Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Online, netizens were engaged in a heated discussion about Yu Huaisu and Nan Feiyao's alleged embezzlement of public funds and document forgery.

"Oh, I don't understand the grudges and grievances of financial conglomerates."

"Justice is served. The law punishes everyone equally, from commoners to nobles. Some people need to be properly disciplined by the law, or they won't know their place."

"In the end, it's about inequality rather than scarcity. If old man Nan had originally appointed Nan Feiyao as the trusted chairman, none of these scandals would have erupted. In the end, it's still that cripple Nan Liujing who got the advantage."

"Netizen above, is your moral compass broken? Disabled people have done nothing to you. Nan Liujing's work ability is evident to all. Who are you, a monster, to point fingers?"

"NLJ's paid shills have arrived~ Trying to whitewash him? He only got away with not going to prison because he was a minor. Matricide—only an animal could do such a thing. If the police dig up old cases, today only Nan Feng of the Nan family would be innocent."

"Stop trying to wash them clean. It's just a dog-eat-dog situation. How could anyone grow up in a financial conglomerate without some scheming?"

"Just pity our Li Li. I heard he was summoned by the Procuratorate for tea. He almost became a poor scapegoat in the conglomerate dispute."

"Yu Huaisu is truly vicious. She broke the law and tried to pin it on someone else. Our Li Li almost got to rock some trendy prison wear [crying laughing]."

Others asked:

"You rich people's cases get solved fast. What about the clothes-ripping case? It's been so long, and still no clue? Can't you let us innocent folks live without being scared all the time?"

The internet was buzzing, and the Nan family was equally shrouded in gloom.

Nan Feng held his head in his hands, gloomy, while Nan Liujing calmly organized the evidence for the case, waiting to go to court later.

Nan Feng was still wondering. A few days ago, Yu Huaisu asked him for two hundred million, saying it was to lend to a friend for cash flow. But it turned out the money was used to frame Shen Gali. If she'd used it to fill the company's hole, he wouldn't be so furious today. But she went with the most extreme option.

Now it came down to whether Nan Feng was willing to come up with the two hundred million within three months and drop the lawsuit. Otherwise, Nan Feiyao might spend the rest of his life in the slammer.

Two hundred million was no small sum. He could afford it, but he worried that bailing Nan Feiya out once would just lead to another time.

What was even more chilling was that the brother he grew up with was about to face jail time, yet Nan Liujing could calmly organize evidence to pile on more years to his brother's sentence. Though they were not from the same mother, they had the same blood flowing through their veins. How could he be so heartless?

Nan Feng didn't want to think about it now. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. So he changed the subject:

"So, your memory's completely back now?"

Nan Liujing didn't look up from organizing the papers: "I recovered half a month ago, but I kept it a secret to root out the remaining conspirators."

Aside from deliberately leaving openings to bait Yu Huaisu and her crew into showing their claws, there was another reason.

When facing Shen Gali, many words that were hard to say while clear-headed found a suitable excuse to express. By fully immersing himself in the role of a 'fool,' those cheesy love words rolled off his tongue naturally.

After a day of organizing, Nan Liujing's brows were knit tightly. Only when he thought of Shen Gali's helpless face did a faint smile appear.

When did he recover? It was when he saw the scar on Shen Gali's chest—all memories of him came flooding back.

He cared too much about that scar, worrying day and night that it might recur, and it became an obsession. Seeing it again stimulated his brain, ripping those memories out one by one.

"What 'rooting out remnants'? You've lived with Huaisu and Feiyao for so many years. Is that how you see them? As mortal enemies?" The old man's blood pressure shot through the roof when he heard that.

Nan Liujing's hand, still holding the pen, stopped abruptly, the last trace of smile vanishing.

"And you?" he asked coldly.

"What about me? What are you trying to say now?"

Nan Liujing let out a cold snort: "You know full well that Yu Huaisu drugged my mother, driving her into a breakdown and acute neuritis, which sent her to the ICU. And you, who lived with her for years, chose to cover it up. Every night you slept next to the woman who killed your wife, did you ever have a moment of guilt?"

"The servants who knew which way the wind blew, to please Yu Huaisu and Nan Feiyao, deliberately damaged the stairs, causing me to become permanently disabled. Did you ever show any old affection back then? No, you chose to sweep everything under the rug to cover for the culprit. In your eyes, I'm less than an outsider."

Nan Feng was left speechless, his face flushing red in an instant.

So Nan Liujing knew everything...

