Rebirth: Different Way

by Usui Takumii

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

8. 71 to 80

Chapter 71

The news of Shen Ji's dismissal from the company spread throughout Shen Group together with a statement from the board of directors. Although the statement did not mention specific reasons, everyone was shocked and linked it to the incident of Shen Cheng's misappropriation of public funds that had just broken out. People were speculating privately about the relationship between the two brothers, especially taking into account that after the incident, Shen Cheng was still the general manager of the company, but Shen Ji was expelled from Shen Group. This inevitably led to everyone muttering behind their backs.

Shen Ji carefully tidied up the personal items in his office until the last one was collected. He looked around the empty office with a perplexed expression. There was a really complicated feeling in his heart. Unlike the last time when he just changed the office, this time he was leaving Shen Group completely. After taking a deep breath, Shen Ji took one last look at the room, pushed open the office door and walked out.

There were quite a few employees coming and going along the way, and all of them nodded awkwardly when they saw Shen Ji passing by. Shen Ji nodded in response as usual, and walked to the elevator with a calm expression. The elevator doors closed in front of him but Shen Cheng still did not appear, and the mirror inside the elevator reflected Shen Ji's slightly self-deprecating smile. Shen Ji lowered his gaze. He had already done everything he could, and Ah Cheng could only rely on himself in the future.

When Shen Ji left Shen Group, Shen Cheng had just woken up from his hangover. The soft bed beneath him reminded him that he was not at home at the moment. In a daze, he got up and sat there, pushing the person in his arms away. His mind was in a state of confusion, his head throbbing with pain.

Shen Cheng subconsciously wanted to smoke. Since a few days ago, he found himself more and more addicted to smoking. Originally he would only occasionally smoke a cigarette on the spur of the moment, but now, in just a few days a pack of cigarettes had been almost finished by him.

"Pass me a cigarette." Shen Cheng squinted at the familiar figure on the sofa not far away, shaking his head in an attempt to wake himself up. Although he wanted to ask Shen Rong what he was doing sitting there, the thought of needing a cigarette now outweighed everything else.

A cigarette was soon handed over and Shen Cheng eagerly took it and inhaled fiercely. An unparalleled pleasure immediately swept through his body. He only felt his pores open instantly and any feeling of discomfort disappeared. After enjoying this sensation for a long time with his eyes closed, Shen Cheng was about to take a second puff when his body suddenly froze and he looked at Shen Rong with a shocked and angry expression, "What did you give me?"

Shen Rong looked innocent, "It's the cigarettes you usually smoke, I found it in your clothes."

Shen Cheng's eyes were full of suspicion. He violently threw the cigarette in his hand aside. Although the taste was as usual, he felt that something was wrong, this cigarette was obviously different. Although he was messing around outside, unlike Zhang Qiu, there were some things he would never touch.

Shen Rong's face looked aggrieved, and Shen Cheng was momentarily unsure whether what Shen Rong said was true or false. He waved his hand impatiently as Shen Rong walked out with his head lowered.

The moment Shen Rong turned his back, the corners of his mouth curved in a sneer. So what if Shen Cheng found out that something was wrong? A few days had passed and Shen Rong had just seen that there were not many more cigarettes left in the box, so Shen Cheng must have smoked a lot in the past days. Looking at him just now, it was obvious that he was enjoying it very much. Shen Rong did not believe that Shen Cheng would be able to endure it.

After Shen Rong left, Shen Cheng came to his senses completely and all the memories of last night came back to him. The board meeting, the argument, his father's disappointed expression, the drunkenness, the celebrating, and most impressive of all, the figure of Shen Ji leaving the hospital alone. The young man beside him pouted and leaned closer to him. Shen Cheng pushed him away in annoyance and the young man cowered away sensibly, not daring to disturb him again. His father's disappointment and the figure of Shen Ji leaving alone alternated in Shen Cheng's mind. After dressing haphazardly, Shen Cheng found his mobile phone and pressed the company's number.

"Hello?" Lu Gesen's serious voice came through.

Shen Cheng suddenly didn't know what he was going to say.

"Cheng Shao?" Lu Gesen immediately guessed that it was him, and Shen Cheng said hesitantly, "Is Big Brother gone?"

"Dashao has just left."

"Left." The look on Shen Cheng's face became complicated, "Did Big Brother say anything?"

"Dashao didn't comment." Lu Gesen's tone was stereotypically calm as he said that.

Shen Cheng didn't know why a sense of loss welled up in his heart. He was in no mood to say anything else and hung up the phone. Shen Ji left Shen Group without saying anything, which made Shen Cheng feel very uncomfortable. He vaguely understood in his heart that he and Shen Ji could never go back to the old days. Upset, Shen Cheng thought, didn't Big Brother used to love to lecture him most of all? Why did he leave without saying anything this time? Did he really rest assured leaving Shen Group to him, or was he completely disappointed in him?

As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Shen Cheng subconsciously took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it up.

The tingling sensation swept through his body once again; his confused mind instantly calmed down, all his worries disappeared, and Shen Cheng only felt that he was in heaven. The word "paradise" flashed through his mind and Shen Cheng came to his senses with a jolt. He looked warily at the cigarette in his hand; his reason reminded him to throw it away, but his heart was tempted by the ethereal feeling he had sensed before and he couldn't resist. After a half-hearted struggle, Shen Cheng warned himself to take one more puff only, just one more. As the incomparable pleasure filled his body, Shen Cheng could no longer remember what he had intended to do. After smoking the entire cigarette, Shen Cheng slumped down on the sofa with his eyes closed in satisfaction. He didn't see Shen Rong standing at the door, watching him, a cold smile on his face.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Cheng came to his senses. The young man was gone and only he and Shen Rong remained in the room. No matter how stupid Shen Cheng was, he knew that he had been calculated by Shen Rong. The cigarettes he was carrying were the ones he had casually asked Shen Rong to buy for him a few days ago. He could never have imagined that Shen Rong would dare to do such a thing. Thinking about his strange sensations in the past few days, Shen Cheng could not suppress his anger.

"Why?"

Shen Rong still looked innocent, "What are you talking about, Second Brother?"

Shen Cheng punched Shen Rong in the face viciously, "You pretend again, how dare you?"

Shen Rong covered his face and smiled slightly, "Why wouldn't I dare? I'm nothing but a thing in your eyes anyway. I already have nothing, what would I dare not do?"

"You bastard!" Shen Cheng's body trembled with anger. He rushed at Shen Rong to swing his fist fiercely once more. Shen Rong was unable to dodge and was hit in the face by Shen Cheng, and the corner of his mouth immediately began to bleed.

Shen Cheng pounced on Shen Rong in a rage and punched him hard in the face. Their commotion attracted the attention of people outside and a group of people poured in.

"Cheng Shao!"

"Cheng Shao, take your time to explain if there is any misunderstanding, don't be like that!"

Messy voices sounded around as the crowd pulled Shen Cheng away. Shen Cheng swatted them away forcefully, gave Shen Rong a fierce glare and turned away to leave without saying anything.

Shen Rong slowly got up from the floor and stared straight at Shen Cheng's back, his eyes full of malice and his lips curved in an odd smile.

Later that afternoon, Shen Cheng returned to Shen Group and locked himself up alone in his office.

His strange appearance was noticed by Lu Gesen. He knocked on the office door with a glint in his eyes, "Cheng Shao."

"Don't bother me." Shen Cheng's voice came out, full of an indescribable irritability.

Lu Gesen frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion flashing across his face.

The office once again fell into silence as Shen Cheng circled around it distractedly. He hadn't felt it before, but now there was an emptiness inside him, an indescribable hunger screaming in his mind, wanting, wanting! Subconsciously, he reached for his pocket, but there was nothing but his wallet. Shen Cheng remembered that when he left earlier he had thrown the rest of his cigarettes directly into the trash can. Clenching his fists, Shen Cheng desperately tried to convince himself that he wasn't actually addicted, that today was just an accident, that he could forget what it was like. But the more he tried to forget, the more he couldn't help but remember. Ruthlessly sweeping all the papers off the table to the floor, Shen Cheng hesitantly fished out his mobile phone and pressed Shen Ji's number. The moment the call was answered, Shen Cheng quickly chose to hang up. He didn't know how to talk to Shen Ji. Could he say he was set up by Shen Rong to possibly become addicted to drugs? The thought of the disappointment that might appear on Shen Ji's face, mixed with the disappointment on his father's face, made Shen Cheng inexplicably timid. After he couldn't control himself and smashed everything in his office onto the floor, Shen Cheng left the office with a blank face. When he left, Lu Gesen looked at the wreckage all over the floor, his brow furrowed tightly.

Shen Cheng did not show up at the company for two days in a row, and after calling again and getting no answer, Lu Gesen apologetically looked at the lawyer who had been waiting for a long time, "Sorry, I still can't reach Shen Shao."

There was no impatience on the lawyer's face, "It's okay, I can come back another time. Please tell Shen Shao that I have been entrusted by Ms. Shen Bixue to sign some documents with him and he can contact me at any time."

Lu Gesen nodded, "I will pass on the message."

The lawyer said goodbye and left Shen Group, and Lu Gesen lowered his head in thought. Where the hell had Shen Cheng gone, not even answering his phone! There were times in the past when Shen Cheng had disappeared, but there was never such a situation as not answering the phone. After thinking for a while, Lu Gesen glanced at the wall clock. It was almost the time when he agreed to meet with Shen Xi. After hurriedly nodding to the secretary, Lu Gesen drove to the cemetery.

In the silent cemetery, Shen Xi stood quietly holding a bouquet of lilies of the valley until he heard the hurried footsteps behind him.

"Xiao Xi."

Shen Xi turned his head. Lu Gesen was walking quickly with a large bouquet of lilies of the valley in his hands, "Sorry, there was some delay in the company."

Shen Xi's gaze flicked over the lilies of the valley in Lu Gesen's hands, and he said softly, "I've just arrived too."

Lu Gesen leaned down and placed the flowers in front of Han Rou's grave with a solemn expression, "Aunt, I've come to see you, and I've brought your favourite lilies of the valley."

Shen Xi stood quietly aside, saying softly, "How does Cousin know that Mother liked lilies of the valley? Did Uncle say that?"

Lu Gesen shook his head, "Father didn't have time to say that back then. It was my foster father who told me."

"Foster father?" Shen Xi's eyes flashed as a name came to his mind.

Lu Gesen's expression softened, "You should have met my foster father, he even mentioned you to me once."

"Oh, who is he?" Shen Xi said with interest.

"Wang Changlin."

With this name he had expected, Shen Xi lowered his eyes silently, hiding his doubts.

Chapter 72

Lu Gesen's childhood was a complete tragedy from the perspective of others.

As a young boy, he followed his single mother around the world, suffering many hardships. He met his father finally but before he could enjoy much father-son affection, his father died unexpectedly. With his father's death, happiness once again slipped away from his hands. He watched his father's family disintegrate overnight, leaving the huge Han family with only Shen Xi as an outsider.

The young Lu Gesen couldn't describe that feeling. If he had never known what happiness was like, the loss would not have been too painful, but his father had described to him a future that was too bright, a warm home, a family that loved him, a school where he could go, having fun like a normal child and not worrying that his mother would not have a job to provide for him. He carefully looked forward to this happiness in his heart, but instead of happiness, the sad news of his father's death came.

As his and his mother's lives were once again thrown into turmoil, Wang Changlin appeared in front of them as a rescuer. He arranged a place for them to live, he sent Lu Gesen to school, he cared for him and loved him as much as his father had. It was from Wang Changlin that Lu Gesen learnt about the past of the Han and Shen families and it was from Wang Changlin that he gained the courage to take revenge. Without Wang Changlin, he wouldn't know where he would be now, and even his so-called revenge might be nothing more than a joke in the eyes of the Shen family.

Shen Xi listened quietly to Lu Gesen's story, unwilling to admit that there was a hint of jealousy in his heart. Although Lu Gesen's past was poor and difficult, he was surrounded by his mother's unfailing care, and more importantly, Wang Changlin acted as a qualified father figure in his upbringing. Compared to his materially affluent but loveless past, he felt that Lu Gesen was much happier.

"Foster Father was in love with Aunt back then, and after she got married, he was disheartened and never married," Lu Gesen said with a sigh. Back then he accidentally found out that Wang Changlin actually liked Han Rou and was very angry in his heart. In his mind Han Rou was the murderer who caused the Han family to be destroyed, how could his foster father, whom he admired, like Han Rou? He went to Wang Changlin in anger, but saw the pain in Wang Changlin's eyes when he heard Han Rou's name, and all the words he wanted to say could no longer be said. Today, he could look further and understand that his aunt's life was no less than a tragedy, and the Shen family was to blame for everything.

Lu Gesen originally thought that Shen Xi would have a huge reaction, but he did not expect Shen Xi to just whisper, "I know that Lawyer Wang liked my mother."

"What? How do you know, Xiao Xi?" Lu Gesen was stunned, his expression surprised to the extreme.

Shen Xi smiled faintly, "I once met Lawyer Wang at the cemetery, he said so himself."

Lu Gesen was obviously astonished, "Foster Father didn't tell me about this, I didn't know…"

Shen Xi interrupted him, "I only heard it from Lawyer Wang when I accidentally met him."

Lu Gesen wondered what Shen Xi's impression of Wang Changlin was and said hesitantly, "Xiao Xi, Foster Father has very complicated feelings for you and he has never known how to face you."

Complicated feelings? Shen Xi looked at his mother's bright smiling face on the tombstone and a trace of self-deprecation flashed across his face very quickly.

After meeting Wang Changlin last time at the cemetery, he only regarded him as a stranger who had a crush on his mother. But today, from Lu Gesen's story, he realised that Wang Changlin remembered his grandfather's kindness back then and had secretly done so much after the Han family's downfall. The only one Wang Changlin forgot was him.

He wondered what kind of mentality Wang Changlin had to stay by his father's side, watching Shen Dehan raise him into a waste day after day, only to briefly contact him five years ago. In his previous life, Wang Changlin had not offered him any help when he was in prison. If he really remembered his grandfather's kindness, how could he have been indifferent to what happened to him? Or as Lu Gesen said, because of his mother, Wang Changlin could not face him and consciously chose to ignore him?

Shen Xi could not help but laugh at himself in his heart. Because of half of the Han family's blood in him, the Shen family was suspicious and distrustful of him, treating him as a transparent person. Now, because of his half of the Shen family's blood, people related to the Han family regarded him as an object of anger, treating him as a transparent person as well.

It turned out that for both the Shen family and the Han family, he shouldn't have existed.

