Chapter 4 Dry Mouth and Tongue

"You've been attending his classes for half a year, being together every day, you must be familiar; how about calling Xiao Yu over too? I heard Old Song begged him several times with no response."

"If you get Xiao Yu to help Old Song, he can take care of Dad's business all by himself this time, and I'll fulfill any request you have."

He said it as casually as farting.

Sheng Shushu laughed in exasperation.

"He recognizes no kin; even Old Master Xiao can't persuade him, so what am I, a hot pepper?"

The Capital Circle knows that no matter how bad a company is, if Xiao Yu agrees to help it's as if he can turn stones into gold.

Such a man, easily persuaded?

Speaking of Xiao Yu's lips, Sheng Shushu remembered those cool, indifferent lips; kissing her they were incredibly hot, intense, from her hair to her lips.

Down to her neck.

To her abdomen.

Sheng Shushu's thoughts started to drift; she turned to hide her expression and went upstairs.

"If you don't agree, I'll take my mistress to see Grandpa..."

Sheng Shushu suddenly stopped, turned around to look down, "Are you human? He's my grandpa, and first and foremost, your own father!"

What, has his brain short-circuited?

Sheng Huannian snorted coldly, "From the moment he forced me to marry your mother, we had nothing fatherly and son-like to talk about."

Sheng Shushu took a deep breath.

She believed he would do it, otherwise Grandpa wouldn't have had to move to a nursing home!

A son so unfilial that he'd rather support a mistress than his own father.

With a bang, Sheng Shushu shut the bedroom door and collapsed onto the bed.

After much thought, she finally focused on the message Xiao Yu had sent her.

She paused in the text box for at least two minutes.

Then she backed out.

And sent a message to Lu Banxia: [Please tell Xiao Yu to pick up the documents at Handun.]

Lu Banxia replied with a cheeky emoticon: [Ambiguous.jpg]

Evening came.

Sheng Shushu and her father arrived first.

Handun Hotel was so busy that those without reservations couldn't get in; they stood waiting at the entrance.

Her figure, looking down at her phone, caught the eye of the man in the building opposite.

"Professor Xiao?" Zhou Ling called to him.

Xiao Yu glanced sideways, "I'll have a smoke."

Zhousheng Jewelry had a problem with a shipment, requiring an urgent crisis plan; Xiao Yu had been invited to provide solutions.

Director Zhou indulged him with a request, anything but the impossible.

Now that the matter was finished and he was ready to leave, an accidental glimpse made Xiao Yu's long legs come to a halt.

He lit a cigarette, continued to stand by the window, the distance across the entire street made him squint, his gaze penetrating through the smoke, cold and deep.

His phone rang.

Xiao Yu held the cigarette in one hand and the phone in the other, his gaze never shifting, "Speak."

"Miss Sheng has been at the door for a while, I checked, no reservation," Zong Yiheng confirmed after looking through the hotel system.

Xiao Yu remained silent for several seconds.

Then hung up.

And then he looked down at his phone, only to see Lu Banxia mentioning him in a group chat.

Two minutes later.

"Did you bring the manual?"

Sheng Shushu heard Xiao Yu's voice above her head out of the blue, and when she turned around, she nearly crashed into his arms.

"Her uncle? I was waiting for my business partner, and he's taking forever. Yet, here you are!" Sheng Huannian feigned surprise.

Inviting Xiao Yu was as hard as sending a sheltered daughter away to marriage; he hadn't expected his daughter to really bring him there.

Xiao Yu's gaze fell on her face, unsure whether he was waiting for her to give him the documents or invite him.

"Go on, call him," Sheng Huannian nudged her, "Call 'uncle'!"

Sheng Shushu's legs went weak, her knees aching, and she was pushed abruptly, stumbling into Xiao Yu's arms.

She felt her scalp tingle.

The phrase "uncle" reverberated in her mind, the scenes from last night ran wild.

Throughout, he seemed to coax her several times.

"Call out."

"Call it again."

Her mind was a hazy mess as she obediently complied, not sure if she was reborn or still living in her past life.

After all, in his previous life, whenever his emotions ran deep, he also liked it when she called him that.

What he exchanged for that was the wildness beneath his gentlemanly exterior.

"Professor Xiao." She finally spoke, stepping back from his embrace.

Xiao Yu's Adam's apple bobbed as he grunted in acknowledgment.