Nan Liujing took a slow deep breath, continued organizing the materials, and said quietly: "But you're not completely useless. You looked down on me and picked a disreputable fake for me. That actually turned out to be a happy accident. It's the only thing I can thank you for."

Only when mentioning Shen Gali did a hint of a smile appear on Nan Liujing's face.

"He's lazy, half-asses everything, and is seen by many as a complete waste—uninspired and passive. But such a person is the only one in the world who understands my feelings. While you, who think you've read many books and have rich experience, can't even handle the simple task of listening to someone's heart."

Nan Liujing chuckled, with a hint of contempt: "You don't really think you're something special, do you? Next to Shen Gali, you're nothing but a total waste."

Being called a waste to his face by his own son was something Nan Feng never expected. But despite his anger, he had no retort. He had let Nan Liujing down way too many times.

"Shen Gali is stupid, always scraping by on exams, but he said something so true." Nan Liujing slowly looked at Nan Feng, his eyes burning with fire, deep as an abyss: "If you don't like someone, you don't have to marry them. You say you had no choice, but it was only because you were afraid Grandfather wouldn't give you the chairman's seat. That single reason—you, one person—ruined two generations."

Every word hit home. Nan Feng could no longer hold back, covering his eyes and letting out a breath choked with sobs.

Now everything was his own doing. He lost his wife and couldn't keep his son—all karma catching up.

Having organized the materials, Nan Liujing didn't want to waste more words: "I'm going to have the police reopen the case on my mother. I'm sure you can get Yu Huaisu off the hook, but this time, I will not compromise."

With that, he wheeled himself into the side room next to the main hall, leaving Nan Feng alone. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, no longer the energetic man he used to be, but a pitiful old man, hunched over and sobbing uncontrollably, having lost his wife and child.

Nan Liujing brought Shen Gali to pick up the materials. Knowing Shen Gali was lazy, he told him to go lie down in the side room for a few hours.

When he entered, Shen Gali was still asleep.

Nan Liujing sometimes admired him—he could sleep through the apocalypse. That kind of sleep quality was seriously enviable.

He didn't rush to wake him, sitting quietly by the bed, gazing at his sleeping face. Nan Liujing hated this house, but he wanted to wait for Shen Gali to wake up on his own before leaving.

This was the room he had lived in before marriage. It used to be the live-in servant's room, but after his legs were ruined, Yu Huaisu used the excuse that it was convenient on the first floor to move him here.

Narrow, cramped, facing north, forever without sunlight.

From here, he could once see the redwood tree his mother planted in the courtyard through the window, but now there was only an empty patch of barren soil.

Not completely empty—the person lying on the bed was quite conspicuous.

Dusty and disheveled, but still glowing.

In his sleep, Shen Gali suddenly felt a burning gaze. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Nan Liujing sitting by the bed. When their eyes met, Nan Liujing immediately looked away guiltily.

Shen Gali turned over: "What are you feeling guilty about? If you want to look at me, just look."

Nan·King of Stubbornness·Liujing: "Who's looking at you? I was just thinking about something and our eyes happened to meet."

Shen Gali: Oh.

He said he wasn't looking, but even with his back turned, Shen Gali still felt that burning gaze again, as if it would burn two holes in his back.

Forget it, he couldn't sleep.

He sat up: "Let's go home."

His voice was soft, speaking the most ordinary words, but they landed like a feather, swirling down into Nan Liujing's heart.

Tingling, fuzzy, and ticklish.

He had never realized before that the word "home" could be so beautiful, carrying a gentle power that could lift a thousand pounds.

Only where family is can it be called "home." The rest are just houses made of wood and stone.

*

When the two arrived at the doorstep, the sky was a molten gold sunset, painting everything around in a gorgeous orange-red.

But just as they got out of the car, they saw a slender figure in the orange glow, looking up at the window of Shen Gali's room.

Shen Gali: Oh, the big hero is here.

The figure heard the car engine, slowly turned, walked through the orange light to the two of them, and softly called out:

"Brother."

Nan Liujing, while he detested him, also knew that he was largely responsible for the current success of Yu Huaisu and the others, so he whispered to Shen Gali, "I'll go in first."

Then he left the two alone.

Shen Gali stood for only half a minute before feeling tired. "Let's go inside."

In the past, when facing Shen Lanqing, he would mostly ignore him and walk past quickly, but well aware of his contributions, he decided to invite him in for a bit.

Shen Lanqing silently followed him in, without saying a word the entire time.

