Gold-Devouring Bottom: A Guide to Pampering - Chapter 26.1

A sudden stiffness spread through Uncle Ming’s entire body. Having been by Ye Xiuchen’s side for years, he knew all too well that the man was now truly enraged.

However, he didn’t dare hide the truth about Shen Xinghuai’s departure. He could only brace himself and speak. “Young Master, Mr. Shen said he was going out this afternoon, but the driver returned alone with a message. Mr. Shen said he isn’t coming back.”

The silence in the room became suffocating.

In front of others, the angrier Ye Xiuchen became, the calmer he appeared. It was only when he was alone that he would succumb to his unbridled madness.

“Who has he contacted these past few days? Who did he see?” Ye Xiuchen’s voice was thin and brittle, laced with an endless chill.

Uncle Ming hadn’t figured out why Shen Xinghuai had suddenly left either. He could only report that the Shen father and son had come today to beg for help.

Ye Xiuchen recalled the large sum of money Shen Xinghuai had transferred a few days ago. It turned out he hadn’t bought anything; he had been funding the Shen family. Now that the money was in his pocket, the bird had flown the coop.

He suddenly chuckled. Did Shen Xinghuai really think he could just walk away like that?

Ye Xiuchen handed the shopping bag to the butler. “Take this to his room. Tell the driver we’re going to the Shen residence.”

The Ye family manor hadn’t been this lively in a long time.

Around a mahjong table sat three elderly men and Shen Xinghuai. Tian Yuanyuan was straddling a chair behind Shen Xinghuai, offering unsolicited advice every few minutes.

But every time he spoke, he drew the ire of the three elders—especially his own grandfather, who swatted at him several times with a cane. “Brat, you don’t even know how to play. Shut up and stay quiet.”

As for why Shen Xinghuai was here, he found it surreal, bordering on the bizarre.

After getting out of the car that afternoon, he had wandered the streets for a while. He had no intention of returning to the Shen house; instead, he wanted to draft a travel plan. He had seen enough of Lincheng and planned to expand his horizons.

The sky is high and the birds are free, he thought, feeling quite thrilled.

In the midst of his excitement, his phone rang. it was Tian Yuanyuan.

Shen Xinghuai was surprised to see his name. Yuanyuan had been incredibly busy lately, getting scolded by his father at the office by day and by his etiquette teacher by night. He wondered how his friend had time to call. “Yuanyuan, aren’t you at the office today?”

“I’ve been ‘specially dispatched’ by my old man! We have a game of mahjong but we’re one player short! I don’t know how to play, so you come over!” Every word Yuanyuan spoke was pitched with joy; clearly, his special assignment was a breeze.

“Where? At your house?” Since he had nothing to do, Shen Xinghuai figured it was a good way to kill time. He could also ask Yuanyuan for advice on where to go for the first stop of his trip.

“Where are you now? I’ll have the driver pick you up!”

Stepping into the Tian family’s car, Shen Xinghuai didn’t notice anything amiss at first. But as the car headed north, he grew restless. The scenery was looking increasingly familiar. Isn’t this the road to the Ye manor? He had only been there once, so he couldn’t be certain.

By the time the car pulled into the Ye family estate, it was too late to run.

Yuanyuan pulled the door open for him with a wide, mindless grin. “Huai-huai, long time no see!”

It had been about ten days, yes, but that didn’t mean Yuanyuan could just bring him here! He didn’t belong here anymore!

Seeing Shen Xinghuai’s complicated expression, Yuanyuan assumed he was just surprised. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for the fourth player!”

This isn’t the ‘fourth player’ situation I wanted!

Shen Xinghuai clung to the car door, refusing to budge. “I can’t. I have to go!”

Yuanyuan didn’t give him the chance. Half-dragging, half-hoisting, he hauled him out of the car. “Go where? I already told Old Master Ye and my grandfather you were coming!”

Shen Xinghuai deeply regretted not sewing Yuanyuan’s mouth shut last time!

As they were scuffling, the household servants and bodyguards watched on. Xiao Zheng, Old Master Ye’s aide, walked over with a smile. “Young Master Shen, these are all the Old Master’s close friends. There’s no need to be shy.”

