ACMS 37

Chapter 37: Safety Measures

The traditional medicine prescription had originally been prepared by Wu Huilan after she suspected Shen Hechuan might have some hidden health issues. She had gone to an old Chinese doctor specially to get it, planning to give it to him for nourishment.

Well, now things had taken a turn—not only had Shen Hechuan taken it, but even Qiao Le hadn’t been spared.

The two exchanged a glance, both realizing what had triggered the uncontrollable chaos of last night.

But Shen Hechuan knew full well—he lost control not because of the tonic, but because he never intended to restrain himself.

The person he liked was right there in front of him, even taking the initiative. If he had managed to hold back, that would have been surprising.

Unaware of the secret exchange between the two, Wu Huilan said cheerfully, “You must be hungry. I had Aunt Liu keep the dishes warm for you.”

As she turned to call Aunt Liu to bring over breakfast, Qiao Le lowered his voice and said to Shen Hechuan, “Did you hear that? It was the tonic’s fault. I’m a victim too.”

Shen Hechuan looked at him, slightly surprised. “Not a beneficiary?”

Qiao Le: “…”

You really dare to say it—but I don’t dare to hear it!

“Why so quiet?” Shen Hechuan asked.

“That’s enough!” Qiao Le couldn’t take it anymore and pinched him. “Who’s the real beneficiary here? You didn’t even use protection, and you have the nerve to talk like that.”

Shen Hechuan knew he was at fault there. Even if he was healthy, he should’ve taken safety precautions.

He admitted it with no hesitation: “My mistake. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Qiao Le was stunned. “Next time?!”

“Of course.” Shen Hechuan replied honestly, without a hint of shame. “I’m a perfectly normal man.”

Then he looked at Qiao Le, a little surprised. “You don’t want to?”

“I—”

Qiao Le wanted to argue but didn’t know how to shut him up.

This man was too shameless. How was he supposed to respond to that? If he said no, it would sound like he wasn’t a normal guy. But saying yes felt even more wrong.

Especially because… he actually did enjoy it.

He remembered what Fang Jiaxu had said—Shen Hechuan looked very capable.

And indeed, he was.

“What are you thinking about?” Shen Hechuan asked, observing him closely. “Why is your face red?”

Caught red-handed, Qiao Le made up an excuse on the spot. “It’s hot. Blame that tonic.”

“I see.” Shen Hechuan let it go and didn’t expose him. “Drink less next time.”

Qiao Le: “…”

Why had he ever thought Shen Hechuan was gentle, polite, and reserved?

The two of them murmured and whispered to each other for quite a while. Xiao Qiao Man had been watching them for a bit and finally asked, “Brother, what are you and Uncle Shen whispering about? Can I hear it too?”

Of course not.

Adult topics were not for kids’ ears.

Qiao Le put on a serious face. “Nope. Grown-up stuff. We’ll tell you when you’re older.”

Qiao Man was only asking out of curiosity. Hearing that, he nodded and went back to his homework. After finishing, he asked about Aunt Chen Li and Uncle Liang Jiancheng.

After the banquet last night, Fang Jiaxu had taken them back to their hotel in the city.

Qiao Le had also been planning to visit his uncle and aunt. Since it was a rare trip, he wanted to take them sightseeing and show them around.

He shared his plan with Shen Hechuan, who said, “Let’s go together.”

“You’re not busy?” Qiao Le asked.

“Nope,” Shen Hechuan replied, picking up his coat and standing from the sofa. “I’m on wedding leave.”

Qiao Le: “…” So you are slacking off.

So the three of them said goodbye to Wu Huilan, and after lunch, returned to the city to pick up his uncle and aunt.

They only stayed for three days before heading back to their town. One of them had classes to teach, the other had a construction project—neither could stay long.

On the day they returned, Shen Hechuan arranged for someone to drive them back.

Chen Li had gotten a basic understanding of the Shen family during this trip. She looked at the two young men, her face full of warmth and contentment, and said with a smile, “Your uncle and I are heading back now. You two live well, and come visit us when you can.”

Qiao Le replied, “You and Uncle take care of yourselves.”

“Of course.”

Chen Li squatted down to gently cup Qiao Man’s face, eyes filled with affection. “Sweetheart, eat well, study hard, and be a good boy for your brother, okay?”

Qiao Man nodded vigorously. “Mm! I’ll listen to Auntie, I’ll listen to brother!”

“Good boy.”

After Chen Li and Liang Jiancheng got in the car and left, Shen Hechuan took Qiao Le and Qiao Man to school.

The car stopped at the gate of Yunjing University. As Qiao Le got out and was about to head in, Shen Hechuan rolled down the window and called out to him, “Wait—your phone.”

Qiao Le patted his pocket and realized he’d left his phone in the car. He turned back and took it from Shen Hechuan.

“I’ll come pick you up after class,” Shen Hechuan said.

The two had agreed to have dinner together that evening. Qiao Le nodded and reminded him to drive safely.

He stepped back a few paces, waved at Shen Hechuan, and only turned toward the school after watching the car drive off. He had only walked a few steps when he saw Chen Hao not far away.

Pointing in the direction the car had driven off, Chen Hao asked teasingly, “Your boyfriend? He looks pretty handsome.”

“Yeah,” Qiao Le nodded. “You saw him?”

“Not clearly,” Chen Hao said.

