《Rebirth: Different Way》 CH 1 ¡°Have you had enough trouble?!¡± There was a sound of an impatient male voice. ¡°You said you didn¡¯t like him.¡± Another young voice immediately cried out in reply. ¡°When did I ever say I liked him?¡± ¡°Then what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you looking for him?¡± The first voice grew more and more impatient, ¡°How many times have I said, I don¡¯t like him! I approached him at first because I lost a bet to your second brother, and I came here tonight just to meet a friend. I didn¡¯t know Shen Xi was here.¡± The familiar conversation echoed in his ears once again. Shen Xi listened in a daze, habitually trying to wave his hand to dispel it, but his arms were weak and his body was filled with a sense of emptiness after getting high. Shen Xi tried to open his eyes but they seemed to be covered with something, and he could not open them. Shen Xi struggled to get up but his body was not controlled by his brain and did not respond in any way. After struggling for a long time, a thought flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s mind, ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Where am I?¡± This question was like a bolt of lightning splitting the murkiness in Shen Xi¡¯s mind, and Shen Xi came to his senses almost instantly. His eyes snapped open and he was confronted with a magnificent, cumbersome crystal lamp above his head, the blinding light shining straight into his eyes. Shen Xi instinctively tried to raise his hand to shield himself from the light, but his body¡¯s weakness prevented him from doing so. Shen Xi closed his eyes again, and everything returned to the previous darkness. This time, his senses were extraordinarily clear, and the feeling of emptiness and powerlessness was like a tidal wave surging through his entire body. Shen Xi tentatively tried to move but stopped when he heard a sweet moan, accompanied by the man¡¯s ragged breath. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up in a mocking smile. Sure enough, it was this dream again, this dream that had haunted him for ten years. With a flash of self-deprecation, Shen Xi gave up struggling and gradually adjusted to the blinding light. Anyway, it was a dream, it didn¡¯t make any difference whether he could move or not. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Shen Xi stared at the crystal lamp above his head in boredom. Every time his dream started with him opening his eyes. Naturally, the first thing he saw each time was the lamp, magnificent to the extreme. And then what? Shen Xi tilted his head. What¡¯s next? ¡°Ah! Brother Wenyao, use a little more force.¡± A greasy voice begged. A sneer appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face. It was so boring. For ten years he kept repeating this dream; everything in the dream was deeply imprinted in his mind and he knew the follow up like the back of his hand. Next, it was time for Tian Wenyao to speak. Sure enough, the first male voice said, ¡°Xiao Rong, you are so violent every time you are in bed.¡± ¡°Brother Wenyao, ah!¡± The long, drawn out moans were interspersed with the man¡¯s heavy breathing, and after a few violent thumps, the room began to quiet down. The sneer on Shen Xi¡¯s face faded away, a gloomy look faintly appearing in its stead. This next conversation, which he could practically recite backwards, was the dialogue that completely enraged the young Shen Xi and changed his fate. ¡°Brother Wenyao, did second brother say when big brother would be willing to see me?¡± ¡°What do you want to see Shen Ji for?¡± The man said carelessly ¡°As long as big brother accepts me, father will accept me into the Shen family.¡± ¡°Even if he does accept you, it¡¯s too late. Old man Shen had already made a will before he died. The family assets are divided into three, one for each of his three grandchildren. You will have nothing even if you are accepted.¡± ¡°Father doesn¡¯t like Shen Xi.¡± ¡°You want Shen Xi¡¯s share?¡± There was a hint of amusement in the man¡¯s words. ¡°I won¡¯t fight with big brother and second brother, but Shen Xi and I are both my grandfather¡¯s grandsons.¡± Shen Xi closed his eyes as the flames of anger in his heart rose again. He was the rightful third young master of the Shen family, but because his father disliked him, he was treated coldly and ostracised and even the things that belonged to him were coveted by Shen Rong, his father¡¯s illegitimate son. Recalling his childhood experience, Shen Xi clenched his fists fiercely. If he hadn¡¯t clearly known that he was in a dream now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist going out and beating the two of them up. In his current state of mind, he was still furious, let alone his younger self back then. It was because of these words that, in a fit of rage, he recklessly drove his car into Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong in the early morning of the next day. As a result, Shen Rong was unharmed, just having some scratches, but Tian Wenyao¡¯s legs were crushed and he was never able to walk again. The incident caused a stir in Zhongjing. He was arrested on the spot and barely reacted before he was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder. After sobering up, he couldn¡¯t accept the fact that he was going to stay in prison for the rest of his life, so he gave up his self-esteem and begged his father to save him. At the time of the incident, he had taken a large amount of hallucinogenic drugs and had no control over his behaviour. He hoped his father would use it to help him file an appeal. But no matter how much he begged, all he got was a cold look from his father. In the end he simply never saw his father again, left with the lawyer¡¯s words, ¡°Mr. Shen hopes you¡¯ll do well by yourself.¡± ¡°Do well by yourself.¡± Once again, a sneer appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face; indeed, he did well by himself. Tian Wenyao was the only male heir of the Tian family. Hit by Shen Xi¡¯s car, he was incapacitated for the rest of his life, so it was natural the Tian family hated Shen Xi to the bone¡­ not to mention the fact that he had hurt his father¡¯s favourite illegitimate son. Shen Xi no longer wanted to remember how he survived the first three years in prison. Without the protection of the Shen family and with the Tian family¡¯s hatred for him, if he hadn¡¯t put his life on the line to secure his place in prison, he wouldn¡¯t have survived the next few years. After all, he was not afraid of death, but others were, weren¡¯t they? Even if the Tian family offered more money, a man had to live to spend it. Shen Xi coolly hooked the corners of his mouth as he went down the memory lane, but in the next moment his eyes snapped open wide. No, shouldn¡¯t he be dead already? Shen Xi stared at the crystal lamp above his head. The scene of him falling to the ground and closing his eyes flashed through his mind again and again. The riot during the factory labor hours, the knife that stabbed him, the helpless feeling of his blood flowing out, Fang Luowei who was protecting him in the chaos and the sneering face of his murderer who saw him finally going down. Shen Xi closed his eyes fiercely and opened them once more. There was still the dazzling light, his body still felt weak and another gasp reached his ears. A trace of disbelief flashed in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes, and then he began to struggle with all his might. ¡°Move, move, fucking move for me.¡± As if he was let out of confinement, Shen Xi clearly felt his strength begin to return and the sense of powerlessness in his body was subsiding. Struggling, Shen Xi lifted his hand and viciously pinched his leg. A sharp pain that came made Shen Xi freeze in shock. There was a feeling! He actually felt something! How could he feel anything in a dream? What¡¯s more, wasn¡¯t he already dead? Countless thoughts surged in waves, and Shen Xi dumbly reached out and pinched his leg once again, still in pain. A look of disbelief appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face; it was not an illusion, he really felt it. The groans and chants in his ears were unmistakably clear, and Shen Xi listened to them as if he was listening to a fairy¡¯s voice. Slowly, a look of ecstasy appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face. This was not a dream. He was back. He was really back. After the initial ecstasy, Shen Xi quickly calmed down. No matter why he died and why he was reborn, this time he had to do right by himself. The moaning and groaning continued, and it looked like it wouldn¡¯t stop for a while. Shen Xi lay there, moving his body carefully on the soft carpet, not making a single sound. The place where Shen Xi was lying was in the corner, and in front of Shen Xi, there was a set of huge European-style palace sofas, hiding Shen Xi¡¯s entire figure safely. Shen Xi¡¯s fingers accidentally brushed over his pocket, and a certain metallic texture under his touch caught his attention. A thought flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s mind as he remembered the mobile phone he had with him, and a strange smile appeared on his face. After a while, the shaking of the king-size bed stopped once more, and a few grumpy knocks sounded outside the room. ¡°Wenyao, are you in there, hurry up and get your ass out here, it¡¯s time for lao tzu to go home.¡± (lao tzu ¨C an arrogant way to say ¡°I¡±) ¡°Shen Cheng, have you not been weaned yet!¡± The sound of dressing, the sound of greetings from inside and outside the room, Shen Rong¡¯s slightly ingratiating laughter, until the door was closed and all sounds were isolated. Shen Xi slowly sat up holding onto the sofa, glanced at the crumpled king-size bed, lowered his head and clicked on the video that he had just recorded on his phone. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up. CH 2 It was a March night, and the weather in Zhongjing still carried a biting chill. The wind that brushed across his cheeks was so cold that even his nose was frozen red, but Shen Xi did not seem to feel the cold as he stood there greedily breathing in the air in huge gulps. Obviously, Shen Xi had been breathing this kind of air for decades, but at this moment, Shen Xi closed his eyes in intoxication, as if the taste of the air was palpable. It was the taste of freedom, the taste that Shen Xi had been longing for for ten years. Under the dazzling neon lights, the word ¡°Shutu¡± (different way) was quietly hanging there, attracting wave after wave of the city¡¯s nocturnal crowd. This was the place Shen Xi was most familiar with except for the Shen family. Since the age of fifteen, Shen Xi had been a regular customer here. Compared with the coldness of the Shen family, Shen Xi greatly preferred the hustle and bustle of Shutu. It was here that Shen Xi laughed, fooled around, got drunk and dreamed, and it was also here that fate played a joke on Shen Xi, and he ruined everything he had with his own hands. Now, time had turned. Shen Xi stood at the entrance, looking at the word Shutu steadily, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up, the arc growing bigger and bigger until he finally laughed out loud. As he laughed, Shen Xi remembered how he had been waiting for Tian Wenyao to come and spend his eighteenth birthday with him, how he had been disappointed, how he had taken a large amount of psychedelics at the urging of his dog friends, how he had found an empty room and slept on the floor until he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. What happened next he repeated again and again in his dreams for the next ten years. He felt betrayed, he felt humiliated, he was angry, he was furious, there was a fire burning in his heart. He endured the cold and waited for hours in the night wind, and then drove his car into two people without hesitation. Finally, with blood flowing in his eyes, he was taken away by the police in a hurry. Before leaving, he turned his head inadvertently, and the word Shutu pierced his eyes. In this life, Shen Xi was not angry. He walked out of Shutu soberly and calmly. Standing at the entrance of Shutu, feeling the scent of freedom, Shen Xi finished laughing and completely left it behind. Without a car, Shen Xi just walked aimlessly along the road in Zhongjing alone late at night. Without the ups and downs of his temper of his previous life, Shen Xi settled down to quietly contemplate the path he intended to take in this life. In his previous life, Shen Xi had been ignorant for the first eighteen years and numb for the next ten years. He had never thought clearly about his path. No, Shen Xi had actually thought about it. In the beginning when he was imprisoned, Shen Xi had a very difficult time in prison because of the Tian family. He had to watch for being stabbed in the back from all sides and face all kinds of malicious looks all day long. The Tian family did not intend to kill Shen Xi quickly, but instead tried to torture him like a cat playing with a mouse. In the beginning, Shen Xi was often injured. At night, Shen Xi would be in so much pain that he could not sleep. Without a doctor and no medicine, Shen Xi could only desperately grit his teeth and bear the pain and imagine time and time again: if he hadn¡¯t driven into Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong, what would his life have been like? Shen Xi envisioned all sorts of wonderful lives for himself, but it was just wishful thinking. Once he returned to reality, the huge contrast only doubled Shen Xi¡¯s pain. As Shen Xi¡¯s life in prison continued day by day and as freedom became more and more unattainable, with Shen Xi¡¯s father extinguishing the last bit of his hope, Shen Xi was finally completely dead, thinking only of how to get through another day. In his spare time, he would never think about what his life would have been like if he had not driven his car into Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong again. Now standing on a high pedestrian bridge, with the lights of Zhongjing glowing in the night, Shen Xi suddenly had a moment of trepidation. After ten years of an abnormal life in prison, would he still be able to adapt to this world? In his memory, the eighteen-year-old Shen Xi was gloomy, cranky and unruly, hanging out with a gang of dog friends day in and day out. Ten years later, Shen Xi was still gloomy, but his temperament had been through a lot and the angles of his body had been smoothed out by the years. Could such two completely different Shen Xi still be the same Shen Xi? Without the ecstasy of just being reborn and the excitement of being free, Shen Xi stood on the bridge as the night wind swept over his body. In the biting cold, Shen Xi asked himself how he was going to continue his journey. If the eighteen-year-old Shen Xi was a confused beast, full of hatred but not knowing how to vent it, and could only do so by drinking, racing cars and clashing with his family, then the twenty-eight-year-old Shen Xi was not so different from the eighteen-year-old Shen Xi. His heart was still full of hatred, but his painful experience had made him realise that this time he should vent in a different way. Shen Xi stared coldly in the direction of the Shen family¡¯s house, where tonight likely was no different from before. His father would be in the study, helping Shen Ji familiarise himself with the affairs of the company, while the two waited together for Shen Cheng who was returning late. When the father and two sons reunited and began to stage the great family drama, he himself would always be the one forgotten by them. Not to mention that none of them remembered that tonight was his birthday, the eighteenth birthday of their son, their younger brother. Shen Xi recalled a saying that Fang Luowei had once quoted to him, ¡°if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.¡± At that time, Fang Luowei used these words to persuade Shen Xi to give up the hatred in his heart. Shen Xi wondered what he said to Fang Luowei then. He seemed to have said that he did not need to gaze into the abyss because he was living in it. Shen Xi was not Fang Luowei. He was not so magnanimous that he could laugh at those who had hurt him. He was narrow-minded, he was vindictive, he remembered all the hurts inflicted on him and then looked for the right opportunity to retaliate. Because of this, no one dared to take a casual shot at him in the following years, knowing that unless he was killed, he would definitely even the score. Thinking of Fang Luowei, he wondered how he was doing now. Unfortunately, he only knew that Fang Luowei would come to Zhongjing five years later but knew nothing about where he was five years before. In his previous life, they met in prison. Fang Luowei was imprisoned five years later than Shen Xi and they became friends by chance. If Fang Luowei were by his side now, he would definitely say that it was rare to have a chance to start over and he had to let go of the past and live a good life. Alone, Shen Xi laughed out loud as he thought about it. He also wanted to let go of the past as Fang Luowei said, but how could he easily forget? Not to mention the ten years in prison, how could he forget why he had developed that gloomy, irascible nature at the age of just eighteen? For as long as he could remember, his father had always looked at him with a cold, blatant disgust in his eyes; he was the child his father didn¡¯t want. Although his mother loved him, she was too preoccupied with her own emotions because of her relationship with his father and often completely ignored him. When he was six, his mother took a decisive leap from the window sill of the third floor, leaving him with only a blurred image of her back. His maternal grandfather, who loved him with all his heart, also left him right after his mother when he was six years old. His elder brother, Shen Ji, was extremely cold to him and always treated him like a stranger, while his second brother, Shen Cheng, bullied him since he was a child. Not being loved by his family and having no friends, what else could he be but gloomy and irritable? Speaking of which, Shen Xi felt that he was really pitiful. In the long eighteen years, except for his mother and grandfather, the only one who had given him some warmth was Tian Wenyao. Unfortunately, the warmth Shen Xi cherished in his heart was nothing more than a random bet by the other party. With negative emotions clamouring in his mind, Shen Xi closed his eyes. Since I am already in the abyss, all of you, come and keep me company. CH 3 Shen Xi walked aimlessly on the empty streets of Zhongjing all night. Unbeknownst to him, the sky was gradually getting lighter. Shen Xi was surprised to see the word ¡°Cemetery¡± appearing in the mist ahead of him. He actually walked by accident to the place where his mother was sleeping. Speaking of which, if you counted the previous life, Shen Xi had not been here for ten years. Judging by the relationship between his father and his mother, his father must have rarely visited his mother in those ten years. Was his mother lonely lying here alone? Thinking of it, Shen Xi walked around, exploring. The cemetery was silent in the early morning and there was no sign of anyone. Shen Xi climbed over the wall and followed his memory to his mother¡¯s grave. On the white marble tombstone, his mother smiled brightly, neither as unhappy as Shen Xi remembered, nor as scornful as when she argued with his father. His mother was really a beautiful woman, but it was a pity that his father didn¡¯t love her. All her beauty was no different from a painting hanging on the wall in his father¡¯s eyes. Shen Xi slowly knelt down and placed his hand on his mother¡¯s face, tracing her eyebrows on the picture. The stone under his fingers was very cold, but Shen Xi felt a warmth well up in his heart and smiled slightly. Shen Xi¡¯s mother came from Zhongjing¡¯s Han family. Her father, Han Fuli, was a famous jewellery tycoon in China, and the family had been in the jewellery business for generations. Although the Han family was wealthy, they did not have many children, and in Shen Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s generation, there were only two of them, his mother Han Rou and his uncle Han Yu. Shen Xi didn¡¯t have much of an impression of his uncle. Before he was six years old, his uncle Han Yu was busy taking over the family business and Shen Xi could only see him during the New Year holidays. When Shen Xi was six, his mother jumped from the window to her death and his uncle was killed in a car accident while rushing to his mother¡¯s funeral. In the end, the only impression Shen Xi had of his uncle was of a tall and thin figure. At that time, with his children passing away one after another and the Han family¡¯s business in trouble due to a major mistake made by Han Yu during his lifetime, Grandpa Han¡¯s body collapsed under the double blow and soon the news of his critical illness spread. Before the young Shen Xi could understand the meaning of his mother¡¯s death, he had to face the fact that his grandfather was also leaving him. At his deathbed, his grandfather took his hand, trembling and repeating over and over again, ¡°From now on, you will be the only one left, Xiao Xi.¡± Over the years, many things had gradually faded from Shen Xi¡¯s mind, but this was the only thing he had always remembered. Since his grandfather had passed away, he was really alone. Thinking of this, Shen Xi let out a soft sigh, rubbed his numb legs, and sat down leaning against his mother¡¯s tombstone. This was Shen Xi¡¯s favourite pose in the past. Every time he did this, Shen Xi would have the illusion of leaning into his mother¡¯s arms. Shen Xi liked to talk to his mother about his thoughts and all the bad things that happened to him in the Shen family, as if this could give him the strength to fight against all the cold treatment. But this time, Shen Xi suddenly did not know what he should say. He had thought he had a lot of grievances to talk to his mother about, but when the words reached his lips, Shen Xi realised that not all of the grievances could be told. Some things, some pain, were too heavy and light words could not bear that weight. Shen Xi sat in silence against his mother¡¯s tombstone for a whole morning, until the sound of footsteps reached him. Only then did he snap back to his senses. Shen Xi let out a long breath, rubbed his frozen face with his hands and stood up supporting himself on the tombstone. In the pale golden morning glow, Shen Xi took one last look at his mother and turned to leave. He had already decided. He was leaving Shen¡¯s house and leaving Zhongjing. He was afraid that he would not have the opportunity to visit his mother again in a short time. But unlike in the previous life, this time he had the right to choose when he would come back. Shen Xi left the cemetery at a determined pace, casually waved for a taxi and gave the address of the Shen family. The driver looked curiously in the rear-view mirror at the pale teenager in the back seat. The young man seemed to have not rested well and closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he got into the car. From the driver¡¯s angle, he could only see the teenager¡¯s soft hair hanging down, blocking his face and revealing his bloodless lips and sharp chin. The driver thought for a while and reached out to turn down the radio in the car, but when he looked up, he met the boy¡¯s eyes in the mirror, dark and cold. The driver shivered and immediately sat upright, looking at the road carefully, not daring to look left or right. Shen Xi indifferently looked away from the driver and stared out the window unconsciously. Outside the window, Zhongjing seemed like a different world to Shen Xi. It was the morning rush hour in Zhongjing, and countless people and vehicles were congregating, horns, human voices and all sorts of sounds mingling, the whole city lively and energetic. Shen Xi looked at everything in front of him greedily. That deathly silence and depression of ten years in prison almost immediately crumbled in this vibrant morning. Shen Xi could clearly feel the beating of his heart in his chest, alive and full of vitality. This feeling was so good that when the taxi left the main city and turned into the western suburb where the Shen family lived, Shen Xi felt uncomfortable for a moment. This was the so-called wealthy area of Zhongjing, and unlike the hustle and bustle of the main city, the western suburbs were always neat and quiet. On both sides of the road there were tall trees surrounding mansions of all kinds, and the Shen family¡¯s house was one of them. As he got closer to the house, Shen Xi¡¯s emotions became more and more uncontrollable, and a deep disgust emerged in his heart. This disgust was not the weak, powerless disgust of the eighteen-year-old Shen Xi, but the twenty-eight-year-old Shen Xi¡¯s uncontrollable destructive emotions towards the Shen family. These emotions were so strong that Shen Xi desperately had to try to control them until he could stand at the entrance of the Shen family¡¯s mansion looking as normal as ever. Looking at the house that was exactly as he remembered it, Shen Xi lowered his head in silence for a while, speculating on the emotions his eighteen-year-old self would have felt, finally raising his head again with an angry expression. Full of impatient anger, Shen Xi pushed open the front door, ignoring the eyes of the surrounding servants who were used to seeing him like that, strode into the house and went straight to the dining room. According to his memory, at this time of the day, his father and Shen Ji would usually be eating in the dining room, and Shen Cheng would also join them if he woke up early. As for him, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but sneer, who would care? He hadn¡¯t had breakfast with his father since his grandfather¡¯s death anyway. As Shen Xi had expected, in the clean and cosy dining room, Shen Dehan, who was over fifty years old, was sitting at the main table, sipping his coffee and talking to Shen Ji beside him. Unlike the distasteful way he looked at Shen Xi, the man had always been a kind father to Shen Ji. At this moment, with a soft smile on his face, he was looking at Shen Ji intently. Shen Ji also had a smile on his face, and his body leaned slightly in the direction of his father. From a distance, it was really a picture of fatherly kindness and filial piety. Shen Xi stood indifferently at the entrance of the dining room, looking at the warm scene in front of him. He sneered in his heart but his face wore a grumpy and irritable look as he barged in, casually pulled away the nearest chair and sat down heavily. The warm atmosphere between Shen Dehan and Shen Ji was interrupted by Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour. Shen Ji frowned imperceptibly and Shen Dehan gave Shen Xi a disgusted look and gently patted Shen Ji¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Your proposal is good, just do what you said.¡± After saying that, he got up and prepared to leave at once. Shen Xi watched his father¡¯s figure coldly until he was about to disappear in the dining room¡¯s door and then suddenly said, ¡°I want to go abroad.¡± Shen Dehan paused; without even bothering to turn his head, he directly instructed, ¡°Ah Ji, make the arrangements.¡± Shen Ji glanced at Shen Xi and said softly, ¡°Yes, father.¡± Even though he understood how indifferent his father was to him, seeing him not even bother to look, Shen Xi still felt a stabbing pain in his heart for a moment. Then Shen Xi scorned himself. Could it be that he was still praying for his ridiculous father¡¯s love even now? The self-deprecation flashed on Shen Xi¡¯s face momentarily, but Shen Ji caught it keenly. He glanced at Shen Xi silently, without any expression. Shen Ji¡¯s attitude towards his half-brother had always been to ignore him. But thinking of his father¡¯s order, Shen Ji took the rare initiative to speak up, ¡°Which country are you planning to go to?¡± Shen Xi gave Shen Ji a mocking glance, ¡°Can I make the decision?¡± Shen Ji watched as Shen Xi resentfully pushed the chair under him and got up to leave, frowned, thought of something and turned to Shen Cheng¡¯s room. At 8 o¡¯clock in the morning, it was still Shen Cheng¡¯s sleep time. Shen Ji unceremoniously opened the window and yanked off Shen Cheng¡¯s blanket. When the cold wind blew in, Shen Cheng jumped up, complaining angrily, ¡°Big brother, today is the weekend, there are no classes at school.¡± Shen Ji gave a faint ¡±en¡±, ignoring Shen Cheng¡¯s complaint, and asked, ¡°Have you provoked Shen Xi in the past few days?¡± ¡°Shen Xi?¡± Shen Cheng was surprised that his elder brother would actually bother to talk about Shen Xi, and shook his head quickly. Shen Ji watched Shen Cheng¡¯s movement and raised an eyebrow. Shen Cheng immediately chose to confess and hurriedly defended himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, I just wanted to see how excited Shen Xi would be.¡± ¡°Excited?¡± Shen Ji sounded puzzled. Shen Cheng explained consciously, ¡°Big brother, you don¡¯t know, last night was Shen Xi¡¯s eighteenth birthday. That boy is bent on Wenyao, and last night he was waiting with bated breath for Wenyao to celebrate his birthday. I took Shen Rong with me on purpose. I thought I would see a good show, but who knew that Shen Xi would run off somewhere and wouldn¡¯t meet him.¡± When Shen Ji heard Shen Rong¡¯s name, his expression turned ugly, ¡°Stay away from Shen Rong.¡± Shen Cheng looked at Shen Ji¡¯s dark face and nodded vigorously, ¡°I know, he¡¯s just an illegitimate child, I just took him along for fun, don¡¯t worry, big brother.¡± Shen Ji gave Shen Cheng a warning glance and left Shen Cheng¡¯s room. Shen Xi¡¯s room was on the other side of the aisle. Shen Ji stared at Shen Xi¡¯s door for a while, then turned and walked to the study. Was yesterday actually Shen Xi¡¯s birthday? In that case, could the last night be the trigger that made Shen Xi suddenly decide to leave the country? Shen Ji raised his hand and rubbed his brow. The family had gotten used to ignoring Shen Xi over the years and he hadn¡¯t thought that Shen Xi was already eighteen years old. He thought of the will in the lawyer¡¯s hand, and his gaze sharpened. CH 4 Shen Ji handled the matter of Shen Xi going abroad very quickly. In just three days, Shen Ji completed the relevant formalities and put a bunch of documents in front of Shen Xi. ¡°This is the admission notice from St. Rudolf Language School. You will first study the language there for a year, and after a year I will arrange for you to go to university.¡± As Shen Ji was standing in the door of Shen Xi¡¯s room with a business-like look, his attitude was as alienated as ever. Shen Xi blocked the doorway, having no intention of letting Shen Ji in. Taking the information from Shen Ji¡¯s hand blankly, Shen Xi sneered while looking through it quickly. So fast; it seemed that Shen Ji didn¡¯t want him to continue to be an eyesore in front of him either. Shen Xi¡¯s head was lowered and Shen Ji couldn¡¯t see his face clearly, but when Shen Ji casually glanced past him, a look of surprise flashed on his face. Shen Xi¡¯s room was unexpectedly neat and tidy, with all the items arranged in order from largest to smallest. Shen Ji was surprised, inadvertently looked at Shen Xi and met his impatient eyes, ¡°Money!¡± The grumpy look on Shen Xi¡¯s face was all too familiar, and the hint of incongruity that Shen Ji felt at the sight of Shen Xi¡¯s room was left behind. Handing over the card in his hand, Shen Ji added, ¡°I¡¯ve booked a flight for you for the day after tomorrow, so pack up and someone will take you to the airport.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s words were greeted by Shen Xi¡¯s turned back and the door slamming shut. Shen Ji¡¯s brows furrowed tightly as he looked at the closed door for half a second before turning to leave. Inside the room, Shen Xi looked at the bank card in his hand, a sneer habitually appearing on his face. There was no need to check it specifically, he knew there was a lot of money in it. He had never understood why his father, who clearly disliked him, was so indulgent with him when it came to money. Not only did he not care about his reckless spending, but there was even a hidden sense of connivance. Only after he was imprisoned did he realise: wasn¡¯t it as simple as trying to raise a waste of a man? Shen Xi smirked and stuffed the card into his wallet. No matter what his father¡¯s intentions were, the more money he had, the better. After putting the card away, Shen Xi was about to put the information in his hand into his luggage when his mobile phone rang all of a sudden. Shen Xi grabbed the phone. He didn¡¯t need to look at it to guess that it must be a call from one of his so-called friends, nothing but curiosity to see if he was really as irritated as it was rumoured among them. In the past few days, Shen Xi had received many such calls, each of them probing his relationship with Shen Rong under the banner of concern. Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong had been seen by many people when they appeared at Shutu that night. Shen Xi subconsciously wanted to hang up, but stopped when he saw that it was an unfamiliar number. After a moment of hesitation, Shen Xi picked up the phone and soon a look of surprise appeared on his face. A few minutes later, Shen Xi hung up the phone and pondered. The person who called him was his father¡¯s personal lawyer, Wang Changlin, with whom Shen Xi had not had any contact in the past. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t understand what Wang Changlin had to say to him, and the other party did not reveal any information on the phone, but only said that he had been entrusted to give something to him. Entrusted? By whom? And what was it that he was going to give him? With these questions in mind, the next day Shen Xi appeared at a coffee house near the Shen Group according to the address provided by the phone. At this time, it was office hours and there were very few customers in the coffee house, so Shen Xi saw the man who had called him almost at a glance. In his impression, Wang Changlin seemed to be a little older than his father, but the man in front of him looked only about forty. At this time, he was wearing a light grey suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was elegant and looked quite polished in his gestures. Wang Changlin obviously also saw Shen Xi, nodded at him and beckoned, ¡°Sanshao (third young master).¡± Shen Xi walked over expressionlessly and sat down without saying a word, looking at the other party in silence. Wang Changlin was not at all impressed by Shen Xi¡¯s attitude and looked at him with a complicated gaze, then said with emotion, ¡°In the blink of an eye, Sanshao is already so big.¡± Shen Xi frowned unconsciously. He was a little confused by Wang Changlin¡¯s attitude. This comment was a little too intimate for their relationship. Wang Changlin also seemed to realise it, smiled covertly and beckoned to the waiter, ¡°A cup of mocha.¡± He then looked at Shen Xi, ¡°Sanshao?¡± Shen Xi shook his head. He didn¡¯t come for any coffee. He was just curious about what Wang Changlin revealed over the phone. Wang Changlin did not insist, pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and smiled slightly at Shen Xi, ¡°Sanshao must be curious about what I said over the phone.¡± Shen Xi nodded and said, ¡°What do you want to give me?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s directness took Wang Changlin by surprise. He couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly, ¡°Sanshao¡¯s temper is really exactly as rumoured.¡± Impatience flashed in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes and the bitter smile on Wang Changlin¡¯s face intensified. He could only pretend not to see Shen Xi¡¯s expression, ¡°I am Mr. Shen¡¯s personal lawyer, Sanshao must have known about it.¡± Shen Xi said nothing with a cold face. Wang Changlin knew what was going on between the father and the son and didn¡¯t say anything more about it, but continued, ¡°Before I came to Mr. Shen¡¯s side, I had been Elder Han¡¯s personal lawyer.¡± The words ¡°Elder Han¡± made Shen Xi¡¯s heart jolt, and he looked at Wang Changlin in surprise. The bitter smile on Wang Changlin¡¯s face changed to a nostalgic look, ¡°Elder Han was kind to me, and I was fortunate enough to be by his side for a few years.¡± Seeing that Shen Xi did not say anything, Wang Changlin stopped selling the nostalgia, ¡°I think Sanshao has guessed that it was Elder Han who left some things for Sanshao as a reminder. According to Elder Han¡¯s request, these things can only be handed over to Sanshao after Sanshao turns eighteen years old. I have been in charge of them before.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s words were like a bomb thrown into Shen Xi¡¯s heart, and Shen Xi was in shock at this point. Grandfather had left something for him? Why had he been completely unaware of this in his previous life? Even if he had been imprisoned the next day after his birthday, why had no one ever mentioned it in the ten years that followed? And where did all those things end up? The questions in his mind followed one after another, but Shen Xi forced himself to calm down. There was no way to verify what happened in his previous life, and no matter what, the things would be in his hands in this life. Wang Changlin seemed to be waiting for Shen Xi to digest this news. Only when Shen Xi¡¯s expression calmed down did Wang Changlin speak softly, ¡°Very few people know about this matter. It is normal for Sanshao to be surprised.¡± Shen Xi was silent. Wang Changlin pushed the documents in his hand in front of Shen Xi, ¡°This is the specific information of the items that Elder Han left to Sanshao. The items have been kept in the safe of the Bank of Zhongjing. They can be collected only by Sanshao himself. Sanshao, please take a look.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s gaze fell on the papers, his expression serious. The Zhongjing¡¯s Han family was a well-known jewellery family in China. Anyone in such a family would know that there inevitably would be some treasures at the bottom of the box. Back then, when the Han family¡¯s business was in trouble, there were rumours in Zhongjing that Han Fuli had sent a few of his unparalleled treasures abroad to dispose of them in an attempt to save the family from its predicament. But no one could have predicted that within just a few days Han Fuli would receive the tragic news that both children had died. In the face of great grief, business was no longer Han Fuli¡¯s concern. Instead of selling the jewellery, he left it to the only person in the world he cared about, his grandson, Shen Xi. As he turned page after page, Shen Xi¡¯s expression became more and more solemn. The documents indicated in detail every item left behind by Grandpa, until the last page, where a slightly yellowed photograph was sandwiched on top of a clean white paper. The photograph appeared to have been taken accidentally. It showed Grandpa sitting in a wide rattan chair, smiling kindly, holding a tiny baby in his arms. Behind Grandpa, his frail uncle was staring at the baby in his arms curiously, and beside him, his mother was looking at him tenderly with a light smile on her face. Shen Xi¡¯s hands trembled, his eyes instantly moistened. As he was still very young when his mother and grandfather passed away, he did not have anything in his hands to keep as a souvenir. He didn¡¯t think that there would be a family photo left here. If only he knew¡­ What if he knew? Shen Xi clenched his hand hard, lowering his head to hide the tears in his eyes as he tried to calm the emotions in his heart. A hand gently patted Shen Xi¡¯s shoulder, and Shen Xi¡¯s emotions slowly calmed down. Carefully laying down the crumpled papers in his hands, Shen Xi raised his head and glanced at Wang Changlin gratefully. Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi with concern in his eyes, ¡°Sanshao, when do you think we will go to the bank?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m going abroad soon, so these things should continue to be kept in the bank. I just need to take this photo and that¡¯s it.¡± Wang Changlin was obviously very surprised by the news that Shen Xi was going abroad and looked at Shen Xi for half a second before shaking his head and sighing, ¡°Mr. Shen is a bit too strict to Sanshao.¡± When Shen Xi didn¡¯t answer this comment, Wang Changlin hesitated for a moment before making up his mind to speak, ¡°Does Sanshao know about the handling of the Han family¡¯s property before the death of Elder Han?¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°Grandfather used all of the Han family¡¯s assets in exchange for a third of the Shen family¡¯s inheritance rights for me.¡± Wang Changlin smiled bitterly, ¡°When Elder Han passed away, Sanshao should have been the only heir to the Han family. But at that time, the Han family¡¯s business suffered a heavy blow and Sanshao was too young to take over the family business. Elder Han had no choice but to make this decision.¡± Shen Xi laughed at himself, ¡°Grandfather was making plans for me because he knew that father didn¡¯t like me and was worried that he wouldn¡¯t leave me anything in the future.¡± Wang Changlin shook his head, ¡°Of course Elder Han meant this, but he also thought about finding a safe person to guard the family¡¯s property for Sanshao. But Mr. Shen took the initiative to make this proposal and Elder Han chose to agree after some deliberation.¡± Shen Xi was suddenly taken aback, ¡°What did you say?¡± There was a hint of pity in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes, ¡°This offer was mentioned by Mr. Shen first.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s face looked ugly. It turned out that his father was the one who proposed it. No wonder! Although the Han family¡¯s business had been badly hit back then, it had been in operation for decades and could not be shaken so easily. It was simply economically unreasonable for his grandfather to exchange the Han family¡¯s business for one-third of the inheritance rights of the Shen family for him. Shen Xi always thought that his grandfather was worried that he would not be able to keep the Han family¡¯s business because he was too young and that his father was too biassed and wouldn¡¯t give a share of the Shen family¡¯s business to him, so he used the Han family¡¯s business in exchange for Shen Xi to become a heir of the Shen family. But it turned out that everything was just his father¡¯s calculations. Wang Changlin sighed, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to tell Sanshao about this, but Elder Han had high hopes for Sahshao. So if Sanshao continues to be ridiculous like this, I really feel sorry for Elder Han. I just hope you won¡¯t let Elder Han down again after you go abroad.¡± At the mention of his grandfather, Shen Xi nodded forcefully with a gloomy face. Because of Wang Changlin¡¯s attitude, by the time the two left the coffee house, they were no longer strangers to each other like at the beginning and were much closer. Wang Changlin also repeatedly asked Shen Xi to take care of his health after he left the country and to remember to contact him if he needed anything. Shen Xi nodded in a rare moment of good temper and watched Wang Changlin leave. The moment he turned around and walked away, Shen Xi lowered his head to hide the vigilance in his eyes. There was nothing wrong with Wang Changlin¡¯s words, but for someone who had been by his father¡¯s side for ten years and had gained his trust, his attitude, Shen Xi vaguely felt, was unspeakably incongruous. Wang Changlin encouraged him to be motivated, but he should have known his father¡¯s intentions well after ten years by his father¡¯s side. Him being motivated was the last thing his father wanted to see. Could it really be because of Grandpa? Shen Xi was a bit confused and silently repeated the name ¡°Wang Changlin¡± in his mind. As Shen Xi watched Wang Changlin leave, he was unaware that on the other side of the road, a tall man stared at him thoughtfully for a while before turning to go. CH 5 Shen Group Headquarters Building In the conference room, Shen Ji was solemnly listening to the report on his subsidiary. The annual report of the previous year had come out and the figures were not as good as expected. Everyone in the company knew that this subsidiary was taken over by Shen Ji last year and he had put a lot of effort into it during the year. But no one expected that after a year of hard work, not only did it fail to meet the set goals, but compared to the previous year, the growth rate was lower by a few percentage points. No wonder that Shen Ji¡¯s face was as cold as icy water at this time, and everyone in the conference room was trembling under Shen Ji¡¯s powerful aura, barely daring to breathe. While the business manager carefully analysed the reasons for last year¡¯s poor performance, the heavy conference room door was quietly pushed open. Lily, Shen Ji¡¯s secretary, walked up to Shen Ji with an apologetic gesture to everyone and whispered in a low voice, ¡°Dashao (eldest young master), Xuan Shao has come to see you and is waiting for you in the office.¡± When Shen Ji heard the words ¡°Xuan Shao¡±, his sullen face finally relaxed. As Shen Ji¡¯s expression eased, everyone in the conference room could not help but quietly let out a sigh of relief. Shen Ji coldly swept his gaze over the crowd, making sure to attract everyone¡¯s attention, and said in a deep voice, ¡°I want to see the new year¡¯s rectification plan from all of you before tomorrow morning.¡± After saying that, Shen Ji didn¡¯t look at the sad expressions of the people in the conference room and walked towards his office briskly. His aura was overwhelming, and all the employees he passed by bowed their heads, working seriously, none of them daring to sit back. Li Mingxuan saw Shen Ji¡¯s extremely serious face and immediately raised his eyebrows, ¡°What, work is not going well?¡± Shen Ji nodded and explained while taking off his jacket, ¡°One of the subsidiaries did not do well in sales last year.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t care much, ¡°The economic situation was bad last year, everyone is in the same boat.¡± Shen Ji glanced at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Is that comforting? I¡¯ve heard that Uncle made a huge profit last year.¡± Without waiting for Li Mingxuan to say anything, Shen Ji threw his jacket aside and sat down on the sofa, watching the very leisurely Li Mingxuan, ¡°How come you have time to visit? Aren¡¯t you preparing to accept the business in Uncle¡¯s hands?¡± (Uncle here is the husband of father¡¯s sister) Hearing the concern in Shen Ji¡¯s words, Li Mingxuan casually pulled a chair and sat down opposite Shen Ji, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I had a rare day off and came to see you, but I saw a very interesting scene downstairs.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s interest piqued, ¡°What could be interesting to you?¡± Li Mingxuan gave Shen Ji a meaningful glance, ¡°Does Shen Xi and Wang Changlin walking together count?¡± ¡°Wang Changlin?¡± Shen Ji was taken aback, then thought of something, ¡°Shen Xi is already eighteen years old.¡± ¡°?¡± Li Mingxuan looked puzzled. Shen Ji relaxed and leaned back on the sofa, ¡°Wang Changlin was Elder Han¡¯s personal lawyer back then, so I think Elder Han must have left something for Shen Xi before he passed away.¡± Li Mingxuan was quite surprised, ¡°You don¡¯t seem worried?¡± Shen Ji said frankly, ¡°Shen Xi has already been raised to be a waste, so what do I have to worry about? What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know the deal between Elder Han and the Shen family back then. What could he leave for Shen Xi apart from some mementoes? As for Wang Changlin, his professional ethics are very good, and since he has father¡¯s trust, I¡¯m sure he knows what he can and cannot do.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded indifferently, ¡°It¡¯s good that you have a clear picture in mind. I won¡¯t interfere in the Shen family¡¯s affairs, but you know my mother is getting softer as she gets older. The other day she also mentioned that Shen Xi is still Uncle¡¯s son, so I don¡¯t want Uncle and him to get into too much trouble. You know, the family scandals of father and son falling out, brothers fighting over property and whatnot are the favourite stories of those reporters.¡± Shen Ji chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the Shen family will definitely not be on the front page like this. Shen Xi is going abroad soon, and when he returns in a few years, it will be time for father to retire. As long as Shen Xi is obedient, I don¡¯t mind keeping an extra brother.¡± The word ¡°abroad¡± caught Li Mingxuan¡¯s attention. Looking at Shen Ji¡¯s indifferent expression, he pointed out, ¡°There is a word in this world called accident, and some people are better not to be kept under the radar.¡± The word ¡°accident¡± stirred Shen Ji¡¯s sensitive nerves. His brow wrinkled invisibly, but he quickly let it go, ¡°With my father pressing him down, Shen Xi can¡¯t make any waves. Instead of having them face each other in front of our eyes, it¡¯s better to keep them apart.¡± When Li Mingxuan heard Shen Ji say this, he no longer mentioned Shen Xi and changed the subject, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to Shutu for a long time, how about going for a drink together tonight?¡± Shen Ji laughed, ¡°If you¡¯re going to go to Shutu, don¡¯t wait until the evening, let¡¯s go now. By the way, I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡± It was only half an hour¡¯s drive from Shen Group to Shutu, and soon Shen Ji and Li Mingxuan were already at the entrance of Shutu. Unlike the nighttime Shutou, the daytime Shutou was much cleaner. Shen Ji was saying something to Li Mingxuan, but when he saw an approaching man with his peripheral vision, his face darkened. Li Mingxuan quickly noticed Shen Ji¡¯s strangeness, followed his gaze and met Shen Cheng¡¯s ingratiating smile. Li Mingxuan glanced at Shen Cheng¡¯s obedient face with a smile, shrugged helplessly and quickly moved his gaze to the man next to Shen Cheng, showing a hint of surprise in his eyes. Next to Shen Cheng was a young man about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a delicate and very eye-catching appearance. At a rough glance, the young man looked quite similar to Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, but on closer inspection, one could see the shadow of another person in the young man¡¯s looks. Li Mingxuan glanced sideways at Shen Ji and understood the knot in his heart. The young man seemed to be very surprised to meet Shen Ji, looking with a mixture of astonishment and yearning on his face. But as Shen Ji¡¯s expression became gloomy, the surprise disappeared from the young man¡¯s face and was replaced with a look of apprehension. After reluctantly glancing at Shen Ji a few times, the young man lowered his head and walked after Shen Cheng. Li Mingxuan watched the teenager¡¯s movements thoughtfully, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up with a trace of ridicule. In the blink of an eye, Shen Cheng had already walked to the two of them and smiled flatteringly, ¡°Big brother, cousin.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded in greeting, but Shen Ji glanced behind Shen Cheng¡¯s back in disgust and said to Shen Cheng coldly, ¡°Go home immediately.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s smile froze on his face, but he did not dare to retort, nodded obediently and hurriedly left. Behind Shen Cheng, the teenager peeked at Shen Ji. When he met Shen Ji¡¯s disgusted eyes, grievances flashed on the young man¡¯s face. He lowered his head and walked away quickly with Shen Cheng. Li Mingxuan curiously watched the series of changes in the teenager¡¯s expression, and when the young man was far away, he bumped Shen Ji beside him, pointing in the teenager¡¯s direction, ¡°Shen Rong?¡± Shen Ji nodded with unconcealed disgust. Li Mingxuan was puzzled, ¡°When did he get friendly with Xiao Cheng?¡± Shen Ji snorted coldly, ¡°Just last year, you were abroad at the time. I don¡¯t know how he found Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng is also a fool to let him follow around.¡± Li Mingxuan was amused, ¡°Xiao Cheng is spoiled by you, but that Shen Rong does seem to have some ideas.¡± Shen Ji laughed coldly, ¡°He just wants the luxury of something that doesn¡¯t belong to him.¡± There were many illegitimate children in their circle who wanted to be recognized by their parents. If it was someone else, Li Mingxuan could regard it as a joke, but when it came to his mother¡¯s family, Li Mingxuan was much more cautious, ¡°You¡¯d better watch out for Shen Rong, he doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s willing to be an illegitimate child.¡± When Li Mingxuan commented on Shen Rong, he suddenly thought of Shen Xi, whom he didn¡¯t really know well. Because he had grown up with Shen Ji, and because of the coldness of Shen Dehan towards Shen Xi since childhood, naturally, Li Mingxuan intentionally or unintentionally favoured Shen Ji and felt nothing but some superficial affection towards Shen Xi. To be honest, the number of times the two had spent time together since they were young could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Compared to Shen Rong¡¯s carefulness, the short-tempered Shen Xi was really not a threat, so no wonder that Shen Ji had never taken Shen Xi to heart. Shen Xi didn¡¯t know or care about Li Mingxuan¡¯s mental activities at this time. After a day of casually wandering around Zhongjing, Shen Xi returned to the Shen family home at nightfall. After replacing his mobile phone card with a newly bought anonymous card, Shen Xi linked to the internet and clicked on the video he had recorded a few days ago. Ambiguous moans echoed in the room as two naked bodies tangled together, moving fiercely in unison with the gasps. Thanks to the phone¡¯s HD camera, even in the dim light, the appearance of the two people in the video could be clearly seen. Shen Xi¡¯s fingers brushed over the keys and stopped on the word upload. As his finger gently pressed down, the corners of his mouth curled up in a narrow smile. He was going abroad tomorrow, so this could be regarded as a big gift for them before he left. It had been several days since that night, so he didn¡¯t think anyone would suspect him; after all, he was known in his circle of friends for his irritable and violent nature. In just a few minutes, the video had already received over a thousand hits. Netizens were frantically leaving comments below. As the number of hits increased, the video began to spread at a rapid pace on different websites. Shen Xi patiently went through the netizens¡¯ comments page by page, then pretended to inadvertently recognise the two people in the video and gossiped about their identities in shock. As he watched the names Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong being mentioned time and time again, Shen Xi laughed happily. In his previous life, after he was imprisoned, he accidentally saw Shen Rong on TV, a popular idol in the entertainment industry. Who knows if in this life, with such a scandal behind his back, he would still be as popular as he was in his previous life? As for Tian Wenyao, the Tian family and the Fang family had long planned to join forces through marriage. With this video, the Fang family would likely have to give serious consideration to it. Shen Xi took one last look at the video¡¯s wildly rising click rate. Satisfied, he turned off his phone and pulled the card out, threw it down the toilet and flushed it. Destroy the corpse! CH 6 ¡°The Tian family¡¯s Dashao and the Shen family¡¯s illegitimate son¡¯s love video revealed!¡± ¡°The Shen family¡¯s illegitimate son bangs the Tian¡¯s family Dashao, Shen Ershao (second young master) pimping!?¡± ¡°Tian Wenyao has a crush on Shen Dashao, and the illegitimate son is just a substitute!¡± ¡°The status of Shen Sanshao is in jeopardy, and the bastard son is relying on the Tian family to counterattack!¡± For reporters in Zhongjing, this was definitely a day of excitement to the point of shivering. Eye-catching reports after eye-catching reports littered the front pages of major websites and entertainment magazines. In front of Shen and Tian¡¯s mansions in the suburbs, there were countless reporters squatting in the early morning, frantically approaching anyone who came out from inside, asking for news related to the story. Shen Xi stood by the window looking at the distant commotion at the gate. The corners of his mouth curved up in a pleasant arc. Just now his father had gone on a rampage in the dining room, and Shen Cheng had been grounded and was not allowed to go anywhere but school for the next month. Shen Ji also suffered the consequences and was ordered by Shen Dehan to keep his distance from Tian Wenyao to prevent the reporters from spreading more rumours. Even Shen Xi was confronted by his father for the first time and was given a strict warning not to talk nonsense when he went out. Shen Xi ignored it and kept eating without saying a word with his head down. Unexpectedly, from the corner of his eye he saw his father¡¯s face turn even more ugly. Shen Xi¡¯s father¡¯s black as the bottom of a pot look obviously made Shen Xi very happy, and this good mood continued until now. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes narrowed. Just now his father and Shen Ji were escorted to the gate by bodyguards as if facing an enemy, and listening to the noise there, they were probably still trapped in the crowd. Shen Xi was about to walk away from the window when the commotion at the gate suddenly diminished. Shen Xi raised an eyebrow; it seemed that his father and Shen Ji had managed to successfully break out under the protection of the bodyguards. He just wondered if his father was going to the company now or to Shen Rong¡¯s place? Shen Xi desperately imagined his father and Shen Rong meeting each other and his mood grew better and better. While Shen Xi was leisurely waiting to head to the airport to leave Zhongjing, the two parties involved in the video were in a terrible mess. ¡°Unfilial son!¡± Slapping the table heavily, Mr. Tian cursed at Tian Wenyao who was standing in front of him. Tian Wenyao lowered his head and did not dare to say a word. The more Mr. Tian thought about it, the angrier he became, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you were with a woman, but you¡¯re involved with a man. Especially with Shen Rong. What is he? He is just a bastard raised outside by Shen Dehan. The Fang family has already loosely agreed to the marriage between you and their daughter, and you pulled this stunt at a critical moment. How do you expect me to explain it to the Fang family?!¡± Tian Wenyao looked up apologetically, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry.¡± His father tried to suppress his anger, ¡°Did you find out the IP from where it was uploaded?¡± Tian Wenyao shook his head, ¡°The other party used a mobile phone to upload. We only found the mobile phone number but the other party only used this number once and then there was no more activity.¡± His father grimaced, ¡°So someone is trying to set you up?¡± Tian Wenyao frowned and didn¡¯t say anything, but in his mind he was eliminating suspected candidates one by one. This video was definitely taken on the night of Shen Xi¡¯s birthday, and it was said that Shen Xi was also at Shutu that night. No, Tian Wenyao shook his head and ruled out any suspicion of Shen Xi. According to Shen Xi¡¯s character, if it really was him, he would surely make trouble the next day or even make a fuss right then and there. How could he hold back until now? But if it wasn¡¯t Shen Xi, who else could it be? An employee of Shutu? Or? Tian Wenyao thought of a name and his eyes darkened. His father probably thought of the same person and said with a gloomy face, ¡°Could it be Shen Rong who set you up?¡± Tian Wenyao did not say anything, but his doubts deepened. While Tian Wenyao was trying to think of a countermeasure, Shen Rong was watching the video on the computer over and over again, his face pale. ¡°You¡¯ve let me down so much!¡± An icy female voice sounded behind him. Shen Rong¡¯s body trembled; he turned around pretending to be tough and looked at the woman who appeared behind him. The woman looked to be in her thirties, well maintained and wearing exquisite makeup. A well-fitting cheongsam matched her temperament. However, at this moment the woman was staring coldly at Shen Rong with a look of hating iron for not being made of steel. Shen Rong straightened his back under the woman¡¯s gaze. The woman was irritated by Shen Rong¡¯s tough attitude. Her anger surged, a grimace appearing on her beautiful face as she loudly rebuked, ¡°What, you think you are right?¡± Shen Rong did not speak, and the woman said angrily, ¡°How much I have secretly schemed for you all these years in order for you to be recognised by the Shen family?! But now all those plans have been ruined by you. How many times have I told you, if you want to be recognized by the Shen family and be the fair and upright young master of the Shen family, you have to rely on your own hard work and progress, so that your father can see how good you are, instead of engaging in these eccentric tactics. You think that if you climb on Shen Cheng and call him second brother, he will really treat you like a younger brother, but he just takes you along for fun. What is Tian Wenyao¡¯s status, what is the status of the Tian family, you and Tian Wenyao are nothing but a joke!¡± The woman¡¯s words were getting meaner and meaner. Shen Rong clenched his fists and tried to control his temper, but finally couldn¡¯t help but burst out when he heard the word joke, ¡°Yes, I am a joke, I was originally a joke! I am obviously the son of the Shen family, yet my father refuses to recognize me. You talk every day about having to fight to get ahead and show my father how good I am. And I listened to you! Haven¡¯t I done enough reading, sports, piano and dancing? But did father see that? Not at all! Shen Xi can do nothing, he doesn¡¯t know anything, he¡¯s an uneducated straw bag (good-for-nothing), but he¡¯s the rightful heir of the Shen family! Is there anything I can¡¯t do better than him? I am better than him in everything! I dare not compete with my eldest brother and second brother, but why can¡¯t I even compete with Shen Xi? Is it because I¡¯m an illegitimate child, because I was born to a mistress, so I deserve nothing?¡± ¡°Pop!¡± With a crisp sound, Shen Rong covered his face in disbelief and looked at the woman in front of him. The woman looked at Shen Rong calmly, ¡°Are you complaining that I shouldn¡¯t have given birth to you?¡± Shen Rong slowly lowered his head under the woman¡¯s gloomy expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± The woman looked at Shen Rong steadily, ¡°I will find a way to help you settle this matter. Don¡¯t let it happen again, and don¡¯t let me down again. Stay away from Shen Cheng in the future, Zhou Mingmei¡¯s son will be recognized by the Shen family in an open and honest way, not by ingratiating himself.¡± Shen Rong nodded stiffly. The woman gave Shen Rong a satisfied look and turned to leave, stopping abruptly when she reached the door, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you have anything to do with Tian Wenyao again.¡± Shen Rong did not say anything and stood there in silence. The woman did not care about Shen Rong¡¯s silence and left the room with these words. Shen Rong looked at the woman¡¯s back and clenched his fists again. The matter of the video was quickly left behind by Shen Xi. Standing in the huge terminal hall, Shen Xi looked at the bustling crowd around him and revealed his first real smile since his rebirth. He was really leaving this place. Even though he was not showing it on the surface, Shen Xi had to admit in his heart that he was constantly worrying, worrying that one day his fate would suddenly repeat itself and his rebirth would be nothing but an illusory dream. After leaving this place, after leaving the people whose fates were intertwined with his in his previous life, the uneasiness that Shen Xi had been hiding in his heart disappeared completely. The plane took off, and as it rose, Zhongjing below became smaller and smaller. Shen Xi slowly pressed his hand to the window. From this perspective, the entire city of Zhongjing was within the grasp of his hand. Shen Xi slowly clenched his palm and smiled in satisfaction. CH 7 Five years later ¡°Shen, I heard you¡¯re going back to China, come out for a drink sometime.¡± ¡°Shen, we¡¯re having a farewell party for you, join us Friday night at King Bar at 7pm sharp, oh.¡± ¡°Shen, it¡¯s Old John, I need to talk to you.¡± It was a very ordinary single apartment, not very big but very empty because of the few items in it. In one corner of the apartment, Shen Xi was bending down to pack his luggage while listening to the messages on the phone absent-mindedly. Compared to five years ago, Shen Xi¡¯s figure was considerably taller, with the youthfulness of a teenager beginning to fade and the outline of a young man becoming more apparent. Due to regular exercise, Shen Xi¡¯s physique was lean but perfectly muscled, a far cry from his thinness of five years ago. Unlike Shen Ji and Shen Cheng who looked like their father and Shen Rong who looked like his mother, Shen Xi resembled neither his father nor his deceased mother. At first glance, the grown-up Shen Xi looked more like a replica of his uncle, Han Yu. Without the gloomy and violent aura of his youth, the current Shen Xi looked gentle and introspective. The phone messages were still playing one after another, most of them coming from one person ¨C Old John. Defeated by his perseverance, Shen Xi had to stop what he was doing, grab the phone and call back. ¡°Hi John, it¡¯s Shen.¡± ¡°Thank God, Shen, you finally contacted me. I think we need to talk.¡± Even through the phone line, Shen Xi could feel Old John¡¯s relieved mood on the other side. A warm current surged through Shen Xi¡¯s heart, ¡°Thank you, John, but I don¡¯t need to.¡± ¡°Shen, believe me, hatred can never save our hearts.¡± Old John rushed to speak, only to be interrupted by Shen Xi. ¡°I don¡¯t need saving, thank you! Goodbye!¡± Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi simply unplugged the line. The expression of Old John blowing his beard and glaring after he couldn¡¯t get through flashed in his mind, and the corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up. Old John that Shen Xi had been talking to was a kindly and compassionate old man who ran a psychological clinic near the residential area where Shen Xi lived. Since Shen Xi went to him four years ago because of continuous nightmares, Old John had become Shen Xi¡¯s exclusive counsellor. Shen Xi once described to Old John his past life as an absurd dream. Perhaps because there was too much resentment in Shen Xi¡¯s words, Old John insisted that Shen Xi needed to learn to let go of the hatred in his heart if he wanted to get rid of the nightmares. Shen Xi did not take Old John¡¯s words seriously. Hatred was the only thing that kept him going, and without it, what was the point of his rebirth? While recalling the soft-hearted old man, Shen Xi quickly packed his luggage. Soon the last thing was put away. Shen Xi looked at the empty room, turned and left with his luggage without any nostalgia. The place where Shen Xi lived was still a long way from the airport. Busy packing up in the past few days, Shen Xi didn¡¯t have a good rest. Therefore, as soon as he got in the car, Shen Xi took the time to close his eyes and rest. Speaking of which, Shen Xi¡¯s scheduled return to China was three months later, which was also the time when Fang Luowei appeared in Zhongjing in his previous life. Unfortunately, plans never kept up with changes, and a phone call a few days ago changed Shen Xi¡¯s agenda. Thinking about the content of that phone call, Shen Xi¡¯s brow furrowed. The phone rang at that moment, and the words ¡°Lao K¡± flashed on the big screen. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I get through to your home phone?¡± The voice in the receiver was full of accusations, as if Shen Xi had done something unforgivable to the other party. With the way the other party was pinching his throat, as his shrill voice entered Shen Xi¡¯s ears, Shen Xi held his forehead fighting a headache. He could imagine the person on the other side of the phone pouting and sobbing. Such an expression on a beautiful girl¡¯s face would be pleasing to the eye and on a beautiful boy it would be bearable, but when a man in his thirties with a scruffy beard made such an expression, Shen Xi felt goosebumps all over his body. Before Shen Xi could adjust his emotions, the man on the other side went all out, ¡°Nasty, why are you ignoring me?!¡± ¡°I have a flight this afternoon and I¡¯m on my way to the airport.¡± Shen Xi kept his face as blank as possible, trying to talk in a calm tone. The other party obviously didn¡¯t expect Shen Xi to move so quickly, was taken aback for a moment, then chirped, ¡°Ah ah, what if I¡¯m not ready to see you yet? Is it too late to go for a beauty treatment? Will you dislike me?¡± Shen Xi gritted his teeth, ¡°Speak human language!¡± The other party seemed to know that this was Shen Xi¡¯s bottom line and smiled coquettishly, ¡°Aiya, Xiao Xixi, you are so short-tempered!¡± The next moment, before Shen Xi could hang up the phone, Lao K¡¯s tone became normal, ¡°Shen Dehan has been discharged from the hospital this morning. I got his medical records. It looks like he fainted a few days ago just due to overexertion and there was no other reason.¡± Without waiting for Shen Xi¡¯s response, Lao K couldn¡¯t help but tease again, ¡°Xiao Xixi, you are too miserable, Shen Dehan was secretly hospitalised and even that bastard son of his was notified urgently, but you¡¯re the only one kept in the dark. Shen Dehan is not really planning to disinherit you for that bastard son, is he? You should be careful, you haven¡¯t paid my investigation fee yet.¡± Shen Xi had already gotten used to the other party¡¯s flirtatious words, but after listening to Lao K go from the fact that the investigation fee should be raised due to inflation to the fact that he couldn¡¯t afford to buy cosmetics these days, he finally couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, ¡°Have you found the person I asked you to find?¡± When it came to business, Lao K immediately became serious, ¡°Living up to my promise, I finally found one.¡± ¡°How similar?¡± Shen Xi directly asked the question he was most concerned about. ¡°Depends on who you want to compare to. If you want to compare to Zhou Mingmei, it will be only a seven-point resemblance. But if you compare to the photo you gave me, it will be a full nine points.¡± Shen Xi smiled in satisfaction, ¡°I will go straight to your place when I get off the plane, make an appointment with this person for me.¡± After thinking about it, Shen Xi added, ¡°If the person you found is really as similar as you say, I will double the fee.¡± After saying this, Shen Xi simply hung up the phone, stopping any nagging from the other party. After putting down the phone, Shen Xi closed his eyes once again, but the corner of his mouth was unconsciously hooked up to reveal a cold smile. He thought he didn¡¯t care. After ten years in prison and five years of being ignored, he had already no expectations of the Shen family. He pretended to be a dandy, he held back his hatred, and he spent five years slowly building up his strength. He felt that his heart was already ruthless and cold enough, but when he heard the news that his father fainted and was admitted to the hospital, he still subconsciously hesitated. But the reality was so ridiculous and cruel that his hesitation was only rewarded with a resounding slap in the face! Everyone associated with the Shen family received the news that Shen Dehan had been admitted to hospital, except for him. Had he not had someone to keep an eye on the Shen family, if his father hadn¡¯t just fainted from fatigue, he wouldn¡¯t have even known about his father¡¯s death and would have been sidelined by everyone. The little beast in his heart called hatred began to screech, and Shen Xi opened his eyes and showed himself a harmless smile in the rear view mirror. Half an hour later, in the first class cabin of the flight to Zhongjing, Shen Xi sat quietly in his seat. There was still some time before the plane took off and Shen Xi was bored, flicking through the video player to pass the long journey time. ¡°Excuse me, may I?¡± A low, magnetic voice sounded above his head. Shen Xi quickly stood up and side-stepped out of the way, only to find that the man speaking had no intention of getting past him. Shen Xi looked over in confusion, and when he saw the other party¡¯s face, his eyes flashed. Before he could figure out what expression to wear, the other party already said, ¡°Shen Xi?¡± Shen Xi was surprised; he hadn¡¯t thought that the man could recognise him. After all, counting the five years he had spent abroad, it should have been seven or eight years since they had seen each other. Nodding hesitantly, Shen Xi put on a puzzled look, ¡°Cousin Mingxuan?¡± The other party was obviously not expecting Shen Xi to address him in this way, and after a slight pause he smiled gently. Li Mingxuan¡¯s smile was very nice, and even though he had a lot of disdain for the man in his heart, Shen Xi had to admit this. Speaking of which, Shen Xi was no stranger to Li Mingxuan¡¯s current appearance. Lao K was doing his best collecting all the information about the Shen family. As a close friend and cousin of Shen Ji, Li Mingxuan had appeared in the information a lot. So much, in fact, that Lao K once swore that the two of them definitely had an affair. When Shen Xi thought of this, he could not help but laugh at himself. He was also Li Mingxuan¡¯s cousin, but the treatment he and Shen Ji enjoyed as cousins was really different. Maybe Lao K¡¯s words were not groundless, and the two of them really had an affair. The thought was fleeting, and Li Mingxuan had already sat down beside Shen Xi. When Shen Xi sat down as well, he heard Li Mingxuan speak, ¡°Is Xiao Xi going back to China?¡± The words ¡°Xiao Xi¡± really irritated Shen Xi, who only felt a bitter cold and nodded silently. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi, seemingly unintentionally, ¡°I heard that Xiao Xi is doing well abroad, why do you suddenly think of going back home?¡± At the word ¡°heard¡± Shen Xi wanted to laugh out loud. The Shen family had ignored him for five years, where had Li Mingxuan heard about him? He said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of staying abroad and want to go back to China for a while.¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s calm face and nodded approvingly, ¡°There¡¯s really no point in staying abroad, so it¡¯s good that Xiao Xi wants to go back home.¡± Shen Xi smiled coldly in his heart, knowing that his return to China at this time must have attracted the other party¡¯s suspicion. But what about that? He would be met with suspicion whenever he went back. Shen Xi had been waiting for five years for the big show to start, so how could he be willing to miss it? Li Mingxuan seemed to be very interested in Shen Xi¡¯s life abroad, and intentionally or unintentionally steered the conversation towards it. Shen Xi did not disappoint him and told him all about his foreign life that consisted of eating, drinking and playing. The plane soon took off, and midway through the flight Shen Xi excused himself to go to the toilet, quickly took out his mobile phone to turn it on and typed a few lines. ¡°I¡¯m with Li Mingxuan, flight number CA981, you know what to do.¡± Satisfied, Shen Xi watched the phone turn off and walked out. Under Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze, the corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up in a harmless smile. CH 8 Along flight is actually a very boring thing. Shen Xi was originally planning to sleep all the way back to Zhongjing, but he didn¡¯t expect to meet Li Mingxuan on the plane. After holding on for dear life, Shen Xi could not endure in the end and fell asleep without realising it. When Li Mingxuan turned his head, he saw Shen Xi¡¯s sleeping face leaning against the back of the chair. It seemed that because of the flight, Shen Xi slept very restlessly, his long eyelashes fluttering incessantly. Li Mingxuan stared at Shen Xi with complicated eyes for half a second, then bent down and took out a prepared blanket from the table cabinet next to the seat and gently covered Shen Xi¡¯s body. This was the first time in his memory that Li Mingxuan had been so close to Shen Xi. Compared to the young man he remembered meeting outside the coffee house, the current Shen Xi had changed a lot. Perhaps because he was less repressed by the Shen family, or perhaps he had lived a good life abroad, but Shen Xi¡¯s bearing had become peaceful instead of violent like in the past. In addition, he had grown up into a unique appearance of the Han family and no one would associate him with the pale, gloomy teenager from before. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Shen Ji would regularly follow Shen Xi¡¯s movements, Li Mingxuan wouldn¡¯t have recognised him at first glance. Although Shen Xi called Li Mingxuan a cousin, their relationship was not much different from that of strangers. When Shen Xi was born, Li Mingxuan was still a child. Due to the cold attitude of the adults towards Shen Xi, coupled with Shen Ji¡¯s hatred of his younger brother, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help being affected and also rejected Shen Xi. By the time Shen Xi had grown from a baby to a child, Li Mingxuan and Shen Ji went to primary school together, hand in hand. How could a cousin who was not close to him at all be comparable to Shen Ji, with whom he played every day? As Li Mingxuan grew, he began to understand things. By then he had learned about the complicated situation of his uncle¡¯s family from his parents. Although it was inevitable that he had a touch of sympathy for Shen Xi, human hearts are biassed. Weighing his best friend against his younger cousin, the scales of his heart unsurprisingly chose to tilt. Not long afterwards, Li Mingxuan went abroad to study and had no contact with Shen Xi at all. When he occasionally heard Shen Xi¡¯s name, it was only from Shen Cheng¡¯s words that Shen Xi had gotten into some kind of trouble again. Li Mingxuan sighed in his heart. The words ¡°blood bond¡± were nice to say but how could there be any love without a reason in this world? Any kind of relationship, be it affection or love, would soon scatter like a withered flower without the care and attention of both parties. Wasn¡¯t it the case with him and Shen Xi? As his eyes fell back on Shen Xi¡¯s sleeping face, Li Mingxuan only hoped that Shen Xi was telling the truth and was going back to China because he was tired of staying abroad, rather than because he was thinking of something he shouldn¡¯t have. The Li family and the Shen family were linked by marriage and business interests, so they could be said to be united in glory and in loss. Whether from a personal or business point of view, Li Mingxuan hoped that the Shen family would remain stable and that there would not be any upheaval, especially in terms of inheritance rights. However, when he thought of Shen Xi¡¯s choice to return to China at this moment, Li Mingxuan had a subtle feeling in his heart. He just wondered if Shen Xi was doing it intentionally or unintentionally. There was also Shen Rong. Thinking about the phone call from Shen Ji in the middle of the night a few days ago, Li Mingxuan was very flabbergasted. He didn¡¯t know what his uncle was thinking. It was just an illegitimate child, did he really want to recognize Shen Rong? If that were to happen, the Shen family would become a joke in Zhongjing. Li Mingxuan shook his head and didn¡¯t continue to think about it, opened the file beside him and started to read it. The sleeping Shen Xi seemed to feel uncomfortable in this position and quickly moved to change his pose, turning his head towards the aisle. The blanket that originally covered Shen Xi¡¯s body slid down to his lap as he moved. Li Mingxuan, who caught a glimpse of all this out of the corner of his eye, didn¡¯t think much of it, but leaned over, picked up the blanket on Shen Xi¡¯s lap, covered him and immersed himself in his papers once again. He did not know that the moment he lowered his head, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes suddenly opened, clear and without the slightest hint of drowsiness at all. Ten years in prison forced Shen Xi to develop many habits, and being alert in his sleep was one of them. No matter how tired he was, Shen Xi would wake up instantly whenever someone got close to him. The moment Li Mingxuan approached, Shen Xi was already awake. He did not open his eyes because he wanted to see what the other party was planning to do; but he didn¡¯t expect Li Mingxuan¡¯s actions. Shen Xi glanced at the blanket covering his body and lowered his head to hide the expression on his face. Even the longest journey has its end. Shen Xi did not know when he fell asleep again. By the time he woke up, the plane was already over Zhongjing and ready to land. ¡°Awake?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice sounded next to him. Shen Xi nodded. Li Mingxuan packed up the documents in his hands and looked at Shen Xi, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell Uncle about coming back, right? Do you want me to send you home?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not going home.¡± ¡°Not going home?¡± Li Mingxuan was slightly startled by Shen Xi¡¯s words. He looked at Shen Xi¡¯s expression; it didn¡¯t seem that he lied. Li Mingxuan thought about it and said, ¡°Uncle was unwell a few days ago and just got out of the hospital, so if you don¡¯t have anything to do, you should go home and take a look.¡± Shen Xi seemed surprised by the news, but quickly laughed at himself, ¡°Father must not want to see me, so why should I go and make a nuisance of myself?¡± Li Mingxuan sighed and didn¡¯t say anything else. The hatch soon opened and the two walked out. Shen Xi purposely did not catch up with Li Mingxuan who was in front of him but followed him a step behind. Glancing at Li Mingxuan¡¯s back, Shen Xi turned on his mobile phone and a text message from Lao K popped up, ¡°Done!¡± Shen Xi quickly deleted it and slowly followed Li Mingxuan along the long corridor bridge into the airport hall. As soon as the two of them showed up, numerous flashes flickered around them. Amidst the chaos, Shen Xi grabbed Li Mingxuan¡¯s arm and said in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Li Mingxuan subconsciously turned around under the sound of countless clicks as the reporters went crazy. ¡°Quickly, quickly, here, the two of them are together.¡± ¡°Make way, make way, be careful of the camera.¡± In the blink of an eye, the two were surrounded by a crowd, dozens of microphones scrambling to be the first to approach them. ¡°Sanshao, we received a record of Mr. Shen¡¯s secret hospitalisation a few days ago, it is said that Mr. Shen will die soon. Is this news true?¡± ¡°Sanshao, are you coming back this time for the inheritance rights of the Shen family? ¡°Sanshao, you are with Li Shao. Did Li Shao specially go abroad to pick you up? Does this mean that the Li family is on your side?¡± ¡°I heard that Mr. Shen intends to recognize Shen Rong before he dies. Do you have any comments? Sanshao, is Mr. Shen really going to die soon?¡± One by one, questions were piled up in front of Shen Xi, who lowered his head expressionlessly and did not say a word. Li Mingxuan glanced at the reporters around him with an ugly look, coldly striding forward, not forgetting to protect Shen Xi at his side. Shen Xi followed closely behind Li Mingxuan, which in the eyes of the reporters reinforced the rumour that Li Mingxuan had deliberately gone abroad to fetch Shen Xi. As the two of them walked forward, the reporters also followed closely, constantly asking questions to Shen Xi. Seeing that the reporters were not going to give up, Li Mingxuan whispered to Shen Xi, ¡°Forget about the luggage for now, there is someone outside to pick me up, I will take you with me.¡± Shen Xi had no problem with this. He originally wanted to make it look like the two of them were coming back from abroad together, and now not only had he achieved the effect he wanted, but the result also greatly exceeded expectations. However, in just a few short steps, the two of them finally broke out of the crowd of reporters and got into the private car waiting outside. Almost as soon as the door was closed, the car started. Obviously the driver knew that it would be very difficult to get away in case he was trapped here. It was not until they had completely gotten rid of the reporters behind them that Li Mingxuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then his expression became uneasy. Who on earth let out the news of his uncle¡¯s hospitalisation? Who said he was dying soon? Who had leaked his own itinerary? And Shen Xi, was his appearance on this flight intentional or a genuine accident? Li Mingxuan gazed at Shen Xi thoughtfully, but unexpectedly Shen Xi looked up directly at him, ¡°Is it true what the reporters said? Is father really going to die soon or is he just unwell as cousin said?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were very direct, revealing an emotion that Li Mingxuan could not understand. Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°Uncle¡¯s health is fine, what the reporters said is just a rumour.¡± Shen Xi suddenly laughed. ¡°Anyway, no one will tell me whether it¡¯s true or not. If this news was true and I hadn¡¯t made it back in time, it would be really¡­¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t continue, turned away and looked out the window as if nothing happened. But his profile still revealed an expression of disappointment and self-deprecation, mixed with indescribable sadness. This look was imprinted in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes, and even he, who had been standing firmly on Shen Ji¡¯s side, could not help but feel a trace of guilt towards Shen Xi. Shen Xi¡¯s return to China was really unintentional, and he was overthinking. As the car became quiet, Li Mingxuan took the initiative to say, ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Shen Xi flatly refused, ¡°Don¡¯t, it¡¯ll be troublesome if father really thinks that I heard that he is about to die and come back to fight for the inheritance. I¡¯d better stay in a hotel.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s words were playful, but there was an indescribable loss on his face. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know what to say for a while, and the car was quiet again. The car soon stopped in front of the most prestigious hotel in Zhongjing. Li Mingxuan watched Shen Xi enter the hotel before picking up the phone and dialling. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± The background at the other end of the phone seemed very noisy. Li Mingxuan frowned slightly and finally heard Shen Ji¡¯s voice, ¡°I saw the news.¡± Li Mingxuan froze, ¡°What do you think?¡± There was anger in Shen Ji¡¯s voice, ¡°Someone must be behind this, no matter who it is, I will find him.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± Li Mingxuan sensed that something was wrong. ¡°Father also saw the news and fainted from anger.¡± A worried look appeared on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face, ¡°Is Uncle alright?¡± Shen Ji smiled bitterly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good. I¡¯m preparing to take him to the hospital, let¡¯s talk about it later.¡± Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan opened his notebook and searched up. It had just happened, and it was already all over the internet. If someone said that there was no one behind this scheme, he would never believe it. Just who would the schemer be? Shen Xi? This thought flashed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind, and then he recalled the complex look on Shen Xi¡¯s face from before, a mixture of frustration and self-deprecation, as well as unspeakable melancholy. With a sigh, Li Mingxuan skipped Shen Xi and turned his thoughts to other suspects. CH 9 Shen Dehan¡¯s hospitalisation was originally a secret, but it was quickly discovered by well-informed reporters. As soon as Shen Dehan entered the hospital, a large number of reporters surrounded the hospital. Had the hospital not reacted quickly and dispatched a large number of security guards to keep the reporters away, the whole hospital would likely have been stirred up. Despite the strict security measures, many reporters managed to sneak into the hospital with the intention of obtaining Shen Dehan¡¯s hospitalisation records. If not everyone believed that Shen Dehan was seriously ill before, then the second hospitalisation within a short period of time added a heavy weight to the authenticity of the news. All of a sudden, various families in Zhongjing who had business dealings with the Shen family called to confirm Shen Dehan¡¯s condition. Although Shen Ji explained on the phone that his father was just overtired, they were still sceptical. After all, as the head of the Shen family, Shen Dehan and his condition were directly related to the rise and fall of the Shen family¡¯s stock price, and it was not impossible that his state of health was concealed in the eyes of the public for this reason. After a round of phone calls, Shen Ji felt deeply powerless and his hatred for the person who broke the news also increased. As the person who had caused Shen Ji¡¯s hatred, Shen Xi was also quite astonished. It was just an impromptu move to stimulate the crowd and he didn¡¯t expect the results to be so surprisingly good. Shen Xi watched the various speculations of the reporters on TV regarding the consequences of Shen Dehan¡¯s hospitalisation on the Shen family, and smiled slightly. Since everyone knew that he was back, it would be unreasonable not to play the role of a filial son of a doting father at this time. Looking in the mirror to put on a sad face, Shen Xi ran out of the hotel anxiously and hurried to the hospital. Shen Xi¡¯s arrival made the reporters at the hospital entrance very excited. Unfortunately, Shen Xi looked pale and concerned throughout the whole process and was not in the mood for an interview. As they watched Shen Xi hastily push through the crowd and rush into the hospital, many reporters were secretly surprised. It was no secret in Zhongjing that Shen Xi and his father were not getting along, but looking at Shen Xi¡¯s anxious expression, the reporters could not help but sigh in their hearts. No matter what, a father and a son were naturally related by blood and Shen Sanshao apparently had really grown up. Shen Dehan¡¯s ward was arranged on the top floor, and Shen Ji had taken the liberty of reserving the entire top floor to avoid harassment from reporters and brought the family¡¯s bodyguards there. When Shen Xi arrived at the top floor, all he saw was seven or eight men in black guarding the corridor vigilantly. The bodyguard closest to Shen Xi did not seem to know him and subconsciously wanted to come up to block his way, but another bodyguard stopped him. ¡°Sanshao!¡± The other bodyguard greeted in a low voice, and everyone in the corridor looked over with surprised expressions on their faces, clearly not expecting Shen Xi to appear here. Shen Xi glanced over, ignoring everyone¡¯s surprise, walked to the ward with an unchanged expression and pushed the door in. ¡°Shen Xi!¡± Shen Cheng, who was closest to the door, was the first to shout out. He obviously did not know that Shen Xi had returned to Zhongjing and was currently looking shocked. Shen Xi ignored him and instead turned his gaze to the centre of the ward. At this moment, there were quite a few people there, five or six doctors with nurses gathered together, doing various tests in an orderly manner. Because there were too many people, Shen Xi did not see his father. But he didn¡¯t think Shen Dehan would have any reaction to his arrival anyway; it seemed that he was unconscious at the moment. Shen Xi only had time for a fleeting judgement; Shen Cheng had already walked up to him and asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you doing coming back?¡± Shen Xi turned his eyes to Shen Cheng, gave him a provocative look and lowered his voice to a whisper, ¡°I heard that my father is seriously ill and about to die. What do you think I am coming back for?¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Cheng was obviously infuriated by these words and instantly forgot where he was, grabbed Shen Xi¡¯s collar and raised his hand to punch him. Shen Cheng¡¯s action immediately alarmed everyone in the room, making the people there look over. Shen Xi looked at Shen Cheng with a pale and shocked face, seemingly not expecting him to make a sudden move. Shen Ji said quickly, ¡°Stop, Shen Cheng.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s movements stopped after these words, his fist just a few centimetres away from Shen Xi¡¯s face. The doctors and nurses in the room regained their senses after Shen Ji¡¯s words and hastily lowered their heads to continue to do what they were doing, not daring to look at the two brothers again. Shen Xi turned his head sideways, avoiding Shen Ji¡¯s gaze, and gave a malicious smile to Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng looked at Shen Xi angrily, breathing heavily and appearing extremely tempted to swing his fist. But perhaps because he thought of where this was, Shen Cheng¡¯s raised fist eventually slowly went down. A wave of disappointment welled up in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. It seemed that trying to provoke Shen Cheng was not going to work. Shrugging off Shen Cheng¡¯s restraint, Shen Xi softly said to Shen Ji who came over, ¡°Big brother!¡± Shen Ji gave Shen Xi a cold look, ¡°When did you come back?¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows with a look of surprise, ¡°Didn¡¯t cousin Mingxuan tell big brother? We came back together.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face turned ugly. If it weren¡¯t for Shen Xi and Mingxuan to come back together and be blocked by reporters at the airport, how could his father have been so irritated that he was hospitalised? As if Shen Xi could not see Shen Ji¡¯s face, he lamented with a fearful expression, ¡°Fortunately, I suddenly wanted to go back to China, otherwise, if there was an accident with my father, wouldn¡¯t it be too regrettable that I was far away from home?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s eyes flickered as he was about to speak, but Shen Xi had already said first, ¡°Speaking of which, what happened to father? What the reporters said is not true, right?¡± The words once again succeeded in angering Shen Cheng, who was about to lunge at him, but Shen Ji stopped him in time, looked at Shen Xi and said word for word, ¡°Father is just a little irritated, there is nothing serious. Because he was worried about your studies, father specifically instructed not to tell you.¡± Shen Xi relaxed and spoke in a light tone, ¡°That¡¯s good, I thought you were deliberately hiding it from me because father was seriously ill. But it turned out father arranged it this way because he cared about me.¡± Shen Xi deliberately emphasised the word ¡°cared¡±, allowing everyone in the audience to interpret it according to their wishes. Shen Ji did not speak again and only looked coldly at Shen Xi, who looked back without fear, a provocation flashing in his eyes. Although the conversation between the three of them at the door was quiet, it still reached the ears of the doctors and nurses. Seeing that the three brothers seemed to have finished talking, one of the doctors said, ¡°Mr. Shen¡¯s examination is over.¡± Shen Ji, not bothering to look at Shen Xi, strode back to the hospital bed, followed closely by Shen Cheng. Shen Xi nodded amicably to the doctor who had spoken, and then followed suit. Shen Dehan¡¯s examination report was not much different from last time, except that his blood pressure was a little high due to the stimulation. The doctor made it clear that at his age, high blood pressure was the most dangerous for Shen Dehan and could easily cause brain haemorrhage, cerebral infarction and a series of other old age diseases, and hoped that his family would pay more attention in the future. The brothers nodded in assurance. Perhaps it was an illusion, but the doctor deliberately glanced at Shen Xi when he talked about the stimulation. Shen Xi pretended to be oblivious, but in his heart he remembered the doctor¡¯s name, intending to ask Lao K to check the doctor¡¯s background. As the doctors left, Shen Ji instructed Shen Cheng to go back and rest first and come back tomorrow. Shen Cheng was a little reluctant, but nodded in agreement when he saw the look in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. Shen Ji then looked at Shen Xi, who, without waiting for him to say anything, took the initiative to say that he was too tired after a day of flying and needed to get over jet lag, so he would go back first. Shen Ji didn¡¯t say anything, thinking that he couldn¡¯t wait for Shen Xi to leave. Before he left, Shen Xi went to his father¡¯s bed and looked at unconscious Shen Dehan. A strange smile flashed across his face very quickly. Hurry up and wake up, father, you¡¯ll love the big surprise I¡¯ve prepared for you! CH 10 Why didn¡¯t his father like him? This was a question that Shen Xi had never been able to understand when he was a child. Father would smile affectionately at his brothers, father would hold Shen Cheng high in his arms, father would take his brothers to the playground, father would praise his brothers as his beloved sons, but father would never notice him in the corner and would never meet his longing eyes. The little Shen Xi wondered why this was so. He once asked his mother this question, which resulted in a big fight between his mother and his father that very night. Shen Xi, who was hiding under his mother¡¯s bed, clearly heard his father¡¯s angry shout, ¡°I didn¡¯t want that child from the beginning, it was you who insisted on having it.¡± That child, did his father mean him? Shen Xi felt as if he understood something and yet he didn¡¯t understand anything. That night he did not go to bed as he always did, but slipped out of his room when his mother was not looking. He wandered alone into the empty hallway of the Shen family home, and then he saw his father. In a room that was often locked in the corner of the third floor, his father stood motionless like a statue, looking at the large and small photo frames hanging on the wall. Inside all the frames there was a person, a woman Shen Xi did not know. His father¡¯s face had an expression that Shen Xi had never seen before, wistful and tender, and Shen Xi looked on, dumbfounded, not even knowing when his mother appeared behind him. Father and mother had another fierce quarrel, and then his mother picked up a chair in anger and slammed it against the photo on the wall. In the splash of glass, Shen Xi looked down at the photo that fell at his feet. In the photo, a woman smiled at him gently. Shen Xi quietly hid the photo and took it to his grandfather. From Grandpa¡¯s unexpected exclamation he learnt the woman¡¯s name ¨C Fang Yun, the mother of Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. After the death of his mother and grandfather, Shen Xi grew up day by day and from outsiders, he heard more and more about Fang Yun, his father¡¯s beloved woman. Beloved? Shen Xi laughed coldly in his heart. Then what was Zhou Mingmei? Shen Xi¡¯s memories were only fleeting when an unfamiliar female voice reached him from across the room, ¡°Mr. Shen, how much do you intend to pay?¡± Shen Xi looked quietly at the woman who was talking. Chu Qianqian, the person Lao K had found for him. Chu Qianqian looked about twenty years old, with thin eyebrows, big eyes and fair skin, and her face was more similar to that woman¡¯s than Zhou Mingmei¡¯s. Unfortunately, too much makeup made her look a little dissolute and ruined the graceful expression integral to that face. Shen Xi lowered his eyes, ¡°How much do you want?¡± Chu Qianqian slowly exhaled a ring of smoke at Shen Xi, ¡°Five million, not negotiable!¡± Shen Xi laughed softly, ¡°You think you¡¯re worth that price?¡± Chu Qianqian leaned forward and the V-neck of her blouse shifted, revealing a white piece inside. She glanced at Shen Xi flirtatiously and said meaningfully, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m worth it?¡± Shen Xi looked blankly and commented impartially, ¡± But that¡¯s it.¡± Chu Qianqian immediately straightened up and glared fiercely at Shen Xi, who laughed in reply, ¡°I¡¯ll give you ten million. One year. Find a way to stay by his side and make him fall in love with you.¡± Chu Qianqian was obviously taken aback by this number, then reacted, afraid that Shen Xi would backtrack, and quickly nodded, ¡°No problem.¡± Shen Xi looked at her and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t think that this matter is easy, that man is not the kind of man you used to have around you. If it wasn¡¯t for this face of yours, believe me, even if you stood naked in front of him, he wouldn¡¯t look at you.¡± Perhaps because of the seriousness of Shen Xi¡¯s words, Chu Qianqian put away her careless expression, ¡°Who is the man you want me to seduce?¡± The corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth hooked up, ¡°You must have heard of his name, Shen Dehan of the Shen Group, my father.¡± Chu Qianqian looked at Shen Xi in surprise, ¡°Shen Dehan? You¡¯re asking me to seduce your father.¡± Shen Xi looked at her reaction with amusement and nodded. Chu Qianqian looked incredulous, ¡°You¡¯re not afraid that I¡¯ll make you a younger brother?¡± Shen Xi was amused by this statement and could not help but laugh out loud. Half a second later, Shen Xi stopped laughing and said, ¡°If you are really capable of getting pregnant, I will pay an extra 10 million regardless of whether the child is born or not. Of course, whatever my father gives you during this process will be yours after it¡¯s over.¡± Chu Qianqian stared at Shen Xi seriously for a while, making sure that Shen Xi was not joking, and finally nodded fiercely, ¡°Done. This money is enough for me to spend for the rest of my life.¡± Shen Xi smiled in satisfaction and gestured to the bag beside him, ¡°Go wash your face and change your clothes for me to have a look.¡± As Chu Qianqian disappeared, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes fell on a photo on the table. The woman in the photo was wearing a white dress and was smiling gently at Shen Xi. He reached his hand to block the woman¡¯s smiling face. But after a while, Chu Qianqian walked out; she had washed away the glamorous makeup on her face, and a white dress made her look extremely pure. Shen Xi looked straight at that face and smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯re such a lunatic!¡± This was Lao K¡¯s comment to Shen Xi after Chu Qianqian had left. Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, ¡°Many thanks for the compliment.¡± ¡°Do you think Shen Dehan will be tempted?¡± Lao K was a little sceptical. The corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up, ¡°Why not? A young and energetic Fang Yun is no less than the best aphrodisiac for my father who is now old and frail.¡± Lao K laughed, ¡°Shen Ji will definitely hate you to death.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression was pleasant, ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be a filial son. What¡¯s more, there¡¯s already a Zhou Mingmei. One more Chu Qianqian is nothing. Shen Ji and his father have a strong father-son bond, so I¡¯m sure he will understand his father.¡± Lao K had a look of amusement on his face, ¡°Zhou Mingmei is not easy, she might make trouble.¡± Shen Xi lowered his eyes, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I hope for.¡± Yes, that was exactly what Shen Xi hoped for. There had been three women in Shen Dehan¡¯s life. The first woman was Fang Yun, Shen Dehan¡¯s true love, the second was Shen Xi¡¯s mother Han Rou, and the third was Zhou Mingmei. For Han Rou, if her marriage to Shen Dehan was a tragedy, then Fang Yun was the source of the tragedy, and Zhou Mingmei was the driving force behind the tragedy. When Zhou Mingmei met Shen Dehan, he had just married Han Rou. At that time, Zhou Mingmei was only eighteen years old and had just entered the entertainment industry as a newcomer to an entertainment company. Because of Zhou Mingmei¡¯s appearance that resembled Fang Yun, she quickly became Shen Dehan¡¯s mistress and had since disappeared from the entertainment circle. If things stayed this way, it would just be an ordinary incident of a rich businessman keeping a woman on the side. Not to mention the fact that up until this point Han Rou had been kept in the dark, believing that Shen Dehan¡¯s heart was full of Fang Yun and secretly competing with the deceased. But soon, as smart as Zhou Mingmei was, she understood from Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude towards Han Rou that Han Rou was not to Shen Dehan¡¯s liking. In the beginning Zhou Mingmei wanted nothing more but to follow Shen Dehan in peace and live a prosperous life without worrying about food and clothing. But as Shen Dehan and Han Rou¡¯s relationship got worse, and with Zhou Mingmei¡¯s pregnancy, her desires grew larger step by step. Why should her own child bear the name of an illegitimate child and why can¡¯t he be the rightful young master of the Shen family? This thought fermented in her mind with the news of Han Rou¡¯s pregnancy, and comparing the different lives of the two children in the future, Zhou Mingmei began to calculate step by step. It didn¡¯t take long for Zhou Mingmei to reveal her existence to Han Rou, who predictably went for a kill. Coincidentally, Shen Dehan saw how Han Rou was bullying poor Zhou Mingmei. As Zhou Mingmei expected, Han Rou¡¯s relationship with Shen Dehan deteriorated further and they argued every day. And Shen Xi was also forced to come into the world early during one of their quarrels. On the other hand, Zhou Mingmei, who got pregnant before Han Rou, gave birth almost two months later than Han Rou. At that time, Han Rou¡¯s relationship with Shen Dehan broke down completely. Shen Dehan was not happy about the birth of Shen Xi, but was very happy about the birth of Shen Rong. All this was seen by Zhou Mingmei, who thought that her wish would soon be fulfilled. But unexpectedly Elder Shen scolded Shen Dehan for his affair with Zhou Mingmei and announced that Han Rou was his only acknowledged daughter-in-law, completely cutting off Zhou Mingmei¡¯s hopes. Later, Han Rou jumped out of the window to her death, and Shen Xi was not liked by Shen Dehan. Zhou Mingmei became the only woman around Shen Dehan until today. Shen Xi thought, of course he hated his father, but how could he forget about that woman? With the appearance of the young and energetic ¡°Fang Yun¡±, would his father still be attached to the old and declining Zhou Mingmei? He had not forgotten that his father had always told Shen Ji that Zhou Mingmei was just a substitute for their mother. Since she was a substitute, it was only natural that the old one would be replaced by the new one, right? Shen Xi smiled faintly. He wanted Zhou Mingmei to go through what his mother had suffered back then, little by little. CH 11 In the blink of an eye, it had been a few days since Shen Xi returned to China. As Shen Xi¡¯s father was still hospitalised, Shen Xi had to go there every day to play the role of a filial son. As expected, Shen Dehan was not happy about his arrival, but the family was in a critical situation and he had to accept Shen Xi¡¯s presence in the hospital. Shen Xi did not care about his father¡¯s attitude and was happily active around Shen Dehan every day. Seeing Shen Dehan being clearly disgusted by his presence but having to endure it in front of the doctors and nurses gave Shen Xi an indescribable pleasure. That day, Shen Xi arrived at the hospital as usual. As the elevator doors opened, Shen Xi was about to enter, but unexpectedly a young man suddenly rushed out from inside and collided with Shen Xi. Due to the height difference, Shen Xi¡¯s chin hurt a little bit, but the other party hit his nose hard. Looking at the other man who lowered his head, clutching his face for a long time silently, Shen Xi had to ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± The other man was obviously in great pain and his voice sounded slightly tearful. Shen Xi said, ¡°Do you want me to take you to a doctor?¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± The other man said while trying to raise his head to look at Shen Xi. The moment their eyes met, both of them froze. Shen Xi was very surprised, ¡°Li Mingfei?¡± The young man whom Shen Xi called Li Mingfei looked at Shen Xi blankly, and only after a second did he speak dumbly, ¡°Hello, cousin Shen Xi.¡± Shen Xi could not help but chuckle. Li Mingfei was Li Mingxuan¡¯s younger brother, but his personality was completely different from Li Mingxuan¡¯s. Since he was a child, he was timid and shy and would hide behind adults in fear at the slightest movement. In his previous life, Li Mingfei liked to follow Shen Xi very much, but Shen Xi did not like his character and bullied him every time he saw him. Surprisingly, despite Shen Xi¡¯s bullying, he still followed Shen Xi again and again, until one time Shen Xi bullied him and was seen by his aunt. Li Mingfei had never come to see Shen Xi since then and the Li family intentionally or unintentionally kept the two of them apart. Seeing Li Mingfei again after so many years, Shen Xi had long forgotten his history of bullying and instead missed the little tail that followed his ass. ¡°You¡¯re here to see father.¡± Shen Xi used an affirmative tone. Li Mingfei probably didn¡¯t expect to meet Shen Xi here. He was in a daze for a long time. After hearing Shen Xi speak, he nodded blankly. ¡°Alone?¡± Shen Xi asked while pulling him to the side of the elevator. Only then did Li Mingfei react, withdrawing his hand and shaking his head, ¡°Mother and big brother are up there.¡± Li Mingfei looked a little embarrassed as he said, ¡°I forgot the gift I brought to Uncle in the car and big brother asked me to come down and get it.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingfei¡¯s blushing face when he said that, and raised his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t expect that Li Mingfei¡¯s personality hadn¡¯t changed over the years and he was still getting shy so easily. Since they met, Shen Xi said casually, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to get it.¡± Li Mingfei gave Shen Xi a surprised look and a cautious smile appeared on his face. It only took a few minutes to get from the hospital lobby to the parking lot and back, and Shen Xi was slightly curious as he surveyed a small sculpture in Li Mingfei¡¯s hand, a naive puppy. Li Mingfei surreptitiously observed Shen Xi¡¯s expression, nervously holding the puppy in his hand, ¡°Do you like them, cousin?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Shen Xi was taken aback. Li Mingfei lowered his head, ¡°Puppies.¡± Shen Xi casually responded, ¡°I like them.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Li Mingfei looked at Shen Xi in surprise and got excited, ¡°When I knew about your return, cousin, I specially made one for you too.¡± Shen Xi did not expect Li Mingfei to remember him. Looking at Li Mingfei¡¯s serious expression, Shen Xi smiled slightly, ¡°Thank you.¡± With just two words, Li Mingfei was instantly embarrassed. Shen Xi¡¯s mood relaxed, and the weirdness and estrangement between the two when they first met gradually disappeared. Along the way, the two talked about their respective lives. It was only then that Shen Xi remembered that the information Lao K had collected mentioned that Li Mingfei had entered the sculpture department of the Zhongjing Academy of Fine Arts two years ago, but because Shen Xi paid little attention to Li Mingfei, he had skimmed over it. As they returned to the ward, Li Mingfei was about to reach out and push the door open, but stopped when he heard the conversation from inside the room. Shen Dehan¡¯s voice came out, ¡°Let Shen Xi stay in a hotel if he wants to, just so he doesn¡¯t go back to the Shen family¡¯s house to be an eyesore.¡± Li Mingfei looked awkwardly at Shen Xi, who stepped forward as if nothing happened and pushed open the door. The sound inside the ward came to an abrupt halt and everyone¡¯s gazes converged on the door. A hint of mockery flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face as he looked at the people in the room calmly. Shen Xi¡¯s aunt, a well-maintained middle-aged beautiful woman, was the first to speak, ¡°Xiao Xi you¡¯re back? Have you met your cousins Mingxuan and Mingfei?¡± Shen Xi nodded and was about to say something when Shen Dehan said, ¡°It¡¯s too stuffy in the room, Bixue, accompany me for a walk outside.¡± Bixue was the name of Shen Xi¡¯s aunt. Shen Bixue smiled decently at Shen Xi, ¡°You brothers have a good time together, I will accompany your father for a walk, it is not good for his health to stay in the ward too much.¡± With the departure of Shen Dehan and Shen Bixue, only Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan and Li Mingfei were left in the room. Li Mingfei gave Shen Xi a careful look. Clearly eager to say something but not knowing how to do so, he looked at Li Mingxuan imploringly. Li Mingxuan stepped forward. Shen Xi took a step back and lowered his eyes, ¡± Make yourselves comfortable and I¡¯ll be out for a while.¡± After leaving the room, Shen Xi discovered that Shen Dehan had taken all the bodyguards in the corridor with him, apparently guarding against reporters. Shen Xi smiled coldly. He was already used to the way his father treated him. No matter what Shen Dehan said, he couldn¡¯t hurt him anymore. But he couldn¡¯t stand the pity in Li Mingfei¡¯s eyes and he didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi left the ward and walked to the end of the corridor, only to find that it was actually facing the garden. As he looked down inadvertently, an unexpected face appeared in his sight. Chu Qianqian. Unlike the last time when she wore heavy makeup and was dressed seductively, the current Chu Qianqian looked simple and clean in her hospital nurse attire, indescribably fresh and pretty. She was standing on the garden path looking somewhere to the left. Shen Xi followed her line of sight and Shen Dehan¡¯s figure appeared in front of his eyes. Shen Xi raised his eyebrows. He just mentioned that Shen Dehan was currently in hospital and Chu Qianqian was so quick to think of a way to get close to him. She was really unexpectedly dedicated. Not long after, Chu Qianqian called out to a little boy passing by, lowered her head and said something to him. Soon Shen Xi saw the little boy running in the direction of Shen Dehan, and Chu Qianqian chased after him with an anxious look until she was unexpectedly stopped by a bodyguard. Chu Qianqian smiled at the bodyguard embarrassedly and looked innocently in the direction of Shen Dehan. They were too far away, and Shen Xi could not see his father¡¯s expression, but from his movements he could imagine how shocked Shen Dehan was at the moment. As he watched his father rush to Chu Qianqian despite his aunt¡¯s obstruction, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes darkened and he turned to leave without looking any further. This day Shen Xi left the hospital early without saying goodbye to anyone. He did not go back to the hotel but went to the cemetery. Standing in front of his mother¡¯s grave again after five years, Shen Xi did not say anything but looked at her picture in silence. On the tombstone, his mother¡¯s smile was bright and happy. Shen Xi slowly stretched out his hand to block her smiling face, and a wave of sadness welled up in his heart. Although the appearance of Chu Qianqian was arranged by him, looking at his father¡¯s extreme reaction, Shen Xi still couldn¡¯t help feeling bitter. Shen Dehan was not worthy of his mother. Shen Xi wondered what made his mother fall in love with his father. In her best years, she had given up her single life and the countless outstanding peers around her and insisted on marrying a man fifteen years older than her. Their married life was devoid of happiness, and even when his mother was pregnant, his father never gave her an ounce of warmth. Instead, he tried to convince her to give up her child on the grounds of her poor health, but in reality fearing that the birth of Shen Xi would affect the inheritance rights of Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. Not to mention the fact that his father had another woman and another child on the way at the same time. How could such a cold and selfish father gain his mother¡¯s deep love! Shen Xi laughed out in a low voice, a quiet, sad sound that echoed through the cemetery for a long time. CH 12 After Shen Xi returned from the cemetery, his mood was not good. He didn¡¯t want to go back to the hotel alone, so he casually strolled along the busy commercial street of Zhongjing in the twilight. At this time, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but miss his group of friends from the past, not the people, but the feeling of having company. As the night gradually enveloped Zhongjing, Shen Xi casually found an inconspicuous bar, nestled in a corner, and began to drink alone in silence. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t remember how much he had drunk by the time a man dressed as a waiter snatched the glass from his hand and looked at him disapprovingly, ¡°Guest, you¡¯ve already drunk too much, you can¡¯t drink any more.¡± Shen Xi was already dizzy at this moment, and only his nervous energy kept him from collapsing. He didn¡¯t understand what the other party was saying. Looking at the wine glass in the waiter¡¯s hand, Shen Xi subconsciously went to fight for it but was suppressed by the waiter, ¡°Guest, where do you live? I¡¯ll call a taxi for you.¡± The waiter seemed to say a lot more but in a daze Shen Xi only heard the words ¡°where do you live¡± clearly. He felt that the man seemed to be kind, so he forced himself to look up. In a trance, he thought he saw Fang Luowei and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Fang Luowei, so you are here.¡± After finishing this sentence, Shen Xi passed out and his body collapsed limply on the sofa. He did not see the waiter¡¯s surprised expression and did not hear him muttering, ¡°Strange, how do you know my name is Fang Luowei.¡± Fang Luowei carefully looked at the drunk man. Under the dim light, the man looked no more than twenty-something and was very handsome. Perhaps because of the wine, the man¡¯s face was flushed with an odd shade of red, and his brows frowned tightly. It could be seen that he was not in a good mood. After looking at him for half a second, Fang Luowei could not find the slightest impression of the man in his memory and had to keep his doubts to himself. Seeing that the man was completely drunk, Fang Luowei resigned himself to leaning over to get the man¡¯s wallet and mobile phone, trying to see if he could find any clues related to the man, or at least find someone to take him home. ¡°What are you doing?¡± A low voice sounded behind him. Taken aback, Fang Luowei turned around sharply. Several men and women, obviously customers, were standing behind him. The one who asked the question was a tall slender man in the front, now looking at him with a cold face and a scrutinising expression. Fang Luowei blinked and explained, ¡°This guest is drunk, I¡¯m looking if I can find any clues to send him home.¡± Perhaps it was because Fang Luowei¡¯s attitude was so sincere that the customers easily believed his words. The man who had asked the question came forward and gave the drunk man a complicated look, leaned down and carefully picked him up. Fang Luowei said instinctively, ¡°You know this guest?¡± The tall man nodded and turned his head to look at his companions, ¡°I¡¯ll take him home, you guys can play by yourselves.¡± His companions had disappointed expressions on their faces and one of them, a petite girl, hurriedly asked, ¡°Are you coming back, Mingxuan?¡± The man called Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°No, I have to rush home in the evening.¡± The disappointment on the girl¡¯s face was obvious but Li Mingxuan seemed to be completely blind to it and left the bar with Shen Xi in his arms. Fang Luowei watched in disbelief as the man carried the drunk guest away, then suddenly remembered something and chased after him, ¡°Wait, I still have the wallet.¡± Li Mingxuan carried Shen Xi out of the bar. As soon as the night breeze blew, Shen Xi felt chilly and instinctively leaned towards the nearest source of heat. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi, who was persistently squeezing into his arms, and tightened his arms helplessly, holding him closer to his chest. After carefully placing Shen Xi in the passenger seat, Li Mingxuan got into the car and leaned over to carefully fasten Shen Xi¡¯s seat belt. He was about to drive away when Fang Luowei chased him, ¡°Wait, I still have his wallet and phone.¡± Li Mingxuan looked at the young man trotting over and thanked him politely, ¡°Thank you.¡± Fang Luowei waved his hand with a smile and gave Shen Xi a concerned look, ¡°This guest drank too much wine at night. You¡¯d better feed him some honey water when you send him back, so he¡¯ll feel more comfortable.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded, indicating that he had made a note of it, and then drove off in the direction of the hotel. The drunk Shen Xi was very quiet and did not make a fuss like other drunk people, but just slept all the way. Li Mingxuan let out a sigh of relief; that was good. Today, he originally made an appointment for dinner with a few classmates he had been abroad with. Somehow, one of the classmates mentioned that there is a nice bar there. Thinking that it was still early, Li Mingxuan followed them; he didn¡¯t expect to meet Shen Xi here. Seeing Shen Xi drunk alone in a bar, Li Mingxuan felt a strong emotion surge in his heart, both sympathy and pity, just like at the hospital today when he saw Shen Xi trying to look indifferent after Shen Dehan¡¯s cold words. Li Mingxuan let out a sigh and looked sideways at Shen Xi. The night¡¯s neon lights coloured Shen Xi¡¯s face through the car window in rainbow patterns. Shen Xi seemed to be affected by the lights and his sleep turned restless as he shifted his body from side to side in an attempt to avoid the light. Li Mingxuan quickly parked his car on the side of the road, took off his jacket and covered Shen Xi¡¯s face. Shen Xi stopped squirming and slept peacefully. When the two of them returned to the hotel, Li Mingxuan fished out the room card from Shen Xi¡¯s wallet and carried Shen Xi all the way to the room ignoring the eyes of the people around. After carefully placing Shen Xi on the bed and taking off his jacket, Li Mingxuan covered him with the blanket and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something and turned towards the living room. A few minutes later, Li Mingxuan, carrying honey water, came back. Lifting Shen Xi up, Li Mingxuan carefully brought the honey water to Shen Xi¡¯s mouth. Perhaps Shen Xi was too thirsty; he drank all the honey water in one gulp with his eyes closed and fell asleep again. With a wry smile, Li Mingxuan made another cup and placed it in front of the bed, gave Shen Xi one last look, turned off the light and left. Behind him, Shen Xi slept, unaware of anything. By then, it was already the early hours of the morning. Li Mingxuan carried his jacket in his hands and drove straight back to his home in the western suburbs. To his surprise, his mother, who was used to going to bed early, was not resting yet and was sitting alone in the living room watching TV, looking as if she was waiting for him to return. ¡°Mom!¡± Li Mingxuan said in surprise. Shen Bixue smiled at him gently and stood up, ¡°Are you hungry? There is porridge in the kitchen.¡± Li Mingxuan was about to stop her but Shen Bixue suddenly looked at him, ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking?¡± Li Mingxuan hurriedly explained, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, and I didn¡¯t drink, I met Shen Xi who was drunk at the bar and got the smell from him when I sent him back to the hotel.¡± The words ¡°Shen Xi¡± attracted Shen Bixue¡¯s attention; she sat down with Li Mingxuan and sighed, ¡°Shen Xi is also a poor kid.¡± Sitting next to his mother, Li Mingxuan said soothingly, ¡°Shen Xi is already an adult. I think after returning to China he is a lot more sensible than before. Mother doesn¡¯t need to worry.¡± Shen Bixue shook her head with a bitter smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t bothered with Shen Xi at all over the years, so there is no need to say anything about worrying. It¡¯s just that as I get older, when I think about him, I feel that the Shen family has really wronged him.¡± Li Mingxuan knew that his mother had been thinking about the recent publications in the media, so he said, ¡°Grandpa left Shen Xi a huge inheritance, enough to feed and clothe him for the rest of his life. Don¡¯t think too much about it, Mom.¡± Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, ¡°Is having money enough?¡± Li Mingxuan did not say anything. Shen Bixue sighed and spoke slowly, ¡°Everyone says that Shen Xi has a bad personality, that he only knows how to eat, drink and play, that he is a straw bag without education and skills. But you have to understand why he has grown like this. Without the connivance of the Shen family, without our indifference, how would he have become this way?¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Mingxuan, ¡°I still remember how Shen Xi looked when he was just born, a tiny little ball. Sometimes when I think about it, if your uncle hadn¡¯t favoured Shen Ji and Shen Cheng so much and hadn¡¯t wanted to leave the Shen family to Fang Yun¡¯s sons so much, he wouldn¡¯t have been so tolerant of Shen Xi. And if Shen Xi wasn¡¯t the grandson of the Han family, your grandfather wouldn¡¯t have worried whether Shen Xi would have some ideas when he grew up and wouldn¡¯t have acquiesced to your uncle¡¯s attitude of raising Shen Xi as a waste. If Han Rou and your uncle had a better relationship, your uncle might have been able to take care of Shen Xi for the sake of their father-son relationship. Or maybe if I ignored your grandfather¡¯s and uncle¡¯s wishes and looked after Shen Xi more, he might have grown up to be a different person. He might like to study, he might be good at it. Of course he might still be as unmotivated as he is now, but at least he wouldn¡¯t have to stay in a hotel alone and he wouldn¡¯t be drunk in a bar without anyone caring about it. Ask Shen Cheng, would he dare to do that? Not to mention your uncle, Shen Ji would break his legs.¡± Li Mingxuan listened to his mother¡¯s words in silence. He didn¡¯t know what he should say at this point. His mother obviously didn¡¯t need him to reply, she just wanted someone to talk to. ¡°I¡¯ve been holding these words inside my heart for too long.¡± Shen Bixue smiled apologetically at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Ever since your grandfather passed away, I didn¡¯t know who to talk to. Your uncle wouldn¡¯t talk about it, and I didn¡¯t want to say anything about it to your father, so finally I caught you today and let myself talk about it.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled softly, holding Shen Bixue¡¯s hand, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry about talking, I¡¯ve been listening.¡± Shen Bixue smiled bitterly again, ¡°Your grandfather had regrets before he passed away. He shouldn¡¯t have agreed to your uncle and Han Rou¡¯s marriage back then. Then Han Rou would not have died young, and so many tragedies would not have happened to the Han family.¡± Li Mingxuan said softly, ¡°Life and death are determined by fate. They have nothing to do with Grandpa.¡± Shen Bixue shook her head, ¡°You don¡¯t understand, your grandfather and Elder Han have been friends for decades. He really regretted it.¡± Speaking of this, Shen Bixue let out a long breath, ¡°As for your uncle, your mother really can¡¯t understand. If he really had Fang Yun in his heart, he should not have agreed to marry Han Rou. Since he married Han Rou, he should have taken responsibility as a man, but he had another woman outside. Your uncle says he really loved Fang Yun, so what about Zhou Mingmei? Is it true love to keep a woman who looks like Fang Yun? What did he make Shen Ji and Shen Cheng think?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly when he heard this. Although he could not comment much on the affairs of the elders, Shen Ji had a lot of complaints about his uncle because of Zhou Mingmei. To think about it, it was the kind of thing that would upset anyone. Shen Bixue patted Li Mingxuan¡¯s arm, ¡°Your mother talks so much. But I don¡¯t mean anything, I just want to say that you have a good relationship with Shen Ji, so you should persuade Shen Ji to do something about it. No matter what, Shen Xi is his legitimate younger brother, and now that Shen Xi is like this, he¡¯s not a threat to him. If he is on good terms with Shen Xi, your uncle might also treat him better. Then your grandfather would feel at peace underground, and those reporters wouldn¡¯t make up nonsense in the newspapers every day. You should also look after Shen Xi more when you have time. The Shen family owes him a lot, after all.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind flashed back to Shen Xi¡¯s drunken appearance at the bar, and he nodded. Shen Bixue took a look at the clock and smiled as she rushed Li Mingxuan to bed, ¡°Get some rest, I¡¯m going to bed too.¡± Li Mingxuan watched his mother walk back into the bedroom before turning towards the kitchen. He was really hungry after all this talk. Neither Shen Bixue nor Li Mingxuan noticed that at the corner of the stairs, Li Mingfei was standing quietly, thinking about something. Shen Bixue returned to the bedroom and found that her husband had not slept and was leaning on the bed with his glasses, reading some documents. ¡°Back?¡± Li Xiyong put down the papers in his hand. Shen Bixue nodded, and he smiled, saying, ¡°Talked to your son about your pain?¡± As Shen Bixue glanced at him, he took off his glasses and lay down, ¡°Let me say, Dehan is a good businessman, but he is inevitably confused when it comes to women.¡± Shen Bixue did not say anything, and Li Xiyong continued, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, let Dehan go. Anyway, it is his son, if he doesn¡¯t care, who will?¡± He said, ¡°What¡¯s the name of the nurse you said looked like Fang Yun today?¡± ¡°Chu Qianqian, a girl who is only twenty one years old.¡± Li Xiyong looked suspicious, ¡°Dehan wouldn¡¯t have any ideas, would he?¡± Shen Bixue gave him a blank look, ¡°How is that possible, there is such a big age difference between the two.¡± Li Xiyong shook his head, ¡°This is not easy to say.¡± Shen Bixue didn¡¯t bother to refute, turned off the lights and went to bed. After a while, a faint sigh sounded in the dark, ¡°Fang Yun!¡± CH 13 Waking up from a hangover, Shen Xi felt nothing but a splitting headache. Struggling to get up from the bed, Shen Xi looked at the familiar surroundings and his crumpled shirt, and for a moment was in a daze. He remembered that he had been drinking at the bar last night because he was in a bad mood, and he seemed to have gotten drunk. What had happened? How did he get back? Shen Xi rubbed his temples as he tried to remember his experience last night. It seemed that someone had asked him where he lived and he seemed to have said something. Was it the waiter from the bar? Could it be that he called a taxi for him? Shen Xi fumbled for the glass of water beside the bed. He didn¡¯t care how long ago the water was poured into it, picked up the glass and eagerly raised it to his mouth. However, as soon as he swallowed a mouthful of cool water, Shen Xi noticed that something was wrong. The glass was filled with honey water. Shen Xi looked at the half-emptied glass of water suspiciously. Where did the honey water come from? Could it be the hotel staff who made it? Shen Xi¡¯s mind was in a state of confusion; he could not think of anyone other than the hotel staff who could have made it for him, so he put the matter aside and did not take it to heart. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Shen Xi felt refreshed. When he took his mobile phone, there were two missed calls, both from Lao K. Shen Xi dialled back without hesitation. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?¡± Without wasting any time Lao K simply got to the point. Shen Xi leaned back on the sofa relaxed and spoke lazily, ¡°The good one first.¡± ¡°Shen Dehan commissioned an investigation into Chu Qianqian¡¯s background yesterday afternoon.¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, ¡°So soon?¡± Lao K smiled, ¡°Guess Chu Qianqian must have left a deep enough impression on him yesterday.¡± ¡°What about the bad one?¡± ¡°There was another client this morning who asked to investigate the background of Chu Qianqian.¡± ¡°Shen Ji?¡± He was the first Shen Xi thought about. ¡°No, it¡¯s Shen Bixue.¡± Shen Xi was surprised, ¡°Aunt?¡± Then he smiled lightly, ¡°This is actually considered good news, right? After all, my aunt¡¯s reaction also confirms that Chu Qianqian really left a deep impression on father.¡± Lao K smiled, ¡°Do you need me to do anything?¡± Shen Xi mused, ¡°No need, just follow the normal procedure.¡± Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi sat on the sofa and pondered. Yesterday, when Chu Qianqian appeared, his father and aunt were together. His aunt must have learned Zhou Mingmei¡¯s lesson and it was reasonable for her to be suspicious. The key point now lay with Chu Qianqian. He just hoped she would start off brilliantly and nothing unexpected would happen in the middle. While Shen Xi was still asleep, Li Mingfei ran to the hospital early because of a conversation he overheard yesterday. Only after searching around and not finding Shen Xi did Li Mingfei realise his behaviour was too impulsive. He didn¡¯t know why he was so eager to see Shen Xi after hearing his mother¡¯s words yesterday. There was nothing he could do; neither could he make his uncle treat Shen Xi better, nor did he understand anything. So, probably the only thing he could do was to drink with Shen Xi to save him from getting drunk alone. Despite feeling very incompetent, Li Mingfei still wanted to see Shen Xi. But to his disappointment, he had been in his uncle¡¯s ward for an hour, and Shen Xi, who was usually supposed to be here, was still nowhere to be seen. After holding back for a long time, Li Mingfei finally asked his uncle carefully, ¡°Uncle, is cousin Shen Xi coming today?¡± He knew that his uncle didn¡¯t like Shen Xi, but he was still Shen Xi¡¯s father, so he should have known something about him, Li Mingfei reassured himself. It seemed that Shen Dehan had not heard his question and was staring out of the window with a distracted look on his face. ¡°Uncle?¡± Li Mingfei repeated in confusion; he noticed that today his uncle was somehow distracted all the time. Li Mingfei¡¯s calling him uncle made Shen Dehan regain his wits. He looked at Li Mingfei and smiled strangely, ¡°What did Mingfei just say?¡± Li Mingfei repeated the previous question in a small voice, and as he spoke, the smile on Shen Dehan¡¯s face immediately disappeared. Shen Dehan looked down, ¡°I can live a few more days without him coming.¡± Li Mingfei got up in embarrassment. As far as he could remember, his uncle had never spoken to him like this before. He didn¡¯t know how to take his uncle¡¯s words for a moment. The atmosphere in the ward became colder and Li Mingfei was tempted to leave, but he felt that it was inappropriate for him to walk away after making his uncle angry, so he was in a bit of a quandary. Fortunately, at the most awkward moment, there was a gentle knock on the door of the ward and a doctor came in for a routine check-up. Li Mingfei was surprised to find that his uncle¡¯s expression was momentarily excited when he saw a nurse following the doctor. Shen Dehan soon regained his composure, but disappointment flashed in his eyes. Li Mingfei couldn¡¯t understand his uncle¡¯s psychology. What was there to be excited about seeing a nurse? As the doctor examined Shen Dehan methodically, Li Mingfei hurriedly took the opportunity to say goodbye, ¡°Uncle, I¡¯ll leave first, I¡¯ll see you again sometime.¡± Shen Dehan nodded and instructed Li Mingfei to be safe on his way. Li Mingfei obediently said that he would. It was not until he walked out of the hospital that he showed his disappointment. Shen Xi did not come to the hospital, where should he go to find him? Shen Xi did not know that Li Mingfei had gone to the hospital to look for him this morning. Because he got up late after being drunk, Shen Xi arrived at the hospital relatively late that day, just in time to miss Li Mingfei. Waiting for the elevator, Shen Xi took a casual glance around. As his gaze swept across the corner, Shen Xi frowned, thought for a while, turned and strode there. In the corner of an empty corridor in front of him, Chu Qianqian was talking to a young doctor, winking at him coquettishly. Looking at Chu Qianqian¡¯s body leaning towards the doctor, Shen Xi snorted coldly and walked up closer. Chu Qianqian suddenly shivered and quickly moved away from the doctor. Shen Xi didn¡¯t know what Chu Qianqian said to the doctor, but very soon Chu Qianqian hurriedly came up to him. Chu Qianqian greeted Shen Xi with a smile, ¡°Mr. Shen.¡± Shen Xi sneered, ¡°Have you forgotten the purpose of coming here?¡± Chu Qianqian looked at Shen Xi awkwardly, ¡°I was just looking for him to inquire about Shen Dehan¡¯s situation, nothing else.¡± Shen Xi had a mocking look on his face, ¡°Did you inquire about it?¡± Chu Qianqian was even more embarrassed, ¡°He is in charge of the paediatrics department, he doesn¡¯t know what I wanted to inquire about.¡± Shen Xi looked at Chu Qianqian and laughed gently. After laughing, he suddenly said in a cold voice, ¡°Do you know what the first thing my father did after your encounter with him yesterday?¡± ¡°What?¡± Chu Qianqian was confused. Shen Xi leaned over and whispered, ¡°Found a private detective to investigate you.¡± ¡°What!¡± Chu Qianqian was stunned. Shen Xi looked at Chu Qianqian mockingly, ¡°Do you think you did a successful job yesterday, so you can be a bit complacent today? You think you can climb onto my father just because you¡¯re a woman? I remember telling you that if it wasn¡¯t for this face of yours, he wouldn¡¯t even look at you if you stripped naked.¡± Chu Qianqian gritted her teeth and didn¡¯t say anything. Shen Xi coldly snorted, ¡°It seems like you should remember that you are now not some lady of the night but a newly graduated student from the nursing school. Pretend to be pure, I don¡¯t need to teach you this.¡± Chu Qianqian nodded fiercely. Shen Xi added, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see you hooking up with a male doctor again, you should know that 10 million is not that easy to earn.¡± Looking at Chu Qianqian¡¯s back as she walked away, Shen Xi frowned. It seemed that he still needed to talk to Lao K. Because of Chu Qianqian¡¯s incident, Shen Xi appeared in the ward much later than expected. Speaking of it, due to the unpleasantness of their first meeting, the three Shen brothers had been tacitly adjusting the time they appeared at the hospital to avoid running into each other as much as possible. Shen Xi glanced at his watch. If nothing was wrong, it was Shen Ji¡¯s time to appear in the ward. After thinking about it, Shen Xi decided not to avoid him. Anyway, he just needed to show his face in front of Shen Dehan. Shen Xi walked out of the elevator with this thought in mind, but stopped curiously when he saw the two people confronting each other in the corridor. From Shen Xi¡¯s point of view, he could only see Shen Ji¡¯s back, while opposite Shen Ji was Shen Rong whose face Shen Xi would never forget. The two did not notice Shen Xi¡¯s arrival, arguing fiercely in low heated voices, or rather the one arguing was Shen Rong. ¡°Big brother, I know you hate me, but no matter how much you hate me you can¡¯t erase the fact that both you and I are our father¡¯s sons.¡± Shen Ji did not say anything. Shen Rong spoke again, ¡°Big brother, father¡¯s health is not good. He doesn¡¯t say it but in his heart he must want to see us brothers in harmony. Can you bear to let father down? ¡°Big brother, I don¡¯t want the Shen family¡¯s money, I don¡¯t want anything from the Shen family, I just want to call my father ¡®father¡¯ in front of everyone openly and honestly. This is my only wish.¡± Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but snort when he heard this. His laughter quickly alerted the two people in front of him. Shen Ji coldly turned his head and glanced at Shen Xi, but Shen Rong took advantage of Shen Ji¡¯s inattentiveness and a hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Shen Xi walked over, mockingly looking at Shen Rong, ¡°What did I just hear? You don¡¯t want anything from the Shen family? You seem to have forgotten that the Shen family¡¯s will does not have your name in it in the first place. As for any brotherly harmony, sorry, I don¡¯t have a younger brother who likes to make sex videos.¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Rong¡¯s expression twisted up; Shen Xi¡¯s words had poked at his scars. The video from five years ago was a lifelong shame for him. Even though the news was quickly suppressed with the help of both the Shen and the Tian families, all the news on the internet was deleted cleanly and even the circulating articles were secretly withdrawn by Shen Dehan, but what happened was what happened, and when Shen Rong thought that many people had seen that video, he felt extremely humiliated. Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡± Shen Rong gave Shen Xi a fierce look, nodded at Shen Ji and turned away to leave. Shen Xi moved his gaze back to Shen Ji. Shen Ji¡¯s face was cold, ¡°I don¡¯t have such a younger brother either. ¡± Shen Xi looked at Shen Ji and smiled slightly. CH 14 Shen Dehan had been in hospital for some time and according to the doctor, there was no longer any serious problem with his health and he did not need to stay hospitalised and could be discharged at any time. Shen Ji came here today to discuss his discharge with Shen Dehan. Shen Xi coldly watched his father¡¯s momentary unnaturalness when Shen Ji mentioned discharging from hospital, and knew that in his heart his father wanted to stay in the hospital. As expected, Shen Dehan expressed his intention not to be discharged from the hospital for the time being, and Shen Ji was very surprised by this. ¡°Father, your body needs to recuperate now. The environment at home is much better than the hospital, and it is also convenient for Xiao Cheng and me to take care of you. ¡± Despite Shen Ji¡¯s earnest words, Shen Dehan refused to go home. Although Shen Ji had doubts in his mind, he did not want to go against his father¡¯s wishes, so he had to agree for Shen Dehan to stay in the hospital. Shen Xi never opened his mouth from the beginning to the end. Looking at the genuine worry on Shen Ji¡¯s face, Shen Xi could not help but smile coldly in his heart. He wondered how Shen Ji would feel when he learnt that the reason for his father¡¯s reluctance to leave the hospital was because of another woman who looked just like his mother. Shen Xi didn¡¯t bother to look at his father anymore, thinking that he had already shown himself in front of Shen Dehan today and the reporters outside had also taken his photos, so he didn¡¯t need to stay any longer. After casually saying a few words to Shen Dehan, Shen Xi left the ward. While waiting for the elevator, Shen Xi¡¯s mind suddenly flashed back to Fang Luowei whom he had seen in a daze last night. He wondered if it was his illusion or did Fang Luowei really appear in Zhongjing in advance? Maybe he should go there again? As the elevator door opened, Shen Xi subconsciously looked over and met the eyes of the man inside. Shen Xi was taken aback for a moment, and then a pleasant smile appeared on his face, ¡°Cousin Mingxuan.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t expect to meet Shen Xi at the hospital at this time of the day. Seeing Shen Xi standing in front of the elevator looking refreshed, he didn¡¯t know why his mind flashed back to Shen Xi¡¯s drunken state last night. Judging by Shen Xi¡¯s appearance, he didn¡¯t seem to remember what happened last night, and Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t want to mention it, ¡°Going back?¡± Shen Xi nodded; Li Mingxuan stepped forward and walked out of the elevator. The moment he passed by, he whispered in a ghostly voice, ¡°Drink less in the future.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan¡¯s back in bewilderment and sniffed his own body. It did not smell of alcohol. What made Li Mingxuan say that? Shen Xi couldn¡¯t understand, didn¡¯t bother to think about it and went directly to Lao K. The only friend he had in Zhongjing now was Lao K. A few days passed and Shen Xi still showed up at the hospital every day; but this day he deliberately arrived much later than usual. He had received news that his father had gotten Chu Qianqian¡¯s background information yesterday and today he transferred Chu Qianqian to the top floor ward to be his exclusive caregiver. The corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up when he thought of that background information that he had purposely created. At the same time, Shen Dehan was also thinking about the background information he had gotten yesterday. From Chu Qianqian¡¯s birth to her adulthood, from the time she gave up going to university and started working early because her family was poor, to her working hard while not giving up hope of going to university and studying hard at night school, all these experiences flashed through his mind over and over again, overlapping with his treasured memories. It was as if he saw Fang Yun, the woman he loved so much, again. He remembered that Fang Yun was also like that. She had an excellent character and learning ability but missed out on university because of her family¡¯s poverty and had to work early, and she also refused to give up. At that time, Shen Dehan had just returned from abroad. He met Fang Yun by chance and was immediately attracted to her. He was born into the Shen family of Zhongjing and had seen all kinds of women, beautiful, pretentious, unruly and arrogant, but he had never seen a woman like Fang Yun. She looked soft and fragile on the outside, but she was tough as nails on the inside. It was clear that her past life had given her much suffering, yet she never complained and always faced life with a smile. Shen Dehan thought that his life would be like his father¡¯s, that he would find a woman of the right age, get married and have children and live a dull life. But then God made him meet Fang Yun and he realised that he could not live the kind of life he had imagined before. He wanted to be with Fang Yun and only with Fang Yun. Soon his and Fang Yun¡¯s affair was known to his family and unexpectedly met with strong opposition from his parents. He pleaded with Fang Yun to give him time to work things out, but Fang Yun, who was pregnant at the time, cried and said she did not want to ruin his relationship with his parents and would rather leave him to bring up the child alone. That was the first time he had seen Fang Yun cry and he was even more determined to be with her. In the end, his father could not resist his determination and spat out his consent to his marriage to Fang Yun. The days that followed were the happiest of his life. Their family of four was together, and he thought they would live like this forever, never imagining that¡­ Shen Dehan didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore. The period when Fang Yun died was worse than death for him. If it wasn¡¯t for Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, he didn¡¯t think he would have been able to keep going. Shen Dehan closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. In the blink of an eye it had been more than twenty years since Fang Yun had left him. All these years he had been looking for Fang Yun¡¯s shadow in Zhou Mingmei, but he could not find that feeling. Little did he know that God would send a Chu Qianqian to his side. The first time he first saw Chu Qianqian, he thought he saw Fang Yun. She was too similar, the two of them were just too much alike. By the time he saw her information, Shen Dehan had already decided in his mind that she was Fang Yun. God must have seen that he missed Fan Yun too much and sent Chu Qianqian to him. Shen Dehan was lost in his own thoughts when there was a soft knock on the door. Shen Dehan looked excitedly in the direction of the door; as the door was pushed open, the figure that was etched on his heart appeared in front of him. Chu Qianqian smiled tenderly at Shen Dehan, ¡°Mr. Shen, do you still remember me? We met last time in the garden. From today onwards I am your exclusive caregiver.¡± Shen Dehan suppressed his excitement and nodded. He was no longer the brat he had been back then; after many years he had been able to successfully hide his excitement underneath the calmness. Remembering Shen Xi¡¯s instructions, Chu Qianqian smiled at Shen Dehan once more. One deliberately ingratiated herself, the other had a good impression, and soon the two became acquainted. By the time Shen Ji and Li Mingxuan arrived at the hospital, they saw a young nurse sitting opposite Shen Dehan who was talking about something with a gentle expression. Shen Ji didn¡¯t think much of it at first and smiled as he stepped forward, ¡°Father seems to be in a good mood today.¡± Shen Dehan did not have time to speak. Chu Qianqian had already smiled and stood up, ¡°Mr. Shen, someone is here to see you, I will go out first. You can ring the bell anytime if you need anything, I am right next door.¡± As Chu Qianqian finished speaking and turned around, the smile on Shen Ji¡¯s face froze. Shen Ji stared deadly at the face in front of him, and then his gaze shifted bit by bit to Shen Dehan. There was an indescribable expression on Shen Ji¡¯s face. He looked at Shen Dehan in silence and said in a dumb voice, ¡°Father.¡± This period of silence obviously made Shen Dehan realise something. He looked at Chu Qianqian who was standing innocently in the middle of the ward, startled with Shen Ji¡¯s strange expression, and waved his hand, ¡°You go out first.¡± Chu Qianqian nodded obediently and was about to leave when Shen Ji suddenly stepped forward and stopped her, turning his head to look at Shen Dehan, ¡°Who is she?¡± A hint of displeasure flashed across Shen Dehan¡¯s face. But it was Shen Ji standing in front of him, so Shen Dehan was still patient, ¡°Ah Ji, don¡¯t be rude, this is Nurse Chu, the exclusive nurse of this ward.¡± Obviously not understanding the situation in front of her, after hearing Shen Dehan¡¯s introduction, Chu Qianqian politely turned to Shen Ji and gave a gentle smile, ¡°Hello Mr. Shen, I am Chu Qianqian, I am now in charge of this ward.¡± The smile on Chu Qianqian¡¯s face was too dazzling. Shen Ji gave her a cold look and said in a low voice, ¡°Get lost!¡± This ¡°get lost¡± caused Chu Qianqian to freeze for half a second and subconsciously glance at Shen Dehan. Chu Qianqian tried to squeeze out a smile and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll go out first, please, Mr. Shen, ring the bell if you need anything.¡± After saying this, Chu Qianqian did not look at anyone else and quickly walked out of the ward with her head lowered. The moment the door was closed, Chu Qianqian felt that her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed. She thought angrily, no wonder that Shen Xi proposed the reward of 10 million. This really tested both her acting skills and courage, and she wouldn¡¯t mind if he increased the fee. The look on Shen Ji¡¯s face just now came back to her mind, and Chu Qianqian could not help but feel a little sympathy. With a sigh, Chu Qianqian was about to turn around but suddenly took a step back. A few steps away from her, Shen Xi was leaning against the wall, looking at her expression with interest. Chu Qianqian gave Shen Xi a vicious glare and walked straight past him. The moment she passed by, she gritted her teeth and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°You¡¯re such an asshole!¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°Thanks for the compliment. By the way, your performance just now was wonderful!¡± Chu Qianqian snorted and glanced at the bodyguards scattered on both sides of the corridor, realised that they were not paying attention to her conversation with Shen Xi, and returned to the duty room next door calmly. Shen Xi returned to his place in front of the ward in a happy mood and continued to listen to Shen Ji¡¯s rare loss of control inside. ¡°Why?¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Dehan angrily. A trace of guilt flashed on Shen Dehan¡¯s face under Shen Ji¡¯s glare, but his attitude was still tough, ¡°Why what?¡± Shen Ji couldn¡¯t help but step forward and shout at Shen Dehan in irritation, ¡°Why are you looking for such a woman? Isn¡¯t one Zhou Mingmei enough?¡± Shen Dehan felt his dignity was offended. Glancing at Li Mingxuan who was standing silently nearby, he said in a stern voice, ¡°Ah Ji, is this how you speak to your father?¡± After saying that, Shen Dehan added, ¡°Nurse Chu is not the kind of woman you think she is.¡± Shen Ji smiled coldly, ¡°Father, you don¡¯t want to be discharged from the hospital because of her, right?¡± When Shen Ji said this, Shen Dehan thought of what he had said that day and couldn¡¯t help but blush, saying forcefully, ¡°The matter of discharge from the hospital has nothing to do with this.¡± Shen Ji shook his head and looked at Shen Dehan with disappointment, his expression full of pain. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and stepped forward to smooth up the situation, ¡°Uncle, Ah Ji is also worried about you.¡± While saying this, he gave a wink to Shen Ji. Shen Ji did not see Li Mingxuan¡¯s wink; his entire attention was on Shen Dehan at the moment. Shen Dehan looked awkwardly at Li Mingxuan and said, ¡°Mingxuan, you go back first, I¡¯ll talk to Ah Ji.¡± Li Mingxuan gave Shen Ji a worried look and nodded as he walked in the direction of the door. No matter what he said now, Shen Ji probably wouldn¡¯t listen to him, so it was better to let him vent out. After leaving the ward, Li Mingxuan gently closed the door and turned around to leave, but his eyes changed slightly when he saw the man across the hallway. Shen Xi was standing on the other side of the corridor, his face innocent, his eyes meeting Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze. The corners of his mouth slowly hooked up to reveal a gentle smile. Inexplicably, a trace of coldness flashed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. CH 15 The conversation between Shen Ji and Shen Dehan ended in an unhappy disagreement. Shen Ji could not accept the presence of Chu Qianqian, but Shen Dehan insisted on keeping Chu Qianqian by his side. Shen Ji finally left the hospital with a cold face. Throughout the whole process, Shen Xi leaned quietly in the hallway and listened to the argument inside the ward, with an expression on his face that the others could not understand. The thing that just happened had happened countless times in the Shen family in the past, except that the protagonist had always been Shen Xi, while Shen Ji was always one of the uninvolved spectators. This time the roles were reversed, and Shen Xi coldly watched Shen Ji¡¯s anger and the disappointment in his eyes. An indescribable feeling of pleasure welled up in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. What made Shen Xi even more excited was his father¡¯s expression. In his memory, when his father quarrelled with him, there had never been any expression other than disgust on his face, but what did Shen Xi see just now? There was a look of anger and disappointment mixed with a hint of unacknowledged pain on his father¡¯s face. Shen Xi was almost fascinated as he recalled his father¡¯s look over and over again. The huge void that had been gaping in his heart since his rebirth was finally filled! Satisfied, Shen Xi stepped into the elevator and took one last look at the ward where his father was, smiling faintly. The curtain had been raised, and he hoped that the next actor to take to the stage would not let him down. Zhongjing at night was always lively and extravagant, with countless bars and clubs dotted around, attracting waves of men and women in beautiful clothes to shuttle among them. Inside a nondescript bar, Shen Ji was sitting expressionlessly at the bar counter, repeating the words ¡°one more drink¡± over and over again under the sound of the loud background music. The barman tonight was a young man who had been working in this bar for three years and was known as Xiao Wu. In the past three years, Xiao Wu had seen many men like Shen Ji, men who wanted to drink to drown their sorrows. He was not at all bothered by Shen Ji¡¯s behaviour but just filled up his empty glass again and again as soon as Shen Ji shouted ¡°one more¡±. Shen Ji didn¡¯t know how much he had drunk, but after once again emptying his glass, he pushed it to Xiao Wu and gestured with his eyes to fill it up. Xiao Wu obediently took the glass, and soon the crystal liquid filled it, glowing brilliantly under the bar lights. In a daze, Shen Ji watched the glass being filled, then suddenly raised his head to look at Xiao Wu, ¡°What do you think it is like to really love someone?¡± After hearing this question, Xiao Wu gave Shen Ji a pitying look, lamenting in his heart that there was another fool trapped by love. Xiao Wu reckoned that Shen Ji was already drunk and probably didn¡¯t even know what he was talking about, so he didn¡¯t bother to pay any attention to him. But Shen Ji stared at him stubbornly and repeated his question once again. Xiao Wu felt helpless, thought for a while and said, ¡°True love is when the person is unique in your eyes and there is no one else like them.¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t seem to hear Xiao Wu¡¯s answer, continuing as if he was talking to himself, ¡°When the person you love dies, will you keep looking for a substitute?¡± This question was much more interesting to Xiao Wu than the last one. Xiao Wu¡¯s gossip-loving heart flared up and he took the initiative to offer his insight, ¡°I¡¯d say, buddy, you¡¯re wrong about this. It¡¯s not right to find a substitute after the death of a loved one. She¡¯s unique in your eyes, can you still find a substitute to replace her? That means it¡¯s not true love at all!¡± ¡°Not true love?¡± Shen Ji repeated dumbly Xiao Wu looked disgusted, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so simple, can¡¯t you understand it? Let¡¯s think about it in another way. For example, you are dead. I mean, for example, your lover is with someone who looks like you under the banner of missing you. Will you feel bad about that? You¡¯re supposed to be unique, how can you just be replaced?¡± When Shen Ji heard Xiao Wu¡¯s words, he slowly turned his eyes to look at Xiao Wu, and his face was filled with a desperate pain. Xiao Wu was shocked by Shen Ji¡¯s expression, ¡°I¡¯d say, buddy, are you alright?¡± The word ¡°right¡± ended in a loud crunching sound. Xiao Wu subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound, only to see several men sitting in a booth not far from the bar counter and a bottle of wine broken into pieces on the floor. One of the men was gripping the waiter¡¯s arm, sneering and saying something. ¡°Fuck me, Fang Luowei!¡± Xiao Wu let out a startled cry. No longer caring about the bar, he jumped out and rushed over, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Under the stares from all sides, Fang Luowei pulled his arm in embarrassment, ¡°Guest, please let go.¡± The man holding Fang Luowei¡¯s arm sneered, ¡°Let go? What about the fact that you¡¯ve soaked my brother¡¯s clothes?¡± Fang Luowei gave the ¡°brother¡± the man mentioned a disgusted look, turned his head and whispered, ¡°I apologise, I will pay for all your consumption tonight.¡± The man didn¡¯t relent, ¡°You think I¡¯m short of this money?¡± Fang Luowei endured the discomfort and looked at the man, ¡°What do you want to say, guest?¡± The man laughed arrogantly, ¡°It¡¯s simple, my brother has a crush on you, so if you have a drink with my brother and let my brother have a good time, we can forget about this.¡± Fang Luowei frowned, ¡°Guest, this is a bar, I am a waiter, not an escort.¡± Xiao Wu heard this and finally understood the situation. He knew that it was probably Fang Luowei¡¯s face that caused the trouble again, so he smiled and stepped in front of the man, ¡°Big brother, you see, we are a regular business place, there is no escort service. Why don¡¯t I have a few drinks with you?¡± The man pushed Xiao Wu away, ¡°Who do you think you are?¡± Xiao Wu gave Fang Luowei a worried glance and was about to continue, when an unexpected figure had passed by him and blocked Fang Luowei. ¡°Let go of him.¡± Shen Ji said coldly. The man gave Shen Ji a sidelong glance, ¡°And who are you?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s anger that had been pent up all day burst out at this moment. Stimulated by alcohol, Shen Ji¡¯s mind was too hot to think about anything, so he directly picked up a bottle of wine on the table and smashed it down on the man¡¯s head. The red liquid smelling of alcohol flowed down from the man¡¯s head, and the whole bar froze as if a pause button had been pressed. The next moment, everyone came to life. Some stood at a distance to watch the fun, others left the bar in a hurry, and the man¡¯s ¡°brothers¡±, after an initial daze, instantly stood up and pounced on Shen Ji. Xiao Wu stared dumbfounded at the few people in the melee in front of him, unable to understand how things had developed to this point. In the chaos, someone gave Xiao Wu a punch and Xiao Wu immediately lunged into the melee in anger. ¡°Beat him to death, boy!¡± ¡°Call the police, call the police.¡± ¡°Watch out, guest!¡± Chaotic voices rang around and the whole bar was in a mess. When Li Mingxuan received Shen Ji¡¯s call, he listened to it twice before he understood what had happened. Shen Ji had actually gotten into a fight with some customers at the bar and was now being taken to the police station. After hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan first asked someone to help him contact the head of the police station and was relieved to hear that Shen Ji could be released after giving a statement on this matter. After rushing to the police station, Li Mingxuan saw Shen Ji sitting alone by the flower bed. At this moment, Shen Ji did not look like a young master of the Shen family. His clothes were torn and tattered, and half of his face was black and blue. Li Mingxuan walked over in amusement, ¡°You¡¯re a grown-up, ah, almost thirty years old, and still tossed to the police station.¡± Shen Ji was in a strange state of mental excitement, stimulated by both alcohol and violence, and his mind was in confusion because of Xiao Wu¡¯s previous words, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered to refute Li Mingxuan¡¯s remark. Li Mingxuan refused to let Shen Ji off, smiling and teasing, ¡°I heard that you also came to the rescue of a beauty like a hero. So, where is the beauty? Let me take a look.¡± Shen Ji thought of the young man who had been pulled into the melee. He tried to smile, but the wound at the corner of his mouth was so painful that he could only gesture in the direction of the police station, ¡°He¡¯s still inside making a statement.¡± Li Mingxuan walked up to Shen Ji and gently kicked him, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you back.¡± Shen Ji shook his head, ¡°Wait for Fang Luowei.¡± Li Mingxuan gave Shen Ji a surprised look and was about to say something when soft footsteps came from behind him. ¡°Mr. Shen, thank you for helping me today.¡± Shen Ji stood up propping himself against the flower bed. Li Mingxuan turned to follow his gaze and was somewhat startled when he saw the man in front of him. Fang Luowei was originally facing Shen Ji, but when he saw the person next to Shen Ji turn around, he subconsciously showed a smiling face, followed by a surprised look, ¡°Huh, it¡¯s you.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded. He also didn¡¯t expect the Fang Luowei that Shen Ji was talking about would be the waiter from the bar that day. He had sent the drunk Shen Xi back to the hotel that day and did not take the incident to heart afterwards, but he did not expect that the world was so small and he would meet up with Fang Luowei again. Li Mingxuan thought that Fang Luowei would not know Shen Xi¡¯s name, but Fang Luowei quickly smiled, ¡°That guest last time was called Shen Xi, right? After you sent him back, I heard your companions guess as to what happened to him.¡± The one to be shocked by the words ¡°Shen Xi¡± was not Li Mingxuan but Shen Ji, who looked at Li Mingxuan with a look of disbelief, ¡°Do you have private dealings with Shen Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan frowned, ready to explain the whole story, but Shen Ji was already laughing coldly, ¡°So the reporters weren¡¯t just talking nonsense. Is the Li family planning to make two bets on me and Shen Xi separately?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s face turned ugly at these words and he said in a deep voice, ¡°Ah Ji, do you know what you are saying?¡± Shen Ji took a step back and continued to sneer, ¡°Of course I know, no wonder I never found out who was behind the scene the last time you and Shen Xi took a flight back to China. You dare to say that everything was really just an accident? If it wasn¡¯t for the reports of you coming back together that pissed father off and landed him in hospital, how would he have met that woman?¡± The more Shen Ji spoke, the higher his voice rose, and by the end he was simply shouting hysterically. Li Mingxuan never expected to hear such heartbreaking words from Shen Ji¡¯s mouth. He grew up with Shen Ji; apart from being related by blood, Shen Ji was not only his best friend, but also his brother for life. And this was the brother he had known for nearly thirty years standing here questioning his actions. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Ji¡¯s face distorted with anger, let out a deep sigh and stepped forward, ¡°Ah Ji, you¡¯re drunk and don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, let me take you home to rest.¡± Shen Ji shook his head at Li Mingxuan and walked towards the opposite side of the road without looking back, quickly stopping a passing taxi. Li Mingxuan watched the taxi go away, a faint disappointment welling up in his heart. He could understand Shen Ji¡¯s feelings at this moment, but he could not forgive him for doubting his attitude in the first place. Shen Ji and Li Mingxuan¡¯s argument occurred in front of Fang Luowei¡¯s eyes, and he gave Li Mingxuan an awkward look. Although he did not know what had happened between Shen Xi and those two, if he had not mentioned the name Shen Xi, Shen Ji would not have suddenly exploded. He could tell that Shen Ji was drunk-talking, but drunken words also could hurt. Li Mingxuan turned around, and Fang Luowei stepped forward, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know he had a conflict with Shen Xi.¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, it¡¯s just that he is in a bad mood.¡± Fang Luowei still felt very sorry, but Li Mingxuan changed the subject, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Back to the bar to do something.¡± Li Mingxuan glanced at the empty street and thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll take you back, it¡¯s not easy to stop a taxi now.¡± Fang Luowei wanted to refuse, but once he thought that he had just received a call from his boss that he had been fired and needed to go back and settle his wages as soon as possible, he could only agree with a bitter smile. The trip was uneventful. Almost as soon as he saw the shadow of the bar, Fang Luowei hurriedly pushed open the car door, thanked Li Mingxuan and ran all the way to the back door of the bar. At that moment, Shen Xi, who had just been looking for Fang Luowei in the bar to no avail, was standing in front of the bar in disappointment, wondering where Fang Luowei might have gone. He didn¡¯t expect that what he had seen that day was not an illusion but the real Fang Luowei, but unfortunately he was a step too late. The people in the bar said that Fang Luowei had just been fired for fighting, and Shen Xi could only sigh with regret when he heard this. Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi standing at the door of the bar. Under the warm yellow glow of the bar¡¯s signboard, Shen Xi was standing alone, looking at the distance with a confused expression, thinking about something. Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind flashed back to the last time Shen Xi was drunk, and he honked the horn. Shen Xi looked up in surprise. The two of them were more than ten metres apart from each other. Li Mingxuan made a motion for him to get into the car. Shen Xi froze for a moment, then the corners of his mouth slowly raised and he smiled faintly at Li Mingxuan. In the warm yellow light, Shen Xi¡¯s smile was clean and clear, and the corners of Li Mingxuan¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but slowly hook up. CH 16 ¡°Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan meet at night to have a very pleasant talk. The Li family bets on Shen Sanshao!¡± The large headline was eye-catching and titillating on the front page of the newspaper. Below the headline was a candid photo, with the hotel where Shen Xi was staying in the background. In the photo, Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi could be clearly seen standing together, and from the angle the photo was taken, Li Mingxuan was turning sideways to talk to Shen Xi with a smile on his face. This was a newspaper that came out today, and it was placed in front of Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes did not linger on the sensational headline, but fell directly on the photo below it. From the photo, the smile on his face was obvious, and it was clear he was in a good mood at the time. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was slightly stunned for a moment. He remembered that he was just chatting with Shen Xi, but perhaps he didn¡¯t realise that his expression would be so relaxed. Without the suspicion and defensiveness of their first meeting on the plane, Li Mingxuan felt he could treat Shen Xi as a cousin just like Shen Cheng, as long as Shen Xi¡­ Li Mingxuan did not continue with this thought. Subconsciously, he did not want to maliciously guess the purpose of Shen Xi¡¯s return anymore. In fact, Shen Xi did not do anything after he came back. His relationship with his father was as bad as ever, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart had a vague feeling of relief. The phone rang right in time, interrupting Li Mingxuan¡¯s thoughts. Shen Ji¡¯s voice was full of exhaustion. ¡°Mingxuan, I¡¯m sorry!¡± This was the first time that Shen Ji said sorry to Li Mingxuan in all the years they had known each other. Although Shen Ji did not explain, both of them knew what he was sorry for. Li Mingxuan laughed silently, a little bitterly. The incident last night had obviously left a mark on the two of them. Otherwise, based on their friendship, Shen Ji would have passed it off as a slip of the tongue and there would be no need to apologise. With a deep sigh in his heart, Li Mingxuan said, ¡°Ah Ji, you know I didn¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice was no different from the past, and Shen Ji seemed to relax, his tone much lighter than before, ¡°Well, I know, we are brothers for life.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes once again fell on the newspaper in front of him, and after a momentary pause, Li Mingxuan repeated in a heavier voice, ¡°Yes, we are brothers for life.¡± Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan looked at the table with complicated eyes and stretched out his hand to cover up the newspaper on top. On the other side, Shen Ji held the silent phone and looked at the newspaper in front of him with the same complicated eyes. Li Mingxuan¡¯s smile in the newspaper bothered him deeply. Shen Ji read the report over and over again with a grim face, then suddenly crumpled the newspaper into a ball and threw it far away. His mind kept repeating Li Mingxuan¡¯s words just now ¨C we are brothers for life. Shen Ji took a deep breath and raised his head to look at the ceiling unconsciously. The past twenty years or so spent side by side with Li Mingxuan flashed through his mind like a silent old movie. Shen Ji closed his eyes. They were brothers for life. He shouldn¡¯t have doubted Li Mingxuan. All this was just a reporter¡¯s fabrication. But there was always a voice in Shen Ji¡¯s heart asking why Mingxuan had appeared in front of Shen Xi after they had separated last night. This question hovered in the back of Shen Ji¡¯s mind like a magic spell, and he left the house with his coat in his hand, distraught. That day, Shen Xi once again arrived at the hospital later than usual, but to his surprise, Shen Ji, who was supposed to be at the hospital, was not there. Instead, it was Shen Rong who appeared in the ward. Shen Rong seemed to be very surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s appearance. A hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes; he affectionately took Shen Dehan¡¯s arm and looked over, ¡°Elder brother!¡± Shen Xi mockingly glanced at Shen Rong¡¯s movements and responded coldly, ¡°I am the youngest in the Shen family tree, how come I didn¡¯t know I had a younger brother.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s smile froze on his face and Shen Dehan¡¯s expression became gloomy. Shen Xi pretended not to notice and continued as if nothing had happened, ¡°I remember the last time I met big brother at the hospital, big brother said the same thing. There are only three brothers in the Shen family and he can¡¯t afford to have a younger brother with a special hobby.¡± Shen Xi emphasised the words ¡°special hobby¡± and saw sullen expressions of Shen Dehan and Shen Rong¡¯s at the same time. But these words were said by Shen Ji, and even though Shen Dehan liked Shen Rong, Shen Rong had to take second place to Shen Ji. Shen Rong naturally understood this in his heart, and could only laugh lightly in embarrassment, avoiding the confrontation. Shen Xi glanced at Shen Rong with a sneer, and then looked at Shen Dehan casually, ¡°Father, I heard that there is a new nurse in the ward, why haven¡¯t I seen her?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s question caught Shen Rong¡¯s attention. He knew that Shen Xi would not ask about a nurse for no reason. Could it be aimed at him again? Shen Rong looked at Shen Xi warily and was met with a mocking look from Shen Xi. Shen Rong¡¯s heart tightened and he instinctively peeked at his father¡¯s expression, sensitively noticing that Shen Dehan¡¯s face seemed to have changed a little when Shen Xi mentioned the nurse. Shen Rong lowered his eyes silently, trying to figure out what the matter with the nurse was all about. The door to the ward was pushed open at that moment, accompanied by a sweet voice, ¡°Mr. Shen, it¡¯s time for you to take your medicine.¡± Shen Rong subconsciously looked over at the voice and froze when he saw the visitor clearly, his expression looking as if he was struck by lightning. Chu Qianqian appeared at the door with the medicine, noticed that there were other people in the room and looked at Shen Dehan in embarrassment, ¡°Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Shen, I didn¡¯t know you had guests.