Rebirth: Different Way

by Usui Takumii

not mine, yun yun yun translations. Beware BL. Total: 101 chapters.

4. 31 to 40

Chapter 31

Li Mingxuan felt that he had touched another side of Shen Xi.

That night, Shen Xi's body was free from the caution of detachment, free from the suspicious inquiry, and even his hidden sharpness had disappeared. He took off the mask he had been using to disguise himself and revealed a side of himself that he had never shown before, soft and sensitive.

He shrank quietly in Li Mingxuan's arms, one hand clutching Li Mingxuan's pyjamas tightly, his brow relaxed and his expression peaceful as he let out a shallow breath.

In the faint orange light, Li Mingxuan's eyes were soft; one of his arms was under Shen Xi's body and his other hand was on Shen Xi's back, patting him lightly. Li Mingxuan didn't know how long he had been doing this, but he was willing to go on like this forever.

That night, in this small bedroom, Li Mingxuan did not think about the disgust Shen Xi might feel for him, or the reaction of his family when they found out about it. He just completely followed the guidance of his feelings and looked at Shen Xi quietly, Shen Xi's appearance engraved in his heart over and over again.

The night became darker little by little and then the sky grew whiter. There was already a faint light outside the window. Li Mingxuan stayed in place for the whole night without the slightest hint of drowsiness.

Shen Xi slept very deeply and peacefully, the scattered hair on his forehead slipping down and likely making him feel uncomfortable. Li Mingxuan reached out to brush away the strand and finally could not resist lowering his head and giving Shen Xi's smooth forehead a light kiss.

This kiss brought great satisfaction to Li Mingxuan. He looked at Shen Xi tenderly, his heart softening.

At seven in the morning, Shen Xi slowly opened his eyes and woke up. The early morning sunlight was soft, not dazzling. Shen Xi slowly stretched his back. After a good night's sleep his mood improved.

"Awake?" A gentle voice sounded from the doorway, vaguely tinged with a hint of laughter.

Shen Xi followed the voice and looked over as Li Mingxuan walked in and very naturally offered a hand to him.

Shen Xi hesitantly glanced at Li Mingxuan, reached out and accepted his hand, and was pulled up by Li Mingxuan. Memories of last night returned to his mind one by one. It seemed he once again had thought of the man in front of him as his grandfather, weakly drawing warmth from him. Shen Xi lowered his eyes, hiding the complexity in his gaze.

Li Mingxuan pretended not to see Shen Xi's hesitation and said with a smile, "Hurry up and clean up, I've made breakfast."

Shen Xi had an indescribable feeling in his heart and nodded slowly.

Li Mingxuan's cooking was unexpectedly good, the porridge was thick and fragrant, the bread toasted crispy, and with the fried eggs, everything looked very appetising.

Shen Xi ate quietly, slowly but cleanly. As he was about to put down his chopsticks, Li Mingxuan chucked the last fried egg into his bowl, "Eat more."

There was a momentary pause in Shen Xi's movements, and then he slowly ate it. Shen Xi didn't want to admit it, but in his heart he enjoyed the feeling of being cared for, as if a huge hole in his heart was being filled up little by little, and he even wanted more of it.

Opposite Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan looked at him with a gentle expression, the corners of his mouth curled up to reveal a faint smile.

After finishing the breakfast, Li Mingxuan didn't let Shen Xi do anything and naturally cleaned up the bowls in the kitchen.

Leaning against the doorway, Shen Xi watched Li Mingxuan's skillful handling of the bowls and casually asked, "Cousin, did you recognise the gang of punks yesterday?"

"What?" Li Mingxuan immediately stopped and turned his head to look at Shen Xi, "What is Xiao Xi going to do?…"

Although Li Mingxuan didn't finish his sentence, Shen Xi heard the meaning of his words. Shen Xi's face showed mockery, "What does Cousin think I'm going to do?"

Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh. The softness of last night had faded away and the Shen Xi in front of him was once again covered in thorns. He put down the bowl and walked up to Shen Xi, "Xiao Xi, those people we met yesterday are different from us and different from the people you met before. They live at the bottom of society and are willing to do anything for money. They ignore all morals and laws and are fearless because they are ignorant. Any one of them is ruthless enough, especially the last man you saw yesterday. Don't mess with them, understand?"

Li Mingxuan's tone was serious and earnest, and Shen Xi lowered his eyes, "You think too much, Cousin. It's just that a friend of mine has offended them and I want to see if it can be resolved."

"Friend? Which one?" Li Mingxuan asked.

Shen Xi mocked, "Does Cousin know any of my friends?"

This sentence made Li Mingxuan's eyes flash in sadness, and he said softly, "Sorry!"

This apology was completely unexpected. Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a deep look and inclined his head without speaking.

"I've dealt with them before and I still have a bit of face. Tell me your friend's name and I'll go talk to them, it's much better than you stepping in." Li Mingxuan was unwilling to let Shen Xi get even remotely involved with that gang and took the initiative to resolve the matter.

Shen Xi hesitated for a moment, and after thinking about it, he gave Fang Luowei's name. Even though Li Mingxuan had already guessed the name in his heart, he could not help but have a dark look in his eyes. But the expression on his face did not change in the slightest, he just smiled and nodded to Shen Xi, "I'll take note of it."

"Thank you, cousin!" Shen Xi thanked him very simply, and then added, "Cousin, be careful."

This 'cousin, be careful' made Li Mingxuan's mood better. Nodding at Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan turned around and continued to clean. By the time he was done, it was time for him to go to work. Looking at Li Mingxuan, who was standing at the door to say goodbye, Shen Xi felt a little strange. But before he could think about it, Li Mingxuan had already closed the door gently. Shen Xi frowned and dialled Lao K's number.

"Why are you awake so early?" Lao K's voice still had a hint of sleep in it as he muttered a complaint.

Shen Xi simply ignored his words, "What's Shen Group's reaction?"

"Hey hey, don't you even watch the news yourself?"

Shen Xi straightened up, "I was beaten up yesterday, I'm injured and can't move around."

"What! Who did it? It couldn't be that Shen Ji knew it was you who was messing around and got someone to beat you up, could it?" Lao K guessed irresponsibly.

"Fuck off!"

"Hey hey, when are you going to release that news?" Lao K behaved himself and changed the subject.

Shen Xi rubbed his head, "Wait a little longer, Yunrou is still holding up right now. If the news comes out too early, people will be able to tell the fake at a glance."

"I'll listen to you, but Shen Group seems to be letting out the wind to reporters, alluding to the fact that the mastermind behind all this is a foreign household chemical giant, in order to stink up Yunrou's reputation and stop Yunrou from being listed abroad. Shen Group seems to be trying to portray itself as a 'national hero' to gain the sympathy of domestic consumers. You know people are sensitive to this, and a little encouragement can easily stir up this kind of patriotic sentiment."

Shen Xi sneered, "If Shen Ji wants to make others take the blame, he has to check if they are willing to do so. Tell Bai Su to interview those cancer patients and expose the recordings of them being bribed by Shen Group first."

Lao K gave an "en", "Understood!"

After they finished talking about business, Shen Xi was about to hang up when Lao K's hesitant voice came over, "Hey, Xiao Xixi, you didn't really get beaten up yesterday, did you?"

Shen Xi's heart warmed and he slowly smiled, "When have you ever seen me suffer a loss?"

Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi found all the information Lao K had given him before and flipped to the page on Wang Changlin.

Wang Changlin, Shen Dehan's personal lawyer, was also one of Shen Group's legal advisors and was deeply trusted by Shen Dehan. Many of Shen Group's legal documents were handled by Wang Changlin; especially some of the important contracts were basically Wang Changlin's responsibility.

Shen Xi gently tapped on the words "important contracts" and wondered if he could get close to Wang Changlin in the name of his mother.

Shen Xi was thinking about Wang Changlin when the phone suddenly rang, the words "Lao K" flashing on the screen. A trace of doubt swept through Shen Xi's heart.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone is checking you." Lao K obviously felt that this matter was very important and his tone was very serious unlike his previous carelessness.

"Who?"

"Lu Gesen."

"Who is Lu Gesen?" This name was very unfamiliar to Shen Xi.

"Shen Ji's assistant. He returned from studying abroad a year ago and applied for a job at Shen Group. He has just recently arrived at Shen Ji's side and is very much appreciated by Shen Dehan."

Shen Xi's face sank, "What is he checking?"

"That's the rather strange part. What he's asking to check is your past, including everything you've done since you were a child." Lao K's words were tinged with doubt; apparently he was also a bit confused as to what Lu Gesen was up to, but because of Lu Gesen's status, he couldn't help but focus on it.

Shen Xi mused, "Give him a copy of the information and treat him as an ordinary client."

"You're not worried about Shen Ji being behind this?"

"Even if it's Shen Ji, what can he see? My experience in the past few years has been so innocent, nothing but spending money, so feel free to let him investigate."

Lao K laughed lightly, "It's good that you're not afraid."

Once again hanging up the phone, Shen Xi did not take this matter to heart. No matter why Shen Ji wanted to investigate him, his history was clean without a single flaw. However, Shen Xi was a bit confused, why would Shen Ji suddenly want to investigate him? If it was because of Yunrou cancer incident, he shouldn't have associated it with him. After all, everyone knew that Shen Sanshao was a parasite of the Shen family, and the fall of the Shen family would not benefit him at all, so why would he do that?

Shen Xi was speculating about Shen Ji's thoughts, while on the other side, Shen Ji, who had arrived at the office early in the morning, was looking over Yunrou's sales in various markets across the country in the past few days, and as each shocking figure appeared, Shen Ji's face turned ugly.

"Mr. Shen?" There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in."

A serious looking young man walked in and handed the document in his hand to Shen Ji, "This is what the chairman has just sent over."

Shen Ji took it and glanced at it. The document was the Yunrou funding plan that he had sent to the board of directors earlier. Apparently it had been rejected by the board.

Shen Ji's face became even more ugly, and in his heart, he simply hated those people in the board of directors.

The young man stood calmly in front of Shen Ji, oblivious to his expression.

Shen Ji took a deep breath and said to the young man, "Gesen, revise this plan and re-submit it."

The young man nodded, not having any doubts about Shen Ji's request, turned around and walked out with the report.

Returning to his office, the young man habitually closed the door and quickly skimmed through the document in his hand. This report was previously prepared by Shen Ji himself, and the young man did not have access to it. This time the young man's gaze fell on the next development plan of Yunrou attached to the report, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.

Chapter 32

The Yunrou cancer scandal continued to rage in the media and online, but unlike the initial one-sided attack on Yunrou, different voices were gradually emerging.

Some reports left aside the question of whether Yunrou contained dioxane and instead mentioned Yunrou's plans to be listed abroad, implicitly pointing to the suppression of domestic brands by foreign ones, suggesting that there was a huge struggle for profit behind all this. Some reports questioned the extent to which the Yunrou cancer incident had spread online – how could it have spread across the country overnight when it was just an obscure tabloid report? Others began to focus on the effectiveness of Yunrou shampoo, interviewing a group of Yunrou users to highlight its image in terms of efficacy.

These different voices were often followed by a chorus of curses, but the water army hired by Shen Group was obviously very dedicated, holding on tenaciously against the curses.

Shen Xi had fun reading online news and spent the morning on them.

Before noon, Lao K called him again. The two of them had commissioned an agency to register a film and television company, and the licence was obtained. The legal representative that Lao K chose to fill in was Shen Xi. Shen Xi did not intend to come to the forefront at first, but Lao K felt that once Shen Group went bankrupt, Shen Xi needed an identity with legal income, so he insisted on putting Shen Xi's name on it. Lao K had good intentions and Shen Xi had no choice but to agree.

In addition to this, Lao K also mentioned something else during the phone call. He helped Shen Xi contact a director who was looking for investment and arranged to meet in the afternoon near Shen Xi's apartment.

At the appointed time, Shen Xi arrived at the place Lao K had mentioned, a tea room with an old-fashioned atmosphere. The other party obviously recognised Shen Xi and greeted him warmly as soon as he entered.

The director Lao K had found was called Chen Zhiwei. He had a certain reputation in the entertainment industry, but because of bad luck, he had lost money on several movies in a row, and no one was willing to invest in his new film this time. Just as Chen Zhiwei was begging for help, Lao K found him and expressed Shen Xi's intention to invest in his new movie. Chen Zhiwei was thrilled, but to his surprise, Lao K offered to sign Chen Zhiwei to Shen Xi's newly established company as a condition of investment. Chen Zhiwei finally agreed after some hesitation, and this was the first time Chen Zhiwei and Shen Xi met.

Chen Zhiwei had actually heard of Shen Xi's name a long time ago. Although there had been less news in recent years because Shen Xi was not in the country, in recent months the name of the Shen family became widely known once again with the journalists' revelations about the heir controversy and now the Yunrou incident.

When he first heard that the owner of the company was Shen Xi, Chen Zhiwei found it very strange. After all, why would Shen Xi, as the heir to Shen Group, want to set up a small film and television company on his own? But his assistant reminded him that Shen Xi had previously told reporters he was not interested in Shen Group, and Chen Zhiwei secretly guessed that Shen Xi's move might be a further proof that he was indeed not interested. Or, of course, he might be interested but couldn't compete and had no choice but to make a statement to the public.

No matter what Chen Zhiwei thought about Shen Xi in his heart, it was an undeniable fact that this young man in his twenties would soon become his boss. If you wanted the boss to spend money, you had to flatter the boss. This was the summary written in blood and tears during Chen Zhiwei's difficult career in the past few years. So when he saw Shen Xi's figure appear from afar, Chen Zhiwei greeted him with a smile on his face. Unexpectedly, the first thing he saw was Shen Xi's face covered in bruises. Chen Zhiwei's smile froze awkwardly, and he sighed in his heart, wondering what this young master had done yesterday.

Shen Xi didn't care about his expression, went straight to the table and sat down.

Chen Zhiwei quickly adjusted his expression and sat down opposite Shen Xi, but looking at Shen Xi's cold face, he couldn't say a word of the opening speech he had prepared in advance.

Under Shen Xi's puzzled eyes, Chen Zhiwei finally had a bright idea and started to tell Shen Xi about the script. This was his masterpiece that he had spent countless efforts on, and he believed that if he could get investment, he would be able to make a beautiful turnaround in the industry. Chen Zhiwei was so confident in his script that after he finished speaking about it, he felt certain he would be able to attract Shen Xi's attention. But the only thing he was asked was, "How much money do you need?" and not even a mention of the script was made.

