BF Chapter 40

After getting off work in the afternoon, Xu Shen drove directly to the hospital.

 

He glanced at the time as he took the elevator upstairs; it was almost seven o’clock.

 

Xu Shiji was now staying at the hospital long-term. With his declining cardiac function and mild stroke, there was no chance of him being discharged anytime soon.

The hospital room was quiet, with no other visitors in sight. Except for the first few days, everyone in the Xu Family had their own affairs to deal with—no one was going to make a trip to the hospital every day.

 

Xu Shen pushed open the door. Xu Shiji was alone in bed, struggling to prop himself up as he reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. His hand trembled as it touched the glass, and he failed to get a proper grip on it. The glass rolled off the table and hit the floor with a crash, shattering into pieces with water spilling all over the floor.

 

Xu Shiji’s face contorted with frustration, and he slammed a fist hard against the bed.

 

Xu Shen walked over, picked up another glass, poured some water, and handed it to him: “Have some water, Dad.”

 

His tone was calm and ordinary, as though he hadn’t seen Xu Shiji’s humiliating moment of helplessness just now.

 

Xu Shiji didn’t take it. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes briefly before asking hoarsely, “Why are you here?”

 

“I just got off work. It was on the way, so I stopped by,” Xu Shen said.

 

Xu Shiji looked at him: “Is there a lot going on at the company? I haven’t seen your Second Brother in several days.”

 

Xu Shen pulled over a chair and sat down next to the bed, saying, “Second Brother is the CEO, so he is busier than I am. Besides, lately people on the board have been repeatedly proposing that a new chairman be elected. He’s been considering it too.”

 

Xu Shiji’s expression immediately darkened.

 

In truth, Xu Shen didn’t even need to tell him. Zhan Shili had already mentioned it to him more than once. Xu Ziren had been actively pushing the motion to elect a new chairman behind the scenes, instigating the other directors.

 

He was only recovering from a stroke. He wasn’t even paralyzed, much less dead, and yet his dear son already cannot sit still.

 

“What do you think?” Xu Shiji asked. “Do you support it too?”

 

“Of course I hope you recover as soon as possible and return to the company,” Xu Shen said. “After all, Second Brother can be impulsive sometimes and act without considering the consequences. He’s also always been prejudiced against me. If he becomes chairman, I’m afraid we brothers won’t be able to work together to run the company well like you want us to.”

 

“If you understand that, haven’t you considered that if a new chairman is elected, the final choice doesn’t necessarily have to be your Second Brother?” Xu Shiji seemed to be deliberately testing him. “You could fight for it too.”

 

Xu Shen replied with great self-awareness, “I joined the board very recently. No one would accept me. No matter how you look at it, it’s impossible for the chairman’s position to fall to me.”

 

Xu Shiji fell silent and asked nothing more.

 

Xu Shen set the glass in his hand down: “Father, you need to take care of yourself. You’re the backbone of Zhaoqi. As long as you’re here, Zhaoqi will belong to you and no one can take it away.”

 

He stayed with Xu Shiji in the hospital room for more than half an hour. Xu Shiji remained sullen throughout and barely paid him any attention, so Xu Shen didn’t say much either. When he saw how late it was getting, he got up and took his leave.

 

On his way out, he ran into Xu Shiji’s caregiver in the corridor and asked along the way, “Why aren’t you inside keeping an eye on my father?”

 

The caregiver looked troubled: “Mr. Xu won’t let us stay inside. He said he wanted some time alone, so there’s nothing we can do.”

 

“Just keep a closer eye on him,” Xu Shen instructed before walking away.

 

Xu Shiji was old and sick. He didn’t want anyone seeing him helpless and undignified, nor was he willing to relinquish his power. But things don’t always go as planned, and he had to accept that he was getting old sooner or later.

 

After heading downstairs, Xu Shen ran into an unexpected person in the parking lot: their aunt-in-law, Chen Ping.

 

He took the initiative to walk over and greet her. Chen Ping merely gave him a cool nod when she saw him.

 

Xu Shen asked, “Are you here to see my father?”

