Shen Qi clutched the newly acquired phone, feeling as if she were still dreaming.
This specially customized phone cost no less than thirty thousand euros.
And that was just the base price.
Shen Qi felt she had added another debt to her list.
She had no choice but to accept the phone; otherwise, He Yining would be unhappy again.
Xiao Chun followed He Yining out, and seeing the president’s elated expression, couldn’t help but touch the tip of his nose.
The president had him deliver his own phone—could it be that he thought... this would make them a couple’s set?
Although He Yining had never explicitly said anything, as the chief special assistant, Xiao Chun keenly sensed He Yining’s special attitude toward Shen Qi.
Sure enough, when He Yining had too much to drink, he decisively contacted Shen Qi.
The president hadn’t scolded him for having Shen Qi escort him back, which showed he had made the right call.
Xiao Chun became even more certain of the president’s intentions.
When the president asked him to deliver the phone, he cleverly inserted Shen Qi’s SIM card into it.
This time, he had clearly done the right thing again.
He Yining walked to the car door, as if just remembering that Xiao Chun was supposed to be on leave today.
He Yining smiled radiantly: “Alright, go ahead and continue your leave. I don’t need anything else.”
With that, He Yining got into the car and drove off cheerfully.
Xiao Chun stood there, helpless.
How could he dare to rest easy?
Still, making the president happy meant he had done his duty.
Shen Qi returned home, and Wei Wei had just finished making lunch.
Shen Qi greeted Wei Wei and went to the room to call Shen Lu for dinner.
“What are you busy with, brother?” Shen Qi leaned in next to Shen Lu, curiously eyeing the computer screen.
To be honest, Shen Qi, a college graduate and once the top scorer in H Province, couldn’t understand a thing about what Shen Lu was doing.
“Playing games,” Shen Lu replied obediently.
Well, her brother’s games always involved strange things.
Sometimes weird lines, sometimes binary code, and now these odd symbols.
But as long as her brother was happy, that was fine.
The doctor had said that as long as the patient stayed cheerful and full of hope for life, autism could be cured.
Besides, her brother’s autism was triggered later in life, not congenital—it could definitely be healed!
“Let’s eat first, okay?” Shen Qi gently tugged at Shen Lu’s fingers. “We can play after we eat?”
Shen Lu hesitated, a flicker of struggle crossing his strikingly handsome face.
If someone else had interrupted him, he would have been very angry.
But that person was Xiao Qi...
With Xiao Qi, anything could be forgiven.
“Alright,” Shen Lu nodded.
Shen Qi smiled, patting Shen Lu’s arm. “Hurry up then! We’ll wait for you at the table.”
Shen Lu nodded, not looking at Shen Qi, but his fingers moved even faster!
After Shen Qi left, a dialog box popped up with a message in English: “Oh, my god! Six-Winged Angel, you’re amazing! You actually cracked this firewall! Fine, you win. We’ll transfer the money to your account. Respect.”
A hint of a smile flickered in Shen Lu’s eyes, and he quickly typed back in English: “Account number: xxxxxxxxx.”
“Oh, Six-Winged Angel, you don’t need to repeat your account number. We’ve memorized it by now! Damn it, why do we always lose to you?” Another dialog box appeared. “No, let’s compete again next time.”
Shen Lu typed two characters: “Ok.”
He logged out of everything, erased all his traces, and then left the room.
Seeing Shen Lu come out, Shen Qi smiled and said, “Brother, there’s your favorite sea bass for lunch today.”
Shen Lu sat down properly beside Shen Qi, tilting his head to look at her. “Xiao Qi likes it?”
“I do! Whatever my brother likes, I like too,” Shen Qi replied with a grin.
Hearing that Shen Qi liked it, Shen Lu finally smiled.
Wei Wei sat across from them, watching the deep bond between Shen Qi and Shen Lu, and couldn’t help saying, “You two have such a great relationship.”
Shen Qi smiled back. “Because my brother is my only family in this world!”
“Ah, sorry, I didn’t know you were orphans,” Wei Wei said, rubbing his hands apologetically.
“Uncle Wei, we’re not exactly orphans, but we’re not much different,” Shen Qi said openly, not shying away from her background. “Our mother remarried and had a daughter. To them, they’re a family of three, and my brother and I are just parasites. But it doesn’t matter—I’ve already repaid the debt of being raised. In this life, I’ll be content if my brother can live healthily like a normal person.”
Shen Lu, sitting beside her, had a glimmer in his eyes.
He nodded thoughtfully.
These days, people had talked to him about many topics, and he had learned a lot.
To Shen Lu, that was a whole new world.
Xiao Qi was in that world too, wasn’t she?
Should he go into that world for her?
His own world was quiet enough, but Xiao Qi wasn’t there...
He had been immersed in his own world for a very long time.
If his world made Xiao Qi unhappy, did it still matter?
No, Xiao Qi mattered more!
After lunch, Shen Lu returned to his room and, for the first time, actively initiated communication with others: “Your own world or the person you love most—which do you choose?”
The usually lively dialog box fell into dead silence.
Finally, someone named “Little Red Riding Hood Selling Melons” couldn’t hold back and frantically typed a string of characters before exclaiming: “Oh my god, what am I seeing? Six-Winged Angel finally said something other than his account number! Am I hallucinating?”
Others chimed in: “I think I’m hallucinating too!”
Once the shock subsided, Little Red Riding Hood Selling Melons quickly answered Shen Lu’s question: “Of course, the person you love most! What’s your own world worth? Without the one you love, your world collapses.”
Shen Lu stared at the words, lost in thought.
Without Xiao Qi, would his world collapse too?
Maybe it would.
Without Xiao Qi, he would never be happy again.
Before anyone else could ask further, Shen Lu fell silent again.
It was as if that question had never been asked.
After lunch, Shen Qi cleaned Shen Lu’s room, then sat on the floor with a book, keeping him company.
“Xiao Qi...” Shen Lu suddenly spoke softly.
“Hmm?” Shen Qi turned a page, replying casually, “What’s up?”
“You’re the most important!” Shen Lu said very seriously.