Chapter 56 The Campus Genius Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 20) [Brother Ze...]
[Ze-ge, Mengmeng is bringing Gu Jin over to our house today. If you don't go back soon, you'll be late!]
Upon seeing the name Gu Jin, Shen Zechen's mood immediately soured. He frowned, stood up, said goodbye to his colleagues, and even went to another office to greet his boss.
He had only been there for a day when he turned the rival company upside down. He left work at four o'clock, and no one said anything about it.
But this expression doesn't look happy at all. Could it be that something went wrong at work?
Wang Aimin received a wink from the others and stood up as well: "It's hard to get a taxi here, let me drive you back."
Ignoring the simple and convenient option of lending the car to Shen Zechen, Wang Aimin sat in the driver's seat, while the two bodyguards and Shen Zechen sat in the back.
Shen Zechen was sandwiched in the middle and remained silent since getting into the car. The two people sitting on either side of him were also quiet, and the atmosphere in the car was strange.
After waiting for a while, Xiao Wang awkwardly started the conversation: "Brother Ze, were you unhappy at work today?"
According to the investigation, Shen Zechen felt a strong aversion to being called "brother" or "younger brother" by others who said he looked young, and often encouraged the other three in his dormitory to call him "brother".
"If you could address me differently, I might be a little happier!" Shen Zechen felt that the words "Brother Ze" that he used always had a strange sense of irony.
Besides, being called "brother" by your peers is a status symbol, but being called "brother" by someone who looks like he could be their father would probably make others think they're idiots!
Xiao Wang readily changed his tune: "Great God Dark Lord, did you encounter any trouble at work today?"
This nickname sounds even more ridiculous!
Was this person really not doing this on purpose?!
"Stop! You can use whatever you want except those two titles. I do have some trouble." Shen Zechen sighed with a worried look on his face. "The boss said before that he can help me find solutions to troubles in life, right?"
Xiao Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't about work. "If you have any troubles in your life, just let me know. Maybe I can help."
Shen Zechen immediately looked at him expectantly and said, "My little sister is still so young, and there's already a brat chasing after her, even coming to our house. Can you ask the eldest brother to kick him out without disturbing my sister?"
Speechless, Xiao Wang took out his phone while waiting at a red light and opened an audio program on adolescent mental health education.
It describes in detail the issues of romantic relationships during adolescence, as well as the various psychological traumas caused by parental interference.
Shen Zechen rolled his eyes as he listened, but Wang Aimin earnestly advised him after the audio ended:
"I think you, Shen, have a bigger problem. Your sister is already in college, and it's normal for her to start dating. As a parent, you should respect your child's privacy..."
Wang Aimin drove the whole way, also giving Shen Zechen a lecture on how to deal with early romantic relationships among children, leaving Shen Zechen completely bewildered.
After dropping him off at the entrance of the residential compound, Xiao Wang even got out of the car, patted Shen Zechen on the shoulder, and said earnestly:
“Chen, you’re not getting any younger. Try to find a girlfriend yourself. That way you won’t be bored and always thinking about not letting your sister date.”
Shen Zechen rubbed his dizzy head and interrupted him, "Is your job really that easy? You even have time to research teenage romance?!"
Xiao Wang grinned: "My rascal is seventeen now, and he said he liked a girl a while ago, so I made a point of looking into it."
"When your daughter starts dating, if you also say it's a normal psychological reaction, then I'll respect you as a real man!" Shen Zechen snorted and turned to walk home.
Yours is about getting married, mine is about marrying off my sister. Your family is celebrating a joyous occasion, but mine, while not exactly a bad thing, just feels so heartbreaking to think about.
Wang Aimin stood there hesitating for a while before calling out to Shen Zechen's retreating figure, "But I don't have a daughter!"
Shen Zechen stumbled and almost fell, but Zhang Rui caught him in time.
Zhao He'an suppressed a laugh and suggested, "You should bring Bai Xue and the others out later. I guarantee your little sister won't have the energy to deal with Gu Jin."
Shen Zechen looked at Beibei, the golden retriever who was squatting at the entrance of his shop and refusing to leave, and suddenly had a better idea.
