Chapter 75: Stopping at a Taste

Although the VIP hospital room at Heyi Hospital was more like a five-star hotel room, complete with a three-bedroom suite, a reception hall, and bathrooms, and even equipped with a small walk-in closet, a hospital room was still a hospital room. When all the test reports came back near dusk and confirmed that there were temporarily no physical problems, Shen Xici and Sheng Shaoyan returned to Jiezhou Garden together.

Taking the two Jinyun Award trophies to Shuyu Shanfang, Shen Xici pushed open the door and immediately noticed the change in the room.

By the window, there was a new cloud-patterned, high-legged flower stand with a glass fish tank on it. A small, palm-sized fish was swimming inside. Its tail and fins were wide and long, and as it swam, it looked like it was trailing a resplendent, shimmering silk gown. The patterns were exquisite, and its surface had a faint blue-white pearlescent sheen.

Shen Xici walked over quickly, casually placing the trophies aside, and peered into the fish tank.

If there were a beauty pageant in the fish world, this one would definitely be the champion! The edge of every scale seemed to be lined with silver powder. In the rippling water, the entire fish shone like moonlight. He asked Sheng Shaoyan, who was standing beside him, “Is this… for me?”

He already knew the answer in his heart, but Shen Xici still wanted to ask once more to get a confirmation.

Sheng Shaoyan saw the shimmering water reflect on his face, his eyes sparkling with obvious joy, a look of liking mixed with a bit of disbelief. He reached out and touched the dimple that appeared with his smile. “Yes, it’s a gift for you, to celebrate you winning both the Best Newcomer and Best Supporting Actor awards.”

He added with a hint of regret, “I should have given it to you last night.”

But he hadn’t expected the plan to be disrupted.

“Last night or now, it’s all the same. I love it so much!” Shen Xici’s gaze followed the fish again as he excitedly asked, “What breed is this? It’s so beautiful and ethereal, like a piece of art!”

“It’s a new breed I had a professional fish farm in Germany cultivate. It hasn’t been named yet. You are its owner, so you can name it whatever you want.” Sheng Shaoyan added, “This is the only finished product, and it’s still in its growth period.”

From Shen Xici’s limited understanding, cultivating a new breed, even with the power of money and choosing a breeding direction that already had phased results, would still take a very long time. This meant that Sheng Shaoyan had started doing this at least a few months ago.

“Let’s call it ‘Yueshen’ (Moon God). The first time I saw it, it reminded me of moonlight.” Shen Xici’s finger touched the glass, tracing the fins and tail that contracted and expanded in the water. “How about the nickname Mengmeng?”

He remembered that in Sui County, Sheng Shaoyan had once asked him what kind of pet he wanted to have. He had said he wanted a small fish, and Sheng Shaoyan had given that non-existent little fish the name “Mengmeng.”

Sheng Shaoyan fell into a suspicious silence.

He admitted that he didn’t quite understand why his amnesiac self had thought of that name at the time.

But the purpose of this gift was to please Shen Xici. He had no objection. “Okay.”

Gazing at “Yueshen” stretching its tail fin in the water, Shen Xici seemed to see the enameled basin that had been smashed on the ground when he was five, and the small fish he had caught from the river, being gently picked up.

With the goal of raising the little fish to be big and strong, Sheng Shaoyan was reading documents and financial reports in the small study connected to the bedroom, while Shen Xici sat by the fish tank, meticulously studying the feeding instructions for this fish with the same attitude he had when memorizing facts for his final exams at school.

He would read a few lines, then couldn’t help but go look at the little fish, then take out his phone to take pictures from the left and right. After taking pictures, he would continue reading the feeding instructions, and after a while, he couldn’t resist taking pictures with his phone again. Soon, his phone was filled with a large number of photos and videos.

After sending them to Lu Jiming, Lan Xiaoshan, and Ge Lanjing, Shen Xici, while chiding himself for not being composed enough, quickly logged onto Weibo.

“@ShenXici: A gift I received. The little fish is named ‘Yueshen,’ a new member of the family! [Image][Image][Image]”

After posting a nine-picture grid, Shen Xici posted another Weibo, continuing with a nine-picture grid. After thinking about it, he felt it still wasn’t enough, so he also uploaded a video of Yueshen swimming around in the fish tank.

