After the New Year, Pei Yan was set to join Pei Corporation, so Pei Tai held a banquet to give his youngest son some momentum.
The banquet was fairly large-scale.
It was still the holiday period, and with the event leaning more toward entertainment, plenty of people showed up.
The Guan Family came as a group of six, minus Guan Jianshan—everyone else attended.
Of course, Qin Soxi and the others also wanted to bring Shen Ju out to lift his spirits, not entirely at ease leaving him behind.
The Pei Family Old Mansion differed from He Yuan’s garden-like layout, favoring an early 20th-century European style. Rumor had it this place was once a concession territory, later bought up by the Pei Family and renovated.
The changes weren’t extensive—at least the exterior buildings remained largely intact.
The interior style was thus quite distinctive.
Many first-time invitees loved wandering around to take it all in.
Qin Soxi wanted to flag down a server to give Shen Ju a tour.
But the servers were all occupied, and she couldn’t catch anyone’s attention.
Instead, Shen Ju spotted a familiar figure…
“Class monitor?”
Shen Ju was quite surprised. “How come you’re…”
Tang Yuexin had also noticed Shen Ju and walked over with a greeting. “Temp gig. Half a day’s work nets a grand.”
Shen Ju let out a “Wow.” “That’s a ton!”
Tang Yuexin paused, glancing at Shen Ju.
Then she smiled.
“Yeah, a real ton.”
Tang Yuexin asked, “Anything you want to drink? I’ll grab it for you. But no booze for little kids, okay?”
“Hey, I’m not a little kid.”
Shen Ju laughed awkwardly. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
Tang Yuexin shrugged.
Maybe it was Shen Ju’s face—it was too disarming. She just saw him as so young.
Like an adorable little kid.
The kind you wanted to dote on.
Soft and squishy.
But other times, he was like a little hedgehog wrapped in prickly hide.
Though even that hedgehog hide felt soft, and Shen Ju probably had no clue.
Shen Ju said he didn’t want anything to drink, so Tang Yuexin got straight to it.
“Alright then, back to work. Bye-bye.”
“Bye, class monitor.”
Running into someone familiar seemed to brighten the wilted little mushroom a bit. He no longer trailed unconsciously behind Qin Soxi like a lost puppy.
Shen Ju craned his neck, scanning the surroundings.
Qin Soxi patted his back. “Wanna head out for a stroll?”
The banquet hall was crowded—staying put might get stuffy.
Shen Ju murmured his assent.
Qin Soxi meant to accompany him.
But they’d barely taken a few steps when they bumped into an acquaintance, forcing her to stop for small talk.
No helping it—in a setting like this, running into people you knew was inevitable.
Guan Lifeng and Guan Muya had been “detained” early on too. They’d just arrived at the venue when folks swarmed over with drinks in hand. Qin Soxi had barely managed to slip away a few times to stay by Shen Ju’s side.
But this current acquaintance had a decent rapport with Qin Soxi, and they hadn’t caught up in a while, so she got held up.
Shen Ju whispered beside her, “Mom, I’ll wander out on my own.”
Qin Soxi turned to him immediately. “By yourself?”
“Yeah, I wanna check things out solo.”
Qin Soxi studied Shen Ju closely and saw no reluctance, so she nodded. “Okay.” Otherwise, she worried they’d never make it out of the banquet hall with her in tow.
The Pei Family Old Mansion was huge—maybe even bigger than He Yuan.
Or it could be an illusion, since compared to He Yuan’s lush garden setup, this place felt more “airy,” with broader, open spaces.
Compared to the stuffy banquet hall, Shen Ju definitely preferred exploring outside.
Plus, at this banquet, Pei-ge seemed even busier than at the year-end gala. Shen Ju hadn’t gotten a chance to even talk to Pei Yan—just caught a distant glimpse without getting closer.
Guan Lifeng and Guan Muya were tied up too, surrounded right away.
Qin Soxi had her own friends to chat with.
Even Guan Mulin hadn’t lasted long before Pei Haochuan dragged him off—god knows where those two had vanished to…
“Guan Mulin, what the hell do you mean by that?”
Huh?
Pei Haochuan’s voice drifted from ahead, halting Shen Ju in his tracks.
He stood right at the corner, with a clear view of Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan—but they couldn’t see him.
Shen Ju hesitated, wondering if he should back off.
Then Pei Haochuan spoke again:
“We’ve only been out here a bit, and you’re already itching to head back!”
Pei Haochuan’s tone was indignant, almost whiny. “You called me your best friend before, but I think you’re just brushing me off. Otherwise, why do you always wanna go back to Shen Ju when we’re hanging out alone? Haven’t you noticed how much you fuss over Shen Ju lately… Mulin, are you… are you…”
“Are you into Guan Shen Ju?!”
