Psychosis

The Shen Family of the Capital City has had many incidents recently. Police were often seen entering and exiting the residential area on Binjiang Road. It was heard that the family's patriarch, Old Master Shen, had unfortunately been in a car accident and died after resuscitation efforts failed. Although Second Young Master Shen, who was in the same car, managed to survive, he was so traumatized that his mental state became extremely unstable, no different from being insane.

The news made newspaper headlines but was eventually suppressed. However, it still couldn't stop the public's widespread discussions. So Old Master Shen is dead. He was old anyway, and even without the car accident, he wouldn't have had many years left. But that Shen Yu, he's such a coward, getting so scared over a car accident. Back then, he blatantly came out of the closet, insisting on messing around with a man, nearly angering the Old Master to death. But when it came to a critical moment, he chickened out.

Everyone chattered on: “Luckily, the Shen Family still has the Eldest Young Master to take charge of the situation, otherwise the company would have really collapsed. Even though he was born to a mistress, he's still stronger than that Shen Yu, isn't he?”

The Shen Family could be considered a prestigious family. The Old Master was a philanderer in his youth and had an illegitimate son. After his original wife passed away from illness, he brought the illegitimate son home to raise. This son is the current Eldest Young Master of the Shen Family, Shen Run. Including the Second Young Master Shen Yu, born to his original wife, he had a total of two sons.

During their leisure time, some people also speculated: “Old Master Shen favored Shen Yu the most. He had previously said publicly that he would hand the company over to him. Now that something has happened to both of them, the biggest beneficiary is Shen Run. I don't think this car accident is that simple.”

“Aren't all the feuds of wealthy families like this? What's so strange about it.”

“Even if it's not simple, there's nothing to be done. The police have investigated and collected evidence several times, but they still can't find anything. Let's just stop worrying about it.”

At this time, the police were visiting the Shen Family for the last time to announce the case was closed. Because the scene of the car accident was severely damaged, they truly couldn't find any evidence. They had reviewed the surveillance footage of the road section where the incident occurred and found no suspicious points.

“We've troubled you, officers.”

A gentle and refined man was sitting on the sofa, his aura reserved yet approachable. His eyes were a light tea color. Perhaps because it hadn't been long since Old Master Shen's passing, he was wearing a stark black suit, but it did nothing to detract from his scholarly and harmless appearance.

This person was Sheng Chuan, the man for whom Second Young Master Shen had been willing to fall out with his family to be with.

Officer Chen glanced upstairs without a trace: “Is Mr. Shen Run not here?”

Although Sheng Chuan was with Shen Yu, he ultimately had no familial relationship with the Shen Family, so it was inconvenient to say certain things.

Sheng Chuan smiled and spread his hands to show he didn't know. The crystal cufflinks on his suit flashed with a streak of light from his movement. “Not too sure. He probably went to the company. After all, there's no one in the Shen Family who can take charge now, so everything can only be handed over to him. It's normal for him to be busy.”

He seemingly said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything. Officer Chen frowned subtly and asked, seemingly casually: “How has Mr. Shen Yu been recently?”

'Having personally watched his father die before his eyes, and then inadvertently learning that his inseparable lover and his half-brother were actually in it together, how could his condition be any good?'

Sheng Chuan slowly curved his lips, the smile in his eyes spreading like ripples. “He's much better now, but he still likes to talk nonsense and sometimes self-harms. The doctor said it's psychological trauma and can only be treated slowly…”

Officer Chen had always felt that the reasons behind this car accident were complex, yet he couldn't find any evidence. “Is it convenient to go up and take a look?”

Sheng Chuan's words were sincere: “Yes, but I need Shen Run's permission. Officer Chen, as you know, I'm not a Shen, after all. I don't have much of a say.”

'As slippery as a loach.' Officer Chen paused upon hearing this, then expressed his understanding. He stood up from the sofa, preparing to take his leave. “It's alright, I was being too presumptuous. If Mr. Shen Yu's condition improves later, I'll have to trouble Mr. Sheng to inform me.”

Sheng Chuan stood up to see his guest off, his smile unchanging. “Police-civilian cooperation, it's what I should do.”

After seeing off the group of police officers, the luxuriously decorated duplex villa suddenly became empty, with only the sound of the nanny cooking in the kitchen. Sheng Chuan stood quietly on the spot, lost in thought, his eyes gradually turning deep and profound.

Anyone with a bit of information knew that before meeting Shen Yu, Sheng Chuan was just a small-time hoodlum who idled his days away. Of course, his methods were quite brilliant, otherwise, the haughty Second Young Master Shen wouldn't have taken a fancy to him.

But this was only one part of it. There was a second part: Sheng Chuan was actually hired by Shen Run to seduce Shen Yu. The goal was singular: to make Shen Yu come out of the closet, fall out with his family, and completely lose his inheritance rights.

