The Shen family.
Shen Qingxue and Zhao Ruxin didn’t invite too many people, so the banquet hall wasn’t too crowded.
Men and women in formal attire came and went. Shen Tazhi held a glass of juice, smiling lightly as he toasted with others. He could see his parents chatting with Shen He from a distance.
Shen He’s expression grew worse and worse. Shen Liushi standing next to him hadn’t realized what was happening yet. He noticed Shen Tazhi’s gaze and rolled his eyes at him.
Shen Tazhi couldn’t be bothered with children’s antics, pretending he hadn’t seen anything and turned away.
Another clink of glasses. The people nearby were congratulating him on his recovery and lamenting his parents’ love for him.
It was all the same old topics, probably about to smoothly transition into discussing one of his parents’ projects.
Very boring.
Normally, at this time, he should be teaching a tutoring class, with Jiang Que sitting beside him, focused on eating fruit.
Dealing with people was fine, but just thinking about his usual routine made Shen Tazhi feel a bit annoyed for some reason.
He smiled apologetically at the person in front of him, “Sorry, feeling a bit stuffy. I’ll go outside for some fresh air.”
The person in front of him nodded hurriedly, agreeing, “Yes, it’s a bit crowded indoors, indeed stuffy.”
As he spoke, he lifted his glass and followed Shen Tazhi outside, seemingly eager to accompany him. Shen Tazhi showed no other emotions on his face, quietly slipped out from the back door after setting down his glass, and closed the door before the man could follow, right in front of his face.
The startled guest, nearly hit by the door, stood there dumbfounded, never expecting to be shut out by the rumored least temperamental young master Shen.
The door closed, shutting out all the noise behind him. Shen Tazhi breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at the illuminated crack under the door, then turned away without a hint of nostalgia and walked towards the backyard.
Finally out.
The summer night wasn’t too hot, with moonlight like water and a gentle breeze blowing. Shen Tazhi took a walk, wanting to clear his slightly muddled mind.
Rustle—
At that moment, there was a sudden rustling in the bushes ahead.
The sound was too loud, not something the wind could have caused.
Could it be a wild cat that had sneaked into the house?
This won’t do. There are Father’s orchids in the garden and fish in the small pond. It would be troublesome if a wild cat got in.
Furrowing his brows, Shen Tazhi took a few more steps forward, preparing to see what was there.
Pushing aside the bushes, he froze.
Under the moonlight, a five or six-year-old child was sitting awkwardly on the ground. He had eighteen tender little tentacles behind him, all curled up into a small ball due to pain.
It was Jiang Que.
“Que Que, what are you doing here?” Shen Tazhi exclaimed in surprise.
Jiang Que hadn’t expected to encounter Shen Tazhi as soon as he entered. He forced back the tears welling up in his eyes, rubbed his bottom, and stood up, saying, “I climbed in from the back. I came to find you.”
Shen Tazhi looked behind Jiang Que, where there was a two-meter-high iron railing.
“How did you climb in?” Shen Tazhi couldn’t believe it.
Even if you added up the heights of two Jiang Ques, they probably wouldn’t reach the height of the railing. How did he manage it??
Jiang Que extended a tentacle and obediently explained, “I wrapped my tentacles around the railing and climbed up.”
“But there were spikes at the top of the railing, it hurt a lot. I lost my grip and fell down.”
As Jiang Que spoke, his previously sore bottom and pricked tentacles began to ache again. He sniffled, trying hard to hold back his tears.
Ow… it hurts.
Originally, the malice he absorbed was painful enough, and now being bruised and pricked, it was really painful. But crying was too embarrassing; he didn’t want to cry in front of Shen Tazhi.
As Jiang Que struggled against his tears, he heard Shen Tazhi sigh in front of him.
Next thing he knew, Shen Tazhi lifted him up.
Shen Tazhi held him around the waist, patted the dirt off him, and asked gently, “What happened? Why did you suddenly come to find me?”
Tears welled up in Jiang Que’s eyes, and he sobbed, “Because… sniff, sniff, because I saw a bad person and came to warn you… my tentacles hurt, gege, it hurts…”
Shen Tazhi hadn’t expected Jiang Que to suddenly burst into tears. He hurriedly comforted Jiang Que, “Is it hurting from the scratches? Don’t cry… don’t cry. Let me take you home first, and then I’ll check where you’re hurt, okay?”
