Chapter 84
Shu Ci hadn’t known Shen Lin for long, but he knew clearly that without years of endurance and lying in wait—brewing endless pain—such a calm person couldn’t possibly collapse and break down in an instant.
To some extent, Shen Lin and Lu Wanqing were very alike.
This recording was the final straw that crushed him. Heavy guilt and pain came crashing down, and he completely lost control.
“If… you aren’t willing, it doesn’t matter.”
Shen Lin covered his eyes with his palm, lowering his hand after a moment. “I’m only taking this opportunity to express my selfish desire, not playing the emotional card to hijack you.”
Keeping worries bottled up would eventually break a person.
But in this world, it seemed he could only speak to the person in front of him.
Shu Ci pulled out a tissue for Shen Lin, comforting him, “I understand. You don’t need to explain so thoroughly to me.”
So what if the massive Shen family stood behind him? So what if he was a Councilman with power in his grip?
Shen Lin, too, was walking alone in this world.
Shu Ci suddenly understood Lu Wanqing’s greeting outside the door just now. It wasn’t trying to be friendly, but rather seeing his precarious state.
“Brother-in-law.” He called out softly. “Go public. I support you unconditionally, consider it for Sister’s sake.”
He wasn’t the child raised by Shen Lin and Song Shiyu in their memories, but he was willing to accept this identity in front of Shen Lin.
Shen Lin’s eyes flickered. “Thank you.”
In a small dining room sat three souls who had tasted loneliness.
At this moment, even if no one spoke, they could all feel the silent comfort from one another.
Lu Wanqing looked at Shen Lin in the silence.
Whether it was the past pushed forward by the plot, or the present where everything had derailed, Shen Lin’s golden eyes had never changed from beginning to end.
It was familial love, the care of an elder, and the connection to the past found with great difficulty in this world—giving everything to make up for the debt he felt.
“Going public is fine, but you must protect him well.” Lu Wanqing waited for him to recover before stating his conditions.
“That goes without saying.” Shen Lin had no objections, his golden eyes sweeping over. “Why do you think that island operation company is so reliable?”
Shu Ci’s eyes widened. “That’s your company?”
Shen Lin clasped his hands and didn’t answer.
Lu Wanqing looked thoughtful. “No wonder I couldn’t find their background.”
Given that their handling of affairs was truly reassuring, Lu Wanqing had maintained relative trust when working with them, avoiding deep investigation that might expose himself.
“For a long time, I didn’t believe they had truly perished. Before accessing the Council system to check port entry and exit data, I could only rely on the operation company to understand maritime dynamics.”
A large part of the company’s funding came from the consolidation of Song Zhiyuan’s personal assets back then, the traces of which he had covered up using various methods.
Shen Lin paused. “But I didn’t expect you to actually… have so many islands.”
The corners of Shu Ci’s mouth hooked up. If he hadn’t recommended the company to himself, Shen Lin probably wouldn’t have discovered these assets of Lu Wanqing’s.
The smug smile looked like foolish happiness in Shen Lin’s eyes.
He frowned and said to Lu Wanqing, “It doesn’t matter if you hide things from others or from me, but you can’t hide things from Little Ci. A marriage with secrets won’t last long.”
Lu Wanqing’s gaze was on his phone. Hearing the last sentence, he paused, then turned the screen around and pushed it in front of Shen Lin.
“I’m giving you a big gift. Say that last sentence again.”
Shu Ci and Shen Lin looked down simultaneously.
“Recently, the Gu corporation has been turbulent, and the market has followed the wind. The N.O. Group has connected with Gu Yan’s capital chain overseas.
“Following this lead, I discovered that during the internal unrest in District 7 back then, Gu Yan’s hidden capital had deep cooperation with the neighboring country that was provoking at the border.”
Shu Ci: “Holy shit?!”
Shen Lin’s expression instantly became serious, holding his breath as he looked at him. “When did you find this out? Is the information reliable?”
“Just now.” Lu Wanqing took back his phone and reported it synchronously to the Marshal. “On top of murdering a Councilman, adding the crime of treason—is that enough?”
A chill glinted in Lu Wanqing’s crimson-blue eyes.
“More than enough.” Shen Lin grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, putting it on as he walked out. “Send it to my email.”
Lu Wanqing didn’t stop him, only saying, “That sentence. Say it again.”
Shen Lin paused in his steps, looking back helplessly. “I hope your marriage lasts a long, long time.”
This blessing pleased him greatly. Lu Wanqing nodded slightly, allowing Shen Lin to leave.
Shu Ci looked at his calm and composed appearance, speechless for a moment.
So many identities, so many clues—how long did he have to plan alone, how much effort did he have to expend, to advance the situation to where it was now?
Earlier, he had a moment of doubt, wondering if Lu Wanqing had compromised with the fate of the plot to treat him so restrainedly.
Now, he felt ashamed of that sliver of doubt.
This Alpha he liked was actually fighting against fate just like him—silently and firmly.
“Lu Wanqing, what’s the use of others saying ‘long, long time’?” Shu Ci hummed lightly, walking up to him.
Lu Wanqing was caught in a full embrace, stunned in place.
