Shen Ze exited the school gates and was single-mindedly heading towards the bus stop, when he heard a âmournfulâ cry.
He instinctively stopped, scratched his ears before turning to the direction where the sound originated.
There, he saw Xiang Han surrounded by a group of thugs. Both his hands clutched his bag as he stared âpitifullyâ at him.
He unconsciously frowned and wanted to go over when he suddenly remembered how the other person did not wake him up this morning, causing him to oversleep. Therefore, he stopped and turned around to leave again.
Xiang Han saw this and hurriedly shouted, âBrother, didnât you say you owed me a favour before and would return it whenever I needed it? You said so at that time when I helped you to buy your un-ah, that thing.â
Shen Zeâs expression turned black, and he seemingly sprinted over in the blink of an eye. He smacked a palm over Xiang Hanâs mouth, gnashing his teeth, âShut up!â
Xiang Han blinked slowly with an expression of innocence.
The group of thugs wore stupefied expressions, especially one of them, whose glasses even dropped down. He took a closer look at Shen Ze and his hands shook, âB-Brother Shen?â
Xiang Hanâs face was full of black lines. Big brother, you look much bigger than Shen Ze, ah.
Shen Ze swept a glance over him while the thugs tried to flatter him, âThatâŚBrother Shen, Iâm Ah Biao from the West Gate. I helped open your car door the last time you went to Brilliant Jade with Mr Gu.â
Mr Gu?
Xiang Hanâs eyes lit up as he remembered that the protagonist gong seemed to be called Gu Hai Sheng. This Mr Gu was most probably referring to him. Looks like Shen Ze wasnât only an underling of Gu Hai Sheng, but he seemed to be faring quite well too?
âOh, so itâs you.â Shen Ze completely had no recollection of this person but pretended to remember as he nodded. Then, he released Xiang Hanâs hands which were struggling to pry his hands away, and said, âThis is my little brother.â
âSo, this is your younger brother?â Ah Biao hurriedly waved a hand to signal the others to move aside and smiled at Xiang Han, âIâm so sorry little brother. This is really a case of misunderstanding. Actually, weâre just playing with you, donât take it to heart.â
Xiang Han reluctantly nodded, his expression somewhat âfearfulâ like a frightened bunny.
Ah Biao was feeling guilty and swept a glance over Shen Ze. Seeing his expressionless face, he couldnât help gritting his teeth and steeled his heart to take out his wallet. He pulled out several red notes, stuffing it into Xiang Hanâs hands.
âLittle brother, weâre really just playing with you. Take this money and go buy something delicious. Only with some discord, will friendship grow, right? HahahaâŚâ
Xiang Han accepted it with a smile, âThank you Brother Biao.â
âI-Itâs nothing.â Ah Biaoâs heart was currently dripping blood.
The corners of Shen Zeâs lips unconsciously curled up. Half a moment later, he suddenly grabbed Xiang Han and pulled him over.
Xiang Han shivered, knowing he was only waiting to settle accounts at an opportune moment and hurriedly feigned joy, âElder brother, you also have a share in this. Iâll treat you to a meal.â
Shen Zeâs expression didnât even change as he took the money and stuffed it into his own pockets. Pushing Xiang Han against a wall, he warned sternly, âIâve returned this favour. Youâre not allowed to pull something like this again.â
âOh.â Xiang Han nodded obediently while feigning curiosity, âElder brother, why did that person call you brother Shen? Do you know him?â
âI donât.â Shen Ze immediately turned around to leave.
Seeing this, Xiang Han hurriedly followed behind to ask, âThen what about Mr Gu?â
Shen Zeâs steps halted abruptly, his face turning cold, âNone of your business.â
Xiang Han choked when he heard this and simply decided to remind him, âElder brother, my moneyâŚâ
Shen Ze replied extremely seriously, âItâs mine.â
Xiang Han, ââŚâ
So angry! He clearly spent a lot of effort to act pitiful. Moreover, Shen Zeâs pocket money was more than enough, did he still lack a few hundred?
