Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Guan Shenju? Jian Yi?

How could it be these two names?

How could it possibly be these two names?!

The Wei Tianxi family felt as if they had swallowed a bitter pill, their faces shifting through a range of emotions.

"What's going on?!"

Wei Jing’s face darkened as she pinched Wei Tianxi’s arm. "Didn’t you claim significant progress? How could you not even get an award? And to think..."

To think it was that stepchild raised by Xu Ru who received the award.

What’s more, the top student in Qichen’s senior year was still Xu Ru’s disabled son!

How could this be!

"...It must be because of Pei Yan!"

Wei Tianxi gritted his teeth, as if he’d found a convenient excuse: "Mom, didn’t I tell you before? That set of notes I wanted to acquire—Guan Shenju even got personal tutoring from the note-taker themselves—"

"Then why couldn’t you find him or secure his help?!"

Wei Tianxi looked embarrassed. He hadn’t fully explained the situation to his mother before.

How could he explain it? Should he admit that he lacked the social standing and influence to seek tutoring from such a person?! That was Pei Haochuan’s uncle, after all!

But how could Guan Shenju...

Most importantly, how could Guan Shenju actually make such remarkable progress!

"And what about Jian Yi? Didn’t you say earlier that Jian Yi was only performing moderately well at Yude?!"

Wei Jing dug her nails deeper into Wei Tianxi’s arm. "Do you know what rank Jian Yi achieved at Yude?"

Wei Tianxi’s lip quivered. "Fir... first..."

This was another detail he hadn’t fully disclosed to his mother.

He didn’t want to utter it.

"............"

Wei Jing was absolutely furious!

First place!

Ranking first at Yude meant boundless potential! Who could accurately gauge Jian Yi’s innate talent?!

Nearby, Jian Zhanguo also turned his gaze, his breathing growing heavy.

First place.

First at Yude, and now first at Qichen.

Just how brilliant was his son?!

But then, Jian Zhanguo’s thoughts turned to Jian Yi’s disability.

Why did he have to be... disabled...

Each member of the Wei Tianxi family harbored their own jealousy, their expressions grim, their moods a complex mix of regret and bitterness. Meanwhile, on Qin Suxi and Xu Ru’s side, Shen Ju and Jian Yi had already risen to approach the podium for their awards.

Guan Mulin sat on the other side, clapping, genuinely happy for both of them.

He especially admired Jian Yi.

He himself had achieved first place at Qichen because he had always enjoyed excellent educational resources, but Jian Yi had only transferred recently and already achieved such outstanding results—it was truly remarkable.

Of course, Shen Ju had also made significant progress.

After all, having the potential for growth was one thing, but possessing the ability to realize that progress was another entirely.

However—

996 cackled loudly, its tone brimming with pride and playful teasing: "Host! I told you you had immense potential for growth, didn’t I?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Shen Ju was also delighted. "All thanks to me getting last place before!"

Hah.

Both Guan Mulin and Qin Suxi couldn’t help but chuckle.

Shen Ju waited for Jian Yi so they could ascend the podium together.

Truthfully, he hadn't expected to win an award either.

But he was definitely happy.

He even wanted to share the news with Pei Yan right away!

Thanks to his Brother Pei.

Of course, he was pretty awesome too.

Shen Ju felt a surge of self-satisfaction as he walked toward the podium.

Jian Yi walked up to Shen Ju and whispered, "Your tail is practically wagging."

Shen Ju instinctively reached to touch his backside before realizing. "No, it’s not!"

As they walked, they could still hear the hushed whispers of those around them.

"Who is Jian Yi? Which one is he?"

"Guan Shenju—isn’t he the one the Guan family recently found and brought back..."

"How come I’ve never heard of Jian Yi before?"

"Me neither..."

"I asked around—apparently he just transferred from Yude not long ago because of some connection to the Guan family... Wow, for a kid to transfer to Qichen and immediately score first place—that’s incredible."

"Tell me about it."

"Hey, hey, look—that kid's arm—"

"Ah."

