At this point, Shen Tanqi had a good understanding of what kind of family this was. Led by his father, with uncles, aunts, cousins, and more, spreading into over thirty branches. But for his father, the most important in this household were the two standing before him right now.
One was Shen Fei, who advised and comforted him, and the other was Shen Tanqi, the son of the main wife.
Only after a moment of calm did he realize that he hadn’t seen the main wife at all. Besides the head of the household, the one seated next to him was Shen Fei.
As the seventh wife, Shen Fei may not have originally been surnamed Shen, taking on the family name after marriage. But Shen Tanqi suspected there was more to it—the sincerity Shen Fei showed toward the head of the household.
They were all in the same boat—prosper or suffer together.
No other branch could compare to this small group. Shen Tanqi remembered the pride in Shen Fei’s eyes as she personally delivered the New Year’s gift, filled with the glory of the Shen family. She said, “In the future, the Shen family will still be under your control.”
It was a sincere statement. Judging from the head of the household’s attitude, everyone knew the Shen family would inevitably be passed down to Shen Tanqi.
But what they didn’t know was that the original owner had likely died during that initial illness, and Shen Tanqi had been sent into this world by the system, bearing unjust suffering.
The only thing he could do now was play the role of ‘Shen Tanqi’ well.
After a brief analysis of the current situation, Shen Tanqi whispered, “Father, I’ve grown a lot these years. Give me some time, and I’ll figure out how to handle these matters. Please, keep this secret for your son.”
He slowly bowed with formal dignity, then grasped Yu Ce’s wrist beside him and turned to leave. As he pushed the door, the palm wind had already dissipated.
Shen Tanqi paused briefly, looking back. The head of the household seemed to have aged decades overnight, lacking the vigor and vitality seen moments ago.
“Go on,” he waved dismissively, allowing Shen Tanqi to depart, then repeated, “Go on, take the night to think it over… and remember to come home.”
Shen Tanqi quietly observed him for a long while before finally stepping away.
At the threshold, he looked up to see plum blossoms in full bloom, then cast his gaze downward to a crimson wooden bridge. Shen Tanqi had a fondness for red, hence the prevalence of red throughout the Shen family’s estate.
Suddenly, he recalled how sparingly Father Shen was portrayed in this book.
The book depicted Father Shen as ruthless and incompetent in parenting, harsh towards the people, and ultimately succumbing to illness upon learning of the original owner’s death at Bloodthirst Cliff, handing over the hard-earned family business to an insignificant illegitimate child of the Shen lineage.
Everyone applauded, and history cursed him.
Indeed, Father Shen was an outright villain in the book, a typical antagonist, utterly contemptible.
Yet, the book never wrote that he was a father in his sixties, Shen Tanqi’s father.
After all, people are never one-dimensional; there is more to them than meets the eye.
Shen Tanqi felt somber, having left the Shen mansion with a heavy heart. He had intended to proceed with Yu Ce to paint the array as planned when several burly men suddenly emerged behind him.
They bowed respectfully. The leader, dressed in a sturdy black outfit, addressed Shen Tanqi politely, “Young Master, we are the guards sent by the head of the household to protect you. There are ominous signs in the city today where our skills may be of use. Please command us, Young Master.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi was slightly taken aback and asked in a low voice, “What are your cultivation levels?”
“Mid-stage Nascent Soul.”
“Late-stage Golden Core.”
“Late-stage Nascent Soul.”
“…”
After they finished reporting their cultivation levels, Shen Tanqi singled out one of them, “The late-stage Golden Core cultivator can return. The rest of you stay.”
The head of the Shen family had sent all of their capable fighters to him. It left a strange feeling in his heart, a bitterness that was hard to put into words.
“Their cultivations are all higher than mine. Shouldn’t they be able to help you with the formation?” Yu Ce had previously mentioned that Shen Tanqi’s cultivation was insufficient to draw the Hidden Dragon Formation. Now, these people were more advanced than him.
Shen Tanqi turned to Yu Ce, “Or is there some taboo about this formation that cannot be shared?”
Yu Ce shook his head. The Hidden Dragon Formation was not some secret formation that couldn’t be shared. There were countless formations with similar effects. For these Nascent Soul cultivators, hiding their tracks was simple; this formation would be of no use to them.
He immediately retrieved paper, pen, and cinnabar from his storage ring, drew the formation on paper, and distributed it. With these people drawing the formation, assuming they didn’t encounter the Chen Gui and demons on the way, their task should be completed in half an hour.
Even if they did encounter them, these Nascent Soul cultivators would be more than a match for the Chen Gui and demons.
