AMBTICBPIB Chapter 60

Lanch City’s most prosperous district was also its commercial heart, where flagship stores of luxury brands from around the world clustered.

Liu Meihan used to frequent this area, buying luxury goods as casually as buying cabbage, spending hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan at a time. But those days were long gone. Now, she could only window-shop.

Sales associates greeted her warmly, but Liu Meihan knew she couldn’t even afford a luxury handbag strap anymore. She simply told them she didn’t like any of the new arrivals.

She wandered around outside all morning and afternoon.

When Liu Meihan looked up, she saw Shen Jin and Chu Yi emerging from a building. She realized she had unconsciously walked to Shen Group’s headquarters.

She watched Shen Jin lead Chu Yi out, personally open the car door for him, and carefully place his hand on the car roof to guide Chu Yi inside.

After Chu Yi was seated, Shen Jin smiled at the person in the car before getting in himself.

Liu Meihan froze. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed Shen Jin could dote on Chu Yi so tenderly. Was this the same Shen Jin who had abandoned Shen Chunhan in a sanatorium, never visiting or caring about him?

Liu Meihan ultimately lacked the courage to approach Chu Yi again. Shen Jin’s affectionate demeanor toward Chu Yi didn’t extend to them; he remained the same ruthless Shen Jin.

Earlier, when she had tried to approach, Shen Jin’s single glance had frozen her in place. In that look, she had seen anger and a clear warning—a truly dangerous gaze.

The Chu Family was no longer what it once was. Previously, they had held a certain status in high society, but now they had completely fallen into the ordinary class. Chu Chengxu and his family had moved to a modest neighborhood, living a simple life.

Liu Meihan knew all too well that if they dared provoke Chu Yi again, even this ordinary life could be taken away. Perhaps this was their retribution. Now, they could only hope that Chu Chengxu still had a chance to rise again.

Chu Yi remained oblivious to the drama unfolding outside the car.

His connection to the Chu Family had always been tenuous. Since joining the Shen Family, their affairs had become irrelevant to him.

Chu Yi’s thoughts were now focused on the upcoming final exams, which would soon be followed by summer vacation.

Shen Jin said his pregnancy would become noticeable during summer vacation, after which he would have to take a year off from school.

However, he hadn’t yet told Jiang Xu about his plans to withdraw.

Chu Yi felt he should tell Jiang Xu sooner rather than later. When school resumed and he stopped attending, Jiang Xu would inevitably find out.

The problem was, Chu Yi didn’t know how to break the news. He also knew that if he didn’t mention it, Jiang Xu would never press him for an explanation.

As he was pondering this, Jiang Xu placed a bag of yogurt in front of him.

“Did Zhou Huaixiao drive you to school?” Chu Yi asked.

“Why would he need to drive me?” Jiang Xu replied.

Chu Yi pointed to the yogurt. “Only he can get this brand.”

He remembered Zhou Huaixiao mentioning last time that the yogurt manufacturer was on the verge of bankruptcy and the product was about to be discontinued, available only in their neighborhood. Since Jiang Xu had brought a bag of it, it must have been Zhou Huaixiao who bought it. If the two had met, Zhou Huaixiao would definitely have driven Jiang Xu to school.

“They sell it at other supermarkets now,” Jiang Xu said. “I saw it at the store near my house yesterday.”

“Huh?” Chu Yi exclaimed.

Jiang Xu said, “I heard someone injected a large sum of capital to save the factory. Now the yogurt sales are doing really well, so the factory won’t go bankrupt. You can drink it whenever you want now.”

Seeing Chu Yi’s favorite yogurt at the supermarket, Jiang Xu casually bought several cartons.

Chu Yi asked, “How did you find out?”

“Zhou Huaixiao told me,” Jiang Xu replied, handing Chu Yi a cup of yogurt. “Honestly, it’s pretty good. How did I never notice this brand before?”

Chu Yi hummed in agreement. The near-bankrupt factory had seemingly revived overnight. Who was the kind soul who saved it? He suddenly remembered what Shen Jin had said to him that day: “I won’t let you go without your yogurt.”

Could Shen Jin be the one who saved the factory?

Chu Yi felt his idea was a bit audacious. He knew Shen Jin liked him and treated him well, but would Shen Jin really go to such lengths just because of something he said?

The mere possibility made Chu Yi feel like he was floating on clouds, light and airy.

Too curious to wait until he got home, Chu Yi called Shen Jin.

The phone rang only twice before Shen Jin answered.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Chu Yi: “No, I just wanted to call you.”

Shen Jin on the other end finally relaxed.

Chu Yi continued, “Remember that yogurt company I mentioned was going out of business? My classmates saw their yogurt at the supermarket today.”

Then Chu Yi heard Shen Jin laugh through the phone, the sound particularly pleasant. He knew his guess had been right.

But he still had to ask, “Shen Jin, is this because of you?”

Shen Jin had anticipated this question. “I told you I wouldn’t let you go without your yogurt.”