At some point, the child who used to beam at Shen Gali and never stopped calling "Brother" had been reduced to silence.

Uncle Li, seeing a guest had arrived, prepared a table full of fine dishes. But no matter how hard he tried to liven things up by playing the fool during the meal, the entire table was eerily quiet.

Uncle Li lost his enthusiasm, and Nan Liujing's mood soured as well. Putting down his chopsticks, he said, "I have something to deal with," and headed to his room ahead of them.

At the table, only Shen Gali and Shen Lanqing were left, facing the nearly untouched delicacies in silence—a heavy, oppressive silence.

Shen Gali broke the silence first. "If there's nothing else, you should head back and rest. You've been working hard lately."

But Shen Lanqing didn't leave. He watched his brother stand up, his eyes gradually welling up, harboring an urgent longing that was instantly washed away by the tears.

Shen Gali had taken only two steps before sitting back down.

Unbelievable.

"If you don't know how to start, you can sleep in my room tonight and talk whenever you're ready to speak?"

Shen Lanqing gazed at him deeply, then nodded gently.

Nan Liujing upstairs: ???

At night, Shen Gali lay in bed with his eyes closed, resting. Shen Lanqing, instead of pestering his brother to sleep together like he used to, quietly lay on the floor, staring blankly at the pitch-black ceiling.

Shen Gali: Are you going to say it or not? If you don't, I'll really fall asleep. Tired.jpg.

"Brother." In the darkness, Shen Lanqing made a soft sound.

Shen Gali almost cried with relief. He finally said it.

But Shen Lanqing asked a very strange question:

"Tell me the truth—when you first heard that I was going to marry Nan Feiyao, did you feel any displeasure, even if just for a few seconds?"

Shen Gali really wanted to tell him no, that he didn't stick his nose in other people's business.

But when he knew that Shen Lanqing married Nan Feiyao only to help him, some words were simply impossible to say.

Tsk. These people, every single one of them, always causing trouble.

"Probably," Shen Gali said slowly with his eyes half-closed.

Shen Lanqing immediately sat up, clutching the edge of the bed. In the darkness, his eyes were shining, joy practically spilling out.

"Why were you unhappy? Can you tell me more about that?"

Shen Gali: "Because I knew Nan Feiyao wasn't a good person..."

"If he were a good man you could trust for life, would you still be unhappy?" Shen Lanqing pressed on.

Shen Gali: ...

I can't answer that one.

If I say no, I'll probably hurt a fragile young heart again; if I say yes, he'll overthink and drive himself crazy.

Nan Liujing, boldly eavesdropping at the door: Shen Gali, I order you to say no. I can't stand the color green.

Shen Gali thought for a long time. "Yes..."

Shen Lanqing was ecstatic!

Then he heard him continue: "Yes... or no, actually, this question is meaningless."

Shen Lanqing was disappointed.

"My one goal in life is eight million. So for me, love and affection are just burdens. Are you going to give me eight million?"

Shen Lanqing: ?

Nan Liujing: ?

What eight million? He felt like he'd heard that "eight million" thing before. But did he just say that feelings are a burden to him?

So what does that make me?

Thinking about it, Shen Gali really had never shown him any emotional dependence, let alone said "I like you."

Then again, he was still ranked below the toilet plunger—what right did he have to ask for his love?

As for Shen Lanqing, though he didn't understand what Shen Gali meant by eight million, he knew the answer in his heart from his vague answer. He just couldn't stand to see him sad, so he changed the topic.

He was foolish to ask a question he already knew the answer to.

Shen Lanqing slowly stood up, draped a thin coat over himself, and forced a smile onto his face. "Brother, don't feel burdened. I won't ask such stupid questions anymore. Oh, I just remembered I have something at home, so I can't stay tonight."

In the past, every time they parted, Shen Lanqing would say, "See you tomorrow, Brother," or "See you next week, Brother." But today, only a cold, hollow:

"Goodbye."

It was carried away by the night wind.

As he left the room, he bumped into Nan Liujing, who was watching him with cold eyes as if worried he had done something bad. Shen Lanqing couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh:

"Don't worry, I did nothing. And from now on, I won't be fighting you for him anymore."

Nan Liujing looked up, stared coldly at Shen Lanqing's face.

"Nan Liujing." But as Shen Lanqing descended the stairs, he stopped. "You're amazing. I never thought I'd lose to an impotent cripple. Well, good luck to you."

Tossing out that remark, he rushed off.

Nan Liujing: ?

Impotent... cripple?