 

A cold smile tugged at Chen Ping’s lips: “That’s right. I came to see how my dear brother-in-law is doing now.”

 

So, turns out she had come to enjoy the sight of Xu Shiji’s misfortune.

 

Xu Shen could understand that perfectly well. He had no intention of bothering her further and was about to leave after exchanging those few words when Chen Ping stopped him: “Your stepmother was thrown out of the house?”

 

“Father is in the process of divorcing her,” Xu Shen said.

 

With one green hat¹Wearing a “green hat” is the Chinese slang for getting cuckolded. after another planted firmly on Xu Shiji’s head, there was naturally no way he could tolerate it. After a paternity test confirmed that Xu Zijian really was his son, he kept the boy and only drove Qin Su out of the Xu family. The outcome was hardly unexpected, and no one was happier about it than Second Sister-in-law Lin Meina, who had never gotten along with Qin Su in the first place.

 

Contempt crossed Chen Ping’s face: “That’s hardly the only filthy thing going on in your Xu family. Qin Su was just stupid enough to let herself get caught. Behind closed doors, which one of the others isn’t all polished and respectable on the outside but utterly revolting on the inside?”

 

Xu Shen raised an eyebrow slightly, suspecting that his aunt was hinting at something.

 

Chen Ping said nothing more and strode away. Xu Shen watched her enter the elevator before withdrawing his gaze and walking toward his car.

 

As he started the car, Xu Shen picked up his phone and checked it. The message he had sent to Zhan Shili before leaving the company had just been replied to. Zhan Shili said that he had been helping Xu Zikang organize work materials and that they were now preparing to come to the hospital together.

 

Xu Shen had already turned off the screen, intending not to reply. But as he set the phone down, he hesitated, picked it back up, opened their chat, and started typing:

 

[Is he disabled or something? You even have to help him organize his work materials? If he can’t handle something this simple, what did he join the company for?]

 

[Oh, I forgot. He actually is disabled.]

 

[How admirable of you, Mr. Zhan, caring so diligently for people with disabilities.]

 

Zhan Shili was halfway there, waiting at a red light.

 

He picked up his phone and watched the messages appear one after another. All of a sudden, he broke into a smile.

 

When Xu Zikang turned his head, he happened to catch that expression—Zhan Shili was staring intently at messages from some unknown person on his phone, a relaxed and contented smile playing on his lips. Even his usually deep, unreadable eyes held unmistakable amusement.

 

Xu Zikang was stunned. He had never seen Zhan Shili like this before—completely relaxed, completely at ease, genuinely happy—and whoever was on the other end of those messages was the one who had made him that way.

 

At that moment, a powerful intuition suddenly seized Xu Zikang: perhaps there really was someone else in Zhan Shili’s life. The thought flashed through his mind, and he instinctively refused to let himself think any further.

 

“Nic…” 

 

Xu Zikang called out without thinking.

 

Zhan Shili’s attention returned to him, casually turning off the screen: “What?”

 

“What were you looking at?” Xu Zikang asked hesitantly. “Who was messaging you?”

 

The light had already turned green. Zhan Shili set his phone down: “Nothing. Just something related to work.”

 

His gaze returned to the road ahead as he stepped on the accelerator and continued driving.

 

Xu Zikang lowered his eyes and unconsciously bit his lip. He didn’t believe that answer, but he didn’t ask again.

 

By the time Xu Shen arrived home, it was already well past eight. No one else had returned yet.

 

He had one of the servants make him something simple to eat and sat beneath the veranda outside the sitting room, eating while enjoying the night view.

 

Half an hour later, Zhan Shili’s car pulled into the estate and came to a stop beneath the carport.

 

After getting out, Zhan Shili went to the trunk to retrieve the wheelchair, then circled around to the passenger side and helped Xu Zikang out of the car and into it.

 

“Let’s go, I’ll take you inside.”

 

Xu Zikang had been distracted ever since earlier. Now, catching sight of Xu Shen’s car parked nearby, he suddenly remarked on some inexplicable impulse, “Dad mentioned earlier that Fourth Brother went to the hospital too, he should be back by now.”

