Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Shen Gali looked at the gift box Nan Liujing had given him, which was identical to his own, and fell into deep thought.

He now had no idea which box held the car keys and which held the baby toy set, and as for the box Nan Feiyao had given him, he didn’t even know what was inside.

Shen Lanqing was so moved he even started stammering: "Brother, brother, which one is yours?"

Shen Gali couldn't be bothered to think it over and handed both boxes to him: "The expensive one is from Nan Liu... my husband, and the cheap one is mine."

The three words "my husband" were squeezed out through gritted teeth.

Shen Lanqing couldn't wait to open one of the gift boxes.

A cheap-looking paper box contained two ugly foreign baby dolls.

Shen Lanqing's fingers paused, and his smile instantly vanished.

The crowd below instantly erupted.

"Oh my god, this might fool a little kid, but is Shen Gali out of his mind?"

"So embarrassing, I can't even watch."

Shen Lanqing's mother pressed a hand to her forehead and lowered her head in utter despair.

Stupid jerk, only bringing shame on me.

Mocking and sarcastic voices were endless, buzzing like flies at a village outhouse.

Shen Lanqing lowered his head, his voice tinged with a hint of loneliness: "Brother, in your eyes, am I like a naive little kid, right?"

Shen Gali thought: Whoever suggested opening gifts in public is the real child.

Shen Gali wanted to explain but felt it was too much trouble.

If this could make the boy stay away from him, he was willing to play the bad guy.

"Yes," Shen Gali didn't disagree.

"Huh?" Shen Lanqing let out an ambiguous laugh.

He slowly raised his head, but his cheeks were as red as a boiled shrimp, burning fiercely.

Shen Gali figured any second now, he would turn dark.

"Brother!" But unexpectedly, Shen Lanqing threw himself into Shen Gali's arms, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist, almost suffocating him.

"I'll always be the little kid in my brother's eyes! And my brother's little kid can only have me, no one else should even think about it!"

Shen Gali: ?

Spare me. Why is this plot veering off like a rocket? Wasn't the young master supposed to be humiliated and go dark, and wasn't the lead guy supposed to shift the blame and expose the cannon fodder's scheme in public?

"I really, really wanted this baby toy set, but I couldn’t find it in many stores, and online only had pre-sale, the earliest delivery was the end of the year. Brother, where did you buy it?" Shen Lanqing hugged the box, his hands trembling.

Shen Gali finally recalled that the original story's protagonist, Shen Lanqing, is innocent and naive, with a hobby: miniature toys.

Shen Gali let out a slow sigh: "I bought it at the mall in front of the house..."

"So amazing!" Shen Lanqing gave him a big hug, "Brother, you’re really amazing! You actually bought something at the mall! You must love me a lot, since you even know my preferences perfectly."

Shen Gali: ...

Everyone: .......

Shen Gali: Could he admit he bought it for himself?

Shen Lanqing suddenly looked at the audience, barely containing his excitement, turned to his mother and asked: "Mom, can I make a ranking of my favorite gifts?"

His mother desperately wanted him to stop talking, but he was her own flesh and blood who had been lost for twenty years; what else could she do but go along with him?

"Up to you..."

No sooner had she spoken, Shen Lanqing couldn't wait to hold up the baby toy set: "The gift from my brother is definitely the best! Everyone want a closer look? Then let's pass it around starting from the first table, but be careful, don’t break it."

The guests curled their toes so hard they could dig a mansion, awkward smiles: "Then let's... take a look..."

Shen Lanqing also called the servers to give each guest a wet wipe, asking them to clean their hands thoroughly before touching the toy.

Guests: ...

So why were they here passing around a baby toy set?

Who am I? Where am I?

Silence, the silence from Wang Wei's poem.

Finally, Shen Lanqing remembered the gift from Nan Liujing.

He opened it, took a quick glance, and had a servant put it in storage.

It was a Vacheron Constantin diamond-encrusted watch.

But that didn't matter; he had already gotten his most desired gift, so the Vacheron Constantin diamond-encrusted watch was just a piece of junk to him.

Until the end of the banquet, Shen Lanqing clung to his baby toy set like a baby. When a relative accidentally made a barely visible scratch on the box surface while passing it around, he went on complaining to the relative for ages.

The banquet ended, and the guests left one after another, looking exhausted.

Shen Gali and Nan Liujing were about to go home as well, waiting at the door for Uncle Li to drive the car over.

Gong Yuan, his foster father, arrived with Shen Lanqing.

Uncle Li pulled up just then.

Shen Gali got into the car faster than ever, patting the back of the front seat: "Uncle Li, drive quickly."

Uncle Li looked in the rearview mirror: "But Mr. Gong and Young Master Lanqing..."

Shen Gali clutched his chest and started breathing heavily: "I have a bad heart. If you don’t leave now, you might as well dial 120 for me."

