AMBTICBPIB Chapter 64

After getting dressed, Chu Yi checked himself in the mirror again and again. The formal suit was loose-fitting, barely concealing his figure from the outside, but it still felt a bit odd.

“Can you tell?” Chu Yi asked Shen Jin, who was standing behind him.

Shen Jin stepped forward. “No, you can’t.”

Chu Yi touched his waist. “I feel like my waist has gotten thicker.”

Shen Jin placed his hand on Chu Yi’s waist. “No, it’s still very slender.”

Chu Yi glanced at himself in the mirror, then compared his figure to Shen Jin’s, and chuckled. “Good thing it’s not as thick as yours.”

Shen Jin: …?? Just a few days ago, this little guy was praising his physique. Now he’s complaining about his waist being too thick?

After changing, the two headed to the hotel together.

When Shen Jin and Chu Yi appeared at the banquet, all eyes turned to them.

The guests already recognized Chu Yi as Shen Jin’s man. And Shen Jin was someone no one dared to cross.

Madam Wang’s gaze lingered on Chu Yi’s stomach. Chu Yi was slender, but his suit was noticeably loose-fitting and ill-suited. As a mother of two who had experienced two pregnancies, she couldn’t help but suspect Chu Yi might be expecting.

Perhaps Madam Wang had been staring at Chu Yi for too long, because Shen Jin turned to look. Faced with Shen Jin’s icy gaze, Madam Wang forced an awkward smile and shifted her gaze away. Seeing Shen Jin so protective, she was certain Chu Yi must be pregnant.

Shen Jin moved to Chu Yi’s other side, blocking some of the onlookers’ gazes.

At a banquet hosted by Shen Jin, no one dared cause trouble.

Yet, there was one exception. A man stormed in, demanding an explanation from Shen Jin with aggressive urgency.

This man was Wang Jincheng, a former confidant of Shen Chunhan. During Shen Jin’s restructuring of the Shen Group, he had purged all those who had been secretly undermining the company, and Wang Jincheng was among them.

Exploiting his age and seniority, Wang Jincheng feigned indignation on behalf of Shen Chunhan, but his true motive was self-preservation. “Shen Jin,” he declared, “I’m practically your elder, a veteran of the Shen Group. Even if I’m not a hero, I’m still a loyal servant of this company. Is this how you treat your veterans now?”

“Veterans?” Shen Jin glanced at him coldly. “A veteran who embezzled two hundred million yuan in public funds? General Manager Wang, you’re truly a model employee of the Shen Group.”

Wang Jincheng’s fleshy face paled with shock. How could Shen Jin know? He had been so careful to cover his tracks. How could Shen Jin have uncovered this? It was impossible.

“If you hadn’t shown your face here,” Shen Jin said, “I might have forgotten. Chen Ye, hand over the prepared materials to the police tomorrow.”

Wang Jincheng clutched his chest, regretting he didn’t have a heart condition. His voice trembled with rage. “You… you wouldn’t dare…”

Before he could finish, Chen Ye had already ordered his men to escort Wang Jincheng out of the reception.

The others watched Wang Jincheng being ruthlessly ejected, their gazes toward Shen Jin filled with even greater fear. They understood now more clearly than ever that crossing Shen Jin was a grave mistake. Even as a veteran of the Shen Group, he showed no mercy.

This minor incident barely registered with Shen Jin, and even less with Chu Yi, who was too busy enjoying the banquet’s lavish spread.

Throughout the evening, Shen Jin remained glued to Chu Yi’s side, never letting him out of his sight.

A strikingly handsome young man at the reception drew the attention of everyone around him. Tall, handsome, and seemingly only in his early twenties, the young man was Zhou Huaixiao.

Dressed in formal attire, Zhou Huaixiao looked remarkably different from his usual self. Though still retaining a hint of youthful innocence, his mature demeanor was already evident.

Factory Director Zhou had brought his son to the reception.

They had come specifically to personally thank President Shen. If not for him, their factory would have long since gone bankrupt. Now, with the factory thriving, their employees no longer faced the threat of unemployment.

That’s why Factory Director Zhou brought his son to meet President Shen today, to express their gratitude.

As Chu Yi and Shen Jin were eating, someone approached Shen Jin: “President Shen, I can’t thank you enough.”

Chu Yi looked up, stunned. “Zhou Huaixiao?”

Zhou Huaixiao was equally shocked to see Chu Yi, but he quickly understood. *So that’s how it is.* He had met Shen Jin before, but he never realized Shen Jin was the “President Shen” his father had mentioned.

Factory Director Zhou, of course, knew the identity of the young man beside President Shen, but he never expected that the young man would know his son, Zhou Huaixiao.

Factory Director Zhou was also taken aback. “You two know each other?”

Chu Yi replied, “Yes, we’re friends.”

Shen Jin seemed to have known this all along, showing no reaction.

He had long been aware that Factory Director Zhou’s son was Zhou Huaixiao. However, he had never told Chu Yi, and Chu Yi remained unaware.

Factory Director Zhou stepped forward to offer Shen Jin a toast. “Thank you, President Shen, for your help.” He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, each word brimming with gratitude.

While Shen Jin and Factory Director Zhou were talking, Chu Yi and Zhou Huaixiao chatted nearby.

Zhou Huaixiao said, “Thank you.”

Chu Yi shook his head. “I honestly didn’t know. Shen Jin never told me.”

When Chu Yi had asked Shen Jin about the factory, Shen Jin hadn’t mentioned it was owned by Zhou Huaixiao’s family. It turned out Shen Jin had been quietly doing so much behind the scenes.

Chu Yi added, “But your family’s yogurt is really delicious.”

Zhou Huaixiao smiled. So his casual actions had inadvertently helped his father’s factory and preserved their yogurt brand.