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s expression became kind as soon as he saw Chu Qianqian. When he heard her mention taking the medicine, he smiled even more, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s time to take the medicine, Xiao Chu, just go about your business.¡± Chu Qianqian smiled faintly at the people in the room, and when her eyes swept over Shen Rong, she revealed a look of surprise. Shen Rong stared at the woman who had appeared in front of him in a daze, not knowing what kind of expression he should wear at this moment. Chu Qianqian quickly turned away from Shen Rong and carefully placed the medicine beside Shen Dehan. Looking at Chu Qianqian familiarly helping Shen Dehan pour water and dispense medicine, Shen Rong stood up stiffly, giving her place. Shen Rong didn¡¯t know how he got out of the ward. The empty hallway was silent, the bodyguards quietly standing in the two ends of the floor. The sound of footsteps came from behind him, and Shen Rong instantly snapped back to attention, rushing to Shen Xi who had come out right after him and saying in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s you, it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? You found that woman, didn¡¯t you?¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows with an innocent look, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s expression twisted, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what I say? You knew that father liked my mother and deliberately found a similar woman, didn¡¯t you?¡± Shen Xi looked at Shen Rong with a face full of mockery, ¡°Is that really what you think?¡± Shen Rong shrank suddenly and then he looked back hard. Shen Xi faintly smiled, leaned to Shen Rong¡¯s ear and said word by word in a pitying tone, ¡°In fact, you know very well in your own heart, don¡¯t you? Whether it¡¯s you or Zhou Mingmei, you¡¯re just substitutes for a dead person. Do you think father likes you? He just wants to find that woman¡¯s shadow in your face. Looking at your face, father must have regretted it countless times: why was your birth mother Zhou Mingmei and not the woman in his heart? Does father love to see your smiling face the most? Why do you think it is? Because father loves you? It¡¯s just that you look most like that woman when you smile. Now that someone younger and more similar to that woman has appeared, what value do you think your existence has?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s expression was fierce as he listened to what Shen Xi had said. His eyes seemed to be breathing fire but not a word could come out of his mouth. Shen Xi straightened up with satisfaction, a sneer curving the corner of his mouth, ¡°Wake up, don¡¯t deceive yourself. Father¡¯s love for you is nothing but a joke.¡± These words became the last straw that completely broke Shen Rong¡¯s back. The anger in Shen Rong¡¯s heart could no longer be restrained and he ruthlessly threw a punch at Shen Xi. Shen Xi¡¯s mind flashed instantly; should he dodge or take the punch on purpose? He only had time for a fleeting thought when with a sound of sharp footsteps a familiar figure stepped in front of Shen Xi and a hand caught the swinging fist. Both Shen Xi and Shen Rong looked stunned for a moment, but Shen Xi was the first to react and took a step back. Shen Rong froze; Li Mingxuan released Shen Rong¡¯s clenched fist and looked at him coldly, ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Shen Rong gritted his teeth and glanced at Shen Xi, stubbornly silent. Li Mingxuan frowned imperceptibly, oblivious to Shen Rong¡¯s expression, ¡°Uncle needs to rest, you better not start any conflict here.¡± Shen Rong lowered his head and sent a fierce glance at Shen Xi while Li Mingxuan was not paying attention, turned around and walked to the other side of the corridor. The bodyguards saw that the situation was under control and dispersed once again. Seeing that there were no more people around, Li Mingxuan turned to Shen Xi and lowered his voice to reveal a hint of anger, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you dodge just now?¡± Shen Xi was stunned and before he could react, Li Mingxuan asked another question, ¡°Did you think that if you suffered a loss from Shen Rong, you would make Uncle favour you? You know very well¡­¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s unfinished words stopped under Shen Xi¡¯s mocking gaze. Shen Xi sneered, ¡°I know very well what? That even if I died in front of my father, my father would not look at me, let alone if I was merely punched a few times by my father¡¯s favourite bastard son?¡± Shen Xi lowered his eyes, ¡°You are thinking too much. Just now Shen Rong¡¯s action was too fast and I didn¡¯t have time to avoid it.¡± After Shen Xi finished speaking, he turned his head and was about to leave, but Li Mingxuan suddenly stretched out his hand and pulled him back, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice was sincere. Shen Xi paused; after a moment, he slowly turned around and looked at Li Mingxuan with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know you meant well.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s smile was as clean and gentle as it had been last night, but Li Mingxuan felt a deep sense of alienation in it. CH 17 Since he had met Chu Qianqian at the hospital a few days ago, Shen Rong had not appeared to visit his father for a few days in a row. Shen Xi did not care about this. Shen Rong¡¯s reaction was what he expected. It was Zhou Mingmei he was paying attention to. Unfortunately, Zhou Mingmei was very calm, as if she was completely unaware of Chu Qianqian¡¯s existence, and did not respond in any way. It surprised Shen Xi and made him even more wary of Zhou Mingmei. Another one who surprised him was Li Mingxuan. It was not that Shen Xi didn¡¯t feel some signs of goodwill from Li Mingxuan, but it was precisely what made him alert. He didn¡¯t believe the newspaper articles about the Li family making two bets, so what was Li Mingxuan after? Did he sympathise with him? Shen Xi felt that this idea was ridiculous. Based on Li Mingxuan¡¯s friendship with Shen Ji, how could he possibly feel sympathy for him? In his previous life, he had never seen this cousin of his since the moment of his imprisonment till his death, and he did not think that being reborn would suddenly create a deep brotherhood between them. So what exactly did Li Mingxuan want? Was there something about him that the Li family wanted? Shen Xi had never been afraid to guess the worst about the people¡¯s intentions, but no matter how much he thought, he could not guess what Li Mingxuan was thinking. However, when he thought about the news shared by the reporters, the corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up into a sneer. As the saying goes, three men make a tiger (repeated rumour becomes a fact); he didn¡¯t believe that Shen Ji could look at these articles day in and day out and still be firmly convinced in Li Mingxuan¡¯s brotherly love! That day Shen Xi did not go to the hospital as usual, but arrived at the cemetery early in the morning. Today was Shen Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s birthday, and Shen Xi really did not want to go to the hospital to play the role of a filial son to a doting father on this day. For five years he spent abroad, except for the first year, every year after that, Lao K had come to the cemetery to pay respect to Shen Xi¡¯s mother in his place. This time Shen Xi would finally be able to accompany his mother in person. The cemetery in the early morning was quiet and solemn, and Shen Xi lightly manoeuvred between the marble tombstones with his mother¡¯s favourite lilies of the valley in his hand. In the flower language the lily of the valley meant happiness, and it was said that if you received a lily of the valley, you would be favoured by the god of luck. Unfortunately, many people did not know the other name of the lily of the valley, ¡°Our Lady¡¯s Tears¡±. Shen Xi did not believe in these statements, but when he thought of his mother¡¯s life, he could only sigh silently. Looking at his mother¡¯s tombstone from a distance, Shen Xi paused in confusion. As he came closer, he could be sure there was no mistake. A bouquet of white lilies of the valley lay quietly in front of his mother¡¯s tombstone, its faint fragrance filling the surroundings. Shen Xi took a look around. There was no one else but him, so who would be sending flowers today? What¡¯s more, who would be sending his mother¡¯s favourite lilies of the valley? Lao K¡¯s name flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s mind and then he shook his head. Lao K knew he would come to the cemetery in person today and would not do such a superfluous thing. After thinking about it for a long time, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t think of who this person would be, so he could only suppress the doubts in his heart for now. No matter who the sender of the flowers was, Shen Xi was grateful for the thought. Gently placing the flowers in his hand together with those in front of the tombstone, Shen Xi sat down against his mother¡¯s tombstone and began to recount the events of the past few days, as he always did. When he reached the point where his father had a big fight with Shen Ji and insisted on keeping Chu Qianqian by his side, a hint of mockery appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face. ¡°Look, Mom, he is such a selfish person. He claims to love Fang Yun, but he still finds one substitute after another, first Zhou Mingmei and then Chu Qianqian. He told everyone that Shen Ji was his most cherished son, but he knew that the existence of Zhou Mingmei and Shen Rong was a thorn in Shen Ji¡¯s heart, and yet he still jabbed this thorn into his heart day after day. And now he has scolded his beloved son for the sake of a Chu Qianqian whom he has seen just once.¡± Shen Xi snorted, ¡°So he doesn¡¯t love anyone, he only loves himself.¡± A gust of wind blew by and the lilies of the valley in front of the tombstone gently swayed with the wind. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up to reveal a smile, ¡°Mom, you agree with me?¡± The lilies of the valley swayed even more. The smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face grew bigger, but his eyes gradually moistened. If his mother could hear him in heaven, would she regret having fallen in love with such a selfish man back then? Would she regret giving up her life so easily at such a beautiful age? Unfortunately, Shen Xi would never be able to know the answers to these two questions. After staying quietly all morning, Shen Xi left the cemetery near noon. This was when Lao K called him. ¡°At the cemetery?¡± Shen Xi gave a soft ¡°en¡±. ¡°Just leaving.¡± Lao K chuckled. ¡°Come back early, I¡¯ll be waiting for you to have a hotpot tonight.¡± Shen Xi said ¡°en¡± again, thought for a moment and checked, ¡°Did you send flowers to the cemetery?¡± ¡°Send flowers?¡± Lao K was puzzled and then denied, ¡°No, why?¡± Shen Xi mused, ¡°I came to the cemetery this morning and found that someone had come before me and left my mother her favourite lilies of the valley.¡± ¡°Could it have been your father?¡± Lao K asked cautiously. Shen Xi laughed coldly, ¡°How could it be? Father is in the hospital with Chu Qianqian, how could he think of mother!¡± ¡°Should we check it out?¡± Lao K suggested. Shen Xi thought about it and rejected Lao K¡¯s offer, ¡°Forget it, whoever it is, it is a token of appreciation.¡± Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi was too lazy to call for a taxi, and walked slowly along the quiet road in front of the cemetery, carefully considering what he was going to do next. Only when Shen Xi had checked everything in his mind and felt that there was nothing wrong did he come back to his senses and realise that at some point the sky had darkened and there were vague signs of rain. Shen Xi¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked around the empty road without a single car passing by. The cemetery was located in the suburbs and it was difficult to find a taxi there, and now the weather was getting worse. For the first time, Shen Xi regretted that he was used to taking a taxi after returning home and was too lazy to buy a car. The rain started to fall. At first it was a light rain, nothing but two or three drops, but soon it turned into a heavy rain, pouring down. There were a few thunderous noises from time to time and the whole sky was as black as ink. Shen Xi stood in the rain in embarrassment; there was no place to shelter from the rain around. His clothes were wet quickly, and the chill started to seep into Shen Xi¡¯s body little by little. Shen Xi shivered and fished out his mobile phone but it automatically switched off when it unexpectedly got under the water. Shen Xi thought bitterly, fortunately, Lao K knew he was here and would definitely come looking for him later. The rain was getting heavier without any sign of stopping. Shen Xi simply took off his jacket, put it on top of his head and found a high place to sit down. He was soaked to the bone anyway and it didn¡¯t matter if he would catch a cold. Shen Xi stared unconsciously at the raindrops that kept splashing at his feet. The ear-piercing sound of brakes sounded on the side of the road, and Shen Xi looked over in surprise. A familiar face appeared in the rolled down car window. ¡°Get in!¡± CH 18 ¡°Get in!¡± The two simple words were like a voice from heaven to Shen Xi, devastated by the rainstorm. Shen Xi was about to get up instinctively but when he saw the driver clearly, he hesitated. It was not Lao K but Li Mingxuan who called him to get in the car. Shen Xi did not move. Li Mingxuan thought that thunder was too loud and Shen Xi hadn¡¯t heard his words, so he shouted again, ¡°Get in!¡± With this shout, Li Mingxuan clearly saw Shen Xi¡¯s hesitation. Glancing at the heavy rain outside, Li Mingxuan said nothing, opened the car door and jogged towards Shen Xi in the rain. The moment he touched Shen Xi, his hand felt cold. With a slight effort, Li Mingxuan pulled Shen Xi up and rushed to the car in a few steps to shove Shen Xi in. Li Mingxuan¡¯s action was so fast that before Shen Xi could react, he was already sitting in the car. In an instant, Li Mingxuan neatly bypassed the front of the car, opened the door and sat beside Shen Xi. Shen Xi¡¯s brow furrowed slightly; he was about to say thank you when a clean jacket was handed over to him. ¡°Take off your shirt and change into this, be careful not to catch a cold.¡± Hearing unquestionable concern in this low magnetic voice, Shen Xi hesitantly glanced at Li Mingxuan and took the jacket as he was told. Seeing this, Li Mingxuan could only let out a silent sigh. At first he was a bit angry, planning to ask Shen Xi why he refused to get in the car, but when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s current appearance, his anger disappeared. Perhaps because he had been trapped in the rain for too long, Shen Xi looked miserable at this moment, drenched from head to toe, and his face was even paler than usual, but there was still the aura of rejection around him, as if he was a thousand miles away. For some reason, Shen Xi¡¯s appearance reminded Li Mingxuan of a puppy he had seen not long ago. It was a rather pretty little golden retriever, and it was a rainy day when Li Mingxuan saw it. Under the pouring rain, the little golden retriever was wet all over and was lying on the side of the road shivering. Mingfei, who was sitting in the back of the car, felt sorry for it and wanted to take it home. But no matter how Mingfei tried to entice it, the little golden retriever refused to come near them and looked at them warily. Eventually Mingfei had to give up in desperation. As they drove away, Li Mingxuan looked out of the car window and saw the little golden retriever shrinking into a ball, deeply alienated from all the humans around him who tried to get close to it. Mingfei was sure that the puppy must have experienced abandonment by its owner to become so wary and detached from humans. So what had Shen Xi experienced to make him wary and alienated? When Li Mingxuan thought about it, his heart softened. Speaking of which, Li Mingxuan now had very mixed feelings about Shen Xi. In the past twenty years or so, Shen Xi had been a stranger related by blood to Li Mingxuan. He was the younger brother that Shen Ji didn¡¯t want to talk about, he was the fop who caused trouble according to Shen Cheng, he was the nephew that his mother felt guilty about, and he was an outcast by default for the entire Shen family, including the Li family. But all that started changing when he met Shen Xi on the plane back to China. Perhaps because the two had spent more time together in this period than in the previous twenty years, Shen Xi in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes was no longer just a name or a topic of conversation of other people, but a living person. Shen Xi would laugh, he would be aggrieved, he would pretend to be strong, and he would get drunk late at night alone. Every time Li Mingxuan met Shen Xi, he got to know him better. He could no longer be indifferent to Shen Xi as he used to be and turn a blind eye to Shen Xi¡¯s affairs. Li Mingxuan smiled silently and bitterly. Perhaps everyone¡¯s indifference to Shen Xi stemmed from this. Because of indifference there would be no feelings, and when faced with a choice, a decision would be made without hesitation. Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help turning to Shen Xi. At this time, Shen Xi had just stripped off his wet clothes, revealing his fair skin. Noticing Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze, Shen Xi looked back suspiciously. Showing a kind smile, Li Mingxuan averted his eyes, handed the tissues to Shen Xi and asked while driving, ¡°Take you back to the hotel?¡± Shen Xi nodded and put Li Mingxuan¡¯s jacket on, adding after a moment¡¯s thought, ¡°Thank you, cousin Mingxuan.¡± Li Mingxuan chuckled and asked teasingly, ¡°Why did you refuse to get in the car just now, so I had to go and invite you personally?¡± Shen Xi explained, ¡°Because I already found a friend to pick me up and I didn¡¯t want to bother cousin.¡± ¡°Then do you want to talk to your friend?¡± Li Mingxuan asked casually. Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°The phone got wet and I don¡¯t remember his number.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and changed the subject, ¡°Why did Xiao Xi think of coming to the cemetery today?¡± After the question was asked, there was silence in the car. Shen Xi did not answer and Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi in surprise. The smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face disappeared and he lowered his eyes, ¡°Today is my mother¡¯s birthday.¡± Li Mingxuan paused, looked at Shen Xi for a while, and said seriously, ¡°Sorry! ¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were so solemn that Shen Xi evaded and responded indifferently, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, it had nothing to do with you.¡± Yes, it didn¡¯t matter; Shen Xi¡¯s expression was indifferent as he looked out the window. He was used to it, used to being ignored by the Shen family, used to the fact that he was the only person in the world who remembered his mother. Maybe you could also add the unknown man who left the flowers. Thinking of the bunch of lily of the valley flowers in front of the tombstone, Shen Xi felt his mood improve, but he didn¡¯t want to speak anymore. Once again, Li Mingxuan sighed silently. The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier, the sky was getting darker and the whole world seemed to be immersed in the rain. Shen Xi sat quietly in the car; the chill in his heart seemed to recede a little with the chill in his body. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t speak again, concentrating on driving the car carefully through the rain. From Shen Xi¡¯s perspective, Li Mingxuan¡¯s profile looked very handsome, and with that focused expression on his face, he was very attractive. Shen Xi had known Li Mingxuan all his life. Unlike his own notorious reputation, Li Mingxuan¡¯s reputation in the upper class circles of Zhongjing was very good. He was a graduate of a prestigious school, the heir of the family, capable and skillful, and more importantly, Shen Xi had never heard of any scandal involving Li Mingxuan over the years. Such a clean-cut man was naturally the ideal son-in-law in many people¡¯s eyes, and of course so was Shen Ji. Both of them had always been recognized as golden bachelors in their circle. Thinking of this, Shen Xi suddenly glanced at Li Mingxuan strangely. The situation of Li Mingxuan and Shen Ji was too similar. The two of them couldn¡¯t really have an affair, could they? Shen Xi¡¯s gaze was so strange that Li Mingxuan was vaguely aware of it, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°Just thinking when I can get back to the hotel.¡± Li Mingxuan glanced at the GPS and said soothingly, ¡°Should be there soon.¡± Shen Xi looked away, his previous suspicions surfacing once more. Li Mingxuan¡¯s concern for him did not seem fake, so what was he really after? Shen Xi was so engrossed in his thoughts that he missed the moment the hotel had already appeared in front of him. Taking a look at the rain that was not decreasing at all, Shen Xi thought about the difficult road conditions and took the initiative to invite Li Mingxuan, ¡°Cousin Mingxuan, do you want to go up and sit down?¡± As he said that, Shen Xi¡¯s gaze fell on Li Mingxuan¡¯s half-wet clothes. Li Mingxuan was surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s offer and nodded without hesitation. Returning to his room wrapped in Li Mingxuan¡¯s jacket, Shen Xi found a few clothes that he hadn¡¯t worn much and handed them to Li Mingxuan, motioning him to take a shower first. There was not much height difference between the two of them, but Shen Xi was thinner. These clothes might be tighter on Li Mingxuan, but they were more comfortable than wet clothes. Li Mingxuan did not take the clothes, ¡°Xiao Xi, you wash first.¡± Li Mingxuan was more worried about Shen Xi than about himself. After being stuck in the heavy rain for so long, even now Shen Xi¡¯s face hadn¡¯t recovered much colour. It was this kind of concern again. Shen Xi faintly resisted it in his heart, but after taking a look at his drenched pants, Shen Xi nodded and didn¡¯t insist anymore. The sound of water soon came from the bathroom, and Li Mingxuan casually looked around the living room. The last time he had sent the drunk Shen Xi back, he hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the state of the room. Only when he took a look this time did Li Mingxuan notice the oddity. The entire room was surprisingly tidy. All of Shen Xi¡¯s personal belongings were neatly arranged without any clutter. The hotel cleaning usually did not touch the guests¡¯ personal belongings, so did Shen Xi do this himself? Li Mingxuan¡¯s amazement only lasted for a moment before his attention was quickly drawn to a photograph on the table. The photo seemed to have been taken when Shen Xi was a baby and it looked like it was of Shen Xi¡¯s grandfather, mother and uncle. Shen Xi was estimated to be less than a year old at that time, and was smiling happily at the camera in ignorance. Li Mingxuan fell silent, unable to imagine how Shen Xi would feel looking at this photo every day. The phone in the room rang at this moment. ¡°Xiao Xixi, you¡¯re back at the hotel? You¡¯re so bad, you had me worried sick.¡± Li Mingxuan had just picked up the phone and before he could say anything, the other side of the phone had already rattled a few phrases. What puzzled Li Mingxuan even more was that the voice coming from the phone clearly belonged to a man but it seemed the other party was pinching his throat in a pretentious manner. Li Mingxuan¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but darken. Could this be the friend who was going to pick up Shen Xi? It made him wonder what kind of people Shen Xi usually associated with! Enduring his discomfort at the other party¡¯s voice, Li Mingxuan said, ¡°I¡¯m Shen Xi¡¯s cousin, Shen Xi is taking a shower. Who are you?¡± ¡°Cousin? You¡¯re Li Mingxuan?¡± The other party¡¯s voice suddenly rose and then the man shot a question, ¡°What did you just say, Shen Xi is taking a shower?¡± It was a tone of complete disbelief. Li Mingxuan was surprised by the other party¡¯s attitude, but still gave an ¡°en¡±. There was silence on the other side of the phone, and only after a while did a feeble male voice say, ¡°Please tell Xiao Xi that Wang Xinghai is looking for him. I¡¯m relieved he¡¯s back home.¡± The phone was quickly hung up and a thoughtful expression appeared on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face. ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice came from behind. Li Mingxuan turned his head to look, but saw Shen Xi standing at the door of the bathroom fully dressed. Thinking about the tone of the man on the phone just now, Li Mingxuan laughed lightly, ¡°A man calling himself Wang Xinghai is looking for you.¡± ¡°Wang Xinghai?¡± Doubt flashed in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes; then it occurred to him that wasn¡¯t Wang Xinghai the name of Lao K? Back then, he had even used this name to make fun of Lao K. A big guy with a scummy beard with such a literary name. With a casual nod, Shen Xi gestured to the direction of the bathroom. After Li Mingxuan went in, Shen Xi dialled back the number in the call log. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°The stimulation is too great, I am in a weak state, please do not disturb.¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Shen Xi said dryly. Lao K immediately came to life, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is Li Mingxuan with you, and you¡¯re taking a shower?¡± Shen Xi snorted coldly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you were too slow to get to the cemetery? I just happened to meet him and came back first. Don¡¯t you take a shower after getting wet?¡± The gap between Shen Xi¡¯s answer and Lao K¡¯s expectations was too wide, and Lao K immediately lost all interest, lazily humming on the phone. ¡°Where are you now?¡± Shen Xi asked kindly. ¡°Guess what, I got stuck in the cemetery in the pouring rain trying to pick you up. I don¡¯t dare drive in this damn weather!¡± Lao K immediately complained. Shen Xi chuckled and suggested seriously, ¡°Well, the cemetery in the rain is something special, you can take your time and enjoy the view.¡± ¡°Xiao Xixi, you¡¯re so heartless!¡± Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help laughing out loud. The two of them just chatted away, and Shen Xi tried to hang up the phone several times, but was stopped by Lao K crying and making trouble. Thinking of Lao K getting trapped in the cemetery because he went to pick him up, Shen Xi indulged him on a rare occasion. What Li Mingxuan saw when he came out of the shower was Shen Xi smiling with the phone in his hand. Although Shen Xi was not smiling at him, the heartfelt pleasure on Shen Xi¡¯s face seemed to be infectious. Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s curved eyes, Li Mingxuan was stunned for the first time. CH 19 Li Mingxuan did not stay with Shen Xi for too long; after the rain had subsided a little, he chose to say goodbye. Before he left, he wrote down his phone number on a sticky note for Shen Xi, in case Shen Xi needed to call him for something in the future. Shen Xi politely thanked Li Mingxuan for his kindness and did not take it seriously. From the bottom of his heart, Shen Xi didn¡¯t want to have too much to do with Li Mingxuan. Thinking of Li Mingxuan¡¯s friendship with Shen Ji, he couldn¡¯t help but doubt Li Mingxuan¡¯s motives for approaching him. Li Mingxuan could see Shen Xi¡¯s detachment, smiled and left the phone number without saying anything else. When he left the hotel, Li Mingxuan threw the changed clothes he was carrying into the back seat, but unexpectedly a black object slipped out of the clothes. Li Mingxuan was taken aback, only to remember that he deliberately turned off his mobile phone to avoid his mother¡¯s calls today, and then casually stuffed it somewhere. No wonder there had been no phone calls all morning. After thinking about it, Li Mingxuan picked up the phone and turned it on. A long beep sounded and a dozen missed calls popped up, most of them from the Li family. Li Mingxuan got a headache; he didn¡¯t expect his mother to be this persistent. Having no wish to go home now, Li Mingxuan sat quietly in the car, lit a cigarette and listened to the rain outside the window as he fell into deep thought. Speaking of which, Li Mingxuan was able to meet Shen Xi because he, like Shen Xi, went to the cemetery today. Like Shen Xi¡¯s mother who was buried in this cemetery, Li Mingxuan¡¯s grandfather was also buried there. Grandpa Li valued Li Mingxuan the most during his lifetime and cultivated him as an heir since he was a child. Li Mingxuan never failed to live up to his family¡¯s expectations. He studied and took over the family business; everything satisfied the family, except for one thing that deeply hurt Grandpa Li¡¯s heart. Before Grandpa Li died, Li Mingxuan was already an adult. When he returned to China to take over the family business, Li Mingxuan had a serious conversation with his family. Ignoring the shocked eyes of his family, Li Mingxuan admitted that he was not interested in women and that perhaps he would fall in love with a man in the future. He knew that as the heir of the family, his fate was to marry and to give birth to the next generation of heirs, but he could not guarantee that he could do this. His sexuality was innate and there was nothing he could do to change it. If his family could accept it, then he would take over the family business according to the family¡¯s arrangements. If the family could not accept it, then he would choose to stay abroad and start his own business, and the Li family would still have time to train Mingfei as the heir. Li Mingxuan¡¯s words were like dropping a bomb on the family. Everyone, including Shen Bixue, was blown away by the news. But looking at Li Mingxuan¡¯s serious expression, everyone could not help but believe in his determination. At one point, Shen Bixue even wondered if Li Mingxuan liked Shen Ji. Li Mingxuan had to explain countless times until his family was convinced that he really did not have any feelings for Shen Ji. Although Shen Ji was ruled out, the family was still not happy. Grandpa Li was so stimulated by this incident that he fell seriously ill. Li Mingxuan felt guilty but he couldn¡¯t compromise. It was Li Mingxuan¡¯s father who finally came to his senses first. As far as he was concerned, as long as Li Mingxuan could support the Li family, a marriage was not necessary. As for the next heir, didn¡¯t they still have Li Mingfei? His only worry was that Li Mingxuan would die alone, but when he thought of his son¡¯s conditions, Li Xiyong eventually put his mind at ease. With Li Xiyong as his guide, Grandpa Li finally accepted his grandson¡¯s choice, and Shen Bixue also had no choice but to agree. After Grandpa Li passed away, Li Mingxuan remained single for so many years, and the hope in Shen Bixue¡¯s heart was rekindled. Even if Li Mingxuan liked men, hadn¡¯t he never met the one he was attracted to in all these years? So why couldn¡¯t he try to be with a woman? With such a thought in mind, Shen Bixue arranged for Li Mingxuan to meet with a daughter of a family friend today. What Shen Bixue didn¡¯t expect was that not only did Li Mingxuan not show up today, he even turned off his mobile phone, silently indicating his attitude. Thinking of this, Li Mingxuan could also guess how angry his mother would be. With a bitter smile, Li Mingxuan stubbed his cigarette and drove away from the hotel. When he returned home, unsurprisingly, Shen Bixue was sitting in the hall waiting for him. Looking at Li Mingxuan come in, Shen Bixue¡¯s worry for her son prevailed over her anger, and although her face was dark, she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Did you get caught in the rain?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and sat beside Shen Bixue, ¡°I got a little wet, but I took a shower at Shen Xi¡¯s place.¡± ¡°Shen Xi?¡± Only then did Shen Bixue notice that the tight clothes Li Mingxuan was wearing were not his own. Li Mingxuan told her about his encounter with Shen Xi today, and Shen Bixue¡¯s attention was immediately drawn to the incident. After listening to it, she sighed deeply and said no more. Li Mingxuan was about to leave with an excuse when Shen Bixue turned her attention back to him, ¡°What? Just going to muddle through today?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and stared at Shen Bixue seriously, ¡°Mom, you know, I like men.¡± Shen Bixue eagerly retorted, ¡°But haven¡¯t you never met someone you¡¯re attracted to? Can¡¯t you try to be with a girl?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°Since there is going to be no result, why delay other people.¡± Shen Bixue gave Li Mingxuan a disappointed look, ¡°But you¡¯re already approaching thirty. In case you never meet the one you¡¯re attracted to, do you want to stay single forever? Your father and I are both getting older and we can¡¯t say when we will be gone. When Mingfei has his own life, who else will stay by your side?¡± Shen Bixue¡¯s words were overflowing with deep concern, and Li Mingxuan could only smile and say soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mom, I won¡¯t be alone all the time.¡± Looking at Li Mingxuan¡¯s clear unwillingness to talk more, Shen Bixue could only give up helplessly, ¡°I know what you mean, I won¡¯t arrange anything for you without permission again, but you must also promise me that if you really meet someone you like, you must bring them home for me to see them at the first opportunity.¡± Li Mingxuan naturally nodded without hesitation. After convincing his mother, Li Mingxuan let out a sigh of relief. After returning to his room and changing his clothes, Li Mingxuan took a look at the time. It was just two o¡¯clock in the afternoon; he thought for a while and went to his study, where there were still a lot of things waiting for him to deal with. Time always flies when you are busy, and when Li Mingxuan looked up, he realised that it was already after 6pm. Stretching out for a long time, Li Mingxuan looked at the drizzle that was still pattering outside the window, and a thought flashed across his mind. What was Shen Xi doing now? The thought was only fleeting when his mobile phone suddenly rang. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hello, are you a friend of Mr. Shen Xi?¡± From the phone came a thin female voice that seemed to carry a hint of anxiety. Li Mingxuan¡¯s brow furrowed involuntarily, ¡°I¡¯m Shen Xi¡¯s cousin, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Great, you¡¯re Mr. Shen Xi¡¯s family!¡± The other party¡¯s tone immediately revealed a feeling of relief, ¡°The thing is I¡¯m a room service worker at the Jinghao Hotel. This afternoon we accidentally discovered that Mr. Shen was sick, but we were unable to contact Mr. Shen¡¯s family. We found this number in the trash can¡­¡± The other party hesitated a little when she said this; she seemed to feel that she shouldn¡¯t have said the number was found in the trash can. Li Mingxuan directly interrupted her words, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Shen Xi now?¡± ¡°Mr. Shen has a fever, we¡¯ve given Mr. Shen medicine, but he needs someone around to take care of him.¡± There was a hint of urgency in the other party¡¯s tone, obviously worried that Li Mingxuan would not come over. Li Mingxuan said, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan felt like he was about to laugh out loud angrily. As soon as he had given his number to Shen Xi, Shen Xi threw it in the trash. Should he be glad that Shen Xi didn¡¯t tear it apart? What Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know was that Shen Xi did tear it apart, but it was just torn in half and could be put back together by the hotel staff. Speaking of which, if it weren¡¯t for Shen Xi¡¯s mobile phone that was wet and couldn¡¯t be turned on, the hotel wouldn¡¯t have called Li Mingxuan with the idea of giving it a try. At this moment, the torn note was lying quietly on the bedside table, waiting for Li Mingxuan¡¯s arrival. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t delay much. After finding a few antipyretics at home, he mentioned to his mother that there was something he had to do in the evening and hurried to the hotel. Li Mingxuan had followed the road from his home to the hotel several times, but never once had he been as anxious as now. Fortunately, it was only drizzling and the road was relatively easy to drive. Half an hour later, Li Mingxuan was already standing at the door of Shen Xi¡¯s room. Only when the hotel staff saw Li Mingxuan¡¯s arrival did they let out a real sigh of relief. Although they all knew Shen Xi¡¯s identity, they were unable to contact Shen Xi¡¯s family. They just had to give the phone number in the trash can a try, they never expected to find Li Mingxuan. Thinking of the gossip about Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan¡¯s night meeting a few days ago, the people in the room couldn¡¯t help but look at each other. Although they were curious, they had not forgotten the doctor¡¯s instructions. Jinghao Hotel was one of the top hotels in Zhongjing, and for the convenience of its guests, there was always a specially hired doctor in the hotel to serve the guests. As soon as Shen Xi was found to be ill, the hotel quickly sent a doctor over. After examination, the doctor concluded that the fever was caused by catching a cold from the rain. The illness was not serious, the only trouble was that someone needed to be around to take close care of the patient. That was why Li Mingxuan was found. After listening carefully to the doctor¡¯s instructions, Li Mingxuan nodded to indicate that he had taken note of them. The hotel staff placed the medicine on the bedside table, gestured to Li Mingxuan and left the room quietly. It was only at this time that Li Mingxuan got a good look at Shen Xi¡¯s current appearance. Different from his pale complexion at noon, Shen Xi¡¯s face was flushed and his brow was furrowed, obviously very uncomfortable. Li Mingxuan carefully stretched out his hand and touched Shen Xi¡¯s forehead, which felt extremely hot, obviously burning very badly. After a worried glance, Li Mingxuan was about to pull back, but to his surprise, Shen Xi held him tightly and refused to let him go. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t leave Xiao Xi,¡± Shen Xi murmured in a low voice, holding Li Mingxuan¡¯s arm with both his hands. This murmur was like a feather brushing over Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart, instantly softening it. After carefully adjusting Shen Xi to a new position, Li Mingxuan sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted him with his free hand to soothe him. Shen Xi seemed to find this very comfortable and his eyebrows slowly relaxed, but his whole body rubbed against Li Mingxuan¡¯s side more and more. Seeing that Shen Xi was about to fall off the bed, Li Mingxuan had to press him back. But as much as he pressed Shen Xi back, time and again Shen Xi unconsciously rubbed against him. In desperation, Li Mingxuan had to squeeze into bed and sit next to Shen Xi. Shen Xi soon squeezed his whole body into Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms and hugged him like an octopus. Li Mingxuan wanted to put Shen Xi down, but Shen Xi refused to let go, clinging to him. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t leave Xiao Xi.¡± Shen Xi kept whispering these words. Li Mingxuan sighed and acquiesced to Shen Xi¡¯s hugging. That night, Li Mingxuan managed to stay awake till the middle of the night and finally couldn¡¯t help falling asleep. With the change of Li Mingxuan¡¯s pose, Shen Xi quickly found another comfortable position in his arms and continued to cling to him, deep in sleep. Half asleep, half awake, Li Mingxuan noticed Shen Xi holding onto him and slightly adjusted his position, carefully protecting him in his arms. CH 20 Shen Xi felt as if he had gone back to his childhood. At that time, before his mother jumped out of the window, Grandpa and Uncle were still by his side, and little Shen Xi loved to lie in Grandpa¡¯s arms. Grandpa would gently pat him while telling him a story. Shen Xi didn¡¯t remember what the story was about. The only thing he remembered was the warm and reassuring feeling of lying in his grandfather¡¯s arms. This feeling was once again present now. Shen Xi hugged his grandfather tightly, trying to shrink his whole body into his grandfather¡¯s arms. Sensing that Grandpa was trying to push him away, Shen Xi became anxious and wrapped both his arms and his legs around Grandpa, begging pitifully, ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t leave Xiao Xi!¡± Grandpa seemed to be moved by Shen Xi¡¯s tone and stopped pushing him away. Satisfied, Shen Xi held harder. Grandpa¡¯s embrace was as warm as he remembered, and seemed to have an extra good smell. Shen Xi worked hard to squeeze into the arms of his grandfather, sniffing the smell greedily, his heart full of happiness. ¡°Grandpa, don¡¯t leave Xiao Xi, don¡¯t leave Xiao Xi behind like Mommy did.¡± Shen Xi repeated these words over and over again, feeling that Grandpa seemed to be hugging him back, and laughed happily. For a whole night, Shen Xi was immersed in this feeling of happiness. Without the troubles of the previous life, Shen Xi had a rare good night¡¯s sleep. The rain that had been falling all day and night finally stopped in the morning. The dark clouds had not yet dispersed but the sun was already eager to appear in the east. Li Mingxuan woke up in the pale sunlight. The moment he opened his eyes, he was still in a bit of a daze. What appeared before him was not his familiar surroundings. Where was this? The thought was fleeting, and then a huge source of heat in his arms caught his attention. Lowering his head, Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi¡¯s sleeping face with a smile on it. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know what Shen Xi was dreaming about, but the corners of his mouth were raised high and he looked happy. Li Mingxuan smiled unconsciously, then thought of something, pulled out his hand pressed under Shen Xi¡¯s body and put it on his forehead. It was still a little hot but already much better than yesterday. Li Mingxuan let out a sigh of relief. Last night, he had used up all the ice packs left by the doctor and even planned to take Shen Xi to the hospital in the middle of the night at one point. Only when Shen Xi had a tendency to cool down did Li Mingxuan put his mind at ease. Carefully moving Shen Xi, who was still asleep, aside, Li Mingxuan sat up rubbing his numb arms. When he glanced at the time, it was already ten in the morning. Fortunately, he called his father last night to explain the situation and was able to take an extra day off today. After washing up quickly, Li Mingxuan called room service and asked them to send breakfast and cook a bowl of porridge separately. The phone was just hung up when the doorbell rang. ¡°Hello, room service!¡± Li Mingxuan was taken aback; it was so fast. When he opened the door, he found that the room staff at the door was pushing a trolley for cleaning and there was no breakfast that he wanted. Li Mingxuan realised that this service was not his service. Perhaps knowing that there was a sick man in the room, the room staff moved very lightly. One of the young girls with a round face asked with concern, ¡°How is Mr. Shen¡¯s condition?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded politely, ¡°He¡¯s cooled down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, the hotel has arranged for a doctor to come for a review around eleven o¡¯clock, do you think that¡¯s okay?¡± The young girl confirmed with Li Mingxuan, and he nodded slightly. The girl smiled and stepped aside. Li Mingxuan vaguely felt that the girl looked very familiar; after thinking about it, he said, ¡°Were you the one who found Shen Xi and took care of him yesterday? I was in such a hurry yesterday that I didn¡¯t thank you properly.¡± The girl smiled, ¡°No need to thank me, that¡¯s what we should do. It was our turn-down service that found Mr. Shen sick last night.¡± The girl thought of something as she said that and looked at Li Mingxuan with a flash of embarrassment in her eyes. Li Mingxuan smiled, ¡°Then it was also the turn-down service that found my phone number in the trash?¡± The girl nodded in embarrassment and added, ¡°Cleaning is originally one of the responsibilities of the turn-down service.¡± Speaking of which, the hotel¡¯s biggest headache was to encounter a single guest who was sick and whose family couldn¡¯t be contacted, especially when it came to people like Shen Xi. Last night, they had originally thought of using the found number to see if they could contact Shen Xi¡¯s family but they never expected the owner of the phone number to come directly. Strictly speaking, they had to be thankful for Li Mingxuan¡¯s presence, otherwise the hotel would have been in trouble in case something happened to Shen Xi. As soon as the girl finished speaking, she started tidying up. Because Shen Xi was still asleep, her movements were very light. After cleaning up the living room and the bathroom, only the bedroom where Shen Xi was sleeping was left. Li Mingxuan intended not to change the bed sheets or anything else, but the girl touched the bed sheets and the quilt and suggested changing them together. Only then did Li Mingxuan realise that Shen Xi had sweated all over last night and that the clothes on his body also needed to be changed. After Li Mingxuan carefully picked Shen Xi up, the room staff quickly changed the bed linen and quietly left the room after nodding to Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi, who was still sleeping, and wondered if he should change his clothes. Although Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t have any thoughts about Shen Xi and just regarded him as a younger brother who needed to be taken care of, however, because of his own sexual orientation, Li Mingxuan paid special attention not to get too close to other men, let alone take care of someone in such an intimate manner. After a hesitant glance at Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan leaned down and began to unbutton his shirt. As the buttons were undone one by one, Shen Xi¡¯s delicate collarbones were gradually revealed. Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind suddenly flashed back to the scene he saw in the car yesterday, his fingers suddenly trembled, and then he was embarrassed to find that his body was actually reacting. Chagrined, Li Mingxuan stopped. ¡°A man¡¯s erection is not subject to moral constraints¡±, these words were said by Li Mingxuan¡¯s father to him on his eighteenth birthday, closely followed by another sentence, ¡°But to be a successful man, the most fundamental self-control is indispensable.¡± Born into a family like theirs, they had to face all sorts of temptations from a young age, among which the temptation of women was essential. Li Mingxuan¡¯s father had seen a lot of women in his life who either actively or passively pursued him and was very worried that his son, who had just reached adulthood, would not be able to resist such temptations. Of course, at that time his father did not know that Li Mingxuan was not interested in women at all. At that time, Li Mingxuan was about to leave the country, and his father made it a point to warn him about these things, in hope that Li Mingxuan would know how to exercise restraint and not fool around too much abroad. What Li Xiyong didn¡¯t expect was that because of his words Li Mingxuan, who was not interested in women, would remain distant from all the men who appeared around him. In the past few years abroad, there was not a single person he would have an ambiguous relationship with, not to mention any other nonsense. After Li Mingxuan returned to China, he gradually took over the company from his father¡¯s hands. After a few busy years, he was still alone. Li Mingxuan also had the normal impulses of a man, but with him usually spending time alone, he had never encountered such a situation. Li Mingxuan was embarrassed and wondered if he should continue. Shen Xi, who was deep in sleep, moved restlessly. He felt that his grandfather was leaving him step by step, and the surrounding scenery gradually changed into a scene in prison. It seemed that someone put his hand on him, and Shen Xi sneered. Another guy who didn¡¯t want to live was trying to hit on him? Didn¡¯t anyone in prison tell him what happened to all those men who had this idea? Almost subconsciously, Shen Xi grabbed the hand on his body, kicked out with his right leg and pressed the man underneath him in one movement. Li Mingxuan was caught unawares by the sleeping Shen Xi¡¯s kick that landed right at the root of his thigh. If not for the fact that Shen Xi was still feverish and his body didn¡¯t have much strength, Li Mingxuan would probably have to worry about his happiness for the rest of his life. Even so, Xiao Mingxuan quickly went soft. In the next instant, the still puzzled Li Mingxuan was flipped over onto the bed by Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi in surprise and was met with the undisguised killing intent in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes. The moment their eyes met, Shen Xi blinked and the original killing intent quickly receded, replaced with a bewildered look. ¡°Cousin?¡± Before Li Mingxuan could answer, Shen Xi¡¯s arms suddenly went soft and he fell down onto Li Mingxuan. As soon as Shen Xi came back to his senses and realised that it was not his previous life, the violent spirit in his heart immediately dissipated. Plus he was still suffering from a fever at the moment and was already weak. He had just used up his strength and his hands and feet went limp. This was the first time their bodies were so seamlessly pressed together when they were awake. The first thought that flashed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind was that it was fortunate that Shen Xi had kicked him, otherwise he would feel quite embarrassed now. But soon he realised that the situation wasn¡¯t much better. Shen Xi was lying bonelessly on top of him, breathing right on his neck, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s body was uncontrollably aroused under those warm exhalations. When he felt that Xiao Mingxuan was about to stand up again, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t care what Shen Xi might be thinking, flipped them around and pinned Shen Xi underneath him. When the eyes met again, Shen Xi¡¯s face was still confused. This series of actions happened so quickly that Shen Xi had not yet reacted to what was going on. Li Mingxuan quickly got up from Shen Xi and sat beside him as if nothing had happened, ¡°Did Xiao Xi have a nightmare?¡± ¡°Nightmare?¡± Shen Xi thought of his dream and subconsciously looked at the clothes on his body. Li Mingxuan coughed lightly with a calm face, ¡°You were sweating, I was about to change your clothes.¡± Shen Xi blinked in confusion and finally asked the question he was most puzzled by, ¡°Why are you here?¡± The author has something to say: There is a long explanation from the author that the turn-down service (the preparation of a room for a guest to sleep in by slightly turning back the comforter on the bed, turning down the lights, and so on) really exists and they come in early in the evening, so it was not just a random thing she¡¯d come up with. CH 21 Shen Xi did not have much memory of what had happened before, and Li Mingxuan did not want to talk about it, so he just told the story in a few words. Shen Xi listened quietly, his eyes involuntarily sweeping over Li Mingxuan¡¯s clothes wrinkled in his sleep, and his brow furrowed invisibly when he thought of the warm embrace in his dream. The guess really made Shen Xi unhappy, but it was also a fact that Li Mingxuan had taken care of him, so Shen Xi could only suppress the discomfort and smile at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Thank you, cousin.¡± When Shen Xi smiled at him, and with the way he was lying there now, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but start to move downwards. Realising what he wanted to see, Li Mingxuan immediately stiffened, and then he pretended to relax, pulling up the quilt over Shen Xi to cover him tightly, leaving only his head outside. Noticing Shen Xi¡¯s strange gaze, Li Mingxuan said in a natural tone, ¡°The doctor ordered you to stay covered to sweat out faster.¡± There was nothing wrong with this statement, and Shen Xi could only show a grateful smile to Li Mingxuan once again. Li Mingxuan averted his eyes slightly sheepishly; the doorbell rang at the right moment, ¡°Hello, room service.¡± With a long sigh of relief in his heart, Li Mingxuan rushed to the door almost impatiently. In addition to Li Mingxuan¡¯s long-awaited breakfast, there was also a doctor with a medical kit outside the door. After a detailed examination, the doctor said that Shen Xi¡¯s fever had almost gone down and that he only needed to recuperate for another day and should be fine after that. As Shen Xi was young and healthy, his illness came and went quickly, of course, thanks to the care and attention he had received. When talking about care and attention, the doctor deliberately looked at Li Mingxuan, and Shen Xi could only follow the doctor¡¯s line of sight and once again raise the corner of his mouth at Li Mingxuan. Since Shen Xi was still a bit feverish, the doctor left Shen Xi a day¡¯s supply of medicine and specifically instructed Shen Xi to eat something to cushion his stomach before taking the medicine, preferably some porridge. As soon as the doctor left, Li Mingxuan brought over the congee that he had ordered for Shen Xi, and Shen Xi was stunned to realise that Li Mingxuan had prepared it for him. When he looked at Li Mingxuan again, there was a bit more sincere gratitude on his face. After eating the porridge and taking the medicine, Shen Xi lay down on the bed, not going to sleep anymore. Seeing that Li Mingxuan had no intention of leaving, Shen Xi wondered, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to go to the office, cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled, ¡°Father knows about Xiao Xi¡¯s illness, so he gave me a day off to stay here and take care of you.¡± The father Li Mingxuan spoke of was none other than Shen Xi¡¯s aunt¡¯s husband, a very serious man in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes. The only impression Shen Xi had of him in his previous life was that he and his aunt had a very good relationship, and the two were regarded as a rare loving couple in the circle. In his new life, Shen Xi asked Lao K to help him investigate everyone related to the Shen family, and his uncle, who was close to the Shen family in both public and private life, was naturally the focus of the investigation. It was only after this investigation that Shen Xi realised the power of this man. Thinking of the intricate business interests of the Shen and the Li families, Shen Xi lowered his eyes and did not look at Li Mingxuan again. Perhaps because of the medicine, one moment Shen Xi felt he was not sleepy at all, and the next moment he was drowsy and fell asleep. Li Mingxuan quietly looked at Shen Xi¡¯s sleeping face and turned away with a bitter smile. Should he be glad that Shen Xi, being sick, hadn¡¯t noticed his abnormality? Even though he had tried to forget the previous scenes from the morning until now, his body¡¯s reaction could not fool anyone. He really didn¡¯t want to admit that he had reacted to his cousin who was related to him by blood in a way that completely exceeded his expectations. Even if he liked men, he could never fall in love with one of his relatives. Maybe he just couldn¡¯t suppress his body¡¯s urges because he had been single for too long? Or maybe it was just a natural instinct of a man and didn¡¯t mean anything? Li Mingxuan¡¯s thoughts nagged him, the words taboo, incest and immorality haunting his mind. Perhaps he really needed to find a companion soon. The sleeping Shen Xi was unaware of Li Mingxuan¡¯s messy thoughts, but he had a vague feeling that someone was watching him, and moved uneasily. Only when he heard Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice in his haze did Shen Xi settle down and roll over to go back to sleep. The last thought as he fell asleep seemed to be: who did Li Mingxuan get into an argument with? ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Li Mingxuan glanced at Shen Xi carefully, lowered his voice and walked to the living room. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy!¡± The sound of Shen Ji gritting his teeth was very clear. Li Mingxuan sighed, ¡°I can understand that you don¡¯t want that nurse to appear in front of Uncle, but you can¡¯t find someone to detain her privately. Let¡¯s not talk about whether this matter is illegal or not, what will you do in case Uncle finds out about it or it gets exposed by reporters?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s voice sounded irrational, ¡°Then what do you think I can do? Father wants to take her home! Zhou Mingmei has worked so hard for so many years and played so many tricks but she has not entered our house yet. This one has only appeared for a few days and father is so enchanted that he actually wants to take her home.¡± Shen Ji repeated these words over and over again, obviously furious. Li Mingxuan was also stunned by the news, ¡°Uncle is going to do it?¡± Although Li Mingxuan did not want to maliciously guess the thoughts of his elders, wasn¡¯t Shen Dehan¡¯s behaviour really?¡­ Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether he would have a new young aunt soon. Shen Ji guessed Li Mingxuan¡¯s thoughts and said with hatred, ¡°Father has not gone over the edge yet, he¡¯s just bringing home a private caretaker.¡± Li Mingxuan fell silent; no matter what his uncle called it, as long as that nurse stepped into the Shen family¡¯s house, it was an insult to Shen Ji¡¯s mother. Perhaps if a young girl heard about Shen Dehan¡¯s behaviour, she would find it deeply romantic, but in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes such actions by Shen Dehan were truly absurd. Maybe Shen Dehan felt that he was doing this exactly because he loved Fang Yun, but he didn¡¯t know that his repeated search for a substitute in itself was a betrayal of Fang Yun. Li Mingxuan felt powerless about his uncle¡¯s behaviour, but did his best to dissuade Shen Ji. He could detain that nurse for a while, but not for the whole life. Instead of laying hands on that nurse, it would be better to take Shen Cheng and show their father their filial piety, then maybe they could persuade Shen Dehan to change his mind. Shen Ji sneered, ¡°Do you really think this will work?¡± Li Mingxuan paused and said, ¡°In Uncle¡¯s heart you and Xiao Cheng are always the most important.¡± Shen Ji was silent and then laughed bitterly, ¡°I used to firmly believe that Xiao Cheng and I were the most important in father¡¯s heart, so important that he could even give up Shen Xi and refuse to recognize Shen Rong for us. But now I suddenly don¡¯t dare to think so.¡± There was one last sentence in Shen Ji¡¯s mind that he had not spoken; that perhaps his father himself was the most important in his father¡¯s heart. Li Mingxuan once again sighed silently. In the end, Shen Ji was persuaded by Li Mingxuan and intended to take Shen Cheng to try once more. Unlike Shen Xi, Shen Ji and Shen Cheng grew up under the doting care of their father, and Shen Ji had too many fond memories of Shen Dehan. The father who loved him, the father who took care of him, the father who listened to him, the father who accompanied him to play, so many images of his father overlapped with each other. Shen Ji really did not want to believe that between them and that woman his father would choose that woman. Not to mention the fact that that woman was nothing more than a substitute for his mother. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know what Shen Ji would do. After hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan called his mother, hoping that his mother could persuade his uncle. Li Mingxuan¡¯s words made Shen Bixue worried. The thing she feared most had happened. Thinking of the last time when she said that Shen Dehan and the young nurse were so different in age that Shen Dehan should not have any ideas, Shen Bixue smiled bitterly. Shen Dehan¡¯s plans needed to be nipped in the bud. If left unattended, it would definitely become the biggest scandal in Zhongjing! Hanging up the phone again, Li Mingxuan quietly walked back to the bedroom. Shen Xi was still asleep, crumpling the quilt into a ball, unaware of what was happening outside. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but think that the most indifferent person in the whole Shen family right now would be Shen Xi. Whether it was Shen Ji, Shen Cheng or Shen Rong, who everyone refused to acknowledge, they were all hostile to the appearance of that nurse, except for Shen Xi who was probably more than happy to see it happen. When Li Mingxuan thought of it, an idea flashed suddenly in his mind and he looked at Shen Xi suspiciously. Half a second later, Li Mingxuan shook his head and discarded that absurd thought, the previous expression returning to his face. It was impossible for Shen Xi to do this. The manpower and financial resources required to find such a similar person were not within Shen Xi¡¯s reach. Shen Xi had been abroad all these years, and his former friends had not contacted him again, so who else would help him? What¡¯s more, Shen Ji had been paying attention to Shen Xi during his years abroad. Perhaps Shen Xi¡¯s temperament had improved a lot as he grew older, but his habit of spending money lavishly had not changed and even intensified because he was banished abroad. Although the Shen family would give Shen Xi a large sum of money every month, according to Shen Xi¡¯s spending, he would definitely not be able to save much. Thinking about it this way, Li Mingxuan instead felt a twinge of guilt towards Shen Xi. Everyone knew what kind of a person Shen Xi had been raised to be, and these years Shen Xi had not caused much trouble abroad. Even though Shen Xi¡¯s temperament had become restrained and seemed much calmer, the irritability in his bones was still vaguely visible. This was also the reason why Uncle had been so relieved that he was abroad. According to Shen Xi¡¯s character, he would never think or do anything to set up his uncle through a woman. It was really wrong of Li Mingxuan to suspect Shen Xi in such a malicious manner. Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a guilty look, carefully covered him with the balled up quilt and stayed quietly by the bed. CH 22 Before Shen Ji could find a chance to talk to Shen Dehan about Chu Qianqian¡¯s arrival, Chu Qianqian had unexpectedly rejected Shen Dehan¡¯s offer herself. Despite her apologetic look, Chu Qianqian¡¯s attitude was very firm. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Shen, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the right person to be your personal caregiver.¡± Shen Dehan never thought he would be turned down and the smile had not yet faded from his face, ¡°Xiao Chu, what are you talking about?¡± Chu Qianqian gave Shen Dehan an embarrassed look, but still repeated firmly, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Shen, I can¡¯t be your personal caregiver.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shen Dehan was a bit confused; these days Chu Qianqian was very attentive to his care, gentle, meticulous and patient. The two got along quite well. Shen Dehan felt that although he was a bit older, he was still quite elegant due to his long-standing high position and good maintenance. He could see from Chu Qianqian¡¯s daily behaviour that she did not hate him. He just invited her to do nursing work for him, which was easy and profitable. Why didn¡¯t she agree? Shen Dehan made it clear that he was going to pursue the matter to the end. Chu Qianqian was silent for a moment and spoke softly under Shen Dehan¡¯s compelling gaze, ¡°I know your good intentions, Mr. Shen. Someone must have talked to you about my situation and that¡¯s why you thought of hiring me as a personal caregiver. Mr. Shen, you are very kind, but that¡¯s why I can¡¯t agree. You know that I have just graduated and I am still in the internship stage. I am fine at the hospital, but if I go to your home, I will not have enough experience to deal with the unexpected situations that may arise. What your body needs, Mr. Shen, is a professional caregiver, and I can¡¯t disregard your health because of your good intentions.¡± Chu Qianqian¡¯s attitude towards Shen Dehan was very gentle, but there was a little alienation in the gentleness. She smiled lightly, grateful for Shen Dehan¡¯s kindness, but she didn¡¯t need Shen Dehan¡¯s sympathy. Shen Dehan looked at Chu Qianqian in front of him in a moment of daze. He remembered that Fang Yun was also like this back then, with fortitude in her weakness, and chose to refuse his help without hesitation. No matter how difficult the situation was, Fang Yun refused to take advantage of his kindness. Nostalgia surfaced in Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes and his tone became a bit more gentle, ¡°I know my own health, Xiao Chu, don¡¯t worry, you can definitely handle it.¡± Chu Qianqian shook her head, ¡°I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Shen, but I really can¡¯t agree.¡± Shen Dehan sharply interrupted Chu Qianqian¡¯s refusal, ¡°If you are worried about my health, I can hire another private nurse, and you can also take the opportunity to learn properly from her. What do you think?¡± Chu Qianqian did not expect Shen Dehan to say this; she froze for a moment but still refused. Looking at Shen Dehan¡¯s uncomprehending eyes, Chu Qianqian was embarrassed and finally said in a small voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I can feel that Shen Dashao does not like my presence. If Mr. Shen insists on hiring me as a personal caregiver, Shen Dashao will be even more unhappy, right?¡± Having said that, Chu Qianqian hurriedly explained, ¡°I am not displeased with Shen Dashao in any way. No one can make everyone like them, I understand this. It¡¯s just that you, Mr. Shen, are the first patient I have taken care of since I graduated, and you have a very special meaning to me. You have already given me a lot of care during this time and I am very grateful to you. I wish you all the best and don¡¯t want you to have any misunderstanding with your family for me, so I am really unable to agree to your proposal.¡± After Chu Qianqian finished speaking, she showed a faint smile to Shen Dehan and left the ward without waiting for him to say anything else. Behind her, Shen Dehan stared at Chu Qianqian¡¯s departing figure with a complicated expression, not knowing what to think. Only when Chu Qianqian was alone in the duty room did the gentleness on her face fade and change back to her usual expression. Although this job was lucrative, the idea of being with the smug old man every day, even if she had a good work ethic, was a bit much. She took her mobile phone out of her pocket and typed quickly, telling Shen Xi about his father¡¯s recent developments, with particular emphasis on the fact that he wanted to hire her as a private caregiver. Of course she didn¡¯t forget to write that she had declined. When Shen Xi received the message, he was sitting on his bed tinkering with his new mobile phone. The original phone had been soaked in water for too long and the phone and its card had been scrapped. When Shen Xi was depressed about it, Li Mingxuan, who asked his assistant to send clothes over, by the way, helped Shen Xi get a new card and brought a new mobile phone. Understanding the way Shen Dehan¡¯s mind worked, Shen Xi replied curiously, ¡°Playing hard to get?¡± Chu Qianqian quickly replied, ¡°That¡¯s how you have to deal with men. No matter if they are old or young, their virtues are the same, this is the way they eat.¡± Seeing this message, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh with the phone in his hand. Shen Xi¡¯s laughter attracted Li Mingxuan, who was talking to his assistant in the living room. He looked over, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I received a joke about the inferior nature of men, do you want me to read it to you?¡± Shen Xi looked back with a smile. Li Mingxuan smiled and returned to his conversation. Shen Xi surveyed Li Mingxuan¡¯s back thoughtfully. Speaking of which, Li Mingxuan originally planned to leave yesterday. However, after examining Shen Xi, the doctor said that although Shen Xi¡¯s fever had gone down, he still suggested one more night of observation, so Li Mingxuan stayed behind. Although Shen Xi said that he was fine on his own, Li Mingxuan was still very determined. Shen Xi vaguely felt that there was something strange about Li Mingxuan¡¯s attitude, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what was wrong with it, so he could only be more wary of Li Mingxuan in his heart. Not long after, Li Mingxuan finished talking to his assistant and walked back to Shen Xi¡¯s side, ¡°Xiao Xi, I have to go.¡± Shen Xi cooperatively showed a surprised face, ¡°Cousin wants to go back?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded and instructed, ¡°Although you¡¯ve recovered from your illness, it¡¯s best for Xiao Xi to rest at the hotel for one more day. Remember to call me if anything happens.¡± Shen Xi nodded obediently, not missing the curious gaze of the assistant on the side. Until they entered the elevator, the assistant¡¯s eyes were still unabashedly curious. Li Mingxuan was puzzled, ¡°What?¡± The assistant chuckled dryly, ¡°Nothing, just curious about your good relationship with Shen Sanshao.¡± When Li Mingxuan heard the word ¡°good relationship¡±, he let out a bitter smile and did not say anything. Because he had something on his mind, Li Mingxuan did not pay attention to his surroundings and therefore did not see Shen Ji who was talking with someone in the corner of the hotel lobby. Shen Ji looked at Li Mingxuan, who appeared in his sight, in astonishment, suddenly remembering the last news reports and feeling very uncomfortable. Shen Ji hadn¡¯t had time to adjust his mood yet when he saw Shen Xi. Despite his efforts to convince himself that it was all just a coincidence, the fact that Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi appeared in front of him one after the other still cast a shadow over Shen Ji¡¯s mood. Shen Ji resisted the urge to dial Li Mingxuan¡¯s number immediately and reluctantly turned his mind back to the conversation he was having. Like Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi, who was in a hurry to find Lao K, did not notice Shen Ji. He left his room and went straight to Lao K almost as soon as Li Mingxuan walked out. ¡°Are you really not going to enter Shen Group?¡± Lao K looked at Shen Xi who had been nestling in the balcony recliner since he came in, puzzled by his behaviour. Shen Xi gave Lao K a lazy look, ¡°What am I going to do in Shen Group?¡± ¡°Show your ability outside, buy people inside, find ways to secretly collude with the shareholders, eat away at Shen Ji¡¯s power in the company little by little, and finally succeed in killing your father to take over, how about that?¡± Lao K elaborated excitedly, as if he could already see Shen Xi¡¯s domineering aura overflowing and the company filled with people at his beck and call. Shen Xi sneered, ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to revitalise Shen Group. I just want to destroy it, why go to all this trouble?¡± Lao K was full of regret, ¡°You loser, do you know how much Shen Group is worth?¡± Shen Xi chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m short of money.¡± Lao K had a choked look on his face for a long time before he recovered, ¡°I know you¡¯re not short of money, but isn¡¯t all of your money hidden? How are you going to transfer it to the open?¡± The hidden money Lao K mentioned was Shen Xi¡¯s biggest support for his comeback. He wanted to bring down Shen Group; what he needed most besides people was money. Shen Xi did not know how much money he had made during five years abroad. Thinking of the source of this money, Shen Xi could not help but glance at Lao K. Whether it was Lao K or this money, it was a gift to him from his prison career in his previous life. People who have never been in prison can never imagine the monotony of that life that can drive people crazy. You are like a trapped animal in a cage, living numbly in a small, cramped space day after day. The passage of time is invisible, your days are repetitive, always the same faces, always the same work, work, work, work, never a break. In that kind of life, what Shen Xi looked forward to most every day was watching TV in the evening. Even though there were only a few news channels that they could watch, only at this time would Shen Xi feel that he was truly living in this world. Shen Xi¡¯s attitude to watching TV was so religious that no matter what the prison guards put on, Shen Xi would watch it with great interest and then reflect on life outside alone in the dead of night. Shen Xi remembered that his second year in prison coincided with the World Cup, which was a major event in the whole world. The guards who worked in Shen Xi¡¯s section of the prison were all fans, so the nightly news programs were replaced with football matches, commentaries on the matches, and even replays. Thanks to those replays, Shen Xi was able to retell almost all of the 64 matches. Living a new life after ten years, Shen Xi became rich overnight by relying on these memories. The only pity was that in order not to be detected by the Shen family, the bets he took were all in underground illegal markets, so all his money could not see the light of day and he could only launder it a little through other means. He had already thought about Lao K¡¯s question before, and thinking about Fang Luowei¡¯s ideals in his previous life, Shen Xi had a plan for this. Therefore, after Lao K asked, he said directly, ¡°I heard that making movies is very profitable these days.¡± ¡°You want to launder money by making movies?¡± Lao K thought about it, ¡°That¡¯s a good way to go and it also fits your position.¡± Shen Xi snorted, ¡°Yeah, a dude who is wandering in the entertainment industry, the Shen family must definitely feel at ease.¡± Lao K pondered, ¡°It¡¯s just that the time to get the money this way is slow, six months or something?¡± Shen Xi nodded indifferently. Lao K¡¯s expression was a bit strange, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in a hurry at all?¡± Shen Xi understood what he meant and smiled faintly, ¡°Killing with a slow knife is more painful, why should I spare them from pain?¡± Under the pale golden sunlight, Shen Xi lay there lazily with a relaxed expression, but the smile on his face made Lao K shiver. CH 23 Shen Dehan stayed in the hospital for a month and finally decided to be discharged. The reporters who had been guarding outside the hospital were very excited about this news. Since Shen Dehan was hospitalised, the reporters could not get any specific information about his condition due to the tight security at the hospital, so they could only speculate on their own in private. Although both the hospital and the Shen family were unanimous in declaring that Shen Dehan¡¯s health was fine, the reporters were not convinced because of Shen Dehan¡¯s delay in being discharged. This time, Shen Dehan¡¯s discharge from hospital was seen by the reporters as a show proving his health. Whether or not he was really as healthy as the hospital claimed, could only be guessed by seeing how Shen Dehan would behave after he returned home. Early in the morning, the three Shen brothers appeared in front of Shen Dehan. Whoever had compromised first between Shen Dehan and Shen Ji, their father-son relationship still seemed as close as ever, with no sign of a previous falling out. Shen Xi coldly laughed silently. Shen Dehan¡¯s things were packed up long ago. Unlike his low-key admission, Shen Dehan¡¯s discharge from the hospital was very high-profile. Not only did he not prevent the reporters from taking pictures, he even stopped before getting into his car to give them some time to interview him. Shen Dehan stood there glowing, testifying that he was in good health. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng stood on Shen Dehan¡¯s sides, one left and one right, with Shen Xi taking a slight step back from them with a smile. No matter how you looked at it, the scene was a beautiful picture of a loving father and filial sons. The flashs kept lighting up and countless microphones reached to Shen Dehan¡¯s mouth. Shen Dehan carefully selected a few reporters he knew well. They asked the right questions, and Shen Dehan answered without missing a beat, making for a harmonious scene. At this moment, a fresh-faced reporter tried to squeeze closer to Shen Dehan, holding the microphone high above the crowd, ¡°Mr. Shen, we all know that Sanshao has been abroad for the past few years. This time he came back specially because of your health. Now that your health is fine, what is the next arrangement for Sanshao, will he stay in the country or continue to go abroad?¡± When this question was asked, there was a moment of silence, and then the reporters followed in a flurry of questions. ¡°Mr. Shen, please answer, is Sanshao going to stay with you or is he going to continue to live abroad?¡± This question obviously took Shen Dehan very much by surprise, and a hint of dismay flashed in his eyes quickly. Shen Xi coldly watched Shen Dehan¡¯s reaction. As soon as his father was about to speak, he stepped forward a moment earlier, ¡°I will stay in the country.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s answer instantly attracted the attention of the reporters present, and the microphones were turned to him. ¡°Sanshao, is it your own decision to stay in the country or the decision of the Shen family?¡± ¡°Is there any difference?¡± In front of everyone, Shen Xi smiled and looked at Shen Dehan, ¡°As the saying goes, if your parents are here, you must not travel far (Confucius), but I¡¯ve never been by my father¡¯s side before because of my studies, and I¡¯ve always felt guilty. Since I¡¯m back this time, I hope to spend more time with my father. I think father must not want to let me go either.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s smile was very sincere, and the reporters turned to Shen Dehan, following Shen Xi¡¯s gaze. Under such circumstances, Shen Dehan could not say anything to refute it and could only acquiesce to Shen Xi¡¯s words. The smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face grew brighter and brighter. ¡°Sanshao, since you have decided to stay in Zhongjing, will you enter Shen Group like Dashao and Ershao?¡± The fresh-faced reporter once again jumped the gun. Once this question was asked, the scene was completely silent. No one opened their mouths casually and everyone¡¯s eyes fell on Shen Xi, waiting for his answer. The affairs of the Shen family were not a secret to the reporters. Especially when it came to the dispute over the assets of wealthy families, the reporters never failed to gossip in private. Before Elder Shen passed away, in an effort to be impartial, he announced that the Shen family¡¯s assets would be divided into three parts, one part for each of the three brothers. However, this was all he said, and there was no news on when and how the family assets would be divided. The reporters privately speculated that there was still Shen Dehan before the three Shen brothers. It was unlikely that Elder Shen would bypass Shen Dehan while making arrangements for the Shen family, so probably Elder Shen only determined the inheritance rights of his three grandsons and the specific division still depended on the wishes of their father. Over the years, discerning people could see that Shen Dehan clearly intended to leave the Shen family to Shen Ji, and according to his plan, he would inevitably be unwilling to let Shen Xi meddle in Shen Group¡¯s business. Presumably in Shen Dehan¡¯s heart, Shen Xi only needed to hold the shares and wait for dividends every year and didn¡¯t need to participate in management. In this way, the crowd looked forward to Shen Xi¡¯s answer even more. If Shen Xi indicated that he wanted to enter Shen Group, then Shen Dehan would really have something to be wary of in the future. Shen Dehan¡¯s body stiffened for a moment when he heard the question. He subtly tried to gauge the expression on Shen Xi¡¯s face in the attempt to judge what Shen Xi would say next. Shen Dehan had always disliked Shen Xi, his son, for many reasons and the will left by Elder Shen was definitely one of them. When he thought about the contents of that will, Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned cold. He would never let Shen Xi into Shen Group, especially at this point when Shen Xi was about to turn twenty-three. After only a moment of thought, Shen Xi¡¯s smiling voice sounded, ¡°I may have to disappoint everyone, I have no interest in entering Shen Group. Shen Group has big brother and second brother to help father just fine, I still like to live a free life.¡± When these words came out, the reporters were all very disappointed in their hearts and groaned inwardly: isn¡¯t this free life just eating, drinking and having fun? It seemed that Shen Xi was really a waste. As if Shen Xi could not feel everyone¡¯s reaction, he continued to answer the reporters¡¯ questions in a casual manner. The delay was so long that the bodyguards had to come up and stop the reporters for Shen Dehan and his entourage to get into the car and leave the hospital. ¡°Is everything you¡¯ve just said true?¡± Shen Cheng was always the first to lose his temper. Almost as soon as he got in the car, Shen Cheng sat down next to Shen Xi and asked this . Shen Xi was puzzled, ¡°What?¡± Shen Cheng became irritable, ¡°I said, are you really not going to enter the company?¡± Shen Xi was impatient, ¡°Since I¡¯m saying this it¡¯s naturally true. Big brother isn¡¯t worried, what are you worried about?¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Cheng became even more irritable. ¡°Xiao Cheng!¡± Shen Ji scolded to stop Shen Cheng¡¯s next words and turned to give Shen Xi a deep look, his eyes complicated. Shen Ji had always been wary of Shen Xi¡¯s return to China, especially since the timing of Shen Xi¡¯s return was too coincidental. Taking into account the fact that Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan had been close since Shen Xi¡¯s return, Shen Ji could not help but suspect Li Mingxuan along with Shen Xi. Only when Shen Xi said in front of reporters just now that he was not interested in Shen Group did Shen Ji feel that the worry in his heart had finally been relieved. He did not have to worry that Shen Xi would compete with him for Shen Group, nor did he have to worry about losing Li Mingxuan as his brother. For the first time, Shen Ji felt that Shen Xi was pleasing to the eye. As long as Shen Xi stayed away, Shen Ji would not be stingy with what was rightfully Shen Xi¡¯s. What Shen Ji had always wanted was control of Shen Group. Shen Xi did not care what Shen Ji was thinking. While Shen Ji and Shen Cheng could not see it, the corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up in satisfaction. Today¡¯s play was specially arranged by him and the two questions that the reporter asked were both at his request. He didn¡¯t need to think about what Shen Dehan and Shen Ji were most worried about. They were worried that he would enter Shen Group and take the opportunity to buy people¡¯s hearts, as Lao K had envisioned. Shen Xi coolly hooked the corners of his mouth. He just took this opportunity to calm Shen Dehan and Shen Ji¡¯s hearts, telling them that he really had no thoughts about Shen Group. What he wanted was never Shen Group. CH 24 Perhaps Shen Xi¡¯s words in front of the reporters that day pleased his father. Two days later a large amount of money was transferred to Shen Xi¡¯s account. When Shen Xi received the SMS notification from the bank, he was looking for a place to live, so he casually scanned the SMS and tossed it aside. Since he was planning to stay in Zhongjing, he naturally could not stay in a hotel all the time. He didn¡¯t want to go back to the Shen family¡¯s house, so it was only logical to buy something. In just one morning, Shen Xi had finalised the purchase of the place he was interested in, a one-bedroom apartment of over 70 square metres. After paying the deposit and making an appointment for the closing, Shen Xi gave Lao K a call and asked him to get some people to clean up the apartment. Lao K was furious at this, saying he was a private detective, not Shen Xi¡¯s personal butler. But in response to Shen Xi¡¯s rascal look, Lao K could only agree reluctantly. After settling the housing issue, Shen Xi headed straight for the nearest 4S shop. The incident at the cemetery last time made Shen Xi realise the inconvenience of not having a car, and since he was planning to settle down, a car was essential for him. Before he left the country, one of Shen Xi¡¯s favourite activities was car racing, a hobby that no one in his family had ever questioned. On the contrary, Shen Dehan specially bought him a top-of-the-line sports car for this purpose. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t get enough of that car; he would sometimes rejoice in his heart that his father still remembered him, so he looked at that car as if it were a jewel in his eye. In his previous life, he sat in that car, guarding the entrance to Shutu for hours before finally driving in. In this life, even though the car was well maintained and parked in the Shen family¡¯s garage waiting for his return, he did not even want to look at it again. Without the pursuit of speed, Shen Xi chose a luxuriously equipped Mercedes-Benz of the latest model. However, because it was imported, the car could not be picked up at the moment and he had to wait for some time. The sales lady looked at Shen Xi with apprehension, afraid that Shen Xi would change his mind because of this. Although Shen Xi felt inconvenienced by this, he still decided to pay the deposit. ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± An unexpected voice sounded from behind. Shen Xi frowned imperceptibly and turned around with due surprise on his face, ¡°Cousin?¡± The man standing behind Shen Xi was none other than Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes fell on the documents in front of Shen Xi, ¡°Xiao Xi wants to buy a car?¡± Shen Xi nodded. Li Mingxuan smiled in understanding, thinking of the last time Shen Xi got wet in the rain at the cemetery. Seeing that Shen Xi seemed to have finished the formalities, Li Mingxuan said naturally, ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch together at noon?¡± Although it was a proposal, his tone was indisputable. Shen Xi did not know when his relationship with Li Mingxuan had become so good that they could have lunch together. Even though Li Mingxuan had always shown him kindness since his return to China, and the last time he was sick, Li Mingxuan had also taken good care of him, but the more Li Mingxuan was like this, the more wary Shen Xi became. The thought was fleeting, and in an instant Shen Xi already agreed with a smile. The two of them chatted idly as they got into the car, and Shen Xi naturally sat next to Li Mingxuan. For a moment, a strange expression flashed across Li Mingxuan¡¯s face as he remembered the last time Shen Xi changed his clothes in the car. Feeling Xiao Mingxuan¡¯s ready to move, Li Mingxuan looked out of the car in embarrassment, concealing the abnormality on his face. With a silent, bitter laugh in his heart, Li Mingxuan felt that the self-control he had always prided himself on was now a joke. After not seeing Shen Xi for several days, Li Mingxuan deliberately tried to forget the last time he was at the hotel. He kept trying to convince himself that it was just a man¡¯s instinct. After repeating it many times, Li Mingxuan himself believed in this rhetoric. What he could not have imagined was that his body would react so honestly. It was just a memory, and he almost lost his restraint in front of Shen Xi. Shen Xi naturally didn¡¯t know the tangle in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. After fastening his seat belt, Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan, ¡°What are we eating?¡± After the momentary abnormality just now, Li Mingxuan had already adjusted his expression and answered Shen Xi¡¯s question as consciously as possible, ¡°Sichuan cuisine.¡± Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a strange look. He remembered that Li Mingxuan¡¯s taste had always been very light. On the contrary, it was he himself who liked hot and spicy food. Of course, Shen Xi didn¡¯t bother to ask why, just nodded casually and said yes. The Sichuan restaurant the two chose was situated in a very isolated alleyway. Faced with Shen Xi¡¯s obvious confusion, Li Mingxuan smiled and explained, ¡°This is a very famous private restaurant that only receives regular customers. Very few people know about it, but the food is delicious.¡± Unlike the humble surroundings outside, the interior of the Sichuan restaurant was very elegant. There were quite a few customers inside, but without the hustle and bustle of an ordinary restaurant it seemed very quiet. Li Mingxuan took Shen Xi directly to the private room, pointed to the signature dishes on the menu and ordered one of each. Shen Xi adhered to the idea of the guest following the host and let Li Mingxuan make the arrangements. Along the way, Shen Xi kept guessing Li Mingxuan¡¯s intentions, but Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he was unusually silent, so Shen Xi could only keep his doubts to himself. Finally, perhaps because he didn¡¯t have to be distracted by driving anymore, Li Mingxuan talked a little. While Shen Xi was drinking tea with his head lowered, Li Mingxuan stared at him with complicated eyes for a long time before finally letting out a silent sigh. ¡°Xiao Xi, what are your next plans?¡± Li Mingxuan said as if unintentionally. Shen Xi¡¯s movement of drinking tea stalled, and suddenly there was a feeling of dust settling in his heart. He had thought of many reasons for Li Mingxuan to approach him, and all of them were invariably related to Shen Ji. Hearing Li Mingxuan ask a seemingly casual question, Shen Xi sneered in his heart. Was it all about helping Shen Ji to test him? He had already stated in front of the press that he was not interested in Shen Group. Why did the Shen family still refuse to believe it? Suppressed anger rose from his heart. Shen Xi smiled as he raised his head, ¡°What does cousin mean?¡± Li Mingxuan felt that Shen Xi must have misunderstood something and said in a deep voice, ¡°Xiao Xi, don¡¯t think too much, I¡¯m just concerned about you.¡± ¡°Concerned?¡± Shen Xi felt that this was really naked irony and asked rhetorically, ¡°What kind of concern is it?¡± Without waiting for Li Mingxuan to speak, Shen Xi had already looked down coldly, ¡°If cousin is asking on behalf of big brother, then please tell big brother that since I said I have no interest in Shen Group, I naturally won¡¯t go back on my word, so there is really no need for big brother to keep worrying. ¡°Of course if father also shares big brother¡¯s concern, cousin may as well relay this to him.¡± Shen Xi added with a sneer. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi in silence and whispered, ¡°It has nothing to do with Shen Ji, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m worried about you.¡± When he said the word ¡®you¡¯, Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice was already inaudibly low. Shen Xi¡¯s face was full of ridicule. He obviously didn¡¯t hear the last word ¡®you¡¯. ¡°What do my plans have to do with cousin? Cousin is thinking too much. Or is it that my cousin, like my aunt, takes it as his mission to protect the interests of the Shen family, for fear that I will enter Shen Group and divide it? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you guys think too highly of me, I know nothing but eating, drinking and having fun. What else are you worried about, cousin?¡± A hint of self-deprecation flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face. This was not the first time Li Mingxuan had seen Shen Xi¡¯s self-deprecation. The time they met on the plane, the time at the hospital, Li Mingxuan could not remember the total number of times, but this time Shen Xi¡¯s expression really stung his eyes. Li Mingxuan wanted to explain but couldn¡¯t find the right words, so he could only say feebly, ¡°Actually, we all care about you.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan in amazement, wondering how Li Mingxuan could suddenly say this. A moment later, Shen Xi finally couldn¡¯t help but snort. ¡°Care about me? ¡°Then where were you all when I was bullied by Shen Cheng? Where were you all when I was treated coldly by my father? Where were you all when I was living like a transparent person in the Shen family? Where were you when I was ridiculed by that illegitimate son Shen Rong? Even when I was rejected by everyone in the Shen family and guarded against like a thief, where were you?¡± Shen Xi sneered, looking at Li Mingxuan. He had not intended to say this. It was just a few words from Li Mingxuan; what had he not endured in prison back then? But the concern Li Mingxuan talked about really irritated him. Concerned? Shen Xi thought to himself, where were you all when I was in prison in my previous life? Where were you when I was begging for help? Where were you when I finally died? These words were swirling around in Shen Xi¡¯s mind, but he tried hard to keep them from coming out. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi helplessly. He didn¡¯t know what he should say. The words that Shen Xi said slammed into his heart and he actually felt sad. Li Mingxuan thought to himself, when did this start? It was not that he hadn¡¯t heard about Shen Xi¡¯s situation before; but each time he heard about it, he would forget about it, without it leaving a single ripple in his heart. However, this time, looking at Shen Xi¡¯s angry expression, a word ¡°distress¡± flashed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind. But what reason did he have to be distressed? Wasn¡¯t he also responsible for everything that Shen Xi had faced? Hadn¡¯t his indifference also made Shen Xi¡¯s situation worse? ¡°Sorry.¡± Li Mingxuan could only say this word to Shen Xi with difficulty in the end. Shen Xi smiled coolly, ¡°What is there to be sorry for, everyone is just acting in their own interests. Who is to blame that I was destined to be the outcast of the Shen family from the beginning. ¡°Now that all of you have achieved your goals, I am already like this, I have neither the will nor the ability to compete with my elder brothers for anything, and they and father should be relieved.¡± Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a cold look, ¡°Cousin, you don¡¯t need to bother appearing in front of me in the future either.¡± When Shen Xi finished speaking, he got up and left. As he opened the door of the private room, a strange young man was leaning against the opposite wall looking at him with an odd expression. Shen Xi didn¡¯t even bother to look at him and left downstairs without hesitation. Behind Shen Xi, the strange man entered the private room with a smile on his face, ¡°Yo, did I just see you get defeated and unable to say a word?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s face was unsightly, ¡°Why are you here?¡± The man laughed, ¡°I heard you were here, so I had to see you anyway. Who knew it would be a good show to listen to!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s brow furrowed. The man did not care about Li Mingxuan¡¯s dark face, ¡°Is this your little cousin Shen Xi? Not as lawless and arrogant as the rumours have it.¡± Li Mingxuan was now quite unhappy with these few adjectives and gave the man a warning glance. The man smiled, ¡°I told you a long time ago, leave a line in your life, see you in the future (don¡¯t be too ruthless and leave a retreat for yourself). Don¡¯t treat people like fools like the Shen family does. By the way, you¡¯re not really here to test the waters for Shen Ji, are you?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m just worried about him. What can he do if he doesn¡¯t enter Shen Group? Will he be wasting his time and drinking again as before?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted to see? If Shen Xi really wants to enter Shen Group, you guys are the ones who will have a headache, right?¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything, just smiled bitterly. This was such a contradictory premise, ah! CH 25 After breaking off with Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi walked out of the alley with an empty stomach. The words he had just said were certainly the ones from the depth of Shen Xi¡¯s heart and they did not rule out the possibility that he wanted to make use of Li Mingxuan to once again dispel the worry of the Shen family. But when he remembered Li Mingxuan¡¯s attitude and thought of his ¡°sorry¡±, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t say exactly what he felt. Sorry? Sorry for what? Sorry for having ignored him in the past? Sorry for letting his father deprive him of his rights to Shen Group? Sorry for having decided his fate from the start and not giving him a chance to choose? But what was the use of being sorry? If he hadn¡¯t been reborn, Shen Xi at this time would be a prisoner struggling to survive and wouldn¡¯t be able to hear their apologies at all. What did their apologies have to do with him? Shen Xi thought mockingly, since they had decided his life from the very beginning and did not give him a choice, why should he give them a chance now? Alone with his thoughts, Shen Xi had no idea where he was going. All the alleys here looked the same, criss crossing each other in a mess with no exit in sight. It was midday and the alleyways were silent, with no one in sight. Shen Xi stopped in his tracks and tried to judge the direction to find an exit to get out of here. Just when Shen Xi had decided on a direction and intended to keep walking, there was a sudden sound of chaotic footsteps behind him, accompanied by loud shouting. ¡°Fang Luowei, stop right there.¡± ¡°Hurry up, he¡¯s just up ahead.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get him soon.¡± Amidst the murmur of voices, the words ¡°Fang Luowei¡± reached Shen Xi¡¯s ears as clearly as if they had been deliberately amplified. Almost subconsciously, Shen Xi turned around and ran towards the place where the voices came from. He didn¡¯t know how to describe his emotions at this moment; he could feel the excitement in his body, the kind of anxiety and eagerness to see Fang Luowei immediately, but there was a trace of apprehension in the excitement, the fear that the Fang Luowei he would see was not the Fang Luowei he had hoped for. In such a mood, Shen Xi only felt that the road in front of him was extraordinarily long. ¡°Boy, we finally caught you.¡± ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s angry voice came over. ¡°What do we want? You wouldn¡¯t forget so quickly about what you did to Brother Wang last time at the bar, would you?¡± ¡°Our Brother Wang is generous and won¡¯t bother with you in general. As long as you agree to accompany Brother Wang for a few days, this matter will be settled.¡± ¡°Brother Wang also said that you have borrowed from Brother Bin¡¯s loan sharks. As long as you are willing to accompany him, he will pay back your debt.¡± Messy voices sounded in front of him, but Shen Xi¡¯s heart suddenly settled down. It was Fang Luowei, he heard his voice. ¡°I will pay my debt myself, Brother Wang doesn¡¯t need to bother.¡± A dry refusal came over, accompanied by a painful cry of ¡°eww¡±. ¡°Hurry up and catch him, he dares to run again.¡± By the end of these words, Shen Xi turned the corner to see Fang Luowei surrounded by a few youngsters who looked like punks. Perhaps because of Brother Wang¡¯s orders, those punks didn¡¯t dare to hit hard and just wanted to trap Fang Luowei by taking advantage of their numbers. Without hesitation, Shen Xi rushed up and threw a punch at one of the punks who was trying to hold Fang Luowei. In his previous life, Shen Xi had fought a lot in prison, and his punches were always quick, accurate and fierce. In this life, he had deliberately trained during his years abroad, and his skills were much better than in prison. In a few moves he stopped the crowd that surrounded Fang Luowei. Shen Xi¡¯s appearance obviously took everyone present by surprise. After looking at each other, the punks came back to their senses and immediately pounced on Shen Xi, turning the crowd into a melee. Ten minutes later, Shen Xi and Fang Luowei were standing back to back, gasping for breath, while the punks around them were stumbling and holding each other up, looking at them with resentment. Shen Xi pulled Fang Luowei back step by step, and when they turned the corner, they ran for their lives. With Fang Luowei¡¯s guidance, a few minutes later the two ran out of the alleyway and onto the street. Looking at the stream of people and the traffic around, Shen Xi relaxed and held onto the pole by the road, panting desperately. Beside him, Fang Luowei was not much better, gasing while patting Shen Xi¡¯s back as he tried to help him smooth out his breath. Half a second later, the two looked at each other and laughed together. ¡°Thank you.¡± Fang Luowei said while laughing, and then thought of something, ¡°Huh, I¡¯ve seen you before, you¡¯re Shen Xi.¡± ¡°Yeah? When?¡± Even though Shen Xi knew in his heart that Fang Luowei should be talking about the time he was drunk back then, he still had to pretend not to know. Fang Luowei stood up straight, ¡°The last time you were drunk in a bar, do you remember?¡± Shen Xi immediately cooperated with a look of surprise, ¡°So it was you, I haven¡¯t thanked you for sending me back last time.¡± Fang Luowei was startled, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? The one who gave you a lift wasn¡¯t me, it was a man called Li Mingxuan.¡± The smile froze on Shen Xi¡¯s face, ¡°Li Mingxuan?¡± Fang Luowei nodded, ¡°Didn¡¯t he tell you? He seems to care about you quite a bit.¡± This statement caused Shen Xi to unconsciously frown. Fang Luowei realised something and immediately said, ¡°Sorry.¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, it¡¯s a personal grudge between me and him.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t want to mention Li Mingxuan anymore and immediately changed the subject, ¡°By the way, why are they chasing you?¡± Fang Luowei smiled bitterly, ¡°I got into a bit of trouble at the bar the other day.¡± Thinking about the last time, Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but glance at Shen Xi. That time Li Mingxuan and Shen Ji even had a fight because of Shen Xi, who knows what kind of relationship they had with each other. When Fang Luowei said the word ¡°trouble¡±, Shen Xi immediately understood. In his previous life in prison, Fang Luowei was in trouble a lot because of his face. Thinking of those punks who had mentioned loan sharks, Shen Xi wanted to ask a question, but felt that the two of them were just getting to know each other. He was afraid that Fang Luowei might be suspicious, so he could only pretend not to hear. But in his heart, he was thinking that he would ask Lao K to check it out afterwards, and he would quietly help Fang Luowei pay his debt. The loan shark matter was easy to solve, but these punks, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°Do you live alone? What if you run into them again next time?¡± The concern on Shen Xi¡¯s face came from his heart; Fang Luowei felt warm and smiled slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they usually can¡¯t catch me, today was just an accident.¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s smile had a hint of playfulness in it when he said this, exactly the same as Shen Xi remembered. Shen Xi was lost in thought for a moment, then quickly lowered his head to hide the nostalgia in his eyes. The two of them chatted, and Shen Xi¡¯s face was full of smiles from beginning to end. On the other side of the road, Li Mingxuan sat in his car, watching Shen Xi quietly. He had never seen such a bright smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face, as if it was flowing from the bottom of his heart, filled with undisguised joy. The young man opposite Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan still remembered him, he had left a very good impression on Li Mingxuan last time. But looking at Shen Xi¡¯s unbridled joy as he talked to Fang Luowei, Li Mingxuan inexplicably looked at Fang Luowei with displeasure. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t dare to think about why he didn¡¯t like him, though. He just looked at Shen Xi from afar, and a voice in his heart kept screaming: go and talk to Shen Xi, even if it¡¯s just to say something. It seemed that as long as he spoke to Shen Xi, it would be as if nothing had happened between them. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t pay any attention to that voice; he just looked at Shen Xi seriously and carefully. He felt as if something was about to get out of control. He was now standing on the edge of a cliff, and one step forward was an abyss of ten thousand feet. Li Mingxuan closed his eyes and resolutely stopped watching Shen Xi. Some things couldn¡¯t go on anymore. CH 26 Shen Xi was really happy to meet Fang Luowei and that night he chased Lao K to investigate Fang Luowei¡¯s debt to the loan sharks. Lao K had become accustomed to being squeezed by Shen Xi and resigned himself to taking the few pieces of information that Shen Xi had provided and searching through the vast sea of people in Zhongjing. Over the course of a few days, the information about Fang Luowei arrived in Shen Xi¡¯s hands intermittently. Fang Luowei had not come to Zhongjing alone, as Shen Xi had thought, but with his grandparents. His grandmother had Alzheimer¡¯s disease and was receiving treatment in the hospital at this time. What Shen Xi didn¡¯t expect was that Fang Luowei was signed as a singer to a lesser-known record label in Zhongjing, and strangely enough, he was blocked by the company before he even made his debut. This information was unknown to Shen Xi in his previous life. When he met Fang Luowei, Fang Luowei was already in prison. They became acquainted half a year later. At that time, although Fang Luowei had mentioned his past to Shen Xi, he only said that his relatives were all dead and he was alone, his only hobby was singing and he dreamed of standing on the stage of the largest Star Pavilion in Zhongjing one day. Holding the information in his hand, Shen Xi fell into deep thought. According to Lao K¡¯s investigation, although Fang Luowei¡¯s grandmother was confused, she was not in poor health, not to mention that his grandfather was in quite good health. So what had happened to make Fang Luowei lose his only two relatives in just half a year¡¯s time? As for Fang Luowei¡¯s grandmother¡¯s illness, Shen Xi felt that this seemed to be the reason why Fang Luowei was willing to borrow from loan sharks, but unfortunately, with a population of tens of millions of people in Zhongjing, there were too many such thugs, and for now Lao K couldn¡¯t find out who the loan shark who lent Fang Luowei money was. Shen Xi had a vague feeling that what he did not know was the key to Fang Luowei¡¯s imprisonment, and that if he wanted to change Fang Luowei¡¯s fate, he could only start from here. In the past few days, while asking Lao K to inquire about Fang Luowei¡¯s past, Shen Xi also took the time to make contact with him, but unfortunately, time was too short and Fang Luowei was too busy, so Shen Xi only had the cheek to meet Fang Luowei once. On the one hand, Shen Xi was trying his best to get close to Fang Luowei, and on the other hand, Fang Luowei had a vague sense of Shen Xi¡¯s unusual enthusiasm. Although he had doubts in his mind, he did not feel the slightest bit of malice in Shen Xi, but Shen Xi¡¯s attitude made him more and more puzzled. Because of his grandmother¡¯s hospitalisation, Fang Luowei had been busy working odd jobs to earn money, and hadn¡¯t bothered to pay attention to the recent newspaper articles about the Shen family. It was only when he met Shen Xi by chance that day that Fang Luowei realised that this Shen Xi was the same Shen Xi as mentioned in the newspapers. For this reason, he specially found a few recent newspapers to read. The newspaper information about Shen Xi was very detailed, the third son of the Shen family in Zhongjing, one of the rightful heirs of the Shen family. Apart from Shen Xi¡¯s life, the reports also deliberately brought up all of Shen Xi¡¯s past misdeeds. Although the reporters had not caught Shen Xi doing anything bad since his return from abroad, there was unanimous speculation that Shen Xi had purposely restrained himself because of his father¡¯s serious illness, and there were even guesses as to how soon Shen Sanshao would go back to his old ways. Fang Luowei didn¡¯t fully believe the newspaper reports. Although he hadn¡¯t known Shen Xi for long and was suspicious of his unexplained enthusiasm, he felt that Shen Xi was not the kind of fop who caused trouble, as the reports suggested. Even if Shen Xi was as reported, it was still his father¡¯s fault. Shen Xi had not been an adult yet five years ago, so why did he drink and race cars so often without his father disciplining him? Thinking about the complicated situation of the Shen family as described in the newspapers, the half-brothers, the illegitimate son seizing power or something, Fang Luowei had a little more sympathy for Shen Xi. In this state of mind, when Shen Xi called again to ask for a meeting, Fang Luowei gave him the address of his grandmother¡¯s hospital and apologised that he couldn¡¯t get away to go out. Shen Xi obviously didn¡¯t mind. Although he had known about the place from Lao K¡¯s information, he still pretended to be hearing about it for the first time and carefully wrote down the address Fang Luowei had given. An hour later, Shen Xi appeared outside the ward with a large bag in his hand. Through the glass window, Shen Xi did not see Fang Luowei inside the ward, but only two grey-haired old people, whom Shen Xi recognised as Fang Luowei¡¯s grandfather and grandmother. The relationship between the two old people was obviously very good. Shen Xi watched as Fang Luowei¡¯s grandfather carefully helped his grandmother to lie down and gently tucked in the corners of the blanket. Grandma had a faint smile on her face as she looked intently at her husband, a strong current of warmth flowing between them. Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened and his eyes unconsciously filled with envy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go in?¡± Fang Luowei, who had returned from fetching medicine, looked at Shen Xi, who was standing at the door, in surprise. Shen Xi smiled and replied, ¡°Your grandfather and grandmother have such a good relationship.¡± Fang Luowei smiled, ¡°They¡¯ve been supporting each other for their whole lives, they¡¯ve permeated each other¡¯s lives. You know what? Grandma doesn¡¯t remember anyone now, the only person she remembers is Grandpa.¡± Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re jealous?¡± Fang Luowei nodded graciously, ¡°Yes, I used to be Grandma¡¯s little baby, and now in her eyes I am the big bad guy who steals Grandpa from her.¡± Shen Xi was so amused by Fang Luowei that he laughed, and was pulled into the ward by Fang Luowei amidst the laughter. Fang Luowei¡¯s grandfather was very fond of Shen Xi, and after a few words, he had already asked Shen Xi to follow Fang Luowei¡¯s example and call him Grandpa. The word ¡°Grandpa¡± made Shen Xi look dazed for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he looked at the old man¡¯s kind smiling face and gently called out, ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°Eh!¡± The old man approved loudly, and Shen Xi¡¯s eyes uncontrollably moistened. He smiled and turned in the direction of the grandmother, trying to conceal the sadness on his face. Fang Luowei pretended not to see Shen Xi¡¯s abnormality and pulled Shen Xi to stand by his grandmother¡¯s side, pointing at him and saying, ¡°Grandma, this is Shen Xi.¡± Grandma did not say anything, but just kept smiling at Shen Xi. Shen Xi took a step forward and squatted in front of her, ¡°Grandma.¡± Grandma¡¯s soft gaze fell on Shen Xi¡¯s face; she stretched out a dry hand to touch Shen Xi¡¯s head, ¡°Xiao Wei is good, Grandma will buy you candy.¡± A huge smile bloomed on Shen Xi¡¯s face and he nodded. Behind him, Fang Luowei didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry. That afternoon, Shen Xi felt the long-lost family warmth from Fang Luowei¡¯s grandparents, the kind of pulsating warmth that finally relaxed Shen Xi¡¯s heart that had been tense since his rebirth. For the first time, he was not scheming but simply thought of himself as the grandson of the two old people, talking with them, walking with them and reminiscing with them about Fang Luowei¡¯s childhood. Whenever Grandpa talked about Fang Luowei¡¯s embarrassing childhood stories, Fang Luowei would helplessly hold his forehead, and to Shen Xi¡¯s laughter, Grandma would say each time tirelessly, ¡°Xiao Wei is good, Grandma will buy you candy.¡± After a lively afternoon, Grandma finally couldn¡¯t bear the fatigue and fell into a deep sleep, and Grandpa quietly sat next to her, carefully combing the white hair on her head. Shen Xi looked at the scene with a gentle expression, and quietly turned away to leave. ¡°What, are you leaving?¡± Fang Luowei asked. Shen Xi nodded, ¡°There are still things to do at home.¡± Fang Luowei sent Shen Xi to the stairway, ¡°Be careful on your way.¡± Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei and nodded with a smile. After he left the hospital, the gentleness on Shen Xi¡¯s face was quickly replaced with a blank look. Taking out his mobile phone from his pocket, Shen Xi opened a text message sent by Chu Qianqian not long ago, with only a few short words, ¡°I will go to Shen¡¯s house tonight.¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows; he didn¡¯t expect Chu Qianqian to act so quickly. After a moment of contemplation, Shen Xi decided to make a trip home. He wanted to see Shen Ji¡¯s reaction with his own eyes. It was the evening rush hour in Zhongjing, so Shen Xi stopped a taxi and gave his address, then habitually closed his eyes to rest. His sleep was very bad and in his present life he had been plagued by nightmares from his previous life. Shen Xi sometimes wondered why he had been reborn but was still trapped in that blood-soaked night from his previous life. For several years abroad Shen Xi had persevered in seeing a psychiatrist just so he could get a good night¡¯s sleep. When he returned home, the matter was delayed because he didn¡¯t want the reporters to find out about such a thing. Shen Xi suddenly thought of the two days when he had a fever. There were no nightmares and the warm and reassuring feeling in his dreams made him sleep until dawn. Although Shen Xi did not say so, he understood in his heart that the embrace he felt in his sleep was not an illusion. In those days, he and Li Mingxuan were the only two people in the room, so it was obvious who was embracing him. Shen Xi frowned nervously and an absurd thought came to his mind. The next moment, a hint of self-deprecation curved the corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth, and that thought was thrown into the back of his mind. After a long hour and a half, Shen Xi stood at the entrance of the Shen family¡¯s house. To his surprise, Li Mingxuan was also there. Li Mingxuan was obviously surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s appearance and subconsciously froze for a moment. He had been looking for Shen Ji for something, and he thought he would stay behind for a while afterwards since he hadn¡¯t been to the Shen¡¯s house for a long time, but he didn¡¯t expect to meet Shen Xi there. This was the first time they met since Shen Xi had left that day. The strange look on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face was fleeting and he quickly returned to his normal self. He nodded at Shen Xi restrainedly and quickly averted his eyes. It was not only Li Mingxuan who was surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s arrival, but the other people in the house as well. ¡°Why are you back?¡± Shen Cheng was the first to question. Shen Xi snorted, ¡°Isn¡¯t this my home?¡± Shen Cheng choked and tried to say something else but shut his mouth under Shen Ji¡¯s cold eyes. Shen Ji did not speak to Shen Xi, but only nodded at him, and then looked at the documents in front of him. Shen Cheng sat there with a puzzled expression, refusing to speak because he had been snapped at by Shen Ji. Li Mingxuan restrained himself from looking at Shen Xi, his eyes resting on the cup of tea in his hand. Since they didn¡¯t say anything, Shen Xi naturally wouldn¡¯t take the initiative to speak either, and silence filled the living room until Shen Dehan¡¯s voice sounded outside the door. ¡°Xiao Chu, it¡¯s your first time here, don¡¯t be polite, just treat this place as your home.¡± As soon as he heard these words, Shen Ji¡¯s face changed. He looked towards the door incredulously. Shen Xi¡¯s gaze fell on Shen Ji¡¯s face and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. Looking at Shen Ji¡¯s reaction, it was obvious that his father had made the decision on the spur of the moment and had not mentioned this to his family beforehand. He didn¡¯t know what Chu Qianqian had done but it was really a huge ¡°surprise¡±. With Shen Dehan¡¯s words, the door was slowly pushed open, and Shen Dehan walked in, carefully protecting Chu Qianqian in his arms. Chu Qianqian looked very wretched, her knee-length dress was torn in several places and her exposed calf was bruised. Her eyes were red and swollen, and it seemed that she had not expected to see so many people, so she instinctively shrank into Shen Dehan¡¯s arms. Shen Xi clearly saw that Shen Dehan¡¯s face was full of pity. Unfortunately, Shen Ji did not feel the same pity as his father and stepped forward to block them. Shen Dehan¡¯s face darkened in displeasure, ¡°Ah Ji.¡± Shen Ji refused to step back and just looked at Chu Qianqian coldly. Shen Dehan felt a little embarrassed and raised his voice, ¡°Ah Ji.¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t say anything, standing straight confronting his father. As soon as Shen Cheng saw that the situation was not good, he immediately came closer. ¡°Big brother, we¡¯ll talk about what¡¯s going on later, cousin is still here.¡± Shen Ji gave Shen Cheng a fierce glance; Shen Cheng touched his nose and took a step back, not daring to speak again. To be honest, Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t understand his big brother¡¯s thinking. It was just a little love affair, why should he care so much? There was already one Zhou Mingmei anyway, so what about another one? Even if Chu Qianqian had the ability to give birth to a son, it would only be an illegitimate son who couldn¡¯t get on the stage like Shen Rong, so why bother to put a strain on the relationship with his father over this. Shen Ji still refused to speak and confronted Shen Dehan, silently expressing his attitude. Li Mingxuan looked at the confrontation in the living room with a wry smile. His status was not suitable to get involved. In the middle of the scene, Chu Qianqian pulled Shen Dehan¡¯s sleeve and tried to squeeze out a smile on her face, ¡°Mr. Shen, thank you for today, I suddenly remembered that I still have things to do at home, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± After this sentence Chu Qianqian was about to turn around, when Shen Ji said directly, ¡°Scram!¡± As soon as the word ¡°scram¡± was uttered, Shen Dehan was furious and, without thinking, slapped Shen Ji across the face. This incident obviously shocked everyone. Shen Dehan looked at his hand hesitantly, unable to believe that he had struck his most beloved son. Shen Xi raised his eyebrows; this scene was really getting more and more interesting. Li Mingxuan sighed silently. He really did not want to get involved in the affairs of his uncle¡¯s family, but the situation before him was such that he could not afford to stay on the sidelines. He walked up to Shen Ji¡¯s side while the other people in the living room obviously had not yet reacted to the slap. Li Mingxuan pulled Shen Ji aside and said to Shen Dehan, ¡°Uncle, Ah Ji was just quick-mouthed, he didn¡¯t mean to offend the guest.¡± These words allowed Shen Dehan to find a foundation, and he said in a deep voice, ¡°No matter whether he meant it or not, it is always wrong for Ah Ji to be rude to the guests, so let¡¯s forget it this time.¡± Shen Dehan looked at Shen Ji guiltily as he said this. Shen Ji gave his father a deep look, turned his head without saying a word and went back to his room. Shen Cheng gave Li Mingxuan a wink and carefully followed Shen Ji. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and stayed by Shen Dehan¡¯s side, accompanying him in the change of subject. What happened after that was of no concern to Shen Xi. He left the Shen family satisfied after Shen Ji returned to his room. He had waited for this day for a long time; a gap had been created between Shen Ji and his father and what he wanted to do was to widen this gap further. Thinking of his next step, Shen Xi smiled faintly. The night had not yet completely enveloped the city, and the sunset, as bright red as blood, was still blazing in the sky, unwilling to fade. Shen Xi looked away from the sunset and closed his eyes comfortably. When a breeze blew by, he felt someone stand beside him. Opening his eyes, he met Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze. ¡°Are you hungry? I still owe you a meal.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know himself how he had ghosted up to Shen Xi and blurted out this sentence. He had intended to leave and tried hard to do so, but when he looked at Shen Xi¡¯s lonely figure in the twilight, he couldn¡¯t move away. Shen Xi did not say anything, but only looked at Li Mingxuan inquiringly. His black eyes seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist and his emotions inside could not be seen. Li Mingxuan looked into Shen Xi¡¯s eyes, only to feel that he had taken a step closer to the cliff. CH 27 In the end, Shen Xi rejected Li Mingxuan¡¯s invitation. Faced with Shen Xi¡¯s refusal, Li Mingxuan had a vague feeling of relief in addition to disappointment. His previous actions were not under his control; the moment the words were spoken, his reason already began to resist. He knew it was his body¡¯s instinctive warning that his behaviour went beyond expectations. A few days ago he was shocked to realise that he was paying too much attention to Shen Xi, far more than a cousin would pay to a cousin, not to mention the fact that there was not much affection between him and Shen Xi. He didn¡¯t want to think about the reasons for this, and only warned himself to control his behaviour and refrain from paying attention to Shen Xi¡¯s affairs. He remembered this resolution but once again behaved out of control. Li Mingxuan had no desire to regret what he had said, he just wanted to pull himself together and get back on track. When Shen Xi turned him down, Li Mingxuan felt he was back in a safe place. He had been a man of great self-control since he was a child, and he had a detailed plan for his life. There was only one thing in the past twenty years that had deviated from his plan, and that was his sexual orientation. He did not want a second thing in his life to deviate from the plan. Li Mingxuan calmly drove away, the silhouette of Shen Xi in the rear-view mirror still lonely. Li Mingxuan averted his eyes a little to look ahead. Left behind by Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi dialled Lao K¡¯s phone number, ¡°Let¡¯s release the news tomorrow.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± Lao K was puzzled. Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, ¡°That¡¯s thanks to Chu Qianqian.¡± The moment he hung up the phone, Shen Xi turned his head to look at the Shen family¡¯s house in the twilight. In the hazy night, the Shen¡¯s mansion stood there like a behemoth. After decades of ups and downs, the Shen family seemed to be indestructible. But Shen Xi knew that soon this behemoth would split apart from within. Then in the not too distant future, there would no longer be a Shen family in Zhongjing. This thought made Shen Xi smile with satisfaction. The next day, a piece of news quietly appeared in a second-rate tabloid in Zhongjing. The news was just an ordinary sample test report: ¡°Yunrou shampoo found to contain the cancerogenic chemical dioxane¡±. This unimpressive newspaper, they published many such sensational stories every day, all of them as quiet as a water drop splashing into the sea. But what no one expected was that the story would soon become a hot topic on the internet, and overnight the newspaper, which normally didn¡¯t sell much, would be miraculously sold out of stock, while at the same time the news caused an uproar across the country. ¡°Carcinogens found in Yunrou shampoo!¡± ¡°Dioxane = cancer? Yunrou = cancer?¡± ¡°Shen Group¡¯s subsidiary caught in cancer-causing scandal!¡± Countless controversies were stirred up on the internet, with major mainstream media following suit, and Shen Group was once again thrust into the limelight so soon after the inheritance storm. This time Shen Group was no longer faced with the wild speculations of reporters in the entertainment section, and Shen Group could not just laugh it off as it had done in the past. Looking at the front page headline with huge bold letters ¡°Dioxane¡±, Shen Dehan knew that if this was not handled properly, it would not only ruin Yunrou¡¯s reputation, but also Shen Group¡¯s reputation of nearly a hundred years. Shen Dehan sat in his study in deep thought, pondering about the countermeasures for this matter. Because he had just been discharged from the hospital, Shen Dehan did not rush to go to Shen Group¡¯s office, but chose to recuperate at home for a period of time. It was Shen Ji who was currently sitting in Shen Group¡¯s office. Six months ago, Shen Dehan was deeply concerned about getting older and had gradually started to delegate his power to Shen Ji. Although the board of directors had some questions about Shen Ji¡¯s age, they were all silenced by Shen Dehan¡¯s firm attitude. In Shen Dehan¡¯s opinion, sooner or later, Shen Group¡¯s business would have to be handed over to Shen Ji. Now it was just a few years earlier; while he was still in good health, he could watch and guide Shen Ji if there were any problems. Shen Dehan was overly optimistic and did not anticipate that the first test Shen Ji would face would be so severe. Although there was some misunderstanding with Shen Ji yesterday because of Chu Qianqian¡¯s matter, there was no such thing as overnight hatred between the father and the son. After thinking about it, Shen Dehan dialled Shen Ji¡¯s number. Shen Ji looked at the flashing word ¡°father¡± and hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone, ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Ah Ji, have you seen the news?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s voice was as kind as ever, as if nothing had happened before. Shen Ji had an indescribable feeling in his heart, ¡°I saw it, I have arranged for the public relations department to call a press conference as soon as possible to explain the situation.¡± ¡°How do you plan to do that?¡± Shen Dehan inquired. Shen Ji did not hesitate, ¡°Show all of Yunrou¡¯s inspection reports and use facts to show that all Yunrou¡¯s products are produced in strict accordance with the requirements of the current national laws, regulations and standards. They have undergone strict quality control and passed a number of quality inspection certifications and testing procedures. They absolutely meet domestic and international quality and safety requirements and are completely harmless to the human body.¡± Listening to Shen Ji¡¯s standard wording, Shen Dehan questioned, ¡°Then how will you explain if the reporters ask about dioxane?¡± Shen Ji said after a slight hesitation, ¡°The dioxane in Yunrou products is not deliberately added during our production process, it is only a by-product of the manufacturing process. Because the raw materials contain residues that are technically unavoidable, the products carry the traces of natural residues, which are absolutely harmless to the human body.¡± Both Shen Dehan and Shen Ji tacitly concealed the fact that dioxane was not unique to Yunrou but could be found in all brands of shampoo. The existence of dioxane was something that the entire industry knew about, but no one had ever dared to reveal it. Shen Ji¡¯s wording was very reasonable, and Shen Dehan only proposed, ¡°For now, let¡¯s take all Yunrou circulating on the market off the shelves. This will also show the company¡¯s responsible attitude towards consumers.¡± ¡°No!¡± Shen Ji categorically rejected Shen Dehan¡¯s proposal without even thinking about it. Shen Group had a history of nearly a hundred years; it started off with industry and then gradually involved real estate and financial investment. Because of the state¡¯s policies in real estate and financial investment, Shen Group had made a lot of profits in these two areas, and the company¡¯s focus had shifted to them. However, in recent years, because of the impact of the international economic and financial crisis, the domestic economic situation was also very bad. After several studies, the state put forward the slogan of ¡°revitalising the economy through industry¡±, encouraging people to invest in industry instead of putting money in real estate and financial markets, and offered a one-off 6 trillion yuan bailout. Against this background, Shen Ji proposed that the company¡¯s focus should return to industry, and took the initiative to acquire a household chemical company that was on the verge of closing down. Shen Ji then persuaded the board of directors to allocate funds and invested heavily in the establishment of a research and development laboratory in collaboration with a foreign shampoo giant. After a year of preparation, ¡°Yunrou¡± shampoo was launched. The name was given by Shen Ji himself, ¡°Yun¡± in memory of his mother and ¡°Rou¡± (soft) to indicate the qualities of the shampoo. With its unique positioning and fashionable packaging, Yunrou shampoo soon entered the domestic household chemical industry and became a dark horse, with sales booming over the years. Driven by profit, the directors who were dissatisfied with the shift in focus to industry had closed their mouths. Shen Ji originally submitted a report to the board of directors that he intended to expand the production line and sell the products abroad. He even negotiated a contract with a foreign company and purchased the latest production line, but he did not expect to encounter the ¡°dioxane¡± incident when everything was going so well. It could be said that Yunrou had a unique significance to Shen Ji. At this time, Shen Dehan proposed to take Yunrou off the shelves, even if just to show the attitude. It was not a distrust of Yunrou, but distrust of him. Shen Ji¡¯s refusal was expected, but Shen Ji¡¯s unhesitating rejection was far beyond Shen Dehan¡¯s expectation. It was not that he had not had conflicts with Shen Ji on decision-making in the past, including the acquisition of Yunrou back then, and it was Shen Ji who persuaded him several times. But this time, Shen Ji¡¯s tone was too forceful. Shen Dehan suddenly thought of Shen Ji¡¯s defiance last night, and a hint of dislike flickered in his heart. ¡°Why?¡± Shen Dehan tried his best to make his tone seem calm and peaceful. Shen Ji did not hear Shen Dehan¡¯s displeasure, or rather he heard it but deliberately ignored it, his attitude remaining firm, ¡°I have confidence in Yunrou.¡± After this sentence, there was no other explanation. Shen Dehan was silent for a while, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it your way first.¡± Although the father and the son did not cross their swords like last night, the hidden discord between them seemed to be more serious than last night. Yunrou¡¯s carcinogenic incident was getting more and more intense. Although Shen Ji held a press conference at the first opportunity, personally attended it and sincerely stated that all the company¡¯s products met international and domestic standards, while demonstrating a series of test certificates, for the majority of consumers these explanations were too feeble. Not to mention the fact that with the help of people behind the scenes, the word ¡°Yunrou¡± seemed to become equated with cancer on the internet. Along with all this, there was a wild fall in Shen Group¡¯s stock price, and if it wasn¡¯t for the emergency suspension of Shen Group¡¯s stock trading, it would be hard to imagine what the stock price would have fallen to. Lao K looked at the latest quotation of Shen Group¡¯s stock and gloated as he spoke to Shen Xi, ¡°Tsk, in just one day, the entire market value of Shen Group has evaporated by over a billion. Xiao Xixi, you¡¯ve lost a lot.¡± Shen Xi was unfazed by his teasing, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to ask for it anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter how much.¡± Lao K made a heartbroken face, ¡°What are you going to do next?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s eyes swept over the large word ¡°cancer¡± and he smiled as he spoke, ¡°Naturally, I¡¯m going to add fuel to this fire.¡± Lao K thought of the people that Shen Xi had asked him to find before, and had a clear idea of Shen Xi¡¯s next move. A day after the news of Yunrou causing cancer emerged, several consumers in Zhongjing filed a lawsuit against Shen Group. They insisted that they had been using Yunrou shampoo for the past two years and unfortunately they had all recently been tested for cancer. They demanded an explanation from Shen Group and added a hefty claim. If the report a few days ago was just a small fire, the appearance of these people had turned that small fire into a big one. It was clear to anyone who gave it a thought that someone behind the scene was deliberately targeting Shen Group. But understanding it didn¡¯t mean anything; whether it was the internet or the media, Yunrou¡¯s cancer news was overwhelming, and the consumers were in uproar, demanding to return the products and receive compensation. At this time, Shen Dehan had to step in. Although it was forced by the situation, it undoubtedly signified his distrust of Shen Ji¡¯s ability in the eyes of everyone in the company. In the spacious office, Shen Dehan once again demanded that all Yunrou be removed from the shelves. Shen Ji remained firm, ¡°If Yunrou is taken off the shelves at this time, doesn¡¯t it just show our guilt?¡± Shen Dehan frowned, ¡°How long do you want to carry on?¡± Shen Ji insisted, ¡°I have confidence in Yunrou. Father, you can also see that there is someone behind all this. Yunrou¡¯s rise has affected other people¡¯s interests, we just need to catch that person and we will succeed in turning passivity into initiative.¡± ¡°How do you plan to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already sent someone to contact the reporters who first reported the story, as well as the consumers who filed the lawsuit. Under the temptation of big money, I don¡¯t believe there is anything I can¡¯t ask from them. ¡± Perhaps feeling that this was not convincing enough, Shen Ji looked at his father seriously, ¡°Father, you once said that a crisis is sometimes a turning point. Although this matter is Yunrou¡¯s crisis, it will be resolved and isn¡¯t it a good opportunity for us to develop further?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s remarks finally touched Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan firmly showed his support for Shen Ji to the board of directors. The relationship between the father and the son was reconciled and everything seemed to go back to the way it was before. CH 28 Yunrou¡¯s cancer-causing incident was so big that even though Shen Bixue believed that the matter would be resolved properly in the end, she was still worried. Shen Bixue¡¯s worries were seen by her husband. In the study, Li Xiyong finished reading all the news about Yunrou cancer, took off his glasses and looked at Li Mingxuan, who had been sitting quietly, ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t think twice, ¡°There is definitely a mastermind behind this matter. The question now is who this mastermind is?¡± His father nodded, ¡°Who do you think it is?¡± Li Mingxuan mused, ¡°Before Yunrou appeared, the domestic household chemical market had been divided by the six companies known as the six giants of household chemicals, all occupying a similar market share and maintaining a fragile balance. However, the emergence of Yunrou upset this balance. Since Yunrou¡¯s strong rise three years ago, it managed to squeeze 10% of the market after two years of development, and Yunrou is currently gaining momentum. If it continues to be allowed to develop, the domestic household chemical market may have to be reshuffled. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that any of those six companies would let Yunrou continue, and any of them could have made a move.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, those six companies are indeed all suspicious.¡± Li Xiyong nodded in agreement. Li Mingxuan went on, ¡°But I don¡¯t think any of those six companies would do this.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Li Xiyong was interested. Li Mingxuan explained, ¡°I¡¯ve asked Ah Ji. The presence of dioxane in shampoo is a well-known fact in the industry. Because it is not added during the production process but comes with the raw material, it is not specifically labelled in the ingredients. That being the case, if the six companies have any brains, they will not attack Yunrou over this matter, because they can be involved and the consequences will be too much for them to bear. So it¡¯s very likely that the culprit behind this is some small, unscrupulous household chemical factory deliberately set out to break the unspoken rules of the industry and to mess up the household chemical market so that they can fish in muddy waters. ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t rule out the possibility that someone is maliciously throwing in the news with the intention of speculating on Shen Group¡¯s stock for profit. After all, with the news out, Shen Group¡¯s stock price plunged and small retail investors panicked and sold. It¡¯s definitely cost-effective to buy at this time, after all, Yunrou is only a subsidiary of Shen Group and whether it collapses or not, there will be no damaging effect on Shen Group.¡± Li Xiyong nodded, ¡°Good, no matter which reason it is, Ah Ji is facing a tough battle this time. If he wins, he will stabilise his position as the heir to Shen Group. But if he doesn¡¯t, I¡¯m afraid there will be another storm at Shen Group. However, with your uncle¡¯s guidance behind the scenes, I¡¯m sure this matter will be turned around into a development opportunity for Yunrou.¡± What Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know was that in the previous life, Shen Ji had successfully expanded Yunrou¡¯s market share from 10% to 17% by relying on the ¡°dioxane¡± incident and becoming the biggest dark horse in the household chemical industry in one fell swoop. He was also able to secure his position as the heir to Shen Group. At that time, Shen Xi was in prison and the news was full of reports on ¡°dioxane¡±, but unlike in this life, the one exposed to the ¡°dioxane¡± incident was not Yunrou, but one of the six giants of the household chemical industry. With the exposure of ¡°dioxane¡±, the company¡¯s stock price plummeted. The company tried all kinds of methods to recover. In the end, it helplessly pointed out that ¡±dioxane¡± not only existed in their products, but also in the products of the entire industry. This argument shocked the whole country. All washing products without exception were involved in the ¡°dioxane¡± incident and were questioned by consumers. In the end, only after several giants came together to apologise and promise to re-screen raw materials and change product formulas was the matter put to rest. But the company that had pointed out the fact was then suppressed by the rest of the companies and soon disappeared from the industry. In the process, Yunrou relied on Shen Group¡¯s strong financial backing and the latest formulas from foreign research and development laboratories, and managed to rise to the top in this reshuffle, becoming a new giant. As of now, it seemed that everyone, including Shen Ji himself, believed that he could solve this matter perfectly, and that ¡°dioxane¡± was just another opportunity for Yunrou to grow. However, before Shen Ji could invite the State Food and Drug Administration to re-examine Yunrou and pass the inspection, another story broke out. It was still the same unimpressive tabloid, and it was still the same reporter who first reported the news of Yunrou¡¯s cancerogenic ingredient, but this time the headline was changed to ¡°Shen Group bribes the reporter to change his story, fabricating a false behind-the-scenes culprit!¡± Underneath the headline, the reporter described in detail how Shen Group had sent someone to contact him personally and tried to pay him a lot of money to make up a false story about the behind-the-scenes culprit, thus portraying Shen Group as a victim. The reporter righteously said that the so-called mastermind was a pretext that Shen Group had created, and that there was no mastermind at all. All his reports came from the conscience of a citizen, the basic conscience of a reporter. At the same time, the reporter also said that he had a recording of Shen Group trying to bribe him, and if Shen Group dared to deny it, he did not mind releasing the recording to the public. When Shen Ji saw the news, he could not control his anger and called the PR department to scold them. After venting, Shen Ji calmed down, ¡°What exactly did you tell him?¡± The manager of the PR department was a middle-aged woman in her forties named Qin Ling, who had been working at Shen¡¯s for over ten years. She had handled countless PR crises at Shen Group in the past, but this was the first time she had been so helpless. As she watched Shen Ji calm down, Qin Ling recounted the process of approaching the reporter in detail. Shen Ji said coldly, ¡°So if the recording he mentioned really exists, it¡¯s quite unfavourable to us?¡± Qin Ling nodded, ¡°Although we tried to avoid some sensitive words in the conversation, you know that this kind of meaning can certainly be perceived. Moreover, in order to achieve the goal as soon as possible, the company did have some tendency to persuade, and this aspect should be audible as well.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression became very ugly. Qin Ling¡¯s face did not look good either. Shen Group had been developing for so many years, and the PR department had been established for nearly twenty years, so although Qin Ling did not dare to guarantee that the Shen Group brand would be liked by all the media, she dared to say that 90% of the media would give Shen Group a little face. Coupled with her rich contacts in the industry, when they encountered such smear reports in the past, they would generally receive the news in advance and often operate privately, and the articles that came out would have a harmless tone. Even if they occasionally encountered reporters they couldn¡¯t buy, it was all for the sake of playing for bigger profits. Once Shen Group offered enough money, the reporters would quickly change their stance. But no matter which was the case, everyone knew in their heart that such deals were made in private and not put out in the open. This time the reporter pierced the layer of paper, and it was clearly a deliberate move to set them up. Shen Ji could already predict what kind of dilemma this news would put Shen Group in. If Shen Group came out to refute it, in case the reporter really produced the recording, Shen Group¡¯s image would inevitably plummet. But if Shen Group was to just keep quiet, their image would suffer anyway. For the first time, Shen Ji had doubts about whether he would be able to resolve the matter perfectly. While Shen Ji was worried about the Yunrou cancer incident, Shen Xi suddenly appeared at the cemetery. Since the last time he found the lilies of the valley in front of his mother¡¯s tombstone, Shen Xi had been concerned about this matter. He didn¡¯t want anything to get out of his control, he needed to know who this person was. And what was their relationship with his mother? Shen Xi paid the cemetery caretaker to keep an eye on the matter and soon received the news. Since then, lilies of the valley had appeared in front of Shen Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s tombstone twice. The cemetery caretaker noticed that on one of these occasions, the flowers were delivered by a middle-aged man in his fifties who looked very dignified and stayed in front of Shen Xi¡¯s mother¡¯s tombstone for a considerable period of time. This time the cemetery caretaker inadvertently saw the man again and immediately called to inform Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked from afar at the unfamiliar figure standing in front of his mother¡¯s tombstone and could not help but quicken his pace. Hearing footsteps coming towards him, the man involuntarily glanced back and met Shen Xi¡¯s gaze. Both of them froze at the same time. CH 29 Wang Changlin, Shen Xi silently repeated this name in his heart. He did not expect him to be the one to send flowers to his mother. Shen Xi still remembered the scene five years ago when he received his grandfather¡¯s relics from Wang Changlin¡¯s hands. After five years, Wang Changlin didn¡¯t seem to have changed much and was still quite personable. In the past five years, Shen Xi had not had any contact with Wang Changlin; because of the initial disharmony that Wang Changlin brought to him, he had always been vaguely wary of him in his heart. However, the picture in front of him obviously exceeded his expectations. As Shen Xi¡¯s eyes fell on the white lilies of the valley Wang Changlin was holding, an absurd thought emerged in his mind. After the initial shock, Wang Changlin quickly reacted. Noticing Shen Xi¡¯s gaze, Wang Changlin smiled at him amiably and bent down to place the bouquet in his hand in front of the tomb. His movements were very careful, carrying many emotions that Shen Xi could not understand. As he carefully placed the bouquet, a hint of nostalgia flashed through Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes. Shen Xi had been watching his movements in silence and finally could not help but speak, ¡°How does Lawyer Wang know¡­?¡± ¡°Know that Sanshao¡¯s mother loved lilies of the valley the most?¡± Wang Changlin interrupted Shen Xi¡¯s words. Shen Xi did not speak again, obviously acquiescing to the meaning. Wang Changlin smiled, ¡°It¡¯s all some past events, there¡¯s no need for Sanshao to know.¡± Shen Xi frowned invisibly; Wang Changlin had already changed the subject, ¡°Why does Sanshao suddenly come to the cemetery at this time?¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t hide it, ¡°I paid the cemetery caretaker to keep an eye on who was sending flowers to my mother. He just called me and I rushed here.¡± Wang Changlin obviously didn¡¯t expect Shen Xi to be so direct. He froze for a moment, then laughed bitterly, ¡°Sanshao¡¯s temper really hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t say anything; he just stared straight at Wang Changlin, his intention very obvious. Wang Changlin could not help but smile bitterly once more under such a direct gaze from Shen Xi. In the end, Wang Changlin did not resist Shen Xi¡¯s insistence and recounted a story from many years ago. The story was actually very simple: a poor student fell in love with a rich lady, but because of his inferiority complex, he did not dare to confess his feelings and just kept his secret. When he finally found the courage, she was already getting married. He was devastated and tried hard to make a name for himself, but after decades of struggle, he realised in his old age that what he really wanted was to be by her side. Unfortunately, his beloved had passed away many years ago, and the only thing he could do was to bring her favourite lilies of the valley to keep her company occasionally. Wang Changlin¡¯s words were full of melancholy and indescribable regret, and Shen Xi fell silent. Although he faintly guessed it before, he still had a strange feeling in his heart when he heard this confirmation from the person concerned. Noticing Shen Xi¡¯s silence, Wang Changlin smiled awkwardly, patted Shen Xi¡¯s shoulder and turned to leave. Shen Xi didn¡¯t really have any idea about Wang Changlin¡¯s secret love for his mother; he just felt it was a bit sudden. He had always thought that he was the only one left in the world who still remembered his mother, and now suddenly there was another person telling him that he had in fact always remembered her too. Shen Xi felt that he could not describe the mood he was in right now. After thinking about it, Shen Xi called Fang Luowei; he was desperate for someone to talk to. Fang Luowei was still at work at the moment, and they arranged to meet at 7pm at the entrance of the alley where they had first met. The apartment Fang Luowei rented was located around that alley. When Shen Xi arrived at the meeting place, it was just 6pm. After waiting for a while in boredom, Shen Xi parked the car at the intersection and casually strolled around the area by himself. The alleyway was the same place where Li Mingxuan had planned to bring him to eat Sichuan cuisine last time, and even though the two of them had not had a good time back then, Shen Xi still remembered the Sichuan restaurant that Li Mingxuan had mentioned. Thinking that Fang Luowei was as addicted to spicy food as he was, Shen Xi decided to take Fang Luowei there tonight. Shen Xi was absorbed in his thoughts when someone suddenly bumped into him from behind. Shen Xi reacted immediately and turned around to grab the person. The guy was a young punk in his twenties; one of his hands was in Shen Xi¡¯s pocket at the moment, the other hand was firmly in Shen Xi¡¯s grasp. Shen Xi looked at his hand and said in a cold voice, ¡°Take it out.¡± The punk glanced at Shen Xi and slowly took his hand out of Shen Xi¡¯s pocket. Shen Xi was about to let go of the hand he was holding, but another man suddenly came from behind the corner on his left and rammed into him. Shen Xi stumbled and the punk who was being held by him took the opportunity to break free and retreat a few steps. The two men confronted Shen Xi face to face and the later one suddenly exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s him, he was the one who took away Fang Luowei last time, tell the boss quickly!¡± ¡°Boss!¡± A sharp shout came from behind Shen Xi, who then realised that there was someone hiding behind the corner. The cry for ¡°Boss¡± seemed to flick a switch, and the quiet alley suddenly became chaotic. Numerous footsteps sounded around. Shen Xi frowned; seeing that it was already too late to run, he quickly took out his mobile phone and dialled Fang Luowei¡¯s number. It was still the punk from before, ¡°He¡¯s going to inform Fang Luowei, stop him quickly.¡± Someone lunged; the phone hadn¡¯t been connected yet but Shen Xi had to give up and dodge the incoming fist. More and more people pounced on him, and Shen Xi hastily stuffed his phone in his pocket and fought with them. Shen Xi was not a bad fighter, but there were too many of them. Someone took out an iron bar; Shen Xi couldn¡¯t dodge and was hit hard a few times. Avoiding another blow, Shen Xi ruthlessly lunged at the man in front of him, but the iron bar behind him swung up high and was about to land on Shen Xi¡¯s head. ¡°Watch out!¡± Someone rushed forward and firmly shielded Shen Xi. Shen Xi hesitated for a moment as he heard a familiar voice and subconsciously looked up. What he saw was Li Mingxuan¡¯s slightly distorted face. Shen Xi did not have time to ask Li Mingxuan why he had suddenly appeared here; he turned around and pushed Li Mingxuan away and kicked the person behind him hard. Perhaps they were startled by the sudden appearance of Li Mingxuan, but the actions of the punks stalled for a moment, and by the time they reacted, Shen Xi had already kicked the man behind him to the ground. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t expect Shen Xi to move so quickly, and seeing that Shen Xi still wanted to continue, he immediately pulled him behind him and said to the punks with a cold face, ¡°I want to see your Brother Wang.¡± The word ¡°Brother Wang¡± caught the attention of the surrounding punks, and they all looked at each other, speculating about Li Mingxuan¡¯s identity. One of the punks gave Li Mingxuan a suspicious glance, ¡°Who are you?¡± Li Mingxuan said nothing with a cold face, and turned his head to look at Shen Xi behind him. Shen Xi looked miserable, his face was covered with bruises and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, his clothes torn to pieces. It was seven or eight point bad; Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes darkened involuntarily. Shen Xi lowered his voice, ¡°How come you are here?¡± Li Mingxuan said simply, ¡°To eat.¡± Shen Xi thought of the Sichuan restaurant and nodded in understanding. Li Mingxuan hadn¡¯t actually expected to meet Shen Xi here; the alley was narrow and he always parked his car outside and walked in. When he saw people gathered here from afar, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t think anything of it. Zhongjing had the saying ¡°the south is poor and the north is cheap, the east is rich and the west is expensive¡± since ancient times. This alleyway was located in the southern part of the city, which had always been a chaotic place where fights and brawls were common. Li Mingxuan was about to take a detour when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s figure in the crowd and immediately ran towards him without thinking. When the iron bar was about to hit Shen Xi¡¯s head, Li Mingxuan instinctively rushed over and shielded him from the blow. Seeing Shen Xi¡¯s surprised look when he turned to him, the words ¡°consigned to eternal damnation¡± flashed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind. As soon as he thought that, the group of punks suddenly moved to make way. A man of about thirty years old with a fleshy face walked in. Obviously someone already told him what had happened. The man was originally gloomy, but when he saw Li Mingxuan, he was clearly taken aback, ¡°Xuan Shao.¡± A smile appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Ah ah, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen Xuan Shao. What¡¯s going on here?¡± This last sentence was a question to the people around him. The punks around him cowered as they looked at the man, who glared at them fiercely and then turned his head to look at Li Mingxuan with a smile on his face, ¡°Misunderstanding, it¡¯s definitely a misunderstanding.¡± Li Mingxuan raised his eyebrows, ¡°Then this misunderstanding is a bit big.¡± The smile on the man¡¯s face froze as he turned around, pulled out the iron bar from the nearest punk¡¯s hand and smashed it down on him. Within moments, the punk was covered in blood, but even so, he gritted his teeth and dared not grunt. The man stopped in satisfaction and turned to Li Mingxuan, ¡°Xuan Shao, how is it?¡± Li Mingxuan frowned; behind him Shen Xi glanced at the man and pulled Li Mingxuan, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The man narrowed his eyes and took a look at Shen Xi, smiled at Li Mingxuan and waved his hand as the punks around him immediately made way. It was not until he left the alley that Li Mingxuan noticed the burning pain in his back. Not caring about his own injury, Li Mingxuan grabbed Shen Xi, ¡°Are you alright?¡± The concern in these words was really obvious and Shen Xi nodded hesitantly. Li Mingxuan wanted to say something else, but Shen Xi suddenly thought of Fang Luowei, and at the same moment, not caring to talk to Li Mingxuan, hurriedly took out the phone. In a few words, Shen Xi explained that Fang Luowei must not go home now. As Li Mingxuan listened to Shen Xi¡¯s repeated explanation, he only felt that his back seemed to hurt more. CH 30 In an inconspicuous clinic by the road, Shen Xi sat quietly, seemingly playing with his mobile phone, but his eyes always returned to Li Mingxuan who was being examined by the doctor in front of him. Without the thugs around and without the need to worry about Fang Luowei¡¯s safety, the recent scenes flashed in Shen Xi¡¯s mind. Shen Xi squeezed his mobile phone unconsciously; his expression didn¡¯t seem to have changed much but a closer look would reveal that his gaze turned at Li Mingxuan was complicated. The figure that suddenly rushed over, the reassurance he felt when he was protected and the momentary throbbing of his heart when he saw Li Mingxuan, all these thoughts that he had deliberately suppressed before were tumbling in his mind endlessly. Shen Xi intuitively felt irritated; he couldn¡¯t understand why Li Mingxuan had jumped out to protect him at that moment. Shen Xi tried his best to convince himself that Li Mingxuan¡¯s behaviour must have been calculated, or Li Mingxuan wanted to win his favour so that he could help Shen Ji test him. Or was it?¡­ Shen Xi couldn¡¯t think any further. He squeezed his phone hard, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s painful expression came to his mind once again. Shen Xi sighed in annoyance. Although he didn¡¯t want to admit it, from his past experience in fights, Li Mingxuan¡¯s previous actions could only be instinctive and not calculated. But because of this, the feeling of annoyance in Shen Xi¡¯s heart was even greater. The clinic was very quiet, and only the slightest noise could be heard during the doctor¡¯s examination. Perhaps Shen Xi¡¯s emotions were too obvious; Li Mingxuan suddenly turned his head with a concerned look, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Xi? Are you uncomfortable?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was sincere and the worry in his eyes was unmistakable. Shen Xi lowered his eyes and shook his head slightly. The doctor soon finished the examination; Li Mingxuan¡¯s injuries were not serious, except that he had received a heavy blow from a blunt object and his muscles would be a little sore for a few days. Compared to the injuries on Li Mingxuan¡¯s back, the colourful bruises on Shen Xi¡¯s face and body were nothing. The doctor did not prescribe any medicine but only gave them a few bottles of medicine oil, instructing them to use the oil to rub the bruises on their bodies, especially Li Mingxuan. After a few days, the bruises would dissipate and there would be no major problems. Li Mingxuan politely accepted the doctor¡¯s medicine oil and reached out to pick up the jacket he had taken off. Instead of wearing it, he put it on Shen Xi. Shen Xi stiffened for a moment, and then slowly relaxed again. Standing at the entrance of the clinic, Shen Xi looked at the thinly dressed Li Mingxuan and the irritable feeling in his heart surfaced once again. Noticing Shen Xi¡¯s gaze, Li Mingxuan turned to smile at him, and Shen Xi unconsciously lowered his head. Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan walked towards Shen Xi. ¡°I¡¯ve already called my friend, he will come and take the car away tomorrow.¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°Where are you going? I¡¯ll drop you off.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s back was injured and his shoulders were affected, so he was hardly able to drive. Shen Xi had noticed it and stopped Li Mingxuan from driving. The two took one car, and the other was left behind. Hearing Shen Xi¡¯s inquiry, Li Mingxuan thought for a moment, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the hotel.¡± This answer made Shen Xi frown, and he took the initiative to say, ¡°The hotel is not convenient, let¡¯s go to my place.¡± This was an era without privacy. If Li Mingxuan stayed in a hotel today, who knows what the reporters would write tomorrow. To avoid reporters, the two of them did not even go to the hospital but casually found a roadside clinic. Shen Xi did not want to share the limelight with another scandal at this critical moment of the Yunrou cancer incident. After all, ¡°Cousins getting into a late night brawl¡± or whatever also sounded very interesting. Shen Xi¡¯s proposal made Li Mingxuan struggle inwardly. Emotionally, he wanted to say yes immediately, but his reason was desperately trying to stop him. He was not a hapless seventeen or eighteen year old, nor was he a young infatuated man, and no one knew better than him what it meant to fall for Shen Xi. The blood tie between Shen Xi and him was a barrier he could never cross. Not to mention whether Shen Xi liked men or not, how many people could accept such an incestuous relationship? Li Mingxuan thought bitterly. He could not imagine how Shen Xi would react when he found out about his feelings. He would rather Shen Xi treat him as a distant cousin forever than to see Shen Xi look at him with disgust one day. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly. If he and Shen Xi were simply related by blood, it would be fine, but there were too many complex interests behind Shen Xi, too many uncontrollable things, and he could not imagine the attitude his family would take towards this. Rationally he should have stayed away from Shen Xi, but emotionally he wanted to get closer uncontrollably. Li Mingxuan was torn inside, struggling hard. ¡°Get in the car, cousin, why don¡¯t you?¡± Shen Xi walked to the front of the car only to find Li Mingxuan still standing in the same place. Li Mingxuan subconsciously followed Shen Xi and took a few steps before realising that his body was once again out of control. Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Li Mingxuan got in the car under Shen Xi¡¯s urging eyes. Shen Xi drove the car very smoothly, with a serious and focused look, completely devoid of the kind of crazy energy Li Mingxuan had seen before. The lights on the sides of the road were bright, illuminating Shen Xi¡¯s softened expression. Li Mingxuan sat quietly, feeling the calm atmosphere inside the car, sincerely hoping that the road would never end. Half an hour later, the two stood in front of Shen Xi¡¯s apartment. The apartment didn¡¯t look big, just a simple one-bedroom, but the decoration was quite good. Shen Xi did not have many things, and the whole apartment looked a little empty. Li Mingxuan took a quick glance. Like in the hotel, Shen Xi¡¯s things were all organised in an unusually neat manner. ¡°Does cousin want to take a shower first?¡± Shen Xi was thinking about rubbing the medicine without delay. Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°You go first.¡± Shen Xi looked down at his clothes and did not refuse Li Mingxuan¡¯s kind offer. Li Mingxuan watched Shen Xi walk into the bathroom and his eyes couldn¡¯t help but darken. A similar conversation had taken place between them not too long ago, except that at that time Shen Xi was still just a cousin in his eyes and he could listen to the sound of the water in the bathroom with a calm heart. But this time Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly looking at the already impatiently excited Xiao Mingxuan and let out a deep sigh. No matter how much Li Mingxuan meditated, there was no sign of Xiao Mingxuan softening. Li Mingxuan had no choice but to find the kitchen and drink a large glass of icy water in one gulp, so Xiao Mingxuan had no choice but to soften. But when he thought about rubbing Shen Xi with the medicine oil later, Li Mingxuan could not help but hold his forehead fighting a headache. Just by imagining that scene, the newly softened Xiao Mingxuan began to stir again. Li Mingxuan had to think of something else to divert his attention. Deliberately, he recalled the reports about the Yunrou cancer incident and tried to put himself in the Shen family¡¯s shoes to look at the issue. If he were his uncle, how would he have handled the matter? If he were a director of Shen Group, how would he view this matter? Although the Shen family and the Li family had many entangled interests, they were not without competition in certain areas. However, the two sides were accustomed to cooperation. Under such circumstances, Li Mingxuan would be concerned about the progress of the Yunrou affair, but would not ask Shen Ji about the specific way he was handling it, just as Shen Ji would not take the initiative to pry into the operations of the Li family. Li Mingxuan was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn¡¯t even notice when Shen Xi came out until Shen Xi stood in front of him, ¡°Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan snapped back to his senses and a momentary flash of amazement passed through his eyes. At this moment, Shen Xi had just taken a bath; his fair complexion was flushed pink from the heat. Perhaps because he had returned to a place he was familiar with, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were much softer, damp from the water, his hair hanging softly on both sides of his face that looked gentle and harmless. Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind flashed back to Shen Xi¡¯s calm and ruthless appearance in the afternoon, and the huge contrast made him uncontrollably excited. Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a puzzled look, his eyes indicating the direction of the bathroom. Li Mingxuan nodded but did not move. Only when Shen Xi¡¯s figure disappeared into the kitchen did Li Mingxuan stand up awkwardly. Just a moment ago, Xiao Mingxuan once again raised its head indisputably, saluting Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and darted into the bathroom before Shen Xi returned. After a cold shower, Xiao Mingxuan wilted completely, and Li Mingxuan finally came out relieved. The medicine oil on the table had already been opened and Shen Xi was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, watching the TV and laughing at something. Li Mingxuan looked at the smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but smile too. Noticing that Li Mingxuan had come out, Shen Xi naturally took off his shirt. If Li Mingxuan had any thoughts before, then after seeing the bruises on Shen Xi¡¯s body, there were no other feelings in his heart except for distress. Sitting opposite Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan carefully poured the oil into his hands but couldn¡¯t touch Shen Xi¡¯s body. The doctor had specifically instructed that the bruises needed to be rubbed vigorously, and Li Mingxuan knew how painful it would be. Shen Xi was puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt a lot. If you can¡¯t help it, cry.¡± Li Mingxuan said in a low voice. Shen Xi was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly didn¡¯t know how to answer this sentence. No one had spoken to him in this tone for a long time. Even when he and Fang Luowei had been beaten black and blue in prison, they had only gritted their teeth and encouraged each other to persevere, as if they had forgotten that they could still have the right to cry out in pain. The self-deprecating look on Shen Xi¡¯s face made Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart throb hard. Without even thinking, Li Mingxuan reached out and swept Shen Xi up into his arms, his hand gently placed on Shen Xi¡¯s back and patting, just like he had done when Shen Xi was sick before. Shen Xi¡¯s body stiffened as he was held in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. He felt he should have pushed him away ruthlessly, but Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace was too warm, the kind of warmth that Shen Xi coveted in his heart, and he was a bit reluctant to part with it. Shen Xi could not remember how many years it had been since anyone had hugged him like this. He had always been alone since his grandfather died. When he thought of his grandfather, Shen Xi could not help but remember the last time he had a fever. He was also in this warm embrace in his sleep. Shen Xi¡¯s body gradually softened and Li Mingxuan tightened his arms, their skin pressed together, warm. Shen Xi unconsciously squeezed closer, imagining that Li Mingxuan in front of him was his grandfather. Shen Xi silently said to himself: look, Grandpa still holds you in his arms as tightly as he did when you occasionally hurt yourself as a child, you are so happy! CH 31 Li Mingxuan felt that he had touched another side of Shen Xi. That night, Shen Xi¡¯s body was free from the caution of detachment, free from the suspicious inquiry, and even his hidden sharpness had disappeared. He took off the mask he had been using to disguise himself and revealed a side of himself that he had never shown before, soft and sensitive. He shrank quietly in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, one hand clutching Li Mingxuan¡¯s pyjamas tightly, his brow relaxed and his expression peaceful as he let out a shallow breath. In the faint orange light, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were soft; one of his arms was under Shen Xi¡¯s body and his other hand was on Shen Xi¡¯s back, patting him lightly. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know how long he had been doing this, but he was willing to go on like this forever. That night, in this small bedroom, Li Mingxuan did not think about the disgust Shen Xi might feel for him, or the reaction of his family when they found out about it. He just completely followed the guidance of his feelings and looked at Shen Xi quietly, Shen Xi¡¯s appearance engraved in his heart over and over again. The night became darker little by little and then the sky grew whiter. There was already a faint light outside the window. Li Mingxuan stayed in place for the whole night without the slightest hint of drowsiness. Shen Xi slept very deeply and peacefully, the scattered hair on his forehead slipping down and likely making him feel uncomfortable. Li Mingxuan reached out to brush away the strand and finally could not resist lowering his head and giving Shen Xi¡¯s smooth forehead a light kiss. This kiss brought great satisfaction to Li Mingxuan. He looked at Shen Xi tenderly, his heart softening. At seven in the morning, Shen Xi slowly opened his eyes and woke up. The early morning sunlight was soft, not dazzling. Shen Xi slowly stretched his back. After a good night¡¯s sleep his mood improved. ¡°Awake?¡± A gentle voice sounded from the doorway, vaguely tinged with a hint of laughter. Shen Xi followed the voice and looked over as Li Mingxuan walked in and very naturally offered a hand to him. Shen Xi hesitantly glanced at Li Mingxuan, reached out and accepted his hand, and was pulled up by Li Mingxuan. Memories of last night returned to his mind one by one. It seemed he once again had thought of the man in front of him as his grandfather, weakly drawing warmth from him. Shen Xi lowered his eyes, hiding the complexity in his gaze. Li Mingxuan pretended not to see Shen Xi¡¯s hesitation and said with a smile, ¡°Hurry up and clean up, I¡¯ve made breakfast.¡± Shen Xi had an indescribable feeling in his heart and nodded slowly. Li Mingxuan¡¯s cooking was unexpectedly good, the porridge was thick and fragrant, the bread toasted crispy, and with the fried eggs, everything looked very appetising. Shen Xi ate quietly, slowly but cleanly. As he was about to put down his chopsticks, Li Mingxuan chucked the last fried egg into his bowl, ¡°Eat more.¡± There was a momentary pause in Shen Xi¡¯s movements, and then he slowly ate it. Shen Xi didn¡¯t want to admit it, but in his heart he enjoyed the feeling of being cared for, as if a huge hole in his heart was being filled up little by little, and he even wanted more of it. Opposite Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan looked at him with a gentle expression, the corners of his mouth curled up to reveal a faint smile. After finishing the breakfast, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t let Shen Xi do anything and naturally cleaned up the bowls in the kitchen. Leaning against the doorway, Shen Xi watched Li Mingxuan¡¯s skillful handling of the bowls and casually asked, ¡°Cousin, did you recognise the gang of punks yesterday?¡± ¡°What?¡± Li Mingxuan immediately stopped and turned his head to look at Shen Xi, ¡°What is Xiao Xi going to do?¡­¡± Although Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t finish his sentence, Shen Xi heard the meaning of his words. Shen Xi¡¯s face showed mockery, ¡°What does cousin think I¡¯m going to do?¡± Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh. The softness of last night had faded away and the Shen Xi in front of him was once again covered in thorns. He put down the bowl and walked up to Shen Xi, ¡°Xiao Xi, those people we met yesterday are different from us and different from the people you met before. They live at the bottom of society and are willing to do anything for money. They ignore all morals and laws and are fearless because they are ignorant. Any one of them is ruthless enough, especially the last man you saw yesterday. Don¡¯t mess with them, understand?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s tone was serious and earnest, and Shen Xi lowered his eyes, ¡°You think too much, cousin. It¡¯s just that a friend of mine has offended them and I want to see if it can be resolved.¡± ¡°Friend? Which one?¡± Li Mingxuan asked. Shen Xi mocked, ¡°Does cousin know any of my friends?¡± This sentence made Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes flash in sadness, and he said softly, ¡°Sorry!¡± This apology was completely unexpected. Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a deep look and inclined his head without speaking. ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with them before and I still have a bit of face. Tell me your friend¡¯s name and I¡¯ll go talk to them, it¡¯s much better than you stepping in.¡± Li Mingxuan was unwilling to let Shen Xi get even remotely involved with that gang and took the initiative to resolve the matter. Shen Xi hesitated for a moment, and after thinking about it, he gave Fang Luowei¡¯s name. Even though Li Mingxuan had already guessed the name in his heart, he could not help but have a dark look in his eyes. But the expression on his face did not change in the slightest, he just smiled and nodded to Shen Xi, ¡°I¡¯ll take note of it.¡± ¡°Thank you, cousin!¡± Shen Xi thanked him very simply, and then added, ¡°Cousin, be careful.¡± This ¡®cousin, be careful¡¯ made Li Mingxuan¡¯s mood better. Nodding at Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan turned around and continued to clean. By the time he was done, it was time for him to go to work. Looking at Li Mingxuan, who was standing at the door to say goodbye, Shen Xi felt a little strange. But before he could think about it, Li Mingxuan had already closed the door gently. Shen Xi frowned and dialled Lao K¡¯s number. ¡°Why are you awake so early?¡± Lao K¡¯s voice still had a hint of sleep in it as he muttered a complaint. Shen Xi simply ignored his words, ¡°What¡¯s Shen Group¡¯s reaction?¡± ¡°Hey hey, don¡¯t you even watch the news yourself?¡± Shen Xi straightened up, ¡°I was beaten up yesterday, I¡¯m injured and can¡¯t move around.