

 

“There are enough people in there already, they don’t need me.” Xu Shen shook his head slightly, gesturing for Zhan Shili to look at the night view of Victoria Harbour in the distance. “Today really is a good day.”

 

“For the Second Young Master too,” Zhan Shili reminded him. “With the boss in this condition, the Second Young Master is even happier than you are.”

 

Xu Shiji had been ill for so long. After this latest incident, even if they did not replace him as chairman, they would have no choice but to appoint an acting chairman. As far as Xu Ziren was concerned, who else could it possibly be but him?

 

Xu Shen gave a disdainful laugh: “Why would I ever do all the work just to hand someone else the prize?”

 

He turned to look at Zhan Shili: “Nic, help me with one more thing, okay?”

 

Zhan Shili did not ask what he wanted help with. Whatever it was, it certainly couldn’t be anything good: “Mn.”

 

Xu Shen looked a little taken aback: “You agreed?”

 

“I agreed,” Zhan Shili said. “If I can help, I will.”

 

Xu Shen moved closer and wrapped both arms around his neck: “Nic, you’re so good to me.”

 

Zhan Shili slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, brushing his lips against Xu Shen’s.

 

Under the cover of the night, distant lights glittered like scattered stars, music drifting over from some unknown direction, sounding somewhat familiar.

 

Xu Shen hummed softly along, the warmth of his breath only inches away.

 

With the love of my life,

 

In your golden hour.

 

It was the same song he had played on the piano that day.

 

Every subtle, hidden emotion seemed to freeze at that moment, then quietly began to ferment beneath the surface.

 

Zhan Shili watched the glittering light swirling and shimmering in Xu Shen’s eyes and suddenly thought that even if it was all fake, it didn’t matter.

 

As long as he could hold on to this moment.

 

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t/n: Ahh, this was so beautiful of a moment for our two little devils~

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