Shen Ling’s Older Brother — Is There Still Room for a Godfather?

---

Shen Ling’s older brother arrived quickly, within about an hour. He had been busy when Fu Rong called, telling him that his younger brother Shen Ling was in some trouble. Shen Zhong usually didn’t involve himself in Shen Ling’s matters, but he had recently noticed something strange about his brother.

When he arrived and saw his younger brother tied up and gagged, Shen Zhong’s temper flared. There were two people guarding Shen Ling, and Shen Zhong recognized one of them, a man surnamed Xue, though he couldn’t recall his full name. Xue was waiting for him in place of Fu Rong.

Shen Zhong approached, and Xue Zhongming, who recognized Shen Zhong, stood up to greet him. Xue Zhongming had once served in the military but was now retired and running some business. Though they didn’t interact often, Xue Zhongming knew Shen Zhong wasn’t an ordinary man. His very presence made the room feel colder, as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.

Xue Zhongming greeted him with a polite “President Shen.” Shen Zhong, his expression dark, walked past Xue Zhongming and removed the gag from Shen Ling’s mouth. As soon as Shen Ling could speak, he looked at his older brother with a crazed gaze and said, “Brother, how did you also end up in my dream?”

Shen Ling smiled as he spoke.

Shen Zhong turned to Xue Zhongming, who quickly explained Shen Ling’s condition, mentioning that Shen Ling seemed unable to distinguish between reality and dreams. He had even tried to jump into the sea, thinking that sinking into the ocean would wake him from the dream. There was surveillance footage to prove it—no one had pushed him; he had jumped on his own.

Though Xue Zhongming provided a brief explanation, he omitted details regarding Chi Yao. Shen Zhong, however, wasn’t a fool and could tell there was more to the story. “Is Fu Rong on the island?” Shen Zhong asked. After all, Fu Rong had been the one to call him, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, he is. President Shen, would you like to go up to the island?” Xue Zhongming wondered whether he should inform Fu Rong about Shen Zhong’s intentions.

Before replying, Shen Zhong waved over a doctor and instructed him, “Give him an injection.”

The doctor administered a sedative to Shen Ling, who slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Shen Zhong then ordered, “Take him back. I’ll return later.” He decided to stay on the island to investigate further.

Though Shen Ling had been acting strangely, it hadn’t reached the point where he couldn’t differentiate between reality and dreams. Shen Zhong needed to uncover the real reason for his brother’s deterioration before he could let the matter rest.

The others took Shen Ling back to another yacht, which then sailed away. Meanwhile, Shen Zhong stepped onto the island, accompanied by Xue Zhongming and another person. Xue took out his phone, but before he could make a call, Shen Zhong, seemingly knowing his intentions, calmly instructed, “Call Fu Rong. Tell him I’m on my way.”

Xue Zhongming, his heart racing, dialed Fu Rong’s number. After a brief silence on the other end, Fu Rong shared his location, which Xue relayed to Shen Zhong.

Fu Rong and Chi Yao were near an artificial lake, which had been excavated during the island’s renovation. The lake was filled with colorful koi fish, and seabirds frequently visited from the nearby ocean, landing by the lake. The Baby, cradled in Chi Yao’s arms, excitedly watched the fish and birds, waving his hands in joy.

Fu Rong, standing beside Chi Yao, mentioned Shen Zhong’s arrival. Chi Yao nodded and asked Fu Rong to greet him, while he stayed with the Baby. In their previous life, Shen Zhong hadn’t been involved in anything, but this time, with so many changes, including Shen Ling’s erratic behavior, Shen Zhong’s presence seemed inevitable.

Chi Yao wasn’t overly concerned. Shen Ling had brought this upon himself. After not loving Chi Yao before, Shen Ling’s sudden affection now seemed strange to Chi Yao.

Shen Zhong and Xue Zhongming approached, and Fu Rong was waiting at the entrance for them. Shen Zhong walked steadily toward him.

“Let’s talk over there,” Fu Rong said.

Shen Zhong had just contacted someone earlier, gathering a bit of information about why his younger brother Shen Ling was on this yacht and why he tried to jump into the river.

Shen Zhong’s gaze drifted past Fu Rong’s shoulder toward the back, where there was an artificial lake. There were quite a few tourists by the lake, but two of them stood out too much.

Whether it was the older one or the younger one, their faces were both exquisitely attractive.

Although he had never seen photos, Shen Zhong knew these two people were likely part of the reason his brother was acting strange.

But instead of immediately confronting them, Shen Zhong smiled, wanting to hear what Fu Rong had to say first.

As the two walked off to the side, Fu Rong got straight to the point, not hiding much—except for the part about Chi Yao’s child. The issue with Shen Ling was that, although he used to treat Chi Yao casually, now that Chi Yao had left, Shen Ling’s possessiveness kicked in.

He felt that everyone should revolve around him, and while he could reject others, others couldn’t reject him.

It was clearly Shen Ling’s problem, and it wasn’t anyone else’s fault.

Fu Rong was curious why Shen Ling had suddenly developed feelings for Chi Yao, though he was more intrigued by the reason behind it.

Shen Zhong listened as Fu Rong explained how his brother had played around with someone’s feelings, and now, after that person left, Shen Ling had started chasing after them. Shen Zhong found it odd since this wasn’t typical of his brother.

