The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 177

Chapter 177

Xing Nuo had expected a peaceful weekend.

He woke up early and went to the flower market with his dad, picking out some beautiful flowers. In the afternoon, he took a thermos of soup to his eldest brother’s company, since Shen Yan worked even on weekends.

Shen Yan was a completely different person at work and at home.

At home, he was the kind, domestic brother, wearing a teddy bear apron, cooking and cleaning. At work, he was a cold, aloof CEO in a sharp suit, radiating power and authority.

Xing Nuo placed the thermos on the small coffee table in Shen Yan’s office and sat down on the sofa to wait.

The office décor hadn’t changed much over the years, but there were a few additions: a soft, beige cushion on the sofa, a cute puppy-shaped teacup, and a few faded stickers Xing Nuo had put on Shen Yan’s desk years ago, thinking it looked too plain.

Xing Nuo smiled, remembering this, and walked over to admire the faded stickers.

Seeing that Shen Yan was still in a meeting, he went downstairs to the small plaza in front of the building.

Several office workers were taking a break, gathered around the fountain, feeding the pigeons.

Xing Nuo, watching them, went to the convenience store, bought some bread, and crumbled it near the fountain.

He was watching the fluffy white pigeons, about to pet one, when the water in the fountain suddenly turned into a flock of pigeons.

The pigeons, startled, took flight, their wings beating frantically,

a shower of white feathers falling like snow, obscuring Xing Nuo’s vision.

He waved his hands, trying to clear the feathers, and coughed, the smell irritating his throat.

The other people, startled, took a couple of steps back.

“What’s going on?! Did I just see pigeons coming out of the fountain?”

“No, I saw it too! What kind of magic trick is this?”

“Quick, film it! Post it online!”

A crowd of curious onlookers gathered, their phones pointed at the fountain.

Xing Nuo turned and saw several figures emerge from the fountain after the pigeons dispersed.

Camouflage pants and a t-shirt. He recognized the familiar attire instantly.

“Uncle Qi?”

Why do I keep running into him?

Qi Yao, soaked and disheveled, climbed out of the fountain, and he and his teammates hurried over to the onlookers, asking them to delete the videos.

Xing Nuo, still standing there, surprised, heard Shen Yan’s voice behind him.

“Xing Nuo?”

He turned around, smiling.

“Big Brother, your meeting over?”

Shen Yan hummed, ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair, his eyes warm behind his rimless glasses, and asked:

“What are you doing downstairs? What happened here?”

He then noticed Qi Yao, emerging from the fountain, and his smile faded slightly. He adjusted his glasses and looked at Qi Yao.

Qi Yao felt a pang of frustration. He had just cleared a dungeon two days ago, and now he was in another one.

And this one had been incredibly difficult. He had almost given up hope.

But then, a flock of pigeons had appeared, and he and his teammates had been expelled, landing in the fountain.

He ran a hand through his wet hair and, about to greet Xing Nuo, looked up at Shen Yan’s office building, the sunlight reflecting off the glass, making him squint.

He shielded his eyes, then his eyes widened as he looked at the building.

It was Shen Yan’s company, its design ordinary, but the Shen Tech logo and name displayed prominently.

And for some reason, the logo looked strangely familiar, similar to something he had seen in the dungeon.

He stared at it, lost in thought, until his teammate nudged him.

He turned and met Shen Yan’s cold, intense gaze, like a predator sizing up its prey.

A wave of unease washed over him, and he forced himself to stay calm, offering a casual greeting:

“What a coincidence! Your company is here! I’ve only heard of it. Never been here before.”

Xing Nuo, following Qi Yao’s gaze, then seeing the suspicion in his eyes, smiled, a dimple appearing on his cheek.

“Uncle Qi, you performing magic show? People appearing from fountain?”

The onlookers, still there, their phones recording, looked at Qi Yao curiously.

Qi Yao, seizing the opportunity, chuckled.

“Yes, yes! But the performance failed. Didn’t expect to get soaked!”

The onlookers seemed to accept the explanation.

“Cool show! What platform are you streaming on? We’ll follow you!”

Qi Yao, experienced in handling such situations, smiled and expertly deflected their questions.

Shen Yan, his arms crossed, looked at Qi Yao coldly, then turned to Xing Nuo.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

Xing Nuo nodded and followed his brother back to the company.

Qi Yao, watching Shen Yan’s retreating figure, his gaze fixed on the company logo, his suspicion growing, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The dungeon they had just escaped was part of a larger SSS+ rank corporate dungeon.

Although their sub-dungeon was much lower level, it had still been difficult, and they had been trapped in an office until he found a document that had somehow triggered their expulsion.

It was his first time escaping a dungeon without defeating the core monster.

Strange, he thought, frowning.

The next day was Saturday, and Xing Nuo was at home, studying.

He heard a knock on the door, put his books down, and opened it, seeing Qi Yao.

Qi Yao, in his usual camouflage attire, peeked inside and asked:

“No one home? Your brother not here?”

Xing Nuo hummed and, smiling, invited Qi Yao in for tea.

“They’re busy. I went to tea ceremony class with Daddy. Uncle Qi, try my tea-making skills.”

Shen Wen enjoyed these refined activities and had signed up for various classes.

He prepared the tea set, noticing Qi Yao looking around his apartment, and smiled as he made the tea.

“Uncle Qi, you busy? Your job dangerous, right? Always falling out of fountains?”

Qi Yao, knowing Xing Nuo had experienced a dungeon, said:

“It depends. Lately, yes, very busy. Even you encountered a dungeon. Those monsters are everywhere now.”

He sighed, his face clouding over, then, remembering his purpose, asked casually:

“Your older brother is also busy? No days off? His company is doing well, right?”

Shen Yan’s company was thriving.

“Yes. Why do you ask?” Xing Nuo looked up at Qi Yao, sipping his tea.

Qi Yao, without his beard, his square face and honest demeanor making him seem trustworthy, scratched his head and chuckled.

“Nothing. Just think your brother is impressive, running such a big company. Must be tough.”

Xing Nuo, his long eyelashes masking his thoughts, finally heard the real question:

“Your brother’s company logo is quite interesting. Did he hire a designer?”

Qi Yao didn’t dare question Shen Yan directly. He was too perceptive.

He tried to get some information from Xing Nuo instead.

Xing Nuo suddenly smiled, putting down his teacup, his eyes sparkling.

“No. I designed it. Is it nice?”

Qi Yao was stunned. He stared at Xing Nuo, speechless.

Xing Nuo giggled.

“My daddy is a good artist. When I was little, I copied him. My brother’s logo…it’s my drawing from when I was little. It’s kinda ugly, but Big Brother liked it…said he’ll make it…his company logo.”

He stood up, took out his childhood drawings, and showed them to Qi Yao.

“These are all my drawings. Ugly, right?”

Qi Yao, seeing the childish drawing of a sailboat, finally understood, then felt a pang of regret for his suspicion.

He had thought Shen Yan’s company logo was somehow connected to the dungeon he had been in.

But it was just a child’s drawing.

He felt ashamed. He had suspected the Shen family based on a logo, and their dad had even helped them in the horror world.

He sighed and quickly excused himself.

Xing Nuo, looking at his childhood drawings, noticed another drawing, a lopsided star, next to the sailboat.

Big Brother really liked using my ugly drawings as logos for his company.