Chapter 22: You Don’t Intend to Absorb My Yang Energy, Do You?

Shen Shilang’s lips curved into a faint smile as he brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.

Su Jinshi was surprised by Shen Shilang’s reaction. Not only did he not avoid her touch, but he also smiled. He even raised his hand to play with the strand of hair himself.

Su Jinshi felt her heart skip a beat. Was it her imagination, or did Shen Shilang’s fleeting smile carry a hint of affection?

Su Jinshi’s face flushed slightly, and even the corners of her eyes crinkled with a smile.

Xiaomai looked at Su Jinshi in astonishment. “Jinshi, you really should look in a mirror right now.”

Su Jinshi was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”

She touched her face with one hand. “Did I get food on my face while eating?”

“No,” Xiaomai shook her head. “It’s your expression. Your eyes are smiling, and your cheeks are slightly red. You look just like someone flirting with their boyfriend.”

Su Jinshi’s mouth formed an “O” shape as she turned to look at Xiaomai in disbelief. “No… really?”

Xiaomai nodded firmly. “Yes, really.”

“If you hadn’t told me you were playing a game and instead said you were actually dating someone, I’d believe you,” Xiaomai warned Su Jinshi. “Jinshi, it’s fine to play games, but don’t get too caught up in them. Remember, this is a game, and the characters inside are just pixels, not real.”

“Mm-hmm.” Su Jinshi nodded.

The car stopped at the entrance of Xiaomai’s residential complex. Before getting out, Xiaomai reminded Su Jinshi to let her know when she got home.

By this time, Shen Shilang had also returned to his own courtyard.

In Shen Shilang’s room, Su Jinshi, worried that Shen Shilang might be hiding injuries, gently poked his shoulder twice.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Shilang asked.

Unable to speak, Su Jinshi simply tugged at Shen Shilang’s collar.

Shen Shilang then saw his collar suddenly being pulled open a bit, revealing the undergarment beneath.

“Jinshi, what are you doing?” Shen Shilang tightly gripped his collar, unable to see the person in front of him, and could only helplessly back away.

Unknowingly, he had retreated into a corner.

Su Jinshi, still holding his collar, had already caught a glimpse of some chest muscles hidden under his clothes.

At least the exposed parts showed no signs of injury.

“Wait a moment,” Shen Shilang said, blushing. “You… you’re not trying to absorb my yang energy, are you?”

Su Jinshi: “!!!”

She might want to, but she couldn’t even if she tried!

She was worried he was injured, but he thought she wanted to absorb his yang energy?

Seeing that he didn’t appear to be injured, Su Jinshi irritably let go of his collar.

“You… you’re not going to absorb it?” Shen Shilang asked, clutching his collar, not entirely sure.

Su Jinshi looked at his reaction, wondering if he seemed to hope she would continue.

At this moment, Su Jinshi had also arrived home.

She got out of the car and walked home while looking at her phone.

She quickly switched to the group chat to say hello and let them know she was home.

Without waiting to see the others’ replies, she switched back to the game.

“Shilang, are you back?” Wei Jianlang’s voice sounded from outside the door.

Shen Shilang hurriedly tidied his clothes and went to open the door, only to see Wei Jianlang’s

remorseful face.

Wei Jianlang’s face still showed the fatigue of rushing back, and with tonight’s events, his brow was furrowed with worry.

Wei Jianlang strode in and, without a word, lowered himself, apparently intending to kneel before Shen Shilang.

Shen Shilang reacted quickly, hurrying to stop him. “Jianlang, what are you doing!”

Wei Jianlang insisted on kneeling, but both of their martial arts were taught by Wei Zhaoxian.

Shen Shilang’s skills were no less than Wei Jianlang’s, and the two found themselves at an impasse – one unable to kneel down, the other unable to pull him up.

Left with no choice, Shen Shilang said, “If you kneel, we can no longer be brothers.”

“The General risked sacrificing the entire Wei family to save me and protect me. You treat me like a real brother,” Shen Shilang said solemnly. “Now you want to kneel before me? Wouldn’t that be inviting divine punishment upon me?”

With no other option, Wei Jianlang had to stand up, saying sheepishly, “How can you say we protected you? You’ve endured so much mistreatment in the mansion, while my father and I knew nothing, thinking you were living well here.”

“I didn’t even know you were beaten by Wei Jianming and Wei Ruyan!” Wei Jianlang exclaimed. “You clearly have excellent martial arts skills, and no one in the mansion is your match. You obviously held back because of my father, enduring their beatings without retaliating!”

“I only found out about this when I asked, but my father and I are rarely home. Over the years, how many beatings have you taken, how much bullying have you endured?” Wei Jianlang felt a surge of hatred at the thought. “Yet you never told us. I know your nature; you felt we were already risking our lives, so you didn’t want to burden us further. You were willing to endure it yourself, not wanting to cause a scene in the mansion that might raise suspicions.”

“Wei Jianming and Wei Ruyan have been spoiled by my mother, and my father and I failed to discipline them properly,” Wei Jianlang admitted. “We all bear responsibility. Shilang, I’m truly sorry.”

“My mother…” Wei Jianlang looked like he was about to cry. “As the mistress of the Wei family, not only did she fail to keep the servants in check, but she even led the way in mistreating you.”

Wei Jianlang wiped his face, brushing away the tears that were about to fall.

He sniffled and said chokingly, “All these years, my father and I didn’t even know you didn’t have a single servant in your courtyard! You’ve been living alone all this time.”

“Our Wei family has wronged you!”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Shen Shilang said calmly. “On the contrary, my existence has kept a sword hanging over your heads, preventing you from finding peace.”

“Actually, all these years, having no one in my courtyard was exactly what I wanted,” Shen Shilang explained. “With no one else around, I could feel at ease, not having to worry about my identity being leaked. I didn’t have to worry about someone in the courtyard possibly being bribed, potentially revealing my situation, arousing suspicion, and even causing the downfall of the entire Wei family.”

“Having no one in my courtyard is good,” Shen Shilang, knowing Wei Jianlang’s intentions, said in advance. “Jianlang, promise me you won’t arrange for anyone to come here. Those who are assigned here aren’t truly sincere; they harbor resentment and discontent, which could more easily lead to trouble.”

“You…” Wei Jianlang looked at Shen Shilang’s expression.

“I’m serious,” Shen Shilang looked at Wei Jianlang with determination. “Besides, I’ve grown accustomed to being alone here.”

If people were really sent here, his conversations with Su Jinshi would lead to rumors of ghosts in his courtyard.

Wei Jianlang slowly nodded. “Alright.”

Even so, he still needed to discipline the mansion servants, making them understand that Shen Shilang was not someone they could look down upon.

If today’s incident had happened to Wei Jianming, even with Madam Wei’s orders, who would dare to lay a hand on him?

However, Shen Shilang hadn’t expected Wei Jianlang to know about him being beaten.

It seems he must have interrogated the mansion staff.