Chapter 184 I didn't expect you to be this kind of person…
"Sis... I'm not... it's not me... I didn't mean to..."
Xu Ping'an's face was flushed a deep, unbecoming red at this moment. He was gesticulating wildly and incoherently, his hands waving in the air as if trying to erase the scene before him. He desperately tried to explain to Xu Ruoshui, his voice cracking with panic.
He had just heard how much Xu Ruoshui despised and disliked those hooligans who fought and acted recklessly. Now, he was racking his brain, which felt like it was filled with glue, to explain the current situation.
He truly wasn't a hooligan who dined and dashed and injured the restaurant manager! He was the protagonist!
He had only brushed the restaurant manager's hand away lightly. It was a swat, a gesture of annoyance. How did things turn out like this? How did the man go flying backward as if hit by a cannonball, falling to the ground and spitting a mouthful of blood?
Xu Ping'an was completely stunned, his mind a blank slate of white noise. He was only instinctively explaining, spewing words without even knowing what he was saying.
"It was an accident! He fell on his own! I barely touched him!"
"Alright. No need to explain. I saw it all."
Xu Ruoshui took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. But her chest, rising and falling rapidly under her white blouse, indicated her suppressed anger.
Layers of frost condensed on her naturally beautiful and delicate face, replacing the earlier warmth. Her eyes, usually pools of gentle water, now looked at Xu Ping'an with an unprecedented, chilling disappointment.
Just now, watching the surveillance video that Shen Anyu showed—seeing Xu Ping'an swaggering and fighting in the underground arena of the Black Dragon Bar—Xu Ruoshui could still comfort herself. She told herself that perhaps the video was out of context, perhaps someone else started the trouble, perhaps he was forced.
Even Shen Anyu, standing beside her like a pillar of reason, opened his mouth to persuade her, saying perhaps Xu Ping'an had another reason, defending him.
But now?
Right in front of her eyes?
Listening to the hushed but audible discussions of the surrounding crowd—the elites of Shanghai—talking about Xu Ping'an dining and dashing, acting arrogant, and beating the restaurant manager until he spat blood...
Xu Ruoshui was truly disappointed! Her heart felt cold.
Was this the younger brother, Xu Ping'an, whom she had watched grow up since childhood? The boy she had protected, tutored, and loved?
Even if Xu Ping'an's identity was now exposed, and they had no blood relation... their twenty years of sibling affection were not false. The memories were real.
But now, seeing his violent, roguish behavior with her own eyes... could those memories still hold weight? Was he always like this, hiding behind a mask?
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an has been slandered, and destined heroine Xu Ruoshui is disappointed in him, plundering +30,000 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an's main emotional line has undergone a major fluctuation, plundering +66,666 destiny value!]
...
Shen Anyu stood slightly behind Xu Ruoshui, his hand hovering protectively near her back without touching.
His lips curved imperceptibly, almost laughing out loud.
'Perfect execution.'
This scene, of course, was directed by him from start to finish. The restaurant manager spitting blood from a mere pat by Xu Ping'an was arranged by Shen Anyu via a telepathic command to his Shadow Guard stationed nearby (who signaled the manager).
With the Yanxia Shen Family's power and vast connections, even a randomly entered restaurant could be quickly arranged. The staff were either bought or replaced.
This time, Shen Anyu learned from the previous elevator fall incident with Su Hongmian. He didn't use ketchup. He used real blood bags hidden in the manager's mouth and real blood. Even the restaurant manager took a special drug beforehand to create the illusion of severe internal injury—pale face, weak pulse, cold sweat.
Of course, Shen Anyu still had to give the restaurant manager a thumbs up internally; his acting was Oscar-worthy. The way he convulsed on the floor was truly promising!
'Don't come between close relations.' This was a golden rule of manipulation.
Although Shen Anyu and Xu Ruoshui's relationship was quite ambiguous now, bordering on romantic, the twenty years of sibling affection between Xu Ruoshui and Xu Ping'an were deep roots. They couldn't be severed with a single axe swing.
Even if Xu Ping'an was exposed as a fake, affection lingers.
If Shen Anyu were to openly badmouth Xu Ping'an in front of Xu Ruoshui right now, calling him trash or a criminal, that would not be a wise move. It would make him look petty and malicious. It might trigger her protective instincts.
But when men act like a 'Green Tea Bitch' (scheming innocent)... women have nothing on them.
Shen Anyu stepped forward. His expression was grave, concerned, and infinitely reasonable.
He gently comforted Xu Ruoshui, his voice low and soothing:
"Ruoshui, calm down. Ping'an is definitely not the kind of hooligan who dines and dashes and hits people maliciously. I believe there is goodness in him."
"Perhaps... perhaps he's just a bit hot-tempered lately due to the family stress. And maybe... his strength is too great? He might not know his own power, injuring the restaurant manager with just a pat by mistake."
Boom.
Although he appeared to be trying to explain for Xu Ping'an, his words solidified the "fact" that Xu Ping'an was hot-tempered, unstable, and violent enough to injure someone severely "by mistake."
It painted Xu Ping'an as a ticking time bomb.
Xu Ping'an wanted to explain. He opened his mouth, "No! I didn't—"
But seeing his sister Xu Ruoshui's expression soften slightly at Shen Anyu's "defense," he froze.
He mumbled with his mouth but still didn't speak, not knowing what to say.
If he denied it, he would look like he was lying about the injury. The man was spitting blood!
So, did he have to admit that he was a hooligan who dined and dashed and hit people? Or accept the "hot-tempered accident" narrative?