Liu Zhenzhen was dressed very elegantly today, and even wore a pair of high heels. She was supposed to go on a date with a guy she had just met.
The boy also liked pets and said she could bring her golden retriever, Beibei, to play with. As a result, Beibei, who was usually obedient, squatted down at the entrance of the pet store and refused to leave as soon as they left the neighborhood.
She knew that at this time of day, she would usually be at the pet store giving Beibei a bath, letting him pick out some treats and toys, and then watching him play with the shopkeeper for a while. But today was a special occasion!
Unfortunately, the temperamental dog was not easy to coax and refused to move. With the date getting closer and closer, Liu Zhenzhen was so anxious that she kept pacing around in circles.
When the owner and pet were at an impasse, Beibei happened to see Shen Zechen passing by. It immediately stood up and walked towards him. Fortunately, it knew that its owner was having difficulty walking today, so it did not run.
When Liu Zhenzhen saw him, she looked like she had seen a savior. Before Shen Zechen could speak, she urgently called out, "Boss Shen, I need your help in an emergency!"
She handed the golden retriever's leash to Shen Zechen, clasped her hands together, and pleaded, "Could you please look after Beibei for a while? I have urgent business to attend to and I have to leave soon!"
The time she had arranged to meet was approaching, and if she didn't leave soon, she would really be late. Even if it was a date with her boyfriend, it wouldn't be appropriate to keep him waiting.
"Of course, no problem. Beibei and I are very destined to be together. You don't need to worry. I have many pets at home, and it's fine for it to stay overnight at my place."
Shen Zechen smiled gently. He had only wanted to ask this old customer if he could borrow her golden retriever, but things had gone so smoothly. Gu Jin was just unlucky.
"Boss, you're such a kind and beautiful person! I'll help you promote your business and introduce new customers when I'm done with my work!" Liu Zhenzhen was deeply moved.
"Beibei, you be a good boy and play with Boss Shen. I'll come pick you up tonight. Be good and don't be naughty!"
Liu Zhenzhen gave Beibei some serious instructions, and Beibei responded with two barks and a nod.
She rubbed the dog's head, thanked Shen Zechen again, and quickly walked out.
Seeing Liu Zhenzhen walking briskly in high heels, everyone, including Lin You, was amazed.
The golden retriever looked at Shen Zechen with bright, sparkling eyes. It didn't seem anxious about leaving its owner. Instead, it wagged its fluffy, soft tail, looking happy and expectant.
"Beibei seems to be getting smarter and smarter." Looking at its clever eyes, Lin You suddenly asked, "They say that dogs and dolphins in acrobatic troupes are smart and can do arithmetic. Can we teach it to do arithmetic too?"
Shen Zechen strongly agreed with the idea. Regardless of whether the golden retriever Beibei could learn to do arithmetic, his little sister would definitely be very interested in the teaching process!
After returning home, Shen Zechen even brought out the small blackboard he used to teach Lin You. Zhang Rui went to do his routine check, while Zhao He'an stood by and watched him teach a dog.
Although they only taught the simplest numbers 12345, and although the intelligence of this smart dog is roughly equivalent to that of an eight-year-old child, the scene still looks somewhat surreal.
Golden Retriever Beibei was the first customer of Shen Zechen's pet shop. Every week, she would go to the shop to get a bath. Besides Shen Zechen's pets, she was the one who had been tamed the most.
Shen Zechen cast another spell on it and then began to teach seriously. Beibei sat quietly in front of the blackboard, and even knew to keep its eyes on the blackboard.
Then, Zhao He'an felt it was even more surreal. Was it just his imagination? Why did it seem like the dog really understood?!
Zhang Rui checked the indoor security camera footage and found no problems. He also confirmed that the hidden markers he had placed before leaving the house had not been touched. He used a scanner to make sure that nothing strange had appeared in the house before he finished his work.
When he came out, he saw Zhao He'an, who usually huddled in a corner and had little presence, standing in the middle of the room, his facial expressions changing frequently and very vividly.
He reached out and patted his partner's shoulder, giving him a questioning look. Zhao He'an then winked at Shen Zechen's position.
Shen Zechen's teaching is progressing quite well. Beibei can already tell how many times to call out a number when it sees a number. It can also accurately identify the number.
