Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Shen Gali didn’t want to use his brain at all and opted for a more direct approach: “How do I help?”

Nan Liujing unbuttoned his collar, pretended to breathe a sigh of relief, then lay down on Shen Gali’s lap. His fingers lightly teased the tiny fuzz on Shen Gali’s sweater, a bit absentmindedly: “I don’t know, it’s up to you to figure out. The only thing I’m sure of is that being with you puts my mind at ease.”

Shen Gali: *Crying inside.* He said to figure it out myself—he actually dared to say that. Fine, I’ll figure it out myself then.

The next day.

It was barely dawn when Nan Liujing was woken by a rustling noise.

He pretended to stay asleep, cracking an eye open to spy. He was curious and hopeful—what exactly would Shen Gali do to help him relax?

But in his line of sight, Shen Gali seemed to go through an intense internal struggle before slowly sitting up. When willpower lost to laziness, he slowly lay back down.

A few minutes later, he sat up again, looking exhausted, concluded he didn’t need that little brother, and lay down once more.

He repeated this sit-up motion who knows how many times before finally making a decision.

He dragged over Nan Liujing’s long-unused wheelchair, sat down in it, pressed the auto-drive button, and lazily leaned into the chair as it rolled out the door.

Nan Liujing had a reasonable suspicion that this wheelchair would no longer belong to him.

He waited for a long time. Just as he was dozing off, the familiar sound of tires rubbing against the floor returned. When Shen Gali’s figure appeared at the door, it was accompanied by a strange odor filling the air.

He saw Shen Gali carrying a bowl, closing in on him.

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.

Sure enough, Shen Gali shook him awake: “Babe, breakfast time.”

Nan Liujing slowly sat up and took a look inside Shen Gali’s bowl.

It was an intermingled black-and-yellow, indiscernible concoction that visibly emitted toxic fumes, with half a fishbone sticking upside down in the gooey mass. It had a sweet, nauseating smell.

“This is…” Nan Liujing admitted he was scared.

“You said you’ve been overusing your brain lately, so I prepared a calming brain tonic. Drink it, and after you do, think about how to save Shen Lanqing.”

Nan Liujing: …

He glanced at the unidentifiable substance in the bowl, then at Shen Gali, clearly chickened out.

“What’s this?” he asked, pointing at the white flakes floating on the surface, asking in a last-ditch effort.

“Walnut slices. Good for the brain and intelligence.”

“And this?” Nan Liujing pointed at a lump of yellow matter.

“Pumpkin. Refreshing and clears the mind. I also added fish to enhance memory and delay brain cell aging, plus a calming brain tonic to help relax your mind.” Shen Gali pushed the bowl toward him. “Eat up. My arm is getting tired from holding this.”

Nan Liujing: …

Sure enough, Shen Gali never changed. Even broken and shattered, everything he did was a half-assed attempt. He suspected Shen Gali hadn’t even gutted the fish.

Seeing the sheer resistance in Nan Liujing’s eyes, Shen Gali pressed the bowl against his lips, staring at him directly: “Eat. Why aren’t you eating?”

Nan Liujing really didn’t dare drink it. He feared that after consuming this mysterious substance, he’d wake up on the other side of the Nai He Bridge.

But this was the first time Shen Gali had willingly made him breakfast. Shen Gali had always felt he wasn’t liked or cared for. He had just started to fix that negative self-image. If he refused this, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

To prove how much he cared for Shen Gali, Nan Liujing took the bowl of dark culinary horror like a martyr going to the stake. Then he looked into Shen Gali’s eyes, silently telling him with his gaze:

*See this? If it comes from you, even poison is welcome.*

He scooped up a spoonful of the dark concoction, steeled himself after countless mental pep talks, and sent it into his mouth with death-defying resolve.

In TV dramas, it always goes like this: the protagonist drinks poison with a death wish, expecting to die, but after a while, he’s not only fine but has somehow tapped into extraordinary power and reached unbeatable martial prowess.

