Chapter 104: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (104)
On the other end of the line, Shen Huayan had long anticipated Jiang Qingyan’s reaction. She intentionally slowed her speech.
“Yes, Tangtang is back. He’s sitting in the living room right now! You—”
Before she could finish, Jiang Qingyan abruptly hung up.
He turned, grabbed his coat from the sofa, and headed outside.
Fu Sizhao grabbed him.
“A-Yan, what’s going on?”
“Shen Huayan said Tangtang is back. I have to go back now.” Jiang Qingyan was so anxious he wished he could grow wings and fly back to the Jiang house immediately.
Fu Sizhao released Jiang Qingyan’s hand. Although his expression was full of disbelief, he didn’t even think before saying, “I’m going back with you.”
Lu Yanli bent down to pick up the cigarette from the floor and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
He grabbed his cane and quickly followed.
The trio’s sudden departure left the people remaining in the private booth looking at each other in confusion.
They didn’t know what major event had happened.
As Fu Sizhao walked out, he pulled out his phone to call his assistant.
His tone wasn’t as calm as one would imagine. He ordered the assistant to prepare the plane immediately, apply for priority flight clearance, and return to Beijing at top speed.
After hanging up, he glanced at Lu Yanli, who was following behind.
The man was practically flying.
He couldn’t help but mock him.
“Didn’t Brother Lu say his leg injury hadn’t healed and that it hurt whenever the weather changed? It looks like you could run a couple of laps.”
Lu Yanli: …
By the time the private jet landed at the Beijing airport, it was already past six in the evening.
Jiang Qingyan practically charged down the stairs as soon as the hatch opened, with Fu Sizhao close behind.
Lu Yanli, leaning on his cane, walked last. When he landed, his knee throbbed with a faint pain, but he only instinctively pressed his hand against the back of his knee, his footsteps never stopping.
His black overcoat cut a sharp arc through the night. In his usually cold eyes, there was now only an urgency that could not be hidden.
The car sped toward the Jiang family villa, and the interior of the vehicle was deathly silent.
The three men each had their own thoughts, and no one spoke.
For a time, the atmosphere in the car was quiet to the point of being eerie.
Only when the driver brought the car to a steady stop in front of the villa did the three men get out and hurry inside.
The butler heard the commotion in the garden and came out to meet them. Just as he was about to offer a greeting, Jiang Qingyan’s look pinned him to the spot, making him swallow his words.
Jiang Qingyan stepped forward quickly, gripping the foyer’s door handle so hard his fingertips turned white.
After taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
The warm light of the living room spilled out, but only Shen Huayan was there, sitting alone on the sofa, leisurely sipping tea.
The three men’s hearts, which had been hanging in suspense—
Stayed hanging.
When Shen Huayan saw Jiang Qingyan’s impatient appearance, a flash of calculation crossed her eyes.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
“The Young Master is back?”
Jiang Qingyan didn’t even change his shoes, entering the room and questioning her directly.
“Didn’t you say Shen Tangqing was back? Where is he?”
Fu Sizhao and Lu Yanli also followed into the living room. Two sharp gazes fell simultaneously on Shen Huayan, carrying silent pressure.
If Shen Huayan dared to say this news was fake, the three of them could probably kill her with their eyes alone.
“Tangtang went back to his room to rest after dinner. If the Young Master wants to see him, I’ll call him down…”
“No need, I’ll find him myself.” Jiang Qingyan interrupted her without a thought.
He had no desire to exchange pleasantries with her. As soon as he finished speaking, he headed straight upstairs.
Shen Huayan’s gaze fell on the backs of Fu Sizhao and Lu Yanli, her brow furrowing slightly.
Why had these two come along?
She hadn’t heard that Tangtang was on good terms with them.
Could they be here to watch the drama?
This thought flashed through her mind, making her feel even more that something was amiss.
…
The second-floor corridor was silent, with only the wall lamps casting a soft glow.
Jiang Qingyan stood before the familiar bedroom door, and his footsteps suddenly halted.
“A-Yan, if you don’t dare to ring the bell, let me…”
Fu Sizhao, standing behind him, couldn’t hold back and urged him in a low voice.
Even Lu Yanli, standing on the other side and radiating his usual “do not approach” aura, had a trace of urgency in his brow. The hand holding his cane tightened unconsciously.
Jiang Qingyan’s gaze fell heavily on the door before him, as if he wanted to see through it to the person inside.
“I’ll do it…”
He finished, finally reaching out to ring the doorbell.
The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent corridor.
Soon, the door slowly opened inward.
Shen Tangqing stood behind the door, wearing a loose white pajama set.
His dark hair fell casually over his shoulders and neck, with a few stray strands hanging over his forehead, partially obscuring his eyes.
He looked as if he had just woken up, the corners of his eyes tinged with a faint red.
When he saw Jiang Qingyan, he was first stunned, then smiled and greeted him.
“Brother Yan…”
When his gaze fell on Fu Sizhao and Lu Yanli behind Jiang Qingyan, Shen Tangqing was stunned again. He hadn’t expected them to come either.