“Don’t go home.” Jiang Que grabbed Shen Tazhi’s collar tightly. “There are bad people who want to harm you. Two people in a red car, one of them is especially fat.”
Shen Tazhi paused. “Is there a slightly older child with him?”
Tears welled up in Jiang Que’s eyes as he shook his head. “I don’t know… I only saw him get out of the car and ring the doorbell.”
Recalling the incident with Shen He being shut out by his parents, Shen Tazhi had a suspicion about the person Jiang Que mentioned.
He comforted Jiang Que gently, “I know who it is now, my parents are aware too. They’re on alert. Let me take you to my room first, okay?”
Jiang Que agreed.
Shen Tazhi carried him, carefully avoiding the banquet hall, and went upstairs to his room. He turned on the bedroom light, carefully placing Jiang Que on a chair.
Jiang Que, who had climbed the railing and fallen into the mud, was covered in dirt and a bit of mud. His face was dusty, with tear tracks making the dirt smudge, his once beautiful face looking unkempt.
Shen Tazhi felt both pity and a hint of amusement. After checking Jiang Que carefully and confirming that he wasn’t bleeding, he felt a bit relieved.
“It’s okay, no bleeding. How high did you fall from? Does the coccyx area hurt now?”
Jiang Que recalled, “It wasn’t from… a very high place.”
Shen Tazhi couldn’t do much with that answer. He made Jiang Que walk a few steps to see if he could walk normally, ruling out the possibility of a broken tailbone.
Wait… a hairline fracture was still possible. Should he call a doctor to check?
Shen Tazhi wasn’t sure. Ultimately, he was just a fifteen-year-old kid with not that much life experience.
Seeing Shen Tazhi not mention what he had just said, Jiang Que anxiously grabbed Shen Tazhi’s arm, trying to get his attention.
“That person is really bad, very bad. You have to remind Uncle and Aunt to be careful.”
Shen Tazhi snapped back, showing Shen’s photo on his phone to Jiang Que. “Is this the person?”
“Uh-huh!” Jiang Que vigorously nodded. He gestured and tried to convey all the words he could think of, “He’s a very bad person, very bad, he wants to kill you. You need to watch out for him.”
Shen Tazhi patted his head. “It’s okay, my parents already know. Let me take you for a bath first, then I’ll get you some little cakes to fill your stomach, okay?”
Jiang Que’s attention was caught by the mention of “little cakes”. Subconsciously, he replied, “Okay.”
Shen Tazhi’s room had a bathroom, and after confirming that Jiang Que could take a bath, Shen Tazhi prepared hot water for him, tidied up his dirty clothes, and went out to find one of his pajamas from the wardrobe.
Jiang Que was obviously too big for his pajamas, but it was all he had. Wearing clean clothes was better than dirty ones, so he had to make do for now.
Twenty minutes later.
Jiang Que, wearing the floor-length pajamas, awkwardly tugged at the clothes that kept sliding down from his shoulders and looked at Shen Tazhi with a mournful expression.
“Gege, the clothes are too big.”
Shen Tazhi awkwardly touched his nose. “This is my smallest pajama. You… you’ll have to manage for now. I’ll dry your clothes after washing them, it’ll take about an hour.”
He placed a whole plate of small cakes he brought upstairs on his desk, along with a glass of juice, saying, “Come eat, I got you some cakes.”
Jiang Que rolled up the long sleeves of the pajamas, dragged them to the desk, and reached out to Shen Tazhi for a hug.
Shen Tazhi chuckled, lifted Jiang Que onto a chair, and then Jiang Que started eating the small cakes.
He hadn’t eaten dinner, had been climbing walls and falling around, so now he really felt like eating something.
Shen Tazhi stood beside him, watching Jiang Que happily waving his little tentacles, couldn’t resist reaching out to touch them.
Grabbing the cat’s tail-like tentacle , Jiang Que paused for a moment and then suddenly pulled it back, smacking Shen Tazhi’s hand.
“Don’t touch my little tentacles,” Jiang Que said.
