Chapter 15

The car fell silent. The silence in the space was like a damp cotton wadding, heavy and cold, pressing down on Shen Mian. His shameful secret had been exposed, and he subconsciously wanted to glare at Lin Langli, the tattletale, but Shen Ci blocked his view.

Shen Ci's tone was icy: "Posting rumors and staging your own drama, Shen Mian, how long are you going to stop this nonsense?"

Chenmian's shoulders trembled suddenly, her eyelids quivered, and a thin layer of red, like pink pearls, floated on them. Gone was her previous arrogance; she looked pitiful, yet she still refused to admit it: "Why do you say I posted it? I didn't even know about this."

Shen Ci looked down at his phone, refreshed it again, and the post was gone. It seemed the administrator had intervened.

Recalling the words spoken in the main building, Shen Ci sneered: "Besides you, who else could it be? Lin Langli was switched with you. He should have returned to the Shen family. You occupied his identity for nineteen years. Instead of feeling guilty, you repeatedly used such despicable means to target him. Do you think you are in the right?"

Shenmian trembled with anger, wanting to argue that she hadn't meant it, but looking at the other person's tense jawline and cold eyes, her heart suddenly clenched—

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Ci had never looked at him with such a cold gaze.

"Do you think that no matter what you do wrong, your family and I can always back you up?" Shen Ci's voice deepened again. "If you keep doing this, you won't know what's important. No one can protect you."

Shenmian turned her head away, refusing to listen anymore. Seeing that Shenmian was pretending to be deaf and dumb, Shenci's heart hardened even more.

Over the years, although they were brothers, it was always Shen Ci who took care of him, educated him, and corrected him, but it was no use. No matter how well-behaved and understanding he pretended to be, he could turn around and treat others with such vicious intentions.

However, not everyone in the world is like Shen Ci. If someone is willing to help you, you can resolve the situation. But what if you run into a brick wall?

Lin Langli is no pushover; he's not someone to be trifled with. Chenmian will not fare well if she goes against him.

And that is indeed the case. Not only did she fall down the building and get hurt and scolded, but what she cared about most, the favoritism from her family, gradually shifted away from her.

The same applies to spreading rumors. If he didn't know, if he didn't ask more questions, how would Lin Langli retaliate?

Shen Mian hadn't considered any of this. If he didn't intervene, what could he do if Lin Langli really did something to him?! In the eyes of Shen Jinshan and his parents, this was something Shen Mian owed Lin Langli. After all his scheming and plotting, he ended up getting his comeuppance. Who would stand by him then?

Shen Ci closed his eyes, slowly calming the anger and helplessness in his heart. It was his fault; he had repeatedly tolerated and indulged Shen Mian, covered up Shen Mian's mistakes, and made up for the consequences for Shen Mian, which led to Shen Mian's lawless personality today.

Turning to Lin Langli in the passenger seat, the young man's tone softened slightly: "I will give you an explanation for this." After a pause, Shen Ci added, "Could you please not tell Mom and Dad?"

“Didn’t Chenmian say it wasn’t him?” Lin Langli lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, his tone half-smile: “Don’t scare him like that, look, he’s about to cry again.”

Chenmian ignored Lin Langli's veiled sarcasm and focused all her attention on Shen Ci.

But Shen Ci only glanced at him and didn't say anything more. The meaning and emotion in that glance sent a chill down Shen Mian's spine, his heart pounded, and he couldn't even hear what Lin Langli was saying.

Shen Ci's eyes clearly showed both annoyance and sympathy.

Frustrated? Does Shen Ci really hate him, just because of this little thing, because of Lin Langli?

Even Shen Ci, who loved him the most, has changed. What about his parents? Will they, like Shen Ci, leave him sooner or later?

It turns out that the previous support and comfort were not unconditional. Once it was discovered that he had done something wrong, he immediately became the one to be scolded and abandoned.

A chill crept up from the soles of her feet, and Chenmian lowered her head, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

The car was parked downstairs. Shen Ci didn't say a word. After watching the two get out of the car, he immediately turned the steering wheel and drove away.

As I entered the apartment building, I couldn't help but look back. I only saw a car's taillights, and without any lingering attachment, I watched the car disappear, and my nose started to sting.

He's already suffered such a pitiful and wronged day, so why is Shen Ci still clinging to these things?

Lin Langli suddenly spoke, calling his name. Chen Mian straightened up defensively, looking up warily: "I didn't do it."

Lin Langli didn't bring up the matter. He lowered his head and looked at Chenmian with a calm gaze, without any mockery or the previous impatience. He just looked at her calmly, as if he were looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

Feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze, Chenmian turned her face away and swiped her elevator card.

Once inside the elevator, Lin Langli approached, his tone casual and chuckled, "Chenmian, I noticed today that you're quite beautiful when you cry."

Chenmian's face flushed red, feeling humiliated and embarrassed. Showing weakness in front of someone you dislike is shameful enough, let alone something like this.

The floor number changed, the door opened, and Chenmian stepped out without a word. Lin Langli grabbed his wrist and asked in a low voice, "You and Cui Quan had a falling out. Is the reason he treated you like this today because you used those same tactics to coax him into causing me trouble before?"

The slumbering creature slowly opened its eyes in disbelief.

What did Lin Langli take him for? A prostitute who would sell his body? How dare this scoundrel think of him like that!

