HBWMA -Chapter 84 Staying Together No Matter What

“……”

Shen Guiling was standing right outside the door. The room was not soundproof, and Shen Qian hadn’t bothered to avoid being overheard, so he had heard everything clearly.

After a hesitation of about ten seconds, Shen Guiling raised his hand and knocked on the door. “Dad, it’s me.”

Shen Qian glanced toward the door, ended the phone call, then turned and sat down on the sofa. “Come in.”

The door opened, and Shen Guiling slowly walked in. He had just finished an IV drip and had not yet recovered. His face was as pale as paper, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

A rare trace of warmth appeared in Shen Qian’s eyes. He pointed to the seat beside him. “You haven’t recovered yet. Why are you out of bed?”

Shen Guiling obediently sat down. “I’m fine now. I just heard you on the phone outside, so…”

“……” Shen Qian raised a hand to interrupt him and stared straight into his eyes. “A-Ling, tell me the truth—this time, do you blame Dad?”

Shen Guiling shook his head, his gaze gentle. “Dad, why would you think that? I’m already happy I could help you. It’s just a pity I was still useless and couldn’t keep Grandpa.”

Hearing this, the smile on Shen Qian’s face deepened.

Without a doubt, Shen Guiling’s answer satisfied him greatly.

Shen Qian was a suspicious man. After Shen Guiling’s allergic reaction had failed to flare up last time, he had been wondering whether Shen Guiling had started to believe he now had the old master’s backing and was growing wings of his own. So this time, during the assassination, Shen Qian had deliberately not hidden anything from him and even asked him to find a way to keep the old master there.

And Shen Guiling had handled it very well—better than Shen Qian had expected. For a child who completed tasks so excellently, Shen Qian never spared praise.

He smiled and said, “A-Ling, don’t say that. You did very well this time. Dad saw it. If you want anything, just tell me. I’ll definitely make it up to you properly.”

Shen Guiling’s eyes brightened slightly, but he forced down his excitement and shook his head. “I don’t want anything. It’s just a pity I was too impatient and dragged Uncle Zhao down with me.”

“Oh?” Shen Qian’s expression grew even gentler as he watched him. “In big matters, you can’t be constrained by minor losses. Zhao Ping was an unfortunate piece in this chess game, but exchanging him for the old master’s trust in you was worth it.”

At this point, Shen Qian had already withdrawn his earlier suspicion of Shen Guiling. In his view, Shen Guiling had already proven his loyalty with his life—there was nothing left to doubt.

Shen Guiling curved his lips slightly. “You’re right, Dad.”

The father and son exchanged a look—harmonious, almost warm, like a picture of paternal affection.

Buzz—

A phone vibrated.

Shen Qian took it out of his pocket, glanced at it, and immediately answered.

“Speak.”

“Boss, we’ve found them.”

Shen Guiling’s eyes moved slightly. He subtly tilted his neck.

At the same time, three hundred kilometers away in Xiangying.

Heavy rain lashed down. In just half an hour, the floodwater had already risen above Jiang Huashan’s knees.

Thirty meters away from a ravine, a burly man held a sniper rifle, aiming directly at Fu Sui’er’s forehead.

“Boss, they fell into the ravine. One of them has her leg trapped, and the other is trying to save her,” the man reported in a low voice, his gaze coldly fixed on the two lambs waiting to be slaughtered below.

Inside the hospital room, the air turned heavy and suffocating.

Shen Qian leaned back with his legs crossed, a cold smile hanging on his refined, elegant face.

Shen Guiling only needed one glance to understand his answer.

On the surface, Shen Qian appeared refined and proper, but in reality, he was deeply dark and twisted inside. He had always been jealous of Shen Xi—resenting how, simply because he was the legitimate eldest branch’s son, he naturally received all of the Shen family’s support and rose to become a military commander at a young age.

And him? After decades of painstaking effort, he had barely climbed to the position of National Assembly Speaker, only for the old master to discard him without hesitation.

Now the eldest branch only had Shen Lanxi left. Given the old master’s favoritism toward this grandson, it was almost certain he would become the future head of the Shen family.

