Chapter 15: Big Brother Shen the “Male Mother”~
On this day, Shen Lin unexpectedly discovered that the food on the dining table was even more sumptuous than in previous days, and the atmosphere at home had changed from its usual relaxed state. Under Uncle Chen’s guidance, all the servants were in perfect order, arranging exquisite tableware, delicious roasted meats, fruit coated in frosting, and vases filled with brilliant, multicolored flowers. This dinner had been elevated to the highest specifications.
Judging by the display, it seemed they were welcoming someone important.
Just as the cub was feeling puzzled, a light, slow sound of footsteps rang out.
Click, click, click~
“Second Miss, welcome home.”
The servants’ expressions turned solemn as they bowed respectfully to the graceful figure walking toward them.
Shen Lin followed the sound and saw a very beautiful lady approaching. She wore a silver-white ceremonial robe with flowing cloud patterns embroidered onto the fabric, while dark-gold silk threads traced the shapes of stars. The robe was inlaid with crystal-clear black gemstones linked by silver chains, and the silver “Thorny Vine” badge of a Council member pinned to her chest shimmered with light.
Her long legs were enveloped within the robe, and her black high heels stepped steadily across the floor. Her jet-black, glossy hair fell over her shoulders in waves. Her lips, fixed in a constant smile, were painted with black lipstick, radiating the unique aura of a politician holding the reins of power.
“Second Sister.”
Shen Zejue was like an obedient puppy, quickly standing up from his seat to greet her.
“Sit down.”
Shen Zexi’s voice was gentle yet brooks no argument.
She tossed her removed coat to the attendant who had been following her. Her expensive, well-fitted vest cinched her slender waist, and her rolled-up sleeves revealed powerful, defined muscular lines. She was not a politician who lacked combat ability.
Having received Shen Zexi’s response, Shen Zejue sat back down in his seat obediently, even his flamboyant white hair lying perfectly flat. It was clear that the status of the Shen family’s Second Miss was extraordinary within the household.
Shen Lin watched as his nominal sister gradually approached him. Her tall stature and the aura of a superior exerted a certain pressure. He subconsciously backed away, bumping into his big brother’s firm, muscular chest.
Shen Zexi, who dealt with high-ranking nobles and officials year-round, had developed a keen “golden eye.” She sensitively perceived the youngest’s fear of her and came to a halt.
She raised her hand. An attendant following her respectfully placed an exquisitely wrapped gift tied with a bow into her palm before retreating silently.
“Open it and see if you like it?”
Shen Zexi leaned down slightly until her line of sight was level with the cub’s. She retracted her aura as much as possible and handed the exquisite gift box to him.
Shen Lin clenched his paws nervously. Almost instinctively, he turned his head to seek help from his “cheap” big brother.
The corner of Shen Zeyu’s mouth twitched upward. This was the first time his Little Four had asked him for help; how could he refuse? The large hand of an adult man, with veins bulging beneath the skin on the back of his hand, held a soft, pink, tender paw and guided it onto the gift box.
The gift opened automatically, revealing a string of pink gemstones connected together and carved with exquisite patterns. There were nine gemstones in total on the bracelet, each one dazzling and colorful. A single pink gemstone was worth the price of a large flat in the Prime Star city; if taken to an auction, the set could fetch an astronomical sum.
Unfortunately, the cub had no idea of the value of this gemstone bracelet. His gaze immediately stopped on the item lying on top.
Lying on the gemstone bracelet was a fingernail-sized chip—his personal terminal, which had his identity information recorded on it. A professional stepped forward to help the cub install the chip on the inner side of his arm. No skin needed to be cut; the chip simply had to touch his arm, and it automatically hid itself beneath the skin.
Ding!
A square blue screen appeared in mid-air with white text scrolling against the blue background. A mechanical female voice rang out.
[Name: Shen Lin.] [Race: Herbivorous Bear Species.] [Age: 0 Years, 08 Days (Newly Hatched).] [Bloodline Value: 0…]
He was also called Shen Lin in this world.
Shen Lin’s eyes flickered. Seemingly out of a cub’s natural instinct for curiosity toward new things, he turned his right paw over and over to inspect it. In reality, his emotions were surging because of a name.
“Shen Lin is the name Father gave you. Your nickname is Bingbing.”
Shen Zeyu rubbed his chin against the cub’s fuzzy head, his pleasant voice sounding like a cello being played.
“Bingbing, forgive Father for not being able to personally help you inject the chip; he also expressed deep regret. He just can’t spare the time right now, so I have to take his place.”
As her long, fair fingers flew with agility, she fastened the gemstone bracelet inlaid with pink diamonds onto the cub’s wrist. Shen Zexi nodded in satisfaction and explained the reason Marshal Shen couldn’t be present.
The Ghost Vine, which had been coiled around the cub’s wrist pretending to be a bracelet, sniffed the power of the top-tier energy stones. It popped out its tender leaf tips to encircle the pink diamond bracelet, merging with it. From a distance, they complemented each other without looking dull, radiating a restrained luxury.
Shen Lin finally moved his gaze from the chip to the pink gemstone bracelet. He turned his furry paw under the light; it was magnificent and eye-catching.
The three people at the table did not miss a single expression on the cub’s face when Father was mentioned. They truly couldn’t tell if the little cub simply didn’t understand the meaning of “Father” or if it was because of something else. The series of consoling words they had prepared in their minds got stuck in their throats, leaving them feeling stifled.
