"Have you been that tired lately?" his mother asked with heartfelt concern at the breakfast table, seeing Shen Fei's bloodshot eyes and weary expression after he had pulled an all-nighter.
For more than half a month, Shen Fei had been very obedient, following all of his parents' arrangements. He went to work dutifully and learned the various aspects of the business as instructed. His mother thought her son simply wasn't used to this level of work intensity and was exhausted from it.
"Why don't you take a few days off!" she said, turning to his father. "It's not that urgent. Look how tired you've made our son!"
"Fine! But today, you're coming with me to visit Old Yi. It's already been arranged!" Father Shen hadn't played chess in days because of the golden chess piece and its special effects. He suspected Shen Fei wasn't merely tired, but he didn't argue with his wife's request. It was best to take things slow and steady. His son was willing to get involved in the family business, and his attitude over the past half-month had indeed been excellent. Father Shen was willing to let him rest for a few days.
BLUB. BLUB.
Nearby, his younger sister Shen Yue kept her head down, blowing bubbles into her congee. If she didn't, she was afraid she would burst out laughing. Their parents might not know what was up with Shen Fei, but Shen Yue could tell with a single glance that her big brother had been playing games all night again.
Unfortunately, under Shen Fei's menacing glare, Shen Yue kept her mouth shut. Someone had topped up her Traveling Frog account with a million yuan, and she had finally figured out it was her brother. After trying out the new skin for her Traveling Frog, the only thing Shen Yue wanted to say was: This is amazing!
Thinking of it as her brother bribing her in advance, Shen Yue didn't expose his true state.
Soon after finishing breakfast, Shen Fei left the house with his father. This time, they didn't drive. Instead, they walked to another villa not far from their home. The Nanshan Villa district, where his family lived, contained over five hundred villas in total and was considered the most high-end affluent area in all of Qing City. Seeing the direction his father was headed, Shen Fei understood that the person they were visiting today also lived in the villa district.
"The man we're visiting today is named Yi. Just call him Uncle Yi. His company…" Father Shen explained as they leisurely walked toward their destination.
Soon, Shen Fei learned that this Uncle Yi he was about to visit had assets comparable to his own family's. His company was an upstream supplier in the Shen Family's industrial chain, and the two families cooperated a lot in business.
"Isn't this guy a competitor of our family?" Shen Fei asked curiously after hearing his father's introduction.
"Not really. Although he's always wanted to get a foothold in the downstream industry, he lacks the technology, the people, and the market," Father Shen waved his hand dismissively. "I brought you here today mainly so you could get to know our upstream suppliers."
"Okay!" Shen Fei nodded, and soon he and his father arrived at their destination.
"Aha, Old Shen, you're here! Please, come in!" A middle-aged man, about the same age as Father Shen, dressed in a crisp shirt with his hair immaculately combed, had clearly been waiting for them. "And this must be Fei! A fine, upstanding young man, just as I'd heard!" He warmly welcomed the Shen father and son into the villa.
"Call him Uncle Yi," Father Shen prompted.
"Hello, Uncle Yi," Shen Fei complied respectfully.
"Old Shen, are you planning to retire?" Uncle Yi asked enthusiastically as they settled onto the sofa, offering them tea. "I hear you've been taking Fei around to meet a lot of people lately!"
"It's going well. The boy is taking it seriously, so it's a good chance to take him to see some old friends and broaden his horizons!" Father Shen said with a humble wave of his hand. He was actually quite pleased with Shen Fei's behavior over the past several days. Among his peers of similar status, most of their sons were just eating, drinking, and making merry, never at home, and hadn't even started learning the family business. Shen Fei's conduct over the last half a month was quite excellent compared to others his age.
"Hahaha, Old Shen, you're a lucky man!" Uncle Yi replied with a wide grin and a loud laugh. But Shen Fei saw a mocking glint in his eyes.
"If you run into trouble in the future, you can always come to your brother!" Uncle Yi added, refilling their teacups.