Shen Xi's silence caused a hint of worry in Lu Gesen's eyes. He did not know how to explain to Shen Xi his foster father's behaviour. He did not want Shen Xi to misunderstand. Shen Xi could not see it, but he knew the struggles and hesitations of his foster father, and could see the pain he felt whenever Han Rou was mentioned.

"Foster Father, he?…"

"What do you want from me, Cousin?"

Both of them started talking at the same time, and Lu Gesen hesitated for a moment before repeating, "Foster Father, he?…"

"I know." Shen Xi interrupted Lu Gesen quickly, "I can understand Lawyer Wang's feelings. I am happy to have him miss my mother with me."

Lu Gesen heard the evasiveness in Shen Xi's words and sighed in his heart, not mentioning Wang Changlin's matter again, but answering Shen Xi's previous question.

"Xiao Xi, I am looking for you because I want to ask you if you would like to go abroad with me when the matter with the Shen family is over. I still have some savings on hand, enough for us to live without worries in the future."

Shen Xi was obviously very surprised. He looked at Lu Gesen in astonishment, and then realised something, "You are worried that I won't be able to make a living after Shen Group collapses?"

This was indeed what Lu Gesen was worried about. In his eyes, Shen Xi was relying on Shen Group for his livelihood, and after Shen Group collapsed, Shen Xi would also be left with nothing. The only way he could think of to compensate Shen Xi was to cover Shen Xi's future living expenses himself; he did not feel that Shen Xi could support himself on his own.

Shen Xi's heart softened; no matter what reason Lu Gesen had for saying this to him, at least he still remembered him.

"Don't worry, Cousin, I have some money in my hand, enough to support myself. Not to mention that I have a film company."

The film company that Shen Xi was talking about, Lu Gesen had also read the relevant reports about it and knew that the first movie Shen Xi had invested in was well received. Although he didn't know how it would develop in the future, if Shen Xi was willing to develop it seriously, there should be no problem to feed and clothe himself. Thinking of this, Lu Gesen also put his mind at ease.

"That's good, if there's anything you need, just tell me."

The two did not stay at the cemetery for too long but chose to leave one after the other. Watching Lu Gesen drive away, Shen Xi parked the car at the roadside and pressed Lao K's phone.

"Xiao Xixi, did you miss me?" Lao K said with a strange smile as soon as he picked up the phone.

Shen Xi, however, was in no mood for teasing, "I met with Lu Gesen."

"What? Something wrong?" Having known Shen Xi for five years, Lao K immediately heard that Shen Xi was not in a good mood at the moment, and was concerned.

"Haven't you been guessing who Lu Gesen's helper in Shen Group is?"

When it came to business, Lao K got serious, "Who?"

"Wang Changlin."

"It's him? How come? Isn't he Shen Dehan's personal lawyer?" Lao K's implication was that Wang Changlin was trusted by Shen Dehan, so how could he be involved with Lu Gesen?

"His other identity is Lu Gesen's foster father, he was the one who raised Lu Gesen after the Han family's accident."

"You mean to say that Lu Gesen knew about the Han-Shen family's entanglement from him?"

Shen Xi gave a soft "en".

Lao K mused, "You still think Han Yu's car accident was an accident?"

"I don't know." Shen Xi's voice was full of doubts, "According to the results of our investigation, Uncle's car accident was indeed an accident, but I can't think of a reason why Wang Changlin would deceive Lu Gesen."

"Too much time passed, there might also be some clues that we have missed. Do you want me to recheck it?" Lao K suggested.

"Fine, I'll find some time to meet Wang Changlin, I'm sure he wants to see me too."

Having finished the business matters, Lao K couldn't help but ask carefully, "Xiao Xi, are you alright?"

"What?"

Lao K stammered, not knowing how to speak. Although Shen Xi did not say much, he could tell a lot from the fact that Wang Changlin was Lu Gesen's foster father. Since he had taken Lu Gesen in and raised him, he must have had a deep connection with the Han family, but over the years, Wang Changlin had been indifferent to Shen Xi's situation, so it was no wonder that Shen Xi was in a bad mood.

Shen Xi guessed Lao K's thoughts for a moment, and chuckled lightly, "I'm fine." Even his blood father could ignore him; Wang Changlin was just a stranger after all. Besides, he was already used to this kind of indifference.

Hanging up on Lao K's call, Shen Xi pondered. Wang Changlin, his mother, his uncle and the Han family back then were all like a fog. He always felt there was something he didn't know, and what he didn't know was precisely the key to everything.

Shen Xi tapped the steering wheel lightly, his thoughts focused on Wang Changlin. Was what Wang Changlin said true or not? Was it true that he had accompanied Lu Gesen all these years to plot revenge against the Shen family just to repay his grandfather's kindness?

After thinking about it for a long time, Shen Xi shook his head. Perhaps he was overthinking. No matter what Wang Changlin's purpose was, as long as he shared his goal of destroying the Shen family, what did it matter what other thoughts Wang Changlin might have had?

When Shen Xi drove back to the city from the cemetery, Shen Bixue was on her way to see Li Mingxuan because Shen Cheng was nowhere to be found.

"Mom, why are you here?" Li Mingxuan looked surprised, quickly greeting Shen Bixue and helping her sit down.

Shen Bixue pretended to complain, "Since you and Shen Xi got together, your mother can only come to the office to see you when she misses you."

Li Mingxuan smiled lightly and made a cup of tea for Shen Bixue with his own hands, looking sincere, "I will try to make more time to come home in the future."

Shen Bixue smiled and shook her head, "Your father and I have Mingfei and the house is very lively, but Shen Xi is out there alone. It's good for you to spend more time with him."

Li Mingxuan knew that his mother was sincere, so he smiled gratefully and changed the subject, "Is there something wrong that Mother comes here today?"

Shen Bixue said casually, "It's just that I want to transfer the shares to Ah Cheng, but I can't find him for two days in a row, I don't know where he has gone."

Li Mingxuan's heart stirred slightly, "Are you so anxious, Mom? Uncle only just had this proposal."

A trace of unnaturalness flashed across Shen Bixue's face and she quickly laughed, "I am also trying to save myself the trouble. Who knows what proposal your uncle will come up with in a few days."

What Shen Bixue did not say was that it was a joint decision between her and Li Xiyong to transfer the shares to Shen Cheng as soon as possible, in order to appease Shen Dehan.

Li Mingxuan watched Shen Bixue's expression, and despite Shen Bixue's quick reaction, Li Mingxuan still caught the hint of unnaturalness in her eyes. The suspicion in his heart became more certain; Li Mingxuan pretended not to care and said, "Mom, is there something you are hiding from me?"

"How could there be?" Shen Bixue immediately replied.

Li Mingxuan was already sure that his mother was hiding something, and he couldn't think of anything else she would hide from him other than something that was related to Shen Xi.

"Is it something to do with Xiao Xi?"

"Mingxuan, how could you think that?" Shen Bixue was taken aback.

Li Mingxuan said with a serious expression, "Is it something to do with why Uncle is so defensive of Xiao Xi? Otherwise you wouldn't be so eager to transfer the shares to Ah Cheng."

"Mingxuan, what the hell are you talking about?" Shen Bixue stood up with a stern look and shouted at Li Mingxuan.

Li Mingxuan did not expect his mother's reaction to be so strong and frowned slightly, "Mom?"

Only when Shen Bixue shouted out did she realise that her reaction was too great, and she calmed down, "Mingxuan, you are thinking too much, Mother just wants to save herself the trouble. Well, I won't delay your work. I have some things to do in the evening, so I'll go first."

As he looked at his mother's hurried departure, Li Mingxuan's expression turned thoughtful. His words just now were just a test, but his mother's reaction was so big, which meant that he was testing in the right direction. As soon as Ah Ji left Shen Group, Uncle couldn't wait to ask his mother to transfer the shares in her hands to Ah Cheng. Uncle was obviously worried about Xiao Xi entering Shen Group and competing with Ah Cheng. But Xiao Xi needed Shen Dehan's approval to enter Shen Group, and if Shen Dehan insisted on not giving his approval, Xiao Xi would not be able to enter Shen Group at all. So what else did Uncle have to worry about? Unless Xiao Xi could enter Shen Group without Uncle's approval…

Without Shen Dehan's approval? Li Mingxuan's heart immediately stirred. He had heard Shen Ji mention before that there was a rule in Shen Group's board of directors that shareholders who held more than a certain percentage of Shen Group shares could enter Shen Group to participate in management. In that case, was his uncle worried that Xiao Xi would have shares in Shen Group? But all of Shen Group shares were now in Uncle's hands, so what exactly was Uncle fearing?

Li Mingxuan's brow furrowed inadvertently. When it came to Shen Xi, he couldn't help but think more about it.

Chapter 73

At 7 p.m., Yuanhui, the place second only to Shutu in Zhongjing, was bustling with brightly dressed people.

On his way back from the cemetery, Shen Xi received a phone call from Chen Zhiwei. It was his birthday today and he had invited a group of friends to get together. He hoped that Shen Xi would be able to attend. Of course, during the call, Chen Zhiwei specifically emphasised that Lao K and Fang Luowei would also attend. Although Shen Xi was not interested in such a party after his rebirth, Chen Zhiwei took the initiative to invite him, and since he was in a bad mood today, Shen Xi did not refuse and drove straight to Yuanhui after calling Li Mingxuan to tell him about it.

Chen Zhiwei had received a big red packet from Shen Xi not long ago, and was now in the midst of the best time in his life, so he was naturally very generous and had booked the most luxurious VIP room in Yuanhui. Although Shen Xi had never been here before, the waiters who worked in Yuanhui were not stupid. They recognized Shen Xi at a glance, so they did not wait for Chen Zhiwei to come out and respectfully guided Shen Xi to the VIP room.

At this moment, there were already a lot of people gathered in the room. It was a lively event, and Shen Xi's arrival was a surprise to the crowd. Half of the people Chen Zhiwei invited today were from the cast of "Troubled Times", so when they saw Shen Xi, the boss, they naturally came up to say hello, while the remaining half also tried to climb on Chen Zhiwei's bandwagon and get to know Shen Xi. After all, there were many talented people in this circle, but not many people who were rich and quick to pay.

By the time Shen Xi had finished greeting everyone, he was already full of alcohol. After turning down a few of the young actors who tried to get close to him, Shen Xi naturally sat down next to Fang Luowei and Lao K.

"Why did you drink so much? You'll have to drive later." Fang Luowei scolded him softly. He did not join the crowd to go over to Shen Xi when he appeared, so he did not know that Shen Xi would drink so much. Now he quickly poured him a glass of orange juice.

When Shen Xi appeared, Lao K keenly felt that Shen Xi was in the wrong mood. Thinking about the afternoon call, he thought that Shen Xi was still in a bad mood because of Wang Changlin. He wanted to comfort him with a few words, but Fang Luowei was by his side. Some things were not easy to say; after all, what he and Shen Xi were doing was hidden from Fang Luowei.

Shen Xi smiled lightly and took the orange juice from Fang Luowei's hand, and was about to say that it was not a problem when Chen Zhiwei came over with a smile, "Luowei, let's go! I'll take you to meet some friends."

Through the time he spent with Shen Xi, Chen Zhiwei felt that he already knew Shen Xi very well. Shen Xi didn't like this kind of socialising. It was obviously enough for him to be able to attend today and not refuse to toast to everyone. He didn't dare to bother Shen Xi, and could only sell his goodwill to him through Fang Luowei.

Although Fang Luowei was worried about Shen Xi, he could not refuse Chen Zhiwei's kindness. He told Lao K to keep an eye on Shen Xi and not to let him drink any more, and then got up and left with Chen Zhiwei.

Lao K couldn't help but secretly praise Chen Zhiwei in his heart. He was worried about finding a chance to spend some time alone with Shen Xi. Seeing Fang Luowei walking away with Chen Zhiwei, Lao K turned to Shen Xi, "Not in a good mood?" They were in the corner of the room, and because of Shen Xi's earlier rejection of the young actors, no one dared to come over, so there was no need to worry about anyone eavesdropping on their conversation.

Shen Xi nodded.

"Because of Wang Changlin?"

Shen Xi froze and quickly shook his head. Lao K's eyes flicked over Shen Xi, "Then it's because of Li Mingxuan?"

Shen Xi lifted a glass of wine in front of him and took a sip. Instead of denying it he nodded slightly.

Under the influence of alcohol, Shen Xi's thoughts began to drift away. The appearance of Wang Changlin suddenly made him realise that his original plan to destroy the Shen family step by step was expected to be completed ahead of schedule, due to Wang Changlin's identity and Shen Dehan's trust in Wang Changlin. But as soon as this thought came to him, Li Mingxuan's name suddenly appeared in his mind, reminding him that while he was retaliating against the Shen family, there was still a problem that needed to be solved.

When he was with Li Mingxuan at the beginning, it was simply because Li Mingxuan had the kind of warmth he craved. It happened that Li Mingxuan liked him, and all Shen Xi needed was someone to accompany him. To him, it made no difference whether the person was Li Mingxuan or someone else. In his consciousness, he did not even think about the future of the two of them. He had already made the decision to leave Zhongjing and settle abroad once he had finished taking revenge on the Shen family, and the reaction of Li Mingxuan at that time was not within his scope of consideration.

But as he spent time with Li Mingxuan, their relationship grew closer and closer, and many things changed without him realising it. Despite his repeated evasions, he had to admit that now Li Mingxuan was different from the others in his heart. He could not imagine the look on Li Mingxuan's face when the dust settled and he knew the truth. The thought of that day made his heart indescribably sad.

Shen Xi's expression was noticed by Lao K. He could not help but sigh. He did not know what he should say. Having known Shen Xi for five years, he thought that there was no one else in the world who knew Shen Xi better than he did. No matter how much Shen Xi pretended in front of everyone, what Shen Xi had shown him from the beginning was his true self.

Lao K knew that although Shen Xi usually acted indifferent, under his cold outer shell, he was just a man desperately in need of warmth because of his family's long-standing indifference. Perhaps because he had felt so little warmth in the past, Shen Xi's thirst for warmth was almost obsessive. And Li Mingxuan had done too good a job, infiltrating Shen Xi's life little by little. Even he couldn't find fault with Li Mingxuan. It was only natural that as time went on, Shen Xi would not be able to let go.

Lao K struggled to sort out the wording in his mind, thinking of how to comfort Shen Xi. Shen Xi looked at him and suddenly laughed, "I'm fine, I know what I want."

Everything Lao K wanted to say was blocked by Shen Xi's words. Shen Xi's smile faded and he said in a soft voice, "No matter what the reason is, I will not give up taking revenge on the Shen family." Shen Xi lowered his eyes. No matter how good Li Mingxuan was to him, there was still a fundamental difference between them. From the day he climbed out of the abyss, he was very clear what his purpose was. There was nothing that he couldn't give up for it.

