Chapter 181 Xu Ping'an's eyes were about to burst, no...
Flipping through the menu, Xu Ping'an, enduring the bleeding in his heart, ordered an eighty-eight yuan iced cola.
It was just a three-yuan bottle of cola, poured into a crystal glass, with a few spherical ice cubes added.
Eighty-eight yuan!
"Guest, your iced cola! Please enjoy."
The waiter placed the glass down with a thud that felt mocking. Looking at the restaurant manager's disdainful gaze from afar, Xu Ping'an felt incredibly stifled. The bubbles in the dark liquid seemed to fizz with mockery.
Damn it, he was a man with a Golden Finger and a [Damage Reflection Aura]; even the Boxing King Tyson would kneel before him if he dared to throw a punch. He was destined to earn tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, per match in the underground arena.
How did he end up like this? Counting pennies for a soft drink while his enemy dined on delicacies?
Xu Ping'an felt completely out of sorts. The cold glass in his hand did nothing to cool the burning humiliation in his veins.
However, at this moment, Xu Ping'an didn't dwell on that. He stared intently at Shen Anyu and Xu Ruoshui in the private room ahead, separated by the invisible barrier.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. A lightbulb went off in his head.
"Hmph, if I can't get through physically, and I can't shout... I'll send a message! I'll expose him digitally!"
A smug expression appeared on Xu Ping'an's face, thinking he was incredibly clever. He pulled out his phone, typing furiously on WeChat.
'Sister! Don't trust him! He is a liar! He has other women!'
He hit send.
But then, the smile on Xu Ping'an's face instantly froze.
A red exclamation mark appeared next to the message.
[Message Send Failure. You are not friends with this user.]
Looking at the red exclamation mark, Xu Ping'an said in disbelief, his voice cracking:
"I... I was blacklisted by my older sister? No... impossible... absolutely impossible! She loves me! I don't believe it..."
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an's mentality collapsed, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an's mentality collapsed, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an's mentality collapsed, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
...
[Location: Inside the Private Booth]
"I haven't even tried yet, and your mentality has already collapsed?"
In the quiet, fragrant private room ahead, Shen Anyu's lips curved upwards slightly as he sipped his tea. A hint of a mocking smile flashed in his deep eyes.
Xu Ping'an was naturally not blacklisted by Xu Ruoshui; a gentle and virtuous woman like Xu Ruoshui, who valued family above all else, would naturally not blacklist Xu Ping'an, even if Xu Ping'an was no longer her biological younger brother. She was too soft-hearted for that.
This was naturally Shen Anyu's doing.
With his [God-level Hacker] skill, hacking into Xu Ping'an's cheap Android phone to block a contact and prevent messages from going through was simple. It took only seconds—less time than it took to swallow a sip of tea.
And that transparent glass barrier?
That was actually obtained by Shen Anyu from a System lottery a while back.
[Item: One-Way Sound Barrier]
[Grade: Rare]
[Effect: Creates a barrier where those outside can see and hear the inside clearly (Voyeur Mode), but those inside cannot hear or see anything from the outside (Privacy Mode). Perfect for public displays of dominance.]
It was quite miraculous.
Xu Ping'an could see Shen Anyu and Xu Ruoshui. He could hear their voices clearly, every laugh, every sigh. But Xu Ping'an's voice couldn't get through. He was screaming into the void.
"Too bad I don't have that kind of fetish," Shen Anyu mused internally, glancing at the exquisite woman sitting across from him. "Otherwise, a live-action NTR scenario right here would be classic..."
Shen Anyu sighed a little; he wasn't willing for his destined future woman to be taken advantage of by other men, even visually. He didn't have that kind of 'cuckold' fetish.
He was the leader of the Pure Love faction! (Self-proclaimed).
It's just that he had pure love for every beautiful woman!
The Bull-Headed Demon must die! Oh, wait... am I the Bull-Headed Demon in Xu Ping'an's story? Then never mind! Long live the Bull!
Xu Ruoshui had her back to Xu Ping'an and her senses were blocked by the barrier, so she didn't know that Xu Ping'an was just a few meters behind her, performing a mime act of rage and despair.
At this moment, Xu Ruoshui had cleared her chaotic thoughts. She put down her chopsticks, having barely touched the food.
She looked at Shen Anyu, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"This matter... has become a scandal and a huge joke in Modu. An'yu, I won't hide it from you. You deserve to know the truth."
"My Family and I... are all very hurt."
"The biological son, the biological younger brother, Xu Ping'an, whom we raised for twenty years... turned out to be fake! A mistake! A changeling!"
"And the true Xu Family Bloodline... my real brother, Xu He... has already fallen off a cliff and died years ago. With no bones found."
Xu Ruoshui's eyes were slightly red. On her gentle and beautiful face, her expression was quite weak and pitiful. It was the look of a woman who had been carrying the weight of the world and finally found a place to set it down.
For the past twenty years, she had poured her love into Xu Ping'an. She had protected him, scolded him, guided him. And it turned out he was a stranger.
And what made her even sadder was the fate of her real brother, Xu He. While Xu Ping'an enjoyed luxury, Xu He had suffered in poverty and died a tragic death.
How could she not be sad? The guilt was eating her alive.
"My parents..." she choked back a sob. "They are even unwilling to leave the house. They are surrounded by a team of psychologists all day, medicated to sleep."
"I also had to shoulder the Family business alone. I had to go out to work, to smile at partners, while my heart was breaking."
The sadness and fragility in her heart could not be expressed to her employees or rivals. Only to him.