Chen Zhiwei's heart felt indescribably lost. He felt that Shen Xi did not appreciate the quality of the script and was worried that Shen Xi would not invest more in it because he found it boring. At that moment, he hesitantly looked at Shen Xi and said tentatively, "30 million? If it really doesn't work, 25 million is okay?"

Shen Xi pondered for a moment, "I will give you 35 million, and you can do as you wish with the actors and crew, I just want to see the final film. But the theme song of the movie needs to be reserved, I will find someone to sing it."

Chen Zhiwei looked at Shen Xi in surprise. He did not expect Shen Xi to be so easy to talk to. Although he actually had a suitable candidate in mind for the movie's theme song, seeing that Shen Xi's intention was obviously to leave it to one of his own, he naturally wouldn't be stupid enough to argue and immediately nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

The two reached an agreement on the main issues, and Shen Xi pushed Chen Zhiwei back to Lao K. He really didn't care to know the details.

Thinking about his own plans, Shen Xi said goodbye to Chen Zhiwei and drove straight to meet Fang Luowei. This time they didn't dare to meet in the alley but made an appointment near the bar where Fang Luowei worked.

When he saw Shen Xi driving over, Fang Luowei hurriedly greeted him. He had received a notice from Shen Xi last night and did not dare to go home but stayed at a colleague's place. When he received Shen Xi's call, Fang Luowei hastily asked for leave. He always felt that Shen Xi was hiding something last night.

The bruises on Shen Xi's face surprised Fang Luowei, and in addition to being surprised, he blamed himself. The incident originally had nothing to do with Shen Xi who had been involved in an unwarranted disaster solely because of him.

Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi guiltily, "I'm sorry, it's all because of me."

Shen Xi didn't want Fang Luowei to think too much and smiled soothingly, "Don't worry, I didn't suffer a loss, it was them who suffered." And Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi silently added the latter half of the sentence in his mind.

Despite Shen Xi's words, Fang Luowei still blamed himself.

Shen Xi thought for a moment, "How about you treat me to dinner tonight as a way to make amends?"

Shen Xi said it playfully and Fang Luowei couldn't help but smile and nod in agreement. Having said that, Shen Xi told Fang Luowei about Li Mingxuan's promise to find Brother Wang, and Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise.

"Can you really settle this matter?"

Shen Xi was very confident in Li Mingxuan, "Since my cousin took the initiative to take it, he should be sure."

Fang Luowei got excited, "Then I really have to thank him."

Shen Xi pretended to be displeased, "Hey hey, just to thank him?"

Fang Luowei laughed, "Of course not, first of all, I'd like to thank you."

The huge stone that had been weighing on his heart was put down, and Fang Luowei was obviously in a very good mood, laughing and joking with Shen Xi.

What neither Shen Xi nor Fang Luowei knew was that in his previous life, Fang Luowei had been imprisoned because of Brother Wang. Brother Wang, formerly known as Wang Li, the leader of the small-time gang in the area, had been attracted to Fang Luowei since the first time he had accidentally seen him, and was determined to get his hands on him. In his previous life, Fang Luowei repeatedly refused Wang Li, and Wang Li was furious and followed Fang Luowei's tracks to the hospital. He intended to hold Fang Luowei's grandparents hostage to threaten him, but who could expect that under the push and pull, his grandmother was stimulated, fell seriously ill and soon died. His grandfather was devastated by this loss and followed her in a few days. Fang Luowei was full of hatred, found Wang Li and stabbed him to death.

In this life, Shen Xi found Fang Luowei and inavertently involved Li Mingxuan, thus rewriting Fang Luowei's fate.

The two of them were sitting at a barbecue stall when Shen Xi told about his plan to make a movie and invited Fang Luowei to sing the theme song.

Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise, "You want to make a movie?" Then he hesitantly said, "Does your father know?"

These days, the Yunrou incident had become too big; especially since Yunrou was a subsidiary of Shen Group, Fang Luowei couldn't help but be very concerned. Although Fang Luowei knew that the relationship between Shen Xi and his family was not good, at this moment Shen Xi did not say that he would contribute to the Shen family but was going to invest in some kind of movie. For outsiders, it might have seemed that Shen Xi was really heartless, and Fang Luowei was afraid that Shen Dehan would also be very unhappy.

Shen Xi understood Fang Luowei's meaning and laughed, "Don't worry, the farther I am from Shen Group, the happier Father will be."

Fang Luowei did not expect Shen Xi's relationship with his family to be this bad, and thinking about Shen Xi's expression at the hospital last time, he felt very sorry for Shen Xi.

Shen Xi was reluctant to talk more about Shen Group and changed back to the previous topic, "How about it?"

Fang Luowei hesitated, "How did you know I could sing?"

Shen Xi realised that the Fang Luowei in front of him was not the Fang Luowei who had told him about his dreams in his previous life in prison, and quickly found an excuse, "Grandpa told me about it at the hospital last time."

Fang Luowei was taken aback, then laughed helplessly, "Grandpa likes to tell this to others every time."

Shen Xi was curious, "What?"

Fang Luowei was surprised, "Did Grandpa not make it clear?"

Shen Xi looked natural, "Grandpa only said that you like to sing, he didn't say anything else."

Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi's curious eyes and spoke helplessly, "It's nothing really, it's just that I won first place in a singing competition in my hometown before, and as a result, I was discovered by a talent scout and signed to Zhongjing."

Although Shen Xi already knew this from Lao K's investigation, he still made a surprised expression, "Then why are you still working in a bar?"

Fang Luowei's face darkened as he obviously thought of his bad experience.

"The company's unspoken rules are too strong, and the manager wanted me to accompany the boss or else I would be blocked. I beat up the boss in a fit of rage, and then you know." There was no regret in Fang Luowei's tone, as if he was just talking about a trivial matter.

"Then how about you simply sign up to my company?" Shen Xi was originally worried about how to convince Fang Luowei to sign up with his own company, so at this point, he naturally went along.

Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi hesitantly. He had always been able to feel Shen Xi's goodwill. From the very beginning when they met, Shen Xi's attitude towards him had been very different. He didn't know how to describe that feeling, but he knew that Shen Xi didn't have any malice towards him.

If it was just to sing the theme song of the movie, he could say that he was doing a favour for his friend, but if he changed the company, the breach of contract would be a considerable amount of money, and Fang Luowei didn't know whether he should say yes to Shen Xi.

When Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei's hesitation, he knew that his actions still seemed to Fang Luowei a bit abrupt. He originally wanted to approach Fang Luowei slowly, but he was really worried about Fang Luowei repeating his fate from his previous life. The only way he could think of was to take Fang Luowei by his side, watch him and help him change his destiny.

Shen Xi blinked, "What? Are you worried that I also have unspoken rules?"

Not waiting for Fang Luowei to react, Shen Xi smiled and bumped his shoulder, "We're friends, and I'm expecting you to become the company's cash cow after you hit it big."

The words "we are friends" touched Fang Luowei; he looked at Shen Xi and smiled slowly. In his smile, Shen Xi seemed to have found the feeling of being with Fang Luowei in his previous life.

While Shen Xi was chatting happily with Fang Luowei, Li Mingxuan was sitting quietly in the Sichuan restaurant on the other side of the alley, and opposite him was the man known as Brother Wang.

The reason why Li Mingxuan knew Brother Wang was because the Li family had acquired a piece of land in this area last year. Although the Li family was a powerful family, they knew that a strongest dragon could not suppress a snake on the ground (people who follow the law can't suppress a local gangster who is above the law), and although these punks were nothing, they were enough to cause a headache if they were determined to make trouble. At that time, Li Mingxuan was in charge of the project, and in order to avoid trouble, he deliberately met with the leaders of the thugs in the area.

The Li family was very good at what they did, and they used both grace and authority, so the punks in the area naturally did not take the initiative to provoke the Li family. Therefore, the project went very smoothly, and both sides were very happy. After a few contacts, Li Mingxuan and the local punks all had some face.

Last night, looking at the way Li Mingxuan was protecting the kid behind him, Wang Li knew that this matter would not be easily forgotten by Li Mingxuan, and as a result, he received a call from Li Mingxuan today. Without saying a word, Wang Li brought his men here, but to his surprise, Li Mingxuan did not mention yesterday's incident but mentioned Fang Luowei.

Wang Li was just coveting Fang Luowei's looks and wanted to get his hands on him. Now that Li Mingxuan had stepped in and made it clear that he did not intend to pursue yesterday's matter, naturally Wang Li would not offend Li Mingxuan for a Fang Luowei.

"Don't worry, since Fang Luowei is your friend, he is also my friend. I will inform my brothers later that they should never give him a hard time again."

Li Mingxuan smiled lightly, "Brother Wang is really accommodating. Although yesterday's incident was a misunderstanding, my little cousin did act a bit harshly, so this is also a gift from me on his behalf."

As Li Mingxuan said it, he pushed a check in front of Wang Li.

Wang Li swept a glance at the zeroes in the back and the smile on his face grew even bigger, "Xuan Shao is welcome. Speaking of which, we have to say sorry to Sanshao, it's really wrong that those bastards didn't recognise Sanshao yesterday."

Li Mingxuan smiled and didn't say anything.

The two of them exchanged a few perfunctory words, and Wang Li left the place satisfied with the check. Li Mingxuan frowned, thinking about how to keep Shen Xi away from here in the future.

"How did you get involved with Wang Li?" Ye Han pushed the door in directly after Wang Li left, obviously very disapproving of Li Mingxuan having dealings with Wang Li, "It is said that Wang Li has several lives on his back, you'd better stay away from him."

Li Mingxuan let out an "en". "Yesterday Xiao Xi was beaten up by his people."

Ye Han raised his eyebrows, "Shen Xi?" He still remembered the last time he met Shen Xi, who lost his temper at Li Mingxuan here, and gave him a meaningful glance, "He's quite capable of causing trouble!"

Li Mingxuan glared at Ye Han with dissatisfaction, "It has nothing to do with Xiao Xi, he was also innocently implicated."

The defence in Li Mingxuan's words was so obvious that Ye Han's heart skipped a beat. He had felt something was wrong last time, but seeing no further indication from Li Mingxuan, he thought it was his own imagination. Right now, Ye Han felt that he needed to say something as a friend and his expression became serious, "Mingxuan, tell me honestly, are you treating Shen Xi as?…"

Ye Han did not finish his words, but his meaning was already clear.

Li Mingxuan looked at Ye Han with a bitter smile, "So obvious?"

Ye Han sighed, knowing that Li Mingxuan must also be extremely torn in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't be reacting like this.

After thinking about it, Ye Han sat down next to Li Mingxuan, "Mingxuan, you know that it is impossible for you and Shen Xi. Auntie will never accept it, so you should give up before it's too late."

Li Mingxuan lowered his head; Ye Han could not see the expression on his face but his voice was weak, "I know, I just need a little time."

Ye Han shook his head and did not persuade him anymore. Some things had to be thought through by the person concerned.

There was silence in the private room. A few moments later Li Mingxuan looked up, "I'll come to your place tonight, I was injured a little yesterday and need medicine."

Ye Han instantly got up, "Then let's go now."

Who expected that Li Mingxuan did not make any move to get up. Ye Han was puzzled, "What?"

Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, "Xiao Xi also needs medicine."

Ye Han looked at Li Mingxuan, completely speechless.

An hour later, Li Mingxuan returned to Shen Xi's place with a few packaged signature dishes, but to his disappointment, Shen Xi was not at home.

Li Mingxuan took out his mobile phone, looking at the words "Shen Xi" and hesitated to press "dial". He was vaguely afraid, although he did not want to think about what he was afraid of.

That night, Shen Xi returned home very late. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Shen Xi saw Li Mingxuan standing in front of his apartment with a food box.

Following the sound of the elevator, Li Mingxuan slowly looked up. There were too many emotions in his eyes that Shen Xi could not understand.

Chapter 33

Li Mingxuan thought about a lot of things during his long, almost hopeless wait, recalling all the encounters between him and Shen Xi since their meeting on the plane until now.

Shen Xi's alienation, Shen Xi's vigilance, Shen Xi's assessment, Shen Xi's hostility, Shen Xi's fragility and Shen Xi's exposed softness.

The different versions of Shen Xi overlapped and merged in Li Mingxuan's mind, finally turning into a vivid figure that lingered, imprinted in his soul.

Li Mingxuan's emotions and reason fought fiercely, with reason winning every time; but the emotions that seemed to have collapsed controlled Li Mingxuan's attempts to leave firmly.

The sound-activated lights in the hallway dimmed and lit up again at the distant voices. Li Mingxuan's mood also went up and down again and again.

In the midst of this indescribable torment, Li Mingxuan asked himself, what did he really want to do? He clearly knew that he and Shen Xi were as impossible as Ye Han had said, and that he should have given up before it was too late. But he couldn't help but think that he wasn't actually holding any hope, he just needed a little time, just a little time, to slowly sort out his mood and slowly move away from Shen Xi. His feelings for Shen Xi came too unexpectedly; from sympathy at the beginning to pity in the middle, to being unconsciously attracted to Shen Xi, he watched himself jump into the abyss little by little, and even his struggle seemed very feeble.

Li Mingxuan leaned against the wall in frustration, fiercely closing his eyes and opening them again. His gaze fell on the watch on his wrist. The last five minutes, he only needed the last five minutes.

As time passed, Li Mingxuan's heart sank to the bottom; until the minute hand and the hour hand met smoothly, and Li Mingxuan straightened up in silence and prepared to leave.

The sound of the elevator arriving suddenly came at this moment, the door pulled open little by little, and the orange glow inside the elevator slowly leaked out. In the light, Shen Xi looked over carelessly. Li Mingxuan stared at Shen Xi deeply, his eyes full of complex emotions that he himself could not explain.

Li Mingxuan stayed that night.

After taking a shower and applying medicine, he told Shen Xi about the deal he had made with Wang Li today. Although Shen Xi knew that Li Mingxuan surely would find a solution, he was still relieved to hear it.

Li Mingxuan's heart was not very happy, "You have a good relationship with Fang Luowei?"

Shen Xi nodded, "He is very nice."

Shen Xi did not want Fang Luowei to have anything to do with the Shen family, so he only gave a faint compliment. He did not know that his tone of voice would make Li Mingxuan feel much better.

When he saw that it was almost midnight, Li Mingxuan urged Shen Xi to hurry up and go to bed. Shen Xi thought about it and said frankly, "Cousin, sleep with me."

These words successfully stopped Li Mingxuan's footsteps as he was about to go to the sofa in the living room to spend the night there. He glanced at Shen Xi in surprise, tried to suppress the joy on his face, and lay down beside Shen Xi as if it was natural.

