Chapter 64

Chapter 64

The appearance of police cars is often accompanied by agonizing screams or curses. Shen Gali got out of the car and, before even seeing Shen Lanqing, heard his adoptive mother's shrill wailing. She and her husband were clinging to the police officers, pleading desperately, insisting Lanqing was a good kid and would never do such a thing—someone must have put him up to it.

Then, Shen Lanqing was led out of the house by the police.

His hands were slightly raised and clasped together, covered by a piece of clothing, to preserve what little dignity he had left.

Shen Lanqing had grown terribly thin. His cheeks, once full, were now sunken, a shadow of stubble around his mouth, and his face pale as death.

His adoptive mother kept crying out, "Qingqing, it's not your fault! Why would you confess to something you didn't do? Tell the officers the truth!"

Shen Lanqing froze in his tracks.

"I need to go back and get something important. Can I?" he asked the police.

The officer, clearly impatient, said, "Get someone to keep an eye on him. Hurry up."

After a short while, Shen Lanqing came back out. The cloth that preserved his dignity now had a round bulge underneath.

The officer lifted the cloth, glanced at what was underneath, then waved his hand coldly. "Take him away."

His adoptive parents raced after the police car, their faces etched with grief as they begged them to go easy on the boy.

The officers refused with an air of self-righteous dignity, saying they were simply carrying out the law.

Shen Gali watched silently. He heard Uncle Li say, "Mr. Shen, aren't you going to say something? Young Master Lanqing is about to get into the car. Once he's in, it'll be hard to see him again."

Shen Gali didn't move. He didn't know why he had come to see Shen Lanqing. He certainly wasn't going to put on a show of grief like his adoptive parents did. It was just a guilty conscience, born of moral pressure—he wasn't to blame, but he wasn't completely blameless either.

Uncle Li couldn't stand it any longer and gave him a hard shove.

The push sent Shen Gali stumbling, and he suddenly found himself in front of Shen Lanqing.

In that instant, Shen Lanqing's eyes flew wide open. The cold cuffs on his wrists reminded him he absolutely couldn't let his brother see him like this. He instinctively tried to hide his hands behind his back, but the cloth fell away.

Underneath the silver handcuffs, Shen Gali could also see the thing Shen Lanqing had gone back inside for—the most important thing.

It was the baby toy Shen Gali had given him on his birthday years ago.

Even after all this time, the toy was still clean and new, as if it had been carefully dusted each day.

From the moment the police had come for him, Shen Lanqing had worn a detached expression, even when they put the cuffs on him, he remained stoic. But the instant he saw Shen Gali, panic and shame flickered across his face. Surrounded by officers, he had nowhere to hide. Under Shen Gali's eyes, his own reddened, and he lowered his head.

He could let the whole world point fingers at him, call him a monster, a criminal, but he could not bear for Shen Gali to see him in such a sorry state.

"Get in the car," said the officer, glancing at his watch. "It's getting late."

Uncle Li quickly stepped forward, offering cigarettes to each officer with a fawning smile. "This is Lanqing's brother. The two haven't seen each other in a long time. Could you please give them a minute to have a proper farewell?"

The officer didn't take the cigarette but let out a heavy sigh. "Make it quick."

"What's there to say?" a sharp shriek cut through.

His adoptive mother dashed over at lightning speed, planting herself in front of Shen Lanqing. She pointed at Shen Gali and screamed, "How dare you show your face! If it weren't for you, you jinx, Lanqing would never have done something so stupid! I know Lanqing's character better than anyone—if you hadn't played the victim and begged him to help, would he have done something so reckless? Get lost, you jinx!"

Her voice was shrill, drilling into Shen Gali's eardrums.

"Why?" Shen Lanqing finally spoke, his voice low.

His adoptive mother froze and turned to look at him.

Shen Lanqing kept his head down, eyes fixed on the numbers painted on the police car. He murmured, "Why do you always blame others when something goes wrong?"

His adoptive mother opened her mouth as if to say something, but Shen Lanqing cut her off.

