Surprise! My online crush turned out to be... - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Shu Yang was sticking his butt out, spreading new sheets on someone’s bed when the man appeared at the door.

He felt like he was being watched closely from behind, so he turned his head. He saw a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, long-legged man standing at the door, watching him.

When he turned, he said, “Someone’s here.”

Shu Yang quickly put down his belongings and walked towards the door. “Who is it?”

After asking, he looked closely at Francis. “Are you sure you’re okay? You can rest here for a while.”

“No, it’s the fat guy who answered my call last time…” Francis said expressionlessly, as if the word didn’t have any positive or negative connotations, but simply a straightforward and descriptive adjective.

By the time he finished speaking, Shu Yang had already spotted Chen Yi and the other man downstairs.

“Oh, rare visitors!” Shu Yang felt a strange sense of relief as he walked up the stairs and saw the familiar faces. The pressure wasn’t as great anymore.

Chen Yi and Xu Mengran were sitting downstairs when they saw a fresh-faced young man briskly descend the stairs, followed by a tall man. His eyes followed the young man closely, as if he were afraid he’d fall.

Without replying to Shu Yang, Xu Mengran lowered her voice and said, “Chen Yi, why do I feel like there’s something wrong with these two?”

Chen Yi curled his lips. “Why would you? Anyone with a discerning eye can see it.”

“Well, I came to talk to you about something.” Chen Yi didn’t mince words with Shu Yang. He had a lot to say to Shu Yang, but now was clearly not the right time. He glanced at Francis standing beside him and said, “I need a favor, Shu Yang.”

“Go ahead.” Shu Yang sat down, patting the seat next to him and inviting Francis to sit down as well. Da Ge had just arrived, so he couldn’t lose his manners.

Fatty Shen’s eyes lit up with a hint of understanding, and he spoke directly, “Next month, Mengran and I are going home to get engaged.”

“What?!” This time, Shu Yang had truly forgotten he had a large pigeon by his side, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of water in Shen Yi’s face. The next second, his gaze flickered to Xu Mengran’s lower abdomen.

Seen what he meant, Shen Yi spat, “What are you thinking about? Nothing.”

“So… you’re so anxious?” Shu Yang’s temper calmed down, and the gentle pat on his back paused.

“It’s all my dear stepmother’s fault, constantly instigating this in front of my dad.” Shen Yi paused, glanced at Xu Mengran, and continued, “Actually, Mengran and I are pretty good. It’s just that we haven’t spent enough time together. But there’s no other way. And as far as I’m concerned, this time, we won’t have a big deal. Just treat Mengran’s family and my dad to a meal.”

The implication was that even if the two of them couldn’t make it together, it wouldn’t be a mess.

Shu Yang raised an eyebrow, looking at the two people sitting on the sofa. Chen Yi’s words were rather rude, as if he’d only gotten engaged to the girl out of necessity.

Thankfully, Xu Mengran didn’t show any displeasure, apparently the two had already reached an agreement privately.

“As long as you’ve agreed on something.” Shu Yang leaned back. “What do you need my help with?”

“It’s just…” Chen Yi blushed for a rare moment. “I went to Mengran’s house the day before yesterday to meet his parents, but his uncle and aunt don’t like me. And this was done so hastily, no one would be happy.”

“Well, then?” Shu Yang heard this, still confused as to what Chen Yi wanted from him.

“You’re good at playing nice, teach me. I’m going to Mengran’s house again…” At this point, Chen Yi fell silent. After all, there was a stranger present, and he didn’t want to be too blunt.

“…” Shu Yang was speechless for a moment. He glanced at Xu Mengran, only to see her blushing slightly. He continued to look at the others, his gaze shifting to Francis beside him.

He suddenly realized that he had been a little too relaxed. With such an adult beside him, he had almost forgotten his existence.

What Shu Yang didn’t know was that Francis was deliberately restraining his presence, aiming to lower his guard.

“Shu Yang, it’s actually okay. I can convince my parents.” Xu Mengran tugged at the hem of her clothes, and it was clear that she was a little nervous. After all, she was still young, and it was a bit premature to tell her about an engagement at this point.

Although Shen Yi had given her some assurances, no one could be sure that it would last. However, as Shen Yi’s girlfriend, she couldn’t just give up without even trying.

Fatty Shen’s suggestion wasn’t a major problem at all, but Shu Yang pondered for a moment before saying to Shen, “Could you please explain it to me? Come on, what do you mean by pretending to be nice? I’m a 21st-century, well-bred young man, okay?”

