AMBTMS Chapter 116

Gu Yi naturally knew Klaus and also knew about the connection between Li Heyuan and City S. He didn’t know that Klaus had come to City B, and was surprised to see him there.

Ignoring the pressure from Li Heyuan, Klaus straightened up and adjusted his clothes. “Mr. Gu, how come you’re here?”

“I came to see why they haven’t come up yet,” Gu Yi smiled in response. He didn’t know what was going on, so he naturally didn’t know what to say. Out of politeness, he still asked, “Does Mr. Klaus want to go up with us?”

“Since Mr. Gu has invited me, then I won’t be impolite.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to look at Li Heyuan, and sure enough, Li Heyuan had a bad expression on his face.

Since the words were already spoken, they couldn’t pretend nothing happened, so the four of them went upstairs together.

A waiter came to guide them. Gu Yi told him about his reservation, and the waiter led them to a private room. Gu Yi originally wanted to confirm something with Li Heyuan, but now that Klaus was there, he couldn’t ask those questions, so he had to treat this as an ordinary dinner.

Gu Yi ordered the dishes. After Li Heyuan glanced at them, he signaled the waiter to add a few more dishes.

Coincidentally, those extra dishes were all Li Shu’s favorites.

Klaus used to be Li Shu’s personal butler and was very familiar with his preferences and habits. Seeing Li Heyuan’s actions, his eyes darkened slightly.

From the moment Li Heyuan called him to City B, Klaus felt something was off. When he saw the young man who looked so much like his master, he had a feeling of “just as expected.” He should have known that whatever could make Li Heyuan go to such lengths and break his initial promise couldn’t be anything else.

But he only observed the person from a distance. When he wanted to get closer to verify something, Li Heyuan cut off all his approaches. The more this happened, the more suspicious Klaus became.

Now, being in close contact with the person, that incredible answer in his heart seemed to be verified. He had grown up abroad and shouldn’t believe in such supernatural things, but when it came to that person, he couldn’t calmly rule out this option.

“President Li, won’t you introduce the young man next to you to us?” Klaus lifted his wine glass, raised an eyebrow, and gestured towards the person opposite him.

Li Heyuan carefully placed a peeled shrimp onto the plate in front of Li Shu and pretended not to hear Klaus’s words.

The atmosphere was tense, and Gu Yi had to step in to ease it. “Yes, Heyuan, why don’t you introduce this young friend beside you to us?”

Li Heyuan slowly wiped his hands with a cloth and looked up at Klaus, asking in return, “Do you really want to know?”

Without waiting for Klaus to answer, he took a sip of his wine and said, “This is Li Shu, currently a project partner at my company.”

‘Li Shu!’

Gu Yi and Klaus both looked stunned. They were well aware of Li Heyuan’s past and had deeper feelings about this name. Everyone who knew Li Heyuan’s past understood that there was one person who was his untouchable reverse scale. Not to mention the name, but those who tried to mimic Li Shu to take shortcuts never ended well.

Li Shu was the untouchable white moonlight in Li Heyuan’s heart.

“Heyuan, you’re not joking, are you? You said his name is…” Gu Yi asked incredulously.

Compared to Gu Yi, Klaus was much calmer. He already had an idea in his mind, and Li Heyuan’s words merely lifted the veil covering the answer. After the initial shock, he quickly returned to normal.

“Why would I lie to you?” Li Heyuan continued to put a piece of chicken on Li Shu’s plate, his voice as steady as ever. “His name is indeed Li Shu, he’s studying at B University, and will be starting his third year this semester.”

Gu Yi still couldn’t believe it. He stared at Li Shu for a while, trying to see something on his face, but the result was obvious—he saw nothing. He then turned to Klaus, hoping to find some reassurance, but Klaus’s expression left him disappointed.

Klaus acted as if he hadn’t heard this shocking news, and was calmly eating the food on his plate.

Gu Yi silently retracted his gaze and stared at his empty plate, feeling troubled. This reaction wasn’t what he had expected at all. Was he the only one who felt something was off?

Li Shu seemed oblivious to the undercurrents among the three men. He played the role of a college student who hadn’t yet left school, just watching the adults converse. Of course, it was Li Heyuan and Klaus who were conversing. Gu Yi appeared distracted, clearly out of it.

He was clearly trying to find an answer, but after the meal, not only did he not find the answer, but his doubts had become even deeper.

After getting the answer he wanted, Klaus left without getting lingering infront of Li Heyuan any longer. Gu Yi was the last one to go downstairs, and when he saw the two people walking side by side in front of him, something in his mind suddenly clicked.

After Li Heyuan sent Li Shu back to the hotel, Gu Yi intercepted him halfway.

Familiar with his friend’s stubbornness, Li Heyuan brought him to a familiar club where they often hang out and handed him a cold beer. “What’s going on?”

Gu Yi took the beer with one hand, opened the cap, and took a sip before asking, “Tell me the truth. What’s really going on here? And don’t give me that ‘substitute’ nonsense, I won’t believe it.”