"You wanted to merge with Huanhai Electronics to save your business. They asked for me specifically, but you switched me out and sent brother to that cripple's wedding bed. They were generous enough not to press charges, but you went even further—for two billion, you tried to sell me to the Nan family too. You only think of yourself. To you, we're nothing but tools."

"Now I'm facing prison time, and you still don't self-reflect. You keep blaming others. Have you ever wondered why I did something so extreme?"

Shen Lanqing lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot. "Brother may not be your own flesh and blood, but he grew up under your roof for over twenty years. You cast him aside without hesitation. Did you ever act like a mother to him? The child you raised for over twenty years, who saw you as his own mother—he was being cursed and bullied online, and you couldn't be bothered. If you had stepped in and handled it, I wouldn't be here today. I'm the most to blame, but you're an accomplice too."

His adoptive mother gasped, and tears burst forth again.

She slumped against the police car, her chest aching.

Shen Lanqing didn't want to waste any more words on her.

He clutched the baby toy in his hand, his brows low, a bitter smile on his lips. "Brother, I really wanted to hug you. I like you so much. But some things can't be solved by acting spoiled or throwing a tantrum."

"Next life, I hope. Make sure you find me. And by then, let's have eyes only for each other."

Shen Gali stared at the baby toy in his hand. His chest felt like it was stuffed with cotton—tight and suffocating.

A half-hearted birthday gift, yet Shen Lanqing treasured it, carrying it with him everywhere.

Shen Gali reached out. Since he said he wanted a hug, then let's hug.

But Shen Lanqing deliberately dodged, stepping back with a forced smile. "No need. Getting involved with a convict like me—others will say you're birds of a feather."

With that, he got into the police car.

Shen Gali's hand remained frozen in midair, with no support, nowhere to go.

The police car drove off, fading into the distance amidst a cacophony of sounds.

Slowly, Shen Gali withdrew his hand. Was there any hope for Shen Lanqing? Probably yes. But he had no connections and wasn't smart enough to save him.

Maybe Nan Liujing could do something—at least secure him a good lawyer.

*

When he got home, Shen Gali's first words to Nan Liujing were, "Save Shen Lanqing."

Nan Liujing closed the file, elegantly crossed his legs, took off his glasses, and twirled the earpiece of his glasses with his fingertips. His eyes lowered lazily. "What reason do I have to save him?"

Nan Liujing had always been like that. Trivial gains never caught his eye, especially when it came to someone with no benefit to him—and essentially, a romantic rival.

Especially when he saw Shen Gali rush straight over the moment he got back, his first words a plea to help Shen Lanqing. Even Shen Gali, who usually loved to laze around, was no longer lying down. This guy was definitely dangerous.

Saving someone so dangerous—if he didn't get something in return, wouldn't that be a loss?

Simple words: You throw a little tantrum for me? I've never seen that before.

Shen Gali wasn't falling for it. He asked once. Help or not, it didn't matter.

He turned and went upstairs to lie down.

Shen Gali was stubborn and unreasonable. Nan Liujing found it amusing. After a moment, he pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Find the contact information for the two victims and have them file lawsuits proactively, turning the public prosecution case into a private prosecution. Also, spend whatever it takes to take down all the trending topics related to Shen Lanqing, and buy a random topic to push it to the top to suppress it."

Shen Gali tossed and turned in bed, his buttocks aching with a dull pain.

He couldn't understand why Nan Liujing couldn't even tolerate a mere Shen Lanqing.

Though his eyes were tired, his brain felt like it had been injected with stimulants. Shen Gali tried several times to fall asleep, but a sense of oppression lingered in his chest. Shen Lanqing's words kept replaying in his mind: "Getting involved with someone like me will make others say you're birds of a feather."

There was no trace of resentment; he had done it and didn't regret it.

But it was this very calmness that unsettled Shen Gali even more.

Sure enough, Shen Lanqing had earned his title as the number one nuisance for a reason.

Unable to sleep, he decided to check the online trends.

