⌈Lu Ran has to lose something.⌋
Shen Hongyuan briefly suspected whether this Mr. Li had gotten wind of some news and was hinting at him.
“There are some things, you know, that just shouldn’t be served on the dining table!” Mr. Li kept rambling.
Shen Hongyuan’s face turned pale.
He struggled through the remaining stairs and finally made it to the second floor.
Mr. Li eventually finished exchanging pleasantries and hung up the phone.
Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen returned to their bedroom.
After resting for three days, they each began to get busy with their own matters.
“Weren’t you supposed to go on a business trip in a week? Have you packed your luggage yet?” Madam Shen asked.
Shen Hongyuan sighed, “The project will likely be delayed.”
“Delayed?” Madam Shen was a bit surprised, “Are there conflicts between the companies again?”
Shen Hongyuan shook his head, his expression somewhat stern, “A few days ago, those kids caused a big stir by drag racing and hitting someone. I suspect that the Ji family’s influence is behind it.”
He sighed again, “Making a sudden move against these small families—who knows what it means.”
Madam Shen didn’t involve herself much in the family business and wasn’t concerned about these matters.
She sat in front of her dressing table, searching for her jewelry, “Where’s my pearl necklace?”
“Where did you put it?” Shen Hongyuan was a bit impatient.
“It was right here! This was a limited edition from H’s collection last season.” Madam Shen kept rummaging around.
“When did you last place it there? Think about it,” Shen Hongyuan lit a cigarette and grumbled out of habit, “You never keep track of your own things.”
“Just the night before last!”
Madam Shen blurted out.
With that, both of them instantly recalled what had happened the night before last.
The horrifying memory returned as expected.
“…”
The bedroom fell into an eerie silence.
Madam Shen stopped looking for the necklace.
Shen Hongyuan stopped complaining as well.
Just then, a knock came at the door, and Shen Xingran poked his head in, “Mom, Dad.”
“Ranran, come in quickly!” Madam Shen immediately broke the silence.
Shen Hongyuan’s expression also softened a bit.
Shen Xingran pushed the door open, snuggling up affectionately as he sat beside them.
“Mom, your hairstyle looks really good today.”
He first complimented Madam Shen, then turned to Shen Hongyuan and asked, “Dad, I heard from Zhang Lin that things have been a bit unstable lately, something about the Ji family being involved.”
“Zhang Lin? You know that boy from the Zhang family?” Shen Hongyuan was a bit surprised.
“Yes,” Shen Xingran said, looking somewhat troubled. “He keeps trying to give me things and insists on coming over to our house to hang out.”
Shen Hongyuan was quite pleased upon hearing this.
What he liked most about his youngest son was how Shen Xingran always managed to build good relationships with the sons of other prestigious families.
This, undoubtedly, provided a great advantage in business negotiations.
Madam Shen, too, was proud and praised, “Our Ranran is always so likable.”
Shen Xingran then shifted the conversation back to the Ji family. “Dad, can you tell me what’s going on with the Ji family? I’m worried I might accidentally cause trouble for the family.”
Shen Hongyuan pondered for a moment but ultimately didn’t go into detail. He simply said, “In short, stay away from the Ji family. Also, avoid the Huang family and the others involved in the recent incidents.”
It wasn’t that Shen Hongyuan didn’t want to share more.
The truth was, he had no idea what that person from the Ji family was thinking or why they had suddenly made a move.
The Shen family was considered middle-tier in the business circles of Beijing.
But compared to a giant like the Ji family, they were still far behind. While the Ji family might not be able to crush them with a single finger, if targeted, there would be no escaping trouble.
However, such thoughts were not something Shen Hongyuan would share with his children.
Otherwise, it would make him look weak as a father.
Shen Xingran, failing to get the information he wanted, felt a bit frustrated.
Lately, nothing seemed to be going right for him. He was on the verge of a meltdown from all the pent-up frustration. His usually obedient and pleasant demeanor was becoming harder to maintain.
But he would never throw a tantrum in front of Madam Shen and Shen Hongyuan.
His eyes swept over Shen Hongyuan’s noticeably thinner face, and Shen Xingran found his target for venting.
Looking at Shen Hongyuan and then Madam Shen, he said with concern, “Dad, you were in the hospital for a few days and you’ve lost so much weight.”
Both Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen instantly stiffened.
Right now, they hated any mention of eating, hospital stays—
Or even…
Shen Xingran sighed in apparent helplessness, as if in tolerance, “Brother Ran is really… He’s too—”
He hadn’t even finished squeezing out his pre-planned complaints.
Suddenly, he was met with an unexpectedly furious Shen Hongyuan, who, with a green face, roared, “Ah! Shut up!”
Shen Xingran was stunned by the outburst.
Instinctively, he turned to look at Madam Shen.
Only to see that her face wasn’t looking any better. She was anxiously waving her hands, grumbling, “Why would you bring him up!!”
Still in a daze, Shen Xingran was “escorted” out of the bedroom.
It wasn’t until he reached his own room on the third floor that he snapped out of it.
He had actually been yelled at by Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen.
Because of Lu Ran?
Furious, Shen Xingran threw everything within reach to the floor.
The thick carpet and the villa’s excellent soundproofing isolated all noises.
After calming down, Shen Xingran reflected on himself, realizing that he shouldn’t have brought up Lu Ran at that moment.
Not just his parents—even for him, whenever Lu Ran’s name was mentioned, his heart would skip a beat, and his mind would instinctively want to avoid it.
Shen Hongyuan and Madam Shen likely felt the same way.
However, the fact that the two of them reacted so strongly to Lu Ran left Shen Xingran unsure whether this situation was good or bad.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. He picked up his phone and sent a message.