¡± ¡°What! Who did it? It couldn¡¯t be that Shen Ji knew it was you who was messing around and got someone to beat you up, could it?¡± Lao K guessed irresponsibly. ¡°Fuck off!¡± ¡°Hey hey, when are you going to release that news?¡± Lao K behaved himself and changed the subject. Shen Xi rubbed his head, ¡°Wait a little longer, Yunrou is still holding up right now. If the news comes out too early, people will be able to tell the fake at a glance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll listen to you, but Shen Group seems to be letting out the wind to reporters, alluding to the fact that the mastermind behind all this is a foreign household chemical giant, in order to stink up Yunrou¡¯s reputation and stop Yunrou from being listed abroad. Shen Group seems to be trying to portray itself as a ¡®national hero¡¯ to gain the sympathy of domestic consumers. You know people are sensitive to this, and a little encouragement can easily stir up this kind of patriotic sentiment.¡± Shen Xi sneered, ¡°If Shen Ji wants to make others take the blame, he has to check if they are willing to do so. Tell Bai Su to interview those cancer patients and expose the recordings of them being bribed by Shen Group first.¡± Lao K gave an ¡°en¡±, ¡°Understood!¡± After they finished talking about business, Shen Xi was about to hang up when Lao K¡¯s hesitant voice came over, ¡°Hey, Xiao Xixi, you didn¡¯t really get beaten up yesterday, did you?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s heart warmed and he slowly smiled, ¡°When have you ever seen me suffer a loss?¡± Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi found all the information Lao K had given him before and flipped to the page on Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin, Shen Dehan¡¯s personal lawyer, was also one of Shen Group¡¯s legal advisors and was deeply trusted by Shen Dehan. Many of Shen Group¡¯s legal documents were handled by Wang Changlin; especially some of the important contracts were basically Wang Changlin¡¯s responsibility. Shen Xi gently tapped on the words ¡°important contracts¡± and wondered if he could get close to Wang Changlin in the name of his mother. Shen Xi was thinking about Wang Changlin when the phone suddenly rang, the words ¡°Lao K¡± flashing on the screen. A trace of doubt swept through Shen Xi¡¯s heart. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Someone is checking you.¡± Lao K obviously felt that this matter was very important and his tone was very serious unlike his previous carelessness. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Lu Gesen.¡± ¡°Who is Lu Gesen?¡± This name was very unfamiliar to Shen Xi. ¡°Shen Ji¡¯s assistant. He returned from studying abroad a year ago and applied for a job at Shen Group. He has just recently arrived at Shen Ji¡¯s side and is very much appreciated by Shen Dehan.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s face sank, ¡°What is he checking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the rather strange part. What he¡¯s asking to check is your past, including everything you¡¯ve done since you were a child.¡± Lao K¡¯s words were tinged with doubt; apparently he was also a bit confused as to what Lu Gesen was up to, but because of Lu Gesen¡¯s status, he couldn¡¯t help but focus on it. Shen Xi mused, ¡°Give him a copy of the information and treat him as an ordinary client.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not worried about Shen Ji being behind this?¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s Shen Ji, what can he see? My experience in the past few years has been so innocent, nothing but spending money, so feel free to let him investigate.¡± Lao K laughed lightly, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re not afraid.¡± Once again hanging up the phone, Shen Xi did not take this matter to heart. No matter why Shen Ji wanted to investigate him, his history was clean without a single flaw. However, Shen Xi was a bit confused, why would Shen Ji suddenly want to investigate him? If it was because of Yunrou cancer incident, he shouldn¡¯t have associated it with him. After all, everyone knew that Shen Sanshao was a parasite of the Shen family, and the fall of the Shen family would not benefit him at all, so why would he do that? Shen Xi was speculating about Shen Ji¡¯s thoughts, while on the other side, Shen Ji, who had arrived at the office early in the morning, was looking over Yunrou¡¯s sales in various markets across the country in the past few days, and as each shocking figure appeared, Shen Ji¡¯s face turned ugly. ¡°Mr. Shen?¡± There was a soft knock on the door. ¡°Come in.¡± A serious looking young man walked in and handed the document in his hand to Shen Ji, ¡°This is what the chairman has just sent over.¡± Shen Ji took it and glanced at it. The document was the Yunrou funding plan that he had sent to the board of directors earlier. Apparently it had been rejected by the board. Shen Ji¡¯s face became even more ugly, and in his heart, he simply hated those people in the board of directors. The young man stood calmly in front of Shen Ji, oblivious to his expression. Shen Ji took a deep breath and said to the young man, ¡°Gesen, revise this plan and re-submit it.¡± The young man nodded, not having any doubts about Shen Ji¡¯s request, turned around and walked out with the report. Returning to his office, the young man habitually closed the door and quickly skimmed through the document in his hand. This report was previously prepared by Shen Ji himself, and the young man did not have access to it. This time the young man¡¯s gaze fell on the next development plan of Yunrou attached to the report, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. CH 32 The Yunrou cancer scandal continued to rage in the media and online, but unlike the initial one-sided attack on Yunrou, different voices were gradually emerging. Some reports left aside the question of whether Yunrou contained dioxane and instead mentioned Yunrou¡¯s plans to be listed abroad, implicitly pointing to the suppression of domestic brands by foreign ones, suggesting that there was a huge struggle for profit behind all this. Some reports questioned the extent to which the Yunrou cancer incident had spread online ¨C how could it have spread across the country overnight when it was just an obscure tabloid report? Others began to focus on the effectiveness of Yunrou shampoo, interviewing a group of Yunrou users to highlight its image in terms of efficacy. These different voices were often followed by a chorus of curses, but the water army hired by Shen Group was obviously very dedicated, holding on tenaciously against the curses. Shen Xi had fun reading online news and spent the morning on them. Before noon, Lao K called him again. The two of them had commissioned an agency to register a film and television company, and the licence was obtained. The legal representative that Lao K chose to fill in was Shen Xi. Shen Xi did not intend to come to the forefront at first, but Lao K felt that once Shen Group went bankrupt, Shen Xi needed an identity with legal income, so he insisted on putting Shen Xi¡¯s name on it. Lao K had good intentions and Shen Xi had no choice but to agree. In addition to this, Lao K also mentioned something else during the phone call. He helped Shen Xi contact a director who was looking for investment and arranged to meet in the afternoon near Shen Xi¡¯s apartment. At the appointed time, Shen Xi arrived at the place Lao K had mentioned, a tea room with an old-fashioned atmosphere. The other party obviously recognised Shen Xi and greeted him warmly as soon as he entered. The director Lao K had found was called Chen Zhiwei. He had a certain reputation in the entertainment industry, but because of bad luck, he had lost money on several movies in a row, and no one was willing to invest in his new film this time. Just as Chen Zhiwei was begging for help, Lao K found him and expressed Shen Xi¡¯s intention to invest in his new movie. Chen Zhiwei was thrilled, but to his surprise, Lao K offered to sign Chen Zhiwei to Shen Xi¡¯s newly established company as a condition of investment. Chen Zhiwei finally agreed after some hesitation, and this was the first time Chen Zhiwei and Shen Xi met. Chen Zhiwei had actually heard of Shen Xi¡¯s name a long time ago. Although there had been less news in recent years because Shen Xi was not in the country, in recent months the name of the Shen family became widely known once again with the journalists¡¯ revelations about the heir controversy and now the Yunrou incident. When he first heard that the owner of the company was Shen Xi, Chen Zhiwei found it very strange. After all, why would Shen Xi, as the heir to Shen Group, want to set up a small film and television company on his own? But his assistant reminded him that Shen Xi had previously told reporters he was not interested in Shen Group, and Chen Zhiwei secretly guessed that Shen Xi¡¯s move might be a further proof that he was indeed not interested. Or, of course, he might be interested but couldn¡¯t compete and had no choice but to make a statement to the public. No matter what Chen Zhiwei thought about Shen Xi in his heart, it was an undeniable fact that this young man in his twenties would soon become his boss. If you wanted the boss to spend money, you had to flatter the boss. This was the summary written in blood and tears during Chen Zhiwei¡¯s difficult career in the past few years. So when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s figure appear from afar, Chen Zhiwei greeted him with a smile on his face. Unexpectedly, the first thing he saw was Shen Xi¡¯s face covered in bruises. Chen Zhiwei¡¯s smile froze awkwardly, and he sighed in his heart, wondering what this young master had done yesterday. Shen Xi didn¡¯t care about his expression, went straight to the table and sat down. Chen Zhiwei quickly adjusted his expression and sat down opposite Shen Xi, but looking at Shen Xi¡¯s cold face, he couldn¡¯t say a word of the opening speech he had prepared in advance. Under Shen Xi¡¯s puzzled eyes, Chen Zhiwei finally had a bright idea and started to tell Shen Xi about the script. This was his masterpiece that he had spent countless efforts on, and he believed that if he could get investment, he would be able to make a beautiful turnaround in the industry. Chen Zhiwei was so confident in his script that after he finished speaking about it, he felt certain he would be able to attract Shen Xi¡¯s attention. But the only thing he was asked was, ¡°How much money do you need?¡± and not even a mention of the script was made. Chen Zhiwei¡¯s heart felt indescribably lost. He felt that Shen Xi did not appreciate the quality of the script and was worried that Shen Xi would not invest more in it because he found it boring. At that moment, he hesitantly looked at Shen Xi and said tentatively, ¡°30 million? If it really doesn¡¯t work, 25 million is okay?¡± Shen Xi pondered for a moment, ¡°I will give you 35 million, and you can do as you wish with the actors and crew, I just want to see the final film. But the theme song of the movie needs to be reserved, I will find someone to sing it.¡± Chen Zhiwei looked at Shen Xi in surprise. He did not expect Shen Xi to be so easy to talk to. Although he actually had a suitable candidate in mind for the movie¡¯s theme song, seeing that Shen Xi¡¯s intention was obviously to leave it to one of his own, he naturally wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to argue and immediately nodded to indicate that there was no problem. The two reached an agreement on the main issues, and Shen Xi pushed Chen Zhiwei back to Lao K. He really didn¡¯t care to know the details. Thinking about his own plans, Shen Xi said goodbye to Chen Zhiwei and drove straight to meet Fang Luowei. This time they didn¡¯t dare to meet in the alley but made an appointment near the bar where Fang Luowei worked. When he saw Shen Xi driving over, Fang Luowei hurriedly greeted him. He had received a notice from Shen Xi last night and did not dare to go home but stayed at a colleague¡¯s place. When he received Shen Xi¡¯s call, Fang Luowei hastily asked for leave. He always felt that Shen Xi was hiding something last night. The bruises on Shen Xi¡¯s face surprised Fang Luowei, and in addition to being surprised, he blamed himself. The incident originally had nothing to do with Shen Xi who had been involved in an unwarranted disaster solely because of him. Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s all because of me.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t want Fang Luowei to think too much and smiled soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t suffer a loss, it was them who suffered.¡± And Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi silently added the latter half of the sentence in his mind. Despite Shen Xi¡¯s words, Fang Luowei still blamed himself. Shen Xi thought for a moment, ¡°How about you treat me to dinner tonight as a way to make amends?¡± Shen Xi said it playfully and Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but smile and nod in agreement. Having said that, Shen Xi told Fang Luowei about Li Mingxuan¡¯s promise to find Brother Wang, and Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise. ¡°Can you really settle this matter?¡± Shen Xi was very confident in Li Mingxuan, ¡°Since my cousin took the initiative to take it, he should be sure.¡± Fang Luowei got excited, ¡°Then I really have to thank him.¡± Shen Xi pretended to be displeased, ¡°Hey hey, just to thank him?¡± Fang Luowei laughed, ¡°Of course not, first of all, I¡¯d like to thank you.¡± The huge stone that had been weighing on his heart was put down, and Fang Luowei was obviously in a very good mood, laughing and joking with Shen Xi. What neither Shen Xi nor Fang Luowei knew was that in his previous life, Fang Luowei had been imprisoned because of Brother Wang. Brother Wang, formerly known as Wang Li, the leader of the small-time gang in the area, had been attracted to Fang Luowei since the first time he had accidentally seen him, and was determined to get his hands on him. In his previous life, Fang Luowei repeatedly refused Wang Li, and Wang Li was furious and followed Fang Luowei¡¯s traces to the hospital. He intended to hold Fang Luowei¡¯s grandparents hostage to threaten him, but who could expect that under the push and pull, his grandmother was stimulated, fell seriously ill and soon died. His grandfather was devastated by this loss and followed her in a few days. Fang Luowei was full of hatred, found Wang Li and stabbed him to death. In this life, Shen Xi found Fang Luowei and inavertently involved Li Mingxuan, thus rewriting Fang Luowei¡¯s fate. The two of them were sitting at a barbecue stall when Shen Xi told about his plan to make a movie and invited Fang Luowei to sing the theme song. Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise, ¡°You want to make a movie?¡± Then he hesitantly said, ¡°Does your father know?¡± These days, the Yunrou incident had become too big; especially since Yunrou was a subsidiary of Shen Group, Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but be very concerned. Although Fang Luowei knew that the relationship between Shen Xi and his family was not good, at this moment Shen Xi did not say that he would contribute to the Shen family but was going to invest in some kind of movie. For outsiders, it might have seemed that Shen Xi was really heartless, and Fang Luowei was afraid that Shen Dehan would also be very unhappy. Shen Xi understood Fang Luowei¡¯s meaning and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the further I am from Shen Group, the happier father will be.¡± Fang Luowei did not expect Shen Xi¡¯s relationship with his family to be this bad, and thinking about Shen Xi¡¯s expression at the hospital last time, he felt very sorry for Shen Xi. Shen Xi was reluctant to talk more about Shen Group and changed back to the previous topic, ¡°How about it?¡± Fang Luowei hesitated, ¡°How did you know I could sing?¡± Shen Xi realised that the Fang Luowei in front of him was not the Fang Luowei who had told him about his dreams in his previous life in prison, and quickly found an excuse, ¡°Grandpa told me about it at the hospital last time.¡± Fang Luowei was taken aback, then laughed helplessly, ¡°Grandpa likes to tell this to others every time.¡± Shen Xi was curious, ¡°What?¡± Fang Luowei was surprised, ¡°Did Grandpa not make it clear?¡± Shen Xi looked natural, ¡°Grandpa only said that you like to sing, he didn¡¯t say anything else.¡± Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi¡¯s curious eyes and spoke helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, it¡¯s just that I won first place in a singing competition in my hometown before, and as a result, I was discovered by a talent scout and signed to Zhongjing.¡± Although Shen Xi already knew this from Lao K¡¯s investigation, he still made a surprised expression, ¡°Then why are you still working in a bar?¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s face darkened as he obviously thought of his bad experience. ¡°The company¡¯s unspoken rules are too strong, and the manager wanted me to accompany the boss or else I would be blocked. I beat up the boss in a fit of rage, and then you know.¡± There was no regret in Fang Luowei¡¯s tone, as if he was just talking about a trivial matter. ¡°Then how about you simply sign up to my company?¡± Shen Xi was originally worried about how to convince Fang Luowei to sign up with his own company, so at this point, he naturally went along. Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi hesitantly. He had always been able to feel Shen Xi¡¯s goodwill. From the very beginning when they met, Shen Xi¡¯s attitude towards him had been very different. He didn¡¯t know how to describe that feeling, but he knew that Shen Xi didn¡¯t have any malice towards him. If it was just to sing the theme song of the movie, he could say that he was doing a favour for his friend, but if he changed the company, the breach of contract would be a considerable amount of money, and Fang Luowei didn¡¯t know whether he should say yes to Shen Xi. When Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei¡¯s hesitation, he knew that his actions still seemed to Fang Luowei a bit abrupt. He originally wanted to approach Fang Luowei slowly, but he was really worried about Fang Luowei repeating his fate from his previous life. The only way he could think of was to take Fang Luowei by his side, watch him and help him change his destiny. Shen Xi blinked, ¡°What? Are you worried that I also have unspoken rules?¡± Not waiting for Fang Luowei to react, Shen Xi smiled and bumped his shoulder, ¡°We¡¯re friends, and I¡¯m expecting you to become the company¡¯s cash cow after you hit it big.¡± The words ¡°we are friends¡± touched Fang Luowei; he looked at Shen Xi and smiled slowly. In his smile, Shen Xi seemed to have found the feeling of being with Fang Luowei in his previous life. While Shen Xi was chatting happily with Fang Luowei, Li Mingxuan was sitting quietly in the Sichuan restaurant on the other side of the alley, and opposite him was the man known as Brother Wang. The reason why Li Mingxuan knew Brother Wang was because the Li family had acquired a piece of land in this area last year. Although the Li family was a powerful family, they knew that a strongest dragon could not suppress a snake on the ground (people who follow the law can¡¯t suppress a local gangster who is above the law), and although these punks were nothing, they were enough to cause a headache if they were determined to make trouble. At that time, Li Mingxuan was in charge of the project, and in order to avoid trouble, he deliberately met with the leaders of the thugs in the area. The Li family was very good at what they did, and they used both grace and authority, so the punks in the area naturally did not take the initiative to provoke the Li family. Therefore, the project went very smoothly, and both sides were very happy. After a few contacts, Li Mingxuan and the local punks all had some face. Last night, looking at the way Li Mingxuan was protecting the kid behind him, Wang Li knew that this matter would not be easily forgotten by Li Mingxuan, and as a result, he received a call from Li Mingxuan today. Without saying a word, Wang Li brought his men here, but to his surprise, Li Mingxuan did not mention yesterday¡¯s incident but mentioned Fang Luowei. Wang Li was just coveting Fang Luowei¡¯s looks and wanted to get his hands on him. Now that Li Mingxuan had stepped in and made it clear that he did not intend to pursue yesterday¡¯s matter, naturally Wang Li would not offend Li Mingxuan for a Fang Luowei. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, since Fang Luowei is your friend, he is also my friend. I will inform my brothers later that they should never give him a hard time again.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled lightly, ¡°Brother Wang is really accommodating. Although yesterday¡¯s incident was a misunderstanding, my little cousin did act a bit harshly, so this is also a gift from me on his behalf.¡± As Li Mingxuan said it, he pushed a check in front of Wang Li. Wang Li swept a glance at the zeroes in the back and the smile on his face grew even bigger, ¡°Xuan Shao is welcome. Speaking of which, we have to say sorry to Sanshao, it¡¯s really wrong that those bastards didn¡¯t recognise Sanshao yesterday.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. The two of them exchanged a few perfunctory words, and Wang Li left the place satisfied with the check. Li Mingxuan frowned, thinking about how to keep Shen Xi away from here in the future. ¡°How did you get involved with Wang Li?¡± Ye Han pushed the door in directly after Wang Li left, obviously very disapproving of Li Mingxuan having dealings with Wang Li, ¡°It is said that Wang Li has several lives on his back, you¡¯d better stay away from him.¡± Li Mingxuan let out an ¡°en¡±. ¡°Yesterday Xiao Xi was beaten up by his people.¡± Ye Han raised his eyebrows, ¡°Shen Xi?¡± He still remembered the last time he met Shen Xi, who lost his temper at Li Mingxuan here, and gave him a meaningful glance, ¡°He¡¯s quite capable of causing trouble!¡± Li Mingxuan glared at Ye Han with dissatisfaction, ¡°It has nothing to do with Xiao Xi, he was also innocently implicated.¡± The defence in Li Mingxuan¡¯s words was so obvious that Ye Han¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He had felt something was wrong last time, but seeing no further indication from Li Mingxuan, he thought it was his own imagination. Right now, Ye Han felt that he needed to say something as a friend and his expression became serious, ¡°Mingxuan, tell me honestly, are you treating Shen Xi as?¡­¡± Ye Han did not finish his words, but his meaning was already clear. Li Mingxuan looked at Ye Han with a bitter smile, ¡°So obvious?¡± Ye Han sighed, knowing that Li Mingxuan must also be extremely torn in his heart, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be reacting like this. After thinking about it, Ye Han sat down next to Li Mingxuan, ¡°Mingxuan, you know that it is impossible for you and Shen Xi. Auntie will never accept it, so you should give up before it¡¯s too late.¡± Li Mingxuan lowered his head; Ye Han could not see the expression on his face but his voice was weak, ¡°I know, I just need a little time.¡± Ye Han shook his head and did not persuade him anymore. Some things had to be thought through by the person concerned. There was silence in the private room. A few moments later Li Mingxuan looked up, ¡°I¡¯ll come to your place tonight, I was injured a little yesterday and need medicine.¡± Ye Han instantly got up, ¡°Then let¡¯s go now.¡± Who expected that Li Mingxuan did not make any move to get up. Ye Han was puzzled, ¡°What?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, ¡°Xiao Xi also needs medicine.¡± Ye Han looked at Li Mingxuan, completely speechless. An hour later, Li Mingxuan returned to Shen Xi¡¯s place with a few packaged signature dishes, but to his disappointment, Shen Xi was not at home. Li Mingxuan took out his mobile phone, looking at the words ¡°Shen Xi¡± and hesitated to press ¡°dial¡±. He was vaguely afraid, although he did not want to think about what he was afraid of. That night, Shen Xi returned home very late. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Shen Xi saw Li Mingxuan standing in front of his apartment with a food box. Following the sound of the elevator, Li Mingxuan slowly looked up. There were too many emotions in his eyes that Shen Xi could not understand. CH 33 Li Mingxuan thought about a lot of things during his long, almost hopeless wait, recalling all the encounters between him and Shen Xi since their meeting on the plane until now. Shen Xi¡¯s alienation, Shen Xi¡¯s vigilance, Shen Xi¡¯s assessment, Shen Xi¡¯s hostility, Shen Xi¡¯s fragility and Shen Xi¡¯s exposed softness. The different versions of Shen Xi overlapped and merged in Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind, finally turning into a vivid figure that lingered, imprinted in his soul. Li Mingxuan¡¯s emotions and reason fought fiercely, with reason winning every time; but the emotions that seemed to have collapsed controlled Li Mingxuan¡¯s attempts to leave firmly. The sound-activated lights in the hallway dimmed and lit up again at the distant voices. Li Mingxuan¡¯s mood also went up and down again and again. In the midst of this indescribable torment, Li Mingxuan asked himself, what did he really want to do? He clearly knew that he and Shen Xi were as impossible as Ye Han had said, and that he should have given up before it was too late. But he couldn¡¯t help but think that he wasn¡¯t actually holding any hope, he just needed a little time, just a little time, to slowly sort out his mood and slowly move away from Shen Xi. His feelings for Shen Xi came too unexpectedly; from sympathy at the beginning to pity in the middle, to being unconsciously attracted to Shen Xi, he watched himself jump into the abyss little by little, and even his struggle seemed very feeble. Li Mingxuan leaned against the wall in frustration, fiercely closing his eyes and opening them again. His gaze fell on the watch on his wrist. The last five minutes, he only needed the last five minutes. As time passed, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank to the bottom; until the minute hand and the hour hand met smoothly, and Li Mingxuan straightened up in silence and prepared to leave. The sound of the elevator arriving suddenly came at this moment, the door pulled open little by little, and the orange glow inside the elevator slowly leaked out. In the light, Shen Xi looked over carelessly. Li Mingxuan stared at Shen Xi deeply, his eyes full of complex emotions that he himself could not explain. Li Mingxuan stayed that night. After taking a shower and applying medicine, he told Shen Xi about the deal he had made with Wang Li today. Although Shen Xi knew that Li Mingxuan surely would find a solution, he was still relieved to hear it. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart was not very happy, ¡°You have a good relationship with Fang Luowei?¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°He is very nice.¡± Shen Xi did not want Fang Luowei to have anything to do with the Shen family, so he only gave a faint compliment. He did not know that his tone of voice would make Li Mingxuan feel much better. When he saw that it was almost midnight, Li Mingxuan urged Shen Xi to hurry up and go to bed. Shen Xi thought about it and said frankly, ¡°Cousin, sleep with me.¡± These words successfully stopped Li Mingxuan¡¯s footsteps as he was about to go to the sofa in the living room to spend the night there. He glanced at Shen Xi in surprise, tried to suppress the joy on his face, and lay down beside Shen Xi as if it was natural. The fragrance of Shen Xi¡¯s shower gel lingered on his body, smelling very nice. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head to lean closer to Shen Xi, but unexpectedly Shen Xi curled up and rolled into his arms. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart surged with surprise; he tentatively stretched out a hand and put it on Shen Xi¡¯s back. A low voice came from his arms, ¡°Grandpa used to sleep with me like this when I was little.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements stalled; he suddenly understood why Shen Xi was willing to sleep with him. Thinking about how close Shen Xi had been to him last night, Li Mingxuan gently patted him. Shen Xi really liked it and continued to lean forward. Li Mingxuan heard Shen Xi¡¯s muffled voice, ¡°Cousin, have you met my grandfather before?¡± He did not speak immediately, but began to rummage through his mind for long-ago memories. A few moments later, Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice sounded low and magnetic, ¡°I seem to have met him a few times when I was a child, and I remember that Elder Han was very energetic and elegant in an old-fashioned manner. I remember once at a private gathering after the New Year, my father said he would take me to meet some of the elders, and among them was Elder Han. Elder Han was very kind to me, or rather, he seemed to be kind to all the children, and the children all preferred Elder Han when compared to the seriousness of the other elders.¡± ¡°How old was cousin at that time?¡± Shen Xi suddenly interjected. Li Mingxuan thought carefully, ¡°About seven years old.¡± Shen Xi was quiet. When Li Mingxuan was seven, he was just under two years old. He didn¡¯t have much of an impression of his grandfather at that time. He tried to piece together the appearance of an amiable old man from Li Mingxuan¡¯s words. Li Mingxuan continued, ¡°Later on, I saw him a few more times, but since I only looked at him from afar, I didn¡¯t have any deep impression.¡± The last time Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi¡¯s grandfather was at the funeral of Han Rou, Shen Xi¡¯s mother. The elegant and spirited old man seemed to have been drained of his soul by Han Rou¡¯s death, standing there with a wilted face. If it weren¡¯t for someone next to him, he probably would have fallen to the ground. Li Mingxuan still remembered that it was raining lightly that day and a chill was pervading everything around him. He heard people around whispering that Han Yu had not appeared. He had just recalled who Han Yu was when there was a sudden outcry from the periphery of the crowd. Soon the news came in that Han Yu had lost his life on his way to the funeral. No one dared to tell the grieving old man, but Grandpa took the initiative and broke the news. The old man did not collapse as everyone had expected, but only looked bewildered as he grabbed Grandpa¡¯s hand and repeated over and over again, ¡®What did you say?¡± Li Mingxuan stopped recalling. At that time he was only eleven years old and could not understand the old man¡¯s expression. It was not until he grew up that he slowly understood what kind of grief it was. Because he did not want to believe, he refused to hear, asking again and again, clearly hoping for a miracle. Li Mingxuan sighed deeply in his heart and suddenly remembered that he did not seem to have seen Shen Xi at the funeral. Frowning in confusion, Li Mingxuan did not think much of it and carefully changed Shen Xi to a comfortable position. Shen Xi seemed to have fallen asleep and let out a soft breath. Having been awake all night last night and busy all day, Li Mingxuan slowly fell asleep with Shen Xi in his arms. In the darkness, Shen Xi suddenly opened his eyes and rolled up to look at Li Mingxuan in silence. He felt something different from Li Mingxuan, different from the feeling from Lao K and Fang Luowei. This feeling was more like that given to him by his grandfather, warm and reassuring. Shen Xi hesitantly stretched out his hand, put it into Li Mingxuan¡¯s pyjamas and placed it on his chest. The touch felt warm and even his body seemed to be flooded with a warm current. That huge void in Shen Xi¡¯s heart screamed once again, wanting more, more. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan with dark eyes for a while before slowly withdrawing his hand and falling into a deep sleep. For several days in a row, Li Mingxuan stayed with Shen Xi, who did not have the slightest objection to his presence, but rather had a vague feeling of closeness. Being close to Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan delayed the decision to go home day by day, until the weekend. ¡°Is cousin leaving?¡± Li Mingxuan let out an ¡°en¡±, wanting to simply leave, but in the end he couldn¡¯t resist reaching out and touching Shen Xi¡¯s head, ¡°I¡¯ll come back to see you tomorrow.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan with an uncertain smile and nodded. After Li Mingxuan left, Shen Xi was standing by the window looking out absent-mindedly when Lao K¡¯s phone call came in. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?¡± ¡°The good news.¡± ¡°The good news is that I¡¯ve managed to get in touch with Gao Qiulin, the second largest shareholder of Shen Group, and he seems to be interested in our proposal.¡± ¡°And the bad news?¡± ¡°The bad news is aimed at you specifically. Didn¡¯t you ask me to check Li Mingxuan? I found out a little secret about Li Mingxuan, do you want to hear it?¡± Lao K deliberately whetted Shen Xi¡¯s appetite. ¡°What?¡± Shen Xi cooperated by asking a follow-up question. ¡°Li Mingxuan is a GAY, and his attitude towards you is very unusual.¡± Lao K seemed to feel a bit incredulous when he said this, ¡°Do you know how clean Li Mingxuan¡¯s previous experience was? Compared to your notoriety he can practically run for the Five Best Young Masters of Zhongjing.¡± ¡°GAY?¡± Shen Xi mused, not caring about the second half of Lao K¡¯s teasing in the slightest. It was precisely because he could sense that Li Mingxuan treated him unusually that he wanted to seriously check him out, but he had never thought about it in this way. Lao K could practically hear Shen Xi¡¯s thought process and an absurd suspicion suddenly flashed through his mind, ¡°Hey hey, you¡¯re not thinking?¡­¡± Shen Xi asked in return, ¡°What do you think I am thinking?¡± Lao K muttered in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re so perverted, I can¡¯t even imagine.¡± Shen Xi laughed lightly, ¡°Firstly, thank you for the compliment, secondly, what you are thinking is exactly what I am thinking.¡± Lao K got serious, ¡°If you are trying to use Li Mingxuan to retaliate against the Shen family, my personal advice is that it is best not to mess with the Li family.¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with the Shen family, it¡¯s just a personal reason.¡± What Shen Xi didn¡¯t say was that he was already standing in the abyss and didn¡¯t mind pulling one more person down. After all, the warmth in Li Mingxuan¡¯s body was something he had never felt before, and it was something his heart craved for. Lao K only had one thought, ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°Do I need to thank you again?¡± Although Lao K didn¡¯t understand Shen Xi¡¯s thoughts, since Lao K stood with Shen Xi, he naturally did his best to help Shen Xi. In accordance with Shen Xi¡¯s instructions, Lao K deliberately delayed handing over his information to Lu Gesen for a few days. The other party seemed to be very calm and did not press the matter in the slightest. Lu Gesen got all of Shen Xi¡¯s information at noon that day. After patiently flipping through the pages of information in his notebook, Lu Gesen took off his glasses and leaned back on the sofa. Shen Xi! Lu Gesen repeated this name in a complicated mood, the information about Shen Xi¡¯s past flashing through his mind. There was a trace of guilt in Lu Gesen¡¯s heart; he should not have ignored Shen Xi. Although Lu Gesen knew that Shen Xi was his only family in the world, he had deliberately blocked all news of Shen Xi because of some unspeakable anger. Lu Gesen let out a long sigh. He knew that his anger was unreasonable, but he still couldn¡¯t control himself. If Shen Xi¡¯s mother hadn¡¯t insisted on marrying Shen Dehan, his father wouldn¡¯t have died so soon after he and his mother had reunited with his father, and his name wouldn¡¯t have been Lu Gesen but Han Gesen. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to see his grandfather. By the time he and his mother received the news, his grandfather had already passed away and the Han family had been incorporated into the Shen family as the Shen family had planned. The turmoil of his early childhood had left him full of resentment towards the Shen family, which also included Shen Xi. But what he hadn¡¯t expected was that Shen Dehan would be so cruel to Shen Xi, raising him to be an uncompromising little bastard. Lu Gesen frowned. He had to see Shen Xi as soon as possible. No matter what kind of feelings Shen Xi held for the Shen family and Shen Dehan, Shen Xi had half of the Han family¡¯s blood in his veins after all and he had the right to know the truth back then. But how should he convince Shen Xi to cooperate with his plan, and will Shen Xi listen to him? Lu Gesen frowned thinking about how he should explain himself to Shen Xi when the phone rang suddenly. ¡°Foster father!¡± There was obvious joy in Lu Gesen¡¯s tone. The person on the other side of the phone was clearly happy too, ¡°How is it? Have you gotten Shen Xi¡¯s information?¡± Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, ¡°Got it, I just didn¡¯t expect Shen Dehan to be so ruthless, Shen Xi has been turned into a waste by him.¡± The person on the other side of the phone sighed, ¡°It¡¯s also my fault. If I could have found a way to reach out to Shen Xi and give him a few pointers, maybe he wouldn¡¯t be like this today.¡± Lu Gesen immediately retorted, ¡°What makes you think that, foster father? You have no relationship with Shen Xi, and if you get close to him, Shen Dehan will be suspicious. Besides, you have given me so much help over the years, you have already done enough.¡± The man on the other side sighed again, ¡°Enough of that, when do you plan to see Shen Xi?¡± Lu Gesen said, ¡°As soon as possible. Now that Shen Ji is being dragged down by Yunrou, it is a good opportunity for Shen Xi.¡± The man on the other side agreed, ¡°Good, Shen Xi was unmotivated before, that was because he didn¡¯t have the opportunity. Now the opportunity is right in front of him, unless he is really rotten, if you help him up, he has a chance. If you brothers join forces, the revival of the Han family is just around the corner.¡± Lu Gesen gave a solemn ¡°en¡±, ¡°Foster father, I won¡¯t let you down.¡± CH 34 Once again, Shen Xi had a nightmare. This time the dream was no longer about the night when he was eighteen in his previous life, but about the day his mother died when he was much younger. Shen Xi remembered that it was a rainy day, and although it was midday, the sky was as dark as at night. His father hadn¡¯t been home for several days, and Shen Ji and Shen Cheng had been taken to the Li family by their aunt, leaving him and his mother alone in the entire Shen household. His mother seemed to be in a bad mood for a few days, her face was pale and she often sat alone in a daze. After the housekeeper informed his mother that his father was coming back at noon, Shen Xi saw his mother throw everything in the room in annoyance. At noon that day, Shen Xi was sent by his mother to take an early nap, but he couldn¡¯t sleep and was bored holding his bear and playing adventure games alone. Soon afterwards, his father returned and he and his mother had the most violent argument they had ever had. The servants all stayed away and Shen Xi was so scared that he hid behind the stairs with his bear. He heard his mother¡¯s voice getting quieter and quieter until it finally became a plea, but his father was still very angry and scolded his mother severely. Finally, his father returned to his study in a rage, leaving his mother alone in the corridor, lost in thought. Shen Xi didn¡¯t understand what they were arguing about. He just ran over to comfort his mother, who didn¡¯t say anything, looked at Shen Xi blankly and smiled, and gently kissed him on the forehead. Shen Xi would always remember the feeling of his mother¡¯s lips on his forehead, cold and without a trace of life. After his mother kissed him, she took his hand and led him back to his room, then turned and left. Shen Xi watched his mother¡¯s back as she walked away. Not long after, there was the sound of something heavy falling to the ground in the courtyard, accompanied by the screams of the servants. Shen Xi curiously climbed up to the window and looked down. His mother was lying in the courtyard covered in blood, the cold rain beating down on her body, and Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were dazzled with red. Shen Xi stayed frozen at the window, looking at his mother¡¯s body until his grandfather received the news and rushed over. Only then did a servant notice that something was wrong. After that day, Shen Xi fell so ill that he did not even make it to his mother¡¯s funeral. Perhaps because the shock was so great, the little Shen Xi forgot what he had seen. It was only when he drove his car into Tian Wenyao, with his eyes full of bright red, that he remembered that afternoon once again. Since then, for fifteen years, these two nightmares had been a presence that Shen Xi could not shake off. Struggling to open his eyes, Shen Xi sat up with a gasp. It was just past 3am, still three hours before dawn. Shen Xi did not feel like sleeping anymore and sat in the darkness, hugging the blanket, until it was light outside. Then Shen Xi tiredly lay back down and tried to nap some more. When the phone rang, Shen Xi was sleeping very restlessly, and the constant ringing completely awakened him. ¡°Hello!¡± Shen Xi said in a low voice. His whole body was devoid of energy and he just wanted to go back to sleep. ¡°Shen Xi?¡± There was an unfamiliar voice on the phone, tinged with a hint of uncertainty. Shen Xi rubbed his forehead, ¡°It¡¯s me, who is this?¡± The other party seemed to be thinking of the wording, ¡°I¡¯m Lu Gesen, I want to see you.¡± ¡°Lu Gesen?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s mind snapped awake, his drowsiness immediately disappearing. Thinking of what Lao K said, Shen Xi said quietly, ¡°Who is Lu Gesen? I don¡¯t seem to know you.¡± The other party did not answer his question but said simply, ¡°Are you home? I¡¯m at your doorstep.¡± Shen Xi did not expect Lu Gesen to come to his door like this. He couldn¡¯t help but become curious about his intentions. After quickly changing his clothes, Shen Xi opened the door. The moment their eyes met, both of them froze a little. Shen Xi had no memory of this man and did not understand why he could have approached him, while Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi¡¯s appearance that was so much like Han Yu¡¯s and felt slightly lost. Lu Gesen looked more like his mother, without any trace of his father, which was something his mother always regretted. Although Lu Gesen had already seen a picture of Shen Xi when he was collecting information, the shock that the real person brought him was far greater than the photo. This shock made Lu Gesen realise clearly that the person in front of him was related to him by blood and was the only family he had in the world. Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes softened, and he looked at Shen Xi¡¯s obvious lack of sleep with disapproval, ¡°You need to go out and fool around less at night and rest early.¡± The words were so inexplicable that Shen Xi sized up the man in front of him suspiciously. Lu Gesen was very thin, wearing a pair of frameless glasses, looking at him with a serious expression, his gaze changing from an inquisitive one to a concerned one. ¡°Lu Gesen?¡± Shen Xi said in confusion. Lu Gesen nodded, ¡°My real name is Han Gesen, Lu is my mother¡¯s surname.¡± Shen Xi did not say anything; he was a little confused about what the other party meant by this statement. Lu Gesen curved the corner of his mouth at Shen Xi, ¡°Or would you like to call me cousin? My father was Han Yu.¡± The impact of these words was too great for Shen Xi, who looked at the other party in shock, unable to utter a single word. Lu Gesen was satisfied with Shen Xi¡¯s reaction. If Shen Xi¡¯s reaction to this news was bland, he would have to consider whether some words should be said outright. Gesturing at Shen Xi¡¯s back, Lu Gesen said with a serious look on his face, ¡°Can I come in and talk?¡± Shen Xi took a deep breath and nodded. Lu Gesen obviously had an energetic personality. As soon as he sat down, he took out a document from his bag and handed it to Shen Xi, ¡°This is a copy of the DNA test results of my father and me. Underneath is my father¡¯s signature. You can get someone to verify it. If you are still unsure, you can also do a DNA test with me, although it is not like father and son blood relation, our bloodlines will be close enough.¡± Shen Xi did not listen to what he said, but opened the DNA results directly, hastily skimming over the contents. Shen Xi¡¯s gaze fell on the bottom, two words written in bold cursive, Han Yu, the handwriting of his uncle, with the date of the test sixteen years ago underneath. Shen Xi did not speak, shocked much more than he could have expected.. If Lu Gesen¡¯s identity was real, then why hadn¡¯t his uncle said anything back then, why didn¡¯t anyone know about it? And why hadn¡¯t Lu Gesen found the Han family after his uncle¡¯s death? Shen Xi even wanted to ask, if Lu Gesen was really his cousin, why hadn¡¯t he shown up in his previous life? Shen Xi¡¯s silence was noticed by Lu Gesen, and he took the initiative to speak, ¡°If you have anything to ask, I will tell you what I know.¡± Shen Xi closed the report in his hand and looked at Lu Gesen, ¡°You know that Uncle has long since passed away and the Han family is no more. This certificate alone proves nothing at all.¡± Lu Gesen smiled wryly, ¡°I don¡¯t intend to prove anything either, as long as you believe it.¡± Shen Xi met Lu Gesen¡¯s gaze, ¡°Is there any need for me to believe or not?¡± Lu Gesen didn¡¯t answer the question, but changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a story first.¡± The protagonist of the story was Han Yu. Like most of the children of the Zhongjing families, Han Yu was sent abroad by Shen Xi¡¯s grandfather early. As a fellow countryman, Han Yu met Lu Ting, who had lived abroad since she was a child, and the two fell in love at first sight. After a year together, Han Yu planned to take Lu Ting back to China to get engaged at Christmas. Who expected that Han Rou would be rising hell at home to marry Shen Dehan. Han Yu¡¯s father reluctantly asked Han Yu to return home to persuade Han Rou. Han Yu and Lu Ting discussed the matter and decided that Han Yu would go to Zhongjing alone first. Unexpectedly, soon Lu Ting realised that she was pregnant, and at the same time the news that Han Yu was going to marry the Tian family spread. Lu Ting disappeared in a rage. Han Yu was heartbroken and refused to give up looking for Lu Ting. This search lasted for seven years until Han Rou¡¯s death when the two accidentally met in Zhongjing. Han Yu was overjoyed, but it was just in time for Han Rou¡¯s funeral. In order not to cause any trouble, Han Yu planned to wait until after Han Rou¡¯s funeral before taking Lu Ting and their son home. He also wanted to keep his father¡¯s emotions from rising and falling, so he kept the news to himself. But neither of them expected to hear the news of Han Yu¡¯s death just a few days after the family had reunited. Lu Ting was so devastated that she fell ill and would not have made it through if she had not had Han Gesen to look after. Afterwards, Lu Ting tried to bring Han Gesen back to the Han family, but she missed Han Yu¡¯s father. When Lu Ting found the Han family, she heard the news of Elder Han¡¯s death. Lu Ting took Lu Gesen abroad with her and lived a difficult life. A few years ago, after Lu Gesen had entered university, she eventually died of illness. Having said this, Lu Gesen glanced at Shen Xi, ¡°In other words, you are my only blood relative in this world. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you want me to believe you? Because I¡¯m your only family?¡± Shen Xi questioned. Lu Gesen shook his head, ¡°I want you to believe me because I need your assistance for the purpose of my return this time.¡± Lu gesen finally got to the point. Shen Xi looked at him without moving, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean, what did you return for? Is it not to meet me?¡± Lu Gesen sighed, ¡°In less than a month, the entire Han family died and the Han family¡¯s property fell into the hands of the Shen family. Although it was done in your name, haven¡¯t you sensed something a little fishy in all these years?¡± Shen Xi duly put a look of astonishment on his face, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Lu Gesen said coldly, ¡°As long as you pay attention, it¡¯s clear that what happened to the Han family back then was planned by someone behind the scenes. The Han family fell, and who was the one who benefited in the end? You do know that, don¡¯t you?¡± Shen Xi interrupted him sharply, ¡°You are talking nonsense, it is impossible.¡± Lu Gesen gave Shen Xi a pitying look, ¡°It¡¯s understandable that you don¡¯t believe it, but have you ever thought about why the Shen family has treated you so badly all these years? Isn¡¯t it just that they couldn¡¯t face you after doing something wrong and were afraid that you would find out the truth, so they indulged you to become what you are now?¡± Shen Xi stared blankly at Lu Gesen, unable to speak. Lu Gesen¡¯s heart softened and his voice softened, too, ¡°Think about it yourself.¡± Shen Xi shook his head, still refusing to believe. Lu Gesen sighed in disappointment and walked up to Shen Xi, ¡°I know what I said today is hard for you to believe, but trust me, there is absolutely not a single false word I said. I¡¯ll give you some time to think it over, call me when you think it through.¡± Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s unconscious nod in response, Lu Gesen added, ¡°I hope you can think about it calmly instead of impulsively going to Shen Dehan to question him. I believe you should not be so stupid.¡± Shen Xi nodded weakly, and Lu Gesen relaxed a little. He was really worried that Shen Xi would be too excited and would run to Shen Dehan looking for proof. Then all his hard work would be in vain; but fortunately, Shen Xi was not stupid enough to do that. He was so relieved that he could not help but comfort Shen Xi a little more, and only when he saw that Shen Xi had recovered a bit did he tell him to think carefully about his words and that he would be in touch with him again. Shen Xi sent Lu Gesen away with a lost look on his face. The moment he closed the door, Shen Xi¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. What Lu Gesen said went round and round in Shen Xi¡¯s mind. After thinking about it, Shen Xi called Lao K and recounted roughly what Lu Gesen had said. ¡°So, Lu Gesen is another cousin of yours? And he came back to take revenge for the Han family?¡± Lao K concluded. Shen Xi answered with an ¡°en¡±. ¡°Although he didn¡¯t specifically state what he was looking for me for, I probably can guess it. As for his identity, I believe it¡¯s true. But what he said is not necessarily true.¡± ¡°You mean about the Han family?¡± Shen Xi rubbed his forehead and sighed, ¡°I¡¯m more inclined to think that the Han family matter was just a series of accidents back then, but since Lu Gesen said so, maybe there was something behind the scenes that I don¡¯t know about. It¡¯s a pity that it was too long ago and many things can¡¯t be found.¡± Lao K said, ¡°As long as something happened, there must be traces of it. I¡¯m a pro at this, I¡¯ll see if I can find any clues.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll send Lu Gesen¡¯s DNA report to you later, you can check it out.¡± After Shen Xi finished explaining what Lao K had to do, he nestled on the sofa alone and pondered. Lu Gesen¡¯s purpose in finding him was nothing more than to persuade him to join forces, so should he agree? How would he divide the work between them after he said yes? It seemed that Lu Gesen wanted to persuade him to join Shen Group. This would definitely be a point of disagreement between them. How would he convince the other party? Shen Xi leaned back on the sofa with a headache. He still needed to gauge Lu Gesen¡¯s ability, he didn¡¯t want to have another helper that would hold him back. The doorbell rang once again, interrupting Shen Xi¡¯s thoughts. Shen Xi frowned and wondered who would come looking for him. He hesitantly opened the door and was greeted by Li Mingxuan¡¯s smile. CH 35 ¡°Cousin!¡± The smile on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face turned to concern when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s pale face, ¡°Why, didn¡¯t you sleep well last night?¡± Shen Xi nodded and moved out of the way, ¡°Had a nightmare.¡± Li Mingxuan followed him, ¡°Do you want to sleep for a while?¡± The words ¡®sleep for a while¡¯ spun around in Shen Xi¡¯s mind. Shen Xi stopped in his tracks and turned to Li Mingxuan, ¡°Will cousin sleep together with me?¡± Shen Xi said ¡®sleep together¡¯ very naturally, just as if asking Li Mingxuan to ¡®eat together¡¯. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s expression, he knew Shen Xi was not joking. Struggling for half a second, he hesitantly nodded. Shen Xi was very satisfied with Li Mingxuan¡¯s nod and took the initiative to pull Li Mingxuan all the way through the living room to the bedroom. The bedroom was still the way he had slept before, the curtains were tightly drawn and the light was dim. Shen Xi quickly changed his clothes into pyjamas and climbed into bed, taking up half of the bed for himself and leaving the other half for Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help but stay glued to Shen Xi¡¯s body, his eyes deep. Noticing that Shen Xi had left himself half of the bed, Li Mingxuan exhaled silently, suppressing the thought in his mind of pouncing on Shen Xi, and lay down gently beside him. Shen Xi took the initiative to huddle closer and drifted off to sleep in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. The lust in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart turned to pity when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s pale face, and he reached out to hold him and pat him lightly. This was not the first time that Shen Xi had actively squeezed into his arms; almost every night that Li Mingxuan stayed, Shen Xi would curl up against him. Li Mingxuan vaguely sensed that Shen Xi seemed to be very attached to his embrace. It had nothing to do with love or lust, he simply liked Li Mingxuan to hold him. Thinking back to Shen Xi¡¯s early childhood experiences, Li Mingxuan could not tell the complicated feelings in his heart, but only hugged the man in his arms tighter. Time flew by and it was almost evening in the blink of an eye. Li Mingxuan was half leaning against the head of the bed, flipping through the entertainment magazine that Shen Xi had placed beside the bed, while devoting his energy to paying attention to the sleeping Shen Xi in his arms. Seeing signs of Shen Xi waking up, Li Mingxuan put down the magazine in his hand and subconsciously touched Shen Xi¡¯s messy hair. When Shen Xi opened his eyes in a daze, Li Mingxuan said softly, ¡°Awake?¡± Confused, Shen Xi did not reply and instead had the intention of falling back to sleep. Li Mingxuan gently patted him, ¡°If you go to sleep again, you¡¯ll wake up tomorrow. Isn¡¯t Xiao Xi going to have dinner?¡± Remembering that he hadn¡¯t eaten all day, Shen Xi struggled to get up, rubbing his forehead while saying naturally, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°What does Xiao Xi want to eat?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat Sichuan cuisine.¡± Shen Xi said casually. The dishes that Li Mingxuan had packed and brought back last time had been thrown away because they had been left for too long, but although Shen Xi had not eaten them, he remembered the smell. At the moment he had just woken up from a good night¡¯s sleep and somehow managed to recall it. Li Mingxuan nodded, ¡°Good, I¡¯ll have Ye Han personally cook for you.¡± ¡°Ye Han?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the one you met last time.¡± After a little thought, Shen Xi understood who Li Mingxuan was talking about. Last time when he lost his temper at Li Mingxuan at that Sichuan restaurant, he was watched; obviously that person was Ye Han. Although he didn¡¯t know what Ye Han was doing at that restaurant, since Li Mingxuan said so, Ye Han must have been very good at what he did, so Shen Xi naturally wouldn¡¯t refuse. After quickly changing his clothes, Shen Xi was about to follow Li Mingxuan out, when Lao K¡¯s call suddenly came in. Shen Xi picked up, ¡°Xinghai, what¡¯s up?¡± The word ¡°Xinghai¡± really made Lao K shudder, but he immediately understood and lowered his voice, ¡°Gao Qiulin has agreed to cooperate with us. He will meet some little directors tomorrow to propose to the board of directors to give up Shen Ji¡¯s half negotiated contract for the household chemical line.¡± Shen Xi let out a ¡°good¡±. ¡°Since he¡¯s already agreed, then we¡¯ll release the news first thing tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Lao K replied dryly, and then gossiped, ¡°Who are you with now? Wait, don¡¯t tell me, let me guess! Li Mingxuan?¡± Lao K said tentatively. Shen Xi laughed, ¡°Eh, cousin is with me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a lunatic!¡± Lao K felt that this was the only phrase that could describe Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour. Shen Xi chuckled softly, ¡°Thank you for the compliment!¡± The word ¡°cousin¡± caught Li Mingxuan¡¯s attention. He turned to look at Shen Xi, ¡°Your friend?¡± Shen Xi nodded calmly, ¡°Wang Xinghai, do you remember him, cousin? He was quite impressed with you.¡± Li Mingxuan thought of that pretentious voice from last time and was not very happy about Shen Xi spending time with that man, yet he felt he was in no position to object, so he could only pretend not to care and asked, ¡°What did he want from you?¡± Shen Xi casually said, ¡°I started a film and television company with him. He just called to say that he signed up Chen Zhiwei. We plan to make a movie and release the news to recruit people.¡± ¡°Make a movie?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s words obviously took Li Mingxuan by surprise, ¡°How did Xiao Xi think of doing this?¡± The corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curved in a sneer, ¡°Because I don¡¯t know how to do anything else and this is the easiest, just write a check.¡± Li Mingxuan was so blocked that he couldn¡¯t speak. Shen Xi seemed to feel that it wasn¡¯t enough, and deliberately added, ¡°Since I don¡¯t plan to join Shen Group, I have to find something to do, otherwise how can my father feel at ease if I just keep hanging around like this? He might even think I¡¯m planning something secretly.¡± There was a faint sense of mockery in Shen Xi¡¯s words, and Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t tell how he felt after hearing them. He just felt bitter beyond belief. He wanted to say something to comfort Shen Xi, but his reason understood that it was the best thing for Shen Xi to do, so he just hesitated for a while. Shen Xi seemed oblivious to Li Mingxuan¡¯s complicated feelings and got in the car with great enthusiasm, urging Li Mingxuan to hurry up and drive as he was really hungry. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s excited smile and a thought came to his mind: if Shen Xi really had no interest in Shen Group, would there be fewer obstacles for him in getting together with Shen Xi? But on second thought, even if Shen Xi had made it clear that he had no interest in Shen Group, it would only diminish the entanglement of interests behind him, the blood ties between the two would not change. Shen Xi probably would never have imagined what kind of nasty thoughts he was having about him, right? Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart was torn between these thoughts and Shen Xi¡¯s words, going up and down along the way. Early the next morning, the various media that had been following the Yunrou incident quickly discovered a new statement on Yunrou¡¯s official website. ¡°All of Yunrou¡¯s products will be re-screened for raw materials in the near future to replace the formula to upgrade the products. Dioxane as a residue in the shampoo raw materials is a technical problem that exists not only in Yunrou¡¯s products but also in all shampoo products currently on the market. However, the upgraded Yunrou¡¯s products will completely solve this problem. ¡° As soon as this statement came out, it was frantically reprinted. All the brands in the household chemical market, whether foreign or local, were targeted in it, and the dioxane incident was once again brought to the limelight. Although Yunrou¡¯s official website quickly deleted the statement and announced that it was not released by Yunrou but the site had been hacked and altered, dioxane, the taboo of the entire industry, was still completely exposed. Everything began to develop in accordance with Shen Xi¡¯s memory of the previous life. Because of this statement, the entire household chemical industry was involved, and countless shampoo brands, large and small, that had heard of it, came out to dispel the rumours. But soon a test report of the shampoo brand sampling and testing for dioxane residue was revealed. Looking at the long list of brand names on it, the media was completely boiling! ¡°Ah Ji, what the hell are you doing?¡± Shen Dehan struggled to suppress his anger and tried his best to keep his tone as calm as possible. Just now on the board of directors, Gao Qiulin and a few little directors sneered at him, which made Shen Dehan really lose face. Shen Ji stood in front of Shen Dehan, disappointment faintly showing in his eyes, ¡°Father, do you also think that this statement was put up on my orders?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s face was dark, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I think, what matters is what others think.¡± Shen Ji did not say anything, and Shen Dehan continued, ¡°Do you know that once this statement is released, the entire household chemical industry will be offended? Even if the dioxane incident is over, do you think Yunrou can still continue to exist?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s words seemed to imply something, and Shen Ji couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°If Yunrou wants to expand, it will have to offend the entire household chemical industry, so what¡¯s the difference between that and now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between healthy competition and being squeezed out by the entire industry?¡± Shen Dehan said angrily. Shen Ji calmed down, ¡°This statement did not come from my instructions, but in the end it was my mistake. Whatever punishment the board of directors will have, I will bear it all. It¡¯s just that Yunrou is my entire heart and soul, and it¡¯s very important to Shen Group¡¯s future transformation, so I hope the board will treat any decision on Yunrou with care.¡± Saying that, Shen Ji could not help but soften his voice, ¡°Father, you said you will always support me.¡± The expectation in Shen Ji¡¯s words fell on deaf ears as Shen Dehan took a deep look at his most valued eldest son and let out a long sigh, ¡°Ah Ji, you know that whatever I do is for your own good.¡± ¡°Father?¡± Shen Ji had a bad feeling in his heart. Shen Dehan¡¯s next words quickly confirmed Shen Ji¡¯s premonition, ¡°This morning the board of directors proposed to abandon the contract for the household chemical line that was already half negotiated. I agreed.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Ji said in disbelief, ¡°Father, do you know how important that contract is to Yunrou right now? We have already paid the deposit, and now that the contract has been terminated suddenly, not only will we not get the deposit back, but the company will also have to pay additional compensation for breach of contract. How could you agree to this, Father?¡± Shen Dehan glanced at Shen Ji and said indifferently, ¡°Since the company¡¯s next plan is to cut Yunrou, what¡¯s wrong with cutting Yunrou¡¯s household chemical line in advance.¡± Shen Ji only felt his mind buzzing and immediately shouted out, ¡°Father, Yunrou is my heart and soul.¡± The expression on Shen Dehan¡¯s face was very cold, ¡°Ah Ji, is Yunrou important for you or is Shen Group important?¡± ¡°Father!¡± Shen Ji was surprised that Shen Dehan would suddenly ask this question. Shen Dehan said coldly, ¡°Shen Xi will soon be 23 years old, you haven¡¯t forgotten what the will in the lawyer¡¯s hand says, have you?¡± ¡°Father!¡± Shen Ji¡¯s tone softened. ¡°Once Shen Xi turns 23, the will your grandfather made back then will immediately take effect, and the shares that have been in my custody all these years will be divided equally among you three brothers. You three will then have the same say in the board of directors. Ah Ji, have you ever thought about whether those people in the board of directors would like to put you on top or would like to see Shen Xi on top?¡± Shen Ji fell silent, and Shen Dehan said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Gao Qiulin is up to but he clearly wants to use Yunrou to weaken your influence and shake everyone¡¯s confidence in you. Ah Ji, this is a critical moment. Yunrou is doomed without Shen Group¡¯s support, but if you insist on supporting Yunrou, you will be going against the board of directors. Shareholders don¡¯t look too far ahead, they can only see the immediate benefits. Without the support of the shareholders, no matter what it is, it will be an empty word. Yunrou has made quite a lot of money before, so by cutting it now, the shareholders will both feel free from the current predicament and feel that you have the determination.¡± Shen Ji continued to be silent as Shen Dehan lowered his voice, ¡°Ah Ji, I know that Yunrou has a special meaning to you, and Yunrou does have a special meaning to me. But this is an extraordinary time. Before your grandfather¡¯s will is made public, we must absolutely establish you as the heir.¡± Shen Ji listened to Shen Dehan¡¯s words in silence. For a while he said nothing and then spoke in a low voice with no expression, ¡°Father, I understand, I will go out first.¡± Shen Dehan looked at Shen Ji¡¯s lost figure and, thinking about the way his father had insisted on making a will back then, let out a long sigh. His father had worked his whole life for Shen Group¡¯s benefit, but in the end, he had not been able to resist the little bit of guilt he felt for Shen Xi. If it wasn¡¯t for his father¡¯s will back then, Ah Ji would never be in such a dilemma today! The author has something to say: There is a term in psychology called skin hunger, which refers to a latent but deep sense of longing to be loved, cared for and soothed. It develops when children rarely receive hugs and intimacy from their mothers as they grow up. If this feeling is too strong, it can lead to a pathological emotional need. Shen Xi¡¯s upbringing was actually very lacking in both motherly love and family care, and I think he just falls into the skin hunger category o(¨s¡õ¨t)o CH 36 Shen Xi was unaware of his father¡¯s concerns at the time and was focused on the aftermath of the dioxane incident. Just like Shen Xi remembered, after more than half a month of media and online brouhaha, the dioxane incident finally came to an end. All the household brands that could be found in the domestic market collectively apologised to consumers and promised to upgrade their product formulas as soon as possible to minimise the residue of dioxane in their products. Several domestic brands even issued a joint statement to collaborate on research and development to completely eliminate the problem of dioxane residues in raw materials. However, if one paid attention, one would find that Yunrou¡¯s name was not among these brands, and it was clear that Yunrou was squeezed out by the household chemical industry. When Shen Xi thought of the news he had just received about Shen Group¡¯s board of directors¡¯ decision to betray Yunrou and sell it off, he smiled coldly at the thought of Shen Ji¡¯s distraught appearance over the past few days. Yunrou was only his first move, now it was time to start the second one. He took out his mobile phone and called the number Lu Gesen had left last time. In an inconspicuous cafe down the street, Lu Gesen sat quietly in the corner, observing the door. He and Shen Xi arranged to meet here at three o¡¯clock, but as the time was about to pass, Shen Xi still did not appear. Lu Gesen could not help but frown; this meeting was arranged by Shen Xi on his own initiative, a week after they had last met. Lu Gesen was not surprised that it had taken Shen Xi so long to find him. Shen Xi was not stupid. It was impossible for him to believe whatever Lu Gesen said. This period of time was enough for Shen Xi to find someone to confirm the authenticity of the DNA report. What¡¯s more, the information Lu Gesen revealed last time was too shocking for Shen Xi, and Shen Xi also needed time to digest it. In fact, Lu Gesen reserved ten days for Shen Xi. He believed that ten days was enough time for Shen Xi to make a choice. If there was no news from Shen Xi after ten days, then he would have had to change his strategy. Fortunately, Shen Xi took the initiative to contact him today and arranged a time and place to meet; except that Lu Gesen glanced at the time again and felt a hint of worry at Shen Xi¡¯s delay. ¡°Welcome!¡± A mechanical voice sounded at the door. Lu Gesen subconsciously looked up to see Shen Xi wearing a black pullover sweater and a pair of sunglasses that covered half of his face push in the door. Lu Gesen was about to get up and greet Shen Xi when She Xi saw him and walked towards the corner. Shen Xi took off his sunglasses as soon as he was seated and said apologetically to Lu Gesen, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late.¡± Lu Gesen was about to say, ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± but was startled when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s face and changed his words to, ¡°You haven¡¯t slept well in the past few days?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s face looked very pale, and his eyes were somewhat bloodshot. He obviously looked like he hadn¡¯t rested well. Shen Xi frowned slightly; naturally he could not explain that he had gotten used to Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace some time ago, and this week Li Mingxuan had gone to Haicheng on a business trip, causing his sleep to be even worse than before. Shen Xi gave a faint ¡°en¡±. This look suited the role Shen Xi was supposed to play today. Shen Xi glanced at Lu Gesen silently. Presumably, in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes, no matter how heartless he was, after learning the truth about the events that year, he could not escape the pain and agony of tossing and turning, right? As expected, Shen Xi¡¯s appearance at this moment made Lu Gesen¡¯s heart soften. His tone became milder, ¡°I know the truth must have caused you a lot of pain, but you have half of the Han family¡¯s blood in your veins, I can¡¯t let you be kept in the dark.¡± Shen Xi nodded with a miserable smile, ¡°I know, in fact I should thank you. I never understood before why my father wouldn¡¯t look at me, but it turns out that the reason was that. And Grandpa, the person who treated me the best when I was a child was Grandpa, I won¡¯t let Grandpa¡­¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t go on, but changed the subject, ¡°You must have come to me not just to tell me about this. What is your plan?¡± As Shen Xi looked straight at Lu Gesen, Lu Gesen met Shen Xi¡¯s eyes and gently spat out a word, ¡°Revenge!¡± Shen Xi visibly trembled, and then lowered his head and clenched his fists hard. After a while, he raised his head and looked at Lu Gesen firmly, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Lu Gesen looked deeply at Shen Xi and slowly said, ¡°Not you alone, but us together.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression changed slightly, but Lu Gesen suddenly moved to another topic, ¡°Do you know about the dioxane incident?¡± Shen Xi obviously did not understand what Lu Gesen meant, but still nodded hesitantly. Lu Gesen said dryly, ¡°The dioxane incident is our opportunity.¡± Seeing that Shen Xi still did not understand, Lu Gesen could not help but explain in detail, ¡°The cause of the dioxane incident is Yunrou. Yunrou, you know, is a subsidiary company under Shen Group, fully under the responsibility of Shen Ji.¡± Shen Xi nodded as Lu Gesen continued, ¡°Originally, Yunrou was developing well and contributing a lot of profits to Shen Group, but since the dioxane incident, Yunrou is in a great predicament. It can be said that Yunrou¡¯s predicament is exactly Shen Ji¡¯s predicament. Because of Shen Ji¡¯s persistent refusal to give up Yunrou, the board of directors is now very dissatisfied with him, and Shen Ji¡¯s original position as heir apparent has been shaken. This is your opportunity. As long as you take advantage of the situation to enter Shen Group, I will find a way for you to gain the support of the board of directors to replace Shen Ji. As long as you get a firm foothold in Shen Group, the future of Shen Group may be in your hands.¡± Lu Gesen did not say any more but his meaning was all but revealed. As long as Shen Xi took control of the power in Shen Group, it would be a matter of one sentence from him to toss Shen Group around. Even if Shen Dehan and Shen Ji tried to stop him, they might not be able to do so. Lu Gesen had a very good idea, but unfortunately Shen Xi did not intend to follow his plan. Facing Lu Gesen¡¯s eager gaze, Shen Xi slowly shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t do what you said.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi with a look of disbelief and astonishment. Shen Xi lowered his head, ¡°You seem to have forgotten that father will not let me enter Shen Group. As soon as I show the slightest intention, father has the means to control me.¡± Lu Gesen didn¡¯t expect Shen Xi to be worried about this. His face eased and he let out a sigh of relief, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, I will naturally think of a way.¡± Shen Xi still shook his head, ¡°Even if I enter Shen Group, with my father and eldest brother, things will not be as simple as you think. Compared to me, I would think that Shen Cheng is more suitable.¡± ¡°Shen Cheng?¡± Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi inexplicably, thinking that he must have been joking. A trace of ridicule flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face, ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? As you said, Shen Ji is in a difficult situation at this time. This is my chance, but it is also Shen Cheng¡¯s chance. Unlike me, who my father fears, Shen Cheng is Shen Ji¡¯s younger brother, so I think my father will be more comfortable with Shen Cheng temporarily taking over Shen Ji¡¯s position.¡± When Shen Xi said this, Lu Gesen fully understood what he meant, and couldn¡¯t help hesitating. What Shen Xi said was a great temptation to Lu Gesen. Thinking about it, what could be more painful than Shen Dehan watching his two sons turn against each other for the fortune of the Shen family? What¡¯s more, compared to Shen Dehan¡¯s fear of Shen Xi, Shen Dehan wouldn¡¯t have any scruples about Shen Cheng, and there would be plenty of time for them to do some manoeuvring in the process. Lu Gesen thought back on the dealings he had with Shen Cheng; unlike Shen Ji¡¯s excellence, Shen Cheng¡¯s abilities were really not worth mentioning. With an incompetent heir, the fall of the Shen family seemed smoother, and that was better than having to force Shen Xi¡¯s hand. Lu Gesen¡¯s only concern was that Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were blood brothers and had always had a good relationship. Shen Xi could see Lu Gesen¡¯s hesitation and sneered, ¡°Since ancient times, don¡¯t you know how many brothers have turned against each other for the family property? Shen Cheng used to have no hope. Now that you put hope in front of him, what do you think he will do?¡± What Shen Xi didn¡¯t say was that just as he had been treated as an outcast by Shen Dehan from the very beginning, how was Shen Cheng not an outcast in another sense? It was only that Shen Dehan would give Shen Cheng the opportunity to choose within certain limits, while he was deprived of any opportunity. Now an opportunity that Shen Cheng had never thought of before would be placed in front of him. Even if he was not moved at first, Shen Xi did not believe that Shen Cheng would not be moved after time. Having tried the taste of power, would Shen Cheng still willingly give everything in his hands back to Shen Ji again? What¡¯s more, Shen Cheng had been hidden in the shadow of Shen Ji for so many years. Perhaps he didn¡¯t realise it himself, but if someone kept whispering in his ear, over time, would Shen Cheng still love Shen Ji as much as before? As the saying goes, one mountain does not tolerate two tigers, and after Shen Cheng took over Shen Ji¡¯s position, what would Shen Ji do? Would he be able to control himself from pointing fingers at Shen Cheng¡¯s actions? Shen Xi could almost see the day when the two brothers turned against each other. Lu Gesen was still hesitating, and Shen Xi gave him a covert glance. It had been his intention all along to push Shen Cheng forward while Shen Ji was dragged down by Yunrou. The only problem was to plant one of his own people around Shen Cheng. Originally, Shen Xi had planned to use Gao Qiulin¡¯s manpower, but Lu Gesen¡¯s appearance solved this problem perfectly. A young man who was trusted by Shen Dehan, of good character, and at the same time having a good relationship with Shen Ji. Who else could be more suitable than him? Lu Gesen thought for a moment, and quickly decided, ¡°You are right, Shen Cheng is more suitable than you.¡± Now that it was determined to let Shen Cheng take advantage of the situation, Lu Gesen¡¯s previous plans had to be rearranged. As for Shen Xi, Lu Gesen just hoped that he could show up when he needed to, and Shen Xi naturally did not refuse. After the two of them finished speaking, they were both quiet for a moment. Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi¡¯s silent look and tried his best to speak calmly, ¡°You should go back and rest first, I will arrange this matter.¡± A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face, and then he nodded. Once he got up to leave, Lu Gesen suddenly called out to him, his gaze eager, ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you call me cousin. I wonder if I can hear it now?¡± Shen Xi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said in a low voice, ¡°Cousin.¡± The moment he said that, what appeared in Shen Xi¡¯s mind was the figure of Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi shook his head and smiled at Lu Gesen. CH 37 While Shen Xi was missing Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace, Li Mingxuan was also thinking about Shen Xi. After reading the last document in his hand, Li Mingxuan relaxed and casually put the documents together, got up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The branch office of the Li family in Haicheng was located on the top floor of the most prestigious Gemini Building on the financial street. From the office, the view of the whole Haicheng was unobstructed and could only be called excellent. Li Mingxuan used to love this place, and when he was tired of working, he would always stand by the window and look out at the scenery. But this time Li Mingxuan could not concentrate, and the only thing that appeared in his mind was Shen Xi. It had been ten days since he came to Haicheng, and the original seven-day trip was prolonged by him for three more days. These days, he deliberately used his busy schedule to anaesthetise himself just to avoid thinking of Shen Xi. But this only had an effect during the day. He got used to holding Shen Xi to sleep every night, and got used to their bodies being intertwined every night. Now Li Mingxuan would always wake up in the middle of the night alone, feeling the emptiness around him, and his thoughts would surge from the bottom of his heart. After that, Li Mingxuan could no longer sleep, but could only paint a picture of Shen Xi in his mind, and spend the long nights missing him. Although Li Mingxuan felt that he was going crazy with longing, he still held back from making any contact with Shen Xi. He knew he was running away, he just couldn¡¯t make a choice. From the moment he discovered his feelings for Shen Xi, he had been struggling internally. Reason reminded him to stay away from Shen Xi, but his emotions indulged him to come closer again and again. Li Mingxuan originally wanted to deceive himself and stay by Shen Xi¡¯s side as a cousin, but his father¡¯s words before he left sounded like a wake-up call in his ears. At that time, Li Mingxuan had just sent Shen Xi home and returned to the Li family¡¯s house to pack his things for his business trip. To his surprise, his father, who had always gone to bed early, suddenly appeared at the door of his room, posing for a casual chat. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t think much of it at the time. In the past, his father would chat with him casually like this. He put down his half-packed luggage and sat down with his father. The topic that the two of them talked about at the beginning was nothing more than matters related to the business trip. Li Mingxuan had done a good job in preparing for the trip and Li Xiyong was very satisfied with it. Seeing that Li Mingxuan was fully prepared for the trip to Haicheng, Li Xiyong suddenly changed the subject, ¡°Mingxuan, do you have someone you like?¡± Li Mingxuan was startled; his face had an unnatural expression for a moment, and then he quickly reacted and looked at his father as if nothing had happened, ¡°No, Dad, why would you ask that?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s momentary unnaturalness did not escape Li Xiyong¡¯s eyes, but he did not show it. Even after hearing Li Mingxuan¡¯s denial, he just smiled as usual and did not continue the topic. Seeing that his father still had the intention to go on chatting, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t dare to take it lightly anymore and dedicated all his attention to the conversation. Even so, when Li Xiyong asked another question carelessly, Li Mingxuan was still stunned for a moment despite being mentally prepared. ¡°Mingxuan, you seem to be very close to Shen Xi recently?¡± Although his father¡¯s expression was the same as usual and he seemed to have asked it casually, when Li Mingxuan thought of the other question his father had just asked and these two unrelated questions put together, he didn¡¯t dare to guess what it meant. Fighting the waves of shock in his heart, Li Mingxuan looked at his father as frankly as he could and found an excuse that even he did not believe, ¡°Mom asked me to take care of Shen Xi more.¡± Li Xiyong nodded noncommittally, as if he didn¡¯t take the issue to heart. He casually chatted with Li Mingxuan for a few more minutes before instructing him to rest early and leaving the room. Li Mingxuan wondered if his father had noticed something. He had always known that his father¡¯s intuition was very keen, and the Li family had avoided many crises over the years by relying on his father¡¯s intuition. But when his father used it on him one day, it didn¡¯t feel so good. He should have thought that his frequent sleepless nights would surely attract his father¡¯s attention, but he had convinced himself time and again that this was the last time. And yet each time he could not control himself. Now his father¡¯s reminder had made the choice for him. He had to stay away from Shen Xi. This matter was his fault alone from the beginning to the end. He was the one who had thought of Shen Xi in the way he shouldn¡¯t have. He was not afraid to face his family¡¯s reproach, but Shen Xi was innocent and Li Mingxuan did not want him to be misunderstood by his family, especially when the Shen family was in such a chaotic situation. Li Mingxuan let out a long sigh. Ye Han was right, Shen Xi¡¯s position in the Shen family was already embarrassing enough. He shouldn¡¯t have burdened Shen Xi out of his own selfishness. Although he understood everything, when the time came to make a decision, Li Mingxuan still could not make up his mind, which was why he had repeatedly delayed his return from Haicheng. The thoughts in his mind were so complicated that Li Mingxuan lit a cigarette irritably. Unnoticed by him, the dusk had already settled outside the window, and in the hazy night, countless lights were lit up, the whole city full of ambience and beauty. There were no lights on in the office. The darkness hid Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression, and only the bright point of the cigarette in his hand could be seen. The phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence of the room. A faint white light shone from the table, illuminating the silent figure of Li Mingxuan in front of the window. Li Mingxuan did not turn around and let the phone ring a few times and then go quiet again. In his mind, the only people who would call at this time were his family and a few friends. He didn¡¯t want to talk now, he just wanted to be left alone. In Zhongjing on the other side, Shen Xi hung up the phone with a gloomy expression. It had been ten days; he had not heard from Li Mingxuan for ten whole days. If at first Shen Xi was bothered by being unable to sleep well without Li Mingxuan by his side, then later Li Mingxuan¡¯s silence was enough to make Shen Xi understand what was going on. Thinking of Li Mingxuan taking care of him before going on a business trip, Shen Xi sneered. Li Mingxuan really thought that after he approached him, he could leave so easily? How could he allow it? He could guess what Li Mingxuan was thinking in his heart, based on his character. It was nothing more than struggling with the blood relationship between the two, worrying about Shen Xi¡¯s disgust. Shen Xi didn¡¯t mention it before because he thought it was good to maintain the status quo. Li Mingxuan was by his side every night anyway. But now, Shen Xi frowned irritably, it seemed that he was going to take the initiative. Although he was planning to take the initiative, Shen Xi didn¡¯t bother to dial Li Mingxuan again. After thinking about it, Shen Xi called Lao K and Fang Luowei and invited them to sing together. These days, Shen Xi did not stay idle. Firstly, he rented a big office and put up the logo of the film and television company. Secondly, he asked Lao K to set up a manager position and recruit a few employees. In any case, this would be his business for some time to come, so he had to take care of it. As for Fang Luowei¡¯s previous contract, he didn¡¯t bother much. With the name of the Shen family¡¯s Sanshao it was just a piece of cake. With the start of filming of Chen Zhiwei¡¯s movie, rumours began to circulate in the community that the movie was paid for by Shen Xi. Shen Xi did not deny it. As a result, everyone was convinced that Shen Sansao, who had always been fooling around, seemed to have no intention of entering Shen Group and instead planned to join the entertainment industry. When the news spread, Shen Xi¡¯s father took the initiative to contact him once, and his words were full of curiosity about Shen Xi¡¯s movements. Shen Xi sneered in his heart, but in front of his father, he showed that he was very eager to enter the entertainment industry. He didn¡¯t want to join Shen Group anyway, so it would be good for him to start his own company for fun. Since he was not good at anything and loved to have fun, the entertainment industry would suit him best. Shen Xi¡¯s father did not doubt what Shen Xi said. Even though Shen Xi had been out of the country for the previous five years, news about Shen Xi was constantly coming to Shen Dehan. He had always been confident that he knew Shen Xi very well, and in his eyes, Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour this time was just a new way of playing when he was tired of playing something else. As for Shen Xi¡¯s words about being interested in the entertainment industry, Shen Dehan only snorted. He had heard the rumours that Shen Xi was making such a big fuss just for a little singer surnamed Fang. During this period of time, because of Yunrou¡¯s case, there had been some minor turmoil in the board of directors, especially when Gao Qiulin started to stir up trouble again, and Shen Dehan was quite anxious. He was most worried that Shen Xi would be encouraged to have some thoughts about Shen Group. Seeing that Shen Xi was having fun on his own, Shen Dehan finally put his mind at ease and generously gave Shen Xi a sum of money, leaving him to his own devices. As long as Shen Xi didn¡¯t mess with Shen Group¡¯s affairs, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. Anyway, Shen Xi¡¯s dividends were enough for Shen Xi to spend freely. Lao K and Fang Luowei became acquainted through Shen Xi. Of course, Fang Luowei only knew that the man in front of him was Wang Xinghai, a friend of Shen Xi, and he didn¡¯t know that this man was the famous Lao K from the dark side of Zhongjing. Shen Xi had no intention of telling Fang Luowei about Lao K¡¯s identity, as he did not want to involve Fang Luowei in what he was going to do. When he received Shen Xi¡¯s call, Lao K was not very interested, but Fang Luowei was very happy, and in a two-against-one situation Lao K was forced to appear in front of Shen Xi. ¡°What kind of expression is it?¡± Shen Xi had a disgusted look on his face. Lao K said bitterly, ¡°A happy one!¡± Shen Xi snorted coldly and Fang Luowei smiled, kindly interjecting, ¡°Have we booked a room yet?¡± Lao K nodded and glanced at Shen Xi sadly, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that people want to go to the Shutu to see the world, but Xiao Xixi is only willing to bring them to a place like this.¡± Behind Lao K, the word ¡°Congress¡± shone brightly, and Fang Luowei gave Lao K a curious look, ¡°What¡¯s Shutu, isn¡¯t Congress already the best KTV in Zhongjing?¡± Lao K was about to explain, but suddenly remembered that Shen Xi didn¡¯t seem to want to talk much about Shutu, so he changed the subject with a chuckle. Fang Luowei smiled and didn¡¯t ask any further questions. To put it mildly, Fang Luowei sang the best among them, while Lao K was second, and it was Shen Xi who sang very much out of tune. Lao K¡¯s original reluctance turned to positivity after mocking Shen Xi, and he refused to put down the microphone. Fang Luowei smiled and stood next to Lao K, cheering him on. Shen Xi sat alone at the back, looking at the two figures in front of him and smiling faintly. Fang Luowei turned around without thinking and saw Shen Xi¡¯s smiling face, only to feel a twitch in his heart, as if something was different. While they were having a good time over here, Li Mingxuan was rushing back to Zhongjing overnight. After being alone and quiet for a long time, Li Mingxuan finally switched on the lights in his office and packed his things to go back to the hotel. Casually picking up the mobile phone on his table, Li Mingxuan remembered the previous call and opened the call log. The words ¡°Shen Xi¡± were reflected in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes, and his whole body froze in place. This was the first time Shen Xi had called him, and Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t even think about it before calling back. But no matter how many times he dialled, there was never any answer on the other end. Li Mingxuan could not tell how he felt at this moment. All the thoughts he had deliberately suppressed resurfaced. His reasoning was left behind, he just wanted to see Shen Xi immediately. Without hesitation, Li Mingxuan took a taxi to the airport and asked his assistant to book the nearest flight back to Zhongjing. On the way to the airport, Li Mingxuan still refused to give up dialling the familiar number. Inside Shen Xi¡¯s bag, the screen of his mobile phone flashed continuously, the ringing tone so faint that it did not make a single ripple under the sound of the room¡¯s huge stereo. CH 38 Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t remember how many times he redialled the familiar number along the way, but no matter how much he called, the mechanical ¡°No answer¡± always came out of the receiver. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank to the bottom a little, but the missed call was like a thin thread holding him, preventing him from sinking completely. In the midst of this indescribable torment, a sweet beep sounded from the intercom, and the plane was about to take off. Li Mingxuan stared at his phone in silence for half a second before choosing to turn it off. The distance between Haicheng and Zhongjing was not long, only an hour¡¯s flight. Li Mingxuan had made this journey countless times in the past, but not once had he felt it was so slow. Li Mingxuan stared unconsciously out of the window. The night sky was dotted with stars, like blue velvet studded with countless sparkling diamonds. Such beautiful scenery was rarely seen by people living in the city, but Li Mingxuan had no thought of appreciating it. All that lingered in his mind was the phone call he had missed. What did Shen Xi want to say to him? This was a question Li Mingxuan asked himself countless times, and he desperately wanted to know the answer. Even though Shen Xi might have been just politely greeting him, there was always a voice in Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind that faintly but firmly repeated that this call was important to him, as if he had lost something vital by missing it. ¡°Shen Xi,¡± Li Mingxuan muttered the name in his heart and let out a silent sigh. At 2am, the three people singing finally put down their microphones and the only sound left in the private room was the sound of background music. Lao K slumped on the sofa contentedly, his voice hoarse as he shouted to Shen Xi, ¡°Xiao Xixi, why don¡¯t I become a singer too?¡± Shen Xi lazily gave him a glance and teased, ¡°I¡¯m worried there are no such indiscriminate fans.¡± Fang Luowei who was drinking a glass of water wanted to laugh when he heard these words, but resisted, his face flushed. Lao K pounced on Shen Xi, demanding him to admit that he was his fan. Shen Xi didn¡¯t expect the sudden weight of Lao K on top of him. He grunted and was about to break free when Lao K suddenly stopped moving with a puzzled look on his face, ¡°Did you hear anything?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Xi asked. Lao K listened intently for a long time, then suddenly reached out, picked up Shen Xi¡¯s bag and fished out Shen Xi¡¯s mobile phone. The screen was glimmering faintly, and a quiet ringing tone sounded continuously as the words ¡°Li Mingxuan¡± were reflected in Lao K¡¯s eyes. Lao K hesitantly held the phone and handed it to Shen Xi, who frowned invisibly, pushed Lao K away and walked out of the room with the phone. Fang Luowei looked over curiously, ¡°Who would be looking for Shen Xi so late?¡± A trace of seriousness flashed in Lao K¡¯s eyes, and he said with a headache, ¡°Li Mingxuan.¡± After saying that, he thought that Fang Luowei might not know Li Mingxuan, and immediately added, ¡°Shen Xi¡¯s cousin.¡± Hearing the name ¡°Li Mingxuan¡± once again, still associated with Shen Xi, Fang Luowei subconsciously looked towards the door of the private room, a hint of something strange flickering in his heart. The soundproofing of the Congress was well done; Shen Xi found a secluded corner and pressed the call button, placing the phone to his ear. Li Mingxuan did not expect the call to be answered after he had already been disappointed countless times and was in a momentary trance when the three words ¡°on the line¡± were displayed. No one spoke on either side of the phone, and the two were silent as they listened to each other¡¯s soft breathing. Li Mingxuan came back to his senses and wanted to speak, but suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say. Unable to suppress his thoughts, he had frantically rushed back to Zhongjing from Haicheng overnight. In the torment of gains and losses, everything came down to the most ordinary greeting, ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯m back.¡± A few short words contained too many emotions, burrowing into Shen Xi¡¯s ears. Shen Xi subconsciously asked in return, ¡°Why did you book such a late flight?¡± In the silent night, the surprise in Shen Xi¡¯s words was clearly heard by Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan fell silent and said softly a few seconds later, ¡°Suddenly I remembered something.¡± Shen Xi frowned; a thought flashed through his mind and he asked hesitantly, ¡°Are you in Jingtai District now?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and gave a low ¡°en¡±. Shen Xi only felt that this ¡°en¡± seemed to land on his heart. Some emotion rose up from the bottom of his soul, and after two irritable steps, Shen Xi heard his own voice, ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Simply hanging up the phone, Shen Xi was about to return to the private room when he suddenly saw a series of missed calls on his phone. Reaching out and tapping on it, he saw that all the calls came from the same number, starting from 9pm last night and continuing until now, with only a short gap of an hour in the middle. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were complicated as he stared at the calls, brushing his fingers over them one by one and finally choosing to delete them all. Back in the private room, Lao K was about to make a comeback after a short break when Shen Xi interrupted them, ¡°I have to go back first.¡± Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise. Lao K thought of something, glanced at Shen Xi suspiciously and said tentatively, ¡°Li Mingxuan is back from his business trip?¡± Shen Xi nodded, and Lao K insisted, ¡°Now at your doorstep?¡± Shen Xi gave Lao K a wry smile, and Lao K immediately reached out and made a zipping motion over his mouth, indicating that he hadn¡¯t said anything. Fang Luowei¡¯s gaze swept between the two, vaguely understanding what was going on, and a hint of sadness that even he couldn¡¯t explain slowly welled up in the bottom of his heart. Shen Xi didn¡¯t linger much, and turned to leave after giving a few words of explanation. Behind him, Lao K stared at his hurriedly departing figure with a hint of worry in his eyes. But on second thought, since Shen Xi was so perverted, it was probably Li Mingxuan who should have been worried. Lao K¡¯s mood turned to the better again, and he dragged Fang Luowei to sing a love song with him. Fang Luowei was forced to sing one song after another with Lao K. What he couldn¡¯t stand was that Lao K insisted on pinching his voice to sing female parts. While Fang Luowei was tortured by Lao K, Shen Xi sped up the car to 200, and the signboard of Jingtai District was already faintly visible from afar. A few minutes later, Shen Xi parked the car downstairs, heard a voice, and a straight figure in front of the apartment building slowly walked over. Under the dim yellow street light, Li Mingxuan walked out of the darkness step by step. Shen Xi sat inside the car and only felt his heart beat inexplicably fast. Trying hard to suppress the hint of strangeness in his mind, Shen Xi opened the car door and stepped out, flashing a smile at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Cousin.¡± The man he had missed all the way was standing right in front of him, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart was swirling with all kinds of complicated emotions, but in the end, he just returned Shen Xi¡¯s smile as he always did. The two of them went back to the apartment as usual, showered and changed clothes. Li Mingxuan sat on the bed, silently watching Shen Xi put away his things. He had rushed back from Haicheng overnight in one breath, but after seeing Shen Xi, the intensity dissipated a little, and his father¡¯s reminder appeared in his mind once again. It was as if the struggle of the past ten days had continued into the present, and Li Mingxuan laughed bitterly, silently. Shen Xi was oblivious to Li Mingxuan¡¯s strangeness. After putting away his clothes, he naturally climbed into bed and rubbed against Li Mingxuan¡¯s side. ¡°Is cousin not sleeping yet?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice sounded muffled, with a vague hint of drowsiness. Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a gentle look and lay down beside him. Shen Xi obediently squeezed into Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms and reached out to hug him. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat when Shen Xi seemed to feel uncomfortable in his position and moved in his arms, accidentally touching the place he shouldn¡¯t have. A hard object stood abruptly against Shen Xi¡¯s lower abdomen, and both of them froze at the same time. Shen Xi was the first to react and his body slowly started to move backwards, while Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank a little with Shen Xi¡¯s movements. He had been suppressing his feelings in front of Shen Xi, fearing the rejection and disdain that Shen Xi would feel if he knew the truth. Now that Shen Xi¡¯s actions had said it all, Li Mingxuan only felt his heart fill with bitterness. He watched Shen Xi¡¯s movements in silence until Shen Xi left his embrace and their eyes locked. To Li Mingxuan¡¯s surprise, there was no rejection in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes as he expected, but rather an indescribable oddity. ¡°Cousin, are you GAY?¡± This sentence was simply a question, and Li Mingxuan nodded in silence. The odd look on Shen Xi¡¯s face became even more obvious, ¡°Does cousin like me?¡± It was still simply a question, and Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s face close at hand and nodded with difficulty. Shen Xi seemed very surprised. He looked at Li Mingxuan in astonishment and then laughed at himself, ¡°What can cousin like about me?¡± Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi¡¯s expression and his entire heart seized. Almost subconsciously, Li Mingxuan reached out and hugged Shen Xi. Shen Xi instinctively tried to push Li Mingxuan away, but Li Mingxuan refused to let go and instead hugged him even harder. Shen Xi began to struggle seriously, but Li Mingxuan encircled him in his arms and confined him firmly. Not caring about Shen Xi¡¯s struggle, he lowered his head and whispered in his ear, ¡°Xiao Xi, you are very good, I like you.¡± These words were like a mantra, and Shen Xi¡¯s movements stopped as he lay stiffly in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. Li Mingxuan hugged the man in his arms tightly, distressed, and a little while later Shen Xi¡¯s low voice reached him, ¡°Cousin, do you really like me?¡± Li Mingxuan said softly but very firmly, ¡°Yes!¡± The man in his arms fell silent, and a moment later, Shen Xi¡¯s voice rang out once again, ¡°Will you leave me, cousin?¡± Before Li Mingxuan could answer, Shen Xi smiled self-deprecatingly, ¡°When I was a child, my mother said she liked me, my grandfather said he liked me, and my uncle said he liked me, but they all ended up leaving me.¡± Although the leaving of the people Shen Xi mentioned did not correspond with him, Li Mingxuan still had a sour taste in his heart. After giving Shen Xi a gentle kiss on the forehead, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, ¡°Elder Han and the others left because they had no choice. I will not leave Xiao Xi, whether in life or in death, I promise.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s words did a good job of comforting Shen Xi, who took the initiative to rub against his arms and let out a low muffled sound. The moment he made his promise, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes fell gently on Shen Xi, and all his past struggles and hesitations vanished. He knew he had chosen an extremely difficult path. His father, his mother, his uncle and Shen Ji, none of them would probably approve of them being together, but he could not help himself, he just wanted to be with Shen Xi. While Li Mingxuan could not see, the corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curved up to reveal a pleasant smile. CH 39 Li Mingxuan woke up before dawn. Perhaps it was because he was in good spirits, but despite having slept for less than three hours, Li Mingxuan was feeling very energetic and had no sense of drowsiness at all. After carefully moving his arms that were numb from the pressure, Li Mingxuan turned sideways and hugged Shen Xi, unable to resist lowering his head and kissing his face. After running around all night, coupled with the great sadness and joy in his heart, Li Mingxuan just fell asleep holding Shen Xi after Shen Xi agreed to be with him. At this moment, feeling the warm body in his arms, Li Mingxuan¡¯s desire that had been suppressed all night began to stir again. In the light coming through the curtains, Li Mingxuan carefully traced Shen Xi¡¯s eyebrows with his gaze. Perhaps because he had not rested well these days, there were faint blue shadows under Shen Xi¡¯s eyes and his face was not as rosy as it had been when Li Mingxuan was with him. Distressed, Li Mingxuan moved and kissed Shen Xi. In a haze, Shen Xi only felt a warm touch on his lips, as if someone was kissing him. Almost out of instinct, Shen Xi kicked out without thinking, but halfway through the action, he remembered something and opened his eyes blankly, ¡°Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan reacted as soon as Shen Xi moved, and thanks to his experience in the hotel last time, not only did he dodge Shen Xi¡¯s kick but also used the momentum to roll over and press Shen Xi down, confining him in his arms. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes gradually cleared and he was about to speak when Li Mingxuan leaned down and blocked his mouth. For either of them, this was a first kiss in the true sense of the word. Li Mingxuan was clean and well-behaved, while Shen Xi¡¯s was repulsed by his previous life in prison, so incidentally, they were the first for each other. Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss was gentle, and as he felt the stiffness of the man beneath him, he slowed down his movements, only lingering on Shen Xi¡¯s lips and not doing anything more. After Shen Xi¡¯s initial discomfort passed, he soon realised that the feeling was not bad. Li Mingxuan¡¯s lips were warm and landed very comfortably on his own lips. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes darkened as his breathing sharpened. The lick Shen Xi gave him just now was like a lick on his heart, crispy and itchy. Li Mingxuan tenderly but firmly pried open Shen Xi¡¯s lips and attacked him without waiting for him to refuse, forcing Shen Xi¡¯s tongue into the corner where there was nowhere to retreat and carefully grinding. It was a long time before Li Mingxuan withdrew, and Shen Xi only felt that his tongue was sore and soft and his face was burning. However, without waiting for Shen Xi to react, Li Mingxuan once again leaned down and carefully nibbled on Shen Xi¡¯s lips. Between his lips and teeth, Shen Xi trembled all over as a wave of pleasure rose up from his tailbone, flooding his body like an electric current. A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes. He never knew that a simple kiss would feel like this! Li Mingxuan sensed Shen Xi¡¯s surprise. His eyes filled with laughter as he increased the intensity of nibbling. His kiss was overbearing but also contained an indescribable tenderness. When Shen Xi looked up, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were so deep that Shen Xi suddenly felt his heart beat faster. Li Mingxuan smiled faintly and took advantage of the moment when Shen Xi was lost in thought to firmly pry open Shen Xi¡¯s lips again. His warm tongue slipped into Shen Xi¡¯s mouth, greedily exploring every inch of it, seizing the scent that belonged to Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements became fierce instead of gentle, and Shen Xi was left breathless by his kisses and could only passively succumb to his movements. Shen Xi¡¯s submission made Li Mingxuan even more excited, and he couldn¡¯t help but slide his hands into Shen Xi¡¯s clothes. The next moment Shen Xi suddenly grabbed his hand and rolled over forcefully, sitting on top of Li Mingxuan. Because of the kiss just now, Shen Xi¡¯s lips were very red and his eyes had a strange brightness in them. Li Mingxuan was quite surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s action, ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up as he lowered his head to meet Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze, ¡°It¡¯s my turn this time.¡± While Li Mingxuan was stunned, Shen Xi had already followed Li Mingxuan¡¯s example, bowed his head and kissed him. This feeling was different from Li Mingxuan kissing him. Shen Xi felt that the control was in his own hands, and a sense of conquest was welling up in his heart. Li Mingxuan indulged Shen Xi¡¯s movements and was very cooperative. But seeing that Shen Xi wanted to get up and leave, Li Mingxuan suddenly reached out and held his head down and kissed him hard, quickly taking the initiative back into his own hands. The two of them fought and kissed each other until the alarm clock went off. At this point, Shen Xi was once again pinned underneath Li Mingxuan, his clothes in disarray, his collar half-open and his exposed neck covered in tiny hickeys. Li Mingxuan smiled and gave Shen Xi another peck on the corner of his mouth, saying softly, ¡°I¡¯ll go make breakfast, what do you want to eat?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s breath was uneven from the kiss. Struggling to catch his breath, he said unceremoniously, ¡°Omelette!¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded, helped Shen Xi cover himself with the blanket and got up to go into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, Li Mingxuan glanced at Xiao Mingxuan standing tall and smiled a little bitterly. Although Shen Xi did not refuse his kisses, Li Mingxuan had a keen feeling that Shen Xi did not seem to have any further intentions. Thinking about what Shen Xi had said last night, a hint of indulgence flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. Whatever Shen Xi¡¯s starting point in choosing to be with him was, whether he liked him or simply wanted to be by his side, he could not let him go now. He was willing to give Shen Xi time and let him accept him little by little. Comparing Shen Xi¡¯s initial vigilance with the kisses he had just shared with him, Li Mingxuan smiled slightly. Thinking about it this way, his current situation was enough to be described as happiness. After a quick wash, Li Mingxuan found some clothes from the luggage he brought back last night, changed and went to the kitchen. As Li Mingxuan was in a happy mood making breakfast, Shen Xi was standing in front of the mirror staring strangely at the hickeys on his neck. After ten years in prison, he had seen so many men show those ugly traces, and he had always thought he would be repulsed by them. But Li Mingxuan¡¯s kisses were unexpectedly comfortable. Shen Xi thought that this was already his bottom line, but he didn¡¯t expect that when Li Mingxuan wanted to go further, there wasn¡¯t much revulsion in his heart, just discomfort, but not the disgust he had imagined. Shen Xi hesitantly stretched out his hand to touch his neck, only to see Li Mingxuan appear behind him in the mirror. Li Mingxuan walked up behind Shen Xi with a gentle expression and reached out to take him in his arms, lowering his head and kissing his ear, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Shen Xi met Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze in the mirror and looked puzzled, ¡°Thinking about what you said yesterday. That no matter what happens, you won¡¯t leave me.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s determination didn¡¯t change and he smiled gently, ¡°Do you want me to say it again?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, the corners of his mouth curved up in a shallow arc, ¡°Just keep it in mind, cousin!¡± Li Mingxuan gave a low ¡°en¡± and kissed Shen Xi¡¯s ear, countless pecks following down his neck. By the time Shen Xi pushed Li Mingxuan away and came to the table, the omelette from before had long gone cold. Li Mingxuan made a new one under Shen Xi¡¯s accusing eyes, so by the time he had cleaned up, he was already delayed in getting to the office. ¡°Do Uncle and Aunt know you¡¯re back?¡± Sitting on the sofa, Shen Xi looked curiously at Li Mingxuan, who was still unhurriedly sorting out the documents without the slightest trace of panic. Li Mingxuan took the required documents, picked up Shen Xi¡¯s car keys and walked to his side to bow his head and kiss him, ¡°Father will know soon.¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°They don¡¯t know yet? Then why did you suddenly come back yesterday?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s original movement to leave was stopped with Shen Xi¡¯s words. He bent down and met Shen Xi¡¯s eyes squarely, ¡°Xiao Xi, tell me, why did I suddenly come back?¡± Shen Xi was taken aback as the memory of the unanswered calls from last night flashed through his mind and he vaguely seemed to understand something. Li Mingxuan obediently squatted in front of Shen Xi, his expression serious, ¡°Xiao Xi, I like you, I knew it from that time in the alley. I never expected to get a response from you, and I always feared that my thoughts would be exposed to you. I was afraid of seeing your disgusted eyes and that I would never be able to be by your side again. During the ten days I was away, I thought a lot about it, deciding to stay away from you, but I couldn¡¯t make up my mind until you called. A voice in my heart told me that I had to come back to see you or I would regret it all my life. I¡¯m glad I made it back to Zhongjing, and I¡¯m glad you agreed to be with me.¡± The look in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes was firm and serious, and Shen Xi could not describe the feeling in his heart at that moment. Under Li Mingxuan¡¯s scorching gaze, Shen Xi lowered his eyes to hide the complexity of his stare. ¡°What will you say if Aunt and Uncle ask?¡± Li Mingxuan looked calm, ¡°Naturally, I will tell the truth.¡± Shen Xi glanced up in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief. Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a smile and reached out to touch Shen Xi¡¯s face, his voice low and serious, ¡°Xiao Xi, I want to bring you to my family openly and honestly, not secretly sneaking around. Whether it¡¯s father, mother or uncle, I want to be able to tell them truthfully that I like you and that I want to take care of you, rather than pretend to have nothing to do with you in front of them.¡± Li Mingxuan kept staring at Shen Xi¡¯s expression as he said this. Shen Xi lowered his head to avoid his gaze, ¡°Father and Aunt would never agree.¡± Li Mingxuan did not allow Shen Xi to avoid him, cupped his chin and kissed him tenderly, ¡°Do you remember what I said yesterday? No matter if it¡¯s life or death, I will never leave you, believe me!¡± Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a complicated look and finally gave a soft ¡°en¡± while kissing. Li Mingxuan smiled in satisfaction and assured him seriously, ¡°Xiao Xi, don¡¯t worry, I have everything under control.¡± Shen Xi stood silently in front of the window watching Li Mingxuan walk away until he was no longer visible, before turning around and sitting back on the sofa. Li Mingxuan¡¯s words were too unexpected. Shen Xi had thought that Li Mingxuan would hide this matter from his family until the day it suddenly would be exposed, but he never expected that Li Mingxuan would take the initiative to confess to his family. ¡°Being together openly and honestly?¡± Shen Xi repeated these words and suddenly laughed. This was good. The situation was already chaotic enough anyway, and he didn¡¯t care if it got a little more chaotic. CH 40 Li Mingxuan¡¯s rush back to Zhongjing from Haicheng overnight was inadvertently discovered by Li Xiyong early in the morning. Li Xiyong did not mean to check Li Mingxuan¡¯s whereabouts; he just suddenly had something to contact him about but found that Li Mingxuan¡¯s mobile phone was switched off, so he had to call Li Mingxuan¡¯s assistant. The assistant answered the phone and said that Li Mingxuan had come back to Zhongjing last night because of an urgent matter, and there was a feeling in his words that he was covering up for Li Mingxuan. What was the reason for Li Mingxuan¡¯s return to Zhongjing? The assistant faintly felt that he seemed to understand, but he didn¡¯t dare to think about it. Fortunately, Li Xiyong didn¡¯t ask anything, and the assistant breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat guilty. Li Xiyong hung up the phone calmly; there was no slightest trace of anything different from the outside, but in his heart he was very shocked. Li Mingxuan had rushed back to Zhongjing overnight, for whom? Where did he go instead of home? These two questions kept haunting Li Xiyong¡¯s mind. He kept thinking about their father-son conversation before Li Mingxuan¡¯s business trip, and Shen Xi¡¯s name vaguely emerged in his memory. As a father, he knew Mingxuan¡¯s character very well. Mingxuan was not an impulsive person, and if he really rushed back to Zhongjing overnight for Shen Xi, then he really had Shen Xi in his heart. All these years, Li Xiyong had watched Mingxuan being alone and hoped that he would meet someone he liked, but why would that person be Shen Xi? Who was Shen Xi? Shen Xi was Mingxuan¡¯s cousin, the man who held one-third of the inheritance rights of the Shen family, and the outcast of the Shen family. Not to mention the blood relations between the two, just Shen Xi¡¯s status was not suitable for the two to be together. Li Xiyong had been close to the Shen family for many years, certainly because he was a relative but also because Li Xiyong knew Shen Dehan and had never interfered in any of the Shen family¡¯s affairs. If Mingxuan and Shen Xi really got together, then what would be Mingxuan¡¯s position in the future when the Shen family¡¯s brothers started fighting each other? Even if Shen Xi was as incompetent as he appeared and had no interest in Shen Group, was Dehan going to suspect that Mingxuan approached Shen Xi on purpose? Would he think that Li Xiyong was behind all this and even instigated it? Li Xiyong let out a silent sigh; he had seen Mingxuan¡¯s special attitude towards Shen Xi before. The reason why he only hinted and did not explicitly say anything was precisely because he believed in Mingxuan¡¯s judgement. Mingxuan himself would know what choice to make. It was only when Li¡¯s Li Xiyong listened to the cover-up attempt in Mingxuan¡¯s assistant¡¯s words that he felt he could not believe his own judgement anymore. At this point, Li Xiyong could only hope that it was all a guess on his part and that Mingxuan knew what he was doing. When Li Mingxuan arrived at the office, it was already past ten in the morning. To his surprise, his father already knew about his return and sent his secretary to his office early in the morning to say that he wanted to see him. Li Mingxuan knew that his father must have guessed something, and he had planned to confess to him directly, so he appeared in front of Li Xiyong with a calm demeanour. ¡°Dad!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was very frank, with a subdued look on his face, his eyes looking at Li Xiyong openly. Li Xiyong¡¯s heart sank. He had known his son for many years, he only needed a glance to understand what Li Mingxuan wanted to say at this moment. Although Li Mingxuan acted very calmly, the joy that was faintly emanating from his body was very obvious. Li Xiyong thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mingxuan, accompany me to the rooftop for a walk.¡± The rooftop that Li Xiyong was talking about was located on the top floor of Li Group, and because of the open terrain and good view plus the proper care of the property, it was very popular among the staff. Everyone was willing to come up here for a walk during their lunch break. It was the time for work now, and the rooftop was quiet; the only two figures, Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan, could be seen there. Li Xiyong did not say anything, just gazed at the distant scenery in silence. Li Mingxuan stood quietly behind his father, also not saying a word. After a while, Li Xiyong finally turned to look at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Mingxuan, do you still remember the words I told you before you left the country?¡± A trace of nostalgia flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes and he nodded, ¡°I remember.¡± Li Xiyong said in a low voice, ¡°I warned you a long time ago that a man¡¯s erection is not bound by morality, but the most fundamental self-control is indispensable if you want to be a successful man. Do you think you have achieved that?¡± Li Xiyong¡¯s voice was already vaguely strict. As long as Li Mingxuan could remember, his father would hardly ever speak to him sternly. The only time he remembered hearing such a strict tone was when he confessed his sexuality to his family a few years ago. He knew that his father had always had high hopes for him, and even at his most difficult time, he had been the one who supported him quietly. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly in his heart. When he remembered this sentence, he never expected that one day he would lose control for another man and even confront his own father. His promise to Shen Xi flashed in his mind, and guilt appeared on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad, I can¡¯t do it.¡± Li Xiyong¡¯s disappointment was beyond words. He looked at Li Mingxuan deeply, ¡°Why Shen Xi?¡± In Li Mingxuan¡¯s past, there had been too many outstanding men and women. Even now, Li Mingxuan was surrounded by countless exceptional people of his age; why did he fall for Shen Xi? Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The first time he and Shen Xi met on the plane was a complete accident. If it hadn¡¯t been for the reporters and if Shen Dehan hadn¡¯t been hospitalised as a result, he and Shen Xi would have had no more intersection. He never expected that there would be so many accidental meetings between him and Shen Xi after that, and time after time, he would get to know Shen Xi better and better, and Shen Xi would become more and more vivid in his heart. He was not sure why he was attracted to Shen Xi in the first place. Was it because of pity or simply because he was attracted to Shen Xi¡¯s body? Or was it the night when Shen Xi was injured and he finally discovered a soft and sensitive heart hidden under Shen Xi¡¯s sharp shell? Li Mingxuan recalled his past with Shen Xi little by little, and even he did not realise how tender the look on his own face was at this moment. Li Xiyong¡¯s eyes fell on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face and his heart trembled fiercely. Li Xiyong fell silent. He could see that Mingxuan¡¯s attitude was very serious, just as it was when he had insisted on confessing his sexuality to his family back then. As a father, he knew Mingxuan¡¯s temperament very well. Once he had decided on something, he would never change his decision easily. Back then, under the threat of Grandpa Li¡¯s serious illness and with the pressure of the whole family piling on him, Mingxuan still refused to relent and finally his family compromised and accepted his sexuality. This time, Li Xiyong could not help but smile bitterly in silence. Li Mingxuan did not know what was going through his father¡¯s mind. He did not want Shen Xi to be misunderstood by his father. He looked at Li Xiyong with a serious expression, ¡°Dad, this matter is my fault, it was me who first had thoughts about Xiao Xi. Xiao Xi was merely seduced by me.¡± Li Xiyong grunted, ¡°No matter who seduced who, are you together now?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded, his expression gentle, the joy in his eyes spreading out once again. Li Xiyong looked at the joy in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes and finally chose to compromise, ¡°Then what are you going to do? Keep this matter hidden from your mother and uncle?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, resolute, ¡°I want to be with Xiao Xi openly and honestly.¡± Although Li Xiyong had already guessed this answer, he could not help but give Li Mingxuan a look, ¡°Do you know what you are saying?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was calm, ¡°I know.¡± Li Xiyong let out a silent sigh, ¡°What will you do if the Shen brothers fight with each other in the future?¡± ¡°Xiao Xi started a company on his own.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s implication was that Shen Xi was really not interested in Shen Group. Li Xiyong gave Li Mingxuan a deep look, ¡°You yourself know what you and Shen Xi will have to face together. Your father only hopes that you will not regret it in the future.¡± Li Mingxuan said ¡°en¡± in a quiet, firm voice. While Li Mingxuan and Li Xiyong were talking on the rooftop, Shen Ji with a sullen face was listening to the board of directors meeting held by Shen Dehan. At that moment, one of the directors was speaking, implying that the Yunrou incident had caused great damage to Shen Group and that someone had to step forward to take responsibility for it. As he spoke, the director¡¯s gaze kept falling on Shen Ji as if inadvertently but with a very clear implication. Shen Ji¡¯s face was very ugly and he tried to stand up several times but was stopped by Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes. When the director finished speaking, Gao Qiulin took over with a smile, ¡°Dehan, I know you have always been clear in your rewards and punishments, so I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need us to say anything about this, you must already have an idea in mind.¡± Another director immediately interjected, ¡°Director Gao is right, the chairman has always been clear in his rewards and punishments, so he will definitely give us a satisfactory explanation.¡± Shen Dehan tried to suppress the anger in his heart and swept a faint glance over the crowd, ¡°Yunrou is still a part of the group. I will definitely give everyone an explanation when Yunrou is dismantled and sold.¡± Gao Qiulin raised his eyebrows, ¡°Dismantled and sold? I heard that Ah Ji is not willing to sell Yunrou and is secretly preventing the company from contacting interested buyers.¡± When he said this, Gao Qiulin turned to Shen Ji, ¡°Ah Ji, you wouldn¡¯t really do that, would you?¡± Shen Ji met Gao Qiulin¡¯s eyes. The provocation in Gao Qiulin¡¯s gaze stung him deeply. He tried hard to calm himself down, ¡°Uncle Gao must have misheard, the decision to sell Yunrou is the decision of the board of directors, how could I go against the board¡¯s wishes?¡± Gao Qiulin took it in stride, ¡°Then I guess I misheard.¡± A trace of vigilance flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. Gao Qiulin had been at odds with his father recently; he did not believe that Gao Qiulin would compromise so easily. As expected, Gao Qiulin suddenly changed the subject, ¡°Speaking of which, Xiao Xi has also graduated from university this year, right? How can a boy not have a career? Dehan, I think you should let Xiao Xi enter Shen Group as well, anyway, both Ah Ji and Ah Cheng are here, and only Xiao Xi is not, you can¡¯t be too biassed!¡± These words from Gao Qiulin immediately gained a lot of approval among the directors. Some even said that the jewellery company under Shen Group was precisely the Han family¡¯s property back then, so it would be better to let Shen Xi learn how to manage it. Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned ugly, but Gao Qiulin did not seem to notice and continued talking about the plans for Shen Xi. After the board meeting, Shen Dehan returned to his office with a gloomy face, Wang Changlin following him. ¡°Dehan, I remember that the doctor ordered you to control your emotions, it¡¯s best not to get angry.¡± Shen Dehan took a few deep breaths, ¡°You didn¡¯t see the way Gao Qiulin brought up Shen Xi to force me to make Ah Ji resign from his position as general manager, how do you think I can not get angry?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°Does Director Gao mean to let Shen Xi enter Shen Group?¡± Shen Dehan nodded with a gloomy face. Wang Changlin pondered for a moment, ¡°Dehan, Ah Ji is on the cusp of the storm right now, have you thought of letting him avoid the limelight for a while?¡± Shen Dehan frowned, ¡°Of course I¡¯ve thought about it, but if Ah Ji resigns as general manager, there is no suitable candidate by my side for now. If it is Gao Qiulin¡¯s man who takes over the top position, wouldn¡¯t Ah Ji¡¯s hard work for so many years be wasted?¡± Wang Changlin laughed, ¡°Dehan, have you forgotten that there is Ah Cheng? The board is now forcing Ah Ji to take responsibility for the Yunrou incident. If you keep carrying on like this, it won¡¯t be a good thing for Ah Ji, and the shareholders will inevitably have some thoughts. Why not simply let Ah Ji change his position? Anyway, as long as he is at Shen Group, Ah Ji will always have a chance. You can assign Ah Cheng to take up the position of general manager that Ah Ji gives up. With him, you can not only block the mouths of the board of directors, but also help Ah Ji to guard his position. The two brothers have always had a good relationship, are you worried about them turning against each other?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s expression eased up; Shen Cheng was indeed a better choice under the current circumstances. Thinking about Shen Cheng¡¯s history of hanging around, Shen Dehan worried, ¡°Although Ah Cheng is also in Shen Group, he has always been here just nominally. I am worried that he has little experience.¡± Wang Changlin thought about it for a while. ¡°Why don¡¯t we arrange for an experienced assistant for Ah Cheng? Anyway, Ah Cheng will occupy the position nominally, Ah Ji will handle the big things, and the assistant will be enough for the small things.¡± Shen Dehan nodded approvingly, and Wang Changlin added, ¡°It would be best if Ah Cheng¡¯s assistant was familiar with Ah Ji, so that the two brothers could communicate easily.¡± Shen Dehan pondered, ¡°What do you think of Lu Gesen? This young man is very good, he is now Ah Ji¡¯s assistant, so it is appropriate to put him next to Ah Cheng. He¡¯s not too old, he¡¯ll be easy to talk to for Ah Cheng.¡± Wang Changlin nodded, ¡°Dehan, you have a good eye. If you say so, Lu Gesen is indeed very suitable.¡± Shen Dehan immediately instructed his secretary to ask Lu Gesen to come over. Wang Changlin smiled and got up, ¡°I¡¯ll go out first if there¡¯s nothing else.¡± When Lu Gesen arrived at Shen Dehan¡¯s office, he brushed past Wang Changlin, and when their eyes met, Lu Gesen¡¯s always serious expression softened. CH 41 The news that Shen Ji had been relieved of his duties as general manager of Shen Group soon spread within the company together with the news that Shen Cheng would take over as general manager. Although Shen Dehan had already communicated with him privately about this issue and although he knew that this was only a stop-gap measure, Shen Ji looked at the official transfer notice in front of him with an unexplainable feeling in his heart. For Shen Ji, who had been trained as the heir to the Shen family since he was a child, the belief he had been instilled with was that Shen Group would be his in the future and that he would take over everything in it. In the nearly thirty years of his life, things went according to the plan he had been brought up with. With his father¡¯s help he began to take control of Shen Group, just waiting for Shen Dehan to retire to take his place. Shen Ji was proud, he was young and promising, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Yunrou crisis broke out and the directors suddenly made trouble; until he and his father had a disagreement; until Shen Cheng took the position of general manager. Only then did Shen Ji understand that some things were not going as perfectly as he thought. Shen Ji suppressed the feeling of loss in his heart and looked up at the man standing in front of him, ¡°How is it going? Are you still adapting by Ah Cheng¡¯s side?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s expression was as serious as ever, ¡°Cheng Shao is very smart.¡± Shen Ji smiled, ¡°Ah Cheng has always been very playful. If there is anything you can do, you can give him a little more guidance.¡± Lu Gesen nodded, ¡°That¡¯s what I should do.¡± Shen Ji stood up with a relaxed expression, ¡°I¡¯ve already packed up, when will Ah Cheng move over?¡± A hint of hesitation flashed in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes, ¡°Cheng Shao said he wouldn¡¯t move here. It¡¯s just a show to the board anyway, and saves us the trouble later.¡± Shen Ji froze, and then smiled, ¡°I see. I¡¯ll talk to him about this.¡± Lu Gesen nodded and without saying anything else turned and left the room. Shen Ji thought about it for a while, put his personal belongings together, got up and went to Shen Cheng¡¯s office. Following Shen Ji¡¯s appearance, all the employees of the company had their eyes wandering as they secretly looked at the expression on Shen Ji¡¯s face. The ordinary employees did not know exactly what had happened. They had only heard that Dashao, who had been sitting steadily in the position of general manager, was suddenly kicked out by the chairman of the board, while Ershao, who had always been just hanging around, unexpectedly rose to the top. Although Shen Ji and Shen Cheng had been very close to each other in the past, this sudden scene involuntarily made people think of brothers fighting over the assets, and the situation looked like Shen Ji had been stabbed in the back by his brother he had always taken good care of. Shen Ji ignored the inquiring eyes of the crowd and went straight to Shen Cheng¡¯s office, reaching out to knock on the door when he suddenly heard Shen Cheng¡¯s voice inside. ¡°You¡¯re really well-informed, I¡¯ve just become the general manager and you¡¯ve received the news already!¡± The other party said something and Shen Cheng laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll cover up for you if anything happens.¡± Inside the room Shen Cheng sounded like a big brother, causing Shen Ji outside the door to laugh uncontrollably. He was about to push the door in but heard Shen Cheng suddenly speak, ¡°No, big brother doesn¡¯t like you, he definitely doesn¡¯t agree with you coming to the company, you¡¯d better give up this idea as soon as possible.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s hand stopped there as he heard Shen Cheng¡¯s impatient tone, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m just a name, the real person in charge is big brother, he doesn¡¯t like you, what can I do?¡± Shen Ji had already heard that Shen Cheng was on the phone, and he didn¡¯t need to think about who it was he was talking to. The smile on Shen Ji¡¯s face immediately disappeared; he pushed the door open straight away and walked in. ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± ¡°Big brother!¡± Shen Cheng was startled by the sudden appearance of Shen Ji and hung up the phone hurriedly, looking at Shen Ji¡¯s expression guiltily, not knowing how much Shen Ji had heard. Shen Ji¡¯s face was cold, ¡°You and Shen Rong have been in contact?¡± Shen Cheng nodded sheepishly and defended himself, ¡°Big brother, I just took him to play¡­¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s defence was gradually silenced under Shen Ji¡¯s icy stare. Shen Cheng hung his head and stood obediently in front of Shen Ji. ¡°How many times have I said that Shen Rong is too calculating? Stay away from him, can¡¯t you remember?¡± Shen Ji said in annoyance. Shen Cheng instinctively nodded. He knew that his elder brother was very disgusted with Shen Rong, and along with that, he was also determined not to allow him to have any dealings with Shen Rong. He was not unaware of the knot in his elder brother¡¯s heart. Wasn¡¯t it because Zhou Mingmei looked like his mother that his elder brother felt his mother had been desecrated? However, Shen Cheng sometimes secretly thought that it was also his father¡¯s fault and that Shen Rong was actually innocent, but he did not dare to say these things to his elder brother and could only listen to his elder brother¡¯s admonitions as usual. Shen Ji¡¯s voice was soon interrupted by a knock on the door, ¡°Excuse me, there is a document that needs to be read by Cheng Shao.¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s clear, cold voice rang out at the door. Shen Ji turned his head and realised that he had just forgotten to close the door, and the scene of him reprimanding Shen Cheng was witnessed by the countless inquisitive eyes outside the office. Lu Gesen had obviously come to remind them about it on purpose. Shen Ji nodded to Lu Gesen and turned to Shen Cheng with a cold face, ¡°Never contact Shen Rong again, and pack up your things and move to the general manager¡¯s office as soon as possible.¡± After Shen Ji finished speaking, he ignored the various gazes outside and walked out. Lu Gesen secretly wrote down Shen Rong¡¯s name, gently closed the office door and handed the document in his hand to Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng let out a huge sigh of relief, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that big brother is still in charge?¡± Lu Gesen looked serious, ¡°What the chairman ordered was to let Shen Dashao take care of the big things and leave the small things to you, Cheng Shao.¡± Shen Cheng said, ¡°Oh oh¡±, impatiently grabbed the documents and scanned them, ¡°The expense applications for each department?¡± Lu Gesen explained, ¡°These have all been reviewed, all Cheng Shao needs to do is to sign.¡± Shen Cheng nodded, picked up the pen and suddenly asked, ¡°What if I refuse to sign?¡± Lu Gesen pulled the corners of his mouth in a smile, ¡°If Cheng Shao refuses to sign, then it means that you don¡¯t feel satisfied with these expenses, and they will naturally be sent back for re-review.¡± Shen Cheng had only been in Shen Group for two years since he graduated, and has been hanging around in an idle position. Shen Group was just one more place for him to hang out. At this time, under Lu Gesen¡¯s serious eyes, Shen Cheng picked up the pen and signed his name in the general manager¡¯s signature column with a sudden and indescribable feeling in his heart. Lu Gesen took the signed document from Shen Cheng, turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something and looked at Shen Cheng with a serious expression, ¡°Cheng Shao, no matter what the chairman said to you in private, but now you are already the general manager of Shen Group. Whether outside or inside the company you represent the image of the company, please bear this in mind.¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s expression was so serious that Shen Cheng could not help but straighten his body, ¡°I understand.¡± A hint of satisfaction flashed in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes as he gestured to the documents in Shen Cheng¡¯s hand, ¡°These are some of the company¡¯s recent important documents. You can get acquainted with them first. In case a director asks you about something, you won¡¯t be unclear about it. If there is anything you don¡¯t understand, you can always find me.¡± Lu Gesen turned around and walked out of the room after he finished speaking. After he left, Shen Cheng hesitantly looked at the documents in his hand. He was originally just a name, he himself hadn¡¯t even thought about doing anything. But Lu Gesen was right, he was at least representing Shen Group now, so if a director asked him about anything, it would be too bad if he knew nothing. Fine, he was just going to look at the documents, just to pass the time. With this thought, Shen Cheng read the documents and even asked Lu Gesen a few questions in the process. Lu Gesen explained everything to Shen Cheng in a serious manner, and Shen Cheng¡¯s attitude slowly became serious as well. While Shen Cheng was asking Lu Gesen for advice, a rumour was circulating wildly throughout Shen Group that Shen Ji had reprimanded Shen Cheng because he was unhappy Shen Cheng took away his position of general manager and that the two had almost come to blows. In just an hour almost everyone knew about the rumour. Shen Ji, who was idle because he had not yet been assigned a new position, turned completely ugly after hearing the rumour being discussed behind his back for the third time. Shen Ji called Li Mingxuan, ¡°Come out for a drink now?¡± Li Mingxuan glanced at the time, ¡°At noon?¡± Shen Ji said ¡°En¡±. Li Mingxuan thought that he wanted to find a chance to tell Shen Ji that he and Shen Xi were together, so he agreed to go. They arranged to meet in Shutu. When Li Mingxuan arrived, Shen Ji had already been waiting alone in the private room for a long time. It had been more than half a month since the two had met. Li Mingxuan had been on a business trip before, and his mind was on Shen Xi after he returned from the trip, so this was the first time the two had met since the Yunrou storm had passed. ¡°Have you been here for a long time?¡± Li Mingxuan asked casually. Shen Ji nodded and Li Mingxuan gave him a surprised look, ¡°Why are you so free?¡± Shen Ji curved the corner of his mouth, ¡°I¡¯ve been transferred out of the general manager position, the new position hasn¡¯t been decided yet. Now there is nothing to do.¡± Although he knew that something must have happened when Shen Ji asked him to have a drink at noon, Li Mingxuan did not expect to hear such shocking news. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Shen Ji told the story of the board of directors¡¯ sudden outburst and some of Shen Group¡¯s recent turmoil. ¡°So Uncle compromised with the board of directors and let Ah Cheng take over the position of general manager for the time being?¡± Shen Ji nodded, and Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but advise, ¡°With the board of directors being aggressive, this is one of the best solutions. With Ah Cheng sitting in that position, you don¡¯t have to worry about the rest of the board making some moves.¡± Shen Ji smiled self-deprecatingly, ¡°I¡¯m not worried about anything, I just feel that everything is not as I thought it should be and I¡¯m a bit lost in my heart. Since I was young, both my grandfather and my father have told me time and again that Shen Group in the future will be mine and that I should work hard, and I have always regarded Shen Group as my goal. But suddenly one day I find out that other people can replace me. So it is inevitable that I will be a bit uncomfortable.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s upbringing was not normal in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. He was the first child of the Shen family and had been incomparably doted on by Grandpa Shen and Shen Dehan since he was a child. Shen Dehan had even stated several times that everything in the Shen family would be his in the future. If Fang Yun hadn¡¯t died, everything would have gone in a happy way, but as soon as Shen Ji became sensible, Fang Yun died, Shen Dehan married Han Rou for some unknown reason, and then Shen Xi was born. Shen Ji¡¯s mother, Fang Yun, was just a woman with no background, while behind Han Ruo stood the Han family. Under normal circumstances, one would have thought that Shen Dehan would give up on Shen Ji and pay attention to Shen Xi instead. However, he did not like Shen Xi at all, and the heir he wanted was still Shen Ji. With the birth of Shen Xi, Shen Dehan became even more partial to Shen Ji, fearing that he would be wronged in any way, and instilled in him from a young age that Shen Group would definitely be his in the future and that he did not have to worry that Shen Xi would take it away. With Shen Dehan repeating it over and over again, Shen Ji took it for granted that Shen Group would be his, never thinking it would one day be inherited by someone else. Li Mingxuan fell silent, and at this moment he thought of Shen Xi again. Contrary to Shen Ji¡¯s upbringing, Shen Xi was disliked by his father since birth, and in Shen Dehan¡¯s mind, there was never any thought of leaving Shen Group in Shen Xi¡¯s hands. If Shen Ji felt that he deserved to inherit everything in the Shen family, then in the eyes of the people Shen Xi deserved to be abandoned. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart ached. He used to be a bastard who thought so too. Shen Ji continued to smile bitterly. ¡°Actually, come to think of it, Ah Cheng is my brother. If he likes it, it¡¯s not impossible for Shen Group to be handed over to him.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know what he was thinking at this moment, he just said naturally, ¡°What about Shen Xi?¡± Shen Ji turned his head in surprise, ¡°What does it have to do with Shen Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Ji quietly, ¡°Xiao Xi and I are together.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression froze, his eyes full of shock, ¡°Xiao Xi is Shen Xi? What does being together mean?¡± Li Mingxuan said frankly, ¡°It means what you think it means.¡± Shen Ji stood up abruptly, looked at Li Mingxuan deeply, and suddenly sneered, ¡°Did your sentence just now mean you¡¯re holding a grievance for Shen Xi? Did you forget that you reminded me before to pay attention to Shen Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan slowly leaned back on the sofa without looking at Shen Ji, ¡°I know.¡± Shen Ji said angrily, ¡°What do you mean you know?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and covered his eyes, ¡°Ah Ji, I love Xiao Xi and I want to take care of him. No matter what asshole things I¡¯ve said or done in the past, I only feel heartbroken when I think about it now, you know?¡± Shen Ji kicked the coffee table in front of him fiercely, ¡°You¡¯re heartbroken for him? So you¡¯re going to support him in fighting for the inheritance rights of the Shen family?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°I asked Xiao Xi, and Xiao Xi said he has no interest in Shen Group.¡± Shen Ji snorted, ¡°What if one day he suddenly has an interest? Who are you going to help?¡± Li Mingxuan was silent for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shen Ji looked at Li Mingxuan and suddenly lunged forward, punching him hard in the face, ¡°You don¡¯t know? We¡¯ve been brothers for so many years and I still can¡¯t compare in your heart with Shen Xi whom you have known for a few months!¡± Li Mingxuan did not dodge and took a hard punch from Shen Ji, who said angrily, ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight back?¡± Li Mingxuan endured the pain, ¡°Ah Ji, I want to be with Xiao Xi.¡± Shen Ji gave Li Mingxuan another fierce punch, ¡°What does it have to do with me if you want to be with him?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, ¡°Because I¡¯m too greedy. Xiao Xi and you, my brother, I don¡¯t want to lose either of you.¡± Shen Ji slammed his fist into the side of Li Mingxuan¡¯s face, ¡°Fight back.¡± A smile appeared at the corner of Li Mingxuan¡¯s mouth, ¡°If I fight back, will you accept that I am with Xiao Xi?¡± Shen Ji sneered and threw another punch; this one, however, was blocked by Li Mingxuan, ¡°Don¡¯t hit my face, I have to go back to see Xiao Xi at night.¡± Shen Ji was simply furious with Li Mingxuan and immediately wanted nothing else but to punch him in the face. The two of them fought back and forth in the spacious private room, and in the end no one had an advantage. Although Shen Ji punched Li Mingxuan a few more times at the beginning, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t hit him less after he started to fight back. Both of them looked bruised and swollen, and equally wretched. They did not stop until both of them had no more strength left. Shen Ji held onto the wall and looked at Li Mingxuan coldly, ¡°I still say that, as long as Shen Xi doesn¡¯t have his heart set on Shen Group, I won¡¯t take any of what¡¯s due to him.¡± Li Mingxuan did not say anything, but only gave a faint ¡°en¡±. Shen Ji glared at Li Mingxuan fiercely, turned and left. Li Mingxuan did not go back to the office and sat alone in the wrecked room in silence all afternoon. It seemed that Shen Ji had accepted that he was with Shen Xi, but Li Mingxuan knew that there was already a rift between them and that things could never go back to the past. From the moment he rushed back from Haicheng overnight, he knew what he would face and what he would lose. Li Mingxuan sighed and gently repeated the name ¡°Shen Xi¡±. CH 42 This evening, Li Mingxuan appeared in front of Shen Xi in a wretched state that had never been seen before. The moment he opened the door, Shen Xi was stunned, ¡°Cousin, what happened?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled reassuringly at Shen Xi and took off his jacket, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I told Shen Ji that we are together.¡± Shen Xi watched Li Mingxuan for a while, and then sneered, ¡°Let me guess, big brother must have thought that I seduced you with the intention of competing with him for Shen Group, right?¡± The self-deprecation in Shen Xi¡¯s words made Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart ache. He turned to Shen Xi, his eyes serious, ¡°It was me who seduced you.¡± Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but snicker; he walked past Li Mingxuan to sit on the sofa, looked up at Li Mingxuan and said as if inadvertently, ¡°If I really plan to compete with big brother for Shen Group, cousin, who will you help?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression was careless, as if he was just asking casually. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi; a flash of pain surfaced in his eyes, and then his expression gradually became firm. He quickly sat down next to Shen Xi with a frank and serious expression, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi, I don¡¯t know.¡± Li Mingxuan carefully reached out and gathered Shen Xi into his arms, his low voice ringing in Shen Xi¡¯s ears, ¡°Xiao Xi, I don¡¯t want to lie to you. If I said I would help you, it would be a lie. If it was before, I would have chosen Shen Ji, but now I really don¡¯t know. You are the one I love and Shen Ji is my brother, I can¡¯t bear to hurt you and there is no way to hurt Shen Ji. I just hope I will never have to face this choice one day.¡± Shen Xi did not say anything and Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, ¡°Now you must think I¡¯m just a greedy bastard, right?¡± Shen Xi did not repeat his question but broke away from Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace, ¡°Why does everyone assume that I will definitely compete with big brother for Shen Group? Starting from grandfather, to father and now to big brother?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression was puzzled, as if he had encountered some difficult riddle. There is a presumption in jurisprudence that can be called a guideline, namely the presumption of innocence, which simply means that anyone should be considered innocent until proven and judged guilty. For two lifetimes, Shen Xi wondered why he had never shown the slightest thought about Shen Group but it seemed that everyone had decided that he would definitely compete with Shen Ji for Shen Group in the future. Even before he was born, Shen Dehan began to worry that his birth would affect Shen Ji¡¯s position as heir and was determined to deny him the right to come into the world. After his birth, when he was still in his infancy and unaware, everyone seemed to assume that he would grow up to compete with Shen Ji just as his father feared. What was even more ridiculous was that for the sake of the future that was still unknown, Shen Dehan came up with a way to cut him off at the very beginning, and he was deliberately raised to be a waste who knew nothing. If Shen Cheng and Li Mingfei had somewhat relaxed requirements because of the customary system of eldest son succession in Zhongjing and were even deliberately guided to develop in other directions, then why were they not willing to give him a chance to do so? Why did all his options have to be cut off since he was a child? Shen Xi just looked at Li Mingxuan quietly, his face full of undisguised mockery. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart clenched tightly, as if someone was gripping it vigorously and it hurt terribly. He wanted to explain to Shen Xi, but he didn¡¯t know what to say. Being in a family like theirs, and having seen so many cases of siblings turning against each other over property, good families falling apart in the blink of an eye, he had to admit that Shen Dehan¡¯s worries were not unreasonable. Fang Yun was from an ordinary family and Han Ruo was from a powerful one; it was only natural that Shen Dehan, who favoured Shen Ji, would have such worries. But Shen Dehan¡¯s mistake was to forget that Shen Xi was just a child, a child who knew nothing, and that if he had been guided well, what he feared might not ever happen. Unfortunately, in the complicated environment of the Shen family at the time, with Grandpa Shen¡¯s acquiescence, the Shen family¡¯s contribution, and the rest of the people standing idly by, Shen Xi¡¯s innocent life was decided in this way. Whenever Li Mingxuan thought that he was one of those who stood by and did nothing, and to a certain extent might have even contributed to it, he felt a deep sense of remorse. He wanted to do his best to make amends, but in his heart he knew that what was wrong was wrong, and that even if he did more, what had been done to Shen Xi could never be undone. Shen Xi saw Li Mingxuan¡¯s remorse, lowered his eyes to avoid Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze and smiled self-deprecatingly. ¡°In fact, big brother is right to think so. There was a time when my father was so biassed that even Shen Rong could step on my face, and I really wanted to fight with big brother. But on my eighteenth birthday, I suddenly realized that what I wanted was not Shen Group at all, so even if I fought for it, there was no point. So big brother can now rest assured that I really don¡¯t have any thoughts about Shen Group.¡± Although Shen Xi¡¯s words were full of self-deprecation, Li Mingxuan could hear that Shen Xi really meant what he said. Li Mingxuan did not know what kind of spiritual journey Shen Xi had gone through, but he thought he knew how the former Shen Xi had struggled painfully in his heart. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything, he just held Shen Xi tightly in his arms. After a while, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Xiao Xi, what do you want?¡± Shen Xi hung his head to hide the expression on his face and said in a low voice, ¡°A lot, but it¡¯s good for cousin to hold me like this now.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart melted into a pool of water as he lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi¡¯s forehead, hugging him even harder. That night, for the first time, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t sleep in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. Listening to the shallow breathing of Li Mingxuan beside him, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but turn sideways and quietly gaze at him in the light coming through the curtains. Li Mingxuan was really a very handsome man. Even though his face was still covered in bruises, it did not detract from his handsomeness at all. Shen Xi gently stretched out his hand and touched Li Mingxuan¡¯s face with an inexplicable look in his eyes. Before he returned to China this time, he and Li Mingxuan were two completely parallel lines. Even though there was a thin blood connection between the two, unlike his notoriety, Li Mingxuan was perfect like a person from another world. Shen Xi never thought that one day Li Mingxuan would fall in love with him. What was even more unexpected was that Li Mingxuan clearly knew what it meant to be with him, but he would rather put himself in a dilemma than give up. When Shen Xi thought about Li Mingxuan¡¯s words of never leaving him, an indescribable feeling flashed through his heart. Will he never leave? He just hoped that someday in the future Li Mingxuan would still remember saying this. Shen Xi changed his position, squeezed into Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms and slept peacefully. In his sleep, Li Mingxuan sensed Shen Xi¡¯s movement and subconsciously enveloped him in his arms. Unlike Li Mingxuan who had been sitting in Shutu for the whole afternoon, Shen Ji wandered the streets alone after leaving Shutu under the strange looks of passers-by. Shen Ji did not want to go back to the office to face the many people¡¯s inquisitive or pitying expressions, and he was even more reluctant to go home. There was a time when home was the most reassuring place in his heart, but since the appearance of Chu Qianqian, he could no longer find that reassuring feeling at home. Shen Ji wanted to talk to someone, but he had just gotten into a fight with his best friend, his brother, over a man, over his own younger brother. Shen Ji felt that life had never been so absurd, and for the first time he became confused about his future. Shen Ji walked aimlessly along the street alone until he saw a familiar bar. Memories from a few months ago came back to him. It seemed that he had fought with someone here because he was in a bad mood. He had been picked up by Li Mingxuan at the police station at that time. Shen Ji shook his head, put aside his messy thoughts, pushed the door open and walked in. The bar had just opened in the afternoon and there was not a single customer inside. Shen Ji¡¯s appearance was very abrupt, coupled with the injuries on his face, and the waiter looked at him warily, as if judging his origin. Shen Ji sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not causing any trouble, I¡¯m just in a bad mood and want a drink.¡± The waiter looked him up and down for a few moments before welcoming him to the bar. Shen Ji sat alone at the empty bar and drank slowly. There seemed to be people chatting quietly next to him. At first Shen Ji didn¡¯t care but when he heard them mention a name repeatedly, he couldn¡¯t help frowning in annoyance. ¡°So, the young man who was drunk here last time was Shen Xi? Shen Sanshao from the newspapers? He really paid for you to record a song?¡± ¡°En, I signed to Shen Xi¡¯s company and he¡¯s my boss now.¡± ¡°I read in the newspaper that he seems to have a bad temper, arrogant or something, is he like that in reality too?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe the reporters¡¯ nonsense, Shen Xi¡¯s personality is actually very good, even Grandpa likes him very much.¡± The name ¡°Shen Xi¡± kept burrowing into Shen Ji¡¯s ears, and after holding back for a while, he finally couldn¡¯t endure and in annoyance walked up to the two men who were talking. One of the two was clearly dressed as a barman, and as for the other, Shen Ji thought of the recent rumour that Shen Xi had thrown away a lot of money for an unknown singer. The rumour was that Shen Xi and this young singer were in a relationship. Although he knew that since Li Mingxuan was with Shen Xi, the rumours were bound to be untrustworthy, Shen Ji could not help but speak up maliciously, as if this could prove that Li Mingxuan was wrong about Shen Xi. ¡°You¡¯re the singer surnamed Fang who is raised by Shen Xi?¡± Fang Luowei had actually been very busy recently, and today he took the time to come here to visit his former colleague. The two of them casually chatted about their recent situation and were originally having a good conversation. They didn¡¯t expect to suddenly hear someone malicious questioning them. Fang Luowei subconsciously looked up, and when he saw the man in front of him he couldn¡¯t help but stare, ¡°Mr. Shen?¡± Fang Luowei had a deep impression of Shen Ji, who had once helped him when he was in trouble at the bar. Plus, after he got acquainted with Shen Xi, he knew that Shen Ji was Shen Xi¡¯s brother, so it was inevitable that he would pay attention to the news of the Shen family. Although he knew from the newspapers that the Shen brothers seemed to be at odds, Fang Luowei did not expect Shen Ji to harbour such great animosity towards Shen Xi. Thinking about what Shen Ji had just said, Fang Luowei¡¯s good impression of Shen Ji was all but gone. ¡°Mr. Shen, it¡¯s fine for you to have an opinion on me, but Shen Xi is your own brother, how can you question his character like this?¡± This was the second time today that someone spoke in Shen Xi¡¯s defence in front of Shen Ji, and despite the fact that it was an unrelated passerby, the anger in Shen Ji¡¯s heart once again resurfaced, fueled by alcohol. ¡°Character? What kind of character does Shen Xi have? Do you know what kind of person he is?¡± Fang Luowei looked at Shen Ji coldly, ¡°I naturally know what kind of person Shen Xi is. Not to mention anything else, at least Shen Xi will not talk about others¡¯ rights and wrongs behind their back while drunk, like you do.¡± ¡°If he dares to do it, why can¡¯t I say it?¡± Shen Ji glanced at Fang Luowei, ¡°You are defending Shen Xi, but unfortunately he has already hooked up with Li Mingxuan. There is no way he will ever look at you again.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s words made Fang Luowei¡¯s brow furrow. He didn¡¯t even think about it, directly picked up a glass of water on the table and poured it on Shen Ji. ¡°Mr. Shen, if there is evil in the heart, then everything you look at is evil. I always thought that no matter how much others misunderstand Shen Xi, you, as his brother, shouldn¡¯t be this shallow. But I did not expect that you are even worse than those outsiders. You are not worthy of being Shen Xi¡¯s brother at all.¡± Fang Luowei didn¡¯t even look at Shen Ji after he finished, and gestured to his colleague, ¡°I¡¯m leaving first, I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Passing by Shen Ji, Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but stop again, ¡°Mr. Shen, allow me to remind you, no matter what, Shen Xi is your own brother. If you insult him in such a malicious manner, it will be you that others will laugh at.¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s glass of water calmed Shen Ji¡¯s dizzy mind for an instant. He didn¡¯t notice what Fang Luowei said afterwards, all he could think of was what Fang Luowei said at first, ¡°If there is evil in the heart, then everything you look at is evil.¡± After a while, Shen Ji laughed in a low voice to himself, ¡°So there is evil in my heart?¡± CH 43 The sudden change of Shen Group¡¯s general manager caused a huge stir, along with the rumour of discord between brothers within the Shen family, which triggered the secret attention of countless people. Everyone speculated whether there was an unknown inside story about this incident, and whether Shen Ji and Shen Cheng really tore off the veil of family affection in the face of huge power. But regardless of the speculation of outsiders, the Shen family did not express any opinion on the matter. When Shen Ji and Shen Cheng appeared in front of the reporters, they still looked like affectionate brothers. Shen Xi quickly received the news from Lao K. Although Shen Xi had hinted to Gao Qiulin through Lao K to find a way to promote Shen Cheng to the front position, the fact that things were moving so fast made Shen Xi sense that something was wrong. Shen Xi habitually stood by the window and pondered. He knew his father, and his father¡¯s preference for Shen Ji was something that even Shen Cheng could not match. Although Shen Cheng¡¯s ascension to the top allowed Shen Ji to avoid the turmoil stirred up by the board of directors, Shen Xi knew that given his father¡¯s nature, Shen Dehan would not compromise so easily and would inevitably fight the board for a while. But the fact was the board of directors had just raised the issue, and Shen Dehan already made the decision to temporarily replace Shen Ji. Shen Xi frowned; someone must have said something to his father. This person must have been deeply trusted by Shen Dehan. Who could it be? Shen Xi first ruled out any suspicion of Lu Gesen, who had only been at Shen Group for a year, and even if Shen Dehan admired him, he was definitely not qualified to say anything to him. Thinking about Lu Gesen¡¯s confidence in this plan, Shen Xi was sure that there must be Lu Gesen¡¯s people in the top management of Shen Group. When the Han family¡¯s business was merged into the Shen family, Shen Dehan had not made any major changes to the original staff. Instead, he had bought the people¡¯s hearts and minds. As the business developed over the years and the staff changed from generation to generation, there seemed to be only a few old people who still remembered the Han family back then. Could it be that there were Lu Gesen¡¯s people among them? Shen Xi knew that just as he had something to hide from Lu Gesen, Lu Gesen must have also had a secret card that had not been revealed. It wasn¡¯t that Shen Xi didn¡¯t trust Lu Gesen, it was just that apart from a few specific people, he didn¡¯t give his trust to anyone else. As for Lu Gesen, Shen Xi¡¯s surname was Shen, after all, so Lu Gesen surely didn¡¯t trust him all the way. Really sad! Shen Xi thought to himself that neither Grandpa Shen nor Grandpa Han would have thought that an unsuccessful marriage back then would result in this situation today. Shen Xi was considering whether to call Lu Gesen when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan was obviously in a very good mood, and his words were laced with a smile. Anyone who came back from work to see their beloved standing by the window looking like they were waiting for them to come back would be in a good mood. Casually throwing his jacket on the sofa, Li Mingxuan naturally walked over to Shen Xi and gave him a kiss, ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± In addition to the efficacy of the pillow, the second advantage that Shen Xi found in Li Mingxuan was his cooking skills. Shen Xi was once very curious about it. At that time, Li Mingxuan smiled and stroked his head, stating that when he was alone abroad, because he was not used to eating outside, he could only learn to cook according to recipes, and naturally became an expert after a few years. Due to his experience in prison in his previous life Shen Xi did not have any special requirements for food. He ate whatever Li Mingxuan cooked every time, and this time was naturally no exception. After finishing his dinner quietly, Shen Xi rested on Li Mingxuan¡¯s lap, holding the tablet and casually browsing the web. Soon Shen Xi¡¯s eyes fell on the latest gossip that the Shen brothers were at odds setting off a new round of disputes over property. Li Mingxuan followed Shen Xi¡¯s line of sight, frowned and said, ¡°The reporters are all writing nonsense.¡± The implication was that there was no need for Shen Xi to read this. Shen Xi nodded, ¡°I know, it¡¯s just that in the past this kind of news about the dispute with big brother over property usually included my name. This is the first time it¡¯s not me, so it feels strange.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s words were full of mockery. Li Mingxuan helplessly lowered his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek, changing the subject, ¡°How¡¯s your movie coming along?¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t seem too concerned about it, ¡°Chen Zhiwei is doing a good job with the prep work and it¡¯s going very well. He said that if there¡¯s nothing unexpected, it should be in time for the New Year slot.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± Shen Xi gave an ¡°en¡± and said casually, ¡°As long as the funds are in place, there¡¯s nothing else to worry about.¡± Although he knew that his uncle had always been generous to Shen Xi when it came to money, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Xiao Xi, if you don¡¯t have enough money, tell me.¡± Shen Xi froze and then smiled, ¡°Will Aunt and Uncle be angry if they find out that cousin gave me money?¡± Li Mingxuan rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°It¡¯s my own little vault, it has nothing to do with the Li family. There are some stocks and stuff in it, I¡¯ll bring them back tomorrow, and from now on, Xiao Xi will keep them.¡± Neither of them was short of money and Li Mingxuan¡¯s act was more symbolic than practical. But it was this symbolism that caused a strange feeling to well up in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. Shen Xi looked away and nodded casually. However, soon he realised that the situation had become awkward. He had been resting on Li Mingxuan¡¯s lap, and because he had just nodded haphazardly, he rubbed his head against something and clearly felt that something get hard against his face. Shen Xi subconsciously sat up, but the next moment he was suddenly held tightly in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. Before Shen Xi could react, Li Mingxuan had already reached out to hold his hand and pressed it against his straightening desire. Shen Xi¡¯s movements instantly became stiff. Even though they lived together, Li Mingxuan had always just held and kissed him, and this was the first time he did such a thing. Through the thin clothing, Shen Xi could feel that the thing in his hand was full of vitality. He instinctively tried to break free, but was insistently held down by Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss fell tenderly on Shen Xi¡¯s ear, his moist tongue licking Shen Xi¡¯s earlobe. Shen Xi¡¯s body trembled, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes darkened as he firmly held Shen Xi¡¯s hand and put it into his clothes. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice brushed over Shen Xi¡¯s ear hotly, his words filled with pleading. Shen Xi stiffly followed Li Mingxuan¡¯s guidance and held his desire through his underwear. Perhaps because of the stimulation, Shen Xi felt that Li Mingxuan¡¯s desire seemed bigger than when he held it through the clothes. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s breathing became short as he urged gently. The feeling in Shen Xi¡¯s heart was very strange. It was not that he hadn¡¯t touched his own desire before, but this was completely different. Shen Xi¡¯s silence was taken as acquiescence by Li Mingxuan, who naturally put Shen Xi¡¯s hand inside his underwear. The hot sensation was very clear, and Shen Xi subconsciously looked at Li Mingxuan, who took advantage of the situation to lower his head and kiss him. As their lips locked together, Li Mingxuan moved his hand up and down holding Shen Xi¡¯s hand. Li Mingxuan¡¯s breathing became more and more rapid, his lingering kisses gradually became dominant, and the movement of his hand became even more intense. Shen Xi passively let Li Mingxuan take control of his actions. He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the sizzling source of heat in his hand suddenly shook and Shen Xi felt a slippery sensation all over his fingers. Li Mingxuan¡¯s kisses stopped, and Shen Xi looked at him, gasping. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was one of indescribable satisfaction, his eyes dark as he stared at Shen Xi, unable to resist leaning forward to kiss him once more. This night, for the first time, Shen Xi¡¯s desire was held in the hands of an outsider. Unlike his own stiff movements, Li Mingxuan¡¯s fingers were very flexible, bringing Shen Xi unparalleled pleasure. So much so that in the end, Shen Xi shrank into Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms and only knew how to whisper, ¡°Cousin.¡± After everything was over, Li Mingxuan carefully wiped the fluid off Shen Xi¡¯s body, and as his eyes swept over Shen Xi¡¯s fair skin, Li Mingxuan felt his desire rise once again, out of control. Trying hard to suppress his lust, Li Mingxuan compassionately moved up and kissed Shen Xi at the corner of his mouth. Today was already an unexpected joy for him, and he had enough patience to wait as long as it was necessary. ¡±Pop!¡± A mobile phone in a silver metal shell was thrown on the wooden desk, and the owner of the mobile phone stared at the phone fiercely, a gloomy look on his face. ¡°Looks like these years abroad didn¡¯t teach you what stability is? You¡¯re still so impatient when it comes to doing things!¡± A melodious female voice rang out from behind, the woman¡¯s words tinged with dissatisfaction. Shen Rong took a deep breath, turned around and said, ¡°Mother!¡± The person who appeared behind Shen Rong was none other than his mother, Zhou Mingmei. Despite being over forty, Zhou Mingmei still looked in her thirties. Her make-up was exquisite and she was wearing a well-cut cheongsam that accentuated the beauty of her figure. After a faint glance at Shen Rong, Zhou Mingmei said directly, ¡°Have you decided on the matter I mentioned?¡± A trace of reluctance surfaced on Shen Rong¡¯s face and he lowered his head without speaking. Zhou Mingmei looked down, ¡°Are you still unwilling to give up? I have long said that Shen Ji is determined not to let you enter Shen Group.¡± Shen Rong clenched his fists and said in a low voice, ¡°I am also my father¡¯s child.¡± Zhou Mingmei laughed coldly, ¡°There are only three sons in the genealogy of this generation of the Shen family.¡± Shen Rong snapped his head up and looked at Zhou Mingmei, who remained cold, ¡°Five years ago you gave up a great opportunity yourself. Five years later you will have to suffer the embarrassment of starting everything from scratch.¡± Shen Rong clenched his teeth and refused to speak. Zhou Mingmei gave him a disappointed look, ¡°You yourself know that because of that incident five years ago, unless you enter Shen Group, no company will accept you. But Shen Group has Shen Ji in it, and he can¡¯t even tolerate Shen Xi, let alone you. If you want to make your father look at you, you need to have something to show for it. I don¡¯t need to remind you of this, you should understand it yourself.¡± Shen Rong hesitated, and Zhou Mingmei added lightly, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted to prove that you are better than Shen Xi? Isn¡¯t now a good opportunity to do so?¡± Perhaps the two words ¡°Shen Xi¡± stimulated Shen Rong, who finally nodded. Zhou Mingmei smiled in satisfaction, ¡°I will call director Zhou, you will go to the crew tomorrow to hang out and learn. Don¡¯t let me down this time.¡± Seeing that Zhou Mingmei was about to leave, Shen Rong spoke eagerly, ¡°Mother, father hasn¡¯t been here for a long time.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s expression was vague, ¡°During this period of time Shen Group has been in turmoil, it is normal for your father to not have time to come over.¡± Shen Rong did not expect his mother¡¯s reaction to be so cold and could not help but get anxious, ¡°Mother, have you forgotten that another woman has appeared by father¡¯s side?¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyebrows knitted slightly, ¡°Just one Chu Qianqian makes you sulk? What is there to worry about that little girl? The one who can¡¯t tolerate her the most is Shen Ji, what reason is there for you to worry?