Are All You Straight Guys Like This Chapter 94

These days, what the prestigious families of the capital loved to gossip about most was the engagement between the Cheng family and the Ye family. The Chengs, who usually wished they could glue themselves to every banquet, had unusually kept quiet. Aside from releasing news that they would soon be engaged to the Ye family and were about to connect themselves to the Shen family, not a single person from the Cheng family had been seen outside.

But the rumors were already rampant. By now, who didn’t know that not only was the Ye family leaning on a big tree for shade, but the Cheng family also intended to climb upward through this connection?

It was said that the Ye Group shareholders who dumped their shares during the chaos regretted it bitterly. They blocked the entrance of the Ye house, but before they even saw Ye Ran’s face, they were violently thrown out by bodyguards.

People gossiped, laughed, and sneered but late at night, tossing in bed, all of them fumed with jealousy.

Had they known the Ye family had such backing, why would the Chengs have gotten the chance?

They too could have packaged up their sons and sent them over.

For an entire week, the employees of Shen Corporation’s capital branch were living in misery.

Gossip about the president was delicious, but his aura was even stronger. Who dared slack off? No one even dared to touch a phone.

As Shen Shi’s sole personal assistant transferred to the capital, Xu Wen was dragged by several managers to “probe for inside information.” He kept a polite smile on his face, but quietly tightened his grip on the documents in his hands.

Finally handling the last group of managers who were terrified Shen Shi might decide to stay longer, Xu Wen exhaled, knocked on the president’s office door, and heard the low male voice inside:

“Come in.”

He pushed the door open and was immediately greeted with the smell of smoke.

The office was hazy with swirling cigarette fumes. The dim, heavy light from the floor-to-ceiling windows seeped into the room.

It had been raining in the capital for days, dark clouds rolling, winds howling. The president’s office was on the top floor, close enough to feel as if it could touch the storm clouds ready to burst.

The lights were on inside. Shen Shi sat in the boss chair, expression cool and indifferent. Two buttons of his dress shirt were undone, and he was lowering his gaze to read the documents in his hand.

Xu Wen stayed silent.

A moment later, without looking up, Shen Shi asked, “What did you find this time?”

“It’s still about the young master of the Cheng family.”

Xu Wen braced himself and handed over the folder, worried Shen Shi might lose control when he saw the contents.

After so many years at Shen Shi’s side, he knew Shen Shi was not the type who couldn’t tolerate a grain of sand in his eye. In fact, he often deliberately created “bad habits” to let other tycoons underestimate him, such as pretending to indulge in smoking or drinking.

But in private, Xu Wen had never once seen him touch either. And yet this Cheng family young master had pissed him off enough that he hadn’t put down a cigarette in days. Truly… impressive.

Even Xu Wen felt his horizons widen upon seeing the findings.

Shen Shi took the folder, flipped open a page, and whatever he saw made him tap his cigarette against the ashtray, flicking off a bit of ash as he continued reading with darkening eyes.

Silence returned to the office.

Xu Wen wanted to retreat, but Shen Shi hadn’t dismissed him; he didn’t dare move.

Pages turned again. Suddenly, a photograph was tossed onto the desk. Xu Wen reflexively looked down. It was a printed set of pictures from a foreign blog: a blond boy in a bar, smiling brightly, arms wrapped around a girl.

The girl looked young, eighteen or nineteen, wearing a white dress. Something about her features felt familiar: clear, gentle. Something was off. Xu Wen frowned, and a few seconds later, it hit him like a hammer to the chest.

…This girl looked somewhat like the young master of the Ye family.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his palms. He looked at Shen Shi.

Shen Shi remained flipping through Cheng Jiaming’s dossier. The man who should have been furious showed no extra emotion at all. He didn’t even glance twice at the photo. His profile, half-hidden by smoke, was calm as he said:

“Look into it.”

Xu Wen nodded at once. “Yes, sir.”

…Cheng Jiaming must be insane.

With a private life that messy, he still dared tie himself to Ye Ran?

The Shen family’s most famous trait was their protectiveness.

Xu Wen exhaled in relief. As he was about to leave, he remembered something and said seriously, “President Shen, one more thing. The people we sent to monitor… cough, observe the Cheng family reported that they will all attend a banquet tonight.”

