Chapter 37

Among the bosses, the balding middle-aged man was the most talkative. Seeing Shen Xiao’s unusual attitude, he smiled and asked, “Shen Xiao, who is this? Aren’t you going to introduce her?”
Shen Xiao had originally patted the armrest, intending for Shen Yu to sit there, but then he remembered that the spot had just been touched by some random woman and felt disgusted. As Shen Yu walked over, he grabbed her and pulled her directly onto his lap.
The overly intimate posture made Shen Yu blush fiercely once again.
Glancing at the teasing looks around them, Shen Xiao said irritably, “This is my sister.”
Everyone nodded in understanding. "So it's the one you just told Cui Yong to prepare the room for. Hah, we should've known, you never fool around with women outside."
Then the group of executives put away their teasing smiles and greeted Shen Yu amiably. "Hello there, little sister!"
Shen Yu sat in Shen Xiao's lap, feeling somewhat uncomfortable but not daring to struggle. Seeing that Shen Xiao had no intention of introducing her, she could only force an awkward smile and say to the executives, "Hello."
An older executive remarked, "We've always heard the Shen family had a daughter, but never saw her. President Shen, you've kept her well hidden."
Shen Xiao declared, "My family's child isn't for just anyone to look at."
His words were both arrogant and irritating, but since they came from Shen Xiao, they somehow felt perfectly normal. The tycoons seemed accustomed to his sharp tongue and didn't take offense. Instead, they burst into laughter, saying, "Yes, yes, we common folk aren't worthy of laying eyes on your family's child."
Shen Xiao looked smug and didn't respond further. He reached for a plate of potato chips nearby, intending to feed her.
Shen Yu quickly shot him a warning glance, urging him to restrain himself, she had no desire to become the target of the executives' teasing.
Shen Xiao frowned but ultimately relented.
Since introductions were over, Shen Yu wanted to leave. After all, with a family member present, the executives couldn't fully relax and enjoy themselves. She pressed down on Shen Xiao's restless hand that was eager to feed her and whispered, "I'm leaving."
Shen Xiao set down the plate of chips and tightened his arm around her waist. "Where to?"
Shen Yu turned to look at him and whispered, "Back next door. My teacher and classmates are all there."
Shen Xiao thought for a moment and said, "I'll go with you."
Shen Yu leaned close to his ear and asked, "With so many executives here, is it okay for you to leave?"
Shen Xiao scoffed, not bothering to lower his voice as he declared in front of everyone, "It's nothing. They're all just here killing time drinking and chatting."
Even during a private sibling conversation, this eccentric couldn't resist mocking the people nearby, truly insufferable!
Hearing this, the executives were displeased. "Leave if you want! Who says drinking and chatting isn't serious business? Plenty of deals are made over drinks and conversations!"
Thanks to Shen Xiao's provoking remark, the siblings successfully incurred the collective wrath of the executives and were promptly kicked out.
Standing in the hallway, Shen Yu shivered nervously and asked, "Is this really okay? Won't they hold a grudge against you?"
Shen Xiao found it troublesome to carry his jacket, so he simply tossed it to Shen Yu for her to hold. He lit a cigarette, slung an arm over her shoulder, and leisurely strolled forward with her.
After walking a distance, he said, "They wouldn't dare."
Shen Yu looked at him, her face full of doubt. "Really?"
Shen Xiao lowered his head to glance at her, raised an eyebrow, and shot her a dashing, arrogant wink. "Even if they all teamed up, they couldn't beat me."
This man was so cocky and utterly infuriating, yet it felt like such a man was actually incredibly charming!
Just one glance, and it was hard to look away.
Shen Yu was reminded of the ending of this novel.
Shen Xiao turned to the dark side, fought fiercely with Situ Yi, and ended up losing everything.
Unwilling to accept defeat, he resorted to the lowest of tricks, driving a car to ram into Situ Yi. But he missed Situ Yi and ended up killing himself.
As his sister, Shen Yu was also in the car at that time because Shen Xiao had forced her to withdraw her savings from the bank. However, her meager private savings were nothing but a drop in the bucket for the fallen Shen Xiao.
In the end, she not only gave away her money but also lost her life.
The great villain with such a tragic ending was now so spirited and dashing that it was almost blinding.
Shen Yu thought to herself that she genuinely wished he could always remain this lively and high-spirited, never turning to the dark side and staying far away from disaster.
The siblings leisurely walked to the adjacent suite. Pushing the door open, they were met with a scene of wild chaos, some singing, some drinking games, some playing truth or dare, everyone was having a blast.
Shen Xiao couldn't help but frown and glanced at Shen Yu, as if asking, "Are these idiots really your classmates?"
Shen Yu smiled faintly; she wasn't actually close to them either.
When the classmates in the hall saw Shen Yu leading Shen Xiao inside, it was as if someone had pressed the pause button, everyone froze in place, falling completely silent.
Back when Shen Yu had injured her foot, Shen Xiao had visited their classroom, so everyone present recognized him. A few had even had their phones smashed by him and been threatened, so at the sight of him, they immediately shrank back, afraid he might hold a grudge and scare them again.
But Shen Xiao was clearly in a good mood at the moment. His gaze swept over them, and then he treated them as if they were invisible.
Shen Yu didn't say anything either and directly led him to find Teacher Song.
At that moment, Teacher Song and the others were no longer in the game room but were playing pool with the boys in the billiards room.
Taking a closer look, Bai Muyu and Lin Cong were there as well.
