After the Sang-Style Beauty Married the Disabled Villain [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

Shen Jia-Li half-closed his eyes and said nonchalantly, “If you can finish speaking within five seconds, I will consider helping you.”

If you’re asking for someone’s help, could you stop putting on such an act of being in a difficult position?

Nan Feiyao glanced at him with an expression of displeasure. However, in the original story, he was a hot-tempered man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. As long as he could accomplish his objective, he was perfectly willing to put aside his dignity and beg this tool/cannon-fodder character he looked down upon.

“I heard my brother bought Lan Qing a Shelby Tuatara. He’ll probably hand over the car keys directly, but you know I’ve been pursuing Lan Qing lately and I don’t want… my brother to steal the spotlight. So, can you help me switch them with this gift instead? Once it’s done, that car will be yours, Sister-in-law.”

Nan Feiyao took out a gift box about half a person’s length from behind him, wrapped exquisitely in deep blue paper.

Shen Jia-Li opened his eyes and asked lazily, “Why are you so sure I’ll help you?”

“Sister-in-law, don’t you understand? My brother’s feelings for Lan Qing—you are his wife now, are you really willing to sit by and watch your husband pour all his attention into someone else?” Nan Feiyao was anxious, his words firing off like a machine gun.

Shen Jia-Li thought to himself that he would be more than happy to. As someone who would even act as a lookout for a husband committing adultery, he was eager for his convenient husband to drown in the ocean of a hedonistic world so he could enjoy some peace and quiet.

But, thinking about it from another angle: since the original owner was tortured inhumanely by Nan Liujing for secretly swapping the gift and died shortly after, why not let it be part of his grand plan to pursue a peaceful world?

Shen Jia-Li took the gift from the table. “Understood, I’ll help you.”

Nan Feiyao didn’t seem to expect him to be so straightforward. He said a few more flattering things and didn’t forget to urge Shen Jia-Li, “Don’t tell Lan Qing about this; this is a secret between the two of us.”

Shen Jia-Li picked up the two large boxes wrapped in deep blue paper and stood up. “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.” Without giving Nan Feiyao a chance to say goodbye, he strode out of the café.

When he got home, he happened to run into Uncle Li, who had just returned from picking up the car. He was also holding a large box wrapped in deep blue paper. Seeing Shen Jia-Li’s two gift boxes, he laughed, “Mr. Shen really dotes on his younger brother, buying double the gifts even.”

Shen Jia-Li hummed twice. Whatever you say is right.

After entering the house, Uncle Li respectfully said to Nan Liujing, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, “Young Master, the car keys have been packaged as you requested. I will place them in the study now and remind you to bring the gift tomorrow when you attend the banquet.”

Nan Liujing uttered a low “Mm,” his gaze falling on Shen Jia-Li behind him.

He had only gone shopping at the mall, yet he had worked up a light sweat, and his naturally pale lips had lost their last trace of color, leaving him looking sickly and pale. I fear that sweat wasn’t from exercise, but from something else. After all, the person before him was a well-known socialite in Jin Hai City, famous for being able to stay up for three or four days in nightclubs without calling it exhausting.

Shen Jia-Li went upstairs. He had walked for a full half-hour and now needed to lie down for an hour or two to recover his energy. Before falling asleep, he set an alarm for midnight.

He didn’t know how long he slept, but once the alarm went off, he woke up in agony. Looking at the two almost identical deep blue gift boxes beside him, Shen Jia-Li fell into deep thought. Which one did Nan Feiyao give him again? If he opened them to check, he was convinced that as a person with clumsy hands, he would inevitably be unable to restore them to their original state.

Forget it, since they are being swapped anyway, it doesn’t matter.

He grabbed one box at random, without any sense of acting like a thief, and without any effort to conceal his actions or check the surrounding environment, he walked straight to the study. After completing the swap, he muddled his way back to his bedroom carrying the box containing the car keys.

I’m exhausted. Time to sleep.

Nan Liujing, who was sitting in a corner of the study closing his eyes to rest, intending to turn on the lights later to work: ?

This person acted as if he hadn’t seen him at all, and he performed the gift swap with such righteousness. This composure made him admire him, and even more so, it left him without a reasonable point to flare up. However, it was also good; he was only worried that he wouldn’t do it.

