HBWMA -Chapter 73 Antibodies, Determination

“A-Ling, A-Yu, what are you two whispering about over there?”

Shen Qingyu raised his brows slightly and leaned back with his hands behind his neck as he turned around. “Nothing. Didn’t you say my temperament is unstable and told me to learn from A-Ling? I’m just taking lessons.”

The old master glanced at Shen Guiling and waved the two of them over. The two of them moved with tacit understanding and walked one after the other toward the flower hall.

Shen Zhuang tapped the tabletop, and the two sat down on either side. A maid came forward to serve Shen Guiling tea and poured Shen Qingyu a glass of cold water.

“Grandpa, what are we doing in the west suburb today? I’ve been stuck in Shen Manor these past two days—I’m about to rot,” Shen Qingyu said, leaning lazily against the chair even in front of the old master, completely unrestrained.

Shen Guiling sat upright. When he lifted his teacup, his gaze casually swept over the iron box on the old master’s desk. His eyes flickered for a moment before he lowered his gaze and calmly sipped his tea, giving nothing away.

The old master glared at Shen Qingyu. “You’ve only been here a few days and you’re already about to rot?”

Then he turned to Shen Zhi. “Bring them in.”

“Yes.” Shen Zhi nodded and left the flower hall. Soon after, he returned with two men following behind him.

Shen Guiling slowly set down his teacup. He had seen both men before—the one carrying the medical kit was Dr. Meng, who had treated his wounds before. The other left an even deeper impression: the burly man who had once slapped Old Master Fu so hard he knocked him down.

Shen Qingyu glanced at them without much reaction. Clearly, he recognized them as well.

The old master pointed at the man on the right and looked at Shen Guiling. “A-Ling, this is Zheng Song. He is responsible for the security of the Shen family and Shen Manor.”

Shen Guiling nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Zheng Song remained expressionless and ignored the greeting entirely.

“Tch.” Shen Qingyu lifted his chin and glanced at Shen Guiling. “Save your effort. This big idiot only listens to Grandpa.”

Before Shen Guiling could respond, Shen Zhuang suddenly raised his cane and struck Shen Qingyu on the forehead.

“Who are you calling an idiot? You were told to pick three investments out of a hundred proposals, and you lost all three. Not a single one even made it into Series B. Two of them already had accounting issues in Series A, and you still injected another fifty million yuan into them?”

“If we’re talking about being competent in your position, Zheng Song is far more capable than you. At least I’m still alive because of people like him, while you’ve already lost your father fifteen hundred million yuan! And you still have the face to talk about others?”

“……”

Shen Qingyu held his bruised forehead, clearly swallowing his words. He picked up the ice water on the table and pressed it against his face, still speaking lazily, “Even if that’s true, you could just say it. You didn’t have to hit me.”

Shen Zhuang waved his hand. “A-Ling, go to the inner room with Dr. Meng first.”

Shen Guiling nodded. He originally thought the old master was dismissing him to privately scold Shen Qingyu—but instead, as soon as Dr. Meng entered the room, he opened his medical kit, put on rubber gloves, and began preparing medication. Shen Zhi also entered shortly after.

“What is this for?” Shen Guiling asked.

Dr. Meng said nothing and glanced at Shen Zhi.

Shen Zhi replied, “A-Ling Young Master, there’s no need to be nervous. This is to administer a drug antibody.”

“A drug antibody?” Shen Guiling didn’t quite understand.

Shen Zhi continued, “Yes. All male members of the Shen family start receiving this vaccine from the age of six. It increases resistance to drugs. With this immunity, common sedatives and aphrodisiacs will have no effect on you. You can rely on your willpower to endure them. Most importantly…”

He paused, his tone turning serious.

“It helps prevent poisoning. With drug resistance, toxins spread more slowly through the body, giving more time for treatment.”

Shen Guiling’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

The Shen family’s security system went this far?

Shen Zhi added, “The vaccine is administered three times, once per year.” To calm him, he added, “The other young masters have already completed it as well.”

Dr. Meng filled a syringe. “Young Master A-Ling, shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

The injection went smoothly. As the needle pierced his skin, Shen Guiling watched calmly, his expression unusually steady.

At that moment, only one thought surfaced in his mind:

If he wanted to kill Shen Qian, poisoning would be the least effective method.

When he walked out of the inner room, the old master had already changed into outdoor clothing.

“Let’s go. We’re heading to the west suburb. Zheng Song will guide you today. A-Ling, you just observe for now and join in tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Shen Guiling replied, unconsciously touching the needle mark on his right arm.

A summer morning carried the scent of fresh grass, sunlight spilling across the windowsill in fragmented patterns.

“Jiang Huashan~ Jiang Huashan~”

Half-asleep, Jiang Huashan felt like a fly was buzzing by her ear. She instinctively swatted at it, only to feel a sharp prick in her palm.

“What is that?!” She immediately woke up, startled, and jumped out of bed.

The round “ball” across from her was also startled, clutching its chest. “What are you doing?”

“……”

Who is this kiwi fruit?

Jiang Huashan fell silent for a few seconds, rubbed her eyes, paused again, then rubbed them once more.

Fu Sui’er waved her hand and spun in place proudly. “Stop rubbing! It’s me! How is it?”

Her original hairstyle had been an explosion of perms and a chaotic mix of colors—green at the crown, multicolored ends. Now it was all shaved off, leaving a round head with less than a centimeter of short stubble.

“……” Jiang Huashan pressed her palm to her forehead. “How is what?”

“My new hairstyle!” Fu Sui’er blinked.

Jiang Huashan frowned. “Who told you to do this?”

“You said I needed to grow properly, didn’t you? I thought about it all night and decided to listen to you—start fresh and reform myself from the head down.”

Jiang Huashan rubbed the bridge of her nose. “So you shaved your head?”

“My mom never liked my hairstyle anyway. I actually quite liked it myself, but I thought long and hard and came up with this way to show you my determination.”

Jiang Huashan paused slightly and looked at her.

The girl still had the same “stupid” label above her head, yet for some reason, it didn’t feel annoying at all.

If she simply wanted to change her hairstyle, the most effective way would have been to straighten it or dye it back. If she wanted to show determination, there was even less need to do something like this. Because improving oneself is something one only needs to answer to personally.

But Fu Sui’er, influenced by her label, would never reach that conclusion.

Jiang Huashan nodded in cooperation. “Alright. I see your determination.”