Chapter 9: He’s Clearly Cold on the Outside but Warm on the Inside

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Even though respect and courtesy should come first, Shen Shuyi still glanced over the surveillance wall to check the specific locations of the cameras. He then raised his hand and pointed to one of the screens.

“In the bedroom too?”

He meant the bedroom Uncle Qian had said was reserved for him.

“They can all be removed, or simply turned off,” Xie Chenzhou replied.

Removing a camera was easy, just unplug it. Turning one off was even simpler, just press the switch.

His meaning was clear: whichever one Shen Shuyi wanted to take down or shut off, he was free to do so.

Shen Shuyi nodded without pressing further.

For an Alpha with a strong sense of territoriality, having these installed in his home was completely normal.

He didn’t mind.

Besides, since Xie Chenzhou was willing to show him respect, Shen Shuyi would naturally respond with the same courtesy.

The two of them stayed in the basement for a while longer until Uncle Qian’s voice came from upstairs.

“Young Master, Mr. Shen, it’s time for dinner.”

They went upstairs together.

On the dining table, many of Shen Shuyi’s favorite dishes were already laid out.

He was a little surprised.

Xie Chenzhou took two cans of cola from the fridge. With a practiced flick of his finger, he popped one open first and handed it to Shen Shuyi.

“The other day when we ate together, I guessed you’d like these.”

It was true.

Shen Shuyi did like spicy food.

But his stomach wasn’t the best, he couldn’t actually handle much spice. He was the classic case of “can’t handle it, but still loves it.”

The Sichuan dishes on the table looked authentic, steaming hot with that numbing, peppery aroma that immediately made his mouth water.

Xie Chenzhou put down the second can of cola, walked around the table, and pulled out a chair for him.

That should have been Uncle Qian’s job. Uncle Qian had just been about to step forward, but seeing Xie Chenzhou take the initiative, he quietly retreated from the dining room instead, deliberately leaving the two of them alone.

Catching that glimpse of Uncle Qian slipping away silently, Shen Shuyi felt awkward.

Did Uncle Qian not know that he and Xie Chenzhou had only a contractual marriage?

Then again, the fewer people who knew about that, the better.

Seeing his gaze follow Uncle Qian, Xie Chenzhou frowned slightly, pulling his attention back.

“Uncle Qian used to be the Xie family’s butler.”

Shen Shuyi blinked. “Really? Then why isn’t he still with them?”

Xie Chenzhou was independent from the Xie family now.

Shen Shuyi knew a little about the situation.

The Xie family had originally been controlled by his uncle.

In the previous generation, there had been a fierce struggle over who would run the Xie Group.

Although the uncle had always been in power, Xie Chenzhou’s father never stopped fighting against him.

Until three years ago when Xie Chenzhou was twenty-two. His father, Xie Chengming, suddenly fell ill. Realizing he didn’t have much time left, and unwilling to admit defeat to his elder brother, he brought back the son he had long abandoned: Xie Chenzhou.

Yes, Xie Chengming had only one child Xie Chenzhou.

Shen Shuyi couldn’t understand how a man could abandon his only child so coldly.

He had only heard about this in passing from Shen Shuhan, who had told the story casually.

Shen Shuyi hadn’t asked for details at the time. Families like the Xies were too distant from him, far wealthier even than the Shens. They lived in a world he rarely came into contact with.

Shen Shuhan had even said that before Xie Chenzhou seized control of the Xie family, he had never heard of him at all. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air. Later, while gossiping with friends, Shuhan finally learned from a graduate of Huada Alpha Academy that Xie Chenzhou had once been his classmate. He also said that Xie Chenzhou’s grades at school had been terrifyingly good whether in physical fitness, combat, academics, or pheromone control, he had always ranked first.

That proved just how exceptional an Alpha he was.

The standard way to rate an Alpha was usually based on pheromone level. the higher, the stronger. But top academies needed more comprehensive evaluations, so their criteria were far stricter.

To even get into Huada Alpha Academy was already one-in-a-million. To then dominate every category? Unbelievable.

Thinking of this, Shen Shuyi couldn’t help but ask, “That person you know at Huada’s psychiatric hospital..is he a classmate?”

Xie Chenzhou was a little surprised he even knew that. “Yes.”

Even if he hadn’t been, Xie Chenzhou would have found a way to help Shen Shuyi with whatever he wanted. Whether they were classmates or not made no difference to him.

He added, “Uncle Qian came to the Xie family when I was five, back when I still lived at the old estate.”

Shen Shuyi froze.

“You mean… you were kicked out before?”

