Rebirth: Different Way

by Usui Takumii

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

6. 51 to 60

Chapter 51

Shen Rong soon found out about the photos.

When Tian Wenyao received the call from his mother, Shen Rong was under him. Tian Wenyao picked up the phone and glanced at it carelessly; his expression changed slightly and he made a silent gesture at Shen Rong. Shen Rong was almost at the peak when Tian Wenyao suddenly stopped. Unable to give vent to his accumulated pleasure, Shen Rong chung to Tian Wenyao's waist, dissatisfied, moaning sweetly.

A hint of impatience flashed in Tian Wenyao's eyes and he gave Shen Rong a warning squeeze but did not push him away. It was only when his mother spoke of the photos that Tian Wenyao's heart missed a bit and he got to his feet abruptly, "What?"

Tian Wenyao's action was so sudden that Shen Rong fell back to the bed unprepared. He regained his senses, instinctively looked at Tian Wenyao and met his gloomy eyes.

"What's wrong?" Shen Rong was puzzled.

Tian Wenyao stared at Shen Rong grimly for a while, "Did you hire someone to take pictures of us?"

"Hired someone to take pictures?" Shen Rong repeated in surprise, then thought of something and looked alarmed, "Did something else break out on the internet?"

Shen Rong's anxiety did not seem to be a lie. Tian Wenyao watched Shen Rong carefully and his heart slightly settled. Getting dressed quickly, Tian Wenyao coldly mentioned the matter of the photos, left the naked Shen Rong behind and walked out.

Only after Tian Wenyao left was Shen Rong able to react. Thinking about the photos mentioned by Tian Wenyao, Shen Rong didn't bother with taking a shower. He thought of his mother first, and hurried back home.

"Pop!"

A crisp slap quickly made Shen Rong's left cheek turn red.

"I remember warning you not to have any more contact with Tian Wenyao!" Zhou Mingmei said coldly.

Shen Rong stood in front of Zhou Mingmei with his head down, silent.

Zhou Mingmei suppressed her anger, "How long have you been in contact with him behind my back?"

Shen Rong bit his lip and said in a low voice, "There has always been contact."

"All the time?!" Zhou Mingmei was furious, "You ignore my words, but when something happens, you remember that I am your mother and you are really my good son."

When Shen Rong heard the words "good son", a trace of guilt flashed on his face.

Zhou Mingmei didn't notice Shen Rong's expression; her mind raced to think about how likely it was that Shen Dehan knew about this.

There was a soft knock on the door and the maid's voice sounded from outside, "Madam, Mr. Shen has just called to say he is coming over."

Shen Rong was instantly startled and subconsciously looked at Zhou Mingmei whose expression remained unchanged, "I see."

The maid quickly disappeared behind the door.

Glancing at Shen Rong's expression, Zhou Mingmei said coldly, "Your father seems to already know."

Shen Rong could not help but panic, "What should we do?"

Zhou Mingmei's face darkened, "You must be removed from this matter. No matter what your father says later, you must insist that it was Tian Wenyao who pestered you, that he forced you. Remember?"

Shen Rong hesitated and Zhou Mingmei sneered, "You still want to defend Tian Wenyao at this time? He is the heir of the Tian family, taking the blame for this is nothing for him. And who are you? The illegitimate son of the Shen family who is not recognized, do you want to be exiled abroad once again?"

Shen Rong struggled in his heart as Zhou Mingmei stared at him angrily, "Were you forced or did you offer yourself, choose one?"

Shen Rong bit his lips bloody and finally nodded slowly.

Zhou Mingmei gave Shen Rong a satisfied look and reached out to touch his face, "Later on, before your father says anything, you have to remember that you don't know anything, got it?"

"I understand!" Shen Rong whispered.

When Shen Dehan arrived, what he saw when he pushed the door open was Shen Rong sitting in front of the piano in the living room, playing with a serious expression. Zhou Mingmei stood behind him with a smile in her eyes, gently listening to the melody.

Shen Dehan's original anger dissipated quite a bit after seeing this scene, but when he thought about the photos, his face froze.

"Mr. Shen!" The maid's voice sounded respectfully, and only then did the two people in the room seem to notice Shen Dehan's appearance. Zhou Mingmei looked over in surprise, "Dehan!"

The surprise in Zhou Mingmei's eyes was so obvious that Shen Dehan's original movement of throwing the photos in his hand could not help but pause. He could only watch Zhou Mingmei greet him and diligently help him take off his coat.

Shen Rong followed Zhou Mingmei and stood in front of him, his eyes full of admiration, "Father!"

Shen Dehan responded coldly, walked past Shen Rong and sat straight on the sofa in the living room.

"During this time, who have you been with every day?" Looking at Shen Rong, Shen Dehan said in a cold voice.

A hint of panic flashed in Shen Rong's eyes, and he quickly lowered his head, forcing himself to be calm, "Father, I go to the set every day, mostly with Director Zhou."

"Director Zhou?" Shen Dehan snorted coldly and threw the photos in his hand in front of Shen Rong, "This is Director Zhou?"

Countless photos scattered in front of Shen Rong, his face alternating with Tian Wenyao's. Shen Rong stood there in shock, trembling all over.

"Ah Rong?" The first to react was Zhou Mingmei, "What's going on? You and him?"

Shen Rong trembled and looked at Zhou Mingmei. A trace of pain flashed in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and lowered his head without speaking.

"You!" Zhou Mingmei pointed at Shen Rong in anger, and suddenly her whole body went limp and she fell backwards.

"Mother!" Shen Rong shouted anxiously and hurriedly made his way to Zhou Mingmei.

"Mingmei!" Shen Dehan caught Zhou Mingmei in time. Zhou Mingmei seemed to have recovered her senses and struggled to squeeze out a smile at Shen Dehan, holding on to him as she slowly stood up, "Dehan, I'm fine."

Shen Rong's face was full of worry and carried a vague trace of guilt, "Mother!"

"Pop!"

Following a sharp slap, Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Rong with disappointment, "Don't call me Mother, I don't have a son like you."

"Mother!" Shen Rong's eyes were filled with pain but Zhou Mingmei ruthlessly turned her head away.

Shen Dehan patted Zhou Mingmei in his arms soothingly and looked at Shen Rong grimly, "What is going on with the photos?"

Shen Rong's body trembled; he clenched his fists and looked at Shen Dehan with eyes full of pain. However, he bit his lip and refused to speak.

"You unfilial son!" Shen Dehan shouted angrily.

Zhou Mingmei grabbed Shen Dehan's sleeve, her face full of self-blame, "Dehan, it's all my fault, I didn't teach Ah Rong well, I'm sorry."

Seeing that his mother seemed to be taking all the blame on herself, Shen Rong could not help but speak up to stop it, "Mother."

Zhou Mingmei waved her hand at Shen Rong in disappointment without turning her head to look at him.

Shen Rong gave Zhou Mingmei a painful look and lowered his head in humiliation, his voice thin like a mosquito, "I didn't want to either, it was him who threatened me."

"Threatened?" Shen Dehan looked at Shen Rong in shock.

Shen Rong turned his head away in embarrassment, "I'm just an illegitimate child of the Shen family, I'm nothing in his eyes. If he wants to force me, I can't do anything about it."

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Shen Dehan said angrily.

Shen Rong gave his father a desperate look, "I didn't dare, I was afraid that you would be disappointed in me, father, and would look down on me. After the last video, everyone thought I seduced him, I…" Shen Rong lowered his head in pain, "Originally, I planned to break up with him completely when I came back this time, but…" Shen Rong didn't go on.

"But what?" Shen Dehan asked.

Shen Rong shook his head, refusing to speak again.

"Did he threaten you again?" Shen Dehan guessed.

Shen Rong lowered his head in shame.

Shen Dehan slapped his palm on the table bitterly, "What did Tian Wenyao threaten you with?"

Shen Rong shook his head, still refusing to speak.

Shen Dehan was dissatisfied, "What else are you hiding from me?"

Shen Rong gave his father a pleading look, "I have used all of my mother's savings over the years to invest in a movie."

Shen Dehan was taken aback, "What does this have to do with Tian Wenyao?"

Shen Rong's voice became even smaller, "It's Shen Xi. Shen Xi found someone to cut the movie I invested in. Tian Wenyao said he could help, so…"

Shen Dehan did not expect this matter to actually involve Shen Xi. When he looked at Shen Rong's embarrassed expression while talking about these matters, Shen Dehan's heart softened and a wave of guilt welled up.

"Father will definitely help you get justice in this matter."

"Father!" Shen Rong did not expect Shen Dehan to say this and instinctively wanted to stop him. Zhou Mingmei glanced at Shen Rong silently. Shen Rong gritted his teeth and resisted Zhou Mingmei's gaze, "Father, you must not affect the relationship with the Tian family because of me. I am not important. I will definitely refuse Tian Wenyao in the future, father." Shen Rong's face was full of pleading.

Shen Dehan looked at him and felt that Shen Rong was determined to do what was best for the Shen family. He thought that Shen Rong was afraid that the relationship between the Shen and Tian families would break down because of him. To be honest, he had just said under the spur of the moment that he would seek justice for Shen Rong, and then regretted it. He couldn't really break off relations with the Tian family because of Shen Rong, and it was even more impossible to discuss such things openly. In the end, he could only wrong Shen Rong, and he felt even more guilty when he thought about it.

"You can come to work at Shen Group in a few days. Making movies is for people who don't have a job, don't learn from Shen Xi."

Shen Rong had a disbelieving look on his face, "Father."

Shen Dehan patted him soothingly, and Shen Rong tried to suppress the excitement in his heart as he flocked around his father.

Shen Dehan didn't stay for long. After sending him away, Zhou Mingmei gave Shen Rong a warning glance, "Remember what you just said, don't have any more dealings with Tian Wenyao in the future."

Shen Rong's surprise and joy faded a lot after these words, but facing Zhou Mingmei's gaze, Shen Rong finally chose to compromise.

The matter of the photos seemed to have passed like this. There was no news coming from both the Fang and Shen families, and the media was also calm. Tian Wenyao's heart, which had been on tenterhooks for several days, was finally completely relieved, and he appeared in front of Fang Jiaying with a relaxed expression.

"Jiaying, what do you think of this dress?" Holding a green tube dress in his hand, Tian Wenyao was saying gently to Fang Jiaying.

Fang Jiaying shook her head and Tian Wenyao hid the impatience in his eyes and picked up another dress, "How about this one?"

Fang Jiaying gave it a hesitant look and shook her head again.

Tian Wenyao took a deep breath and took another one, "How about this one?"

Fang Jiaying hesitantly looked at the several dresses on the bed, unable to make a choice.

"Still haven't changed your clothes?" Fang Jiaying's mother appeared at the door, dissatisfied. "Jiaying, there are already guests starting to arrive, so don't dawdle."

Fang Jiaying gave her mother a petulant look, "Today is a very important day for me, of course I have to choose carefully. Wenyao, why don't you go out to receive the guests first?"

After he'd accompanied Fang Jiaying for half a day to choose a dress, Tian Wenyao's patience was exhausted, and he took advantage of the situation to get up, "Okay." When passing by Fang Jiaying, Tian Wenyao naturally bent over and kissed her on the cheek, "No matter what you wear, you are the most beautiful in my heart."

Fang Jiaying smiled, "I just hope to impress you enough so that you never forget it."

Although Tian Wenyao found this statement a little strange, he didn't think much of it. He just thought that Fang Jiaying wanted to show herself at her best in front of him. He smiled and followed Mrs. Fang out.

Behind him, Fang Jiaying casually drew a light-coloured dress and slipped it on. She wasn't picking, she just didn't want to accompany Tian Wenyao to socialise hypocritically in front of all these people.

It was the third anniversary of Tian Wenyao and Fang Jiaying's engagement, and although both the Tian and the Fang families said that they were only celebrating on a small scale, the circle in Zhongjing was so big that most people had received invitations.

Shen Xi rushed back to the Shen family early that day. No matter whether he was happy or not, as a member of the Shen family, he needed to accompany his father today.

Shen Xi's father was obviously very displeased with Shen Xi's presence and chose to ignore him after a cold glance. Shen Xi frowned imperceptibly; he was used to the fact that his father did not like him, but today his father's coldness towards him was too obvious. Had he done anything to provoke his father recently?

After only a moment of thought, Shen Xi gave up this idea. He suspected that in Shen Dehan's heart, his birth was a provocation, let alone anything else.

When Shen Dehan showed up at the Fang's house with a few members of his family, Li Mingxuan and Li Xiyong were chatting with today's host. As Shen Xi's figure appeared, Li Mingxuan's eyes lit up and after gesturing to Li Xiyong, he walked towards Shen Xi.

"Uncle." Li Mingxuan smiled and greeted Shen Dehan, his gaze swiping vaguely over Shen Xi. Shen Xi smiled at him and a hint of imperceptible tenderness flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes.

Shen Dehan looked at Li Mingxuan amiably, "Where is Xiyong?"

Li Mingxuan gestured towards the hall, "Father is over there with Uncle Fang."

Shen Dehan nodded, "I'll go over first, you young people get together. Ah Ji, you accompany me to say hello."

"Okay!"

As Shen Dehan and Shen Ji's figures disappeared into the crowd, Shen Cheng immediately smiled ingratiatingly at Li Mingxuan, "Cousin!"

Li Mingxuan chuckled, "I know, go and find Wenyao."

Shen Cheng nodded and hurriedly looked around for Tian Wenyao's figure, leaving Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi standing together.

Li Mingxuan's gaze softened, "Let's go together after it's over."

Shen Xi was very surprised, "Doesn't Cousin need to go home with Uncle and Aunt?"

Li Mingxuan smiled and reached out to rub Shen Xi's hair, "No, I told Father, not to mention that home is where Xiao Xi is."

Li Mingxuan's words were so sweet that Shen Xi couldn't help but smile, startled.

The interaction between the two was noticed by Li Xiyong who watched them in silence. Shen Dehan, who was talking to him, followed his line of sight, "When did Mingxuan and Shen Xi get on so well?"

Li Xiyong swept a glance at Shen Dehan who looked puzzled and changed the subject with a wry smile.

Seeing that there were more and more guests and Fang Jiaying had not yet appeared, her father looked at her mother with dissatisfaction, "Where is Jiaying?"

"Probably still changing her clothes, I'll go look for her." Mrs. Fang was about to turn when she saw Fang Jiaying slowly walking down the stairs.

"Why are you so late?" Mrs. Fang complained in a low voice.

Fang Jiaying smiled and didn't say anything.

"Jiaying." Tian Wenyao walked over from a distance. Fang Jiaying had a pleasant smile on her face and took the initiative to hold his arm.

