Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Shen Lin deliberately emphasized the words 'blood brothers' with a heavier tone.

Lu Zhao didn’t notice anything unusual, but Hu Chengyu raised an eyebrow, sensing that Shen Lin was speaking to him.

After a few quarrelsome words between Shen Lin and Lu Zhao, Shen Lin hung up the phone.

Lu Zhao was so angry that he wanted to drag Shen Lin over and give him a good beating. Normally, he would let it slide, but today was different.

Just as he was about to call Shen Yan again, he suddenly received a call from the coach: “Lu Zhao, did you fall into a pit? The awards ceremony is about to start, get back here now!”

“Oh, and tell Hu Chengyu too.”

Lu Zhao pouted. Why don’t you tell my brother yourself if you’ve got the guts?

Hu Chengyu and Lu Zhao returned to the awards ceremony. Xie Shiyu was sitting nearby, still wearing a surgical mask.

On closer inspection, bloodstains were visible on the mask.

Xie Shiyu looked up at Hu Chengyu, and their eyes locked in a silent contest of wills.

Lu Zhao was puzzled. Both his brother and Xie Shiyu seemed off.

Who ever saw two people who had such great chemistry on the field, but were ready to throw punches at each other off the field?

As they went up to receive their awards, Hu Chengyu received a message. It was from 'TopGrid': They’d identified the other party. It was Bai family’s illegitimate daughter, Bai Yu.

Hu Chengyu glanced at it and then turned off his phone.

Bai Yu?

The name seemed familiar.

Bai Qian’s sister. But why would she be following Shen Yan or Xie Shiyu?

Hu Chengyu didn’t think this photo incident was a coincidence.

That he liked Shen Yan was something only Lu Zhao believed.

But Bai Yu obviously knew about his feelings for Shen Yan, which was why she had sent the photos to him.

Something still felt off, though.

What was Bai Yu’s goal?

From what he could tell, she was using the photo incident to get him to go after Xie Shiyu.

Could it be that Bai Yu had a personal grudge against Xie Shiyu?

After analyzing each piece of information, Hu Chengyu still couldn’t reach a conclusion.

*

Meanwhile, Bai Yu, who was being analyzed by Hu Chengyu, was leisurely lying on a beach chair, comfortably enjoying the sea breeze.

Her eyes froze when she saw two familiar figures, and then a mocking smile appeared on her face.

What a coincidence.

From running into the Shen brothers at the airport, to seeing Shen Yan again at the bar yesterday, and now bumping into him at the beach today.

What kind of twisted fate is this?

Shen Lin was dressed in just a pair of beach shorts and sunglasses. He stood in front of Shen Yan repeatedly, wanting to carry him on his back.

The young man’s muscles were lean but perfectly proportioned, giving Shen Lin a tall and slender appearance.

Shen Yan wore a thin shirt, barely buttoned, revealing a fair chest that peeked through the fabric.

The most eye-catching feature was his pair of long, straight, and fair legs.

Bai Yu had to admit, even as a girl, she felt a twinge of envy.

Shen Lin wanted to carry Shen Yan, but Shen Yan refused. In their playful tussle, they lost their balance and tumbled into the sand together.

Many people were drawn to look at them.

Bai Yu slipped on her sunglasses and let out a soft, dismissive snort.

The phone beside her rang, and she casually picked it up, speaking with a slightly irritated tone, "Hello, who is it?"

There was a pause on the other end before the voice asked, "Who upset you, Miss Bai?"

Bai Yu’s expression changed, and she immediately switched to a warmer tone, "Yiyi, is that you?"

"We haven’t talked much since you moved to Jing City."

Meng Yiyi didn’t take offense at her complaining tone, "Nonsense, we spoke just a few days ago."

Bai Yu stopped being playful and asked directly, "Yiyi, what’s the matter?"

When Meng Yiyi was young, her family wasn’t well-off, and at that time, Bai Yu was still an unacknowledged illegitimate daughter of the Bai family. The two were neighbors and could be considered childhood friends.

Neither of them had expected that Meng Yiyi’s father would rise to prominence in Zhu City, and that Bai Yu would be acknowledged by the Bai family.

Though they couldn’t see each other often, they stayed close friends.

So, after Meng Yiyi was startled by Hu Chengyu that day, she told Bai Yu about his feelings for Shen Yan.

Meng Yiyi shared this with Bai Yu because the Bai family had once asked her to get close to Shen Lin, during which she met Shen Yan and Hu Chengyu.

With a light and cheerful tone, Meng Yiyi said on the other end of the phone, "It’s good news. Guess?"

Bai Yu, unable to guess, pleaded, "Come on, Yiyi, just spill it."

"I heard from Dad that Madam She, the one you like, wants to take a final disciple!"

Bai Yu was stunned.

After Meng Yiyi said "Hello, hello" into her phone, she finally heard Bai Yu’s hesitant voice, "Is the news confirmed?"

Meng Yiyi said, "Are you stunned with joy? Of course, it’s confirmed. The company discussed cooperation with Madam She, and she said it herself."

"If I were interested in design, my dad would have suggested I become her disciple."

Bai Yu, becoming a bit anxious, said, "Good Yiyi, don’t compete with me for this."

The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

Bai Yuan glanced at Shen Yan again, but she no longer felt like coming up with any more tricks to tease him.

Shen Yan was playing with water when he suddenly felt a chill down his back and turned around in surprise.

Shen Lin suddenly appeared and splashed a handful of water at Shen Yan.

"Brother, what are you looking at?"

