AMBTICBPIB Chapter 32

 

“What happened to Chu Yi today…” Liu Meihan murmured, looking at Chu Yi with a hint of melancholy. It wasn’t her imagination; the Chu Yi before her was vastly different from the one she’d known just a few months ago.

When they first met Chu Yi, he had been pale and gaunt, thin and frail, with a small face that seemed utterly devoid of good fortune. He was prone to teary eyes and frequent crying, a sight that Liu Meihan found deeply irritating.

If not for the need to have him replace Chu Yang in the arranged marriage with Shen Jin, the Chu Family would never have considered acknowledging or even searching for him.

Through a combination of deception and intimidation, they easily persuaded Chu Yi to go to Shen Jin’s residence. The outside world whispered of Shen Jin’s terrifying reputation, but the Chu Family remained indifferent, knowing it was Chu Yi who would bear the consequences.

At the time, everyone believed Chu Yi would suffer a fate worse than death in Shen Jin’s household.

Yet now, looking at him, his complexion was rosy, his thin cheeks had filled out, his eyes were clear and bright, and he had grown noticeably more handsome. The change was undeniable.

It seemed Chu Yi was faring at least reasonably well with Shen Jin.

Therefore, Chu Yi should be grateful to the Chu Family. Without them, he would never have entered the Shen Family’s gates, nor would he have had the opportunity to attend university.

Behind Liu Meihan stood another figure: Chu Yang, who had accompanied his mother to Lan University to find Chu Yi.

The moment Chu Yang saw Chu Yi, he felt an inexplicable hostility.

Now, Chu Chengxu and Liu Meihan deeply regretted their past decisions. Who could have foreseen the events that would unfold? Who could have imagined that Shen Jin would ultimately become the head of the Shen Family?

If they had known this earlier, they would have arranged for Chu Yang to marry Shen Jin. But now, their regrets were futile.

As a result, Chu Yang couldn’t stand the sight of Chu Yi. He irrationally believed that Chu Yi had stolen Shen Jin from him. The thought of Shen Jin’s tall, handsome, and charismatic presence only deepened his resentment. After all, Shen Jin had originally been his.

“I need to talk to you,” Liu Meihan said, her usual arrogance evident. Without waiting for a response, she strode forward. Chu Yi hesitated for a moment before following.

The three of them found a quiet corner where few people passed by. Liu Meihan immediately stated her purpose: she wanted Chu Yi to plead with Shen Jin to continue the projects he had previously collaborated on with Shen Chunhan.

In the past, Chu Chengxu and Liu Meihan had firmly believed that Shen Chunhan would inevitably become the head of the Shen Family, and that Shen Jin would suffer a crushing defeat due to his youth.

They never imagined Shen Chunhan would fall into a vegetative state. This sudden turn of events caught them completely off guard, turning their massive investment into a complete loss.

Shen Jin’s subsequent actions after seizing power only deepened their unease. They had repeatedly tried to approach him, but all attempts failed. Desperate, they turned to Chu Yi for help.

Chu Yi shook his head, refusing outright. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

Liu Meihan thought she must have misheard. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes flashed with anger. “What did you say?”

When Liu Meihan’s face hardened, her gaze became sharp and intimidating. Early in Chu Yi’s time at the Chu Family, a few harsh words from her had brought tears to his eyes, further fueling her contempt for him.

This incident had revealed Chu Yi’s true nature: timid and cowardly, easily frightened into tears.

She never expected such a timid person to reject them so directly. Had his courage grown from spending time with Shen Jin, or had he simply become emboldened by fear?

Chu Yi repeated himself. “I can’t help you. Coming to me is pointless.”

“Do you want to die? How dare you speak to my mother like that!” Chu Yang, furious, lunged forward, ready to strike Chu Yi. He had already resented having to come to Chu Yi for help, and now his anger boiled over.

Liu Meihan, retaining some composure, grabbed Chu Yang’s arm. “Don’t make a scene.”

If they caused a scene here, it would reflect poorly on them. Besides, they still needed Chu Yi’s help. If word of them bullying Chu Yi reached Shen Jin’s ears, he wouldn’t let them off easily. Butler Wen, known to be fond of Chu Yi and treat him well, held Shen Jin’s deep respect.

As long as Chu Yi remained in the Shen Family, they couldn’t touch him.

Chu Yi was timid; they could scare him just like last time.

Suppressing her anger, Liu Meihan tried to persuade Chu Yi. “Do you really think Shen Jin is as good as he seems? Do you think he genuinely cares about you? Do you believe he could ever truly love you?”

“Think about it, Chu Yi. Shen Jin agreed to a marriage alliance, even though he loathed the idea, just to secure his mother’s inheritance. Once he achieves his goal, he’ll definitely kick you out of the Shen Family. If you help the Chu Family now, we can support you when Shen Jin inevitably casts you aside.”

“After all, you’re still related to the Chu Family by blood. Blood is thicker than water, and we’re family.”

Seeing Chu Yi remain silent, Liu Meihan glanced around, took a step closer, and lowered her voice to threaten him: “Do you know how Shen Chunhan fell down the stairs and ended up in a vegetative state?”

