"Shut up, I don't want to hear your useless analytical theories right now."
Shen Wenta paced back and forth in frustration, muttering to himself, "Just what is the background of these people? To be able to take control of the school in such a short amount of time, they must have been planning this for a long time."
Come to think of it, it was strange.
The group of kidnappers had indiscriminately grabbed all the students, yet when they bumped into the two of them on the way, they acted as if they hadn't seen them, naturally ignoring them altogether.
This made him suspect it was an inside job by someone they knew.
Speaking of crimes committed by acquaintances, one person in particular had to be mentioned.
Shen Wenta paused his pacing.
"Did you know that Shen Ruxu has been hanging around Hejing frequently?"
Shen Xun froze for a moment.
"I'm not too sure," he said. "I haven't seen him in a long time. He doesn't seem to have looked for me either."
"Impossible," Shen Wenta frowned. "He basically comes looking for me whenever he has nothing better to do."
He remembered something.
"Today he even gave me a withered flower." His tone was filled with disgust. "As poor and shabby as always. Don't tell me he's out of money and decided to participate in this school kidnapping to make a quick buck?"
Shen Xun didn't reply to that.
He was thinking.
"When you saw Second Brother," he asked, "when exactly was that?"
Shen Wenta had a good memory.
He listed out all the times he had been in contact with Shen Ruxu.
"The first time I actually saw him," he recalled, "was on May 25th."
Shen Xun fell silent.
Two seconds later, he spoke.
"Did you know?"
His voice was eerily quiet.
"On May 24th, I was kept behind by the teacher to pack up the equipment. A homeless man planted a listening device on Xiao Yi."
"...?"
Shen Wenta's expression froze.
A homeless man?
The two exchanged a glance, realizing that the situation was gradually taking a sinister turn.
Shen Wenta immediately said, "That jade necklace Shen Yi had around her neck before, it was stolen from my collection room by a Blondie she met at school."
He had found it strange at the time.
It wasn't that easy to steal his things.
That person did it completely undetected; they were clearly a seasoned pro.
Shen Xun quietly chimed in.
"Second Brother loves petty theft the most. Big Brother almost broke his legs over this in the past."
The two brothers expressionlessly reviewed the facts.
The air became terrifyingly quiet.
"And that Blondie..." Shen Wenta frowned, recalling another detail. "He also frequently ate the meals Shen Yi brought to school."
This was what he was most dissatisfied with.
Just how poor did that guy have to be to live off his sister's food!
Shen Xun's voice grew even more lifeless; he had already accepted reality. "Second Brother has been mooching food and drinks since he was little. And doing petty thefts."
"..."
Damn it.
The more they pieced it together, the more familiar this person sounded.
—Wouldn't you agree?
Shen Ruxu!!
The two brothers coincidentally gritted their teeth and cursed that name in their hearts.
Shen Wenta wanted nothing more than to kill him.
"I need to go find Xiao Yi. Can you find Second Brother?" Shen Xun looked at him. "Second Brother should be looking for you too. Can you talk some sense into him?"
"Don't let him do anything reckless, and don't let his accomplices grab our sister."
Shen Wenta nodded, "I know."
Of course he knew.
Shen Wenta coldly gripped the gun in his hand. He had even already figured out exactly how he was going to greet Shen Ruxu once they met.
...
The brothers parted ways there. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, Shen Xun searched everywhere before pausing to think, then took off running toward the garden.
If someone wanted to hide, there was no place more suitable than here.
It was a complex maze, perfect for hiding and launching sneak attacks. If he were Shen Yi, he would have chosen this place too.
The boy called out twice.
"Shen Yi."
No one answered.
He called out again.
"Shen Yi."
A rustling sound came from behind the bushes.
A head gently poked out.
When Shen Yi saw him, her eyes lit up.
She rushed out excitedly, grabbed him, and immediately gave him a big hug.
"Where did you run off to, brother?!" She hugged him tightly. "I couldn't find you anywhere!"
Shen Yi had been wondering if he had stupidly run up to the rooftop and gotten tied up by someone.
She hugged him with so much force that it nearly suffocated him.
Shen Xun, however, didn't complain.
"I was looking for you too," was all he said.
The siblings had finally reunited with great difficulty, but now was not the time to catch up.
Shen Xun was here to tell her a few things.
"Did you know we have an older brother?"
Shen Xun never wasted time when speaking. "His name is Shen Ruxu."
Shen Yi paused for a moment: "I know, our second brother, right? Mom was just talking about him before, saying he never contacts the family."
She had been curious at first, but as time passed and she never saw any photos or anything, she naturally stopped paying much attention to it.
"Third Brother and I suspect that the person who planted the bug on you before is Second Brother," Shen Xun said. "Have you had any interaction with Second Brother?"
Shen Yi reached out and subconsciously gripped the necklace around her neck.
The jade the homeless man had given her.
She had been wearing it ever since.
"Me? My second brother?"
Her voice changed pitch.
"You must be joking!"
She knew very well that the homeless man was in cahoots with the criminals behind this operation.
Besides, how could that person possibly be her brother?
"That despicable homeless man," the girl said in a wavering tone, clearly not believing it, "to be so deeply scheming as to pretend to be our brother to trick us..."
"..." Shen Xun remained silent for a second.
"It's true," he said. "He is our brother."
He flipped through his smartwatch.
Even though there was no signal, he could still view photos.
"This is from when we were little." He held the screen up to her eyes, trying to show her the proof. "He took this while holding me."
Shen Yi took one look.
She didn't dare take a second look.
In the photo, a teenager was holding a tiny Shen Xun, smiling brightly.
She had truly seen that face before.
Shen Yi fell completely silent.
"What second brother?"
Pei Wanyan's voice came from the side, laced with astonishment.
"You guys have a second brother?"
She had always thought these two little ones only had Shen Wenta as their older brother.
Shen Xun turned his face away, still giving her the cold shoulder.
Pei Wanyan ignored him too, looking at Shen Yi with a bit of curiosity.
Shen Yi was still a bit dazed herself. "Um, yeah, technically I should have four brothers... but I've never met the other two."
So, she genuinely had no idea how a homeless man had suddenly turned into her brother.
Did this even make sense?
Li Mingyue wasn't interested in this topic about brothers; he was currently filled with a sense of crisis.
"So where is your brother?" he asked. "Isn't he going to run away with us? It's really dangerous for your second brother to be wandering around alone right now, isn't it?"
"He's not in any danger," Shen Xun said eerily. "The ones in danger are us."
Li Mingyue froze.
Shen Xun turned his head and looked in a certain direction.
"And, if nothing unexpected happens..."
His tone was chilling.
"You should all be seeing him very soon."
Just as he finished speaking.
A flurry of footsteps came from deep within the garden. They were chaotic, and judging by the sound, there were at least seven or eight people.
And they were getting closer and closer.
...
There is one more chapter, updating at twelve o'clock.
The latest chapter is under review. I don't know when it will be released.
