Shen Yuqing let out a sigh and struggled to get up, washing up before calling out for Xiao Zhao a couple of times. Only then did he remember that Xiao Zhao had probably gone to the hospital early to visit Pei Yiyan.
Left with no choice, he had to look for medicine himself, but after searching around, he couldn’t find any.
He picked up his phone and decided to order some medicine for delivery.
Slumping onto the sofa, Shen Yuqing waited for what felt like forever before finally hearing the doorbell.
Suppressing his discomfort, he shuffled to the door in his slippers, expecting it to be the property manager. But when he opened the door and saw the person standing outside, he froze. “Song Wangzhuo?”
Song Wangzhuo was equally surprised, instinctively checking the delivery slip in his hand to confirm he hadn’t gotten the wrong address.
His gaze lingered on Shen Yuqing’s flushed face and the medicine in his hand, frowning. “You’re sick.”
Shen Yuqing let out a weak “Oh” and nodded. “Yeah.”
After a brief pause, he asked, “How…?”
Shen Yuqing was now wearing a delivery uniform.
Song Wangzhuo explained, “The security guard recognized me and let me in.”
Normally, deliveries were left at the security checkpoint, and the property manager would bring them in. But since the guard knew Song Wangzhuo, despite his delivery attire, he was allowed inside.
At this explanation, Shen Yuqing remembered and gave another weak “Oh.” He reached out his voice feeble. “Just give it to me. No tutoring today.”
Song Wangzhuo studied his exhausted state. “Where’s Xiao Zhao?”
“Not home. Busy with something.” Shen Yuqing took the medicine. “You can go. I’ll rest a bit more.”
Just then, a white cat with heterochromatic eyes suddenly appeared at Shen Yuqing’s feet.
Dizzy, Shen Yuqing looked down and murmured, “Good Luck, go back.”
Song Wangzhuo also glanced down. The cat Shen Yuqing called “Good Luck” was affectionately rubbing its head against his pant leg, letting out sweet, coquettish meows.
His mind seemed to explode with realization.
This cat, how was it in Shen Yuqing’s home?
He had searched for it for nearly two weeks. There was no way he could mistake it.
The cat was now much rounder than before, its fur glossy and well-groomed, even sporting a jeweled collar around its neck, exuding an air of luxury proof it had been well cared for.
Too lightheaded to notice Song Wangzhuo’s expression, Shen Yuqing crouched down and picked up Good Luck, who continued meowing softly.
Shen Yuqing glanced at the cat and remarked, “It really likes you.”
Song Wangzhuo recalled what he had seen in the surveillance footage that day. Frowning, he suppressed his confusion and asked, “Is this the one from school?”
Shen Yuqing was surprised. “Huh? You’ve seen it too?”
Though weak, he managed to explain, “I found it with an injured leg and took it to the vet. Later, I asked the school security, and they said it was a stray, so I took it home.”
So… it wasn’t him who had hurt it.
Unsure how to react, Song Wangzhuo lowered his head and said hurriedly, “I’ll go now.”
“Alright… Go ahead. Oh, and remember, no tutoring this afternoon.” Watching Song Wangzhuo leave, Shen Yuqing stroked Good Luck’s fur, his foggy mind wondering why Song Wangzhuo had seemed so strange just now.
But he was feeling too uncomfortable, so he carried the cat back inside and closed the door.
Song Wangzhuo now stood in the elevator. Raising his eyes, he caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror inside.
He was bewildered, a feeling so profound it was hard to put into words.
For so long, he had believed Shen Yuqing had cruelly killed Xiaobai. Yet now, not only was Xiaobai alive and well cared for, but it even had its own name: Lucky Come.
Song Wangzhuo felt a headache coming on.
Shen Yuqing was indeed different from what he had imagined. But every time he thought Shen Yuqing might be a decent person, he would recall the sight of Xiaobai being carried away by him.
In the end, it had all been his own delusion.
Shen Yuqing wasn’t as terrible as he had assumed.
Though some of his actions seemed odd at times, they had never actually caused any major trouble.
Moreover, Shen Yuqing had helped him out of several tight spots.
With a grim expression, Song Wangzhuo stepped out of the elevator. His conscience began to question him, had he been too quick to judge based on appearances?
Tomorrow… he would talk to Shen Yuqing properly.
Shen Yuqing took his medicine and crawled back into bed to sleep. Lucky Come seemed to sense he was unwell and curled up beside his head, keeping watch.
Xiao Zhao didn’t return until noon. The moment he entered, he spotted the cold medicine on the table and hurriedly knocked on the bedroom door before stepping in.
Shen Yuqing, woken by the noise, heard Xiao Zhao exclaim, “Young Master, why didn’t you call me when you had a fever?”
Having taken medicine and slept, Shen Yuqing already felt much better.
“It’s nothing serious. I’m fine now,” he said before asking, “How’s Pei Yiyan?”
