Chapter 11 Protection

Chapter 11: Protection

"Assistant Qi, please screen the new companies seeking cooperation..."

The meeting wasn't over yet when the phone on Shen Shiyan's left buzzed. He continued assigning tasks without a flicker in his expression, picked up the phone, and glanced at it.

Shen Ci? Shouldn't he be in class at this time?

Shen Shiyan's brow furrowed slightly. He quickly finished his last two sentences, ended the meeting, and answered the call just before it disconnected. "Shen Ci..."

"Daddy... can you come to the school..."

Shen Shiyan was taken aback. Shen Ci's plaintive voice carried a strong nasal tone, as if he had been crying.

"Alright, wait for me at school."

Recently, Shen Shiyan no longer used Shen Wenzhou's driver. Yuhe had its own dedicated driver, though the car wasn't as nice.

Yunxi was located in the city center of Yuncheng. Sitting in the back seat, Shen Shiyan watched the long red light at the intersection, feeling inexplicably irritable.

The half-hour journey felt incredibly long to Shen Shiyan. The guard at the school gate gave him directions. After navigating several turns, he arrived at Class 1, Grade 5, and was then led by a teacher to the principal's office.

"He's not from the Shen family... his father isn't either..."

Before even reaching the door, Shen Rong's deafening cries could be heard, accompanied by a few words of comfort from Liang Ning.

Looking in from the doorway, Shen Shiyan's breath caught. Shen Rong, wailing loudly, was being held in Liang Ning's arms. Shen Ci stood beside them. His clothes were disheveled, his originally smooth hair now stuck out unevenly from his scalp like a pile of dry weeds. His shoulders and neck were covered in hair clippings. In his right hand, he held the rabbit keychain, currently staring down at the tips of his own shoes.

"Shen Ci."

Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Ci relaxed slightly. He looked up, his eyes red. "Daddy..."

A flicker of heartache passed through Shen Shiyan's eyes. He stepped in front of Shen Ci and nodded politely towards the principal.

"Shen Rong's neck was bitten by Shen Ci until it bled. It's a very serious matter, and the school takes it very seriously..."

Both children are Shens. Without full knowledge of the situation, the principal didn't want to offend either side. However, Shen Wenzhou had a full physical examination scheduled for today, and no one dared to disturb him. With the old master absent, Liang Ning felt even less constrained. She gave the principal an exaggerated account, naturally tipping the school's favor towards Shen Rong.

"He was the one who messed with my things first!" Shen Ci took a step out from beside Shen Shiyan, loudly refuting the principal, one hand tightly clutching the back of Shen Shiyan's clothes.

"You still dare to speak!"

They were all standing close. Seeing Shen Ci still daring to argue, Liang Ning's sharp voice seemed ready to burst from her throat. She immediately let go of Shen Rong, raised her hand, and aimed a slap at Shen Ci's face.

*Smack!* Shen Shiyan turned his head, a red mark appearing on his face.

She was fast. Shen Shiyan instinctively moved to protect Shen Ci, pulling him into his embrace instantly. The slap landed squarely on Shen Shiyan's right cheek. The long nail on her pinky finger scratched the skin above his jawline, leaving a thin trail of blood.

"Daddy!" Shen Ci cried out, trying to break free from Shen Shiyan's hold to see his face, but Shen Shiyan held him close.

"Sister-in-law, calm down," Shen Shiyan said, pulling Shen Ci behind him and turning to face Liang Ning directly. "Shen Ci is still young."

"So you're protecting him." Liang Ning hadn't expected Shen Shiyan to block her for Shen Ci's sake. A flicker of surprise crossed her furious face before being quickly concealed. She pulled Shen Rong in front of her, carefully lifted his collar, and revealed the gruesome wound.

The flesh at the edges of the bite marks was slightly turned outward. At the two deepest points, two small holes oozing dark red blood were visible. The surrounding area was bruised purple and blue, as if poisoned fangs had been viciously driven in—a shocking sight.