Shen Ju involuntarily paused mid-step.

Jian Yi seemed to have overheard the comments as well; his left arm instinctively moved to conceal itself behind his back.

It wasn't that he couldn't accept his disability.

He had long since come to terms with it over the years.

He had heard countless discussions about his left arm's disability and had long learned to tune them out.

But Jian Yi still didn't want his disability to become a topic of conversation among others.

Because Shen Ju would worry and be affected by it.

And it would also make him very sad.

"Treasure this moment."

"Huh?"

Shen Ju turned to look at Jian Yi: "What?"

Jian Yi: "Next time, your room for improvement won't be this significant."

"............"

Shen Ju smiled.

He knew Jian Yi was deliberately teasing him.

But after stepping onto the podium, his view became clearer.

He could also see more distinctly the gazes and expressions of those in the audience.

Admiring, surprised.

Pitying.

Pitying.

Pitying...

Finally, Shen Ju's gaze settled on Qin Suxi's face.

Qin Suxi was looking at him, her eyes filled with joy and pride. When she noticed him looking, she waved, as if mouthing "baby."

Baby.

He was already this old, yet Qin Suxi still called him that.

As if trying to reclaim the missing years.

In Qin Suxi's eyes, he saw not a trace of distance or disapproval.

Mom...

Shen Ju's lips quivered slightly. He felt Jian Yi take the award certificate frame with one hand, then grip the trophy with his wrist, and couldn't help but lower his gaze, almost as if avoiding eye contact.

............

Shen Ju's mood was off, and the Guan family could sense it.

Thinking back, it seemed to have started from the parent-teacher conference day.

Even Qichen's early winter break hadn't been able to cheer him up.

But shouldn't the parent-teacher conference day have been a happy occasion?

Whether it was his own significant improvement in grades, Jian Yi taking first place and using that to secure Xu Ru's place in the parent committee, Jian Zhanguo's inability to control his expression after the meeting, or Wei Jing and Wei Tianxi's unpleasant faces—all should have been ample reason for joy. So why did Shen Ju seem unable to lift his spirits no matter what? It was as if his emotions were trapped in some kind of quagmire, struggling but unable to break free.

Even Pei Yan could sense it through the phone screen.

After barely making it through the four exam weeks in December, winter break finally arrived. Even Pei Yan, as cold and ruthless as he was, didn't make Pei Haochuan and the others continue with extra lessons, granting them some time to relax.

So there was no need to go to Pei Yan's place in the evenings.

But on the Guan family's balcony, Shen Ju was wearing a thin jacket with the hood pulled down tight over his head, the strings pulled snugly, like a plump little mushroom planted on the balcony, basking in the moonlight.

Only the soft glow of his phone illuminated Shen Ju's face.

Guan Muyao had originally gone over to switch on the balcony light for him, but the next moment, the little mushroom turned his face, his gaze faintly fixed on him.

"............"

It was a mushroom that shunned the light.

The next second, Guan Muyao clicked the light off silently.

After that, the family of four, plus an online Guan Jianshan—four observing through the balcony glass and one through the internet—began silently observing and having a heated discussion about Shen Ju's condition.

Shen Ju lowered his head again to message Pei Yan.

[...Yes, I'll be returning to Heyuan on my birthday. Will Brother Pei come?]

Thinking about seeing Pei Yan, Shen Ju couldn't help but perk up a little: [The birthday party will be held at Heyuan. I'll hand-deliver the invitation to Brother Pei.]

Pei Yan: [And then call me ‘uncle’ again?]

Shen Ju was taken aback, then smiled.

Sheepishly, he typed: [Brother Pei, you still remember that?]

Pei Yan: [After all, it was the first time I've heard anyone over 10 call me uncle.]

Shen Ju: [Haha.]

[Wait, doesn't Pei Haochuan count?]

Pei Yan: [Oh, I forgot about him.]

Shen Ju: ...Forgot quite thoroughly, huh.

[Feeling better now?]

Pei Yan sent another message.

Shen Ju paused for a moment, bit his lip: "How did Brother Pei know I was unhappy?"