The two brothers were, after all, not born from the same mother, separated by a womb. However, Shen Run never expected that Old Master Shen's favoritism for Shen Yu had reached such an extent that even if he was with a man, the old man never gave up the idea of letting him inherit the company.

Later, Old Master Shen got into a car accident, and Shen Yu was ruined. No one knew if Shen Run had a hand in it.

Logically, these matters had nothing to do with Sheng Chuan. However, since he had the ability to climb step by step to his current position, his ambition naturally didn't stop there. Although Shen Yu had gone mad, he was still the rightful heir to the company, and his value could not be underestimated.

If Shen Yu was a marionette, then Sheng Chuan wanted to be the hand pulling the strings from behind…

However, as the saying goes, being too clever by half can backfire. Before Sheng Chuan could do anything, Shen Run suddenly found some baseless evidence from who knows where, accusing him of tampering with Old Master Shen's car.

Sheng Chuan was unprepared and caught completely off guard. After all, he never imagined that Shen Run, that bastard, was more venomous than a snake, daring to harm even his own father. In the end, he died in a car accident while being taken away by the police for investigation.

No one could say for sure if it was karmic retribution.

Sheng Chuan had thought he was already dead. The intense impact from the car crash still lingered in his mind, but when he groggily opened his eyes, he found himself lying on his bedroom bed. The nanny, Auntie Lin, was knocking on the door outside, saying the police had arrived and asking him to come down.

Shen Run was riding a wave of success recently, busy taking over the company, and hadn't been back for half a month. Shen Yu couldn't be left without care, so Sheng Chuan had already moved into the Shen Family Residence logically last month.

His thoughts returned to reality. Sheng Chuan slowly sat down on the sofa, unable to figure out why he had been reborn. He even suspected that everything that had happened before was just a grotesque dream, yet it felt so incredibly real.

He fell into deep thought, unconsciously loosening his tie. When his well-defined hands tensed, they carried a poised strength, revealing that his inner self was not as calm as his exterior suggested.

The System had been hiding in the shadows, secretly observing him and taking notes in a small notebook.

Sheng Chuan was a staunch materialist. At this moment, he didn't connect it to anything supernatural. After thinking for a long time without reaching a conclusion, he simply gave up.

Whether it was a dream or reality, since Shen Run dared to harm him, he would definitely not get away with it. As for the Shen Family,

'No need to rush. In this life, I can plot carefully…'

A treacherous heart hidden within, a refined scoundrel—these phrases described people like Sheng Chuan.

The so-called reformation was nothing more than formulating a transformation plan based on the sins the host committed in their previous life. Sheng Chuan harmed Shen Yu, that was one mistake. He was unscrupulous in his pursuit of money, that was a second mistake. The System had only summarized this much for now; the rest required further observation.

The nanny, Auntie Lin, finished making lunch, set aside a portion, and carried it upstairs on a tray. When Shen Yu's mental state was stable, he could barely eat a little something. When it was unstable, he was no different from being insane, curling up in a corner and not letting anyone near.

Old Master Shen's death was too gruesome. Half of his body had been mangled by the truck that caused the accident. Shen Yu was sitting right next to him at the time, and it was inevitable that he would be traumatized by witnessing it firsthand.

Auntie Lin had been with the Shen Family for many years and had practically watched Shen Yu grow up. Seeing this, she couldn't help but sigh. Holding the tray, she stood in the hallway and knocked on the door: “Young Master, it's time to eat, Young Master.”

It was silent inside; no one answered her.

Auntie Lin hesitated, wanting to push the door open, but for some reason, she retracted her hand. She had no choice but to place the tray on the floor, turn around, and go downstairs. She walked up to Sheng Chuan and said, hesitating, “Mr. Sheng…”

The man, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, returned to his senses. The color of his pupils was slightly lighter than a normal person's, and his voice was like a gentle spring breeze. “Auntie Lin, what is it?”

He was too good at pretending, always maintaining a dashing appearance, and he never made things difficult for anyone, so all the nannies and drivers of the Shen Family had a very good impression of him.

Auntie Lin wiped her hands on her apron, looking a bit troubled: “It's like this, the Young Master hasn't eaten again today…”

Understanding the unspoken meaning, Sheng Chuan paused, then stood up from the sofa. “I'll go check on him. Where's the food?”

Auntie Lin breathed a sigh of relief: “I left the food upstairs. Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Sheng.”

Every time Sheng Chuan went to deliver the meal, Shen Yu would eat it. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Auntie Lin didn't want to trouble him.

Sheng Chuan smiled: “It's what I should do.”

After speaking, he turned and went upstairs, walking to the door of Shen Yu's room. A tray was on the floor, the food still warm. Sheng Chuan bent down to pick it up, knocked on the door with his knuckle, and waited a few seconds. Seeing no response from inside, he then pushed the door open and went in.

It was noon, and the sun was shining brightly outside, but this room seemed to be an exception. It avoided all sunlight, like a corner abandoned by the world, completely neglected.

