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Chapter 4.14 – Your Father Is CEO Shen?
On fifth, Shen Ze dug Xiang Han out of bed early in the morning to personally bring him to buy new clothes.
Xiang Han was practically overwhelmed with his favour, and asked, “Is there any need to be so formal?”
Shen Ze dragged him out. After getting in the car, Shen Ze instructed the driver before telling him, “Some business partners will be joining us later. The old geezer told me to tidy you up.”
Xiang Han looked at himself, then glanced at Shen Ze. He had this feeling that the one who actually needed tidying up definitely wasn’t himself.
Coming out of the studio, Xiang Han wore a smart little suit with a bowtie. His fringe had been styled to curl up a little at the front, giving him a shy and obedient look.
The stylist stood by the side, praising, “This little brother is quite handsome, so my foundation was good…”
The corners of Shen Ze’s lips curled up with speechlessness, “Give him a more mature look.”
The stylist was dismayed, but ultimately swapped out the bowtie for a tie.
When they were leaving, Xiang Han noticed that while Shen Ze’s clothes had been changed as well, they were still as casual as before.
The weather in the city in October was still rather warm. Xiang Han tugged at his collar and asked, “Elder brother, why aren’t you wearing a suit?”
Shen Ze snorted lightly, “It’s too hot and stuffy. Wearing a suit is too uncomfortable.”
“Then why do I have to wear it?” Xiang Han rushed into the car and instructed the driver to increase the intensity of the aircon.
Shen Ze also sat in and closed the door unhurriedly, “How would I know? Wasn’t it the stylist who chose it?”
Saying so, he threw Xiang Han a side glance and silently thought, he was actually quite good looking.
Xiang Han, “…” Turned out, it wasn’t compulsory to wear a suit? Why didn’t you say so earlier!
“Oh, right. Chang Yu Chi’s birthday hasn’t ended, right? Since we are going, should we choose a present?” Recalling this matter, Xiang Han asked.
Shen Ze instantly grew unhappy on hearing it and his expression turned cold once more, “No need.”
After a while, he felt as if he had no place to vent his anger and turned around to ask, “Why are you so concerned about him?”
Xiang Han was afraid that he would misunderstand and quickly explained, “I’m not. Wasn’t he the one hinting to us the other day?”
A weight seemingly lifted off Shen Ze’s chest before he asked again, “One more thing, that day when we were changing seats, why did you come to the second floor? To find Chang Yu Chi?”
After more than half a month, he finally managed to get this question out.
Having been caught, Xiang Han was surprised and secretly thought, no wonder after that day, Shen Ze’s attitude towards Chang Yu Chi changed. So it turned out that he suspected Chang Yu Chi and he had…
No way, he had to quickly clear up this misunderstanding.
Feigning ignorance, Xiang Han asked in confusion, “Which day? Why would I look for him? I’m not even familiar with him, I probably went there to find you.”
However, Shen Ze felt that he was instead trying to cover up. Turning away, he fell silent. He could clearly remember that, that day, Xiang Han had certainly gone to find Chang Yu Chi, he hadn’t even spared him a glance.
He was somewhat irritated, his thoughts jumping to conclusion. Could it be that Shen Han had become interested in someone else, and that person was Chang Yu Chi?
Thinking of this possibility, Shen Ze suddenly felt extremely annoyed, his expression growing increasingly ugly.
Seeing this, Xiang Han’s heart dropped. He didn’t know how deep Shen Ze’s feelings for Chang Yu Chi were. If it was merely simple affection, things would be much easier. However, if it was something deeper, should he help ensure Chang Yu Chi didn’t derail or prevent Shen Ze from discovering his love for chopping people up?
Xiang Han struggled internally for the entire journey until he couldn’t hold back after getting out of the car, “Elder brother, do you…like Chang Yu Chi?”
With a dark expression, Shen Ze gritted his teeth, “I don’t.”
Xiang Han sighed in relief, his voice containing a trace of joy, “That’s great.”
