Chapter 20: Going Home

“Fourth Brother, I am Yi An’s fiancé, Li Beichen.”

“Although this is our first meeting, I hope you don’t mind me saying—perhaps we could find another place to talk?”

“Yi An doesn’t look too well.”

Hearing this, Shen Junkai immediately shifted his gaze to Shen Yi’an.

“Little sister, are you alright?”

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

As he spoke, he freed one hand to check her forehead temperature, reaching a conclusion after a moment.

“Fortunately, it’s just mild heatstroke.”

“Come, let’s go home first.”

“Knowing you were returning today, Mom and Dad have already taken leave and are waiting at home.”

After saying this, he glanced sideways at Li Beichen.

“You come with us too.”

“As for whether you’re a fiancé or not—that will depend on my parents’ opinion.”

With that, he took the lead, walking ahead to clear the way for his little sister who followed closely behind.

Feeling the protection from her family, Shen Yi’an felt her nose sting slightly.

On this day in her past life, her fourth brother must have come to pick her up just as happily as he was now, right?

When he never saw her arrive, how anxious must Fourth Brother have been back then?

Could he have been so worried that…

But it doesn’t matter—she’s back now!

In this lifetime, she won’t let her family experience the pain of losing her again. She will definitely stay by their side and accompany them happily for a lifetime.

Suppressing the sorrow in her eyes, Shen Yi’an looked at the man standing beside her and whispered, “You’re really bold, daring to challenge my fourth brother’s authority.”

“The last person who brazenly claimed in front of my fourth brother that he wanted to be my brother is still struggling under Fourth Brother’s supervision to this day.”

“If you dare call yourself my fiancé in front of him, be prepared to face the consequences when we get home!”

Hearing this, Li Beichen met her gaze with eyes full of amusement. “I deserve whatever comes.”

“After all, I’m the one who stole away his most beloved sister.”

On the train from Jingshi to Lancheng, Shen Yi’an had honestly explained her family situation.

Although she only gave a general overview, Li Beichen was no fool—he cleverly deduced the key points from her words.

It all boiled down to one thing:

His future father-in-law’s entire family doted on his fiancée, and they did so without any reservations.

The reason was simple: his fiancée had been frail since childhood.

When he reached this conclusion back then, Li Beichen had actually felt a twinge of fear.

That night in the dance hall’s private room, he had tasted the sweetness and indulged again and again.

If the commotion outside the private room hadn’t been so loud, he might not have stopped at all that entire night.

Fortunately, he did stop in the end.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare imagine the consequences.

But precisely because he had prepared himself, he could now face this topic with composure.

Seeing how even his hair seemed to radiate happiness, Shen Yi’an somewhat regretted agreeing to bring him home.

Originally, they had agreed he would only accompany her to Lancheng before leaving.

But after being teased relentlessly by the enthusiastic elderly lady on the train, she had impulsively agreed to take him home in a moment of weakness.

Tsk—beauty truly leads one astray!

The Shen family lived in the Steel Mill Residential Compound, about a forty-minute drive from the train station.

Considering Shen Yi’an’s health, Shen Junkai had taken a taxi when he came out.

As the three of them exited the train station, the taxi Shen Junkai had arranged earlier was already waiting by the roadside.

After loading the cigarettes, alcohol, and tea into the trunk,

using the excuse of looking after his little sister, Shen Junkai directed Li Beichen to the passenger seat while he himself sat beside Shen Yi’an.

Regarding this, Li Beichen couldn’t say much, only his slightly aggrieved expression could be seen through the rearview mirror.

Shen Yi’an didn’t feel right scolding her fourth brother over such a trivial matter either, so she kept her head lowered throughout the entire ride home.

Only when they got off at the entrance of the Steel Mill Residential Compound did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.

They say women are terrifying when jealous, but it turns out men are no less formidable.

Though there was no hair-pulling or clothes-tearing involved, the silent battle of stares and auras was even more intimidating.

“Little sister, what are you thinking about?”

After handing the cigarettes and alcohol from the trunk to Li Beichen and carrying the tea and health supplements himself, Shen Junkai turned to see his younger sister standing aside, occasionally shrugging and shrinking her neck.

