Chapter 156
Shen Shuyu left the operating room with the bottle. Yue Cheng and Lin Xuyi stayed behind to treat Shen Xili’s wound. From here on, things would be much easier.
The three of them returned to Yue Cheng’s office, placing the glass bottle containing the mother and child bugs on the coffee table. Shen Shuyu leaned in for a closer look and remarked, “The blood is gone.”
When Yue Cheng had dropped the child bug in earlier, there was still some of Shen Xili’s blood on it. But now, the bottom of the bottle was perfectly clean, as if the two bugs had split the “meal” between them.
Shen Yisi also looked at the bugs at the bottom of the bottle. After a moment, he pinched the back of Shen Shuyu’s neck to pull him away from the bottle. “This thing is too sinister. Watch from a distance.”
Wen Jiafei nodded in agreement. “Now we just have to see what Shen Xili’s condition is like when he wakes up.”
Another ringtone sounded. Shen Yisi answered. “Speak.”
He listened to whatever was said on the other side, his expression gradually darkening. “Understood.”
Shen Shuyu asked, “Brother, did something happen?”
Shen Yisi replied, “The guards said the person they caught was rescued.”
Wen Jiafei and Shen Shuyu exchanged a look, both instinctively frowning. Soon, Shen Yisi’s terminal rang again.
This time it was the team sent to protect Wen Yue. Shen Yisi hung up and looked at Wen Jiafei. “Your mother has returned home. She’s safe, don’t worry.”
“Thank you, President Shen.” Wen Jiafei took a deep breath.
Shen Yisi, however, said, “No need for thanks. You’ve been a huge help to us this time. I can’t let you come away empty-handed.”
Shen Yisi took a card out of his pocket. “I’m not sure how else to thank you. There’s some money in this card—not much, but I hope you’ll accept it.”
Shen Yisi placed the card in front of Wen Jiafei. Shen Shuyu felt it was a bit strange but couldn’t quite put his finger on why. He opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Yisi shot him a glance, and he helplessly made a “zip it” gesture.
Wen Jiafei’s gaze fell on the card. After only a few seconds, he pushed the card back.
Shen Yisi arched an eyebrow. “Is it not enough?”
Just as he made a move to take out another card, Wen Jiafei spoke up. “President Shen, I appreciate the sentiment, but there is no need for payment.”
He glanced at Shen Shuyu. “Besides, if anyone truly needs to thank me, it’s Shen Xili.”
Shen Yisi let out a light chuckle. “It seems you don’t know yet.”
Wen Jiafei was confused. “Know what?”
Shen Shuyu interrupted Shen Yisi. “It’s nothing. Brother, stop talking.”
Wen Jiafei’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly as he stared directly at Shen Shuyu, seemingly trying to glean some information from his face.
However, noticing his gaze, Shen Shuyu simply smiled at him and immediately changed the subject. “Oh, look! The two bugs are fighting!”
Shen Yisi immediately looked over. Sure enough, at the bottom of the bottle, the mother bug looked incredibly fierce as it firmly pinned down the child bug taken from Shen Xili’s body.
Shen Shuyu got up from the sofa and sat cross-legged on the floor next to the coffee table. “Is it eating the other one?”
Shen Yisi said helplessly, “Didn’t I just tell you? Have you forgotten already?”
He reached out to pull Shen Shuyu back up, but Shen Shuyu waved him off. “I can see better this way. It’s fine.”
Wen Jiafei’s attention, however, remained on the two Shen brothers. It seemed that ever since Shen Shuyu’s collapse, the relationship between Shen Xili and Shen Shuyu had become somewhat subtle. That day, the two of them seemed to be hiding something, but after Shen Shuyu left Shen Xili’s house that night, they appeared to have become closer.
He had felt before that Shen Xili always had a different kind of feeling toward Shen Shuyu. It was mild at first, but since the Survival Training, that feeling had become much stronger.
The same went for Shen Shuyu. At the beginning, he seemed to dislike Shen Xili quite a bit, but later, one could sense a change in his emotions toward him.
Coupled with the fact that Shen Shuyu had spared no effort in helping Shen Xili these past two days, and considering Shen Yisi’s words… could it be that the two of them…?
Wen Jiafei snapped back to reality just as he met Shen Shuyu’s gaze.
