Brother, isn't it good that you like me?

There was no live stream at the villa today; everyone had an early holiday, but one person remained in the villa as usual.

However, this time it wasn't Shen Yan who stayed, but Lin Jianshen.

Lin Jianshen's circular statement has been written and sent out.

Just as Wu Juben had guessed, no matter how sincere and heartfelt the text was, Lin Jianshen was ridiculed for a long time for his sudden departure from the entertainment industry and then his sudden return.

Fortunately, the mockery only accounted for two-tenths of the response; the remaining eight-tenths were warm and forgiving voices.

But Lin Jianshen's return to the villa was unrelated to this matter. He came back because he was worried about being retaliated against by Lu Yufeng. After all, today's incident had become too big and ugly, and that person was of high status and power, possessing all of his address information.

Living in a villa with the Wu family's house behind him, Lu Yufeng had many things to consider.

Wu Juben readily agreed to Lin Jianshen's request to stay at his place.

However, when Lin Jianshen returned, he happened to run into Shen Yan, who was on his way home.

The two exchanged a brief nod and greeting before passing each other.

After Shen Yan left, Lin Jianshen watched the departing figure, then suddenly covered his mouth and whimpered, "Eek~"

Wu Juben glanced at him: "What's wrong?"

"That little wooden carving in his hand—it's the one Chi Yu carved last night!!"

Wu Juben didn't understand: "So?"

"Ahhh, I'm dying of love!!!" Lin Jianshen covered his mouth and screamed softly, then ran back to the third floor.

Wu Juben stood alone in the living room, looking completely bewildered: "...Is it good?"

Why was it that when he saw the gift, all he could think was, "How interesting"?

"That's funny, your brother Xiaochi is such a blockhead, here's a blockhead for you."

Shen Yan was still figuring out how to keep that "ring" on him when he heard this, and casually replied, "So what?"

"It's nothing," Wu Juben shook his head, "I just want to know, what if this wood never sprouts or branches?"

What if Chi Yu remains oblivious and fails to understand your feelings?

"So what?" Shen Yan asked again.

He produced a small silver chain from somewhere, strung the little crown together, put it around his neck, glanced down at it, and with a satisfied smile, replied:

"If this wood never branches or sprouts."

"Then I will have a spring that lasts longer than anyone else's."

"Buzz." Wu Juben's phone suddenly vibrated. He snapped out of his reverie, opened his phone, and saw—

[Ding dong, your follower @^^ has posted a Weibo.]

【^^】: Someone gave it to me as a gift, I like it~ [Image]

Wu Juben: "

The picture, the text.

Are you trying to make sure everyone knows this is Shen Yan's alternate account?!

It's only because you're so obscure, otherwise your fans would dig you out in no time!

……

Jiang Ziyi and Chi Yu returned home at noon.

Jiang Ziyi, who had a rare half-day off, didn't go straight to dance practice. Instead, she spent the whole day playing video games at home with her brother.

One brother was nestled in a plush toy on the sofa, while the other sat on the carpet, holding a game controller and intently staring at the screen.

On the screen are two rabbit-like figures, one pink and one yellow. You need to control these two rabbit-like figures to find a radish, and then carry the radish while avoiding the spikes to reach the finish line.

At first, Chi Yu thought the game was fun, and when her younger brother made a mistake, she was able to calmly comfort him by saying, "It's okay," and "Let's try again."

She would occasionally be amused by her younger brother.

As he continued to make mistakes, Chi Yu gradually fell silent.

Finally, Chi Yu looked at the word "failure" on the screen once again, put down the game controller, and said, "Jiang Ziyi."

Jiang Zi straightened her back instantly and cautiously looked at her brother.

"My dear Marseille brother, Watashi didn't mean it..."

Chi Yu: "..."

Chi Yu turned her face away, amused by his mixed Chinese and Japanese language system.

Seeing this, Jiang Ziyi quickly said, "Brother, let's change the game. I saw them say that 'Mischievous Kitchen' is also fun. Let's play that."

This sounds like a simple and therapeutic little game.

Jiang Ziyi didn't believe it. The two of them had already blown up a kitchen in real life, so how could they continue to do so in a game?

"Call on!"

Ten minutes later, Jiang Ziyi stared blankly at the screen filled with images of burning pots.

"There must be something wrong with this game!" Jiang Ziyi immediately concluded. "So many people are getting really frustrated with this game, it can't be our problem."

