Chapter 25

Shen Yu's foot was wrapped in a layer of gauze, making it inconvenient for her to move around. Even going upstairs required Shen Xiao to carry her.
Actually, she thought she could manage by leaning against the wall and hopping on one foot, but Shen Xiao insisted that would look foolish.
Shen Yu realized that Shen Xiao's level of sharp-tongued sarcasm was quite high.
But being carried around by him still made her feel a bit awkward, especially since she believed her weight wasn't exactly ideal.
So, she couldn't resist asking cheekily, "Don't you think I'm heavy?"
Shen Xiao shot her a cold glance and said, "I'm the only one who can carry you. If it were Uncle Li, you'd have crushed him to death by now."
Shen Yu: “…”
After being brought back to her room, Shen Yu was directly placed on the bed.
Shen Xiao set her down and left without delay, appearing quite impatient. But as he reached the door, he turned back to add, "Don't let your foot get wet." With that, he closed the door and left.
Lying on the bed, Shen Yu let out a long sigh and then stared blankly at the ceiling.
Although Shen Xiao was a bit of a lunatic, after spending time with him in private, she began to feel that he was actually quite... quite a soft-hearted person. It was just that everyone was intimidated by his outward appearance, unable to see his true nature.
In the novel's plot, perhaps it was this hidden side of him that allowed Bai Muqing to gradually break through his defenses during their interactions, ultimately winning him over. After that, she fanned the flames and did as she pleased until he completely descended into darkness.
Thinking of this, Shen Yu suddenly felt a strong urge to prevent all of this from happening.
Before, she had entertained the idea of changing the fate of the major antagonist, but that was entirely passive, forced upon her by circumstances.
But just now, in the moment Shen Xiao gently placed her on the bed, she genuinely, from the bottom of her heart, wanted to help this man change his villainous destiny.
As she drifted off to sleep, Shen Yu suddenly realized that despite all the commotion tonight and even injuring her foot, she still hadn't managed to eat a single warm meal. What a huge loss!
Actually, both Shen Xiao and Uncle Li had suggested that she take a couple of days off to rest at home until her foot healed before returning to school. But after being confined for a day, Shen Yu was too afraid to stay home any longer. She was genuinely worried that Shen Xiao might wake up the next day, change his mind, and decide to keep her locked up again. After all, the thought process of a lunatic wasn't something an ordinary person could comprehend.
The previous night, she had thought Shen Xiao had a hidden gentle side. But the very next morning, while she was still fast asleep, her bedroom door was rudely kicked open with a loud "bang," startling her so much that she thought it was an earthquake. She sat up in bed, her hair a disheveled mess.
After kicking the door, Shen Xiao leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "Didn’t you say you were going to study upstairs?"
Shen Yu ran her fingers through her bird’s nest-like hair and grabbed her phone to check the time. Good grief, it was only 6:30 a.m.!
She couldn’t help but mutter a quiet protest, "Isn’t it too early to go now?"
Even when she took the bus, she never had to leave this early!
Shen Xiao frowned and sneered, "You’ve got one foot out of commission today. How fast do you think you’ll be?"
Shen Yu: “…”
His reminder made the sole of her foot ache faintly again.
Since things had come to this, she couldn’t just laze in bed any longer. She threw off the covers and prepared to get up. Watching her move like a robot, Shen Xiao couldn’t resist asking, "Do you need me to hire a nurse?"
Shen Yu was left speechless. Pressing her lips together, she replied, "No need. Just close the door, please. I need to change!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the door slammed shut with another "bang." Thankfully, the door was sturdy, otherwise, with his rough treatment, it would have fallen apart long ago.
She took back what she thought last night, this man was not gentle at all!!
When she got out of bed, Shen Yu tried to step on the heel of her injured foot, but it still tugged at the wound, making her grimace in pain. Uncle Li had said the cut wasn’t big, so why did it hurt so much?!
