CH 16

TL: Hua

“Shen Boyan…”

The face of the man whose name was called changed. Sheng Songbai’s eyes flickered, and he saw the man striding towards the stairs in a few steps. He stopped on the next step in front of the young man, looking at him with an unhappy face and saying, “Don’t run around when you’re sick. Aren’t you afraid of falling?”

Xia Shu’an, who just woke up, was confused by Shen Boyan’s scolding. He looked at Shen Boyan in a daze and defended himself: “I’m just hungry.”

He hadn’t eaten anything all day except for some porridge in the morning. It’s normal for him to be hungry now that his fever has subsided. Listening to his obviously tired voice and realizing that the cause of his fever was no other than himself, the anger subsided inexplicably.

His eyes drifted away. “Come down then. Auntie made porridge.”

I was going to go down.

Xia Shu’an took a step, and before his toes left the stairs, he swayed twice. Shen Boyan frowned and held his hand, while the other hand held his arm and helped him down the stairs.

Sheng Songbai looked at Shen Boyan, who angrily rushed up from downstairs. After a few words, he was like a capybara without any temper and carefully helped the person down the stairs.

He has known Shen Boyan for six or seven years, and he has never seen him like this before. The impact of the scene in front of him is no less than when he heard the word “sister-in-law” during the video conference that day.

He already had calculations in mind.

“This is Mr. Xia, right?”

Xia Shu’an had been walking with his head down. He didn’t notice that there was someone else in the house, and only when he heard the voice did he raise his head. A strange look flashed in his eyes.

The person in front of him also played an important role in the five-year tug-of-war between him and Shen Boyan.

This person likes Shen Boyan, but he doesn’t dare to confess. His mature mind made him proficient at hiding feelings—until Xia Shu’an appeared. He’s not the kind to stir trouble with those naive and superficial methods, but rather sow discord in a way that is more in line with his status.

He seemed to be speaking for Xia Shu’an or Shen Boyan, but in fact, his words were all to provoke the relationship between the two. At that time, Xia Shu’an hated Shen Boyan and believed in Sheng Songbai’s words so deeply that his relationship with Shen Boyan became more and more rigid.

In his previous life, Sheng Songbai was transferred out of the headquarters after Xia Shu’an and Shen Boyan got together for two years, and he has disappeared from their world since then. But in this timeline, he’s still a good partner and friend of Shen Boyan, which can also be considered a side effect of rebirth.

Shen Boyan briefly introduced the two: “This is President Sheng Songbai. He’s a veteran and a great contributor to our company.”

Sheng Songbai smiled and said, “You’re flattering me.”

Xia Shu’an also politely said, “Hello, President Sheng.”

Sheng Songbai looked at him with admiring eyes and said, “I heard that Young Master Xia looks gentle and elegant, just like a jade tree facing the wind1玉树临风[yù shù lín fēnɡ]: Describing a person with a natural, graceful demeanor and a beautiful appearance. Mostly used for men.. When I saw him today, he was really extraordinary.”

“President Sheng overpraised me.”

“No, no.” Sheng Songbai praised Xia Shu’an, then turned to Shen Boyan and said, “You have such a good partner as Young Master2Normally people would use 少(shao) to refer to young masters of rich families, for example, Xia Shao, but Sheng Songbai used 公子(gongzi), a respectful term for the sons of high-ranking officials and nobles. And the point is, in modern Chinese, this term has a derogatory and ironic meaning, insinuating that this person is basically a jobless good-for-nothing.  Xia. If there’s any banquet next time, you don’t have to look for some messy little star.”

Xia Shu’an frowned, wondering why this sentence sounded so strange.

Leaving aside the small report on Shen Boyan given through these words, although Xia Shu’an doesn’t often go out and about in the circle, he’s still a member of this circle, and people who know him are inevitable in crowded places. Now that the Xia family is in decline and the situation is suddenly improving, people with a discerning eye can tell what’s going on at a glance. Even if they don’t say anything on the surface, they can’t help but secretly mock Xia Shu’an.

If someone with strong self-esteem hears his suggestive words, they will inevitably think more.

If even Xia Shu’an could think of this, how could Shen Boyan not understand it?

He didn’t answer this but said, “Don’t worry, Shu’an is still sick.”

“Yes, yes, no hurry.”

Sheng Songbai had a hearty smile, making it impossible to see his true inner thoughts. Xia Shu’an did care about him a little bit, but…

He rubbed his stomach and looked at Shen Boyan blankly with his pale pupils: “I’m hungry.”

Shen Boyan: “…”

Shen Boyan stared at Xia Shu’an speechlessly for several seconds before saying, “Come here, Auntie is cooking.”

He looked at Sheng Songbai again and said, “Songbai, you haven’t eaten yet either, right? We made dumplings at home; do you want to eat them together?”

Sheng Songbai patted his stomach when he heard that and said with an embarrassed smile, “Then I won’t be polite.”

In order for Xia Shu’an to have something to eat when he wakes up, the auntie cooked millet porridge and made vegetarian dumplings. The dipping sauce is also her unique recipe. It has a special vinegar aroma compared to the ones outside.

Xia Shu’an was really hungry, and he ate a few mouthfuls after sitting down. However, his appetite was small, his speed slowed down after a while, and his movements became more refined. Even though he was still ill, his every move showed the elegance he had cultivated since childhood.

Since it’s not yet dinner time, after eating two mouthfuls, Shen Boyan then talked to Sheng Songbai about business matters, not shying away from Xia Shu’an at all. Even if Xia Shu’an was interested in business, he couldn’t muster up his energy at the moment. He yawned lazily, and his raised arm slid out of the loose cuff. Sheng Songbai’s eyes narrowed when he saw the mottled red marks on his arm.

“It’s the matter regarding personnel transfer in the overseas business unit…. Please excuse me.”