The fragrance of Shen Xi's shower gel lingered on his body, smelling very nice. Li Mingxuan couldn't help but tilt his head to lean closer to Shen Xi, but unexpectedly Shen Xi curled up and rolled into his arms. Li Mingxuan's heart surged with surprise; he tentatively stretched out a hand and put it on Shen Xi's back.

A low voice came from his arms, "Grandpa used to sleep with me like this when I was little."

Li Mingxuan's movements stalled; he suddenly understood why Shen Xi was willing to sleep with him. Thinking about how close Shen Xi had been to him last night, Li Mingxuan gently patted him.

Shen Xi really liked it and continued to lean forward.

Li Mingxuan heard Shen Xi's muffled voice, "Cousin, have you met my grandfather before?"

He did not speak immediately, but began to rummage through his mind for long-ago memories. A few moments later, Li Mingxuan's voice sounded low and magnetic, "I seem to have met him a few times when I was a child, and I remember that Elder Han was very energetic and elegant in an old-fashioned manner. I remember once at a private gathering after the New Year, my father said he would take me to meet some of the elders, and among them was Elder Han. Elder Han was very kind to me, or rather, he seemed to be kind to all the children, and the children all preferred Elder Han when compared to the seriousness of the other elders."

"How old was Cousin at that time?" Shen Xi suddenly interjected.

Li Mingxuan thought carefully, "About seven years old."

Shen Xi was quiet. When Li Mingxuan was seven, he was just under two years old. He didn't have much of an impression of his grandfather at that time. He tried to piece together the appearance of an amiable old man from Li Mingxuan's words.

Li Mingxuan continued, "Later on, I saw him a few more times, but since I only looked at him from afar, I didn't have any deep impression."

The last time Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi's grandfather was at the funeral of Han Rou, Shen Xi's mother. The elegant and spirited old man seemed to have been drained of his soul by Han Rou's death, standing there with a wilted face. If it weren't for someone next to him, he probably would have fallen to the ground.

Li Mingxuan still remembered that it was raining lightly that day and a chill was pervading everything around him. He heard people around whispering that Han Yu had not appeared. He had just recalled who Han Yu was when there was a sudden outcry from the periphery of the crowd. Soon the news came in that Han Yu had lost his life on his way to the funeral. No one dared to tell the grieving old man, but Grandpa took the initiative and broke the news. The old man did not collapse as everyone had expected, but only looked bewildered as he grabbed Grandpa's hand and repeated over and over again, 'What did you say?"

Li Mingxuan stopped recalling. At that time he was only eleven years old and could not understand the old man's expression. It was not until he grew up that he slowly understood what kind of grief it was. Because he did not want to believe, he refused to hear, asking again and again, clearly hoping for a miracle.

Li Mingxuan sighed deeply in his heart and suddenly remembered that he did not seem to have seen Shen Xi at the funeral. Frowning in confusion, Li Mingxuan did not think much of it and carefully changed Shen Xi to a comfortable position. Shen Xi seemed to have fallen asleep and let out a soft breath.

Having been awake all night last night and busy all day, Li Mingxuan slowly fell asleep with Shen Xi in his arms.

In the darkness, Shen Xi suddenly opened his eyes and rolled up to look at Li Mingxuan in silence. He felt something different from Li Mingxuan, different from the feeling from Lao K and Fang Luowei. This feeling was more like that given to him by his grandfather, warm and reassuring.

Shen Xi hesitantly stretched out his hand, put it into Li Mingxuan's pyjamas and placed it on his chest. The touch felt warm and even his body seemed to be flooded with a warm current.

That huge void in Shen Xi's heart screamed once again, wanting more, more.

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan with dark eyes for a while before slowly withdrawing his hand and falling into a deep sleep.

For several days in a row, Li Mingxuan stayed with Shen Xi, who did not have the slightest objection to his presence, but rather had a vague feeling of closeness.

Being close to Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan delayed the decision to go home day by day, until the weekend.

"Is Cousin leaving?"

Li Mingxuan let out an "en", wanting to simply leave, but in the end he couldn't resist reaching out and touching Shen Xi's head, "I'll come back to see you tomorrow."

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan with an uncertain smile and nodded.

After Li Mingxuan left, Shen Xi was standing by the window looking out absent-mindedly when Lao K's phone call came in.

"Hello!"

"One good news and one bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"The good news."

"The good news is that I've managed to get in touch with Gao Qiulin, the second largest shareholder of Shen Group, and he seems to be interested in our proposal."

"And the bad news?"

"The bad news is aimed at you specifically. Didn't you ask me to check Li Mingxuan? I found out a little secret about Li Mingxuan, do you want to hear it?" Lao K deliberately whetted Shen Xi's appetite.

"What?" Shen Xi cooperated by asking a follow-up question.

"Li Mingxuan is a GAY, and his attitude towards you is very unusual." Lao K seemed to feel a bit incredulous when he said this, "Do you know how clean Li Mingxuan's previous experience was? Compared to your notoriety he can practically run for the Five Best Young Masters of Zhongjing."

"GAY?" Shen Xi mused, not caring about the second half of Lao K's teasing in the slightest. It was precisely because he could sense that Li Mingxuan treated him unusually that he wanted to seriously check him out, but he had never thought about it in this way.

Lao K could practically hear Shen Xi's thought process and an absurd suspicion suddenly flashed through his mind, "Hey hey, you're not thinking?…"

Shen Xi asked in return, "What do you think I am thinking?"

Lao K muttered in a low voice, "You're so perverted, I can't even imagine."

Shen Xi laughed lightly, "Firstly, thank you for the compliment, secondly, what you are thinking is exactly what I am thinking."

Lao K got serious, "If you are trying to use Li Mingxuan to retaliate against the Shen family, my personal advice is that it is best not to mess with the Li family."

Shen Xi shook his head, "It has nothing to do with the Shen family, it's just a personal reason."

What Shen Xi didn't say was that he was already standing in the abyss and didn't mind pulling one more person down. After all, the warmth in Li Mingxuan's body was something he had never felt before, and it was something his heart craved for.

Lao K only had one thought, "You crazy bastard!"

Shen Xi smiled faintly, "Do I need to thank you again?"

Although Lao K didn't understand Shen Xi's thoughts, since Lao K stood with Shen Xi, he naturally did his best to help Shen Xi. In accordance with Shen Xi's instructions, Lao K deliberately delayed handing over his information to Lu Gesen for a few days. The other party seemed to be very calm and did not press the matter in the slightest.

Lu Gesen got all of Shen Xi's information at noon that day.

After patiently flipping through the pages of information in his notebook, Lu Gesen took off his glasses and leaned back on the sofa.

Shen Xi! Lu Gesen repeated this name in a complicated mood, the information about Shen Xi's past flashing through his mind. There was a trace of guilt in Lu Gesen's heart; he should not have ignored Shen Xi.

Although Lu Gesen knew that Shen Xi was his only family in the world, he had deliberately blocked all news of Shen Xi because of some unspeakable anger. Lu Gesen let out a long sigh. He knew that his anger was unreasonable, but he still couldn't control himself.

If Shen Xi's mother hadn't insisted on marrying Shen Dehan, his father wouldn't have died so soon after he and his mother had reunited with his father, and his name wouldn't have been Lu Gesen but Han Gesen. He didn't even have a chance to see his grandfather. By the time he and his mother received the news, his grandfather had already passed away and the Han family had been incorporated into the Shen family as the Shen family had planned.

The turmoil of his early childhood had left him full of resentment towards the Shen family, which also included Shen Xi. But what he hadn't expected was that Shen Dehan would be so cruel to Shen Xi, raising him to be an uncompromising little bastard.

Lu Gesen frowned. He had to see Shen Xi as soon as possible. No matter what kind of feelings Shen Xi held for the Shen family and Shen Dehan, Shen Xi had half of the Han family's blood in his veins after all and he had the right to know the truth back then.

But how should he convince Shen Xi to cooperate with his plan, and will Shen Xi listen to him?

Lu Gesen frowned thinking about how he should explain himself to Shen Xi when the phone rang suddenly.

"Foster Father!" There was obvious joy in Lu Gesen's tone.

The person on the other side of the phone was clearly happy too, "How is it? Have you gotten Shen Xi's information?"

Lu Gesen smiled bitterly, "Got it, I just didn't expect Shen Dehan to be so ruthless, Shen Xi has been turned into a waste by him."

The person on the other side of the phone sighed, "It's also my fault. If I could have found a way to reach out to Shen Xi and give him a few pointers, maybe he wouldn't be like this today."

Lu Gesen immediately replied, "What makes you think that, Foster Father? You have no relationship with Shen Xi, and if you get close to him, Shen Dehan will be suspicious. Besides, you have given me so much help over the years, you have already done enough."

The man on the other side sighed again, "Enough of that, when do you plan to see Shen Xi?"

Lu Gesen said, "As soon as possible. Now that Shen Ji is being dragged down by Yunrou, it is a good opportunity for Shen Xi."

The man on the other side agreed, "Good, Shen Xi was unmotivated before, that was because he didn't have the opportunity. Now the opportunity is right in front of him, unless he is really rotten, if you help him up, he has a chance. If you brothers join forces, the revival of the Han family is just around the corner."

Lu Gesen gave a solemn "en", "Foster Father, I won't let you down."

Chapter 34

Once again, Shen Xi had a nightmare.

This time the dream was no longer about the night when he was eighteen in his previous life, but about the day his mother died when he was much younger.

Shen Xi remembered that it was a rainy day, and although it was midday, the sky was as dark as at night. His father hadn't been home for several days, and Shen Ji and Shen Cheng had been taken to the Li family by their aunt, leaving him and his mother alone in the entire Shen household.

His mother seemed to be in a bad mood for a few days, her face was pale and she often sat alone in a daze. After the housekeeper informed his mother that his father was coming back at noon, Shen Xi saw his mother throw everything in the room in annoyance.

At noon that day, Shen Xi was sent by his mother to take an early nap, but he couldn't sleep and was bored holding his bear and playing adventure games alone. Soon afterwards, his father returned and he and his mother had the most violent argument they had ever had. The servants all stayed away and Shen Xi was so scared that he hid behind the stairs with his bear. He heard his mother's voice getting quieter and quieter until it finally became a plea, but his father was still very angry and scolded his mother severely. Finally, his father returned to his study in a rage, leaving his mother alone in the corridor, lost in thought.

Shen Xi didn't understand what they were arguing about. He just ran over to comfort his mother, who didn't say anything, looked at Shen Xi blankly and smiled, and gently kissed him on the forehead. Shen Xi would always remember the feeling of his mother's lips on his forehead, cold and without a trace of life. After his mother kissed him, she took his hand and led him back to his room, then turned and left. Shen Xi watched his mother's back as she walked away.

Not long after, there was the sound of something heavy falling to the ground in the courtyard, accompanied by the screams of the servants. Shen Xi curiously climbed up to the window and looked down. His mother was lying in the courtyard covered in blood, the cold rain beating down on her body, and Shen Xi's eyes were dazzled with red.

Shen Xi stayed frozen at the window, looking at his mother's body until his grandfather received the news and rushed over. Only then did a servant notice that something was wrong.

After that day, Shen Xi fell so ill that he did not even make it to his mother's funeral. Perhaps because the shock was so great, the little Shen Xi forgot what he had seen. It was only when he drove his car into Tian Wenyao, with his eyes full of bright red, that he remembered that afternoon once again.

Since then, for fifteen years, these two nightmares had been a presence that Shen Xi could not shake off.

Struggling to open his eyes, Shen Xi sat up with a gasp. It was just past 3am, still three hours before dawn. Shen Xi did not feel like sleeping anymore and sat in the darkness, hugging the blanket, until it was light outside. Then Shen Xi tiredly lay back down and tried to nap some more.

When the phone rang, Shen Xi was sleeping very restlessly, and the constant ringing completely awakened him.

"Hello!" Shen Xi said in a low voice. His whole body was devoid of energy and he just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Shen Xi?" There was an unfamiliar voice on the phone, tinged with a hint of uncertainty.

Shen Xi rubbed his forehead, "It's me, who is this?"

The other party seemed to be thinking of the wording, "I'm Lu Gesen, I want to see you."

"Lu Gesen?" Shen Xi's mind snapped awake, his drowsiness immediately disappearing. Thinking of what Lao K said, Shen Xi said quietly, "Who is Lu Gesen? I don't seem to know you."

The other party did not answer his question but said simply, "Are you home? I'm at your doorstep."

Shen Xi did not expect Lu Gesen to come to his door like this. He couldn't help but become curious about his intentions. After quickly changing his clothes, Shen Xi opened the door. The moment their eyes met, both of them froze a little. Shen Xi had no memory of this man and did not understand why he could have approached him, while Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi's appearance that was so much like Han Yu's and felt slightly lost.

Lu Gesen looked more like his mother, without any trace of his father, which was something his mother always regretted. Although Lu Gesen had already seen a picture of Shen Xi when he was collecting information, the shock that the real person brought him was far greater than the photo. This shock made Lu Gesen realise clearly that the person in front of him was related to him by blood and was the only family he had in the world.

Lu Gesen's eyes softened, and he looked at Shen Xi's obvious lack of sleep with disapproval, "You need to go out and fool around less at night and rest early."

The words were so inexplicable that Shen Xi sized up the man in front of him suspiciously. Lu Gesen was very thin, wearing a pair of frameless glasses, looking at him with a serious expression, his gaze changing from an inquisitive one to a concerned one.

"Lu Gesen?" Shen Xi said in confusion.

Lu Gesen nodded, "My real name is Han Gesen, Lu is my mother's surname."

Shen Xi did not say anything; he was a little confused about what the other party meant by this statement.

Lu Gesen curved the corner of his mouth at Shen Xi, "Or would you like to call me Cousin? My father was Han Yu."

The impact of these words was too great for Shen Xi, who looked at the other party in shock, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Gesen was satisfied with Shen Xi's reaction. If Shen Xi's reaction to this news was bland, he would have to consider whether some words should be said outright.

Gesturing at Shen Xi's back, Lu Gesen said with a serious look on his face, "Can I come in and talk?"

Shen Xi took a deep breath and nodded.

Lu Gesen obviously had an energetic personality. As soon as he sat down, he took out a document from his bag and handed it to Shen Xi, "This is a copy of the DNA test results of my father and me. Underneath is my father's signature. You can get someone to verify it. If you are still unsure, you can also do a DNA test with me, although it is not like father and son blood relation, our bloodlines will be close enough."

Shen Xi did not listen to what he said, but opened the DNA results directly, hastily skimming over the contents. Shen Xi's gaze fell on the bottom, two words written in bold cursive, Han Yu, the handwriting of his uncle, with the date of the test sixteen years ago underneath.

