Marrying the Scumbag Gong’s Villainous Older Brother [Transmigration] - Chapter 13

“My beloved, Yan Jingxun. Jingxun, this is President Nie.”

Jingxun: “…” President Nie: “???”

Jingxun had naturally noticed President Nie’s gaze earlier. When asked about his identity, he only subconsciously glanced at Shen Yijin before lowering his eyes and tucking his head down slightly.

It wasn’t that he was insecure or embarrassed to face strangers. It was primarily because he didn’t know how Shen Yijin would introduce him. He recalled back at the cake shop when the clerk mentioned “your boyfriend,” he hadn’t corrected her then, either. Keeping his head down and staying quiet was his way of letting things take their natural course; he didn’t mind how Shen Yijin introduced him to others.

However, Jingxun never expected that as soon as Big Brother opened his mouth, he would call him…

Be-Beloved?!

‘Friend,’ ‘boyfriend,’ ‘fiancé’—any of those would have worked. They were all within the realm of reason and wouldn’t feel abrupt. But leading with “beloved” right off the bat? What on earth?!

This time, even Jingxun felt a bit flustered. Still, he remained relatively calm. Compared to him, President Nie was the one who was visibly shaken.

…A diamond bachelor who usually turned a cold shoulder to everyone was suddenly telling you he had a “beloved.” Especially since this President Shen was famous for being exceptionally cold!

Looking at this young man’s clothes, it was obvious this wasn’t an arranged marriage set up by the Shen family. Oh, right—wasn’t there someone just a couple of days ago who tried to sneak into his bed? No one even knew what had happened to that person yet. How did he already have a “beloved”? There hadn’t been a word of this before!

At this moment, in President Nie’s eyes, Jingxun was no longer just a well-behaved student.

—With that nose and those eyes, it was no wonder he looked the way he did. He was practically flawless! How could anyone possibly find a substitute that met that standard?

Shen Yijin said, “Jingxun and I will be holding an engagement ceremony soon. I hope President Nie will grace us with his presence when the time comes.”

President Nie instinctively agreed, “Definitely, definitely.”

He quickly regained his composure, hiding his shock, and offered several rounds of congratulations. Once President Nie left with a face full of disbelief, peace finally returned to the table.

In fact, it was a bit too quiet.

Looking down at the city’s night view from the sixty-eighth floor, the heavy traffic below merged with the neon lights into vivid lines of brightness. It looked like a grand painting, appearing almost unearthly.

Jingxun spoke first: “That President Nie is…”

Shen Yijin replied, “A friend.”

“A business friend?”

“Not entirely,” Shen Yijin said calmly. “His ancestors and my grandfather were lifelong family friends.”

Doesn’t that mean the entire Shen family will know about their relationship soon?!

Jingxun: “…Oh.”

The young man furrowed his handsome brows. Rarely, even his tone became a bit heavy, which Shen Yijin immediately noticed.

He took the initiative to ask: “What is it?”

Jingxun thought for a moment and decided to express his thoughts: “Um… is it perhaps not the best idea to go public with our relationship right now?”

“Is there a problem?” Shen Yijin asked back.

“It’s like this, Sir. We only just decided to… give it a try. What if it doesn’t work out?” Jingxun expressed his reservations.

He didn’t personally mind the other party going public. He didn’t have any ties or burdens on his side. But the Shen family was so complicated, and Shen Yijin held such a high status; if they didn’t work out later, wouldn’t it be a huge hassle?

Shen Yijin, however, did not agree with his viewpoint. His expression even became slightly solemn.

He said, “I will fulfill all the duties of a husband.”

Jingxun: “Mhm.”

Shen Yijin: “These duties include announcing our relationship to the public and my family. There is no need for concealment.”

Jingxun had a faint feeling that the man was angry. But he didn’t understand why. Perhaps the other party really took their nominal relationship very seriously? Like the type where it didn’t matter if there was romance, but they must be husbands in name.

This kind of situation usually happened when… someone was being pressured by their family to marry?

Jingxun had many seniors in his doctoral program who were stuck in the dilemma of forced marriages. Spending time with them every day, the thing he heard most was everyone complaining about the various blind dates their families arranged.

Jingxun suddenly understood, but he found it hard to imagine what it looked like for Shen Yijin to be pressured into marriage. He looked at the man with a bit more surprise in his gaze.

He inquired curiously: “So Sir, how old are you this year? …I mean, I don’t even know your basic information yet.”

Shen Yijin looked at him levelly and didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked, “Is this why you think we might not work out?”

Jingxun: “?”

How did we get back to that?

Shen Yijin: “I will compile a file of my information and send it to you later.”

