Chapter 9

The restaurant recommended by Shang Cheng offered a high degree of privacy, with an interior designed in a traditional Chinese style. The scent of nearby lush greenery mingled with the sound of a waterfall cascading over the rockery in the courtyard. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the private room, one could hear the faint, elegant notes of a guqin blending with the trickle of water, creating a uniquely charming atmosphere.

However, Shu Shiyun had no heart to appreciate such beauty. He poked at the crab meat he had picked out in his bowl, his mind a tangled mess.

After he had said those words in the car, Shang Cheng had stared at him for a long time before letting out a very soft laugh. He hadn't said anything, and his meaning remained ambiguous, yet Shu Shiyun felt as if he were being laughed at. He could vaguely sense that Shang Cheng seemed to think he was joking; the tenderness and indulgence that occasionally flickered in his eyes felt remarkably like the way an elder looks at a child.

How could this be? He wasn't that young, surely. At the very least, he was a mature adult, and there was only a ten-year age gap between him and Shang Cheng. Was ten years really that much?

Shu Shiyun couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. Although his anxiety left him with little appetite, the food here suited his palate perfectly, so he still managed to eat quite a bit. By the time he set down his chopsticks, Shang Cheng, sitting beside him, was already wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin. His gaze remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed Shu Shiyun’s emotional turbulence.

Having bottled it up for so long, Shu Shiyun took a large gulp of the peppermint water on the table, as if to bolster his courage.

"Shang Cheng," he called out, using the man's name with a rare, earnest gravity.

Shang Cheng looked up at him, seemingly puzzled. "Hmm?"

"Have you really considered what I said to you earlier?" Shu Shiyun ignored his shyness and stared straight at him. "I'm not joking. I am very serious."

Shang Cheng's expression shifted for a fleeting second, but just a moment before he could speak, a knock sounded at the door of the private room. Shu Shiyun, whose attention was entirely focused on him, felt the abrupt, dull sound strike his heart like a hammer, giving him a start.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man wearing a new-style silver-white Chinese tunic, followed by two waiters carrying trays. He began to smile as soon as he entered.

"Mr. Shang, it has been a long time since you last graced us with your presence."

Shang Cheng sat steadily, merely nodding in acknowledgment with a faint smile on his lips. "I've been busy with work."

"I've heard about your recent movements. Mr. He and his friends came by a while ago, and Linda was actually missing you back then."

Linda? Shu Shiyun caught the common name, and the image of a foreign friend flashed through his mind.

"Oh, and this is someone I haven't met before."

As the topic shifted to him, Shu Shiyun regained his composure and heard Shang Cheng introduce him: "This is Shu Shiyun, nephew of Mr. Shu from the RTW Group." He then looked at Shu Shiyun and added in a gentler tone, "This is Boss Fang."

It was clear that this Boss Fang was no mere restaurant owner, so Shu Shiyun didn't hesitate to nod politely. "Hello, Boss Fang."

"Oh, that is a big name indeed," Boss Fang said with an expression of surprise. "I'm not familiar with international markets, but there shouldn't be anyone in this country who doesn't know your uncle's name."

RTW was a top-tier global automotive manufacturer and only one of the many assets under the Shu family, boasting immense fame domestically. Shu Shiyun merely smiled and exchanged a few polite pleasantries.

Sensing that Shu Shiyun had little desire for further conversation, Boss Fang did not press the matter. He watched as the waiters set the desserts and fruits on the table, and before leaving, he asked, "Mr. Shang, will you be going to see Linda later? She has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Shang Cheng pondered for a moment and said, "Very well, I will stop by later."

Boss Fang beamed with delight and closed the door behind him as he left.

***

The room fell into silence once again. Shu Shiyun frowned, and only after finishing his dessert did he look up and ask, "Who is Linda?"

Shang Cheng seemed to catch the hint of displeasure in his expression, but only asked, "Have you finished eating?"

The moment Shu Shiyun nodded, he saw Shang Cheng stand up and gesture for him to follow. As they left, Shang Cheng took his coat from the rack, and Shu Shiyun followed behind, only to realize they were heading back the way they had come.

Confused, he trailed along the long corridor until he caught sight of the familiar entrance they had entered through. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to see Linda anymore?"

"She is right here."

No sooner had Shang Cheng finished speaking than he stopped in the corridor and looked out toward the courtyard beneath the eaves. Within seconds, a golden shadow appeared on the wet bluestone path. With thick, long fur and a swift, agile gait, the creature caught sight of Shang Cheng standing under the eaves. Linda beamed with a wide, happy expression and leaped up the steps, rubbing herself against Shang Cheng’s legs.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Shu Shiyun froze. He stared at the large golden retriever circling Shang Cheng’s legs for a long moment before it finally dawned on him. Linda was a dog!

Shang Cheng leaned down to stroke Linda's head, casually picking up a frisbee from a chair in the corridor and tossing it. Before long, Linda had retrieved it and brought it back.

"She belongs to Boss Fang," he heard Shang Cheng say suddenly. "He brings her out to play occasionally."

Shu Shiyun suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He didn't know why his mind had jumped to such wild conclusions, so he tried hard to join the conversation. "Do you usually take your own dog out with you as well?"