A few people were gathered around the pool table, occasionally exclaiming softly. Upon approaching, they realized that Lin Cong was quite skilled at snooker.
Lin Cong was also quite tall, estimated to be around 1.8 meters. His posture as he bent over to take a shot was particularly suave, and even the girls who usually didn't watch snooker were gathered around, watching with great interest.
When Teacher Song saw her come in, accompanied by a strikingly handsome man, he quickly stepped forward to greet them. Shen Yu introduced the two.
Since Lin Cong was also a teacher, he was introduced as well.
Shen Yu noticed that whenever Shen Xiao faced people he wasn't familiar with, he would put on an aloof and elegant front, making it hard for others to gauge his thoughts and thus not dare to act recklessly.
But as someone who had witnessed his various silly antics, facing his pretentious demeanor now only made her secretly chuckle to herself.
After the introductions, Lin Cong continued to finish his game. Shen Xiao stood to the side, hands in his pockets, quietly watching for a while before nodding and saying, "Not bad skills. Have you had formal training?"
Lin Cong shook his head and smiled, "No, I've just liked playing since I was young."
Then, with a smile, he asked Shen Xiao, "Mr. Shen, care for a game?"
Shen Xiao let out a scoff and shook his head, saying, "If I go down to play, it would just be bullying you all."
Shen Yu rolled her eyes internally. That irritating tone again, it was practically an invitation for trouble at every turn!
Lin Cong raised an eyebrow good-naturedly and asked, "What do you mean? Are you exceptionally skilled at pool, Mr. Shen?"
Shen Xiao shot him a cold glance and replied, "I've played professionally."
Everyone: ...
Alright, that was indeed impressive.
Shen Xiao glanced at Shen Yu and suddenly flashed a mischievous grin. "How about this, let my little sister play a round with you in my place."
Shen Yu: “…”
She quickly confessed, "I only know the most basic break shot, nothing else!"
Shen Xiao said, "Knowing how to break is enough."
Lin Cong's usually gentle expression finally cracked slightly.
Bai Muyu, watching from the side, felt her temper flaring up. But the moment her eyes met Shen Xiao's, she instantly backed down. She could never forget the vicious look in his eyes when he smashed his phone that one time, it still sent chills down her spine whenever she recalled it.
Lin Cong said, "Wouldn't that just make me the one bullying Miss Shen?"
Shen Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Who's bullying whom remains to be seen. Rack the balls."
Shen Yu pouted and glared unhappily at Shen Xiao, her eyes protesting, this guy was clearly forcing her into an impossible situation!
Shen Xiao patted her head and said softly, "Don't be afraid. I'll help you later."
Shen Yu: “…”
Lin Cong took the first break. He had good form and luck on his side, quickly scoring quite a few points. Shen Yu stood by with her cue, nervously biting her fingernails.
Shen Xiao noticed the gesture and reached over to slap her hand away, the slap was sharp and loud, startling everyone around.
Just then, Lin Cong finally made a mistake on the table, a red ball rolled to the edge of a pocket and stopped.
It was Shen Yu's turn to play.
She took a deep breath and glanced at Shen Xiao, who, for once, flashed her a wide grin before giving her a little push.
Resigned, Shen Yu walked over, studied the table, and positioned her cue. She aimed to pocket the red ball Lin Cong had just nudged near the pocket. Since there was a blue ball in front of the red, the angle seemed favorable.
But just as she settled into her stance, Shen Xiao came over and stopped her. Leaning casually against the table, he pointed at a black ball and a red ball and said, "Hit this one."
Shen Yu straightened up and looked at the two balls he indicated. No matter how she looked at it, from the left, right, above, or below, those two balls had absolutely no connection whatsoever. And he was telling her to shoot? Was he insane?! Did he really think he was Ronnie O'Sullivan or something?
"There's no line of sight at all!" she protested.
Shen Xiao raised an eyebrow and explained in a low voice, "Set the cue here, make the black ball hit the cushion, then go for the red ball..."
Shen Yu felt like she was listening to gibberish, she heard the words but understood nothing.
Lin Cong also came over to visually measure the angle between the two balls, shook his head, and said, "I wouldn't even dare attempt that shot; it would be even harder for her."
Shen Xiao shot him a disdainful glance, ignoring him completely, and waved Shen Yu over. "Come here."
Shen Yu obediently walked over, lay down in the position he indicated, and set up her cue. Shen Xiao adjusted her posture with evident dissatisfaction. Since it wasn't a formal setting, no one found their blatant cheating inappropriate.
After checking her stance, Shen Xiao still wasn't satisfied. He half-leaned over her, adjusting her arm position and grip on the cue.
Then, he whispered in her ear, "Aim for the black ball, hit it slightly to the left of center, with half strength."
His warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin of her ear as he spoke, making her instinctively shrink her neck. She wanted to turn her head and say something to him, but as she did, her lips seemed to lightly graze his cheek.
Shen Yu: “…”
Shen Xiao didn't seem to notice the subtle movement, his expression darkening slightly. With his large hands covering her small ones, he applied a gentle force. The black ball made a soft "tap" as it hit the cushion, then curved around a cluster of colored balls, heading straight for a lone red ball. The unsuspecting red ball, which had been idly hiding to the side, was unexpectedly struck and slowly rolled toward the corner pocket. After teetering at the edge, it dropped in.
Still leaning over her, Shen Xiao chuckled softly by her ear, "The ball went in. Should we have another kiss?"
Shen Yu: “…”