¡± Zhou Mingmei was able to follow Shen Dehan for many years. Apart from her face, more importantly, she always knew how to advance and retreat in front of him. She had received the news as soon as Chu Qianqian first appeared, and although she did not know whether Chu Qianqian¡¯s appearance was intentional or accidental, after some hesitation Zhou Mingmei gave up the idea of going to the hospital to find out what was going on. For Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian¡¯s appearance was bound to make him feel some freshness, but in the long run, what kind of affection could a little girl have? As that man had said, she already had Shen Rong, so it was good to sit tight. If Chu Qianqian was playing with the same idea as her, then the one who should really be anxious was Chu Qianqian. Zhou Mingmei glanced at Shen Rong. The existence of that man was the last card for her and her son. She had wanted Shen Rong to meet that man, but thinking about Shen Rong¡¯s apathetic appearance, she decided it was better to wait. CH 44 In the orange light, the familiar figure with a smile in his eyes slowly pressed down, accompanied by hot kisses raining down on his skin. A stream of heat gushed out of his body at some point, converging in the direction of the kisses. His body was gently opened and placed in a welcoming position. The warm palm slowly traced along his waist and belly, and his body involuntarily went soft as a foreign object probed inside a little. Murmured whispers rang in his ears, and as the foreign object withdrew, something larger took its place. The entry should have been painful, but instead an indescribable pleasure flowed through his body. Something in his heart was screaming for more, more, more. Shen Xi opened his eyes with a jolt. It was dark as far as the eye could see, still midnight, and there was silence around him, except for the shallow breathing of the man next to him. Shen Xi stared at the ceiling in shock as the images from the dream just now flashed through his mind one by one. The kisses, the heat, the pleasure, it was as if he was there, everything he felt was amazingly real. Shen Xi hesitantly touched himself below, and there was indeed a wet patch. A wave of irritation welled up in Shen Xi¡¯s heart and he forcefully broke away from Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace and sat up. When was the last time he had an erotic dream? It seemed to be before his eighteenth birthday. After such a long gap, Shen Xi did not expect to have a day when he had a wet dream, and the object of his wet dream was sleeping beside him at the moment. It was not that Shen Xi didn¡¯t understand what two men would be doing together. Although he wasn¡¯t keen on it due to his experience in his previous life, to be honest, he wasn¡¯t averse to the intimacy between the two since he was with Li Mingxuan. Just why was he the one below? The images from the dream flashed through his mind once again, and there still seemed to be a lingering sensation in his body. Shen Xi got out of bed, turned on the bedside lamp and rummaged through the wardrobe for clean underwear. Li Mingxuan woke up at some point and looked at Shen Xi in confusion, ¡°Xiao Xi, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Xi turned around with his underwear in his hand. Li Mingxuan blinked and stared thoughtfully at the underwear he was holding. His eyes slowly moved to Shen Xi¡¯s pyjama pants. It was as if Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes had penetrated through the thin material of his clothes and saw what Shen Xi was desperately trying to hide. Shen Xi glared at Li Mingxuan in annoyance and quickly left the room to go to the bathroom. Behind him, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were full of laughter as he stared at Shen Xi¡¯s back thoughtfully. Shen Xi dawdled in the bathroom for a long time before returning, and Li Mingxuan stayed awake, leaning on the head of the bed and waiting for him quietly. Shen Xi coldly ignored Li Mingxuan¡¯s smiling eyes, climbed into bed and curled on his side, intent on sleeping far away from him. A hint of amusement flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze as he leaned over very naturally and wrapped Shen Xi¡¯s entire body in his arms from behind. ¡°Good boy! It happens to cousin as well sometimes.¡± It was better if Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t open his mouth. Once he did, the resentment in Shen Xi¡¯s heart intensified. When he thought that he was actually the one below in his dream, Shen Xi did not want to talk to Li Mingxuan at all. Perhaps because Shen Xi¡¯s resentment was too strong, Li Mingxuan felt that at this moment, Shen Xi looked more like a small bristling animal. Trying hard to hold back his laughter, Li Mingxuan lowered his head and gently nibbled on Shen Xi¡¯s ear that he had found to be very sensitive. The wet slippery tongue traced over the auricle, and Shen Xi felt his body soften, and a hot current seemed to surge out from inside his body. Trying hard to suppress the strange feeling, Shen Xi rolled over and shrank into Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms as if to escape, saying grumpily, ¡°Sleep!¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, lowered his head and gave him a kiss, obediently saying, ¡°Okay, sleep!¡± After a good night¡¯s sleep, when Shen Xi woke up in the morning, Li Mingxuan had already made breakfast. Trying hard to get last night¡¯s dream out of his mind, Shen Xi pretended to sit across from Li Mingxuan as if nothing had happened. Perhaps it was Shen Xi¡¯s illusion, but he always felt that Li Mingxuan¡¯s smile today was more dazzling than ever. ¡°Xiao Xi, where are you going today?¡± Li Mingxuan asked as he brought the breakfast to Shen Xi. Shen Xi took the breakfast and casually replied, ¡°To take Fang Luowei to the set to see.¡± The film that Shen Xi had invested in was shooting very well, and Chen Zhiwei had invited Shen Xi to visit the set several times, to prove that he was indeed working on it on the one hand, and to cheer up the crew on the other. Unfortunately, Shen Xi did not care about it. But after Fang Luowei heard about it and was very curious about the filming set Shen Xi agreed. It was not the first time that Li Mingxuan heard Fang Luowei¡¯s name from Shen Xi¡¯s mouth. Although Shen Xi¡¯s expression indicated that there was nothing between him and Fang Luowei, the vague rumours in the circle still made Li Mingxuan wary. Li Mingxuan glanced at Shen Xi, ¡°In the morning?¡± Shen Xi nodded, not noticing the thoughtful glint in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. Chen Zhiwei¡¯s film was titled ¡°Troubled Times¡±. It was set in the Republic of China era and was shot at a filming location in the northern suburbs of Zhongjing. When Shen Xi brought Fang Luowei there, the crew was just getting ready to start. Everyone was surprised by the arrival of Shen Xi and Fang Luowei, but also was in high spirits. After all, everyone knew that the investor of the film was Shen Xi, and if they were noticed by Shen Xi, they would definitely have a bright future. Wasn¡¯t Fang Luowei unknown before but promoted by the company because he caught Shen Xi¡¯s attention? Shen Xi didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to the many eyes on the set. After meeting the main actors and actresses under Chen Zhiwei¡¯s introduction, Shen Xi entrusted Fang Luowei to Chen Zhiwei and sat quietly on the side by himself. Lao K¡¯s phone call came in at the right time. A few minutes later, Shen Xi hung up the phone, thinking about the news Lao K mentioned. Shen Rong intended to enter the entertainment industry. ¡°Bringing capital into the crew and acting as an assistant director.¡± Shen Xi repeated the words playfully. Everything seemed different from the previous life, but the vague trajectory still overlapped with it. ¡°Shen Xi?¡± There were footsteps behind him, accompanied by Fang Luowei¡¯s apprehensive voice. Shen Xi turned around at the sound of the voice, and when he saw Fang Luowei¡¯s current appearance, he couldn¡¯t help but be very surprised. At this moment, Fang Luowei was standing behind him in a military uniform of the Republic of China period and looking at him anxiously. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Chen Zhiwei came up from the side, ¡°Sanshao, it¡¯s like this. The actor playing this role is temporarily unavailable. I think Fang Luowei¡¯s image is quite suitable, so I plan to let Fang Luowei try it. What do you think?¡± Although Chen Zhiwei did not know what was going on between Shen Xi and Fang Luowei, thinking about the rumours in the circle, he still intended to cater to Shen Xi¡¯s preferences and urged Fang Luowei to give it a try. Shen Xi returned his attention to Fang Luowei. One had to admit that Fang Luowei¡¯s appearance was quite stunning. The ramrod straight military uniform suited him very much, making him look heroic. Shen Xi smiled and nodded at Fang Luowei, ¡°As long as you like it yourself.¡± Perhaps seeing the affirmation in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes, Fang Luowei excitedly followed Chen Zhiwei towards the set. Behind them, Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei¡¯s back, the emotions in his eyes very complicated. In Shen Xi¡¯s heart, Fang Luowei was different from anyone else. Whether it was the way they supported each other in prison in the previous life, or the way Fang Luowei protected him during the prison riot before he died, in this life Shen Xi wanted to do everything he could to make Fang Luowei happy. And everything went just as he hoped. He met Fang Luowei and intervened in his life, trying his best to eliminate everything that might make him repeat the fate of his previous life. As in his previous life, Fang Luowei became his best friend. But Shen Xi still had to admit that Fang Luowei now was different from the profound figure in his memory. Perhaps without the dark experiences of his previous life, the Fang Luowei before him was more sunny and upright than he remembered. Shen Xi trusted him, but could not open his heart to him as he had done in his previous life. Shen Xi regretted it somewhat. Fang Luowei¡¯s shooting was obviously very smooth, and he took the opportunity to wave at Shen Xi halfway through the shoot. Shen Xi looked back with a smile. This was good, he just wanted Fang Luowei to be happy. Shen Xi smiled with relief. The shooting stopped at noon, and Chen Zhiwei apologised to Shen Xi, saying that the crew had ordered boxed lunches, so Shen Xi had to make do with it. Shen Xi nodded indifferently, while Fang Luowei excitedly talked of his feelings about his first shooting, and Chen Zhiwei occasionally gave him some pointers. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± A magnetic male voice sounded from behind. Shen Xi looked over in surprise, and Li Mingxuan walked over with a smile from not far away. ¡°What brings you here, cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan glanced at the crowd with a smile, ¡°I had nothing to do at noon and came to see you.¡± Chen Zhiwei was the first to recognise Li Mingxuan. Compared to Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan was obviously more well known as the heir of the Li family. But rumour had it that Li Mingxuan had always been good friends with Shen Dashao, when did he become so close to Shen Xi? Although Chen Zhiwei had doubts in his mind, he did not show them on his face and only instructed someone to bring another chair over. Li Mingxuan greeted Chen Zhiwei and Fang Luowei with a smile, and naturally sat next to Shen Xi, reaching out to wrap his arms around him, his eyes gentle, ¡°Are you tired?¡± Shen Xi was used to Li Mingxuan¡¯s actions and didn¡¯t mind them, just shaking his head. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was doting, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Ye Han¡¯s place for dinner tonight.¡± The intimacy between the two naturally had different meanings in the eyes of different people. Because Shen Ji made trouble in the bar last time, Fang Luowei already knew about Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan being together. Seeing the closeness of the two of them at this time, Fang Luowei suppressed the inexplicable sadness in his heart, acting as if nothing had happened. Chen Zhiwei, on the other hand, was even more puzzled. He felt that the relationship between the two looked very strange, not like normal cousins. What was the situation? Li Mingxuan scanned the expressions of several people silently, focusing on Fang Luowei, and was very satisfied in his heart, looking at Shen Xi with an even more tender look. After they finished eating the boxed lunch provided by the crew, Fang Luowei excused himself to go and prepare for the afternoon shoot. Chen Zhiwei followed him, leaving Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan alone together. The place where they were eating was in a remote corner and out of sight. When Li Mingxuan glanced and noticed that no one was around, he couldn¡¯t help but lean over and kiss Shen Xi tenderly. Unlike the feeling at home, the excitement of being in a public place where people might have seen him at any time made Shen Xi aroused, and his original intention to push Li Mingxuan away turned into grabbing his collar and actively cooperating. Chen Zhiwei, who had forgotten his mobile phone and was coming back to get it, saw the two of them kissing. Trying hard to suppress the shock in his heart, Chen Zhiwei left silently, only to find the sad Fang Luowei not far away. CH 45 Since the day Fang Luowei was encouraged by Chen Zhiwei to play a role in ¡°Troubled Times¡±, Shen Xi took it upon himself to take Fang Luowei to and from the set for a few days in a row. All this was seen by Chen Zhiwei. Although he couldn¡¯t understand the relationship between Shen Xi, Fang Luowei and Li Mingxuan, he still understood that Fang Luowei had a special place in Shen Xi¡¯s heart anyway. Trying to please Shen Xi, coupled with the fact that Fang Luowei¡¯s appearance in the costume was so stunning that it really attracted a lot of attention, Chen Zhiwen ruthlessly revised the script overnight, adjusting Fang Luowei¡¯s original role of a passerby to the third male lead, and gave a call to Shen Xi at the first opportunity. ¡°Add some scenes?¡± When he received a call from Chen Zhiwei early in the morning, Shen Xi thought there was something wrong, but he didn¡¯t expect that Chen Zhiwei would propose to add a part for Fang Luowei. Thinking about Fang Luowei¡¯s excitement when he talked about acting, Shen Xi naturally agreed, ¡°Just talk to Luowei.¡± ¡°Of course, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already told Luowei.¡± Chen Zhiwei was certain that Shen Xi would say yes, and this phone call was just an initiative to demonstrate his goodwill to Shen Xi. After hanging up, Shen Xi dropped the phone on the sofa and climbed back into bed. It was the weekend and a rare occasion when Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t have to get up early, so he was able to have a little more sleep. ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± Li Mingxuan asked as he enveloped Shen Xi in his arms. ¡°Chen Zhiwei said he wanted to add some scenes for Luowei.¡± Shen Xi changed to a comfortable position, answering casually. The words ¡°add some scenes¡± reached Li Mingxuan¡¯s ears, and the original sleepiness immediately dissipated without a trace. In the past few days, Shen Xi got up early every day to drive Fang Luowei to and from the set, which already was Li Mingxuan¡¯s limit, but Chen Zhiwei actually wanted to add more scenes. An ambiguous light flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes, and then he lowered his head and nibbled on Shen Xi¡¯s ear as if nothing had happened, ¡°Is Fang Luowei going to officially develop in the entertainment industry?¡± Shen Xi gave a solf ¡°en¡±. Li Mingxuan rolled over and pressed Shen Xi down, ¡°In that case, I think Xiao Xi needs to find an agent for Fang Luowei as soon as possible, and it¡¯s best to arrange for an assistant as well. After all, there will be more things to do in the future and you can¡¯t be by his side all the time. You know reporters always like to talk nonsense, and too much gossip is not good for a star.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s proposal had actually been on Shen Xi¡¯s mind for a long time, except that the time when Fang Luowei got in prison in his previous life had not yet passed. Shen Xi was worried that there might be an accident, and the best way was to follow Fang Luowei¡¯s side himself. On the other hand, Shen Xi could see that Fang Luowei genuinely liked this career, so he decided to find a senior agent to facilitate Fang Luowei¡¯s future development. Shen Xi was still pondering when Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed him, ¡°What, no suitable agent?¡± Shen Xi nodded. Li Mingxuan said quietly, ¡°The boss of Shengshi Entertainment, Lin Yao, was my classmate abroad. Let me ask him for you to see if he has a suitable candidate at hand?¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± Shen Xi was sceptical of such a naked act of poaching. ¡°It¡¯s fine, he owes me a favour.¡± After Li Mingxuan finished speaking, he lowered his head and blocked Shen Xi¡¯s mouth. It was a rare day off for him. He really didn¡¯t want to spend his time discussing Fang Luowei. As Li Mingxuan pushed his hand into Shen Xi¡¯s pyjama trousers, the pleasure came out of nowhere and Shen Xi put the matter aside for the moment. Li Mingxuan¡¯s actions were swift and the next day he helped Shen Xi get in touch with an agent. The other party was named Zhao Wenping and he had been in the business for seven years. Although he was not a top agent, he had a lot of resources in his hands. More importantly, Li Mingxuan had checked that he was of good character and was not like some agents in the entertainment industry who were secretly pimping out celebrities to wealthy businessmen under the name of agent. Zhao Wenping was originally from another entertainment company, but left it because of a disagreement with the company¡¯s development philosophy, and was planning to go to Shengshi Entertainment, but was intercepted by Li Mingxuan. Initially, when he heard that the boss was Shen Xi, Zhao Wenping was not very willing to come over. From the bottom of his heart, he was very reluctant to deal with a young master like Shen Xi who knew nothing about anything. However, since the person who talked to him was Lin Yao, the owner of Shengshi Entertainment, and the middleman was Li Mingxuan, Zhao Wenping had to reluctantly agree to meet Shen Xi. The meeting was scheduled for Sunday evening. Li Mingxuan naturally had to accompany Shen Xi, and since it was to select an agent for Fang Luowei, Shen Xi directly asked Fang Luowei to come as well. The four of them met at a well-known private restaurant in Zhongjing. In the elegantly decorated private room, Shen Xi noticed Zhao Wenping at first glance. Zhao Wenping was only in his early thirties, with a moderate figure and in a pair of glasses, looking refined and introverted. Zhao Wenping¡¯s eyes passed over Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi silently, and fell on a bright-looking young man to Shen Xi¡¯s right. He had vaguely heard rumours in the circle that Shen Sanshao had spent a lot of money on a little singer, and if the rumours were true, then this young man was the little singer and the one he might be responsible for in the future. Zhao Wenping habitually assessed Fang Luowei with a professional eye. If one simply looked at his appearance, Fang Luowei could definitely be ranked in the top ten even in the entertainment industry, which was known to have countless beautiful men. What was more important was that Fang Luowei gave people a very sunny and clean feeling. This trait was extremely rare in the entertainment industry, the land of fame and fortune. Even if it was there, it was just an image, not coming from the heart like in Fang Luowei¡¯s case. Zhao Wenping just didn¡¯t know what Fang Luowei¡¯s professional quality was. Thinking about the rumoured relationship between Fang Luowei and Shen Xi, Zhao Wenping vaguely felt sorry for the young man. In the world of entertainment, it was always one wrong step at a time. If you entered the circle by relying on unspoken rules, then no matter what height you reached in the future, this stain would never be erased. What¡¯s more, since the gold master could uphold you, he could naturally uphold others. If you had already carved out your place in the circle by the time the gold master was tired of playing, it was okay. If you hadn¡¯t, it was estimated that you would be transferred to the hands of different gold masters in the future. Zhao Wenping¡¯s thoughts were only fleeting, and he was already greeting Shen Xi politely. Everyone sat down casually. Zhao Wenping glanced around and quickly noticed something was wrong. Opposite him, Fang Luowei did not sit next to Shen Xi. He was separated from Shen Xi by Li Mingxuan. More importantly, Li Mingxuan¡¯s attitude towards Shen Xi was too close, and there was a vague feeling of being lovers coming from them. Zhao Wenping was startled, and the thought that had just occurred to him seemed to linger in his mind. Following this thought, the more he looked at them, the more he felt that the relationship between the three was complicated. Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei not at all as if Fang Luowei was being nurtured as the rumours said, but more like he was treating a friend. And the relationship between Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan was so intimate that the two were more like lovers than relatives. But every time Li Mingxuan got close to Shen Xi, Fang Luowei¡¯s eyes flashed with sadness. This was really something! Zhao Wenping was surprised, but his face did not show it at all. He chatted with Shen Xi eagerly but without any flattery, while Li Mingxuan occasionally added a sentence and Fang Luowei sat by the side and listened intently. After the meal, Zhao Wenping already had a general idea. He didn¡¯t know what about Fang Luowei attracted Shen Xi but Shen Xi really regarded him as a friend and supported his entry into the entertainment industry. Zhao Wenping weighed up the situation in his mind and without much consideration said yes to Shen Xi¡¯s invitation. Only when he got up close and personal did he realise that Shen Xi was not as domineering as the newspapers made him out to be, but rather aloof. As for Fang Luowei, he had left a good impression on Zhao Wenping, who wanted to see how far Fang Luowei could go in the world of fame and fortune with Shen Xi behind him. The meal could be described as a happy one, and both Zhao Wenping and Shen Xi were very satisfied. After finishing the meal and making an appointment to go to the company tomorrow for the entry procedure, Shen Xi naturally pulled Fang Luowei, ¡°Get in the car, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± Zhao Wenping took a subtle glance at Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression, smiled and said to Shen Xi, ¡°I¡¯ll take Luowei back, it¡¯s good to get acquainted with each other.¡± Fang Luowei froze for a moment, then smiled and broke away from Shen Xi¡¯s hand, ¡°Then I¡¯ll trouble Mr. Zhao.¡± Shen Xi thought about it and felt it would be good for the two of them to get acquainted in advance, so he did not object. In his heart, Li Mingxuan praised Zhao Wenping straight away for being on the right track and gave him a satisfied look. After seeing Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan leave, Fang Luowei politely got into Zhao Wenping¡¯s car. Zhao Wenping said casually while driving, ¡°Luowei, do you like Sanshao?¡± What responded to his words was Fang Luowei¡¯s surprised eyes and unnatural expression, ¡°How could it be? Shen Xi and I are just friends.¡± Zhao Wenping smiled lightly, ¡°Luowei, you may not understand the relationship between an agent and a star. You should know that once I sign a contract with the company, I will be the closest person to you for the next five years. We will be colleagues, friends, partners, and most importantly, we must trust each other. I need to have all your information at my fingertips so that I can be the first to reasonably resolve whatever accident happens.¡± Fang Luowei did not say anything and Zhao Wenping did not take it personally, ¡°I can see that Sanshao takes great care of you. I hope you can remember my advice. In this circle a true friend is much more important than a lover.¡± There was the second half of the sentence that Zhao Wenping did not say. Shen Xi already had Li Mingxuan by his side. Even if Fang Luowei decided to fight, he might not be able to win. It was better to take a step back and be friends. According to Shen Xi¡¯s attitude towards Luowei, Li Mingxuan would definitely not let Fang Luowei suffer. Zhao Wenping¡¯s words left Fang Luowei silent for the rest of the way. Did he like Shen Xi? Fang Luowei himself was not sure, he just knew that he did not want to see Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan together. In contrast, he could not help but want to be with Shen Xi all the time. When did this feeling start? Fang Luowei could not say for sure. Shen Xi fell from the sky at the time of his most distress and after that, Shen Xi intervened in his life in a way that he could not refuse. Shen Xi would take the initiative to seek him out for dinner, Shen Xi helped him deal with threat from Brother Wang, Shen Xi helped him take care of his grandparents, Shen Xi helped him settle his contract with his previous company, Shen Xi paid for him to record a song, Shen Xi encouraged him to act, and Shen Xi even signed an agent for him. All of Shen Xi¡¯s kindness to him was unconditional, and Fang Luowei had a vague illusion that Shen Xi was incredibly tolerant of him, and would do anything for him as long as he was happy. Fang Luowei didn¡¯t know what attracted Shen Xi to him and why Shen Xi was so kind to him, but Fang Luowei was sure that no one could refuse such kindness. The two of them returned in silence to the neighbourhood where Fang Luowei lived. Shen Xi had rented a house for him there after he had signed up with his company. Next to this neighbourhood was the most prestigious nursing home in Zhongjing, where his grandfather and grandmother were living at the moment. Fang Luowei¡¯s heart felt indescribably sad. Perhaps Zhao Wenping was right. Lovers might break up, but Shen Xi might be the only one in his life who would be a good friend to him wholeheartedly. Zhao Wenping steadily parked the car by the community and Fang Luowei looked at him, ¡°Thank you!¡± A smile flashed in Zhao Wenping¡¯s eyes, ¡°It¡¯s what I should do.¡± Zhao Wenping didn¡¯t start the car until Fang Luowei¡¯s figure disappeared. When he left, Zhao Wenping suddenly thought that he had made a contribution to the stability of the boss¡¯s family, but it was a pity that Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know about it. The next day after Zhao Wenping went through the signing-up procedures at the company. He very consciously took over all of Fang Luowei¡¯s current daily activities, including, of course, the daily round-trip transfers to and from the set. Shen Xi directly handed him a card and told him to pick out a car for himself, and by the way, he provided Fang Luowei with a full set of an assistant and a driver. Zhao Wenping was a bit worried that Shen Xi would go bankrupt one day, but when he thought of the Shen and Li families standing behind Shen Xi, he felt that he was worrying about nothing. As Zhao Wenping quickly got a grip on his work, Shen Xi refocused his energy on Shen Group, and soon the first conflict between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng broke out. Shen Group sold Yunrou at a discounted price of 300 million to a previous competitor! By the time Shen Ji got the news, the board of directors had already approved the deal. Seeing the look of pity on the faces of his former subordinates, Shen Ji tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart and hurried to Shen Cheng. As the general manager of Shen Group, Shen Cheng managed all the company¡¯s incoming and outgoing transactions. Shen Ji had deliberately reminded Shen Cheng before that he must let him know about Yunrou¡¯s affairs. He did not believe that Shen Cheng would not know about the existence of this deal beforehand, so why hadn¡¯t Shen Cheng told him? Why was he the only one who had been kept in the dark about this deal? Shen Ji¡¯s expression was too ugly, and the employees who came and went were curious, but when they noticed that Shen Ji¡¯s destination was the general manager¡¯s office, their expressions became unpredictable. ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Ji pushed the door open without knocking and walked in. Inside the office, Lu Gesen was standing in front of Shen Cheng saying something. ¡°Big brother!¡± Shen Cheng was obviously very surprised by Shen Ji¡¯s appearance; especially Shen Ji¡¯s expression made him feel baffled. Lu Gesen sensibly chose to excuse himself and thoughtfully closed the office door for the two of them. After a warning glance at the inquiring eyes outside, Lu Gesen returned to his office in a happy mood. Looking at Shen Ji, it was obvious that he knew about Yunrou¡¯s cheap sale. Sure enough, Shen Xi was right. Yunrou was Shen Ji¡¯s inverse scale, and no one could touch it. Lu Gesen looked playfully at the office next door, wondering if Shen Ji enjoyed the surprise. ¡°Big brother, why are you here at this time?¡± Past experience told Shen Cheng that Shen Ji was in a rather bad mood at the moment, so he had better be careful. Shen Ji frowned, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t come, I wouldn¡¯t even have known that Yunrou was going to be sold.¡± A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Cheng¡¯s face and then he looked embarrassed, ¡°So you already know, big brother, I was planning to surprise you.¡± ¡°Surprise me?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face turned gloomy, but unfortunately Shen Cheng was keeping his head down and didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Yes, big brother. Wasn¡¯t it because of Yunrou that you were kicked out by the board of directors gang? Now that I¡¯ve sold Yunrou, after a while when the storm dies down, you¡¯ll be able to come back, big brother.¡± The implication in Shen Cheng¡¯s words was very sincere, and his face even had a happy expression, but after noticing Shen Ji¡¯s look, he hesitated, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Ji tried to suppress the anger in his heart, ¡°Who proposed this deal? Do you know what Yunrou¡¯s market value is estimated to be? One billion three hundred million, and you actually sold it for three hundred million!¡± Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t help but argue, ¡°Of course I know the market value of Yunrou, but wasn¡¯t that before? Now after the dioxane fiasco, Yunrou is not worth anything at all.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s words slowly died out in front of Shen Ji¡¯s cold face. The magnificent image of Shen Ji that had been formed in Shen Cheng¡¯s heart for a long time made him not dare to argue again, but a hint of defiance flickered in his eyes. Shen Ji frowned, ¡°Who exactly proposed this deal? Gao Qiulin or someone else?¡± ¡°There was no one else, I made the decision on my own.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Lu Gesen stop you?¡± Shen Cheng gave Shen Ji a sheepish glance, ¡°He did, but I went straight to my father and he said that the deal wasn¡¯t a loss. After all, it was cheap to buy back then and it was better to get rid of it sooner.¡± When Shen Ji heard that, the anger in his heart could no longer be restrained and he kicked the desk in front of him fiercely. A loud bang resounded in the office and the employees outside all stared at each other in disbelief. ¡°Big brother, I really wanted to surprise you. If we settle Yunrou earlier, won¡¯t you be able to return to the position of general manager sooner?¡± Shen Cheng explained hurriedly. Shen Ji took a deep breath, didn¡¯t look at Shen Cheng again, turned around and left, slamming the door shut. ¡°Big brother!¡± Shen Cheng looked in the direction of the door with disappointment. He could not understand Shen Ji in the least, he really did it out of the goodness of his heart, and his father also strongly supported him. Why would big brother be so upset? ¡°Cheng Shao, is everything okay?¡± Lu Gesen appeared in the doorway at some point. Shen Cheng shook his head, ¡°Why do you think big brother is unhappy?¡± Lu Gesen thought for a moment, ¡°Yunrou is, after all, Shen Dashao¡¯s heart and soul, and he has given a lot for Yunrou over the years. In his heart Yunrou is very important, it is inevitable that he will be upset about Yunrou being sold cheaply like this.¡± Shen Cheng frowned, ¡°But Yunrou is no longer valuable to Shen Group, so why is big brother so stubborn?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°It¡¯s just a different perspective. From the company¡¯s point of view, there¡¯s nothing wrong with Cheng Shao¡¯s approach. It¡¯s just that Shen Dashao¡¯s feelings for Yunrou are too deep to accept it for a while.¡± Shen Cheng hesitantly glanced at Lu Gesen, ¡°I remember you said that you can¡¯t be emotional in managing a company.¡± Lu Gesen pulled the corner of his mouth, ¡°Of course, you have to know that you are not alone in the company, especially in a company like Shen Group. There are thousands of employees underneath, you have to be responsible for each and every one of them.¡± Shen Cheng nodded hesitantly, ¡°I understand. My father also agreed to this matter, and I did nothing wrong.¡± Lu Gesen glanced at Shen Cheng with appreciation and gave him a rare smile, ¡°Of course!¡± CH 46 The conflict between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng soon became known to Shen Dehan. When he heard that Shen Ji had left the company in a rage, a trace of disappointment surged in his heart. Shen Dehan knew Shen Ji¡¯s feelings for Yunrou. As Lu Gesen said, Shen Ji had put too much of his heart and soul into Yunrou, and because of the special significance of Yunrou for him, Shen Ji¡¯s strong opposition to the sale of Yunrou was completely understandable. But understanding did not mean approval. In Shen Dehan¡¯s mind, Yunrou had become a drag on Shen Ji, and its existence was a constant reminder to the board of directors of the mistakes Shen Ji had made. The only way to silence the unfavourable voices against Shen Ji from the board of directors was to get rid of Yunrou as soon as possible, but unfortunately Shen Ji, who had always been excellent, was stubborn in this matter. In Shen Dehan¡¯s opinion, Shen Cheng did not do anything wrong. His starting point was good whether it was for the company or for Shen Ji, not to mention that the deal was not a loss. Compared to the purchase price back then, even if you didn¡¯t count the profits of Yunrou over the years, the price of this deal also left Shen Group with some profit. For this, even Gao Qiulin said a few words praising Shen Cheng. Shen Dehan sighed. Ah Ji¡¯s growth was too smooth. In the past he had protected Ah Ji too well. He hoped that through these events he could make Ah Ji really grow up. After Shen Ji left the company, for a while he didn¡¯t know where to go. The recent succession of events had turned his life into a mess. Glancing at the hurrying crowd on the street, Shen Ji smiled bitterly. This was the first time he had left the company to hang out alone at the time he was supposed to be at work. Shen Ji felt that he had a lot of things on his mind and he had to find someone to talk to, but when he opened his phone book, no matter how much he deliberately ignored it, his eyes eventually fell on the words ¡°Li Mingxuan¡±. Shen Ji hesitantly looked at the name and after thinking about it dialled the number. ¡°Mingxuan, are you at the office? I¡¯m coming to you.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s simple ¡°good¡± made the depression in Shen Ji¡¯s heart finally dissipate a bit, and half an hour later, he appeared in front of Li Mingxuan. A friend for many years, Li Mingxuan could see at a glance that Shen Ji was not in a good mood at the moment. After instructing his assistant to make two cups of coffee, Li Mingxuan pushed away the documents in his hands and looked at Shen Ji, ¡°What happened?¡± Shen Ji took a sip of coffee and exhaled a long breath of depression, ¡°I had a bit of an argument with Ah Cheng.¡± ¡°About Shen Group?¡± Li Mingxuan asked tentatively. Shen Ji gave an ¡°en¡±. ¡°He submitted the deal I was holding down earlier to the board of directors and the board approved it.¡± Li Mingxuan reacted quickly, ¡°Ah Cheng was hiding it from you?¡± Shen Ji nodded, rather disheartened. Li Mingxuan was puzzled, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell Ah Cheng that you were in contact with Baoli Group?¡± Shen Ji shook his head, ¡°My father was determined to sell Yunrou and didn¡¯t listen to my ideas. I planned to talk to him after I had made a deal with Baoli. I didn¡¯t tell anyone in order to avoid getting into trouble, but I just didn¡¯t expect Ah Cheng to submit the deal directly to the board.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t expect this to be the case. Thinking about what Shen Cheng had done, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but say comfortingly, ¡°Ah Cheng didn¡¯t know what was going on behind the scenes, he is now the general manager of Shen Group. The deal submitted to the board of directors through his hands was in full compliance with the procedures, so he can¡¯t be blamed.¡± Shen Ji nodded and smiled bitterly, ¡°I know. In fact, I know I shouldn¡¯t blame Ah Cheng, I just couldn¡¯t control my temper a bit. Everyone thinks I was reluctant to sell it because of my feelings for Yunrou, and even my father refused to sit down and listen to my thoughts. Shen Group blindly invested in the financial market over the years, seemingly growing and expanding non-stop, but in fact it drifted further and further away from Shen Group¡¯s original vision. Yunrou originally was a great opportunity. If Yunrou had succeeded, it would have been the right time to use it to make Shen Group focus on industry. I just didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± Shen Ji shook his head in disappointment, ¡°Maybe fundamentally my father and I just don¡¯t have the same philosophy regarding the development of Shen Group.¡± This was the first time Shen Ji had shown disappointment in front of Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan got up and walked to his side, patting him on the shoulder vigorously, ¡°Having differences is not a problem, what matters is how you resolve them. Uncle has been doing well all these years, and it is inevitable that he will be a bit stubborn as he gets older. So why don¡¯t you talk to him properly? Frankly speaking, according to the current economic situation, I am not optimistic about the financial market either.¡± Shen Ji nodded, but he didn¡¯t hold much hope in his heart, ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± After glancing at the time, Shen Ji changed the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s go out for a drink tonight?¡± Li Mingxuan simply refused, ¡°Not today.¡± Shen Ji raised an eyebrow, ¡°Want to accompany Shen Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°The touring exhibition that Mingfei was attending abroad is over, and my mother is accompanying him back today. I¡¯ve already called before and I have to go home in the evening.¡± ¡°Shen Xi is going too?¡± Shen Ji asked casually. ¡°Xiao Xi is not going, Mother doesn¡¯t know about me and Xiao Xi yet.¡± Shen Ji looked surprised, ¡°You didn¡¯t tell Aunt?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded, ¡°Mother has been abroad, it¡¯s not good to talk on the phone. I¡¯m worried that Mother might have some misunderstanding about Xiao Xi, it¡¯s better to say it in person.¡± Shen Ji froze and then smiled, ¡°You think so much of Shen Xi, is he that good?¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Ji with a serious expression, ¡°No matter what others think, Xiao Xi is good enough in my heart.¡± Shen Ji did not say anything more under Li Mingxuan¡¯s serious look. That night because he was going back to the Li family, Li Mingxuan deliberately called Shen Xi in advance. He seriously instructed Shen Xi on the phone to eat well and rest early, and he would be back early tomorrow. His mother had been abroad with Mingfei for over a month, so he certainly couldn¡¯t just leave her after dinner and come back to stay with Shen Xi. Plus he planned to confess his affair with Shen Xi while his mother was in a good mood. Thinking about his mother¡¯s possible reaction, Li Mingxuan had already prepared himself. When he received the call from Li Mingxuan, at first Shen Xi was not bothered that he would not come back in the evening. However, after hanging up the phone, as Shen Xi cooked alone, ate alone, tidied up the house alone, and looked around, he felt that something seemed to be missing. After turning on the TV, Shen Xi unconsciously tuned to the financial channel. It was not until the stock market information was broadcast that Shen Xi suddenly realised that this was the channel Li Mingxuan was used to watching while he had no interest in it at all. Changing channels haphazardly, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but look at the coffee table in front of the sofa where all the financial magazines that Li Mingxuan had brought were neatly laid out. As Shen Xi¡¯s eyes swept around, there was Li Mingxuan¡¯s jacket hanging on the coat rack at the door, the papers he had read last night were scattered on the table, and on the bedside table in the bedroom was Li Mingxuan¡¯s watch, not to mention Li Mingxuan¡¯s clothes that had taken up half of the wardrobe. Shen Xi suddenly felt irritated. When he was not paying attention, Li Mingxuan invaded his life little by little. It was as if Li Mingxuan¡¯s scent was everywhere in the house. Compared to when he was living alone at the beginning, the apartment was now stuffed full of things, and everything seemed to be connected to Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi frowned and dialled Lao K¡¯s number. When Shen Xi arrived at Lao K¡¯s house, the Li family¡¯s dinner had just ended. Li Mingfei sat in the living room, excitedly describing his life abroad with his mother to Li Xiyong who listened with a smile on his face. In the corner of the living room, Li Mingxuan helped Shen Bixue sit down, ¡°Mom, I have something to tell you.¡± Shen Bixue gave Li Mingxuan a strange look and said with a smile, ¡°Why so solemn?¡± Li Mingxuan sat down opposite Shen Bixue and said with a serious expression, ¡°Xiao Xi and I are together.¡± Shen Bixue didn¡¯t realise what Li Mingxuan was talking about at first, and it wasn¡¯t until the words went round and round in her mind a few times that she reacted. ¡°You and Shen Xi are together?¡± Shen Bixue felt that she must have been hallucinating as she repeated incredulously word for word while staring closely at Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression, trying to find traces of joking in it. Under his mother¡¯s gaze, Li Mingxuan nodded self-consciously. Shen Bixue only felt her heart thud suddenly and said sternly, ¡°What does it mean, together?¡± As soon as this sentence was uttered, it immediately attracted the attention of the other two people in the living room. Li Xiyong knew what Li Mingxuan was talking about, frowned and did not say anything. Li Mingfei glanced at his mother cautiously and obediently shrank himself into the background of the living room. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression remained unchanged, ¡°It means what you understand it to mean.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t agree!¡± Shen Bixue didn¡¯t even think about it. Li Mingxuan already expected his mother¡¯s reaction and was not too surprised. He just persuaded Shen Bixue with a sincere expression, ¡°Mom, Xiao Xi is very good, I want to be with him and take good care of him. Didn¡¯t you also say before that you wanted me to take care of Xiao Xi more?¡± ¡°I asked you to help him as much as you can, but I didn¡¯t ask you to take care of him in bed.¡± Shen Bixue said ruthlessly and then looked at Li Mingxuan with a suspicious expression, ¡°Is it Shen Xi?¡­¡± Li Mingxuan understood Shen Bixue¡¯s unfinished sentence, and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. He directly interrupted his mother¡¯s words, ¡°It has nothing to do with Xiao Xi, it was me who seduced him.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± Shen Bixue refused to believe it. Li Mingxuan repeated with a solemn expression, ¡°Mom, it was me who seduced Xiao Xi.¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Mingxuan in a daze, unable to understand why her excellent son would fall for Shen Xi. It was not that she felt that Shen Xi was bad, but even putting aside the blood relationship between them, Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi¡¯s lives had not intersected at all, and she could not think of how the two could come to be together. At first she subconsciously suspected that it was Shen Xi who had taken the initiative to seduce Li Mingxuan with some plan in mind. Then Li Mingxuan¡¯s words made her believe that perhaps it was really Li Mingxuan who had first made a move on Shen Xi, but how was this possible? Shen Bixue¡¯s gaze turned to Li Xiyong and she realised that he was not surprised. Shen Bixue said hesitantly, ¡°You already know?¡± Li Xiyong nodded, ¡°Since Mingxuan likes him, let Mingxuan be.¡± ¡°This¡­?¡± Shen Bixue still felt that she couldn¡¯t accept it and subconsciously tried to find some reason to oppose it. If Shen Bixue¡¯s first reaction was to refuse to believe it, then Li Mingfei was completely surprised. Staring in amazement at his elder brother, Li Mingfei digested the conversation he had just heard in his mind over and over again. So, Cousin Shen Xi would be a family with them in the future? Although his mother seemed to be very much against the idea, Li Mingfei could not help but feel happy in his heart. This way, he would be able to play with Cousin Shen Xi more often in the future, right? Even if his uncle disliked Cousin Shen Xi, with them as his family, wouldn¡¯t there be no one to bully Cousin Shen Xi anymore? No one knew what was on Li Mingfei¡¯s mind. Shen Bixue looked back at Li Mingxuan, ¡°How long have you been together?¡± ¡°Since you left the country.¡± Shen Bixue sighed and eventually waved her hand, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that for today, I¡¯m tired, let¡¯s talk tomorrow if there¡¯s anything to say.¡± After saying this, Shen Bixue did not look at the others again, turned and went back to her room. Li Xiyong followed Shen Bixue back to their bedroom, and when the two disappeared, Li Mingfei immediately sat down next to his elder brother, ¡°Brother, are you really with Cousin Shen Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan gave a soft ¡°en¡± and Li Mingfei looked happy, ¡°Then will I be able to spend time with Cousin Shen Xi more often? Will no one be able to bully Cousin Shen Xi anymore with us around?¡± Li Mingxuan was stunned and nodded with a smile, avoiding Li Mingfei¡¯s first question, ¡°En, we won¡¯t let others bully our cousin Shen Xi in the future.¡± While Li Mingxuan said these words, Shen Xi received a call from Zhao Wenping. ¡°Dinner? Where?¡± Zhao Wenping said an address and Shen Xi frowned, ¡°I know, I¡¯ll come find you guys.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Lao K realised that Shen Xi¡¯s expression was not right. Shen Xi grimaced, ¡°Chen Zhiwei took the crew out for dinner and ran into Shen Rong and their crew. Luowei is in a bit of trouble.¡± ¡°Zhao Wenping couldn¡¯t solve it?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°There are people from the Film Bureau.¡± Lao K grabbed his clothes, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Shen Xi refused, ¡°No need, it¡¯s better to use the name of Shen Sanshao.¡± When Shen Xi rushed to the private room that Zhao Wenping had mentioned on the phone, there were not many people inside. Obviously because there were people from the Film Bureau, not everyone could sit there. At this moment a short, fat man of about forty was squeezing in beside Fang Luowei with the intention of drinking, insisting that Fang Luowei drink the wine in his hand. Fang Luowei¡¯s face was full of patience. Zhao Wenping was struggling to stop the middle-aged man and say something. Next to them, Chen Zhiwei was lying on the sofa already unconscious. ¡°What, refusing to give me face?¡± Zhao Wenping cursed in his heart, but his face still had to wear a smile, ¡°Director Hao, Luowei is still a newcomer, this is the first time he encountered this situation. I will drink for him.¡± The man known as Director Hao gave Zhao Wenping a sidelong glance, ¡°First it was Chen Zhiwei and now it¡¯s you, what qualifications do you have?¡± Despite this comment, Zhao Wenping¡¯s expression did not change in the slightest. He still planned to speak with a smile, but suddenly someone next to him stretched out his hand and took the glass, ¡°I¡¯ll drink!¡± With this ¡°I¡¯ll drink¡±, Shen Xi drank the wine in his hand without even looking at it. ¡°Sanshao!¡± Zhao Wenping looked at the young man standing in front of him and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately Shen Xi had rushed over, otherwise he really would have been unable to stop it. Fang Luowei¡¯s eyes flashed with surprise the moment he saw Shen Xi. ¡°Is it okay?¡± Shen Xi looked at the man across the table in disgust. The man froze and wanted to say something when the other two middle-aged men in the private room came over with smiles, ¡°Lao Hao, too much to drink, ah!¡± ¡°Sanshao, don¡¯t mind, Lao Hao has this kind of problem, he makes trouble when he drinks too much. Misunderstanding, ah, misunderstanding!¡± The other men laughed and dragged the man away quickly. Shen Xi gave them a cold look, not even glancing at Shen Rong who was sitting in the back, and reached out to pull Fang Luowei, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Zhao Wenping smiled at everyone, helped Chen Zhiwei and followed Shen Xi out. From the moment Shen Xi appeared, Shen Rong¡¯s eyes never left him. Shen Xi didn¡¯t even look at him. Shen Rong¡¯s expression twisted slightly as he thought about the drug he had put in the wine. He smiled coldly again. Fang Luowei or Zhao Wenping, whose bitch would Shen Xi be tonight? Shen Xi and the others quickly left the hotel. As soon as the cold wind blew, Shen Xi suddenly felt a fire burning in his body. He subconsciously felt hot and seemed to be unable to stand properly. Fang Luowei was the first to notice that something was wrong, ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± Shen Xi struggled to stand up straight. Under the light, Shen Xi¡¯s face was blushing, and his eyes were full of mist. Fang Luowei immediately realized that there was something in the wine just now. He carefully supported Shen Xi. Shen Xi gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, ¡°Take me home.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhao Wenping noticed that the two were still standing in front of the hotel after he shoved Chen Zhiwei into the car and immediately returned. Seeing Shen Xi¡¯s appearance, Zhao Wenping was stunned and hurriedly took the keys from Shen Xi and opened the car door for him. Shen Xi silently sat in the passenger side. Zhao Wenping looked at Fang Luowei and wanted to ask him if he could drive, but Fang Luowei had already directly pulled open the car door and got in, ¡°I¡¯ll take Xiao Xi home, please take care of Director Chen.¡± Zhao Wenping gave Fang Luowei a deep look and nodded. As the car started up, Shen Xi let out an impatient groan. Fang Luowei¡¯s hand trembled and he couldn¡¯t help but look at Shen Xi. Under the dim light, Shen Xi squinted his eyes, his expression indescribably charming. As if bewitched, Fang Luowei could not help but lean over, ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± These words were so familiar that Shen Xi unconsciously leaned towards Fang Luowei and said softly, ¡°Cousin!¡± Fang Luowei suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured down on him. He came back to his senses. After he looked at Shen Xi with complicated eyes for a while, Fang Luowei¡¯s expression finally turned into sadness. Carefully parking the car on the side of the road, Fang Luowei gently moved up and touched Shen Xi¡¯s lips lightly like a dragonfly wing, then backed off a little and slowly looked away. After finding Li Mingxuan¡¯s number, Fang Luowei tapped on it and gently pressed it down. CH 47 In November Zhongjing had already entered late autumn, and people who travelled at night all wrapped themselves tightly to resist the bone-chilling cold. Li Mingxuan was wearing only a thin jacket, and with the car window wide open, the cold night breeze poured in. His body was as cold as if he had been immersed in ice water. But even so, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart was still burning with a fire that he didn¡¯t know how to extinguish. Not long ago, his mobile phone suddenly rang, and when he saw the words ¡°Shen Xi¡± flashing on the screen, he was unimaginably happy. This was the second time that Shen Xi had taken the initiative to call him, so he picked up the phone in a happy mood, only to find that it was Fang Luowei who was calling. Before he could suppress the sourness that flashed through his heart, he heard Fang Luowei say vaguely that Shen Xi had been drugged and asked him to come over as soon as possible. The word ¡°drugged¡± haunted him all the way. It was not that Li Mingxuan had never heard of all the shady and dirty tricks in the entertainment industry, but he had never thought that someone would dare to use them on Shen Xi. The anger in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Li Mingxuan glanced at the speed and without hesitation stepped on the accelerator again. Seeing that the car was already speeding past 200, he still felt that it seemed to be too slow. It took him only twenty minutes to reach the apartment, even though the trip took an hour on a normal day. Fang Luowei did not seem to have arrived yet, so Li Mingxuan waited impatiently downstairs. The sound of a car driving came from far away in the silent night, and Li Mingxuan trembled looking in the direction of the car. It was Shen Xi¡¯s car. With just a glance, Li Mingxuan recognised it and took a few steps towards it. Before the car stopped, Li Mingxuan opened the door. Under the orange street lights of the community, Shen Xi could be clearly seen leaning against the passenger seat with a blush on his face. As the door was opened and the night breeze blew into the car, Shen Xi looked up slightly, his eyes filled with mist, indescribably seductive. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart felt as if it was hit by a sledgehammer. While frantic, Li Mingxuan could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Fang Luowei had not made it clear on the phone, and on the way Li Mingxuan thought that Shen Xi had been secretly poisoned with various drugs. But now it seemed that it was only an aphrodisiac, which was much better than what he feared. Fang Luowei¡¯s driving skills were quite good; the car stopped steadily in front of Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan leaned down gently, unbuckled the seat belt and carefully took Shen Xi out. At first, Shen Xi instinctively shivered from a slightly cool embrace. But with the familiar scent emanating from this embrace, Shen Xi relaxed and obediently let Li Mingxuan hold him. The scene in front of him stung Fang Luowei; he tried to hold back the sadness in his heart and looked at Li Mingxuan guiltily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Xi did it for me¡­¡± The rest of his words were cut off by Li Mingxuan, ¡°You¡¯re Xiao Xi¡¯s best friend, you don¡¯t need to think too much.¡± The words ¡°best friend¡± made Fang Luowei¡¯s heart bitter, and after a worried glance at Shen Xi, he lowered his head to hide his expression, ¡°Go back quickly, I¡¯m afraid Xiao Xi¡­¡± Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t say the words ¡°can¡¯t help it¡±. Li Mingxuan gave him a deep look and didn¡¯t say anything else as he carried Shen Xi away. As the night breeze blew, Fang Luowei watched the door of the apartment building close tightly after Li Mingxuan, and stood there in a daze until the mobile phone in his pocket suddenly rang. ¡°Luowei, it¡¯s Wenping, is Sanshao with you?¡± It was Zhao Wenping¡¯s deep and steady voice. Knowing what he was worried about, Fang Luowei replied lightly, ¡°Li Mingxuan has just picked up Xiao Xi.¡± ¡°Since Sanshao has already gone home, Luowei, you should also rest early, you still have to go to the set tomorrow to shoot a scene.¡± Zhao Wenping¡¯s tone did not fluctuate, but Fang Luowei could still hear relief in it. With a bitter smile on his face, Fang Luowei said, ¡°I know, see you tomorrow.¡± With a final glance at the closed door, Fang Luowei turned around and got into the car to drive to his own neighbourhood. He couldn¡¯t go on like this. Shen Xi was so good to him, so he had to return the favour. Shen Xi needed friends around him, and he would be Shen Xi¡¯s best friend. No matter what Shen Xi started the company for, he would work hard and make sure not to let Shen Xi¡¯s money go to waste. Behind Fang Luowei, in the dark corridor, Shen Xi was kissed fiercely by Li Mingxuan against the wall. Li Mingxuan was trying to hold back until going home, but Shen Xi kept moving in his arms, his warm breath blowing on his neck and his wet tongue licking. Li Mingxuan¡¯s whole body was battle-ready and he finally couldn¡¯t hold back from pressing Shen Xi against the wall and kissing him passionately. Shen Xi was encircled in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, passively bearing his kisses. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi tightly with one hand, while the other hand fumbled with the key and struggled to push open the door. The moment he closed the door, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t think of anything else and pushed Shen Xi directly against the door, biting his lips and pushing his tongue in forcefully, sweeping it around wantonly. After a long kiss, Li Mingxuan reluctantly withdrew, pecked on Shen Xi¡¯s lips and trailed down his fair neck. Shen Xi stood unsteadily, wrapped in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, tilting his head back and taking in Li Mingxuan¡¯s passion. Under the pale moonlight, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were narrowed. His lips looked unusually red from the previous kisses, and every now and then he let out an unbearable moan. These moans were like magic sounds that entered Li Mingxuan¡¯s ears, tickling his heart to no end. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but pick up Shen Xi and stride towards the bedroom. There were no lights on in the bedroom, and the faint moonlight flooded the room like water. Li Mingxuan gently placed Shen Xi on the bed, but who could have expected that Shen Xi would not let go of his neck. ¡°Cousin, it¡¯s uncomfortable!¡± A soft murmur sounded in his ears, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart softened into a puddle of water. Gently pressing down on Shen Xi¡¯s body, Li Mingxuan kissed the man beneath him tenderly while unbuttoning Shen Xi¡¯s jacket. The clothes were taken off one by one, and Shen Xi only felt the fire inside his body burning hotter and hotter. His body seemed to be craving for something, but he couldn¡¯t say what. There was someone¡¯s hand roaming over his body, always bringing a cool sensation, and Shen Xi instinctively leaned over and pressed himself against the person in front of him. The familiar embrace, the reassuring feeling made Shen Xi rub his body impatiently, ¡°Cousin!¡± This cry of ¡°Cousin¡± caused Li Mingxuan¡¯s body to tremble, and the heat flowing throughout him was instantly focused in the desire below. Li Mingxuan felt like he was about to explode; he wanted to enter despite anything, to possess the man underneath him fiercely, to rub him hard into his own flesh and bones. But all his thoughts turned to pity when he saw Shen Xi¡¯s bewildered expression. Li Mingxuan hugged Shen Xi tenderly, kissing along his neck and down to his lower abdomen. Shen Xi¡¯s desire had already risen high in unbearable lust, the tip trembling slightly and overflowing with crystal fluid. Li Mingxuan kissed it tenderly and slowly took it into his mouth. ¡°Agh!¡± A trembling moan spilled out of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth as the sudden pleasure overwhelmed him completely. Instinctively, Shen Xi obeyed the guidance of his body, lifting his belly upwards, his legs tensing, toes flexing, both hands thrust into Li Mingxuan¡¯s hair as he groaned constantly in sync with his ups and downs. After an unknown period of time, a dazzling white light flashed before his eyes and Shen Xi let out a small ¡°umph¡±. Then his body completely limped down, and he stared into the air in confusion, gasping slightly. Shen Xi thought this was the ultimate pleasure, but unexpectedly, the familiar big hand touched his back. The fire in his body followed along his waist and abdomen, converging at his behind. Shen Xi could not tell how he felt at this moment. He could only hug the person in front of him tighter, rubbing against him harder, hoping that the other party could relieve the burning heat inside him. Shen Xi¡¯s movements almost made Li Mingxuan unable to resist, and after trying hard to suppress the lust in his heart, Li Mingxuan carefully stretched out a finger to probe into Shen Xi¡¯s body. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, the sensation of a foreign object invading Shen Xi was indescribably good. Shen Xi felt something inside his heart clamouring for more. The other party seemed to have heard it and more foreign objects invaded his body. Shen Xi moaned in comfort, but felt that it was not enough, not enough! Encouraged by the screams in his heart, Shen Xi pushed the man beside him away forcefully and rolled over to sit on top of him. His eyes focused a little; Shen Xi bit his lip and slid down along Li Mingxuan¡¯s desire. The moment the foreign object entered him, there was a flash of pain, but soon boundless pleasure replaced the pain and Shen Xi moved up and down following his body¡¯s instincts. Li Mingxuan felt like he was going crazy; his eyes, originally tainted with lust, were now completely bottomless. He had been worried that Shen Xi would be hurt and held back to make Shen Xi more comfortable, but he did not expect that Shen Xi would sit up directly. The moment he entered Shen Xi, his body¡¯s senses seemed to be opened and pleasure swept through him at a speed that he could not control at all. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi¡¯s waist and looked at him in fascination. Under the soft moonlight, Shen Xi tilted his head and his body was arched in a perfect curve. As Shen Xi¡¯s movements accelerated, a thin layer of sweat glistened on his originally fair body; crystal droplets of water slid down his abs and fell onto the place of their junction. The beauty of the scene before Li Mingxuan was unparalleled, and this feeling of union with his beloved made Li Mingxuan feel as if he had reached heaven. After a long time, the accumulated pleasure spurted out and they both climaxed almost simultaneously. In the aftermath of the orgasm, Shen Xi¡¯s body slumped down softly. Between their entangled breaths, Shen Xi¡¯s sanity gradually returned and with a sharp gasp, Shen Xi whispered a request, ¡°Cousin, get yourself out.¡± Li Mingxuan held the man on top of him tightly, his hands naturally wandering along the other¡¯s bare back, his lips trailing over Shen Xi¡¯s ear. ¡°Aah!¡± Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but cry out and felt his desire that had already gone down stand up once again. ¡°Cousin!¡± In response to his call, the sky spun around and in the blink of an eye he was already pinned underneath Li Mingxuan. Looking up, he saw Li Mingxuan¡¯s incomparably dark eyes, ¡°Xiao Xi is working so hard, how can Cousin be outclassed?¡± The words were followed by Li Mingxuan¡¯s sizzling kiss. The lust in his body was once again triggered and Shen Xi moaned as he moved with Li Mingxuan. In the end, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t remember how many times he had done it, only that it was almost dawn when he fell asleep, exhausted, held in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. It was the afternoon of the next day when he opened his eyes. Shen Xi felt that his whole body was sore and his waist felt like it was about to break. A look of forbearance flashed across his face; Shen Xi subconsciously reached out to hold his waist. A large warm hand followed and pressed against his waist, rubbing it with just the right amount of force. ¡°Is it uncomfortable?¡± A concerned voice sounded in his ears. The memories of last night came flooding back. Shen Xi opened his eyes and looked at the man beside him. He wanted to say something harsh, but when he thought that he had taken the initiative in the first place, he glared at Li Mingxuan bitterly and turned his head away, closing his eyes and intending to go back to sleep. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but smile, leaned over and nibbled on Shen Xi¡¯s ear that was exposed outside the blanket, ¡°Good boy, don¡¯t sleep, get up and eat something.¡± Shen Xi pretended not to hear. Li Mingxuan¡¯s smile remained unchanged, but the hand that was originally rubbing his waist and stomach slowly moved to the back, sliding down a little. Shen Xi fiercely rolled over and grabbed this hand, glaring hard at Li Mingxuan. The smile on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face blossomed even more, and he couldn¡¯t help but lean forward, lowering his head and kissing Shen Xi. ¡°Xiao Xi, I love you!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s words clearly reached Shen Xi¡¯s ears, and Shen Xi¡¯s body instantly froze. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t seem to feel Shen Xi¡¯s stiffness, but just repeated in his ear over and over again, ¡°Xiao Xi, I love you.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s body slowly softened. Love? The thing that his mother had been begging for all her life, was it love? Shen Xi did not say anything. Li Mingxuan did not care, still kissing him while repeating these words in Shen Xi¡¯s ear. Li Mingxuan knew the knot in Shen Xi¡¯s heart, he did not expect Shen Xi to fully open to accept him now, but he thanked Shen Xi for being willing to give him this chance to love him and let him take care of him in the future. The two of them lingered in bed for a while before Li Mingxuan reluctantly let go of Shen Xi in his arms. ¡°Are you hungry? I made porridge.¡± Shen Xi shook his head, saying that he wanted to take a bath. Li Mingxuan agreed with a smile, then moved naturally to pick Shen Xi up. ¡°What is Cousin doing?¡± said Shen Xi, resisting. Li Mingxuan looked calm, ¡°A bath for Xiao Xi.¡± Despite Shen Xi¡¯s great resistance, he was carried to the bathroom by Li Mingxuan. Unable to fight him physically, he allowed Li Mingxuan to wash him inside and out. Trying hard to ignore the marks on his body, Shen Xi changed into clean pyjamas and lay back comfortably in bed. Li Mingxuan brought from the kitchen a bowl of white porridge that had been boiled for a long time. Although he had no appetite, Shen Xi drank two bowls of porridge under Li Mingxuan¡¯s persuasion. After watching Shen Xi finish the porridge, Li Mingxuan affectionately took him into his arms, ¡°Lie down, I¡¯ll rub your waist.¡± Shen Xi obediently lay down and let Li Mingxuan massage him with the right amount of force, and couldn¡¯t help but drift off to sleep once again. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were full of smiles, his expression soft as he looked at Shen Xi¡¯s sleeping face. He couldn¡¯t help but lower his head, resting it against Shen Xi¡¯s forehead, speaking in a low voice, ¡°Xiao Xi, I love you.¡± CH 48 Shen Xi was very quiet as he slept. Perhaps because his body was still a little uncomfortable, he would occasionally frown. Li Mingxuan kissed Shen Xi with pity, carefully tucked him in, gently closed the door and went to the living room. Since last night, Li Mingxuan¡¯s whole mind had been on Shen Xi, from worrying that the effect of the drug would cause discomfort to Shen Xi to worrying that Shen Xi would be disgusted with him when he woke up. Only now, when Shen Xi went to sleep peacefully, did Li Mingxuan completely let go of his worry, and only then did he have the intention to pursue the matter of last night. With his finger swiping across the address book, Li Mingxuan called Zhao Wenping. Zhao Wenping was not the least bit surprised to receive a call from Li Mingxuan, and not only did he give a detailed account of what happened last night, but he also made a point of mentioning some of the things he had found out today. He apologised to Li Mingxuan for his mishandling of the matter. He had hoped to protect Fang Luowei through Shen Xi because of the presence of people from the Film Bureau, but he never thought that the other party would be so bold as to use the drug, and by mistake that glass of wine would be even drunk by Shen Xi. According to Zhao Wenping, last night Chen Zhiwei thought of taking several of the cast and crew out to dinner on a whim. Fang Luowei was able to go with them because of his relationship with Shen Xi. No one expected that they would meet Shen Rong at the hotel. Their crew was entertaining people from the Film Bureau. The director of the movie, Zhou Xiaozhou, was an acquaintance of Chen Zhiwei, so Chen Zhiwei couldn¡¯t decline the enthusiastic invitation and they sat down together. At first, the atmosphere was quite good; but as everyone got drunk, Hao Zhenmin started making advances on Fang Luowei. Chen Zhiwei could not tear his face off because of the status of the other party, so he could only desperately block the drinks for Fang Luowei until Shen Xi came over. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t care about what happened. After listening to Zhao Wenping¡¯s account he just picked out what he thought was the main point, ¡°Did you just say that last night they entertained the people from the Film Bureau in order to get the permit for the movie to be released?¡± Anyone familiar with the movie industry knew that the two most crucial steps for a movie were to get investment and to get the movie¡¯s public release permit. Without a permit, it meant that your movie could not be released to the market and would always remain unable to see the light of the day. Naturally all the investment in such a movie would not be recovered and would only be wasted. Zhao Wenping didn¡¯t expect Li Mingxuan to be so perceptive and pick out the key point directly, so he nodded at once, ¡°Yes, Zhou Xiaozhou¡¯s movie has just been sent for review. You know, usually at times like this the producers have to be in contact with the Film Bureau to facilitate the movie to pass the review smoothly.¡± Speaking of this, Zhao Wenping deliberately added, ¡°Hao Zhenmin is the deputy director of the Censorship Department.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Li Mingxuan got the answer he wanted and didn¡¯t say anything more, hanging up the phone straight away. Although Zhao Wenping did not explicitly say what happened last night, he still got the meaning of Zhao Wenping¡¯s words. Fang Luowei was just a whim for Hao Zhenmin, the other party would hardly have thought of using a drug, so it must have been instigated by someone behind the scene. As for the instigator, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who would dare to do so, except for Shen Rong. No matter what Shen Rong¡¯s purpose was, whether it was to please Hao Zhenmin or to get under Shen Xi¡¯s skin, the wine was eventually drunk by Shen Xi, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s face turned completely cold at the thought. After pondering for a while, Li Mingxuan dialled Lin Yao¡¯s number. ¡°Hello, this is Li Mingxuan.¡± ¡°No one comes to the Three Treasure Hall (you wouldn¡¯t come to me if you hadn¡¯t something to ask of me). Last time you looked for me, you poached one of my gold medal agents. What is it that you are looking for me now?¡± Lin Yao obviously had a good relationship with Li Mingxuan and spoke rather casually, with a vague hint of sarcasm. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help laughing, ¡°There is indeed something. I heard that you have a good relationship with the people above the Film Bureau. I need you to do me a favour?¡± ¡°What kind of favour?¡± ¡°Help me cut the release of a film, Zhou Xiaozhou¡¯s ¡®Against the Current¡¯.¡± ¡°Against the Current?¡± Lin Yao was very surprised, but chuckled lightly, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this film. They say the bastard son of the Shen family took part in it, investing most of his net worth into it. It¡¯s a bit unkind of you to cut it like that.¡± Li Mingxuan was unfazed by Lin Yao¡¯s teasing, ¡°How about it? Can you help?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, it¡¯s just a matter of saying hello.¡± To Lin Yao, this was just a matter of raising his hand, so he was naturally happy to do Li Mingxuan a favour. Li Mingxuan smiled and thanked him, then changed the topic, ¡°I¡¯ve got a piece of land in South City to build an entertainment centre, are you interested?¡± A hearty laugh came over the phone, ¡°Of course I¡¯m interested, you know I¡¯m planning to build a new movie theatre and I am worried about the lack of space. But things can¡¯t be that simple, can they?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled faintly, ¡°There¡¯s one more little thing.¡± ¡°I knew it. What is it?¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t hide it anymore and simply asked, ¡°Do you know Hao Zhenmin?¡± ¡°Hao Zhenmin? The deputy director of the Film Bureau? Did he offend you?¡± Lin Yao¡¯s words were full of surprise. ¡°It¡¯s sort of like that.¡± Li Mingxuan gave a faint ¡°en¡±. Lin Yao immediately figured it out, and after a slight pause, quickly replied, ¡°I know, speaking of which, it¡¯s time for Hao Zhenmin to retire at his age, so wait for the news from me.¡± Li Mingxuan had always admired Lin Yao¡¯s straightforwardness. ¡°Good, let¡¯s have dinner together some other day.¡± After hanging up, Li Mingxuan tossed the phone aside. With Lin Yao¡¯s help, it was estimated that there would never be a release date for ¡®Against the Current¡¯. He just didn¡¯t know how his uncle would feel about Shen Rong losing such a large amount of money. The thought was only fleeting, and Li Mingxuan soon returned all his thoughts to Shen Xi. In a short while, Xiao Xi was going to wake up and he wondered what Xiao Xi would like to eat when he woke up. Shen Xi slept straight through the night, and this time he was woken up by hunger. Amused, Li Mingxuan brought Shen Xi the dinner that had been kept warm, and while Shen Xi was eating, he lightly mentioned what he had entrusted Lin Yao with. ¡°No release permit?¡± Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan an odd look and smiled gleefully, ¡°Shen Rong will be heartbroken when he finds out the news.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s face was full of cunning, indescribably energetic. Li Mingxuan suddenly found himself liking this look of Shen Xi more than his usual quietness. He couldn¡¯t help but reach out and rub Shen Xi¡¯s head, softly assuring, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this will never happen again.¡± Shen Xi lowered his head and did not say anything. His past experiences had taught him that the only person he could really rely on in this world was himself. A glimmer of imperceptible sadness flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes as he rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair without saying another word. After dinner, Shen Xi could no longer sleep and lay bored in bed playing games. Li Mingxuan quietly accompanied Shen Xi, flipping through the documents in his hands and occasionally looking at Shen Xi. Neither of them spoke, and a faint warmth flowed through the room until Li Mingxuan¡¯s mobile phone rang. After glancing at the screen, Li Mingxuan took the phone and walked to the living room. Shen Xi stared at Li Mingxuan¡¯s back for half a second, then reached out, fished out his phone and sent a text message to Lao K. The drugging incident last night could not be separated from Shen Rong¡¯s shadow, and although Li Mingxuan had already made a counterattack, it was far from enough for Shen Xi to just make Shen Rong lose a sum of money. ¡°Send a copy of the photos of Shen Rong and Tian Wenyao together by courier to Mr. Tian and Tian Wenyao¡¯s fianc¨¦e.¡± Lao K replied quickly, but his message had nothing to do with what Shen Xi said. ¡°Xiao Xixi, are you alright? I heard from Luowei that you were drugged, how are you?¡± Despite being separated by the phone screen, Shen Xi could feel the rich atmosphere of Lao K gossiping. Thinking about last night, Shen Xi¡¯s expression was distorted for a moment. ¡°I hope they¡¯ll receive the photos by the day after tomorrow at the latest.¡± ¡°When have I ever let you down, Xiao Xixi, but are you sure you don¡¯t want to talk to me about the drug?¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± ¡°Eww, are you annoyed, Xiao Xixi?¡± Shen Xi stared at this last text message, imagined the look on Lao K¡¯s face at this moment, and immediately deleted all the text messages bitterly, then stuffed the phone under the pillow. Not long after, the phone beeped. Shen Xi pretended not to hear it. The phone did not stop as he expected, but kept on ringing, so much so that even Li Mingxuan who was in the living room was alarmed, his eyes signalling Shen Xi that something was wrong. Shen Xi fished out his mobile phone with a stern face. To his surprise, Lao K did not mention the drugging incident again, but brought up Chu Qianqian. After quickly reading Lao K¡¯s text message, Shen Xi frowned, thought for a moment and then simply replied with the word ¡°good¡±. ¡°Xiao Xixi, you also think this plan is good, right? I was inspired to adjust it by your experience.¡± As soon as Shen Xi¡¯s text message was sent, Lao K immediately replied, proudly giving credit to Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked at the words, enduring hard, but finally chose to turn off the phone and ruthlessly tuck it under his pillow. As for the plan mentioned by Lao K, Shen Xi had heard Chu Qianqian propose it once before. He had always been laissez-faire towards Chu Qianqian and did not interfere with the process; he just needed the final result. The two of them had not seen each other since they last met at the Shen¡¯s house, and had only been in contact by phone. Shen Xi was used to Chu Qianqian reporting to him regularly on the progress of things. Due to the outbreak of the Yunrou incident, Shen Dehan had put all his energy into Shen Group and inevitably had no time to pay attention to Chu Qianqian. Chu Qianqian was not anxious about it. She kept in touch with Shen Dehan and met him occasionally. Lao K had initially questioned Chu Qianqian¡¯s inaction in impatience, and was in turn severely despised by Chu Qianqian. ¡°Do you think Shen Dehan is stupid? According to his age he is close to being my grandfather. How do you think I am going to fall in love with him when there is such a big age gap?¡± Lao K was stumped by Chu Qianqian¡¯s question. It was indeed impossible for Chu Qianqian to fall in love with Shen Dehan under normal circumstances. On the contrary, if Chu Qianqian took too much initiative, it would make Shen Dehan feel that something was wrong. Looking at Lao K¡¯s dumbfounded look, Chu Qianqian smiled in satisfaction, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have always had a very professional ethics when taking money for doing things. ¡± Chu Qianqian had always been very clear about her position. She wanted to make Shen Dehan fall in love with her, not treat her as a mistress like Zhou Mingmei. If she acted too eagerly, it would only make Shen Dehan think that she had her eyes on his money. Then, what difference would there be between her and the woman Shen Dehan had had before? Chu Qianqian¡¯s intention was actually very simple. Under normal circumstances she would never fall in love with Shen Dehan, but what if something big happened suddenly? The trick of the hero saving the beauty, although old, has always worked well. Through this period of getting along, Shen Dehan¡¯s impression of Chu Qianqian became better and better. In this situation, what if Chu Qianqian was raped and happened to be saved by Shen Dehan? It would be logical for the traumatised young girl to fall in love with her saviour while in shock. The incident of Shen Xi being drugged yesterday gave Lao K new inspiration. If Chu Qianqian had been saved by Shen Dehan while being drugged, Lao K did not believe that Shen Dehan would still be able to control himself. Instead of letting Chu Qianqian fall in love with Shen Dehan passively, it would be better to make Shen Dehan feel guilty and instead give the initiative into Chu Qianqian¡¯s hands. There was nothing wrong with this idea no matter how Shen Xi picked it apart, but when he thought of the source of Lao K¡¯s inspiration, his face couldn¡¯t help but turn black. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Mingxuan, who had finished answering the phone, noticed Shen Xi¡¯s expression and came over worriedly, ¡°Are you uncomfortable anywhere?¡± Once this was mentioned, Shen Xi¡¯s expression became even more ugly. Glaring at Li Mingxuan bitterly, Shen Xi grumpily rolled over and lay down, ¡°Sleep!¡± Li Mingxuan was taken aback by Shen Xi¡¯s tone, and then thought of something and couldn¡¯t help laughing. CH 49 Lin Yao¡¯s action was very swift. The day after he spoke to Li Mingxuan on the phone, he talked to the Film Bureau and soon the copy of ¡°Against the Current¡± was sent back to the crew. Everyone knew what this meant, and Zhou Xiaozhou was the first to get anxious. The movie carried his heart and soul, and once it was not released, the months of hard work would be wasted, and he would not be able to explain it to his investors. Zhou Xiaozhou went to Hao Zhenmin first and was told that Hao Zhenmin had been transferred to the Information Division because of his style of work and no longer took care of the review. Zhou Xiaozhou was so shocked that he didn¡¯t bother to look for Hao Zhenmin but started to inquire about the ban on the movie. However, no matter how much Zhou Xiaozhou tried to find out, there was still no clear explanation and the answer he got was that the theme of the movie did not meet the requirements of the Film Bureau. Zhou Xiaozhou vaguely guessed that he might have offended someone, but he was confused who exactly he had offended. He was reminded by someone he was having dinner with that time that the last incident might have pissed off Shen Xi; after all, everyone in the circle knew that Fang Luowei was one of Shen Xi¡¯s people. Zhou Xiaozhou thought it over carefully. Although he also suspected that Shen Xi was behind the incident, he always felt that Shen Xi was just a dandy with some money. The Shen family was powerful but it had no connections in the entertainment industry, otherwise Zhou Mingmei would not have entrusted Shen Rong to him. Thinking so, Zhou Xiaozhou still found Shen Rong and mentioned the situation, hoping that Shen Rong could think of a way. In any case, Shen Rong was also from the Shen family, and Shen Dehan would definitely not watch Shen Rong suffer such a messy loss. Shen Rong nodded and smiled in front of Zhou Xiaozhou, but turned away with a gloomy expression on his face. As soon as this accident happened to Hao Zhenmin, Shen Rong guessed what was going on. It was definitely Shen Xi who was behind it. What puzzled Shen Rong was that the Shen family had no connections in the entertainment industry, and Shen Xi was just a rich straw bag, how on earth did he manage to climb into the ranks of the Film Bureau? When he thought about his investment in the movie, Shen Rong felt his heart ache. Contrary to what outsiders had guessed, the investment in the movie was not at all paid for by Shen Dehan, but by his and his mother¡¯s savings over the years. Although Shen Dehan seemed to like them, he was only willing to transfer a few houses under his name to them, and gave him and his mother a large sum of money every year for their household use. Once it came to Shen Group¡¯s stocks and properties, Shen Dehan never let up. Although Shen Rong and Zhou Mingmei were not living badly, when comparing Shen Xi, who spent money recklessly, and Shen Cheng, who had no concept of money, Shen Rong could not help but feel deep jealousy in his heart. They were all his father¡¯s children, why should he have nothing? As he tried hard to suppress the jealousy in his heart, Shen Rong¡¯s first thought was of Shen Cheng. He didn¡¯t want to alert Shen Dehan on this matter, and the only person he could talk to in the Shen family was Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng¡¯s life in the company these days had been smooth sailing, and he felt happy like a spring breeze. Even Gao Qiulin, who did not see eye to eye with Shen Ji, praised him on different occasions. Although Shen Cheng did not show his happiness, he had a feeling that he was not inferior to his elder brother. When he unexpectedly received a call from Shen Rong, the first thing that came to Shen Cheng¡¯s mind was his elder brother¡¯s stern warning, but soon he remembered what Lu Gesen had said. As the general manager of Shen Group, he had to make his own judgement and not be influenced by the judgement of others. The thought flashed through his mind and Shen Cheng pressed the call button, ¡°What are you looking for me for?¡± When the call was answered, Shen Rong could not help but feel happy. He was originally worried that Shen Cheng would not answer his call after being scolded by Shen Ji last time. Although he was confident that he could coax Shen Cheng back, now the matter was urgent and he did not have much time to waste on Shen Cheng. Now that Shen Cheng had answered his phone call, he was sure that Shen Cheng would definitely take care of this matter. Sure enough, when he told the general story and deliberately mentioned Shen Xi¡¯s suppression of him, Shen Cheng immediately became serious and did not need him to say anything more, consciously taking the matter under his wing. Using Shen Xi to stimulate Shen Cheng was always a hundred times more effective than anything else, and Shen Rong hung up the phone with satisfaction. Staring at his phone, Shen Cheng became worried. Not to mention that he had impulsively taken on this matter under the stimulation of Shen Rong, but he also understood that he did not have any contacts in the entertainment industry, so he still needed to find someone to help him with this matter. The names of a few people who could help flashed in his mind one by one. The eldest brother didn¡¯t like Shen Rong, so this matter must not be mentioned to the eldest brother. The cousin and the eldest brother could wear the same pair of pants, he definitely could not ask Li Mingxuan for help. Eventually, the only idea he had was to ask Tian Wenyao. When the call came, Tian Wenyao had just sent his fianc¨¦e home. After hearing Shen Cheng¡¯s story, Tian Wenyao couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback and laugh playfully. ¡°Shen Rong approached you directly?¡± Shen Cheng was puzzled, ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Tian Wenyao smiled, ¡°Nothing, you just said that it was Shen Xi who suppressed Shen Rong?¡± Without waiting for Shen Cheng to answer, Tian Wenyao changed the topic, ¡°Speaking of which, Shen Xi has never contacted me since he went abroad and he has never seen at Shutu after he came back. Do you know what he is doing every day?¡± Shen Cheng was impatient, ¡°Didn¡¯t you used to dislike Shen Xi, what do you care about him, hurry up and give me an idea.¡± Tian Wenyao snorted, ¡°When did you get so worked up about Shen Rong¡¯s affairs? Watch out for your big brother teaching you a lesson.¡± Shen Cheng was not happy, ¡°Do you have any ideas or not?¡± ¡°I do have an idea, you know Lin Yao, right?¡± ¡°Lin Yao? The boss of Shengshi Entertainment?¡± ¡°Yes, Lin Yao is said to be the guy who can cover the entire entertainment industry with his palm. I heard that he and Li Mingxuan were classmates. You look for me, isn¡¯t it better to look for your cousin directly? If he says a word, it will be just a trivial matter.¡± ¡°No, if cousin knows, big brother will definitely know. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that Big Brother doesn¡¯t like Shen Rong.¡± Tian Wenyao shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll have to step in if you can¡¯t go to Li Mingxuan, but I¡¯m not close to Lin Yao, so I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to persuade him.¡± Shen Cheng did not care, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it was a trivial matter? With the face of our two families, how can Lin Yao not agree?¡± Tian Wenyao was about to say that this matter involved Shen Xi and Lin Yao might not be willing to ruin Shen Xi¡¯s face for the sake of an illegitimate son, but then he thought that Shen Rong had Shen Cheng standing behind him, which was still more convincing than Shen Xi. The two of them chatted casually for a few more minutes before Tian Wenyao hung up the phone. However, he couldn¡¯t help but think of Shen Xi. When Shen Xi suddenly chose to go abroad and had no contact with him for five years, Tian Wenyao did not care at first. But when he was alone, he would occasionally think of that young man who had courted him in every way. Although he didn¡¯t like Shen Xi, it didn¡¯t stop him from enjoying the feeling of being admired. In the past, both Shen Rong and Shen Xi liked to stick to him, but he still preferred Shen Rong, who was better at pleasing people than Shen Xi. But after these few years, Shen Rong had not made any progress at all. And with him, Tian Wenyao had to work hard in bed. He was really a bit tired of it. He wondered if Shen Xi had changed after five years of absence. Tian Wenyao made up his mind and dialled Shen Rong¡¯s number. When he saw the caller ID, Shen Rong felt his heart jump. He hesitantly looked at the name that flashed on the screen, gritted his teeth and finally couldn¡¯t stop himself from picking up the phone. ¡°Hello!¡± Shen Rong tried to make his voice sound cold. On the other side, Tian Wenyao laughed, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me? Instead, you went to find Shen Cheng?¡± Shen Rong froze, then responded, ¡°Second Brother looked for you?¡± Tian Wenyao gave a careless ¡°en¡±, ¡°He wants to hide this matter from Shen Ji. Who else could he find but me? Instead of going through all this trouble, it would be easier for you to come to me directly.¡± Shen Rong did not say anything; Tian Wenyao laughed lightly, ¡°What?¡± Shen Rong said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t you have to accompany your fianc¨¦e?¡± Tian Wenyao said playfully, ¡°She is her, you are you, do you want me to spend all my time with her?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Shen Rong couldn¡¯t help but deny. Tian Wenyao smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the usual place tonight, be careful, don¡¯t let the reporters take pictures.¡± Shen Rong agreed softly. He knew what Tian Wenyao wanted to do when he met him. He also knew that there was no possibility for him and Tian Wenyao to be together. But he could not help but hope extravagantly that if Shen Dehan recognized him as the son of the Shen family, Tian Wenyao would be a little more attentive to him. Shen Rong gripped the phone tightly. He didn¡¯t want much, he just wanted everything that should have been his. CH 50 ¡°Unfilial son!¡± Accompanied by this angry shout was the sound of the palm slapping heavily on the table. Tian Taoping stared angrily at the photos scattered on the table, full of two men clearly visible, naked and entwined. Tian Taoping felt that he was about to die of anger. He always knew that Tian Wenyao was a playful boy, but young people, who do not like to play, not everyone is like Li Xiyong¡¯s son! As long as Tian Wenyao played in moderation and was willing to rein in his habits after marriage, Tian Taoping didn¡¯t mind. But what he never expected was that Tian Wenyao would be so reckless. He had already suffered once from the Shen family¡¯s illegitimate son, and he was still hanging out with him. Tian Taoping looked for the phone furiously, wishing that this unfilial son who had not returned all night would immediately appear in front of him. ¡°Early in the morning, why are you throwing a tantrum? Wenyao just didn¡¯t come back last night, is that worth losing your temper?¡± Tian Wenyao¡¯s mother heard Tian Taoping¡¯s uproar outside and came in discontentedly. Mrs. Tian¡¯s words were like pouring oil on the fire, completely igniting Tian Taoping¡¯s anger, ¡°I¡¯m throwing a tantrum?! Why don¡¯t you ask your good son what he has done?¡± Mrs. Tian did not take her husband¡¯s words seriously, ¡°What could Wenyao have done? Went to a bar and was photographed by a reporter? Don¡¯t worry, he knows how to behave.¡± ¡°He knows how to behave? If he knew that, he wouldn¡¯t be doing this again and again, that unfilial son!¡± Mrs. Tian was displeased, ¡°You¡¯re old, don¡¯t scold Wenyao at every turn, we only have one son.¡± In any other case, if she had said this to Tian Wenyao¡¯s father, he would have just let it go; but this time, Tian Taoping got even more angry at her words. ¡°It¡¯s all because you spoiled him, just because he¡¯s the only one, you spoil him in everything! I¡¯ll definitely break his legs when he comes back this time.¡± As Tian Taoping said that, he tossed the photos on the table at Mrs. Tian. Her originally unconcerned expression changed to one of shock as she looked at the contents of the photos. ¡°This is Wenyao and the illegitimate son of the Shen family? When did this happen?¡± Tian Taoping said coldly, ¡°Look at the dates on the photos, they range from a few years ago to a few days ago, this unfilial son has been in contact with that Shen Rong for the past few years.¡± Mrs. Tian said in surprise, ¡°How could that be? Didn¡¯t he say that he and that illegitimate son were just playing around? How could they be in contact all the time? Hasn¡¯t the incident five years ago taught him enough?¡± The more Mrs. Tian thought about it, the angrier she became, ¡°It must be that bastard who seduced Wenyao.¡± Tian Taoping snorted, ¡°Call that unfilial son and tell him to come back immediately. And call the Fang family to find out if Jiaying has received such unsavoury things. Yesterday, Lao Fang told me that he would pick a date for Wenyao and Jiaying¡¯s wedding, so tell that evil son to stay home during this time!¡± Mrs. Tian nodded, and Tian Taoping gathered the photos, ¡°I¡¯m going to the Shen family, it¡¯s time for Shen Dehan to take care of that bastard son of his.¡± As Tian Taoping went out, Mrs. Tian thought for a while and then called the Fang family. ¡°Auntie.¡± The female voice on the phone was as well-behaved as ever. Mrs. Tian smiled amiably, ¡°Jiaying, what are you doing now? In a few days¡¯ time, it will be the third anniversary of your engagement to Wenyao. I have just discussed with your uncle and would like to invite some relatives and friends to get together and have a good time on that day. What do you think?¡± There seemed to be a momentary hesitation on the other side of the phone, ¡°Auntie, wouldn¡¯t that be too much trouble?¡± ¡°Silly child, what¡¯s the trouble? I¡¯m old and I like this kind of fun.¡± ¡°Thank you, Auntie, you are so kind!¡± Listening to Fang Jiaying¡¯s coquettish voice, Mrs. Tian smiled more and more kindly. It looked like Jiaying had not received these photos, otherwise how could she still smile like this? That was good, let Wenyao coax Jiaying more in the meantime, and let¡¯s talk about getting married as soon as possible. Mrs. Tian¡¯s imagination was full of wonderful pictures, but she did not know that the person on the other side of the phone was sneering mockingly. Fang Jiaying hung up the phone expressionlessly and threw the photos in her hands to the ground fiercely. In the photos scattered around, Tian Wenyao was holding Shen Rong with an expression of ecstasy on his face. Tian Wenyao did not love her, she had actually felt it long ago. Whether a man loves her or not, whether his heart is in her or not, the woman will always be the first to know. It¡¯s just that some women pierce men¡¯s lies, while some women are willing to get lost in lies and pretend to be happy. It had been three years since she and Tian Wenyao got engaged. In fact, they should have got engaged five years ago, except that a sex video of Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong suddenly broke out on the internet that year. The two families¡¯ engagement plans were forced to be put on hold. Fang Jiaying still remembered how Tian Wenyao confessed to her with a haggard face, saying that he was just drunk and did not think that Shen Rong would take advantage of the opportunity to climb into his bed. After that incident, everyone urged her to forgive Tian Wenyao. Her father said that the marriage between the two families was good for both sides and that she should not be angry. Her mother reassured her that men are like that, that they all like to have fun when they are young and that it would be better once they are married. What¡¯s more, Tian Wenyao liked to play with a man, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about an illegitimate child popping out to disgust her. Even her friends said that Tian Wenyao was very good and told her to seize this opportunity. Anyway, with Shen Rong as a handle, she was not afraid that Tian Wenyao would dare to treat her badly in the future. What did she do then? She not only forgave Tian Wenyao, but also supported him everywhere, and insisted on appearing with him on all occasions, just to prove that their love was stronger than gold. Now that she thought about it, she felt ridiculously foolish. Fang Jiaying laughed self-deprecatingly. She had been lying to herself for five years, and now she couldn¡¯t do it anymore. Her eyes swept over the photos on the floor once again, landing on the email address on the back of one of the photos, and a hint of coldness flashed in Fang Jiaying¡¯s eyes. Five years of wasted youth, what should she give back to Tian Wenyao for that? That morning, Lao K received an unexpected email. The sender¡¯s name was Fang Jiaying, but the content took Lao K by surprise. ¡°Cooperation?¡± Even Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when he heard Lao K¡¯s words. ¡°No kidding, I thought she was refusing to believe it and wanted more proof. I didn¡¯t expect her to mention cooperation directly. She seemed to believe that we were trying to destroy the marriage between the Tian and the Fang families and took it upon herself to say that her intentions were the same as ours.¡± Lao K hesitantly asked Shen Xi, ¡°Do you think she might have been too stimulated?¡± Shen Xi laughed lightly, ¡°A normal woman would break off her engagement if she found out her fianc¨¦ was unfaithful to her, right? Not to mention the fact that Tian Wenyao has cheated on her for the second time, with the same person.¡± ¡°That being said, do you know what she plans to do?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°She plans to publicise these photos and video at the engagement anniversary in a few days.¡± Shen Xi froze, not expecting Fang Jiaying to be so decisive. Once these things appeared in front of everyone in such a way, the relationship between the Fang and the Tian families would probably be completely broken. Thinking about the relationship between the Shen family and the Tian family, he thought that Shen Dehan would definitely be there that day. If Fang Jiaying really released the videos and the photos in public, Shen Xi could simply foresee how the Tian and the Shen families would be disgraced, and even the Fang family would not be able to escape being talked about. ¡°Injure a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own?¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°Give her the video.¡± Lao K hesitantly agreed and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Will you go there that day?¡± ¡°Why not go?¡± Shen Xi asked rhetorically. Such an opportunity to watch Shen Dehan get punched in the face, why wouldn¡¯t he go? Lao K seemed to be trying to say something, but after thinking about it he ended up saying nothing. After hanging up the phone, Shen Xi felt his heart warm up slightly. Lao K was probably worried that he would be involved in the incident and would be pointed out by the public. But he was not the one who had an illegitimate son, so why did he have to be afraid of losing face? He just wondered what would happen to Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but look forward to it. ¡°Unfilial son!¡± This time it was not Tian Taoping cursing but Shen Dehan instead. Shen Dehan was trembling with anger as he pointed at the photos in front of him unable to say anything. He hadn¡¯t expected that Shen Rong would still be hanging out with Tian Wenyao and that someone would even take pictures of them. Looking at the clarity of the photos and the appearance of the two, it was obvious that the other party had come prepared. Shen Dehan took a deep breath and turned to Tian Taoping, ¡°Where did these photos come from?¡± Tian Taoping grimaced, ¡°They were delivered by courier in the morning.¡± ¡°Did the other party make any demands? Are there any clues?¡± Shen Dehan asked, obviously suspecting that the other party¡¯s goal was blackmail. Tian Taoping gave Shen Dehan a deep look. It wasn¡¯t that he hadn¡¯t thought about the blackmail, but if the other party was really blackmailing, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t have mentioned any demands. He was sure that he had gone through the package very carefully and had not missed any clues. He was more suspicious of Shen Rong than the aimless blackmail. The photos were simply taken too clearly, almost as if the participants were posing deliberately. He had suspected that the video five years ago was Shen Rong¡¯s doing, but in the end the matter had been dropped. This time, whether it was Shen Rong or not, he had to completely break Shen Rong¡¯s mind about it in order to avoid any trouble in the future. His, Tian Taoping¡¯s, son could never be involved with a man, especially an illegitimate son who had to be kept in the shadows. As this thought flashed through his mind, Tian Taoping shook his head and said meaningfully, ¡°I suspect that these photos are aimed at Wenyao and Jiaying¡¯s marriage. You know that Wenyao and Jiaying will be getting married soon. It is inevitable that some people will feel uncomfortable and do things that harm others and not benefit themselves.¡± The implication in Tian Taoping¡¯s words was too obvious, implying that Shen Rong had done all this himself, and Shen Dehan could not help but snort, ¡°Shen Dehan¡¯s son is not that lowly.¡± Tian Taoping was unmoved, ¡°Dehan, we have been friends for many years, and you should not blame me for speaking directly. Ah Ji and A Cheng grew up in front of my eyes. Both of them are good kids, no need to say much about that. Even if you don¡¯t like Shen Xi, the boy is just a bit playful, there¡¯s nothing wrong with him. But Shen Rong is just an illegitimate son. He¡¯s naturally good in front of you, but do you know what he looks like behind your back? Five years ago he was only eighteen years old and he dared to get close to Wenyao and climb into his bed through Ah Cheng. Who can say what he will do five years later?¡± Tian Taoping¡¯s words were so direct that Shen Dehan¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but turn cold. Tian Taoping didn¡¯t care and patted Shen Dehan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Dehan, I only have one son. Wenyao, he might have been a bit playful when he was young, but he and Jiaying have been good together over the years. I¡¯ve been waiting to hold my grandchildren for a long time, I really don¡¯t want to see him tangled up with a man.¡± Shen Dehan snorted coldly, ¡°You think I would like to see my son tangled up with a man?¡± Tian Taoping shook his head, ¡°How could that be? It¡¯s just that Wenyao will be getting married soon, and I¡¯m worried that if he and Shen Rong have any more interactions, it will be a problem if the reporters catch them. I will keep an eye on Wenyao in the meantime, and I hope that you will remind Shen Rong to behave.¡± When all was said and done, he still felt that Shen Rong had seduced Tian Wenyao. Shen Dehan was dissatisfied but could not argue with him, so he grunted coldly and agreed with a heavy heart. After sending Tian Taoping away, Shen Dehan looked at the photos Tian Taoping had left behind, and his face once again turned gloomy. CH 51 Shen Rong soon found out about the photos. When Tian Wenyao received the call from his mother, Shen Rong was under him. Tian Wenyao picked up the phone and glanced at it carelessly; his expression changed slightly and he made a silent gesture at Shen Rong. Shen Rong was almost at the peak when Tian Wenyao suddenly stopped. Unable to give vent to his accumulated pleasure, Shen Rong chung to Tian Wenyao¡¯s waist, dissatisfied, moaning sweetly. A hint of impatience flashed in Tian Wenyao¡¯s eyes and he gave Shen Rong a warning squeeze but did not push him away. It was only when his mother spoke of the photos that Tian Wenyao¡¯s heart missed a bit and he got to his feet abruptly, ¡°What?¡± Tian Wenyao¡¯s action was so sudden that Shen Rong fell back to the bed unprepared. He regained his senses, instinctively looked at Tian Wenyao and met his gloomy eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Rong was puzzled. Tian Wenyao stared at Shen Rong grimly for a while, ¡°Did you hire someone to take pictures of us?¡± ¡°Hired someone to take pictures?¡± Shen Rong repeated in surprise, then thought of something and looked alarmed, ¡°Did something else break out on the internet?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s anxiety did not seem to be a lie. Tian Wenyao watched Shen Rong carefully and his heart slightly settled. Getting dressed quickly, Tian Wenyao coldly mentioned the matter of the photos, left the naked Shen Rong behind and walked out. Only after Tian Wenyao left was Shen Rong able to react. Thinking about the photos mentioned by Tian Wenyao, Shen Rong didn¡¯t bother with taking a shower. He thought of his mother first, and hurried back home. ¡°Pop!¡± A crisp slap quickly made Shen Rong¡¯s left cheek turn red. ¡°I remember warning you not to have any more contact with Tian Wenyao!¡± Zhou Mingmei said coldly. Shen Rong stood in front of Zhou Mingmei with his head down, silent. Zhou Mingmei suppressed her anger, ¡°How long have you been in contact with him behind my back?¡± Shen Rong bit his lip and said in a low voice, ¡°There has always been contact.¡± ¡°All the time?!¡± Zhou Mingmei was furious, ¡°You ignore my words, but when something happens, you remember that I am your mother and you are really my good son.¡± When Shen Rong heard the words ¡°good son¡±, a trace of guilt flashed on his face. Zhou Mingmei didn¡¯t notice Shen Rong¡¯s expression; her mind raced to think about how likely it was that Shen Dehan knew about this. There was a soft knock on the door and the maid¡¯s voice sounded from outside, ¡°Madam, Mr. Shen has just called to say he is coming over.¡± Shen Rong was instantly startled and subconsciously looked at Zhou Mingmei whose expression remained unchanged, ¡°I see.¡± The maid quickly disappeared behind the door. Glancing at Shen Rong¡¯s expression, Zhou Mingmei said coldly, ¡°Your father seems to already know.¡± Shen Rong could not help but panic, ¡°What should we do?¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face darkened, ¡°You must be removed from this matter. No matter what your father says later, you must insist that it was Tian Wenyao who pestered you, that he forced you. Remember?¡± Shen Rong hesitated and Zhou Mingmei sneered, ¡°You still want to defend Tian Wenyao at this time? He is the heir of the Tian family, taking the blame for this is nothing for him. And who are you? The illegitimate son of the Shen family who is not recognized, do you want to be exiled abroad once again?¡± Shen Rong struggled in his heart as Zhou Mingmei stared at him angrily, ¡°Were you forced or did you offer yourself, choose one?¡± Shen Rong bit his lips bloody and finally nodded slowly. Zhou Mingmei gave Shen Rong a satisfied look and reached out to touch his face, ¡°Later on, before your father says anything, you have to remember that you don¡¯t know anything, got it?¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Shen Rong whispered. When Shen Dehan arrived, what he saw when he pushed the door open was Shen Rong sitting in front of the piano in the living room, playing with a serious expression. Zhou Mingmei stood behind him with a smile in her eyes, gently listening to the melody. Shen Dehan¡¯s original anger dissipated quite a bit after seeing this scene, but when he thought about the photos, his face froze. ¡°Mr. Shen!¡± The maid¡¯s voice sounded respectfully, and only then did the two people in the room seem to notice Shen Dehan¡¯s appearance. Zhou Mingmei looked over in surprise, ¡°Dehan!¡± The surprise in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes was so obvious that Shen Dehan¡¯s original movement of throwing the photos in his hand could not help but pause. He could only watch Zhou Mingmei greet him and diligently help him take off his coat. Shen Rong followed Zhou Mingmei and stood in front of him, his eyes full of admiration, ¡°Father!¡± Shen Dehan responded coldly, walked past Shen Rong and sat straight on the sofa in the living room. ¡°During this time, who have you been with every day?¡± Looking at Shen Rong, Shen Dehan said in a cold voice. A hint of panic flashed in Shen Rong¡¯s eyes, and he quickly lowered his head, forcing himself to be calm, ¡°Father, I go to the set every day, mostly with Director Zhou.¡± ¡°Director Zhou?¡± Shen Dehan snorted coldly and threw the photos in his hand in front of Shen Rong, ¡°This is Director Zhou?¡± Countless photos scattered in front of Shen Rong, his face alternating with Tian Wenyao¡¯s. Shen Rong stood there in shock, trembling all over. ¡°Ah Rong?¡± The first to react was Zhou Mingmei, ¡°What¡¯s going on? You and him?¡± Shen Rong trembled and looked at Zhou Mingmei. A trace of pain flashed in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and lowered his head without speaking. ¡°You!¡± Zhou Mingmei pointed at Shen Rong in anger, and suddenly her whole body went limp and she fell backwards. ¡°Mother!¡± Shen Rong shouted anxiously and hurriedly made his way to Zhou Mingmei. ¡°Mingmei!¡± Shen Dehan caught Zhou Mingmei in time. Zhou Mingmei seemed to have recovered her senses and struggled to squeeze out a smile at Shen Dehan, holding on to him as she slowly stood up, ¡°Dehan, I¡¯m fine.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s face was full of worry and carried a vague trace of guilt, ¡°Mother!¡± ¡°Pop!¡± Following a sharp slap, Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Rong with disappointment, ¡°Don¡¯t call me Mother, I don¡¯t have a son like you.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± Shen Rong¡¯s eyes were filled with pain but Zhou Mingmei ruthlessly turned her head away. Shen Dehan patted Zhou Mingmei in his arms soothingly and looked at Shen Rong grimly, ¡°What is going on with the photos?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s body trembled; he clenched his fists and looked at Shen Dehan with eyes full of pain. However, he bit his lip and refused to speak. ¡°You unfilial son!¡± Shen Dehan shouted angrily. Zhou Mingmei grabbed Shen Dehan¡¯s sleeve, her face full of self-blame, ¡°Dehan, it¡¯s all my fault, I didn¡¯t teach Ah Rong well, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Seeing that his mother seemed to be taking all the blame on herself, Shen Rong could not help but speak up to stop it, ¡°Mother.¡± Zhou Mingmei waved her hand at Shen Rong in disappointment without turning her head to look at him. Shen Rong gave Zhou Mingmei a painful look and lowered his head in humiliation, his voice thin like a mosquito, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to either, it was him who threatened me.¡± ¡°Threatened?¡± Shen Dehan looked at Shen Rong in shock. Shen Rong turned his head away in embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m just an illegitimate child of the Shen family, I¡¯m nothing in his eyes. If he wants to force me, I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything to me?¡± Shen Dehan said angrily. Shen Rong gave his father a desperate look, ¡°I didn¡¯t dare, I was afraid that you would be disappointed in me, father, and would look down on me. After the last video, everyone thought I seduced him, I¡­¡± Shen Rong lowered his head in pain, ¡°Originally, I planned to break up with him completely when I came back this time, but¡­¡± Shen Rong didn¡¯t go on. ¡°But what?¡± Shen Dehan asked. Shen Rong shook his head, refusing to speak again. ¡°Did he threaten you again?¡± Shen Dehan guessed. Shen Rong lowered his head in shame. Shen Dehan slapped his palm on the table bitterly, ¡°What did Tian Wenyao threaten you with?¡± Shen Rong shook his head, still refusing to speak. Shen Dehan was dissatisfied, ¡°What else are you hiding from me?¡± Shen Rong gave his father a pleading look, ¡°I have used all of my mother¡¯s savings over the years to invest in a movie.¡± Shen Dehan was taken aback, ¡°What does this have to do with Tian Wenyao?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s voice became even smaller, ¡°It¡¯s Shen Xi. Shen Xi found someone to cut the movie I invested in. Tian Wenyao said he could help, so¡­¡± Shen Dehan did not expect this matter to actually involve Shen Xi. When he looked at Shen Rong¡¯s embarrassed expression while talking about these matters, Shen Dehan¡¯s heart softened and a wave of guilt welled up. ¡°Father will definitely help you get justice in this matter.¡± ¡°Father!¡± Shen Rong did not expect Shen Dehan to say this and instinctively wanted to stop him. Zhou Mingmei glanced at Shen Rong silently. Shen Rong gritted his teeth and resisted Zhou Mingmei¡¯s gaze, ¡°Father, you must not affect the relationship with the Tian family because of me. I am not important. I will definitely refuse Tian Wenyao in the future, father.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s face was full of pleading. Shen Dehan looked at him and felt that Shen Rong was determined to do what was best for the Shen family. He thought that Shen Rong was afraid that the relationship between the Shen and Tian families would break down because of him. To be honest, he had just said under the spur of the moment that he would seek justice for Shen Rong, and then regretted it. He couldn¡¯t really break off relations with the Tian family because of Shen Rong, and it was even more impossible to discuss such things openly. In the end, he could only wrong Shen Rong, and he felt even more guilty when he thought about it. ¡°You can come to work at Shen Group in a few days. Making movies is for people who don¡¯t have a job, don¡¯t learn from Shen Xi.¡± Shen Rong had a disbelieving look on his face, ¡°Father.¡± Shen Dehan patted him soothingly, and Shen Rong tried to suppress the excitement in his heart as he flocked around his father. Shen Dehan didn¡¯t stay for long. After sending him away, Zhou Mingmei gave Shen Rong a warning glance, ¡°Remember what you just said, don¡¯t have any more dealings with Tian Wenyao in the future.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s surprise and joy faded a lot after these words, but facing Zhou Mingmei¡¯s gaze, Shen Rong finally chose to compromise. The matter of the photos seemed to have passed like this. There was no news coming from both the Fang and Shen families, and the media was also calm. Tian Wenyao¡¯s heart, which had been on tenterhooks for several days, was finally completely relieved, and he appeared in front of Fang Jiaying with a relaxed expression. ¡°Jiaying, what do you think of this dress?¡± Holding a green tube dress in his hand, Tian Wenyao was saying gently to Fang Jiaying. Fang Jiaying shook her head and Tian Wenyao hid the impatience in his eyes and picked up another dress, ¡°How about this one?¡± Fang Jiaying gave it a hesitant look and shook her head again. Tian Wenyao took a deep breath and took another one, ¡°How about this one?¡± Fang Jiaying hesitantly looked at the several dresses on the bed, unable to make a choice. ¡°Still haven¡¯t changed your clothes?¡± Fang Jiaying¡¯s mother appeared at the door, dissatisfied. ¡°Jiaying, there are already guests starting to arrive, so don¡¯t dawdle.¡± Fang Jiaying gave her mother a petulant look, ¡°Today is a very important day for me, of course I have to choose carefully. Wenyao, why don¡¯t you go out to receive the guests first?¡± After he¡¯d accompanied Fang Jiaying for half a day to choose a dress, Tian Wenyao¡¯s patience was exhausted, and he took advantage of the situation to get up, ¡°Okay.¡° When passing by Fang Jiaying, Tian Wenyao naturally bent over and kissed her on the cheek, ¡°No matter what you wear, you are the most beautiful in my heart.¡± Fang Jiaying smiled, ¡°I just hope to impress you enough so that you never forget it.¡± Although Tian Wenyao found this statement a little strange, he didn¡¯t think much of it. He just thought that Fang Jiaying wanted to show herself at her best in front of him. He smiled and followed Mrs. Fang out. Behind him, Fang Jiaying casually drew a light-coloured dress and slipped it on. She wasn¡¯t picking, she just didn¡¯t want to accompany Tian Wenyao to socialise hypocritically in front of all these people. It was the third anniversary of Tian Wenyao and Fang Jiaying¡¯s engagement, and although both the Tian and the Fang families said that they were only celebrating on a small scale, the circle in Zhongjing was so big that most people had received invitations. Shen Xi rushed back to the Shen family early that day. No matter whether he was happy or not, as a member of the Shen family, he needed to accompany his father today. Shen Xi¡¯s father was obviously very displeased with Shen Xi¡¯s presence and chose to ignore him after a cold glance. Shen Xi frowned imperceptibly; he was used to the fact that his father did not like him, but today his father¡¯s coldness towards him was too obvious. Had he done anything to provoke his father recently? After only a moment of thought, Shen Xi gave up this idea. He suspected that in Shen Dehan¡¯s heart, his birth was a provocation, let alone anything else. When Shen Dehan showed up at the Fang¡¯s house with a few members of his family, Li Mingxuan and Li Xiyong were chatting with today¡¯s host. As Shen Xi¡¯s figure appeared, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes lit up and after gesturing to Li Xiyong, he walked towards Shen Xi. ¡°Uncle.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and greeted Shen Dehan, his gaze swiping vaguely over Shen Xi. Shen Xi smiled at him and a hint of imperceptible tenderness flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. Shen Dehan looked at Li Mingxuan amiably, ¡°Where is Xiyong?¡± Li Mingxuan gestured towards the hall, ¡°Father is over there with Uncle Fang.¡± Shen Dehan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll go over first, you young people get together. Ah Ji, you accompany me to say hello.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± As Shen Dehan and Shen Ji¡¯s figures disappeared into the crowd, Shen Cheng immediately smiled ingratiatingly at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Cousin!¡± Li Mingxuan chuckled, ¡°I know, go and find Wenyao.¡± Shen Cheng nodded and hurriedly looked around for Tian Wenyao¡¯s figure, leaving Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi standing together. Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze softened, ¡°Let¡¯s go together after it¡¯s over.¡± Shen Xi was very surprised, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Cousin need to go home with Uncle and Aunt?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and reached out to rub Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°No, I told Father, not to mention that home is where Xiao Xi is.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s words were so sweet that Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile, startled. The interaction between the two was noticed by Li Xiyong who watched them in silence. Shen Dehan, who was talking to him, followed his line of sight, ¡°When did Mingxuan and Shen Xi get on so well?¡± Li Xiyong swept a glance at Shen Dehan who looked puzzled and changed the subject with a wry smile. Seeing that there were more and more guests and Fang Jiaying had not yet appeared, her father looked at her mother with dissatisfaction, ¡°Where is Jiaying?¡± ¡°Probably still changing her clothes, I¡¯ll go look for her.¡± Mrs. Fang was about to turn when she saw Fang Jiaying slowly walking down the stairs. ¡°Why are you so late?¡± Mrs. Fang complained in a low voice. Fang Jiaying smiled and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Jiaying.¡± Tian Wenyao walked over from a distance. Fang Jiaying had a pleasant smile on her face and took the initiative to hold his arm. Today¡¯s party was organised by Fang Jiaying. Originally, Tian Wenyao¡¯s mother had planned to hold the party at the Tian¡¯s house, but Fang Jiaying insisted on holding it at the Fang¡¯s house, so Mrs. Tian went along with Fang Jiaying¡¯s wishes. ADuring the party, Fang Jiaying arranged a number of interesting settings, and the atmosphere was very lively. Seeing that the atmosphere reached its climax, Fang Jiaying stood in front of the crowd holding Tian Wenyao¡¯s arm. ¡°Today is the third anniversary of my engagement to Wenyao. I have a gift for Wenyao.¡± Fang Jiaying said, looking at Tian Wenyao with a smile. Tian Wenyao was taken aback, and then understood that this was Fang Jiaying¡¯s surprise to him. He cooperated happily and put a surprised smile on his face. Fang Jiaying motioned everyone to look at the left side of the hall, where a huge projection screen had been hung up for some time. With a gesture from Fang Jiaying, the lights in the hall were instantly extinguished, leaving everyone in the dark. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up. He was about to enjoy Shen Rong¡¯s diligent performance when he was unexpectedly gathered in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. Soft lips pressed against his lips and a wet, slippery tongue slid in. Shen Xi¡¯s heartbeat sped up and he reacted fiercely, kissing back, the thrill making his whole body feverish. The screen started to light up and the two men separated quickly, standing side by side in the darkness, their lowered hands clasped tightly. As the screen became brighter and brighter, everyone¡¯s attention couldn¡¯t help but focus on it, and a sweet, greasy moan suddenly reached everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Wenyao!¡± The moan was accompanied by a male voice calling out. Before the crowd could react, the screen lit up and two men appeared on it, naked and intertwined together. A low exclamation sounded in the crowd. Tian Wenyao¡¯s heart instantly sank. His whole body seemed to freeze, unable to even move, while his thoughts were incomparably clear. The moment the initial moan sounded, Tian Wenyao had a bad feeling, but he didn¡¯t expect Fang Jiaying to go this crazy. He could already predict how his reputation would be tarnished in Zhongjing and he would never be able to hold his head up again. Fang Jiaying intimately leaned to his ear, ¡°Do you like it? My surprise for you.¡± It was obviously a sweet female voice, but it was like a demon whispering in Tian Wenyao¡¯s ear. ¡°Turn it off, hurry up and turn it off!¡± Tian Taoping¡¯s angry voice rang out loudly. As if echoing his words, the scene on the projection screen changed. It was still the same two men, but this time their actions were even more over the top. Someone was whispering, ¡°It¡¯s that bastard son of the Shen family.¡± ¡°I think his name is Shen Rong, born to Shen Dehan¡¯s mistress.¡± ¡°Do you guys still remember that video that was circulating on the internet five years ago?¡± ¡°It seems that Shen Dehan intends to recognize that illegitimate son.¡± Countless whispers sounded in his ears as Shen Dehan stood there, only to feel that all the people were looking at him and laughing at him, that the Shen family¡¯s centuries-old reputation had been completely destroyed at Shen Rong¡¯s hands this night. ¡°Look at the illegitimate son of the Shen family. Look at Shen Dehan¡¯s son.¡± These few words kept drilling into Shen Dehan¡¯s ears. He was gasping for breath. At the moment the lights came on, he could no longer support himself and fell straight down. ¡°Father!¡± Shen Ji cried out in panic, leaning down to look at Shen Dehan. The crowd suddenly panicked as Shen Dehan collapsed. Shen Xi stood far behind, looking through the crowd at Shen Dehan who lay on the floor, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. The next moment, Shen Xi was fiercely swept into the arms of Li Mingxuan, who patted him gently and said comfortingly, ¡°Uncle will be fine.¡± The inquiring gazes that originally fell on Shen Xi gradually moved away as Li Mingxuan continued to comfort Shen Xi in his arms, and the attention of the people around them was once again attracted by Shen Dehan in the centre. Li Mingxuan gently patted Shen Xi and lowered his eyes, hiding the complex emotions within. CH 52 Shen Dehan¡¯s collapse set off the beginning of the night¡¯s chaos. ¡°Ah!¡± With a short cry of shock, this time it was Mrs. Tian who fell limply to the ground. ¡°Wenyao!¡± With his wife in his arms, Tian Taoping shouted angrily at Tian Wenyao, who was still standing dumbfounded. The familiar voice brought Tian Wenyao to his senses, and with a fierce glance at Fang Jiaying beside him, Tian Wenyao rushed to his mother. As Tian Wenyao came over, the people who gathered around Tian Taoping made way for him, covertly watching him. Tian Wenyao tried to act as if nothing had happened, and hurriedly left with his father carrying his mother. Fang Jiaying¡¯s expression was indifferent as she stared at Tian Wenyao¡¯s hastily leaving back. She straightened her back and did not move. When footsteps came from behind her, Fang Jiaying turned around with an unchanged expression and met the eyes of her father and mother. Mr. Fang¡¯s eyes were filled with unconcealed anger, while Mrs. Fang seemed incredulous, gazing at Fang Jiaying with a look of disbelief. Fang Jiaying stared at her parents in silence for a while before suddenly smiling, ¡°Tonight is really impressive, what do you think, Dad, Mom?¡± Without waiting for her parents to say anything, Fang Jiaying had already curbed her smile, ¡°Father, I will go to the company tomorrow. I am a bit tired today, so I will go and rest first.¡± Fang Jiaying finished speaking and left straight away. She had already been an obedient girl enough, and she had had enough of being at the mercy of her parents. She was the only daughter of the Fang family. Why should she give up her inheritance rights, why should she let others step on her, and why should she pin her happiness on a man next to her like her mother? She could obviously live another life, right? Behind Fang Jiaying, her father looked at her straight back, his eyes full of inquiry. As the Tian family left, Shen Dehan was also carried out of the hall by the bodyguards. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng walked by his side with distorted faces. Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi in his arms and quickly pulled him along to follow. Shen Dehan was carefully escorted to the car by the bodyguards, and Shen Ji was the first to get in with him. Li Mingxuan glanced at the space inside the car and pulled Shen Xi a few steps behind, ¡°Ah Ji, Xiao Xi and I will drive over by ourselves.¡± Shen Ji nodded, not bothering to say anything, and urged the driver to rush towards the hospital. The crowd in the hall was dispersing slowly. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t want Shen Xi to be pointed at by everyone. Protecting Shen Xi, he got in the car and followed Shen Ji¡¯s car. From leaving the hall to the present, Shen Xi had been indifferent throughout the process. Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a complicated look before finally asking, ¡°Are you worried about Uncle, Xiao Xi?¡± Since Li Mingxuan had already noticed, Shen Xi had no intention of refuting and asked, ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m worried?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank as Shen Xi continued mockingly, ¡°Why should I be worried? In my eyes, he is nothing more than a stranger who carries the name of my father. He doesn¡¯t like me, and I don¡¯t like him either. Our pathetic father-son bond has long been worn away after so many years. On the contrary, not only am I not worried, but I am very happy, don¡¯t you see?¡± The moment his father fell, Shen Xi could not control the pleasure he felt in his heart, especially when he thought about the reason why his father collapsed. He knew he should have controlled his emotions, but at that moment he subconsciously cocked up the corners of his mouth. He didn¡¯t care what Li Mingxuan saw. If the warmth that Li Mingxuan brought to his heart was what he craved, he could throw it away without hesitation compared to the great pleasure he would get from destroying the Shen family. In his new life, his goal had always been clear, and no one could stand in his way. Shen Xi¡¯s tone was distant as he revealed facts indifferently, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank. He felt that Shen Xi at this moment seemed far away from him, so far that if he let go of his hand, he might not be able to hold on to him anymore and would lose Shen Xi forever. Li Mingxuan looked ahead in silence. He had always known that his uncle was cold towards Shen Xi, and he also knew the knot in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. After getting together with Shen Xi, both of them consciously or unconsciously avoided mentioning the Shen family, and even if they did occasionally mention it, Shen Xi would always have a tone of disinterest. He thought that Shen Xi was escaping; he thought that no matter how unconcerned Shen Xi seemed on the surface, he still had expectations for his father in his heart. He did not expect Shen Xi and Shen Dehan to have a father-son bond, but he thought there would always be a trace of father-son affection between them. But now the mockery in Shen Xi¡¯s words made his previous thoughts ridiculous. He had no way to question the rightness or wrongness of Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour, and even his first thought was to protect Shen Xi; but in his heart he couldn¡¯t tell how exactly he felt. It turned out that he had never understood what was really in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. He thought he understood Shen Xi, but in fact he was just being presumptuous. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart clenched tightly; he wanted to say something to Shen Xi, but he didn¡¯t know where to start. Shen Xi did not show the slightest sign of speaking either, sitting indifferently beside him, as if a solid wall had been erected between them. They soon arrived at the hospital; Shen Xi pulled open the car door and walked ahead. Li Mingxuan followed behind him in silence. Shen Dehan had awakened on the way to the hospital and was now surrounded by doctors doing various tests. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were quietly standing on one side of the ward. Shen Xi swept a glance at the two of them and walked to the other side of the ward. Without hesitation, Li Mingxuan stood next to Shen Xi, staring unconsciously at Shen Xi¡¯s profile. The doctor¡¯s examination was soon over. There was nothing wrong with Shen Dehan¡¯s body. Like the last time, he was just stimulated a lot and felt suffocating. Of course, the doctor also warned everyone that although Shen Dehan¡¯s health was good, he was too old to withstand too much emotional turmoil. The family must be careful not to let Shen Dehan suffer any further stimulation in the future. In order to soothe Shen Dehan¡¯s emotions, the doctor gave him an injection. Watching Shen Dehan fall asleep, Shen Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯ll watch over father tonight, you guys go back and rest first.¡± Gently closing the door of the ward, Shen Ji said to the others. Shen Cheng glanced at Shen Ji worriedly, ¡°Big Brother, let me accompany you.¡± Shen Ji shook his head, ¡°You still have to go to the company tomorrow. Go to bed early, the company is depending on you these days.¡± Shen Cheng nodded, and Shen Ji¡¯s gaze fell on Shen Xi, ¡°You can go back too.¡± Shen Xi lightly responded, ¡°Big Brother has worked hard.¡± After saying that, without much delay, he turned around and left. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s back, turned and patted Shen Ji¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry too much, didn¡¯t the doctor say that Uncle was fine?¡± Shen Ji smiled bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m fine, tell Aunt about Father¡¯s situation.¡± Li Mingxuan agreed. Uneasy that Shen Xi was leaving alone, without saying anything else, he quickly chased after Shen Xi. The moment the elevator was about to close, Li Mingxuan reached out his hand to stop it. As the elevator doors slowly opened again, Shen Xi¡¯s face came into view. As their eyes met, Shen Xi¡¯s gaze was filled with emotions that Li Mingxuan could not understand. A great fear rose in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. Unlike the indifference in the car, there was too much strangeness about Shen Xi at this moment. Li Mingxuan had a hunch that if he did not do something, he might lose Shen Xi forever. In this great fear, Li Mingxuan ignored Shen Cheng who was following behind him, took a step into the elevator and held Shen Xi tightly in his arms. Shen Xi did not struggle and obediently let Li Mingxuan hold him. Shen Cheng outside the elevator looked dumbfounded at the two people inside, pointing at Shen Xi and unable to speak. The elevator doors closed again, and Shen Cheng was left standing at the door in a daze. Inside the elevator, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything, just hugged Shen Xi tightly. The two drove back in silence until they reached the neighbourhood where they lived. Even while driving, Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi¡¯s left hand tightly, fearing that if he let go of it, he would no longer be able to hold on to Shen Xi. They entered the house quietly, took a shower, changed their clothes, and went to bed, but Shen Xi did not say a word to Li Mingxuan until they were lying in bed. Li Mingxuan lay beside Shen Xi, pressed close to Shen Xi¡¯s body and carefully enveloped him in his arms. The moment their bodies fit together, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart that had been terrified finally settled down. Gently kissing Shen Xi¡¯s still damp hair, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t respond. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t care, he just hugged the man in his arms tightly and kept talking in a low voice. At this moment, Li Mingxuan threw away all his pride and revealed his heart to Shen Xi. ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯m sorry. I always thought that I loved you and could take good care of you. But today I realised that I only thought I loved you self-righteously and I never even understood what you were thinking. I stubbornly measured you by my own thoughts and forced my ideas on you. I couldn¡¯t even resist the urge to change you, to make you what I expected you to be.¡± In the boundless darkness, Li Mingxuan¡¯s magnetic voice sounded in Shen Xi¡¯s ears, and Shen Xi was lost for a moment. He thought Li Mingxuan would question his attitude; he did not expect Li Mingxuan to dissect himself first. Li Mingxuan said that he did not understand him, and Shen Xi thought: but what did he let him understand? Understand how he resented Shen Dehan? Understand how he deliberately wanted to destroy the Shen family? Understand how he was designing everything behind the scenes? He had never shown the real Shen Xi in front of Li Mingxuan. Everything was just played out according to the script. What could he see? Li Mingxuan thought that he didn¡¯t want to return to the Shen family because he was running away. Li Mingxuan thought that he was reluctant to talk about his father because he still had ridiculous feelings for him in his heart. Li Mingxuan thought that he wanted to get his father¡¯s acknowledgement, that what he wanted was to fit into the Shen family. What was wrong with these thoughts? These things were all originally demonstrated by Shen Xi himself in front of Li Mingxuan. If he had not inadvertently lost his temper today, he would have continued to pretend like this in front of Li Mingxuan until the moment the dust settled. Shen Xi sniffed the clean scent in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms and for the first time felt guilty towards Li Mingxuan. Gently reaching out to hug Li Mingxuan back, feeling the vibration of Li Mingxuan¡¯s body, Shen Xi slowly said, ¡°I hate him.¡± Although Shen Xi didn¡¯t mention it, both of them knew who he was referring to. Li Mingxuan let out a deep sigh and hugged Shen Xi even harder. ¡°I was an unwanted child for him, and all he did was dislike me since I was little. While Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were surrounded by his care, I could only ever watch enviously from the side. But it didn¡¯t matter. I still had my mother and my grandfather and my uncle. But at the age of six, I watched my mother lying in the rain with a pool of blood under her body. After my mother¡¯s death, my uncle and grandfather soon passed away, leaving me alone. He still didn¡¯t like me and treated me like a transparent person. No one in the Shen family liked me, everyone treated me like a transparent person, even the maids. I tried desperately to do all sorts of things he didn¡¯t like, just so I could get him to look at me. And once he did look at me, even if it was for a scolding, I could be happy for a long time all by myself. He never remembered my birthday, but my birthday wish every year was that he would one day recognise me as his beloved son, just like Shen Ji. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until I was eighteen that I suddenly figured it out. I should have hated him, not looked forward to him with such pitiful expectations. Because of his meanness, my mother jumped to her death, because of his bias, I lived a transparent life in the Shen family for more than twenty years, because of his selfishness, the century-old Han family fell overnight. Because of his preference for Shen Rong, an illegitimate son was riding on my head. What reason do you think I have to not hate him?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice lowered, and a boundless pain welled up in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. He had never hated his previous indifference and coldness towards Shen Xi as much as he did at this moment. Shen Xi lifted his head, ¡°I hate him. Everything I have depends on the Shen family. Without him, I am nothing. After all, I can¡¯t do without him.¡± Li Mingxuan hugged Shen Xi tightly and said with difficulty, ¡°Apart from Uncle, you still have me.¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°Yes, I still have you, Cousin.¡± CH 53 When Shen Xi woke up, the sky was just getting lighter. The man next to him was still sleeping, his peaceful breath blowing on his face, and Shen Xi had a momentary lapse of concentration. Perhaps it was because he had mentioned his childhood before going to sleep last night that after he fell asleep, his dreams were interspersed with fragments of his early years. Shen Xi knew he was dreaming, but he couldn¡¯t wake up. In his dream, he once again experienced his mother jumping out of the window, his uncle¡¯s car accident, his grandfather¡¯s death, his father¡¯s coldness and Shen Cheng¡¯s bullying, but whenever he felt sad, there was always a warm shadow beside him, accompanying him and holding him. In his dream, Shen Xi could not see the shadow clearly, but he always felt that he knew this man, was close to him and trusted him. He liked the fact that the shadow was with him, holding him and smiling at him. What made him even happier was that the shadow was his alone and only good to him and no one could take it away. The moment he opened his eyes, Shen Xi felt in a daze that the dream and reality seemed to overlap, and someone next to him was holding him tightly, as warm and reassuring as in his dream. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t help but curl up. His consciousness soon returned as he felt the arms wrapped firmly around his waist. Shen Xi raised his head slightly and saw Li Mingxuan¡¯s quiet sleeping face. With a twitch in his heart, he gently moved his body forward. The familiar scent permeated the room and Shen Xi leaned over in reassurance, unable to help but reach out and press his hand against Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. At this moment he was suddenly a little jealous of the Shen Xi in the dream, not only because he had someone with him when he was sad, but more importantly because the Shen Xi in the dream trusted that person wholeheartedly, the trust he had never given to this man beside him. Shen Xi let out a silent sigh. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heartbeat was steady and strong, reaching Shen Xi¡¯s hand through the thin pyjamas. Shen Xi instinctively probed along the neckline of the pyjamas, his palm tracing the warm skin and pressing against the beating heart. Shen Xi unconsciously counted the frequency of the heartbeat and was about to pull his hand away when he suddenly felt a hot gaze fall on his body. Subconsciously, he looked up and met Li Mingxuan¡¯s dark eyes. Shen Xi realized that his hand was still inside Li Mingxuan¡¯s pyjamas. Shen Xi quickly withdrew his hand and tried to speak, but the next moment Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss blocked Shen Xi¡¯s lips. This kiss was full of dominance and carried emotions that Shen Xi could not understand. Shen Xi passively opened his mouth, allowing the other party to explore his mouth wantonly. As the kiss continued, Shen Xi felt a fire ignite inside his body. Hot palms pressed against his skin and moved along the curves of his body. The fire inside him burned even hotter, and Shen Xi groaned in impatience. The soft groan seemed to be a signal, and the man beside him became even more reckless. The pyjamas were quickly stripped off, and even though the room was not cold, Shen Xi could not help but shiver at the first contact of his skin with the air. The next moment a hot body came down and Shen Xi was confined in the other man¡¯s arms completely. As hot kisses fell on his body, Shen Xi narrowed his eyes and saw Li Mingxuan reaching for the blue packet of lubricant on the bedside table. For some reason, the first thought that flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s mind was not to stop it, but when did Li Mingxuan prepare it that he hadn¡¯t even noticed. The moment this thought flashed in his mind, there was cool liquid touching his behind. Shen Xi instinctively stiffened, looking up to meet Li Mingxuan¡¯s patient expression. His heart couldn¡¯t help but soften and he tried to relax his body. As the fingers entered, Shen Xi frowned and endured the discomfort. Unlike the last time when he was under the influence of aphrodisiacs, this time Shen Xi¡¯s consciousness was incomparably clear, and the strange sensation was amplified through his senses, leaving him with an indescribable feeling. The fingers slowly withdrew, and Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The next instant Li Mingxuan¡¯s hot desire pushed inside, firmly squeezing in a little. Shen Xi grunted. Despite the previous expansion, the narrow tunnel was still unable to accommodate the enormous desire. As Shen Xi¡¯s body stiffened once more, Li Mingxuan patiently stopped his movements and kissed Shen Xi gently. With these soothing kisses, Shen Xi slowly adapted to Li Mingxuan¡¯s entry. Following Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements, Shen Xi let out a low moan. He was burning. Their bodies entwined wantonly as Shen Xi clung to Li Mingxuan, his mind going blank. As Li Minxuan pounded faster and faster, Shen Xi knew only to call out his name over and over again. As the unrelenting pleasure poured out of his body, Shen Xi gasped for breath and collapsed helplessly on the bed. As Shen Xi climaxed, Li Mingxuan slammed into him a few more times, then held him in a tight embrace as his violent gasps slowly calmed down. After his gasps subsided, Li Mingxuan lay on his side next to Shen Xi, one hand circling him and the other rubbing his naked back. Shen Xi closed his eyes and let Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements take over. ¡°If you¡¯re too tired, Xiao Xi shouldn¡¯t go to the hospital today.¡± Li Mingxuan said in a seemingly casual manner. Shen Xi snapped his eyes open and looked up at Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were full of tolerance as he lowered his head and touched Shen Xi¡¯s forehead, speaking in a deliberate manner. ¡°There are all kinds of parents in this world, some are strict and some are tolerant, some treat all children equally, while some are inevitably partial to one of them. We don¡¯t get to choose our parents¡¯ attitudes, but we do get to choose our own. I know that many times, many things seen in the eyes of an outsider are not the same as what you personally feel. Even though I love you, I can¡¯t empathise with all your feelings, so I have no right to question your thoughts. But I will respect them whether I agree with them or not.¡± There was no ridiculous theory of blood ties, no pretentious bitter persuasion. Although Li Mingxuan might not understand how he really felt, as Li Mingxuan said, he respected Shen Xi¡¯s thoughts. Because he knew that Shen Xi hated Shen Dehan, he would not persuade Shen Xi to go to the hospital, but instead found an excuse so that Shen Xi would not have to force himself. Shen Xi¡¯s emotions at this moment were indescribably complicated. He knew that Li Mingxuan had a good relationship with Shen Dehan. It was because of this that Li Mingxuan¡¯s words made Shen Xi so overwhelmed. Strange emotions surged from the bottom of his heart, and Shen Xi buried his head in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms as if fleeing. Li Mingxuan patted Shen Xi¡¯s back and listened to Shen Xi¡¯s voice whispering, ¡°Thank you, Cousin.¡± The two stayed in bed all morning, unaware that Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong¡¯s affair had once again set off the gossip circuit in Zhongjing. Although Fang Jiaying had no intention of spreading the video, the number of people who showed up at the Fang¡¯s house last night was really too many. With so many people talking, it was just one night but Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong¡¯s affair had already spread throughout the upper class circles of Zhongjing. Some were shocked, some sneered, some waited for a good show, and of course some were full of malice and revealed the matter to the reporters. Although the reporters could not get hold of the latest video, the one from five years ago was rehashed again, and the reputation of the Tian and Shen families hit rock bottom overnight. Shen Ji sat in front of the hospital bed flipping through pages and pages of online news, his face extremely ugly. Shen Dehan was still asleep when a nurse brought in today¡¯s newspapers. Shen Ji frowned and instructed the bodyguard to sort through the newspapers and pick out all the articles related to the incident. The door was gently pushed open and a bodyguard came in and reported to Shen Ji in a low voice, ¡°Shen Rong Shao just called and said he wanted to come visit Mr. Shen.¡± Shen Ji sneered, ¡°He still has the face to come.¡± The bodyguard was silent, and Shen Ji did not hesitate to order, ¡°All his calls are not to be received by father, and if he comes to the hospital, stop him from meeting with father. And that woman too.¡± The bodyguard nodded, and Shen Ji only felt anger building up in his heart. If it wasn¡¯t for Shen Rong, how could the Shen family be so humiliated this time? The Shen family¡¯s century-old reputation had been destroyed at his hands overnight. Shen Ji was thinking about something alone with a cold face when Shen Dehan¡¯s slightly weak voice sounded behind him, ¡°Ah Ji.¡± ¡°Father!¡± Shen Ji turned around joyfully and stood in front of the hospital bed, ¡°Father, how are you feeling?¡± Shen Dehan woke up after a good night¡¯s sleep and felt much better, asking the question he was most concerned about, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ah Ji, what is the news outside?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression remained unchanged, ¡°The Tian family has kept this matter well under wraps, there are no reports from outside.¡± Shen Dehan breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°That¡¯s good, the Shen family is now in the midst of many events, this matter must not involve the Shen family again.¡± Shen Ji nodded gently. Shen Dehan gave Shen Ji a relieved look and casually asked, ¡°Where is Ah Cheng?¡± ¡°Ah Cheng is at the company.¡± Shen Dehan thought for a moment, ¡°You should give Ah Cheng a call and tell him to go to Wang Changlin for anything he doesn¡¯t understand during this period of time. If Changlin looks after Ah Cheng, I can rest assured.¡± Shen Ji knew that Shen Dehan always trusted Wang Changlin, so he immediately nodded. Shen Cheng, who received Shen Ji¡¯s call, was looking at a pile of documents on the table with a headache. When he heard that he was asked to find Wang Changlin, Shen Cheng didn¡¯t even think about hanging up the phone and directly ordering Lu Gesen to go instead of him. Lu Gesen nodded with a serious expression, but Shen Cheng did not notice that Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes softened when Wang Changlin was mentioned. After parting with Shen Cheng, Lu Gesen walked towards Wang Changlin¡¯s office calmly. When he heard the man inside shout ¡°Come in¡±, Lu Gesen¡¯s ever-serious expression softened. As the office door was pushed open, Lu Gesen unconsciously smiled at the middle-aged man inside. ¡°Foster Father!¡± Hearing the joy in Lu Gesen¡¯s words, Wang Changlin shook his head with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t see me on a regular basis.¡± Lu Gesen was in a good mood, ¡°That¡¯s different, this is the first time since I entered Shen Group that I have called you Foster Father in a proper manner.¡± Wang Changlin smiled and gestured for Lu Gesen to sit down and talk, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something wrong with Shen Cheng?¡± When it came to business, Lu Gesen became serious, ¡°Shen Dehan instructed Shen Cheng to come to see you during this period of time, so Shen Cheng sent me to come here first.¡± Wang Changlin pondered, ¡°It seems that Shen Dehan is quite angry this time.¡± Lu Gesen said in disdain, ¡°What good can a mistress¡¯s son be?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes flashed, ¡°All right, I know you feel sorry for Shen Xi, but it¡¯s also true that Shen Xi was not competitive in the past. It¡¯s just as well that both Shen Dehan and Shen Ji are away from the company now, so it¡¯s time for your next plan to be carried out.¡± Hearing Wang Changlin¡¯s words, Lu Gesen nodded, his expression solemn. CH 54 Chu Qianqian soon learned about Shen Dehan¡¯s admission to the hospital. She did not rush to the hospital to see him, but appeared at the hospital during work hours without haste. By the time she arrived at the hospital, everyone knew about Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong¡¯s video. Listening to the chattering of the little nurses discussing this matter, Chu Qianqian looked surprised on the surface, but she was sure that this matter was nothing but Shen Xi¡¯s handwriting. Not to mention anything else, she had heard of Lao K, and those videos must have come from Lao K¡¯s hands. After preparing some things she needed, Chu Qianqian walked towards Shen Dehan¡¯s ward carrying the medicine. By the way, in order to conform to the identity that Shen Xi had given her, she stayed at the hospital since Shen Dehan was discharged last time. Although this job was rather hard, after some adaptation she liked the work of a nurse. She also occasionally thought that she could simply come back to work as a nurse when she finished what Shen Xi had asked her to do. With Shen Xi¡¯s money, it would be enough to feed and clothe herself, and this job would also give her a clean identity, so maybe she could meet a good man and live her life in peace. The thought was only fleeting; Chu Qianqian had already reached Shen Dehan¡¯s ward and was about to push the door, but unexpectedly the door suddenly pulled open from the inside. Subconsciously, Chu Qianqian looked up and smiled in greeting, but was slightly stunned when she saw the man on the opposite side. Shen Ji was also slightly startled for a moment. The last confrontation was still fresh in their minds, and although Chu Qianqian quickly left that day, Shen Ji and Shen Dehan had a cold war for several days. If it hadn¡¯t been for Yunrou¡¯s incident later, the relationship between father and son would not have eased up so quickly. After that, Shen Dehan never mentioned Chu Qianqian in front of Shen Ji again. Although he knew that his father still kept in touch with Chu Qianqian, Shen Ji stuck to an evasive mentality, comforting himself that Chu Qianqian was merely treating his father as an elder and that there was no ambiguity between the two. Now that they had met again, Shen Ji subconsciously did not want Chu Qianqian to appear in front of Shen Dehan. But when he thought about his father¡¯s current state of health, the doctor¡¯s words came to his mind once again. Shen Ji clenched his fists, swept a cold glance over Chu Qianqian and walked straight past her. Chu Qianqian was quite surprised by Shen Ji¡¯s behaviour. She was prepared to be kicked out of the ward by Shen Ji, but when she saw that Shen Ji was really not going to care about her, she quickly reacted and walked into the ward with a smile. Outside the ward, Shen Ji did not leave, but stopped not far away. Soon, the sound of Shen Dehan¡¯s moderate laughter came from the ward. A trace of sadness flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes; with an expression of ridicule on his face he left the ward in big strides without looking back. Despite knowing that Shen Ji was in a bad mood right now, the bodyguard holding the phone had to bite the bullet and continue, ¡°Miss Zhou just called to indicate that Shen Rong Shao is in a bad state at the moment and would like to ask Mr. Shen what to do?¡± Shen Ji frowned in disgust and sneered, ¡°Not in a good state? If she calls again, tell her that I will arrange for Shen Rong to go abroad within three days and she can choose any foreign sanatorium she wants. Isn¡¯t he in a bad state? From now on, he will stay abroad and never have to come back.¡± The bodyguard couldn¡¯t help being taken aback when he heard Shen Ji, nodded and repeated his words quietly. After she hung up the phone, Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face was completely grim and her eyes were full of gloom. ¡°Mother, what did Father say?¡± Shen Rong, who had been keeping watch, hurriedly came up to Zhou Mingmei and asked hastily. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face was cold, ¡°The call didn¡¯t even reach your father, Shen Ji stopped it.¡± ¡°Then what? Father is going to abandon me?¡± Shen Rong cried out in a daze. Zhou Mingmei swept a cold glance at Shen Rong, who cringed and took a step back, trying to appear calm. He had never expected things to develop into what they were now. When he initially saw the news on the internet, his entire mind turned blank. He couldn¡¯t understand how Fang Jiaying could have the video of him and Tian Wenyao together in her hands. Didn¡¯t she love Tian Wenyao very much? Wasn¡¯t she about to get married to Tian Wenyao? How could she expose his relationship with Tian Wenyao in front of so many people? Wasn¡¯t she afraid that she would have to endure the public¡¯s finger-pointing in the future? Shen Rong had been anxious all morning, worried that his father would once again banish him abroad. Once he left this time, he might not be able to return, and even if he could come back later, he would completely lose the possibility of being recognised by the Shen family and would carry the name of illegitimate son forever. There was also Tian Wenyao. Shen Rong couldn¡¯t imagine what Tian Wenyao would think of him now. He wanted to call Tian Wenyao several times, but after thinking about it, he held back. Shen Rong¡¯s uneasiness was seen by Zhou Mingmei. Although she was furious with Shen Rong, Shen Rong was, after all, her only son and the only one she could count on for the rest of her life. Zhou Mingmei took a deep breath, ¡°Ah Rong, go back to your room first, let me be alone.¡± Shen Rong did not dare to object and retreated quietly in anxiety. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s heart was racing. This matter had become too big. She alone might not be able to win Shen Dehan back. It seemed that she still needed that man¡¯s help. But this matter was now basically known to everyone, she did not believe that he had not heard the news. But he had not responded, was he planning to get rid of her? Zhou Mingmei thought for a long time with her face grim, then finally picked up the phone and sent a text message to the mobile phone number she had memorised. It was as if she had waited for a century before the phone gave a soft jingle. Zhou Mingmei grabbed the phone, saw the simple words ¡°Old place¡± on it and let out a long sigh of relief. After carefully putting on her make-up and changing her clothes, Zhou Mingmei walked out of the room with her bag. ¡°Mother, you¡¯re going out?¡± Shen Rong, who was in the living room, looked at Zhou Mingmei in surprise. Zhou Mingmei nodded and gave Shen Rong a warning glare, ¡°Stay at home and don¡¯t try to go to the hospital to find your father.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s secret intention was seen through by Zhou Mingmei, and he nodded reluctantly. After Zhou Mingmei left home, she carefully avoided the reporters guarding outside and familiarly went to another neighbourhood not far from her house, anxiously waiting for the arrival of that man. After waiting for an unknown amount of time, she heard the sound of the door opening. Zhou Mingmei slowly regained her senses, stood up quietly and looked in the direction of the door. The door was gently pushed open and a familiar figure appeared there. A hint of excitement flashed in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes, ¡°Changlin.¡± The man at the door was Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin cautiously glanced at the door and quietly closed it. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t come out at this time. What if a reporter catches you on camera?¡± Wang Changlin said with slight dissatisfaction as he walked up to Zhou Mingmei. Zhou Mingmei couldn¡¯t help but explain, ¡°I¡¯ve carefully avoided all the reporters.¡± Even though Zhou Mingmei said this, Wang Changlin, who was cautious by nature, was still dissatisfied, but did not pursue the issue on the surface and just sat quietly opposite Zhou Mingmei. Seeing that Wang Changlin had no intention of speaking up, Zhou Mingmei could not help but say, ¡°Changlin, what should we do now?¡± Wang Changlin did not answer this question, but asked, ¡°How is Ah Rong now?¡± Despite her anxiety, Zhou Mingmei patiently replied, ¡°Ah Rong has always been impatient and he doesn¡¯t deal with accidents calmly. I am worried that he will go out and run around, so I detained him at home.¡± Wang Changlin nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, in this situation, it¡¯s best for Ah Rong not to go anywhere.¡± When Zhou Mingmei saw that Wang Changlin did not get to the point, she became anxious again and asked once more, ¡°Changlin, what should we do now?¡± Zhou Mingmei had always been calm and collected in front of Wang Changlin. This was the first time she had lost her cool; she obviously realised the seriousness of the situation. As Wang Changlin thought about it, his expression revealed a hint of embarrassment, ¡°Mingmei, I don¡¯t want to lie to you, but the current situation is very unfavourable to Ah Rong. This time the matter has gone too far. Shen Dehan will never recognise Ah Rong as his son now.¡± These words undoubtedly poured a pot of cold water on Zhou Mingmei¡¯s head. Zhou Mingmei could not help but ask rhetorically, ¡°Five years ago the same kind of video broke out, didn¡¯t you say that Ah Rong still had a chance to turn over a new leaf?¡± Wang Changlin frowned, ¡°Five years ago is five years ago, the circulation of the video was only on the Internet, Shen Dehan could pretend not to know about this matter and could still lie to himself. It was his fig leaf. This time the video was blown up in front of the entire upper class circle in Zhongjing. Shen Dehan was so angry that he fainted on the spot, do you think he can still pretend not to know anything?¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Wang Changlin said patiently, ¡°The best outcome is for Shen Dehan to send Ah Rong out of the country and for you to never return to Zhongjing again.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Zhou Mingmei flatly refused, ¡°I¡¯ve been with Shen Dehan since I was eighteen, my best years were spent on him, and Ah Rong is also his child, why should we, mother and son, end up with nothing?!¡± Perhaps noticing that her tone was a bit heavy, Zhou Mingmei softened her voice and pleaded, ¡°Changlin, think of something, didn¡¯t you say that in your heart, Ah Rong is just like your own child? Can you bear to see him leave Zhongjing with nothing and never return?¡± Wang Changlin pondered for a moment, but shook his head, ¡°This matter has gone too far and there is no longer any possibility of reversing it. Now instead of thinking about anything else, you should find a way to get more money from Shen Dehan, so that even if the worst occurs, you will have money in your hands and will live equally well in a different place.¡± After listening to Wang Changlin speak for so long, still persuading her to give up, Zhou Mingmei finally laughed out coldly, ¡°Do you think that Shen Rong and I have no more use value, so you want to kick us away? You must not forget who found me and instigated me to go to Shen Dehan¡¯s side in the first place. I could have stood up in front of people in a dignified manner, and perhaps after all these years of hard work, I would have already made a name for myself in the entertainment industry. If it weren¡¯t for your instigation, how would I have given up my promising future to follow Shen Dehan¡¯s side without a name and status?¡± Wang Changlin looked at Zhou Mingmei, his expression unchanged, ¡°What do you mean by this statement, Mingmei?¡± Zhou Mingmei said coldly, ¡°Nothing else, I just want to remind you that since we joined forces twenty years ago, we are grasshoppers on the same rope (we are in the same boat). If I¡¯m good, you¡¯ll be good, and if I¡¯m not, you won¡¯t be good either.¡± Wang Changlin suddenly laughed, ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s expression changed slightly but she still nodded. Wang Changlin shook his head, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say it was my instigation either. Back then if it weren¡¯t for your own ambitions and you being unable to bear the pain of rising in the entertainment industry from the bottom up, do you think my words alone could have convinced you? How much have I helped you over the years? Without me, do you think you would have been able to stand by Shen Dehan¡¯s side and that Ah Rong would have been able to please Shen Dehan? Mingmei, I have said that in my eyes Ah Rong is my child. I will not harm my own child. If you want to go to Shen Dehan, go to him. Do you think Shen Dehan will believe you or me? Even if Shen Dehan believed you, what good would it do you? Wouldn¡¯t Ah Rong¡¯s situation still be the same? Keeping me is at least a way back for Ah Rong in the future.¡± Zhou Mingmei subconsciously wanted to refute Wang Changlin¡¯s words, but she had to admit that he had a point. Shen Dehan might not believe her indeed. She did not know what Wang Changlin had done at Shen Dehan¡¯s side over the years, but she had seen Wang Changlin gaining more and more of Shen Dehan¡¯s trust, and even becoming Shen Dehan¡¯s personal lawyer. Zhou Mingmei felt that she had never seen through Wang Changlin. If he hated Shen Dehan, how could he have pretended so well in front of Shen Dehan for more than twenty years and even gained his deep trust? But if he didn¡¯t hate Shen Dehan, then what was the purpose of his seeking her out in the first place? He claimed to love Han Rou, but then he watched as Han Rou¡¯s only flesh and blood was ignored by Shen Dehan and even Shen Rong was able to ride on Shen Xi¡¯s head. Zhou Mingmei looked at Wang Changlin quietly for a while, then suddenly smiled and said softly, ¡°Changlin, I just said that in a moment of anger, you must not take it to heart.¡± Wang Changlin smiled lightly and asked rhetorically, ¡°Did you just say something?¡± Zhou Mingmei smiled in understanding, ¡°Changlin, you have a point, but I¡¯m still not willing to give up without one last try. Even if someone raises a dog for so many years, there will be some feelings. I don¡¯t believe Shen Dehan has no feelings for me at all.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s reaction was what Wang Changlin already expected and he was not surprised, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to give it a try, I will also try to help Ah Rong.¡± Zhou Mingliang breathed a sigh of relief at Wang Changlin¡¯s compromise; she was afraid that Wang Changlin would abandon them. She smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve been out long enough, it¡¯s time for me to go back. As for what you said, I will consider it seriously.¡± Wang Changlin did not stop Zhou Mingmei from leaving but suddenly mentioned when she was in the doorway, ¡°In a few days, you should make some arrangements, I want to meet Ah Rong.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Zhou Mingmei replied dryly. Whether Wang Changlin really regarded Shen Rong as his own child or just said it casually, there was no harm in Ah Rong following him. As he watched Zhou Mingmei leave carefully, Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes flashed with a trace of mockery. This woman really did not want to die until she reached the Yellow River, but that¡¯s precisely what made her valuable. He only hoped that Shen Rong, like her, would not fail to live up to all the hard work he had put in them over the years. CH 55 ¡°That rebellious son!¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s angry roar came from the ward. Shen Ji, who was about to push the door open, was stunned. The only person who could make Shen Dehan lose his temper and yell like that in these circumstances was Shen Rong, but hadn¡¯t Shen Ji already warned everyone that no one was allowed to mention the rumours outside in front of his father? A trace of gloom emerged in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. Before Shen Ji pushed the door in, Shen Dehan¡¯s next roar followed, ¡°Call him and tell him to come to the hospital immediately, I want to ask him what is going on with Mingxuan?¡± When Shen Ji heard Mingxuan¡¯s name, he immediately understood that Shen Dehan was not scolding Shen Rong but Shen Xi. Although he had no feelings for Shen Xi, at this time Shen Dehan could not afford to be stimulated. Thinking of Li Mingxuan¡¯s defence of Shen Xi, Shen Ji did not want the news of Shen Xi¡¯s relationship with Li Mingxuan to break out now, so he pushed the door in quickly, ¡°Father!¡± Shen Dehan was obviously in a state of excitement. Even when he saw Shen Ji, he didn¡¯t ease up much, still having a furious look on his face, ¡°Ah Ji, you¡¯re just in time, Ah Cheng said he saw that rebellious son Shen Xi harassing Mingxuan. Call him and tell him to get his ass to the hospital immediately.¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t follow Shen Dehan¡¯s order but said in a placating tone, ¡°Father, there might be some misunderstanding in this matter. The important thing for you now is to get well, let¡¯s talk about anything else after you get out of the hospital.¡± ¡°What misunderstanding?¡± Hearing the doubt in Shen Ji¡¯s words, Shen Cheng shouted in dissatisfaction, ¡°I personally saw Cousin and Shen Xi hugging each other inside the elevator, the night when Father was admitted to the hospital. Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s appearance, he wasn¡¯t worried about Father at all.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s words caused the anger on Shen Dehan¡¯s face to intensify. Shen Ji didn¡¯t even think about it and shouted angrily at Shen Cheng, ¡°Ah Cheng, shut up!¡± ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng stared at Shen Ji in surprise, wondering why Big Brother would react like that. Cousin had always been on good terms with Big Brother and used to stand on Big Brother¡¯s side. Shen Cheng was also worried that Shen Xi and Cousin would get together. What if Cousin was pulled over by Shen Xi to work against Big Brother? He was thinking of his elder brother with all his heart, and even worried that his elder brother would be sad when he learned the news, so he kept waiting until Big Brother was not around before mentioning it to his father. He didn¡¯t expect that Shen Ji wouldn¡¯t appreciate it at all, and would actually scold him. Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes were filled with hurt, but Shen Ji didn¡¯t see it. He was trying to calm down his furious father. Carefully helping Shen Dehan to sit up in the hospital bed, Shen Ji said gently, ¡°Father, don¡¯t you know Mingxuan¡¯s nature? How could he possibly like Shen Xi? There must be some kind of misunderstanding, I will ask Mingxuan about it first.¡± When Shen Dehan heard Shen Ji say this, he was about to agree, but suddenly he thought of something and his face turned gloomy, ¡°No, don¡¯t alarm Mingxuan about it, just tell Shen Xi to come to the hospital immediately.¡± Shen Ji still wanted to continue to persuade, but his father had already waved his hand impatiently. Shen Ji had no choice but to make up his mind to speak to Li Mingxuan first. When he came out of the ward, Shen Ji noticed that Shen Cheng followed him out. Thinking about Shen Dehan¡¯s emotional turmoil, Shen Ji couldn¡¯t help but turn to Shen Cheng and scold him, ¡°Don¡¯t you know about Father¡¯s health? First Shen Rong and then Shen Xi, do you think Father can bear it? If you have to say something, can¡¯t you bear it until Father is discharged from the hospital?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s scolding completely baffled Shen Cheng, and the original thought of following him out to explain his intentions disappeared. Since he was a child, Shen Cheng was used to Shen Ji¡¯s reprimands, and despite his reluctance, Shen Cheng, as usual, kept his head down and did not talk back. The bodyguards around him were used to such scenes. Shen Cheng did not have a mother and his father was spoiling him. Shen Ji was the only one in the family who controlled him, so everyone pretended to turn a blind eye. But unexpectedly there was a faint sound of laughter coming from the stairway, and a few young nurses looked in their direction, their eyes filled with embarrassment and curiosity. ¡°Who¡¯s the one being scolded?¡± ¡°It seems to be the second son of the Shen family. Didn¡¯t he just make the papers a few days ago? Shen Group¡¯s current general manager.¡± ¡°No way? Then who¡¯s the one who is scolding him?¡± The bodyguard walked over with a black face but these intermittent words had already slammed into Shen Cheng¡¯s mind. What Lu Gesen said before suddenly came to mind, ¡°Cheng Shao is now the general manager of the company, he represents Shen Group¡¯s image externally, he should be careful about what he does at all times.¡± This thought flew through his mind, and Shen Cheng lowered his head, hiding the grievances on his face. Big Brother never seemed to treat him as the general manager of Shen Group. The last time he had sold Yunrou, and this time too, Big Brother never asked him what he thought, and never cared about his face, as if everything was taken for granted. The more Shen Cheng thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, yet the authority that Shen Ji had always had over him made him not dare to say anything, and he only had an indescribable feeling in his heart. ¡°You should go back and stay with Father, and don¡¯t mention Shen Xi and Mingxuan again.¡± Shen Ji glanced at Shen Cheng and said warningly, then did not look at him again and walked to the side of the ward. Shen Cheng stared at Shen Ji¡¯s back for a while and returned to the ward with his head hanging in defeat. After dialling Li Mingxuan¡¯s number, Shen Ji briefly explained the matter and expressed the hope that Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi could deny the relationship between them at this time, and that everything would wait until Shen Dehan¡¯s health was stable. Li Mingxuan listened in silence. The point was not whether he and Shen Xi admitted it or not, but that his uncle had now preconceived the idea that his and Shen Xi¡¯s relationship was unclean, or even that Shen Xi was harassing him. Even if they denied it, considering how Uncle had always treated Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan was afraid the problem wouldn¡¯t just go away. Li Mingxuan tightened his grip on the phone and said in a low voice, ¡°Ah Ji, I¡¯m sorry, you know how Uncle treats Xiao Xi¡­¡± Li Mingxuan did not finish the sentence, but the meaning in his words was clear. He felt that no matter whether they admitted it or not, Shen Dehan would use the matter to make things difficult for Shen Xi, and there was no way he would sit back and do nothing. A huge disappointment welled up in Shen Ji¡¯s heart, and images of him and Li Mingxuan playing together in the Shen family¡¯s house when they were children came to his mind. Once he thought that apart from his family, his closest person would be Li Mingxuan, but since Shen Xi appeared, everything had slowly changed. ¡°I see,¡± Shen Ji said simply and hung up the phone. Li Mingxuan looked at the darkened phone screen with complicated eyes. He still contacted Shen Xi first, ¡°Xiao Xi, where are you?¡± Shen Xi looked up at the huge signboard of the inpatient department and casually said, ¡°I just arrived at the hospital, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go to see Uncle yet, I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Li Mingxuan stopped, then added, ¡°Uncle seems to know about us.¡± Shen Xi agreed softly and hung up the phone but didn¡¯t stop. As the elevator began to rise one floor at a time, Shen Xi stood quietly with a playful look in his eyes. It didn¡¯t surprise him that Shen Dehan knew that he was with Li Mingxuan; since that night when Shen Cheng saw them, Shen Xi was mentally prepared. However, because of the doctor¡¯s words, he thought Shen Cheng would take note of his father¡¯s health and hold back until Shen Dehan was discharged from the hospital. He didn¡¯t expect Shen Cheng to be so impatient. Or maybe Shen Cheng took no notice of Shen Dehan¡¯s health at all? According to Shen Cheng¡¯s character, he would definitely add fuel to the fire and blame him for the incident. The more he said, the angrier Shen Dehan would become and the greater his mood swings would be. Shen Xi just wondered if his father would faint once again. Having such a heartless and thoughtless son was really Shen Dehan¡¯s retribution. Shen Xi laughed coldly in his heart and appeared in front of Shen Dehan with an indifferent expression. Shen Dehan, who was talking to Shen Ji, saw Shen Xi and the anger he had suppressed suddenly rose up, ¡°Unfilial son!¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he leaned against the doorway, ¡°I neither made a sex video with a man, nor did I disgrace the Shen family in front of everyone, so I really can¡¯t afford to be called an unfilial son.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s words obviously rubbed salt into Shen Dehan¡¯s wounds, and Shen Dehan was furious, ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to do by pestering Mingxuan?¡± The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up into a cynical smile, ¡°What does Father think I want to do? Do you think I am like Shen Rong, who needs to rely on a man to be recognised by Father? I¡¯m a legitimate son of the Shen family, not like that kind of illegitimate son who can¡¯t see the light of the day.¡± ¡°Bastard!¡± Shen Dehan was so angry that he grabbed a water cup beside him and threw it at Shen Xi. Shen Xi dodged the cup, and Shen Ji stepped forward and stopped in front of Shen Dehan, ¡°Father is not well, so you should talk less.¡± Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, ¡°Father asked a question, can I not answer it?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression was frozen while Shen Dehan said in a cold voice, ¡°I don¡¯t have a son like you.¡± Despite hearing these words, Shen Xi¡¯s expression did not change, ¡°You¡¯re right, I was originally ashamed to be involved with the Shen family. Presumably you stay in the hospital and don¡¯t know the news outside. Your beloved good son Shen Rong has already ruined the reputation that the Shen family has accumulated in several lifetimes. The Shen family is now disreputable in Zhongjing. If you don¡¯t believe it, you can ask your eldest son. ¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Shen Ji sternly interrupted Shen Xi¡¯s words, yet he was a step too late. Shen Dehan glanced at Shen Ji suspiciously and immediately realised something. No wonder he noticed that there were fewer newspapers today. It turned out that everyone had kept him in the dark. Thinking of what Shen Xi had just said, Shen Dehan shivered violently. ¡°Father!¡± Shen Ji was alarmed and held Shen Dehan in place as he quickly pressed the button to call the doctor. Shen Cheng also nervously pushed his way over to Shen Dehan, while Shen Xi alone stood coldly to the side without the slightest intention of moving over. Shen Dehan sat on the bed, holding Shen Ji¡¯s hand. His expression was cloudy and uncertain. The doctor came very quickly and everyone was asked to leave the ward. Shen Cheng yanked Shen Xi violently, ¡°Did you do that on purpose?¡± Shen Xi gave him a mocking look, ¡°Didn¡¯t you start it?¡± Shen Cheng said angrily, ¡°You seduced Cousin and still don¡¯t admit it?¡± Shen Xi broke away from Shen Cheng¡¯s grip, ¡°So what if I seduced him? You care so much, could it be that you like Cousin too?¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Cheng was so furious with Shen Xi that he didn¡¯t even think about swinging a punch. Shen Cheng¡¯s fist landed in Shen Ji¡¯s hand, who held it tightly and said in a cold voice, ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Cheng broke free, ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re actually protecting him.¡± Shen Ji reminded in a cold voice, ¡°Father is still inside getting examined.¡± Shen Cheng gave Shen Xi a fierce glare, and Shen Xi looked back indifferently. As the three of them were confronting each other, there was a sound of hurried footsteps approaching, ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan appeared in front of them. After sweeping his eyes over the three of them, Li Mingxuan stood next to Shen Xi, facing two brothers, and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± Shen Xi looked indifferent, ¡°Mr. Shen almost fainted because of Shen Rong¡¯s affair, the doctor is checking inside.¡± The words ¡°Mr. Shen¡± caught Li Mingxuan¡¯s attention; his expression changed slightly. Shen Cheng was about to retort angrily, when Shen Ji gave him a cold glance, and Shen Cheng reluctantly shut his mouth. Li Mingxuan looked at them and knew that his uncle must be angry about him and Shen Xi. Although he knew that this was not a good time to be honest with his uncle, he thought about Shen Xi¡¯s words ¡°Mr. Shen¡± just now. Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh and reached out to hold Shen Xi¡¯s hand tightly. Shen Cheng looked at Li Mingxuan¡¯s action incredulously and was about to speak instinctively when a mellow male voice reached them. ¡°Why are you all outside?¡± ¡°Father!¡± Li Mingxuan looked surprised. ¡°Uncle!¡± The others also greeted. Li Xiyong nodded and his gaze fell on Shen Xi¡¯s hand held by Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi subconsciously tried to break free, but Li Mingxuan¡¯s grip tightened. Li Xiyong gave Li Mingxuan a meaningful look and walked up to them. Li Mingxuan explained softly that Shen Dehan was inside having an examination, and Li Xiyong nodded and stood there quietly. Because of Li Xiyong¡¯s presence, no one spoke, except for Shen Cheng who stared at Li Xiyong with astonishment, wondering if his uncle had not seen his cousin and Shen Xi holding hands; otherwise how could his uncle be so calm. The doctor quickly finished the examination and told everyone that there was nothing seriously wrong with Shen Dehan¡¯s health. Shen Ji put his mind at ease as Li Xiyong turned his head to glance at them, ¡°Mingxuan, you come in with me first.¡± Li Mingxuan froze for a moment. His father obviously meant to take him to Shen Dehan to talk alone. After a hesitant glance at Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, ¡°Wait for me here.¡± Shen Xi nodded silently, glancing behind Li Xiyong¡¯s back, and stayed quietly aside. CH 56 The presence of Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan at the hospital together obviously took Shen Dehan by surprise. He glanced at the closed door of the ward; there was obviously no one else following them, so Shen Dehan knew that Li Xiyong must have ordered everyone to stay outside. He took a look at Li Mingxuan and smiled slightly, ¡°Xiyong, why are you and Mingxuan here?¡± Li Xiyong did not mention that he and Li Mingxuan met outside and sat down opposite of Shen Dehan with a smile, ¡°I had time today, so I brought Mingxuan to see you.¡± After Li Xiyong finished, Li Mingxuan, with a natural expression, called Shen Dehan, ¡°Uncle.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes flashed, and he couldn¡¯t help but look inquiringly. Not long ago, Ah Cheng swore that he had seen Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan hugging each other in the elevator. He knew that Ah Cheng would not joke about such things, and since Ah Cheng dared to mention it, he had really seen something. If Shen Xi had been with another man, he would not have bothered. His only concern would have been whether Shen Xi would disgrace the Shen family at such a critical juncture, but since Shen Xi was with Li Mingxuan, Shen Dehan could not help but think more about it. What did the behaviour of the two of them represent? Had Shen Xi made some kind of agreement with the Li family that he hadn¡¯t noticed? Was there something that Shen Xi wanted to do through the Li family? Or was it the Li family that wanted to do something through Shen Xi? The change in Shen Dehan¡¯s expression did not escape Li Xiyong¡¯s eyes. He looked down silently, hiding his complex expression. He had known Shen Dehan for many years, and Bixue was Shen Dehan¡¯s sister. The two of them were not unaware of Shen Dehan¡¯s suspicious nature. He initially did not want Mingxuan and Shen Xi to be together because the entanglements behind Shen Xi were too complicated and he did not want Shen Dehan to be apprehensive. After all, no matter how unpleasant Shen Xi was to his father, the deal between the Han and the Shen families was there, and in the future, one third of the shares of Shen Group that Shen Dehan held in his hands would be Shen Xi¡¯s. If that was all, Shen Dehan¡¯s concern would be whether the Li family would stand behind Shen Xi, but Mingxuan¡¯s mother still held 6% of Shen Group shares, so it was inevitable that Shen Dehan would wonder if the Li family had something in mind. The two families had been friendly for many years, and neither Bixue nor he would like to see any divide between them. Thinking about his plan, Li Xiyong collected his thoughts and looked concerned, ¡°How are you? What did the doctor say about your health?¡± ¡°So many health checks every year, what can be wrong?¡± Shen Dehan shook his head, ¡°I was just angry with that unfilial son.¡± Li Xiyong thought about the way Shen Cheng glared at Shen Xi when he came to the hospital. Although he didn¡¯t know whether the unfilial son Shen Dehan was talking about was Shen Xi or Shen Rong, he thought that it was impossible for Shen Xi to have nothing to do with this examination. The clasped hands of his son and Shen Xi flashed in his mind, and Li Xiyong could only laugh and say, ¡°Anger hurts the body, so some things should be viewed with one eye open and one eye closed.¡± Shen Dehan frowned imperceptibly while Li Xiyong continued to speak, ¡°By the way, I came at Bixue¡¯s request this time to discuss something with you.¡± Shen Dehan was interrupted by Li Xiyong, so he could only comply with Li Xiyong, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°About the matter of Shen Group shares in Bixue¡¯s hands?¡± Li Xiyong looked casual and said lightly, ¡°Dehan, you know that when Bixue married me, my father-in-law was worried that Bixue would be bullied in the Li family and gave Bixue 6% of the shares in Shen Group. The years have passed, and Bixue discussed with me some time ago that she has been married to the Li family for almost 30 years. These shares are of no use in her hands now, so she plans to give them to Ah Ji, which can be also regarded as the return of my father-in-law¡¯s feelings.¡± Li Xiyong¡¯s words were plain and simple, but Shen Dehan¡¯s heart was full of stormy waves. No one knew better than him what 6% of Shen Group shares meant. Even though Shen Group had just experienced Yunrou¡¯s incident and its share price had dropped quite a bit, according to the current share price of Shen Group, this 6% of shares was two billion, not to mention Shen Group future development. He believed that the share price would only get higher and higher. What¡¯s more, with this 6%, it was enough to take a seat on the board of directors. In other words, this 6% meant that Li Xiyong could reasonably interfere in the daily affairs of Shen Group. Although in the past Bixue had never interfered in any of Shen Group affairs in order to avoid suspicion, not interfering did not mean that the Li family had no such thoughts. But now Li Xiyong gifted these shares to Ah Ji with a light-hearted remark. Shen Dehan looked at Li Xiyong hesitantly, ¡°Is this Bixue¡¯s intention? Did you agree?¡± Li Xiyong nodded indifferently, ¡°These shares are originally the Shen family¡¯s stuff, I have no opinion on what Bixue is willing to do.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes moved from Li Xiyong to Li Mingxuan. He could already see by now that the relationship between Shen Xi and Mingxuan was not as simple as Ah Cheng had said. From Li Xiyong¡¯s calm demeanour, it was clear that he had already known about Shen Xi and Mingxuan and had made the Li family¡¯s attitude clear through the 6% shares. Shen Dehan¡¯s gaze at Li Mingxuan was too direct and vaguely probing. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was calm as he allowed Shen Dehan to take a look. Although his heart was also shocked by what his father had just proposed, he quickly calmed down after the initial surprise. He had not previously known about his mother¡¯s intention to gift Shen Group shares to Ah Ji, but he could understand her intention in doing so. Because he was determined to be with Shen Xi, the Li family had chosen to give up the shares in order to avoid suspicion and to avoid creating ill feelings in his uncle¡¯s heart. While his mother¡¯s action was certainly aimed at putting his uncle¡¯s mind at ease, it was also to tell Shen Dehan that the Li family already knew about him and Shen Xi and chose this way to make things right. Li Mingxuan could not describe the complicated feelings in his heart, a mix of gratitude, shock and guilt. Since he confessed to his mother back then, she had not said anything, and he had thought that she still held a grudge against Shen Xi. He didn¡¯t expect her to go this far for him. Although Shen Group 6% shares were worth a lot of money, he hadn¡¯t taken them to heart. But they meant something different in his mother¡¯s mind, plus half of them technically belonged to Mingfei. He appreciated his mother¡¯s actions, but didn¡¯t think he deserved to accept it. Thinking about Mingfei, Li Mingxuan made a secret decision in his mind. Shen Dehan looked at Li Mingxuan and quickly withdrew his gaze. He was truly moved by Li Xiyong¡¯s offer. With this 6%, Ah Ji would be the largest shareholder of Shen Group, so that Ah Ji¡¯s heir position could no longer be shaken, and he would be able to let Ah Ji officially take over the company with peace of mind. However, Shen Dehan said tentatively, ¡°After all, this is Bixue¡¯s dowry, and it will be left to Mingxuan and Mingfei in the future, so it¡¯s not appropriate to give it to Ah Ji, is it?¡± Li Xiyong laughed lightly and said meaningfully, ¡°It is enough for Mingxuan and Mingfei to have Li Group.¡± Shen Dehan was startled and immediately understood what Li Xiyong meant, smiled and nodded, ¡°Then I thank Bixue on behalf of Ah Ji.¡± What the people inside the ward were talking about was not clear to the people outside; they only faintly heard the sound of Shen Dehan¡¯s laughter coming from inside. Shen Xi stood at the window with a calm expression, trying to guess the content of the conversation between the people inside. Shen Dehan already knew about his affair with Li Mingxuan and would definitely not just let it go gently like that. According to Shen Dehan¡¯s suspicious nature, he would never believe that he and Li Mingxuan were just having a simple relationship, and would definitely suspect that the Li family was planning something behind his back. If he could think of this, Li Xiyong would definitely be able to think of this too, but Shen Xi wondered what Li Xiyong would do. As Shen Xi pondered, the door of the ward was suddenly pulled open and Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan walked out one after the other. Shen Xi hesitated for a moment and greeted them. Li Xiyong¡¯s eyes fell on Shen Xi, ¡°Come home for dinner with Mingxuan sometime.¡± Shen Xi gave Li Xiyong a surprised look; Shen Cheng, who had also come over, called out, ¡°Uncle.¡± Li Xiyong smiled and turned to Shen Cheng, ¡°Ah Cheng, come along, too.¡± Shen Cheng reluctantly nodded; Li Xiyong patted Shen Ji on the shoulder and without saying anything else turned around and left the hospital. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng quickly entered the ward, leaving only Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan in the hallway. Seeing that Shen Xi didn¡¯t mean to go in, Li Mingxuan reached out and held his hand, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay at the hospital, let¡¯s go home.¡± Shen Xi let out a soft ¡°en¡±, but finally could not hide his curiosity, ¡°What did Uncle say to Mr. Shen?¡± Hearing that Shen Xi refused to call Shen Dehan ¡°Father¡± anymore, Li Mingxuan sighed and rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything, he just discussed with Uncle giving the shares of Shen Group in Mother¡¯s hands to Ah Ji.¡± Even though Shen Xi had thought of every possible reaction from the Li family, he had not expected Li Xiyong to be so decisive. Using 6% of Shen Group shares in exchange for Shen Dehan¡¯s peace of mind? Or even more so, using the 6% of shares in exchange for Shen Dehan turning a blind eye to him and Li Mingxuan? Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were complicated as he looked at Li Mingxuan, who smiled at him reassuringly, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Father said that Mother had this intention long ago, but she just never found the right opportunity.¡± Shen Xi naturally did not believe this statement; he looked at Li Mingxuan and suddenly said, ¡°Will you regret it?¡± Li Mingxuan was taken aback but quickly understood what Shen Xi meant. He shook his head, looked at Shen Xi and said seriously, ¡°No. From the day we got together, I knew what I would face and what I would lose. Compared to what we got, what we lost is not worth mentioning.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Even if it¡¯s such a large sum?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled, ¡°Trust me, I will earn more in the future.¡± Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a deep look and smiled quickly. While the two were on their way, Li Xiyong had already returned to the Li family. Shen Bixue, who was in the living room, greeted him, ¡°Why are you back so late?¡± ¡°I happened to meet Mingxuan and Shen Xi at the hospital.¡± Shen Bixue was startled and paused, ¡°Big Brother already knows?¡± Li Xiyong nodded, ¡°He seems to be furious.¡± Shen Bixue said anxiously, ¡°Big Brother¡¯s body can¡¯t take the stimulation right now, there¡¯s nothing seriously wrong, right?¡± Li Xiyong patted her arm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even the doctor said that Dehan is healthy, but he is just in a bad mood. By the way, I told Dehan about your plan to give the shares to Ah Ji.¡± Shen Bixue was slightly startled and subconsciously asked, ¡°What is Big Brother¡¯s reaction?¡± Li Xiyong did not say anything. Shen Bixue immediately understood and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Is Big Brother already harbouring a grudge and suspecting that we are behind Mingxuan and Shen Xi getting together?¡± Li Xiyong said comfortingly, ¡°Dehan is suspicious by nature, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know it.¡± Shen Bixue sighed, ¡°I thought he should be relieved that I had never meddled in Shen Group affairs for so many years.¡± Li Xiyong teased, ¡°It¡¯s not that Dehan is not at ease with you, it¡¯s me he¡¯s not at ease with.¡± Shen Bixue glared at Li Xiyong, ¡°Husband and wife are one, what¡¯s the difference between Dehan not trusting you and not trusting me.¡± Li Xiyong smiled faintly and did not say anything. Shen Bixue sighed silently. CH 57 Extra. Proposal Translator¡¯s note: Yes, there is a flashforward extra in the middle of the story Why? Don¡¯t ask me. Perhaps the author wanted to reassure the readers that everything is going to end well June is the most beautiful time of the year on Dolce Island! Blue skies, white clouds, sandy beaches, the sea, beautiful women, and partying constitute the most attractive part of Dolce Island. In the afternoon the sun was shining brightly but it couldn¡¯t stop the enthusiasm of the tourists. Bikini-clad beauties were everywhere on the golden sands playing beach volleyball, while men were scattered around watching them with smiles on their faces. In the azure blue sea, everyone was either enjoying the coolness of the water, playing with each other, or riding motorboats in circles with huge white waves behind them, causing bursts of noise. Compared with the hustle and bustle here, the other side of the beach was much quieter. Colourful umbrellas were neatly arranged in rows, and there were leisurely faces under those umbrellas. Under one of the white umbrellas, Shen Xi, naked apart from purple floral beach shorts, was lying lazily, holding his notebook and playing a game casually. ¡°Hi, handsome, want to play together?¡± A beautiful blonde walked up to Shen Xi¡¯s side and bent over, her breasts trembling slightly as she pointed at the volleyball in her hand and smiled in invitation. Shen Xi smiled and shook his head, declining the invitation and gesturing at the game in his hands. The beauty gave Shen Xi a disappointed look and turned to leave. Not far from Shen Xi, several girls dressed in bikinis pointed at Shen Xi and joked at the girl who had just returned. ¡°Rebecca, is that handsome guy blind? Or did you not shake your boobs at him?¡± The girl known as Rebecca looked a bit depressed, ¡°Of course I did, they were about to fall out, okay? He can¡¯t see, what can I do?¡± The girls laughed at Rebecca¡¯s comment, but when they saw that Shen Xi did not respond to their laughter, they could only shake their heads at each other and move on to their next target. Shen Xi, who was fully engaged in the game, was unaware of the girls¡¯ comments about him, but all this was not missed by the handsome man not far away. The man looked at Shen Xi with a smile in his eyes, his gaze lingering on Shen Xi¡¯s naked upper body as he quickly walked up to him, ¡°Hi, handsome, do you need some company?¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t even bother to raise his head and simply refused, ¡°No.¡± The smile on the man¡¯s face intensified; he was not intimidated by Shen Xi¡¯s refusal at all, ¡°I can do a lot of things, I¡¯m good at raising a family, cooking and warming up a bed. Don¡¯t you want to try?¡± The words seemed to attract Shen Xi¡¯s attention. Shen Xi took advantage of the gap in the game to look up at the man with his face stern, ¡°Too ugly!¡± When the words ¡°too ugly¡± came out, Fang Luowei, who had been sleeping beside Shen Xi, couldn¡¯t help but snort, opened his eyes and nodded to the man in front of him with a smile. The man couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud, reaching out to rub Shen Xi¡¯s hair with a doting expression, ¡°Still angry?¡± Shen Xi hummed and did not say anything. Fang Luowei held back his laughter and moved briskly to sit up, ¡°You guys continue, I¡¯m going for a swim.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded at Fang Luowei and obediently sat beside Shen Xi, encircling his entire body in his arms, ¡°Good boy! Don¡¯t be angry!¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan sternly, but unexpectedly his chin was cupped. Li Mingxuan gave him a hot light kiss, and a smile slowly spilled out of Shen Xi¡¯s eyes as their lips locked. The afternoon flew by and night soon fell on the beach. Most of the tourists chose to go back to their hotels to rest, but there were still quite a few people remaining on the beach. Once Li Mingxuan appeared, Fang Luowei had the good sense to disappear, and even when it was time for dinner he simply sent a text message saying that he would eat alone and leave them to their own devices. Bonfires were lit one by one, the people on the beach sitting around them in groups, drinking beer and chatting casually. Of course, there were also tourists like Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi who were far away from the crowd, and whenever they met someone, they just nodded and smiled. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi¡¯s hand in one hand and a huge bag in the other as they walked slowly along the night beach. The sea breeze blew gently over the two of them, bringing along the merry sounds of the crowd far behind them. The two men walked in the shallow waters of the tranquil sea, and the waves lapped gently at their feet, indescribably comfortable. Neither Li Mingxuan nor Shen Xi said anything; they just intertwined their fingers and quietly enjoyed the tranquillity of the moment. The two didn¡¯t stop until they could no longer hear the laughter of the crowd. Li Mingxuan bent over, took out the folding tent from his bag and kissed Shen Xi¡¯s forehead affectionately, ¡°I¡¯m going to set up a tent. There is food in the bag.¡± Shen Xi nodded, took a can of beer and lay down on the soft beach with his limbs sprawled out. Looking up at the dark blue sky dotted with countless shining stars, Shen Xi felt his mind was at peace. After his rebirth, Shen Xi had never imagined that his heart would have such peace. There was no more bitter resentment, no more dark memories, no more unending calculations. Time had slowly healed all the scars of the past. As he lay quietly, listening to the gentle whisper of the waves, looking at the vast, endless starry sky, with Li Mingxuan by his side, Shen Xi closed his eyes and smiled faintly. The familiar sound of footsteps stopped beside him, followed by a cold kiss falling on his lips. ¡°Thinking of something?¡± Li Mingxuan asked with a smile as he leaned down and kissed Shen Xi tenderly. ¡°Thinking of you!¡± In the night Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were amazingly bright. There were no more emotions in them that Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t understand like before, there was just his own figure filling the entrity of them. Li Mingxuan felt his heart instantly filled with boundless joy and couldn¡¯t help but lower his head to capture Shen Xi¡¯s lips once more. This time Li Mingxuan did not rush into Shen Xi¡¯s mouth to attack, but carefully traced Shen Xi¡¯s lips with the tip of his tongue. Li Mingxuan¡¯s lips felt cold to the touch and carried a faint aroma of beer. Shen Xi cooperated by extending his tongue to hook the tip of Li Mingxuan¡¯s tongue and tangling them tenderly. After a long kiss, Li Mingxuan reluctantly let go of Shen Xi¡¯s lips, rolled over and stood up, pulling Shen Xi up with him. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan¡¯s actions in confusion. Li Mingxuan smiled and kissed him on the forehead, ¡°Be good, close your eyes, I have a gift for you.¡± Shen Xi laughed softly, but still obediently closed his eyes. With his vision blocked, his sense of hearing seemed to be amplified infinitely. Shen Xi vaguely felt Li Mingxuan leave his side. Soon the familiar scent appeared again, Shen Xi¡¯s heart instantly surging with a vague sense of anticipation. ¡°Xiao Xi, are you willing to stay with me forever?¡± After an endless wait, Li Mingxuan¡¯s gentle voice suddenly rang out and, accompanied by the murmur of the waves, just hit Shen Xi straight in the heart. Shen Xi opened his eyes. Under the soft moonlight, Li Mingxuan was kneeling on one knee in front of him, his expression fervent, his eyes full of a deep, unmistakable love. Li Mingxuan¡¯s right hand was raised upwards, and in his palm lay two delicate rings, shining faintly in the moonlight. For a moment, Shen Xi only felt as if his heart was not his own, beating violently. Many thoughts had passed through his mind during the wait just now, but the only one that had not occurred to him was this one. Li Mingxuan was not anxious about Shen Xi¡¯s silence. He just looked at Shen Xi patiently and said gently, ¡°Xiao Xi, with me, you may never have children of your own, and we may not even be able to appear in public as a normal couple. We may never be able to have each other¡¯s names in the spouse column, and for most people, we will be invisible. But I love you and I want to tie you to me selfishly. I cannot give you everything that the law recognises. All I can give you is myself. I love you and will love you more and more every day until we grow old together.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s words pierced Shen Xi¡¯s heart like a tender sword, and the corners of his mouth began to turn up uncontrollably. Their eyes met; Shen Xi¡¯s gaze was filled with laughter as he stared at Li Mingxuan and said in a soft voice, ¡°I do!¡± Accompanying these words was a huge smile that bloomed on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face. Getting up and exchanging rings, all the movements were done in one go. Li Mingxuan was satisfied as he grasped Shen Xi¡¯s hand tightly, intertwining their fingers, the two rings fitting together tightly and seamlessly. ¡°Xiao Xi, I¡¯m very happy.¡± ¡°En!¡± Shen Xi gave a soft ¡°en¡± and took the initiative to lean over and kiss Li Mingxuan, who quickly hugged Shen Xi and kissed him back hard. In the midst of the intense kiss, both of their T-shirts were stripped off and thrown to the ground. The moment their skin touched, Shen Xi felt that the big hole in his heart that had been empty since his rebirth had finally been filled. From a distance, all that could be seen was two figures entwined, undulating against each other. Intermittent voices sounded faintly in the sea breeze. ¡°Get inside the tent.¡± ¡°Good boy, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no one around.¡± ¡°Mmm, be gentle.¡± ¡°Good boy, bear with me, it¡¯ll be quick.¡± ¡°Cousin.¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°I love you!¡± ¡°I love you too!¡± CH 58 Shen Bixue wanted to give 6% of her shares to Shen Ji, and Shen Dehan quickly told him about it. Shen Ji¡¯s first reaction was to refuse, ¡°Father, these shares were given to my aunt by my grandfather and should be left by my aunt to Mingxuan and Mingfei.¡± Shen Dehan was not impressed by Shen Ji¡¯s words, ¡°This is your aunt¡¯s good intention, and your uncle has agreed to it.¡± Shen Ji looked at his father hesitantly. He did not believe that his father could not see the reason for his aunt doing so at this time. His aunt¡¯s action was certainly an indication that the Li family had no intention of meddling in the internal affairs of the Shen family, but at the same time, it was also a kind of separation from the Shen family. Shen Ji understood that his father was doing it his own good, that he wanted the control of the Shen Group to be concentrated in his, Shen Ji¡¯s, hands. But he had his own pride; he even disdained to count the shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hands, so how could he accept his aunt¡¯s gift? Shen Ji wanted to persuade his father to change his mind, but when his eyes swept over his father¡¯s tired expression, he swallowed his words. His father had already been angry with Shen Xi once today, and he did not want to argue with his father again over this matter. Thinking that it would take some time for his aunt to go through the formalities, Shen Ji made up his mind to go to her privately without his father¡¯s knowledge to decline. This day Shen Dehan fell asleep very early. Shen Ji gently turned off the light and watched his father for a long time in the darkness in silence. He didn¡¯t know if it was just his illusion, but he felt that he was getting further and further away from his father. From the appearance of Chu Qianqian to the Yunrou fiasco, an invisible barrier gradually appeared between him and his father. Shen Ji wondered bitterly whether he had changed, or his father had changed. Where was the wise, kind and affectionate father who had been so close to his sister, Shen Ji¡¯s aunt? When did his father become so paranoid, distrustful to the point of suspecting his own sister? Shen Ji quietly exited the ward. In the hallway, Shen Cheng was talking to someone on the phone, speaking incessantly with his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. Shen Ji quietly looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s back, memories from long ago slowly surfacing in his mind. Soon after Shen Cheng was born, their mother passed away. Before she died, she handed him Shen Cheng, a small bundle, telling him to be a good big brother and take care of his younger brother. Because of his mother¡¯s wish, Shen Ji tried his best to keep Shen Cheng by his side over the years. Back then, he even gave up studying abroad and chose to stay in China to attend university because he was not at ease about Shen Cheng. He had watched Shen Cheng grow up day by day, and unlike his coldness to Shen Xi, Shen Cheng was a true blood relative in his heart, just like his father and aunt before. He dared not imagine that one day he would be as suspicious of Shen Cheng as his father was of Shen Bixue. Shen Ji¡¯s gaze was so complicated that even if Shen Cheng was heartless, he sensed that Shen Ji¡¯s mood was not right at the moment and cautiously came up, ¡°Big Brother, are you okay?¡± Shen Ji smiled and reached out to touch Shen Cheng¡¯s head, which Shen Ji had rarely done since Shen Cheng had grown up. Shen Cheng had a startled expression on his face, ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji gave a faint ¡°en¡± and his expression returned to normal, ¡°Ah Cheng, you should go home early, I¡¯ll stay at the hospital tonight.¡± Shen Cheng wanted to say that he would stay with him, but after taking a peek at Shen Ji¡¯s expression, he obediently went back to the Shen family¡¯s house. Behind him, Shen Ji took a deep breath. Perhaps in his father¡¯s heart Shen Group was the most important. But he was different from his father, in his heart there was something more important than Shen Group. Over the next few days, Shen Xi never went to the hospital again. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything; he just called Shen Ji and helped Shen Xi find an excuse. Chen Zhiwei¡¯s movie had already been filmed. Chen Zhiwei was obviously very confident about it and boasted vigorously in front of Shen Xi, promising that the movie would definitely make Shen Xi a great deal of money. For this reason, Chen Zhiwei deliberately approached Li Mingxuan and used his connections to hook up with Lin Yao, in preparation for grabbing the New Year slot. Shen Xi just laughed at this. He didn¡¯t care about the box office. Long before the movie was finished, Shen Xi had registered an offshore company in the Harman Islands through a foreign agent. As soon as the movie was finished, Shen Xi immediately contacted Lao K through the company and successfully transferred back some of the funds in the name of purchasing the movie¡¯s overseas distribution rights. Although Chen Zhiwei thought the deal strange when he found out about it, he had the good sense not to say much. Shen Xi had been abroad for five years, so it was right to say that he would have some contacts that were not known to the public. Anyway, Shen Xi had given him a big red envelope as a reward, and he didn¡¯t care where the money came from as long as he had it. Satisfied with the large amount of money that had legally been added to the company¡¯s account, Shen Xi was in a rather good mood. No wonder people were willing to register offshore companies when it came to money laundering, it was indeed very convenient. After calculating the use of the money, Shen Xi turned to Lao K, ¡°How is the contact with Chang Lei of Shen Group?¡± Lao K nodded, ¡°We have a handle on him in our hands and he is very obedient.¡± Shen Xi pondered a little, ¡°Pay him half of what you promised. This is something I hope he can do seamlessly.¡± Lao K obviously had great confidence in Chang Lei, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he has previous experience in this field and the closing is very clean, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have approached him.¡± Shen Xi nodded; he was very sure of Lao K¡¯s vision. After going over the plan in his mind, he had everything in place but for the call from Lu Gesen. He didn¡¯t believe that Lu Gesen would do nothing while Shen Dehan was in the hospital. Shen Xi was right in his thinking, and Lu Gesen had no intention of letting go of such a rare opportunity. Looking at the dense stack of reports in Lu Gesen¡¯s hand, Shen Cheng only felt a headache, ¡°Gesen, just skip these numbers and tell me the final conclusion.¡± Lu Gesen looked serious, unmoved by Shen Cheng¡¯s request, ¡°The conclusion is based on the numbers, it is better for you to understand them.¡± Shen Cheng had no choice but to take the documents and turn the pages over casually a few times, ¡°I¡¯m done, just say the conclusion.¡± Lu Gesen gave Shen Cheng a silent glance and picked out the important points to recount the general content of the report. Shen Cheng¡¯s attention was quickly drawn to the content of the report, ¡°This was done by the investment department?¡± Lu Gesen nodded. Shen Cheng looked at him with excitement, ¡°What do you think?¡± Lu Gesen deliberated for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ve read the detailed report from the investment department, and I think it¡¯s very investment-oriented. But it is rather risky, so we still need to be more cautious.¡± ¡°High risk means high income, if we go by the investment department¡¯s estimate, how much can we make?¡± Shen Cheng didn¡¯t bother to listen to Lu Gesen¡¯s talk about caution and directly asked the question he was most concerned about. Lu Gesen¡¯s expression remained unchanged, ¡°It depends on the amount of our investment, the initial estimate is five to ten times the profit.¡± ¡°That high?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. Lu Gesen quickly poured cold water, ¡°If the investment goes wrong, we have to suffer the same loss, it¡¯s not just as simple as losing the investment.¡± Shen Cheng obviously didn¡¯t care about this comment and had his heart set on presenting this report to the board of directors as soon as possible. Lu Gesen looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s excited face and ducked his head to hide the glint in his eyes. Wang Changlin soon learned of Shen Cheng¡¯s reaction from Lu Gesen, ¡°Shen Cheng has been touted too much by Gao Qiulin these days and is bent on thinking he is a business wizard. If it was Shen Ji, he would have been much more cautious.¡± Lu Gesen nodded; thinking about Shen Ji, he couldn¡¯t help worrying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Shen Ji will raise objections. He has always disliked the company investing in financial projects.¡± Wang Changlin was not worried at all, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shen Dehan is still the one who is really in charge of this company.¡± When Wang Changlin said this, Lu Gesen understood that he had a way to get Shen Dehan to agree, so he was grateful, ¡°I have to trouble Foster Father again.¡± Wang Changlin gave Lu Gesen a reproachful look, ¡°What trouble is there? There is only so much I can do for you.¡± Lu Gesen smiled gratefully and looked at Wang Changlin with an increasingly adoring gaze. He had grown up without a father; the only time he had spent with him was just a few days in his early childhood. All his imagination of his father was pinned on Wang Changlin. In his heart, if his father had been alive, he would have been like Wang Changlin. As he thought of his father, a hint of determination flashed in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes. Blood must be paid by blood, he must get back all that the Shen family owed him. The determination in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes was unmistakably caught by Wang Changlin. While Lu Gesen could not see, a look of satisfaction appeared on Wang Changlin¡¯s face. That afternoon, before Lu Gesen left, he looked at Wang Changlin as if he wanted to say something. Wang Changlin noticed Lu Gesen¡¯s strangeness and smiled faintly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there something we can¡¯t say as father and son?¡± Lu Gesen struggled for a while before finally speaking, ¡°Foster Father, should I bring Xiao Xi to see you sometime?¡± ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± Wang Changlin was obviously very surprised, ¡°How come you suddenly thought of Shen Xi?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s expression did not look different except for the surprise, so Lu Gesen¡¯s heart settled and he explained softly, ¡°I heard Shen Cheng say that Xiao Xi and Shen Dehan¡¯s relationship had become even worse, so I was a bit worried about Xiao Xi. He is my only blood relative in this world, and although I grew up without a father, in my heart you are my father. And although Xiao Xi has a father but it is the same as having no father at all, so I hope you can treat Xiao Xi like me, too.¡± At this point, Lu Gesen added in a low voice, ¡°No matter what, Xiao Xi is my aunt¡¯s only offspring.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s expression became complicated at Lu Gesen¡¯s last words. He did not say yes or no. Lu Gesen gave him an apologetic look, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Foster Father.¡± Wang Changlin shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, it¡¯s me who can¡¯t get past the psychological hurdle.¡± Lu Gesen let out a silent sigh and without saying anything else got up and left quietly. It seemed that he should wait before telling Shen Xi about his foster father. When Lu Gesen¡¯s figure disappeared outside the door, Wang Changlin silently took out his wallet. In the inconspicuous compartment of the wallet, a half torn photo lay quietly there, showing Han Rou smiling brightly at the camera. Wang Changlin touched the half of the photo with a complicated expression and reached out to gently brush over the other half that was missing, an odd smile curving the corner of his mouth. CH 59 Renai Hospital was one of the best hospitals in Zhongjing, and also the hospital where the Shen family used to stay. Zhou Mingmei sat quietly in the car, her eyes fixed on the hospital entrance. This was already the second time she had come to the hospital. After all her calls to Shen Dehan had been intercepted by Shen Ji, Zhou Mingmei had to rush to the hospital in person. But the last time she had just gotten out of the elevator when Shen Ji arranged for bodyguards to send her out. In her resentment, Zhou Mingmei could only turn to Wang Changlin to find a way to arrange for her to meet with Shen Dehan. After all, even if she had a thousand tricks up her sleeve, it was all for nothing if she did not see Shen Dehan. Wang Changlin reacted extremely quickly to her request, and soon told her that Shen Ji would leave the hospital for half a day today. It was up to her whether she could seize the opportunity. Zhou Mingmei was patiently guarding the entrance of the hospital. After a while, the car with the familiar licence plate drove off from the back door of the hospital. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes lit up and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, her waiting had a result. The elevator began to rise one level at a time. Zhou Mingmei had her customary graceful expression on her face while quickly calculating in her mind what she would say when she saw Shen Dehan. As Zhou Mingmei¡¯s figure appeared, the bodyguards moved forward to block the way. ¡°Miss Zhou, Ji Shao ordered that Mr. Shen does not want to see you, so we hope you will not make things difficult for us.¡± Zhou Mingmei looked calm, ¡°I know what Ah Ji is worried about. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to say farewell to Dehan.¡± As soon as they heard the word ¡°farewell¡±, the bodyguards looked at each other in disbelief. Obviously, Zhou Mingmei¡¯s purpose was different from what they had thought. Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan¡¯s ward with a trace of sadness in his expression, ¡°I am about to leave Zhongjing. This is the last time I will see Dehan. I just hope you can fulfil my wish to say goodbye to him.¡± The head bodyguard looked at Zhou Mingmei with a bit of hesitation. Shen Ji was not there and they could not forcefully do anything to Zhou Mingmei. After all, Zhou Mingmei was Shen Dehan¡¯s mistress. After deliberating for a while, the bodyguard in charge gave way and said softly, ¡°Miss Zhou, you only have half an hour.¡± Zhou Mingmei gave him a grateful look and pushed the door to the ward open with a smile on her face. Shen Dehan was sitting on the bed reading a newspaper at the moment, and when he heard the slight footsteps, he thought it was Chu Qianqian and looked over with a smile, ¡°Xiao Chu, you¡¯re here?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s smile disappeared when he saw that the visitor was Zhou Mingmei, and his expression instantly became gloomy. He had deliberately ignored Zhou Mingmei and Shen Rong for the past week, just to avoid reminding himself of what had happened that night. He planned to leave the mother and son hanging, but he did not expect Zhou Mingmei to dare to come to the hospital. Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude caused Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes to redden and she said pleadingly, ¡°Dehan.¡± This voice made Shen Dehan¡¯s heart soften, and his expression could not help but ease up. Zhou Mingmei was not actually wrong in her calculations. Thinking about Zhou Mingmei¡¯s fainting in anger last time, Shen Dehan said, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan affectionately, ¡°I¡¯ve come to say goodbye to you, Dehan.¡± ¡°Goodbye?¡± Shen Dehan was stunned, ¡°Where are you going?¡± Zhou Mingmei didn¡¯t answer Shen Dehan¡¯s question, she just gently walked over and snuggled up to his side tenderly, ¡°Dehan, do you still remember the day we first met?¡± Without waiting for Shen Dehan to speak, Zhou Mingmei already smiled as she recounted, ¡°It was my eighteenth birthday. I originally arranged to celebrate it with a few friends, but who knew that my agent had to drag me to a social gathering. I was upset but could only pretend to be happy. And then you asked me why I tried to smile so hard when I was obviously unhappy.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s narrative stirred up Shen Dehan¡¯s memory of that day when he and Zhou Mingmei first met. He had never thought there could be someone so much like Fang Yun in the world, and for a split second he almost thought it was Fang Yun who had returned. He looked at the way the girl was trying to smile and talk to the people even though she was obviously depressed, exactly like Ah Yun he remembered. Ever since Fang Yun¡¯s death, Shen Dehan always felt that his heart also was dead, so he had agreed to marry Han Rou, intending to keep Fang Yun in his memory and live with Han Rou in respect from then on. But Zhou Mingmei¡¯s appearance made him realise that he could not forget Fang Yun at all, and his heart started beating again the moment he saw Zhou Mingmei. He quickly made the decision to keep Zhou Mingmei by his side; in his heart, Zhou Mingmei was the incarnation of Fang Yun. A wistful look appeared on Shen Dehan¡¯s face as Zhou Mingmei sat upright and looked at Shen Dehan with gentle eyes, ¡°Dehan, in fact, I always knew that you did not love me, that you just treated me as a substitute for Fang Yun, but I didn¡¯t mind. I told myself that I was blessed to have met you and to have the privilege to grow old with you. I am very happy.¡± This was the first time Zhou Mingmei picked up this subject in front of Shen Dehan, who was obviously very surprised, ¡°Mingmei?¡± Zhou Mingmei smiled faintly, ¡°Dehan, thank you, but I can¡¯t stay with you anymore.¡± Shen Dehan subconsciously asked, ¡°Why? Because of what happened to Ah Rong?¡± Zhou Mingmei nodded bitterly, ¡°Ah Rong has made too much trouble this time. Everything is my fault, I didn¡¯t control him well. I no longer have the face to stay by your side, Dehan.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s words made Shen Dehan¡¯s heart soften completely; memories of the past flooded back, whether it was Zhou Mingmei or Shen Rong, both had brought him infinite joy. Shen Dehan¡¯s expression fully eased and he patted Zhou Mingmei¡¯s arm, ¡°This matter is not your fault, you should not think too much, besides, Ah Rong is also¡­¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s words were interrupted by the sudden sound of a female voice, ¡°Mr. Shen!¡± Chu Qianqian held a medicine tray in one hand, pushing the door open with the other, and looked over at Shen Dehan with a smile. Almost the moment she looked inside the room, Chu Qianqian¡¯s smile froze on her face. Looking hesitantly at Zhou Mingmei, who was sitting intimately close to Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian glanced at her face ¨C her face that was extremely similar to hers ¨C and her whole body froze in shock. ¡°Xiao Chu?¡± Shen Dehan reacted immediately, got up quickly and walked to the door, ¡°Xiao Chu?¡± Chu Qianqian seemed to have been awakened by Shen Dehan and gave him a suspicious look. She immediately lowered her head and took a step back, distancing herself from Shen Dehan, ¡°Sorry, Mr. Shen, I didn¡¯t know you had a guest.¡± After saying that, Chu Qianqian did not look at Shen Dehan again, hurriedly turned around and left the ward. As he thought about Chu Qianqian¡¯s behaviour just now, the expression on Shen Dehan¡¯s face gradually became ugly. Chu Qianqian was clearly disgusted with him. When he thought that Chu Qianqian was still playing chess with him in the morning with a smile on her face, Shen Dehan¡¯s heart filled with irritation at Zhou Mingmei for her appearance for no reason. While Shen Dehan couldn¡¯t see, Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face distorted momentarily. She suspected that Chu Qianqian had appeared on purpose. The atmosphere between Shen Dehan and her had been just right, she had enough confidence to make Shen Dehan recall how good she and Ah Rong were and erase the video incident from his mind. But now everything had come to naught. Shen Dehan¡¯s expression turned cold again, ¡°Mingmei, you go back first.¡± Zhou Mingmei was reluctant to leave, but seeing Shen Dehan¡¯s expression, she could only grit her teeth and obey. When she walked out of the elevator with a grim face, someone came to her side with a tray of medicine. Zhou Mingmei looked over, and what caught her eyes was a face that was younger and more like Fang Yun¡¯s than hers. Chu Qianqian smiled slightly at Zhou Mingmei, lowering her head and speaking in an intimate manner, ¡°When you¡¯re old, don¡¯t come and pretend to be weak and affectionate. If you¡¯re not disgusted, I¡¯m disgusted for you.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face immediately became livid, her eyes staring at Chu Qianqian coldly. Chu Qianqian seemed oblivious, still intimately cuddling up to her side, ¡°Admit defeat, it¡¯s me Mr. Shen likes now.¡± After saying this, Chu Qianqian naturally turned in the other direction. Before she left, Zhou Mingmei clearly heard Chu Qianqian whisper, ¡°Auntie Zhou, goodbye.¡± Zhou Mingmei stared at Chu Qianqian¡¯s back with her eyes full of fire. It took all her strength to suppress the anger in her heart. Chu Qianqian smiled as she fished out her mobile phone and sent a text message to Shen Xi, ¡°Auntie Zhou is pissed off at me, you don¡¯t need to thank me specifically.¡± Shen Xi, who received the text message, couldn¡¯t help but laugh out loud. That morning, Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t wait to submit his new investment proposal to the board of directors that approved it swiftly. By the time Shen Ji, who was out of town, received the news, the funds allocated by the board of directors to Shen Cheng were already in place, and Shen Cheng was complacently planning to make his move. Shen Ji felt vaguely uneasy, ¡°Ah Cheng, have you done a detailed risk assessment?¡± Shen Cheng, who was in high spirits at the moment, received a call from Shen Ji and was very dissatisfied with his elder brother¡¯s behaviour of pouring cold water on him in this situation. ¡°Big Brother, if you don¡¯t trust me, don¡¯t you still trust the investment department? This investment report was made by them, I just submitted it to the board of directors when I felt it was appropriate.¡± The investment department that Shen Cheng was talking about was an important department of Shen Group and had always been responsible for the screening, investigation, planning and evaluation of Shen Group¡¯s external investment projects, so it could be said that Shen Group development over the years could not have been possible without the precise vision of the investment department. When he heard that the report was submitted by the investment department, Shen Ji relaxed a little. But the uneasy feeling did not dissipate; he always felt as if he had forgotten something. When Shen Ji received the news, Shen Xi also received the news. Lao K was very puzzled by this investment, ¡°This is a completely normal investment, and according to the current trend, Shen Group is 100% going to make money. Didn¡¯t Lu Gesen make a move?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°You also said that according to the current trend, the financial market is unpredictable. It¡¯s hard to say what it will suddenly become tomorrow.¡± Lao K didn¡¯t hear the answer he wanted and pressed on, dissatisfied, ¡°Xiao Xixi, hurry up and tell people the inside story.¡± Shen Xi looked at him speechlessly, ¡°You think I¡¯m a god and know everything.¡± Lao K heatedly smiled, ¡°Then tell me, how did you know in advance about the investments that helped Gao Qiulin make so much money?¡± Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, ¡°You really want to know?¡± Lao K intuited that there must be something odd about Shen Xi talking so nicely, but he had been curious about this question for a long time and finally couldn¡¯t help but nod. Shen Xi¡¯s expression became serious, ¡°If you were reborn ten years ago, you would also know the general direction of the economy.¡± This answer caused Lao K¡¯s lips to twitch violently, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an ignorant girl on the internet?¡± Shen Xi nodded and once again couldn¡¯t help but laugh. CH 60 After sending Zhou Mingmei away, Chu Qianqian did not return to the ward, but directly asked for leave from the hospital and disappeared from Shen Dehan¡¯s view. After waiting for Chu Qianqian for a long time in vain, Shen Dehan finally could not help but go to the duty room to ask about Chu Qianqian in person. After learning that she had asked for leave, Shen Dehan¡¯s face became very ugly. He didn¡¯t expect Zhou Mingmei to come to the hospital and forgot to instruct the bodyguards to stop Chu Qianqian from coming. The faces of them two were too similar, and with the way he had treated her, Chu Qianqian must have sensed something. Thinking about her subconscious avoidance of his approach, Shen Dehan could not help but feel angry at Zhou Mingmei. Perhaps it was because he was getting older that he began to miss more and more the days when he was younger, when he met, knew and loved Fang Yun. He would always unconsciously compare Chu Qianqian with Fang Yun, the same face, the same upbringing, the same personality and even the same hobbies. No, there was no need to compare them at all, Chu Qianqian was Fang Yun, Shen Dehan was convinced of this, it was because Fang Yun saw how pitiful he was that she had come to him once again. Shen Dehan wanted to take care of Chu Qianqian. He had once proposed it tactfully, but Chu Qianqian refused without hesitation. Shen Dehan watched her work hard every day but she always had a smile on her face. More and more, he couldn¡¯t let go of her in his heart. He was aware of the age difference between him and Chu Qianqian, he did not want to blaspheme her, but just wanted her to be by his side. Thinking of this, Shen Dehan could no longer hold back and immediately told his bodyguards that he was going out. He needed to explain something to Chu Qianqian. When Shen Dehan suddenly wanted to leave the hospital, the bodyguards couldn¡¯t help being secretly anxious. They didn¡¯t dare to stop him, but they couldn¡¯t just let him leave, they could only keep contacting Shen Ji, hoping that he would come back as soon as possible. Shen Dehan was furious at their procrastination, ¡°Who is in charge of the Shen family?¡± Seeing Shen Dehan¡¯s anger, everyone could only follow his orders. After some arrangements were made, Shen Dehan dressed and left the hospital with his bodyguards in a low-key manner. As soon as Shen Dehan¡¯s car left the hospital, a taxi that had been parked on the roadside silently followed him. ¡°Dafei, old man Shen is out, it looks like he is going to look for Sister Qianqian.¡± ¡°Got it, follow him closely and watch out for him changing direction midway.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Hanging up the phone, the men in the taxi followed Shen Dehan carefully. They were all the people Lao K had found to keep a close eye on Shen Dehan¡¯s whereabouts every day in order to cooperate with Chu Qianqian¡¯s plan. Originally, the group was prepared to think of luring Shen Dehan out a few days later, but they did not expect to receive a sudden notice from Chu Qianqian that they should keep an eye on the place to see if Shen Dehan would come out. Although they did not know what Chu Qianqian had done, Shen Dehan was indeed lured out. Thinking about the tactics of Chu Qianqian, they could only warn themselves to stay away from that woman in the future, otherwise they would definitely be sold and still be happy to help the other party count the money. Shen Dehan¡¯s car turned left and right until it reached a small, inconspicuous alleyway in the eastern part of Zhongjing. Compared to the surrounding high-rise buildings, this small alleyway could only be described as shabby. Chu Qianqian¡¯s home was here. Shen Dehan looked at this small alleyway from afar and could not help but frown. He had picked up and dropped off Chu Qianqian several times and knew that the security here was not good, and Chu Qianqian even was pestered by the punks here. Unfortunately, unlike Zhou Mingmei, Chu Qianqian refused to accept his help and he had been unable to persuade her to move out. As he drew closer to Chu Qianqian¡¯s place, Shen Dehan¡¯s heart inexplicably became excited, as if he returned to the time he had met Fang Yun when he was young. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shen Dehan motioned to the bodyguard to step forward and knock on the door. Who knew that a man¡¯s voice would come from inside, ¡°Who? Brother Fei is busy. Get lost. ¡± Shen Dehan knew that Chu Qianqian lived alone, and his face immediately sank as he heard the words. Before he could say anything, a sharp female voice suddenly came out from inside and was stopped abruptly halfway through, as if it had been forcibly interrupted. Shen Dehan was the first to hear that it was Chu Qianqian¡¯s voice, and the bodyguard also realised that something was wrong, carefully shielding Shen Dehan behind him as he stepped forward and fiercely kicked open the door. In the yard, several young men dressed as gangsters looked at them in shock, and the sound of Chu Qianqian crying came faintly from inside the house. Shen Dehan¡¯s face was dark as he strode towards the house anxiously. The punks in the yard were no match for the bodyguards around Shen Dehan and were subdued with a few blows. Someone in the house pushed the door open, ¡°Who¡¯s causing trouble?¡± The head bodyguard stepped forward and kicked the man away, ¡°Is there anyone else inside?¡± The man who fell down covering his stomach looked at the bodyguard in horror, first shaking his head and then nodding, ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a woman.¡± When Shen Dehan heard this, he hurriedly stopped the bodyguard and walked in by himself. Inside the house, on the bed, Chu Qianqian was tied up, looking wretched. Fortunately, Shen Dehan came over in time, her clothes were only just torn open. At this moment, her face was pale and she was looking at the door with tears in her eyes, her gaze full of pleading. The appearance of Shen Dehan made Chu Qianqian¡¯s eyes flash with uncontrollable surprise. This pitiful look made Shen Dehan¡¯s heart ache. He hurriedly untied her and Chu Qianqian couldn¡¯t help but hug Shen Dehan and cry bitterly. That afternoon, Shen Dehan stayed with her at her home and intended to stay there at night to accompany her, as Chu Qianqian had been greatly stimulated and was completely inseparable from him. As long as she didn¡¯t see Shen Dehan¡¯s figure, she got very scared. When the news reached the hospital, Shen Ji was sitting alone in the empty ward, staring expressionlessly in the direction of the door. The bodyguard finished recounting what had happened as emotionlessly as possible, stole a glance at Shen Ji and said carefully, ¡°Mr. Shen said he was going to stay there at night to take care of Miss Chu.¡± A trace of ridicule flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes; he turned and strode away from the hospital without saying a word. Zhou Mingmei was getting old, so she was replaced by the younger Chu Qianqian? Did father even know what he was doing? A deep fatigue welled up in Shen Ji¡¯s heart, and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh hard at himself in his heart. Look, this is the father you care so much about, who insisted on leaving the hospital for a woman despite all the obstruction. Should he be thankful that that woman had a face exactly like his mother¡¯s? So this was the true love for his mother that his father talked about? Shen Ji threw himself into the car helplessly. The driver surveyed the speechless Shen Ji and said in a low voice, ¡°Ji Shao, going back to the Shen family¡¯s house?¡± Shen Ji stared out the window and said expressionlessly, ¡°Go to Li¡¯s house.¡± Shen Xi soon learned about Shen Dehan going to look for Chu Qianqian. Deleting Lao K¡¯s text message, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but admire Chu Qianqian. This woman was just too good at seizing the moment. It was only in the morning that Zhou Mingliang went to the hospital, and Chu Qianqian immediately thought of using this incident to lead Shen Dehan over. The whole process was completely seamless. With Chu Qianqian¡¯s methods, it could be expected that the Shen family would soon have the third Mrs. Shen. He would like to see if Zhou Mingmei could continue to endure after so many years of calculation. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but be in a very happy mood when he thought about the reaction Zhou Mingmei would have. His smile was noticed by Li Mingxuan who opened the door, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s mood immediately improved. ¡°In a good mood?¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel happy when a person I hate is about to go down.¡± Li Mingxuan laughed and leaned to give Shen Xi a kiss on the corner of his mouth, saying affectionately, ¡°Little villain.¡± Shen Xi smiled brightly, ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± Li Mingxuan liked Shen Xi¡¯s lively look very much. He could tell Shen Xi was really in a good mood, so he couldn¡¯t help but be moved and hugged Shen Xi, ¡°Do you want to go home and have dinner together tonight?¡± Since the last time Li Xiyong mentioned at the hospital that he wanted Shen Xi to visit the Li family sometime, Li Mingxuan had been trying to find a suitable opportunity. He knew that there might be hard feelings in Shen Xi¡¯s heart towards the Li family; after all, for whatever reason, they had ignored Shen Xi¡¯s existence and paid no attention to what happened to him for many years. He did not want to justify what had happened before; just as he now hated his former actions, his mother also had regrets about her behaviour. There was nothing they could do to change the past, they could only try to make up for it in the future. His mother had now taken the first step, and he greedily hoped that Shen Xi would do the same. He hoped that one day Shen Xi would truly accept him and his family in his heart. Shen Xi¡¯s smile faded a little after he heard Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, ¡°Home to the Li family¡¯s house?¡± Li Mingxuan let out a soft ¡°en¡±, ¡°Mother hasn¡¯t seen you for a long time, and Father also wants us to go home for a reunion dinner.¡± After saying that, Li Mingxuan added, ¡°If Xiao Xi doesn¡¯t want to, let¡¯s forget about it this time and talk about it next time.¡± There was no hint of reluctance in Li Mingxuan¡¯s tone; he obviously was taking care of Shen Xi¡¯s mood. Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened, ¡°Fine, have you told Aunt?¡± A surprise flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes; he rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°Just say what you want to eat, I¡¯ll have them prepare it.¡± Shen Xi shook his head indifferently, ¡°Anything.¡± When she received Li Mingxuan¡¯s call, Shen Bixue was inexplicably nervous, grabbing Li Xiyong and asking, ¡°What arrangements do we need to make for the evening?¡± Li Xiyong couldn¡¯t understand Shen Bixue¡¯s nervousness, ¡°Shen Xi is not an outsider, just treat him as if he is the same as Ah Ji.¡± Shen Bixue shook her head, ¡°Although Shen Xi is Dehan¡¯s child like Ah Ji, you know that we have not been close to Shen Xi since he was young. We don¡¯t even know what he likes to eat. We haven¡¯t had much interaction with him for so many years, and now that we¡¯re suddenly going to become a family. I don¡¯t know how to face him.¡± Li Xiyong said casually, ¡°You can just think of him as a male daughter-in-law.¡± Shen Bixue gave Li Xiyong a blank look, ¡°If only it was as easy as you say. But since you¡¯re so sure, tell me, what arrangements should we make?¡± Li Xiyong looked at Shen Bixue soothingly, ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary family dinner, no need to be too deliberate.¡± Shen Bixue also knew that it was best not to be too deliberate, but she really didn¡¯t know how to face Shen Xi. She was about to ask Li Xiyong to make a decision when a servant knocked softly on the door, ¡°Ji Shao is here.¡± Shen Bixue was stunned and subconsciously looked at Li Xiyong. Why would Shen Ji suddenly come here? Wasn¡¯t he at the hospital at this time? Li Xiyong was also obviously very surprised, got up and walked with Shen Bixue to the living room. In the living room, Shen Ji was sitting quietly, with an indescribably despondent look. Shen Bixue looked over with concern, ¡°Ah Ji, what happened? Why are you not at the hospital?¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t know why he came to the Li family; perhaps because his aunt had taken care of him since he was young and he was used to treating this place as another home. Hearing the concern in his aunt¡¯s words, Shen Ji tried to put away the irritation in his heart and smiled lightly at Shen Bixue, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just missed the food at my aunt¡¯s house and came here to get a meal.¡± If it was a normal day, when Shen Bixue heard Shen Ji say this, she would have smiled and ordered the kitchen to cook Shen Ji¡¯s favourite dishes, but today Mingxuan said that he would bring Shen Xi. The relationship between the two had always been indifferent, so Shen Bixue was in a difficult position. CH 61 When Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi entered the door, Shen Bixue was talking to Shen Ji about something. When they heard the maid¡¯s greeting at the door, they both looked over at the same time. Through the tall green plants in the foyer, one could faintly see Li Mingxuan reaching out to pick up the jacket that Shen Xi had taken off, with a smile on his face and a very intimate attitude. Shen Ji took a silent glance at the two men¡¯s actions and quickly looked away. Shen Bixue hesitantly glanced at Shen Ji, got up and greeted, ¡°Mingxuan, Xiao Xi, you¡¯re here?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled at his mother, and Shen Xi politely called out ¡°Aunt.¡± Shen Bixue really didn¡¯t know how to position Shen Xi in her mind, and when she met him, there was a momentary hesitation. Thinking about the male daughter-in-law that Li Xiyong had mentioned, Shen Bixue stiffly squeezed out a smile at Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan saw the look on Shen Bixue¡¯s face and gave his mother a reassuring glance before reaching out to take hold of Shen Xi¡¯s hand. When the three of them returned to the living room, Li Mingxuan noticed Shen Ji, ¡°Ah Ji?¡± Li Mingxuan was obviously very surprised that Shen Ji appeared in the Li family¡¯s house at this time. Shen Xi glanced at Shen Ji, who was sitting there with a deep sense of decadence, looking like he already knew that Shen Dehan had stayed overnight at Chu Qianqian¡¯s place. A trace of mockery flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s heart as he wondered how long Shen Ji planned to deceive himself before he admitted Shen Dehan¡¯s so-called true love for Fang Yun was nothing more than the interest to a pretty young face. Shen Ji nodded to Li Mingxuan and his eyes swept over Shen Xi becoming much colder. Shen Xi turned a blind eye to this and said indifferently, ¡°Big Brother.¡± Shen Bixue and Li Mingxuan looked over at the same time, and Shen Ji nodded in response to the gazes of the two of them. Shen Bixue breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Shen Xi with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s rare for Xiao Xi to come here. Your aunt doesn¡¯t know your taste, what do you like to eat, I will order the kitchen to make it for you.¡± Compared to knowing Shen Ji¡¯s taste well, Shen Bixue knew nothing about Shen Xi¡¯s. Thinking of this, Shen Bixue let out a silent sigh in her heart and her eyes naturally softened when she looked at Shen Xi again. Before Shen Xi could say anything, Li Mingxuan had already told his mother, ¡°Xiao Xi likes spicy food.¡± Shen Bixue smiled, ¡°It just so happens that your aunt also loves spicy food, so you can eat together.¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi with a smile, and was about to speak when Li Mingfei¡¯s voice came from outside the door, ¡°Huh, this is Big Brother¡¯s car, Big Brother is back?¡± Still speaking, Li Mingfei quickly pushed the door and walked in. Upon seeing the people sitting in the hall, Li Mingfei¡¯s eyes instantly lit up, ¡°Cousin Shen Xi.¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly and nodded at him. Shen Bixue was also obviously very happy and greeted him, ¡°Why are you back all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t you say you were staying at school?¡± Li Mingfei obediently let his mother help him take off his jacket and explained in a small voice, ¡°The food at school is not good at all, I miss Aunt Wang¡¯s boiled fish.¡± Shen Bixue laughed, ¡°It just so happens that your cousin Shen Xi likes spicy food. We are going to have boiled fish tonight, so you¡¯re just in time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± A hint of surprise flickered in Li Mingfei¡¯s eyes; he turned his head and flashed a big smile at Shen Xi. With Li Mingfei¡¯s return, the atmosphere in the living room became cheerful. There was still some time before dinner, so Li Mingfei excitedly took Shen Xi to see his sculptures. For him, Li Xiyong had deliberately partitioned off a small part of the ground floor of the house to be used as his creative studio. The partitioned space was very large, with a variety of small sculptures scattered around, and a corner neatly filled with the tools Li Mingfei needed. Unlike his usual shyness, facing his beloved sculpture, Li Mingfei was in high spirits and excitedly took Shen Xi to show his creations one by one. The two of them soon came up to a naive puppy, and Li Mingfei inexplicably felt his face flush. The original excitement became nervousness and he suddenly quieted down. Shen Xi vaguely felt that he seemed to have seen this puppy somewhere before. The scene of meeting Li Mingfei for the first time flashed in his mind. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but look at Li Mingfei and reached out to hold the puppy, smiling slightly. ¡°This is the one you were talking about?¡± Li Mingfei nodded, nervously watching Shen Xi¡¯s expression. He had always wanted to find a suitable opportunity to give this puppy to Shen Xi, but he missed it every time. At first he went to the hospital several times but failed to find Shen Xi. He did not want to pass it on through others, so he was determined to deliver it to Shen Xi himself. Later, when his uncle was discharged from hospital, he went abroad to attend the exhibition and when he returned home, he heard the news that Shen Xi and his elder brother were together. At first, Li Mingfei was quite happy, but for some reason, he slowly became unhappy. So much so that his original intention of asking his elder brother to bring the puppy to Shen Xi slowly became reluctance to let his elder brother touch the puppy. Now looking at how much Shen Xi seemed to like the puppy, Li Mingfei felt his mood improve. ¡°I also made one bigger than this one. Father put him in the corner of the back porch, Cousin, I will show you.¡± Shen Xi smiled and nodded. The back porch was connected to the ground floor of the villa and led directly to the courtyard. Although it was already early winter, it was very warm inside the porch, and Shen Bixue placed all kinds of green plants there, filling it with lush greenery as far as the eye could see. The two of them walked quietly to the corner of the porch and Li Mingfei pointed to one side and was about to signal Shen Xi to look over when Shen Bixue¡¯s voice came from another corner. ¡°Ah Ji, your aunt is not saying these things to you because Shen Xi and Mingxuan are together. The older I get, the more I feel that your father and I have done wrong all these years. We always worried that Shen Xi would do this and that when he grew up, but we forgot that when Han Rou died, Shen Xi was only six years old. He was so young, what would he know? If we had been willing to teach him seriously all these years, things might have been different.¡± Shen Ji did not reply and Shen Bixue seemed to sigh, ¡°Ah Ji, are you still holding a grudge for what Han Rou did to Ah Cheng?¡± The words ¡°Han Rou¡± reached Shen Xi¡¯s ears, and Shen Xi suddenly raised his head and looked straight over, even though he couldn¡¯t see anything with the greenery blocking his sight. There seemed to be silence, and after a long pause, Shen Ji¡¯s low voice came, ¡°I know what you mean, Aunt, you think Shen Xi is innocent, but Ah Cheng was even more innocent back then. He was barely two years old, and if my father hadn¡¯t found him in time, I¡¯m afraid he would have been dead. All these years, every time I see Shen Xi, I think of what Han Ruo did to Ah Cheng for him. Aunt, how do you want me to like Shen Xi? How can I take care of him?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s words were extremely clear as he talked of the past that Shen Xi did not know about. Shen Bixue¡¯s voice followed, ¡°It is impossible to say who is right and who is wrong in this matter. If Big Brother had not insisted on not letting Han Rou give birth to Shen Xi, she would not have been so crazy as to try to kill Ah Cheng.¡± Shen Ji laughed coldly, ¡°If Han Rou hadn¡¯t insisted on marrying Father back then, how would all these things have happened? Father loved Mother deeply and clearly promised her that he would have only one wife for the rest of his life.¡± Shen Xi stood there quietly, staring ahead blankly. When Li Mingfei heard these words, his first reaction was to look at Shen Xi with worry. Carefully reaching out his hand to pull Shen Xi, Li Mingfei was shocked to find that Shen Xi¡¯s hand was ice-cold, the kind of a bone chilling coldness. Shen Xi did not pay attention to Li Mingfei. At this moment the conversation between the two kept echoing in his mind. Because his father had married his mother but refused to let her give birth to her child, his mother had lashed out at Shen Cheng, and Shen Ji placed all the blame for the incident on his mother and even hated him. Listening to Shen Ji¡¯s conviction that Shen Dehan loved Fang Yun deeply, Shen Xi could not help but laugh out loud. Shen Xi¡¯s laughter interrupted the conversation on the opposite side of the porch, and Shen Bixue and Shen Ji looked over at the same time. In the pale yellow light, Shen Xi broke away from Li Mingfei and took a few steps up and around the corner to appear in front of them. Shen Bixue looked at Shen Xi in surprise, wondering how much of what they just said he had heard, while Shen Ji looked indifferent, his eyes cold. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth hooked up. He looked at Shen Ji with a hint of mockery, ¡°You are so pitiful, always refusing to face reality and living in self-deception all the time.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face turned ugly and the corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up even higher. ¡°Isn¡¯t it so? You have to deceive yourself every day, convincing yourself that your father loved your mother deeply. If he loved her deeply, why would he agree to marry my mother? If he loved her so much, what is Zhou Mingmei? And what is Chu Qianqian? You actually know in your heart that even without my mother, there would have been Li Rou, Tian Rou and even Zhang Rou. My father could never have just one wife for the rest of his life. His so-called promise was nothing but a lie. ¡°You just refuse to admit this truth, to face the fact that your father lied to your mother, or even that your father didn¡¯t love your mother as much as you thought he did. You desperately try to create an image in your mind of the father who loved your mother, you ridiculously deceive yourself, you are cowardly and refuse to face reality. You put the entire fault on my mother in order to make the image of your father perfect. You hate my mother, you feel that it was my mother who broke your father¡¯s promise, that it was my mother who took Fang Yun¡¯s place.¡± Shen Xi laughed coldly, ¡°You think that without your father¡¯s consent, my mother could have married into the Shen family? You think that without your father, my mother alone could have given birth to me? Even without me, what do you think Shen Rong is?¡± Shen Ji only felt a fire burning in his heart. Shen Xi¡¯s speech pierced his heart word by word. He didn¡¯t dare to listen and didn¡¯t want to listen, so he could only say sharply, ¡°Shut up!¡± The mockery on Shen Xi¡¯s face became more obvious, ¡°You don¡¯t dare to listen? Because you know that I am telling the truth, because I have poked holes in the lies you have been telling to yourself for so many years. Because you know in your heart that the person your father loves most is himself.¡± Shen Ji looked straight at Shen Xi, his eyes like knives, chilling cold. Shen Xi sneered and met his gaze, his eyes full of pity. Under this kind of pity, Shen Ji¡¯s expression became more and more ugly. The word ¡°self-deception¡± kept echoing in his mind, and the faith he had always held in his heart collapsed violently. Thinking of where his father was tonight, Shen Ji laughed at himself silently. He really was a joke. A strong feeling of pleasure surged in Shen Xi¡¯s heart. Satisfied with the despair emanating from Shen Ji, Shen Xi smiled slightly and turned around to leave. Behind him, Shen Bixue looked at Shen Xi¡¯s back with a bitter smile and could not say a word. Behind the corner, Li Mingfei stood in silence. When he saw Shen Xi appear, he said nothing, but gently followed him, reaching out to take Shen Xi¡¯s hand, quietly accompanying him all the way. The hall was quiet, and neither Li Mingxuan nor Li Xiyong were there. Shen Xi turned to Li Mingfei, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Where are you going, Cousin?¡± Li Mingfei said subconsciously. ¡°Home.¡± Shen Xi said casually. ¡°What about Big Brother?¡± Li Mingfei blurted out. Shen Xi laughed lightly, ¡°He can stay to keep his good brother company.¡± ¡°Cousin?¡± Li Mingfei said hesitantly, but eventually let go of his hand and said softly, ¡°Be careful on your way, Cousin.¡± Shen Xi smiled and left the Li family¡¯s house without hesitation. Li Mingfei turned his head and looked back; his mother and Cousin Shen Ji were still inside the porch and had not come out. Listening to the sound of the car starting in the courtyard, Li Mingfei darted upstairs to his father¡¯s study. His elder brother must be in the study with his father. Although Cousin Shen Xi had just been smiling, Li Mingfei felt that his cousin was actually very sad in his heart; he must have wanted his elder brother to be by his side at this time. Thinking of this, Li Mingfei had a dull astringent feeling in his heart; if only he could also be by Cousin Shen Xi¡¯s side. When Li Mingfei found Li Mingxuan, Li Mingxuan was talking to Li Xiyong about the next step of his work plan. When he heard a knock on the door, he thought it was the maid reminding them to go eat and glanced at the time. It was already past seven o¡¯clock. But to his surprise, it was Li Mingfei who pushed the door open. ¡°Mingfei?¡± ¡°Big Brother.¡± Li Mingfei glanced at Li Mingxuan, his eyes signalling him to come out quickly. He felt it was better not to let his father know about Cousin Shen Xi. He wanted Cousin Shen Xi to leave a good impression on his father. The expression on Li Mingfei¡¯s face was one of urgency. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart thudded. He remembered that Shen Xi had been with Mingfei, had something happened to Shen Xi? After excusing himself to his father, Li Mingxuan followed Li Mingfei to the corner of the stairs. ¡°What, did Xiao Xi go back?¡± Li Mingfei¡¯s words caused Li Mingxuan to freeze and immediately ask, ¡°When?¡± ¡°Just now, Cousin said he would go home first.¡± Li Mingfei said sullenly. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask what had happened and hurriedly ran towards the door. In the courtyard, the car he had driven here was gone, apparently driven away by Shen Xi. He quickly took another car. With one hand on the steering wheel, Li Mingxuan turned in the direction of Shen Xi¡¯s neighbourhood, while with the other hand, he took out his mobile phone and pressed Shen Xi¡¯s number. The ¡°beep¡± sounded, and Li Mingxuan stepped on the accelerator vigorously, praying in his heart that Shen Xi would answer the phone quickly. But unexpectedly, the next moment, the ¡°beep¡± was suddenly interrupted, and a mechanical female voice sounded, ¡°The phone you have dialled is switched off.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank. What had happened when he wasn¡¯t looking? Thinking about the fact that he hadn¡¯t seen his mother and Shen Ji when he came downstairs, had Xiao Xi had a confrontation with them? After thinking about it, Li Mingxuan dialled Li Mingfei¡¯s phone number. ¡°Mingfei, do you know why Xiao Xi left?¡± Li Mingfei nodded, then thought that his elder brother could not see his movements and quickly said, ¡°Yes. Cousin Shen Ji and Cousin Shen Xi had a little conflict.¡± Li Mingxuan was originally only giving it a try, but he didn¡¯t expect to really hear the answer from Mingfei, especially such an unexpected answer. Li Mingxuan asked, ¡°What conflict? When?¡± Li Mingfei bit his lips and recounted the situation best he could. As soon as he finished, Li Mingfei said in a small voice, ¡°Big Brother, I don¡¯t think Cousin Shen Xi was wrong, it was obviously Uncle¡¯s fault, so why does Cousin Shen Ji put all the blame on Aunt Han?¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know how to speak to Li Mingfei; he could only smile bitterly, ¡°These matters are very complicated, one sentence can¡¯t explain clearly. Stay at home. When Father asks, just say that I went home with Shen Xi.¡± Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan let out a long sigh. No wonder before Han Rou¡¯s death, Shen Ji and Shen Cheng mostly lived in the Li family. He always thought his mother was worried about them being wronged in the Shen family, but it was because of this reason. His mother had never mentioned to him that Han Rou had once done something to Ah Cheng, and neither had Ah Ji. Was this the real reason why Ah Ji didn¡¯t like Xiao Xi? Undeterred, Li Mingxuan once again pressed Shen Xi¡¯s number, and heard a mechanical female voice again. A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, and Li Mingxuan pressed the accelerator down hard. Li Mingxuan had no way of judging what was right or wrong, but Shen Xi was right about one thing: the source of many things was his uncle, not Han Rou. As he hurried back to the neighbourhood, the darkness in the apartment caused a huge panic to rise in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart. Shen Xi didn¡¯t go home as he had said. Where did he go? Li Mingxuan stood in the living room, panic spreading in his mind as he tried to think of where Shen Xi might have gone. But since they got together, Shen Xi had spent basically all of his time at home, and there was absolutely no place he could have gone. The cold breeze from the corridor poured in through the open door. In this gust of wind, Li Mingxuan suddenly thought of Fang Luowei. Quickly finding Fang Luowei¡¯s phone number, Li Mingxuan dialled it and said straightforwardly, ¡°Has Xiao Xi contacted you?¡± ¡°Xiao Xi? What happened to Xiao Xi?¡± Fang Luowei asked anxiously. The tone of Fang Luowei¡¯s voice made Li Mingxuan feel disappointment; apparently he didn¡¯t know where Shen Xi was either. ¡°Xiao Xi is not at home, I can¡¯t find him, do you know where he might have gone?¡± Li Mingxuan asked patiently. Fang Luowei hesitated for a moment and soon seemed to think of something, ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll ask Wang Xinghai, he knows Xiao Xi a bit better.¡± ¡°Wang Xinghai?¡± Li Mingxuan vaguely remembered the name and said dryly, ¡°Give me his mobile number.¡± Fang Luowei didn¡¯t hesitate and quickly reported eleven digits, Li Mingxuan repeated them and immediately hung up the phone after confirming they were correct. Fang Luowei listened to the sound in the receiver, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes as he wondered where Shen Xi was now. After thinking about it, Fang Luowei held his phone and started dialling Shen Xi¡¯s number over and over again, trying to reach him. When Lao K received the call from Li Mingxuan, his whole body froze in surprise as he listened to the man on the phone asking where Shen Xi could possibly have gone. Lao K didn¡¯t react for a moment. It was not until the man on the phone repeated himself impatiently that Lao K hesitantly asked, ¡°Are you Li Mingxuan?¡± Li Mingxuan gave a quick ¡°en¡± and immediately asked, ¡°Do you know where Xiao Xi might have gone?¡± Lao K subconsciously asked, ¡°Did you have a fight?¡± Li Mingxuan frowned and repeated, ¡°Do you know where Xiao Xi is likely to go?¡± Lao K thought for a moment and said hesitantly, ¡°Xiao Xi used to go to the cemetery to visit his mother when he was in a bad mood.¡± ¡°The cemetery?¡± Li Mingxuan thought about what Mingfei had said and instantly realised what was going on; Xiao Xi must be there now. Hurriedly hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan flew downstairs and sped off in his car towards the cemetery. Half an hour later, looking at the familiar car parked at the roadside, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart hanging in his throat finally settled down. Quickly climbing over the wall into the cemetery, Li Mingxuan carefully searched along the rows of tombstones. The light in the cemetery was very dim, and Li Mingxuan faintly saw someone leaning against a tombstone not far ahead, so he hurriedly ran over. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± The man leaning against the tombstone slowly raised his head, and in the faint light, Shen Xi¡¯s expression was filled with indescribable sadness. CH 62 After leaving the Li family¡¯s house, Shen Xi realized that he was not as happy as he had expected. Whether it was about Chu Qianqian setting up Shen Dehan or him bursting Shen Ji¡¯s illusion about Shen Dehan, after the initial great pleasure, more sadness welled up in his heart instead. These two people, one his father and the other his elder brother, should have been his closest relatives, but the reality was that they hated him for being born, while he was calculating step by step trying to make them suffer for the rest of their lives. Shen Xi stepped on the gas pedal hard. The car was speeding to the limit and the cold wind poured in from the open car window but Shen Xi didn¡¯t seem to feel cold. At the next intersection, he turned abruptly in the direction of the cemetery. The cemetery closed early on winter nights, and the caretakers had gone home early to rest, leaving only rows of dull yellow streetlights to accompany the countless cold tombstones. The whistling night wind weaved in and out of the empty cemetery, its sound faintly reminding a sobbing mournful complaint. Shen Xi skillfully climbed over the wall and soon reached the place where his mother was sleeping. In the dim light, his mother was still smiling brightly. Shen Xi gazed at his mother¡¯s smiling face and did not move for a long time. Shen Bixue and Shen Ji¡¯s conversation repeated itself in his mind. Shen Xi slowly reached out to cover his mother¡¯s face, feeling the cold stone under his palm. It made Shen Xi wake up somewhat. He had never known his mother had to do such a crazy thing for him to be born. His father¡¯s cold treatment and Shen Ji¡¯s indifference all seemed to have a reason, but his heart only ached for his mother. What kind of despair could have driven his mother to such a state? To make his mother feel that he could only be born if Shen Ji and Shen Cheng disappeared? All these years, father had the right to loathe his mother, and even him by extension, and Shen Ji had the right to resent Han Rou, and even him by extension. But his mother was already lying here quietly, all her love and hate and all her emotions disappearing with that one jump back then, having nothing to do with this world anymore. No one cared about her situation during those years, no one cared about what she had suffered. Because she was sleeping here, all the blame could be put on her and no one was willing to ask why she had done what she had done back then. His mother was his father¡¯s legal wife, so how could he deny her the right to have children? Fang Yun could have children, Zhou Mingmei could have a child, why couldn¡¯t his mother? Shen Ji was his father¡¯s child, Shen Cheng was his father¡¯s child, but wasn¡¯t he? Was he not even qualified to be born? Shen Xi sat down against his mother¡¯s tombstone, the resentment in his heart clamouring desperately. He wanted to ask his father, why on earth did he treat his mother like this, treat him like this? Was it just because of the ridiculous true love that his father talked about? A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind in confusion when the sound of footsteps came from afar. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± A familiar voice sounded in his ears, and Shen Xi slowly lifted his head. Under the dim light, Li Mingxuan ran over panting, his face full of urgency. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan in a daze, not expecting him to find his way here. ¡°Xiao Xi.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice trembled as he stood in front of Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan silently for a while before lowering his head and moving his eyes away. He didn¡¯t want to talk now, he just wanted to be quiet and stay with his mother. No matter what Li Mingxuan wanted to say to him, he had no intention of listening. Shen Xi¡¯s resistance was so obvious that Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart soured and he didn¡¯t speak again, just sat quietly by his side. The next moment, the still warm coat covered Shen Xi¡¯s body. Shen Xi wanted to refuse, but Li Mingxuan¡¯s actions were unquestionable. Shen Xi accepted Li Mingxuan¡¯s coat in silence, lowered his head and buried his face between his knees. Li Mingxuan stretched out his hand and gently stroked Shen Xi¡¯s back. Neither of them said anything, and the cemetery fell into silence once again. Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan left the Li family¡¯s house one after another, and Shen Ji followed closely. Hearing the news that Li Mingxuan had gone after Shen Xi, Shen Ji struggled to squeeze out a reassuring smile towards Shen Bixue, ignoring her worried gaze, and left the Li family in a daze. Shen Xi¡¯s words kept echoing in his mind, and the word ¡°self-deception¡± was stuck in his head. As he drove down the street, Shen Ji realised that he had nowhere to go. Subconsciously turning in the direction of the Shen family¡¯s house, Shen Ji parked the car at the roadside and looked at the house in the night in silence. This was the place where he had lived for nearly thirty years, where he had been born and where he had said the word ¡°Father¡± for the first time. It was here that he was held in his father¡¯s arms and here that he was reprimanded by his father for being naughty. It was here that he saw his mother grow weak little by little as she became seriously ill, and where he saw his father heartbroken because of his mother¡¯s departure. He would always remember his father saying before his mother died that he would have only his mother as his wife for the rest of his life and that the only lady of the Shen family would always be his mother. The scene of his mother dying with a smile on her lips and his father holding her in his arms in desperate agony was still vivid in his mind, but in the blink of an eye, a new Mrs. Shen was to be welcomed into the Shen family. He was upset, he threw a tantrum, he didn¡¯t want a new mother, but for the first time his grandfather, who had always doted on him, turned against him. He wanted to go to his father and question him about why he couldn¡¯t do what he had promised his mother, but instead he saw his father drunk in front of the wall full of pictures of his mother, calling her name again and again. How could his father wrong his mother when he was in so much pain? It was all that woman¡¯s fault. Shen Ji was repulsed by Han Rou¡¯s presence, and this repulsion was further deepened when he heard the servants whispering behind his back. ¡°The two young masters are so pitiful.¡± ¡°Yes, their mother is dead and they have no strong uncle¡¯s family. If Miss Han gives birth to a child, with the background of the Han family, the two young masters probably won¡¯t have a place in this family.¡± ¡°I heard that Miss Han has a bad temper and seems to be very arrogant?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s true, the two young masters are going to be so unlucky. Who would like the children born to the one before them? Nothing can be guaranteed.¡± The servants¡¯ words were fulfilled afterwards. Han Rou didn¡¯t like them, and after he refused to call her ¡°Mother¡±, after Ah Cheng¡¯s crying all night long attracted his father¡¯s attention, he noticed Han Rou¡¯s growing impatience with them. When Ah Cheng fell ill again and Han Rou insisted on returning to the Han family, his father argued with her for the first time. He heard Han Rou¡¯s complaint clearly, ¡°He¡¯s not my son, what do you think I can do? Do I have to pretend to be sad?¡± Han Rou¡¯s words left a deep imprint in Shen Ji¡¯s heart. After that, there were more and more arguments between his father and Han Rou, and his father spent less and less time home. Every time Shen Ji saw Han Rou, he would think that it was because Han Rou made his father angry that his father did not want to come back. He only remembered that one day when his father came home to visit him and Ah Cheng, Han Rou appeared happily in front of them. Then he heard Han Rou say, ¡°Xiao Ji, do you want to have another brother?¡± Shen Ji replied dryly, ¡°No.¡± He always remembered the words Han Rou had said when Ah Cheng was sick. He didn¡¯t like Han Rou, so how could he like the child Han Rou would give birth to. He couldn¡¯t remember what kind of expression Han Rou had at the time, only the pitying looks the servants gave him when they heard Han Rou was pregnant. The relationship between his father and Han Rou grew colder and colder, and Han Rou¡¯s temper became more and more eccentric until that incident happened. Shen Ji covered his face and let out a low laugh. After that incident, Ah Cheng was greatly simulated and spent a month in the hospital. Han Ruo, on the other hand, was not punished for it, simply because she had given birth to Shen Xi early while his father was in a fit of rage. After all these years, it was not that Shen Ji didn¡¯t know that his father raised Zhou Mingmei while Han Rou was pregnant, and that Han Rou¡¯s weird temper at the time was more because of Zhou Mingmei, but so what? It was a fact that Han Rou didn¡¯t like them, it was a fact that Han Rou had tried to harm Ah Cheng, and it was even a fact that Han Rou insisted on marrying his father. Because of that incident, his father became more attentive to him and Ah Cheng, personally taking care of their clothing, food, housing and travel. Even though he and Ah Cheng spent most of their time at his aunt¡¯s house, his father took time to visit them every day, read to them and play games with them. In his eyes, his father loved his mother, loved him and Ah Cheng, and his father was the best father in the world. With the death of Han Rou, they moved back to the Shen¡¯s house, and only then did Shen Ji learn of Zhou Mingmei¡¯s existence, but after seeing the way his father reminisced in front of his mother¡¯s pictures, watching the way Shen Dehan treated them gently, the way he patiently played games with Ah Cheng, how could Shen Ji blame his father? Shen Ji laughed out loud. Shen Xi was right. He was a fool who deceived himself, he did not want to face the fact that his father had betrayed his mother time and again, he was afraid that the image of his father in his heart would collapse. He was deceiving himself as much as his father was. That night, Shen Ji sat in front of the Shen family¡¯s house for the whole night. He did not know what he was thinking; he seemed to have thought a lot, but he seemed to have thought of nothing at all. As the sky grew lighter, Shen Ji pushed open the car door and walked over, knocking on the door of the Shen¡¯s house. That same night, Li Mingxuan sat with Shen Xi at the cemetery for the whole night. As the day dawned, Shen Xi moved his frozen stiff body and hesitantly looked at Li Mingxuan beside him. Li Mingxuan¡¯s coat was draped over his shoulders and Li Mingxuan only had a thin jacket on top. Shen Xi was so immersed in his emotions last night that he hardly noticed Li Mingxuan had spent the whole night with him. Seeing Shen Xi turn his head, his mood seeming to return to normal, Li Mingxuan smiled, stretched out his hand stiffly to rub his hair, and said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s go home?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s hand brushed over his forehead, feeling ice cold. Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened and he nodded, standing up in silence. Before leaving, Shen Xi took a deep look at his mother¡¯s smiling face. Whatever his mother had once done wrong, she had already paid for it with her life. What was left was what his father owed his mother and what he owed him, and he would get it back in full. CH 63 After climbing over the wall and leaving the cemetery, Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t mention what happened last night. The two of them got in the car, and Li Mingxuan turned on the heating in the car to a sufficient level. Shen Xi¡¯s face gradually became rosy, and Li Mingxuan gave him a concerned look and said gently, ¡°I¡¯ll drive, Xiao Xi, do you want to take a nap?¡± Shen Xi shook his head and looked out the car. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say anything else, and the two of them went back to the neighbourhood in silence. As soon as he entered the door, Li Mingxuan pushed Shen Xi to take a hot shower. He was worried that after a night in the cold, Shen Xi would get sick. Shen Xi was still wearing Li Mingxuan¡¯s coat, and when he heard Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, he paused, turned around and hugged Li Mingxuan without saying a word. Shen Xi used a lot of strength. Although Li Mingxuan was a bit uncomfortable being strangled, he was happy because Shen Xi was willing to get close to him at this time. After he was taken aback for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, and he couldn¡¯t help but kiss Shen Xi¡¯s cheek and say softly, ¡°Good boy, go take a shower, I¡¯ll make ginger soup. ¡± Shen Xi whispered, ¡°Cousin, you go first.¡± Li Mingxuan laughed, ¡°Cousin is in good health, Xiao Xi will go first.¡± In the end, Shen Xi could not resist Li Mingxuan and was pushed into the bathroom. After skillfully cooking a pot of ginger soup, Li Mingxuan leaned against the door and fished out his mobile phone, running his finger over Shen Ji¡¯s name and pressing it down with a silent sigh. Last night he had chased after Shen Xi and Shen Xi was the entire focus of his thoughts. At this time, when his mind calmed down, he couldn¡¯t help but start worrying about Shen Ji. Although Shen Xi¡¯s words last night were unpleasant, they were true, but Shen Ji had always been close to his father, so Li Mingxuan was worried that he would not be able to bear the stimulation. The phone was quickly answered and a slightly hoarse male voice said, ¡°Mingxuan.¡± ¡°En.¡± Li Mingxuan deliberated on how to speak, but Shen Ji seemed to have guessed his dilemma and suddenly laughed, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The two had been close friends for many years, and Li Mingxuan could easily figure out the truth from his words. He couldn¡¯t help being relieved to learn that Shen Ji was really fine, so he also chuckled slightly. During the laughter, the previous estrangement between the two seemed to have faintly dissipated. Li Mingxuan felt that Shen Ji¡¯s attitude had changed, but he was confused about the details. After chatting casually for a few minutes, Li Mingxuan hung up the phone and Shen Xi came out of the shower just in time. He poured a big bowl full of ginger soup. Li Mingxuan watched Shen Xi frown and drink it all down without leaving a drop, and was immediately relieved. After touching Shen Xi¡¯s hair that was still damp, Li Mingxuan habitually instructed, ¡°Don¡¯t sleep now, wait for your hair to dry before you sleep.¡± Shen Xi nodded obediently. By the time Li Mingxuan came out of the shower, Shen Xi seemed to have fallen asleep holding the blanket. The sky outside the house was already bright, but the light in the bedroom was dim due to the curtains. Li Mingxuan stood quietly by the bed and watched Shen Xi for a while before leaning down and giving him a kiss on the lips, then gently climbing into bed and lying beside him. Who knew that just as he lay down, Shen Xi would suddenly turn over and hug him tightly, burying his whole body in his arms. Li Mingxuan was startled, realising that Shen Xi was pretending to be asleep before, so he couldn¡¯t help but smile faintly. He gently wrapped his arms around Shen Xi and patted his back, saying softly, ¡°Go to sleep.¡± While Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan were catching up on their sleep, Shen Ji had just finished taking a shower and was quietly eating breakfast alone in the dining room. Shen Dehan had someone call and instruct the maids to clean the house. He was going to be discharged from the hospital and go home today. When receiving Shen Dehan¡¯s call, the servant gave a strange look to Shen Ji in the dining room, wondering why it looked like Shen Ji had no idea his father would suddenly be discharged from the hospital. What was even stranger was why Shen Dehan had to specifically order a room to be cleaned, could there be guests coming? After hanging up the phone, the maid conveyed Shen Dehan¡¯s message to Shen Ji, whose expression changed slightly and his hands stopped moving. Did his father purposely instructed to prepare a room? Thinking about what the bodyguard had said yesterday, that Chu Qianqian was overstimulated and completely inseparable from Shen Dehan, Shen Ji¡¯s expression became ugly. Did his father intend to let Chu Qianqian live in the Shen family¡¯s house? Shen Ji spent the night trying to convince himself that no matter whether his father¡¯s love for his mother was real or fake later, his father¡¯s love for her had been real when his mother was around, and his father¡¯s pain and despair had been real when his mother died, and that was enough for him. Over the years, his father had done his best for him and Ah Cheng, and now that he was old and wanted someone to accompany him, he, his son, should not say anything. Although that face of Chu Qianqian made him nauseated, there was already a Zhou Mingmei; he just needed to put up with it and it would be over. As long as his father kept Chu Qianqian outside and out of sight¡­ the only bottom line for him was that Chu Qianqian could not step into the Shen¡¯s house. Shen Ji had planned to compromise with his father and not interfere with his father and Chu Qianqian¡¯s affairs, but he never expected that his father would have the intention of bringing her home. Did he know what this meant? Having lost his appetite, Shen Ji sat in the living room in silence, hoping that he had misunderstood his father¡¯s intentions. He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the sound of voices talking in the courtyard reached him faintly and Shen Ji knew it must be his father returning. Trying to adjust his emotions, Shen Ji quickly walked over to welcome him, but his face immediately sank when he saw the person standing beside his father. ¡°Ah Ji.¡± Shen Dehan looked at Shen Ji, not expecting him to be home at this time. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes fell on Chu Qianqian who was standing beside Shen Dehan. It seemed that Chu Qianqian was really in shock, and was now looking around with a pale and timid expression, completely different from the way Shen Ji had seen her at the hospital before. Perhaps it was because Shen Ji¡¯s eyes were too harsh that Chu Qianqian looked at him in panic; her body trembled subconsciously and she hid behind Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan immediately turned around and gently calmed the frightened Chu Qianqian who looked at him trustingly and slowly calmed down. A sneer flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes, and without looking at the movements of the two of them again, he turned and walked back to the living room. Without Shen Ji nearby, Chu Qianqian was obviously much more at ease, gently taking Shen Dehan¡¯s arm and letting him lead her into the living room. Looking at Shen Dehan patiently explaining the layout of the house to Chu Qianqian, Shen Ji said coldly, ¡°Is father planning to let Miss Chu live in the house?¡± The rejection in Shen Ji¡¯s words was heard very clearly by everyone; those who could had the sense to escape the living room. The last time Shen Ji and Shen Dehan had clashed over Chu Qianqian was still fresh in their minds, and no one dared to stay by their side while they were at it. Shen Dehan frowned slightly and looked at Shen Ji, ¡°Xiao Chu is just a guest staying temporarily for a few days, she will leave when she recovers.¡± Shen Ji looked deeply at Shen Dehan and said softly, ¡°Father, do you believe this?¡± The mocking implication in Shen Ji¡¯s words was so obvious that Shen Dehan was instantly furious, ¡°Ah Ji!¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Dehan with a slight ridicule and said stubbornly, ¡°I don¡¯t agree with her living here. If Miss Chu¡¯s health is not good, Father can send her to the best hospital to receive treatment or simply raise her outside as Father did with Zhou Mingmei. But she absolutely cannot live in the Shen family¡¯s house.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s words made Shen Dehan ponder; he was about to speak when something seemed to happen to Chu Qianqian and her body trembled slightly. Shen Dehan immediately noticed her abnormality and coaxed her patiently. Once again, Chu Qianqian¡¯s emotions calmed down and she looked at Shen Dehan with complete trust. Shen Dehan met her eyes and turned to say categorically, ¡°I have already decided.¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Dehan in silence and could not help but laugh in a low voice. ¡°Does Father still remember the promise he made to Mother before she died? The Shen family will have only one lady, my mother. Father has already reneged on his promise once, do you still intend to renege a second time?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s words were like a knife thrust into Shen Dehan¡¯s heart. After realising what Shen Ji had said, Shen Dehan became enraged. Shen Ji ignored his anger and said, ¡°Since Miss Chu wants to live in the Shen family¡¯s house, I will move out.¡± After saying that, Shen Ji didn¡¯t look at his father¡¯s expression again, turned around and left the living room straight away. After Shen Ji left, Shen Dehan¡¯s face could not help but reveal a trace of loss. Shen Ji¡¯s words made him think of Fang Yun. Chu Qianqian had been paying attention to Shen Dehan¡¯s expression and immediately realised that something was wrong. She hugged Shen Dehan¡¯s arm gently at once and pressed her face against it. Chu Qianqian¡¯s actions made Shen Dehan regain his senses and he said subconsciously, ¡°Ah Yun?¡± Chu Qianqian lifted her head cooperatively and smiled faintly at Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan was in a trance. His Ah Yun was by his side again. CH 64 The news that Shen Ji had moved out of the Shen family¡¯s house soon became known to everyone. Shen Bixue rushed to the Shen family¡¯s home, but left unhappily after arguing with Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan stubbornly wanted to leave Chu Qianqian to recuperate at home. Shen Bixue couldn¡¯t make him change his mind, so she called Li Mingxuan angrily to complain. ¡°What¡¯s all this talk about being stimulated and not being able to leave his side, can¡¯t he send her to the hospital? ¡°In case a reporter takes a photo, with that face, the Shen family will be involved in a scandal again. Did your uncle ever think about Shen Ji and the rest? Both Fang Yun and Han Rou have passed away. If they are implicated in this kind of scandal again, will they have any face left? ¡°Saying she will leave when she is well, your uncle only deceives himself and others with this phrase.¡± Shen Bixue was already so angry that she didn¡¯t know what she was saying, and Li Mingxuan patiently calmed her, ¡°Uncle is getting older, and his nature will inevitably become stubborn.¡± ¡°Is this stubbornness? When he kept Zhou Mingmei, outsiders could barely accept that Fang Yun had died and he was transferring affection to Zhou Mingmei. But now he¡¯s keeping that little nurse? That little nurse is young enough to be your uncle¡¯s granddaughter, can this also be used as an excuse for transferring affection?¡± Li Mingxuan coughed lightly as he listened to his mother¡¯s uncontrollably angry words. There were some things his mother could say, but he didn¡¯t need to hear. Shen Bixue obviously also realised that it was not good to tell Li Mingxuan these things and sighed, ¡°Your uncle was not like this before. How could he become like this now? A good family is about to be torn apart.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t answer. Shen Dehan was getting farther and farther away from the way he remembered him. Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, calmed down a bit and changed the subject, ¡°How is Xiao Xi? What happened yesterday?¡± Li Mingxuan said softly, ¡°Xiao Xi is fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Shen Bixue hesitated for a while before finally speaking, ¡°If he really doesn¡¯t want to come here, don¡¯t force him. As long as he is good with you, nothing else matters.¡± Li Mingxuan gave a low ¡°en¡±. In his heart he wanted Shen Xi to have a good relationship with his parents, but he also knew that the weight on Shen Xi¡¯s heart was too heavy and that there were things he could not force. After hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan returned to the bedroom where Shen Xi was sleeping curled in a ball. Perhaps hearing his footsteps, Shen Xi woke up in a daze, hugging the blanket with his eyes closed, and muttered, ¡°Cousin, what time is it?¡± Shen Xi looked really cute, and for a moment, Li Mingxuan felt his heart soften into a puddle. Sitting beside Shen Xi with a gentle expression, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but reach out his hand and rub his face, chuckling, ¡°It¡¯s almost night.¡± Shen Xi discontentedly avoided Li Mingxuan¡¯s hand and let out a low ¡°en¡±, slowly opened his eyes and was about to sit up when Li Mingxuan leaned down and kissed him. The kiss was soft and gentle, with a deep sense of affection. Li Mingxuan squeezed Shen Xi¡¯s lips a little bit and moved in his tongue, gently intertwining it with Shen Xi¡¯s. Shen Xi was soon completely awake; he slowly relaxed, reaching out to embrace Li Mingxuan and tilting his head back in a cooperative kiss. Shen Xi¡¯s cooperation made Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart overwhelmed with joy. His body slowly became hot and Li Mingxuan was no longer satisfied with a simple kiss. He reached his hands into Shen Xi¡¯s clothes and rubbed along Shen Xi¡¯s naked back. The sensation under his palms was too beautiful, Li Mingxuan roamed over Shen Xi¡¯s body longingly and finally pressed him down. As Li Mingxuan moved, Shen Xi¡¯s clothes were gradually stripped off. Instead of refusing, Shen Xi took the initiative and reached out to unbutton Li Mingxuan¡¯s pyjamas and kiss his neck. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart pounded fiercely, overwhelmed with excitement from Shen Xi¡¯s kisses. Their bodies were soon intertwined, and the sounds of joining, groans and panting mingled with each other and did not dissipate for a long time. It had been a long time before their breaths gradually calmed down. Shen Xi lazily rubbed himself against Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Li Mingxuan touched Shen Xi¡¯s slightly wet back and lowered his head to kiss him, ¡°Xiao Xi, go take a shower first, I¡¯ll cook.¡± Shen Xi frowned, really not wanting to move. Li Mingxuan chuckled, got up and picked up Shen Xi, whispering, ¡°Cousin will help you wash.¡± An hour later the two of them came out of the shower. Li Mingxuan took a look at the time and thought about ordering takeaway. Shen Xi once again lay back on the bed, suddenly remembering that his mobile phone had not been switched on since it was switched off last night, and he wondered if Lao K had something to look for him for. ¡°What is Xiao Xi looking for?¡± ¡°The phone.¡± Li Mingxuan handed Shen Xi his phone from the living room and casually said, ¡°By the way, Fang Luowei and Wang Xinghai both looked for you and called me.¡± ¡°Wang Xinghai?¡± Shen Xi hesitantly looked at Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan smiled, ¡°It was thanks to his guess I found you at the cemetery yesterday.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Shen Xi had already anticipated how Lao K would gossip privately about yesterday¡¯s incident, and suddenly felt a headache. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi and was a little hesitant to tell him about Chu Qianqian¡¯s stay at the Shen¡¯s house. According to his uncle¡¯s attitude, this matter could not be concealed for long, and it would probably become a big deal later. Rather than Shen Xi learning about it from the random reports in the newspapers, he might as well tell him himself first. When Li Mingxuan hesitated, Shen Xi already noticed something, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Mingxuan leaned down and wrapped his arms around Shen Xi, saying softly, ¡°Do you remember that Nurse Chu?¡± Shen Xi nodded quietly, ¡°The nurse who looks like Big Brother¡¯s birth mother?¡± Li Mingxuan gave an ¡°en¡±. ¡°She was taken to live with the Shen family temporarily by Uncle.¡± Shen Xi froze, then snorted, ¡°Does that mean the Shen family will soon have a new Mrs. Shen?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s reaction was greatly unexpected, and Li Mingxuan said with concern, ¡°You don¡¯t mind?¡± Shen Xi said indifferently, ¡°What do I have to mind? The one who should mind this matter is Big Brother, right? By the way, there is also Zhou Mingmei. After twenty years of hard work she is still not as good as a little nurse.¡± Looking at the mockery in Shen Xi¡¯s smirk, Li Mingxuan sighed in his heart and rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°It¡¯s good that you don¡¯t care.¡± A few days had passed by the time the news of Chu Qianqian living in the Shen family¡¯s house reached Zhou Mingmei¡¯s ears. In the past, when Shen Dehan was attached to Zhou Mingmei, the servants of the Shen family would occasionally inform Zhou Mingmei of some news, but now with Chu Qianqian, they had forgotten about Zhou Mingmei, just like Shen Dehan. Taking a deep breath, Zhou Mingmei tried hard to suppress the jealousy in her heart towards Chu Qianqian. Thinking about it, she could only rely on Wang Changlin now. The video incident had been over a long time ago but Shen Dehan remained completely indifferent to Shen Rong. And now with the presence of Chu Qianqian by his side, the mother and son¡¯s status might have been totally lost. Although she had followed Shen Dehan for so many years, she did not have much savings, and some time ago, because of the failed investment in ¡°Against the Current¡±, all her savings had gone down the drain. She had to rely on Wang Changlin to find a way out as soon as possible, otherwise what would she and Ah Rong do in the future? After thinking for a long time, Zhou Mingmei made up her mind to bring Shen Rong to see Wang Changlin as soon as possible. When he received Zhou Mingmei¡¯s call, Wang Changlin was not surprised. If Zhou Mingmei had not seen the situation clearly by now, it would have meant she had followed Shen Dehan for so many years for nothing. After hanging up the phone, Wang Changlin tapped his desk and thought deeply. Was Chu Qianqian¡¯s appearance a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement? If it was a coincidence, she had done him a favour. The more chaotic the Shen family was, the more convenient it would be for him to act. If it was arranged by someone, then who could it be? Thinking about Gao Qiulin¡¯s last mention that there seemed to be another person behind the scenes, who was that person? But Gao Qiulin had always been a man who mixed truths and lies, so it was not certain that the so-called person behind the scenes really existed or was just his fantasy. Wang Changlin thought about Gao Qiulin¡¯s refusal to let go of his shares, and sneered secretly. After a while, he might as well regret not taking action now. In the blink of an eye, it had been more than half a month since Shen Dehan was discharged from the hospital. Because of Chu Qianqian, Shen Dehan had stayed at the Shen¡¯s house to take care of her and visited Shen Group just a few times. When Shen Dehan was admitted to the hospital, Shen Cheng became solely responsible for the affairs of Shen Group. Now that Shen Dehan was out of the hospital, he mentioned to the board of directors that Shen Ji should return to the position of general manager. But the board of directors refused to agree to this and Shen Dehan did not insist, thinking that he would wait for some time and let Ah Cheng take care of it for a while. These days, Shen Ji had not set foot in the Shen family¡¯s house and had only met with his father a few times at the office. Shen Ji did not say anything about Shen Cheng being in charge of Shen Group and just went about his daily business as usual. If at first Shen Cheng was used to discussing everything with Shen Ji, as he became more and more proficient in handling company affairs, and because of Wang Changlin and Lu Gesen¡¯s intentional coaxing, Shen Cheng gradually became accustomed to making his own decisions and rarely asked Shen Ji¡¯s opinion. Shen Ji was keenly aware of the change in Shen Cheng and could not hide the loss in his heart. Although after Shen Cheng replaced him as the general manager of Shen Group, he had already expected that there would be such a day, and he even thought that if Shen Cheng was interested in Shen Group, it would be okay for Shen Group to be handed over to Shen Cheng. But when Shen Cheng really showed his intention, Shen Ji could not tell what he felt. For Shen Ji, who was raised as the heir to the Shen family, his feelings towards Shen Group were too complicated. He had treated Shen Group as his own since he was a child, and all his efforts during his studies were only for the betterment of Shen Group in his hands in the future. All this time Shen Cheng also never showed interest in Shen Group and he thought¡­ Shen Ji thought of this and did not think further. He once resented his father¡¯s suspicions of his aunt, and now it was his turn to find that he couldn¡¯t be as free and easy as he thought. Taking a deep breath, Shen Ji stood silently in front of the window. Shen Group was very important to him, but Ah Cheng was more important than Shen Group. In the middle of Shen Ji¡¯s thoughts, the door of his office was suddenly knocked on heavily. Shen Ji came back to his senses, ¡°Come in.¡± The assistant pushed the door open with an anxious expression, ¡°Ji Shao, there¡¯s a problem.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The assistant said urgently, ¡°I have just received news that Anchor Corporation in Country M has been involved in a financial fraud scandal, with over 30 billion in falsified profits, and may face bankruptcy. Cheng Shao just bought several hundred million of Anchor¡¯s financial derivatives half a month ago.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression turned solemn, ¡°Does Ah Cheng know about it?¡± The assistant nodded, ¡°I just ran into Special Assistant Lu, he also received the news and was about to report it to Cheng Shao.¡± Shen Ji was worried, ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Ah Cheng, you continue to keep an eye on Anchor¡¯s news.¡± Quickly walking to Shen Cheng¡¯s office, Shen Ji directly pushed the door open. In the office, Lu Gesen was talking to Shen Cheng. ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s appearance was like a life-saving straw. Shen Cheng immediately stopped talking with Lu Gesen and grabbed Shen Ji, ¡°Big Brother, what should we do? Is Anchor going to close down?¡± Shen Ji steadied his mind, ¡°How much did you invest?¡± Shen Cheng gave Shen Ji a hesitant look and gritted his teeth, ¡°One billion.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face suddenly turned ugly. Shen Cheng was chagrined, ¡°How did I know Anchor would collapse, it was fine yesterday, the last investment was made just yesterday.¡± Shen Ji did not care to blame Shen Cheng and looked at Lu Gesen, ¡°How likely is it that Anchor will collapse?¡± Lu Gesen looked serious, ¡°About 80%.¡± Shen Ji smiled bitterly, ¡°Then it looks like we¡¯re going to lose money this time.¡± Lu Gesen nodded in silence. With Shen Ji staying in Shen Cheng¡¯s office, Lu Gesen quietly retreated. As he closed the door, Lu Gesen gave the two men in the office a silent glance and lowered his head to hide the calculations in his eyes. CH 65 The news of Shen Cheng¡¯s investment failure was soon known to the company¡¯s senior management, leading to a flurry of secret discussions. Once the collapse of Anchor was confirmed, not only would all of Shen Group investment be lost, but there would be a series of unpredictable financial risks that would follow. The board of directors received the news and called to ask about the situation. At this time, they obviously felt that Shen Ji was more reliable than Shen Cheng, and the calls all went to Shen Ji. Shen Ji had to pay attention to the exact news of Anchor while also dealing with the board members, and he felt overwhelmed. Even though Shen Cheng was in charge of investment, no matter what he was asked, he could not say anything, so he could only bring Lu Gesen in again and again. Shen Ji was irritated and could not help but reprimand Shen Cheng a few times. Shen Cheng was originally remorseful for his investment mistakes, and felt touched to see Shen Ji cleaning up his mess. But when the board of directors treated him as nothing and called Shen Ji directly, a vague dissatisfaction grew in Shen Cheng¡¯s heart. Various emotions of regret, distress and dissatisfaction were mixed together, and when Shen Ji reprimanded him mercilessly in front of his assistant, it turned into a complex feeling that was indescribable. Shen Cheng almost shouted, ¡°Yes, I lost money for Shen Group, but didn¡¯t you ever lose money, Big Brother? If you all think that I don¡¯t know anything, why do you still want me to be the general manager of Shen Group? Is it just to treat me as a puppet?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s words caused Shen Ji to freeze. He had originally regretted saying these things to Shen Cheng. He wasn¡¯t trying to blame Shen Cheng for his investment failure. Even his father couldn¡¯t guarantee that his every decision would make money. He was just dissatisfied with the fact that Shen Cheng did not know anything about the investment plan and needed Lu Gesen¡¯s advice on everything. Subconsciously he had to open his mouth to scold him, but he did not expect Shen Cheng to say something like that. Shen Ji¡¯s face darkened instinctively, ¡°Ah Cheng.¡± After Shen Cheng finished speaking, he himself was stunned, and the anger he felt before immediately dissipated without a trace. But when he looked at Shen Ji¡¯s sunken face, which was exactly the same as the expression he used to have in the past when he was upset with him, Shen Cheng¡¯s dissipated courage gathered again. Every time it was the same, Big Brother always used this expression to reprimand him. Without thinking, Shen Cheng continued, ¡°Am I not right? Whether it¡¯s Big Brother or Father, don¡¯t you treat me like a puppet? I¡¯m the general manager of Shen Group but I cannot make decisions on anything. In my father¡¯s mind, I am just a temporary replacement. When Yunrou had an incident, Father put me in the position of general manager regardless of whether I could do it or not. Now that Yunrou¡¯s matter is over, Father doesn¡¯t ask me what I think at all and directly asks me to vacate the position for you, Big Brother. Everything Father does revolves around you, Big Brother, since I was a child. What am I in Father¡¯s eyes?¡± Shen Cheng became more and more agitated as he talked, ignoring Shen Ji¡¯s distorted face, ¡°Big Brother, you are the eldest son, you are going to inherit the Shen family business. From a young age Grandfather and Father favoured you, and all of this goes without saying. You are good at everything, you are excellent, you are likeable, and I can¡¯t do anything. Since you know I can¡¯t, why do you want me to do it, just so that my incompetence can set you off, Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng didn¡¯t know when he had started having these thoughts. He had been used to standing next to Shen Ji to set off his excellence since he was a child, and anyway, there was Shen Xi in the Shen family who was even worse than him. He knew what he was capable of and had no thoughts about Shen Group. He also knew that based on his elder brother¡¯s love for him, he would never be treated badly. He was actually leading a good life. But when one day his elder brother, who had always been excellent, suddenly made a mistake, he was pushed into the position of general manager by his father and was caught off guard. He didn¡¯t think he could do it, but his father gently stated that he was just a name and that he still had his elder brother to rely on to make decisions about everything. He didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with this at first, but the people around him reminded him time and again that he was now the general manager of Shen Group and should take up his share of responsibility instead of relying on Shen Ji at every turn. He began to learn to make his own decisions, he began to contact Shen Group management, and he began to hear the praise from the company¡¯s people. He found that it felt good too, that it wasn¡¯t just his elder brother, that he could do well too, that he could be just like his elder brother. He invested in Anchor with great expectations, he smugly felt that he could definitely succeed. But just a few days later he was beaten back, turned into even less than he had been before. Shen Cheng didn¡¯t know what he was saying. As he watched Shen Ji¡¯s expression getting more and more unsightly, he subconsciously took a step back. Shen Ji only felt a chill in his heart and looked at Shen Cheng quietly, unable to say a word. The two brothers were in the middle of a confrontation when an alarming cry suddenly came from the door, ¡°Chairman.¡± Shen Ji was the first to react and pulled the door open. At the door of the office, Shen Dehan was on the floor, unconscious, and Wang Changlin and a few other people were anxiously gathered around him. As Shen Ji came out, the crowd suddenly looked embarrassed; they had obviously heard what Shen Cheng had just said. Shen Ji didn¡¯t care to look at their expressions, ordered the driver to prepare a car and hurried to the hospital with the bodyguards. As the crowd dispersed, Shen Cheng stood there with a bewildered look on his face, not knowing whether he should follow. News of Shen Dehan¡¯s hospitalisation once again reached Shen Xi¡¯s ears. Looking at the worried look on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face after he hung up the phone, Shen Xi casually said, ¡°What? Mr. Shen is not doing well?¡± Since the last time, Shen Xi no longer wanted to call Shen Dehan ¡°Father¡±, but always referred to him as ¡°Mr. Shen¡±. Li Mingxuan sat beside Shen Xi and nodded, ¡°Uncle is still in a coma, the doctor said that this time the situation is more critical.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t care. Every time Shen Dehan was hospitalised, he was in a critical condition, but he was still alive and kicking two days later. The last time Shen Rong made such a big fuss but Shen Dehan was still unscathed. Seeing Shen Xi¡¯s disbelief, Li Mingxuan sighed in his heart, ¡°It¡¯s not all about Uncle. A recent investment by Shen Group has gone wrong and I¡¯m afraid it will lead to turmoil in the company. At a time like this Uncle is in hospital again and Ah Ji and Ah Cheng are in conflict. Mother is very worried.¡± Shen Xi knew what Shen Group investment mistake was. As soon as the news about Anchor came out today, Shen Xi immediately realised that Lu Gesen had definitely received the insider information about Anchor in advance to design Shen Group investment in Anchor. The only thing that confused him was how Lu Gesen had arranged it with the investment department. As for the conflict between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, Shen Xi¡¯s mind wandered, ¡°Big Brother and Second Brother?¡± Li Mingxuan frowned slightly, ¡°Mother didn¡¯t say the specifics, only that Uncle had an attack this time because he was stimulated after hearing them quarrel.¡± Shen Xi snorted and said carelessly, ¡°It was a quarrel over Shen Group, right?¡± Shen Xi asked directly and Li Mingxuan acquiesced with a wry smile, ¡°Ah Cheng has grown up and has his own ideas.¡± Shen Xi scoffed at Li Mingxuan¡¯s statement and nailed it mercilessly, ¡°Second Brother wants to fight with Big Brother for control of Shen Group?¡± Although Shen Bixue did not explicitly say so, the words did reveal that Ah Cheng had this idea. Li Mingxuan hesitated and said vaguely, ¡°Maybe.¡± The corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth revealed a sneer. So what if they were blood brothers? No matter how deep the bond was, it was not invulnerable in front of the huge desire for money. His father had been guarding against him for so long, but he hadn¡¯t thought that it was his two favourite sons who would start the conflict. No wonder he was so angry that he was hospitalised. Shen Xi didn¡¯t bother to listen to the Shen family¡¯s affairs anymore, casually took the remote control and changed the channel, but then thought of Li Mingxuan beside him. Mingfei was still young and had a keen interest in sculpture. If one day he suddenly took an interest in Li Group, what would happen to Li Mingxuan? Shen Xi being lost in thought was noticed by Li Mingxuan, and he vaguely guessed what Shen Xi was thinking at the moment. He could not help but ask tentatively, ¡°Is Xiao Xi worried about Mingfei and me?¡± Shen Xi was slightly startled, surprise flashing in his eyes, and Li Mingxuan caught it immediately. Shen Xi originally only had a brief thought, but when Li Mingxuan said this, he suddenly felt as if he was really worried and couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. Li Mingxuan was delighted and reached out to hold Shen Xi, saying seriously, ¡°Mingfei and I will not have this day. Although Li Group is very important to me, it is not the most important thing. There are other things in my heart that are more important than Li Group.¡± Shen Xi was not entirely convinced. Li Mingxuan smiled and continued, ¡°You know, like Ah Ji, I was raised as an heir, and in my heart, I always took inheriting Li Group as a matter of course, until I graduated from university. By then I already knew my sexuality and was faced with a choice. Should I hide my sexuality and go about my business of marrying and having children and taking over the Li family or should I admit my sexuality to my parents, even if I lose the right to inherit? I thought and thought about it, but I chose to confess to my parents. I was ready to give up my inheritance and stay abroad, and I even planned to start a business with a few of my classmates. It was at that time that I completely figured out that Li Group was important, but there was something more important to me.¡± Speaking of this, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but lean over and kiss Shen Xi, his gaze turning hot, ¡°What¡¯s more, now that we¡¯re together, Li Group can only be handed over to Mingfei¡¯s children in the future. If he likes it, I would love for him to take over quickly. That way we can choose to go live abroad, find a place that supports same-sex marriage and live openly in the sun.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s tone did not sound like a joke, and Shen Xi could not help but feel a slight tremor in his heart, a flash of confusion in his eyes. Going abroad to get married? The idea sounded good, but shouldn¡¯t two people who get married love each other? The longer he stayed with Li Mingxuan, the more confused Shen Xi became about the relationship between them. From the beginning, he only needed Li Mingxuan¡¯s warmth, but now he didn¡¯t seem to know whether he needed this warmth or Li Mingxuan himself? Li Mingxuan¡¯s feelings were like warm water, and Shen Xi felt as if he was the frog being boiled in warm waters. Because at first he just craved that warmth, but now he actually felt that it was not bad to live with Li Mingxuan for the rest of his life. The word ¡°like¡± flashed through his mind, and Shen Xi suddenly came to his senses. He and Li Mingxuan were not as warm and sweet as they appeared to be, there was still the Shen family between them. He could not give Li Mingxuan what he wanted, and likewise, what he wanted Li Mingxuan could not give him either. Shen Xi came back to his senses and avoided the topic, ¡°Won¡¯t Cousin visit Mr. Shen?¡± The expectant look in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes slowly faded, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly in his heart. There seemed to be something invisible standing between Shen Xi and him. He stretched out his hand and rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair affectionately. Li Mingxuan knew that Shen Xi was avoiding him. Whenever he encountered a topic he didn¡¯t want to talk about, he would bring up Shen Dehan to ruin the atmosphere. Thinking of giving Shen Xi a little more time, Li Mingxuan said, ¡°I will go with my father tomorrow.¡± Shen Xi nodded indifferently and casually changed the subject again. Shen Dehan was unconscious for a long time this time and did not wake up until midnight. With great effort, he opened his eyes and was reminded of where he was by the white colour everywhere around him. Habitually scanning his surroundings, Shen Dehan struggled to find Shen Ji, but after looking around he found the ward empty; he was alone there. The words he heard before he fainted flashed through his mind, and Shen Dehan struggled to sit up, only to discover to his horror that something was wrong with his body and he could not feel his left side. He panicked and stretched out his right hand, trying to grab the railing of the hospital bed and sit up, but he overexerted himself and fell to the floor with a thud. There was a sharp pain in his body, and the floor felt cold under him, an infinite chill spreading through his entire being. Shen Dehan lay there gasping for breath, his face twisted from the effort. It was not an illusion, the left side of his body was really unresponsive. Shen Bixue got the news of Shen Dehan¡¯s stroke by a phone call at 3am. Hearing the ear-piercing phone ring, Shen Xi buried his head in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms in annoyance, ¡°Is it dawn yet?¡± Li Mingxuan patted Shen Xi soothingly and picked up the phone. After hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi and said softly, ¡°Uncle has had a stroke, the left half of his body is unresponsive. The doctor said that in a situation like Uncle¡¯s, it may take a long period of treatment and recuperation before he can return to his original condition, but in the short term, Uncle will not be able to move as usual.¡± All of Shen Xi¡¯s sleepiness was chased away by this news, and he quietly lay in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, hiding the complex look on his face. Li Mingxuan could not guess Shen Xi¡¯s current mood and slowly reached out to pat him, whispering, ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± Shen Xi answered with a muffled ¡°en¡±, got up and dressed quickly, gesturing for Li Mingxuan to go to the hospital with him. Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a quiet look and accompanied him. By the time the two arrived at the hospital, Li Xiyong was quietly standing in the corridor with Li Mingfei, and Shen Ji was sitting there alone with his head down, the look on his face impossible to see. ¡°Dad.¡± ¡°Uncle.¡± The two greeted Li Xiyong gently, who nodded in reply, as Li Mingfei quietly squeezed up to Li Mingxuan¡¯s side. ¡°Big Brother, Cousin.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded and asked in a low voice, ¡°Where is Mother?¡± Li Mingfei replied in a low voice, ¡°Uncle has been throwing a tantrum, Mother is inside with him and we were all kicked out.¡± Li Mingxuan looked around and found no sign of Shen Cheng, ¡°Where is Ah Cheng?¡± Li Mingfei shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Cousin Shen Cheng hasn¡¯t come.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s brow furrowed and he was about to go and talk to Shen Ji when suddenly there was Shen Dehan¡¯s angry shout from in the ward, ¡°Get out!¡± The door was gently opened and Shen Bixue walked out with a worried look on her face. The eyes of everyone were immediately drawn to Shen Bixue as they gathered around her. Shen Xi stood quietly a little apart, looking straight in through the gap in the ward door. Shen Xi saw his father¡¯s gloomy face and the corners of his mouth curved up in a swift arc as he said in an inaudible voice, ¡°Retribution!¡± Inside the ward, Shen Dehan¡¯s face distorted. CH 66 The next day, as the news of Shen Dehan¡¯s stroke spread, along with the news that Shen Group investment in Anchor had failed, directly leading to Shen Group stock price dropping wildly, from a peak of 120 yuan per share to directly below 100 yuan, and still falling. This was the second time that Shen Group share price had plummeted since the Yunrou incident, and the two dives in a short period of time left Shen Group shareholders in a state of panic, with a large number of retail shares being sold off over time. Shen Ji stared in silence at the monitor in front of him; the curve representing Shen Group stock price was going down, and Shen Ji could already imagine what Shen Group would be like at the end of the day. The office door was knocked on gently; Shen Ji suppressed the irritation in his heart and closed the screen, gesturing to the person at the door to come in. A moment later Lu Gesen appeared in front of Shen Ji with a serious look. ¡°Gesen?¡± A trace of astonishment flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. Lu Gesen maintained his usual cold face, ¡°Cheng Shao has not been coming to work. I have a few documents here that I need him to sign.¡± When he heard Shen Cheng¡¯s name, Shen Ji¡¯s expression changed slightly, and after a moment of silence, he gestured for Lu Gesen to send over the documents that needed to be signed. Lu Gesen nodded, but did not leave immediately; instead he stood there with an obvious desire to speak. ¡°What? Something else?¡± Lu Gesen was silent for a moment; then, as if he had made up his mind, he said in a low voice, ¡°Shen Group needs you back now, General Manager Shen.¡± Shen Ji was taken aback by Lu Gesen¡¯s words; he naturally understood what Lu Gesen meant. Just as the people on the board of directors called him after hearing the news about Anchor, Lu Gesen obviously thought from Shen Group¡¯s point of view that Shen Ji was more suitable for Shen Group at this time than Shen Cheng. Shen Ji said nothing and smiled appeasingly at Lu Gesen, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shen Group will be fine. ¡± Lu Gesen nodded and quietly retreated. After leaving the office, Lu Gesen pushed up his glasses to hide the glint in his eyes. When the office door was gently closed by Lu Gesen, the smile on Shen Ji¡¯s face faded. Although he was acting confidently in front of Lu Gesen, he understood in his heart that the situation of Shen Group was not good at the moment. His father was in hospital, the directors were dissident, the investment had failed. One bad move was going to bury Shen Group¡¯s century-old business in his hands. Shen Ji rubbed his temples with a headache. It was not that he hadn¡¯t thought about Lu Gesen¡¯s proposal. He didn¡¯t look down on Ah Cheng, but he was indeed more familiar with Shen Group than Ah Cheng, and was indeed more suitable for Shen Group at this time than Ah Cheng. But every time this thought rose up, his mind would go back to what Shen Cheng had said yesterday. There was already a rift between him and Shen Cheng, so if he really did this, wouldn¡¯t it prove Shen Cheng¡¯s words even more? There was no telling what Shen Cheng would think. Shen Ji¡¯s heart surged with irritation; at this critical moment of Shen Group, reason told him not to worry about Shen Cheng¡¯s thoughts and first hold the power of Shen Group in his hands to survive Shen Group¡¯s current crisis before anything else. But emotionally, he really did not want to have a rift with Shen Cheng, and he could foresee that this would be a lifelong rift. Shen Ji did not know when Shen Cheng had become dissatisfied with him. Was he wrong to discipline him for so many years? Shen Ji wanted to grab Shen Cheng and ask for clarification, but since yesterday, Shen Cheng had not appeared. The time slowly arrived at noon, and Shen Cheng still did not appear at the company. Shen Ji hung up the phone. As he thought, Shen Cheng had not been to the hospital either. The worry on Shen Ji¡¯s face was mixed with gloom. Where the hell had Shen Cheng gone? Did he know what time it was? Deep disappointment rose in his heart, and Shen Ji¡¯s face turned cold as he intended to propose to his father that he would take over the post of general manager of Shen Group. Opening his eyes in a daze, Shen Cheng only felt a splitting headache and his mouth was parched. Subconsciously, according to his habit, he touched his left side but what his hand touched was not a wooden bedside table but soft hair. Shen Cheng was startled for a moment, turned around, and an unfamiliar face came into view. Shen Cheng had a momentary look of bewilderment, staring at the young man beside him. When he looked over, the layout around him was also very unfamiliar. Obviously this was not Shen¡¯s house, it looked more like a hotel. Confused, he sat up and looked around wondering why he could not remember how he got here. ¡°Cheng Shao!¡± The young man¡¯s sweet voice rang in his ears as an arm wrapped around him. Shen Cheng frowned at the naked man at his side, only feeling that his mind was in a mess. Many vague memories flashed by but he could not recall anything. The young man¡¯s hand climbed onto Shen Cheng¡¯s arm, and Shen Cheng impatiently swatted it away. A hint of embarrassment appeared on the young man¡¯s face, but he quickly smiled ingratiatingly at Shen Cheng and obediently shrank to the side. Shen Cheng scratched his head in annoyance, ¡°Where is this place? Why am I here?¡± Since the young man knew his name, he should obviously know him. Sure enough the young man opened his mouth in surprise, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, Cheng Shao? Yesterday, when Zhang Shao and the others were gathering at Shutu, didn¡¯t you bring Rong Shao along with you, Cheng Shao?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s name reminded Shen Cheng of something. He was in a bad mood yesterday and felt too guilty to go to the hospital to see his father. He happened to run into Shen Rong, somehow he went to Shutu, and then he mixed up with Zhang Qiu who the young man was talking about. Shen Cheng stared blankly ahead of him. He used to mess around but never dared to stay out overnight, and had to go home on time every night, otherwise he would be reprimanded by his elder brother. In particular, his elder brother had a very bad impression of Zhang Qiu, thinking that he played too much and often got together with a bunch of men and women without any bottom line. Because of Shen Ji¡¯s dislike, Shen Cheng never dared to hang out with Zhang Qiu. Even though Tian Wenyao had mentioned it several times, She Cheng used to refuse. This time, if Big Brother found out that he was messing around with them, he would be reprimanded again, right? This thought flashed through his mind and Shen Cheng suddenly felt irritated. Realising that Shen Cheng¡¯s expression was not right, the young man cautiously approached him, ¡°Cheng Shao?¡± Shen Cheng returned to his senses and once again waved the young man away in annoyance, haphazardly fished out his clothes and put them on. Without even looking at the young man, he pushed open the bedroom door. In the dimly lit living room, there were many men and women lying around, and Shen Cheng saw a few familiar faces in there. It was obvious that everyone had had too much fun last night and was still asleep, with no sign of waking up. Shen Cheng frowned and kicked the man who was closest to him. He needed to go to the hospital before returning to the company. ¡°You¡¯re awake, Second Brother?¡± An inconspicuous door at his side was pushed open, and Shen Rong walked out putting on his jacket. He was obviously taken aback when he saw Shen Cheng, and then walked over with a smile on his face. ¡°Are you hungry, Second Brother? I¡¯ve made a reservation at the restaurant below and was planning to go find you.¡± Shen Cheng originally intended to refuse, but nodded when he saw Shen Rong¡¯s ingratiating face. Anyway, whether it was the company or the hospital, there was Big Brother there, and he was unnecessary. What¡¯s more, when Shen Cheng thought of what had happened yesterday, he felt too guilty to appear in front of Shen Dehan and Shen Ji. After all, Shen Dehan had fainted because of his words, and Shen Cheng instinctively wanted to procrastinate for a while. The two of them didn¡¯t care about the people sleeping on the floor, and Shen Cheng didn¡¯t bother to ask Shen Rong who he was with last night. They went down in the elevator and headed straight for the hotel restaurant. Shen Cheng thought about what he should say when he met his father and what he should say when he met Shen Ji, but he couldn¡¯t escape the reprimand of his father and elder brother anyway, and he was used to it. Shen Cheng was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn¡¯t notice Shen Rong beside him suddenly stopping in his tracks and looking at the person in front of him. ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± The familiar voice startled Shen Cheng and he jerked his head up, ¡°Cousin.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s face was very unsightly. This place was not far from Li Group. Lin Yao had come here on business; he thought he still owed Lin Yao a meal and casually made an appointment here, but he did not expect to meet Shen Cheng who had not returned home all night. His eyes swept over Shen Cheng¡¯s crumpled clothes and landed on the hickey exposed above his collar. Li Mingxuan frowned. ¡°Where did you go last night?¡± Shen Cheng subconsciously tried to laugh and muddle through as he always did, but when he met Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze, he no longer dared to show a playful expression and only lowered his head and stammered, unable to speak. Shen Rong wanted to add something politely, but Li Mingxuan gave him a cold look, and the coldness in his eyes immediately made Shen Rong swallow what he wanted to say. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t need to think to know what Shen Cheng had done last night. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Uncle is in the hospital, don¡¯t you know? You still have the heart to come out and fool around.¡± Shen Cheng lowered his head and did not say anything. Li Mingxuan glanced at Shen Rong in disgust, intuitively guessing that Shen Cheng had been instigated by Shen Rong. He knew that even if Shen Cheng was fooling around, he wouldn¡¯t dare to go too far unless someone was urging him on. Otherwise, how would he dare to stay out all night, especially when Shen Dehan was hospitalised. Thinking that Shen Dehan was still lying in the hospital, Li Mingxuan did not say anything else but urged, ¡°Uncle has had a stroke, so hurry up, change your clothes and go to the hospital.¡± The word ¡°stroke¡± caused Shen Cheng and Shen Rong to look over in shock at the same time. ¡°Father had a stroke? How could it be?¡± Shen Cheng repeated incredulously. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression did not look like he was joking at all. Shen Cheng was about to leave at once, when Li Mingxuan frowned and whispered, ¡°Cover up the marks on your neck before you go.¡± As Shen Cheng stood flabbergasted, Li Mingxuan swept a cold glance at Shen Rong, ¡°Don¡¯t bring irrelevant people with you, Uncle can¡¯t stand the stimulation.¡± Shen Rong instantly turned pale and looked at Li Mingxuan aggrieved. Li Mingxuan ignored Shen Rong¡¯s expression and directly walked up to Lin Yao who had been waiting ahead of him. Lin Yao looked at the departing Shen Cheng and shook his head, ¡°Shen Cheng is far worse than Shen Ji.¡± Li Mingxuan sighed, ¡°Ah Cheng has been spoiled by Ah Ji.¡± Lin Yao laughed and the topic turned to Shen Rong, ¡°But that Shen Rong is a bit interesting. Someone begged me to help him, what do you say?¡± Both Zhou Xiaozhou and Shen Rong were unhappy that ¡°Against the Current¡± could not be released, and the two of them had thought of many ways to remedy the situation during this period of time. Zhou Xiaozhou was fine, it was the investors¡¯ money he had lost, but Shen Rong was losing his own money. Because of the video incident, Tian Wenyao, who had promised to help, had not contacted him, and the Tian family had even warned him directly that if he dared to get involved with Tian Wenyao again, even if his surname was Shen, the Tian family would have ways to make it impossible for him to stay in Zhongjing. With no other choice, Shen Rong had to bow down to find someone he used to know when he was following Shen Cheng, and managed to finally pass the word to Lin Yao. If at first Lin Yao did not know why Li Mingxuan wanted to cut Shen Rong, he later vaguely guessed through working with Chen Zhiwei that Li Mingxuan was doing it for Shen Xi¡¯s sake. Originally, he had already promised Li Mingxuan, but the other party also had a good relationship with him, so Lin Yao wanted to probe Li Mingxuan¡¯s mood since he was in a difficult situation. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression sank and his brow furrowed slightly. Every time he heard ¡°Against the Current¡±, it always reminded him of Shen Xi being drugged. Lin Yao understood Li Mingxuan¡¯s meaning from his expression and wisely changed the subject. When Shen Cheng hurriedly arrived at the hospital, Shen Ji was talking to Shen Dehan about Shen Group affairs. ¡°Father, you know, at this time I am more suitable for Shen Group than Ah Cheng.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s voice came out clearly, and Shen Cheng¡¯s hand, which was about to push the door open, suddenly froze. CH 67 The door of the ward was pushed open forcefully, interrupting the conversation between Shen Dehan and Shen Ji. Shen Ji¡¯s expression darkened slightly, and he turned around dissatisfied. He had received a call from Li Mingxuan not long ago and thought that the person coming would be Shen Cheng. But his brow furrowed when he saw the visitor at the door. At the door of the ward, Chu Qianqian stood panting and holding the door handle, and it was obvious how anxious she was. At this moment her gaze was softly falling on Shen Dehan¡¯s body, her expression full of worry, ¡°Mr. Shen.¡± The originally gloomy face of Shen Dehan became lighter and vaguely filled with joy, ¡°Qianqian.¡± After Shen Dehan called her ¡°Qianqian¡±, Chu Qianqian¡¯s eyes turned slightly red and she nodded, holding back her tears. She seemed to want to be by Shen Dehan¡¯s side, but she was afraid of Shen Ji and did not dare to get too close. Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes naturally turned to Shen Ji as he discontentedly patted the hospital bed, straining to speak, ¡°Qianqian, come here, Ah Ji, you go out first.¡± A trace of self-deprecation flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. He said nothing, walking straight towards the door of the ward. Shen Ji¡¯s dryness caused Shen Dehan to stare a little, then he quickly thought of something and added, ¡°Shen Group matter will be done according to what you said, I will inform the directors as soon as possible.¡± Shen Ji paused slightly in his steps and nodded faintly. As the door to the ward slowly closed behind him, a self-deprecating smile overflowed from Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. He turned to walk towards the elevator when out of the corner of his eye he saw Shen Cheng standing against the wall. Shen Cheng¡¯s expression was very odd, worried, indignant, guilty, mixed with the joy of revenge, all kinds of emotions twisted together. Shen Ji¡¯s heart sank as he recalled the sudden arrival of Chu Qianqian and something vaguely clicked in his mind. His expression turned grim. ¡°It was you who brought her here?¡± Suppressing his anger, Shen Ji questioned in a low voice. Both brothers knew who this ¡°her¡± was referring to. Shen Cheng, who was originally leaning against the wall, struggled to stand straight at Shen Ji¡¯s questioning, gritted his teeth and nodded. Shen Ji did not expect Shen Cheng to admit so simply, and sadness welled up in his eyes, ¡°Why?¡± Why? Shen Cheng held the answer in his heart. He wanted to say it was because Shen Ji looked down on him, because Shen Ji had claimed to be the best to him, only to turn his back and show disdain for him in front of his father. He was just angry, just wanted to get back at Shen Ji by making him unhappy too, that¡¯s why he had the driver take Chu Qianqian to the hospital on an impulse. But after seeing the emotions in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes, Shen Cheng suddenly could not say these words. Avoiding Shen Ji¡¯s eyes, Shen Cheng acted as if he didn¡¯t care, ¡°I thought that Father should be happier to see Miss Chu in this state, so I brought her here.¡± This reason was even more unacceptable to Shen Ji. He would rather Shen Cheng had deliberately let Chu Qianqian come to stimulate him because they had an argument. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes gradually turned cold and he looked at Shen Cheng in silence for a while before turning and leaving in disappointment. Shen Cheng vaguely felt that he seemed to have made a mistake, but when he looked at Shen Ji¡¯s alienated back, the call for ¡°Big Brother¡± stuck in his throat, and he could not let it out. Shen Ji returned to the company quietly. In one morning, Shen Group shares had fallen to 80 yuan per share, and Shen Group market value had evaporated by a full third. Shen Ji thought that things had already gone bad and there couldn¡¯t possibly be any worse news, but unexpectedly he saw his assistant¡¯s anxious look as soon as he returned to the office. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± The assistant breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Shen Ji coming back, and said quickly, ¡°Chang Lei just told me that there may be some problems with the company¡¯s accounts.¡± ¡°There is a problem with the accounts?¡± Shen Ji was stunned. The assistant nodded, ¡°Chang Lei didn¡¯t talk about the specifics, he just said that the finance department was investigating.¡± Shen Ji had a bad feeling in his heart, ¡°I know, you go to Chang Lei and tell me immediately if there are any problems.¡± Chang Lei was one of Shen Group senior financial managers. Because he had followed Shen Ji all the way from the subsidiary to the head office, the company¡¯s employees privately regarded Chang Lei as Shen Ji¡¯s man. The two had quite a lot of contact on a regular basis, that was why Chang Lei had informed Shen Ji privately. Shen Ji was troubled by the news of the accounts all afternoon. Until the end of the day the finance department did not find any clues. In anxiety, Shen Ji could only go to the hospital to wait for the news. Because of Chu Qianqian¡¯s presence, he could not intervene in Shen Dehan¡¯s affairs, and Shen Dehan did not want him to be around and sent him home early to rest. That night, the people in the finance department worked overtime to check all the accounts in the last six months, but the final result made everyone speechless. Standing behind his colleagues, Chang Lei looked at the results and lowered his head as his eyes wandered. He took out his mobile phone hesitantly and laughed bitterly in his heart. There was no turning back now. Finding Shen Ji¡¯s number in his phone book, Chang Lei gently pressed it. ¡°Ah Cheng? Impossible.¡± When Shen Ji, who was asleep, was awakened by the phone call and heard Chang Lei¡¯s tired voice saying that the result of the investigation showed that the most suspicious person was Shen Cheng, he lost all his sleepiness and his whole body was abnormally awake. ¡°Impossible!¡± Shen Ji once again categorically denied, ¡°There is absolutely no way that Ah Cheng did it.¡± Chang Lei did not refute Shen Ji¡¯s words, but only recounted the situation roughly. Although Shen Ji believed that Shen Cheng would never do this, the evidence was in front of him and he hung up the phone with a frown on his face, distraught. Shen Ji, who could no longer fall asleep, glanced at the time, 5am, and thoughtfully pressed Shen Cheng¡¯s number. The phone rang over and over again, but no one answered. Shen Ji patiently redialled again and again; finally the phone was picked up and someone said in a daze, ¡°Hello?¡± It was not Shen Cheng¡¯s voice. Shen Ji subconsciously said in a cold voice, ¡°Who is this? Give the phone to Shen Cheng.¡± The person who answered the phone replied impatiently, ¡°Cheng Shao has had too much to drink and is sleeping. Talk about it tomorrow.¡± The phone was hung up abruptly. Listening to the beeping sound coming from the receiver, Shen Ji clenched the phone in his hand, feeling his breath stuck in his lungs. He dialled again, but this time the other party simply turned off the phone. Shen Ji¡¯s face was dark as he sat alone on the sofa in silence until dawn. The first thing Shen Ji did when he arrived at the office early this morning was to instruct Lu Gesen to inform him as soon as Shen Cheng came to the office. Lu Gesen already knew about last night¡¯s financial investigation and nodded silently. After parting with Shen Ji, Lu Gesen immediately called Wang Changlin while there was no one in the office. ¡°Foster Father.¡± ¡°Gesen?¡± Wang Changlin had already guessed that Lu Gesen was calling about Shen Cheng, ¡°What? Are you worried about Shen Cheng?¡± Lu Gesen said, ¡°Shen Cheng doesn¡¯t have the brains to embezzle Shen Group funds, so someone behind the scenes must have set him up to take the blame. I¡¯m worried that if Shen Cheng is implicated, it will ruin our plan.¡± Wang Changlin had also been thinking about this after receiving the news last night. He also did not believe that Shen Cheng had the brains to embezzle Shen Group funds, and what was more crucial was that Lu Gesen had been following Shen Cheng¡¯s side all the time and there was no way Shen Cheng could have hidden this matter from him. So these things must have been designed by someone behind the scenes, but what was the use of someone behind the scenes implicating Shen Cheng? Could it be that someone had secretly misappropriated Shen Group funds and used Shen Cheng to take the blame? Wang Changlin didn¡¯t believe it would be that simple, but at the moment he couldn¡¯t see through it, so he had to reassure Lu Gesen, ¡°Whether someone is scheming or not, you just have to cooperate with the company¡¯s investigation. I have a feeling that this matter is not so simple.¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s heart stirred, ¡°Foster Father, should this matter be brought to Shen Ji¡¯s attention?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s words made Wang Changlin suddenly think of something. He had always suspected that Chu Qianqian¡¯s appearance was not an accident, and if what Gao Qiulin said was true and there was another person behind him, then all these things could be faintly linked to the accounting issues this time. It seemed that apart from him, there was another person lurking in the shadows, full of malice towards the Shen family. Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes grew brighter and brighter, vaguely tinged with madness. Recalling Gao Qiulin¡¯s praise of Shen Cheng during these days, Wang Changlin suddenly smiled in understanding. If he hadn¡¯t guessed wrongly, the other party¡¯s aim was not Shen Cheng but Shen Ji behind Shen Cheng. Wang Changlin¡¯s silence made Lu Gesen puzzled, ¡°Foster Father?¡± He heard Wang Changlin laugh softly, ¡°Gesen, you don¡¯t need to worry about this matter, just watch.¡± Lu Gesen had a guess, ¡°The other side has a hidden agenda?¡± Wang Changlin said, ¡°Yes, maybe we can even help each other.¡± Hanging up the phone, Wang Changlin thought for a moment and dialled Shen Rong¡¯s number. ¡°Uncle Wang.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s tone was very kind, ¡°Ah Rong, Shen Cheng hasn¡¯t been coming to the office, is he with you?¡± ¡°Second Brother had too much to drink last night, what happened?¡± Satisfaction flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes, ¡°There was a little accident at the company, find a way to delay him.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Shen Rong agreed obediently. Wang Changlin¡¯s expression twisted as he chuckled. Shen Cheng did not appear at the company for the entire day. Rumours about Shen Cheng privately embezzling Shen Group funds had spread throughout the company. Although Shen Ji had sternly banned the spread of the rumours, it did not help at all. Several of the company¡¯s directors called, demanding that Shen Ji give them an explanation. Whether or not Shen Cheng was guilty, it was certain that something was wrong with the accounts, and they needed the company to investigate it to the end. There was no need for them to say that to Shen Ji. He was definitely going to investigate to the end. He simply did not believe that Shen Cheng would do such a thing, but the most crucial issue now was to find Shen Cheng. After contacting all the people that Shen Cheng might be hanging around with, Shen Ji was able to find out where Shen Cheng was. Not caring about the company¡¯s affairs, Shen Ji drove straight to the club where Shen Cheng might be. Inside a huge, dimly lit private room, a dozen men and women were gathered together, some yelling over the deafening sound of the stereo, some laughing, some simply hugging each other. Shen Cheng leaned back drunkenly on the sofa as a pretty young man snuggled into his arms, talking coquettishly. Someone next to them was heckling, and Shen Cheng laughed, reaching out to grope inside of the young man¡¯s collar. ¡°Bang! ¡±With a loud noise, the door of the private room was slammed open from the outside, and Shen Ji stood at the door with a frosty face. Everyone in the private room froze in their tracks, some of them recognising Shen Ji and exchanging a look. Trying not to be nosy, they quietly exited the room. Shen Rong lowered his head and slipped out of the room while Shen Ji¡¯s attention was drawn to Shen Cheng; he dared not let Shen Ji see that he was here, too. In a moment, only Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were left in the room. Shen Cheng seemed to have not reacted yet while Shen Ji coldly walked up to him, picked up a bottle of freshly opened wine and poured it directly on his head. Shen Cheng jerked, ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face was grim, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to the company?¡± Shen Cheng, perhaps emboldened by the wine, laughed mockingly, ¡°What¡¯s the point of going to the company? Didn¡¯t you already tell Father that you want to be the general manager? Am I not consciously making room for you?¡± The anger in Shen Ji¡¯s heart was ignited by Shen Cheng¡¯s words, and he immediately sneered, ¡°Do you feel resentful and dissatisfied? Come and fight with me, what are you doing cowering here drunk?¡± ¡°Fight?¡± Shen Cheng said vaguely, ¡°Father is looking out for you, Aunt is looking out for you, everyone is looking out for you, what can I do to compete with you?¡± Shen Ji was cold, ¡°So you¡¯re privately embezzling the company¡¯s funds? What are you going to do? Start a new business on your own?¡± Shen Cheng hadn¡¯t been completely drunk all this time, but was just arguing with Shen Ji through his drunkenness, and Shen Ji¡¯s words made him come to his senses completely. ¡°Big Brother, what did you say?¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s expression and said word for word, ¡°You dare to say that you didn¡¯t privately embezzle the company¡¯s money?¡± Shen Cheng instantly jumped up, ¡°Why would I embezzle the company¡¯s money? Isn¡¯t Shen Group owned by the Shen family? Why would I embezzle my own family¡¯s money?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s expression did not look like he was lying, and Shen Ji¡¯s heart settled down. Although he was sure that Shen Cheng would not do such a thing, he was also worried that Shen Cheng might have been instigated by others. Now that he heard Shen Cheng deny it, Shen Ji coldly snorted, pulled Shen Cheng and kicked open the bathroom door. For some reason, each private room in this club had a bathroom, only the size was different. The bathroom in the private room where Shen Cheng was sitting was not small, and Shen Ji did not hesitate to push Shen Cheng under the shower, turning on the cold water fiercely. ¡°Big Brother, what are you doing?¡± Shen Cheng shivered from the cold. Shen Ji gave him a disgusted look, ¡°Wash up and come back to the hospital with me.¡± When Shen Ji found Shen Cheng, Shen Xi had just finished reading Lao K¡¯s text message and planned to delete it. Chang Lei had successfully caused the problem of Shen Group accounts. Shen Cheng was only the first step, and soon it would be Shen Ji¡¯s turn. Shen Xi smiled coldly. Next he wanted to see how his father would choose between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. Satisfied, Shen Xi emptied his phone and looked at Fang Luowei who was accompanying him, ¡°Bored? Why don¡¯t you go find Chen Zhiwei and ask him to introduce you to some people?¡± Tonight was the premiere of ¡°Troubled Times¡±, and although Shen Xi was impatient, he had to come and show up. There was still some time before the start of the movie and he was too lazy to go outside, so Fang Luowei took the initiative to stay in the lounge with him. Since the drugging incident last time, although Fang Luowei could not avoid the ripples in his heart when he saw Shen Xi, he knew that it was a fact that Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan were together. He consciously kept a distance from Shen Xi so as not to be too intimate, so that Li Mingxuan would not misunderstand. Shen Xi never thought that Fang Luowei would have any thoughts about him and he had no idea that Fang Luowei was worried about Li Mingxuan¡¯s misunderstanding. However, for the sake of Fang Luowei¡¯s reputation, he intentionally or unintentionally distanced himself from Fang Luowei in order to avoid reporters to say that Fang Luowei had risen to the top relying on the unspoken rules. This was one of the few times they had been alone together recently. Fang Luowei shook his head at Shen Xi¡¯s words, ¡°It¡¯s good here.¡± Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s unchanged expression, Fang Luowei felt that his heart slowly relaxed. Although he did not know much about the stock market, the news of Shen Group share price plummeting was all over the internet. In the eyes of the public, everything Shen Xi had depended on the Shen family, and once the family collapsed, Shen Xi would have nothing. Although Fang Luowei knew that Shen Xi¡¯s relationship with the Shen family was not good, he could not help but worry that Shen Xi would suffer because of the Shen family. Fang Luowei¡¯s concern was seen by Shen Xi, who immediately reacted, ¡°Luowei is worried about me?¡± Fang Luowei nodded frankly, ¡°I saw some news on the internet.¡± ¡°About Shen Group?¡± Fang Luowei nodded and deliberated, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about this, is Shen Group in some kind of trouble?¡± Shen Xi nodded indifferently, ¡°It seems like that, I haven¡¯t paid much attention to it.¡± Fang Luowei glanced at Shen Xi, obviously eager to say something. Shen Xi chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Shen Group is Shen Group, I am me, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Fang Luowei intuitively felt that Shen Xi meant something by this statement and was about to speak up when Chen Zhiwei¡¯s purposely amplified laughter suddenly came from the entrance of the lounge. ¡°Haha, I am truly honoured by the personal presence of Boss Lin.¡± Lin Yao looked at Chen Zhiwei suspiciously; he felt that it was a bit odd for him to suddenly yell so loudly. Li Mingxuan looked at Chen Zhiwei with a smirk, then stepped forward and pushed the door open. Chen Zhiwei acted as if nothing had happened, but in his heart he was muttering: Fang Luowei just kicked Zhao Wenping out, saying that he wanted to spend some time alone with Shen Xi; who knows what he wanted to do. He shouldn¡¯t be caught by the rightful master by coincidence; Chen Zhiwei could be considered to have warned him in advance. As the door to the lounge was pushed open, Lin Yao saw the two people inside and suddenly smiled meaningfully. Inside the lounge, Fang Luowei and Shen Xi were sitting together, looking very close. As Lin Yao thought of the previous rumours, he felt more and more that the closeness between Fang Luowei and Shen Xi was very unnatural, as if they were hiding something. As Lin Yao thought about it, he saw Li Mingxuan walk up and intimately reach out to pull Shen Xi to his feet, saying warmly, ¡°Have you eaten tonight?¡± Shen Xi nodded and gestured to Fang Luowei, ¡°I ate with Luowei.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded at Fang Luowei in greeting, and smoothly wrapped his arms around Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan¡¯s action caused Lin Yao¡¯s expression to turn weird. Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi? No wonder Li Mingxuan was so concerned about Shen Xi¡¯s affairs. But what was the matter with Fang Luowei? Lin Yao had a rare moment of curiosity. Looking at Fang Luowei¡¯s expression, he seemed very calm and showed no signs of guilt. Chen Zhiwei felt bitterly that he seemed to be unnecessary. When the premiere began, Shen Xi simply showed his face before pulling Li Mingxuan to sit in one of the most isolated corners in the back row. As the lights dimmed, Li Mingxuan stretched out his hand to hold Shen Xi, who unconsciously showed a smile in his eyes and squeezed his hand vigorously. CH 68 The premiere of ¡°Troubled Times¡± was a great success. Chen Zhiwei got rid of his previous bad luck and became proud of himself, and Fang Luowei won people¡¯s attention with his stunning costumed appearance; but among the main figures, the media paid most attention to Shen Xi. As an uneducated playboy in the eyes of the public, Shen Xi didn¡¯t seem optimistic before he invested in ¡°Troubled Times¡±, and the media mentioned him as a loser who had too much money to burn. However, the success of the movie made all the media change their tone, and Shen Xi became a wise man with a discerning eye. After declining all media interviews, Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan left the premiere in a low-key manner. On the way home, neither of them said anything, and the quiet car was filled with the soft sound of violin, a faint warmth flowing between them. Taking advantage of waiting for the green light, Li Mingxuan could not help but lean over and give Shen Xi a quick kiss. Shen Xi was in a very good mood tonight; with a smile in his eyes, he took the initiative to reach out and wrap his arms around Li Mingxuan, who was about to retreat, and deepen the kiss. A whistle sounded from the car next to them, and Shen Xi smiled slightly, ending the kiss as the green light was lit. Li Mingxuan straightened and looked ahead, but the corners of his mouth curled in a gentle smile. Back in the community, in the elevator the two reached out at the same time and held each other in a tacit understanding. The two of them opened the door of their apartment almost impatiently; no one bothered to turn on the light, and by the glowing white moonlight outside the window, Li Mingxuan pushed Shen Xi to the door and kissed him hard. Shen Xi tilted his head to accept Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss, wrapped his arms around Li Mingxuan¡¯s neck and pressed his body against him. In the moonlight flowing like water, the two bodies were intimately entwined and did not part for a long time. After the long love-making, Shen Xi was carried into the bathroom by Li Mingxuan. After some careful cleaning, Shen Xi wrapped himself in the blanket and lay down on the bed. Li Mingxuan sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down to kiss him, ¡°Be good, sleep first, I¡¯ll answer a few emails.¡± Shen Xi nodded, but found that he couldn¡¯t sleep, so he subconsciously stared at Li Mingxuan sitting next to him. Under the warm orange light, Li Mingxuan was looking at the computer intently. From Shen Xi¡¯s perspective, Li Mingxuan¡¯s profile was incomparably handsome, and the concentration on his face was inexpressibly attractive. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan quietly, with tenderness in his eyes that he hadn¡¯t even noticed himself. When he woke up the next day, Li Mingxuan had already left for the office. Shen Xi washed up and turned on his computer. Unsurprisingly, he saw two completely different headlines in the entertainment pages of various portals. ¡°Shen Sanshao makes a strong comeback with ¡®Troubled Times¡¯, and his discerning eye is worthy of being called wise!¡± ¡°Shen Dashao and Ershao clash in another scandal over assets, the whereabouts of Shen Group¡¯s huge sum of money is a mystery!¡± Two reports with very different contents, yet inextricably linked, placed side by side, contained an indescribable irony. For the first time, Shen Xi, who had always had a negative image, appeared in front of readers in a positive light, while Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, who had always seemed perfect, were implicated in the scandal of unaccounted funds. Shen Xi skipped the story about himself and his eyes rested on the other story. Shen Ji wanted to keep the matter under wraps, but it was still exposed, and in such a way. In the office, Shen Ji stared at the newspaper in front of him in silence. The atmosphere was indescribably depressing. The assistant carefully glanced at Shen Ji, guessing his mood at the moment. ¡°The reporters still refuse to reveal the source of the news?