He raised his hand to slap him, but Lin Langli grabbed his forearm and pulled him into his arms: "Don't treat me like Shen Ci. I don't have that much patience for you."

The elevator continued its descent, stopping at the basement level. A stranger entered and, seeing the intimate yet strange atmosphere between Chen Mian and Lin Langli, was momentarily stunned, feeling both embarrassed and curious.

Having already lost enough face today, and seeing that she couldn't break free from Lin Langli's grasp, she had no choice but to bury her head in Lin Langli's chest.

Lin Langli smiled slightly at the passersby, wrapped one arm around the two wrists of the sleeping man, and put the other arm around the waist of the person in his arms, hanging loosely on him.

They arrived at their floor again. Lin Langli led Chenmian out, but refused to let go of Chenmian's hand.

Chenmian didn't think that Lin Langli was taking advantage of him; he thought Lin Langli was humiliating him.

"Lin Langli, you also think that I posted it, right? But I didn't know about that matter. You can't be prejudiced against me... I didn't even blame you for arriving first this afternoon and not helping me. You can't listen to them and prejudge me and wrong me."

Upon entering the living room, Lin Langli did not turn on the lights. Instead, he leaned Chenmian against the wall and gently ran his fingertips over the boy's eyebrows, cheeks, and lips.

Under the bright moonlight, Lin Langli carefully examined Chen Mian's tense expression, her movements ambiguous, and her eyes filled with obscure emotions.

Is Chenmian really the same age as him? He doesn't look it at all. How could the Lin family couple have such a child? How did the Shen family raise him to be like this?

Chenmian's heart skipped a beat. Knowing the difference in strength between himself and Lin Langli, and now that there was no one else around, he quickly calmed down, slightly widened his eyes, bit his lip, and looked timidly at the person who had covered him.

So obedient and meek, looking at me like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, I couldn't tell what kind of wicked thoughts were lurking inside.

Lin Langli took in all these subtle details and realized that Shenmian was afraid of him. He found it all rather pointless. Shenmian was such a fool who was all show and no substance. She clearly looked down on him. If she could make him care about her just because of her face, wouldn't he become an even bigger fool who was bewitched by such a fool as Shenmian?

Releasing his grip on Shen Mian, Lin Langli turned on the light, walked into the living room, sat down, opened a bottle of water for himself, and said in a detached tone, "Shen Mian, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that you have a criminal record."

That said it all, was there anything Shenmian didn't understand? But he couldn't comprehend what Lin Langli wanted him to do. In any case, the forum post was gone. Shenmian paused for a moment, then said, "But I already apologized to you back then, and I haven't done anything to you since. Isn't that enough to prove my sincerity?"

Lin Langli: "Slumber is not enough."

After thinking for a moment, Chenmian said, "Can I move back to the dorm? I won't bother you, and you won't be bothered if you don't see me."

“No. How could I bear to let you go out and suffer? Chenmian,” Lin Langli looked at him, “do you know that the Shen family is planning to hold my family recognition ceremony at the end of next month?”

A family reunion ceremony? This time is their birthday. Chenmian was stunned, a sense of disappointment welling up in her heart. This day has come after all.

But it wasn't as painful as I had imagined. Perhaps today's setbacks were enough, and I simply didn't have the energy to muster any more.

Seeing his dejected expression, though not to the point of resentment, Lin Langli felt a bit bored and turned to leave when he heard Chen Mian's muffled voice: "Does Chen Ci really hate me?"

Lin Langli paused, turning to look at him. Chen Mian stood there dejectedly. Even from this distance, Chen Mian's face was clearly visible; her eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, her lips were rosy, and she was incomparably beautiful.

He recalled seeing the two of them being intimate and familiar in the car, oblivious to everyone else, with Shen Ci holding Shen Mian in his arms and Shen Mian reaching out to stroke the man's cheek. A strange sense of displeasure flashed through his mind.

If it were Shen Ci who was replaced, would Shen Ci still have this attitude today? And what about him? Would he protect Chen Mian like Shen Ci did?

"Shen Ci told me that he's long been tired of cleaning up your messes, and that you have a terrible personality, and that no one will genuinely like you except for your face." Lin Langli spoke these words with a nameless rage burning within him, yet unable to vent it.

He admired the thunderstruck expression on Chenmian's face and said slowly, "But I don't think you're as bad as he said. I see you're quite adorable when you treat those close to you."

Chenmian stood there, head bowed, his expression hidden from view. Lin Langli felt a surge of irritation and was about to look again when he suddenly saw a drop of water roll down Chenmian's cheek, flashing in the air.

She cried?

The next second, Chenmian raised her face to refute him, her tone very soft: "I don't believe you, you're lying."

Lin Langli approached, holding the water bottle, and looked down at Chenmian's slightly trembling, tightly bitten lips. He said, "Chenmian, I don't want to cause any more trouble with you. If you behave yourself, you might win my favor a little more."

He touched the corner of Shenmian's burning eyes again, gently caressing the smooth, creamy skin, and sighed softly.

It's really—

A note from the author:

I fell asleep when I got home from get off work.

I forgot to save it in my drafts folder, I'm awake now so I'll post it right away.

No update tomorrow (Wednesday). If the rankings are good on Thursday, I'll update with a longer chapter.

Bookmark this article to support the author, Momoji.