Chapter 56 The Male Lead's Past Quick, help! There's a thief here! ...
When Shen's father woke up from his drunken stupor and heard that the Sheng family had demanded a ban on alcohol, he felt like the sky had fallen.
He clutched his head, enduring the pain of a hangover, and cursed under his breath: "What the hell is this Sheng family doing? What the hell did I do to offend them after having a few drinks?!"
Chen's mother sat to one side, massaging his temples with a look of heartache, while also complaining, "That's right, that's right. The Sheng family is so wealthy and powerful, they can eat anything, and they even have to dictate our drinking. They have no conscience."
Father Shen sneered, "To hell with their rules! I'm going to drink, do you think they can stop me? Chen Zui, didn't I tell you to go out and find some alcohol? Where's my alcohol?"
Chen Zui stood at the door, expressionless: "Didn't find it."
Father Shen frowned, about to unleash a torrent of abuse, when Shen Le, who was scrolling through videos nearby, spoke up coolly, adding fuel to the fire of his anger: "Dad, I saw him find the wine with my own eyes, but he just accidentally dropped it. He probably lied to you because he was afraid you would hit him."
"You're lying to me?! You son of a bitch!"
As expected, Shen's father became even angrier. He suddenly stood up from the sofa, clenched his fist, and swung it towards Shen Zui.
He has practiced martial arts for many years, and his fists are powerful and fierce. If you are hit by one, you will suffer from swelling, pain and bruising at best, and even fractures at worst.
Shen's father showed no mercy to his own son, using all his strength when he attacked.
Just before the fist was about to strike, Chen Zui raised his hand and accurately grabbed his father's arm.
Chen Zui slowly raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on his father: "The Sheng family just said that fighting is prohibited in the main building, and anyone found doing so will be asked to leave the Sheng family."
The torrential rain outside was still pouring down, and the roads in Chen Village were flooded. If they were driven out of the Sheng family, they would have nowhere to go.
A moment of guilt flashed in Shen's father's eyes, and he loosened his grip.
Lost in the moment, he let go of her hand.
After withdrawing his arm, Mr. Shen rubbed it while cursing, "You son of a bitch, just you wait! And the whole Sheng family, a bunch of heartless rich bastards, they're really damn..."
Seeing that her father gave up so quickly, a hint of disappointment flashed in Shen Le's eyes.
He thought he was about to witness a good show.
Chen Zui has grown up now and is much more skilled, so he's not as easy to beat as he was when he was a kid. He hasn't seen Chen Zui cry or be knocked unconscious in years.
It's a bit of a shame.
Seeing that there was nothing to watch in the room, Shen Le put her phone in her pocket and stood up: "Dad, Mom, I'm going out for a walk."
He chuckled, a lewd look on his face.
Shen Le laughed along, "Dad, what are you thinking? We can't even get into the Sheng family's place; we can only move around in the main building."
He had already explored the area with Brother Zhang and the others that morning, but they found that they couldn't get into the Sheng family's residence, which was a great pity.
There is a wall separating the main building from the courtyard behind it. Servants have to scan their faces to enter and exit, and there are security guards at the gate, so it is impossible to sneak in.
I heard that the daughter of the Sheng family is incredibly beautiful, a true beauty, but unfortunately I never had the chance to see her.
Mr. Shen said with some regret, "Really? But the Sheng family is rich, so it's good for you to look around. If you come across any antiques or gold bars, remember to keep them safe and don't be polite with them!"
Shen Le waved her hand: "Okay, I got it, I'm leaving."
He bypassed Chen Zui, who was standing at the door, and left by himself.
Seeing Chen Zui, Chen's father's face quickly contorted with disgust: "Your brother's already gone, what are you still standing here for? Get out, get the hell out of here! You're sleeping outside tonight, don't even think about coming back!"
You can't even bring back a bottle of wine, and you expect to sleep in the room?
dream!
