Mistaken Canary Chapter 35
Chapter 35
The luxurious villa was spotless and brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
Especially in the study, the chandeliers and desk lamps were shining brightly, making Zhuo Shu feel a little dizzy.
He was wearing a pristine white bathrobe, the collar slightly revealing his muscular curve. His hair was roughly styled, resting on his head. He had just leaned onto the desk when his head was lightly tapped.
"It’s almost two o’clock," Zhuo Shu said, gazing at the wall clock with a look of complaint.
Ying Tongchen sat across from him, legs crossed, carefully removing his glasses and wiping them slowly. Without raising his head, he responded "Who was the one who said they could do homework all night? You aren’t allowed to sleep until you finish it all."
Zhuo Shu's face flushed with embarrassment. "That was... your didi's idea. It has nothing to do with me!"
Ying Tongchen paused, then chuckled lightly. "Well, do your best, didi. Gege will stay and keep you company." He placed some documents on the table, then lazily looked up and pointed at the desktop, about to say something when he was interrupted by Zhuo Shu.
"Don’t move, I’m drawing a portrait of you."
"You can draw?" Ying Tongchen asked, surprised.
"But of course," Zhuo Shu said, raising the pen in the air as he carefully measured the placement of Ying Tongchen’s facial features. "You’re actually quite good-looking."
"Don’t think flattery will work. The amount of homework will remain the same," Ying Tongchen replied.
"Shh, let me finish my drawing. I’ve found my rhythm," Zhuo Shu said, lowering his head and beginning a sketch next to a question. From time to time, he would glance up.
Ying Tongchen watched him in a daze, contemplating his future plans. He was interrupted when Zhuo Shu suddenly declared that he was done.
"So soon? It’s only been a few minutes," Ying Tongchen said in disbelief.
"It’s not that difficult. After all, I did take a short course in art when I was in school. The important thing isn’t the resemblance, but the spirit of the person," Zhuo Shu said proudly, holding up his exercise book. Looking at the drawing and comparing it to the man across from him, he couldn't help but self-praise. "It’s really lifelike. Want to take a look?"
Ying Tongchen took the book and looked. In the corner, there was a rectangular box with a small square in the top right corner. Inside the box, a stick-figure head was drawn: a round face, round nose, round mouth, and a pair of round glasses.
Maybe because Zhuo Shu was worried he wouldn’t recognize him, he had written a small "Ying" above the stick-figure’s forehead.
Ying Tongchen: "..."
"What do you think? Doesn’t this look just like you?" Zhuo Shu stroked his chin and examined Ying Tongchen. "You nailed the ‘teacher’ look today. You really remind me of my old homeroom teacher, who used to sneak peeks through the back door of the classroom every now and then."
Ying Tongchen applied discipline with the closest exercise book.
Zhuo Shu covered his head, taking several hits, while laughing hysterically. "Alright, alright, I was wrong. I won’t tease you anymore. Let’s go to bed, okay?"
Ying Tongchen tossed the materials aside, turned, and walked away.
Zhuo Shu quickly chased after him and grabbed his arm just before he reached the door. "Are you really mad?"
Ying Tongchen turned his head slightly and suddenly asked, "If we weren’t in this sponsor-sponsee arrangement, or if this arrangement ended, what would you plan to do?"
Zhuo Shu was momentarily stunned by the question. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? It’s only been a little over two months, and now you’re thinking about ending things?"
"Is that not okay?" Ying Tongchen asked.
"No, it’s not okay," Zhuo Shu replied without thinking.
They were both silent for a moment, and then Zhuo Shu abruptly turned and walked back to the desk. He sat down, his chest heaving with emotion, staring bleakly at the small doodle beside his worksheet.
"Forget it, let’s just go to bed." Ying Tongchen muttered.
Zhuo Shu: "You go ahead and sleep."
Ying Tongchen really did go to sleep on his own, and even slammed the door shut.
Zhuo Shu shuddered, turning to look at the closed door. He wanted to go in, but didn’t dare.
How pathetic was he? He, the mighty golden bankroller, who had gifted a car and house, was now locked outside by his little lover. The latter who did not even spare him a single look of concern or affection.
So angry-gry.
He grabbed a pen in frustration, glaring at the small figure in the drawing, his eyes flashing with cold light.
The next morning, Ying Tongchen opened his eyes, looking at the sunlight outside and realizing he had forgotten to close the curtains. The whole room was brightly lit.
He sat on the large bed, slowly and seriously surveying everything in the room.
