Chapter 181
When Shen Shuyu woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the following day. He opened his eyes to see his familiar ceiling. Beside him, machines were beeping. He turned his head slightly and first saw someone sitting on the sofa reading a book.
“Shen Xili?”
Shen Shuyu called out. His voice was very faint, but the person on the sofa heard him. He looked up, saw Shen Shuyu watching him, and quickly put down the book to walk over to the bedside. Kneeling slightly, he asked, “Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”
Shen Shuyu shook his head. “I’m fine. What time is it?”
Shen Xili said, “A bit past three. Are you hungry? I’ll have someone bring your meal over.”
Being told this, Shen Shuyu did feel a bit hungry. He nodded. “Sorry for the trouble.”
Shen Xili shook his head, pressed the call button and said a few words, then added, “Let me raise the bed for you.”
Shen Shuyu said, “Thank you.”
Shen Xili adjusted the bed for him. Once the bed was set, the food was delivered. It was light but looked good, and it happened to be things he liked.
Shen Shuyu took a few sips of soup. After his stomach felt better, he began to eat. Shen Xili pulled a chair over and sat by his side, quietly watching him eat.
Once Shen Shuyu had filled his stomach a bit, he turned to Shen Xili and asked, “Don’t you have classes?”
He wasn’t worried about himself; leave had certainly been requested. But for Shen Xili, a military candidate, to take leave every day probably wasn’t good.
Shen Xili said, “You’re in this state, and you’re still worried about me?”
He then added, “I know what I’m doing.”
Fine then. Shen Shuyu lowered his head to finish his meal. Afterward, he felt he had some strength. He rolled up his sleeve and saw that the wound cut by Black Robe had already been bandaged.
But Black Robe…
Shen Shuyu took a deep breath. The scene of him stabbing Black Robe in the chest was still in his mind.
Now that he was warm, his brain was active. He couldn’t help but think that his strike, at most, should have cut the man’s arm. There was no way it should have entered his chest. Moreover, at the end, Black Robe had proactively moved toward him, driving the knife deeper, as if… he had intentionally run into the blade.
[Master, your feeling isn’t wrong. He did purposefully run into your knife.] The System suddenly popped up.
Shen Shuyu glanced at the door. Shen Xili had taken the empty bowl out and hadn’t returned yet. He took the chance to ask: [Let me see that segment from last night.]
[No need to look,] the System said. [Black Robe isn’t dead.]
Not dead?
Shen Shuyu was a bit dazed. The System explained: [After that happened yesterday, I kept tracking him. But I knew my energy was limited, so I asked the Mainframe for help. While you were asleep, the Mainframe sent the video to me. After Black Robe fell into the water, he actually hid in his spatial vortex. Do you want to see?]
Shen Shuyu was about to say yes, but then he changed his mind: [Forget it.]
Though he didn’t know why the man had suddenly done that, it was good that he wasn’t dead.
[But why did I suddenly faint yesterday?] Shen Shuyu didn’t think he was someone whose emotions fluctuated that wildly. The impact at the time was strong, but not enough to make him faint, right?
[When Black Robe cut your arm, he put a bit of their unique sleeping drug in it. This drug is colorless and odorless, and it dissolves upon contact with liquid. So you didn’t faint; you fell into a deep sleep. But don’t worry, Master, it has already been metabolized.]
Shen Shuyu let out an “oh.” Just then, Shen Xili walked in.
He sat on the edge of the hospital bed, looking at Shen Shuyu’s pale face, and said seriously, “I’m sorry. I dragged you into this.”
Shen Shuyu shook his head. “No need to apologize to me.”
“But I still want to ask: why?” Shen Xili’s gaze was fixed on Shen Shuyu’s face, not missing any subtle expression.
But Shen Shuyu remained calm. He said, “There aren’t that many ‘whys.’ Didn’t we say we’re friends?”
“Can friends do this much?” Shen Xili pressed. “This probably exceeds the scope of friendship, doesn’t it?”
Shen Shuyu took a deep breath. “I said before, I wanted to make up for these twenty years—”
“And I also said, I don’t need any compensation,” Shen Xili interrupted. “Shen Shuyu, do you really… not like me?”
In the end, it came back to this topic.
Shen Shuyu thought seriously. From Shen Xili’s perspective, it was indeed hard to argue that this was pure friendship.
Shen Xili grabbed the hand Shuyu had placed on the blanket. “Shen Shuyu, is it because you feel I’m the Shen family’s son that the status makes it hard to accept? But I said from the start, I won’t acknowledge them. In the eyes of outsiders, you are still the Shen family’s most pampered young master.”
Shen Shuyu looked down at the hand Shen Xili was holding. After a moment of silence, he pulled his hand out and said gently, “Shen Xili, I truly only see you as a friend.”
Setting aside the initial mission, back then he and Shen Xili had a somewhat antagonistic relationship. But later, as the plot deviated and new missions were unlocked, he, Shen Xili, and Wen Jiafei had somehow reached a point where they could sit down for hotpot or attend classes together in peace.
He actually found it hard to distinguish some of his feelings for Shen Xili. After all, he was an outsider. Although he had forgotten for most of the time that the world he was in was a novel, he was still very clear on the difference between friendship and love.
Shen Xili looked at his empty hand and lowered his head slightly. However, he soon looked up again with a gentle smile. “Okay.”
Shen Shuyu pursed his lips. “Shen Xili, I think you should have a broader sky to fly in, rather than being tied down by romance.”
Whether it was the original plot of the novel or the current path, Shen Xili becoming a General would be the only way to not waste all the hardships he had endured.
Moreover, he truly wanted to see Shen Xili become a General. Sincerely.
Shen Xili gave a bitter smile. “I’m leaving soon.”
“What?” Shen Shuyu hadn’t even processed the previous topic when he heard this. His brain couldn’t keep up. “Where are you going? Do you know how dangerous it is for you right now? Those people are all looking for you.”
“It’s precisely because they are looking for me that I have to leave,” Shen Xili comforted him. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to wander. I promised Shen—”
He paused. “I promised Brother Yisi.”
Shen Shuyu watched him as Shen Xili continued, “I plan to join the military. Brother Yisi said that if I want to have the ability to protect the people I want to protect, I should go to the most rigorous places to challenge myself.”
Shen Shuyu nodded. “That’s good. It’s a step closer to your dream. But do Mom and Dad know about this?”
“They do,” Shen Xili said. “We’ve already talked it over, but I won’t tell you the specifics.”
He reached out and stroked Shen Shuyu’s hair. “I’m really sorry about this time. I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”
“It’s not like you won’t come back just because you joined the military,” Shen Shuyu said. “When do you plan to set off?”
“Next Monday. Brother Yisi has an old acquaintance in the military. He contacted them, and they happen to be coming back next Monday. I’ll leave with them then.”
“That’s quite soon,” Shen Shuyu murmured.
Shen Xili hummed. “Yeah, very soon. Before I leave, Uncle and Aunt asked me to stay at home, and I agreed.”
Shen Shuyu’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Shen Xili nodded. “I’m used to being alone, but after I leave, please help me take good care of them.”
Shen Shuyu gave a military salute. “Mission guaranteed!”
Both of them laughed.