Shen Qian had never openly admitted it, but Shen Guiling knew—he was determined to become the head of the Shen family, and he would never allow anyone in the family to threaten his position. That was why he had constantly schemed to eliminate Shen Lanxi, this obstacle.

Given the current situation, Shen Lanxi could not be touched—but making things difficult for him would definitely please Shen Qian.

Fu Sui’er was from the third branch. If she died in this accident, given Shen Jiao’s temperament, she would certainly direct her anger at Shen Lanxi.

So, Shen Qian would definitely kill them.

Shen Guiling slowly lowered his eyes.

The Shen family tearing each other apart like dogs—what did it have to do with him?

Shen Qian calmly lit a cigarette, leisurely exhaling a ring of smoke. “Send them…”

“Dad.” Shen Guiling suddenly looked up and turned toward him. “We can’t kill them.”

Shen Qian frowned, covering the phone, his gaze filled with suspicion as he looked at Shen Guiling.

“What did you say?”

Shen Guiling remained composed, though a trace of urgency slipped through. “Dad! Trading a thousand losses for five hundred gains isn’t worth it!”

Shen Qian frowned again.

Shen Guiling continued, “Dad, if anything happens to them, Grandpa will definitely launch a full investigation. No matter how thorough your arrangements are, there’s always a chance of a slip-up. If it were Shen Lanxi, then maybe it would be worth the risk.”

“But those two—one is an adopted daughter, the other is surnamed Fu. At most, they’re just taking a bit of Grandpa’s affection. They can’t possibly get any real power in the Shen family.”

“Besides, Aunt Shen Jiao has already fallen out with the Fu family. Even if she dislikes Shen Lanxi, as a divorced daughter who’s already married out, she won’t have any real influence.”

“For such trivial gains, to risk provoking Grandpa’s reverse scale—wouldn’t that be like trading a thousand losses for five hundred gains?”

Shen Qian’s gaze deepened as he stared at Shen Guiling without expression.

Shen Guiling met his gaze sincerely, forcefully suppressing his urgency, as if he truly was just worried his father might make the wrong decision.

After a long pause—

Shen Qian suddenly laughed heartily and said into the phone, “Withdraw. Let them fend for themselves.”

After hanging up, he gave his “good son” a thumbs-up. “Not bad! Sharp and to the point.”

Shen Guiling: “……”

Mountain forest.

Rainstorm hammered down, dripping off the cold barrel of a gun, water slowly sliding from the black muzzle.

The man hiding behind a large tree ended the call, slung his gun away, and turned to walk into the rain.

At this moment, water in the deep trench had already risen to Jiang Huashan’s waist. Because Fu Sui’er was half-lying down, the water had already reached above her shoulders.

At this rate, it was very dangerous.

Fu Sui’er stared blankly at the sky and said hoarsely, “Shanshan… you should go. If this goes on, I’ll only drag you down.”

“Shut up.” Jiang Huashan’s face was expressionless as she mechanically dug at the mud. The skin at the base of her thumbs was already split and bleeding; muddy water mixed into the wounds, stinging and itching.

“Shanshan… don’t worry about me anymore, just go! Take a message to my mom, tell her…”

“I told you to shut up. Save your energy and kick your legs!”

Jiang Huashan shook the rain off her face, held her breath, and dove into the muddy water, grabbing Fu Sui’er’s knees and slowly trying to pull her out.

Fu Sui’er gritted her teeth, crying as she punched her own thighs.

The rainwater had soaked into the soil, making it gradually more slippery. Jiang Huashan wedged her hand into a tree stump and, gripping Fu Sui’er’s leg, pulled bit by bit.

Fu Sui’er felt it and, gritting her teeth, bent her knee. The two of them didn’t exchange a single word—everything relied entirely on tacit understanding.

The rain kept falling, showing no sign of stopping.

After another struggle, the water in the trench had already reached Fu Sui’er’s chin.

She tilted her head back, holding her breath, gripping the mud beneath her.

Suddenly—she felt a sharp pain in her right leg. Fu Sui’er froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

“Shanshan! I can feel my leg!”

SPLASH—

Jiang Huashan burst out of the water.

“You’re not paralyzed. Of course you’d feel it.”