X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the ServerAfter the bar incident spread, Lu Shi made a name for himself, and the harassment around him finally quieted down.
The servants at home now greeted him respectfully, no longer daring to make things difficult or show attitude.
Outside, no one was foolish enough to pick a fight with him anymore.
Whatever they said behind his back, Lu Shi couldn’t care less, as long as they didn’t do it to his face.
After moving out, peace finally returned. He no longer had to listen to Chen Youxuan’s snide remarks all day.
Lying in bed, Lu Shi said sincerely to Shen Zheming beside him, “Thanks, Brother Shen, for helping me move.”
The apartment he was renting now was found by Shen Zheming—a nice little loft with a five-meter-high ceiling.
The landlord was a friend of Shen Zheming’s, and he’d even given Lu Shi a significant discount.
Ding Wei popped his head out from the stairs: “Why only thank Brother Shen? What about Yu Xi and me? Didn’t we help too?”
Lu Shi didn’t have much stuff to begin with, but the place was empty, so he’d bought a lot of furniture on the fly.
When the two heard, they volunteered to help set things up.
“Alright, alright, I’ll treat you all to dinner tonight.”
Lu Shi waved his hand.
In his past life, he had been withdrawn and done everything alone. Now that he’d stepped out of his shell, he found that making friends wasn’t so hard after all.
It just felt surreal.
Ding Wei grinned foolishly and ducked back.
“Brother Shen, what do you want to eat tonight?” Lu Shi turned to Shen Zheming.
Shen Zheming was holding a screwdriver, crouching by the window after having just assembled an ergonomic chair.
The setting sun streamed through the glass, dyeing his pristine white shirt a warm orange.
This was supposed to be Lu Shi’s job, but halfway through, he got dizzy from squatting too long and nearly blacked out when he stood up.
Shen Zheming had told him to take a break, and within minutes, he had the chair nearly done by following the manual.
“Anything’s fine.” Shen Zheming’s sleeves were half-rolled as he spun the chair for a final check.
“How can it be anything? I owe you a big favor this time. I don’t even know how to repay you.”
Lu Shi lay in bed, searching for nearby restaurants on his phone.
“But Brother Shen, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”
His tone shifted, a wry smile on his lips.
“Could you stop staring at me during class? Go check out other classrooms, maybe.”
For some reason, Shen Zheming had been showing up at Minxing every day recently. Lu Shi had already been woken up from his naps four times in a row by Shen Zheming slapping the desk.
“Also, don’t you have other companies to inspect?” Lu Shi sat up. “Your incognito visits are scaring our teachers half to death.”
Shen Zheming stood up, looking down at him. “I’ve inspected other institutions. I value Minxing highly and decided to maintain the investment amount, so I pay it more attention.”
Lu Shi moved to the chair and gave it a try. It was indeed comfortable, perfect for someone with a bad back like him.
“Still, you don’t have to act like a school disciplinary officer. Every time I see you, I feel like I’m back in school. Do you know how intimidating you are?”
Instead of answering, Shen Zheming looked down at the boneless figure in the chair.
“I understand you don’t want the Chen family to have their way, and you want to spite them. But there’s no need to do it in such a self-destructive way.”
Lu Shi waved it off. “This isn’t self-destruction. It’s enjoying life…”
Before he could finish,
His world spun.
Shen Zheming spun the chair, turning Lu Shi from facing the window to facing him.
He bent down, one hand on the armrest.
The sudden closeness made Lu Shi instinctively press back against the chair.
A crumpled piece of paper was pulled out. Lu Shi thought the handwriting looked familiar.
Shen Zheming held it up. “You scored almost nothing on yesterday’s quiz, but your rough work on the scratch paper had the right approach.”
Lu Shi froze.
Yesterday, he had just skimmed the test paper, planning to sleep through the exam.
But then he saw some familiar questions, and his brain started working involuntarily. Since Minxing’s tests were tough, he couldn’t solve them just by looking, so he habitually jotted down a few lines on scratch paper.
