I Snatched the Overbearing President’s Canary [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Fool

He took a deep breath before speaking. “Mom, I… took out a loan. And he really is just a friend.”

Ning Chen forced himself to stay calm. He couldn’t just confess everything without a struggle; the blow would be too much for his mother to handle. With his brother still in the ICU, it was better to wait—even if just for a little while until Xiaoyou was more stable—than to tell the truth right now.

Furthermore, Ning Chen was genuinely confused. It was supposed to be a transaction for his body, yet He Shenyu hadn’t touched him at all. Aside from that inexplicable, unfinished kiss on the first day, He Shenyu seemed to maintain a constant sense of restraint.

It was hard to define this relationship…

Though, in his heart, he knew: once the truth came out, being “kept” was being “kept.” The contract existed; he couldn’t lie to himself forever. But at this stage, calling him a friend wasn’t entirely a lie either…

“Really?” His mother looked at him, her expression unreadable.

Ning Chen nodded. “Really.”

No matter what, he had to reinforce this lie. Once a lie begins, one must see it through to the end—until the day it becomes impossible to sustain.

“What bank would lend a student that much money…” His mother was a teacher; she didn’t lack life experience. But facing her usually obedient son, her tone softened.

Ning Chen felt cornered. He was capable of weaving sophisticated lies, but when it came to deceiving his mother, he lacked the natural motivation.

“Ning Chen?”

A sudden knock on the door interrupted them. Shenyu entered with a phone in his hand, looking apologetic. “Sorry, Auntie, I didn’t mean to intrude. Ning Chen, you forgot your phone. I think a professor is calling you.”

Ning Chen took the phone and checked the call log. Shenyu wasn’t lying. “Thank you,” he said softly. “It might be about my scholarship. I’ll call him back in a bit.”

“If it’s your teacher, just call back now,” Ning Chen’s mother said. “Everything else can wait.”

“Okay…” Ning Chen murmured, looking down.

Then he heard his mother whisper, “New phone?”

Shenyu’s heart skipped a beat. While sitting alone in the ward earlier, he had sensed something was off. When he passed the ICU and saw Ning You’s nameplate, he realized Ning Chen and his mother weren’t there. It wasn’t hard to guess they were off having a private, likely difficult, conversation.

So, he had devised a plan to have the professor call. In fact, this professor was already in Dr. He’s contacts. It wasn’t complicated; he had simply told the professor he wanted to sponsor “future stars” and added a substantial amount to the school’s scholarship fund.

In the original novel, Ning Chen’s professor knew his family situation and cared about him deeply. He knew the boy was desperate for money. Naturally, the professor would want to share such good news immediately.

Ning Chen called the professor back. When he hung up, his mother asked, “What did the teacher say?”

Ning Chen glanced at He Shenyu before answering, “The Professor said the school added a new specialized scholarship. I can receive an extra 100,000 yuan this year.”

“That much?”

“Yes, it’s a special grant funded by a company. Only one person per grade gets this amount.”

“That’s wonderful…” Ning Chen’s mother didn’t press the earlier issue. Perhaps because He Shenyu was there, she felt it wasn’t the right time. She looked at He Shenyu and said, “Xiao He, thank you for coming to see Ning Chen’s brother. He’s sleeping right now, but shall we go look through the glass to see if he’s woken up?”

“Of course,” He Shenyu nodded.

The three of them walked toward the ICU. They happened to run into the doctor on rounds, who updated them on Ning You’s condition. All his vitals were normal, and he was recovering well; sleep would only help the process. They watched the boy through the glass, surrounded by monitors and tubes, and chose not to disturb him further.

Having seen his brother, Ning Chen took the opportunity to say goodbye to his mother. With He Shenyu there, he couldn’t stay indefinitely. His mother didn’t say anything more; she smiled and bid them farewell as if nothing had happened.

Inside the elevator, Ning Chen couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you donate a scholarship to the school?”

“Huh?” Shenyu was genuinely surprised. “How did you know it was me?”

Ning Chen blinked. “I guessed. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

Shenyu cleared his throat awkwardly. “Ahem. Well, I wanted to give you a legitimate reason to have money. I guess I was a step too late.” He rubbed his nose and sighed. “And they gave you such a small cut of it! I clearly donated—”

“You fool…” Ning Chen blurted out.

“What?” Shenyu doubted his ears. “What did you say?”

Ning Chen quickly suppressed his burst of emotion. He shook his head. “Nothing. I said… thank you.”

Really? Shenyu thought. His hearing was excellent—he was a professional eavesdropper! How could he have misheard? But seeing Ning Chen’s deadpan expression, he didn’t press further.

Back in the car, He Shenyu remembered a notification from the hospital group chat. “We have a team-building event tomorrow, so I won’t be picking you up. Eat dinner on your own, don’t wait for me.”

Ning Chen nodded. “Okay.”

Shenyu glanced at him. “If you want to go out with classmates, you can. Just let me know.”

