Before Shen Yu could suggest anything, Shen Xubai launched straight into an investigation upon returning home, while Shen Changgeng also began dealing with whoever was behind it.
Shen Xingshuo, who had originally planned to sign with a company over summer break, stayed home, shouldering the role of the whole family's recorder and constantly listening to his little brother's thoughts.
"Second Brother, do you still want to go into show business?" Shen Yu patted his injured calf in frustration, barely managing to shift his attention from the biological child to Second Shen.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Shen Xingshuo crossed his legs and looked arrogantly at his little brother. "With my abilities, how could I not make it?"
[Of course you couldn't make it! You got smeared so badly, and before you even opened your mouth to explain, it nearly got to the point where people threw eggs at you when you went outside.]
Shen Yu stared at Shen Xingshuo in righteous indignation, his big eyes full of disapproval. "Second Brother, do you like singing and dancing?"
"Of course not." Shen Xingshuo tossed his hair and declared arrogantly, "I enjoy standing onstage and having the spotlight shine on me."
"Second Brother." Remembering that Second Shen had only encountered the protagonist after entering show business, which had led to the Shen Family's persecution, Shen Yu immediately puffed out his chest indignantly. "Clowns sit in grand halls while true masters wander the streets!"
His little body couldn't carry bricks!
"Tsk, then I'll reluctantly settle for being a clown in the spotlight." Shen Xingshuo wasn't falling for it at all. He even said smugly, "Even if I'm a clown, I'll be the most handsome clown."
Unable to get around his second brother, Shen Yu planted his hands on his hips in aggrievement. To his surprise, Shen Xingshuo kept provoking him. "Not only is your brother good-looking, I can sing, dance, and play instruments!"
"As if you're the only one!" Shen Yu hopped onto the couch on one foot and looked down at Shen Xingshuo.
"What can you do? Perform face-changing?" Shen Xingshuo watched Shen Yu with interest. Yesterday, he had still been timidly trying to please them; today, he was already throwing his weight around over him.
Mocked by his second brother and left with no graceful way out, Shen Yu felt wronged. What instruments could a poor little kid like him possibly play?
But looking at his smug second brother, Shen Yu refused to lose face even if he couldn't measure up, and shouted fiercely, "I can play an instrument! The more I think, the more steamed I get!"
"Honk, honk, honk, honk, honk, honk!" Shen Xingshuo couldn't stop laughing. Clutching his stomach, he still didn't forget to mock him. "Then you really can do a lot. Looks like I'll have to work harder and get you even more steamed!"
Shen Xubai had just returned from the hospital when he noticed the "war" in the living room.
The second brother who showed his little brother no care at all, the little brother whose hackles had risen in anger, and Uncle Liu, the butler, watching the show.
Pressing a hand helplessly to his forehead, Shen Xubai didn't dare imagine how... lively the Shen Family would become if Cheng Jin's identity was confirmed.
"Big Brother." Spotting Shen Xubai, Shen Yu immediately sat down obediently with his legs crossed, grimacing when he touched his calf.
"Careful." Shen Xubai didn't understand why his little brother was so afraid of him. Shen Xingshuo's attitude was clearly similar to his own, yet Shen Yu preferred being close to the second brother.
"Hehe." Shen Yu smiled goofily at his eldest brother, anxiously scratching his palm as he desperately wanted to go find the biological child.
Shen Xubai was just about to enter the study when he heard his little brother's incessant muttering and suddenly realized that Shen Yu had taken this matter on as his own burden.
"What were you talking about just now?"
"Second Brother's dreams." Shen Yu straightened his little body and answered with expressive intonation.
Seeing his eldest brother's gaze sweep toward him, Shen Xingshuo immediately flopped onto the couch, giving up all pretense. "What dreams could I possibly have? I'm just freeloading until I die."
Seeing his eldest brother's expression darken, Shen Yu hurriedly crawled over beside Shen Xingshuo and shook him frantically. "Second Brother, you should still have dreams."
When his eldest brother's gratified gaze settled on him, Shen Yu gathered his courage and explained proudly, "Otherwise, when you get drunk later, you won't even know what to talk about with people."
Shen Xubai: ...
Shen Xingshuo: And you have the nerve to criticize me?
Looking at the two who had shifted together on the couch, Shen Xubai realized that both his younger brothers had problems with their thinking: the slacker second brother who had given up trying, and the little brother who looked downright goofy.
Burdened with heavy responsibilities, Shen Xubai sighed. There were two at home and another two outside. He simply had no end of things to worry about.
Seeing both his brothers looking at him, Shen Yu belatedly realized what he had said and opened his mouth in horror.
[Boo-hoo, Big Brother's look is so scary.]
Hearing this, Shen Xubai kept his mouth shut. After telling Uncle Liu to take good care of Shen Yu, he motioned for his idle second brother to come into the study.
"So why did he lie to us?" Shen Xingshuo looked at the photograph in confusion. Cheng Jun and Cheng Jin looked alike but had different personalities.
Cheng Jun wasn't good with words. The boy, barely in his teens, had experienced all the warmth and coldness the world offered, and only showed a trace of tenderness toward his younger brother; yet he remained stubborn in life and was the target of their father's venting.
By comparison, Cheng Jin seemed frail, obedient, driven, and good at his studies. He was also the hope that kept Cheng Jun striving to get by; according to their neighbors, Cheng Jun shielded him every time their father lost his temper.
"One's like Big Brother, and one's like Little Brother." Shen Xingshuo browsed through the two younger brothers' life histories and remarked with a hint of sadness, "Neither one's like me."
Shen Xubai couldn't be bothered with his idiotic brother and explained succinctly, "He didn't lie. There used to be an older sister."
"Cheng Yong favored boys over girls and was extremely dissatisfied with his firstborn daughter. He even showed a tendency to abuse his wife and daughter, until his wife became pregnant again."
"Their mother had suffered prolonged abuse and malnutrition, and the baby was stillborn. Cheng Jun and Cheng Jin happened to be found, and Cheng Yong, who was drunk all day, thought they were his own children."
"During that time, he abandoned his biological daughter. Their mother couldn't bear the blow and died after raising the two boys until they were five. Unable to afford raising the children, Cheng Yong drank even more heavily and became more violent."
Shen Xingshuo could barely bring himself to look at what followed. The two brothers had grown up supporting each other through a lack of money, oppression, alcoholism, and domestic violence...
"Wasn't Cheng Jun making money? Why didn't he leave?"
"Shen Xingshuo, you're eighteen, not eight." Shen Xubai looked at his still-bewildered second brother. "They need to go to school. They need household registration. They need a guardian."
Yes, children not only couldn't choose the circumstances of their birth, they could even be constrained by them for their entire lives.
The study fell quiet. Shen Xingshuo gripped the documents, his thoughts unknown, while his slightly trembling arms betrayed his lack of calm.
[I remember! The Shen Family found the biological child after going bankrupt, but during that time, his father lost money gambling and demanded money from the children. When he didn't get any, he flew into a rage and attacked, injuring the biological child's leg and leaving lasting damage.]
Having remembered the crucial plot point, Shen Yu hopped toward the study in his slippers and collided squarely with Shen Xingshuo as he rushed downstairs.