“…Then how do you know he’s handsome?”

“The vibe, man, the vibe—don’t you get it?” Chen Hao said. “Anyone driving a Mercedes G-Class can’t be ugly. Just the silhouette gives it away.”

True enough, a man who drove a G-Wagon was unlikely to be unattractive.

Qiao Le had already signed up for a driver’s license test. Once he passed, he’d be able to drive a G-Wagon one-handed too—just the thought of it felt cool.

Though he didn’t know what had gotten into Shen Hechuan lately—he’d been driving that particular car all the time, as if the others had fallen out of favor.

“What are you doing here?” he asked Chen Hao.

“I just got here too. Saw you getting out of the car and figured I’d wait,” Chen Hao said, walking with him. “Oh, right—tomorrow’s my birthday. You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Of course not.”

Chen Hao had been Qiao Le’s first friend since returning to school. He’d even prepared a gift. “Don’t worry.”

Hearing that, Chen Hao grinned ear to ear. “You sure you don’t want me to send a car to pick you up? Don’t be polite—my family has a driver. Or I can come get you myself.”

Qiao Le laughed. “You’re the birthday boy. Just wait at home to collect your gifts.”

“It’s no big deal,” Chen Hao said breezily. “Hey, want to bring your plus one? With someone familiar around, you’ll have more fun.”

Qiao Le remembered that Shen Hechuan had a social event the next day and replied, “No, he has plans.”

“Alright then.” Chen Hao had just been making conversation. Whether or not Qiao Le’s boyfriend came didn’t matter—so long as Qiao Le came, he’d be happy. “But come early, okay? We can shoot some hoops first.”

“Sure,” Qiao Le agreed easily. He didn’t have class in the afternoon anyway.

The two chatted while walking toward campus, parting ways at a fork in the road.

When Qiao Le got to the classroom, the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.

He pulled out his phone and practiced some driving theory questions for the written test he’d scheduled for the morning after next.

After two rounds, his score was steady above 95. Feeling confident, he exited the app and opened WeChat.

Su Qiao had messaged him, asking when he was free to visit the club, and had also sent over a bunch of photos from recent events.

Qiao Le scrolled through them—they actually looked pretty fun.

But since he had a full day of classes, he just messaged her back and pulled out a textbook to prepare for the lecture.

That afternoon, Shen Hechuan picked him up. After dinner, they stopped by a shop to pick up the gift for Chen Hao, then returned home.

On Chen Hao’s birthday, the party was set for 7 p.m., but Qiao Le arrived early.

Led in by the butler, he had just stepped into the courtyard when Chen Hao came running up. “Qiao Le, you’re here!”

“Yeah.” Qiao Le handed over the gift he’d prepared. “Happy birthday.”

“You didn’t have to bring a gift!” Chen Hao said, accepting it anyway. The moment he saw the logo on the box, his face lit up—it was from his favorite brand, and a limited edition racquet, no less.

He whistled and immediately opened the box, taking out the racquet.

The red and black color scheme was classic and bold. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and the grip felt just right.

Chen Hao couldn’t resist swinging it twice, clearly thrilled. “This is awesome, thank you! I love it!”

“As long as you like it,” Qiao Le said with a smile, then added, “Happy birthday, and good health.”

“Good health?” Chen Hao burst out laughing. “That makes it sound like I’m turning sixty. I’m only twenty, okay?”

Twenty—one year older than Qiao Le.

“Good health is the foundation. Everything else comes after,” Qiao Le replied.

“Fair enough.” Chen Hao didn’t mind. Holding the racquet, he said, “Want to go try it out? There’s a small court out back.”

Qiao Le hesitated. “Won’t we be bothering your family?”

“Nope. My parents aren’t even here,” Chen Hao said, waving it off. “Only my aunt—well, stepmom—she doesn’t care.”

Since he’d said so, Qiao Le didn’t object. “Alright.”

The two of them headed to the backyard court and played a few rounds, rallying back and forth before finally stopping. Chen Hao wiped his sweat and brought Qiao Le inside to rest.

As soon as they entered the grand hall, Chen Hao said, “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go get us something to drink.”

He walked off, calling for the butler. Qiao Le sat down on the couch, replied to a few WeChat messages, then put his phone away. His eyes drifted from the carpet to a mural on the wall.

Chen Hao’s house was decorated in a lavish, almost gaudy style—even the walls shimmered gold. Totally different from Shen Hechuan’s more understated home.

He remembered how Chen Hao had complained about the décor being tacky. Qiao Le couldn’t help chuckling—it wasn’t tacky, just obscenely rich-looking.

As he pulled his gaze back, something caught his eye on the display shelf—a golden plaque inscribed with eight large characters: Committed to Charity, A Conscientious Business.

But what grabbed Qiao Le’s attention wasn’t the slogan, but the company name in the bottom right corner—Shen City XXX Tire Co., Ltd.

His gaze froze, locking on that name.

If he remembered correctly, that was the return address from the package his mother, Liang Shuling, had sent.

Qiao Le abruptly stood up and walked to the plaque, examining the company name again.

He read the characters slowly, one by one, over and over, heart pounding out of control. He reached out to touch the inscription.

Just before his fingers could graze it, a hesitant female voice broke the moment.

“Lele?”

That familiar voice made Qiao Le freeze in place.