Chapter 24

After arranging with Uncle Li to go down for a late-night snack at 10:30, Shen Yu finally relaxed, putting aside her earlier frustrations. She lay on her bed and started playing on her phone.
The husky, seeing her lying on the bed, wanted to join in and jumped up after her.
Shen Yu thought its paws were dirty and tried to shoo it away twice, but it stubbornly refused to budge. In the end, she had no choice but to watch as it leaped onto the bed, trampled a few circles on the soft mattress, and settled into what it deemed the most comfortable spot.
"Er Gouzi, it’s my fault you didn’t get dinner, but hang in there. We can go down to eat at 10:30," she kindly explained to the husky, though it didn’t understand a word.
Shen Yu ignored it after that, opened Weibo, found Yuan Yue’s account, followed her, and began scrolling through her posts.
She always felt that the Yuan Yue she had encountered was quite different from the impression she had of the character in the novel. At the time, she had taken on this urban romance drama, playing the female lead, Yuan Yue. Since it was her first time acting in a modern drama, she not only read the script but also carefully studied the original novel, so she had a certain understanding of Yuan Yue's character.
Yuan Yue came from an ordinary background, but thanks to her striking looks, she smoothly entered film school to study acting. During her time there, she met Situ Yi after appearing in one of his movies.
It was Yuan Yue who took the initiative to be with Situ Yi. She fell for him and pursued him without hesitation. Situ Yi, having been scarred by his first relationship, was hesitant to accept her advances. Later, when Yuan Yue discovered he had a past with Bai Muqing, she assumed he still had feelings for her. Unwilling to settle, she decisively let go.
But it was only after Yuan Yue gave up that Situ Yi realized his true feelings and began relentlessly pursuing her, leading to all sorts of complications.
After Situ Yi left the entertainment industry and started managing his company, he signed Yuan Yue to the entertainment agency under his conglomerate and spared no effort in making her a star. Eventually, they resolved their misunderstandings and ended up together.
From the fact that Yuan Yue, aware of the complexities of the entertainment industry, actively pursued Situ Yi, it was clear she was a girl with ideas and ambition. She wasn’t foolish, she knew that to survive in the entertainment world, she needed a backer.
But Shen Yu had met Yuan Yue twice, and each time, she came across as overly familiar and naive, which was a stark contrast to the original novel’s portrayal.
Shen Yu scrolled through Weibo. Yuan Yue’s account didn’t seem to be managed by her personally, it frequently posted promotional photos and positive, uplifting content, but there was little trace of Yuan Yue’s personal life.
Scrolling back to posts from three months ago, Shen Yu noticed that Yuan Yue had had a minor accident on set, hitting her head and being sent to the hospital for treatment. Later, she posted a photo from the hospital, greeting her fans and reassuring them she was fine.
Looking at the photo of Yuan Yue smiling brightly, Shen Yu felt a sense of dissonance, an indescribable unease.
After playing on her phone for a while, Shen Yu pulled out a small plush toy and started a game of fetch with. That silly dog was so eager to play that he didn’t even mind going hungry, happily panting and running around.
By the time Shen Yu and the dog had fooled around until past ten, she picked up her phone again and sent a WeChat message to Uncle Li: "Uncle Li, has the big demon king gone upstairs?”
Uncle Li quickly replied, "He’s gone up."
Shen Yu asked, "Is there anything good to eat in the kitchen? I’m really hungry and want to grab a bite. Er Gaozi hasn’t eaten either."
Uncle Li said, "I left quite a bit for you in the thermal containers on the dining table."
Shen Yu grinned and sent a voice message: "Thanks, Uncle Li!"
Putting down her phone, she hurried over to move the cabinet blocking the door, then cautiously opened it and peeked out like a thief to check the situation outside.
Since going downstairs meant passing the second floor, she was afraid of making any noise that might alert the big demon king. So, she didn’t even wear slippers, tiptoeing barefoot across the floor, planning to sneak down quietly.
But she was nearly scared to death by Er Gaozi. The moment the door opened, the dog dashed out with boundless enthusiasm and noisily charged down the stairs, completely unaware of the need for stealth!
Shen Yu nervously made her way to the second floor and found only a small wall lamp lit, with Shen Xiao’s door tightly shut. Relieved, she quickly tiptoed and hurried downstairs.
The chandelier in the living room on the first floor had been turned off, leaving only a single wall lamp on. Because the space was large and the wall lamp’s glow was limited, the surroundings appeared dim and shadowy.
Shen Yu didn’t turn on any more lights, as she had sneaked down to grab a snack and didn’t dare to be too conspicuous.
Groping her way into the dining room, she spotted a thermal lunchbox on the table by the faint light from outside. Delighted, she walked into the kitchen, opened the cupboard, and took out a ceramic bowl.
But as she turned around, she vaguely saw a dark figure leaning against the kitchen counter, silently facing her. A faint red glow flickered near the figure’s face, it was the lit end of a cigarette.
Shen Yu’s eyes widened abruptly: !!!
Seeing that she had noticed him, the figure spoke lazily, "Finally decided to come down?"
Though it was just a simple sentence, it sent Shen Yu’s heart racing uncontrollably, and she couldn’t hold back a scream: "Ah!!!!!"
In her extreme panic, the ceramic bowl slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor with a sharp crack, scattering shards everywhere.
The dark figure: ...
Originally, he had been leaning there casually smoking, but upon hearing the sound of the breaking bowl, he strode forward to check on the situation.
But Shen Yu was so flustered that when she saw him approaching, she immediately tried to flee. As she lifted her foot to step away, she let out another scream, "Ah! It hurts!"
