Hearing Chu Yi’s words, Shen Jin paused, his tone slightly unnatural. “Mm.”
Chu Yi understood immediately. No wonder Shen Jin hadn’t woken him up—he’d been exercising.
The villa had a dedicated workout room, fully equipped with various exercise machines. Chu Yi had been astonished when he first saw it; it was practically a miniature gym.
But he had only passed by it, never actually entered. Not being a fan of exercise himself, he deeply admired Shen Jin’s consistent workout routine. It was no wonder Shen Jin was in such great shape.
As Chu Yi descended the stairs, he glanced at his phone. Shen Jin, walking beside him, frowned and warned, “Don’t look at your phone while going down the stairs. Watch where you’re going.”
“Oh,” Chu Yi replied casually, clearly not taking the warning seriously. “I’m watching the stairs. It’s fine.”
No sooner had he spoken than Chu Yi missed a step, stumbling forward. Shen Jin’s quick reflexes saved him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him close.
They were on the second floor, with over twenty steps below. Had Chu Yi actually fallen, he felt he might have lost half his life in the fall.
Chu Yi patted his rapidly beating chest, relieved. “Thank goodness, thank goodness.”
He was still grinning, trying to appear nonchalant, but Shen Jin stared at him with a stern expression. Chu Yi’s smile gradually froze on his face. “I’m so glad you caught me.”
Shen Jin’s gaze suddenly turned fierce. Chu Yi hadn’t seen such a harsh look in a long time, and he fell silent, his spirits drooping.
He felt Shen Jin’s arm tighten around his waist, as if exerting force. Chu Yi’s heart sank.
*Oh no, Shen Jin seems angry.*
It had been a while since he’d seen Shen Jin with such a dark expression.
“Never use your phone while going up or down stairs,” Shen Jin said, his voice strained, as if gritting his teeth to control his temper. “It’s extremely dangerous. You nearly fell just now.”
Though Shen Jin’s tone remained outwardly calm, it was clear he was barely holding back his anger. For a moment, it was hard to tell whose heart was racing faster—Shen Jin’s or Chu Yi’s.
Chu Yi lowered his head. “I understand.”
Seeing Chu Yi’s downcast eyes and trembling lashes, as if tears were about to fall, Shen Jin’s heart softened slightly. Yet he hardened his resolve, his voice growing even more severe. “Understanding isn’t enough. You need to act on it. No more of this. If I catch you doing it again, I’ll confiscate your phone for a month—no phone for an entire month.”
Chu Yi nodded frantically, promising, “It won’t happen again. Absolutely not.”
Shen Jin’s expression softened slightly. “That was really dangerous just now.”
Chu Yi, ever the hindsight expert, tried to downplay the incident. “Actually, I was watching where I was going. I was being careful. Even if you hadn’t pulled me back, I would have grabbed the railing. I wouldn’t have fallen…”
Seeing Shen Jin’s expression darken again, Chu Yi quickly added, “I promise I’ll never look at my phone while walking down the stairs again.”
“Mm,” Shen Jin replied.
For some reason, Chu Yi felt the grip around his waist tightening, becoming uncomfortably tight. He couldn’t help but tug at the arm encircling him, hoping Shen Jin would loosen his hold.
Then he felt a series of vibrations through Shen Jin’s arm, suddenly making his waist tingle and nearly causing him to lose his balance.
Looking down, he traced the vibrations to Shen Jin’s wrist—the smartwatch was vibrating, emitting a faint green glow.
But Shen Jin seemed oblivious. Chu Yi pointed it out: “Someone’s calling you. Your smartwatch is vibrating.”
Ever since they’d met, Shen Jin had been wearing this smartwatch. Chu Yi had assumed it was a high-end smartwatch with calling capabilities.
Shen Jin hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t release Chu Yi. Chu Yi tilted his head, puzzled. “Aren’t you going to answer the call?”
*Anything important enough to reach Shen Jin must be urgent.*
Meeting Chu Yi’s clear, questioning gaze, Shen Jin finally let go. “I’ll take the call.”
Chu Yi exhaled in relief as Shen Jin left.
Even through their clothes, he could distinctly feel the intense heat radiating from Shen Jin’s body when his arm had been around Chu Yi’s waist.
Chu Yi touched his waist, still feeling warm.
