Chapter 48 The Campus Genius Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 12) Listen, Brother…
While he was in a daze, Yu Shumeng suddenly reached out and pinched his cheek, poking his dimples before saying, "Brother, how do you maintain your youthful appearance? You look even younger than me, so cute!"
Shen Zechen couldn't help but glare at her angrily, but Yu Shumeng was fearless. She took the milk tea he offered and, without any hesitation, took the ice cream he had just taken a couple of bites of.
Lin You hid to the side, covering her mouth tightly to prevent her laughter from being heard. She was content to watch the fun quietly and didn't want to incur Shen Zechen's wrath.
While munching on her ice cream, Yu Shumeng kept grumbling to him, "Brother, you're so mean! You send me money, but why don't you even call me!"
Seeing her sitting next to him with her head resting on his shoulder, Shen Zechen couldn't stand it any longer. He reached out and ruffled her hair, making it a mess, before finally stopping.
Seeing the interaction between the two, the other students who were originally planning to join in and criticize the senior decided to put aside their thoughts for the time being, and those who were originally going to cool off there also wisely went elsewhere.
After all, if they really interrupted their senior's good time, who knew how he would retaliate afterward? They couldn't afford to mess with such a nasty personality.
Wen Yin, hiding on the other side, was dumbfounded. Why did the female lead and the male supporting character know each other so early on, and why were they so familiar with each other? What about the male lead?!
Looking at the girl leaning against Shen Zechen's chest, Wen Yin frowned deeply. If you're not going to be with him, why bother him?
Hearing the alarm, Lin You looked up and saw Wen Yin's expression shifting rapidly. She became wary, wondering what this girl was up to now.
After the brother and sister played around for a while, most of the estrangement from not seeing each other for ten years disappeared. When her brother asked her why she was so poor, Yu Shumen couldn't help but sigh.
After his father's divorce, he did not stay with the woman he had cheated on. Instead, through an introduction, he married a divorced woman, who later gave birth to his son.
The child is only six years old. Three months ago, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The surgery and subsequent treatment will cost more than 400,000 yuan.
Mr. Yu, who used to live day by day and secretly take the money from his and his siblings' tutoring classes to gamble, has now learned to work hard from dawn till dusk to earn money for his youngest son's medical expenses.
"I saved the money my brother gave me and didn't spend much of it. Except for tuition, I gave it all to Dad." Yu Shumeng looked at her brother carefully, worried that he would be angry.
Shen Zechen was stunned for a while before patting her head again and asking softly, "Are they good to you?"
Yu Shumeng smiled at him: "It's not that she's bad, she just doesn't take care of me much. When Aunt Liu came into the family, I was almost in junior high school. After that, I lived at school and didn't go back home usually."
As for how she spent her summer and winter vacations, Yu Shumeng didn't mention a word, and Shen Zechen didn't ask any further.
"I'll transfer your household registration here, and we'll share the surname Chen from now on, okay?" Actually, she didn't need to say anything; just by looking at her not going home, you could tell she wasn't doing well.
Hearing her brother's gentle question, Yu Shumeng gave a soft "hmm" and smiled slightly. However, when Shen Zechen couldn't see, her eyes welled up with tears.
Because the older brother was a boy, the father originally wanted to keep the older brother, but the older brother insisted on going with the mother.
Because of this, the father was very angry and scolded the older brother for being an ingrate, saying that he looked down on the family's poverty and wanted to go to the big city with the mother to enjoy a better life.
But Yu Shumeng knew why her brother had left with their mother.
Her mother was strong-willed and stubborn, and she was disliked growing up. Even though her brother protected her, she was often scolded three times a day and often cried in bed in the middle of the night.
Living with her father, she might suffer some hardships in life, and although she might be a little strapped for cash, at least she would have a way to survive.
If she went with her mother, without her brother's protection and strength, she didn't even know if she could survive to grow up.
"From now on, I'll live with my brother. We siblings will work hard together to earn money and live a good life." Yu Shumeng secretly wiped her eyes, her smile heartbreaking.
As for how her brother would persuade their father to change her surname, she didn't need to worry about it at all. From childhood to adulthood, her brother had always been the most capable.
