Having received Shen Changyao's assurance, Shen Mingsu finally relented, but his expression remained unfriendly, fierce and menacing, enough to scare other children to tears.
"Uncle." Shen Changyao glanced at Shen Mingsu's hand, fearing it would land on his face any second. He hadn't done anything wrong, and had even helped expose an undercover agent; he shouldn't be the one getting slapped.
Shen Changyao moved closer to Yan Chi, looking aggrieved, and opened his arms for a hug. Yan Chi couldn't bear it and was about to hug him when Shen Mingsu coldly slapped Shen Changyao's arm away.
"What do you mean, 'hug me'?" Shen Mingsu said irritably. "Are you a baby? Reaching out to be hugged like that? Don't you even know what's on either side of your nose?"
After saying that, he turned to Yan Chi and said, "You have to be careful with these old fogies who pretend to be young."
"He's not exactly an old fogie," Yan Chi pinched Shen Changyao's chubby cheek. "Don't be too harsh on him."
"If I'm an old fogie, then you're older than me! You're the one who's shamelessly trying to look young!"
Shen Changyao's voice broke down. "If you don't want to hug me, then change me back! I won't need anyone to hug me then!"
Shen Mingsu finally paid attention to him, looking him up and down. Realizing the problem, he said gleefully, "No wonder you haven't grown up. It turns out Shen Ruoqin paused your age."
Yan Chi poked his arm. "Can you him change back?"
"Of course." Shen Mingsu readily agreed, seemingly believing nothing was impossible in front of Yan Chi. He asked Shen Changyao, "Tell me, what age do you want to switch back to?"
Shen Changyao pondered for a moment, "Fifteen."
Fifteen was good; past the age of being able to act spoiled. Shen Mingsu granted Shen Changyao's wish, rewinding his time to fifteen.
The infant's body gradually elongated, transforming into a teenager. However, Shen Changyao had forgotten to take off his clothes, which were tightly wrapped around him, causing him pain, so he quickly changed them.
Yan Chi's vision suddenly went black. Shen Mingsu, standing behind him, reached out and covered his eyes, shaking his head with a tsk-tsk sound, "The world is going to the dogs! Little Chi, don't look, you'll get a sty."
Yan Chi: "..."
Fine, as long as he's happy.
Shen Mingsu looked into Shen Changyao's dark green eyes. "Since you're not part of our family, what's wrong with your eyes?"
"Your sister put semi-permanent colored contact lenses on me." Shen Changyao pulled the cup over his head, smiling ingratiatingly at Shen Mingsu. "I've told you everything. Can I have some clothes? Or maybe those two pieces of my brother's clothes?"
"Wait here." Shen Mingsu opened the door, and Shen Chang Le, who had been pacing outside, immediately stood before him, his eyes fixed on the room. "Where's Yao Yao?"
Shen Mingsu frowned. "You're here. What about the meatballs in the pot?"
"I scooped them all out." Shen Chang Le was worried about Shen Changyao. "Did Yao Yao do something? He's just a child..."
"Not anymore." Shen Mingsu interrupted him, ordering, "Go get your dear brother some clothes. It's indecent for him to come out naked."
Shen Chang Le looked bewildered. Wasn't his brother a baby? What did he need his clothes for? When Shen Mingsu took a step back, Shen Chang Le saw Shen Changyao, now all grown up.
Shen Chang Le's eyes widened in surprise. He dazedly went back to his room to get a set of clothes.
"Thank you, brother," Shen Changyao said with a smile, but Shen Chang Le pursed his lips, glanced at him, and silently walked to Yan Chi's side.
Yan Chi put his arm around Shen Chang Le's shoulder and asked with concern, "Why aren't you happy?"
Shen Chang Le glanced at Shen Changyao, who was huffing and puffing as he dressed, and compared him to himself when he was little. He concluded: children are cuter. This little guy, so tiny, like a pink and white dumpling, let him hug and kiss him.
Shen Chang Le's voice was low, "I...I still prefer a younger brother."
Shen Changyao wasn't his biological brother. Shen Chang Le knew that, but looking at his younger brother, he could still deceive himself for a while.
But facing Shen Changyao, now a teenager with a completely different appearance, Shen Chang Le could no longer deceive himself.
—Shen Changyao wasn't his younger brother at all.
Hearing this, Shen Changyao's heart shattered. He'd just grown up, yet it felt like he'd been disfigured. So, could love disappear so quickly?
Yan Chi was also at a loss for words in this situation. Was Chang Le still a doll lover? He tried to ease the tension, "Yao Yao is still Yao Yao even when he grows up, Chang Le, you know that, right?"