Xiang Han watched Shen Zeâs back, feeling his anger rise. Noticing a small rock a distance away, he thought for a moment before deliberately saying, âBrother, thereâs a stone there. Be careful not to trip.â
Shen Zeâs figure shook. The leg he lifted missed a step, causing him to nearly slip.
Hm? His ability failed again. Xiang Han pondered deeply over this matter, not even noticing Shen Zeâs furious glare.
Afterwards, Xiang Han conducted a series of experiments on the group of thugs from earlier and finally gained an understanding over the rules of his crowâs beak.
Number one, only the bad things come true but good things donât. Number two, his words must be unintentional, which means they must not be spoken deliberately.
For example, if he wanted to say something, he needed to say it quickly and could not let it brew in his mind for too long. In addition, words like âdonâtâŚâ and ânot toâŚâ guaranteed a higher success rate.
The group of thugs were tormented to the point of being unable to cry. Now, they only wished to run and hide whenever they saw him.
Apart from his crowâs beak, Xiang Han also learnt many things about Shen Ze and Mr Gu from them.
After knowing Gu Hai Sheng intended to adopt Shen Ze, Xiang Han was extremely shocked.
No wonder Shen Ze constantly disappeared, running off somewhere to find him. Turns out, their relationship was actually this close? However, Gu Hai Sheng would be sent to prison next year, a good relationship wasnât anything worth celebrating.
After school, Xiang Han told his driver to return first before stealthily heading to Brilliant Jade.
Shen Ze hadnât showed up for class this afternoon. According to Ah Biao, whenever he skipped school, he would usually go to that place.
Xiang Han found this place but was unable to enter due to his age. Relying on his spiritual force, he finally managed to mingle his way in with much difficulty.
Shen Ze had just finished a round in the firing range and intended to return home when he saw a familiar figure upon walking into the main hall.
His brows furrowed, hurriedly walking over to drag the other person to the side. His voice was extremely low when he asked, âHow did you come in?â
ââŚI walked in.â
âThis is not a place you can come. Go back with me. Now.â Shen Ze didnât have the mood to bicker with him and directly grabbed his arm as he headed for the exit.
âAh Ze?â
Just as he took two steps, a voice suddenly came from behind him, freezing Shen Ze in his step. The hand gripping Xiang Hanâs arm unconsciously tightened.
âMr Gu.â He reluctantly turned around, instinctively pushing Xiang Han to hide behind himself.
However, the more he tried to hide him, the more curious Gu Hai Sheng became. Arms circling around the man in his embrace, Gu Hai Sheng came forward and sized Xiang Han up for a moment before asking with interest, âThis isâŚ?â
Nervousness flashed in Shen Zeâs eyes, but he quickly replied, âMy little brother.â
âOh?â Gu Hai Shengâs eyes grew even deeper. Seeing Shen Zeâs anxiety, he deliberately said, âI donât remember you mentioning any brother. It canât be your lover, right?â
âMr Gu must be joking.â Shen Zeâs expression was awkward and a little stiff.
Xiang Han stood behind him, looking at the person in Gu Hai Shengâs arms. He couldnât help feeling surprised: this person wasnât the protagonist shou.
The two should have already met. If the protagonist gong did something like thisâŚwill it result in domestic violence?
Gu Hai Sheng observed Shen Zeâs nervous expression and felt somewhat intrigued. It couldnât be that Shen Ze, this rascal, really got into a puppy-love relationship?
He waved a hand, âDonât stand on ceremony. Since itâs your little brother, bring him around to play for a while.â
Without giving Shen Ze any opportunity to refuse, he directly instructed the manager, âPrepare a private room and call a few more people.â
Xiang Han wanted to speak but at this time, Shen Ze slapped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.
Watching Gu Hai Sheng leave with the person in his arms, Shen Ze finally turned back and warned him, âLater on when you go into the room, speak less and follow me closely.â
âOkay.â Xiang Han hurriedly nodded.
