Wen Li couldn’t hold it together anymore.
Her eyes reddened almost instantly, and she looked at Shen Juan with deep grievance, as if the whole world had wronged her. Tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks, glistening like pearls.
“Shen Juan… sob… I only tried to puncture the counselor’s tire. I didn’t kill anyone or set anything on fire. Why are you punishing me like this… sob… If I did something wrong, I can change, but you can’t torture me like this…”
Anyone unfamiliar with her personality would have been heartbroken at the sight of her crying so pitifully.
But Shen Juan knew her far too well.
She was an expert at acting. Tears came the moment she wanted them.
Don’t be fooled by how pitiful she looked right now—who knew what schemes she was already planning to get back at him?
Sure enough, while wiping her tears, Wen Li secretly glanced at Shen Juan, pretending it was unintentional.
Strange… why wasn’t he reacting at all?
He was even watching her like it was a show.
Too much. Not a shred of sympathy.
Wen Li knew her face paired perfectly with tears. Once she cried, it was as if the whole world had wronged her—no man could resist.
But today, she had learned something new.
There really were men who could watch her cry like this and remain unmoved.
And he was even smiling, as if he had already seen through her fake crying and was just playing along.
Suddenly, crying felt meaningless. She stopped.
“Finished crying?” Shen Juan looked at her with a faint smile.
Wen Li puffed her cheeks in anger and said nothing.
Soon, the dishes were served.
Shen Juan began eating. The fish was tender and smooth, fresh and flavorful—it really did taste good.
But Wen Li was still sulking and didn’t touch her chopsticks.
“You’re not eating?” Shen Juan glanced at the pouting girl across from him.
Her face was full of youthful softness, pink and delicate, looking so pinchable. Even when she was angry, she looked like a cute little figurine.
“I don’t like fish!” Wen Li said, then looked at him expectantly.
She thought she had hinted clearly enough. Surely Shen Juan would understand and order a couple of dishes she liked.
But Shen Juan simply nodded. “Alright, then go home and eat what you like. These are all mine.”
“You…!” Wen Li choked on her words.
“No manners!”
“Manners?” Shen Juan scoffed lightly.
He didn’t bother explaining further.
Back when the original host had pursued Wen Wan with all that so-called “manners,” all he got in return was the label of a pathetic simp.
To hell with manners. Shen Juan only cared about being happy in the present.
Better to trouble others than torment himself.
Relax—this was what they deserved.
“Shen Juan, what exactly will it take for you to let me go? Please, just delete those things. Didn’t you say you couldn’t pay your tuition? I’ve saved quite a lot of pocket money. I can even cover a full year’s tuition for you. I’ll pay it for you, and you delete everything. After that, we’ll mind our own business, okay?” Find the original chapter at NovelPing.
The little girl was genuinely anxious now.
Her emotional fluctuations were a goldmine. From morning until now, Wen Li had been constantly providing Shen Juan with emotion points.
“I’m not short on money anymore. I’ve already paid the tuition,” Shen Juan said calmly.
Wen Li broke down.
She gave up a little, slumping into defeat.
“I don’t care! I don’t want to treat you to meals every day. You’re too much. In less than a month, you’ll drive me to death from anger!”
In Shen Juan’s mind, the crisp notifications of emotion points kept ringing pleasantly.
This girl was far too easy to manipulate.
He hadn’t even done much, yet her emotions were already swinging wildly.
Seeing how diligently she was “farming experience” for him, Shen Juan decided to ease up a little.
“You don’t have to treat me to meals.”
“Really? You’re willing to let me go? Shen Juan, I knew you were a good person!” Wen Li’s eyes lit up instantly, shining with excitement.
“Change it to mountain climbing instead. This weekend, you’ll come climbing with me.”
“Huh?” Wen Li froze.
“Climbing? Why do you suddenly want to climb a mountain?”
Shen Juan smiled faintly. “Isn’t the school’s climbing festival coming up? I’m planning to sign up.”
Wen Li immediately understood.
The champion of the school’s climbing festival could win 300,000 yuan.
Shen Juan must be aiming for that prize money to pay his tuition.
“Then how many days do I have to climb with you? Just the weekend?”