“—Three new Weibo posts in one minute. I can tell, Cici really likes it, is very excited, and really wants to share hahaha!”

“—This fish is so beautiful! How come you good-looking people even have such good-looking fish!”

“—Could it be a gift from A’Shao? I’m just guessing wildly, trying to bait it out. Sisters, am I the only one who wants to know who the mysterious A’Shao is?”

“—A seasoned big-spender from the fish-keeping circle has arrived at the scene! Which company’s new product is this? The breeding is too successful. The color, scales, fins, proportions, and patterns are perfect in every aspect. Top-tier. I can almost see a pile of cash being sprinkled into this fish tank!”

“—When I saw this trending topic, I was thinking, what a boring title. Then I clicked in, and I’m done for, I can’t leave. This fish is too beautiful! Yueshen, the great beauty fish!!”

“—The gossip-loving masses have wide connections!! I saw some gossipers ask their contacts in the fish-keeping circle, and they said this little fish is indeed a new breed. They also mentioned there was a rumor in the industry that a breeding project of over a decade had been bought out by a mysterious tycoon, meaning it wouldn’t be sold to the public, ensuring its uniqueness. I wonder if it’s this one.”

Having just won two trophies at the Jinyun Awards and being the first to wear Saherny’s super-season collection, Shen Xici’s popularity was extremely high. Even marketing accounts that published articles related to the name “Shen Xici” gained a lot of attention. Before long, the topic #ShenXici’sFish# rose rapidly in popularity. Fans quickly created derivative works, including but not limited to the little fish turning into a cute chibi version held in Shen Xici’s palm, and a cool, mature “Yueshen fish” humanized illustration, and so on. The output was very high.

Outside Shuyu Shanfang, Lan Xiaoshan’s voice could be heard from a distance, “Brother Shen! I’m here!”

Shen Xici opened the door and went out. Lan Xiaoshan, wearing a light blue sweater, was thin and tall. Seeing him, he excitedly raised his hand and waved.

Taking out the documents that Shen Xici needed to sign from his bag, Lan Xiaoshan asked curiously, “Brother Shen, where’s the fish?” He blinked. “That fish must have been a gift from Brother Shao, right!”

Realizing his slip, he covered his mouth and whispered, “Brother Shen, is it inappropriate for me to call Mr. Sheng ‘Brother Shao’? That’s Mr. Sheng!”

He had gone back and thought about it, then searched for information on Shenghe Group and had an epiphany—isn’t this the CEO from those domineering CEO novels, the one who controls the economic lifeline, whose industry covers the globe, who can get all of a person’s information in three minutes, and has so many zeros in his bank account that they can’t be counted?

Shen Xici saw right through him and said with a straight face, “It is indeed inappropriate. Be careful, or the weather might turn cold and the Wang family will go bankrupt.” (天涼王破 (tiān liáng wáng pò) – a meme from domineering CEO novels)

Lan Xiaoshan let out a cry and pointed, “Brother Shen, so you read domineering CEO novels too!”

Although he found the inner garden of Jiezhou Garden novel, Lan Xiaoshan was very well-behaved and didn’t look around. He just secretly marveled at how a garden that could become a historical and cultural scenic spot was truly worthy of its reputation. Although he didn’t quite understand it, the ground he stepped on, the stone carvings and stone lanterns he passed, and the furniture and decorations in the rooms all had a kind of just-right beauty.

Standing in front of the fish tank, Lan Xiaoshan was also amazed. “This fish is too beautiful!”

Shen Xici was very satisfied with Lan Xiaoshan’s reaction.

He was currently in a show-off mood about this little fish. He was happy to hear someone praise how beautiful it was, and seeing so many compliments in the Weibo comments made him even happier.

Lan Xiaoshan, a level-ten internet surfer, said, “Brother Shen, I saw some fans say it’s some kind of bought-out, top-tier breed. How much did it cost?”

Shen Xici was silent for two seconds, then quoted a number, “Six hundred thousand.”

Lan Xiaoshan’s breath caught, his pupils shook, and his voice trembled as he asked carefully, “…Vietnamese Dong?”

Shen Xici: “US Dollars.”

