This is an irreparable wound for Shen Jiazhou.

Sometimes he even blamed himself for having such a good relationship with Shen Jiachen. Even though they were divorced, he could have gone abroad to live freely with his mother, but he stayed behind to take care of his young son.

If Shen Jiachen hadn't stayed because of him, perhaps none of what happened afterward would have occurred, and he wouldn't have died in that car accident that shouldn't have happened.

Can Can will not be homeless or bullied because she lost her parents.

“Sometimes I think, I wish I had received his call that day.” Shen Jiazhou was preparing for graduation at the time: “He also said that he would tell me some good news after he went abroad. Now that I think about it, he probably wanted to tell me about Can Can’s existence.”

Wen Shuqiao suddenly remembered the words Shen Jiazhou had murmured earlier: surveillance.

"They...are spying on you?" Wen Shuqiao only now understood what this meant.

Shen Jiazhou hummed in agreement: "To be precise, they were monitoring me. Although Shen Jiachen stayed with the Shen family, he was assigned to my mother, so at that time, they didn't see Shen Jiachen as a threat."

Therefore, compared to him, Shen Jiachen would have more freedom. In addition, after Shen Jiachen entered high school, he lived alone in a rented room outside. He would only come back to see his grandfather on holidays or occasionally sneak him out to play.

Wen Shuqiao wanted to say something, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Although there was no photo of Shen Jiazhou online, his resume was on the official website of the Shen Group. He had only been parachuted into the Shen Group two years ago.

Judging by the timeline, it must have been not long after Shen Jiachen's death.

Some wounds cannot be erased simply by becoming the one in control. That's why, after being secretly photographed that night, he acted out of character and explained things to her in such an unnatural way.

Even though he has become a person in a superior position, the long-term suppression and surveillance still make him feel like a frightened trapped beast.

This is completely different from the novel.

In the novel, although the male protagonist Shen Shiyue lost his parents, he was able to grow up healthy and safe thanks to his uncle Shen Jiazhou.

Moreover, in the novel, the Shen family treated Cancan very well, unlike what Shen Jiazhou is saying now.

Wen Shuqiao dared not think too much about how much effort he had to put into creating such a warm and loving scene for Can Can, while also protecting the child and working.

Shen Jiazhou saw the expression on Wen Shuqiao's face clearly. He said, "Is there something you want to say? You seem hesitant to speak."

Wen Shuqiao asked, "Shen Jiazhou, if—and I mean if—there wasn't an aunt like me, and Cancan could only stay with you, what would you do?"

Shen Jiazhou let out a soft "Ah": "What can we do? We still have to raise him properly."

He met Wen Shuqiao's eyes and continued, "At first, I also thought about bringing Cancan back to the Shen family. I was capable of protecting him. But after spending time with him, I realized that children are really hard to raise, even though he is a well-behaved child."

You have to be 200% patient to teach him how to face the world, but he has never raised a child before, and has hardly ever seen what normal family upbringing is like.

Wen Shuqiao became the reference point; he wouldn't do it, but he could imitate Wen Shuqiao's way of treating Cancan.

Sometimes, Wen Shuqiao even became his pillar of support; when he was at a loss, Wen Shuqiao could always easily resolve his predicament.

Without Wen Shuqiao, he might have been taken advantage of by the Shen family. What good is power if he has it? From the moment Can Can appeared, he could no longer think as directly as before. He had to consider Can Can's feelings more.

Wen Shuqiao looked at Shen Jiazhou. Influenced by the novel, she always felt that Shen Jiazhou should be omnipotent and would help Cancan solve all the hidden dangers.

Looking back now, he was just a young man about the same age as her. Although he was intelligent and composed, he was just like her, feeling his way across the river.

She's the type who can manage everything as long as she takes care of herself, but Shen Jiazhou has to put in a lot of effort to deal with her.

"You must be very tired," Wen Shuqiao said.

Shen Jiazhou was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I'm used to it."

After Shen Jiachen left, he also thought about leaving this place and going somewhere where he didn't know anyone. But then he thought, why should they? They were so eager to get these assets, so he was going to make sure they didn't get what they wanted.

Now things are better; he has a little nephew who is quite adorable, so he's not lonely anymore.

Even for Can Can's sake, he felt that what he had done was nothing. As long as Can Can grows up safely and happily, everything is worth it.

Moreover, after telling Wen Shuqiao about these things, he felt a little lighter.

Wen Shuqiao said, "I'll go eat. You can arrange the time; just let me know when it's time."

Shen Jiazhou pursed his lips slightly: "Wen Shuqiao, I'm telling you this not because I want you to do something you don't want to do. You can still refuse me."

“I know you’re telling me all this just so I know what’s going on with the Shen family and so I can know how to deal with it later,” Wen Shuqiao said. “But Cancan is also my family now. He’s on the same household registration as me. It’s perfectly reasonable for me to accompany him to the family banquet as his guardian.”

She opened the microwave oven, and hot smoke billowed out. Seeing this, Shen Jiazhou stepped forward and reached for the microwave plate.

Wen Shuqiao was turning her head to grab a piece of kitchen paper when she turned back and saw Shen Jiazhou reaching in. She stopped him with her hand, even faster than her mouth.

She grasped Shen Jiazhou's wrist: "Oh, it's hot, don't touch it directly."

Shen Jiazhou lowered his gaze to her hand that was holding his. Wen Shuqiao pursed her lips slightly, then quickly let go, acting as if nothing had happened.

She took the plate out through the kitchen paper and then took three forks from the cupboard: "Let's go."

Shen Jiazhou slowly uttered an "oh" and followed Wen Shuqiao half a step behind.