Chapter 24 [VIP]
Shen Jinshan had never thought about this question.
He knew from his sleeping appearance that he had been an outstanding individual since childhood.
The mother returned from the hospital after giving birth, but only brought back one child. The other child, Chenmian, needed to be carefully cared for in the hospital's incubator.
Su Yueqiu was always crying back then. Not long ago, the joy of welcoming a new life into the family turned into sadness at the possibility of losing one of their children.
Shen Jinshan was only a little over seven years old at the time, and the maids were already dressing him in little suits and ties. When he went to see Shen Ci in the cradle, he politely asked the maid where the other baby was.
The aunt was also very sad, and with red eyes, she replied that she was in the hospital.
Shen Jinshan went to the hospital to see Shen Mian. At that time, Shen Mian was a tiny little thing, much smaller than Shen Ci. Her face and body were red, but her eyebrows and facial features were obviously much prettier than other babies.
Shen Jinshan stared at the incubator for a long time before saying to Su Yueqiu, "Mom, this little brother is cuter."
Fortunately, it didn't die during its sleep and was taken out of the incubator, but its growth was still not as good as Shen Ci's, and it still had to go to the hospital every few days.
Shen Jinshan recalled his childhood when he was in a coma, and it seemed that he was always under the constant care of his aunt, or that he looked at her pitifully from his hospital bed.
Because of his congenital physical deficiencies, his family doted on him.
Shen Jinshan himself has no recollection of sitting on Shen Mianjun's shoulders or in his arms, and Shen Ci was rarely held by his family either.
Only Chenmian, after entering elementary school, was often held in the arms of Shen Mianjun and Su Yueqiu to wipe away her tears, or to be coaxed in soft words.
Shen Jinshan wasn't very familiar with Shen Mian at that time, but he was already good at reading people's expressions. His family, including the elders in the old house, all favored the frail, cute, and beautiful Shen Mian. So Shen Jinshan also learned from the adults' attitude and showed more favoritism towards Shen Mian.
Chenmian's personality was spoiled and became very bad.
Shen Jinshan would occasionally pick up Shen Mian and Shen Ci from school, and from afar he could see Shen Mian making others ride on his back on the playground.
He told his brother that it was wrong, and then asked Shen Ci why he didn't try to stop him.
The boy who was being ridden like a horse spoke first: "Big brother, Mianmian isn't bullying me. I'm having a lot of fun playing with him. Please don't blame Mianmian."
"Sleep, sleep, sleep," it sounds so affectionate.
Shen Jinshan's expression turned a little cold. On the way back, he couldn't help but stare at Shen Mian with a puzzled look. Shen Mian didn't think there was anything wrong with her behavior just now. She hooked her arm with Shen Ci's and said, "Little brother, can you help me with my homework tonight? I want to watch cartoons tonight. I fell asleep yesterday and didn't watch any. I want to catch up today."
Shen Ci agreed with a sour face.
Shen Jinshan found it absurd that such a hateful, wicked, and selfish little bastard could have so many people tolerating him and genuinely liking him.
He wanted to know how this little rascal had managed it, but when Chenmian noticed his gaze, she angrily turned her head away and said that he was a bad older brother who would help others instead of him.
Shen Ci also said that it was all others who were eager to be used as horses by Shen Mian, so Shen Mian couldn't be blamed.
What is it that we rely on?
Shen Jinshan attributed it to Shen Mian's face and his personality, which was particularly fond of acting coquettishly and putting on a convincing act in front of people he wanted to get close to and please.
How can a little boy be such a spoiled brat?
After scolding him, Chenmian noticed his expression was off and then casually climbed from the back seat onto his lap, buried her head in his chest, and looked up to ask, "Brother, don't you like me? Aren't I your favorite little brother?"
After a while, she sighed again: "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you don't like me, brother. I love you the most. Brother, how about I kiss you to apologize?"
Well, she also has a bit of cleverness in reading people's expressions, and a shamelessness that never feels ashamed.
After saying a couple of words of coaxing to himself, he smacked his cheek hard with a loud "smack."
Shen Jinshan, who was obsessed with cleanliness, immediately took out a handkerchief and wiped the child's drool.
He tossed Chenmian onto the seat, where she stared innocently with her big eyes wide open.
Shen Ci said, "You forgot that your older brother is very clean?"
Chenmian pouted and said, "I don't remember. I just wanted to play with my older brother." Then she turned around and started talking to Shen Ci affectionately.
You little rascal.
Shen Jinshan turned his head away and thought, "With Shen Mian's personality, he'll suffer sooner or later."
Lin Langli's misfortune came a little late. If it hadn't been discovered that he wasn't his parents' child, Shen Jinshan felt that, given his childhood, he would have lived a smooth life under the protection of his family and with the unconscious favoritism and attention of others.
As a result, the slumber that was actually switched is now deviating more and more from the original path that Shen Jinshan predicted.
How pitiful, now in a deep slumber.
She became so helpless, cautious, and even somewhat ingratiating towards him.
Completely different from her previous attempts to please him, the emotions that Chenmian felt now, stirred by his reaction, were so genuine.
Shen Jinshan could hardly contain the feigned affection in his heart.
He smiled slightly, his fingertip touching the face of the boy next to him, sliding down from Shenmian's eyes, nose, lips, and chin, and said, "Of course, Mianmian, your face has been very likable since you were little."
The man paused for a moment, then said, "But my brother likes you and dotes on you, not just because of your face."
