Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Today, the weather is lovely, with a bright sun that isn’t too hot, and a gentle breeze rustling the branches, creating a whispering sound.

Nan Liujing randomly picks two days each week as rest days, and tomorrow happens to be Shen Lanqing’s birthday, so he’s taking both weekend days off.

He sits at the dining table, with a financial magazine spread out beside him. Wrapped in a dark gray robe over a silk midnight blue pajama set, his slightly open collar reveals half of his snow-white collarbone, leading to his firm, bulging chest muscles, casting leaf-shaped shadows that dance with the shifting light.

Next to the dining room is a huge floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of the thousand-acre garden landscape that rivals the British royal family—perfect for relaxing.

Soon after, Shen Gali is dragged downstairs by Uncle Li for breakfast.

Nan Liujing’s mood sours as soon as he sees this sickly man.

Every time they meet, Shen Gali hangs his head, and Nan Liujing even starts wondering if Shen Gali has ever actually seen his real face.

Shen Gali is forced to sit in the chair opposite Nan Liujing. As soon as he sits down, he starts dozing off, his head bobbing like a chicken pecking at rice.

“Raise your head.” Nan Liujing’s voice is icy, with unyielding determination.

Shen Gali is already in a bad mood because he had to get up early, and now he has to face an outrageously ugly face—it really ruins his day.

He lifts his head weakly, looking out the window at the garden, and says weakly, “Good morning, good afternoon, good night. May you be healthy and worry-free forever.”

Nan Liujing: …

If he were to accuse him of being rude, he did greet him, so Nan Liujing can’t find a reason to lose his temper.

Looking up, he sees Shen Gali with half-closed eyes, his loose pajamas hanging down, faintly revealing a sliver of a snow-white shoulder. The sunlight falls on his face, tinting his eyelashes a soft golden.

Nan Liujing stares at him without moving, thinking that if Shen Gali always has this attitude, it will be hard to find evidence of his wrongdoing to contribute to the plan to call off the engagement.

He pushes the plate of boiled shrimp in front of Shen Gali and says coldly, “Peel the shrimp for me. After breakfast, there’s important business to attend to.”

Looking at the plate of boiled shrimp, Shen Gali feels numb.

Why do shrimp have shells? If they’re meant to be eaten, why bother with the extra step?

“But I…”

“No more words. Peel.” Nan Liujing cuts him off.

Shen Gali looks at his own hands, sighs, then picks up a green shrimp, pinches the head, yanks it off, and then pulls at the shell on its back, ripping it down forcefully—no technique, no intelligence behind it.

He can’t peel it, and he’s tired.

He holds the shrimp out: “Eat it like this.”

Nan Liujing sneers: “When you eat shrimp, do you eat them like this too?”

Perfect, he’s found solid evidence of his disobedience.

Shen Gali: “No.”

Nan Liujing feels smug; at least he’s honest.

Then he hears Shen Gali continue: “I don’t peel them. I just eat them whole.”

Nan Liujing: …

“Peel them again. Peel until they’re clean.” He clenches his fingers, veins faintly showing on the back of his hand.

Sometimes, when emotions run high, one demands a satisfactory outcome.

Shen Gali sighs, showing his impatience clearly.

He pulls at the shell, muttering, “You’re so rich, why don’t you just invent a shrimp that doesn’t grow shells?”

Nan Liujing thinks to himself that this guy’s logic is really something. The next second, a mangled shrimp is pushed in front of him.

How can he not handle this guy?

Nan Liujing contentedly picks up the shrimp meat with his fork, puts it in his mouth, and chews slowly, his movements elegant and refined.

Suddenly, Uncle Li comes down the stairs rolling up his sleeves: “Mr. Shen, the water pipe is fixed. You can wash your hands and face now.”

Nan Liujing’s expression darkens: “You didn’t wash your hands.”

It’s a statement, not a question.