She had stepped barefoot onto the broken porcelain shards!
The other person swiftly reached out and hit the switch on the wall, instantly flooding the kitchen with bright light.
Shen Yu’s eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden brightness, and she quickly shielded them with her hand. When she looked up again, she only had time to see the man’s tall figure before, without giving her a chance to react, he scooped her up into his arms.
"I’ve never seen anyone as foolish as you!" Shen Xiao said disdainfully as he carried her out.
A sharp, piercing pain shot through the sole of Shen Yu’s foot. Thinking that all of this was caused by the lunatic in front of her, she felt both aggrieved and angry. Her lips trembled, and then she burst into loud sobs, "Waaah!"
By the time Shen Xiao carried her into the living room, she was already crying her eyes out, "Waaah... my foot hurts so much, aaaah..."
The moment Shen Xiao heard her crying, he reflexively felt a headache coming on. Glancing at her foot and seeing it dripping with blood, he instantly lost his temper.
He shouted gruffly toward Uncle Li’s room, "Uncle Li, come quickly and look at her foot!"
Shen Yu cooperatively intensified her wails: "Waaah..."
Shen Xiao: "Uncle Li!"
Only then did Uncle Li hurriedly open his door and come out. Actually, his door had been locked from the outside by Shen Xiao using a key. Fortunately, he had a spare key hidden away. Hearing the commotion outside, he grew anxious, and his hands trembled so much that it took him a long time to unlock the door.
Flipping on all the lights in the living room, I saw Shen Xiao standing in the center with a grim expression, holding Shen Yu in his arms. Shen Yu was sobbing uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears.
Uncle Li hurried over and asked, "What happened? What's wrong?"
Shen Xiao, his face dark, said, "Look at her foot."
Uncle Li turned to look and was startled, Shen Yu's foot was still dripping blood!
"Ah!!" Uncle Li exclaimed in shock. Leaning closer for a better look, he said, "There's a piece of porcelain stuck in it?! Sir, quickly put her down. I'll go get the first aid kit. We need to remove the shard and stop the bleeding. Luckily, it's not too big."
Hearing Uncle Li's words, Shen Yu felt even more pain in her foot. Too afraid to look at it herself, her loud wails gradually subsided into soft, choked sobs.
It wasn't just Shen Yu who was afraid to look; Shen Xiao didn't dare to examine it closely either. From the moment he picked her up, he had maintained the same position. Even when Uncle Li told him to put her down, he acted as if he hadn't heard, holding her tightly without a hint of complaint about her weight.
When Uncle Li returned with the first aid kit and saw the siblings still in the same position, he paused in surprise before repeating, "Sir, please put her down so I can treat her wound."
Shen Xiao pressed his lips together tightly, shot Uncle Li a cold glare, and then carried Shen Yu over to the sofa. Without changing his hold on her, he sat down.
Uncle Li: "..."
Shen Yu: “…”
Forced to sit in his lap, Shen Yu squirmed uncomfortably, only to be met with his angry rebuke, "Stay still!"
Shen Yu pouted secretly, thinking, Could you not hold me so tightly? I can barely breathe!
Seeing that Shen Xiao insisted on maintaining this position, Uncle Li didn't say anything more. He opened the first aid kit, laid out the necessary supplies, and said to Shen Yu, "Bear with it, this might hurt quite a bit."
Shen Yu remained silent, but Shen Xiao snapped impatiently, "Do you even know what you're doing?!"
Uncle Li was used to Shen Xiao's outbursts and ignored him. He lifted Shen Yu's foot slightly, instructing Shen Xiao to hold it steady, then poured disinfectant over the wound.
The sole of the foot is a sensitive area, and Shen Yu couldn't hold back a pained hiss, her voice trembling with tears.
Shen Xiao glared at Uncle Li again and said irritably, "Be gentler."
Uncle Li: "..."
What followed was a flurry of chaotic activity. By the time the wound was finally bandaged, Uncle Li was drenched in sweat, not from the heat, but from dealing with Shen Xiao's constant criticisms. The man was too afraid to handle the treatment himself but had endless demands, nitpicking every little thing until even Shen Yu, the patient, found it exasperating.
However, for as long as Uncle Li worked on the wound, Shen Xiao held her without complaint, even supporting her leg the entire time. Shen Yu couldn't help sneaking a few glances at him during the process.
Seeing that Shen Xiao showed no signs of further anger, Shen Yu seized the opportunity to play the victim and said softly, "I have to go to class tomorrow."
Shen Xiao frowned and retorted, "What class? You're staying home."
Shen Yu protested, "Are you going to lock me up forever?"
Shen Xiao glared at her disdainfully and said, "Don't flatter yourself. I can't be bothered to take care of you forever. Do you think you can walk to school with that foot tomorrow??"
Hearing this, both Shen Yu and Uncle Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that after all this commotion, Shen Xiao no longer intended to keep her confined. It was a small blessing in disguise.
Shen Yu quickly added, "I'll hop there if I have to!"
Shen Xiao: “…”
Uncle Li, afraid he might change his mind, quickly chimed in, "I'll drive Miss there tomorrow."
Shen Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Can you carry her?"
Uncle Li: “...”
Shen Yu: “…”
In the end, Shen Xiao made the decision, "I'll take her there tomorrow."
Shen Yu was startled and instinctively refused, "No need, no need! Uncle Li can take me!"
Shen Xiao raised his eyes and glared at her, "Either stay locked up at home or let me take you, choose one."
Shen Yu: “…”
Wuwuwu, could she choose a third option??!