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s sudden words caused the assistant to freeze for a moment, then quickly react, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted several reporters, and they said they weren¡¯t sure of the source, but strangely enough, they were all very sure of the authenticity of the news.¡± Shen Ji lowered his eyes and deliberately ignored the reports about Shen Xi, keeping his gaze on Shen Group reports. The person who broke the news obviously knew the inside story; not only did he tell the ins and outs clearly, but he didn¡¯t even miss any details. Shen Ji¡¯s brow furrowed; the other party did not choose to be exclusive but released the news to all the reporters, obviously wanting to make a big deal out of this matter. He wondered if the person who broke the news was the same as the one who was behind the tampering with the funds. What good would it do for him if the story went viral? Shen Ji was deep in thought when the office door was suddenly pushed open and Shen Cheng walked in with a panicked look on his face. ¡°Big Brother, what should we do? I don¡¯t want to go to jail!¡± The assistant was startled by what Shen Cheng said, and immediately withdrew from the office sensibly, closing the office door tightly. ¡°Go to jail?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Who said you will go to jail?¡± Shen Cheng grabbed Shen Ji¡¯s hand, ¡°Everyone in the company says so, embezzling company funds is an economic crime, if we can¡¯t find the one who really embezzled, do I have to go to jail?¡± Shen Ji shouted in a low voice, ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything wrong!¡± Shen Cheng nodded haphazardly, but did not dare to look at Shen Ji, ¡°But the funds that went to an unknown destination were all signed by me, what should I do, Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji patted Shen Cheng soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Brother won¡¯t let anything happen to you.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s reassurance made Shen Cheng feel much more at ease, and his morning worries about going to jail dissipated. A trace of uneasiness flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. Although he comforted Shen Cheng, he knew that things were not simple. The finances had been checked twice in a row and the flow of funds all pointed to Ah Cheng. Once the board intervened and handed the matter over to the police, it would be out of his control whether Ah Cheng could be cleared of suspicion. Shen Ji was about to tell Shen Cheng to go back to his office when his assistant suddenly pushed the door and barged in. Shen Ji looked over in confusion and realised that the assistant did not look right, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The assistant darted a glance at Shen Ji, his eyes implying that this matter needed to be discussed tet-a-tet. Shen Ji was slightly flabbergasted and turned his head to look at Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng realised what was going on and said discontentedly, ¡°Is there something you and Big Brother can¡¯t talk about in front of me?¡± The assistant looked embarrassed, but still stammered and refused to speak. Shen Cheng¡¯s expression was very dissatisfied as he frowned, got up and chose to leave. As soon as Shen Cheng left, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly, ¡°Director Liao of the finance department has found out the person who handled the money.¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± Shen Ji suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart. The assistant¡¯s face was grave, ¡°Chang Lei.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face turned ugly, ¡°Where is he now?¡± The assistant said, ¡°Director Liao found an excuse to keep him in the conference room, and now there are two security guards guarding him.¡± Shen Ji looked cold, ¡°Who else knows about this?¡± The assistant was about to say that the only people who knew were them when the door to the office was suddenly pushed open and Shen Cheng barged in with a look of shock and anger, ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s gaze was full of suspicion and disbelief. Shen Ji¡¯s heart sank; from the moment the assistant mentioned Chang Lei¡¯s name, he had already guessed that this matter would definitely be linked to him. He had already prepared in his heart, but Shen Cheng¡¯s subconscious reaction still made him feel incomparably saddened. Lu Gesen stood behind Shen Cheng with a serious face and said in a low voice, ¡°Cheng Shao, this matter is not yet certain to have anything to do with Shen Shao.¡± A hint of hesitation flashed across Shen Cheng¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t want to believe that his elder brother was behind all this either, but Chang Lei was his elder brother¡¯s man and everyone in the company knew it. The comfort that Shen Ji had just given him flashed through his mind, and Shen Cheng hesitantly looked at Shen Ji for a while before turning around and leaving the office without saying anything. Lu Gesen nodded apologetically to Shen Ji and followed him. The assistant looked at Shen Ji worriedly; even though Shen Cheng finally left, there was no denying that Shen Cheng still suspected Shen Ji in the first place. Thinking of Shen Ji¡¯s trust in Shen Cheng after the misappropriation of funds came out, the assistant couldn¡¯t help but look at Shen Ji again with sympathy in his eyes. Chang Lei admitted that the matter was handled by him behind the scenes and confessed that he was acting under Shen Ji¡¯s instructions, with the purpose being to get Shen Cheng to resign as general manager. The finance department followed Chang Lei¡¯s account and soon discovered that a large amount of unidentified money had suddenly been added to his account recently. The people even found emails between Chang Lei and Shen Ji in his email inbox, all the evidence pointing clearly to Shen Ji. When the news reached the hospital, Shen Dehan fainted again in shock and anger. When he woke up again, he found that Wang Changlin was with him. ¡°Changlin? How come it¡¯s you?¡± Shen Dehan was helped by Wang Changlin to sit up with great effort. Wang Changlin helped Shen Dehan adjust to a comfortable position while speaking, ¡°The company¡¯s affairs are in a mess, and neither Ah Ji nor Ah Cheng can leave.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s words made Shen Dehan think of the news he had received earlier and his face suddenly turned ugly, ¡°What did Chang Lei say in the end?¡± Wang Changlin smiled bitterly, ¡°The board of directors insisted on handing Chang Lei over to the police, but I stopped them. We¡¯ll talk about everything when you wake up.¡± Shen Dehan grimaced, ¡°Changlin, do you believe in Ah Ji?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s heart twitched and he nodded, ¡°I believe in him, but the problem now is that Chang Lei insists it was Ah Ji, and with all the physical evidence, it¡¯s hard for Ah Ji to clear his name.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s brow furrowed tightly. He also believed in his son, but as Wang Changlin had said, Chang Lei insisted it was Ah Ji who had ordered him to do it, and with all the human and material evidence there, it would be very difficult for Ah Ji to clear himself of suspicion. If he handed Chang Lei over to the police, then Ah Ji would certainly be implicated. He didn¡¯t believe that Chang Lei alone would dare to implicate Ah Ji. The matter was full of strangeness from beginning to end. Whether or not the matter was going to be cleared up in the end, there would already be a stain on Ah Ji. But if he didn¡¯t hand over Chang Lei, he couldn¡¯t erase the suspicion that Ah Cheng had embezzled funds. On one side was Ah Ji and on the other was Ah Cheng. The matter had come to a head and he had to make a decision as soon as possible. Was he going to protect Ah Ji or Ah Cheng? Wang Changlin looked at Shen Dehan silently, and a sneer flashed in his eyes very quickly. No matter what decision Shen Dehan made today, the rift between the father and the son would never be repaired. The news that Shen Dehan had woken up was quickly communicated by Wang Changlin, and everyone rushed over to the hospital as soon as they received the news. Shen Dehan sat firmly in the wheelchair and received several other directors of the company. Shen Ji sat behind his father with an expressionless face, while Shen Cheng hesitated for a moment and sat beside him. Shen Cheng¡¯s attitude was noticed by everyone, and all of them felt moved. Gao Qiulin was the first to speak up, ¡°Dehan, I¡¯m sure you are clear about what we¡¯ve come for. I suggest that this matter be handed over to the police. Whether it¡¯s Ah Ji or Ah Cheng, they should be given a chance to prove their innocence.¡± Shen Dehan did not speak with a sullen face. Gao Qiulin smiled and looked at Shen Cheng, ¡°Ah Cheng, you are the victim, what do you think?¡± Shen Cheng nodded without hesitation. Gao Qiulin smiled in satisfaction and turned to Shen Ji, ¡°What does Ah Ji think?¡± Shen Ji did not look at Gao Qiulin and said in a cold voice, ¡°I have no objections.¡± Gao Qiulin was very surprised by Shen Ji¡¯s response and looked at Shen Dehan with a smile, ¡°Dehan, it¡¯s up to you now.¡± Shen Dehan swept a gloomy glance at Gao Qiulin and said in a cold voice, ¡°I disagree.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shen Cheng was the first to jump up, ¡°Father, now everyone thinks that I misappropriated the company¡¯s money! If we don¡¯t hand it over to the police to investigate it clearly, do I have to carry this blame forever?¡± Shen Dehan frowned. Shen Cheng glanced at Shen Ji and then said, ¡°Father, I know you want to protect Big Brother. But as long as Big Brother hasn¡¯t done it, he doesn¡¯t need to worry. Isn¡¯t it good to investigate this matter clearly?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s face was cold, ¡°Things are not as simple as you think.¡± He had always suspected that the person behind the incident was among the company¡¯s directors, and of course Gao Qiulin was the most heavily suspected. He was worried that the resultless investigation of this matter would completely ruin Ah Ji. Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude was so firm that Shen Cheng felt incredibly disappointed, ¡°Father, are you worried about tarnishing Big Brother¡¯s reputation, so you are willing to sacrifice me?¡± ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Dehan shouted angrily. Shen Cheng stared straight at Shen Dehan, ¡°Isn¡¯t it so? Father, you are worried that this matter will not be investigated clearly and implicate Big Brother, but what about me? Do I have to keep carrying the charge of misappropriating the company¡¯s money? Big Brother is your son, what am I?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s face became increasingly ugly, and Shen Ji reached out and pulled Shen Cheng back, ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Cheng shook off Shen Ji¡¯s hand, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± Shen Ji lowered his eyes and turned to his father, ¡°Father, it¡¯s better to leave this matter to the police.¡± Shen Dehan flatly denied, ¡°No!¡± Gao Qiulin winked at the director beside him, who smiled and said, ¡°Since Dehan is so determined, it is not impossible to handle this matter privately, Dehan has to give us an explanation. While we are all here, why don¡¯t you tell us how you plan to handle this matter? It¡¯s certain that Chang Lei misappropriated the company¡¯s funds, and it¡¯s also certain that the flow of the funds went to Ah Cheng. It¡¯s certain that these two things happened, so can we have an explanation? Is it possible that Chang Lei has a mental problem and the money he embezzled was not used for him but for Ah Cheng?¡± The director¡¯s words were understood by everyone. Whether Chang Lei was instructed by Shen Ji or not, the fact that he had embezzled the funds was here, and it was also a fact that the flow of funds went to Shen Cheng. Shen Dehan now either admitted that Shen Ji was behind all this and that Shen Cheng was wrongly accused, or he pushed Shen Cheng out. Since Shen Dehan was not willing to involve Shen Ji, then the blame for this matter could only be carried by Shen Cheng. Shen Dehan looked coldly at the director, who nodded at him with an unchanged expression. For Shen Dehan, both Shen Cheng and Shen Ji were Fang Yun¡¯s sons and were equally important to him, but if he had to distinguish between priorities, then Shen Ji was the heir he had trained, and Shen Group and the Shen family were to be handed over to Shen Ji in the future, so there must not be any stain on him. The atmosphere in the ward became tense. Shen Cheng sat there without any hope. He had already known what decision Shen Dehan would make. Shen Dehan was about to speak with a grim face when Shen Ji suddenly stood up, ¡°I did it.¡± Everyone in the ward looked over in surprise at the same time. Shen Ji said expressionlessly, ¡°I will be responsible for paying back the money that Chang Lei embezzled from the company. As for the other punishments, everything must be in accordance with the company¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°Ah Ji!¡± Shen Dehan exclaimed in shock and anger, ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t answer his father¡¯s words, but said in a flat tone, ¡°Father, let¡¯s leave this matter as it is, I¡¯ll go back first.¡± Shen Dehan watched Shen Ji get up and leave, his body trembling uncontrollably. Gao Qiulin snorted, ¡°Since Ah Ji has already admitted it, let¡¯s handle this matter privately, there¡¯s no need to involve the police, we have to save face for Dehan at any rate.¡± Shen Dehan stared at Gao Qiulin with a deadly gaze, unable to say a word. The matter was quickly dealt with. The board of directors decided to dismiss Shen Ji and he would not be allowed to participate in the management of Shen Group in any form in the future. As for the funds embezzled by Chang Lei, Shen Ji would be responsible for filling the hole within three days. Shen Xi soon received a message from Lao K. Everything was just as he had envisioned. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up in pleasure as he gently deleted the text message from his phone. The board of directors¡¯ resolution had actually deprived Shen Ji of his inheritance rights in disguise. Even if he held the shares of Shen Group in his hands in the future, he could only be an ¡°idler¡± who would only receive money but could not participate in any decision making. This was the life that Shen Ji once set for Shen Xi. How did he feel now that he had stepped on this path himself? CH 69 As the sun had set, the sky gradually darkened. At this time Li Mingxuan usually already returned to Shen Xi¡¯s side, but today he accompanied his father to the hospital in a hurry. In the quiet car, Li Xiyong did not say a word, keeping his eyes closed. Li Mingxuan quietly sat by his father¡¯s side, the news he received earlier flashing through his mind. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were suspected of misappropriating a large amount of Shen Group funds and the directors of Shen Group were forced to go to the hospital for a meeting. Shen Ji admitted the fact of embezzlement and was expelled from Shen Group by the board of directors, thus deprived of the Shen family inheritance rights in disguise. Li Mingxuan did not believe that Shen Ji would do such a thing and his brow furrowed subconsciously. Li Mingxuan¡¯s father, who had been resting, slowly opened his eyes, ¡°Mingxuan, what do you think?¡± Li Mingxuan knew what his father was asking. Although he did not know the details, from his uncle¡¯s words he could tell that Shen Ji was framed. If it was only Shen Ji who was framed, it would have been fine, but Shen Cheng was also involved, so that the situation became uncontrollable. At this point, Li Mingxuan did not know what to say, so he answered in a low voice, ¡°There must be someone behind this matter, and Uncle has handled it too hastily.¡± Li Xiyong shook his head, ¡°The situation was forced upon him, and your uncle had no choice. He probably didn¡¯t expect Ah Ji to take the blame for this matter. It¡¯s too unfortunate for Ah Ji.¡± Li Xiyong¡¯s words carried an unspeakable melancholy. In his heart he had one more thing to say: if Shen Cheng didn¡¯t grow up fast, Shen Group would probably be doomed. Without Shen Ji, Shen Cheng could not bear the burden of Shen Group. Even if the Shen family still held most of the shares of Shen Group, once Shen Dehan passed away, in these circumstances, the Shen family would still be the Shen family, but it might not be the Shen family of Shen Group anymore. Li Mingxuan vaguely guessed his father¡¯s thoughts. As he watched Li Xiyong close his eyes again, a trace of worry surged in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart, and he swallowed the words that were already on his lips. For the rest of the journey Li Xiyong did not speak again and the car fell back into silence. As Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan drove to the hospital, Gao Qiulin had already left and only Shen Dehan and Shen Cheng were left in the ward. In the empty ward, Shen Dehan was sitting in the wheelchair in a depressed state of mind; his original spirit was gone and his whole body looked instantly aged by more than ten years. Shen Cheng sat opposite his father with his head down, unable to say what he was feeling. What Shen Ji said not long ago was echoing in his mind. His elder brother had taken the blame for the incident and he was now innocent, but there was not much joy in his heart. From the time his elder brother confessed to instructing Chang Lei to the series of events that followed, everything was too sudden. He listened in a daze to his elder brother being expelled from Shen Group and Gao Qiulin even indicating that Shen Group would be his in the future. In Shen Cheng¡¯s secret thoughts that no one knew, he had once imagined such a day, but when this day came, he didn¡¯t know why he couldn¡¯t be happy at all. Perhaps it was because Shen Ji finally defended him, or perhaps it was because of Shen Dehan. After all, at that moment Shen Dehan had clearly intended to sacrifice him. Even if he was interrupted by Shen Ji later, it was, after all, true that Shen Dehan had chosen to sacrifice him at the critical moment without hesitation, and his despair at that moment was also too real. So it was normal for him to be depressed now, and he didn¡¯t even know what attitude he should use to face his father. Shen Cheng was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not notice his father¡¯s eyes roaming over him, and the look in Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes was one of deep disappointment. Shen Dehan was silent; he knew his son. Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t bear the burden of Shen Group. Unlike Shen Ji, Shen Dehan was inevitably indulgent towards Shen Cheng because he had lost his mother at a young age and had almost been killed as a baby. And since he was the second son, he was not under pressure to inherit the family business, so Shen Dehan was not strict with him and let him do anything he wished, which led to his current character. Shen Dehan thought that since Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were from the same mother and had a good relationship since childhood, the two brothers would be of one mind and one heart. He did not expect that one day there would be a division between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. When he thought that if Shen Cheng hadn¡¯t sided with Gao Qiulin and forced his hand, things might not have turned out this way and Shen Ji wouldn¡¯t have had to confess for the sake of brotherly love and would not have been deprived of the inheritance rights to Shen Group in disguise, causing all the hard work that the Shen family had put into Shen Ji for so many years to be reduced to nothing. Shen Dehan couldn¡¯t help coughing violently when he thought of this. ¡°Father!¡± Shen Cheng subconsciously looked over and unexpectedly met his father¡¯s eyes. Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes were full of disappointment, and Shen Cheng¡¯s heart instantly went cold. It was true that in his father¡¯s heart, only his elder brother was his father¡¯s son, and he was nothing. Even now, his father only felt disappointment because of his elder brother¡¯s expulsion, and disappointment because of his disregard for the greater good. Father had never even thought of explaining his previous actions, as if sacrificing him was a perfectly normal thing to do. Shen Dehan¡¯s coughing slowly stopped, and Shen Cheng lowered his head in silence, not looking at his father again. Shen Dehan tried hard to soften his tone a little. Although he was worried that Shen Cheng would not be able to bear the burden of Shen Group, the matter had come to the point where there was no other choice. ¡°Ah Cheng, Shen Group¡¯s future will depend on you.¡± Shen Cheng agreed casually. Shen Cheng¡¯s casual attitude obviously made Shen Dehan dissatisfied. Shen Dehan frowned and tried to hold back his temper. ¡°Wang Changlin is an old employee in the company, you should ask him for more advice when you have time. Lu Gesen is a good young man, you should ask his advice if you encounter some problem, and also your elder brother, although he¡­¡± ¡°I see!¡± Shen Cheng fiercely stood up and looked at his father with mockery in his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, I don¡¯t understand anything, even if I stay in Shen Group, I am just a puppet. Although Big Brother can¡¯t enter Shen Group, Shen Group is still his, I¡¯m just a name, Father, you don¡¯t need to emphasise it over and over again.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s words made Shen Dehan¡¯s face turn ugly, ¡°Ah Cheng.¡± Facing Shen Dehan¡¯s anger, Shen Cheng suddenly smiled, his face looking extremely weird, ¡°I know Father is disappointed in me. In your eyes Big Brother is your proud son, I¡¯m just Big Brother¡¯s spare tire. It doesn¡¯t matter, if Father doesn¡¯t like me, isn¡¯t there still Shen Xi? He is also Father¡¯s son. Father can give Shen Group to Shen Xi, I¡¯m sure he would listen to Father very well.¡± ¡°Unfilial son!¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s face flushed red with anger at these words, and he could not say anything else. Shen Cheng didn¡¯t care about his father¡¯s angry scolding, turned around with an indifferent face and left the ward. As soon as he left the ward that was suffocating him, the indifference on Shen Cheng¡¯s face turned into bewilderment. He knew there were things he shouldn¡¯t have said and he didn¡¯t want to say them, but the disappointed look in his father¡¯s eyes was like a nail that had been driven hard into his heart. A sour feeling welled up in Shen Cheng¡¯s heart, and then he broke into laughter. The bodyguards around him looked at Shen Cheng oddly; Shen Cheng curbed his laughter and paused, not knowing where to go for a moment. He didn¡¯t want to stay at the hospital, and originally he was going to go to Shen Ji¡¯s place, but now he just wanted to hide far away from Shen Ji and never see him again. He fished out his mobile phone haphazardly and flipped through the phone numbers in it. The memory of his last drunken night flashed through his mind, and Shen Cheng pressed Zhang Qiu¡¯s number without hesitation. As Shen Cheng entered the elevator, Wang Changlin walked out from the side of the corridor. After a thoughtful glance at Shen Cheng¡¯s back, Wang Changlin came up to the ward, gently pushed the door and walked in. Shen Dehan¡¯s emotions were still tinged with overexcitement, and Wang Changlin walked quickly to his side with a disapproving look on his face, ¡°Dehan, didn¡¯t the doctor tell you to control your emotions? Is there anything you can¡¯t discuss calmly and peacefully with Ah Cheng?¡± Shen Dehan couldn¡¯t help but grunt, ¡°Calmly and peacefully? This evil son is simply trying to piss me off.¡± Wang Changlin patted Shen Dehan soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know Ah Cheng¡¯s direct temperament?¡± Shen Dehan said, ¡°His temperament is direct, but I am just afraid that he will be sold and will help the other party count the money.¡± Wang Changlin smiled, easing the atmosphere, ¡°How is it possible? Ah Ji will be watching from the side, Ah Ji won¡¯t let anything happen to Ah Cheng.¡± If it was in the past, Shen Dehan would think that Shen Ji could control Shen Cheng, but after today, Shen Dehan did not have any hope. Thinking of Shen Cheng¡¯s heartbreaking words, Shen Dehan felt his breath stagnate in his chest, and couldn¡¯t help but clutch his chest tightly, trying to ease it up. Wang Changlin patted Shen Dehan¡¯s back with concern. Shen Dehan slowly exhaled and shook his head weakly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Gesturing for Wang Changlin to sit opposite him, Shen Dehan looked at Wang Changlin with trust in his eyes, ¡°Changlin, I¡¯m entrusting Ah Cheng to you.¡± Wang Changlin looked slightly stunned, ¡°Ah Cheng?¡± Shen Dehan nodded, ¡°You also know that I am not fit to go to the company now, so Ah Cheng needs you to take care of him at the company.¡± Wang Changlin said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dehan, I will take good care of Ah Cheng.¡± Shen Dehan nodded in satisfaction, thought of something and pondered slightly, ¡°Other than that, I hope, Changlin, you can keep an eye on Shen Xi for me.¡± ¡°Sanshao?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s heart stirred, ¡°Although Sanshao is not as good as Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, he is also quite sensible now. I don¡¯t know if there is anything that needs my attention.¡± ¡°Sensible?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s comment on Shen Xi obviously displeased Shen Dehan, ¡°It¡¯s just that he has learned to hold back and know how to pretend, exactly the same as his mother and that crazy uncle.¡± Wang Changlin didn¡¯t take this sentence well, but Shen Dehan didn¡¯t expect Wang Changlin to say anything. There was disgust in his eyes, ¡°Now that Ah Ji is no longer at Shen Group, I am worried that that unfilial son will think his chance has come and thus make some moves he shouldn¡¯t make.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s fear did not seem to be fake, and Wang Changlin felt suspicious. He had never been able to understand why Shen Dehan was so afraid of Shen Xi. In fact, even if Shen Dehan was worried about Shen Xi¡¯s conflict with Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, Shen Xi did not have shares in Shen Group. Shen Xi could not do anything at all, as long as Shen Dehan did not allow him to enter Shen Group business. If Shen Dehan was simply afraid of Shen Xi because of Elder Shen¡¯s will, it was even more unwarranted. Even if Elder Shen left word that the Shen family¡¯s assets would be divided in three, how could it be done bypassing Shen Dehan, who had plenty of opportunities to make his move? The shares and the money were two entirely different things, so why should Shen Dehan be so anxious? Thinking of all these things, Wang Changlin said naturally, ¡°Sanshao has been very peaceful all these years and has been far away from Shen Group, so he doesn¡¯t have any roots in Shen Group. Aren¡¯t you overthinking it, Dehan?¡± ¡°Overthinking?¡± Shen Dehan thought of the word ¡°retribution¡± that Shen Xi said to him that night. This word pierced his heart deeply. His tone became cold, ¡°You also know what happened back then, Changlin. Han Yu, that madman, used the Han family to set up a trap to drag me down. If I hadn¡¯t been more cautious, the Shen family would have been calculated by Han Yu. Over the years, there have been people who didn¡¯t know the inside story and preach that the Shen family didn¡¯t save the Han family from ruination in order to annex the Han family¡¯s assets. That unfilial son clearly believes the same, and he has come back from abroad this time simply to calculate the Shen family just like that uncle of his.¡± When Shen Dehan mentioned what happened back then, Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes flashed as he said warmly, ¡°No matter what, Sanshao is a member of the Shen family, and the Han family has long disappeared, so Sanshao can do nothing even if he wants to. Dehan, why do you have to take this matter to heart too much?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s words ¡°No matter what, Sanshao is a member of the Shen family¡± caused Shen Dehan¡¯s face to change slightly, which didn¡¯t went unnoticed by Wang Changlin, and some strange thought flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s mind but his face did not show it at all. Looking at Shen Dehan, it was obvious that he had a strong reaction to these words, but there was nothing wrong with these words, was there? Wang Changlin¡¯s hands on his lap unconsciously clasped together. He had always seen Shen Dehan¡¯s indifference towards Shen Xi over the years. Certainly it was due to his preference for Shen Ji and Shen Cheng and also due to his disgust for Han Rou. But what if what made Shen Dehan angry with Shen Xi for so many years was the fact that he had found out about the incident back then? So Han Rou¡¯s suicide also made sense. Wang Changlin lowered his eyes silently, hiding complex emotions in his eyes. In silence, Wang Changlin suddenly heard Shen Dehan say, ¡°Shen Xi will soon be 23 years old.¡± He was startled subconsciously, and Shen Dehan continued, ¡°Once Shen Xi passes his 23rd birthday, he will own 20% of Shen Group shares.¡± ¡°What?¡± Wang Changlin was stunned but quickly reacted, ¡°Elder Shen¡¯s will from back then?¡± Shen Dehan nodded, ¡°Father directly bypassed me back then and divided Shen Group shares. Once Shen Xi passed the age of 23, the shares in my hands would be equally divided to Ah Ji, Ah Cheng and Shen Xi. All these years I was merely helping them take care of the company.¡± Wang Changlin immediately understood why Shen Dehan was worried. Shen Xi would soon turn 23, by then Shen Dehan would not have any more shares in his hands, and Shen Ji would not be able to participate in the management of Shen Group, leaving only Shen Cheng. If Shen Xi wanted to enter Shen Group with the shares in his hands, the board of directors might not refuse. And once Shen Xi entered Shen Group, he could completely unite with Gao Qiulin and the others to grasp the right to speak in Shen Group, which was something that Shen Dehan did not want to see. Wang Changlin¡¯s mind was working hard, but his face remained solemn, ¡°Dehan, what do you mean?¡± Shen Dehan said coldly, ¡°I have no control over the announcement of the will, but after the will is announced, Shen Xi must not be allowed to enter Shen Group.¡± Wang Chenglin looked at Shen Dehan and nodded somberly. Shen Dehan wanted to order something else when there was a soft knock at the door. Shen Dehan froze, then thought of Li Xiyong saying he was coming over earlier, and immediately stopped the conversation, never mentioning the will again. As Li Xiyong walked in with Li Mingxuan, Wang Changlin greeted the two of them and then chose to say goodbye sensibly. Li Mingxuan gave Wang Changlin a covert look, not quite knowing why he cared so much about Wang Changlin. After Wang Changlin left the ward, his expression became thoughtful. He had always thought that Shen Xi was already a waste, but he didn¡¯t realise that there was still such a great use for Shen Xi. The 20% of Shen Group shares were apparently unknown to Shen Xi himself. It seemed that it was time to reveal to Shen Xi that he was Lu Gesen¡¯s foster father. CH 70 When Li Mingxuan returned to Shen Xi¡¯s place at night, it was already past 11 o¡¯clock. He did not expect to stay with his father at the hospital for such a long time. He opened the door gently; the living room was brightly lit, with the sound of the news broadcast on TV. Li Mingxuan subconsciously searched for Shen Xi¡¯s figure, and the corners of his mouth could not help but curl in a smile when his gaze swept over the sofa. On the large sofa, Shen Xi was hugging a pillow, curled up in a ball, sleeping peacefully, apparently falling asleep while waiting for him. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart softened and he couldn¡¯t resist reaching out and brushing away Shen Xi¡¯s hair from his forehead, then leaned down and dropped a tender kiss on it. Li Mingxuan¡¯s lips were slightly cool, and Shen Xi said in a daze, ¡°Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan let out a soft ¡°en¡± and kissed Shen Xi¡¯s lips, gently extending his tongue to grind. With the familiar embrace and the familiar scent, Shen Xi subconsciously stretched out his hand to pull Li Mingxuan closer and automatically found a comfortable angle in the other party¡¯s arms. Li Mingxuan smiled gently and reached out to pick up Shen Xi, then walked towards the bedroom. Carefully placing Shen Xi on the bed, Li Mingxuan lowered his head and gave him a kiss, ¡°Be good, you sleep first, I¡¯ll go take a shower.¡± Shen Xi nodded with his eyes closed, but after Li Mingxuan left, he found that he could no longer sleep. Frowning in annoyance, Shen Xi simply got up and leaned on the head of the bed, waiting for Li Mingxuan to come out of the shower. ¡°Awake?¡± When Li Mingxuan came out of the shower and looked at Shen Xi waiting for him, he immediately regretted it. He knew that Shen Xi was not sleeping well; he should have held back from kissing him just now. Shen Xi nodded, looked at Li Mingxuan sitting down beside him and casually said, ¡°Why are you back so late?¡± Li Mingxuan was about to reach out and hug Shen Xi but stalled slightly, thought of something and said in a low voice, ¡°Father and Uncle had an argument over something, so it was a bit late.¡± A surprised look appeared on Shen Xi¡¯s face. Li Mingxuan did not hide anything, ¡°Do you still remember the last time Mother said she wanted to transfer the shares in her hands to Ah Ji? Uncle hopes that Mother will change her mind and transfer those shares to Ah Cheng.¡± Immediately, Shen Xi understood Shen Dehan¡¯s intention. Because of Shen Ji¡¯s accident, Shen Group could only be handed over to Shen Cheng in the future. In order to ensure Shen Cheng¡¯s dominance in Shen Group, Shen Dehan had given up on Shen Ji and chosen Shen Cheng. Despite knowing all this, Shen Xi still had a surprised look on his face, ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t Mr. Shen always like Big Brother very much?¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t think Shen Xi would know about the recent events at Shen Group. Hearing Shen Xi¡¯s words, he carefully explained what he knew. Shen Xi duly showed a weird look on his face, ¡°Big Brother privately instructed someone to misappropriate Shen Group funds to trap Second Brother and was expelled from Shen Group?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded and frowned slightly, ¡°This matter is not that simple. Both Ah Ji and Ah Cheng must have been set up by someone.¡± Shen Xi looked at ease, ¡°I also believe that Big Brother wouldn¡¯t frame Second Brother. But now won¡¯t Big Brother be unable to run Shen Group in the future? Is Mr. Shen willing to give up Big Brother? He didn¡¯t fight for Big Brother?¡± ¡°This matter involves Ah Cheng, and with the board of directors calculating on the side, the situation did not leave Uncle any choice .¡± Shen Xi said carelessly, ¡°Is that why Mr. Shen changed his mind?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded with a sigh. There was nothing wrong with Shen Dehan¡¯s decision intellectually, but emotionally it was too much for him to accept. Not only he, but also his father did not agree with it and insisted on transferring the 6% shares to Shen Ji as originally intended, and it was because of this that his father had argued with his uncle. ¡°So did Uncle agree?¡± This was exactly what Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t understand. His father didn¡¯t agree at first, but then his uncle said something to his father alone. His father¡¯s face distorted, and he quickly agreed to his uncle¡¯s proposal. Li Mingxuan once asked his father on the way back. His father glanced at him calmly and said nothing. From that glance, Li Mingxuan immediately realized that this matter should be related to Shen Xi. Could his uncle still be preventing Shen Xi from joining forces with the Li family? Shen Xi was still waiting for Li Mingxuan¡¯s answer. Li Mingxuan collected his thoughts and let out a low ¡°en¡±. When Shen Xi heard this, he yawned softly and pulled Li Mingxuan down, ¡°Sleep, this has nothing to do with me.¡± Closing his eyes, She Xi couldn¡¯t help but laugh in his heart. No matter how good Shen Dehan usually was to Shen Ji, but at this time when he felt that Shen Ji was useless, he immediately gave up on him without hesitation. He wondered what Shen Ji felt like when he heard the news. Now he couldn¡¯t wait to see Shen Ji and Shen Cheng completely turn against each other. Li Mingxuan kissed Shen Xi¡¯s closed eyes and reached out to hug him tightly. A flash of deep thought passed through his eyes. What exactly was Uncle worried about? Shen Xi had no shares in Shen Group, and the Li family had no intention to interfere in the Shen family¡¯s affairs. What else was there to worry about? Li Mingxuan¡¯s doubts were exactly what Shen Bixue had scruples about. ¡°How could Big Brother make such a proposal? How does he want Ah Ji and Ah Cheng to get along in the future? Just because Ah Ji can¡¯t run Shen Group, Big Brother immediately chose to give up on Ah Ji?¡± After listening to Li Xiyong¡¯s words, Shen Bixue suddenly became emotional and couldn¡¯t help but speak out in dissatisfaction. Li Xiyong looked at Shen Bixue¡¯s exasperated expression gently, ¡°Dehan is guarding against Shen Xi.¡± ¡°Shen Xi? What is there to guard against Shen Xi? He¡¯s not in Shen Group, he doesn¡¯t have any shares in Shen Group, is Big Brother still worried that we will support Shen Xi behind his back?¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Xiyong with a bewildered expression, obviously not knowing what Li Xiyong meant by his words. Li Xiyong guessed from Shen Bixue¡¯s attitude that she did not know about the will, so he sighed quietly, ¡°Have you never seen the will your father made back then?¡± Shen Bixue did not understand, ¡°Will? What does it have to do with my father¡¯s will? You know that my father¡¯s will was collected by my elder brother. I didn¡¯t say anything because I thought it had nothing to do with us. What can be in that will?¡± Li Xiyong didn¡¯t hide it, ¡°Father-in-law bypassed Dehan back then to divide Shen Group shares. Ah Ji, Ah Cheng and Shen Xi will each get 20%. And the condition for them to get the shares is Shen Xi being 23 years old. This is what that will was about.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Xiyong in surprise. Li Xiyong also found it very surprising when he first heard about it. He immediately affirmed, ¡°This is what Dehan said.¡± After digesting this news, Shen Bixue understood why Li Xiyong had agreed to transfer the shares to Shen Cheng. In the past, Shen Xi did not have any shares of Shen Group in his hands, and because Shen Xi was with Mingxuan, they still had to avoid suspicion. Now that Shen Xi was about to turn 23 years old and Shen Ji was expelled from Shen Group, there was no telling what Shen Dehan would think, given his suspicious nature. Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, ¡°No wonder Big Brother didn¡¯t announce the will to the public back then.¡± Li Xiyong patted Shen Bixue soothingly. Shen Bixue shook her head and said softly, ¡°Back then after Father was hospitalised, Big Brother¡¯s relationship with Father was once very tense. I think it must also be because of this will. Father must have felt sorry for Shen Xi in the end.¡± Although Li Xiyong knew more about the Shen family¡¯s entanglements back then than outsiders, there were some matters that involved the Shen family¡¯s privacy, so Li Xiyong refrained from asking questions. Now, when he heard Shen Bixue say this, Li Xiyong did not know what to say. He had always wondered what had happened between Han Ruo and Shen Dehan back then, so much that it could make Shen Dehan hold a grudge against Han Ruo for years and even take it out on Shen Xi. Unlike Mingxuan and the others, who simply thought that Shen Dehan favoured Shen Jie and Shen Cheng, Li Xiyong did not think that Shen Dehan would ignore Shen Xi for so many years just because of this, not to mention that behind Shen Dehan was Elder Shen. Even if Han Rou was no longer liked by the Shen family, Shen Xi¡¯s blood ties to the Shen family were unquestionable. But Elder Shen acquiesced to Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude, so there must be some reason behind it. Li Xiyong had always refrained from meddling in the affairs of the Shen family and had always let Shen Bixue¡¯s attitude prevail when dealing with it. But now, for the first time, he asked, ¡°What happened between the Han and the Shen families back then?¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Xiyong with a bitter smile and said, ¡°Do you remember when Shen Xi was six years old and the Han family¡¯s business was suddenly in trouble?¡± Li Xiyong nodded and recalled, ¡°I remember that the Han family had asked the Shen family for help.¡± ¡°And the Shen family didn¡¯t agree.¡± Shen Bixue followed Li Xiyong¡¯s words. Li Xiyong nodded. Shen Bixue sighed lightly, ¡°Everyone was privately saying that it was because Han Rou did not please the Shen family, so Dehan convinced his father to refuse to lend a helping hand, but that was actually not the case. The Han family¡¯s predicament back then was nothing more than a set-up, with the intention of trapping the Shen family.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression changed slightly. Although he vaguely felt that there was something odd about the Han family back then, he did not expect it to be like this. ¡°The Han family moved against the Shen family? For what? Han Rou?¡± Li Xiyong looked very puzzled. If the Han family was doing this to vent their anger for Han Rou, then why would they do such a thing so suddenly? Han Rou had been married into the Shen family for six years and the Han family had not said anything before. Shen Bixue sighed, ¡°What exactly happened in the middle of this matter is unclear. We only know that it was Han Rou who begged Han Yu to help her deal with the Shen family. You know that Han Rou had a bad time since she married Big Brother but she insisted on not getting a divorce. Years of grievances piled up, and at some moment Han Rou must have started to have the idea of destroying the Shen family. Han Yu watched Han Rou suffer for so many years. Before, Han Rou refused to leave the Shen family and he had no choice. Now that Han Rou herself proposed that she would divorce Big Brother, Han Yu would naturally not refuse.¡± Originally, Han Yu¡¯s plan went very smoothly. Although Shen Dehan did not like Han Rou, he could not ignore the Han family¡¯s problems. He had already planned to give a helping hand but inadvertently found out that Han Rou was pregnant. At that time, Shen Dehan and Han Rou had already separated for a long time, so the baby could not be Shen Dehan¡¯s. In his anger, Shen Dehan began to investigate Han Rou and realized that the Han family¡¯s business problems were a trap. So he pushed the boat along the water and moved behind the scenes, causing the Han family¡¯s business to have real problems. Afterwards, Han Rou chose to jump out of the window for some reason, Han Yu had a car accident at Han Rou¡¯s funeral, Elder Han couldn¡¯t bear the shock and fell seriously ill, and the Han family fell into ruin. Han Rou died but Shen Dehan had suspicions about Shen Xi¡¯s origin, and even though it was confirmed that Shen Xi was indeed his child, because of Han Rou¡¯s infidelity, Shen Dehan already disliked Shen Xi, and later on had even more ill feelings towards him, so much so that he completely ignored Shen Xi. Although there was a reason for the Shen family¡¯s actions, it was also the cause of the Han family¡¯s downfall. Elder Shen was worried that when Shen Xi grew up, he would hear rumours or would be instigated by someone with an ulterior motive, so he acquiesced to Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude of raising Shen Xi as a waste. Shen Bixue recounted all this with a deep sigh and fell silent. After so many years, between Shen Dehan and Han Rou, who could say who was right and who was wrong. But Shen Xi was the most innocent and both she and her father had done something wrong. Li Xiyong did not expect there to be so much entanglement in the history of the Han and the Shen families, and pondered for a moment, ¡°Don¡¯t tell Mingxuan about this for now.¡± Shen Bixue nodded. If Mingxuan knew about it, he would definitely tell Shen Xi. The grievances of the previous generation had already passed; she really did not want Mingxuan¡¯s generation to be involved. But when she thought of Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude, Shen Bixue was worried that the inside story would suddenly come out to the light one day. CH 71 The news of Shen Ji¡¯s dismissal from the company spread throughout Shen Group together with a statement from the board of directors. Although the statement did not mention specific reasons, everyone was shocked and linked it to the incident of Shen Cheng¡¯s misappropriation of public funds that had just broken out. People were speculating privately about the relationship between the two brothers, especially taking into account that after the incident, Shen Cheng was still the general manager of the company, but Shen Ji was expelled from Shen Group. This inevitably led to everyone muttering behind their backs. Shen Ji carefully tidied up the personal items in his office until the last one was collected. He looked around the empty office with a perplexed expression. There was a really complicated feeling in his heart. Unlike the last time when he just changed the office, this time he was leaving Shen Group completely. After taking a deep breath, Shen Ji took one last look at the room, pushed open the office door and walked out. There were quite a few employees coming and going along the way, and all of them nodded awkwardly when they saw Shen Ji passing by. Shen Ji nodded in response as usual, and walked to the elevator with a calm expression. The elevator doors closed in front of him but Shen Cheng still did not appear, and the mirror inside the elevator reflected Shen Ji¡¯s slightly self-deprecating smile. Shen Ji lowered his gaze. He had already done everything he could, and Ah Cheng could only rely on himself in the future. When Shen Ji left Shen Group, Shen Cheng had just woken up from his hangover. The soft bed beneath him reminded him that he was not at home at the moment. In a daze, he got up and sat there, pushing the person in his arms away. His mind was in a state of confusion, his head throbbing with pain. Shen Cheng subconsciously wanted to smoke. Since a few days ago, he found himself more and more addicted to smoking. Originally he would only occasionally smoke a cigarette on the spur of the moment, but now, in just a few days a pack of cigarettes had been almost finished by him. ¡°Pass me a cigarette.¡± Shen Cheng squinted at the familiar figure on the sofa not far away, shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up. Although he wanted to ask Shen Rong what he was doing sitting there, the thought of needing a cigarette now outweighed everything else. A cigarette was soon handed over and Shen Cheng eagerly took it and inhaled fiercely. An unparalleled pleasure immediately swept through his body. He only felt his pores open instantly and any feeling of discomfort disappeared. After enjoying this sensation for a long time with his eyes closed, Shen Cheng was about to take a second puff when his body suddenly froze and he looked at Shen Rong with a shocked and angry expression, ¡°What did you give me?¡± Shen Rong looked innocent, ¡°It¡¯s the cigarettes you usually smoke, I found it in your clothes.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes were full of suspicion. He violently threw the cigarette in his hand aside. Although the taste was as usual, he felt that something was wrong, this cigarette was obviously different. Although he was messing around outside, unlike Zhang Qiu, there were some things he would never touch. Shen Rong¡¯s face looked aggrieved, and Shen Cheng was momentarily unsure whether what Shen Rong said was true or false. He waved his hand impatiently as Shen Rong walked out with his head lowered. The moment Shen Rong turned his back, the corners of his mouth curved in a sneer. So what if Shen Cheng found out that something was wrong? A few days had passed and Shen Rong had just seen that there were not many more cigarettes left in the box, so Shen Cheng must have smoked a lot in the past days. Looking at him just now, it was obvious that he was enjoying it very much. Shen Rong did not believe that Shen Cheng would be able to endure it. After Shen Rong left, Shen Cheng came to his senses completely and all the memories of last night came back to him. The board meeting, the argument, his father¡¯s disappointed expression, the drunkenness, the celebrating, and most impressive of all, the figure of Shen Ji leaving the hospital alone. The young man beside him pouted and leaned closer to him. Shen Cheng pushed him away in annoyance and the young man cowered away sensibly, not daring to disturb him again. His father¡¯s disappointment and the figure of Shen Ji leaving alone alternated in Shen Cheng¡¯s mind. After dressing haphazardly, Shen Cheng found his mobile phone and pressed the company¡¯s number. ¡°Hello?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s serious voice came through. Shen Cheng suddenly didn¡¯t know what he was going to say. ¡°Cheng Shao?¡± Lu Gesen immediately guessed that it was him, and Shen Cheng said hesitantly, ¡°Is Big Brother gone?¡± ¡°Dashao has just left.¡± ¡°Left.¡± The look on Shen Cheng¡¯s face became complicated, ¡°Did Big Brother say anything?¡± ¡°Dashao didn¡¯t comment.¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s tone was stereotypically calm as he said that. Shen Cheng didn¡¯t know why a sense of loss welled up in his heart. He was in no mood to say anything else and hung up the phone. Shen Ji left Shen Group without saying anything, which made Shen Cheng feel very uncomfortable. He vaguely understood in his heart that he and Shen Ji could never go back to the old days. Upset, Shen Cheng thought, didn¡¯t Big Brother used to love to lecture him most of all? Why did he leave without saying anything this time? Did he really rest assured leaving Shen Group to him, or was he completely disappointed in him? As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Shen Cheng subconsciously took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up. The tingling sensation swept through his body once again; his confused mind instantly calmed down, all his worries disappeared, and Shen Cheng only felt that he was in heaven. The word ¡°paradise¡± flashed through his mind and Shen Cheng came to his senses with a jolt. He looked warily at the cigarette in his hand; his reason reminded him to throw it away, but his heart was tempted by the ethereal feeling he had sensed before and he couldn¡¯t resist. After a half-hearted struggle, Shen Cheng warned himself to take one more puff only, just one more. As the incomparable pleasure filled his body, Shen Cheng could no longer remember what he had intended to do. After smoking the entire cigarette, Shen Cheng slumped down on the sofa with his eyes closed in satisfaction. He didn¡¯t see Shen Rong standing at the door, watching him, a cold smile on his face. After an unknown amount of time, Shen Cheng came to his senses. The young man was gone and only he and Shen Rong remained in the room. No matter how stupid Shen Cheng was, he knew that he had been calculated by Shen Rong. The cigarettes he was carrying were the ones he had casually asked Shen Rong to buy for him a few days ago. He could never have imagined that Shen Rong would dare to do such a thing. Thinking about his strange sensations in the past few days, Shen Cheng could not suppress his anger. ¡°Why?¡± Shen Rong still looked innocent, ¡°What are you talking about, Second Brother?¡± Shen Cheng punched Shen Rong in the face viciously, ¡°You pretend again, how dare you?¡± Shen Rong covered his face and smiled slightly, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I dare? I¡¯m nothing but a thing in your eyes anyway. I already have nothing, what would I dare not do?¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s body trembled with anger. He rushed at Shen Rong to swing his fist fiercely once more. Shen Rong was unable to dodge and was hit in the face by Shen Cheng, and the corner of his mouth immediately began to bleed. Shen Cheng pounced on Shen Rong in a rage and punched him hard in the face. Their commotion attracted the attention of people outside and a group of people poured in. ¡°Cheng Shao!¡± ¡°Cheng Shao, take your time to explain if there is any misunderstanding, don¡¯t be like that!¡± Messy voices sounded around as the crowd pulled Shen Cheng away. Shen Cheng swatted them away forcefully, gave Shen Rong a fierce glare and turned away to leave without saying anything. Shen Rong slowly got up from the floor and stared straight at Shen Cheng¡¯s back, his eyes full of malice and his lips curved in an odd smile. Later that afternoon, Shen Cheng returned to Shen Group and locked himself up alone in his office. His strange appearance was noticed by Lu Gesen. He knocked on the office door with a glint in his eyes, ¡°Cheng Shao.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother me.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s voice came out, full of an indescribable irritability. Lu Gesen frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion flashing across his face. The office once again fell into silence as Shen Cheng circled around it distractedly. He hadn¡¯t felt it before, but now there was an emptiness inside him, an indescribable hunger screaming in his mind, wanting, wanting! Subconsciously, he reached for his pocket, but there was nothing but his wallet. Shen Cheng remembered that when he left earlier he had thrown the rest of his cigarettes directly into the trash can. Clenching his fists, Shen Cheng desperately tried to convince himself that he wasn¡¯t actually addicted, that today was just an accident, that he could forget what it was like. But the more he tried to forget, the more he couldn¡¯t help but remember. Ruthlessly sweeping all the papers off the table to the floor, Shen Cheng hesitantly fished out his mobile phone and pressed Shen Ji¡¯s number. The moment the call was answered, Shen Cheng quickly chose to hang up. He didn¡¯t know how to talk to Shen Ji. Could he say he was set up by Shen Rong to possibly become addicted to drugs? The thought of the disappointment that might appear on Shen Ji¡¯s face, mixed with the disappointment on his father¡¯s face, made Shen Cheng inexplicably timid. After he couldn¡¯t control himself and smashed everything in his office onto the floor, Shen Cheng left the office with a blank face. When he left, Lu Gesen looked at the wreckage all over the floor, his brow furrowed tightly. Shen Cheng did not show up at the company for two days in a row, and after calling again and getting no answer, Lu Gesen apologetically looked at the lawyer who had been waiting for a long time, ¡°Sorry, I still can¡¯t reach Shen Shao.¡± There was no impatience on the lawyer¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can come back another time. Please tell Shen Shao that I have been entrusted by Ms. Shen Bixue to sign some documents with him and he can contact me at any time.¡± Lu Gesen nodded, ¡°I will pass on the message.¡± The lawyer said goodbye and left Shen Group, and Lu Gesen lowered his head in thought. Where the hell had Shen Cheng gone, not even answering his phone! There were times in the past when Shen Cheng had disappeared, but there was never such a situation as not answering the phone. After thinking for a while, Lu Gesen glanced at the wall clock. It was almost the time when he agreed to meet with Shen Xi. After hurriedly nodding to the secretary, Lu Gesen drove to the cemetery. In the silent cemetery, Shen Xi stood quietly holding a bouquet of lilies of the valley until he heard the hurried footsteps behind him. ¡°Xiao Xi.¡± Shen Xi turned his head. Lu Gesen was walking quickly with a large bouquet of lilies of the valley in his hands, ¡°Sorry, there was some delay in the company.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s gaze flicked over the lilies of the valley in Lu Gesen¡¯s hands, and he said softly, ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived too.¡± Lu Gesen leaned down and placed the flowers in front of Han Rou¡¯s grave with a solemn expression, ¡°Aunt, I¡¯ve come to see you, and I¡¯ve brought your favourite lilies of the valley.¡± Shen Xi stood quietly aside, saying softly, ¡°How does Cousin know that Mother liked lilies of the valley? Did Uncle say that?¡± Lu Gesen shook his head, ¡°Father didn¡¯t have time to say that back then. It was my foster father who told me.¡± ¡°Foster father?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s eyes flashed as a name came to his mind. Lu Gesen¡¯s expression softened, ¡°You should have met my foster father, he even mentioned you to me once.¡± ¡°Oh, who is he?¡± Shen Xi said with interest. ¡°Wang Changlin.¡± With this name he had expected, Shen Xi lowered his eyes silently, hiding his doubts. CH 72 Lu Gesen¡¯s childhood was a complete tragedy from the perspective of others. As a young boy, he followed his single mother around the world, suffering many hardships. He met his father finally but before he could enjoy much father-son affection, his father died unexpectedly. With his father¡¯s death, happiness once again slipped away from his hands. He watched his father¡¯s family disintegrate overnight, leaving the huge Han family with only Shen Xi as an outsider. The young Lu Gesen couldn¡¯t describe that feeling. If he had never known what happiness was like, the loss would not have been too painful, but his father had described to him a future that was too bright, a warm home, a family that loved him, a school where he could go, having fun like a normal child and not worrying that his mother would not have a job to provide for him. He carefully looked forward to this happiness in his heart, but instead of happiness, the sad news of his father¡¯s death came. As his and his mother¡¯s lives were once again thrown into turmoil, Wang Changlin appeared in front of them as a rescuer. He arranged a place for them to live, he sent Lu Gesen to school, he cared for him and loved him as much as his father had. It was from Wang Changlin that Lu Gesen learnt about the past of the Han and Shen families and it was from Wang Changlin that he gained the courage to take revenge. Without Wang Changlin, he wouldn¡¯t know where he would be now, and even his so-called revenge might be nothing more than a joke in the eyes of the Shen family. Shen Xi listened quietly to Lu Gesen¡¯s story, unwilling to admit that there was a hint of jealousy in his heart. Although Lu Gesen¡¯s past was poor and difficult, he was surrounded by his mother¡¯s unfailing care, and more importantly, Wang Changlin acted as a qualified father figure in his upbringing. Compared to his materially affluent but loveless past, he felt that Lu Gesen was much happier. ¡°Foster Father was in love with Aunt back then, and after she got married, he was disheartened and never married,¡± Lu Gesen said with a sigh. Back then he accidentally found out that Wang Changlin actually liked Han Rou and was very angry in his heart. In his mind Han Rou was the murderer who caused the Han family to be destroyed, how could his foster father, whom he admired, like Han Rou? He went to Wang Changlin in anger, but saw the pain in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes when he heard Han Rou¡¯s name, and all the words he wanted to say could no longer be said. Today, he could look further and understand that his aunt¡¯s life was no less than a tragedy, and the Shen family was to blame for everything. Lu Gesen originally thought that Shen Xi would have a huge reaction, but he did not expect Shen Xi to just whisper, ¡°I know that Lawyer Wang liked my mother.¡± ¡°What? How do you know, Xiao Xi?¡± Lu Gesen was stunned, his expression surprised to the extreme. Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°I once met Lawyer Wang at the cemetery, he said so himself.¡± Lu Gesen was obviously astonished, ¡°Foster Father didn¡¯t tell me about this, I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± Shen Xi interrupted him, ¡°I only heard it from Lawyer Wang when I accidentally met him.¡± Lu Gesen wondered what Shen Xi¡¯s impression of Wang Changlin was and said hesitantly, ¡°Xiao Xi, Foster Father has very complicated feelings for you and he has never known how to face you.¡± Complicated feelings? Shen Xi looked at his mother¡¯s bright smiling face on the tombstone and a trace of self-deprecation flashed across his face very quickly. After meeting Wang Changlin last time at the cemetery, he only regarded him as a stranger who had a crush on his mother. But today, from Lu Gesen¡¯s story, he realised that Wang Changlin remembered his grandfather¡¯s kindness back then and had secretly done so much after the Han family¡¯s downfall. The only one Wang Changlin forgot was him. He wondered what kind of mentality Wang Changlin had to stay by his father¡¯s side, watching Shen Dehan raise him into a waste day after day, only to briefly contact him five years ago. In his previous life, Wang Changlin had not offered him any help when he was in prison. If he really remembered his grandfather¡¯s kindness, how could he have been indifferent to what happened to him? Or as Lu Gesen said, because of his mother, Wang Changlin could not face him and consciously chose to ignore him? Shen Xi could not help but laugh at himself in his heart. Because of half of the Han family¡¯s blood in him, the Shen family was suspicious and distrustful of him, treating him as a transparent person. Now, because of his half of the Shen family¡¯s blood, people related to the Han family regarded him as an object of anger, treating him as a transparent person as well. It turned out that for both the Shen family and the Han family, he shouldn¡¯t have existed. Shen Xi¡¯s silence caused a hint of worry in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes. He did not know how to explain to Shen Xi his foster father¡¯s behaviour. He did not want Shen Xi to misunderstand. Shen Xi could not see it, but he knew the struggles and hesitations of his foster father, and could see the pain he felt whenever Han Rou was mentioned. ¡°Foster Father, he?¡­¡± ¡°What do you want from me, Cousin?¡± Both of them started talking at the same time, and Lu Gesen hesitated for a moment before repeating, ¡°Foster Father, he?¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Shen Xi interrupted Lu Gesen quickly, ¡°I can understand Lawyer Wang¡¯s feelings. I am happy to have him miss my mother with me.¡± Lu Gesen heard the evasiveness in Shen Xi¡¯s words and sighed in his heart, not mentioning Wang Changlin¡¯s matter again, but answering Shen Xi¡¯s previous question. ¡°Xiao Xi, I am looking for you because I want to ask you if you would like to go abroad with me when the matter with the Shen family is over. I still have some savings on hand, enough for us to live without worries in the future.¡± Shen Xi was obviously very surprised. He looked at Lu Gesen in astonishment, and then realised something, ¡°You are worried that I won¡¯t be able to make a living after Shen Group collapses?¡± This was indeed what Lu Gesen was worried about. In his eyes, Shen Xi was relying on Shen Group for his livelihood, and after Shen Group collapsed, Shen Xi would also be left with nothing. The only way he could think of to compensate Shen Xi was to cover Shen Xi¡¯s future living expenses himself; he did not feel that Shen Xi could support himself on his own. Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened; no matter what reason Lu Gesen had for saying this to him, at least he still remembered him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cousin, I have some money in my hand, enough to support myself. Not to mention that I have a film company.¡± The film company that Shen Xi was talking about, Lu Gesen had also read the relevant reports about it and knew that the first movie Shen Xi had invested in was well received. Although he didn¡¯t know how it would develop in the future, if Shen Xi was willing to develop it seriously, there should be no problem to feed and clothe himself. Thinking of this, Lu Gesen also put his mind at ease. ¡°That¡¯s good, if there¡¯s anything you need, just tell me.¡± The two did not stay at the cemetery for too long but chose to leave one after the other. Watching Lu Gesen drive away, Shen Xi parked the car at the roadside and pressed Lao K¡¯s phone. ¡°Xiao Xixi, did you miss me?¡± Lao K said with a strange smile as soon as he picked up the phone. Shen Xi, however, was in no mood for teasing, ¡°I met with Lu Gesen.¡± ¡°What? Something wrong?¡± Having known Shen Xi for five years, Lao K immediately heard that Shen Xi was not in a good mood at the moment, and was concerned. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been guessing who Lu Gesen¡¯s helper in Shen Group is?¡± When it came to business, Lao K got serious, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Wang Changlin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s him? How come? Isn¡¯t he Shen Dehan¡¯s personal lawyer?¡± Lao K¡¯s implication was that Wang Changlin was trusted by Shen Dehan, so how could he be involved with Lu Gesen? ¡°His other identity is Lu Gesen¡¯s foster father, he was the one who raised Lu Gesen after the Han family¡¯s accident.¡± ¡°You mean to say that Lu Gesen knew about the Han-Shen family¡¯s entanglement from him?¡± Shen Xi gave a soft ¡°en¡±. Lao K mused, ¡°You still think Han Yu¡¯s car accident was an accident?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice was full of doubts, ¡°According to the results of our investigation, Uncle¡¯s car accident was indeed an accident, but I can¡¯t think of a reason why Wang Changlin would deceive Lu Gesen.¡± ¡°Too much time passed, there might also be some clues that we have missed. Do you want me to recheck it?¡± Lao K suggested. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll find some time to meet Wang Changlin, I¡¯m sure he wants to see me too.¡± Having finished the business matters, Lao K couldn¡¯t help but ask carefully, ¡°Xiao Xi, are you alright?¡± ¡°What?¡± Lao K stammered, not knowing how to speak. Although Shen Xi did not say much, he could tell a lot from the fact that Wang Changlin was Lu Gesen¡¯s foster father. Since he had taken Lu Gesen in and raised him, he must have had a deep connection with the Han family, but over the years, Wang Changlin had been indifferent to Shen Xi¡¯s situation, so it was no wonder that Shen Xi was in a bad mood. Shen Xi guessed Lao K¡¯s thoughts for a moment, and chuckled lightly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Even his blood father could ignore him; Wang Changlin was just a stranger after all. Besides, he was already used to this kind of indifference. Hanging up on Lao K¡¯s call, Shen Xi pondered. Wang Changlin, his mother, his uncle and the Han family back then were all like a fog. He always felt there was something he didn¡¯t know, and what he didn¡¯t know was precisely the key to everything. Shen Xi tapped the steering wheel lightly, his thoughts focused on Wang Changlin. Was what Wang Changlin said true or not? Was it true that he had accompanied Lu Gesen all these years to plot revenge against the Shen family just to repay his grandfather¡¯s kindness? After thinking about it for a long time, Shen Xi shook his head. Perhaps he was overthinking. No matter what Wang Changlin¡¯s purpose was, as long as he shared his goal of destroying the Shen family, what did it matter what other thoughts Wang Changlin might have had? When Shen Xi drove back to the city from the cemetery, Shen Bixue was on her way to see Li Mingxuan because Shen Cheng was nowhere to be found. ¡°Mom, why are you here?¡± Li Mingxuan looked surprised, quickly greeting Shen Bixue and helping her sit down. Shen Bixue pretended to complain, ¡°Since you and Shen Xi got together, your mother can only come to the office to see you when she misses you.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled lightly and made a cup of tea for Shen Bixue with his own hands, looking sincere, ¡°I will try to make more time to come home in the future.¡± Shen Bixue smiled and shook her head, ¡°Your father and I have Mingfei and the house is very lively, but Shen Xi is out there alone. It¡¯s good for you to spend more time with him.¡± Li Mingxuan knew that his mother was sincere, so he smiled gratefully and changed the subject, ¡°Is there something wrong that Mother comes here today?¡± Shen Bixue said casually, ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to transfer the shares to Ah Cheng, but I can¡¯t find him for two days in a row, I don¡¯t know where he has gone.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart stirred slightly, ¡°Are you so anxious, Mom? Uncle only just had this proposal.¡± A trace of unnaturalness flashed across Shen Bixue¡¯s face and she quickly laughed, ¡°I am also trying to save myself the trouble. Who knows what proposal your uncle will come up with in a few days.¡± What Shen Bixue did not say was that it was a joint decision between her and Li Xiyong to transfer the shares to Shen Cheng as soon as possible, in order to appease Shen Dehan. Li Mingxuan watched Shen Bixue¡¯s expression, and despite Shen Bixue¡¯s quick reaction, Li Mingxuan still caught the hint of unnaturalness in her eyes. The suspicion in his heart became more certain; Li Mingxuan pretended not to care and said, ¡°Mom, is there something you are hiding from me?¡± ¡°How could there be?¡± Shen Bixue immediately replied. Li Mingxuan was already sure that his mother was hiding something, and he couldn¡¯t think of anything else she would hide from him other than something that was related to Shen Xi. ¡°Is it something to do with Xiao Xi?¡± ¡°Mingxuan, how could you think that?¡± Shen Bixue was taken aback. Li Mingxuan said with a serious expression, ¡°Is it something to do with why Uncle is so defensive of Xiao Xi? Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be so eager to transfer the shares to Ah Cheng.¡± ¡°Mingxuan, what the hell are you talking about?¡± Shen Bixue stood up with a stern look and shouted at Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan did not expect his mother¡¯s reaction to be so strong and frowned slightly, ¡°Mom?¡± Only when Shen Bixue shouted out did she realise that her reaction was too great, and she calmed down, ¡°Mingxuan, you are thinking too much, Mother just wants to save herself the trouble. Well, I won¡¯t delay your work. I have some things to do in the evening, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± As he looked at his mother¡¯s hurried departure, Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression turned thoughtful. His words just now were just a test, but his mother¡¯s reaction was so big, which meant that he was testing in the right direction. As soon as Ah Ji left Shen Group, Uncle couldn¡¯t wait to ask his mother to transfer the shares in her hands to Ah Cheng. Uncle was obviously worried about Xiao Xi entering Shen Group and competing with Ah Cheng. But Xiao Xi needed Shen Dehan¡¯s approval to enter Shen Group, and if Shen Dehan insisted on not giving his approval, Xiao Xi would not be able to enter Shen Group at all. So what else did Uncle have to worry about? Unless Xiao Xi could enter Shen Group without Uncle¡¯s approval¡­ Without Shen Dehan¡¯s approval? Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart immediately stirred. He had heard Shen Ji mention before that there was a rule in Shen Group¡¯s board of directors that shareholders who held more than a certain percentage of Shen Group shares could enter Shen Group to participate in management. In that case, was his uncle worried that Xiao Xi would have shares in Shen Group? But all of Shen Group shares were now in Uncle¡¯s hands, so what exactly was Uncle fearing? Li Mingxuan¡¯s brow furrowed inadvertently. When it came to Shen Xi, he couldn¡¯t help but think more about it. CH 73 At 7 p.m., Yuanhui, the place second only to Shutu in Zhongjing, was bustling with brightly dressed people. On his way back from the cemetery, Shen Xi received a phone call from Chen Zhiwei. It was his birthday today and he had invited a group of friends to get together. He hoped that Shen Xi would be able to attend. Of course, during the call, Chen Zhiwei specifically emphasised that Lao K and Fang Luowei would also attend. Although Shen Xi was not interested in such a party after his rebirth, Chen Zhiwei took the initiative to invite him, and since he was in a bad mood today, Shen Xi did not refuse and drove straight to Yuanhui after calling Li Mingxuan to tell him about it. Chen Zhiwei had received a big red packet from Shen Xi not long ago, and was now in the midst of the best time in his life, so he was naturally very generous and had booked the most luxurious VIP room in Yuanhui. Although Shen Xi had never been here before, the waiters who worked in Yuanhui were not stupid. They recognized Shen Xi at a glance, so they did not wait for Chen Zhiwei to come out and respectfully guided Shen Xi to the VIP room. At this moment, there were already a lot of people gathered in the room. It was a lively event, and Shen Xi¡¯s arrival was a surprise to the crowd. Half of the people Chen Zhiwei invited today were from the cast of ¡°Troubled Times¡±, so when they saw Shen Xi, the boss, they naturally came up to say hello, while the remaining half also tried to climb on Chen Zhiwei¡¯s bandwagon and get to know Shen Xi. After all, there were many talented people in this circle, but not many people who were rich and quick to pay. By the time Shen Xi had finished greeting everyone, he was already full of alcohol. After turning down a few of the young actors who tried to get close to him, Shen Xi naturally sat down next to Fang Luowei and Lao K. ¡°Why did you drink so much? You¡¯ll have to drive later.¡± Fang Luowei scolded him softly. He did not join the crowd to go over to Shen Xi when he appeared, so he did not know that Shen Xi would drink so much. Now he quickly poured him a glass of orange juice. When Shen Xi appeared, Lao K keenly felt that Shen Xi was in the wrong mood. Thinking about the afternoon call, he thought that Shen Xi was still in a bad mood because of Wang Changlin. He wanted to comfort him with a few words, but Fang Luowei was by his side. Some things were not easy to say; after all, what he and Shen Xi were doing was hidden from Fang Luowei. Shen Xi smiled lightly and took the orange juice from Fang Luowei¡¯s hand, and was about to say that it was not a problem when Chen Zhiwei came over with a smile, ¡°Luowei, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to meet some friends.¡± Through the time he spent with Shen Xi, Chen Zhiwei felt that he already knew Shen Xi very well. Shen Xi didn¡¯t like this kind of socialising. It was obviously enough for him to be able to attend today and not refuse to toast to everyone. He didn¡¯t dare to bother Shen Xi, and could only sell his goodwill to him through Fang Luowei. Although Fang Luowei was worried about Shen Xi, he could not refuse Chen Zhiwei¡¯s kindness. He told Lao K to keep an eye on Shen Xi and not to let him drink any more, and then got up and left with Chen Zhiwei. Lao K couldn¡¯t help but secretly praise Chen Zhiwei in his heart. He was worried about finding a chance to spend some time alone with Shen Xi. Seeing Fang Luowei walking away with Chen Zhiwei, Lao K turned to Shen Xi, ¡°Not in a good mood?¡± They were in the corner of the room, and because of Shen Xi¡¯s earlier rejection of the young actors, no one dared to come over, so there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation. Shen Xi nodded. ¡°Because of Wang Changlin?¡± Shen Xi froze and quickly shook his head. Lao K¡¯s eyes flicked over Shen Xi, ¡°Then it¡¯s because of Li Mingxuan?¡± Shen Xi lifted a glass of wine in front of him and took a sip. Instead of denying it he nodded slightly. Under the influence of alcohol, Shen Xi¡¯s thoughts began to drift away. The appearance of Wang Changlin suddenly made him realise that his original plan to destroy the Shen family step by step was expected to be completed ahead of schedule, due to Wang Changlin¡¯s identity and Shen Dehan¡¯s trust in Wang Changlin. But as soon as this thought came to him, Li Mingxuan¡¯s name suddenly appeared in his mind, reminding him that while he was retaliating against the Shen family, there was still a problem that needed to be solved. When he was with Li Mingxuan at the beginning, it was simply because Li Mingxuan had the kind of warmth he craved. It happened that Li Mingxuan liked him, and all Shen Xi needed was someone to accompany him. To him, it made no difference whether the person was Li Mingxuan or someone else. In his consciousness, he did not even think about the future of the two of them. He had already made the decision to leave Zhongjing and settle abroad once he had finished taking revenge on the Shen family, and the reaction of Li Mingxuan at that time was not within his scope of consideration. But as he spent time with Li Mingxuan, their relationship grew closer and closer, and many things changed without him realising it. Despite his repeated evasions, he had to admit that now Li Mingxuan was different from the others in his heart. He could not imagine the look on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face when the dust settled and he knew the truth. The thought of that day made his heart indescribably sad. Shen Xi¡¯s expression was noticed by Lao K. He could not help but sigh. He did not know what he should say. Having known Shen Xi for five years, he thought that there was no one else in the world who knew Shen Xi better than he did. No matter how much Shen Xi pretended in front of everyone, what Shen Xi had shown him from the beginning was his true self. Lao K knew that although Shen Xi usually acted indifferent, under his cold outer shell, he was just a man desperately in need of warmth because of his family¡¯s long-standing indifference. Perhaps because he had felt so little warmth in the past, Shen Xi¡¯s thirst for warmth was almost obsessive. And Li Mingxuan had done too good a job, infiltrating Shen Xi¡¯s life little by little. Even he couldn¡¯t find fault with Li Mingxuan. It was only natural that as time went on, Shen Xi would not be able to let go. Lao K struggled to sort out the wording in his mind, thinking of how to comfort Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked at him and suddenly laughed, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I know what I want.¡± Everything Lao K wanted to say was blocked by Shen Xi¡¯s words. Shen Xi¡¯s smile faded and he said in a soft voice, ¡°No matter what the reason is, I will not give up taking revenge on the Shen family.¡± Shen Xi lowered his eyes. No matter how good Li Mingxuan was to him, there was still a fundamental difference between them. From the day he climbed out of the abyss, he was very clear what his purpose was. There was nothing that he couldn¡¯t give up for it. Shen Xi¡¯s words were so firm that Lao K fell silent, saying nothing in the end. The atmosphere in the room was getting noisy. A bunch of people heckled and shouted at Chen Zhiwei to sing. Shen Xi frowned slightly, got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a while.¡± Lao K knew that Shen Xi didn¡¯t like this kind of atmosphere and immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you!¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°Okay.¡± The two of them turned around and left the box after waving to Chen Zhiwei from afar. They walked out of Yuanhui quietly all the way. Lao K glanced at the time and suggested, ¡°It¡¯s already late. Why don¡¯t I take you home? There¡¯s no point in staying.¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t answer, frowning and looking ahead. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lao K asked in surprise. ¡°Shen Rong is there.¡± ¡°Shen Rong?¡± Lao K followed Shen Xi¡¯s line of sight and his expression changed slightly. Ahead of them, inside a car, Shen Rong was sitting with a man in his early thirties, and several packets of white powder were quickly handed from the man¡¯s hand to Shen Rong¡¯s. Shen Rong quickly took out a roll of money and stuffed it into the man¡¯s pocket, then hurried away with his head down. The strange man looked around and his eyes swept over Shen Xi and Lao K with a knowing smile. Lao K frowned and pulled Shen Xi in a different direction. Both of them could see clearly what Shen Rong was doing just now. Shen Xi did not expect Shen Rong to dare to get involved in drugs. Thinking about his father who was still lying in the hospital, Shen Xi thought about finding a suitable opportunity to reveal this to his father. Shen Dehan¡¯s expression would definitely become very exciting. Because of Shen Rong¡¯s appearance, Shen Xi was not in the mood to stay any longer. Lao K was not at ease with the drunken Shen Xi and insisted on driving him home. The two of them were about to get into the car when there was an ear-splitting sound of brakes not far away. Shen Xi and Lao K subconsciously looked over and were both shocked with what they saw. In front of them, Shen Rong was driven hard into a corner by a car that almost hit him. With the sound of the brakes, the car door opened and Shen Cheng jumped from inside. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Shen Rong shouted in shock and anger as he was pressed to the wall by Shen Cheng who had just gotten out of the car. Shen Cheng looked very strange at this moment. His face was pale, his hair was in a mess, and his clothes were obviously put together haphazardly, his expression twisted and hideous. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Shen Cheng shouted fiercely as he lunged towards Shen Rong. Shen Rong was unable to dodge and was pinned to the wall, his neck squeezed by Shen Cheng until his breath was cut off. ¡°You¡­ you let go!¡± Shen Rong desperately tried to break free from Shen Cheng¡¯s grip but couldn¡¯t do so because Shen Cheng was choking him with all his strength. At the moment of life and death, Shen Rong had a flash of inspiration. He gave up on trying to break free from Shen Cheng¡¯s hands and instead groped in his pocket with great difficulty, quickly pulling open a packet of powder and sprinkling it on Shen Cheng. The white powder was blown at his face and his nose was filled with the tantalising smell. Shen Cheng¡¯s movements immediately stopped and his eyes involuntarily moved to follow the flying powder. In the end, he couldn¡¯t hold back and let go of Shen Rong. He quickly squatted down and started gathering the powder on the ground. He grabbed it casually, put it under his nose and sniffed hard, as if enjoying it. A trace of astonishment appeared in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes not far away. Shen Rong broke away from Shen Cheng¡¯s grip and clutched his neck, coughing hard. As Shen Cheng¡¯s expression became more and more engrossed, a winning smile appeared on Shen Rong¡¯s face. Raising his foot to kick Shen Cheng who was kneeling there, Shen Rong said triumphantly, ¡°Do you still want to kill me, Second Brother?¡± Shen Cheng looked up at Shen Rong. His eyes were full of resentment, but his hands were clutching the white powder despite himself. Shen Rong smiled slightly, ¡°Second Brother, you don¡¯t want people to know that you are addicted to drugs, right? According to your status, it¡¯s not suitable for you to come out and buy these things by yourself. You see, I can help you. As long as I don¡¯t say anything, no one will know that you are addicted. Isn¡¯t that good?¡± With the last trace of clarity Shen Cheng said in a dumb voice, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you, how would I have become addicted?¡± Shen Rong apologised insincerely, ¡°Then I¡¯ve really wronged Second Brother. Do you want to tell Father, tell Big Brother, tell everyone that I got you addicted to drugs?¡± Shen Cheng stared deadly at Shen Rong, who smilingly fished out another bag of white powder from his pocket, and Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes immediately changed, vaguely revealing greed. Shen Rong laughed in satisfaction. As Shen Rong and Shen Cheng left, Shen Xi stepped forward from the shadows. The drug addict turned out to be not Shen Rong but Shen Cheng. So this was going to be even more hilarious. CH 74 ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± On the way back, Lao K asked while driving steadily. Perhaps because he had been drinking a little too quickly, Shen Xi felt dizzy since he got into the car and was quietly leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. When he heard Lao K speak, he slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his temples hard to wake up, ¡°What do you propose?¡± Lao K thought about it and said, ¡°How about finding a few people to keep an eye on the two of them and collect some evidence to send to Shen Dehan? Let Shen Dehan see how one of his sons lured the other into taking drugs. By the way, we can also find some reporters to break the news. You know how much reporters love such stories.¡± Lao K¡¯s proposal was good, but Shen Xi was not going to let the matter go simply like that. Changing his position comfortably, Shen Xi lazily said, ¡°I remember that citizens are obliged to report drug addicts, and the government seems to offer certain rewards?¡± Lao K was stunned and quickly understood, ¡°You want to call the police?¡± Shen Xi said, ¡°Shen Cheng is using drugs and Shen Rong is dealing drugs, so as a law-abiding citizen, I naturally have the obligation to report them.¡± A trace of strangeness flashed across Lao K¡¯s face; he tried hard to suppress his smile and nodded, ¡°Good, we are all good law-abiding citizens, leave this matter to me.¡± The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth slowly curled up, but there was not the slightest smile in his eyes. The distance from Yuanhui to Shen Xi¡¯s home was not far, just a twenty-minute drive. Halfway through the journey, Shen Xi received a call from Li Mingxuan asking when he would be home and if he needed to pick him up. Shen Xi glanced at Lao K beside him, shook his head and said that he would be home soon and did not need Li Mingxuan to make another trip. The two soon arrived downstairs in Shen Xi¡¯s community. Lao K parked the car and gestured to Shen Xi, ¡°Do you need me to take you upstairs?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m fine on my own.¡± Fang Luowei was different, but for Lao K it was better to appear in front of Li Mingxuan as little as possible. Lao K knew Shen Xi¡¯s concerns and did not insist. After seeing Lao K leave, Shen Xi endured dizziness and pressed the button of the elevator. When he got out of the elevator, it seemed there was a problem with the sound-controlled lights in the hallway, because there were no lights on and the entire corridor was black. Shen Xi was searching for the keys in his pocket when the door suddenly opened, revealing Li Mingxuan¡¯s smiling face, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± At that moment, Shen Xi¡¯s whole body was merged with the boundless darkness behind him, while a step away, Li Mingxuan appeared in front of him with a gentle smile, a soft light glowing behind his back. Shen Xi stood in the corridor, looking straight at Li Mingxuan not far away. The boundary between darkness and light was clearly visible between the two. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± As he looked at Shen Xi standing motionless, worry surfaced in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. He stepped forward and pulled Shen Xi closer. The moment their bodies came into contact, Shen Xi felt a fierce flutter in his heart, followed by an abnormal throbbing. Almost instinctively, he reached out and hugged Li Mingxuan, burying his head tightly against the other man¡¯s neck. The faint smell of alcohol wafted out from Shen Xi¡¯s body, and Li Mingxuan smiled, thinking that Shen Xi¡¯s earlier abnormality was due to his drinking. Habitually, he reached out and rubbed Shen Xi¡¯s hair, ¡°Drunk?¡± The tone of his voice was full of doting. Shen Xi shook his head and didn¡¯t say anything, his soft hair brushing over Li Mingxuan¡¯s earlobe, his warm breath spraying on his neck. Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but hug Shen Xi tighter. Only after a while did he realise that they were still in the corridor. Li Mingxuan carefully carried Shen Xi into the apartment, lowered his head and kissed him, ¡°Tired? Do you want to rest for a while first?¡± Perhaps the aftereffects of drinking made Shen Xi feel even more dizzy. Letting go of Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi frowned and stood straight, ¡°I want to take a shower.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes flashed slightly, his face overflowing with a smile, ¡°Okay!¡± After undressing and getting into the bathtub filled with the warm water Shen Xi felt finally more comfortable, and even the dizziness wasn¡¯t as bad as before. Leaning in the bathtub in relaxation, Shen Xi recalled the fluttering that had just flashed through his heart, and the expression on his face became puzzled. This was not the first time he had felt a throbbing in his heart for Li Mingxuan, but this time the feeling was so strong that it seemed a warm current washed over his heart in an instant, making it beat violently. Shen Xi stretched out his hand and placed it on his chest. His heart was still beating with excitement until now, as if there was a strong force stirring in it, refusing to be calmed down. What Li Mingxuan saw when he pushed open the bathroom door was Shen Xi sitting naked in the bathtub, his right hand on his heart, staring blankly at the surface of the water. ¡°What is Xiao Xi thinking about?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice suddenly reached him and Shen Xi subconsciously looked over. With the wet hair sticking to Shen Xi¡¯s face and his dazed expression, Li Mingxuan felt his heart instantly soften. Shen Xi now looked like a soft little animal to him. With an unconscious smile in his eyes, Li Mingxuan moved quickly to take off his clothes and walked over to Shen Xi. When a small bathtub accommodated two grown men, their bodies inevitably overlapped. Li Mingxuan sat behind Shen Xi and held him in his arms. Shen Xi obediently leaned against Li Mingxuan¡¯s chest and closed his eyes slightly. The water in the bathtub was gentle and the embrace behind him was so reassuring that Shen Xi only wanted to close his eyes and rest for a while, but he actually fell asleep without realising it. When Li Mingxuan realised that the man in his arms was actually asleep, an odd look couldn¡¯t help but appear on his face. With a bitter smile, he stood up and left the bathroom holding the wet Shen Xi in his arms, trying to ignore the little brother standing upright below. The sleeping Shen Xi unconsciously expressed his trust in Li Mingxuan and pressed tightly to his chest. Li Mingxuan obediently lay down beside Shen Xi, lowered his head and tenderly kissed him on the cheek, then swept him up in his arms and fell asleep together. Since his return from the cemetery that day, Shen Xi stayed at home for several days without going out. As for Shen Cheng and Shen Rong, Lao K arranged for someone to keep an eye on them, with the intention of finding a suitable opportunity to stir up the matter. According to Lao K, Shen Cheng hadn¡¯t been addicted to drugs for long. The reason why he was so out of shape last time was because he had locked himself up in the hotel for two days to try to kick his drug addiction, but who knew that he would not be able to resist in the end and would be desperate to find Shen Rong. After a few days of observation, it seemed that Shen Cheng gave up the idea of quitting and never mentioned getting clean again. Shen Xi huddled on the sofa, switching the TV channels haphazardly as Lao K¡¯s words flashed through his mind. To be honest, he was also a bit confused about Shen Rong¡¯s motives. Shen Cheng was the one with the best attitude towards Shen Rong in the Shen family, why would Shen Rong do this? Was it because he saw Shen Ji being expelled from Shen Group and thought that by destroying Shen Cheng he would have a chance to rise to the top? After thinking about it for a long time and not understanding it, Shen Xi was too lazy to think about it anymore and comfortably changed his position, closing his eyes and preparing to take a nap. The ear-piercing ringing of his mobile phone sounded abruptly. Shen Xi looked at the words ¡°Li Mingxuan¡±, slightly stunned, and then quickly answered. ¡°Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s serious voice came over, ¡°Xiao Xi, stay at home today, if there are any strange calls, don¡¯t answer them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s first thought was that Shen Cheng¡¯s drug use had been exposed. Li Mingxuan hesitated slightly for a moment, ¡°Ah Cheng has been arrested for using drugs.¡± Hearing the expected answer, Shen Xi cooperated, saying in surprise, ¡°What?¡± Then he added, ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± Li Mingxuan patiently explained, ¡°The one who was arrested together with him was Shen Rong who might be involved in distributing drugs. The reporters outside are going crazy, and there is a possibility that you and Shen Ji will be involved.¡± Shen Xi understood the meaning of Li Mingxuan¡¯s words. The reporters probably wanted to implicate all of them in the drug incident for the sake of gaining a bigger story. When he was preparing to expose this matter, Shen Xi had already predicted that he would definitely be affected. After all, his previous reputation was too notorious and he could easily be involved in such matters. But how could Shen Ji be involved? That was rather strange. ¡°I see.¡± Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi opened the computer and was about to look for some relevant reports when Lao K¡¯s call came in. ¡°Are you saying that someone else is behind this matter?¡± Lao K let out an ¡°en¡±, ¡°The Tian and the Fang families are both behind this.¡± In the past few days of watching Shen Cheng, Lao K had been unable to find a suitable opportunity to expose this matter. Because Shen Rong and Shen Cheng usually meet at clubs, and these clubs all had powerful backgrounds behind them, Lao K was not in a position to act rashly. When Shen Cheng stayed at the hotel yesterday and Shen Rong rushed there early in the morning, Lao K immediately arranged for the police to be called and informed the reporters by the way. He originally only planned to make this matter a big deal, but he didn¡¯t expect that several competitors of the Shen family had heard the news and pushed the boat along the water behind his back to involve Shen Xi and Shen Ji, with the Tian family in particular being the most active and thoroughly trying to discredit the Shen family. Lao K roughly explained the process, ¡°Now that Shen Cheng and Shen Rong have both been arrested, reporters are surrounding the police station, I reckon some reporters might try to contact you to get a quote, so pay attention.¡± Li Mingxuan had already warned him before, and Shen Xi was prepared. Lao K said with worry, ¡°Should we find a way to stop the news that concerns you?¡± Shen Xi laughed, ¡°What¡¯s there to stop, everyone knows I¡¯m notorious anyway, so one more stain is nothing. Besides, it¡¯s not like I got caught directly like Shen Cheng. The reporters are just doing their work. I don¡¯t care, it¡¯s Mr. Shen and Big Brother who are really going to be angry.¡± Lao K also knew that once this story broke out, Shen Xi would definitely be affected. But being affected and being deliberately smeared were two different situations. He was a bit worried that the reporters would go too far with it. But now that Shen Xi didn¡¯t mind, he didn¡¯t say anything else. Hanging up again, Shen Xi squeezed the phone and smiled lightly. In the past, the Shen family was a behemoth, and although the people around it secretly coveted it, they did not dare to touch it. Now after a series of storms starting with Yunrou, the Shen family was like a badly wounded prey, and everyone around couldn¡¯t help but pursue it, following the smell of blood. This was good, this would save him a lot of effort. CH 75 The drug-related incident of Shen Rong and Shen Cheng shocked the whole of Zhongjing. The internet was full of related news, and the reporters were excitedly surrounding all the places where the Shen family members might appear, trying to dig up further news. Inside the police station, Shen Cheng, pale-faced, sat against the wall holding his head, his body trembling slightly. He was in a small room, empty, nothing but him. The sound of footsteps seemed to come from afar. Shen Cheng looked up expectantly as the footsteps passed by the doorway, and the anticipation in his eyes dimmed a little. Shen Cheng began to shiver more and more, his vision gradually turning unfocused, his eyes showing madness. When the police appeared, he was halfway through getting his dose and was interrupted. His unsatisfied addiction was causing him extraordinary pain. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that his mind was still clear, he didn¡¯t know what he would have done. Now the calmouring inside him was getting stronger and stronger, and his whole body was as uncomfortable as if it was being gnawed by ants. Shen Cheng wailed lowly and his sanity started to blur. When Shen Ji arrived at the police station, this was the state he saw Shen Cheng in. Although he had already prepared himself mentally when he first received the news, Shen Cheng¡¯s condition was still far beyond his expectation. The sound of the door opening startled Shen Cheng. He didn¡¯t even look at who it was and pounced directly, ¡°Give it to me, give it to me!¡± Shen Ji¡¯s face distorted as he grabbed Shen Cheng, ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± This voice made Shen Cheng lurch, and then surprise appeared on his face as he obviously recognised Shen Ji, ¡°Big Brother, will you take me away, Big Brother, I don¡¯t want to stay here, I want to go home.¡± Shen Ji suppressed his anger and said in a cold voice, ¡°The lawyer is dealing with the formalities, you will be able to leave soon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shen Cheng gripped Shen Ji tightly, the elation of being able to leave temporarily suppressing the desire for drugs in his heart. Shen Ji turned away without looking at Shen Cheng and said in a cold voice, ¡°Let go!¡± ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng held on as if he regarded Shen Ji as a life-saving driftwood, clutching his hand. ¡°You still remember that I am your big brother?¡± Shen Ji sneered, ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten what I told you, haven¡¯t you? How dare you touch drugs?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, it wasn¡¯t me, I was set up by Shen Rong,¡± Shen Cheng argued loudly. ¡°Set up?¡± Shen Ji stared at Shen Cheng bitterly, ¡°The first time was a set-up, and every time after that was a set-up?¡± Pain flashed in Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes; his body trembled even more, and he murmured in a wailing voice, ¡°Big Brother, I can¡¯t control it, I really can¡¯t control it, I want to quit, really.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s tearful voice softened Shen Ji¡¯s heart and he was about to speak when the lawyer knocked softly on the door and walked in. ¡°Dashao, Ershao¡¯s formalities have been completed. The Wang team asks what you plan to do about Shen Rong.¡± When he thought of what Shen Cheng just said about being framed by Shen Rong, a trace of coldness flashed through Shen Ji¡¯s eyes, ¡°Isn¡¯t Shen Rong suspected of drug trafficking? What should I do? The Shen family doesn¡¯t have such a family member as him.¡± The lawyer nodded calmly, seemingly completely unaware of Shen Cheng¡¯s strange appearance, turned around and left the room. After the lawyer¡¯s figure disappeared, Shen Cheng carefully reached out and took Shen Ji¡¯s arm, ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji gave him a cold look and left the place without saying anything, and Shen Cheng hurriedly followed him. The fact that Shen Cheng was taken away by Shen Ji and Shen Rong stayed at the police station quickly became known to everyone. According to the statement given by the case officer, since Shen Cheng had been using drugs for a short period of time and was a first-time offender, he could leave in accordance with the rules after he agreed to participate in compulsory drug rehabilitation and pay a certain amount of fine, but Shen Rong was different. Because he was suspected of selling drugs, Shen Rong needed to cooperate with them for further investigation. Wang Changlin heavily shut down the computer in front of him, his eyes cold. He did not expect that Shen Rong, his pawn, would be wasted so quickly. The original plan for addicting Shen Cheng to drugs went very smoothly, but the matter was exposed unexpectedly, causing all his calculations to come to naught. Who was behind this? There were many drug addicts among the children of wealthy families in Zhongjing, how come that Shen Cheng was the only one to be reported, and it became such a big deal? Who the hell was it? Most importantly, why did Shen Ji only take away Shen Cheng? According to his understanding of Shen Ji, even if he disliked Shen Rong, for the sake of the Shen family¡¯s reputation, he would have definitely tried to suppress the matter. But he didn¡¯t. Did Shen Cheng say something? No, he had already told Shen Rong to keep this a secret and not to let Shen Cheng see any clues. Wang Changlin had doubts in his heart, but no matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason; otherwise Shen Ji would never have let Shen Rong discredit the Shen family. A fierce look flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes. Shen Rong was no longer of use, should he take this opportunity to discard him? However, thinking about Zhou Mingmei, Wang Changlin couldn¡¯t make up his mind for a while. That woman knew too much; he had to think carefully about what he should do. The phone rang abruptly. Wang Changlin glanced at the number. Of course, it could only be Zhou Mingmei. ¡°Changlin, you must think of a way this time.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s words were straight to the point, omitting any pleasantries. At the very beginning of the incident, Zhou Mingmei wasn¡¯t too worried. Shen Rong was merely buying drugs for Shen Cheng, and he could say that he had been forced by Shen Cheng and was unable to refuse. Taking into account Shen Rong¡¯s awkward status in the Shen family, this reason made perfect sense. What¡¯s more, the scandal involved the Shen family; even though Shen Dehan had been indifferent to Shen Rong since the last video incident, he would never have let Shen Rong smear the family¡¯s reputation by leaving him without help. But her certainty began to waver when Shen Ji appeared and only took away Shen Cheng. What was the meaning of Shen Ji¡¯s behaviour? Did he find out something or did Shen Cheng say something? Was it his private decision or Shen Dehan¡¯s? Zhou Mingmei did not dare to think about it. After mobilising all the connections she could use, she was horrified to discover that the matter was not as simple as she had presupposed, and that someone intended to implement Shen Rong¡¯s drug trafficking charges. The first person Zhou Mingmei thought would do this was Shen Ji. He must have discovered something. He wanted to whitewash Shen Cheng¡¯s name and retaliate against Shen Rong. Once Shen Rong was convicted, Shen Cheng could logically put all the blame on Shen Rong, thus turning himself into a victim. After Zhou Mingmei thought about all this clearly, she immediately called Wang Changlin. In fact, she didn¡¯t trust Wang Changlin much, but he was the only one she could only rely on now. Wang Changlin said quietly, ¡°Mingmei, what do you want me to do?¡± Zhou Mingmei said coldly, ¡°Ah Rong must not be charged with drug trafficking, it¡¯s a crime that will lead to jail time. I know you must have a way to get Ah Rong out of it.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s tone was uncomfortable, ¡°Mingmei, you should have guessed that Shen Ji is behind this matter, I may not be able to help much.¡± Zhou Mingmei sneered, ¡°You seem to have forgotten who Ah Rong obeyed when he did this.¡± ¡°Me.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s tone was unexpectedly frank, ¡°But I remember that you seemed to agree very much with my proposal at the time.¡± Zhou Mingmei was speechless for a moment, and only after a pause did she say, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Wang Changlin said softly, ¡°Mingmei, nowadays, you and I both know that the Shen family absolutely will not tolerate Ah Rong anymore. In fact, after the last video incident, the Shen family no longer has a place for Ah Rong, and I remember that we have already reached a consensus on this matter.¡± ¡°What exactly do you want to say?¡± Zhou Mingmei interrupted Wang Changlin¡¯s words coldly. A strange aura flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes, ¡°I am saying that the only way for Ah Rong to get out of this now is to completely tear his face with the Shen family and put everything on Shen Cheng¡¯s head.¡± Zhou Mingmei fell silent, ¡°How sure are you of that?¡± Wang Changlin said quietly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m sure or not, what matters is that I¡¯m the only one you can trust me, right?¡± Hanging up the phone, Wang Changlin smiled in satisfaction. If Shen Rong could use this incident to bite Shen Cheng to death, then he would give Shen Rong another chance, but it would be best if both sides lost and hurt each other. In that case, the only thing left for Shen Dehan would be to choose Shen Xi, and things would become correspondingly much easier in the future. Of course, the most important thing now was to find out how Shen Dehan could not know about such a lively affair. Shen Xi had the same thought as Wang Changlin. After seeing the news that Shen Ji had only brought out Shen Cheng, Shen Xi immediately guessed that Shen Ji already knew the inside story of Shen Cheng¡¯s addiction to drugs. Thinking about the activities of the Tian family trying to implement Shen Rong¡¯s drug trafficking charges, Shen Xi sneered. Shen Ji¡¯s actions made him mistakenly carry the blame for the Tian family¡¯s doings. How could he leave Mr. Shen in the hospital unaware of such a hilarious event? A simple text message was sent to Chu Qianqian. Shen Xi believed that with Chu Qianqian¡¯s intelligence, she would know what to do. As Shen Xi had expected, Chu Qianqian quickly pretended to be troubled in front of Shen Dehan. Occasionally, she looked at Shen Dehan with indescribable pain in her eyes, but immediately averted her eyes after he looked at her. After a few times, Shen Dehan naturally noticed and became suspicious of Chu Qianqian¡¯s behaviour, asking her if something had happened to her. Chu Qianqian shook her head, her gaze wandering, not daring to look at Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan became more and more suspicious, ¡°Qianqian, what exactly are you hiding from me?¡± His tone also became stern. Chu Qianqian lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Dehan, ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Qianqian!¡± Shen Dehan pushed away Chu Qianqian¡¯s hand in dissatisfaction and struggled to sit up, ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll ask the others.¡± ¡°Mr. Shen!¡± Chu Qianqian hurriedly stopped him. After meeting Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes once again, Chu Qianqian looked at Shen Dehan embarrassedly, ¡°Mr. Shen, promise me, whatever I say, you must not get angry.¡± Shen Dehan nodded. Chu Qianqian seemed to have made a decision, looked at Shen Dehan and said softly, ¡°I saw the news. Ershao was arrested for drug use in the morning.¡± These words caused a great shock to Shen Dehan. His face immediately turned red and he stared at Chu Qianqian with a deadly stare, ¡°What did you say?¡± Chu Qianqian subconsciously defended Shen Cheng, ¡°Mr. Shen, you can¡¯t blame Ershao for that, I heard that Ershao was lured into taking drugs by Shen Rong.¡± Shen Dehan clutched his chest tightly, breathing heavily, trying to ease his emotions. Chu Qianqian patted Shen Dehan¡¯s back worriedly, her voice turning to sobbing, ¡°You promised me you wouldn¡¯t get angry!¡± Shen Dehan was still breathing heavily, struggling to speak, ¡°I¡¯m fine, what else did you hear, Qianqian?¡± Chu Qianqian refused to say anything more, shaking her head and avoiding Shen Dehan¡¯s gaze. Her behaviour clearly indicated that there was a secret behind this matter, and Shen Dehan¡¯s emotions fluctuated violently once more, ¡°I allow you to speak.¡± Chu Qianqian seemed to be frightened by Shen Dehan¡¯s emotional turmoil and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I heard that because Shen Rong lured Ershao into using drugs, Dashao wants to retaliate against Shen Rong by having someone identify Shen Rong as a drug dealer to put him in jail.¡± Although he had prepared for the worst, Chu Qianqian¡¯s words still overwhelmed Shen Dehan. All three sons were involved in the same scandal! Especially when he thought of the rumours that Shen Rong had lured Shen Cheng into taking drugs, Shen Dehan felt as if a knife was plunged into his heart. He didn¡¯t want to believe that what Chu Qianqian said was true, but how could he not believe? Shen Dehan¡¯s face became very ugly. ¡°Mr. Shen, Mr. Shen?¡± Chu Qianqian shouted in fear and hurriedly found a doctor. A sedative was administered and Shen Dehan fell asleep, his face dark. Chu Qianqian curled up her lips, once again applauding her acting skills; it was a pity that no one was there to appreciate them. Shen Dehan slept for a whole afternoon and did not wake up until the evening. Opening his eyes in a daze, Shen Dehan saw Chu Qianqian¡¯s eyes red and swollen as she sat by his side, ¡°Qianqian?¡± Chu Qianqian looked over in surprise, ¡°Mr. Shen, you¡¯re finally awake!¡± Saying that, Chu Qianqian seemed to think of something and guiltily lowered her head, murmuring, ¡°It¡¯s all my fault, I shouldn¡¯t have told you about Ershao using drugs.¡± These words of Chu Qianqian once again stirred up Shen Dehan¡¯s memories, and the blankness on his face was gradually replaced by gloom. ¡°Did those evil sons come over?¡± Shen Dehan asked in a cold voice. Chu Qianqian froze and quickly nodded, ¡°They did, they did, they were all here, I told them to go home first and come back tomorrow.¡± After saying that, Chu Qianqian instinctively lowered her head, trying to avoid Shen Dehan¡¯s gaze once more. Her guilty look instantly made Shen Dehan understand something. A breath of air seemed to be stuck in his chest, making him unable to speak. Because of the huge stimulation, Shen Dehan¡¯s condition, which had already begun to improve, deteriorated. The most obvious thing was that the left half of his body that had been able to sense external stimuli through exercise became rigid again, while the right half of his body also had a vague feeling of numbness. The doctor gave Shen Dehan a stern warning that if he was unable to control his emotions, he would be in danger of total paralysis. Shen Dehan¡¯s condition was soon revealed to the press, and along with Shen Rong¡¯s drug-related incident, Shen Group stock price began a new round of frantic decline. CH 76 With the opening of the stock market, Shen Group stock price quickly fell from 80 yuan per share all the way to 60 yuan per share, and there was a trend of continued fall. As Gao Qiulin looked at the graph representing Shen Group stock price on the computer screen, his eyes were gloomy and his face was as white as the face of a patient who was seriously ill. ¡°Well? Have you thought it over?¡± Wang Changlin asked unhurriedly. Gao Qiulin gave Wang Changlin a deadly stare, ¡°Let me take another look.¡± Wang Changlin laughed lightly, speaking in the same unhurried tone, ¡°Last time Shen Group share price was 80 yuan per share. I wanted to buy, but you said you¡¯d look at it. Now that it has dropped to 60 yuan per share, you want to take another look? You¡¯re not worried about Shen Group stock price dropping below 50 yuan per share? In that case, you will lose a lot of money.¡± Gao Qiulin raised his head sharply, ¡°You want Shen Group to continue to fall?¡± Wang Changlin had an odd smile on his face, ¡°How is it possible?¡± Gao Qiulin stared at Wang Changlin suspiciously and snorted coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll give you an answer before noon. Whatever you want to do, don¡¯t involve me.¡± Wang Changlin smiled in satisfaction, ¡°What are you worried about? I remember we¡¯ve always worked well together before. Are you sure you won¡¯t join forces with me this time?¡± A hint of vigilance flashed in Gao Qiulin¡¯s eyes, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Wang Changlin laughed, ¡°What do you think I will do? I think what I have done is already obvious. I¡¯m just doing what you¡¯ve always wanted to do, using Shen Group money to acquire Shen Group.¡± Gao Qiulin gave a low grunt, glanced at the stock price that continued to fall and said fiercely, ¡°You can play by yourself, I give up.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re agreeing to transfer your shares to me?¡± Gao Qiulin frowned, ¡°What are you in a hurry for? Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯d give you an answer before noon?¡± Wang Changlin gave Gao Qiulin a meaningful look, thinking of the hidden partner Gao Qiulin had mentioned before, and his eyes flashed with a bright light extremely quickly. Lao K quickly told Shen Xi of Gao Qiulin¡¯s plan to transfer his shares, and after taking a glance at Shen Group stock price that was still falling, Shen Xi politely declined Gao Qiulin¡¯s offer. Gao Qiulin was holding only about 10% of Shen Group shares; compared to the absolute majority of shares in Shen Dehan¡¯s hand, even if Shen Xi bought them, it would not help at all. What¡¯s more, if Shen Group continued to fall like this, it would soon go bankrupt. What was the use of having shares of the bankrupt Shen Group? He was not interested in taking over the Shen Group mess at all, instead he would like to see the Shen Group mess get worse. Gao Qiulin regretted very much that Shen Xi didn¡¯t want to take over the shares in his hands. If he could, he really did not want to have anything more to do with Wang Changlin. He had worked with Wang Changlin many times over the years, and the two of them had made a lot of money from Shen Group. In his eyes, Wang Changlin was a poisonous snake. Shen Dehan trusted him, but Wang Changlin could turn around and stab Shen Dehan time and time again. Now that the Shen family was in turmoil, Wang Changlin took advantage of the fire to rob. But this was not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was that Gao Qiulin had never been able to see Wang Changlin¡¯s intentions clearly. What exactly did he want to do? Gao Qiulin hesitated, looking at the falling numbers on the screen, his heart beating wildly with each decrease in price. After a while, he gritted his teeth and pressed Wang Changlin¡¯s number. He didn¡¯t care what Wang Changlin wanted to do, since Shen Group had nothing to do with him from now on. The shares in Gao Qiulin¡¯s hands were transferred to Wang Changlin¡¯s hands quietly. Because of his trust in Wang Changlin, Shen Dehan, who was lying in the hospital, did not notice the transaction taking place. At this time, his attention was on Shen Cheng and Shen Rong¡¯s drug-related incident. Inside the quiet ward, Shen Ji stood expressionlessly opposite his father, his eyes downcast as he stared at his feet in silence. There was a faint sense of confrontation between the two of them. Shen Dehan grunted coldly, ¡°Do you want me to repeat myself?¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t react at all, still maintaining his posture of lowering his eyes, silently opposing Shen Dehan¡¯s request. Anger appeared on Shen Dehan¡¯s face. Shen Ji¡¯s silent resistance made him very dissatisfied. He slapped his wheelchair vigorously, ¡°Ah Ji!¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s suddenly straightening figure attracted Shen Ji¡¯s attention. Shen Ji raised his eyes to look at his father, ¡°Father, I will not bail out Shen Rong.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s dry refusal made Shen Dehan furious as he continued to slap his wheelchair violently, ¡°Evil son, do you want the Shen family to be reduced to a laughing stock in Zhongjing?¡± A hint of self-deprecation flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes as he whispered, ¡°Does Father think that the Shen family is not a laughing stock now?¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Dehan choked on Shen Ji¡¯s words and said loudly, ¡°I don¡¯t care how much you want to get back to Shen Rong, get him out as soon as possible. The Shen family absolutely cannot have this kind of scandal.¡± ¡°Scandal?¡± Shen Ji sneered, ¡°Shen Rong¡¯s drug dealing and imprisonment is not a scandal, his luring Ah Cheng into taking drugs is the scandal.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s anger was blocked by Shen Ji¡¯s words, and for a moment he couldn¡¯t help but cough violently. Shen Ji raised his eyes to look at Shen Dehan, his expression blank as he had no intention to come closer. Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned grey as he coughed, and his spirit declined a little. Although he already knew what Shen Ji had said, he was still irritated every time he heard it. Whether it was Shen Cheng taking drugs or Shen Rong luring Shen Cheng into taking drugs, it was an unacceptable and huge blow to him. They were both his sons, and he could not believe that Shen Rong would do something like that. Shen Dehan¡¯s coughing slowly stopped and his attitude remained firm, ¡°Ah Ji, even if you don¡¯t admit it, outsiders know that Shen Rong is the illegitimate son of the Shen family and your younger brother. His problems will definitely implicate the Shen family, and the Shen family can never have a scandal of their children and grandchildren going to jail.¡± The words ¡°younger brother¡± caused Shen Ji to look up at his father, his eyes obscure and unclear. Shen Ji took a step back slightly, the obscurity in his eyes turning to mockery, ¡°I only have two younger brothers. If Father is worried that I will lose face because of Shen Rong, then Father is worrying too much. To me, he is just a stranger who has nothing to do with the Shen family. If Father has nothing else to say, I will leave first, Ah Cheng is waiting for me.¡± Shen Ji turned around and left without looking at his father¡¯s expression again. She Dehan strained to grab the handle of his wheelchair, trying to stop him, ¡°Ah Ji!¡± Shen Ji, who had already reached the door, stopped slightly after his father¡¯s call, and then a hint of determination flashed across his face as he violently pushed the door and walked out. In the corridor, Chu Qianqian was waiting quietly. As soon as Shen Ji came out, she quickly took a step back and pretended to look natural in front of him. Shen Ji had no intention of talking to Chu Qianqian, and he didn¡¯t care in the slightest about what Chu Qianqian heard at the door. Driving past the press, Shen Ji drove all the way to the suburbs until there was no one else around. Then he let out the anger he had pent up since the hospital and slammed his fist on the steering wheel. It was ridiculous! It had come to this point, but his father was still deceiving himself, saying that he had to defend the reputation of the Shen family. But how could the Shen family still have any reputation to speak of? Shen Ji¡¯s face was full of mockery. His father wanted to protect Shen Rong, but it also depended on whether he agreed. Shen Ji¡¯s disobedience made Shen Dehan angry for a long time. After thinking about it, Shen Dehan called Wang Changlin and arranged for him to go to the police station to bail out Shen Rong. When he received the call from Shen Dehan, Wang Changlin was taken aback for a moment but reacted quickly. Shen Dehan might not have any feelings for Shen Rong, but Shen Rong was after all the well-known illegitimate son of the Shen family, and Shen Dehan absolutely could not allow Shen Rong to discredit the Shen family, so he would not allow Shen Rong to carry the stain of drug trafficking and imprisonment. Thinking about Shen Ji¡¯s attitude towards Shen Rong and the fact that Shen Dehan bypassed Shen Ji to let him handle this matter, Wang Changlin could not help but smile playfully. It seemed that Shen Dehan and his eldest son had a big difference in attitude when it came to Shen Rong. Let him think about what he should do to make Shen Dehan and Shen Ji completely turn against each other over Shen Rong. Wang Changlin acted swiftly and it didn¡¯t take long for him to use some connections and complete the bail procedures for Shen Rong. When Shen Ji found out the news, he was visiting Shen Cheng, who was recovering from drugs, with Li Mingxuan. The place where Shen Cheng was staying was a holiday villa of the Shen family in the suburbs that Shen Ji had bought a few years ago. Because of its remote location and beautiful environment, Shen Ji used to love to come here when he was in a bad mood. This time he had directly arranged for his bodyguards to send Shen Cheng here and bring a doctor. In the end, Shen Cheng had been locked up here. When they came over, Shen Cheng was tied to the bed, his whole body fixed immovable, with only his neck barely able to turn. A few bodyguards were quietly guarding the room, and all that could be heard inside was Shen Cheng¡¯s animal-like wails. ¡°Let me go, let me go now, I want to find Big Brother!¡± ¡°Big Brother, please, please, let me take a puff, just one puff.¡± ¡°Shen Ji, are you trying to get me killed so you can go back to Shen Group?! I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t even think about it!¡± ¡°Shen Ji, I hate you, I hate you.¡± Shen Ji stood in the doorway with a grim face, letting Shen Cheng inside to shout heartbreakingly, without the slightest change of his expression. In the past two days, he had already gotten used to Shen Cheng either begging or cursing whenever his body needed the drug. He watched Shen Cheng shout, weep, struggle violently like a fish out of the water. His initial despair turned to his current expressionlessness. Of course there were times when Shen Cheng was sober, and whenever that time came, Shen Cheng would meekly follow him around, apologising for his swearing, gritting his teeth and vowing to get clean, but every time a bout of addiction came on he would forget what he had said. As he listened to Shen Cheng¡¯s curses, Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh and patted Shen Ji¡¯s shoulder hard. Shen Ji shook his head to indicate that he was fine, but deep in his eyes was a deep sadness. Neither of them appeared in front of Shen Cheng; they knew that once Shen Cheng was awake, he would not want to be seen by anyone in such a mess. Shen Ji stood at the door in silence. The man inside was his most beloved brother. He could even give up Shen Group for him, how could he bear to see him become this inhuman now; and how could he let go of the person who had made Shen Cheng look like this for the sake of the reputation of the Shen family¡­ The bodyguard gently came over and whispered something into Shen Ji¡¯s ear. Li Mingxuan took a step back, looking away. The last time he saw Shen Cheng, Shen Cheng still looked like he was in high spirits. In just a few days, things had changed so much. Thinking about the current situation of the Shen family, Li Mingxuan remembered what his father had said, that the Shen family was going to be completely defeated. Li Mingxuan could not help but sigh; no matter what, Shen Cheng had Shen Ji to protect him, and it was enough for him to protect Shen Xi. After a moment, the bodyguard left quietly. Li Mingxuan turned his head and met Shen Ji¡¯s suddenly cold eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± A trace of ferocity flashed across Shen Ji¡¯s face, ¡°Father had Wang Changlin bail Shen Rong out.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s brows furrowed as Shen Ji said in a cold voice, ¡°Do you have the contact details of those punks in Nancheng?¡± Li Mingxuan said, ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s gaze turned to Shen Cheng in the room, his voice cold, ¡°I want Shen Rong to feel the pain that Ah Cheng is suffering as well.¡± CH 77 When the news of Shen Rong being released on bail by the Shen family reached Shen Xi¡¯s ears, he was surrounded by reporters downstairs at his company. Since it was Shen Xi¡¯s first appearance since the drug-related incident, the reporters were obviously very excited and were chasing after him to try to get some exclusive information. Shen Xi¡¯s face was expressionless as he dismissed all the microphones in front of him with the words ¡°no comment¡±, until a reporter shouted out the news that Shen Rong had been released on bail by the Shen family. Only then did Shen Xi¡¯s expression change. The reporter was obviously keenly aware of Shen Xi¡¯s expression and quickly repeated what he had said before. Shen Xi frowned slightly, glanced at the reporter, and said nothing. The company¡¯s security escorted him into the company. Lao K was already in his office early. When he saw Lao K, Shen Xi thought of the reporter¡¯s words earlier and said in confusion, ¡°What is the matter with Shen Rong being bailed out by the Shen family? Didn¡¯t Mr. Shen already know the truth about Shen Cheng¡¯s drug addiction? Why was he still willing to bail him out?¡± Lao K seemed to have something on his mind and didn¡¯t hear Shen Xi¡¯s words. Shen Xi patted him suspiciously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lao K shook his head without saying anything, but handed a report in front of him to Shen Xi. ¡°You should read this first.¡± Shen Xi took it in confusion; his eyes darted over the contents, and as his eyes moved down, his body visibly froze. Lao K looked worriedly at Shen Xi, whose expression he couldn¡¯t see. He couldn¡¯t guess how Shen Xi was feeling at the moment, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t be calm. The report didn¡¯t really contain much; it was everything he had found out about the Han family. There was only one exceptional thing he had inadvertently discovered, and that was the reason why he had asked Shen Xi to come to the office. As Shen Xi lingered on the report for longer and longer, the worry in Lao K¡¯s eyes grew deeper. He did not know what kind of impact this matter would have on Shen Xi, but he had no right to hide this matter. The office fell into silence. After a while, Shen Xi raised his head looking as usual, ¡°Have you checked the results of this test?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s tone was very plain, as if he had casually asked a perfectly normal question. Lao K hid the worry in his eyes and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s been too long. We could only find out that Shen Dehan had this test done back then, but we can¡¯t find out what the test results were.¡± Shen Xi listened quietly to Lao K¡¯s words, his eyes once again falling on the report in front of him. The words ¡°DNA test¡± reflected in his pupils, two familiar names on it deeply mocking. Shen Xi subconsciously squeezed the report, and the memories of his previous life in prison and his childhood flashed through his mind, finally focusing on the cold face of Shen Dehan. Shen Xi could not tell what he felt in his heart at this moment. There was anger, confusion and a vague fear of the outcome. His long-standing belief was crumbling, as if it would collapse at the slightest push. In his previous life, Shen Xi had asked himself countless times why his father did not like him. Why didn¡¯t the Shen family like him? He had always thought it was because of his mother, because of the ridiculously misplaced anger, but now the truth was coming out. Shen Dehan¡¯s coldness, Shen Dehan¡¯s disregard, Shen Dehan¡¯s indifference to his imprisonment, all of it had a logical explanation. He was not Shen Dehan¡¯s child. Shen Xi had imagined countless reasons, but had never thought in that direction. If he was not Shen Dehan¡¯s child, then what was the point of his revenge? What was the purpose of his rebirth? From ten years in prison in his previous life to his rebirth in this life, what supported him was his belief that the Shen family owed him, and he wanted to get back every bit of what he was owed. He wanted to make the Shen family lose their father-son bonds and turn brothers against each other, and he wanted to destroy the Shen family with his own hands. But now he suddenly found out that he might not be the Shen family¡¯s child, so did the Shen family still owe him? Shen Xi¡¯s silence made Lao K very uneasy; things were developing beyond their expectations. Lao K didn¡¯t know how to persuade Shen Xi, and in fact his mind was full of questions. What had happened between Shen Dehan and Han Rou back then? Why would Shen Dehan suspect that Shen Xi was not his son? Especially since Shen Dehan had done the test not long after Han Rou died, was there something else they didn¡¯t know about Han Rou¡¯s death? The most crucial thing was what the result of the test was back then. Thinking about the way Shen Dehan had been treating Shen Xi, Lao K had a vague suspicion. Lao K racked his brain to try to say something to break the silence in the room, but before he could think of a suitable topic, Shen Xi suddenly raised his head. ¡°Do you think this whole thing is ridiculous?¡± For the first time, Lao K felt he couldn¡¯t keep up with Shen Xi¡¯s thoughts, and Shen Xi didn¡¯t seem to need an answer from him. ¡°I hate Shen Dehan, I hate his heartlessness towards my mother, I hate his indifference towards me, I hate the fact that he never treated me as his son. I hated everyone in the Shen family because they were a family and I was always like an outsider around them. I took revenge on them, I designed to make the father fall out with the sons and to turn brothers against each other. Because I never had their affection, I wanted to destroy the affection between them too. But now I suddenly realise that I might really be just an outsider to them, that what I expected should never have belonged to me in the first place. So what did I do all this for?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s tone revealed confusion and self-denial, and Lao K became anxious. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± he interrupted him directly, ¡°This matter has not been investigated clearly, it is too early to draw a conclusion, maybe it¡¯s not at all what you think.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what I think?¡± Shen Xi gently fondled the report in his hand and made up his mind, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the hospital.¡± Regardless of whether the truth of the matter was the same as he thought, he needed Shen Dehan to give him the answer to this matter. Lao K let out a silent sigh. His intention was to get some of Shen Dehan¡¯s hair through Chu Qianqian to re-do the DNA test with Shen Xi. This way, whether it was true or not, the shock that Shen Xi would face would be much less than directly asking Shen Dehan for verification. But looking at the determination in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes, Lao K knew that he could not dissuade him and had to acquiesce to Shen Xi¡¯s actions. Shen Xi¡¯s arrival came as a surprise to the bodyguards at the hospital, as it was no secret to them that Shen Xi was not on good terms with his father. Even Chu Qianqian was very surprised to see Shen Xi appear alone, and the astonished expression on her face was very clear. ¡°Is Mr. Shen here?¡± Shen Xi noticed everyone¡¯s reaction, but he did not care, just asking Chu Qianqian expressionlessly. Chu Qianqian snapped back to attention. Although she felt that Shen Xi¡¯s search for Shen Dehan was very odd, she did not show it. ¡°Mr. Shen is asleep, does Sanshao want to wait?¡± Shen Xi nodded in silence, pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Chu Qianqian decisively left the ward. She was keenly aware that Shen Xi¡¯s mood was not normal and it was better for her to hide away while Shen Xi took care of his affairs. The bodyguards looked at each other and hesitantly informed Shen Ji of the incident. As for how Shen Ji would react, it was not their concern. Shen Xi did not care about the thoughts of the people outside the ward; his attention was drawn to Shen Dehan lying on the hospital bed. Compared to half a year ago, Shen Dehan, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed, had obviously aged a lot, and his complexion was not as rosy as it used to be, but rather grey, and a lot of white hair could be seen on his head. Shen Xi stood there quietly. Shen Dehan had the standard appearance of the Shen family, with a wide forehead and square face. She Xi had the impression that his grandfather was also like this, not to mention Shen Ji and Shen Cheng who looked very similar to Shen Dehan. He was the only child in the Shen family that was not like Shen Dehan at all. As he grew older, he looked more and more like his deceased uncle. It was no wonder that Shen Xi suspected that he was not a child of the Shen family. Shen Xi just stood there in silence. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed when Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes moved and there was a vague sign of him waking up. In a daze, Shen Dehan felt someone standing in front of him and subconsciously said, ¡°Qianqian?¡± Shen Xi replied faintly, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice took Shen Dehan by surprise. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shen Xi standing right in front of him, his eyes dark and deep, full of emotions he could not understand. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Shen Dehan said with disgust. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes swept over his father¡¯s expression and he said slowly, ¡°I have something I want to know the answer to.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s heart twitched as he stared at Shen Xi suspiciously, ¡°What do you want to know?¡± Shen Xi stared straight at Shen Dehan and said word for word, ¡°Am I a child of the Shen family, am I your son?¡± When these words reached Shen Dehan¡¯s ears, he was unable to conceal his shock. After the astonishment, a trace of annoyance flashed across Shen Dehan¡¯s face extremely quickly, ¡°You unfilial son, what are you talking about?¡± Shen Xi was indifferent to his father¡¯s reaction and simply repeated his question, ¡°I want to know if I am your son.¡± His tone caused Shen Dehan¡¯s instant rage; he haphazardly grabbed a few magazines by his pillow and threw them viciously at Shen Xi. ¡°You evil son, you think if you weren¡¯t my son, I would have put up with you living in the Shen family for so many years? I would have strangled you to death as soon as you were born!¡± Despite lying in the bed, Shen Dehan¡¯s furious strength was not small. The magazine hit Shen Xi¡¯s face hard, and the sharp cover cut a bloody mark on his cheek. Shen Xi didn¡¯t care about it, looked straight into his father¡¯s fire-breathing eyes and let out a low laugh. ¡°So it turns out I am your son, a child of the Shen family.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s tone was full of mockery and a sense of relief that Shen Dehan could not comprehend. Shen Dehan¡¯s anger was once again ignited, ¡°What kind of tone is that? Do you think the Shen family has wronged you?¡± Shen Xi stared at Shen Dehan indifferently, saying to himself, ¡°You have never liked me since I was a child and never regarded me as your son. I used to think that you were angry with me because you didn¡¯t like my mother, but today I learned that you suspected my origin. I asked you just to know the real reason why you ignored me for so many years. But now that you have admitted that I am your son, tell me, compared to Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, where did the Shen family not wrong me?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s voice was unhurried, but it caused Shen Dehan to become completely furious. The scene in front of him brought back embarrassing memories. Shen Xi¡¯s face looked exactly like Han Yu¡¯s back then. After Han Rou¡¯s death, Han Yu questioned him with a grim face in front of everyone about him wronging Han Rou. The condemning eyes of the crowd made Shen Dehan feel ashamed of himself for the first time, but he could not speak up to defend himself and could only let Han Yu humiliate him. Shen Dehan¡¯s trembling right hand pointed at Shen Xi. Where had he wronged them, Han Rou or Shen Xi, where had he wronged them? Shen Xi¡¯s face gradually overlapped with Han Yu¡¯s in his memory, and all of Shen Dehan¡¯s anger piled up as he shouted, ¡°You evil son, what do you know! You think the Shen family has wronged you, do you think the Han family is better? What do you think the Han family is? I¡¯m telling you, the Han family are all madmen, a bunch of madmen! Do you think your mother was wronged, do you know what she did back then? She set up a trap with that crazy uncle of yours using the Han family¡¯s century-old foundation to drag the Shen family down with it. I wronged her? Where did I wrong her? She wronged me! Why do you think she jumped out of the window in the first place? It was because she was pregnant, the baby wasn¡¯t mine, and she jumped to cover up the scandal. Do you know that all these years when I see you, I think of her, of the sinful child in her belly, of the wild man she slept with I don¡¯t know where!¡± Shen Dehan gasped violently as he said it all in one breath. Han Rou¡¯s cheating was a lifelong shame for him. He had always thought that Han Ruo really loved him, but Han Ruo¡¯s cheating was a slap in his face. The most ridiculous thing was that he couldn¡¯t defend himself, he could only hide this matter in his heart; even when Han Yu humiliated him like that, he couldn¡¯t say a word to defend himself. Shen Dehan stared at Shen Xi grimly. So what if Shen Xi was his son? All these years, Shen Xi¡¯s existence was only a reminder of how that woman Han Ruo had played him for a fool. When Shen Xi had read Lao K¡¯s investigation report about Shen Dehan¡¯s suspicion of his origin, he already had a vague thought that his mother had cheated on Shen Dehan. Looking at Shen Dehan¡¯s shameful expression, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but sneer. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a scumbag man like you, Mr. Shen! You say it¡¯s my mother who wronged you. Why don¡¯t you ask yourself? You just think it¡¯s a shame that my mother slept out there with another man, but what about you? What about you keeping Zhou Mingmei outside? If you hadn¡¯t broken my mother¡¯s heart, why would she have found someone else outside if she loved you so much? You only put all the blame on my mother, you don¡¯t even think that the source of everything is you. If you didn¡¯t love my mother, why did you marry her in the first place? If you are married, why do you only have demands for my mother but not for yourself? You refuse to take even the most basic responsibility as a man. After all, you are just a selfish man who only has himself in his heart.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned red with anger at these words. He trembled, pointing at Shen Xi, unable to say a word for a long time. Shen Xi took a step forward and leaned down to look at Shen Dehan, ¡°You said that my mother joined hands with my uncle to set up the Shen family. Ask your own conscience what you did to make Uncle so angry that he wanted to set you up even at the expense of the Han family¡¯s hundred-year foundation? You¡¯ve been on guard against me all these years, and you¡¯ve even been trying to raise me as a waste deliberately. Is it because your shadow was behind the Han family¡¯s downfall back then that you¡¯re afraid, afraid that I¡¯ll learn the truth, afraid of what I¡¯ll do to the Shen family when I grow up? You said the Shen family didn¡¯t do me wrong, do you think it was enough for the Shen family to raise me and give me money to spend? You seem to have forgotten that it was the nanny who raised me, and the money spent on me was all left behind by Grandpa back then.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s tone was full of ridicule, and Shen Dehan couldn¡¯t say a word against it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Shen, I am really not interested in Shen Group at all. What is there for me to be interested in a business that is going to go bankrupt? Mr. Shen, instead of focusing on guarding against me, why don¡¯t you think about whether you still have a son who can hold up this mess of Shen Group? I seem to remember that my elder brother was expelled from Shen Group by the board of directors, and my second brother is completely wasted after taking drugs. Oh yes, you still have a beloved illegitimate son, why don¡¯t you accept him into the Shen family? I¡¯ve heard that after Tian Wenyao, he¡¯s gotten close to Zhang Qiu, and based on his interactions, I don¡¯t think Mr. Shen needs to worry that the hundred-year foundation of the Shen family will be cut off in the hands of this generation of the Shen family. Of course the first thing Mr. Shen needs to do is to clear his name of drug trafficking. It¡¯s really hard for Mr. Shen.¡± If a gaze could kill, Shen Xi was sure he would have died under Shen Dehan¡¯s gaze many times, but unfortunately the tall, magnificent man he remembered from his early childhood was now nothing more than a frail old man lying in a hospital bed unable to move, only able to stare at him with hatred. Shen Dehan struggled to keep his emotions calm and said with difficulty, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that your surname is also Shen, and you will be nothing without the Shen family.¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to worry about, Mr. Shen.¡± After saying this, Shen Xi straightened up and took a step back, ¡°By the way, Mr. Shen, please make sure you take good care of your health. I¡¯m waiting to see your final retribution.¡± Ignoring the murderous gaze of Shen Dehan, Shen Xi turned around and pushed open the door of the ward. One step away from the door, Li Mingxuan stood there quietly. CH 78 Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze fell on Shen Xi¡¯s face; many emotions flashed in his eyes, before finally turning into pity. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Shen Xi took a step forward in silence, casually closing the door behind him, his gaze meeting Li Mingxuan¡¯s calmly. ¡°When did you come here, Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan did not answer but raised his hand and gently touched the bleeding mark on Shen Xi¡¯s face, saying softly, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± The fingers touching his face moved gently, slowly brushing over the bleeding mark, and Shen Xi¡¯s heart felt strange for no reason, trembling uncontrollably. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± Shen Xi tilted his head, but unexpectedly Li Mingxuan suddenly leaned over and the warm tip of his tongue brushed over the mark. Shen Xi froze in surprise. Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s stunned expression, Li Mingxuan felt his heart ache as he reached out and gently wrapped his arms around Shen Xi. ¡°I heard it all.¡± The words were what Shen Xi expected, but Li Mingxuan¡¯s reaction was beyond Shen Xi¡¯s expectation. Shen Xi gave a low ¡°en¡± and did not say anything more. Looking at Shen Xi, who held his head down, silent in his arms, Li Mingxuan slowly said, ¡°Ah Ji received a call from the bodyguard, saying that you have come to the hospital alone. I happened to be with him at the time. He couldn¡¯t leave because of Ah Cheng, so he asked me to come over to take a look. I came just in time to hear the words you asked Uncle. I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, but it wasn¡¯t appropriate for me to go in under those circumstances. I couldn¡¯t bear to leave either. I can¡¯t help but want to know everything about you. ¡°Xiao Xi, I love you. It¡¯s not the love for the imagined you, but the real you. I don¡¯t want to see you acting as if nothing is wrong in front of me. You can be angry, you can be resentful, you can be upset about what happened before, you can question what happened in the previous generation. I won¡¯t suppress your emotions, I just want you to be who you really are. ¡°Let me stay with you, whatever there is, let me be with you.¡± Li Mingxuan said it in a low voice; from the moment Shen Xi asked if he was a child of the Shen family, the conversation in the room slid in the direction he hadn¡¯t expected. The cause of Han Rou¡¯s death, the downfall of the Han family, the source of his uncle¡¯s dislike for Shen Xi, or the deep resentment that Shen Xi felt towards his uncle and the Shen family¡­ Li Mingxuan could not say how he felt when he first heard it, but all sorts of complicated emotions flashed by and what finally remained was only his pain for Shen Xi. It was originally just the grievances and entanglements of the previous generation, but it was unfairly placed on Shen Xi¡¯s head. As he listened to Shen Xi¡¯s resentment towards his father and the Shen family, Li Mingxuan could not even point out Shen Xi¡¯s fault. Shen Xi was innocent in this matter from beginning to end, and it was always them who did the wrong thing. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart clenched. He always knew that no matter how close he was to Shen Xi, there seemed to be something between him and Shen Xi. For more than half a year, he had been working hard to touch the real Shen Xi a little bit, but he faintly felt that there was something else that Shen Xi didn¡¯t want him to know. It was only when he heard the conversation between Shen Xi and his father that Li Mingxuan realised that the Shen Xi in the ward was the real Shen Xi. His resentment towards Shen Dehan and his dissatisfaction with the Shen family was not as mild as he had shown. From the conversation between him and Shen Dehan, it could be heard that he seemed to be secretly investigating something, otherwise he would not have doubted his own origin. Li Mingxuan increased the strength of his hug. He loved Shen Xi, he wanted Shen Xi to show his true self to him instead of wearing a mask in front of him. His heart ached for Shen Xi. In Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, Shen Xi listened to his words in silence. When he first discovered that Li Mingxuan might have overheard his conversation with Shen Dehan, Shen Xi had already prepared to face Li Mingxuan¡¯s questioning, whether it concerned his unconcealed hatred for Shen Dehan or the mask he was wearing in front of Li Mingxuan. But Li Mingxuan¡¯s reaction was greatly unexpected. There was no questioning, no accusations, Li Mingxuan explained why he was outside and showed an astonishing tolerance for his behaviour. The only thing he wanted was his own honesty. For the first time, Shen Xi felt that he could not face Li Mingxuan¡¯s feelings. Since he was reborn, he had never felt that he had done anything wrong, but with Li Mingxuan, he seemed to have made the wrong choice. Li Mingxuan¡¯s feelings were sincere and clean. As Shen Xi leaned in his arms and listened to his heartbeat, suddenly an urge to confess everything rose in his heart. But soon Shen Xi suppressed this thought. Not enough, Shen Dehan¡¯s retribution was not enough, the Shen family had not been completely destroyed, the resentment in his heart had not been fully vented, his plan was about to reach the last step, how could he choose to give up! He didn¡¯t know how Li Mingxuan might react when he knew the truth. Could he still be as tolerant as he was now? Shen Xi¡¯s silence caused Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart to fall to the bottom a little, and bitterness filled his eyes. He had touched the real Shen Xi, but Shen Xi was still unwilling to open up to him. There was something standing between them, and Shen Xi was still unwilling to trust him fully. Li Mingxuan took a deep breath and suppressed the bitter feeling in his heart. Perhaps he had not done enough, but fortunately Shen Xi was with him and he had enough time to completely impress him. Throwing away the messy thoughts in his mind, Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi on the cheek, ¡°You¡¯ve been at the hospital for a long time, do you want to go home?¡± Shen Xi glanced up at Li Mingxuan with shadowy eyes and nodded gently. The two of them tacitly seemed to step over what had happened before. Li Mingxuan smiled tenderly at Shen Xi and raised his head to rub his hair, ¡°Xiao Xi, wait for me outside, I¡¯ll go and talk to Uncle.¡± Shen Xi agreed and turned to walk towards the elevator. In the opposite direction, Li Mingxuan pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. Shen Xi had no intention of listening to what Li Mingxuan would say to Shen Dehan. The more he knew, the more it seemed that this feeling was too heavy for him to face. In the quiet ward, Shen Dehan had already guessed Li Mingxuan¡¯s arrival, as he had vaguely seen Li Mingxuan¡¯s figure when Shen Xi opened the door earlier. He had already decided that Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi had come together. When he saw Li Mingxuan at this moment, he naturally looked displeased and coldly snorted, ¡°What, that evil son did not say enough, you still want to say a few words for him!¡± The Shen Dehan in front of him was not the Shen Dehan that Li Mingxuan remembered at all. Thinking of the conversation he heard earlier, Li Mingxuan sighed deeply. ¡°Uncle!¡± ¡°You are with that unfilial son, don¡¯t call me Uncle!¡± The words ¡°unfilial son¡± were too harsh. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Dehan and said firmly, ¡°Xiao Xi is also your son!¡± ¡°I would rather not have this son!¡± Shen Dehan glared angrily at Li Mingxuan, gritting his teeth with unconcealed disgust in his eyes. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart suddenly ached for Shen Xi who was outside, and he couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What exactly did Xiao Xi do wrong? What does what happened in the previous generation have to do with him? Haven¡¯t we hurt him enough all these years?¡± This statement made Shen Dehan burst into a rage, pointing at Li Mingxuan and shouting, ¡°Get out! You and that evil son, scram together!¡± The expression on Shen Dehan¡¯s face was hideous and twisted, and the veins on his forehead burst out as he stared deadly at Li Mingxuan. A look of disappointment passed through Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes and without saying anything else he quietly walked to the door. The moment his hand pushed the door, Li Mingxuan turned his head and looked at Shen Dehan seriously, ¡°I love Xiao Xi. I will take good care of Xiao Xi, whether you recognize Xiao Xi or not, Uncle, as Xiao Xi¡¯s father, I should say this to you.¡± Li Mingxuan could imagine Shen Dehan¡¯s fury at these words, but he just wanted to tell him that Shen Xi was not alone. Even without the Shen family, he still had other family members, and he would definitely give Shen Xi a home. That night, when they returned home, both Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan acted as if nothing had happened before. Shen Xi quietly came out of the shower and Li Mingxuan seemed to be asleep. Under the orange light, he looked calm, as if all his emotions were suppressed in the bottom of his heart. Shen Xi hesitantly walked up to him and stood there quietly. After looking at him for an unknown amount of time, Shen Xi slowly stretched out his hand and brushed his fingers over Li Mingxuan¡¯s face, engraving the familiar face in his mind little by little. A while later, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes were dark as he gently leaned down and gave Li Mingxuan a kiss on the cheek. The moment he got up, Li Mingxuan, whose eyes were originally closed, suddenly opened his eyes and reached out to hug him. In the next moment, Shen Xi¡¯s whole body was already pressed under Li Mingxuan. Before Shen Xi had time to speak, hot kisses fell on him, blocking his mouth to prevent him from saying anything. Shen Xi¡¯s body softened quickly and he reached out to hug Li Mingxuan, responding passionately to his kisses. Both of them soon reacted honestly, and Li Mingxuan quickly ripped off his own clothes, eagerly kissing Shen Xi beneath him as he tried to get rid of Shen Xi¡¯s clothes. Shen Xi turned off the bedside lamp and obediently let Li Mingxuan go on in the darkness. When his skin felt the cool air, Shen Xi stopped Li Mingxuan¡¯s further movements and rolled over to sit on top of him, leaning down and taking the initiative to kiss Li Mingxuan. The fierce kissing made their temperature rise. Shen Xi fished out the lubricant at the head of the bed and handed it to Li Mingxuan. The sensation of a foreign object penetrating him seemed clearer in the darkness, and Shen Xi struggled to relax his body to accommodate Li Mingxuan¡¯s entry. As the two bodies fit tightly together, Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but moan, and Li Mingxuan took encouragement from Shen Xi¡¯s voice, holding his waist and moving fiercely. Even though he was sitting on top, Shen Xi still felt that it was not he who was in control, but Li Mingxuan beneath him. In this intense union, Shen Xi could only cling helplessly to Li Mingxuan, letting him bring him to a climax. The quiet bedroom was filled with the sounds of violent impacts and intermittent moans that continued until midnight before gradually stopping. By the end of the night, Shen Xi was so tired that he had no energy left, so he let Li Mingxuan carry him and clean him briefly before falling into a deep sleep. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi tightly in his arms, rubbing him again and again, as if wanting to completely integrate him into his body. That night, Li Mingxuan stayed awake, quietly looking at Shen Xi in his arms until dawn. CH 79 Shen Xi was woken up in the morning by the sound of Li Mingxuan talking on the phone. The light in the bedroom was still blocked out by heavy curtains but it could be seen from the crack in the bedroom door to the living room. Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice came in, the words ¡°I can¡¯t blame Xiao Xi for this¡± faintly heard. Shen Xi sat up in a daze, just as Li Mingxuan finished his phone call and came back. ¡°Awake?¡± Without waiting for Shen Xi to answer, he walked up to Shen Xi¡¯s side and said softly, ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Shen Xi shook his head and said in a muffled voice, ¡°What time is it?¡± Li Mingxuan picked up the warm water he had prepared and handed it to Shen Xi, watching him drink it before saying, ¡°It¡¯s almost noon.¡± ¡°So late?¡± Shen Xi was surprised, then realised something, ¡°Cousin, why didn¡¯t you go to the office?¡± Li Mingxuan took the glass of water from Shen Xi¡¯s hand, smiled and rubbed his messy hair, ¡°I have to go home later.¡± The news he heard yesterday was too shocking, and as it concerned Shen Xi, he had something he needed to confirm with his mother. Shen Xi said, ¡°Oh,¡± and reached out for Li Mingxuan to let him help him put on his clothes. Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed him, ¡°Where is Xiao Xi going today?¡± Shen Xi said casually, ¡°I¡¯m going to the company.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart twitched and he gave Shen Xi a concerned look, saying nothing. From last night until now, Shen Xi had been acting as if nothing had happened, but the more he did so, the more worried Li Mingxuan was. He originally thought that Shen Xi would choose to stay alone in a quiet space, but instead, Shen Xi unexpectedly wanted to go to the company. Was he going to meet someone? Thinking about the fact that Shen Xi seemed to be secretly investigating what happened in the past, Li Mingxuan frowned slightly and a worry welled up in his heart. After having lunch, the two walked downstairs and turned in different directions. In the Li family¡¯s living room, Shen Bixue looked torn, ¡°Xiyong, what exactly do you think Xuan knows?¡± Li Xiyong put down the book in his hand, ¡°What did Dehan say?¡± Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, ¡°Big Brother was furious and refused to say anything, so we need to ask Mingxuan ourselves. But when I called Mingxuan, Mingxuan wouldn¡¯t say anything either, he just said he had to come home later.¡± Li Xiyong was not impressed, ¡°Since Mingxuan will be back later, just ask him.¡± Shen Bixue looked at Li Xiyong worriedly, ¡°I heard from Big Brother that Mingxuan and Xiao Xi seem to know about what happened back then. I¡¯m worried about what I should say if Mingxuan and Xiao Xi ask.¡± Li Xiyong was helpless, ¡°Since Dehan said they knew, if Mingxuan asks, you should tell the truth, there¡¯s nothing to hide.¡± Shen Bixue thought of Shen Dehan¡¯s angry reaction on the phone and hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s a matter of face for Big Brother, let¡¯s see what to say depending on the situation.¡± When Li Mingxuan arrived home, he saw his parents sitting together in the living room, obviously looking like they were waiting for him. ¡°Dad, Mom.¡± Li Xiyong nodded and gestured for him to sit beside him, saying casually, ¡°Xiao Xi didn¡¯t come?¡± ¡°Xiao Xi went to the company,¡± Li Mingxuan said. Li Xiyong nodded, and Shen Bixue couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°What happened yesterday? Your uncle was furious.¡± Li Mingxuan had come home because of yesterday¡¯s incident, so he recounted what had happened, but of course what Shen Xi said to Shen Dehan was consciously concealed by him. ¡°Mom, did you already know about these things?¡± Although Li Mingxuan had concealed many of Shen Xi¡¯s original words, thinking about Shen Dehan¡¯s reaction, Shen Bixue could almost imagine the scene in the ward at that time. In particular, Shen Dehan¡¯s ruthless words gave Shen Bixue a headache. ¡°So Xiao Xi originally only suspected that he was not Dehan¡¯s child, and your uncle said those words in a fit of anger?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded, and Shen Bixue and Li Xiyong looked at each other, with Li Xiyong shaking his head speechlessly. Li Mingxuan looked solemn, ¡°Mom, I want to know what really happened back then.¡± Shen Bixue was in a difficult position; she didn¡¯t know whether to tell it or not. Once Li Mingxuan knew, it meant that Shen Xi would soon know. Li Mingxuan frowned, ¡°Mom, Xiao Xi has the right to know. Even if Uncle doesn¡¯t say anything, what happened back then can be found out if one has the wish to do so. Instead of letting Xiao Xi learn from outsiders something that can be either true or false, we should just tell him the truth.¡± Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, ¡°These matters involve the scandal of the Han and Shen families, and for the sake of your uncle¡¯s face, I originally planned to keep it under wraps. Now that you know about it, there is nothing to hide.¡± Shen Bixue¡¯s words did not differ much from those of Shen Dehan, but they were more detailed than his. ¡°In detail, the affairs of the Han and Shen families all revolved around Han Rou. You know, Han Rou is the youngest daughter of Elder Han. She was pampered in the Han family, so she was spoiled and naive, ignorant of the world. No one knows how she came to like your uncle in the first place, after all, there was a more than ten year age difference between them and your uncle had two children. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was really fate. ¡°When she married your uncle, I didn¡¯t really approve of it. Not that Han Rou was bad, but it had only been a year since Fang Yun died, and your uncle was so full of Fang Yun that he couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone else, so there was no way they could be happy. What¡¯s more, Han Rou had just turned twenty at the time, while Ah Ji was already six years old and had reached the age when he understood everything. Plus Ah Cheng, Han Rou had to become a mother as soon as she entered the house, and it was hard for her to adapt to this kind of life. ¡°But she insisted on marrying, and your uncle did not refuse, and everyone had no choice but to agree. After they married, problems started soon. Ah Ji refused to call her ¡°Mother¡±, and your uncle¡¯s heart was not on her, so the days after the marriage were nothing like Han Rou had envisioned in her heart. Her temperament was originally arrogant, but now she was aggrieved and naturally refused to bear it. She quarrelled with your uncle again and again, and the relationship became worse and worse. Your uncle felt that she treated Ah Ji and Ah Cheng badly and was worried that if she had a child of her own she would treat Ah Ji and Ah Cheng even worse, so he didn¡¯t want her to have a child.¡± Shen Bixue laughed bitterly when she said that, ¡°It¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want to be nice to Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, it¡¯s just that she had a temper and didn¡¯t have the patience to coax children after a few tries. But in your uncle¡¯s eyes, she was the one who treated them badly. The more she felt aggrieved, the more she made a fuss in front of your uncle, and the more it was seen by outsiders as confirmation that she could not tolerate Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, so even Elder Han could not intervene. As time went on, the rift between her and your uncle grew bigger and bigger. ¡°Later, your uncle met Zhou Mingmei and refused to part with her. At that time, Han Rou had just gotten pregnant and was already emotionally unstable, and when she heard the news of Zhou Mingmei¡¯s pregnancy, her relationship with your uncle broke down completely. In fact, at that time, she was already mentally unstable, but no one noticed. When your uncle said during an argument that he didn¡¯t want the baby at all, she was irritated and secretly took A Cheng away, almost doing something to him. In the end, although Ah Cheng was fine, your uncle refused to trust her anymore and simply kept Ah Ji and Ah Cheng in our home until she died.¡± Li Mingxuan had only vaguely known some of these things before, and to be honest he had always had a bad impression of Han Ruo; once when he was a child he had seen Han Ruo coming to his home and arguing with Shen Dehan, and Shen Ji¡¯s distaste for Han Ruo had deeply affected him. Now as he listened to his mother recounting this inside story that he did not know, Li Mingxuan could only sigh silently. Shen Bixue had already reached the end of her story, ¡°Before Han Rou¡¯s death, the Han family did not know about her pregnancy. It was only after her death that Elder Han learned about it. The Han family therefore acquiesced to your uncle¡¯s statement to the public that Han Rou had passed away due to illness. Because of Han Rou¡¯s pregnancy, your uncle began to have doubts about Shen Xi¡¯s origin. Despite the DNA test proving that Shen Xi was indeed his son, your uncle still did not like him. ¡°Not long after, Han Yu died in a car accident, Elder Han became seriously ill and the Han family was in turmoil. By that time, Elder Han already knew that the Shen family was behind the Han family¡¯s downfall, but he had no choice. He was worried that after his death, the Shen family would completely annex the Han family¡¯s assets, and with your uncle¡¯s dislike for Shen Xi, he was afraid that in the future Shen Xi would have nothing. Therefore, Elder Han took the initiative to announce to the public that he had used the Han family¡¯s assets to obtain a third of the Shen family¡¯s inheritance rights for Shen Xi. What Elder Han did made your grandfather and uncle look very passive. Public opinion at that time was very unfavourable to the Shen family, outsiders were spreading rumours like crazy about the Shen family¡¯s intention to annex the Han family, and your grandfather was forced to agree to Elder Han¡¯s plan.¡± Li Mingxuan had not expected the inside story to actually be like this. He had wondered before why Grandpa had reached such an agreement with Elder Han. He knew full well that this would make the Shen family unstable and facilitate the claim that the Shen family was coveting the Han family¡¯s assets. Only now, after hearing what his mother said, did he realise the real reason. He whispered, ¡°Grandfather never liked Xiao Xi, is it also because of this matter?¡± Shen Bixue sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that your grandfather didn¡¯t like Xiao Xi. Although he was upset because he was set up by Elder Han, it was more that he was embarrassed about this matter. According to custom, Ah Ji was the heir of the Shen family, and both Ah Cheng and Xiao Xi would be separated in the future. However, Elder Han had secured a third of the inheritance for Xiao Xi, and it would make the situation difficult for Ah Ji and Ah Cheng in the future. In desperation, your grandfather had to say that each of the three brothers would receive one third of the Shen family¡¯s assets. But in this way, if the three of them were to fight each other, the Shen family would inevitably fall apart.¡± ¡°Therefore, Grandpa acquiesced to Uncle¡¯s attitude of raising Shen Xi as a waste, in order to ensure the integrity of the Shen family,¡± Li Mingxuan continued his mother¡¯s words. Shen Bixue nodded with a bitter smile. Li Mingxuan thought of Elder Han behind this matter. He probably had thought what response the Shen family would have when he had calculated Grandpa back then. But at that time he could no longer trust the Shen family, and if he did nothing, who could have said what would happen to Shen Xi. So he would rather Shen Xi be raised worthless, hoping that Shen Xi would be clothed and fed for the rest of his life. Perhaps with the death of Han Rou and Han Yu, Elder Han¡¯s only wish for Shen Xi was that he would grow up in peace and happiness, and whether or not he would be successful was no longer in his mind. Li Mingxuan could no longer judge who was right and who was wrong in the whole matter. Perhaps Shen Xi was right in his resentment and Shen Dehan was the one to bear the greatest responsibility. Shen Bixue sighed and looked at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Mingxuan, find some time to tell Xiao Xi all this. No matter who is right and who is wrong between the Han and the Shen families, Xiao Xi is the most innocent.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded but had no intention to end the conversation, ¡°Mom, what you have told is the reason why Uncle doesn¡¯t like Xiao Xi. I want to know why Uncle is so afraid of Xiao Xi?¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Bixue subconsciously looked at Li Xiyong. Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze moved to Li Xiyong as he said firmly, ¡°I want to know the reason why Uncle is afraid of Xiao Xi.¡± Li Xiyong had not been listening to Shen Bixue¡¯s story before but was sitting by himself reading a book. At this moment, after hearing Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, Li Xiyong closed the book in his hand and became serious, ¡°What do you think?¡± Li Mingxuan said softly, ¡°Grandpa¡¯s will.¡± Appreciation flashed in Li Xiyong¡¯s eyes as he gestured for him to continue. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Bixue, ¡°The last time Mother hurriedly wanted to transfer the shares in her hands that were originally intended to be transferred to Ah Ji to Ah Cheng, she had already known Uncle¡¯s concern. But the shares are all in Uncle¡¯s hands, and Xiao Xi has no shares, so what does Uncle have to worry about? The only explanation is that Xiao Xi actually has shares in his hands, or that Xiao Xi will soon have shares, which is why Uncle is so anxious. And it can only be related to Grandpa¡¯s will.¡± Li Xiyong nodded, ¡°You guessed right. Your grandfather did leave a will, and the shares in his hands were divided into three. When Shen Xi reaches the age of 23, Ah Ji, Ah Cheng and Shen Xi would each get one third of them.¡± Although Li Mingxuan had a vague suspicion, he was still shocked, ¡°When Xiao Xi is 23?¡± Li Xiyong gave him a meaningful look, ¡°Now you know why your mother was in such a hurry.¡± Li Mingxuan nodded with a bitter smile. He finally understood where his uncle¡¯s constant fear of Shen Xi was coming from. While Li Mingxuan was listening to Shen Bixue¡¯s story, Lao K was also listening to Shen Xi telling what happened yesterday. ¡°In that case, the Han family¡¯s downfall back then was indeed the Shen family¡¯s doing. Do we need to continue to investigate further?¡± Shen Xi looked out the window in silence, ¡°There is no need to investigate the Han family. Help me find out about that man, I want to know who he is.¡± According to Shen Dehan¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t know who the man was either, which meant that the man hadn¡¯t appeared after his mother¡¯s death. Shen Xi thought bitterly that his mother always seemed to be unlucky in her life. He didn¡¯t know if his mother had liked that man, but he wanted to know who that man was. Where had he been all these years? Did he know that his mother had been pregnant by him and had even jumped out of the window because of it? With a sigh, Lao K patted Shen Xi¡¯s shoulder vigorously and said softly, ¡°Leave this matter to me.¡± Shen Xi nodded and once again looked out the window in silence. CH 80 When Li Mingxuan arrived home in the evening, Shen Xi had not yet returned. The night was getting dark quickly in winter, and the apartment was already dim. Throwing the car keys aside, Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t turn on the lights, but sat quietly at the desk in the darkness. He had spent the whole afternoon listening to his mother¡¯s account of the past. His mother said that both the Han and the Shen families had done wrong, and Shen Xi was the most innocent of all. His mother said that his grandfather had regrets before his death, but it was too late for him to make amends. His mother said that it was impossible to tell who was right and who was wrong. She said that the past was the past, and she hoped that Shen Xi could look forward. She said¡­ Li Mingxuan stared at the desk in silence, recalling what his mother had said. The more he thought about what she had said, the more bitter he felt in his heart. He wondered if all this could really become the past for Shen Xi, and what if it couldn¡¯t? What would happen to Shen Xi? The sound of a key opening the door reached him, and Li Mingxuan subconsciously got up and walked over. Shen Xi had just pushed the door in when he was hugged tightly in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. ¡°Cousin?¡± Shen Xi said in surprise. Li Mingxuan said ¡°en¡± and hugged him even harder. Shen Xi quietly stayed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace. Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi, saying softly, ¡°Mother told me something about the past today, do you want to hear it?¡± Shen Xi vaguely guessed that Li Mingxuan¡¯s strange behaviour was due to something that was related to him. Hearing Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, he admitted: ¡°Cousin, you know I was investigating the past in private.¡± Li Mingxuan was surprised by Shen Xi¡¯s simple words. He thought that Shen Xi would hide this matter from him; he did not expect Shen Xi to be so frank. He smiled bitterly, ¡°I will tell you.¡± In the darkness, the two sat quietly on the sofa, and no one turned on the light. Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression was hidden in the shadows, and only a rough outline of his figure could be faintly seen. His low magnetic voice sounded, unveiling the dusty past. The marriage between Han Rou and Shen Dehan, the birth of Shen Xi, Han Rou¡¯s suicide, Elder Han¡¯s calculations against the Shen family and Grandpa Shen¡¯s will concerning Shen Group. Shen Xi¡¯s gaze gradually became complicated as Li Mingxuan kept telling the story. The impact of these words on him was no less than of the words Shen Dehan said yesterday. He believed that it was the truth; many memories he thought he had forgotten were interspersed with Li Mingxuan¡¯s narrative, and for the first time, everything he did not know about the past was spread out in full before him. Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice paused as he looked at Shen Xi seriously, ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Both of them knew what Li Mingxuan was talking about. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan quietly, the thought of telling the truth flashing through his mind several times before finally turning into three words, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± He really didn¡¯t know, the 20% of shares belonging to him according to the will was something completely unplanned for him. In his previous life, he did not know about the will, and no one had ever told him about it. If he had known, he would not have passed up the opportunity to acquire Gao Qiulin¡¯s shares in the first place, and there would have been many other options for him to take revenge on the Shen family. ¡°Cousin, what do you want me to do?¡± Faced with Shen Xi¡¯s rhetorical question, Li Mingxuan was silent for a while before finally whispering, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ever since he had confirmed the contents of the will from his father this afternoon, Li Mingxuan had vaguely guessed the future in front of him. After hearing yesterday¡¯s conversation, he could no longer deceive himself any further about what kind of feelings Shen Xi held for Shen Dehan and the Shen family. His heart ached for Shen Xi¡¯s past and he understood his resentment, so he could not advise Shen Xi to put it all behind him as his mother had said. He could not be selfish enough to ask Shen Xi to give up the hatred in his heart, but he could not face Shen Xi¡¯s possible retaliation calmly either. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi bitterly. He did not know what answer he expected to hear from Shen Xi. A boundless silence spread between the two, and no one said anything else. Before Li Mingxuan could think clearly about all this, the news that Shen Rong, who had just been released on bail two days ago, got in a sudden car accident and suffered comminuted fractures in both legs once again pushed the Shen family into the limelight. Was it a mere accident or a deliberate conspiracy? If it was a conspiracy, then who was behind it? Was there any connection between this car accident and the previous drug-related case? All kinds of speculations were being made on the internet, and the drug-related case of the Shen family that was originally planned to be handled in a low-profile manner was once again exposed to the public. In the hospital ward, Shen Rong, who had just undergone surgery, was still unconscious. Zhou Mingmei, who had always been calm and elegant in front of outsiders, lost her composure for the first time, pulling the doctor and asking him repeatedly, ¡°Wasn¡¯t the operation a success? Why is there still no guarantee that he will stand up for sure?¡± The doctor was used to all kinds of questions from the patients¡¯ families and did not take it personally, ¡°Although the operation was successful, the patient had suffered comminuted fractures of both legs. Whether he can stand up or not will only depend on the subsequent recovery, the hospital cannot give a definite guarantee.