ALCSRB Chapter 12
by Suxxi“What did the Shen family say?” Madam Lu, over forty and well-maintained, asked her husband anxiously.
She was the second wife of the Lu family. The former wife had married Lu Guozhang for business reasons, and there hadn’t been much affection between them.
A few years after marriage, she had divorced amicably, leaving behind a daughter who inherited her mother’s estate and now served as the general manager of Lu Corporation.
Lu Guozhang put down his phone, looking a bit upset. “Shen Jili said he’s busy today and wants to reschedule the dinner.”
“He’s clearly not taking you seriously,” Madam Lu said, clearly displeased.
Lu Guozhang understood perfectly, and precisely because he understood, he was even angrier.
“All because of that good-for-nothing son of yours.”
Hearing the blame in his voice, Madam Lu immediately looked aggrieved.
“As if he’s not your son too.”
She had a hard time giving birth to a son and cherished him dearly. So what if he fooled around on a rainy day and came back looking like that?
What mother wouldn’t feel heartbroken seeing that?
Seeing her start crying, Lu Guozhang grew annoyed.
“I told you not to spoil him so much, or he’d cause trouble in the future. And now look—just a few days in, and he’s already offended the Shen family twice.”
All these years, he had worked so hard to maintain a good relationship with the Shen family, and now, just like that, his unfilial son had completely ruined it.
“It’s all because you kept pushing for him to marry the Shen family’s adopted son in the future. Otherwise, why would he start rebelling?”
Hearing her still talking back, Lu Guozhang’s anger surged. “What’s wrong with the Shen family’s adopted son? He’s just as cherished by Shen Jili and his wife as their own. They raised him like a real son. Not to mention how much of the Shen Corporation’s shares he might get in the future—just looking at how Shen Jili has treated him all these years, there’s no way he won’t inherit a share.”
At the mention of inheritance, Madam Lu stopped crying. “That’s all uncertain. Who knows what’s real and what’s not?”
“You ignorant woman,”
Lu Guozhang pointed at her, his finger trembling slightly,
“Don’t tell me you think the son of a maid from the Pei family would be a better choice? Only someone as short-sighted as you could raise such a blind son.”
Madam Lu twisted her slender fingers nervously.
“You can scold me all you want, but how can you say such things about your own son?”
“That was mild,” Lu Guozhang snapped.
“If Shen Xingyan hadn’t taught that unfilial brat a lesson first, I would’ve beaten him myself.”
Madam Lu’s heart ached at the thought of her son covered in bruises, but she knew better than to go overboard in front of Lu Guozhang. She could only mutter pitifully, “My poor son…”
“What’s so pitiful about him? If he had listened to me and pursued Jiang Mingyi properly, would he be lacking in blessings now?”
Lu Guozhang sank onto the sofa, his tall frame exuding authority.
“With the Shen family’s massive fortune, not to mention the inheritance left behind by Jiang Haishen—that all goes to his only son.”
Madam Lu thought for a moment and said,
“But Jiang Corporation isn’t under Jiang Mingyi’s control right now, is it?”
“You really are stupid,” Lu Guozhang sneered.
“Now that Jiang Mingyi is an adult, do you think Shen Jili won’t help him take back control of Jiang Corporation?”
He shot her a glare and stood up.
“Forget it. For now, we need to make sure our relationship with the Shen family stays intact. Once Jingze recovers from his injuries, I’ll personally take him to apologize.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Mingyi was in the living room, chatting with Su Wanxin about his exam today, when he noticed Shen Xingyan walking straight upstairs without a word.
He stared at Shen Xingyan’s back, a slight furrow appearing between his brows.
Su Wanxin turned to Shen Jili and asked,
“What were you two doing outside? You were gone quite a while.”
Shen Jili walked over casually and sat down on the other side of his youngest son, making Jiang Mingyi the “sandwich” between them.
“Just talking about some work stuff,” he replied to Su Wanxin first, then turned to Jiang Mingyi.
“How did your exam go today?”
“Eh, it was okay,” Jiang Mingyi replied absentmindedly.
“If you say ‘okay,’ that probably means you did great.” Shen Jili laughed heartily and reached out to grab him.
“If you do well on your finals, Dad will give you a reward.”
At the mention of a reward, Jiang Mingyi finally perked up. He smiled and asked,
“Really? What’s the reward this time?”
“We just gave you a sports car for your birthday… How about a yacht this time?”
Shen Jili thought for a moment. Young people usually liked that sort of thing, so his precious son should have it all.
“Aunt Wang, come upstairs for a moment,”
Shen Xingyan’s voice came from upstairs, interrupting the conversation between father and son.
Aunt Wang responded with an “Alright!” and headed upstairs.
Jiang Mingyi stared blankly as she went up, then turned back and said,
“I don’t even know how to drive a yacht.”
Looking at his youngest son’s handsome face, Shen Jili waved his hand grandly.
“That’s okay. Dad will get you a professional team to sail it for you, just for fun.”
Su Wanxin smiled from the side. Today, she wore a bright crimson dress, her whole demeanor gentle and approachable.
Listening to their conversation, she couldn’t help but comment, “You’re seriously spoiling him.”
“As if you don’t spoil him too,” Shen Jili shot her a glance and then turned to his youngest son affectionately.
“Our baby is so adorable—why shouldn’t we spoil him?”
Not long after, Aunt Wang came back down from upstairs and turned into the side hall.
“Dad, let’s talk about the reward after my exams,”
Jiang Mingyi suddenly stood up. Without waiting for a response, he walked toward the hall.