Shen Xi's words were so firm that Lao K fell silent, saying nothing in the end.

The atmosphere in the room was getting noisy. A bunch of people heckled and shouted at Chen Zhiwei to sing. Shen Xi frowned slightly, got up and said, "I'll go out for a while."

Lao K knew that Shen Xi didn't like this kind of atmosphere and immediately said, "I'll accompany you!"

Shen Xi nodded, "Okay."

The two of them turned around and left the box after waving to Chen Zhiwei from afar. They walked out of Yuanhui quietly all the way. Lao K glanced at the time and suggested, "It's already late. Why don't I take you home? There's no point in staying."

Shen Xi didn't answer, frowning and looking ahead.

"What's wrong?" Lao K asked in surprise.

"Shen Rong is there."

"Shen Rong?" Lao K followed Shen Xi's line of sight and his expression changed slightly. Ahead of them, inside a car, Shen Rong was sitting with a man in his early thirties, and several packets of white powder were quickly handed from the man's hand to Shen Rong's.

Shen Rong quickly took out a roll of money and stuffed it into the man's pocket, then hurried away with his head down. The strange man looked around and his eyes swept over Shen Xi and Lao K with a knowing smile.

Lao K frowned and pulled Shen Xi in a different direction.

Both of them could see clearly what Shen Rong was doing just now. Shen Xi did not expect Shen Rong to dare to get involved in drugs. Thinking about his father who was still lying in the hospital, Shen Xi thought about finding a suitable opportunity to reveal this to his father. Shen Dehan's expression would definitely become very exciting.

Because of Shen Rong's appearance, Shen Xi was not in the mood to stay any longer. Lao K was not at ease with the drunken Shen Xi and insisted on driving him home. The two of them were about to get into the car when there was an ear-splitting sound of brakes not far away. Shen Xi and Lao K subconsciously looked over and were both shocked with what they saw.

In front of them, Shen Rong was driven hard into a corner by a car that almost hit him. With the sound of the brakes, the car door opened and Shen Cheng jumped from inside.

"You're crazy!" Shen Rong shouted in shock and anger as he was pressed to the wall by Shen Cheng who had just gotten out of the car.

Shen Cheng looked very strange at this moment. His face was pale, his hair was in a mess, and his clothes were obviously put together haphazardly, his expression twisted and hideous.

"I'm going to kill you!" Shen Cheng shouted fiercely as he lunged towards Shen Rong. Shen Rong was unable to dodge and was pinned to the wall, his neck squeezed by Shen Cheng until his breath was cut off.

"You… you let go!" Shen Rong desperately tried to break free from Shen Cheng's grip but couldn't do so because Shen Cheng was choking him with all his strength.

At the moment of life and death, Shen Rong had a flash of inspiration. He gave up on trying to break free from Shen Cheng's hands and instead groped in his pocket with great difficulty, quickly pulling open a packet of powder and sprinkling it on Shen Cheng.

The white powder was blown at his face and his nose was filled with the tantalising smell. Shen Cheng's movements immediately stopped and his eyes involuntarily moved to follow the flying powder. In the end, he couldn't hold back and let go of Shen Rong. He quickly squatted down and started gathering the powder on the ground. He grabbed it casually, put it under his nose and sniffed hard, as if enjoying it.

A trace of astonishment appeared in Shen Xi's eyes not far away.

Shen Rong broke away from Shen Cheng's grip and clutched his neck, coughing hard. As Shen Cheng's expression became more and more engrossed, a winning smile appeared on Shen Rong's face. Raising his foot to kick Shen Cheng who was kneeling there, Shen Rong said triumphantly, "Do you still want to kill me, Second Brother?"

Shen Cheng looked up at Shen Rong. His eyes were full of resentment, but his hands were clutching the white powder despite himself.

Shen Rong smiled slightly, "Second Brother, you don't want people to know that you are addicted to drugs, right? According to your status, it's not suitable for you to come out and buy these things by yourself. You see, I can help you. As long as I don't say anything, no one will know that you are addicted. Isn't that good?"

With the last trace of clarity Shen Cheng said in a dumb voice, "If it wasn't for you, how would I have become addicted?"

Shen Rong apologised insincerely, "Then I've really wronged Second Brother. Do you want to tell Father, tell Big Brother, tell everyone that I got you addicted to drugs?"

Shen Cheng stared deadly at Shen Rong, who smilingly fished out another bag of white powder from his pocket, and Shen Cheng's eyes immediately changed, vaguely revealing greed.

Shen Rong laughed in satisfaction.

As Shen Rong and Shen Cheng left, Shen Xi stepped forward from the shadows. The drug addict turned out to be not Shen Rong but Shen Cheng. So this was going to be even more hilarious.

Chapter 74

"What are you going to do about it?" On the way back, Lao K asked while driving steadily.

Perhaps because he had been drinking a little too quickly, Shen Xi felt dizzy since he got into the car and was quietly leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. When he heard Lao K speak, he slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his temples hard to wake up, "What do you propose?"

Lao K thought about it and said, "How about finding a few people to keep an eye on the two of them and collect some evidence to send to Shen Dehan? Let Shen Dehan see how one of his sons lured the other into taking drugs. By the way, we can also find some reporters to break the news. You know how much reporters love such stories."

Lao K's proposal was good, but Shen Xi was not going to let the matter go simply like that. Changing his position comfortably, Shen Xi lazily said, "I remember that citizens are obliged to report drug addicts, and the government seems to offer certain rewards?"

Lao K was stunned and quickly understood, "You want to call the police?"

Shen Xi said, "Shen Cheng is using drugs and Shen Rong is dealing drugs, so as a law-abiding citizen, I naturally have the obligation to report them."

A trace of strangeness flashed across Lao K's face; he tried hard to suppress his smile and nodded, "Good, we are all good law-abiding citizens, leave this matter to me."

The corners of Shen Xi's mouth slowly curled up, but there was not the slightest smile in his eyes.

The distance from Yuanhui to Shen Xi's home was not far, just a twenty-minute drive. Halfway through the journey, Shen Xi received a call from Li Mingxuan asking when he would be home and if he needed to pick him up. Shen Xi glanced at Lao K beside him, shook his head and said that he would be home soon and did not need Li Mingxuan to make another trip.

The two soon arrived downstairs in Shen Xi's community. Lao K parked the car and gestured to Shen Xi, "Do you need me to take you upstairs?"

Shen Xi shook his head, "Forget it, I'm fine on my own."

Fang Luowei was different, but for Lao K it was better to appear in front of Li Mingxuan as little as possible. Lao K knew Shen Xi's concerns and did not insist.

After seeing Lao K leave, Shen Xi endured dizziness and pressed the button of the elevator. When he got out of the elevator, it seemed there was a problem with the sound-controlled lights in the hallway, because there were no lights on and the entire corridor was black. Shen Xi was searching for the keys in his pocket when the door suddenly opened, revealing Li Mingxuan's smiling face, "You're back."

At that moment, Shen Xi's whole body was merged with the boundless darkness behind him, while a step away, Li Mingxuan appeared in front of him with a gentle smile, a soft light glowing behind his back. Shen Xi stood in the corridor, looking straight at Li Mingxuan not far away. The boundary between darkness and light was clearly visible between the two.

"What's wrong?" As he looked at Shen Xi standing motionless, worry surfaced in Li Mingxuan's eyes. He stepped forward and pulled Shen Xi closer.

The moment their bodies came into contact, Shen Xi felt a fierce flutter in his heart, followed by an abnormal throbbing. Almost instinctively, he reached out and hugged Li Mingxuan, burying his head tightly against the other man's neck. The faint smell of alcohol wafted out from Shen Xi's body, and Li Mingxuan smiled, thinking that Shen Xi's earlier abnormality was due to his drinking. Habitually, he reached out and rubbed Shen Xi's hair, "Drunk?" The tone of his voice was full of doting.

Shen Xi shook his head and didn't say anything, his soft hair brushing over Li Mingxuan's earlobe, his warm breath spraying on his neck. Li Mingxuan couldn't help but hug Shen Xi tighter. Only after a while did he realise that they were still in the corridor.

Li Mingxuan carefully carried Shen Xi into the apartment, lowered his head and kissed him, "Tired? Do you want to rest for a while first?"

Perhaps the aftereffects of drinking made Shen Xi feel even more dizzy. Letting go of Li Mingxuan, Shen Xi frowned and stood straight, "I want to take a shower."

Li Mingxuan's eyes flashed slightly, his face overflowing with a smile, "Okay!"

After undressing and getting into the bathtub filled with the warm water Shen Xi felt finally more comfortable, and even the dizziness wasn't as bad as before. Leaning in the bathtub in relaxation, Shen Xi recalled the fluttering that had just flashed through his heart, and the expression on his face became puzzled. This was not the first time he had felt a throbbing in his heart for Li Mingxuan, but this time the feeling was so strong that it seemed a warm current washed over his heart in an instant, making it beat violently. Shen Xi stretched out his hand and placed it on his chest. His heart was still beating with excitement until now, as if there was a strong force stirring in it, refusing to be calmed down.

What Li Mingxuan saw when he pushed open the bathroom door was Shen Xi sitting naked in the bathtub, his right hand on his heart, staring blankly at the surface of the water.

"What is Xiao Xi thinking about?"

Li Mingxuan's voice suddenly reached him and Shen Xi subconsciously looked over. With the wet hair sticking to Shen Xi's face and his dazed expression, Li Mingxuan felt his heart instantly soften. Shen Xi now looked like a soft little animal to him. With an unconscious smile in his eyes, Li Mingxuan moved quickly to take off his clothes and walked over to Shen Xi.

When a small bathtub accommodated two grown men, their bodies inevitably overlapped. Li Mingxuan sat behind Shen Xi and held him in his arms. Shen Xi obediently leaned against Li Mingxuan's chest and closed his eyes slightly. The water in the bathtub was gentle and the embrace behind him was so reassuring that Shen Xi only wanted to close his eyes and rest for a while, but he actually fell asleep without realising it.

When Li Mingxuan realised that the man in his arms was actually asleep, an odd look couldn't help but appear on his face. With a bitter smile, he stood up and left the bathroom holding the wet Shen Xi in his arms, trying to ignore the little brother standing upright below.

The sleeping Shen Xi unconsciously expressed his trust in Li Mingxuan and pressed tightly to his chest. Li Mingxuan obediently lay down beside Shen Xi, lowered his head and tenderly kissed him on the cheek, then swept him up in his arms and fell asleep together.

Since his return from the cemetery that day, Shen Xi stayed at home for several days without going out. As for Shen Cheng and Shen Rong, Lao K arranged for someone to keep an eye on them, with the intention of finding a suitable opportunity to stir up the matter. According to Lao K, Shen Cheng hadn't been addicted to drugs for long. The reason why he was so out of shape last time was because he had locked himself up in the hotel for two days to try to kick his drug addiction, but who knew that he would not be able to resist in the end and would be desperate to find Shen Rong. After a few days of observation, it seemed that Shen Cheng gave up the idea of quitting and never mentioned getting clean again.

Shen Xi huddled on the sofa, switching the TV channels haphazardly as Lao K's words flashed through his mind. To be honest, he was also a bit confused about Shen Rong's motives. Shen Cheng was the one with the best attitude towards Shen Rong in the Shen family, why would Shen Rong do this? Was it because he saw Shen Ji being expelled from Shen Group and thought that by destroying Shen Cheng he would have a chance to rise to the top?

After thinking about it for a long time and not understanding it, Shen Xi was too lazy to think about it anymore and comfortably changed his position, closing his eyes and preparing to take a nap. The ear-piercing ringing of his mobile phone sounded abruptly. Shen Xi looked at the words "Li Mingxuan", slightly stunned, and then quickly answered.

"Cousin?"

Li Mingxuan's serious voice came over, "Xiao Xi, stay at home today, if there are any strange calls, don't answer them."

"What's wrong?" Shen Xi's first thought was that Shen Cheng's drug use had been exposed.

Li Mingxuan hesitated slightly for a moment, "Ah Cheng has been arrested for using drugs."

Hearing the expected answer, Shen Xi cooperated, saying in surprise, "What?" Then he added, "What does that have to do with me?"

Li Mingxuan patiently explained, "The one who was arrested together with him was Shen Rong who might be involved in distributing drugs. The reporters outside are going crazy, and there is a possibility that you and Shen Ji will be involved."

Shen Xi understood the meaning of Li Mingxuan's words. The reporters probably wanted to implicate all of them in the drug incident for the sake of gaining a bigger story.

When he was preparing to expose this matter, Shen Xi had already predicted that he would definitely be affected. After all, his previous reputation was too notorious and he could easily be involved in such matters. But how could Shen Ji be involved? That was rather strange.

"I see." Hanging up the phone, Shen Xi opened the computer and was about to look for some relevant reports when Lao K's call came in.

"Are you saying that someone else is behind this matter?"

Lao K let out an "en", "The Tian and the Fang families are both behind this."

In the past few days of watching Shen Cheng, Lao K had been unable to find a suitable opportunity to expose this matter. Because Shen Rong and Shen Cheng usually meet at clubs, and these clubs all had powerful backgrounds behind them, Lao K was not in a position to act rashly. When Shen Cheng stayed at the hotel yesterday and Shen Rong rushed there early in the morning, Lao K immediately arranged for the police to be called and informed the reporters by the way.

He originally only planned to make this matter a big deal, but he didn't expect that several competitors of the Shen family had heard the news and pushed the boat along the water behind his back to involve Shen Xi and Shen Ji, with the Tian family in particular being the most active and thoroughly trying to discredit the Shen family.

Lao K roughly explained the process, "Now that Shen Cheng and Shen Rong have both been arrested, reporters are surrounding the police station, I reckon some reporters might try to contact you to get a quote, so pay attention."

Li Mingxuan had already warned him before, and Shen Xi was prepared.

Lao K said with worry, "Should we find a way to stop the news that concerns you?"

Shen Xi laughed, "What's there to stop, everyone knows I'm notorious anyway, so one more stain is nothing. Besides, it's not like I got caught directly like Shen Cheng. The reporters are just doing their work. I don't care, it's Mr. Shen and Big Brother who are really going to be angry."

Lao K also knew that once this story broke out, Shen Xi would definitely be affected. But being affected and being deliberately smeared were two different situations. He was a bit worried that the reporters would go too far with it. But now that Shen Xi didn't mind, he didn't say anything else.

Hanging up again, Shen Xi squeezed the phone and smiled lightly.

