After Falling for the Handsome CEO - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: What Does Shen Jin Even Think He Is?!

Shen Jin didn’t know what kind of headspace he was in when he sent that message. He only felt that his already aching body had gone numb, and his reactions had become slow and sluggish.

He reached up to wipe away the treacherous tears, then looked up and blinked hard several times, trying to force them back. Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he went back to work in a daze.

Around midnight, Shen Jin finished his shift. As he stepped out of the bar, the oncoming night wind made him shiver violently. He wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his shoulders, and let out a soft breath: “So cold…”

The spots where he had been kicked were still throbbing. His lower abdomen had hit the corner of the table, and there was likely a bruise forming; he needed to buy some ointment. As for his hands, they needed to heal as quickly as possible so they wouldn’t interfere with his work.

“Give me a pack of Band-Aids and some disinfectant.” Shen Jin walked into a roadside pharmacy. He bought the supplies to clean and dress his hands, then remembered the bruises on his body and added, “Also, something for bruises and swelling…”

“Young man, did you get into a fight?” the owner asked with a faint smile as he turned to get the items. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Fighting isn’t good. In the end, you’re the one who gets hurt.”

“No,” Shen Jin stammered, his smile bitter as he told the truth. “I don’t know how to fight.”

Not only did he not know how to fight, but back in the orphanage, he was always the one being hit. Because he and his sister had no background—no one knew who their parents were—they had been dumped on the side of the road and sent to the orphanage like stray cats or dogs.

Neither of them remembered anything from their early childhood. All they had were necklaces. His was engraved with the character “Jin” (Embers), and his sister’s had “Lian” (Ripple). Because of this, the director gave them the surname Shen, naming them Shen Jin and Shen Lian.

After buying the medicine, Shen Jin rode his second-hand electric scooter back. Perhaps the night wind was too cold tonight; it made his whole body tremble, and his heart felt chillingly empty…

A-Yu…

When that name surfaced in his mind, his chest burned with a sharp pain, one far more intense than the physical injuries on his body, and there was no way to suppress it…

When he reached the fork in the road leading to the slums at the east end, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He pulled it out and saw it was a call from Yan Yu. He stared at it in silence for a long moment before putting it back.

“Forget it…” He closed his eyes. At this moment, he felt incredibly tired—powerless, exhausted beyond measure. He just wanted to go home, take a shower, and rest.

The supermarket where he worked during the day was being handed over to new owners for a different business, meaning he had lost a job. He would need to start looking for a new one tomorrow as soon as possible.

Back at home, just as Shen Jin was about to use his key to open the door, a dark shadow suddenly lunged from the side. A heavy force gripped his arm and threw him violently to the side—

“Sss…” Shen Jin stumbled several steps, his body hitting the wall. He winced as his previous injuries flared up with pain. “You—”

Before he could finish, the man stepped forward and gripped his jaw tightly, causing a dull ache. The man spoke in a voice thick with exasperation: “What the hell is the meaning of this?!”

The voice made Shen Jin freeze. He looked at the handsome, familiar face before him in disbelief. Veins were visible on the man’s forehead, and those “peach blossom” eyes—usually so full of charm—were now cold and piercing. Yan Yu glared at him: “What’s this ‘ending it here’ nonsense you sent? Did I give you permission? Speak!”

Only Yan Yu knew how furious he had been when he received that text at the villa. He had smashed several things nearby, and in that moment, he had almost wanted to strangle the boy!

Who did Shen Jin think he was? He had willingly sold his body before, and now, without permission, he thought he could just cut ties completely? Was that even possible? Not a chance!

Yan Yu was consumed by rage. He squeezed Shen Jin’s cheeks until they were crimson, making the boy wince in agony. Yan Yu didn’t care; he hissed through gritted teeth: “Didn’t you hear me? Look me in the eye!”

What was his status? And what was Shen Jin’s? No one had ever dared to provoke Yan Yu like this. Even his past casual bed partners had been nothing but obedient!

What did Shen Jin even think he was!!

“A… Yu?” Shen Jin’s face was deathly pale. The pain in his jaw was excruciating, and he struggled to break free. At the same time, a sense of grievance flooded his heart, and he couldn’t help but cry out, “It hurts, let go! What are you doing! I said it in the text! I’m not going to—!”

Slap—!

A bright red handprint appeared on Shen Jin’s pale face. The force of the slap left him disoriented, his cheek burning with stinging pain. He looked at the man in front of him, his eyes filled with dazed confusion…