I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Failure

Ning Chen seemed to sense a flicker of abnormality in him. He looked up with a curious gaze, but ultimately nodded submissively. “Alright, Shenyu. I’ll stay right here and wait for you.”

“Good. I’ll be back soon.” Shenyu released his grip, took the medical records from Ning Chen’s hand, and turned to leave.

This was a position he had meticulously chosen. When he opened the door to Fu Hengzhan’s study, as long as Fu Hengzhan looked up, he would be able to see Ning Chen.

Shenyu gritted his teeth and knocked. Then, he turned the handle and pushed the door wide open.

The sound of the door opening clearly disturbed Fu Hengzhan. He frowned and looked up, then remained motionless for a long time. Shenyu watched his expression, clearly seeing the shift in the man’s brow.

At that moment, He Shenyu knew with absolute certainty that he had failed.

A total failure.

Ning Chen’s attraction to Fu Hengzhan was apparently one hundred percent. The look on Fu Hengzhan’s face was clearly one of being stunned by beauty. Then again, didn’t he fall in love at first sight in the original novel because of that face? Such a setting was too standard; He Shenyu shouldn’t have harbored such delusions.

This world was a novel, after all. Since the protagonists were identical, it was only logical for the plot to follow suit.

Shenyu frowned and stepped forward, attempting to block Fu Hengzhan’s line of sight. But a CEO’s personality was naturally willful. Fu Hengzhan was the man at the peak of power in this story; He Shenyu had no way to obstruct his whims.

Fu Hengzhan spoke directly: “Is this your new assistant?”

Shenyu bit his lip, trying to redirect his attention. “No, President Fu. The records are here. Let me walk you through the data.”

Fu Hengzhan leaned back, looking intrigued. “Then who is he? A new intern at the hospital? Tell him to come in. It’s a good opportunity to learn.”

You dog! Purely interested in his looks…

Shenyu was indignant but couldn’t refuse. Under Fu Hengzhan’s prompting gaze, he went out and pulled Ning Chen inside. Ning Chen, still unsure of the situation, followed behind He Shenyu as silent as a statue.

Fu Hengzhan glanced at their interlaced hands, a flash of displeasure crossing his brow, though he didn’t let it show. Instead, he looked at Ning Chen and asked, “And you are?”

Ning Chen assumed the owner of the villa didn’t want strangers inside and was afraid of causing trouble for He Shenyu. He spoke formally: “Hello, my name is Ning Chen. Ning as in peace, Chen as in devotion.”

Damn it!

Shenyu suddenly tightened his grip on Ning Chen’s wrist, looking at him in disbelief. How could he say the exact same introductory lines as their first meeting in the original novel? Was the power of the “Plot God” really this immense?

At this moment, He Shenyu’s fear was insurmountable. Why? When he first met Ning Chen, Ning Chen hadn’t introduced himself that way! Why only Fu Hengzhan?

Shenyu was terrified. Countless scenes from the original novel began clashing in his mind, causing cold sweat to break out on his forehead. He stared at the side of Ning Chen’s face until Ning Chen, wincing in pain, turned to look at him.

The atmosphere was undeniably bizarre. Fu Hengzhan nodded, preparing to say something.

Suddenly, He Shenyu moved his hand down, sliding past Ning Chen’s wrist until his fingers laced through Ning Chen’s, locking them tightly. That wasn’t enough. He curled his knuckles, fully gripping Ning Chen’s hand, and looked at Fu Hengzhan. “He is my boyfriend. Since I left the records at home, I had him bring them over and pick me up.”

Fu Hengzhan’s words died in his throat. He paused for a beat before looking at He Shenyu. “Since when did you start playing these games?” Sensing that the comment was inappropriate, he resumed his usual cold demeanor. “Start your briefing. Let’s get this over with.”

Shenyu nodded, turned to Ning Chen with a smile, and said, “Babe, wait for me outside for a bit.”

Ning Chen turned to him, hesitating before nodding. This time, Fu Hengzhan didn’t stop him. Since the medical records were private, Ning Chen—as He Shenyu’s “boyfriend”—was an outsider. And to him, there was no need to waste energy on an outsider.

Ning Chen walked out, gently closing the door behind him. He could vaguely sense something was off, but currently, his mind could hold nothing else. Only the words “boyfriend” and “babe” spun in his head.

Those words, spoken so casually by He Shenyu, had captured Ning Chen’s soul like a leaf caught in a whirlpool. Time felt like a still gel, enveloping him in an orange glow. Ning Chen felt nothing else. He only knew he leaned against the railing in a daze for a long time, until He Shenyu finished and came out, naturally taking his hand.

His world finally began to flow again. The frozen waterfall poured down with a roar, and beneath it stood only one person, smiling at him.

“Shenyu?” Ning Chen spoke as if in a dream.

Shenyu smiled back. “Yeah, I’m done. Let’s go home.”

“Okay,” Ning Chen followed with a light smile.

The ride back was quiet. Both were deeply shaken, though for very different reasons. In the soft hum of the car radio, neither spoke, lost in their own thoughts. Only when they returned to the privacy of the house did the desire to speak finally emerge.

