Chapter 41
The news that Shen Ji had been relieved of his duties as general manager of Shen Group soon spread within the company together with the news that Shen Cheng would take over as general manager.
Although Shen Dehan had already communicated with him privately about this issue and although he knew that this was only a stop-gap measure, Shen Ji looked at the official transfer notice in front of him with an unexplainable feeling in his heart.
For Shen Ji, who had been trained as the heir to the Shen family since he was a child, the belief he had been instilled with was that Shen Group would be his in the future and that he would take over everything in it. In the nearly thirty years of his life, things went according to the plan he had been brought up with. With his father's help he began to take control of Shen Group, just waiting for Shen Dehan to retire to take his place.
Shen Ji was proud, he was young and promising, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until the Yunrou crisis broke out and the directors suddenly made trouble; until he and his father had a disagreement; until Shen Cheng took the position of general manager. Only then did Shen Ji understand that some things were not going as perfectly as he thought.
Shen Ji suppressed the feeling of loss in his heart and looked up at the man standing in front of him, "How is it going? Are you still adapting by Ah Cheng's side?"
Lu Gesen's expression was as serious as ever, "Cheng Shao is very smart."
Shen Ji smiled, "Ah Cheng has always been very playful. If there is anything you can do, you can give him a little more guidance."
Lu Gesen nodded, "That's what I should do."
Shen Ji stood up with a relaxed expression, "I've already packed up, when will Ah Cheng move over?"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Lu Gesen's eyes, "Cheng Shao said he wouldn't move here. It's just a show to the board anyway, and saves us the trouble later."
Shen Ji froze, and then smiled, "I see. I'll talk to him about this."
Lu Gesen nodded and without saying anything else turned and left the room.
Shen Ji thought about it for a while, put his personal belongings together, got up and went to Shen Cheng's office. Following Shen Ji's appearance, all the employees of the company had their eyes wandering as they secretly looked at the expression on Shen Ji's face. The ordinary employees did not know exactly what had happened. They had only heard that Dashao, who had been sitting steadily in the position of general manager, was suddenly kicked out by the chairman of the board, while Ershao, who had always been just hanging around, unexpectedly rose to the top. Although Shen Ji and Shen Cheng had been very close to each other in the past, this sudden scene involuntarily made people think of brothers fighting over the assets, and the situation looked like Shen Ji had been stabbed in the back by his brother he had always taken good care of.
Shen Ji ignored the inquiring eyes of the crowd and went straight to Shen Cheng's office, reaching out to knock on the door when he suddenly heard Shen Cheng's voice inside.
"You're really well-informed, I've just become the general manager and you've received the news already!"
The other party said something and Shen Cheng laughed, "Don't worry, I'll cover up for you if anything happens."
Inside the room Shen Cheng sounded like a big brother, causing Shen Ji outside the door to laugh uncontrollably. He was about to push the door in but heard Shen Cheng suddenly speak, "No, Big Brother doesn't like you, he definitely doesn't agree with you coming to the company, you'd better give up this idea as soon as possible."
Shen Ji's hand stopped there as he heard Shen Cheng's impatient tone, "Didn't I tell you? I'm just a name, the real person in charge is Big Brother, he doesn't like you, what can I do?"
Shen Ji had already heard that Shen Cheng was on the phone, and he didn't need to think about who it was he was talking to. The smile on Shen Ji's face immediately disappeared; he pushed the door open straight away and walked in.
"Ah Cheng!"
"Big Brother!" Shen Cheng was startled by the sudden appearance of Shen Ji and hung up the phone hurriedly, looking at Shen Ji's expression guiltily, not knowing how much Shen Ji had heard.
Shen Ji's face was cold, "You and Shen Rong have been in contact?"
Shen Cheng nodded sheepishly and defended himself, "Big Brother, I just took him to play…"
Shen Cheng's defence was gradually silenced under Shen Ji's icy stare. Shen Cheng hung his head and stood obediently in front of Shen Ji.
"How many times have I said that Shen Rong is too calculating? Stay away from him, can't you remember?" Shen Ji said in annoyance.
Shen Cheng instinctively nodded. He knew that his elder brother was very disgusted with Shen Rong, and along with that, he was also determined not to allow him to have any dealings with Shen Rong. He was not unaware of the knot in his elder brother's heart. Wasn't it because Zhou Mingmei looked like his mother that his elder brother felt his mother had been desecrated? However, Shen Cheng sometimes secretly thought that it was also his father's fault and that Shen Rong was actually innocent, but he did not dare to say these things to his elder brother and could only listen to his elder brother's admonitions as usual.
Shen Ji's voice was soon interrupted by a knock on the door, "Excuse me, there is a document that needs to be read by Cheng Shao." Lu Gesen's clear, cold voice rang out at the door.
Shen Ji turned his head and realised that he had just forgotten to close the door, and the scene of him reprimanding Shen Cheng was witnessed by the countless inquisitive eyes outside the office. Lu Gesen had obviously come to remind them about it on purpose.
Shen Ji nodded to Lu Gesen and turned to Shen Cheng with a cold face, "Never contact Shen Rong again, and pack up your things and move to the general manager's office as soon as possible."
After Shen Ji finished speaking, he ignored the various gazes outside and walked out. Lu Gesen secretly wrote down Shen Rong's name, gently closed the office door and handed the document in his hand to Shen Cheng.
Shen Cheng let out a huge sigh of relief, "Didn't you say that Big Brother is still in charge?"
Lu Gesen looked serious, "What the chairman ordered was to let Shen Dashao take care of the big things and leave the small things to you, Cheng Shao."
Shen Cheng said, "Oh oh", impatiently grabbed the documents and scanned them, "The expense applications for each department?"
Lu Gesen explained, "These have all been reviewed, all Cheng Shao needs to do is to sign."
Shen Cheng nodded, picked up the pen and suddenly asked, "What if I refuse to sign?"
Lu Gesen pulled the corners of his mouth in a smile, "If Cheng Shao refuses to sign, then it means that you don't feel satisfied with these expenses, and they will naturally be sent back for re-review."
Shen Cheng had only been in Shen Group for two years since he graduated, and has been hanging around in an idle position. Shen Group was just one more place for him to hang out. At this time, under Lu Gesen's serious eyes, Shen Cheng picked up the pen and signed his name in the general manager's signature column with a sudden and indescribable feeling in his heart.
Lu Gesen took the signed document from Shen Cheng, turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of something and looked at Shen Cheng with a serious expression, "Cheng Shao, no matter what the chairman said to you in private, but now you are already the general manager of Shen Group. Whether outside or inside the company you represent the image of the company, please bear this in mind."
Lu Gesen's expression was so serious that Shen Cheng could not help but straighten his body, "I understand."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Lu Gesen's eyes as he gestured to the documents in Shen Cheng's hand, "These are some of the company's recent important documents. You can get acquainted with them first. In case a director asks you about something, you won't be unclear about it. If there is anything you don't understand, you can always find me."
Lu Gesen turned around and walked out of the room after he finished speaking. After he left, Shen Cheng hesitantly looked at the documents in his hand. He was originally just a name, he himself hadn't even thought about doing anything. But Lu Gesen was right, he was at least representing Shen Group now, so if a director asked him about anything, it would be too bad if he knew nothing. Fine, he was just going to look at the documents, just to pass the time.
With this thought, Shen Cheng read the documents and even asked Lu Gesen a few questions in the process. Lu Gesen explained everything to Shen Cheng in a serious manner, and Shen Cheng's attitude slowly became serious as well.
While Shen Cheng was asking Lu Gesen for advice, a rumour was circulating wildly throughout Shen Group that Shen Ji had reprimanded Shen Cheng because he was unhappy Shen Cheng took away his position of general manager and that the two had almost come to blows. In just an hour almost everyone knew about the rumour. Shen Ji, who was idle because he had not yet been assigned a new position, turned completely ugly after hearing the rumour being discussed behind his back for the third time.
Shen Ji called Li Mingxuan, "Come out for a drink now?"
Li Mingxuan glanced at the time, "At noon?"
Shen Ji said "En". Li Mingxuan thought that he wanted to find a chance to tell Shen Ji that he and Shen Xi were together, so he agreed to go.
They arranged to meet in Shutu. When Li Mingxuan arrived, Shen Ji had already been waiting alone in the private room for a long time.
It had been more than half a month since the two had met. Li Mingxuan had been on a business trip before, and his mind was on Shen Xi after he returned from the trip, so this was the first time the two had met since the Yunrou storm had passed.
"Have you been here for a long time?" Li Mingxuan asked casually.
Shen Ji nodded and Li Mingxuan gave him a surprised look, "Why are you so free?"
Shen Ji curved the corner of his mouth, "I've been transferred out of the general manager position, the new position hasn't been decided yet. Now there is nothing to do."
Although he knew that something must have happened when Shen Ji asked him to have a drink at noon, Li Mingxuan did not expect to hear such shocking news.
"What's going on?"
Shen Ji told the story of the board of directors' sudden outburst and some of Shen Group's recent turmoil.
"So Uncle compromised with the board of directors and let Ah Cheng take over the position of general manager for the time being?"
Shen Ji nodded, and Li Mingxuan couldn't help but advise, "With the board of directors being aggressive, this is one of the best solutions. With Ah Cheng sitting in that position, you don't have to worry about the rest of the board making some moves."
Shen Ji smiled self-deprecatingly, "I'm not worried about anything, I just feel that everything is not as I thought it should be and I'm a bit lost in my heart. Since I was young, both my grandfather and my father have told me time and again that Shen Group in the future will be mine and that I should work hard, and I have always regarded Shen Group as my goal. But suddenly one day I find out that other people can replace me. So it is inevitable that I will be a bit uncomfortable."
Shen Ji's upbringing was not normal in Li Mingxuan's eyes. He was the first child of the Shen family and had been incomparably doted on by Grandpa Shen and Shen Dehan since he was a child. Shen Dehan had even stated several times that everything in the Shen family would be his in the future. If Fang Yun hadn't died, everything would have gone in a happy way, but as soon as Shen Ji became sensible, Fang Yun died, Shen Dehan married Han Rou for some unknown reason, and then Shen Xi was born.
Shen Ji's mother, Fang Yun, was just a woman with no background, while behind Han Ruo stood the Han family. Under normal circumstances, one would have thought that Shen Dehan would give up on Shen Ji and pay attention to Shen Xi instead. However, he did not like Shen Xi at all, and the heir he wanted was still Shen Ji. With the birth of Shen Xi, Shen Dehan became even more partial to Shen Ji, fearing that he would be wronged in any way, and instilled in him from a young age that Shen Group would definitely be his in the future and that he did not have to worry that Shen Xi would take it away. With Shen Dehan repeating it over and over again, Shen Ji took it for granted that Shen Group would be his, never thinking it would one day be inherited by someone else.
Li Mingxuan fell silent, and at this moment he thought of Shen Xi again.
Contrary to Shen Ji's upbringing, Shen Xi was disliked by his father since birth, and in Shen Dehan's mind, there was never any thought of leaving Shen Group in Shen Xi's hands. If Shen Ji felt that he deserved to inherit everything in the Shen family, then in the eyes of the people Shen Xi deserved to be abandoned.
Li Mingxuan's heart ached. He used to be a bastard who thought so too.
Shen Ji continued to smile bitterly. "Actually, come to think of it, Ah Cheng is my brother. If he likes it, it's not impossible for Shen Group to be handed over to him."
Li Mingxuan didn't know what he was thinking at this moment, he just said naturally, "What about Shen Xi?"
Shen Ji turned his head in surprise, "What does it have to do with Shen Xi?"
Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Ji quietly, "Xiao Xi and I are together."
Shen Ji's expression froze, his eyes full of shock, "Xiao Xi is Shen Xi? What does being together mean?"
Li Mingxuan said frankly, "It means what you think it means."
Shen Ji stood up abruptly, looked at Li Mingxuan deeply, and suddenly sneered, "Did your sentence just now mean you're holding a grievance for Shen Xi? Did you forget that you reminded me before to pay attention to Shen Xi?"
Li Mingxuan slowly leaned back on the sofa without looking at Shen Ji, "I know."
Shen Ji said angrily, "What do you mean you know?"
Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly and covered his eyes, "Ah Ji, I love Xiao Xi and I want to take care of him. No matter what asshole things I've said or done in the past, I only feel heartbroken when I think about it now, you know?"
Shen Ji kicked the coffee table in front of him fiercely, "You're heartbroken for him? So you're going to support him in fighting for the inheritance rights of the Shen family?"
Li Mingxuan shook his head, "I asked Xiao Xi, and Xiao Xi said he has no interest in Shen Group."
Shen Ji snorted, "What if one day he suddenly has an interest? Who are you going to help?"
Li Mingxuan was silent for a moment, "I don't know."
Shen Ji looked at Li Mingxuan and suddenly lunged forward, punching him hard in the face, "You don't know? We've been brothers for so many years and I still can't compare in your heart with Shen Xi whom you have known for a few months!"
Li Mingxuan did not dodge and took a hard punch from Shen Ji, who said angrily, "Why don't you fight back?"
Li Mingxuan endured the pain, "Ah Ji, I want to be with Xiao Xi."
Shen Ji gave Li Mingxuan another fierce punch, "What does it have to do with me if you want to be with him?"
Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, "Because I'm too greedy. Xiao Xi and you, my brother, I don't want to lose either of you."
Shen Ji slammed his fist into the side of Li Mingxuan's face, "Fight back."
A smile appeared at the corner of Li Mingxuan's mouth, "If I fight back, will you accept that I am with Xiao Xi?"
Shen Ji sneered and threw another punch; this one, however, was blocked by Li Mingxuan, "Don't hit my face, I have to go back to see Xiao Xi at night."
Shen Ji was simply furious with Li Mingxuan and immediately wanted nothing else but to punch him in the face.
The two of them fought back and forth in the spacious private room, and in the end no one had an advantage. Although Shen Ji punched Li Mingxuan a few more times at the beginning, Li Mingxuan didn't hit him less after he started to fight back. Both of them looked bruised and swollen, and equally wretched.
They did not stop until both of them had no more strength left. Shen Ji held onto the wall and looked at Li Mingxuan coldly, "I still say that, as long as Shen Xi doesn't have his heart set on Shen Group, I won't take any of what's due to him."
Li Mingxuan did not say anything, but only gave a faint "en".
Shen Ji glared at Li Mingxuan fiercely, turned and left. Li Mingxuan did not go back to the office and sat alone in the wrecked room in silence all afternoon.
It seemed that Shen Ji had accepted that he was with Shen Xi, but Li Mingxuan knew that there was already a rift between them and that things could never go back to the past.
From the moment he rushed back from Haicheng overnight, he knew what he would face and what he would lose.
Li Mingxuan sighed and gently repeated the name "Shen Xi".
Chapter 42
This evening, Li Mingxuan appeared in front of Shen Xi in a wretched state that had never been seen before.
The moment he opened the door, Shen Xi was stunned, "Cousin, what happened?"
Li Mingxuan smiled reassuringly at Shen Xi and took off his jacket, "It's okay. I told Shen Ji that we are together."
Shen Xi watched Li Mingxuan for a while, and then sneered, "Let me guess, Big Brother must have thought that I seduced you with the intention of competing with him for Shen Group, right?"
The self-deprecation in Shen Xi's words made Li Mingxuan's heart ache. He turned to Shen Xi, his eyes serious, "It was me who seduced you."
Shen Xi couldn't help but snicker; he walked past Li Mingxuan to sit on the sofa, looked up at Li Mingxuan and said as if inadvertently, "If I really plan to compete with Big Brother for Shen Group, Cousin, who will you help?"
Shen Xi's expression was careless, as if he was just asking casually.
Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi; a flash of pain surfaced in his eyes, and then his expression gradually became firm. He quickly sat down next to Shen Xi with a frank and serious expression, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xi, I don't know."