Uncle Li quickly stepped on the gas, zooming off more than thirty feet, leaving the father and son hugging each other, one yelling "My dear Li Li," the other weeping "My dear brother," biting their lips and stomping their feet, all reluctance.

After the father and son disappeared from sight, Shen Gali, who had seemed on the verge of death a moment ago, instantly recovered, leaning against the window to close his eyes.

Beside him, Nan Liujing casually brushed dust off his knees, his voice icy: "You're quite the actor."

Shen Gali hadn't been out this long in ages; he was too drained to talk, so he answered with brain waves alone: Thanks, but go ask someone else.

"Speaking of which, how did my limited-edition sports car turn into a watch?" Nan Liujing stared straight ahead, idly tapping his knee with pale fingers.

His tone was accusatory.

When it came to minor matters like failing to cook or wash clothes properly, Shen Gali could just plead laziness or incompetence. But this was different—it involved money, and a lot of it. Nan Liujing doubted he had the nerve to be honest this time.

A car worth over forty million yuan—enough to land someone in prison for life.

Nan Liujing imagined the ridiculous sight of Shen Gali weeping, kneeling before him, full of regret.

Shen Gali said, "I swapped it."

His tone was both defiant and oddly sincere.

Nan Liujing's fantasy screeched to a halt.

Nan Liujing: ???

"You're honest, I'll give you that," he sneered. "Give me one reason why you swapped it."

Not enough to take him to court, but I can keep him around for a slow torment.

"Jealousy." Shen Gali couldn't fully reveal that it was part of Nan Feiyao's plan. If things fell apart, Nan Feiyao would come after him too. Handling Nan Liujing alone was already exhausting—if the two brothers teamed up, he might just pop like a balloon on the spot.

"Jealousy?" Nan Liujing frowned, puzzled.

What little trick was he up to now?

"You're my husband, and you've never even bought me a single piece of clothing. Yet you're throwing lavish gifts at someone else—of course I'm jealous."

"Oh, so I've never bought you clothes, have I?" Nan Liujing let out a cold laugh. "Uncle Li, turn the car around. We're heading to the mall."

Shen Gali: ...

Spare me, please.

Nan Liujing finally got to see the tearful, regretful Shen Gali he had envisioned—except it was over buying clothes.

He had assumed someone as vain as Shen Gali would be all praise and flattery at the prospect of new clothes, but why was this guy crying?

Shen Gali's eyes were red, his lips set in a sorrowful wave.

He was so tired, his body felt no longer his own, every muscle screaming in pain.

For a gloomy person who hated light and being looked at, going out was pure torture.

Especially when faced with rows of clothes he had zero interest in, while the person with him treated it like a new discovery, ordering him to try on one after another for his amusement.

In the clothing boutique, Shen Gali emerged from the fitting room for what felt like the hundredth time.

The heavy clothes made it hard for him to straighten his back.

Uncle Li, for what felt like the hundredth time, brightened and praised him, giving a thumbs-up: "Mr. Shen is a walking clothes rack—everything looks good on you."

It wasn't flattery; it was heartfelt.

In his eyes, despite all of Shen Gali's flaws, his looks alone could beat ten men in comparison. He couldn't help but wonder about his birth mother—surely she must have been a rare beauty.

As Shen Gali changed clothes, Uncle Li's gaze wandered to the cosmetics counter across the way, where a poster of top actress Bai Wei hung at the entrance.

Though Bai Wei was over forty, she still held her own against the new generation of starlets—elegant, stunning, always the center of attention in any shot.

If Shen Gali's birth mother were anything like that, she would probably be on the same level.

Shen Gali came out in another outfit.

A pale butter-yellow shirt with daisy embellishments on the collar, paired with a sky-blue silk scarf tied in a rabbit-ear knot and clean light-wash jeans—he exuded vitality.

If only he didn't look so gloomy.

The salesgirl couldn't help but clap and praise: "Sir, this suit is perfect on you—like a little daisy swaying in the breeze."

Another chimed in, "Especially standing at this angle, right on the same level as Bai Wei across the way—anyone would think you two are mother and son."

Shen Gali's secondhand embarrassment was killing him.

If they were going to compliment him, fine. But comparing him to someone else and saying they looked like family? His mother would be heartbroken in her grave.

Not that he was cursing.

Nan Liujing noticed his lack of interest and a mischievous idea crept into his mind.

He said, "Let's check out the next boutique."

Shen Gali quickly clutched the clothes he had tried on: "These will do. I really like them."

Nan Liujing pulled out his card and handed it to the salesgirl: "Ring it up."

Shen Gali sighed in relief.

But as they left, he was forcibly dragged to the next boutique...

Before he could get depressed, he was stunned.

Why the hell was it a Lolita boutique?

So it was true—villains are always freaks.