Today's party was organised by Fang Jiaying. Originally, Tian Wenyao's mother had planned to hold the party at the Tian's house, but Fang Jiaying insisted on holding it at the Fang's house, so Mrs. Tian went along with Fang Jiaying's wishes. ADuring the party, Fang Jiaying arranged a number of interesting settings, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Seeing that the atmosphere reached its climax, Fang Jiaying stood in front of the crowd holding Tian Wenyao's arm.

"Today is the third anniversary of my engagement to Wenyao. I have a gift for Wenyao." Fang Jiaying said, looking at Tian Wenyao with a smile.

Tian Wenyao was taken aback, and then understood that this was Fang Jiaying's surprise to him. He cooperated happily and put a surprised smile on his face.

Fang Jiaying motioned everyone to look at the left side of the hall, where a huge projection screen had been hung up for some time. With a gesture from Fang Jiaying, the lights in the hall were instantly extinguished, leaving everyone in the dark.

The corners of Shen Xi's mouth slowly curled up. He was about to enjoy Shen Rong's diligent performance when he was unexpectedly gathered in Li Mingxuan's arms. Soft lips pressed against his lips and a wet, slippery tongue slid in. Shen Xi's heartbeat sped up and he reacted fiercely, kissing back, the thrill making his whole body feverish. The screen started to light up and the two men separated quickly, standing side by side in the darkness, their lowered hands clasped tightly.

As the screen became brighter and brighter, everyone's attention couldn't help but focus on it, and a sweet, greasy moan suddenly reached everyone's ears.

"Wenyao!" The moan was accompanied by a male voice calling out.

Before the crowd could react, the screen lit up and two men appeared on it, naked and intertwined together. A low exclamation sounded in the crowd.

Tian Wenyao's heart instantly sank. His whole body seemed to freeze, unable to even move, while his thoughts were incomparably clear.

The moment the initial moan sounded, Tian Wenyao had a bad feeling, but he didn't expect Fang Jiaying to go this crazy. He could already predict how his reputation would be tarnished in Zhongjing and he would never be able to hold his head up again.

Fang Jiaying intimately leaned to his ear, "Do you like it? My surprise for you." It was obviously a sweet female voice, but it was like a demon whispering in Tian Wenyao's ear.

"Turn it off, hurry up and turn it off!" Tian Taoping's angry voice rang out loudly.

As if echoing his words, the scene on the projection screen changed. It was still the same two men, but this time their actions were even more over the top.

Someone was whispering, "It's that bastard son of the Shen family."

"I think his name is Shen Rong, born to Shen Dehan's mistress."

"Do you guys still remember that video that was circulating on the internet five years ago?"

"It seems that Shen Dehan intends to recognize that illegitimate son."

Countless whispers sounded in his ears as Shen Dehan stood there, only to feel that all the people were looking at him and laughing at him, that the Shen family's centuries-old reputation had been completely destroyed at Shen Rong's hands this night.

"Look at the illegitimate son of the Shen family. Look at Shen Dehan's son."

These few words kept drilling into Shen Dehan's ears. He was gasping for breath. At the moment the lights came on, he could no longer support himself and fell straight down.

"Father!" Shen Ji cried out in panic, leaning down to look at Shen Dehan.

The crowd suddenly panicked as Shen Dehan collapsed.

Shen Xi stood far behind, looking through the crowd at Shen Dehan who lay on the floor, and the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.

The next moment, Shen Xi was fiercely swept into the arms of Li Mingxuan, who patted him gently and said comfortingly, "Uncle will be fine."

The inquiring gazes that originally fell on Shen Xi gradually moved away as Li Mingxuan continued to comfort Shen Xi in his arms, and the attention of the people around them was once again attracted by Shen Dehan in the centre.

Li Mingxuan gently patted Shen Xi and lowered his eyes, hiding the complex emotions within.

Chapter 52

Shen Dehan's collapse set off the beginning of the night's chaos.

"Ah!" With a short cry of shock, this time it was Mrs. Tian who fell limply to the ground.

"Wenyao!" With his wife in his arms, Tian Taoping shouted angrily at Tian Wenyao, who was still standing dumbfounded.

The familiar voice brought Tian Wenyao to his senses, and with a fierce glance at Fang Jiaying beside him, Tian Wenyao rushed to his mother. As Tian Wenyao came over, the people who gathered around Tian Taoping made way for him, covertly watching him. Tian Wenyao tried to act as if nothing had happened, and hurriedly left with his father carrying his mother.

Fang Jiaying's expression was indifferent as she stared at Tian Wenyao's hastily leaving back. She straightened her back and did not move. When footsteps came from behind her, Fang Jiaying turned around with an unchanged expression and met the eyes of her father and mother.

Mr. Fang's eyes were filled with unconcealed anger, while Mrs. Fang seemed incredulous, gazing at Fang Jiaying with a look of disbelief. Fang Jiaying stared at her parents in silence for a while before suddenly smiling, "Tonight is really impressive, what do you think, Dad, Mom?" Without waiting for her parents to say anything, Fang Jiaying had already curbed her smile, "Father, I will go to the company tomorrow. I am a bit tired today, so I will go and rest first."

Fang Jiaying finished speaking and left straight away. She had already been an obedient girl enough, and she had had enough of being at the mercy of her parents. She was the only daughter of the Fang family. Why should she give up her inheritance rights, why should she let others step on her, and why should she pin her happiness on a man next to her like her mother? She could obviously live another life, right?

Behind Fang Jiaying, her father looked at her straight back, his eyes full of inquiry.

As the Tian family left, Shen Dehan was also carried out of the hall by the bodyguards. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng walked by his side with distorted faces. Li Mingxuan let go of Shen Xi in his arms and quickly pulled him along to follow.

Shen Dehan was carefully escorted to the car by the bodyguards, and Shen Ji was the first to get in with him. Li Mingxuan glanced at the space inside the car and pulled Shen Xi a few steps behind, "Ah Ji, Xiao Xi and I will drive over by ourselves."

Shen Ji nodded, not bothering to say anything, and urged the driver to rush towards the hospital.

The crowd in the hall was dispersing slowly. Li Mingxuan didn't want Shen Xi to be pointed at by everyone. Protecting Shen Xi, he got in the car and followed Shen Ji's car.

From leaving the hall to the present, Shen Xi had been indifferent throughout the process.

Li Mingxuan gave Shen Xi a complicated look before finally asking, "Are you worried about Uncle, Xiao Xi?"

Since Li Mingxuan had already noticed, Shen Xi had no intention of refuting and asked, "Do I look like I'm worried?"

Li Mingxuan's heart sank as Shen Xi continued mockingly, "Why should I be worried? In my eyes, he is nothing more than a stranger who carries the name of my father. He doesn't like me, and I don't like him either. Our pathetic father-son bond has long been worn away after so many years. On the contrary, not only am I not worried, but I am very happy, don't you see?"

The moment his father fell, Shen Xi could not control the pleasure he felt in his heart, especially when he thought about the reason why his father collapsed. He knew he should have controlled his emotions, but at that moment he subconsciously cocked up the corners of his mouth.

He didn't care what Li Mingxuan saw. If the warmth that Li Mingxuan brought to his heart was what he craved, he could throw it away without hesitation compared to the great pleasure he would get from destroying the Shen family.

In his new life, his goal had always been clear, and no one could stand in his way.

Shen Xi's tone was distant as he revealed facts indifferently, and Li Mingxuan's heart sank. He felt that Shen Xi at this moment seemed far away from him, so far that if he let go of his hand, he might not be able to hold on to him anymore and would lose Shen Xi forever.

Li Mingxuan looked ahead in silence. He had always known that his uncle was cold towards Shen Xi, and he also knew the knot in Shen Xi's heart. After getting together with Shen Xi, both of them consciously or unconsciously avoided mentioning the Shen family, and even if they did occasionally mention it, Shen Xi would always have a tone of disinterest.

He thought that Shen Xi was escaping; he thought that no matter how unconcerned Shen Xi seemed on the surface, he still had expectations for his father in his heart. He did not expect Shen Xi and Shen Dehan to have a father-son bond, but he thought there would always be a trace of father-son affection between them.

But now the mockery in Shen Xi's words made his previous thoughts ridiculous. He had no way to question the rightness or wrongness of Shen Xi's behaviour, and even his first thought was to protect Shen Xi; but in his heart he couldn't tell how exactly he felt.

It turned out that he had never understood what was really in Shen Xi's heart. He thought he understood Shen Xi, but in fact he was just being presumptuous.

Li Mingxuan's heart clenched tightly; he wanted to say something to Shen Xi, but he didn't know where to start. Shen Xi did not show the slightest sign of speaking either, sitting indifferently beside him, as if a solid wall had been erected between them.

They soon arrived at the hospital; Shen Xi pulled open the car door and walked ahead. Li Mingxuan followed behind him in silence.

Shen Dehan had awakened on the way to the hospital and was now surrounded by doctors doing various tests. Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were quietly standing on one side of the ward. Shen Xi swept a glance at the two of them and walked to the other side of the ward. Without hesitation, Li Mingxuan stood next to Shen Xi, staring unconsciously at Shen Xi's profile.

The doctor's examination was soon over. There was nothing wrong with Shen Dehan's body. Like the last time, he was just stimulated a lot and felt suffocating. Of course, the doctor also warned everyone that although Shen Dehan's health was good, he was too old to withstand too much emotional turmoil. The family must be careful not to let Shen Dehan suffer any further stimulation in the future.

In order to soothe Shen Dehan's emotions, the doctor gave him an injection. Watching Shen Dehan fall asleep, Shen Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll watch over Father tonight, you guys go back and rest first." Gently closing the door of the ward, Shen Ji said to the others.

Shen Cheng glanced at Shen Ji worriedly, "Big Brother, let me accompany you."

Shen Ji shook his head, "You still have to go to the company tomorrow. Go to bed early, the company is depending on you these days."

Shen Cheng nodded, and Shen Ji's gaze fell on Shen Xi, "You can go back too."

Shen Xi lightly responded, "Big Brother has worked hard." After saying that, without much delay, he turned around and left.

Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi's back, turned and patted Shen Ji's shoulder, "You shouldn't worry too much, didn't the doctor say that Uncle was fine?"

Shen Ji smiled bitterly, "I'm fine, tell Aunt about Father's situation."

Li Mingxuan agreed. Uneasy that Shen Xi was leaving alone, without saying anything else, he quickly chased after Shen Xi.

The moment the elevator was about to close, Li Mingxuan reached out his hand to stop it. As the elevator doors slowly opened again, Shen Xi's face came into view. As their eyes met, Shen Xi's gaze was filled with emotions that Li Mingxuan could not understand. A great fear rose in Li Mingxuan's heart. Unlike the indifference in the car, there was too much strangeness about Shen Xi at this moment. Li Mingxuan had a hunch that if he did not do something, he might lose Shen Xi forever.

In this great fear, Li Mingxuan ignored Shen Cheng who was following behind him, took a step into the elevator and held Shen Xi tightly in his arms.

Shen Xi did not struggle and obediently let Li Mingxuan hold him. Shen Cheng outside the elevator looked dumbfounded at the two people inside, pointing at Shen Xi and unable to speak.

The elevator doors closed again, and Shen Cheng was left standing at the door in a daze. Inside the elevator, Li Mingxuan didn't say anything, just hugged Shen Xi tightly.

The two drove back in silence until they reached the neighbourhood where they lived.

Even while driving, Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi's left hand tightly, fearing that if he let go of it, he would no longer be able to hold on to Shen Xi.

They entered the house quietly, took a shower, changed their clothes, and went to bed, but Shen Xi did not say a word to Li Mingxuan until they were lying in bed.

Li Mingxuan lay beside Shen Xi, pressed close to Shen Xi's body and carefully enveloped him in his arms. The moment their bodies fit together, Li Mingxuan's heart that had been terrified finally settled down. Gently kissing Shen Xi's still damp hair, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, "Xiao Xi, I'm sorry."

Shen Xi didn't respond. Li Mingxuan didn't care, he just hugged the man in his arms tightly and kept talking in a low voice.

At this moment, Li Mingxuan threw away all his pride and revealed his heart to Shen Xi.

"Xiao Xi, I'm sorry. I always thought that I loved you and could take good care of you. But today I realised that I only thought I loved you self-righteously and I never even understood what you were thinking. I stubbornly measured you by my own thoughts and forced my ideas on you. I couldn't even resist the urge to change you, to make you what I expected you to be."

In the boundless darkness, Li Mingxuan's magnetic voice sounded in Shen Xi's ears, and Shen Xi was lost for a moment. He thought Li Mingxuan would question his attitude; he did not expect Li Mingxuan to dissect himself first.

Li Mingxuan said that he did not understand him, and Shen Xi thought: but what did he let him understand?

Understand how he resented Shen Dehan? Understand how he deliberately wanted to destroy the Shen family? Understand how he was designing everything behind the scenes? He had never shown the real Shen Xi in front of Li Mingxuan. Everything was just played out according to the script. What could he see?

Li Mingxuan thought that he didn't want to return to the Shen family because he was running away. Li Mingxuan thought that he was reluctant to talk about his father because he still had ridiculous feelings for him in his heart. Li Mingxuan thought that he wanted to get his father's acknowledgement, that what he wanted was to fit into the Shen family.

What was wrong with these thoughts? These things were all originally demonstrated by Shen Xi himself in front of Li Mingxuan. If he had not inadvertently lost his temper today, he would have continued to pretend like this in front of Li Mingxuan until the moment the dust settled.

Shen Xi sniffed the clean scent in Li Mingxuan's arms and for the first time felt guilty towards Li Mingxuan.

Gently reaching out to hug Li Mingxuan back, feeling the vibration of Li Mingxuan's body, Shen Xi slowly said, "I hate him."

Although Shen Xi didn't mention it, both of them knew who he was referring to. Li Mingxuan let out a deep sigh and hugged Shen Xi even harder.

"I was an unwanted child for him, and all he did was dislike me since I was little. While Shen Ji and Shen Cheng were surrounded by his care, I could only ever watch enviously from the side. But it didn't matter. I still had my mother and my grandfather and my uncle. But at the age of six, I watched my mother lying in the rain with a pool of blood under her body. After my mother's death, my uncle and grandfather soon passed away, leaving me alone. He still didn't like me and treated me like a transparent person. No one in the Shen family liked me, everyone treated me like a transparent person, even the maids. I tried desperately to do all sorts of things he didn't like, just so I could get him to look at me. And once he did look at me, even if it was for a scolding, I could be happy for a long time all by myself. He never remembered my birthday, but my birthday wish every year was that he would one day recognise me as his beloved son, just like Shen Ji.