Xie Chenzhou nodded faintly, watching his expression.

“How old?”

“Eight.”

“…I also left home once, when I was three. But I got lost…” Shen Shuyi murmured. “I was so little, I didn’t know how to contact anyone. For a while, I even thought my family had abandoned me…”

Xie Chenzhou’s grip on his chopsticks tightened involuntarily. “And then?”

“I don’t remember much. The year they found me, I got very sick, high fevers that lasted half a month. Nearly burned my brain out. Later the doctors said it was nothing, but I think I forgot a lot of things. That whole time is a blur. I just remember the police took me to a welfare home for a while.”

Xie Chenzhou lowered his eyes, his lashes hiding some of the emotion in his gaze.

“Why did the Xie family drive you out?” Shen Shuyi asked, returning to the earlier topic. “You were obviously so gifted.”

“They thought I was strange,” Xie Chenzhou said slowly.

“You were only eight!” Shen Shuyi was stunned. “That’s illegal! Lots of early-differentiated Alphas are rebellious or act odd, even doing strange things because they can’t control their pheromones! That’s normal! If your parents couldn’t accept that, then why did they even have you?!”

It was rare for him to get worked up over someone else’s business.

But this was too outrageous, what kind of parents would discard their own child?

In his darkest moments, Shen Shuyi had once wondered if his own father had abandoned him on purpose. But when he’d been found again, his third brother had sat by his bed, crying and scolding him at the same time, telling him how much effort their father had spent searching for him.

Since his brother, a proud Omega who would never show weakness in front of others, had cried so miserably, Shen Shuyi chose to believe him.

“Mn.” While he was agitated, Xie Chenzhou’s voice was calm. “My father gave me a sum of money and told me to fend for myself.”

“…What?” Shen Shuyi was stunned. “Where did you even go? You were just a child, carrying that much cash. weren’t you afraid of running into bad people?”

If he really had… then there would be no Xie Group today, no Xie Chenzhou sitting here calmly across the table.

“I met good people,” Xie Chenzhou said, looking at him intently.

“I see…” Shen Shuyi didn’t dare press further.

At least he had been lucky enough to meet the right people.

“So Uncle Qian left the old estate out of guilt?” he asked instead.

Xie Chenzhou didn’t answer directly. “Or maybe… because I can give him more.”

It sounded cold.

But seeing how Uncle Qian had just now gone out of his way to give them space,Shen Shuyi found it hard to imagine he was motivated purely by profit.

Xie Chenzhou didn’t seem like someone without feelings either.

He was clearly cold on the outside, but warm within.

Maybe there was some misunderstanding between him and Uncle Qian. Or maybe, to Xie Chenzhou, the fact that Uncle Qian had stood by while his father cast him out was an unforgivable wound.

Shen Shuyi didn’t know. Without living through someone’s pain, he couldn’t judge.

But since Xie Chenzhou had said so, he decided it would be best to keep some respectful distance from Uncle Qian.

It was strange. Not long ago, he had been dreading this marriage. Now, he was already thinking about how to live here properly.

The spicy food was too much. Halfway through the meal, his lips were burning, his eyes red. He drained his cola in one go, but still felt his stomach aflame, unable to keep eating.

But it wasn’t because the food wasn’t good, on the contrary, the dishes were delicious. He was simply too weak to handle them.

Tears welling in his eyes, he finally couldn’t resist asking, “Can I have… another cola?”

Xie Chenzhou had been watching him the whole time, waiting for the moment he’d break.

“No more cold drinks,” he said, standing. “You need hot tea to cut the spice. I’ll get you porridge.”

“My lips must look like sausages already,” Shen Shuyi muttered, embarrassed. “Thank you…”

He got up as well, trailing behind. “There’s porridge too?”

“Mn.”

The spicy dishes had been prepared because Xie Chenzhou had told Uncle Qian beforehand that Shen Shuyi liked them. And porridge had also been arranged, to ease the spice.

He studied everything about him carefully, never leaving anything to chance.

After all, Shen Shuyi was his most important subject.

In the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, Xie Chenzhou personally ladled out a bowl of sweet porridge, adding pickles that paired well with it. Casually, he glanced at the young man beside him, who was watching curiously.

Those flushed, round lips kept moving before his eyes, as if teasing him, luring him to lean down and kiss them.

Xie Chenzhou’s hand trembled slightly, but in the end, he simply steadied his grip and carefully held the warm bowl of porridge.

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Translator note: 📌

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter, my lovely cherries 😘

P.s. I will be posting 1 or 2 chapters everyday