Chapter 164.1: Shen Xiu, Who Nearly Died from Holding Back His Words
Fang Mo: “…”
If he wasn’t mistaken, when Mr. Shen coldly asked “Who?” with that sarcastic tone, his indifferent eyes casually swept toward him—and even the slight droop of his eyelids carried a frosty chill. That…
That was exactly like how his older brother had described it: when Mr. Shen didn’t want to acknowledge someone irrelevant, he always looked this cold and emotionless.
And the words he used? Not just “kind of similar” to what his brother had warned him about—but exactly the same!
His brother probably never imagined that he himself would one day be included in his own list titled “A Summary of All the People Mr. Shen Has Completely and Brutally Ignored Over the Years.”
No more words needed—Fang Mo silently offered a deep, internal bow of sympathy to his dear big brother, Fang Heng.
“Mr. Shen, you’re absolutely right. My brother’s not important. What matters is you, Mr. Shen. Please just pretend I didn’t say anything just now—would that be alright?”
Shen Xiu: “…That’s fine.”
Why does he keep saying things I don’t understand at all!?
Fang Mo let out a breath of relief.
“Please take care, Mr. Shen.”
Shen Xiu: “…Okay.”
‘Help—why isn’t anyone else coming over!? Facing Fang Mo alone is way too awkward. I don’t even understand what he’s saying, and my responses sound so stiff and dry!’
After entering the estate, the bodyguards—aside from those helping the Storm crew with their luggage and guiding them in—left of their own accord.
The Storm team, seeing Fang Mo carefully following beside Shen Xiu and speaking so cautiously, very tactfully chose not to go over.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t dying of curiosity.
As everyone walked, their gazes kept drifting toward Shen Xiu and Fang Mo up ahead, itching with curiosity.
After a few steps, someone finally couldn’t hold it in and spoke up.
“What do you think they’re talking about?”
“No idea… and I don’t dare eavesdrop either.”
Xiang Yueting overheard the hushed whispers and gave the group a “what-kind-of-weirdos-are-you” look.
“Do you guys even have eyes? Is that what you think the main point is?”
Hearing him, the others all turned to look at Xiang Yueting with blank, ghostly stares.
Xuan Yushu chuckled softly and asked, “Then tell us, Yueting—what is the main point?”
Xiang Yueting’s eyes darted around wildly in all directions.
Xia Wenhao: “Do you have an eye twitch or something?”
Xiang Yueting shot him a glare. They were surrounded by bodyguards—none of whom were looking at them, sure—but they were nearby. Saying anything too recklessly in this setting made his skin crawl.
So he leaned in close to the center of the Storm crew and whispered in a barely audible breath:
“The point is, the stuff flying around in the sky is definitely real, but… do you think the stuff on them is the real deal too?”
While filming Storm, they had seen all kinds of weapons—but 100% of them were fake. No matter how realistic they looked, they were still props.
But now, the people patrolling and standing guard around them, all dressed in matching uniforms, had gear strapped to their backs and belts that looked way too real.
Xiang Yueting couldn’t help being curious.
Everyone: “……”
They thought Xiang Yueting was going to say something serious—and this was it?
Everyone gave him a look of silent exasperation.
Xiang Yueting, confused: “Why are you all staring at me?”
What was wrong with his question!?
Song Chengwang reached out, slinging an arm around Xiang Yueting’s shoulders and pulling him closer to his side. He leaned in and whispered in his ear:
“If you don’t need your eyes, go ahead and doubt it. Of course it’s real. Carrying fakes around here is basically asking to die. Didn’t you notice that even the bodyguards helping with our luggage are each carrying two weapons?”
Xiang Yueting’s eyes widened: “I—mmph…”
Before he could finish speaking, Song Chengwang quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Forgot to tell you—there were weapons in the car we rode in, too. So yeah, keep your voice down. Wouldn’t be good if someone overheard.”
Xiang Yueting swallowed hard and nodded. Now that he knew it was real, he didn’t even dare let his eyes wander. Even if everyone here was somehow connected to Captain Xiu, the fact remained—they were carrying real weapons. And Captain Xiu couldn’t stay by his side every second. That primal fear kicked in regardless.
Once Xiang Yueting had straightened up and was walking ahead with his eyes fixed forward, Zhuang Yi crept up to Song Chengwang, curious.
“Brother Wang, for real? There were weapons in the car too?”
Even Ning Sinian, who wasn’t usually chatty, leaned in to eavesdrop with curiosity.
The others didn’t say anything, but they were all clearly listening in with perked ears.
Song Chengwang chuckled lazily and said in a low voice, “Everything after the first part? Total nonsense.”
But even though he said that, he was pretty sure he’d guessed right. He hadn’t received any special training like Shen Xiu or Shang Yu, but he had been to Basat a few times. If you dared drive openly through Basat without bringing something for protection, you were basically asking to get robbed.
That car they’d just been in—if anything, probably had more weapons than he’d guessed.
“Wait… where’s Captain Xiu?”
