Chapter 24: “Little Uncle, You Care So Much About Shen Ju?” Part 2

A resounding slap landed hard across his face.

“You did this!”

Ma Rui’s mother blustered but was inwardly terrified, a far cry from her earlier demeanor. She began forcing Ma Rui to apologize to Jian Yi, bowing and scraping subserviently, her face flushed beet red.

She didn’t breathe a word about settling it privately anymore.

She only insisted that Ma Rui had done wrong and should face whatever punishment was due.

Ma Rui’s face drained of all color now—he was utterly panicked and cowed. The unease that had been gnawing at him since earlier reached its peak. He couldn’t fathom how things had spiraled this far! Especially after Qin Soxi and Guan Lifeng showed up, even bringing a lawyer—he was visibly trembling with fear and panic.

But with his mother still shielding him, he could barely hold it together.

And now…

Seeing even his own mother bow her head, Ma Rui finally realized that many things weren’t as simple as he’d thought…

He regretted it!

He truly regretted it…

He never should have messed with Jian Yi.

And even less should he have messed with Shen Ju…

Shen Ju was no longer the poor kid who’d lived in the alley with him for over a decade. He now had status, backing—completely different from them… Even something involving Jian Yi alone had Shen Ju’s parents swooping in, resolving everything without him uttering a word. In just ten short minutes, the problem was handled.

Ma Rui’s heart pounded in terror, his head spinning. For the first time, he grasped the full stupidity of what he’d done!

If his mother weren’t holding him down, he’d have collapsed back into the chair.

From now on, whenever Ma Rui saw Jian Yi, he’d probably take a detour.

Once Qin Soxi and Guan Lifeng arrived, everything wrapped up smoothly.

Soon, the two of them led Shen Ju and Jian Yi out of the police station.

Though Jian Yi insisted he didn’t need to go to the hospital and hadn’t actually gotten checked for injuries as mentioned earlier, Shen Ju still wanted to buy some medicine.

That face of Jian Yi’s clearly hadn’t been treated!

“Alright, baby.”

Qin Soxi patted Shen Ju’s arm. “Once Jian Yi transfers to your class later, this kind of thing won’t happen again.”

Jian Yi was still cringing at Shen Ju’s earlier over-the-top performance, unable to look straight at it. Hearing “baby” shocked him anew, but his expression shifted right after.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘transfer to Shen Ju’s class’? Who’s transferring schools?”

Shen Ju paused mid-step, a bit puzzled. “You, bro. And the transfer paperwork’s already done. Tomorrow we can go to school together.”

Jian Yi looked baffled. “I never said I wanted to transfer. Why… Who told you I did? My mom?!”

By the end, Jian Yi suddenly thought of something.

It couldn’t be Shen Ju’s mother suddenly meddling, forcing a transfer on him. And Shen Ju definitely wouldn’t handle something like this without asking his opinion first.

So only one possibility…

Recalling how Xu Ru had been hung up on it before, plus him getting injured this time, it was entirely possible she’d secretly asked Qin Soxi…

Jian Yi glanced at Qin Soxi, and sure enough, her expression confirmed his suspicions.

He knew Xu Ru had acted first and reported later with this decision—not just because she was still bitter about him not getting into Qichen, or because of the beating from Ma Rui and the others. Deeper down, it was worry for him. She’d always seen him and Shen Ju looking out for each other growing up, and now that Shen Ju had left their lives, she feared he couldn’t handle things alone… But Jian Yi still couldn’t accept it. More precisely, for an even deeper reason, he couldn’t bear becoming a burden to Shen Ju when he knew full well what Xu Ru intended.

“I don’t want to transfer. This wasn’t my decision…”

“I want you to transfer over, bro.”

“What?”

Jian Yi frowned at Shen Ju, a mix of frustration and helplessness in his voice. “Shen Chirp, this is a misunderstanding.”

“Then let’s just roll with the misunderstanding.”

Shen Ju eyed the injuries on Jian Yi’s face, uncharacteristically stubborn. “I’ve wanted you to transfer for a while now. What’s wrong with it? Qichen has better facilities, and we’d be in the same class. Since Auntie agrees and the paperwork’s done, why fight it, bro?”

“I don’t care. You’re transferring anyway.”

Jian Yi’s frown deepened.

If Shen Ju’s parents weren’t there, he’d have knocked some sense into that thick skull.

Did Shen Ju even realize what he was saying?

He was nothing but trouble—why drag that trouble along?

And his mom had already acted first and reported later, begging Qin Soxi to handle it. Qin Soxi had helped, but who knew if she’d pull the same stunt again, leaning on years of raising Shen Ju? That goodwill would eventually run dry. Goodwill was goodwill, but treating it as ironclad would just turn it into a nuisance.

Once the Guan Family got fed up, wouldn’t the negative consequences rebound onto Shen Ju?

Jian Yi couldn’t risk it.

He always felt a biological child might not outrank one raised at their side for over a decade.

Feelings built up gradually, after all.

But after Shen Ju spoke, Qin Soxi chimed in too.

Her implication matched Shen Ju’s—the transfer paperwork was real. If he refused, she’d probably have to step in again…

“Auntie doesn’t mind the hassle. It’s no big deal anyway.”

Qin Soxi smiled at Jian Yi. “But baby’s right. With the paperwork done, Qichen’s teaching is top-notch—only upsides for you, no downsides.”

Jian Yi pressed his lips together, unable to argue further.

The matter was settled, just like that.

But once they got home and Xu Ru returned from work, mother and son faced each other in heavy silence.

Jian Yi muttered, “I’m not eating dinner,” and turned toward his room.

A voice came from behind:

“I don’t regret it.”

Jian Yi paused, back to Xu Ru. After a long moment, he said, “Mom, you should be grateful Shen Chirp is soft-hearted. He repays kindness and still calls you Auntie.”

“In the end, without that connection, we’re strangers to the Guan Family.”

“I just hope there’s no next time.”

“Or it’ll wear away more than just your bond with Shen Ju.”

An agitated voice erupted behind him:

“But I was just worried about you! What’s wrong with worrying?!”

“But I said I could handle it myself!”

Jian Yi clutched his left arm tightly, face twitching, teeth nearly chattering. “Mom, I’m disabled, not useless! How many times do I have to say it?! Are you worried for me, or looking down on me?! Is it that I’m really lesser than others, or you just think I am?! Are you the one insisting your son is a helpless cripple?!”

The voice behind him fell utterly silent.

Jian Yi closed his eyes, adding only, “Really, no next time.”

Shen Ju returned home too.

He dove straight into his room, mulling over the tasks.

These tasks were way too hard.

He’d thought they were tough before—now they were impossibly tougher.

Why was the Task Energy Bar so damn slow to fill?

Holidays had been manageable; he’d had chances to get near Qin Soxi and the others, plenty of opportunities to “wedge in” between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan. Even then, it filled sluggishly—who knew why. But now that school started? No harder than this… Why hadn’t he noticed before?!

With school, he was busy. Guan Jianshan was far off in He Yuan. Guan Lifeng and Guan Muya had jobs. Qin Soxi didn’t have a 9-to-5 like them, but she stayed busy too. Even Guan Mulin went to school like him, but different classes. In a day, the people Shen Ju could run into, the time he could spend with them—it was precious little, let alone “stirring trouble.”

Being a villain these days was ridiculously hard.

Real-life problems piled up.

Shen Ju counted on his fingers and realized tutoring sessions at Pei Yan’s house were actually his most convenient times. At least then, he shared space with Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan—easiest for scheming, since they were the key “roles” in the tasks.