That Stupid, Pretentious Young Master Deserves To Be Punished - Chapter 1

A black Maybach traveled down the center of the bridge, braking until it came to a steady halt in the far right lane. Engaging the hazard lights, Jia Yu stepped out clutching a bouquet of roses.

Standing by the bridge railing, he stared blankly at the rippling lake water in the distance, the roses discarded casually at his feet. After a long while, Jia Yu sighed. How ironic to receive roses from his arch-nemesis right before dying; it was the ultimate humiliation.

The wind was fierce, whipping up red petals and sending them spiraling chaotically into the air. He lit his final cigarette; he smoked half, and the wind smoked the other half.

Flicking off the ash, he climbed onto the railing.

At that moment, the only thing trying to save him was the wind pushing against his chest, but the wind behind him was pushing him toward his death.

Jia Yu did not hesitate. Without a shred of lingering attachment, he turned and leaped.

A visceral, clawing fear rushed toward him, accompanied by a sense of endless weightlessness and the wind’s sharp, mocking whistle. In a flash of delirium, a thought crossed Jia Yu’s mind: Why? I wanted to end the pain, not my life.

Pedestrians and two taxi drivers on the road slammed on their brakes, shouting for him to stop as they rushed toward him. But it was too late; they had not even touched the hem of his clothes. His figure was like a fleeting light, blooming brilliantly before extinguishing in an instant.

“Splash!”

The sound of his impact with the water exploded, sending spray flying everywhere. That sound made everyone’s heart tremble. They leaned over the railing, craning their necks to look down at the lake surface. Their frantically beating hearts mirrored the lake below, ripples spreading in circle after circle, speaking of shattered fragments and despair.

The ripples persisted, refusing to settle.

A few moments later, someone finally snapped out of the shock of that clean, almost graceful diving posture and shouted, “Save him! What are you standing there for?” Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the crowd broke their paralysis and erupted into chaos.

Brave souls had already begun stripping off their coats, but before they could act, a black figure lunged from behind them. Before anyone could react, he dived into the water with lightning speed.

“Splash!”

Water sprayed outward once again.

The frigid lake water flooded Jia Yu’s nose and mouth. Intense pressure choked him, his body spasming involuntarily. He struggled helplessly, only to watch himself slowly sink to the riverbed.

Gazing at the shimmering surface, his life felt like a crushed rose, leaking bright red sap, his vitality fading rapidly.

In the final moments before death, countless images flashed through his mind like a fast forwarded film.

Dark, somber spirit tablets, the whistle of a whip.

Su Xian’s wedding, the exchanging of rings.

Si Xuan’s voice: “See? They are the perfect match, a natural pair. And you?” He looked me up and down, leaned in, and whispered in my ear: “Jia Yu, stop being so pathetic.”

The next second, his soul tore free from his frail body, and darkness swallowed his remaining life force.

His soul let out a final, desperate cry: If I could live this life over again! If only I could live this life over again.

But alas, there were no second chances. Only endless darkness awaited him.

Yet, within that darkness, a tall figure swam toward him with fierce determination, churning up a massive wake. The crystalline surface of the lake cast a ring of pale light around him as he plunged rapidly from the light into the darkness. Just before his waist was grabbed and his chin was forced up, warm lips pressed against his own.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the blinding light of a shadowless lamp above him. Doctors and nurses were talking, but having just been rescued, he was too weak. The voices were right beside his ear, yet they seemed near and far, completely unintelligible.

Jia Yu struggled to keep his eyes open, but after several failed attempts, he fell back into a deep sleep.

When he woke again, he found he had been moved out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room. Sitting beside him was a man, the person Jia Yu least wanted to see, and the person he hated the most: Si Xuan.

His arch-nemesis!

His rival for six years, his rival in love for four.

He should be called Shen Si Xuan now.

He never imagined that after twenty six years of living a smooth life, he would fall into such a soap opera drama. His arch-nemesis was his parents’ biological son, while he was the civet cat swapped for the prince. This classic trope was actually happening to him.

Life is truly full of clichés.

Against the light, Shen Si Xuan looked down at the pathetic, weak man on the bed. “Impressive, Second Young Master. You really wanted to die. What about those who love you?”

Jia Yu was dazed for a moment, then let out a self-deprecating laugh, as if he had heard the world’s greatest joke. “Do you think they truly love me?”

The smile was pale and shattered, yet hauntingly beautiful. Si Xuan’s eyes flickered, and he also curled the corners of his lips.

Outside the window, the setting sun cast a soft glow around him, and a breeze brushed past his hair, carrying a faint scent of vegetation.

Shen Si Xuan leaned down slowly, lifted Jia Yu’s chin, and bit his pale lips maliciously. “I love you. I have not taken my revenge on you yet; you have to live for me.”

Jia Yu lifted his eyelids coldly, gave him a calm glance, and turned his head away. He had lost. He had lost completely, lost so badly that he wanted to die to end it all. But that did not mean he would let this wild dog push him around.