He remembered his father saying someone had decided to invest a large sum because they loved their yogurt. At the time, Zhou Huaixiao had been skeptical. *How could anyone invest just because they liked the yogurt?* He had warned his father to be cautious, suspecting it might be a scam.

It wasn’t until Factory Director Zhou visited the Shen Group that they finally felt reassured. They hadn’t been dealing with a con artist after all.

Zhou Huaixiao felt immense gratitude toward Chu Yi. But he knew that if he kept thanking him, Chu Yi would get uncomfortable and awkward.

Zhou Huaixiao said, “Since you’re pregnant, the yogurt will be very cold from the fridge. Don’t drink it straight from the refrigerator, okay?”

Chu Yi had heard these words countless times before, from Uncle Wen and Shen Jin. Every day brought a deluge of their worries.

Chu Yi smiled helplessly. “I know.”

Zhou Huaixiao also felt somewhat redundant. Shen Jin must have already drilled these reminders into Chu Yi countless times.

Chu Yi suddenly remembered. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in a suit! Jiang Xu must be just as surprised as I am to see you dressed so formally.”

Zhou Huaixiao was already handsome, but he looked even more striking in formal attire.

Zhou Huaixiao chuckled. “It’s also the first time I’ve seen you in a gown. You look beautiful.”

“I’m sending this photo to Jiang Xu right now!” Chu Yi immediately sent Zhou Huaixiao’s picture to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu immediately video-called back. “What are you two doing together?”

Nearby, Shen Jin watched as Chu Yi and Zhou Huaixiao video-chatted with Jiang Xu, their banter filling the air with laughter.

Factory Director Zhou hadn’t realized his son and Chu Yi were so close.

After Zhou Huaixiao and his father left, Chu Yi began “interrogating” Shen Jin. “You knew all along and didn’t tell me!”

Shen Jin hadn’t told him about the investment decision, nor had he revealed that the factory belonged to Zhou Huaixiao’s family.

“You didn’t ask me,” Shen Jin replied.

Chu Yi thought for a moment. Shen Jin was right. After a pause, he asked, “Are there any other things about me that I don’t know?”

“No,” Shen Jin said.

For some reason, Chu Yi detected a hint of guilt in Shen Jin’s voice. He blinked at him, studying his expression.

Shen Jin cleared his throat. “Is there anything else you’d like to eat? I’ll have someone bring it over.”

In the past, Chu Yi had felt nervous and awkward at events like this. But with Shen Jin by his side, he had nothing to worry about.

Sure enough, Chu Yi immediately forgot why he had been staring at Shen Jin earlier. “I want another piece of cake, blueberry flavor. And that pasta was really good too! Oh, and the watermelon juice was so refreshing. I want another glass, the really cold kind.”

“No, you can only have it at room temperature,” Shen Jin insisted.

Chu Yi kicked his legs, giving Shen Jin a resentful look. Shen Jin shook his head firmly, refusing to budge on the room temperature rule.

Just as Chu Yi was about to protest, he winced. A sudden cramp seized his leg, likely from the earlier kick.

Chu Yi kicked Shen Jin beside him. “Shen Jin, my leg hurts.” The kick carried a hint of “revenge”—all because Shen Jin wouldn’t let him drink chilled watermelon juice.

When the surrounding guests saw Chu Yi kick Shen Jin, their eyes widened in shock.

Though they knew Shen Jin treated Chu Yi well, for Chu Yi to kick him so casually at such a formal occasion seemed like a complete disregard for Shen Jin’s dignity.

Even someone as good-tempered as Shen Jin must have his limits, right? This was simply outrageous!

They all waited to see Shen Jin erupt in anger and discipline Chu Yi, secretly relishing the prospect. Chu Yi was really pushing his luck.

As Shen Jin’s bodyguard, Chen Ye watched the pair with a smile, his expression the exact opposite of the surrounding guests’ astonishment.

There was absolutely no need for concern. If Chu Yi wanted to kick Shen Jin, Shen Jin would probably tell him to sit comfortably while he kicked himself in front of Chu Yi.

The guests pretended to glance casually at Shen Jin.

Instead of the expected explosion of anger, they saw Shen Jin, who had just been kicked, lift his dress pants and crouch down in front of Chu Yi.

Gently cradling Chu Yi’s calf, Shen Jin said, “If it hurts, don’t kick me. Wouldn’t that make it worse? Wait until the pain subsides before kicking me again. Or, if you’re angry, I’ll kick myself. Where does it hurt?”

Chu Yi pointed. “Here.”

Shen Jin massaged the spot. “Is it a cramp? Does it still hurt when I rub it?”

After Shen Jin’s kneading and rubbing, the pain in Chu Yi’s calf subsided.

Whenever Chu Yi was in discomfort, Shen Jin became extremely anxious.

“Let’s go home,” Shen Jin said.

“Okay,” Chu Yi replied.

Having eaten and drunk his fill at the banquet, Chu Yi was about to stand up when Shen Jin’s next move surprised him again.

Shen Jin simply picked him up, right in front of everyone.

With an unruffled expression, Shen Jin carried Chu Yi away through the crowd of guests, Chen Ye dutifully following behind them.

After Shen Jin left, the guests remained stunned for a long moment before reacting.

That was indeed Shen Jin. They had been proven wrong again. Far from flying into a rage, he had been coaxing Chu Yi as if he were pampering an ancestor.

Shen Jin and Chu Yi were oblivious to the commotion behind them.

Chu Yi wrapped his arms around Shen Jin’s neck. “Aren’t you worried about what people will say, carrying me out like this?”

“Do I look worried?” Shen Jin asked.

Chu Yi answered for him: “No.”

They exchanged a smile.