Shen Tazhi let go. “Okay, I won’t touch.”
He really didn’t touch them anymore. Jiang Que wiggled his tentacles around for a while, then seeing that Shen Tazhi wasn’t touching them, he stubbornly turned his head and shoved his tentacles back into Shen Tazhi’s hand.
Shen Tazhi held the tentacle in his hand…
He couldn’t help but think, How adorable.
The little tentacle rubbed against his palm. Unable to resist, he touched it again, watching Jiang Que relax and enjoy his cake, and slowly brought up the topic.
“How did you know there was something wrong with that person?”
“I saw it,” Jiang Que said matter-of-factly.
He proudly recounted how he had been bored, swinging in the garden, and how he had seen the person, felt the pain, and looked towards Shen Tazhi with pride.
“I’m amazing, right? I can spot a bad person at a glance!”
Shen Tazhi pondered, “Absorbing emotions, perhaps…”
He touched Jiang Que’s smug little tentacle. “Does it still hurt now?”
“Not anymore,” Jiang Que replied. “It stopped hurting when you arrived.”
He wasn’t trying to sweet-talk, just stating the fact he knew, but Shen Tazhi found himself blushing inexplicably.
“Gege, am I amazing?” Jiang Que asked persistently.
“You’re amazing,” Shen Tazhi praised him. “Que Que is very amazing.”
Jiang Que smiled, a bit of cream still on his lips, pulling Shen Tazhi’s arm happily. “See, I’m really amazing. When I grow up, I’ll be able to protect you too.”
He could be as amazing as Qi Qing!!
Shen Tazhi didn’t understand why Jiang Que suddenly brought up the idea of “protection”, but he went along with it, comforting him, “Yes, Que Que will be very capable when you grow up.”
By the time Jiang Que finished the cake, it was already past ten o’clock.
The people downstairs had started leaving, and Shen Tazhi glanced at Jiang Que, who was yawning, then at the still-running dryer.
He asked, “Do you want to sleep here tonight?”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Que perked up, “Okay, I want to sleep with gege!”
This wasn’t the first time he had spent the night at Shen Tazhi’s place. Shen Tazhi found his toothbrush, they brushed their teeth together, he freshened up, and then they went to bed together.
The air conditioning was cool, but Jiang Que couldn’t stay still under the covers. He ended up snuggling into Shen Tazhi’s arms. He couldn’t reach Shen Tazhi’s waist, so he had to bury himself under the covers, his face turning red from the warmth.
Shen Tazhi helplessly pulled him out from under the covers and held him. “Okay, time to sleep.”
Jiang Que gazed at Shen Tazhi, his little tentacles clinging to him like an octopus. “Gege, I can really protect you.”
“I already know,” Shen Tazhi reassured him, patting him. “You’ve said it many times tonight. Did something happen?”
“There’s nothing wrong.”
There was no way Jiang Que would tell Shen Tazhi about the internal struggle he had been having over his one sentence. He just hummed and held onto his gege affectionately.
“I just wanted you to know, I’m amazing too.”
“Now I know, Que Que is very amazing,” Shen Tazhi patted his back. “Let’s sleep, I’ll take you back home tomorrow.”
“No one’s at home, I don’t want to go back…” Jiang Que’s voice grew softer as he spoke, and almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he fell asleep holding onto Shen Tazhi.
Shen Tazhi was initially surprised, then couldn’t help but chuckle. Jiang Que was truly exhausted this time.
As he looked at the child sleeping peacefully in his arms, Shen Tazhi remembered the conversation he had with his parents earlier downstairs. His expression gradually turned serious.
Jiang Que’s abilities must be real. If Shen He’s malice had indeed reached the level Jiang Que mentioned, they shouldn’t let emotions dictate their actions anymore. They couldn’t afford to be lenient.
Poor Que Que…
Feeling the steady breath of the person in his arms, Shen Tazhi couldn’t help but sigh without any particular reason.
He wasn’t sure why he sighed, but as he escaped from the banquet, picked up a crying child who warned him of danger, treating him with such naive and sincere care, he found himself caught in this unnamed emotion.
It was a mix of being moved and feeling warmth, and perhaps some other emotions, but overall, it was a very pleasant feeling.