Sheng Shushu's mind went blank, feeling unable to sit down and finish a meal with Xiao Yu, hand over the materials, and leave quickly.

Seeing her like this, Sheng Huannian was so anxious it was like beetles were crawling in his heart, wishing he could pluck a corner off her.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Xiao Yu's voice was always low and not particularly warm, but it was clear enough for her to hear.

"Not yet!" Sheng Huannian answered preemptively, "Why don't we eat together? My treat!"

Xiao Yu's gaze retracted from Sheng Shushu's face, "That's kind of you."

Hearing his agreement, Sheng Huannian hurried inside. Men, after all, like to save face, so he put on airs and went to the front desk to argue.

"How can it be unavailable? I clearly made a reservation. Is there a system error, or did you give it away to someone else?"

"This kind of sloppiness won't do for your work..."

Sheng Shushu pulled at him.

Her acting was really poor.

"What's the matter?" Boss Zong Yiheng came downstairs.

He spotted Xiao Yu in an instant. Did the guy fly over here? That fast?

Sheng Huannian put on another act.

Zong Yiheng didn't expose him but instead offered an apology, "I'm truly sorry. I didn't know he was a relative of Brother Yu. How about you make do with the private room upstairs? My treat?"

Handun Hotel had eight floors in total, five for dining and two for accommodation.

It was not large, but it was the must-choose spot for dining among the prominent figures in the Capital Circle, and it required a reservation.

The top floor indeed had private rooms, which even Zong Yiheng himself didn't use. Who they were for was always a mystery.

Zong Yiheng led the way in front, looking back to see Sheng Shushu following behind like a quail.

Where had her boldness and liveliness gone?

After entering the private room, Sheng Huannian immediately messaged his business partner to come over.

The room was luxurious but also understated, different from the other rooms. It wasn't just a simple dining table.

There were separate areas for eating, drinking, entertainment, and sleeping, with a dedicated phone line, customized negotiation table, fax machine, printer—everything necessary for conducting business matters.

The dishes were served exceptionally quickly.

Sheng Shushu's stomach growled softly.

But Sheng Huannian's business partner hadn't arrived yet.

She picked up a cup and sipped water in an attempt to cover her embarrassment.

Xiao Yu was the first to pick up his chopsticks, "Let's eat first."

Sheng Huannian smiled awkwardly without daring to say anything and even acted obsequiously, "Eat, eat, eat. Her uncle has been lecturing all day and must be parched and hungry. We can't have him starving!"

Sheng Shushu was indeed hungry. Since last night, with all that energy expended, she hadn't really eaten much.

She bowed her head and took small bites, then her father kicked her under the table, "Shushu, don't just focus on eating. Toast your uncle a drink. Think of how much money you saved by attending his classes for free last semester!"

"Cough!"

The mouthful Sheng Shushu had just eaten was choked out.

She "attended for free" Xiao Yu's classes?

What a scandalous phrase.

Xiao Yu, however, was unperturbed, his voice gentle, "Children shouldn't drink alcohol."

"She'll be twenty-one after the new year." Sheng Huannian said with a laugh, "Not so young anymore."

Xiao Yu's gaze swept past Sheng Shushu; his eyes devoid of desire and his thin lips slightly parted, yet he ambiguously remarked:

"Indeed, not young."

Sheng Shushu felt a tingling not only on her scalp but also on her fingertips.

There weren't such things in her previous life, and she was unclear about Xiao Yu's thoughts.

Probably just detached sarcasm.

Fortunately, the guest arrived, and the matter of her toasting was briefly put aside.

Upon seeing Xiao Yu, the guest was clearly excited, "Professor Xiao, it's truly an honor! I'm Song Quanxing. I've sent you an email!"

Having sent the email over a month ago, Song Quanxing had lost hope.

After all, there was only one Xiao Yu in the entire Quanjing, and he was very busy.

Although Xiao Yu was just a professor at Capital University, he had conducted corporate risk assessments for Fortune 500 companies, reversing potential losses of tens of billions, and had shot to fame as a result.

Afterwards, many enterprises frequently sought him for risk assessments and crisis management schemes, each one a gem.

This was why Xiao Elder wanted him to join the company.

But he refused Xiao Elder with the excuse, "As an illegitimate child, I shouldn't tarnish the Xiao family name," not giving a scrap of face to the old man.