"It wasn't until I was eighteen that I suddenly figured it out. I should have hated him, not looked forward to him with such pitiful expectations. Because of his meanness, my mother jumped to her death, because of his bias, I lived a transparent life in the Shen family for more than twenty years, because of his selfishness, the century-old Han family fell overnight. Because of his preference for Shen Rong, an illegitimate son was riding on my head. What reason do you think I have to not hate him?"

Shen Xi's voice lowered, and a boundless pain welled up in Li Mingxuan's heart. He had never hated his previous indifference and coldness towards Shen Xi as much as he did at this moment.

Shen Xi lifted his head, "I hate him. Everything I have depends on the Shen family. Without him, I am nothing. After all, I can't do without him."

Li Mingxuan hugged Shen Xi tightly and said with difficulty, "Apart from Uncle, you still have me."

Shen Xi smiled faintly, "Yes, I still have you, Cousin."

Chapter 53

When Shen Xi woke up, the sky was just getting lighter. The man next to him was still sleeping, his peaceful breath blowing on his face, and Shen Xi had a momentary lapse of concentration.

Perhaps it was because he had mentioned his childhood before going to sleep last night that after he fell asleep, his dreams were interspersed with fragments of his early years. Shen Xi knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up. In his dream, he once again experienced his mother jumping out of the window, his uncle's car accident, his grandfather's death, his father's coldness and Shen Cheng's bullying, but whenever he felt sad, there was always a warm shadow beside him, accompanying him and holding him.

In his dream, Shen Xi could not see the shadow clearly, but he always felt that he knew this man, was close to him and trusted him. He liked the fact that the shadow was with him, holding him and smiling at him. What made him even happier was that the shadow was his alone and only good to him and no one could take it away.

The moment he opened his eyes, Shen Xi felt in a daze that the dream and reality seemed to overlap, and someone next to him was holding him tightly, as warm and reassuring as in his dream. The corners of Shen Xi's mouth couldn't help but curl up. His consciousness soon returned as he felt the arms wrapped firmly around his waist. Shen Xi raised his head slightly and saw Li Mingxuan's quiet sleeping face. With a twitch in his heart, he gently moved his body forward. The familiar scent permeated the room and Shen Xi leaned over in reassurance, unable to help but reach out and press his hand against Li Mingxuan's heart.

At this moment he was suddenly a little jealous of the Shen Xi in the dream, not only because he had someone with him when he was sad, but more importantly because the Shen Xi in the dream trusted that person wholeheartedly, the trust he had never given to this man beside him.

Shen Xi let out a silent sigh. Li Mingxuan's heartbeat was steady and strong, reaching Shen Xi's hand through the thin pyjamas. Shen Xi instinctively probed along the neckline of the pyjamas, his palm tracing the warm skin and pressing against the beating heart.

Shen Xi unconsciously counted the frequency of the heartbeat and was about to pull his hand away when he suddenly felt a hot gaze fall on his body. Subconsciously, he looked up and met Li Mingxuan's dark eyes. Shen Xi realized that his hand was still inside Li Mingxuan's pyjamas.

Shen Xi quickly withdrew his hand and tried to speak, but the next moment Li Mingxuan's kiss blocked Shen Xi's lips.

This kiss was full of dominance and carried emotions that Shen Xi could not understand. Shen Xi passively opened his mouth, allowing the other party to explore his mouth wantonly.

As the kiss continued, Shen Xi felt a fire ignite inside his body. Hot palms pressed against his skin and moved along the curves of his body. The fire inside him burned even hotter, and Shen Xi groaned in impatience.

The soft groan seemed to be a signal, and the man beside him became even more reckless. The pyjamas were quickly stripped off, and even though the room was not cold, Shen Xi could not help but shiver at the first contact of his skin with the air. The next moment a hot body came down and Shen Xi was confined in the other man's arms completely.

As hot kisses fell on his body, Shen Xi narrowed his eyes and saw Li Mingxuan reaching for the blue packet of lubricant on the bedside table. For some reason, the first thought that flashed through Shen Xi's mind was not to stop it, but when did Li Mingxuan prepare it that he hadn't even noticed.

The moment this thought flashed in his mind, there was cool liquid touching his behind. Shen Xi instinctively stiffened, looking up to meet Li Mingxuan's patient expression. His heart couldn't help but soften and he tried to relax his body.

As the fingers entered, Shen Xi frowned and endured the discomfort. Unlike the last time when he was under the influence of aphrodisiacs, this time Shen Xi's consciousness was incomparably clear, and the strange sensation was amplified through his senses, leaving him with an indescribable feeling.

The fingers slowly withdrew, and Shen Xi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The next instant Li Mingxuan's hot desire pushed inside, firmly squeezing in a little. Shen Xi grunted. Despite the previous expansion, the narrow tunnel was still unable to accommodate the enormous desire. As Shen Xi's body stiffened once more, Li Mingxuan patiently stopped his movements and kissed Shen Xi gently.

With these soothing kisses, Shen Xi slowly adapted to Li Mingxuan's entry. Following Li Mingxuan's movements, Shen Xi let out a low moan.

He was burning. Their bodies entwined wantonly as Shen Xi clung to Li Mingxuan, his mind going blank. As Li Minxuan pounded faster and faster, Shen Xi knew only to call out his name over and over again. As the unrelenting pleasure poured out of his body, Shen Xi gasped for breath and collapsed helplessly on the bed. As Shen Xi climaxed, Li Mingxuan slammed into him a few more times, then held him in a tight embrace as his violent gasps slowly calmed down.

After his gasps subsided, Li Mingxuan lay on his side next to Shen Xi, one hand circling him and the other rubbing his naked back.

Shen Xi closed his eyes and let Li Mingxuan's movements take over.

"If you're too tired, Xiao Xi shouldn't go to the hospital today." Li Mingxuan said in a seemingly casual manner.

Shen Xi snapped his eyes open and looked up at Li Mingxuan.

Li Mingxuan's eyes were full of tolerance as he lowered his head and touched Shen Xi's forehead, speaking in a deliberate manner.

"There are all kinds of parents in this world, some are strict and some are tolerant, some treat all children equally, while some are inevitably partial to one of them. We don't get to choose our parents' attitudes, but we do get to choose our own. I know that many times, many things seen in the eyes of an outsider are not the same as what you personally feel. Even though I love you, I can't empathise with all your feelings, so I have no right to question your thoughts. But I will respect them whether I agree with them or not."

There was no ridiculous theory of blood ties, no pretentious bitter persuasion. Although Li Mingxuan might not understand how he really felt, as Li Mingxuan said, he respected Shen Xi's thoughts. Because he knew that Shen Xi hated Shen Dehan, he would not persuade Shen Xi to go to the hospital, but instead found an excuse so that Shen Xi would not have to force himself.

Shen Xi's emotions at this moment were indescribably complicated. He knew that Li Mingxuan had a good relationship with Shen Dehan. It was because of this that Li Mingxuan's words made Shen Xi so overwhelmed.

Strange emotions surged from the bottom of his heart, and Shen Xi buried his head in Li Mingxuan's arms as if fleeing.

Li Mingxuan patted Shen Xi's back and listened to Shen Xi's voice whispering, "Thank you, Cousin."

The two stayed in bed all morning, unaware that Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong's affair had once again set off the gossip circuit in Zhongjing. Although Fang Jiaying had no intention of spreading the video, the number of people who showed up at the Fang's house last night was really too many. With so many people talking, it was just one night but Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong's affair had already spread throughout the upper class circles of Zhongjing.

Some were shocked, some sneered, some waited for a good show, and of course some were full of malice and revealed the matter to the reporters. Although the reporters could not get hold of the latest video, the one from five years ago was rehashed again, and the reputation of the Tian and Shen families hit rock bottom overnight.

Shen Ji sat in front of the hospital bed flipping through pages and pages of online news, his face extremely ugly.

Shen Dehan was still asleep when a nurse brought in today's newspapers. Shen Ji frowned and instructed the bodyguard to sort through the newspapers and pick out all the articles related to the incident.

The door was gently pushed open and a bodyguard came in and reported to Shen Ji in a low voice, "Shen Rong Shao just called and said he wanted to come visit Mr. Shen."

Shen Ji sneered, "He still has the face to come."

The bodyguard was silent, and Shen Ji did not hesitate to order, "All his calls are not to be received by father, and if he comes to the hospital, stop him from meeting with father. And that woman too."

The bodyguard nodded, and Shen Ji only felt anger building up in his heart. If it wasn't for Shen Rong, how could the Shen family be so humiliated this time? The Shen family's century-old reputation had been destroyed at his hands overnight.

Shen Ji was thinking about something alone with a cold face when Shen Dehan's slightly weak voice sounded behind him, "Ah Ji."

"Father!" Shen Ji turned around joyfully and stood in front of the hospital bed, "Father, how are you feeling?"

Shen Dehan woke up after a good night's sleep and felt much better, asking the question he was most concerned about, "I'm fine, Ah Ji, what is the news outside?"

Shen Ji's expression remained unchanged, "The Tian family has kept this matter well under wraps, there are no reports from outside."

Shen Dehan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, the Shen family is now in the midst of many events, this matter must not involve the Shen family again."

Shen Ji nodded gently.

Shen Dehan gave Shen Ji a relieved look and casually asked, "Where is Ah Cheng?"

"Ah Cheng is at the company."

Shen Dehan thought for a moment, "You should give Ah Cheng a call and tell him to go to Wang Changlin for anything he doesn't understand during this period of time. If Changlin looks after Ah Cheng, I can rest assured."

Shen Ji knew that Shen Dehan always trusted Wang Changlin, so he immediately nodded.

Shen Cheng, who received Shen Ji's call, was looking at a pile of documents on the table with a headache. When he heard that he was asked to find Wang Changlin, Shen Cheng didn't even think about hanging up the phone and directly ordering Lu Gesen to go instead of him.

Lu Gesen nodded with a serious expression, but Shen Cheng did not notice that Lu Gesen's eyes softened when Wang Changlin was mentioned.

After parting with Shen Cheng, Lu Gesen walked towards Wang Changlin's office calmly.

When he heard the man inside shout "Come in", Lu Gesen's ever-serious expression softened. As the office door was pushed open, Lu Gesen unconsciously smiled at the middle-aged man inside.

"Foster Father!"

Hearing the joy in Lu Gesen's words, Wang Changlin shook his head with a smile, "It's not like you can't see me on a regular basis."

Lu Gesen was in a good mood, "That's different, this is the first time since I entered Shen Group that I have called you Foster Father in a proper manner."

Wang Changlin smiled and gestured for Lu Gesen to sit down and talk, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with Shen Cheng?"

When it came to business, Lu Gesen became serious, "Shen Dehan instructed Shen Cheng to come to see you during this period of time, so Shen Cheng sent me to come here first."

Wang Changlin pondered, "It seems that Shen Dehan is quite angry this time."

Lu Gesen said in disdain, "What good can a mistress's son be?"

Wang Changlin's eyes flashed, "All right, I know you feel sorry for Shen Xi, but it's also true that Shen Xi was not competitive in the past. It's just as well that both Shen Dehan and Shen Ji are away from the company now, so it's time for your next plan to be carried out."

Hearing Wang Changlin's words, Lu Gesen nodded, his expression solemn.

Chapter 54

Chu Qianqian soon learned about Shen Dehan's admission to the hospital. She did not rush to the hospital to see him, but appeared at the hospital during work hours without haste.

By the time she arrived at the hospital, everyone knew about Tian Wenyao and Shen Rong's video. Listening to the chattering of the little nurses discussing this matter, Chu Qianqian looked surprised on the surface, but she was sure that this matter was nothing but Shen Xi's handwriting. Not to mention anything else, she had heard of Lao K, and those videos must have come from Lao K's hands.

After preparing some things she needed, Chu Qianqian walked towards Shen Dehan's ward carrying the medicine.

By the way, in order to conform to the identity that Shen Xi had given her, she stayed at the hospital since Shen Dehan was discharged last time. Although this job was rather hard, after some adaptation she liked the work of a nurse. She also occasionally thought that she could simply come back to work as a nurse when she finished what Shen Xi had asked her to do. With Shen Xi's money, it would be enough to feed and clothe herself, and this job would also give her a clean identity, so maybe she could meet a good man and live her life in peace.

The thought was only fleeting; Chu Qianqian had already reached Shen Dehan's ward and was about to push the door, but unexpectedly the door suddenly pulled open from the inside. Subconsciously, Chu Qianqian looked up and smiled in greeting, but was slightly stunned when she saw the man on the opposite side.

Shen Ji was also slightly startled for a moment.

The last confrontation was still fresh in their minds, and although Chu Qianqian quickly left that day, Shen Ji and Shen Dehan had a cold war for several days. If it hadn't been for Yunrou's incident later, the relationship between father and son would not have eased up so quickly. After that, Shen Dehan never mentioned Chu Qianqian in front of Shen Ji again. Although he knew that his father still kept in touch with Chu Qianqian, Shen Ji stuck to an evasive mentality, comforting himself that Chu Qianqian was merely treating his father as an elder and that there was no ambiguity between the two.

Now that they had met again, Shen Ji subconsciously did not want Chu Qianqian to appear in front of Shen Dehan. But when he thought about his father's current state of health, the doctor's words came to his mind once again. Shen Ji clenched his fists, swept a cold glance over Chu Qianqian and walked straight past her.

Chu Qianqian was quite surprised by Shen Ji's behaviour. She was prepared to be kicked out of the ward by Shen Ji, but when she saw that Shen Ji was really not going to care about her, she quickly reacted and walked into the ward with a smile.

Outside the ward, Shen Ji did not leave, but stopped not far away. Soon, the sound of Shen Dehan's moderate laughter came from the ward. A trace of sadness flashed in Shen Ji's eyes; with an expression of ridicule on his face he left the ward in big strides without looking back.

Despite knowing that Shen Ji was in a bad mood right now, the bodyguard holding the phone had to bite the bullet and continue, "Miss Zhou just called to indicate that Shen Rong Shao is in a bad state at the moment and would like to ask Mr. Shen what to do?"

Shen Ji frowned in disgust and sneered, "Not in a good state? If she calls again, tell her that I will arrange for Shen Rong to go abroad within three days and she can choose any foreign sanatorium she wants. Isn't he in a bad state? From now on, he will stay abroad and never have to come back."

The bodyguard couldn't help being taken aback when he heard Shen Ji, nodded and repeated his words quietly.

After she hung up the phone, Zhou Mingmei's face was completely grim and her eyes were full of gloom.

"Mother, what did Father say?" Shen Rong, who had been keeping watch, hurriedly came up to Zhou Mingmei and asked hastily.

Zhou Mingmei's face was cold, "The call didn't even reach your father, Shen Ji stopped it."

"Then what? Father is going to abandon me?" Shen Rong cried out in a daze.