*Shen Jin’s body temperature is really high.*
When Chu Yi came downstairs, Butler Wen noticed his eyes were still slightly red. Knowing Shen Jin had given him an eye mask, which should have been highly effective, Butler Wen was surprised Chu Yi’s eyes were still red.
“Did something happen just now?” Butler Wen asked.
Chu Yi recounted the incident to Uncle Wen, who immediately understood: Chu Yi had been scolded by Shen Jin until he cried. However, Butler Wen also observed that Chu Yi no longer shed tears as easily as before.
*Looking at your phone while walking downstairs is indeed quite dangerous.*
In the past, if Shen Jin had been this harsh, Chu Yi would have been crying uncontrollably. Now, his eyes were merely slightly reddened.
Chu Yi realized he no longer felt as intimidated by Shen Jin’s glares as he used to. If Shen Jin had glared at him like this when he first arrived, Chu Yi would have burst into tears, his eyes swelling red.
He found Shen Jin’s rules strangely comforting, as no one had ever cared about him like this before.
Chu Yi looked up and saw Shen Jin approaching after “finishing his call.”
“What are you looking at?” Shen Jin noticed Chu Yi had been staring outside for a long time.
Chu Yi snapped out of his daze. “The yard feels a bit empty.” Such a vast yard was just lawn, unchanging through all four seasons.
Following his gaze, Shen Jin looked out at the lawn. “What would you like to plant?”
Chu Yi thought for a moment. “I’ve seen on TV and online that people with big yards often plant lots of flowers. In spring, those walls of blossoms look so beautiful.”
“Pink, red, purple… I don’t know what kinds of flowers they are, but they’re just so pretty.”
After rambling on about the lawn, Chu Yi looked at Shen Jin. “Can I see your arm?”
“Hmm?” Shen Jin raised an eyebrow.
Chu Yi explained, “I grabbed you pretty hard earlier. I’m worried I might have scratched you.”
Shen Jin rolled up his sleeve. Chu Yi examined the spot where he had grabbed him, but there wasn’t a trace of a mark.
He thought he was quite strong, but to Shen Jin, it felt like a tickle.
Chu Yi gently touched the spot. “Does it hurt?”
Shen Jin’s eyes flickered. “No, it doesn’t hurt.”
“What? You actually went to the club’s social event? I thought you had a boyfriend?” A few days later, Jiang Xu learned that Chu Yi had attended the club’s social gathering.
He had assumed Chu Yi wouldn’t go.
Chu Yi’s reasoning differed: “Why wouldn’t I go? The buffet at that hotel was really good. I already paid for it, so it would have been a waste not to go.”
Jiang Xu understood. “You didn’t tell your boyfriend?”
“No, I did tell him,” Chu Yi replied. “He agreed I should go.”
Jiang Xu sized Chu Yi up and down. Handsome and charming, Chu Yi was the campus heartthrob of their department, attracting many admirers and standing out wherever he went.
Finally, Jiang Xu concluded, “Your boyfriend doesn’t even get jealous? You two must have a really strong relationship.”
Chu Yi and his boyfriend must have a particularly solid and stable relationship. His boyfriend must be exceptionally outstanding and confident, completely unconcerned about others pursuing Chu Yi or Chu Yi falling for someone else.
Chu Yi smiled faintly. Jiang Xu didn’t know the truth. How could Shen Jin possibly be jealous? He was incapable of jealousy; they weren’t a real couple.
Recently, Shen Jin had been exceptionally kind to him. One day, Chu Yi had casually remarked that the courtyard felt too empty, and Shen Jin had immediately promised to plant his favorite flowers, herbs, and trees there in the spring.
Chu Yi thought it was because Uncle Wen cherished him and treated him well, so Shen Jin was also kind and attentive to him. He felt deeply content.
As they were talking, a classmate called out, “Chu Yi, someone’s looking for you.”
Chu Yi glanced at the classroom door and saw no one there. He muttered, “Who could it be?”
“They said they’re your relatives,” the classmate replied.
Relatives? Chu Yi pondered. He didn’t think he had any relatives. Could it be Uncle Wen? But Uncle Wen wouldn’t come to school without calling first. And Shen Jin? That was even less likely.
The classmate added, “A man and a woman.”
Chu Yi grew even more puzzled, his face full of confusion as he went outside.
As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he saw a woman standing there, dressed in lavish clothes. Her eyes flickered when she saw him.
Chu Yi approached expressionlessly. “Hello.”
The woman was Liu Meihan, Chu Yang’s mother.