In the past, the Shen family was a behemoth, and although the people around it secretly coveted it, they did not dare to touch it. Now after a series of storms starting with Yunrou, the Shen family was like a badly wounded prey, and everyone around couldn't help but pursue it, following the smell of blood.

This was good, this would save him a lot of effort.

Chapter 75

The drug-related incident of Shen Rong and Shen Cheng shocked the whole of Zhongjing. The internet was full of related news, and the reporters were excitedly surrounding all the places where the Shen family members might appear, trying to dig up further news.

Inside the police station, Shen Cheng, pale-faced, sat against the wall holding his head, his body trembling slightly. He was in a small room, empty, nothing but him. The sound of footsteps seemed to come from afar. Shen Cheng looked up expectantly as the footsteps passed by the doorway, and the anticipation in his eyes dimmed a little. Shen Cheng began to shiver more and more, his vision gradually turning unfocused, his eyes showing madness. When the police appeared, he was halfway through getting his dose and was interrupted. His unsatisfied addiction was causing him extraordinary pain. If it wasn't for the fact that his mind was still clear, he didn't know what he would have done. Now the calmouring inside him was getting stronger and stronger, and his whole body was as uncomfortable as if it was being gnawed by ants. Shen Cheng wailed lowly and his sanity started to blur.

When Shen Ji arrived at the police station, this was the state he saw Shen Cheng in. Although he had already prepared himself mentally when he first received the news, Shen Cheng's condition was still far beyond his expectation.

The sound of the door opening startled Shen Cheng. He didn't even look at who it was and pounced directly, "Give it to me, give it to me!"

Shen Ji's face distorted as he grabbed Shen Cheng, "Ah Cheng!"

This voice made Shen Cheng lurch, and then surprise appeared on his face as he obviously recognised Shen Ji, "Big Brother, will you take me away, Big Brother, I don't want to stay here, I want to go home."

Shen Ji suppressed his anger and said in a cold voice, "The lawyer is dealing with the formalities, you will be able to leave soon."

"Really?" Shen Cheng gripped Shen Ji tightly, the elation of being able to leave temporarily suppressing the desire for drugs in his heart.

Shen Ji turned away without looking at Shen Cheng and said in a cold voice, "Let go!"

"Big Brother?" Shen Cheng held on as if he regarded Shen Ji as a life-saving driftwood, clutching his hand.

"You still remember that I am your big brother?" Shen Ji sneered, "You've forgotten what I told you, haven't you? How dare you touch drugs?!"

"I didn't forget, it wasn't me, I was set up by Shen Rong," Shen Cheng argued loudly.

"Set up?" Shen Ji stared at Shen Cheng bitterly, "The first time was a set-up, and every time after that was a set-up?"

Pain flashed in Shen Cheng's eyes; his body trembled even more, and he murmured in a wailing voice, "Big Brother, I can't control it, I really can't control it, I want to quit, really."

Shen Cheng's tearful voice softened Shen Ji's heart and he was about to speak when the lawyer knocked softly on the door and walked in.

"Dashao, Ershao's formalities have been completed. The Wang team asks what you plan to do about Shen Rong."

When he thought of what Shen Cheng just said about being framed by Shen Rong, a trace of coldness flashed through Shen Ji's eyes, "Isn't Shen Rong suspected of drug trafficking? What should I do? The Shen family doesn't have such a family member as him."

The lawyer nodded calmly, seemingly completely unaware of Shen Cheng's strange appearance, turned around and left the room. After the lawyer's figure disappeared, Shen Cheng carefully reached out and took Shen Ji's arm, "Big Brother?"

Shen Ji gave him a cold look and left the place without saying anything, and Shen Cheng hurriedly followed him.

The fact that Shen Cheng was taken away by Shen Ji and Shen Rong stayed at the police station quickly became known to everyone. According to the statement given by the case officer, since Shen Cheng had been using drugs for a short period of time and was a first-time offender, he could leave in accordance with the rules after he agreed to participate in compulsory drug rehabilitation and pay a certain amount of fine, but Shen Rong was different. Because he was suspected of selling drugs, Shen Rong needed to cooperate with them for further investigation.

Wang Changlin heavily shut down the computer in front of him, his eyes cold. He did not expect that Shen Rong, his pawn, would be wasted so quickly. The original plan for addicting Shen Cheng to drugs went very smoothly, but the matter was exposed unexpectedly, causing all his calculations to come to naught. Who was behind this? There were many drug addicts among the children of wealthy families in Zhongjing, how come that Shen Cheng was the only one to be reported, and it became such a big deal? Who the hell was it? Most importantly, why did Shen Ji only take away Shen Cheng? According to his understanding of Shen Ji, even if he disliked Shen Rong, for the sake of the Shen family's reputation, he would have definitely tried to suppress the matter. But he didn't. Did Shen Cheng say something? No, he had already told Shen Rong to keep this a secret and not to let Shen Cheng see any clues. Wang Changlin had doubts in his heart, but no matter how he thought about it, there was only one reason; otherwise Shen Ji would never have let Shen Rong discredit the Shen family.

A fierce look flashed in Wang Changlin's eyes. Shen Rong was no longer of use, should he take this opportunity to discard him? However, thinking about Zhou Mingmei, Wang Changlin couldn't make up his mind for a while. That woman knew too much; he had to think carefully about what he should do.

The phone rang abruptly. Wang Changlin glanced at the number. Of course, it could only be Zhou Mingmei.

"Changlin, you must think of a way this time." Zhou Mingmei's words were straight to the point, omitting any pleasantries.

At the very beginning of the incident, Zhou Mingmei wasn't too worried. Shen Rong was merely buying drugs for Shen Cheng, and he could say that he had been forced by Shen Cheng and was unable to refuse. Taking into account Shen Rong's awkward status in the Shen family, this reason made perfect sense. What's more, the scandal involved the Shen family; even though Shen Dehan had been indifferent to Shen Rong since the last video incident, he would never have let Shen Rong smear the family's reputation by leaving him without help. But her certainty began to waver when Shen Ji appeared and only took away Shen Cheng.

What was the meaning of Shen Ji's behaviour? Did he find out something or did Shen Cheng say something? Was it his private decision or Shen Dehan's? Zhou Mingmei did not dare to think about it. After mobilising all the connections she could use, she was horrified to discover that the matter was not as simple as she had presupposed, and that someone intended to implement Shen Rong's drug trafficking charges. The first person Zhou Mingmei thought would do this was Shen Ji. He must have discovered something. He wanted to whitewash Shen Cheng's name and retaliate against Shen Rong. Once Shen Rong was convicted, Shen Cheng could logically put all the blame on Shen Rong, thus turning himself into a victim.

After Zhou Mingmei thought about all this clearly, she immediately called Wang Changlin. In fact, she didn't trust Wang Changlin much, but he was the only one she could only rely on now.

Wang Changlin said quietly, "Mingmei, what do you want me to do?"

Zhou Mingmei said coldly, "Ah Rong must not be charged with drug trafficking, it's a crime that will lead to jail time. I know you must have a way to get Ah Rong out of it."

Wang Changlin's tone was uncomfortable, "Mingmei, you should have guessed that Shen Ji is behind this matter, I may not be able to help much."

Zhou Mingmei sneered, "You seem to have forgotten who Ah Rong obeyed when he did this."

"Me." Wang Changlin's tone was unexpectedly frank, "But I remember that you seemed to agree very much with my proposal at the time."

Zhou Mingmei was speechless for a moment, and only after a pause did she say, "What do you mean?"

Wang Changlin said softly, "Mingmei, nowadays, you and I both know that the Shen family absolutely will not tolerate Ah Rong anymore. In fact, after the last video incident, the Shen family no longer has a place for Ah Rong, and I remember that we have already reached a consensus on this matter."

"What exactly do you want to say?" Zhou Mingmei interrupted Wang Changlin's words coldly.

A strange aura flashed in Wang Changlin's eyes, "I am saying that the only way for Ah Rong to get out of this now is to completely tear his face with the Shen family and put everything on Shen Cheng's head."

Zhou Mingmei fell silent, "How sure are you of that?"

Wang Changlin said quietly, "It doesn't matter if I'm sure or not, what matters is that I'm the only one you can trust me, right?"

Hanging up the phone, Wang Changlin smiled in satisfaction. If Shen Rong could use this incident to bite Shen Cheng to death, then he would give Shen Rong another chance, but it would be best if both sides lost and hurt each other. In that case, the only thing left for Shen Dehan would be to choose Shen Xi, and things would become correspondingly much easier in the future. Of course, the most important thing now was to find out how Shen Dehan could not know about such a lively affair.

Shen Xi had the same thought as Wang Changlin.

After seeing the news that Shen Ji had only brought out Shen Cheng, Shen Xi immediately guessed that Shen Ji already knew the inside story of Shen Cheng's addiction to drugs. Thinking about the activities of the Tian family trying to implement Shen Rong's drug trafficking charges, Shen Xi sneered. Shen Ji's actions made him mistakenly carry the blame for the Tian family's doings. How could he leave Mr. Shen in the hospital unaware of such a hilarious event?

A simple text message was sent to Chu Qianqian. Shen Xi believed that with Chu Qianqian's intelligence, she would know what to do.

As Shen Xi had expected, Chu Qianqian quickly pretended to be troubled in front of Shen Dehan. Occasionally, she looked at Shen Dehan with indescribable pain in her eyes, but immediately averted her eyes after he looked at her. After a few times, Shen Dehan naturally noticed and became suspicious of Chu Qianqian's behaviour, asking her if something had happened to her.

Chu Qianqian shook her head, her gaze wandering, not daring to look at Shen Dehan.

Shen Dehan became more and more suspicious, "Qianqian, what exactly are you hiding from me?" His tone also became stern.

Chu Qianqian lowered her head, not daring to look at Shen Dehan, "No, there's nothing."

"Qianqian!" Shen Dehan pushed away Chu Qianqian's hand in dissatisfaction and struggled to sit up, "If you don't say anything, I'll ask the others."

"Mr. Shen!" Chu Qianqian hurriedly stopped him. After meeting Shen Dehan's eyes once again, Chu Qianqian looked at Shen Dehan embarrassedly, "Mr. Shen, promise me, whatever I say, you must not get angry."

Shen Dehan nodded. Chu Qianqian seemed to have made a decision, looked at Shen Dehan and said softly, "I saw the news. Ershao was arrested for drug use in the morning."

These words caused a great shock to Shen Dehan. His face immediately turned red and he stared at Chu Qianqian with a deadly stare, "What did you say?"

Chu Qianqian subconsciously defended Shen Cheng, "Mr. Shen, you can't blame Ershao for that, I heard that Ershao was lured into taking drugs by Shen Rong."

Shen Dehan clutched his chest tightly, breathing heavily, trying to ease his emotions. Chu Qianqian patted Shen Dehan's back worriedly, her voice turning to sobbing, "You promised me you wouldn't get angry!"

Shen Dehan was still breathing heavily, struggling to speak, "I'm fine, what else did you hear, Qianqian?"

Chu Qianqian refused to say anything more, shaking her head and avoiding Shen Dehan's gaze. Her behaviour clearly indicated that there was a secret behind this matter, and Shen Dehan's emotions fluctuated violently once more, "I allow you to speak."

Chu Qianqian seemed to be frightened by Shen Dehan's emotional turmoil and couldn't help but say, "I heard that because Shen Rong lured Ershao into using drugs, Dashao wants to retaliate against Shen Rong by having someone identify Shen Rong as a drug dealer to put him in jail."

Although he had prepared for the worst, Chu Qianqian's words still overwhelmed Shen Dehan. All three sons were involved in the same scandal! Especially when he thought of the rumours that Shen Rong had lured Shen Cheng into taking drugs, Shen Dehan felt as if a knife was plunged into his heart. He didn't want to believe that what Chu Qianqian said was true, but how could he not believe?

Shen Dehan's face became very ugly.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Shen?" Chu Qianqian shouted in fear and hurriedly found a doctor. A sedative was administered and Shen Dehan fell asleep, his face dark.

Chu Qianqian curled up her lips, once again applauding her acting skills; it was a pity that no one was there to appreciate them.

Shen Dehan slept for a whole afternoon and did not wake up until the evening. Opening his eyes in a daze, Shen Dehan saw Chu Qianqian's eyes red and swollen as she sat by his side, "Qianqian?"

Chu Qianqian looked over in surprise, "Mr. Shen, you're finally awake!" Saying that, Chu Qianqian seemed to think of something and guiltily lowered her head, murmuring, "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have told you about Ershao using drugs."

These words of Chu Qianqian once again stirred up Shen Dehan's memories, and the blankness on his face was gradually replaced by gloom.

"Did those evil sons come over?" Shen Dehan asked in a cold voice.

Chu Qianqian froze and quickly nodded, "They did, they did, they were all here, I told them to go home first and come back tomorrow." After saying that, Chu Qianqian instinctively lowered her head, trying to avoid Shen Dehan's gaze once more.

Her guilty look instantly made Shen Dehan understand something. A breath of air seemed to be stuck in his chest, making him unable to speak.

Because of the huge stimulation, Shen Dehan's condition, which had already begun to improve, deteriorated. The most obvious thing was that the left half of his body that had been able to sense external stimuli through exercise became rigid again, while the right half of his body also had a vague feeling of numbness. The doctor gave Shen Dehan a stern warning that if he was unable to control his emotions, he would be in danger of total paralysis.

Shen Dehan's condition was soon revealed to the press, and along with Shen Rong's drug-related incident, Shen Group stock price began a new round of frantic decline.

Chapter 76

With the opening of the stock market, Shen Group stock price quickly fell from 80 yuan per share all the way to 60 yuan per share, and there was a trend of continued fall.

As Gao Qiulin looked at the graph representing Shen Group stock price on the computer screen, his eyes were gloomy and his face was as white as the face of a patient who was seriously ill.

"Well? Have you thought it over?" Wang Changlin asked unhurriedly.

Gao Qiulin gave Wang Changlin a deadly stare, "Let me take another look."

Wang Changlin laughed lightly, speaking in the same unhurried tone, "Last time Shen Group share price was 80 yuan per share. I wanted to buy, but you said you'd look at it. Now that it has dropped to 60 yuan per share, you want to take another look? You're not worried about Shen Group stock price dropping below 50 yuan per share? In that case, you will lose a lot of money."

Gao Qiulin raised his head sharply, "You want Shen Group to continue to fall?"

Wang Changlin had an odd smile on his face, "How is it possible?"

Gao Qiulin stared at Wang Changlin suspiciously and snorted coldly, "I'll give you an answer before noon. Whatever you want to do, don't involve me."

