Memories of Shen Chuxuan (Part 1)
Yale University Laboratory in Connecticut
The transmission electron microscope and laser interferometer were operating non-stop. When the monitoring equipment nearby sounded a prompt, Shen Chuxuan finally looked up from the pile of dense data.
The bright red word "Failure" reminded her that the matching of the microfluidic chip had failed again.
It was a winter evening, and Christmas was approaching. The laboratory was already deserted. She could have used this opportunity to modify the chip program, but Shen Chuxuan did not forget that the new round of research was at the "difficult beginning" stage, and she had an appointment with the professor to discuss it tonight.
When I stepped out of the laboratory building with a dizzy head, the cold air brought a few snowflakes to my cheeks.
She has been here for three years. Even if she has no confidence in the pollution control situation in the United States, she does not have the energy to look for a mask or a scarf. Her phone shows that the car she arranged is about to arrive. She takes a deep breath and prepares to walk into the snow.
Just as I was relaxing, I suddenly felt a strong impact on my back.
The high steps glowed with a cold light, as if it was a deliberate opportunity. There were no service robots moving around. Even though Shen Chuxuan had learned some self-defense skills from one of her bodyguards and had experienced many "sneak attacks", the fatigue of the past few days still made her react a little slowly, and she fell heavily down the steps.
At the age of 15-18, Shen Chuxuan was not the most unique person in this multicultural campus. However, at an age when he should have been tormented by the SAT, he was already preparing for graduate school entrance examination. Such examples were not so common, let alone in the field of nanomolecular research.
So, it was inevitable that she would meet a few people who were bored enough to make fun of her.
"Look! Who is here!"
A familiar voice came, and Shen Chuxuan looked up despite the pain in his ankle.
——He was someone she met while volunteering at the community. What was his name? Jimmy
Shen Chuxuan didn't expect that she would get into trouble just by attending an event with her friends. This person has been harassing her for a long time.
But she has been able to study here safely for so many years, and she is not someone who can be bullied easily.
So, even though a row of unfriendly-looking people came out from behind Jimmy, and there were a few who didn't look like students in terms of their attire or age, Shen Chuxuan remained very calm, secretly calculating how many people he could repel with the "self-defense equipment" in his bag plus his watch, earrings, etc.
Oh, by the way, the little "smoke bomb" thrown at Jimmy last time knocked him out, and the nanorobots inside replicated repeatedly and almost blinded his eyes.
Of course, she had to be more cautious this time. It was important to get away, otherwise it would be a waste of time if she was called by the school administration again.
"Oh, little thing, where did you go" Jimmy's voice rose, with obvious malice, "Why note to our party"
Several tall figures came down the stairs one by one and gradually approached.
The thin dress wrapped around Shen Chuxuan's thin body. At the age of 18, no matter how smart and mature she was, she still couldn't make up for the difference in body size. The injury on her leg made her look even more vulnerable.
On a winter night in a foreign country, the "alone" East Asian girl had a simple and innocent face, but it was not difficult to see the beauty and exquisiteness gradually taking shape in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows. Because of this, even though he had suffered many losses before, Jimmy still did not give up and made up his mind to succeed tonight.
Otherwise, we wouldn’t have hired so many people to help.
Shen Chuxuan didn't want to continue the stalemate. After all, the time agreed with the professor was about to arrive. She reached into her backpack while calculating the distance and angle.
Because of this action, Jimmy at the front instinctively stopped, causing the group of people behind him to look at each other in confusion.
The flaw was exposed.
Shen Chuxuan felt his hair being blown by the cold wind, and the snowflakes around him swirled up and down.
Following that gust of wind came screams that rang through the ears, and the dull sound of a body being hit hard and falling to the ground.
The black coat hood somewhat obscured her vision, but the familiar smell had already made Shen Chuxuan realize who it was. She was stunned for a moment and pulled up the coat to reveal her head.
"Xi——" Remembering that the man had changed his name, the syllable that was about to come out of his mouth turned around and held it back, "Mr. Tanaka, why are you..."
The tall figure who had stood in front of her at some point didn't seem to have heard her words, and was still looking at the staggering figures on the steps. Without his coat, his figure, wrapped in only a simple shirt and trousers, looked even taller and wider. He was much more eye-catching than the male stars from European and American blockbusters that Shen Chuxuan's friends liked.
"Wh...what happened Who are you!" Jimmy half-knelt with a grin on his face, unable to believe what had just happened.
It was just a few seconds, and he didn't know when the man in black appeared. When he came to his senses, some were injured, some were disabled, and all had lost their combat effectiveness.
