Uncle Shen had no reason to deceive him, and… If it wasn’t like this, how could one explain the almost one in ten million coincidences in this world?
If all of this was true, how had his brother been living all these years?
Throughout these years, all he had received from the Shen family was deceitful and cruel exploitation with no trace of warmth. If it were him, he might have been even more ruthless. His brother should have hated him, yet why didn’t he? And this time, why did he risk everything to save him?
In this world, there probably wouldn’t be a second person like his brother, willing to risk his own life to save him.
And what had he done to him? He had hurt him recklessly, time and time again, never caring about his feelings. He had even come close to sending him to jail.
In Shen Muchuan’s eyes, there was nothing but a look of sorrow and pain. His heart felt like it had been crushed into a pulp, making it difficult for him to even think.
…
Lightning ripped through the gloomy and dark sky, and torrential rain suddenly descended. The rain was so heavy that it seemed like it had torn a gaping hole in the heavens. It pounded on the awning under the eaves, creating a continuous and muffled sound.
After all, Qiao Yue had only suffered from excessive blood loss. After spending a few days in the hospital, the doctor prescribed some medication for him and allowed him to leave.
In the afternoon, Qiao Yue ordered takeout for himself. After finishing dinner and tidying up briefly, while he was halfway through watching a movie, his phone placed on the nearby table started ringing.
When he saw the phone number displayed on it, Qiao Yue’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and then he answered the call.
The voice on the other end sounded weary, “Brother…”
His voice was mixed with the sound of pouring rain, making it sound very hoarse in the darkness.
“Brother…”
Qiao Yue listened quietly and didn’t respond.
“Brother, can you talk to me? I’m right downstairs at your place… I want to see you.”
There was a long pause, then Qiao Yue said, “It’s already very late. I’m hanging up.”
After hanging up the phone, he walked to the window and looked down from above. In the pouring rain of the dark night, a silver car was parked, its headlights still on.
[Host, it seems like the male lead is planning to wait indefinitely. Are you really not going to see him?]
[Let him calm down for a few days. I need to figure things out on my own first. It’s better not to be too direct from his perspective. Besides, some things are better said by someone else; it can be much more effective.]
He silently moved away from the window and returned to the living room to finish watching the movie.
[Host, based on my calculations of lightning speed, there is a 60% chance it will strike the male lead.]
Chu Yan replied with a casual [Okay], and then went to bed to sleep.
[If he gets struck and dies, the mission will fail, you know.]
Chu Yan turned off the lights and responded, [You’re overthinking it, how could that happen?] He had never seen a protagonist die in such a way; usually, such deaths were reserved for cannon fodder.
In the middle of the night, feeling a bit thirsty, he got up to get a glass of water in the kitchen and noticed that the rain had stopped.
Looking down from the kitchen window, he saw that the car was still parked downstairs.
Raising an eyebrow, he put the glass back and didn’t pay it much more attention.
He had a very peaceful sleep, and when the alarm clock woke him up, it was already 7:00 in the morning. He quickly got dressed, washed his face, and brushed his teeth, leaving for work at exactly 7:30.
Due to the heavy rain last night, there was still a strong earthy smell in the air.
Shen Muchuan leaned against the passenger seat of his car, his mind in disarray, his spirit exhausted and stretched to the limit. He kept staring at the entrance of the building, unable to take his eyes off it.
Around 7:32 AM, he finally saw someone coming out of the entrance. It seemed like the person was rushing to work, walking hurriedly, and paying no attention to him. The person was about to reach the complex’s exit.
Shen Muchuan reacted quickly and immediately opened the car door, stepping out to catch up with him. “Brother.”
Hearing the voice, Qiao Yue stopped in his tracks, turned around, and saw Shen Muchuan standing a few meters away from him. He looked weary, his shirt was wrinkled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
As soon as he stood still, Shen Muchuan’s eyes lit up, and he called out again, “Brother.”
Qiao Yue checked the time and saw there were twenty-five minutes left, then he lifted his gaze and asked nonchalantly, “I’m about to be late, do you have something you need?”
Shen Muchuan looked at Qiao Yue, who still appeared distant and cold towards him, and felt a pang in his heart. However, he managed to force a smile on his face. “I’ll come find you this afternoon. You can go to work now.”
Qiao Yue glanced at him with a complex expression but didn’t say anything. He turned and left.
Shen Muchuan stood there until Qiao Yue’s figure was completely out of sight before he rubbed his tired eyes.
When he looked down and saw his shirt, which had practically turned into a crumpled mess, he furrowed his brow. After some hesitation, he decided to go back and take a shower first. He didn’t want to upset his brother any further.
As the workday came to an end, Qiao Yue returned home and noticed that the car parked downstairs was still there.
The silver-gray Bentley stood out conspicuously in front of this simple and somewhat run-down residential building, drawing frequent sideways glances from passersby.
Qiao Yue approached the car and saw that he was already asleep inside, his eyes tightly shut. His sharp aura seemed to have subsided, making him appear less intimidating than when he was awake.
After a moment of hesitation, Qiao Yue raised his hand and tapped on the car’s window.
With just two taps, Shen Muchuan, who was leaning against the driver’s seat, woke up. He opened his eyes to find Qiao Yue standing right next to his car, looking at him expressionlessly.