Shen Zechen reached out and patted her head. "You just need to focus on your studies now. You don't need to worry about making money. Just don't fail your exams."
The brother and sister, who had been separated for a long time, talked until the city lights came on. Shen Zechen took his sister to eat her favorite braised pork, and then packed some for her roommate before taking her back to her dormitory.
Although Yu Shumeng complained that girls shouldn't eat too much at night, she was secretly delighted and ate just as much as Shen Zechen.
To ensure fairness, Lin You also added two more portions of packaged braised pork to her space. Since time was frozen in the backpack's space, there was no need to worry about it spoiling.
Although Shen Zechen didn't quite understand Lin You's attempt to quench her thirst with the sight of plums, he still said that as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Mr. Yu, who had barely eaten all day, had no appetite whatsoever when faced with a rather lavish meal prepared by his friend.
"Old Yu, I have to pay my daughter's tuition next month. It's a private school, and it costs more than 20,000 yuan a semester. My youngest son also wants to learn painting. All of these things cost money."
A man in his forties, whose hands were calloused from years of work, patted Mr. Yu on the shoulder and said, “Take these two thousand. Don’t say it’s a loan. Consider it a small token of my appreciation for the child.”
Mr. Yu accepted the two thousand yuan from his friend, thanked him profusely, and left, but his steps were extremely heavy.
He had to swallow his pride and ask a friend for help. The friend didn't say it was a loan, but made it clear that there wouldn't be a next time.
But this money is only enough for a few days of the child's medical expenses.
He had lived a life of mediocrity for half his life and had not saved any money at all. Now that he needed money, he realized how difficult it was to earn 400,000.
Just then, his phone rang. Thinking it was his wife calling, Mr. Yu quickly answered and put it to his ear: "Fang, don't worry, I've borrowed the money, I'll go pay the medical bills right away."
"...It's me." After a long pause, someone spoke on the other end of the phone, and it was a clear, resonant male voice.
The voice sounded young, but Yu's father didn't recognize it. He was about to say he had dialed the wrong number when he suddenly remembered something, and his voice trembled: "You... are you Xiao Chen?"
"Yes, it's me." Shen Zechen sighed slightly. "I heard about what happened on your end. I'll transfer some money to you."
"No need, you're still a student, how much money could you possibly have?" Mr. Yu quickly refused.
"Two hundred thousand yuan to transfer my younger sister's household registration to my area. From now on, she will have the same surname as me, Shen, and will have nothing to do with you anymore."
Shen Zechen's request caused Yu's father's voice to catch in his throat, and he remained silent for a long time.
"I'll transfer 50,000 to you first, and then I'll give you the remaining 150,000 after my little sister's account is transferred." Shen Zechen's tone was indifferent and distant.
After a long pause, a low, hoarse voice finally came from the other end of the phone: "Okay."
Father Yu didn't ask why, nor did he ask Shen Zechen what his future plans were. He knew that he was no longer qualified to care about his two children.
When there is an urgent need, things are always handled very efficiently. Yu's father ran around for three days and quickly transferred Yu Shumeng's household registration.
With 200,000 yuan in his account, a huge weight was lifted from his heart. Including his previous savings and the money he had borrowed during this period, he had more than 300,000 yuan, which was enough to schedule his child's surgery.
Shen Zechen couldn't explain why, but although he didn't call to inquire again, he did collect some information and schedules of oncology experts and sent them to Yu's father.
One of the oncology experts will be visiting their neighboring city for a consultation in just over a month.
Shen Shumeng's surname was changed quietly. After all, it was only the beginning of the semester, and many students were not familiar with her and did not have a clear memory of what her surname was.
With Shen Zechen's help, she quickly changed the names on her documents and information, and felt much more relaxed.
After a day of military training, there was a period of free time. Shen Zechen took his sister to his rented house and the bedroom he had specially prepared.
Shen Shumeng stared at the pink and delicate, princess-style bedroom, speechless for a long time.
Meanwhile, her husband, T, was looking at her with an expression that said, "Aren't you surprised? Aren't you happy?"
Shen Shumeng took photos of the bedroom from all angles with her phone, deciding that if she ever had a sister-in-law, she should explain her brother's aesthetic sense to her.
