After Shen Keqin left Shen Chi Yan's home, she didn't immediately look at the gift Shen Chi Yan had given her. Instead, she went home first.
Having not been home for several days, her parents were very worried and doted on her when they saw her.
"Mom, where's Big Brother?"
Xi Ruxue sighed, "Your brother has been busy researching a project lately and hasn't been home for the past couple of days."
While she said that, everyone knew that Shen Liubai had suffered such a huge blow and surely didn't want his family to see him so sad and in pain.
He was the type to silently hide his wounds and lick them alone, no matter how many there were.
Seeing Xi Ruxue's pale and haggard face, clearly not having rested well for days, Shen Keqin hugged her and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry, Brother will be fine."
"Sigh, Liubai is such a devoted child. I don't know when he'll be able to move on."
Thinking of something, Xi Ruxue's eyes lit up, "They say the best way to forget a relationship is to start a new one. Otherwise, I'll ask my friends to introduce your brother to a girlfriend."
Shen Keqin nodded after some thought, "Okay, I'm just afraid Brother won't accept it."
"We'll take it slow. We can't live in the past forever."
Since Shen Liubai and Lin Zhuyin had no chance of being together anymore, they had to find a way to move forward.
In the evening, Shen Zhengcheng returned home. After Shen Keqin watched television with her parents for a while, she returned to her room.
Lying on her own bed, she couldn't fall asleep.
There was still no news of Jian Mubai. She didn't know if he was dead or alive.
Now, whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Jian Mubai's face covered in blood. Her brother said he escaped. A wounded person, where could he escape to?
No, no!
Shen Keqin, you can't think about Jian Mubai anymore. Don't you remember how he deceived you and hurt your family?
After an unknown amount of time, she finally fell asleep, only to be startled awake by a nightmare.
Shen Keqin was in a very bad mood. Knowing that Shen Chi Yan would be sleeping with Song Qinian tonight, and not wanting to disturb Song Qinian, she called Guan Mingxu instead.
"Hello... Not sleeping this late, are you trying to stay up all night!"
"I can't sleep. Guan'er, keep me company and chat."
Guan Mingxu was extremely sleepy and yawned widely, "Sister, it's three in the morning. If you don't sleep, you'll age terribly. What's there to chat about!"
"Let's date!"
Guan Mingxu, who was full of sleep and about to close his eyes, was so shocked by these words that his sleepiness vanished, "Are you crazy, or am I dreaming?"
"I've thought about it carefully. I've never dated in my life. It feels like a loss. You're not the best-looking, but we grew up together, and I'm willing to let you be my first love."
"...I don't want to! Little Princess Shen, please spare me. Dating requires chemistry. We've known each other since we wore open-crotch pants. I've seen you at your messiest, and you've seen me at my worst. I really can't love you."
Shen Keqin was persistent, "But feelings can be cultivated."
"If feelings could be cultivated, we would have done it long ago. We wouldn't have waited until now!"
Guan Mingxu knew that Shen Keqin hadn't been herself for the past few days, but he hadn't expected her to go so crazy as to propose dating him.
Shen Keqin: "But we've always acted like brothers. If we start acting like lovers, maybe we'll develop feelings."
Guan Mingxu sighed heavily, "Okay, then let me ask you a question. Do you want to hug me?"
Shen Keqin answered, "Yes."
Guan Mingxu rolled his eyes speechlessly. He bet Shen Keqin understood "hug" differently from how he meant it.
"Then do you want to kiss me?"
Shen Keqin: "..."
Kiss Guan Mingxu?
Shen Keqin shivered involuntarily.
"Do you want to sleep with me? Me holding you, taking off your clothes, having sex with you, you..."
"Stop, stop, don't go on."
Shen Keqin speechlessly interrupted Guan Mingxu. Alright, she admitted she couldn't accept it.
Guan Mingxu would probably have already started hitting her before he even got to taking off her clothes.
"See? You can't even accept these basics. How can we date?"
Shen Keqin posed a soul-piercing question, "There are so many ways to date, why must it involve kissing and sleeping together?"
Guan Mingxu was speechless, "It's not about kissing and sleeping together. It's about not having the desire to kiss that person. How can it be called dating?"
Shen Keqin fell silent.
"Alright, alright, go to sleep. If you really want to date, I'll introduce you to some handsome guys, but please don't set your sights on me. I can't handle it."
Shen Keqin: "..."
Finally, daybreak arrived. Shen Keqin, who hadn't slept well, looked haggard and listless.
While eating breakfast, her phone suddenly rang. It was a WeChat message from Shen Chi Yan.
"I forgot to remind you, what I gave you is a living thing. You'd better go see it soon, or it'll die, and I won't be responsible."
A living thing?
Could it be a cat or a dog?
Oh no, if it's alive, why didn't Brother say so earlier!
After quickly finishing breakfast, Shen Keqin rode her motorcycle to the address Shen Chi Yan had given her.
She never expected it to be an abandoned factory.
What was Fifth Brother up to?
He left a small animal here.
After hanging her helmet on her motorcycle, she walked into the factory.
"Meow meow~~ Where are you?"
Jian Mubai, who was tied to a stone pillar, tensed slightly upon hearing Shen Keqin's voice.
The next second, their eyes met.
In that instant, everything around them seemed to quiet down.
When Shen Keqin saw Jian Mubai, she was stunned at first, and then a complex emotion spread through her limbs.
She suddenly didn't know how to face the person in front of her.
Jian Mubai looked as if he had been beaten. His clothes and pants were dirty, his face was swollen and bruised, and his lips were split.
Shen Keqin had never seen Jian Mubai so wretched and disheveled.
Neither of them spoke first. They just looked at each other.
Finally, Shen Keqin was the first to snap back to reality, and she sneered, "Aren't you very capable? How did you end up tied up here?"
Only then did Shen Keqin understand what Shen Chi Yan's expression had meant.
What kind of a damn gift was this!
Jian Mubai looked at Shen Keqin greedily. He had a thousand words he wanted to say but didn't know how to start.
Seeing his silence, Shen Keqin turned and left, cursing Shen Chi Yan all the way.
"Qinqin..."
Jian Mubai suddenly called out to her, and Shen Keqin, clenching her fists, couldn't help but stop.
"Can you untie me?"
Shen Keqin didn't even turn her head, "You're so capable, untie yourself."
Jian Mubai's weak voice reached her from behind, "My arm is broken, I can't untie it."
Shen Keqin: "..."