Shen Moyu suddenly stood up and wiped his clothes with a tissue: "I spilled coffee, I'm going to the restroom. You guys chat."
"Do you want me to accompany you?" Su Jinning asked.
"No need." Shen Moyu shook his head, then lowered his voice and said, "Just be more discreet."
"oh."
After Shen Moyu left, Zhou Xingqi stopped pretending, put down his knife and fork, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, looking like a big boss: "What happened to my brother's neck?"
Su Jinning was stunned, not by his words, but by his incredible ability to change his expression.
He swallowed the steak in his mouth, met his scrutinizing gaze, and smiled slightly: "You're right."
"You bastard!" Zhou Xingqi suddenly stood up and roared.
"What are you yelling about? This is a restaurant." Su Jinning calmly tapped the table.
Zhou Xingqi then looked around and saw that most of the people in the restaurant were staring at him expectantly.
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to remain calm as he sat down, but his fingers trembled uncontrollably: "You touched him? Did you?"
His voice trembled as he said "Really?", as if he was extremely unwilling to accept it.
But Su Jinning didn't care about him at all, and said frankly, "It was consensual. What's your rush?" He looked at Zhou Xingqi's almost distorted face and really admired his acting skills.
Zhou Xingqi gripped the knife and fork until his palms were marked with marks. It seemed like he had mentally prepared himself for a long time before he managed to suppress his urges.
"You are not good enough for him."
"Indeed." Su Jinning tossed his fork onto the plate with a crisp sound, as if in response: "I'm certainly not good enough for someone as outstanding as him, but no matter what," he narrowed his eyes, "it's not your place, you little brat."
"You!" Zhou Xingqi was so choked by his words that he couldn't breathe. To him, Su Jinning was like the display window separating him from his beloved toy; even if the toy was right in front of him, he could never get past this barrier.
"You have no right to say such things to me!" Zhou Xingqi gritted his teeth.
Su Jinning raised his eyes, his gaze as if walking on thin ice: "Then do you have the right?" His fingers tapped the table rhythmically, a slow and deliberate beat that unsettled Zhou Xingqi: "In other words, your status doesn't qualify you to do this."
Zhou Xingqi seemed to have been slapped hard, staring at him with piercing eyes: "What do you mean? I don't understand."
"Alright, let me put it another way." Su Jinning stared at his trembling eyes as if keeping him in suspense, then cut to the chase: "The youngest son of Shen Donghai, chairman of the Shen Group." Su Jinning gave a harmless smile, but her gaze held a hint of danger: "Right?"
In an instant, Zhou Xingqi's heart turned completely cold, as if he had been blindfolded and thrown into a cold sea, suffocating instantly. He stared intently at Su Jinning, wishing he could tear him apart with his gaze to see what he was really up to.
"Children's secrets can be kept from adults," Su Jinning smiled, "but don't make a big fuss about it."
"Su Jinning." Zhou Xingqi's eyes trembled. "What exactly do you want?"
Su Jinning looked at his incredibly serious expression and suddenly burst into laughter, like a triumphant villain. But her gaze softened abruptly: "Don't act like I'm some heinous villain." He pointed to the bathroom door and whispered, "I'm not that bad, and I didn't mean to tell him."
When Su Jinning softened, his gaze lost its sharpness, and coupled with his words, he might actually be able to gain trust. But Zhou Xingqi was already on the verge of tears.
But now that things had come to this, he was helpless. He could only beg Su Jinning not to say it. He simply couldn't bear to see Shen Moyu's reaction if she found out.
He would definitely hate himself for that.
He was Shen Donghai's child, one of the biggest reasons his father abandoned his older brother. Even more ridiculous, he actually fell in love with his half-brother.
He couldn't express his feelings, and even had to fabricate his own identity. This was far too melodramatic and cruel.
For so many years, he has been unable to look up because of self-blame, but he has no way of knowing where he was born or for whom he was born.
"Hey, don't cry." Su Jinning panicked a little when she saw his red eyes. He really couldn't stand seeing others cry, especially those he had made cry.
Did I not say I wanted to tell him?
"Then what do you mean by all this!" Zhou Xingqi stubbornly wiped her eyes, sobbing incessantly, as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
"Damn it..." Su Jinning rubbed his head. It wasn't that he didn't want to let him go, but this kid was really troublesome and had a sharp tongue. What could he do?
"As long as you promise not to bother us anymore, I'll keep this to myself and not say a word!" Su Jinning said helplessly.
What was supposed to be a battleground of love rivals turned into a scene of comforting children.
"You're threatening me!" Zhou Xingqi couldn't hold back his tears.
"This isn't a threat!" Su Jinning said seriously, "This is an equal exchange."
Zhou Xingqi seemed to cry even harder, lying face down on the table and refusing to get up, rolling around on the floor like a child throwing a tantrum because he hadn't been given a toy.
"Don't cry, don't cry! Hey! Your brother's coming out soon! Stop crying!" Su Jinning looked anxiously at the bathroom door.
He shouldn't have said anything, because once he did, Zhou Xingqi burst into tears.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Shen Moyu rushed over, her hands still wet.
"Damn..." Su Jinning rubbed her face. That's really good, this trump card is really good.
"Brother..." Zhou Xingqi looked up and grabbed Shen Moyu's arm, sobbing aggrievedly. His tender little face was filled with sadness and grievance. Who wouldn't feel sorry for him? Even Su Jinning regretted it.
Absolutely, he really regrets not taking action directly back then.
Shen Moyu, completely bewildered, rubbed his head and frowned as she asked Su Jinning, "What's going on? What were you two talking about?"
"I don't know, I didn't say anything." Su Jinning shrugged.
Damn, if all else fails, he'll cry too.
"He insulted me." Zhou Xingqi lied without blushing, and then sobbed a few more times.
Su Jinning: "????"
Zhou Xingqi did indeed leave. He said he would come again when he had time. Su Jinning smiled and said he was welcome. People in the mainland had been looking forward to his passing for a long time.
After seeing him off, Shen Moyu finally asked him, "What did you say to them that made you cry like that?"
Su Jinning curled her lip: "Damn, I'm already being kind by not crying because that kid is so sharp-tongued."
Shen Moyu was both amused and exasperated: "So what exactly did you say?"
Su Jinning sighed, hands behind his back, and remarked like an old man, "I said, beautiful women in America don't like rich, spoiled boys; someone like you won't find a partner." Then he cried.