"Hm?"
"Hm?"
Uncle Yi's words made both Shen Fei and his father pause.
"Ah, no, no. I meant, if I run into trouble in the future, I'll be coming to you for help, Brother Shen!" Realizing his slip of the tongue, Uncle Yi immediately tried to correct it. "A man gets old and can't even speak properly anymore! And Fei, don't you mind your old uncle's ramblings!"
"You old coot, if I ever fall on hard times, I'll definitely come looking for you!" Father Shen glanced at Uncle Yi and burst into laughter.
"Definitely, definitely!"
The two old men exchanged pleasantries and started chatting about everything under the sun. Father Shen deliberately guided the conversation, discussing matters concerning their two companies. Shen Fei learned in even greater detail that this Uncle Yi desperately wanted to break into the downstream sector of the industry.
He knows I sold my dad's shares? And that part of the one billion yuan even came from him? Shen Fei, who had been obediently pouring tea on the side, quickly confirmed it: this Uncle Yi knew that he had sold the shares behind his father's back. His conversation with Father Shen was filled with a smug, gloating air, and he kept intentionally or unintentionally directing comments at him. Shen Fei sensed something was off.
Well, well. It's always the people closest to you who are the most dangerous! Having confirmed Uncle Yi's intentions, Shen Fei watched him chat idly with his father and sighed inwardly.
If it weren't for the apocalypse… if the game hadn't invaded… if I hadn't inherited the game's abilities… A random thought suddenly crossed Shen Fei's mind. If the Game World really hadn't invaded, he would have truly screwed his father over. No, that won't happen… Shaking his head, Shen Fei cast the thought from his mind.
「An hour later.」
He followed his father, said his goodbyes, and left.
"Wang, help me check if the company's recent supply chain is stable. See if anything unusual has happened!" They had barely taken a few steps from Uncle Yi's house when Father Shen quickly made a phone call. He had also noticed Uncle Yi's strange behavior. Unfortunately, he had no idea that the source of it all was his own son, standing right beside him.
"What are you so happy about?" After the Shen father and son left, Uncle Yi sat on the sofa, laughing excitedly. His wife, curious, asked him what was going on.
"Stop asking questions. Send our son five million yuan and let him go have some fun!" Without another word, Uncle Yi gave his wife the order.
"Are you crazy? Don't you know how he is with his debauchery? The moment he has money, he squanders it!" his wife shook her head repeatedly.
That's even better! It's better than… Uncle Yi waved his hand dismissively, insisting on giving his son the five million. A son who squanders money on extravagant pleasures is far better than a son who secretly mortgages his father's shares. Compared to the Shen Family, who will likely be ruined in half a year, my son is a model of filial piety.
Uncle Yi never would have expected it. That Shen Fei, who looked so obedient and kind, would be capable of something so outrageous. To dare mortgage his family's shares to *that* kind of organization, as if it were a gamble. He had only heard about this matter by a stroke of luck and had secretly swallowed up a tenth of it himself.
By now, Uncle Yi even knew that after mortgaging the shares, Shen Fei had dumped half the money he received into a game. At first, he had been worried that Shen Fei mortgaged the shares to use the money for some high-risk venture. But as it turned out, several hundred million was poured directly into a game. This made Uncle Yi and the people behind him ecstatic. They already considered the Shen Family's company shares as good as theirs.
To avoid any glitches in the game that might stop Shen Fei from continuing to top up his account, many of them even secretly pulled strings to protect the game company, ensuring it wouldn't get reported or investigated by its rivals. Everything was to ensure Shen Fei remained addicted. Then, in half a year, they would acquire the Shen Family's company shares.
Old Shen, oh, Old Shen. Back in the day, you thwarted me, preventing me from entering the downstream industry! Let's see how you'll stop me in half a year! When the time comes, should I attend your memorial service, or should I go to your grave and offer flowers…
A sinister light flickered in Uncle Yi's eyes.