The floor was polished and shiny, the walls clean and fresh. Aside from the essential furniture, there wasn’t much else, but it didn’t affect the room’s spacious and elegant feel.
From here, he could still see the view outside. In the distance, there was a man-made lake, connecting to a cluster of hills on the opposite side.
The property here wasn’t cheap. And yet, because of a mix-up, he had ended up staying here for the night.
He rubbed his temples in frustration, unsure of what he was actually angry about.
Was it because Zhuo Shu had mistaken him for someone else?
Or because Zhuo Shu saw him as nothing more than an object for amusement?
Or maybe... because once Zhuo Shu got bored, he would immediately move on to someone else, as if this position could be easily replaced?
Ying Tongchen shook his head, suddenly realizing something felt off. In his mind, their relationship was nothing more than a casual fling, so why did it matter to him who Zhuo Shu would be with afterward?
Even if their relationship ended, he could always find a new fling as well, so why was he so upset?
With that thought, Ying Tongchen felt a sense of relief.
Right. After he got bored of Zhuo Shu, he’d just fire him.
If you don’t treat me like a person, then I’ll treat you like a dog. :)
Having made up his mind, he got up, went to the adjoining master bathroom to freshen up, and after getting dressed, he opened the bedroom door—only to find that there wasn’t a single sound outside.
"Zhuo Shu?" he called out, but no one responded.
Ying Tongchen searched the large villa, checking all the rooms, even peeking under the bed, but he couldn’t find a trace of him.
He ended up in the study. Still no sign of Zhuo Shu, but a thin blanket was draped over the chair.
Looks like he must have curled up here and fallen asleep last night.
He walked over to the desk and saw the exercise book open on the first page, where a portrait had been newly sketched.
This wasn’t the silly little stick-figure from last night, but a carefully drawn image, each stroke neat and precise. This time, it was an accurate depiction… looking very lifelike.
Ying Tongchen picked it up, touched the likeness in the drawing, then touched his own face, suddenly realizing the corners of his mouth had slightly lifted. He quickly flattened them out again.
Beside the exercise book was a note:
"Something urgent came up at the company. The keys are on the desk, don’t forget to take them. Also, you aren’t allowed to be mad! It’s no big deal, just a drawing, you big baby."
"Who needs your keys." Ying Tongchen slid the note into the exercise book and closed its cover before heading downstairs to leave when his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—it was the old man he hadn’t contacted in a while. Ever since that awkward incident, he hadn’t dared to reach out proactively.
He wondered what this call was about.
"Good morning," he answered the phone.
"What have you been up to lately? I haven’t heard from you," the old man asked.
"Busy with work," Ying Tongchen replied, nervously rubbing his neck. "Work’s been pretty hectic lately. I’ll definitely come back another time."
"I’m not trying to rush you," the old man said, "It’s perfectly normal for young people to be busy with their own stuff. The reason I called was to ask if your studio’s business is doing especially well lately?"
Ying Tongchen: "We’ve recently expanded into smaller, niche languages. Why?"
"It’s just that money keeps showing up in the bank card. A rather large sum came in again just now," the old man mused. "I know you get dividends, but it’s not like it happens this often, right? And the amounts each time aren’t small either."
"Money coming in every few days?" Ying Tongchen furrowed his brow.
The old man: "Yeah, why don’t you ask Xiao Lu? I’ve got this nagging feeling something’s off. You haven’t been getting up to anything shady, have you?"
"How could I—" Ying Tongchen, suddenly realizing something, quickly put on his shoes. "Send me a screenshot of the message. I’m coming over now."
He opened the door and walked a few steps outside, then suddenly ran back to the second-floor study, his gaze landing on the exercise book on the desk.
Later on the way, he glanced at the screenshot—it was a private account transferring money, but it wasn’t Lu Zongcai.
He called Zhuo Shu, but the line was busy.
…
The old man was sitting on the sofa waiting for him. When the doorbell rang, he opened the door. "Look at you—coming over is fine, but why did you bring a mock exam exercise book with you?"
Ying Tongchen glanced at the exercise book tucked under his arm and casually set it on the nearby cabinet.
"Brought it so you could practice?" The old man reached for it with professional curiosity.
Ying Tongchen fended the old man away from the book. "No, this belongs to someone else."
The old man: "Oh, alright. Let’s sit down and talk."
Ying Tongchen took the card and went over the account details carefully with the old man. He realized the first large transaction had occurred on the very first day he met Zhuo Shu.
"..." Ying Tongchen struggled to explain, "It seems like a friend of mine made a mistake."
The old man: "I knew it! Holding onto this much money was burning a hole in my hands. You better go return it."