Shen Zeâs frowned, probably worried he hadnât understood the severity of the situation and explained in a low voice, âMr Gu likes men, especially the young and cute ones. You better be careful.â
Oh? Thatâs like Jiang Han, ah. Wait a minute, he remembered that the protagonist shou didnât seem to fall under this category of people.
Plagued with unanswered doubts, Xiang Han was pulled into the private room by Shen Ze.
However, the scene in the room was different from what Xiang Han expected. Although Gu Hai Sheng had called for a few people, they only played at a table.
Seeing them enter, Gu Hai Sheng smiled, âLet your little brother go over there and eat something delicious. Come over and play two rounds with me.:
Shen Ze finally understood, Gu Hai Sheng had deliberately teased him. Remembering his uneasiness from earlier, he couldnât help feeling vexed and hauled Xiang Han, who was feigning confusion, over. He gritted his teeth, âSay something.â
âAh? What do I say?â At this time, he was truly confused.
âSay that I can win.â Shen Ze snorted coldly.
His relationship with Gu Hai Sheng was quite good so this sort of joke can still be overlooked.
Xiang Han heard this and said without much thought, âMr Gu, donât lose too badly later on.â
Saying this, he threw a glance at Shen Ze, expressing that he had already tried his best.
A sudden burst of joy welled up in Gu Hai Shengâs heart. Waiting for Shen Ze to take a seat, he calmly asked, âLook at you being so worried, is he really your little brother?â
âOf course.â Shen Ze was shuffling the tiles, his eyes looking down but his actions were extremely smooth. He slowly said, âHeâs Auntie Zhuâs son.â
Gu Hai Sheng knew about the matter of his fatherâs remarriage. He was surprised when he heard this, âSince when did you change so much? No wonder you didnât want to become my foster son, itâs because you intend to become a family with them?
âI never wanted to be your son, youâre only how many years older than me?â Shen Ze snorted lightly and secretly thought, wait and see how badly youâll lose today.
Although this was indeed what he hoped for, Shen Ze didnât think too much of it in reality. After all, his skills couldnât be compared to Gu Hai Sheng and something like superstition was too unreliable. Thatâs right, all the things that had occurred till now, he merely considered them as coincidences.
Unexpectedly, Gu Hai Shengâs luck today was terrible beyond belief and he hadnât even won once.
Xiang Han took a plate and stood by the side, eating with relish as he watched the show with interest.
His ability worked again. Looks like the rules he had figured out were truly useful.
When they nearly reached the end, Shen Ze finally couldnât help but look at Xiang Han with an increasingly complicated gaze.
Looking at the tile he had just drawn, Shen Ze was speechless. He had a feeling that even if he closed his eyes and playedâŚhe would still win.
He had an absurd thought, this step-brother of hisâŚcouldnât possibly know witchcraft, right?
Losing for the upteenth time, Gu Hai Sheng finally tossed out a tile and said helplessly, âIâm not playing anymore, my luck today isnât good.â
Shen Ze calmly received the money and even split half with Xiang Han, patting his head as he said, âYouâre not bad.â
Xiang Han, ââŚâ Rude.
Gu Hai Sheng was somewhat enraged and amused, and grabbed Xiang Han who was still busy counting his money, âLittle rascal, if it wasnât for your unlucky crowâs beak, how could laozi lose so badly? Do you know the consequences of offending Gu Hai Sheng? From now on, youâll stay here andâŚâ
Before he could finish, Shen Ze had already stepped forward, âMr Gu, heâs a coward, donât scare him.â
Saying this, he also reached out a hand to grab Xiang Han, intending to pull him back. But Xiang Han had been tugged by both of them and lost his balance, causing the money to slip out of his hands as he nearly fell.
Gu Hai Sheng was nearer and he had been sitting, so he instinctively raised a hand to catch him.
At this time, the door was abruptly kicked open and the protagonist shou, dressed in full uniform suit, appeared. Raising the badge in his hands, he coldly spoke, âPolice! This is an inspection.â
Everybody, ââŚâ
Chapter 4.07 â The Rules Of A Crowâs Beak
Shen Ze exited the school gates and was single-mindedly heading towards the bus stop, when he heard a âmournfulâ cry.
