He was getting anxious again.
Shen Yi sighed.
"..."
The system had said that during loading and plot sequences, she couldn't call for people.
But it was impossible to tell this to Shen Wenta.
Shen Yi sat obediently on the chair in her room, hands propped in front of her, swinging her legs as she tried to change the subject: "What are you doing, brother?"
"In a meeting." The background noise on Shen Wenta's end was exceptionally loud. People were arguing about something, occasionally mixed with conversations in various languages.
Shen Yi covered her head, not wanting to listen to his nagging, and casually muttered:
"Are you really that busy? Did the United Nations invite you to a meeting?"
"How did you know?" He was a bit surprised, suddenly becoming enthusiastic like a child who just found a fun toy. "Do you want to see? I can take a video for you. Some people are fighting over here, there really are a lot of people."
Shen Wenta had never been interested in these things before.
Ever since having a kid around, whenever he saw something fun, he subconsciously wanted to film it to show Shen Yi.
"..." Damn!?
He could actually go to the UN?
"No, thanks."
Shen Yi, who hated the privileged elite, hung up without hesitation.
Having consecutively contacted three people to inform them, Shen Yi seriously recalled who else in the family she could reach out to.
Shen Xun and Song Sijun could both be ruled out together.
Thus, she thought of Shen Zhizhao.
The call was quickly connected.
"Big brother, I killed someone."
"Hmm?" The other party seemed to let out a short laugh. "Is that so? Do you need me to praise you?"
Shen Yi hesitated for a moment. "Better not."
She felt that being praised by Shen Zhizhao would be terrifying.
He didn't seem like a loving older brother at all.
"I'm actually a bit surprised." Shen Zhizhao stared at the incandescent light above his head, somewhat surprised that this unfamiliar younger sister would actually call him.
Since she had already called, he simply decided to chat with her.
"Shen Yi, I will be responsible for the safety of you and Shen Xun after you enter the island after the new year."
"I hope you won't drag him down when the time comes."
Shen Yi: "I'm not a burden."
"Just based on the fact that you need comfort after killing someone now?" In just a few words, he pointed out that her intention in calling was to seek psychological comfort and a sense of validation.
"Wanting comfort isn't a mistake," Shen Yi, emboldened by the distance between them, retorted without hesitation. "If you want comfort, you can call me too."
"Besides, Mom said you used to be a crybaby, Shen Zhizhao."
"..."
Shen Zhizhao was as calm as the silence before a storm: "I did not cry. Mom was lying to you."
Hearing the faint trace of stiffness in his tone, Shen Yi immediately got energized. She rolled onto the bed, hugged a pillow, turned over, and her voice became cheerful: "Do you really not cry? Really? Really?"
"..."
"Does offending me make you very happy, Shen Yi?"
They hadn't spent much time together, but he could figure out her true nature.
In essence, she was a brat, just that her environment had caused a deviation in her personality. She knew how to seek advantage and avoid harm, was very quick to drop to her knees and admit her mistakes, and was very mischievous.
If she wasn't disciplined, she would push her luck and walk all over you.
"Why are you getting mad again," Shen Yi muttered. "It's not like I'm going to laugh at you."
"..."
"Shen Yi, making useless provocations against your older brother will only lead to a miserable end for you." His tone was neither cold nor hot, but it inexplicably carried a sinister vibe of you better not fall into my hands.
He previously thought she wasn't very smart, but her saving grace was her obedience.
It wasn't until this phone call that he belatedly realized the truth.
It turned out that her good behavior over those few days was all an act.
Shen Yi: "..."
Shen Zhizhao was more like a younger version of Old Mr. Shen.
He was also like a ruthless politician who would turn on you in a heartbeat.
Realizing that his past had no intersection with Shen Yi, he didn't hesitate to warn her. It was too much.
Shen Yi whimpered a couple of times and, unwilling to show weakness, retorted: "Idiot Shen, why are you threatening a commoner like me for no reason?"
"I hate you."
Shen Zhizhao, newly crowned with the title of idiot, wasn't angry. He just found her quite amusing. His laugh was very light, yet carried a hint of coldness. "Shen Yi, after you enter the island, I hope you won't cry and beg me to let you out."
