The air fell silent in an instant.
Everyone: “?…”
Even Shen Ju was a bit dumbfounded, sitting on the upper bunk and staring blankly at Pei Yan.
E-Engaged?
What did engaged even mean?
He felt like he didn’t understand the Chinese language anymore.
Guan Mulin quietly drew in a breath.
He felt like he’d really discovered something…
Did Pei Yan feel that way about Shen Ju? Was it……
Guan Lifeng narrowed his eyes, while Guan Muya’s gaze sharpened like knives. Jian Yi was still clueless, and as for Qin Soxi… her face was unreadable, giving no hint of her thoughts.
But no one had a chance to speak up.
Because 996 wasn’t stunned by Pei Yan’s words like the rest of them—instead, it thought…
“Great idea!”
“…”
What the hell was great about it!
996 bounced excitedly on Shen Ju’s knee and continued its self-indulgent “analysis”: “Since you can already team up like this, it totally lines up with the host’s final task directive too!”
“Let me think… Originally, the host had that seduction task for Pei Ge. In the final stage, you could pretend to drug Pei Ge and frame him, then use that to blackmail him into getting engaged to you. He’d have to hold his nose and agree, but then your scheme gets exposed. The Guan Family can’t accept it, doesn’t want to feud with the Pei Family, and wants nothing more to do with you—boom, perfect excuse to kick you out!”
“Oh yeah, and once you’re booted from the Guan Family, you fall right into Pei Ge’s hands. He can get revenge however he wants, and it’s only fitting for a vicious true young master to end up like that!”
“Ah, and bonus! It makes the protagonist shou look even more virtuous by comparison!”
Guan Mulin: “…”
Thanks a lot.
He’d wanted to say it for a while now…
996, if you’re so good at talking and making stuff up, why not go be a screenwriter?
What a waste.
And right then, Pei Yan even raised a brow and nodded. “That’s roughly the plan.”
“It ties everything together perfectly.”
Jian Yi opened his mouth, glancing from Pei Yan to Shen Ju.
Seduction? Drugged engagement? Even if it’s fake, that’s still…
As if reading Jian Yi’s mind, Pei Yan turned to him and said, “It’d be great if we could secretly find a way to end the tasks early, but if not, we still have to keep going. The progress is already more than halfway done. Leaving aside whether Shen Ju even wants to stop midway, even if he does, who knows what price we’d pay for quitting halfway.”
“Since we have a two-pronged approach now, it’s better to proceed.”
With that, Pei Yan looked to Qin Soxi. “If you trust me, Auntie Qin, rest assured that when Shen Ju has to ‘leave’ the Guan Family in the end, I’ll take good care of him.”
“I won’t let him suffer even the slightest grievance.”
“And if the tasks succeed in the end, it’ll be a happy ending for all, won’t it?”
Qin Soxi gave Pei Yan a deep look but said nothing at first. Instead, she turned to Shen Ju.
“Baby, what do you think? Whatever ideas you have, just say them. Your dads, big brothers—they’ll all back you up. Don’t worry.”
Shen Ju was still mulling over Pei Yan’s words, lips pressed tight. The fist Pei Yan had patted earlier had relaxed, but now he clutched the blanket over his legs, heart pounding thump-thump. He wasn’t sure if it was the lingering fever or something else. Hearing Qin Soxi’s question, he let out an “ah” and glanced at Pei Yan, then back at her. His fingers tightened instinctively on the blanket as he murmured, “I just want to keep doing the tasks.”
He hadn’t dared to hope for anything before, but now…
Shen Ju took a deep breath and looked at Qin Soxi. “Mom, can you help me?”
“Of course.”
Qin Soxi gave him a gentle smile. “No matter what, Mom will always help you.”
“Your dads will too.”
Shen Ju instinctively glanced at Guan Lifeng, Guan Muya, Guan Mulin, and the others.
Guan Mulin nodded first, signaling Shen Ju to relax.
He’d definitely help Shen Ju.
Since Qin Soxi had agreed, Guan Lifeng had no reason to refuse.
That Pei Yan kid is just an eyesore.
Finally, it was Guan Muya’s turn.
Guan Muya took a deep breath and shot Pei Yan a look.
Pei Yan happened to look back—and even smiled at him.
Guan Muya: “…”
First time I want to curse.
Shen Ju hesitated. “…Big Bro?”
Guan Muya spoke right away. “Big Bro will help you too.”
Shen Ju’s face lit up with a smile. “Thanks, Big Bro.”
Guan Muya: …Whatever.
