Turns out I Was the CEO's White Moonlight [Rebirth] - Chapter 27

“Not at all.”

Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, Ji Wencheng immediately denied it. He withdrew his hand, squinted at Fu Jianyi for a moment, and said slowly, “Brother Chen, you’ve misunderstood.”

Lu Chen chuckled softly.

“Mr. Fu, my apologies,” he said to Fu Jianyi. “This guy is a bit immature and spoke too bluntly. Let me apologize on his behalf. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

With that, before Fu Jianyi could respond, he cheerfully leaned closer to Shen Yelin and asked, “Are you alright?”

Shen Yelin straightened the sleeve that had been crumpled by the grip. “I’m fine.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen knew the person before him was already irritated. Otherwise, Shen Yelin’s response wouldn’t have been so curt.

He swept his gaze around the room, pausing briefly on Fu Jianyi before quickly looking away before the other could notice.

Although the Yue Lin Group had business dealings with the Lu family, it had no connections with the Shen family. At most, they had recently engaged in a tentative collaboration with Yao Entertainment. Beyond that, there had been no further opportunities for interaction.

Lu Chen hadn’t paid much attention to this collaboration initially, but after observing the attitudes of these two today, his perspective shifted slightly.

Normally, given Shen Yelin’s personality, he wouldn’t easily trust someone he hadn’t known for long. Yet today, when Fu Jianyi spoke up to help him, Shen Yelin hadn’t refused. For those familiar with Shen Yelin, this was undoubtedly a dangerous sign.

First, it indicated that the other party was highly skilled and had a deep understanding of Shen Yelin’s character. Second, Shen Yelin didn’t dislike this person; on the contrary, he might even find him quite agreeable.

Lu Chen instantly understood why Ji Wencheng was acting the way he was.

Unfortunately, although Ji Wencheng seemed to have grown a lot, he still wasn’t mature enough.

He patted Ji Wencheng on the shoulder and said, “Why don’t you apologize too? Don’t ruin my gathering as soon as I return. If this matter isn’t resolved today, don’t bother coming to my events in the future. I can’t afford the trouble.”

Ji Wencheng’s expression shifted. After a moment of restraint, he said coldly to Fu Jianyi, “Sorry.”

“And?”

“…” Ji Wencheng fell silent for a while before turning to Shen Yelin. “Yelin, I ”

Before he could finish, Lu Chen cut him off.

He draped an arm over Shen Yelin’s shoulder, pulling him close in an intimate gesture, and said, “The old man has been waiting for you for a while. How about you excuse yourself for a moment and come upstairs with me to see him?”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s attention instantly focused on him.

Lu Chen remained smiling, giving no indication that anything was amiss.

Fu Jianyi’s gaze darkened as he stared at Lu Chen’s hand resting on Shen Yelin’s shoulder, remaining silent for a long while.

Lu Chen was perhaps the person he knew best yet found the most elusive.

There were many who pursued Shen Yelin, but Lu Chen wasn’t one of them. Whether it was Ji Wencheng or Xie Yun, their emotions were far more intense, making it easy for Fu Jianyi, who was in a similar position, to see through them.

Thus, after gaining the memories from his dreams, he had quickly identified these two as his primary adversaries.

But Lu Chen was different. His relationship with Shen Yelin was less a one-sided infatuation and more like that of a mischievous older brother who enjoyed teasing his precociously mature younger sibling. Moreover, he harbored an intense possessiveness no one else was allowed to lay a finger on Shen Yelin except him.

He was the only one who didn’t show strong emotions at the other’s funeral.

He drifted in lightly and left just as lightly, barely exchanging a few words.

Yet it was impossible to say he had no feelings for Shen Yelin at all. After all, anyone with eyes could see his attitude toward Shen Yelin.

This was a terrifying person.

In his dream, Fu Jianyi had collaborated with Lu Chen for many years. But even when the dream ended completely, he still couldn’t see through the other’s thoughts.

Did Lu Chen actually like Shen Yelin or not?

Perhaps only Lu Chen himself knew the answer to that question.

Shen Yelin grabbed Lu Chen’s hand, which was resting on his shoulder, and tried to pry it off with a few forceful tugs, but it didn’t budge. After a moment, he lifted his eyelashes slightly and said coldly, “Let go.”

“Tell me if you’re going first,” Lu Chen said.

“You let go first.”

Lu Chen lowered his head and locked eyes with him for a moment before finally withdrawing his hand as if conceding defeat. Raising both hands, he said, “Alright, alright, my bad, my bad. Is that okay now?”

Shen Yelin expressionlessly straightened his collar, which had been pressed askew.

“Let’s go,” he said flatly.

Lu Chen nodded to the other two, then led Shen Yelin upstairs toward the private lounge reserved by the hotel.

As they walked toward the lounge, he said to Shen Yelin, “Just so we’re clear, I didn’t intentionally embarrass you today. I only just found out about your falling out with Ji Wencheng, but the people from the Ji family were already decided long ago. I couldn’t tell them on the spot to send someone else, so I just had them change the entrance on the invitation. But he was ruthless he just stood there waiting for you.”

Shen Yelin knew, of course, that Lu Chen couldn’t control Ji Wencheng’s actions, so he hadn’t planned to blame him anyway. “It has nothing to do with you,” he said.

Hearing this response, Lu Chen knew the matter was settled Shen Yelin wasn’t holding it against him. He smiled again and whispered, “Don’t be angry. I’ll help you get back at him later.”