In an instant, Shen Ze suddenly seemed to have understood something. He suspected that Xiang Han had fallen for Chang Yu Chi; which was why he deliberately asked him this question in order to probe his ‘love rival’.
Having thought of this possibility, his face became as dark as the bottom of a pot. He turned around and walked away without waiting for Xiang Han.
Without a card, Xiang Han was afraid he would be stopped at the entrance. Thus, he ran to catch up with the other person.
Reaching the private room, Chang Yu Chi looked at them with a frown, somewhat displeased, “You’re so late, didn’t we agree you will reach by 10?”
Shen Ze didn’t reply, and Xiang Han noticing this situation quickly laughed stiffly, “We met some trouble along the way, we apologise.”
Chang Yu Chi finally noticed him. A light flashed through his eyes in hidden surprise.
He always knew Xiang Han was quite good looking, with distinct features that weren’t feminine at all; so overall he appeared rather dashing. With eyes that seemed to carry a sort of charm when they curved, one needed to look closely in order to see that his aura wasn’t quite consistent with his demeanor.
The first time Chang Yu Chi laid eyes on him, he had observed the latter for quite a while. But after so many times, he thought that he had gotten used to the other person’s uniqueness. However, he never expected that with a simple makeover, this person would leave him unable to take his eyes off once more.
He secretly thought, clothes really do make the man. However, the clothes he was wearing were certainly not cheap. With his financial standing, how could he afford it? He couldn’t have rented it, right?
Feeling Chang Yu Chi’s gaze growing deeper, Shen Ze’s expression sank. He abruptly stood between their lines of sight and expressionlessly spoke, “Happy birthday. We came in a rush, so we didn’t bring any presents. How about it, I’ll waive today’s tab. It’s just a small token of our sincerity, please don’t reject it.”
Chang Yu Chi’s expression instantly froze. As if he hadn’t quite heard properly, he asked, “What did you…just say?”
The class monitor of Class 7, Song Zhao Peng, who was sitting at the side, hurriedly told him, “He said he’ll waive the tab.” Saying so, he turned to Shen Ze in shock, “My goodness, Shen Ze. Could it be that this restaurant belongs to your family?”
“No.” Shen Ze directly denied it. Straightening his clothes, he unhurriedly replied, “My father is a shareholder here.”
Xiang Han couldn’t help spitting at him in his heart. What father, how pretentious.
Chang Yu Chi finally recovered his wits, not daring to believe his ears. “Your father…could it be President Shen of Hongze?”
Shen Ze nodded with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. This was the first time he felt that Shen Zheng Duo earning a lot of money was a pretty good thing.
Song Zhao Peng’s family also ran a business so his attitude didn’t change much apart from his initial surprise. He only sighed, “I really couldn’t tell. So, your father is our city’s richest man.”
Not too long ago, Hong Ze had helped reorganise many of the businesses under Gu Hai Sheng and could now be considered a leader in the business world in their city.
Although Chang Yu Chi’s background wasn’t bad, it couldn’t be compared to the Shen’s family. Thinking of how he had boasted in front of Shen Ze, and even spoke about taking them on his private jet to Country X, his face instantly heated up in embarrassment and awkwardness.
“But I seem to have heard that President Shen only has one son?” Chang Yu Chi muttered, moreover his grades were very bad.
“This is my family’s matter.” Shen Ze said emotionlessly. He didn’t have any interest in chatting with Chang Yu Chi, intending to leave after his disgusting act. Therefore, he said, “We still have some matters so we can’t stay. Goodbye.”
“Wait.” Regaining his senses, Chang Yu Chi hurriedly stopped him, asking in a low voice, “Ah Shen, I heard someone had booked this place so it needs to be cleared after 12. Since your father is a shareholder, could you ask him if we could stay longer?”
Shen Ze turned around, casting him a sidelong glance before deliberately saying, “It’s my family who booked it.”
Saying so, he took Xiang Han with him and left, leaving Chang Yu Chi stunned in his spot with an extremely colourful expression.
