Ch.15 – What to Call

Shen Yu hadn’t realized that the person in front of him just now was Tang Li. He was stunned. The sleepiness that lingered in his mind cleared up instantly. He laughed and asked, “Were you scared?”

“Yes, a little bit.” Tang Li looked down at Shen Yu and dropped the blanket in his hand.

In fact, Shen Yu was frightened by Tang Li’s action, and did not intend to sleep any more. However, he did not refuse the thin blanket that the villain had specially brought over for him. He touched the villain’s head with a smile and said, “You came back early today.”

Recently, Shen Yu was busy dealing with the affairs of the company, so he asked Uncle Zhang to take Tang Li to and from school instead of him.

Generally, Uncle Zhang and Tang Li will arrive home around six o’clock, but today they were nearly half an hour ahead of schedule.

Tang Li nodded and said, “Dr. Liu is coming by later, so housekeeper Zhang picked me up from school early today.”

After thinking about it, Shen Yu suddenly recalled that today is the last time Dr. Liu was coming over to check on Tang Li.

After careful medical care and recuperation during this period, Tang Li, who was as thin as a baby monkey, grew fuller and taller. The bruises and scars on his body had already healed, and finally he had the normal appearance of a 10-year-old child.

It was then that Shen Yu found out something important…

This villain is in no way ordinary looking.

The skin is fair and white, the jawline is sharp, the thin lips are pale pink like cherry blossoms, and the beautiful Phoenix eyes shine like stars.

And the little villain’s legs are just. too. long!

Previously, he wore loose clothes that were not so obvious. But now, he mostly wore his school uniform with neatly cut hair, white shirts with a dark blue knitted vest outside, and straight black trousers underneath.

How could people not like him?

No wonder there are so many girls in the original novel who are fascinated by Tang Li and even willing to go through fire for him.

Even Shen Yu, another high-level man, has to admit that the villain seemed to have been carefully sculpted by an artist.

Unfortunately, the female lead can’t seem to appreciate Tang Li’s face, instead she is devoted to the male lead.

Thinking of the fate of the little villain, Shen Yu couldn’t help feeling bad about it. It’s like the little villain he was putting so much effort into raising was being treated as inferior goods.

With a sigh, Shen Yu threw away all those confusing ideas in his mind and happily introduced several new computers and the latest smart phone to Tang Li.

As soon as Shen Yu finished, he heard a knock on the door.

He looked up.

Uncle Zhang stood in front of the half-open door and said, “Sir, Dr. Liu is here.”

Tang Li did not speak, but turned his head to Shen Yu.

Shen Yu gently pinched the soft cheeks of the little villain and laughed, “Go ahead.”

Tang Li nodded and looked at Shen Yu with some reluctance. He stared at Shen Yu for five seconds, then silently took off his schoolbag, put it on the desk with his mobile phone, and left the bedroom with Uncle Zhang.

Shen Yu turned off the computer and was ready to go back to his study to continue his business.

As he left, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the pink paper ball tucked inside Tang Li’s schoolbag.

Shen Yu was stunned and thought it was an advertisement, so he reached in and pulled out the paper ball.

Soon, however, Shen Yu found something wrong.

This paper is not like an advertisement listing at all. It was an envelope that emits a light perfume scent.

By this time, if Shen Yu couldn’t guess what the paper ball was, then it could be said that his IQ wasn’t very high.

He put the paper ball on the table, spread it out and rubbed it flat.

It was a pink envelope.

On it, beautiful handwriting had been used to write three words “To Tang Li”.

Shen Yu: “…”

At this moment, his mind fell into chaos.

Are children so precocious nowadays? The kid was only in elementary school and he was already getting love letters!

Shen Yu remembers that when he was Tang Li’s age, he was still playing games with his friends. In their eyes, there was no difference between men and women at all, let alone writing love letters to the opposite sex to express such an emotion as love.

Although Shen Yu, as a parent, does not object to Tang Li’s puppy love, but to be in love in elementary school… It’s too early.

Shen Yu thought twice, but decided to stay in the bedroom and wait for Tang Li to come back. It seemed that it was necessary for him to give the little villain an education on these matters.

It took about half an hour for Tang Li to return.

Seeing Shen Yu still sitting at his desk waiting for him, the little villain’s eyes suddenly lit up and he rushed to Shen Yu with his two slender legs.

As the villain was about to speak, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the pink envelope in Shen Yu’s hand.

The next second, Tang Li suddenly stiffed, and the joy that had overflowed on his face disappeared as his expression sank.

Shen Yu noticed the change of Tang Li and thought that the little villain didn’t like people touching his things, so he quickly put the envelope back on the table.

“Sorry, I thought it was an advertisement stuffed into your schoolbag before I took it out. I didn’t intentionally peep at your stuff.” Shen Yu explained.

Fortunately, he did not open the envelope when he had it in his hands or he might have really angered the little villain. Shen Yu secretly thought.

Tang Li clenched his jaw with an ugly face. He stood there for a moment, then without saying a word, picked up the envelope.

Just when Shen Yu thought that Tang Li would put the envelope in a drawer or his schoolbag, he saw Tang Li stretch out his hands and tear it to pieces. Even the love letter inside the envelope that had not yet been seen, was also turned into fragments and thrown into the trash can.

Shen Yu was shocked by Tang Li’s sudden action. He had no idea that Tang Li would react so fiercely.

For a while, even the preaching words that had been previously brewing in Shen Yu’s heart became abruptly stuck in the throat so that he could not spit out a single one.