 

Zhan Shili hummed absentmindedly in agreement and pushed him inside.

 

Xu Zikang’s thoughts were in complete turmoil and even he didn’t know what exactly was going through his mind.

 

Zhan Shili’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts: “With the boss in his current condition, you should visit the hospital and spend more time with him when you’re free to at least remind him that he still has you as a son.”

 

“There’s nothing I can do anyway,” Xu Zikang said weakly. “Seeing Father like that really makes me feel awful. I don’t even know when he’ll get better. Second Brother is pushing harder and harder now, instigating the others so he can replace Father and become chairman himself. It’s really going too far, no wonder Father is unhappy.”

 

“If the boss remains like this, then the chairman will indeed have to be replaced, or an acting chairman will be appointed for the time being,” Zhan Shili said evenly. “It’s only natural for the Second Young Master to have such an idea. Anyone in his position would.”

 

Xu Zikang hesitated: “But—”

 

“—But, the chairman’s position doesn’t necessarily have to go to the Second Young Master,” Zhan Shili said. “It could be someone else… don’t you think?”

 

Xu Zikang immediately said, “I can’t. I definitely can’t. I don’t understand anything about running the company. If you hadn’t been helping me all this time, I wouldn’t be able to do anything at all.”

 

“Then forget it,” Zhan Shili said. “The reason you’re so worried right now is because you know what kind of person the Second Young Master is. If he really becomes chairman, things won’t be easy for you. I told you before: for the sake of your own position in the future, you can support someone else.”

 

“You mean Ah Shen?” Xu Zikang’s voice was a little suppressed. “You want me to support him?”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “What do you think?”

 

Xu Zikang lowered his eyes without answering. After a long moment, his voice grew even quieter: “Nic, why exactly are you helping Ah Shen so much?”

 

They were almost at the entrance when Zhan Shili stopped: “What are you trying to say?”

 

After a moment of silence, Xu Zikang turned his wheelchair around and looked up at him: “…I just don’t understand. Why are you helping Ah Shen so much? You’ve only known him for a short while, haven’t you? Why are you helping him go against Second Brother?”

 

“I’m helping you,” Zhan Shili said, looking directly into Xu Zikang’s eyes without the slightest trace of guilt. “Why would you think I’m helping him?”

 

Xu Zikang was stumped. Instinctively, he felt there was something wrong with Zhan Shili’s logic, yet he couldn’t find the words to refute it.

 

Zhan Shili didn’t allow him to avoid his gaze: “You don’t trust me?”

 

“I trust you,” Xu Zikang said by habit. “But I—”

 

“What are you even doubting?” Zhan Shili turned the tables on him before he could finish. “My relationship with Young Master Shen? He’s ambitious and intelligent, someone worth establishing a connection with. He needs support as well, and I can help him earn the boss’s trust. That’s all there is to it. There’s nothing like what you’re imagining.”

 

Zhan Shili looked far too open and composed for anyone not to believe him, especially to the indecisive Xu Zikang. Inevitably, he began to regret doubting him again, wondering whether he was being paranoid and making unfounded accusations.

 

Maybe that person wasn’t Xu Shen, maybe there was no other person at all, that had to be it…

 

“I misunderstood,” Xu Zikang finally apologized. “Sorry, Nic. I shouldn’t have been so doubtful.”

 

“Forget it,” Zhan Shili said.

 

Xu Zikang secretly breathed a sigh of relief: “Actually, you’re right. Ah Shen becoming chairman would be better than Second Brother. At least Zhaoqi wouldn’t become Second Brother’s one-man show after that.”

 

“As long as you understand that.” Zhan Shili left it at that and said nothing more.

 

He escorted Xu Zikang inside, told him to get some rest, and saw him into the elevator.

 

Xu Shen had already finished dinner and was drinking coffee.

 

When Zhan Shili came back out, he took the coffee cup straight from Xu Shen’s hand: “I told you not to drink coffee at night, but you never listen.”