Shen Yelin glanced at him. “No need.”

“What?” Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. “Don’t believe in my skills?”

Shen Yelin couldn’t be bothered to reply.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Lu Chen’s abilities rather, Lu Chen’s methods of tormenting people were a bit too formidable. Using such tactics on acquaintances seemed unnecessary to him.

After all, when they were attending the same university, this person had never held back in dealing with anyone who tried to get close to Shen Yelin.

Thanks to him, Shen Yelin’s university life had been quite peaceful.

Lu Chen smiled again. He pushed the door open for Shen Yelin, entered first, and announced loudly, “Grandpa, I’ve brought Yelin over.”

Shen Yelin stepped out from behind him, bowed respectfully to the elderly man sitting on the sofa in the room, and said, “Hello, Grandpa Lu.”

In recent years, as Grandpa Lu grew older, he seemed much more amiable. In good spirits, he smiled upon seeing Shen Yelin enter, patted the spot beside him, and called him over to sit, setting the stage for a heartfelt conversation.

Shen Yelin complied, sitting down and beginning to chat with Grandpa Lu.

Shen Yelin was always quite obedient toward elders he respected. Whatever they asked, he answered without holding back. With his good looks and pleasant personality, he had always been well-liked by older generations. Old Master Lu was no exception since Shen Yelin entered the room, his smile had grown even more genuine, making him look like an ordinary, kindly old man who loved basking in the sun in the park.

Lu Chen stood to the side, listening to their smooth conversation, and couldn’t help feeling a bit sour. He thought to himself: Haven’t I helped Shen Yelin plenty too? I’ve always been responsive to his requests, and I’m friendly and approachable. Why don’t I get this kind of treatment? It’s really disheartening to think about.

Ah, I’ve even stooped to being jealous of my own grandfather. That makes it even more pitiful!

Feeling rather uncomfortable, he stood there brewing tea for the two of them. He brought over two cups of freshly steeped tea, placing one in front of each, and said, “Here, have some tea.”

Old Master Lu took the cup, took a sip, and nodded in satisfaction.

Feeling content, the old man’s refusal to accept his age grew even stronger. He looked Shen Yelin up and down, then suddenly nodded happily and asked, “Yelin, are you in a relationship? Have you ever liked any young lady? If not, why not tell me your criteria? Grandpa Lu can help you look!”

Lu Chen had just stolen a moment to sit down and take a sip of the tea he’d brewed. Hearing this, he choked and burst into a fit of coughing, the bitter taste of tea leaves lingering on his tongue. He grabbed a tissue, wiping his hands awkwardly, and looked up to see his grandfather’s strange gaze. Embarrassed, he said, “No… Grandpa, why are you saying such things?”

“What do you mean, ‘such things’?” Old Master Lu was furious. “Lu Chen, is that any way to speak to an elder? How did your father raise you? You have no manners at all!”

“Yes, yes, my mistake, my mistake,” Lu Chen immediately apologized. “But isn’t he here because he’s concerned about your health and came to chat with you? You should talk more about yourself to put the younger generation at ease. How can you go and meddle in his personal life instead? If you’re so energetic, why don’t you stay in your position for a couple more years?”

Old Master Lu was so angry he nearly raised his cane to give Lu Chen a good beating right in front of Shen Yelin.

This time, Lu Chen had somewhat helped Shen Yelin out of a tight spot. Shen Yelin glanced at him calmly and said, “Thank you for your kindness, but I have no such intentions for now.”

Seeing that Shen Yelin had politely declined, Old Master Lu didn’t press the matter further. He only sighed and said, “Ah, you young people, it’s good to be career-minded, but you should also pay more attention to matters of the heart. This brat Lu Chen is the same whenever I bring up introducing him to a girl, he says he’s not interested. Yelin, you seem so well-behaved, but why are you so rebellious when it comes to this topic too?”

“There’s no fate for it yet, so there’s no rush,” Shen Yelin replied. “When the time comes, we’ll see. Thank you for your concern.”

“Alright, alright,” Old Master Lu finally gave up on the topic.

The two chatted about other things for a while. As time passed, Lu Chen stood up and interrupted their conversation. “It’s about time. Grandpa, if you really enjoy chatting so much, just call him over next time. It’s not like our families are strangers if you invite him, he’ll definitely come, won’t he?”

Old Master Lu said, “Today is different; we can’t always do things the same way.” He then turned his head and added, “Yelin, after I retire, I’ll have plenty of free time. If you have a chance during your break, come visit the Lu family. Just like Xiaoxuan, treat me as your own grandfather. Don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Alright,” Shen Yelin nodded.

Lu Chen cleared the clutter from the table, set it aside, bid farewell to Old Master Lu, and led Shen Yelin out once more.

He closed the door to the lounge, turned around, and looked at Shen Yelin with a half-smile. “You really know how to talk. ‘No fate’? I wonder who all those gossipy tabloid stories were about?”

“You know they’re just gossip,” Shen Yelin replied calmly. “Don’t bring up things that have no basis.”

“That’s different,” Lu Chen leaned in close, lowering his voice. “Yao Entertainment denied it to protect your company’s stock price. If it plummets, you’ll be the one crying. Without hearing you deny it personally, who knows if it’s true or not? Right?”

Shen Yelin shot him a cold glance.

Lu Chen grinned, about to say more, when a faint call came from the distance.

Both turned to look and saw Ji Wencheng standing in the shadows of a distant corner, his eyes fixed on them.