After the Young Master’s Death, He was Kissed by His Mortal Enemy! - Chapter 74

At first, Shen Ran had no idea what Chen Xu was going to recite.

It was only when he saw Chen Xu standing on stage in a black tailcoat that his mind completely blanked.

The same happened to Cheng Yi beside him.

The reason they were both stunned wasn’t complicated—it was just that…
Chen Xu looked absolutely ridiculous.

At that moment, all the lights dimmed, save for a single spotlight centered on the stage.

The beam shone down on Chen Xu’s tailcoat, where a thread seemed to be unraveling from the left chest pocket.

Under the spotlight, his meticulously styled hair gleamed with a suspiciously oily shine.

Chen Xu stood tall and stiff, clutching a manuscript. Shen Ran even suspected he’d used double eyelid tape—his gaze looked especially “deep” tonight.

Honestly, with the way he looked now, Shen Ran figured even a passing dog would be moved by that gaze.

No one knew how Chen Xu had managed to arrange this with the backstage crew, but suddenly a gentle piano melody began to play.

The audience fell into silence, waiting.

Chen Xu cleared his throat.

“I… am Nai Long!”
“I… am Nai Long!”
“I… AM Nai Long!!”

The audience was dead silent.

Only Chen Xu’s deep, passionate voice rang out on stage, reciting something completely absurd with total seriousness.

“…What is he doing?” Shen Ran muttered under his breath, lips twitching in disbelief.

Chen Xu had come all the way to Shen Corporation, gone to the trouble of sneaking into their annual party, just to… embarrass himself in public?

But very quickly, Shen Ran realized something was off.

Chen Xu wasn’t just here to make a scene—he was here for him.

Because Chen Xu suddenly lifted his head, eyes blazing, and looked straight at him through the crowd.

“Tonight the stars shine bright,
And my love for you is burning white!”
“Thinking of you night after night,
My heart for you is full, filled tight!”

Chen Xu continued, reciting every word loud and clear, each syllable echoing with forced emotion and theatrical flair.

“Dearest Shen Ran, I want to suffer for love—I want to be your little princess!”
“Ran Ran, give me another chance, please! Don’t leave me! Don’t abandon me! I don’t want to live without you!”

And as he read, Chen Xu didn’t forget to shoot Cheng Yi a bold, antagonistic look full of challenge.

Cheng Yi chuckled. “Shen Ran, your ex is glaring at me.”

Shen Ran was gritting his teeth, wanting nothing more than to crawl under the table.
“What ex? I don’t claim him! We were never official—I disavow that relationship completely!”

“Ran Ran, don’t play ostrich just yet,” Cheng Yi said.

“…Why not?” Shen Ran whimpered. “I don’t want to lift my head… This is so humiliating! And so many people here know who I am—they know I’m Shen Ran! It’s over!”

Cheng Yi’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“Because Chen Xu just got off the stage.”

Shen Ran’s head snapped up.

The man who had just been standing tall under the spotlight, passionately reciting from his manuscript, had now stepped off the platform—microphone in hand.

The stage was a bit elevated. Chen Xu misjudged the height and stumbled slightly when he landed.

Then, fixing his “deep, soulful” gaze on Shen Ran—the kind of gaze one might give a cherished golden retriever—he began to walk toward him.

Step by step.
In front of everyone.

And in that instant, Shen Ran really wanted to run.

But he couldn’t.
He was seated in the front row, surrounded by people. He had nowhere to go.

Soon, Chen Xu stood directly before him.

He slowly knelt, lifting the microphone to his lips, eyes shining as if filled with stars.

“Ran Ran… I’m still your boyfriend, right?
Last time was just a little fight, wasn’t it?
You can’t bear to leave me… right?”

Boom.

The world seemed to explode in Shen Ran’s head.

That loud “boom” was the sound of Shen Ran’s brain imploding.

In an instant, it felt like he could hear a dozen voices buzzing in his head all at once.

“Oh my god—is this a meme moment, or did a passionate ex just crash the party?”

“No clue, but that ‘I am Nai Long’ bit? Comedy gold. I declare it the top act of the night!”

“Wait, if he’s Little Shen’s boyfriend, then who’s that guy sitting next to him? This is wild—so messy!”

The gossip and whispers from the crowd weren’t even the worst part.

What really made Shen Ran’s back go stiff… were the expressions on the faces of his “parents.”

Fu Sijie, who’d been smiling pleasantly just moments before, now wore a much colder expression. Her diamond earrings swung slightly, catching the light with a frosty glint.

And Shen Xianming’s gentle demeanor had vanished completely.

“Ran Ran,” he asked, voice low but firm, “who is this?”

Before Shen Ran could answer, Chen Xu took the lead instead.

“Uncle Shen, nice to meet you—I’m Chen Xu. I’m Ran Ran’s boyfriend…!”

Shen Ran instantly felt the temperature around him drop.

Fu Sijie clearly remembered that name. Back when Shen Ran had brought Cheng Yi home, she’d even brought it up.

With a casual wave of Shen Xianming’s hand, someone immediately stepped forward and took the microphone from Chen Xu.

The host reappeared on stage, quickly shifting gears and moving the annual party along, as though nothing had happened.

To outsiders, it looked like nothing more than a strange little interlude.

But Shen Xianming had already stood up. His voice wasn’t angry—but it carried an unmistakable weight.

“Ran Ran, step outside with us and explain what’s going on here. Cheng Yi, you come too.”

The Shen couple had always cared deeply about appearances.

And what just happened?
Was the very definition of not keeping up appearances.

Trailing behind Shen Xianming, Shen Ran still didn’t let go of Cheng Yi’s hand. He gripped it tightly.

His palm was soaked with sweat.

It’s over.

At that exact moment, Shen Ran wasn’t the only one in a panic.

Wei Hailan was, too.

In fact, Wei Hailan might’ve been even more desperate than Shen Ran.

And his anxiety was very clearly written all over his body.

Outside a restaurant, Wei Hailan—dressed in full, elegant attire—was doing something wildly out of sync with his refined appearance:
tug-of-warring with his mother.

“Mom, mom! We agreed this was just a quick check-up. Why are we suddenly having a meal together too?! That wasn’t part of the deal! I have things to do, I have to go!”

His voice was full of frustration and a hint of complaint, clearly trying to escape.
But his mother, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, snatched his arm before he could make a break for it.

If it were anyone else, Wei Hailan would’ve turned on his heel and bolted, no hesitation.

But standing in front of him was his beloved mother, Chu Xize—which meant there was no running away.

If he tried, that would officially make him a heartless son.

Chu Xize, still holding his arm in a death grip, spoke in a gentle tone—but with a firmness that couldn’t be argued with.

“Going somewhere? Can’t a mother have a meal with her son anymore? You work so hard every day—I didn’t say anything. But now you don’t even want to have dinner with me?”

Wei Hailan looked even more aggrieved. “Mom, it’s not that I don’t want to eat with you! I really have something important—really important!”

The time he’d arranged with Fu Yun for their “great escape” was fast approaching.
If he didn’t find an excuse to slip away soon, he was going to explode.

His whole face was anxious, eyes darting everywhere, clearly searching for an escape plan.

But old foxes are sly for a reason.

With just a glance at her son’s shifty eyes, Chu Xize saw right through him.

So, just as Wei Hailan was preparing to make a break for it, Chu Xize furrowed her brows, swayed on her feet slightly, and pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Oh… I don’t feel so well…”

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