He took his headache medication, opened his laptop, clicked on the “Divorce Plan 5.0,” and added “Swapping precious gifts” after Shen Jia-Li’s list of crimes.

The next day was Shen Lanqing’s birthday banquet. To curry favor with the Nan family, the banquet was held at a five-star hotel under the Hanhai Group.

The Nan family was a massive industrial conglomerate; 70% of the country’s electronics were monopolized by them. In addition, they were involved in real estate, maritime affairs, airports, and more. Recently, all the new high-end real estate developments bore the Hanhai Group logo.

Nan Liujing said he had work to handle and would arrive later, telling Uncle Li to take Shen Jia-Li there first. Fearing that Uncle Li would lecture him again, Shen Jia-Li changed into his new clothes ahead of time.

Calling them “new” was a stretch; they were simply the same clothes he had been wearing the day he transmigrated, washed and dried to pass as new. A simple, undecorated white shirt, straight-leg jeans, and high-top sneakers. Even for the sharp-eyed Uncle Li, he couldn’t detect any flaws, praising him as a young, beautiful lad, and saying he had finally witnessed what it meant to be “as beautiful as a painting.”

Shen Jia-Li didn’t expect that regardless of whether he wore new clothes or not, Uncle Li would always find a reason to lecture him.

As soon as they arrived at the hotel entrance, he saw Shen Lanqing’s parents welcoming distinguished guests. They had also put effort into their attire, and if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t think they were nouveau riche. The entrance was filled with luxury cars, and Uncle Li, unable to find a parking space, told Shen Jia-Li to go in first while he looked elsewhere.

Shen Jia-Li got out of the car, the sunlight stinging his eyes so much that he couldn’t help but lift a hand to shield them; his naturally light-colored pupils were nearly transparent in the intense light. Passersby, whether they knew him or not, couldn’t help but steal several glances when they saw this scene.

The couple welcoming guests also saw Shen Jia-Li. The adoptive mother continued to entertain guests with a calm expression, while the adoptive father trotted over, took off his suit jacket, draped it over Shen Jia-Li’s shoulders, and chided, “Li-Li, didn’t Dad send you a message saying it would get colder today? Why did you come wearing so little?”

In truth, whether one loves someone or not can be seen through the smallest, most trivial details.

Shen Jia-Li gave his adoptive father, Gong Yuan, a faint smile. “Because I was waiting for Dad’s concern.”

He didn’t know if he said this for the original owner’s adoptive father, or for his own biological father whom he had never met in the real world. Gong Yuan helped him block the sunlight and walked him into the hotel with his arm around his shoulders. “Once you go in, sit at the first table. Dad will come to join you once I finish welcoming the guests.”

Shen Jia-Li nodded and stepped inside.

He was stopped by his adoptive mother, who said in an icy tone, “Today is an important day for your younger brother. You’d best behave yourself and not cause us any trouble.”

“How could Li-Li cause you trouble? Li-Li is very well-behaved.” The adoptive father smiled apologetically and quickly pushed Shen Jia-Li, signaling him to go in quickly.

Shen Jia-Li felt irritated; he shouldn’t have come today.

He passed through the lobby to the banquet hall in the back, where many guests were already seated. Even a minor birthday celebration was held with great pomp—there were thirty tables set up. The Klein blue lighting cast down, paired with some precious marine fossil ornaments, making the room sparkle and shimmer, much like a dreamlike deep-sea dragon palace.

A long corridor divided the dining tables into two groups; the left was for relatives, and the right for friends and classmates. Shen Jia-Li sat at the first table in the relatives’ section, as instructed by his adoptive father. A few people were already sparsely scattered around the round table; since Shen Jia-Li didn’t recognize any of them, he didn’t bother greeting them.

Opposite him, a young man about his age was wearing a high-end designer suit, his hair slicked back so shiny it looked like a greasy mirror, much like an elite. However, the words that came out of his mouth didn’t have a single thing in common with being elite:

“Cousin, today is Lan Qing’s birthday banquet after all, and you showed up wearing this? It’s too casual. It seems you don’t take Lan Qing seriously at all.”