Finally, Shen Ju turned to Pei Yan, fingers clutching the blanket again. “Pei Ge, thanks to you too.”
Pei Yan hummed and smiled at him. “No need to thank me.”
And with that, things were more or less settled.
Jian Yi’s objections fell on deaf ears, so in the end, he could only stress to Shen Ju that if they found a way to cancel the tasks midway, they had to do it. He didn’t want to gamble on Shen Ju coming out unscathed.
If anything happened to Shen Ju because of him, even if Jian Yi’s body fully recovered, his whole life would sink into a quagmire. He could never rest easy.
Not in this lifetime.
And he sure as hell couldn’t accept a healthy body bought at Shen Ju’s expense.
Shen Ju got the unspoken point and nodded obediently this time, agreeing.
With things “resolved,” Shen Ju relaxed a bit.
That relaxation brought the headache and fever crashing back, leaving him dizzy in an instant.
Staying at Jian Yi’s place wasn’t convenient anyway. With the Guan Family all there—plus Pei Yan—they scooped Shen Ju down from the bunk and prepared to take him back home. The family doctor was there, IV fluids would sort him out, and they’d take good care of him. Plus, with the tasks ahead, even if it was all out in the open now, they still needed to hammer out details and test progress.
Jian Yi naturally couldn’t stop them from taking Shen Ju.
But he watched as Pei Yan scooped Shen Ju up bridal-style in the end…
Well, no helping it…
Pei Yan had been the closest to Shen Ju at the time, aside from Qin Soxi and him.
His tiny bedroom couldn’t fit a crowd anyway…
So Pei Yan ended up carrying Shen Ju out.
Jian Yi watched Shen Ju’s flushed cheeks with a tangle of mixed emotions. Must be the fever, right?
The burning kind.
Couldn’t possibly mean anything else.
Fortunately, once Pei Yan carried him out of the room, Shen Ju murmured softly for him to put him down—he could walk on his own.
996 had burrowed back into Shen Ju’s body by then and couldn’t resist chiming in: [Host, looks like Pei Ge doesn’t just not hate you—he really likes you.]
[Look, you’re all sweaty, and he’s still holding you so tight, like he’s scared he’ll drop you.]
The words landed.
Shen Ju: “…”
The Guan Family: “…”
996 realized: [Ah… ]
Jian Yi wondered from behind why they’d all stopped.
The next second, it clicked. “Did you hear something again?”
“What did that system say this time?”
“What’d it say…”
With the system inside Shen Chirp, only he and his mom couldn’t hear it anymore.
Jian Yi tsked.
996 muttered softly: [Host, we gotta fix this bug.]
Now that everything was out in the open, keeping the bug around was pointless—and kinda awkward.
[Just relay stuff for me from now on. Gotta leave people some privacy, y’know.] 996 griped quietly.
Shen Ju felt embarrassed too.
But he reminded it: [Brother 996, everyone’s listening.]
996: [ … ]
Bug cleanup is a must!
Pei Yan’s brow furrowed slightly.
He wanted to say something.
But there was no reason to.
Everything was laid bare now. Eavesdropping on Shen Ju and the system’s chats wouldn’t mean much anymore—and it’d just make Shen Ju uncomfortable.
So yeah, no grounds to object.
Just… no more hearing his inner voice…
Fine. You gotta give to get.
Pei Yan buried the thought, raising no objections. Neither did the Guan Family.
Back at Yujinfu, the family doctor arrived right on cue.
Pei Yan watched as the doctor hooked Shen Ju up to an IV before taking his leave. Sticking around longer might get him “escorted” out—he knew better than to overstay.
Anyway, Shen Ju’s “mine” now. Plenty of time ahead.
Meanwhile, Qin Soxi and the others still needed to brief Guan Jianshan, and Shen Ju needed rest. Once they confirmed he was fine on his own, they left his room.
Later, around when the IV was due to finish, Qin Soxi knocked and came back in.
Shen Ju had napped a bit and was feeling decent.
Qin Soxi sat on the bed’s edge and touched his forehead.
“Not as hot anymore.”
Shen Ju blinked and smiled at her.
Qin Soxi pinched his nose.
Then murmured, “Baby, you know your dads love you, right?”
“Today’s an exception—no tasks.”
Qin Soxi paused before continuing. “Mom’s always wanted to tell you: ever since you came back to the Guan Family, we’ve wanted to love you properly, make up for those lost years.”
“Mom…”
Qin Soxi smiled, holding Shen Ju’s hand while stroking his hair. “We always knew you were a good kid—no one’s better than our baby. Your dads and I love you so much. So your wishes are ours too. We’ll help you achieve whatever you want. But baby, you have to take care of yourself, okay?”