Zhou Mingmei swept a cold glance at Shen Rong, who cringed and took a step back, trying to appear calm. He had never expected things to develop into what they were now. When he initially saw the news on the internet, his entire mind turned blank. He couldn't understand how Fang Jiaying could have the video of him and Tian Wenyao together in her hands. Didn't she love Tian Wenyao very much? Wasn't she about to get married to Tian Wenyao? How could she expose his relationship with Tian Wenyao in front of so many people? Wasn't she afraid that she would have to endure the public's finger-pointing in the future?

Shen Rong had been anxious all morning, worried that his father would once again banish him abroad. Once he left this time, he might not be able to return, and even if he could come back later, he would completely lose the possibility of being recognised by the Shen family and would carry the name of illegitimate son forever.

There was also Tian Wenyao. Shen Rong couldn't imagine what Tian Wenyao would think of him now. He wanted to call Tian Wenyao several times, but after thinking about it, he held back.

Shen Rong's uneasiness was seen by Zhou Mingmei. Although she was furious with Shen Rong, Shen Rong was, after all, her only son and the only one she could count on for the rest of her life. Zhou Mingmei took a deep breath, "Ah Rong, go back to your room first, let me be alone."

Shen Rong did not dare to object and retreated quietly in anxiety.

Zhou Mingmei's heart was racing. This matter had become too big. She alone might not be able to win Shen Dehan back. It seemed that she still needed that man's help. But this matter was now basically known to everyone, she did not believe that he had not heard the news. But he had not responded, was he planning to get rid of her?

Zhou Mingmei thought for a long time with her face grim, then finally picked up the phone and sent a text message to the mobile phone number she had memorised.

It was as if she had waited for a century before the phone gave a soft jingle. Zhou Mingmei grabbed the phone, saw the simple words "Old place" on it and let out a long sigh of relief.

After carefully putting on her make-up and changing her clothes, Zhou Mingmei walked out of the room with her bag.

"Mother, you're going out?" Shen Rong, who was in the living room, looked at Zhou Mingmei in surprise.

Zhou Mingmei nodded and gave Shen Rong a warning glare, "Stay at home and don't try to go to the hospital to find your father." Shen Rong's secret intention was seen through by Zhou Mingmei, and he nodded reluctantly.

After Zhou Mingmei left home, she carefully avoided the reporters guarding outside and familiarly went to another neighbourhood not far from her house, anxiously waiting for the arrival of that man.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, she heard the sound of the door opening. Zhou Mingmei slowly regained her senses, stood up quietly and looked in the direction of the door.

The door was gently pushed open and a familiar figure appeared there.

A hint of excitement flashed in Zhou Mingmei's eyes, "Changlin."

The man at the door was Wang Changlin.

Wang Changlin cautiously glanced at the door and quietly closed it.

"You shouldn't come out at this time. What if a reporter catches you on camera?" Wang Changlin said with slight dissatisfaction as he walked up to Zhou Mingmei.

Zhou Mingmei couldn't help but explain, "I've carefully avoided all the reporters."

Even though Zhou Mingmei said this, Wang Changlin, who was cautious by nature, was still dissatisfied, but did not pursue the issue on the surface and just sat quietly opposite Zhou Mingmei.

Seeing that Wang Changlin had no intention of speaking up, Zhou Mingmei could not help but say, "Changlin, what should we do now?"

Wang Changlin did not answer this question, but asked, "How is Ah Rong now?"

Despite her anxiety, Zhou Mingmei patiently replied, "Ah Rong has always been impatient and he doesn't deal with accidents calmly. I am worried that he will go out and run around, so I detained him at home."

Wang Changlin nodded, "That's right, in this situation, it's best for Ah Rong not to go anywhere."

When Zhou Mingmei saw that Wang Changlin did not get to the point, she became anxious again and asked once more, "Changlin, what should we do now?"

Zhou Mingmei had always been calm and collected in front of Wang Changlin. This was the first time she had lost her cool; she obviously realised the seriousness of the situation. As Wang Changlin thought about it, his expression revealed a hint of embarrassment, "Mingmei, I don't want to lie to you, but the current situation is very unfavourable to Ah Rong. This time the matter has gone too far. Shen Dehan will never recognise Ah Rong as his son now."

These words undoubtedly poured a pot of cold water on Zhou Mingmei's head. Zhou Mingmei could not help but ask rhetorically, "Five years ago the same kind of video broke out, didn't you say that Ah Rong still had a chance to turn over a new leaf?"

Wang Changlin frowned, "Five years ago is five years ago, the circulation of the video was only on the Internet, Shen Dehan could pretend not to know about this matter and could still lie to himself. It was his fig leaf. This time the video was blown up in front of the entire upper class circle in Zhongjing. Shen Dehan was so angry that he fainted on the spot, do you think he can still pretend not to know anything?"

"Then what should we do?"

Wang Changlin said patiently, "The best outcome is for Shen Dehan to send Ah Rong out of the country and for you to never return to Zhongjing again."

"No way!" Zhou Mingmei flatly refused, "I've been with Shen Dehan since I was eighteen, my best years were spent on him, and Ah Rong is also his child, why should we, mother and son, end up with nothing?!"

Perhaps noticing that her tone was a bit heavy, Zhou Mingmei softened her voice and pleaded, "Changlin, think of something, didn't you say that in your heart, Ah Rong is just like your own child? Can you bear to see him leave Zhongjing with nothing and never return?"

Wang Changlin pondered for a moment, but shook his head, "This matter has gone too far and there is no longer any possibility of reversing it. Now instead of thinking about anything else, you should find a way to get more money from Shen Dehan, so that even if the worst occurs, you will have money in your hands and will live equally well in a different place."

After listening to Wang Changlin speak for so long, still persuading her to give up, Zhou Mingmei finally laughed out coldly, "Do you think that Shen Rong and I have no more use value, so you want to kick us away? You must not forget who found me and instigated me to go to Shen Dehan's side in the first place. I could have stood up in front of people in a dignified manner, and perhaps after all these years of hard work, I would have already made a name for myself in the entertainment industry. If it weren't for your instigation, how would I have given up my promising future to follow Shen Dehan's side without a name and status?"

Wang Changlin looked at Zhou Mingmei, his expression unchanged, "What do you mean by this statement, Mingmei?"

Zhou Mingmei said coldly, "Nothing else, I just want to remind you that since we joined forces twenty years ago, we are grasshoppers on the same rope (we are in the same boat). If I'm good, you'll be good, and if I'm not, you won't be good either."

Wang Changlin suddenly laughed, "Are you threatening me?"

Zhou Mingmei's expression changed slightly but she still nodded.

Wang Changlin shook his head, "You shouldn't say it was my instigation either. Back then if it weren't for your own ambitions and you being unable to bear the pain of rising in the entertainment industry from the bottom up, do you think my words alone could have convinced you? How much have I helped you over the years? Without me, do you think you would have been able to stand by Shen Dehan's side and that Ah Rong would have been able to please Shen Dehan? Mingmei, I have said that in my eyes Ah Rong is my child. I will not harm my own child. If you want to go to Shen Dehan, go to him. Do you think Shen Dehan will believe you or me? Even if Shen Dehan believed you, what good would it do you? Wouldn't Ah Rong's situation still be the same? Keeping me is at least a way back for Ah Rong in the future."

Zhou Mingmei subconsciously wanted to refute Wang Changlin's words, but she had to admit that he had a point. Shen Dehan might not believe her indeed.

She did not know what Wang Changlin had done at Shen Dehan's side over the years, but she had seen Wang Changlin gaining more and more of Shen Dehan's trust, and even becoming Shen Dehan's personal lawyer. Zhou Mingmei felt that she had never seen through Wang Changlin. If he hated Shen Dehan, how could he have pretended so well in front of Shen Dehan for more than twenty years and even gained his deep trust? But if he didn't hate Shen Dehan, then what was the purpose of his seeking her out in the first place? He claimed to love Han Rou, but then he watched as Han Rou's only flesh and blood was ignored by Shen Dehan and even Shen Rong was able to ride on Shen Xi's head.

Zhou Mingmei looked at Wang Changlin quietly for a while, then suddenly smiled and said softly, "Changlin, I just said that in a moment of anger, you must not take it to heart."

Wang Changlin smiled lightly and asked rhetorically, "Did you just say something?"

Zhou Mingmei smiled in understanding, "Changlin, you have a point, but I'm still not willing to give up without one last try. Even if someone raises a dog for so many years, there will be some feelings. I don't believe Shen Dehan has no feelings for me at all."

Zhou Mingmei's reaction was what Wang Changlin already expected and he was not surprised, "It's fine if you want to give it a try, I will also try to help Ah Rong."

Zhou Mingliang breathed a sigh of relief at Wang Changlin's compromise; she was afraid that Wang Changlin would abandon them. She smiled, "I've been out long enough, it's time for me to go back. As for what you said, I will consider it seriously."

Wang Changlin did not stop Zhou Mingmei from leaving but suddenly mentioned when she was in the doorway, "In a few days, you should make some arrangements, I want to meet Ah Rong."

"Good!" Zhou Mingmei replied dryly. Whether Wang Changlin really regarded Shen Rong as his own child or just said it casually, there was no harm in Ah Rong following him.

As he watched Zhou Mingmei leave carefully, Wang Changlin's eyes flashed with a trace of mockery.

This woman really did not want to die until she reached the Yellow River, but that's precisely what made her valuable. He only hoped that Shen Rong, like her, would not fail to live up to all the hard work he had put in them over the years.

Chapter 55

"That rebellious son!" Shen Dehan's angry roar came from the ward.

Shen Ji, who was about to push the door open, was stunned. The only person who could make Shen Dehan lose his temper and yell like that in these circumstances was Shen Rong, but hadn't Shen Ji already warned everyone that no one was allowed to mention the rumours outside in front of his father? A trace of gloom emerged in Shen Ji's eyes.

Before Shen Ji pushed the door in, Shen Dehan's next roar followed, "Call him and tell him to come to the hospital immediately, I want to ask him what is going on with Mingxuan?"

When Shen Ji heard Mingxuan's name, he immediately understood that Shen Dehan was not scolding Shen Rong but Shen Xi. Although he had no feelings for Shen Xi, at this time Shen Dehan could not afford to be stimulated. Thinking of Li Mingxuan's defence of Shen Xi, Shen Ji did not want the news of Shen Xi's relationship with Li Mingxuan to break out now, so he pushed the door in quickly, "Father!"

Shen Dehan was obviously in a state of excitement. Even when he saw Shen Ji, he didn't ease up much, still having a furious look on his face, "Ah Ji, you're just in time, Ah Cheng said he saw that rebellious son Shen Xi harassing Mingxuan. Call him and tell him to get his ass to the hospital immediately."

Shen Ji didn't follow Shen Dehan's order but said in a placating tone, "Father, there might be some misunderstanding in this matter. The important thing for you now is to get well, let's talk about anything else after you get out of the hospital."

"What misunderstanding?" Hearing the doubt in Shen Ji's words, Shen Cheng shouted in dissatisfaction, "I personally saw Cousin and Shen Xi hugging each other inside the elevator, the night when Father was admitted to the hospital. Looking at Shen Xi's appearance, he wasn't worried about Father at all."

Shen Cheng's words caused the anger on Shen Dehan's face to intensify. Shen Ji didn't even think about it and shouted angrily at Shen Cheng, "Ah Cheng, shut up!"

"Big Brother?" Shen Cheng stared at Shen Ji in surprise, wondering why Big Brother would react like that. Cousin had always been on good terms with Big Brother and used to stand on Big Brother's side. Shen Cheng was also worried that Shen Xi and Cousin would get together. What if Cousin was pulled over by Shen Xi to work against Big Brother? He was thinking of his elder brother with all his heart, and even worried that his elder brother would be sad when he learned the news, so he kept waiting until Big Brother was not around before mentioning it to his father. He didn't expect that Shen Ji wouldn't appreciate it at all, and would actually scold him.

Shen Cheng's eyes were filled with hurt, but Shen Ji didn't see it. He was trying to calm down his furious father.

Carefully helping Shen Dehan to sit up in the hospital bed, Shen Ji said gently, "Father, don't you know Mingxuan's nature? How could he possibly like Shen Xi? There must be some kind of misunderstanding, I will ask Mingxuan about it first."

When Shen Dehan heard Shen Ji say this, he was about to agree, but suddenly he thought of something and his face turned gloomy, "No, don't alarm Mingxuan about it, just tell Shen Xi to come to the hospital immediately."

Shen Ji still wanted to continue to persuade, but his father had already waved his hand impatiently. Shen Ji had no choice but to make up his mind to speak to Li Mingxuan first. When he came out of the ward, Shen Ji noticed that Shen Cheng followed him out. Thinking about Shen Dehan's emotional turmoil, Shen Ji couldn't help but turn to Shen Cheng and scold him, "Don't you know about Father's health? First Shen Rong and then Shen Xi, do you think Father can bear it? If you have to say something, can't you bear it until Father is discharged from the hospital?"

Shen Ji's scolding completely baffled Shen Cheng, and the original thought of following him out to explain his intentions disappeared. Since he was a child, Shen Cheng was used to Shen Ji's reprimands, and despite his reluctance, Shen Cheng, as usual, kept his head down and did not talk back.

The bodyguards around him were used to such scenes. Shen Cheng did not have a mother and his father was spoiling him. Shen Ji was the only one in the family who controlled him, so everyone pretended to turn a blind eye. But unexpectedly there was a faint sound of laughter coming from the stairway, and a few young nurses looked in their direction, their eyes filled with embarrassment and curiosity.

"Who's the one being scolded?"

"It seems to be the second son of the Shen family. Didn't he just make the papers a few days ago? Shen Group's current general manager."

"No way? Then who's the one who is scolding him?"

The bodyguard walked over with a black face but these intermittent words had already slammed into Shen Cheng's mind. What Lu Gesen said before suddenly came to mind, "Cheng Shao is now the general manager of the company, he represents Shen Group's image externally, he should be careful about what he does at all times."

This thought flew through his mind, and Shen Cheng lowered his head, hiding the grievances on his face. Big Brother never seemed to treat him as the general manager of Shen Group. The last time he had sold Yunrou, and this time too, Big Brother never asked him what he thought, and never cared about his face, as if everything was taken for granted. The more Shen Cheng thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt, yet the authority that Shen Ji had always had over him made him not dare to say anything, and he only had an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"You should go back and stay with Father, and don't mention Shen Xi and Mingxuan again." Shen Ji glanced at Shen Cheng and said warningly, then did not look at him again and walked to the side of the ward.

Shen Cheng stared at Shen Ji's back for a while and returned to the ward with his head hanging in defeat.

After dialling Li Mingxuan's number, Shen Ji briefly explained the matter and expressed the hope that Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi could deny the relationship between them at this time, and that everything would wait until Shen Dehan's health was stable.