Shen Xi did not speak, shocked much more than he could have expected..

If Lu Gesen's identity was real, then why hadn't his uncle said anything back then, why didn't anyone know about it? And why hadn't Lu Gesen found the Han family after his uncle's death? Shen Xi even wanted to ask, if Lu Gesen was really his cousin, why hadn't he shown up in his previous life?

Shen Xi's silence was noticed by Lu Gesen, and he took the initiative to speak, "If you have anything to ask, I will tell you what I know."

Shen Xi closed the report in his hand and looked at Lu Gesen, "You know that Uncle has long since passed away and the Han family is no more. This certificate alone proves nothing at all."

Lu Gesen smiled wryly, "I don't intend to prove anything either, as long as you believe it."

Shen Xi met Lu Gesen's gaze, "Is there any need for me to believe or not?"

Lu Gesen didn't answer the question, but changed the subject, "I'll tell you a story first."

The protagonist of the story was Han Yu. Like most of the children of the Zhongjing families, Han Yu was sent abroad by Shen Xi's grandfather early. As a fellow countryman, Han Yu met Lu Ting, who had lived abroad since she was a child, and the two fell in love at first sight. After a year together, Han Yu planned to take Lu Ting back to China to get engaged at Christmas. Who expected that Han Rou would be rising hell at home to marry Shen Dehan. Han Yu's father reluctantly asked Han Yu to return home to persuade Han Rou. Han Yu and Lu Ting discussed the matter and decided that Han Yu would go to Zhongjing alone first. Unexpectedly, soon Lu Ting realised that she was pregnant, and at the same time the news that Han Yu was going to marry the Tian family spread. Lu Ting disappeared in a rage. Han Yu was heartbroken and refused to give up looking for Lu Ting. This search lasted for seven years until Han Rou's death when the two accidentally met in Zhongjing.

Han Yu was overjoyed, but it was just in time for Han Rou's funeral. In order not to cause any trouble, Han Yu planned to wait until after Han Rou's funeral before taking Lu Ting and their son home. He also wanted to keep his father's emotions from rising and falling, so he kept the news to himself. But neither of them expected to hear the news of Han Yu's death just a few days after the family had reunited. Lu Ting was so devastated that she fell ill and would not have made it through if she had not had Han Gesen to look after. Afterwards, Lu Ting tried to bring Han Gesen back to the Han family, but she missed Han Yu's father. When Lu Ting found the Han family, she heard the news of Elder Han's death.

Lu Ting took Lu Gesen abroad with her and lived a difficult life. A few years ago, after Lu Gesen had entered university, she eventually died of illness.

Having said this, Lu Gesen glanced at Shen Xi, "In other words, you are my only blood relative in this world. "

"That's why you want me to believe you? Because I'm your only family?" Shen Xi questioned.

Lu Gesen shook his head, "I want you to believe me because I need your assistance for the purpose of my return this time."

Lu gesen finally got to the point. Shen Xi looked at him without moving, "I don't understand what you mean, what did you return for? Is it not to meet me?"

Lu Gesen sighed, "In less than a month, the entire Han family died and the Han family's property fell into the hands of the Shen family. Although it was done in your name, haven't you sensed something a little fishy in all these years?"

Shen Xi duly put a look of astonishment on his face, "What are you trying to say?"

Lu Gesen said coldly, "As long as you pay attention, it's clear that what happened to the Han family back then was planned by someone behind the scenes. The Han family fell, and who was the one who benefited in the end? You do know that, don't you?"

Shen Xi interrupted him sharply, "You are talking nonsense, it is impossible."

Lu Gesen gave Shen Xi a pitying look, "It's understandable that you don't believe it, but have you ever thought about why the Shen family has treated you so badly all these years? Isn't it just that they couldn't face you after doing something wrong and were afraid that you would find out the truth, so they indulged you to become what you are now?"

Shen Xi stared blankly at Lu Gesen, unable to speak. Lu Gesen's heart softened and his voice softened, too, "Think about it yourself."

Shen Xi shook his head, still refusing to believe.

Lu Gesen sighed in disappointment and walked up to Shen Xi, "I know what I said today is hard for you to believe, but trust me, there is absolutely not a single false word I said. I'll give you some time to think it over, call me when you think it through."

Looking at Shen Xi's unconscious nod in response, Lu Gesen added, "I hope you can think about it calmly instead of impulsively going to Shen Dehan to question him. I believe you should not be so stupid."

Shen Xi nodded weakly, and Lu Gesen relaxed a little. He was really worried that Shen Xi would be too excited and would run to Shen Dehan looking for proof. Then all his hard work would be in vain; but fortunately, Shen Xi was not stupid enough to do that.

He was so relieved that he could not help but comfort Shen Xi a little more, and only when he saw that Shen Xi had recovered a bit did he tell him to think carefully about his words and that he would be in touch with him again.

Shen Xi sent Lu Gesen away with a lost look on his face. The moment he closed the door, Shen Xi's expression turned thoughtful.

What Lu Gesen said went round and round in Shen Xi's mind. After thinking about it, Shen Xi called Lao K and recounted roughly what Lu Gesen had said.

"So, Lu Gesen is another cousin of yours? And he came back to take revenge for the Han family?" Lao K concluded.

Shen Xi answered with an "en". "Although he didn't specifically state what he was looking for me for, I probably can guess it. As for his identity, I believe it's true. But what he said is not necessarily true."

"You mean about the Han family?"

Shen Xi rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I'm more inclined to think that the Han family matter was just a series of accidents back then, but since Lu Gesen said so, maybe there was something behind the scenes that I don't know about. It's a pity that it was too long ago and many things can't be found."

Lao K said, "As long as something happened, there must be traces of it. I'm a pro at this, I'll see if I can find any clues."

"Okay, I'll send Lu Gesen's DNA report to you later, you can check it out."

After Shen Xi finished explaining what Lao K had to do, he nestled on the sofa alone and pondered.

Lu Gesen's purpose in finding him was nothing more than to persuade him to join forces, so should he agree? How would he divide the work between them after he said yes? It seemed that Lu Gesen wanted to persuade him to join Shen Group. This would definitely be a point of disagreement between them. How would he convince the other party?

Shen Xi leaned back on the sofa with a headache. He still needed to gauge Lu Gesen's ability, he didn't want to have another helper that would hold him back.

The doorbell rang once again, interrupting Shen Xi's thoughts. Shen Xi frowned and wondered who would come looking for him.

He hesitantly opened the door and was greeted by Li Mingxuan's smile.

Chapter 35

"Cousin!"

The smile on Li Mingxuan's face turned to concern when he saw Shen Xi's pale face, "Why, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Shen Xi nodded and moved out of the way, "Had a nightmare."

Li Mingxuan followed him, "Do you want to sleep for a while?"

The words 'sleep for a while' spun around in Shen Xi's mind. Shen Xi stopped in his tracks and turned to Li Mingxuan, "Will Cousin sleep together with me?"

Shen Xi said 'sleep together' very naturally, just as if asking Li Mingxuan to 'eat together'. Li Mingxuan's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Shen Xi's expression, he knew Shen Xi was not joking. Struggling for half a second, he hesitantly nodded.

Shen Xi was very satisfied with Li Mingxuan's nod and took the initiative to pull Li Mingxuan all the way through the living room to the bedroom. The bedroom was still the way he had slept before, the curtains were tightly drawn and the light was dim. Shen Xi quickly changed his clothes into pyjamas and climbed into bed, taking up half of the bed for himself and leaving the other half for Li Mingxuan.

Li Mingxuan's gaze couldn't help but stay glued to Shen Xi's body, his eyes deep. Noticing that Shen Xi had left himself half of the bed, Li Mingxuan exhaled silently, suppressing the thought in his mind of pouncing on Shen Xi, and lay down gently beside him.

Shen Xi took the initiative to huddle closer and drifted off to sleep in Li Mingxuan's arms.

The lust in Li Mingxuan's heart turned to pity when he saw Shen Xi's pale face, and he reached out to hold him and pat him lightly.

This was not the first time that Shen Xi had actively squeezed into his arms; almost every night that Li Mingxuan stayed, Shen Xi would curl up against him. Li Mingxuan vaguely sensed that Shen Xi seemed to be very attached to his embrace. It had nothing to do with love or lust, he simply liked Li Mingxuan to hold him.

Thinking back to Shen Xi's early childhood experiences, Li Mingxuan could not tell the complicated feelings in his heart, but only hugged the man in his arms tighter.

Time flew by and it was almost evening in the blink of an eye. Li Mingxuan was half leaning against the head of the bed, flipping through the entertainment magazine that Shen Xi had placed beside the bed, while devoting his energy to paying attention to the sleeping Shen Xi in his arms. Seeing signs of Shen Xi waking up, Li Mingxuan put down the magazine in his hand and subconsciously touched Shen Xi's messy hair.

When Shen Xi opened his eyes in a daze, Li Mingxuan said softly, "Awake?"

Confused, Shen Xi did not reply and instead had the intention of falling back to sleep.

Li Mingxuan gently patted him, "If you go to sleep again, you'll wake up tomorrow. Isn't Xiao Xi going to have dinner?"

Remembering that he hadn't eaten all day, Shen Xi struggled to get up, rubbing his forehead while saying naturally, "What do you want to eat?"

"What does Xiao Xi want to eat?"

"Let's eat Sichuan cuisine." Shen Xi said casually.

The dishes that Li Mingxuan had packed and brought back last time had been thrown away because they had been left for too long, but although Shen Xi had not eaten them, he remembered the smell. At the moment he had just woken up from a good night's sleep and somehow managed to recall it.

Li Mingxuan nodded, "Good, I'll have Ye Han personally cook for you."

"Ye Han?"

"It's the one you met last time."

After a little thought, Shen Xi understood who Li Mingxuan was talking about. Last time when he lost his temper at Li Mingxuan at that Sichuan restaurant, he was watched; obviously that person was Ye Han. Although he didn't know what Ye Han was doing at that restaurant, since Li Mingxuan said so, Ye Han must have been very good at what he did, so Shen Xi naturally wouldn't refuse.

After quickly changing his clothes, Shen Xi was about to follow Li Mingxuan out, when Lao K's call suddenly came in.

Shen Xi picked up, "Xinghai, what's up?"

The word "Xinghai" really made Lao K shudder, but he immediately understood and lowered his voice, "Gao Qiulin has agreed to cooperate with us. He will meet some little directors tomorrow to propose to the board of directors to give up Shen Ji's half negotiated contract for the household chemical line."

Shen Xi let out a "good". "Since he's already agreed, then we'll release the news first thing tomorrow morning."

"No problem!" Lao K replied dryly, and then gossiped, "Who are you with now? Wait, don't tell me, let me guess! Li Mingxuan?" Lao K said tentatively.

Shen Xi laughed, "Eh, Cousin is with me."

"You're such a lunatic!" Lao K felt that this was the only phrase that could describe Shen Xi's behaviour.

Shen Xi chuckled softly, "Thank you for the compliment!"

The word "cousin" caught Li Mingxuan's attention. He turned to look at Shen Xi, "Your friend?"

Shen Xi nodded calmly, "Wang Xinghai, do you remember him, Cousin? He was quite impressed with you."

Li Mingxuan thought of that pretentious voice from last time and was not very happy about Shen Xi spending time with that man, yet he felt he was in no position to object, so he could only pretend not to care and asked, "What did he want from you?"

Shen Xi casually said, "I started a film and television company with him. He just called to say that he signed up Chen Zhiwei. We plan to make a movie and release the news to recruit people."

"Make a movie?" Shen Xi's words obviously took Li Mingxuan by surprise, "How did Xiao Xi think of doing this?"

The corner of Shen Xi's mouth curved in a sneer, "Because I don't know how to do anything else and this is the easiest, just write a check."

Li Mingxuan was so blocked that he couldn't speak. Shen Xi seemed to feel that it wasn't enough, and deliberately added, "Since I don't plan to join Shen Group, I have to find something to do, otherwise how can my father feel at ease if I just keep hanging around like this? He might even think I'm planning something secretly."

There was a faint sense of mockery in Shen Xi's words, and Li Mingxuan couldn't tell how he felt after hearing them. He just felt bitter beyond belief. He wanted to say something to comfort Shen Xi, but his reason understood that it was the best thing for Shen Xi to do, so he just hesitated for a while.

Shen Xi seemed oblivious to Li Mingxuan's complicated feelings and got in the car with great enthusiasm, urging Li Mingxuan to hurry up and drive as he was really hungry.

Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi's excited smile and a thought came to his mind: if Shen Xi really had no interest in Shen Group, would there be fewer obstacles for him in getting together with Shen Xi? But on second thought, even if Shen Xi had made it clear that he had no interest in Shen Group, it would only diminish the entanglement of interests behind him, the blood ties between the two would not change. Shen Xi probably would never have imagined what kind of nasty thoughts he was having about him, right?

Li Mingxuan's heart was torn between these thoughts and Shen Xi's words, going up and down along the way.

Early the next morning, the various media that had been following the Yunrou incident quickly discovered a new statement on Yunrou's official website.

"All of Yunrou's products will be re-screened for raw materials in the near future to replace the formula to upgrade the products. Dioxane as a residue in the shampoo raw materials is a technical problem that exists not only in Yunrou's products but also in all shampoo products currently on the market. However, the upgraded Yunrou's products will completely solve this problem. "

As soon as this statement came out, it was frantically reprinted. All the brands in the household chemical market, whether foreign or local, were targeted in it, and the dioxane incident was once again brought to the limelight.

Although Yunrou's official website quickly deleted the statement and announced that it was not released by Yunrou but the site had been hacked and altered, dioxane, the taboo of the entire industry, was still completely exposed.

Everything began to develop in accordance with Shen Xi's memory of the previous life. Because of this statement, the entire household chemical industry was involved, and countless shampoo brands, large and small, that had heard of it, came out to dispel the rumours. But soon a test report of the shampoo brand sampling and testing for dioxane residue was revealed. Looking at the long list of brand names on it, the media was completely boiling!

"Ah Ji, what the hell are you doing?" Shen Dehan struggled to suppress his anger and tried his best to keep his tone as calm as possible. Just now on the board of directors, Gao Qiulin and a few little directors sneered at him, which made Shen Dehan really lose face.

Shen Ji stood in front of Shen Dehan, disappointment faintly showing in his eyes, "Father, do you also think that this statement was put up on my orders?"

Shen Dehan's face was dark, "It doesn't matter what I think, what matters is what others think."