Chen Zui didn't say anything, but turned around and left decisively.
Seeing how quickly he did it, the moment the door closed, Shen's father's angry curses echoed from the room again.
Chen Zui closed the door tightly with a blank expression, shutting out the extremely unpleasant curses.
He went downstairs and followed the familiar route he had taken the night before, heading straight for the kitchen.
The same few servants were busy in the kitchen as in the morning. When he came over, one of the maids laughed and said, "What, you want to work again to exchange for wine? Butler Wang has already said that alcohol is prohibited, so you can't exchange it now."
Chen Zui shook his head and said seriously, "I won't change the wine, I'll help."
"Help?" The maid was somewhat surprised and instinctively waved her hand to refuse, "You are all guests, you don't need help..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chenzui stepped forward, took the broom from her hand, and silently began sweeping the floor.
The maid wanted to persuade him further, but the older maid patted her on the shoulder and said, "Forget it, let him be. When we eat later, give him two extra chicken drumsticks."
Chen Zui, broom in hand, bowed deeply and deliberately: "Thank you."
After saying that, he went back to sweeping the floor.
-
There are several private VIP rooms on the second floor of the main building, which are usually locked and not open to the residents of Chencun.
At this moment, Ling Shu was in one of the VIP rooms, sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, with snacks and coffee in front of her. She held a coffee cup in one hand and rested her chin on the other, lazily looking at the scenery below through the window.
Outside the window is the main building's plaza, connected by two covered walkways. The rain was heavy, but quite a few elderly people were strolling back and forth on the walkways.
Butler Wang stood beside her, reporting the findings to her.
"Changming Martial Arts School was founded seventy-seven years ago. The first master was the grandfather of the current master, Shen Changming. The first master only had two sons. The eldest son was Shen Changming's father, who inherited the martial arts school after growing up. The second son was said to be rebellious and went out to work before he was eighteen years old, rarely returning home. The people of Shen Village can't even remember his name or what he looked like."
“Shen Changming was an only child. He learned martial arts from his father from a young age and naturally inherited the martial arts school when he grew up. His wife was also from Shen Village, but she was in poor health. After giving birth to Shen Zui, she was bedridden and rarely saw people. When Shen Zui was four years old, his mother passed away. Shen Changming never remarried and raised his two sons alone.”
Shen Changming's story is very simple, and there aren't many people involved, so there's nothing wrong with it.
"Many villagers remember what happened when Shen Zui was six years old. It is said that one night, thugs broke into the martial arts school and tried to kidnap Shen Zui. Shen Changming fought desperately with the thugs, taking a knife to his hand and leg, before he managed to drive them away."
“Shen Changming spent several months recovering from his injury. After he recovered, he lost a lot of weight, his martial arts skills were not as good as before, and his personality became irritable and easily angered. He also became addicted to alcohol. The business of the martial arts school got worse and worse, and he barely managed to keep going until now by working odd jobs outside.”
Ling Shu put down her coffee cup and tapped her fingers on the table: "That's not right."
Butler Wang asked, "Miss Ling, is there something wrong?"
Ling Shu said, "Where did you get the idea that the thugs broke into the martial arts gym to rob Chen Zui?"
Butler Wang recalled for a moment: "It was Shen Changming who said it after he recovered from his illness. Back then, the public security was not as good as it is now, and there were often news reports of children being snatched in the street."
Ling Shu raised an eyebrow: "The Shen family has two children, one six years old and the other three. The thugs aren't stupid, why would they rob the older one and abandon the simpler younger one? Besides, a martial arts school isn't on the street, and Shen Changming knows martial arts, so it's not a reasonable choice at all. After the incident, didn't Shen Changming call the police?"
“We didn’t call the police.” Butler Wang shook his head. “He said the criminals didn’t sound like locals, and they ran away too fast, so calling the police wouldn’t have helped.”