Her movements looked somewhat amusing, and since he couldn’t immediately discern the truth, asking directly was the simplest approach.

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shook her head with a smile. “Nothing much. Fourth brother, let’s hurry home!”

“It’s been months since I last came back. I wonder how much home has changed.”

Though she said months, in reality, it felt like decades had passed.

But Shen Junkai didn’t know this and merely shook his head in amusement.

“What could possibly change at home?”

“Eldest sister and second sister have their own families now and only come back during holidays and New Year.”

“Your fourth sister-in-law is pregnant again, so I rarely get the chance to visit either.”

“Only Mom, Dad, and Third Brother with Third Sister-in-law are at home. It’s still the same as always—you’ll see when we get there.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi’an’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Fourth sister-in-law is pregnant again? Boy or girl? How many months along?”

“Just over three months,” Shen Junkai replied with a smile.

“We went to the hospital a few days ago. The doctor said both mother and child are healthy.”

“As for whether it’s a boy or a girl, it doesn’t matter. Your fourth brother doesn’t hold those old-fashioned preferences for sons over daughters.”

At this, Shen Yi’an shot him an amused glance. I wonder who it was that kept going on about wanting a pretty daughter when fourth sister-in-law was pregnant with the first two nephews.”

“Now you claim you don’t favor sons over daughters? Do you really think I’d believe that?”

To this, Shen Junkai could only chuckle repeatedly without offering a rebuttal.

Finally seizing the moment when Shen Yi’an fell two steps behind, Li Beichen took a long stride to stand beside her. Tilting his head, his voice brimmed with anticipation as he said, “Our family has absolutely no preference for sons over daughters.”

“You know, my grandfather has been longing for a granddaughter so much his eyes are practically glued with hope.”

Catching the deeper meaning in his words, Shen Yi’an threw him a coquettish glare before quickly catching up to her fourth brother.

When they were less than a hundred meters from home, they spotted a figure in the distance talking to someone while repeatedly glancing toward the intersection.

At one point, the watching figure suddenly froze, then waved cheerfully at the person beside them.

Immediately after, they hurried forward to meet them.

“You silly girl, didn’t I ask your fourth brother to bring a sun hat for you? Why aren’t you wearing it?”

“Aren’t you hot?”

“If your fair, delicate face gets tanned, it would be such a pity!”

Feeling the person alternately stroking her cheeks and smoothing her hair, Shen Yi’an smiled through welling tears. “Mom, I missed you so much!”

As she spoke, she threw herself into the other’s embrace. “You have no idea how much I’ve been craving your cooking.”

“What delicious things have you prepared this time?”

“If there’s no sour and spicy shredded potatoes—my favorite—I won’t let it slide!”

Hearing this, Deng Yaxin patted her head affectionately, amused.

“You little glutton, why don’t you learn from your eldest and second sisters?”

“Your eldest sister always asks for big plate chicken noodles the moment she steps through the door, and your second sister immediately wants potato stew with pork ribs.”

“Yet you’re different – you only like sour and spicy shredded potatoes and simple stir-fried bok choy.”

“With such a bland diet, no wonder you’re not healthy!”

Hearing the familiar nagging, Shen Yi’an buried her face in her mother’s shoulder to wipe away tears before responding with a laugh, “Mom, you should say these things to me privately.”

“If my sisters hear this, what if they stop giving me secret allowance money?”

“Then I’d be so pitiful!”

At these words, the people gathered around her immediately burst into laughter.

When the joyful mood had somewhat subsided, Deng Yaxin’s gaze finally fell upon the unfamiliar face beside her son.

“Fourth Brother, is this your colleague?”

“How could you let a guest carry so many things?”

“Why aren’t you helping?”

As she said this, she completely forgot that her own son was also holding a pile of items.

The reason she said this was simply because Li Beichen and Shen Junkai were standing close together, and their heights appeared quite similar.

It was perfectly natural to assume they were colleagues.

After all, as the old saying goes: birds of a feather flock together, which perfectly described the current situation.

Hearing this, Shen Junkai shook his head at his mother.

“He didn’t come with me.”

“If you want to know the details, ask your youngest daughter.”