Shenyu hesitated for a long time but decided not to tell Ning Chen about the supernatural nature of the plot. Firstly, he didn’t know if telling a protagonist would cause even more severe consequences. After today, He Shenyu was less brave; he didn’t dare gamble. Secondly, telling Ning Chen would only cause him unnecessary grief.

Shenyu thought: Since I’ve meddled in Ning Chen’s life, I’ll be responsible to the end, until I have the power to take him far away. Maybe distance would still work? From the current situation, Fu Hengzhan didn’t actively seek out Ning Chen despite the plot’s push. This meant there was room for resistance.

Shenyu felt a glimmer of comfort. Judging by Fu Hengzhan’s final reaction, once Ning Chen was categorized as He Shenyu’s boyfriend, Fu Hengzhan maintained a proper distance. This fit Fu Hengzhan’s character; on the surface, he was a man of principle. “A friend’s partner is off-limits” was a social rule Fu Hengzhan would likely follow.

As for Ning Chen’s thoughts, He Shenyu was worried. By saying that, their relationship became even more blurred. But since it was already a sponsorship arrangement, he had already mentioned “taking it slow.” To put it bluntly, He Shenyu was now “breaking a cracked jar”—he’d explain everything clearly to Ning Chen once the dust settled.

Shenyu broke the silence. “Thanks for making the trip today. Are you hungry?”

Ning Chen shook his head gently. “It was no trouble. I’m okay.”

The housekeeper had already prepared dinner. Shenyu led Ning Chen to wash his hands and then to the dining room. He had grown used to holding Ning Chen’s hand; once or twice made no difference. Since Ning Chen never resisted, He Shenyu didn’t even realize anything was wrong.

However, Ning Chen, standing at his side, silently stared at their joined hands. Finally, he couldn’t help but ask, “Shenyu, why did you say I was your boyfriend today?”

He knew that according to Manager Cheng’s “training,” he had to unconditionally accept everything the benefactor gave—even the status of a boyfriend. This didn’t even count as a “kink” in the manager’s list. So, he should have just accepted it. Shenyu had already shown such tendencies, and Ning Chen was not unprepared. Shenyu had even said he hadn’t been in a relationship before.

From this, Ning Chen deduced that in He Shenyu’s eyes, this sponsorship included a “romance game.” He understood everything. But he still couldn’t help but ask. He was just curious.

Perhaps it was the “good person” filter Dr. He’s profession provided, or perhaps because He Shenyu had always been kind and gentle, unlike the overbearing benefactors of legend. Ning Chen knew that if he asked, He Shenyu wouldn’t get angry even if he didn’t want to answer.

Thus, he overstepped. Before this, he had strictly fulfilled his duties, playing the role of the obedient “canary.” But this time, he was so curious that he felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t ask.

As expected, He Shenyu wasn’t offended. He explained with a smile, “Actually, President Fu is a friend of mine.” He paused, recalling the day. He was clearly close to Fu Hengzhan and the butler. “When you arrived, I thought I’d introduce you to him. As for calling you my boyfriend… I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth, could I? And, I really don’t think of you as just a ‘kept person’…”

Shenyu muttered the last part. He was telling the truth, but he didn’t know how Ning Chen would interpret it. Truthfully, it was hard to explain. He stared at Ning Chen’s face and suddenly thought: If I actually dated Ning Chen, it might be a good solution. According to the novel, Fu Hengzhan was an extreme chauvinist. If he knew Ning Chen truly belonged to He Shenyu, he might lose interest.

But He Shenyu quickly snapped out of it. What a terrible idea… He just wanted Ning Chen to have a normal life. If he did that, how would he be different from Fu Hengzhan? Besides, he was straight and didn’t love Ning Chen; he couldn’t actually go through with it.

Shenyu shook the ridiculous thought from his head.

Ning Chen smiled at him and nodded. “Okay, I understand. Whatever Shenyu wants is fine. I will do my best to cooperate.”

Ning Chen was genuinely smiling now. He no longer cared if He Shenyu wanted to play with his heart; he was just happy He Shenyu finally had a “request” for him. No matter what, He Shenyu had given so much. Ning Chen felt guilty taking the money; now, no matter what “service” He Shenyu wanted, he would comply.

He had thought about this. The cases in Manager Cheng’s training were about young, naive kids. He felt he was more mature. If it came to it, he didn’t think he’d be foolish enough to fall in love. And even if he did, he wouldn’t be the clingy type. Painful things should be ended cleanly.

Ning Chen relaxed as he accepted the worst-case scenario.

This time, after dinner, as He Shenyu turned to head to his room, Ning Chen reached out and caught He Shenyu’s hand, finishing the words he hadn’t finished the previous night:

“Shenyu, do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”

“Huh?” Shenyu froze, looking startled. Why bring this up again?

Ning Chen took a step closer, looking down at He Shenyu, and whispered, “Shenyu, am I not your boyfriend? For boyfriends, isn’t it normal to share a room?”