It was over. He couldn’t leave. And he certainly couldn’t tell Old Master Ye that he and Ye Xiuchen had split up. The Old Master’s health was fragile; if the news made him ill, it would cause a disaster.

Under Yuanyuan’s “hostage” escort, he took his seat at the mahjong table.

His three playmates today were quite the heavyweights. Aside from Old Master Ye, there was Yuanyuan’s grandfather—the Old Master’s classmate and lifelong friend who lived abroad and had returned specifically for the Lincheng Summit. The third was Mr. Kang, who had just retired as Lincheng’s top official last year.

The three elders were perfectly friendly. Before Shen Xinghuai realized it, it was already dinner time.

Mr. Kang was called home by a series of frantic phone calls from his wife. The two remaining elders, having not seen each other in a long time, weren’t finished talking. Old Master Tian decided he and Yuanyuan would stay the night at the manor.

“Xinghuai, don’t leave tonight either. Stay.” Old Master Ye’s health usually meant he grew tired and dismissed guests after a few words, but after hours at the mahjong table, he was still remarkably high-spirited.

Shen Xinghuai looked at the darkening sky. “Grandfather, I.” I really should go. You might not be tired, but I’m exhausted.

Old Master Ye waved him off. “What, afraid Xiuchen will worry? That’s an easy fix!” He gestured to Xiao Zheng. “Notify Xiuchen. Xinghuai won’t be coming back tonight.”

Xiao Zheng, as the Old Master’s most trusted aide, worked with alarming speed. Before Shen Xinghuai could even open his mouth to protest, Xiao Zheng had already dialed Ye Xiuchen’s number.

Compared to the cheerful atmosphere at the Ye manor, the Shen residence was currently enduring a polar winter.

Shen Hong and his wife, Bai Yuan, stood trembling in their own living room. Bai Xiang’an had it the worst; the usually “fragile white lotus” now looked like a trampled weed, pinned to the floor by two of Ye Xiuchen’s bodyguards.

Initially, Ye Xiuchen hadn’t paid him any mind, but the boy kept trying to crawl toward him while talking. Annoyed, Ye Xiuchen simply had him pinned down.

Ye Xiuchen paced slowly in front of the three of them, his voice sharp with frost. “For the last time: Where is Shen Xinghuai?”

Shen Hong was in a state of absolute despair. “Mr. Ye, I’ve told you everything! Our business is failing. Today we only begged him for help, and he kicked us out after refusing. That’s it! We haven’t done anything. I don’t know why he vanished, and I certainly don’t know where he went. Please, let us go! This has nothing to do with us!”

Ye Xiuchen stopped in front of Shen Hong, grabbing his collar and hauling him upward. “Still won’t talk until you see the coffin?”

Shen Hong had entertained dark thoughts today about kidnapping Shen Xinghuai and delivering him to Lu Yan to beg for mercy, but he had only thought about it. He hadn’t even had the chance to act before this madman invaded his home. “Mr. Ye, I truly don’t know where he went!”

“I say you know, so you know. Speak!”

Dangling in the air, Shen Hong’s legs shook violently. “Mr. Ye, you can’t be so unreasonable! I really don’t know!”

The madman had no humanity; the madman was never reasonable. “Playing tough? Fine.”

He turned his gaze to his subordinate. “A-Nan, take Young Master Bai for a swim in the Lin River. Don’t let him back on shore until he stops breathing.”

Bai Xiang’an’s eyes rolled back in his head at those words, and he nearly expired right then and there.

Bai Yuan, frantic over her only son, threw herself onto him to prevent A-Nan from taking him away, wailing at the top of her lungs. “He’s my only son! If you take him, I don’t want to live anymore!”

Suicidal theatrics might work on others, but with the “Mad Dog” Ye, it was a death sentence. “Since Madam Shen wants to join him, throw the mother and son into the river together.”

Hiccup! Bai Yuan’s wailing stopped instantly. She stared at Ye Xiuchen in terror, as if he were a man-eating monster.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Shen Hong blurted out in panic, “Mr. Ye, I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I, I only thought about finding someone to teach Xinghuai a lesson, but I swear, it was just a thought! I haven’t actually done anything!

