Chapter 23

As that half glass of water was thrown out, the towering rage in Shen Yu’s heart seemed to be touched by the cool water as well. With a sizzle, it was extinguished, completely and thoroughly, without even a wisp of residual smoke.
Just like an overinflated balloon that bursts, the explosion may be deafening, but after it’s over, only a few scraps of skin remain!
For a moment, a suffocating silence enveloped the entire dining room.
Though it was only half a glass of water, the glass was teardrop-shaped, with a larger bottom that could hold a lot of water. In an instant, Shen Xiao’s entire face was drenched, and even his hair was caught in the crossfire. His originally arrogantly slicked-back hairstyle was soaked and collapsed, with a few strands clinging wetly to his full forehead. Droplets slid down the ends of his hair, tracing paths across his cheeks, gathering at his chin, and then dripping one by one onto the dining table.
Shen Yu felt as if she could hear the drip, drip, drip of the water droplets.
Uncle Li, as a bystander, had long since stiffened into a wax statue.
Shen Xiao’s large hands, resting on the table, gradually clenched into fists. He lifted his starry eyes, their cold gaze seeming capable of seizing one’s soul.
His thin lips moved slightly, and he asked in an eerily calm tone, “You won’t eat?”
Shen Yu felt a chill run down her spine at his question and instinctively took a step back.
She thought: He flies into a rage when he sees me wearing a revealing dress, but when I splash him with water, he’s completely calm. Has he lost his mind from anger?
“Say you won’t eat again and see what happens?” he said coolly. As he spoke, two more drops of water fell from his chin.
Shen Yu’s heart pounded like a drum. Gripping the glass, she took another step back. Now it wasn’t just her scalp tingling, her whole body was tingling. Why had she been so possessed as to splash him with water just now? Had it really been her hand that threw it?
But it was already done, and there was no taking it back. She couldn’t just turn cowardly the moment after splashing him!
Thinking this, Shen Yu took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and said, “I… I won’t eat!!”
Shen Xiao’s brows furrowed, and he stood up abruptly.
At 188 cm tall, the moment he stood, he immediately cast an invisible pressure on those around him.
Shen Yu’s mental defenses were already weak; his sudden rise to his feet instantly shattered her courage. She set down the glass in her hand, turned, and bolted, fleeing in a panic toward the living room.
Shen Xiao was stunned for two seconds, then strode after her with his long legs, growling, “Feeling brave now? Stop right there!”
Uncle Li clutched his chest, feeling as if he should take a fast-acting heart relief pill.
The husky, who had been panting with its tongue out and wagging its tail, grew excited at the scene, barking twice and enthusiastically joining the chase with a wagging tail.
Seeing Shen Xiao chasing after her, Shen Yu grew even more afraid to stop, continuously circling around the sofa.
Shen Xiao had started chasing purely on instinct, but by the time he reached the living room, he felt his actions were somewhat foolish. He wanted to stop, but felt it would be embarrassing if he couldn’t catch her, so he froze for a moment.
“Stop right there!” he called to Shen Yu on the other side.
Shen Yu trembled inwardly, making one last struggle with her words, “I… I won’t!”
Shen Xiao stood still, raised his arm, and began rolling up his sleeves, as if preparing for a serious confrontation.
He leisurely rolled up his sleeves and shot a glance at the bodyguards standing nearby. The two burly men, receiving his signal, immediately stepped forward and surrounded Shen Yu.
Shen Yu: “…”
Wow, this psycho is so shameless! Can't catch me in a chase, so he calls for backup?!?!
In the end, Shen Yu was dragged back to the dining table like a helpless chick, pressed down into a chair by Shen Xiao.
The husky, disappointed that the fun chase had ended so quickly, barked at them, urging them to continue.
Shen Yu, now firmly in the psycho's grasp, could only turn her head and scold the husky, "Shut up!" If you keep barking, you'll end up as a roasted whole dog!
After seating her, Shen Xiao sat down beside her, picked up the bowl and spoon, and prepared to feed her. Having done this many times before, his movements were smooth and practiced.
Though it was an incredibly bizarre and twisted act, he performed it with such ease that it seemed almost natural.
Shen Yu thought to herself, if she gave in now, it would mean accepting all of Shen Xiao's arrangements. He would then believe that his confinement of her was justified.
But she was an independent person, not a toy in his cabinet or a pet that obeyed every command. How could she let him control her like this? Even if he was a psycho, he had no right to dominate her like this!
With this thought, she clenched her jaw even tighter. When he brought the spoon to her mouth, she turned her head away, refusing to be fed.
Shen Xiao: “…”
Frowning, he moved the spoon to the other side, but she turned her head away again, facing the opposite direction.
Shen Xiao felt a faint throbbing in his temples.
This little one was really, really, really disobedient today!
Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself to be patient and not to get angry, lest he scare her.
After mentally preparing himself, he patiently moved the spoon to the other side again and brought it to her lips.
Shen Yu glared at him, her eyes red, and raised her hand to slap his arm wildly. "I won't eat! I won't eat! If you don't let me go out, I'd rather starve to death!!"
Seizing the moment Shen Xiao was stunned, she abruptly stood up, turned around, and ran off again. This time, she didn't run aimlessly but headed straight for the stairs.
However, when she reached the staircase, she gritted her teeth, turned back, and, under everyone's bewildered gazes, scooped up the husky before darting off again in a flash.
By the time she had disappeared from sight, Shen Xiao threw the bowl onto the table with a "tsk" and said, "What's wrong with her??"