Shen Shuyu asked curiously, “Wen Jiafei, what are you thinking about?”
Shen Yisi also looked at him.
Wen Jiafei shook his head. “Nothing.”
Shen Shuyu gave an “oh” and continued watching the two bugs in the bottle. He shook his head and couldn’t help saying, “I guess I really shouldn’t stare for too long. My head is getting a bit dizzy.”
He rubbed his eyes but still couldn’t resist watching.
The mother and child bugs were fighting fiercely at the bottom of the bottle. Just a moment ago, it looked like the mother bug was starting to eat the child bug, but unexpectedly, the child bug’s survival instinct was incredibly strong, and it had managed to flip the situation and pin the mother bug down instead.
Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but think that these bugs were indeed mysterious. In the dream, before Shen Xili had this bug planted, he had been subjected to countless other bugs. Although all of them had failed, the torment they brought had a permanent impact.
Shen Shuyu used his peripheral vision to glance at Shen Yisi sitting behind him. The reason Shen Xili was unwilling to return to the Shen family likely had everything to do with these bugs. Now that the bug issue was resolved, he had no reason left not to return.
And looking at Shen Yisi’s attitude just now, the Shen family still hoped Shen Xili would come home soon.
After all, he was their own flesh and blood.
Shen Shuyu was actually quite happy. Shen Xili had been wandering for years and had encountered a perverted interstellar pirate organization like Zhong. If he returned to the Shen family and gained their protection—and since there was absolutely no possibility between him and Chi Yanxun anymore—his wish to become a Great General was only a matter of time.
Thinking of Shen Xili, he naturally thought of Wen Jiafei. Wen Yue was now fully recovered. Although he didn’t know what Wen Jiafei’s dream was, there was no longer any possibility of him “blackening.”
Perhaps the moment Shen Xili returned to the Shen family would be the moment he cleared his mission in this world.
Shen Shuyu didn’t know whether to feel happy or melancholy. After all, he didn’t even know if his mission completion status would count after finishing plotlines outside the original script.
“Xiao Yu? Xiao Yu?”
“Shen Shuyu!”
Shen Shuyu snapped out of it. He looked confusedly at the two people beside him. “Huh? What is it?”
Shen Yisi said, “I called you several times and you didn’t answer. Are you okay?”
Wen Jiafei also added, “Stop looking at it.”
Shen Shuyu let out an “ah” and quickly waved his hands. “I’m fine, I was just thinking about things.”
He got up from the floor and sat back down next to Shen Yisi.
The office door was pushed open, and Yue Cheng and Lin Xuyi walked in.
Shen Shuyu stood up and asked, “Is Shen Xili okay?”
Yue Cheng took off his mask. “He’s fine. I sent him to a ward to rest. He can go home after he wakes up and completes a physical exam.”
Lin Xuyi nodded as well. He walked over to the sofa and couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he sat down. “That gave me a fright. Shen Xili is way too strong. As expected of a reserve soldier—to not make a single sound under that much pain and hold out until we pulled the bug out before fainting… that’s incredible.”
Yue Cheng took a bottle of mineral water from the office’s small fridge, handed one to Lin Xuyi, and sat down himself. After gulping down a whole bottle, he nodded in agreement. “That kind of endurance isn’t something an average person can achieve. He’s got the makings of a Great General.”
Yue Cheng looked at Shen Yisi and patted his shoulder. “Congratulations.”
He said it very softly. Since Lin Xuyi and Shen Shuyu were talking, they didn’t hear it.
Wen Jiafei, however, did.
Congratulations.
It seemed his guess was close to the truth.
Wen Jiafei stood up. The other four people all looked at him. Wen Jiafei said, “Since everything is fine, I’ll head out first.”
Lin Xuyi looked at him. “Leaving so soon? Stay a bit longer, we can leave together.”
Wen Jiafei shook his head. “No, I’ll be going now.”
Shen Shuyu had wanted to wait until the bugs finished their fight and then have the driver take Wen Jiafei home, but on second thought, Wen Jiafei was probably worried about Wen Yue being home alone. Since Zhong had escaped, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t go after her.
He nodded. “Alright. I’ll have my brother’s driver take you—”
“No need.” Wen Jiafei picked up his clothes and left.
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