After Running Away from Our Arranged Marriage, the Scum Gong Actually Begged Me to Get Back Together - Chapter 5

The ring was far too tight for his middle finger. Shen Zhu yanked and twisted it for a long while, his knuckle turning a bright red before the metal finally slipped off.

An heirloom was definitely not something a temporary family member like him should keep. Shen Zhu reasoned that instead of waiting around for Su Xingque to demand it back, it was better to be sensible and return it proactively.

Faced with such a compliant partner, unless Su Xingque’s heart was made of literal stone, he would surely be at least a little moved, right?

Su Xingque’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest. He took the ring, shoved it into his pocket, and remained standing as he waited for Shen Zhu to get out of the car.

“Aren’t, aren’t we—?” Shen Zhu stammered, letting the question trail off.

“We are married,” Su Xingque cut in. Having spent years immersed in the vanity fair of high society, he was highly adept at reading people’s minds.

“But that is all we are.”

The words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over Shen Zhu’s head. He reluctantly stepped out of the luxury vehicle, standing obediently by the curb as he watched Su Xingque speed away.

“Sigh. And here I thought I’d get a chance to live in a mansion,” Shen Zhu muttered, pulling out his phone to map a bus route back to his rental apartment.

Although he had secured another massive influx of cash today thanks to Su Xingque’s mother, judging by the tycoon’s frosty attitude, his original plan was officially dead in the water. He would have to watch his spending carefully.

Shen Zhu was the type who couldn’t sit still, and after swallowing a massive dose of frustration during the marriage registration at noon, he desperately needed an outlet. The moment he got home, he tossed his documents aside, changed his clothes, and dashed straight to JOY Club.

At this point, gold-digging was secondary; Shen Zhu just wanted to vent to Kaka and ruthlessly complain about what a heartless, rigid old man Su Xingque was.

“I thought landing a guy with prospects this good meant I’d hit the jackpot in both romance and riches. Who knew Su Xingque would be so incredibly dense? This is the first time in my life I’ve actively thrown myself at someone!”

“Ruined! Both my wallet and my love life are completely ruined!!!”

From the moment he perched on a barstool, Shen Zhu began rattling off a laundry list of Su Xingque’s sins, completely ignoring the people trying to flirt with him nearby.

Kaka listened as if watching a comedy routine. Once he finished laughing, he didn’t miss the chance to mock him. “Didn’t you say the great CEO Su loved this exact type? Didn’t you brag that you could mimic his past ‘white moonlight’ ex down to a tee?”

“Total backfire, huh? Hahahahahaha!”

Shen Zhu rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. Grabbing a handful of popcorn, he pelted Kaka with it. “We’re done. Friendship over!”

Trading jabs back and forth, they unknowingly chatted until evening. Kaka had just finished his day shift, and after handing over his duties, he changed into his civilian clothes, planning to grab dinner with Shen Zhu.

They had barely walked a few steps away from the bar when Shen Zhu’s phone began to blare.

It was an unsaved number. Shoving a hand over Kaka’s non-stop mouth, Shen Zhu cleared his throat and answered.

“Su Xingque, are you seriously useless? You don’t even know your own wife’s number, you had to ask your assistant?”

The moment the call connected, a booming, teasing voice echoed from the other end.

A few seconds later, the background noise on the line died down. The people on the other side had clearly realized the call was live and were waiting for him to speak.

Shen Zhu couldn’t gauge the situation. Not daring to address Su Xingque too casually, he offered a simple, “Hello?”

“My friends want to meet you. Now. Shengfeng Clubhouse.”

Su Xingque had evidently been drinking. His voice, slightly raspy as it filtered through the speaker, possessed a deep, magnetic pull.

Oh, so he actually remembers me now, Shen Zhu thought, pursing his lips as he abandoned Kaka and flagged down a taxi by the curb.

“Understood. I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, Shen Zhu opened WeChat to text Su Xingque.

【SZ】: [Um, since it’s my first time meeting your friends, should I prepare some gifts? Roughly how many people are there?]

Nearly ten minutes passed before a reply popped up.

【Su】: What could you possibly afford that they would actually care about

Without a single punctuation mark, the text alone allowed Shen Zhu to perfectly picture Su Xingque’s expressionless face and biting, condescending tone.

Tsk. Utter, unadulterated disdain.

While it was highly annoying, it did save him a significant amount of money. Shen Zhu—who had just been nursing a pang of regret over paying a hundred-yuan taxi fare—instantly felt much better.

A few valets stood at the entrance of the exclusive clubhouse. After verifying Shen Zhu’s name, one of them escorted him up to a room on the third floor.

“The guests you are looking for are in this room. Please make yourself at home,” the valet said, bowing slightly before turning to head back downstairs.

“Oh, wait,” Shen Zhu caught his arm. “Where is your restroom?”

The valet pointed toward the end of the corridor. “The last door on the left with the sign.”

Shen Zhu thanked him. Instead of rushing to see Su Xingque, he slipped into the restroom first. He took the patterned shirt he had specifically chosen for the nightclub and fastened it all the way up to the very top button.

This outfit was a happy accident, perfectly suited for the narrative he wanted to spin. By intentionally styling it slightly wrong, he could project the image of someone desperately trying to please Su Xingque and avoid embarrassing him, yet overcompensating and blundering due to a sheer lack of worldly experience.

The cliché of wearing a pristine white shirt into a luxury club to fake innocence was entirely played out. By comparison, his current disguise was far more nuanced—fitting perfectly into the pure, gentle persona of Su Xingque’s rumored “white moonlight” ex.

After checking his reflection, Shen Zhu pushed open the door to the VIP lounge.

The raucous noise inside instantly evaporated. The dozen or so people in the room halted their movements simultaneously, their eyes locking onto Shen Zhu in unison. Meanwhile, Su Xingque sat dead center, casually flicking a lighterwith complete composure.

“Holy shit.” Sitting on the far left, Zhou Shi nudged the chubby guy beside him with his elbow, his jaw hanging open. “How does he look so much like him?”

“No wonder the boss actually married him.” The chubby guy lowered his voice, stealing a glance at the expressionless Su Xingque before covering his mouth. “I have a feeling our new little sister-in-law—

“Is going to have a pretty rough time ahead.”

“You shouldn’t put it that way.” The man in the dress shirt sitting next to the chubby guy joined the hushed conversation. Swirling the liquor in his glass, his gaze toward Shen Zhu turned intensely complex. “What if the boss just loves this specific type, and married him to pamper him and make up for past regrets?”

“You call this making up for regrets?” The boisterous energy Zhou Shi had displayed over the phone earlier was completely gone as he scrutinized Shen Zhu from head to toe.

“Liking this type is one thing, but deliberately tracking down someone who looks this identical? Are you sure it’s to make up for regret, and not just to take out his resentment?”

Zhou Shi’s emotions were running high. He thought he was speaking in a stage whisper, but in reality, he had failed to control his volume.

“Looks like what?” Su Xingque raised his eyes, his gaze locking sharply onto Shen Zhu’s face. His voice cut through the room like a blade.