Before he even reached Old Madam Shen, he saw two familiar faces.
That is...
He squinted slightly, trying to get a closer look.
You read that right, those two people serving Old Madam Shen were his beautiful biological parents.
The two men were in their early forties, but their faces showed no signs of aging.
They remain refined and beautiful, detached from worldly concerns, and have never experienced human suffering.
"Grandma." In a moment of distraction, Shen Xunye had already led him to Old Madam Shen. "I brought my boyfriend." As he spoke, he stepped aside. "His name is Chi Li."
"Hello, Grandma," Chi Li greeted obediently.
"Hmm." Old Madam Shen didn't even glance at her, only raising her hand to stop Chi Li's mother from massaging her legs, and asked, "Do you still recognize them?"
Shen Xunye subconsciously frowned.
"... Of course, we know them." Chi Li knew the old lady was asking about him. "They are my parents."
Upon hearing this, the two looked at the man/woman sitting next to them almost simultaneously, and only after receiving their approval did they look back at him.
"... Our Xiao Li has grown so much!" Chi's mother spoke first, standing up and taking two steps forward to take Chi Li's hand. "It's been so long since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"
Mr. Chi followed closely behind. "I heard you became Young Master Shen's boyfriend? That's quite an achievement!"
When conversing with someone, he can accurately detect if the other person harbors ill intentions towards him.
He had assumed that the two people's presence here, even if they harbored no ill intentions, must have been for some purpose.
But strangely enough... they seem genuinely concerned about themselves.
Although this expression of concern sounds a bit strange.
Before he could speak, Old Madam Shen interjected, "If parents like to associate with rich people, their son will too. Don't you think this is a genetic inheritance?"
"Grandma!" Shen Xunye's expression immediately changed, and he shielded Chi Li behind him. "What nonsense are you talking about! I was the one who pursued him, and before today, I hadn't told him about my family's specific situation."
"Really?" Old Madam Shen finally looked up at Chi Li, then slowly said, "That only means... he's very smart."
"Oh dear." The woman sitting next to Mr. Chi laughed exaggeratedly, "The genes are getting stronger with each generation. The parents are just throwing money away, so the children are definitely going to improve!"
"Who are you?" Shen Xunye's gaze was like a knife. "You have no right to speak here, do you?"
"Compared to the Shen family, our small company certainly wouldn't catch Young Master Shen's eye." The woman blinked innocently. "But we do have some money on hand, enough to support these two gigolos."
The other man chimed in, "This kid certainly has a sharper eye; he managed to pick the young master so precisely."
A surge of anger rushed to Shen Xunye's head.
He wanted nothing more than to go up to those two and slap them both a few times.
But he knew very well that without Old Madam Shen's tacit approval, these two would never have dared to say such a thing.
Perhaps the only person here who harbors true malice towards Chi Li is Old Madam Shen.
"You willingly offered yourselves a free meal," Chi Li stepped out from behind Shen Xunye, a faint smile on her face. "You could have easily turned away those begging for a free meal, but you insisted on letting them in."
"Having enjoyed the glory brought by their wife's or husband's beauty, who is more shameless in saying things against their conscience just to please others?"
Chi Li practically pointed her finger at them and yelled, "You're a prostitute who wants to maintain a virtuous image!"
The entire space became quiet.
They probably didn't expect that, under the pressure of Old Madam Shen, Chi Li could still fight back so logically and forcefully.
"It was consensual." Shen Xunye regained his composure. "Even if he was with me for money, I'd still be thankful I have money."
The two who had spoken sarcastically glanced cautiously at Old Madam Shen.
They probably didn't expect this situation to occur.
"You should be thankful," Old Madam Shen said coldly. "Thankful he can cure your illness, otherwise... do you think you'd have had the chance to bring him to me?"
Shen Xunye immediately retorted, "Do you think I'd want to bring someone to you?"
Even if he and Chi Li are still in the early stages of their relationship, Shen Xunye wouldn't be willing to bring them to such occasions, let alone after things have settled down.
"Alright, I didn't come here to break you up." Old Madam Shen gently tapped the ground with her cane. "Let your boyfriend have a good talk with his parents."
Chi Li, along with his biological parents, were led by a servant to another small room.
"Speak," Chi Li asked directly as soon as he sat down. "What does Old Madam Shen mean?"
Chi's mother hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.
Mr. Chi spoke up quite easily. "What she means is... she'll let you continue being with Young Master Shen. But the condition is that you leave the entertainment industry; she doesn't want you to be in the public eye."
Public appearances are secondary; what matters most is that she wants to keep a firm grip on the 'medicine' for Shen Xunye's treatment to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.
"That's impossible." Chi Li immediately dismissed the possibility.
" Xiao Li," Mrs. Chi said gently, "The money you can earn in the entertainment industry can also be earned in the Shen family, so why bother making yourself suffer?"
She was indeed thinking of Chi Li's best interests. However, she was only considering her own perspective, crudely equating the 'entertainment industry' with money.
"I told you, this is impossible," Chi Li emphasized again. "The entertainment industry has brought me more than just fame and fortune; it has also brought me immense emotional value."
"The young master likes you so much, can't he give you emotional support?" Mr. Chi asked, puzzled.
"Yes, but that's a different matter." Chi Li adopted an uncompromising stance. "In short, I won't leave the entertainment industry."
" Xiao Li..." Chi's mother suddenly grabbed Chi Li's hand, her expression sorrowful, "Please, I'm begging you, just do as Old Madam Shen says, okay?"
Chi Li withdrew her hand, lowered her eyes, thought for two seconds, and asked, "What benefits did she promise you?"
"If you could do that, she would... she would..." Chi's mother stammered.
Mr. Chi added, "She will give us both a huge deal that we've always dreamed of. She'll transform my wife's and her husband's families from just names on the list of wealthy families into people with real influence."
Chi Li understood instantly.
No wonder they insisted on having his biological parents bring it up; they had already decided to use family ties to blackmail him.
"What does that have to do with me?" Chi Li scoffed.
Is he some great philanthropist who would make selfless contributions to a family that couldn't even accommodate him back then?