After the auction that day, Jing Yi kept thinking about what Lin Ruiqing and Jing Beicheng had said.
The original book had very little description of Shen Huaichu. One could say he was merely cannon fodder in the story, or more accurately, an NPC in the original book, appearing very rarely.
The original character's biggest impact on Hengjing was disrupting the cooperation between Hengjing and a financial group, a collaboration that held great significance for both conglomerates.
In this incident, both Hengjing and that financial group suffered enormous losses, and Shen Huaichu's Huarui Group was that financial group.
After the failed cooperation, Shen Huaichu never worked with Hengjing again. As the plot focusing on the main characters of the original book increased, he gradually faded from view.
"He really is a task NPC, and one with a tragic backstory at that," Jing Yi silently mused.
However, none of this was her concern. It wasn't she who had harmed Shen Huaichu's parents, and she was going to intervene in the impending crisis facing Hengjing, which would incidentally help him as well.
She thought she was really getting the short end of the stick.
But now, none of this mattered to Jing Yi. She looked around and muttered to herself, "That North river delicacy recommended by the blogger should be around here, right?" She parked her car by the roadside and got out.
As she walked, Jing Yi looked at the building in front of her. Its transparent reflective glass mirrored her entire figure. "... Wait, there's no road here?"
Jing Yi felt a headache coming on. It seemed she had once again taken a wrong turn. To make matters worse, this particular roujiamo shop didn't offer delivery, and the photos made it look so delicious!
She sighed, deciding to give up. If she continued walking, who knew where she'd end up.
Just as Jing Yi was about to turn back, the sound of an argument nearby caught her attention. Normally, she would have just walked away, as she wasn't one to pry into others' business.
But she saw Shen Huaichu. His drama? Maybe she should watch for a bit before leaving?
Jing Yi quietly walked up behind a group of people who also seemed to be spectating but didn't dare get too close.
Not far away, a young man was kneeling in front of Shen Huaichu. He looked pale and haggard, his eyes full of helplessness and fear. He kept his head low, his voice trembling: "Please, I beg you, let my parents go."
Shen Huaichu seemed unconcerned about being surrounded by onlookers and appeared very impatient with the person in front of him. This was his cousin, the beloved only son of his dear uncle and aunt.
Shen Huaichu glanced at him, his fingers lightly tapping on the roof of the car. His deep eyes were like stars in the night sky, cold and emotionless.
"You're already on your knees?" he said coldly. "Shen Qi'an, I thought you'd have more backbone. Didn't you once tell me that the men of the Shen family should have backbone?"
Fifteen years ago
"Shen Huaichu, this cake is pretty good. Come on, eat it." The teenage Shen Huaichu looked at the dessert at the speaker's feet, his eyes hiding intense hatred.
Shen Qi'an had a smile on his face, but his words were cruel, "Hurry up and eat, my friends are waiting." He turned to joke with the people beside him, "Remember, if I win, you'll give me that car of yours."
"Haha, isn't it obvious? He'll definitely do what you say. He's the Shen family's dog after all."
Shen Qi'an laughed and retorted, "What are you saying? That's my cousin." But the mockery in his eyes couldn't have been more evident.
Shen Huaichu still ate that cake, crouching on the ground and putting it into his mouth bit by bit.
The cake was very rich and unpleasant to eat.
The group of teenagers watched him, standing in front of him and laughing smugly, "Shen Huaichu, you really have no backbone! What kind of Shen family man are you? Oh, I forgot, you don't have parents to teach you. Tsk tsk, what a pity."
Backbone? What was backbone?
He was going to be the Shen family's dog, to let his uncle see that for the sake of wealth, he was a spineless dog!
Otherwise, how could he get his revenge?
Shen Huaichu felt a bit regretful. He didn't have cake in his hands now, but he also didn't want to play such meaningless games anymore.
"Why do you think I haven't let you go?" Shen Huaichu looked down at him condescendingly. "Both Mrs. Shen and you, I'm just sending them in to reunite. Besides, didn't you just meet?" His voice was ice-cold, sending chills down one's spine.
Why not just kill them?
Even Shen Tu thought he was being obedient by not dirtying his own hands, but only Shen Huaichu knew what those two were going through in prison.
Why should they be allowed to die without consequences after causing the death of his parents?
Shen Huaichu leaned down close to the person on the ground, "Do you know why I didn't send you in there too?" His cousin froze in place, feeling a chill run from head to toe, his hands on his knees involuntarily trembling.
"Because you're their hope. As long as you're out here, they won't give up on themselves."
"No matter how I treat them, they'll persist for your sake. If they can persist, they can live a bit longer. You'll have parents to teach you then. They'll teach you how to survive, or maybe how to have a bit more backbone, they'll teach you how to stand up to me. What a touching family scene, isn't it moving?"
Revenge, huh? If they died, how could he get his revenge?
Shen Huaichu's voice was as normal as could be, but Shen Qi'an nearly screamed out loud. He was shaking all over, his eyes full of terror, as if the person in front of him was some kind of demon.
"Madman! You're a madman!"
Shen Huaichu shrugged indifferently, kicking away the person kneeling in front of him, and stepped into the car. The bodyguard was about to close the door when Shen Huaichu seemed to think of something and stopped him.
Looking at the desperate person on the ground, he said, "Remember to visit once a month. If they die in there, we'll all have nothing left to play with." The car door closed, and the black business car drove away.
On the other side, the people in front of Jing Yi only dared to discuss after Shen Huaichu had left.
"...Too cruel, really too cruel."
"I felt scared just looking at his eyes!"
"We'd better keep our heads down and do our jobs. With a boss like that..." He didn't finish his sentence, but Jing Yi understood his implication.
As the group walked away, Jing Yi looked in the direction Shen Huaichu had left, her eyes revealing a different meaning.
"He followed behind his cousin, I guess that counts as serving him."
For some reason, Jing Yi found herself understanding Shen Huaichu at this moment.
They all said he was cruel, but she only saw his pitiful side.
That year, they said it was just a joke, but then the words "unwanted" frequently appeared in her ears, on her textbooks, on her desk...
If she was lucky, it was just three words. If she was unlucky, even a bit of resistance from her would bring an even greater storm.
"You know, this little orphan is quite good-looking."
"You brat without parents to teach you, you dare to fight us with that little body of yours?"
