After Running Away from Our Arranged Marriage, the Scum Gong Actually Begged Me to Get Back Together - Chapter 2

As far back as Shen Zhu could remember, the role of a father had never existed in his life.

During his early childhood, he and his mother survived on their own. Though they lived in poverty, their lives were warm and happy. His mother was a gentle, resilient woman who showered him with as much love as any other child his age received.

Later, she met a man. Under his lead, they moved out of their cramped, rundown single-story house and into a spacious, bright apartment building.

By then, Shen Zhu was old enough to understand what was happening. He knew this man was his stepfather, and that he was supposed to call him “Dad.”

Unfortunately, the man was scum.

Just a year after the marriage, the stepfather threw off his disguise. His true nature as a gambling addict came to light, and he gambled away every single penny the family owned. Under the crushing weight of massive debt, his violent tendencies surfaced. He began physically and verbally abusing both Shen Zhu and his mother.

When debt collectors seized their apartment, they were forced into even worse living conditions. Not long after, his mother fell gravely ill, and Shen Zhu was forced to drop out of school because they couldn’t afford tuition.

At just ten years old, Shen Zhu stood by his mother’s bed. Listening to the crashing and shattering of beer bottles outside the bedroom door, he held her rapidly cooling hand, utterly lost about what the future held.

After his mother passed away, the scumbag chained Shen Zhu to a table leg at home, using him as a tool to sell blood for alcohol money. Shen Zhu didn’t find an opportunity to escape until he was fifteen.

Uneducated and underage, he had to take odd jobs on construction sites just to stay alive.

Every now and then, crooked bosses stiffed him on his already meager wages. He lived hand-to-mouth, never knowing where his next meal would come from.

That was his life until he turned eighteen, when a man claiming to be his biological father tracked him down. With tears streaming down his face, the man apologized, saying he had failed Shen Zhu and wanted to bring him home.

*

A sharp ringtone tore through the haze of his dream. Shen Zhu forced his eyelids open, fighting off a wave of post-hangover dizziness and nausea as he grabbed his phone.

It was Shen Pengcheng calling.

“Dad,” Shen Zhu croaked, his mouth working for a few seconds before he managed to force the word out.

“Ah, yes, yes,” the voice on the other end quickly chimed in. Even through the speaker, Shen Zhu could easily picture the man’s sycophantic, fawning expression.

“Xiao Zhu, today is the day you meet President Su. You haven’t forgotten, right?”

Shen Zhu frowned. Throwing back the blanket, he stepped onto the creaking floorboards and walked into the bathroom.

“No,” he mumbled, clamping the phone between his ear and shoulder as he used both hands to wrench open the rusted faucet.

The rental apartment was so old that every fixture was on the verge of breaking down.

Shen Pengcheng clearly caught the background noise. “Xiao Zhu, you’re about to be a married man. You can’t keep staying away from home all the time.”

“Why don’t you move back in?”

“No thanks,” Shen Zhu cut him off cleanly. “Anything else?”

The line went quiet for a moment.

“Nothing else,” Shen Pengcheng replied, his tone turning a few degrees colder. “I transferred some pocket money to you. Make sure you behave well today.”

Without waiting for Shen Pengcheng to say another word, Shen Zhu hung up. He opened his banking app and found three million yuan sitting in his account.

See? He was nothing more than a tool.

Because Su Xingque’s preferences leaned toward men, Shen Pengcheng had brought his illegitimate son back into the fold to fulfill the marriage alliance in his sister’s place.

Shen Pengcheng had always treated him like an object. He only handed out a tiny, fixed allowance each month. He didn’t care if Shen Zhu didn’t want to go to school, and he didn’t mind if Shen Zhu stayed away from home for six months at a time—as long as Shen Zhu answered the occasional phone call to prove he was still breathing.

Once Shen Zhu reached the legal age, they would marry him off to the Su family, pocket the massive dowry, and call it a day.

Shen Zhu knew Shen Pengcheng had simply struck gold. In his youth, he had accidentally saved the life of Su Xingque’s father, which was the sole reason this marriage agreement existed. However, the gap in status between the two families was a chasm, and Su Xingque detested his own father to the bone. This marriage was never going to last.

It wouldn’t be long before Su Xingque dumped him, at which point the Shen family would discard him, too. He would be right back to his old, miserable existence.

