Ever since his parents died in a car accident, Shen Tanwu had stopped going to school. As he put it, there was no point in aiming higher; getting a university degree in his lifetime was already quite an achievement. He didn’t expect to become exceptionally learned or talented, especially with only one hand left. Even if he did pursue further education, he doubted anyone would hire him once he entered society.
And so, he gave up.
To support his younger siblings, he had sacrificed almost everything—his dreams, his freedom, his own future.
Shen Tanqi’s heart trembled as he watched tears drop into the bowl, his hand moving reflexively to grab a tissue from the table and hand it to Shen Tanwu.
Sometimes, Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but think, if only it had been Shen Tanwu who transmigrated into the novel world instead.
The brothers sat in silence for a while. Shen Tanwu took the tissue handed to him and wiped his face absentmindedly, saying, “Eat up quickly. After this, I’ll have to find the youngest.”
He liked calling his younger sister that, just as he liked calling Shen Tanqi ‘second’ as if both Shen Tanqi and Shen Tanjiu were his own children.
In this world, the only ones Shen Tanqi couldn’t bear to part with were him and his sister.
The only ones who treated him well were Shen Tanwu and Shen Tanjiu.
Sensing Shen Tanqi’s melancholy, Shen Tanwu glanced at him and asked, “Didn’t you say you have three kids now?”
Shen Tanqi looked up, nodded slightly, and replied, “The eldest son is named Yu Jin, nicknamed Goldfish; the second son is Yu Yuan, nicknamed Taro Ball. The third one hasn’t hatched yet, but according to Yu Ce, it seems to be a boy as well. He’ll take my surname and I plan to name him Shen Mian.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanwu seemed intrigued by the topic and asked, “How did you give birth?”
Even if one transmigrated into a book, how could a man give birth?
Shen Tanqi coughed dryly, pointing to his own belly, and said, “I just carry it first, and when the time comes, he transforms into a beam of light and flies out on his own.”
“…” Shen Tanwu pondered and said, “Is your son Ultraman or something?”
Shen Tanqi rolled his eyes and said, “I’m not joking. That’s really how it happened.”
As the words fell, Shen Tanwu chuckled softly and said, “It would be great if they could come out of the book. We could each have one for ourselves and the youngest.”
Knowing that Shen Tanwu was teasing him on purpose, Shen Tanqi clicked his tongue and said, “You want it, you give birth yourself.”
Shen Tanwu replied, “…Let’s forget about it then.”
He considered himself quite stable in terms of sexual orientation. Even if he really changed, he would definitely be on the top side.
They casually chatted about the amusing things the two ones did, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed a lot. Shen Tanwu really wanted to meet the silly younger brother’s children.
“Goldfish is particularly clingy, just like youngest when she was a kid. As soon as we meet, he wants to hug and kiss. He’s very obedient and cute, and he and his brother are twins.” Shen Tanqi opened a beer, filled Shen Tanwu’s glass, and said, “Taro Ball is not quite like ordinary kids. He’s a bit precocious, very smart and sensible.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanwu seemed to understand something and said, “Hmm, sounds a lot like me.”
Shen Tanqi couldn’t be bothered to comment on him and continued, “According to Yu Ce, Taro Ball formed Golden Core at birth, and he reached the Nascent Soul stage at three years old. You must have read cultivation novels, right?”
Seeing his proud expression, Shen Tanwu couldn’t help but laugh lightly and asked, “That’s impressive. Like father, like son. So what about you? What cultivation level are you at in there?”
“Cough… I’m at the Nascent Soul stage. I’ve been working hard on my cultivation recently,” Shen Tanqi said, demonstrating to Shen Tanwu with chopsticks as swords, performing a set of Rongyun Sword Technique that Yu Ce had taught him step by step.
Yu Ce had long mastered the Rongyun Sword Technique and taught Shen Tanqi with careful pointers, which helped Shen Tanqi progress rapidly.
Shen Tanwu watched Shen Tanqi play with the chopsticks like a sword. He didn’t quite understand it; it seemed like some kind of magic trick. But suddenly, his mind flashed back ten years ago.