After that, she hopped on one foot to the bathroom, then hopped to get dressed, and finally hopped her way downstairs.
Uncle Li saw her coming down and hurried over to support her. "Why didn’t you call me or the young master when you wanted to come downstairs? Hopping on one foot is so dangerous, what if you fell?"
Shen Yu grinned. "I held onto the railing. I wouldn’t have fallen."
Shen Xiao was already seated at the dining table, eating breakfast and scrolling through his phone, not even sparing her a glance.
Shen Yu called out "Brother" and sat down to quietly eat her breakfast. Having skipped dinner the night before, her stomach was completely empty, so she ended up eating a bit more than usual.
After finishing his meal, Shen Xiao noticed she was still stuffing her face but didn’t rush her. Instead, he picked up a nearby newspaper and began reading intently.
Behind them was a floor-to-ceiling window facing the yard. A beam of sunlight streamed in, casting a warm glow over their shoulders. On the dining table, two sunflowers in a tall glass vase were in full, vibrant bloom.
Time seemed to stand still.
A while later, Shen Yu finished her last sip of soy milk and let out a satisfied sigh. When she looked up, she noticed Shen Xiao had set the newspaper down and was doodling on it with the pen he always carried.
Seeing that she was done eating, he stopped, put away his pen, and raised an eyebrow at her with a teasing smirk. "Want to see?"
Curious about what he had drawn, Shen Yu nodded.
Shen Xiao didn’t tease her further and handed the newspaper over. Shen Yu looked down and saw that, in a blank space on an ad page, he had sketched a chubby hamster eating…
Shen Yu: “…”
Shen Xiao asked provocatively, "Doesn’t it look just like you?"
Shen Yu screamed internally: It looks nothing like me, you jerk!!
Before heading out, perhaps thinking Shen Yu was too slow hopping on one foot, Shen Xiao walked straight to her, scooped her up in his arms. Thanks to last night's practice, he had already mastered the princess carry.
Shen Yu rested her hand on his shoulder and asked quietly, "Can Uncle Li drive me?"
Shen Xiao ignored her and continued walking out.
It seemed that was a no. So she changed her question, "Can we not take the Rolls-Royce?"
She had always maintained a poor and shabby persona. If Shen Xiao drove her in a Rolls-Royce today and someone saw, who knows what rumors would spread. She didn’t have the time to explain to everyone that this was her brother!
Shen Xiao finally glanced at her and said, "Lamborghini or Bugatti?"
Shen Yu: “…”
Aren’t those even more expensive??
After thinking it over, Shen Yu asked, "Can we take Uncle Li’s Audi?"
Shen Xiao: “…”
In the end, Shen Xiao drove a Land Rover from the garage that was rarely used. Though still not exactly low-key, it was much better compared to the others.
As it turned out, in the face of traffic jams, all cars are equal, whether it’s a regular car worth tens of thousands or a luxury car worth millions, everyone has to wait.
Shen Yu anxiously looked out the car window. She had class this morning, and it was with a teacher who loved taking attendance. She wasn’t sure if she’d make it in time.
Fortunately, the traffic jam didn’t last long and gradually cleared up. By the time they reached the school, although she was late for the first class, she still made it.
When the car arrived at the school gate, Shen Yu had considered getting out there. But from the gate to the classroom usually took over ten minutes on foot, and hopping on one foot would only take longer. After a moment’s thought, she obediently let Shen Xiao drive her inside.
The car stopped in a small playground next to the teaching building. Shen Yu unbuckled her seatbelt, said, "Thanks, brother. Bye," and tried to get out.
Shen Xiao frowned, turned to look at her, and said, "Wait a minute."
Then he got out first, walked to her side, opened the door, wrapped an arm around her, and picked her up again.
Shen Yu: “…”
Was he addicted to carrying her??
"Brother, you don’t need to carry me. I can go in by myself."