Jingxun: “…”

That… wasn’t necessary to be so formal…

Shen Yijin suddenly said very calmly, “I am twenty-six this year. Full years.”

Jingxun: …!

He couldn’t be blamed for his shock. Shen Yijin’s every gesture and his steady aura did not make him seem like a twenty-six-year-old. Twenty-six… Jingxun roughly remembered this person’s resume. Wasn’t he supposed to have finished his doctorate and been back in the country for two years already? Many of his own brilliant seniors had only just finished their master’s degrees at that age.

And he was the Great Villain!

Seeing President Nie’s incredibly attentive attitude earlier gave one the illusion that Shen Yijin was someone beyond reach, someone who could not be defied. This created an impression that he was much older and respected by everyone.

Jingxun never expected that such a person was only…

“What?” Shen Yijin’s voice rang out again. “Do I look like I should be very old?”

“No.” Jingxun shook his head quickly.

Organizing his words slightly, he told the truth: “It’s not a matter of appearance. It’s the feeling you give off, Sir. It’s very… it makes people afraid to speak in front of you. Or crack jokes.”

Shen Yijin questioned, “Oh?”

“Mhm, mhm.” Jingxun nodded repeatedly, describing it carefully: “It’s like seeing a highly respected and very serious teacher.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Yijin seemed to understand something and concluded: “So, you are afraid of me.”

Jingxun’s gaze flickered, and his long eyelashes trembled a few times out of guilt. But seeing that Shen Yijin was watching him without blinking, Jingxun knew he couldn’t dodge it. He honestly admitted, “When I first learned of your identity, Sir, I was afraid.”

Meeting his eyes, Jingxun quickly added a clarification: “But I’m not afraid anymore.”

If there were a world record for beauty, Jingxun felt this person could win a championship based on those eyes alone. Their indifference wasn’t heartlessness; it was just a slight sense of loneliness. This likely had to do with his uncontrollable emotions; perhaps he was the one suffering more.

Once he thought of this, Jingxun wasn’t afraid. Even though he had been making eye contact with Shen Yijin for a long time…

…

Shen Yijin seemed satisfied with his “not afraid.” It was unclear who looked away first, but for the remainder of the meal, the two did not exchange any more words.

After a long time, seeing that Jingxun’s plate was nearly empty, Shen Yijin asked at the right moment, “Are you finished?”

“Mhm.” Jingxun looked at the lone piece of broccoli left on his plate as a garnish and nodded. “I’m finished.”

“Thank you for dinner, Sir.”

“Shall I drive you back to school?”

“Mhm.” Jingxun agreed instinctively, then suddenly realized he didn’t actually need a ride. He quickly said, “That… there’s no need to trouble you, Sir. I can take the subway back; it’s very convenient.”

“It’s fine. It’s on the way.”

“Okay.” Jingxun didn’t refuse again. “Then, thank you.”

Although he said it was on the way, Shen Yijin took two phone calls in a row while on the road. They were both about official business, and he didn’t avoid Jingxun, so Jingxun learned he had to return to the company for a meeting later. He seemed very busy.

They arrived at the school.

Shen Yijin’s itinerary for today originally included a trip to the school, so the car he drove was quite low-profile. The understated yet luxurious business car stopped quietly at the entrance of Jingxun’s dormitory building without causing any stir.

Jingxun said goodbye to Shen Yijin. When he returned to the dorm, he realized it was almost nine o’clock…

Between the travel time and the meal, they had spent nearly three hours together!

…He had spent three hours with Shen Yijin?

“Xunxun, why are you just getting back!”

As soon as he entered the dorm, Tang Jingyuan came to meet him. It was a hot summer, and the dorm needed the air conditioning. However, as students still supported by their families, they didn’t dare to be too extravagant. The indoor temperature wasn’t exactly cool. Tang Jingyuan rushed over wearing a white tank top and beach shorts. On the other side, Yang Yi, dressed similarly, turned to look at him, pausing his studying. His face was full of questions, seemingly gossiping about who that person was and what Jingxun had been doing.

Jingxun… didn’t know how to explain.

Was he supposed to say that he just went out for a bit and brought back a… fiancé? This sort of thing was truly hard to bring up.

He first handed out the cakes. Each of his three roommates got one, even the third roommate who usually left early and returned late—or rarely returned at all after getting into a relationship.

“White Swan cakes?” Tang Jingyuan held the pure white paper box. “Xunxun, have you struck it rich?”

Jingxun gave a non-committal hum.

“That guy in the suit didn’t give these to you, did he?” Yang Yi fiddled with the box.

Jingxun looked down at the last one he was still holding. Shen Yijin had told him to pick one he liked and give the others to his roommates. He hadn’t picked one, so the last one remaining was the one Shen Yijin had pointed out: a piece of cake where a graceful white swan with a long, upward-reaching neck stood atop pure white fondant—elegant, beautiful, and free.