The thick curtains were drawn tightly, completely blocking out the sunlight. The room was pitch-black and somber, exuding a decaying aura. It was so quiet that it showed no signs of being lived in. When Sheng Chuan entered with the tray, he found it a little hard to adjust to the darkness and unconsciously squinted.

In his past life, after Shen Yu went mad, he had been fighting with Shen Run both openly and secretly and had never paid any attention to Shen Yu again. Stepping into this place once more, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

Sheng Chuan closed the door behind him and locked it with a click. He seemed very familiar with the room's layout, walking unerringly to the desk in the darkness and placing the tray on it.

He raised his hand and pulled the curtains open a crack. A faint ray of sunlight shone diagonally into the room, providing some visibility. Sheng Chuan's gaze searched, finally spotting a huddled figure in the corner. With one hand in his pocket, he strode over.

Shen Yu was truly pitiful; that's what everyone outside said. After all, a proud son of heaven, arrogant and looking down on everyone, had gone mad in the blink of an eye.

Sheng Chuan also found him pitiful, but it was merely a crocodile-tears-like sentiment he had in his spare time.

Sheng Chuan squatted down, the perpetual curve on his lips unchanging, and called out in a low voice, as if calling a lover, “Ah Yu…”

The curtains swayed slightly without any wind, and the light and shadows shifted with them, landing precisely in the corner. The person huddled in the corner was instantly revealed.

In a short period of time, Shen Yu had become so thin he was unrecognizable. His skin was pale from the long absence of sunlight, and his dark eyes were dead and numb, seeming to hide an abyss that others could not glimpse. Hearing Sheng Chuan's voice, he slowly looked up, his slightly long bangs falling down, almost completely covering his eyes.

Shen Yu used to be the most arrogant of the young masters in the Beijing Circle—spoiled, difficult to serve, and the type to look down on people. He was riddled with the 'young master' attitude. Sheng Chuan had spent a lot of effort getting close to him back then. Seeing him in this state now, he was a far cry from the spirited person in his memory.

Sheng Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly and extended his hand to him: “Come here.”

His hand landed on the line between light and shadow, as if holding a handful of sunlight. His long fingertips were illuminated until they were somewhat transparent. But upon seeing this, Shen Yu seemed to be provoked and suddenly lunged forward, biting his wrist fiercely, as if trying to rip off a piece of flesh.

Sheng Chuan frowned subconsciously but was caught off guard by Shen Yu's hate-filled gaze. He raised his hand and forcefully gripped his jaw, forcing him to release his teeth, only to see a deep bite mark on his wrist. Thick blood trickled down, finally dripping onto the floor with a soft sound.

Sheng Chuan glanced at it casually, unconcerned. 'Shen Yu still has such a dog's temper,' he thought. He pinched his chin forcefully and said with a half-smile, “Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?”

Shen Yu's pale, chapped lips were stained with Sheng Chuan's blood, a jarring splash of red. He struggled desperately but lacked the strength and was ultimately thrown to the ground by Sheng Chuan.

“No… no…”

Shen Yu seemed to be having an episode. His face was pale, and cold sweat dripped down. He pressed down hard on his twitching wrist, his eyes filled with a neurotic sensitivity. He shook his head repeatedly and scrambled back into the corner. He tried his best to curl into a ball, like a small animal hiding from a predator, adopting a defensive posture.

He seemed to recall something terrible and became helpless, the ferocity from when he bit someone moments ago gone. He hugged his head with his hands, so thin that his wrist bones were clearly visible, and pleaded repeatedly, “Don't come here… don't come here…”

Sheng Chuan watched with cold eyes. After a moment, he got up from the floor and brought over a bowl of porridge from the tray. He stirred it gently a couple of times with the spoon. Steam rose from the bowl, and the porcelain spoon clinked crisply against the rim of the porcelain bowl.

Sheng Chuan never engaged in unprofitable dealings. To him now, Shen Yu had little use value, so naturally, there was no need to coddle him as before. He lowered his eyes and said, “Come and eat.”

His face was still smiling; the expression was like a mask branded onto his face, impossible to peel off.

Shen Yu didn't move. He seemed to feel no hunger, completely unaware that he hadn't eaten in two days. He just slowly, slowly, buried his face in his knees and mumbled, “Won't eat… won't eat…”

Sheng Chuan's patience was limited. Hearing this, he retorted, “You're really not going to eat?”

Shen Yu huddled quietly in the corner, burying his face in the crook of his arm, resisting everything. After a moment, he lifted his head neurotically and asked in a small, fearful voice, “Where's my dad…”

'Your dad's long dead,' Sheng Chuan thought. He got up from the floor, pulled the window half-open, and poured the porridge from the bowl into the flowerbed outside. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a faint, hopeful voice from the corner behind him, “Have you seen Ah Chuan…”

Sheng Chuan paused at his words and turned back to look at him.