After lying low for a week, the Cheng family finally couldn’t resist showing off. The entire family was going, dragging both Ye Ran’s name and the Shen corporation’s banner to fish for benefits.

Shen Shi had waited a full week for this. He slowly stubbed out his cigarette, eyelids lowered, voice unhurried:

“Mm. Go prepare.”

Xu Wen bowed. “Yes, sir.”

Tonight, Huating Hotel was hosting an ordinary networking reception.

Small and mid-sized company bosses would gather to brag, chat, and seek investment. Big companies wouldn’t even look at such an event. But the moment word spread that the Cheng family would attend, everything changed.

The original hall clearly couldn’t fit the swelling crowd. Somehow, a certain executive casually “helped out” and upgraded the venue to the most luxurious hall in Huating, Yanyun Pavilion.

Yanyun Pavilion, the hotel’s hidden signature hall, required reservations at least a month in advance.

Some people sensed something was going on and tried investigating, but found nothing.

Apparently whoever helped preferred anonymity.

The Cheng parents had been hiding for a week, debating how to soothe the Shen family. Meanwhile, in secret, they kept trying to leech off the Shen family’s connections. They feared the Shens might refuse to acknowledge them, but to their surprise, the Shens said nothing like indulgence, or cold apathy.

Father Cheng, thrilled but confused, couldn’t understand. Mother Cheng, however, saw the truth.

She had originally been firmly against sending Cheng Jiaming into the Ye family. But now that she smelled blood in the water, she thought it over for a full week before calling Cheng Jiaming to the living room to break down the stakes.

“The Shen family letting us borrow their influence actually means they feel guilty. They agreed that Ye Ran would marry into our Cheng family, but now that Jiaming poured in so much money to revive the Ye family, the Shen family is doing nothing and already setting up prestige for Ye Ran. Of course they feel guilty. This is our chance!”

Mother Cheng patted Jiaming’s hand lovingly. For the past week, he had been the private envy of the entire Cheng family and the whole capital.

Even Father Cheng, who used to look at him with disdain, had completely changed his tune. He even secretly returned the shares Jiaming had sold and desperately tried to mend their relationship.

Having been scorned repeatedly before, Jiaming now felt quite pleased with himself. Casually, he said, “It’s fine, Mom. I’m willing to marry Senior.”

Mentioning Ye Ran, his eyes softened with affection. Silly joy filled his face. “Mom, I understand everything you’re saying. Even if I marry into the Ye family, Senior would never look down on me.”

Someone as gentle and serene as Ye Ran was suited for staying at home.

He would handle the outside matters, no one could say he lived off his spouse.

Mother Cheng felt another stab of bitterness. The son she had raised for so many years now only cared about his partner, not her. She suppressed her sourness and jealousy, patting his head.

“Tonight is the perfect time for our family to show face. I’ll take you for a haircut this afternoon. We’ll attend in full glory. After tonight, no one will dare look down on the Cheng family again.”

…

And indeed, as Mother Cheng had predicted, the Cheng family became the center of attention at the banquet that night.

Cheng Jiaming hated socializing, and Father Cheng indulged him. In front of everyone, he told Jiaming to go enjoy himself with his friends. Regardless of what they secretly thought, the other executives all chimed in and said he was refreshingly genuine.

Father Cheng and Mother Cheng floated through the crowd like brightly dressed butterflies, basking in all the praise. Every sentence hinted that the engagement with the Ye family was imminent and that they hoped the Shen family would officiate and that all present should attend.

For a moment, the two truly enjoyed boundless glory. Even those who once looked down on them pinched their noses and came over to build ties.

The Shen family was a behemoth; even if one couldn’t collaborate with them, one must never offend them.

Anyone who survived the business world was shrewd, they knew how to weigh the situation.

Upstairs, in stark contrast to the bright, gaudy hall below—

In the private room on the second floor of Yanyun Pavilion, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, several figures stood behind one-way glass, casually watching the noisy commotion beneath.

The crystal chandelier cast a hazy glow. Only ambient lights were on in the room, the soft lights along the edges reflecting faint silhouettes on the glass.

Jiang Yun swirled his wine glass with interest as he watched the pair downstairs. “No way… these people will be your relatives someday?”

Yu Ting wiped his glasses politely, looked again, and said, “Looks like my eyes weren’t playing tricks. Seems so.”