After the test, both the paper and scratch sheet were collected.
Shouldn’t scratch paper be thrown straight into the trash without a second glance?
Who bothers to read that?
Lu Shi was speechless for a few seconds, then gave a helpless smile. “Brother Shen, isn’t this going too far? You’re investigating me behind my back?”
Shen Zheming raised an eyebrow. “I saw it by accident.”
He dropped the paper onto Lu Shi.
“I just think there are many ways to spite them without throwing yourself away.”
When Shen Zheming looked down at someone, his gaze was deep, like a clear pool in the night, devoid of extra emotion. But his words were steady and firm.
Lu Shi felt uncomfortable under that gaze.
People usually looked at him with contempt, disdain, sympathy, or admiration. But no one had ever looked at him like Shen Zheming did. He couldn’t handle it.
Lu Shi averted his eyes, turning his head away. “What do you know.”
He was just a creaky old machine, starting its self-destruct sequence.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“Suit yourself. But if I were you, I wouldn’t be content with this.” Shen Zheming slowly straightened up. “Even if you succeed in making them angry and regretful, what do you get in the end?”
Shen Zheming liked talking to smart people. He thought he’d made himself clear.
He never bothered about others’ affairs, but when he saw Lu Shi’s clear problem-solving process on the scratch paper, those words surfaced in his mind unbidden.
Only Lu Shi remained on the second floor.
He picked up the scratch paper, stared at it for a moment, then slowly crumpled it in his palm.
Sometimes the player is blind while the observer sees clearly. But that’s only because the observer hasn’t experienced what he’s been through they can’t truly empathize. Without all those emotions clouding their judgment, different mindsets make their choices seem wiser.
Shen Zheming’s words clung to him, echoing in his ears, impossible to shake.
Even if Chen Qiming, Zhu Wanqing, and Wang Xiuzhi regret it someday, would you be content?
No matter how many times Lu Shi asked himself, the answer was always no.
He’d suffered so much in his past life, pushed himself so hard, barely reached that height. No matter how many chances to restart he got, he’d never be satisfied.
So his resentment would never fade.
When he thought about it carefully, before, he had worked hard to earn his biological parents’ love. Now, he was acting recklessly just to spite others.
It seemed like he’d never truly lived for himself.
Just like Shen Zheming said, even if he went mad and dragged everyone down with him, he’d end up with nothing.
Collecting himself, Lu Shi went downstairs to gather the others for dinner.
With Shen Zheming, they tacitly pretended nothing had happened upstairs.
During the meal, Lu Shi slumped sideways against the wall, lazy as usual.
He was a bit nearsighted, so when reaching for food, he accidentally picked up a piece of pork kidney.
This dish was ordered by Ding Wei and Yu Xi. Lu Shi never ate organ meats—they made him physically nauseous, even the smell bothered him.
But he couldn’t just put it back.
He hesitated, then moved his chopsticks toward Shen Zheming. “Here, Brother Shen, eat more. Thank you for helping me find a place.”
Shen Zheming glanced at him. “You just don’t like it, do you.”
Lu Shi wasn’t flustered by the blunt exposure.
“How could that be? Eat what you’re missing—this’ll supplement you.”
Shen Zheming: “I don’t need it.”
Lu Shi: “That confident?”
Shen Zheming’s eyes slid sideways. “If you don’t believe me, you can test it.”
Ding Wei covered his mouth: “Cough!”
Yu Xi turned away: “Pfft—!”
How could Shen Zheming say something like that with such a cold, aloof face?
“Brother Shen, don’t scare the kids.”
Lu Shi grabbed two napkins and handed them across.
“You’re the oldest of us four, even older than Ding Wei by two months. How can you act so disrespectfully?”
“And you?”
Shen Zheming ate the piece Lu Shi had given him. “You’re the youngest, but you sure know a lot.”
You’ve got to see this next! Looking For My Child's Father will keep you on the edge of your seat. Start reading today!
Read : Looking For My Child's Father
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