Chapter 39 Add WeChat

Chapter 39: Add Me on WeChat

It snowed a bit in the morning. Shen Shiyan waited outside the skateboard club, glancing at his watch.

Right at noon, Shen Ci, on a skateboard, glided out with a bunch of kids his age. He tried to show off, but the wheel caught a pebble, throwing him off balance. The skateboard, with Shen Ci on it, wobbled straight toward Shen Shiyan's car.

"Daddy!"

Shen Ci yelled. Luckily, Shen Shiyan reacted fast enough to keep him from smacking into the car window.

"Didn't learn how to brake?" Shen Shiyan shoved the kid into the back seat, buckled him in, and tossed the brand-new skateboard to the other side.

Shen Ci had just been caught by Shen Shiyan, his nose smacking right into his chest. It was a bit sore, so he rubbed it and said, "I did learn, I just messed up the braking."

The club was a bit far, still on the edge of Jinting. To make it to the family banquet on time, Shen Shiyan pressed down on the gas a bit more.

He drove one-handed and chuckled, "Didn't look like it."

The hour-long drive was cut down to forty minutes. Just before one, Shen Shiyan showed up at the main hall entrance with Shen Ci in tow.

Shen Sicheng was already there, a bit shorter than Shen Shiyan, wearing all white with strips of cloth tied all over—probably some niche brand's creative design. He was sprawled in a chair, playing on his phone.

"Dad." Shen Shiyan greeted Shen Wenzhou at the head of the table first, then found his seat.

"Shiyan," Shen Wenzhou shot a glare at Shen Sicheng, who didn't even acknowledge it, then turned to Shen Shiyan and said, "I already had someone handle that thing from a few days ago. If any more troublemakers come to you, report straight to Assistant Li. Don't deal with it yourself."

"Got it, Dad." Shen Shiyan knew exactly who Shen Wenzhou was referring to.

He could afford the two million now, but he purposely used the company account to make the transfer. The goal was to let Shen Wenzhou's informant in finance catch the trail, leading from the receiving account straight to Shen Sinian.

To Shen Wenzhou, money wasn't the issue. It was greedy mad dogs like Shen Sinian that could mess up the Shen family's current peace.

As they spoke, Shen Sicheng finally put his phone away, hands in his pockets, and sat up a little straighter with his legs crossed, barely managing a decent posture: "Are we gonna eat or what?"

Shen Wenzhou glared again: "This is a welcome banquet for you. I had someone pick an auspicious time; it's supposed to start right at one."

Shen Sicheng buried half his face in his collar, totally disrespecting Shen Wenzhou: "What year is this? Still buying into that superstitious crap?"

Shen Wenzhou's beard bristled: "Shen Sicheng!"

Everyone at the table exchanged wide-eyed looks and went quiet. Shen Rong still couldn't stand Shen Ci, occasionally shooting him dirty looks. Shen Siyu's oldest daughter, Shen Yao, was also back—about fifteen or sixteen, sitting between Liang Ning and Shen Siyu, eyeing Shen Shiyan and Shen Ci curiously.

As for Shen Siwen and Li Yun, ever since Song Xianghan's news broke, they argued constantly in private but still kept up appearances in public. Shen Siwen, in particular, had been fired nearly two months ago. Now, instead of looking down like before, he seemed oddly cheerful.

Shen Shiyan had only gotten word from Song Xianghan yesterday: the casino was set up in a repair shop's basement. Beat-up cars were sent in every day, using the repair machinery noise as cover, while the nearby logistics park was a front for shuttling gamblers.

As for Su Xinrou, she didn't work at the logistics park at all—she was a dealer at the casino.

Year-end profits had skyrocketed, no wonder Shen Siwen was so smug.

Shen Shiyan's gaze casually swept over Shen Siyu.

He'd been busy developing new land lately. Housing prices in the suburbs were low, but a few plots backed by the government's planned tourist area, plus being close to highways to neighboring cities, had shot up their commercial value.

