Chapter 14 Revelation

His fingertip brushed against the skin, feeling the uneven texture of a long, narrow scar.

Shen Ci quietly withdrew his hand and waited until Xie Yu was sound asleep before tracing the scar along his spine. But even after reaching deep into Xie Yu's pajamas, he still couldn't find the end of the scar.

The scar was incredibly long.

Shen Ci's fingertips quivered slightly. He silently turned on the bedside lamp, knelt on the bed, and lifted a corner of Xie Yu's pajamas.

In the warm, golden glow of the bedside lamp, Xie Yu's back came into clear view.

The young master's back had a graceful curve, his skin glowing with a soft, silken sheen. Yet, this silken canvas was marred by a web of scars. Whip marks, burns, and even knife wounds crisscrossed his back.

Years old, these scars had faded, stretched by new flesh, forming patches of dark brown and pink that lingered like stains and cracks on silk.

Shen Ci stared at them in silence, his thoughts unspoken.

How could Xie Yu bear such marks?

Xie Yu was the young master of the Xie family, a nobleman accustomed to dining on black truffles and caviar, adorned in Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. How could a young master raised in opulence bear such scars?

Shen Ci quietly lifted Xie Yu's pajamas higher, exposing more skin. He adjusted the light's angle and leaned down to scrutinize the scars.

With his pharmacology background and related research, Shen Ci could roughly date the scars to over a decade ago.

Over a decade ago, Xie Yu was merely a child.

The hotel's bedside lamp cast a dim light, blurring the shadows of the scars. Shen Ci frowned, leaning in closer.

In an instant, his wrist was seized.

Shen Ci's fingertips jerked.

Xie Yu grabbed him, turned over, and lazily opened his eyes, "What are you doing?"

Still drunk, his voice was thick with sleep.

Shen Ci hesitated, "Getting water."

Xie Yu pulled down his pajamas and chuckled, "Getting water? Why lift my clothes for that?"

Shen Ci replied, "My hand brushed against it when I raised it."

Teaching Assistant Shen was too aloof to strip someone's clothes in the middle of the night. Xie Yu didn't suspect anything. He lay flat on the bed, making room for Shen Ci, complaining, "Getting water in the middle of the night, go ahead."

Shen Ci slowly got out of bed, pretended to pour water and took a couple of sips, then climbed back into bed. Xie Yu wrapped his long arm around him, trapping him like a large pillow, his chin rubbing against the top of his head, "Sleep quickly, you have class tomorrow."

The night passed without dreams.

The next day, perhaps because he had slept early the previous night, when Xie Yu woke up, Shen Ci was still there, sitting at the desk flipping through documents.

*

Xie Yu sat up halfway, surprised, "Don't you have morning class?"

Every time he woke up before, Shen Ci was never there.

Shen Ci closed the book, "Nothing much this morning... I made breakfast, want some?"

He slid the breakfast tray over. It was provided by the hotel, with various pastries neatly arranged on a snow-white plate. Xie Yu gave him a suspicious look, got up to change clothes, thinking to himself, "Has Shen Ci lost his mind?"

Being so polite to him this early in the morning.

But the next second, Shen Ci suddenly stood up, and the mattress sank slightly as he sat down beside Xie Yu, reaching for the clothes and placing them on Xie Yu's shoulders, saying, "Let me help you get dressed."

Xie Yu: "…?"

His suspicion grew as he eyed Shen Ci closely, his gaze probing. Shen Ci calmly held the clothes, letting him examine, but his eyes were lowered, avoiding direct eye contact.

Xie Yu: "Do you have something to ask of me?"

He propped his chin on his hand: "Spit it out, what’s going on at the hospital? Speak up, and if you beg nicely a few times, I might be in a good mood and consider helping you out."

Shen Ci shook his head, saying there was nothing, but his gaze lingered on Xie Yu's back, which was well-covered by the pajamas, hiding the scars beneath the fabric.

Shen Ci: "It’s part of the agreement, so I should be doing this."

Xie Yu thought to himself that there must be something fishy. Whether in the novel or in reality, when had they ever strictly followed the agreement? Young Master Xie did things entirely based on his whims, doing whatever he pleased, while Shen Ci was as cold as ice, never giving the original owner a single friendly look. Yet now, he was willingly offering to help him get dressed?