His first reaction was the same as Shen Huayan’s:
They heard he rose from the dead and came to see the spectacle?
Coming to his senses, he smiled and greeted the two of them.
“Brother Fu, Brother Lu, long time no see.”
It was more than just a long time.
Lu Yanli stared blankly at Shen Tangqing. He didn’t even dare to blink, for fear that this was a hallucination he had conjured up.
Had the Bodhisattva shown mercy?
He couldn’t help but reach out and touch the Buddhist beads on his wrist, trying to calm himself.
Fu Sizhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Seeing Shen Tangqing standing so vividly before him, he felt a sudden mix of complex emotions.
As for Jiang Qingyan, the moment he saw Shen Tangqing, his entire body tensed. His eyes were even slightly red. The grief of the past year and the sudden, regained joy crashed wildly in his chest,
Almost making it impossible to suppress the urge to step forward and embrace Shen Tangqing. But he forced himself to hold back.
“You… didn’t die?”
His voice carried a tremor of disbelief.
“Oh, there was a bit of an accident, but I have a tough life…” Shen Tangqing finished and scratched his head. “Come into the room and let’s talk.”
The three followed Shen Tangqing into the room.
“I just woke up, it’s a bit messy, don’t mind it…”
Jiang Qingyan had ordered the servants to clean Shen Tangqing’s room every day.
The room’s layout had remained exactly as it was before he “left.”
Many times, Jiang Qingyan would sit quietly in the room alone, imagining that Shen Tangqing was still there, just away at school and hadn’t returned.
Right now, Shen Tangqing was sitting on the sofa, alive and well.
As he watched this scene, the redness in his eyes deepened.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, but many words felt impossible to say.
Instead, it was Fu Sizhao who spoke first as he looked at Shen Tangqing.
“Little Brother Shen, what’s this about? How did you suddenly… return?”
Lu Yanli sat on the edge of the sofa, his fingers still unconsciously rubbing the beads on his wrist.
His subtle gaze fell on Shen Tangqing, moving from the top of his head to the hem of his clothes, inch by inch, meticulously tracing Shen Tangqing’s appearance.
Finally, he confirmed that all of this was not an illusion.
He really was back.
No one knew that beneath his seemingly calm face, his heart was a raging sea.
He even thought to himself that he should go and kneel before the Bodhisattva again.
Shen Tangqing repeated the same “amnesia” excuse he had used on Shen Huayan.
For a moment, the room was silent.
The expressions on the three men’s faces were hard to describe.
This wasn’t some melodramatic TV drama; this loophole-filled explanation was honestly an insult to their intelligence.
But looking at Shen Tangqing’s face, the questioning words at the tips of their tongues were silently swallowed back.
If he didn’t want to say, so be it.
It wouldn’t take much effort to investigate.
Clearly, at this moment, the three men’s thought processes were remarkably consistent.
Fu Sizhao spoke up to change the subject.
“Has Little Brother Shen been doing well this past year?”
Shen Tangqing was silent for a moment before speaking with a smile.
“Quite well.”
The group chatted aimlessly for a while.
Seeing Shen Tangqing unconsciously yawn, with a faint watery sheen appearing in his eyes, Lu Yanli was the first to stand up, his voice softer than usual.
“It’s getting late. Little Brother Shen should rest early.”
Fu Sizhao glanced at him and stood up reluctantly.
A smile forced its way onto his face. “It isn’t early indeed. In a few days, I’ll treat Little Brother Shen to dinner to welcome you back.”
Before Shen Tangqing could speak, Jiang Qingyan cut in coldly. “You aren’t the one who needs to host a welcome dinner; I’ll be the one doing that.”
He paused for a second. “Alright, I won’t keep you two…”
Fu Sizhao: …
He really wasn’t giving him any chance to show off?
His gaze met Jiang Qingyan’s, and neither would back down.
Lu Yanli ignored the undercurrent between the two. His gaze fell longingly on Shen Tangqing,
Feeling as if his heart had been filled.
It was truly good that Shen Tangqing was okay…
Shen Tangqing didn’t notice the hidden agendas of the three. He stood up as well.
“Brother Fu, Brother Lu, I’ll see you out.”
Fu Sizhao withdrew his gaze and gave Shen Tangqing a bright smile. “Thank you, Little Brother Shen.”
Lu Yanli’s lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t speak.
He walked out with his cane.
Shen Tangqing looked at him with some confusion. “Brother Lu, what’s wrong with your leg?”
“Him? He went and played the devout believer, kneeling until he broke his leg. Now he’s left with a bit of a lingering injury…”
Fu Sizhao’s tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
He didn’t know that Lu Yanli had been praying for his connection with Shen Tangqing.
If he had known, he probably wouldn’t have said a word even if he were killed.
“Praying to the Buddha?”
Shen Tangqing was a bit surprised. With Lu Yanli’s cold and abstinent face, he didn’t look like someone who would believe in superstitions!
“Yeah, during the New Year, he ran off to some small county to pray. What was it called again…”
Fu Sizhao rubbed his chin, trying to recall the name of that small county.
…
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