Xiang Han couldn’t help looking back with pity in his eyes. He now believed that Shen Ze truly didn’t have any feelings for Chang Yu Chi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have slapped his face so mercilessly like that.
Seeing his expression of pity and how he couldn’t help looking back, Shen Ze’s face grew ugly and their steps also quickened.
During dinner, Chang Yu Chi appeared once more and this time, it was with his father, Chang Guo Kun.
Shen Zheng Duo had actually organised this birthday party with the hidden intention of hosting a social event. That was why many businessmen were present. Chang Guo Kun was merely one of them to exchange greetings with. Afterwards, he pushed Chang Yu Chi to the front and laughed, “This is my useless son.’
Saying this, he turned to Chang Yu Chi, “Yu Chi, greet your Uncle Shen.”
“Hello Uncle Shen.” Chang Yu Chi’s attitude was extremely polite and respectful.
Shen Zheng Duo nodded and the two exchanged pleasantries.
Chang Guo Kun finally said, “I heard from Yu Chi that he’s in the same class as your son?”
Shen Zheng Duo asked in surprise, “Which one?”
Chang Guo Kun was also surprised, thinking how could there be another son. Of course it was Shen Ze.
However, he quickly realised something. The social dinner today was held in conjunction with Xiang Han’s birthday and they had even booked the entire venue. In the past, Shen Ze had never received such treatment. It looks like Shen Zheng Duo placed quite some importance on his step son. It was likely that once Shen Ze had a step-mother, he also gained a step-father[1].
Chang Guo Kun’s thoughts had gone one round but his expression remained the same as ever. He laughed, “It’s your older son, Shen Ze.”
Shen Zheng Duo made an ‘Oh’ sound before smiling, “He’s with Xiao Han in the next room.” Then, he continued, “If Yu Chi is bored, you can go look for them. After all, you youngsters have more in common to talk about.”
Chang Yu Chi was waiting for these words. He hurriedly bid them farewell.
Earlier, Shen Ze and Xiang Han had accompanied Shen Zheng Duo to take part in the social interactions and currently, their legs were about to break. Intending to take a break, they suddenly saw Chang Yu Chi appear and their faces turned dark.
Chang Yu Chi had figured out the Shen family’s situation and after knowing that Xiang Han was a step-son, he couldn’t help feeling a trace of pity. Although his appearance was quite good, he didn’t have any blood relation with Shen Zheng Duo. The one to succeed the Shen family would naturally be Shen Ze alone.
In the Chang’s family, Chang Yu Chi wasn’t the sole heir. In his younger years, Chang Guo Kun had been extremely promiscuous, flying all over the place. Counting the illegitimate sons he had brought home, there were already three excluding those he never took home.
In reality, Chang Yu Chi had some interest in Xiang Han. However, he was now aware that Shen Ze was the one he should be currying favour with. Of course, if he could pursue and catch him, it would be even better.
With the Shen family as his backing, those illegitimate brothers of his wouldn’t pose a threat to him. Having lived in such a competitive environment from a young age where they relied on fighting and scheming, he was extremely adept at finding himself a backer.
Therefore, his enthusiasm towards Shen Ze not only didn’t diminish in the slightest, it instead increased. Afterwards, he sat beside Shen Ze, speaking of matters he thought to be interesting and telling jokes which left himself gasping for air. Occasionally, he would peel some fruits for the other person, serving him juice while giving Xiang Han the cold-shoulder and ignoring him throughout the entire time.
He was a step-son after all. Judging others based on himself, he felt that there was no way Shen Ze would truly care for this little brother. It was more likely that this person was like him, only faking courtesy with his brother on the surface.
Towards him, Shen Ze was irritated beyond words. If it weren’t for the numerous guests and Chang Guo Kun outside, he would have already driven this person out.
Towards this predicament, Xiang Han only felt pity but didn’t have any intentions of sharing this burden. Instead, he slept very soundly.
***
[1] A saying that once you have a step-mother, your father also becomes your step-father. Because the husband listens to the wife.
