The Sick Beauty Gave Up Struggling

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Translate by Hua

Shen Boyan arrived home before dinner. His coat was still stained with dew from the winter night, and the black hair on his head was slightly damp, as if there were water droplets falling from the trees.

He took off his coat and put it in the crook of his arm before accepting the soft hug from the young man.

The aroma of pomegranate fleetingly passed at the tip of his nose, and the soft arm fit against his upper arm muscles. Shen Boyan only left a short kiss on top of Xia Shu’an’s hair and quickly let him go.

“I’m going to go upstairs to change and get ready for dinner.”

“Good.”

Ten or so minutes later, the night officially began after the two were seated.

Tonight, the family was cooking Western food, and the knives, forks, and plates occasionally made slight clashing sounds. Neither of them paid much attention to dining etiquette. The enjoyment of food sometimes requires some ravenousness.

After slowly chewing away the juicy beef in his mouth, Shen Boyan put down his fork.

“There is a dinner party on Thursday night; do you want to go together?”

Xia Shu’an’s expression paused slightly.

Although he seemed to no longer appear in the upper-class circle with the Xia family’s decline, he hadn’t completely disappeared. He and Shen Boyan didn’t avoid anyone, so they were seen by people they knew, like yesterday. It’s not that surprising. Don’t Gu’s second child and Ji Jiayin both know about it?

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After staying in this circle for so many years, Xia Shu’an also knows that hiding something doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

“Go.” Xia Shu’an said quickly and in a natural tone:

“This Thursday? I’ll make sure to free up the time.”

“Okay, I’ll pick you up then.”

The two did not express any further opinions on the matter.

Thursday soon arrived.

This is a charity gala held by a prestigious senior from Rongchuan City and his wife, but charity has never been the focus of this kind of event. On Thursday, of course, after meeting with clients, Shen Boyan went to a hotel not far from the event center. Xia Shu’an left work and also went straight to the hotel. The two of them first changed their clothes.

These two suits were specially customized by a famous designer of a certain brand for the two men. Shen Boyan’s main color is gray-brown, and Xia Shu’an’s main color is blue. One is steady, and the other is noble. Shen Boyan wore a patterned satin tie. Xia Shu’an did not wear a tie but instead matched the suit with an Ouroboros pin.

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As soon as the two of them entered the room, they caused quite a stir. Naturally, this stir was because of Shen Boyan.

It has been less than a year since Shen Boyan and Wenhui settled in Rongchuan City, but he’s already considered new money in this city. As a young, handsome, and powerful figure, he naturally attracts a lot of attention, but he doesn’t like to socialize. Most people meet him in business settings. Some of the second and third generations who have not entered the power center of the company have not yet had a chance to meet him.

Seeing him at this appointment today naturally aroused heated discussion.

“President Shen!” Mr. Qi, the organizer of the party, went forward to shake his hand and said with a smile, “President Shen’s visit today has graced my humble abode with some luster.”

“You’re too courteous, Mr. Qi. How could I not come at your invitation?”

After the two briefly exchanged pleasantries, Mr. Qi turned to the person beside him, “And this is? Looks familiar…”

Xia Shu’an said openly, “I am Xia Shu’an, and my father is Xia Guangsong.”

“So this is Old Xia’s son. I haven’t seen him for many years. He’s grown so big in a blink of an eye.”

Although no one stepped in when the Xia family was in trouble, Xia Shu’an would not feel that everyone was his enemy. Relationships in the business circle are ones of mutual interest. It’s impossible to help someone unrelated at one’s own risk.

“Shu’an is bored today, so I brought him here with me to let off some steam.”

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“Yes, yes, then you two have fun.”

Some words don’t need to be said too explicitly. You can infer their relationship just by looking at the way they dress and behave intimately. Shen Boyan’s attitude at least shows that he doesn’t regard the Xia family’s kid as a plaything, and Mr. Qi will naturally not treat him coldly.

The two of them followed the waiter’s guidance and walked into the venue. Many people have seen them in these short two minutes. The pillars of the wealthy families in their thirties and forties didn’t know Xia Shu’an, but many of the younger generation who had seen him were either surprised, disdainful, or regretful.