Unlike them, who sat leisurely in chairs, Shen Shi stood at the window. He was still dressed in formal wear, sharp and immaculate vest and shirt outlining his tall, commanding figure. He stared downward at one spot for a long time, eyes pitch-black, like a beast pinpointing its prey before the kill, ready to tear off a mouthful of flesh.

Xu Wen, standing beside him, thought of the preparations Shen Shi had ordered beforehand and felt a chill in his bones.

Jiang Yun and Yu Ting had come to watch his misfortune. But seeing him stand there in silence, they found it dull and drifted to the window as well.

Yu Ting, having done his homework before coming, swept a glance below. When his gaze hit a certain corner, he let out a quiet “huh?” And at the same time, the atmosphere below reached a peak.

…

Cheng Jiaming took a sip of wine, a little annoyed at the flattery directed at his parents.

He didn’t like walking around with Senior’s family background as a shield. It made him feel a subtle, uncomfortable imbalance.

A few of his playboy friends sat beside him. Unlike a week ago, when they laughed at him, now when they looked at Cheng Jiaming’s face, each felt a pang of jealousy.

Who could have imagined that this second-generation good-for-nothing, by marrying a man, would end up bringing home a golden treasure?

Before the banquet, their parents had all told them to maintain good relations with Cheng Jiaming. The boy who used to be just as dismissed as they were had suddenly leapt ahead of them, becoming a rising young talent, leaving them far behind.

The sofa in the corner was soft, the seating right in front of them, with plenty of alcohol and food.

The lighting was dim and not very bright, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

“Jiaming,” a young man forced a smile, first steadying his emotions, and said, “We haven’t really seen you much this past month. Are you actually staying home and seriously preparing for the wedding now?”

Cheng Jiaming curled his lips. “Isn’t it my parents? They’re keeping an eye on me and won’t let me come out. I wanted to ask you all out for drinks ages ago.”

One of his fair-weather friends’ eyes flickered, and he immediately said, “You didn’t go see Ye Ran either?”

At the mention of Ye Ran, Cheng Jiaming’s expression turned desolate, all his energy draining away.

He didn’t know if Ye Ran was angry with him or not. Ever since the day they met the parents, Ye Ran had hardly paid him any attention.

He had also gone to see Shen Shi, asking to meet Ye Ran, but that man with the overwhelming presence sat in his office, his voice very gentle and unhurried, and refused his request. He even told him not to look for Ye Ran for the time being.

Completely impervious to persuasion.

Cheng Jiaming was irritated to no end. The questions he still wanted to ask were stopped short by a casual glance from the man, and he awkwardly swallowed the words back down. When he got home, he smashed plates and made a huge scene in his anger.

“Mm, haven’t really seen him,” he said, downing a mouthful of wine.

He looked nothing like someone about to get smoothly engaged.

Several of his fair-weather friends were turning things over in their minds, suppressing their jealousy and malice, and casually said again, “Then this Ye Ran really is… too immature. After all, you’re about to get engaged, and you’ve invested so much money in their family.”

Cheng Jiaming paused. Thinking of Ye Ran’s cold treatment these past few days, he also swallowed back the explanation that it was he who would be marrying into the Ye family, and listened in silence.

It wasn’t until the group of fair-weather friends’ words became increasingly unpleasant that he coldly set down his wine glass and glared at them impatiently. “My senior can treat me however he wants. What are you all yapping about?”

The group: “?”

Cheng Jiaming felt a bit more at ease and continued to lose his temper. “I said don’t bad-mouth my senior in front of me. Are you all deaf or what?”

They were shaking with anger. “You—” Why didn’t you say that earlier? Now you’re pulling this hindsight act?

Ah Ming, who had been watching coldly the whole time, finally gave a snort of laughter and raised a hand to summon a server. He said a few words to the server, who had bent down to listen.

The server nodded knowingly and quickly left.

Ah Ming said, “Alright, we came out today to have fun. Don’t make the atmosphere so tense.”

Cheng Jiaming fell silent. Even if the fair-weather friends were still angry, they knew this wasn’t the moment to provoke him, so they could only offer reluctant apologies.

