Shen Zhiling closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a slow breath as he processed the information. He had expected things to deteriorate, but this was happening faster than even he had anticipated.
"I see. Keep an eye on the members of the Senate. Make sure they don't do anything rash."
"Yes, sir," the voice replied, the tone more subdued now. "What should we do next?"
"Hold the line," Shen Zhiling instructed. "We'll need to stabilize the situation before we can make any major moves. But for now, just keep things from falling apart completely."
"Understood, sir."
Shen Zhiling ended the call and set the phone down on the table beside him. He turned his attention back to the window, his gaze fixed on the dark red clouds that seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy. Everything was unfolding as it had in his previous life, but there were differences—small, but significant.
He took a sip of his coffee, the bitter taste grounding him as he considered his next move. He knew that Li Ming, the person who had betrayed him in his previous life, would come to meet him soon. The thought of seeing that face again—of confronting the man who had once been his closest friend—sent a ripple of unease through him.
That man tried to make him marry his sister, Li Yue.
And his father will agree to this request because Li Ming's grandfather had helped his Grandfather once, And his father Shen Tianmeng and Li Ming's father were best friends who fought together in the battlefield once.
Li Ming's father died somehow, that story was never brought to light and Li Ming thinks his father, Shen Tianmeng killed his father.
After a while, Shen Zhiling took the cup of coffee walked to the living room and saw Shen Zhiwein sitting lazily on the couch in daze.
He was never like this before.
"What happened, Zhiwei?"
Shen Zhiwei blinked and looked at his handsome, rich brother.
"Brother...If you are attracted to someone...what should we do?"
Hearing this, Shen Zhiling's first reaction was this guy must be sick and second reaction was to ask.
"Are you sick?"
Shen Zhiwei:...
He sighed and lowered his eyes.
"Brother, I might have fallen in love."
"Impossible."
Shen Zhiling replied subconsciously.
Shen Zhiwei:...
"Do I have no credibility in your eyes, Brother?"
"No."
This was said without hesitation.
Shen Zhiwei:...
Got it, He can't talk with his elder brother. However, he suddenly recalled the way his brother got along with Lu Ningfei and sneered.
"Brother, I think I love Lu Ningfei, our neighbour-"
"How dare you! He is mine!"
Shen Zhiling said without hesitation and anger in his eyes.
But then both of them were stunned.
Shen Zhiwei was first to recover.
"Brother, your old iron tree blossomed?!"
No reply, Shen Zhiwei glanced at his brother's face and was surprised.
Shen Zhiling had red ears a faint blush on his cheeks and surprise in his eyes.
Is he in love with Lu Ningfei? Do he like him? Of course...he is attracted to Ningfei...from first sight.
He wanted to even...do it with him...
So he loves him...
A sudden happiness popped up in his heart. It was like he has got a treasure, only his treasure.
Shen Zhiwei even wanted to curse, His brother didn't even know his own feelings? He is sick in head?
While the two brothers were going through sudden changes in heart, Lu Ningfei was also called by someone.
He glanced at the caller ID and immediately felt a surge of annoyance. The name flashing on the screen was one he had long since grown to despise—Si Qian, his so-called father
With a resigned sigh, Ningfei picked up the call. "What do you want?" His tone was sharp, he didn't have extra patience to waste on this cheap father.
"Lu Ningfei," Si Qian's voice was harsh, tinged with the same overbearing authority he always tried to exert. "Si Qin's fiancé is here, looking for him. He's at the mansion right now, and I want you to send Si Qin back. His fiancé is demanding to see him."
Lu Ningfei's lips curled into a bitter smile. The idea of Si Qin, in his current state, dealing with some overzealous fiancé was almost laughable. But the fact that Si Qian thought he had any control over Si Qin's whereabouts was even more ridiculous.
"And what do you expect me to do about that?" Lu Ningfei replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Si Qin isn't here with me. He's not my responsibility."
Si Qian's tone darkened, his anger barely contained. "Don't you dare speak to me like that! You think this is a joke? I'm telling you to find your brother and bring him back. Do you understand me?"
The venom in Si Qian's voice would have intimidated most people, but Lu Ningfei was not even from this world, so he didn't even care.
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Si Qian, let me remind you of something—Si Qin is your son, not mine. If you want him back so badly, why don't you get off your lazy ass and find him yourself? Or are you too much of a coward to even do that?"
