“Okay, okay,” Yu Yuanyuan eagerly grabbed Shen Ji’s sleeve and pulled him along toward the entrance.

Most parents had already settled in with their children, and in the front row, there were two empty VIP seats—one for an adult and one for a child. The seats were so close to the pool that it seemed like you could reach out and touch the dolphins.

“Shen Ji? What are you doing here?” A shocked voice rang out from the regular seating area.

It wasn’t just surprise in the tone—it carried a clear sense of disdain and irritation, as if the speaker was not at all happy to see Shen Ji.

Yu Yuanyuan, still holding onto Shen Ji’s sleeve, poked her head out curiously to see who was speaking.

There sat a man and a woman, along with a young boy and girl. The boy, who looked older than Shen Ji, was the one who had spoken.

“Get out of here! Sneaking in will get you into trouble,” the man grumbled, waving his arm as if shooing away a fly. “Hurry up, I don’t want to deal with this nonsense.”

“You don’t have a ticket! You don’t deserve to watch, so get lost!” The boy and girl made faces, their laughter full of mockery and arrogance.

Shen Ji said nothing, his brow furrowed slightly. It was clear he was used to this kind of treatment. His cold, sharp eyes glinted with restrained anger, but his tightly clenched fists at his sides seemed to act as a switch, holding his emotions back from exploding.

Gao Zhou, almost choking on his popcorn, wiped his sleeve and looked like he was ready to argue.

He couldn’t stand that snarky tone!

Who treats someone like that?

They bought tickets for their other kids but didn’t bother with one for Shen Ji, and then they had the nerve to berate him. What kind of trashy parents were these?

“You’re so weird!” The little girl popped her head out from beside Shen Ji, waving the VIP ticket in her hand. “Brother Shen Ji has a ticket, so why can’t he watch?”

“Miss Yuanyuan, let’s go sit down. The show is about to start,” Gao Zhou quickly guided the little girl away as he heard the complaints from the people around them.

Under the stunned gaze of the man, woman, and two children, they watched as Shen Ji sat down in the best VIP seats.

Earlier, those two kids had begged to sit there, but the price of the tickets was too high, beyond what their parents were willing to pay. After being scolded, they settled for seats further back.

Now, watching Shen Ji comfortably take the VIP seat they had longed for, jealousy and anger surged in the two children, who yelled at their parents to exchange tickets with him—only to get slapped in return.

“Are those your parents and siblings?” Gao Zhou initially wanted to sit next to Shen Ji but noticed that Shen Ji deliberately chose a seat with an empty space beside him, where Yu Yuanyuan was sitting.

Shen Ji either didn’t hear the question or chose not to respond. It took him a while to answer.

Gao Zhou wasn’t expecting much of a reply. Shen Ji had an air of gloom about him, clearly not the type who was outgoing or talkative.

“They aren’t,” Shen Ji’s cold voice finally drifted over, his gaze fixed on the water. His eyes seemed covered with a layer of frost. “Just my uncle and aunt.”

“Oh,” Gao Zhou didn’t pry further.

He had already guessed as much.

The way Shen Ji looked was leagues above that family.

Shen Ji had the kind of face that would one day make him a heartthrob, the type that would charm countless girls. There was no way he shared the same genes as those unattractive people from earlier.

“Brother Shen Ji, have some Coke!” The little girl held up a large cup of soda with both hands, struggling to offer it to him.

Shen Ji was startled, shaking his head slightly, trying to avoid it. “No, thank you.”

“Come on, drink some.” The Coke, though at room temperature, was still cool. The chill seeped through his clothes and onto his skin.

It was a refreshing sensation.

Oddly, it wasn’t unpleasant—instead, it was like a calming breeze that slipped into the depths of his heart, soothing a place that had never known kindness.

Shen Ji wasn’t used to communicating with others, much less rejecting acts of goodwill.

Blushing, he took the Coke, and the little girl snuggled affectionately against his arm.