A second before, Shang Xingluo really thought that this little fool, Shang Xingyu, had suddenly stopped being a fool.

Had he figured out her intentions?

Wasn’t this how it always went in TV dramas?

Those young masters who seemed stupid and reckless were actually just pretending, hiding their true abilities so they wouldn’t be seen as threats in the family inheritance battle.

Then, Shang Xingyu lived up to her expectations—

—when it came to being a fool.

There was no such thing as hiding his abilities.

Not in this lifetime.

He truly was the original, purebred, brainless younger brother who once embezzled company funds…

And yet, he sneaked into the finance department in the middle of the night, only to steal reimbursement slips and company stamps?

If he was going to use the company’s account, he would still need approval from leadership. How much could he possibly claim without signatures?

Not even enough to pay off a credit card bill, let alone buy two handkerchiefs to wipe away her crocodile tears!

At that moment, Shang Xingluo was at a loss for words.

Shang Xingyu, however, was convinced that Shang Xingluo had snuck in with ill intentions.

Seeing her silence, he assumed she was guilty and boldly held up five fingers.

“This amount.”

Fifty… fifty thousand?

Or five hundred thousand?

It couldn’t possibly be fifty million! If bribing him cost fifty million, she’d rather get caught!

As she tried to guess the number, she fell silent again, pursing her lips with an expression that showed her patience was running thin.

Shang Xingyu suddenly felt a little uncertain.

But he quickly toughened up.

“Just five thousand bucks. Not even enough for you to buy a pair of shoes, and look at you hesitating! Why are you being so stingy with me lately? Am I not your biological brother?”

Shang Xingluo answered matter-of-factly, “To be honest, no, you’re not.”

And for once, she was telling the truth.

Shang Xingyu: “……….”

Shang Xingluo frowned. “And five thousand bucks? You can’t squeeze five thousand out of anywhere else? You’re actually asking me for five thousand? How are you not embarrassed? Are you that broke??”

“I am that broke!!!” Shang Xingyu shot back immediately.

Shang Xingluo: “…Uh.”

“You treat me like those evil stepsisters in Cinderella! If I ask for more, you wouldn’t give it to me anyway, right?!” Shang Xingyu cried, putting on an exaggerated display of heartbreak—crocodile tears, a signature trait of their family.

“So, if you’re going to bribe me, this is the amount. Not a cent less! Absolutely not! My dignity is already suffering an extreme insult!”

Shang Xingluo was speechless.

A rich young master, throwing a tantrum over five thousand bucks…

Alright, maybe not just a tantrum. The kid was really down bad.

She reached out and patted his shoulder. “But don’t you think accepting this five thousand would be an even bigger insult to your dignity as a young master?”

Shang Xingyu tilted his head. “I don’t care. That would be an insult from money, not from you. I’m willing to be insulted by money!”

Well, well, this guy actually had a way with words!

Shang Xingluo looked at him with newfound interest.

Maybe making him live in the dorms and work a real job was having an effect.

She silently extended his “sentence” in her mind.

She transferred the money and took her USB drive, ready to leave.

Shang Xingyu followed her out, but instead of letting her take the elevator, he grabbed her arm.

“Sis, what exactly did you come here to copy? So secretive, sneaking around like some kind of spy. What could Yunshi possibly have that you don’t already have access to? If you needed something, couldn’t you just have them deliver it to your desk?”

Shang Xingluo glanced at him.

Shang Xingyu, despite being tall and good-looking, somehow always gave off a fluffy, silly vibe.

Like a penguin.

Not a cute emperor penguin chick, though. More like a king penguin—one of those oversized, giant kiwi-looking goofballs.

Shang Xinglu replied coldly, “Didn’t I just ‘bribe’ you? Shut up.”

“But yeah, yeah, you bribed me to keep quiet, not to not know what you copied. In fact, because you bribed me, that means you can tell me everything!”

This logic…

It actually made perfect sense?!

And it came from Shang Xingyu of all people…

Shang Xinglu quickly reached out and touched his forehead. “No fever…”

Shang Xingyu: “…”

She sighed dramatically. “Xingyu, some people are meant to use their brains, and some aren’t. Since you’re not, maybe you should stop. What if you overheat and damage it?”

Shang Xingyu: “…Enough! Stop the personal attacks! Just let me see it!”

Their sibling bickering was nothing new.

Shang Xingluo instinctively refused. “No!”

Shang Xingyu: “Show me!”

Shang Xinglu: “No way!”

Shang Xingyu: “If you don’t, I’ll just grab it!”

She almost shot back with another refusal, but then, for once, she actually thought it through.

The Shang family had two kids. Unlike the Xiaos, there was no inheritance battle. So why was she the only one carrying the burden of Yunshi’s financial crisis?

She wasn’t the type to suffer alone just to shield her family.

Shang Xingyu had both an obligation and a responsibility to share this burden.

She handed him the USB drive and changed her tune in an instant. “Alright, take a look.”

Shang Xingyu: “…”

His sister suddenly not being stubborn felt so wrong.

Should he go check online?

Maybe ask on a forum? Urgent, need answers ASAP.

His curiosity won out, and he took the USB back to his office.

Inside, only a desk lamp and his computer were on. No wonder she hadn’t noticed he was here earlier.

He plugged in the drive and quickly figured out what was inside.

Financial reports.

Executive summaries.

A bunch of messy, complicated data.

He frowned. “What do you need this for?”

Shang Xingluo replied, “I’m going to have a professional look at it and assess the situation.”