He instinctively stopped, scratched his ears before turning to the direction where the sound originated.
There, he saw Xiang Han surrounded by a group of thugs. Both his hands clutched his bag as he stared âpitifullyâ at him.
He unconsciously frowned and wanted to go over when he suddenly remembered how the other person did not wake him up this morning, causing him to oversleep. Therefore, he stopped and turned around to leave again.
Xiang Han saw this and hurriedly shouted, âBrother, didnât you say you owed me a favour before and would return it whenever I needed it? You said so at that time when I helped you to buy your un-ah, that thing.â
Shen Zeâs expression turned black, and he seemingly sprinted over in the blink of an eye. He smacked a palm over Xiang Hanâs mouth, gnashing his teeth, âShut up!â
Xiang Han blinked slowly with an expression of innocence.
The group of thugs wore stupefied expressions, especially one of them, whose glasses even dropped down. He took a closer look at Shen Ze and his hands shook, âB-Brother Shen?â
Xiang Hanâs face was full of black lines. Big brother, you look much bigger than Shen Ze, ah.
Shen Ze swept a glance over him while the thugs tried to flatter him, âThatâŚBrother Shen, Iâm Ah Biao from the West Gate. I helped open your car door the last time you went to Brilliant Jade with Mr Gu.â
Mr Gu?
Xiang Hanâs eyes lit up as he remembered that the protagonist gong seemed to be called Gu Hai Sheng. This Mr Gu was most probably referring to him. Looks like Shen Ze wasnât only an underling of Gu Hai Sheng, but he seemed to be faring quite well too?
âOh, so itâs you.â Shen Ze completely had no recollection of this person but pretended to remember as he nodded. Then, he released Xiang Hanâs hands which were struggling to pry his hands away, and said, âThis is my little brother.â
âSo, this is your younger brother?â Ah Biao hurriedly waved a hand to signal the others to move aside and smiled at Xiang Han, âIâm so sorry little brother. This is really a case of misunderstanding. Actually, weâre just playing with you, donât take it to heart.â
Xiang Han reluctantly nodded, his expression somewhat âfearfulâ like a frightened bunny.
Ah Biao was feeling guilty and swept a glance over Shen Ze. Seeing his expressionless face, he couldnât help gritting his teeth and steeled his heart to take out his wallet. He pulled out several red notes, stuffing it into Xiang Hanâs hands.
âLittle brother, weâre really just playing with you. Take this money and go buy something delicious. Only with some discord, will friendship grow, right? HahahaâŚâ
Xiang Han accepted it with a smile, âThank you Brother Biao.â
âI-Itâs nothing.â Ah Biaoâs heart was currently dripping blood.
The corners of Shen Zeâs lips unconsciously curled up. Half a moment later, he suddenly grabbed Xiang Han and pulled him over.
Xiang Han shivered, knowing he was only waiting to settle accounts at an opportune moment and hurriedly feigned joy, âElder brother, you also have a share in this. Iâll treat you to a meal.â
Shen Zeâs expression didnât even change as he took the money and stuffed it into his own pockets. Pushing Xiang Han against a wall, he warned sternly, âIâve returned this favour. Youâre not allowed to pull something like this again.â
âOh.â Xiang Han nodded obediently while feigning curiosity, âElder brother, why did that person call you brother Shen? Do you know him?â
âI donât.â Shen Ze immediately turned around to leave.
Seeing this, Xiang Han hurriedly followed behind to ask, âThen what about Mr Gu?â
Shen Zeâs steps halted abruptly, his face turning cold, âNone of your business.â
Xiang Han choked when he heard this and simply decided to remind him, âElder brother, my moneyâŚâ
Shen Ze replied extremely seriously, âItâs mine.â
Xiang Han, ââŚâ
So angry! He clearly spent a lot of effort to act pitiful. Moreover, Shen Zeâs pocket money was more than enough, did he still lack a few hundred?