Li Mingxuan listened in silence. The point was not whether he and Shen Xi admitted it or not, but that his uncle had now preconceived the idea that his and Shen Xi's relationship was unclean, or even that Shen Xi was harassing him. Even if they denied it, considering how Uncle had always treated Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan was afraid the problem wouldn't just go away.

Li Mingxuan tightened his grip on the phone and said in a low voice, "Ah Ji, I'm sorry, you know how Uncle treats Xiao Xi…"

Li Mingxuan did not finish the sentence, but the meaning in his words was clear. He felt that no matter whether they admitted it or not, Shen Dehan would use the matter to make things difficult for Shen Xi, and there was no way he would sit back and do nothing. A huge disappointment welled up in Shen Ji's heart, and images of him and Li Mingxuan playing together in the Shen family's house when they were children came to his mind. Once he thought that apart from his family, his closest person would be Li Mingxuan, but since Shen Xi appeared, everything had slowly changed.

"I see," Shen Ji said simply and hung up the phone.

Li Mingxuan looked at the darkened phone screen with complicated eyes. He still contacted Shen Xi first, "Xiao Xi, where are you?"

Shen Xi looked up at the huge signboard of the inpatient department and casually said, "I just arrived at the hospital, what's wrong?"

"Don't go to see Uncle yet, I'll be right there." Li Mingxuan stopped, then added, "Uncle seems to know about us."

Shen Xi agreed softly and hung up the phone but didn't stop.

As the elevator began to rise one floor at a time, Shen Xi stood quietly with a playful look in his eyes. It didn't surprise him that Shen Dehan knew that he was with Li Mingxuan; since that night when Shen Cheng saw them, Shen Xi was mentally prepared. However, because of the doctor's words, he thought Shen Cheng would take note of his father's health and hold back until Shen Dehan was discharged from the hospital. He didn't expect Shen Cheng to be so impatient. Or maybe Shen Cheng took no notice of Shen Dehan's health at all?

According to Shen Cheng's character, he would definitely add fuel to the fire and blame him for the incident. The more he said, the angrier Shen Dehan would become and the greater his mood swings would be. Shen Xi just wondered if his father would faint once again. Having such a heartless and thoughtless son was really Shen Dehan's retribution. Shen Xi laughed coldly in his heart and appeared in front of Shen Dehan with an indifferent expression.

Shen Dehan, who was talking to Shen Ji, saw Shen Xi and the anger he had suppressed suddenly rose up, "Unfilial son!"

Shen Xi's expression remained unchanged as he leaned against the doorway, "I neither made a sex video with a man, nor did I disgrace the Shen family in front of everyone, so I really can't afford to be called an unfilial son."

Shen Xi's words obviously rubbed salt into Shen Dehan's wounds, and Shen Dehan was furious, "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do by pestering Mingxuan?"

The corners of Shen Xi's mouth curled up into a cynical smile, "What does Father think I want to do? Do you think I am like Shen Rong, who needs to rely on a man to be recognised by Father? I'm a legitimate son of the Shen family, not like that kind of illegitimate son who can't see the light of the day."

"Bastard!" Shen Dehan was so angry that he grabbed a water cup beside him and threw it at Shen Xi.

Shen Xi dodged the cup, and Shen Ji stepped forward and stopped in front of Shen Dehan, "Father is not well, so you should talk less."

Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, "Father asked a question, can I not answer it?"

Shen Ji's expression was frozen while Shen Dehan said in a cold voice, "I don't have a son like you."

Despite hearing these words, Shen Xi's expression did not change, "You're right, I was originally ashamed to be involved with the Shen family. Presumably you stay in the hospital and don't know the news outside. Your beloved good son Shen Rong has already ruined the reputation that the Shen family has accumulated in several lifetimes. The Shen family is now disreputable in Zhongjing. If you don't believe it, you can ask your eldest son. "

"Shut up!" Shen Ji sternly interrupted Shen Xi's words, yet he was a step too late.

Shen Dehan glanced at Shen Ji suspiciously and immediately realised something. No wonder he noticed that there were fewer newspapers today. It turned out that everyone had kept him in the dark. Thinking of what Shen Xi had just said, Shen Dehan shivered violently.

"Father!" Shen Ji was alarmed and held Shen Dehan in place as he quickly pressed the button to call the doctor.

Shen Cheng also nervously pushed his way over to Shen Dehan, while Shen Xi alone stood coldly to the side without the slightest intention of moving over.

Shen Dehan sat on the bed, holding Shen Ji's hand. His expression was cloudy and uncertain.

The doctor came very quickly and everyone was asked to leave the ward. Shen Cheng yanked Shen Xi violently, "Did you do that on purpose?"

Shen Xi gave him a mocking look, "Didn't you start it?"

Shen Cheng said angrily, "You seduced Cousin and still don't admit it?"

Shen Xi broke away from Shen Cheng's grip, "So what if I seduced him? You care so much, could it be that you like Cousin too?"

"You!" Shen Cheng was so furious with Shen Xi that he didn't even think about swinging a punch.

Shen Cheng's fist landed in Shen Ji's hand, who held it tightly and said in a cold voice, "Ah Cheng!"

Shen Cheng broke free, "Big Brother, you're actually protecting him."

Shen Ji reminded in a cold voice, "Father is still inside getting examined."

Shen Cheng gave Shen Xi a fierce glare, and Shen Xi looked back indifferently.

As the three of them were confronting each other, there was a sound of hurried footsteps approaching, "Xiao Xi!" Li Mingxuan appeared in front of them.

After sweeping his eyes over the three of them, Li Mingxuan stood next to Shen Xi, facing two brothers, and asked, "What happened?"

Shen Xi looked indifferent, "Mr. Shen almost fainted because of Shen Rong's affair, the doctor is checking inside."

The words "Mr. Shen" caught Li Mingxuan's attention; his expression changed slightly. Shen Cheng was about to retort angrily, when Shen Ji gave him a cold glance, and Shen Cheng reluctantly shut his mouth.

Li Mingxuan looked at them and knew that his uncle must be angry about him and Shen Xi. Although he knew that this was not a good time to be honest with his uncle, he thought about Shen Xi's words "Mr. Shen" just now. Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh and reached out to hold Shen Xi's hand tightly.

Shen Cheng looked at Li Mingxuan's action incredulously and was about to speak instinctively when a mellow male voice reached them.

"Why are you all outside?"

"Father!" Li Mingxuan looked surprised.

"Uncle!" The others also greeted.

Li Xiyong nodded and his gaze fell on Shen Xi's hand held by Li Mingxuan. Shen Xi subconsciously tried to break free, but Li Mingxuan's grip tightened. Li Xiyong gave Li Mingxuan a meaningful look and walked up to them.

Li Mingxuan explained softly that Shen Dehan was inside having an examination, and Li Xiyong nodded and stood there quietly. Because of Li Xiyong's presence, no one spoke, except for Shen Cheng who stared at Li Xiyong with astonishment, wondering if his uncle had not seen his cousin and Shen Xi holding hands; otherwise how could his uncle be so calm.

The doctor quickly finished the examination and told everyone that there was nothing seriously wrong with Shen Dehan's health.

Shen Ji put his mind at ease as Li Xiyong turned his head to glance at them, "Mingxuan, you come in with me first."

Li Mingxuan froze for a moment. His father obviously meant to take him to Shen Dehan to talk alone. After a hesitant glance at Shen Xi, Li Mingxuan said in a low voice, "Wait for me here."

Shen Xi nodded silently, glancing behind Li Xiyong's back, and stayed quietly aside.

Chapter 56

The presence of Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan at the hospital together obviously took Shen Dehan by surprise.

He glanced at the closed door of the ward; there was obviously no one else following them, so Shen Dehan knew that Li Xiyong must have ordered everyone to stay outside. He took a look at Li Mingxuan and smiled slightly, "Xiyong, why are you and Mingxuan here?"

Li Xiyong did not mention that he and Li Mingxuan met outside and sat down opposite of Shen Dehan with a smile, "I had time today, so I brought Mingxuan to see you."

After Li Xiyong finished, Li Mingxuan, with a natural expression, called Shen Dehan, "Uncle."

Shen Dehan's eyes flashed, and he couldn't help but look inquiringly.

Not long ago, Ah Cheng swore that he had seen Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan hugging each other in the elevator. He knew that Ah Cheng would not joke about such things, and since Ah Cheng dared to mention it, he had really seen something. If Shen Xi had been with another man, he would not have bothered. His only concern would have been whether Shen Xi would disgrace the Shen family at such a critical juncture, but since Shen Xi was with Li Mingxuan, Shen Dehan could not help but think more about it.

What did the behaviour of the two of them represent? Had Shen Xi made some kind of agreement with the Li family that he hadn't noticed? Was there something that Shen Xi wanted to do through the Li family? Or was it the Li family that wanted to do something through Shen Xi?

The change in Shen Dehan's expression did not escape Li Xiyong's eyes. He looked down silently, hiding his complex expression.

He had known Shen Dehan for many years, and Bixue was Shen Dehan's sister. The two of them were not unaware of Shen Dehan's suspicious nature. He initially did not want Mingxuan and Shen Xi to be together because the entanglements behind Shen Xi were too complicated and he did not want Shen Dehan to be apprehensive. After all, no matter how unpleasant Shen Xi was to his father, the deal between the Han and the Shen families was there, and in the future, one third of the shares of Shen Group that Shen Dehan held in his hands would be Shen Xi's. If that was all, Shen Dehan's concern would be whether the Li family would stand behind Shen Xi, but Mingxuan's mother still held 6% of Shen Group shares, so it was inevitable that Shen Dehan would wonder if the Li family had something in mind. The two families had been friendly for many years, and neither Bixue nor he would like to see any divide between them.

Thinking about his plan, Li Xiyong collected his thoughts and looked concerned, "How are you? What did the doctor say about your health?"

"So many health checks every year, what can be wrong?" Shen Dehan shook his head, "I was just angry with that unfilial son."

Li Xiyong thought about the way Shen Cheng glared at Shen Xi when he came to the hospital. Although he didn't know whether the unfilial son Shen Dehan was talking about was Shen Xi or Shen Rong, he thought that it was impossible for Shen Xi to have nothing to do with this examination. The clasped hands of his son and Shen Xi flashed in his mind, and Li Xiyong could only laugh and say, "Anger hurts the body, so some things should be viewed with one eye open and one eye closed."

Shen Dehan frowned imperceptibly while Li Xiyong continued to speak, "By the way, I came at Bixue's request this time to discuss something with you."

Shen Dehan was interrupted by Li Xiyong, so he could only comply with Li Xiyong, "What is it?"

"About the matter of Shen Group shares in Bixue's hands?" Li Xiyong looked casual and said lightly, "Dehan, you know that when Bixue married me, my father-in-law was worried that Bixue would be bullied in the Li family and gave Bixue 6% of the shares in Shen Group. The years have passed, and Bixue discussed with me some time ago that she has been married to the Li family for almost 30 years. These shares are of no use in her hands now, so she plans to give them to Ah Ji, which can be also regarded as the return of my father-in-law's feelings."

Li Xiyong's words were plain and simple, but Shen Dehan's heart was full of stormy waves. No one knew better than him what 6% of Shen Group shares meant. Even though Shen Group had just experienced Yunrou's incident and its share price had dropped quite a bit, according to the current share price of Shen Group, this 6% of shares was two billion, not to mention Shen Group future development. He believed that the share price would only get higher and higher. What's more, with this 6%, it was enough to take a seat on the board of directors. In other words, this 6% meant that Li Xiyong could reasonably interfere in the daily affairs of Shen Group. Although in the past Bixue had never interfered in any of Shen Group affairs in order to avoid suspicion, not interfering did not mean that the Li family had no such thoughts.

But now Li Xiyong gifted these shares to Ah Ji with a light-hearted remark. Shen Dehan looked at Li Xiyong hesitantly, "Is this Bixue's intention? Did you agree?"

Li Xiyong nodded indifferently, "These shares are originally the Shen family's stuff, I have no opinion on what Bixue is willing to do."

Shen Dehan's eyes moved from Li Xiyong to Li Mingxuan. He could already see by now that the relationship between Shen Xi and Mingxuan was not as simple as Ah Cheng had said. From Li Xiyong's calm demeanour, it was clear that he had already known about Shen Xi and Mingxuan and had made the Li family's attitude clear through the 6% shares.

Shen Dehan's gaze at Li Mingxuan was too direct and vaguely probing. Li Mingxuan's expression was calm as he allowed Shen Dehan to take a look. Although his heart was also shocked by what his father had just proposed, he quickly calmed down after the initial surprise.

He had not previously known about his mother's intention to gift Shen Group shares to Ah Ji, but he could understand her intention in doing so. Because he was determined to be with Shen Xi, the Li family had chosen to give up the shares in order to avoid suspicion and to avoid creating ill feelings in his uncle's heart. While his mother's action was certainly aimed at putting his uncle's mind at ease, it was also to tell Shen Dehan that the Li family already knew about him and Shen Xi and chose this way to make things right.

Li Mingxuan could not describe the complicated feelings in his heart, a mix of gratitude, shock and guilt. Since he confessed to his mother back then, she had not said anything, and he had thought that she still held a grudge against Shen Xi. He didn't expect her to go this far for him.

Although Shen Group 6% shares were worth a lot of money, he hadn't taken them to heart. But they meant something different in his mother's mind, plus half of them technically belonged to Mingfei. He appreciated his mother's actions, but didn't think he deserved to accept it. Thinking about Mingfei, Li Mingxuan made a secret decision in his mind.

Shen Dehan looked at Li Mingxuan and quickly withdrew his gaze. He was truly moved by Li Xiyong's offer. With this 6%, Ah Ji would be the largest shareholder of Shen Group, so that Ah Ji's heir position could no longer be shaken, and he would be able to let Ah Ji officially take over the company with peace of mind. However, Shen Dehan said tentatively, "After all, this is Bixue's dowry, and it will be left to Mingxuan and Mingfei in the future, so it's not appropriate to give it to Ah Ji, is it?"

Li Xiyong laughed lightly and said meaningfully, "It is enough for Mingxuan and Mingfei to have Li Group."

Shen Dehan was startled and immediately understood what Li Xiyong meant, smiled and nodded, "Then I thank Bixue on behalf of Ah Ji."

What the people inside the ward were talking about was not clear to the people outside; they only faintly heard the sound of Shen Dehan's laughter coming from inside.

Shen Xi stood at the window with a calm expression, trying to guess the content of the conversation between the people inside.

Shen Dehan already knew about his affair with Li Mingxuan and would definitely not just let it go gently like that. According to Shen Dehan's suspicious nature, he would never believe that he and Li Mingxuan were just having a simple relationship, and would definitely suspect that the Li family was planning something behind his back. If he could think of this, Li Xiyong would definitely be able to think of this too, but Shen Xi wondered what Li Xiyong would do.

