Chapter 4: The Follower

Today, in just half a day, Shen Xin had experienced so much—he’d been shocked more times than in the entire first twenty years of his life combined, and he was both physically and mentally exhausted.

Back at the residential compound, he rode his little scooter to his rented apartment, collapsed onto the bed, and lay there in a daze. He couldn’t sleep, but he had no desire to get up either.

It was a little after four when his phone rang. Seeing Yu Yanan’s name on the screen, he answered without thinking.

“Hello? Shen Xin, why haven’t you been to class all day? Where did you go?”

“I’m at the apartment, trying to sleep.”

“Are you sick?”

Shen Xin replied weakly, “No, just tired. I wanted to lie down.”

“I’m coming over right now. Wait for me!”

Yu Yanan hung up and hurried over. Finding the door unlocked, she came straight in. Seeing Shen Xin lying rigidly on the bed, she rushed over, placed a hand on his forehead, and muttered in surprise, “No fever… Shall we go to the hospital just in case?”

“I’m fine, much better now. Yanan, let’s go get dinner. I’m starving.”

Shen Xin hadn’t eaten properly all day—he’d skipped breakfast, had no appetite for lunch, and now that he finally relaxed, his stomach was growling.

“Okay, I’ll call in sick and keep you company tonight.”

Yu Yanan picked up her phone, ready to take the night off from her part-time job at a fast-food place.

Shen Xin couldn’t help asking, “Yanan, isn’t your family pretty well-off? Why do you still work part-time?”

He’d wanted to ask this for a while. They’d been classmates in high school and ended up in the same university class, so he had a fair understanding of her family’s situation.

Yu Yanan’s family did have money—not fabulously wealthy, but certainly in the tens of millions. Yet, she was always low-key, especially in high school, so unobtrusive she was nearly invisible.

If they hadn’t ended up as university classmates, Shen Xin probably wouldn’t have remembered there was a girl named Yu Yanan in high school.

Back then, Yu Yanan wore her uniform every day, kept her hair short, was quiet and withdrawn, hardly spoke, commuted from home, and skipped evening self-study sessions, leaving barely an impression on anyone.

It was only in college that she started paying attention to her appearance—her hair grew long, her clothes became more colorful, and she was a bit livelier.

“My parents’ money isn’t mine, and I have a younger brother. The family fortune will be his someday.”

“No need to take the night off, really. I’m fine—let’s just go eat.”

“All right, if you insist.”

Yu Yanan was gentle by nature, and when she was with Shen Xin, she nearly always let him have his way.

Originally, Shen Xin wanted to eat at the canteen, but then remembered the restaurant reservation. It would be a shame to waste it. Besides, the others in the compound were out for the evening—they wouldn’t be eating at home. So he took Yu Yanan to Hualong Grand Restaurant on his little electric scooter.

“Hualong Grand Restaurant? Shen Xin, did you win the lottery?” Yu Yanan was incredulous. She knew his family background was modest and that he covered his living expenses by delivering food.

“Actually, I’ve just started a new part-time job. My boss is generous, and the staff meals are booked here. It’d be a waste not to come.”

“What kind of magical job is this? Can you get me in too?”

“Uh, I’m afraid it’d be too tough for you.”

He found them a table, ordered two main dishes, then handed her the menu, saying, “The meal standard is five dishes and one soup. Pick a few more.”

“Wow, just the two of us. How can we eat so much?”

She took the menu but hesitated to order more.

“If we can’t finish, you can pack it up for your dorm mates. It has to be five dishes and a soup—no exceptions.”

Half-believing, she added three more dishes and a soup. For someone from a well-off family, a meal costing over a thousand wasn’t extravagant.

Since the order was reserved as takeout, the restaurant only let them eat in the main hall after Shen Xin dropped one dish from the order.

Four dishes and a soup were more than enough for the two of them—especially since the portions were generous, served in large bowls.

For the first time that day, Shen Xin ate heartily, grease running down his chin. Still, between the two of them, they barely managed a quarter of the food.

Once they were full, Yu Yanan spoke up, “Shen Xin, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Go ahead,” Shen Xin replied, his stomach round, half-reclining in his chair.

“I feel like someone’s been following me on my way home from work at night.”

The moment Shen Xin heard this, he shot up from his chair, furious.

“What?! Someone’s stalking you? I’ll follow you tonight and see which bastard dares to try anything.”

“I’d rather you didn’t; what if you can’t handle him?”

“How can you say that? Your brother here is tough—I can handle three or five guys at once! Leave it to me. No one messes with my little sister.”

Shen Xin was confident in his physical strength. Growing up in the countryside meant years of farm work, and a year of food delivery had made him even stronger.

Yu Yanan smiled sweetly and didn’t argue further, packing up the leftovers.

Shen Xin didn’t take any with him—all of it went back to her dorm.

“Shen Xin, you don’t want to take some back to your place?”

He shook his head. He’d moved out in his second year, and his relationship with his dorm mates was just so-so. Since he seldom went back, bringing food would have felt awkward.

After seeing Yu Yanan back to her dorm, Shen Xin returned to his apartment and lay down again. At ten o’clock, he rode his scooter to the place where Yu Yanan worked.

He didn’t approach her directly, just called to let her know he was there, then followed her from a distance.

It wasn’t long before he noticed a young man trailing Yu Yanan—sneaky and suspicious.

He didn’t pounce right away, but followed for several hundred meters. Once he was sure the man was a stalker, he sped up, rushed forward, and landed a heavy kick on the guy’s backside.

“Ah!”

Caught off guard, the young man fell flat on his face.

Shen Xin rushed over, grabbed him by the collar, and landed a few solid punches to the back of his head.

“Ow, who is it? Why are you hitting me?”

“Wait, that voice sounds familiar!”

Shen Xin let go, dashed around to see the man’s face, and exclaimed in shock, “He Xuantong? Why is it you?!”

He was stunned. This was He Xuantong, a classmate of his. Since both were from the countryside, they had plenty in common and got along well.

“Ah, Shen Xin, why are you hitting me?” He Xuantong was furious at first, then immediately turned sheepish.

Shen Xin grinned teasingly, “Hey, what are you doing following Yu Yanan? Don’t tell me you’ve got a crush on her?”

“No, no, I was just heading the same way. You know, I’m doing private tutoring and just left my student’s house.”

Shen Xin knew He Xuantong’s situation—he was a diligent, hardworking student—so he pressed on, “Yanan is very pretty, with that first-love kind of face. It’s normal if you like her. Why hide it? If you like her, pursue her!”

He Xuantong’s eyes grew wide with disbelief.

“Wait, aren’t you two dating? Why would you say that?”

“Who started that rumor? She’s my sworn sister, all right?”

“What? Haven’t you two been living together for a year?”

“Living together? My foot! I’ve been single for twenty years, and Yanan sleeps in her dorm every night. Living together, my ass!”

“Bro—no, brother-in-law, you really don’t mind if I go after Yu Yanan?”

“Do whatever you want—it’s none of my business!”