Li Mingxuan carefully reached out and gathered Shen Xi into his arms, his low voice ringing in Shen Xi's ears, "Xiao Xi, I don't want to lie to you. If I said I would help you, it would be a lie. If it was before, I would have chosen Shen Ji, but now I really don't know. You are the one I love and Shen Ji is my brother, I can't bear to hurt you and there is no way to hurt Shen Ji. I just hope I will never have to face this choice one day."
Shen Xi did not say anything and Li Mingxuan smiled bitterly, "Now you must think I'm just a greedy bastard, right?"
Shen Xi did not repeat his question but broke away from Li Mingxuan's embrace, "Why does everyone assume that I will definitely compete with Big Brother for Shen Group? Starting from Grandfather, to Father and now to Big Brother?"
Shen Xi's expression was puzzled, as if he had encountered some difficult riddle.
There is a presumption in jurisprudence that can be called a guideline, namely the presumption of innocence, which simply means that anyone should be considered innocent until proven and judged guilty. For two lifetimes, Shen Xi wondered why he had never shown the slightest thought about Shen Group but it seemed that everyone had decided that he would definitely compete with Shen Ji for Shen Group in the future.
Even before he was born, Shen Dehan began to worry that his birth would affect Shen Ji's position as heir and was determined to deny him the right to come into the world. After his birth, when he was still in his infancy and unaware, everyone seemed to assume that he would grow up to compete with Shen Ji just as his father feared. What was even more ridiculous was that for the sake of the future that was still unknown, Shen Dehan came up with a way to cut him off at the very beginning, and he was deliberately raised to be a waste who knew nothing.
If Shen Cheng and Li Mingfei had somewhat relaxed requirements because of the customary system of eldest son succession in Zhongjing and were even deliberately guided to develop in other directions, then why were they not willing to give him a chance to do so?
Why did all his options have to be cut off since he was a child?
Shen Xi just looked at Li Mingxuan quietly, his face full of undisguised mockery.
Li Mingxuan's heart clenched tightly, as if someone was gripping it vigorously and it hurt terribly. He wanted to explain to Shen Xi, but he didn't know what to say.
Being in a family like theirs, and having seen so many cases of siblings turning against each other over property, good families falling apart in the blink of an eye, he had to admit that Shen Dehan's worries were not unreasonable. Fang Yun was from an ordinary family and Han Ruo was from a powerful one; it was only natural that Shen Dehan, who favoured Shen Ji, would have such worries.
But Shen Dehan's mistake was to forget that Shen Xi was just a child, a child who knew nothing, and that if he had been guided well, what he feared might not ever happen. Unfortunately, in the complicated environment of the Shen family at the time, with Grandpa Shen's acquiescence, the Shen family's contribution, and the rest of the people standing idly by, Shen Xi's innocent life was decided in this way.
Whenever Li Mingxuan thought that he was one of those who stood by and did nothing, and to a certain extent might have even contributed to it, he felt a deep sense of remorse. He wanted to do his best to make amends, but in his heart he knew that what was wrong was wrong, and that even if he did more, what had been done to Shen Xi could never be undone.
Shen Xi saw Li Mingxuan's remorse, lowered his eyes to avoid Li Mingxuan's gaze and smiled self-deprecatingly.
"In fact, Big Brother is right to think so. There was a time when my father was so biassed that even Shen Rong could step on my face, and I really wanted to fight with Big Brother. But on my eighteenth birthday, I suddenly realized that what I wanted was not Shen Group at all, so even if I fought for it, there was no point. So Big Brother can now rest assured that I really don't have any thoughts about Shen Group."
Although Shen Xi's words were full of self-deprecation, Li Mingxuan could hear that Shen Xi really meant what he said.
Li Mingxuan did not know what kind of spiritual journey Shen Xi had gone through, but he thought he knew how the former Shen Xi had struggled painfully in his heart.
Li Mingxuan didn't say anything, he just held Shen Xi tightly in his arms. After a while, he said in a soft voice, "Xiao Xi, what do you want?"
Shen Xi hung his head to hide the expression on his face and said in a low voice, "A lot, but it's good for Cousin to hold me like this now."
Li Mingxuan's heart melted into a pool of water as he lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi's forehead, hugging him even harder.
That night, for the first time, Shen Xi couldn't sleep in Li Mingxuan's arms. Listening to the shallow breathing of Li Mingxuan beside him, Shen Xi couldn't help but turn sideways and quietly gaze at him in the light coming through the curtains.
Li Mingxuan was really a very handsome man. Even though his face was still covered in bruises, it did not detract from his handsomeness at all. Shen Xi gently stretched out his hand and touched Li Mingxuan's face with an inexplicable look in his eyes.
Before he returned to China this time, he and Li Mingxuan were two completely parallel lines. Even though there was a thin blood connection between the two, unlike his notoriety, Li Mingxuan was perfect like a person from another world. Shen Xi never thought that one day Li Mingxuan would fall in love with him. What was even more unexpected was that Li Mingxuan clearly knew what it meant to be with him, but he would rather put himself in a dilemma than give up.
When Shen Xi thought about Li Mingxuan's words of never leaving him, an indescribable feeling flashed through his heart. Will he never leave? He just hoped that someday in the future Li Mingxuan would still remember saying this.
Shen Xi changed his position, squeezed into Li Mingxuan's arms and slept peacefully. In his sleep, Li Mingxuan sensed Shen Xi's movement and subconsciously enveloped him in his arms.
Unlike Li Mingxuan who had been sitting in Shutu for the whole afternoon, Shen Ji wandered the streets alone after leaving Shutu under the strange looks of passers-by.
Shen Ji did not want to go back to the office to face the many people's inquisitive or pitying expressions, and he was even more reluctant to go home. There was a time when home was the most reassuring place in his heart, but since the appearance of Chu Qianqian, he could no longer find that reassuring feeling at home. Shen Ji wanted to talk to someone, but he had just gotten into a fight with his best friend, his brother, over a man, over his own younger brother. Shen Ji felt that life had never been so absurd, and for the first time he became confused about his future.
Shen Ji walked aimlessly along the street alone until he saw a familiar bar. Memories from a few months ago came back to him. It seemed that he had fought with someone here because he was in a bad mood. He had been picked up by Li Mingxuan at the police station at that time. Shen Ji shook his head, put aside his messy thoughts, pushed the door open and walked in.
The bar had just opened in the afternoon and there was not a single customer inside.
Shen Ji's appearance was very abrupt, coupled with the injuries on his face, and the waiter looked at him warily, as if judging his origin.
Shen Ji sneered, "Don't worry, I'm not causing any trouble, I'm just in a bad mood and want a drink."
The waiter looked him up and down for a few moments before welcoming him to the bar.
Shen Ji sat alone at the empty bar and drank slowly.
There seemed to be people chatting quietly next to him. At first Shen Ji didn't care but when he heard them mention a name repeatedly, he couldn't help frowning in annoyance.
"So, the young man who was drunk here last time was Shen Xi? Shen Sanshao from the newspapers? He really paid for you to record a song?"
"En, I signed to Shen Xi's company and he's my boss now."
"I read in the newspaper that he seems to have a bad temper, arrogant or something, is he like that in reality too?"
"Don't believe the reporters' nonsense, Shen Xi's personality is actually very good, even Grandpa likes him very much."
The name "Shen Xi" kept burrowing into Shen Ji's ears, and after holding back for a while, he finally couldn't endure and in annoyance walked up to the two men who were talking.
One of the two was clearly dressed as a barman, and as for the other, Shen Ji thought of the recent rumour that Shen Xi had thrown away a lot of money for an unknown singer. The rumour was that Shen Xi and this young singer were in a relationship. Although he knew that since Li Mingxuan was with Shen Xi, the rumours were bound to be untrustworthy, Shen Ji could not help but speak up maliciously, as if this could prove that Li Mingxuan was wrong about Shen Xi.
"You're the singer surnamed Fang who is raised by Shen Xi?"
Fang Luowei had actually been very busy recently, and today he took the time to come here to visit his former colleague. The two of them casually chatted about their recent situation and were originally having a good conversation. They didn't expect to suddenly hear someone malicious questioning them.
Fang Luowei subconsciously looked up, and when he saw the man in front of him he couldn't help but stare, "Mr. Shen?"
Fang Luowei had a deep impression of Shen Ji, who had once helped him when he was in trouble at the bar. Plus, after he got acquainted with Shen Xi, he knew that Shen Ji was Shen Xi's brother, so it was inevitable that he would pay attention to the news of the Shen family. Although he knew from the newspapers that the Shen brothers seemed to be at odds, Fang Luowei did not expect Shen Ji to harbour such great animosity towards Shen Xi. Thinking about what Shen Ji had just said, Fang Luowei's good impression of Shen Ji was all but gone.
"Mr. Shen, it's fine for you to have an opinion on me, but Shen Xi is your own brother, how can you question his character like this?"
This was the second time today that someone spoke in Shen Xi's defence in front of Shen Ji, and despite the fact that it was an unrelated passerby, the anger in Shen Ji's heart once again resurfaced, fueled by alcohol.
"Character? What kind of character does Shen Xi have? Do you know what kind of person he is?"
Fang Luowei looked at Shen Ji coldly, "I naturally know what kind of person Shen Xi is. Not to mention anything else, at least Shen Xi will not talk about others' rights and wrongs behind their back while drunk, like you do."
"If he dares to do it, why can't I say it?" Shen Ji glanced at Fang Luowei, "You are defending Shen Xi, but unfortunately he has already hooked up with Li Mingxuan. There is no way he will ever look at you again."
Shen Ji's words made Fang Luowei's brow furrow. He didn't even think about it, directly picked up a glass of water on the table and poured it on Shen Ji.
"Mr. Shen, if there is evil in the heart, then everything you look at is evil. I always thought that no matter how much others misunderstand Shen Xi, you, as his brother, shouldn't be this shallow. But I did not expect that you are even worse than those outsiders. You are not worthy of being Shen Xi's brother at all."
Fang Luowei didn't even look at Shen Ji after he finished, and gestured to his colleague, "I'm leaving first, I'll see you next time."
Passing by Shen Ji, Fang Luowei couldn't help but stop again, "Mr. Shen, allow me to remind you, no matter what, Shen Xi is your own brother. If you insult him in such a malicious manner, it will be you that others will laugh at."
Fang Luowei's glass of water calmed Shen Ji's dizzy mind for an instant. He didn't notice what Fang Luowei said afterwards, all he could think of was what Fang Luowei said at first, "If there is evil in the heart, then everything you look at is evil."
After a while, Shen Ji laughed in a low voice to himself, "So there is evil in my heart?"
Chapter 43
The sudden change of Shen Group's general manager caused a huge stir, along with the rumour of discord between brothers within the Shen family, which triggered the secret attention of countless people. Everyone speculated whether there was an unknown inside story about this incident, and whether Shen Ji and Shen Cheng really tore off the veil of family affection in the face of huge power. But regardless of the speculation of outsiders, the Shen family did not express any opinion on the matter. When Shen Ji and Shen Cheng appeared in front of the reporters, they still looked like affectionate brothers.
Shen Xi quickly received the news from Lao K. Although Shen Xi had hinted to Gao Qiulin through Lao K to find a way to promote Shen Cheng to the front position, the fact that things were moving so fast made Shen Xi sense that something was wrong.
Shen Xi habitually stood by the window and pondered. He knew his father, and his father's preference for Shen Ji was something that even Shen Cheng could not match. Although Shen Cheng's ascension to the top allowed Shen Ji to avoid the turmoil stirred up by the board of directors, Shen Xi knew that given his father's nature, Shen Dehan would not compromise so easily and would inevitably fight the board for a while. But the fact was the board of directors had just raised the issue, and Shen Dehan already made the decision to temporarily replace Shen Ji. Shen Xi frowned; someone must have said something to his father. This person must have been deeply trusted by Shen Dehan. Who could it be?
Shen Xi first ruled out any suspicion of Lu Gesen, who had only been at Shen Group for a year, and even if Shen Dehan admired him, he was definitely not qualified to say anything to him. Thinking about Lu Gesen's confidence in this plan, Shen Xi was sure that there must be Lu Gesen's people in the top management of Shen Group.
When the Han family's business was merged into the Shen family, Shen Dehan had not made any major changes to the original staff. Instead, he had bought the people's hearts and minds. As the business developed over the years and the staff changed from generation to generation, there seemed to be only a few old people who still remembered the Han family back then. Could it be that there were Lu Gesen's people among them?
Shen Xi knew that just as he had something to hide from Lu Gesen, Lu Gesen must have also had a secret card that had not been revealed. It wasn't that Shen Xi didn't trust Lu Gesen, it was just that apart from a few specific people, he didn't give his trust to anyone else. As for Lu Gesen, Shen Xi's surname was Shen, after all, so Lu Gesen surely didn't trust him all the way.
Really sad!
Shen Xi thought to himself that neither Grandpa Shen nor Grandpa Han would have thought that an unsuccessful marriage back then would result in this situation today.
Shen Xi was considering whether to call Lu Gesen when he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening.
"Xiao Xi!" Li Mingxuan was obviously in a very good mood, and his words were laced with a smile. Anyone who came back from work to see their beloved standing by the window looking like they were waiting for them to come back would be in a good mood.
Casually throwing his jacket on the sofa, Li Mingxuan naturally walked over to Shen Xi and gave him a kiss, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
In addition to the efficacy of the pillow, the second advantage that Shen Xi found in Li Mingxuan was his cooking skills. Shen Xi was once very curious about it. At that time, Li Mingxuan smiled and stroked his head, stating that when he was alone abroad, because he was not used to eating outside, he could only learn to cook according to recipes, and naturally became an expert after a few years.
Due to his experience in prison in his previous life Shen Xi did not have any special requirements for food. He ate whatever Li Mingxuan cooked every time, and this time was naturally no exception.
After finishing his dinner quietly, Shen Xi rested on Li Mingxuan's lap, holding the tablet and casually browsing the web. Soon Shen Xi's eyes fell on the latest gossip that the Shen brothers were at odds setting off a new round of disputes over property.
Li Mingxuan followed Shen Xi's line of sight, frowned and said, "The reporters are all writing nonsense." The implication was that there was no need for Shen Xi to read this.
Shen Xi nodded, "I know, it's just that in the past this kind of news about the dispute with big brother over property usually included my name. This is the first time it's not me, so it feels strange."
Shen Xi's words were full of mockery. Li Mingxuan helplessly lowered his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek, changing the subject, "How's your movie coming along?"
Shen Xi didn't seem too concerned about it, "Chen Zhiwei is doing a good job with the prep work and it's going very well. He said that if there's nothing unexpected, it should be in time for the New Year slot."
"So soon?"
Shen Xi gave an "en" and said casually, "As long as the funds are in place, there's nothing else to worry about."
Although he knew that his uncle had always been generous to Shen Xi when it came to money, Li Mingxuan couldn't help but say, "Xiao Xi, if you don't have enough money, tell me."
Shen Xi froze and then smiled, "Will Aunt and Uncle be angry if they find out that Cousin gave me money?"
Li Mingxuan rubbed Shen Xi's hair, "It's my own little vault, it has nothing to do with the Li family. There are some stocks and stuff in it, I'll bring them back tomorrow, and from now on, Xiao Xi will keep them."
Neither of them was short of money and Li Mingxuan's act was more symbolic than practical. But it was this symbolism that caused a strange feeling to well up in Shen Xi's heart. Shen Xi looked away and nodded casually. However, soon he realised that the situation had become awkward. He had been resting on Li Mingxuan's lap, and because he had just nodded haphazardly, he rubbed his head against something and clearly felt that something get hard against his face.
Shen Xi subconsciously sat up, but the next moment he was suddenly held tightly in Li Mingxuan's arms. Before Shen Xi could react, Li Mingxuan had already reached out to hold his hand and pressed it against his straightening desire.
Shen Xi's movements instantly became stiff. Even though they lived together, Li Mingxuan had always just held and kissed him, and this was the first time he did such a thing.