Shen Muchuan immediately opened the car door. He had changed his shirt, and it was perfectly neat with no wrinkles. There was a faint hint of cologne in the air around him. His forehead was wrapped in a bandage. His skin was not as fair as Qiao Yue’s; it had a healthy wheatish hue. However, even so, it was evident that his face had turned red, creating a stark contrast between the black and red hues.
Shen Muchuan was about to say something when Qiao Yue interrupted him, “Did you come here to say something to me?”
Shen Muchuan hesitated for a moment and then nodded with a complex expression as he looked at Qiao Yue.
Qiao Yue gazed at his face and asked, “So when did you get discharged?”
Shen Muchuan hadn’t expected this question and was momentarily taken aback. His facial expression showed a delayed response as he replied, “Yesterday…”
Qiao Yue was somewhat impressed by his audacity. After such a serious car accident, he had the guts to leave the hospital after just five days. He sneered, “Did the doctor discharge you, or did you check yourself out?”
Despite Qiao Yue’s cold and sarcastic tone, Shen Muchuan couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet sensation in his heart. It wasn’t due to anything else but the fact that he could sense the underlying concern that had always been there but which he had consistently overlooked.
Qiao Yue looked at him for a moment and then took out his phone to make a call to his assistant. “I’ll send you the address. Come over as soon as possible.”
After ending the call, he turned to Shen Muchuan, who was leaning against the car. “Wait here. Your assistant will arrive shortly.”
Shen Muchuan, seeing that Qiao Yue was about to leave, hurriedly grabbed his arm, his voice hoarse as he said, “Don’t go.”
At this moment, it was indeed the end of the workday, and there was a constant flow of people at the entrance of the residential area. Their actions quickly attracted a high level of attention from onlookers.
Qiao Yue continued to walk forward, and Shen Muchuan followed him closely, unable to be driven away.
In the end, Qiao Yue had no choice but to bring him back to his home.
Once they arrived home, Shen Muchuan felt so exhausted that he almost collapsed onto the sofa. Qiao Yue, on the other hand, went to wash his hands and then started cooking in the kitchen. He rinsed the rice, cleaned the vegetable leaves, and used the leftover fish from the refrigerator to prepare a braised fish dish.
Twenty minutes later, the meal was ready. Qiao Yue ate his food, washed the dishes, and noticed that Shen Muchuan had already curled up and fallen asleep on his low couch.
Qiao Yue made another call to Shen Muchuan’s assistant, hoping to arrange for someone to take him back home. However, this time, the assistant’s phone was turned off.
“…”
Chu Yan walked over and examined Shen Muchuan’s flushed face, pondering the possibility of him overheating his brain with such a fever.
[Host, I can calculate this for you, and the probability is eighty percent.] the system chimed in.
In his hazy state, Shen Muchuan felt a blanket being draped over him. He vaguely knew it was Qiao Yue and wanted to open his eyes to look at him, but his eyelids felt too heavy to lift.
“Brother…”
Seeing the male lead suffering, the system couldn’t help but express its concern, [Host, by doing this, what if the male lead investigates and discovers your true identity?]
[Can’t find anything when there’s no one left to search for. Besides, what Uncle Shen said wasn’t entirely false; it was just a misunderstanding on his part.］
Actually, the reason Uncle Shen left the Shen family back then was because he had secretly altered the will and confined Shen Muchuan. Seeing this child he had watched grow up and do such things was extremely heartbreaking for Uncle Shen. He couldn’t believe that Qiao Yue had turned out this way. In utter disappointment, he eventually left the Shen family.
Until a few days ago, when he saw in the newspaper that Shen Muchuan had been in a car accident, did he rush over from his hometown to see him. He was just beaten to it by Chu Yan.
The system, which could only provide technical data manipulation, secretly marveled, [Host, you’re really amazing.］
[Human nature is like this; it tends to sympathize with the weaker party and leans towards finding their actions understandable. Back then, Shen Muchuan was the weaker one, and now I’m the one at a disadvantage, so naturally, Uncle Shen leans more towards me psychologically.］
Otherwise, why would he make himself miserable every time, having nothing left?
Speaking of which, it’s true that Father Shen and Mother Shen adopted him because of his blood type. But in reality, his situation was not as bad as Uncle Shen described. Due to their guilty consciences, Father Shen and Mother Shen had treated him decently all these years.
If it was really as Uncle Shen said, why would they send him abroad for education alongside Shen Muchuan?
Even though their actions might not have been entirely right, the superior material conditions and the best educational resources they provided to Qiao Yue were things he would never have enjoyed if he had stayed in the orphanage all his life.
Perhaps he would have only managed to attend an ordinary college with the support of kind-hearted people and would have found an ordinary job at best. He would never have achieved what he has today.
Furthermore, apart from the initial urgent situation, Father and Mother Shen regularly had him donate blood for storage, and it wasn’t as dire as he was misled to believe.
So, even if Father and Mother Shen’s motives weren’t entirely pure, it doesn’t seem like they have wronged him significantly.
It’s just that the deceased deserve respect, and tarnishing their image in the eyes of their own biological son, even for someone like Chu Yan, must leave a sense of guilt.
The system is somewhat surprised; considering all the unethical things the host has done, this is the first time it senses a feeling of guilt in him. [If you really feel guilty, then feed the male protagonist first. He hasn’t eaten anything in a day and a night.]
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