Turns out I Was the CEO's White Moonlight [Rebirth] - Chapter 24

Shen Yelin gazed expressionlessly at the person before him.

It had been several years since he last saw Lu Chen. The other man hadn’t spent much time in the country to begin with, having gone abroad again after graduating from university. But by the looks of it, he hadn’t changed much since before he left still the same strikingly handsome appearance, only his demeanor had grown even more refined and roguish.

He didn’t look like a good person at all.

“Boring,” Shen Yelin replied stiffly, his tone icy.

“Whether it’s boring or not, I wouldn’t know,” the other man said, unconcerned as he curved his eyes into a smile. “As long as I can tease you, that’s enough.”

Shen Yelin turned and walked away.

The system, hiding quietly to the side, seemed to understand why Shen Yelin grew annoyed whenever Lu Chen was mentioned.

What a cursed fate!

“Hey, wait, wait.” Lu Chen quickly called out to him. “Why are you so bad-tempered. I was just teasing you a little! Don’t leave weren’t you here to pick me up?”

Shen Yelin stopped in his tracks, standing still as he glanced sideways at him. “So you do know I came to pick you up?”

Lu Chen didn’t quite understand what he meant and nodded.

“Take a taxi back yourself,” Shen Yelin said coldly.

Lu Chen: “…”

With those words, Shen Yelin strode away without a hint of hesitation.

In all the years Shen Yelin had known him, Lu Chen had hardly done anything good, focusing solely on tormenting Shen Yelin whenever he had the chance. If Shen Yelin wanted to go east, Lu Chen would insist on pulling him west. If Shen Yelin didn’t feel like talking, Lu Chen would come over to bother him, not leaving until Shen Yelin was frowning and on the verge of losing his temper, satisfied only then.

In summary, this was a person with an extreme penchant for mischief. If you followed his lead, you’d only end up being bullied to death.

After being teased by Lu Chen for so many years, Shen Yelin had learned his lesson.

He chose to flip the board entirely.

Sure enough, not long after he turned to leave, Lu Chen’s smile faltered. Carrying his luggage, he caught up to Shen Yelin in a few quick strides, matching his pace as they headed toward the parking lot.

This time, Lu Chen finally behaved. He cleared his throat softly and asked, “Are you angry?”

Shen Yelin couldn’t be bothered to look at him. He opened the car door and got in.

Lu Chen rubbed his nose, having already prepared himself to be left behind at the airport. To his surprise, after a moment, the trunk of the car in front of him slowly opened. A slightly surprised expression crossed his face as he quickly stuffed his suitcase inside.

Just as Shen Yelin fastened his seatbelt, he heard a dull thud from the back of the car. Immediately after, Lu Chen stepped forward, bent down, and slid into the passenger seat. He sprawled casually, leaning back in the seat, and flashed a smirk at Shen Yelin. “It’s rare for President Shen to drive himself. How could I possibly take a taxi back, right?”

Shen Yelin gave him a fleeting glance before looking down to start the engine.

Lu Chen’s personality had always been like this. Once you got used to it, it was hardly worth paying attention to.

When they first met, the other man still knew how to act with a bit of restraint. But as they grew closer, he became increasingly outrageous, as if he couldn’t go a day without teasing Shen Yelin without feeling restless. Mrs. Shen was quite pleased to see the two of them getting along so well, showing an approving attitude. It was only out of respect for her that Shen Yelin hadn’t kicked this person out of his social circle.

Throughout high school and the first two years of college, even Ji Wencheng hadn’t managed to annoy him this much.

The system didn’t dare breathe too loudly, quietly taking note of its host’s sore spot.

Never mention the name Lu Chen in front of him!

He remained silent, but Lu Chen wasn’t bothered. Having known each other for so many years, Lu Chen was well aware of Shen Yelin’s temperament. In fact, watching Shen Yelin’s expressions change was one of his favorite pastimes, a pleasure he had indulged in for years.

“How have your aunt and uncle been lately?” he asked casually. “I’ve been pretty busy recently and haven’t had time to call and check in.”

Shen Yelin steered the car onto the highway, replying calmly, “They’re fine.”

Usually, when Shen Yelin said “fine,” it meant he thought things were actually quite good.

Lu Chen nodded understandingly and didn’t press the topic further. Instead, he said, “Hey, why don’t you ask how I’ve been lately?”

Shen Yelin couldn’t be bothered to spare him any attention. “Not interested.”

Lu Chen chuckled. “Why is your temper still like this? You haven’t changed at all. You’re pretty tolerant with everyone else, but you’re always so irritable with me?”

This time, Shen Yelin simply pretended not to hear.

If you dug your own grave, you had to lie in it no one else to blame.

Lu Chen was met with a cold shoulder. After a moment, he said, “If you ignore me, this conversation is going to get awkward. It’s already pretty awkward.”

Shen Yelin focused on driving.