Through the thin clothing, Shen Xi could feel that the thing in his hand was full of vitality. He instinctively tried to break free, but was insistently held down by Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan's kiss fell tenderly on Shen Xi's ear, his moist tongue licking Shen Xi's earlobe. Shen Xi's body trembled, and Li Mingxuan's eyes darkened as he firmly held Shen Xi's hand and put it into his clothes.
"Xiao Xi!" Li Mingxuan's voice brushed over Shen Xi's ear hotly, his words filled with pleading.
Shen Xi stiffly followed Li Mingxuan's guidance and held his desire through his underwear. Perhaps because of the stimulation, Shen Xi felt that Li Mingxuan's desire seemed bigger than when he held it through the clothes.
"Xiao Xi!" Li Mingxuan's breathing became short as he urged gently.
The feeling in Shen Xi's heart was very strange. It was not that he hadn't touched his own desire before, but this was completely different. Shen Xi's silence was taken as acquiescence by Li Mingxuan, who naturally put Shen Xi's hand inside his underwear.
The hot sensation was very clear, and Shen Xi subconsciously looked at Li Mingxuan, who took advantage of the situation to lower his head and kiss him. As their lips locked together, Li Mingxuan moved his hand up and down holding Shen Xi's hand.
Li Mingxuan's breathing became more and more rapid, his lingering kisses gradually became dominant, and the movement of his hand became even more intense. Shen Xi passively let Li Mingxuan take control of his actions. He didn't know how long it took, but the sizzling source of heat in his hand suddenly shook and Shen Xi felt a slippery sensation all over his fingers.
Li Mingxuan's kisses stopped, and Shen Xi looked at him, gasping. Li Mingxuan's expression was one of indescribable satisfaction, his eyes dark as he stared at Shen Xi, unable to resist leaning forward to kiss him once more.
This night, for the first time, Shen Xi's desire was held in the hands of an outsider. Unlike his own stiff movements, Li Mingxuan's fingers were very flexible, bringing Shen Xi unparalleled pleasure. So much so that in the end, Shen Xi shrank into Li Mingxuan's arms and only knew how to whisper, "Cousin."
After everything was over, Li Mingxuan carefully wiped the fluid off Shen Xi's body, and as his eyes swept over Shen Xi's fair skin, Li Mingxuan felt his desire rise once again, out of control. Trying hard to suppress his lust, Li Mingxuan compassionately moved up and kissed Shen Xi at the corner of his mouth.
Today was already an unexpected joy for him, and he had enough patience to wait as long as it was necessary.
"Pop!"
A mobile phone in a silver metal shell was thrown on the wooden desk, and the owner of the mobile phone stared at the phone fiercely, a gloomy look on his face.
"Looks like these years abroad didn't teach you what stability is? You're still so impatient when it comes to doing things!" A melodious female voice rang out from behind, the woman's words tinged with dissatisfaction.
Shen Rong took a deep breath, turned around and said, "Mother!"
The person who appeared behind Shen Rong was none other than his mother, Zhou Mingmei. Despite being over forty, Zhou Mingmei still looked in her thirties. Her make-up was exquisite and she was wearing a well-cut cheongsam that accentuated the beauty of her figure.
After a faint glance at Shen Rong, Zhou Mingmei said directly, "Have you decided on the matter I mentioned?"
A trace of reluctance surfaced on Shen Rong's face and he lowered his head without speaking.
Zhou Mingmei looked down, "Are you still unwilling to give up? I have long said that Shen Ji is determined not to let you enter Shen Group."
Shen Rong clenched his fists and said in a low voice, "I am also my father's child."
Zhou Mingmei laughed coldly, "There are only three sons in the genealogy of this generation of the Shen family."
Shen Rong snapped his head up and looked at Zhou Mingmei, who remained cold, "Five years ago you gave up a great opportunity yourself. Five years later you will have to suffer the embarrassment of starting everything from scratch."
Shen Rong clenched his teeth and refused to speak. Zhou Mingmei gave him a disappointed look, "You yourself know that because of that incident five years ago, unless you enter Shen Group, no company will accept you. But Shen Group has Shen Ji in it, and he can't even tolerate Shen Xi, let alone you. If you want to make your father look at you, you need to have something to show for it. I don't need to remind you of this, you should understand it yourself."
Shen Rong hesitated, and Zhou Mingmei added lightly, "Haven't you always wanted to prove that you are better than Shen Xi? Isn't now a good opportunity to do so?"
Perhaps the two words "Shen Xi" stimulated Shen Rong, who finally nodded.
Zhou Mingmei smiled in satisfaction, "I will call Director Zhou, you will go to the crew tomorrow to hang out and learn. Don't let me down this time."
Seeing that Zhou Mingmei was about to leave, Shen Rong spoke eagerly, "Mother, Father hasn't been here for a long time."
Zhou Mingmei's expression was vague, "During this period of time Shen Group has been in turmoil, it is normal for your father to not have time to come over."
Shen Rong did not expect his mother's reaction to be so cold and could not help but get anxious, "Mother, have you forgotten that another woman has appeared by Father's side?"
Zhou Mingmei's eyebrows knitted slightly, "Just one Chu Qianqian makes you sulk? What is there to worry about that little girl? The one who can't tolerate her the most is Shen Ji, what reason is there for you to worry?"
Zhou Mingmei was able to follow Shen Dehan for many years. Apart from her face, more importantly, she always knew how to advance and retreat in front of him. She had received the news as soon as Chu Qianqian first appeared, and although she did not know whether Chu Qianqian's appearance was intentional or accidental, after some hesitation Zhou Mingmei gave up the idea of going to the hospital to find out what was going on.
For Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian's appearance was bound to make him feel some freshness, but in the long run, what kind of affection could a little girl have? As that man had said, she already had Shen Rong, so it was good to sit tight. If Chu Qianqian was playing with the same idea as her, then the one who should really be anxious was Chu Qianqian.
Zhou Mingmei glanced at Shen Rong. The existence of that man was the last card for her and her son. She had wanted Shen Rong to meet that man, but thinking about Shen Rong's apathetic appearance, she decided it was better to wait.
Chapter 44
In the orange light, the familiar figure with a smile in his eyes slowly pressed down, accompanied by hot kisses raining down on his skin. A stream of heat gushed out of his body at some point, converging in the direction of the kisses.
His body was gently opened and placed in a welcoming position. The warm palm slowly traced along his waist and belly, and his body involuntarily went soft as a foreign object probed inside a little.
Murmured whispers rang in his ears, and as the foreign object withdrew, something larger took its place.
The entry should have been painful, but instead an indescribable pleasure flowed through his body. Something in his heart was screaming for more, more, more.
Shen Xi opened his eyes with a jolt. It was dark as far as the eye could see, still midnight, and there was silence around him, except for the shallow breathing of the man next to him.
Shen Xi stared at the ceiling in shock as the images from the dream just now flashed through his mind one by one.
The kisses, the heat, the pleasure, it was as if he was there, everything he felt was amazingly real. Shen Xi hesitantly touched himself below, and there was indeed a wet patch.
A wave of irritation welled up in Shen Xi's heart and he forcefully broke away from Li Mingxuan's embrace and sat up. When was the last time he had an erotic dream? It seemed to be before his eighteenth birthday. After such a long gap, Shen Xi did not expect to have a day when he had a wet dream, and the object of his wet dream was sleeping beside him at the moment.
It was not that Shen Xi didn't understand what two men would be doing together. Although he wasn't keen on it due to his experience in his previous life, to be honest, he wasn't averse to the intimacy between the two since he was with Li Mingxuan.
Just why was he the one below?
The images from the dream flashed through his mind once again, and there still seemed to be a lingering sensation in his body. Shen Xi got out of bed, turned on the bedside lamp and rummaged through the wardrobe for clean underwear. Li Mingxuan woke up at some point and looked at Shen Xi in confusion, "Xiao Xi, what's wrong?"
Shen Xi turned around with his underwear in his hand. Li Mingxuan blinked and stared thoughtfully at the underwear he was holding. His eyes slowly moved to Shen Xi's pyjama pants.
It was as if Li Mingxuan's eyes had penetrated through the thin material of his clothes and saw what Shen Xi was desperately trying to hide. Shen Xi glared at Li Mingxuan in annoyance and quickly left the room to go to the bathroom. Behind him, Li Mingxuan's eyes were full of laughter as he stared at Shen Xi's back thoughtfully.
Shen Xi dawdled in the bathroom for a long time before returning, and Li Mingxuan stayed awake, leaning on the head of the bed and waiting for him quietly.
Shen Xi coldly ignored Li Mingxuan's smiling eyes, climbed into bed and curled on his side, intent on sleeping far away from him. A hint of amusement flashed in Li Mingxuan's gaze as he leaned over very naturally and wrapped Shen Xi's entire body in his arms from behind.
"Good boy! It happens to Cousin as well sometimes."
It was better if Li Mingxuan didn't open his mouth. Once he did, the resentment in Shen Xi's heart intensified. When he thought that he was actually the one below in his dream, Shen Xi did not want to talk to Li Mingxuan at all. Perhaps because Shen Xi's resentment was too strong, Li Mingxuan felt that at this moment, Shen Xi looked more like a small bristling animal. Trying hard to hold back his laughter, Li Mingxuan lowered his head and gently nibbled on Shen Xi's ear that he had found to be very sensitive.
The wet slippery tongue traced over the auricle, and Shen Xi felt his body soften, and a hot current seemed to surge out from inside his body. Trying hard to suppress the strange feeling, Shen Xi rolled over and shrank into Li Mingxuan's arms as if to escape, saying grumpily, "Sleep!"
Li Mingxuan smiled and rubbed Shen Xi's hair, lowered his head and gave him a kiss, obediently saying, "Okay, sleep!"
After a good night's sleep, when Shen Xi woke up in the morning, Li Mingxuan had already made breakfast.
Trying hard to get last night's dream out of his mind, Shen Xi pretended to sit across from Li Mingxuan as if nothing had happened. Perhaps it was Shen Xi's illusion, but he always felt that Li Mingxuan's smile today was more dazzling than ever.
"Xiao Xi, where are you going today?" Li Mingxuan asked as he brought the breakfast to Shen Xi.
Shen Xi took the breakfast and casually replied, "To take Fang Luowei to the set to look around."
The film that Shen Xi had invested in was shooting very well, and Chen Zhiwei had invited Shen Xi to visit the set several times, to prove that he was indeed working on it on the one hand, and to cheer up the crew on the other. Unfortunately, Shen Xi did not care about it. But after Fang Luowei heard about it and was very curious about the filming set Shen Xi agreed.
It was not the first time that Li Mingxuan heard Fang Luowei's name from Shen Xi's mouth. Although Shen Xi's expression indicated that there was nothing between him and Fang Luowei, the vague rumours in the circle still made Li Mingxuan wary.
Li Mingxuan glanced at Shen Xi, "In the morning?"
Shen Xi nodded, not noticing the thoughtful glint in Li Mingxuan's eyes.
Chen Zhiwei's film was titled "Troubled Times". It was set in the Republic of China era and was shot at a filming location in the northern suburbs of Zhongjing.
When Shen Xi brought Fang Luowei there, the crew was just getting ready to start. Everyone was surprised by the arrival of Shen Xi and Fang Luowei, but also was in high spirits. After all, everyone knew that the investor of the film was Shen Xi, and if they were noticed by Shen Xi, they would definitely have a bright future. Wasn't Fang Luowei unknown before but promoted by the company because he caught Shen Xi's attention?
Shen Xi didn't bother to pay attention to the many eyes on the set. After meeting the main actors and actresses under Chen Zhiwei's introduction, Shen Xi entrusted Fang Luowei to Chen Zhiwei and sat quietly on the side by himself.
Lao K's phone call came in at the right time.
A few minutes later, Shen Xi hung up the phone, thinking about the news Lao K mentioned. Shen Rong intended to enter the entertainment industry.
"Bringing capital into the crew and acting as an assistant director." Shen Xi repeated the words playfully. Everything seemed different from the previous life, but the vague trajectory still overlapped with it.
"Shen Xi?"
There were footsteps behind him, accompanied by Fang Luowei's apprehensive voice.
Shen Xi turned around at the sound of the voice, and when he saw Fang Luowei's current appearance, he couldn't help but be very surprised.
At this moment, Fang Luowei was standing behind him in a military uniform of the Republic of China period and looking at him anxiously.
"What's going on?"
Chen Zhiwei came up from the side, "Sanshao, it's like this. The actor playing this role is temporarily unavailable. I think Fang Luowei's image is quite suitable, so I plan to let Fang Luowei try it. What do you think?"
Although Chen Zhiwei did not know what was going on between Shen Xi and Fang Luowei, thinking about the rumours in the circle, he still intended to cater to Shen Xi's preferences and urged Fang Luowei to give it a try.
Shen Xi returned his attention to Fang Luowei. One had to admit that Fang Luowei's appearance was quite stunning. The ramrod straight military uniform suited him very much, making him look heroic. Shen Xi smiled and nodded at Fang Luowei, "As long as you like it yourself."
Perhaps seeing the affirmation in Shen Xi's eyes, Fang Luowei excitedly followed Chen Zhiwei towards the set.
Behind them, Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei's back, the emotions in his eyes very complicated.
In Shen Xi's heart, Fang Luowei was different from anyone else. Whether it was the way they supported each other in prison in the previous life, or the way Fang Luowei protected him during the prison riot before he died, in this life Shen Xi wanted to do everything he could to make Fang Luowei happy.
And everything went just as he hoped. He met Fang Luowei and intervened in his life, trying his best to eliminate everything that might make him repeat the fate of his previous life. As in his previous life, Fang Luowei became his best friend. But Shen Xi still had to admit that Fang Luowei now was different from the profound figure in his memory. Perhaps without the dark experiences of his previous life, the Fang Luowei before him was more sunny and upright than he remembered.
Shen Xi trusted him, but could not open his heart to him as he had done in his previous life. Shen Xi regretted it somewhat.
Fang Luowei's shooting was obviously very smooth, and he took the opportunity to wave at Shen Xi halfway through the shoot. Shen Xi looked back with a smile.
This was good, he just wanted Fang Luowei to be happy. Shen Xi smiled with relief.
The shooting stopped at noon, and Chen Zhiwei apologised to Shen Xi, saying that the crew had ordered boxed lunches, so Shen Xi had to make do with it. Shen Xi nodded indifferently, while Fang Luowei excitedly talked of his feelings about his first shooting, and Chen Zhiwei occasionally gave him some pointers.
"Xiao Xi!" A magnetic male voice sounded from behind.
Shen Xi looked over in surprise, and Li Mingxuan walked over with a smile from not far away.
"What brings you here, Cousin?"
Li Mingxuan glanced at the crowd with a smile, "I had nothing to do at noon and came to see you."
Chen Zhiwei was the first to recognise Li Mingxuan. Compared to Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan was obviously more well known as the heir of the Li family. But rumour had it that Li Mingxuan had always been good friends with Shen Dashao, when did he become so close to Shen Xi? Although Chen Zhiwei had doubts in his mind, he did not show them on his face and only instructed someone to bring another chair over.
Li Mingxuan greeted Chen Zhiwei and Fang Luowei with a smile, and naturally sat next to Shen Xi, reaching out to wrap his arms around him, his eyes gentle, "Are you tired?"
Shen Xi was used to Li Mingxuan's actions and didn't mind them, just shaking his head.
Li Mingxuan's expression was doting, "I'll take you to Ye Han's place for dinner tonight."
The intimacy between the two naturally had different meanings in the eyes of different people. Because Shen Ji made trouble in the bar last time, Fang Luowei already knew about Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan being together. Seeing the closeness of the two of them at this time, Fang Luowei suppressed the inexplicable sadness in his heart, acting as if nothing had happened. Chen Zhiwei, on the other hand, was even more puzzled. He felt that the relationship between the two looked very strange, not like normal cousins. What was the situation?
