"???"
Just as Shen Wenta opened his mouth to curse at him, the call was hung up without hesitation the very next second. The busy tone from the receiver sounded like pure mockery.
The level of sarcasm was maxed out.
He immediately dialed back, only to hear the automated prompt: "The number you have dialed does not exist."
"..."
Damn it.
He cursed Shen Ruxu inside and out in his heart.
Fat pig, damn pervert, schizophrenic psycho.
Frankly speaking, to Shen Wenta, as long as it didn't concern the people around him, it didn't matter who died.
However, once things involved the people close to him, that restless, nervous anxiety would spread uncontrollably.
As a result, he successfully ended up with insomnia.
When they saw Shen Wenta the next morning, the young man was slumping listlessly in a high-backed chair. With heavy dark circles under his eyes, he mechanically stirred his coffee, looking like he could be hauled away by an ambulance at any moment.
Chen Jiaojiao couldn't help but poke her friend next to her, muttering in a low voice, "Your family members don't look very healthy."
Who would have thought that the most energetic ones in the house were the three girls!
These three guys were more withered than the last.
"Brother, the area under your eyes is so dark. Did someone beat you up?" Shen Yi tilted her head and carefully studied Shen Wenta for a few moments before asking in confusion.
"No," Shen Wenta bit his pale lower lip and suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth in the living room. He spoke in a depressed tone that almost sounded like he was complaining:
"I was harassed by a pervert."
A pervert?
"Aren't you the biggest pervert in the family?"
Shen Yi scratched her head.
Shen Wenta stopped pacing with a cold sneer, his self-awareness very clear: "I might be bad, but I am definitely not a pervert."
When it came to creatures like perverts, there was always someone worse in their family.
Shen Yi asked when she didn't understand, "Then what counts as a pervert?"
"Someone like your second brother."
Shen Yi: "???"
The problem is, I haven't even seen hide nor hair of my second brother.
Pei Wanyan had an extremely unpleasant week. There were no dates, no gifts, and during the limited times she met with Shen Wenta, the core topic was always:
"How are things today?"
"Go keep an eye on Shen Yi."
She was not a nanny!!
Pei Wanyan usually kept silent in front of Shen Yi and Shen Xun.
Most of the time, she just fixed her makeup in a small mirror.
She really had no common topics with the two kids.
Until one time, unable to suppress her accumulated resentment any longer, she complained about Shen Wenta in front of the two kids.
She really had no one else to vent to.
Tell her fake friends in class?
Impossible.
If she told them, they would definitely laugh at her behind her back.
She could only complain to these siblings.
The siblings' awareness of Shen Wenta's awfulness was obvious to all.
It was fine before she started complaining, but once she did, Shen Yi next to her seemed to have found a common topic with her.
The two of them opened up their chatterboxes at the same time.
Every noon, they would gather together to harshly criticize Shen Wenta. It was so cozy.
"By the way, Xiaoyi, a lot of girls in our club room will gather to drink tea and eat at noon. Do you want to come hang out with us?"
Having been here for a while, Pei Wanyan gradually noticed that Shen Yi and Shen Xun didn't seem to have any friends.
Usually, they just lay on their desks drawing, spacing out, or chatting with her. Their daily life was very plain.
Shen Yi's eyes lit up: "Can I?"
"Of course, no problem."
Shen Xun, who was beside them, raised his head upon hearing this and looked at Shen Yi in confusion: "Are you not staying with me?"
Before Shen Yi could answer, Shen Xun had already flexibly found a solution.
He turned to Pei Wanyan, his small face looking totally self-righteous: "Then I'm going to your club room to play too."
"Ah, sorry Xiaoxun." Pei Wanyan hadn't forgotten how this little brat had mocked her before. She smiled and spoke softly, "Our club room is all girls. You are not invited."
Shen Xun: "..."
He looked at his sister, refusing to give up.
But Shen Yi happily waved at him: "Bye bye brother, see you later."
Pei Wanyan's social circle was clean. Usually, it was nothing more than gathering with familiar friends, drinking tea, taking photos, and chatting about fashion or harmless gossip.
The club room she took Shen Yi to had a spacious terrace. Looking out, one could see the azure sky. Small round tables were placed all around, filled with all kinds of desserts and beautiful food.
It was the first time Shen Yi learned that there were so many intricacies to the extracurricular life in an aristocratic school.
Upon entering, there was a faint scent of perfume, the soft clinking of porcelain cups, and the laughter of girls.
All girls!
Is this paradise?
Shen Yi was almost dizzy from the fragrance.
"Hi, Wanyan, why did you bring a lower-grade kid here today?"
"This is Shen Yi, Shen Wenta's sister. I brought her over to have something to eat and meet some new friends."
Pei Wanyan seemed to notice her discomfort as a newcomer. She naturally introduced her identity, picked up an exquisite bone china plate filled with desserts, and handed it to Shen Yi:
"Try this, you should like it."
Shen Yi obediently took it and found a rattan chair by the side to sit down.
