Chapter 36: Red Hair is His Life’s Enemy (First Update)
On this day, the shop owners at the Gourmet Center Plaza discovered a way to make a fortune.
As long as you see two teenage boys—one silver-haired and one red-haired—passing by carrying an adorable cub, don’t hesitate. Immediately step forward and introduce your business, and I guarantee you’ll reach your full day’s sales target.
The owners were lamenting: Which family’s young masters have come out to experience life, throwing Star Coins around as if they don’t cost anything?
Shen Zejue’s “little vault” was already empty. For this outing, he had specially asked his second sister for a sum of money. He had planned to spend his weekend properly accompanying the little cub out to play, but he hadn’t expected to encounter his arch-rival halfway.
It was one thing to bicker with him normally, but the other party even wanted to “rob” his brother.
How could Shen Zejue let him have his way? He gritted his teeth and went for it.
He wanted to compete with Tarriel in financial strength, but unfortunately, his strength didn’t allow it. They were only halfway through the Gourmet Plaza when his wallet was empty; not even a single Star Coin could be shaken out.
He couldn’t smile anymore.
However, smiles do not easily disappear; they only transfer to another person’s face.
Tarriel revealed a winning smile.
The Star Brain on his wrist inadvertently swayed in front of Shen Zejue, and the light screen popped up an account balance with many zeros.
Shen Zejue: “…”
F**, he lost.*
Perhaps because he was over-stimulated this time, besides his compulsory courses, Shen Zejue also applied for the economics department.
For a period of time after that, whenever Shen Zejue took the cub out, Tarriel would pop out from a corner.
Shen Zejue found him incredibly eyesore and would fight with Tarriel at school at the slightest provocation.
The subordinates followed the example of their superiors.
The two fought until they were incompatible as fire and water, and their “little brothers” also grew red-eyed with anger.
They looked at each other with disdain, and the slightest spark would lead to a fight with eyes closed.
The standoff on both sides grew more and more intense. The teachers attempted to mediate many times without success and even called the parents twice.
On Shen Zejue’s side, it was always his second sister who came, while on Tarriel’s side, it was the butler.
Councilor Shen’s aura was too strong; the teacher only said a few words, giving a subtle reminder to have Shen Zejue restrain himself a bit so as not to affect other students.
Shen Zexi nodded and called Shen Zejue to go home.
She wouldn’t scold Shen Number Three in front of outsiders but would slowly deal with him at home.
Shen Zejue followed his second sister onto the aircraft.
Through the window, he could see Tarriel with a stiff face. The butler behind him was a Pelican—his mouth was wide, and he jogged to keep up with Tarriel’s pace, saying something.
Shen Zejue’s mind drifted as he thought: With a mouth that big, he’d be full just from eating the wind.
Tarriel only kept rushing forward. When he reached the aircraft, before he could get on, a person came out from inside.
Without a word, that person slapped Tarriel across the face.
That sound—even Shen Zejue inside the aircraft could hear it.
“What are you doing!”
Shen Zejue pushed open the door of the aircraft and strode over.
Before Second Sister Shen could notice, her Number Three had already blocked the way between the father and son.
Shen Zexi: “…”
I should have put him on a dog leash.
Upon closer inspection, half of Tarriel’s face was swollen, and the corner of his mouth was split—he looked even worse than when he fought with him.
Shen Zejue frowned.
He didn’t want to get involved in other people’s family matters.
But Tarriel’s father—every time he was called as a parent, regardless of right or wrong, he would first give a slap.
Shen Zejue had seen it many times. Every time, Tarriel was like a fool, standing there straight to be hit.
Shen Zejue was angry at his lack of spirit.
“Where did the momentum you had when fighting me go?”
Tarriel hung his head and said stiffly, “None of your f***ing business.”
“Student Shen, you don’t need to trouble yourself with our family matters.”
Tarriel’s father, Ta Liyao, gave a subtle look toward Shen Zexi’s direction. Unfortunately, the aircraft window wasn’t open, and he couldn’t see Shen Zexi’s expression.