Aunt Wang was rummaging through a cabinet, taking out a medicine box and searching through it item by item.
“What are you looking for, Auntie Wang?”
Jiang Mingyi asked, sensing something off—especially when she was clearly startled by his sudden appearance.
Seeing it was the young master, Aunt Wang patted her chest and said,
“I’m looking for safflower oil.”
“Safflower oil?”
Jiang Mingyi’s brows furrowed deeply.
He remembered bumping his head yesterday, and Su Wanxin had wanted to apply safflower oil, but he had turned it down, saying it smelled terrible.
Aunt Wang lowered her voice and said,
“It’s for the eldest young master. I remember we used it before and kept it in here.”
She continued searching and finally found the oil at the bottom of the box.
“If it’s for my brother, I’ll take it to him,” Jiang Mingyi offered.
He took the bottle from Aunt Wang and headed upstairs.
Standing in front of Shen Xingyan’s room, he hesitated.
It had been a long time since he’d last been in his brother’s room. He vaguely remembered the last time he entered—it was during a fight.
“If you leave, I’ll never call you my brother again!”
The distant memory rushed back to him. Jiang Mingyi shook his head, then recalled how Shen Xingyan had stood up for him earlier today. With that in mind, he gently pushed the door open.
The room was very quiet—but empty.
Jiang Mingyi stepped in quietly. He could faintly hear the sound of running water from the bathroom.
Clutching the medicine bottle in his palm, he tiptoed over.
The bathroom door was wide open. A tall figure was bent over the sink, washing his face.
The man was shirtless, revealing his well-toned upper body. Water droplets slid along his tight jawline, flowed down his slender neck, across his collarbone, and finally disappeared into his chest.
Shen Xingyan had his eyes closed, wiping his face with a towel. Hearing the noise, he assumed it was Aunt Wang.
“Auntie Wang, just leave the safflower oil outside. I’ll apply it myself.”
There was no response.
Puzzled, Shen Xingyan lowered the towel—only to meet a pair of beautiful, slightly widened peach blossom eyes.
Seeing the boy’s gaze lingering on his shoulder, Shen Xingyan casually tossed the towel over it.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Auntie Wang?”
He didn’t see her anywhere—but he did notice the medicine bottle clutched in the boy’s hand.
Shen Xingyan looked a bit annoyed.
“I specifically told Aunt Wang not to tell you guys.”
“Your shoulder…”
Jiang Mingyi’s eyes were fixed on the area covered by the towel, his voice muffled and heavy.
No wonder Assistant Qin said what he did earlier.
Biting his lower lip, he asked, “Did you get hurt trying to save me?”
Shen Xingyan looked at his reddening eyes, about to cry, and reached out to gently ruffle his hair with a twinge of guilt.
He comforted him,
“It’s just a minor injury. I’ll apply some medicine and it’ll be fine by tomorrow.”
“Liar! It’s all red. How could that be a small injury?”
Jiang Mingyi looked up with teary eyes, staring at the man’s nonchalant expression.
“I’m going to tell Mom and Dad. We need to take you to the hospital.”
He turned to leave, but his hand was caught by Shen Xingyan.
Jiang Mingyi tried to pull away, but the movement tugged at Shen Xingyan’s wound, making him freeze in fear and stop immediately.
“Let go! You’ll make your injury worse,” he said, voice full of worry.
“If you promise not to tell Mom and Dad, I’ll let go,” the man said seriously, eyes focused and firm, clearly showing he wouldn’t release him unless he agreed.
Jiang Mingyi’s long, curled lashes fluttered slightly. He lowered his gaze to their two hands—one pale, one tan—and hesitated.
Shen Xingyan was very patient, waiting quietly while Jiang Mingyi remained silent with his head bowed.
After a while, the boy slowly lifted his face. The red in his eyes had faded slightly, but he still looked soft and vulnerable, like someone easy to bully.
Shen Xingyan felt a bit ashamed for the thought that crossed his mind just then, but before he could speak, the boy softly said,
“Then… I’ll help you apply the medicine.”
Jiang Mingyi went to his room, brought back a clean blanket, and spread it on the bed. When he turned around, he saw Shen Xingyan looking at him with slight confusion.
So he explained,
“This way, the bed won’t get dirty while applying the medicine.”
Shen Xingyan raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“Our little Yi is growing up and becoming more thoughtful.”
Jiang Mingyi ignored the compliment, turned around, patted the bed, and urged, “Come on.”
Shen Xingyan smiled. His gaze unintentionally swept over the faint pink on the boy’s ears, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
He walked over and sat down as instructed, his firm, well-toned back instantly revealed in front of Jiang Mingyi.
At that moment, Jiang Mingyi had no interest in admiring the man’s physique—his eyes were locked on the injured shoulder.
Red and swollen, it looked particularly glaring against the man’s tan skin.
He wanted to touch it. His hand rose… then stopped.
“Does it hurt?” Jiang Mingyi asked.
Shen Xingyan couldn’t see his expression, but he could hear the concern and subtle sadness in the boy’s voice.
Actually, as long as he didn’t move the injured area, it didn’t really hurt.
But still, he said, “Yes.”
As soon as the words fell, he heard the boy quietly say,
“I’ll blow on it so it won’t hurt anymore.”
A warm breath brushed against his bare shoulder—soft, very soft—but it brought a tingling numbness with it.
Shen Xingyan’s eyes widened slightly, and his body instantly stiffened.