Her field of study had nothing to do with accounting, and though she had been self-studying finance during work hours, it was just the basics.

She believed in letting experts handle expert matters—it was more efficient that way.

But Shang Xingyu?

He could actually read financial reports.

He had always been raised by the Shang family according to the standards of a future successor.

The more he looked at the reports, the heavier his expression became.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Our business was doing fine last year, so why did the bank reject our financing request?”

Shang Xinglu shrugged—How would I know?

Shang Xingyu frowned. “The 5G project is definitely the way forward. We need money to develop it, but isn’t this a dead cycle?”

Shang Xinglu shrugged again—How would I know what to do?

Perhaps because Shang Xinglu had always been the one making decisions, Shang Xingyu had this belief that she should know everything and be able to handle any problem.

At this moment, Shang Xingyu truly felt fear for the future.

He recalled what his sister had said back at the police station about the survival rate of companies.

Lowering his eyes, his long eyelashes trembled slightly, revealing his concern. “Sister, what should we do?”

This time, Shang Xingluo didn’t just shrug.

She stepped forward, motioning for Shang Xingyu to lower his head, then ruffled his hair.

“Since we’ve found the problem, we’ll solve it.”

“……”

“There will be a way—there will always be a way.”

As she said this, it sounded like she was comforting Shang Xingyu, but also like she was reassuring herself.

Shang Xingyu fell silent, his eyelashes drooping.

He finally said, “Mm, you’re right. There will be a way… I’ll think of something.”

At that moment, Shang Xingluo suddenly felt that her brother wasn’t so useless after all.

Seeing him take responsibility in a crisis, she was just a little bit moved.

In the silent office building, Shang Xingyu suddenly looked up and asked, “Then can I stop staying in the dorm and go home instead?”

“No.”

Shang Xinglu was deeply moved—then immediately rejected him.

Shang Xingyu: “……”

It was getting late.

The siblings went their separate ways, and before parting, Shang Xinglu repeatedly emphasized that tonight’s events should not be mentioned to anyone in the company to avoid unnecessary panic.

Shang Xingyu nodded enthusiastically, indicating he understood.

When Shang Xingluo returned to the Shanhai View Villa, she noticed the house was unusually dim.

Even when she came home late from gatherings with friends, there was always someone waiting for her. It was never this dark.

As soon as she stepped inside, Marilyn quickly came up to her and said, “Madam, the master is back.”

Then, she gave Shang Xinglu a meaningful look, trying to pass on some information.

But Shang Xinglu felt nothing at all—because she had nothing to hide!

If she had been at the Huanlong Club tonight, maybe she’d feel a little guilty.

But she had only gone to the company, and the only man by her side was her own younger brother—who was kind of an idiot. What was there to be nervous about?

Besides, what was there to be afraid of with Lin Heng, a man who was scared of fluffy animals…?

The next second, Lin Heng appeared.

He walked out of the bedroom, already changed into his pajamas, looking relaxed. But his aura was sharper than ever.

Shang Xinglu suddenly felt a chill down her spine.

But she quickly reminded herself—What am I afraid of???

Lin Heng approached her unhurriedly and asked, “You’re back?”

Their words overlapped as Shang Xinglu also asked, “You’re back?”

Silence.

Well, that was obvious.

Lin Heng immediately asked again, “Where were you just now? Why didn’t you answer my call?”

Shang Xinglu frowned.

Was she being paranoid, or… was Lin Heng checking up on her?

Wait a minute, weren’t they supposed to be a superficial couple?

She looked at Lin Heng again.

His expression was neutral—he still had that face that was charming yet always cold, giving off an air of restraint.

He really didn’t seem like a jealous husband.

Shang Xinglu had a sudden realization.

Right, not every man gets excited by NTR scenarios.

For the sake of her billions, Shang Xinglu decided not to play any tricks this time.

She answered honestly, “I was at Yunshi. The one who grabbed my phone earlier was Shang Xingyu. Didn’t you recognize his voice?”

No.

Because the man who had hung up earlier had deliberately altered his voice, Lin Heng hadn’t recognized it.

Lin Heng didn’t say anything, just looked at her.

Shang Xinglu could tell what he meant—He really hadn’t recognized the voice.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Shang Xingyu. “Why ask me? If you want to know, ask Shang Xingyu directly.”

She put the call on speaker and placed her phone on the table, exuding confidence.

Shang Xingyu quickly answered.

Shang Xinglu spoke on Lin Heng’s behalf, “Shang Xingyu, tell me—was I with you at Yunshi just now? Your brother-in-law wants to know.”

“Brother-in-law?”

Shang Xinglu thought Lin Heng would feel awkward and remain silent. But to her surprise, he answered straightforwardly, “Yes. Xingyu, good evening.”

Shang Xingyu was dumbfounded on the other end.

What was this situation?

Brother-in-law, asking if he was with his sister?

He wasn’t some secret lover—why ask him that…?

Shang Xingyu didn’t answer immediately. He ran the question through his head and quickly realized—

Could it be that his brother-in-law saw the USB drive and figured out that they had stolen the financial reports tonight?

Yes. His sister had emphasized this—it must not be revealed!

So, Shang Xingyu firmly said, “No, I’ve been in my dorm the whole time. I wasn’t with my sister!”

Upon hearing this, Lin Heng turned to Shang Xinglu and raised an eyebrow.

Shang Xinglu stared at her phone in disbelief.

Wait… WHAT???!!!!