Que Que…
He had always been such a well-behaved and good child.
…
Jiang Que was indeed a good child, and Shen Tazhi had always believed that.
Time flew by, and Shen He and Shen Liushi had completely disappeared, just a minor episode in their lives.
Jiang Que learned how to hide his tentacles and went to elementary school in normal human society. Shen Tazhi prepared to go abroad, never returning to campus but continuing to study at home with a tutor, giving him time to pick up and drop off Jiang Que.
Three whole years passed, but Shen Tazhi’s impression of Jiang Que remained unchanged, stuck on the image of the “well-behaved little brother”.
Jiang Que was spoiled and willful, loved to act cute and throw tantrums, but Shen Tazhi found it adorable. After all, Jiang Que was just an eight-year-old kid, so indulging and pampering him was no issue.
On this particular day, he gained a new understanding of Jiang Que.
“You’re going abroad? When?” Jiang Que widened his eyes, looking at Shen Tazhi in disbelief.
It was September, and the elementary school had just started not long ago. Shen Tazhi calculated, “In about half a year, I think? Because I received the school’s offer today, it’s confirmed, so I came to tell you.”
It was lunchtime now, and Jiang Que didn’t like the school lunch. Even He Yun couldn’t help but laugh at his pickiness. Shen Tazhi doted on him, picking him up every day at noon to have lunch at home.
Of course, they went back to the Shen family home. He Yun worked in the Anomaly Investigation Department and usually didn’t come home for lunch.
Jiang Que fell silent, his usually beautiful face showing a rare melancholic expression as he faced Shen Tazhi.
“…How long will you be gone?” he asked softly.
“About three to four years?” Shen Tazhi replied.
Thinking that Jiang Que was upset about his departure, Shen Tazhi rubbed his head. “It’s okay, I’ll come back during holidays. It’s quick to travel by plane.”
“Oh,” Jiang Que replied slowly.
To Shen Tazhi’s surprise, Jiang Que didn’t throw a fit as he had expected. Shen Tazhi had been hesitant to tell him about this precisely because he was afraid of Jiang Que’s reaction.
But now, unexpectedly, Jiang Que simply nodded, then lowered his head lost in thought.
Jiang Que was doing the math.
When he was eight, his gege was eighteen. When his gege returned after graduating from college, he would be twelve. There was a big age gap between him and Shen Tazhi, and by the time Shen Tazhi started working, he would still be in junior high school, unable to catch up with Shen Tazhi’s pace.
…Ten years, so far away.
He wasn’t actually that angry. At this moment, Jiang Que just recalled many things he had heard over the past three years.
Shen Tazhi spoiled him only because he was still young. Shen Tazhi had no issues now, but when he settled down and had a family, he wouldn’t be as indulgent. – Shen Tazhi would only get busier.
He didn’t want this. He wanted things to stay the same with Shen Tazhi forever.
He went to school, Shen Tazhi accompanied him, and after school, he could see Shen Tazhi who would take him home, where he would meet Aunt Qingxue and occasionally see the busy Uncle Zhao.
They had dinner together, did homework together, slept together. On weekends, Shen Tazhi held his hand and took him out to play, crouching down and comforting him when he acted cute or pretended to cry.
He could also be less willful, he had always been well-behaved.
“Que Que?” Shen Tazhi tentatively called out to him.
Jiang Que snapped back to reality, looking at Shen Tazhi. “Gege, what’s wrong?”
Shen Tazhi seemed worried. “Are you angry? If you’re upset, tell me, I’ll try to make it up to you, okay?”
“…I’m not angry.” Jiang Que held Shen Tazhi’s hand, his transparent little tentacles wrapping around it.
“I can’t really explain, I just feel a bit lost.”
Jiang Que sighed, hugging Shen Tazhi’s arm, not continuing because he didn’t know what else to say.
He finally realized that in these three years, he had become too reliant on Shen Tazhi. This dependency not only made him lose his sense of boundaries but also made Shen Tazhi more cautious, which wasn’t good for either of them. He shouldn’t be like this.
Shen Tazhi didn’t know how to comfort Jiang Que. Going abroad for studies had been arranged by his parents when he was just starting school, and he fully supported their decision.
