3 Going Home

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It wasn’t until he got into Shen Tan’s car that Lu Mi finally realized what he had done.

He still wore the coat Shen Tan had draped over him. The car’s heater was off, and the temperature was cool, so the coat was just right—not stifling at all.

But it was Shen Tan’s coat.

Lu Mi wasn’t used to the intimacy of wearing someone else’s clothes, even though they were soon to be married.

Yet he couldn’t refuse.

He didn’t know why Shen Tan had come back, or why he had placed that coat over him. He couldn’t read any useful information from Shen Tan’s expression.

Perhaps Shen Tan had a good first impression of him.

Maybe it was because of his face.

Lu Mi had always known he was handsome.

His looks brought him many advantages, but also many troubles.

Gripping the coat with both hands, he edged closer to the door, but his gaze involuntarily flickered to Shen Tan beside him.

As soon as they got in, Shen Tan was on the phone. The voice on the other end spoke continuously while Shen Tan listened expressionlessly. Lu Mi couldn’t catch what was said, only that it was business-related; a document lay on Shen Tan’s lap.

Shen Tan’s profile was sharp and distinct, unlike Lu Mi’s classmates. His appearance was striking, exuding not only the commanding aura of a superior but also the maturity of someone older.

“Am I good-looking?”

Lu Mi was so engrossed in watching him that he didn’t even notice how openly he was staring.

Shen Tan’s sudden question startled him, causing a small tremble. Instinctively, Lu Mi shrank back toward the door, shook his head, and darted his eyes nervously, his breathing uneven.

Squinting, Shen Tan leaned in slightly. “Does shaking your head mean I don’t look good?”

Lu Mi lifted his face and opened his mouth to explain but saw Shen Tan’s lips curl into a slight smile. Instead of moving away, Shen Tan closed the distance between them. Lu Mi’s gaze collided with those deep eyes, feeling like a wild beast was fixated on him. He gripped the coat tighter, his slightly parted lips trembling, and the faint blush on his face began to fade.

Staring into those pale, watery eyes, Shen Tan’s pupils contracted. Lu Mi really did seem frightened by his closeness; his eyes flickered nervously, avoiding direct eye contact as if on the verge of tears, resembling a frightened, defenseless little creature. Only then did Shen Tan sit back, still watching Lu Mi with deliberate calmness. “Or do you mean you haven’t had enough?”

“…No.” Lu Mi’s voice was weak. He didn’t know how to answer. Sneaking a glance was his fault, but he didn’t mean to say Shen Tan was good-looking, bad-looking, or that he hadn’t had enough of looking.

He was simply scared.

Shen Tan was completely twisting his meaning.

He could only deny it with a simple “no.”

“Is that so…” Shen Tan murmured, seemingly unsure if he understood. His phone rang again, and after checking the caller, he answered without looking at Lu Mi.

No longer being openly stared at, the eerie sensation on his back vanished. Lu Mi breathed a soft sigh, trying to take deeper breaths, and even thought about taking off the coat—though he wondered if Shen Tan would get mad.

He seemed to have a bad temper; even when he smiled, it was frightening.

And he didn’t seem like a good person.

Lu Mi didn’t dare look at Shen Tan again. Resting his head against the window, he bowed it low. His chaotic thoughts finally calmed as he pieced together everything that had happened today, another chill crawling up his spine. He hugged the coat tighter; Shen Tan’s voice was speaking in a language Lu Mi didn’t understand, a foreign tongue that strangely soothed his unsettled emotions. Sleepiness crept in, his head slowly drooping against the glass, his eyelids fluttering as if struggling against drowsiness.

Shen Tan finished his call and saw this scene.

The slender boy curled inside his coat, cheeks faintly flushed, breathing shallow and fragile, utterly endearing. Beneath the coat, his body seemed so delicate that a single exertion might break him.

Though clearly afraid, his lips were parted without defense, moist and pale, inviting someone to leave a mark.

Shen Tan’s eyes darkened.

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The car soon stopped at the school gate.

Lu Mi didn’t ask Shen Tan to take him back to the Lu residence.

He hadn’t fallen asleep; his mind was still clear, but closing his eyes felt more comfortable than keeping them open. When the car stopped, he sat up, rubbing his aching neck from leaning against the window for so long.

Shen Tan was bent over some documents. Just as Lu Mi was about to thank him and get out, Shen Tan spoke first.

“Since we’re getting married, shouldn’t you move over to my place?”

Even though Shen Tan wasn’t looking at him, the tone brooked no argument.

Lu Mi was stunned, rubbing his fingers nervously. “I…”

He had no choice to refuse.

“When will you have time, tomorrow or the day after?” Shen Tan glanced up at him, expressionless. After a few seconds, he asked, “Have you decided?”

He didn’t even give Lu Mi a moment to think. His gaze locked onto Lu Mi’s every breath. Lu Mi hesitated, then answered without delay, “The day after tomorrow.”

Any delay was better than none.

He wasn’t prepared for marriage at all.

Much less with someone like Shen Tan.

He couldn’t understand why someone like Shen Tan wanted to marry him.

“I’ll have someone pick you up then,” Shen Tan said, apparently satisfied. He no longer looked at Lu Mi with those eyes as if he’d be crushed if he said no. Instead, he gave the driver a glance.

The car door slowly opened.

Lu Mi loosened his grip, about to take off the coat, but Shen Tan leaned back, not looking at him. “Wear the coat back. Changing the fiancé to me is my responsibility to discuss personally with your father. The cooperation will continue as usual.”

Implying that Lu Nande didn’t know about the change, and Shen Tan didn’t want him to bring it up first.

The company would remain intact.

