"They took money to do the job, hid abroad all these years, then thought of coming back to cash in when they ran out." Shen Xubai opened the investigation files, a trace of ruthlessness in his cool gaze.
"If we can't get them to talk, make them pay it all back with interest!" Shen Changgeng skimmed the details, and the atmosphere instantly grew oppressive.
The other side's retaliation had left the child's fate unknown; their deliberate concealment abroad had also, for a time, scattered the main search-and-rescue forces.
On a night when all was quiet, the study was heavy with worries.
The seemingly enviable Shen Family lived under a cloud of oppression every day.
[How can I make enough money to support the whole family?]
[The entertainment industry? No way! Second Shen got battered bloody trying that.]
[Learn to manage investments? My brain can't handle that either. Even my oldest brother couldn't do it, so I'm definitely useless.]
[Aaaaaah... I can't even haul bricks. Looks like all I can do is wash dishes! I'll bring my oldest and second brothers along. We can earn 500 yuan a day to support Mom and Dad.]
The solemn atmosphere was broken by the boy's incessant muttering. Even Shen Changgeng couldn't help shaking his head and shifting his attention to another problem that urgently needed resolving.
"You can all hear it, right?" Shen Xingshuo had held back for a long time, but finally couldn't contain his shock. "Am I hallucinating, or has he gone crazy?"
"It should be real." Shen Xubai seemed very calm. When the others turned their gazes toward him, he continued his analysis without losing his composure. "Before I entered the room, I couldn't hear these thoughts."
"That means this so-called mind reading has a limited range."
"Second, Uncle Liu and Aunt Chen haven't reacted, which means the mind reading is selective. So far, it seems to be the four of us."
"Lastly." Shen Xubai looked through the crack in the door, seemingly picturing the young boy rolling around on his bed nearby. "We need to determine whether this prediction of bankruptcy is true."
At the mention of the prediction, everyone looked at Shen Xingshuo in unison. As the person Shen Yu had declared would get battered bloody in the entertainment industry in the future, how did he feel now?
"Well, uh..." Shen Xingshuo scratched his head awkwardly, his evasive gaze exactly like Shen Yu's.
"What did you come back to get today?" Shen Changgeng narrowed his eyes slightly, having more or less guessed his second son's intentions.
"I want to sign with an agency." Seeing that he couldn't hide it anymore, Shen Xingshuo simply threw caution to the wind. "See if I can make a career in entertainment."
Shen Changgeng was speechless. He generally didn't interfere with his son's choices. But Shen Xingshuo hadn't discussed this with the family, yet Shen Yu knew his second brother's future. That clearly warranted serious consideration.
Learning that Shen Yu's muttering might be true shook Shen Xubai's worldview too, leaving him unable to recover for a long while.
"Whether it's true or not, at least Little Yu has recovered." Sensitive and attentive, Lin Yujing thought of the way Lin Yu had tentatively held her arm, and maternal affection instantly flooded her. "He's still himself."
Shen Xingshuo pursed his lips. True enough-that silly look was exactly like the chubby little boy he'd been before falling ill.
"Don't tell anyone about this yet. We don't want to frighten him." Thinking of Shen Yu dragging the whole family along to wash dishes, Shen Changgeng couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips. "Give Little Yu some more pocket money."
"Right, and sign him up for a class." Shen Xingshuo cut in with a mischievous air. "Help him improve his self-awareness."
A young master of the Shen Family hadn't fallen so low that he needed to wash dishes to support his family. With his drive, how could he fail to make it in entertainment?
Shen Yu didn't know the four people next door were considering signing him up for classes. The young boy wore a worried expression as he counted the days on his fingers.
From trading stocks to hauling bricks, Shen Yu went through everything before finally drifting off in a muddle after Shen Xingshuo's outburst when he could take no more.
Their discussion continued late into the night, and the Shen Family gradually worked out their next steps. Shen Xingshuo joined the meeting as an adult for the first time, his worldview turned upside down twice in a single day.
So when Shen Yu woke and met Shen Xingshuo's scrutinizing gaze above his dark circles, he was so startled he nearly jumped out from under the covers.
"Time to eat." Seeing that he'd frightened his little brother, Shen Xingshuo gave a satisfied huff, then turned away, leaving Shen Yu with an aloof view of his back.
Shen Yu: My second brother is so weird.
Shen Yu rolled blissfully under the covers and sleepily scratched his bird's-nest hair, then bounced out of bed the next second.