Nothing at all!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Xiuchen’s gaze chilled by several more degrees. His grip on the collar tightened, lifting Shen Hong’s heels off the floor.

Shen Hong wasn’t shaking anymore; he was so terrified his entire body had gone numb. Just as he felt he was about to be strangled to death, the vibration of a phone saved his life.

Ye Xiuchen answered the phone with his free hand, his predatory gaze still locked on Shen Hong’s face.

Xiao Zheng’s voice on the other end was very polite. “Young Master, the Old Master asked me to inform you that Young Master Shen will be staying the night at the manor.”

Upon hearing that Shen Xinghuai was at the manor, the murderous chill surrounding Ye Xiuchen dissipated instantly. “Fine. I understand.”

He hung up and dropped Shen Hong like a piece of trash.

Shen Hong, having been close enough to hear the conversation, realized Shen Xinghuai was at the old manor and suddenly regained his courage. “Mr. Ye, you see now that you’ve wronged us?”

Ye Xiuchen tucked his phone back into his pocket, eyeing him with an unreadable expression. “And?”

Having seen how much Ye Xiuchen clearly cared for his son, Shen Hong’s internal calculator began to whir again. “Mr. Ye, I am Xiao Huai’s biological father after all. If I tell him how you just threatened me, he will think you have no respect for me. He’ll be very angry.”

“Oh?” Ye Xiuchen seemed remarkably concerned. “He’ll be angry if he finds out?”

Shen Hong pushed his luck. “Of course he will. You wouldn’t want him to fall out with you, would you?”

Ye Xiuchen answered truthfully, “I certainly wouldn’t.”

Seeing a turning point, Shen Hong’s miserable face broke into a smile. “Mr. Ye, if you don’t want him to know, I can keep quiet. However, my business is facing some difficulties if you’re willing to help, I can guarantee that not a single word of today’s events will ever reach his ears.” He waited expectantly for an agreement.

Ye Xiuchen chuckled. “That’s not a very good plan. I’ve thought of a better one.”

“What better plan?” Shen Hong stared at him intently.

Ye Xiuchen idly dusted off his sleeve and spoke heartlessly: “When you pull up the grass, you must remove the roots.”

The smile on Shen Hong’s face was instantly replaced by a deathly pallor. His lips trembled. “Ye, Ye Xiuchen, what are you planning to do?”

Ye Xiuchen checked his wristwatch. “Listen carefully. At 8:00 AM tomorrow, you will go to court and file for bankruptcy. By 10:00 AM, you must be on a plane leaving Lincheng, and you are never to return. If you ever set foot in this city again,” He paused. “My next visit won’t be called a house call. It will be called a funeral.”

Shen Hong stood before him like a wooden post, his face white as paper.

Ye Xiuchen’s lips curled into a terrifying, cold smile. “I believe I made myself clear. You, nod and say you understand.”

Shen Hong’s soul had been scared right out of his body. Like a hollow shell, he did as he was told, nodding mechanically. “I understand.”

Ye Xiuchen was satisfied. “Very good.” He strode toward the door. “A-Nan, you stay. Make sure the Shen family is on that plane tomorrow.”

On the drive from the Shen residence to the Ye manor, Ye Xiuchen kept his eyes closed and remained silent.

But his mind was racing. If Shen Xinghuai hadn’t given that money to Shen Hong, what was it for? A getaway fund? The boy had been lying to him all along; he had never truly intended to stay by his side.

When Ye Xiuchen arrived, everyone was in the middle of dinner. Old Master Ye and Old Master Tian were chatting happily. The Old Master was slightly surprised to see him. He looked at Xiao Zheng. “Did Xiuchen say he was coming?”

Xiao Zheng looked at Shen Xinghuai with a smile. “He didn’t say so on the phone, but perhaps he couldn’t bear to be away from Young Master Shen.”

The Old Master realized with a grin, “Of course. Xiuchen, sit down and join us.”

After greeting Old Master Tian, Ye Xiuchen naturally took the seat next to Shen Xinghuai.