Chapter 4.14 – Your Father Is CEO Shen?
On fifth, Shen Ze dug Xiang Han out of bed early in the morning to personally bring him to buy new clothes.
Xiang Han was practically overwhelmed with his favour, and asked, “Is there any need to be so formal?”
Shen Ze dragged him out. After getting in the car, Shen Ze instructed the driver before telling him, “Some business partners will be joining us later. The old geezer told me to tidy you up.”
Xiang Han looked at himself, then glanced at Shen Ze. He had this feeling that the one who actually needed tidying up definitely wasn’t himself.
Coming out of the studio, Xiang Han wore a smart little suit with a bowtie. His fringe had been styled to curl up a little at the front, giving him a shy and obedient look.
The stylist stood by the side, praising, “This little brother is quite handsome, so my foundation was good…”
The corners of Shen Ze’s lips curled up with speechlessness, “Give him a more mature look.”
The stylist was dismayed, but ultimately swapped out the bowtie for a tie.
When they were leaving, Xiang Han noticed that while Shen Ze’s clothes had been changed as well, they were still as casual as before.
The weather in the city in October was still rather warm. Xiang Han tugged at his collar and asked, “Elder brother, why aren’t you wearing a suit?”
Shen Ze snorted lightly, “It’s too hot and stuffy. Wearing a suit is too uncomfortable.”
“Then why do I have to wear it?” Xiang Han rushed into the car and instructed the driver to increase the intensity of the aircon.
Shen Ze also sat in and closed the door unhurriedly, “How would I know? Wasn’t it the stylist who chose it?”
Saying so, he threw Xiang Han a side glance and silently thought, he was actually quite good looking.
Xiang Han, “…” Turned out, it wasn’t compulsory to wear a suit? Why didn’t you say so earlier!
“Oh, right. Chang Yu Chi’s birthday hasn’t ended, right? Since we are going, should we choose a present?” Recalling this matter, Xiang Han asked.
Shen Ze instantly grew unhappy on hearing it and his expression turned cold once more, “No need.”
After a while, he felt as if he had no place to vent his anger and turned around to ask, “Why are you so concerned about him?”
Xiang Han was afraid that he would misunderstand and quickly explained, “I’m not. Wasn’t he the one hinting to us the other day?”
A weight seemingly lifted off Shen Ze’s chest before he asked again, “One more thing, that day when we were changing seats, why did you come to the second floor? To find Chang Yu Chi?”
After more than half a month, he finally managed to get this question out.
Having been caught, Xiang Han was surprised and secretly thought, no wonder after that day, Shen Ze’s attitude towards Chang Yu Chi changed. So it turned out that he suspected Chang Yu Chi and he had…
No way, he had to quickly clear up this misunderstanding.
Feigning ignorance, Xiang Han asked in confusion, “Which day? Why would I look for him? I’m not even familiar with him, I probably went there to find you.”
However, Shen Ze felt that he was instead trying to cover up. Turning away, he fell silent. He could clearly remember that, that day, Xiang Han had certainly gone to find Chang Yu Chi, he hadn’t even spared him a glance.
He was somewhat irritated, his thoughts jumping to conclusion. Could it be that Shen Han had become interested in someone else, and that person was Chang Yu Chi?
Thinking of this possibility, Shen Ze suddenly felt extremely annoyed, his expression growing increasingly ugly.
Seeing this, Xiang Han’s heart dropped. He didn’t know how deep Shen Ze’s feelings for Chang Yu Chi were. If it was merely simple affection, things would be much easier. However, if it was something deeper, should he help ensure Chang Yu Chi didn’t derail or prevent Shen Ze from discovering his love for chopping people up?
Xiang Han struggled internally for the entire journey until he couldn’t hold back after getting out of the car, “Elder brother, do you…like Chang Yu Chi?”
With a dark expression, Shen Ze gritted his teeth, “I don’t.”
Xiang Han sighed in relief, his voice containing a trace of joy, “That’s great.”