Shen Boyan stood up, picked up the vibrating cell phone, and walked to the next room.

Sheng Songbai looked at the young man in front of him with deep eyes and asked, “How does it feel to spend time with Boyan?”

Xia Shu’an’s action of stirring the spoon paused, and then he raised his head.

Sheng Songbai had a modest and gentle smile on his face. He was neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin. His facial features were upright and handsome, and his short hair showed a touch of elegance. Everything about him seemed very approachable.

At this moment, there was just the right amount of concern in his eyes, and his tone was full of gentleness.

Xia Shu’an put down the spoon and didn’t speak.

Sheng Songbai didn’t realize he was being ignored and said to himself, “Although he may have a quick temper sometimes, overall he’s still very good. If he does something that makes you unhappy, it must be because he likes you.”

With his status and intelligence, he must have guessed what was going on between him and Shen Boyan. Is he saying this sincerely for the sake of their friendship or with ulterior motives? Xia Shu’an, who has experienced the previous life, is very sure: He just has an ulterior motive.

Xia Shu’an’s throat still hurts when he speaks, like a spring wire being pulled to the limit, so he speaks very slowly: “What do you think he will do to me?”

“This?” Sheng Songbai smiled as if embarrassed. “I don’t know about that.”

After Xia Shu’an drank the porridge, his lips were slightly moisturized. Although his face was still pale, it couldn’t diminish his good foundation. Upon closer inspection, he had the appearance of a loveable, sickly beauty.

He said softly, “Shen Boyan is very kind to me. He’s very patient and gentle. I think he’s very good.”

Xia Shu’an closed his eyes and spouted nonsense, but due to his lack of confidence in what he said, his conscience wasn’t immune to condemnation. He touched his somewhat guilty heart and said to himself, I killed a thousand enemies but lost eight hundred3Although you defeat the enemy, you also suffer serious losses.. Shen Boyan, how can you pay back what you owe me?

Shen Boyan’s phone call was very brief, and he quickly returned. He pulled his chair and sat down with a natural attitude while looking at Xia Shu’an and saying, “What are you talking about, so happy?”

Xia Shu’an, who had just experienced moral condemnation, glanced at him depressedly when he heard this. Which eye of yours sees me happy?

Sheng Song smiled and said, “We’re talking about you. I told Xiao Xia that if you bully him, come find me.”

“I would never bully him, would I?”

Facing Shen Boyan’s eyes, which seemed to be smiling but were not smiling, Xia Shu’an just responded vaguely.

The rice porridge in Xia Shu’an’s bowl has bottomed out, but there are still a few dumplings left on the plate. Shen Boyan and Sheng Songbai glanced at it while chatting: “Why don’t you eat it?”

“I can’t eat anymore.”

“Didn’t you say you were hungry? You stop after only a few bites.” He sounded as if he were disgusted, but his movements were not slow, and he pulled the plate in front of Xia Shu’an towards himself.

The dipping sauce on the small plate in front of him had already been finished, so he picked one up and dipped it into Xia Shu’an’s plate.

“Take it over and eat; don’t drip it.” Xia Shu’an pushed the dipping sauce towards him, and Shen Boyan accepted it without hesitation.

Sheng Songbai’s palm on his leg slowly tightened.

Shen Boyan was born into a low-born family. During his entrepreneurial period, he experienced all kinds of hardships. Although several people slept in the same shared house4大通铺. Share house that has beds connected together like this., he never touched food that others had touched. Once, they accompanied a big client for a drink, and the client invited several small celebrities to accompany them. One of them was highly favored by the client, and the small celebrity coquettishly wanted to feed Shen Boyan wine.

Shen Boyan gave him a cold look and punished himself for three cups, but he refused to touch the star’s cup.

That cooperation was hard-earned by Shen Boyan. The client respected him as a tough guy and gave him a lot of convenience. At that time, Sheng Songbai only thought that he was obsessed with cleanliness. As it turned out, it wasn’t like he couldn’t share with others, but they weren’t the ones he was willing to share with.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t stay any longer, so he quickly found an excuse and left.

Before leaving, he said to Xia Shu’an, “Next time you come to the company, let’s have a good meal.”

Shen Boyan replied on his behalf: “Okay, next time, then I won’t send you off.”

“No need; it’s not like we’re strangers.”

Sheng Songbai patted Shen Boyan on the shoulder. After turning around, his expression changed, and he quickly walked out of the villa gate as if fleeing from something.

Xia Shu’an watched him leave thoughtfully. Sheng Songbai is a man who is still very cautious. If it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t break up no matter how much they fought or quarreled, and Sheng Songbai himself didn’t lose his sense of measure in a state of urgency, Shen Boyan might not have doubted him.

Xia Shu’an was oblivious until the truth was revealed. The reason why he had never doubted Sheng Songbai was because he felt that no one in this world would like Shen Boyan.

How can anyone like a control freak like Shen Boyan?

Does he like his domineering attitude or his brutality?

Now, thinking about it, he really “despised” Shen Boyan.

Xia Shu’an looked outside the room and asked Shen Boyan: “That President Sheng, is he very close to you?”

“He doesn’t look very old. Is he in his thirties?” Could it be that Shen Boyan still has a side that attracts mature men?

Shen Boyan watched him staring at the door “infatuatedly”, with a flash of coldness in his eyes. He stretched out his hand to pinch Xia Shu’an’s chin and put on a face that Xia Shu’an was familiar with: “What are you curious about him for? Don’t you forget that you’re already mine.”

“You chose this yourself.”

Xia Shu’an looked at him with a puzzled face. What the hell, did he think he was interested in Sheng Songbai?

He’s not that bored… Wait, It’s not like he can’t?

Hua: Can you guess why the chapter title is stable triangle?