"..."
Shen Ruxu was so frightened that he quickly covered her mouth, keeping his voice extremely low. "I'm begging you, Shen Yi, don't shout."
He had almost been beaten to death by their mother today, and his body was still aching.
Shen Yi struggled in dissatisfaction a couple of times, but obediently stopped resisting.
When it was time to sleep that night, Shen Xun lay next to Shen Yi. He turned on his side and glanced at Shen Ruxu, who was inching closer, his brows furrowing slightly.
With mischievous intent, he tried to push Shen Ruxu entirely out of the way to leave a larger space for himself and his sister.
However, after realizing that his older brother was simply too big and that his efforts were completely in vain, Shen Xun decisively abandoned this irrational behavior.
He twisted his body and suddenly yanked all of the other boy's blankets away. His movements were swift and clean, carrying a hint of childish revenge.
Then, not forgetting to cover himself and Shen Yi with them, he closed his eyes.
Time to sleep.
Shen Ruxu turned his head to see all his blankets stolen: "..."
These two kids were too mean, just too mean.
...
During the few months Shen Ruxu stayed at home, the ones who suffered the most were the two children.
He wanted to rush out and play too, but every time he was personally caught and dragged back by their mother, who told him to be a law-abiding good citizen.
She even told him to study hard so he could pass the civil service exams in the future, just so she could take him back to their village and show him off to all the aunts and relatives.
Shen Ruxu felt a little dead inside after hearing that.
He wasn't one to internalize his stress, so after being defeated by his mother, he went to play with the two kids.
Shen Yi had been annoyed to the point of wilting recently.
Warm sunlight fell into the dining room. The girl lay listlessly on the table, holding a cup of warm milk in her hands. She rubbed her eyes, looking completely devoid of energy.
"Why does he always like to provoke the two of us?"
"Does he really like us?" Shen Yi certainly didn't think he liked her.
Shen Ruxu was like a hollow person.
He seemed enthusiastic toward everyone, yet at the same time, he didn't seem to care deeply about anyone. When he was interested, he would play around a bit and then leave.
He was like an adult stray cat; normally perfectly fine, but if you weren't paying attention, he might just scratch you.
Shen Xun replied, "He's just using the two of us for his own amusement."
Nobody likes being treated as a joke.
Therefore, both Shen Yi and Shen Xun were very guarded against him.
Unaware that he was being ostracized, Shen Ruxu was still trying to bring himself closer to his family members.
After some time, he came back from outside and gifted Shen Yi a Balala the Fairies magic wand, and gave Shen Xun an Armor Hero transformation device.
"..."
Shen Yi raised her head blankly, shook the magic wand in her hand, and looked at Shen Ruxu. "Second Brother?"
"Do you like it?" Shen Ruxu smiled with a face full of expectation, his eyes sparkling like a large dog waiting to be praised.
Shen Yi silently lowered her head and pressed the button.
The magic wand flashed with colorful lights and began to play music.
"The lassoing man, you are mighty and strong, the galloping steeds are like the rushing wind!"
The passionate melody echoed through the dining room.
Shen Ruxu's expression didn't change at all as he continued to smile and ask, "Do you like it, little sister?"
Shen Yi: "..."
"I remember Third Brother saying something about sending you to jail, right?" As if remembering something, she looked at him in disbelief. "Why are you still at home?!"
Shen Ruxu: "?"
"I don't want to go to jail."
His smile vanished completely, not understanding why every single person wanted to send him to prison. "Do you not like me anymore? You even accepted my flowers at school."
Shen Yi: "..."
She had only accepted his things because she was scared numb at the time.
Just imagine a teenage murderer holding a bouquet of flowers, his clothes stained with blood, standing in front of you with a smile and a slightly neurotic tone.
Who wouldn't dare to accept them?
Shen Yi reached out and pushed him away forcefully. "Why do you like hugging others so much? Hurry up and let me go!"
Would a person with absolutely no sense of boundaries like this really not get beaten up out in society?
The teenager was 1.8 meters tall; from her perspective, this older brother was exceptionally tall.
He leaned his fluffy head forward.
Seeing this, Shen Yi immediately took the Balala the Fairies wand in her hand and started frantically whacking his skull!
