Chapter 209
Then Shen Ying checked her luck—it wasn’t too bad. During her time in the game space, no one had borrowed her real-world body.
She wondered if the game had intended to send her back all along, programming her body with an autonomous behavior system.
This system was mediocre at best. To sustain her livelihood, it chose to capitalize on Shen Ying’s most obvious asset—her beauty.
As a result, she became a reality show actress here. Reportedly, that steamy dating show wasn’t even her first gig.
Before that, she’d participated in Hell’s Kitchen, enduring Gordon Ramsay’s tirades and gaining some recognition among viewers.
Shen Ying thought to herself that the system really was subpar. If she’d been in control, her culinary skills and intuition wouldn’t have earned her any scolding—she’d have easily won the championship.
Taking over a restaurant in a casino city as head chef would’ve been a high-paying job too.
As they spoke, Shen Ju walked over and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go grab a bite?”
Shen Ying sighed. “We’re not that close, are we?”
Shen Ju replied, “What nonsense? You’re my only sister.”
Shen Ying scoffed. “We’re way past the fifth degree of kinship. There are dozens in our generation—if the others heard you, they’d be furious.”
Shen Ju carried himself with careless ease, but beneath it lay an innate arrogance.
He said matter-of-factly, “Those nobodies aren’t fit to be my siblings.”
Shen Ying clicked her tongue. “So what were the elders thinking?”
“How could they possibly believe someone like you could lead the family?”
Shen Ju glanced at her, smirking. “They really are fools.”
“They barely managed to tie you down with bloodline duty, yet they wavered over petty gains.”
Shen Ying retorted, “No need to be so harsh on yourself.”
Shen Ju tightened his hold, speaking affectionately, “I’m serious. The only thing I’m slightly better at than you is those insignificant little advantages.”
The Shen Family was a reclusive clan with a millennia-old legacy, wielding immense influence not just domestically but globally, with high-ranking connections everywhere.
Such deep roots meant conservative traditions, and given the Shen Family’s unique status as leaders in esoteric arts, each generation’s head had to be the most gifted of their time.
Shen Ying’s generation had dozens of talented descendants, but she and Shen Ju stood above the rest—rare geniuses unseen in centuries. Had they been born in different eras, either would’ve been the undisputed leader.
The elders often lamented this.
Shen Ying hadn’t always been like this. For over a decade, she’d been diligent and disciplined, single-mindedly aiming to become the family head.
At sixteen, Shen Ju quietly vanished, leaving only a note saying he wanted to enjoy the outside world.
The elders were livid but powerless—by that age, both siblings had already surpassed their seniors’ abilities. If Shen Ju wanted to hide his tracks, no one could divine his whereabouts.
His departure wasn’t entirely inconsequential for Shen Ying. Over the next decade, the elders drilled into her that she would become the family head, that the Shen Family’s future rested on her shoulders.
Shen Ying accepted this as inevitable. Had Shen Ju stayed, he might’ve been a rival.
But after a decade of squandering his time and letting his skills rust, the gap between them should’ve been insurmountable.
Everyone thought so—until this year, on the eve of the succession ceremony, he returned.
Boldly declaring he’d compete for the position.
By family rules, this was fair. Curious about his current level, Shen Ying agreed.
And then—embarrassingly—lost.
She wasn’t obsessed with becoming head, but she couldn’t accept that her ten years of relentless training had been bested by someone who’d spent that time carousing.
It felt like an insult to her efforts, reducing her to a joke.
Her values shattered, her confidence crushed, Shen Ying left the family and embraced a life of slacking off.
Over the years, she finally understood why she’d lost.
It made sense. By the time Shen Ju left, the family had nothing left to teach him.
Shen Ying’s so-called hard work had just been recycling knowledge from those she’d already surpassed.
Shen Ju, ever the natural, had chosen his own path—plunging into the mortal world, observing countless people from all walks of life.
That gave him an edge over Shen Ying’s isolated training.
Just like Shen Ying now—these years of idling in the game had stripped away any desire to improve, yet the fog in her mind had cleared.
For example—
She cut into her steak and suddenly said to Shen Ju, “You’re trying to trick me into taking over so you can ditch the family responsibilities, aren’t you?”
Shen Ju paused. “No.”
Shen Ying continued, “And you embezzled family funds to pay off your debts.”
Shen Ju dropped the act. “Fine, I came back to scam some money and free you from your leash so you could have fun too.”
Dramatically, he added, “My poor sister, raised like a workhorse, never seeing the world or cutting loose. If I hadn’t interrupted your succession, you’d have lived like that forever.”
“Doesn’t such brotherly devotion deserve you covering my debts?”
Shen Ying didn’t doubt him. Since childhood, he’d always shared his spoils with her, and his chaotic nature made his motives as simple as he claimed.
He clearly had no interest in the family—but no qualms about exploiting it.
Shen Ying smiled. “True. Experiencing your version of ‘freedom’ was eye-opening.”
Shen Ju’s grin stiffened. He stared at her. “Wait—you’re still—”
Mid-sentence, he stopped, scrutinizing her closely. His pupils contracted in shock.
“No, something’s off. Just a few months, and you shouldn’t be like this.”
“Where’ve you been? What else happened?” He studied her but found her future now obscured—an overwhelming pressure loomed over him, as if standing beneath Mount Tai, unable to see the summit.
Shen Ying just smiled silently.
Now things were awkward—both knew each other’s schemes.
Shen Ju spoke first. “You can’t do this.”
Shen Ying replied, “Too bad. The family thinks you’re the strongest now. If we both bolt, they’ll come for you first.”
She added helpfully, “Don’t underestimate them. They didn’t find you before because I was still around—they weren’t desperate enough to go all out.”
"Now then—"
Shen Ju couldn't take it anymore: "Do you believe I’ll go sign up at a club right this instant?"
Shen Ying’s eyes lit up: "And here I thought such a wonderful thing was too good to be true?"
Shen Ju: "..."
It suddenly dawned on Shen Ju just how deeply his past actions had screwed him over.
The End.