Being hot-tempered and accidentally injuring someone due to excessive strength... would be better than being a malicious thug, right?
At this moment, Xu Ping'an was in a daze. He looked at his own hands.
He began to wonder: 'Did my [Damage Reflection Aura] evolve? Can it now actively attack? Did I subconsciously release energy?'
Watching Xu Ping'an fall into self-doubt and confusion, Shen Anyu suppressed his laughter.
He continued speaking to Xu Ruoshui, whose expression had softened towards him (Shen Anyu), but hardened towards the situation.
"The most pressing matter now isn't to scold Ping'an. We can educate him later. The priority is to deal with the aftermath."
"Otherwise, if Ping'an was arrested and detained yesterday for fighting, and now he's back at the police station for a second time within 24 hours... it will definitely be a lot of trouble. He might face prison time."
As Shen Anyu's words fell, acting as the voice of reason, several of his planted associates (the "extras") in the crowd immediately started to stir up trouble. They raised their voices, ensuring Xu Ruoshui heard.
"Good heavens! Did you hear that?"
"This young man was actually arrested and detained by the police yesterday for fighting? He's a repeat offender!"
"And now he's dining and dashing and injuring the restaurant manager! He's simply an unruly little tyrant! A menace to society!"
"People like this are truly too bad; they must go to jail! They don't learn!"
"Call the police quickly! Arrest this guy; I don't want to be beaten by him while walking on the street someday!"
"Hey, look at that woman... isn't that CEO Xu? Is that her brother? Doesn't look like it. One is elegant, noble, and gentle as a swan. The other is a hooligan, a toad. Are they really biological siblings?"
"Maybe he was adopted? Or a mistake?"
"..."
The discussions of the surrounding people brought continuous critical hits to Xu Ping'an. Each word was a dagger.
His [Destiny Value] was plundered rapidly, flowing into Shen Anyu's account like a river.
Especially hearing others discussing whether he and Xu Ruoshui were really biological siblings... These words, which hit upon the painful truth he wanted to hide, made Xu Ping'an feel extremely stifled. He felt naked and ashamed.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an feels stifled, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an is unable to voice his grievances, plundering +9999 destiny value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Xu Ping'an's mentality has collapsed, plundering +23,333 destiny value!]
...
The expression on Xu Ruoshui's pretty face turned ugly again. The comments about "unruly tyrant" and "not siblings" stung her pride and her heart.
She valued the Xu Family's reputation greatly. She had worked hard to maintain the image of the family business. She couldn't imagine the Xu Family having a hooligan who fought and acted recklessly in public appearing on the news.
Fighting to capture bad guys or in martial arts competitions—like Shen Anyu did—was heroic. But hooligans bullying waiters over a bill? That was low. That was trashy.
Xu Ruoshui pursed her red lips. She looked at Xu Ping'an with eyes full of sorrow and disappointment.
She sighed softly. A thought involuntarily crossed her mind: 'Should I now be grateful that Xu Ping'an is not my biological brother? That his blood doesn't run in my veins?'
The thought terrified her, but it was there.
Shen Anyu's lips curved. He saw the shift in her eyes.
He stepped forward, acting the hero. He stopped the people who wanted to call the police with a raised hand.
"Please, everyone. Give me some face."
He walked towards the restaurant manager, who was still groaning on the floor. He personally helped him up, disregarding the "blood" that might stain his expensive suit.
"Manager, this matter is Ping'an's fault. Regardless of the reason, since he injured you, he must pay the price."
"I apologize to you on his behalf. Please accept my sincere apologies."
Shen Anyu took out a checkbook from his inner pocket. With a flourish, he wrote a check and handed it over.
"This is a one million yuan check. It is my compensation for your mental trauma and medical expenses for Ping'an's actions. Please, take it and rest."
One million check!
For a moment, the restaurant fell silent. The surrounding people looked at the restaurant manager with envy. Even in a high-end restaurant, most of the customers were middle-class and elite white-collar workers; one million was not a small sum. It was a life-changing amount for a worker.
The frost on Xu Ruoshui's exquisite and beautiful face gradually dissipated. She looked at Shen Anyu's broad back as he handled the mess her "brother" created.
A soft glow appeared in her beautiful eyes. Admiration. Gratitude. Love.
He is cleaning up our mess again. He is so reliable.
[Ding! Detected destined heroine Xu Ruoshui's favorability +3, plundering +9000 destiny value!]
...
The restaurant manager, looking at the one million check in his trembling hand, almost couldn't maintain his acting.
Holy sht! One million!*
Getting one million for acting a scene and biting a blood bag was simply a huge profit! He could retire early!
Fortunately, his self-cultivation as an actor (and fear of Shen Anyu) allowed him to maintain his expression.
The restaurant manager took the check with shaking hands, then coughed violently a few times, putting on a sickly appearance.
He looked at Shen Anyu with reverence.
"Sir... Young Master Shen... you are truly reasonable. You are a gentleman. Unlike that hooligan who dined and dashed and hit people."
"For your sake... I will drop this matter."
At this point, the restaurant manager looked at Xu Ping'an with utter disdain and disgust.
"Boy, listen to me."
"If it weren't for you having a good brother-in-law who is reasonable, graceful, and wealthy... I would never let this go. I'd call the police and have you locked up for assault."
"Don't let me see you in this restaurant again! Get out! Please leave!"
The word hung in the air.
Brother-in-law.
Xu Ping'an immediately caught the key point. It pierced his heart like a poisoned arrow.
Brother-in-law? Shen Anyu?
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
Xu Ping'an roared, his eyes red with jealousy and rage.
"This guy is not my brother-in-law! He will never be!"
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