Nan Liujing had a glimmer of hope like that. Maybe, despite the terrible appearance, it would taste miraculously delicious.

But in real life, miracles are rare.

The taste matched the appearance. The bitter-spicy taste of the brain tonic clashed with the fishy smell, like an asteroid slamming into Earth, causing a catastrophic explosion.

“Is it good?” Shen Gali stared at him expressionlessly.

Nan Liujing was at a loss for words. He’d often ordered Shen Gali to cook dinner before, but had never actually tasted it. Today, unluckily sampling it, he felt this cooking should be a crime.

How could a human make something like this?

But Shen Gali pressed on: “Speak up. How does it taste?”

Nan Liujing didn’t want to lie, but he was afraid that telling the truth would bring tears to Shen Gali’s eyes. To protect Shen Gali’s fragile self-esteem, he lied through his teeth:

“Delicious. The dinners you made before were all thrown away. What a shame. I regret not tasting this heavenly cooking sooner.”

Shen Gali couldn’t be bothered to play along. He cut straight to the point: “After drinking that brain tonic, have you gotten smarter? Now think hard. How are we going to free Shen Lanqing from his misery?”

A moment ago, Nan Liujing was still trying to console himself: *It tastes awful, but this is the first time Shen Gali has taken the initiative to cook for me. In the whole world, no one else has this treatment.*

But upon hearing the name “Shen Lanqing,” all his self-consolation instantly crumbled. He felt like a tool being used heartlessly by Shen Gali—eating terrible food while still having to help his love rival.

Nan Liujing began to wonder: *Does Shen Gali even like me?*

He thought about it. Shen Gali had never said he liked him, nor had he ever shown any clear signs of affection or admiration.

When you start doubting someone, you instinctively look into their eyes, hoping to find an answer in their eyes, which are said to never lie.

But when Nan Liujing looked up, his pupils suddenly widened.

He quickly raised his hand and gently wiped the corner of Shen Gali’s eye, panicked and upset: “Why are you crying? I ate it all, didn’t I? It’s not bad. I think it’s very tasty.”

Shen Gali’s eyes widened as tears streamed down his face. Even while crying, his face remained utterly expressionless.

A strong man like Nan Liujing could fight heaven itself, but Shen Gali’s tears were his only weakness. They left him completely panicked.

That’s why he hated getting emotionally invested in anyone. It would become his lifelong weak spot.

“No, it’s not that…” Shen Gali lowered his head and quietly slipped the eye drops back into his pocket, leaving no trace.

“Then what is it? Tell me.” Nan Liujing quickly wrapped his arms around him. At that moment, a ridiculous thought surfaced: even if Shen Gali said he was sad because there were too many stars, he’d find a way to blow up a few stars.

Shen Gali pretended to sniffle a couple times, looking especially wronged: “I asked if you’d thought of a plan. You didn’t answer. Did you get stupid again?”

“No.” Nan Liujing denied it firmly. “Don’t be upset. Shen Lanqing

The upturned face, eyes wide open, and Nan Liujing's bitter face reflected in her light-colored pupils.

Shen Gali’s dark pupils shifted downward, avoiding Nan Liujing’s urgent gaze, and his voice was hollow: "I don’t know."

Even if the King of Heaven held a knife to his throat today, his answer would still be "I don’t know."

He didn’t know if he liked him, but rather whether he should like him.

Even more, he couldn’t tell Nan Liujing that he was just a character in a book, fearing that when their feelings became so deep they couldn't be separated, they would be forced apart—that feeling would only be worse than death.

Sure enough, upon hearing "I don’t know," the light in Nan Liujing’s eyes died, going dark.

"But the moment I accidentally fell into the water, I only thought about two things: whether my mother would be sad, and... whether someone would plant a garden of redwoods for you in my place." The only thing Shen Gali could be sure of was: "When I was about to die, I still thought of you, and I felt a hint of regret."

As his words fell, a fierce kiss crashed down, pouring out all the repressed feelings.