Shen Xiao kicked the door shut, ignored her, and strode toward the teaching building with her in his arms. "Which room?"
Shen Yu had given up resisting and pointed upstairs. "Third floor."
Hearing the floor number, Shen Xiao shot her a glare before carrying her up the stairs.
It was already class time, and several classrooms were full of students. Shen Xiao boldly carried her along the corridor, attracting countless curious glances along the way.
Feeling embarrassed under the stares, Shen Yu tucked her head in, pretending to be an ostrich.
When they reached her classroom, Shen Yu took a deep breath and struggled to get down. Only then did Shen Xiao release her, but he kept one hand on her shoulder, supporting her as they entered through the back door.
For a moment, the entire class's gaze was fixed on them. Shen Yu felt a bit embarrassed and said to the teacher on the podium, "Sorry, I'm late."
The teacher glanced at her, noticed she was having trouble walking, and didn't say anything further, nodding instead. "Go back to your seat and sit down."
Shen Xiao waited until she was seated before turning and leaving the classroom without looking back.
Although his appearance and departure were very brief, the commotion he stirred among the classmates was anything but small. It was like a localized earthquake, leaving everyone a bit stunned and wondering the same thing: Who is that incredibly handsome man?
Shen Yu's image as a poor, shabby girl was already deeply ingrained among her classmates. So when they saw a tall, handsome, and fashionably dressed man by her side, their curiosity naturally peaked.
Finally, when the class ended, Shen Yu's female deskmate, who had never spoken to her before, a girl named Li Yiyi, if she remembered correctly, suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Was that your boyfriend who brought you here just now??"
Shen Yu was startled. Aside from Bai Muyu and her clique, who often picked on her with harsh words, no one in the class had ever initiated a conversation with her. Li Yiyi was definitely the first!!
Was this the power of gossip?
But Shen Yu had mentally prepared herself for such questions, so she calmly replied, "He's my brother. I hurt my foot, so he brought me here."
Li Yiyi let out an "Oh," gave an awkward smile, and added, "Your brother is really handsome."
Shen Yu nodded but didn't continue the conversation. Honestly, having been isolated for so long, she wasn't used to someone suddenly talking to her.
However, Shen Yu had truly underestimated the allure of gossip. Although Li Yiyi could tell she wasn't interested in chatting, she couldn't hold back for long and said, "You weren't in class yesterday, so you might not know, a lot of people came looking for you."
Shen Yu was taken aback. "Looking for me? For what?"
Li Yiyi smiled and said, "Your dance that night was really amazing. They probably wanted to get to know you. No one expected you to dance so well and have such a great figure!"
Shen Yu: “…”
The flattery made her feel embarrassed. As a living person who came and went in the classroom every day, not a single classmate had noticed her transformation until the evening performance? It sounded pretty ironic.
Bai Muyu was also in class today. After Shen Xiao brought Shen Yu in, Bai Muyu had been acting sarcastic and strange. Shen Yu suspected she was up to no good again.
Sure enough, as soon as school ended at noon, Bai Muyu couldn't sit still any longer and came over with her lackeys to cause trouble.
Bai Muyu sneered, "Shen Yu, are you so desperate for fame that you posted your dance video on the school forum and even on Weibo? Do you think that'll make you famous and help you climb the social ladder? Stop daydreaming!"
Shen Yu frowned and looked up at her. "What video?"
Bai Muyu placed her phone on Shen Yu's desk. "See for yourself."
Shen Yu picked up the phone and opened it, only to find the full video of her performance of "Ode to Dunhuang" from that night. After a couple of days of spreading, the video had already garnered quite a number of shares and comments.
"This wasn't posted by me." Her face was cold as she spoke. Someone had uploaded the video online without her consent, shouldn't she be the one who was angry?
Several people were gathered around the table talking and didn't immediately notice that someone had entered through the door, having overheard most of their conversation.
"What video?" the person asked coldly.