But then he recalled the face he had just seen. If it was that person, it somehow made sense.

“This matter, I won’t pursue it further. Going forward, rest assured, I’ll have someone watch over him until his condition improves. He won’t bother you or him again.”

Shen Zhong seemed like a reasonable man—exceptionally reasonable, in fact.

Fu Rong nodded.

Then Shen Zhong suddenly asked, “Introduce me to that person and the child.”

“Nancheng is small; we’ll inevitably cross paths. Making friends should be fine, right?”

Although his tone seemed polite, there was an underlying pressure.

Fu Rong smiled. He could easily pick up on Shen Zhong’s subtle hint: if they didn’t give him some face now, things could become difficult later on.

Fu Rong wasn’t afraid of making enemies, but it would be a hassle. He didn’t want to spend unnecessary effort on people or matters that weren’t important.

Since Shen Zhong was willing to back down and not pursue the issue further, there was no need for him to be overly confrontational.

“Of course.”

Fu Rong got up, leading the way, with Shen Zhong following behind.

Chi Yao was playing with the baby, showing him toy fish. There was a toy store nearby, and someone had bought toys for Chi Yao and brought them over.

The baby was busy gnawing and grabbing the toys, seemingly eager to tear them apart.

Chi Yao noticed someone approaching and, upon seeing Shen Zhong with them, his soft expression faded slightly. He knew Shen Zhong and had seen him before, though they had never spoken.

Seeing Shen Zhong’s calm demeanor, it was clear Fu Rong had already sorted things out.

Still, Chi Yao was curious why Shen Zhong didn’t leave but was now walking toward them.

When Shen Zhong arrived next to Chi Yao and the baby, he quickly assessed the two of them. They were clearly father and son—such a striking resemblance.

“Did another woman give birth to him? Quite the impressive child,” Shen Zhong thought.

Shen Zhong extended his hand to Chi Yao, who stood up, handing the baby to Fu Rong.

“Chi Yao, I apologize on behalf of my brother,” Shen Zhong said sincerely.

“There’s no need. Everything that happened before was my own choice,” Chi Yao said. He had chosen to love Shen Ling, to chase after him. The fact that Shen Ling didn’t love him back only meant they weren’t meant to be.

Chi Yao smiled gently, his eyes seeming to hold a glimmer like stars.

Shen Zhong had never seen such bright eyes before. When he looked at this person, he felt an unusual level of focus.

“As long as you don’t mind,” Shen Zhong released his grip.

“Is that your child?” Shen Zhong asked, turning his attention to the baby in Fu Rong’s arms.

The little one was incredibly cute, with doll-like features. Hearing the voices, his big eyes turned toward Shen Zhong, staring without blinking, clearly intrigued.

“Hello there, what’s your name?” Shen Zhong was suddenly drawn to the child’s sweet demeanor and reached out to touch the baby’s hand.

Surprisingly, the baby reached out and grabbed one of Shen Zhong’s fingers.

The softness of the baby’s touch made Shen Zhong glance back at Chi Yao.

“His name is Chi Yan. You can call him Yan Yan,” Chi Yao said.

“Yan Yan?” Shen Zhong smiled, and the cold expression that had lingered on his face seemed to melt away in an instant.

Fu Rong and Chi Yao exchanged a glance, both a bit surprised at how much Shen Zhong seemed to like children.

“Can I hold him?” Shen Zhong asked.

Fu Rong hesitated for a moment but eventually handed the baby over. He stepped to the side, blocking the view of the artificial lake behind him.

Shen Zhong noticed this subtle movement, wondering what Fu Rong thought of him. Did he really imagine he was so ruthless that he’d harm a baby?

If there was an issue, Shen Zhong would deal with the adults—he’d never hurt a child, especially one as adorable as this.

Although Shen Zhong didn’t have children of his own, and he could have one anytime he wanted, he wasn’t interested in becoming a father just yet. However, strangely enough, seeing Chi Yao’s child made him like the little one instantly.

“Is there still room for a godfather?” Shen Zhong asked. He knew that, with these two, there were likely many people who would want the honor of being this child’s godfather.

That’s why he asked.

He had come here for his brother but ended up entirely captivated by the baby’s charm, holding the small, delicate body in his arms like a treasured gem.

“There is,” Chi Yao replied before Fu Rong could say anything.

Chi Yao had a feeling that Shen Zhong wasn’t pretending—he genuinely liked the baby.

“Then count me in,” Shen Zhong said, a warm smile in his eyes.

After holding the baby for a little while, Shen Zhong handed him back to Chi Yao, realizing he had work to attend to.

“I’ll schedule another time to visit. I’ll bring a big gift for Yan Yan then.”

Shen Zhong turned and left quickly, his figure disappearing from sight within moments.

Fu Rong walked over to Chi Yao’s side, looking down at their baby.

“Shen Zhong, that man…”

“Don’t worry, he won’t harm the baby,” Chi Yao reassured Fu Rong, meeting his gaze.

“Then what about you?” How would he explain Shen Ling hurting Chi Yao?

“Not everyone is like Shen Ling.” Most people are normal; Shen Ling is an exception.