¡± Seeing Zhou Mingmei disheartened by his words, the doctor thought of the previous blood test and compassionately reminded her, ¡°Miss Zhou, for the patient, the most important thing now is not the recovery of both legs, but to find a way to quit drugs.¡± ¡°Quit drugs?¡± Zhou Mingmei lost her voice, ¡°Impossible, Ah Rong doesn¡¯t take drugs!¡± The pity in the doctor¡¯s eyes intensified, ¡°Whether Miss Zhou believes it or not, drug residues have indeed been detected in the patient¡¯s blood, and based on the projection of the concentration, the patient already is possibly addicted.¡± Car accident, drug addiction, Zhou Mingmei repeated these words in her mind. She originally did not believe that Shen Rong¡¯s car accident was an accident, and now she heard that drug residues were detected in Shen Rong¡¯s blood. She did not need to guess to know who was behind the accident. Besides Shen Ji, who else would hate Ah Rong so much?! A trace of ferocity flashed across Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face. She was originally not too willing to tear her face off with Shen Dehan, and her previous agreement with Wang Changlin was also a last resort. Shen Rong¡¯s bail showed her that Shen Dehan wanted to cover up the scandal of the Shen family, and she thought that the incident of Shen Rong¡¯s drug trafficking could pass without consequences. But now that Shen Rong had been involved in a car accident and might never stand up again, and drugs were detected in his blood, even if he didn¡¯t go to prison, he was still completely ruined. Although Shen Rong could no longer be used in a battle, he was still her only son, the only one she could rely on for the rest of her life. She had been calculating for so many years, and seeing that she was getting farther and farther away from her goal until she had completely lost hope, how could she bear this anger? Since Shen Ji refused to give her and her son a chance to live, don¡¯t blame her for not leaving any room for manoeuvre for him either. Shen Rong was not awake yet when Zhou Mingmei contacted the reporters. Shen Rong¡¯s car accident was not an accident but a premeditated attempt on his life. She also implied that it was related to the previous drug-related case and connected to Shen Cheng. She had evidence in her hand to prove it. When the news broke out, reporters suddenly surrounded the hospital where Shen Rong was staying, and for a while, rumours of a drug-related case that involved Shen Rong taking the blame for Shen Cheng and Shen Cheng hiring someone to silence him were rampant. Shen Ji put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at Li Mingxuan who was caught up in his own emotions since he arrived. ¡°You have something on your mind?¡± Li Mingxuan came back to his senses and avoided the question, ¡°How is Ah Cheng?¡± Shen Ji shook his head, not asking anymore, and said, ¡°Still the same. You know drug rehabilitation requires perseverance. Ah Cheng has never suffered since he was young. If he hadn¡¯t been tied up all the time, he would have given up long ago.¡± Li Mingxuan sighed and his eyes fell on the newspaper, ¡°What are you going to do about Shen Rong?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s eyes went cold, ¡°Zhou Mingmei wants to pin the car accident on Ah Cheng, how can it be so cheap and easy? Since she said she has evidence, let her bring it out.¡± Shen Ji originally hired someone to follow Shen Rong with the intention of kidnapping him and injecting him with drugs. If Shen Rong dared to addict Shen Cheng to drugs, he would want Shen Rong to suffer the same pain. But he never expected to witness Shen Rong¡¯s car accident. Although his intention to take advantage of the chaos was also achieved, Zhou Mingmei wanted to place this matter on Ah Cheng¡¯s head. Did she really think he would care about his father¡¯s face and wouldn¡¯t touch her? Li Mingxuan naturally knew that the car accident had nothing to do with Shen Ji, but the question now was who was behind the car accident. Shen Rong had just been released on bail when the car accident happened, and those who knew the inside story of Shen Cheng¡¯s drug use before would inevitably link it to Shen Ji. Looking at Zhou Mingmei¡¯s attitude, it was clear that this was what she thought, which was why she was so determined to bite Shen Cheng to death. ¡°Do you think it was an accident or man-made?¡± Li Mingxuan said. Shen Ji frowned, ¡°Do you think it could have been done by the Tian family? Previously, the Tian family tried to implement Shen Rong¡¯s drug trafficking charges, but Father bailed him out, so it¡¯s inevitable that the Tian family would be indignant and do something else.¡± ¡°The Tian family isn¡¯t stupid and wouldn¡¯t do something like this directly.¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head. ¡°It was neither me nor the Tian family, was it really an accident?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s doubts were also exactly what Shen Xi was wondering about. ¡°The Tian family would only lend a hand and would not take action on their own. And Shen Ji is not stupid enough to attract the attention of reporters at a time like this. Could it really be an accident?¡± Lao K scoffed at the idea of the so-called accident, ¡°You think there would be such an unexpected accident? He had a car accident right after he was released on bail, then drugs were found in his blood, a series of events all vaguely suggesting that it was Shen Ji taking revenge. It¡¯s clear that someone wants to see the Shen family fight internally. Aren¡¯t the rumours that Zhou Mingmei let out to the public enough to explain the problem?¡± Shen Xi laughed, ¡°According to your analysis, the only one who wants to see the Shen family infighting is me. Could it be that I did it sleepwalking?¡± Lao K was serious, ¡°It¡¯s really possible.¡± Shen Xi was amused by Lao K¡¯s face, and the depression that had built up in his heart due to past events was swept away. ¡°What are you going to do with the shares in your hands after you turn 23?¡± Lao K asked. Shen Xi hesitated, ¡°I learned about the will too late, otherwise I would have bought the shares in Gao Qiulin¡¯s hand at that time. Now these shares are not of much use to us, what¡¯s your best idea?¡± ¡°Sell them?¡± Lao K suggested. Shen Xi pondered, ¡°Selling is definitely the way to go, the key is who to sell to? When is the right time to sell?¡± Lao K looked at Shen Xi, ¡°What do you think about the person who took over Gao Qiulin¡¯s shares? Gao Qiulin¡¯s shares plus yours are enough to make him the majority shareholder of Shen Group.¡± ¡°Cooperate with him?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression became serious. CH 81 Before, Shen Xi didn¡¯t care who Gao Qiulin¡¯s shares were sold to. He and Gao Qiulin were just using each other; he pointed some economic trends to Gao Qiulin and Gao Qiulin helped him to hold back Shen Ji in Shen Group. They were mutually beneficial and cooperated happily. When Shen Group stock price plummeted, Gao Qiulin got rid of his shares and made a point of mentioning it to Lao K afterwards. Now that he was planning to work with the other party, Shen Xi pondered, ¡°You should contact Gao Qiulin and see if you can find out about the other party. There¡¯s still some time before my birthday, so there¡¯s no hurry.¡± Lao K nodded and handed a copy of information to Shen Xi, ¡°Here, Wang Changlin¡¯s specific information. The same as the previous investigation, there is nothing suspicious.¡± Shen Xi had investigated the people around Shen Dehan at the beginning of his return to China, and he had specific information on Wang Changlin at hand. Initially, after meeting Wang Changlin at the cemetery, he had also planned to approach Wang Changlin in the name of his mother, but then Lu Gesen¡¯s appearance disrupted his plan. Who would have thought that after going around in circles, he would actually find out that the person behind Lu Gesen was Wang Changlin. Shen Xi¡¯s feelings towards Wang Changlin were very special. He was touched that Wang Changlin still remembered his mother, but he was also haunted by the fact that Wang Changlin adopted Lu Gesen and did not care about what happened to him after the downfall of the Han family. What¡¯s more, according to Lu Gesen, Wang Changlin should have held a grudge against Shen Dehan, but he had been with Shen Dehan for so many years, and not only did Shen Dehan not notice anything, he trusted Wang Changlin implicitly. Shen Xi did not know how Wang Changlin managed to do this, but he had a vague fear of this man that he could not explain. The information on Wang Changlin was just as Lao K had said; the same as during the previous investigation, nothing suspicious could be found. Shen Xi read through it once and could only put aside his doubts and turn his mind back to Shen Rong¡¯s car accident. It had been a few hours since the surgery, and as the anaesthetic wore off, Shen Rong was awake but was unable to accept the fact that he might never be able to stand up again. ¡°You lie to me, you lie to me! Where is the doctor? I want a doctor.¡± The red-eyed Shen Rong sat on the hospital bed, hysterically shouting at Zhou Mingmei, his eyes full of panic and despair. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s usual sternness disappeared and she looked at Shen Rong sadly, ¡°Ah Rong.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s despair increased at the sound of Zhou Mingmei¡¯s mournful voice. He suddenly waved his hands frantically and tried to move his legs that were fixed to the bed, muttering, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, I don¡¯t believe it, how can I not be able to stand up? I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s movements were quickly stopped by Zhou Mingmei, who could not hide the resentment in her eyes as she watched her only reliance turn into this. ¡°Ah Rong, don¡¯t worry, Mother will help you get justice. If Shen Ji refuses to give us a way out, we will fight him to the death.¡± ¡°Shen Ji, yes, Shen Ji, it was Shen Ji who did this, he was taking revenge on me, on me for making Shen Cheng take drugs.¡± The name ¡°Shen Ji¡± attracted Shen Rong¡¯s full attention. He grabbed Zhou Mingmei¡¯s arm in a deadly grip, his expression twisted as he repeated this name. Zhou Mingmei hesitated for a moment, not telling Shen Rong about the drugs he had been injected with. Perhaps he could not have become addicted all at once, she tried to reassure herself. This was the scene Wang Changlin saw when he arrived. He chose not to push the door open immediately but stood silently outside listening to the conversation between the mother and the son inside the ward. Only when Shen Ji¡¯s name was mentioned by Zhou Mingmei did a hint of satisfaction appear in his eyes. This woman, Zhou Mingmei, begged him for help when Shen Rong was in trouble, but once Shen Rong was released and she saw that Shen Dehan was ready to clean up this matter, she turned away and refused to acknowledge him. She should not blame him for being ruthless since she was so unrighteous. Who made Shen Rong be Shen Dehan¡¯s son? Everyone in the Shen family deserved to die. Only when he was sure that the mother and son inside were convinced that this matter was Shen Ji¡¯s doing did Wang Changlin put on a worried look, hurriedly pushed the door open and walked in, ¡°Ah Rong.¡± ¡°Changlin!¡± Zhou Mingmei looked at Wang Changlin with a surprised look on her face. Wang Changlin nodded at her and walked hurriedly to Shen Rong, ¡°How is Ah Rong?¡± The worry on his face was so genuine that Shen Rong felt like a drowning man who had caught his saviour¡¯s hand. He said in a sharp voice, ¡°Uncle Wang, what should I do? I can¡¯t stand up anymore.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s face showed compassion as he patted Shen Rong soothingly and said encouragingly, ¡°I¡¯ve asked the doctor, and he said that as long as you stick to the follow-up treatment, you will definitely recover normally.¡± His words soothed Shen Rong, and Shen Rong¡¯s emotions gradually calmed down. But then, as if he thought of something, he said abruptly, ¡°It was Shen Ji, it was Shen Ji who did this.¡± ¡°I know, I know, Ah Rong, don¡¯t worry, Uncle Wang will definitely find a way to help you get justice.¡± Wang Changlin promised solemnly. Carefully helping Shen Rong to lie down, Wang Changlin looked at him with concern, ¡°Ah Rong, take a good rest first, your mother and I have something to discuss.¡± Shen Rong nodded obediently; Wang Changlin patted Shen Rong¡¯s head as if he was a loving elder and gestured for Zhou Mingmei to go out with him to talk. ¡°Changlin, why are you here?¡± As soon as she left the ward, Zhou Mingmei said eagerly. She was very surprised by Wang Changlin¡¯s appearance. Wang Changlin looked at her, ¡°Shen Dehan wants to see you.¡± ¡°To see me?¡± Wang Changlin nodded, ¡°He was very angry when he read the news.¡± ¡°Angry?¡± A hint of resentment flashed in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes, ¡°Ah Rong was harmed by Shen Ji like that, I just told the reporters the truth, why is he angry? Afraid of affecting his precious son?¡± Wang Changlin sighed, ¡°You know, Shen Ji and Shen Cheng are different in his heart.¡± These words successfully managed to provoke Zhou Mingmei¡¯s anger, ¡°What does he want to see me for?¡± ¡°Shen Dehan intends to send you and Ah Rong abroad.¡± Going abroad was tantamount to exile, and this time it would be a permanent exile. Zhou Mingmei clenched her hands in unwillingness, but there was a look of hesitation in her eyes. Ah Rong and Shen Ji had already formed a deadly enmity. Shen Dehan was still alive, and Shen Ji dared to lay a hand on Ah Rong. Once Shen Dehan was gone, how could Shen Ji still tolerate Ah Rong? Wang Changlin coldly watched Zhou Mingmei¡¯s change of expression and sneered in his heart, but his words were the ones of persuasion, ¡°Mingmei, I think you should go and meet Shen Dehan. Whether you leave the country or not, Ah Rong¡¯s subsequent treatment and future life will require Shen Dehan to do his duty as a father.¡± Zhou Mingmei understood Wang Changlin¡¯s meaning. He was telling her to ask Shen Dehan for money. Since Shen Dehan wanted to send them abroad, naturally they could not leave empty-handed. In fact, Zhou Mingmei hadn¡¯t saved much over the years. Previously, Shen Rong had lost a large sum of money investing in the movie, and coupled with the fact that Shen Rong had angered Shen Dehan, they were already struggling to make ends meet recently. If they could take this opportunity to get the money that would ensure that they would be clothed and fed for the rest of their lives¡­ Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes flashed and she made up her mind. The place where Shen Rong was hospitalised was not far from Renai Hospital, and soon Wang Changlin sent Zhou Mingmei to Shen Dehan¡¯s ward. As Zhou Mingmei pushed the door, Wang Changlin whispered meaningfully, ¡°Money will be spent, but shares can always make money.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s movements paused slightly, and then she pushed open the door of the ward as if nothing had happened. ¡°Dehan!¡± The female voice was as gentle as always. Shen Dehan sat there with a cold expression, not even looking at Zhou Mingmei in front of him, saying directly, ¡°I will give you a sum of money and you will immediately take Ah Rong out of the country. I will help him solve the matter of his involvement in drugs.¡± Although Zhou Mingmei had already thought of Shen Dehan¡¯s reaction before she arrived, the way he was so eager to spend money to get rid of them still made her angry. After suppressing the fire in her heart, Zhou Mingmei said in a sad voice, ¡°Ah Rong has just had a surgery and is not fit for a long trip. The doctor suggested that he stay in bed for a period of recuperation. Dehan, what do you think?¡± Shen Dehan interrupted her impatiently, ¡°I said immediately.¡± A trace of resentment flashed in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes, but her expression was sad and pitiful, ¡°Since Dehan can¡¯t tolerate Ah Rong, I¡¯ll take him away. But Ah Rong is also Dehan¡¯s child, the doctor said he¡¯ll never be able to stand up again, Dehan, Ah Rong¡¯s whole life will be like that.¡± Despite his anger at Shen Rong¡¯s previous behaviour, Shen Rong was his own child after all. Hearing Zhou Mingmei¡¯s words, Shen Dehan softened his tone, ¡°I will give you more money, enough to feed and clothe Ah Rong in the future.¡± After all, he was only willing to give money. Thinking about Wang Changlin¡¯s previous words, Zhou Mingmei said tentatively, ¡°There will be a time when the money will run out.¡± Shen Dehan snapped his head up at her words, his eyes blazing, ¡°You want the shares of Shen Group?¡± Zhou Mingmei smiled miserably, ¡°Ah Rong is also your child, I am only doing this for Ah Rong¡¯s future.¡± Shen Dehan was unmoved, ¡°Take the money and leave the country immediately.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s heart completely went cold. Anyway, it had come to this point. If Shen Dehan was concerned about saving face and didn¡¯t want Shen Rong and Shen Cheng¡¯s affair to go too far, he was the one who had to beg. What did she have to fear? She sneered, ¡°Shen Ji has caused Ah Rong to be unable to stand up for the rest of his life. I am just asking for some shares of Shen Group for Ah Rong and you refuse. Shen Ji is your son, is Ah Rong not? ¡° Having known Shen Dehan for more than twenty years, she was always soft and gentle; this was the first time she changed her face in front of him. Zhou Mingmei thought that Shen Dehan would allow her to bargain because of Shen Ji, but she did not know that the shares of Shen Group were Shen Dehan¡¯s inverse scale that no one could touch and that he did not have the right to dispose of Shen Group shares in his hand at all. Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned gloomy as he stared at her coldly, ¡°Shameless! What is Shen Rong but an illegitimate child of the Shen family? How dares he compete with Ah Ji? Since you don¡¯t want to go abroad, stay in the country with Shen Rong and don¡¯t let me see you talking nonsense to reporters.¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s change of face was too sudden. Before Zhou Mingmei could react, Shen Dehan had already pressed the button, signalling for the bodyguards to come in and take her out. ¡°Dehan!¡± Zhou Mingmei shouted instinctively. Shen Dehan grunted, ¡°Get lost! ¡° Zhou Mingmei was finally taken away by the bodyguards. From the shadows Wang Changlin watched her being escorted with a cold smile curving the corner of his mouth. He knew this woman Zhou Mingmei too well. The reason she was so angry after Shen Rong¡¯s car accident was because Shen Ji had cut off her hopes for the rest of her life. As long as Shen Dehan gave enough sugar, this woman would do anything. He wanted to rely on her to bite Shen Cheng and Shen Ji to death and absolutely couldn¡¯t allow her to stop midway. Now that Shen Dehan had completely cut her off, she had no choice but to follow him and him alone. Wang Changlin¡¯s thoughts were unknown to Zhou Mingmei, who now had another problem. Chu Qianqian smiled as she stepped in front of Zhou Mingmei with an innocent look on her face, ¡°Auntie Zhou, did you get kicked out by Mr. Shen?¡± Zhou Mingmei smoothed out her slightly messed clothes in embarrassment with a scowl on her face. Chu Qianqian ignored her expression and said sympathetically, ¡°Auntie Zhou is really pitiful. At her old age, she was kicked out by a man and her only son was involved in a car accident. I¡¯m sure she will have a very difficult time in the future.¡± The mockery in her tone was too obvious. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes flashed with resentment as she said coldly, ¡°Don¡¯t you laugh at me, you will have such a day too.¡± Chu Qianqian looked surprised, ¡°How come? Didn¡¯t Mr. Shen tell you? We are about to get married. I will soon be Mrs. Shen. But it¡¯s also true, Auntie Zhou, that you have struggled for so many years and have not come anywhere close to becoming Mrs. Shen. No wonder you think everyone will end up like you.¡± Chu Qianqian looked at Zhou Mingmei with pity and excitement. Zhou Mingmei did her best to control her body so that she could turn around and leave the hospital instead of pouncing on this woman and tearing her face to stripes. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s retreat made Chu Qianqian feel very bored, but she had already revealed to Zhou Mingmei that she was going to marry Shen Dehan, so she was sure Zhou Mingmei¡¯s reaction would not disappoint her. CH 82 When Shen Xi received the news that Zhou Mingmei had been kicked out of the hospital by Shen Dehan, he was waiting for Lu Gesen at the cemetery. After hanging up Lao K¡¯s call, Shen Xi looked at his mother¡¯s photo on the tombstone with complicated eyes. When he first arranged for Chu Qianqian to appear beside Shen Dehan, he did so not only to alienate Shen Dehan and Shen Ji, but also to avenge his mother¡¯s grievances she had suffered because of Zhou Mingmei. Now that Zhou Mingmei had finally tasted what it was like to be treated like a treasure in the name of true love and discarded when the interest was lost, he got to realise that his mother might not be what he remembered and that she didn¡¯t love his father as much as he thought. At some moment, another man appeared in her life. She was pregnant by him and even planned to leave the Shen family. Shen Xi wondered what his mother was going to do about him. Would she take him away with her? Or would she leave him alone in the Shen family? Shen Xi stood there quietly, forcing himself to stop thinking about it. No matter what plans her mother had had at the time, she still ended up leaving him alone in the Shen family¡¯s house. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts. Shen Xi turned back as if nothing had happened, ¡°Cousin!¡± Lu Gesen nodded, bent down and placed the lilies of the valley in his hands in front of the tomb, then got up and turned to Shen Xi, ¡°How are you doing?¡± Shen Xi smiled lightly, ¡°Fine.¡± Although the two had long recognized each other as relatives, they were not close. On the one hand, they both deliberately kept their distance from each other to prevent anyone from finding out about their relationship. On the other hand, despite their close blood ties, the years of estrangement could not be made up for in just half a year¡¯s time together. Although Lu Gesen felt guilty for ignoring Shen Xi all these years and wanted to make amends, he did not know how to start. Thinking that it was Shen Xi¡¯s initiative to ask for a meeting this time, Lu Gesen said with concern, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Shen Xi nodded. He had already pieced together the general truth about the Han and the Shen families¡¯ past. He also felt Lu Gesen had the right to know the truth. Regardless of who was right and who was wrong, he had an obligation to tell Lu Gesen about the past. Apart from that, he wanted to meet Wang Changlin. Lao K had been unable to find out who the man next to his mother was, but since Wang Changlin knew a lot about the past, maybe he had some clues. It was not that Shen Xi hadn¡¯t thought that Wang Changlin was that man, but subconsciously he didn¡¯t want to think so. After letting go of any distracting thoughts about Wang Changlin, Shen Xi told Lu Gesen the story he had pieced together. Lu Gesen¡¯s expression changed several times as he listened, and halfway through, he even looked at Han Rou¡¯s picture on the tombstone with complicated eyes. When Shen Xi had finished, Lu Gesen took a deep breath and looked serious, ¡°Xiao Xi, are you sure this is the truth?¡± Shen Xi nodded, ¡°Some of these things I found out, some of them were told to me by others. Don¡¯t worry, that person would never lie to me.¡± Who was that person? Shen Xi didn¡¯t say, and Lu Gesen didn¡¯t ask either. Outsiders didn¡¯t know that Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan were together. When Lu Gesen heard how certain Shen Xi was, he didn¡¯t say anything, just lowered his head in silence, thinking about something. Shen Xi¡¯s account of the past was almost identical to what his foster father had told him, except that his foster father had not mentioned some details. Maybe his foster father did not know either? Lu Gesen sorted out his thoughts and looked at Shen Xi, ¡°Father¡¯s car accident?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find any clues.¡± Lu Gesen was convinced that Han Yu¡¯s car accident was the work of the Shen family, but Shen Xi could not find out anything about it. Even though Shen Dehan called Han Yu crazy, Shen Xi could not see that Shen Dehan would be frenzied to this point. Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi and said in a deep voice, ¡°I believe Foster Father.¡± Shen Xi met Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes openly. He was not trying to defend Shen Dehan, he just had doubts about the matter. After a moment, Lu Gesen was the first to avert his gaze, and Shen Xi said quietly, ¡°I want to see Lawyer Wang.¡± A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes as Shen Xi continued calmly, ¡°I have not been able to find out who the man at my mother¡¯s side was back then. Lawyer Wang knows a lot about what happened and used to pay attention to my mother. I want to know if he has any clues.¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s face could not hide his shock; then he laughed bitterly, ¡°Foster Father was deeply in love with Aunt, won¡¯t you make him sad asking about it?¡± Shen Xi looked at Lu Gesen apologetically, ¡°I know it¡¯s difficult, but I want to know the reason why my mother jumped out of the window. I want her to truly sleep in peace.¡± Lu Gesen could not argue with Shen Xi and sighed silently, ¡°I will convey this to Foster Father.¡± Shen Xi gave him a grateful look. The two did not linger much longer at the cemetery, but walked one after the other towards the entrance. As they parted, Lu Gesen seemed to think of something and called out to Shen Xi, ¡°Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday is coming up, what are the arrangements?¡± The word ¡°birthday¡± made Shen Xi¡¯s heart stir and he subconsciously thought of his grandfather¡¯s will. He had not mentioned the will in his previous narration, not because he was deliberately hiding it from Lu Gesen, but because he could not forget about Wang Changlin behind Lu Gesen. With this fleeting thought, Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°There are no arrangements, I haven¡¯t had a birthday for a long time.¡± Lu Gesen felt guilty and thought of making it up to Shen Xi by celebrating his birthday. ¡°How about I spend your birthday with you? What does Xiao Xi want?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s proposal stunned Shen Xi for a moment and Li Mingxuan¡¯s image flashed through his mind. ¡°What? Not convenient?¡± Lu Gesen keenly sensed Shen Xi¡¯s abnormality. Shen Xi nodded slightly; Lu Gesen realised what was going on and smiled, ¡°Are you going to spend it with your girlfriend? I didn¡¯t even know that Xiao Xi had a girlfriend. Take me to meet her someday.¡± A trace of weirdness flickered in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t quite equate the words ¡°Li Mingxuan¡± and ¡°girlfriend¡±, so he smiled and avoided the topic. Lu Gesen didn¡¯t think much about it; he just thought Shen Xi was being shy, patted Shen Xi¡¯s shoulder and said with relief, ¡°Xiao Xi has grown up.¡± Lu Gesen was not actually much older than Shen Xi, but he always had a serious look on his face and seemed to be much more mature than Shen Xi. Hearing this elder-like tone from Lu Gesen, Shen Xi could not help but smile. As the two said their goodbyes, a black car slowly drove past the entrance of the cemetery and parked far away on the other side of the road. Although this part of the cemetery was remote, people would often come to pay their respects, so neither Shen Xi nor Lu Gesen paid any attention to the car. After they left, Ye Han pushed open the car door and stepped out, looking thoughtfully at the direction the two had left. How could Shen Xi and Lu Gesen be together? Because of Li Mingxuan, Ye Han did not consider Shen Xi a stranger; as for Lu Gesen, Ye Han had met him a few times when Lu Gesen was still Shen Ji¡¯s assistant. As far as Ye Han knew, there was no intersection between the two of them, but just now it seemed that the attitude between them was very strange, not like ordinary friends. After thinking about it, Ye Han dialled Li Mingxuan¡¯s number and told him briefly what he had seen. He did not bring any subjective colouring to the story, but simply described it truthfully. Unexpectedly, the opposite side of the phone fell silent, ¡°Mingxuan?¡± Ye Han said worriedly. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Li Mingxuan confirmed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong between you and Shen Xi, right?¡± Ye Han said tentatively. Just a few days ago Li Mingxuan had brought Shen Xi to his place for dinner; at that time the two looked very intimate with each other, not like there was any problem. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, knowing what Ye Han was thinking. He didn¡¯t believe that Shen Xi would cheat on him; it was just that at a time like this, Shen Xi and Lu Gesen appearing together, in connection with the series of things that had happened to the Shen family, made him start suspecting something despite himself. With a silent sigh, Li Mingxuan did not answer the question and instead said, ¡°Do me a favour?¡± ¡°What?¡± Li Mingxuan suppressed the idea of investigating Shen Xi and said solemnly, ¡°Help me check Lu Gesen.¡± Ye Han agreed without saying a word of objection. Unlike the Li family that was in business, the Ye family was a real power faction in the political arena. Although Ye Han, the youngest son of the Ye family, deviated from the expectations of the Ye family, not only having no interest in the career, but even opening a small private restaurant in Nancheng, but his word was the word of the Ye family. It was just a trivial matter to investigate a person. After hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan instructed his assistant not to let anyone disturb him and locked himself in his office alone. Ye Han¡¯s phone call was like a trigger, evoking hidden doubts in Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart that could no longer be suppressed. He was not stupid. According to Ye Han¡¯s description, it was not like Shen Xi and Lu Gesen had just met each other, so it could be ruled out that Shen Xi had purposely met Lu Gesen after knowing about the will. Li Mingxuan also knew the special significance of the cemetery to Shen Xi, so it was proof that Lu Gesen was not an outsider to Shen Xi. Thinking about Lu Gesen¡¯s excellent performance since he joined Shen Group last year, Shen Ji and Shen Cheng¡¯s trust in him, and the series of events that had occurred at Shen Group over the past six months, Li Mingxuan pursed his lips up slightly and his expression became thoughtful. An idea appeared in his mind. Shen Xi¡¯s return to China coincided with the time when Shen Group¡¯s accidents started. Li Mingxuan closed his eyes fiercely, not daring to think about it any further; nor did he want to think about it any further. As if to escape, he opened the drawer in front of him. Inside was the only photo of Shen Xi and him together. He didn¡¯t know why but Shen Xi was very reluctant to have his pictures taken, and it was only on one occasion when he was in a very good mood that he agreed to take a picture with Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s fingers traced Shen Xi¡¯s smile in the photo. He seemed to feel that there was something behind Shen Xi¡¯s smile that he could not see. While Li Mingxuan was struggling alone in his office, Lu Gesen appeared in front of Wang Changlin. After listening to Lu Gesen¡¯s euphemistic expression of Shen Xi¡¯s meaning, a trace of sadness flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes and his hands could not help but tremble slightly. ¡°Foster Father?¡± Lu Gesen said worriedly. Wang Changlin shook his head to indicate that he was fine, ¡°Repeat what Shen Xi said again?¡± With doubts in his heart, Lu Gesen said slowly, ¡°Xiao Xi said that he wanted to find that man. He wanted to know why that man did not appear after Aunt¡¯s death, he wanted to know if that man knew that Aunt had carried his child and then jumped to her death with this child. He wanted to know the real reason why Aunt committed suicide so that she could rest in peace in the ground once and for all.¡± With every sentence Lu Gesen said, Wang Changlin¡¯s face distorted more and more. By the time Lu Gesen had finished, Wang Changlin looked like he had suffered a huge blow, his whole figure full of an indescribable dejection. ¡°Foster Father?¡± Lu Gesen vaguely guessed what was going on. Wang Changlin waved his hand, looking pale, ¡°It is me who has wronged her.¡± ¡°Her?¡± A sad smile appeared on Wang Changlin¡¯s face, ¡°Your aunt. That unborn child is mine.¡± Although he had already vaguely guessed the truth through his foster father¡¯s reaction, it was still hard for Lu Gesen to hide the shock on his face when he really heard his foster father say these words. Wang Changlin gave Lu Gesen a sorrowful look, ¡°Are you wondering why I didn¡¯t tell you about it?¡± Without waiting for Lu Gesen to say anything, Wang Changlin laughed at himself, ¡°What could I say to you? How useless I was, unable to protect the woman I loved? I could clearly see happiness beckoning, but still lost her in the blink of an eye. I just learned of the existence of that child when it disappeared from my life along with Xiao Rou. And after their deaths, I was in no position to even appear before Shen Dehan to question him about what had happened. I couldn¡¯t protect her while she was alive, and how could I let her carry such dishonour after her death?¡± Lu Gesen could not bear to see Wang Changlin in pain and interrupted him, ¡°Foster Father, I am sorry, I should not have¡­¡± Wang Changlin shook his head, full of guilt, ¡°It is me who should say sorry, Gesen, it is me who has been using you all these years. I kept saying that I was trying to repay Elder Han for his kindness back then, I kept saying that I was helping you to avenge the Han family, but in fact I just wanted to avenge Xiao Rou. I am not qualified to stand up and do anything for Xiao Rou, I never was and I am even less now, I can only hide in the shadows. I¡­¡± ¡°Foster Father!¡± Lu Gesen hurriedly said, ¡°You have not wronged me. Without you all these years, I don¡¯t even know what I would have become. I¡¯ve always been grateful to you for adopting me back then, and whatever you want me to do, I will do it.¡± ¡°Gesen!¡± Wang Changlin looked at him with complicated eyes. Lu Gesen did not want Wang Changlin to be immersed in the pain of the past anymore, but thinking of Shen Xi, he hesitated, ¡°And Xiao Xi?¡± Wang Changlin smiled sadly, ¡°You can ask Xiao Xi to meet you tomorrow. There are some things I¡¯ve been holding in my heart for a long time. I have wronged them, both mother and son.¡± Lu Gesen wanted to say something, but eventually swallowed his words. He finally understood why his foster father¡¯s feelings for Shen Xi were so complicated, and why he had helped him so much on the road to revenge. But when he thought that his foster father was the man that Shen Xi was looking for, he wondered if Shen Xi could accept this truth, and what Shen Xi would do. CH 83 When Li Mingxuan arrived home this evening, he did not go home immediately, but stood downstairs and stared for a long time at the light spilling out of that familiar window. It was early in the winter and every apartment in the building was lit up. Among the countless similar windows, Li Mingxuan recognized the familiar one at once. From the day Shen Xi agreed to be with him, this place had been another home for him. Whether he was getting off work or returning from a business trip, he always rushed back as soon as possible because he knew Shen Xi would always be waiting for him at home. Today was the first time he felt afraid at the doorstep of his home. He was afraid that once he pushed the door open, the warm memories of the past would be nothing more than an illusion in the mirror. He spent the entire afternoon doing nothing but recalling everything that had happened since he and Shen Xi met on the plane. Whenever he thought about it in the past, his heart was always filled with sweetness, but this time there was a touch of bitterness lingering in his memory. He involuntarily linked everything that happened to Shen Group, from Shen Xi¡¯s sudden return to China to his resentment towards Shen Dehan, from Shen Xi¡¯s secret investigation of his past to his close relationship with Lu Gesen, from Shen Group involvement in repeated incidents to Lu Gesen¡¯s role in them every time¡­ Li Mingxuan closed his eyes in pain, not wanting to think and not daring to think any further. He did not want to suspect Shen Xi, but his thoughts were out of control. He wanted to put it all out of his mind, but there was always a voice that reminded him that all he was doing was just deceiving himself. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t know what expression he should use to face Shen Xi. What scared him was not Shen Xi¡¯s revenge against the Shen family, but what kind of feelings Shen Xi had for him if all that was true. In this relationship where he was full of joy, gratitude and dedication, was Shen Xi just putting on a mask to play a role in front of him? As time passed, the biting chill finally brought him back to his senses, and he tried hard to suppress the emotions that were rising in his heart. Finally, Li Mingxuan walked into the elevator pretending that nothing had happened. The moment he opened the door, he subconsciously looked at the sofa. Every time he came back in the past, Shen Xi would be nestled on the sofa watching TV with the remote control in his hand, but today there was no Shen Xi there. There was a sound coming from the kitchen and Li Mingxuan gently walked over. Under the glowing white light, there was Shen Xi cooking something seriously. Li Mingxuan stood there quietly, watching Shen Xi¡¯s back, unblinking. Aware of the scorching gaze behind him, Shen Xi turned his head and smiled slightly, ¡°Hungry? It will be ready soon.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s smile was the same as always, and Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but step forward, hug him and kiss him fiercely. The kiss was very sudden. Shen Xi remembered the meal he was about to cook and subconsciously tried to push Li Mingxuan away but couldn¡¯t refuse and was held in his arms. ¡°Cousin, huh?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s unfinished words were blocked. Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss was swift and intense, as if to prove something. Shen Xi was not resisting and raised his head to bear the kiss obediently. It was not until Shen Xi was breathless from the kiss that Li Mingxuan stopped, holding him tightly in his arms, as if desperate to rub him into himself. That was it, Li Mingxuan thought, maybe Shen Xi and Lu Gesen were just old acquaintances from abroad and everything was just his cranky thoughts. He didn¡¯t have the courage to question Shen Xi about it, he was afraid the answer would far exceed his expectations. Just let him close his eyes and pretend that he didn¡¯t know anything. He loved Shen Xi and he wanted to be with Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan¡¯s unusual behaviour made Shen Xi realise what was going on. He did not say anything and silently reached out and hugged Li Mingxuan. Both of them seemed to forget about the meal being cooked until a faint smell of burning came out. Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi, smiled gently and rubbed his hair, saying warmly, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± As he watched Li Mingxuan skillfully throwing away the burnt rice and washing the pot, Shen Xi quietly stood behind him. As the scent of the food came out, the room was filled with a faint warmth, but Shen Xi knew that everything in front of him would be temporary. With the collapse of the Shen family and the revelation of the truth, he could already expect Li Mingxuan¡¯s reaction. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes became complicated. When Li Mingxuan turned his head, he closed his eyes to hide the entanglement in them, and opened them again after he had restored his previous calm. This night was like any other night before, and Shen Xi fell into a deep sleep in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. What he didn¡¯t know was that Li Mingxuan sat alone in the living room smoking for half the night after he fell asleep. When Shen Xi woke up, Li Mingxuan had already gone to the office, and the sticky note next to his pillow reminded him that breakfast was in the warming cabinet. Shen Xi stared at the sticky note for a while when his mobile phone rang abruptly. It was a call from Lu Gesen, who said that Wang Changlin wanted to meet Shen Xi, while euphemistically indicating that Wang Changlin was exactly the man Shen Xi was looking for. ¡°Xiao Xi, are you listening? I know this news is very sudden, but Foster Father has a hard time,¡± sensing Shen Xi¡¯s silence, Lu Gesen explained eagerly. Shen Xi sat up, haphazardly slipping on his pyjamas, and said, ¡°I am listening.¡± Lu Gesen let out a sigh of relief and explained, ¡°Foster Father has been suffering for so many years, he didn¡¯t show up back then so as not to ruin Aunt¡¯s reputation, he has done a lot of things over the years to retaliate against the Shen family, he¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Shen Xi interrupted Lu Gesen¡¯s words, ¡°When and where will we meet?¡± Lu Gesen couldn¡¯t hear whether Shen Xi¡¯s mood was good or bad and hesitantly said, ¡°Foster Father is going to the cemetery later to pay respect to Aunt.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Shen Xi hung up the phone straight away. Perhaps it was because he had already thought of Wang Changlin being that man, now that he had actually heard the confirmation, Shen Xi was not too surprised. On the contrary, knowing that Wang Changlin was that man, a lot of things seemed to make more sense. Why he went out of his way to adopt Lu Gesen, why he was so passionate about Lu Gesen¡¯s revenge, why he ignored Shen Xi for two lifetimes, all the things that Shen Xi felt were painful and incomprehensible before, now had answers. Shen Xi dressed quickly and drove towards the cemetery without bothering to eat breakfast. There was only one last question he wanted to clarify: why did his mother choose to jump out of the window back then? This was something he had never been able to understand. According to his aunt¡¯s words, his mother had already fallen out of love with his father and would not have jumped because of him, and she was pregnant, so why would she choose to jump for no reason? By the time Shen Xi arrived at the cemetery, Wang Changlin was already there. Placing the bouquet of lilies of the valley in front of the tombstone, Wang Changlin looked at Han Rou¡¯s picture with a complicated expression. He had never thought that Han Rou would choose to jump from the window with such determination. His fingers gently brushed over the photo, and the last phone call Han Rou made to him before she jumped echoed in his ears. ¡°Changlin, have you ever really loved me?¡± Without waiting for his answer, Han Rou hung up the phone, and shortly afterwards he received the news of Han Rou¡¯s death, precisely after this phone call. What kind of feelings did he have at that time? Regret? Sadness? Pain or relief? Wang Changlin sighed. Over the years, he had done everything he could to achieve his goals and had calculated many people, but he had never felt guilty. Only Han Rou, her shadow always haunted him when he dreamed of her at midnight. Wang Changlin closed his eyes fiercely and dismissed the memories. Now was not the time to be weak. His goal was about to be achieved, and the shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hand would be the most crucial step. He could not ruin so many years of careful planning just because of this little bit of guilt. He could not afford to wait and did not want to wait any longer. According to his plan, it would take him a few years to take over Shen Group but taking into account Shen Dehan¡¯s health, Wang Changlin didn¡¯t know if Shen Dehan would still be there in a few years¡¯ time. If he couldn¡¯t let Shen Dehan watch him take everything from him, then what was the point of what he had done? There were footsteps behind him and Wang Changlin slowly opened his eyes, the hatred in his eyes dispersing, replaced with painful emotions. ¡°Lawyer Wang.¡± Hearing Shen Xi¡¯s voice, Wang Changlin turned around, his eyes full of pain that he didn¡¯t have time to hide. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± The pain in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes was so intense that a trace of emotion flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face. The change in his expression was noticed by Wang Changlin, satisfying him. The pain in his eyes turned into guilt. Wang Changlin did not look at Shen Xi again but turned his gaze to the tombstone and said in a low voice, ¡°I promised Ah Ruo to take good care of you back then, but I didn¡¯t do it. I am sorry for all these years.¡± Shen Xi did not expect Wang Changlin to bring up this topic. He already had an answer in his mind, but at this moment he could not help but speak, ¡°Is it because I am Shen Dehan¡¯s son?¡± Sadness surfaced in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes and he nodded with difficulty. ¡°Ah Ruo was pregnant with my child when she died. At that time, I had just found out that I was going to be a father, and before I could rejoice I received the sad news that Ah Ruo died along with the child. I know you¡¯re innocent, Xiao Xi, but I really couldn¡¯t face you, I couldn¡¯t do what Ah Rou wanted me to do, I couldn¡¯t take care of you.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Shen Xi said self-deprecatingly. Anyone in Wang Changlin¡¯s position would probably have to hate him. Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi apologetically and wanted to say something, but in the end he sighed and said nothing. Shen Xi did not care about Wang Changlin¡¯s guilt and said softly, ¡°I want to know why my mother jumped out of the window back then?¡± This was the main purpose of his meeting with Wang Changlin. This question seemed to stir up Wang Changlin¡¯s painful memories as he shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ah Rou didn¡¯t say anything before, there were no signs, everything was too sudden. But apart from Shen Dehan, who else could have forced Ah Rou to jump to her death? It was all him. If it wasn¡¯t for Shen Dehan, how could Ah Rou have lived such a miserable life? Why did he refuse to cherish her when he was married to her? If it wasn¡¯t for him, how could Ah Rou jump out of the window? Ah Rou clearly said she wanted to divorce him, but¡­¡± Wang Changlin was already incoherent at the end of his speech, his eyes looking at Han Rou¡¯s picture on the tombstone in agony. Shen Xi¡¯s heart was once again moved. Although his feelings for his mother were different from Wang Changlin¡¯s, this pain seemed to be similar, and Shen Xi could not help but say, ¡°Uncle Wang.¡± This ¡°Uncle Wang¡± brought Wang Changlin¡¯s attention back, and he took a deep breath, ¡°I was out of line.¡± Shen Xi shook his head, and when he looked at Wang Changlin again, his eyes became much more intimate instead of being distant. Wang Changlin quickly realised the change in Shen Xi. He had been studying people¡¯s hearts for so many years; he understood that Shen Xi had a certain amount of recognition for him and immediately mentioned many of the Han family¡¯s past events as if unintentionally. As he looked at Shen Xi now, his gaze was different. In just one morning, Shen Xi¡¯s attitude towards Wang Changlin changed greatly. As they parted, Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi with a serious face, ¡°No matter what kind of feelings you have for the Shen family, I hope you won¡¯t stop Gesen and me from taking revenge on the Shen family.¡± Shen Xi already had a decision in his mind, looked at Wang Changlin and said softly, ¡°Grandpa made a will before he passed away. Once I reach 23 years old, I can own 20% of Shen Group shares. In a few days it will be my 23rd birthday. I wonder if I can entrust Uncle Wang to be the sole agent of the shares in my hands at that time.¡± Shen Xi had not told Lu Gesen about this before because Wang Changlin¡¯s behaviour was too inconsistent, but now Wang Changlin¡¯s hatred for Shen Dehan did not seem fake, and if Shen Xi wanted to bring down Shen Group as soon as possible, working with Wang Changlin was the fastest way, so naturally he did not hide the matter any longer. A look of surprise flashed across Wang Chenglin¡¯s face, ¡°Xiao Xi, you know about this?¡± Shen Xi was stunned, ¡°Could it be that you also know, Uncle Wang?¡± Wang Changlin nodded, ¡°I only found out a few days ago too. Shen Dehan wanted me to stop you from entering Shen Group.¡± A sneer appeared at the corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth as Wang Changlin mused, ¡°Since you already know, Xiao Xi, what are your plans? To enter Shen Group?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I have no interest in Shen Group, not to mention the fact that Shen Group is about to go bankrupt, so what am I going to do there?¡± His words made Wang Changlin relax, and when he looked at Shen Xi again his face seemed hesitant. Shen Xi¡¯s heart throbbed, ¡°Uncle Wang, is there something I need to do?¡± Wang Changlin seemed to have made up his mind and looked at Shen Xi frankly, ¡°Xiao Xi, are you willing to transfer your shares to me? In fact, Gesen and I have already acquired 27% of Shen Group shares. If you add the shares in your hands, it will be enough to compete with Shen Dehan in Shen Group. Of course, on the one hand, it is to deal with the Shen family; on the other hand, the collapse of Shen Group is inevitable and sooner or later, your shares in Shen Group will become worthless. Instead of letting them rot in your hands, it is better to get rid of them early. With this money, you can also have no worries about food and clothing in the future. I wanted to ask Gesen to tell you about this idea when I first found out about the contents of the will, but I was worried that you might misunderstand, so I never said anything.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s words were correct and his tone was full of meaning for Shen Xi to consider. More importantly, based on the 27% shares, it was clear that Gao Qiulin¡¯s shares were in Wang Changlin¡¯s hands. Shen Xi thought about his original intention and after a slight hesitation, he simply nodded. Shen Xi agreeing so easily was hard to believe in for Wang Changlin. After realising that Shen Xi had really agreed, Wang Changlin, who had always been cunning, failed to control his emotions and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face. CH 84 After separating from Wang Changlin at the cemetery, Shen Xi made a phone call to Lao K on the way home. When the call was answered, before Shen Xi could say anything, Lao K already said, ¡°Xiao Xi, have you seen the news?¡± Shen Xi was stunned, ¡°News? What news?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Lao K was very surprised and soon realized that Shen Xi was not calling him for that, so he immediately said with concern, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What happened?¡± Shen Xi said softly, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯ve just met Wang Changlin.¡± At once, Shen Xi told him about Wang Changlin and Han Rou; it was something he could only tell Lao K and no one else. Lao K was astonished, ¡°It¡¯s really him, no wonder!¡± Lao K did not clarify no wonder what; he and Shen Xi both knew the answer in their heart. If Han Rou¡¯s baby was really Wang Changlin¡¯s, then many of the things he had done would make sense. But when Lao K thought of how many times he had investigated Wang Changlin without finding any clues to this matter, he couldn¡¯t help but be wary of Wang Changlin. ¡°Xiao Xi, are you sure you want to transfer the shares in your hands to him, just in case?¡± Lao K¡¯s concern was palpable, and Shen Xi explained softly, ¡°This matter is not harmful to us. These shares were originally intended to be transferred out, it just happens that this person will be Wang Changlin. What¡¯s more, I¡¯m not giving them away for nothing, we can still make a profit with these shares. As for your concern that he will use the shares for other purposes, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. All I want is for the Shen family to go bankrupt and be left with nothing. If Wang Changlin is capable of turning Shen Group into Wang Group, what does it have to do with us?¡± With Shen Xi¡¯s explanation, Lao K also felt that this was indeed the case. Shen Xi¡¯s choice was in their best interest at the moment, but Lao K still had some concerns about Wang Changlin. However, as Shen Xi said, even if Wang Changlin had other plans in addition to avenging the Han family, what did it matter? As long as he and Shen Xi had the same goal of dealing with the Shen family, it would be fine. With this in mind, Lao K did not raise any objection, ¡°Xiao Xi, you decide.¡± Shen Xi gave an ¡°en¡±, ¡°By the way, what was the news you mentioned just now?¡± Back to the topic, Lao K gossiped eagerly, ¡°Zhou Mingmei broke the news about Chu Qianqian¡¯s existence and involved Fang Yun in it, and now the newspapers are in an uproar.¡± The news was not a surprise to Shen Xi as he had already planned to reveal the existence of Chu Qianqian through Zhou Mingmei, ¡°Has there been any mention of the marriage?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the news has been released, now it¡¯s up to Chu Qianqian.¡± Shen Xi had already made the preparations when he made his plans before. If Zhou Mingmei talked about Chu Qianqian¡¯s marriage with Shen Dehan in anger, naturally everything would be fine; but if she didn¡¯t say anything, the news would also be released anyway. Having said that, Lao K couldn¡¯t help but add one more sentence, ¡°After this matter is over, what arrangements do you have for Chu Qianqian?¡± Shen Xi had already thought about this question, ¡°Send her abroad just like Chang Lei, and then arrange for her to come back if she wants to after the wind dies down in a few years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Lao K agreed. If their plan went well, it was indeed not suitable for Chu Qianqian to stay in China anymore and she would need to go abroad to avoid the limelight for a while. The contribution of Shen Xi and Lao K in this matter was unknown to outsiders. At this time, everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the scandal of Shen Dehan and Chu Qianqian. Compared to the previous scandals of the Shen family, this one was obviously more interesting. Not to mention the huge age difference between Shen Dehan and Chu Qianqian, just the fact that Chu Qianqian¡¯s face was identical to Fang Yun was enough to create a huge buzz. When Shen Dehan had kept Zhou Mingliang who looked similar to Fang Yun by his side under the banner of being nostalgic for his dead wife, although it was unfair to Han Rou, many people privately praised him for his love and affection for Fang Yun. But now, Chu Qianqian¡¯s existence was a slap in Shen Dehan¡¯s face. The love and affection that he had back then now seemed to be nothing more than a lust for young beauty. The person who broke the story was Zhou Mingmei, who had been with Shen Dehan all these years and whose existence was well known to everyone. Although no one thought Zhou Mingmei would be admitted to the Shen family by Shen Dehan, they had all acquiesced to her identity. But now Chu Qianqian suddenly appeared, and the dog-blood entanglement in between was enough to excite the gossip reporters in Zhongjing to the point of bursting. The moment she saw the news, Shen Bixue almost fainted from anger. She always thought that even if Shen Dehan¡¯s personality had changed because of his illness, he would not disregard the reputation of the Shen family like that. Although Chu Qianqian stayed by Shen Dehan¡¯s side before, as long as the news was kept from the reporters, Shen Bixue could not say much. But now, looking at the various scathing comments on the internet, Shen Bixue only felt that even she had been disgraced and her reputation was in tatters. Shen Bixue didn¡¯t care about anything else and hurriedly ordered her driver to prepare the car. This matter needed Shen Dehan to come out to dispel the rumours and confirm that there was no Chu Qianqian and there was no such thing as marriage. When Shen Bixue was rushing to the hospital, Shen Dehan had just seen the news and was furiously calling Zhou Mingmei. ¡°Did you tell the reporters about the existence of Qianqian?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Zhou Mingmei laughed, ¡°What, she can¡¯t see the light of day?¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s reaction angered Shen Dehan, who said in a cold voice, ¡°I told you to stay in the country and behave yourself.¡± ¡°Behave myself?¡± Zhou Mingmei sneered, ¡°Am I not behaving? What have you given me after all these years of behaving myself? Since you did it on the first day, don¡¯t blame me for doing it on the fifteenth (since you¡¯re not benevolent, I won¡¯t be righteous either).¡± Shen Dehan hung up the phone with a cold snort and immediately ordered his bodyguards to go to the hospital where Shen Rong was to pick him up, and at the same time cut off all of Zhou Mingmei¡¯s financial resources and kick her out of her current house. To Shen Dehan, Shen Rong could still be considered his son, while Zhou Mingmei was nothing. Shen Dehan¡¯s order caused the bodyguards to look at each other in shock and quietly retreat. Shen Dehan was the only one left in the ward. He stared at the newspapers in front of him with a gloomy face, his eyes falling on the word ¡°marriage¡±. Shen Dehan was not confused. Although he liked Chu Qianqian, he also knew that his age difference with Chu Qianqian was too great, and once it broke out, it would be a scandal. He did want to keep Chu Qianqian around, but definitely not in the form of marriage. During this period of time, due to the tight security, he had kept Chu Qianqian¡¯s existence well hidden from outsiders, but he did not expect that it would be Zhou Mingmei who finally made the story public. He now had to dispel the negative impact of this matter as soon as possible; the Shen family could no longer afford another series of scandals. As Shen Dehan pondered, Chu Qianqian pushed the door open and walked in. ¡°Mr. Shen.¡± Chu Qianqian¡¯s face was devoid of her usual smile and she appeared much more distant. ¡°Qianqian!¡± Shen Dehan immediately realised something, ¡°Have you seen the news?¡± Chu Qianqian nodded, ¡°I was just about to tell you about this, Mr. Shen. I plan to leave Zhongjing.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Dehan was shocked, ¡°Where are you going, Qianqian?¡± Chu Qianqian showed a reluctant smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe to a place where no one knows me.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Shen Dehan said in a deep voice, ¡°Because of the news?¡± Chu Qianqian avoided Shen Dehan¡¯s question and said with her head bowed, ¡°I¡¯ve been bothering Mr. Shen for too long, we¡¯re not relatives, and it is not good to keep doing this.¡± Shen Dehan said eagerly, ¡°Qianqian, didn¡¯t you say you would stay with me forever?¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s words made Chu Qianqian¡¯s body tremble. After a while, Chu Qianqian raised her head and looked at Shen Dehan calmly, ¡°In what capacity should I accompany Mr. Shen?¡± Shen Dehan did not expect Chu Qianqian to ask such a direct question and was momentarily at a loss for words. A trace of disappointment flashed across Chu Qianqian¡¯s face, ¡°Look, Mr. Shen, you want me to stay by your side, but you can¡¯t marry me, so in what capacity should I stay? The same as Zhou Mingmei? Then I¡¯m sorry, although I come from a humble background, I¡¯m not degraded to the point where I would want to be Mr. Shen¡¯s mistress.¡± These words from Chu Qianqian were so categorical that Shen Dehan could not help but freeze. He remembered that Fang Yun had been like this back then. At the very beginning when he was unable to promise her anything and begged her to stay by his side, Fang Yun also looked at him with such disappointment and said the same words before leaving in determination. Looking at Chu Qianqian¡¯s determined expression that was more and more similar to the shadow in his memory, Shen Dehan subconsciously said, ¡°Ah Yun, I will marry you.¡± When she finally heard these words, Chu Qianqian ignored the fact that Shen Dehan was calling Fang Yun¡¯s name and let out a huge sigh of relief in her heart. Practising her expression in front of the mirror for a long time was not for nothing and she also wrote down the sentence Shen Xi had prepared for her word for word. Chu Qianqian¡¯s face blossomed into a smile little by little as she looked at Shen Dehan and whispered, ¡°Really?¡± Shen Dehan looked at this face that looked exactly like Fang Yun¡¯s and nodded heavily. By the time Shen Bixue arrived at the hospital, Shen Dehan had already made the decision to get engaged to Chu Qianqian and was planning to hold a press conference tomorrow to announce this decision. ¡°What, Big Brother, you want to get engaged to Chu Qianqian, are you crazy?¡± Shen Bixue stared at Shen Dehan incredulously, unable to figure out why he would make such a confused decision. Shen Dehan said discontentedly, ¡°Is this the tone of the voice to talk to Big Brother?¡± Shen Bixue was so angry that she couldn¡¯t speak, ¡°Big Brother, do you know that Chu Qianqian is young enough to be your granddaughter? You want to get engaged to her, what do you want people to think of you?¡± Shen Dehan insisted, ¡°This is my own business.¡± Shen Bixue trembled, pointing at Shen Dehan, ¡°Big Brother, have you thought about Ah Ji, Ah Cheng and Xiao Xi? Have you ever thought about the fact that Chu Qianqian is younger than all three of them? Do you want them to recognise her as a mother when she is so young? How will they be able to go out and meet people? Even if they don¡¯t care about this, you know the knot in Ah Ji¡¯s heart. Don¡¯t push Ah Ji further and further away!¡± Shen Dehan listened to Shen Bixue¡¯s words and his heart faltered for a moment, but soon Fang Yun¡¯s face came to his mind and overlapped with Chu Qianqian¡¯s face, and Shen Dehan closed his eyes and persisted. Shen Bixue finally left the hospital disappointed. The engagement between Shen Dehan and Chu Qianqian was confirmed, and Shen Xi soon received a message from Chu Qianqian. Habitually deleting the text messages on his mobile phone, Shen Xi looked out the window with a sneer. When he first returned from abroad, he had expected it to take more than two years to completely destroy the Shen family. But against his expectation, everything went too smoothly and before he could even do anything more, the Shen family was already in a state of turmoil. That being the case, he had no patience to spend more time on his father. Didn¡¯t his father hate his mother¡¯s cheating the most? He really hoped that his father would like the huge surprise he specially prepared! CH 85 Shen Xi received an official notice from Shen Dehan in the afternoon of the same day. Shen Dehan would hold a press conference the next day to announce his engagement to Chu Qianqian. Obviously, Shen Dehan was very eager to reverse the negative image of this matter. Although his current image had fallen to the bottom, it still looked better with the fig leaf of marriage. Shen Dehan was not concerned about Shen Xi¡¯s attitude towards this matter, he and Shen Xi were now looking at each other in disgust and Shen Xi¡¯s reaction was completely out of his consideration. Shen Xi mockingly hung up Shen Dehan¡¯s call but before he could put the phone down, it rang once again, and it was Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice showed a hint of worry, ¡°Xiao Xi, you know about Uncle¡¯s decision, right?¡± ¡°En.¡± Shen Xi confirmed in a light-hearted manner, obviously not caring at all. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly. Although he had already guessed how Shen Xi would react, he still couldn¡¯t help but worry. ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Shen Xi¡¯s reply reaffirmed Li Mingxuan¡¯s guess. Li Mingxuan consciously made himself sound relaxed, ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re fine!¡± Shen Dehan¡¯s decision naturally did not meet any resistance from Shen Xi. Unexpectedly, even Shen Ji did not say a word about it. Shen Dehan originally thought that Shen Ji would oppose fiercely, but after listening to his words, Shen Ji did not react at all. Feeling guilty, Shen Dehan tried to talk to Shen Ji some more but Shen Ji simply cut him short, saying that the doctor was looking for him. In fact, since the revelation that Shen Cheng had been addicted to drugs by Shen Rong, Shen Ji had only briefly visited the hospital a few times and did not stay in the ward as he had done before. After hanging up the phone, Shen Ji sat there expressionlessly, a trace of self-deprecation in his eyes. ¡°Big Brother, are you alright?¡± Shen Cheng, who also heard Shen Dehan¡¯s call, looked at Shen Ji cautiously. Shen Ji nodded. ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± After a period of detoxification, Shen Cheng was in much better shape than he had been at the beginning, and the intervals between drug addiction episodes were gradually lengthening. He no longer needed to be tied to the bed all the time like before. Occasionally, Shen Ji would release him and let him walk around the villa. Shen Cheng had always been somewhat afraid of Shen Ji, and now Shen Ji tying him up and forcing him to quit drugs made him hate and fear Shen Ji. Although he knew that Shen Ji was doing it for his own good, he could not help but tremble at the sight of him. At this time, looking at Shen Ji¡¯s gloomy face, Shen Cheng felt nothing was okay at all. Especially taking into account Shen Ji¡¯s previous rejection of Chu Qianqian, Shen Cheng felt indescribably uncomfortable that this time his elder brother actually did not say anything. After stealing a few glances at Shen Ji, Shen Cheng felt that there was nothing he could do, so he intended to slip out. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s gaze turned to Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng instantly froze and said with his head lowered, ¡°Just going out for a walk.¡± ¡°Come here!¡± Shen Ji ordered. Shen Cheng paused and dawdled but finally walked over. Big Brother¡¯s aura was too strong at the moment, and Shen Cheng remembered the time when he was tied to the bed, shouting until his voice was hoarse, while Big Brother refused to even give him water, forcing him to scream, promising to quit. Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s appearance and sighed silently. Perhaps he had pushed Shen Cheng too hard during this period of time, and Shen Cheng was like a mouse seeing a cat when he looked at him. He couldn¡¯t help but reach out and pull Shen Cheng to his side. ¡°Let¡¯s go abroad for a while in a few more days? Where do you want to go, Ah Cheng?¡± Shen Ji said in a rare soft voice. ¡°Go abroad?¡± Shen Cheng looked surprised, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Big Brother care about Father and the company¡¯s affairs?¡± He already found it strange that Shen Ji was by his side every day and every night, but now he was even more surprised that Shen Ji was going to give up going to the hospital to take care of his father and attending to the company¡¯s affairs to accompany him abroad. Shen Ji¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. During this time his mind was all on Shen Cheng and he didn¡¯t pay much attention to Shen Group, but he heard some news that Shen Group¡¯s recent situation was not very good. With his father in hospital, him being restricted from interfering in the company¡¯s affairs, Ah Cheng¡¯s rehabilitation and the fallout from the Anchor incident still rippling, Shen Group was on the verge of bankruptcy. It wasn¡¯t that no one had suggested that he should return to Shen Group. Shen Ji sighed and gave Shen Cheng a look. The doctor said that drug rehabilitation was a long-term process; Shen Cheng was more important in his heart than Shen Group. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about these things, Ah Cheng. Father has Chu Qianqian to take care of him, and as for Shen Group, I heard that Father has handed it over to Wang Changlin to take care of it. Ah Cheng just needs to focus on getting clean.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Shen Cheng didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. Anyway he was being locked up here by Shen Ji; whatever Shen Ji said was a decided matter. Unexpectedly, none of the three brothers of the Shen family objected to Shen Dehan¡¯s decision, which surprised Shen Bixue. ¡°Even if it¡¯s okay for Ah Cheng, neither Ah Ji nor Xiao Xi are opposed to it?¡± Li Xiyong looked helplessly at the overexcited Shen Bixue, ¡°Ah Ji and Xiao Xi are both grown up and have their own lives. Since even they don¡¯t object, this is the Shen family¡¯s business after all, so you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°I would like to not worry about it, but what about the Shen family¡¯s reputation if Big Brother tosses it around like this?¡± Li Xiyong soothed her, ¡°Reputation is something for outsiders to see. If Dehan himself doesn¡¯t mind, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°No, I still have to see Big Brother,¡± Shen Bixue insisted. Li Xiyong was very helpless about Shen Bixue¡¯s insistence, ¡°Instead of asking Dehan to focus on these imaginary things, you should ask Dehan to focus on the Shen Group situation. The Nancheng project that we all worked on together, several other families are now subtly expressing their dissatisfaction with Dehan and are already privately discussing raising money to offset Dehan¡¯s share. If it wasn¡¯t for Lao Fang and Dehan being good friends and me being involved, I guess there would be nothing left for Dehan now. I mentioned this to Dehan a few days ago, but I¡¯m afraid he thinks I have some ideas. You can talk to him more; if he doesn¡¯t care, Shen Group will probably really fall.¡± The Li family and the Shen family had been friendly for many years and were involved in many businesses. Although with the Yunrou incident, the two families¡¯ business philosophies had diverged and Li Xiyong had consciously separated his business from the Shen family, it was not so easy to cut off all the years of cooperation. Strictly speaking, there were only a few projects that the two families were now working on together, and even if something went wrong with the Shen family, there was no real impact on the Li family, they could just find another partner. However, when Li Xiyong thought of Shen Group¡¯s century-old business ending up at this point, he was inevitably overcome with emotion. Shen Bixue had heard Li Xiyong mention Shen Group problems a few times before, but it was the first time she heard of such a serious situation. ¡°It¡¯s already so serious?¡± Shen Bixue said worriedly. Li Xiyong nodded and seemed to have thought of something, glancing at Shen Bixue, ¡°Remember to tell Dehan that Wang Changlin may not be trustworthy.¡± Shen Bixue froze for a moment; seeing Li Xiyong¡¯s reluctance to say more, she swallowed the doubts in her heart. As the rumours of the relationship between Shen Dehan and Fang Yun, Chu Qianqian and Zhou Mingmei were buzzing around, Shen Dehan suddenly announced to the public that he would hold a press conference to make a statement. The reporters were speculating for a while; what exactly was Shen Dehan going to say, was it to dispel the rumours? The press conference was held at the hospital because of Shen Dehan¡¯s health. In order to make it official, Shen Dehan rented a conference room at the hospital as the venue for the announcement and sent someone to set it up early on. Next day, Shen Dehan specially ordered the servants to send over clothes from home. After some cleaning up, Shen Dehan was dressed in a suit and looked very energetic. Chu Qianqian chose a long white flowery dress today and her hair was pulled up high, making her look even more innocent and sweet. Shen Dehan looked at the well-dressed Chu Qianqian with satisfaction and said soothingly, ¡°Qianqian, don¡¯t be nervous later, I¡¯ll answer any questions.¡± Chu Qianqian nodded obediently, ¡°Okay!¡± Shen Dehan took Chu Qianqian¡¯s hand, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you be wronged.¡± Chu Qianqian smiled sweetly, ¡°I know!¡± This was the last scene she would play with Shen Dehan. After the end of this scene she would be able to go far away with the ten million given by Shen Xi. Of course, she would not be nervous. Compared to the calmness of the two protagonists, the rest of the crew looked anxious instead. The long prep work was already in place, the conference room was packed with reporters, all sorts of cameras aiming the table. Amidst a flurry of flashing lights, Chu Qianqian pushed Shen Dehan out. This was the first exposure of the scandalous heroine, and the reporters¡¯ cameras all rushed towards Chu Qianqian. Unlike Zhou Mingmei¡¯s description of her scheming and domineering nature, the Chu Qianqian who appeared in front of the reporters looked pitiful. As if it was the first time she had encountered such a scene, a hint of panic flashed across her face and she sat down beside Shen Dehan, obviously pretending to be calm. Shen Dehan gave her a soothing look and greeted the reporters with a smile. In the past few days Shen Dehan had taken good care of himself, and today he specially cleaned up again. Although he could not compare with his appearance before he was hospitalised, he still looked elegant and personable. Shen Dehan first thanked the reporters for coming, and then said he had a happy announcement to make today. By now, the reporters had vaguely guessed Shen Dehan¡¯s intention. If Shen Dehan wanted to dispel the rumours, he would definitely not bring Chu Qianqian out. Could it be that Shen Dehan and Chu Qianqian liked each other? Before Shen Dehan could speak, the reporters were already excited and eagerly waiting for the big announcement from Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan smiled as he looked around and took Chu Qianqian¡¯s hand, ¡°I know there are some bad rumours about me out there now. I just want to say that Ms. Chu Qianqian and I are planning to get engaged, and I hope to get everyone¡¯s blessings.¡± As soon as Shen Dehan¡¯s words came out, the scene went crazy. Speculation was speculation, but now the speculation was true, reporters were reaching their microphones forward desperately, eager to be the first to ask questions. Shen Dehan was about to answer a question from a reporter in the front row with a smile on his face, when a shout suddenly came from the door, ¡°I disagree.¡± This ¡°I disagree¡± was like a bomb dropped into the water, causing an uproar. The eyes of the crowd turned towards the doorway, where a young man stood. His face was flushed red under everyone¡¯s gazes but he still looked firmly at Chu Qianqian at the front. Chu Qianqian let out a soft cry and looked at the young man in disbelief. Shen Dehan¡¯s face turned ugly. The expressions of those two clearly indicated that something was wrong, and the reporters could also see this. The noisy room immediately became quiet. Everyone waited with bated breath for another heavyweight bombshell. The young man took a deep breath and seemed to be gathering courage as he looked at Chu Qianqian and shouted, ¡°Qianqian, I¡¯m not going to school anymore, I¡¯m going to work. I¡¯ll support you, don¡¯t doom yourself to marrying such an old man for me.¡± ¡°How can you not go to school, you!¡± Chu Qianqian blurted out, and after she said that, she seemed to think of something and immediately looked nervously at Shen Dehan. A few short words revealed the truth. Shen Dehan was by now in a gloomy mood, whispering to his bodyguards to drive the young man out. As the bodyguards stepped forward, the young man shouted nervously, ¡°Qianqian, come with me, I can¡¯t watch you ruin yourself for me¡­¡± The young man was stopped and dragged out by the bodyguards before he could finish the sentence. Looking at the young man who was struggling in the bodyguards¡¯ hands, Chu Qianqian took a step forward worriedly, then seemed to have made up her mind and turned her head to look at Shen Dehan. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Shen, I can¡¯t get married to you. I¡¯m pregnant, and the father of the child is not you.¡± Things had developed to the point where the reporters below had all gone crazy. Although Chu Qianqian¡¯s words were not said loudly, they were said right in front of the microphone, so the entire crowd could hear them clearly. Shen Dehan¡¯s expression could no longer be described as ugly, his face was livid as he stared at Chu Qianqian, his body trembling uncontrollably. ¡°You!¡± Before he could finish his words, Shen Dehan suddenly collapsed. His forehead hit the ground heavily, and a panic erupted around him. While the bodyguards and reporters¡¯ attention was on Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian grabbed the young man¡¯s hand quickly and the two of them left the hospital. ¡°Mr. Shen!¡± ¡°Call the doctor!¡± Chu Qianqian could no longer hear the panic behind her as she was led by the young man into a car that was parked on the side of the road. Chu Qianqian let out a huge sigh of relief, suddenly raised her head and froze, ¡°Shen Xi, why are you there?¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°How could I be absent from such an important moment!¡± Chu Qianqian thought of Shen Dehan who was in a coma in the hospital at this moment, and then looked at Shen Xi who was smiling happily in front of her, obviously not knowing what she should say. After hesitating for a while, Chu Qianqian finally thought of the key question, ¡°Where is my money?¡± Shen Xi handed over the bag in his hand, ¡°The money and passport are in here. I¡¯ve put the remaining five million into the card, the password is the same as last time. By the way, I¡¯ve found you a house and language school, someone will pick you up at the airport when you get there.¡± Chu Qianqian took the bag and rummaged through it, clutching it in her arms in satisfaction. ¡°Where are we going now?¡± ¡°To take you to the airport.¡± ¡°So urgent?¡± Shen Xi let out an ¡°en¡±, ¡°To avoid the long night dreams (if the time is prolonged, the situation may change unfavourably).¡± The news that Shen Dehan was in a coma from the overstimulation soon spread, along with the news that Chu Qianqian¡¯s childhood sweetheart boyfriend appeared at the press conference today and that Chu Qianqian temporarily backtracked and Shen Dehan was cuckolded. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart sank immediately upon hearing the news. While outsiders didn¡¯t know, he knew that Shen Dehan had checked out Chu Qianqian¡¯s every detail and there was no such thing as a childhood sweetheart. It was clear that someone was deliberately setting up Shen Dehan. Shen Xi¡¯s name jumped out in his mind, and even though there was no proof, the indescribable feeling made Li Mingxuan feel cold all over. Several times he misdialed the number he could have recited backwards, and after yet another misdial, the call was finally answered. ¡°Xiao Xi, did you do this?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice seemed to come from a distant place, and Shen Xi understood what he was asking almost instantly. After a slight hesitation Shen Xi heard himself say softly, ¡°It was me!¡± A boundless silence spread between the two; no one said another word, an invisible barrier rising between them. CH 86 Perhaps the stimulation was too great this time. Shen Dehan was in a coma and the doctor clearly diagnosed: Shen Dehan¡¯s originally improved health deteriorated sharply. Even if he woke up, he could only spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed. When Shen Bixue arrived at the hospital in a hurry, she saw the lone figure of Shen Ji. ¡°Ah Ji, you¡¯re alone? Where are Xiao Xi and Ah Cheng?¡± ¡°I left Ah Cheng at home, he had a drug addiction episode. I haven¡¯t seen Shen Xi yet.¡± Faced with Shen Bixue¡¯s question, Shen Ji replied in a low voice. He had received a call from his bodyguard as soon as Shen Dehan fainted and knew about the press conference. Like Li Mingxuan, he quickly realized that Shen Dehan was being set up, but who was behind it? Who was scheming against Shen Dehan so carefully? The fact that Chu Qianqian had been by Shen Dehan¡¯s side for more than half a year, didn¡¯t it mean that this was a long-planned scheme? Shen Bixue did not know what was in Shen Ji¡¯s mind, and seeing his distorted face, she thought he was worried about his father and said soothingly, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, Big Brother will be fine.¡± ¡°I know, Aunt!¡± Shen Ji nodded. Shen Bixue sighed. She didn¡¯t expect this to happen. If she had known earlier, she would have been a bit more forceful trying to stop Shen Dehan, wouldn¡¯t everything have been avoided then? As Shen Bixue sighed, she thought of Li Mingxuan, ¡°Has Mingxuan not been here either?¡± She called Li Mingxuan as soon as she received the news that Shen Dehan had fainted and asked him to come to the hospital as soon as possible. But it had been so long that she had time to rush over from home, why hadn¡¯t Mingxuan arrived yet? After a concerned glance at Shen Dehan, who was still being resuscitated, Shen Bixue walked to the side of the corridor and pressed Li Mingxuan¡¯s number. The phone kept ringing for a long time before it was picked up, and Shen Bixue said anxiously, ¡°Mingxuan, where are you now and why haven¡¯t you arrived at the hospital yet? Do you know where Xiao Xi is? Something so big has happened¡­¡± ¡°Xiao Xi is sick.¡± Li Mingxuan interrupted his mother straight away. He knew what his mother meant, hoping that Shen Xi would show up at the hospital at a time like this to prevent reporters from writing some nonsense. He laughed bitterly at his mother¡¯s thoughts in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t help covering up for Shen Xi. ¡°Xiao Xi is sick?¡± Shen Bixue said in surprise. ¡°En!¡± Li Mingxuan confirmed, explaining in passing, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m at home with Xiao Xi now, I¡¯ll go to the hospital sometime this afternoon.¡± A beeping sound soon came out of the receiver. Li Mingxuan hung up the phone after explaining without waiting for Shen Bixue¡¯s answer. Shen Bixue¡¯s face revealed a trace of worry. They say no one knows the son like his mother; she obviously felt that Mingxuan¡¯s emotions seemed to be wrong. What his mother would think was not on Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind at the moment. As he stood quietly at the door of Shen Xi¡¯s apartment, Li Mingxuan¡¯s face was distorted in pain. He knew that Shen Xi was inside, a wall away from him, but he didn¡¯t have the courage to push the door open. Chu Qianqian¡¯s incident was just the beginning. After Shen Xi¡¯s frank admission, the suspicion that Li Mingxuan had suppressed a few days ago because of Lu Gesen immediately took root in his heart, swelling and growing. He could no longer pretend that he could not see it and deceive himself. He desperately needed to see Shen Xi, he needed an answer from him. With such thoughts in his mind, he sped all the way back home. But when he actually stood at the door, he suddenly lost the courage to go in. If what happened to the Shen family for the past six months was all Shen Xi¡¯s scheme, what should he do? If even being with him was part of Shen Xi¡¯s calculations, what should he do? These two thoughts tormented his heart beyond imagination. He tried several times to fumble for the key to open the door, but hesitated again. As Li Mingxuan was struggling, the door of the apartment suddenly opened from the inside and Shen Xi stood there with a calm face. ¡°Cousin.¡± His voice was as usual, not a hint of strangeness could be heard in it. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes focused on Shen Xi¡¯s face. He wanted to see something, but there was nothing but calmness. The two of them stood quietly at the door. Shen Xi said tranquilly, ¡°Won¡¯t Cousin come in?¡± After saying that, Shen Xi turned and walked back into the living room. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes stayed glued to Shen Xi¡¯s body as he silently followed him in. Shen Xi habitually nestled on the sofa and looked frankly at Li Mingxuan who was standing in front of him, ¡°Does Cousin have something to ask me?¡± Ever since he had admitted on the phone that Chu Qianqian had been his arrangement, he was prepared to face everything that would come. He had thought about whether to hide what he had done from Li Mingxuan, but on second thought he had decided to sell the shares in his hands, and sooner or later Li Mingxuan would know what he had done; not to mention that his pride made him not bother to hide it. Shen Xi¡¯s words were burning the boats. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart instantly sank to the bottom as he looked straight at Shen Xi with undisguised pain in his eyes. Shen Xi met Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze. Perhaps it was because the pain in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes was so deep that Shen Xi¡¯s heart could not help but clench. Avoiding Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze somewhat embarrassedly, Shen Xi lowered his head and repeated the previous question, ¡°Is there something Cousin wants to ask?¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi and said in a low voice, ¡°Have you been scheming against the Shen family since you returned to China?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This ¡°yes¡± hit Li Mingxuan so hard that he felt a strong bitterness spreading from his heart. Although he was already prepared for the worst on the way home, he still hoped that everything was his imagination. But Shen Xi¡¯s admission dashed all his hopes. Shen Xi did not look at Li Mingxuan. He was a bit afraid to look at his expression. He didn¡¯t know if he was influenced by Li Mingxuan, but Shen Xi only felt as if his whole heart was gripped by some cruel hand and felt incomparably painful. Trying hard to adjust his emotions, Shen Xi lowered his head and told Li Mingxuan everything about the arrangements he had made since his return to China. Of course, he deliberately avoided mentioning Wang Changlin and Lu Gesen. For one thing, they were only cooperating and the actions of Wang Changlin and Lu Gesen had nothing to do with him, and for another, the matter of Shen Group was not yet finalised. Although he decided to confess to Li Mingxuan, he did not want Li Mingxuan to ruin his final plan. Shen Xi¡¯s voice sounded quietly in the living room, and the pain in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes grew deeper and deeper as Shen Xi talked. He finally saw that Shen Xi¡¯s resentment was not just against Shen Dehan alone, but against the entire Shen family. Li Mingxuan remembered in a trance that Shen Xi had mentioned before that he had no interest in the Shen family, but only then did he truly understand the deeper meaning behind these words. What Shen Xi wanted was not the Shen family, but the destruction of the Shen family. Li Mingxuan stood there in silence as Shen Xi¡¯s words alternated with his mother¡¯s words in his mind. He remembered that a few days ago, his mother had looked at him earnestly hoping that he could persuade Shen Xi to forget the past. What did he think at the time? Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi in pain. Shen Xi¡¯s narration came to an end. So, there was a shadow of Shen Xi behind everything that had happened to the Shen family in the past six months. Li Mingxuan knew that Shen Xi would not lie to him, but he did not hear Lu Gesen¡¯s name. He couldn¡¯t tell what exactly he felt. He did not believe that Shen Xi had done all this without the assistance of Lu Gesen behind the scenes, but Shen Xi did not even mention Lu Gesen¡¯s existence. Ye Han¡¯s words flashed through his mind and he said bitterly, ¡°What about Lu Gesen, what did he do?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s name surprised Shen Xi for a moment; his eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. He wasn¡¯t sure if Li Mingxuan knew Lu Gesen¡¯s identity, but no matter what, he had no right to divulge Lu Gesen¡¯s affairs without permission. Shen Xi¡¯s silence was very obvious; he clearly did not intend to answer the question. His attitude was like a knife stabbing Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart so hard that an extremely ugly smile appeared on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face. The living room was once again quiet as Shen Xi lowered his head and forced himself not to look at Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan stood quietly in front of Shen Xi and could not help but reach out and place his hand on Shen Xi¡¯s head, rubbing his hair as intimately as he always did. Li Mingxuan¡¯s action took Shen Xi by surprise and he subconsciously looked up. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart moved; he could not help but lower his head and kiss Shen Xi. The kiss was so sudden that Shen Xi was stunned for a moment, but the touch on his lips soon brought him back to his senses. Li Mingxuan gently nibbled on Shen Xi¡¯s lips, prying them open and pushing his tongue inside, greedily searching for Shen Xi¡¯s scent and eagerly exploring every corner inside. Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements were so intense that Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but fall into a trance, dazed and confused for what seemed like a long time. Then Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements began to become gentle as he curled his tongue a little, entwining it with Shen Xi¡¯s tongue. Shen Xi could sense the feeling of being cherished by the other party contained in the kiss, but hidden in it, was an indescribable desperation. Shen Xi¡¯s heart ebbed and flowed with the kiss. He hesitantly looked at Li Mingxuan, who slowly let go, looking at him closely and whispering, ¡°Xiao Xi, have you ever liked me?¡± This was the first time Li Mingxuan asked Shen Xi this question, and a trace of confusion flashed across Shen Xi¡¯s face. Did he like him? He didn¡¯t know. The feeling he had once known when he was young and liked someone had dissipated into the dazzling blood red on that night when he was eighteen. Since then, all he could think about was the words ¡°to live¡±. What did it mean ¡°to like¡±? In the hard struggle to survive in prison, in the never-ending battle for his life, he had long forgotten what it was like to like someone. When death came suddenly and he was reborn unexpectedly, his life was reduced to the word ¡°revenge¡±. He had always thought he would live his life alone; he had never thought he would like anyone one day. But Li Mingxuan suddenly appeared in front of him, and he craved the warmth Li Mingxuan could give, and he got used to having him by his side little by little. He would look at Li Mingxuan and couldn¡¯t help but smile, he would also feel sad when Li Mingxuan was sad. He admitted that Li Mingxuan was different to him. Was this liking? Shen Xi¡¯s bewilderment was seen by Li Mingxuan, and his silence was once again like a knife stabbing into Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart, cutting countless wounds fiercely. The anticipation in his eyes faded a little. Li Mingxuan could not help but scorn himself. He had obviously guessed the reason why Shen Xi was with him, why did he still ask this question, refusing to give up? Carefully reaching out to touch Shen Xi¡¯s face, Li Mingxuan hid the bitterness in his eyes and said in a lost voice, ¡°I see.¡± Without waiting for Shen Xi to say anything, he whispered, ¡°I will move out soon, you don¡¯t have to worry. Without me around, you have to remember to take care of yourself, eat on time and sleep on time, and take care to rest well.¡± There was a deep despair in Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, and the implication of him leaving was very obvious. Shen Xi looked at him deeply; the word ¡°like¡± was stuck in his throat and he couldn¡¯t say it. Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and got up, ¡°I¡¯ll leave first, I¡¯ll find time to come back and move the things.¡± Shen Xi suppressed the sadness in his heart, calmly looked at Li Mingxuan and nodded. As Li Mingxuan disappeared outside the door, Shen Xi looked at the door and said softly, ¡°I like you, Cousin, I like you.¡± CH 87 Separated by the wall, Li Mingxuan did not hear Shen Xi¡¯s words. He left his and Shen Xi¡¯s home as if escaping, and only when he stepped into the empty elevator did Li Mingxuan¡¯s mask collapse. He slammed his fist on the elevator door and closed his eyes in pain. It had only been a few minutes since he left Shen Xi, and he was already missing him. If he could, he would go back and hold Shen Xi tightly in his arms, but his pride would not allow it. Before today, he had never asked Shen Xi if he liked him. He knew that Shen Xi had not necessarily been with him because he liked him in the first place, and he knew that Shen Xi had been avoiding all his plans for the future. He said to himself that because of his experiences at a young age, Shen Xi was wary of people and that he had to be patient enough to stay by Shen Xi¡¯s side, that he only wanted Shen Xi to be with him. But today when all the truth was revealed, he no longer had the courage to stay. His original confidence dissipated with Shen Xi¡¯s story. If everything that happened after Shen Xi¡¯s return to China was a calculation, then what was Shen Xi doing with him? He wondered if Shen Xi was happy with his company when he was full of joy, grateful and doing his best to stay by Shen Xi¡¯s side. Or was it that to Shen Xi, his presence was dispensable, that it was just Shen Xi pushing the boat along the water? The elevator door slowly opened with a thud, and Li Mingxuan opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the familiar floor button. When he thought that he would be leaving Shen Xi completely, Li Mingxuan felt an indescribable suffocation in his heart, as if a big hand had gripped his whole heart tightly. A painful look flashed in his eyes and he finally left the building decisively. Shen Xi stood quietly in front of the window, watching Li Mingxuan¡¯s figure walk away. Perhaps because he had expected this scene, he felt that he was not really sad, but his heart felt empty. The big hole that had been gradually filled up by Li Mingxuan¡¯s presence seemed to be open once again, and something was screaming inside him, a cold feeling spreading in his heart. Shen Xi suddenly remembered that when he and Li Mingxuan were together, Li Mingxuan had said that he would never leave him, no matter in life or in death. He did not believe in Li Mingxuan¡¯s promise at first, but later, perhaps because the other party had done too well, he gradually believed in it. But in the end, Li Mingxuan, like his mother and grandfather, chose to abandon him, leaving him alone. In life or in death? Perhaps he was destined to be alone. Shen Xi stood in silence for a long time, memories of Li Mingxuan from his two lives alternating in his mind, finally settling on the desperate expression on his face just now. Shen Xi shook his head, pushing the image of Li Mingxuan out of his mind. He could not give up his choice because of Li Mingxuan, and Li Mingxuan would not be able to stay by his side as if nothing had happened after knowing everything, so it was best to part ways. Since they would never cross paths again, he would try his best to forget Li Mingxuan. Once he watched Shen Group change hands, he would be able to leave here without any worries, and everything related to the Shen family would no longer be relevant to him. He would start afresh abroad, a real start. While Shen Xi was alone and silent, Li Mingxuan was driving aimlessly around Zhongjing. Shen Bixue had called him a few times, but he hadn¡¯t answered any of the calls. He knew that his mother and uncle were deeply attached to each other and his mother would definitely want him to be at the hospital at this time. But thinking about Shen Xi, he really didn¡¯t have the heart to take care of his mother¡¯s mood at this time, especially as he didn¡¯t know how to face his uncle and Shen Ji there. Shen Dehan¡¯s affairs, Shen Group affairs, Shen Xi confessed all his calculations in front of him. He had no way to comment on the right or wrong of what Shen Xi had done, but in his heart he was heartbroken for Shen Xi. He didn¡¯t know if Shen Xi was worried about him telling Shen Dehan all this when he confessed, but Li Mingxuan subconsciously wanted to hide Shen Xi¡¯s secret. A bitter smile curved the corner of Li Mingxuan¡¯s mouth. He could no longer deceive himself and maintain an illusion of peace between Shen Xi and the Shen family. Now that things had come to this point, he needed to make a choice, and he had already made it instinctively. Perhaps in his heart, Shen Xi was more important than everything else, after all. That night Li Mingxuan went to Ye Han¡¯s place instead of going back to the Li family. He was worried that his father might see something, and he had no intention of telling his family about his break-up with Shen Xi. Ye Han was obviously very surprised by Li Mingxuan¡¯s sudden arrival. He quickly realised what was wrong from Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression, but thoughtfully did not ask more questions. ¡°What can I get you to drink?¡± Li Mingxuan was in a depressed mood, ¡°Whatever.¡± Ye Han thought for a moment and carried a few cans of beer and put them in front of Li Mingxuan. ¡°Although it¡¯s not a good idea to drink to drown your sorrows, it might be more comfortable to get drunk.¡± Li Mingxuan laughed bitterly, ¡°Do I look that bad?¡± Ye Han nodded and commented briefly, ¡°As if your soul is lost. This is the first time I¡¯ve seen you look like this.¡± Li Mingxuan listened to Ye Han¡¯s words as he leaned back on the sofa, wretched and dejected, his expression unable to hide his pain, ¡°I broke up with Shen Xi.¡± Although he had already guessed that Li Mingxuan¡¯s current state had something to do with Shen Xi, this news still took Ye Han by surprise. He thought that the two of them just quarrelled at most. ¡°Why?¡± Ye Han suddenly thought of something and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Because of Lu Gesen?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°It has nothing to do with Lu Gesen, it¡¯s my problem.¡± Ye Han didn¡¯t really believe in Li Mingxuan¡¯s words. He knew how Li Mingxuan felt about Shen Xi; no matter how he looked at it, Li Mingxuan wouldn¡¯t be willing to break up. A trace of bitterness flashed across Li Mingxuan¡¯s face, ¡°You should have heard about the scandal that broke out in the Shen family today, right?¡± Ye Han¡¯s eyes flashed and a hint of weirdness appeared on his face, ¡°Could it be that Shen Xi did it?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded. Ye Han looked at Li Mingxuan in shock and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Calculating his own father to lose his reputation, Shen Xi is really ruthless. But one might say that the Shen family wronged Shen Xi indeed. Although Shen Xi was a bit ruthless in doing so, it was justifiable. You wouldn¡¯t break up with him because of this, right?¡± The words ¡°break up¡± made Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression even more wretched, ¡°Not only this matter, behind everything that has happened to Shen Group in the past six months or so is Xiao Xi¡¯s shadow. Everything has been his calculation from the time he returned to China.¡± Ye Han looked incredulous, ¡°Even being with you is a calculation?¡± Li Mingxuan covered his eyes in pain, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Xiao Xi has never revealed his interest in Shen Group in front of me, let alone revealing his intention to calculate Shen Group. What could he gain by being with me?¡± Li Mingxuan did not believe that Shen Xi was with him to gain anything. In fact, Shen Xi had never asked anything from him. But he could not find any reason for Shen Xi to be with him. Ye Han sighed, ¡°Is it because of these things that Shen Xi has done? You know, based on what the Shen family did to Shen Xi in the past, it¡¯s normal for Shen Xi to have thoughts of revenge.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, ¡°I know, I can understand Xiao Xi¡¯s revenge, I just don¡¯t know what I am to him. From the beginning to the end, this relationship was always my initiative, he just passively accepted everything. I always thought I could get him to reciprocate in return for my dedication, but if the feelings he showed in front of me were all fake, then what is all my dedication?¡± This was what really made Li Mingxuan suffer. Ye Han let out a silent sigh. He really didn¡¯t know what to say when it came to feelings, he could only dryly console Li Mingxuan, ¡°It¡¯s better to break up, there¡¯s no guarantee that these things Shen Xi did will not be known by the Shen family one day. Instead of you being caught in the middle then, it¡¯s better to separate early.¡± When he said this, Ye Han suddenly thought of what Li Mingxuan had asked him to do, ¡°Should I continue to investigate Lu Gesen? Since he stayed abroad most of the time before, the results of the investigation might take a little time.¡± Li Mingxuan wanted to give up, but when he thought about Shen Xi¡¯s closed-mouth attitude towards Lu Gesen, he nodded. That night, Ye Han drank a lot with Li Mingxuan and listened to Li Mingxuan talk about Shen Xi over and over again. Ye Han really felt that love was a harmful thing. For the next two days, Li Mingxuan remained with Ye Han, and his family did not know about his break-up with Shen Xi. During this period, he accompanied his mother to the hospital once. Shen Dehan was awake, but he had suffered a full-body stroke and was completely incapacitated. Affected by the stroke, Shen Dehan could no longer speak coherently. No matter how hard Shen Dehan tried, he could only make some babbling sounds. Shen Bixue was very worried about his current state and spent the last few days at the hospital, fearing that something might happen to Shen Dehan. That afternoon, Li Mingxuan accompanied his father to the hospital once again and saw Shen Bixue discontentedly saying something to the nurses. Seeing the two of them, Shen Bixue hurriedly said a few words to the nurses and let them leave. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Xiyong said. Shen Bixue sighed, ¡°Big Brother is in a bad mood and refuses to take the medicine. These little nurses, instead of coaxing him, forcefully made Big Brother take medicine, so I said a few words to them.¡± Li Xiyong knew that Shen Bixue was in an agitated mood, so he said soothingly, ¡°They are doing it for Dehan¡¯s own good, it¡¯s not good for Dehan not to take his medicine.¡± Li Xiyong turned his head and looked at Li Mingxuan, ¡°Mingxuan, you stay with your mother outside for a while, I¡¯ll go and see your uncle.¡± After Li Xiyong finished speaking, he gently patted Shen Bixue¡¯s shoulder. Shen Bixue knew she was not in the right mood, so she took a deep breath and nodded. Li Xiyong¡¯s figure quickly disappeared in the ward. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Bixue with concern, ¡°Mother, Father brought over shredded chicken porridge from Zhou Ji, do you want some?¡± Shen Bixue shook her head. Although she tried to control her emotions, she could not help but complain to her son, ¡°I don¡¯t have the appetite to eat porridge. Your uncle had an accident, but Ah Cheng and Xiao Xi didn¡¯t come to the hospital once, and even Ah Ji left after a few hurried visits. Your uncle is lying there all alone, what is so important that Ah Ji and the others can¡¯t stay at the hospital?¡± Li Mingxuan listened to Shen Bixue¡¯s complaint and explained softly, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that Xiao Xi had been recuperating at home after he was sick? I was the one who didn¡¯t let him come to the hospital. As for Ah Cheng, he is at a critical moment in his recovery from drug addiction, Ah Ji simply doesn¡¯t feel at ease leaving him at home alone and will inevitably be a little negligent towards Uncle.¡± Shen Bixue frowned and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Forget about Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, tell me the truth, is Xiao Xi really sick? Did you not allow him to come or did he not want to come?¡± ¡°Why would Mother ask that?¡± Shen Bixue looked at her son and said disappointedly, ¡°Mingxuan, no matter what, your uncle is Xiao Xi¡¯s father. Even if your uncle has wronged Xiao Xi, but he is like this now, it¡¯s time to leave the past behind, you should advise him to come.¡± A touch of bitterness flashed across Li Mingxuan¡¯s face as he looked up at his mother and said seriously, ¡°Mother, do you really think that after all these years of Uncle¡¯s indifference to Xiao Xi and Xiao Xi knowing what happened in the previous generation, he can act as if nothing has happened and come to the hospital to play the role of a filial son as you want him to?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s words caused Shen Bixue to stare, ¡°Mingxuan?¡± Li Mingxuan lowered his eyes, ¡°Mother, if it were you, could you have pretended that nothing had happened?¡± Shen Bixue looked shocked. She could not have imagined that Li Mingxuan would say that. Li Mingxuan ignored his mother¡¯s expression and said in a low voice, ¡°Mother, you always want Xiao Xi to compromise, Xiao Xi to give in to Uncle, but why can¡¯t Uncle give in? You¡¯ve seen the way Uncle treated Xiao Xi for so many years, do you really think he will change his attitude if Xiao Xi just compromises? Obviously, it is Uncle who has done wrong, why is it Xiao Xi who you want to compromise?¡± ¡°Mingxuan, you?¡­¡± Li Mingxuan took a deep breath, ¡°I am sorry, Xiao Xi is really sick. Mother, you should not ask anymore.¡± After Li Mingxuan finished speaking, he turned around and walked to the side of the corridor; he couldn¡¯t help but bow his head and smile bitterly. For some reason, he almost couldn¡¯t control his emotions after hearing that his mother once again wanted Shen Xi to forget about the past. He had thought a lot after leaving Shen Xi in the past two days. Perhaps he had really been a selfish bastard in the past. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t know about the rift between Shen Xi and the Shen family, but he had been too selfish, wanting both Shen Xi¡¯s feelings and the affection of the Shen family. He thought he had put himself in Shen Xi¡¯s shoes, but he had to admit that, whether or not Shen Xi intentionally misled him, he had always wanted Shen Xi to act as if nothing had happened, just like his mother. He was not unaware of the injustice the Shen family had done to Shen Xi, he was not unaware of Shen Xi¡¯s hatred for Shen Dehan, but after Shen Xi had implicitly accepted his fate, after Shen Xi had made it clear that he had no intention of being interested in Shen Group, after Shen Xi had indicated that he could not do without the Shen family, he had acquiesced to this attitude of Shen Xi, he had taken Shen Xi¡¯s compromise and concession as a matter of course. How was he any different from his mother in this way? Li Mingxuan thought bitterly that he had always been self-righteous, he had never really figured out what Shen Xi truly wanted, he felt that he had given his feelings in exchange for an equal response from Shen Xi, but he had never even thought about whether his feelings were what Shen Xi needed. CH 88 Because of Shen Dehan¡¯s physical condition, Li Xiyong did not stay in the ward for very long. Before Shen Bixue could thoroughly digest what Li Mingxuan had said, Li Xiyong had already pushed the door and walked out. ¡°Where is Mingxuan?¡± Li Xiyong wondered, noticing that Shen Bixue was the only one at the door. Shen Bixue gestured towards the stairs, ¡°He¡¯s having a tantrum with me to stand up for Xiao Xi.¡± Li Xiyong was taken aback, then chuckled, ¡°Brat! What¡¯s happened?¡± Shen Bixue laughed bitterly, ¡°I just wanted Xiao Xi to come to the hospital to spend some time with Big Brother, but when I mentioned it, Mingxuan refused on Xiao Xi¡¯s behalf and acted like I had gone too far. Just think about it, Big Brother has been strong all his life, but when he is old and lying alone in the hospital, none of his three sons are around, what does it feel like?¡± Shen Bixue obviously disapproved of Li Mingxuan¡¯s behaviour. Noticing Li Xiyong¡¯s disbelief, Shen Bixue gave him a disgruntled look, ¡°You also help me to explain that to Xuan, Xiao Xi¡¯s surname is Shen after all, and what resentment can be there when Big Brother is already like this?¡± Shen Bixue¡¯s thoughts were simple, but Li Xiyong was not as optimistic as she was. However, he did not want to argue with her at this time and changed the subject, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Ah Ji and Ah Cheng come?¡± Shen Bixue frowned, ¡°Ah Cheng is recovering from drugs, Ah Ji is with him and can¡¯t leave, now only Xiao Xi has time.¡± The topic of conversation once again moved to Shen Xi, and Li Xiyong said soothingly, ¡°Since Mingxuan has already refused, you should not bring up the matter of Xiao Xi coming to the hospital again. Besides, according to Dehan¡¯s nature, he might not be willing to see Xiao Xi either.¡± That was true, but thinking of Shen Dehan lying alone in the hospital, Shen Bixue felt her heart sink. She wanted to say something else, but Li Xiyong once again said, ¡°I know what you mean, but you have seen how Dehan treated Xiao Xi all these years. You can¡¯t just ask Xiao Xi for everything regardless of Dehan¡¯s attitude. Xiao Xi might be filial, but does Dehan treat him like a father? Besides, it¡¯s up to Xiao Xi to decide whether he wants to come or not, so what¡¯s the point of us getting involved in this?¡± According to Li Xiyong, since they had acquiesced to Shen Dehan¡¯s attitude towards Shen Xi all these years and did not care about what happened to Shen Xi, what right did they have now to point fingers at Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour? Shen Xi was with Mingxuan, but that didn¡¯t mean they could interfere with Shen Xi¡¯s attitude through Mingxuan. Besides, even Ah Ji was unwilling to stay at the hospital because of Shen Rong, so why should they make things difficult for Shen Xi? Li Xiyong¡¯s words made Shen Bixue sigh. Over the years, Li Xiyong had never interfered into the Shen family¡¯s affairs, and this was the first time he had made a clear statement. She understood what Li Xiyong meant. Since she had sat back and watched Shen Dehan¡¯s indifference towards Shen Xi, what qualifications did she have to ask Shen Xi to come here now? With a silent sigh, Shen Bixue said in a low voice, ¡°I see!¡± Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan stayed with Shen Bixue at the hospital for a whole afternoon, and it was not until the evening that the two left. Li Mingxuan did not go back to Ye Han¡¯s place, but turned along the familiar street to the neighbourhood where Shen Xi lived. Skillfully parking the car at a corner of the neighbourhood, Li Mingxuan did not get out but sat quietly in the car and looked up at the familiar window. The warm glow from the window was a great attraction to Li Mingxuan. He tried hard to suppress the urge to appear in front of Shen Xi and stayed in the car restrainedly. It had been three days since he left Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan forced himself not to think about Shen Xi, but no matter what he did, Shen Xi¡¯s shadow always lingered in his mind. Today, his mother mentioned Shen Xi, so he could no longer resist and sneaked back here in the darkness. Perhaps it was because he was close to Shen Xi that the thoughts he had been suppressing came out in a flood. Li Mingxuan looked in the direction of the window, wondering how Shen Xi had been these past few days. Did he eat well and rest well? A trace of bitterness flashed across Li Mingxuan¡¯s face. He wondered if Shen Xi would occasionally think of him. When Li Mingxuan was suffering alone, Shen Xi was not having a good time either. Without Li Mingxuan by his side, he did not sleep well at night. The memories of his two lives were mixed up in his dreams, and every time Shen Xi was awakened, he would have moments of confusion about the reality he was in. After being awakened by yet another nightmare, Shen Xi gasped for air. The scene in his dream was the life he had lived in prison in his previous life, but he was inexplicably accompanied by Li Mingxuan. The riot came as expected and he watched as the knife stabbed at him, but it was Li Mingxuan who stood in front of him at the critical moment. Boundless blood spread before his eyes; Shen Xi felt as if he had forgotten to breathe, as if his heart was squeezed by a large invisible hand, so painful that he could not even cry out. When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the bed in his apartment, there was no Li Mingxuan nor was there blood. Shen Xi frowned in annoyance. The scene in his dream was so real that even the pain felt as if he had experienced it himself. With his sleepiness completely gone, Shen Xi simply turned on the light and sat leaning against the bed, casually grabbing a financial magazine by the side of the bed and flipping through it in a daze. After flipping through a few pages, Shen Xi¡¯s movements stopped and his eyes focused on an interview with Li Mingxuan. A large picture was printed there, and Li Mingxuan was smiling with a calm and confident look on his face. Shen Xi stared at Li Mingxuan¡¯s smiling face, and Li Mingxuan¡¯s desperate expression that day suddenly flashed in his mind. His heart throbbed violently. Why was he that desperate? Was it because of his revenge against the Shen family or because he deceived him? Shen Xi¡¯s hand unconsciously brushed over the magazine, and a trace of longing appeared in his eyes. As Shen Xi turned on the lights, Li Mingxuan, who had been sitting quietly in the car, quickly noticed the light. After he glanced at the time and saw it was 2 a.m., Li Mingxuan¡¯s face expressed a hint of worry. He knew that Shen Xi did not sleep well when he was alone, so he had tried to avoid business trips for the past six months and insisted on coming home every night. Deeply worried, he wondered if Shen Xi was suffering from insomnia again. Half an hour later, realising that Shen Xi had no intention of sleeping, Li Mingxuan finally couldn¡¯t help but press Shen Xi¡¯s mobile phone number. The call was quickly answered, but no word was said on the other side, only the sound of breathing came through. Li Mingxuan quietly listened to Shen Xi¡¯s breathing, forcing down the fluctuations in his heart and trying to act as if nothing had happened, ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± Shen Xi thought of many things Li Mingxuan might say, but he never expected him to ask him why he was still awake. Almost subconsciously, Shen Xi asked back, ¡°How do you know I¡¯m not asleep?¡± After saying this, Shen Xi seemed to realise something and said tentatively, ¡°You are downstairs?¡± Shen Xi¡¯s guess made Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart beat faster and he almost blurted out ¡°yes¡±, but he soon calmed down and denied it, ¡°No.¡± Then he explained, ¡°I guessed. You picked up as soon as the phone rang, I thought you were still awake.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± While talking, Shen Xi got up and stood in front of the window. Because of the late night, even though the community was lit up with street lights, he could only faintly see the shadows of the cars downstairs, but could not see if there was anyone inside the car. After realising what he was doing, a hint of self-deprecation flickered in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t really think Li Mingxuan would stay up in the middle of the night just to watch him. They had already broken up, so what was the need for Li Mingxuan to do that? Thinking about this, Shen Xi suppressed the indescribable disappointment in his heart, glanced downstairs once again, turned and left the window. Shen Xi could not see below, but Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi¡¯s figure clearly. Taking a deep breath, Li Mingxuan pretended to speak calmly, ¡°It¡¯s so late, go to bed.¡± Shen Xi was a bit confused as to what Li Mingxuan meant with this phone call. Was it just to see if he was asleep and urge him to sleep? Thinking about it, Shen Xi said frankly, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± Li Mingxuan said warmly, ¡°I will accompany you, go to bed and turn off the lights, you¡¯ll fall asleep soon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really!¡± Shen Xi obediently lay down on the bed, thoughtfully reaching out to turn off the light, and as the light dimmed, the pale moonlight poured in like water. Shen Xi glanced at the curtains that he had just pulled open and gave up the intention of pulling them close again. In the moonlight, Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice came out of the phone with an unmistakable gentleness, ¡°Turned off the lights?¡± ¡°En!¡± ¡°Go to sleep.¡± ¡°En!¡± Although the two seemed to have nothing to say at this point, neither of them showed any intention of hanging up. As time passed by, Shen Xi fell asleep unconsciously. Hearing Shen Xi¡¯s soothing breath from the opposite side, Li Mingxuan pressed his mobile phone to his face, as if this way he could get closer to Shen Xi. At dawn, Shen Xi woke up. Although he had not slept for long, the feeling of peace of mind surrounded him and Shen Xi felt indescribably refreshed. When he turned over, wrapped in the blanket, the left side of his face was suddenly pressed against something metallic. Shen Xi froze and checked what it was. The mobile phone in front of him reminded him of what had happened last night. Shen Xi¡¯s eyes fell on the screen in front of him, the call time on it was still counting, it hadn¡¯t been hung up all night. Shen Xi hesitated slightly and said softly, ¡°Cousin?¡± He was just testing, but Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice came quickly, ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± This ¡°I¡¯m here¡± hit Shen Xi¡¯s heart, and he couldn¡¯t tell what he felt for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Li Mingxuan laughed softly and said, ¡°It¡¯s still early, sleep a little longer.¡± Shen Xi held the phone and hesitated for a while, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll hang up then.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The beeping sound came out of the receiver, and Li Mingxuan relaxed against the back of the seat. After having spent the night in a small space and having to pay attention to Shen Xi¡¯s state, only now did he feel exhausted. Casually tossing his phone aside, Li Mingxuan closed his eyes and imagined that Shen Xi was beside him right now. The phone rang suddenly. Surprised, Li Mingxuan hastily picked it up. The name on the screen was ¡°Ye Han¡±, not ¡°Shen Xi¡±. The surprise faded and was replaced with confusion, ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°Where are you now?¡± Ye Han¡¯s lazy voice came out; it didn¡¯t sound as if anything was wrong. Li Mingxuan let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Downstairs of Xiao Xi¡¯s house.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ye Han suddenly cried out and said hesitantly, ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t stay downstairs at Shen Xi¡¯s all night, did you?¡± ¡°En!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± It was the only thing Ye Han could say. Li Mingxuan rubbed his forehead and avoided the topic, ¡°What¡¯s up so early in the morning?¡± Since Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t want to mention it, Ye Han let him go and returned to the subject, ¡°The information you wanted to check on Lu Gesen was received this morning, and I found something interesting that was so unexpected that I couldn¡¯t help but want to tell you about it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Li Mingxuan shot up. Ye Han coughed lightly, ¡°Lu Gesen¡¯s original name is not Lu Gesen, he should be called Han Gesen. He is Han Yu¡¯s son, which means he is Shen Xi¡¯s other cousin.¡± ¡°Han Gesen!¡± Li Mingxuan sat up straight in shock, ¡°Have you made a mistake? The Han family only has Shen Xi in this generation, how could a Han Gesen suddenly appear?¡± ¡°There is no mistake, I have the DNA test of Lu Gesen and Han Yu, they are father and son.¡± Ye Han was obviously very sure, and Li Mingxuan subconsciously looked towards the familiar window. He thought about Shen Xi¡¯s avoidance of Lu Gesen¡¯s identity that day. So Shen Xi had long known that Lu Gesen was his cousin, and that was why he had defended him. Ye Han seemed to be waiting for Li Mingxuan to digest this news, and continued to speak a little while later, ¡°Apart from Lu Gesen, they also found another person.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll never guess!¡± Ye Han¡¯s voice revealed a trace of weirdness, ¡°Do you know who Lu Gesen has been receiving support from all these years?¡± Hearing Ye Han¡¯s meaning, it seemed that this person¡¯s identity was even more surprising. A figure suddenly flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s mind and he blurted out, ¡°Wang Changlin!¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Ye Han exclaimed in disbelief. Li Mingxuan muttered, ¡°So it¡¯s true?¡± Ye Han affirmed, ¡°It¡¯s Wang Changlin. I can¡¯t believe it. I was originally looking into Lu Gesen, but I found out that Wang Changlin and Lu Gesen have been very close over the years. Back when Lu Gesen graduated from university, it was Wang Changlin who represented his parents at the graduation ceremony. It¡¯s just that the scope of activities of the two of them are abroad, and there is no clue at all in the country.¡± Li Mingxuan did not expect to find out such astonishing news. He thought that the news that Lu Gesen was Shen Xi¡¯s cousin was already shocking enough, but he did not expect that Wang Changlin would be involved. Who was Wang Changlin? He was his uncle¡¯s most trusted person, his personal lawyer, so it could be said that he held the core secrets of the Shen family. But now he was actually involved with Lu Gesen. Li Mingxuan vaguely sensed something, ¡°Do you have the detailed information on Wang Changlin?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s fake, they found that all of Wang Changlin¡¯s information before he was twenty-five was falsified. He is being investigated further.¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯ll go back soon.¡± Hanging up the phone, Li Mingxuan frowned slightly. Wang Changlin, the Han family, the Shen family, Lu Gesen and Shen Xi, there seemed to be a thread stringing them all together. CH 89 Li Mingxuan had a dream. Everything in the dream seemed to unfold before his eyes one scene after another as if it were a movie. At the beginning of the dream was a place he knew very well, the hall of the Shen family¡¯s house, and he recognized almost immediately that the young child hiding under the stairs, alone and holding a teddy bear, was Shen Xi. He didn¡¯t know why he was seeing the young Shen Xi, but he couldn¡¯t help but walk over to him when an argument came from upstairs, stopping Li Mingxuan in his tracks. Han Rou was arguing with his uncle over something fiercely, and Li Mingxuan was quite upset. Shen Xi was so little, how could his parents quarrel in front of him? Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi with concern, but Shen Xi seemed to be used to such scenes and did not cry and fuss like a normal child, but just quietly hugged the bear and looked up the stairs in silence. The argument between Han Rou and his uncle soon came to an end, and he saw his uncle leave the house in a rage, while Han Rou chased him to the living room, smashing everything in the living room to pieces in anger. Shen Xi carefully got out from under the stairs and tugged at Han Rou¡¯s sleeve, saying sensibly, ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t want Daddy anymore, I have Mommy and Little Bear and that¡¯s enough, don¡¯t fight with Daddy.¡± Han Rou seemed to hug Shen Xi and cry. Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t pay attention to what Han Rou said, his mind was full of the words Shen Xi had just said. After the quarrel, Han Rou took Shen Xi back to live with the Han family for half a month. During this half month, he watched his uncle go to Li¡¯s house day after day to accompany Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, and watched his uncle take time to visit Shen Rong at Zhou Mingmei¡¯s place. But his uncle never set foot in the Han family, completely abandoning Shen Xi. Half a month later, Han Rong returned to the Shen family with Shen Xi in her arms and began another wave of arguments with his uncle. The scenes in the dream changed quickly, and Li Mingxuan was shocked to realise that Shen Xi had been living in the midst of Han Rou and Shen Dehan¡¯s quarrels until he was six years old. As he watched the two of them fight fiercely because of his uncle¡¯s indifference, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart ached for Shen Xi, who was hiding in the shadows alone. He had no friends and his only playmate was the teddy bear by his side. Li Mingxuan noticed that Shen Xi rarely smiled at home and would only be happy like a normal child when he went to Han¡¯s house. Li Mingxuan had heard too many bad things about Han Ruo in the past. She was unruly and domineering; she had tossed the Shen family into chaos. But in the dream, even though Han Rou had a thousand bad qualities, she was the only one who touched Shen Xi. She loved Shen Xi in her own clumsy way. As Li Mingxuan watched her quarrel again and again with his uncle over his coldness towards Shen Xi, pushing him further away as a result, as he watched her struggle to give Shen Xi a normal home, Li Mingxuan could only let out a silent sigh and feel even more heartbroken for Shen Xi. Shen Xi grew up day by day and Han Rou¡¯s state became worse and worse until she made a decisive jump to her death on that rainy day. Li Mingxuan watched Shen Xi witness all this, watched him falling very ill, watched him recover and forget everything he had seen that day, watched him losing his family members and being left on his own. Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart clenched; he wanted to be by Shen Xi¡¯s side, wanted to hold him tightly, but he could do nothing but watch quietly as the scenes unfolded before him. He had heard his mother and Shen Ji talk about things that happened next, but it was never as shocking as seeing it with his own eyes. He watched Shen Xi grow up under his uncle¡¯s indifference, watched him skip school, race cars and take psychedelic drugs at a young age, watched him spend his days getting drunk and dreaming of dying in different ways. No one in the Shen family asked him about his studies, no one asked him about his life, and no one even asked him where he lived when he didn¡¯t return home for days on end. Although Li Mingxuan had regretted his indifference to Shen Xi countless times, this time he truly understood what their indifference had done to Shen Xi. Shen Xi grew up in this way under the indifference of everyone until the day of his eighteenth birthday. He clearly heard Shen Rong and Tian Wenyao¡¯s conversation and saw Shen Xi lying there with an expression of anger and despair on his face. In the aftermath things seemed to unfold differently than Li Mingxuan remembered, and as he watched Shen Xi drive his car into Shen Rong and Tian Wenyao, he felt overwhelmed with shock. The police soon arrived at the scene, and Li Mingxuan frantically rushed over shouting. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what happened!¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t crash into Tian Wenyao with his car, he remembered that Shen Xi didn¡¯t do anything that night, Tian Wenyao had been with Shen Rong until the sex video scandal broke out a few days later, but why did he see something different in the dream? The police were taking Shen Xi away and he tried desperately to stop them, but his presence was like an illusion and he couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes snapped open, and the glowing signboard of Shutu, Tian Wenyao¡¯s face distorted with pain, bright red blood spilled around, they all receded from his mind, leaving only Shen Xi¡¯s thin back as he was taken away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Han poked his head in the doorway, ¡°Dreaming of Shen Xi again?¡± The words ¡°Shen Xi¡± seemed to be a magic spell, and Li Mingxuan instantly woke up. The scenes in the dream flashed one by one; Li Mingxuan covered his forehead, feeling a headache, and said urgently, ¡°Do you still remember the video scandal with Tian Wenyao that broke out five years ago?¡± ¡°Why do you suddenly remember this? I remember the other party involved was that bastard son of the Shen family. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Han¡¯s confirmation made Li Mingxuan breathe a huge sigh of relief as he shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Fortunately, what happened in the dream was not the same as reality. Shen Xi did not hit anyone with his car, was not taken away by the police, did not lose everything in despair. Ye Han gave him a concerned look, ¡°You¡¯re not going to sleep anymore? You didn¡¯t sleep all night last night.¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head with a bitter smile, ¡°I had a nightmare, I¡¯m not sleepy anymore.¡± Ye Han winced helplessly; he really didn¡¯t know what kind of nightmare Li Mingxuan could have when he shouted Shen Xi¡¯s name? Did the two of them break up again in the dream? Because of this dream, Li Mingxuan became more concerned about Shen Xi and continued the secret investigation of Lu Gesen and Wang Changlin, not mentioning it to others. What Lu Gesen wanted, considering his identity, was clear without guessing. But why Wang Changlin would be on the Han family¡¯s side was something he could not understand. Thinking about what Ye Han had said about Wang Changlin¡¯s previous identity falsification, Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but want to find out what was going on. While the results of Ye Han¡¯s investigation were not yet available, the Shen family¡¯s affairs continued to develop. The rumours of Shen Dehan being dumped in public at a press conference had not yet subsided, when Shen Group that was in financial trouble was involved in the scandal of alleged bribery connected to several financial projects at the beginning of the year. As soon as the rumours broke out, the companies that had been interested in these projects withdrew their investments, further exacerbating Shen Group¡¯s financial woes and bringing its capital chain to the brink of collapse. Under these circumstances, the few remaining minority shareholders of Shen Group gave up their wait-and-see attitude towards Shen Group and chose to sell their shares. At this point, the value of Shen Group shares was less than a tenth of what it was before, and several shareholders only wanted to get rid of the shares as soon as possible before Shen Group bankruptcy and did not dare to quote too high a price. They were originally worried that no one would be interested in Shen Group shares with the bankruptcy of Shen Group imminent, but to their surprise, as soon as the news of the sale was released, someone secretly contacted them and took over the shares. Wang Changlin was satisfied with the 34% share of Shen Group shares. As long as there were no surprises and 20% shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hands became his, he would become the controlling shareholder of Shen Group. By then, he alone would have the final say on whether Shen Group would live or die. Years of arrangement were about to bring results. Wang Changlin, whose mood was usually very level, was revealing some signs of joy. The condition was Shen Xi¡¯s complete break with the Shen family, but Wang Changlin is not worried about it, considering how Shen Xi had been treated by his father over the years. But just in case, it would be best for him to strengthen his ties with Shen Xi. In an instant, Wang Changlin turned his head to look at Lu Gesen with his gaze full of emotions, ¡°Gesen, the day after tomorrow is Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday. Once the will comes into effect and Xiao Xi sells the shares in his hands, we can take control of Shen Group. By then, the Han family¡¯s great revenge will be completed and I can go underground to see Elder Han without fear.¡± ¡°Foster Father!¡± Lu Gesen interrupted eagerly, ¡°I have yet to be properly filial to my foster father, and my foster father has yet to see Xiao Xi and I marry and have children to enjoy our family life. How can you say such words?¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s expression was so sincere that Wang Changlin smiled gratefully, ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t say anything, don¡¯t say anything. By the way what are your plans for Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday? All these years the Shen family has never celebrated Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday, so this year since we are here, why don¡¯t we call a few of Xiao Xi¡¯s friends and have a lively celebration for Xiao Xi?¡± What Wang Changlin said was exactly Lu Gesen¡¯s original plan, but this proposal was politely rejected by Shen Xi last time. When he heard his foster father¡¯s concern, Lu Gesen explained with a smile, ¡°Xiao Xi seems to have a girlfriend, so I think he will celebrate his birthday with her. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find some time to celebrate after his birthday.¡± A look of regret flickered in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes and he smiled covertly, ¡°A girlfriend? Xiao Xi has really grown up.¡± If Lu Gesen had been paying attention, he would have heard the contradictory meaning of Wang Changlin¡¯s words, but he trusted Wang Changlin so much and admired him from the bottom of his heart that he would not have thought anything about it. Since he could not use the celebration to strengthen his relationship with Shen Xi, Wang Changlin had to wait patiently for Shen Xi¡¯s birthday. While Wang Changlin was secretly acquiring Shen Group shares, Li Xiyong also noticed the change in Shen Group shareholders. But Wang Changlin had been hiding in the shadows and only his agents were acting in the open. Although Li Xiyong felt that there was something different about the change in Shen Group shareholding, he could not guess who was hiding in the dark. Li Mingxuan sat quietly opposite his father. Once the news of the change in Shen Group shareholding spread, he had a sneaking suspicion that it was Lu Gesen. After all, Shen Group was on the verge of bankruptcy and no one would be stupid enough to acquire Shen Group shares at this time unless they had an agenda. It was just that he was a bit doubtful whether Lu Gesen had such great financial power. Thinking of Lu Gesen, Li Mingxuan could not help but think of Shen Xi once again. The scenes from the dream replayed in his mind one by one, finally settling on Shen Xi¡¯s fragile back. He had repeatedly confirmed with Ye Han that Tian Wenyao was still alive and kicking in Shutu instead of having his legs crushed as in the dream, and that Shen Xi had not been taken away by the police but had chosen to study abroad five years ago. But he still felt scared; the scene in his dream was too vivid, giving him the illusion that it was reality. As Li Mingxuan was lost in thought, his father suddenly said, ¡°The day after tomorrow is Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday. Mingfei has been clamouring to celebrate Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday, do you want to bring Xiao Xi for dinner here?¡± Li Mingxuan was taken aback. His heart felt bitter, but his face remained calm as if nothing had happened, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t have time on Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday, I¡¯m busy at work.¡± Li Xiyong gave him a glance, nodded and skipped the topic. The two didn¡¯t say anything else, and as Li Xiyong watched Li Mingxuan¡¯s slightly gloomy back, he frowned thoughtfully. When he returned to his office, Li Mingxuan pulled open the drawer of his desk sadly, and a small, red, four-square gift box appeared in front of his eyes. Li Mingxuan took it out; inside was a gift he had carefully prepared for Shen Xi, originally wanting to give him a surprise on his birthday. But now he feared he would never have a chance to give it. A long sigh echoed through the office. Soon, Shen Xi¡¯s birthday that everyone thought about arrived. The day before his birthday, Shen Xi received a call from the lawyer arranged by his grandfather back then. He was informed to arrive at the hospital early in the morning to prepare for the reading of the will. For this reason, Shen Xi showed up at the hospital early, along with Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. No one expected the three of them to meet in the elevator. Shen Xi swept a glance at Shen Ji and Shen Cheng and stood with no expression on his face. Shen Ji didn¡¯t seem to have changed much, he was still the same as before, but Shen Cheng looked like a different person. Perhaps because of detoxification, Shen Cheng¡¯s whole body was in an unhealthy state, his complexion was extremely pale, and he looked much thinner and very spiritless. At Shen Xi¡¯s appearance, Shen Ji nodded slightly, and Shen Cheng only gave him a lazy look, not as domineering as before. The moment the elevator door closed, Shen Cheng looked at Shen Xi strangely, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Cousin Mingxuan come with you?¡± Shen Xi guessed that Shen Cheng did not know about his breakup with Li Mingxuan, so he did not mention it and simply said, ¡°He had something to do.¡± The answer sounded very alienating. Although Shen Cheng was not happy with his attitude, he frowned and held back, thinking of Shen Ji telling him not to cause any trouble. The elevator fell into silence as the floors changed one by one. Shen Cheng impatiently scratched the door; Shen Ji reached out and took hold of his hand, and Shen Cheng suddenly became quiet. For the first time, the three of them calmly appeared in front of Shen Dehan at the same time. Perhaps it was the severity of this bout of illness, or perhaps it was the despair of Shen Dehan who knew that he could no longer be cured, but he aged with a rapidity visible to the naked eye. His eyes were cloudy, their previous clarity gone. His skin hung loosely on his face, and there was a faint aura of decay and death about him. This was the first time Shen Xi had seen Shen Dehan in this state, and instead of the expected elation, Shen Xi was strangely very calm, looked at Shen Dehan with a hint of pity in his eyes. The once towering father lay frail before him, no longer able to manipulate his life, no longer able to inflict indifference and dislike on him. What¡¯s more, a few hours later, he would be left with nothing. The Shen Group that he had poured all his heart and soul into and spent his life defending would be destroyed at his hands. Shen Xi smiled faintly at Shen Dehan when no one was looking, and saw a look of anger on his father¡¯s face. Unfortunately, Shen Dehan could not say anything, but just kept babbling in vain in Shen Xi¡¯s direction. Shen Xi looked back innocently, ¡°What do you want, Mr. Shen, speak louder, I can¡¯t hear you clearly.¡± Following Shen Xi¡¯s words, Shen Dehan¡¯s voice got even angrier. The nurse at his side patiently stepped forward to coax him to quieten down, completely treating him as if he was mentally incapacitated. Shen Cheng was obviously seeing Shen Dehan in this state for the first time, his eyes showing concern, ¡°Will Father always be like this?¡± The nurse nodded and explained softly, ¡°This is considered good, at least old Mr. Shen can still recognise people and has some basic sanity. Many stroke patients are not sane nor do they recognise people because of the compression of the blood vessels in their brain.¡± Shen Ji sighed in his heart, went forward and patted Shen Cheng, then sat down next to Shen Dehan, gently held his hand and accompanied the nurse to coax him patiently. Perhaps because of Shen Ji, Shen Dehan¡¯s mood gradually normalised, and the lawyer who had been standing in the corner pretending to be invisible stepped forward. ¡°I think everyone should know that what I am holding is the will that old Mr. Shen Jiacheng made before he passed away. According to Mr. Shen Jiacheng¡¯s wishes, this will will come into effect when Mr. Shen Xi reaches the age of 23 and will be confirmed by Mr. Shen Ji, Mr. Shen Cheng and Mr. Shen Xi together. In other words, there are two conditions for this will to take effect, one is that Mr. Shen Xi, the youngest son of the Shen family, reaches the age of 23, and the other is that all three are present at the same time to confirm it. Well, now if there are no comments, I am going to start reading the will.¡± The lawyer finished the necessary opening remarks and looked around with his customary smile, but unexpectedly met Shen Xi¡¯s focused gaze. The smile on the lawyer¡¯s face froze and he averted his eyes, struggling to maintain his previous smile. ¡°I want to know what will happen to the will if one of us can¡¯t make it here today?¡± Shen Xi suddenly said with an expressionless face. The lawyer was taken aback and quickly laughed, ¡°Mr. Shen Xi, there is no need to worry. If someone couldn¡¯t make it today, then according to the conditions that need to be met for the will to take effect, the time for this will to take effect would be postponed until everyone of you confirms it at the same time.¡± Shen Xi said in a cold voice, ¡°If I am unable to show up at all, will the commencement of this will continue to be postponed indefinitely?¡± The lawyer nodded, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What if one day I die?¡± Shen Xi said in a deep voice. His words immediately took everyone present by surprise, and even Shen Ji had a stunned expression on his face. The lawyer looked at Shen Xi oddly, unable to guess how Shen Xi could ask such an unlucky question. Shen Xi didn¡¯t look like he was joking at all and repeated the question, ¡°What if I die?¡± The lawyer wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and said with a bitter smile, ¡°If something happens to Mr. Shen Xi, this will will naturally be null and void. Shen Group property will be inherited by Mr. Shen Dehan according to the law, and then after that it will depend on Mr. Shen Dehan¡¯s personal arrangements.¡± After listening to the lawyer¡¯s explanation, Shen Xi fell silent and did not say anything else. After his rebirth, Shen Xi rarely wondered at whose hands he had died in his previous life. As far as he was concerned, both the Tian family and the Shen family were suspect, and since he had changed his fate in this life, it was useless to think more about the events of his previous life. He would not take the initiative to take revenge on the Tian family because of the possibility of dying at their hands; after all, if he had not done the wrong thing on impulse back then, nothing that followed would have happened. What he hated since the beginning was not the Tian family but the Shen family. It was the Shen family who knew that he was delirious from the hallucinogens he had taken at the time but never said a word in his defence. When he had heard the news about the will from Li Mingxuan earlier, he also vaguely thought that this could be the cause of his death in his previous life. But now, after hearing the lawyer¡¯s explanation, Shen Xi had doubts. If the Shen family wanted him dead, he would not have survived his first year in prison. But the fact was that while his first few years in prison had been very dangerous, it was not dangerous enough to kill him. The Tian family just wanted to humiliate him at first, but in the next few years, he was already famous throughout the prison and his life was much more stable. If he had not been killed in the end, he would likely have died in prison of old age. In this way, while Shen Dehan certainly meant to use his imprisonment to delay the commencement of the will, he did not necessarily intend to kill him. So who was it that finally dealt with him? Was it the Tian family, or the Shen family who wanted to take advantage of the will¡¯s annulment? Shen Xi lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts. The lawyer looked around and saw that no one had any questions, so he quickly read out the will in his hand. Everyone present knew the contents of the will in advance, and no one expressed surprise. Even Shen Cheng had been told about it by Shen Ji before he arrived and only looked at Shen Xi with a puzzled expression. Shen Ji stepped forward and looked at the lawyer, ¡°Is the will in effect now?¡± The lawyer nodded and patiently explained, ¡°The will is now in effect, but because the shares were previously concentrated in Mr. Shen Dehan¡¯s hands, we need a day to transfer the shares to the three of you. Of course a series of formalities that need to be carried out have been prepared by me and my colleagues, all you need to do is to sign and confirm.¡± Shen Xi said lightly, ¡°If I intend to resell the shares in my hands, do I need to sign before reselling them or can I transfer the shares directly to the other party now?¡± ¡°What, you want to sell the shares?¡± As soon as Shen Xi¡¯s words came out, Shen Cheng already shouted before the lawyer could say anything. Shen Xi gave him a cold glance without speaking, his eyes fixed on the lawyer¡¯s face. The lawyer was obviously also very surprised but still replied with a smile, ¡°In fact, the will is now in effect and Mr. Shen Xi can of course transfer the shares directly from Mr. Shen Dehan¡¯s hands to the other party without having to go through this step himself.¡± ¡°I understand, I will ask the other party to contact you directly.¡± When Shen Xi said this, everyone understood that he had already found the buyer. Shen Cheng was in shock and rushed to him, ¡°Are you really crazy, how can you sell the shares of Shen Group, are you still a member of the Shen family?¡± Shen Xi snorted, ¡°I¡¯m not a member of the Shen family if I sell my shares in Shen Group, what about you? Shen Group almost collapsed in your hands, so what are you? Besides, have you ever thought of me as a member of the Shen family in your life? It¡¯s too ridiculous to remember that I¡¯m a member of the Shen family at this time.¡± ¡°You!¡± Shen Cheng was half-dead with anger, yet he could do nothing because what Shen Xi said was the truth. Shen Ji quietly walked over, looking straight at Shen Xi, and said in a low voice, ¡°Have you thought about it carefully?¡± Shen Xi nodded with a calm expression. Shen Ji wanted to say something, but after looking at Shen Xi he finally said nothing. The people were over here arguing about the fate of the shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hands, while Shen Dehan was lying on the bed listening to Shen Xi¡¯s words, his whole body stiff with anger, as he babbled loudly, trying to attract the attention of the others. ¡°Unfilial son! Unfilial son! How dare you sell the shares in your hands, I disagree, I disagree!¡± Shen Dehan tried hard to make a coherent word, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not speak clearly, he just kept babbling. What made him even more angry was that Shen Xi had obviously noticed his expression, but pretended not to see it, sneering at him and turning his head to look out the window. ¡°Evil son! Evil son!¡± Shen Dehan was so furious that these words were the only thing that came to his mind. Finally Shen Ji heard his father¡¯s movements and walked over. ¡°Father!¡± Shen Dehan desperately gestured to Shen Ji with his eyes, ¡°Stop Shen Xi, stop that evil son!¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Dehan in silence. He understood what Shen Dehan meant but had no intention of stopping Shen Xi, nor could he stop Shen Xi at all. He knew very well what Shen Group was like now. After a series of storms, Shen Group was now powerless to fly again. Only if Shen Group was split up, separating the few businesses that were still making money and auctioning off the rest before bankruptcy, would there still be a little bit of the foundation left; otherwise Shen Group bankruptcy was bound to be irreversible. But in order to make such a decision, one had to hold an absolute controlling stake in Shen Group. His father had previously disagreed with his proposal, and now that Shen Dehan had lost the controlling stake in his hands, he and Shen Cheng together only had 46%, which was simply not enough to qualify for a controlling stake, and Shen Xi was definitely not going to side with them. This made Shen Group bankruptcy inevitable, so why should he stop Shen Xi? Shen Ji¡¯s silent refusal made Shen Dehan even more angry, and he shouted ¡°Uh-uh¡±, his face turning red. ¡°Evil son! You are also an evil son! You are all unfilial sons!¡± Shen Dehan gave vent to his anger. ¡°Mr. Shen doesn¡¯t seem to be happy. I wonder what us unfilial sons have done wrong again?¡± Shen Xi said calmly. ¡°Uh-uh!¡± Shen Dehan struggled to turn his head, his eyes spitting fire as he looked at Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked very puzzled, ¡°Why is Mr. Shen so upset? I remember that what Mr. Shen was most worried about since I was a child was that I would have some ideas about Shen Group. Now Mr. Shen can rest assured, I don¡¯t even want the shares of Shen Group, completely according to Mr. Shen wishes. I will absolutely never meddle in Shen Group affairs, what else does Mr. Shen have to be upset about?¡± ¡°Shen Xi!¡± Shen Ji couldn¡¯t help but interrupt him. Shen Xi looked over mockingly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what Big Brother was also worried about before? Did I do something wrong?¡± Shen Ji gave Shen Xi a deep look and avoided his eyes for the first time. That morning, Shen Xi and others signed a large number of documents, and it was around noon until they managed to sign them all. Noticing that Shen Ji was leading Shen Cheng to say goodbye to the lawyer, Shen Xi suddenly thought of something and turned around to walk to Shen Dehan¡¯s side. ¡°You evil son, what do you want?¡± Shen Dehan tried to force Shen Xi back with his eyes. Shen Xi smiled faintly and leaned down to his father¡¯s ear, ¡°Mr. Shen still remembers Chu Qianqian? She was a special gift from me to you. Yes! It is what Mr. Shen is thinking, she was the one I took the trouble to find and arrange for Mr. Shen. How about that? Doesn¡¯t she look most like Fang Yun? I had to search for a whole year to find a woman who looked so much like Fang Yun. She cost me ten million just staying by Mr. Shen¡¯s side for six months. I wonder if she¡¯s worth that price in Mr. Shen¡¯s eyes?¡± ¡°Uh-uh-uh!¡± Shen Dehan shouted fiercely, looking at Shen Xi with hazy eyes. A sneer appeared at the corner of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth; he got up and left Shen Dehan with a look of contentment. CH 90 Once again, Li Mingxuan had that weird dream. In the dream, Shen Xi was swiftly sentenced to life imprisonment for premeditated murder attempt, and throughout the process, the entire Shen family chose to remain silent. Li Mingxuan watched as Shen Xi was thrown into prison, watched as he begged Shen Dehan to help him file an appeal, watched Shen Dehan abandon him and watched the Shen family make a series of secret agreements with the Tian family. For his uncle, sacrificing a son he disliked for the friendship of the Tian family was too good a bargain. Shen Xi¡¯s life in prison unfolded in front of him, the hidden dangers, the countless malicious eyes, the Tian family¡¯s ruthlessness and the Shen family¡¯s indifference. He watched Shen Xi get hurt again and again, watched Shen Xi struggle to survive in prison, watched Shen Xi go from hope to despair. Li Mingxuan only felt as if his heart was cut by a dull knife. He wanted to say that the dream was not real, that in his memory Shen Xi was abroad at that time and that everything he saw was false, but Fang Luowei¡¯s appearance stunned him. If Shen Xi and his family appeared in his dream because they were close to him, then what was the reason for Fang Luowei¡¯s appearance? He had never felt close to Fang Luowei. The unfolding of the dream was not based on his personal preferences. He watched Fang Luowei provoke Wang Li just as he remembered, and without Shen Xi, without anyone to help him, Fang Luowei was finally caught by Wang Li and stabbed him to death with a knife during the conflict. As Fang Luowei was imprisoned for murder, Li Mingxuan suddenly realised something and an idea faintly appeared in his mind. This idea was soon confirmed. Fang Luowei and Shen Xi were separated at first but it didn¡¯t take long for the two to become friends. He watched the two get along tacitly, watched them support each other and trust each other. All of that made his heart ache for Shen Xi¡¯s situation while inevitably bringing out a trace of sourness. He thought he would always keep watching like that, but to his surprise, it all came to an abrupt end in the middle of the premeditated riot. The moment that knife stabbed Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan struggled desperately to wake up, as if waking up would stop it from happening. But it was as if his body was confined, he could do nothing but watch as Shen Xi fell heavily to the ground, blood spreading around his body. ¡°No!¡± With this exclamation, Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes snapped open and for a moment he could not tell where he was, was he in reality or in a dream? The warmth around his body reminded him of where he was, ¡°It¡¯s that dream again!¡± Li Mingxuan murmured in fear, casually turning on the bedside lamp and slowly sitting up. In the warm light, there were no messy prison figures, no ashen-faced Shen Xi, no dazzling blood, just the familiar layout of the room. After looking around to confirm that he was really in the guest room of Ye Han¡¯s house, Li Mingxuan reached out and covered his heart, where the dull ache from losing Shen Xi in his dream was still present. Li Mingxuan took a deep breath, then quickly thought of something, got out of bed and haphazardly put on a coat over his pyjamas, picked up his car keys and pushed open the door. ¡°Mingxuan?¡± Ye Han¡¯s sleepy voice came from the master bedroom, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Mingxuan stopped in his tracks, ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± Ye Han leaned lazily against the doorway, ¡°Fortunately, I happened to wake up too. By the way, what are you going to do so late?¡± Li Mingxuan in the living room was wearing a coat, clearly looking as if he was going out. Before Li Mingxuan could answer, Ye Han suddenly straightened with a surprised look, ¡°You¡¯re not trying to go find Shen Xi, are you?¡± Li Mingxuan nodded frankly. Ye Han opened his mouth in surprise and looked at Li Mingxuan for a long time before whispering, ¡°You¡¯re really crazy!¡± Hearing this, Li Mingxuan only gave a bitter smile and did not explain anything. Perhaps the heartache of losing Shen Xi in his dream was too strong, and he now had to see Shen Xi as soon as possible to confirm his safety, to confirm that he was still by his side. Not bothering to say anything more to Ye Han, Li Mingxuan hurriedly left his house under Ye Han¡¯s crazy look. Just ten minutes later, Li Mingxuan appeared at that familiar door. Because he had come out in such a hurry, he had not brought the key with him. He didn¡¯t have time to think about whether Shen Xi was asleep or not, so he rang the doorbell, just wanting to see Shen Xi as soon as possible. Not long after, footsteps came, and Shen Xi¡¯s voice was alert behind the door, ¡°Who is it?¡± The moment he heard the voice, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart that had been dull and aching miraculously eased up. Struggling to adjust his emotions, Li Mingxuan tried to keep his voice from trembling, ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Cousin?¡± Shen Xi said hesitantly, subconsciously looking up at the clock hanging on the wall. 3 a.m., what was Li Mingxuan doing here? Opening the door suspiciously, Shen Xi saw Li Mingxuan standing at the door. Perhaps he was in a hurry to go out because Shen Xi¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but notice the hem of his pyjamas under his coat and even on his feet there were still cotton slippers. Before the confusion in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes dissipated, Li Mingxuan had already stepped forward and hugged him tightly. Li Mingxuan¡¯s coat still carried the chill of the winter night, and at first contact, Shen Xi subconsciously shivered and tried to break free from Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace. But unexpectedly Li Mingxuan hugged him very hard, as if he wanted to imprint him into his body. As Shen Xi struggled, Li Mingxuan also increased his strength, and while holding him, he pleaded in a low voice, ¡°Xiao Xi, let me hold you, don¡¯t leave me.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice was trembling and full of a vague fear. Shen Xi, who originally wanted to break free, felt his heart soften and relaxed his body, not struggling anymore. Li Mingxuan felt the familiar scent, and the feeling of having lost and regaining made him reluctant to let go of Shen Xi for a while. He carefully placed a kiss on Shen Xi¡¯s head, his expression reverent, as if he was facing the most precious treasure in the world. Shen Xi¡¯s heart throbbed. He could feel that cherished attitude of Li Mingxuan; he wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he swallowed his words. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± What Fang Luowei saw when he walked out of the bedroom was this scene in front of him. The worry he had felt because Shen Xi had not moved since he opened the door was relieved, and instead a faint bitterness welled up in his heart. A few hours ago, he had just heard the news about Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan breaking up, but the secret hope he felt at the news was shattered by the scene in front of him before he had the chance to express it. Although he knew that it was not the right time for him to appear here, his ¡°Xiao Xi¡± obviously alerted the two people at the door, and it was impossible to retreat silently. Hearing that ¡°Xiao Xi¡±, Li Mingxuan subconsciously looked up and then froze in his tracks. It was not that he suspected that Shen Xi and Fang Luowei had something going on, but he had just seen Fang Luowei in his dream, and when he suddenly met him in reality, he had a feeling that his dream world was confused with reality. However, his reaction obviously caused Fang Luowei to misunderstand something. Hiding the bitterness in his eyes, Fang Luowei said as naturally as possible, ¡°Xiao Xi¡¯s birthday is today, and we were a bit late celebrating, so we stayed here by the way.¡± Only then did Li Mingxuan come back to his senses and notice several gorgeously wrapped gift boxes scattered around the living room, and there was even a half-eaten cake on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes turned soft and he was about to speak when he heard Shen Xi in his arms whisper, ¡°Let go!¡± Originally, after Fang Luowei appeared, Shen Xi wanted to break free from Li Mingxuan¡¯s embrace, but Li Mingxuan hugged him too hard. Even when Fang Luowei spoke, Li Mingxuan had no intention of letting go, so Shen Xi had no choice but to whisper a reminder. When Li Mingxuan heard this, he didn¡¯t let go as Shen Xi thought, but let go of one arm, and the other reached over his shoulder, wrapping tightly around him, as he looked at Fang Luowei frankly, ¡°Thank you for helping Xiao Xi celebrate his birthday.¡± Shen Xi, who was still confined in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms, glared at him discontentedly and turned to Fang Luowei, ¡°Luowei, you go in first and rest, I¡¯ll just have a few words with my cousin.¡± Fang Luowei nodded at Shen Xi with a faint smile and turned around to close the bedroom door tightly. Once again, Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan were left in the living room. Shen Xi felt the strength of Li Mingxuan¡¯s grip on him, gave up struggling and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s so late, what are you doing over here, Cousin?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes focused firmly on Shen Xi, his expression serious, ¡°I had a nightmare that I lost you, not a break-up, but a real loss. I watched you fall in front of me. No matter how much I shouted you couldn¡¯t hear me. I watched the life drain from you little by little, and all I could do was stand helplessly to the side, unable to do anything but watch. When I woke up, I realised that no matter what you were with me for, Xiao Xi, even if you don¡¯t like me at all, none of that matters now. I just want to be with you, I can¡¯t bear that kind of loss. Xiao Xi, give me one more chance, let me stay with you.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s expression became hesitant; he could feel the seriousness in Li Mingxuan¡¯s words, but he did not think the two of them were suitable to be together. ¡°I¡¯ve sold the shares in my hands,¡± Shen Xi whispered. ¡°?¡± Li Mingxuan was a bit confused about what Shen Xi meant. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan and explained, ¡°You know what I¡¯ve done. I calculated my own father to cause him to lose his reputation. I calculated my elder brother and second brother to almost lose their brotherhood. I sold my shares in Shen Group, and Shen Group will change hands because of this. I hate the Shen family and soon there will no longer be a Shen family in Central Beijing. As you can imagine, when I first agreed to be with you, it was not because I liked you, but because I did not have good intentions. I am not the Shen Xi you imagined. Such a me, do you really think we are suitable to be together?¡± Shen Xi stood in front of Li Mingxuan, saying it softly in a calm tone. Li Mingxuan looked at him and saw the Shen Xi in his dream. The same look, the same insistence, the same hatred for the Shen family, the two figures of Shen Xi completely overlapped. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were firm as he said with a solemn expression, ¡°I know that what I saw before was not the real you, but do you dare to say that what you showed in front of me was all fake? Xiao Xi, I admit that what I fell in love with wasn¡¯t the full you, but that doesn¡¯t mean that it wasn¡¯t you. Xiao Xi, give me a chance to get to know the real you. You know, compared to the heartache of losing you, what you are worried about is not important to me. The most important thing is that I want to be with you.¡± Their eyes met. Shen Xi¡¯s hesitation, Li Mingxuan¡¯s determination¡­ Do you want to be together? CH 91 As countless past events passed before their eyes, the hesitation in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes turned into determination. ¡°I like you, but we are not suitable to be together.¡± In just one sentence from Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan seemed to feel that he had gone back and forth between heaven and hell. The ecstasy that overflowed his heart because of Shen Xi¡¯s confession had not had time to bloom into a smile on his face when his expression was frozen because of the second half of the sentence. At this moment, Li Mingxuan only felt that his heart was both hot and cold, and he hesitated for a while before saying dumbly, ¡°Why?¡± Why? Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to have anything to do with the Shen family anymore. The past few years I have been imprisoned in the big cage of the Shen family. Whether I was happy or hateful, I couldn¡¯t get away from the Shen family. Now that the dust has settled, I can finally break free from the confinement of the Shen family. No hatred, no ridiculous affection, I just want to be completely free from all ties with the Shen family and truly live my own life.¡± Li Mingxuan did not expect the reason given by Shen Xi would be like this. A trace of bitterness flashed in his eyes as he whispered, ¡°You do not want to have anything to do with the Shen family?¡± Shen Xi nodded, silent. Shen Xi¡¯s silence caused Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes to gradually dim. His gaze swept over Shen Xi¡¯s face affectionately. After a while, Li Mingxuan finally smiled bitterly, ¡°I see.¡± Despite his reluctance, he knew it was time for him to leave. He reached out to hold Shen Xi in his arms once more. Shen Xi did not struggle. Li Mingxuan hid the bitterness on his face, lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi on his forehead, softly saying, ¡°Happy birthday. Take care of your health.¡± ¡°En!¡± Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi, gave him a deep look, turned away and walked out. The door closed gently, cutting off their eye contact. Shen Xi lowered his eyes, not moving for a long time. Fang Luowei appeared by his side at some point and said softly, ¡°Why did you break up?¡± He had always seen clearly that the feelings between the two were still there, that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t understand it. Why did they break up? Shen Xi thought it was probably because he was afraid. He always remembered the words that Li Mingxuan had said to him, that he would never leave him no matter in life or in death. But in the end Li Mingxuan still left him. Now that he was faced with the choice again, despite his calm demeanour, he knew that the last time Li Mingxuan had abandoned him left a shadow on his heart after all. And there was the Shen family too. Apart from Li Mingxuan¡¯s feelings, they still had many problems that could not be solved. He was afraid that one day, for other reasons, Li Mingxuan would choose to leave again. It was better to simply give up than to wait for Li Mingxuan to leave for those other reasons. Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t guess what Shen Xi was thinking. Seeing Shen Xi standing quietly at the door, Fang Luowei sighed and stayed with him. Outside the door, separated by a wall, Li Mingxuan did not leave immediately. He did not believe the reason given by Shen Xi, but Shen Xi¡¯s silence isolated him from all possible probing questions. A painful look appeared on Li Mingxuan¡¯s face. He was afraid that this time he would really lose Shen Xi. As the sky grew lighter, there was a faint sound of someone moving upstairs. Li Mingxuan was awakened with a start, took one last look at the familiar door and slowly left. He would not give up just like that! The shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hands were transferred to Wang Changlin the day after his birthday. Unlike before when he had been acting through an agent, this time Wang Changlin chose to handle all the formalities himself. No one had guessed that Shen Xi would sell his shares to Wang Changlin, even Li Mingxuan thought that Shen Xi would only transfer them to Lu Gesen. What was even more unexpected was that Wang Changlin did not just hold 20% of Shen Xi¡¯s shares, but 54% of Shen Group shares. Even the combined shares of Shen Ji and Shen Cheng could not compete with Wang Changlin. ¡°What exactly does he want to do?¡± When he received the news that Wang Changlin had called a board meeting, Shen Ji¡¯s face was gloomy. The so-called board of directors meeting was just a meeting between Wang Changlin, him and Ah Cheng. When he thought that his father¡¯s most trusted man had eaten up half of Shen Group quietly, Shen Ji was speechless with hatred. Even if Shen Cheng did not know how important the controlling stake in Shen Group was to them, he understood that losing the controlling stake would mean that they had lost Shen Group. ¡°Big Brother, what should we do?¡± Shen Ji frowned and forced himself to calm down. He believed that Wang Changlin must have been the driving force behind Shen Group¡¯s downfall, but what could Wang Changlin do with a company like this? Was he interested in fame or profit? ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng watched Shen Ji who did not say anything and became anxious. Because he had been locked up for drug rehabilitation, Shen Cheng did not know the current situation of the Shen family and only thought that they had suffered heavy losses. Shen Ji¡¯s face regained its calmness and he said in a deep voice, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this matter, just quit drugs with peace of mind.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Shen Cheng reluctantly replied, and despite his anxiety no longer dared to ask. Zhou Mingmei was also shocked by the news. Since a few days ago Shen Dehan arranged for bodyguards to drive her out of the house where she had lived and stopped all her financial sources, she was living with Wang Changlin. She had known Wang Changlin for more than twenty years and she had never felt that she could not see through him. But the only vague suspicion in her mind was that Wang Changlin and Shen Dehan seemed to have some old grudges. She had always thought that Wang Changlin wanted to support Shen Rong to fight with Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, which was in her interests. She had never imagined that Wang Changlin would take over most of Shen Group shares without saying a word, so he no longer needed Shen Rong at all. Zhou Mingmei had a vague feeling of unease in her heart. She didn¡¯t know that cooperating with Wang Changlin was like cooperating with a tiger to get its fur. She was confident that she could walk away from the deal, after all, she had Wang Changlin¡¯s secrets in her hand. But now her natural sensitivity made her feel as if something was out of control. After weighing her options in her mind, Zhou Mingmei made up her mind to leave Wang Changlin before it was too late. She no longer dared to think about Shen Group and only hoped that Wang Changlin would send her and Ah Rong away. With her mind made up, Zhou Mingmei went to Shen Rong¡¯s room. She didn¡¯t know what exactly Wang Changlin had done but Shen Rong did not go to the place arranged by Shen Dehan after he was discharged from the hospital, but lived with her at Wang Changlin¡¯s house. When Zhou Mingmei came in, Shen Rong was hanging up the phone with an excited look on his face. ¡°Mother!¡± Shen Rong whispered, trying his best to suppress the excitement on his face. If the things were as usual, Zhou Mingmei would have been concerned about what Shen Rong was excited about, but at this time she had something on her mind and did not bother to ask more questions, just saying directly, ¡°Ah Rong, I¡¯m going to take you abroad to leave Zhongjing, so pack whatever you need quickly.¡± ¡°Go abroad?¡± The excitement on Shen Rong¡¯s face turned into surprise, ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it good to stay at Uncle Wang¡¯s place?¡± Zhou Mingmei frowned, ¡°We can¡¯t keep bothering your Uncle Wang. I still have some money on hand, so saving a little will be enough to clothe and feed us abroad.¡± Zhou Mingmei boasted that Shen Rong had always been obedient; she did not expect Shen Rong to refuse outright, ¡°I am not going, I want to stay in Zhongjing.¡± Perhaps because Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face was too ugly, Shen Rong hurriedly explained, ¡°Have you heard, Mother? Uncle Wang is now the controlling shareholder of Shen Group. Didn¡¯t he always say that he wanted to treat me as his son? Now that he has such a large amount of assets on hand and he doesn¡¯t have his own son, am I not the best heir? Why do you want to leave instead? ¡± Shen Rong felt that he had calculated everything very nicely. After he received a phone call from his friend who told him the news, Shen Rong made up his mind to please Wang Changlin. He did not believe that Wang Changlin, who acted so affectionately with him and did not have a son of his own, would not give Shen Group to him. Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Rong¡¯s smug, stupid look and slapped him without even thinking about it. ¡°Mother!¡± Shen Rong covered his face and looked at Zhou Mingmei in disbelief. Zhou Mingmei said in a cold voice, ¡°How could I have such a stupid son like you! Wang Changlin has been carefully calculating for so many years. If he used to support you to fight with Shen Ji and the others, it made sense, but now he has already got everything in his hands. He is not feeble-minded to pass Shen Group he owns to Shen Dehan¡¯s son again.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°There are no buts, I will take you abroad as soon as possible.¡± Shen Rong looked at her aggrieved, and then his eyes lit up, ¡°Uncle Wang!¡± Zhou Mingmei was startled; Wang Changlin had already walked in through the door with a smile on his face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? As soon as I come back, I hear you, Mingmei, and Ah Rong arguing?¡± Zhou Mingmei smiled quietly, ¡°Changlin, you¡¯re back just in time, I have something to ask you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Wang Changlin said as he sat down next to Shen Rong in an intimate manner. A trace of doubt rose in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes and she said as if naturally, ¡°I want to take Ah Rong abroad. Changlin, you know that medicine abroad has always been more advanced than at home. I want to take Ah Rong out of the country to try and see if there is still hope for him to stand up.¡± Wang Changlin nodded, ¡°In that case, Ah Rong should go abroad. How about this, I¡¯ll go with you after some time when I am free?¡± Zhou Mingmei smiled and refused, ¡°I¡¯ll just take Ah Rong with me.¡± Wang Changlin smiled and looked at Shen Rong. ¡°Mingmei, I said that I always regarded A Rong as my own child. Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± The words ¡°my own child¡± made Shen Rong¡¯s heart flutter. He felt that Wang Changlin seemed to be hinting at something and immediately looked at Zhou Mingmei eagerly, hoping that Zhou Mingmei would nod in agreement. The doubts in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s eyes deepened, but she smiled and nodded, ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Changlin.¡± Throughout the day, Zhou Mingmei was distracted, and when Wang Changlin left Shen Rong¡¯s room to go to his study to work, Zhou Mingmei once again appeared in front of Shen Rong. ¡°Ah Rong!¡± Shen Rong yawned and looked at her, ¡°Mother, you are here, help me get the medicine on the table.¡± Zhou Mingmei turned in the direction of Shen Rong¡¯s finger, but froze when she saw the small bottle on the table, ¡°What medicine is this? How come I don¡¯t know?¡± Shen Rong waved his hand carelessly, ¡°Isn¡¯t this what the doctor prescribed? I¡¯ve been taking it all the time.¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s expression was full of suspicion, ¡°You¡¯ve been taking it?¡± Shen Rong yawned again, nodded and said eagerly, ¡°Mother, hurry up, it¡¯s time for me to take my medicine.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s reaction made Zhou Mingmei suddenly realise something. She rushed to him, grabbing him fiercely, ¡°Tell me, have you been feeling physically weak and very uninspired recently, but every time you take this medicine you feel energised, don¡¯t you?