Back then, when Shen Tanqi had just recovered from a serious illness, every time he and Shen Tanjiu went out to play, they would end up covered in mud and dirt, and Shen Tanwu would have to help wash their clothes every time.
One time, Shen Tanwu couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed Shen Tanqi by the collar and asked him what he’d been doing to get so dirty. Was he rolling around in the dirt every day?
Little Shen Tanqi blinked and picked up a small twig from the ground, saying, “I was competing with my sister.”
At that time, his silly younger brother seemed to be no taller than his waist. He held the twig just like now, excitedly playing with Shen Tanjiu using small twigs.
At the time, Shen Tanwu didn’t think much of it. After all, Shen Tanqi often went next door to the young couple’s house to watch TV. He had always assumed Shen Tanqi had learned it from there.
As memories overlapped with the scene before him, Shen Tanwu suddenly felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt odd.
Shen Tanqi was someone he had watched grow up. What could possibly be strange?
Oh well, maybe there was just too much information to process today, and he was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
After dinner, Shen Tanwu took Shen Tanqi in a car to visit their sister’s university in the neighboring city.
Compared to Shen Tanwu, Shen Tanqi spent more time with their sister.
Sister Shen was clingy, a chatterbox, and a bit sly. Whenever a new bubble tea came out, she’d chatter away with Shen Tanqi on the phone for hours, sometimes even talking non-stop about TV dramas and insisting on spoiling the ending for Shen Tanqi just to see his despairing expression before she’d cheer up.
Among their family, she was the purest and kindest soul.
Arriving at Shen Tanjiu’s university, after bombarding her with three phone calls, they finally managed to pull her away from her busy graduation project.
The family gathered in a cozy hot pot restaurant near the campus, steam filling the small private room. Shen Tanjiu’s cheeks flushed from the heat as her eyes remained fixed on Shen Tanqi.
Just now, Shen Tanqi had told her everything that had happened in the world of the book. He even mentioned that the female lead in that book looked almost identical to her, with only a slight difference in name.
“I’m the female lead?” Shen Tanjiu leaned on her hand, imagining herself wielding a sword in ancient costume, finding the idea increasingly hilarious. “Second brother, you’ve had an interesting dream.”
Shen Tanqi knew she wouldn’t believe it. After exchanging a glance with Shen Tanwu, he pulled out the chick system from his backpack.
Shen Tanjiu’s eyes lit up. She hugged the chick and rubbed it, saying, “Nice, your emotional intelligence has finally improved. You know to bring me a gift. How much did this plushie cost?”
But in the next moment, the chick opened its tiny beak and skillfully greeted her, “Hi~”
Shen Tanjiu: ?
She held onto the chick tightly, turning it over to find where the batteries and switch were, muttering softly, “Very realistic, are you two in cahoots to prank me?”
Shen Tanqi shook his head and said, “We’re not pranking you. After this meal, I’m heading back.”
He repeated to Shen Tanjiu about Yu Ce and the three children waiting for him.
As he finished speaking, Shen Tanjiu’s smile froze on her face. “Are you being serious?”
The little chick in her arms flapped its wings twice and jumped onto the table, reminding Shen Tanqi, “Time is running out. I promised Lin Tanjiu to send you back in a maximum of seven days. We still need to try three times. Host, it’s time to go.”
Upon hearing this, silence fell over the room. The steam from the hot pot hung in the air, and Shen Tanwu lit another cigarette, whispering to his younger sister, “This is urgent. Since you’ve met, let your second brother go back.”
Shen Tanjiu sat still for a long time, without saying a word.
Who would believe such a thing?
She hadn’t been in contact with her second brother for just a day, and suddenly a talking chick appeared to tell her this.
Her second brother was leaving. He had lived in the world of the book for four or five years, had three children, and even had a boyfriend.
Shen Tanjiu could tell that her second brother liked men; otherwise, Shen Tanqi wouldn’t enthusiastically discuss which male celebrities looked handsome on variety shows every time.
But crossing into a book and never coming back? She couldn’t accept it.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Tanjiu said firmly, “I don’t agree.”
