The man, dressed in slim black clothes, leaned casually against the doorframe and smiled, “Oh, Sleeping Beauty, awake now?”
On the soft couch, Shen Tanqi’s eyelids fluttered. He suddenly sprang up from the bed, stumbling as he rushed to the man’s side. He reached out to touch and feel the man’s face, his voice full of disbelief, “Is it really you, brother?”
Is it really you?
Could it truly be Shen Tanwu?
Could there really come a day when Shen Tanwu would travel from the modern world into this one?
Is our family tied to this ridiculous green JJ system or what?
With his face being squished, Shen Tanwu mumbled, “… Of course, who else could be your brother?”
If it weren’t for that lousy body wash Shen Tanqi recommended, he wouldn’t have slipped and fallen, leading to this weird time travel. What kind of ridiculous logic is that?
He grabbed Shen Tanqi’s wrist, freeing his face from his teary-eyed, dumbstruck brother’s grip, and smiled, “Why are you crying? Aren’t you happy to see me?”
As a large hand gently wiped away his tears, Shen Tanqi began to cry again, sniffling and whispering, “I don’t know if I should be happy or not.”
Shen Tanwu’s arrival meant that Huo Yening was already dead.
To him, Huo Yening was also a brother.
No wonder Jing Wei returned to the demon clan; with Huo Yening gone, there was no one left to take care of Jing Wei.
“Of course, you should be happy.” Shen Tanwu instinctively reached for his pocket, not finding his cigarette pack, and pressed his lips together. Instead, he ruffled Shen Tanqi’s soft hair, “Stop crying. People are watching, and they’ll feel bad for you.”
Shen Tanqi wiped his tears with his sleeve and turned away, asking, “Who’s watching?”
Shen Tanwu, clearly amused, pointed behind him. Following his gaze, Shen Tanqi saw Yu Ce sitting properly on the bed, looking as if he hadn’t been the one nuzzling Shen Tanqi’s neck just moments ago.
Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re putting on an act in front of my brother now?”
Yu Ce cleared his throat, discreetly smoothing out the strange creases on the bed with his hand hidden in his sleeve. “I’m not acting. Be careful with your words, Ah Qi.”
Shen Tanqi: “…”
Now he’s even putting on a persona.
But he was genuinely curious about how Yu Ce bumped into Shen Tanwu while out.
As soon as he asked, Shen Tanwu and Yu Ce replied in unison, “Heroes appreciate each other, you wouldn’t understand.”
Shen Tanqi: ?
He glanced at his mysteriously smug brother and slowly shifted his gaze to Yu Ce. He might not be able to bully his older brother, but he could definitely handle Yu Ce, right?
Feeling Shen Tanqi’s piercing gaze, Yu Ce hesitated and obediently explained, “We encountered a demon causing trouble in the city, trying to harm people, and both your brother and I stepped in to help.”
When Yu Ce first saw the face of ‘Huo Yening,’ he thought Huo Yening had finally come to his senses and wanted to use his dragon ball to extend his life. But the man’s conversation hinted he had never met him, even praising his martial skills like an actor in a drama.
Those peculiar expressions were something only Shen Tanqi used to say when he first arrived. Yu Ce figured it must be a custom from their world.
Growing suspicious and finding it strange, he lingered a bit longer and asked for Huo Yening’s name.
“Shen Tanwu.” The man extended his right hand, seemingly nostalgic as he clenched and unclenched his fingers, savoring the new sensation, then turned his eyes to Yu Ce. “And you, young hero, what’s your name?”
Yu Ce had never heard Shen Tanqi mention his older brother’s name before, but the connection between the two was evident. He couldn’t be sure, so he softly said, “Yu Ce.”
He noticed the man’s expression shift to one of surprise, as if he recognized him. Shen Tanwu leaned in suddenly, scrutinizing Yu Ce’s face closely. “Your name is Yu Ce?”
Yu Ce instinctively took half a step back, feeling oddly guilty. “What’s wrong?”
The man squinted slightly before a smirk curled his lips. He leaned in closer, his smile not reaching his eyes. “So, you’re the one who gave my brother three kids?”
At this, Yu Ce instantly understood who he was dealing with. Even though he had no idea why Shen Tanqi’s brother had also traveled to this world, he could clearly sense the man wasn’t happy with him.
Yu Ce hesitantly confirmed, “You are…”
Shen Tanwu lifted his eyelids slightly and said, “Shen Tanqi’s brother.”
So it was true!
He had taken Shen Tanwu’s carefully raised brother to another world. It was natural for Shen Tanwu to hold some resentment.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Ce bowed respectfully, “Brother, you’ve come from afar. Forgive my rudeness.”
His features were refined, his voice respectful and gentle, presenting an image of elegance and grace. He looked like a character from an ancient drama, as if a celebrity were acting in a period piece.
Shen Tanwu glanced him up and down for a moment, then scoffed lightly, “No need for apologies. Where’s my brother?”
No wonder his foolish brother was so infatuated. This guy was indeed slightly better-looking than him.
The protagonist of the novel, indeed, had something special.
Hearing him mention Shen Tanqi, Yu Ce’s expression softened considerably. He said quietly, “Ah Qi and the kids are at the inn. You don’t need to worry, brother.”
Shen Tanwu was quite curious about Shen Tanqi’s three little ones. From what he’d heard, they sounded like little angels straight out of a cartoon—adorable and well-behaved.
He’d had experience raising children, but it had been Shen Tanqi and Shen Tanjiu, the two mischievous troublemakers. Since Shen Tanqi spent his childhood fighting with tree branches, Shen Tanwu’s impression was that all kids must be as troublesome and lively as Shen Tanqi and Shen Tanjiu. Annoying at times, but mostly endearing.