Even if Shen Tan hadn’t said this, Lu Mi didn’t want to see Lu Nande for now.

He wasn’t attached to that home or Lu Nande’s fatherly love. His compliance was only to preserve his mother’s inheritance.

“Alright, Mr. Shen. Thank you for sending me back.”

With that, Lu Mi wrapped the coat tighter and hurried out.

His legs felt weak as he barely steadied himself, avoiding looking back to see if Shen Tan’s car had left, and quickly headed toward his rented room near the school.

Inside the car, Shen Tan leaned back, his expression dark. Once Lu Mi’s figure disappeared into the night, a car that had been trailing Shen Tan’s vehicle slowly approached and stopped.

A crew-cut man jumped out, sprinted up to Shen Tan’s window, and pounded on the glass. When the window rolled down, the man stuck his head inside. “Here, the surveillance you wanted. The original footage is all here; I didn’t make a backup.”

Shen Tan took it with no expression.

“Wow, Master Shen, when did you start falling in love? That look in your eyes—I’m scared you might’ve devoured him right there in the restaurant. I was already wondering how much compensation I’d have to demand,” said Chen Sheng, the restaurant owner and Shen Tan’s childhood friend, speaking somewhat bluntly. “Never thought you’d hold back. You actually held back.”

Growing up in the Shen family, Shen Tan had clawed his way up to his position in his twenties. Life before that was like walking on a knife edge. Though he appeared ordinary, Chen Sheng always felt his inner world was twisted.

In business, Shen Tan got what he wanted by any means necessary.

But this was the first time Chen Sheng had seen him want something as a person.

Though Shen Tan didn’t do much at the restaurant, Chen Sheng thought his mind was still pretty twisted.

After all, besides Shen Tan, no one else would ask to keep surveillance footage of their meetings as a keepsake.

Shen Tan tilted his head and gave Chen Sheng a cryptic smile. “Too skinny.”

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Too skinny, fragile—he needs to be nourished first.

Chen Sheng was dumbfounded, about to ask what he meant, but Shen Tan changed the subject immediately. “Did you take him to my office?”

“Yes. Damn, uncle, do you have some venereal disease or something? I feel dirty just touching him. I heard he’s been with quite a few boys. How did he end up with your dream girl…” Chen Sheng’s words were cut off by a sharp look from Shen Tan.

“Let’s go.” Without waiting for Chen Sheng to leave, Shen Tan had the driver start the car. Chen Sheng quickly withdrew his head from the window, afraid the cold-blooded Shen Tan might take his life.

More than half an hour later, Shen Tan stood in his office, looking down at a man kneeling before him.

The man was over fifty, graying hair, gaunt and exhausted from years of indulgence. His cheeks were hollow, eyes lifeless. He looked up at Shen Tan in terror, utterly confused about what he had done to offend him. He had just been invited to the restaurant for tea, thinking the owner wanted to cozy up to him. Though he wasn’t involved in Shen family business, he was still a Shen family member. His shares were small, but the money was enough for a lifetime of pleasure.

Unexpectedly, before they could even exchange two sentences, he was knocked unconscious and woke up sprawled on Shen Tan’s office floor.

Even if turned to ashes, he would recognize Shen Tan’s office. The last time he was here, Shen Tan hadn’t yet become the family’s head.

Back then, after Shen Tan’s father died, the Shen family was in chaos. On his twentieth birthday, Shen Tan sat in this office chair, expressionless. Though he should have been in school, his aura was mature, radiating a terrifying presence. He slammed a document onto another Shen family member’s face, causing blood to pour from his eyes, yet Shen Tan remained unmoved. He threatened, “Two days. If the losses in this document aren’t recovered, I’ll take whatever else I want from you.”

He looked like a man of his word. From birth, he had been groomed as the heir, exposed to company affairs early and witnessed scenes many hadn’t. Cold, ruthless, decisive—the office fell silent instantly. No one dared make a sound.

Recalling the blood streaming down that man’s face sent shivers down the current man’s spine. And now before him stood the thirty-year-old Shen Tan who had held this position for years.

The man trembled, crawling to Shen Tan’s feet. “Mr. Shen… where am I? What did I do to displease you?”

Shen Tan lowered his eyes expressionlessly, stepping on the man’s outstretched hand with his polished shoe. The man screamed in pain but dared not pull away. “Lu Nande… Lu Nande… I gave him five million, ah!”

“Five million?” Shen Tan’s lips twitched slightly as he sat on the sofa, leaning forward with elbows on knees. Coldly, he said, “What deal did you make? Tell me in detail. If I like it, I might let you stay.”

The man shivered, ignoring the pain in his hand as he crawled closer. “The day before yesterday, I threw a party at home. Lu Nande came with a photo of a boy. I… have unusual tastes. He asked if I liked the boy, and he did fit my aesthetic. He asked for five million to sell him to me and arranged for us to meet today… I really didn’t trade any Shen family assets… the money was mine.”

He couldn’t understand why Shen Tan, usually buried in work and indifferent unless his interests were threatened, was investigating him today.

Could Lu Nande have set him up?

“Your own money?” Shen Tan leaned back, glancing toward the assistant at the door. “Gambling, private material trading, using banned substances, exploiting minors… take him in to confess.”

“Please, Mr. Shen! I won’t do it again! Shen Tan! I am still Shen family!”

No matter how hysterically the man screamed, Shen Tan never looked at him again.

Shen Tan opened his laptop on the coffee table and plugged in the USB drive Chen Sheng had given him. Soon, footage from the restaurant’s surveillance appeared.

The video showed Lu Mi entering the restaurant. Though his height was that of a normal boy, his figureI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.