Wang Changlin smiled in satisfaction, "What are you worried about? I remember we've always worked well together before. Are you sure you won't join forces with me this time?"

A hint of vigilance flashed in Gao Qiulin's eyes, "What do you want to do?"

Wang Changlin laughed, "What do you think I will do? I think what I have done is already obvious. I'm just doing what you've always wanted to do, using Shen Group money to acquire Shen Group."

Gao Qiulin gave a low grunt, glanced at the stock price that continued to fall and said fiercely, "You can play by yourself, I give up."

"So you're agreeing to transfer your shares to me?"

Gao Qiulin frowned, "What are you in a hurry for? Didn't I say I'd give you an answer before noon?"

Wang Changlin gave Gao Qiulin a meaningful look, thinking of the hidden partner Gao Qiulin had mentioned before, and his eyes flashed with a bright light extremely quickly.

Lao K quickly told Shen Xi of Gao Qiulin's plan to transfer his shares, and after taking a glance at Shen Group stock price that was still falling, Shen Xi politely declined Gao Qiulin's offer. Gao Qiulin was holding only about 10% of Shen Group shares; compared to the absolute majority of shares in Shen Dehan's hand, even if Shen Xi bought them, it would not help at all. What's more, if Shen Group continued to fall like this, it would soon go bankrupt. What was the use of having shares of the bankrupt Shen Group? He was not interested in taking over the Shen Group mess at all, instead he would like to see the Shen Group mess get worse.

Gao Qiulin regretted very much that Shen Xi didn't want to take over the shares in his hands. If he could, he really did not want to have anything more to do with Wang Changlin. He had worked with Wang Changlin many times over the years, and the two of them had made a lot of money from Shen Group. In his eyes, Wang Changlin was a poisonous snake. Shen Dehan trusted him, but Wang Changlin could turn around and stab Shen Dehan time and time again. Now that the Shen family was in turmoil, Wang Changlin took advantage of the fire to rob. But this was not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was that Gao Qiulin had never been able to see Wang Changlin's intentions clearly. What exactly did he want to do?

Gao Qiulin hesitated, looking at the falling numbers on the screen, his heart beating wildly with each decrease in price. After a while, he gritted his teeth and pressed Wang Changlin's number. He didn't care what Wang Changlin wanted to do, since Shen Group had nothing to do with him from now on.

The shares in Gao Qiulin's hands were transferred to Wang Changlin's hands quietly. Because of his trust in Wang Changlin, Shen Dehan, who was lying in the hospital, did not notice the transaction taking place. At this time, his attention was on Shen Cheng and Shen Rong's drug-related incident.

Inside the quiet ward, Shen Ji stood expressionlessly opposite his father, his eyes downcast as he stared at his feet in silence. There was a faint sense of confrontation between the two of them.

Shen Dehan grunted coldly, "Do you want me to repeat myself?"

Shen Ji didn't react at all, still maintaining his posture of lowering his eyes, silently opposing Shen Dehan's request.

Anger appeared on Shen Dehan's face. Shen Ji's silent resistance made him very dissatisfied. He slapped his wheelchair vigorously, "Ah Ji!"

Shen Dehan's suddenly straightening figure attracted Shen Ji's attention. Shen Ji raised his eyes to look at his father, "Father, I will not bail out Shen Rong."

Shen Ji's dry refusal made Shen Dehan furious as he continued to slap his wheelchair violently, "Evil son, do you want the Shen family to be reduced to a laughing stock in Zhongjing?"

A hint of self-deprecation flashed in Shen Ji's eyes as he whispered, "Does Father think that the Shen family is not a laughing stock now?"

"You!" Shen Dehan choked on Shen Ji's words and said loudly, "I don't care how much you want to get back to Shen Rong, get him out as soon as possible. The Shen family absolutely cannot have this kind of scandal."

"Scandal?" Shen Ji sneered, "Shen Rong's drug dealing and imprisonment is not a scandal, his luring Ah Cheng into taking drugs is the scandal."

Shen Dehan's anger was blocked by Shen Ji's words, and for a moment he couldn't help but cough violently. Shen Ji raised his eyes to look at Shen Dehan, his expression blank as he had no intention to come closer. Shen Dehan's face turned grey as he coughed, and his spirit declined a little. Although he already knew what Shen Ji had said, he was still irritated every time he heard it. Whether it was Shen Cheng taking drugs or Shen Rong luring Shen Cheng into taking drugs, it was an unacceptable and huge blow to him. They were both his sons, and he could not believe that Shen Rong would do something like that.

Shen Dehan's coughing slowly stopped and his attitude remained firm, "Ah Ji, even if you don't admit it, outsiders know that Shen Rong is the illegitimate son of the Shen family and your younger brother. His problems will definitely implicate the Shen family, and the Shen family can never have a scandal of their children and grandchildren going to jail."

The words "younger brother" caused Shen Ji to look up at his father, his eyes obscure and unclear. Shen Ji took a step back slightly, the obscurity in his eyes turning to mockery, "I only have two younger brothers. If Father is worried that I will lose face because of Shen Rong, then Father is worrying too much. To me, he is just a stranger who has nothing to do with the Shen family. If Father has nothing else to say, I will leave first, Ah Cheng is waiting for me."

Shen Ji turned around and left without looking at his father's expression again. She Dehan strained to grab the handle of his wheelchair, trying to stop him, "Ah Ji!"

Shen Ji, who had already reached the door, stopped slightly after his father's call, and then a hint of determination flashed across his face as he violently pushed the door and walked out. In the corridor, Chu Qianqian was waiting quietly. As soon as Shen Ji came out, she quickly took a step back and pretended to look natural in front of him. Shen Ji had no intention of talking to Chu Qianqian, and he didn't care in the slightest about what Chu Qianqian heard at the door. Driving past the press, Shen Ji drove all the way to the suburbs until there was no one else around. Then he let out the anger he had pent up since the hospital and slammed his fist on the steering wheel.

It was ridiculous! It had come to this point, but his father was still deceiving himself, saying that he had to defend the reputation of the Shen family. But how could the Shen family still have any reputation to speak of? Shen Ji's face was full of mockery. His father wanted to protect Shen Rong, but it also depended on whether he agreed.

Shen Ji's disobedience made Shen Dehan angry for a long time. After thinking about it, Shen Dehan called Wang Changlin and arranged for him to go to the police station to bail out Shen Rong. When he received the call from Shen Dehan, Wang Changlin was taken aback for a moment but reacted quickly. Shen Dehan might not have any feelings for Shen Rong, but Shen Rong was after all the well-known illegitimate son of the Shen family, and Shen Dehan absolutely could not allow Shen Rong to discredit the Shen family, so he would not allow Shen Rong to carry the stain of drug trafficking and imprisonment. Thinking about Shen Ji's attitude towards Shen Rong and the fact that Shen Dehan bypassed Shen Ji to let him handle this matter, Wang Changlin could not help but smile playfully. It seemed that Shen Dehan and his eldest son had a big difference in attitude when it came to Shen Rong. Let him think about what he should do to make Shen Dehan and Shen Ji completely turn against each other over Shen Rong.

Wang Changlin acted swiftly and it didn't take long for him to use some connections and complete the bail procedures for Shen Rong. When Shen Ji found out the news, he was visiting Shen Cheng, who was recovering from drugs, with Li Mingxuan.

The place where Shen Cheng was staying was a holiday villa of the Shen family in the suburbs that Shen Ji had bought a few years ago. Because of its remote location and beautiful environment, Shen Ji used to love to come here when he was in a bad mood. This time he had directly arranged for his bodyguards to send Shen Cheng here and bring a doctor. In the end, Shen Cheng had been locked up here.

When they came over, Shen Cheng was tied to the bed, his whole body fixed immovable, with only his neck barely able to turn. A few bodyguards were quietly guarding the room, and all that could be heard inside was Shen Cheng's animal-like wails.

"Let me go, let me go now, I want to find Big Brother!"

"Big Brother, please, please, let me take a puff, just one puff."

"Shen Ji, are you trying to get me killed so you can go back to Shen Group?! I'm telling you, don't even think about it!"

"Shen Ji, I hate you, I hate you."

Shen Ji stood in the doorway with a grim face, letting Shen Cheng inside to shout heartbreakingly, without the slightest change of his expression. In the past two days, he had already gotten used to Shen Cheng either begging or cursing whenever his body needed the drug. He watched Shen Cheng shout, weep, struggle violently like a fish out of the water. His initial despair turned to his current expressionlessness. Of course there were times when Shen Cheng was sober, and whenever that time came, Shen Cheng would meekly follow him around, apologising for his swearing, gritting his teeth and vowing to get clean, but every time a bout of addiction came on he would forget what he had said.

As he listened to Shen Cheng's curses, Li Mingxuan let out a silent sigh and patted Shen Ji's shoulder hard. Shen Ji shook his head to indicate that he was fine, but deep in his eyes was a deep sadness. Neither of them appeared in front of Shen Cheng; they knew that once Shen Cheng was awake, he would not want to be seen by anyone in such a mess. Shen Ji stood at the door in silence. The man inside was his most beloved brother. He could even give up Shen Group for him, how could he bear to see him become this inhuman now; and how could he let go of the person who had made Shen Cheng look like this for the sake of the reputation of the Shen family…

The bodyguard gently came over and whispered something into Shen Ji's ear. Li Mingxuan took a step back, looking away. The last time he saw Shen Cheng, Shen Cheng still looked like he was in high spirits. In just a few days, things had changed so much. Thinking about the current situation of the Shen family, Li Mingxuan remembered what his father had said, that the Shen family was going to be completely defeated. Li Mingxuan could not help but sigh; no matter what, Shen Cheng had Shen Ji to protect him, and it was enough for him to protect Shen Xi.

After a moment, the bodyguard left quietly. Li Mingxuan turned his head and met Shen Ji's suddenly cold eyes.

"What's wrong?"

A trace of ferocity flashed across Shen Ji's face, "Father had Wang Changlin bail Shen Rong out."

Li Mingxuan's brows furrowed as Shen Ji said in a cold voice, "Do you have the contact details of those punks in Nancheng?"

Li Mingxuan said, "What do you want to do?"

Shen Ji's gaze turned to Shen Cheng in the room, his voice cold, "I want Shen Rong to feel the pain that Ah Cheng is suffering as well."

Chapter 77

When the news of Shen Rong being released on bail by the Shen family reached Shen Xi's ears, he was surrounded by reporters downstairs at his company.

Since it was Shen Xi's first appearance since the drug-related incident, the reporters were obviously very excited and were chasing after him to try to get some exclusive information. Shen Xi's face was expressionless as he dismissed all the microphones in front of him with the words "no comment", until a reporter shouted out the news that Shen Rong had been released on bail by the Shen family. Only then did Shen Xi's expression change.

The reporter was obviously keenly aware of Shen Xi's expression and quickly repeated what he had said before. Shen Xi frowned slightly, glanced at the reporter, and said nothing.

The company's security escorted him into the company. Lao K was already in his office early.

When he saw Lao K, Shen Xi thought of the reporter's words earlier and said in confusion, "What is the matter with Shen Rong being bailed out by the Shen family? Didn't Mr. Shen already know the truth about Shen Cheng's drug addiction? Why was he still willing to bail him out?"

Lao K seemed to have something on his mind and didn't hear Shen Xi's words. Shen Xi patted him suspiciously, "What's wrong?"

Lao K shook his head without saying anything, but handed a report in front of him to Shen Xi.

"You should read this first."

Shen Xi took it in confusion; his eyes darted over the contents, and as his eyes moved down, his body visibly froze.

Lao K looked worriedly at Shen Xi, whose expression he couldn't see. He couldn't guess how Shen Xi was feeling at the moment, but he knew he wouldn't be calm. The report didn't really contain much; it was everything he had found out about the Han family. There was only one exceptional thing he had inadvertently discovered, and that was the reason why he had asked Shen Xi to come to the office. As Shen Xi lingered on the report for longer and longer, the worry in Lao K's eyes grew deeper. He did not know what kind of impact this matter would have on Shen Xi, but he had no right to hide this matter.

The office fell into silence. After a while, Shen Xi raised his head looking as usual, "Have you checked the results of this test?"

Shen Xi's tone was very plain, as if he had casually asked a perfectly normal question. Lao K hid the worry in his eyes and shook his head, "It's been too long. We could only find out that Shen Dehan had this test done back then, but we can't find out what the test results were."

Shen Xi listened quietly to Lao K's words, his eyes once again falling on the report in front of him. The words "DNA test" reflected in his pupils, two familiar names on it deeply mocking. Shen Xi subconsciously squeezed the report, and the memories of his previous life in prison and his childhood flashed through his mind, finally focusing on the cold face of Shen Dehan.

Shen Xi could not tell what he felt in his heart at this moment. There was anger, confusion and a vague fear of the outcome. His long-standing belief was crumbling, as if it would collapse at the slightest push.

In his previous life, Shen Xi had asked himself countless times why his father did not like him. Why didn't the Shen family like him? He had always thought it was because of his mother, because of the ridiculously misplaced anger, but now the truth was coming out. Shen Dehan's coldness, Shen Dehan's disregard, Shen Dehan's indifference to his imprisonment, all of it had a logical explanation. He was not Shen Dehan's child.

Shen Xi had imagined countless reasons, but had never thought in that direction. If he was not Shen Dehan's child, then what was the point of his revenge? What was the purpose of his rebirth? From ten years in prison in his previous life to his rebirth in this life, what supported him was his belief that the Shen family owed him, and he wanted to get back every bit of what he was owed. He wanted to make the Shen family lose their father-son bonds and turn brothers against each other, and he wanted to destroy the Shen family with his own hands. But now he suddenly found out that he might not be the Shen family's child, so did the Shen family still owe him?

Shen Xi's silence made Lao K very uneasy; things were developing beyond their expectations. Lao K didn't know how to persuade Shen Xi, and in fact his mind was full of questions. What had happened between Shen Dehan and Han Rou back then? Why would Shen Dehan suspect that Shen Xi was not his son? Especially since Shen Dehan had done the test not long after Han Rou died, was there something else they didn't know about Han Rou's death? The most crucial thing was what the result of the test was back then. Thinking about the way Shen Dehan had been treating Shen Xi, Lao K had a vague suspicion.

Lao K racked his brain to try to say something to break the silence in the room, but before he could think of a suitable topic, Shen Xi suddenly raised his head.

"Do you think this whole thing is ridiculous?"

For the first time, Lao K felt he couldn't keep up with Shen Xi's thoughts, and Shen Xi didn't seem to need an answer from him.