The mood still wasn’t very good. Not long after, the server who had just left returned with several women. At banquets of this level, there were always some pretty young women willing to climb upward who came to serve. By the end of the night, once the bosses had drunk too much, things could naturally turn into a romantic encounter.

The hotel didn’t handle the aftermath, everything depended on one’s own ability.

Dim light shrouded several women wearing slit qipaos, their hair styled into gentle updos. Their skin was so delicate it seemed to drip with moisture, their waists slender, their legs long. Every movement flowed like water, all having received basic etiquette training, their voices especially soft.

“Gentlemen, this is the featured wine of tonight’s banquet, air-shipped from a French estate, with a brewing process that has over a hundred years of history…”

Several of the fair-weather friends were staring, their eyes practically glued, mouths watering at the looks and figures of the female servers at the ‘Yanyun Pavilion’ banquet. As expected, the higher the level of the banquet hall, the more impressive it was, truly not on the same level at all.

Ah Ming was also taken aback. When the group came out to have fun, they always routinely ordered a few attendants to keep them company while drinking; he just hadn’t expected the quality this time to be so high.

Unable to resist, he hooked one of the girls over and pulled her into his arms. “What’s your name?”

The girl let out a coquettish laugh.

He made the first move, and the remaining fair-weather friends all pulled the women into their arms as well. In that small corner, hidden in shadow, as the atmosphere continued to ferment, they tacitly engaged in various discreet acts.

Only Cheng Jiaming still hadn’t made a move.

Ah Ming shot him a glance. “Jiaming, you’re really keeping yourself pure for your senior now.”

Cheng Jiaming set down his wine glass. “Yeah. In the future, don’t call people over when we come out to have fun. This is a banquet, my parents are still over there.”

“What are you afraid of?” a fair-weather friend laughed. “They don’t even know where we are.”

This ‘Yanyun Pavilion’ was indeed suitable for all kinds of occasions, worthy of being Huating’s top-tier banquet hall.

Cheng Jiaming was still uninterested. “You guys go ahead and have fun. I’m going out to get some air.”

As he was about to leave, a girl hidden in the shadows slipped, and half a glass of red wine spilled onto Cheng Jiaming in an instant. Startled by the splash, his chest turned ice-cold. He wasn’t a good-tempered person; his face darkened as he looked at the clumsy girl.

The girl lowered her head in panic, hurriedly pulling out tissues. Half her face appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow, and she was unexpectedly very pretty and delicate. Before he had fallen for Ye Ran, the three girlfriends Cheng Jiaming had dated had all been this type.

In that instant, the anger in Cheng Jiaming’s heart seamlessly turned into dazed confusion. He froze for a moment, and it wasn’t until a soft palm touched his chest that he sucked in a sharp breath and came back to his senses.

“You—”

He awkwardly swatted the girl’s hand away, his movements evasive. Yet the girl looked at him with tear-filled eyes, frail and delicate, as if she would fall over with a single push.

Ah Ming, never one to shy away from stirring up trouble, said leisurely, “Jiaming, why treat a woman like that? You’re not even married yet, and you’re already being controlled this tightly?”

“Exactly,” another chimed in. “If you don’t like the girl, you don’t have to shove her so hard. Don’t you have any tenderness left at all?”

Cheng Jiaming glared at him angrily. “Don’t talk nonsense. I—”

For some reason, everything about him felt off, inside and out. The girl was so tender she seemed to drip with moisture, her features clear and delicate, kneeling on the floor and softly shedding tears. Her eyes looked as if they could speak; she cast him a light glance and kept apologizing.

Cheng Jiaming’s breathing stalled. After a moment of silence, he hastily turned his head and waved his hand. “Alright, alright! Stop crying. I’m not asking you to compensate me.”

“Oh—”

The fair-weather friends jeered and egged them on.

The girl blushed as well, her gaze soft and pitiful. Holding a wine glass, she moved closer and said, “Young Master Cheng, then… then let me feed you a glass of wine.”

Her face was fully revealed in the light now, her gentle gaze sending Cheng Jiaming into another daze. His heart pounded rapidly. He wanted to avert his eyes, but he caught the faint fragrance on the woman’s body. As if possessed, he opened his mouth—

“Jiaming!”

Cheng Father’s low, angry voice suddenly rang out.