Li Mingxuan scanned the expressions of several people silently, focusing on Fang Luowei, and was very satisfied in his heart, looking at Shen Xi with an even more tender look.
After they finished eating the boxed lunch provided by the crew, Fang Luowei excused himself to go and prepare for the afternoon shoot. Chen Zhiwei followed him, leaving Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan alone together.
The place where they were eating was in a remote corner and out of sight. When Li Mingxuan glanced and noticed that no one was around, he couldn't help but lean over and kiss Shen Xi tenderly.
Unlike the feeling at home, the excitement of being in a public place where people might have seen him at any time made Shen Xi aroused, and his original intention to push Li Mingxuan away turned into grabbing his collar and actively cooperating.
Chen Zhiwei, who had forgotten his mobile phone and was coming back to get it, saw the two of them kissing. Trying hard to suppress the shock in his heart, Chen Zhiwei left silently, only to find the sad Fang Luowei not far away.
Chapter 45
Since the day Fang Luowei was encouraged by Chen Zhiwei to play a role in "Troubled Times", Shen Xi took it upon himself to take Fang Luowei to and from the set for a few days in a row.
All this was seen by Chen Zhiwei. Although he couldn't understand the relationship between Shen Xi, Fang Luowei and Li Mingxuan, he still understood that Fang Luowei had a special place in Shen Xi's heart anyway.
Trying to please Shen Xi, coupled with the fact that Fang Luowei's appearance in the costume was so stunning that it really attracted a lot of attention, Chen Zhiwen ruthlessly revised the script overnight, adjusting Fang Luowei's original role of a passerby to the third male lead, and gave a call to Shen Xi at the first opportunity.
"Add some scenes?" When he received a call from Chen Zhiwei early in the morning, Shen Xi thought there was something wrong, but he didn't expect that Chen Zhiwei would propose to add a part for Fang Luowei. Thinking about Fang Luowei's excitement when he talked about acting, Shen Xi naturally agreed, "Just talk to Luowei."
"Of course, don't worry, I've already told Luowei."
Chen Zhiwei was certain that Shen Xi would say yes, and this phone call was just an initiative to demonstrate his goodwill to Shen Xi.
After hanging up, Shen Xi dropped the phone on the sofa and climbed back into bed. It was the weekend and a rare occasion when Li Mingxuan didn't have to get up early, so he was able to have a little more sleep.
"Who's calling?" Li Mingxuan asked as he enveloped Shen Xi in his arms.
"Chen Zhiwei said he wanted to add some scenes for Luowei." Shen Xi changed to a comfortable position, answering casually.
The words "add some scenes" reached Li Mingxuan's ears, and the original sleepiness immediately dissipated without a trace. In the past few days, Shen Xi got up early every day to drive Fang Luowei to and from the set, which already was Li Mingxuan's limit, but Chen Zhiwei actually wanted to add more scenes. An ambiguous light flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes, and then he lowered his head and nibbled on Shen Xi's ear as if nothing had happened, "Is Fang Luowei going to officially develop in the entertainment industry?"
Shen Xi gave a solf "en". Li Mingxuan rolled over and pressed Shen Xi down, "In that case, I think Xiao Xi needs to find an agent for Fang Luowei as soon as possible, and it's best to arrange for an assistant as well. After all, there will be more things to do in the future and you can't be by his side all the time. You know reporters always like to talk nonsense, and too much gossip is not good for a star."
Li Mingxuan's proposal had actually been on Shen Xi's mind for a long time, except that the time when Fang Luowei got in prison in his previous life had not yet passed. Shen Xi was worried that there might be an accident, and the best way was to follow Fang Luowei's side himself. On the other hand, Shen Xi could see that Fang Luowei genuinely liked this career, so he decided to find a senior agent to facilitate Fang Luowei's future development.
Shen Xi was still pondering when Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed him, "What, no suitable agent?"
Shen Xi nodded. Li Mingxuan said quietly, "The boss of Shengshi Entertainment, Lin Yao, was my classmate abroad. Let me ask him for you to see if he has a suitable candidate at hand?"
"Is that okay?" Shen Xi was sceptical of such a naked act of poaching.
"It's fine, he owes me a favour."
After Li Mingxuan finished speaking, he lowered his head and blocked Shen Xi's mouth. It was a rare day off for him. He really didn't want to spend his time discussing Fang Luowei. As Li Mingxuan pushed his hand into Shen Xi's pyjama trousers, the pleasure came out of nowhere and Shen Xi put the matter aside for the moment.
Li Mingxuan's actions were swift and the next day he helped Shen Xi get in touch with an agent. The other party was named Zhao Wenping and he had been in the business for seven years. Although he was not a top agent, he had a lot of resources in his hands. More importantly, Li Mingxuan had checked that he was of good character and was not like some agents in the entertainment industry who were secretly pimping out celebrities to wealthy businessmen under the name of agent.
Zhao Wenping was originally from another entertainment company, but left it because of a disagreement with the company's development philosophy, and was planning to go to Shengshi Entertainment, but was intercepted by Li Mingxuan.
Initially, when he heard that the boss was Shen Xi, Zhao Wenping was not very willing to come over. From the bottom of his heart, he was very reluctant to deal with a young master like Shen Xi who knew nothing about anything. However, since the person who talked to him was Lin Yao, the owner of Shengshi Entertainment, and the middleman was Li Mingxuan, Zhao Wenping had to reluctantly agree to meet Shen Xi.
The meeting was scheduled for Sunday evening. Li Mingxuan naturally had to accompany Shen Xi, and since it was to select an agent for Fang Luowei, Shen Xi directly asked Fang Luowei to come as well.
The four of them met at a well-known private restaurant in Zhongjing. In the elegantly decorated private room, Shen Xi noticed Zhao Wenping at first glance. Zhao Wenping was only in his early thirties, with a moderate figure and in a pair of glasses, looking refined and introverted.
Zhao Wenping's eyes passed over Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi silently, and fell on a bright-looking young man to Shen Xi's right. He had vaguely heard rumours in the circle that Shen Sanshao had spent a lot of money on a little singer, and if the rumours were true, then this young man was the little singer and the one he might be responsible for in the future.
Zhao Wenping habitually assessed Fang Luowei with a professional eye. If one simply looked at his appearance, Fang Luowei could definitely be ranked in the top ten even in the entertainment industry, which was known to have countless beautiful men. What was more important was that Fang Luowei gave people a very sunny and clean feeling. This trait was extremely rare in the entertainment industry, the land of fame and fortune. Even if it was there, it was just an image, not coming from the heart like in Fang Luowei's case. Zhao Wenping just didn't know what Fang Luowei's professional quality was. Thinking about the rumoured relationship between Fang Luowei and Shen Xi, Zhao Wenping vaguely felt sorry for the young man.
In the world of entertainment, it was always one wrong step at a time. If you entered the circle by relying on unspoken rules, then no matter what height you reached in the future, this stain would never be erased. What's more, since the gold master could uphold you, he could naturally uphold others. If you had already carved out your place in the circle by the time the gold master was tired of playing, it was okay. If you hadn't, it was estimated that you would be transferred to the hands of different gold masters in the future.
Zhao Wenping's thoughts were only fleeting, and he was already greeting Shen Xi politely.
Everyone sat down casually. Zhao Wenping glanced around and quickly noticed something was wrong. Opposite him, Fang Luowei did not sit next to Shen Xi. He was separated from Shen Xi by Li Mingxuan. More importantly, Li Mingxuan's attitude towards Shen Xi was too close, and there was a vague feeling of being lovers coming from them.
Zhao Wenping was startled, and the thought that had just occurred to him seemed to linger in his mind. Following this thought, the more he looked at them, the more he felt that the relationship between the three was complicated. Shen Xi looked at Fang Luowei not at all as if Fang Luowei was being nurtured as the rumours said, but more like he was treating a friend. And the relationship between Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan was so intimate that the two were more like lovers than relatives. But every time Li Mingxuan got close to Shen Xi, Fang Luowei's eyes flashed with sadness.
This was really something!
Zhao Wenping was surprised, but his face did not show it at all. He chatted with Shen Xi eagerly but without any flattery, while Li Mingxuan occasionally added a sentence and Fang Luowei sat by the side and listened intently. After the meal, Zhao Wenping already had a general idea. He didn't know what about Fang Luowei attracted Shen Xi but Shen Xi really regarded him as a friend and supported his entry into the entertainment industry.
Zhao Wenping weighed up the situation in his mind and without much consideration said yes to Shen Xi's invitation. Only when he got up close and personal did he realise that Shen Xi was not as domineering as the newspapers made him out to be, but rather aloof. As for Fang Luowei, he had left a good impression on Zhao Wenping, who wanted to see how far Fang Luowei could go in the world of fame and fortune with Shen Xi behind him.
The meal could be described as a happy one, and both Zhao Wenping and Shen Xi were very satisfied. After finishing the meal and making an appointment to go to the company tomorrow for the entry procedure, Shen Xi naturally pulled Fang Luowei, "Get in the car, I'll take you home."
Zhao Wenping took a subtle glance at Li Mingxuan's expression, smiled and said to Shen Xi, "I'll take Luowei back, it's good to get acquainted with each other."
Fang Luowei froze for a moment, then smiled and broke away from Shen Xi's hand, "Then I'll trouble Mr. Zhao."
Shen Xi thought about it and felt it would be good for the two of them to get acquainted in advance, so he did not object. In his heart, Li Mingxuan praised Zhao Wenping straight away for being on the right track and gave him a satisfied look.
After seeing Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan leave, Fang Luowei politely got into Zhao Wenping's car.
Zhao Wenping said casually while driving, "Luowei, do you like Sanshao?"
What responded to his words was Fang Luowei's surprised eyes and unnatural expression, "How could it be? Shen Xi and I are just friends."
Zhao Wenping smiled lightly, "Luowei, you may not understand the relationship between an agent and a star. You should know that once I sign a contract with the company, I will be the closest person to you for the next five years. We will be colleagues, friends, partners, and most importantly, we must trust each other. I need to have all your information at my fingertips so that I can be the first to reasonably resolve whatever accident happens."
Fang Luowei did not say anything and Zhao Wenping did not take it personally, "I can see that Sanshao takes great care of you. I hope you can remember my advice. In this circle a true friend is much more important than a lover." There was the second half of the sentence that Zhao Wenping did not say. Shen Xi already had Li Mingxuan by his side. Even if Fang Luowei decided to fight, he might not be able to win. It was better to take a step back and be friends. According to Shen Xi's attitude towards Luowei, Li Mingxuan would definitely not let Fang Luowei suffer.
Zhao Wenping's words left Fang Luowei silent for the rest of the way.
Did he like Shen Xi? Fang Luowei himself was not sure, he just knew that he did not want to see Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan together. In contrast, he could not help but want to be with Shen Xi all the time. When did this feeling start? Fang Luowei could not say for sure.
Shen Xi fell from the sky at the time of his most distress and after that, Shen Xi intervened in his life in a way that he could not refuse.
Shen Xi would take the initiative to seek him out for dinner, Shen Xi helped him deal with threat from Brother Wang, Shen Xi helped him take care of his grandparents, Shen Xi helped him settle his contract with his previous company, Shen Xi paid for him to record a song, Shen Xi encouraged him to act, and Shen Xi even signed an agent for him.
All of Shen Xi's kindness to him was unconditional, and Fang Luowei had a vague illusion that Shen Xi was incredibly tolerant of him, and would do anything for him as long as he was happy.
Fang Luowei didn't know what attracted Shen Xi to him and why Shen Xi was so kind to him, but Fang Luowei was sure that no one could refuse such kindness.
The two of them returned in silence to the neighbourhood where Fang Luowei lived. Shen Xi had rented a house for him there after he had signed up with his company. Next to this neighbourhood was the most prestigious nursing home in Zhongjing, where his grandfather and grandmother were living at the moment.
Fang Luowei's heart felt indescribably sad. Perhaps Zhao Wenping was right. Lovers might break up, but Shen Xi might be the only one in his life who would be a good friend to him wholeheartedly.
Zhao Wenping steadily parked the car by the community and Fang Luowei looked at him, "Thank you!"
A smile flashed in Zhao Wenping's eyes, "It's what I should do."
Zhao Wenping didn't start the car until Fang Luowei's figure disappeared. When he left, Zhao Wenping suddenly thought that he had made a contribution to the stability of the boss's family, but it was a pity that Li Mingxuan didn't know about it.
The next day after Zhao Wenping went through the signing-up procedures at the company. He very consciously took over all of Fang Luowei's current daily activities, including, of course, the daily round-trip transfers to and from the set.
Shen Xi directly handed him a card and told him to pick out a car for himself, and by the way, he provided Fang Luowei with a full set of an assistant and a driver. Zhao Wenping was a bit worried that Shen Xi would go bankrupt one day, but when he thought of the Shen and Li families standing behind Shen Xi, he felt that he was worrying about nothing.
As Zhao Wenping quickly got a grip on his work, Shen Xi refocused his energy on Shen Group, and soon the first conflict between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng broke out.
Shen Group sold Yunrou at a discounted price of 300 million to a previous competitor!
By the time Shen Ji got the news, the board of directors had already approved the deal. Seeing the look of pity on the faces of his former subordinates, Shen Ji tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart and hurried to Shen Cheng.
As the general manager of Shen Group, Shen Cheng managed all the company's incoming and outgoing transactions. Shen Ji had deliberately reminded Shen Cheng before that he must let him know about Yunrou's affairs. He did not believe that Shen Cheng would not know about the existence of this deal beforehand, so why hadn't Shen Cheng told him?
Why was he the only one who had been kept in the dark about this deal?
Shen Ji's expression was too ugly, and the employees who came and went were curious, but when they noticed that Shen Ji's destination was the general manager's office, their expressions became unpredictable.
"Ah Cheng!" Shen Ji pushed the door open without knocking and walked in. Inside the office, Lu Gesen was standing in front of Shen Cheng saying something.
"Big Brother!" Shen Cheng was obviously very surprised by Shen Ji's appearance; especially Shen Ji's expression made him feel baffled.
Lu Gesen sensibly chose to excuse himself and thoughtfully closed the office door for the two of them. After a warning glance at the inquiring eyes outside, Lu Gesen returned to his office in a happy mood. Looking at Shen Ji, it was obvious that he knew about Yunrou's cheap sale. Sure enough, Shen Xi was right. Yunrou was Shen Ji's inverse scale, and no one could touch it.
Lu Gesen looked playfully at the office next door, wondering if Shen Ji enjoyed the surprise.
"Big Brother, why are you here at this time?" Past experience told Shen Cheng that Shen Ji was in a rather bad mood at the moment, so he had better be careful.
Shen Ji frowned, "If I hadn't come, I wouldn't even have known that Yunrou was going to be sold."
A hint of surprise flashed across Shen Cheng's face and then he looked embarrassed, "So you already know, Big Brother, I was planning to surprise you."
"Surprise me?" Shen Ji's face turned gloomy, but unfortunately Shen Cheng was keeping his head down and didn't notice.
"Yes, Big Brother. Wasn't it because of Yunrou that you were kicked out by the board of directors gang? Now that I've sold Yunrou, after a while when the storm dies down, you'll be able to come back, Big Brother." The implication in Shen Cheng's words was very sincere, and his face even had a happy expression, but after noticing Shen Ji's look, he hesitated, "What's wrong?"
Shen Ji tried to suppress the anger in his heart, "Who proposed this deal? Do you know what Yunrou's market value is estimated to be? One billion three hundred million, and you actually sold it for three hundred million!"
Shen Cheng couldn't help but argue, "Of course I know the market value of Yunrou, but wasn't that before? Now after the dioxane fiasco, Yunrou is not worth anything at all."
Shen Cheng's words slowly died out in front of Shen Ji's cold face. The magnificent image of Shen Ji that had been formed in Shen Cheng's heart for a long time made him not dare to argue again, but a hint of defiance flickered in his eyes.