“Why did Xia Shu’an get together with Shen Boyan? Hey, Li Er, weren’t you in the same class as Xia Shu’an? You go chat with him.”

The young man named Li Er touched his nose awkwardly and said, “That was long ago.”

When the Xia family was in trouble, they only stood on the sidelines and watched them sink. Isn’t it too shameless to try establishing a relationship now?

However, there are those who care about their faces, and naturally, there are also those who are shameless and don’t give a f.

“Xia Shu’an!”

A voice came from the side. Xia Shu’an turned around and saw an unfamiliar-looking man. The man walked towards him with a surprised and affectionate expression. If it wasn’t for the consideration of Shen Boyan beside him, he might have wanted to open his arms and hug him.

Xia Shu’an recalled for a moment and said, “You are Liu Shaofeng.”

“Yes, yes, you still remember me.”

Xia Shu’an smiled politely: “We were in the same class for a year.”

Of course, he wouldn’t remember him so clearly after being in the same class for a year. It’s just that Liu Shaofeng is good at handling people and has caused quite a few incidents. Xia Shu’an had heard so much about his deeds that he remembered his face and name.

“Shu’an, you haven’t been showing up lately; I’ve missed you.” He complained, half-serious, half-joking.

Xia Shu’an smiled and said nothing.

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Seeing that he didn’t answer anything, Liu Shaofeng looked embarrassed, then turned to Shen Boyan with a smile and said, “This must be President Shen, right? I didn’t even know that you and President Shen knew each other.”

Everyone in their circle knew that the Xia family was bankrupt and that Xia Shu’an was in trouble. Many of them have also expressed some heroic words to his face, but for some reason, there was no further development. Now that they saw Xia Shu’an and Shen Boyan appearing together, people naturally thought that he had hooked up with Shen Boyan; that’s why he hadn’t appeared much.

Mfn: Like saying they’d help him, etc.

A canary without a family background should be in great need of a “friend’s” support, right?

Liu Shaofeng said while one hand reached for Xia Shu’an’s shoulder.

“Mr. Liu, right?”

Shen Boyan swatted his hand away coldly, his eyes gloomy: “Shu’an and I still have friends to meet, so we won’t talk more.”

Shen Boyan put one hand on Xia Shu’an’s back and forcefully pushed him out of Liu Shaofeng’s field of vision. Liu Shaofeng’s face instantly stiffened, his cheeks twitching, and after a while, he let out a sound.

“What the heck? You think you’re so great just because you found a big thigh to hold onto?!”

He turned around with an obscure look on his face, but suddenly a middle-aged man in his forties came next to him and asked, “That person just now is Xia Guangsong’s son, Xia Shu’an?”

“Yes.” Liu Shaofeng looked him up and down and said bluntly, “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Gao Xiang…” The man took out his business card. Liu Shaofeng looked at the shining letter that described his status and immediately put away his contemptuous expression. The two of them laughed and started praising each other, followed by another pleasant conversation.

…….

Xia Shu’an may or may not have heard the sounds around him, but in any case, he didn’t pay attention to them. The upper-class gatherings were still the same as he remembered, with all kinds of people and glamor but few genuine smiles.

He did meet a few celebrities inside, and they were all good-looking. This was probably the only highlight of the party.

“Not fun?” Shen Boyan lowered his head and said softly, “Then we’ll go back early.”

Preparations were already underway for the charity auction ahead. Xia Shu’an asked curiously, “What item did you bring for the auction?”

“I’m the bidder.”

Just as he said, Shen Boyan held up the sign twice during the auction and bought a red and pink pearl necklace and a jade carving, respectively.

Xia Shu’an pointed to the string of pearls and said, “What are you going to do with it?”

Things from the auction cannot be given away to outsiders, nor were there any insiders to wear them, and the pearls didn’t suit his mother; the color was too pink.

Shen Boyan said calmly, “Take it out and use it as a prize at the annual meeting.”

Xia Shu’an: “So exaggerated?” The person who received this prize couldn’t be happier. It’s worth more than 10 million.