Xiang Han watched Shen Zeâs back, feeling his anger rise. Noticing a small rock a distance away, he thought for a moment before deliberately saying, âBrother, thereâs a stone there. Be careful not to trip.â
Shen Zeâs figure shook. The leg he lifted missed a step, causing him to nearly slip.
Hm? His ability failed again. Xiang Han pondered deeply over this matter, not even noticing Shen Zeâs furious glare.
Afterwards, Xiang Han conducted a series of experiments on the group of thugs from earlier and finally gained an understanding over the rules of his crowâs beak.
Number one, only the bad things come true but good things donât. Number two, his words must be unintentional, which means they must not be spoken deliberately.
For example, if he wanted to say something, he needed to say it quickly and could not let it brew in his mind for too long. In addition, words like âdonâtâŚâ and ânot toâŚâ guaranteed a higher success rate.
The group of thugs were tormented to the point of being unable to cry. Now, they only wished to run and hide whenever they saw him.
Apart from his crowâs beak, Xiang Han also learnt many things about Shen Ze and Mr Gu from them.
After knowing Gu Hai Sheng intended to adopt Shen Ze, Xiang Han was extremely shocked.
No wonder Shen Ze constantly disappeared, running off somewhere to find him. Turns out, their relationship was actually this close? However, Gu Hai Sheng would be sent to prison next year, a good relationship wasnât anything worth celebrating.
After school, Xiang Han told his driver to return first before stealthily heading to Brilliant Jade.
Shen Ze hadnât showed up for class this afternoon. According to Ah Biao, whenever he skipped school, he would usually go to that place.
Xiang Han found this place but was unable to enter due to his age. Relying on his spiritual force, he finally managed to mingle his way in with much difficulty.
Shen Ze had just finished a round in the firing range and intended to return home when he saw a familiar figure upon walking into the main hall.
His brows furrowed, hurriedly walking over to drag the other person to the side. His voice was extremely low when he asked, âHow did you come in?â
ââŚI walked in.â
âThis is not a place you can come. Go back with me. Now.â Shen Ze didnât have the mood to bicker with him and directly grabbed his arm as he headed for the exit.
âAh Ze?â
Just as he took two steps, a voice suddenly came from behind him, freezing Shen Ze in his step. The hand gripping Xiang Hanâs arm unconsciously tightened.
âMr Gu.â He reluctantly turned around, instinctively pushing Xiang Han to hide behind himself.
However, the more he tried to hide him, the more curious Gu Hai Sheng became. Arms circling around the man in his embrace, Gu Hai Sheng came forward and sized Xiang Han up for a moment before asking with interest, âThis isâŚ?â
Nervousness flashed in Shen Zeâs eyes, but he quickly replied, âMy little brother.â
âOh?â Gu Hai Shengâs eyes grew even deeper. Seeing Shen Zeâs anxiety, he deliberately said, âI donât remember you mentioning any brother. It canât be your lover, right?â
âMr Gu must be joking.â Shen Zeâs expression was awkward and a little stiff.
Xiang Han stood behind him, looking at the person in Gu Hai Shengâs arms. He couldnât help feeling surprised: this person wasnât the protagonist shou.
The two should have already met. If the protagonist gong did something like thisâŚwill it result in domestic violence?
Gu Hai Sheng observed Shen Zeâs nervous expression and felt somewhat intrigued. It couldnât be that Shen Ze, this rascal, really got into a puppy-love relationship?
He waved a hand, âDonât stand on ceremony. Since itâs your little brother, bring him around to play for a while.â
Without giving Shen Ze any opportunity to refuse, he directly instructed the manager, âPrepare a private room and call a few more people.â
Xiang Han wanted to speak but at this time, Shen Ze slapped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.
Watching Gu Hai Sheng leave with the person in his arms, Shen Ze finally turned back and warned him, âLater on when you go into the room, speak less and follow me closely.â
âOkay.â Xiang Han hurriedly nodded.
