Chapter 10

"I don't like wearing shoes." Chen Mian's voice was muffled. She was still a little irritated when she broke free from Chen Jinshan's embrace. She complained, "Lin Langli lives next door to me. Brother, you have no idea how hard I've been these past few days. He's really annoying."

The man's fingertips slid down the young man's soft hair, his voice gentle: "How could this happen?" Before Chenmian could explain, he added, "I'll go take care of my work first. Mianmian, stay by yourself for a while. Call me if you need anything."

Chenmian stopped bothering him, picked up her phone and scrolled through it. She was stunned when she came across Lin Langli's WeChat Moments post from last night.

The accompanying picture shows two game consoles on a carpet. It's obvious that Shen Ci was playing with him, and they must have had a lot of fun. If they were to talk bad about him, the two of them would definitely get along very well.

He stared at it for two seconds, then slightly raised the corners of his lips, laughing in exasperation, and gave Lin Langli a thumbs up.

Back on the message page, Shen Ci, who was pinned to the top, had sent several messages early in the morning. Shen Mian glanced through them and saw that the other party's tone was gradually becoming more aggressive, so she had no intention of replying.

Just as I was about to exit the app, Shen Ci's message popped up on the screen: "[You liked my post but didn't reply? Where did you go? I didn't see you this morning.]"

He remained asleep and ignored it.

After replying to his email, Shen Jinshan received a call from Shen Ci. He gently comforted his younger brother, telling him that Shen Mian was with him and not to worry. A few minutes later, his father called again, only saying that he should take some time in the next few days to go home for dinner alone, and that he didn't need to bring Shen Mian with him.

Putting down his phone, Shen Jinshan leaned back in his armchair, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. He recalled how Shen Mian had been pampered like a precious jewel by her parents when she was young, but now, with Lin Langli in the family, her status had plummeted, no wonder she was throwing a tantrum.

Just then, all was quiet outside—the previous commotion had vanished, replaced by an unnatural stillness. Less than two minutes later, a muffled thud came from the living room, followed by a short, startled cry from Chenmian, and then silence again.

Shen Jinshan's expression hardened, and he immediately got up and left the study.

Chen Mian was squatting on the ground, looking up at the bare wall, with a fallen picture frame at his feet and shattered glass scattered all over the floor. There was still a hint of panic in his eyes, but when he saw Chen Jinshan come out, he immediately blinked and put on an innocent expression.

Pressing his temple, Shen Jinshan approached and pulled Chen Mian up from the ground: "Mianmian, were you hurt?"

Upon hearing this, Chenmian's previously tense brows relaxed, and she smiled happily: "No, brother, are you done with your work?"

"What's wrong?"

"Brother, can you play games with me?"

“Brother’s busy, why don’t you find a friend to go with you?” Shen Jinshan withdrew his hand, and seeing Shen Mian’s expression darken instantly, he added, “Mianmian, do you want your brother to give you some pocket money?”

Shen Mian's somewhat mournful face changed, and she subconsciously said "yes," but Shen Jinshan's gaze was gentle, like jade bathed in water. Shen Mian's thoughts returned, and remembering the purpose of her visit, she changed the words that were about to come out:

"I came here to keep you company, I don't want to spend your money - brother, just talk to me when you're not busy."

Money? Nothing is more important than Shen Jinshan.

Shen Jinshan was slightly surprised. He thoughtfully pinched his subordinate Shen Mian's face. The face was as soft as tofu. The Shen family had indeed raised Shen Mian well, making him into the precious young master he was today.

"Mianmian, your brother will play with you tonight."

"If you're too busy, brother, I'd rather you get some rest!" Chenmian tilted her head and coaxed him, her eyes like those of a puppy that wanted to be stroked. "After all, right now only you, brother, are good to me."

When Shen Jinshan returned to his study, Shen Mian also returned to her guest room, packed her luggage, and then called Shen Ci.

The other end answered after a long pause, the voice sounding lazy: "What?"

“Chen Ci,” Chen Mian said, “I didn’t bring my bear. Bring it to me.”

"I'll have the driver take it to you."

Chenmian raised her voice: "No, I want you to deliver it!"

Do you consider me your servant?

"...Bring it over here, can you come and play with me? You've been with Lin Langli these past few days, do you also think he's better than me?" The true intentions were revealed, and Chenmian couldn't help but ask.

Shen Ci turned his head to hold his phone, glanced at Lin Langli beside him, got up and walked to the balcony, his tone deliberately cold: "What do you think? She's already much better than you, how can you compare to her?"

I hate you!