He could only offer a distant smile to Shen Zejue.
Shen Zejue didn’t look at Ta Liyao. He only stared at Tarriel for a moment before turning and leaving.
If it weren’t for the fact that he spent so much money on the little chubby cub, he wouldn’t have bothered.
The brief interaction was like a small interlude and didn’t ease the relationship between the two.
Shen Zejue and Tarriel continued to fight as they pleased.
However, when parents were called again, Tarriel’s father didn’t appear.
Perhaps it was because he was caught hitting his son by Shen Zexi that day, tearing away his facade of being gentle to others, that he simply couldn’t be bothered to pretend to be a kind father anymore and stopped coming.
When Tarriel came to class the next day, the injuries on his face were even more numerous.
Shen Zejue obtained information about Tarriel’s family through his second sister’s secretary.
Tarriel’s father had now latched onto the line of the youngest son of the Fifth Council Elder, and his status was skyrocketing.
With status and power, he began to suppress the father-in-law who had once helped him—that is, Tarriel’s maternal grandfather’s clan.
No wonder he stopped pretending; it turned out he had already laid his cards on the table before his father-in-law.
The Red Squirrel clan possessed a clever business mind. Tarriel’s grandfather had built a sizeable commercial empire relying on his smart head.
Tarriel’s grandfather had only one child, Tarriel’s mother, and doted on her.
Tarriel’s mother had lived in a “honey pot” since childhood and was raised to be somewhat innocent and romantic. After being coaxed by Ta Liyao—who was still a poor boy back then—with flowery words, she insisted on marrying him.
Tarriel’s grandfather tried to dissuade her again and again, but his daughter actually used her life to threaten him, so he had no choice but to agree.
It was one thing to be a “soft-rice eater,” but Ta Liyao was insatiable.
He incited Tarriel’s mother to ask her own father for resources and connections.
Using the grandfather’s connections and resources, he built his own business.
With strength and status, the fox’s tail could no longer be hidden.
His first love arrived at the door with a child a year older than Tarriel to claim their kinship.
Tarriel’s mother suffered a massive hemorrhage from the shock and gave birth to Tarriel with great difficulty.
Not long after, Tarriel’s mother’s mental state had problems, leading to frequent outbreaks of bloodline berserkization syndrome; she now resided in a treatment center.
Shen Zejue found it hard to judge.
Looking at it this way, Father Shen—who was entirely focused on his career, didn’t marry, and used technology to extract sperm to produce children—still had a bit of conscience left and hadn’t ruined a girl from a good family?
Ennn…
It seemed a bit overboard to talk about his own dad like that.
Shen Zejue shook his head, throwing the jumbled thoughts out of his brain.
In short, that guy Tarriel—besides being rich—was a poor little thing whose father didn’t love him and whose mother was sick.
Why did the second sister’s secretary know so much? Naturally, it was because the Fifth Council Elder was the second sister’s political enemy.
The secretary had detailed records of everything that happened around the Fifth Council Elder.
Of course, the secretary must have held more precise secrets that weren’t shared.
Shen Zejue only asked about matters regarding Tarriel and didn’t ask about anything else.
Shen Zejue originally didn’t want to know, and even less did he want to understand Tarriel’s past.
But Tarriel was like he was sick—he only found him eyesore.
Shen Zejue was once truly annoyed, so he looked into Tarriel’s past.
Unexpectedly, the further he dug, the more Shen Zejue couldn’t bear to continue digging.
Tarriel was truly miserable.
Should he let him win a bit when they fought in the future?
Unfortunately, as soon as his thought popped up, the other party walked over with an arrogant stride.
“Today I’ve booked the entire Holographic Amusement City. Does Bingbing want to go play?”
Shen Zejue: “…”
He felt it was better to hit him a few more times, lest he himself turned sour as a lemon.
Shen Lin had been having so much fun lately that he had somewhat forgotten about home. Several times when Second Sister Shen came home from work, she didn’t see him in the cub’s exclusive seat.
