Yan Shenyu didn't want to be hugged by Xu Yi, who was still in the room, so he quickly took a step back. However, due to the limited space in the corner of the banquet hall, he couldn't escape Xu Yi's repeated attacks.
Just as he was cornered against the wall with almost no way out, a hand suddenly reached out and wrapped around his waist. Then, a familiar scent enveloped him.
Before Yan Shenyu could react, the hand on his waist suddenly tightened, pulling him into a familiar embrace.
He had hugged her that afternoon—a broad, warm embrace, carrying Xie Siyan's unique scent.
"Be careful." The man placed his large hand on his lower back, his voice deep and steady.
Their chests were pressed tightly together, exchanging scents and body heat through their clothes.
Yan Shenyu's heart was beating a little fast, and it took her a while to look up: "Thank you..."
"Why are you avoiding me?" Xu Yi missed her target and looked at Yan Shenyu with a reproachful expression. "Do you dislike me that much? You'd rather be hugged by Xie Siyan than by me?"
Yan Shenyu then realized that he was still in Xie Siyan's arms. He quickly raised his hand to push Xie Siyan away, but the latter blocked him behind him with one hand.
Before Yan Shenyu could say anything more, Xie Siyan put his other hand in front of Xu Yi and said coldly, "If you come any closer, I can sue you for sexual harassment."
Xu Yi: ? ?
Xu Yi: ! !
"Who the hell sexually harassed him?" Xu Yi exploded like a firework in an instant. "I, Xu Yi, personally hugged Yan Shenyu. This is his good fortune!"
"Good fortune?" Xie Siyan sneered, as if he had seen something dirty, and raised his hand to cover Yan Shenyu's eyes. "No one can afford to enjoy this kind of good fortune."
"What good is it to cover his eyes!" Xu Yi sneered. "He's already seen me naked, what's a little bit more?"
You've seen them naked?
Xie Siyan looked at Yan Shenyu in shock, a dull pain shooting through his heart: "You...you and he have already progressed to this point?"
Yan Shenyu: "..."
“Of course,” Xu Yi said smugly, raising her chin. “Just tell him whether we’ve been completely honest with each other!”
Yan Shenyu remained silent for a moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
But he felt he couldn't let Xu Yi ruin his reputation like that, so he quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "I did see him naked, but that was because I helped him change his clothes..."
Xie Siyan didn't hear a word of what followed. The moment Yan Shenyu nodded, his world collapsed.
"You're still a long way from competing with me." Xu Yi, like a victorious rooster, pulled Yan Shenyu over and began to knead and flatten him.
Xie Siyan turned around and left, looking utterly dejected.
In a nearby corner, Fu Jingran was still teasing Yan Sheng, making her blush bright red. Seeing Xie Siyan approach, he asked smugly, "Didn't you have someone you liked? Why aren't you with him?"
Xie Siyan looked down at him, with an expression as if he were looking at a dead man.
Fu Jingran had never seen him look so desperate. He pulled Xie Siyan aside and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie Siyan had never talked about this with anyone else, but apart from Fu Jingran, he seemed to have no one else to discuss it with.
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Siyan recounted what had just happened.
"You think Yan Shenyu and Xu Yi are a couple?" Fu Jingran asked in shock. "They do have a good relationship, but if I may be frank... can't you see that Xu Yi is a bottom?"
Xie Siyan: ?
Fu Jingran: "Or do you think Yan Shenyu is a top?"
Xie Siyan: ? ?
A note from the author:
Pure-hearted President Xie
Chapter 42 Xie Siyan got into a fight!
“They’re obviously just friends,” Fu Jingran said with a look of superiority, as if to say, “How can you not know such common sense?” “You can’t assume that just because Yan Shenyu likes men, all his intimate relationships with men are romantic. Their situation is like girls holding hands going to the restroom or soaking in a hot spring together—it’s perfectly normal.”
Was it normal all along?
After Fu Jingran's guidance, Xie Siyan finally regained her composure.
"Thanks." He nodded to Fu Jingran, but before leaving, he seemed to remember something and paused. "Wait, how did you know I like Yan Shenyu?"
He asserted, "I didn't tell you about this."
"Do you need to tell me that?" Fu Jingran chuckled. "You practically have your feelings for him written all over your face."
Xie Siyan frowned: "I thought I had covered it up very well."
"Laughable! You call that hiding it well? You were incredibly flirtatious in front of him, your hormones were flying everywhere." Fu Jingran mocked him mercilessly. "Especially the way you looked at Yan Shenyu, staring straight at him, as if you wanted to devour him alive."
To swallow whole?
Xie Siyan blinked blankly. Had he made it that obvious?
After a moment, Xie Siyan was certain that he hadn't, and that it was all just Fu Jingran talking nonsense. Although he liked Yan Shenyu, he was still himself and wouldn't be affected by Yan Shenyu in any way.
On a late July night, Xie Siyan stood in the courtyard outside the banquet hall, gazing into the distance.
The sky was just beginning to darken when a crescent moon cast a silvery glow across the deep blue sky, with Venus twinkling beside it.
Occasionally, sounds from the banquet hall drifted to his ears; amidst the noisy and bustling environment, Yan Shenyu's voice stood out remarkably.
People chat with him, and occasionally you can hear him laughing happily.
Someone tried to strike up a conversation with him, but he just smiled and sent them away.
A little while later, he was approached by someone again...
After he left, he was approached by other people!
A surge of anger rose in Xie Siyan's heart, and his previously calm emotions vanished in an instant.