She reached out, stuffed the chick back into the backpack, zipped it up expressionlessly, and looked at Shen Tanqi. “Firstly, it’s possible that recent stress has caused some psychological issues for you. This chick could easily be someone’s remote-controlled prank. I’ll take it back to school and dismantle it to check.”
Shen Tanqi froze as he heard the system emit a terrified scream from inside the backpack.
And then he watched as Shen Tanjiu extended her second finger and calmly said, “Secondly, even if you really did enter the world of the book, I haven’t met this person named Yu Ce. I haven’t assessed what kind of person he is. If he turns out to be a scumbag, any affection he shows could be fake. So, I disagree with him being your boyfriend.”
Shen Tanqi tried to interject, “Is there a possibility that I’m your big brother…”
Shen Tanjiu narrowed her eyes and extended her third finger, “Thirdly, if you want a boyfriend, I can introduce my classmate to you. He’s handsome, wealthy, and gentle. Most importantly, after seeing your photo, he said he’s willing to do anything for love. He also looks a lot like your previous idol crush. I advise you to consider it carefully.”
Shen Tanqi: …?
She had pulled out all the stops with threats and bribes.
He pressed his lips together and reached out, patting Shen Tanjiu’s trembling shoulder. “I’m going back not just because of Yu Ce, but because I promised personally to give those three little ones a home.”
Shen Tanqi sighed and hugged Shen Tanjiu close. “They’re still so young. They can’t be without me, just like we couldn’t be without our parents when we were young.”
At these words, Shen Tanjiu lifted her eyes, tears streaming down her face, staring at him with frustration. “Those kinds of parents, if we don’t have them, then we don’t!”
How many scars did they still carry from their childhood? What good were parents like that?
Shen Tanqi wiped away her tears with the palm of his hand and whispered softly, “But I’m not like them. I won’t be an irresponsible parent, I swear.”
Shen Tanwu, who had been silent for a while, exhaled slowly, releasing a puff of smoke. He pulled Shen Tanjiu, who was crying, closer to him and said quietly, “Alright, are you going to pester him for the rest of your life?”
“I will,” Shen Tanjiu covered her face, unable to stop crying. “If you’re leaving, take me with you. I’ll go in and take care of the children.”
A slight tremor ran through Shen Tanwu’s chest, and he chuckled softly, pinching his sister’s cheek. “You want me to die here alone? Fine, go ahead, all of you leave.”
Shen Tanjiu grabbed his hand firmly, insisting, “You’re coming too. Let’s all go!”
As she spoke, the system in the backpack murmured dejectedly, “I can only send my host back. There are five minutes left, host, we really should go.”
Shen Tanqi quickly rescued it from the backpack and looked at Shen Tanjiu, who was crying heavily, unable to catch her breath. His heart felt like it was being torn apart by his sister’s distress.
But time was running out. He couldn’t hesitate any longer.
Behind Shen Tanqi, the system opened a vortex of spatial transmission, urging softly, “Hurry, host, say your farewells and let’s go.”
Shen Tanqi nodded, looking somewhat lost at Shen Tanjiu and Shen Tanwu.
Shen Tanwu pulled Shen Tanjiu into his arms, lazily holding a cigarette, and nodded towards Shen Tanqi, “Go on, no need for formalities, take care of yourself when you get back.”
The system’s prompts grew more urgent. Shen Tanqi’s eyes lingered on their faces, wanting to memorize every expression.
To have such siblings was his greatest fortune in this life.
He sincerely whispered to them, “Thank you.”
Shen Tanwu smiled and bid him farewell. He covered Shen Tanjiu’s mouth and said, “Go quickly. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the youngest.”
Shen Tanqi softly acknowledged, turning to leave. Just before stepping into the vortex of time and space, he suddenly turned back and said, “Brother, Jiu, remember to use the body wash with the green check mark when you shower, okay?”
Shen Tanwu: ?
What was that about?
Before he could ask, the vortex engulfed Shen Tanqi entirely, and after the chick jumped in, the vortex gradually shrank and disappeared completely, leaving no trace of Shen Tanqi as if he had never been there.
The steam from the hotpot in the air had dissipated completely.
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)