Shen Yan saw nothing and thought it was his imagination. "It's nothing."

In response, Shen Yan splashed water back at his brother.

Unfortunately, Shen Yan was no match for Shen Lin. After a few exchanges, he was defeated.

Shen Lin, with his hands on his hips and a smug smile, was suddenly hit with seawater in his face.

Shen Yan, seeing his younger brother getting his comeuppance, laughed heartily.

Shen Lin gritted his teeth, "Fang Jin!"

He didn't even call him "brother" this time.

Unfortunately, Bai Yuan had left early and didn’t see Fang Jin. Otherwise, she would have recognized him as Madam She's youngest disciple.

Bai Yuan had always been bullied in the Bai family, and the one who bullied her the most was Bai Qian.

Although Bai Qian was sent to prison by Shu Qianfei, there was no reason for Bai Yuan to hold any animosity towards Shen Yan.

But Bai Yuan had always been prideful, even from a young age. And as they were both in jewelry design, she had also participated in the design submission for La, but only got third place.

She didn't resent the second-place winner, partly because she didn't know them, and partly because they were much older than her.

She thought that when she reached that age, she wouldn't be any worse than the second-place winner.

But Shen Yan was different; he was younger than her.

And because Shen Yan took first place, everyone else seemed to pale in comparison.

Bai Yuan couldn't accept this outcome.

However, Shen Yan was unaware of all these thoughts.

Shen Lin, exhausted from their playful fight, begged Fang Jin to let him go.

The three of them were now lying side by side on beach chairs, chatting casually, when Fang Jin brought up the real matter. "Yan Yan, Master contacted me and asked me to bring you both back."

Shen Lin had no objections, as he had come to Zhu City to accompany his brother.

Wherever his brother went, he followed.

Shen Yan, however, looked hesitant.

Fang Jin asked, "Yan Yan, is everything okay?"

Indeed, Shen Yan had something on his mind. He wanted to check out the robot exhibit Hu Chengyu had told him about, but then he thought that he hadn't promised Hu Chengyu anything.

It was better to stay away from Hu Chengyu.

Especially after Hu Chengyu seemed off yesterday; Shen Yan instinctively wanted to keep his distance.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yan shook his head. "No, it's nothing."

That evening, the three of them returned to Madam She's garden and had dinner together, recounting the events of the past two days.

Shen Lin was very adept at making everyone happy. Madam She laughed heartily, and even the usually serious Assistant Xu cracked a smile.

After dinner, they sat in the living room drinking tea. Madam She said, "I have some old friends who have invited me to Mirror Mountain tomorrow, supposedly for a hike. But we're all old bones and actually want to introduce you youngsters to each other."

"If Yan Yan and Xiao Lin don't feel like hiking, the estate has other nice sights too."

Shen Lin was initially uninterested in hiking; he'd rather lie in this beautiful garden and play games. But when he heard it was an estate, his interest suddenly spiked.

However, it was still up to his brother to decide. They had been having fun for two days straight, and Shen Lin wondered if his brother's body could handle more.

Shen Yan thought more deeply about the situation than Shen Lin. He had originally planned to take Shen Lin back the next afternoon, but it seemed Madam She intended to take him on as her disciple.

He didn't want to go just yet.

Shen Yan glanced at Shen Lin. Unlike him, Shen Lin's Monday only had a classical literature class, which wasn't crucial.

Shen Yan said, "Madam She, we'll think about it."

Madam She didn't insist. "We'll depart tomorrow morning. Let Xiao Xu know before we leave, and she'll arrange the car."

Assistant Xu and Fang Jin stared intently at Shen Yan. They had been by Madam She's side and naturally understood the implications of her words.

They thought Shen Yan, being young, might not have understood the implications.

If Madam She wanted to take someone else as her disciple, she would just say so.

But Shen Yan was different. This directly involved G.E. and Madam She's brand IP.

To put it simply, it was like two well-connected families joining through marriage.

In Madam She's eyes, Shen Yan not only needed to consider this but also needed to discuss it with Shu Qianfei.

Shen Lin followed Shen Yan back to the residence from the night before and asked puzzledly, "Brother, it's just a day at a private estate, what's there to think about?"

Sitting in the chair, Shen Yan felt a bit helpless. Thinking of the brother who used to strategize for him in his previous life, and then looking at his innocent younger brother before him, he sighed softly.

Naturally, he hoped Shen Lin would grow up slowly.

After all, he was still just a freshman in high school.

Shen Yan asked, "What day is it today?"

After two days of fun, Shen Lin had lost track of the days. He thought for a few seconds and said, "Saturday."

"The day after tomorrow is Monday, and you need to go back to school, remember?"

Shen Lin's face fell, and he let out a soft groan. "I'll discuss with Mom and ask for one more day off."

He was about to call Shu Qianfei. The teacher’s approval didn’t matter; Shu Qianfei would make the final decision.

Shen Lin was about to do something but was stopped by Shen Yan, who looked up at him, confused.

"I'll make the call. I need to talk to Mom about something."

Shen Yan then explained what Madam She really meant, but Shen Lin looked puzzled. "Bro, are you reading too much into this?"

Even though Shen Lin corrected himself quickly, Shen Yan could tell what he was implying. Shen Yan, exasperated, gave him a light tap on the forehead. "Madam She was very clear about it. It's a gathering of a few friends and their students."

"Think of it like an internal team meeting for your basketball club. Would you invite people from outside the club?"

Shen Lin said, "Wait, doesn't that still make me an outsider?"

Shen Yan said, "What if there's a spot for a family member at these internal get-togethers?"