Pei Yan: "You’ve been using fewer expressive words and exclamation marks when chatting with me."

"No more memes either."

"Huh..."

Was he really like that?

As if knowing what Shen Ju was doubting, Pei Yan sent a screenshot over a few seconds later—

Little Friend: "The parent-teacher conference is about to start! I’m going in now!"

"The leader is speaking, and I’m playing on my phone, sneakily jpg."

A kitten with a scarf covering its face popped up, tiptoeing around sneakily.

"Han Chengfeng got the Most Mischievous Award! I saw his dad whack him hard on the head!"

"I felt that pain for him, haha."

"Our class monitor Tang Yuexin won the Best Class Cadre Award!"

He kept chattering nonstop, as if he couldn’t wait to share everything with Pei Yan.

But a few minutes later, Pei Yan sensed something was off.

Because Shen Ju stopped messaging.

He would only reply when Pei Yan asked.

As if he had suddenly deflated.

Pei Yan scrolled through their chat, looking at the messages Shen Ju had sent him.

Saying he had won the Progress Star Award, saying Jian Yi had taken first place.

Saying he and Jian Yi had gone up to receive the award together...

No wonder.

Pei Yan could imagine what kind of reaction the audience had when Jian Yi took the stage.

But the one who reacted the most was Shen Ju.

He cares so much...

Pei Yan tapped the screen.

The next second, Shen Ju sent a message.

"Why is it... Little Friend..."

Pei Yan walked to the balcony with a water cup, typing with one hand: "I forgot to cover it."

Actually, it was intentional.

"If not Little Friend, then what should it be?"

Pei Yan stood on the balcony. He had just asked Shen Ju where he was. Although the privacy settings at Yujin Residence were excellent, and he couldn’t see the neighboring balcony from the same position, this was the closest place to Shen Ju.

The screen kept showing "typing..."

Pei Yan chuckled: "Using just a name feels distant. What’s my name in your phone contacts?"

Shen Ju saw Pei Yan’s new message and silently deleted the five words he'd typed, "Just your name."

Then he looked at how he had Pei Yan saved in his contacts—[Pei Yan].

"............"

He changed Pei Yan’s name to Brother Pei, then fidgeted with his hood strings to change the subject, his face tightening into a rounder shape: "Brother Pei, see you at the birthday party!"

Pei Yan smiled and put away his phone.

Birthday party, huh.

The Guan family cares so much about Shen Ju—what will happen with this kid’s mission?

I wonder if the Guan family has realized...

Director Qin: "So the baby is unhappy, it's still because of the mission, right?"

Director's Husband: "It seems this mission is unavoidable."

Director Guan: "He has an obsession, surely because what he wants to achieve can't be achieved normally, which is why he agreed to take on such a thankless task. But this child is good-hearted, caught in a dilemma, trapped by circumstances. We accidentally overheard his conversation with that so-called troublemaker, and we can tell when he’s acting. It must be hard to achieve the desired reaction he and that troublemaker want."

Seeing the word "troublemaker," Qin Suxi coughed lightly and said that although she was the one who suggested using codenames in the group, she was the first to break the rule.

Besides, after "interacting" for so long, she found that this system called 996 was rather simple-minded. Although it almost always brought up the mission whenever it spoke, it wasn’t actually bad. Most importantly, Shen Ju seemed to get along well with it, so Qin Suxi subconsciously stopped using that name. But since Guan Jianshan was still using it in the group, Qin Suxi naturally didn’t dare to say anything—after all, it was her idea.

It’s just a bit awkward to see now...

Member Xiao Yao: "So what does he actually want to change or achieve?"

Once this question was asked, the family became silent.

Qin Suxi and Guan Mulin exchanged a glance. They were the ones who had spent the most time with Shen Ju and had a sense of what he cared about or was particularly sensitive to.

But it’s still hard to draw conclusions, and it wasn’t the right time for them to speak up.

Guan Mulin had been silent all along but suddenly thought of something.