Ignoring the pain in his head, he hugged her tightly, placing his palm against the back of her head and pressing her into his embrace. His voice was sticky and whiny. "Is our relationship really this fragile? Xiao Yi! You're actually hitting me with the magic wand I gave you."
"What relationship do we have? At school, you liked to intimidate me for no reason," Shen Yi didn't show any weakness as she grabbed a handful of his hair, emphasizing, "A psycho like you should go to prison and step on a sewing machine!"
"Alright, alright, don't be angry." Shen Ruxu was someone who knew when to yield. He immediately flattered her a bit. "Long live King Xiao Yi! May King Xiao Yi rule for generations to come! Just let me hug you."
It was a very exaggerated tone.
He was completely just coaxing a child.
But it worked very well on Shen Yi. "Then hug me."
She could tell.
He really just liked being physically close to people.
It was just that there were very few people in the house who could tolerate him.
After taking a deep breath of his sister, he couldn't bear the loneliness and wanted to provoke Shen Xun as well.
As a result, the boy turned around, went to his room to find a stun baton, and pursed his lips expressionlessly, cautiously protecting Shen Yi behind him.
"If you come near us again, I'll shock you."
Shen Ruxu: "..."
"Your second brother is such an overgrown child. He can't get along with people his own age, but surprisingly, he plays very well with kids."
Shen Sixing remarked after observing for a moment.
This son of his had always been quite lonely.
Too naive and childish.
But then again, he was indeed only sixteen years old.
It was exactly the age for being foolish.
Shen Wenta was looking down, playing a game out of boredom, and casually replied to his old man's words. "Doesn't he have a few friends, as I recall?"
"I did a background check on those two friends of his. They are both excellent students from good backgrounds. He really is naive, does he actually think those normal people can accept him?" His tone carried a hint of wanting to watch a good show.
"I think sooner or later he's going to fall hard before he gives up."
With Shen Ruxu's sensitive status, the only outcome of being friends with ordinary people was getting ruthlessly stabbed in the back.
Shen Wenta was very much looking forward to the scene where his second brother stumbled in making friends and came back home crying his eyes out.
Just thinking about that image was enough to put him in a good mood.
"He runs around like a stray cat all day, suffering a bit of hardship isn't a bad thing."
As a father, Shen Sixing had never had much desire for control, preferring to let nature take its course.
Shen Wenta turned off the game in his hands and stood up.
His gaze was a bit cold, and he also couldn't stand his brother's habit of hugging people at the drop of a hat.
"Shen Ruxu, you managed to get both Shen Yi and Shen Xun to hate you together. Do you really have no self-awareness?"
"If you're really that bored, you can go find a prison to sit in."
Shen Yi and Shen Xun were both emotionally stable children.
Yet he actually managed to annoy both of them at the same time.
His level of viciousness was evident.
The teenager sat on the ground, looking up in an obedient cat-crouch posture, and retorted unconvincingly, "What does this have to do with me? My sister hating me is my sister's problem. My brother and sister hating me together is obviously because the two of them are in cahoots."
"..."
In cahoots?
Shen Wenta couldn't help but be intimidated by his powerful logic.
Perhaps he was truly annoyed to no end by Shen Ruxu.
Shen Wenta disappeared after staying at home for only two days.
Hejing had a major accident, which had a huge impact on the major management shareholders, and the school's break time was uncertain this time.
School did not start.
This caused them to stay at home for a long time.
Shen Yi was bored at home and even invited her best friend Chen Jiaojiao to play at her house.
However, the other party smiled and politely declined without a second thought, her voice even trembling a little.
Alright then.
In short, Shen Yi's life was extremely boring during these three months.
...
Shen Sixing ran away immediately after borrowing people, leaving the mess to be actively cleaned up by the Shen family. Shen Sigui made countless calls to curse him out furiously during this time.
Every time, Shen Sixing would mute the phone for five minutes first.
Only when the other party was almost done cursing did he turn up the volume and hypocritically comfort his younger brother with a few words.
His half-hearted attitude made the other party furious.
"If I have time and work isn't busy, I'll go home and explain it to you, really." Shen Sixing skillfully dodged the issue. As for when he would have time?
Maybe in his next life.
Shen Sixing absolutely would not go home.