After a while, the phone rang again. Chen Mian cleared her throat and lied to Chen Ci, "Chen Ci, I'm so bored at my brother's place. Someone asked me to go out and have some fun. Can I go?"

"Who?" Shen Ci's voice paused for two seconds, revealing no emotion.

"It's a guy who confessed to me before, I forgot his name." Shen Mian suppressed the excitement in her voice, but a hint of joy still escaped. "You know, I've been so bored at home. When he asked me out, he said he'd take me out to have some fun. Shen Ci, do you think I can go?"

"Go where? You idiot." The tone on the other end was very unpleasant. The call ended, and a few seconds later, a video call came in. Shen Mian answered in a cheerful mood and saw that Shen Ci's background had changed, probably from the room to the garage. "You're going to leave after just a few words? I'm coming to my brother's place now. If I find you're not here, Shen Mian, you're dead."

"Remember to bring my bear."

On the other end of the video call, Shen Ci paused for two seconds as he inserted the key. The young man turned his head slightly to look at the passenger seat, seemingly to confirm something. When he turned back, he was still annoyed: "I brought it. Don't take my words lightly. If I come over and find you're not here, you'll see if I don't beat you up."

Chenmian couldn't help but hum, "You wouldn't have the heart to hit me."

Shen Ci didn't refute, but just glanced at him, her expression unchanged, but she didn't hang up until she started the car before turning off the video call.

When Shen Ci arrived, Shen Mian was already asleep on the bed, with the tablet in front of her arm still lit up, the soft white light making Shen Mian's sleeping face look as serene as jade.

He came in carrying the teddy bear, turned off the screen, picked up the blanket from the floor and covered Chenmian with it, then turned and went back to the living room.

The nanny had just brought lunch when Shen Jinshan, who was setting the table, asked without looking up, "Asleep? Why didn't you wake him?"

“Just leave some for him,” the young man pulled out a chair and sat down. “You know he’s grumpy when he wakes up, and he’ll make a fuss if you call him.”

Shen Jinshan set out the chopsticks and sighed, "I'll go call him."

Not long after, Chenmian came out rubbing her eyes, and asked groggily, "Brother, has Chen Ci arrived?"

Shen Ci felt a little choked up. Every time he called Shen Mian to get up, they would bicker for a bit. Why was Shen Jinshan so obedient when he called him?

"Coming," he replied listlessly.

Chen Mian looked up and saw Shen Ci sitting at the dining table, staring at the dishes in front of him without giving him a glance. He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, so he moved closer to Shen Ci and asked, "You're here. Where's my bear?"

Shen Ci glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but remained silent.

Chen Mian ran back to her room, then darted back a few seconds later, enthusiastically pulling Chen Ci's finger and shaking it: "Chen Ci, how could you be so kind as to bring this to me?"

The young man's lips curled up slightly, but when he looked up and saw Shen Jinshan's calm expression, he suppressed it again, impatiently pushing away the clingy man, and said, "Is this alright now? You're not going out fooling around this afternoon, are you?"

When Shenmian recalled the story he had made up on the spot, he didn't expect Shenci to be so stupid as to believe it so easily. But seeing Shenci like this, he really wanted to tease him.

Her eyes darted around, and Chenmian feigned reluctance: "Isn't this a bad idea? I already promised them..."

Shen Ci suppressed her anger: "Aren't you the best at cheating? What can he do if you say you're not going?"

Chenmian teased him, "But I want to go!"

"...You don't actually have feelings for that person, do you?" Shen Ci's voice rose involuntarily, his expression darkening. "Have you no shame?"

Shen Jinshan, who was standing to the side, said, "Xiao Ci, Mianmian is so old, there's nothing wrong with her dating. Don't talk about Mianmian like that."

It's true, it's not that I don't know people, it's that I'm afraid of comparing myself to others.

Shen Mian had long been used to Shen Ci's attitude towards him, but Shen Jinshan's words were truly insightful, and he couldn't help but be moved. He thought to himself that his elder brother was still the most reasonable person, unlike Shen Ci, who betrayed him without hesitation and was about to become as detestable as Lin Langli.

Seeing Shen Ci's anger deepen, seemingly genuinely upset that he wanted to go out and play with the others, Shen Mian deliberately moved closer to Shen Jinshan, clinging to her elder brother's arm, and said sweetly, "Shen Ci, you're so rude. I don't want to play with you anymore. How could you say that to me?"

“You know I don’t like any of the people who have confessed to me,” Chenmian said deliberately, changing the subject. “Besides, I like people who are gentle and kind to me, like my older brother; they also have to be good-looking, at least not worse than you. People like that are hard to find, how easy is it to meet one?”

