Chapter 103 (1/2)

Translated by Yan of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Sure enough, the Shen family was already in an abyss of suffering.

When Shen Fu returned, he didn’t even get to see Grandfather or Brother Shen before he was dragged into a room by Mama Shen.

“Xiao Fu, tell me the truth. When did you find out about your brother and Jiang Cheng? How much do you know?”

Mama Shen was never this serious, and naturally, Shen Fu didn’t dare to conceal anything or lie to her. One reason was because he didn’t want to deceive his mother, but another reason was that if he still hid anything in this kind of situation, it wouldn’t be helping his brother, but rather adding fuel to the fire.

Shen Fu answered honestly, “I only found out the day before I went back to S City.”

When Mama Shen heard that, she frowned.

Shen Fu opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but he was immediately interrupted by Mama Shen. “Don’t say anything else. I’m well aware of the situation myself.”

Shen Fu had no choice but to shut up. He didn’t know what had happened between Brother Shen and Jiang Cheng before, but it definitely wasn’t something insignificant if it would make Mama Shen keep it a secret. He and Lin ShuYi had happened first, so even if she opposed it, it couldn’t entirely be because the one that Big Brother Shen liked was a man. Then, the problem was most likely Jiang Cheng himself.

Shen Fu’s thoughts raced rapidly, but he really couldn’t think of a substantial way he could help Brother Shen. What’s more, he first had to know whether Jiang Cheng was someone worthy of Brother Shen paying such a huge price.

Many years prior, Jiang Cheng seemed to have been liked quite a bit by the Shen family. From Grandfather Shen to the Shen parents, they all chattered on about how Jiang Cheng, that child, was both smart and sensible. At that age, Shen Fu was only a teenager, and he liked this Jiang Cheng very much, who he referred to as “Uncle” but was really not much older than his big brother. However, in the end, that was a long time ago, and Shen Fu couldn’t really remember what this Jiang Cheng was really like. He only remembered that his eyes seemed to be very deep, and he had a kind of beauty that cut like a knife. All that happened many years ago, and he didn’t know what had happened later between his brother and Jiang Cheng. In any case, Jiang Cheng had left the country, and after Big Brother Shen graduated from college and started working in the Shen conglomerate, seven or eight years had passed just like that.

After that, the Shen family had all forgotten Jiang Cheng, so who would’ve known that he had returned without breathing a word of it to anybody? Besides coming back without telling anyone, he was even together with Brother Shen. How could they not be surprised?

Shen Fu was also surprised. So that was why Jiang Cheng’s name sounded both foreign and familiar. By the time he recalled it, he was completely dumbfounded, but it was evident that the Shen family could accept it even less than he could.

Shen Fu thought a bit before he decided that the final decision for this kind of thing still had to wait until he met Jiang Cheng. But he couldn’t even see his older brother right now, so how could he meet Jiang Cheng?

In the end, Shen Fu’s wish truly did end up being fulfilled. Before he even got to see Brother Shen, he met Jiang Cheng.

He wasn’t very similar to how Shen Fu remembered him to be. Jiang Cheng seemed to be calmer, more imposing. His looks appeared to be somewhat different as well, and the only thing that hadn’t changed was probably the look in his eyes. Clearly, Grandfather Shen was already glaring at him, but Jiang Cheng was still smiling. He sat down across from Grandfather Shen and said, “Grandpa Shen.”

Grandpa? Shen Fu was puzzled. With Jiang Cheng’s position in the family hierarchy, he shouldn’t be calling him grandpa, right?

But he understood after thinking it over. He was calling him in accordance to Brother Shen’s position. Sure enough, Grandfather Shen’s brows knitted immediately. “I’m not your grandpa.”

Grandfather Shen was strict, that was true, but he was never so blatantly stand-offish in front of outsiders. Shen Fu frowned as he stared at the back of Jiang Cheng, sitting below in the drawing room, and he felt anything but reassured.

As he was still ruminating, someone tugged on his sleeve. When Shen Fu looked back, he saw Aunt Shen standing behind him. She jerked her chin and said, “Come with me.”

Shen Fu looked back again at the two people in the drawing room before he went into a room with Aunt Shen.

“It’s best if you don’t get too involved in this matter.” Aunt Shen rested a hand on her stomach and let out a sigh.

Shen Fu didn’t agree or disagree. Instead, he asked, “Does Aunt know what happened?”

Aunt Shen shook her head. “I’ve been out of the country the entire time, so I don’t know the details. But your grandpa is evidently quite angry, and your brother hasn’t returned either…”

“Bro isn’t back yet?” Shen Fu was astonished. No wonder he hadn’t seen Brother Shen yet. If he wasn’t back, how did his grandpa find out?

Aunt Shen saw Shen Fu look at her, and she sighed again. “Don’t ask anymore. It’s up to fate for them now. I do quite like Jiang Cheng, it’s just…” She realized that she shouldn’t be saying this to Shen Fu at all, and Aunt Shen promptly stopped talking. She said to Shen Fu instead, “Xiao Yi isn’t preparing to come back, right?”

Shen Fu thought of Lin ShuYi’s relieved, trusting gaze, and his heart warmed. He nodded and said, “En.”

“That’s good. It’s such a mess in the family right now, and if he comes he can only suffer from the anger with us. Tao Tao needs to be looked after too. Since you’re back already, just stay here in the home.”

Shen Fu nodded and agreed, before Aunt Shen left the room. By the time Shen Fu left as well, Jiang Cheng was already gone, leaving only Grandfather Shen sitting alone in the drawing room, his expression unclear.

Shen Fu remembered that when he had told Grandfather Shen about his own sexual orientation, his grandpa hadn’t revealed such an expression. It seemed that things truly were quite severe?

Shen Fu returned to his own room before he tried giving his brother a call.

The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering. Just when Shen Fu thought that nobody was going to answer it, and he was preparing to hang up, someone picked up.

“Bro.”

Brother Shen gave an “en” on the other end. Judging from his voice, he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. Shen Fu thought a bit before he still decided to just speak frankly; after all, Brother Shen was only unwilling to tell him, but he wouldn’t lie or deceive him. “Bro, have you laid out all your cards on the table with grandpa?”