Chapter 22

As a popular celebrity attending the school anniversary, Bai Muqing naturally had many people surrounding her. Shen Xiao was her male companion for the evening, yet he had left without a word, right in front of everyone, leaving her utterly embarrassed.
Though Bai Muqing appeared calm on the surface, inwardly she was cursing Shen Xiao to no end. If he weren't still somewhat useful, she wouldn't have wanted anything to do with such a lunatic. All of this was Situ Yi's fault, he was the one who had caused this mess.
Fuming with resentment, Bai Muqing could only watch the performance while digging her nails into her palm. By the time the event ended and she returned to her van, her palm was bruised and purple.
After calming down a bit in the van, Bai Muqing called her younger sister. Though the two weren't particularly close, they weren't exactly distant either.
When the call connected, Bai Muqing said, "My car is in the parking lot behind the auditorium. Come over, and we'll go home together."
Bai Muyu's voice sounded low-spirited over the phone. "Got it."
A while later, Bai Muyu arrived, got into the car, called out "Sis," and then slumped into her seat with a dejected expression.
Bai Muqing told the driver to start the car, then glanced sideways at her sister. What was going on today? Both sisters seemed to be in a worse mood than the other?
She asked, "What's wrong? Did someone bully you?"
Bai Muyu pouted and, after a moment, said indignantly, "No one bullied me, but I was thoroughly disgusted!"
Bai Muqing let out an "Oh" and didn't press further. She had no interest in her sister's social life and turned back to her phone to browse entertainment news.
Bai Muyu also lowered her head to play on her phone, scrolling through the school forum. Just then, another photo of Shen Yu appeared on the forum, once again making her sick to her stomach.
Disgusted, she closed the webpage and asked, trying to make conversation, "Wasn't there a handsome guy with you tonight? Where is he?"
Mentioning this, Bai Muqing grew angry again and said sarcastically, "That lunatic got so mad seeing his sister perform some Dunhuang dance that he just stormed off. She's his sister, not his wife, does he really need to be that overprotective? He's insane!"
"Wait, the one who performed the Dunhuang dance?" Bai Muyu caught the key words.
Bai Muqing said, "Yeah, I think there was only one solo dance tonight."
Bai Muyu narrowed her eyes, unable to believe it. "Are you saying Shen Yu is that guy's sister?"
Bai Muqing suddenly remembered the matter and clapped her hands, saying, "Oh right, I've been meaning to ask you, do you know Shen Yu?"
Bai Muyu: "..."
Not only did she know her, she had been bullying her all along, though lately, she found it a bit harder to keep it up.
She asked in confusion, "Isn't Shen Yu's family really poor? How could her brother be your male companion?"
Bai Muqing looked at her as if she were an idiot. "Her family is poor?? The Shen family's corporation is strong enough to rival the Situ Group, and they might even come out on top. How could they be poor? Who told you such nonsense?!"
Bai Muyu bit her lower lip, her face turning ashen. She gripped her phone so tightly she nearly snapped it in half.
Shen Yu's family is wealthy?? How is that possible? She always looked so shabby, wearing cheap clothes and shoes from street stalls, and only had a few outfits that she kept repeating. In the cafeteria, she always picked the cheapest options and never even tried the stir-fried dishes. How could someone like that come from a rich family???
Bai Muyu felt that the impact of this information was comparable to that of an atomic bomb!
Before Shen Yu could change her clothes or grab her belongings, Shen Xiao hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her out. The hem of her dress and the satin ribbons trailed along the ground as they went.
Exiting the auditorium through the emergency exit, the night breeze swept through, causing the ribbons on Shen Yu's dress to flutter and dance lightly in the wind.
Shen Xiao's posture was like that of a victorious god from a divine battle, carrying a fairy as his trophy.
When they reached his sports car, Shen Xiao opened the passenger door, effortlessly stuffed her inside, then got into the driver's seat and started the engine.
After a moment's thought, he took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto Shen Yu before stepping on the accelerator and driving off.
Shen Yu rubbed her stomach, which was sore from being pressed against his shoulder, then obediently put on the suit jacket. It still retained Shen Xiao's body heat, warm and carrying his unique, refreshing scent.
Once she had the jacket on, Shen Yu muttered quietly, "I didn't get my things." Her phone, wallet, and clothes were all still backstage, she had no idea if anyone would collect them for her.
Shen Xiao, gripping the steering wheel, shot her a glare from the side without saying a word and continued driving.
Shen Yu, chilled by his icy stare, immediately quieted down and huddled in her seat, secretly turning to look out the window.
The night roads were less noisy, and along the way, all she could hear was the arrogant roar of the sports car's engine as it accelerated. At first, it seemed loud and annoying, but after a while, she found it oddly thrilling.
Shen Yu knew Shen Xiao was angry, really angry, but she couldn't quite figure out what exactly he was mad about. Was it because she performed on stage? But why?
Since she couldn't guess, Shen Yu didn't dare speak recklessly again.
The car soon arrived at the villa. Uncle Li came out to open the door for them and, seeing their solemn expressions, immediately grew tense. He whispered to Shen Yu, "What's wrong?"
Shen Yu had just changed into her slippers and taken a few steps inside when she shook her head at Uncle Li, indicating she wasn’t sure either.
Shen Xiao, not even bothering to change his shoes, was heading further in when he heard Uncle Li’s question. Instantly, he exploded like a firecracker, hurling his car keys to the floor and storming back to Shen Yu. He yanked the suit jacket off her shoulders and roared, "Look at her! This is what she wears outside!"