 

Xu Shen raised his eyes and looked at him coldly: “Mr. Zhan is mistaken; I’m not your Third Young Master. I have no reason to listen to you.”

 

Zhan Shili poured out the coffee and set down the empty cup: “You’re Young Master Shen, who’s even more troublesome than the Third Young Master.”

 

He sat down across from Xu Shen, hands tucked into his pockets, completely at ease: “That thing you asked me to do is almost done. The boss should receive word soon.”

 

Xu Shen raised an eyebrow slightly: “Thanks.”

 

There wasn’t much sincerity in it—this young master was clearly still unhappy.

 

Zhan Shili stretched out his legs and trapped Xu Shen’s between them, pinning him in place: “Were you eavesdropping again just now?”

 

Xu Shen rested a hand on one of his knees and lightly tapped it: “You saw me the moment you got here, didn’t you?”

 

Zhan Shili replied, “Mn.”

 

“Lying through your teeth without even feeling ashamed,” Xu Shen said disdainfully.

 

Amusement appeared in Zhan Shili’s eyes as he watched him without speaking. Their legs pressed together, a subtle warmth passing between them. Xu Shen felt it: “Fine. What right do I have to be jealous anyway? He’s your boyfriend and I’m the one who has to be kept hidden anyways—”

 

“Seren,” Zhan Shili interrupted him. “Do you want to come to my place? Right now.”

 

“Not going,” Xu Shen refused. He had no intention of letting this man lead him around by the nose.

 

Zhan Shili didn’t insist and nodded: “Then I’ll see you at the company tomorrow. Get some rest.”

 

He released his legs. Xu Shen stood up, cast him a sidelong glance, then turned and walked into the villa.

 

After returning to his room, Xu Shen stood by the window for a while. Then he pulled open the drawer beneath his desk and took out the handgun Zhan Shili had given him, turning it idly in his hand for a moment before checking his watch.

 

Zhan Shili’s car was still beneath the carport as he sat patiently in the driver’s seat, waiting. With one minute left before the half-hour mark, the passenger door opened. Xu Shen climbed in and shut the door behind him.

 

Zhan Shili had once said that he would only wait half an hour, and sure enough, half an hour was all it took, just as he had wanted.

 

In an excellent mood, he started the car. The next second, Xu Shen raised the gun in his hand and pressed the muzzle against his temple: “I loaded it.”

 

Zhan Shili turned his head toward him without the slightest concern: “When you’re happy, you’ll give me anything; when you’re unhappy, you point a gun at me. Young Master Shen, how could your temper be so terrible?”

 

“I told you before, I’m narrow-minded,” Xu Shen said. “You’d have to indulge me.”

 

Zhan Shili asked, “When have I ever not indulged you? Am I still not good enough to you?”

 

Really, Zhan Shili was quite good to him. But human nature is never truly satisfied; humans always greedily crave more. Xu Shen looked at him, suddenly a little unsure whether he had truly gotten too deeply immersed in this game. But in this contest between him and Zhan Shili, he refused to be the only one who got addicted.

 

“Nic, have a little pity for me…” 

 

—There it was again, that aggrieved, almost pleading tone, even his eyes carrying the same pitiful look. Even so, the gun pressed against Zhan Shili’s temple never moved.

 

Xu Shen was always like this, vulnerable yet ruthless all at once, exceptionally skilled at bewitching people.

 

“You really loaded it?” Zhan Shili asked.

 

Xu Shen didn’t answer. His finger rested against the trigger, slowly teasing it back and forth as he breathed out softly: “Bang~”

 

Almost as though the shot had gone straight through Zhan Shili’s heart.

 

Zhan Shili gazed quietly into his eyes, as though soothing him without words. After a moment, he raised a hand and covered Xu Shen’s hand where it held the gun, gently pressing it down. Then he tilted his head, placing a kiss against the muzzle Xu Shen had once kissed before.

 

“Come home with me.”

 

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t/n: Advance chapters up to ch 62 are up on kofi shop~ ^^ Hehe.

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Continue Reading Ch. 41-62: click me <3

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  Wearing a “green hat” is the Chinese slang for getting cuckolded.