Shen Ji frowned, "Who exactly proposed this deal? Gao Qiulin or someone else?"
"There was no one else, I made the decision on my own."
"Didn't Lu Gesen stop you?"
Shen Cheng gave Shen Ji a sheepish glance, "He did, but I went straight to Father and he said that the deal wasn't a loss. After all, it was cheap to buy back then and it was better to get rid of it sooner."
When Shen Ji heard that, the anger in his heart could no longer be restrained and he kicked the desk in front of him fiercely.
A loud bang resounded in the office and the employees outside all stared at each other in disbelief.
"Big Brother, I really wanted to surprise you. If we settle Yunrou earlier, won't you be able to return to the position of general manager sooner?" Shen Cheng explained hurriedly.
Shen Ji took a deep breath, didn't look at Shen Cheng again, turned around and left, slamming the door shut.
"Big Brother!" Shen Cheng looked in the direction of the door with disappointment. He could not understand Shen Ji in the least, he really did it out of the goodness of his heart, and his father also strongly supported him. Why would big brother be so upset?
"Cheng Shao, is everything okay?" Lu Gesen appeared in the doorway at some point.
Shen Cheng shook his head, "Why do you think Big Brother is unhappy?"
Lu Gesen thought for a moment, "Yunrou is, after all, Shen Dashao's heart and soul, and he has given a lot for Yunrou over the years. In his heart Yunrou is very important, it is inevitable that he will be upset about Yunrou being sold cheaply like this."
Shen Cheng frowned, "But Yunrou is no longer valuable to Shen Group, so why is Big Brother so stubborn?"
Lu Gesen's eyes flashed, "It's just a different perspective. From the company's point of view, there's nothing wrong with Cheng Shao's approach. It's just that Shen Dashao's feelings for Yunrou are too deep to accept it for a while."
Shen Cheng hesitantly glanced at Lu Gesen, "I remember you said that you can't be emotional in managing a company."
Lu Gesen pulled the corner of his mouth, "Of course, you have to know that you are not alone in the company, especially in a company like Shen Group. There are thousands of employees underneath, you have to be responsible for each and every one of them."
Shen Cheng nodded hesitantly, "I understand. Father also agreed to this matter, and I did nothing wrong."
Lu Gesen glanced at Shen Cheng with appreciation and gave him a rare smile, "Of course!"
Chapter 46
The conflict between Shen Ji and Shen Cheng soon became known to Shen Dehan.
When he heard that Shen Ji had left the company in a rage, a trace of disappointment surged in his heart.
Shen Dehan knew Shen Ji's feelings for Yunrou. As Lu Gesen said, Shen Ji had put too much of his heart and soul into Yunrou, and because of the special significance of Yunrou for him, Shen Ji's strong opposition to the sale of Yunrou was completely understandable. But understanding did not mean approval.
In Shen Dehan's mind, Yunrou had become a drag on Shen Ji, and its existence was a constant reminder to the board of directors of the mistakes Shen Ji had made. The only way to silence the unfavourable voices against Shen Ji from the board of directors was to get rid of Yunrou as soon as possible, but unfortunately Shen Ji, who had always been excellent, was stubborn in this matter.
In Shen Dehan's opinion, Shen Cheng did not do anything wrong. His starting point was good whether it was for the company or for Shen Ji, not to mention that the deal was not a loss. Compared to the purchase price back then, even if you didn't count the profits of Yunrou over the years, the price of this deal also left Shen Group with some profit. For this, even Gao Qiulin said a few words praising Shen Cheng.
Shen Dehan sighed. Ah Ji's growth was too smooth. In the past he had protected Ah Ji too well. He hoped that through these events he could make Ah Ji really grow up.
After Shen Ji left the company, for a while he didn't know where to go. The recent succession of events had turned his life into a mess. Glancing at the hurrying crowd on the street, Shen Ji smiled bitterly. This was the first time he had left the company to hang out alone at the time he was supposed to be at work.
Shen Ji felt that he had a lot of things on his mind and he had to find someone to talk to, but when he opened his phone book, no matter how much he deliberately ignored it, his eyes eventually fell on the words "Li Mingxuan".
Shen Ji hesitantly looked at the name and after thinking about it dialled the number.
"Mingxuan, are you at the office? I'm coming to you."
"Good!"
Li Mingxuan's simple "good" made the depression in Shen Ji's heart finally dissipate a bit, and half an hour later, he appeared in front of Li Mingxuan.
A friend for many years, Li Mingxuan could see at a glance that Shen Ji was not in a good mood at the moment. After instructing his assistant to make two cups of coffee, Li Mingxuan pushed away the documents in his hands and looked at Shen Ji, "What happened?"
Shen Ji took a sip of coffee and exhaled a long breath of depression, "I had a bit of an argument with Ah Cheng."
"About Shen Group?" Li Mingxuan asked tentatively.
Shen Ji gave an "en". "He submitted the deal I was holding down earlier to the board of directors and the board approved it."
Li Mingxuan reacted quickly, "Ah Cheng was hiding it from you?"
Shen Ji nodded, rather disheartened.
Li Mingxuan was puzzled, "You didn't tell Ah Cheng that you were in contact with Baoli Group?"
Shen Ji shook his head, "My father was determined to sell Yunrou and didn't listen to my ideas. I planned to talk to him after I had made a deal with Baoli. I didn't tell anyone in order to avoid getting into trouble, but I just didn't expect Ah Cheng to submit the deal directly to the board."
Li Mingxuan didn't expect this to be the case. Thinking about what Shen Cheng had done, Li Mingxuan couldn't help but say comfortingly, "Ah Cheng didn't know what was going on behind the scenes, he is now the general manager of Shen Group. The deal submitted to the board of directors through his hands was in full compliance with the procedures, so he can't be blamed."
Shen Ji nodded and smiled bitterly, "I know. In fact, I know I shouldn't blame Ah Cheng, I just couldn't control my temper a bit. Everyone thinks I was reluctant to sell it because of my feelings for Yunrou, and even my father refused to sit down and listen to my thoughts. Shen Group blindly invested in the financial market over the years, seemingly growing and expanding non-stop, but in fact it drifted further and further away from Shen Group's original vision. Yunrou originally was a great opportunity. If Yunrou had succeeded, it would have been the right time to use it to make Shen Group focus on industry. I just didn't expect…"
Shen Ji shook his head in disappointment, "Maybe fundamentally my father and I just don't have the same philosophy regarding the development of Shen Group."
This was the first time Shen Ji had shown disappointment in front of Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan got up and walked to his side, patting him on the shoulder vigorously, "Having differences is not a problem, what matters is how you resolve them. Uncle has been doing well all these years, and it is inevitable that he will be a bit stubborn as he gets older. So why don't you talk to him properly? Frankly speaking, according to the current economic situation, I am not optimistic about the financial market either."
Shen Ji nodded, but he didn't hold much hope in his heart, "I'll try."
After glancing at the time, Shen Ji changed the subject, "Let's go out for a drink tonight?"
Li Mingxuan simply refused, "Not today."
Shen Ji raised an eyebrow, "Want to accompany Shen Xi?"
Li Mingxuan shook his head, "The touring exhibition that Mingfei was attending abroad is over, and my mother is accompanying him back today. I've already called before and I have to go home in the evening."
"Shen Xi is going too?" Shen Ji asked casually.
"Xiao Xi is not going, Mother doesn't know about me and Xiao Xi yet."
Shen Ji looked surprised, "You didn't tell Aunt?"
Li Mingxuan nodded, "Mother has been abroad, it's not good to talk on the phone. I'm worried that Mother might have some misunderstanding about Xiao Xi, it's better to say it in person."
Shen Ji froze and then smiled, "You think so much of Shen Xi, is he that good?"
Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Ji with a serious expression, "No matter what others think, Xiao Xi is good enough in my heart."
Shen Ji did not say anything more under Li Mingxuan's serious look.
That night because he was going back to the Li family, Li Mingxuan deliberately called Shen Xi in advance. He seriously instructed Shen Xi on the phone to eat well and rest early, and he would be back early tomorrow. His mother had been abroad with Mingfei for over a month, so he certainly couldn't just leave her after dinner and come back to stay with Shen Xi. Plus he planned to confess his affair with Shen Xi while his mother was in a good mood. Thinking about his mother's possible reaction, Li Mingxuan had already prepared himself.
When he received the call from Li Mingxuan, at first Shen Xi was not bothered that he would not come back in the evening. However, after hanging up the phone, as Shen Xi cooked alone, ate alone, tidied up the house alone, and looked around, he felt that something seemed to be missing.
After turning on the TV, Shen Xi unconsciously tuned to the financial channel. It was not until the stock market information was broadcast that Shen Xi suddenly realised that this was the channel Li Mingxuan was used to watching while he had no interest in it at all. Changing channels haphazardly, Shen Xi couldn't help but look at the coffee table in front of the sofa where all the financial magazines that Li Mingxuan had brought were neatly laid out. As Shen Xi's eyes swept around, there was Li Mingxuan's jacket hanging on the coat rack at the door, the papers he had read last night were scattered on the table, and on the bedside table in the bedroom was Li Mingxuan's watch, not to mention Li Mingxuan's clothes that had taken up half of the wardrobe.
Shen Xi suddenly felt irritated. When he was not paying attention, Li Mingxuan invaded his life little by little. It was as if Li Mingxuan's scent was everywhere in the house. Compared to when he was living alone at the beginning, the apartment was now stuffed full of things, and everything seemed to be connected to Li Mingxuan.
Shen Xi frowned and dialled Lao K's number.
When Shen Xi arrived at Lao K's house, the Li family's dinner had just ended. Li Mingfei sat in the living room, excitedly describing his life abroad with his mother to Li Xiyong who listened with a smile on his face. In the corner of the living room, Li Mingxuan helped Shen Bixue sit down, "Mom, I have something to tell you."
Shen Bixue gave Li Mingxuan a strange look and said with a smile, "Why so solemn?"
Li Mingxuan sat down opposite Shen Bixue and said with a serious expression, "Xiao Xi and I are together."
Shen Bixue didn't realise what Li Mingxuan was talking about at first, and it wasn't until the words went round and round in her mind a few times that she reacted.
"You and Shen Xi are together?" Shen Bixue felt that she must have been hallucinating as she repeated incredulously word for word while staring closely at Li Mingxuan's expression, trying to find traces of joking in it.
Under his mother's gaze, Li Mingxuan nodded self-consciously.
Shen Bixue only felt her heart thud suddenly and said sternly, "What does it mean, together?"
As soon as this sentence was uttered, it immediately attracted the attention of the other two people in the living room. Li Xiyong knew what Li Mingxuan was talking about, frowned and did not say anything. Li Mingfei glanced at his mother cautiously and obediently shrank himself into the background of the living room.
Li Mingxuan's expression remained unchanged, "It means what you understand it to mean."
"I don't agree!" Shen Bixue didn't even think about it.
Li Mingxuan already expected his mother's reaction and was not too surprised. He just persuaded Shen Bixue with a sincere expression, "Mom, Xiao Xi is very good, I want to be with him and take good care of him. Didn't you also say before that you wanted me to take care of Xiao Xi more?"
"I asked you to help him as much as you can, but I didn't ask you to take care of him in bed." Shen Bixue said ruthlessly and then looked at Li Mingxuan with a suspicious expression, "Is it Shen Xi?…"
Li Mingxuan understood Shen Bixue's unfinished sentence, and a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. He directly interrupted his mother's words, "It has nothing to do with Xiao Xi, it was me who seduced him."
"How is that possible?" Shen Bixue refused to believe it.
Li Mingxuan repeated with a solemn expression, "Mom, it was me who seduced Xiao Xi."
Shen Bixue looked at Li Mingxuan in a daze, unable to understand why her excellent son would fall for Shen Xi. It was not that she felt that Shen Xi was bad, but even putting aside the blood relationship between them, Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi's lives had not intersected at all, and she could not think of how the two could come to be together. At first she subconsciously suspected that it was Shen Xi who had taken the initiative to seduce Li Mingxuan with some plan in mind. Then Li Mingxuan's words made her believe that perhaps it was really Li Mingxuan who had first made a move on Shen Xi, but how was this possible?
Shen Bixue's gaze turned to Li Xiyong and she realised that he was not surprised. Shen Bixue said hesitantly, "You already know?"
Li Xiyong nodded, "Since Mingxuan likes him, let Mingxuan be."
"This…?" Shen Bixue still felt that she couldn't accept it and subconsciously tried to find some reason to oppose it.
If Shen Bixue's first reaction was to refuse to believe it, then Li Mingfei was completely surprised. Staring in amazement at his elder brother, Li Mingfei digested the conversation he had just heard in his mind over and over again. So, Cousin Shen Xi would be a family with them in the future?
Although his mother seemed to be very much against the idea, Li Mingfei could not help but feel happy in his heart. This way, he would be able to play with Cousin Shen Xi more often in the future, right? Even if his uncle disliked Cousin Shen Xi, with them as his family, wouldn't there be no one to bully Cousin Shen Xi anymore?
No one knew what was on Li Mingfei's mind. Shen Bixue looked back at Li Mingxuan, "How long have you been together?"
"Since you left the country."
Shen Bixue sighed and eventually waved her hand, "Let's leave it at that for today, I'm tired, let's talk tomorrow if there's anything to say." After saying this, Shen Bixue did not look at the others again, turned and went back to her room.
Li Xiyong followed Shen Bixue back to their bedroom, and when the two disappeared, Li Mingfei immediately sat down next to his elder brother, "Brother, are you really with Cousin Shen Xi?"
Li Mingxuan gave a soft "en" and Li Mingfei looked happy, "Then will I be able to spend time with Cousin Shen Xi more often? Will no one be able to bully Cousin Shen Xi anymore with us around?"
Li Mingxuan was stunned and nodded with a smile, avoiding Li Mingfei's first question, "En, we won't let others bully our cousin Shen Xi in the future."
While Li Mingxuan said these words, Shen Xi received a call from Zhao Wenping.
"Dinner? Where?"
Zhao Wenping said an address and Shen Xi frowned, "I know, I'll come find you guys."
"What happened?" Lao K realised that Shen Xi's expression was not right.
Shen Xi grimaced, "Chen Zhiwei took the crew out for dinner and ran into Shen Rong and their crew. Luowei is in a bit of trouble."
"Zhao Wenping couldn't solve it?"
Shen Xi shook his head, "There are people from the Film Bureau."
Lao K grabbed his clothes, "I'll go with you."
Shen Xi refused, "No need, it's better to use the name of Shen Sanshao."
When Shen Xi rushed to the private room that Zhao Wenping had mentioned on the phone, there were not many people inside. Obviously because there were people from the Film Bureau, not everyone could sit there. At this moment a short, fat man of about forty was squeezing in beside Fang Luowei with the intention of drinking, insisting that Fang Luowei drink the wine in his hand.
Fang Luowei's face was full of patience. Zhao Wenping was struggling to stop the middle-aged man and say something. Next to them, Chen Zhiwei was lying on the sofa already unconscious.
"What, refusing to give me face?"
Zhao Wenping cursed in his heart, but his face still had to wear a smile, "Director Hao, Luowei is still a newcomer, this is the first time he encountered this situation. I will drink for him."
The man known as Director Hao gave Zhao Wenping a sidelong glance, "First it was Chen Zhiwei and now it's you, what qualifications do you have?"
Despite this comment, Zhao Wenping's expression did not change in the slightest. He still planned to speak with a smile, but suddenly someone next to him stretched out his hand and took the glass, "I'll drink!"
With this "I'll drink", Shen Xi drank the wine in his hand without even looking at it.
"Sanshao!" Zhao Wenping looked at the young man standing in front of him and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately Shen Xi had rushed over, otherwise he really would have been unable to stop it. Fang Luowei's eyes flashed with surprise the moment he saw Shen Xi.
"Is it okay?" Shen Xi looked at the man across the table in disgust.