He had watched his friend get to where he was today, and he knew better than anyone about his friend’s feelings for that person. Even after seeing the much younger version of Li Shu today, he didn’t think his friend was looking for a substitute. If Li Heyuan wanted a substitute, he wouldn’t have waited so long.

“Of course, it’s not a substitute.” Li Heyuan sat on the sofa, his long eyelashes lowering to cover his eyes. He sat right at the boundary between light and shadow, half in the dark and half in the light. In the dark, something seemed to be baring its fangs, clawing at him and trying to drag him entirely into the darkness.

“Then who is that person? If he’s not a substitute, could he be the original? But the original… isn’t he already…” Gu Yi trailed off.

“I know it sounds unbelievable, but it really happened, Gu Yi. You have no idea. At first, I thought this person was a figment of my imagination. But now I’m certain, this is not my illusion. The person I’ve waited so many years for has finally come back.”

Li Heyuan’s voice grew more excited, and his words became more and more incoherent as he spoke. But Gu Yi understood and his eyes widened as he listened. If these words hadn’t come from Li Heyuan himself, if he hadn’t seen the person with his own eyes today, he would never have believed it.

He gulped. “What are you planning to do next? Are you going to tell him your true feelings?”

“Of course,” Li Heyuan smiled, as if remembering a sweet memory, his smile was filled with sweetness. “Now that he’s back, there’s no way I’ll let him go again.”

Gu Yi rubbed his arms and felt as if the room’s temperature had dropped several degrees. An inexplicable chill seeped into his bones, making him shiver.

In the blink of an eye, the summer vacation ended. After returning to school, Li Shu worked on several projects under Professor Yuan’s guidance. Li Heyuan tried to ask him out several times but was always turned down.

The happiness value on the mission panel seemed to have thawed overnight and began to rise slowly. As the new semester started, the red warning disappeared, and the happiness value finally returned to its normal color.

1314 watched with amazement. His host did nothing and did not clarify the relationship between the two identities, but the protagonist’s happiness value returned to a positive number.

With the start of the school year, Li Shu’s focus shifted back to his studies. Thanks to Zheng Jiarong acting as a bridge, Li Shu mended his relationships with classmates. There were many things the original owner had done wrong, hurting many people around him for the sake of Ruan Muyan. Now, it was Li Shu using this body, so naturally, he had to clean up the mess left by the original owner.

Li Shu’s attitude towards Ruan Muyan was very clear and everyone in the school knew that he was determined to distance himself from Ruan Muyan. It seemed that since Li Shu’s “awakening”, certain things had changed quietly. Others might not have noticed, but Ruan Muyan felt the change most clearly.

The change was very direct for her. She noticed that the effect of her halo was starting to fade. Initially, a person not fully conquered would break free from the halo’s control. Gradually, even those she had already conquered began to regain their clarity.

At first, she didn’t care, thinking that her strategy had failed. If she failed, she could do it again. It just so happened that she was tired of some people. However, after finding new targets, she discovered that no matter what she did, even if she temporarily influenced their minds, they would quickly regain clarity and avoid her.

Without Ruan Muyan’s interference, Li Shu’s university life was generally very pleasant. Thanks to Li Heyuan’s relationship, Lu Yuanqing became closer to him and often came to visit, bringing along some small gifts that Li Heyuan had given to Li Shu.

Of course, Li Heyuan would rather come over by himself, but he also knew that if he frequented the campus, it would definitely trouble Li Shu. He noticed that Li Shu enjoyed his peaceful campus life now, so he wouldn’t disturb this tranquility.

Only when he couldn’t bear it any longer would he come to see him. At these times, Lu Yuanqing became the best cover. At first, Lu Yuanqing didn’t believe that his usually unemotional uncle had fallen for his new friend, and it was not until he was forced to eat tons of dog food that he admitted it with tears.

It’s fine when some people don’t talk about love, but once they do, it’s like an old house catching fire. Standing beside them made him feel like a big shiny lightbulb.

Li Heyuan’s consideration was valid; Li Shu attracted a lot of attention. Even though he tried to be low-key every time he visited and used his nephew as a cover, he still couldn’t escape the eyes of some girls.

They secretly started a special thread on the forum dedicated to the “Domineering President × Academic Tyrant” CP. In just one month, it had developed to a considerable scale, with new members joining every day. In addition, there were fans who were good writers and often contributed content. For a time, this CP became popular in a certain niche circle.

These girls quietly shipped the CP pair without causing any disturbance, so low-key that for a long time, Li Shu didn’t realize he had amassed a large number of CP fans at school.

Li Shu was just a bit puzzled why every time he encountered some girls, they would stare at him with suppressed fiery eyes. If he looked over, the girls would panic and look away, looking at the sky and the ground but not at him.

Just like now, the two girls were looking at him passionately, talking in a low voice with their heads close to each other, and then giggling with their hands covering their mouths from time to time.

Li Shu walked towards the girl holding the book, but before he could get close, someone suddenly blocked his path.

“Li Shu, I want to talk to you.”

It was Ruan Muyan.