He fidgeted with his collar uncomfortably, got out of bed to wash up, the silk fabric draping down, completely covering his back: "I don’t need it. Finish your breakfast and get back to your experiments. Stay on campus today. I have something to do later."

Xie Yu indeed had something to do. Xu Qingshan had already lined up a lawyer and finalized the donation plan for Qingshan Mental Hospital, waiting for Xie Yu to sign.

The two arranged to meet in the hotel conference room. Xu Qingshan brought a hefty stack of contracts, with the lawyer accompanying him. Xie Yu casually flipped through them and signed.

He signed with a flourish, his handwriting sharp and bold, exuding confidence.

Xu Qingshan was taken aback, his face full of disapproval: "You’re not even going to look it over? Xiao Yu, you’re way too trusting like this."

Xie Yu chuckled: "I trust you."

Many characters in the novel world mirrored real-life people, such as his father and Xie Yuanshan. This Xu Qingshan felt familiar to him, very much like his uncle in the real world. They didn’t talk much, but when something happened, his uncle always unconditionally sided with him.

After putting his signature on the hefty stack of contracts, the funds would be transferred to the hospital’s account by the next working day. Xie Yu capped the pen and nonchalantly asked the lawyer: "Do you have any connections for selling luxury items? I have some cars and watches I want to sell."

The lawyer, who catered to a wealthy clientele, was no stranger to down-and-out rich kids selling their luxury items.

Xu Qingshan was momentarily taken aback: "Selling luxury goods?"

Xie Yu smiled: "Putting some money aside for later."

He snagged a business card for pre-owned luxury items from the law firm, made the necessary arrangements, and then returned to the hotel to sort out his finances.

The original owner owned a place in Jiangcheng, but he had been living in the hotel long-term, only returning when Xie Yuanshan came back from business trips and explicitly demanded he come home. The luxury items were all in the hotel wardrobe.

The system hovered beside him, watching him pack up various luxury watches, curious: "Why are you suddenly getting rid of all this stuff?"

Xie Yu: "I’m not going to be around here much longer."

In the novel, Shen Ci had already been hospitalized several times by this point, needing antidepressants to survive. The first half of the story had already played out, and the remaining plot was speeding up, with two months left to wrap things up.

Xie Yuanshan had given him six months to invest. In the novel, the original owner squandered everything within three months, and Xie Yuanshan, furious, sent him abroad.

Xie Yu, however, hadn’t squandered anything. He had given the mental hospital a complete upgrade, both in terms of hardware and software, instructed Xu Qingshan to replace all the ward mattresses, and was now waiting to be locked up by Shen Ci, kicking back and enjoying retirement in comfort.

It wouldn’t be hard for Xie Yuanshan to trace where the money went. He would know within a month at the latest, and he would also discover that Xie Yu had already signed a foolproof agreement, with the money transferred to the hospital’s account, unrecoverable. By then, Xie Yuanshan would be even angrier than in the novel and would send his son abroad even faster.

Xie Yu discussed with the system: "Once I’m abroad, Xie Yuanshan will definitely torment me, control my living expenses, and force me to come back and apologize. But I’ll never apologize. I’d rather starve than apologize to him. Besides, I still want to travel."

The system was stunned: "Travel?"

Xie Yu smiled: "Since I’m a rich second-generation heir and finally have some spare cash, why not check out the aurora, penguins, and polar bears? I could also visit the Easter Island moai..."

He said wistfully: "Once I return to my own world, I won’t have so much money or free time."

The system looked at him, hesitating to speak, then finally said tactfully: "It’s not out of the question."

—Turning a mission into a vacation—classic him.

Once abroad, Xie Yu would fade into the background. This time would be completely free for him to do as he pleased. The original host had struggled in poverty due to Xie Yuanshan’s control, barely making ends meet, but Xie Yu could prepare in advance and save up a fund.

Xie Yu daydreamed about this life, feeling pretty chuffed. As he flipped through the original host’s luxury items to estimate their value, the total quickly hit two million and was climbing toward five. But as he continued, a plain kraft paper bag, neatly sealed with glue, suddenly fell out from among the pile of luxurious gift boxes with gold logos.