Whether by coincidence or because the two brothers were in cahoots and covering for each other, Shen Siwen's casino just happened to be right in the area where Shen Siyu planned to build hostels and guesthouses.

This was getting interesting.

After the clock in the main hall struck the hour, the atmosphere finally warmed up a bit. Shen Sicheng picked at the dishes, took a few bites, then dropped his chopsticks, slumped back in his chair, and pulled out his phone.

He couldn't stand anyone. If Shen Wenzhou hadn't sent people to tie him up and drag him back, he wouldn't come back in a million years.

"Does everyone owe you something?" Shen Siwen, who couldn't stand this younger brother either, couldn't help but scold him.

Shen Sicheng was lazily playing a puzzle game on his phone. At that, he lifted his eyelids slightly and said casually, "Bro, just be glad I'm not after your share of the family fortune. Save the sarcasm."

Shen Siwen's face went red and pale. A few people got heated and started arguing, until Shen Wenzhou slammed the table and shouted, "What's all this fuss again! Not a single peaceful day!"

A brief second of silence, then Shen Sicheng sneered: "If you'd just step down early and hand over the fortune to my big brother, he wouldn't make a scene."

His white clothes stood out starkly against the wooden furniture. Shen Wenzhou stood up to slap him, but before he could, Shen Sicheng had already nimbly flipped over the other side of the chair and moved farther away.

"Look at you now! No respect for elders, talking nonsense, dressed like a freak!" Shen Wenzhou was furious, his walking stick pointing at Shen Sicheng, his beard trembling.

Shen Sicheng had no proper posture whether sitting or standing—one leg stretched out, knees bent, shoulders uneven, arms crossed, looking like a street thug.

"This is convenient to wear." He glanced down at his all-white outfit, very satisfied. "If someone kicks the bucket today, I won't even need to change into mourning clothes."

A vital sign monitor on Shen Wenzhou started beeping an alarm.

The butler quickly went over to support the gasping Shen Wenzhou, called for a maid to bring a wheelchair, helped him in, and let him rest for a moment, but the alarm didn't stop.

As he was wheeled back to his quarters to find a doctor, Shen Wenzhou was too angry to speak, his hand still trembling, pointing in Shen Sicheng's direction.

The latter shrugged indifferently.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Rather than attending a funeral years later, he'd rather send Shen Wenzhou to his grave today, so he wouldn't have to come back to the country again.

The family banquet ended hastily, and the main hall gradually emptied. Shen Shiyan hadn't expected Shen Sicheng and Shen Wenzhou's relationship to have deteriorated to such an irreconcilable point.

"What are you still hanging around for? Want to lecture me like Shen Siwen and Shen Siyu?" Shen Sicheng couldn't be bothered to go check if Shen Wenzhou was dead or alive, leaning against a wine cabinet in the main hall, eyeing Shen Shiyan coldly.

So it was indiscriminate hostility.

"I'm not that bored." Shen Shiyan let out a low laugh, then stood up, pulled a black gift box from Shen Ci's backpack, and handed it to Shen Sicheng. "First meeting, a small token."

Shen Sicheng didn't take it, his expression turning even colder: "Think a little bribe can buy me off? Get me involved in your infighting..."

His words trailed off.

Shen Shiyan opened the gift box directly.

The next second, the box was snatched out of his hand and into Shen Sicheng's.

An irregular fragment, alternating between dark gray and dull brown, lay quietly in the box. Its surface was rough and uneven, mixed with a few white-gray mineral grains, covered with fine lines and small shallow pits, showcasing the most pristine appearance of cosmic rock.

Shen Sicheng examined it seriously for a long moment, then looked up, pulled out his phone, and brought up his personal WeChat QR code. Gone was the earlier disdain and coldness; instead, he said sincerely, "Fourth brother, add me on WeChat."

Shen Shiyan: "..."