Nan Liujing knew he would never get a definitive "like" or "dislike" from Shen Gali's mouth, because the only thing he would say was that once, having no attachment to the world, he'd always wished to just die and be left alone, yet in the true face of life and death, he still felt sorry he hadn't done something for himself.

Now, Shen Gali deeply regretted it.

Some words shouldn’t have been blurted out in a moment of heat, or else he wouldn't have got his backside torn up all night—that was the punishment for impulsiveness.

*

The day Shen Lanqing left the police station, besides his parents, many netizens from all over the country had come to welcome him.

Not only because he had retaliated against violence with violence, giving some netizens who had suffered similar experiences a way to vent their anger, but also because the fallout of the incident had caught the attention of higher authorities.

The leaders began to truly consider whether behind fighting violence with violence lay issues like incomplete legislation and lengthy, complicated legal procedures, which led many to abandon the legal process and choose their own methods. They started gradually improving cyber management regulations in response to this matter.

Shen Gali also went, but he hid in a far corner, quietly watching Shen Lanqing.

He watched as Shen Lanqing got into the car surrounded by enthusiastic netizens. Behind a layer of privacy film, he could no longer see his face inside the car.

But when the car started, Shen Lanqing suddenly turned his head, looking in a certain direction through the crowd.

It was as if, invisibly, he had met someone’s gaze. In the silent exchange, the two smiled at each other.

Like a scene from a movie, everything around them faded into darkness, only the intersecting gazes created a collision of souls—this might be the ultimate romance between them that others couldn’t perceive.

People always regret the ones they couldn’t have in their youth, but now Shen Lanqing had the courage to move forward. The moment he regained his smile meant he had completely let go, because he knew that no matter when or where, his brother was always there.

Just like the first time they met, when his brother looked at him coldly, then showed obvious disgust and turned away. But in that moment of turning, when his eyes accidentally caught sight of Shen Lanqing, Shen Lanqing was sure—his brother was watching him.

Even though he knew that his brother had deliberately pushed him into the water and slandered him back then, he still felt that being noticed by his brother was a great happiness.

One look was worth a thousand years—it was because of that glance that his heart stirred and could never settle again.

As for Yu Huaisu and Nan Feiyao, no matter how the police questioned them, Yu Huaisu insisted: "I planned everything myself. My son knew nothing."

She wanted to take all the blame to protect her son, but it didn’t work.

Zhong Lin, who had witnessed Nan Feiyao pushing Nan Liujing downstairs, still came forward to testify, testifying to all of Nan Feiyao's crimes, including the 500,000 he later gave her to keep quiet. Attempted murder and bribing a witness—he'd probably rot in prison.

Because Zhong Lin didn't want to be "a coward too weak to tell right from wrong."

Nan Feng still paid to fill the 200-million-yuan shortfall, so Yu Huaisu could be released after about three months in detention.

But for her, it made no difference where she spent the rest of her life. Her only hope could no longer accompany her into old age. A lonely and aimless remainder of her life was her only destination.

But Nan Liujing didn’t seem to let her off. Just a few days after she returned home, he formally sued her as a family member of the victim, demanding a full confession of how she had framed his mother back then, causing her to suffer from neuritis and die prematurely.

After losing her son, Yu Huaisu was like a lone boat adrift on the vast ocean, without direction. She didn’t resist and voluntarily confessed all her crimes from that time.

Her background was poor—a poor mountain village, deeply rooted feudal ideas. Her family always gave the best to her younger brother, even depriving her of her only chance to study.

She managed to get into high school by eavesdropping outside the classroom. To climb up, she worked illegal jobs and entertained men. She would seize any opportunity she could to change her fate.

Her family, to secure a wife for their good-for-nothing younger brother, accepted money and tried to secretly send her to the bed of an old bachelor in the village. Terrified, she fled that night, crossed the mountains, penniless, and reached the county town, where she worked part-time and studied to get into university.

Her roommates from the city always mocked her for having only two sets of clothes all year round, calling her a "country bumpkin" behind her back. They would even disinfect the things she touched before using.