As the night deepened, perhaps the temperature also dropped, he felt that the other person's gaze made him more and more afraid to move. After a moment, a low voice came:
"Gentlemen, my young lady is still young, so please forgive me if there are any inconveniences. But no matter what she did, your behavior seems a bit ungentlemanly. I have no choice but to respond on her behalf. I wonder if you are satisfied?"
The tone was very calm, but the meaning of the words was completely different. The wailing that came one after another stopped tacitly, leaving only the sound of the whistling cold wind.
The effect was achieved. Tanaka didn't care about the other party's answer and replied to himself: "Very good. Well, my daughter still has homework to do. I will take her back first."
Shen Chuxuan, who was standing aside, secretly found it funny in his heart, and even wanted to complain, "Who would dare to say they are dissatisfied if you ask like this?", but he felt that the timing was not right.
While she was hesitating, the person in front of her turned around, lowered his head and pulled the coat draped over her tighter, then put his arms around her legs.
--Um?
Shen Chuxuan struggled a few times, but failed to shake the other party at all. It’s not that she resisted such close contact with Mr. Tanaka, but she was not a child after all, and she always felt a little awkward being held like this.
Tanaka didn't notice her abnormality and threw a final word to the group of people:
"Mr. Lennon, if it happens again, I'll have your parents come and collect your body."
The chest against which his cheek rested resonated, and Shen Chuxuan felt his ears go numb, and his hands and feet instantly turned cold, so he dared not move.
…
No one spoke along the way.
After arriving downstairs of the apartment building, Tanaka first gave the driver a few instructions, then got out of the car and opened the door for Shen Chuxuan.
"Ms. Chu Han, I've already spoken to the professor. The topic discussion has been moved to next week. You can have a good rest tonight."
As he spoke, he leaned over and tried to pick her up again.
Shen Chuxuan raised his hand to stop him, and insisted on moving step by step towards the apartment door.
It was hard to tell whether it was expected or unexpected, but Tanaka didn't say anything and just followed her obediently, moving at a snail's pace.
The pain in her ankle reminded her that she shouldn't do this, but she felt so angry that she didn't know what to do. She could only use this opportunity to calm herself down a little.
Fortunately, everything went well and she returned home on her own.
The door unlocked and the person behind her walked in before her. After looking around as usual, he went straight to the living room to find the medicine box.
Shen Chuxuan lingered in the entrance hall. At first, she was somewhat glad that Tanaka really listened to her and stopped taking care of everything for her. Before taking a photo, she just walked a few steps to the living room. No matter whether it was scattered books and documents or messy carpets, tables and chairs, everything would be put in a new round of arrangement.
But, isn't it too much to only listen halfway?
"Miss Chu Xuan, please come and sit down. It would be better to apply some medicine to the wound on your foot."
Shen Chuxuan didn't move.
The other party just held the test probe and cotton wool and stood face to face with her, without any hurry or urging.
Shen Chuxuan had long known about Tanaka's abilities, which allowed him to gain the trust of her adoptive father. Therefore, she also understood that she could not read anything from that always calm face. In this way, she would be the first to be defeated.
Just before she walked over, the man put down what he was holding, took two steps forward, bent his knees, and knelt down in front of her.
"…What are you doing? Why are you like this?"
Chen Chuxuan should have gone over to help, but even if she didn't admit it, Tanaka's behavior just now really made her feel scared, so she didn't dare to get close to him.
"Ms. Chuxuan," Tanaka lowered his head, looking very respectful. "If what I did makes you angry, please punish me. But please don't joke with your own body."
——As expected, he was seen through at a glance...
Shen Chuxuan sighed softly, knowing that this was not a solution. After all, no matter how wealthy the Shen family was, she would never get used to someone kneeling in front of her.
"Mr. Tanaka, please get up. I don't mean to blame you. As for my injury, it's not serious. I will remember to apply medicine. Please go back."
"Chu Xin Xiao——"
"I've already said it, it really doesn't matter, please leave."
The tone of this sentence was obviously a bit stiff. Shen Chuxuan was not often so emotionally unstable. She knew the reason, so she could only wait for Tanaka to leave and adjust herself.
But the imagined result did not appear.
Tanaka looked up at her for a long time, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he asked jokingly:
"Are you going to cry by yourself after I leave?"
“…”
At this age, people have strong self-esteem. Even Shen Chuxuan couldn't deal with it calmly when her dark history was suddenly brought up. She opened and closed her lips, and in the end, her eyes were red, but she still didn't say a word.
"well…"
Tanaka shook his head and stood up. Regardless of her struggle, he picked her up again and sat down on the sofa casually.
The place where Shen Chuxuan sat was on his thigh...
——Forget it, it’s not like I’ve sat there before.
She began to give up on herself.
"Ms. Chu Han, I think I should first apologize for breaking my promise."