Shen Gali drags his heavy body up: “Yeah, I’m going to wash them now.”

Nan Liujing’s eyes are vicious, his fingers gripping the knife and fork turn pale.

After a long while, he picks up his water glass and starts rinsing his mouth repeatedly.

Shen Gali had wanted to kindly tell Nan Liujing earlier that the upstairs water pipe was broken and Uncle Li was fixing it, and that he hadn’t washed up yet, but Nan Liujing didn’t give him a chance to speak.

And now, trouble has struck.

Conservative estimate: Nan Liujing swallowed at least 800,000 bacteria.

After washing up and coming downstairs, Nan Liujing has lost his appetite. He flips through a financial magazine, drinking coffee, chatting casually with Uncle Li.

Shen Gali has no interest in the shrimp on the plate and just nibbles on his bread without enthusiasm.

“Young master, the SSC agent called. They said the Tuatara you ordered has cleared customs and asked if you want to pick up the car today.”

“Pick it up. And buy a big gift box, and a velvet gift box.”

Shen Gali listens silently, guessing that this is probably the gift for Shen Lanqing—an SSC Tuatara, worth tens of millions. Plus, there are only five cars allocated domestically, so it’s something you can’t buy with just money; it depends entirely on status and connections.

Uncle Li asks Shen Gali again: “Mr. Shen, tomorrow is Young Master Lanqing’s birthday banquet. Have you prepared a gift for him?”

“No,” Shen Gali says matter-of-factly. “I’ll just send a red envelope.”

Even if he picked out a gift with care, the other person might not like it. People who lack nothing just put gifts in a corner to collect dust, and they’re a waste of space. Better to give cash—that’s something solid and real.

“That may be true, but gifts aren’t about value; they’re a token of thought. Young Master Lanqing would surely be delighted to see his brother pick out a special gift for him…”

“I’ll go buy one now.” Shen Gali puts on a pained face.

Please, stop nagging.

After changing clothes, Shen Gali heads out.

He hasn’t been out in a while, and the blazing sun overhead makes his head spin. His legs feel weak, like stepping on cotton—insubstantial, no solid footing.

Someone who looks as frail as him easily becomes a target for gym staff. Just as he reaches the mall entrance, a staff member with a stack of flyers asks him if he’d like to come in for a free trial.

Shen Gali shook his head, not wanting to speak more.

He understood that the young man was just an employee and had a tough job, so his attitude remained relatively friendly.

"Looking at your build, you're so thin—a gust of wind could blow you away. You're so skinny. Do you have someone you like? Girls nowadays prefer men with a strong, secure physique, you know. Our new store just opened, and we have a promotion. How about this: leave me your phone number, and our coach will give you a detailed introduction to our courses."

Hearing the words "so skinny," Shen Gali didn't even look at him. "Is this the new pick-up line to get someone's number?"

Asking if he had someone he liked, and then asking for his number—wasn't that flirting?

The young man: ...

Suddenly, he didn't feel like talking to Shen Gali anymore.

The young man made a "please go ahead" gesture, his face full of smiles. "You're busy, you're busy. I won't bother you anymore."

Shen Gali took a deep breath.

Finally, peace and quiet.

Entering the mall, Shen Gali used the line, "If you want my contact info, just say so," and successfully warded off all the salespeople who approached him.

They worked hard for others, and approaching customers was inevitable, but it wasn't his fault—it was the shady bosses.

What gift should he buy for Shen Lanqing?

Thinking about going to great trouble for someone he'd only met once and wasn't related to, Shen Gali's laziness kicked in again.

He sat down on a bench outside a store, rubbing his sore legs.

Just then, a young girl came out of the store, looking a bit shy, and nodded at Shen Gali.

She opened the box in her hand, placed the items on the display case, and started tinkering.

Shen Gali realized the store behind him sold mini puzzle toys.

But after she set them up, most people hurried past, with only a few glancing curiously and stepping closer.