“It only counts if I say it lasts.”
Shu Ci tilted his head up, his slender neck forming a moving curve, leaning close to his ear, breath hot.
“Kiss me.”
Intense emotions surged in the azure pools of his eyes. Lu Wanqing lifted him straight up, effortlessly capturing the lips close at hand.
Lu Wanqing’s pheromones were released unscrupulously at this moment, embracing him along with his arms.
Shu Ci distractedly felt the energy fluctuations in the air.
Then he laughed, climbing onto his shoulders, his back slowly pressing against the wall, contentedly enjoying his kiss.
Lu Wanqing used his pheromones to replicate a room full of blossoming flowers. Petals drifted down, and vines entwined the two tightly.
Between breaths, Shu Ci raised an eyebrow provocatively. “Even romance was taught to you by me. Looking at it this way, I seem to be at a loss.”
Before his voice faded, it was all swallowed into a lingering kiss.
“…”
While the young couple was being clingy, Shen Lin’s team fell into unprecedented busyness.
With less than a week left until the final public speech and election confrontation, an emergency meeting dropped many bombshells—
The documentation and media teams were kept directly at the Shen residence after the meeting, forbidden from leaking any news in advance.
The think tank sorted out the chain of evidence while simulating possible countermeasures from Gu Yan’s team; at least fifty contingency plans were proposed.
“To minimize the negative impact of the trading market, Gu Yan didn’t hesitate to send his own nephew to prison. Recently, they’ve been building momentum for his ‘righteousness in sacrificing family for justice’ and decisive action. For this final round, we might as well let them make the first move.”
The location for Shen Lin’s public speech was chosen in front of City Hall.
Previously, he had been in high-traffic, eye-catching places like parks, schools, or business districts, dressed relatively young and approachable. This time, however, he changed into an extremely formal black shirt and suit.
Only his tie and pocket watch strap added a faint touch of brightness.
“No one in the comments is discussing why he dressed like this; they’re all just thirsting over his face.”
Shu Ci sank into the sofa, on a call with Lu Wanqing who was out on business, watching Shen Lin’s livestream and roasting, “This generation is hopeless.”
Shen Lin held the microphone, pulling it slightly closer. As the camera zoomed in, a faint red glinted in his golden pupils.
“In the previous times standing on stage, I talked to everyone about concepts, plans, and where our future should be. But today, I want to talk about myself first—why I am standing here.”
“Why am I standing in front of City Hall dressed like this? Because there was once someone very important to me whose story began here, and also ended because of this place.”
“We probably have to trace back seventeen or eighteen years. The new Chief Executive at the time—Mr. Gu Yan—rewrote that history, reshaping the social status and structure of ABO, so much so that I’m not sure how many people still remember the first Omega in history to run for Chief Executive.”
Shen Lin’s voice had a calming magic. Every cadence trained by his team paused at just the right point to attract people to keep listening.
He spoke of Song Zhiyuan, of his connection with the Shen parents, and of his little childhood sweetheart.
“Some say I’m pandering to the vast Omega demographic for votes. Others say I’m probably just all talk like my predecessors. To be honest, when I was very young, I thought the same.”
“Until I met her.”
“Why couldn’t an Omega sister, who was just as smart as me and could even solve math problems faster than me, go to school like I did?”
“Why did she have to live incognito just because she didn’t have Alpha parents? Why did Mr. Song have to conceal his marriage and children just to have the chance to stand on the same platform as other Alphas?”
“We are all children of parents, we are all human beings. Why must some people live lives from birth where they aren’t treated as human by Alphas?”
“Should this be considered a matter of course?”
The comments section went quiet for a moment under his questioning.
Shu Ci leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. His voice was faint as he spoke to Lu Wanqing, “In the book I read, no one ever raised such questions, not even Shen Lin.”
The crematorium arc and the deep masochistic romance strictly occurred under an unequal worldview. Alpha strength and Omega weakness were considered natural laws, never mixed with any subjective criticism.
“The reality of this world and the reality created by the book seem to be in a superimposed state.”
Following the plot, everyone would fall into unified values; but once broken away from the plot, people’s attitudes toward Omegas became strange and varied.
“With the plot present, everyone is a marionette of the author. Once the plot is off track, the puppets start to break free from their restraints.”
In the livestream, Shen Lin began to build momentum, using Song Shiyu to bring out the shipwreck accident. Lu Wanqing, however, had no mind to listen; his whole heart was on what Shu Ci had just said.
“If that’s the case, you were the first to break free from the strings.” Shu Ci massaged his temples. “Is there any way to cut all the strings?”
“…Hold on, the Marshal has a call coming in.”
Lu Wanqing took off one earphone and connected to the conference call with the other.
Over there, Shen Lin had already begun listing evidence to question Gu Yan, and the trending search topics instantly shot to the very top.
The two quietly listened to each other’s breathing.
After a while, Shu Ci heard Lu Wanqing’s voice: “Honeymoon application approved. I’m coming home to pick you up now.”
“…???”
No, our Brother-in-law is still valiantly fighting the enemy here, and you’ve already applied for marriage leave?
Author’s Note: Old Lu: Let’s go, time to cut the strings!
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