Cheng Jiaming jolted and saw Father Cheng and Mother Cheng over there, furious and even a little panicked. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over him, he went cold from head to toe, the color draining from his face instantly. The moment he came back to himself, he shoved the woman away hard, ignoring her cry of pain, and strode toward his parents.

“…Dad, Mom.” He stood there, at a loss.

“You child! You were almost entangled by those women trying to climb the social ladder,” Mother Cheng said with a stiff smile, fiercely pinching the flesh on the back of his hand as she gently admonished him. “From now on, you must be extra vigilant. Ranran is still at home waiting for you!”

Cheng Jiaming was in so much pain he could barely catch his breath, and he didn’t even understand how he’d just let himself lose his head.

He nodded stiffly, his throat dry. 

“…I’ll remember.”

“It… won’t happen again.”

He walked away quickly, his retreating figure utterly disheveled.

His chest was still stained, and though everyone saw it, no one asked a single question.

In a corner, Ah Ming finally came back to his senses. Just as he was about to step in and accept the “kindness” meant for someone else, he looked up again only to find that the young girl was already gone.

…

An invisible net officially spread open at that very moment.

Tight and inescapable, it wrapped itself around the oblivious Cheng Jiaming.

As long as he dared to harbor even the slightest hint of betrayal in the days to come, the beast lurking in the shadows, watching him relentlessly, would bare its cold, savage fangs and tear his flesh to shreds.

Yu Ting, who had just watched a rather entertaining show, stroked his chin. Having known Shen Shi for so many years, he was all too familiar with those ruthless, precise, one-strike-kill methods, pure Shen-style.

Now, seeing Cheng Jiaming absentmindedly glance back twice without realizing it, Yu Ting smiled and studied Shen Shi with curiosity.

“What’s your angle?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Testing his loyalty to your little brother?”

Wasn’t that a bit much?

Reaching that far, even meddling in a young couple’s private affairs.

The drama downstairs had already come to an end. Shen Shi casually withdrew his gaze, as if he hadn’t caught the implication in Yu Ting’s words at all, and replied indifferently, “No need.”

Yu Ting: “?”

No need and yet you pulled something this underhanded?

In their circle, at this level, very few men were capable of guarding against every temptation in daily life. Cheng Jiaming managing to get through this once was barely a passing grade. If it happened three or four more times, Yu Ting could already picture his eventual downfall.

Jiang Jun, who had been drifting on the sidelines, finally understood what they were talking about.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

He slammed his glass down, stunned. “What do you mean? That guy is Shen Shi’s—”

“Brother-in-law,” Yu Ting answered.

Jiang Jun sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy sh*t. Good thing Shen Shi tested him early. Once he actually joins the company and has to deal with a few more business dinners, wouldn’t women be climbing into his bed nonstop?”

There were plenty of dirty tricks in the business world. Shen Shi was powerful and influential, and on top of that, impeccably self-disciplined. For years he’d shown zero interest in women, so detached he barely seemed like a normal man. Even so, people had tried to set him up more than once. In a rage, he’d gone all out, forcing those CEOs who schemed to send him women to switch instead to sending cigarettes and alcohol.

Now Shen Shi was using those very same tactics, ones that had once been used against him, on Cheng Jiaming. Wasn’t this… h*ll-level difficulty?

Strict with himself and just as strict with others?

Yu Ting and Jiang Jun exchanged a look, both realizing for the first time that they truly couldn’t tell what Shen Shi was thinking.

But understanding or not, a warning still had to be given.

Jiang Jun said, “Alright, enough just watching. Hurry up and warn your brother—tell him to be careful.”

Though they hadn’t met Ye Ran yet, Jiang Jun and Yu Ting already regarded him as one of their own.

Anyone Shen Shi protected this fiercely had to be a good kid.

“Why tell him?” Shen Shi’s voice suddenly cut in.

Jiang Jun, who had been wondering when Shen Shi would finally bring the person out to meet them, froze and looked at him in confusion.

Inside the floor-to-ceiling window, half of Shen Shi’s figure was concealed in darkness. He stood tall, elegant and composed, unhurriedly watching the lively scene below. His lowered lashes hid his pitch-black eyes, yet in a fleeting glimmer of light, they reflected a chilling calm and indifference.

“Misjudging people,” he said casually, his tone utterly natural, “deserves a lesson.”