"I hate Shen Dehan, I hate his heartlessness towards my mother, I hate his indifference towards me, I hate the fact that he never treated me as his son. I hated everyone in the Shen family because they were a family and I was always like an outsider around them. I took revenge on them, I designed to make the father fall out with the sons and to turn brothers against each other. Because I never had their affection, I wanted to destroy the affection between them too. But now I suddenly realise that I might really be just an outsider to them, that what I expected should never have belonged to me in the first place. So what did I do all this for?"

Shen Xi's tone revealed confusion and self-denial, and Lao K became anxious. "Xiao Xi!" he interrupted him directly, "This matter has not been investigated clearly, it is too early to draw a conclusion, maybe it's not at all what you think."

"It's not what I think?" Shen Xi gently fondled the report in his hand and made up his mind, "I'll go to the hospital."

Regardless of whether the truth of the matter was the same as he thought, he needed Shen Dehan to give him the answer to this matter.

Lao K let out a silent sigh. His intention was to get some of Shen Dehan's hair through Chu Qianqian to re-do the DNA test with Shen Xi. This way, whether it was true or not, the shock that Shen Xi would face would be much less than directly asking Shen Dehan for verification. But looking at the determination in Shen Xi's eyes, Lao K knew that he could not dissuade him and had to acquiesce to Shen Xi's actions.

Shen Xi's arrival came as a surprise to the bodyguards at the hospital, as it was no secret to them that Shen Xi was not on good terms with his father. Even Chu Qianqian was very surprised to see Shen Xi appear alone, and the astonished expression on her face was very clear.

"Is Mr. Shen here?" Shen Xi noticed everyone's reaction, but he did not care, just asking Chu Qianqian expressionlessly.

Chu Qianqian snapped back to attention. Although she felt that Shen Xi's search for Shen Dehan was very odd, she did not show it.

"Mr. Shen is asleep, does Sanshao want to wait?"

Shen Xi nodded in silence, pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. After a moment's hesitation, Chu Qianqian decisively left the ward. She was keenly aware that Shen Xi's mood was not normal and it was better for her to hide away while Shen Xi took care of his affairs.

The bodyguards looked at each other and hesitantly informed Shen Ji of the incident. As for how Shen Ji would react, it was not their concern.

Shen Xi did not care about the thoughts of the people outside the ward; his attention was drawn to Shen Dehan lying on the hospital bed. Compared to half a year ago, Shen Dehan, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed, had obviously aged a lot, and his complexion was not as rosy as it used to be, but rather grey, and a lot of white hair could be seen on his head.

Shen Xi stood there quietly. Shen Dehan had the standard appearance of the Shen family, with a wide forehead and square face. She Xi had the impression that his grandfather was also like this, not to mention Shen Ji and Shen Cheng who looked very similar to Shen Dehan. He was the only child in the Shen family that was not like Shen Dehan at all. As he grew older, he looked more and more like his deceased uncle. It was no wonder that Shen Xi suspected that he was not a child of the Shen family.

Shen Xi just stood there in silence. He didn't know how much time had passed when Shen Dehan's eyes moved and there was a vague sign of him waking up.

In a daze, Shen Dehan felt someone standing in front of him and subconsciously said, "Qianqian?"

Shen Xi replied faintly, "It's me."

Shen Xi's voice took Shen Dehan by surprise. When he opened his eyes, he saw Shen Xi standing right in front of him, his eyes dark and deep, full of emotions he could not understand.

"What are you doing here?" Shen Dehan said with disgust.

Shen Xi's eyes swept over his father's expression and he said slowly, "I have something I want to know the answer to."

Shen Dehan's heart twitched as he stared at Shen Xi suspiciously, "What do you want to know?"

Shen Xi stared straight at Shen Dehan and said word for word, "Am I a child of the Shen family, am I your son?"

When these words reached Shen Dehan's ears, he was unable to conceal his shock. After the astonishment, a trace of annoyance flashed across Shen Dehan's face extremely quickly, "You unfilial son, what are you talking about?"

Shen Xi was indifferent to his father's reaction and simply repeated his question, "I want to know if I am your son."

His tone caused Shen Dehan's instant rage; he haphazardly grabbed a few magazines by his pillow and threw them viciously at Shen Xi.

"You evil son, you think if you weren't my son, I would have put up with you living in the Shen family for so many years? I would have strangled you to death as soon as you were born!"

Despite lying in the bed, Shen Dehan's furious strength was not small. The magazine hit Shen Xi's face hard, and the sharp cover cut a bloody mark on his cheek. Shen Xi didn't care about it, looked straight into his father's fire-breathing eyes and let out a low laugh.

"So it turns out I am your son, a child of the Shen family."

Shen Xi's tone was full of mockery and a sense of relief that Shen Dehan could not comprehend. Shen Dehan's anger was once again ignited, "What kind of tone is that? Do you think the Shen family has wronged you?"

Shen Xi stared at Shen Dehan indifferently, saying to himself, "You have never liked me since I was a child and never regarded me as your son. I used to think that you were angry with me because you didn't like my mother, but today I learned that you suspected my origin. I asked you just to know the real reason why you ignored me for so many years. But now that you have admitted that I am your son, tell me, compared to Shen Ji and Shen Cheng, where did the Shen family not wrong me?"

Shen Xi's voice was unhurried, but it caused Shen Dehan to become completely furious. The scene in front of him brought back embarrassing memories. Shen Xi's face looked exactly like Han Yu's back then. After Han Rou's death, Han Yu questioned him with a grim face in front of everyone about him wronging Han Rou. The condemning eyes of the crowd made Shen Dehan feel ashamed of himself for the first time, but he could not speak up to defend himself and could only let Han Yu humiliate him.

Shen Dehan's trembling right hand pointed at Shen Xi. Where had he wronged them, Han Rou or Shen Xi, where had he wronged them?

Shen Xi's face gradually overlapped with Han Yu's in his memory, and all of Shen Dehan's anger piled up as he shouted, "You evil son, what do you know! You think the Shen family has wronged you, do you think the Han family is better? What do you think the Han family is? I'm telling you, the Han family are all madmen, a bunch of madmen! Do you think your mother was wronged, do you know what she did back then? She set up a trap with that crazy uncle of yours using the Han family's century-old foundation to drag the Shen family down with it. I wronged her? Where did I wrong her? She wronged me! Why do you think she jumped out of the window in the first place? It was because she was pregnant, the baby wasn't mine, and she jumped to cover up the scandal. Do you know that all these years when I see you, I think of her, of the sinful child in her belly, of the wild man she slept with I don't know where!"

Shen Dehan gasped violently as he said it all in one breath. Han Rou's cheating was a lifelong shame for him. He had always thought that Han Ruo really loved him, but Han Ruo's cheating was a slap in his face. The most ridiculous thing was that he couldn't defend himself, he could only hide this matter in his heart; even when Han Yu humiliated him like that, he couldn't say a word to defend himself.

Shen Dehan stared at Shen Xi grimly. So what if Shen Xi was his son? All these years, Shen Xi's existence was only a reminder of how that woman Han Ruo had played him for a fool.

When Shen Xi had read Lao K's investigation report about Shen Dehan's suspicion of his origin, he already had a vague thought that his mother had cheated on Shen Dehan. Looking at Shen Dehan's shameful expression, Shen Xi couldn't help but sneer.

"I've never seen a scumbag man like you, Mr. Shen! You say it's my mother who wronged you. Why don't you ask yourself? You just think it's a shame that my mother slept out there with another man, but what about you? What about you keeping Zhou Mingmei outside? If you hadn't broken my mother's heart, why would she have found someone else outside if she loved you so much? You only put all the blame on my mother, you don't even think that the source of everything is you. If you didn't love my mother, why did you marry her in the first place? If you are married, why do you only have demands for my mother but not for yourself? You refuse to take even the most basic responsibility as a man. After all, you are just a selfish man who only has himself in his heart."

Shen Dehan's face turned red with anger at these words. He trembled, pointing at Shen Xi, unable to say a word for a long time.

Shen Xi took a step forward and leaned down to look at Shen Dehan, "You said that my mother joined hands with my uncle to set up the Shen family. Ask your own conscience what you did to make Uncle so angry that he wanted to set you up even at the expense of the Han family's hundred-year foundation? You've been on guard against me all these years, and you've even been trying to raise me as a waste deliberately. Is it because your shadow was behind the Han family's downfall back then that you're afraid, afraid that I'll learn the truth, afraid of what I'll do to the Shen family when I grow up? You said the Shen family didn't do me wrong, do you think it was enough for the Shen family to raise me and give me money to spend? You seem to have forgotten that it was the nanny who raised me, and the money spent on me was all left behind by Grandpa back then."

Shen Xi's tone was full of ridicule, and Shen Dehan couldn't say a word against it.

"Don't worry, Mr. Shen, I am really not interested in Shen Group at all. What is there for me to be interested in a business that is going to go bankrupt? Mr. Shen, instead of focusing on guarding against me, why don't you think about whether you still have a son who can hold up this mess of Shen Group? I seem to remember that my elder brother was expelled from Shen Group by the board of directors, and my second brother is completely wasted after taking drugs. Oh yes, you still have a beloved illegitimate son, why don't you accept him into the Shen family? I've heard that after Tian Wenyao, he's gotten close to Zhang Qiu, and based on his interactions, I don't think Mr. Shen needs to worry that the hundred-year foundation of the Shen family will be cut off in the hands of this generation of the Shen family. Of course the first thing Mr. Shen needs to do is to clear his name of drug trafficking. It's really hard for Mr. Shen."

If a gaze could kill, Shen Xi was sure he would have died under Shen Dehan's gaze many times, but unfortunately the tall, magnificent man he remembered from his early childhood was now nothing more than a frail old man lying in a hospital bed unable to move, only able to stare at him with hatred.

Shen Dehan struggled to keep his emotions calm and said with difficulty, "Don't forget that your surname is also Shen, and you will be nothing without the Shen family."

Shen Xi smiled faintly, "That's not something you need to worry about, Mr. Shen." After saying this, Shen Xi straightened up and took a step back, "By the way, Mr. Shen, please make sure you take good care of your health. I'm waiting to see your final retribution."

Ignoring the murderous gaze of Shen Dehan, Shen Xi turned around and pushed open the door of the ward. One step away from the door, Li Mingxuan stood there quietly.

Chapter 78

Li Mingxuan's gaze fell on Shen Xi's face; many emotions flashed in his eyes, before finally turning into pity.

"Xiao Xi!"

Shen Xi took a step forward in silence, casually closing the door behind him, his gaze meeting Li Mingxuan's calmly.

"When did you come here, Cousin?"

Li Mingxuan did not answer but raised his hand and gently touched the bleeding mark on Shen Xi's face, saying softly, "Does it hurt?"

The fingers touching his face moved gently, slowly brushing over the bleeding mark, and Shen Xi's heart felt strange for no reason, trembling uncontrollably.

"It doesn't hurt." Shen Xi tilted his head, but unexpectedly Li Mingxuan suddenly leaned over and the warm tip of his tongue brushed over the mark. Shen Xi froze in surprise.

Looking at Shen Xi's stunned expression, Li Mingxuan felt his heart ache as he reached out and gently wrapped his arms around Shen Xi.

"I heard it all."

The words were what Shen Xi expected, but Li Mingxuan's reaction was beyond Shen Xi's expectation. Shen Xi gave a low "en" and did not say anything more.

Looking at Shen Xi, who held his head down, silent in his arms, Li Mingxuan slowly said, "Ah Ji received a call from the bodyguard, saying that you have come to the hospital alone. I happened to be with him at the time. He couldn't leave because of Ah Cheng, so he asked me to come over to take a look. I came just in time to hear the words you asked Uncle. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it wasn't appropriate for me to go in under those circumstances. I couldn't bear to leave either. I can't help but want to know everything about you.

"Xiao Xi, I love you. It's not the love for the imagined you, but the real you. I don't want to see you acting as if nothing is wrong in front of me. You can be angry, you can be resentful, you can be upset about what happened before, you can question what happened in the previous generation. I won't suppress your emotions, I just want you to be who you really are.

"Let me stay with you, whatever there is, let me be with you."

Li Mingxuan said it in a low voice; from the moment Shen Xi asked if he was a child of the Shen family, the conversation in the room slid in the direction he hadn't expected. The cause of Han Rou's death, the downfall of the Han family, the source of his uncle's dislike for Shen Xi, or the deep resentment that Shen Xi felt towards his uncle and the Shen family…

Li Mingxuan could not say how he felt when he first heard it, but all sorts of complicated emotions flashed by and what finally remained was only his pain for Shen Xi. It was originally just the grievances and entanglements of the previous generation, but it was unfairly placed on Shen Xi's head.

As he listened to Shen Xi's resentment towards his father and the Shen family, Li Mingxuan could not even point out Shen Xi's fault. Shen Xi was innocent in this matter from beginning to end, and it was always them who did the wrong thing.

Li Mingxuan's heart clenched. He always knew that no matter how close he was to Shen Xi, there seemed to be something between him and Shen Xi. For more than half a year, he had been working hard to touch the real Shen Xi a little bit, but he faintly felt that there was something else that Shen Xi didn't want him to know.

It was only when he heard the conversation between Shen Xi and his father that Li Mingxuan realised that the Shen Xi in the ward was the real Shen Xi. His resentment towards Shen Dehan and his dissatisfaction with the Shen family was not as mild as he had shown. From the conversation between him and Shen Dehan, it could be heard that he seemed to be secretly investigating something, otherwise he would not have doubted his own origin.

Li Mingxuan increased the strength of his hug. He loved Shen Xi, he wanted Shen Xi to show his true self to him instead of wearing a mask in front of him. His heart ached for Shen Xi.

In Li Mingxuan's arms, Shen Xi listened to his words in silence. When he first discovered that Li Mingxuan might have overheard his conversation with Shen Dehan, Shen Xi had already prepared to face Li Mingxuan's questioning, whether it concerned his unconcealed hatred for Shen Dehan or the mask he was wearing in front of Li Mingxuan. But Li Mingxuan's reaction was greatly unexpected. There was no questioning, no accusations, Li Mingxuan explained why he was outside and showed an astonishing tolerance for his behaviour. The only thing he wanted was his own honesty.

For the first time, Shen Xi felt that he could not face Li Mingxuan's feelings. Since he was reborn, he had never felt that he had done anything wrong, but with Li Mingxuan, he seemed to have made the wrong choice. Li Mingxuan's feelings were sincere and clean. As Shen Xi leaned in his arms and listened to his heartbeat, suddenly an urge to confess everything rose in his heart. But soon Shen Xi suppressed this thought.

