Shen Yi joined the group with her own capital.
She came carrying a backpack full of money, which was nothing short of a timely rescue for everyone currently in desperate need of cash.
Because of this, many members in the base treated her very well.
Besides, no one would be bored enough to be on guard against a child. Shen Yi could openly look at their personal computers, and the female members would even use their work laptops to play cartoons for her.
Their daily lives were very normal, following a simple routine, looking exactly like corporate slaves.
When bored, the group would lounge in their chairs, rocking back and forth while chatting. After finishing their work, they would eat together and team up to play video games. The working atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.
As for Shen Ruxu's affairs, Shen Yi planned to wait and see.
For three days, everything was calm and peaceful, with no unusual situations.
Every day, Shen Ruxu sat in front of the computer typing away. He would occasionally go out, but quickly return.
Until the fourth day.
Shen Ruxu stretched lazily, closed his laptop, casually picked up the keys on the desk, and twirled them on his fingertip. Let's go, let's go, Xiao Yi, I'll take you out to meet someone.
Staying in here all day will turn you into an idiot.
Shen Yi's eyes lit up, thinking they were going somewhere fun.
But to her surprise, Shen Ruxu actually took her to a bar, and surprisingly, this place allowed minors to enter.
After taking just a few steps, they saw someone waving.
It was a teenage boy sitting in a booth by the wall. In front of him was a barely touched beverage. With his short hair and delicate features, he looked just like an ordinary high school student.
Shen Yi curiously leaned close to Shen Ruxu and whispered, Is he your companion too?
Shen Ruxu turned his head. No, he's a friend.
A friend? Shen Yi looked at him.
Under the dim lighting, Shen Ruxu's side profile was coated in a layer of warm yellow light, making him look much softer than usual.
I thought cold-blooded killers didn't need friends.
It would be very boring without friends, he said.
That's true, Shen Yi muttered. I've always had very few friends.
As the siblings talked, they walked up to the boy. Seeing the tall guy and the little girl, his gaze focused on Shen Yi, curious. What's the relationship between you two? Who is she to you?
My younger sister, she likes me the most.
My older brother, but we aren't very close.
The two completely different answers made his expression turn strange.
[This person is a member of the protagonist's group, please pay attention to him.]
Beside her ear, the familiar voice of the system sounded.
Shen Yi softly repeated the phrase:
Protagonist's group?
Can you...
She paused. Can you tell me what the main theme of this comic I'm in is?
Shen Yi had always believed that she was in a romance comic.
After all, from the very beginning, the system had only mentioned that the female lead of the comic was Song Yi and the male lead was Lu Mingyuan.
Shen Yi thought this was a campus romance comic.
But once a term like protagonist's group came out, Shen Yi felt that this sounded a bit like... a shounen battle comic?
Shen Yi realized she had missed something.
If it were a romance comic, then at least the majority of the world-building would still be normal.
It would be impossible for all sorts of extrajudicial outlaws to appear.
But a battle comic was quite different. Various high-risk professions coexisted with dangerous incidents, and the ending usually required defeating a boss.
So, in this comic she was in...
...who was the boss?
Various thoughts ran through Shen Yi's mind.
[The main theme of the comic is that the protagonist's group helps each other along the way, works hard together, survives the evil villains, defeats them, and jointly creates a harmonious society.]
Her guess was confirmed.
It sounded even worse now.
After all, her family's situation sounded exactly like the villains who would be defeated by the protagonist's group.
Shen Ruxu was already chatting with his friend by now, and he ordered a glass of wine.
He didn't drink it, just smelled it.
The boy's name was Fang Li, a high school senior, and he was very talkative.
Shen Yi leaned on the side listening, her gaze occasionally sizing up this boy.
She wanted to see what was so special about this so-called member of the protagonist's group.
The two chatted about their daily lives for a while, getting along exceptionally well.
By the way, thank you for the money you lent me recently. I will pay you back in the future.
Shen Ruxu replied lazily, Oh.
It doesn't matter.
Anyway, even if he didn't lend it to him, Shen Ruxu would just take it to the casino and lose it all.
I'll give it to you in a few days when I've saved enough money, he promised solemnly. He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, But Shen Ruxu, can you stop doing those bad things?
...
Shen Ruxu sighed. Why do you always have to talk about these things every time we meet?
Aren't you also very short on money?
You still have student loans to pay and a sister to raise. You can barely feed yourself, yet you still want to meddle in my business?
He didn't mean to mock him; he was just genuinely a bit confused, not quite understanding why the two of them couldn't talk about something pleasant when they met.
Every time, after just a few sentences, Fang Li would launch into a baptism of positive energy directed at him.
Hearing it too much just made him feel annoyed.
Shen Yi pondered.
So Fang Li actually knew what Shen Ruxu did?
To be able to become friends with Shen Ruxu, he must be under a lot of psychological pressure. Would Shen Ruxu eventually be killed off by the plot because of him?
Fang Li looked embarrassed and lowered his head slightly. After a long while, his voice turned a bit cold and stiff. My affairs don't need your interference. I will return that money to you, and besides, we are just friends, right?
Shen Ruxu casually uttered a couple of sounds of agreement, answering his latter statement, Yes.
He had always been very tolerant of his friends.
Speaking of which, he used to have a bunch of friends, but now only a few were left.
Moreover, Fang Li was the only one who didn't choose to run away after finding out about his profession.
Shen Yi once again witnessed this second brother's good temper.
He actually didn't even retort to that?
Thinking carefully about it.
Out of all her brothers, Shen Ruxu was truly the only one who never got angry no matter how much he was beaten or scolded.
Shen Yi leaned on the bar counter, resting her chin on her arms, and interjected with a curious tone: Since you took the money, you shouldn't talk so much. Doing so only makes you look like a hypocrite, and you get defensive the moment someone brings it up. Are you trying to act high and mighty while begging for food?