Feeling the space beside him occupied by Ye Xiuchen, Shen Xinghuai kept his head down and said nothing, though his mind was full of a hundred questions. Why is he here? What for? Based on that look in his eyes, he isn’t here for dinner—he looks like he’s here to eat me alive.

He quickly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice. “Grandfather, Old Master Tian, I’m full. Please take your time.”

Tian Yuanyuan had finished long ago and was just waiting for Shen Xinghuai. He immediately dropped his chopsticks. “I’m full too!”

He happily followed Shen Xinghuai out of the dining room, walking clumsily and bumping his shoulder into Shen Xinghuai’s. “Hey, why do I feel like you’re not happy to see Ye Xiuchen? Did you guys have a fight?”

Shen Xinghuai rubbed his shoulder. “No.”

“You’re still keeping secrets from me?” Tian Yuanyuan pointed toward the small lounge. “Come on, tell me what’s going on.”

He shoved Shen Xinghuai inside first, but when he tried to follow, he found his own collar snagged. “Who’s pulling me?”

Ye Xiuchen stood behind him, his voice cold and flat. “Go play somewhere else.”

Yuanyuan wanted to protest, but facing this madman, he didn’t have many options. “Fine.” He walked away a few steps, not forgetting to turn back and call out, “Don’t you dare bully Huai-huai!”

Ye Xiuchen didn’t even look at him. He stepped into the lounge and shut the door behind him.

He turned around, ready to demand an explanation, only to find the room seemingly empty. He had just seen the boy walk in with his own two eyes. After a persistent search, he noticed a narrow bulge in the curtains—and a pair of feet peeking out from the hem.

Ye Xiuchen exhaled and walked over. “Come out. What are you hiding for?”

The curtains spoke: “He’s not here.”

“Then where did he go?”

The hem of the curtain swayed, and the feet vanished. “I don’t know.”

The air grew heavy and silent. Shen Xinghuai waited behind the fabric for a moment until he heard the sound of the door opening and closing. Assuming Ye Xiuchen had left, he parted the curtains and poked his head out.

The next second, his cheeks were pinched, his lips puckered into a “goldfish mouth.” The owner of those hands was looking at him teasingly, his voice cold enough to induce shivers. “Caught you.”

With his mouth puckered, Shen Xinghuai’s words came out as a garbled mess: “Leth go of me!”

Ye Xiuchen didn’t bother deciphering the gibberish. He simply pulled the curtains back. “Out!”

Shen Xinghuai stepped out from behind the drapes with a look of utter reluctance. Ye Xiuchen released him with a huff. “Now, explain. What exactly do you mean by ‘I’m not coming back’?”

Shen Xinghuai didn’t think the phrase was particularly deep. It was literal. “It means I’m leaving.”

As soon as he said it, the silence returned—not the empty silence of before, but a heavy, freezing pressure that filled the room. Ye Xiuchen took another step closer. “Say that again.”

Looking at the man closing in, Shen Xinghuai instinctively wanted to retreat. But then he remembered that he wasn’t the one who had been dealing out the cold shoulder lately. Why should he be the one to run? “I said I’m leaving!”

He stared back at Ye Xiuchen, puffing out his chest to bolster his courage. “I’m leaving. You’re the one who wanted it.”

Ye Xiuchen was now close enough to see every individual curled eyelash on the boy’s face. His predatory gaze scoured every inch of Shen Xinghuai’s features. It made the hair on the back of Shen Xinghuai’s neck stand up. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Ye Xiuchen ignored him, speaking as if to himself. “This afternoon, I went to a jewelry store to pick out a bracelet for you.”

A bracelet? For him?

Shen Xinghuai’s eyes widened. Had he misunderstood? Was Ye Xiuchen not trying to freeze him out?

Wait, that would be a disaster!

“And then?” Shen Xinghuai prayed silently that this wasn’t an attempt to make him stay.

Ye Xiuchen’s gaze shifted as he scooped up the boy’s slender wrist into his large palm. “And then? Now, I regret it.”

“You don’t want to give it to me? Fine, I don’t want it anyway.” It was just a bracelet; he didn’t care.