Not enough, Shen Dehan's retribution was not enough, the Shen family had not been completely destroyed, the resentment in his heart had not been fully vented, his plan was about to reach the last step, how could he choose to give up! He didn't know how Li Mingxuan might react when he knew the truth. Could he still be as tolerant as he was now?

Shen Xi's silence caused Li Mingxuan's heart to fall to the bottom a little, and bitterness filled his eyes. He had touched the real Shen Xi, but Shen Xi was still unwilling to open up to him. There was something standing between them, and Shen Xi was still unwilling to trust him fully.

Li Mingxuan took a deep breath and suppressed the bitter feeling in his heart. Perhaps he had not done enough, but fortunately Shen Xi was with him and he had enough time to completely impress him. Throwing away the messy thoughts in his mind, Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi on the cheek, "You've been at the hospital for a long time, do you want to go home?"

Shen Xi glanced up at Li Mingxuan with shadowy eyes and nodded gently. The two of them tacitly seemed to step over what had happened before.

Li Mingxuan smiled tenderly at Shen Xi and raised his head to rub his hair, "Xiao Xi, wait for me outside, I'll go and talk to Uncle."

Shen Xi agreed and turned to walk towards the elevator. In the opposite direction, Li Mingxuan pushed open the door of the ward and walked in. Shen Xi had no intention of listening to what Li Mingxuan would say to Shen Dehan. The more he knew, the more it seemed that this feeling was too heavy for him to face.

In the quiet ward, Shen Dehan had already guessed Li Mingxuan's arrival, as he had vaguely seen Li Mingxuan's figure when Shen Xi opened the door earlier. He had already decided that Li Mingxuan and Shen Xi had come together. When he saw Li Mingxuan at this moment, he naturally looked displeased and coldly snorted, "What, that evil son did not say enough, you still want to say a few words for him!"

The Shen Dehan in front of him was not the Shen Dehan that Li Mingxuan remembered at all. Thinking of the conversation he heard earlier, Li Mingxuan sighed deeply.

"Uncle!"

"You are with that unfilial son, don't call me Uncle!"

The words "unfilial son" were too harsh. Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Dehan and said firmly, "Xiao Xi is also your son!"

"I would rather not have this son!" Shen Dehan glared angrily at Li Mingxuan, gritting his teeth with unconcealed disgust in his eyes.

Li Mingxuan's heart suddenly ached for Shen Xi who was outside, and he couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did Xiao Xi do wrong? What does what happened in the previous generation have to do with him? Haven't we hurt him enough all these years?"

This statement made Shen Dehan burst into a rage, pointing at Li Mingxuan and shouting, "Get out! You and that evil son, scram together!"

The expression on Shen Dehan's face was hideous and twisted, and the veins on his forehead burst out as he stared deadly at Li Mingxuan. A look of disappointment passed through Li Mingxuan's eyes and without saying anything else he quietly walked to the door.

The moment his hand pushed the door, Li Mingxuan turned his head and looked at Shen Dehan seriously, "I love Xiao Xi. I will take good care of Xiao Xi, whether you recognize Xiao Xi or not, Uncle, as Xiao Xi's father, I should say this to you."

Li Mingxuan could imagine Shen Dehan's fury at these words, but he just wanted to tell him that Shen Xi was not alone. Even without the Shen family, he still had other family members, and he would definitely give Shen Xi a home.

That night, when they returned home, both Shen Xi and Li Mingxuan acted as if nothing had happened before.

Shen Xi quietly came out of the shower and Li Mingxuan seemed to be asleep. Under the orange light, he looked calm, as if all his emotions were suppressed in the bottom of his heart. Shen Xi hesitantly walked up to him and stood there quietly. After looking at him for an unknown amount of time, Shen Xi slowly stretched out his hand and brushed his fingers over Li Mingxuan's face, engraving the familiar face in his mind little by little. A while later, Shen Xi's eyes were dark as he gently leaned down and gave Li Mingxuan a kiss on the cheek.

The moment he got up, Li Mingxuan, whose eyes were originally closed, suddenly opened his eyes and reached out to hug him. In the next moment, Shen Xi's whole body was already pressed under Li Mingxuan. Before Shen Xi had time to speak, hot kisses fell on him, blocking his mouth to prevent him from saying anything.

Shen Xi's body softened quickly and he reached out to hug Li Mingxuan, responding passionately to his kisses. Both of them soon reacted honestly, and Li Mingxuan quickly ripped off his own clothes, eagerly kissing Shen Xi beneath him as he tried to get rid of Shen Xi's clothes.

Shen Xi turned off the bedside lamp and obediently let Li Mingxuan go on in the darkness. When his skin felt the cool air, Shen Xi stopped Li Mingxuan's further movements and rolled over to sit on top of him, leaning down and taking the initiative to kiss Li Mingxuan.

The fierce kissing made their temperature rise. Shen Xi fished out the lubricant at the head of the bed and handed it to Li Mingxuan. The sensation of a foreign object penetrating him seemed clearer in the darkness, and Shen Xi struggled to relax his body to accommodate Li Mingxuan's entry. As the two bodies fit tightly together, Shen Xi couldn't help but moan, and Li Mingxuan took encouragement from Shen Xi's voice, holding his waist and moving fiercely.

Even though he was sitting on top, Shen Xi still felt that it was not he who was in control, but Li Mingxuan beneath him. In this intense union, Shen Xi could only cling helplessly to Li Mingxuan, letting him bring him to a climax. The quiet bedroom was filled with the sounds of violent impacts and intermittent moans that continued until midnight before gradually stopping.

By the end of the night, Shen Xi was so tired that he had no energy left, so he let Li Mingxuan carry him and clean him briefly before falling into a deep sleep.

Li Mingxuan held Shen Xi tightly in his arms, rubbing him again and again, as if wanting to completely integrate him into his body. That night, Li Mingxuan stayed awake, quietly looking at Shen Xi in his arms until dawn.

Chapter 79

Shen Xi was woken up in the morning by the sound of Li Mingxuan talking on the phone.

The light in the bedroom was still blocked out by heavy curtains but it could be seen from the crack in the bedroom door to the living room. Li Mingxuan's voice came in, the words "I can't blame Xiao Xi for this" faintly heard.

Shen Xi sat up in a daze, just as Li Mingxuan finished his phone call and came back.

"Awake?" Without waiting for Shen Xi to answer, he walked up to Shen Xi's side and said softly, "Did I wake you up?"

Shen Xi shook his head and said in a muffled voice, "What time is it?"

Li Mingxuan picked up the warm water he had prepared and handed it to Shen Xi, watching him drink it before saying, "It's almost noon."

"So late?" Shen Xi was surprised, then realised something, "Cousin, why didn't you go to the office?"

Li Mingxuan took the glass of water from Shen Xi's hand, smiled and rubbed his messy hair, "I have to go home later." The news he heard yesterday was too shocking, and as it concerned Shen Xi, he had something he needed to confirm with his mother.

Shen Xi said, "Oh," and reached out for Li Mingxuan to let him help him put on his clothes.

Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed him, "Where is Xiao Xi going today?"

Shen Xi said casually, "I'm going to the company."

Li Mingxuan's heart twitched and he gave Shen Xi a concerned look, saying nothing. From last night until now, Shen Xi had been acting as if nothing had happened, but the more he did so, the more worried Li Mingxuan was. He originally thought that Shen Xi would choose to stay alone in a quiet space, but instead, Shen Xi unexpectedly wanted to go to the company. Was he going to meet someone? Thinking about the fact that Shen Xi seemed to be secretly investigating what happened in the past, Li Mingxuan frowned slightly and a worry welled up in his heart.

After having lunch, the two walked downstairs and turned in different directions.

In the Li family's living room, Shen Bixue looked torn, "Xiyong, what exactly do you think Xuan knows?"

Li Xiyong put down the book in his hand, "What did Dehan say?"

Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, "Big Brother was furious and refused to say anything, so we need to ask Mingxuan ourselves. But when I called Mingxuan, Mingxuan wouldn't say anything either, he just said he had to come home later."

Li Xiyong was not impressed, "Since Mingxuan will be back later, just ask him."

Shen Bixue looked at Li Xiyong worriedly, "I heard from Big Brother that Mingxuan and Xiao Xi seem to know about what happened back then. I'm worried about what I should say if Mingxuan and Xiao Xi ask."

Li Xiyong was helpless, "Since Dehan said they knew, if Mingxuan asks, you should tell the truth, there's nothing to hide."

Shen Bixue thought of Shen Dehan's angry reaction on the phone and hesitated, "It's a matter of face for Big Brother, let's see what to say depending on the situation."

When Li Mingxuan arrived home, he saw his parents sitting together in the living room, obviously looking like they were waiting for him.

"Dad, Mom."

Li Xiyong nodded and gestured for him to sit beside him, saying casually, "Xiao Xi didn't come?"

"Xiao Xi went to the company," Li Mingxuan said.

Li Xiyong nodded, and Shen Bixue couldn't help but say, "What happened yesterday? Your uncle was furious."

Li Mingxuan had come home because of yesterday's incident, so he recounted what had happened, but of course what Shen Xi said to Shen Dehan was consciously concealed by him.

"Mom, did you already know about these things?"

Although Li Mingxuan had concealed many of Shen Xi's original words, thinking about Shen Dehan's reaction, Shen Bixue could almost imagine the scene in the ward at that time. In particular, Shen Dehan's ruthless words gave Shen Bixue a headache.

"So Xiao Xi originally only suspected that he was not Dehan's child, and your uncle said those words in a fit of anger?"

Li Mingxuan nodded, and Shen Bixue and Li Xiyong looked at each other, with Li Xiyong shaking his head speechlessly.

Li Mingxuan looked solemn, "Mom, I want to know what really happened back then."

Shen Bixue was in a difficult position; she didn't know whether to tell it or not. Once Li Mingxuan knew, it meant that Shen Xi would soon know.

Li Mingxuan frowned, "Mom, Xiao Xi has the right to know. Even if Uncle doesn't say anything, what happened back then can be found out if one has the wish to do so. Instead of letting Xiao Xi learn from outsiders something that can be either true or false, we should just tell him the truth."

Shen Bixue smiled bitterly, "These matters involve the scandal of the Han and Shen families, and for the sake of your uncle's face, I originally planned to keep it under wraps. Now that you know about it, there is nothing to hide."

Shen Bixue's words did not differ much from those of Shen Dehan, but they were more detailed than his.

"In detail, the affairs of the Han and Shen families all revolved around Han Rou. You know, Han Rou is the youngest daughter of Elder Han. She was pampered in the Han family, so she was spoiled and naive, ignorant of the world. No one knows how she came to like your uncle in the first place, after all, there was a more than ten year age difference between them and your uncle had two children. Now that I think about it, perhaps it was really fate.

"When she married your uncle, I didn't really approve of it. Not that Han Rou was bad, but it had only been a year since Fang Yun died, and your uncle was so full of Fang Yun that he couldn't tolerate anyone else, so there was no way they could be happy. What's more, Han Rou had just turned twenty at the time, while Ah Ji was already six years old and had reached the age when he understood everything. Plus Ah Cheng, Han Rou had to become a mother as soon as she entered the house, and it was hard for her to adapt to this kind of life.

"But she insisted on marrying, and your uncle did not refuse, and everyone had no choice but to agree. After they married, problems started soon. Ah Ji refused to call her "Mother", and your uncle's heart was not on her, so the days after the marriage were nothing like Han Rou had envisioned in her heart. Her temperament was originally arrogant, but now she was aggrieved and naturally refused to bear it. She quarrelled with your uncle again and again, and the relationship became worse and worse. Your uncle felt that she treated Ah Ji and Ah Cheng badly and was worried that if she had a child of her own she would treat Ah Ji and Ah Cheng even worse, so he didn't want her to have a child."

Shen Bixue laughed bitterly when she said that, "It's not that she didn't want to be nice to Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, it's just that she had a temper and didn't have the patience to coax children after a few tries. But in your uncle's eyes, she was the one who treated them badly. The more she felt aggrieved, the more she made a fuss in front of your uncle, and the more it was seen by outsiders as confirmation that she could not tolerate Ah Ji and Ah Cheng, so even Elder Han could not intervene. As time went on, the rift between her and your uncle grew bigger and bigger.

"Later, your uncle met Zhou Mingmei and refused to part with her. At that time, Han Rou had just gotten pregnant and was already emotionally unstable, and when she heard the news of Zhou Mingmei's pregnancy, her relationship with your uncle broke down completely. In fact, at that time, she was already mentally unstable, but no one noticed. When your uncle said during an argument that he didn't want the baby at all, she was irritated and secretly took A Cheng away, almost doing something to him. In the end, although Ah Cheng was fine, your uncle refused to trust her anymore and simply kept Ah Ji and Ah Cheng in our home until she died."

Li Mingxuan had only vaguely known some of these things before, and to be honest he had always had a bad impression of Han Ruo; once when he was a child he had seen Han Ruo coming to his home and arguing with Shen Dehan, and Shen Ji's distaste for Han Ruo had deeply affected him. Now as he listened to his mother recounting this inside story that he did not know, Li Mingxuan could only sigh silently.

Shen Bixue had already reached the end of her story, "Before Han Rou's death, the Han family did not know about her pregnancy. It was only after her death that Elder Han learned about it. The Han family therefore acquiesced to your uncle's statement to the public that Han Rou had passed away due to illness. Because of Han Rou's pregnancy, your uncle began to have doubts about Shen Xi's origin. Despite the DNA test proving that Shen Xi was indeed his son, your uncle still did not like him.

"Not long after, Han Yu died in a car accident, Elder Han became seriously ill and the Han family was in turmoil. By that time, Elder Han already knew that the Shen family was behind the Han family's downfall, but he had no choice. He was worried that after his death, the Shen family would completely annex the Han family's assets, and with your uncle's dislike for Shen Xi, he was afraid that in the future Shen Xi would have nothing. Therefore, Elder Han took the initiative to announce to the public that he had used the Han family's assets to obtain a third of the Shen family's inheritance rights for Shen Xi. What Elder Han did made your grandfather and uncle look very passive. Public opinion at that time was very unfavourable to the Shen family, outsiders were spreading rumours like crazy about the Shen family's intention to annex the Han family, and your grandfather was forced to agree to Elder Han's plan."

Li Mingxuan had not expected the inside story to actually be like this. He had wondered before why Grandpa had reached such an agreement with Elder Han. He knew full well that this would make the Shen family unstable and facilitate the claim that the Shen family was coveting the Han family's assets. Only now, after hearing what his mother said, did he realise the real reason.

He whispered, "Grandfather never liked Xiao Xi, is it also because of this matter?"