As Shen Xi pondered, the door of the ward was suddenly pulled open and Li Xiyong and Li Mingxuan walked out one after the other. Shen Xi hesitated for a moment and greeted them.

Li Xiyong's eyes fell on Shen Xi, "Come home for dinner with Mingxuan sometime."

Shen Xi gave Li Xiyong a surprised look; Shen Cheng, who had also come over, called out, "Uncle."

Li Xiyong smiled and turned to Shen Cheng, "Ah Cheng, come along, too."

Shen Cheng reluctantly nodded; Li Xiyong patted Shen Ji on the shoulder and without saying anything else turned around and left the hospital.

Shen Ji and Shen Cheng quickly entered the ward, leaving only Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan in the hallway.

Seeing that Shen Xi didn't mean to go in, Li Mingxuan reached out and held his hand, "If you don't want to stay at the hospital, let's go home."

Shen Xi let out a soft "en", but finally could not hide his curiosity, "What did Uncle say to Mr. Shen?"

Hearing that Shen Xi refused to call Shen Dehan "Father" anymore, Li Mingxuan sighed and rubbed Shen Xi's hair, "He didn't say anything, he just discussed with Uncle giving the shares of Shen Group in Mother's hands to Ah Ji."

Even though Shen Xi had thought of every possible reaction from the Li family, he had not expected Li Xiyong to be so decisive.

Using 6% of Shen Group shares in exchange for Shen Dehan's peace of mind? Or even more so, using the 6% of shares in exchange for Shen Dehan turning a blind eye to him and Li Mingxuan?

Shen Xi's eyes were complicated as he looked at Li Mingxuan, who smiled at him reassuringly, "Don't think too much, Father said that Mother had this intention long ago, but she just never found the right opportunity."

Shen Xi naturally did not believe this statement; he looked at Li Mingxuan and suddenly said, "Will you regret it?"

Li Mingxuan was taken aback but quickly understood what Shen Xi meant. He shook his head, looked at Shen Xi and said seriously, "No. From the day we got together, I knew what I would face and what I would lose. Compared to what we got, what we lost is not worth mentioning."

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan, "Even if it's such a large sum?"

Li Mingxuan smiled, "Trust me, I will earn more in the future."

Shen Xi gave Li Mingxuan a deep look and smiled quickly.

While the two were on their way, Li Xiyong had already returned to the Li family. Shen Bixue, who was in the living room, greeted him, "Why are you back so late?"

"I happened to meet Mingxuan and Shen Xi at the hospital."

Shen Bixue was startled and paused, "Big Brother already knows?"

Li Xiyong nodded, "He seems to be furious."

Shen Bixue said anxiously, "Big Brother's body can't take the stimulation right now, there's nothing seriously wrong, right?"

Li Xiyong patted her arm, "Don't worry, even the doctor said that Dehan is healthy, but he is just in a bad mood. By the way, I told Dehan about your plan to give the shares to Ah Ji."

Shen Bixue was slightly startled and subconsciously asked, "What is Big Brother's reaction?"

Li Xiyong did not say anything. Shen Bixue immediately understood and said with a bitter smile, "Is Big Brother already harbouring a grudge and suspecting that we are behind Mingxuan and Shen Xi getting together?"

Li Xiyong said comfortingly, "Dehan is suspicious by nature, it's not like you don't know it."

Shen Bixue sighed, "I thought he should be relieved that I had never meddled in Shen Group affairs for so many years."

Li Xiyong teased, "It's not that Dehan is not at ease with you, it's me he's not at ease with."

Shen Bixue glared at Li Xiyong, "Husband and wife are one, what's the difference between Dehan not trusting you and not trusting me."

Li Xiyong smiled faintly and did not say anything. Shen Bixue sighed silently.

Chapter 57

Extra. Proposal

Translator's note: Yes, there is a flashforward extra in the middle of the story Why? Don't ask me. Perhaps the author wanted to reassure the readers that everything is going to end well

June is the most beautiful time of the year on Dolce Island!

Blue skies, white clouds, sandy beaches, the sea, beautiful women, and partying constitute the most attractive part of Dolce Island.

In the afternoon the sun was shining brightly but it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the tourists. Bikini-clad beauties were everywhere on the golden sands playing beach volleyball, while men were scattered around watching them with smiles on their faces. In the azure blue sea, everyone was either enjoying the coolness of the water, playing with each other, or riding motorboats in circles with huge white waves behind them, causing bursts of noise.

Compared with the hustle and bustle here, the other side of the beach was much quieter. Colourful umbrellas were neatly arranged in rows, and there were leisurely faces under those umbrellas.

Under one of the white umbrellas, Shen Xi, naked apart from purple floral beach shorts, was lying lazily, holding his notebook and playing a game casually.

"Hi, handsome, want to play together?"

A beautiful blonde walked up to Shen Xi's side and bent over, her breasts trembling slightly as she pointed at the volleyball in her hand and smiled in invitation.

Shen Xi smiled and shook his head, declining the invitation and gesturing at the game in his hands.

The beauty gave Shen Xi a disappointed look and turned to leave. Not far from Shen Xi, several girls dressed in bikinis pointed at Shen Xi and joked at the girl who had just returned.

"Rebecca, is that handsome guy blind? Or did you not shake your boobs at him?"

The girl known as Rebecca looked a bit depressed, "Of course I did, they were about to fall out, okay? He can't see, what can I do?"

The girls laughed at Rebecca's comment, but when they saw that Shen Xi did not respond to their laughter, they could only shake their heads at each other and move on to their next target.

Shen Xi, who was fully engaged in the game, was unaware of the girls' comments about him, but all this was not missed by the handsome man not far away.

The man looked at Shen Xi with a smile in his eyes, his gaze lingering on Shen Xi's naked upper body as he quickly walked up to him, "Hi, handsome, do you need some company?"

Shen Xi didn't even bother to raise his head and simply refused, "No."

The smile on the man's face intensified; he was not intimidated by Shen Xi's refusal at all, "I can do a lot of things, I'm good at raising a family, cooking and warming up a bed. Don't you want to try?"

The words seemed to attract Shen Xi's attention. Shen Xi took advantage of the gap in the game to look up at the man with his face stern, "Too ugly!"

When the words "too ugly" came out, Fang Luowei, who had been sleeping beside Shen Xi, couldn't help but snort, opened his eyes and nodded to the man in front of him with a smile.

The man couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to rub Shen Xi's hair with a doting expression, "Still angry?"

Shen Xi hummed and did not say anything. Fang Luowei held back his laughter and moved briskly to sit up, "You guys continue, I'm going for a swim."

Li Mingxuan nodded at Fang Luowei and obediently sat beside Shen Xi, encircling his entire body in his arms, "Good boy! Don't be angry!"

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan sternly, but unexpectedly his chin was cupped. Li Mingxuan gave him a hot light kiss, and a smile slowly spilled out of Shen Xi's eyes as their lips locked.

The afternoon flew by and night soon fell on the beach. Most of the tourists chose to go back to their hotels to rest, but there were still quite a few people remaining on the beach. Once Li Mingxuan appeared, Fang Luowei had the good sense to disappear, and even when it was time for dinner he simply sent a text message saying that he would eat alone and leave them to their own devices.

Bonfires were lit one by one, the people on the beach sitting around them in groups, drinking beer and chatting casually. Of course, there were also tourists like Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi who were far away from the crowd, and whenever they met someone, they just nodded and smiled.

Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi's hand in one hand and a huge bag in the other as they walked slowly along the night beach. The sea breeze blew gently over the two of them, bringing along the merry sounds of the crowd far behind them. The two men walked in the shallow waters of the tranquil sea, and the waves lapped gently at their feet, indescribably comfortable.

Neither Li Mingxuan nor Shen Xi said anything; they just intertwined their fingers and quietly enjoyed the tranquillity of the moment.

The two didn't stop until they could no longer hear the laughter of the crowd. Li Mingxuan bent over, took out the folding tent from his bag and kissed Shen Xi's forehead affectionately, "I'm going to set up a tent. There is food in the bag."

Shen Xi nodded, took a can of beer and lay down on the soft beach with his limbs sprawled out. Looking up at the dark blue sky dotted with countless shining stars, Shen Xi felt his mind was at peace.

After his rebirth, Shen Xi had never imagined that his heart would have such peace. There was no more bitter resentment, no more dark memories, no more unending calculations. Time had slowly healed all the scars of the past. As he lay quietly, listening to the gentle whisper of the waves, looking at the vast, endless starry sky, with Li Mingxuan by his side, Shen Xi closed his eyes and smiled faintly.

The familiar sound of footsteps stopped beside him, followed by a cold kiss falling on his lips.

"Thinking of something?" Li Mingxuan asked with a smile as he leaned down and kissed Shen Xi tenderly.

"Thinking of you!" In the night Shen Xi's eyes were amazingly bright. There were no more emotions in them that Li Mingxuan couldn't understand like before, there was just his own figure filling the entrity of them.

Li Mingxuan felt his heart instantly filled with boundless joy and couldn't help but lower his head to capture Shen Xi's lips once more. This time Li Mingxuan did not rush into Shen Xi's mouth to attack, but carefully traced Shen Xi's lips with the tip of his tongue.

Li Mingxuan's lips felt cold to the touch and carried a faint aroma of beer. Shen Xi cooperated by extending his tongue to hook the tip of Li Mingxuan's tongue and tangling them tenderly.

After a long kiss, Li Mingxuan reluctantly let go of Shen Xi's lips, rolled over and stood up, pulling Shen Xi up with him.

Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan's actions in confusion. Li Mingxuan smiled and kissed him on the forehead, "Be good, close your eyes, I have a gift for you."

Shen Xi laughed softly, but still obediently closed his eyes. With his vision blocked, his sense of hearing seemed to be amplified infinitely. Shen Xi vaguely felt Li Mingxuan leave his side. Soon the familiar scent appeared again, Shen Xi's heart instantly surging with a vague sense of anticipation.

"Xiao Xi, are you willing to stay with me forever?"

After an endless wait, Li Mingxuan's gentle voice suddenly rang out and, accompanied by the murmur of the waves, just hit Shen Xi straight in the heart.

Shen Xi opened his eyes. Under the soft moonlight, Li Mingxuan was kneeling on one knee in front of him, his expression fervent, his eyes full of a deep, unmistakable love. Li Mingxuan's right hand was raised upwards, and in his palm lay two delicate rings, shining faintly in the moonlight.

For a moment, Shen Xi only felt as if his heart was not his own, beating violently. Many thoughts had passed through his mind during the wait just now, but the only one that had not occurred to him was this one.

Li Mingxuan was not anxious about Shen Xi's silence. He just looked at Shen Xi patiently and said gently, "Xiao Xi, with me, you may never have children of your own, and we may not even be able to appear in public as a normal couple. We may never be able to have each other's names in the spouse column, and for most people, we will be invisible. But I love you and I want to tie you to me selfishly. I cannot give you everything that the law recognises. All I can give you is myself. I love you and will love you more and more every day until we grow old together."

Li Mingxuan's words pierced Shen Xi's heart like a tender sword, and the corners of his mouth began to turn up uncontrollably. Their eyes met; Shen Xi's gaze was filled with laughter as he stared at Li Mingxuan and said in a soft voice, "I do!"

Accompanying these words was a huge smile that bloomed on Li Mingxuan's face.

Getting up and exchanging rings, all the movements were done in one go. Li Mingxuan was satisfied as he grasped Shen Xi's hand tightly, intertwining their fingers, the two rings fitting together tightly and seamlessly.

"Xiao Xi, I'm very happy."

"En!"

Shen Xi gave a soft "en" and took the initiative to lean over and kiss Li Mingxuan, who quickly hugged Shen Xi and kissed him back hard.

In the midst of the intense kiss, both of their T-shirts were stripped off and thrown to the ground. The moment their skin touched, Shen Xi felt that the big hole in his heart that had been empty since his rebirth had finally been filled.

From a distance, all that could be seen was two figures entwined, undulating against each other.

Intermittent voices sounded faintly in the sea breeze.

"Get inside the tent."

"Good boy, don't worry, there's no one around."

"Mmm, be gentle."

"Good boy, bear with me, it'll be quick."

"Cousin."

"En?"

"I love you!"

"I love you too!"

Chapter 58

Shen Bixue wanted to give 6% of her shares to Shen Ji, and Shen Dehan quickly told him about it.

Shen Ji's first reaction was to refuse, "Father, these shares were given to my aunt by my grandfather and should be left by my aunt to Mingxuan and Mingfei."

Shen Dehan was not impressed by Shen Ji's words, "This is your aunt's good intention, and your uncle has agreed to it."

Shen Ji looked at his father hesitantly. He did not believe that his father could not see the reason for his aunt doing so at this time. His aunt's action was certainly an indication that the Li family had no intention of meddling in the internal affairs of the Shen family, but at the same time, it was also a kind of separation from the Shen family.

Shen Ji understood that his father was doing it his own good, that he wanted the control of the Shen Group to be concentrated in his, Shen Ji's, hands. But he had his own pride; he even disdained to count the shares in Shen Xi's hands, so how could he accept his aunt's gift?

Shen Ji wanted to persuade his father to change his mind, but when his eyes swept over his father's tired expression, he swallowed his words. His father had already been angry with Shen Xi once today, and he did not want to argue with his father again over this matter. Thinking that it would take some time for his aunt to go through the formalities, Shen Ji made up his mind to go to her privately without his father's knowledge to decline.

This day Shen Dehan fell asleep very early. Shen Ji gently turned off the light and watched his father for a long time in the darkness in silence.

He didn't know if it was just his illusion, but he felt that he was getting further and further away from his father. From the appearance of Chu Qianqian to the Yunrou fiasco, an invisible barrier gradually appeared between him and his father. Shen Ji wondered bitterly whether he had changed, or his father had changed. Where was the wise, kind and affectionate father who had been so close to his sister, Shen Ji's aunt? When did his father become so paranoid, distrustful to the point of suspecting his own sister?

Shen Ji quietly exited the ward. In the hallway, Shen Cheng was talking to someone on the phone, speaking incessantly with his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. Shen Ji quietly looked at Shen Cheng's back, memories from long ago slowly surfacing in his mind. Soon after Shen Cheng was born, their mother passed away. Before she died, she handed him Shen Cheng, a small bundle, telling him to be a good big brother and take care of his younger brother. Because of his mother's wish, Shen Ji tried his best to keep Shen Cheng by his side over the years. Back then, he even gave up studying abroad and chose to stay in China to attend university because he was not at ease about Shen Cheng.