Shen Gali moved a bit closer and observed what the girl was doing.

She was playing with a foreign mini toy set that claimed to develop kids' fine motor skills and teach them to care for others.

The set included two baby dolls with different hair colors, eyes closed in peaceful sleep.

After wiping the dolls' faces with a special wet wipe, the surface paint would come off, and the dolls would open their eyes. Then you had to feed them with a bottle, and after they cried, put a diaper on them. With a 'whoosh,' the water-soluble layer on the diaper dissolved, and finally, you could dig out a cheap plastic bracelet from the used diaper.

The onlookers: ...

"That's disgusting! Who would design something like this! The person selling it is an idiot too!" With that, they left angrily.

Although it wasn't the girl's fault, it was her first day and she had just been harshly criticized. Tears welled up, but afraid of being laughed at, she lowered her head and bit her lip to hold them back.

Then she noticed Shen Gali staring intently at the baby toy in her hands. When she paused, he asked, "And then?"

He seemed quite interested.

The girl cautiously looked at him, and when he pressed, "What's next?" her broken heart slowly began to heal.

She mustered her courage and said, "Then the bracelet can be hung around the baby's neck, or given to a child at home to play with. Sir, would you like to buy a set to try? It's... it's really fun."

She hadn't expected much, but Shen Gali said, "Where do I pay?"

...

It was her first sale, so she enthusiastically wrapped the toy set in deep blue wrapping paper that looked quite elegant.

Carrying the baby toy set, Shen Gali suddenly forgot why he had come to the mall.

Couldn't remember. Oh well, forget it.

As he went downstairs, the salespeople who were scouting for targets saw Shen Gali and all went silent, pretending to look at the view.

Just as he stepped out of the mall, his phone suddenly rang.

Shen Gali pulled it out and saw "Idiot #18" on the screen.

Hmm... Already number eighteen. Maybe he should just block them.

He rejected the call and put the phone back.

The phone rang again, relentlessly.

It kept ringing, and people around started staring.

Being socially anxious and lazy, he really hated this attention.

Fine, he'd answer it.

He found a quiet corner and answered. The first thing he heard was, "Sister-in-law, it's me, Feiyao."

Sure enough, as expected, something unexpected was about to happen.

"Sister-in-law, where are you? Can we meet?" Unlike last time, maybe because Feiyao needed something, his tone was much less aggressive.

Shen Gali said, "No need. I already used the bathroom before leaving."

But Feiyao was clueless. "I can tell from your voice you're outside. I'm outside too. Let's meet. I'll come to you. Just give me your address."

Shen Gali replied, "I haven't left the solar system yet."

This guy just ignored other people and kept talking to himself. Even a lazy person has a temper, okay?

"Sister-in-law, are you near the RT-Mart? I think I see you. I'm right across the street."

Feiyao kept talking to himself. As soon as he finished, a long, harsh honk sounded.

Shen Gali truly hated this world full of self-centered people who only talked at you.

He looked up. Across the street, a Maserati was parked, and a tall young man was waving at him through the window.

In the coffee shop.

Shen Gali and Nan Feiyao sat facing each other. Nan Feiyao wanted to order coffee for him, but Shen Gali stopped him. "If you have something to say, say it. If not, I want to go back and lie down."

He firmly believed that air was composed of 21% stimulants, 70% alcohol, and 9% ammonia. If he had another sip of caffeine, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Nan Feiyao lowered his head. His blue-striped shirt with thin white lines made him look young and clean, perfectly matching that little young master who was raised in a world of innocence.

"Sister-in-law..." Nan Feiyao seemed hesitant, his tone cautious.

Shen Gali closed his eyes, expressionless.

Yeah, keep dawdling like this. He'd fall asleep soon.

"Sister-in-law, I..." Nan Feiyao clenched his fingers, a hint of worry on his handsome face. "Actually, there's something I want to ask for your help with."