Chapter 05
Shen Yu stepped out of his car, the cool morning air brushing against his face and stirring his already slightly messy hair. The street was alive with movement, the area around the café crowded with college students heading in for their early classes, their voices blending into a constant hum of conversation.
Without sparing them more than a passing glance, Shen Yu made his way toward the café.
Through the glass windows, he spotted his father almost immediately.
Shen Yong sat at a table near the far end, his posture as rigid as ever, yet what caught Shen Yu's attention was not his presence—but his expression. The way he spoke, the softness in his tone, the faint patience in his gaze—it was the same careful gentleness he reserved only for those he deemed…delicate.
Just as he did with Su Ran.
Just as he did with Shen Mei.
Shen Yu's gaze shifted slightly, following the direction of his father's attention.
Seated across from him was a young woman.
Her light brown hair fell softly over her shoulders, the strands catching the morning light that filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her. Her skin was pale, almost porcelain-like, and she wore a polite, carefully practiced smile as she listened attentively.
Shen Yu's expression darkened faintly.
What is she doing here?
Without announcing himself, he approached the table and took a seat, his presence cutting cleanly into their conversation. Shen Yong lifted his gaze from behind his frameless glasses, his brow arching slightly at the sight of his son.
"No greetings?" he asked.
The gentleness from moments before vanished completely, replaced by a familiar coldness that Shen Yu knew all too well. No matter what he did, that tone had never once softened for him.
He had long since stopped expecting it to.
A quiet chuckle slipped from Shen Yu as he leaned back slightly in his seat, his dark eyes meeting his father's without hesitation.
"What's the point," he replied evenly, "when I already know you'll stop me before I even finish?"
The words were casual, almost dismissive, but they were enough to make the girl's eyes widen slightly in surprise.
Shen Yong's grip tightened around his porcelain teacup, though he quickly masked the reaction by lifting it to his lips. He took a slow sip, clearly restraining himself, unwilling to reveal his irritation in front of the guest seated beside him.
When he spoke again, his voice was calm—but the edge beneath it was unmistakable.
"Still as disrespectful as ever," he said. "I thought that after returning to China, you might have matured. It seems I was mistaken."
Shen Yu said nothing.
He simply watched him, noting the faint trace of disappointment hidden beneath the composed exterior. It was there—but it did nothing to move him.
"Miss Fen," Shen Yong continued, turning toward the girl beside him as his tone softened once more, "you've been sitting with me for quite some time. What would you like to order?"
The shift was so seamless it almost made Shen Yu roll his eyes.
The girl smiled gently and shook her head. "It's alright, Mr. Shen. I don't mind," she replied softly before glancing down at the menu. "I'll have coffee… what about you, gege? What would you like?"
Gege.
The word made Shen Yu's frown deepen almost instantly.
He lifted his gaze, meeting hers, and realized she was indeed addressing him.
She didn't know him.
Not beyond a name and a face.
And yet she spoke as though there was already familiarity between them.
How presumptuous.
"I don't want anything," he said flatly.
She nodded without protest, and Shen Yong signaled for the waiter, placing her order without further discussion.
"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you," Shen Yong said after a moment. "Shen Yu, this is Fen Yun, the youngest daughter of the Fen family."
Fen Yun straightened slightly, offering a polite smile.
"I believe you already know my son, don't you?" Shen Yong added.
She nodded shyly before turning to Shen Yu again, her cheeks flushing faintly as her fingers toyed with the edge of her napkin.
"It's nice to meet you, gege."
Shen Yu's eyes twitched.
"Shen Yu," he corrected curtly.
The correction was enough to make her freeze slightly, the smile on her lips faltering for a brief second.
Before the moment could stretch further, the waiter returned with her coffee. However, as he placed the cup down, his hand trembled just enough for the liquid to spill over the rim, dark droplets staining the pristine white silk of her blouse.
"I—I'm sorry, ma'am," he stammered, bowing his head quickly.
Fen Yun paused, then smiled again, though the slight tension in her expression betrayed her irritation. She dabbed at the stain with her napkin, her movements careful and composed.
"It's fine," she said softly.
But Shen Yu noticed.
The tightness in her gaze.
The flicker of annoyance she tried so hard to hide.
It was enough.
In his mind, the label formed instantly.
Fake.
Before Shen Yong could turn his attention toward the trembling waiter, Shen Yu spoke, deliberately shifting the focus.
"Why did you call me here?" he asked, one brow lifting slightly. "I doubt it was just for tea."
Shen Yong exhaled slowly before setting his cup down.
"I came to discuss your marriage with Fen Yun," he said plainly. "I've already spoken to her, and she agreed quite happily. What's left is—"
"And why wasn't I asked?" Shen Yu cut in, his tone sharpening.
Shen Yong's expression hardened immediately.
"Ask you?" he repeated. "So you could refuse and continue living like this?"
His voice rose, frustration finally breaking through his restraint.
"You're thirty-one, Shen Yu. No wife, no children, no sense of responsibility. I will not stand by and watch you waste your life like this."
Shen Yu remained silent, though irritation flickered across his gaze.
"Why can't you be more like Taehyun?" Shen Yong continued. "He has everything you lack—a stable position, a family, a mate—and he's only two years older than you."
There it was again.
The comparison.
Shen Yu exhaled slowly, already tired of it.
"I don't want Fen Yun to be my wife," he said simply.
"What—"
"I already have an omega," Shen Yu added calmly. "I don't need another."
The words landed heavily.
Shen Yong's eyes widened slightly, the anger in them shifting into something sharper—more calculating.
"Who?" he asked, his tone suddenly controlled again.
Shen Yu hesitated.
He hadn't thought that far ahead.
His mind moved quickly, searching for a name, a face—anything he could use—
And then—
A scent.
Soft.
Familiar.
Roses, touched with a faint winter chill.
It wrapped around him before he could fully process it, cutting cleanly through the lingering tension at the table.
Almost instinctively, Shen Yu turned.
There, not far from them, Jiang Li walked past, following behind an Alpha girl who seemed to be speaking animatedly. This time, he wasn't hiding behind an oversized hoodie or a mask. There was nothing obscuring him.
And yet—
Shen Yu recognized him instantly.
As if sensing his gaze, Jiang Li's nose twitched slightly before his head turned. Those wide, honey-brown eyes met Shen Yu's, surprise flashing across his features.
Shen Yu didn't think.
He stood.
In a few quick steps, he crossed the distance between them and reached out, his hand closing firmly around Jiang Li's wrist. Before the other could react, he pulled him back toward the table.
Jiang Li stumbled slightly, clearly caught off guard, his face flushing almost immediately.
Shen Yu didn't loosen his grip.
Instead, he stopped in front of his father and Fen Yun, his expression calm, decisive.
"Him," he said.