Like a cautious and curious little animal, she took small bites of the dessert while observing her surroundings.
A few lively girls quickly gathered around, somewhat curious about Shen Yi's identity.
They excitedly chattered, asking Shen Yi if she was free on the weekend, if they could go to an art gallery together, or attend someone's private party.
This circle had clear class distinctions and valued family backgrounds.
Children from affluent backgrounds were generally more mature in thought than ordinary children. Therefore, the age gap was not an issue. There were many children around Shen Yi's age present who seemed exceptionally at ease in such occasions.
Everyone had their own circle.
Led by their continuous chatter, Shen Yi quickly blended into the lively atmosphere.
She was still young and not interested in some fashion topics, so she didn't speak much the whole time and just kept eating.
She was truly hungry.
However, halfway through eating, Pei Wanyan next to her suddenly dropped a bombshell topic:
"Xiaoyi, tell me honestly, is your brother a little impotent?"
Shen Yi: "..."
Such a sensational piece of news caused a girl doing her makeup next to them to twitch her hand, drawing her eyeliner completely crooked.
Shen Yi also almost choked and spat out a mouthful of water.
She tilted her small face up, pretending to be ignorant: "Why would you say that?"
She was still a child, she didn't understand!
"Because I always feel that his mood is faint, withered, and occasionally his emotions are not quite normal?" Pei Wanyan said, recalling their interactions.
If this state wasn't impotence, what was it?
Shen Yi hesitated for two seconds, feeling that she still had to vindicate Shen Wenta a bit. "That can't be. He acts like he has super male syndrome at home. I usually don't even dare to make eye contact with him for three seconds."
For fear that this lunatic would go crazy again.
Seeing Pei Wanyan looking half-convinced, Shen Yi added: "With his crusading personality, it's a miracle he hasn't been hacked to death when he goes out."
So how could he possibly be faint and withered?
"..." Crusading personality.
Pei Wanyan was successfully amused by her choice of words.
Pei Wanyan was usually an excellent helpmeet. She could easily help Shen Wenta get rid of the many people who pestered him, and she could smoothly handle everything left behind after he threw a tantrum and walked away.
This long-term relationship dynamic left her feeling somewhat mentally and physically exhausted.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to take control of him.
But the man's defenses were too strong, and he was far too cunning.
The moment something felt even slightly off, he would start gaslighting her.
'I treat you so well, why are you still so insatiable?'
'Why would a proper girlfriend demand so much from her boyfriend?'
'I have given you everything you wanted, what else do you want from me?'
Every time she heard such words, Pei Wanyan remained completely unmoved, even feeling a slight urge to sneer.
...
Shen Wenta had an extremely egocentric personality.
He loved and hated in absolute extremes.
Just like a child.
Right now, he was furious.
It was bad enough being harassed every single day by that psycho Shen Ruxu with all sorts of messages and phone calls, but he also had to keep a close eye on Shen Yi, terrified that she might accidentally fall into Shen Ruxu's hands.
After a few days of this, he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
The slightest rustle of the wind made him exceptionally sensitive and neurotic.
Shen Wenta couldn't help but suspect that the lunatic Shen Ruxu was doing this on purpose just to mess with him.
At this moment, he was trying to catch up on some sleep in the quiet lounge. He had barely closed his eyes for two seconds when someone walked in and told him, "Hey, Wenta, I just saw your sister and your girlfriend heading over to the girls' activity room."
Shen Wenta bolted upright like a dying man shocked back to life. He rubbed his head, his tone light and cold, as if muttering to himself:
"How did those two end up together?"
He remembered that Pei Wanyan's previous supervision of Shen Yi was merely a routine chore.
Shen Wenta asked again, "What are they doing over there?"
"What else?" The boy shrugged. "They're girls. Chatting, eating snacks, drinking tea, maybe even taking a nap together? Their place is really lively at noon, totally different from our wild activity room."
Shen Wenta's face instantly darkened as he thought of the group of indecent friends surrounding Pei Wanyan.
Letting Shen Yi hang out with them?
The young man gritted his teeth bitterly; they would absolutely corrupt her.
He dialed Pei Wanyan's number, his voice carrying uncontrollable irritability and interrogation:
"Did you take Shen Yi to the activity room in your building?"
"Yeah, I did. What's wrong?" Pei Wanyan could hear from his tone that he was already quite angry.
"Send her back," he ordered. Then, Shen Wenta realized something and forcefully suppressed his dissatisfaction, "Forget it, I will just head over there myself."
He simply could not tolerate Shen Yi stepping into such a messy social environment, and right now he wished he could snatch her back immediately.
"Wait..." Before Pei Wanyan even had the time to say anything, he hung up on her without mercy.
Looking at her phone, Pei Wanyan spaced out for two seconds, her gaze slightly unfocused.
Shen Yi asked, "Does he hang up on you like this often?"
Pei Wanyan smiled. "Not often. Always."
Shen Yi said with absolute sincerity, "Sister, with your level of tolerance, you will succeed in whatever you do in the future."
...
...