The man froze and wanted to say something when the other two middle-aged men in the private room came over with smiles, "Lao Hao, too much to drink, ah!"
"Sanshao, don't mind, Lao Hao has this kind of problem, he makes trouble when he drinks too much. Misunderstanding, ah, misunderstanding!"
The other men laughed and dragged the man away quickly. Shen Xi gave them a cold look, not even glancing at Shen Rong who was sitting in the back, and reached out to pull Fang Luowei, "Let's go!"
Zhao Wenping smiled at everyone, helped Chen Zhiwei and followed Shen Xi out.
From the moment Shen Xi appeared, Shen Rong's eyes never left him. Shen Xi didn't even look at him. Shen Rong's expression twisted slightly as he thought about the drug he had put in the wine. He smiled coldly again. Fang Luowei or Zhao Wenping, whose bitch would Shen Xi be tonight?
Shen Xi and the others quickly left the hotel. As soon as the cold wind blew, Shen Xi suddenly felt a fire burning in his body. He subconsciously felt hot and seemed to be unable to stand properly.
Fang Luowei was the first to notice that something was wrong, "Xiao Xi?"
Shen Xi struggled to stand up straight. Under the light, Shen Xi's face was blushing, and his eyes were full of mist.
Fang Luowei immediately realized that there was something in the wine just now. He carefully supported Shen Xi. Shen Xi gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Take me home."
"What's wrong?" Zhao Wenping noticed that the two were still standing in front of the hotel after he shoved Chen Zhiwei into the car and immediately returned. Seeing Shen Xi's appearance, Zhao Wenping was stunned and hurriedly took the keys from Shen Xi and opened the car door for him.
Shen Xi silently sat in the passenger side. Zhao Wenping looked at Fang Luowei and wanted to ask him if he could drive, but Fang Luowei had already directly pulled open the car door and got in, "I'll take Xiao Xi home, please take care of Director Chen."
Zhao Wenping gave Fang Luowei a deep look and nodded.
As the car started up, Shen Xi let out an impatient groan. Fang Luowei's hand trembled and he couldn't help but look at Shen Xi. Under the dim light, Shen Xi squinted his eyes, his expression indescribably charming.
As if bewitched, Fang Luowei could not help but lean over, "Xiao Xi!"
These words were so familiar that Shen Xi unconsciously leaned towards Fang Luowei and said softly, "Cousin!"
Fang Luowei suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water was poured down on him. He came back to his senses.
After he looked at Shen Xi with complicated eyes for a while, Fang Luowei's expression finally turned into sadness. Carefully parking the car on the side of the road, Fang Luowei gently moved up and touched Shen Xi's lips lightly like a dragonfly wing, then backed off a little and slowly looked away.
After finding Li Mingxuan's number, Fang Luowei tapped on it and gently pressed it down.
Translator's note: I'm not sure if it's clear from the text, but Shen Rong didn't plan to drug Shen Xi, he didn't know Shen Xi would come. He wanted to drug Fang Luowei because of the rumours that Fang Luowei was Shen Xi's kept lover.
Chapter 47
In November Zhongjing had already entered late autumn, and people who travelled at night all wrapped themselves tightly to resist the bone-chilling cold.
Li Mingxuan was wearing only a thin jacket, and with the car window wide open, the cold night breeze poured in. His body was as cold as if he had been immersed in ice water. But even so, Li Mingxuan's heart was still burning with a fire that he didn't know how to extinguish.
Not long ago, his mobile phone suddenly rang, and when he saw the words "Shen Xi" flashing on the screen, he was unimaginably happy. This was the second time that Shen Xi had taken the initiative to call him, so he picked up the phone in a happy mood, only to find that it was Fang Luowei who was calling. Before he could suppress the sourness that flashed through his heart, he heard Fang Luowei say vaguely that Shen Xi had been drugged and asked him to come over as soon as possible.
The word "drugged" haunted him all the way. It was not that Li Mingxuan had never heard of all the shady and dirty tricks in the entertainment industry, but he had never thought that someone would dare to use them on Shen Xi. The anger in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Li Mingxuan glanced at the speed and without hesitation stepped on the accelerator again. Seeing that the car was already speeding past 200, he still felt that it seemed to be too slow. It took him only twenty minutes to reach the apartment, even though the trip took an hour on a normal day. Fang Luowei did not seem to have arrived yet, so Li Mingxuan waited impatiently downstairs.
The sound of a car driving came from far away in the silent night, and Li Mingxuan trembled looking in the direction of the car. It was Shen Xi's car. With just a glance, Li Mingxuan recognised it and took a few steps towards it. Before the car stopped, Li Mingxuan opened the door.
Under the orange street lights of the community, Shen Xi could be clearly seen leaning against the passenger seat with a blush on his face. As the door was opened and the night breeze blew into the car, Shen Xi looked up slightly, his eyes filled with mist, indescribably seductive.
Li Mingxuan's heart felt as if it was hit by a sledgehammer. While frantic, Li Mingxuan could not help but let out a sigh of relief. Fang Luowei had not made it clear on the phone, and on the way Li Mingxuan thought that Shen Xi had been secretly poisoned with various drugs. But now it seemed that it was only an aphrodisiac, which was much better than what he feared.
Fang Luowei's driving skills were quite good; the car stopped steadily in front of Li Mingxuan. Li Mingxuan leaned down gently, unbuckled the seat belt and carefully took Shen Xi out.
At first, Shen Xi instinctively shivered from a slightly cool embrace. But with the familiar scent emanating from this embrace, Shen Xi relaxed and obediently let Li Mingxuan hold him.
The scene in front of him stung Fang Luowei; he tried to hold back the sadness in his heart and looked at Li Mingxuan guiltily, "I'm sorry, Xiao Xi did it for me…"
The rest of his words were cut off by Li Mingxuan, "You're Xiao Xi's best friend, you don't need to think too much."
The words "best friend" made Fang Luowei's heart bitter, and after a worried glance at Shen Xi, he lowered his head to hide his expression, "Go back quickly, I'm afraid Xiao Xi…" Fang Luowei couldn't say the words "can't help it". Li Mingxuan gave him a deep look and didn't say anything else as he carried Shen Xi away.
As the night breeze blew, Fang Luowei watched the door of the apartment building close tightly after Li Mingxuan, and stood there in a daze until the mobile phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
"Luowei, it's Wenping, is Sanshao with you?" It was Zhao Wenping's deep and steady voice.
Knowing what he was worried about, Fang Luowei replied lightly, "Li Mingxuan has just picked up Xiao Xi."
"Since Sanshao has already gone home, Luowei, you should also rest early, you still have to go to the set tomorrow to shoot a scene." Zhao Wenping's tone did not fluctuate, but Fang Luowei could still hear relief in it.
With a bitter smile on his face, Fang Luowei said, "I know, see you tomorrow."
With a final glance at the closed door, Fang Luowei turned around and got into the car to drive to his own neighbourhood.
He couldn't go on like this. Shen Xi was so good to him, so he had to return the favour. Shen Xi needed friends around him, and he would be Shen Xi's best friend. No matter what Shen Xi started the company for, he would work hard and make sure not to let Shen Xi's money go to waste.
Behind Fang Luowei, in the dark corridor, Shen Xi was kissed fiercely by Li Mingxuan against the wall. Li Mingxuan was trying to hold back until going home, but Shen Xi kept moving in his arms, his warm breath blowing on his neck and his wet tongue licking. Li Mingxuan's whole body was battle-ready and he finally couldn't hold back from pressing Shen Xi against the wall and kissing him passionately.
Shen Xi was encircled in Li Mingxuan's arms, passively bearing his kisses. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi tightly with one hand, while the other hand fumbled with the key and struggled to push open the door.
The moment he closed the door, Li Mingxuan couldn't think of anything else and pushed Shen Xi directly against the door, biting his lips and pushing his tongue in forcefully, sweeping it around wantonly. After a long kiss, Li Mingxuan reluctantly withdrew, pecked on Shen Xi's lips and trailed down his fair neck.
Shen Xi stood unsteadily, wrapped in Li Mingxuan's arms, tilting his head back and taking in Li Mingxuan's passion. Under the pale moonlight, Shen Xi's eyes were narrowed. His lips looked unusually red from the previous kisses, and every now and then he let out an unbearable moan. These moans were like magic sounds that entered Li Mingxuan's ears, tickling his heart to no end. Li Mingxuan couldn't help but pick up Shen Xi and stride towards the bedroom.
There were no lights on in the bedroom, and the faint moonlight flooded the room like water. Li Mingxuan gently placed Shen Xi on the bed, but who could have expected that Shen Xi would not let go of his neck.
"Cousin, it's uncomfortable!"
A soft murmur sounded in his ears, and Li Mingxuan's heart softened into a puddle of water. Gently pressing down on Shen Xi's body, Li Mingxuan kissed the man beneath him tenderly while unbuttoning Shen Xi's jacket. The clothes were taken off one by one, and Shen Xi only felt the fire inside his body burning hotter and hotter. His body seemed to be craving for something, but he couldn't say what.
There was someone's hand roaming over his body, always bringing a cool sensation, and Shen Xi instinctively leaned over and pressed himself against the person in front of him. The familiar embrace, the reassuring feeling made Shen Xi rub his body impatiently, "Cousin!"
This cry of "Cousin" caused Li Mingxuan's body to tremble, and the heat flowing throughout him was instantly focused in the desire below. Li Mingxuan felt like he was about to explode; he wanted to enter despite anything, to possess the man underneath him fiercely, to rub him hard into his own flesh and bones. But all his thoughts turned to pity when he saw Shen Xi's bewildered expression. Li Mingxuan hugged Shen Xi tenderly, kissing along his neck and down to his lower abdomen.
Shen Xi's desire had already risen high in unbearable lust, the tip trembling slightly and overflowing with crystal fluid. Li Mingxuan kissed it tenderly and slowly took it into his mouth.
"Agh!" A trembling moan spilled out of Shen Xi's mouth as the sudden pleasure overwhelmed him completely. Instinctively, Shen Xi obeyed the guidance of his body, lifting his belly upwards, his legs tensing, toes flexing, both hands thrust into Li Mingxuan's hair as he groaned constantly in sync with his ups and downs.
After an unknown period of time, a dazzling white light flashed before his eyes and Shen Xi let out a small "umph". Then his body completely limped down, and he stared into the air in confusion, gasping slightly.
Shen Xi thought this was the ultimate pleasure, but unexpectedly, the familiar big hand touched his back. The fire in his body followed along his waist and abdomen, converging at his behind. Shen Xi could not tell how he felt at this moment. He could only hug the person in front of him tighter, rubbing against him harder, hoping that the other party could relieve the burning heat inside him.
Shen Xi's movements almost made Li Mingxuan unable to resist, and after trying hard to suppress the lust in his heart, Li Mingxuan carefully stretched out a finger to probe into Shen Xi's body.
Instead of feeling uncomfortable, the sensation of a foreign object invading Shen Xi was indescribably good. Shen Xi felt something inside his heart clamouring for more. The other party seemed to have heard it and more foreign objects invaded his body. Shen Xi moaned in comfort, but felt that it was not enough, not enough!
Encouraged by the screams in his heart, Shen Xi pushed the man beside him away forcefully and rolled over to sit on top of him. His eyes focused a little; Shen Xi bit his lip and slid down along Li Mingxuan's desire. The moment the foreign object entered him, there was a flash of pain, but soon boundless pleasure replaced the pain and Shen Xi moved up and down following his body's instincts.
Li Mingxuan felt like he was going crazy; his eyes, originally tainted with lust, were now completely bottomless. He had been worried that Shen Xi would be hurt and held back to make Shen Xi more comfortable, but he did not expect that Shen Xi would sit up directly.
The moment he entered Shen Xi, his body's senses seemed to be opened and pleasure swept through him at a speed that he could not control at all. Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi's waist and looked at him in fascination. Under the soft moonlight, Shen Xi tilted his head and his body was arched in a perfect curve. As Shen Xi's movements accelerated, a thin layer of sweat glistened on his originally fair body; crystal droplets of water slid down his abs and fell onto the place of their junction. The beauty of the scene before Li Mingxuan was unparalleled, and this feeling of union with his beloved made Li Mingxuan feel as if he had reached heaven.
After a long time, the accumulated pleasure spurted out and they both climaxed almost simultaneously. In the aftermath of the orgasm, Shen Xi's body slumped down softly. Between their entangled breaths, Shen Xi's sanity gradually returned and with a sharp gasp, Shen Xi whispered a request, "Cousin, get yourself out."
Li Mingxuan held the man on top of him tightly, his hands naturally wandering along the other's bare back, his lips trailing over Shen Xi's ear.
"Aah!" Shen Xi couldn't help but cry out and felt his desire that had already gone down stand up once again.
"Cousin!"
In response to his call, the sky spun around and in the blink of an eye he was already pinned underneath Li Mingxuan. Looking up, he saw Li Mingxuan's incomparably dark eyes, "Xiao Xi is working so hard, how can Cousin be outclassed?"
The words were followed by Li Mingxuan's sizzling kiss. The lust in his body was once again triggered and Shen Xi moaned as he moved with Li Mingxuan.
In the end, Shen Xi couldn't remember how many times he had done it, only that it was almost dawn when he fell asleep, exhausted, held in Li Mingxuan's arms.
It was the afternoon of the next day when he opened his eyes. Shen Xi felt that his whole body was sore and his waist felt like it was about to break. A look of forbearance flashed across his face; Shen Xi subconsciously reached out to hold his waist. A large warm hand followed and pressed against his waist, rubbing it with just the right amount of force.
"Is it uncomfortable?" A concerned voice sounded in his ears.
The memories of last night came flooding back. Shen Xi opened his eyes and looked at the man beside him. He wanted to say something harsh, but when he thought that he had taken the initiative in the first place, he glared at Li Mingxuan bitterly and turned his head away, closing his eyes and intending to go back to sleep.
Li Mingxuan couldn't help but smile, leaned over and nibbled on Shen Xi's ear that was exposed outside the blanket, "Good boy, don't sleep, get up and eat something."
Shen Xi pretended not to hear. Li Mingxuan's smile remained unchanged, but the hand that was originally rubbing his waist and stomach slowly moved to the back, sliding down a little. Shen Xi fiercely rolled over and grabbed this hand, glaring hard at Li Mingxuan. The smile on Li Mingxuan's face blossomed even more, and he couldn't help but lean forward, lowering his head and kissing Shen Xi.
"Xiao Xi, I love you!"
Li Mingxuan's words clearly reached Shen Xi's ears, and Shen Xi's body instantly froze.
Li Mingxuan didn't seem to feel Shen Xi's stiffness, but just repeated in his ear over and over again, "Xiao Xi, I love you."
Shen Xi's body slowly softened. Love? The thing that his mother had been begging for all her life, was it love?
Shen Xi did not say anything. Li Mingxuan did not care, still kissing him while repeating these words in Shen Xi's ear. Li Mingxuan knew the knot in Shen Xi's heart, he did not expect Shen Xi to fully open to accept him now, but he thanked Shen Xi for being willing to give him this chance to love him and let him take care of him in the future.
The two of them lingered in bed for a while before Li Mingxuan reluctantly let go of Shen Xi in his arms.
"Are you hungry? I made porridge."
Shen Xi shook his head, saying that he wanted to take a bath. Li Mingxuan agreed with a smile, then moved naturally to pick Shen Xi up.
"What is Cousin doing?" said Shen Xi, resisting.
Li Mingxuan looked calm, "A bath for Xiao Xi."
Despite Shen Xi's great resistance, he was carried to the bathroom by Li Mingxuan. Unable to fight him physically, he allowed Li Mingxuan to wash him inside and out. Trying hard to ignore the marks on his body, Shen Xi changed into clean pyjamas and lay back comfortably in bed.
Li Mingxuan brought from the kitchen a bowl of white porridge that had been boiled for a long time. Although he had no appetite, Shen Xi drank two bowls of porridge under Li Mingxuan's persuasion.
