" Zhizhi!"
Shen Sixian's voice unconsciously rose a little.
He rubbed his forehead; his head, throbbing from not sleeping all night, was throbbing terribly, but the physical discomfort couldn't compare to the pain in his heart.
"You can make friends with whomever you want, and you can date whomever you want—your brother won't object!" Shen Sixian gripped Shen Shuangjian's shoulder. "But that person absolutely cannot be Xie Jinghui!"
How could we let that scoundrel Xie Jinghui ruin our precious little cabbage?
"He's not a good person, he--!"
Heartless, ruthless, cunning, and scheming—these words that could describe Xie Jinghui were all on the tip of his tongue.
But when he Shen Shuangjian's light brown eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say anything about the filth and darkness within.
Perhaps he shouldn't have let Shen Shuangjian know.
Zhizhi is so naive and trusting. If he really told her, wouldn't Zhizhi be heartbroken?
It's all Xie Jinghui's fault, not Zhizhi's.
Noticing the unease in Shen Shuangjian's slightly widened eyes, Shen Sixian closed his eyes and could only apologize helplessly.
"I'm sorry, I acted impulsively, brother."
Shen Sixian sighed softly, his hand gently stroking Shen Shuangjian's long hair, his movements tender and soothing. "Brother shouldn't have been harsh with you. It's not your fault; the fault lies with the person who lied to you."
Shen Shuangjian didn't really understand Shen Sixian's attitude towards Xie Jinghui. He could sense that when Shen Sixian mentioned Xie Jinghui, he was three parts wary, three parts disgusted, and three parts dissatisfied.
Shen Shuangjian about to speak when the housekeeper entered and interrupted him. "Mr. Shen, young master, Mr. Xie is here and says he wants to see you."
The name "Mr. Xie " sounded like lamp oil poured on a fire—light and airy—but to Shen Sixian, it was more grating than a needle prick.
"He dares to come again! He actually dares to come here!"
Shen Sixian twisted into a cold, mocking smile. "Let him in. I want to see what he has to say in his defense."
Shen Sixian turned around and grasped Shen Shuangjian's hand. As if adjusting his state, Shen Sixian straightened his back, suppressed the stabbing and throbbing pain in his head, and looked coldly at the junction of the entrance hall and the living room.
Before long, Xie Jinghui, dressed in a suit and tie, appeared in their sight, led by the butler.
Compared to Shen Sixian's weariness and current bruises, Xie Jinghui's composure and elegance seemed to emanate from her very bones.
He met Shen Sixian's gaze across the distance, and finally nodded slowly. "Mr. Shen, we meet again."
He didn't know when it started, but in front of Shen Sixian, he no longer showed the same disdain and sarcasm as before.
On the contrary, he is extremely patient, and no matter what the other party says or does, he is always peaceful and accepting.
"Excuse my bluntness, Mr. Xie, but I don't want to see you. Even the thought of you stepping on the land of my Shen Residence makes me feel utterly disgusted."
Shen Sixian's attitude was simply impossible to be polite about.
After all, Xie Jinghui had done something utterly inhuman in Moscow, forcing Shen Shuangjian throw herself into his arms and cry.
And yesterday, right under his nose, he coaxed Shen Shuangjian meeting him, holding hands, and they were even photographed and the photos were posted online.
If he could, Shen Sixian would love to chop him up with a knife and throw him into the sea to feed the fish.
" Xie Jinghui, I warned you not to get close to Shuangjian again. Have you forgotten what I said last time, or do you really want Shuangjian to know what kind of person you are?"
Even when he was exhausted, Shen Sixian never showed any fear in front of Xie Jinghui.
Even for the sake of Shen Shuangjian, Shen Sixian would not give Xie Jinghui any opportunity to take advantage.
"Mr. Shen, why speak so harshly?" Xie Jinghui's expression was calm. He slowly approached, ignoring Shen Sixian's wariness and astonishment, until he was close enough to Shen Shuangjian.
"I've been meaning to tell Mr. Shen that Shuangjian and I are already together. We confirmed our relationship as soon as we arrived in Moscow."
Xie Jinghui slowly raised his eyes. He held Shen Shuangjian's other hand, and his deep, dark gaze was filled with a determined seriousness.
"We are lovers, lovers in the throes of passionate love."
Xie Jinghui's words were the reason that stunned Shen Sixian even more than his bold actions.
At this moment, Shen Sixian even forgot to pry Xie Jinghui's hands off. His gaze was slightly vacant, his expression astonished, and although he opened his mouth, he couldn't utter a single word.
"Only..."
Shen Sixian's gaze gradually shifted from their tightly clasped hands to Shen Shuangjian's face.
He was searching, trying to find even the slightest reluctance or resistance in Shen Shuangjian's expression and eyes.
But none of that happened.
He simply pursed his lips and looked at Xie Jinghui, a hint of shy unease and confusion as to why Xie had suddenly spoken out.
"..."
Shen Sixian subconsciously stood up.
Anger, astonishment, confusion, doubt, and many other complex emotions swirled in his chest, turning into a cloud of resentment that neither rose nor fell.
"Zhi, Zhizhi, you two... are together?"
Even though he already knew the answer in his heart, Shen Sixian was still like a blind man walking up a high platform. He had clearly found the way, but he still wanted to tentatively step on it.
At that moment, he desperately wished that Shen Shuangjian forcefully shake off Xie Jinghui's hand and tell him that all of this was Xie Jinghui's side of the story.
Even if Shen Shuangjian denied it, Shen Sixian could blindfold himself and believe her.
But unfortunately...
Shen Shuangjian up at him without saying a word, and even after a couple of glances, she would try to look away.
Shen Sixian understood perfectly well that this was a tacit admission, but he didn't know how to say it, so he just quietly and obliviously accepted it.
" Xie Jinghui!"
Shen Sixian a low growl, wanting to curse, but found that his hands were shaking so badly that he could barely stand.
"You..."
Shen Sixian frowned deeply, then swayed and fell back onto the sofa.
The long hours of continuous work, the high intensity of the job, and the excessive emotional fluctuations finally took their toll on Shen Sixian.
Shen Sixian, who had already stayed up for several consecutive nights before going to Russia, hasn't had a proper rest since arriving in Russia.
What's more, Shen Sixian angry and frustrated yesterday because he was trying to suppress the trending topic of the two of them watching a movie together, but he couldn't go upstairs to ask Shen Shuangjian, who was still asleep.
After a long period of intense work, coupled with the need to guard against those around Shen Shuangjian harbored ill intentions, her emotions fluctuated wildly. Even someone made of iron would break down at this point.
"Elder brother!"
Shen Sixian felt his vision blur and his head throb, but before he completely lost consciousness and vanished into darkness, all Shen Sixian could think about was—
If someone gave him a gun, he'd shoot Xie Jinghui in the head several times.