Chapter 40

Previously, when the siblings had arguments and gave each other the cold shoulder, Uncle Li would always step in to mediate. The last time they were in a cold war, it was Uncle Li who told a little white lie that finally made Shen Yu relent and reconcile with Shen Xiao.
But this time, after several days of the cold war, Uncle Li was powerless to help because he had fallen ill. Proud of his robust health, Uncle Li had succumbed to the first cold snap of the year, lying down decisively and without hesitation.
Afraid of passing the flu to the siblings, Uncle Li confined himself to his room, only coming out for meals and bathroom breaks. He even thoughtfully hired a part-time cook.
Shen Yu felt that the part-time cook’s meals were nowhere near as good as Uncle Li’s, not even one percent as good. Her palate had been spoiled by Uncle Li’s cooking.
Even though they were still in a cold war, as long as Shen Xiao was home in the evening, Shen Yu would obediently sit at the dining table and wait for him, and the two would eat together. The only catch was that neither of them spoke a word, as if performing a silent play.
Shen Xiao used to force-feed her, regardless of whether she wanted it or not, as long as it pleased him.
But lately, it seemed he had grown weary of Shen Yu’s antics. During the cold war, he no longer did anything extreme to provoke her.
Today, Shen Xiao came home later than usual. Just as Shen Yu thought he had social engagements and wouldn’t be back for dinner, he walked through the door right at dinnertime, forcing Shen Yu to set an extra bowl of rice for him.
And then Shen Yu noticed that Shen Xiao was acting particularly strange today.
The cold war was actually maintained unilaterally by Shen Yu. Whenever Shen Xiao was home, he would still stubbornly try to get her to talk, sometimes threatening her with Er Gouzi, other times with Xiaobai. Just yesterday, he even used Uncle Li to threaten her, saying that if she continued to ignore him, he would make Uncle Li go out into the yard to catch a chill despite his illness.
Hearing such a childish threat, Shen Yu didn’t even spare him a glance.
But today, from the moment he stepped into the house, Shen Xiao had been unusually quiet. He no longer tried to force her to speak with various excuses but instead kept giving her strange looks, as if she had grown an extra hand or sprouted a horn overnight.
This had never happened before!
Shen Yu felt uncomfortable under his eerie gaze. But since they were still in a cold war, she couldn’t bring herself to ask what he was staring at. She could only suppress the strange feeling inside, which was truly unbearable.
On the dining table today, there was a plate of boiled fish. The part-time cook must have gone all out, as the dish was covered with a thick layer of spicy oil.
Shen Yu remembered that Shen Xiao could only handle mild spiciness. Usually, Uncle Li’s dishes were on the lighter side, and even if there were spicy dishes, they were mostly mildly seasoned.
At that moment, the plate of boiled fish happened to be placed right in front of Shen Xiao, as if silently taunting him.
Shen Yu glanced at it and felt a twinge of pity. She stood up and moved the fish bowl in front of herself, she didn’t mind eating spicy food.
After moving the dish and sitting back down, she looked up to find Shen Xiao staring at her in shock, as if she had just committed some unforgivable sin.
After holding back repeatedly, Shen Yu finally couldn't resist breaking her silence. "What exactly are you looking at?"
Shen Xiao was clearly in an odd mood but said nothing, merely shaking his head as he picked up his bowl and shoveled in a few mouthfuls of rice. He didn’t even notice at first that his sister had just spoken to him!
At that moment, his mind was like a tangled ball of yarn after a cat had played with it, utterly messy and impossible to sort out.
He had never given much thought to this before, so many details had slipped past him. For instance, even when she was angry with him, she would still wait for him to come home for dinner. During their cold wars, she would sneak glances at him with those little eyes. And just now, she had thoughtfully rearranged the dishes because he couldn’t handle overly spicy food…
If not for Secretary Du’s reminder, he might never have noticed these details.
Holding his bowl, Shen Xiao suddenly felt a wave of emotion.
Ever since their parents passed away, his life had become monochromatic, filled with the same tedious work day after day. The pressure kept mounting until he discovered that teasing his little sister occasionally could lift his spirits and ease the burden.
After that, he began finding all sorts of ways to provoke her. In his eyes, Shen Yu wasn’t just his sister, she was also a special toy left to him by their parents.
But today, someone suddenly suggested that this "toy" of his might have feelings for him?
The mere possibility of this had left him dazed all afternoon.
After secretly observing her for a while after returning home, he realized that the reality might not be far from their speculation.
Shen Xiao suddenly felt conflicted.
No wonder she had been so resistant to Bai Muqing’s presence from the very beginning. While most young girls adored celebrities, she never showed any interest in Bai Muqing and had even repeatedly expressed her dislike for her.
At first, he thought it was just childish possessiveness, but it never occurred to him that his little girl might see Bai Muqing as a rival in love…
Shen Xiao took another bite of rice and frowned as he looked at Shen Yu across the table.
He had always been adept at handling all sorts of challenges, but today he realized that Shen Yu posed a particularly tricky problem, one he had no idea how to deal with.
In the end, he resignedly thought, since he didn’t know how to handle it, he might as well set it aside for now. Perhaps one day the problem would resolve itself.
Shen Yu had an extremely uncomfortable meal because Shen Xiao had started acting strangely again. Throughout dinner, he kept giving her all sorts of looks, making her skin crawl. She was so tempted to drop her bowl and flee to her room.