But unprecedentedly, Shen Sigui was not angry during this call. Instead, his tone carried a faint smile, which gave Shen Sixing an ominous premonition.
He said, "Brother, you don't need to come. The old man came to find you himself, oh wait, he's preparing to take the person away himself."
"..." Shen Sixing's heart sank for a moment. He put down his phone and looked outside. Sure enough, the child who was supposed to be playing in the yard had disappeared at some point.
"I told you long ago," Shen Sigui's voice sounded exceptionally cold on the phone, "before you do things, you should carefully consider the consequences, Shen Sixing."
"Then what do you plan to do?" Shen Sixing closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had returned to calmness. "Shen Sigui, you guys aren't serial killers, right? She is of no value to you and will only waste your time."
Shen Sigui chuckled.
"Useless? I don't think so. We can't do anything about that crazy woman Wen Ya, and your sons are all family, so we don't plan to do anything either."
"But, but..." He shifted his sitting posture, leaning against the swivel chair, his tone casual, "This daughter of yours has no blood relation."
"You can't protect her every day. You should know that as long as I want to, no one can protect her."
"Since you care, you shouldn't show it." Shen Sigui gently rocked the swivel chair beneath him. "I'm really curious about your expression right now, haha. Originally, we didn't plan to make a move, but who told you to care?"
"Who told you I care?" Shen Sixing's tone was calm.
He wasn't panicked either.
Before he made his move, he had guessed that this day would come.
He just resisted going home so much that he wanted to delay it for a while. He didn't expect that old thing to be so impatient as to take Shen Yi away directly.
"...You don't care?" Shen Sigui was silent for two seconds, then smiled. "You care so much that you're about to die, aren't you?"
He couldn't even be bothered to argue with him.
"Also, don't have too much hostility towards me. I caused your previous troubles, but this time it really has nothing to do with me. This was ordered by father himself. Instead of wasting time with me, you might as well pray that the old man won't do anything to her."
The call disconnected.
*
For Shen Yi, being kidnapped happened in the blink of an eye.
The perpetrators were clearly exceptionally professional. A sneak attack from behind left her no chance to make a sound before she was shoved into a car and taken away.
Immediately after, her eyes were blindfolded, her mouth was gagged, and then her consciousness blurred within seconds.
Her last perception was being pushed into the car, followed by the muffled sound of the car door closing.
She didn't know how long had passed.
Nor did she know where she had been taken.
Shen Yi woke up a few times during the bumpy ride, only to pass out again.
When she woke up again, her feet finally touched the ground.
Someone dragged her out of the car. It was only when her feet stepped on the ground that Shen Yi felt a bit of reality.
She was led along the way.
She was very quiet the whole time, without any screaming or shouting.
This made the woman beside her take a few extra glances.
As expected, she was also a freak.
She wasn't even afraid.
When the black blindfold was removed, Shen Yi blinked, taking a good while to adjust to the light.
Then she found herself standing in the foyer of a villa, which looked more like a small palace from the inside.
Shen Yi felt the discomfort of accidentally trespassing into a royal residence. She looked down at the black and white floor beneath her feet, then looked around in confusion.
She was completely bewildered.
Where the hell had they brought her?
Just as Shen Yi quietly tried to look up and observe her surroundings, she caught a glimpse of a person sitting on a single sofa.
He looked to be in his early fifties, with black hair and a few gray strands at his temples, but he didn't look old; instead, it added a bit of steadiness.
His facial features were deep, with a high brow bone and a straight nose bridge. When his lips were pursed, there was a slight downward curve, making him look exceptionally old-fashioned and difficult to get along with.
Just like a school dean.
Shen Yi couldn't help but look at him with confusion in her eyes.
He looked very wealthy, a super rich man.
But why would this super rich man kidnap her?
The girl looked quite foolish.
Then Shen Yi heard the other party seemingly sigh softly, and his first words were: "You are Shen Yi, right?"
Shen Yi: "???"
He knew her?
As if sensing Shen Yi's complex mood and indescribable astonishment.
The system, which had been dormant for a long time, popped out at this moment.
It rarely enthusiastically provided her with some options as reference for her answer:
[A. You old immortal, are you blind? I'm your eldest granddaughter!]
[B. Oh ho, old thing, you're still alive.]
[C. Hello grandpa, I'm your grandma!]