"..."
Haha, threatened again.
Shen Yi suddenly lost all desire to sleep. She opened her room door and, sure enough, saw her second brother squatting on the ground, fiddling with something on his phone.
She immediately held up her phone. "Brother, Shen Zhizhao said he's going to teach me a lesson."
Her voice was crisp, the tattling tone exceptionally obvious.
Shen Ruxu took the phone and patted her head.
"Go to sleep first."
He said.
Then, he took over the call.
"Good evening, big brother."
"Why are you threatening her?"
The young man's voice was as soft and light as always, but it hid a deep vigilance and coldness.
As soon as he spoke, Shen Zhizhao could feel his restless protectiveness overflowing.
"I will arrange her safety and the rules after she enters the island next year." Shen Zhizhao's tone was flat. "Do you think I would threaten her for no reason?"
Shen Ruxu pursed his lips, not expecting it to be this topic. His heart sank slightly.
"She's still a child." His voice turned cold. "What right do you have to make her go to the island? Why don't you make Shen Xun go?"
"Shen Xun will of course go too, and—" Shen Zhizhao's tone carried a subtle scrutiny as he slowly spat out a conclusion, "Have you lost your mind?"
To actually dare to challenge him.
Every time Shen Ruxu saw him, it was like a mouse seeing a cat; he would run away without a trace.
Daring to speak to him like this was a first in his entire life.
"You never had the courage to confront me before, or rather, you've never confronted me for any of your younger brothers."
Shen Zhizhao spoke unhurriedly, quickly figuring out the connection. "She told me earlier. She killed someone. It was for you, wasn't it?"
Unexpectedly bold.
He really had misjudged.
So it seemed now that she indeed held considerable value. At the very least, his younger brothers cared about her surprisingly much.
Shen Ruxu was irritated and didn't want to communicate with him.
After hanging up, he saw Shen Yi still standing at the door, looking at him eagerly.
He walked over and hugged her tightly, like a lioness protecting her cub, wishing he could hide her entirely. "Are you going to the island?"
Without waiting for her answer, he started muttering repeatedly, his tone pitiful. Soon, his voice dropped faintly, and his expression turned somewhat gloomy and cold. "It's very dangerous there. Everyone will want to use you and bully you."
"..."
Shen Yi admired his incredible face-changing act and reached out to poke his cheek. "I caught a cold."
"Brother."
Shen Ruxu froze for a moment, then immediately stood up. "I'll go buy medicine."
He wasn't very old himself and had absolutely no experience taking care of children. His tone carried a flustered panic.
Shen Yi's nose felt a bit uncomfortable, and she nodded.
After taking the medicine and sleeping, the cold still felt terrible.
When night came, Shen Yi couldn't sleep. She was thinking about the bugs that remained after loading the save file.
Where exactly would the temporal turbulence send her?
Shen Ruxu stayed in her room, leaning against the chair by the bed. Seeing that she had no intention of sleeping, he became exceptionally uneasy and anxious. "Are you too scared to sleep?"
Shen Yi felt he was being a bit neurotic.
"No, I am just not sleepy."
After all, thinking about what she was about to face, even a pig wouldn't be able to fall asleep.
Shen Yi couldn't help but press her head against Shen Ruxu's arm, holding onto it anxiously as she kept her eyes glued to the time.
Shen Ruxu, infected by her mood, felt an inexplicable sense of restlessness as he watched over her.
On the nightstand, the second hand of the alarm clock crawled forward, tick by tick.
Shen Yi felt as if everything in her vision was magnifying. She whispered, "...I think I feel a little dizzy."
The exact moment the clock struck twelve, Shen Yi's entire world plunged into darkness.
The only thing left was Shen Ruxu's panicked voice echoing in her ears. It grew further and further away, becoming more and more muffled, as if they were separated by a thick barrier of water.
And then, she couldn't hear anything at all.
Under review, still under review. Last time the review took forty minutes, and it will probably take a long time this time too, so do not wait up... just wait until tomorrow.