Ning Chen turned to look at him and shook his head. “I’m not close with my classmates. I’ll stay home and wait for you to come back.”

Shenyu smiled. Wait for me like a good cat? Ning Chen really gave off a pet-like vibe sometimes. Wait, why is he so comfortable putting himself in that position? He Shenyu’s smile faded. I never asked him to be like that…

It seemed the “kept man” contract influenced Ning Chen deeper than he had imagined. But what could he do? Tell him the truth? No, he was afraid the “Plot God” would just snatch Ning Chen back to Fu Hengzhan if he let his guard down.

Speaking of which, Saturday was the day for Fu Hengzhan’s check-up. The “Plot God” was just a theory of his—maybe he should use the opportunity to run an experiment? He Shenyu pondered, unable to decide yet. He’d think about it late at night. It was also time to organize the original novel’s plot; even though things had changed, the information was still vital, and he didn’t want to forget anything.

Back home, Ning Chen went to his room to do “homework.” Shenyu couldn’t make heads or tails of the code on the screen, so he went to his study. He created a document titled The Cage of Deep Love and began outlining the plot from the beginning. It felt like he was writing a melodramatic novel himself; he caught himself grimacing while typing.

The next afternoon, Ning Chen visited his brother again. This time, Xiaoyou was awake and even had a video call with him, complaining that Ning Chen hadn’t talked to him the day before. Because Xiaoyou was awake, their mother didn’t ask any more questions. The three of them looked happy; everything was looking up.

Ning Chen told himself this was enough. Everything he had done was worth it. His brother was getting better and would soon move to a general ward.

That evening, Ning Chen ate dinner alone. As expected, He Shenyu hadn’t returned. Ning Chen sat in the living room, staring at the door. He had to admit that even after several days, he felt out of place in this house. It wasn’t a cage, yet it felt more like one than anything else. He hadn’t felt at peace for a single moment.

Funnily enough, He Shenyu was his only source of security. When the man was around, his anxiety actually lessened. Perhaps his subconscious felt that since He Shenyu was the master of the house, he shouldn’t be there if the master wasn’t.

He looked at his phone. No messages from He Shenyu yet. He hesitated, then typed: [Shenyu, what time will you be back?]

He stared at the screen for seconds, but no reply came. He sighed, locked the phone, and cleared the dinner the housekeeper had left. It was all cold. Besides, He Shenyu was at dinner; he probably wouldn’t be hungry. But just in case, he had asked the housekeeper to leave fresh ingredients in the fridge so he could cook something fresh if needed.

After washing the dishes, he sat back on the sofa. He didn’t have much to do. He used to work so many jobs that he was used to utilizing every second. His homework and online freelance tasks were done. Life was dull; even with a new phone, he didn’t have many apps. He knew his classmates played games or watched shows, but he didn’t have the habit. Playing here felt wrong.

In his logic, He Shenyu was his benefactor who had spent a fortune. He worried he wasn’t providing enough value in return. It was a difficult subject to broach; he felt his conscience pricked because he had given nothing so far. Especially after hearing about the follow-up costs for his brother’s treatment, he didn’t know how much more he would need from He Shenyu. He wanted to do something for him, even if…

But whenever he offered, He Shenyu refused. Even if He Shenyu wanted to “take it slow,” did this current state even count as “progress”? Ning Chen didn’t understand. He had never been in a relationship; his only knowledge came from Manager Cheng’s “training.”

Beep—

The electronic lock sounded. Ning Chen dropped his phone and hurried to the door, opening it to find a shell-shocked He Shenyu.

“You’re still up?” Shenyu’s voice was thick with exhaustion.

Ning Chen supported him. “Wasn’t it a team dinner? Did you drink? Why do you look so tired?”

Shenyu leaned into him with a sigh. “Don’t even ask. It was supposed to be dinner, but an emergency came in. We had a joint consultation meeting all night. I sat there until I was numb…”

Ning Chen bent down to hand him his slippers. “Have you eaten?”

“I ate,” He Shenyu finished changing his shoes and leaned back on Ning Chen. “I’m just tired. So tired I don’t even want to walk…”

“Then don’t walk.” Ning Chen gave a light laugh. He bent down and scooped He Shenyu up. Having done it once before, he controlled his balance perfectly this time.

Shenyu was too tired to react, watching blankly as Ning Chen carried him into the bedroom with practiced ease.

Wait, bro… why does this feel so weird? Shenyu stared at Ning Chen, trying to find a hint of something on his face. But Ning Chen’s expression was as calm as a deep well, as if he hadn’t done anything extraordinary.

Once placed on the bed, He Shenyu relaxed. He stopped thinking and let the comfort of the mattress soothe his aching body. When he opened his eyes again, Ning Chen was still kneeling by the bed, watching him.

Shenyu jumped slightly. “Is something wrong, Ning Chen?” Why haven’t you left?

Ning Chen blinked, his clear eyes shimmering under long lashes. His expression was incredibly earnest as he whispered, “Shenyu… what can I do for you?”