—He remembered that time in Pei Yan’s study when he argued with Pei Haochuan, and how the mission energy bar actually increased afterward.

And there was also the conversation between Shen Ju and the system...

"But we still need to test it out..."

Shen Ju and Guan Mulin shared the same birthday. An 18th birthday deserved a proper celebration.

............

So just a few days into winter break, the family of five returned to Heyuan.

And the birthday party held at Heyuan was even larger than the previous event where Shen Ju’s identity was publicly announced.

Jian Yi and Xu Ru also came.

After all, today was the birthday of their two cousins, so they had to come.

Since the last parents' meeting, Xu Ru had gone back and done a lot of thinking. She said it was impossible not to feel satisfaction seeing Wei Jing and Jian Zhanguo like that, and this satisfaction came not only from her son but also from Shen Ju. If Shen Ju’s status hadn’t changed, if he hadn’t had the backing of the Guan family, even if Jian Yi had taken first place, Wei Jing would probably have mocked her right to her face.

And Jian Zhanguo—when he left that day, there was clearly a look of resentment in his eyes. He still wanted to say something to Jian Yi, but Shen Ju stood in front of Jian Yi, staring him down fiercely, preventing him from approaching.

Later, when they got back, Jian Yi looked at her and said, even if Shen Ju’s status hadn’t changed, he would still stand in front of him to have his back.

"Mom, what kind of person is Shen Jiujiu really like? Don’t you know?"

"To this day, he hasn’t said a single bad word about you."

"He’s always considered you his aunt."

Yes, how could she not know what that child was like?

So tenderhearted, so good-natured.

Sometimes too cautious, too thoughtful, never wanting to be a burden or a holdback to anyone. Living in this family, he’s always tried hard to pull his own weight.

It was just that she had been caught up in her own delusions and stubbornness.

Xu Ru thought a lot.

The more she thought, the more uneasy she felt, and the more regret and sadness weighed on her.

She wanted to make amends.

But perhaps all she could do now was not to impose on Shen Ju too much by relying on their past relationship and status.

That was what Jian Yi hoped for too.

But her son worried too much—by now, Xu Ru had no more demands.

............

At the birthday banquet, the Guan family brought out two three-layer cakes. Aside from a few minor differences, they were identical.

But on Shen Ju’s side, there was also a small cart.

The cart was piled high with gifts, a full eighteen of them.

Qin Suxi stood beside Shen Ju, patted his head, and said, "These are belated gifts for you, birthday presents from every year since you were little."

"Happy birthday, Mommy’s good boy."

Guan Lifeng stood on the other side: "These are just from Mom. Dad has prepared gifts for you too, all placed in your room."

Guan Muyao directly pulled out a card: "Red envelopes from all these years, plus the Guan family just secured a big deal where you 'deserve most credit.' There’s a reward for you in here too. Rounded up, it’s thirty million in total."

Guan Jianshan took out a palm-sized rosewood box and waved Shen Ju over: "Good child, come here."

Shen Ju walked over.

Guan Jianshan opened the rosewood box, revealing a jadeite bangle with excellent color and quality.

Guan Jianshan gently rubbed the jade bangle: "This was left by your grandmother. She never got to see you, never knew you existed. She would have been heartbroken. So I decided to give you her favorite bangle. Of course, Grandpa has prepared a gift for you too—a stake in the Guan family business. You just need to sign for them later. Take it, child."

With that, Guan Jianshan handed the rosewood box to him.

Shen Ju instinctively reached out to take it, opened his mouth, but couldn’t say a word.

His eyes were slightly red.

He had a lump in his throat.

996 was the first to start bawling, both moved and heartbroken: "Host—"

"The Guan family is treating you so well, how are we supposed to do our task now?"

"It’s over—it’s over—"

"Will I be sent back for reprogramming when I return? Boo-hoo..."

"Brother 996..."

"Shen Ju, are you so moved you’re about to cry?"

A voice dripping with jealousy spoke up.

"Huh?"

996’s crying abruptly stopped: "Right! Guan Mulin hasn’t given you a gift yet! There’s still hope!"