He had watched Shen Cheng grow up day by day, and unlike his coldness to Shen Xi, Shen Cheng was a true blood relative in his heart, just like his father and aunt before. He dared not imagine that one day he would be as suspicious of Shen Cheng as his father was of Shen Bixue.

Shen Ji's gaze was so complicated that even if Shen Cheng was heartless, he sensed that Shen Ji's mood was not right at the moment and cautiously came up, "Big Brother, are you okay?"

Shen Ji smiled and reached out to touch Shen Cheng's head, which Shen Ji had rarely done since Shen Cheng had grown up.

Shen Cheng had a startled expression on his face, "Big Brother?"

Shen Ji gave a faint "en" and his expression returned to normal, "Ah Cheng, you should go home early, I'll stay at the hospital tonight."

Shen Cheng wanted to say that he would stay with him, but after taking a peek at Shen Ji's expression, he obediently went back to the Shen family's house.

Behind him, Shen Ji took a deep breath. Perhaps in his father's heart Shen Group was the most important. But he was different from his father, in his heart there was something more important than Shen Group.

Over the next few days, Shen Xi never went to the hospital again. Li Mingxuan didn't say anything; he just called Shen Ji and helped Shen Xi find an excuse.

Chen Zhiwei's movie had already been filmed. Chen Zhiwei was obviously very confident about it and boasted vigorously in front of Shen Xi, promising that the movie would definitely make Shen Xi a great deal of money. For this reason, Chen Zhiwei deliberately approached Li Mingxuan and used his connections to hook up with Lin Yao, in preparation for grabbing the New Year slot.

Shen Xi just laughed at this. He didn't care about the box office. Long before the movie was finished, Shen Xi had registered an offshore company in the Harman Islands through a foreign agent. As soon as the movie was finished, Shen Xi immediately contacted Lao K through the company and successfully transferred back some of the funds in the name of purchasing the movie's overseas distribution rights.

Although Chen Zhiwei thought the deal strange when he found out about it, he had the good sense not to say much. Shen Xi had been abroad for five years, so it was right to say that he would have some contacts that were not known to the public. Anyway, Shen Xi had given him a big red envelope as a reward, and he didn't care where the money came from as long as he had it.

Satisfied with the large amount of money that had legally been added to the company's account, Shen Xi was in a rather good mood. No wonder people were willing to register offshore companies when it came to money laundering, it was indeed very convenient.

After calculating the use of the money, Shen Xi turned to Lao K, "How is the contact with Chang Lei of Shen Group?"

Lao K nodded, "We have a handle on him in our hands and he is very obedient."

Shen Xi pondered a little, "Pay him half of what you promised. This is something I hope he can do seamlessly."

Lao K obviously had great confidence in Chang Lei, "Don't worry, he has previous experience in this field and the closing is very clean, otherwise I wouldn't have approached him."

Shen Xi nodded; he was very sure of Lao K's vision. After going over the plan in his mind, he had everything in place but for the call from Lu Gesen. He didn't believe that Lu Gesen would do nothing while Shen Dehan was in the hospital.

Shen Xi was right in his thinking, and Lu Gesen had no intention of letting go of such a rare opportunity.

Looking at the dense stack of reports in Lu Gesen's hand, Shen Cheng only felt a headache, "Gesen, just skip these numbers and tell me the final conclusion."

Lu Gesen looked serious, unmoved by Shen Cheng's request, "The conclusion is based on the numbers, it is better for you to understand them."

Shen Cheng had no choice but to take the documents and turn the pages over casually a few times, "I'm done, just say the conclusion."

Lu Gesen gave Shen Cheng a silent glance and picked out the important points to recount the general content of the report.

Shen Cheng's attention was quickly drawn to the content of the report, "This was done by the investment department?"

Lu Gesen nodded.

Shen Cheng looked at him with excitement, "What do you think?"

Lu Gesen deliberated for a moment, "I've read the detailed report from the investment department, and I think it's very investment-oriented. But it is rather risky, so we still need to be more cautious."

"High risk means high income, if we go by the investment department's estimate, how much can we make?" Shen Cheng didn't bother to listen to Lu Gesen's talk about caution and directly asked the question he was most concerned about.

Lu Gesen's expression remained unchanged, "It depends on the amount of our investment, the initial estimate is five to ten times the profit."

"That high?" Shen Cheng's eyes instantly lit up.

Lu Gesen quickly poured cold water, "If the investment goes wrong, we have to suffer the same loss, it's not just as simple as losing the investment."

Shen Cheng obviously didn't care about this comment and had his heart set on presenting this report to the board of directors as soon as possible.

Lu Gesen looked at Shen Cheng's excited face and ducked his head to hide the glint in his eyes.

Wang Changlin soon learned of Shen Cheng's reaction from Lu Gesen, "Shen Cheng has been touted too much by Gao Qiulin these days and is bent on thinking he is a business wizard. If it was Shen Ji, he would have been much more cautious."

Lu Gesen nodded; thinking about Shen Ji, he couldn't help worrying, "I'm afraid that Shen Ji will raise objections. He has always disliked the company investing in financial projects."

Wang Changlin was not worried at all, "Don't worry, Shen Dehan is still the one who is really in charge of this company."

When Wang Changlin said this, Lu Gesen understood that he had a way to get Shen Dehan to agree, so he was grateful, "I have to trouble Foster Father again."

Wang Changlin gave Lu Gesen a reproachful look, "What trouble is there? There is only so much I can do for you."

Lu Gesen smiled gratefully and looked at Wang Changlin with an increasingly adoring gaze.

He had grown up without a father; the only time he had spent with him was just a few days in his early childhood. All his imagination of his father was pinned on Wang Changlin. In his heart, if his father had been alive, he would have been like Wang Changlin.

As he thought of his father, a hint of determination flashed in Lu Gesen's eyes. Blood must be paid by blood, he must get back all that the Shen family owed him.

The determination in Lu Gesen's eyes was unmistakably caught by Wang Changlin. While Lu Gesen could not see, a look of satisfaction appeared on Wang Changlin's face.

That afternoon, before Lu Gesen left, he looked at Wang Changlin as if he wanted to say something.

Wang Changlin noticed Lu Gesen's strangeness and smiled faintly, "What's wrong? Is there something we can't say as father and son?"

Lu Gesen struggled for a while before finally speaking, "Foster Father, should I bring Xiao Xi to see you sometime?"

"Xiao Xi?" Wang Changlin was obviously very surprised, "How come you suddenly thought of Shen Xi?"

Wang Changlin's expression did not look different except for the surprise, so Lu Gesen's heart settled and he explained softly, "I heard Shen Cheng say that Xiao Xi and Shen Dehan's relationship had become even worse, so I was a bit worried about Xiao Xi. He is my only blood relative in this world, and although I grew up without a father, in my heart you are my father. And although Xiao Xi has a father but it is the same as having no father at all, so I hope you can treat Xiao Xi like me, too." At this point, Lu Gesen added in a low voice, "No matter what, Xiao Xi is my aunt's only offspring."

Wang Changlin's expression became complicated at Lu Gesen's last words. He did not say yes or no. Lu Gesen gave him an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, Foster Father."

Wang Changlin shook his head, "It has nothing to do with you, it's me who can't get past the psychological hurdle."

Lu Gesen let out a silent sigh and without saying anything else got up and left quietly. It seemed that he should wait before telling Shen Xi about his foster father.

When Lu Gesen's figure disappeared outside the door, Wang Changlin silently took out his wallet. In the inconspicuous compartment of the wallet, a half torn photo lay quietly there, showing Han Rou smiling brightly at the camera.

Wang Changlin touched the half of the photo with a complicated expression and reached out to gently brush over the other half that was missing, an odd smile curving the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 59

Renai Hospital was one of the best hospitals in Zhongjing, and also the hospital where the Shen family used to stay.

Zhou Mingmei sat quietly in the car, her eyes fixed on the hospital entrance.

This was already the second time she had come to the hospital. After all her calls to Shen Dehan had been intercepted by Shen Ji, Zhou Mingmei had to rush to the hospital in person. But the last time she had just gotten out of the elevator when Shen Ji arranged for bodyguards to send her out. In her resentment, Zhou Mingmei could only turn to Wang Changlin to find a way to arrange for her to meet with Shen Dehan. After all, even if she had a thousand tricks up her sleeve, it was all for nothing if she did not see Shen Dehan.

Wang Changlin reacted extremely quickly to her request, and soon told her that Shen Ji would leave the hospital for half a day today. It was up to her whether she could seize the opportunity.

Zhou Mingmei was patiently guarding the entrance of the hospital. After a while, the car with the familiar licence plate drove off from the back door of the hospital. Zhou Mingmei's eyes lit up and she breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, her waiting had a result.

The elevator began to rise one level at a time. Zhou Mingmei had her customary graceful expression on her face while quickly calculating in her mind what she would say when she saw Shen Dehan.

As Zhou Mingmei's figure appeared, the bodyguards moved forward to block the way.

"Miss Zhou, Ji Shao ordered that Mr. Shen does not want to see you, so we hope you will not make things difficult for us."

Zhou Mingmei looked calm, "I know what Ah Ji is worried about. Don't worry, I'm here to say farewell to Dehan."

As soon as they heard the word "farewell", the bodyguards looked at each other in disbelief. Obviously, Zhou Mingmei's purpose was different from what they had thought.

Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan's ward with a trace of sadness in his expression, "I am about to leave Zhongjing. This is the last time I will see Dehan. I just hope you can fulfil my wish to say goodbye to him."

The head bodyguard looked at Zhou Mingmei with a bit of hesitation. Shen Ji was not there and they could not forcefully do anything to Zhou Mingmei. After all, Zhou Mingmei was Shen Dehan's mistress.

After deliberating for a while, the bodyguard in charge gave way and said softly, "Miss Zhou, you only have half an hour."

Zhou Mingmei gave him a grateful look and pushed the door to the ward open with a smile on her face.

Shen Dehan was sitting on the bed reading a newspaper at the moment, and when he heard the slight footsteps, he thought it was Chu Qianqian and looked over with a smile, "Xiao Chu, you're here?"

Shen Dehan's smile disappeared when he saw that the visitor was Zhou Mingmei, and his expression instantly became gloomy. He had deliberately ignored Zhou Mingmei and Shen Rong for the past week, just to avoid reminding himself of what had happened that night. He planned to leave the mother and son hanging, but he did not expect Zhou Mingmei to dare to come to the hospital.

Shen Dehan's attitude caused Zhou Mingmei's eyes to redden and she said pleadingly, "Dehan."

This voice made Shen Dehan's heart soften, and his expression could not help but ease up. Zhou Mingmei was not actually wrong in her calculations. Thinking about Zhou Mingmei's fainting in anger last time, Shen Dehan said, "Why are you here?"

Zhou Mingmei looked at Shen Dehan affectionately, "I've come to say goodbye to you, Dehan."

"Goodbye?" Shen Dehan was stunned, "Where are you going?"

Zhou Mingmei didn't answer Shen Dehan's question, she just gently walked over and snuggled up to his side tenderly, "Dehan, do you still remember the day we first met?"

Without waiting for Shen Dehan to speak, Zhou Mingmei already smiled as she recounted, "It was my eighteenth birthday. I originally arranged to celebrate it with a few friends, but who knew that my agent had to drag me to a social gathering. I was upset but could only pretend to be happy. And then you asked me why I tried to smile so hard when I was obviously unhappy."

Zhou Mingmei's narrative stirred up Shen Dehan's memory of that day when he and Zhou Mingmei first met. He had never thought there could be someone so much like Fang Yun in the world, and for a split second he almost thought it was Fang Yun who had returned. He looked at the way the girl was trying to smile and talk to the people even though she was obviously depressed, exactly like Ah Yun he remembered. Ever since Fang Yun's death, Shen Dehan always felt that his heart also was dead, so he had agreed to marry Han Rou, intending to keep Fang Yun in his memory and live with Han Rou in respect from then on. But Zhou Mingmei's appearance made him realise that he could not forget Fang Yun at all, and his heart started beating again the moment he saw Zhou Mingmei.

He quickly made the decision to keep Zhou Mingmei by his side; in his heart, Zhou Mingmei was the incarnation of Fang Yun.

A wistful look appeared on Shen Dehan's face as Zhou Mingmei sat upright and looked at Shen Dehan with gentle eyes, "Dehan, in fact, I always knew that you did not love me, that you just treated me as a substitute for Fang Yun, but I didn't mind. I told myself that I was blessed to have met you and to have the privilege to grow old with you. I am very happy."

This was the first time Zhou Mingmei picked up this subject in front of Shen Dehan, who was obviously very surprised, "Mingmei?"

Zhou Mingmei smiled faintly, "Dehan, thank you, but I can't stay with you anymore."

Shen Dehan subconsciously asked, "Why? Because of what happened to Ah Rong?"

Zhou Mingmei nodded bitterly, "Ah Rong has made too much trouble this time. Everything is my fault, I didn't control him well. I no longer have the face to stay by your side, Dehan."

Zhou Mingmei's words made Shen Dehan's heart soften completely; memories of the past flooded back, whether it was Zhou Mingmei or Shen Rong, both had brought him infinite joy. Shen Dehan's expression fully eased and he patted Zhou Mingmei's arm, "This matter is not your fault, you should not think too much, besides, Ah Rong is also…"

Shen Dehan's words were interrupted by the sudden sound of a female voice, "Mr. Shen!"

Chu Qianqian held a medicine tray in one hand, pushing the door open with the other, and looked over at Shen Dehan with a smile. Almost the moment she looked inside the room, Chu Qianqian's smile froze on her face. Looking hesitantly at Zhou Mingmei, who was sitting intimately close to Shen Dehan, Chu Qianqian glanced at her face – her face that was extremely similar to hers – and her whole body froze in shock.

"Xiao Chu?" Shen Dehan reacted immediately, got up quickly and walked to the door, "Xiao Chu?"

Chu Qianqian seemed to have been awakened by Shen Dehan and gave him a suspicious look. She immediately lowered her head and took a step back, distancing herself from Shen Dehan, "Sorry, Mr. Shen, I didn't know you had a guest."

After saying that, Chu Qianqian did not look at Shen Dehan again, hurriedly turned around and left the ward.

As he thought about Chu Qianqian's behaviour just now, the expression on Shen Dehan's face gradually became ugly. Chu Qianqian was clearly disgusted with him. When he thought that Chu Qianqian was still playing chess with him in the morning with a smile on her face, Shen Dehan's heart filled with irritation at Zhou Mingmei for her appearance for no reason.

While Shen Dehan couldn't see, Zhou Mingmei's face distorted momentarily. She suspected that Chu Qianqian had appeared on purpose. The atmosphere between Shen Dehan and her had been just right, she had enough confidence to make Shen Dehan recall how good she and Ah Rong were and erase the video incident from his mind. But now everything had come to naught.