Uncle Li, who had witnessed the entire incident from start to finish, felt as though he had been on a roller coaster, thrilling and nerve-wracking. It took him a while to find his voice again. "The young lady... might be going through a rebellious phase??"
Shen Xiao sneered coldly. "Then her development is a bit too slow, isn't it?"
Uncle Li: "..."
Shen Xiao swept his damp hair back and wiped his face, then glanced down at the untouched bowl of rice on the table. The corner of his mouth suddenly quirked upward, and a smile slowly spread across his face. Then, with a low chuckle, a deep, hearty laugh began to rumble out of him.
It quickly grew uncontrollable.
Uncle Li: "..."
Watching Shen Xiao laugh so hard he could barely contain himself, Uncle Li felt a deep sense of worry. Oh no, has the young master gone mad from anger?
It took Shen Xiao a good while before he finally stopped laughing. He picked up the bowl of rice and began eating with focus. After a few bites, he looked up at Uncle Li and warned, "Don’t you dare sneak her any food."
Uncle Li: "..."
After Shen Yu dashed back to her room with the husky in her arms, she quickly locked the door. Still feeling uneasy, she pushed a small cabinet by the door to block it.
The husky sat nearby, tilting its head as it watched her fuss.
The husky had been in the household for almost two months. Thanks to Uncle Li’s attentive care, it had grown much larger than when it first arrived. Carrying it up to the third floor had left Shen Yu slightly out of breath.
Though the dog had grown quite a bit, it still had that silly, dopey look that made people want to tease it.
After barricading the door, Shen Yu turned and sat down beside the husky, sighing. "Er Gouzi, you should be grateful to me. In such a critical moment, I risked going back to rescue you. If I hadn’t gone back to carry you, you’d probably be roasted whole by now."
The husky clearly didn’t understand, because it excitedly stood up and began circling around Shen Yu, urging her to get up and chase it.
Shen Yu: “…”
Sitting cross-legged with her chin propped in her hand, Shen Yu sighed again. "I wonder if all this drama will let me go out tomorrow? Ah, Er Gouzi, we haven’t even had dinner yet. Uncle Li made sweet and sour fish and spicy crab tonight. Those crabs looked so plump and big..."
As she spoke, her stomach let out a timely growl. She’d been so upset all day that she hadn’t eaten much, and now she was genuinely hungry.
Ugh... What a mess!
She didn’t dare go downstairs now, not even step out of her room. She had no idea whether Shen Xiao was so furious he might burst in.
Thinking of this, Shen Yu got up to grab her phone and sent Uncle Li a WeChat message: "Uncle Li, is the big demon king on a rampage??"
After sending the message, she waited a while, but Uncle Li didn’t reply. He probably hadn’t seen it. She stretched, climbed onto the bed, and lay face down, telling herself that skipping one meal wasn’t a big deal.
Uncle Li wasn’t ignoring her message on purpose, he just didn’t dare reply. He was still in the dining room.
When the WeChat notification chimed twice, Uncle Li’s eyelid twitched. He pretended not to hear and continued eating his rice, though he’d lost his appetite. He just didn’t dare leave with the young master present.
Shen Xiao took a bite of food, chewed, and said to Uncle Li, "Your WeChat is beeping."
Uncle Li’s hand trembled, and the meatball he’d just picked up fell back onto the plate. "Oh, it’s nothing. No need to pay attention."
Shen Xiao set down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and said leisurely, "How do you know it’s nothing if you don’t look?"
Uncle Li: "..."
Uncle Li usually had no close friends besides a few mahjong buddies, but they were all elderly and used basic senior phones, so hardly anyone ever messaged him. The only person who chatted with him on WeChat was Shen Yu from the household, so he didn’t even need to look to know the message was from her.
Having been with the Shen family for so many years, Shen Xiao was well aware of Uncle Li’s social connections, which was why he specifically brought up the WeChat message. "If you don’t want to look, I’ll check it for you."
Uncle Li set down his bowl and wiped his sweat with a tissue. "I... I’ll check it myself."
But as soon as he pulled out his phone, Shen Xiao reached over and snatched it away.
Shen Xiao handled someone else’s phone as if it were his own, quickly opening WeChat and spotting Shen Yu’s message at a glance.
"Uncle Li, is the Great Demon King throwing a fit??"
Shen Xiao raised an eyebrow, his slender fingers tapping on the screen as he replied, "No, he’s in such a good mood he’s humming."
Shen Yu quickly responded, "Ahhhh, that lunatic! He nearly scared me to death earlier!"
Shen Xiao frowned. "Lunatic??"
Shen Yu: "Oh, Uncle Li, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called him a lunatic. I’ll go back to calling him the Great Demon King."
Shen Xiao: "Good girl."
Shen Yu whined, "Uncle Li, I’m so hungry. Can you sneak some food up to me later?"
Shen Xiao: "No, the Great Demon King won’t let me. But when he goes back to his room later, you can sneak down to eat."
Shen Yu: "Who knows when he’ll go back to his room? He always messes around downstairs for ages."
Shen Xiao: "He was annoyed by you earlier, so he’ll head upstairs soon. You can come down around 9:30."
Shen Yu: "Forget it, to be safe, I’ll wait until 10:30."
Sitting across from Shen Xiao, Uncle Li watched him typing away without a clue what was being said, growing more and more anxious. He mustered his courage and said, "Sir, can I have my phone back now?"
Shen Xiao looked up and shot him a cold glare. "Your phone is confiscated."