Chapter 43: Why is that damn system's way of chasing people so corny

Hearing this, An Ling didn't ask further and simply nodded slightly. "Alright, then I'll head home for dinner."

Shen Fuyuan paused.

She was silent for a few seconds, her tone suddenly hesitant. "You're not going?"

?

"Why would I go?"

Seeing An Ling's bewildered expression, Shen Fuyuan's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

"Huh? Didn't you get the message?"

An Ling felt baffled by her stare and subconsciously checked her phone.

"What message?"

Aside from Shen Linyan telling her this afternoon that he wouldn't be coming back tonight, there were no other messages.

Shen Fuyuan stared at her for a few seconds and muttered to herself, "That shouldn't be. Could it be that Mom is scared?"

She looked at An Ling again. "Don't you remember what day it is today?"

An Ling: ?

Shen Fuyuan looked serious. "Today is Second Brother's birthday!"

An Ling: ...

Scared her to death, she thought it was Shen Linyan's birthday.

"Oh."

"Oh??"

Shen Fuyuan looked at her in shock for a few seconds, quickly walked over, her tone hiding considerable surprise. "It seems you really don't like him anymore. My God, you used to look forward to this day so much. Every year you spent over a million to set off fireworks for Second Brother, gave him handmade scarves, bought 999 roses to send to the Shen family, and even baked a cake yourself and brought it over. You couldn't even be chased away."

An Ling: "..."

The dead memories came back.

Why was that damn system so tacky when wooing someone!

She said expressionlessly, "I was possessed by a ghost before. How can I get Lu Jingshen to reimburse me for that million-dollar fireworks display?"

Not wanting to hear any more about the past, An Ling was about to leave when she heard Shen Fuyuan's thoughtful voice.

"How strange, Big Brother didn't tell you either?"

She paused in pushing the door and turned her head. "Shen Linyan is going too?"

So Shen Linyan not coming back tonight was also to go to the Shen family to celebrate Lu Jingshen's birthday?

"Yeah." Shen Fuyuan shrugged, returning to her seat to grab her bag. "My mom takes Second Brother's birthday very seriously. She requires every family member to be present, and there will be other relatives coming too."

An Ling looked down at her phone again.

Shen Fuyuan put on her hat and mask and walked over. "Let's go. I guess Big Brother didn't tell you because Mom has been traumatized by your last few visits to the house, so she didn't want you to come."

Saying this, her eyes lit up, and she patted An Ling's shoulder.

"By the way, did you really curse at my mom? I heard from the auntie at home that my mom's face turned black with anger at the time."

When she found out about this, she thought the auntie was exaggerating.

But seeing An Ling like this now, she felt it wasn't impossible.

Ever since this woman stopped liking Second Brother, she had become much more interesting than before.

An Ling silently walked a few steps faster. "..."

Was Shen Fuyuan really Mother Shen's biological daughter? Why was she a bit excited that her own mother got cursed at?

Shen Fuyuan saw through her expression, her hands lazily stuffed into her jacket pockets. "I know what you're thinking. I don't have much affection for my mom. She favors boys over girls, keeps a tight watch on my brother, and spoils him a lot. I've always been left to fend for myself."

An Ling paused, stood in front of the elevator, and pressed the button. "Favors boys over girls?"

"Yeah." Shen Fuyuan tsked twice. "Anyway, no matter what mess my Second Brother makes, she can smooth it over. But it makes no difference to me; I don't want her to control me anyway."

An Ling recalled her previous experiences at the Shen family, walked into the elevator, and pressed the button for the basement floor.

"Isn't Shen Linyan also a man?"

She didn't show the slightest bit of affection for Shen Linyan. Rather than saying she favored boys over girls, it was more like she was simply biased towards Lu Jingshen.

Shen Fuyuan was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke slowly:

"Big Brother is different from me. Mom doesn't care much about me, but as for Big Brother, she hates him."

As soon as these words came out, the elevator suddenly became quiet.

Shen Fuyuan quietly glanced at An Ling's expression.

Seeing that the woman's facial expression hadn't changed, she slowly shifted her gaze away.

"Anyway, ever since I can remember, Mom seems to have hated Big Brother. No matter what Big Brother does, it's wrong. But sometimes she changes and suddenly treats Big Brother well."

"Dad also has very high expectations for Big Brother, so Big Brother basically can't make mistakes. Once he makes a mistake, he will be punished. Mom hates hearing crying, so she also demands that Big Brother not cry."

The time Shen Fuyuan remembered most deeply was when Big Brother accidentally got second place in an exam, and Dad took out a ruler to beat Big Brother's left hand.

Again and again, the ruler swung, slicing through the air with a sharp, piercing sound. The palm of his left hand was beaten until it was covered in bloody welts, flesh split open, a shocking sight.

During this time, if Big Brother couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Mom would say from the side: "What are you crying for?! Crying is annoying! What face do you have to cry when you didn't do well on the exam?! You call yourself the Big Brother like this, what abilities do you have! One extra strike for every time you cry!"

The reason they hit his left hand was because after the beating, Big Brother still had to use his right hand to tutor Second Brother with his homework.

Afterwards, Mom would have the auntie send ointment to Big Brother.

The best, and also the most expensive ointment.

Shen Fuyuan slowly let out a breath of stale air. "Anyway, I don't understand what Mom is thinking. If you say it's love, it's not love. If you say it's hate, sometimes she cares quite a bit about Big Brother."

The elevator remained unusually quiet.

"..."

Shen Fuyuan paused. Unable to hold back any longer, she looked grumpily at the silent woman beside her.

"Hey, give some reaction!"

Normally, hearing that Big Brother was so miserable, shouldn't a wife be in tears and deeply moved?!

Why did this woman have no reaction at all! This is too cold-blooded!! So an arranged marriage really has no feelings at all!

Hearing this, An Ling seemed to have just snapped back to reality, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

She pursed her lips, turned her head to look at Shen Fuyuan, and asked hesitantly, "Why do I... not have any memory of Shen Linyan celebrating his birthday?"

She had thought she just missed it, but after searching her memories just now, she realized there truly was no scene of Shen Linyan celebrating his birthday.

Shen Fuyuan choked, her expression suddenly a bit complex. She silently turned her face away.

"Mom doesn't allow Big Brother to celebrate his birthday, because... Mom said the day she gave birth to Big Brother was her day of suffering, so why celebrate a birthday."

"..."

An Ling's eyes widened slightly in a daze.

She didn't speak, just silently raised her head, staring thoughtfully at the elevator screen.

It wasn't until the elevator reached the basement floor, and Shen Fuyuan had just stepped out of the elevator, planning to look for her manager's nanny van.

Suddenly, the woman's voice rang out from behind her.

"Take my car to the Shen family."

Turning her head to look, she saw An Ling slowly stuffing her phone back into her pocket, stepping out of the elevator in high heels, her tone calm.

"I'm going to attend the birthday party too."

If they didn't want her to go, she was absolutely going to go.