Thunderclap from a clear sky.
It stunned Shen Ju and 996 alike, leaving them speechless.
Guan Mulin seemed shocked too.
A few seconds passed before he replied, “Where’d you get that idea…”
“So you don’t like Guan Shen Ju?”
“I do.”
“See…”
Guan Mulin looked a bit pained and cut in quickly. “But the way I like Shen Ju is like a big brother for his little brother. Sure, I was born just half an hour before him, but I’m still older. We’re even on the same household registry. What are you thinking? Family-wise, I’m his second brother. What’s wrong with a brother liking his little bro? Can’t I? You’re the one—Pei Haochuan, why’d you drag me out here without pulling Shen Ju along too?”
“Isn’t he your friend?”
Pei Haochuan: “…”
Shen Ju held his breath.
Pei Haochuan tsked, sounding impatient.
But he still said, “That’s not… I just wanted some one-on-one time with you.”
Guan Mulin seemed to be staring him down.
Pei Haochuan tsked again.
“Fine, I admit it.”
“At first, yeah, I had some beef with Shen Ju. But after hanging out, I realized he’s alright. And Han Chengfeng—that punk’s mouth deserves a smack, but once you get to know him, he’s fine too. Anyway, like Han Chengfeng said, we tutored together, went out, ate meals tons of times. If I really hated Shen Ju, I wouldn’t go near him—not even for you.”
…
“But if you forced me, I might just say yes…”
“Stop right there. Shut your trap.”
They seemed to say more, but Shen Ju had already begun retreating slowly.
He likes me.
Guan Mulin said he liked him—like a brother for his brother.
Pei Haochuan saw him as a friend too.
And Qin Soxi, Guan Lifeng, Guan Muya, Guan Jianshan—his mom, dad, big brother, grandpa. How could he not feel their care?
They like me too, right?
Shen Ju had never dared dwell on it.
Joy always hid sorrow beneath.
He could only lie to himself.
Force control, refuse to think.
Don’t think.
Things wouldn’t worsen, wouldn’t hurt more.
But the truth was already plain as day.
He could no longer ignore his family’s concern.
He’d truly felt the existence of “home” here.
But now…
Shen Ju fled the spot in a hurry.
996: 【Host… are you crying?】
Shen Ju pressed his lips tight: 【No.】
【But I… I’m gonna cry, waaah…】
[…]
996 sobbed: 【Am I a bad guy?】
【Brother 996…】
996 wailed: 【This stupid task! I’ve wanted to say I quit forever!!】
【Just reset me to factory settings!】
Shen Ju hadn’t expected to console 996. He steadied himself, urging 996 to toughen up.
996: 【I can’t toughen up at all!】
【A broken you and a broken me—how do we toughen up, waaah…】
Inappropriate as it was…
Shen Ju really wanted to ask what nonsense 996 had been watching.
But credit where due—996’s outburst eased Shen Ju’s mood somewhat.
He rubbed his eyes and looked up.
He’d run off without knowing where to.
Where am I?
Shen Ju glanced around.
Ahead, not far off, stood a white three-story building, with a glass greenhouse beside it.
Wonder if anyone’s inside.
He was lost.
Maybe head over and ask.
But up close, the building’s door was locked—probably empty.
Shen Ju’s gaze shifted to the greenhouse.
Its door stood open.
Inside were loads of cacti.
All sorts—some plump and round, kinda cute.
Shen Ju wandered in on instinct.
The spot seemed remote, but someone clearly tended the plants regularly.
Even the cacti were neatly trimmed.
Shen Ju crouched to admire them, reaching out to touch one.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hiss…”
Shen Ju jolted, pricking his finger on a cactus spine. It was sharp—his fingertip bled instantly, a drop falling into the soil.
Ignoring the bleeding finger, Shen Ju whipped around.
He startled again—Pei Tai stood behind him. The Pei Family head. Pei Yan’s father…
Shen Ju had never interacted with Pei Tai.
Just glimpsed him from afar at banquets.
But that was enough to recognize him.
Though Pei Tai might not know him…
“You’re from the Guan Family, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
Shen Ju straightened up, tense and awkward.
He hadn’t expected Pei Tai to recognize him.
Earlier at the banquet, they’d been far apart. Now in the snug greenhouse, just the two of them, they were close. Shen Ju could see Pei Tai’s features clearly.
Pei-ge only takes after his dad, like, a third.
Pei Tai’s face was stern, not one for smiles. He clearly did skincare, but at over sixty, age showed—skin sagged, especially the lines around his mouth, making him seem even more unapproachable. His hair was dyed black, though it was growing out, white roots peeking through.