Not long after, there was a knock on the door of his third-floor room.
Shen Xingzhuo leaned lazily against the doorframe, playing a game on his phone while asking, “What’s up?”
“You’re still playing games?” Shen Xingran was a bit anxious.
He pressed, “Didn’t you say you guaranteed to take care of that dog? Why is that stinking dog back?”
Shen Xingzhuo’s hands paused.
The sound of his game character dying soon followed.
“Brother! I really hate that dog. Every time I see it downstairs, I get scared,” Shen Xingran whined.
He knew this tactic worked well with Shen Xingzhuo, so he pulled him over to sit on the nearby sofa.
But this time, Shen Xingzhuo didn’t agree as readily as usual.
After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “You live on the third floor and the stairs have railings. Da Huang stays on the first floor, so it shouldn’t really affect you.”
Shen Xingran was stunned, barely registering what Shen Xingzhuo had just said.
The fact that that dog’s poop had once splattered on Shen Xingzhuo’s back, and now Shen Xingzhuo wasn’t angry enough to get rid of the dog—but instead called it “Da Huang”?
Had Shen Xingzhuo lost his mind?
“Second Brother!” He put on a pitiful expression, “I know I’m not really part of this family, not your real brother, but do you really want me to live in fear every day?”
“But when you opened the door to Lu Ran’s room, that dog didn’t bite you either,” Shen Xingzhuo was still hesitating.
Shen Xingran instantly flared up.
“No wonder Dad and Mom always favor our eldest brother. Shen Xingzhuo, if you won’t help with this, then forget it!”
At these words, Shen Xingzhuo’s face darkened.
The carefree air around him disappeared as he silently left the third floor, slamming the door with a loud bang.
Watching his retreating figure, Shen Xingran knew this matter was settled.
After all the grievances he had endured lately, Lu Ran had to lose something in return.
Coming down from the third floor, Shen Xingzhuo headed straight out of the Shen family villa.
He made a phone call, then drove silently to a street in the city center.
The street was bustling with cars, and parking spots were hard to find.
Spotting an open space, Shen Xingzhuo quickly shifted gears and, with a grim expression, squeezed into the spot.
His car swung sharply, narrowly missing the headlights of the adjacent vehicle.
A blaring horn followed with a sharp “beep.”
The window of the car next to him rolled down, and the driver started shouting, “Are you crazy? Do you even know how to drive? That parking spot was mine…”
Shen Xingzhuo ignored him.
He parked the car and slammed the door shut with a loud “bang”. As he passed by the other car, he reached through the window and tossed in a wad of cash.
The driver, still cursing, squeezed the money, felt its thickness, and promptly shut up, moving his car to park elsewhere.
Following the location on his phone, Shen Xingzhuo headed toward a store on the street.
His anger, sparked by Shen Xingran’s earlier words, hadn’t fully subsided. He strode with large steps, his thick, structured trench coat flapping loudly with each movement.
It wasn’t until he arrived at the storefront that Shen Xingzhuo suddenly halted.
He looked up at the transparent glass wall in front of him and realized it was a pet store.
Against the street-facing glass wall was a large enclosure.
Inside were several month-old corgi puppies, their round bellies full from eating. Some were lying on the ground yawning, while others flailed their tiny legs, trying to roll over.
One puppy had fallen asleep right up against the glass.
Its soft, pink-and-black paw pads pressed against the glass, slightly squished.
The frustration that had been brewing in Shen Xingzhuo’s heart suddenly eased.
He crouched outside the glass wall, quietly watching.
After a while, the puppies all fell asleep.
Shen Xingzhuo found himself staring at the tiny dogs, lost in thought. He couldn’t help but think back to a few days ago.
That dog, Da Huang, was a bit foolish.
With just a bit of coaxing, it had followed him out.
Shen Xingran had said he didn’t want to see the dog anymore.
Shen Xingzhuo knew what his brother meant.
He had taken the dog and led it away from the Shen family home, initially intending to dump it in a river somewhere.
But when he got to the riverbank, he remembered that dogs could swim.
Shen Xingzhuo walked along the road with the dog.
He realized that this dog had been well-trained; it didn’t bark, didn’t run off or act recklessly, and obediently stayed by his side.
Several times, Shen Xingzhuo had the urge to kick the dog into the middle of the road.
But each time he raised his foot, he saw that the dog, completely unaware of the danger, was looking up at him with excited, bright black eyes, thinking he was playing with it.
Staring down into those foolish eyes, Shen Xingzhuo found he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
In the end, he left the dog in a quiet, secluded area.
He called Huang Mao over.
Even though he had been the one to make the call, Shen Xingzhuo had secretly hoped that the foolish dog would have wandered away from that area by the time they arrived.
But, as expected, a foolish dog was still a foolish dog.
It stayed exactly where he had left it, not moving an inch.
Shen Xingzhuo smirked at himself, mocking his own hypocrisy.
Lighting a cigarette, he shifted his posture and continued watching through the glass wall.
In truth, Shen Xingzhuo really liked dogs.
But since Shen Xingran was mildly allergic to dog hair, he had always held off on getting one, out of consideration for his brother.
Having grown up together, Shen Xingzhuo knew that his younger brother wasn’t as innocent as he appeared on the surface.
But he didn’t mind.
He wanted to be a good older brother, which meant accepting his brother entirely.
If he only spoiled Shen Xingran when he was obedient and agreeable, and grew resentful when his brother was a little headstrong, how would that be any different from how their parents treated him and their eldest brother?
Thinking of this, Shen Xingzhuo felt calm and resolute.
He stood up, stubbed out his cigarette, tossed the butt into a trash can, and then opened the door to the pet store, stepping inside.