As soon as these words left his lips, the hand Shang Cheng was using to stroke Linda’s head suddenly paused. He turned his head and asked, "How did you know I have a dog?"

His tone was extremely gentle, with a hint of a smile, yet the moment Shu Shiyun met his gaze, a thin chill crept up his back. How did he know? Of course, it was because in his past life, he had visited Shang Cheng’s home in a way Shang Cheng was unaware of, and he had seen that handsome Border Collie.

But he couldn't say that; otherwise, Shang Cheng would surely think he had lost his mind. He couldn't brush the question off either, or it would look suspicious. His brain raced, and he felt his palms grow damp with sweat.

After a long moment, he curled his lips into a smile and said, "Is it a secret that you keep a dog? I just had someone look into it, and I found out."

His shoulders remained tense. Seeing that Shang Cheng’s expression hadn't changed, he turned to look at the lush courtyard and whispered, "I've already agreed to marry you. I obviously did my due diligence to understand what kind of person you are before making that decision. Do you think I'm that reckless?"

Upon hearing this, Shang Cheng smiled. "I have three dogs. '09' currently lives with me, while the others are being cared for by my mother for the time being."

Shu Shiyun let out a silent sigh of relief and feigned a casual tone. "Why is he called '09'?"

"He was born in September." Speaking of his beloved pet, Shang Cheng’s mood seemed to brighten significantly.

Shu Shiyun lowered his eyes to look at Linda, who was still circling Shang Cheng’s legs, and recalled the past. "Actually, I used to have a pet too—a rabbit, grey and white. But after a few months, it suddenly disappeared. I searched the whole house and couldn't find a trace of it. Since then, I haven't kept any pets. I always feel like I wouldn't be able to take good care of them."

He couldn't help but sigh, but suddenly, a hand rested on the back of his head, gently ruffling his hair—a light, comforting gesture.

Shang Cheng looked at him and said, "I'll introduce you to 09 later. He will like you."

Shu Shiyun pursed his lips and offered a smile. "Alright, and I'll bring him a gift."

They hadn't made a specific plan to go out, so if he wanted to see Shang Cheng’s dog, he would have to visit his home. But after they left the restaurant and got into the car, Shang Cheng didn't mention when that might be.

***

In the world of adults, a "next time" is often synonymous with "never." Shu Shiyun was well aware of this.

"Do you have any plans for the afternoon?" Shang Cheng asked while driving.

Shu Shiyun snapped out of his thoughts, shook his head in a daze, and said, "No, I don't have work until tonight."

Shang Cheng simply replied with a hum and said nothing more.

In truth, since his rebirth, Shu Shiyun had developed a slight psychological shadow regarding being in a car. While it wasn't an intense phobia, the sensations of sudden braking or acceleration caused his heart to palpitate. Gradually, however, he noticed that Shang Cheng’s driving was excellent; the car moved with constant stability, with very little sense of hesitation or jerkiness.

As he began to relax, his phone in his pocket chimed frequently with message notifications. He simply muted it without checking. It wasn't hard to guess who was messaging him; when he woke up this morning, he had already seen missed calls from Lan Suzhi and Tang Yitong, clearly wanting him to come home to discuss the matter concerning Lan Xuan. Having finally met with Shang Cheng, he didn't want this incident to ruin his mood.

But that promise...

Distress gradually welled up in his heart. Just as he resolved to ask about the specific time, he felt the car come to a stop. He looked up to see that they had driven into a spacious front courtyard and pulled into a designated spot. Not far away stood the residence where Shu Shiyun had stayed for a few days in his previous life.

"This is where I currently live. The nanny should be in the garden with 09 at this hour, so you can meet him now." As he spoke, Shang Cheng retrieved a vacuum-sealed bag of meat jerky from the back seat and handed it to Shu Shiyun. "It was made by a professional chef at my mother's place. You can give it to him as a gift."

Shu Shiyun looked at him blankly, feeling a vague sense that something was amiss. Shang Cheng’s demeanor was just like a child eager to show off his pet, albeit in a more reserved way. How strange... Shang Cheng was not quite the person he had imagined.

Ten minutes later, they found 09 running through the large, lush lawn of the garden. The dog’s grey-and-white fur was fluffy and lustrous. Almost immediately, he caught the scent of his owner’s arrival and raced toward them like a bolt of lightning.

This was the first time Shu Shiyun had been this close to him. In his previous life, he knew he could never touch 09, so he had mostly watched him run wildly across the grass from upstairs.

"He's so handsome," Shu Shiyun said, crouching down to greet 09. But the Border Collie didn't look at him, remaining focused on his owner.

Shang Cheng leaned down to stroke 09’s head before looking up at Shu Shiyun. "He's a bit serious. It takes him time to get to know new friends; it’s not that he doesn't like you."

Shu Shiyun understood and leaned in close to observe 09’s intently focused face.

Before long, Shang Cheng’s phone rang. He gestured for the nanny to take 09 away and stood up to answer the call. Shu Shiyun had no intention of eavesdropping, but before he could even take two steps away to give them space, he clearly heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the line.

"How was the date? You weren't so ungentlemanly as to let someone else pick up the tab, were you? You should confess sooner rather than later, otherwise..."

Shu Shiyun heard Shang Cheng let out a soft laugh, and suddenly, he felt his face grow hot.

A date? Is that what Shang Cheng had told his mother?