Shen Gali seldom browsed Weibo. After fumbling for a while, he found where the trending topics were. He wanted to see the supportive comments from netizens to lift his spirits—but then—

Hmm?

Trending #1: "Why Does Huanhai Electronics Have the Most Employees with the Surname Yang?"

Trending #2: "Huanhai Electronics Officially Signs Long-Term Cooperation Agreement with the Rosander Family"

Shen Gali: ?

So what exactly makes "having the most employees with the surname Yang" a serious topic worthy of the top trending spot?

Scrolling down further, all the trending topics were incomprehensible, and none mentioned Shen Lanqing at all.

He clicked on the first trending topic absentmindedly, and as expected, the top comment read:

"What the hell is this worth trending? Has Huanhai gone mad? Everyone's focused on Shen Lanqing's case, and you're buying a trending spot for this nonsense!"

The comments below were mostly critical:

"This trending topic was bought by Nan Liujing, right? He's treating Shen Lanqing as a love rival and can't stand to see him do well."

"That cripple has a rotten leg and a rotten heart. Li Li, please divorce him quickly. Even if you take a step back, Shen Lanqing is still your brother. Refusing to help your wife's brother shows how sincere he truly is to Li Li."

"Handicapped loser, stop seeking attention. Isn't it ridiculous to buy this trending topic?"

Netizens hurled insults like "cripple" and "handicapped," venting their anger by targeting his physical flaw.

But strangely enough, just a second ago Shen Gali saw this hot comment, and when he refreshed, it was gone.

Even when he actively searched for Shen Lanqing, only a few isolated threads appeared, with just one or two comments.

Even someone as slow as Shen Gali could tell that someone was deliberately suppressing topics and removing trending posts.

And the top trending topic, "Huanhai Electronics," blatantly bore the label "culprit."

He felt like losing his temper, but as the surge of anger reached his throat, a sense of laziness blocked it.

Forget it, losing my temper is too exhausting. I'll just curse him in my mind.

But there were always people eager to be scolded.

Nan Liujing leaned against the doorway, pretending to knock: "From now on, sleep with me. Clear out this room for Uncle Li to use."

This room was the farthest from Nan Liujing's bedroom, offering the best soundproofing.

Shen Gali couldn't even be bothered to look at him, mentally launching a barrage of curses.

Seeing no reaction, Nan Liujing walked over to the bed, slid one arm under Shen Gali's neck and the other under his knees, and with a slight effort lifted him horizontally.

Shen Gali turned his face away, cold as frost: "Let go."

Nan Liujing lowered his head to study his expression carefully, then after a moment, chuckled lightly: "Are you angry?"

Shen Gali responded with his brainwaves: Not angry. Ask again, and I'll slap you.

Nan Liujing took a glance and saw that his phone was still on the trending topics page, making his thoughts obvious.

He gently stroked the small bottom in his palm, his tone aggrieved: "What can I do? My wife is upset with me over another man. I'm jealous."

Hearing this, Shen Gali put two and two together and understood.

The reason Nan Liujing was unwilling to help Shen Lanqing was because, the morning after they had made love, Shen Gali hadn't even had time to bask in the afterglow before rushing off to find another man.

Nan Liujing, at the very least, wasn't magnanimous enough to help a love rival.

Shen Gali sighed. Sure enough, Nan Liujing still hated meddling in other people's affairs.

After holding him for a long time, Nan Liujing finally heard him whisper, "Let's sleep together then..."

Having received permission, he happily carried his wife back to the room.

As soon as Shen Gali was placed on the bed, Nan Liujing got up to go take a shower, but before he could take a step, his clothes were tugged.

Turning around, he saw Shen Gali sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs apart, leaning forward, his fingers tightly clutching Nan Liujing's clothes, his eyes glistening: "Don't go..."

Nan Liujing saw through the ruse at once. The idiot must be using all his strength to maintain that leg-spread sitting position—why else would his legs be trembling nonstop? After all, not just anyone could pull off that pose.