The seeds of hatred and vanity were planted in her heart at that moment.

Later, she met Nan Feng, who came to give a speech at the school. Her heart started itching with desire. She knew Nan Feng had a family, but she dared to do anything to change her fate.

If asked whether she ever felt a shred of guilt toward Nan Liujing’s biological mother, the answer was yes.

Watching the woman die painfully after Nan Liujing removed her oxygen mask with his own hands, Yu Huaisu couldn’t sleep for nights. To find psychological comfort, she always said:

"Nan Feng never loved that woman. They were forced into marriage. The one Nan Feng loves is only me. I am not the third party; she is. It’s not about who came first—only Nan Feng can decide our status."

She spent her whole life striving to climb upward. It could also be said that her past environment caused her present misery.

Yu Huaisu also did good things. Most of her income was donated to women’s and children’s foundations, hoping no girl in the world would have to resort to dirty means to claim the rights they deserved.

Yet, after a life of struggle, she wound up with nothing.

At the trial, Yu Huaisu calmly recounted the past—how she escaped the den of suffering to the city, how she met Nan Feng, how she personally killed Nan Liujing's biological mother.

In the gallery, Nan Liujing and Shen Gali stayed silent. Yu Huaisu was indeed pitiful, but that was no excuse to harm others. She was a very capable person; if she had finished university properly, she would have undoubtedly achieved great things.

But one wrong move, and everything turned upside down.

Nobody could forgive her for Nan Liujing and his mother. From the day the six-year-old lost his mother, every step he took afterward was full of thorns and hardship. While others lamented Yu Huaisu's tragic fate, who would think of that six-year-old child, having nightmares and unable to find his mother, crying alone under the covers?

He didn't even dare cry out loud.

In the end, the court sentenced Yu Huaisu to 17 years in prison for murder and forgery of documents, to be carried out immediately.

As they left the courthouse, a large crowd of reporters had gathered at the entrance.

Among the reporters stood an old man with graying hair and beard.

As soon as Nan Liujing and Shen Gali walked out, the reporters didn’t react at first, still searching for the figure in the wheelchair.

But when they recognized Shen Gali, they also realized the person beside him was Nan Liujing.

In an instant, the reporters rushed forward like a swarm of bees.

"Mr. Nan? Are you Mr. Nan Liujing?"

"Mr. Nan, your leg condition has recovered? Let me first offer my congratulations, and also ask about the court’s verdict."

"Mr. Nan, so the rumor that you killed your mother was completely baseless? The real criminal is someone else, right? Is it your stepmother, Ms. Yu Huaisu?"

Questions hit Nan Liujing like bullets, but they fizzled out and dropped to the ground.

He stood out among the crowd like a crane among chickens, unlike the usual victims who finally found justice and wept tears of gratitude for fairness. He stood upright, staring through the crowd of reporters directly at the old man with gray hair among them.

Nan Feng used to dress himself meticulously and neatly, dyeing even a single white hair back to youthful black. But today, he wore only a shirt, his graying hair giving off a hint of sadness. Yet when he saw Nan Liujing standing upright on his legs, his eyes went from shock to a flicker of joy.

He pushed through the crowd of reporters, looking up at Nan Liujing under the flashing lights, his eyes darting between Liujing’s legs and face:

"Liu Jing, your legs... they've recovered?!"

Countless microphones were aimed at the father and son. Nan Liujing no longer dodged the questions, answering succinctly:

"There was never anything wrong with them. I only faked it to protect myself. With a neglectful father and a cruel stepmother, do you think I'd have survived to this day if I hadn't faked it?"

A bitter smile crossed Nan Feng's face. His Adam's apple bobbed as he said, "That's good, that's good... How about having dinner with your father tonight? It's been a long time since we sat down and had a peaceful meal together."

"No need." Nan Liujing cut him off coldly. "My husband said he'd cook me a feast tonight. I don't want anyone else intruding."

Shen Gali: ?

... I never said that.