"Does he finally have an issue with you?!"

Shen Ju pursed his lips and asked tentatively in a low voice: "Do you have an issue with me?"

"Yeah, I do."

Guan Mulin tsk'd, suddenly reached out, grabbed Shen Ju’s cheek, and tugged: "I’m so jealous of you. Feels like you’ve gotten more gifts in one go than I have in 18 years."

"Mmm, thaaat's nooormal—"

Guan Mulin was "messing with" him, but the Guan family didn’t react.

As if, compared to Shen Ju, they spoiled Guan Mulin even more.

996 looked at the task energy bar—

"It’s... it’s rising! Boo-hoo! It finally went up again! 23% now!"

Qin Suxi exchanged a subtle glance with Guan Lifeng, then slapped Guan Mulin’s hand away: "Alright, quit it."

"Heh heh, there’s still hope for the mission!"

Seems it didn’t drop.

Guan Mulin let go, then also took out a small box. Inside was a gold Ruyi lock.

"Here, for you."

"What is it?"

"Actually, it’s giving back what’s rightfully yours."

Guan Mulin explained: "When our eldest brother was born, there was a custom-made gold Ruyi lock. This one was also custom-made, originally for you. Now it’s going back to its owner."

Shen Ju dazedly took it, then looked at Guan Mulin.

Guan Mulin scratched the tip of his nose: "Why are you looking at me? Mom, Dad, big brother, and Grandpa all gave you gifts. If I didn’t, I’d seem like a jerk and cheap. Besides, I’ll get something new."

"That last part's the key point, ha, the new one."

"Now the price of gold is much higher than before, getting me a new one would cost more."

"............"

Shen Ju snorted lightly: "The materials used back then were more solid, y'know."

While Shen Ju was lowering his head and stroking the Ruyi lock, Guan Mulin also looked up at Qin Suxi and the others, listening carefully to his surroundings.

Since the task required their reactions, they would just give reactions.

But what would happen if they gave reactions and then made up for it afterwards?

Guan Mulin remembered that before at the ant market, he'd heard the system mention the task energy bar increased; at that time, it seemed like Pei Yan was teasing Shen Ju, so their performance just now...

"Hehe, host."

996, after crying, was cheerful again: "Our task energy bar finally increased to 25%!"

The Guan family: It actually worked!!

Since that's the case...

The Guan family exchanged glances, then they would just play along with Shen Ju!

After acting, they would "make up for it"; they couldn't really let Shen Ju think they had any thoughts or opinions about him.

After all, this little system probably has many bugs and can't accurately detect when humans are "being two-faced" or "saying no but meaning yes."

This is also a solution of last resort.

Time to test their acting chops!

Pei Yan, who was watching from not far away, couldn't help lowering his head to smile.

It seems Guan Mulin isn't completely stupid after all.

"Sigh."

A sigh came from nearby.

Pei Yan turned his head and saw Pei Haochuan looking worried.

"Little Uncle, Mu Lin must be feeling bad."

Pei Yan: "............"

This one's a real idiot.

However...

Pei Yan gave a careful look at Pei Haochuan.

It made Pei Haochuan feel somewhat uneasy.

"What's wrong, Uncle?"

"You towards Guan Mulin—"

"What?"

Pei Haochuan, completely confused: "What about me towards Mu Lin?"

Tentatively continuing: "My brotherly feelings for Mu Lin are clear as day and earth?"

"............"

Well, forget it.

Pei Yan turned away, not wanting to say anything.

Perhaps Shen Ju's path to task completion is still "long and arduous."

"By the way, Little Uncle."

Pei Haochuan, as if remembering something, and seeing that the atmosphere seemed okay, asked without thinking: "This Chinese New Year... Little Uncle, are you going back?"

After asking, he immediately regretted it and wanted to slap his own mouth!

Why did he suddenly ask this question on this occasion?!

Are you sick, Pei Haochuan?!

Then looking at Pei Yan—

Sure enough, he saw Pei Yan's expression suddenly turn cold.