Shen Chang Le nodded listlessly, saying nothing.
The brothers' cold war lasted until New Year's Eve. Yan Chi and Shen Mingsu were busy with New Year's preparations and didn't have time to resolve their conflict.
"Xiao Chi!"
A clear voice rang out at the door. Yan Chi bent down from the second-floor window and saw Xi Chang, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, standing in the courtyard, holding little Chu Xi in his arms. Chu Xi had grown considerably since he left, looking about two or three years old.
Xi Chang waved enthusiastically to Yan Chi, "Xiao Chi, we're back!"
Chu Xi also called out in his childish voice, "Chi Chi, we're back!"
Yan Chi was overjoyed and ran downstairs in a flash, hugging Xi Chang. Chu Xi eagerly threw himself into his arms, his big blue eyes filled with joy as he looked at Yan Chi.
"Little Chu Xi, long time no see." Yan Chi affectionately pressed his cheek against Chu Xi's. Chu Xi liked him too, wrapping his arms around his neck, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
Yan Chi smiled and said to Xi Chang, "I thought you'd be spending the New Year in the [Azure Sea]."
"New Year?" Xi Chang tilted his head. "What's New Year?"
He was just a fish; he didn't understand what New Year meant.
Yan Chi smiled and explained to him, and Xi Chang suddenly understood. "No wonder there are so many red lanterns at school! They're so pretty! I want to celebrate the New Year too. Little Chi, Little Chi, what do we need to prepare for the New Year?"
Chu Xi nodded enthusiastically, describing vividly, "Lanterns, red, on the trees, so many, so pretty!"
"Does our Chu Xi like them?" Yan Chi spoke softly to the child. "I'll get you a small lantern, you can carry it by hand, okay?"
Chu Xi's eyes sparkled. "Yes!"
Yan Chi led them into the house. Shen Chang Le and Shen Changyao sat at opposite ends of the sofa, not exchanging a single word. Shen Changyao was hesitating whether to say a few words to Shen Chang Le to break the awkward atmosphere.
"Brother!"
Shen Changyao stared in astonishment as a little boy ran into Shen Chang Le's arms, sweetly calling him "brother."
Wait, who is this kid? Doesn't he have a brother? Why should he call him "brother"?
Shen Chang Le looked at Chu Xi in surprise, instinctively opening his arms and pulling him onto his lap. "Chu Xi, why are you back?"
"Back for the New Year!" Chu Xi hugged Shen Chang Le's neck, his childishness perfectly natural. "I missed my brother, so I came to find him."
Shen Chang Le's eyes were full of smiles. "I missed you too."
Shen Changyao looked puzzled. Did becoming a younger brother require competition these days?
"Chu Xi, this is a little lantern for you." Yan Chi took out a lantern and handed it to Chu Xi. Seeing the two children hugging each other so happily, he smiled and said, "Chu Xi missed his brother."
Chu Xi: "Yes! I missed him so much."
Shen Changyao gritted his teeth. He hated that rascal the most!
Unaware of the undercurrents between the children, Yan Chi told Xi Chang everything they needed for the New Year. "...But it's probably too late to prepare now. Why don't you come to my house for New Year's Eve dinner tonight?"
"Okay, okay!" Xi Chang's head was spinning. Hearing he could go with Yan Chi, he immediately agreed. He loved Yan Chi's cooking, but he didn't forget Lin Heng. "Can I bring Lin Heng along?"
"Of course."
Xi Chang excitedly circled around Yan Chi, then suddenly remembered something and pulled Yan Chi back to his house.
Since no one had lived there for a long time, Lin Heng was cleaning. Seeing Xi Chang hurriedly bringing Yan Chi back, he wasn't surprised at all. He glanced up and continued with his work.
Xi Chang led Yan Chi to his room, pointing to several large bags in the corner. "These are all gifts I brought for you."
As he spoke, Xi Chang took out each item for Yan Chi: various pure gold bracelets and necklaces, countless handicrafts made of jade, agate, and diamonds, and Yan Chi even spotted a large jade seal.
Had Xi Chang robbed some museum?
"These are all for you!" Xi Chang's generosity was frightening.
Yan Chi quickly refused, "No, no, these are too precious, I can't accept them."
"They're not valuable at all," Xi Chang smiled. "Lin Heng and I retrieved these from a shipwreck. If you like them, I'll bring you more next time."
A shipwreck at the bottom of the sea… without a doubt, these things were genuine antiques.