Chu Yi stared intently at Liu Meihan, who sneered. “Do you really think Shen Chunhan just accidentally fell down the stairs? Think about it, Chu Yi. Someone as cautious as Shen Chunhan wouldn’t just stumble down the stairs because he was drunk and end up in a vegetative state. Does that sound plausible?”

Liu Meihan was subtly implying that Shen Chunhan’s fall was orchestrated by Shen Jin, portraying Shen Jin as a dangerous man.

“Regardless, Shen Chunhan is still Shen Jin’s father. But you know how strained their relationship is. If Shen Jin could harm his own father, do you really think he’ll treat you any better? You’re nothing to him. Think carefully.”

It had been over half an hour since class started, and Chu Yi still hadn’t returned.

Jiang Xu didn’t know which of Chu Yi’s relatives had come to find him. He was just worried because Chu Yi had been gone for so long and hadn’t returned yet. Chu Yi had never been late for class before.

Just as he was about to text Chu Yi, he saw Chu Yi’s head peek cautiously through the classroom’s back door.

The professor was facing the blackboard, writing with his back to the class. When he turned around, Chu Yi immediately slipped into the classroom and took his seat.

The professor noticed Chu Yi right away. He knew Chu Yi was late and had sneaked in.

However, Chu Yi almost never missed class, and his grades were consistently excellent, so the professor decided to turn a blind eye.

Seeing that the professor only glanced their way without saying anything, Jiang Xu breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “Why were you gone so long? Are you okay?”

Chu Yi’s expression remained normal. “I’m fine.”

But Jiang Xu sensed that Chu Yi had been distracted ever since he returned.

As class was about to end, Chu Yi received a text from Shen Jin.

Shen Jin: I’ll be passing by your school later. I’ll pick you up and take you home.

Chu Yi: A classmate’s birthday party tonight. I’m having dinner with them, so I won’t be going home.

In the principal’s office, the principal pushed a cup of tea toward Shen Jin with a smile. “This is this year’s new tea leaves, Mr. Shen. Please try it and tell me what you think.”

Shen Jin put away his phone, picked up the cup, and took a sip. “It tastes good.”

The principal chuckled. “On behalf of all the teachers and students at our school, I’d like to thank Mr. Shen for donating the mobile library. We deeply appreciate your contribution to our educational mission.”

“You’re too kind, Principal,” Shen Jin replied.

The principal personally escorted Shen Jin to the door, showering him with further gratitude and inviting him to dinner that evening. Shen Jin politely declined.

The principal understood that Shen Jin was a busy man; his personal visit to the school today was already a rare honor.

After parting ways with the principal, Shen Jin decided to find Chu Yi. Even though Chu Yi was going out to dinner with classmates later, that didn’t stop him from seeing him.

He spotted Chu Yi from a distance and was about to approach when he saw Chu Yi exit the school gate and board a public bus.

Shen Jin frowned.

*Wasn’t he supposed to be having dinner with classmates? Why is he taking the bus alone? Even if he’s just picking up a cake, why didn’t he have the driver take him?*

Sensing something was off with Chu Yi, Shen Jin instructed Chen Ye to follow the bus in their car.

Unsure of Chu Yi’s destination, Chen Ye drove slowly behind the bus. The bus stopped at each station, with passengers getting on and off, but Chu Yi’s figure remained unseen, as if he himself didn’t know where he was going.

Shen Jin stared at the bus stop, watching the bus pull away again.

The luxury sedan paralleled the bus. Through the window, Shen Jin saw Chu Yi leaning against the railing, his face expressionless, lost in thought.

Shen Jin had never seen Chu Yi like this before.

He had seen Chu Yi happy, crying, and even afraid of him, but never like this—burdened by unspoken worries. This Chu Yi looked utterly alone and helpless.

After several stops, Chu Yi finally disembarked. Shen Jin watched him enter a coffee shop.

He saw Chu Yi sitting by the window, a cup of coffee untouched before him. Instead of drinking, he stared blankly into space, lost in thought.

Shen Jin frowned. Chu Yi’s mood seemed troubled. Could he have been bullied by classmates at school?

Shen Jin had assumed Chu Yi would leave after a short while, but Chu Yi remained seated for an extended period, showing no signs of preparing for his classmate’s birthday party that evening.

“Investigate what happened to Chu Yi today,” Shen Jin instructed.

“Understood,” Chen Ye replied.

Fifteen minutes later, after taking a phone call, Chen Ye reported to Shen Jin: “Mr. Shen, this afternoon, members of the Chu Family—Liu Meihan and Chu Yang—went to Chu Yi’s classroom to find him.”

“We don’t yet know what they discussed, but Chu Yi was over half an hour late for class.”

Shen Jin frowned.

*Why would Liu Meihan and Chu Yang seek out Chu Yi at this time? So they were bullying him after all.*

He had long known that Chu Yi was mistreated by his family, but he never imagined they would dare approach him now.

Shen Jin’s frown deepened. He had repeatedly told Chu Yi to come to him with any problems, and Chu Yi had agreed. Yet now, Chu Yi was secretly hiding away alone.

And he had even told Shen Jin he was going out to dinner with classmates tonight.