The line went silent for a moment, and Lu Ningfei could almost hear the sputtering rage on the other end. Si Qian's response was nothing more than a furious shout, but Ningfei didn't stick around to listen. He calmly pressed the button to end the call, cutting Si Qian off mid-rant.
Lu Ningfei pushed himself up from the couch and made his way down the hall to Si Qin's room. The younger man had been resting since the previous night's strange events, and Lu Ningfei wanted to make sure he was recovering properly.
When he opened the door, however, the sight that greeted him was not one of a patient resting peacefully. Si Qin was sitting up in bed, his back propped against a mountain of pillows as he played a game on his phone. His cheeks were still flushed with fever, giving him a slightly more delicate appearance, but his focus was entirely on the game in front of him.
Lu Ningfei frowned, stepping into the room with a sigh. "Si Qin, what do you think you're doing? You're supposed to be resting."
Si Qin glanced up, his expression one of mild surprise at being caught. "I was bored," he said, his tone a mix of defensiveness and petulance. "I'm just playing for a little bit. It's not like I'm running a marathon."
Lu Ningfei narrowed his eyes, unimpressed by the excuse. Without another word, he reached out and snatched the phone from Si Qin's hand, earning a startled yelp in response.
"Hey! Give that back!" Si Qin protested, reaching for the phone, but Lu Ningfei held it out of his reach.
"Nope," Ningfei said, his voice firm. "You need to rest, not strain your eyes over some game. You're still running a fever, and the last thing you need is to overexert yourself."
Si Qin pouted, clearly not happy with the decision. "I wasn't overexerting myself. I was just… distracted."
"Well, find something else to distract yourself with," Lu Ningfei replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Preferably something that doesn't involve staring at a screen. Now lie down and get some sleep."
Si Qin glared at him, his lips pressing into a thin line, but he knew better than to argue further. Grumbling under his breath, he shifted down under the covers and turned away, making a show of his irritation.
Lu Ningfei turned to leave. But just as he was about to walk out of the room, Si Qin's phone rang, the sound muffled by Lu Ningfei's grip. He glanced at the screen, expecting another call from Si Qian, but instead, the name displayed was also familiar: Zhen Weiyi, Si Qin's mother.
Without a second thought, Ningfei answered the call.
"Si Qin," Si Qian's voice came through the line, harsh and demanding. "Where are you? Your fiancé is here, and he's getting impatient."
Lu Ningfei's expression darkened. This guy is so stubborn.
But Si Qin, who had turned back around when he heard his father's voice, looked confused, his brow furrowing. "Fiancé? What are you talking about? I don't have a fiancé."
Ningfei's grip on the phone tightened, his annoyance reaching its peak. Without another word, he hung up the call and powered down Si Qin's phone, tossing it onto the nearby nightstand.
"Hey!" Si Qin protested again, this time with genuine confusion. "What's going on? Why did he say I have a fiancé?"
But the name… something about it nagged at the back of Lu Ningfei's mind, as if he'd heard it before.
"Who is Su Xuan?" Lu Ningfei asked aloud, the name rolling off his tongue as he tried to recall the details. He knew it was familiar, but the specifics eluded him.
Si Qin frowned, the name not ringing any bells for him either. "Su Xuan? I don't know anyone by that name. Why?"
Lu Ningfei didn't respond immediately, his mind still searching for the connection. It took a few moments, but then, slowly, the memories began to resurface. The original owner hadn't thought about this person in years.
Su Xuan… yes, he remembered now. Su Xuan was a name that had come up during one of the many whispered conversations between Si Qian and his closest associates. The original owner had overheard them discussing something about a potential match for Si Qin—a connection that would be advantageous for both families. But at the time, Ningfei had paid little attention to it, dismissing it as just another one of Si Qian's schemes to consolidate power.
But now, with the name resurfacing, it all started to click into place. Su Xuan was supposed to be some young heir from a powerful family, a family that Si Qian had been trying to align with for years. The idea had probably been shelved due to the chaos that followed, but now it seemed like Si Qian was trying to revive it—likely as a way to tighten his control over Si Qin.
"Great," Lu Ningfei muttered to himself, rubbing his temples as a headache began to form. "As if things weren't complicated enough…"
Si Qin, still confused and a bit worried, sat up slightly, his eyes searching Lu Ningfei's face. "What's going on? Who is Su Xuan? And why does my father think he's my fiancé?"