After watching Shen Xi finish the porridge, Li Mingxuan affectionately took him into his arms, "Lie down, I'll rub your waist."
Shen Xi obediently lay down and let Li Mingxuan massage him with the right amount of force, and couldn't help but drift off to sleep once again.
Li Mingxuan's eyes were full of smiles, his expression soft as he looked at Shen Xi's sleeping face. He couldn't help but lower his head, resting it against Shen Xi's forehead, speaking in a low voice, "Xiao Xi, I love you."
Chapter 48
Shen Xi was very quiet as he slept. Perhaps because his body was still a little uncomfortable, he would occasionally frown. Li Mingxuan kissed Shen Xi with pity, carefully tucked him in, gently closed the door and went to the living room.
Since last night, Li Mingxuan's whole mind had been on Shen Xi, from worrying that the effect of the drug would cause discomfort to Shen Xi to worrying that Shen Xi would be disgusted with him when he woke up. Only now, when Shen Xi went to sleep peacefully, did Li Mingxuan completely let go of his worry, and only then did he have the intention to pursue the matter of last night.
With his finger swiping across the address book, Li Mingxuan called Zhao Wenping.
Zhao Wenping was not the least bit surprised to receive a call from Li Mingxuan, and not only did he give a detailed account of what happened last night, but he also made a point of mentioning some of the things he had found out today. He apologised to Li Mingxuan for his mishandling of the matter. He had hoped to protect Fang Luowei through Shen Xi because of the presence of people from the Film Bureau, but he never thought that the other party would be so bold as to use the drug, and by mistake that glass of wine would be even drunk by Shen Xi.
According to Zhao Wenping, last night Chen Zhiwei thought of taking several of the cast and crew out to dinner on a whim. Fang Luowei was able to go with them because of his relationship with Shen Xi. No one expected that they would meet Shen Rong at the hotel. Their crew was entertaining people from the Film Bureau. The director of the movie, Zhou Xiaozhou, was an acquaintance of Chen Zhiwei, so Chen Zhiwei couldn't decline the enthusiastic invitation and they sat down together. At first, the atmosphere was quite good; but as everyone got drunk, Hao Zhenmin started making advances on Fang Luowei. Chen Zhiwei could not tear his face off because of the status of the other party, so he could only desperately block the drinks for Fang Luowei until Shen Xi came over.
Li Mingxuan didn't care about what happened. After listening to Zhao Wenping's account he just picked out what he thought was the main point, "Did you just say that last night they entertained the people from the Film Bureau in order to get the permit for the movie to be released?"
Anyone familiar with the movie industry knew that the two most crucial steps for a movie were to get investment and to get the movie's public release permit. Without a permit, it meant that your movie could not be released to the market and would always remain unable to see the light of the day. Naturally all the investment in such a movie would not be recovered and would only be wasted.
Zhao Wenping didn't expect Li Mingxuan to be so perceptive and pick out the key point directly, so he nodded at once, "Yes, Zhou Xiaozhou's movie has just been sent for review. You know, usually at times like this the producers have to be in contact with the Film Bureau to facilitate the movie to pass the review smoothly." Speaking of this, Zhao Wenping deliberately added, "Hao Zhenmin is the deputy director of the Censorship Department."
"I see."
Li Mingxuan got the answer he wanted and didn't say anything more, hanging up the phone straight away.
Although Zhao Wenping did not explicitly say what happened last night, he still got the meaning of Zhao Wenping's words. Fang Luowei was just a whim for Hao Zhenmin, the other party would hardly have thought of using a drug, so it must have been instigated by someone behind the scene. As for the instigator, Li Mingxuan couldn't think of anyone else who would dare to do so, except for Shen Rong. No matter what Shen Rong's purpose was, whether it was to please Hao Zhenmin or to get under Shen Xi's skin, the wine was eventually drunk by Shen Xi, and Li Mingxuan's face turned completely cold at the thought.
After pondering for a while, Li Mingxuan dialled Lin Yao's number.
"Hello, this is Li Mingxuan."
"No one comes to the Three Treasure Hall (you wouldn't come to me if you hadn't something to ask of me). Last time you looked for me, you poached one of my gold medal agents. What is it that you are looking for me now?" Lin Yao obviously had a good relationship with Li Mingxuan and spoke rather casually, with a vague hint of sarcasm.
Li Mingxuan couldn't help laughing, "There is indeed something. I heard that you have a good relationship with the people above the Film Bureau. I need you to do me a favour?"
"What kind of favour?"
"Help me cut the release of a film, Zhou Xiaozhou's 'Against the Current'."
"Against the Current?" Lin Yao was very surprised, but chuckled lightly, "I've heard of this film. They say the bastard son of the Shen family took part in it, investing most of his net worth into it. It's a bit unkind of you to cut it like that."
Li Mingxuan was unfazed by Lin Yao's teasing, "How about it? Can you help?"
"Yes, of course, it's just a matter of saying hello." To Lin Yao, this was just a matter of raising his hand, so he was naturally happy to do Li Mingxuan a favour.
Li Mingxuan smiled and thanked him, then changed the topic, "I've got a piece of land in South City to build an entertainment centre, are you interested?"
A hearty laugh came over the phone, "Of course I'm interested, you know I'm planning to build a new movie theatre and I am worried about the lack of space. But things can't be that simple, can they?"
Li Mingxuan smiled faintly, "There's one more little thing."
"I knew it. What is it?"
Li Mingxuan didn't hide it anymore and simply asked, "Do you know Hao Zhenmin?"
"Hao Zhenmin? The deputy director of the Film Bureau? Did he offend you?" Lin Yao's words were full of surprise.
"It's sort of like that." Li Mingxuan gave a faint "en".
Lin Yao immediately figured it out, and after a slight pause, quickly replied, "I know, speaking of which, it's time for Hao Zhenmin to retire at his age, so wait for the news from me."
Li Mingxuan had always admired Lin Yao's straightforwardness. "Good, let's have dinner together some other day."
After hanging up, Li Mingxuan tossed the phone aside. With Lin Yao's help, it was estimated that there would never be a release date for 'Against the Current'. He just didn't know how his uncle would feel about Shen Rong losing such a large amount of money.
The thought was only fleeting, and Li Mingxuan soon returned all his thoughts to Shen Xi. In a short while, Xiao Xi was going to wake up and he wondered what Xiao Xi would like to eat when he woke up.
Shen Xi slept straight through the night, and this time he was woken up by hunger.
Amused, Li Mingxuan brought Shen Xi the dinner that had been kept warm, and while Shen Xi was eating, he lightly mentioned what he had entrusted Lin Yao with.
"No release permit?" Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan an odd look and smiled gleefully, "Shen Rong will be heartbroken when he finds out the news."
Shen Xi's face was full of cunning, indescribably energetic. Li Mingxuan suddenly found himself liking this look of Shen Xi more than his usual quietness.
He couldn't help but reach out and rub Shen Xi's head, softly assuring, "Don't worry, this will never happen again."
Shen Xi lowered his head and did not say anything. His past experiences had taught him that the only person he could really rely on in this world was himself.
A glimmer of imperceptible sadness flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes as he rubbed Shen Xi's hair without saying another word.
After dinner, Shen Xi could no longer sleep and lay bored in bed playing games. Li Mingxuan quietly accompanied Shen Xi, flipping through the documents in his hands and occasionally looking at Shen Xi. Neither of them spoke, and a faint warmth flowed through the room until Li Mingxuan's mobile phone rang. After glancing at the screen, Li Mingxuan took the phone and walked to the living room. Shen Xi stared at Li Mingxuan's back for half a second, then reached out, fished out his phone and sent a text message to Lao K.
The drugging incident last night could not be separated from Shen Rong's shadow, and although Li Mingxuan had already made a counterattack, it was far from enough for Shen Xi to just make Shen Rong lose a sum of money.
"Send a copy of the photos of Shen Rong and Tian Wenyao together by courier to Mr. Tian and Tian Wenyao's fiancée."
Lao K replied quickly, but his message had nothing to do with what Shen Xi said. "Xiao Xixi, are you alright? I heard from Luowei that you were drugged, how are you?"
Despite being separated by the phone screen, Shen Xi could feel the rich atmosphere of Lao K gossiping. Thinking about last night, Shen Xi's expression was distorted for a moment.
"I hope they'll receive the photos by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"When have I ever let you down, Xiao Xixi, but are you sure you don't want to talk to me about the drug?"
"Fuck off!"
"Eww, are you annoyed, Xiao Xixi?"
Shen Xi stared at this last text message, imagined the look on Lao K's face at this moment, and immediately deleted all the text messages bitterly, then stuffed the phone under the pillow.
Not long after, the phone beeped. Shen Xi pretended not to hear it. The phone did not stop as he expected, but kept on ringing, so much so that even Li Mingxuan who was in the living room was alarmed, his eyes signalling Shen Xi that something was wrong.
Shen Xi fished out his mobile phone with a stern face. To his surprise, Lao K did not mention the drugging incident again, but brought up Chu Qianqian.
After quickly reading Lao K's text message, Shen Xi frowned, thought for a moment and then simply replied with the word "good".
"Xiao Xixi, you also think this plan is good, right? I was inspired to adjust it by your experience." As soon as Shen Xi's text message was sent, Lao K immediately replied, proudly giving credit to Shen Xi.
Shen Xi looked at the words, enduring hard, but finally chose to turn off the phone and ruthlessly tuck it under his pillow.
As for the plan mentioned by Lao K, Shen Xi had heard Chu Qianqian propose it once before. He had always been laissez-faire towards Chu Qianqian and did not interfere with the process; he just needed the final result.
The two of them had not seen each other since they last met at the Shen's house, and had only been in contact by phone. Shen Xi was used to Chu Qianqian reporting to him regularly on the progress of things.
Due to the outbreak of the Yunrou incident, Shen Dehan had put all his energy into Shen Group and inevitably had no time to pay attention to Chu Qianqian. Chu Qianqian was not anxious about it. She kept in touch with Shen Dehan and met him occasionally.
Lao K had initially questioned Chu Qianqian's inaction in impatience, and was in turn severely despised by Chu Qianqian.
"Do you think Shen Dehan is stupid? According to his age he is close to being my grandfather. How do you think I am going to fall in love with him when there is such a big age gap?"
Lao K was stumped by Chu Qianqian's question. It was indeed impossible for Chu Qianqian to fall in love with Shen Dehan under normal circumstances. On the contrary, if Chu Qianqian took too much initiative, it would make Shen Dehan feel that something was wrong.
Looking at Lao K's dumbfounded look, Chu Qianqian smiled in satisfaction, "Don't worry, I have always had a very professional ethics when taking money for doing things. "
Chu Qianqian had always been very clear about her position. She wanted to make Shen Dehan fall in love with her, not treat her as a mistress like Zhou Mingmei. If she acted too eagerly, it would only make Shen Dehan think that she had her eyes on his money. Then, what difference would there be between her and the woman Shen Dehan had had before?
Chu Qianqian's intention was actually very simple. Under normal circumstances she would never fall in love with Shen Dehan, but what if something big happened suddenly? The trick of the hero saving the beauty, although old, has always worked well. Through this period of getting along, Shen Dehan's impression of Chu Qianqian became better and better. In this situation, what if Chu Qianqian was raped and happened to be saved by Shen Dehan? It would be logical for the traumatised young girl to fall in love with her saviour while in shock.
The incident of Shen Xi being drugged yesterday gave Lao K new inspiration.
If Chu Qianqian had been saved by Shen Dehan while being drugged, Lao K did not believe that Shen Dehan would still be able to control himself. Instead of letting Chu Qianqian fall in love with Shen Dehan passively, it would be better to make Shen Dehan feel guilty and instead give the initiative into Chu Qianqian's hands.
There was nothing wrong with this idea no matter how Shen Xi picked it apart, but when he thought of the source of Lao K's inspiration, his face couldn't help but turn black.
"What's wrong?" Li Mingxuan, who had finished answering the phone, noticed Shen Xi's expression and came over worriedly, "Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Once this was mentioned, Shen Xi's expression became even more ugly. Glaring at Li Mingxuan bitterly, Shen Xi grumpily rolled over and lay down, "Sleep!"
Li Mingxuan was taken aback by Shen Xi's tone, and then thought of something and couldn't help laughing.
Chapter 49
Lin Yao's action was very swift. The day after he spoke to Li Mingxuan on the phone, he talked to the Film Bureau and soon the copy of "Against the Current" was sent back to the crew.
Everyone knew what this meant, and Zhou Xiaozhou was the first to get anxious. The movie carried his heart and soul, and once it was not released, the months of hard work would be wasted, and he would not be able to explain it to his investors.
Zhou Xiaozhou went to Hao Zhenmin first and was told that Hao Zhenmin had been transferred to the Information Division because of his style of work and no longer took care of the review. Zhou Xiaozhou was so shocked that he didn't bother to look for Hao Zhenmin but started to inquire about the ban on the movie. However, no matter how much Zhou Xiaozhou tried to find out, there was still no clear explanation and the answer he got was that the theme of the movie did not meet the requirements of the Film Bureau. Zhou Xiaozhou vaguely guessed that he might have offended someone, but he was confused who exactly he had offended.
He was reminded by someone he was having dinner with that time that the last incident might have pissed off Shen Xi; after all, everyone in the circle knew that Fang Luowei was one of Shen Xi's people. Zhou Xiaozhou thought it over carefully. Although he also suspected that Shen Xi was behind the incident, he always felt that Shen Xi was just a dandy with some money. The Shen family was powerful but it had no connections in the entertainment industry, otherwise Zhou Mingmei would not have entrusted Shen Rong to him.
Thinking so, Zhou Xiaozhou still found Shen Rong and mentioned the situation, hoping that Shen Rong could think of a way. In any case, Shen Rong was also from the Shen family, and Shen Dehan would definitely not watch Shen Rong suffer such a messy loss. Shen Rong nodded and smiled in front of Zhou Xiaozhou, but turned away with a gloomy expression on his face.
As soon as this accident happened to Hao Zhenmin, Shen Rong guessed what was going on. It was definitely Shen Xi who was behind it. What puzzled Shen Rong was that the Shen family had no connections in the entertainment industry, and Shen Xi was just a rich straw bag, how on earth did he manage to climb into the ranks of the Film Bureau? When he thought about his investment in the movie, Shen Rong felt his heart ache.
Contrary to what outsiders had guessed, the investment in the movie was not at all paid for by Shen Dehan, but by his and his mother's savings over the years. Although Shen Dehan seemed to like them, he was only willing to transfer a few houses under his name to them, and gave him and his mother a large sum of money every year for their household use. Once it came to Shen Group's stocks and properties, Shen Dehan never let up. Although Shen Rong and Zhou Mingmei were not living badly, when comparing Shen Xi, who spent money recklessly, and Shen Cheng, who had no concept of money, Shen Rong could not help but feel deep jealousy in his heart. They were all his father's children, why should he have nothing?
As he tried hard to suppress the jealousy in his heart, Shen Rong's first thought was of Shen Cheng. He didn't want to alert Shen Dehan on this matter, and the only person he could talk to in the Shen family was Shen Cheng.
Shen Cheng's life in the company these days had been smooth sailing, and he felt happy like a spring breeze. Even Gao Qiulin, who did not see eye to eye with Shen Ji, praised him on different occasions. Although Shen Cheng did not show his happiness, he had a feeling that he was not inferior to his elder brother.
When he unexpectedly received a call from Shen Rong, the first thing that came to Shen Cheng's mind was his elder brother's stern warning, but soon he remembered what Lu Gesen had said. As the general manager of Shen Group, he had to make his own judgement and not be influenced by the judgement of others. The thought flashed through his mind and Shen Cheng pressed the call button, "What are you looking for me for?"
