Chapter 161: Time to Close the Net

Chapter 161: Time to Close the Net

When Shen Zhixue woke up, it was still dark outside.

He vaguely remembered Jiang Huizhou waking him up to have some plain porridge, but he was too exhausted and fell back asleep after just a few bites. Now, he finally felt a bit of his strength returning.

Shen Zhixue exhaled deeply.

"You're awake?" The dim bedside light flickered on, and Jiang Huizhou sat by the bed, holding a glass of ice water.

Shen Zhixue was momentarily taken aback.

Jiang Huizhou gently pressed the glass of ice water to his lips: "Still tired?"

Shen Zhixue sipped the ice water from Jiang Huizhou's hand, soothing his parched throat: "...What do you think?"

"You've been out for a full day and night. It's almost dawn," Jiang Huizhou said softly. "Are you hungry? There's still some warm porridge in the kitchen."

Shen Zhixue touched his stomach: "I'm pretty hungry."

"Then I'll grab you some porridge," Jiang Huizhou eagerly stood up and soon returned with a steaming pot of seafood porridge. "Do you feel like getting up to wash your face?"

Shen Zhixue lay in bed: "I'm too wiped out. I'm completely useless right now."

"Then I'll help you up," Jiang Huizhou walked over, bent down, and picked Shen Zhixue up, placing him on the marble counter. He then gently wiped Shen Zhixue's face and even used an electric toothbrush to brush his teeth.

Shen Zhixue kept his eyes half-closed the entire time, expressionlessly following Jiang Huizhou's instructions—opening his mouth when told, spitting out foam when told—obedient like a puppet on strings.

Jiang Huizhou was in such high spirits that he hummed a tune, almost like the melody of "Don't Look at Me, I'm Just a Sheep."

"You're such a goof," Shen Zhixue said helplessly. "You're so happy just from serving someone."

"I absolutely love it," Jiang Huizhou continued to gently wipe Shen Zhixue's face, smiling like a child. "I love doing anything for you."

Shen Zhixue patted his head: "You're such an idiot. Go get me some porridge."

Jiang Huizhou was more than willing to serve the porridge; he would have even fed it to Shen Zhixue himself if he could.

"Any news on Chen Yin?" Shen Zhixue took a sip of the seafood porridge, raised an eyebrow, and reached out to pat Jiang Huizhou's head.

This was his way of showing approval, often directed at Jiang Xingliu.

But Jiang Huizhou liked it too. He nuzzled into Shen Zhixue's palm and hummed, "That paranoid kid hasn't tipped her hand yet."

Shen Zhixue nodded. If it were that easy to expose them, Chen Zhe wouldn't have been able to stay free for so many years. Plus, although Chen Yin is young, she has a cunning mind.

The imperial family is her final trump card and reliance. Her aim is to control the empire, not save Chen Zhe.

She will definitely contact that person when she feels completely confident.

And now, it's far from that time.

"Troublesome," Shen Zhixue propped his chin on his hand. "If she's cautious, then let's make her think she's got it in the bag."

Jiang Huizhou glanced at Shen Zhixue, a smirk playing on his lips: "Zhi Zhi, you look so beautiful when you're scheming."

Shen Zhixue clicked his tongue: "What do you mean by scheming? I'm doing this to rid the empire of a threat. It's called resistance."

Jiang Huizhou nodded, then lowered his head to peel a shrimp for Shen Zhixue: "How does it taste?"

Shen Zhixue opened his mouth and took the shrimp meat from Jiang Huizhou's hand, then quickly and suggestively licked Jiang Huizhou's fingertips.

Jiang Huizhou's eyes darkened in an instant. After a while, he curled his lips and said, "Zhi Zhi, you're such a tease."

Shen Zhixue raised an eyebrow, unfazed, and said, "What's the matter? I just got a little better, and Little Jiang is about to lose it again?"

Jiang Huizhou stared at him, his gaze as if he wanted to devour Shen Zhixue.

Shen Zhixue shrank back, uneasy, asking, "What’s with that look?"

"..." After a long pause, Jiang Huizhou took a deep breath, then let out a bitter laugh and said, "You’re doing this deliberately."

Shen Zhixue swung his legs lazily and said, "What's the matter? I just had a shrimp from you. What’s the big deal?"

Jiang Huizhou didn't say anything and continued to peel shrimp for Shen Zhixue.

Shen Zhixue chuckled triumphantly, feeling quite pleased, and let Jiang Huizhou off the hook for now.

Of course, in a way, he might have spared himself too.

——

After grueling training, Chen Yin actually managed to get into the military academy with decent grades, becoming an official cadet. However, due to her identity, she was barred from any major position selections.

Chen Yin had always known this. Chen Zhe had committed a serious crime, and as his apparent daughter, she naturally couldn't participate in any military position competitions.

She had known this all along. She went to great lengths to get into the military academy, first to build a relationship with Jiang Xingliu, and second, even if she didn't compete for military positions, the academy would keep her informed of the empire's movements.

Shen Zhixue had originally thought that no matter how capable Chen Yin was, she was still just a child. Without Chen Zhe by her side, she might remain calm for a while, but over time, she would surely panic and seek support.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yin turned out to be more inscrutable than he had imagined. This charade had lasted six years.

During these years, Chen Yin continuously tried to sow discord between Shen Zhixue, Jiang Huizhou, and Jiang Xingliu. To lure her out, Shen Zhixue naturally played along.