Shen Shiyan's brow twitched. He turned to look at Shen Ci. "You bit him?"

Shen Ci nodded somewhat dazedly, then hurriedly explained as if afraid Shen Shiyan wouldn't take his side, "He was the one who started..."

Before he could finish, Shen Shiyan had already turned back to face the principal, who looked pained. "There must be a reason for this incident. I'd trouble the school to provide the complete surveillance footage of what happened."

"What do you mean!"

Liang Ning's hand shot out again, only to be caught by Shen Shiyan, who gripped her wrist to stop her. "Both children are still young. If Shen Ci did anything wrong, I will personally request punishment from the head of the family. But sister-in-law should also understand the full story before making a judgment."

Shen Shiyan's voice was firm. The atmosphere in the office became tense, with only the sound of the two children's sobs remaining.

"If the school insists on showing favoritism, I will call the police."

Shen Shiyan once again requested to see the surveillance footage from the principal, his attitude unyielding.

Even an honest official finds it hard to settle family disputes, let alone one as complex as this. The principal now just wanted to escape this place.

Just as Liang Ning was about to speak, she was interrupted by Shen Siyu at the door. "A'Ning."

He had also rushed over after handling matters at the company. He first checked Shen Rong's wound, a flash of violence instantly filling his eyes. When he turned to look at Shen Shiyan, he had switched back to his usual smiling expression. "Shiyan."

Shen Shiyan had little goodwill towards the members of the Shen family. His expression didn't soften in the slightest. "Second Brother."

Shen Siyu also saw the slap mark on Shen Shiyan's face. He patted his shoulder, then addressed the principal. "We should indeed check the surveillance footage. Children having tantrums is normal. Thank you for your trouble."

With Shen Siyu also requesting the footage, the principal finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The surveillance footage was quickly transmitted to the computer in the principal's office. The image quality was very clear, and every word Shen Rong said fell clearly into everyone's ears. Who was right and who was wrong became immediately apparent.

Liang Ning shot a glare at Shen Siyu, blaming him for insisting on getting the footage and putting them at a disadvantage.

Shen Siyu ignored Liang Ning. He just checked Shen Rong's wound again and said nonchalantly, "Children's squabbles are normal. But Xiao Ci bit down with deadly force, almost hitting the carotid artery. Isn't that going too far?"

Shen Shiyan felt Shen Ci's hand, placed on the small of his back, trembling slightly. He reached a hand back to hold Shen Ci's and said, "Children may not distinguish right from wrong, but adults shouldn't be unclear about what's right and wrong."

Shen Siyu's expression didn't change at all. He gave a light laugh. "Shiyan, you're still a child yourself."

The veiled threat in his words was so obvious even Shen Ci could hear it. The hand being held suddenly clenched tightly.

*Enough. It's enough that Shen Shiyan came and argued for him.*

He thought that as long as he apologized, or did whatever they wanted him to do, Shen Shiyan wouldn't be implicated.

He moved again, wanting to step out from behind Shen Shiyan, but was pulled back by the person in front of him, held firmly behind.

Shen Shiyan fearlessly raised his head to meet Shen Siyu's gaze, his words icy. "Then Second Brother should know that I am still useful to the head of the family. I don't believe Shen Ci did anything wrong."

Shen Ci froze, silent tears streaming from his eyes.

Shen Siyu half-knelt before Shen Rong, took another deep look at the wound, then stood up and took Shen Rong's hand. "That's true. Shiyan, you should take Xiao Ci back now. Get his hair properly trimmed. It really doesn't look good like this."

Shen Shiyan didn't reply.

Shen Siyu brushed past his shoulder, the smile completely gone from his face. In that moment, Shen Siyu's voice dropped to an extreme low, carrying a naked threat.

"Then you should also know that there will come a day when you lose your usefulness."