He decisively quit the game, opened SpongeBob SquarePants, turned to Chi Yu with a grin, and said, "Brother, let's watch cartoons together."

There shouldn't be any problems with the animation.

Chi Yu responded with a sound of agreement, curled up in the plush toy on the sofa, and nodded.

He didn't have any particular hobbies; games, reading, and wood carving were just ways for him to pass the time.

Chi Yu felt sleepy after watching for a while, probably because he had gone to bed late the night before. He adjusted his posture, nestled into the doll, and soon closed his eyes.

Jiang Ziyi originally wanted to chat with her brother, but when she turned around, she saw that he was already sleeping peacefully.

He immediately picked up the remote control, turned down the TV volume, got up, grabbed a blanket, and gently covered his brother with it.

Meanwhile, he turned around, picked up his phone, and secretly searched for walkthrough tips for Overcooked and Rabbids.

Top students all secretly take the exams.

Next time he goes online to play the game, he's determined to impress his brother!

……

Meanwhile, Shen Yan took his second uncle home.

This was his first time home since returning to China. To be honest, he wasn't very confident—he was afraid his father wouldn't like him and would send him back abroad again.

His de facto coming out as gay in the entertainment industry couldn't be kept from his parents after all. His mother called him home, looked at him for a long time without saying a word, her eyes filled with a complex mix of unspoken thoughts.

The father, on the other hand, really got furious.

Shen Yan's pursuit of music was already a departure from the path his father had chosen for his son. Shen Huaiyuan, the father, thought simply: The Shen family business is so large; someone has to take over, right?

However, it was alright for him to study music. At that time, Mr. Shen could comfort himself by thinking that it was okay. If his son was going to pursue music, so be it. At worst, his grandson could go into business in the future, which would be a way of carrying on the family business.

Then, this guy suddenly popped up again and said he liked a guy?

Shen Huaiyuan: "???"

Do you like men?

What about his grandson? What about the family fortune? Who will inherit it?

Shen Huaiyuan immediately exploded, slamming his fist on the table and ordering, "Break up! You must break up with him!"

Eighteen-year-old Shen Yan stood opposite him, his expression subtle: "...Dad, I haven't won her over yet."

—Not only did he fail to win her over, she didn't even know who he was.

The air fell silent instantly.

Shen Huaiyuan choked for a moment, then after a few seconds, slammed his hand on the table and pointed at his son, yelling, "Useless!"

"..."

Even if he didn't win her over, Shen Yan wouldn't fall for anyone else. A young man's heart, once captured, is forever. Faced with his father's choice between two options, he said without hesitation, "Then I'll study business."

His expression and tone clearly conveyed a sense of "being forced to compromise because of unrequited love." Shen Huaiyuan saw it all, said nothing, but felt a mix of emotions.

The night before he left the country, he unusually pulled his son aside and said a few soft words, rambling on about some things to be careful about while studying abroad.

Shen Yan nodded "Mmm," obediently and obediently. He looked completely compliant.

Then he turned his head—

I went to the music academy I had applied to long ago :).

Shen Huaiyuan was in a company meeting when he heard the news, and he was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot. He was only in his forties, but in the past few months, his son's anger had made him look ten years older.

In a fit of anger, he immediately suspended Shen Yan's card.

But Song Qing, the mother, felt sorry for her son and still secretly sent money to Shen Yan every month. The transfers on his phone never stopped.

But the boy was young and impetuous. To show his family his determination to study music, Shen Yan didn't accept a single penny.

He initially relied on Jiang Ziyi's charity for a while, and later found a part-time job, starting a life of going to class, working, and writing songs.

It spins like a top every day.

Even after his father secretly restored the card's permissions, Shen Yan stubbornly refused to touch it.

Even when he returned to China, he only told Song Qing and didn't even step into his own home.

It wasn't until later, when Shen Yan bought a small parrot and brought it home, that the relationship between the father and son was finally able to thaw.

The parrot was kept in Shen's father's study, and it squawked all day long. Shen Huaiyuan complained about the noise, but he would always stop and take a look whenever he passed by the birdcage.

It wasn't until the parrot started brazenly clamoring to act like a big shot that Shen Huaiyuan couldn't stand it anymore and had Shen Yan come back to take the thing away.

He had originally thought Shen Yan would go home. But it turned out that the man simply called a deliveryman to pick up the bird.

He waited at home all day and didn't even go to the office! (`皿´)!

Since he didn't go to the company, Shen Huaiyuan started counting money at home out of boredom. As he counted, he discovered:

That brat actually transferred all the money out of that card a few days ago.