Uncle Li followed his gesture and caught a glimpse of Shen Yu’s sequined crop top, startling him. He hurriedly stepped forward to pull the jacket back over her, saying, "Cover up, cover up, don’t catch a cold."
Finally understanding the source of Shen Xiao’s anger, Shen Yu defended herself softly, "It’s just a performance outfit. I only wore it this once."
Shen Xiao was practically hopping with rage. "Just this once, and the whole school has already seen everything!"
Shen Yu: "…"
Uncle Li: "…"
In truth, it wasn’t just the whole school. Photos of Shen Yu dancing were already flooding the school forum, and some had even been posted on Weibo, meaning even more people had seen them, though none of them knew that yet.
Shen Xiao shot another glare at Shen Yu, and his anger flared up again. He snapped irritably, "Go! Go change out of that right now and throw it away!"
Shen Yu: "…"
The outfit had cost several thousand to rent, how could she just toss it like that?
But Shen Yu didn’t dare argue with Shen Xiao right then, afraid of adding fuel to the fire and making him even angrier. Though she felt wronged, she obediently turned and headed upstairs to change.
Shen Xiao paced back and forth furiously, then ripped open a few buttons on his shirt. He turned to Uncle Li and said, "Go make her some congee and bring it up. Dancing in that skimpy thing in such cold weather, how did she not freeze to death?!"
After giving the order, he stomped upstairs himself. But as he reached the corner, he remembered something else and called back, "And remember to throw away that damn dress of hers!"
Uncle Li breathed a huge sigh of relief and quickly headed to the kitchen.
The husky, who had already been asleep, was woken by Shen Xiao’s yelling and began following Uncle Li in and out, wagging its tail nonstop.
As Uncle Li heated the congee, he scolded the dog, "When the master is home, you’d better hide quietly. He’s not chasing you to play, he’s trying to torment you!"
The husky widened its innocent eyes and kept wagging its tail.
Uncle Li sighed. "Fine, just pretend he’s playing with you, you silly dog."
Once the congee was ready, Uncle Li went to knock on Shen Yu’s door. She cracked it open, peeking out to ensure the coast was clear before opening it fully. In a hushed voice, she asked, "Where’s the big demon lord?""
Uncle Li chuckled. "He went back to his room. Told me to bring you congee."
Shen Yu dramatically patted her chest. "I was almost scared to death. Is the crisis over now?"
Uncle Li frowned, not entirely certain. "Probably, but you need to give me the dress so I can throw it away."
Shen Yu’s face fell. "Uncle, that dress has a deposit of several thousand. Can’t we keep it?"
Uncle Li chided her, "Which is more important, the dress or your life? Besides, you’ve thrown away a vase worth a million before. Why hesitate over a dress worth a few thousand?"
Shen Yu: "…"
She thought the matter would end there, now that the troublesome dress had been disposed of.
Shen Yu had a good night's sleep and got up the next day to prepare for school. When she went downstairs, she found two extra bodyguards outside the front door.
She placed her backpack in the living room and walked into the dining room, where Uncle Li was preparing breakfast. Casually, she asked, "Uncle Li, what are those bodyguards outside for?"
Uncle Li’s face was unusually serious. He hesitated and said, "They’re… they’re here to act as door gods."
Shen Yu was baffled. "Door gods?"
Uncle Li nodded, opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn’t know how to explain. Instead, he pushed the breakfast toward her. "Eat something first, and we’ll talk later."
Shen Yu nodded. She had an early class that morning and didn’t have time to chat, so she lowered her head and focused on eating.
After finishing breakfast, she stood up to say goodbye to Uncle Li, who frowned and followed her out.
Picking up her backpack, Shen Yu asked in confusion, "Uncle Li, why are you acting so strange today?"
Just as they reached the door, before Uncle Li could speak, the tall bodyguard at the entrance reached out to stop her. "Miss, you can’t leave."
Shen Yu: “…”
Uncle Li sighed beside her.
Shen Yu asked, puzzled, "I have to go to class. Why can’t I leave?"
The bodyguard replied, "The master has given orders. You are not to leave the villa."
Shen Yu: “…”
At first, Shen Yu didn’t believe it, but after struggling for most of the day, she finally faced the truth, she had actually been placed under house arrest by that lunatic Shen Xiao!!
It’s 2019 already, and someone is still playing such an outdated trick like house arrest!! Did Shen Xiao wake up with his head slammed in a toilet door today?!?!?!
But Shen Xiao wasn’t home, and as a weak girl, she couldn’t overpower two bodyguards. All she could do was wait angrily at home for Shen Xiao to return from work.
She waited until evening, having missed a whole day of classes for no reason!
As soon as Shen Xiao returned home, Shen Yu, forgetting her fear, rushed up to confront him. "What right do you have to lock me up?! I’m a person with personal freedom!"
Shen Xiao took off his jacket and loosened his tie, busy with his own tasks, completely ignoring her.
Shen Yu stomped her foot in frustration. "At least give me a reason!"
Shen Xiao glanced at her coldly and said, "Because you’re not behaving."
Shen Yu: “…”
After saying this, Shen Xiao walked into the dining room.
By then, Uncle Li had already set the dinner table. Seeing Shen Yu’s furious expression, Uncle Li quickly signaled her with his eyes and said, "Whatever it is, let’s talk after dinner."
Shen Xiao also lifted his eyelids to look at her and commanded, "Sit down and eat."
Hearing his tone as if he were talking to a pet, Shen Yu exploded. "I’m not eating!!" After shouting, she grabbed a glass from the table and, with all her strength, splashed half a glass of water directly onto Shen Xiao’s face.
Uncle Li, face full of terror: …
Shen Xiao, face dripping wet: …