Seeing his interest, Yu Ce smiled and started sharing stories about Goldfish and Taro Ball from when they were younger. “When Goldfish first learned to walk, he would follow his little brother around all day, running everywhere, often coming back covered in mud.”
“That’s no surprise,” Shen Tanwu said, reminiscing. He had raised his siblings almost like his own children, so he had plenty of stories. “It must run in the family. Ah Qi was the same, always running around. Once, he took his sister to catch loaches in a ditch and ended up falling in, covered in stinky mud. Then he had the nerve to come back crying for me to wash his clothes.”
From his mix of laughter and scolding, Yu Ce could almost picture the lively, mischievous young Shen Tanqi, much like Goldfish—playful and naughty, but the most adorable child in the world despite the trouble he caused.
The two of them eagerly delved into a deep discussion about Shen Tanqi’s childhood antics, including but not limited to the time he sprained his ankle making a swing out of a tree, and when he and his sister got beaten up by bullies and came home asking Shen Tanwu to avenge them. They concluded that it was a miracle Shen Tanqi had grown up at all.
After hearing the whole story of their meeting and bonding, Shen Tanqi really wanted to sew his brother’s mouth shut.
Why did he have to spill all the embarrassing stories? He really was his brother!
So that whole ‘heroes appreciate each other’ thing—they bonded over being able to put up with a scatterbrain like him, huh?
Watching Shen Tan’s mouth twitch slightly, Yu Ce quickly changed the subject to save face for him. “Ah Qi, what about your youngest sister? Has she also arrived here by now?”
Oh right, if Shen Tanwu’s here, why hasn’t Shen Tanjiu come?
“Don’t worry,” Shen Tanwu chuckled lazily, casually sitting back in a bamboo chair beside the table. “After you left, I bought a lottery ticket and ended up hitting the jackpot with 800,000 yuan. I paid off all the debts accumulated over the years in one night. The youngest is living much better than us now.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but remember the system saying it had sent his salary to his family. It turned out it was in the form of winning the lottery. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. Knowing his sister, upon receiving such a large sum of money, her eyes must have lit up, probably forgetting her own name in the joy of the moment.
But his heart was slightly relieved. So the 800,000 yuan really had been given to his brother and sister by the system. With that money, his sister should be living well now. He wondered if there would still be a chance for her to cross over.
In the plot, Lin Tanjiu is the female protagonist with the main character halo, so it’s impossible for her to die. He didn’t know what strange thing his sister would turn into when she crossed over, but he hoped she wouldn’t turn into a 1.8-meter-tall strong man. He could accept anything else.
Shen Tanwu sighed helplessly. “Youngest can take care of herself. Instead of worrying that she’s not doing well, worry that she’ll use the 800,000 yuan to chase after that little star you used to like.” Getting Shen Tanjiu to cross over wouldn’t be easy; it would probably take her spending all of that 800,000 yuan and becoming poor enough to have a chance to take a bath with that cheap green JJ body lotion that’s so cheap that you can’t even rub it out.
Upon hearing about the star Shen Tanqi liked, Yu Ce immediately looked at Shen Tanqi, his eyes flashing, as if he had something to say.
Pretending not to see, Shen Tanqi blinked. “You mean the one who’s really fair-skinned and dances really handsomely?”
“Yeah, that one. I don’t know what’s so good about him; I don’t think he’s even half as handsome as Yu Ce.” Shen Tanwu generously complimented his future son-in-law.
Yu Ce’s expression indeed relaxed a lot, murmuring softly, “It’s good if Ah Qi likes me.”
Shen Tanwu chuckled mischievously once more, continuing, “Of course he likes you. The day second returned, he cried so much, like a pear tree in the rain. He had to come back to find you for sure. It’s clear you’ve stolen our second’s heart.”
“Really? I… missed Ah Qi too.”
With just a few words, Yu Ce’s initially nervous heart immediately felt reassured. He had actually been thinking if Ah Qi had ever liked someone else, when it was clear Ah Qi had always missed him. He really shouldn’t have doubted.
Kind-hearted silly dragon remained completely unaware that Shen Tanwu had effortlessly grasped him with just a few words.
Shen Tanqiqi couldn’t help but rub his forehead, and said to his mischievous brother Shen Tanwu, “Alright, stop teasing him, brother.”
Simple-minded silly dragon was naturally easy to fool, unlike his smooth-talking brother.
“Oh, by the way, brother,” Shen Tanqi asked curiously, “Did you bring a system with you when you came here?”
Shen Tanwu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, “No, but when I arrived, there was a child crying next to me.”
A child?
Shen Tanqiqi was stunned for a moment and whispered, “Was he very fair-skinned and could turn into a bird?”
Shen Tanwu remained silent and shook his head, “I didn’t see anyone.” He hadn’t seen what the other person looked like. Recalling the scene when he first arrived, Shen Tanwu only remembered that his body couldn’t move. Perhaps his original self had been dead for a long time, limbs stiff to the extreme, with a faint hoarse voice of a young man echoing in his ears.
“Huo Yening, how dare you die.”
The young man’s voice was calm and flat, yet thick with disdain, as if he wished he could resurrect and kill the person again, “How dare you leave me to die?”
Under his piercing gaze, Shen Tanwu finally felt the strength to control this body. Wanting to respond to the young man’s words, but instead, the empty room echoed with the young man’s cold and hopeless voice.
“Do you think that just because you died, everything will go as you wish?”
“Huo Yening, you forced me to do this.”
When he opened his eyes, there was no trace of the young man left in the room.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