But in the end, she toughed it and finished her meal without running away.
She still had a task to complete: after dinner, she needed to take the Husky for a walk.
This was originally Uncle Li’s job, but since he had been bedridden with illness recently, the duty fell to her. After all, no one dared to expect Shen Xiao to walk the Husky, they’d be lucky if he didn’t decide to roast it!
After dinner, Shen Yu put on her jacket and fastened the leash on the Husky.
The Husky knew what was coming and excitedly darted around her feet.
Shen Xiao, wearing slippers, followed her to the entrance. "Where are you going?" he asked casually, not really expecting Shen Yu to answer him.
But in fact, during dinner, Shen Yu had already spoken to him. It was just that his inner turmoil had been too intense for him to notice.
Shen Yu changed into her boots and, upon hearing his question, tossed out two succinct words: "Walking the dog." Then, she led the Husky out the door.
Before they had gone far, Shen Yu noticed that Shen Xiao had actually followed them. Puzzled, she turned to look at him. Shen Xiao cleared his throat lightly and said, "I'm just out for a walk."
Shen Yu: “…”
Going for a walk in such cold weather, what a leisurely mood!
As soon as Er Gouzi stepped outside, it excitedly sniffed around everywhere. When it came across a certain tree, it lifted its leg in a rather indecent posture, making Shen Xiao frown in disapproval.
Then, by chance, Shen Xiao caught a glimpse of Er Gouzi's little brother. He froze for a moment before snatching the leash away and grumbling harshly, "I'll hold it. You walk behind."
Shen Yu was utterly confused. This guy was acting so strangely today that she couldn't help but ask, "Why??"
Shen Xiao turned and glared at her, saying, "It's a male!"
Shen Yu: “…”
Because Er Gouzi was male, she wasn't allowed to watch it pee??
What kind of twisted logic was this lunatic operating on?!?!
Shen Yu secretly glared at him, then handed him the black bag and small shovel she was carrying, saying, "In that case, you take this too. Since Er Gouzi is male, it's inconvenient for me to clean up after him!!"
Shen Xiao: “…”
In the end, because he didn't like his little sister interacting too much with male creatures, the esteemed CEO of the Shen Corporation, the major antagonist in the novel, began dutifully taking on the role of a poop-scooper.
Due to the cold weather, there were very few people out for a walk, mostly just dog owners like them.
The two walked along the greenbelt until Shen Xiao suddenly stopped and turned to look at the girl beside him, asking, "Did you just say something to me??"
Shen Yu looked up at him, "What's wrong with you today? You seem like you've lost your soul!"
Shen Xiao awkwardly averted his gaze, pretending he hadn't heard the question.
They continued until they reached a patch of grass where Er Gouzi always liked to play for a while. Familiar with its routine, Shen Yu suggested Shen Xiao wait in the pavilion nearby.
After Shen Xiao sat down inside, he patted the spot beside him, signaling for her to join him.
Shen Yu hesitated for a few seconds before walking over and sitting down.
Shen Xiao looked down at her and realized that, aside from her tendency to give him the cold shoulder, his little sister had a very soft temper. She rarely got angry, no matter how much he teased or provoked her.
Just then, the wind picked up again, tangling Shen Yu's long hair into a mess. Shen Xiao reached out to smooth it down, then draped an arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
After staring at her for a moment, he suddenly said, "I have to attend a banquet this weekend. It's business-related."
Shen Yu looked up at him, quietly waiting for him to continue.
Then she heard him say, "I need a female companion for the banquet. I plan to take Bai Muqing."
Hearing that name, Shen Yu’s face instantly darkened.
She thought irritably, Why is it this woman again?
So she said, "Last time at the Western restaurant, she was so angry. Will she really agree to be your plus-one this time?"
Shen Xiao raised an eyebrow and nodded smugly. "She agreed."
Shen Yu: “…”
This Bai Muqing is so persistent!
Just a moment of carelessness, and she’s back again!
Seeing her expression change, Shen Xiao felt even more certain of his guess. She really did care about Bai Muqing, so much so that just hearing her name made her face fall.
"Can you not bring her?" Shen Yu asked him quietly.
Shen Xiao looked at her with a complicated expression and probed, "I need a plus-one."
Shen Yu blinked, quickly catching on, and smiled. "I can be your plus-one! I can even dance, I won’t embarrass you!"
Shen Xiao: “…”
Seeing his lack of response, Shen Yu added, "So, what do you say? Take me along, let me broaden my horizons and gain some experience!"
Before today, if he had heard her say this, he would have simply thought she was young and playful, wanting to tag along for fun.
But now, with his suspicions about her feelings, her words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
"Do you really want to go?" he decided to test her further.
Unaware of his intentions, Shen Yu nodded repeatedly. "I want to go."
Shen Xiao then pointed to his cheek and said, "If you want to go, give me a kiss first?"
Last time, it was this very line that had made her suddenly lose her temper, so he was using it again now.
But to Shen Yu, his request was just another sign of his obsessive eccentricity. She hadn’t kissed him last time, and he was still holding onto it!!
Shen Yu weighed her options and decided she absolutely had to go on this trip; otherwise, Bai Muqing wouldn’t let it go easily.
So, after glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Shen Yu stretched her neck, puckered her lips, and quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Mwah~"
Shen Xiao: “…”
His little one really did like him!