Shen Ci picked up his chopsticks, intending to tap Shen Mian on the head. Shen Mian hid behind Shen Jinshan, revealing a pair of bright eyes.

Shen Jinshan helplessly stopped her: "Alright, Xiao Ci, Mianmian is just playing with you."

After lunch, Shen Ci went to Shen Mian's room. Shen Mian was already lying in bed preparing for a nap. When she saw him, she didn't chase him away. Instead, she generously offered him one of her pillows: "Do you want to take a nap with me?"

Shen Ci walked to the bedside, bent down, gently flicked his head, and whispered that he was a little pig.

Seeing that Shenmian was staying at home obediently, Shen Ci didn't want to stay any longer and turned to leave, but Shenmian grabbed his clothes. The person on the bed knelt down beside the bed and started bringing up the morning's account: "You're the pig! What did you mean by what you said this morning? Do you really think Lin Langli is better than me?"

Why do you always compare yourself to Lin Langli? Shen Ci felt a sense of resistance.

His silence was interpreted by Shen Mian as tacit agreement. The person on the bed was furious: "How could you do this? You've only been with him for a few days!"

His eyes were wet with anger, and Shen Ci felt annoyed. He remembered that Lin Langli had taken the initiative to clean up the spilled coffee for him that morning, while Shen Mian only ordered him around. He said coldly, "Look at you, you're being unreasonable again. He's better than you in this respect, is that not good enough?"

—

Chen Mian didn't sleep for long in the afternoon. Shen Ci's words at noon were really too much. In the end, he had to grit his teeth and restrain his anger, afraid of disturbing his older brother. He pointed to the door and told Shen Ci to get out.

Once she calmed down, Chenmian thought of the large bathtub in her older brother's room and couldn't help but feel a little tempted. He hadn't taken a bath in quite some time, and he needed to relax after being under so much stress.

Shen Jinshan did not immediately agree as usual: "Mianmian, the bathtub has not been cleaned in a long time."

Perhaps he only uses his brain when he's thinking of bad ideas. At this moment, Chenmian is really a clueless person, unable to understand the hidden meaning. Hearing this, he was very understanding: "It's okay, brother, I don't mind. I'll clean the bathtub for you after I take a bath, okay? I promise I'll make sure it's spotless."

Shen Jinshan felt uneasy, but when he met Shen Mian's expectant gaze, he nodded anyway.

Hot water trickled out, steam rising into the air, making the bathroom hazy. Chenmian chose a bath sponge and essential oils, quickly took a shower, and then carefully sank into the tub. The hot water reached her chest, and Chenmian couldn't help but groan comfortably.

The heat made his bones feel soft, and his face, knees, and other parts of his body turned pink and rosy.

Chenmian enjoys taking baths and can soak for a long time until the alarm clock rings, at which point he emerges from the water for a quick shower.

He was enveloped in the scent of freesia and English pear essential oils. So, his brother liked this fragrance, or perhaps it was someone else he was close to? But he didn't see any trace of other people's lives around Shen Jinshan.

Over the years, she hadn't heard any rumors about her brother's romantic affairs, and after a moment's reflection, she was somewhat puzzled.

But he didn't think much of it and quickly fell into a happy mood again, thinking that it would be great if Lin Langli wasn't there, he would feel just as relaxed at home.

After taking a bath, I had to clean the bathtub, just as my older brother had promised.

The bathtub was quite large, making it a bit difficult to clean. The space was still filled with steam. Chenmian, wearing only shorts, stepped on the slippery edge of the bathtub and began to scrub.

Having just finished a bath, I was still feeling weak all over and didn't have much energy. After cleaning most of the pool, I relaxed and sat down to the side, not caring that my shorts were soaked.

Just then, Shen Jinshan walked in. The man thought his younger brother had already left, but as soon as he entered the bathroom, he smelled a rich fragrance and his eyes couldn't help but look at the bathtub by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Her hair was still wet, her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were bright red, her lips were fleshy and red, and her whole body was flushed with a pinkish hue like a flower bud.

Seeing him walk in, she tilted her head back and mumbled, "Brother, I'm not done getting ready yet. You can take a shower later."

Shen Jinshan continued to observe casually and calmly, noticing that his younger brother seemed to have a piece of candy in his mouth, which rolled from his left cheek to his right as he spoke.

His gaze shifted downwards, and he saw that Chenmian was only wearing shorts, a snow-white blob, her skin so white it was dazzling, shimmering and alluring against the backdrop of the night.

A note from the author:

Guess who's the first to get a bite of the baby's food, hehe.