Right! I missed an important piece of news yesterday!
"Mom!" Without even putting on his shoes, Shen Yu hopped on one foot toward the living room. Luckily, he was temporarily staying on the ground floor, so there was no risk of having to go downstairs.
"Little Yu, you're up? If you're too tired, Uncle Liu can bring your food to your room." The whole family sat neatly around the dining table, and Lin Yujing looked in surprise at Shen Yu's disheveled hair.
[Of course, Mommy's biological son is still wandering out there.]
Shen Yu looked at the people at the table with anguish, especially Shen Xingshuo, who was happily gnawing on a chicken drumstick.
His own little brother was wandering out there and might not even have food to eat!
Everyone's expressions tightened, especially Shen Changgeng and Shen Xubai, who had been investigating for so long. They had suspected Shen Yu could foresee the future, but hadn't expected him to also figure out that he wasn't their biological son.
"Mom, don't you think I'm much stupider than my oldest brother?" Shen Yu put his not-so-clever brain to work and stammered out a tentative question. "Could I not be your biological son?"
"Uh..." Lin Yujing hadn't expected her youngest son to ask so directly, but seeing Shen Yu's eager, pleading expression, she couldn't help stroking his head and giving her husband a look. "Let's eat first."
"You could check for a genetic mutation too!" Shen Yu was so anxious that he blurted things out without thinking, wishing he could carve the word "idiot" onto his forehead.
He'd fallen asleep in a muddle yesterday, but today he was wide awake.
[Oh my goodness! The real young master is suffering out there while I'm stuffing myself here. My conscience hurts so much!]
[Why is my second brother looking at me so strangely? I haven't offended anyone.]
Shen Yu's muttering completely missed the point. No matter how anxious Shen Xingshuo was, he couldn't pry his mouth open and question him, so he could only poke at his sandwich and sulk.
"Do you not like tomatoes, Second Brother?" Shen Yu looked at the fierce-looking Shen Xingshuo and slowly edged over to ask.
After all, he'd done far too many things to feel guilty about in the past. Shen Yu's main approach was to shamelessly beg for forgiveness.
"Why wouldn't I eat them?" Shen Xingshuo glanced at Shen Yu, met his little brother's smiling face, then awkwardly turned away again. "I'll eat it once it cools down."
[Aren't sandwiches already cold? Has my second brother's sensory system gone wrong too?]
Shen Xingshuo's temples throbbed wildly. Just as he was about to shut his little brother's mouth with food, Shen Yu sneakily transferred his tomato slices into Shen Xingshuo's bowl and cheerfully explained when he was caught.
"For you, Second Brother."
"You little brat." Shen Xingshuo's mood shot upward like a roller coaster. But before he could take a bite, he heard that familiar muttering.
[Finally got rid of the tomatoes. Now what do I do with the greens?]
He'd avoided meat before because he was afraid of spending money. Now that he could afford it, Shen Yu's little head was full of eating meat, and he petulantly refused to eat vegetables.
Shen Xingshuo looked on coldly, then saw the little ingrate set his sights on Shen Xubai and couldn't help gloating.
Their oldest brother wasn't so easy to win over. Trying to dump food he didn't want onto their oldest brother-did he really think their oldest brother was a recycling bin like him?
Damn!
Shen Xingshuo's eyes widened. He'd finally been driven mad with anger. Had he already accepted that he was a trash can?
Just as Shen Yu was frowning in indecision, Shen Xubai calmly picked out the greens. "Tell Uncle Liu what you want for breakfast!"
"Okay!" Not expecting his oldest brother to take the initiative to remove the greens he disliked, Shen Yu was as happy as a cat that had stolen a taste of fish, gesticulating wildly as he announced what he wanted.
"I want soup dumplings, the little buns that come several to a steamer basket."
That was Shen Yu's favorite breakfast, but compared with cheap, large buns, soup dumplings had become an unattainable luxury.
"We'll prepare soup dumplings tomorrow." Looking at Shen Yu's rosy complexion, the butler immediately agreed with a smile. "Tell me whatever you'd like to eat, young master."
"Hehehe!" Shen Yu bobbed his head with delight. After taking big bites of his sandwich, he gulped down a bottle of milk.
[Mission accomplished. Now it's my show time!]
After finishing the bottle of milk, Shen Yu jauntily wiped the milk from the corner of his mouth, then covertly stared at the members of the Shen Family.
[Who should I start fleecing first?]