Shen Ji did not say anything, and Shen Dehan continued, "Do you know that once this statement is released, the entire household chemical industry will be offended? Even if the dioxane incident is over, do you think Yunrou can still continue to exist?"

Shen Dehan's words seemed to imply something, and Shen Ji couldn't help but retort, "If Yunrou wants to expand, it will have to offend the entire household chemical industry, so what's the difference between that and now?"

"What's the difference between healthy competition and being squeezed out by the entire industry?" Shen Dehan said angrily.

Shen Ji calmed down, "This statement did not come from my instructions, but in the end it was my mistake. Whatever punishment the board of directors will have, I will bear it all. It's just that Yunrou is my entire heart and soul, and it's very important to Shen Group's future transformation, so I hope the board will treat any decision on Yunrou with care."

Saying that, Shen Ji could not help but soften his voice, "Father, you said you will always support me."

The expectation in Shen Ji's words fell on deaf ears as Shen Dehan took a deep look at his most valued eldest son and let out a long sigh, "Ah Ji, you know that whatever I do is for your own good."

"Father?" Shen Ji had a bad feeling in his heart.

Shen Dehan's next words quickly confirmed Shen Ji's premonition, "This morning the board of directors proposed to abandon the contract for the household chemical line that was already half negotiated. I agreed."

"What?" Shen Ji said in disbelief, "Father, do you know how important that contract is to Yunrou right now? We have already paid the deposit, and now that the contract has been terminated suddenly, not only will we not get the deposit back, but the company will also have to pay additional compensation for breach of contract. How could you agree to this, Father?"

Shen Dehan glanced at Shen Ji and said indifferently, "Since the company's next plan is to cut Yunrou, what's wrong with cutting Yunrou's household chemical line in advance."

Shen Ji only felt his mind buzzing and immediately shouted out, "Father, Yunrou is my heart and soul."

The expression on Shen Dehan's face was very cold, "Ah Ji, is Yunrou important for you or is Shen Group important?"

"Father!" Shen Ji was surprised that Shen Dehan would suddenly ask this question.

Shen Dehan said coldly, "Shen Xi will soon be 23 years old, you haven't forgotten what the will in the lawyer's hand says, have you?"

"Father!" Shen Ji's tone softened.

"Once Shen Xi turns 23, the will your grandfather made back then will immediately take effect, and the shares that have been in my custody all these years will be divided equally among you three brothers. You three will then have the same say in the board of directors. Ah Ji, have you ever thought about whether those people in the board of directors would like to put you on top or would like to see Shen Xi on top?"

Shen Ji fell silent, and Shen Dehan said coldly, "I don't know what Gao Qiulin is up to but he clearly wants to use Yunrou to weaken your influence and shake everyone's confidence in you. Ah Ji, this is a critical moment. Yunrou is doomed without Shen Group's support, but if you insist on supporting Yunrou, you will be going against the board of directors. Shareholders don't look too far ahead, they can only see the immediate benefits. Without the support of the shareholders, no matter what it is, it will be an empty word. Yunrou has made quite a lot of money before, so by cutting it now, the shareholders will both feel free from the current predicament and feel that you have the determination."

Shen Ji continued to be silent as Shen Dehan lowered his voice, "Ah Ji, I know that Yunrou has a special meaning to you, and Yunrou does have a special meaning to me. But this is an extraordinary time. Before your grandfather's will is made public, we must absolutely establish you as the heir."

Shen Ji listened to Shen Dehan's words in silence. For a while he said nothing and then spoke in a low voice with no expression, "Father, I understand, I will go out first."

Shen Dehan looked at Shen Ji's lost figure and, thinking about the way his father had insisted on making a will back then, let out a long sigh. His father had worked his whole life for Shen Group's benefit, but in the end, he had not been able to resist the little bit of guilt he felt for Shen Xi. If it wasn't for his father's will back then, Ah Ji would never be in such a dilemma today!

The author has something to say:

There is a term in psychology called skin hunger, which refers to a latent but deep sense of longing to be loved, cared for and soothed. It develops when children rarely receive hugs and intimacy from their mothers as they grow up. If this feeling is too strong, it can lead to a pathological emotional need. Shen Xi's upbringing was actually very lacking in both motherly love and family care, and I think he just falls into the skin hunger category o(╯□╰)o

Chapter 36

Shen Xi was unaware of his father's concerns at the time and was focused on the aftermath of the dioxane incident.

Just like Shen Xi remembered, after more than half a month of media and online brouhaha, the dioxane incident finally came to an end. All the household brands that could be found in the domestic market collectively apologised to consumers and promised to upgrade their product formulas as soon as possible to minimise the residue of dioxane in their products. Several domestic brands even issued a joint statement to collaborate on research and development to completely eliminate the problem of dioxane residues in raw materials. However, if one paid attention, one would find that Yunrou's name was not among these brands, and it was clear that Yunrou was squeezed out by the household chemical industry.

When Shen Xi thought of the news he had just received about Shen Group's board of directors' decision to betray Yunrou and sell it off, he smiled coldly at the thought of Shen Ji's distraught appearance over the past few days. Yunrou was only his first move, now it was time to start the second one. He took out his mobile phone and called the number Lu Gesen had left last time.

In an inconspicuous cafe down the street, Lu Gesen sat quietly in the corner, observing the door. He and Shen Xi arranged to meet here at three o'clock, but as the time was about to pass, Shen Xi still did not appear. Lu Gesen could not help but frown; this meeting was arranged by Shen Xi on his own initiative, a week after they had last met.

Lu Gesen was not surprised that it had taken Shen Xi so long to find him. Shen Xi was not stupid. It was impossible for him to believe whatever Lu Gesen said. This period of time was enough for Shen Xi to find someone to confirm the authenticity of the DNA report. What's more, the information Lu Gesen revealed last time was too shocking for Shen Xi, and Shen Xi also needed time to digest it. In fact, Lu Gesen reserved ten days for Shen Xi. He believed that ten days was enough time for Shen Xi to make a choice. If there was no news from Shen Xi after ten days, then he would have had to change his strategy.

Fortunately, Shen Xi took the initiative to contact him today and arranged a time and place to meet; except that Lu Gesen glanced at the time again and felt a hint of worry at Shen Xi's delay.

"Welcome!" A mechanical voice sounded at the door.

Lu Gesen subconsciously looked up to see Shen Xi wearing a black pullover sweater and a pair of sunglasses that covered half of his face push in the door. Lu Gesen was about to get up and greet Shen Xi when She Xi saw him and walked towards the corner.

Shen Xi took off his sunglasses as soon as he was seated and said apologetically to Lu Gesen, "Sorry, I'm late."

Lu Gesen was about to say, "It's okay," but was startled when he saw Shen Xi's face and changed his words to, "You haven't slept well in the past few days?"

Shen Xi's face looked very pale, and his eyes were somewhat bloodshot. He obviously looked like he hadn't rested well.

Shen Xi frowned slightly; naturally he could not explain that he had gotten used to Li Mingxuan's embrace some time ago, and this week Li Mingxuan had gone to Haicheng on a business trip, causing his sleep to be even worse than before. Shen Xi gave a faint "en". This look suited the role Shen Xi was supposed to play today. Shen Xi glanced at Lu Gesen silently. Presumably, in Lu Gesen's eyes, no matter how heartless he was, after learning the truth about the events that year, he could not escape the pain and agony of tossing and turning, right?

As expected, Shen Xi's appearance at this moment made Lu Gesen's heart soften. His tone became milder, "I know the truth must have caused you a lot of pain, but you have half of the Han family's blood in your veins, I can't let you be kept in the dark."

Shen Xi nodded with a miserable smile, "I know, in fact I should thank you. I never understood before why my father wouldn't look at me, but it turns out that the reason was that. And Grandpa, the person who treated me the best when I was a child was Grandpa, I won't let Grandpa…"

Shen Xi didn't go on, but changed the subject, "You must have come to me not just to tell me about this. What is your plan?"

As Shen Xi looked straight at Lu Gesen, Lu Gesen met Shen Xi's eyes and gently spat out a word, "Revenge!"

Shen Xi visibly trembled, and then lowered his head and clenched his fists hard. After a while, he raised his head and looked at Lu Gesen firmly, "What do you want me to do?"

Lu Gesen looked deeply at Shen Xi and slowly said, "Not you alone, but us together."

Shen Xi's expression changed slightly, but Lu Gesen suddenly moved to another topic, "Do you know about the dioxane incident?"

Shen Xi obviously did not understand what Lu Gesen meant, but still nodded hesitantly.

Lu Gesen said dryly, "The dioxane incident is our opportunity."

Seeing that Shen Xi still did not understand, Lu Gesen could not help but explain in detail, "The cause of the dioxane incident is Yunrou. Yunrou, you know, is a subsidiary company under Shen Group, fully under the responsibility of Shen Ji."

Shen Xi nodded as Lu Gesen continued, "Originally, Yunrou was developing well and contributing a lot of profits to Shen Group, but since the dioxane incident, Yunrou is in a great predicament. It can be said that Yunrou's predicament is exactly Shen Ji's predicament. Because of Shen Ji's persistent refusal to give up Yunrou, the board of directors is now very dissatisfied with him, and Shen Ji's original position as heir apparent has been shaken. This is your opportunity. As long as you take advantage of the situation to enter Shen Group, I will find a way for you to gain the support of the board of directors to replace Shen Ji. As long as you get a firm foothold in Shen Group, the future of Shen Group may be in your hands."

Lu Gesen did not say any more but his meaning was all but revealed. As long as Shen Xi took control of the power in Shen Group, it would be a matter of one sentence from him to toss Shen Group around. Even if Shen Dehan and Shen Ji tried to stop him, they might not be able to do so.

Lu Gesen had a very good idea, but unfortunately Shen Xi did not intend to follow his plan. Facing Lu Gesen's eager gaze, Shen Xi slowly shook his head, "I can't do what you said."

"What do you mean?" Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi with a look of disbelief and astonishment.

Shen Xi lowered his head, "You seem to have forgotten that Father will not let me enter Shen Group. As soon as I show the slightest intention, Father has the means to control me."

Lu Gesen didn't expect Shen Xi to be worried about this. His face eased and he let out a sigh of relief, "You don't need to worry, I will naturally think of a way."

Shen Xi still shook his head, "Even if I enter Shen Group, with my father and eldest brother, things will not be as simple as you think. Compared to me, I would think that Shen Cheng is more suitable."

"Shen Cheng?" Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi inexplicably, thinking that he must have been joking.

A trace of ridicule flashed across Shen Xi's face, "Don't you think so? As you said, Shen Ji is in a difficult situation at this time. This is my chance, but it is also Shen Cheng's chance. Unlike me, who my father fears, Shen Cheng is Shen Ji's younger brother, so I think my father will be more comfortable with Shen Cheng temporarily taking over Shen Ji's position."

When Shen Xi said this, Lu Gesen fully understood what he meant, and couldn't help hesitating.

What Shen Xi said was a great temptation to Lu Gesen. Thinking about it, what could be more painful than Shen Dehan watching his two sons turn against each other for the fortune of the Shen family? What's more, compared to Shen Dehan's fear of Shen Xi, Shen Dehan wouldn't have any scruples about Shen Cheng, and there would be plenty of time for them to do some manoeuvring in the process. Lu Gesen thought back on the dealings he had with Shen Cheng; unlike Shen Ji's excellence, Shen Cheng's abilities were really not worth mentioning. With an incompetent heir, the fall of the Shen family seemed smoother, and that was better than having to force Shen Xi's hand.

Lu Gesen's only concern was that Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were blood brothers and had always had a good relationship.

Shen Xi could see Lu Gesen's hesitation and sneered, "Since ancient times, don't you know how many brothers have turned against each other for the family property? Shen Cheng used to have no hope. Now that you put hope in front of him, what do you think he will do?"

What Shen Xi didn't say was that just as he had been treated as an outcast by Shen Dehan from the very beginning, how was Shen Cheng not an outcast in another sense? It was only that Shen Dehan would give Shen Cheng the opportunity to choose within certain limits, while he was deprived of any opportunity.

Now an opportunity that Shen Cheng had never thought of before would be placed in front of him. Even if he was not moved at first, Shen Xi did not believe that Shen Cheng would not be moved after time. Having tried the taste of power, would Shen Cheng still willingly give everything in his hands back to Shen Ji again?

What's more, Shen Cheng had been hidden in the shadow of Shen Ji for so many years. Perhaps he didn't realise it himself, but if someone kept whispering in his ear, over time, would Shen Cheng still love Shen Ji as much as before? As the saying goes, one mountain does not tolerate two tigers, and after Shen Cheng took over Shen Ji's position, what would Shen Ji do? Would he be able to control himself from pointing fingers at Shen Cheng's actions? Shen Xi could almost see the day when the two brothers turned against each other.

Lu Gesen was still hesitating, and Shen Xi gave him a covert glance. It had been his intention all along to push Shen Cheng forward while Shen Ji was dragged down by Yunrou. The only problem was to plant one of his own people around Shen Cheng.

Originally, Shen Xi had planned to use Gao Qiulin's manpower, but Lu Gesen's appearance solved this problem perfectly. A young man who was trusted by Shen Dehan, of good character, and at the same time having a good relationship with Shen Ji. Who else could be more suitable than him?

Lu Gesen thought for a moment, and quickly decided, "You are right, Shen Cheng is more suitable than you."

Now that it was determined to let Shen Cheng take advantage of the situation, Lu Gesen's previous plans had to be rearranged. As for Shen Xi, Lu Gesen just hoped that he could show up when he needed to, and Shen Xi naturally did not refuse.

After the two of them finished speaking, they were both quiet for a moment.

Lu Gesen looked at Shen Xi's silent look and tried his best to speak calmly, "You should go back and rest first, I will arrange this matter."

A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Xi's face, and then he nodded. Once he got up to leave, Lu Gesen suddenly called out to him, his gaze eager, "I've never heard you call me Cousin. I wonder if I can hear it now?"

Shen Xi was stunned for a moment, then quickly said in a low voice, "Cousin."

The moment he said that, what appeared in Shen Xi's mind was the figure of Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi shook his head and smiled at Lu Gesen.

Chapter 37

While Shen Xi was missing Li Mingxuan's embrace, Li Mingxuan was also thinking about Shen Xi.

After reading the last document in his hand, Li Mingxuan relaxed and casually put the documents together, got up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

The branch office of the Li family in Haicheng was located on the top floor of the most prestigious Gemini Building on the financial street. From the office, the view of the whole Haicheng was unobstructed and could only be called excellent. Li Mingxuan used to love this place, and when he was tired of working, he would always stand by the window and look out at the scenery. But this time Li Mingxuan could not concentrate, and the only thing that appeared in his mind was Shen Xi.