Nan Liujing raised an eyebrow and played along: "I need to go shower."

Shen Gali still clung to him tightly: "Don't go... I'm uncomfortable..."

Nan Liujing curled his lips: "Where does it hurt?"

Shen Gali crooked his finger: "Come closer, and I'll tell you."

Nan Liujing really wanted to laugh. He had to admit, in the entire entertainment industry, you couldn't find a worse actor than this idiot.

But since he was willing to act, all Nan Liujing could do was play along.

With his hands still in his pockets, Nan Liujing leaned in close to his face: "I'm close. Tell me now."

Shen Gali tugged hard at his collar, trying to bare his shoulder seductively, but after a lot of effort, only a bit of his collarbone was exposed.

Nan Liujing thought: Tragic. He's so perfunctory he can't even be bothered to unbutton a single button.

Taking the lead, Nan Liujing reached out with one hand, pinched the button of his shirt between thumb and forefinger, twisted it deftly, and the collar loosened, revealing sharply defined collarbones and an eye-catching small crimson mole.

He slowly undid the buttons below, his tone casual: "You're a lousy actor."

Shen Gali said, "I wasn't acting."

Nan Liujing placed one knee on the edge of the bed, and Shen Gali immediately felt the mattress sink beside him. Then, a fiery palm brushed across his neck, and fingertips slowly slid down along the line of his collarbone.

"I'm not acting, so why does it look so forced?"

The heat of his fingertips and skin merged into an even more blazing fire. He felt that everywhere Nan Liujing's fingers had traced was scorching hot, so hot it made him shrink back.

Shen Gali suddenly snapped back to reality.

No, he wanted to take control. As long as he made the first move, he wouldn't really be giving anything up, and then when he brought up Shen Lanqing's matter with him, he would have even more excuses not to help.

Shen Gali went all out; he had never tried this hard in his life.

He raised his upper body, tightly wrapped his arms around Nan Liujing's neck, and slowly moved his pale lips closer.

Before Nan Liujing could react, suddenly he felt a soft touch on his neck. Warm breath tickled his neck. The soft touch felt clumsy and awkward, landing randomly all over the place.

He lowered his eyes and saw long lashes shading his eyes, slightly trembling; a prominent, fair, and moist nose tip; and the lips that briefly lingered in various places turned red from rubbing against his skin. He was really trying so hard.

Nan Liujing wanted to laugh, but he felt a lump in his throat.

For Shen Lanqing, this guy didn't hesitate to endure humiliation and do things he wasn't familiar with, occasionally lifting his eyes to check his expression. It wasn't exactly acting cute, but it was definitely trying to please.

Someone who was usually so lazy had gone to such lengths. Nan Liujing accepted this favor but felt resentful.

He freed one hand to cup Shen Gali's chin, gently pushing it back, his eyes dark and somber: "That's enough."

Shen Gali said indignantly: "I've already tried my best. Hurry up and take down that trending topic and let everyone pay attention to Shen Lanqing."

"Not taking it down." Nan Liujing refused decisively.

Shen Gali: ...

Are you messing with me here?

"Shen Gali, let me tell you something." Nan Liujing looked down at him, his fingers gently stroking his youthful, boyish cheek.

"You want to use public opinion to influence judicial decisions? That's ridiculous. The law is not compassionate and won't be lenient just because of a few flippant words from the mob. Cyber violence exists precisely because humans pursue a foolish sense of belonging to a group. No matter how complex a problem, once it reaches a group, it will be solved with the simplest abstract principles and universal rules."

Nan Liujing leaned down, seriously gazing into Shen Gali's eyes:

"When all viewpoints are simplified and dumbed down, the group will take the simplest and crudest path to achieve its demands. For Shen Lanqing, this path is a dead end."

Shen Gali looked at his face, secretly laughing at him for being a 'king of forcing' but had to admit he was right.

So his plan of enduring humiliation for seduction had failed?

Nan Liujing patted his hair: "I'll figure something out. Don't worry, I'm going to take a shower."