Shen Zeâs frowned, probably worried he hadnât understood the severity of the situation and explained in a low voice, âMr Gu likes men, especially the young and cute ones. You better be careful.â
Oh? Thatâs like Jiang Han, ah. Wait a minute, he remembered that the protagonist shou didnât seem to fall under this category of people.
Plagued with unanswered doubts, Xiang Han was pulled into the private room by Shen Ze.
However, the scene in the room was different from what Xiang Han expected. Although Gu Hai Sheng had called for a few people, they only played at a table.
Seeing them enter, Gu Hai Sheng smiled, âLet your little brother go over there and eat something delicious. Come over and play two rounds with me.:
Shen Ze finally understood, Gu Hai Sheng had deliberately teased him. Remembering his uneasiness from earlier, he couldnât help feeling vexed and hauled Xiang Han, who was feigning confusion, over. He gritted his teeth, âSay something.â
âAh? What do I say?â At this time, he was truly confused.
âSay that I can win.â Shen Ze snorted coldly.
His relationship with Gu Hai Sheng was quite good so this sort of joke can still be overlooked.
Xiang Han heard this and said without much thought, âMr Gu, donât lose too badly later on.â
Saying this, he threw a glance at Shen Ze, expressing that he had already tried his best.
A sudden burst of joy welled up in Gu Hai Shengâs heart. Waiting for Shen Ze to take a seat, he calmly asked, âLook at you being so worried, is he really your little brother?â
âOf course.â Shen Ze was shuffling the tiles, his eyes looking down but his actions were extremely smooth. He slowly said, âHeâs Auntie Zhuâs son.â
Gu Hai Sheng knew about the matter of his fatherâs remarriage. He was surprised when he heard this, âSince when did you change so much? No wonder you didnât want to become my foster son, itâs because you intend to become a family with them?
âI never wanted to be your son, youâre only how many years older than me?â Shen Ze snorted lightly and secretly thought, wait and see how badly youâll lose today.
Although this was indeed what he hoped for, Shen Ze didnât think too much of it in reality. After all, his skills couldnât be compared to Gu Hai Sheng and something like superstition was too unreliable. Thatâs right, all the things that had occurred till now, he merely considered them as coincidences.
Unexpectedly, Gu Hai Shengâs luck today was terrible beyond belief and he hadnât even won once.
Xiang Han took a plate and stood by the side, eating with relish as he watched the show with interest.
His ability worked again. Looks like the rules he had figured out were truly useful.
When they nearly reached the end, Shen Ze finally couldnât help but look at Xiang Han with an increasingly complicated gaze.
Looking at the tile he had just drawn, Shen Ze was speechless. He had a feeling that even if he closed his eyes and playedâŚhe would still win.
He had an absurd thought, this step-brother of hisâŚcouldnât possibly know witchcraft, right?
Losing for the upteenth time, Gu Hai Sheng finally tossed out a tile and said helplessly, âIâm not playing anymore, my luck today isnât good.â
Shen Ze calmly received the money and even split half with Xiang Han, patting his head as he said, âYouâre not bad.â
Xiang Han, ââŚâ Rude.
Gu Hai Sheng was somewhat enraged and amused, and grabbed Xiang Han who was still busy counting his money, âLittle rascal, if it wasnât for your unlucky crowâs beak, how could laozi lose so badly? Do you know the consequences of offending Gu Hai Sheng? From now on, youâll stay here andâŚâ
Before he could finish, Shen Ze had already stepped forward, âMr Gu, heâs a coward, donât scare him.â
Saying this, he also reached out a hand to grab Xiang Han, intending to pull him back. But Xiang Han had been tugged by both of them and lost his balance, causing the money to slip out of his hands as he nearly fell.
Gu Hai Sheng was nearer and he had been sitting, so he instinctively raised a hand to catch him.
At this time, the door was abruptly kicked open and the protagonist shou, dressed in full uniform suit, appeared. Raising the badge in his hands, he coldly spoke, âPolice! This is an inspection.â