When Jiang Yanxi said that, everyone—who had been so focused on eavesdropping on Song Chengwang’s gossip—snapped out of it and looked ahead. Only then did they realize Shen Xiu and Fang Mo were nowhere to be seen.
Since everyone here clearly only listened to Shen Xiu, the Storm production team started feeling uneasy the moment they couldn’t see him.
As the group leader, Shi Yu turned to one of the silent black-clad bodyguards walking alongside them.
“Excuse me, may I ask… where is Shen Xiu?”
The bodyguard immediately understood and gave a slight nod.
“Mr. Shen will be staying at his own residence. As for the exact location, I’m sorry, I can’t disclose that.”
“But please rest assured—your residence will be just as secure.”
From just those few brief sentences, the Storm production team instantly understood:
The place Shen Xiu was staying at had a completely different level of security from theirs.
The people here clearly believed that even staying with them wouldn’t be safe enough for Shen Xiu.
“Oh—got it, thank you for the trouble.”
“It’s our duty.”
—
Fang Mo kept Fang Heng’s teachings firmly in mind—he didn’t dare touch Shen Xiu’s luggage recklessly and only placed the items in the master bedroom.
Naturally, he didn’t dare linger in front of Shen Xiu either. He practically asked right after putting the luggage down, “Mr. Shen, if you need anything, just call me. I won’t disturb you.”
“Wait a moment…”
Fang Mo: “!”
Was Mr. Shen finally going to assign him a task?!
Fang Mo’s back instantly straightened, and he looked at Shen Xiu with eager anticipation. “Please give your instructions, Mr. Shen!”
Shen Xiu stiffly met Fang Mo’s eyes and awkwardly spoke: “Where are they?”
Why was it that, as they were walking along, everyone suddenly disappeared? Besides him and Fang Mo, the only people left were unfamiliar figures standing around like statues—stiffer than he was.
Unfamiliar place, unfamiliar faces, fully stacked anxiety buffs—Shen Xiu felt completely unsafe.
Fang Mo: “…”
So he was asking about those people. Fang Mo felt a twinge of disappointment deep down.
At the same time, he recalled the online rumors and thought to himself: So there are people who can enter Mr. Shen’s heart. Mr. Shen is this concerned about them—even asking where they’re staying. That’s something Fang Heng had never mentioned before.
Fang Mo respectfully replied, “They’ve been arranged in Area C. Please rest assured, Mr. Shen. We will take good care of your friends and ensure their safety!”
“…Thank you.”
He had to admit, even though the system didn’t say anything, its arrangements were impressively thorough.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Shen—this is simply our duty.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Mo’s phone, which was in his pocket, gave a light vibration. Recalling Fang Heng’s reminder that Shen Xiu liked quiet, Fang Mo quickly spoke up, worried the sound might bother him: “Mr. Shen, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave so as not to disturb you.”
Shen Xiu also heard the vibration from Fang Mo’s phone. He had been about to ask something, but the buzzing interrupted his train of thought, leaving his mind momentarily blank. He simply nodded. “Mm.”
The moment Shen Xiu gave his permission, Fang Mo immediately backed out and left.
Once the door was closed, Fang Mo finally let out a breath of relief. He took out his phone from his pocket, answered it without even checking the screen, and whispered, “Bro.”
“Don’t worry. Mr. Shen is in his room now. As for your part… Bro, just like you said—he really did ask who you were. Hahaha…”
Only after walking some distance did Fang Mo dare to laugh out loud.
Hearing his younger brother’s laughter through the phone, Fang Heng felt like he was having a heart attack. Clutching his chest, he gritted his teeth darkly, “Shut up!”
“What’s the point of telling me to shut up? If you’ve got the guts, come back here right now.”
Having heard enough of Fang Mo’s laughter, Fang Heng’s tone turned serious. “Adams just left. I need at least another week before I can return. Adams didn’t leave in the best mood—make sure he doesn’t show up in front of Mr. Shen and affect his mood. Got it?”
Fang Mo’s expression straightened too. “Don’t worry, bro. When I get serious, I’m actually quite reliable.”
Fang Heng sneered coldly. “Heh.”
Then he hung up.
Fang Mo turned around and glanced at the tightly closed door behind him. He had only ever heard the name “Shen Xiu” before, and had heard many rumors about him from his brother.
But… he hadn’t expected Shen Xiu to be just as young as he appeared on screen.
Was his age even real?
After all, neither his indifferent gaze—like someone who’d weathered countless storms—nor the sharp, commanding aura that clung to him matched his supposed age.
But… the moment anyone saw Shen Xiu for the first time, age would be the last thing on their mind. What truly left a mark was that overwhelming presence, enough to make people instinctively submit.
Why would someone like him… go to class? Or even enter the entertainment industry to act?
The more Fang Mo thought about it, the less it made sense.
He shook his head and muttered under his breath, “Trying to guess what a big shot is thinking is like fishing a needle out of the sea…” If his brother couldn’t figure it out, there was no way he could.