Downstairs, Shen Lanqing went down the long, tree-lined path to the main road and hailed a cab on a whim.

The driver: "Where to, young man?"

Shen Lanqing, his eyes blank, muttered, "Police station."

*

The next day.

Shen Gali, who had smoothly stepped down as CEO, finally got to sleep in, undisturbed—it was the first time he had slept so soundly since arriving at this home.

After waking, he lazed around in bed for a while before getting up to wash up.

At first glance, he spotted the empty salt marsh outside the window and remembered the withered redwood tree Nan Liujing had mentioned. Feeling guilty, he decided to help restore the garden.

To plant trees, you've got to prepare the ground first. The priority was to get someone to clear the salt marsh, then measure the garden area and purchase the corresponding number of tree species.

Shen Gali clutched his wallet with an emo expression: "My money..."

But upon going downstairs, he was surprised to find Nan Liujing sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a coffee cup with a fashion magazine spread across his lap. The hem of his dark blue robe pooled on the floor, revealing straight, slender calves, and his ankles under the sleep pants were thin and pale.

Without the redwood trees that used to be there, sunlight streamed directly through the window, casting a soft gold over his downcast face.

So he hadn't gone to the company either, given himself an unscheduled day off.

As if sensing something, Nan Liujing looked up from his book and saw Shen Gali sitting on the stairs with a weary expression, watching him through the railing on the sly.

As soon as their eyes met, Shen Gali averted his gaze gloomily.

Nan Liujing chuckled behind his hand and returned his gaze to the magazine, saying casually, "What to do? I'm kind of missing someone's shrimp and crab feast. I wonder if I'll get to taste it today."

Shen Gali: "Someone? Not me, not me. Pretend I didn't hear that."

But then he thought again. "Wait, if I don't go shopping for groceries, when will I ever save up those eight million?"

Shen Gali stretched out a greedy hand: "Give me the money for groceries."

Nan Liujing looked up, a hint of a smile in the corners of his long, narrow eyes: "Isn't there two hundred million in the account? Why are you asking me for money?"

Shen Gali caught the crucial point: "That two hundred million was used to frame me. But are you saying that money is mine now?"

Nan Liujing raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Since someone is eager to give you money, you might as well take her kindness, so she can rest easy in prison."

Shen Gali shot up, faster than he'd ever moved in his life.

"Two hundred million... Two hundred million! It's not just enough to buy a luxurious underground mansion, but also to pay the rent for another ten or twenty years, so when the timer runs out, I won't get dug up and become wolf food."

"Nan Liujing, listen: I love you. Whether you agree or not, I'm going to repay you right now."

Under Nan Liujing's astonished gaze, Shen Gali headed straight for the garden.

But a gloomy slacker never plans. Forget the salt marsh for now—just measure the area first.

Gazing at the endless salt marsh, Shen Gali fell into deep thought.

If he used a ruler, it would probably take until next year. Though lazy, he never does foolish things.

Measuring by the length of his steps would be faster than using a ruler. (The ruler in Shen Gali's mind was a 15-cm ruler like the ones elementary school kids use.)

At the edge of the salt marsh, there was a pond, perfectly kept. An artificial island was built in the center of the pond, planted with exotic flowers—a splash of red and white, elegant and pleasant, their reflection made the water look a soft pink.

Shen Gali planned to first measure the area of the pond, then measure the entire garden and subtract the pond area.

Math, so easy.

He stepped onto the edge of the pond, pressing his shoe as close to the edge as possible, taking the largest strides and walking slowly forward.

Inside, Nan Liujing tossed the magazine aside, propped his chin on one hand, and watched Shen Gali with interest.

"What's he scheming now? Seeing him walking with great difficulty, taking huge strides without any sign of cheating, he realized that he only got clever when he was up to no good."

"But it was quite cute. How could someone walk the crab's walk so that even crabs have no room to walk?"

When Shen Gali reached the fiftieth step, he got tired and stopped to rest.

But the end of that side of the pond was still a long way off.

Suddenly, he looked up sharply.

"Wait, about how long is my step...?"

He slowly turned back to look at the path he had walked, and he started to get cold feet.

"Forget it. There are so many idle people at home—wouldn't it be nicer to give them some money to do the job? Why put myself through this?"

Shen Gali, supporting his widely spread legs, slowly brought his feet together and straightened up, intending to go back and lie down for five minutes.

Unexpectedly, the edge of the pond, constantly damp, was covered in slippery moss. In a flash, he lost his footing and slid into the pond, shoes and all.