The first was that it was originally agreed that Tanaka would come to visit her every two weeks, but this time he was more than a month late. Of course, this was not what Shen Chuxuan cared about.
"You guessed it, I arranged the driver."
Before getting in the car, Shen Chuxuan noticed the license plate number. It was the same car he had randomly booked, and the driver was obviously very familiar with Tanaka.
So, are all the strangers she has met here not really strangers?
"You clearly promised not to do this again, you clearly..."
"Yes, yes, I was wrong. I clearly taught Miss Chu Yan to keep her promises, but I knowingly broke the rules. I deserve to die..."
The hand holding her stiffened for a moment, as if not knowing what to do. Shen Chuxuan lowered her head. Even though someone kept admitting their mistakes in her ears, she became more and more angry.
This kind of thing has happened before. Her neighbors, classmates she met in the laboratory, the chef of a restaurant she often went to... almost everyone she met in life and study were specially arranged by Tanaka for her safety.
Well, she was indeed young and ignorant at that time, and the Shen family was not clean. Many people wanted to kill her, and she accepted it.
But now, she clearly has the ability to protect herself, and this person promised to let her solve the problem herself, but who knew that in the end, it would turn out like this.
"You can show up so promptly tonight. Did you arrange for spies?"
"Yes," Tanaka admitted readily. "I know Jimmy Lennon has caused trouble more than once, but I also abided by the agreement and didn't let outsiders interfere. Miss Chuxuan, you did a good job and really protected yourself. But you also saw that if this kind of person's entanglement is not thoroughly resolved, there will be endless trouble."
"I know, but I have a way!" Shen Chuxuan couldn't help but pull the collar of the person in front of him to emphasize, "I'm ready, in my bag-"
"Are you sure those things are still useful?"
"What?" Shen Chuxuan was stunned.
Tanaka patted the back of her head, and she could taste a hint of "disappointment in someone's ability" in this action.
"What happened when you fell down the stairs? Did someone push you from behind?"
Shen Chuxuan suddenly recalled the blow on his back.
——Could it be…
"They put a blocker in your bag, Miss Chu Yan. That person has already suffered several losses. Do you really think he would be stupid enough to make the same mistake countless times? Or are you still completely unaware of the situation you are in?"
“I…I…”
Shen Chuxuan didn't know what to say.
Tanaka's meaning was very clear. If he didn't show up tonight, one could imagine what the consequences would be.
"Ms. Chu Xuan, you said you wanted to take back the ownership of the Shen Corporation on your own, but let me tell you, all this must be done under the premise that you are safe and alive. It is necessary and essential to use some means to protect yourself. Although I will apologize for breaking my promise, even so, I will continue to do so."
Yes, she was the one who said she would save her life and take back the Shen Corporation for her deceased parents. She was also the one who said she was willing to face all the darkness. But when she heard Tanaka threaten Jimmy, she got scared, didn't she?
She just speaks nicely...
She was afraid that she would become exhausted from being taken care of, so she didn't let Tanaka help with any daily matters. However, since her life was at stake, how could it be compared with those trivial matters?
She really went too far.
"I was wrong..."
"Oh my goodness, sweet lady, you know I didn't mean to upset you..."
Tanaka suddenly changed his tone, which was a little different from his usual steady and deep self.
Shen Chuxuan understood that the other party just wanted to make him feel better.
She took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, finally feeling that the depression in her heart had eased a lot, so she leaned back on the man's shoulder in relaxation.
"Thank you, Mr. Tanaka. I understand."
"With Miss Chuxuan's intelligence, I'm certainly not worried." Tanaka held her and rocked her, then continued in a teasing tone, "Let me think about what else might have upset Miss Chuxuan tonight..."
"Yes..." Shen Chuxuan muttered lightly, and his mood was obviously much better.
"Huh? Really?" He asked as if he knew the answer already.
"Yes! Didn't I tell you not to kneel casually? Can't you speak properly? If you want to kneel down, just kneel down on the street next time..."
Chen Chuxuan curled his lips, and as if to vent his anger, he punched the man in the shoulder.
Her adoptive father, Lawrence Bedford, has always been a self-proclaimed "defender" of these old-fashioned and outdated traditions, so it is not surprising that Tanaka has been influenced by this atmosphere.
But she didn't like it.
Although the punch was delivered with some force, it was barely more than a tickle considering the training this person had received. It could be said to be a bit funny, but Shen Chuxuan noticed that when Tanaka heard her say this, the serious expression on his face did not seem fake.
"I will remember this, Miss Chu Yan, and won't do this again."
For many years afterwards, even though Tanaka could no longer be with Shen Chuxuan all the time, even when he faced Lawrence Bedford, even when he fell to the ground seriously injured, he always kept this promise.
That was the first time he was treated like a real person.
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