By now, his relationship with Jiang Huizhou was already shattered, and they had long since slept in separate rooms.

Although this wasn't a big deal for Shen Zhixue, the only challenge was dealing with Jiang Huizhou.

Jiang Huizhou wished he could stick to Shen Zhixue 24 hours a day, but due to Chen Yin, he could only treat Shen Zhixue coldly during the day. If he wanted to be close to Shen Zhixue at night, he had to wait for Chen Yin to be at the military academy.

As a result, every intimate moment was hard-won, making them more intense and passionate.

Fortunately, the frequency wasn't high, otherwise Shen Zhixue really thought he might die in Jiang Huizhou's bed.

His relationship with Jiang Xingliu had also changed from inseparable father and son to strangers who didn't speak for two or three days.

Jiang Xingliu and Shen Zhixue rarely saw each other, and the acting was so convincing that Shen Zhixue began to doubt if it was all an act.

"I'm done eating," Jiang Xingliu stood up from the dining table, said coldly, and then turned and walked back to his room.

Shen Zhixue was stunned.

Jiang Xingliu was now fifteen or sixteen years old, at the age when teenagers grow rapidly. His height changed day by day. Shen Zhixue looked at his profile and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. Only then did he realize that he hadn't seen Jiang Xingliu for nearly half a year.

Over the past few years, Jiang Xingliu had been climbing the ranks in the military academy step by step. As the leader of a special operations team, he was busier than the average cadet. Fortunately, he was beginning to make a name for himself in the military.

At just sixteen years old, he had become famous in the military, second only to Qiu Ying.

Shen Zhixue blinked and suddenly asked, "Is he about to graduate soon?"

It's the final year at the military academy, and Jiang Huizhou is soon to take the graduation exams. Doing well in these exams would definitely help Jiang Xingliu.

In the original story, this assessment was a turning point for Jiang Xingliu—this was when the antagonist started to turn evil.

According to military regulations, the student who graduates at the top of their class is eligible to become the highest commander of the empire. However, after the assessment, despite Jiang Xingliu scoring first, the military only awarded him a low-ranking starship commander position, while the commander's role was given to the male lead, who didn't do as well in any area and was only good at flirting with the female lead at school.

Although the male lead was unaware of all this, it didn't stop the antagonist from hating the male lead.

From then on, their shaky brotherly relationship suddenly fell apart, leading to his path of darkness.

"Wait a moment," Shen Zhixue suddenly spoke up, "Is the graduation test coming up soon?"

Jiang Xingliu nodded.

Shen Zhixue opened his mouth, but with Chen Yin present, he couldn't say much and only spoke indifferently, "Good luck on the test."

Jiang Xingliu paused for a moment, "I don't need your worry."

However, Shen Zhixue noticed Jiang Xingliu quietly giving a thumbs-up behind Chen Yin's back.

Shen Zhixue couldn't help but smile a little, but quickly regained his composure, hiding the tiny smile.

The little emperor he raised—how could they really be at odds?

He banged the table and yelled, "What's with the attitude? Can't I care about you now?"

"I don't need your concern," Jiang Xingliu turned his head, subtly glancing at Shen Zhixue's stomach, "Your worry isn't for me."

Shen Zhixue glared angrily, "After all these years, I’ve raised a thankless brat!"

Jiang Xingliu sneered, "You’ll have your own kids soon enough, and then, I suppose this ungrateful wolf will be cast aside by you?"

"What do you mean?" Shen Zhixue stood up agitatedly, "Am I not allowed to have kids?"

Jiang Xingliu sneered, turned around, and slammed the door as he left.

Chen Yin, sitting on the sofa, only stepped in to calm things down after the fight, "Uncle Shen, don’t be mad at him."

Shen Zhixue huffed and stormed off to the bedroom, slamming the door with a loud bang.

Jiang Huizhou sat silently throughout the entire spectacle, watching coldly until only Chen Yin and he were left in the room.

Chen Yin looked at him, and Jiang Huizhou suddenly spoke, "Isn’t this exactly what you wanted?"

Chen Yin was momentarily stunned, then replied, "Uncle Jiang, how could I want to see brother and Uncle Shen argue?"

"Oh?" Jiang Huizhou narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You’ve been pulling these stunts for six years—aren’t you bored yet?"

Chen Yin was silent for a long time before suddenly chuckling, "Not tired at all, watching you fight is pretty fun."

Jiang Huizhou raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I know you can figure it out, it's not surprising at all. If even you were deceived by me, it would really seem like acting," Chen Yin lifted her chin, "You're smart, smarter than Shen Zhixue, but so what? Shen Zhixue still doesn't trust you, does he?"

Jiang Huizhou clicked his tongue, "You really understand us thoroughly."

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," Chen Yin stretched lazily, "From the moment Shen Zhixue decided to adopt me, he should have known today would come. If I’m not happy, none of you will be either."

"What will it take for you to be satisfied?" Jiang Huizhou looked at her calmly, "If there are conditions, we can talk."

"There's nothing to talk about," Chen Yin stood up. "I just want to watch you two be more miserable together than apart."

Jiang Huizhou remained silent as Chen Yin turned and chased after Jiang Xingliu.

"Bro, slow down, wait for me..."

The door to Shen Zhixue's room creaked open, and he locked eyes with Jiang Huizhou, who was sitting in the living room.

With just that one look, Shen Zhixue understood the meaning in Jiang Huizhou's eyes.

The time had come—it was almost time to close the net.