Gold-Devouring Bottom: A Guide to Pampering - Chapter 7

Ye Xiuchen: Meeting Grandfather tomorrow.

Shen Xinghuai was busy gaming, so he sent a mental “got it” and kept playing. In his previous world, games like this didn’t exist, and over the last two days, he’d found himself unable to put them down.

Before he knew it, the clock neared midnight. He let out a lazy yawn, ready to turn in, but as he exited the game, he noticed a new red notification on the black profile icon in his WeChat.

Ye Xiuchen: Read and reply.

Ye Xiuchen: Are you asleep?

The messages hadn’t been sent at the same time. The first was from after 10:00 PM; the second was sent at 11:40 PM—only ten minutes ago.

Shen Xinghuai opened the keyboard to send a quick “received,” but before he could finish typing, a video call request popped onto the screen. He startled, sat up a bit straighter, and hit accept.

On Ye Xiuchen’s end, the lighting was dim, creating an immediate sense of oppression. His handsome features looked deep and sharp in the shadows, adding a touch of mystery to his look. He stared directly into the camera; even through a screen, Shen Xinghuai felt the weight of that gaze.

“Brother, I was just about to reply,” Shen said, feeling inexplicably nervous.

Ye Xiuchen’s gaze lowered slightly. On his screen, Shen Xinghuai was wearing pajamas with a wide neckline, revealing his delicate collarbones and a fair amount of pale skin. The sight reflected clearly in Ye Xiuchen’s dark, cold eyes. “You only just saw the message?”

Shen Xinghuai nodded obediently, his eyes flickering away before he shook his head guiltily.

“What does nodding then shaking your head mean?”

“I saw the first one after my shower, the other two I just saw now.”

Ye Xiuchen adopted his usual icy, mocking tone. “You saw it long ago, yet you deliberately ignored me?”

Shen Xinghuai was starting to figure out the man’s patterns. When Ye Xiuchen spoke with that sarcastic, weird inflection, it meant he was either about to get angry or was already fuming. In these situations, explanations were useless—Ye Xiuchen wouldn’t believe them anyway. He had to try a different tactic.

Shen Xinghuai softened his voice. “Brother, were you waiting for my reply all this time?”

“I was not!” Ye Xiuchen snapped. Looking at the bright, beautiful face on his screen and hearing that soft, sweet voice only made the irritation in his heart flare higher. “Did you go out today?”

Shen Xinghuai knew he couldn’t hide it, nor did he want to. “I did. I only got back this evening.”

“Heh. You saw the person you wanted to see, so you couldn’t even be bothered to reply to my messages.”

The person I wanted to see? Who?

It took Shen Xinghuai a few seconds to realize he must be talking about Lu Yan. Ye Xiuchen and Lu Yan viewed each other as thorns in their sides; both wanted nothing more than to tear the other apart. Sensing a disaster looming, Shen Xinghuai scrambled for a way to turn the page.

His hesitation only fueled Ye Xiuchen’s rage. “What, does mentioning him make you sad?”

Shen Xinghuai stared at the screen in disbelief. The fire in Ye Xiuchen’s dark eyes burned hotter. “If you can’t let go of Lu Yan that much, why didn’t you leave with him today? Why bother coming back!”

“I haven’t ‘not let go’ of him!” Shen Xinghuai huffed. Why would he cling to that massive scumbag?

“Is that so? He came to see me today. He said I was forcing you, restricting your freedom. He asked what it would take to let you go—said he’d pay any amount.” Ye Xiuchen’s voice was laced with ice.

Lu Yan actually went to find him?

Shen Xinghuai felt incredibly wronged. “Don’t listen to his BS. I’m not leaving you.”

With his emotions peaking, Ye Xiuchen wasn’t listening to explanations. He looked at the screen with utter mockery, his voice trailing with a ghostly chill. “Shen Xinghuai, I warned you long ago that you would regret provoking me. This situation is entirely your own doing. If you want to leave now, it’s too late!”

Before Shen Xinghuai could say another word, Ye Xiuchen hung up.

“Dog of a man!” Shen Xinghuai cursed, tossing his phone aside. Too annoyed to keep scrolling, he pulled up the covers and went to sleep.