In an instant, Shen Ze suddenly seemed to have understood something. He suspected that Xiang Han had fallen for Chang Yu Chi; which was why he deliberately asked him this question in order to probe his ‘love rival’.
Having thought of this possibility, his face became as dark as the bottom of a pot. He turned around and walked away without waiting for Xiang Han.
Without a card, Xiang Han was afraid he would be stopped at the entrance. Thus, he ran to catch up with the other person.
Reaching the private room, Chang Yu Chi looked at them with a frown, somewhat displeased, “You’re so late, didn’t we agree you will reach by 10?”
Shen Ze didn’t reply, and Xiang Han noticing this situation quickly laughed stiffly, “We met some trouble along the way, we apologise.”
Chang Yu Chi finally noticed him. A light flashed through his eyes in hidden surprise.
He always knew Xiang Han was quite good looking, with distinct features that weren’t feminine at all; so overall he appeared rather dashing. With eyes that seemed to carry a sort of charm when they curved, one needed to look closely in order to see that his aura wasn’t quite consistent with his demeanor.
The first time Chang Yu Chi laid eyes on him, he had observed the latter for quite a while. But after so many times, he thought that he had gotten used to the other person’s uniqueness. However, he never expected that with a simple makeover, this person would leave him unable to take his eyes off once more.
He secretly thought, clothes really do make the man. However, the clothes he was wearing were certainly not cheap. With his financial standing, how could he afford it? He couldn’t have rented it, right?
Feeling Chang Yu Chi’s gaze growing deeper, Shen Ze’s expression sank. He abruptly stood between their lines of sight and expressionlessly spoke, “Happy birthday. We came in a rush, so we didn’t bring any presents. How about it, I’ll waive today’s tab. It’s just a small token of our sincerity, please don’t reject it.”
Chang Yu Chi’s expression instantly froze. As if he hadn’t quite heard properly, he asked, “What did you…just say?”
The class monitor of Class 7, Song Zhao Peng, who was sitting at the side, hurriedly told him, “He said he’ll waive the tab.” Saying so, he turned to Shen Ze in shock, “My goodness, Shen Ze. Could it be that this restaurant belongs to your family?”
“No.” Shen Ze directly denied it. Straightening his clothes, he unhurriedly replied, “My father is a shareholder here.”
Xiang Han couldn’t help spitting at him in his heart. What father, how pretentious.
Chang Yu Chi finally recovered his wits, not daring to believe his ears. “Your father…could it be President Shen of Hongze?”
Shen Ze nodded with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. This was the first time he felt that Shen Zheng Duo earning a lot of money was a pretty good thing.
Song Zhao Peng’s family also ran a business so his attitude didn’t change much apart from his initial surprise. He only sighed, “I really couldn’t tell. So, your father is our city’s richest man.”
Not too long ago, Hong Ze had helped reorganise many of the businesses under Gu Hai Sheng and could now be considered a leader in the business world in their city.
Although Chang Yu Chi’s background wasn’t bad, it couldn’t be compared to the Shen’s family. Thinking of how he had boasted in front of Shen Ze, and even spoke about taking them on his private jet to Country X, his face instantly heated up in embarrassment and awkwardness.
“But I seem to have heard that President Shen only has one son?” Chang Yu Chi muttered, moreover his grades were very bad.
“This is my family’s matter.” Shen Ze said emotionlessly. He didn’t have any interest in chatting with Chang Yu Chi, intending to leave after his disgusting act. Therefore, he said, “We still have some matters so we can’t stay. Goodbye.”
“Wait.” Regaining his senses, Chang Yu Chi hurriedly stopped him, asking in a low voice, “Ah Shen, I heard someone had booked this place so it needs to be cleared after 12. Since your father is a shareholder, could you ask him if we could stay longer?”
Shen Ze turned around, casting him a sidelong glance before deliberately saying, “It’s my family who booked it.”
Saying so, he took Xiang Han with him and left, leaving Chang Yu Chi stunned in his spot with an extremely colourful expression.
