Chapter 43 There Will Be Time

Chapter 43: Plenty of Time

Shen Shiyan bent down, his sharp fingers picking up the phone from the floor, spinning it once in his hand before handing it to Li Yun. "What's got you so nervous, sis-in-law?"

Li Yun's spine went cold. She swallowed, took the phone pretending to be calm, and tossed it onto the sofa. "With all this mess in the Shen family, what are you doing here?"

Shen Shiyan slipped his hands into his pockets, a faint smile on his face. "Exactly because of the mess, I figured I'd come check on you, sis-in-law."

"No need." Li Yun sat down, staring at the man before her. "Your big brother just had an accident, and you rush over to watch me make a fool of myself, don't you?"

Shen Shiyan's gaze, half-smiling, swept across Li Yun's face for a moment. Her face was impeccably preserved, never had kids, with barely a mark of time. No wonder Shen Siyu had been keeping her as his secret lover all these years.

That call had already told Shen Shiyan everything he needed. Sticking around any longer would be a waste of time. He withdrew his gaze and said, "Glad to see you're okay, sis-in-law."

Seeing how calm he was, Li Yun relaxed slightly, sinking back into the couch cushions. Closing her eyes, she dismissed him: "If you're relieved, then scram."

Shen Shiyan just smiled, didn't push it, and turned to leave.

At the police station, Song Xianghan's people got word in. The casino's internal staff couldn't take the pressure and had ratted out their bosses as Song Huixuan and Shen Siwen. During questioning, the two were snitching on each other, passing the buck. Combined with the investigation into the capital chain, Changyun Auto Repair, the logistics park, and the foundation's legal entities, it was basically just waiting for the trial.

At eleven o'clock that night, Shen Shiyan looked at the flashing name "Shen Siyu" on his phone and, a little surprised, answered.

"Dad wants to see you."

As soon as he heard those three words, the line went dead.

Soon, the butler passed along the news: Shen Wenzhou had been moved from the ICU to a private room, out of the woods.

When Shen Shiyan arrived at the hospital, Shen Siyu's face was dark and cold as the bottom of the ocean.

Without a word, Shen Shiyan walked straight into the room.

The smell of disinfectant was strong. The machines around him coldly showed his vital signs. Shen Wenzhou was hooked up to wires and had a catheter in, still wearing an oxygen mask, but his eyes were open and he seemed fully awake.

Shen Shiyan, his coat still cold from the night air, sat down on the visiting chair by the bed.

"The Shen family..."

After just having his throat suctioned, Shen Wenzhou's voice was weak and raspy.

Shen Shiyan got up and grabbed the cup with the glass straw from the bedside table. Shen Wenzhou waved his hand.

"The whole Shen family's been handled, Dad, rest assured." Shen Shiyan sat back down, a hint of difficulty showing on his face. "But big brother... I'm afraid he can't be saved from this. He and Song Huixuan, the second son of Starway Tech's CEO, worked together for profit. The Song family's already thrown him under the bus. With both sides tangled up, it's hard to fix."

Shen Wenzhou closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "I'll have Assistant Li deal with the police station."

Shen Shiyan watched the little fog patch on the oxygen mask that got shallower and deeper as Shen Wenzhou breathed, and nodded.

Shen Shiyan didn't know that back when Shen Siwen was in his twenties, with foreign trade just emerging, Shen Wenzhou had taken him abroad to gain experience in business negotiations. During the trip, they were ambushed by a rival competitor. Shen Siwen took two fatal knife wounds for Shen Wenzhou. No matter how much Shen Wenzhou despised this son, he still remembered that debt of gratitude.

With Shen Wenzhou's connections at the police department, getting someone out was just a matter of spending money.

Shen Shiyan sighed inwardly, but his face showed no change. After a moment of thought, he spoke hesitantly: "Dad, there's one more thing... I'm not sure if I should say it..."

Shen Wenzhou, finding it hard to speak, gestured for him to continue.

"About big brother's casino," Shen Shiyan paused, building anticipation for the second half of his sentence, "it happens to be built on the land of second brother's new real estate development. I wonder if it's a coincidence or..."

Shen Shiyan didn't finish. Shen Wenzhou's face changed, his breathing quickened, but he barely managed to steady himself.

Before Shen Shiyan arrived, he had already asked the butler to draft a will, splitting the shares seventy-thirty, with Shen Siyu as the head of the family and the remaining thirty percent to Shen Shiyan.

He had intended for Shen Shiyan to be a supporter, to assist Shen Siyu, and also to put some pressure on him.

Shen Wenzhou had never felt as despairing as he did today. He was decisive and ruthless in his dealings, swift and efficient in business, and had his hands stained with dirty blood. But in the end, it was all for the Shen Corporation. A lifetime of painstaking effort was simply because he was in that position, doing that job.

He couldn't understand why the son he had raised from childhood would defy the family's ancestral teachings, perhaps even colluding with others to taint the Shen family's legacy, and possibly, once he had a foothold and power, even devour his own father.

"Dad, don't worry. Focus on recovering."

Shen Wenzhou snapped back to reality. The nineteen-year-old youth before him—this used pawn, this elixir he had intended to prolong his life and ensure the Shen family's safety—had become the only one showing him concern, the only one he could trust a little in the final stretch of his life.

Shen Wenzhou closed his eyes again and nodded weakly. "You and Shen Siyu both go back. Have the butler come in."

Shen Shiyan acknowledged, helped adjust Shen Wenzhou's position slightly, and then left the ward.

"The head of the family wants to see you." Shen Shiyan walked straight to the butler, bowed his head slightly, and waited until the butler's figure disappeared behind the ward door, followed by the click of the lock. Then he turned to look at Shen Siyu. "Second brother, Dad says we should both go back."

Shen Siyu's face remained dark. "You're young, but you've got some tricks."

Shen Shiyan didn't respond. He pulled out his car keys and said, "Second brother came in the Shen family car. It's inconvenient to go back. I drove."

Shen Siyu's eyes were bloodshot. "Why change the subject? Isn't this all your doing, Shen Shiyan? Aren't you tired of pretending in front of Dad? You just latched onto Starway, that new medical powerhouse. You took down Shen Siwen without lifting a finger. Am I next?!"

Shen Shiyan's expression was indifferent, as if he couldn't understand Shen Siyu's breakdown and hysteria. He simply handed him the car keys and said, "Second brother, you're overthinking it. Big brother's matter has nothing to do with me. I'm not a good driver, so I'll trouble you to drive."

Shen Siyu felt a lump in his chest, unable to rise or fall. His former smiling mask had shattered, and he could no longer maintain it.

He knew that Shen Wenzhou had higher hopes for Shen Siwen, but he had never underestimated himself. He had only been waiting for Shen Wenzhou to pass away before seizing power from Shen Siwen.

The expression on Shen Shiyan's face before him had never changed, watching him coldly like a clown making a fool of himself. He had underestimated Shen Shiyan and overestimated himself.

Shen Siyu looked at the car keys in Shen Shiyan's hand, suddenly let out a laugh, and took them.

Underestimate? Overestimate? It didn't matter. Consider it saving the trouble of dealing with Shen Siwen later. As for Shen Shiyan...

As long as a man lives, he has flaws, weaknesses.

Plenty of time.