“Isn’t that four million?!” Staring at the little fish swimming carefree for a long while, Lan Xiaoshan swallowed. “Brother Shen, don’t you think this fish looks even more beautiful now?”

Shen Xici deeply agreed. “That’s right, and it’s shimmering with the glow of money.”

On the other side, in the study, Sheng Shaoyan was on a call.

On the overseas call, Sheng Huaizhou sighed, “Shaoyan, you’ve been wronged this time.”

In the past, after a conflict with Sheng Junhong, whenever he heard his grandfather say this, Sheng Shaoyan would offer a few words of comfort. He had always understood in his heart that this was just a tactic to appease people, not to be taken seriously.

He was Sheng Huaizhou’s biological grandson, but Sheng Junhong was also Sheng Huaizhou’s biological son. And compared to himself, who had only returned to the Sheng family at the age of seven, Sheng Junhong had spent more time with Sheng Huaizhou, so their bond would naturally be deeper.

Therefore, from a young age, he knew that Sheng Junhong could make mistakes, but he could not.

Thus, he had always confined himself within the strict standards of an heir, never taking a wrong step.

But this time, hearing this sentence, he said nothing.

Not only because Sheng Junhong had wanted to torture him to death, but more importantly, because Shen Xici had almost been implicated.

Every time he thought about what would have happened if he had been a second late in firing his gun, if the drug had really been injected into Shen Xici’s body, he couldn’t suppress his burgeoning killing intent.

Noticing Sheng Shaoyan’s attitude, after a long silence, Sheng Huaizhou finally asked, “Shaoyan, tell Grandpa, this time, are you really not going to let Junhong go?”

Sheng Shaoyan gave an affirmative answer without hesitation. “Yes.”

Sheng Huaizhou, who had been in a high position for many years, always spoke slowly and forcefully. Although he was over seventy, he was still vigorous and could endure board meetings lasting more than ten hours until the end.

But at this moment, his words revealed a sense of old age. “There’s no room for negotiation, is there? He did something wrong, I know, but he is also your second uncle.”

“Grandpa, you know best that it’s not the first or second time Second Uncle has wanted my life. Especially this time, the new drug he used requires a long development time, so it was obviously intended for me from the beginning. Last time, I only crippled one of his legs. I already gave him a chance.”

Sheng Huaizhou: “Grandpa knows all this. You did show him mercy.”

Sheng Shaoyan lowered his eyes, his profile like a snow sculpture. “The rule of the Sheng family is survival of the fittest. Between me and Second Uncle, from the very beginning, only one of us could survive, isn’t that right?”

Another silence.

Sheng Shaoyan was not in a hurry at all. He waited patiently, waiting for the aged helmsman of the Sheng family to make his final choice.

On the tree branches slanting in from outside the window, the leaves had already turned yellow and withered, swaying precariously in the late autumn wind.

After a long time, Sheng Huaizhou’s voice, full of sighs, finally sounded, “I’m starting to regret my decision back then, to use your second uncle as your whetstone.”

Sheng Shaoyan’s lips twitched into a smile devoid of mirth.

His whetstone?

While using Sheng Junhong as his whetstone, wasn’t he also, as a young man who had just come of age, being used as a whetstone and handed to Sheng Junhong?

Like two people locked in a colosseum.

Except now, he was the one with enough power and fully fledged wings.

He was also the one who survived.

This contest, the winner was already decided.

The twenty-seven-year-old young lion king, and the crippled lion with one leg missing. Who was the more beneficial leader for the Sheng family, who could lead the century-old great ship of the Sheng family to continue cutting through winds and waves without sinking, was already obvious.

Sheng Huaizhou was just as he remembered, his heart hard enough. He didn’t try to persuade him further, and instead changed the subject. “I heard that when you were attacked, someone blocked it for you?”

Sheng Shaoyan said frankly, “Yes, it was my boyfriend. He was also in the car.”

Sheng Huaizhou had already heard the rumors. He wasn’t surprised, and instead teased him, “So our Shaoyan has his moments of immaturity too, huh? You like him that much? So eager to make it official with me.”

Sheng Shaoyan wanted to say, “Grandpa, you see Sheng Shaoyan the heir, but he sees me.”