For some reason, he really wanted to rush in and drive everyone around Yan Shenyu away.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
He told himself that Yan Shenyu was already outstanding, and he had performed so brilliantly today, it was perfectly normal for people to want to get to know him. Even if someone approached him, it was nothing; it was just his normal social need, and he had no right to interfere.
Xie Siyan took a deep breath and forced himself to stay where he was.
However, Yan Shenyu was soon approached by someone again, and this time he did not refuse, but chatted happily with the other person.
Xie Siyan's breath hitched, and all his muscles tensed.
When a frivolous French-speaking man confessed his love to Yan Shenyu on the spot, Xie Siyan could no longer hold back and stormed into the banquet hall with a stern face.
Screw restraint, screw composure, he just can't stand other men flirting with Yan Shenyu!
“Siyan,” Fu Shuyu happened to come out from inside. She stopped immediately when she saw him and asked with bright eyes, “How was your day?”
Xie Siyan didn't answer. He didn't even glance at him before turning his head and leaving, as if he were invisible.
Fu Shuyu thought he hadn't seen her, so she quickly chased after him: "Why are you walking so fast? Why didn't you respond when I called you earlier?"
"I have something urgent to attend to, so I'll have to go now." Xie Siyan seemed to only then notice him. He left the scene coldly after saying this.
"What do you think of today's event..." Fu Shuyu's words were stuck in her throat.
He stood there blankly, staring at the man's tall, straight back, a clear sense of disappointment in his azure eyes.
"Mr. Xie is really cold." A voice suddenly rang in my ears, and Wei Yiming, dressed in a formal suit, walked out.
Fu Shuyu glanced at him but did not speak.
Wei Yiming didn't care and said directly, "Do you know what he rushed off to do after leaving you? He went to find Yan Shenyu."
Fu Shuyu then raised her head and said expressionlessly, "I don't need you to tell me."
"I just feel sorry for you," Wei Yiming smiled, his tone full of regret. "Everyone knows you and President Xie are childhood sweethearts, you grew up together. Logically speaking, you two are the most compatible couple. But then Yan Shenyu came along..."
He looked into Fu Shuyu's eyes and said, word by word, "I don't know what tricks Yan Shenyu used. Back then, President Xie rejected my endorsement because of him, and now, President Xie has abandoned you because of him..."
"You want to provoke me into targeting Yan Shenyu?" Fu Shuyu smiled, but interrupted his speech without any mercy.
“I have no grudge against him, so why would I provoke you to go against him?” Wei Yiming smiled. “It’s just that I can’t help but feel sorry for you. You are far more outstanding than Yan Shenyu, and I really can’t bear to see you fall into such a situation.”
“Mind your own business,” Fu Shuyu said coldly. At this moment, the semi-permanent smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a look of disdain and arrogance. He stared at Wei Yiming’s face and said slowly, “What is your identity? And what is mine? You are not worthy to cooperate with me.”
Fu Shuyu turned and left. When he met someone he knew, he immediately looked up and showed his signature sweet smile.
Wei Yiming was so choked up that he couldn't speak for a long time.
Xu Yi is an idiot, but why is Fu Shuyu, who clearly has a conflict of interest with Yan Shenyu, protecting him? Did Yan Shenyu drug these people?
Fu Shuyu did not protect Yan Shenyu; he simply rejected Wei Yiming.
Who does Wei Yiming think he is? He's not even worthy of being used as a tool to kill someone.
He rejected Wei Yiming, but he had no intention of giving up on Xie Siyan. Fu Shuyu disdained such petty tricks against Yan Shenyu; he wanted a fair and square victory. Since Xie Siyan hadn't yet made his decision, then they would compete fairly.
However, since he had just returned to China and his foundation was not yet stable, there were not many things he could do on his own. Fu Shuyu went to her cousin Fu Jingran and explained her purpose.
"You want me to create opportunities for you to pursue Xie Siyan?"
“Yes,” Fu Shuyu nodded, without hiding anything, “To be honest, I returned to China because of him.”
“This is a bit difficult…” Fu Jingran paused, then hesitated, “If Lao Xie didn’t have anyone he liked, I could create some opportunities for you. But he likes Yan Shenyu now, and you know his personality—he’s a man of his word, as stubborn as a mule. To be honest, under these circumstances, your chances of winning in pursuing him are very low.”
"How will I know if I don't try?" Fu Shuyu raised her head and said stubbornly, "Just tell me if you're willing to help me."
“I’m sorry,” Fu Jingran shook his head, “I can’t help you with this.”
Fu Shuyu knew that Fu Jingran was pursuing Yan Sheng, so it was expected that she would reject him.
Besides Fu Jingran, he had another option. However, if he had a choice, he really didn't want to get involved with this uncle…
Although he was called "Uncle," Fu Da was not a blood relative of the Fu family. He was the child of Fu's grandfather's comrade-in-arms. His parents died when he was young, so he was taken in and raised by the Fu family.
Fu Shuyu had lived abroad for many years and didn't know much about him, only a vague impression that he was a close friend of her mother. Before returning to China, her mother, who was still alive at the time, held his hand and said that Fu Da was someone she could trust, and that she could ask him for help if she had any trouble.
Yes, Mom said he can be trusted.
Although Fu Shuyu was somewhat wary and cautious of this person, she still told Fu Da what she wanted to ask.
"You want me to help you?" A man in a black suit stood outside the banquet hall. His gaze swept casually over the unfamiliar faces, as if this bustling world had nothing to do with him.
Fu Shuyu nodded vigorously and added, "I won't let you help me for nothing. I can exchange certain benefits with you."