“Hmm? If you’re willing to go in the evenings on weekdays, that’s fine too.”
“In your dreams! No way!”
“Then we’ll settle on this weekend for now. I’ll call you when the time comes.”
Wen Li still felt uneasy. Shen Juan had become too cunning lately, always setting traps for her. She had to be extra careful.
“You have to promise me. After I climb with you, you’ll delete those things you recorded of me.”
“Alright, no problem.”
“You said it. I recorded that too, so don’t even think about going back on your word. This is called giving you a taste of your own medicine!”
The little girl smugly put away her phone.
Hmph. As if she would be controlled by Shen Juan.
Now the tables had turned.
He should experience what it felt like to be controlled.
“Then starting tomorrow, I won’t treat you to meals anymore. Contact me on the weekend. I said I’d climb with you, so I will.”
Wen Li blinked in confusion. “Why yoga pants?”
Shen Juan replied seriously, “It’s windy on the mountain. Yoga pants are tight and keep you warm, and they reduce wind resistance. Look at cyclists—don’t they all dress like that?”
Wen Li thought about it and found it reasonable, naively believing he was looking out for her.
“Alright, got it. Then take your time eating. I’m leaving first.”
She ran off quickly. Even after leaving the restaurant and going quite far, she kept stopping every few steps to look back, worried Shen Juan might be following her.
Such a cute little thing—so easily frightened into a stress response.
Shen Juan glanced at his system panel.
Today, Wen Wan and Wen Li had provided a total of 58 emotion points.
Wen Wan’s points came steadily, though in small amounts—one or two at a time—but accumulated to 28 over the day.
Wen Li’s, however, were concentrated at specific moments—mostly when she was interacting with him face to face.
He had thoroughly angered both sisters today. Looking at the rewards these points could be exchanged for, Shen Juan felt refreshed and satisfied.
And Wen Wan was still generating points.
At this rate, she might even wake up in the middle of the night, sit up in bed, and think—
“Is Shen Juan alright? He actually didn’t recognize me?”
Tsk tsk…
…
At the same time, at the Shen residence.
Shen Qinglin looked at his long-lost biological son with eyes full of affection, wishing he could pluck the stars from the sky to make up for all the years they had been apart.
“Tianyi, I’ve already arranged everything at Christie Business School. The driver will take you there tomorrow. You’ll be studying there from now on.”
Shen Tianyi sat on the sofa, upright and well-behaved, looking obedient and sensible.
“Yes, Dad. I will work hard and not disappoint you or Mom.”
“Husband, our Tianyi is so well-behaved. Look at him—so sensible. Once he gets to Christie, his classmates and teachers will definitely like him!” Wan Mei said as she lovingly stroked her son’s hair.
After learning that her biological son was this year’s top scorer in Yuncheng’s college entrance exam and had exceptional talent in painting, the small trace of reluctance she had once felt toward Shen Juan vanished completely, replaced by joy.
After all, Shen Juan wasn’t her biological son.
He could return to his own family. From now on, Shen Tianyi was her true treasure.
Obedient, sensible, bringing her pride—unlike Shen Juan, who was rebellious and disobedient. In the end, it was just the stubborn nature of someone born into poverty. He couldn’t be raised properly or taught well. His departure brought peace instead.
“Good. Tianyi, perform well at school. Whatever gift you want, Dad will satisfy you!” Shen Qinglin said warmly.
Shen Tianyi stood up obediently.
“Dad, I was worried that when I helped drive Shen Juan away that day, you and Mom would be angry with me.”
“Why would we be? Shen Juan enjoyed so many years of comfort in our family in your place. When he left, he should have been grateful to us. You did the right thing, son. How could I be angry?” Shen Qinglin smiled, looking more and more pleased with him.
“Mm, as long as you and Mom aren’t angry, that’s good. I only didn’t want you to be troubled. If Shen Juan had refused to leave, people would definitely misunderstand and gossip, which would affect our family’s reputation. I don’t mind the grievances I’ve suffered all these years, but I won’t allow anyone to hurt my beloved parents. Once this matter settles down, if Shen Juan is still angry, I’ll personally go apologize to him.”