It had been ten days since he came to Haicheng, and the original seven-day trip was prolonged by him for three more days. These days, he deliberately used his busy schedule to anaesthetise himself just to avoid thinking of Shen Xi. But this only had an effect during the day.

He got used to holding Shen Xi to sleep every night, and got used to their bodies being intertwined every night. Now Li Mingxuan would always wake up in the middle of the night alone, feeling the emptiness around him, and his thoughts would surge from the bottom of his heart. After that, Li Mingxuan could no longer sleep, but could only paint a picture of Shen Xi in his mind, and spend the long nights missing him.

Although Li Mingxuan felt that he was going crazy with longing, he still held back from making any contact with Shen Xi. He knew he was running away, he just couldn't make a choice. From the moment he discovered his feelings for Shen Xi, he had been struggling internally. Reason reminded him to stay away from Shen Xi, but his emotions indulged him to come closer again and again. Li Mingxuan originally wanted to deceive himself and stay by Shen Xi's side as a cousin, but his father's words before he left sounded like a wake-up call in his ears.

At that time, Li Mingxuan had just sent Shen Xi home and returned to the Li family's house to pack his things for his business trip. To his surprise, his father, who had always gone to bed early, suddenly appeared at the door of his room, posing for a casual chat.

Li Mingxuan didn't think much of it at the time. In the past, his father would chat with him casually like this. He put down his half-packed luggage and sat down with his father.

The topic that the two of them talked about at the beginning was nothing more than matters related to the business trip. Li Mingxuan had done a good job in preparing for the trip and Li Xiyong was very satisfied with it. Seeing that Li Mingxuan was fully prepared for the trip to Haicheng, Li Xiyong suddenly changed the subject, "Mingxuan, do you have someone you like?"

Li Mingxuan was startled; his face had an unnatural expression for a moment, and then he quickly reacted and looked at his father as if nothing had happened, "No, Dad, why would you ask that?"

Li Mingxuan's momentary unnaturalness did not escape Li Xiyong's eyes, but he did not show it. Even after hearing Li Mingxuan's denial, he just smiled as usual and did not continue the topic.

Seeing that his father still had the intention to go on chatting, Li Mingxuan didn't dare to take it lightly anymore and dedicated all his attention to the conversation. Even so, when Li Xiyong asked another question carelessly, Li Mingxuan was still stunned for a moment despite being mentally prepared.

"Mingxuan, you seem to be very close to Shen Xi recently?"

Although his father's expression was the same as usual and he seemed to have asked it casually, when Li Mingxuan thought of the other question his father had just asked and these two unrelated questions put together, he didn't dare to guess what it meant.

Fighting the waves of shock in his heart, Li Mingxuan looked at his father as frankly as he could and found an excuse that even he did not believe, "Mom asked me to take care of Shen Xi more."

Li Xiyong nodded noncommittally, as if he didn't take the issue to heart. He casually chatted with Li Mingxuan for a few more minutes before instructing him to rest early and leaving the room.

Li Mingxuan wondered if his father had noticed something. He had always known that his father's intuition was very keen, and the Li family had avoided many crises over the years by relying on his father's intuition. But when his father used it on him one day, it didn't feel so good.

He should have thought that his frequent sleepless nights would surely attract his father's attention, but he had convinced himself time and again that this was the last time. And yet each time he could not control himself. Now his father's reminder had made the choice for him. He had to stay away from Shen Xi.

This matter was his fault alone from the beginning to the end. He was the one who had thought of Shen Xi in the way he shouldn't have. He was not afraid to face his family's reproach, but Shen Xi was innocent and Li Mingxuan did not want him to be misunderstood by his family, especially when the Shen family was in such a chaotic situation.

Li Mingxuan let out a long sigh. Ye Han was right, Shen Xi's position in the Shen family was already embarrassing enough. He shouldn't have burdened Shen Xi out of his own selfishness.

Although he understood everything, when the time came to make a decision, Li Mingxuan still could not make up his mind, which was why he had repeatedly delayed his return from Haicheng.

The thoughts in his mind were so complicated that Li Mingxuan lit a cigarette irritably. Unnoticed by him, the dusk had already settled outside the window, and in the hazy night, countless lights were lit up, the whole city full of ambience and beauty.

There were no lights on in the office. The darkness hid Li Mingxuan's expression, and only the bright point of the cigarette in his hand could be seen.

The phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence of the room. A faint white light shone from the table, illuminating the silent figure of Li Mingxuan in front of the window. Li Mingxuan did not turn around and let the phone ring a few times and then go quiet again.

In his mind, the only people who would call at this time were his family and a few friends. He didn't want to talk now, he just wanted to be left alone.

In Zhongjing on the other side, Shen Xi hung up the phone with a gloomy expression. It had been ten days; he had not heard from Li Mingxuan for ten whole days.

If at first Shen Xi was bothered by being unable to sleep well without Li Mingxuan by his side, then later Li Mingxuan's silence was enough to make Shen Xi understand what was going on.

Thinking of Li Mingxuan taking care of him before going on a business trip, Shen Xi sneered. Li Mingxuan really thought that after he approached him, he could leave so easily? How could he allow it?

He could guess what Li Mingxuan was thinking in his heart, based on his character. It was nothing more than struggling with the blood relationship between the two, worrying about Shen Xi's disgust. Shen Xi didn't mention it before because he thought it was good to maintain the status quo. Li Mingxuan was by his side every night anyway. But now, Shen Xi frowned irritably, it seemed that he was going to take the initiative.

Although he was planning to take the initiative, Shen Xi didn't bother to dial Li Mingxuan again. After thinking about it, Shen Xi called Lao K and Fang Luowei and invited them to sing together.

These days, Shen Xi did not stay idle. Firstly, he rented a big office and put up the logo of the film and television company. Secondly, he asked Lao K to set up a manager position and recruit a few employees. In any case, this would be his business for some time to come, so he had to take care of it. As for Fang Luowei's previous contract, he didn't bother much. With the name of the Shen family's Sanshao it was just a piece of cake.

With the start of filming of Chen Zhiwei's movie, rumours began to circulate in the community that the movie was paid for by Shen Xi. Shen Xi did not deny it. As a result, everyone was convinced that Shen Sansao, who had always been fooling around, seemed to have no intention of entering Shen Group and instead planned to join the entertainment industry.

When the news spread, Shen Xi's father took the initiative to contact him once, and his words were full of curiosity about Shen Xi's movements.

Shen Xi sneered in his heart, but in front of his father, he showed that he was very eager to enter the entertainment industry. He didn't want to join Shen Group anyway, so it would be good for him to start his own company for fun. Since he was not good at anything and loved to have fun, the entertainment industry would suit him best.

Shen Xi's father did not doubt what Shen Xi said. Even though Shen Xi had been out of the country for the previous five years, news about Shen Xi was constantly coming to Shen Dehan. He had always been confident that he knew Shen Xi very well, and in his eyes, Shen Xi's behaviour this time was just a new way of playing when he was tired of playing something else. As for Shen Xi's words about being interested in the entertainment industry, Shen Dehan only snorted. He had heard the rumours that Shen Xi was making such a big fuss just for a little singer surnamed Fang.

During this period of time, because of Yunrou's case, there had been some minor turmoil in the board of directors, especially when Gao Qiulin started to stir up trouble again, and Shen Dehan was quite anxious. He was most worried that Shen Xi would be encouraged to have some thoughts about Shen Group. Seeing that Shen Xi was having fun on his own, Shen Dehan finally put his mind at ease and generously gave Shen Xi a sum of money, leaving him to his own devices. As long as Shen Xi didn't mess with Shen Group's affairs, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted. Anyway, Shen Xi's dividends were enough for Shen Xi to spend freely.

Lao K and Fang Luowei became acquainted through Shen Xi. Of course, Fang Luowei only knew that the man in front of him was Wang Xinghai, a friend of Shen Xi, and he didn't know that this man was the famous Lao K from the dark side of Zhongjing. Shen Xi had no intention of telling Fang Luowei about Lao K's identity, as he did not want to involve Fang Luowei in what he was going to do.

When he received Shen Xi's call, Lao K was not very interested, but Fang Luowei was very happy, and in a two-against-one situation Lao K was forced to appear in front of Shen Xi.

"What kind of expression is it?" Shen Xi had a disgusted look on his face.

Lao K said bitterly, "A happy one!"

Shen Xi snorted coldly and Fang Luowei smiled, kindly interjecting, "Have we booked a room yet?"

Lao K nodded and glanced at Shen Xi sadly, "It's obvious that people want to go to the Shutu to see the world, but Xiao Xixi is only willing to bring them to a place like this."

Behind Lao K, the word "Congress" shone brightly, and Fang Luowei gave Lao K a curious look, "What's Shutu, isn't Congress already the best KTV in Zhongjing?"

Lao K was about to explain, but suddenly remembered that Shen Xi didn't seem to want to talk much about Shutu, so he changed the subject with a chuckle.

Fang Luowei smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

To put it mildly, Fang Luowei sang the best among them, while Lao K was second, and it was Shen Xi who sang very much out of tune. Lao K's original reluctance turned to positivity after mocking Shen Xi, and he refused to put down the microphone.

Fang Luowei smiled and stood next to Lao K, cheering him on. Shen Xi sat alone at the back, looking at the two figures in front of him and smiling faintly.

Fang Luowei turned around without thinking and saw Shen Xi's smiling face, only to feel a twitch in his heart, as if something was different.

While they were having a good time over here, Li Mingxuan was rushing back to Zhongjing overnight.

After being alone and quiet for a long time, Li Mingxuan finally switched on the lights in his office and packed his things to go back to the hotel.

Casually picking up the mobile phone on his table, Li Mingxuan remembered the previous call and opened the call log. The words "Shen Xi" were reflected in Li Mingxuan's eyes, and his whole body froze in place. This was the first time Shen Xi had called him, and Li Mingxuan didn't even think about it before calling back. But no matter how many times he dialled, there was never any answer on the other end.

Li Mingxuan could not tell how he felt at this moment. All the thoughts he had deliberately suppressed resurfaced. His reasoning was left behind, he just wanted to see Shen Xi immediately.

Without hesitation, Li Mingxuan took a taxi to the airport and asked his assistant to book the nearest flight back to Zhongjing.

On the way to the airport, Li Mingxuan still refused to give up dialling the familiar number.

Inside Shen Xi's bag, the screen of his mobile phone flashed continuously, the ringing tone so faint that it did not make a single ripple under the sound of the room's huge stereo.

Chapter 38

Li Mingxuan couldn't remember how many times he redialled the familiar number along the way, but no matter how much he called, the mechanical "No answer" always came out of the receiver.

Li Mingxuan's heart sank to the bottom a little, but the missed call was like a thin thread holding him, preventing him from sinking completely.

In the midst of this indescribable torment, a sweet beep sounded from the intercom, and the plane was about to take off. Li Mingxuan stared at his phone in silence for half a second before choosing to turn it off.

The distance between Haicheng and Zhongjing was not long, only an hour's flight. Li Mingxuan had made this journey countless times in the past, but not once had he felt it was so slow. Li Mingxuan stared unconsciously out of the window. The night sky was dotted with stars, like blue velvet studded with countless sparkling diamonds. Such beautiful scenery was rarely seen by people living in the city, but Li Mingxuan had no thought of appreciating it. All that lingered in his mind was the phone call he had missed.

What did Shen Xi want to say to him?

This was a question Li Mingxuan asked himself countless times, and he desperately wanted to know the answer. Even though Shen Xi might have been just politely greeting him, there was always a voice in Li Mingxuan's mind that faintly but firmly repeated that this call was important to him, as if he had lost something vital by missing it.

"Shen Xi," Li Mingxuan muttered the name in his heart and let out a silent sigh.

At 2am, the three people singing finally put down their microphones and the only sound left in the private room was the sound of background music.

Lao K slumped on the sofa contentedly, his voice hoarse as he shouted to Shen Xi, "Xiao Xixi, why don't I become a singer too?"

Shen Xi lazily gave him a glance and teased, "I'm worried there are no such indiscriminate fans."

Fang Luowei who was drinking a glass of water wanted to laugh when he heard these words, but resisted, his face flushed.

Lao K pounced on Shen Xi, demanding him to admit that he was his fan.

Shen Xi didn't expect the sudden weight of Lao K on top of him. He grunted and was about to break free when Lao K suddenly stopped moving with a puzzled look on his face, "Did you hear anything?"

"What?" Shen Xi asked.

Lao K listened intently for a long time, then suddenly reached out, picked up Shen Xi's bag and fished out Shen Xi's mobile phone.

The screen was glimmering faintly, and a quiet ringing tone sounded continuously as the words "Li Mingxuan" were reflected in Lao K's eyes.

Lao K hesitantly held the phone and handed it to Shen Xi, who frowned invisibly, pushed Lao K away and walked out of the room with the phone.

Fang Luowei looked over curiously, "Who would be looking for Shen Xi so late?"

A trace of seriousness flashed in Lao K's eyes, and he said with a headache, "Li Mingxuan." After saying that, he thought that Fang Luowei might not know Li Mingxuan, and immediately added, "Shen Xi's cousin."

Hearing the name "Li Mingxuan" once again, still associated with Shen Xi, Fang Luowei subconsciously looked towards the door of the private room, a hint of something strange flickering in his heart.

The soundproofing of the Congress was well done; Shen Xi found a secluded corner and pressed the call button, placing the phone to his ear.

Li Mingxuan did not expect the call to be answered after he had already been disappointed countless times and was in a momentary trance when the three words "on the line" were displayed.

No one spoke on either side of the phone, and the two were silent as they listened to each other's soft breathing. Li Mingxuan came back to his senses and wanted to speak, but suddenly didn't know what to say. Unable to suppress his thoughts, he had frantically rushed back to Zhongjing from Haicheng overnight. In the torment of gains and losses, everything came down to the most ordinary greeting, "Xiao Xi, I'm back."

"Xiao Xi, I'm back." A few short words contained too many emotions, burrowing into Shen Xi's ears. Shen Xi subconsciously asked in return, "Why did you book such a late flight?"

In the silent night, the surprise in Shen Xi's words was clearly heard by Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan fell silent and said softly a few seconds later, "Suddenly I remembered something."

Shen Xi frowned; a thought flashed through his mind and he asked hesitantly, "Are you in Jingtai District now?"

Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and gave a low "en".

Shen Xi only felt that this "en" seemed to land on his heart. Some emotion rose up from the bottom of his soul, and after two irritable steps, Shen Xi heard his own voice, "Wait for me, I'll be right back."