The meaning was clear. Chu Yi felt an inexplicable emotion swelling in his chest, filling his entire heart and overflowing outward.

He realized Shen Jin cared for him even more than he had imagined. A casual remark had been taken to heart, making him feel like someone truly important to Shen Jin.

Chu Yi’s eyes reddened again.

After a moment of silence, Shen Jin asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Chu Yi replied, “Shen Jin, I miss you.”

Chu Yi often felt clueless about matters of the heart, but this innocent, straightforward confession was something Shen Jin couldn’t resist.

Shen Jin’s heart suddenly raced on the other end of the line. His voice softened even further as he said, “I’ll come pick you up in a bit. What are you doing right now?”

Chu Yi glanced ahead. “I’m watching the other students play basketball.”

As he looked up, he caught Jiang Xu sinking a perfect three-pointer.

Before Shen Jin could speak, Chu Yi quickly added, “Don’t worry, I’m just watching from the sidelines. I’m not playing.”

“Mm,” Shen Jin replied. “The sun’s pretty strong today. Don’t get sunburned.”

“I’m sitting in the shade,” Chu Yi assured him. “I won’t get burned. I really do take care of myself.”

“Good boy,” Shen Jin praised.

They chatted for a while longer until Chu Yi heard voices in the background. Knowing Shen Jin must be busy, he ended the call. After all, Shen Jin would be there to pick him up in less than an hour.

Just as he hung up, Jiang Xu approached, his face flushed with sweat. Chu Yi handed him a bottle of water.

Jiang Xu tilted his head back and gulped down half the bottle. “That was so much fun! Want to join us for a game?”

Chu Yi shook his head. “Maybe next time. I don’t feel like exercising today.”

Jiang Xu laughed, teasing him, “Chu Yi, you know what you look like sitting there? Exactly like a pregnant man! Hahaha!”

Chu Yi blinked, sometimes marveling at Jiang Xu’s uncanny intuition.

As they were talking, a basketball came hurtling straight toward Chu Yi. Jiang Xu, catching it in his peripheral vision, swiftly raised his hand and deflected the ball away.

Judging by the force of the impact on his hand, the ball had been thrown with considerable speed.

Jiang Xu was visibly annoyed. “Who threw that? Don’t you see there’s someone here? Can’t you be more careful?”

The boy who had thrown the ball bristled at Jiang Xu’s barrage of questions and stepped forward. “So what if I threw it? Why are you sitting there anyway? Besides, the ball didn’t even hit you. Even if it had, what’s the big deal? Why are you so tense? If you’re afraid of getting hit, maybe you shouldn’t be playing basketball.”

Jiang Xu’s temper flared instantly. If he hadn’t intercepted the ball, it would have smashed directly into Chu Yi’s head.

Chu Yi was so frail; how much would that have hurt? And he was so afraid of pain.

If they had just apologized, Jiang Xu might have let it go. But their arrogant attitude was too much to bear.

Jiang Xu stood up and strode over to the boy, his voice ringing with anger. “Apologize to my friend,” he demanded.

The boy was shorter than Jiang Xu, and under his towering gaze, he froze for a moment, momentarily stunned.

Sticking his neck out, the boy retorted, “I’m not apologizing.”

Jiang Xu let out a cold laugh. “Are you sure you don’t want to apologize?”

The atmosphere between them suddenly crackled with tension.

The boy’s friends stepped forward, and Jiang Xu and Chu Yi’s classmates quickly surrounded them. Chu Yi was well-liked in class, and anyone could see the boy had deliberately aimed the ball at him.

Chu Yi’s group outnumbered the other side.

Among the boy’s friends, several level-headed ones urged him, “Just apologize, man. We’re all classmates. It’s no big deal.” They knew the ball had nearly hit the boy’s head earlier.

Feeling guilty, the boy finally relented and mumbled to Chu Yi, “Sorry, I accidentally hit you earlier. It wasn’t intentional.”

The boy and his friends then left the court.

Jiang Xu asked Chu Yi, “Are you okay?”

Chu Yi smiled and shook his head. “I’m fine.”

He belatedly realized that if Jiang Xu hadn’t blocked the ball, he would have been hit.

“Jiang Xu, thank you,” Chu Yi said.

“If you keep being so polite, I’ll get mad,” Jiang Xu replied. “How about you treat me to a Coke?”

Treating him to a Coke was no problem at all.

Chu Yi also bought sodas for the other classmates.

Normally, when he could drink Coke whenever he wanted, Chu Yi didn’t find it particularly appealing.

But now that he was forbidden from having it, and hadn’t tasted it in ages, the craving had grown intense.

Shen Jin wasn’t around, so he wouldn’t find out.

The Coke, fresh from the refrigerator, was ice-cold, even the bottle.

Chu Yi twisted open the cap and took a sip. The fizzy bubbles danced in his mouth, the icy coolness seeping down his throat and into his heart, leaving him refreshed from head to toe. After a few more sips, he capped the bottle, still not drinking too much.

He casually tucked the half-finished Coke into his backpack.