“Fine,” Lu Chen conceded, changing the subject. “Then how have you been lately? Surely there’s no problem with me asking that.”

Just as they reached a red light, Shen Yelin paused slightly and glanced sideways at Lu Chen.

This question made it hard for him not to recall the recent unpleasant events.

Setting aside the car accident that had caused his rebirth, even the changes in the people around him lately made it impossible for him to calmly claim he was doing well.

Remembering that the person beside him had also confessed his feelings at the funeral, Shen Yelin calmly looked away and stepped on the accelerator.

Lu Chen had always enjoyed teasing him, and he had persisted in doing so for years. Among those who had expressed their feelings at the funeral, Lu Chen was the least surprising to him.

“You were doing fine abroad,” he said, sidestepping the question. “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Noticing Shen Yelin’s reaction, Lu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t answer immediately.

Shen Yelin’s response was unusual.

Having known each other for so many years, if he couldn’t sense the meaning behind Shen Yelin’s strange silence, he would have wasted all those years teasing him. The question he had just asked should have been easy for Shen Yelin to answer, but he had remained silent. This was enough to prove that Shen Yelin hadn’t been doing too well lately.

Still, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he shifted into a more relaxed posture and said lazily, “The old man hasn’t been in good health lately and is planning to retire. Since my dad’s side isn’t short on people and retirement is still a long way off, they dragged me back to help out at home.”

At this, he narrowed his eyes mischievously and leaned closer. “What, don’t want to see me?”

“You know exactly how I feel.”

“Doesn’t matter if you don’t want to see me,” Lu Chen chuckled. “My place isn’t ready yet, and my aunt asked me to stay with her for now. Looks like we’ll be running into each other quite a bit for a while hope it annoys you to death.”

Shen Yelin spared him a cold glance. “Childish.”

Lu Chen laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” he said. “Haven’t congratulated you on taking over the position yet though it’s a bit late now. Congrats, President Shen.”

The words carried absolutely no sincerity, so Shen Yelin simply ignored him again.

The rest of the ride was quiet.

True to his word, Lu Chen didn’t provoke Shen Yelin further after that. They exchanged a few idle remarks, mostly Lu Chen talking while Shen Yelin replied depending on his mood. Before long, the car pulled into the Shen family villa.

Shen Yelin parked in the garage and got out. Lu Chen grabbed his suitcase and followed him inside.

It wasn’t yet time to get off work, so aside from the hired help, only Mrs. Shen was home in the spacious house.

Seeing the two return together, she was overjoyed. Beaming, she walked to the entrance, pulling them both close to look them over several times before saying to Shen Yelin, “Xiao Lin, take him upstairs to see his room the one right next to yours, it’s very close. It’s been a while since you two brothers have seen each other, so take this chance to catch up and bond a little.”

The system clearly sensed that as Mrs. Shen spoke, the air pressure around its host instantly dropped several levels.

Hiding in a corner, it trembled, hoping the other wouldn’t take his anger out on its useless self.

Shen Yelin nodded without replying, reaching for Lu Chen’s suitcase to carry it upstairs. Unexpectedly, Lu Chen grabbed it first, giving him no chance to argue, and headed straight for the stairs, saying to Mrs. Shen, “It’s fine, I have a good memory and still remember where Yelin’s room is. I can go by myself, no need to trouble him.”

Mrs. Shen grinned from ear to ear, repeatedly saying “good, good,” as she headed toward the kitchen, saying she’d ask the housekeeper to prepare a few extra dishes tonight and would make a few herself.

Once she was out of earshot, Shen Yelin glanced up at Lu Chen. “I’m leaving then.”

Lu Chen paused at the foot of the stairs, surprised. “Didn’t you just come home? Why are you going out again?”

“It’s a workday,” Shen Yelin replied calmly. “I’m not off yet.”

Lu Chen was dumbfounded.

He stood by the stairs, locking eyes with the unperturbed Shen Yelin for a long moment. Finally, Lu Chen sighed in resignation. “Alright, alright, you’re getting harder and harder to tease. It’s really disheartening.”

Seeing no further objections, Shen Yelin turned and headed for the door.

Unexpectedly, a laughing voice suddenly rang out from behind him, drifting toward Mrs. Shen in the kitchen.

“Auntie, I was wrong.”

Lu Chen raised his voice, raising an eyebrow and curling his lips at Shen Yelin. “I overestimated my memory couldn’t find the place after all, so I still need Yelin’s help. But I made him angry just now, and now he insists on going back to work. What should we do?”

Shen Yelin: “…”

The system trembled in fear.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shen rushed out of the kitchen, still holding a ceramic knife. Seeing Shen Yelin already at the front door, she widened her eyes in surprise. “Xiao Lin, why aren’t you staying home? Are you really going to work? Oh, skipping one day won’t hurt Yao Entertainment isn’t that busy anyway. Just rest at home and wait for dinner with the whole family tonight.”