Xiang Han couldn’t help looking back with pity in his eyes. He now believed that Shen Ze truly didn’t have any feelings for Chang Yu Chi. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have slapped his face so mercilessly like that.
Seeing his expression of pity and how he couldn’t help looking back, Shen Ze’s face grew ugly and their steps also quickened.
During dinner, Chang Yu Chi appeared once more and this time, it was with his father, Chang Guo Kun.
Shen Zheng Duo had actually organised this birthday party with the hidden intention of hosting a social event. That was why many businessmen were present. Chang Guo Kun was merely one of them to exchange greetings with. Afterwards, he pushed Chang Yu Chi to the front and laughed, “This is my useless son.’
Saying this, he turned to Chang Yu Chi, “Yu Chi, greet your Uncle Shen.”
“Hello Uncle Shen.” Chang Yu Chi’s attitude was extremely polite and respectful.
Shen Zheng Duo nodded and the two exchanged pleasantries.
Chang Guo Kun finally said, “I heard from Yu Chi that he’s in the same class as your son?”
Shen Zheng Duo asked in surprise, “Which one?”
Chang Guo Kun was also surprised, thinking how could there be another son. Of course it was Shen Ze.
However, he quickly realised something. The social dinner today was held in conjunction with Xiang Han’s birthday and they had even booked the entire venue. In the past, Shen Ze had never received such treatment. It looks like Shen Zheng Duo placed quite some importance on his step son. It was likely that once Shen Ze had a step-mother, he also gained a step-father[1].
Chang Guo Kun’s thoughts had gone one round but his expression remained the same as ever. He laughed, “It’s your older son, Shen Ze.”
Shen Zheng Duo made an ‘Oh’ sound before smiling, “He’s with Xiao Han in the next room.” Then, he continued, “If Yu Chi is bored, you can go look for them. After all, you youngsters have more in common to talk about.”
Chang Yu Chi was waiting for these words. He hurriedly bid them farewell.
Earlier, Shen Ze and Xiang Han had accompanied Shen Zheng Duo to take part in the social interactions and currently, their legs were about to break. Intending to take a break, they suddenly saw Chang Yu Chi appear and their faces turned dark.
Chang Yu Chi had figured out the Shen family’s situation and after knowing that Xiang Han was a step-son, he couldn’t help feeling a trace of pity. Although his appearance was quite good, he didn’t have any blood relation with Shen Zheng Duo. The one to succeed the Shen family would naturally be Shen Ze alone.
In the Chang’s family, Chang Yu Chi wasn’t the sole heir. In his younger years, Chang Guo Kun had been extremely promiscuous, flying all over the place. Counting the illegitimate sons he had brought home, there were already three excluding those he never took home.
In reality, Chang Yu Chi had some interest in Xiang Han. However, he was now aware that Shen Ze was the one he should be currying favour with. Of course, if he could pursue and catch him, it would be even better.
With the Shen family as his backing, those illegitimate brothers of his wouldn’t pose a threat to him. Having lived in such a competitive environment from a young age where they relied on fighting and scheming, he was extremely adept at finding himself a backer.
Therefore, his enthusiasm towards Shen Ze not only didn’t diminish in the slightest, it instead increased. Afterwards, he sat beside Shen Ze, speaking of matters he thought to be interesting and telling jokes which left himself gasping for air. Occasionally, he would peel some fruits for the other person, serving him juice while giving Xiang Han the cold-shoulder and ignoring him throughout the entire time.
He was a step-son after all. Judging others based on himself, he felt that there was no way Shen Ze would truly care for this little brother. It was more likely that this person was like him, only faking courtesy with his brother on the surface.
Towards him, Shen Ze was irritated beyond words. If it weren’t for the numerous guests and Chang Guo Kun outside, he would have already driven this person out.
Towards this predicament, Xiang Han only felt pity but didn’t have any intentions of sharing this burden. Instead, he slept very soundly.
***
[1] A saying that once you have a step-mother, your father also becomes your step-father. Because the husband listens to the wife.