¡± Shen Rong looked at her in surprise, her words spinning in his mind, and suddenly his face changed drastically as he looked in horror at the medicine in Zhou Mingmei¡¯s hand and said in a trembling voice, ¡°Mother?¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s expression turned hideous as she turned and barged straight into the study. ¡°Wang Changlin, what exactly did you give Ah Rong?¡± Wang Changlin had long anticipated Zhou Mingmei¡¯s arrival and looked at her complacently, smiling slightly, ¡°Mingmei, you are so smart, can¡¯t you guess?¡± This statement obviously confirmed her guess, and Zhou Mingmei looked at him with her eyes spitting fire, ¡°Wang Changlin!¡± Wang Changlin didn¡¯t care about Zhou Mingmei¡¯s anger, ¡°I remember the doctor mentioned earlier that there were drug residues in Ah Rong¡¯s body and there was a high chance that he was addicted to drugs. You didn¡¯t think that Ah Rong was just lucky enough not to get addicted, did you?¡± Ignoring Zhou Mingmei¡¯s resentful gaze, Wang Changlin said unhurriedly, ¡°It would be for your own good if I kept it from you. Don¡¯t you think it was good that you didn¡¯t know before that something was wrong? As long as there is a steady supply of drugs for Ah Rong, he is no different from a normal person. In fact, if you hadn¡¯t decided to take Ah Rong away today, I would have kept it a secret.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Zhou Mingmei said in a cold voice, ¡°Haven¡¯t we always worked well together? It¡¯s not like Ah Rong was in your way, why are you treating Ah Rong like this?¡± Wang Changlin laughed lightly, ¡°Who is to blame that he is Shen Dehan¡¯s son?¡± Hearing the malice in Wang Changlin¡¯s tone, Zhou Mingmei snapped, ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I still have a handle on you in my hand. Who sent me to Shen Dehan back then, how the Han family went bankrupt and why Han Rou jumped out of the window, if I tell all this, do you think that stupid bastard Lu Gesen will still listen to you as before? And Shen Xi, he will definitely join forces with Lu Gesen against you.¡± Her words made Wang Changlin laugh out loud, ¡°You think I would still care about that by now? Shen Xi¡¯s shares have already been transferred to my hands, so what if you tell? Not to mention, do you think you can walk out of the study?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhou Mingmei took a step back. Wang Changlin pressed a button on the desk; a small door on the side of the study opened and a strange man of about thirty walked out. ¡°Boss!¡± Zhou Mingmei¡¯s face changed drastically. She didn¡¯t know that there were other people around Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin gestured in her direction, ¡°Take her out and lock her up.¡± The man smiled and walked towards Zhou Mingmei. Zhou Mingmei reacted extremely fast and turned around to run. The man grabbed her. Zhou Mingmei struggled a lot; a trace of impatience flashed in the man¡¯s eyes. A small knife appeared in his hand very quickly and he suddenly stabbed Zhou Mingmei. Zhou Mingmei¡¯s body fell down softly and Wang Changlin said unhappily, ¡°Didn¡¯t I warn you not to use the knife casually?¡± The man did not take Wang Changlin¡¯s words seriously. Wang Changlin frowned, ¡°Since it¡¯s already like this, drag her next door and deal with the body. We won¡¯t be staying here for much longer anyway.¡± The man nodded and was about to move when he seemed to hear something. He turned and yanked the study door open. Outside the study door, Shen Rong looked at Wang Changlin, pale-faced, desperately turning the wheelchair under him, trying to get out of here. The man laughed and slapped Shen Rong hard. Shen Rong¡¯s eyes went black and he fell heavily to the ground. CH 92 Zhou Mingmei disappeared silently; when Shen Rong woke up, he was in a trance for a while before he realised what had happened before. At this moment, he had been sent back to his room and was lying on the bed there. Shen Rong looked around in horror, but there was no one else in the room except him. When he thought of what he had heard earlier and the blood stain that he had noticed behind the door, his complexion turned extremely white. Why? Didn¡¯t Wang Changlin have a good relationship with his mother? Hadn¡¯t he always acted as if he was very fond of Shen Rong? Why would he do this? Why? When he couldn¡¯t find the answers to these questions, Shen Rong suddenly thought of something, eagerly crawled to the edge of the bed and struggled to reach for the mobile phone on the table. He couldn¡¯t stay here. Wang Changlin was a madman, he would kill him, he had to find someone to save him, yes, find someone to save him. The phone was soon in his hands and Shen Rong fumbled for the number in a panic. Who could save him at this time? Shen Ji, Shen Cheng or Shen Xi? He couldn¡¯t think of anyone else; the people around him were not his friends, he only got close to them by offering his body, and now that he was like this, no one of those people was willing to take care of him. Only now did Shen Rong realise sadly that once something happened to him, the first people he would think of to turn for help were actually his three brothers. Shen Rong searched through the phone for the numbers of the three of them. He didn¡¯t have the numbers of the other two, except for Shen Cheng. But would Shen Cheng answer his call? Shen Rong didn¡¯t have time to think too much; his only thought at this moment was to find someone to save him. Shaking, Shen Rong tapped on the number about to dial it when the door of the room was suddenly pushed open and Wang Changlin appeared at the door with a kind expression on his face. ¡°Ah Rong, who do you want to contact?¡± Shen Rong¡¯s movements froze; he lifted his head a little as if he were a puppet, looking towards the door in shock, his voice trembling, ¡°I, I, I don¡¯t know.¡± Wang Changlin took a step into the room and walked towards him with a faint smile, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? So scared?¡± Seeing Wang Changlin approach step by step, Shen Rong instinctively dragged his body backwards and shrank back in the bed, ¡°You, don¡¯t come over!¡± Wang Changlin looked at him affectionately, as if he was looking at a disobedient child, and smilingly reached out and placed his hand on top of Shen Rong¡¯s head, ¡°Ah Rong, why are you so afraid of me? Didn¡¯t I say that in my heart you are just like my own son? Don¡¯t you believe my words?¡± Shen Rong no longer knew what expression he should put on now. Wang Changlin¡¯s hand seemed to carry an insidious coldness. As it moved over his head, he only felt chills all over his body, trembling uncontrollably. His behaviour caused disappointment to pass through Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes, ¡°Ah Rong, you are so cowardly, it¡¯s really too disappointing for me.¡± Shen Rong couldn¡¯t say a word; he just kept trembling. Wang Changlin reached out and took the phone away from him, smiling as he said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t object to you contacting Shen Ji and the others, I still have a few things left to do, so to avoid trouble, it¡¯s better for you to be obedient and stay put.¡± Shen Rong watched as Wang Changlin took away his hope and couldn¡¯t help but muster up the courage to say in a trembling voice, ¡°Uncle Wang, can you let me go? I¡¯ll do as I¡¯m told, I¡¯ll leave the country immediately, I promise I¡¯ll never return to Zhongjing in my lifetime, I¡¯ll never get in your way, Uncle Wang, please let me go, I beg you.¡± The smile on Wang Changlin¡¯s face faded. He looked at Shen Rong¡¯s pleading face in silence. Seeing Shen Rong¡¯s pathetic look, he sneered, ¡°I swore to eliminate the Shen family. There will be no more Shen family in this world.¡± Shen Rong¡¯s eyes became desperate little by little. He didn¡¯t know where he got the courage from but he fiercely lunged towards Wang Changlin, trying to grab his throat. Wang Changlin took a nimble step back and Shen Rong fell heavily to the ground, Wang Changlin did not even look at him and turned to leave the room. Shen Rong could have never imagined that Wang Changlin would harbour such hatred towards the Shen family, and even retaliate against him. What was it for? The question that Shen Rong could not understand was the very question that Li Mingxuan was trying to solve at this moment. Ye Han handed the USB flash drive in his hand to Li Mingxuan with an odd expression, ¡°This contains part of the information about Wang Changlin. I think you need to read it first.¡± Li Mingxuan looked at Ye Han in confusion, ¡°Part of the information?¡± Ye Han nodded and explained, ¡°Wang Changlin grew up abroad since he was young. A lot of information is hard to find after a long time. This is all the information before he returned to China. This part took a long time to gather. As for the information after he returned to China, they are still looking into it now. It¡¯s just that after they sorted out the previous information, I thought you needed to take a look first. It¡¯s best to be mentally prepared.¡± Ye Han¡¯s words made Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression become serious. Although he felt that since the shares in Shen Xi¡¯s hands had already been transferred to Wang Changlin, the overall situation had been decided, so there was no longer any need to investigate Wang Changlin anymore. But Ye Han¡¯s expression made him wary, as if there was something hidden behind Wang Changlin¡¯s back. The USB drive was quickly opened. It contained only one document, marked with the words ¡°Wang Changlin¡±. Li Mingxuan clicked in and the first thing that caught his eye was a picture of a man. When he saw the face of the somewhat romantic looking young man in the picture, Li Mingxuan froze. ¡°Grandpa?¡± Li Mingxuan muttered. The man in the photo looked exactly the same as his grandfather when he was young in the photos Li Mingxuan had seen before. Li Mingxuan reacted quickly and looked at Ye Han with a shocked expression, ¡°Is it Wang Changlin?¡± Ye Han nodded affirmatively, ¡°It was Wang Changlin when he was young. At that time he was not yet called Wang Changlin, but Shen Shang.¡± ¡°Shen Shang!¡± Li Mingxuan repeated this particular name, basically confirming Wang Changlin¡¯s identity. He had previously envisioned countless reasons for Wang Changlin to side with the Han family, but this was the only one he hadn¡¯t thought of. It was because Wang Changlin bore no resemblance to his grandfather, and everyone in Zhongjing knew that his grandfather and grandmother had been lovingly married all their lives, so he would never have thought that his grandfather would have an illegitimate son. So Wang Changlin was also his uncle? No wonder Ye Han asked him to prepare himself mentally. Ye Han smiled bitterly at Li Mingxuan¡¯s reaction. The news was so unexpected that not to mention Li Mingxuan, even he didn¡¯t believe it at first. But Wang Changlin¡¯s face was so convincing that he couldn¡¯t deny it if he wanted to. Li Mingxuan looked at the information on the USB drive in silence, unable to say anything for a long time. In fact he didn¡¯t know what to say. Wang Changlin¡¯s life seemed to be a tragedy, and the creator of this tragedy was his maternal grandfather. When his grandfather was young, the Shen family had only become rich recently. In order to look good, his grandfather was sent to study abroad. Alone in a foreign country, his grandfather soon met his beloved girlfriend and they dated for three years. His grandfather was planning to propose to his girlfriend upon graduation when he received a telegram from home. The Shen family¡¯s business was in trouble due to the economic crisis. At the time when his grandfather was lost and confused, his female classmate, who had always secretly had a crush on him, proposed marriage. After the marriage, she could persuade her family to fund the Shen family to help them get through their difficulties. But Grandpa had to promise to completely break off his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Li Mingxuan did not know what kind of struggle his grandfather went through back then, but in the end Grandpa chose to compromise. He broke up with his girlfriend quickly, and soon married his classmate, Li Mingxuan¡¯s grandmother. Grandpa broke up with his ex-girlfriend as he had promised, not knowing that she was pregnant at the time. What Grandpa also didn¡¯t know was that his grandmother knew all about his girlfriend¡¯s pregnancy. In those days, it was a very disgraceful thing to be pregnant out of wedlock, and after sending his grandfather back to China under some pretext, his grandmother secretly made it public and his grandfather¡¯s ex-girlfriend was expelled from school. The ex-girlfriend then raised Shen Shang alone, suffering a lot of hardships. When Shen Shang graduated from university, she was diagnosed with cancer and her only wish was to see Li Mingxuan¡¯s grandfather before she died. Shen Shang travelled all the way to Zhongjing to find his own father but even though Grandpa was happy with Shen Shang¡¯s existence, he refused his request because he wanted to keep the promise he made to Grandma. Shen Shang was already resentful because of Grandpa¡¯s refusal, but even more unexpected, when he was about to leave Zhongjing, Grandma engineered a car accident in which Shen Shang was seriously injured. By the time he was able to get out of the hospital and rush home, his mother had died alone and he missed seeing her for the last time. A year later, Shen Shang returned to Zhongjing again. By that time, he had completely transformed into Wang Changlin. Li Mingxuan sighed and looked at Ye Han, ¡°Where is the real Wang Changlin?¡± Ye Han smiled bitterly, ¡°Dead. The real Wang Changlin died from his injuries in that car accident back then, and Shen Shang was seriously injured and recuperated for half a year. According to the investigation, the real Wang Changlin was an orphan with an introverted personality and didn¡¯t interact much with people around him. Plus he disappeared for more than a year, so when Shen Shang appeared with his name, no one noticed the change. In fact, the two had similar body shape and voice; I guess that¡¯s why Shen Shang chose to pretend to be Wang Changlin.¡± The information on the USB drive ended with Shen Shang¡¯s return to China, and now Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t wait to know what he did after returning to China. Rubbing his temples with a headache, Li Mingxuan wondered, ¡°There are so many families in Zhongjing, why did he pick the Han family? And also managed to appear at Elder Han¡¯s side successfully?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t found out what he did after he returned to China, but I do know the answer for your question.¡± Ye Han sat down opposite Li Mingxuan and explained, ¡°Back then, the Han family did a lot of charity in order to accumulate blessings because of having few children. The most important part was that Elder Han sponsored many poor students in the name of the Han family, and the real Wang Changlin was one of them. However, before Shen Shang became him, Wang Changlin was not conspicuous at all because of his personality, but after Shen Shang became Wang Changlin, he soon stood out among the crowd of sponsored students with his outstanding ability, and not only was he deeply appreciated by Elder Han, but he also gained Han Yu¡¯s friendship.¡± As Ye Han was speaking, Li Mingxuan had already guessed that the reason why Shen Shang had returned to China under the identity of Wang Changlin must have been to target the Han family, wanting to take revenge on the Shen family through the power of the Han family. Although he did not know how he intended to do so in the first place, Li Mingxuan had a vague feeling that there must be something else in this that he did not know. But no matter what, Shen Shang was full of calculations against the Han family and there was no slightest bit of goodwill. Thinking about Shen Xi¡¯s trust in Wang Changlin and Lu Gesen¡¯s identity, Li Mingxuan felt that he needed to let Shen Xi know this. Thinking of this, Li Mingxuan quickly picked up his coat, ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡± Ye Han knew what Li Mingxuan was going to do and patted him meaningfully on the shoulder, ¡°I hope the next time I see you is tomorrow morning.¡± Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly. He did not have this hope. CH 93 The investigation of Wang Changlin was conducted by the state and was very secretive, so Lao K only heard some rumours about it. About Wang Changlin, Lao K always had some sense of discord; even though he and Shen Xi were united in the matter of revenge against the Shen family, Lao K had never fully trusted Wang Changlin. Although in Lao K¡¯s opinion, Shen Xi¡¯s cooperation with Wang Changlin had ended and no matter who Wang Changlin had offended, it had nothing to do with Shen Xi, but considering the relationship between Lu Gesen and Wang Changlin, Lao K still revealed this news to Shen Xi. ¡°Someone is secretly investigating Wang Changlin?¡± Shen Xi was very surprised. ¡°En.¡± Lao K¡¯s tone that had been flirtatious became serious, ¡°The other party is not easy to mess with, and this matter is very secretive, I just vaguely heard the rumours. I suspect that Wang Changlin has offended someone, do you think we should alert Lu Gesen?¡± Lao K¡¯s speculation made Shen Xi frown slightly. Most of Wang Changlin¡¯s recent actions were related to the Shen family. Could it be that the other party was doing it for the Shen family¡¯s sake? But Shen Dehan was lying in the hospital. Who in the Shen family would have such great power? And if the other party was doing it for the Shen family¡¯s sake, what was the use of investigating Wang Changlin? Or was he wrong and the other party was not doing it for the Shen family but had some personal grudge against Wang Changlin? As Shen Xi thought of it, he was already planning to warn Wang Changlin. After all, Lu Gesen and Wang Changlin were very close, and for Lu Gesen¡¯s sake, Shen Xi did not want Wang Changlin to have any accidents. ¡°I see, I will tell Lu Gesen.¡± Now that Shen Xi was notified, Lao K quickly put the matter behind him and turned to another question, ¡°When are you planning to leave?¡± ¡°Probably next weekend. We are still packing. Just in time to wait for Luowei to finish recording his single and go together. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go with us?¡± Lao K was very moved by Shen Xi¡¯s invitation, but unlike Shen Xi, he had a lot of trivial matters holding him back, so he couldn¡¯t be as free as Shen Xi. He had no choice but to say, ¡°You guys go first, I¡¯ll go after I¡¯m done here.¡± After thinking about it, Lao K added unceremoniously, ¡°Remember to leave me a bedroom with an incomparable sea view.¡± Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°The whole island is ours, you can stay anywhere you want.¡± Five years had passed and the Shen family¡¯s affairs were finally over. Without Shen Group, the Shen family was nothing. Whether it was Shen Dehan who was bedridden, or Shen Ji or Shen Cheng, not to mention Shen Rong who was a parasite of the Shen family, without Shen Group¡¯s signboard that adorned the fa?ade of the Shen family, they could only fall off their high clouds. It would not take long for the entire Shen family to be forgotten by the high society of Zhongjing, and the century-old legacy of the Shen family would stop here. Shen Xi had already achieved his goal, and there was no more point in staying in Zhongjing. After he hung up the phone, Shen Xi¡¯s eyes fell on the luggage he was packing. He hesitated whether to call Li Mingxuan. When the two of them broke up earlier, Li Mingxuan had left without taking anything with him, and until now his things were still here. Shen Xi did not know whether he should tell him to come and pack his things, or simply leave the apartment to him when he left. He was about to press the familiar number hesitantly when the doorbell suddenly rang. Shen Xi¡¯s heart pounded wildly, and he instinctively felt that the person who was coming at this moment was none other than Li Mingxuan. Trying hard to suppress the complicated emotions in his heart, Shen Xi took a deep breath and opened the door with a calm face. It was only a day since they had seen each other, but it felt like a long time had passed. Li Mingxuan did not look good, his face faintly haggard. The moment the door opened, his eyes focused on Shen Xi, looking at him greedily, unwilling to move away in the slightest. Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened and he moved out of the way, ¡°Do you want to come in, Cousin?¡± A hint of joy flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes as he was about to enter but when he saw the neatly packed luggage in one corner of the living room, he stopped stiffly. Although he knew that Shen Xi was planning to leave the country in the near future, knowing it and seeing it with his own eyes were two different things. With pain spreading in his heart, Li Mingxuan tried to act as if nothing had happened as he walked in and said unnaturally, ¡°Xiao Xi, are you planning to go abroad?¡± Shen Xi let out an ¡°en¡± and stood there in silence, not knowing what to say for a moment. The door closed gently and Li Mingxuan stood in front of Shen Xi. Perhaps because he was too close, he seemed to be able to feel the aura of Shen Xi¡¯s breath. The dull pain in his heart seemed to be relieved by Shen Xi¡¯s proximity, so Li Mingxuan settled down and said, ¡°Xiao Xi, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shen Xi tried to make his tone seem calm. Li Mingxuan did not say anything, but took out a blue USB drive and handed it over. If at first he was eager to tell Shen Xi Wang Changlin¡¯s true identity because he didn¡¯t want Shen Xi to be used by Wang Changlin secretly, at this moment he was hoping to use this matter to delay Shen Xi¡¯s departure from the country. At least give him a little buffer time to hand over the company¡¯s affairs to his father so that he can pursue Shen Xi again without any worries. Shen Xi hesitantly took the USB drive, ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± Li Mingxuan whispered, ¡°I want you to take a look at the contents.¡± Shen Xi raised his head to meet Li Mingxuan¡¯s gaze. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were full of insistence. Shen Xi believed that Li Mingxuan would not do anything unnecessary. Since he wanted him to read it, it meant that the contents of the flash drive were closely related to him. He obediently inserted the USB drive and quickly opened the folder. The contents inside were not too much, but they were marked in great detail. When the first few comparison photos came into view, Shen Xi¡¯s hand trembled a little. Then he quickly calmed down and finished reading the whole file expressionlessly. The shock brought to him by this information was too great, and countless thoughts filled his mind in confusion. He wanted to question the authenticity of this information, but instinctively trusted Li Mingxuan. Thinking of what Lao K had just said on the phone about someone investigating Wang Changlin, Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan. It was too late to think about what Li Mingxuan was doing investigating Wang Changlin. Shen Xi wanted to know if there was any more information behind it. A certain thought that he did not want to believe appeared in his mind and he needed to get confirmation. ¡°Is that all?¡± Shen Xi was acting too calmly, which surprised Li Mingxuan greatly. If he hadn¡¯t noticed the difference in Shen Xi¡¯s face when he saw the photos, he would have almost thought that Shen Xi had actually known it. Shaking his head, Li Mingxuan explained, ¡°This is all the information about his life abroad, the rest of the domestic lie is still being checked.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s hands clenched tightly as that thought in the back of his mind became clearer and clearer. Li Mingxuan did not know about Wang Changlin¡¯s relationship with his mother, but he did. If Wang Changlin was really Shen Shang, would his closeness to his mother be the so-called liking as he claimed it to be? And was the failure of the Han family¡¯s business really the result of the Shen family¡¯s calculations? Could there be other hidden agendas inside? The most crucial thing was, did Wang Changlin have anything to do with his mother jumping out of the window back then? Shen Xi¡¯s face distorted a little. If his initial goal after his rebirth was just to seek justice for himself and his mother, as the past became clearer, the Han family¡¯s downfall was also counted on Shen Dehan¡¯s head. But when he thought it was all over, he was suddenly told that there was another person behind all this, and that person had been treated by him as his ally not long ago. The look on Shen Xi¡¯s face made Li Mingxuan very worried. He took Shen Xi¡¯s tightly clenched fists and carefully held them in his hands, whispering, ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± The call of ¡°Xiao Xi¡± brought Shen Xi back to his senses. Looking up to meet Li Mingxuan¡¯s worried expression, Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ve just thought about something.¡± ¡°What?¡± Li Mingxuan asked subconsciously; he felt that Shen Xi¡¯s expression was too wrong just now. Shen Xi smiled self-deprecatingly and didn¡¯t hide it anymore, ¡°The child that Mother was carrying before she jumped out of the window was Wang Changlin¡¯s.¡± There was no need to say too much, with just this one sentence Li Mingxuan understood what Shen Xi wanted to say. It was because of Wang Changlin¡¯s relationship with Han Rou that Shen Xi chose to join forces with Wang Changlin, and because of Wang Changlin¡¯s relationship with Han Rou that Shen Xi believed in Wang Changlin¡¯s hatred for Shen Dehan. But all this now seemed to be nothing more than Wang Changlin¡¯s calculations. Before Li Mingxuan came to Shen Xi, he had already thought that Wang Changlin was only using the Han family, but he still underestimated Wang Changlin¡¯s unscrupulousness. He did not expect Wang Changlin to involve Han Rou into it. When he thought about Han Rou¡¯s jump to her death, Li Mingxuan vaguely sensed that the real reason for Han Rou¡¯s suicide was not Shen Dehan discovering her cheating, as they had thought, but perhaps some other reason. Li Mingxuan sighed and said softly, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I need to talk to Lu Gesen.¡± At the moment when Shen Xi intended to look for Lu Gesen, Lu Gesen was at Wang Changlin¡¯s home. ¡°Foster Father, what has happened so urgently?¡± Not long ago Lu Gesen received a call from Wang Changlin who had asked him to come over as soon as possible. Speeding all the way here, Lu Gesen thought something had happened to Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin smiled kindly, ¡°Nothing, it just occurred to me that we father and son are so busy these days that we don¡¯t even have time to eat together, so I purposely called you to come and have a meal together.¡± Lu Gesen was pleasantly surprised, ¡°Is it Foster Father cooking with his own hands? I¡¯ve been drooling over Foster Father¡¯s cooking for a long time.¡± His tone clearly amused Wang Changlin, who smiled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all cooked by my own hands, I¡¯ll make sure you have enough to eat.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s cooking skills weren¡¯t exactly outstanding, but they were some of Lu Gesen¡¯s fondest memories from his early childhood. Looking at the table full of dishes that he liked, Lu Gesen gazed at Wang Changlin with a look of indescribable admiration. With a smile on his face, Wang Changlin poured a glass of red wine and placed it in front of Lu Gesen, ¡°Today is special, consider it a celebration of Shen Group¡¯s change of ownership, Gesen, you should drink some too.¡± Lu Gesen smiled and raised his glass. He normally did not drink, but his foster father was right, today was a special day and he did not want to go against his foster father¡¯s good intentions. The glass was soon empty, and Wang Changlin did not urge him to drink any more, as they chatted casually as father and son would normally do. Not long after, Lu Gesen vaguely sensed that something seemed to be wrong with his body. His mind became dizzy, and the figure of his foster father became blurred in front of him, vaguely transforming into several. ¡°Foster Father?¡± Lu Gesen only had time to call out in confusion before his body slumped onto the dining table as his eyes went black. Shen Xi did not reach Lu Gesen by phone, and after calling countless times with no answer, Shen Xi had to look up Lu Gesen¡¯s address in the information Lao K had previously investigated. Inside the quiet car, Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly as he flipped through Lu Gesen¡¯s file and turned his head to look at Shen Xi who was driving. He understood Shen Xi¡¯s distrust of people, but did not expect Shen Xi to distrust to this extent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Anyone driving while being watched by someone so intently would not be able to concentrate. Li Mingxuan shook his head and laughed lightly, ¡°Has Xiao Xi ever investigated me?¡± Shen Xi looked calm, ¡°I have. I¡¯ve checked all the people who are close to the Shen family.¡± Speaking of this, Shen Xi suddenly thought of something and turned his head to look at Li Mingxuan, ¡°In fact, initially I thought that Cousin and Big Brother were a couple. After all, you two were so close and neither of you had a girlfriend, and every time your picture was taken, there was Big Brother a few steps away.¡± Li Mingxuan was stunned. A smile appeared in his eyes. He looked at Shen Xi and said very naturally, ¡°Xiao Xi, you know, from the beginning to the end I have only ever loved you.¡± Shen Xi began to regret the words he had said just now; it was as if he cared about Li Mingxuan¡¯s close relationship with Shen Ji. Li Mingxuan¡¯s response made him even more irritated, and he turned his head away with a stern face, refusing to speak again. Li Mingxuan looked at him tenderly with a faint smile on his face. The two of them arrived quietly at the neighbourhood where Lu Gesen lived. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi, who was about to get out of the car, and said softly, ¡°Do you want me to accompany you?¡± Shen Xi shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself.¡± Watching Shen Xi¡¯s figure disappear inside the apartment building, Li Mingxuan leaned against the car window and quietly waited. Not long after Shen Xi went inside, a man in his thirties walked out, talking on the phone and dragging a suitcase. Li Mingxuan casually glanced at the man and sat up straight in shock, looking intently. That face, he would never forget that face. Although the man in front of him appeared somewhat younger than in his dream, Li Mingxuan was sure it was definitely the same man. Li Mingxuan subconsciously pushed open the car door to stop him but quickly realised the inappropriateness of his actions. What should he say? Should he force the man to answer why he wanted to kill Shen Xi? But all that happened in his dream, and even in his dream it was only five years later. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes were firmly fixed on the man who quickly noticed his gaze and looked over warily. At the sight of Li Mingxuan, the man¡¯s expression changed slightly. He quickly lowered his head and hurriedly drove away. The man¡¯s reaction suddenly made Li Mingxuan realise something, and when he linked it to his dream, he frantically ran to Lu Gesen¡¯s apartment. The elevator doors were slowly closing in front of him, and Li Mingxuan squeezed into the elevator feeling his body tremble terribly. Pressing down the number 28, Li Mingxuan felt his heart sink a little. He seemed to feel the fear of his dream once again. In the dream he watched Shen Xi fall in front of him but could do nothing about it. This time he must not let anything happen to Shen Xi. He could not live without Shen Xi. As the elevator slowly ascended one level at a time, Li Mingxuan¡¯s heart was burning with anxiety. He both hated himself for not reacting faster and secretly prayed that everything that happened in the dream was a lie. Besides, the man in the dream world had killed Shen Xi five years later, what reason did he have to do so now? Self-blame and deep hope tormented Li Mingxuan, and in the midst of this anxiety the elevator reached the 28th floor. The moment the elevator door opened, he was about to rush out when he saw Shen Xi standing in the doorway with a surprised expression on his face. ¡°Cousin, how come you¡¯re up here?¡± Unable to describe the feeling of ecstasy mixed with fear in his heart, Li Mingxuan grabbed Shen Xi and pinned him against the elevator wall, kissing him fiercely. The kiss was so intense and possessive as if Li Mingxuan was trying to confirm Shen Xi¡¯s existence through this kiss. Shen Xi passively complied with Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements, tilting his head to meet the kiss. After a long time, the intense kiss gradually became gentle, and Li Mingxuan kissed Shen Xi affectionately on the lips, hugging him tightly, ¡°Xiao Xi, don¡¯t leave me.¡± Shen Xi was so softened by Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss that he had to lean into his arms. Only then did he have time to think about the abnormality of Li Mingxuan¡¯s previous behaviour. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Li Mingxuan could not tell Shen Xi that he had met the man who killed Shen Xi in his dream. He just hugged him tightly, ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to kiss you.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened and he didn¡¯t ask any more questions. Li Mingxuan¡¯s panicked heart gradually calmed down. At this time, he slowly thought back and also felt that his previous reaction was too extreme. But the change in the man¡¯s expression after seeing him made him instantly recall the dream. Not caring much about anything, he just wanted to be at Shen Xi¡¯s side immediately. Now that he thought about it, the man¡¯s expression seemed to have changed because he recognised him, but he was sure he didn¡¯t know the man. Since Lu Gesen lived here, could it be that the man was related to Lu Gesen and was therefore afraid of his presence here? Li Mingxuan thought about it, lowering his head to kiss Shen Xi, ¡°Did you see a man of about thirty just now?¡± ¡°No, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Li Mingxuan shook his head, ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just that he saw me and ran away, I thought it was a bit strange. By the way, why are you leaving so soon? Lu Gesen isn¡¯t here?¡± Shen Xi nodded and pushed Li Mingxuan, ¡°Do you want to let go of me first? There are cameras inside the elevator, I don¡¯t want to be in the entertainment headlines tomorrow.¡± Li Mingxuan hadn¡¯t kissed Shen Xi properly since the breakup, so naturally he couldn¡¯t let go of him. He quickly took off his coat to block the camera, leaned down and kissed Shen Xi once again, saying softly, ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan speechlessly and struggled to break away from his embrace, ¡°Get lost!¡± Li Mingxuan smiled faintly and kissed Shen Xi once more despite his struggle. CH 94 Lu Gesen had disappeared. It was the conclusion Shen Xi reached after being unable to contact him for the whole night. It was not that he hadn¡¯t thought of other possibilities such as a dead phone, but considering Lu Gesen¡¯s usual caution and the fact that there had been no reply to the note he left at Lu Gesen¡¯s place asking to call back, Shen Xi had already prepared for the worst. If Shen Xi didn¡¯t know Wang Changlin¡¯s true identity, he might not have thought too much about it; but now he couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Wang Changlin had done something. With a silent sigh, Shen Xi smiled bitterly. Before that, he had envied Wang Changlin¡¯s relationship with Lu Gesen, but when the truth was revealed, everything turned out to be ugly and terrible. Was Wang Changlin taking care of Lu Gesen sincerely or just using him for the sake of his plans? Shen Xi was worried about Lu Gesen¡¯s current situation. He wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong and give Wang Changlin a call to ask, but he was afraid Lu Gesen was really in Wang Changlin¡¯s hands and the other party would notice something. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t guess Wang Changlin¡¯s thoughts. What did he want? Shen Group? But now that Shen Group was under his control, what was he dissatisfied with? If Lu Gesen¡¯s disappearance was really his doing, what was his purpose? To him, it should have been the Shen family that he hated from the beginning to the end; the Han family was just an innocent pawn that had not only done nothing wrong to him, but had been broken because of him. What else was there for him to calculate? ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice came from behind him. Shen Xi turned around and saw Li Mingxuan coming out of the bathroom topless. Perhaps it was because he had rested well that night, the sense of depression that surrounded him in the previous days had dissipated and his whole body looked radiant. ¡°Thinking about Lu Gesen. I wonder where the hell he is now.¡± While speaking, Li Mingxuan walked up to Shen Xi and naturally leaned down to exchange a kiss with him, comforting him, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re overthinking it, maybe Lu Gesen just spent the night out and his phone is out of battery.¡± Shen Xi frowned, ¡°Maybe.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t want to worry Shen Xi and consciously betrayed Ye Han, ¡°If you¡¯re really worried, why don¡¯t we ask Ye Han to help you check? With the Ye family¡¯s power you should be able to find out soon.¡± A hint of a smile appeared in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes and he raised his eyebrows, ¡°A favour to you?¡± Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded, ¡°A favour to us.¡± Shen Xi did not refuse Li Mingxuan¡¯s offer. Wang Changlin¡¯s past information was so well disguised that even Lao K couldn¡¯t find it, but the Ye family had easily checked it out, thus showing that the Ye family¡¯s power was indeed huge. The sooner he got the news about Lu Gesen, the sooner he could rest assured. Lu Gesen didn¡¯t know that Shen Xi was worried about him at this time. When he woke up from a coma, he found that he was trapped in a strange room, and in addition to him, there were four other men in the room that he didn¡¯t know. After the initial shock, Lu Gesen quickly figured out his current situation. These men were only responsible for guarding him. Apart from the fact that he could not communicate with the outside world and could not go out, the other party did not restrict any of his movements and even did their best to satisfy him with any requests he had. For example, the breakfast from Zhou Ji¡¯s restaurant was laid out in front of him. Lu Gesen slowly and methodically ate his breakfast, not moving as he surveyed the people in the room, calculating in his mind the possibility of getting out of the trap. Unfortunately, the forces were unequal, and as much as he thought, he could not figure out how he would be able to disarm four strong men at the same time and leave the place smoothly. After eating eight point full, Lu Gesen put down the cutlery and one of the men who was guarding him quickly came over and cleared up neatly. Lu Gesen said tentatively, ¡°I want to see my foster father, please mention it to him.¡± The man gave him a cold look, turned away without saying anything and left, leaving Lu Gesen frowning slightly. Although the men never talked to him, apart from initially telling him what he could and could not do, let alone reveal who they were instructed by, Lu Gesen understood that it all had something to do with his foster father. Thinking about the glass of wine that his foster father had poured him last night, Lu Gesen could naturally guess where the problem lay. But what he could not understand was why his foster father had done it. His father died when Lu Gesen was young and he followed his mother around from one place to another. It was Wang Changlin who had given him a stable life, and it was also Wang Changlin who had taken his father¡¯s place while Lu Gesen was growing up. Over the years, Wang Changlin had taken good care of him and even lurked in the Shen family for years in order to help him take revenge. Now that Shen Group had changed hands, their goal was about to be achieved. They were on the verge of finally declaring Shen Group bankrupt and getting rid of all of the Shen family¡¯s remaining properties, completely cutting off the possibility of the Shen family to rise again. This was what Lu Gesen had been busy with these past few days. He had thought that in a few days he would be able to accompany his foster father to enjoy life abroad, but to his surprise, his foster father had suddenly attacked him and trapped him here. For what purpose? No one could answer Lu Gesen¡¯s doubts. He could not feel any malice in the four people opposite him, so he had to be patient and stay here quietly, waiting for Wang Changlin to appear. His reaction soon reached Wang Changlin¡¯s ears. When he heard Lu Gesen¡¯s request to see him, Wang Changlin¡¯s expression became complicated; he finally shook his head. His plan had come to its final step, and soon his wish of many years would come true. The reason he had trapped Lu Gesen there was that he did not want him to meddle and ruin his plan. He had patiently and meticulously laid out his plan for so many years and would never allow any error. Wang Changlin tapped on his desk. As for Lu Gesen, he didn¡¯t want to hurt him. Not only because he had raised Lu Gesen for so many years, but more importantly because Lu Gesen had a similar origin to him; the difference was that Han Yu had not given up on Lu Gesen and his mother. Wang Changlin lowered his eyes, hiding the self-deprecating look in them. Call him hypocritical or pretentious, but at a time when the Han family was ruined due to his calculations, he genuinely wanted to take care of Lu Gesen and do something for the Han family. Although Lu Gesen was also his pawn, even pawns could be important or not, couldn¡¯t they? These thoughts were fleeting and soon Wang Changlin regained his senses. No matter what Lu Gesen thought, he would stay there for the next few days, and when the matter was over, someone would naturally release him. ¡°I instructed you to pack some of Gesen¡¯s clothes and send them over yesterday, did you send them?¡± ¡°I did, but¡­¡± The man answering Wang Changlin was the man in his thirties, the very same man who had a hasty encounter with Li Mingxuan yesterday. ¡°But what?¡± Wang Changlin looked at him with a puzzled expression. The man hesitated for a while before whispering, ¡°When I left last night, I met Li Mingxuan downstairs. He seemed to recognise me, and his reaction at the time was very strange.¡± ¡°Li Mingxuan?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s expression changed slightly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± The man glanced at Wang Changlin cautiously. Seeing that Wang Changlin¡¯s face was gloomy, his expression became uncertain. ¡°Have the arrangements been made on the Nancheng side?¡± The man nodded hurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s already arranged!¡± ¡°Advance the plan to today.¡± Wang Changlin decided after a brief pause. ¡°Boss?¡± Wang Changlin snorted coldly, ¡°The Li family controls too much. Li Mingxuan wouldn¡¯t go to the neighbourhood where Gesen lives for no reason, he must have known something. To avoid the long night dreams, since it¡¯s already arranged anyway, let it be done on the same day.¡± ¡°I got it, boss!¡± The man nodded and turned to leave the room without saying anything else. After the man left, Wang Changlin sat there in silence, thinking about something alone. It was only after a long time that he seemed to come back to his senses, slowly leaning down and pulling open the drawer, carefully taking out a photo album from it and gently flipping through it page by page. The photographs in the album were all black and white, faintly yellowish and very old looking. The one who appeared most in the photo album was a beautiful-looking girl, who looked indescribably smart and lovely whether she was smiling or sulking. Wang Changlin¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help showing a nostalgic smile. As he turned the pages, a handsome looking man began to appear beside the girl, and the two looked very close. The smile on Wang Changlin¡¯s face faded, replaced with a hint of ruthlessness. The man soon disappeared from the album, the young girl grew into a woman, and in the place of the man appeared a boy who looked quite similar to the man. The boy grew up day by day, turning from a teenager to a young man, and Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes focused on that familiar and unfamiliar face, his features twisting a little before he finally laughed aloud strangely. After nearly thirty years, he had almost forgotten his real face. In countless midnight dreams, two faces alternated in his mind. He must have been in a momentary trance. Who was he? Wang Changlin or Shen Shang? Over the years, he had loathed looking in the mirror, loathed having his picture taken, loathed anything that would show this face. He was Wang Changlin in the eyes of others, but he hated the name, he hated the identity, he hated the face, he wanted to tell everyone that his name was Shen Shang, he was Shen Shang! The laughter echoing in the room gradually quieted. Wang Changlin turned the photo album to the last page. Half of the photo was lying there quietly, Han Rou¡¯s smiling face appearing in front of his eyes. Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes stared vaguely at the half of the photo for a while, then he picked up the scissors on the table and cut out the head belonging to Shen Shang and pasted it next to Han Rou¡¯s. Although the stitched together photo looked strange, Wang Changlin was very satisfied, and a weird smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. Carefully placing the collaged photo in his wallet, Wang Changlin locked the album into the drawer and got up to walk towards the door with a frantic look in his eyes. Soon it all would be over. He was Shen Shang, and only Shen Shang! CH 95 When Wang Changlin arrived at the hospital, Shen Dehan was sleeping. Perhaps because of his mobility problems, he was becoming more and more lethargic, with little clarity during the day. As he slept, he was unaware of anything around him and did not look as irritable as he did when he was awake, but looked very peaceful. Wang Changlin stood there quietly, his gaze focused on Shen Dehan¡¯s serene expression, and his face distorted a little, a flicker of madness in his eyes. ¡°Boss, it¡¯s all done!¡± The man who had been following Wang Changlin gently pushed the door in and said in a low voice. The madness in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes faded away and he turned back into the refined old man again. With a slight nod, Wang Changlin pointed at Shen Dehan, ¡°Take him away!¡± The man nodded in silence and walked towards the sleeping Shen Dehan. Shen Dehan was quickly awakened by the man¡¯s movements and stared in surprise at the man in front of him, wondering how a stranger could have appeared in his ward. The man¡¯s movements were so rude that Shen Dehan realised that something was wrong and struggled hard, shouting loudly and trying to get the attention of the bodyguards outside. Wang Changlin stood indifferently to the side, watching Shen Dehan¡¯s struggle with cold eyes and a mocking expression on his face, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, they won¡¯t care about you even if they hear you.¡± It was only then that Shen Dehan noticed Wang Changlin. As if some thought crossed his mind, he glared viciously at Wang Changlin, trying hard to express his anger. Wang Changlin laughed contemptuously, his voice sinister, ¡°You want to know why I did it? Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll soon find out.¡± When those words were said, Shen Dehan¡¯s eyes went black and he suddenly fainted. Behind Shen Dehan, the man indifferently lowered his hand and looked at Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin was not impressed by his behaviour and walked out, instructing as he went, ¡°Inform Shen Ji and the others that I am waiting for them at Shen¡¯s house.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s order was quickly carried out, and the first to receive the notice was Shen Ji. After he hung up the phone, Shen Ji¡¯s face was very ugly. Earlier, in order to avoid stimulating Shen Dehan, he had concealed the fact that Wang Changlin had taken control of Shen Group. After learning Wang Changlin¡¯s true identity from Li Mingxuan, he had even instructed the bodyguards around Shen Dehan to forbid Wang Changlin from appearing at the hospital. But what he did not expect was that Wang Changlin would take Shen Dehan surrounded by bodyguards away smoothly, and not only the bodyguards but also the hospital would not react in any way. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes were full of gloom. There was no doubt that the bodyguards had been bribed by Wang Changlin. The most urgent task was not to hold them responsible, but to find out what exactly Wang Changlin wanted. Shen Xi was also trying to figure out what Wang Changlin was going to do. If he hated Shen Dehan because of his identity and his act of taking Shen Dehan away from the hospital was full of malice, then his act of sending Shen Dehan back to the Shen family¡¯s house clearly meant that he didn¡¯t want things to get too big. Did he want to solve the matter within the Shen family? This contradictory behaviour made Shen Xi very puzzled as to what Wang Changlin¡¯s true intentions were. If it was just about Shen Dehan, Shen Xi did not care much, but thinking about Wang Changlin¡¯s past with the Han family, Shen Xi frowned and resolved to go there in person. He needed to know Wang Changlin¡¯s true intentions. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Li Mingxuan didn¡¯t say much about Shen Xi¡¯s decision but insisted on going with him. Li Mingxuan was already very concerned about Shen Xi because of his previous dream, and he had met the man from his dream in front of Lu Gesen¡¯s house last time. Although there was no proof that the man was related to Wang Changlin, his heart was vaguely wary and he couldn¡¯t help but want to be by Shen Xi¡¯s side at all times. ¡°It¡¯s just going back to Shen¡¯s house, I¡¯ll be back soon. Cousin, don¡¯t you want to wait for Ye Han¡¯s news?¡± Regarding this clingy behaviour of Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi only thought that he was stimulated by their previous break-up. In order to avoid Li Mingxuan¡¯s embarrassing attitude, he did not want to involve Li Mingxuan in this matter, so he tried hard to convince Li Mingxuan. ¡°Ye Han will notify me when he has news. What is important now is that none of us know what Wang Changlin really wants. In case something happens, Ah Ji with Ah Cheng will definitely protect Uncle. Xiao Xi, if you are alone, I will worry.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s attitude was so firm that Shen Xi had no choice but to compromise. Each of them took a step back. Li Mingxuan would accompany him, but would not enter Shen¡¯s house and just keep watch outside. As the two went out, Shen Ji, who was the first to receive the news, had already rushed back to Shen¡¯s house with Shen Cheng. ¡°What a touching father-son bond!¡± Wang Changlin looked admiringly at Shen Ji who pushed the door open, obviously surprised that Shen Ji could arrive in such a short time. Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin an expressionless glance. Shen Cheng, who followed behind Shen Ji, said sharply, ¡°Where is Father?¡± Wang Changlin leaned back on the sofa with a relaxed expression, like a host looking at his guests, ¡°Dehan is resting in his room. Ah Cheng, if you worry, you can go and check.¡± Shen Cheng subconsciously looked at Shen Ji, who seemed not to have heard these words and sat down in front of Wang Changlin with a calm look. ¡°Should I address you as Lawyer Wang or should I call you Uncle?¡± Wang Changlin raised his eyebrows in surprise, ¡°You already know?¡± Shen Ji nodded, ¡°I just found out not long ago.¡± Wang Changlin let out a faint ¡°oh¡±, as if the two of them were just talking about something that couldn¡¯t be more ordinary. Shen Cheng did not react for a while and repeated in a low voice, ¡°Uncle?¡± The next moment his face changed dramatically and he looked at Wang Changlin in shock, ¡°You!¡± Wang Changlin smiled amiably at Shen Cheng, ¡°What, Ah Cheng doesn¡¯t know yet?¡± When Shen Cheng saw this smile, he felt an indescribable discomfort. The intimate ¡°Ah Cheng¡± made him feel as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly, and he looked at Shen Ji for confirmation, ¡°Big Brother?¡± Shen Ji nodded, and Shen Cheng¡¯s expression instantly collapsed. Then he thought of something and looked angrily at Wang Changlin, ¡°What do you want?¡± For a family like theirs, illegitimate children were an issue that could not be avoided. Although Shen Cheng¡¯s character was straightforward but it did not mean he was stupid. Wang Changlin had been lurking in the Shen family for so many years, and now he even held a controlling stake in Shen Group. To say that he did not have malicious intent was simply unbelievable. Shen Cheng¡¯s reaction amused Wang Changlin, who laughed lightly and became more and more amiable in his attitude, saying affectionately, ¡°Ah Cheng is still the same, he can¡¯t be patient at all. You¡¯ll know what I want in a moment, but for now, I have to wait for Xiao Xi.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s attitude once again affected Shen Cheng. He couldn¡¯t imagine how Wang Changlin could still act as if nothing had happened. If Shen Ji hadn¡¯t been around, he felt that he would have been unable to control himself and would have attacked Wang Changlin. Shen Ji was satisfied with Shen Cheng¡¯s restraint. Their father was still in Wang Changlin¡¯s hands and he did not want to get into a conflict with Wang Changin too early. No one spoke anymore, and the living room fell into silence for a while. As time passed, there was the faint sound of footsteps in the foyer. A strange look flashed in Wang Changlin¡¯s eyes, ¡°It should be Xiao Xi coming, everyone is finally together.¡± Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a wary look. He vaguely felt that Wang Changlin¡¯s tone just now was odd, what did it mean that everyone was together? Before he could think about it, Shen Xi pushed the door and walked in. Wang Changlin looked over with a smile and a crazy glint in his eyes. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s tone was like that of a close elder. Shen Xi answered indifferently, surveying the surroundings in silence. As he expected, there were only a few people in the hall and none of the familiar servants could be seen. Thinking about the scenery all the way from the gate, it seemed that the entire house was empty apart from Wang Changlin¡¯s people. Shen Xi didn¡¯t think much about it and naturally sat beside Shen Ji. Wang Changlin seemed to want to express some concern of an elder, but Shen Cheng impatiently said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would tell us your purpose when Shen Xi came? Now that he¡¯s here, you can tell us.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s question was exactly what everyone wanted to know, and immediately everyone¡¯s eyes focused on Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin smiled and nodded. ¡°Since Xiao Xi has arrived, it¡¯s time for everyone to be together.¡± After saying that, he clapped his hands and soon, a few strange men pushed Shen Dehan and Shen Rong over from the side of the hall. ¡°Father!¡± Shen Cheng stood up and looked over eagerly, but Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a covert glance. He noticed that Wang Changlin had mentioned twice that everyone was together, what exactly did it imply? Shen Dehan was obviously very happy to see Shen Cheng, but he turned his head to Wang Changlin and became angry again, babbling something in fury. Unlike Shen Dehan¡¯s anger, Shen Rong¡¯s attitude was very abnormal; his expression was one of complete horror as he cringed and sneaked glances at Wang Chenglin every now and then, his body trembling uncontrollably. Shen Xi did not look at the two men but stared dead on at one of the men behind Shen Dehan. The rioting crowd, Fang Luowei standing in front of him, the knife that pierced his heart and the man¡¯s grin, the last scene from his previous life came to his mind. Shen Xi seemed to feel that pain again as his life was draining from his body. Perhaps his gaze was too scorching; the man looked over keenly. Shen Xi lowered his eyes silently, avoiding the man¡¯s gaze and hiding his hatred. After pushing Shen Dehan and Shen Rong into the hall, the people quickly retreated, leaving only one of the men standing behind Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin¡¯s expression relaxed even more as his eyes swept over the people present one by one, finally landing on Shen Dehan¡¯s face. ¡°Now, everyone is finally together.¡± His opening words were plain and uneventful, but Shen Xi and the others did not dare to be careless and all looked at Wang Changlin with solemn expressions. Wang Changlin smiled lightly, ¡°Let me introduce myself first. I am Shen Shang, the eldest son of Shen Jiacheng and also Dehan¡¯s elder brother.¡± These few words Wang Changlin had obviously deliberately said to Shen Dehan, whose expression instantly changed as he yelled angrily, expressing his disbelief. The smile on Wang Changlin¡¯s face deepened, ¡°Whether you believe it or not, Dehan, I am your big brother. Our father knew that and, by the way, Ah Ji obviously knows it too.¡± The words ¡°our father¡± once again irritated Shen Dehan, who looked increasingly angry, but this time he turned his head and shouted at Shen Ji, clearly wanting him to come out and refute. Shen Ji was about to speak to calm Shen Dehan when the man behind Wang Changlin suddenly stepped forward and a knife was pointed at Shen Dehan¡¯s neck. Shen Dehan¡¯s voice stopped abruptly and his entire body froze in place. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Shen Ji said angrily. The man snorted, ¡°I just want the old man to shut up.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s eyes moved to Wang Changlin, who shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t like it when someone keeps babbling when I¡¯m talking.¡± Shen Ji gave Wang Changlin a deep look, ¡°I see.¡± After these words, the man quickly put away the knife in his hand and pushed Shen Dehan towards Shen Ji, then nodded to Wang Changlin and exited the hall. This time no one said anything; even Shen Dehan kept his mouth tightly shut, only expressing his anger with his eyes. Wang Changlin seemed satisfied with the status quo and smiled faintly, ¡°What was I just talking about? Oh yes, I said that I was Shen Shang, Dehan¡¯s elder brother, the son of Shen Jiacheng. Shen Jiacheng knew full well of my existence, but he always pretended to be refined and elegant in front of outsiders, his character flawless, so naturally he could not let my existence spoil the good image he had created. I didn¡¯t care that he wouldn¡¯t acknowledge me, and indeed I never intended him to. I would not have appeared before him at all had it not been for my mother being very ill and wanting to see him. He rejected me, and I resented him for being mean and cruel but I also understood. He had to maintain his good image to the public and not let the scandal of having an illegitimate child break. But he should have never arranged a car accident that almost killed me when I was planning to leave. Luckily, I survived, but my face was burnt. When I came home after all the difficulties, I found out that during the time I was recovering from my injuries, my mother had passed away and I didn¡¯t even witness her last breath.¡± Wang Changlin kept a smile on his face, and even when he spoke, his smile did not change in the slightest, as if he was telling about the affairs of someone unrelated. Shen Xi lowered his eyes. The information Li Mingxuan had found indicated that the person behind the car accident was Grandma Shen and not Grandpa Shen, but for Wang Changlin, no matter who was behind the car accident, it was a fact that his life was completely ruined. As Wang Changlin told the story, the people present had different expressions. Shen Xi and Shen Ji were very calm as they already knew about it beforehand. Shen Cheng and Shen Rong were stunned, but Shen Dehan was the only one who looked angry, and although he did not dare to speak out anymore, he stared at Wang Changlin with hatred. Wang Changlin smiled and scanned everyone¡¯s reactions before continuing, ¡°I swore in front of my mother¡¯s grave that I would pay back a thousand times the harm that Shen Jiacheng inflicted on me. Whatever he valued, I will destroy. He valued Shen Group, so I will take over Shen Group and make it change hands. He valued the image of the Shen family to the outside world. I will make the Shen family fall into disrepute and thousands of people will point fingers at it. He valued the legacy of the Shen family, so I will make the Shen family extinct. Over the years, in order to achieve my goal, I have given up my face and my identity, choosing to become a complete stranger. And now, with everything going as I had hoped, I am about to succeed completely.¡± It was clearly an extremely vicious statement but it was said by Wang Changlin with a gentle smile, a dissonance that made even Shen Xi feel a chill in his heart. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Wang Changlin had just mentioned the words ¡°succeed completely¡±, and Shen Xi was more wary of Wang Changlin¡¯s so-called ¡°extinction of the family¡± than the change of ownership of Shen Group and the loss of the family¡¯s reputation. Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi appreciatively, his eyes eerie, ¡°You will soon find out.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s heart clenched and he subconsciously turned towards the doorway, but unexpectedly Shen Rong suddenly exclaimed, ¡°Fire, there¡¯s a fire!¡± Shen Xi looked over. The hall was suddenly surrounded by countless flames. No one knew what Wang Changlin had arranged, but the flames rose to a height of a man almost instantly, trapping everyone in the hall. Shen Xi turned his head to look at Wang Changlin. Like them, Wang Changlin was also trapped inside. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Shen Cheng exclaimed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of burning to death yourself?¡± Wang Changlin laughed wildly, ¡°Me, I will die with you all, so that the Shen family will truly be extinct.¡± No one expected Wang Changlin to be this crazy. Shen Ji pushed Shen Dehan towards the door and shouted, ¡°Shen Cheng, Shen Xi, follow.¡± Wang Changlin looked at them with a twisted expression, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to run. The door has been sealed off. The whole house except for the hall has been covered with accelerants and now the outside is also in flames. Where can you go after leaving here?¡± Wang Changlin was telling the truth; except for the hall, the whole Shen family mansion was burning. Even from the window, the courtyard was in flames, and the whole Shen family¡¯s house was like a sea of fire billowing in the wind. Shen Xi¡¯s footsteps stopped as Shen Rong behind him cried out pitifully, ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, I don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Shen Xi said in a cold voice, retreating to the centre of the hall. As Wang Changlin had said, the entire house had been covered with accelerants. Compared to that, the hall was now the safest place. Shen Ji pushed Shen Dehan back to Shen Xi¡¯s side and said, ¡°What should we do?¡± Shen Xi looked around, ¡°Going out is impossible for now, we can only wait for help from outside. Cousin is outside right now, he should be able to think of something.¡± Shen Ji breathed a sigh of relief. The fire started so suddenly and they were trapped inside before they could react. With his heart temporarily relaxed, Shen Ji looked coldly at Wang Changlin, who met Shen Ji¡¯s gaze with a smile. ¡°Give up, no one can get in with this kind of fire. By the time they come in, we¡¯ll all be burnt to ashes.¡± Wang Changlin deliberately emphasised the words ¡°burnt to ashes¡±, and Shen Xi keenly felt a tremor in the body of Shen Cheng beside him. Perhaps it was because he had died once, or perhaps because he was convinced that Li Mingxuan would definitely save him, even though he was trapped in the fire, Shen Xi¡¯s heart was unexpectedly calm. Instead of huddling with Shen Ji and the others, Shen Xi walked towards Wang Changlin. As the saying goes, when a man is about to die, his words are true. Shen Xi didn¡¯t know if this was the case with Wang Changlin, but he needed an answer from Wang Changlin about his mother and the past of the Han family. Shen Ji looked at Shen Xi¡¯s movements with surprise and said in a low voice, ¡°Shen Xi, come back.¡± Wang Changlin was already crazy; Shen Xi didn¡¯t care what the other party could do. Shen Xi turned a deaf ear to Shen Ji¡¯s call and just calmly stood in front of Wang Changlin. In the roaring fire, Shen Xi¡¯s figure seemed to distort for a moment. Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi with fascination, as if in a trance. He seemed to see Han Rou standing in front of him. ¡°Xiao Rou, you¡¯re back?¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s voice was full of surprise, and Shen Xi lowered his eyes, ¡°Did you approach Mother back then just to use her?¡± ¡°Use,¡± Wang Changli muttered and suddenly laughed loudly, ¡°Yes, I was using her. I approached her in order to marry her so that I could use the Han family¡¯s power to take revenge, but she fell in love with Shen Dehan. What¡¯s so great about Shen Dehan? Just a liar pretending to be in love. You see, I just found Zhou Mingmei and easily tested his true nature. It¡¯s a pity that Xiao Rou refused to get a divorce. I obviously convinced Han Yu to stand up for Xiao Rou, but Xiao Rou refused to leave Shen Dehan. What¡¯s so great about Shen Dehan? What do you think is so great about Shen Dehan?¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Wang Changlin laughed nervously, ¡°Shen Dehan didn¡¯t know that Xiao Rou was already depressed when she was pregnant with Shen Xi. Every time she went back to Han¡¯s house I watched from the sidelines, carefully guiding her and using Zhou Mingmei to stimulate her. Telling her that Shen Dehan didn¡¯t like her at all and definitely did not want her baby either unless Shen Cheng and Shen Ji disappeared, leaving only the child in her belly. I watched Xiao Rou become more and more anxious every day, watched her getting jittery from Zhou Mingmei¡¯s stimulation, watched her unable to rest easy day and night because of Shen Dehan¡¯s coldness, worried that someone might harm the child in her belly. I watched her getting wound up tighter and tighter until finally one day she completely broke.¡± Wang Changlin¡¯s smile faded, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a woman as stupid as her. That stupid woman actually loved Shen Dehan.¡± Shen Xi¡¯s fists clenched in restraint, ¡°What happened after that? Why did Mother jump out of the window?¡± Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi in a daze, ¡°Yes, why did Xiao Rou jump? Because she found out about me, found out that I was Shen Shang, found out that I had been using her.¡± A hint of pain flashed across Wang Changlin¡¯s face, ¡°She thought I didn¡¯t love her? How could I not love her? It took me six whole years to move her heart and make her forget Shen Dehan and love me, how could I not love her? She thought I was lying to her, but after six whole years of lying, I didn¡¯t even know if what I said to her was true or not. She jumped out of the window like that, taking my child with her, why did Shen Xi survive while my child died there, why?¡± Wang Changlin looked at Shen Xi in a trance, repeating over and over again, ¡°Why did you live and my child died, why?¡± Why? Shen Xi could not give him an answer, and for a moment he almost wanted to answer: would he rather live? His mother¡¯s early death, the Han family¡¯s downfall, his father¡¯s indifference, the alienation of his relatives, and finally his tragic death in prison, if he hadn¡¯t been reborn, he wouldn¡¯t even know what he was living for. Who should he blame for all this? Blame Wang Changlin for using the Han family to take revenge? Blame his mother for not wanting to live? Blame his father for being too biassed? Or should he blame himself for being born? The conversation between the two was heard by Shen Ji and the others and they all had different expressions. With a sigh, Shen Ji stepped forward and was about to call Shen Xi over when he suddenly heard the sound of breaking glass coming from a corner of the hall. ¡°Xiao Xi, Ah Ji!¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice came in, full of indescribable anxiety. Shen Xi turned around in surprise, and Shen Cheng had already shouted out first, ¡°Cousin, we are all here.¡± Shen Cheng barely said that when he started coughing violently. Although the fire in the hall was large, there was not much smoke. However, as Li Mingxuan smashed the glass of the hall, the smoke in the courtyard surged in and filled the whole hall almost instantly. The figures of Shen Xi and the others were soon covered by the thick smoke and could not be seen clearly in the shadows. ¡°Quick, hurry up, go in and save the people.¡± ¡°Water guns! Water guns!¡± ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± A jumble of voices rang out at the window, but Shen Xi only heard the call of ¡°Xiao Xi¡±. ¡°Cousin!¡± Loudly indicating his location, Shen Xi was about to move towards the window by memory, but unexpectedly Wang Changlin pulled him from behind. ¡°I remember now, you are the child of me and Xiao Rou, yes, you are the child of me and Xiao Rou.¡± Shen Xi turned back in shock, and all he could see in the smoke was Wang Changlin¡¯s insane eyes, but his face had a loving expression as he smiled at him gently. ¡°Let go!¡± Shen Xi tried hard to break free, but to his surprise, Wang Changlin¡¯s hands were like iron pliers, gripping his clothes in a death grip, making him unable to break free. ¡°Xiao Xi?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice sounded once again, seemingly not far from him. ¡°Cousin!¡± Shen Xi replied loudly, then turned his attention to Wang Changlin once again, not noticing that Shen Rong had taken advantage of the confusion to come behind him. Through the cover of the thick smoke, Shen Rong looked at Wang Changlin with a sinister expression instead of his previous cowering. As soon as Li Mingxuan appeared, Shen Rong took advantage of the chaos to set eyes on Wang Changlin. Seeing Wang Changlin holding Shen Xi, Shen Rong curved his lips in a vicious smile. He reached out towards Shen Xi and pushed him hard. Shen Xi momentarily lost his balance and fell towards Wang Changlin. Wang Changlin pulled Shen Xi to the floor and the flames quickly wrapped Wang Changlin¡¯s body. Shen Rong looked at the two fallen men with satisfaction. The smile on his face had not yet receded when the crystal lamp, whose base had melted due to the fire, came crashing down from above his head, straight onto his back. ¡°Ah!¡± A miserable scream rang out. Shen Xi was about to get up from the floor, but his body shook because the scream behind him was too shrill, and he almost fell on Wang Changlin¡¯s body again. Familiar arms swept over from the side and Shen Xi was held tightly in Li Mingxuan¡¯s arms. ¡°Xiao Xi! Xiao Xi!¡± Li Mingxuan repeated Shen Xi¡¯s name frantically. At the moment when Shen Xi fell, Li Mingxuan felt that his heart almost stopped. Feeling the trembling in Li Mingxuan¡¯s voice, Shen Xi said soothingly, ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Mingxuan, Xiao Xi, come out quickly, the hall is going to collapse.¡± Ye Han¡¯s anxious voice came through. Li Mingxuan calmed down and pulled Shen Xi back out in the direction he had entered. The fire in the courtyard had been brought under control and a large number of firefighters were anxiously guarding them. Li Mingxuan pulled Shen Xi to the ambulance first and nervously examined the burns on his body. There was nothing wrong with Shen Xi, only minor burns on his palms. Because of Li Mingxuan¡¯s cold face, the nurse had the sense to wrap Shen Xi¡¯s hands carefully in layer after layer of gauze until Li Mingxuan nodded in satisfaction. After confirming that Shen Xi was fine, Li Mingxuan did not stay long and took Shen Xi away, leaving all the follow-up to Shen Ji. Back at home, Li Mingxuan carefully helped Shen Xi sit on the bed, put the pillow behind him and placed him in a comfortable position. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan speechlessly, ¡°I only have minor burns on both hands, why do I feel like I can¡¯t move my whole body now?¡± Li Mingxuan grimaced and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Shen Xi originally wanted to make a joke, but he did not expect Li Mingxuan¡¯s reaction to be so strong. Hearing the faint trembling in his voice, Shen Xi¡¯s heart softened, ¡°Cousin, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Li Mingxuan reached out and hugged Shen Xi, whispering, ¡°I know! I know!¡± Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t describe the terror of the afternoon. When the fire at Shen¡¯s house initially started, he had just received a call from Ye Han stating that he had found Lu Gesen¡¯s whereabouts. At that moment, Li Mingxuan was trying to inform Shen Xi, but unexpectedly he saw the house getting enveloped in flames in the blink of an eye. He subconsciously rushed over and the courtyard was already burning. Calling the police, asking the Ye family for help, he forced himself to calm down. When he had done all he could do and the rest of the time he could only wait helplessly for help to arrive, his heart was overwhelmed with regret; he should have insisted on staying with Shen Xi, he should not have left him alone in danger. When help finally arrived, Li Mingxuan insisted on going in himself, despite everyone¡¯s resistance, afraid that Shen Xi would not be able to hold on till his arrival. During the long wait from the time the fire started until help arrived, Li Mingxuan felt like a walking dead. Only when he heard Shen Xi¡¯s voice, when he held Shen Xi in his arms did Li Mingxuan feel like he had come to life. ¡°Xiao Xi.¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°Wherever you go from now on, I must be by your side.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The fire in the Shen family¡¯s house burned for three hours before it was completely extinguished. Fortunately, Li Mingxuan called the police in time, and although the fire caused heavy damage to Shen¡¯s house, the surrounding houses were not damaged in any way. When Li Mingxuan accompanied Shen Xi to the Shen family¡¯s house the next day, all he saw was a charred ruin. Shen Xi stood there in silence, listening to Li Mingxuan say that Wang Changlin was not rescued in the end. By the time the rescuers found him, he had no heartbeat, but there was a strange smile on his face. Apart from Wang Changlin, the most seriously injured person was Shen Rong. In the car accident, only Shen Rong¡¯s lower legs were injured and the doctor said that if he recovered well, there was the possibility of getting back on his feet. However, yesterday, smashed by the crystal chandelier, Shen Rong lost all sensation down from his waist, and he would likely never be able to stand up again in his life. Shen Xi thought of Shen Rong pushing him from behind and sighed. If it wasn¡¯t for Shen Rong, he would have been the one hit by the chandelier. Shen Xi didn¡¯t know if he should thank Shen Rong, who had originally acted out of malice, but by mistake saved his life. The cycle of karma, the flow of the world, perhaps there really was retribution in this world. Shen Xi breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He didn¡¯t know why he insisted on coming here again. Maybe subconsciously, he regarded it as a kind of saying farewell to the past. Shen Xi had to admit that Wang Changlin¡¯s final madness had given him a great shock, and for the first time he truly understood the words that Fang Luowei said once, ¡°When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.¡± A trace of fear flashed through Shen Xi¡¯s heart. Fortunately, he was not as crazy as Wang Changlin. He still had time to leave the abyss and walk under the sun. ¡°Xiao Xi!¡± Lu Gesen¡¯s voice came from behind him, and Shen Xi turned around in surprise to meet Lu Gesen¡¯s hesitant eyes. ¡°Cousin.¡± In just a few days, Lu Gesen looked a lot haggard. Hearing Shen Xi call him ¡°Cousin¡±, Lu Gesen smiled slightly and walked up to him. Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi¡¯s hand, lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead, and walked to the other side of the ruins, thoughtfully leaving space for the two to talk. Lu Gesen said with concern, ¡°Xiao Xi, are you alright?¡± Shen Xi nodded. ¡°What about you?¡± Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just couldn¡¯t get in touch with the outside world.¡± In just one day, his world had been turned upside down. His foster father, who he had admired with all his heart, was the murderer who had caused the Han family¡¯s destruction, and the so-called adoption was only to use him as a pawn. If Wang Changlin had just used him thoroughly, Lu Gesen might not be in such pain as he was now. But Wang Changlin¡¯s using had a rare touch of warmth in it. A trace of pain flashed across his face as Lu Gesen whispered, ¡°What happened to him in the end?¡± Shen Xi didn¡¯t know how to describe it and softly told what happened yesterday. Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, ¡°He was always good to me, I regarded him as a real father. Even in the end, he was still good to me.¡± Shen Xi listened quietly to Lu Gesen¡¯s words. Perhaps Lu Gesen needed his listening more than his empty comfort. Lu Gesen¡¯s eyes fell on the ruins in front of him, and he said softly, ¡°He had already signed the Shen Group split agreement earlier, splitting off the business that originally belonged to the Han family and transferring it to my name. Xiao Xi, I plan to leave the country next week and will settle abroad in the future. I will not come back if nothing happens. The Han family business doesn¡¯t mean anything to me, and I want to leave it to you.¡± Lu Gesen said with a forced smile, ¡°I originally planned to take you with me, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be with Li Mingxuan. This is good, Li Mingxuan is a good person, I can rest assured in the future.¡± Shen Xi refused Lu Gesen¡¯s offer. He had no notion about the Han family¡¯s business. In fact, it should have belonged to Lu Gesen. Lu Gesen could not convince Shen Xi, so he had to accept Shen Xi¡¯s goodwill. Patting Shen Xi¡¯s shoulder hard, Lu Gesen smiled and left. ¡°Xiao Xi, no matter what, you¡¯re the only family I have.¡± ¡°I know!¡± As he watched Lu Gesen walk away, Shen Xi let out a silent sigh. He did not know how long it would take for Lu Gesen to get out of Wang Changlin¡¯s shadow. He only hoped that Lu Gesen would be able to completely let go of his past and be happy in the near future. With Lu Gesen leaving, Li Mingxuan returned to Shen Xi¡¯s side and said softly, ¡°Let¡¯s go back, it¡¯s time for you to change your bandages.¡± Shen Xi nodded but did not act, instead turning to face Li Mingxuan and meeting his eyes openly. ¡°Li Mingxuan?¡± ¡°En?¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s tone was puzzled. Shen Xi looked serious, ¡°Have I told you that when I was trapped in the fire yesterday, I regretted only one thing?¡± ¡°What was it?¡± Shen Xi smiled faintly, ¡°I regretted that I never told you that I love you.¡± Surprise flashed in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes as Shen Xi stepped forward and intimately dropped a kiss on his lips. ¡°Li Mingxuan, I love you!¡± ¡°Shen Xi, I love you too!¡± Translator¡¯s note: This is the end of the main story. Next are the extras. As I promised, I¡¯m giving a warning: Chapters 96-98 contain incest, Ah Ji x Ah Cheng, with some bondage/dominance themes. If it bothers you, you can skip them no problem. Chapter 99-101 are Xiao Xi and Li Mingxuan¡¯s wedding and Fang Luowei. I do not recommend to skip them. CH 96 Chapters 96-98 ¨C incest warning (Ah Ji x Ah Cheng) Three months passed since the fire in the Shen family¡¯s house. In the first few days, both the media and the public were full of rumours about the fire, but after all the relevant people refused to be interviewed, and after all the inside information about the fire was covered up tightly by the concerned parties, the public finally lost interest and soon the topic of the Shen family¡¯s fire was lost under all kinds of sensational or curious news. Along with the memories of the fire, the Shen family also disappeared from the public eye. Not long after the fire, the results of the investigation into Shen Rong¡¯s drug trafficking were finalised, and Shen Rong was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the evidence of drug trafficking was confirmed. Shen Ji hated Shen Rong for addicting Shen Cheng to drugs, and Li Mingxuan witnessed Shen Rong trying to push Shen Xi to the fire, but it didn¡¯t matter who of them was behind Shen Rong¡¯s sentence or if both of them had taken action. While Shen Rong was sentenced, Shen Dehan was sent by Shen Bixue to the best sanatorium in Zhongjing. Perhaps as a result of inhaling too much smoke during the fire, Shen Dehan¡¯s nerves were severely damaged and his memory was lost. He didn¡¯t recognise anyone and didn¡¯t even remember who he was. After Shen Dehan was settled, Shen Ji took Shen Cheng and moved out of the suburban villa and into an apartment in the city. After sorting out the remaining assets of the Shen family, Shen Ji decisively sold off several properties and some antique jewellery that the Shen family owned, cashing in a large sum of money. Part of this money was used to pay for Shen Dehan¡¯s recuperation expenses, part was left to Shen Xi, and the remainder was used by Shen Ji to start a small trading company. As for Shen Ji, the embarrassing past of the Shen family, the bankruptcy of Shen Group and other things certainly made him sad, but he did not have much time to be sentimental. He was not alone, he still had Shen Cheng behind him and he needed to uphold the Shen family as soon as possible. With this in mind, and with Shen Ji¡¯s hard work and the help of the Li family, the company soon got on track and won a big contract a few days ago. This contract was too important to Shen Ji, as with the completion of this contract, the company¡¯s scale could be doubled. Shen Ji had to fight with all his energy and worked day and night with his staff for several days, finally reaching an agreement with the other party on all the details of the contract. ¡°Happy cooperation, Miss Chen!¡± Sitting opposite Shen Ji was the project leader of the partner company, and also the daughter of Chen Group¡¯s owner, Chen Jie. Chen Group was not a local consortium in Zhongjing. It had previously been developing in the South Island and this was the first time it tried to expand to the North. ¡°Happy cooperation, Mr. Shen!¡± Chen Jie smiled and looked at Shen Ji. She had heard of Shen Ji¡¯s name before; the heir of the Shen family in Zhongjing, handsome and outstanding yet clean. One Shen Ji and one Li Mingxuan were the perfect marriage objects in the eyes of all the families in Zhongjing, but unfortunately neither of them had any intention of getting married. Chen Jie¡¯s eyes flickered; her family had been forcing her to get married. If it was before, she would not have thought about Shen Ji, as the Chen family was not high enough to reach the Shen family. But now that Shen Group was bankrupt, if Shen Ji wanted to revive the Shen family as soon as possible, a helpful wife would be a good choice. And with Shen Ji¡¯s ability, Chen Jie was sure she would quickly gain a firm foothold in the family and take the reins of the Chen family. In Chen Jie¡¯s mind, whether it was for her or Shen Ji, it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. With these thoughts in mind, Chen Jie was already inviting with a smile, ¡°I heard that there is a good Western restaurant not far from here, I wonder if Mr. Shen would be willing to accompany me?¡± Shen Ji was startled and his brow furrowed slightly. He had been so busy in the past few days, so he deliberately mentioned to Shen Cheng that he would return early after completing the contract today. Frankly speaking, Shen Jie did not want to go, but looking at Chen Jie¡¯s smile, he had to nod and agree. Chen Jie was a big client of the company and at this time, at the beginning of the cooperation, he had no way to refuse the other party¡¯s goodwill. Shen Ji¡¯s consent made the smile on Chen Jie¡¯s face even brighter, and she had more confidence in the idea in her mind. It was ten o¡¯clock in the evening and Shen Ji had not yet returned home. Shen Cheng walked around the living room irritably; on the dining table not far away were several dishes that had already gone cold. Where the hell was Shen Ji? No one answered the phone in the company, and She Ji¡¯s mobile phone was turned off. When Shen Cheng thought that Shen Ji had originally said he would be back early today but he hadn¡¯t shown up until now, Shen Cheng became more and more annoyed. In order to celebrate the successful signing of the contract, he even learned to cook a few dishes following the TV show, just to give Shen Ji a surprise, but now where the hell had he gone? Little by little, time passed and there was still no sign of Shen Ji coming back. Shen Cheng was starving, but he had no appetite for the dishes on the table. He tossed all the dishes into the trash can and swore that he would never do anything stupid like this again. Shen Cheng actually couldn¡¯t tell why he was so irritated. Was it because Shen Ji had promised him but broke the promise or was it because Shen Ji was not around? Ever since Shen Cheng started rehab a few months ago, Shen Ji had taken control of his life with an extremely forceful attitude. He had restricted Shen Cheng¡¯s freedom, limited his use of money and cut off all his external interactions. During the days of detoxification in the villa, he lived under Shen Ji¡¯s eyes 24 hours a day. Whether he was eating, sleeping or even bathing, he never left Shen Ji¡¯s sight. This situation got better only when Shen Group went bankrupt and Shen Ji moved here with him. Of course, it was not that Shen Ji gave him freedom, but Shen Ji could not be by his side 24 hours a day like before because he was busy with the establishment of the company. But even so, Shen Cheng was still living under Shen Ji¡¯s control. He was not allowed to surf the Internet, he was not allowed to go out at will, and he was not allowed to have any contact with the outside world except for a limited number of people. His daily entertainment was watching television or occasionally going for a walk in the nearby park accompanied by his bodyguard who lived next door. If at first Shen Cheng was extremely uncomfortable with this kind of life, as time passed, he became accustomed to it. Unconsciously, his discontent and fear of Shen Ji had turned into dependence. Shen Cheng thought irritably that in the past he relied on Shen Ji because he was arrogant and reckless, because he knew that no matter what he did, Shen Ji would take care of it for him. But that dependence was different from his current dependence, and what exactly was different, Shen Cheng could not figure out, even though he always felt that it was something right before his eyes. Shen Cheng¡¯s cranky thoughts did not last long when the sound of a faint voice came from outside the door. As soon as Shen Cheng heard it, he knew it was Shen Ji who had come back. The first thing Shen Ji did when he came back was to talk to his bodyguard about Shen Cheng¡¯s movements for the day. Shen Cheng haphazardly turned on the TV and pretended to watch it carefully, but his ears were perked up, listening for movement at the door. What Shen Ji saw when he entered the apartment was the familiar figure in the living room and the fatigue in his eyes dissipated, a faint smile appearing instead. Advertisements ¡°Ah Cheng, why are you still awake?¡± Shen Cheng turned his head impatiently, ¡°It¡¯s only eleven o¡¯clock, who would go to bed so early, can¡¯t you see I¡¯m watching TV in fascination?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s eyes fell on the screen and he raised an eyebrow, ¡°Since when are you so interested in cartoons, how come I didn¡¯t know you liked watching ¡®Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Shen Cheng choked. He just casually turned on the TV, his whole mind was on Shen Ji, how could he notice what was on the screen? Shen Ji chuckled, Shen Cheng became angry with embarrassment, and simply changed the subject, ¡°Big Brother, why did you come back so late? The phone hasn¡¯t been working either!¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s question seemed to make Shen Ji think of something. A trace of thoughtfulness flashed in his eyes, but his expression did not change, ¡°I accompanied a client to have a meal, and my phone happened to run out of battery.¡± A faint smell of perfume came from Shen Ji¡¯s body as he walked up to Shen Cheng¡¯s side. This smell was very familiar; Shen Cheng used to smell it on his female companions when he was fooling around. It was a very famous perfume that many women liked. When Shen Cheng smelled this fragrance, he didn¡¯t know why an evil fire suddenly rose up from the bottom of his heart. Thinking about what Shen Ji had just said about accompanying a client to dinner, he became more and more irritable, grunted heavily and stood up abruptly, ¡°I¡¯m going to bed.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s mood change was so sudden that Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s back in confusion and only reacted when Shen Cheng slammed the bedroom door heavily. ¡°Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Ji quickly chased after him. The bedroom door was locked from the inside; Shen Ji frowned and quickly returned to the living room to find the key. By the time he opened the bedroom door, Shen Cheng seemed to have guessed he was coming. A single person wrapped up in a blanket occupied the whole big bed, looking at Shen Ji provocatively. A hint of indulgence flashed in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes as he sat down on the edge of the bed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is it boring to stay inside, do you want the bodyguard to accompany you around the district tomorrow?¡± Shen Cheng also knew that his temper just now was too inexplicable. Hearing Shen Ji say this, he took the opportunity to make conditions, ¡°I want to go shopping.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Shen Ji flatly refused. ¡°Why?¡± Shen Cheng violently pushed away the blanket and sat up, ¡°Even if you¡¯re in prison, there is still time to go out and have a breath of fresh air, am I not just addicted to drugs? Before it was a villa, now it¡¯s an apartment, you lock me up at home every day, no internet access, no contact with outsiders, even the bodyguard can¡¯t talk to me, how long do you want to keep me locked up for? I said I¡¯ve gotten clean and will never do drugs again, even if you¡¯re my big brother, you can¡¯t control my life like this.¡± Shen Cheng glared fiercely at Shen Ji. These words were all from his heart. At the beginning when he was locked up by Shen Ji, he wanted to shout out loudly at Shen Ji like he did just now every day, but he didn¡¯t have the courage. By now, he had actually not thought about doing this for a long time, and he did not know why he suddenly said these words today. Shen Cheng vaguely felt that the reason he hadn¡¯t thought about this for so long was probably because when he was locked up by Shen Ji, Shen Ji was by his side 24 hours a day, seemingly locked up with him. But now Shen Ji had left him behind and had contact with the outside world, while he was still locked up here. So he was unhappy, he was angry, he wanted to express his demands. While Shen Cheng glared angrily at Shen Ji, Shen Ji¡¯s eyes moved a little from Shen Cheng¡¯s face to his body. Because he was going to sleep, Shen Cheng was not wearing anything but a pair of underwear. Perhaps it was the after-effects of drug addiction, but Shen Cheng was much thinner and weaker than before, and coupled with being locked up at home every day, his skin looked even paler. Against the dark blue bed sheet underneath, he looked like an unusually fragile beauty. Advertisements Shen Ji¡¯s eyes became opaque. He had to admit that this body was very attractive to him, or perhaps it had nothing to do with the body, but with the person. He wanted to keep this person by his side, to control his life, he wanted to be the only one in this person¡¯s world, and there could be no one else. Shen Ji did not know when he had started to develop this strong desire for control over Shen Cheng. If at first he had locked Shen Cheng in the villa and controlled his entire life for the purpose of detoxification, then in the process of Shen Cheng¡¯s initial fierce resistance turning to accepting this kind of life little by little, Shen Ji gradually couldn¡¯t tell what exactly he felt. Shen Ji knew that he had been used to controlling Shen Cheng¡¯s life since he was a child, and after his mother entrusted him with Shen Cheng on her deathbed, he had consciously placed Shen Cheng into his own protective sphere. From childhood to adulthood, Shen Cheng¡¯s life was controlled by him, he dictated what school Shen Cheng went to, he dictated what courses Shen Cheng took, he even gave up going to school abroad in order to watch over Shen Cheng. Until Shen Cheng graduated from university, he strictly required Shen Cheng to be home by 12 p.m. After Shen Cheng graduated from university, Shen Ji learnt to gradually loosen his grip on Shen Cheng. He no longer restricted his return time and no longer cared about Shen Cheng¡¯s friends. He always thought that he was not controlling Shen Cheng¡¯s life, he was just a strict elder brother. But after he forced Shen Cheng to quit drugs, he realised that his strong desire to control Shen Cheng was too abnormal. Only in the past it had been hidden under the name of brotherly discipline, but now that he had justified reasons to control Shen Cheng, he seemed to be unable to suppress that strong desire. Shen Ji¡¯s gaze was so aggressive that Shen Cheng thought he had infuriated Shen Ji, and his original anger was immediately extinguished. He looked at Shen Ji dumbly and said flatteringly, ¡°Big Brother, I was wrong, I know you are doing it for my own good, I shouldn¡¯t have argued with you.¡± This call of ¡°Big Brother¡± made Shen Ji come back to his senses. Slowly reaching out to touch Shen Cheng¡¯s head, Shen Ji lowered his eyes, ¡°Go to bed early, tomorrow I will take you shopping.¡± ¡°Really?¡± This was definitely an unexpected joy for Shen Cheng. Shen Ji nodded. Shen Cheng lay down on the bed contentedly and patted his side smoothly, ¡°Big Brother, I¡¯ve reserved a place for you, hurry up, take a shower and go to bed.¡± Because at the beginning of the detoxification process, whenever Shen Cheng was in pain, Shen Ji would hold him in his arms and gently soothe him, Shen Cheng had already gotten used to Shen Ji sleeping with him, and this habit was retained until now. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes flickered over Shen Cheng¡¯s body once again and he gave a low ¡°en¡±. CH 97 Chapters 96-98 ¨C incest warning (Ah Ji x Ah Cheng) Shen Ji promised to take Shen Cheng out, so naturally he would not go back on his word. Waking up early in the morning, Shen Ji told his assistant to push off all his meetings for the day and free up some time for him. The assistant who received Shen Ji¡¯s call was extremely puzzled. Yesterday, the contract had just been finalised. Shouldn¡¯t the boss be dealing with the contact today while the iron was hot? What the hell was he up to? No matter how much he swore in his heart, the assistant had to resign himself to the fact that he had to cancel all the meetings he had scheduled yesterday. There was no major problem with the rest of the schedule, but there was an issue with the meeting with Chen Jie. During the phone call, Chen Jie asked in detail about the reasons for cancellation and even inquired about the activities She Ji would have instead. The assistant felt that Chen Jie¡¯s questions were inexplicable, but as the other party was a major client of the company; he had to try to understand Chen Jie¡¯s psychology and to accommodate the other party by answering to his best ability. Only when the assistant hung up the phone did he let out a long sigh. Chen Jie didn¡¯t sound like a client but like the boss¡¯s wife checking his whereabouts. The assistant looked at the pile of cooperation documents and got busy. Shen Ji didn¡¯t know that Chen Jie would inquire about his whereabouts in such detail. He had consciously declined Chen Jie¡¯s vaguely revealed intentions last night. Before Shen Group¡¯s bankruptcy, he didn¡¯t need marriage to increase his bargaining chips, and after the bankruptcy, he would not choose any ridiculous marriage either. He was Shen Ji, and he was capable of holding up the Shen family on his own, not selling himself out cheaply like some goods. Moving quickly to wash up, Shen Ji returned to the bedroom. Shen Cheng was still sleeping, lying face down on the bed, pressing against the blanket under him. His long, slender limbs were stretched out. The corners of Shen Ji¡¯s mouth curled up slightly; the blanket was exactly where he had been when he woke up. He had never known before that Shen Cheng¡¯s sleeping position was so bad. For some time now, he had to carefully move Shen Cheng, who was pressing against him, every day when he woke up. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes slid down from Shen Cheng¡¯s bare back all the way down to his upturned buttocks, and as some thought flashed through his mind, his body instinctively stepped forward and his hand slapped the place where his eyes had landed. Advertisements ¡°Pop!¡± There was a crisp sound, and before Shen Ji could relish the supple feeling under his hand, Shen Cheng had already jumped up, frowning hard. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Shen Ji laughed in a happy mood, ¡°Hurry up and get dressed, I¡¯ll take you out today.¡± The misery and anger on Shen Cheng¡¯s face disappeared immediately after the word ¡°out¡±, replaced with a bright smile. With one hand rubbing the place where Shen Ji had just slapped and one arm wrapped around Shen Ji¡¯s neck, Shen Cheng said ingratiatingly, ¡°Big Brother, you¡¯re really my good big brother.¡± As he was talking, their bodies pressed together. Shen Ji stood fully clothed by the bed, while Shen Cheng was almost naked, half-kneeling on the bed, his entire upper body clinging to Shen Ji as he hugged Shen Ji tightly. Shen Ji felt the heat of Shen Cheng¡¯s skin through his thin clothes and his eyes darkened. Perhaps the excitement of finally being able to go out was too much; Shen Cheng forgot his state of undress for a moment and was oblivious to Shen Ji¡¯s reaction. Instead, he rubbed the place that was slapped by Shen Ji and complained, ¡°Big Brother, why do you hit so hard, do you know how much it hurts?¡± Listening to this kind of coquettish complaint, Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s slightly frowned eyebrows, and his voice became hoarse, with a hint of danger, ¡°Why, do you want me to rub it for you?¡± Although there seemed to be nothing wrong with this sentence, Shen Cheng instinctively noticed something was unusual and quickly let go of Shen Ji, retreating to the other side of the bed and smiling, ¡°No, Big Brother, I lied to you. It doesn¡¯t hurt. It really doesn¡¯t hurt at all. ¡± Saying that, Shen Cheng quickly jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng¡¯s back, his eyes becoming dark again. Shen Ji said that he was taking Shen Cheng out, but in fact, he hadn¡¯t really thought about where they were going. To Shen Cheng, it didn¡¯t matter where he was going, what mattered was that he could finally step out. Not to be watched by the bodyguard walking a few laps in the park and avoiding strangers with caution, but to have real contact with the outside world and mingle with the lively crowd. Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t remember the last time he was so excited, and to prevent Shen Ji from suddenly changing his mind, he was sticking to Shen Ji since he finished washing up, playing the role of an obedient and docile younger brother. Shen Ji was obviously very satisfied with Shen Cheng¡¯s performance and took the initiative to ask, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± ¡°Shutu, Yuanhui, any bar or KTV, anything will do.¡± The answer was clamouring in Shen Cheng¡¯s mind, but he didn¡¯t dare to really say it, knowing that Shen Ji would definitely not take him there, instead he might cancel the trip altogether. ¡°Anywhere, Big Brother, you make the decision,¡± Shen Cheng said meekly. Shen Ji nodded in satisfaction. He was not willing to take Shen Cheng to a place that was too lively, but picked a shopping centre that had just opened recently. Since Shen Cheng wanted to go shopping, there were not too many people there and it had everything to eat, drink and play, which in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes was enough for Shen Cheng to pass the day. Although Shen Cheng did not like Shen Ji¡¯s arrangement in his heart, he knew that the opportunity to go out didn¡¯t come easy and he didn¡¯t dare to show his dissatisfaction. The reason why Shen Ji kept such a close watch on Shen Cheng was to prevent him from contacting his old friends and relapsing. Quitting drugs for the second time would be even more difficult than the first. Now that Shen Ji was at Shen Cheng¡¯s side, Shen Cheng naturally did not need a bodyguard. The two of them strolled up from the ground floor. If it was in the past, Shen Cheng would have found this kind of activity extremely boring, but after being locked up for three months, Shen Cheng was excited to see everything again, pulling Shen Ji to look left and right. ¡°Mr. Shen?¡± A pleasant female voice sounded behind him, a hint of surprise in it. Shen Ji turned back in confusion; not far behind him Chen Jie smiled elegantly at him and walked over very naturally. ¡°Mr. Shen, it¡¯s really you, I thought I was mistaken.¡± Chen Jie said with a smile, her eyes unobtrusively sweeping over Shen Cheng. She did not know Shen Cheng, but she might as well judge Shen Cheng¡¯s identity from the similarity between his and Shen Ji¡¯s appearance. Originally, she thought that Shen Ji had something important to do since he had cancelled today¡¯s meeting, but she did not expect that Shen Ji would be leisurely accompanying Shen Cheng in shopping. At Chen Jie¡¯s appearance, a trace of dislike flashed through Shen Ji¡¯s eyes extremely quickly, but his expression did not show the slightest hint of it, and he said blandly, ¡°Miss Chen.¡± Chen Jie nodded with a smile, looking at Shen Cheng with suspicion, ¡°And who is this?¡± ¡°Shen Cheng, my brother.¡± ¡°Mr. Shen, nice to meet you.¡± Chen Jie smiled and took the initiative to make a gesture of goodwill. Shen Cheng¡¯s gaze fell on Chen Jie¡¯s face and he nodded perfunctorily. He did not like Chen Jie¡¯s smile. Perhaps Chen Jie¡¯s smile was sincere towards Shen Ji, but her smile at him was full of assessment. Especially when he smelled Chen Jie¡¯s perfume that was exactly the same as the one on Shen Jie¡¯s clothes last night. He wouldn¡¯t believe that the women Shen Ji met two days in a row all liked this perfume. It was clearly the same person. Thinking that it was eleven o¡¯clock when Shen Ji arrived home last night, Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. Seeing that Chen Jie still had no intention of leaving, Shen Cheng sneered in his heart and looked impatiently at Shen Ji, ¡°Big Brother, you talk, I¡¯ll go over there for a stroll.¡± Shen Ji did not reply but glanced at Chen Jie who was standing there with a smile on her face, looking as if she could not understand Shen Ji¡¯s meaning. Although he did not like Chen Jie, the two companies had just started cooperating with each other, so it was not good for him to tear his face off with Chen Jie. As this thought flashed through his mind, Shen Ji nodded slightly at Shen Cheng, who quickly rushed into a nearby shop with a liberated look on his face. It was not until Shen Cheng¡¯s figure disappeared inside the shop that Shen Ji¡¯s eyes following him moved back to Chen Jie. Chen Jie assessed everything she saw and smiled, ¡°Mr. Shen, you and your brother are so affectionate.¡± Shen Ji smiled lightly in silence, his attitude neither intimate nor distant. Chen Jie¡¯s mind raced, full of thoughts. She knew that she had been a bit hasty yesterday and had too abruptly revealed her desire to join hands with Shen Ji in marriage, but she just couldn¡¯t wait. Her family was pressing for her to marry, and if she hadn¡¯t used the excuse of exploring the northern market to hide in Zhongjing, who knows if her father would have suddenly arranged a marriage contract for her. The Chen family was able to get to its current size thanks to her mother¡¯s dowry back then. Now that her mother passed away, her father wanted to marry her off so that he could leave the company to her half-brother, but it also was up to her to agree or not. When she thought of this, the smile on Chen Jie¡¯s face became even sweeter, ¡°Mr. Shen, do you have any misunderstanding about me? Regarding the proposal last night, I think I can explain.¡± Shen Ji did not expect Chen Jie to be so direct and was about to speak when a few children at his side jostled and pushed, bumping into Chen Jie. ¡°Ah!¡± Chen Jie exclaimed as she lunged towards Shen Jie, who was unable to back away and had to reach out and support her. Chen Jie looked up gratefully and smiled at Shen Ji. From a distance, it looked as if the two were hugging each other, with a very intimate demeanour. This scene was seen by Shen Cheng, who had just come out of the shop. The children ran away quickly after bumping into someone, and naturally Shen Cheng did not see the cause, but only saw Shen Ji hugging Chen Jie, bowing his head and saying something. Anger welled up in his heart. Shen Cheng glared at Shen Ji in annoyance; he didn¡¯t see Shen Ji push the woman in his arms away, the two continued hugging each other. For some reason, Shen Cheng found this scene an eyesore, and after giving Shen Ji a hateful glare, Shen Cheng turned his head in anger and left. Shen Ji was unaware of what was happening behind him. At the moment he was suppressing the impatience in his heart and looked at Chen Jie in his arms, ¡°Are you seriously hurt?¡± Chen Jie shook her head, ¡°Just twisted my ankle slightly, it will be fine after resting.¡± Since Chen Jie said so, Shen Ji took a glance at the ten centimetre high heels on Chen Jie¡¯s feet and had no choice but to keep supporting Chen Jie. After a few minutes Chen Jie straightened with Shen Ji¡¯s help, looking at him apologetically. Advertisements ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about what happened before, I wonder if I can invite Mr. Shen and his brother to have dinner, simply to thank Mr. Shen for giving a helping hand just now.¡± ¡°No need, it¡¯s just a little effort,¡± Shen Ji politely refused. Disappointment appeared on Chen Jie¡¯s face as she forced a smile, ¡°Then I won¡¯t bother Mr. Shen, I¡¯m sure your brother must be waiting.¡± Shen Ji nodded with a light expression, and Chen Jie watched as he left without hesitation. This time, she felt truly disappointed. Shen Ji did not care what Chen Jie thought, he was in a hurry to find Shen Cheng. He and Chen Jie had not been delayed for long, and Shen Cheng should normally have come out of the previous shop, but Shen Ji had not seen him. Was he fascinated with something? Shen Ji¡¯s good mood did not last long and he soon came out of the shop with an anxious face. After searching through several nearby shops in quick succession, Shen Ji was already livid. Needless to say, he was already sure that Shen Cheng had taken the opportunity to run away. He had never thought that Shen Cheng would be so bold as to run away under his nose. Shen Ji¡¯s face turned gloomy as he quickly got through to his bodyguards and told them to come over quickly. Shen Cheng had no money on him and no mobile phone, so he couldn¡¯t have gone far and couldn¡¯t contact his former friends. He must have still been nearby. Shen Ji looked around with a cold face and walked quickly towards the service counter. As Shen Ji searched for him, Shen Cheng was wandering aimlessly in the street. After leaving Shen Ji in a moment of anger, he soon realised that he had no money on him and could not walk too far. But he was reluctant to go back like this, and the thought of the way Shen Ji hugged that woman just now made him indescribably irritable. He was already used to Shen Ji being by his side all the time. Since childhood, they had always been very close. Even after all that had happened some time ago, Shen Ji had never left him alone. During this period of time, the two of them had been together day and night, and Shen Cheng had even had the illusion that he and Shen Ji would live like this forever. Only now did he realise that perhaps there would be a woman by Shen Ji¡¯s side in the near future, that he would have a sister-in-law and later a nephew, and that Shen Ji could not possibly control him for the rest of his life. Shen Cheng kicked the trash can on the side of the road. If only there was no woman and no sister-in-law, he and Shen Ji could live on like this forever. This thought flashed through his mind extremely quickly, and Shen Cheng froze and snorted. How was this possible? The restlessness in his heart was not relieved, as if he had become more irritable because of this thought. Shen Cheng looked around the street in bewilderment, not knowing where to go for a moment. ¡°Shen Cheng!¡± Accompanied by the sound of violent braking, it seemed that someone was calling his name. Shen Cheng looked over at the sound in confusion, his face full of surprise, ¡°Zhang Qiu.¡± ¡°Shen Cheng, it¡¯s really you!¡± Zhang Qiu smiled as he opened the car door and walked over, ¡°Why are you here? We haven¡¯t been able to find you all this time, I thought you left the country? It¡¯s a rare encounter, how about having a drink together?¡± Shen Cheng agreed to Zhang Qiu¡¯s proposal without even thinking about it. He was now irritable and felt that something was bothering him, but he couldn¡¯t think clearly, so maybe it would be better if he had a drink. Zhang Qiu smiled and pulled Shen Cheng into the car. Although he and Shen Cheng had not played for long, they used to be very close to each other. For Zhang Qiu, friendship was just having fun, it didn¡¯t matter if the Shen family was bankrupt or not. What¡¯s more, although the Shen family was bankrupt, the Li family was still around, and Shen Ji was still around, so no one knew when Shen Ji would make the Shen family rise again. The two of them went to Shutu habitually, and several familiar faces happened to be there, gathering in a lively manner. Shen Cheng hadn¡¯t played outside for a long time, and because he had something on his mind, he thought he would be better off when he came here. But who knew that this lively atmosphere would annoy him even more. Zhang Qiu keenly sensed that Shen Cheng seemed to be in a bad mood, so he naturally took out a cigarette and handed it over, ¡°Here, if you have any worries, just smoke one and it will go away, you know.¡± The words ¡°you know¡± made Shen Cheng¡¯s expression stiffen, his eyes staring straight at the cigarette Zhang Qiu handed over. He knew exactly what this cigarette represented, and he wanted to reject it decisively, but he couldn¡¯t say the words. Shen Cheng¡¯s hand involuntarily reached out and then stopped in mid-air when it was about to touch the cigarette. He knew he should have refused it ruthlessly. He remembered all the pain he had suffered during the period of detoxification and definitely did not want to experience it again. He had always thought he had quit, and he didn¡¯t think about taking drugs for two months. But now, when the drugs were in front of him, that unparalleled craving rose up from his heart once again. Shen Cheng only felt his whole body tingling, something gently itching inside him, making him unable to restrain himself from wanting to take the cigarette in front of him. His body slowly straightened, his eyes fixed on the cigarette. Shen Cheng¡¯s face became slightly distorted as his hand that had stopped in mid-air hesitantly reached out again. The moment he touched the cigarette, Shen Ji¡¯s face suddenly appeared in his mind, and Shen Cheng snapped out of it with a jolt. As if his entire body was instantly drained of strength, Shen Cheng leaned back softly on the sofa and shook his head helplessly at Zhang Qiu. He had promised Shen Ji that he would get clean. The news that Shen Cheng and Zhang Qiu were at Shutu soon reached Shen Ji¡¯s ears. After hanging up the phone, Shen Ji felt his heart finally settle, free of the worry because of Shen Cheng¡¯s disappearance. But he soon became furious again. Shen Cheng had actually gotten together with Zhang Qiu again, and when he thought of Zhang Qiu¡¯s usual idea of having fun, Shen Ji¡¯s face was livid. The bodyguard quickly drove towards Shutu, not daring to delay in the slightest. Shen Ji¡¯s face was so terrifying at this moment that the bodyguard was absolutely unwilling to bear this anger. When they arrived at Shutu, Shen Ji, cold-faced, barged into the private room where Shen Cheng was. Perhaps because he had something on his mind, Shen Cheng was not drunk and remained sober. When Shen Ji appeared, he was sitting next to Zhang Qiu with a glass of wine and saying something. Shen Ji barging in startled everyone in the private room, and Shen Cheng turned his head in amazement and said hesitantly, ¡°Big Brother!¡± Shen Ji glanced around coldly, looking at the people sitting in small groups in the private room. The smell of wine, perfume, smoke and some other smells were mixed together. Shen Ji took a sniff and his expression changed dramatically. He walked up to Shen Cheng, pulled him up and said sharply, ¡°Did you touch drugs?¡± Advertisements Shen Cheng¡¯s heart jumped and he subconsciously looked at the pack of cigarettes that Zhang Qiu placed on the table. Shen Ji¡¯s expression turned grim as his eyes swept over the pack. Before Shen Cheng had a chance to defend himself, Shen Ji turned to his bodyguard and said, ¡°Tie him up and take him away.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s order was swift, and the bodyguard¡¯s actions were even swifter. Without waiting for Shen Cheng to struggle, he directly grabbed Shen Cheng and dragged him out of the private room. It was only a matter of moments from the time Shen Ji barged in to the time Shen Cheng was taken away. Zhang Qiu looked dumbfounded at the imposing Shen Ji and tried to give him a good-natured smile but froze under Shen Ji¡¯s terrifying gaze. Shen Ji felt that he had never been this angry before. Even when he first heard the news of Shen Cheng¡¯s drug addiction, he seemed to have been less angry. When they arrived at home, Shen Cheng, who was with his bodyguard in the car, struggled and refused to get out, ¡°Let go of me, Big Brother, you tell them to let go of me.¡± Shen Ji suppressed his anger all the way home and completely exploded at the moment. Not even looking at Shen Cheng, he let the bodyguard drag Shen Cheng into the elevator and then into the apartment where the two lived. ¡°Let go of me, I¡¯ll walk on my own!¡± Shen Cheng was still protesting angrily. Shen Ji coldly motioned to his bodyguard to press Shen Cheng to the bed. Despite his struggles, with two sharp clicks, Shen Cheng was handcuffed to the head of the bed. When Shen Cheng¡¯s drug addiction was at its worst, Shen Ji always tied him to the bed. He had to tie him up tightly to prevent him from hurting himself. Later, as Shen Cheng became more and more able to control his actions, Shen Ji tied him up less and less often. But to prevent accidents, after the two moved to the apartment, Shen Ji still had all the necessary equipment, including handcuffs. The bodyguard retreated at the first opportunity, gently closed the door and returned to his own apartment. Shen Cheng looked at his two handcuffed hands in disbelief and shouted angrily at Shen Ji, ¡°I didn¡¯t take drugs, why are you handcuffing me! Did you hear that, I didn¡¯t take drugs!¡± Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng with a gloomy face, deep suspicion in his eyes. Shen Cheng was furious and struggled desperately, ¡°You asshole, Shen Ji, you bastard! I didn¡¯t do drugs, I didn¡¯t touch it, do you hear me, let me go, let me go!¡± Shen Ji was indifferent to Shen Cheng¡¯s yelling. On his way back he had already contacted the doctor who had previously detoxified Shen Cheng. He would know if Shen Cheng had touched the drugs or not once he was tested. In fact, because of Shen Cheng¡¯s drug addiction, Shen Ji had read a lot of books on drug rehabilitation. The hardest thing about drug rehabilitation was not physical addiction but psychological addiction. There is a saying among drug addicts that once you have taken drugs you are an addict for life, because even if you are clean physically, you will not be able to resist the psychological dependence on drugs. Although Shen Ji wanted to believe that Shen Cheng really didn¡¯t touch drugs, he did not have confidence in him. They stared at each other coldly. Shen Cheng glared viciously at Shen Ji, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. It was obvious that Shen Ji had left him alone first, and then kidnapped him in front of everyone without giving him any face. Now he was accused of taking drugs and handcuffed to the bed. Thinking of this, Shen Cheng struggled harder and harder, ¡°Let me go, let me go!¡± Shen Cheng was struggling so much that Shen Ji coldly rolled over onto the bed and pressed his legs against Shen Cheng¡¯s legs, confining him in a death grip and looking at him from above. Shen Cheng was still struggling, refusing to give up, trying hard to overturn Shen Ji on top of him, while gritting his teeth and shouting, ¡°Shen Ji, you bastard, you pervert, I didn¡¯t touch drugs, let go of me.¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t say a word. He just looked at Shen Cheng coldly and restrained him tightly. This attitude of Shen Ji made Shen Cheng inexplicably feel aggrieved. His eyes reddened a little as he stared at Shen Ji bitterly, ¡°You¡¯re not my big brother, you¡¯re an asshole.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s originally ice-cold expression changed a little when he saw Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes getting red. However, he didn¡¯t get soft-hearted but more tyrannical. Shen Cheng¡¯s expression at this moment was too easy to trigger the emotions that had been desperately suppressed till now. Shen Ji¡¯s eyes became dark and dangerous, his gaze slowly moving from Shen Cheng¡¯s handcuffed hands to his face. Shen Cheng did not realise the danger. He stared at Shen Ji and the more he thought, the more aggrieved he felt, shouting hatefully, ¡°Asshole, asshole, asshole, I didn¡¯t take drugs.¡± Under these screams, Shen Ji slowly reached out and brushed his fingers over Shen Cheng¡¯s lips, rubbing them hard. Shen Cheng¡¯s voice instantly disappeared and his eyes widened in shock. His expression pleased Shen Ji. Shen Ji¡¯s fingers moved from his lips to his chin, squeezing it lightly, and then he lowered his head for a kiss. ¡°Big, Big, Big Brother!¡± Shen Cheng stammered, trying to say something, but Shen Ji¡¯s lips blocked all the sounds. As Shen Ji¡¯s tongue probed in, Shen Cheng¡¯s entire body froze in place, passively accepting the sudden kiss. A tingling sensation rose up from the tip of his tongue, and Shen Cheng met Shen Ji¡¯s movements in a muddled manner, allowing Shen Ji to plunder his mouth wantonly. They didn¡¯t know how much time passed before Shen Ji¡¯s movements stopped and Shen Cheng looked at him with a bewildered expression. The corners of Shen Ji¡¯s mouth slowly curled up. He gently reached out to wipe the silver threads of saliva in the corners of Shen Cheng¡¯s mouth. The emotions that flowed from his eyes were completely incomprehensible to Shen Cheng. The doorbell rang abruptly, and there was a faint sound of someone walking outside. Shen Cheng reacted with a jolt, his face instantly flushed red and he glared at Shen Ji but couldn¡¯t say a word. There was a faint smile in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes, and he touched Shen Cheng¡¯s face, ¡°Ah Cheng, be good, the doctor is here.¡± Perhaps he was frightened by Shen Ji¡¯s kiss, but when the doctor came in to take the blood test, Shen Cheng was unusually obedient. The results of the test greatly surprised Shen Ji. The doctor said that Shen Cheng¡¯s body was very clean, there was no drug residue. When Shen Ji thought of Shen Cheng shouting that he was innocent, a smile flashed on his face. After sending the doctor away in a good mood, Shen Ji returned to the apartment and saw Shen Cheng looking at him provocatively, straining to raise his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t take drugs, you see? When will you let me go?¡± The smile on Shen Ji¡¯s face became more and more obvious, and he moved skillfully to press down on Shen Cheng¡¯s body without the slightest intention of releasing him. Shen Cheng instantly became anxious, not daring to call him an asshole again, and begged, ¡°Big Brother, hurry up and let me go.¡± Shen Ji lowered his head slightly, his eyes meeting Shen Cheng¡¯s stare, and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Who told you I handcuffed you because of drugs?¡± Shen Cheng blinked, his face unmistakably puzzled, and Shen Ji chuckled lightly, saying slowly, ¡°This is your punishment for sneaking off at noon.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s eyes widened in anger, and before the word ¡°asshole¡± could be uttered, Shen Ji leaned down again and blocked his unsaid words. CH 98 Chapters 96-98 ¨C incest warning (Ah Ji x Ah Cheng) After a long kiss, Shen Ji propped himself up a little and looked at Shen Cheng. Their noses were only centimetres apart and the situation was indescribably ambiguous. Shen Cheng had been lost in Shen Ji¡¯s kiss for a long time, but when he slowly returned to his senses, the first thing he saw was Shen Ji¡¯s handsome face very close, and his heart immediately beat wildly. He was usually not very bright, but two kisses and he could see that Shen Ji¡¯s feelings for him were different from what he thought. ¡°Big Brother¡­¡± Shen Cheng unconsciously murmured in a small voice. He felt that he did not seem to hate this kind of Shen Ji, and even deep inside there was a secret longing, with a wave of lust rising up in his body. Shen Cheng jerked, suppressing the reverie in his heart. Shen Ji was his own brother, how could they do this? Two contradictory thoughts struggled in his mind and body. Shen Cheng¡¯s complexion changed and he squeezed out a sentence, ¡°Big Brother, let go of me first.¡± An unmistakable smile appeared in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes. He had thought of various possible reactions Shen Cheng would have, but definitely had not imagined the one in front of him. Did Ah Cheng even realise what the key issue was now? Moreover, looking at the expression Ah Cheng had shown earlier, Shen Ji was actually intoxicated. Shen Cheng keenly noticed the smirk in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes and, slightly emboldened, muttered in a small voice, ¡°Big Brother, my hands hurt, let me go quickly.¡± As for what the two of them should do after Shen Ji released him, Shen Cheng was not thinking about it for a while. Shen Ji smiled and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Your hands hurt? You might just as well remember this feeling.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s face became aggrieved because of these words, but Shen Ji was unmoved, propping himself with one hand on the bed and letting the other hand explore along the hem of Shen Cheng¡¯s clothes. Shen Cheng¡¯s body immediately stiffened and he shrank desperately to the other side of the bed. ¡°Big, Big, Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s voice was trembling as Shen Ji¡¯s palm touched Shen Cheng¡¯s waist. The skin beneath his palm was smooth and delicate, yet contained the unique strength of a man. Shen Ji rubbed it with fascination, his eyes looking at Shen Cheng darkly, ¡°You think you were right?¡± ¡°I, I¡­¡± After a long time, Shen Cheng finally bowed his head, ¡°Big Brother, I was wrong.¡± Shen Ji continued to question, ¡°Wrong about what?¡± With his previous experience of admitting his mistakes, Shen Cheng said very consciously, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have run away without saying anything, making Big Brother worry.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Shen Ji was very satisfied with Shen Cheng¡¯s attitude, and while running his palm up Shen Cheng¡¯s waist a little, he said slowly, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be punished for doing something wrong?¡± Shen Cheng only felt that a fire was ignited in his body. Something seemed to be getting out of control. Compared to the minor issue of whether the handcuffs were removed or not, Shen Ji¡¯s behaviour at this moment was the bigger issue. Hearing Shen Ji¡¯s words, Shen Cheng immediately said, ¡°Big Brother, I accept the punishment, you don¡¯t need to uncuff me, just leave the handcuffs like this.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really!¡± Shen Cheng nodded flatteringly with a look of obedience. Shen Ji showed a smile of satisfaction, ¡°Since we have agreed on this matter, now we can start doing something else.¡± ¡°Something else?¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s doubts soon found an answer in Shen Ji¡¯s actions. When his shirt was unbuttoned to reveal his bare skin, Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t help but panic. If he had been able to pretend that he was avoiding the previous kisses and touches, Shen Ji¡¯s actions now were forcing him to face up to the truth before him. Shen Cheng couldn¡¯t say what he felt. On the one hand, he vaguely longed for Shen Ji, this taboo pleasure calling for him, and on the other hand, he could not help but think that Shen Ji was his elder brother, how could they do this? Shen Cheng wanted to struggle, but his body was confined by Shen Ji tightly. When his pants were removed and his entire body was exposed, Shen Cheng only felt a roar in his head and his entire body seemed to be burning. ¡°Big, Big Brother?¡± Shen Cheng let out a low cry of extreme shame. Shen Ji¡¯s gaze swept up and down Shen Cheng¡¯s body as if he was a lord inspecting his territory, and Shen Cheng tried to shrink into a ball in embarrassment but was stopped by Shen Ji. Shen Cheng dared not look at him again and faked his death, closing his eyes to escape. Advertisements Shen Ji¡¯s eyes became dark and deep as he leaned down and kissed Shen Cheng on the lips. ¡°Ah Cheng, stay with me.¡± Shen Ji didn¡¯t need Shen Cheng¡¯s answer. After he said this, the kiss turned from the initial tenderness to intensity. During the kiss, Shen Ji picked up Shen Cheng and probed at his behind with his fingers. The tight, hidden place was soft and tender, and Shen Ji was very patient in his pre-exploration. He had been waiting for Shen Cheng for 24 years, and he had enough patience to get him slowly. One finger, two fingers¡­ Shen Ji¡¯s movements were gentle and slow and Shen Cheng¡¯s struggle was not obvious. While helping Shen Cheng expand, Shen Ji gently licked and kissed Shen Cheng¡¯s lips, leaving them and nibbling them again, tempting Shen Cheng over and over again. Finally, when Shen Cheng groaned in impatience, Shen Ji deepened the kiss. Shen Cheng¡¯s opening had been expanded to three fingers. Although there was still some difference from Shen Ji¡¯s size, for one thing, Shen Ji no longer wanted to hold back, and for another, he also wanted to give Shen Cheng a certain memory. The moment he entered, Shen Ji clearly heard a low, muffled groan from Shen Cheng. Thinking that this was Shen Cheng¡¯s first time, Shen Ji tried hard to suppress the urge to cheer in his heart and patiently soothed Shen Cheng in his arms. ¡°Ah Cheng, Ah Cheng!¡± Shen Ji held back from moving, calling Shen Cheng¡¯s name in a low voice, as if he wanted to engrave this name into his body. Only when Shen Cheng¡¯s body slightly relaxed did Shen Ji find the opportunity to wedge himself in whole. Shen Cheng¡¯s face went white and he only said after a long time, ¡°Big Brother, this time¡­ it really hurts.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s voice was almost sobbing. From the time he was undressed, he had given up struggling and submitted to Shen Ji¡¯s actions, but this really hurt too much. Shen Cheng tried to push Shen Ji away, forgetting that he was still handcuffed to the bed and could not get free at all. Although Shen Ji¡¯s heart ached for Shen Cheng, he had no intention of giving up midway, patiently kissing him again and again, and when Shen Cheng slowly let out a sigh of relief, Shen Ji hugged him and pushed in hard again. ¡°Agh!¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s short sharp cry was quickly blocked by Shen Ji. The burning hot sensation was gradually turned into something else as Shen Ji pushed in and out vigorously. Shen Cheng slowly adapted to Shen Ji¡¯s entry and even instinctively catered to Shen Ji¡¯s movements. Satisfied, Shen Ji hugged Shen Cheng caught in lust tightly. From now on Ah Cheng would be his alone, and no one could separate them. Shen Cheng did not know when he fell asleep, and when he woke up again it was already the next day. The handcuffs on the bed had long since been removed and his body had obviously been cleaned. Shen Cheng moved lazily. The uncomfortable feeling was still there, but it was not as serious as he thought, and there was no major problem moving around or anything. He turned his head and looked around. Shen Ji was not next to him and seemed to be talking to someone on the phone in the living room. Yesterday¡¯s memories quickly resurfaced and crowded frantically in Shen Cheng¡¯s mind; moaning, begging, crying¡­ Shen Cheng just felt his body burning and buried his face down into the blanket, embarrassed, not knowing how he should face Shen Ji later. ¡°Awake?¡± Shen Ji¡¯s pleased voice sounded in his ears. Shen Cheng played dead and refused to speak. Shen Ji looked at Shen Cheng dotingly and smiled as he stepped forward and lifted the blanket, ¡°How does your body feel?¡± Shen Cheng was still pretending to be dead. Shen Ji laughed lightly and reached out to touch his waist, rubbing it while coaxing and persuading, ¡°I¡¯m going to the office later, does Ah Cheng want to go with me?¡± What was this? The carrot after the stick? Shen Cheng raised his head in annoyance and shot a resentful glance at Shen Ji, then continued to bury his head and refused to speak. The smile in Shen Ji¡¯s eyes deepened, ¡°From today onwards, I will arrange an assistant position for you in the company, so you can choose whether you want to stay at home or go to the company with me.¡± Although he would still have to stay under Shen Ji¡¯s nose when he went to the company, at least he could go outside. Shen Cheng¡¯s heart was slightly moved. He was hesitating whether to accept Shen Ji¡¯s arrangement when Shen Ji already said in a considerate tone, ¡°If Ah Cheng doesn¡¯t want to go, forget it.¡± Advertisements Shen Cheng was indignant. He knew that Shen Ji was saying this on purpose, but he didn¡¯t dare to bet that if he continued, Shen Ji would not really give up the idea of taking him out. Reluctantly, he raised his head and scowled, ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Shen Ji quickly leaned down and gave him a kiss, smiling and nodding, obviously in a good mood. With this beginning, Shen Cheng was not as awkward as he was at first when facing Shen Ji. Shen Ji knew that it would take time for Shen Cheng to get used to the transformation of their relationship. The reason he chose to take Shen Cheng with him to the company was to prevent him from being locked up at home alone with his thoughts. The trip to the company went smoothly and Shen Ji personally arranged for Shen Cheng to have an office next to his own. ¡°Ah Cheng, be good, I¡¯m going to have a meeting. There¡¯s food in the pantry, get whatever you want for yourself.¡± Shen Cheng nodded. Shen Ji was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something and laughed in a low voice, ¡°Ah Cheng, behave yourself and don¡¯t get any ideas about sneaking off, or I¡¯ll be happy to administer a punishment here.¡± Momentarily annoyed, Shen Cheng glared hard at Shen Ji, speechless with anger. Without Shen Ji at his side, Shen Cheng was spending time quite freely on his own. Playing games and eating snacks was still a bit boring, but it was much better than being cooped up at home. Shen Cheng deliberately did not think about his current relationship with Shen Ji; he was a bit dazed. Before this, he had thought about living with Shen Ji forever, but he had never thought of this kind of relationship. Shen Cheng scratched his hair in distress. No woman, no sister-in-law, just as he had imagined before, only him and Shen Ji. Seriously, what was the difference between this and now? Could it be that Shen Cheng always liked Shen Ji subconsciously but he didn¡¯t know it himself? ¡°Mr. Shen.¡± A pleasant female voice interrupted Shen Cheng¡¯s cranky thoughts. Shen Cheng raised his head in surprise, ¡°Miss Chen?¡± Chen Jie stood in the doorway of the office with a smile and apologised, ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m looking for Mr. Shen. He seems to be in a meeting and Assistant Yu asked me to come here and wait for a while.¡± When Shen Cheng looked at Chen Jie, he thought that what happened yesterday was all because of her and instinctively disliked her. But he knew that Chen Jie was Shen Ji¡¯s big client, so it was not good to show his dislike. He had to nod perfunctorily, ¡°Make yourself at home, Miss Chen.¡± Chen Jie looked at Shen Cheng silently and sat opposite him with a smile. Shen Cheng played a game on his own. Chen Jie tried to start a conversation several times but was perfunctorily dismissed by Shen Cheng. After a few attempts, Chen Jie smiled at Shen Cheng in a friendly manner and went silent. Shen Ji came out after the meeting and saw that the two were clearly separated, obviously in the same office but not talking to each other, regarding each other as invisible people. ¡°Ah Cheng, Miss Chen.¡± ¡°Mr. Shen.¡± Chen Jie stood up gracefully and nodded slightly at Shen Ji. Unlike when facing Shen Cheng, facing Shen Ji, Chen Jie acted more elegantly. Shen Cheng sensitively perceived the difference and was instantly alert. Since Shen Ji said he wanted to be with him, what about Chen Jie? Shen Cheng¡¯s hostility was noticed by Shen Ji who raised his eyebrows and smiled silently. He liked the way Shen Cheng was now defending his dominion, giving him an urge to overpower him. Suppressing the thought of wanting to stay with Shen Cheng, Shen Ji remembered that Chen Jie was still by his side. Chen Jie¡¯s visit had nothing to do with work. Out of her confidence in herself, she thought that Shen Ji had rejected the marriage proposal because there was some misunderstanding about it. She needed to join forces with him urgently and for that she did not mind bowing a little lower. After listening to Chen Jie¡¯s polite explanation, Shen Ji frowned and instead of declining it politely as he did last time, he simply refused, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Chen, I have someone I like. Perhaps it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t make myself clear last time, although revitalising the Shen family is important to me, in my heart, that person is more important.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s expression did not look like he was lying. Chen Jie was taken aback and then smiled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m the one who caused you trouble.¡± Because of this embarrassment, Chen Jie didn¡¯t stay much longer, hastily said goodbye and left. After Shen Ji sent her away, he turned around and saw Shen Cheng sitting in his office looking at him with a thoughtful expression. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Shen Ji said gently. Shen Cheng said in a low voice, ¡°Big Brother, do you like me?¡± Shen Ji nodded with a solemn expression. Shen Cheng looked at him, ¡°Then there will be no woman, no sister-in-law, just the two of us.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Shen Ji¡¯s simple answer made Shen Cheng very satisfied, but soon he thought of another problem, ¡°Then if we are together and Shen Xi and Cousin are together, won¡¯t the Shen family be completely extinct eventually as Wang Changlin hoped?¡± Shen Ji was taken aback slightly, not expecting Shen Cheng to worry about this issue. Smiling unconcernedly, Shen Ji said with conviction, ¡°In my heart, Ah Cheng is more important than anything else.¡± Shen Cheng¡¯s heart thudded. He saw Shen Ji¡¯s serious expression and nodded heavily, ¡°In my heart, Big Brother is also the most important!¡± ¡°En!¡± Shen Ji gently took Shen Cheng into his arms, ¡°I know!¡± He was content not just to be the most important, but the only important, and thinking about the long future before them, Shen Ji smiled faintly. CH 99 ¡°Congratulations, lasting happiness to you both.¡± The round-faced black man smiled, saying it to Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan, handing them a thin piece of paper along with the blessing. Shen Xi took it with a smile and turned his head to look at Li Mingxuan, who gave him a peck on the cheek with a satisfied expression. A few months after the proposal on Dolce Island, Li Mingxuan finally took a ten-day vacation to accompany Shen Xi to Las Vegas to receive their long-awaited certificate. The two of them returned to their rented villa in high spirits. Li Mingxuan petted Shen Xi from behind, nibbling on his ear and whispering, ¡°Mr. Shen, are you mentally prepared to be responsible for this man next to you for the rest of your life?¡± Shen Xi, ticklish, dodged Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements and glanced at him obliquely, ¡°Is Mr. Li prepared?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Li Mingxuan looked serious, ¡°Mentally and physically, I¡¯m well prepared. If Xiao Xi does not believe it, do you want to experience it yourself?¡± Feeling that Li Mingxuan¡¯s left hand was already sneaking under the hem of his shirt, Shen Xi had to avoid his actions with a stern face, ¡°Stop it, everyone will be here in a moment.¡± Li Mingxuan quickly leaned forward and kissed Shen Xi, whispering, ¡°What are you afraid of, we¡¯ve already obtained the certificate.¡± His words brought a smile to Shen Xi¡¯s eyes, and his stern face no longer looked intimidating. Li Mingxuan reached out and wrapped his arms around Shen Xi, deepening the kiss. Although Shen Xi felt that it was not the right time, the word ¡°certificate¡± made him excited and not only did he not push Li Mingxuan away but reached out and hugged him instead. The two of them were just halfway through their kiss when the doorbell rang and Shen Xi gently pushed Li Mingxuan, ¡°Someone is here.¡± Li Mingxuan stopped his movements and kissed his lips harder, ¡°Let him wait, it¡¯s immoral to interrupt someone¡¯s kiss.¡± Shen Xi smiled as he matched Li Mingxuan¡¯s kiss. The doorbell stopped ringing, this time replaced with a mobile phone. ¡°You¡¯re poisonous, you¡¯re poisonous, you¡¯re poisonous poisonous poisonous!¡± When the unique voice sounded, even Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and looked at Shen Xi with a frustrated expression. Shen Xi laughed out loud and picked up the phone, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°I know you guys are in there, please save the after-party for tonight, the cake will melt if you don¡¯t open the door.¡± Lao K¡¯s tone was a serious one, but Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but blush. His blush did not fade until Li Mingxuan opened the door and let Lao K in. Lao K winked at Shen Xi with an expression of ¡°I see¡±, which made Shen Xi both laugh and cry in his heart. Lao K was the first to arrive; Fang Luowei, Ye Han and the others rushed over one after another next, and the last to appear at the door were Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. They had all received their invitations in China and made time to come to Las Vegas to celebrate Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan¡¯s wedding. Inviting their friends who knew them well, Li Mingxuan hoped that his marriage to Shen Xi would receive the blessing of everyone. The invited guests arrived and as the sky turned darker. The villa was lit up with multicoloured lights. Because it was early autumn, Li Mingxuan had arranged the party in the garden behind the villa. As the lights came on, the whole garden was illuminated brightly, full of long, neat tables, rich food, a lively band and smiling people. Li Mingxuan took Shen Xi¡¯s hand and walked around the garden, unable to control his desire to show off to everyone. Shen Ji smiled as he watched Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements. He quietly looked at Shen Cheng by his side and whispered, ¡°Ah Cheng, why don¡¯t we go and get a certificate too?¡± Shen Cheng was very moved by the words, but his face had a look of impatience, ¡°We are already together in the family register, why do we need to do this more than once?¡± ¡°Then forget it!¡± Shen Ji immediately agreed. Shen Cheng choked and looked at Shen Ji bitterly, and met Shen Ji¡¯s eyes full of laughter. The interaction between the two was noticed by Shen Xi. Shen Xi always felt that something was indescribably odd about them, and yet he felt that the expressions of the two seemed very familiar. ¡°Cousin, do you ever feel that Big Brother and Second Brother are getting along very oddly?¡± Shen Xi could not help but gossip. Li Mingxuan thought of what Shen Ji had told him; a smile appeared in his eyes, but he deliberately asked rhetorically, ¡°What¡¯s odd?¡± Shen Xi was about to answer but was stunned for a moment when he looked at Li Mingxuan¡¯s expression. He understood why he felt the expression on Shen Ji¡¯s face when he was with Shen Cheng seemed familiar. Seeing Shen Xi¡¯s dawning realisation, which then turned into a surprise, Li Mingxuan nodded, ¡°They¡¯re together.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Shen Xi asked incredulously, and Li Mingxuan gave a definite ¡°en¡±. Shen Xi blinked, suddenly not knowing what to say. His mind inexplicably flashed back to Wang Changlin¡¯s last words. Should he say that Wang Changlin¡¯s wish had finally come true in such a way? Advertisements Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s expression with amusement, led him to a deserted corner, bowed his head and kissed him. ¡°You should only think of me at this time.¡± This domineering declaration made Shen Xi laugh. He reached out and pushed Li Mingxuan, ¡°Everyone is still here, it¡¯s not good for us to hide, is it?¡± Li Mingxuan raised his eyebrows and righteously said, ¡°Technically speaking, tonight is our wedding night, they should all be able to understand.¡± The smile on Shen Xi¡¯s face deepened, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the bedroom?¡± ¡°Good!¡± Li Mingxuan replied straightforwardly. Hand in hand, the two left the crowd in the garden and sneaked back to the master bedroom on the second floor. No one turned on the light; the garden light was enough to illuminate the whole bedroom. Li Mingxuan pulled Shen Xi to the centre of the bedroom and stood on one knee, kneeling in front of him like a mediaeval knight pledging allegiance to his king. ¡°I swear to cherish the relationship we have before, now, in the future and forever. I swear that I will trust you and respect you as I trust and respect myself. I swear that I will be with you in wealth or in poverty. I swear that I will always be by your side no matter what we face. I swear that I will love you faithfully. As I reach out my hand for you to hold tightly, I will commit my life to you. My prince, I love you!¡± What Li Mingxuan imitated was also a knight¡¯s oath, only changed to a declaration of love to Shen Xi. After he finished, countless fireworks blossomed in the back garden. The dazzling light illuminated the entire night sky, revealing the unmistakable deep love in Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes. The corners of Shen Xi¡¯s mouth curled up uncontrollably, ¡°I¡¯ll remember your oath, my knight.¡± ¡°The knight¡± Li Mingxuan naturally pulled ¡°the prince¡± Shen Xi to his feet, tenderly lowered his head and kissed him, whispering, ¡°I hope what I do next will not be considered a crime. ¡° Shen Xi laughed cooperatively, ¡°I forgive you.¡± ¡°Thank you for your forgiveness, my prince.¡± Li Mingxuan whispered tenderly, kissing Shen Xi while he moved to unbutton Shen Xi¡¯s jacket. The Western-style outfit was intricately shaped and was not easily unbuttoned. Li Mingxuan¡¯s kisses moved from Shen Xi¡¯s lips to his neck, and Shen Xi tilted his head back, exposing his white neck. Li Mingxuan could not resist nibbling, not too gently but not too heavily, listening to Shen Xi¡¯s low moans as lust rose up inside him, his whole body soon burning with desire. After Li Mingxuan¡¯s relentless efforts, Shen Xi finally took off his jacket, revealing the close-fitting satin waistcoat inside. Looking at the conspicuous double-breasted buttons on the vest, Li Mingxuan suppressed the desire inside him and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have let you wear so much.¡± A smile appeared in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes as he rubbed against Li Mingxuan and whispered, ¡°Take off the pants first.¡± Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes became hot under Shen Xi¡¯s movements, and he quickly unbuckled Shen Xi¡¯s belt and removed his pants. The slightly cool night breeze blew in through the window, and Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but shiver a little, pressing himself even closer to Li Mingxuan. After his experience with Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan was much quicker in taking off his own clothes. He did not strip off all of Shen Xi¡¯s clothes but left his shirt on. Shen Xi softly leaned against Li Mingxuan¡¯s body. Li Mingxuan¡¯s hands wandered behind Shen Xi¡¯s back, his fingers rubbing Shen Xi¡¯s sensitive parts. Shen Xi¡¯s body grew softer and softer and he couldn¡¯t help but whimper. ¡°Cousin.¡± Li Mingxuan took a deep breath and carried Shen Xi to the head of the bed, finding the lubricant he had put there earlier. While Shen Xi¡¯s upper body was still dressed, his lower body was naked. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi¡¯s naked body with fascination in his eyes, squeezed the lubricant into his hand and gently probed at Shen Xi¡¯s behind. Advertisements Although they had been together for over a year, Shen Xi still needed some preparation. Li Mingxuan¡¯s fingers probed into the tight place, patiently entering deeper little by little, gently moving in circles inside. The fiery place enveloped his fingers tightly, the slight contraction making him want to bury himself in it immediately. Fortunately, he was already very familiar with Shen Xi¡¯s body and soon found Shen Xi¡¯s sensitive spot, rubbing it gently on purpose. ¡°Mmm~¡± Shen Xi¡¯s entire body trembled as he hummed quietly. Li Mingxuan¡¯s eyes became deep and he pressed down once more on the same spot. ¡°Cousin.¡± Shen Xi begged impatiently, and Li Mingxuan couldn¡¯t help but lean over and kiss Shen Xi hard. During the kiss, the movements of his fingers did not stop, and Shen Xi moved his waist up in dissatisfaction, rubbing gently against Li Mingxuan¡¯s body. Li Mingxuan¡¯s desire had long been erect, but he was worried that Shen Xi would not be able to bear it and was suppressing his impatience. When he finally reached the point where three fingers could go in and out and Shen Xi¡¯s expression indicated that he was ready, Li Mingxuan naturally refused to hold back any longer and slowly withdrew his fingers. The momentary emptiness inside him caused Shen Xi to moan again. The hot flesh pressed against the long-wet spot, but Li Mingxuan did not enter immediately, instead slowly pumping at the entrance. Only when Shen Xi¡¯s moist eyes turned towards him with a pleading look did he push in with a single stroke. The fiery giant took the place of the fingers, and Li Mingxuan slowly stroked Shen Xi¡¯s body before thrusting into the deepest part and grinding hard. Shen Xi couldn¡¯t help but cry out, his body undulating as Li Mingxuan moved, the place of their junction becoming moist and slippery. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi, slamming hard while nibbling on his neck. Shen Xi¡¯s head was tilted up slightly, his eyes unfocused for a moment. The destructive pleasure gushed out of his body in a frenzy of the rapid frictions, and Shen Xi instinctively clenched and groaned as he came. His body went completely limp on the bed, and Shen Xi lay there helplessly, passively catering to Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements. When Li Mingxuan stopped moving, Shen Xi tensed up slightly and waited for the final stroke, but unexpectedly Li Mingxuan suddenly picked him up, rolled him over and pressed him against the wall. Shen Xi¡¯s legs were too weak to stand, so he had to wrap his legs tightly around Li Mingxuan¡¯s waist. Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi¡¯s lips, finding the right spot to thrust in again. ¡°Xiao Xi, I love you!¡± Li Mingxuan moved vigorously while kissing. Shen Xi could no longer notice what he was saying. Li Mingxuan¡¯s attack was so intense that he withdrew almost all the way every time and pushed in again without waiting for Shen Xi to close up. Shen Xi only felt that his body was drifting out of control, like a boat swirling in the sea, as if he was going to faint in the next moment. As Li Mingxuan¡¯s movements accelerated, Shen Xi could not help but cry out, ¡°Cousin, no more¡­¡± ¡°Good boy, hold on a little longer!¡± Li Mingxuan soothed haphazardly without the slightest intention of stopping his movements. ¡°No, ah!¡± Along with Shen Xi¡¯s scream, a hot stream of heat was injected into his body, and Shen Xi jerked uncontrollably. Li Mingxuan panted raggedly and held Shen Xi in his arms tightly. Shen Xi leaned in his arms in a daze and the two of them snuggled quietly, no one saying a word. The fireworks burst into the sky once more, the brilliant light illuminating both of them at the same time. Li Mingxuan tenderly kissed Shen Xi¡¯s damp forehead, feeling as if time stopped. He wished for this moment to go on forever. CH 100 The first time Fang Luowei saw Shen Xi was at the door of Cell 302. When the guards brought him to the door of 302, the prisoners in the cell quickly stood up and looked at the guards beside him with ingratiating faces. At that time, Shen Xi, who stood up slowly leaning against the wall with an indifferent expression, undoubtedly looked very conspicuous. To Fang Luowei¡¯s surprise, the guard ignored Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour, announced in an even tone that Fang Luowei would be a member of 302 and left. Fang Luowei stepped carefully into 302, facing the people in the cell cautiously and subconsciously avoiding Shen Xi. The guards¡¯ attitude towards Shen Xi made him keenly aware not to mess with him. He thought Shen Xi was a legendary prison overlord and the guards were turning a blind eye to him out of respect. But soon afterwards he realised he was wrong. Shen Xi¡¯s behaviour was not a provocation to the guards. He was injured and would not have been able to stand up if he had not been holding onto the wall. Just before Fang Luowei arrived, Shen Xi had had a vicious fight with the prisoner next door. The guards¡¯ special treatment of Shen Xi was not out of respect but out of indifference. The guards had also suppressed the matter of Shen Xi¡¯s fight not long ago. And since there was no fight, there was no injury, so naturally Shen Xi could not find a reason to go to the infirmary to get medicine and could only grit his teeth and endure the pain on his own. Shen Xi¡¯s story was nothing more than small gossip to Fang Luowei¡¯s ears. He overheard a few words during the evening meal and left it behind him. At the moment he was still trying to adjust to life in prison and had no desire to think about unrelated people. On his first night in prison, Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t sleep. Not long ago, his grandparents were still by his side, he was still a signed singer, and although he was not doing well, he was at least working hard towards his dream. In less than a month¡¯s time, his only family members were forced to die, and he was so desperate that he stabbed the man who was to blame for their death. He was no longer Fang Luowei, but number 24897. He no longer was in that small house in Zhongjing, but behind bars, and if there were no accidents, this would be the place where he would live for the rest of his life. Fang Luowei thought about it bitterly, moving gently to turn over. His enemy was stabbed to death, and the hatred that had been etched in his body seemed to be gradually quelled with the death of that man. For a while in the small cell of the detention centre he had been in a trance, unsure of the meaning of his life, but at his most painful moments, he kept going relying on his grandfather¡¯s dying words. ¡°Xiao Wei, you must live well.¡± ¡°Must live well.¡± Fang Luowei murmured softly, cheering himself on for the long years to come. A snicker sounded from below, and Fang Luowei rolled over to look. By the dim light from the corridor, Fang Luowei¡¯s gaze fell straight into a pair of cold, sneering eyes. He moved his lips to say something, but Shen Xi only gave him a cold glance and turned his head away. Fang Luowei didn¡¯t know when he drifted off to sleep, but Shen Xi¡¯s snort seemed to ring in his ears the whole time. When he was sentenced to life imprisonment, Fang Luowei had already envisaged what life in prison would be like. He thought it would be tough, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be so tough, all because of this face of his. The first time he was blocked in the corner of the playground, Fang Luowei swung his fist. There was a second and a third time, until the fourth time, looking at the five men blocking his way, Fang Luowei clenched his fists. He wanted to live, but he had to live with dignity; he had his own bottom line and could not take a step back. The result of the fight was obvious; he was no match for the opponents, so he could only grit his teeth and fight, hoping that the commotion would attract the attention of the others and someone would bring the guards. But to his despair, everyone who accidentally saw him left in a hurry with a scowl on their faces. No one was lending a hand, let alone call for the guards as he had hoped. As his body was losing strength little by little, Fang Luowei was pinned to the ground and clearly saw the men grinning above him. At this moment, he also saw Shen Xi¡¯s indifferent face. Perhaps it was the thought of what was about to happen that excited the men, but none of them noticed Shen Xi appearing behind them. A hard stone slammed down fiercely and the first man turned around clutching his bleeding head. Advertisements Shen Xi looked at the men with disgust and said in a cold voice, ¡°Get lost!¡± The men were obviously quite scared of Shen Xi, hesitantly looked at each other and quietly left. Fang Luowei slowly stood up holding onto the wall and squeezed out a smile on his face with difficulty, ¡°Thank you!¡± What he got in return was a cold look from Shen Xi who simply turned away. Fang Luowei was a bit confused as to why Shen Xi had saved him; after all, they were not familiar with each other and had never said a word to each other despite living together in 302. This question lingered in his mind until much later. When they got to know each other well, Fang Luowei got the answer. Shen Xi¡¯s reason for taking action was very simple; it was because Fang Luowei resisted. He didn¡¯t understand this answer at the time, but as time went on and he saw more scenes in prison, he gradually understood what Shen Xi meant. There was too much bullying going on here, and what happened to him could happen to every man who still had a clean face. But apart from the very few who would fight back to death, most of the men would fight back a few times and then quietly choose to compromise. Some others would choose to join in the bullying of the weaker ones. On a few occasions, Fang Luowei would come across a humiliated looking man following several other men who had obviously just done it. He wanted to say something, but in the end said nothing. If a man did not even have the courage to resist, how long could he last here with the help of others? After this incident, Fang Luowei intentionally showed his goodwill to Shen Xi, but Shen Xi did not respond to his gestures of kindness and remained alone. Shen Xi¡¯s refusal aroused Fang Luowei¡¯s curiosity, and his gaze unconsciously stopped on Shen Xi more and more often. He found that Shen Xi was a very special existence in the prison. Most of the people avoided him and did not want to get involved with him, but there were some people who were always looking for trouble with him. At first, Fang Luowei thought that Shen Xi, like him, was in trouble because of his face; but he soon realised that Shen Xi¡¯s trouble was not just because of it. He couldn¡¯t help but be curious about Shen Xi¡¯s past, but apart from knowing that Shen Xi was locked up here five years ago for premeditated murder attempt and that he had offended the wrong people on the outside, he didn¡¯t hear anything about Shen Xi. Shen Xi never talked about his past, and more often than not he just sat quietly alone and didn¡¯t take the initiative to talk to anyone. The turning point in their relationship came in the third month after Fang Luowei was imprisoned. It was a hot summer day, and after a long day¡¯s work, everyone who came back from work went straight to the showers. The conditions in this area of the prison were not bad, and several large shower rooms were built in a row near the playground, enough for hundreds of people of the whole prison to wash together. That day, Fang Luowei was delayed by something, and only when most of the people had finished washing did he rush to the showers with his clothes. Among the several shower rooms, he habitually went to the nearest one, but was stopped at the door by a strange man who gave him a sidelong glance and lifted his chin, ¡°Go to the back.¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s heart thudded. The man¡¯s words meant something was going on inside. He was no longer a rookie on his first day in prison; neither did he have the curiosity to pry into what was going on, nor would he argue with the other party hot-headed. He just carried his clothes and obediently turned to the second shower room, only to meet his fellow 302 cellmate, the man who slept in the bunk above Shen Xi, at the entrance. The man had a cautious look on his face as he peeked at the place where Fang Luowei had come from, and Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Advertisements ¡°Shhh!¡± The man whispered extremely quickly at Fang Luowei, ¡°Shen Xi is going to be done this time, he is blocked inside.¡± Fang Luowei heard the words ¡°Shen Xi¡± so suddenly that he subconsciously turned around and looked over. Shen Xi was blocked inside; a few simple words revealed an incomparable danger. He simply dared not think what would happen inside, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, Fang Luowei lowered his head and made up his mind. The last time he was in a desperate situation and no matter what Shen Xi¡¯s reason was for stepping in, this time he would take it as a repayment for Shen Xi¡¯s helping hand. Fang Luowei quickly turned around and left the place, going to the nearby playground. There were many good stones at the edge of the playground, and Fang Luowei patiently gathered them and wrapped them inside his clothes. All he could hope for now was that Shen Xi would last a little longer and try to hold out until he appeared. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to go to the guards, but for one thing, distant water couldn¡¯t quench the thirst ¨C the office building was too far away from the shower rooms; for another, through his observations during this time, he found that the guards had more of a permissive attitude towards Shen Xi¡¯s troubles. It was evident from the fact that Shen Xi was frequently injured in fights and the guards turned a blind eye to it. Fang Luowei did not dare to bet on the guards¡¯ intervention, so he had to find a way by himself. The stones gathered inside his clothes were almost as big as a grown man¡¯s two fists. Satisfied, Fang Luowei turned and walked briskly in the direction he had come from. After knocking down the man guarding the door by surprise, Fang Luowei dared not delay any longer and hurried inside, shouting Shen Xi¡¯s name as he ran. The scene inside was not what he had expected. He thought Shen Xi would be in a mess, he was even worried that he would see some embarrassing scene. However, the truth was, Shen Xi was in a mess indeed, but the men in the room were in an even bigger mess. In the empty shower room, Shen Xi and the other men were coldly confronting each other, all of them covered in blood, and one man was lying on the floor, dead or alive. Fang Luowei¡¯s eyes fell on the iron bar in Shen Xi¡¯s hand. He didn¡¯t know how Shen Xi had managed to break the iron bars of the bathroom¡¯s water outlet. Compared to the opponent¡¯s bare hands, Shen Xi, who had a weapon, obviously didn¡¯t fall behind. Fang Luowei¡¯s presence quickly changed the tide of the battle, and with the two of them armed, the men on the opposite side were quickly beaten to the ground. Facing the men groaning on the floor, Fang Luowei tried to drag Shen Xi away, but Shen Xi walked up to the man in front of him. He rammed the iron bar in his hand into the leader¡¯s lower body fiercely. ¡°Ah!¡± A harsh wail rang out in the room. Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in shock, only to hear Shen Xi speak coldly to the man, ¡°If you take money, you have to weigh whether you have the life to spend it.¡± This sentence seemed to make Fang Luowei understand what was going on. He thought of the rumours he had heard about Shen Xi¡¯s ruthlessness and swallowed back the words that were on his lips. Shen Xi did not rush to leave, but slowly and methodically rinsed the blood off his body. A foot-long bloody gash ran over his waist, and Fang Luowei could almost see the tender flesh turning inside out. Shen Xi washed the wound expressionlessly, haphazardly took his clothes and wrapped them around the gash. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to see a doctor?¡± Fang Luowei couldn¡¯t help but speak up. Shen Xi gave him an intent look, ¡°I¡¯m not injured, naturally I don¡¯t need to see one.¡± The shower room incident was a big deal, and Shen Xi took full responsibility for it alone, leaving Fang Luowei out of the matter. Because two people on the other side were seriously injured, Shen Xi was sent to confinement by the prison authorities for a fortnight. The prison authorities never mentioned the fact that Shen Xi was also injured, and Fang Luowei thought of Shen Xi saying that he was not injured. He could not say what he felt in his heart. In prison, confinement was also privately referred to as a dark room. The only contact with the outside world was a book-sized opening in the heavy door. Fang Luowei heard from his cellmate that if it wasn¡¯t for the need to find a way to serve food inside, the prison authorities would have preferred not to even have the opening in the door. For the inmates, their greatest fear was being locked up in the dark cell. In the deep, lonely darkness, time stretched infinitely. There was no one to talk to, you couldn¡¯t tell day from night, you couldn¡¯t feel the presence of light, so people weak at heart couldn¡¯t last a week in there before they collapsed. As Fang Luowei listened to the gossip, he could not help but worry for Shen Xi. He did not know if Shen Xi could survive these two weeks. Every night when he went to bed, he would habitually look at Shen Xi¡¯s empty bunk, imagining what Shen Xi would look like now in the small dark room. Perhaps because of these thoughts, time passed very slowly, and Fang Luowei only felt that these two weeks had been incredibly long. On the day Shen Xi¡¯s confinement was over, Fang Luowei stayed quietly at 302 after finishing work, not bothering to take a shower. When footsteps stopped at the door, Fang Luowei looked up and saw Shen Xi standing there quietly. Shen Xi¡¯s face was no longer cold like before as he gave Fang Luowei an unprecedented smile. ¡°I¡¯m Shen Xi.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fang Luowei.¡± This day was the beginning of the two really getting to know each other. CH 101 After the shower room brawl, no one dared to mess with Shen Xi again for some time. According to the rumours, the man who led the fight against Shen Xi had serious injuries to his lower body and very possibly would never be a man again in his life. When the news reached 302, Fang Luowei obviously sensed the few people in the cell who were chatting animatedly shiver at the same time, glancing subtly at the silent Shen Xi and quietly distancing themselves from him. Fang Luowei had seen Shen Xi¡¯s attack with his own eyes and had already guessed the outcome, and even guessed the reason why Shen Xi had done so. Shen Xi was deterring those who were hiding in the shadows and had ideas about him, or those who might have had ideas about him in the future. After this incident, Fang Luowei did not conceal his closeness to Shen Xi in front of others but appeared openly by his side, not caring in the least about the trouble Shen Xi might bring to him. He still remembered Shen Xi¡¯s alienation when he first entered the prison, and the snicker he heard when he couldn¡¯t sleep on his first night in prison. He could never have imagined that a few months later, Shen Xi would become his only trusted friend in prison. After another confrontation with the inmates, Shen Xi and Fang Luowei were sentenced to confinement together. This was Fang Luowei¡¯s first experience of confinement. In the small, dark space, no matter how wide he opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness. The wounds on his body ached dully, and he and Shen Xi had not received any treatment before being confined. Fang Luowei groped his way closer to Shen Xi who hadn¡¯t said a word since they had been locked in. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Does it still hurt?¡± Fang Luowei said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯m the one who dragged you down,¡± Shen Xi replied. Fang Luowei froze; he quickly realised the reason for Shen Xi¡¯s silence and said sternly, ¡°Why do you say that!¡± ¡°They are coming at me.¡± Fang Luowei reached his hand to hold Shen Xi, ¡°We are friends, what¡¯s the difference between coming at you and coming at me.¡± Fang Luowei¡¯s words came from his heart. He and Shen Xi were friends and Shen Xi¡¯s trouble was his trouble. Apart from that, because of his relationship with Shen Xi, many people did not dare to attack him again, so he really avoided a lot of trouble. Since he had enjoyed the benefits of this friendship, how could he refuse to give anything? Of course Fang Luowei had always been secretly curious, who had Shen Xi offended? Looking at Shen Xi¡¯s opponents, it was clear that they did not intend to kill Shen Xi straight away but rather enjoyed torturing him. Shen Xi never mentioned anything about his past, and although Fang Luowei was curious, he kept to the boundaries of friendship and never asked. This time, perhaps it was the darkness that made people weak, or perhaps it was Shen Xi¡¯s true recognition of Fang Luowei but he took the initiative to reveal his scars in front of Fang Luowei, squeezing out the pus and blood inside. As he told of his frivolous youth, of his family¡¯s dislike, of the consequences of an impulse, Shen Xi¡¯s voice was not as calm as usual and carried a deep sense of resentment. Advertisements Fang Luowei listened quietly to Shen Xi¡¯s narration, saying nothing. What Shen Xi needed was not his comfort, but simply a quiet person to talk to. ¡°I hate them, I hate my father, I hate the Shen family, I hate all the people surnamed Shen.¡± Shen Xi ended his story with these words, and Fang Luowei held Shen Xi¡¯s hand silently. The world that Shen Xi talked about was the world that Fang Luowei had never been exposed to, so he could not understand how there could be such a father in the world. Shen Xi was also his son, how could he be so biassed? How could he be so cruel stomping on Shen Xi¡¯s desire for affection? How could he even kill Shen Xi¡¯s hope for freedom? He thought of his own life. Although his parents died young, his grandparents had given him everything they could. Compared to Shen Xi, he was lacking in material things, but emotionally he was so much richer than Shen Xi. Fang Luowei let out a silent sigh. He could understand Shen Xi¡¯s resentment, but it did not mean that he wished Shen Xi to dwell on his hatred all the time. There was no turning back in one¡¯s life, one could only ever keep moving forward. He wanted Shen Xi to live for himself, even if they were behind bars, even if they could never be free for the rest of their lives. At least their hearts were free. Shen Xi was still young, and he could not imagine Shen Xi living constantly gnawed by hatred for a long time in the future and looking back in his old age with nothing but hatred in him. Nietzsche once said, ¡°When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.¡± Fang Luowei quoted these words to Shen Xi and hoped that Shen Xi would understand what he meant. Perhaps, no matter how difficult the days were, two people supporting each other would always be much better than one person. Unnoticeably, their confinement ended and unnoticeably, Fang Luowei and Shen Xi spent five years in prison together, supporting each other. During these five years, the two had been calculated by others and they calculated others. As the number of scars on their bodies increased, Shen Xi¡¯s ruthless reputation grew, and fewer and fewer people came to pick a fight, until the wind and waves were calm for more than half a year. Fang Luowei thought this meant the arrival of a peaceful life later on. He never expected the change to come so suddenly. The gloomy weather, the chaotic crowd, the strangers waiting for an opportunity to attack; Fang Luowei could see the hideous malice on their faces. He tried to pull Shen Xi away and run, yet the crowd blocked all their paths. A cry of alarm sounded behind him and Fang Luowei turned back in fear, only to see Shen Xi give him one last smile and then fall limply to the ground, covering his chest. Blood stung Fang Luowei¡¯s eyes as he hugged Shen Xi, feeling the body in his arms lose its warmth little by little, and his heart seemed to be lost with Shen Xi¡¯s departure. Only then did he realise that his feelings for Shen Xi had long ceased to be a mere friendship, but he had been blinded by the fact that the two of them were inseparable and had not discovered his feelings in time. ¡°Shen Xi!¡± The chaos of the crowd was stopped by the prison guards. Fang Luowei did not react to the outside world, just hugging Shen Xi tightly and repeating his name over and over again. Time passed, and Shen Xi was once again standing in front of Fang Luowei. In the bar, Fang Luowei looked at the drunken Shen Xi in amazement, wondering how the man could know his name. Fang Luowei didn¡¯t take the first encounter to heart. It wasn¡¯t until he was in a desperate situation in the alleyway that Shen Xi¡¯s help made him truly remember this handsome young man. Advertisements What happened next was far beyond Fang Luowei¡¯s expectations. Shen Xi appeared in his life in a way that he could not resist at all. Shen Xi cared about his work, about his life, and even about his family. Shen Xi easily got rid of the punks for him, simply helped him solve his contract with the record company. Shen Xi even set up a company specifically with him alone as a signed artist in it. He marched all the way towards his dreams with Shen Xi¡¯s help, while Shen Xi stood behind him with a smile, supporting his every decision. Past experiences made Fang Luowei sensitive, and he had once doubted Shen Xi¡¯s intentions. But no matter how critical he was, all he saw in Shen Xi¡¯s eyes was sincerity and goodwill. He inevitably fell in love with Shen Xi, but before he could muster up the courage, Shen Xi was already accompanied by another man. That night, he and the director were trapped in the hotel by a so-called social gathering, facing the drunk man who wanted to approach him, and strangely enough, Fang Luowei was not afraid at all, because he knew that Shen Xi would definitely come. He guessed the beginning but not the end. Shen Xi stepped in and took him away, but left him with a difficult choice. Did he want to be with Shen Xi? Yes! Could he be with Shen Xi? No! The word ¡°Cousin¡± was like a pot of cold water dousing the fire in Fang Luowei¡¯s heart. He cautiously moved up and reverently placed a kiss on Shen Xi¡¯s lips before resolutely dialling Li Mingxuan¡¯s number. Since then, he resigned to his status as a friend and quietly watched over Shen Xi. He watched as Shen Xi was content, watched as Shen Xi was sad, watched as Shen Xi finally achieved happiness after all the dust had settled. Brilliant fireworks bloomed gloriously in the night sky and Ye Han had an odd look on his face, ¡°Where did Mingxuan and Shen Xi go?¡± Lao K gave Ye Han a contemptuous look, ¡°Stupid! Where do you think the bridegroom and the bridegroom could have gone on their wedding night?¡± Fang Luowei smiled as he listened to the conversation between the two, silently blessing Shen Xi in his heart. Taking his drink, he left the lively crowd and walked slowly along the garden path, listening to the band playing not far away, his mind unexpectedly very peaceful. ¡°Hi,¡± someone greeted him across the fence. Fang Luowei looked over curiously and met a pair of smiling eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Mo Zheng!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fang Luowei!¡± Some people say that everyone in the world is a semicircle, and that two people together make a complete circle. Every one of us is struggling to find the semicircle that suits us. Perhaps one day you feel you have missed the right semicircle. Don¡¯t worry, believe in yourself. When you turn around inadvertently, you will find the semicircle that really suits you standing behind you and looking at you with a smile. THE END Translator¡¯s note: Mo Zheng is a character from another book by Li Songru ¡®Rebirth of Xia Ze¡¯. I haven¡¯t read it but Mo Zheng is the ML¡¯s friend, and he and Fang Luowei are listed as supporting characters, so they are apparently a side CP