Ling Shu chuckled: "He's quite confident. He's the only adult in the family, injured and bedridden. Isn't he afraid the thugs will come back? He won't be able to resist at all then. He won't call the police unless he's absolutely certain these thugs won't come back."
Suddenly remembering something, Ling Shu tapped the table twice more, her smile turning cold. "From beginning to end, the criminal's account was solely provided by Shen Changming. What if he's lying?"
While Butler Wang was telling the story, she was discussing it with Sheng Yunshen in her mind, and neither of them really believed the so-called "thugs".
A father who is willing to get injured to protect his child would never fail to call the police after being injured.
The story of the thugs at night is only Shen Changming's side of the story.
What exactly happened that night, only he himself probably knows.
Butler Wang's thinking was clearly not as unconventional as hers and Sheng Yun Shen's. She stared wide-eyed in surprise: "But he's injured! Could it be that he caused the injury himself?"
Ling Shu pondered: "Injured, recuperating, personality drastically changed..."
A bold and somewhat bizarre idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
She immediately looked up at Butler Wang, "Uncle Wang, I have a few things to ask of you..."
-
Li Yin stood in the mountains, holding a black umbrella, his face somber.
In front of him, several excavators were working in the rain, clearing away gravel and broken branches from the road.
His assistant whispered to him, "Mr. Li, the rain hasn't stopped yet. It's dangerous here. We have people watching over things, so you don't need to keep an eye on things yourself."
"When will it be fixed at the latest?"
Li Yin ignored his advice and asked directly.
The assistant paused, then shook his head regretfully: "The bridge ahead is completely broken, and it's raining now, so many processes can't be carried out. Even if a temporary bridge is built, it will take at least a week."
Li Yin's voice was deep: "What about the other side of the tunnel?"
The assistant shook his head: "The rain continues, and the tunnel is severely flooded. Our people are doing their best to drain the water, but the situation is not optimistic. It is estimated that it will take at least four hours after the rain stops before the tunnel can be completed."
After the rain stopped...
Li Yin slightly raised his umbrella, his gaze passing through the dripping raindrops on the edge of the umbrella as he looked at the vast world covered by the rain curtain.
The assistant, observing his somber expression, cautiously suggested, "Mr. Li, how about I call the Sheng family and ask if they need any help? Even with this blocked road, there should still be a way to send something."
Upon hearing this, Li Yin remained silent for two seconds, then shook his head: "No need. With her abilities, she can handle even without water and electricity; she doesn't need my help."
He could guess her answer without even asking.
He knew Ling Shu didn't need his help, even though she didn't need anything he was doing. If she knew, it might actually be a burden to her.
He just... wanted to treat her as well as possible in his own way.
I didn't expect anything in return.
Withdrawing his gaze and his somewhat scattered thoughts, Li Yin turned around, his tone becoming steady again: "Continue construction and clear the blockage as soon as possible."
-
After sweeping the floor, Chenzui helped the Sheng family's servants clean the windows.
He didn't want to be idle, so he simply used work to numb himself. It was as if only when he was busy could he feel that he truly existed, and not that he was superfluous.
The scraper glided across the glass, removing the wet streaks and leaving a clear, empty space.
For some reason, in this clear light and shadow, he seemed to see fragments of memories again, and his movements slowed down.
"Zui'er, your name comes from my favorite poem: 'Fine wine in a luminous cup, I long to drink, but the pipa urges me on. Do not laugh at me, drunk on the battlefield; how many have returned from ancient battles?' (Note: I possess great martial arts skills, but I haven't had the chance to use them. I can only be a brute in this rural martial arts school. I hope you can find a suitable place in the future to put them to good use!")
On a summer night when he was five, the air was filled with the chirping of insects and the sky was full of stars. His father held him in his arms as they sat in the yard, gazing at the sky. He held half a watermelon in his arms and ate it with a small spoon.
Shen Le was only two years old at the time. She was bad-tempered and stubborn, and she kept making a fuss about wanting to eat watermelon.