The next day around noon, the man who hadn’t been home for days finally showed up. His car stopped at the front gate, accompanied by a police cruiser.

Seeing the grim setup, Uncle Ming hurried out to meet them. “Young Master, this is.”

Ye Xiuchen stepped out of the car, his face overcast and his tone sharp. “Where is he?”

Uncle Ming glanced toward the second floor with concern. “Young Master, Mr. Shen hasn’t woken up yet.”

Two officers stepped out of the police car, followed by Shen Hong. Shen Hong hid behind the officers, looking quite self-righteous. “Officers, my son is indeed in his house!”

The police signaled for him to be quiet and turned to Ye Xiuchen. “Mr. Ye, please cooperate and allow this gentleman’s son to meet with us.”

Ye Xiuchen gestured for Uncle Ming to go upstairs and get Shen Xinghuai.

Ten minutes later, Shen Xinghuai arrived in the living room. Before he could even get close, Shen Hong rushed forward. “Xinghuai, don’t be afraid. Papa is here.”

Shen Xinghuai watched his “dear father” rush toward him, looking like he was about to perform a scene of a father and son finally reuniting after a great ordeal. Just as Shen Hong was about to give him a “loving” embrace, Shen Xinghuai suddenly turned, dodging his hands.

Shen Hong grabbed thin air and stared at him in disbelief. He repeated his line with even more theatrical emotion: “Xinghuai, Papa is here to save you and take you home!” As he spoke, his hand—still hanging in the air—gestured frantically, his eyes darting toward the police.

Shen Xinghuai: “???” What? Am I supposed to throw myself into your arms and wail about being imprisoned and humiliated for the last two days?

The two officers watched the stalemate between father and son with inquisitive looks. After a moment, one spoke: “Mr. Shen, your father just reported to the station, alleging that Mr. Ye Xiuchen is holding you illegally and restricting your freedom. Is this true?”

Shen Xinghuai instinctively looked toward Ye Xiuchen and caught his eye. Ye Xiuchen was radiating a bone-chilling coldness that made Xinghuai’s heart sink. With Lu Yan’s provocation yesterday and Shen Hong bringing the police today, Ye Xiuchen must be convinced Shen Xinghuai was conspiring with them to sabotage him.

Before Shen Xinghuai could answer, Shen Hong cut in: “Officers, my son has had zero contact with him in the past; he would never come to this house of his own accord. He went missing three days ago, and I haven’t been able to reach his phone. Now that he’s found here, the facts speak for themselves!”

The police kept their eyes on Shen Xinghuai. “Mr. Shen, were you coerced into coming here? Please tell us the truth of what happened.”

“Offi—” Shen Xinghuai started, but was interrupted by Shen Hong again. “Xinghuai, tell the truth! Tell them everything! The police are here, you don’t have to be afraid!”

Shen Hong was 100% confident. Lu Yan had found him this morning, and after a long talk, he felt Lu Yan made perfect sense. Even if their father-son relationship was strained, Shen Xinghuai hated Ye Xiuchen even more. In this situation, he was sure Shen Xinghuai would side with him. Lu Yan had even promised that if they could get Ye Xiuchen behind bars, he would look after the Shen family business and consider delaying the current engagement to date Shen Xinghuai.

Lu Yan was the legitimate heir to the Lu family—his influence was far greater than Shen Hong’s. If Shen Xinghuai could date him for a while, the Shen company’s orders would be set for life. Since Bai Xiang’an was becoming more disobedient lately, having this cold-faced biological son gain Lu Yan’s favor was a massive, unexpected boon. “Xinghuai, don’t be afraid. Just tell them the facts.”

As Shen Hong continued his goading, the murderous aura around Ye Xiuchen grew heavier. His gaze remained locked on Shen Xinghuai. If Shen Xinghuai admitted to being imprisoned, he would have to go to the station to give a statement. Though Xiuchen had evidence to clear his name eventually, it would ruin his plans to see his grandfather tonight.