This was exactly why he loved money and held onto it so tightly. Shen Zhu calculated his account balance. Between the funds Shen Pengcheng had given him and the money he had made selling off gifts from his various pursuers, he had accumulated around four million yuan.

He wasn’t sure if that was enough to keep him fed and clothed for the rest of his life.

Ah, whatever, Shen Zhu thought, slapping his cheeks to snap himself out of it.

He was about to marry the richest man in S-City!

If he didn’t milk this opportunity for all it was worth, he’d be an idiot.

After washing away the stale smell of smoke and alcohol from the bar with lukewarm water from a broken water heater, Shen Zhu stood in front of his wardrobe. Diverging from his usual style, he picked out a white sweater and a pair of jeans.

He had done his homework. Years ago, the ex-boyfriend who had captured Su Xingque’s heart had dressed in this exact style—innocent, harmless, and pure. If he copied that look, he was bound to leave a good impression.

A good first impression was the secret to securing a payout; begging for money was never as satisfying as making the other person want to give it to you willingly. Shen Zhu spun around in front of the full-length mirror, satisfied, and headed out.

The early spring air was still biting. A single sweater did little to block the icy wind, and Shen Zhu stood shivering at the bus stop for ages. Even after getting off the bus, he still hadn’t warmed up.

The massive headquarters of the Su Group loomed ahead. Shen Zhu stood in the plaza below, staring up at the building for a moment. He rubbed his numb, flushed cheeks, and following Shen Pengcheng’s instructions, walked inside to find the reception desk.

Shen Zhu was naturally striking. Combined with his student-like attire, he stood out sharply against the corporate crowd. The receptionist couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at him while looking up his appointment.

The boy looked young, yet he had walked in asking for President Su. His polite, calm demeanor made it easy to let one’s imagination run wild regarding their relationship.

However, the search screen came up blank. Feeling a slight twinge of disappointment, the receptionist offered a polite smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shen, but I don’t see an appointment under your name.”

“That can’t be right.” Shen Zhu pulled out his phone and pulled up the message Shen Pengcheng had sent him.

“Ten AM, Su Group Headquarters. Yes, this is correct.”

The receptionist had seen plenty of people try to bluff their way in just to get close to Su Xingque. Though she personally didn’t want to believe Shen Zhu was that type of person, her tone cooled.

“Mr. Shen—”

Before she could finish, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the distance. The receptionist immediately straightened her back, clasped her hands in front of her, and locked her gaze on the figure at the center of the crowd.

Shen Zhu followed her gaze. The moment he saw that sharp, chiseled face with its striking brows and deep-set eyes, his own eyes practically lit up with dollar signs.

Su Xingque!

Curving his lips into a sweet, innocent smile, he prepared to step forward and introduce himself.

But before he could take half a step, the security guards clearing the path pushed him to the side.

A male assistant kept pace half a step behind Su Xingque’s right side, rattling off a report. Behind them followed a large entourage of executives in suits carrying briefcases. At the front of the pack, Su Xingque walked with one hand shoved in his pocket. He took a file with his other hand, listening to his assistant with a heavy scowl.

“Stop,” Su Xingque said, his deep voice cutting through the air. He snapped the black folder shut and tossed it back to the assistant. “Redo it.”

“Tell Manager Wang that if this isn’t fixed today, he can hand in his resignation tomorrow.”

“And as for the financing project that failed to deliver an assessment yesterday, the entire team responsible can step down.”

Su Xingque’s aura was suffocating. No one dared to utter a word. They silently quickened their pace to match their boss’s, terrified that they would be the next one packing their bags.

Behind his back, the employees had given the CEO a nickname: Su the Short-Tempered.

It was bad enough that he was a business prodigy; he expected his ordinary employees to keep up with his superhuman pace, too.

As they neared the elevators, the crowd naturally split. Su Xingque and his assistant waited in front of the executive elevator.

Su Xingque glanced down at his watch and took a deep breath, reining in his temper.

“Meeting in ten minutes.”

Shen Zhu quickly seized the opportunity to approach. Pulling his long sweater sleeves slightly over his hands, he spoke in a soft, gentle voice: “Hello, President Su. I’m Shen Zhu, from the Shen family—”

Before he could finish, the elevator chimed open.

Su Xingque spared him a single, freezing glance, then swept past him and stepped inside.