Shen Jia-Li didn’t even look at him. “Didn’t you also show up without brushing your teeth?”

The “elite” brother’s face instantly hardened. He lowered his head, covered his mouth, and secretly breathed onto his palm to take a sniff. Finally, he realized that this “didn’t brush your teeth” was not that “didn’t brush your teeth.”

Shen Jia-Li didn’t consider himself a firecracker that would ignite with a single touch, nor did he have the energy to trade verbal barbs with others. But at this moment, if he showed weakness, others would only intensify their mockery. If he wanted peace and quiet, he just needed to make sure the other party couldn’t open their mouth.

The “elite” man’s mother, upon hearing that her son had been retorted, felt her anger flare up. She fired off a barrage of retorts: “Was your cousin wrong? You showed up to such an important occasion dressed like this—isn’t that just showing you don’t care about Lan Qing? Look at this room full of people; who else is dressed as casually as you?”

Shen Jia-Li turned his head, scrutinized her carefully from head to toe, and then looked away. “If you were a beauty, I might have dressed up carefully. Looking at you now, it really wasn’t necessary.”

Don’t blame him for personal attacks; the other party was the one who started the “personal appearance” topic.

The woman was so angry that her plastic nose prosthesis almost shifted to the side. Her face turned from red to white. But seeing others laughing at them, and fearing that this kid would say something even more unpleasant, she had no choice but to fold, burying her head with her good son to sulk.

Her lungs felt like they were leaking air; goddammit.

Uncle Li, before they arrived, had been worried that Shen Jia-Li would be ridiculed by these snobbish relatives. But once inside, he was met with a scene of peace and prosperity, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

After the guests had mostly arrived, Shen Lanqing finally brought his loyal little sidekick, Nan Feiyao, into the banquet hall. Under the gaze of everyone, he was dressed in a pure white suit, tall and straight, elegant and dashing. The well-tailored suit outlined his graceful waistline; with narrow hips and long legs, he was incredibly debonair.

As soon as he entered the banquet hall, everyone stood up to applaud and welcome him, wearing hypocritical smiles on their faces. “Oh my, our little birthday boy is truly handsome. It must be the fine genes of the Shen family; he’s completely different from outsiders.” A relative said enthusiastically.

Although this statement didn’t mention Shen Jia-Li, every word seemed to be aimed at him.

Shen Jia-Li didn’t understand. Wasn’t the person saying this also an outsider? How could some people be so fierce that they even insulted themselves when they got angry?

Shen Lanqing looked around and discovered Shen Jia-Li in the corner. He suddenly shook off Nan Feiyao’s hand and walked quickly toward him. Nan Feiyao’s expression darkened as he watched his beloved man turn and throw himself into another person’s embrace.

Yes, Shen Lanqing hugged Shen Jia-Li like a child. When he looked up, his face was flushed. “Brother, you came to my birthday party! I’m so happy. How did you come?”

As the protagonist of the day, all the guests’ eyes were naturally on Shen Lanqing, and inevitably, Shen Jia-Li also became the center of attention. Many guests came forward to greet Shen Lanqing, exchanging pleasantries.

Shen Lanqing wanted to talk to his brother, but the relatives and friends were too enthusiastic, interrupting him several times. He simply said, “The dishes are all served, everyone eat well and drink well.”

They were all foxes who had lived for a thousand years; how could they not hear the subtext in Shen Lanqing’s words? They consciously stopped bothering him and scattered like birds and beasts.

Shen Lanqing sat down right next to Shen Jia-Li, turned the round table, and asked, “Brother, what do you want to eat? Don’t be shy, just eat to your heart’s content.”

Shen Jia-Li glanced at the dishes; they were all “hard” dishes like Ise lobster, Australian abalone, and king crab, which were a hassle to eat. He picked up a chopstick of shredded bamboo shoots, feeling immensely grateful for the simplicity—yet not simple—nature of the bamboo shoots. Any dish that didn’t require effort to eat was a good dish.

Seeing this, Shen Lanqing hurriedly called a waiter to inform them to have the kitchen stir-fry four more plates of shredded bamboo shoots for this table. Shen Jia-Li’s hand froze mid-air.