Shen Lin, of course, knew the meaning of “Father.” After all, he had called someone “Papa” for a year. It was just that he wished the person he called “Baba” was the Big Monster, not this person he had never met.
The atmosphere in the dining room suddenly went quiet. Even the thick-skinned Shen Zejue stopped eating.
“By the way, I have one more thing for Bingbing,” Shen Zexi said, taking the initiative to break the awkward silence.
A traditional piece of paper appeared in her palm, covered in text that Shen Lin couldn’t understand. Oh, even if the cub’s soul was three years old, he was still illiterate.
“Isn’t Planet P9-00579 in the hands of the Fifth Council Elder? I heard the price of the resources produced there is quite high. How could he be willing to let it go?” His cheap big brother’s voice, filled with doubt, came from above the cub’s head.
“Hmph. Compensation for Bingbing. It’s rich in the Pearl Bamboo that herbivorous bears love; I felt it was more suitable for Bingbing, so I demanded it. To be honest, I really loathe the Fifth Council Elder’s mercenary face.”
Shen Zexi sat in her seat, leaning forward with her hands formed into a steeple. Her narrow eyes occasionally flickered with vertical snake pupils. It was rare for her to express her hatred for someone to the big brother who had raised her.
Shen Zeyu didn’t show much surprise at the fact that his second sister could squeeze a small planet out of that “iron rooster.” It hadn’t even been five years since she joined the White Tower, yet her power was already on par with the Ninth Council Elder; she indeed had the qualifications to challenge the Fifth Council Elder. If it hadn’t been for her efforts, the Ninth Legion would have been picked clean by those wolves and jackals during the month since Father’s accident.
Once it was confirmed that the transfer certificate had no hidden troubles, Shen Zeyu handed the item to a servant to handle the transfer of ownership.
Shen Zejue found it hard to move his eyes away from the planetary transfer certificate. It was nothing else—just pure envy. Marshal Shen had risen from the bottom and lived a frugal life. Most of the resources and rewards he obtained on the battlefield were used to support the troops and feed back into Blue Star; almost nothing was left.
This mansion was built later after the Federation rewarded Marshal Shen; they hadn’t even lived here for three years. Then came the Zerg invasion and Marshal Shen’s severe injury. Since childhood, Big Brother Shen’s meals were handled either in the military or the academy canteen; his old man had never given him extra pocket money.
Later, when the second sister and third brother were born, Big Brother Shen took the initiative to assume the responsibility of caring for his siblings rather than leaving them to be raised “wild” by their father. Big Brother Shen’s military salary couldn’t support his siblings, so he went to the battlefield, barely managing to ensure their living materials weren’t too tight.
However, Big Brother Shen didn’t have the habit of spoiling children. He only ensured their materials were passable, preventing them from becoming like the “young lords” of typical noble families who got whatever they asked for. Shen Zejue was the third child and had it much better than Shen Zexi had back then. With his big brother and second sister occasionally topping up his “small vault,” he didn’t lack money—he just hadn’t experienced the thrill of owning the resources of an entire planet like his brother.
Shen Zejue’s envious gaze was too intense for Shen Lin to ignore. Of course, he was even more excited than his second brother. A whole planet! It wasn’t a stone or a piece of land, but an entire planet, given to him just like that?
Shen Lin felt that this light piece of paper weighed ten thousand pounds. He wanted to return it, but he didn’t know how to speak. The cub’s little face was currently scrunched up like a wrinkled bun. Even if his second sister had kept the compensation she demanded for herself, he wouldn’t have had any complaints; she had earned it through her own ability, and he couldn’t criticize anything.
Yet, she just casually gave it to him. Could such a generous second sister be a bad person? Since hatching in this world, his only favorable impressions were of Li Heng, who said he would raise him, and his second sister.
“Bingbing, your second sister will look after you for the next period of time.”
Shen Zeyu was in an ink-blue military uniform with a silver-white sash and a shimmering gold military emblem. His military boots were covered in rows of spikes that could easily pierce through bone. The carefully ironed fabric enveloped a pair of long, straight legs, making his body appear even more slender.
He squatted down to look at the cub, who was lying in the nest playing with his short, fat, round hind paws. Beneath the large brim of his hat, his deep, jet-black eyes flickered with a trace of tenderness for the brother who shared his blood.
Shen Lin removed the red plume from his face and rolled over to sit up on the energy stones that were continuously feeding him energy.
“Ying~”
The little cub froze. He still hadn’t gotten used to the fact that his body was a “Ying-Ying monster.” It always felt strange.
“Heh~”
Shen Zeyu laughed heartily and reached out to rub the cub’s round, soft belly. The touch of the pink fur on the belly was soft, unlike the coarse feeling of his original form, the Black Panther.
“I’ve instructed Uncle Chen. While I’m away, your diet will feature different flavors so you won’t get tired of it. Also, if you don’t want to stay in the nest, go for a walk in the small courtyard outside. But don’t run outside; be careful of interstellar traffickers kidnapping you…”
Big Brother Shen gave detailed instructions like a nagging mother, even though he was facing a cub who couldn’t communicate normally yet. Combined with his meticulous care for the cub over the past few days, it was certain that Big Brother Shen was a typical “Male Mother.”
Recommended Reads