“Yes.” Shen Boyan said calmly,” Tear the necklace apart and give each of them one bead.”

Xia Shu’an couldn’t help but laugh. Shen Boyan looked at him, snickering, his gaze also flashing a smile.

As for the jade carving, Xia Shu’an felt that it looked familiar the first time he saw it. He could even remember where it was placed in his home.

After winning two auction items and spending more than 20 million, Shen Boyan’s mission was completed. The auction came to an end, and the venue became lively again.

Shen Boyan and Xia Shu’an had already left their seats and were ready to go back. There was a sudden hubbub from all around them, and when Xia Shu’an raised his head, he saw a man in his fifties walking towards them with a graceful lady.

The woman was wearing a bright red velvet evening dress, and the exquisite tailoring set off her beautiful figure. Her face isn’t very beautiful, but her temperament is outstanding, and her confident and elitist attitude indicates that she comes from a prestigious family.

The man had a smile on his face, while the woman’s gaze remained on Shen Boyan’s face from beginning to end.

Within a few breaths, the two of them had already come close.

“President Shen, this is my little niece, the third young miss of the Yun family. Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember.” Shen Boyan turned his eyes to the third young miss, nodded, and said, “Third Miss, it’s been a while.”

“President Shen, long time no see.”

The woman’s tone of voice is quite charming, like pearls falling on a jade plate, and every pronunciation seems to have been strictly taught.

She spoke slowly: “It’s been almost a year since we parted ways in Gaoping City. I’ve thought of you from time to time during this past year.”

Facing the ambiguous speech, Shen Boyan’s tone remained unchanged: “Thanks for your concern, Third Miss. As you can see, I’m doing well in Rongchuan now.”

“Indeed, you never had the time to attend a party like this before.”

There was a familiarity in her assessment of Shen Boyan. She seemed to want to say something else, but Shen Boyan interrupted her.

“President Zhang, Third Miss, I’m sorry, my boyfriend isn’t feeling well today, so we have to go back first. I’ll pay a visit on another day.”

This man, known as President Zhang, isn’t stupid. Upon hearing this, he knew that this was Shen Boyan politely rejecting Third Miss Yun. He looked regretful, but he was supposed to be doing a personal favor and wasn’t trying to get involved in the affairs of these youngsters.

Then he said, “In that case, I won’t delay President Shen’s time. Qingyi, let’s……”

“Uncle -” Yun Qingyi interrupted him: “I want to talk to President Shen alone for a while.”

She finally turned her gaze to Xia Shu’an, but she wasn’t really taking him in. In just one second, she returned to Shen Boyan and said, “Can you give me some time to talk to you alone?”

The smile on Shen Boyan’s face faded, leaving only a faint look of alienation in his eyes. He lowered his head and gently asked in Xia Shu’an’s ear, “Is that okay?”

Rather than asking for his opinion, it’s more like giving him respect in front of the public. Xia Shu’an didn’t want Shen Boyan to make enemies in the business circle for such a trivial matter, so he nodded and said, “Ok.”

Only then did Shen Boyan take a few steps out with Yun Qingyi, and the two of them went to an unoccupied place in the side hall. From Xia Shu’an’s angle, he could see the two of them talking.

The woman’s expression was calm; the look when she opened her mouth and the rate at which she spoke reminded Xia Shu’an of Shen Boyan when talking about work. Her face was confident and calm, and sometimes her eyes showed sharpness, so Xia Shu’an could easily imagine the sharpness in her words.

The two people stood together, not like a young man and a young woman talking in private, but like they were at a conference table involving major interests.

After a while, not knowing what Shen Boyan said, the woman revealed a puzzled expression, as if it were hard to understand his words. Immediately afterward, she turned her head quickly and glanced in Xia Shu’an’s direction, a glance filled with shock, as if she had seen some incomprehensible creature.

Xia Shu’an nodded slightly at her, with a perfectly social smile on his face.

The woman’s expression was more like she had seen a ghost.

Hua: Haven’t I ever mention this? If you notice mistakes in translation or typo, feel free to drop it in the comment or our discord server. I was told my editing kinda sloppy, so I’m a bit self-conscious.