But Dad didn't give it to Shen Le, saying that it would give him diarrhea.
Shen Le was so angry that she cried loudly and rolled around on the ground in the yard.
A little embarrassed, Xiao Shen turned to his father and asked, "Should I share a bite with him?"
He knew his father had specially carried the watermelon back from the mountain and chilled it in well water; it was so delicious that it could instantly make one forget the summer heat. He didn't want to share it with Chen Le, but he was also afraid of putting his father in a difficult position.
Dad shook his head, his expression indifferent: "Today is your birthday, this is a birthday present I brought for you, no one can take it from me. You can eat as much as you want, don't spoil him."
Xiao Shenzui didn't say anything more. Despite Shen Le's ear-piercing wailing, he forced himself to finish half a watermelon, his stomach bulging like a watermelon. Shen Le was also exhausted from crying and had fallen asleep on the ground at some point, a snot bubble still hanging from her nose.
"Dad, Xiao Le is asleep. Let's carry him into the room so he doesn't catch a cold."
Xiao Shenzui still cares about his younger brother quite a bit, even though his brother has a very annoying personality; after all, he's still his brother.
Dad stood up, sighed, and seemed to have a complicated expression, which Xiao Shenzui didn't understand. He only remembered that Dad patted his head, said "I'm sorry," and went over to pick up Shen Le.
Xiao Shen couldn't understand why his father was apologizing when he was clearly happy and content.
"Chenzui, you must have a lot of free time, working as a servant in the Sheng family? What, you've only been here a day and you're already thinking about currying favor with the Sheng family?!"
The laughter from behind interrupted my blissful reverie.
He turned his head and, unsurprisingly, saw Shen Le and Brother Zhang's group.
Shen Le, who would throw tantrums at the age of two, has always had the same bad temper and is annoying to everyone.
Seeing him look over, Shen Le spat on the ground: "Pah, shameful!"
Whenever the two met, Shen Le would always take the lead in mocking him, as if they had a grudge against him. In the past, Brother Zhang and his henchmen would definitely have joined in the mockery.
Today is a little different.
Brother Zhang had his hands in his pockets, his eyes scanning Shen Zui as if he were pondering something.
Chen Zui knew them too well; he knew Zhang Ge was definitely up to something. He straightened up, his expression serious: "Zhang, this is the Sheng family home, not Chen Village. I advise you to behave yourselves."
A flicker of guilt crossed Zhang's eyes, which quickly turned to anger: "Are you crazy?!"
Shen Le tugged at Zhang Ge's sleeve: "Zhang Ge, don't argue with him, let's go about our business. I told you we couldn't bring Chen Zui along, he's just an idiot."
Brother Zhang snorted, withdrew his gaze, and refused to look at Chen Zui again: "Let's go."
Unexpectedly, Chen Zui strode forward, blocking their path, her expression grim: "What exactly do you want?!"
"Holy crap..."
Brother Zhang was startled and stopped in his tracks. "What we do is none of your business!"
Chen Zui didn't use a question, but rather a statement: "You plan to do something bad at the Sheng family. What is it? Robbery? Or theft?"
When the topic of stealing came up, Brother Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed, which was immediately noticed by Chen Zui, whose expression became even more stern. "Are you all crazy? The Sheng family kindly took us in, and you're planning to steal from us?"
"What do you mean by stealing!"
Brother Zhang sneered, "The Sheng family is so rich, what's wrong with us sharing some? You better behave yourself and pretend you don't know anything about this, or I'll kill you!"
He reached out to push aside Chen Zui, who was blocking his way, but he couldn't budge her despite his effort.
He looked thin, but his body was as solid as a wall.
Brother Zhang: "..."
Chen Zui stared intently at Brother Zhang, showing no intention of moving aside: "You can't do this."