Tang Li neatly packed up the garbage bag and carried it out to a servant. When he came back, he saw Shen Yu sitting stiff in a wheelchair. His expression was somewhat complicated, and his eyes looked at him with amazement.

When Tang Li approached, Shen Yu began to say, “I’m sorry, I…”

Before he finished, he was interrupted by Tang Li’s low voice: “I didn’t know she put that thing in my schoolbag.”

Shen Yu paused for a while and hesitated before asking, “Who was it?

“A middle school girl, I forgot her name.” Tang Li stood upright, his head drooping, and he dared not look directly at Shen Yu’s eyes. “She often came to see me from the junior high school. I refused many times. She didn’t listen to me, and she always writes me those strange letters.”

The little villain’s mood was low and his voice was dull. He stood in front of Shen Yu in a dejected and well-behaved manner, in sharp contrast to the violent appearance he had when he tore the love letter.

In this way, it seems pitiful.

Like a puppy reprimanded by its owner, with his ears hanging down and his face full of endless grievances.

After some time, this pitiful “puppy” said, “Shen Yu, don’t misunderstand me.”

Finally, Shen Yu’s senses return, it turned out that Tang Li was not angry because of his actions, but angry that girl from the junior high school secretly put a love letter into his schoolbag.

After realizing this, Shen Yu breathed a sigh of relief and at the same time was amused that he had not even started to educate this little villain, but the child himself was already grieving.

“I didn’t misunderstand you.” Shen Yu said, “It can be seen from the crumpled state of the letter that someone deliberately put it in while you were not paying attention.”

Tang Li’s tight brows slowly relaxed: “Em.”

“And.” Shen Yu changed the subject and raised his chin, pretending to be angry. “Who taught you to call my name directly? Don’t you think it’s rude to do that?”

Tang Li frowned again: “What should I call you then?”

Hearing this, Shen Yu reflexively wants Tang Li to call him father. Maybe with this superficial father-son relationship, the possibility of Tang Li’s dreadful actions towards him will be less likely in the future.

Unfortunately, Shen Yu has a Thieves’ heart but not a Thieves’ courage [1] . Even though the villain is young, Shen Yu dared not to ride on the back of this future monster king [2] .

After thinking about it, Shen Yu said, “Call me brother.”

Tang Li looked at Shen Yu in silence, with an indifferent expression on his face.

Eventually, Shen Yu felt he would die from the awkward silence, and continued desperately, “You could call me uncle, although I don’t know if I’d be an uncle at only twenty-three years old…”

Tang Li continued to play dumb.

Shen Yu, helpless, pondered for a while and tentatively asked, “What do you want to call me?”

Tang Li answered quickly, “Shen Yu.”

“…” Shen Yu endured and endured, forcefully enduring the impulse to beat some sense into the child, he struggled for half a day, and finally made a difficult compromise, “Well, as long as you are happy…”

Tang Li laughed. “Okay, Shen Yu.”

Shen Yu: “…”

——————————

Fortunately, Shen Yu is someone that can self-comfort.

It’s not important what this petty villain calls him, what’s important is to gradually change the character of the petty villain and bring the sick, violent and aggressive villain onto the healthy, honest and kind road.

Now it can be seen that Tang Li has begun to care about his opinion, which is a good starting point.

Time flies quickly, and finally, it’s Saturday.

As Elder Shen was worried about being stood up by Shen Yu, he called Shen Yu several times early in the morning and told him to remember that he was expected at dinner tonight.

Finally, Elder Shen emphasized that if Shen Yu came down with a sudden illness and could not show up, as he had done several times before, then this grandfather would take the girl directly to the company to find him.

Shen Yu: “…”

He was really afraid of this stubborn old man.

It’s just a meal together. It’s not necessary to get married. He will simply have to deal with the old man’s strategies as they come [3] .

After making up his mind, Shen Yu naturally decided to take the little villains with him.

In the afternoon, Shen Yu changed into a slightly more formal suit and went to Tang Li’s school with Uncle Zhang.

When they arrived at the school, a line of luxury cars had been parked on the curb outside to pick up the students. After waiting for less than five minutes, the security guards opened the gate and soon students came out one after another.

The students were all wearing uniforms of the same color and style, so it was difficult to find a specific person.

Shen Yu wanted to take out his mobile phone and call Tang Li, when suddenly, he found a familiar figure in the crowd.

Tang Li, who was also wearing the school’s designated uniform, was walking expressionless amongst the other students. His fair skin and beautiful face made Shen Yu find him in the crowd at a glance. At this time, Tang Li was accompanied by a girl who looked like a flower fairy.

The little girl intentionally approached Tang Li, tilted her head and said something to Tang Li with a smile on her face.

However, Tang Li did not seem to hear the little girl’s words. There wasn’t even the slightest change in his indifferent eyes. He was simply absorbed with moving towards the gate.

“Chestnut.” Shen Yu called out.

His voice was not very loud, but it was instantly caught by Tang Li.

Tang Li followed the voice and finally looked at Shen Yu, warmth radiating from his previously indifferent eyes. The little villain was stunned. Then he burst into a brilliant smile. He immediately left the little girl behind him and squeezed between the students until he arrived in front of the car.

“Shen Yu!” Tang Li shouted, his beautiful Phoenix eyes seemed to shine brightly.

[1] meaning he has the desire to steal something (in this case Tang Li’s “father” position), but not the courage to actually act.

[2] meaning he doesn’t have the courage to try to take advantage of, or control, something that could easily harm him.

[3] originally 兵来将挡，水来土掩, translated as “Soldiers to the enemy, water to soil”. This is an idiom meaning adopt different methods of approach depending on the specific circumstances.