Chapter 25: Why Won’t You Help Me?

Shen Anan happened to be out buying groceries that day, and she ran into her brother upon her return.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, confused and bewildered.

“You have the nerve to ask what I’m doing here? Mom said she came to see you yesterday, but you deliberately avoided her, almost causing her to suffocate! You pretended not to see her?! What did Mom ever do to wrong you? You don’t care about her even though she’s in such a state?!” Shen Yaozu gritted his teeth, his hands clenched into fists. If it weren’t for the people around, he would have punched Shen Anan in the face. How could someone be so heartless? That’s your mother! Even if you’re not her biological child, you can’t just stand by and watch her almost suffocate, almost die, and not care at all!

“What are you talking about?” Shen Anan asked, looking puzzled. Her mother had indeed chased after her yesterday, but she had lost her later, so she went back to the Huo family’s home. Pretended not to see her? She didn’t even know!

“Don’t say any more. Come with me now and apologize to Mom!” Shen Yaozu reached out, grabbing Shen Anan and trying to pull her away.

“Let go of me!” Shen Anan struggled. But Shen Yaozu was already a half-grown boy, eating well and strong. Shen Anan’s small frame was no match for him. He dragged her for more than ten meters. Just then, a bicycle rushed past, and while Shen Yaozu dodged, Shen Anan took the opportunity to shake off his hand.

“I don’t want to go back with you. I didn’t do anything wrong to her, why should I apologize to her?!” Shen Anan couldn’t understand. What had she done wrong? “She came to ask me for money, I didn’t have any to give her, so she made a fuss. I couldn’t afford to deal with her, so I avoided her. As for her almost suffocating, I didn’t even see it!” She tried to explain. However, Shen Yaozu became even angrier.

“Mom asked you for money to pay for my vocational school tuition. You’re married to a rich man, why won’t you help me?!” His eyes were fierce, looking at Shen Anan as if she were his enemy. He had overheard Mrs. Chen’s words downstairs these past few days, knowing that graduating from high school would likely not lead to a job, and only going to vocational school offered the hope of a guaranteed job! This was related to his future, why wouldn’t Shen Anan help?! Is that something a sister should do?

“Why?” Shen Anan scoffed. This younger brother was raised by her since childhood, and he used to be reasonable. Why had he become like this? As her older sister, even if she couldn’t help, she should sacrifice herself to help? Why?!

“I don’t want to talk to you. I can’t help.” Shen Anan turned and left.

Shen Yaozu watched her leave, wanting to chase after her, but the passersby were staring at him, so he had to give up. His anger was stuck in his throat.

“Fine! Shen Anan, you won’t help me, don’t expect me, Shen Yaozu, to help you in the future!” he shouted, kicking a nearby tree. But Shen Anan didn’t look back. Shen Yaozu turned and left, kicking the door open when he got home.

“What’s wrong, Yaozu? Did you get bullied at school?!” Liu Cailan jumped up from the bed, clutching her chest and looking at her son.

“No, I didn’t go to school today!” Shen Yaozu sat down heavily.

Hearing this, Liu Cailan became even more anxious and quickly went to her son’s side.

“You didn’t go to school, where did you go then?”

“Nowhere!” Shen Yaozu answered perfunctorily. After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, “Anyway, don’t go looking for Shen Anan anymore. She’s an ungrateful wretch. She won’t help me, so we won’t help her either!”

Hearing this, Liu Cailan understood. He had gone to see Shen Anan!

“You went to find Shen Anan…” Before she could finish, Shen Xiuxiu walked in from outside; she had forgotten something.

“Shen Yaozu, you didn’t even go to school?” She was exasperated! High school tuition wasn’t cheap, he was a wastrel! Her parents had money to spend on her, why spend it on this good-for-nothing? He had nothing, yet always thought he was so great! She had originally planned to unite with him against Shen Anan, but he turned out to be a useless teammate… better off without him!

“It’s none of your business, why do you care so much?” Shen Yaozu had been frustrated by Shen Anan, and now Shen Xiuxiu had bumped into him!

Shen Xiuxiu wasn’t easy to get along with either. Hearing this, she immediately got angry and kicked him.

“How dare you talk to me like that? I’m your sister!” In the countryside, she had been pampered, and now she was being bullied by Shen Yaozu in the city?

After being kicked, Shen Yaozu was furious and slapped her. The two siblings started fighting.

“You… what are you doing?!” Liu Cailan was frantic. How could they fight? Others would laugh at them! She quickly pulled Shen Xiuxiu away.

Shen Xiuxiu, panting, pointed at Shen Yaozu, “You useless good-for-nothing, if you have the guts, get out of this house. I earn the money for groceries, what have you done? You dare hit me?!” She was about to pounce on Shen Yaozu again.

Liu Cailan held her back, preventing another fight.

“Fine! I’ll go find a job, I’m not going to school!” Shen Yaozu said, and went out.

The scene was chaotic. Liu Cailan burst into tears, looking at Shen Xiuxiu, wailing. She said that when Shen Anan was around, she was so considerate of her brother, but why was Xiuxiu so unreasonable! Her life was so hard… Why couldn’t this family be peaceful!

“Your brother went to settle accounts with Shen Anan, he was so angry, why are you so petty as an older sister!” she cried.

Shen Xiuxiu was stunned, settle accounts with Shen Anan? She calmed down a bit. She wasn’t in a hurry to fight within the family, she had to get Shen Anan out of Hecheng. Her expression changed, and she also wiped her tears.

“Mom, I was just anxious. Yaozu doesn’t even want to go to school, doesn’t our family depend on him?” She suppressed the disdain in her heart.

“He suddenly doesn’t want to go to school, it must be Shen Anan’s doing, Mom! You’re the mistress of our Shen family, you have to handle this!”

Upon hearing this, Liu Cailan was dumbfounded. She forgot to cry.

“Handle it? How can I handle it! Even Mom can’t deal with that ungrateful wretch! Xiuxiu, why don’t you go talk to Anan?” She thought her biological daughter was more resourceful, maybe she could get money from Shen Anan. Plus, she didn’t want to be the bad guy! What if she needed Shen Anan’s help later? It’s not good to have a falling out, right?

Shen Xiuxiu understood her mother’s thoughts. A flash of disgust crossed her eyes, but she maintained a sincere expression.

“Mom, it’s no use if I go! You do this, go to the Huo family’s door and make a scene, let the neighbors see that the Huo family didn’t give a dowry! Rich people care about face, if you make a scene, even if they don’t give it, they’ll have to give it!”

Liu Cailan was hesitant.

“Will… will that really work?” She knew where the Huo family lived, but their son was a military officer, she was a little scared!

“Of course it will! Mom! Yaozu is going to drop out of school, are you just going to watch? Yaozu’s future will be ruined or made, it depends on whether you can get the dowry from Shen Anan this time!”