His gaze made Brother Zhang a little uneasy, and his brows furrowed even more tightly: "Chen Zui, are you crazy? How dare you block my way? Do you believe I'll really hit you?"
Chenzui said, "You can't beat me. Even if all of you come at me together, you still can't beat me."
In recent years, he has been able to barely "coexist peacefully" with Brother Zhang and his group, thanks to his extraordinary fighting skills.
Just then, Shen Le walked over and whispered, "Brother Zhang, there are security cameras here, so we can't take action. Watch me, I'll handle him."
Brother Zhang remained silent with a gloomy face.
Shen Le walked up to Shen Zui, looked at him with a smile, and explained, "Brother, you've got it wrong. We're not doing anything bad. It's just that Brother Zhang said the Sheng family has been working hard, and he's thinking about how we can help them."
As she spoke, Shen Le moved closer to Shen Zui, trying to pat his shoulders with both hands.
Chen Zui coldly stepped back, avoiding Chen Le's hand.
Shen Le patted empty air, but wasn't embarrassed. She touched her nose and laughed, "I'm serious, brother. We'll be going now, so as not to bother you."
Unmoved by Chen Zui's intoxication, he replied, "I don't trust you."
Shen Le dragged out his words, seemingly somewhat dissatisfied.
Just then, several servants from the Sheng family passed by them carrying vegetables.
Shen Le, who had been smiling just moments before, instantly changed her expression and shouted for help to the servants, "Come quick, there's a thief here!"
-
Ling Shu didn't expect that she would see Chen Zui again in the afternoon after just chatting with him in the morning.
And this was under such special circumstances.
Chenzui stood in the very center, surrounded by several security guards.
He lowered his head, his expression unreadable, but one could sense that he was shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.
Beside him, Shen Le stood tall, her face full of righteous indignation: "Chen Zui is my brother, but he has done wrong, and I cannot cover it up for him. I hope the Sheng family will punish him severely and not tolerate evil. What do you say, beautiful lady?"
He kept staring at Ling Shu as he spoke.
Ling Shu was stunned for two seconds before she realized that the "beautiful lady" he was referring to was her.
She rested her chin on her hand, a flicker of interest in her eyes: "Oh? What mistake did your brother make?"
Did you drop a bowl while washing dishes?
Did you break the broom while sweeping?
Shen Le declared righteously, "He stole something, and we caught him red-handed!"
Ling Shu raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
What did you steal? Did you steal an unfinished wine bottle?
A security guard dressed in black stepped forward and handed her something: "Miss Ling, this is what we found in Chen Zui's pocket."
Ling Shu took it and saw that it was a gold watch, which looked like it had been used.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and continued to ask the security guard, "Have you checked? Whose things are these?"
The security guard bowed his head: "Checking the serial number, this watch belongs to Mr. Chen. He came to the Sheng family for a banquet before and may have lost it unintentionally without noticing." For the wealthy families in Beijing, it's just a gold watch, not some famous luxury limited edition. Sometimes, when they're in a good mood, they might just casually toss it to a waiter as a tip.
If it's lost, it's lost.
Ling Shu handed the gold watch back to the security guard: "Take it away for maintenance and repair. After the rain stops, have Uncle Wang send someone to return it to President Chen."
"yes."
The security guard carefully put away the gold watch.
A flicker of pain crossed Shen Le's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a sense of satisfaction. He stepped forward, getting closer to Ling Shu: "Beautiful lady, my brother was doing chores for the Sheng family's servants today, but his real purpose was to steal from the Sheng family. Now that he's been caught red-handed, please punish him severely!"
"Oh." Ling Shu asked with interest, "Then tell me, how should I punish them severely?"
After a moment's thought, Shen Le suggested, "Why don't we lock him up first and then transfer him to the police after the rain stops?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Zui, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly looked up at Shen Le, her eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
Ling Shu watched coldly, shaking her head inwardly, and complained to Sheng Yunshen, "This child is really simple-minded. Even at this point, he still has expectations for his younger brother."