Shen Shumeng patted the somewhat smug Shen Zechen and said earnestly, "Brother, when you get married and decorate your house in the future, you should listen to your partner's arrangements."
Shen Zechen glared at her, then turned around and ladled out a large bowl of the longan, white fungus, and lotus seed soup that had been simmering for a long time and was now very soft and sticky. He placed it in front of Shen Shumeng and said, "Come and eat. I'll take you back to your dorm after you finish."
"It's really not easy. My older brother actually knows that girls shouldn't eat too much oily food at night and should pay attention to their figure!" Even so, the amount was still quite large.
When Shen Shumeng saw the soup, she thought of the braised pork from the day before yesterday and couldn't help but complain. Then she picked up a spoon, scooped up a lotus seed, and put it in her mouth.
The longan, white fungus, and lotus seed soup was cooked to perfection, with a touch of rock sugar. The lotus seeds were soft and glutinous, melting on the tongue with a gentle touch. The white fungus had already dissolved into the soup, making it fragrant and rich. Taking another sip of the soup filled the mouth with a refreshing sweetness.
The little girl squinted her eyes happily, swinging her legs under the table, just like she used to do when she was little.
Seeing that she was eating with relish, Shen Zechen cut up a plate of fruit and drizzled it with chilled yogurt. It was sweet and sour, perfect for summer.
Shen Shumeng couldn't resist eating all the fruit. She then ate it all, let out a soft burp, and gave her brother a somewhat resentful look.
Shen Zechen nodded in satisfaction, "You're still young and growing, so eating more won't make you fat."
"Brother, is this what you say to comfort yourself? I'm already as tall as you, it doesn't matter if I grow taller or not."
Shen Shumeng stopped her brother from packing more fruit for her, saying that she only had one stomach and really couldn't eat that much!
"Then I'll transfer some living expenses to you. Buy whatever you want to eat, and also clothes, shoes, cosmetics, etc. Just buy whatever you think is best. Let me know if you run out of money." Shen Zechen escorted him all the way to the dormitory building, and only turned to leave after watching him go upstairs.
Wen Yin looked down from her dormitory window and saw the two of them being intimate. Her brows furrowed. Could it be that because of her butterfly effect, the male supporting character and the female lead had met ahead of time?
What about the male lead? Is there any hope for him?
Wen Yin recalled the interactions and emotions between the two in the book, and could only suppress her anxiety, deciding to wait until the start of the semester to see how things went.
Shen Zechen's pet shop is still open one day and closed the next. A new notice has been posted at the door that after school starts, it will only be open on weekends.
Due to complaints from many long-time customers, the closing time on weekends has been changed to 8 PM, and of course, the opening time has also been adjusted to 2 PM.
Everyone admired his incredibly laid-back approach to running the business, but he was the only one who could keep his little prince at home in check, so customers had to adjust their schedules themselves.
Not only that, they would also specifically buy pet snacks and toys at the store, just in case the owner was too lazy to make money and would close down and run away again.
Shen Zechen wasn't originally in it for the money. With the support of customers, he specifically compared many pet supply stores, taking into account quality and price, and selected several products with the best cost performance to sell in the store.
He casually looked after the shop for two months, and somehow managed to earn more than half a year's rent.
As for how careless they are, every customer who comes to the store knows that everything here, from pet bathing to shopping, is self-service, and even payment is done by the self-service payment system.
Even the original procedure of standing up to comfort the pets has been changed to guests picking up their pets, having the owner, who sits there playing on his phone, comfort them a few times, and then the subsequent bathing will go very smoothly.
Because so many people come here, most of the customers know that this small business owner frequently watches the live stream of actor Ding Jie.
Ding Jie's live stream wasn't something Shen Zechen wanted to watch at the moment, but Lin You was more interested in it. He was bored in the shop, so he just glanced at it.
Seeing his disorganized state, Shen Zechen specially made him a small software program that provides alerts about which directors in the vicinity need what type of extras, and what emergencies might occur with those actors. The information is clear at a glance.
Ding Jie's dream of becoming an actor has always been live-streamed. Shen Zechen and Lin You have watched him go from not even being able to become an extra to eventually having two or three lines and a few actions.
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Author's Note: [Owl emoji]
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