Simply hanging up the phone, Shen Xi was about to return to the private room when he suddenly saw a series of missed calls on his phone. Reaching out and tapping on it, he saw that all the calls came from the same number, starting from 9pm last night and continuing until now, with only a short gap of an hour in the middle.

Shen Xi's eyes were complicated as he stared at the calls, brushing his fingers over them one by one and finally choosing to delete them all.

Back in the private room, Lao K was about to make a comeback after a short break when Shen Xi interrupted them, "I have to go back first."

Fang Luowei looked at Shen Xi in surprise. Lao K thought of something, glanced at Shen Xi suspiciously and said tentatively, "Li Mingxuan is back from his business trip?"

Shen Xi nodded, and Lao K insisted, "Now at your doorstep?"

Shen Xi gave Lao K a wry smile, and Lao K immediately reached out and made a zipping motion over his mouth, indicating that he hadn't said anything.

Fang Luowei's gaze swept between the two, vaguely understanding what was going on, and a hint of sadness that even he couldn't explain slowly welled up in the bottom of his heart.

Shen Xi didn't linger much, and turned to leave after giving a few words of explanation.

Behind him, Lao K stared at his hurriedly departing figure with a hint of worry in his eyes. But on second thought, since Shen Xi was so perverted, it was probably Li Mingxuan who should have been worried. Lao K's mood turned to the better again, and he dragged Fang Luowei to sing a love song with him.

Fang Luowei was forced to sing one song after another with Lao K. What he couldn't stand was that Lao K insisted on pinching his voice to sing female parts.

While Fang Luowei was tortured by Lao K, Shen Xi sped up the car to 200, and the signboard of Jingtai District was already faintly visible from afar.

A few minutes later, Shen Xi parked the car downstairs, heard a voice, and a straight figure in front of the apartment building slowly walked over. Under the dim yellow street light, Li Mingxuan walked out of the darkness step by step. Shen Xi sat inside the car and only felt his heart beat inexplicably fast.

Trying hard to suppress the hint of strangeness in his mind, Shen Xi opened the car door and stepped out, flashing a smile at Li Mingxuan, "Cousin."

The man he had missed all the way was standing right in front of him, and Li Mingxuan's heart was swirling with all kinds of complicated emotions, but in the end, he just returned Shen Xi's smile as he always did.

The two of them went back to the apartment as usual, showered and changed clothes. Li Mingxuan sat on the bed, silently watching Shen Xi put away his things. He had rushed back from Haicheng overnight in one breath, but after seeing Shen Xi, the intensity dissipated a little, and his father's reminder appeared in his mind once again.

It was as if the struggle of the past ten days had continued into the present, and Li Mingxuan laughed bitterly, silently.

Shen Xi was oblivious to Li Mingxuan's strangeness. After putting away his clothes, he naturally climbed into bed and rubbed against Li Mingxuan's side.

"Is Cousin not sleeping yet?" Shen Xi's voice sounded muffled, with a vague hint of drowsiness.

Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a gentle look and lay down beside him. Shen Xi obediently squeezed into Li Mingxuan's arms and reached out to hug him. Li Mingxuan's heart skipped a beat when Shen Xi seemed to feel uncomfortable in his position and moved in his arms, accidentally touching the place he shouldn't have.

A hard object stood abruptly against Shen Xi's lower abdomen, and both of them froze at the same time.

Shen Xi was the first to react and his body slowly started to move backwards, while Li Mingxuan's heart sank a little with Shen Xi's movements. He had been suppressing his feelings in front of Shen Xi, fearing the rejection and disdain that Shen Xi would feel if he knew the truth. Now that Shen Xi's actions had said it all, Li Mingxuan only felt his heart fill with bitterness.

He watched Shen Xi's movements in silence until Shen Xi left his embrace and their eyes locked.

To Li Mingxuan's surprise, there was no rejection in Shen Xi's eyes as he expected, but rather an indescribable oddity.

"Cousin, are you GAY?"

This sentence was simply a question, and Li Mingxuan nodded in silence.

The odd look on Shen Xi's face became even more obvious, "Does Cousin like me?"

It was still simply a question, and Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi's face close at hand and nodded with difficulty.

Shen Xi seemed very surprised. He looked at Li Mingxuan in astonishment and then laughed at himself, "What can Cousin like about me?"

Li Mingxuan saw Shen Xi's expression and his entire heart seized. Almost subconsciously, Li Mingxuan reached out and hugged Shen Xi. Shen Xi instinctively tried to push Li Mingxuan away, but Li Mingxuan refused to let go and instead hugged him even harder.

Shen Xi began to struggle seriously, but Li Mingxuan encircled him in his arms and confined him firmly. Not caring about Shen Xi's struggle, he lowered his head and whispered in his ear, "Xiao Xi, you are very good, I like you."

These words were like a mantra, and Shen Xi's movements stopped as he lay stiffly in Li Mingxuan's arms.

Li Mingxuan hugged the man in his arms tightly, distressed, and a little while later Shen Xi's low voice reached him, "Cousin, do you really like me?"

Li Mingxuan said softly but very firmly, "Yes!"

The man in his arms fell silent, and a moment later, Shen Xi's voice rang out once again, "Will you leave me, Cousin?"

Before Li Mingxuan could answer, Shen Xi smiled self-deprecatingly, "When I was a child, my mother said she liked me, my grandfather said he liked me, and my uncle said he liked me, but they all ended up leaving me."

Although the leaving of the people Shen Xi mentioned did not correspond with him, Li Mingxuan still had a sour taste in his heart.

After giving Shen Xi a gentle kiss on the forehead, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, "Elder Han and the others left because they had no choice. I will not leave Xiao Xi, whether in life or in death, I promise."

Li Mingxuan's words did a good job of comforting Shen Xi, who took the initiative to rub against his arms and let out a low muffled sound.

The moment he made his promise, Li Mingxuan's eyes fell gently on Shen Xi, and all his past struggles and hesitations vanished. He knew he had chosen an extremely difficult path. His father, his mother, his uncle and Shen Ji, none of them would probably approve of them being together, but he could not help himself, he just wanted to be with Shen Xi.

While Li Mingxuan could not see, the corners of Shen Xi's mouth slowly curved up to reveal a pleasant smile.

Chapter 39

Li Mingxuan woke up before dawn.

Perhaps it was because he was in good spirits, but despite having slept for less than three hours, Li Mingxuan was feeling very energetic and had no sense of drowsiness at all.

After carefully moving his arms that were numb from the pressure, Li Mingxuan turned sideways and hugged Shen Xi, unable to resist lowering his head and kissing his face.

After running around all night, coupled with the great sadness and joy in his heart, Li Mingxuan just fell asleep holding Shen Xi after Shen Xi agreed to be with him. At this moment, feeling the warm body in his arms, Li Mingxuan's desire that had been suppressed all night began to stir again.

In the light coming through the curtains, Li Mingxuan carefully traced Shen Xi's eyebrows with his gaze. Perhaps because he had not rested well these days, there were faint blue shadows under Shen Xi's eyes and his face was not as rosy as it had been when Li Mingxuan was with him. Distressed, Li Mingxuan moved and kissed Shen Xi.

In a haze, Shen Xi only felt a warm touch on his lips, as if someone was kissing him. Almost out of instinct, Shen Xi kicked out without thinking, but halfway through the action, he remembered something and opened his eyes blankly, "Cousin?"

Li Mingxuan reacted as soon as Shen Xi moved, and thanks to his experience in the hotel last time, not only did he dodge Shen Xi's kick but also used the momentum to roll over and press Shen Xi down, confining him in his arms.

Shen Xi's eyes gradually cleared and he was about to speak when Li Mingxuan leaned down and blocked his mouth.

For either of them, this was a first kiss in the true sense of the word. Li Mingxuan was clean and well-behaved, while Shen Xi's was repulsed by his previous life in prison, so incidentally, they were the first for each other.

Li Mingxuan's kiss was gentle, and as he felt the stiffness of the man beneath him, he slowed down his movements, only lingering on Shen Xi's lips and not doing anything more.

After Shen Xi's initial discomfort passed, he soon realised that the feeling was not bad. Li Mingxuan's lips were warm and landed very comfortably on his own lips. Shen Xi couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips, and Li Mingxuan's eyes darkened as his breathing sharpened. The lick Shen Xi gave him just now was like a lick on his heart, crispy and itchy. Li Mingxuan tenderly but firmly pried open Shen Xi's lips and attacked him without waiting for him to refuse, forcing Shen Xi's tongue into the corner where there was nowhere to retreat and carefully grinding.

It was a long time before Li Mingxuan withdrew, and Shen Xi only felt that his tongue was sore and soft and his face was burning. However, without waiting for Shen Xi to react, Li Mingxuan once again leaned down and carefully nibbled on Shen Xi's lips. Between his lips and teeth, Shen Xi trembled all over as a wave of pleasure rose up from his tailbone, flooding his body like an electric current.

A trace of surprise flashed in Shen Xi's eyes. He never knew that a simple kiss would feel like this!

Li Mingxuan sensed Shen Xi's surprise. His eyes filled with laughter as he increased the intensity of nibbling. His kiss was overbearing but also contained an indescribable tenderness. When Shen Xi looked up, Li Mingxuan's eyes were so deep that Shen Xi suddenly felt his heart beat faster.

Li Mingxuan smiled faintly and took advantage of the moment when Shen Xi was lost in thought to firmly pry open Shen Xi's lips again. His warm tongue slipped into Shen Xi's mouth, greedily exploring every inch of it, seizing the scent that belonged to Shen Xi. Li Mingxuan's movements became fierce instead of gentle, and Shen Xi was left breathless by his kisses and could only passively succumb to his movements.

Shen Xi's submission made Li Mingxuan even more excited, and he couldn't help but slide his hands into Shen Xi's clothes. The next moment Shen Xi suddenly grabbed his hand and rolled over forcefully, sitting on top of Li Mingxuan.

Because of the kiss just now, Shen Xi's lips were very red and his eyes had a strange brightness in them.

Li Mingxuan was quite surprised by Shen Xi's action, "Xiao Xi?"

The corners of Shen Xi's mouth slowly curled up as he lowered his head to meet Li Mingxuan's gaze, "It's my turn this time."

While Li Mingxuan was stunned, Shen Xi had already followed Li Mingxuan's example, bowed his head and kissed him. This feeling was different from Li Mingxuan kissing him. Shen Xi felt that the control was in his own hands, and a sense of conquest was welling up in his heart.

Li Mingxuan indulged Shen Xi's movements and was very cooperative. But seeing that Shen Xi wanted to get up and leave, Li Mingxuan suddenly reached out and held his head down and kissed him hard, quickly taking the initiative back into his own hands.

The two of them fought and kissed each other until the alarm clock went off.

At this point, Shen Xi was once again pinned underneath Li Mingxuan, his clothes in disarray, his collar half-open and his exposed neck covered in tiny hickeys. Li Mingxuan smiled and gave Shen Xi another peck on the corner of his mouth, saying softly, "I'll go make breakfast, what do you want to eat?"

Shen Xi's breath was uneven from the kiss. Struggling to catch his breath, he said unceremoniously, "Omelette!"

Li Mingxuan smiled and nodded, helped Shen Xi cover himself with the blanket and got up to go into the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, Li Mingxuan glanced at Xiao Mingxuan standing tall and smiled a little bitterly. Although Shen Xi did not refuse his kisses, Li Mingxuan had a keen feeling that Shen Xi did not seem to have any further intentions.

Thinking about what Shen Xi had said last night, a hint of indulgence flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes. Whatever Shen Xi's starting point in choosing to be with him was, whether he liked him or simply wanted to be by his side, he could not let him go now.

He was willing to give Shen Xi time and let him accept him little by little. Comparing Shen Xi's initial vigilance with the kisses he had just shared with him, Li Mingxuan smiled slightly. Thinking about it this way, his current situation was enough to be described as happiness.

After a quick wash, Li Mingxuan found some clothes from the luggage he brought back last night, changed and went to the kitchen.

As Li Mingxuan was in a happy mood making breakfast, Shen Xi was standing in front of the mirror staring strangely at the hickeys on his neck.

After ten years in prison, he had seen so many men show those ugly traces, and he had always thought he would be repulsed by them. But Li Mingxuan's kisses were unexpectedly comfortable. Shen Xi thought that this was already his bottom line, but he didn't expect that when Li Mingxuan wanted to go further, there wasn't much revulsion in his heart, just discomfort, but not the disgust he had imagined.

Shen Xi hesitantly stretched out his hand to touch his neck, only to see Li Mingxuan appear behind him in the mirror.

Li Mingxuan walked up behind Shen Xi with a gentle expression and reached out to take him in his arms, lowering his head and kissing his ear, "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Xi met Li Mingxuan's gaze in the mirror and looked puzzled, "Thinking about what you said yesterday. That no matter what happens, you won't leave me."

Li Mingxuan's determination didn't change and he smiled gently, "Do you want me to say it again?"

Shen Xi shook his head, the corners of his mouth curved up in a shallow arc, "Just keep it in mind, Cousin!"

Li Mingxuan gave a low "en" and kissed Shen Xi's ear, countless pecks following down his neck.

By the time Shen Xi pushed Li Mingxuan away and came to the table, the omelette from before had long gone cold. Li Mingxuan made a new one under Shen Xi's accusing eyes, so by the time he had cleaned up, he was already delayed in getting to the office.

"Do Uncle and Aunt know you're back?" Sitting on the sofa, Shen Xi looked curiously at Li Mingxuan, who was still unhurriedly sorting out the documents without the slightest trace of panic.

Li Mingxuan took the required documents, picked up Shen Xi's car keys and walked to his side to bow his head and kiss him, "Father will know soon."

Shen Xi raised his eyebrows in surprise, "They don't know yet? Then why did you suddenly come back yesterday?"

Li Mingxuan's original movement to leave was stopped with Shen Xi's words. He bent down and met Shen Xi's eyes squarely, "Xiao Xi, tell me, why did I suddenly come back?"

Shen Xi was taken aback as the memory of the unanswered calls from last night flashed through his mind and he vaguely seemed to understand something.

Li Mingxuan obediently squatted in front of Shen Xi, his expression serious, "Xiao Xi, I like you, I knew it from that time in the alley. I never expected to get a response from you, and I always feared that my thoughts would be exposed to you. I was afraid of seeing your disgusted eyes and that I would never be able to be by your side again. During the ten days I was away, I thought a lot about it, deciding to stay away from you, but I couldn't make up my mind until you called. A voice in my heart told me that I had to come back to see you or I would regret it all my life. I'm glad I made it back to Zhongjing, and I'm glad you agreed to be with me."