Everyone knew that this young master, who had recently recognized his ancestors, had become the apple of the Shen family’s eye. Coupled with the fact that the little young master, who was the most likely successor to the Nan family conglomerate, was pursuing him passionately, his value skyrocketed, and they all hurried to curry favor.

The aunt with the plastic nose wiped her hands carefully with a wet wipe, picked up a piece of lobster with its shell, and smiled kindly. “Lanqing, this is the first time I’ve seen you. You look so obedient; Auntie really dotes on you. Shall Auntie peel the lobster for you?”

This attitude was completely different from when she had ridiculed Shen Jia-Li moments ago.

Shen Lanqing looked back and nodded at his aunt with a smile, then immediately shifted his gaze back to Shen Jia-Li. “Brother, what else do you want to eat? I’ll have the kitchen add more.”

Without waiting for Shen Jia-Li to speak, the aunt had already peeled the lobster, filled a small plate, and sent it to Shen Lanqing’s side. “Lanqing, eat the lobster. Auntie peeled it for you.”

Every third sentence was “Auntie,” fearing that Shen Lanqing wouldn’t remember who she was.

Shen Lanqing said thank you, dragged the small plate over, held it with both hands as if offering treasure, and blinked his big eyes. “Brother, eat the lobster, it’s delicious.”

The aunt performed a live show of her facial features contorting in anger.

Shen Jia-Li looked gloomily at the aunt’s manicured fingers, noticing a missing chip of polish on her fingernail. He rested his chin on one hand and continued to eat his bamboo shoots. “I’m allergic.”

“Allergic to what? Lobster allergy?!” Shen Lanqing stood up in surprise, about to call someone to take away all the lobsters.

“Nail polish allergy.” Shen Jia-Li smiled slightly, a smile that could topple cities.

Shen Lanqing said “Ah,” and slowly looked at his aunt’s hand. After a long while, he scratched his cheek embarrassedly, lowering his voice as much as possible: “Auntie, my brother is allergic to nail polish. Could you… find a way to remove the polish?”

The aunt drew her fingers back in embarrassment, already shredding Shen Jia-Li to pieces in her heart. This wasn’t nail polish, but gel polish—the kind that was so fragile that a chip would break off just from peeling a shell. But how could she explain this to two men? Even if she did, they wouldn’t understand and would only make her lose more face.

Unable to handle the awkwardness, the aunt grabbed her “good son,” said “I have something to do and must leave” with a forced laugh, left a red envelope, and hurried away, covering her nose.

With the annoying relatives gone, Shen Jia-Li suddenly felt his mood improve and his appetite increased. Knowing that this was all thanks to Shen Lanqing, he, for the first time in his life, took the initiative to peel a shrimp for him.

Although it was still peeled into a mess.

Shen Lanqing acted as if he had received some priceless treasure. Tears welled up in his eyes, he excitedly shouted “Brother” three times, ate the shrimp meat in one bite, and honey coated his little mouth: “Brother is so kind, the shrimp Brother peeled is also sweet.”

After speaking, he leaned in to press against his brother.

Shen Jia-Li: “I didn’t wash my hands.”

Shen Lanqing smiled sweetly, not bothered in the slightest: “The bacteria on Brother’s hands are also sweet.”

Shen Jia-Li: Hiss,

Goosebumps are holding a convention.

Did he really transmigrate into the wrong book? Why is it different from the original story?

Probably because Shen Lanqing kept sticking to this abandoned child who had long lost his favor, his mother couldn’t sit still anymore. She stepped over in her small high heels, took Shen Lanqing’s hand, and smiled, “Lanqing, go to the other tables and greet your aunts and uncles. Don’t keep sticking to your brother; your brother is tired.”

Shen Lanqing was unwilling to give up, blinking his innocent eyes to seek confirmation from Shen Jia-Li: “Brother, are you tired?”

Shen Jia-Li nodded weakly, urging him to leave quickly in his heart.

“All right then, you have a good rest, I’ll come find you in a while.”

Shen Lanqing was reluctant to part, looking back every three steps.

The adoptive mother took a deep breath and whispered in Shen Jia-Li’s ear: “There will be a gift-giving segment in a while. You don’t need to give anything. Lan Qing doesn’t need your things. Finish this meal, and leave quickly.”

After speaking, she walked away.