Shen Shuyi watched the children laughing and teasing one another, her face full of tenderness and pride.
Though their personalities differed, every one of them was outstanding and devoted to her.
How could Xu Junshan fail to cherish such wonderful sons and daughters?
Could the children born to his mistress really compare to hers?
The thought left Shen Shuyi with mixed feelings, but it also strengthened her resolve.
Since that beast in human skin, Xu Junshan, did not even love his own children, she would cherish and protect them all the more. Let him cry over it.
After their feast, Shen Banxia grew so sleepy on the ride home that her eyes narrowed to slits and she began swaying from side to side.
Shen Zhishan, who was sharing the back seat with Seventh Sister, scrambled to help her.
He supported Seventh Sister's head and adjusted his own position so she could lean against him comfortably, terrified that she might topple over and hurt herself.
He also remembered to quietly ask his fourth brother to drive more slowly.
"Zhishan, you told me last time that you could listen in on a phone as long as its battery hadn't been removed, right?" Shen Ruogu asked his fifth brother as he drove.
A genius in multiple fields who could barely look after himself.
"What are you planning, Ruogu?" Shen Zhishan looked up and asked.
"I want you to do me a favor!"
"I won't do anything illegal!"
"Relax. It's nothing illegal. It's to protect Dad.
"I heard Dad's run into some trouble lately, but he's too proud to admit it and doesn't want us to worry, so he's keeping it from us.
"That's why I want you to listen in on his phone and find out what trouble he's in, so we can see whether there's anything we can do to help!" Shen Ruogu explained.
"What kind of trouble is Dad in?" Shen Zhishan asked at once.
"If I knew, would I need you to listen in?"
"Good point!"
"We can't let Dad find out about this, or he'll definitely get angry."
"I understand. Don't worry, Ruogu!" Shen Zhishan assured him.
Shen Ruogu had not told his fifth brother the truth about their father because Zhishan was too kindhearted. Unless he saw and heard it for himself, he would never believe their father was that sort of person.
He could only take another approach and let his brother discover the truth himself.
Ruogu really is the most devious person in our family! But I like it!
Shen Ruogu had just stopped at a traffic light. He turned his head as though he had been shocked and saw his youngest sister leaning against Zhishan's shoulder, yawning as she gazed at him with bright, innocent eyes.
Caught between laughter and exasperation, Shen Ruogu shook his head and looked away.
When it came to being devious, who could beat Seventh Sister? She was always playing dumb to outwit others, watching the drama unfold and happily making it worse.
Call her stupid, and she had more snarky comments than anyone.
Call her clever, and she treated everything like a spectator, never realizing she was one of the people involved!
Hearing them arrive, Xu Mingyue put away her phone and hurried over to Shen Shuyi, who had just entered the living room, saying sweetly,
"Mom, where did you all go? Why are you only getting back now? I missed you."
"We just went for a walk in the countryside. How did your tutoring go today?" Shen Shuyi replied without betraying anything.
"My tutor said I've improved again. I'm sure I'll do really well on this month's exams," Xu Mingyue said proudly.
"Keep it up! I'm tired, so I'll go to my room and rest." Shen Shuyi nodded, then went upstairs.
Shen Jinyan entered behind her. Ever since learning who Mingyue really was, he could not help looking at her differently.
He had never imagined that his seemingly sweet younger sister could be so scheming and vicious.
But he could not show it, and he had even less desire to deal with her. Without so much as a greeting, he walked around Xu Mingyue and headed for the elevator.
Xu Mingyue gave her second brother a puzzled glance, then turned to see Shen Banxia trudging listlessly toward the sofa.
Xu Mingyue sat down beside her and began fishing for information.
"Banxia, where did you all go today?"
"It wasn't fun at all. I finally managed to catch an eel, but Jinyan insisted it was a venomous snake and told me to throw it away.
"Are all you city kids this spoiled? You can't catch this, you can't touch that.
"Let me tell you about that eel I caught-" Shen Banxia gestured as she spoke, and Xu Mingyue's face visibly grew paler.
"I'm going to read. You get some rest!" Xu Mingyue interrupted Shen Banxia's endless chatter, then got up and headed for the elevator.
Goose bumps kept rising all over her skin. No wonder everyone had rushed upstairs instead of staying in the living room with Banxia.
There was something wrong with her mind, not just her intelligence.
"Don't run away! I'm not finished!" Shen Banxia called after her.
Hearing that, Xu Mingyue ran even faster.
After going upstairs to change, Shen Shenxing prepared to head out, completely forgetting his earlier promise to tutor Seventh Sister over the weekend.