With that, Shen Yi agreed, and he nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, red, red. Then can you come with me?”

Shu Yang beamed. “What’s the big deal about me coming with you? Aren’t you afraid Meng Ran’s mother will fall for me and make me her son-in-law? What’s your business?”

Shen Yi’s breath caught. It seemed like a reasonable thing to do.

“But I don’t have much experience, is the problem,” Shu Yang scratched his head. “And it’s just a matter of being a little more obedient and tactful. It seems… that’s all there is to it?”

“No, brother, what’s the difference between saying it and not saying it?” Fatty Shen patted the sofa beside him.

The back-and-forth between the two of them actually made Xu Mengran laugh. She nudged Fatty Shen and said, “That’s enough. Shu Yang has no experience.”

Fatty Shen turned to face her and nodded repeatedly. “Looks like we’ve got the wrong person. How about we ask someone else?”

Xu Mengran thought for a moment, then nodded.

After receiving permission, Fatty Shen stood up. “Okay, Shu Yang, we’re leaving now. We’ll come back another day.”

Shu Yang nodded and sat on the sofa, not even mentioning seeing her off. He and Fatty Shen didn’t care about such a small matter. Besides, Fatty Shen treated him just like he did at home, without any formalities. If he actually went to see him off, it would only distance him.

Fatty Shen was a cunning man. For all the things he said, not a single word was true.

Based on Shu Yang’s understanding of Shen Yi, the meeting with his parents was likely true, and the rest were fabricated. He was most likely just bringing Xu Mengran to get acquainted. Since he and Xu Mengran started dating, they had never appeared together in front of their brothers. This visit was a direct acknowledgement of Xu Mengran’s status as his girlfriend. Everyone would be more considerate of her in the future.

But as soon as the two of them left, the atmosphere in the living room quickly cooled. Shu Yang swallowed, not forgetting that there was someone sitting next to him.

“Want some water, Da Ge?” Shu Yang sat up straight. He hadn’t forgotten that Da Ge always stood tall and straight.

“Here.” Francis was less formal than Shu Yang had imagined. He leaned against the sofa, looking at the boy beside him. After the stranger left, his back straightened a little, and every strand of his hair showed his nervousness.

After hearing his words, Shu Yang glanced at the untouched water on the table and chuckled, embarrassed but polite.

“When are you leaving, pigeon?” Shu Yang realized he was dismissing her. He added, “But you’re always welcome here. Stay as long as you want.”

“Okay.”

Francis stood up from the sofa and turned on his computer. A blue screen beamed into the air, and Joyce’s messages popped up one by one.

Shu Yang was stunned. To be honest, he had seen things like 3D projection screens, but they were clearly not practical for everyday use. So, something like this, something out of a sci-fi movie, piqued his interest.

After reading all the messages in chronological order, Francis turned and looked at Shu Yang.

“I might have to bother you for a while. The shuttle’s broken, and I have no other way to get back.”

“Ah, okay.” Shu Yang closed his mouth, trying not to embarrass the Earthlings.

But seriously, how can one remain graceful in front of one’s ideal type? Urgent! Waiting online!

“Is that your friend?” Francis thought of the two people from earlier. He’d seen one of them on video chat. That same morning, the person had told him that Shu Yang was still asleep. He remembered this very clearly.

“Yes, the boy’s name is Shen Yi, and the girl is his girlfriend, Xu Mengran.”

“Did you live together before?” Francis spun the laptop on his wrist, as if it were just a normal question.

Shu Yang didn’t think much of it. If he didn’t say some meaningless things now, the atmosphere between them would become awkward. It would be better if it stayed like this.

“Fatty Shen had some family matters, so he stayed with me for a few days. I’ve prepared another guest room for you.” Shu Yang added this without knowing why.

The house was quite large, and there was more than one guest bedroom upstairs. Although Shen Yi had left and the room had been redecorated, Shu Yang somehow didn’t want Francis to use something that had just been used by someone else.

He wanted to give him a new room.

Francis looked at the boy, who seemed to be distracted as he spoke, his eyes tinged with a hint of a smile, but more of a solemn expression.

Though he didn’t show it, he now faced a serious problem. His route had deviated, sending him to Blue Star. But Blue Star didn’t have the technology to send him back, so how could he return to his empire?

After arriving at the room Shu Yang had given him, Francis tried to send a message to Joyce, which went through successfully.

Far away on the empire’s capital planet, Joyce read the short message, practically wiping away tears.