Yan Chi couldn't refuse Xi Chang's enthusiasm and nodded to accept the gifts. Xi Chang, unusually thoughtful, knew Yan Chi couldn't carry all the things, so he asked Lin Heng to deliver them to their home.
Lin Heng, hearing that they would be having New Year's Eve dinner together, offered to help, saying, "Then I'll cook with Shen Mingsu tonight."
Yan Chi had tasted Lin Heng's cooking before and knew his skills were excellent; his help would save a lot of trouble, so he agreed.
They set New Year's Eve dinner for 6 PM. Yan Chi invited Yan Qingyuan, the headmistress, and Xie Tao, joining Xi Chang and Lin Heng to form a large family.
Shen Mingsu and Lin Heng prepared the dishes in the kitchen, while Yan Chi and Xi Chang chose their drinks.
Upon seeing the grown-up Shen Changyao and little Chu Xi, the headmistress was surprised that Shen Chang Le had two younger brothers. She asked, "Where's Yao Yao? Where did that child go?"
Shen Changyao didn't dare answer. Shen Chang Le: "...left with a relative."
Seeing the strange look on his face, the headmistress didn't ask further. Yan Qingyuan and Xie Tao exchanged a glance; clearly, they knew everything.
"How about this bottle of wine?" Yan Chi picked out a bottle and asked the others, "It's not very strong, everyone can drink it."
Xi Chang, who loved drinking, swallowed hard. "Mmm! I'll take this one."
The others had no objections.
The sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner included two dishes: round meatballs symbolizing reunion and the classic fish dish for abundance. When Yan Chi saw the fish, he subconsciously glanced at Xi Chang. "Can you eat fish?"
Xi Chang nodded repeatedly, "Sure, I like fish!"
This year's New Year's Eve dinner was the most lively Yan Chi had ever had. He was surrounded by family, friends, and his loved one. Yan Chi took a sip of his wine, his eyes beaming with smiles.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yan Chi caught a glimpse of several figures flashing past the window. Looking closer, he saw Ding Yang and her group chasing players. Yan Chi paused, then gave Xi Chang a meaningful look.
Xi Chang placed his hand on the headmistress's shoulder. "Headmistress, you didn't hear anything, did you?"
The headmistress's gaze flickered for a moment, then returned to normal, and she smiled and nodded at Xi Chang.
Xi Chang created a dream world for the headmistress. In this dream world, everyone was eating and chatting normally, without saying anything out of line.
Yan Chi asked Shen Mingsu, "Why are there still players entering Yunzhou today?"
"It seems like Xin Xia and his group tricked them into coming in." Shen Mingsu wasn't sure for a moment, then asked Lin Heng, "Am I remembering correctly?"
Lin Heng was picking fish bones out of Xi Chang's bones, putting the fish meat into his bowl, and hummed in agreement, "Xin Xia infiltrated the Termites for months, and this time one of them is an S-rank player."
Yan Chi: "Do we need to help?"
Lin Heng wasn't too worried, "It's okay, they can handle it."
But Yan Chi was still concerned about Xin Xia and his group's safety, especially since there was an S-rank player among them… He shook Yan Qingyuan's arm, "Dad, could you help disable the Termite players' systems? Make sure they can't use their abilities."
Yan Qingyuan looked up at him, "Wouldn't it be better to just kill them?"
Yan Chi: "…"
Oh right.
“Well…” Yan Chi thought it was unlucky to say the word “kill” during the New Year, so he made a throat-slitting gesture. “This will do.”
Yan Qingyuan smiled. “Okay.”
The next second, the binding force of a super S-class boss instantly enveloped the entire Yunzhou. The ant players being chased by Ding Yang and her group suddenly felt a strong suffocation, as if their internal organs were about to be crushed. Lower-level players vomited blood and died on the spot.
The crew-cut player lay on the ground convulsing. He struggled to pull out a jade pendant and pressed it to his chest. The suffocating feeling slowly subsided. He exhaled and reacted swiftly, dodging the incoming bullets.
He glanced at his remaining team, then at Ding Yang and the others who had caught up, clenched his fists, turned and ran. Spotting a tall building in the distance, he immediately hid inside.
"An art museum?" Zhu Ge Yun glanced at the landmark. "Won't there be something valuable inside? What if we break something and have to pay for it?"
Xin Xia hesitated for a moment. "Let's go in. The boss is at school; we can just make him work to pay off his debts."
Not far away, at Yan Chi's house, Lin Heng felt a chill run down his spine; a strong sense of foreboding lingered in his heart.
Across from him, Yan Qingyuan took a bite of sweet and sour pork ribs, utterly frustrated. "Xing Zhinan... you're such a useless jerk."
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