Just as he was about to leave the living room, a gloating voice suddenly rang out.
Third Brother's finally heading out! His car crash is about to happen! He'll lose his left eye and break his left leg. How exciting!
The left leg he had just stepped forward with instantly drew back. It even gave a faint, painful twinge.
Surely he would not end up that badly hurt!
He turned to look at Seventh Sister in the living room. She was munching on dried mango.
How could she eat so much? Every time he saw her, she was eating. She never stopped.
Shen Shenxing switched legs and stepped out with his right foot.
Oh, I remembered wrong. It's his right leg. It'll be crushed flat in an instant, with no chance of reattaching it. He'll become a one-legged wonder!
Honestly, Dad's people tampered with his car, and he still dares to speed the moment he leaves the neighborhood. He deserves to end up crippled!
Shen Shenxing pulled his right foot back too, breaking into a cold sweat. Only then did he remember his promise to tutor Seventh Sister over the weekend.
Finally, looking irritated and miserable, he announced,
"I'm not going anywhere today. I'm staying home to tutor my little sister!"
Then he turned back into the living room and sat beside Shen Banxia.
"Third Brother, aren't you going out?" Shen Banxia asked, looking disappointed and regretful when she saw him return.
"No. You're starting at the International High School next Monday. We'll begin tutoring tonight, or I'm afraid you won't get into Jinghua University!" Shen Shenxing replied irritably.
Aw, why has Shenxing suddenly decided not to go out? Now there won't be any drama to watch!
Shen Shenxing's breath caught. He turned to Seventh Sister, unable to tell whether she wanted something to happen to him or not.
"I don't necessarily have to get into Jinghua University!" Shen Banxia made one last attempt to resist.
"No. You have to get into Jinghua University! We're starting tonight, and don't even think about slacking off!" Shen Shenxing snapped.
Without another word, he grabbed Shen Banxia by the back of her collar and hauled her upstairs.
In the study,
Shen Shenxing looked at the textbooks on the desk and asked,
"Which subjects are you struggling with?"
"All of them!" Shen Banxia replied without a blush or a flicker of embarrassment.
"..." Shen Shenxing almost thought he had misheard. Turning to stare at her, he asked in disbelief, "How did you get into high school?"
"I got lucky!" Shen Banxia replied with a smile.
The same question, the same answer.
After taking one deep breath after another, Shen Shenxing finally picked up a first-year high school math textbook.
"We'll start with the first-year material!"
Shen Shenxing felt as though his heart was beginning to give out.
But Shen Banxia was not simply humoring her third brother. She had already picked up a notebook and pen, ready to listen carefully and take notes.
This was no joke. Getting into Jinghua University was not the point. What mattered was that this concerned not only her scholarship, but also her life. How could she not take it seriously?
Besides, even if she was a genius, it had been a long time since she had studied high school material. There was no harm in taking her studies seriously.
Over the course of the evening's tutoring, Shen Banxia grew increasingly alert. She had to admit there was a reason Shen Shenxing had earned the top score on the college entrance exam.
His explanations were not only interesting, but also connected the material into a coherent whole.
With the single concept of pressure, he could go from physics to geography, then on to mathematics.
Even though she was taking the science track and would not be tested on geography, linking everything together this way made it easier both to understand and to remember.
Her own ideas were wildly imaginative, and her questions were just as varied.
By the end of all her questions, Shen Shenxing felt that his biological sister was either a genius or an idiot.
Otherwise, he simply could not understand how a high school student could ask such bizarre questions.
For example: if Newton discovered universal gravitation when an apple fell on his head, why didn't Earth and the sun attract each other and move closer and closer?
Why did one plus one have to equal two? Who had decided that?
If a person's nature was harder to change than mountains and rivers, and objective laws did not change according to human will, then human will was equivalent to a person's nature. Didn't that mean a person's nature was useless? And so on.
Yet, strange as those questions were, their discussions led to new concepts-just ones outside the high school curriculum.
Shen Banxia did not care in the slightest what her third brother thought of her. She kept coming up with all sorts of wildly imaginative questions, nearly driving Shen Shenxing insane.
In the end, Shen Shenxing raised his hands in surrender. He said his sister had inexhaustible energy and could do without sleep, but he would die if he did not get any.
Only after he promised to open a stock trading account for her did Seventh Sister let him off.
When Shen Shenxing walked out of Seventh Sister's study, he was dizzy and his vision was dimming. Only one thought remained in his mind.
Could he please not have this biological sister?
Tutoring other people earned him money, good money. Tutoring his own sister would cost him his life!
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