...
[Location: Outside the Barrier]
Xu Ping'an, who was originally feeling stifled and annoyed by the price of the cola, also fell silent upon hearing his older sister Xu Ruoshui's words through the one-way barrier.
He heard her pain. He heard her cry for the "real" brother, Xu He.
But instead of empathy, a wave of defensive narcissism washed over him.
"It's not my fault... this isn't my fault..."
He muttered to himself, clutching the glass so hard his knuckles turned white.
"I didn't ask to be swapped! I was a baby!"
"Twenty years of affection... twenty years of calling you sister... and just because of a DNA test, you kicked me out? You are the heartless ones! Yes, you are the heartless ones!"
As Xu Ping'an spoke, his expression became firm, almost fanatical. He convinced himself. He was the victim here.
He felt that the matter of the 'raccoon for a prince', the fake young master and real young master, and the real young master Xu He falling off a cliff, were not his fault. So why should he be blamed? Why should he be the one to suffer?
Why kick him out of the Xu Family? Why leave him to wander the streets without a penny?
"Even if you raise a dog for twenty years, you wouldn't kick it out just because it's not a purebred!" he hissed.
If it weren't for his biological mother Wang Qin—whom he used to despise—Xu Ping'an would probably be sleeping on a park bench now, at his wit's end.
As for the Modu University dormitory?
In the past, when Xu Ping'an was the Young Master of the Shanghai Xu Family, he looked down on those university roommates. He called them poor ghosts. Except for one roommate with whom he had a decent relationship, the others had all been offended by his arrogance.
Xu Ping'an would rather die than go back and be mocked as the "Fake Young Master" by those roommates he had friction with. His pride was the only thing he had left, and it was fragile as glass.
"Bastard... let go of your dirty hands..."
Just then, Xu Ping'an's face distorted. He saw movement inside the booth.
He gritted his teeth, the sound audible in the quiet aisle.
He saw Shen Anyu's large hand reach across the table. He saw it cover Xu Ruoshui's fair, soft, trembling hand.
Shen Anyu gripped it tightly, holding it to his chest, right over his heart.
"Ruoshui, it will get better. I'm here with you. You don't have to carry it alone anymore."
Shen Anyu's voice was warm, deep, and incredibly reliable.
Xu Ruoshui's hand was held by Shen Anyu; she tried to pull it away instinctively out of propriety, but she couldn't summon the strength. Or perhaps, she didn't want to.
Meeting Shen Anyu's deep and gentle gaze, her face flushed. The sad expression turned to shyness, and a spark of hope appeared in her teary eyes.
She looked at him not as a friend, but as a savior.
Xu Ping'an was furious. His mentality exploded completely.
"NO! SHE IS MINE! DON'T TOUCH HER!"
He screamed, slamming his fists against the invisible wall.
But he was blocked. He couldn't get through. Even his voice couldn't get through. And his phone was blacklisted.
He was a spectator in his own tragedy.
He paced around like an ant on a hot pan, frantic, helpless, and utterly impotent.
Shen Anyu listened to the constant 'ding ding ding' System prompts of plundering Destiny Value beside his ear. It was the sweetest music.
He looked at Xu Ruoshui's flushed face, feeling pleased. The harvest was ripe.
However, very quickly, Shen Anyu released Xu Ruoshui's small hand. He knew the art of "Pull and Push."
He withdrew his hand and said softly, looking apologetic:
"I was presumptuous, Ruoshui. I just... didn't want to see you so sad. You won't blame me, will you?"
"No... I won't."
Xu Ruoshui shook her head quickly. Her beautiful eyes looked at Shen Anyu, appreciating him even more for his restraint.
Originally, reserved as she was, she felt that Shen Anyu was a bit presumptuous and their relationship was progressing too fast. But Shen Anyu letting go of her hand proactively made her feel relieved. It showed he respected her.
It made her want his hand back.
Shen Anyu's lips curved into an imperceptible arc.
For a reserved, traditional woman like Xu Ruoshui, the approach needed rhythm. Not too fast, not too slow. Shallow and deep. With the right rhythm, only then could one savor the ultimate sweetness.
He decided to throw out the bait.
"By the way, Ruoshui... about your true biological younger brother, Xu He."
Shen Anyu leaned forward, his expression turning serious and analytical.
"Although you say he fell off a cliff... his bones haven't been found, correct?"
"Yes..." Xu Ruoshui nodded, tears welling up again. "The police said the current was too strong..."
"But maybe he's still alive?"
Shen Anyu interrupted her gently.
"I remember many news stories where people fell off cliffs or into rivers, everyone thought they were dead, but they came out alive. Miracles happen."
Shen Anyu proactively changed the subject, speaking meaningfully.
Xu Ruoshui's beautiful eyes instantly lit up. The despair vanished, replaced by a desperate hope.
"Yes... it's very possible! It must be possible!"
She became excited, grabbing the edge of the table.
"I... I gave up too soon. I'll arrange for people to search right away! I'll hire professional teams!"
She had originally thought that her true biological younger brother Xu He had fallen off a cliff and died, and his bones had been eaten by wild beasts. But Shen Anyu's words ignited a spark in the ashes.
Shen Anyu's lips curved upwards.
He looked at her hope, knowing full well the reality (or rather, the script he was writing).
He said with a smile, his voice dripping with confidence:
"I've already arranged for my people to look. My network is quite extensive."
"If we can find Xu He alive... Ruoshui, can you promise me one request?"
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