The guards swiftly dispersed like ghosts in the night, silently disappearing into various corners in every direction.
Finally, Shen Tanqi let out a sigh of relief. As he lay in the coffin, it felt like he was transported back to that summer night many years ago when he first ventured out to work.
Back then, he had just arrived in the big city, searching everywhere, ultimately selecting a rundown apartment in an old district. The room was as narrow as a bathroom, with a mattress salvaged from a flea market, its springs all worn out. When he lay down, the entire mattress sank to the floor, much like this coffin.
Cold winters and hot summers, water shut-offs on Wednesdays, frequent power outages. In that bathroom-like room, he lay on the sagging mattress, gazing at the stars outside the window.
The concept of home was never clear to him. He had no friends, no parents—only an older brother working elsewhere and a younger sister studying at home.
His older brother graduated from college but never pursued further education. At that time, their parents tragically passed away in a car accident, prompting him to forgo the opportunity for further studies and instead work to support himself and his younger sister’s education.
Later on, when Shen Tanqi finished his studies and entered society, the concept of ‘home’ became increasingly vague to him.
Living inside a coffin, sometimes he even felt that crawling out of the coffin was already a considerable challenge.
Seeing the actions of the head of the household, Shen Tanqi even found himself envying the original owner, envying him for having a father to rely on.
But why did he still want to go back to that life?
Perhaps because this place didn’t belong to him after all. No matter how good the dream was, sooner or later he would wake up.
Shen Tanqi closed his eyes, trying to shake off these unwarranted sentimental thoughts, but suddenly felt a shadow cast over him.
A chilling sensation, similar to misty rain, brushed against his face. Shen Tanqi subconsciously opened his eyes and caught Yu Ce in the act of carefully extending his fingertip, seemingly trying to touch his abdomen while he had his eyes closed.
Caught red-handed by Shen Tanqi, Yu Ce didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Under Shen Tanqi’s watchful gaze, he continued to gently touch his abdomen.
“Is there something there?” Shen Tanqi asked softly.
Yu Ce furrowed his brows as if unsure, his palm carefully feeling Shen Tanqi’s abdomen before lifting his eyes in puzzlement. “I didn’t feel anything.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi should have been relieved.
Relieved that he wouldn’t have another reason tethering him to this world.
Yet, his heart felt strangely empty, as if something important had been lost in an instant.
“But…”
Yu Ce held his wrist and placed it on Shen Tanqi’s abdomen, his gaze softening. “The Dragon Clan’s blood bond is actually two-way. If the child doesn’t want to acknowledge me, then I can’t sense anything. Perhaps you can?”
Like before, Yu Ce had seemingly heard whispers from the little one inside Shen Tanqi’s belly, but often couldn’t communicate directly with the child.
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi tentatively tapped his own belly with his fingertip but felt nothing. He whispered softly, “If there really is a baby inside, can you talk to me?”
Still no response.
That quack of a doctor must have been lying to him. Shen Tanqi felt a nameless anger welling up in his chest, unsure whether it was due to being deceived or for some other reason.
Yu Ce cleared his throat and said, “Perhaps the child is just more reserved and quiet. Don’t worry; if the dependency period kicks in, everything will become clear.”
That made sense. Pregnancy symptoms were usually quite apparent. If there really was a child, he wouldn’t be oblivious forever.
Thinking about this, Shen Tanqi felt a slight relief in the heavy burden on his chest.
“Senior Brother, if there really is this child, will you still leave?”
Shen Tanqi paused briefly and replied calmly, “Of course, I will still leave.”
As his words fell, Yu Ce seemed to furrow his brow slightly, unable to understand Shen Tanqi’s decision. “Have you never once considered staying?”
To be capable of such cruelty, abandoning three children without a second thought—Yu Ce didn’t insist on keeping Shen Tanqi here. He just didn’t understand if these three children meant anything to Shen Tanqi, or if nothing here mattered to the current ‘Shen Tanqi,’ including… him.
Shen Tanqi looked up at him in surprise, his voice inadvertently raising, “What are you thinking?”
Yu Ce remained silent for a moment, shifting slightly in the coffin and avoiding looking directly at Shen Tanqi. He muttered, “Nothing.”
In truth, whether Shen Tanqi stayed or not, nothing would change between them. These three children would remain nameless and unimportant.
Asking that question was a misstep, a lapse in judgment, a lack of clarity.
Yes, he couldn’t be as clear-headed as Shen Tanqi.
Since the day Yu Ce learned of his child in this world, he had prepared himself to accept everything unexpected about this child. But what about Shen Tanqi?
