Chapter 10: Hidden Thoughts

Chapter 10: Heartstrings

Wen Yu returned to the Wen family, but several days passed without him seeing Wen Qingshi.

Wen Hanzhou was having breakfast at the dining table.

"Big brother, Wen Qing—" the young man paused and corrected himself, "Second brother, why isn't he home?"

Wen Hanzhou ate his breakfast calmly. "Qingshi angered Father and has been confined to his room."

"Is it... because of me?" Wen Yu asked cautiously.

Wen Hanzhou's gaze turned cold, though his tone remained casual. "What matters is that you're home safe. Father is also upset with your second brother for taking you to places he shouldn't have."

"Big brother..." Wen Yu wanted to ask more questions.

But Wen Hanzhou interrupted him. "By the way, your fiancé has made time for lunch with you today."

Wen Yu nodded numbly.

Wen Hanzhou told him that Shen Yubai, the eldest young master of the Shen family, was a stickler for punctuality. But he was a good guy and easy to get along with.

At 11:30, Wang Shoucheng knocked on the door—three soft raps.

"Young master, the car is ready."

The butler Wang Shoucheng's voice came from outside the door, at a moderate volume.

After breakfast, Wen Yu had been lying on the small sofa in his room. He stood up, his legs a bit weak, and steadied himself against the sofa.

A car was waiting at the entrance.

The car's front window reflected his outfit for the day.

A light blue shirt with sleeves slightly too long. A lock of Wen Yu's hair was lifted by the wind, falling across his forehead.

He looked like a pure, blank sheet of paper. If Gu Junhan saw him dressed like this, he'd definitely regret letting him go back to the Wen family.

Wen Yu went to a well-known upscale Western restaurant.

He pushed the door open and found the place had been booked out.

Wen Yu's hair was black and tidy, revealing his ears and the nape of his neck.

His face was fair—that naturally smooth, jade-like whiteness.

Shen Yubai's gaze locked onto Wen Yu the moment he walked in.

Wen Yu noticed him too, unsure how to greet his "fiancé." Shyly, he sat down across from Shen Yubai.

The fiancé before him wore a watch on his wrist—silver, with a slim, minimalist dial. No markings, just the hands ticking away.

Shen Yubai spoke in a gentlemanly manner. "Hello, Wen Yu. I'm your fiancé."

Wen Yu nodded, a little dazed. "Hello."

Shen Yubai picked up the dark menu from the table, opened it, and placed it before the young man.

"The steak here is excellent," he said. "The fish is good too—really fresh. For soup, the mushroom is light; you might like it."

Wen Yu looked at the menu, at the French words he couldn't understand, at the dishes he couldn't name. His fingers hesitated on the edge of the menu. "Could you order for me, please?"

Shen Yubai could tell right away that Wen Yu didn't know French.

He was decisive and sharp in business, and he hadn't had any particular expectations for this arranged marriage. But the moment he first saw Wen Yu's photo, his heart "stirred."

Only respect and gentlemanly behavior could do justice to a boy as well-behaved as Wen Yu.

Shen Yubai simply closed the menu. "Let me have you try their signature dish."

The fiancé across from him signaled the waiter, who immediately took the menu and left.

Shen Yubai's gaze lingered briefly on Wen Yu's hand before looking away. "What do you like to do for fun?"

Wen Yu thought about it.

What did he like to do? In the mountain village, he liked sitting under trees, dipping his feet into the creek, and watching the smoke from cooking fires rise at dusk.

He didn't know if that counted as a hobby.

"I..." Wen Yu was too embarrassed to say it, afraid that mentioning such things would make people think such a country boy didn't belong in such an upscale place.

Shen Yubai took a sip of water. "Then I'll go first, if you don't mind."

"I like reading. There's a book where the author writes about watching clouds, trees, birds, and stones."

"Do you know about the smoke from cooking fires in rural villages? The description is really vivid."

Wen Yu's fingers fidgeted on his knees. "I know."

"In the mountain village, at dusk, smoke would rise from every rooftop—white and gray. It was beautiful."

Shen Yubai listened, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Sounds like you know a lot about it. I'm really interested—I'd love to hear about the countryside."

Wen Yu's eyes lit up because someone was actually willing to listen to him talk about his hometown.

The young man talked eagerly, his mouth going dry, until the mushroom soup arrived.

He finished the soup, leaving a little at the bottom—white, like snow about to melt at the end of winter.

Wen Yu felt that this young master of the Shen family was different from how his big brother had described him. The conversation flowed easily.

An hour passed.

Shen Yubai glanced at his watch—time to get back to the office. "Want me to drive you back?"

Wen Yu shook his head shyly. "No thanks, I can get back on my own."

The butler, Wang Shoucheng, had already left to deliver documents to Wen Baichuan.

A million yuan had been transferred to his phone. Wen Yu decided to go shopping at the mall on his own.

Wen Yu called a ride.

"A black car..." Wen Yu mumbled to himself.

The moment he finished speaking, a black Maybach pulled up silently in front of him.

Wen Yu didn't bother to check the license plate. He never paid much attention to details like that—the car's color matched, so this should be the right one.

The door opened from the inside, and a man in a black suit stepped out. Moving quickly and smoothly, he pulled open the rear door and offered a slight bow.

"Please."

The young man bent down and leaned in to look inside—

In the dim interior of the car, another person sat in the back seat on the left side.

Gu Junhan wore a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a pair of strong wrists. His long, elegant fingers rested on his knee, absently playing with a ring.

Wen Yu froze for a moment.

Not his car! The license plate was wrong.

He tried to pull back, but a hand grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into the car.

The door slammed closed behind Wen Yu.

The man in the suit who had opened the door for him returned to the passenger seat.

The car pulled away smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

The young man was pressed against Gu Junhan's chest, his back against a burning-hot chest, an arm wrapped around his waist. The air was heavy with the smell of pine and tobacco.

Wen Yu couldn't see that it was Gu Junhan. He struggled and tried to push him away, his voice tight. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Wen Yu met a pair of fathomless eyes.

"It's... it's you."

"Young Master Wen was on a date?" Gu Junhan said.

Wen Yu's body felt strange—he didn't resist him at all.

Wen Yu swallowed hard, staring at his jaded face. "What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by." Gu Junhan's large hand brushed the young man's trembling lips, his fingertip gently tracing the seam of his mouth. "I saw you."