Shen Dehan's expression turned cold again, "Mingmei, you go back first."

Zhou Mingmei was reluctant to leave, but seeing Shen Dehan's expression, she could only grit her teeth and obey. When she walked out of the elevator with a grim face, someone came to her side with a tray of medicine. Zhou Mingmei looked over, and what caught her eyes was a face that was younger and more like Fang Yun's than hers.

Chu Qianqian smiled slightly at Zhou Mingmei, lowering her head and speaking in an intimate manner, "When you're old, don't come and pretend to be weak and affectionate. If you're not disgusted, I'm disgusted for you."

Zhou Mingmei's face immediately became livid, her eyes staring at Chu Qianqian coldly. Chu Qianqian seemed oblivious, still intimately cuddling up to her side, "Admit defeat, it's me Mr. Shen likes now."

After saying this, Chu Qianqian naturally turned in the other direction. Before she left, Zhou Mingmei clearly heard Chu Qianqian whisper, "Auntie Zhou, goodbye."

Zhou Mingmei stared at Chu Qianqian's back with her eyes full of fire. It took all her strength to suppress the anger in her heart.

Chu Qianqian smiled as she fished out her mobile phone and sent a text message to Shen Xi, "Auntie Zhou is pissed off at me, you don't need to thank me specifically."

Shen Xi, who received the text message, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That morning, Shen Cheng couldn't wait to submit his new investment proposal to the board of directors that approved it swiftly.

By the time Shen Ji, who was out of town, received the news, the funds allocated by the board of directors to Shen Cheng were already in place, and Shen Cheng was complacently planning to make his move.

Shen Ji felt vaguely uneasy, "Ah Cheng, have you done a detailed risk assessment?"

Shen Cheng, who was in high spirits at the moment, received a call from Shen Ji and was very dissatisfied with his elder brother's behaviour of pouring cold water on him in this situation.

"Big Brother, if you don't trust me, don't you still trust the investment department? This investment report was made by them, I just submitted it to the board of directors when I felt it was appropriate."

The investment department that Shen Cheng was talking about was an important department of Shen Group and had always been responsible for the screening, investigation, planning and evaluation of Shen Group's external investment projects, so it could be said that Shen Group development over the years could not have been possible without the precise vision of the investment department.

When he heard that the report was submitted by the investment department, Shen Ji relaxed a little. But the uneasy feeling did not dissipate; he always felt as if he had forgotten something.

When Shen Ji received the news, Shen Xi also received the news.

Lao K was very puzzled by this investment, "This is a completely normal investment, and according to the current trend, Shen Group is 100% going to make money. Didn't Lu Gesen make a move?"

Shen Xi shook his head, "You also said that according to the current trend, the financial market is unpredictable. It's hard to say what it will suddenly become tomorrow."

Lao K didn't hear the answer he wanted and pressed on, dissatisfied, "Xiao Xixi, hurry up and tell people the inside story."

Shen Xi looked at him speechlessly, "You think I'm a god and know everything."

Lao K heatedly smiled, "Then tell me, how did you know in advance about the investments that helped Gao Qiulin make so much money?"

Shen Xi raised an eyebrow, "You really want to know?"

Lao K intuited that there must be something odd about Shen Xi talking so nicely, but he had been curious about this question for a long time and finally couldn't help but nod.

Shen Xi's expression became serious, "If you were reborn ten years ago, you would also know the general direction of the economy."

This answer caused Lao K's lips to twitch violently, "Do you think I'm an ignorant girl on the internet?"

Shen Xi nodded and once again couldn't help but laugh.

Chapter 60

After sending Zhou Mingmei away, Chu Qianqian did not return to the ward, but directly asked for leave from the hospital and disappeared from Shen Dehan's view.

After waiting for Chu Qianqian for a long time in vain, Shen Dehan finally could not help but go to the duty room to ask about Chu Qianqian in person. After learning that she had asked for leave, Shen Dehan's face became very ugly.

He didn't expect Zhou Mingmei to come to the hospital and forgot to instruct the bodyguards to stop Chu Qianqian from coming. The faces of them two were too similar, and with the way he had treated her, Chu Qianqian must have sensed something. Thinking about her subconscious avoidance of his approach, Shen Dehan could not help but feel angry at Zhou Mingmei.

Perhaps it was because he was getting older that he began to miss more and more the days when he was younger, when he met, knew and loved Fang Yun. He would always unconsciously compare Chu Qianqian with Fang Yun, the same face, the same upbringing, the same personality and even the same hobbies. No, there was no need to compare them at all, Chu Qianqian was Fang Yun, Shen Dehan was convinced of this, it was because Fang Yun saw how pitiful he was that she had come to him once again.

Shen Dehan wanted to take care of Chu Qianqian. He had once proposed it tactfully, but Chu Qianqian refused without hesitation. Shen Dehan watched her work hard every day but she always had a smile on her face. More and more, he couldn't let go of her in his heart. He was aware of the age difference between him and Chu Qianqian, he did not want to blaspheme her, but just wanted her to be by his side.

Thinking of this, Shen Dehan could no longer hold back and immediately told his bodyguards that he was going out. He needed to explain something to Chu Qianqian.

When Shen Dehan suddenly wanted to leave the hospital, the bodyguards couldn't help being secretly anxious. They didn't dare to stop him, but they couldn't just let him leave, they could only keep contacting Shen Ji, hoping that he would come back as soon as possible.

Shen Dehan was furious at their procrastination, "Who is in charge of the Shen family?"

Seeing Shen Dehan's anger, everyone could only follow his orders. After some arrangements were made, Shen Dehan dressed and left the hospital with his bodyguards in a low-key manner.

As soon as Shen Dehan's car left the hospital, a taxi that had been parked on the roadside silently followed him.

"Dafei, old man Shen is out, it looks like he is going to look for Sister Qianqian."

"Got it, follow him closely and watch out for him changing direction midway."

"Don't worry!"

Hanging up the phone, the men in the taxi followed Shen Dehan carefully. They were all the people Lao K had found to keep a close eye on Shen Dehan's whereabouts every day in order to cooperate with Chu Qianqian's plan. Originally, the group was prepared to think of luring Shen Dehan out a few days later, but they did not expect to receive a sudden notice from Chu Qianqian that they should keep an eye on the place to see if Shen Dehan would come out.

Although they did not know what Chu Qianqian had done, Shen Dehan was indeed lured out. Thinking about the tactics of Chu Qianqian, they could only warn themselves to stay away from that woman in the future, otherwise they would definitely be sold and still be happy to help the other party count the money.

Shen Dehan's car turned left and right until it reached a small, inconspicuous alleyway in the eastern part of Zhongjing. Compared to the surrounding high-rise buildings, this small alleyway could only be described as shabby. Chu Qianqian's home was here.

Shen Dehan looked at this small alleyway from afar and could not help but frown. He had picked up and dropped off Chu Qianqian several times and knew that the security here was not good, and Chu Qianqian even was pestered by the punks here. Unfortunately, unlike Zhou Mingmei, Chu Qianqian refused to accept his help and he had been unable to persuade her to move out.

As he drew closer to Chu Qianqian's place, Shen Dehan's heart inexplicably became excited, as if he returned to the time he had met Fang Yun when he was young.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shen Dehan motioned to the bodyguard to step forward and knock on the door. Who knew that a man's voice would come from inside, "Who? Brother Fei is busy. Get lost. "

Shen Dehan knew that Chu Qianqian lived alone, and his face immediately sank as he heard the words. Before he could say anything, a sharp female voice suddenly came out from inside and was stopped abruptly halfway through, as if it had been forcibly interrupted.

Shen Dehan was the first to hear that it was Chu Qianqian's voice, and the bodyguard also realised that something was wrong, carefully shielding Shen Dehan behind him as he stepped forward and fiercely kicked open the door.

In the yard, several young men dressed as gangsters looked at them in shock, and the sound of Chu Qianqian crying came faintly from inside the house.

Shen Dehan's face was dark as he strode towards the house anxiously.

The punks in the yard were no match for the bodyguards around Shen Dehan and were subdued with a few blows. Someone in the house pushed the door open, "Who's causing trouble?"

The head bodyguard stepped forward and kicked the man away, "Is there anyone else inside?"

The man who fell down covering his stomach looked at the bodyguard in horror, first shaking his head and then nodding, "Yes, there's a woman."

When Shen Dehan heard this, he hurriedly stopped the bodyguard and walked in by himself.

Inside the house, on the bed, Chu Qianqian was tied up, looking wretched. Fortunately, Shen Dehan came over in time, her clothes were only just torn open. At this moment, her face was pale and she was looking at the door with tears in her eyes, her gaze full of pleading.

The appearance of Shen Dehan made Chu Qianqian's eyes flash with uncontrollable surprise. This pitiful look made Shen Dehan's heart ache. He hurriedly untied her and Chu Qianqian couldn't help but hug Shen Dehan and cry bitterly.

That afternoon, Shen Dehan stayed with her at her home and intended to stay there at night to accompany her, as Chu Qianqian had been greatly stimulated and was completely inseparable from him. As long as she didn't see Shen Dehan's figure, she got very scared.

When the news reached the hospital, Shen Ji was sitting alone in the empty ward, staring expressionlessly in the direction of the door.

The bodyguard finished recounting what had happened as emotionlessly as possible, stole a glance at Shen Ji and said carefully, "Mr. Shen said he was going to stay there at night to take care of Miss Chu."

A trace of ridicule flashed in Shen Ji's eyes; he turned and strode away from the hospital without saying a word.

Zhou Mingmei was getting old, so she was replaced by the younger Chu Qianqian? Did father even know what he was doing?

A deep fatigue welled up in Shen Ji's heart, and he couldn't help but laugh hard at himself in his heart. Look, this is the father you care so much about, who insisted on leaving the hospital for a woman despite all the obstruction. Should he be thankful that that woman had a face exactly like his mother's? So this was the true love for his mother that his father talked about?

Shen Ji threw himself into the car helplessly. The driver surveyed the speechless Shen Ji and said in a low voice, "Ji Shao, going back to the Shen family's house?"

Shen Ji stared out the window and said expressionlessly, "Go to Li's house."

Shen Xi soon learned about Shen Dehan going to look for Chu Qianqian.

Deleting Lao K's text message, Shen Xi couldn't help but admire Chu Qianqian. This woman was just too good at seizing the moment. It was only in the morning that Zhou Mingliang went to the hospital, and Chu Qianqian immediately thought of using this incident to lead Shen Dehan over. The whole process was completely seamless. With Chu Qianqian's methods, it could be expected that the Shen family would soon have the third Mrs. Shen. He would like to see if Zhou Mingmei could continue to endure after so many years of calculation.

Shen Xi couldn't help but be in a very happy mood when he thought about the reaction Zhou Mingmei would have. His smile was noticed by Li Mingxuan who opened the door, and Li Mingxuan's mood immediately improved.

"In a good mood?"

Shen Xi nodded, "I can't help but feel happy when a person I hate is about to go down."

Li Mingxuan laughed and leaned to give Shen Xi a kiss on the corner of his mouth, saying affectionately, "Little villain."

Shen Xi smiled brightly, "Thank you for the compliment."

Li Mingxuan liked Shen Xi's lively look very much. He could tell Shen Xi was really in a good mood, so he couldn't help but be moved and hugged Shen Xi, "Do you want to go home and have dinner together tonight?"

Since the last time Li Xiyong mentioned at the hospital that he wanted Shen Xi to visit the Li family sometime, Li Mingxuan had been trying to find a suitable opportunity. He knew that there might be hard feelings in Shen Xi's heart towards the Li family; after all, for whatever reason, they had ignored Shen Xi's existence and paid no attention to what happened to him for many years. He did not want to justify what had happened before; just as he now hated his former actions, his mother also had regrets about her behaviour. There was nothing they could do to change the past, they could only try to make up for it in the future.

His mother had now taken the first step, and he greedily hoped that Shen Xi would do the same. He hoped that one day Shen Xi would truly accept him and his family in his heart.

Shen Xi's smile faded a little after he heard Li Mingxuan's words, "Home to the Li family's house?"

Li Mingxuan let out a soft "en", "Mother hasn't seen you for a long time, and Father also wants us to go home for a reunion dinner." After saying that, Li Mingxuan added, "If Xiao Xi doesn't want to, let's forget about it this time and talk about it next time."

There was no hint of reluctance in Li Mingxuan's tone; he obviously was taking care of Shen Xi's mood.

Shen Xi's heart softened, "Fine, have you told Aunt?"

A surprise flashed in Li Mingxuan's eyes; he rubbed Shen Xi's hair, "Just say what you want to eat, I'll have them prepare it."

Shen Xi shook his head indifferently, "Anything."

When she received Li Mingxuan's call, Shen Bixue was inexplicably nervous, grabbing Li Xiyong and asking, "What arrangements do we need to make for the evening?"

Li Xiyong couldn't understand Shen Bixue's nervousness, "Shen Xi is not an outsider, just treat him as if he is the same as Ah Ji."

Shen Bixue shook her head, "Although Shen Xi is Dehan's child like Ah Ji, you know that we have not been close to Shen Xi since he was young. We don't even know what he likes to eat. We haven't had much interaction with him for so many years, and now that we're suddenly going to become a family. I don't know how to face him."

Li Xiyong said casually, "You can just think of him as a male daughter-in-law."

Shen Bixue gave Li Xiyong a blank look, "If only it was as easy as you say. But since you're so sure, tell me, what arrangements should we make?"

Li Xiyong looked at Shen Bixue soothingly, "It's just an ordinary family dinner, no need to be too deliberate."

Shen Bixue also knew that it was best not to be too deliberate, but she really didn't know how to face Shen Xi. She was about to ask Li Xiyong to make a decision when a servant knocked softly on the door, "Ji Shao is here."

Shen Bixue was stunned and subconsciously looked at Li Xiyong. Why would Shen Ji suddenly come here? Wasn't he at the hospital at this time? Li Xiyong was also obviously very surprised, got up and walked with Shen Bixue to the living room.

In the living room, Shen Ji was sitting quietly, with an indescribably despondent look.

Shen Bixue looked over with concern, "Ah Ji, what happened? Why are you not at the hospital?"

Shen Ji didn't know why he came to the Li family; perhaps because his aunt had taken care of him since he was young and he was used to treating this place as another home.

Hearing the concern in his aunt's words, Shen Ji tried to put away the irritation in his heart and smiled lightly at Shen Bixue, "It's nothing, I just missed the food at my aunt's house and came here to get a meal."

If it was a normal day, when Shen Bixue heard Shen Ji say this, she would have smiled and ordered the kitchen to cook Shen Ji's favourite dishes, but today Mingxuan said that he would bring Shen Xi. The relationship between the two had always been indifferent, so Shen Bixue was in a difficult position.