Shen Tanqi gritted his teeth. Despite being scolded by the household head and Shen Fei all night and deceived and framed by that deceitful quack of a doctor, none of it made him as infuriated as being questioned by Yu Ce at this moment.
This foolish dragon always had a way of igniting his anger with a few casual remarks. Sometimes it was those black eyes blatantly accusing him of being heartless and cruel; other times, it was those silent lips withholding words that needed to be said and speaking those that should have remained unspoken.
Shen Tanqi abruptly pushed open the coffin lid and sat up, looking intensely at Yu Ce. He asked, dead serious, “Do you think I’ve never cared about my own child?”
Yu Ce stared at him in surprise, reaching out to grasp his wrist, trying to pull him back urgently, “Come back.”
There were still Chen Gui roaming outside; they couldn’t afford to expose themselves so carelessly.
Shen Tanqi calmly removed Yu Ce’s hand from his wrist and his tone grew colder, “Do you think you’re the only one burdened with two children to care for without reason? Do you think I haven’t fulfilled my fatherly duties? Do you think I’m heartless just because I left?”
“And what about me?”
Yu Ce was momentarily stunned.
“I have a family too. I’m someone else’s child. Do you think abandoning the family who raised me with so much effort is considered honorable and righteous?”
The pent-up frustration finally erupted. Shen Tanqi didn’t even know how long he had been suppressing this anger.
“Do you think I actually want to have children? Do you think having children is easy?”
“Yu Ce, we’re both men. Why aren’t you the one giving birth? Have you ever considered how pitiful my situation is?”
This whole situation wasn’t a given; no one should be obligated to care for children. Moreover, this was just a world in a book.
Once he left this place, nestled in his own little world, working, reading books, playing games, earning three to four thousand yuan, spending time with his brother, taking care of his sister—eventually, he might even forget Yu Ce’s name.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Tanqi spoke calmly, “To be honest, if there were a way to have it all, I would never choose to leave Goldfish and Taro Ball. Never. Can you understand that?”
These two children, despite being a joke played by fate, were genuinely loved and cherished by Shen Tanqi from the bottom of his heart.
Listening to his words, Yu Ce’s gaze settled calmly on Shen Tanqi’s face. He gently reached out and placed his hand on Shen Tanqi’s wrist, whispering softly, “Come back first, and then we can talk.”
As long as Yu Ce knew that Shen Tanqi did not lack feelings for the children, his heart was content. Everyone faces difficulties in life, and Yu Ce didn’t want ethical norms to constrain Shen Tanqi.
He was only worried that one day Shen Tanqi would forget everything here, forget Yu Jin, Yu Yuan, and forget him.
Just the thought of that scenario made him feel as if his heart was being pricked by countless tiny needles.
The surge of anger in Shen Tanqi had subsided by now. He rubbed his reddened eyes, surveyed the surroundings, and obediently lay back in the coffin beside Yu Ce.
Until the coffin lid slowly closed before his eyes, enveloping them in silence.
He heard a faint sigh beside his ear.
Yu Ce whispered softly, “Senior Brother, don’t be angry. It’s my fault for speculating that you’re heartless and cruel.”
Apologies from Yu Ce always had a soothing effect during moments like these. Shen Tanqi’s mood eased, and peace was restored in their world. “I also have my faults; I haven’t been attentive enough to the children. Rest assured, as long as I’m here, I will do my utmost to care for them.”
He didn’t see arguments as something negative. Venting all the bottled-up frustrations and grievances was the mark of a normal, healthy person. The knots buried deep in his heart would gradually loosen until the day they were finally untangled.
After every argument, Yu Ce would become much more receptive to others’ words than before. He could really take in explanations well. Shen Tanqi admired this trait of his.
As a friend, Yu Ce was truly a great choice, Shen Tanqi silently thought.
Yu Ce’s hand slowly climbed up Shen Tanqi’s body, finally resting on his abdomen, gently caressing it with utmost care, remembering Shen Tanqi’s question from earlier.
They were both men, so why wasn’t he the one giving birth, why wasn’t he the one suffering?
His eyes darkened slightly as Yu Ce softly asked, “Senior Brother, do you like children?”
Shen Tanqi thought he was talking about Goldfish and Taro ball, so he didn’t respond as Yu Ce had hoped, and instead murmured, “Of course I do. They’re cute and well-behaved, anyone would like them.”
“Well then…”
“Should I have a child for you, Senior Brother?”
Shen Tanqi: ?
Did your brain circuit just come out of the loops of intestines?
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)