His dormant heart was stirred by these words. He keenly sensed the deeper meaning in Shen Jinshan's words, but he could not quite understand it.
Was his personality actually more attractive than his face? Even Shen Mian herself couldn't believe it. Was Shen Jinshan's statement meant to comfort her, or... something else?
He couldn't help but wonder if Shen Jinshan's "like" was a liking for his younger brother, or a liking that would allow him to stay by his side under a different identity.
Shen Jinshan ignored this question, gently touched his eyelids, and said, "Go to sleep, Mianmian."
When she woke up again, Shen Jinshan was no longer beside her. Shen Mian checked her phone and realized it was already noon.
After he finished washing up and went out, he saw that his family members had already gotten up in the living room. Su Yueqiu was wearing a face mask and talking to Shen Ci.
Seeing that Lin Langli was not there, Chenmian took three steps in two to get behind Su Yueqiu, suddenly hugged her mother, and said in a coquettish tone, "Mom, you're all awake! You should have called me too."
Su Yueqiu chuckled, gently patting Shen Mian's arms as they clung to her, and asked, "Mianmian, did you sleep well?"
Chenmian turned around, sat on the armrest of the sofa, and leaned against Su Yueqiu, looking like she had no bones.
Shen Ci glanced at him casually: "What exactly happened last night?"
Shenmian wanted to say that Lin Langli had threatened him, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them—how would he explain if the family pressed for details after he said them?
He had no choice but to change his story, sighing and saying, "I had a little argument with Lin Langli, and I got so angry that I ran out and got lost. I was so sleepy and tired that I fell asleep in the woods... When I woke up, I went to the top of the mountain to find you."
“Mianmian, your habit of running away whenever something happens is not good. Your parents are so worried about you. We were anxious all night.”
Feeling comforted by her mother's concern, Shen Mian's heart softened a bit, and she wanted to give Su Yueqiu a loud kiss, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of several other family members coming down from upstairs.
When Lin Langli was there, Shenmian seemed to be burned for a moment, and her movements stopped.
He kissed Lin Langli's mother. Would Lin Langli be angry and try to harm him again?
Chenmian, feeling embarrassed, shifted her position onto Chen Ci's large sofa and looked up at the group of people who had come over, calling out "Dad" and "Brother" to each of them.
Shen Ci squeezed his hand to comfort him, but Shen Mianjun said with a stern face, "Chen Mian, you're not young anymore, yet you're still so childish."
Chenmian retorted, "Dad, don't be so mean to me. Mom said you care about me a lot and that you couldn't sleep last night because you were scared."
Seeing him now looking so refreshed and radiant, Shen Mianjun's expression softened slightly. He said to Lin Langli beside him, "Lin Langli, Mianmian is just too childish. Now that he's alright, you don't need to dwell on it anymore."
His sleeping eyes opened wide in surprise.
Why? Lin Langli caused him to be homeless all night, yet he wasn't scolded; instead, his father comforted him.
He was very resentful and wanted to glare fiercely at Lin Langli, but when the other party just glanced over casually, Chen Mian calmed down, obediently lowered his head, and moved closer to Chen Ci.
Lin Langli sat down beside him, and after a moment, turned to ask, "Chenmian, have you applied the medicine?"
Shen Jinshan: "I've already applied the medicine for him. I'll have Shen Ci change it again tonight."
When did this happen? Chenmian looked at the back of his hand and realized that there were indeed traces of medicine under the bandage. He had been so absent-minded while washing up that he hadn't noticed.
Did you take the medicine from Shenjin Mountain while he was sleeping?
Chen Mian felt a surge of joy in her heart, a hint of pleasure spreading across her lips, and she gave a heavy "Mmm".
Shen Ci grabbed his hand, looked it over and over, then threw it back at him, her tone not very pleasant: "You idiot." You've made yourself look so pathetic.
He still remembered how pitiful Chen Mian looked after Shen Jinshan carried her back. If her face hadn't been a little clean, she would have looked like she had been picked up as trash.
“No, that’s not true,” Chenmian retorted seriously. “There were too many branches, so I could only move forward. I only got scratched. I was hit by branches several times and almost got hit in the eye. I still feel a little sore.”
He deliberately made himself sound pathetic to please the other person beside him—was Lin Langli satisfied? He didn't even dare to argue with him in front of his family now.
Suddenly, Chenmian's body tensed up. Someone was behind him, reaching under his clothes and gently pressing on his lower back.
Chenmian bit her lower lip, looking at Lin Langli with a mixture of shyness and anger, but the young man remained unmoved, his face still showing that indifferent expression.
That's insane! How could you treat me like this in front of my whole family? How do you plan to get revenge?
The fingers behind her slowly changed from stroking to kneading, and then slid forward flirtatiously.
Chenmian groaned softly, and when she saw her family looking over, she quickly tried to make amends: "What are we having for lunch? My stomach is so hungry, it's rumbling."
Shenmian felt that as he finished speaking, Lin Langli let out a smile in his ear, and the hand inside his clothes touched his lower abdomen.
A note from the author:
I couldn't resist updating anyway. I should have updated at 6 PM; a thousand words would have been better. oxo But I'll still post a longer chapter tomorrow!
I'm going to be posting on the magazine tomorrow, and I still haven't decided which pre-order to include. I want to write about them all, and I want them all! It's so hard to choose! I've pinned a poll in the comments section, so please like and vote for your favorites!
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