The look in Li Mingxuan's eyes was firm and serious, and Shen Xi could not describe the feeling in his heart at that moment. Under Li Mingxuan's scorching gaze, Shen Xi lowered his eyes to hide the complexity of his stare.

"What will you say if Aunt and Uncle ask?"

Li Mingxuan looked calm, "Naturally, I will tell the truth."

Shen Xi glanced up in surprise, his eyes full of disbelief.

Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a smile and reached out to touch Shen Xi's face, his voice low and serious, "Xiao Xi, I want to bring you to my family openly and honestly, not secretly sneaking around. Whether it's father, mother or uncle, I want to be able to tell them truthfully that I like you and that I want to take care of you, rather than pretend to have nothing to do with you in front of them."

Li Mingxuan kept staring at Shen Xi's expression as he said this. Shen Xi lowered his head to avoid his gaze, "Father and Aunt would never agree."

Li Mingxuan did not allow Shen Xi to avoid him, cupped his chin and kissed him tenderly, "Do you remember what I said yesterday? No matter if it's life or death, I will never leave you, believe me!"

Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a complicated look and finally gave a soft "en" while kissing. Li Mingxuan smiled in satisfaction and assured him seriously, "Xiao Xi, don't worry, I have everything under control."

Shen Xi stood silently in front of the window watching Li Mingxuan walk away until he was no longer visible, before turning around and sitting back on the sofa.

Li Mingxuan's words were too unexpected. Shen Xi had thought that Li Mingxuan would hide this matter from his family until the day it suddenly would be exposed, but he never expected that Li Mingxuan would take the initiative to confess to his family.

"Being together openly and honestly?" Shen Xi repeated these words and suddenly laughed. This was good. The situation was already chaotic enough anyway, and he didn't care if it got a little more chaotic.

Chapter 40

Li Mingxuan's rush back to Zhongjing from Haicheng overnight was inadvertently discovered by Li Xiyong early in the morning.

Li Xiyong did not mean to check Li Mingxuan's whereabouts; he just suddenly had something to contact him about but found that Li Mingxuan's mobile phone was switched off, so he had to call Li Mingxuan's assistant. The assistant answered the phone and said that Li Mingxuan had come back to Zhongjing last night because of an urgent matter, and there was a feeling in his words that he was covering up for Li Mingxuan.

What was the reason for Li Mingxuan's return to Zhongjing? The assistant faintly felt that he seemed to understand, but he didn't dare to think about it. Fortunately, Li Xiyong didn't ask anything, and the assistant breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat guilty.

Li Xiyong hung up the phone calmly; there was no slightest trace of anything different from the outside, but in his heart he was very shocked.

Li Mingxuan had rushed back to Zhongjing overnight, for whom? Where did he go instead of home? These two questions kept haunting Li Xiyong's mind. He kept thinking about their father-son conversation before Li Mingxuan's business trip, and Shen Xi's name vaguely emerged in his memory.

As a father, he knew Mingxuan's character very well. Mingxuan was not an impulsive person, and if he really rushed back to Zhongjing overnight for Shen Xi, then he really had Shen Xi in his heart. All these years, Li Xiyong had watched Mingxuan being alone and hoped that he would meet someone he liked, but why would that person be Shen Xi?

Who was Shen Xi? Shen Xi was Mingxuan's cousin, the man who held one-third of the inheritance rights of the Shen family, and the outcast of the Shen family.

Not to mention the blood relations between the two, just Shen Xi's status was not suitable for the two to be together. Li Xiyong had been close to the Shen family for many years, certainly because he was a relative but also because Li Xiyong knew Shen Dehan and had never interfered in any of the Shen family's affairs. If Mingxuan and Shen Xi really got together, then what would be Mingxuan's position in the future when the Shen family's brothers started fighting each other? Even if Shen Xi was as incompetent as he appeared and had no interest in Shen Group, was Dehan going to suspect that Mingxuan approached Shen Xi on purpose? Would he think that Li Xiyong was behind all this and even instigated it?

Li Xiyong let out a silent sigh; he had seen Mingxuan's special attitude towards Shen Xi before. The reason why he only hinted and did not explicitly say anything was precisely because he believed in Mingxuan's judgement. Mingxuan himself would know what choice to make.

It was only when Li's Li Xiyong listened to the cover-up attempt in Mingxuan's assistant's words that he felt he could not believe his own judgement anymore. At this point, Li Xiyong could only hope that it was all a guess on his part and that Mingxuan knew what he was doing.

When Li Mingxuan arrived at the office, it was already past ten in the morning. To his surprise, his father already knew about his return and sent his secretary to his office early in the morning to say that he wanted to see him.

Li Mingxuan knew that his father must have guessed something, and he had planned to confess to him directly, so he appeared in front of Li Xiyong with a calm demeanour.

"Dad!"

Li Mingxuan's expression was very frank, with a subdued look on his face, his eyes looking at Li Xiyong openly.

Li Xiyong's heart sank. He had known his son for many years, he only needed a glance to understand what Li Mingxuan wanted to say at this moment. Although Li Mingxuan acted very calmly, the joy that was faintly emanating from his body was very obvious.

Li Xiyong thought for a moment and said, "Mingxuan, accompany me to the rooftop for a walk."

The rooftop that Li Xiyong was talking about was located on the top floor of Li Group, and because of the open terrain and good view plus the proper care of the property, it was very popular among the staff. Everyone was willing to come up here for a walk during their lunch break.

It was the time for work now, and the rooftop was quiet; the only two figures, Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan, could be seen there.

Li Xiyong did not say anything, just gazed at the distant scenery in silence. Li Mingxuan stood quietly behind his father, also not saying a word.

After a while, Li Xiyong finally turned to look at Li Mingxuan, "Mingxuan, do you still remember the words I told you before you left the country?"

A trace of nostalgia flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes and he nodded, "I remember."

Li Xiyong said in a low voice, "I warned you a long time ago that a man's erection is not bound by morality, but the most fundamental self-control is indispensable if you want to be a successful man. Do you think you have achieved that?" Li Xiyong's voice was already vaguely strict.

As long as Li Mingxuan could remember, his father would hardly ever speak to him sternly. The only time he remembered hearing such a strict tone was when he confessed his sexuality to his family a few years ago. He knew that his father had always had high hopes for him, and even at his most difficult time, he had been the one who supported him quietly.

Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly in his heart. When he remembered this sentence, he never expected that one day he would lose control for another man and even confront his own father. His promise to Shen Xi flashed in his mind, and guilt appeared on Li Mingxuan's face, "I'm sorry, Dad, I can't do it."

Li Xiyong's disappointment was beyond words. He looked at Li Mingxuan deeply, "Why Shen Xi?"

In Li Mingxuan's past, there had been too many outstanding men and women. Even now, Li Mingxuan was surrounded by countless exceptional people of his age; why did he fall for Shen Xi?

Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, "I don't know."

The first time he and Shen Xi met on the plane was a complete accident. If it hadn't been for the reporters and if Shen Dehan hadn't been hospitalised as a result, he and Shen Xi would have had no more intersection. He never expected that there would be so many accidental meetings between him and Shen Xi after that, and time after time, he would get to know Shen Xi better and better, and Shen Xi would become more and more vivid in his heart. He was not sure why he was attracted to Shen Xi in the first place. Was it because of pity or simply because he was attracted to Shen Xi's body? Or was it the night when Shen Xi was injured and he finally discovered a soft and sensitive heart hidden under Shen Xi's sharp shell?

Li Mingxuan recalled his past with Shen Xi little by little, and even he did not realise how tender the look on his own face was at this moment. Li Xiyong's eyes fell on Li Mingxuan's face and his heart trembled fiercely.

Li Xiyong fell silent. He could see that Mingxuan's attitude was very serious, just as it was when he had insisted on confessing his sexuality to his family back then. As a father, he knew Mingxuan's temperament very well. Once he had decided on something, he would never change his decision easily. Back then, under the threat of Grandpa Li's serious illness and with the pressure of the whole family piling on him, Mingxuan still refused to relent and finally his family compromised and accepted his sexuality. This time, Li Xiyong could not help but smile bitterly in silence.

Li Mingxuan did not know what was going through his father's mind. He did not want Shen Xi to be misunderstood by his father. He looked at Li Xiyong with a serious expression, "Dad, this matter is my fault, it was me who first had thoughts about Xiao Xi. Xiao Xi was merely seduced by me."

Li Xiyong grunted, "No matter who seduced who, are you together now?"

Li Mingxuan nodded, his expression gentle, the joy in his eyes spreading out once again.

Li Xiyong looked at the joy in Li Mingxuan's eyes and finally chose to compromise, "Then what are you going to do? Keep this matter hidden from your mother and uncle?"

Li Mingxuan shook his head, resolute, "I want to be with Xiao Xi openly and honestly."

Although Li Xiyong had already guessed this answer, he could not help but give Li Mingxuan a look, "Do you know what you are saying?"

Li Mingxuan's expression was calm, "I know."

Li Xiyong let out a silent sigh, "What will you do if the Shen brothers fight with each other in the future?"

"Xiao Xi started a company on his own." Li Mingxuan's implication was that Shen Xi was really not interested in Shen Group.

Li Xiyong gave Li Mingxuan a deep look, "You yourself know what you and Shen Xi will have to face together. Your father only hopes that you will not regret it in the future."

Li Mingxuan said "en" in a quiet, firm voice.

While Li Mingxuan and Li Xiyong were talking on the rooftop, Shen Ji with a sullen face was listening to the board of directors meeting held by Shen Dehan.

At that moment, one of the directors was speaking, implying that the Yunrou incident had caused great damage to Shen Group and that someone had to step forward to take responsibility for it. As he spoke, the director's gaze kept falling on Shen Ji as if inadvertently but with a very clear implication.

Shen Ji's face was very ugly and he tried to stand up several times but was stopped by Shen Dehan's eyes.

When the director finished speaking, Gao Qiulin took over with a smile, "Dehan, I know you have always been clear in your rewards and punishments, so I'm sure you don't need us to say anything about this, you must already have an idea in mind."

Another director immediately interjected, "Director Gao is right, the chairman has always been clear in his rewards and punishments, so he will definitely give us a satisfactory explanation."

Shen Dehan tried to suppress the anger in his heart and swept a faint glance over the crowd, "Yunrou is still a part of the group. I will definitely give everyone an explanation when Yunrou is dismantled and sold."

Gao Qiulin raised his eyebrows, "Dismantled and sold? I heard that Ah Ji is not willing to sell Yunrou and is secretly preventing the company from contacting interested buyers." When he said this, Gao Qiulin turned to Shen Ji, "Ah Ji, you wouldn't really do that, would you?"

Shen Ji met Gao Qiulin's eyes. The provocation in Gao Qiulin's gaze stung him deeply. He tried hard to calm himself down, "Uncle Gao must have misheard, the decision to sell Yunrou is the decision of the board of directors, how could I go against the board's wishes?"

Gao Qiulin took it in stride, "Then I guess I misheard."

A trace of vigilance flashed in Shen Ji's eyes. Gao Qiulin had been at odds with his father recently; he did not believe that Gao Qiulin would compromise so easily.

As expected, Gao Qiulin suddenly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, Xiao Xi has also graduated from university this year, right? How can a boy not have a career? Dehan, I think you should let Xiao Xi enter Shen Group as well, anyway, both Ah Ji and Ah Cheng are here, and only Xiao Xi is not, you can't be too biassed!"

These words from Gao Qiulin immediately gained a lot of approval among the directors. Some even said that the jewellery company under Shen Group was precisely the Han family's property back then, so it would be better to let Shen Xi learn how to manage it.

Shen Dehan's face turned ugly, but Gao Qiulin did not seem to notice and continued talking about the plans for Shen Xi.

After the board meeting, Shen Dehan returned to his office with a gloomy face, Wang Changlin following him.

"Dehan, I remember that the doctor ordered you to control your emotions, it's best not to get angry."

Shen Dehan took a few deep breaths, "You didn't see the way Gao Qiulin brought up Shen Xi to force me to make Ah Ji resign from his position as general manager, how do you think I can not get angry?"

Wang Changlin's eyes flashed, "Does Director Gao mean to let Shen Xi enter Shen Group?"

Shen Dehan nodded with a gloomy face.

Wang Changlin pondered for a moment, "Dehan, Ah Ji is on the cusp of the storm right now, have you thought of letting him avoid the limelight for a while?"

Shen Dehan frowned, "Of course I've thought about it, but if Ah Ji resigns as general manager, there is no suitable candidate by my side for now. If it is Gao Qiulin's man who takes over the top position, wouldn't Ah Ji's hard work for so many years be wasted?"

Wang Changlin laughed, "Dehan, have you forgotten that there is Ah Cheng? The board is now forcing Ah Ji to take responsibility for the Yunrou incident. If you keep carrying on like this, it won't be a good thing for Ah Ji, and the shareholders will inevitably have some thoughts. Why not simply let Ah Ji change his position? Anyway, as long as he is at Shen Group, Ah Ji will always have a chance. You can assign Ah Cheng to take up the position of general manager that Ah Ji gives up. With him, you can not only block the mouths of the board of directors, but also help Ah Ji to guard his position. The two brothers have always had a good relationship, are you worried about them turning against each other?"

Shen Dehan's expression eased up; Shen Cheng was indeed a better choice under the current circumstances.

Thinking about Shen Cheng's history of hanging around, Shen Dehan worried, "Although Ah Cheng is also in Shen Group, he has always been here just nominally. I am worried that he has little experience."

Wang Changlin thought about it for a while. "Why don't we arrange for an experienced assistant for Ah Cheng? Anyway, Ah Cheng will occupy the position nominally, Ah Ji will handle the big things, and the assistant will be enough for the small things."

Shen Dehan nodded approvingly, and Wang Changlin added, "It would be best if Ah Cheng's assistant was familiar with Ah Ji, so that the two brothers could communicate easily."

Shen Dehan pondered, "What do you think of Lu Gesen? This young man is very good, he is now Ah Ji's assistant, so it is appropriate to put him next to Ah Cheng. He's not too old, he'll be easy to talk to for Ah Cheng."

Wang Changlin nodded, "Dehan, you have a good eye. If you say so, Lu Gesen is indeed very suitable."

Shen Dehan immediately instructed his secretary to ask Lu Gesen to come over. Wang Changlin smiled and got up, "I'll go out first if there's nothing else."

When Lu Gesen arrived at Shen Dehan's office, he brushed past Wang Changlin, and when their eyes met, Lu Gesen's always serious expression softened.