Shen Ju gazed at her for a moment, sniffled, and nodded. “I know.”
Qin Soxi ruffled his hair again, had the IV removed, and left.
A bit later, Guan Muya came in.
He pulled out a thermometer gun and beeped it at Shen Ju’s forehead—probably borrowed from the doctor.
Shen Ju touched his forehead.
Almost saluted.
That aura of his…
“Better.”
Guan Muya stood by the bed, unmoving.
He eyed Shen Ju’s still-red eye rims, thought for a sec, and added, “Eyes might swell tomorrow.”
Shen Ju blinked and managed a dry “oh.”
“Wait.”
Guan Muya pocketed the gun, went to the en-suite bathroom, soaked a towel in cold water, and brought it back to lay on Shen Ju’s eyes.
The chill made Shen Ju shiver. “Mm, Big Bro, I can do it myself.”
Guan Muya hummed and pulled back, still standing there.
Shen Ju hesitated, then ventured, “Thanks, Big Bro.”
“You’re the best, Big Bro.”
Guan Muya arched a brow.
Seemed satisfied.
But then something crossed his mind. “You can trust family completely, no holds barred. But don’t fall for little favors from outsiders thinking they’re ‘good guys.’ Like certain people.”
Shen Ju: Certain people? Who?
“Got it?” Guan Muya pressed.
Not budging till you nod.
Shen Ju nodded. “Got it.”
“Mm.”
Guan Muya left, satisfied.
A while later, Guan Mulin knocked and entered.
The two locked eyes—both awkwardly.
“Uh…”
“You—”
They spoke at once.
Guan Mulin cleared his throat lightly and approached the bed. “You first?”
Shen Ju scratched his head. “Actually, I’m kinda curious.”
“Yeah?”
“Um, you and Pei Haochuan—what’s the deal now? How far along are you guys?”
Guan Mulin: “…”
Shen Ju perked up, chuckling as he scooted up in bed.
Guan Mulin quickly sat and steadied him.
“You overheard me and Brother 996 before and decided to help with the tasks… but didn’t that put you in a tough spot?”
Shen Ju said a little awkwardly, “After all, on a subjective level, I know you and Pei Haochuan are meant to develop feelings…”
Guan Mulin touched the tip of his nose, thinking that was indeed pretty awkward.
But luckily, Pei Haochuan was a big idiot.
“Right, now among all the people involved, it seems like only Pei Haochuan doesn’t know.”
Shen Ju blinked and looked at Guan Mulin. “What do you think? Should we…?”
“No.”
“Not needed.”
“He doesn’t need to know.”
Guan Mulin immediately denied three times in a row.
“Ahem, this kind of thing is better off known by as few people as possible. After all, we only found out because of accidents.”
Shen Ju nodded.
It was all because of accidents, indeed.
996: […]
Feeling guilty.
“Rest assured, Pei Haochuan and I… anyway, it won’t delay your tasks.”
Guan Mulin thought for a moment, hesitated, then reached out and ruffled Shen Ju’s hair. “Also, the reason I came to see you is to tell you about my biological parents—don’t take the blame on yourself. It’s not your fault.”
Shen Ju’s lips pressed together tightly in an instant.
“But…”
“And I’ve already met them.”
Guan Mulin smiled at Shen Ju. “In your memories.”
“I have memories of them now too. Though that memory… I think I can help you shoulder it together. If it had been me in your place, the same thing might have happened. It was an accident—no one wanted it to happen.”
“If you feel sorry, then there are plenty of things I feel sorry about.”
“Like how I took your identity? This good, privileged life was originally supposed to be yours.”
Seeing Shen Ju start to shake his head, Guan Mulin smiled and patted the top of his head. “See? You’re about to refute me, which means you get what I was saying earlier. Some things happen, and we can’t stop them—so it’s not our fault. And since they’ve already happened, don’t keep dwelling on the past. Think about the present instead. Think about the future. Right?”
“So I really don’t blame you. Really.”
“And you shouldn’t blame me for taking over your privileged life all these years, okay?”
Shen Ju blinked his damp eyes. When Guan Mulin reached out to him again, he lunged forward and hugged him tightly.
“Okay… thank you.”
Guan Mulin froze for a moment, then hugged him back.
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“Thank you for letting me see my mom and dad. They’re wonderful—really wonderful.”
“You’re wonderful too.”
Guan Mulin patted Shen Ju’s back. “Little brother.”
AWWW