"Okay."
…
Ying Tongchen went to the nearest bank, applied for a new card, transferred the money over, then handed the original card back to the old man, reminding him not to be too focused on saving money.
After returning to the apartment, Ying Tongchen placed the new bank card and Bentley keys on the table and called Mi Shu.
She answered quickly, but her tone was a little rushed. "Hello? Mr. Ying, is there something you need?"
Ying Tongchen asked, "Are you all busy today?"
"Yeah, there’s been an urgent issue, and Chairman Zhuo is holding an emergency meeting right now," Mi Shu replied. "I’m in the restroom at the moment. If it’s something urgent, you can tell me, and I’ll pass it on to Chairman Zhuo."
"It’s fine, you guys go ahead with your work," Ying Tongchen said before hanging up.
…
The next day was another workday. Besides his regular teaching duties, Ying Tongchen had to start on new tasks as well.
The midterm exams were coming up at the end of the month, followed by the sports day and parent-teacher conferences. There was a lot on his plate.
After announcing these two pieces of news in class, the students had mixed reactions—some were happy because the sports competition meant no classes for two days, while others were worried about the dreaded parent-teacher conference after the midterms!
Zhuo Zi lay on her desk, feeling down.
Her deskmate asked what was wrong, and she answered with a gloomy look, "What am I supposed to do about the parent-teacher conference? My mom is definitely going to watch her team’s competition, and my dad is always unpredictable."
The deskmate asked, "Don’t you have an older brother? Let him come! I saw a picture of his back on the school forum, he’s super handsome! Hurry up and bring him so I can see his face! Who knows, I might end up being your sister-in-law!"
"You? Sister-in-law?" Zhuo Zi chuckled. "No, I already have someone I like as a sister-in-law."
The deskmate asked, "No way! Who is it? Do I know them?"
Zhuo Zi smiled mysteriously, then turned her gaze to the teacher writing on the blackboard and sighed, "Tsk, Mr. Ying’s handwriting is so nice. I need to learn that style."
During the day, Ying Tongchen was busy with schoolwork, and at night, he had to translate some documents. When he got caught up in work, he often forgot about other things.
That was until Zhuo Shu’s call came through.
He glanced at the time: 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Zhuo Shu: "The villa. You coming?"
Ying Tongchen: "No, I’m busy."
Zhuo Shu: "......"
Thursday morning, 6:30 a.m.
Zhuo Shu: "The villa. You coming tonight?"
Ying Tongchen: "No, it’s too early."
Zhuo Shu: "............"
Friday noon, 12:30 p.m.
Zhuo Shu: "The villa—"
Ying Tongchen: "No."
"You’ve gotten bolder, huh!" Zhuo Shu raised his voice.
Ying Tongchen, sitting in the cafeteria eating, remained indifferent, "If that’s all, then hang up."
"Wait a minute." Zhuo Shu’s tone softened again. "You’re not still mad, are you?"
"Mad about what?" Ying Tongchen laughed flatly. "What could I possibly be mad about?"
What’s so worth getting mad about for you, you damn dog of a man?
Zhuo Shu asked, "Didn’t I draw a new picture for you? Didn’t you see it?"
Ying Tongchen: "I saw it. It’s ugly as hell."
Zhuo Shu fell silent, looking very aggrieved. After a moment, he said firmly, "You have to come over tonight."
"Fine."
"Really?" Zhuo Shu was overjoyed.
"Yeah."
…
After school, Ying Tongchen had planned to go home to his apartment immediately, but he was stopped by a few teachers who wanted to discuss the upcoming two-day sports competition.
In addition to the student events, the teachers also had a few events to participate in, divided into three grade groups.
Zheng Zhinan pulled him into the men's long-distance race and the 4x100 metres relay.
Once those arrangements were made, Ying Tongchen glanced at the time and hurriedly grabbed the teaching materials he needed for lesson preparation. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he recalled he still had the bank card and car keys on him. These needed to be given to the rightful owner, so he diverted to the parking lot and drove the Bentley out.
Arriving at the villa, he took out the car key, grabbed the teaching materials thrown on the passenger seat, and tucked them under his arm. After closing the car door, he took one last look at the vehicle.
The doorbell rang a few times, and footsteps were heard approaching the door.
A familiar scene, in a different setting…
"You’re here," Zhuo Shu welcomed him and immediately saw the teaching materials in his arms, his expression cracking. "No way, is tonight another homework night???"
.
.
.
Author's Note:
Zhuo Mollycolly: I'm scared, I’m scared _(:з」∠)_