Regretting now would not only be irresponsible to himself and his parents but also to the entire Shen family. Shen Tazhi couldn’t do that.
He was just a little regretful. Why couldn’t Jiang Que be the same age as him? Then he could take care of Jiang Que wherever they went, always being there for him.
At the moment this thought crossed his mind, even Shen Tazhi himself was stunned.
Wasn’t it because Jiang Que was young that he always took care of him? Why did he suddenly eliminate the premise of “young age” from the equation?
Shen Tazhi found himself lost in thought, while Jiang Que had already figured it out:
There was a big age gap between him and Shen Tazhi. Instead of making unreasonable demands and asking Shen Tazhi to wait for him, it would be better for him to work hard and grow up faster, trying to catch up with his gege’s pace sooner.
He didn’t understand the intricacies of emotions and love; all his understanding of love came from novels.
Jiang Que simply liked Shen Tazhi, wanted a good relationship with him, and didn’t want to be separated from him.
As the car pulled into the garage, Jiang Que hopped out of the car and turned to look at Shen Tazhi still inside. “Gege, aren’t you coming out?”
Startled out of his thoughts, Shen Tazhi looked at Jiang Que. “I’m coming.”
Lunch was prepared by the housekeeper, who had been hired after the incident three years ago. Shen Qingxue had gone out with her friends, leaving only Shen Tazhi and Jiang Que at home.
Jiang Que finished his lunch as usual, then tiptoed to put his bowl in the dishwasher before heading upstairs for a nap. Along the way, he didn’t forget to tug on Shen Tazhi’s sleeve and share the conclusion he had just come up with:
“Gege, I won’t come back for lunch in the future.”
“Why?” Shen Tazhi was taken aback. “Are you mad at me? But don’t skip meals out of anger…”
“I’m really not angry,” Jiang Que interrupted.
Although the child was now at Shen Tazhi’s waist, he was tiny, but the baby fat had faded from his face, hinting at how captivating his appearance would be when he grew older.
Jiang Que earnestly stated, “I have to grow up. Gege, when you’re gone, there won’t be anyone to bring me home for lunch. I have to learn to eat at school.”
Shen Tazhi pursed his lips, trying to persuade him. “Even if I’m gone, you can still come back for lunch. My mom won’t mind.”
Jiang Que frowned. “I don’t want to eat alone; it’s so lonely without anyone to keep me company.”
Shen Tazhi started to reply but heard Jiang Que continue, “There are classmates at school, many people to be with, so it’s okay.”
There was a moment of blank expression on Shen Tazhi’s face.
Jiang Que was completely unaware of what was wrong. Despite being quite sensitive emotionally, he was particularly dull when it came to changes in his feelings towards Shen Tazhi. He pulled Shen Tazhi upstairs, saying:
“Let’s take a nap, and tomorrow I’ll tell the teacher I won’t be coming home for lunch anymore.”
At that moment, Shen Tazhi vividly realized that Jiang Que was not only his little brother but also a child who could hide his tentacles and blend into human society. Even without his presence or protection, Jiang Que could still thrive.
“Que Que…” Shen Tazhi’s voice choked.
Jiang Que turned back, looking puzzled. The carefree child had no idea of the intricate thoughts adults could have.
After a brief silence, Shen Tazhi asked, “Will you always rely on me in the future?”
“Nope,” Jiang Que replied firmly, “I want to grow up.”
He wanted to catch up to Shen Tazhi!
Despite his usual obedient tone, Shen Tazhi found himself unable to praise Jiang Que at that moment.
Jiang Que was a very well-behaved child, loved by many as he grew up. He Yun always followed the Elder’s command, never revealing anything related to the Taoists to Jiang Que.
Apart from a few minor hiccups during his journey, Jiang Que had almost sailed smoothly so far.
This meant that, besides the villains Jiang Que could easily see through, he treated everyone with the same sincerity and warmth.
From Jiang Que’s chattering after school, Shen Tazhi could sense that Jiang Que was quite popular at school.
Who wouldn’t like Jiang Que?
He was truly well-behaved, but when Shen Tazhi realized that Jiang Que treated everyone the same way… he suddenly didn’t know what to do.
Wasn’t he supposed to be a special presence to him?