Shen Si Xuan laughed, his handsome, chiseled face becoming even more vivid. He laughed with extreme gentleness, his voice murmuring like a lover. “You think I will let you die like this? The Second Young Master is truly heartless, making me suffer so much, and now trying to end it all? Not that easy.”

“You, too, are worthy of barking in front of me? Get out.” Jia Yu lay on the bed, his tone flat, devoid of any emotion, not even giving him a glance.

Si Xuan leaned back in the chair, crossed his legs, and raised an eyebrow: “I am worthy! I now possess everything that was yours. Second Young Master, no matter how proud you are, you have to face reality.”

After a pause, he stared straight at Jia Yu’s perfect side profile, his pupils darkening as he enunciated each word: “Even if you die, I will drag you back from the gates of hell. So, you are welcome to try.”

Jia Yu was about to speak when the door was suddenly shoved open with great force. The violent impact shook the walls and made their eardrums throb. Both men in the room looked up.

A young man in a tailored suit walked in, his face grim and solemn. He strode in with several bodyguards in black suits following behind him.

The newcomer was Shen Youlin, Shen Jia Yu’s brother in the Shen family, the true heir to the wealthy conglomerate and the current head of the Shen family.

He walked straight to the bedside, and without a word, grabbed Jia Yu by the collar and swung his hand, landing a slap.

“Smack!”

The loud, crisp sound twisted Jia Yu’s head to the side, and a vibrant, five fingered print immediately appeared on his fair cheek.

The sound successfully caused patients in the next bed to crane their necks to watch. Jia Yu lowered his eyes, his hair obscuring his dark pupils. After a few seconds, he turned his head to meet Shen Youlin’s dark, terrifying expression. That handsome face was twisted.

The two looked at each other, one filled with rage, the other hollow and calm.

From this angle, Jia Yu could just see the fire burning deep within Shen Youlin’s eyes.

He never thought his older brother, who usually wore a frozen, icy mask, would have a moment like this. Thinking of this, he curled his lips into a low laugh and did not speak, just watched Shen Youlin with dead, still eyes.

If it were before, Jia Yu would have exploded and jumped up to fight him. But now, after dying once, he had let go.

Shen Youlin was clearly beyond furious, having lost his composure to the point of forgetting his usual gentlemanly manners, shouting in front of everyone: “Shen Jia Yu, what kind of madness are you pulling? Jumping into a river? You really want to die that badly? Do you have no conscience regarding the Shen family?”

Jia Yu glanced at him and gave a mocking smile. This was the second joke he had heard today. Unfortunately, it was not funny at all.

“Whether I live or die is my own business. You are no longer anyone to me, and you have no right to manage me. Even if it is about collecting my corpse, it will not be the Shen family’s turn.”

Hearing this, Shen Youlin’s face turned leaden, dark enough to drip ink. This sentence touched his raw nerve. For twenty six years, the Shen family had struggled and invested huge resources to raise this person. To die just like that? It was not that easy.

Veins bulged on his forehead as he swung his hand down again. But the next moment, his wrist was firmly restrained, as if bound by iron claws, unable to move.

Shen Youlin looked grimly at his brother and said sharply: “Shen Si Xuan, let go.”

“What is this? Trying to hit someone in front of me?” Shen Si Xuan maintained his smirk, looking at Shen Youlin with raised eyebrows.

By now, many people were already crowding around the hospital room, craning their necks to look inside, whispering to each other.

Shen Youlin was clearly aware of this, and being a person who valued his reputation, he could not ignore it. He pulled his hand back, shifted his gaze back to Jia Yu, and barked coldly: “Shen Jia Yu, stop acting out and go back.”

Jia Yu grinned, a smile full of sorrow and sarcasm. “Acting out? You think I am acting out? I am using my damn life to act out? It is laughable.”

Shen Youlin’s face was terrifyingly black. “I do not care what you want to do; just get back to the Shen family first!”

“It was the Shen family that kicked me out, and now you want me back? Tell me to leave and I leave, tell me to stay and I stay? Am I a dog of the Shen family?”

Shen Youlin’s expression was solemn: “Shen Jia Yu, the Shen family has done nothing to wrong you. Everything was done according to family rules and ancestral traditions. Now we have made an exception for you to bring you home, what else do you want!”

Hearing this, Jia Yu took a breath, the stifled anger from years past surging up. “An exception? Who cares for your Shen family’s exception!”

Visions of past scenes flashed through his mind, and his emotions grew more intense, his voice rising a few decibels.

“Who locked me in the ancestral hall for a month? Who forced me to go abroad, almost causing me to die out there? Who sent me to a mental institution for a whole year! Those pills, those electric shocks, you have not experienced them, you do not know how painful they are! There are still my blood stained handprints on the walls of Room 1403, and scratch marks on that bed frame! And you want me to return to the Shen family?”