When the call was answered, Shen Rong could not help but feel happy. He was originally worried that Shen Cheng would not answer his call after being scolded by Shen Ji last time. Although he was confident that he could coax Shen Cheng back, now the matter was urgent and he did not have much time to waste on Shen Cheng. Now that Shen Cheng had answered his phone call, he was sure that Shen Cheng would definitely take care of this matter. Sure enough, when he told the general story and deliberately mentioned Shen Xi's suppression of him, Shen Cheng immediately became serious and did not need him to say anything more, consciously taking the matter under his wing.
Using Shen Xi to stimulate Shen Cheng was always a hundred times more effective than anything else, and Shen Rong hung up the phone with satisfaction.
Staring at his phone, Shen Cheng became worried. Not to mention that he had impulsively taken on this matter under the stimulation of Shen Rong, but he also understood that he did not have any contacts in the entertainment industry, so he still needed to find someone to help him with this matter. The names of a few people who could help flashed in his mind one by one. The eldest brother didn't like Shen Rong, so this matter must not be mentioned to the eldest brother. The cousin and the eldest brother could wear the same pair of pants, he definitely could not ask Li Mingxuan for help. Eventually, the only idea he had was to ask Tian Wenyao.
When the call came, Tian Wenyao had just sent his fiancée home. After hearing Shen Cheng's story, Tian Wenyao couldn't help but be taken aback and laugh playfully.
"Shen Rong approached you directly?"
Shen Cheng was puzzled, "Yes, what's wrong?"
Tian Wenyao smiled, "Nothing, you just said that it was Shen Xi who suppressed Shen Rong?" Without waiting for Shen Cheng to answer, Tian Wenyao changed the topic, "Speaking of which, Shen Xi has never contacted me since he went abroad and he has never seen at Shutu after he came back. Do you know what he is doing every day?"
Shen Cheng was impatient, "Didn't you used to dislike Shen Xi, what do you care about him, hurry up and give me an idea."
Tian Wenyao snorted, "When did you get so worked up about Shen Rong's affairs? Watch out for your big brother teaching you a lesson."
Shen Cheng was not happy, "Do you have any ideas or not?"
"I do have an idea, you know Lin Yao, right?"
"Lin Yao? The boss of Shengshi Entertainment?"
"Yes, Lin Yao is said to be the guy who can cover the entire entertainment industry with his palm. I heard that he and Li Mingxuan were classmates. You look for me, isn't it better to look for your cousin directly? If he says a word, it will be just a trivial matter."
"No, if cousin knows, big brother will definitely know. It's not like you don't know that Big Brother doesn't like Shen Rong."
Tian Wenyao shook his head, "I'll have to step in if you can't go to Li Mingxuan, but I'm not close to Lin Yao, so I don't know if I'll be able to persuade him."
Shen Cheng did not care, "Didn't you say it was a trivial matter? With the face of our two families, how can Lin Yao not agree?"
Tian Wenyao was about to say that this matter involved Shen Xi and Lin Yao might not be willing to ruin Shen Xi's face for the sake of an illegitimate son, but then he thought that Shen Rong had Shen Cheng standing behind him, which was still more convincing than Shen Xi.
The two of them chatted casually for a few more minutes before Tian Wenyao hung up the phone. However, he couldn't help but think of Shen Xi.
When Shen Xi suddenly chose to go abroad and had no contact with him for five years, Tian Wenyao did not care at first. But when he was alone, he would occasionally think of that young man who had courted him in every way. Although he didn't like Shen Xi, it didn't stop him from enjoying the feeling of being admired. In the past, both Shen Rong and Shen Xi liked to stick to him, but he still preferred Shen Rong, who was better at pleasing people than Shen Xi. But after these few years, Shen Rong had not made any progress at all. And with him, Tian Wenyao had to work hard in bed. He was really a bit tired of it. He wondered if Shen Xi had changed after five years of absence.
Tian Wenyao made up his mind and dialled Shen Rong's number.
When he saw the caller ID, Shen Rong felt his heart jump. He hesitantly looked at the name that flashed on the screen, gritted his teeth and finally couldn't stop himself from picking up the phone.
"Hello!" Shen Rong tried to make his voice sound cold.
On the other side, Tian Wenyao laughed, "Why didn't you call me? Instead, you went to find Shen Cheng?"
Shen Rong froze, then responded, "Second Brother looked for you?"
Tian Wenyao gave a careless "en", "He wants to hide this matter from Shen Ji. Who else could he find but me? Instead of going through all this trouble, it would be easier for you to come to me directly."
Shen Rong did not say anything; Tian Wenyao laughed lightly, "What?"
Shen Rong said in a low voice, "Don't you have to accompany your fiancée?"
Tian Wenyao said playfully, "She is her, you are you, do you want me to spend all my time with her?"
"Of course not." Shen Rong couldn't help but deny.
Tian Wenyao smiled, "I'll wait for you at the usual place tonight, be careful, don't let the reporters take pictures."
Shen Rong agreed softly. He knew what Tian Wenyao wanted to do when he met him. He also knew that there was no possibility for him and Tian Wenyao to be together. But he could not help but hope extravagantly that if Shen Dehan recognized him as the son of the Shen family, Tian Wenyao would be a little more attentive to him.
Shen Rong gripped the phone tightly. He didn't want much, he just wanted everything that should have been his.
Chapter 50
"Unfilial son!"
Accompanied by this angry shout was the sound of the palm slapping heavily on the table.
Tian Taoping stared angrily at the photos scattered on the table, full of two men clearly visible, naked and entwined. Tian Taoping felt that he was about to die of anger. He always knew that Tian Wenyao was a playful boy, but young people, who do not like to play, not everyone is like Li Xiyong's son! As long as Tian Wenyao played in moderation and was willing to rein in his habits after marriage, Tian Taoping didn't mind. But what he never expected was that Tian Wenyao would be so reckless. He had already suffered once from the Shen family's illegitimate son, and he was still hanging out with him.
Tian Taoping looked for the phone furiously, wishing that this unfilial son who had not returned all night would immediately appear in front of him.
"Early in the morning, why are you throwing a tantrum? Wenyao just didn't come back last night, is that worth losing your temper?" Tian Wenyao's mother heard Tian Taoping's uproar outside and came in discontentedly.
Mrs. Tian's words were like pouring oil on the fire, completely igniting Tian Taoping's anger, "I'm throwing a tantrum?! Why don't you ask your good son what he has done?"
Mrs. Tian did not take her husband's words seriously, "What could Wenyao have done? Went to a bar and was photographed by a reporter? Don't worry, he knows how to behave."
"He knows how to behave? If he knew that, he wouldn't be doing this again and again, that unfilial son!"
Mrs. Tian was displeased, "You're old, don't scold Wenyao at every turn, we only have one son."
In any other case, if she had said this to Tian Wenyao's father, he would have just let it go; but this time, Tian Taoping got even more angry at her words.
"It's all because you spoiled him, just because he's the only one, you spoil him in everything! I'll definitely break his legs when he comes back this time."
As Tian Taoping said that, he tossed the photos on the table at Mrs. Tian. Her originally unconcerned expression changed to one of shock as she looked at the contents of the photos.
"This is Wenyao and the illegitimate son of the Shen family? When did this happen?"
Tian Taoping said coldly, "Look at the dates on the photos, they range from a few years ago to a few days ago, this unfilial son has been in contact with that Shen Rong for the past few years."
Mrs. Tian said in surprise, "How could that be? Didn't he say that he and that illegitimate son were just playing around? How could they be in contact all the time? Hasn't the incident five years ago taught him enough?" The more Mrs. Tian thought about it, the angrier she became, "It must be that bastard who seduced Wenyao."
Tian Taoping snorted, "Call that unfilial son and tell him to come back immediately. And call the Fang family to find out if Jiaying has received such unsavoury things. Yesterday, Lao Fang told me that he would pick a date for Wenyao and Jiaying's wedding, so tell that evil son to stay home during this time!"
Mrs. Tian nodded, and Tian Taoping gathered the photos, "I'm going to the Shen family, it's time for Shen Dehan to take care of that bastard son of his."
As Tian Taoping went out, Mrs. Tian thought for a while and then called the Fang family.
"Auntie." The female voice on the phone was as well-behaved as ever.
Mrs. Tian smiled amiably, "Jiaying, what are you doing now? In a few days' time, it will be the third anniversary of your engagement to Wenyao. I have just discussed with your uncle and would like to invite some relatives and friends to get together and have a good time on that day. What do you think?"
There seemed to be a momentary hesitation on the other side of the phone, "Auntie, wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
"Silly child, what's the trouble? I'm old and I like this kind of fun."
"Thank you, Auntie, you are so kind!" Listening to Fang Jiaying's coquettish voice, Mrs. Tian smiled more and more kindly. It looked like Jiaying had not received these photos, otherwise how could she still smile like this? That was good, let Wenyao coax Jiaying more in the meantime, and let's talk about getting married as soon as possible.
Mrs. Tian's imagination was full of wonderful pictures, but she did not know that the person on the other side of the phone was sneering mockingly.
Fang Jiaying hung up the phone expressionlessly and threw the photos in her hands to the ground fiercely. In the photos scattered around, Tian Wenyao was holding Shen Rong with an expression of ecstasy on his face.
Tian Wenyao did not love her, she had actually felt it long ago. Whether a man loves her or not, whether his heart is in her or not, the woman will always be the first to know. It's just that some women pierce men's lies, while some women are willing to get lost in lies and pretend to be happy.
It had been three years since she and Tian Wenyao got engaged. In fact, they should have got engaged five years ago, except that a sex video of Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong suddenly broke out on the internet that year. The two families' engagement plans were forced to be put on hold. Fang Jiaying still remembered how Tian Wenyao confessed to her with a haggard face, saying that he was just drunk and did not think that Shen Rong would take advantage of the opportunity to climb into his bed.
After that incident, everyone urged her to forgive Tian Wenyao. Her father said that the marriage between the two families was good for both sides and that she should not be angry. Her mother reassured her that men are like that, that they all like to have fun when they are young and that it would be better once they are married. What's more, Tian Wenyao liked to play with a man, so she didn't have to worry about an illegitimate child popping out to disgust her. Even her friends said that Tian Wenyao was very good and told her to seize this opportunity. Anyway, with Shen Rong as a handle, she was not afraid that Tian Wenyao would dare to treat her badly in the future.
What did she do then? She not only forgave Tian Wenyao, but also supported him everywhere, and insisted on appearing with him on all occasions, just to prove that their love was stronger than gold.
Now that she thought about it, she felt ridiculously foolish. Fang Jiaying laughed self-deprecatingly.
She had been lying to herself for five years, and now she couldn't do it anymore.
Her eyes swept over the photos on the floor once again, landing on the email address on the back of one of the photos, and a hint of coldness flashed in Fang Jiaying's eyes. Five years of wasted youth, what should she give back to Tian Wenyao for that?
That morning, Lao K received an unexpected email. The sender's name was Fang Jiaying, but the content took Lao K by surprise.
"Cooperation?" Even Shen Xi couldn't help but be surprised when he heard Lao K's words.
"No kidding, I thought she was refusing to believe it and wanted more proof. I didn't expect her to mention cooperation directly. She seemed to believe that we were trying to destroy the marriage between the Tian and the Fang families and took it upon herself to say that her intentions were the same as ours." Lao K hesitantly asked Shen Xi, "Do you think she might have been too stimulated?"
Shen Xi laughed lightly, "A normal woman would break off her engagement if she found out her fiancé was unfaithful to her, right? Not to mention the fact that Tian Wenyao has cheated on her for the second time, with the same person."
"That being said, do you know what she plans to do?"
"Do what?"
"She plans to publicise these photos and video at the engagement anniversary in a few days."
Shen Xi froze, not expecting Fang Jiaying to be so decisive. Once these things appeared in front of everyone in such a way, the relationship between the Fang and the Tian families would probably be completely broken. Thinking about the relationship between the Shen family and the Tian family, he thought that Shen Dehan would definitely be there that day. If Fang Jiaying really released the videos and the photos in public, Shen Xi could simply foresee how the Tian and the Shen families would be disgraced, and even the Fang family would not be able to escape being talked about.
"Injure a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own?" Shen Xi smiled faintly, "Give her the video."
Lao K hesitantly agreed and couldn't help but ask, "Will you go there that day?"
"Why not go?" Shen Xi asked rhetorically. Such an opportunity to watch Shen Dehan get punched in the face, why wouldn't he go?
Lao K seemed to be trying to say something, but after thinking about it he ended up saying nothing.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Xi felt his heart warm up slightly. Lao K was probably worried that he would be involved in the incident and would be pointed out by the public. But he was not the one who had an illegitimate son, so why did he have to be afraid of losing face? He just wondered what would happen to Shen Ji and Shen Cheng. Shen Xi couldn't help but look forward to it.
"Unfilial son!" This time it was not Tian Taoping cursing but Shen Dehan instead.
Shen Dehan was trembling with anger as he pointed at the photos in front of him unable to say anything. He hadn't expected that Shen Rong would still be hanging out with Tian Wenyao and that someone would even take pictures of them. Looking at the clarity of the photos and the appearance of the two, it was obvious that the other party had come prepared.
Shen Dehan took a deep breath and turned to Tian Taoping, "Where did these photos come from?"
Tian Taoping grimaced, "They were delivered by courier in the morning."
"Did the other party make any demands? Are there any clues?" Shen Dehan asked, obviously suspecting that the other party's goal was blackmail.
Tian Taoping gave Shen Dehan a deep look. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about the blackmail, but if the other party was really blackmailing, there was no way they wouldn't have mentioned any demands. He was sure that he had gone through the package very carefully and had not missed any clues.
He was more suspicious of Shen Rong than the aimless blackmail. The photos were simply taken too clearly, almost as if the participants were posing deliberately. He had suspected that the video five years ago was Shen Rong's doing, but in the end the matter had been dropped. This time, whether it was Shen Rong or not, he had to completely break Shen Rong's mind about it in order to avoid any trouble in the future. His, Tian Taoping's, son could never be involved with a man, especially an illegitimate son who had to be kept in the shadows.
As this thought flashed through his mind, Tian Taoping shook his head and said meaningfully, "I suspect that these photos are aimed at Wenyao and Jiaying's marriage. You know that Wenyao and Jiaying will be getting married soon. It is inevitable that some people will feel uncomfortable and do things that harm others and not benefit themselves."
The implication in Tian Taoping's words was too obvious, implying that Shen Rong had done all this himself, and Shen Dehan could not help but snort, "Shen Dehan's son is not that lowly."
Tian Taoping was unmoved, "Dehan, we have been friends for many years, and you should not blame me for speaking directly. Ah Ji and A Cheng grew up in front of my eyes. Both of them are good kids, no need to say much about that. Even if you don't like Shen Xi, the boy is just a bit playful, there's nothing wrong with him. But Shen Rong is just an illegitimate son. He's naturally good in front of you, but do you know what he looks like behind your back? Five years ago he was only eighteen years old and he dared to get close to Wenyao and climb into his bed through Ah Cheng. Who can say what he will do five years later?"
Tian Taoping's words were so direct that Shen Dehan's face couldn't help but turn cold.
Tian Taoping didn't care and patted Shen Dehan's shoulder, "Dehan, I only have one son. Wenyao, he might have been a bit playful when he was young, but he and Jiaying have been good together over the years. I've been waiting to hold my grandchildren for a long time, I really don't want to see him tangled up with a man."
Shen Dehan snorted coldly, "You think I would like to see my son tangled up with a man?"
Tian Taoping shook his head, "How could that be? It's just that Wenyao will be getting married soon, and I'm worried that if he and Shen Rong have any more interactions, it will be a problem if the reporters catch them. I will keep an eye on Wenyao in the meantime, and I hope that you will remind Shen Rong to behave."
When all was said and done, he still felt that Shen Rong had seduced Tian Wenyao. Shen Dehan was dissatisfied but could not argue with him, so he grunted coldly and agreed with a heavy heart.
After sending Tian Taoping away, Shen Dehan looked at the photos Tian Taoping had left behind, and his face once again turned gloomy.