Xiao Zhao replied, “Mr. Pei woke up today. He’s alright, just preparing to transfer to his usual private hospital. Wu Yi is with him. But he’ll probably have to stay there for a few more days before returning.”
Shen Yuqing nodded. “As long as he’s okay. What about the Pei family?”
He had been too weak all morning to spare much thought for anything else.
“Don’t worry,” Xiao Zhao assured him. “I spoke with President Shen this morning. He’s already sent someone to review the surveillance footage.”
With Shen Zhen handling things, Shen Yuqing felt more at ease after all, Shen Zhen was reliable.
Xiao Zhao updated him further on Pei Yiyan’s condition before leaving to prepare a meal.
Lying in bed, Shen Yuqing watched as Lucky Come, noticing he was awake, burrowed under the covers and settled on his chest.
Shen Yuqing stroked its back. “You’re getting a bit heavy, sweetheart.”
Still, he didn’t push it away.
Now that his mind was clearer, Shen Yuqing belatedly recalled his earlier encounter with Song Wangzhuo. The man truly never rested no sooner had he quit his job at the bar than he’d taken up another.
He sat up slowly, causing Lucky Come to slide down his chest but remain motionless.
Shen Yuqing looked down at it. “Do you know Song Wangzhuo? The moment you saw him today, you went straight to him.”
It hadn’t even crossed his mind that Lucky Come would go outside. The cat merely flicked its tail, meowed softly, and continued lying there quietly.
Shen Yuqing patted its rear. “Get down.”
Only then did Lucky Come reluctantly climb off him.
Shen Yuqing shuffled to the living room in his slippers. Xiao Zhao had already prepared a light meal. Sitting down, he stirred the porridge in his bowl with a spoon. Though he’d taken medicine, his appetite remained poor today.
Xiao Zhao emerged from the kitchen and asked, “Young master, should I take you to the hospital later?”
“No need,” Shen Yuqing shook his head. “The medicine will do. You should deliver Pei Yiyan’s things to the hospital earlier.”
Besides, he still needed to ask his brother later whether there was any progress regarding Pei Yiyan’s situation.
Xiao Zhao could only agree. He went to the walk-in closet to pack several changes of clothes for Pei Yiyan while the soup meant to be delivered later simmered on the stove.
After just a few bites, Shen Yuqing set down his spoon.
Eager to deliver Pei Yiyan’s belongings, Xiao Zhao left soon after finishing the packing.
Now the house was quiet again with only Shen Yuqing inside. He glanced around idly.
The system suddenly popped up: [Host, are you really not going to visit Pei Yiyan?]
Pei Yiyan had been particularly unlucky recently trouble after trouble.
Shen Yuqing replied: [I have a cold. With his fragile constitution, just standing outside his door for a few minutes would probably make him sick too.]
So, it was better not to add to the chaos.
The system fidgeted in Shen Yuqing’s mind again. Though comforted by his words yesterday, it still felt uneasy.
For an AI system, this mistake was fatal.
[Host…] The system didn’t know where to begin.
Shen Yuqing said: [I know what you want to say. Just be more careful in the future. He’s fine.]
The system nearly cried. How could its host be so understanding?
And to think it had previously complained about its host not listening! Now it seemed that not listening had been the right call!
Unaware of the system’s mental gymnastics, Shen Yuqing felt his wrist communicator vibrate a message from Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen: [Xiao Zhao said you have a cold. I’ll send a driver to bring you home.]
Xiao Zhao worked fast.
Shen Yuqing replied: [No need. The medicine will do. By the way, brother, any leads on those three people?]
[Found them. They’re friends of Pei Yiyan’s cousin actually connected to the Pei family too. We have all the videos.]
Shen Yuqing pursed his lips. Soon another message arrived.
[How do you want to handle this?]
Shen Yuqing replied: [Let Pei Yiyan decide for himself.]
There was no immediate response from Shen Zhen.
Just as Shen Yuqing thought his brother understood, another message came through.
[Yuqing, given what Yiyan has endured in the Pei family we both know the truth, I have an idea. Since you two get along so well, why not let him stay with our family permanently?]
Reading this, Shen Yuqing raised an eyebrow slightly. This was indeed an issue. After Shen Zhen obtained the surveillance footage from the Pei family, they would surely cause trouble for Pei Yiyan later.
However, whether Pei Yiyan could stay with the Shen family wasn’t something he alone could decide.
Shen Yuqing replied: [I’ll ask Pei Yiyan about it later.]
Truthfully, he also thought staying with the Shen family would be safest for Pei Yiyan until he became more established. It wouldn’t be a bad arrangement.
Leaning back on the sofa, Shen Yuqing mused that staying with the Shens might earn Pei Yiyan some mercy later when he went on his “rampage” a small repayment for the family’s long-term protection.
Shen Yuqing took a deep breath, realizing there was no way she could avoid seeing Pei Yiyan today.