Sheng Yunshen responded: "He is probably just enduring it. When he can no longer bear it, he will naturally tell the truth."
Perhaps it was because Shen Zui had become accustomed to enduring.
After all, in the past ten years or so, no one had ever stood by his side.
Ling Shu continued to complain, "That won't do."
From the very beginning, she hadn't believed the nonsense about Chen Zui stealing. Although the gold watch was found in Chen Zui's pocket, it must have been slipped there by someone else. And whoever slipped it there was, without a doubt, Chen Le.
In the original book, the family members who were obsessed with the story all died in the chaos of the early days of the apocalypse, before they had a chance to unleash their despicable humanity.
"If we want Chenzui to see them clearly, we have to use drastic measures, just like with the previous sister-in-law. Gouzi, don't you think?"
"Dog?"
"Sheng Yun Shen?"
Ling Shu sought Sheng Yun Shen's opinion, but Sheng Yun Shen seemed to have suddenly lost contact and did not respond.
This is not the first time this has happened today.
Ling Shu frowned inwardly, suppressing her unease about Sheng Yun Shen's unusual behavior, and looked up at Shen Le. Shen Zui was still surrounded; she needed to deal with this matter first.
She said slowly and deliberately, "We can't just detain him arbitrarily; we have to consider his family's opinion."
"family……"
Shen Le was taken aback. "Are you referring to my parents?"
Ling Shu nodded: "Yes."
Shen Le replied without hesitation, "I'll go and invite them right away."
After saying that, he turned around and ran upstairs, his steps so eager.
She stared blankly in the direction he had left, her face expressionless.
A few minutes later, Shen Le pulled her father and mother downstairs.
As soon as Shen's father got close, he pounced on him, punching Shen Zui all the while cursing, "You bastard, you've even learned to steal! You've really disgraced me!"
Chen's mother stood far away, her face full of sorrow. She pretended to wipe away her tears, but after wiping for a long time, her sleeves remained dry.
The security guard intervened in time and stopped Shen's father from making a move.
After his attack failed, Mr. Shen regretfully withdrew his hand and turned to face Ling Shu: "My son made a mistake first. You can deal with him as you see fit. We have no objections."
Ling Shu tilted her head, her eyes clear as ice: "But you didn't even ask before you condemned your son."
The father choked on his sobs.
Mother Shen quickly added, "It's not that we don't want to ask, it's just that this child has really disappointed us. He even dares to lay a hand on his own father, and I'm not his biological mother, so I can't control him at all."
With a bit more confidence, Mr. Shen continued, "Yes, that's right. He has a terrible personality, and we can't control him at all."
As he said this, Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged glances.
Shen Le just told them upstairs that Brother Zhang and his men have a big plan tonight, and if it goes well, everyone can make a fortune.
After all, the Sheng family is so rich that even a little bit of their wealth could be enough for an ordinary family to eat and drink for a lifetime.
Chen Zui is a blockhead; not only does he not help, but he also tries to stop them. This time, we must first smear Chen Zui so he can't recover, and no one will believe what he says.
Ling Shu fidgeted with her fingers with interest: "Shen Changming, I've heard that your martial arts school has only been able to stay afloat this long thanks to your son's part-time jobs. What will happen to your school if he gets arrested?"
For a moment, Shen's father's face turned pale.
Who exactly is this woman in front of him? How could she know so much about the details of his family?!
Swallowing hard, Mr. Shen hardened his heart: "I've long since given up on running the martial arts school. Once he's in prison, I'll sell the school and go to the city to work."
After Shen's parents arrived, Shen Zui remained motionless and unresponsive.
When he heard his father say he was going to sell the martial arts school, he looked up, his eyes momentarily unfocused, and couldn't help but call out, "Dad!"
Author's Note: This is the first of two poems titled "Liangzhou Ci" by Wang Han of the Tang Dynasty.
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