For some reason, thinking of how frankly Shen Yijin had introduced him earlier, Jingxun suddenly made a decision.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

He said, “I think I’ve officially left the ‘single’ life.”

Tang Jingyuan: ? Yang Yi: ??

That evening while washing up, just as he was about to turn on the shower, Jingxun remembered the watch Shen Yijin had put on him.

He couldn’t help but look down at it. The dial was polished to a flawless shine. Under the light, the edges of the dial gleamed, and the outer ring and strap were encrusted with diamonds.

This world was similar to his original world in many ways, so Jingxun knew this brand. He used to have a similar one. He had won it on the side from an arrogant young Saudi tycoon while traveling for a competition. The bet happened because the other party was too haughty and had bullied one of his teammates. Jingxun himself had no interest in the watch and didn’t even want it after winning. However, that tycoon insisted he keep it and refused to take it back. Later, the watch just sat on Jingxun’s bookshelf collecting dust.

He remembered that watch was worth seven figures.

This one was something Shen Yijin had taken off his own wrist—during dinner, Jingxun noticed the man was no longer wearing a watch—so it naturally wouldn’t be worth less than that.

Ahhh.

When the watch was put on him, he didn’t know the man was Shen Yijin. So he hadn’t thought much of it. Later, there were too many other things to think about, and he had ended up overlooking this gift…

This was too valuable!

If it were the old Jingxun, he wouldn’t have taken it to heart. But now, the situation was clearly different. Because currently… he. could. not. afford. to. pay. him. back.

To Shen Yijin, this was a drop in the bucket, but to an ordinary person, it could be an heirloom. Thinking on the bright side, he had become rich overnight. During the day, he was still worrying about the medical fees for the original owner’s younger brother, and by nightfall, he had suddenly acquired seven figures. It was the definition of a “pie falling from the sky.”

But you can’t just turn around and sell a gift from someone else. All that talk of being rich was just self-mockery and banter. Not only that, he had to start thinking about what to give in return.

Of course, someone like the Villain Big Brother wouldn’t need him to spend a fortune on a return gift. Clearly, the man didn’t lack money. The problem was that successful people valued watches highly. For the other party to put this thing on his wrist without a second thought showed a great deal of sincerity…

This meant Jingxun’s return gift also had to be full of sincerity.

He thought it over and over, but he couldn’t think of anything Mr. Shen lacked. He didn’t know him well enough yet… He could only observe for a while and see.

After washing up, Jingxun found a small box, placed the watch inside, and locked it in his cabinet.

Final exams were still in full swing. Amidst the sound of his roommates flipping through pages, Jingxun opened his computer to look up information.

After an unknown amount of time, the phone in his pocket chimed. Jingxun unlocked it and saw a friend request.

[Mr. Shen Shen Shen Shen Shen requested to add you as a friend. Accept?]

The profile picture of the person adding him was a silhouette of a back, half black and half red. it was a bit “artsy,” but more “emo-mainstream,” the kind that made one think of fresh blood.

Jingxun hadn’t seen this avatar or this person, but the original owner’s memories told him that this was the WeChat account of the scumbag, Shen Bohan.

When the scumbag brought up the breakup a while ago, he had deleted the original owner’s WeChat. If things followed the original plot, they should have already re-added each other by now. But after Jingxun arrived, he had directly deleted Shen Bohan’s WeChat and phone number and never contacted him again. Was the scumbag’s brain malfunctioning? Why was he suddenly adding him?

Without a second thought, he clicked ‘Decline.’

A moment later, the phone chimed again.

[Shen. requested to add you as a friend. Accept?]

…Again?

Jingxun wasn’t always good-tempered. He wanted to click decline again, but fortunately, his fingers weren’t that fast. With one glance, he accurately scanned the note below—

[Shen Yijin.]

Jingxun’s hand shook, just barely stopping his finger from moving down. They had exchanged contact information on the way back. It made sense for the other party to add him.

This time, Jingxun clicked ‘Accept.’ Then he thought about it and typed “Sir” into the alias field.

The friend request was successful. The chat interface was blank, without a single line of text. To slightly ease the awkwardness of the silence, Jingxun sent over a cute cat emoji—

[Hi]

At the same time the cat emoji was sent, Shen Yijin also sent him a picture. At first glance, the content wasn’t clear; one could only make out that it was a form.

Suspicious, Jingxun tapped it to enlarge it—

Name: Shen Yijin Gender: Male Height: 191cm Date of Birth: [Year]/[Month]/[Day] Graduated From: … …………

Good heavens, is this a job resume?