No wonder police dog training camps are scrambling to recruit people who can train a pet dog like this!
When Shen Shumeng led Gu Jin inside, Shen Zechen was already trying to teach Beibei to write numbers, but this time the progress was not very smooth.
The dog's paws weren't very dexterous, and after following Chen Zechen's movements for a long time, Beibei only managed to write the number 1.
"Brother, is it possible that when people train their pets, they only need to recognize them, not write them?"
When Shen Shumeng heard about her brother's teaching progress, she was speechless with frustration. Who could teach a dog like a child?
Seeing that her brother's phone still hadn't received any replies regarding early childhood education methods, Shen Shumeng immediately chased him away.
"Brother, you've gone too far! You've been teaching Beibei for so long, and you haven't even given her a snack as a reward. It's a shame that our Beibei is so well-behaved and sensible!"
Shen Shumeng quickly grabbed some dried meat and two packets of freeze-dried meat, opened them, and gave them to Beibei herself. She also made him a bowl of goat milk powder.
She fed Beibei while praising her, but Beibei's eyes kept following Shen Zechen. Only after Shen Zechen gave her a special instruction did Beibei continue learning from Shen Shumeng.
Gu Jin's hands were full of things, and seeing that Shen Shumeng probably wouldn't remember him for a while, he had no choice but to carry the things into the kitchen himself.
Shen Zechen glanced at his younger sister, who had taken over his job and was teaching the golden retriever Beibei 1+1 arithmetic problems, then turned around and cornered the guy who wanted to be his brother-in-law in the kitchen.
The kitchen counter was filled with the things Gu Jin brought: large, menacing crabs, lively shrimp, palm-sized scallops, and fresh, plump abalone. There was even something jumping around in a plastic bag next to them, clearly indicating that there was something alive.
Gu Jin smiled obediently at him, pointed to a pile of things, and asked in a very familiar manner,
"Brother, do we have an apron? These seafood dishes taste best when they're fresh. Today, I'll let you try my cooking."
Shen Zechen was so provoked by the word "big brother" that he choked on his breath and couldn't make a sound for a long time. Why does this kid seem to have a lot more thick skin than before?!
Gu Jin looked around, then, as if she knew the place well, found an apron in the closet. She stared at the delicate pink apron with its floral print and ruffled edges for three seconds before casually putting it on.
His parents already knew about his pursuit of girls, but they didn't object at all and even shared a lot of experience with him.
Gu's father said: Bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned.
Gu's mother said: She has a sweet tongue, is hardworking, and is willing to spend money.
The two not only approved a six-figure sum for his relationship, but also specially went to the seafood market in the next city to buy this bag of seafood when they heard that he was going to visit the girl's home.
Yesterday, he was called home by Gu's mother to learn a few cooking skills from the housekeeper, hoping to make a good impression on the woman.
Shen Zechen watched as he carefully cleaned the crabs, put them in the steamer, turned on the heat, and even set the timer on his phone, though his movements were not very skilled.
I cleaned the scallops, topped them with vermicelli and minced garlic, cleaned the shrimp, cut them in half, topped them with chopped chili, and put them in the oven, setting the timer.
He cooked awkwardly, glancing at his notebook every now and then, clearly having just learned how.
Shen Zechen stared for a while before speaking: "Don't call me big brother, this is still far from settled!"
Gu Jin's eyes lit up. Just because it's still far from certain doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. Not being criticized is a good sign!
He obediently changed his address to Shen Zechen's suggestion: "Okay, senior. I heard from Mengmeng that you like spicy food, so this fish will be half chopped chili and half sweet and sour."
Shen Zechen didn't say anything, but rolled up his sleeves and went to wash the vegetables. He couldn't let this kid do all the work.
Shen Shumeng played with Beibei for a while before finally remembering the guest she had brought home. Seeing Gu Jin busy in the kitchen, she hurriedly came in to help.
"You can't even cook, what are you doing here? Go play somewhere else." Shen Zechen waved her away before she could even come over.
Gu Jin also chimed in, "Dinner will be ready soon. Mengmeng, go play some games first. Didn't you make plans with your girlfriends?"
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Author's Note: [Owl emoji]
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