Shen Huaiyuan sent someone to investigate—all that money was invested in Wu's son's variety show. And who was in that show, and what the intentions were behind the money, were immediately clear.

His son was blatantly telling him:

No matter what happens, he will never give up on music or that person.

Shen Huaiyuan stared at the computer screen for a long time, then finally shook his head and chuckled, "Heh, at least he has some backbone."

……

"When you see Xiao Yan later, don't give him that sour look." Song Qing said as she walked around the living room, tidying up the fruit plate on the coffee table. "If you make him run away, you can get out too."

"I drove him away?" Shen Huaiyuan muttered softly, sitting on the sofa. His voice was low and he seemed to only dare to speak to himself. "He's lucky he didn't drive me crazy, let alone drive me away."

Song Qing stopped and looked back at him.

That look wasn't fierce, but Shen Huaiyuan immediately shut his mouth.

"Speak properly later, okay?" Song Qing's tone softened a bit, but it still carried an unyielding certainty. "Don't wait until everyone leaves and then make me video call my son. You can secretly watch from the side."

Arrogance has long since disappeared from the market.

Shen Huaiyuan turned his face away and didn't say anything more.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Song Qing almost ran to the door and saw Shen Yan standing there, carrying his second uncle's birdcage. He was dressed casually, and his hair was still that striking red.

She had barely uttered the word "Mom" when Song Qing's eyes welled up with tears. "Xiao Yan..."

"Oh, Mom, why are you crying?" Shen Yan panicked, frantically wiping away her mother's tears. "You just flew over to see me six months ago, it's only been six months since we last met, don't cry, Mom—"

As he spoke, he looked up and saw the middle-aged man standing not far away. He immediately shouted, "Dad, I haven't seen you in three years! Come and comfort Mom!"

Shen Huaiyuan: "..."

He walked over somewhat stiffly, took two tissues from the coffee table, and silently handed them to his wife.

Song Qing took the tissue and wiped away her tears, but her hand remained firmly on her son's arm. Looking at Shen Yan's face, she vaguely recalled that cross-border video call from a few months ago.

That night, she had planned to call according to the time difference, wanting to ask her son how he was doing and if he had enough money. But the phone rang for a long time before being answered, and she froze the moment the screen lit up.

The boy leaned against the headboard, his eyes red-rimmed and his hair disheveled, as if he had just struggled to wake up from a nightmare and had not yet fully distinguished between dream and reality.

"mom……"

He only shouted once before he started crying while clutching his phone.

It wasn't the kind of silent weeping; it was sobbing uncontrollably, the kind of crying where the person is curled up in bed, on the verge of collapse. It was as if they had lost something most precious, sobbing and barely able to speak.

"Mom, I still miss him..."

"Mom, I had a nightmare. It was so real and scary. I dreamt about him... Mom, what should I do? I still want to see him, Mom..."

It was the first time she had ever seen her son cry like that, so heartbroken and so sad, but she could do nothing from behind the screen.

All I could do was call his name over and over again, and say, "Mommy's here, Mommy's here."

That night, after she hung up the phone, she sat alone in the living room for a long time.

Her husband came out of the bedroom to get some water and saw her sitting in the dark. He asked what was wrong. She was silent for a long time before saying, "Honey, what was the name of that child who saved our son back then?"

"How come I don't remember anything about this at all..."

She was clearly the one who saved her son's life, and she was even thinking that if anything happened to the child in the future, Shen could help take care of him.

But now, how come she can't even remember the child's name?

"Okay, Mom, don't cry anymore, I'm here," Shen Yan's voice brought her back to her senses. Her son put his arm around her shoulder and walked towards the dining room, changing the subject, "I smelled the aroma of food as soon as I came in, let's eat first."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was better than Shen Yan had expected.

The housekeeper brought out the dishes one by one: braised pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and crucian carp soup—all of which Shen Yan used to love.

Song Qing placed a piece of pork rib into Shen Yan's bowl and said, "Now that you're back, don't leave again."

Shen Yan took a picture of the table full of dishes with her phone, then pinned it to the top of her phone and sent it, typing as she said, "That depends on whether my dad agrees or not."

Shen Huaiyuan, holding his bowl with his chopsticks suspended in mid-air, snorted upon hearing this: "What difference does it make whether I agree or not? Going back to China and appearing on TV shows, you've already planned everything out, haven't you?"

Shen Yan raised his head, blinked, and did not deny it.