Chapter 20: It’s Going to School, Not Going Up
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
That day, she was delighted that there were no classes to attend, so she hid in her room to read magazines.
Weiwei was really capable; she could lay her hands on any magazine.
She sneakily glanced at the back cover of the magazine, where a line of small print read: Strictly no browsing under the age ot eighteen.
She counted the days; she had three more months until her eighteenth birthday. Rounded up, that was close enough to ignore.
Besides, the stuff in this magazine wasn’t even as sensational as what she’d seen when she was ten!
Just as she was engrossed in the magazine, she suddenly heard people talking in the garden downstairs.
Liu Rumei and Shen Shihan were sitting in the garden chairs, each with a cup of white coffee in front of them.
Liu Rumei’s complexion didn’t look very good, and she kept her eyes on her son, Shen Shihan. On the other hand, Shen Shihan seemed indifferent, silently stirring the coffee in his cup.
“Shihan, aren’t you going to the corporation today?”
Fear was written all over Liu Rumei’s face, and even more so in her anxious voice.
“It’s nothing but trivial matters. I’m just a vice president in name, after all.”
Shen Shihan hadn’t changed much over the years; his handsome face had just matured a bit. He bore a resemblance to Shen Chi, probably inheriting more traits from Shen Cexian, with a chill ingrained in their bones.
“What are you talking about? You must do the things you ought to do, and even take initiative in the things you aren’t supposed to.”
Shen Shihan lifted his cup and took a sip, “My youngest brother is doing quite well; there’s no need for me to worry.”
“Shihan, should I say you’re above worldly concerns, or scold you for being brainless?” Liu Rumei’s eyes flashed with an anxiety that resented his complacency.
“Mom, dad is recuperating in the summer villa. You should visit him more when you have the time,” Shen Shihan said indifferently.
“I really underestimated Zhou Ran. Eight years ago, she played her cards so well that she forced your father to pass the corporation over to Shen Chi. Otherwise, it should have been you sitting in that position today!” Liu Rumei was furious.
“Mom, dad is not someone that can be easily swayed by a Zhou Ran, is he?”
A smile curled up at the corner of Shen Shihan’s mouth as he set down his cup and stood up to leave.
Xu Chaomu didn’t understand what they were talking about, but counting the years, it had been a full eight years since she’d last seen Aunt Zhou. She didn’t know how she was faring.
She missed Aunt Zhou a bit, and her own mother as well.
After skimming through the magazine for half the day and utterly bored, she secretly made a phone call to Li Beiting.
Li Beiting had also taken over the Li family business. Despite being busy, he always made time for Xu Chaomu.
“Li Beiting, I’ve been locked up by Shen Chi!” Xu Chaomu wailed.
“Your fourth brother locked you up? Hold on, don’t speak, let me guess why,” Li
Beiting said with earnest, “it wasn’t because you spied on him showering, was
She would have loved to, but every time Shen Chi showered, he was always careful to lock the door!
“Then you must’ve been trying on his clothes again?”
“Li Beiting, do I really come off as that kind of person to you?” Her heart was crashing down, although she had to admit that he was right.
“Otherwise, I never thought you had any sense of decency anyway! Just like
“Li Beiting, I’m being serious here. I’ve been locked up by that bastard Shen Chi!”
“Then there’s nothing I can do. You know full well what your fourth brother’s temperament is like. If I go and get you out, my family’s orders for tomorrow will surely be canceled. Any single one of those is worth a few billion, billions!”
“You mercenary villain, at least think of a way to help me!”
“Or… you could try jumping out the window.”
Xu Chaomu angrily hung up the phone. Turning to Li Beiting was a waste of time; she should have gone to Dabai instead.
She hadn’t expected that shortly after she hung up, Shen Chi returned from the corporation.
She hurriedly put away the magazine and sat down at the desk to study as if she had been doing so all along.
It was only eleven in the morning; what was he doing back so early? Had he experienced a change of heart?
As he turned the doorknob, he saw Xu Chaomu doing her exercises with a frowned brow, as if she was grappling with a difficult problem.
“Not wearing the miniskirt anymore?” Shen Chi scoffed.
“As if I’d dare!” Xu Chaomu didn’t even look up, humming, “The bubble has burst.’
“You’d better not dare.”
Shen Chi walked over while Xu Chaomu ignored him.
“I’ll take you to school!” He stood beside Xu Chaomu, looking down at her, his tone resolute and brooking no refusal.
Xu Chaomu cast aside her pen and stood in front of Shen Chi.
“So if you allow it, I go to school, and if you don’t, I can’t? Are you always this overbearing?”
Standing up, she barely reached his shoulders but she refused to be overpowered.
“It’s going to school, not going up!” Shen Chi spoke with cool detachment.
“…” Xu Chaomu’s mouth twitched.
Regardless of whether Xu Chaomu agreed or not, Shen Chi dragged her out of the room with a domineering grip.
“I won’t go unless you carry me to the car!”
Xu Chaomu was willfully unreasonable, convinced that Shen Chi wouldn’t actually carry her.
Shen Chi was a bit helpless, but his grip was undeniably strong.
Before Xu Chaomu could react, Shen Chi scooped her up into a princess hold and carried her in his arms!
The bliss was so sudden, but after enjoying a mere few seconds, she was dumped onto the passenger seat.
She quickly wrapped her arms around Shen Chi’s neck, refusing to let go: “Hold me a little longer!”
“Don’t push your luck!”
Xu Chaomu refused to let go, “It’s not like you’re at a loss by holding me, unless…”
Shen Chi raised his eyebrows.
“…unless you don’t like women!” Xu Chaomu proclaimed defiantly.
Shen Chi smirked and shamelessly adjusted the rearview mirror toward himself.
“With that puny frame of yours, you call yourself a woman?” Shen Chi walked with composed steps to the driver’s side.
Xu Chaomu was furious, feeling like she’d been gravely insulted!
She stared at herself in the rearview mirror for a while. What was wrong with her? She was developing quite nicely!
As she was indignantly scrutinizing her reflection, Shen Chi pressed a button, turning the mirror away as the car slowly started.
All the way to school, Xu Chaomu was in low spirits. No wonder Shen Chi wasn’t interested in her. It turned out all men were alike, preferring those with prominent curves! Common!
Xu Chaomu lay prostrate on the window, sullenly gazing outside, her expression one of misery.
Shen Chi caught a glimpse of her from the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
“Today I’ll take you right to the school,” Shen Chi said lightly.
In the past, he always stopped the car a distance away from school and let Xu Chaomu get off there.
Many times Xu Chaomu pleaded with him to enter the school, basically to cater to her vanity by showing off her handsome and attractive older brother! But todav. when Shen Chi offered to drive her to school. she suddenlv looked displeased.
“You’re so busy, I shouldn’t waste your precious time. How can it be spent on such insignificant people like us? There might be big clients waiting for you at the corporation. You should get back quickly! Better yet, throw me out now. I have legs; I can walk.”
Xu Chaomu’s words were laced with sarcasm. Hearing this, the curve of Shen Chi’s lips grew even more pronounced.
He had to say one thing, and she had to counter with ten!