Shen Ruxu helped her pack her clothes and backpack. Before they left, everyone in the base was wailing and howling.
"Miss, don't go! How are we going to live without you?"
"Miss, you'll be on your own from now on. You have to be happy, you have to be joyful, boohoo." The logistics team leaned halfway out of the second-floor windows, waving tearful goodbyes.
"Come back and visit often! We'll miss you and your money!!"
"..."
What a bunch of goofballs.
Shen Yi waved and happily bid them farewell. "See you next time."
It wasn't too far from their home; a two-hour taxi ride got them there.
Shen Ruxu hadn't informed their parents in advance. He raised his hand to knock on the door, then pressed the doorbell a few times.
"Coming, coming."
It was their mother who opened the door.
Shen Ruxu, wearing his backpack and a simple gray jacket, held his younger sister's hand and smiled brightly. "Mom, we're back."
Wen Ya looked the two children up and down.
She opened her mouth, not knowing where to begin.
Shen Yi had already enthusiastically hugged her mother's waist. Her very first words were, "Mom, we're hungry. What are we eating today?"
Wen Ya: "..."
She bent her finger and flicked Shen Yi's forehead. "I'll settle the score with you later. Running off with your second brother—you've got some nerve, sweetie."
After scolding her daughter, she looked at her son. She reached out and pinched his cheek, hesitating before saying, "Dundun..."
"You've lost weight again."
Shen Ruxu was like a stray cat wandering the streets.
When he had nothing to do, he would return home to visit his wild feeders.
Occasionally, he would come back looking like a total mess, wearing a proud "I just came back from picking up trash outside" expression.
Wen Ya felt nothing but tender affection and sheer exhaustion toward this child.
Among her children, the eldest was the only one who gave her peace of mind.
But the eldest had matured far too early, which inevitably made her feel a sense of parental defeat.
After greeting her parents, Shen Yi ran straight into the living room. With a shout, she lunged at Shen Xun, who had just stood up.
She wasn't heavy, but the momentum of her sudden pounce was still quite strong.
However, Shen Xun had a very steady stance. Not only did he not get knocked over by the impact, but he also smoothly caught her in his arms.
As expected, the third brother was the only one in the family who was terrible at physical combat.
"Did you miss me?"
"..."
"You're giving me the silent treatment again. Shen Xun, men who are too smart and cold aren't very likable."
Shen Yi was set down. Her feet hit the floor, and before she could even steady herself, she heard Shen Xun say:
"I am very unhappy."
Shen Yi: "I can tell."
"You have to coax me."
"I don't want to."
"..."
"Let me tell you, I was super amazing these past few days. You can't even imagine what I went through."
Whenever she faced Shen Xun, she couldn't help but talk more.
Shen Xun observed her carefully.
His only direct impression was that she seemed to have grown up.
This didn't refer to her height, but her mentality.
But having just reunited with Shen Yi moments ago, Shen Xun didn't jump to conclusions. He reached out a finger and gently poked the soft hair drooping by her ear. "Who tied this?"
Shen Yi reached up and touched the two crooked, messy buns on her head, saying nonchalantly, "I did."
He spat out a blunt word: "Ugly."
Shen Yi dropped a fist onto the top of his head. "Don't question me."
Shen Xun didn't dodge. Even after getting hit, he didn't make a sound.
He pulled her over to sit on a small stool while he stood, looking down as he re-tied her hair into two perfectly symmetrical buns.
Shen Yi swung her legs, pushing her luck. "I don't want buns, I want a princess half-updo."
"I don't know how."
"You can learn. You're the smartest person in our family, after all."
Shen Xun sighed softly. "You are so demanding, Xiao Yi."
"Didn't you get along really well with Second Brother? I thought you had forgotten all about me."
The sour jealousy in the boy's words was exceptionally obvious.
Shen Xun even started to miss He Jing, who had been blown up.
At least being at school meant it was still just him and Shen Yi, without anyone suddenly popping up to steal his spot.
But at home...
Why did the number of useless older brothers keep increasing?
It made Shen Xun feel very annoyed.
Didn't they use to never come home?
Then they should all just obediently get lost.
The house was very lively today. Wen Ya had just closed the door, and not long after, the doorbell rang again.
After finishing her chat with Shen Xun, Shen Yi ran over to her parents. Standing on her tiptoes, she couldn't see anyone, so she asked, "Mom, who's at the door?"
Wen Ya gathered her hair. "It's the kid from the neighbors next door, you know, the one with the very beautiful woman. Their family even greeted us during your birthday before."
"They're very warm-hearted neighbors. They've been coming over to visit a lot lately."
Shen Sixing had originally planned to drag his son to the study for a chat, and take the opportunity to physically discipline this big stray cat who had kidnapped the family's little kitten.
Seeing this ill-intentioned neighbor at the door again, he let go of Shen Ruxu's collar and thoughtfully blurted out:
"Speaking of which, not too long ago I called the police and reported the family next door as suspected murderers."
Murderers??
Shen Yi's ears perked up. With the increasing number of psychos around her, she wasn't even surprised that her neighbors might be murderers. "And then?"
This comic book world was truly toxic.
"And then there was no 'and then'." Shen Sixing said with a touch of dull regret.
The police obviously didn't believe his nonsense. After finding out the location was in a wealthy neighborhood, they couldn't even be bothered to investigate.
Hearing this, Wen Ya pinched Shen Sixing. "What are you playing at being an enthusiastic citizen? What's the use of reporting them?"
Having murderers for neighbors meant they really needed to be cleaned up quickly, lest the children at home be in danger.
"Wasn't I just trying out the tip-off hotline?" Shen Sixing clutched his chest, his tone dramatic. "After all, being neighbors with murderers, one can get very scared."
Wen Ya also felt the neighbors were weird. She immediately grabbed him by the collar and shoved him outward, saying impatiently, "Then hurry up and wipe out the neighbors, otherwise we'll all be in danger."
"Fighting violence with violence isn't advisable, honey," Shen Sixing clung to the door frame, lazily refusing to move, looking serious. "I'll figure out a way to send them to prison in a few days."
He still wanted to live a few peaceful days here.
If he killed someone, the whole family would have to move again.
Moving was even more tiring than killing.
If the neighbors really lost their minds and tried to make a move on them, then they could only blame themselves for courting death.
Shen Ruxu lowered his head and placed a toy block on Shen Xun's head. Hearing this, he smilingly raised his hand. "Mom, Dad, if it's inconvenient and you find it too troublesome to do it yourselves, let me handle it."
"Having a murderer for a neighbor is very dangerous for children."
"I always feel like Xiao Yi could die at any moment."
Shen Ruxu was extremely insecure, even a bit neurotically sensitive. He was terrified that she would die silently in some corner he didn't know about.
Shen Yi wasn't having it. "You're the one who could die at any moment, not me."
She was invincible!
"Oh right, you are indeed super amazing." Shen Ruxu laughed, tilting his head as if recalling some amusing anecdote:
"Taking the gun Dad gave you, you first took out the sniper, and then used their sniper rifle to take down two more people in a row. I have never seen a kid as gutsy as you."
The conversation had circled right back to this.
Seeing the entire family staring at her in unison, Shen Yi suddenly felt incredibly restless.
And right at that moment.
The doorbell rang yet again.
"..." Who is it this time? Will this ever end?!!