Shen Zexi frowned and asked her private secretary, “What has Bingbing been doing lately?”
The private secretary thought for a moment and said, “Probably out playing with the Second Young Master.”
Shen Zexi unbuttoned her coat, sat in her office chair, picked up a cup of hot tea, and took a sip. “No matter how much he plays, he can’t skip meals. The food outside is never as healthy as the food at home. Have Uncle Chen stop them a bit when they get back, lest he eats something bad and he’s the one who suffers.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The secretary took the order and left.
After finishing the remaining tea in her cup, Shen Zexi rubbed her brow and began working.
Shen Lin switched to his red panda form. As a whole bear, he held onto Shen Zejue’s head, his pink-furred big tail swaying behind him. His mouth was full of food, and he chewed seriously…
Both brothers had their right cheeks bulging as they chewed their food, strolling home at a leisurely pace.
As soon as they got home, they were stopped by Uncle Chen.
“Third Young Master, the Second Miss just sent word that the Young Master must return home to eat at the scheduled time every day.”
The food in their mouths instantly lost its flavor.
Especially the cub—he had just tasted the delicacies outside and experienced play projects he’d never had before. He woke up early every day, expecting Shen Number Three to take him out to play.
Now that a curfew had been set, the whole cub was not doing well.
“Second Sister, how can she do this! This is exploitation! This is a restriction on our personal freedom! I want to rebel!”
Uncle Chen reminded him faintly: “The Second Miss also said that if the Second Young Master doesn’t comply, his pocket money for next month will be docked.”
“Ah!”
Shen Zejue had his lifeblood seized and immediately couldn’t stay strong.
The two brothers showed the same “as if their parents had died” expression.
Uncle Chen struggled to suppress the upward curve of his lips, leisurely walking behind the two with his hands behind his back.
Shen Lin and Shen Zejue went their separate ways outside the small castle.
It should be that Shen Lin made the decision unilaterally.
Shen Zejue was reluctant to put down the cub and even hoisted the cub’s small body up, saying pitifully, “Bingbing, you heartless cub—using me and then tossing me away? You really treat your brother as a tool?”
Shen Lin kicked his little legs, wanting to get down but unable to find a foothold, so he could only grab Shen Zejue’s hair.
“Ow, it hurts… Fine, fine, fine, I’ll put you down now, okay? Bing, let go first, alright? Third Brother is about to be plucked bald by you!”
Shen Lin let go of his paws, with several white hairs caught in the gaps of his pink-furred paws.
The cub immediately put his paws behind his back, looking guilty.
Shen Zejue hadn’t yet discovered that a small tuft of hair was missing from the top of his head.
He squatted down and pinched the cub’s pert nose.
“San-gege wanted to walk you back to the castle—you won’t even fulfill this tiny wish? You really are a heartless cub!”
Shen Lin blinked innocently, with an expression of “I don’t understand” what you’re saying.
Shen Zejue folded his arms, pretending to let out a cold snort. “Fine, since you’re so cold and heartless, I won’t take you to any more fun places in the future.”
Shen Lin gave him a sidelong glance and swiped his finger across his Star Brain.
A channel call popped up on the light screen, and the other party answered immediately.
“Bingbing, what’s wrong?”
The crew-cut, red-haired youth asked.
The cub said in a milky voice, “Play~”
Tarriel understood immediately. “Where do you want to go play tomorrow? My grandfather just gave me a castle on Gulf Island; why don’t we go there to see the sea tomorrow? I heard the sea beast meat on Gulf Island tastes pretty good…”
Tarriel rambled on.
The cub had a brief conversation with Tarriel and then hung up. He boastfully flicked the Star Brain light screen toward Shen Zejue, his gaze being very easy to understand: If you don’t take me, there are plenty of people who will.
Shen Zejue’s face turned from red to black, and then from black to green, almost becoming a palette.
As expected, Red Hair is his life’s enemy!
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