Xie Yu hesitated, then picked up the bag.

The small, unremarkable paper bag, the kind you’d get 40 for 10 yuan at a stationery shop, had been carefully stored among the luxury items, not even a corner creased.

The system hovered closer: "What’s this? Why is it here?"

Xie Yu gave it a squeeze but didn’t open it. Instead, he put it back, saying, "Not selling this. Let’s hold onto it."

The system raised an eyebrow: "You didn’t even open it, and you’re not selling it?" It eyed Xie Yu suspiciously, "Do you know what’s inside?"

Due to the mapping between reality and the novel, Xie Yu knew many background details that the system didn’t.

Xie Yu wasn’t about to explain. He carefully stored the kraft paper bag and said, "Get the second-hand dealer on the line."

The system huffed but dutifully dialed. The phone screen lit up silently, and the number was automatically entered.

Before it could finish, a sharp ringtone cut through. Xie Yu glanced at the screen—Zhou Yang.

He answered the call, and Zhou Yang’s voice came through, though it was hard to hear clearly amidst the surrounding noise.

Zhou Yang said, "Hey, Young Master Xie, got something to tell you. He Zhiyuan beat someone up last night and hospitalized Lin Yin."

Xie Yu paused and asked, "He got into a fight, so why’s this my problem? Didn’t he use money to settle it?"

Zhou Yang sighed, "The issue isn’t just the fight. It’s that he did it in public, and it was recorded and posted online. Now it’s under investigation. He Zhiyuan doesn’t want a criminal record, so he offered a price for a private settlement, but Lin Yin isn’t satisfied with the amount and won’t budge. Old He thought of finding someone who knows both parties to mediate and see if they can reach an agreement."

Xie Yu scoffed, "If she’s not satisfied, just offer more money. Is the He family short on cash?"

Zhou Yang replied, "He’s keeping it from his family, or else he’ll get scolded by his old man and have his credit card frozen. He wants to handle it himself. Anyway, not many people know both He Zhiyuan and Lin Yin—just you, me, and Shen Ci. I’ve tried mediating, but it didn’t work. Why not bring Shen Ci and see if you can talk her into it?"

Xie Yu responded perfunctorily, "Alright, sure, sure."

Inwardly, he thought it served He Zhiyuan right. He had long disliked him, but the original host’s character was a loyal rich second-generation heir, so now that Zhou Yang had asked, he really had to go.

Xie Yu sent a message to Shen Ci, asking him to come over, then drove straight to the hospital.

Lin Yin’s room was on the third floor in the VIP section. Xie Yu went up to the third floor and saw Zhou Yang sitting in a daze by the door from a distance.

Xie Yu asked, "Where’s He Zhiyuan?"

Zhou Yang replied, "In jail."

Xie Yu: "."

He said, "Lin Yin’s inside, right? I’ll go talk to her."

Xie Yu pushed open the door, determined to say a few perfunctory words, sit around to waste some time, and then tell He Zhiyuan, "Can't convince her, can't budge her, better get the money ready." But as soon as he stepped in, Shen Ci arrived.

Teaching Assistant Shen hurried over from the school, walking briskly, his forehead covered in sweat. He hadn't even taken off his white coat, and the hem of his coat fluttered with his steps, exuding a cool, almost ascetic aura.

Seeing Zhou Yang guarding the door, he stiffened, his voice tight with barely concealed nervousness: "Who's hospitalized?"

Xie Yu gave the room number but didn't tell him what had happened.

Zhou Yang was stunned: "Lin Yin is hospitalized... Teaching Assistant Shen, did you run here?"

Shen Ci's white coat was blown into disarray, his hair slightly messy. His handsome brows furrowed, his face showing a hint of worry, and his sweat reflected the fluorescent light, giving off a glossy, almost crystalline sheen.

Zhou Yang gave him a puzzled look: "Wait, Teaching Assistant Shen, even if Xie Yu were hospitalized, why would you run?"

Shen Ci's steps faltered.

Author's note:

Shen Ci: Testing, worrying, and a faint, inexplicable flutter.

Xie Yu: Packing up, checking travel guides, gearing up to make a quick exit.