Shen Huaibei’s tone was cold. "In that case, let’s sit down and eat."
"Very well, brother." Gu Yunze had already made up his mind: once dinner was over, he wouldn't leave. He was determined to get Lord Huo’s WeChat contact tonight.
However, to his absolute shock, the dinner had barely begun when his stomach started acting up, rumbling so loudly that the entire living room could hear it.
Shen Weilan suppressed a laugh, batting her beautiful eyes as she looked at Gu Yunze, feigning ignorance. "What’s wrong? Is your stomach upset?"
Within a few minutes, beads of cold sweat had broken out on Gu Yunze’s forehead. He was deathly pale, his lips pressed tight, and he clutched his stomach with both hands, his body trembling slightly.
He glanced at Shen Huaibei, who was eating with an expressionless face, then turned his gaze to Shen Weilan, who was looking on as if it were a show.
These dishes must have been tainted! But if everyone was eating the same things, why was he the only one having a reaction?
The pain in his stomach intensified, and the rumbling grew louder. He couldn't hold it much longer. As a young master of a prestigious family, he couldn't afford to be this undignified.
"Brother, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to head out."
The agony was too much to bear. Without waiting for a response from Shen Huaibei, Gu Yunze hurried away, one hand clutching his stomach and the other instinctively shielding his backside.
"Pfft! Hahaha…" As soon as Gu Yunze was gone, Shen Weilan couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Brother, do you think he’ll make it home before he loses control?"
"You can still laugh? Look at the kind of person you’ve entangled yourself with!" Shen Huaibei felt both helpless and heartbroken for her. Had it not been for Huo Junxiao’s presence tonight, his lesson for Gu Yunze would have been far more severe.
Shen Weilan immediately stopped laughing. She hung her head in shame, like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Brother… I’m sorry."
"Weilan, I’m not blaming you. I’m heartbroken for you. You’ve suffered so much injustice over these past two years."
Shen Weilan’s nose stung, and her eyes felt raw. She fought back tears. Back then, she had nearly severed ties with her own family for the sake of Gu Yunze. Yet, they hadn't blamed her; they only felt for her.
"You’re twenty-six now—neither too young nor too old. There are some things that, as family, it isn't appropriate for us to step in or interfere with too much. Do you understand?" Shen Huaibei didn't spell it out, but Shen Weilan wasn't a fool; she understood exactly what he meant.
She looked up at Shen Huaibei. "I will take back what belongs to me. He won't be taking advantage of me anymore."
"Good. That is my sister." Shen Huaibei nodded with a satisfied smile. He took a tissue to wipe his lips. "You keep eating. I’m going upstairs to check on A-xiao."
"Wait!" Shen Weilan suddenly called out to him.
"Hm?"
"Is he actually sick? Ever since you two became friends, I’ve noticed you’re always treating him, and you always seem so tense about it," Shen Weilan asked, puzzled.
"That is my patient’s privacy. I cannot tell you, and given your relationship, I don't think you’re genuinely concerned about him anyway." Shen Huaibei’s bluntness caused Shen Weilan to blush instantly.
"Brother! How can you say that? We’ve known each other for a long time—can’t I care about him a little?" Shen Weilan stomped her foot, acting like the spoiled girl she was in her childhood.
Shen Huaibei shook his head. "You don't."
Shen Weilan’s eyes widened. "Are you even my brother?" She and Huo Junxiao might not get along, but that didn't mean she wanted him dead, did it? What was wrong with being concerned?
"Weilan, don't go digging too much into things that don't concern you." Shen Huaibei left her with that warning and went upstairs.
He left a sulking Shen Weilan behind. After the events of the evening, she wanted to be at the Gu household even less, so she decided to spend the night at the Shen residence.
After a shower, she lay down in bed to rest. Suddenly, she received a text from an unknown number: *Shen Weilan, what exactly did you and your brother do to me? I’ve been in the bathroom until I’m dehydrated.*
Shen Weilan immediately replied: *Dehydration is good! Maybe it’ll flush all the filth out of your brain!*
As soon as the message was sent, her phone rang. She rejected the call and blocked the number without a second thought. She had been too lenient with Gu Yunze in the past, which had caused him to forget his place!
Unable to sleep, she got up, grabbed a bottle of baijiu and some snacks from the liquor cabinet, and headed to the rooftop. She loved sitting on the swing chair to drink; when she was slightly tipsy, she could look up and see the stars, and her mood would improve significantly.
But why was there a man sitting on the swing? He was facing away from her, and with the hazy night, she couldn't make him out.
Shen Weilan frowned and tentatively called out, "Brother?"
"Hmm, that’s a good girl." A low, deep voice accompanied a light chuckle.
Shen Weilan’s face darkened in an instant. She gripped the bottle tighter, glaring at Huo Junxiao with resentment. "Is teasing me fun?"
Huo Junxiao stood up and walked over to her. He leaned in close, his thin lips curling. "It is!"
Look at that. This was the legendary "silent and reticent" Lord Huo! Only she knew he had two faces, and that his tongue could be incredibly caustic.
"It seems your husband’s infidelity has hit you quite hard if you’re resorting to drowning your sorrows," Huo Junxiao joked, glancing at the bottle in her hand.
"None of your business!" Shen Weilan glared at him, walked over to the swing, and sat down, placing the bottle on the tea table.
"We’ve known each other a long time; it’s only right that I show some concern."
Huh! That sounded suspiciously familiar. Oh right—it was exactly what she had said to her brother earlier when she was trying to fish for information. Had her brother betrayed her?
"Thanks, but I don't need it. Next time, don't bother acting so cold and taciturn in front of my brother," she scoffed.
Huo Junxiao ignored her remark. "Drinking alone is dull, and I can't sleep anyway. I’ll be a good person and keep you company for a few drinks."
Without waiting for her refusal, he opened the bottle and poured two glasses from the drawer in the tea table.
"You’re quite thick-skinned, aren't you? Can’t you see I don't want to drink with you?" she said displeased.
"This is good liquor. Very mellow!" Huo Junxiao remarked, savoring the drink on his own.
Shen Weilan was annoyed. She snatched his glass away. "Who told you that you could drink?"
"It’s just one glass. Why so stingy?"
"It’s not stingy—I just can’t bring myself to be generous with you!" She scanned him from head to toe and sneered, "A two-faced hypocrite like you—I have no interest in associating with you. Only my brother treats you like a good friend!"
Huo Junxiao raised an eyebrow. "How am I two-faced?"
Shen Weilan glared at him. "It’s just us here. Still acting? Don't you get tired of it?" The things he had done to her were still vivid in her mind; how could he have the nerve to ask her that?
"What have I been acting as?" Huo Junxiao asked, genuinely bewildered. He only knew that every time they met, she was full of hostility and had a sharp tongue. Anyone who didn't know better would think he had done something truly terrible to her!