His grandfather’s health was failing by the day, and the thought of causing the old man more worry brought Ye Xiuchen to a breaking point. He had seen a psychiatrist before, but after the diagnosis, he had refused treatment, harboring a deep internal resistance toward mental health intervention. Everyone called him a lunatic, a madman; he wanted to fight it, to deny that he was truly losing his mind. He tried desperately to control his rage, to not act like a beast, to not expose his “viciousness” in public.

But he was struggling. The fingers hanging at his side were icy and trembling uncontrollably. The shirt beneath his suit was damp with cold sweat, and the sound of his own heartbeat was being amplified a thousand times in his ears.

Shen Xinghuai keenly sensed that something was wrong with Ye Xiuchen’s expression. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he walked right past his “kind and loving” father and straight to the man who looked like an asura. He gently hooked his hand into Xiuchen’s, looking at the crowd with total composure.

“Officers, I am not being imprisoned.”

Ye Xiuchen’s hand stiffened at the touch. He turned his head slightly, meeting Shen Xinghuai’s bright eyes. Xinghuai could feel the man’s frantic agitation. He leaned dependably against Xiuchen’s side and whispered sweetly, “Brother, don’t be angry.”

The flickering flame of anxiety in Ye Xiuchen’s heart leapt an inch higher—then instantly vanished. It felt like a drowning man being pulled to the surface by a pair of gentle hands.

Shen Hong stared at their joined hands, his face more horrified than if he’d seen a ghost. His smug expression vanished instantly.

Ignoring his scumbag father, Shen Xinghuai turned back to the police. “We are in a relationship. Staying at my boyfriend’s house is a voluntary choice. No one has coerced or imprisoned me.”

“You aren’t—” Shen Hong started, then closed his mouth in defeat. He had been so sure of victory, but a single sentence from Shen Xinghuai had turned it into a total loss. He and Lu Yan had calculated everything, except for the possibility that Shen Xinghuai would choose to stand by Ye Xiuchen.

Ye Xiuchen hadn’t expected it either.

The officer turned a stern look toward Shen Hong. “Sir, the party involved has denied the allegations. Your report will not be processed.”

Seeing that the tide had turned, Shen Hong quickly shifted his tune. “Xinghuai, how can you be so willful? Falling in love without telling your parents and then moving into someone else’s home without a word—you really have no sense of propriety! Come home with me at once.” Although he hadn’t managed to get Ye Xiuchen locked up, bringing Shen Xinghuai back and handing him over to Lu Yan would still make this trip worthwhile.

As he spoke, he reached out again to grab Shen Xinghuai.

“I’m perfectly fine here; I’m not going back.” Shen Xinghuai leaned closer to Ye Xiuchen, tightly gripping the man’s large hand. “Brother, I don’t want to go back.”

This time, the owner of the hand didn’t remain stiff. Instead, he gripped back firmly, his gaze boring into Shen Hong with heavy intimidation. “Shen Hong, you should know better than I do what it’s called when someone goes against another’s will to restrict their freedom of movement.”

Shen Hong’s hand froze in mid-air, his face a mask of embarrassment. His lips twitched for a long moment before his hand finally dropped limply to his side. He turned to the officers. “Officers, I do not approve of this relationship. Please help me take my son home.”

The two officers looked at Shen Hong and offered a polite, apologetic smile. “Mr. Shen, this is a family matter, and it’s not appropriate for us to offer an opinion. Our job here is finished; we won’t disturb you any longer.”

The officers turned to leave. Fuming but helpless—and far too terrified to remain in Ye Xiuchen’s house alone—Shen Hong had no choice but to follow them out.

Shen Xinghuai and Ye Xiuchen stood at the entrance, pensively watching the departing police car. Shen Xinghuai’s heart wouldn’t settle; there was no way Shen Hong would have acted this way without someone pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

It seemed the clash between the villains had officially begun. Ye Xiuchen would soon spiral into his “madman” phase, ruining his enemies until their families were destroyed—but in doing so, he would also pave the way for his own demise.

Ye Xiuchen’s gaze fell on Shen Xinghuai, his emotions a complex, unreadable tangle. “You just now.”

Shen Xinghuai withdrew his gaze from the distance and tugged on the man’s hand. “Quick, come inside with me. I have something important to say!”