Shen Bixue sighed, "It's not that your grandfather didn't like Xiao Xi. Although he was upset because he was set up by Elder Han, it was more that he was embarrassed about this matter. According to custom, Ah Ji was the heir of the Shen family, and both Ah Cheng and Xiao Xi would be separated in the future. However, Elder Han had secured a third of the inheritance for Xiao Xi, and it would make the situation difficult for Ah Ji and Ah Cheng in the future. In desperation, your grandfather had to say that each of the three brothers would receive one third of the Shen family's assets. But in this way, if the three of them were to fight each other, the Shen family would inevitably fall apart."

"Therefore, Grandpa acquiesced to Uncle's attitude of raising Shen Xi as a waste, in order to ensure the integrity of the Shen family," Li Mingxuan continued his mother's words.

Shen Bixue nodded with a bitter smile.

Li Mingxuan thought of Elder Han behind this matter. He probably had thought what response the Shen family would have when he had calculated Grandpa back then. But at that time he could no longer trust the Shen family, and if he did nothing, who could have said what would happen to Shen Xi. So he would rather Shen Xi be raised worthless, hoping that Shen Xi would be clothed and fed for the rest of his life. Perhaps with the death of Han Rou and Han Yu, Elder Han's only wish for Shen Xi was that he would grow up in peace and happiness, and whether or not he would be successful was no longer in his mind.

Li Mingxuan could no longer judge who was right and who was wrong in the whole matter. Perhaps Shen Xi was right in his resentment and Shen Dehan was the one to bear the greatest responsibility.

Shen Bixue sighed and looked at Li Mingxuan, "Mingxuan, find some time to tell Xiao Xi all this. No matter who is right and who is wrong between the Han and the Shen families, Xiao Xi is the most innocent."

Li Mingxuan nodded but had no intention to end the conversation, "Mom, what you have told is the reason why Uncle doesn't like Xiao Xi. I want to know why Uncle is so afraid of Xiao Xi?"

"What?" Shen Bixue subconsciously looked at Li Xiyong.

Li Mingxuan's gaze moved to Li Xiyong as he said firmly, "I want to know the reason why Uncle is afraid of Xiao Xi."

Li Xiyong had not been listening to Shen Bixue's story before but was sitting by himself reading a book. At this moment, after hearing Li Mingxuan's words, Li Xiyong closed the book in his hand and became serious, "What do you think?"

Li Mingxuan said softly, "Grandpa's will."

Appreciation flashed in Li Xiyong's eyes as he gestured for him to continue.

Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Bixue, "The last time Mother hurriedly wanted to transfer the shares in her hands that were originally intended to be transferred to Ah Ji to Ah Cheng, she had already known Uncle's concern. But the shares are all in Uncle's hands, and Xiao Xi has no shares, so what does Uncle have to worry about? The only explanation is that Xiao Xi actually has shares in his hands, or that Xiao Xi will soon have shares, which is why Uncle is so anxious. And it can only be related to Grandpa's will."

Li Xiyong nodded, "You guessed right. Your grandfather did leave a will, and the shares in his hands were divided into three. When Shen Xi reaches the age of 23, Ah Ji, Ah Cheng and Shen Xi would each get one third of them."

Although Li Mingxuan had a vague suspicion, he was still shocked, "When Xiao Xi is 23?"

Li Xiyong gave him a meaningful look, "Now you know why your mother was in such a hurry."

Li Mingxuan nodded with a bitter smile. He finally understood where his uncle's constant fear of Shen Xi was coming from.

While Li Mingxuan was listening to Shen Bixue's story, Lao K was also listening to Shen Xi telling what happened yesterday.

"In that case, the Han family's downfall back then was indeed the Shen family's doing. Do we need to continue to investigate further?"

Shen Xi looked out the window in silence, "There is no need to investigate the Han family. Help me find out about that man, I want to know who he is."

According to Shen Dehan's words, he didn't know who the man was either, which meant that the man hadn't appeared after his mother's death. Shen Xi thought bitterly that his mother always seemed to be unlucky in her life. He didn't know if his mother had liked that man, but he wanted to know who that man was. Where had he been all these years? Did he know that his mother had been pregnant by him and had even jumped out of the window because of it?

With a sigh, Lao K patted Shen Xi's shoulder vigorously and said softly, "Leave this matter to me."

Shen Xi nodded and once again looked out the window in silence.

Chapter 80

When Li Mingxuan arrived home in the evening, Shen Xi had not yet returned. The night was getting dark quickly in winter, and the apartment was already dim.

Throwing the car keys aside, Li Mingxuan didn't turn on the lights, but sat quietly at the desk in the darkness.

He had spent the whole afternoon listening to his mother's account of the past. His mother said that both the Han and the Shen families had done wrong, and Shen Xi was the most innocent of all. His mother said that his grandfather had regrets before his death, but it was too late for him to make amends. His mother said that it was impossible to tell who was right and who was wrong. She said that the past was the past, and she hoped that Shen Xi could look forward. She said…

Li Mingxuan stared at the desk in silence, recalling what his mother had said. The more he thought about what she had said, the more bitter he felt in his heart. He wondered if all this could really become the past for Shen Xi, and what if it couldn't? What would happen to Shen Xi?

The sound of a key opening the door reached him, and Li Mingxuan subconsciously got up and walked over. Shen Xi had just pushed the door in when he was hugged tightly in Li Mingxuan's arms.

"Cousin?" Shen Xi said in surprise.

Li Mingxuan said "en" and hugged him even harder.

Shen Xi quietly stayed in Li Mingxuan's embrace. Li Mingxuan lowered his head and kissed Shen Xi, saying softly, "Mother told me something about the past today, do you want to hear it?"

Shen Xi vaguely guessed that Li Mingxuan's strange behaviour was due to something that was related to him. Hearing Li Mingxuan's words, he admitted: "Cousin, you know I was investigating the past in private."

Li Mingxuan was surprised by Shen Xi's simple words. He thought that Shen Xi would hide this matter from him; he did not expect Shen Xi to be so frank. He smiled bitterly, "I will tell you."

In the darkness, the two sat quietly on the sofa, and no one turned on the light. Li Mingxuan's expression was hidden in the shadows, and only a rough outline of his figure could be faintly seen. His low magnetic voice sounded, unveiling the dusty past. The marriage between Han Rou and Shen Dehan, the birth of Shen Xi, Han Rou's suicide, Elder Han's calculations against the Shen family and Grandpa Shen's will concerning Shen Group.

Shen Xi's gaze gradually became complicated as Li Mingxuan kept telling the story. The impact of these words on him was no less than of the words Shen Dehan said yesterday. He believed that it was the truth; many memories he thought he had forgotten were interspersed with Li Mingxuan's narrative, and for the first time, everything he did not know about the past was spread out in full before him.

Li Mingxuan's voice paused as he looked at Shen Xi seriously, "Xiao Xi?"

"En?"

"What are you going to do?"

Both of them knew what Li Mingxuan was talking about. Shen Xi looked at Li Mingxuan quietly, the thought of telling the truth flashing through his mind several times before finally turning into three words, "I don't know!" He really didn't know, the 20% of shares belonging to him according to the will was something completely unplanned for him. In his previous life, he did not know about the will, and no one had ever told him about it. If he had known, he would not have passed up the opportunity to acquire Gao Qiulin's shares in the first place, and there would have been many other options for him to take revenge on the Shen family.

"Cousin, what do you want me to do?"

Faced with Shen Xi's rhetorical question, Li Mingxuan was silent for a while before finally whispering, "I don't know."

Ever since he had confirmed the contents of the will from his father this afternoon, Li Mingxuan had vaguely guessed the future in front of him. After hearing yesterday's conversation, he could no longer deceive himself any further about what kind of feelings Shen Xi held for Shen Dehan and the Shen family. His heart ached for Shen Xi's past and he understood his resentment, so he could not advise Shen Xi to put it all behind him as his mother had said. He could not be selfish enough to ask Shen Xi to give up the hatred in his heart, but he could not face Shen Xi's possible retaliation calmly either.

Li Mingxuan looked at Shen Xi bitterly. He did not know what answer he expected to hear from Shen Xi. A boundless silence spread between the two, and no one said anything else.

Before Li Mingxuan could think clearly about all this, the news that Shen Rong, who had just been released on bail two days ago, got in a sudden car accident and suffered comminuted fractures in both legs once again pushed the Shen family into the limelight. Was it a mere accident or a deliberate conspiracy? If it was a conspiracy, then who was behind it? Was there any connection between this car accident and the previous drug-related case? All kinds of speculations were being made on the internet, and the drug-related case of the Shen family that was originally planned to be handled in a low-profile manner was once again exposed to the public.

In the hospital ward, Shen Rong, who had just undergone surgery, was still unconscious. Zhou Mingmei, who had always been calm and elegant in front of outsiders, lost her composure for the first time, pulling the doctor and asking him repeatedly, "Wasn't the operation a success? Why is there still no guarantee that he will stand up for sure?"

The doctor was used to all kinds of questions from the patients' families and did not take it personally, "Although the operation was successful, the patient had suffered comminuted fractures of both legs. Whether he can stand up or not will only depend on the subsequent recovery, the hospital cannot give a definite guarantee."

Seeing Zhou Mingmei disheartened by his words, the doctor thought of the previous blood test and compassionately reminded her, "Miss Zhou, for the patient, the most important thing now is not the recovery of both legs, but to find a way to quit drugs."

"Quit drugs?" Zhou Mingmei lost her voice, "Impossible, Ah Rong doesn't take drugs!"

The pity in the doctor's eyes intensified, "Whether Miss Zhou believes it or not, drug residues have indeed been detected in the patient's blood, and based on the projection of the concentration, the patient already is possibly addicted."

Car accident, drug addiction, Zhou Mingmei repeated these words in her mind. She originally did not believe that Shen Rong's car accident was an accident, and now she heard that drug residues were detected in Shen Rong's blood. She did not need to guess to know who was behind the accident. Besides Shen Ji, who else would hate Ah Rong so much?!

A trace of ferocity flashed across Zhou Mingmei's face. She was originally not too willing to tear her face off with Shen Dehan, and her previous agreement with Wang Changlin was also a last resort. Shen Rong's bail showed her that Shen Dehan wanted to cover up the scandal of the Shen family, and she thought that the incident of Shen Rong's drug trafficking could pass without consequences. But now that Shen Rong had been involved in a car accident and might never stand up again, and drugs were detected in his blood, even if he didn't go to prison, he was still completely ruined. Although Shen Rong could no longer be used in a battle, he was still her only son, the only one she could rely on for the rest of her life. She had been calculating for so many years, and seeing that she was getting farther and farther away from her goal until she had completely lost hope, how could she bear this anger?

Since Shen Ji refused to give her and her son a chance to live, don't blame her for not leaving any room for manoeuvre for him either.

Shen Rong was not awake yet when Zhou Mingmei contacted the reporters. Shen Rong's car accident was not an accident but a premeditated attempt on his life. She also implied that it was related to the previous drug-related case and connected to Shen Cheng. She had evidence in her hand to prove it. When the news broke out, reporters suddenly surrounded the hospital where Shen Rong was staying, and for a while, rumours of a drug-related case that involved Shen Rong taking the blame for Shen Cheng and Shen Cheng hiring someone to silence him were rampant.

Shen Ji put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at Li Mingxuan who was caught up in his own emotions since he arrived.

"You have something on your mind?"

Li Mingxuan came back to his senses and avoided the question, "How is Ah Cheng?"

Shen Ji shook his head, not asking anymore, and said, "Still the same. You know drug rehabilitation requires perseverance. Ah Cheng has never suffered since he was young. If he hadn't been tied up all the time, he would have given up long ago."

Li Mingxuan sighed and his eyes fell on the newspaper, "What are you going to do about Shen Rong?"

Shen Ji's eyes went cold, "Zhou Mingmei wants to pin the car accident on Ah Cheng, how can it be so cheap and easy? Since she said she has evidence, let her bring it out."

Shen Ji originally hired someone to follow Shen Rong with the intention of kidnapping him and injecting him with drugs. If Shen Rong dared to addict Shen Cheng to drugs, he would want Shen Rong to suffer the same pain. But he never expected to witness Shen Rong's car accident. Although his intention to take advantage of the chaos was also achieved, Zhou Mingmei wanted to place this matter on Ah Cheng's head. Did she really think he would care about his father's face and wouldn't touch her?

Li Mingxuan naturally knew that the car accident had nothing to do with Shen Ji, but the question now was who was behind the car accident. Shen Rong had just been released on bail when the car accident happened, and those who knew the inside story of Shen Cheng's drug use before would inevitably link it to Shen Ji. Looking at Zhou Mingmei's attitude, it was clear that this was what she thought, which was why she was so determined to bite Shen Cheng to death.

"Do you think it was an accident or man-made?" Li Mingxuan said.

Shen Ji frowned, "Do you think it could have been done by the Tian family? Previously, the Tian family tried to implement Shen Rong's drug trafficking charges, but Father bailed him out, so it's inevitable that the Tian family would be indignant and do something else."

"The Tian family isn't stupid and wouldn't do something like this directly." Li Mingxuan shook his head.

"It was neither me nor the Tian family, was it really an accident?"

Shen Ji's doubts were also exactly what Shen Xi was wondering about.

"The Tian family would only lend a hand and would not take action on their own. And Shen Ji is not stupid enough to attract the attention of reporters at a time like this. Could it really be an accident?"

Lao K scoffed at the idea of the so-called accident, "You think there would be such an unexpected accident? He had a car accident right after he was released on bail, then drugs were found in his blood, a series of events all vaguely suggesting that it was Shen Ji taking revenge. It's clear that someone wants to see the Shen family fight internally. Aren't the rumours that Zhou Mingmei let out to the public enough to explain the problem?"

Shen Xi laughed, "According to your analysis, the only one who wants to see the Shen family infighting is me. Could it be that I did it sleepwalking?"

Lao K was serious, "It's really possible."

Shen Xi was amused by Lao K's face, and the depression that had built up in his heart due to past events was swept away.

"What are you going to do with the shares in your hands after you turn 23?" Lao K asked.

Shen Xi hesitated, "I learned about the will too late, otherwise I would have bought the shares in Gao Qiulin's hand at that time. Now these shares are not of much use to us, what's your best idea?"

"Sell them?" Lao K suggested.

Shen Xi pondered, "Selling is definitely the way to go, the key is who to sell to? When is the right time to sell?"

Lao K looked at Shen Xi, "What do you think about the person who took over Gao Qiulin's shares? Gao Qiulin's shares plus yours are enough to make him the majority shareholder of Shen Group."

"Cooperate with him?" Shen Xi's expression became serious.